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"Everything looks like a blog"June 11, 2004
A hallmark of good design is that it provides context and meaning for the work it's applied to. It enhances and emphasizes, and if necessary it distracts and obfuscates. Design is about visual communication and it's about enhancing written communication equally; not all text is designed, not all design is text.
The web is predominantly about written communication though; usable web standards don't extend to multimedia as well as they could. The basic constructs of HTML/XML and CSS are text, and the content they manipulate is most often text. Even the surge of weblog popularity hinges on the importance of the written word.
Consider the shape of text. Long passages share a common characteristic; they are narrow and long, never wide and short. You scroll down a page, and everyone resents scrolling vertically. The basic building block of the sites we all build is shaped like a big narrow rectangle, and there's no way around that.
Do a lot of the sites in the CSS Vault look like weblogs? Yes. Do many of the designs in the Zen Garden use two columns and scroll vertically? Yes. Because they were designed to best suit their content, which is simply good design.
Reader Comments
Well said.
This is something I've struggled with a bit, as I'm sure many others have. You want to break the two-column blogish mold, but keep coming back to the fact that it's very, very good in many ways for presenting a content-centered site.
Well said. Funny how all books look the same as well. They are all rectangular. Most have a table of contents. Each page contains a column of text. They all have a front and back cover. There's no way around all of this.
I chuckle when people complain that a two-column layout looks like a weblog. There are only so many ways to present primary and secondary content. There are methods that work best – and those best methods are the ones that get used frequently.
Best practice? ;)
Well said, Dave. I do think there's plenty of room for experimentation beyond the two-column blog-like layout, but there's a good reason this design is so popular – because it works.
I think the singlar feature missing from CSS that may allow us to do more magazine-like layouts (and make them really work) is alto-flowing columns.
What fun I could have with that…
The people at the International Herald Tribune have a clever, if clunky, way of presenting text that does not burden the reader with vertical scrolling. Observe: http://www.iht.com/articles/524537.html
This is something I've been wondering about for a while now. People deride CSS layouts by saying that they "aren't innovative and just mimic table based designs." I want to know, once and for all, HOW is this a valid criticism? Humans like to read things in evenly aligned columns. It's just how we work. It works in newspaper, books, table based design, and CSS design. I fail to see how there's anything valid in the whole "mimicking" criticism.
At my previous job, I made an effort to raise the level of design work we were putting out, and I showed my boss/business owner the Zen Garden, to which he replied, "I don't like it. Its not corporate-looking enough." I took great pains to explain to him that, yes, the Zen Garden doesn't have that professional business look, but I'd like the work we put out to aim for that level of artful execution, subtlety and attention to detail. Even still, he didn't get it, and that incident was one of the main reasons why I left his company. Any company that ignores good design principles and resists positive changes towards them is not a company with long-term prospects, IMO.
That being said, Zen Garden submissions tend to be created by people trying to be more creative, and often that means designing in ways that are more personal, more idiosyncratic and, significantly, less like what they do at work. The "too blog-like" criticism is somewhat valid – one thing that's attractive about certain blog designs is that they depart from the traditional height-width ratio, which is more fun to design for. Same goes for the choice of colors.
Tom (#5) – While I find it interesting and clever what IHT is doing there, let's not assume that vertical scrolling is a burden. I've never seen an actual user complain about scrolling and there has been quite a bit of research done to show that scrolling is preferred over paging.
I'm not trying to say every user loves to scroll, only that in general it's not something you need to design around.
Good observation, Dave.. I also noticed this a few weeks ago (http://www.alextaylor.org/archives/000066.php)
True and well put as usual… But I often stuggle with defining – and then choosing between – what is intuitive and natural for the user and what is simply learned and comfortable.
Going with what you know an audience has been trained to expect *is* good design, but it's also conservative and it will inevitably make a site look similar to many others. That's ok – some arbitrary standardization in design is worthwhile in any class of product, whether a chainsaw or a web page (saves toes and mouse clicks too). Designing as if the audience should discard what it has learned elsewhere is foolishly arrogant.
But on the other hand, designing to encourage new ways of interacting – ways that inform rather than negate other experiences – is brilliantly arrogant… Challenging the audience can bring an unexpected delight in the moment, and it can lead to new (though maybe arbitrary) design standards too – which makes things more interesting over time, if nothing else. And I'd like to think it is sometimes something else: an evolution towards what is more intuitive rather than just expected.
Wide and short pages are definitely less expected than narrow and long pages right now, but I'm not sure that they're any less natural for navigating text. In print, the multiple short column design has had a long life, and for reasons larger than just one industry's conventions… And why shouldn't it apply well on a screen (especially a nice widescreen display)? Moving through chunks of text is no more clearly "down" than "right" (um, in English, I mean – this is what I mean about struggling with defining what is more intuitive). I see many more horizontal page turns within Flash presentations, and wouldn't be surprised to see them get more crossover popularity in HTML – the IHT layout is fairly sweet for a quick read. Of course, CSS support currently makes the vertical-scrolling design a little easier to do… but maybe that's just from the conventions I've been trained to know too…
I like the idea of auto-flowing columns to make a page grow horizontally, but fit vertically (if the scroll wheel software is smart enough to scroll horizontally when there is not vertical scroll availible). Of course we're a long way from that idea being practical.
I'd also like to note that the IHT's site, in Mozilla at least, breaks if you scale the font size up and gives no clear indication that you're supposed to click on the text to scroll. It's an interesting gimmick, but not very intuitive.
And personally, I've always been annoyed at multicolumn text layouts like that. Tracing the text down, up, down, up, down and then all the way back to the corner again is, to me, far more annoying than scrolling down the page. In newspapers, it's less annoying because the columns are generally longer, but I still prefer reading things with wider columns. (I notice that the IHT layout is nowhere near double-alphabet magic width.)
A final killer in their layout is that on my screen, almost the right half is completely blank. I probably could have almost fit the full article on my screen without any scrolling or stealth paging!
Of course, given the current state of the art, it's near impossible to code a site that can handle different resolutions, font sizes, etc with the kind of layout IHT chose. That's another reason the two-column weblogish format is so popular… it's simple enough to work well in a variety of font, window and screen sizes.
Abso-frigging-lutely, Dave.
Let's use another example: magazines. We can easily say that almost all magazines look like…well, magazines. Similar layouts, headlines, and hell, paper even! etc… However, each magazine looks unique to its own audience and information, so despite the fact the structures are similar, it's still not.
Martha Stewart Living Magazine for example, does not look like Cosmopolitan or say, Wired Magazine or PC World, but they use similar ways to lay out information and photos–why? Because they're both magazines and thus use similar "rules." Like web design, there is room for flexibility, creativity and originality, but using a "template" (or grid, really) doesn't mean it's "bad design."
I often give introductory talks to people unfamiliar with how to put together a website. The way I start is to hold up two different magazines, as Lea suggests, and ask the audience what they expect to see when I open them. Ads, table of contents, feature articles, page numbers, columns, and so on are what they expect.
Books are the same way. Both have had hundreds of years to evolve, and in some ways have been conventionalized, but they are also somewhat optimized for their readerships. People know what to expect, and how to find things. Design fits within those constraints.
It's the same on the Web, but here we've had less time to establish standards and find optimal conventions. We're still feeling our way through, trying to figure out which holdovers from print and other media work, and which don't. But we should acknowledge—even celebrate—that there are constraints. We don't have to get all Nielsenian ( http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000723.html ) about it, but there is value in having the upper left corner link to the home page, and never underlining text that isn't a link, for instance.
Maybe every text-based site looks a bit like a blog, but maybe that's because blogs are some of the most elemental expressions of text on the Web, and have settled into a reasonable set of layouts. It still takes work and talent to make them shine.
At http://cssbeauty.com web site designs offered by category: business, personal, portal|magazine, photography, sports … categories share similar elements of design.
Blogs can be dressed up just a bit differently, maintain common elements of design, and some may have a bit of a twist or bend: http://www.orderedlist.com/examples/the_bend
Well said, Dave.
This short entry perfectly expresses the popular form of text on the Web. However, there is also another side to Web that has not yet been given a chance to fully express itself. Websites are beginning to use the form of the text itself to convey a message. This is, quite obviously, a technique which will lessen the impact of the content itself. To most webloggers, this is simply not a productive concept. However, some people enjoy the artistic expression found in manipulating the form of text into nonstandard formations. See the CSS Zen Garden entry What Lies Beneath [1] by Michael Pick. This design still focuses on the content, but does it in such a way as to allow the flow of the text to carry the reader away. A new form of art may appear that separates itself from the weblogs much like how some magazines have distanced themselves the classic book layout. Unfortunately, this school of thought may still be in its infancy, and ultimately the web will choose whether this trend catches on.
I agree completely, Dave. We've all heard people complain about the lack of innovation with CSS design. Well, as you said, we use certain styles of layout because they work. It's as simple as that.
Personally, I've never minded the "2 column, blogish" look. Sure, I like seeing an innovative design as much as the next guy, but I don't necessarily alway like *using* such a design.
Thanks for speaking up and saying what I've been wanting someone to say for quite awhile.
I was just thinking about this a few hours ago. Why the aversion to vertical scrolling when the scrollbar is such an integral component of every browser? I don't understand why so many of my clients persist in asking for websites that 'fit on one page' without scrolling. I think we're all accustomed to it by now, it feels completely natural to scan across and down.
And two column layouts make sense when you have a mix of content/sidelinks - which most sites do. I see nothing wrong in following this trend. I understand why some designers/companies might think the blog appearance is passe, another way of looking at it would be to say that it's a 'well established design construct'. Nothing wrong with replicating and building upon what already works.
Nice commentary Dave.
I've been wondering where the next "layer of innovation" was going to come from; it seemed that with respect to design, two columns quite often fit the bill quite nicely.
The very same day you launched your redesign I was having a discussion with someone, wondering what aspect of the two coulmn could be improved, when poof! there was Mezzoblue, working the UI end of things a little better and trying to push the envelope.
Ethan [1] then pushed a bit too, with his markup and UI changes [2].
Similar, I think, to the way that Scrivs worked over Whitespace [3], which in the end is still two columns, but with a few different twists. I'm trying a few (ugly) experiments on our blog homepage (more to come), and now we see Doug [4] experimenting here and there but fundamentally building on what works, what you call good design, design that best suits it's content → two columns that scroll vertically.
[1] http://sidesh0w.com/
[3] http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/
[4] http://www.stopdesign.com
i take your comments on board but why do all weblogs look the same… all magazines dont look the same, all forms of interactive tv and cdroms dont look the same, a corporate site simply shouldnt look like a weblog, same as a newspaper shouldnt look like a magazine.
its very frustrating as ive now got customers who want a weblog style design for their site.
There's an extra '.' at the end of Tom's URL, if anyone is scratching their head over why it throws a 404.
Why, yes there is. Gotta remember that the urls are auto-linked next time…
Mark, I disagree that all weblogs look the same and all magazines DON'T look the same.
Every piece of design borrows from something or other—and frankly, almost every piece of design—print or interactive—is a slave to some type of "grid" or template.
Like I remember one web designer wrote, weblogs are websites—with a certain look. If a client of yours wants a weblog style design for their site and you, honestly believe that isn't what they need–then make a CASE for it, and push YOUR style of design. If they don't budge, then make 'em "look like a weblog." They ARE your client. You're a designer. NOT an artist.
Meanwhile, as for your newspapers don't look like magazines–well, the format and audience is different. And, as well, many newspapers ARE adopting magazine-like layouts to appeal to younger, hipper audiences. While some magazines (ala Rolling Stone) mimic NEWSPAPERS, so they look more unique and also add a more "legitimate" angle to their stories.
Web browsers are always going to be a slave to the screen and pixels.
I think they do generally look the same, but why do all "A's" "B's" and "C's" generally look the same? While web browsers are always going to be a slave to the screen and pixels, the layout of text is even more so a slave to the past. There are of course optimum ways to lay out text for easy reading. Just as books settled into having optimum places to place body text, chapter heads, and page numbers, blogs are settling into having optimum places for those informational counterparts. The only thing that can really change the layout of the information is the information itself. A good example of mostly-text book being layed out differently because of a different information structure is Richard Saul Wurman's "Information Anxiety 2."
You can display individuality through your use of space, form, color and detail, but straying from this "optimum layout" without a fundamental change in information structure will simply be experimenting. Experimentation is wonderful, but don't expect to come up with something that transfers information more expediently.
" think the singlar feature missing from CSS that may allow us to do more magazine-like layouts (and make them really work) is alto-flowing columns. "
Umm…not to plug my own horn here (but yeah, to plug my own horn), I wrote a script, based on the layout flow engine at 13thparallel (now defunct), that will allow you do exactly that. What was that link…oh yeah, http://www.dept-z.com/dropbox/layouttest.html.
Relies heavily on the innerHTML property, and can only handle a certain amount of HTML (not length-wise, but tag-wise). It was an experiment, and I was looking to do exactly what you mentioned. Works pretty well…and degrades well too (at least its set-up to; it's been something like 6 - 7 months since I wrote it). The basic concept is that it will take all of the HTML in a marked container, take an array of ids, and flow the content into them. The array of ids are meant to be styled with CSS, so you could take 5 containers and absolutely position them…and they will only appear on the page if JS is enabled and the browser supports innerHTML.
Hmmm, maybe I should write an ALA article now…
(original engine is by Dan and Michael over at 13th)
Sure. The two-column blog is good design. It works. It's logical. It's easy to implement and does a fine job of communication blog-like material.
But is that it? Should we look no further (as designers) than the two-column layout? There is more to design than just an expedient means of communicating a particular message.
There are more reasons beyond the two-column structure that make many people see "blog". The styles within the two-column layout are repeated continuously throughout popular blogs. Typography, image treatment, colour usage, placement of certain types of content…. things like the "Cederholm drop shadow".
But I digress, I think it is great that people challenge the two-column layout. Certainly, there are other methods of effectively designing a blog. Yes, I know, we do have restrictions within screen design - but we still have choices.
Let me put it this way: one of the most important tasks of the designer, is to keep our visual world fresh. That could be a whole book in itself. But I like that idea - keeping things fresh. I like to look at and interact with new things. Two-column blogs have been in the fridge for a few weeks now…
Great post, Dave. When it works, use it!
And not to dredge up ancient and buried history, but the "two column layout" has been around for far longer than blogs, and designers have been bitching about it for just as long: Anyone remember the "CNet look"? Way back when, CNet had only two columns, too… a narrow left column that had onsite links, offsite links and ads, and a wider right column for content. And once their design became de rigeur, the uber connected complained about the fact that every single site looked like CNet.
Wait, does that mean that CNet was one of the first blogs? *gasp*
The wheels on the bus go round and round, as does this particular debate, it seems. :)
Tom (5), I disagree about the IHT site.
When I first visited them, I thought, "Wow, that's a cool design." After trying to read several of their stories, I noticed the limitations of their technique.
First, try to copy and paste text that spans more than 2 columns. It's a nightmare.
Second, I find it curious that they make the use click a NEXT button to read information that is already loaded in the page. Why not just display it all at once?
As much as I hate to say it, most customers I come in contact with rarely even know what a blog is… When you have several blogs you read on a daily basis, you start to see similarites like crazy that would make the two column approach seem bloggish.
The only people I hear making "It looks like a blog" statements are poeple who read and make them all the time.
Then I hear what a customer and it's audience say and it a totally different story. "Wow that's neat! It reminds me of (insert non-blog here). "
As far as I'm concerned, if it's the most successful format for the site to be in, what does it matter what it looks like. Well, it matters… You know what I mean. My point is that not eveyone sees two colums as a blog.
Ritz is right, many customers don't know what a blog is, in fact many customers are not interested, yet, in blogging, web standards or css design. Unfortunately many people, mistakenly, think design is Flash. We have to understand that design has a purpose: Communicate. If having usable, readable and simple sites help us communicating, then design is doing its work. Of course we need aesthetics, but we don't have to forget that conventions in web design exist because they help people get things done, if not weblogs would be created using Flash.
Couldn't have said it better myself, Dave.


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In the last issue, we looked at the SA-1 (Ship's Aeroplane) developed by the U.S. Naval Aircraft Factory at the end of World War I. Although an oldie with many features that were outdated even for 1919, it deserves more attention, as it has many features that are applicable to today's homebuilts, both in the Ultralight and Experimental Categories.
The basic design could be called "Son of Demoiselle" because it drew so heavily on that unique model. While the "Demoiselle" was a true pioneer in 1908 because it had nothing to copy, the SA-1 is an interesting example of working down from established "Big Airplane" practice to lightweight super-simple bare-minimum flying by the standards of its day.
The purpose of the SA-1 was unique – to fly off a platform built over the turret guns of battleships to scout for the ship — but not land back aboard. With the low speed of the plane, its limited range and the possible necessity of ditching in the water, it is hard to see the practicality of the SA-1 mission concept. With no radio, the "Eye In The Sky" had no way of reporting its information back to the ship. Maybe the pilot was supposed to drop a message.
The Navy did fly some standard single-seat scouts and even some two-seaters from the turrets for a couple of years, however, before the catapults for ship-based seaplanes were perfected. Again, however, no radio.
The simplicity of the SA-1 was carried almost to the point of crudity, and some abandoned obsolete features were readopted for it. Still, the design has much to offer present-day homebuilders, and is worth studying from that point of view.
The most notable feature, of course, was the open fuselage. This had pretty well died out for tractor designs well before World War I, but is pretty much standard for today's ultralights. The powerplant up by the leading edge of the wing is straight "Demoiselle" and is frequently seen today.
Some of the moderns have the propeller on the front of the engine as a tractor while others like "Quicksilver" still carry the engine up front but put a pusher prop behind the wing on an extension shaft.
Two major obsolete features readopted for the SA-1 were the pitch and roll controls. There was no fixed horizontal stabilizer, just elevators. This detail was a commonly used weight-saving feature well into World War I, but died out until resurrected for gliders in the 1920s and 1930s. Called "Pendulum" elevators, they had the disadvantage of no "feel" and it was very easy to overcontrol with them. The Bowlus "Baby Albatross" kitbuilt sailplane of 1939 had them, but the FAA wouldn't license the Baby until springs were put in the system to provide some artificial feel. While this was only in proportion to surface displacement, not actual air load, it was better than nothing. In Germany in the 1930s, gliders with pendulum elevators were prohibited from cloud flying.
Elevators without fixed stabilizers have reappeared on light aircraft in recent years (thanks to John Thorp) as the "Slab Tail" or "Flying Tail," but actual feel is now imparted by automatic resistance tabs in the trailing edge. Homebuilts would do well to stick to stabilizers; they have other advantages, too, such as providing convenient push and lift points when ground handling the plane.
The wings of the SA-1 did not have ailerons, but resorted to the old trick of warping the wings through cables for roll control. This would be quite acceptable on an ultralight today, especially types with the rear spar at the trailing edge of the wing as on "Quicksilver."
The designers of the SA-1 didn't realize what a handicap they were building into it with that large gap in the center section. In addition to creating four drag-producing wingtips instead of two, the gap also put a big dent in the spanwise lift distribution curve.
With a span of 27 feet 8 inches and an area of 144 square feet, the SA-1 wing had an aspect ratio of only 5.2. Efficiency could be greatly improved by increasing the span and decreasing the chord for the same area, and closing the center section gap. A lot of weight can be saved by revising the structure along modern ultralight lines and by using modern two-stroke cycle engines. The empty weight of the SA-1 with the 56 hp Lawrance L-3 engine was 425 pounds. Weight of the 223 cubic inch engine was 175 pounds and it delivered its power though a large propeller at 1,600 rpm. The wing structure weighed 120 pounds. At a gross weight of 695 pounds, wing loading was 4.8 pounds per square foot – lots of room for improvement here.
DEMOISELLE DERIVATIVE: The Naval Aircraft Factory SA-1 of late 1918 drew heavily on the layout of the Santos-Dumont "Demoiselle" of 1908. Powerplant was the 55 hp Lawrance L-3 three cylinder radial.
ULTRALIGHT UTILITY: The basic three-longeron fuselage and top mounted engine of both the 1908 and 1918 designs lend themselves to modern ultralight practice. The purpose of the extra "tailskids" just behind the pilot's seat is to allow the actual tail to project beyond the rear edge of the battleship turret to permit a slightly longer takeoff run.
WIRED: Bracing for the SA-1 wings was by fixed wires from the lower longerons and the top of the forward pylon to the front spars. The warping wires for the rear spars rolled over pulleys at the top and bottom of the rear pylon and also carried the rear spar flight loads.
A GAP IN LOGIC? The gap in the middle of the wing was a huge aerodynamic handicap that was not fully understood in 1918. The wing had in effect four tips, with their inherent drag problems, and the gap was very detrimental to the spanwise lift distribution.
NO 'FEEL': A low-aspect-ratio rudder was installed behind a conventional fixed vertical fin, but there was no horizontal stabilizer. The elevators had large balance areas ahead of the hinge line to cut down on stick forces, but these also killed off "feel."

subset: commoncrawl


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Smoke fills the dark night air as you make your way around the back of the cobweb-covered building. The scent of smoking flesh reaches your nostrils at the same time your eyes catch a glimpse of the long, hooded black cape. An arm moves, and a sleeve is pushed back to reveal a tattoo of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. The face beneath the hood begins to speak.
�I love barbecue,� says Robert Potter, an amateur pit master who hosts his annual Halloween party dressed as a Death Eater, one of the fictional characters from the Harry Potter franchise.
A Potter fan
Potter is a huge fan of the book and movie series based off the character with whom he shares a last name.
�He wants to live in that world,� said Amber Potter, Robert�s wife of 20 years.
Potter saw the first two movies in the series before discovering they were based off a book series.
�I read the first four books in a month,� he said.
Potter�s love for the series only grew from there. He now owns the entire series, both book and DVD versions, along with several collector�s items. A wand, safely nestled in a glass case, sits on a shelf in Potter�s living room. Potter also has a collection of Gringotts Wizarding Bank coins, a Marauder�s Map, and a copy of the prophecy from the series.
Perhaps the most interesting, and permanent, pieces of Potter�s Potter collection are the ones he carries with him at all times. The faces of characters from the series, including Buckbeak, Hermione, Ron, Bellatrix, Voldemort, and Harry himself, cover Potter�s arms. His right arm features the �good� characters, and the �bad� characters on his left arm are accompanied by a Dark Mark, the symbol identifying the Death Eaters in the series.
�He wanted the lightning on his forehead, but I said no,� Potter�s wife said with a smile.
Extra opportunities
Potter said he enjoys the fantasy world, because it acts as an escape for him.
�It�s not reality; you get to put reality to the side for a while,� he said.
Potter recently had another opportunity to put reality to the side when he acted as an extra in both the second and third Hunger Games movies. Potter�s wife urged him to audition for the first movie when it was filming in Shelby, but he said he didn�t think he�d get it, and he didn�t want to waste a Saturday standing at the mall.
When he accidentally came across auditions for the second film, Potter decided to take a chance. He submitted three photos to the casting agency through Facebook, giving them exactly what they were asking for: a tall, thin, coal miner look.
A week later, Potter received an email.
Officially booked
�You are officially booked,� it read.
Potter later received another email with a map and details of the location for the shoot.
�He has to be glued to his email when he does this, because they�ll send updates at the last minute,� Potter�s wife, Amber, said.
For both �Catching Fire� and �Mockingjay,� Potter drove to Atlanta for filming.
�The first thing they do is make you sign a non-disclosure act,� Potter said. �They were a lot stricter this year for the third movie, as far as cameras and phones.�
After a fitting with wardrobe, Potter met with the hair and makeup crew. He said it took 45 minutes in makeup to cover the tattoos on his arms, and his hair stylist was a man who was born and raised in Lawndale.
�I drove 250 miles just to meet someone from my backyard,� Potter said.
Potter said he enjoyed working on both films, but the riot scenes in �Catching Fire� were the most fun. He kept some of the fliers from the scene as mementos, and they hang inside a framed �Catching Fire� poster in his living room at home.
The thrill
Potter is keeping his eyes open for future opportunities to be an extra. His dream is to be an extra on AMC�s hit show, �The Walking Dead.�
�But, there�s not a lot of calls for skinny old guys,� Potter said, laughing.
Regardless of the show or movie, Potter just enjoys the experience of being an extra. He doesn�t care about being on camera or having a speaking part.
�It�s just being there, seeing how they do it, being part of it. That�s the thrill of it,� he said.


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Car Deals
Luxury Car Deals: July 2013
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Audi A4
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BMW 5 Series
The luxurious BMW 5 Series is a high-end sedan with sporty driving characteristics. It slots between BMW's compact 3 Series and full-size 7 Series. In July, it offers a great deal for shoppers financing their next car. While most BMWs are available with 3 percent interest rates, the 5 Series is offered this month with rates as low as 0.9 percent for 36 months. If you've been waiting to finance a 5 Series, that could make a major difference on payments each month. We're also impressed with 5 Series lease offers, which start at $449 per month for 36 months after $4,174 due at lease signing.
Cadillac ATS
Cadillac's all-new ATS sedan is a small, sporty model designed to compete with the BMW 3 Series. In July, it's offered with two tempting incentives. The first is a 36-month lease deal that boasts payments as low as $299 per month for 36 months after $2,879 at lease signing. That deal, which undercuts offers from BMW and Audi, is available on the ATS 2.0T. For drivers looking to finance, Cadillac is also offering an attractive deal: 0 percent interest for up to 36 months on all versions of the ATS. Both are good deals on a brand-new model.
Infiniti M
The Infiniti M is a midsize luxury sedan with available rear- or all-wheel drive and hybrid, V8 or V6 powertrains. In July, it's available with a long list of lease deals. The lowest-priced M model is the V6-powered M37, which starts at $479 per month for 39 months after $4,199 due at lease signing. Adding all-wheel drive increases that payment by just $20 per month. Shoppers who would rather have the V8-powered M56 must put down $4,999 at lease signing -- and their monthly payments jump to $699 per month for rear-wheel drive or $719 for all-wheel drive. The Hybrid M35h model offers the lowest down payment at $3,999 but requires payments starting at $599 per month.
Jaguar XF
The Jaguar XF is a midsize luxury sedan with an expanding lineup. In 2013, it grew to include a 4-cylinder variant, which is now the least expensive model available. But don't worry about power: It still boasts an adequate 240 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. Lease deals on the 2013 XF 4-cylinder start at just $499 per month for 39 months, which is competitive with rivals such as the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. That deal's down payment of $4,235 at lease signing is also competitive with rivals.
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The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission turned down the opportunity to open commercial netting of red drum at its meeting last week in Pine Knoll Shores, but it will allow netters to put large-mesh gill nets back in the water on June 1 in areas that haven't traditionally been home to either reds or endangered sea turtles.
The Commission voted to allow anchored large-mesh gill nets back in the waters of the western Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, sections of the Pamlico, Pungo and Neuse Rivers that are exempt from regulations governing incidental take of sea turtles, and the area of the New River upstream from the line where it is closed to shrimp trawling. The nets are primarily set for flounder, and no commercial possession of red drum will be allowed.
Commercial netters caught more than their entire year's quota in 84 days last fall, and the fishery was closed then until at least Sept. 1. The Commission was bound by regulations at the state and federal level to keep the fishery closed.
"The purpose of this is to let as many fishermen as possible go back to work," said Joe Shute, who holds a recreational-industry seat on the Commission. "We looked at histories of these areas and examined fish-house reports and tried to open areas that didn't have a history of catching many red drum.
"We are entering the summer, and the provisions of the sea turtle ITP close so much area that these fishermen are really limited in where they can fish already. We need to let them work as long as they don't have turtle interactions and don't have a lot of red drum by-catch, and this was the best solution we could find. It can also change if it needs to between now and when the red drum season reopens in September."
However, not all fishermen believe the New River opening is justified.
"I can't speak for the other bodies of water, but we have a lot of red drum in the New River above the shrimp trawl line," said Allen Jernigan, a commercial fisherman and guide from Sneads Ferry. "They will go as far up the river as flounder and are regularly caught on the shoals in the river and in the creeks off of it. These aren't just small red drum either; many of them are slot-size, and some are overslot fish."
In another decision, the Commission voted to advise the governor and state legislation to allow the N.C. Marine Patrol to enter into a joint law enforcement agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service, a past hot-button issue.
North Carolina is the only state along the south Atlantic coast that doesn't have a joint law enforcement agreement with the NFMS. If passed by legislators, it would give the Marine patrol authority to enforce federal fishery regulations, and the Marine Patrol would receive federal funds to support the agreement.
"The joint law enforcement agreement is a good thing all the way around," Shute said. "It will allow our Marine Patrol Officers to enforce federal regulations, and our regulations mirror them in most cases. There is also federal funding to do this, and the Marine Patrol budget can surely use that. We have been very financially strapped and already can't run all the patrols and programs we would like to."
Patricia Smith, public information officer for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, confirmed that entering into the joint law enforcement agreement would provide an additional $600,000 in annual operating funds for Marine Patrol.
In other business, the commission voted to:
* Ask the director to implement a new federal regulation in state waters that would allow state-permitted fishing tournaments to sell king mackerel for charitable causes;
* Send a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission asking it to apply all resources towards completing a red drum stock assessment to be used in review of the N.C. Red Drum Fishery Management Plan in 2015.


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Reserve online or call 01993 824 252
Start your shortlist by clicking on the icon next to any property
An individual villa with 5 bedrooms and bathrooms and it's own private pool. Situated on the corner of Rue de La Estrella this villa offers luxurious holiday accommodation within easy access of bars, restaurants, cafes, bank, supermarket, the tennis centre, golf and more. The villa has fantastic views across the Mar Menor and Lion mountain. Please note that pool heating outside is available at £225 per week or part thereof. Free wi-fi is available at this property.
Fully air conditioned/heated. This villa has two living rooms and two kitchens, making it perfect for 2 or more families. It also has a games room on the ground floor. This villa can be rented as a 4 bed villa in low or mid season – please call for rates.
Main Floor
Living/dining room - Sofas, coffee table, TV, DVD, CD player, with doors to terrace and pool. Dining area with table and chairs.
Cloak room with WC and basin.
Kitchen One – with twin ovens, hob, microwave, fridge freezer, dishwasher and table and chairs. Doors to external dining.
Master bedroom – King size bed, bedside cabinets, built in wardrobes, with patio doors to terrace. Ensuite bathroom – Walk in shower, Jacuzzi bath, double washbasins and WC.
Bedroom Two – Double bed, bedside cabinets, built in wardrobes. Ensuite bathroom – Bath with shower, WC and washbasin.
Bedroom Three – Twin beds, built in wardrobes, bedside cabinets.
Bathroom Three – Double walk in shower, twin washbasins and WC.
Ground Floor
Living room two – with sofas, TV, DVD player. Computer desk.
Kitchen two – with units, oven, hob etc.
Games room - Pool table, sofas, doors to terrace and pool.
Bedroom Four – Twin beds, bedside cabinets, built-in wardrobes. Ensuite bathroom with Shower, washbasin and WC.
Bedroom Five - King size bed, built in wardrobes, bedside cabinets. This bedroom has an adjoining door to bedroom 4 which can be locked.
Bathroom 5 – Bath with shower, WC and washbasin.
Utility Room: Washing machine, iron, ironing board.
Outside terraces
This villa has large terraces all around the house. Terrace games include oversize chess and draughts and a table tennis table.
The garden has an outside bar area with fridge. Two gas BBQ's.
*This villa offers sports rights for 8 people.
Please note - Saturday changeovers only in school holidays please including all of July. Free wi-fi is available at this property.


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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
The Countdown to Christmas Continues... with "Bad Santa"
But the mid-century Santa... well... that Santa was "different."
You're probably familiar with the 1952 Christmas hit song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", but you may have missed the less-frequently heard lyrics, "I saw mommy showing Santa her seamed stockings"...
... and "I saw Santa checking out mommy's cleavage"...
... which would have been right at home in a Spike Jones parody song "recorded for Jones' own amusement."
Ah, the good ol' days!
* More mid-century Christmas ads and illustrations in my Mid-Cent X-Mas Flickr set.
11 comments:
Of course DWishR. That's why we of a younger generation find them so amusing. I think we all appreciate that we're living in increasingly PC times. Seeing these ads from the days when smoking was encouraged by a children's icon are (dare I say it?) a breath of fresh air! ;^)ReplyDelete
It took me a while, but I just crunched the numbers, Leif, and it turns out that the ads from this period were exactly 1,985,457 times cooler and more fun that today's ads.ReplyDelete
I think we all suspected this but now it's scientifically proven.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Huw Evans
EYECATCHER Graphics & Design
I always love these posts, Leif. Today, Santa is so child-centric that you'd never find him smokin' and hangin' out with the lovely ladies unless it was an outright parody.ReplyDelete
These ads, indeed, are children of their times - just as the children ground into bird feed in the 19th century kids' book "Max Und Moritz" was "classic children's literature" back in the day, however horrific it seems to us now.
- Wes5:35 PM
In these ads -- Santa looks more Falstaff than Saint Nick. Look at the lanquid gleam in his eye when ogling the half-dressed beauties. And, actually, they probably have more truth than any excitement over a Coke on the mantle. I bet Santa's been delayed a few times in his nighttime prowls down the chiminey by the lady of the house in her holiday nightie. And why not? The kids are dreaming of sugar plums and Dad is exhausted by the toy he spent hours assembling. Why shouldn't the lady have a litte fun at 3 am with a harmless and energetic stranger?ReplyDelete
Not too PC, eh?
Merry (Secular) Christmas!
awesome and funny!ReplyDelete
Do you love Pepsi or Coke?ReplyDelete
SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER and you could get a prepaid VISA gift card!


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This post is the second in a series about identifying and selecting quality children's books for the preschool set. Part 1 is here. Parts 2b, 3, 4, and 5 will follow in the next couple of weeks ... or longer. These posts are likely going to be long-winded so I want to give my readers lots of time off in-between.
Copyright caveat: I use a lot of pictures in this post most of which are copyright protected. I did not scan any images into my computer nor upload them. I am simply drawing in images from elsewhere on the web. My purpose in doing so is solely to promote the books depicted. I have not used images from books I do not recommend. I also do not derive any income (monetary or goods and services from my writing); as such I am in no way profiting from the intellectual property of others. Having said all of that, I will remove all embedded images except for book covers from this post and replace them with external links in 7 days time. In the interim, should I receive any requests from copyright holders to remove images from this post, I will do so immediately.
On with the show...
What is the role of pictures in books for young children? Is it simply to illustrate the text? Having spent so many years as readers, we adults tend to privilege text at the expense of illustration. Library users are always asking me for a good story, a funny story, for a tale about trucks, ballerinas, or animals, for a book that teaches manners or what have you, for a book that will help a child learn to read, or one that fosters a desired "learning outcome" (now there's an expression that makes me want to puke). I only rarely have users come to me looking for a certain style of art or expressing a desire to teach visual literacy.
I remember reading simple vocabulary books to Miss M in that year where language hit her like a tidal wave. Words. Words. Words. Words were what she needed and words were what I gave her. Invariably, I found my word-centred self pointing to the black squiggle of text as I was reading and not to the picture she was looking at. Young children see the world differently, though. They acquire visual literacy long before they can decipher those black marks on the page. Good children's writers and illustrators know this. Good children's writers and illustrators design their books to cater to a child's need for aural, verbal, visual and, eventually, written literacy.
The most common form of book for young children is the picture book: 32 pages that most often contain text and pictures, although the former can be absent. In a good picture book, the text and art complement each other. I use the word "complement" on purpose, as it comes from the root "complete." In a good picture book neither the text nor art is complete without the other. Oftentimes the story can stand alone in a less rich form, but many innovative picture books depend on their illustrations to tell part or all of the story.
Take for example, Pat Hutchin's Rosie's Walk published in 1967. It is usually acknowledged as the first picture book in which the words deliberately leave out part of the story. The words tell in brief, literal detail what happens when Rosie, the hen, goes for a walk around the barnyard. Only the illustrations show what happens to the ill-fated fox who chooses to follow her. Page after page, the fox gets his comeuppance and Rosie? Well, she gets "back in time for dinner". End of story.
This style of integrated storytelling is quite prevalent in contemporary picture books. One of my favourite renderings of it is the Caldecott medal-winning Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann.
I wish I could find pictures online to show you Gloria the police dog's outlandish enactments of Officer Buckle's safety tips. Better yet, I wish I could show you the climax illustration when Officer Buckle realizes he's been had by his best friend. You'll have to go check it out to see for yourself if you haven't read it already.
How does the 10 dollar expression "visual literacy" differ from the 10 cent version "looking at pictures"? A lot can be said for how pictures themselves invite the reader in and promote an interpretive framework. A few basic design principles provide the foundation for all visual communication. How these principles are employed by the artist acting in tandem with the writer determine the degree of engagement a reader can have with a picture book. To explain, I am relying on the The On-line Visual Literacy Project at Ponoma College. The article, which outlines the 11 fundamental components of design, is well-researched and well-cited. I highly recommend it, should you wish to pursue these issues further (and, perhaps, catch all my errors in interpretation). I plan to tackle the basic design components here by dividing them into four groupings and looking at those groupings through the lens of picture book illustration. They are:
The building blocks (dot, line, shape, and texture)
Movement (motion and direction)
Colour (hue, value, and saturation), and
Perspective (scale and dimension)
The rest of today's post will look at the building blocks. My next post will cover movement, colour and perspective.
The Building Blocks
The dot and the line are fundamental to all artistic creation. The dot is a stable, grounding force: a moon in the sky or an object in the distance that your eye is drawn to. Lines create while dots merely are. The exception to this rule is in contemporary visual technology whereby all images are expressed through a series of dots. The genius of Roy Lichtenstein was to turn our way of looking at a screen or a comic book back on us and to make us aware of the visual make-up of new technology as a series of dots.
The line creates all movement, direction, and perspective. The line, when used cleverly, is an object lesson in how art works.
Straight lines, particularly diagonals suggest activity. Curved lines sooth and rock with a gentle motion.
From lines, shape emerges. The comforting, rolling circle is a big ol' dot that depends upon line for its movement.
Richard McGuire's Orange Book, 1993
Kevin Henkes' Caldecott-winning Kitten's First Full Moon, 2004. Notice the grounding circles in the moon, in the fireflies and in the kitten herself. Then notice how the angled line of the tail directs your eye to the moon so that we look at they very thing that has caught the kitten's attention.
The claustrophobic square and rectangle...
...with their promise of escape.
Is it any wonder that Sendak's masterpiece, Where the Wild Things Are, begins in Max's house bounded by a white, square frame on the page. With each page, the frame gets smaller and smaller until Max sails off to the land of the wild things. At this point, the frame disappears altogether and the image becomes a full-page bleed. In fact, the wild things themselves would burst the bounds of the book if they could.
The manic triangle is all lines and angles scarcely bound. It keeps your eyes always moving.
Triangles, because they contain at least two diagonal lines, represent energy and movement, particularly when they are sitting on their angles instead of their base.
An aside:
If your child has moved past the random scribble in fine motor skill development (mine has not), check out the books of Ed Emberly. Alternatively, go to his website where you will find countless drawing exercises that let kids turn the dot, the line, and the fundamental shapes into just about any object under the sun. Voila:
Child readers discover texture early on: pat the bunny, pop-up, and crinkle-paper books abound in our tactile, catered-to-baby culture. An image does not need faux fur or sandpaper to convey texture, though, and different illustration techniques can often make a one-dimensional image seem 3D.
Canadian Barbara Reid models her illustrations out of clay before they are transferred to paper for printing. This illustration is from Effie, 1999. The computer screen does not do justice to the level of detail in her art. Take, for example, this image from her version of Noah's ark entitled Two By Two, 1992.
If you haven't read a book with Barbara Reid illustrations, hurry out and do so immediately. As an aside, there is a wonderful detail in this illustration: Noah's wife (dressed in green on the middle deck) has just realized that she's stepped in dung and is looking at the bottom of her shoe in disgust.
Wallace Edwards supplements detail with competing colours and patterns to create a textured look. from Wallace Edwards' Alphabeasts, 2002.
Eric Carle creates texture by using multi-coloured tissue paper in his art. It's always fun to read a bunch of Carle books and then have your kids create tissue paper art. You can give them colouring page image outlines, if you want, and then let them do the rest.
Barry Moser, Chris VanAllsburg, and Christopher Bing have all used woodcuts or pen-and-ink in the style of woodcuts to create texture.
OK, out of 11 design fundamentals, I have now covered 4 and the post is waaaay long. Stay tuned for part b in a few days. In the meantime, ask yourself as you read stories to your kids, "does this picture add something of value to the book? Does it create mood, set tone, establish character? Is the image energetic or peaceful? Does it extend the mind in interesting ways beyond what is conveyed by the words on the page? How does it accomplish its task?"
Now here's a question for all of you: What picture book or illustrator's style do you like in particular and why? Don't be shy to answer. I love nothing more than learning about what makes children's books work. All other comments or discussion points are welcome as well.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
How to know when a book is superb: pictures edition, part 1
This post is the second in a series about identifying and selecting quality children's books for the preschool set. Part 1 is here. Parts 2b, 3, 4, and 5 will follow in the next couple of weeks ... or longer. These posts are likely going to be long-winded so I want to give my readers lots of time off in-between.
Posted by Mad at 2:00 PM
Labels: bookish, long-winded series about children's books, picture book reviews
29 comments:
- No Mother Earth said...
This is so great! I look forward to the rest.
From an artist's point of view, I really like the Harold books. I think it's a really great way to teach kids the basics of drawing. I am very impressed by the retro style of art in If I Built a Car by Chris van Dusen. I was also similarly let down by When Dinosaurs Came with Everything - I thought the story was great, but the pictures came across as muddy. I much prefer the dinosaurs in the Jane Yolen books.
(Personally, I really like the comedy of the Sandra Boynton pictures, but I notice that both my boys don't respond to them at all. Do you think that the comedy is meant for the adults, and not the kids?)
- Gwen said...
ur smart.
i've been hanging with high schoolers all day and right now the part of my brain that houses kids' picture books is e-m-p-t-y.
- Beck said...
The Baby's favorite book right now is Harold and The Purple Crayon. Boy, we've read that a lot this past week.
Favorite kids' book artists? Giselle Potter is a HUGE favorite in our house. Oh, A Chair For My Mother is another visual favorite, as are the books of Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Um, Robert McCloskey. My husband likes Calef Brown and Lane Smith, but that is because he is a freaky graphic designer.
- Veronica Mitchell said...
I am an absolute fan of Helen Ward's illustrations. Just this minute I finished reading King of the Birds to two of my girls. I am not always a big fan of her prose when she writes her own, but I will buy her books every time anyway for the illustrations.
- Veronica Mitchell said...
Oh! Also Peter Sis.
Um, I panic when asked a question, so all of our favorites have fled my mind. However, I very much enjoyed learning why I love some of the books I do...I confess to never selecting a book for my children that has artwork which does not appeal to me.
Your mention of "Rosie's Walk" reminded me that it and other books with outstanding illustrations and few words make good first foreign language books.
- Bon said...
lol @ sober briquette...i have that same problem. then i wonder if we read bad books with terrible illustrations and so i hesitate to share. sigh. the junior high colonization of the mind never ends.
lately, Oscar's begun wanting to find and name everything on the page, so we're on a big Richard Scarry-a-thon, especially the encyclopaediac ones with little visual hidden surprises. i love them too, especially the smorgasbord of items lucky Kenny Bear has for breakfast.
- Andrea said...
Now I'm wishing Greg was here, because I know he uses kids' books as visual reference libraries. All I can say, really, is "I like stuff."
There was a book called Schadenfreude that Marla gave me that has very charming retro illustrations, and I like the Mole Sisters pictures. If I Were a Lion has some nice illustrations in it, and I like Neil Gaiman's Dangerous Alphabet.
- Mimi said...
We have a Barbara Reid book translated into French, and there are very few words, but Munchkin loves finding new things in the detail of the illustrations.
I like Ian Falconer's Olivia a lot. Whimsical but spare. Very controlled visual vocabulary. Um ... What do you make of Laurie Keller's 'Arnie the Doughnut'--it's a postmodern collage multimedia riot with extraneous text and illustration all over the place. But the two year old loves it.
You haven't really touch on it, but I like the tone of gentleness and harmony in 'Guess How Much I love You'--it's detailed, but restful all at once.
- Mad said...
Mimi: I haven't read Arnie but po-mo picture books are everywhere these days. Sims Tabak, Lane Smith, David Wiesner, Mo Willems... So far, Miss M LOVES all those guys.
Bon, I love Scarry and, more's the point, so does Miss M. If Oscar likes Scarry you might want to find Peggy Rathmann's 10 Minutes 'Til Bedtime. I think it owes a lot to Scarry.
Andrea, I am besotted with Roslyn Scwartz (Mole sisters, etc...) BTW, I think you would really like the environmental picture books of Australian Jeannie Baker.
Beck: Potter and Williams are both hits with me too. Ditto Helen Ward, Veronica.
De: When I do part whatever (4?) of the series, I'll provide a list of a # of wordless and near-wordless picture books. I love em.
- Bea said...
I always feel insanely smart when I teach picture books, just because I'm so word-focused that anything I come up with to say about the illustrations seems SO insightful to me. I used When the Wolves Come Out of the Walls for group work day again this year and my students were beside themselves they loved it so much - in stark contrast to last year's students who were deeply, deeply offended by the horror-flick-style illustrations and looked very much askance at me for letting my children anywhere near that book.
I think my kids are pretty text-oriented too (like me) - their enjoyment always seems to me to be related to the words, though as often to their sound as to their sense. The other day I read a book to my friend's two-year-old daughter and I was shocked when she spent the whole time staring at my face. She was riveted by the story, but she only glanced at the pictures, looking raptly up at me instead. It was unnerving.
- Mad said...
Bea: in our house, the MadDad (being theatre oriented) is all about the illustrations and observational reading. For him the words and text are objects to be observed in space.
I'm like you: very text oriented. I love reading poetry, nursery rhymes, books with a galloping cadence, anything that lets me revel in the sound of the story. I have to make a conscious effort to relax into illustrations but then when I do I feel so keen about it all.
- flutter said...
I have always loved Shel Silverstein. But now I want to grab all of these books. Children lit is so cool
- Cold Spaghetti said...
Wow -- this was fantastic! Thank you for the great tutorial!
- mek said...
As a child some of my favorite books were the Little Bear books with Maurice Sendak illustrations - the bears in their Victorian clothes - and I'm happy to see my own daughter asking for those often. My other favorite was a book called Donkey Donkey, which has a very different style from the Little Bear books.
I remember in third grade doing a long art project where we found Caldecott medal books in the library, learned about different illustration styles, mimicked them, and then got to choose a couple artists to mimick as well (I chose Matisse and Monet, continuing my wildly divergent allegiances in art appreciation). It was a cool project and I still remember doing it, and still have the book I made!
- Reluctant Housewife said...
Wonderful, Mad. You're knowledge is impressive and you share it in such a well thought out, intelligent and interesting way. Thank you.
- ewe are here said...
Wow! That's a lot of information... and you've only just begun?!
I'm going to have to find the purple line book... looks quite interesting.
Both my boys were/are drawn to the Maisy books (Lucy Cousins)... big, bright pictures.
- Janet said...
We have many of the books you mentioned, and I'll check out the others. We love Jan Brett and Sandra Boynton. (I'm required to act out Barnyard Dance - be careful what you start.) Rosie's Walk and books like it are a bit of a challenge, because Mommy and Daddy don't read it exactly the same way and for my OCD daughter, that doesn't work. oy.
I love this series. You make these topics so interesting and it's helpful to me to learn more about this.
- Magpie said...
Mad, this is a totally great post. The way you've pulled this together is terrific. Thanks all around.
(And I love love love Harold and the Purple Crayon.)
Love this! We are huge fans of Kevin Henkes and Helen Oxenbury. I have a lovely illustrated copy of Alice in Wonderland by Oxenbury. We've read it several times, I suspect because the girls' love the illustrations so much.
- Mary G said...
Marvellous, Mad! Marvellous Mad.
I like watercolour wash, stylized to realistic. I've just purchased Gordon Morrison's 'Oak Tree' for Little Stuff. Having said that, illustrations that I also love include those of 'The Gruffalo', WTWTA, and Phoebe Gillman's 'Jillian Jiggs'. As a child I remember loving the art deco pen and inks in my versions of the Wizard of Oz books, the insert plates in 'The Princess and Curdy'... eclectic, no question. Have you run across Sierra and Brown, 'Wild about Books'.
Disney leaves me cold. Sadly, Little Stuff loves the princesses.
- Andrea said...
Awesome, thank you for the recommendation. I'll have to put it on my amazon list before I forget.
I forgot about Mo Willems--I love him too. Edwina the Dinosaur who Didn't Know She was Extinct and teh Piggie and Elephant books are so charming and adorable, and Frances loves them.
- mo-wo said...
You are awesome. We love Officer Buckle a lot thanks to you. (we always play 'where's Claire?') Last Christmas our gift to give was the Day the babies crawled away those are quite nice.
I also found we adored the Guido Von Genecten series of large format board books for their early 'readablity' and their WONDERFUL illustrations. I often recommend them to grandparents who rail on about books their grandkids have that are too busy. (mostly the grandfolks are right that very small kids are offered nothing but highly illustrated DK alphabet books or diorama Dora stuff.
But when you ask I want to say The White Cat. A book from my childhood not my parenthood. I remember my school library had an absolutely luscious edition of the White Cat. Errol Le Cain.
I loved it and I think I read it at least once a year all the way to Grade 7. It was many things but I think if pressed I would say I liked it because the illustrations were not just edible but delicious.
Wow! Impressive review of picture books - I really enjoyed it.
We have 100s of picture books - and even though my babes are now teens, we add a few more every year. Picking a favourite is impossible - but in addition to many already mentioned (Sendak, Crockett Johnson, Kevin Henkes, Barbara Reid, Jan Brett et al...) I admire Alan Say (Grandfather's Journey), Kim Lewis (Just Like Floss), and Janell Cannon (Stellaluna) - their illustrations are beautiful. The Jon Scieszka/Lane Smith duo are much loved here. Oh, and Janet and Allan Ahlberg, Margaret Wise Brown/Clement Hurd, Marie Louise Gay, and the grandaddy of them all, Dr. Suess!
- painted maypole said...
i've never read officer buckle and gloria, but MQ came home from school one day talking ALL about it. will have to check it out.
I love Kevin Henkes books like Chrysanthumum, where the pictures are very clever and add fun little things for the parents (like the titles of the books the dad reads), and the illustrations in Graeme Base's Animalia, where you could just get lost in the picures.
there are also the books where the illustrations ARE the story, like Goodnight, Gorilla
this post will definately make me look at pictures a bit more.
What about Wiesner? We love him above all others.... Janet Stephenson is another favourite - Cook-a-doodle Doo gets a lot of play around here.
- Mad said...
Wiesner will come up. Never fear. He's a favourite of ours. I'm afraid I don't know Janet Stephenson.
- kittenpie said...
My favourites are of course too numerous to list, but I was thinking about the book Hey, Al with the frames, and hwo the characters bust out of them at times. I love that. There are so many different illustrators that I love for different reasons that I am totally copping out on listing any becuase I'd just carry on all night like the book geek I am.
- William D. said...
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President, Council on Foreign Relations
Bio Info
A preeminent, behind-the-scenes statesman, Richard Haass provides an update on the state of the world and the complexities of foreign relations during these tenuous times.
Topics: Africa, American Politics, Asia, Business Growth/Strategy/Trends, Change: Managing/Leading It, China, Current Events, Cyber Security, Economic Forecast, Emerging Markets, Europe, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy - U.S., Global Economy, Global Trade, Latin America, Leadership, Middle East, National Security, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Terrorism
U.S. Secretary of Defense (2013–2015); U.S. Senator (1997–2009); Former Chairman, Atlantic Council; President's Intelligence Advisory Board (2009–2012); Former Member, The Systemic Risk Council; Distinguished Professor, Georgetown University; and Co-founder, Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc.
Types: Author, Entrepreneur, Male, Military Service, University Professor
Bio Info
A true patriotic, bipartisan voice, Chuck Hagel has never shied away from speaking his mind and doing what is right in the face of doing what is politically expedient. He discusses with audiences a wide variety of domestic and global issues facing the world today.
Topics: Africa, American Politics, Asia, Change: Managing/Leading It, China, Crisis Management, Current Events, Cyber Security, Disaster Preparedness, Diversity, Education, Europe, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy - U.S., Global Economy, Government Regulation, Health Care Policy, Human Resource Issues, Human Rights, Infrastructure, Latin America, Leadership, Middle East, National Security, Negotiation, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Patriotism, Risk Management, Teamwork, Terrorism , Workforce Issues
Professor of Ethical Leadership, New York University—Stern School of Business and Author of New York Times Best Seller The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion
Types: Author, Male, TED, University Professor
Bio Info
Named one of the top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, Jonathan Haidt is among the world's top experts on the psychology of morality and politics. His work can help leaders and organizations improve their cultures, elevate their ethics, and engage their employees' passions.
Editor-in-Chief, The Weekly Standard; FOX News Contributor and Best-Selling Author
Bio Info
Widely regarded as one of the top political journalists in the U.S., The Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes shares an up-to-the-minute view of the domestic and global political scene.
Creator, Executive Producer, and Host, The Circus on Showtime; National Affairs Analyst, NBC News and MSNBC; Co-Author, New York Times No. 1 Best Sellers Game Change and Double Down
Bio Info
One of America's most prolific and respected political reporters and commentators, John Heilemann offers his wit, savvy, and insider's view of the Washington scene, the future of the Republican and Democratic parties, and the major national issues of the day.
Acclaimed Radio Talk Show Host, The Hugh Hewitt Show; Political Analyst and Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC; Contributing Columnist, Washington Post; Lawyer; Professor; and Author
Types: Male, Media, University Professor
Bio Info
A widely respected conservative and Emmy Award-winning radio talk show host, Hugh Hewitt provides his trademark analysis and commentary on society, politics, cultural trends, entertainment and mainstream media in the United States.
Chairman and CEO, Hills & Company International Consultants; Co-Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations and Inter-American Dialogue; Chair, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1975–1977)
Types: Entrepreneur, Female, University Professor
Bio Info
No issues are more important to the U.S. and world economies than global trade and investment, and no one is more qualified to speak on these topics and the historic challenges facing the international order and open trading system than Carla Hills.
Topics: Achievement - Business, American Politics, Asia, China, Corporate Governance, Crisis Management, Current Events, Economic Forecast, Emerging Markets, Europe, Financial Markets, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy - U.S., Global Economy, Global Trade, Government Regulation, Latin America, Leadership, National Security, Negotiation, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Risk Management, Women and Politics
82nd Attorney General of the United States (2009-2015); Partner, Covington & Burling LLP
Types: Male
Bio Info
One of the most widely discussed political figures in America today, Eric Holder has been at the intersection of the law and public policy for over 30 years. As the nation's first African-American Attorney General and a leading progressive voice, he has been instrumental in shaping the direction of the United States on a number of critical issues.
Topics: Achievement - Business, American Politics, Change: Managing/Leading It, Communication Skills, Courage, Crisis Management, Current Events, Cyber Security, Diversity, Foreign Policy - U.S., Government Regulation, Human Rights, Infrastructure, Leadership, Motivation, National Security, Negotiation, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Teamwork, Terrorism
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Operation HOPE
Types: Author, Economist, Male, NEW Speaker, Philanthropist
Bio Info
American Banker magazine 2016 "Innovator of the Year," and one of TIME magazine's "50 Leaders for the Future" named in 1994, John Hope Bryant is an American entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and prominent thought leader on financial inclusion, economic empowerment and financial dignity.
Topics: Achievement - Personal, American Politics, Change: Managing/Leading It, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Current Events, Economic Forecast, Fiscal Policy, Government Regulation, Inspiring Lives , Investing/Personal Finance, Leadership, Motivation, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Personal Growth, Retirement, Risk Management, Teamwork, Workforce Issues
First Lady Michelle Obama's Chief Speechwriter (2010-2017)
Types: Female
Bio Info
A gifted speechwriter and message-crafter who drafted some of the most memorable and inspiring speeches of the past decade, Sarah Hurwitz shares experiences from her time as the chief speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama and reveals the secrets of powerful, persuasive storytelling.
The Power of Authenticity: Lessons Learned from First Lady Michelle Obama on Breaking Through and Changing Hearts and Minds


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Mary Altaffer / AP
Visitors take in the view during a media preview of "Discovering Columbus," by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, on Sept. 19 in New York's Columbus Circle.
A statue of Christopher Columbus in New York City got its very own penthouse when it was erected on scaffolding as part of an art installation by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.
Starting today, visitors to Columbus Circle in New York City will have the opportunity to get cozy with one of the city's iconic statues inside a new contemporary living room built six stories above a bustling traffic circle.
Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi created the 810-square-foot living room atop the Columbus Monunment, so people could get an up close view of the 13-foot statue of Christopher Columbus standing amid couches, lamps and a coffee table.
"Discovering Columbus" will be open through Nov. 18, and will be free of charge, though visitors will need to reserve passes in advance through the Public Art Fund in Columbus Circle.
Mary Altaffer / AP
A 13-foot statue of Christopher Columbus stands amid the couches, lamps and coffee table of the artist installation in New York City.
Justin Lane / EPA
Traffic passes by the 'Discovering Columbus' apartment (white building) built by artist Tatzu Nishi around the Christopher Columbus statue located in Columbus Circle in New York City on Sept. 19.


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It's no surprise that Spain, the United States and the British Isles are favorites among golfers. But Asia, particularly Thailand, is a new contender.
By year's end, more than 600,000 golfers will have visited the Thai kingdom in 2012, spending an estimated $2 billion on ground arrangements alone, according to industry statistics. The double-digit growth comes despite a worldwide recessionary drop-off in travel.
Asia is benefiting because golfers have a never-say-die attitude, said Mark Siegel, the president of Golfasian, one of the largest golf tourism companies in the region.
"It's counterintuitive," he said. "You would think that golf tourism would decline during a recession, but it doesn't. Golfers just go to less expensive places." He said Thailand's low-budget tourism industry and multiple non-golf attractions are key reasons for the growth of golf tourism there.


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Halle Berry announced she's expecting again to widespread surprise last Friday, and for now, the Oscar-winning actress, 46, is happy to share her pregnancy glow with the world. At the premiere of her thriller The Call in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the star and Revlon spokesperson looked typically stunning in a regal, one-strapped purple gown featuring silver and gold embellishments.
On the red carpet, Berry happily caressed her growing baby bump in the flowing dress, which featured a fitted bust that emphasized her slightly fuller cleavage. Engaged to the baby's dad-to-be Olivier Martinez, Berry, completing the look with diamond-drop earrings an silver strappy heels, serenely smiled on the red carpet.
Among those shocked by the 46-year-old stunner's second pregnancy? Berry herself! "This has been the biggest surprise of my life, to tell you the truth," she told CNN's Alina Cho. "Thought I was kind of past the point where this could be a reality for me. So it's been a big surprise and the most wonderful."
The baby (a boy, according to sources) will join big sister Nahla, Berry's 5-year-old with ex-boyfriend, model Gabriel Aubry.


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Event: Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Abhay Deol, Vyjanthimala, Dharmendra and many other Bollywood celebs attended Hema Malini's daughter Esha Deol's wedding with Bharat Takhtani.
Guest List: Esha Deol, Bharat Takhtani, Hema Malini, Rani Mukerji, Dharmendra, Madhoo, Poonam Sinha, Nishka Lulla, Neeta Lulla, Luv Sinha, Kush Sinha, Ahana Deol, Abhishek Bachchan, Abhay Deol, Vinod Khanna, Vyjanthimala, Fardeen Khan
Bollywood celeb Aamir Khan along with wife Kiran Rao were spotted at PVR.
Bollywood producers-directors Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Krishan Kumar, Ravi Bahl, Divya Khosla Kumar, Sajid Nadiadwala, Wardha Nadiadwala celebrate diwali with Bhushan Kumar
Bollywood celebs Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora, Sonali Bendre, Nimrat Kaur among others were snapped by paparazzi.Bebo looked super cool in a casual look. She wore a white t-shirt with yoga pants...
Bollywood actress Shama Sikander celebrated Diwali festival at her residence.
Bollywood celebs Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Anil Kapoor, Nitesh Tiwari, Aparshakti Khurrana, Bhushan Kumar, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Sachin Tendulkar, Rajkumar Hir...


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Security Slideshow: U.S. SMB Security Spending Set to Soar In Coming Years
By Don Reisinger | Posted 06-13-2012
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) are shelling out big bucks for data security products and solutions, according to a recent report series from IDC. In fact, SMB spending on security technology is projected to exceed $5.6 billion in 2015. The first report, "U.S. SMB Security Customer Profiles and Adoption Opportunity," examines the ownership, purchase plans, and attitudes of small and medium-size businesses based on surveys of 1000 SMBs nationwide. The second, "U.S. SMB Security Market Sizing and Forecast, 2011-2015" provides a five-year forecast of six key security product categories with separate small business and medium-size business market estimates. The six key security product areas - endpoint, messaging, network, Web, identity and access management (IAM), and security and vulnerability management (SVM) - will all show strong growth throughout the forecast period, according to IDC. The report also includes breakouts for total spending across three platforms: on-premises software, appliances, and software-as-a-service (SaaS). The third report, "SMB Security Competitive Best Practices/Key Performance Attributes," the six key performance factors and examines how 15 different competitors compare across products and programs. The report identifies key "best of breed" performance factors designed to help vendor performance and customer decision-making. Here are seven highlights from the reports.
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Hunter Hayes really couldn't have wanted much more from his "Super Bowl."
Hunter Hayes really couldn't have wanted much more from his "Super Bowl."
"It was unbelievable," said the country music singer-songwriter. "It was my first Grammys. Going in, I was a nervous wreck. I've done enough performing, but this was a whole other thing.
"People said, 'Just relax.' There's no relaxing or chilling out. This is my Super Bowl. It was epic. It was cool."
Hayes, 21, was one of the youngest performers during the Grammy Awards telecast on Feb. 10. Nominated in three categories, he performed "Wanted," the best-selling country song of 2012 - alone at his piano - and then introduced Carrie Underwood, who won two Grammys.
They re-unite Tuesday when Hayes opens for Underwood at Stockton Arena. "Blown Away," a Grammy winner as best country song and performance, is the name of her tour.
"I didn't look out," Hayes said of the famous faces in front of him. "I couldn't. It would freak me out."
Hayes didn't win anything, though his self-titled debut album was nominated. He's got plenty of time.
"It's kind of counter-intuitive," Hayes said from a tour stop in Billings, Mont. "But I was on my piano, playing my song. It's just a mini-zone. I knew I had control of the song. Control of the tempo. Changing the key. Part of my nerves were going crazy. But it was just me and my song."
That's a reasonable description of the precocious Hayes' high-speed, hard-working career.
"I never expected it," he said. "You don't expect it. It's come to me, like in a dream, since middle school. Just one dream coming true after another."
His fantasizing began when the Breaux Bridge, La., native - an only child - was given an accordion for his second birthday. By 4, he was playing in a band and performed "Jambalaya" with Hank Williams Jr. At 6, he was acting in a movie ("The Apostle") alongside Robert Duvall, who gave Hayes his first guitar.
By the time he was 10, Hayes had recorded two albums on his own, "surrounded by positive energy all the time" from parents Lynette, a school teacher, and Leo, an "expert on anything and everything."
As a "quiet" teenager - "I was really shy"- growing up in Lafayette, La., he built a "little" home studio.
"I spent so much time there, I neglected going out or hanging out," Hayes has said. "I skipped all the parties. I skipped the prom every year because it always fell on a date when I had a gig to play."
He graduated from high school a year early, preferring to pursue his passion: "I told them 'I'm not going to college. I'm gonna be a songwriter.' I made a deal with myself."
That included completing "one song a week for the rest of the year," he said. "The week I graduated, I wrote a song every day."
Hayes' pragmatic family was "non-musical," he said. So his parents "learned a business they knew nothing about." That included making the 20-hour round-trip drive from Lafayette to Nashville, Tenn., once a month for four years.
"I never just wake up and a light bulb goes on," Hayes said. "That doesn't exist in my family. We think about it for a long time. Then, we think about it some more. Mom and dad kept me in school until the weekends. I lived my dream. Slowly but surely, it was the right thing to do."
During those years, he recorded two more of his own albums, including one that formed the template for "Hunter Hayes," his 2012 major-label debut on which he sings all the vocals and plays all 30 instruments.
His four-piece band's 40-minute performance precedes Underwood.
"She's great," Hayes said of the million-selling singer-songwriter from Muskogee, Okla. "Last year went really well and we've gotten off to a great start."
Hayes also likes to get off the ground. He's training to fly single-engine airplanes.
"There's just something about the cockpit of a plane," he said. "It's very technical. I love specific ways of doing things. I get away from music for a couple of hours."
He's not flying right into a second album, though.
"I've been working on something, but I'm not ready to talk about it," Hayes said. "I've been in the studio experimenting. It's not just 'new-record time' for me. It represents another chapter in my book."
There are plenty more to write: "Oh, my gosh. "I have a whole list of things I haven't even come close t doing. All I know is that everything is a gift. You have to treat it like that because it always can disappear."
Contact reporter Tony Sauro at (209) 546-8267 or email@example.com.


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Pupils can work alone or under supervision, with any dialogue carried out over a built-in messaging facility. Teachers can also scan the class invisibly to see what pupils are working on, intervening and taking control if necessary. The teacher can even annotate pupils' screens from their PC. The new version of Remote Learning in ClassLink allows teachers and trainers to better instruct, monitor and support pupils, extending the use of ICT across the curriculum.
Power On/Off all computers, Remotely Log On/Off all computers in a single action, create custom classroom layouts and more.
Generate and store Student attendance records and prompt for custom information unique to your school.
Pre-schedule activities and resources for the class, track lesson progress in real-time and share plans with other teachers.
Show the Teacher's Screen to all members of the class, or show a selected desktop (if the teacher uses multiple monitors) or even show just a selected application. Show a Recording of a previous remote control session to the class or broadcast a multimedia file (including sound). Unique to NetSupport School you can also leave a full recording of the presentation on each student desktop so they can review the presentation later.
Monitor the entire class or selected students. View using high quality scalable thumbnails of each PC, mouse over for larger zoom view or click for full 1:1 remote control.
Use a wealth of annotation and presenting tools to aid in your presentations and retain student focus.
Monitor all applications in use in the class, including those in the background, open and close applications remotely, record a full history of use for the lesson for every student. Use approved and restricted lists to control application availability.
Offers the same level of control as Application Metering. Also provides granular website blocking, allowing access to certain pages at a selected URL but not access to the rest of the site. Works across browsers and also includes FTP blocking.
Rather than simply showing your students a website, why not browse the site on your PC in the knowledge that the same site is being browsed on each student computer. As you scroll down a page, so do they. At any point the Teacher can provide access to the students so they can reference the pages presented themselves, safe in the knowledge they cannot go anywhere else.
Messaging and Audio support, all under the control of the Teacher.
with visual results feedback to both Teacher and Students.
No need to pre-install – carry the software on your memory stick and use when needed.
supporting real time tests and scoring, support for 8 different question types, examination grading levels, progress tracking and more.
designed from the ground up, including mobile class lists.
Remains accessible when the main application is minimised, providing quick access to key features when using an Interactive Whiteboard or other applications.
Complete multi-layered security throughout the product, including unique security keys, access control by licence, Active Directory support allowing policy-based controls that can limit which system users are able to run the NetSupport School components on. The Tech Console also provides a Security check mode to identify systems without all security options in force.
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Legislation that allows a suburban Chicago bus agency's vehicles to ride on the shoulders of a major roadway is now law.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed a plan on Monday that makes Pace's "Bus on Shoulders" pilot program permanent. Pace bus drivers on two routes that travel on Interstate 55 are able to use shoulders as a passing lane when traffic is moving slower than 35 mph. They're not allowed to travel more than 15 mph over the top speed of vehicles in the expressway lanes.
The idea is to speed up trips.
The pilot program started in 2011. Pace bus drivers were able to use the newly widened shoulders on the Stevenson Expressway to get around rush hour traffic jams. State officials say on-time performance has greatly improved since then.


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The freshmen and JV scrimmaged at the same time on opposite ends of the field. The freshmen played on the south end of the field and the JV played on the north end. In the freshmen contest Gilmer's first team offense scored three TD's against the Wildcat freshmen and their first team only scored once against the freshmen defense.
The second team offense also scored three times against the 'Cats and their second team offense didn't score at all against the Buckeye second team.
The scrimmage concluded with the first units for both teams running additional plays. In that portion Gilmer scored once and Whitehouse did not score at all, thus giving the Bux a 7-1 TD blowout win.
The JV scrimmage results were similar. Gilmer's first team offense scored five TD's and the Wildcats didn't score at all. Gilmer's second team scored once on the 'Cats second team and the second team defense for the Buckeyes held the visitors scoreless.
The first string units came back to run additional plays, and in that portion of the scrimmage Gilmer's defense held fast and didn't yield a score, and the Gilmer offense garnered an additional score, resulting in a 7-0 shutout win.
In the controlled varsity scrimmage the first team of the Bucks scored on two 70-yard passes. The Black Flag Defense shut out the visitors. When the second team went in, Gilmer scored once and Whitehouse failed to find the end zone, resulting in a 3-0 TD win for the Buckeyes.
At the conclusion of the controlled scrimmage the teams played two quarters. The first quarter included clock stoppages just as if it was a real game. In the second quarter the clock ran continuously. The teams kicked off and punted, but no returns were allowed.
Gilmer kicked off to start the first quarter and the Black Flag forced a three and-out. After a punt the Bucks set up on their 40 and mounted a 6 play, 36-yard drive that resulted in a 42-yard field goal by Pablin Olivares, and Gilmer led 3-0 with 4:44 left in the quarter.
Whitehouse had another three-and-out thanks to another great job by the Black Flag, and after a punt the Bux set up on their 34. It took only 1 play and 57 seconds for Gilmer to find the end zone. Tanner Barr hit Kris Boyd on a 66-yard pass and run play with 1:29 left in the quarter. Olivares added the PAT and Gilmer led 10-0.
The 'Cats set up on their 30 after the ensuing kickoff and fumbled the ball away on a fourth-and-two on the first play of the second quarter and Gilmer recovered on the WH 45. The Bucks picked up one first down, but Barr was picked off at the 10 with 9:58 left in the second and final quarter.
The visitors' offense moved down the field and got inside Buckeye territory before the drive stalled at the 46. A punt went down to Gilmer 26 and the offense went back to work with 4:35 left. Barr completed a 44-yard pass during the drive, but a fumble on third down was recovered by the 'Cats at the 10.
On the first play the pass was batted in the air and intercepted and returned for a Gilmer TD by Nick Smith. The PAT was good, and Gilmer led 17-0.
The visitors got the ball back with 1:09 left on their 30, but time expired on the third play of the drive when Gilmer intercepted the ball, and the Bucks won 17-0. After a very short break the teams worked on kickoffs and punts for a few minutes before concluding the scrimmage.
We asked Coach Jeff Traylor his thoughts after the scrimmage. "We didn't block real well. Fortunately, were able to hit a couple of big plays. We didn't run well, but we threw and caught well. We've got to get better up front."
The scrimmage with New Boston scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 22, has been canceled because of a tragedy involving some of the New Boston players.
Another scrimmage has been scheduled to replace this one. It will be here on Friday, Aug. 23, against the Greenville Lions of District 13-4A. Ninth/JV scrimmages begin at 6 p.m. Varsity will follow at 7 to 7:15 p.m.


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Seib & Wessel: Obama Focuses on Kids' Education
WSJ's David Wessel says there's compelling academic evidence that high-quality early childhood education pays off later in life, but a lot depends on whether the Obama initiative can deliver that in every U.S. school district. The GOP is skeptical.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... I ... the wooden sleepers she is in this to you ... that didn't use much attention is set to surge was the presidents of the declaration really ... I'm gonna make a big push to improve pre school education preschool ... programs in this country so that everybody gets a head start ... and that's a big commitment if you do that would rank this isn't a proposal and that you can I get has a big price tag also that ... day it's been it's a ... determined and I did not cry given instead the official price category with over the right to act and by all this commitment is that every four year old in the country should have access to high quality preschool and sand ... and sea ... he's saying he's as singling out states like Oklahoma and Georgia that of Ardi dance and as they did any of her sultry cake ... and just haven't have Republican governors to say this that that shouldn't be a partisan issue ... this is something that everyone should be in favor of ... and that Ardi Republicans on Capitol Hill are pushing back down dinner quickly said you know I think getting the federal government more involved in peace Corps a good way than my app and step ... that ... will see how much it costs that that's the as seen in question and I ... and the group Center for American progress that had a similar proposal a week ahead of time ... they said that this would customer in a range of ten to twelve billion dollars additionally for yourself ... it is needed here the states will pick up some of them a meal is this that the idea that decision is to explain that it would be some kind of incentive ... to ... do it created would make it pay for every dollar the Fed's but in states with it ... I'm ... you know the Republicans are making noises about this because ... let's face it if Barack Obama proposes as their first reactions that must be a bad idea ... but in fact some of things that the president talks about what the minimum wage are really the subject of heated debate among experts ... doesn't help ... what will or in which workers it doesn't just write downs ... on this one though ... the the academic evidence out and and it's been a lot of business interests in this Republican governors ... today ... if it invests money in education ... the payoff for do it pre K is enormous and there been people work in this for years the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank has made this project is ... one of the challenges is though that this research always says ... if you do it this way ... and if its high quality then you get this return ... for their one wash and sizzle to do in every community in the country pretty soon you discover that not everybody does high quality and may be a waste of money ... so the set with the sale of a partisan divide is I mean it does everybody agree on the basic underlying idea her that YouTube ... priest UK well in her to get the big bang for your lot of criticism of the head start program that began ... in the sixties ... because a lot of that is really not much for the custodial ... I'd ... I'd I mean I I haven't spoken to fifteen Republican members of Congress so that maybe some of this but among ... the academic types who study education and who ... including Jim Heckmann is a conservative ... Nobel Prize winner says Univeristy Chicago ... his attitude is to deny him for that ... this is to spend money in anything except pre K ... so I think there is ... pretty much a consensus