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You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2007.
Okay, prepare to laugh out loud.
Check out this video post on Brotherhood 2.0 by author and funny-man John Green, (the genius behind An Abundance of Katherines, and Looking for Alaska).
You will never look at your bookshelf the same again.
A hearty shout out to the fabulous wit-ress A Fuse 8 Production for catching this gem.
Sold, by Patricia McCormick
Hyperion; September 2006; 288; $15.99 HC
Core Audience: Girls ages 12+
Strengths: Compelling story; spare poetic writing; honest treatment of a difficult topic
Inevitably during awards season, the discussion is as much about books that didn't get an award as about those who did. Everyone has a short list of favorites that they love and feel should have gotten additional recognition. Here's one of those books. Sold was a National Book Award finalist, and if I were handing out awards, it would be at the top of my list for more kudos.
Lakshmi is a 13 year-old Nepali girl living in a small mountain village. Her life mostly revolves around the agrarian cycles of her home, like helping her mother and taking care of her pet goat. Although the family is poor, her life is rich with simple pleasures. When the monsoons come and wipe out her family's rice plantings, her never-do-well stepfather declares that she must go to work to support the family. He negotiates with a glamorous stranger who says that she will take Lakshmi to work for a rich family in the city. What Lakshmi does not know is that her stepfather has just sold her into prostitution. After a long and confusing journey into India, her life descends into a nightmare from which there seems no escape. However, deep down inside her there is a spirit which refuses to be crushed, and she finds a way to endure and ultimately triumph over the situation she finds herself in.
This book is remarkable on many levels. First, there is the story which is meticulously researched, and which has the authenticity of voice to pull a reader right into the heart of Lakshmi's experience. Then there is the writing, which accomplishes that rare thing: the kind of spareness and poetry that speaks as much in the silences as in the words. Subtle and nuanced, it finds grace in subject matter that could so easily descend into voyeuristic or maudlin melodrama. Thirdly, there is the character of Lakshmi herself, so vulnerable yet so strong. Patricia McCormick has invested her with such humanity that well-cared for readers can really understand her strength, resilience, and her drive to be a good person in the face of unbelievable cruelty. McCormick's sensitive treatment of Lakshmi's abuse focuses on her internal narrative, rather than a blow-by-blow recital, making palatable a truly horrific situation.
According to the end notes, nearly 12,000 Nepali girls are sold into sexual slavery in India, and nearly 500,000 children are trafficked in the sex trade globally every year. This is a world-wide problem that needs our attention, and Patricia McCormick has created a moving and lyrical call to arms for readers who may otherwise never hear about it.
Rated: 8.75
For those of us in the children's book world, today is a little bit like the Academy Awards. The American Library Association has announced their 2007 awards, including the two biggies: The Newbury and the Caldecott. There is always much discussion about whether or not the choices reflect the reality of what young readers are actually excited about. I'm sure there will be lots of fodder for discussion, but I have to say, there are some awesome books on this list. Some of my favorites of the year, in fact…..
John Newbery Medal Winner
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
978-1416901945, Simon & Schuster
Newbery Honor Books
Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
978-0375836879, Random House
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
978-0385733137, Random House
Rules by Cynthia Lord
978-0439443821, Scholastic
Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner
Flotsam by David Wiesner
978-0618194575, Clarion Books
Caldecott Honor Books
Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet, written and illustrated by David McLimans
978-0802795632, Walker
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
978-0786851751, Hyperion
Robert F. Siebert Informational Book Award
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
978-0618507573, Houghton Mifflin
Siebert Honor Books
Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement written by Ann Bausum
978-0792241744, National Geographic
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop
978-0618496419, Houghton Mifflin
To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel written by Siena Cherson Siegel, artwork by Mark Siegel
978-1416926870, Simon & Schuster
The Coretta Scott King Award
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
978-0689821813, Simon & Schuster
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom illustrated by Kadir Nelson
978-0786851751, Hyperion
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones
978-0374371746, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
The Printz Award [for Literary Excellence]:
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
978-1596431522, First Second/Roaring Brook
Printz Honor Books:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; v. 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson
978-0763624026, Candlewick Press
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
978-0525476887, Dutton/Penguin
Surrender (Candlewick) by Sonya Hartnett
978-0763627683, Candlewick Press
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
978-0375831003, Knopf/Random House
ALEX awards (Cross-over adult titles for teens):
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has selected 10 adult books that will appeal to teen readers to receive the 2007 Alex Awards.
The 2007 Alex Awards are:
- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly; Simon & Schuster/Atria. (0743298853)
- The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig; Harcourt. (0151012377)
- Eagle Blue: A Team, A Tribe, and A High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska by Michael D'Orso; Bloomsbury. (1582346232)
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen; Algonquin. (1565124995)
- Color of the Sea by John Hamamura; Thomas Dunne. (0312340737)
- The Floor of the Sky Pamela Carter Joern; University of Nebraska. (0803276311)
- The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis; Norton. (0393061239)
- Black Swan Green by David Mitchell; Random House. (1400063795)
- The World Made Straight by Ron Rash; Henry Holt. (0805078665)
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield; Simon & Schuster/Atria. (0743298020)
Mararet A Edwards Award (Lifetime Achievement):
Lois Lowry, author of "The Giver," is the recipient of the 2007 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens.
There are a number of other awards also given away, and I encourage you to check them all out.
A quick heads up that I built a new resources page today in response to a reader who was looking for books and other places to explore as she started a collection of great kids books.
Feel free to e-mail me or comment if you have other suggestions to add.
Barkbelly, by Cat Weatherill
Knopf; June 2006; 320 pp; $15.95 HC
Core Audience: Readers 8+; GREAT family read-aloud
Strengths: Unusual premise; precise and imaginative use of language; unpredictable story arc
Every once in awhile a book comes in that begs to be read simply because as a reader you have no idea where it's headed. It looks and sounds interesting, and it just keeps on going. This is one of those books.
It starts with a shiny wooden egg that drops from the sky, and lands in a field where it is destined to taken home by a kindly farmer after it knocks him on the head. Of course, the egg is not what it seems, and neither is the story.
Cat Weatherill is a performance storyteller in the UK, and the richness and folksiness of her written language bespeaks her profession. This is the tale of Barkbelly, a wooden boy who springs from the aforementioned egg, and then spends the rest of the novel on an adventure of self-discovery. Strong, and seemingly indestructible, Barkbelly approaches life with enthusiastic curiosity and candor. Although on the surface it seems like there might be some obvious overtones of that other famous wooden boy with the long nose, this story is more imaginative and less preachy, and it sets out for new ground immediately.
Equal parts fairytale, archetype, and adventure, Barkbelly is full of wonderful character names like Anvil Allsop, Candy Pie, Mop Mallory, Farmer Muckledown, and Sir Blunderbuss Tything, as well as marvelous place names like Ashenpeake, Pumbleditch, and Pebbleport. And then there are all of the other whimsical elements that keep unfolding like the giant Golden-Spiked Far Forest [Hedge]hogs with magical powers, the sparkly cast of Carmenaro's Circus, the giant pots of boiling jam, and the attack by the Pirate Captain Lord Fox. During the course of the story Barkbelly discovers that there are more wooden people like him in the big wide world, but his starry-eyed expectations of finding family do not match the reality he encounters. Each of Barkbelly's adventures is full of juicy, tongue-pleasing language that just begs to read aloud, and plot twists that fire the imagination.
At its heart, Barkbelly's tale is really a fable about a boy who runs away from a past mistake, and discovers after much trial and error that the solution to his problem— and his true self—lie back where he started. The journey is necessary to find it out for both the character and the reader, and in the end we all celebrate the humble blessings that are right under our noses.
Rated: 8.5
This, my friends, is what it looks like when you bounce 250,000 superballs down the streets of San Francisco.
These incredible stills are from an even more incredible commercial shot to advertise the Sony Bravia line of high-def televisions.
Apparently, there is no CGI, and the main sequence was shot by a 23 man camera crew who had only one chance to get it right. The whole thing took two days.
The balls were shot out of an air cannon and dropped by earthloaders, and the entire street was closed down. All of the cars are props, because the balls can do some major damage, apparently. (You can even see shingles flying off a house in one shot.)
You can have all your questions answered and watch a featurette on the making of the commercial at the Bravia website.
As an extra bonus, check ot the amazing music of José González, whose song provides the goose-bump inducing soundtrack.
This, of course, has nothing to do with children's books, except to remind us all that amazing things still happen.
Many thanks to Liquid Sky Arts for turning me on to this!
Lemonade Mouth, by Mark Peter Hughes
Delacorte; March 2007; 352 pp; $15.99 HC
Core Audience: 14+ readers of both genders
Strengths: Nice blend of characters; told in both male and female voices; good feel for the trials and tribulations of small town high school life
Remember that famous scene in the Breakfast Club? The one where they're all hanging out in detention? A bunch of kids from all areas of the high school food chain, brought together by circumstance for one fateful moment. Okay—now imagine what would happen if everyone in that room was musical. Including the teacher.
That's the unexpected jumping-off point for Mark Peter Hughes' new novel, which chronicles the unlikely rise of five students from the freshman ghetto to teen rock visionaries in a small-town RI high school. Told in the alternating voices of the various main characters, both male and female, this is a story of some students who improvise a song one day in detention out of boredom, using whatever they have on hand. The teacher hears it, and contrary to everyone's expectations, suggests they try playing together. The five students, who prior to that day have never had much to say to each other, decide to give it a try. In the process they manage to create a band—the aforementioned Lemonade Mouth—that is so original and genius that it starts a little revolution in the school and unseats the popular hierarchy in the process. All of the classic high school archetypes are here: the shy and misunderstood poet, the rebellious transplant, the overachiever, the insecure funny guy, and the bohemian hipster to be, but Hughes manages to flesh them out with thoughtful writing and some very honest situational comedy.
For those of you who read Hughes' wonderful first novel I Am the Wallpaper —(which I adore, by the way. The paperback is coming in February from Random House- 978-0440420460)—you may recognize Wen, who played a peripheral but important role in that story. Here he is front and center, dealing with the discomfort of having a crush on his Dad's curvaceous new girlfriend, and trying to get through his days in the grind. Although there are passing references to the previous story, this novel is fully independent, but it's fun to see him in his context if you've read the other one.
I'm pleased that Hughes turned in such a strong effort for his second novel. His writing has an offbeat honesty that will put him in the pantheon of great YA writers if he can keep it up. I am especially impressed with his ability to write spicy and believable girls' voices. This story has just enough teen angst and edginess in it to ring true without crossing any discomfort lines. This is one of those unusual novels that you can recommend to every reader with a clean conscience.
Rated 9.0
I am amused by this snipet that appeared in today's Shelf Awarness. I want to know if they will all look like Kid's Republic, which I have already drooled over in a past post.
If so, I am moving to China. Tomorow. (Okay, maybe next week….)
Book Store 200,000, Near and Dear to Its Customers?
"The Xinhua News Agency announced that over the next five years China intends to open 200,000 bookstores to serve some 900 million people in its rural areas. My broken calculator tells me that works out to four and a half books per person, if each store serves an audience of about 4,500 readers and stocks a thousand titles, as planned.
"Then, I wonder, could there possibly be 200,000 bookstore names in China? New York City stopped naming schools and went for P.S. 1, P.S. 2, and so forth. China could name new bookstores B.S. 1, B.S. 2 all the way up to B.S. 200,000."–Tony Miksak, former owner of Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle's Children's Books, Mendocino, Calif., speaking on his radio show, Words on Books, on KZYX and KZYZ-FM in Philo, Calif.
One day recently I walked into my office and sitting on my bright red couch were copies of 365 Penguins and Cat and Fish Go to See. Two great books that looked great together. It made me wonder if I could come up with an Essential Dozen list of books that do awesome things with black and white illustration. The criteria for the list were pretty basic: 1) Great content; and 2) Great art. As a designer this was too good a challenge to pass up, so I spent some time thinking about it and perusing my bookshelf, and finally obsessively culling through the work of my favorite illustrators. And lo and behold, I had a FABULOUS list when I was finished! These books would ordinarily never wind up on a list together, so it was fun to pull them into a collection. Each and every one is a worthy addition to any book lover's—or design lover's—shelf.
365 PENGUINS by Jean-Luc Fromental, illustrated by Joëlle Jolivet
978-0810944602; Harry Abrams; November 2006; Ages 3-8; $17.95 HC
I wrote extensively about this wonderful book in a full review a few weeks ago, so let me just say that this is one of my favorite books of last year. It has the magic trio of great eye-popping art, fun concept, and hilarious writing.
A FARMER'S ALPHABET by Mary Azarian
978-0879233945; David R. Godine; October 2005; Ages 4-8; $19.95 HC
I could have chosen any of Mary Azarian's work for this list, because her woodcuts embody the very definition of great use of positive and negative space in illustration. This book was commissioned by the Vermont Board of Education, and it depicts scenes from rural farm life in a series of 26 alphabet scenes. From Apple to Barn and Cow right through Zinnia, each illustration is a masterpiece of design and execution.
ALPHABET OF BOATS by James Dodds
978-0939510726; Mystic Seaport Museum; July 2002; Ages 3-7; $9.95 HC
This is probably the most obscure book on this list, but it is one of my treasured favorites. With a petite 5"x 5" trim, this book features lovely black and white woodcuts of 26 different kinds of boats from around the world, one for each letter of the alphabet. This little book feels like a prize left over from a salty old captain's sea trunk.
CAT AND FISH GO TO SEE by Joan Grant, illustrated by Neil Curtis
978-1894965392; Simply Read Books; November 2006; Ages 4-8;$16.95 HC
This book is one of the most striking examples of black and white design that has crossed my desk in quite some time. Evocative of the illustrations of M.C. Escher and the batik designs of Southeast Asia, every illustration in this book pops off the page. The story is a lovely parable of friendship between two unlikely pals who are curious about where the waves go. Their journey of discovery is a wonderful tale of friendship, adventure, and the pleasures of being true to oneself.
FIVE FOR A LITTLE ONE by Chris Raschka
978-0689845994; Athaneum; June 2006; Ages 2-5; $16.95 HC
The "five" in the title refers to senses, and the "little one" is the very cute floppy eared bunny who is at the center of this sweet tale from Caldecott Award-winning illustrator Chris Raschka. With bouncy rhyming text, and good use of strong ink lines and cheery color accents, this book is a perfect introduction to the concept of senses for the youngest readers.
KITTEN'S FIRST FULL MOON by Kevin Henkes
978-0060588281; Greenwillow; March 2004; Ages 2-5; $15.99 HC
What to say about Kevin Henkes? Aside from being one of the most brilliant children's book writers working today, he is also a genius when it comes to illustration. This gentle tale about a little kitten who mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk won a Caldecott Medal, and deservedly so. The simplicity of the story is a part of its brilliance, as are the luminous black and white drawings with their effective use of line and shading.
LOOK, LOOK! by Peter Linethal
978-0525420286; Dutton; September 1998; Ages 1-3; $6.99 BB
The high-contrast papercut artwork in this bold board book, along with the striking use of red letters on a black and white ground make this title perfect for catching the attention of the very youngest readers. The images, like a cat stretching and flowers blooming are a surprise, and take this book out of the predictable run-of-the-mill offerings of board books for babies.
SCRIBBLES by Taro Gomi
978-0811855099; Chronicle; April 2006; All Ages; $18.95 PA
Taro Gomi is one of the most prolific illustrators on the international scene, known as much for his design of clothing and other consumer goods as for his more than 300 books for readers of all ages. This book is a magnificent 368 page invitation to creative exploration, with chunky lines and loose free flowing shapes. Part coloring book, part design study, and fun for children ages 2 to 102. Make sure you have some crayons handy.
THE RAVEN (Visions in Poetry Series) by Edgar Allen Poe, Illustrated by Ryan Price
978-1553374732; Kids Can Press; August 2006; Ages 12+; $16.95 HC
Part of the excellent Visions in Poetry Series, this handsome edition of Edgar Allen Poe's brooding masterpiece is perfectly illustrated with Price's shadowy dry point illustrations. The narrator's decent into madness over the refrain "Nevermore" is a visceral, terrifying vision. I would also encourage you to check out the other titles in this series, including Jabberwocky, Casey at the Bat, The Highwayman, and the Lady of Shalott. Each poem has been given a striking illustrative reinterpretation that will appeal to YA readers.
THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson
978-0670674244; Viking; January 1936; Ages 4-8; $17.99 HC
One of the most beloved stories of all time. Ferdinand would rather smell the roses than fight, but when he is stung by a bee, his stomping and snorting convince everyone that he is the fiercest bull around. When he is carted off to Madrid for a bull fight, hilarity ensues. Robert Lawson's classic black and white illustrations have been updated with some subtle watercolor washes, but they retain all the wonderful charm that have made them a favorite for countless readers since 1936.
WHAT IS BLACK AND WHITE? By Petr Horacek
978-0763614607; Candlewick Press; June 2001; Ages 2-5; $4.99 BB
With inventive pairings of opposites and bold expressive artwork, this book is a great introduction to the concept of color opposites for the very youngest readers. What I love about this book is the way that the black and white stripes at the edge of each spread get tighter and tighter until the last spread reveals what is black AND white—a zebra of course! Fun and playful.
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein
978-0060572341; HarperCollins; January 2004; Ages 9-12; $17.99 HC
"If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer,
A wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
A magic bean buyer . . . Come in . . ."
More than any other title on this list, this book holds a special place in my heart. It was my first experience of falling in love with poetry as a child, and the writing and offbeat illustrations are just as fresh today as they where when this book was first published in 1963. No good children's book collection is complete without this infectious and brilliant anthology.
I have already stared hearing from readers about additional B&W faves that belong on an essentials list so I will add them below. The truth is, I could probably come up with another dozen! (Feel free to e-mail me your sugestions.)
- Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
- Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
- The Spider and the Fly by Tony diTerlizzi
- Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky
- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky
- Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge by H. Swift, illustrated by Lynn Ward
- Biggest Bear by Lynn Ward
Hello faithful readers!
I've been away for a little R&R, but now I'm back, so look for many new posts in the weeks to come. Here's something new for the New Year. Enjoy!
Much ado has been made about the demise of the book with the rise of the digital age, and to be sure, e-books are one of the strongest areas of the publishing market. As a confirmed bibliophile, I see e-books as a convenience product that supplements rather than replaces books, and in the children's realm they now work best for reference applications. As far as children are concerned, the printed book-as-a-perfect-technology is hard to beat.
What I have been watching for in the last few years are cross-over projects which capture both the narrative quality of a book and the multi-media potential of digital technologies. Children today are growing up in an increasingly sophisticated environment, and I was sure that sooner or later someone would begin to publish for this. I think digital enhancements to printed books are inevitable—like book related websites and tie-ins—but this is something different.
Let me be clear. I'm not talking about a game or a virtual environment. I'm definitely not talking about a toy or a movie. I'm talking about a new medium that integrates the narrative form of a book with new ways of telling the story which are digital. And now I think I've found the first completed instance of it.
Welcome to inanimate alice, an ambitious new on-line serial story co-created by Kate Pullinger and Chris Joseph (a.k.a. Babel).
This is the dark and moody story of Alice who is eight when the narrative begins. Alice has a problem. She keeps losing her parents. Her mother is an artist, and her father does something covert and shadowy that may have to do with the oil industry. As the series is conceived, Alice progresses from age eight to her 20's through ten episodes, each set in a different location. Episode 3 was just released in December. There is a tense and suspenseful undertone to the completed installments, set in China, Italy, and Russia. Each episode gets more complex narratively and visually as Alice's sophistication grows. The sense of menace grows with each episode as well.
What distinguishes this project, and qualifies it as something "new" as opposed to a game or interactive movie, is that the narrative moves in one direction. The interactivity of the experience is confined to advancing the story by clicking a forward command, (think turning the page), and some simple games that Alice has created and shares with the reader within the context of the story. Unlike a game or CD-rom, there are no choices to be made on the part of the reader. Unlike a movie, the story must be read in words in addition to its visual elements. Like a picture book, the visuals exist to support the narrative, not the other way around. The reader reads and controls the advancement of the story. It shares more with a book than other forms of digital media.
In an excellent 12/7 interview in The Guardian, Pullinger talks about what her narrative intentions were. "For me, the kind of gameplay in Inanimate Alice is the kind of interactivity I'm interested in as it's part of the story, not a diversion from the story," says Pullinger. "As a reader I'm not interested in choice, I'm not interested in having to make decisions as I'm being told a story. But I think that anything that involves interactivity involves a different mindset than reading a piece of fiction."
This project has garnered an incredible number of awards in Europe, and just by reading the press and reviews, it's clear that people are having a hard time figuring out what to call this new medium. "Kinetic novel", "digital drama", "online movie productions", "digital fiction", "new media objects", "blook" (which I hate), "flashfiction", and the terribly pedantic "Ergodic literature" have all been thrown around.
Kate Pullinger acknowledges the complexity of this problem. "I think that when a new form emerges, part of the problem is how to figure out what to call it, how to describe it – but what I do know is that I like to make it and people like to read it when they find out about it…" She has more to say about it in a recent blog post.
This isn't Pullinger's first foray into digital narrative, but it is the first for children. A previous project The Breathing Wall (2004) tells the story of a man incarcerated for the murder of his girlfriend. Part mystery, part dreamscape, the two-hour CD story is told through two types of narrative, alternating between day-dreams (flash movies), and night-dreams. The night dreams are told with an experimental software program called the Hyper Trance Fiction Matrix, which allows the story to respond to the listener's rate of breathing via a headset with microphone. (Wild, right?)
Clearly, this whole thing is in its infancy, but I for one am interested in seeing where it goes. Right now there are fairly rigid barriers between what is being conceived as a "book", and some of the more amazing technological innovations in the video game and digital design industries. As these fields merge more closely under the heading of "new media", I think we'll see more and more of this type of project. Pullinger and Joseph are both involved in writing programs at DeMontfort University in the UK, which has a new Institute of Creative Technologies program.
Is there a commercial future here?
No one has figured that out.
Will these kinds of stories completely replace the book?
Not likely.
Are they intriguing?
You bet.
Many thanks to Read Roger for first bringing this to my attention.
Bonus: Check out an online version of US author/illustrator Jean Gralley's passionate argument in favor of digital children's books that first appeared in the January '06 issue of the Horn Book. She also has a very cool flash animation piece called "Books Unbound" that demonstrates the potential of digital picture books.


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Those seeking one of the few remaining peaceful places in the Americas won't disappointed by what they find at Origem in Trancoso Brazil. A luxury development that has been integrated seamlessly into this remote coastal town, guests that book a holiday here will quickly gain an affinity for its famous beaches and carefree lifestyle. Intrigued? Let's learn more about this fabulous resort below…
Let the cares of urban life melt away at your luxurious escape in Bahia's coastal gem
Before a shovel entered the ground to create this labor of love, Origem was meticulously planned to reflect the very best aspects of living in Trancoso. The properties that comprise this master planned development are designed to integrate as seamlessly as possible with the fine beach, jungle, and the peaceful town that define this special corner of Brazil.
The proprietors and team behind Origem make it their first priority to ensure that your stay here will help you forget about the stress you left behind at home, drawing on their substantial experience in luxury hospitality and intimate knowledge of the area.
With a portfolio of sixteen villas, there is a casa at Origem that will fit your needs like a well-fitted glove slides effortlessly onto your hand. From luxurious thatched roof verandas to sitting rooms with ceiling to floor windows, to some of the most posh pools that you will ever recline by, flip through Origem's expansive offerings and pick the flavor of the relaxing holiday that you wish to enjoy in the midst of Brazil's remote tropical paradise.
The charms of Trancoso will have you under their spell
Trancoso's appeal begins with its beaches, which have retained their wild character well into the 21st century. We live in an age where paradise is increasingly difficult to find, so revel in such a rare discovery by riding the horse along its lengthy sands, or simply stare off into the powerful surf that consistently pounds Trancoso's coast throughout the year.
In town, admire the simple beauty of its Catholic Church, created in the old Portuguese style back in the 16th century, and follow it up with a fabulous meal at a restaurant lining the Quadrado, a central park that has served as a meeting place for the townsfolk for generations.
Learn more about Origem in Trancoso at their innovative website
If you are ready to begin inquiring about this slice of Brazilian paradise, start now by surfing over to Origem's official web presence. It begins with a simple game, underscoring the theme of choosing the peaceful harmonious aspects of life in Trancoso over their stressful counterparts back in the big city.
Afterward, proceed to the main site, where one can learn about all of Origem's varied luxury villas, which ones are best suited to the size of the party that you will be bringing with you, and all the activities that will help you discover and bond with one of Brazil's most special places.

subset: commoncrawl


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Moving Out Of My Parents' House (2)
I will say that as far as pumpkin pie goes, I don't think you'll be able to beat the Drunken Pumpkin Bourbon Pie recipe It's so wealthy, spicy, and molasses-stuffed it borders on savory, and of the course the bourbon ups the ante, knocking the slightly bland commonplace pumpkin pie recipes off the dessert desk. This is the primary Hub I even have ever read, the recommendation is terrific.I even have had a mould downside in the house porch because the starting of December and was at my wits seems terrible and I knew it was additionally a well being hazard. It will go throughout the home so that you simply should follow it. You can either remove it by pulling it by the partitions and ceilings or you can minimize it into smaller items (smaller pieces are simpler to strip). A very modest one bedroom condominium may solely price … Read More


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Every Department has numerous requests submitted to them that require collaboration. Some of these requests are handled by large ERP, CRM and Ticketing Systems, however there are significant amounts of other uses cases that are not handled by those systems.
The following Use Case demonstrates how Kanbans can be used to enhance your collaboration by supporting your Request Management needs. In this example the Marketing department is receiving requests for new and updated collateral from sales people.
It would be simple to modify the board in order to map to your internal process needs.
Form is filled out to request an update or new piece of collateral:
That form is automatically added to the Collateral Request Management Board:
Key Columns to support Cross Functional Collaboration on a Collateral Request Management Board Includes:
- Backlog: Items submitted by sales are automatically created and placed in the Backlog column.
- To Do: Marketing will move items to the To Do column and assigned to a particular team member.
- High Priority To Do: Items that are high priority are placed in the High Priority To Do column and assigned to a particular team member.
- In Process: Individual members will move items from To Do and High Priority into the In Process Column. This gives everyone visibility into what is being worked on. Comments, Documents, Checklist items can be added to each card to further communication with the rest of the team. This eliminates the problems with email overload.
- On Hold: Items that need to be placed on hold are placed here.
- Done: Once tasks are finalized, team members move the card to done.
Sorting and Filtering:
To see what tasks are assigned to a particular team members by activating the search bar and easily filter on many elements such as users, priority tags or due dates. You can also search the board and view reports.
If you would like to brainstorm about your board layouts or other aspects of Kanbans please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Thu Oct 01 1998 08:42: Ah, October.
Thu Oct 01 1998 08:42: Ah, October.
Thu Oct 01 1998 13:16: OK, I finally got the source viewer up, if you go to programs.shtml you can see it in action. that's a dynamically generated list, by the way, generated by the source viewer itself, and all I have to do is add new script names to a file to have them show up. I'll probably put in facilities for putting in descriptions as well.
I also need to write a script that updates pokey.pl with new numbers of panels. I may do that this afternoon.
Thu Oct 01 1998 14:20: Uh-oh. Jake...
Your account on the NetSpace server has expired. If you wish to continue using your NetSpace account please email email@example.com immediately. If you fail to renew your account it will be deleted according to the NetSpace user agreement.
The source viewer now has descriptions. split makes it all possible. Most of it, at any rate.
Thu Oct 01 1998 15:18: There is now a script which uses wget to download the finest in Pokey fashions, automatically creating a Dada Pokey script for the young scientist in the family.
Unfortunately, it's not up yet, as sampo does not have wget. But I've tested it on rubberfish and it works. Yippee die-ai-aye!
Thu Oct 01 1998 15:34: I don't always do what mama said, but I do always make things more complicated than they need to be. Rather than use the new (see last entry) Pokey perl script which generates another perl script as output, I have simplified it by turning it into two perl scripts that do different jobs. One will get run as a nightly cron job and write its findings to a file. The other will be the standard pokey.pl we know and love, but instead of the numbers of panels being fixed as they are now, it will read from the file that the other script writes to. And both scripts will live happily ever after. The end.
Thu Oct 01 1998 20:26: Now that I have an address at which I will be for a while, I have decided to start subscribing to a couple of things. I just now got a student subscription to KUSC for $25. And it'll come to me. For the past year I've always been on the verge of moving out and now I don't have to worry about moving out and stuff not getting to me. It just blows my mind. I think I'll subscribe to Scientific American or something, if it's not too expensive. I used to like reading that.
I need to sleep, but I can't get to sleep. Oh well.
|Unless otherwise noted, all content licensed by Leonard Richardson
under a Creative Commons License.


text:
The Count Orders a Hot Dog (found Sesame Street sketch; 1973)
Screenshot from the sketch.
Status: Found
Date found: 20 Jun '15
Found by: MarshalGrover
"The Count Orders a Hot Dog" is a sketch that originally aired during Sesame Street 'Episode 904" (i.e. during the seventh season), on April 29, 1976 (although technically, it was created during and for the fifth season, in 1973).
The sketch featured Grover the waiter working at Charlie's Restaurant. The Count, who is sitting at one of the tables, orders a hot dog. When Grover brings the hot dog to the Count, instead of eating it, he counts it and orders another one. Grover, being slightly confused, brings him another hot dog only to have the Count do the same. After the third time, Grover refuses to bring him more if he was only going to count them. The Count then uses a hypnotism spell to bring him more. The clip goes into fast motion along with fast-paced music as Grover brings the Count more and more hot dogs, with thunder sounding each time the Count counts one. The pile of hot dogs keeps growing until Grover eventually falls to the ground due to exhaustion.
There are no copies or screenshots of this sketch available online, although, an (apparently incomplete) fan transcription of the sketch has been made available.[1] The sketch may have been removed from rotation due to parents finding hypnotism or Grover falling down inappropriate for their children.
According to a user on the MuppetCentral forums, the clip made reruns into the 1980s, but it has apparently never been aired since. The forum thread is quite old, (the first post taking place in August of 2003) but has recently been bumped by several users in 2011, and in 2013.[2]
On June 20, 2015 Scarecroe uploaded a screenshot of the sketch on Muppet Wiki today while gathering images for Sesame Street "Episode 1195" (i.e., during the tenth season) (originally aired on December 8, 1978) which included this sketch for an episode guide. And good news as if wouldn't you know it, MarshalGrover (known as Oscarfan on Muppet Wiki) has finally uploaded a video of the sketch on YouTube recently today. Hallelujah for those Muppet fans who were always wanting to watch this sketch.
See Also
External Link
- ↑ A fan's incomplete transcription of the short. Retrieved 27 Dec '13
- ↑ muppetcentral.com forum thread on the short. Retrieved 27 Dec '13


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Pyramid's leadership team is comprised of professionals from backgrounds including Information Technology, Staffing, Business, Financial Services, New Media, Education, Non-Profits, and the Military. Pyramid and its partners benefit from having these different minds around the table to drive the strategic growth and operations of the business.
Sanjeev Tirath
Co-founder and CEO
Sanjeev's insights and day-to-day involvement enable Pyramid Consulting to provide value-added IT solutions to numerous Global 1000 companies, as well as many growing, mid-tier firms. Sanjeev co-founded Pyramid in 1996 after garnering more than 15 years of software development and marketing experience, serving in senior management roles for several leading software consulting firms, including Wipro, TCS, and Unisys. While managing large software development and integration projects for clients operating in a number of vertical markets, he honed his technology expertise and consistently delivered to his clients targeted, cost-effective IT solutions.
Sanjeev earned a bachelor's degree in electrical and electronics engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) in Pilani, India. He currently serves on the board of TAG, the Technology Association of Georgia; and GMSDC, the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council.
Ramesh Maturu
Co-founder and President
Ramesh is responsible for developing and strengthening Pyramid's project solutions practice and global software development capabilities. He began his IT career in the document processing industry in 1986, solving problems for financial institutions across the globe. Over the years, he's consulted with numerous technology systems integrator and product companies, developing an invaluable global business perspective as he travels from North America to Europe, South Africa, and South Asia.
Ramesh received a bachelor's degree in electronics and communications engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University in Hyderabad, India. He earned a master's of science degree in automation and control engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur.
Namita Tirath
Executive Vice President, Client Relations
Namita holds primary responsibility for setting Pyramid's sales vision, maintaining the firm's customer relationships, and achieving its revenue targets. While she began her career in IT as a consulting systems analyst, Namita was first a high school teacher. Today, this background contributes to her passion for playing an active role in mentoring junior sales associates.
Namita also devotes extensive volunteer hours to Atlanta's technology community and IT professional organizations, including the Women in Technology (WIT), the Society for Information Management (SIM), and the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, among others. With an associate's degree in computer programming, Namita earned a master's of science degree in mathematics at Delhi University in New Delhi, India.
Brian Church
Executive Vice President, Staffing
As Pyramid Consulting's Executive Vice President for Staffing, Brian Church manages IT Staffing Operations for the United States. Brian has a 20+ year history of leading branch, regional, and national business development and operations efforts for the organizations he has lead. Most recently Brian has been responsible for leading Pyramid Consulting's business development efforts in the US focusing on new client acquisition, client satisfaction.
Brian specializes in building strong teams and optimizing IT Staffing and Sales operations to maximize both client satisfaction and business profitability. His leadership of IT Staffing and services companies has focused on business growth and development in new clients, territories, verticals, and service offerings. Brian operates out of Pyramid's Corporate Headquarters in the Atlanta, Metropolitan area, and from Pyramid's national network of offices.
Randall McCroskey
Vice President,
Enterprise Solutions
Randall helps C-level executives and executive teams improve efficiency and increase revenue with strategies that fuse business practices with technology solutions. During his more than 20-year career in IT, he has employed his sales, marketing, operations, and finance expertise to help grow companies to run rates of greater than $150 million. Now he is applying that expertise to do the same for Pyramid.
Randall brings experience in leading go-to-market and sales strategies; securing venture capital funding; developing company positioning messages; defining and qualifying target markets; developing sales plans and models; and managing day-to-day business operations. He earned his degree in business administration at Piedmont College.
Anoop Sinha
Vice President, Human Resources and Operations
Anoop provides strategic leadership for all HR functions at Pyramid, including organization development, performance management, recruitment, compliance, legal, employee relations, and benefits management. He has more than 18 years experience developing and implementing initiatives that have involved international operations management, process improvements, change management, project management, and P&L management. He has worked in a range of industries, from automotive manufacturing to IT consulting and technology services.
Anoop earned an MBA at Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He is a member of the steering committee for SHRM Atlanta Staffing Management PEG; and, a member of the executive committee of Vibha Atlanta, an organization dedicated to helping underprivileged children.
Loren King Shields
Vice President, Marketing & Digital Strategy
As Vice President of Marketing and Digital Strategy, Loren elevates brand awareness and captures market share for Pyramid. Loren brings over 15 years of increasing top-line revenue and bottom-line margin growth, having led organizations in Staffing and other industries to the next evolution of marketing, digital strategies and operations by aligning all related activity to support an organization's larger goals and objectives.
Her past positions include Vice President of TEKNO101, Director of e-Business Strategy for Select Staffing and Director of Internet Business Development for TAC Worldwide Companies. Loren has also served on the Advisory Boards of industry players including Monster.com and CareerBuilder, and has been a member of new product development teams at Google, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Tom Larsen
Vice President, Information Technology
As Pyramid's Vice President of Information Technology, Tom manages global IT strategy and operations. He brings more than 20 years of experience from various Industries, having spent the last decade creating solutions that focused on visibility of essential business data and reporting for IT Staffing businesses.
Tom started his career as a server programmer and has steadily grown through progressively responsible positions. In his last role, Tom successfully led the IT team through 8 years of continuous 25% year-over-year business growth. Under Tom's IT leadership Pyramid will sustain similar growth in the future.
Tom holds a Master Degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, Cryptology and Finance from University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Manish Jhanjee
Chief Operating Officer,
Manish is critically involved in driving operations and infrastructure development across the business units of Pyramid's operations in India. Prior to joining Pyramid in 2002, Manish worked with several large software companies and gained hands-on technical experience by managing and delivering software development projects for the financial services industry.
Anil Lanba
Executive Vice President,
A dynamic front-end professional, Anil has been a key factor in Pyramid's growth in Asia, expanding our market share by coordinating global teams that execute large-scale projects and demonstrate how we exceed expectations in meeting offshore and domestic outsourcing needs. He is currently heading operations for Pyramid IT Consulting Pvt. Ltd., including sales in India and the UK.
Anil's success is rooted in his knack for strategy, planning, and leadership – talents cultivated by serving in the Indian Navy for 24 years. An alumnus of the National Defense Academy in Kharakvasla, Anil earned a master's degree in computer application and software programming and was involved in formulating the ops specifications for real-time action information systems on board surface ships and submarines. Anil also holds a master's degree in defense studies from London University and in management from Chennai University.


text:
Petitions to Wind Up (Companies)
In the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division)
Companies Court No 219 of 2012
(Company Number 02919626 )
and in the Matter of Insolvency Act 1986
A Petition to wind up the above-named Company, Registration Number 02919626, of Bedford Terrace Football Ground, Billingham, Stockton-On-Tees, Cleveland, TS23 4AF, presented on 10 January 2012 by the COMMISSIONERS FOR HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS, of Bush House, Strand, London WC2B 4RD, claiming to be Creditors of the Company, will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, 7 Rolls Buildings, Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL, on 27 February 2012, at 1030 hours (or as soon thereafter as the Petition can be heard).
Any persons intending to appear on the hearing of the Petition (whether to support or oppose it) must give notice of intention to do so to the Petitioners or to their Solicitor in accordance with Rule 4.16 by 1600 hours on 24 February 2012 .
The Petitioners' Solicitor is the Solicitor to HM Revenue and Customs, Solicitor's Office, South West Wing, Bush House, Strand, London WC2B 4RD, telephone 020 7438 7234 . (Ref SLR 1560490/37/A)
15 February 2012


text: Diamonds can be worn on any occasion, day or night. MyDiamond has the diamond jewellery just for you. For every occasion there's MyDiamond3 Jan, 2018 in Health, Beauty, and Wellness tagged bracelet / diamond / earrings / gold / jewellery / jewelry / Mydiamond / ring / stud earrings / tennis bracelet / white gold / yellow gold by Penny Tan


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A New Home for Yoga in West Ashley
The Yoga House of Charleston is Opening March 12th!
A spacious, welcoming new yoga studio is opening its doors at the corner of Sam Rittenberg Blvd. and Ashley River Rd. in Charleston. The Yoga House of Charleston will offer an array of styles and has the mission of communicating and providing the benefits of yoga to the broader Charleston community.
The Yoga House provides one roof, under which Charlestonians can improve cardiovascular fitness, strength & flexibility, and balance, while at the same time reducing stress, achieving enhanced mental and emotional health, and enabling relaxation and renewal.
Sound too good to be true? Not according to co-owner Thomas Glenn of West Ashley. Glenn – an avid yogi, runner, and management strategy consultant – says yoga not only helped offset the stress of his high-pressure career consulting to Fortune 100 companies; it also became a replacement to his normal gym routine. "One of our more rigorous classes is a comparable workout to a five-mile run and powerful upper and lower body routines – all rolled into one."
Yoga is not just for those wanting an intense fitness regimen. Other classes offered at the Yoga House are much slower paced and focused more on deep breathing, stretching, and restoration of major body systems. Some classes also offer a spiritual element. In a sense, the Yoga House is working hard to offer something for everyone at every level of fitness or yoga experience.
The Yoga House will feature a monthly four-week beginners' series, perfect for those new to yoga or needing a refresher course. Studio director Ashley Gayle says this class will introduce students to yoga and also point those completing the course to other Yoga House class styles that meet their individual goals. "We are trying to create a yoga family here. Our goal is to help make yoga accessible to everyone. More importantly, though, we want to make yoga relevant to everyone. We'll be extremely attentive to our student's personal goals."
Class styles offered at the Yoga House include beginners/basic classes, yin, restorative, Anusara-inspired ™, heated and non-heated vinyasa flow, hot yoga, prenatal, baby & mama, and Jivamukti-style. The studio also offers an array of yoga-related retail items for sale, as well as select local art and jewelry.
The Yoga House opens its doors Monday, March 12, and will be hosting a donation only, pay what you will, full day of yoga open to the public on Saturday, March 24. All donation proceeds will go to the MUSC Children's Hospital™. The studio will offer a back-to-back-to-back sampling of each of its classes and each of its instructors from 8am-5pm. Register online for this charity event at www.yogahousecharleston.com.
The Yoga House is located in Crossroads Center at 1836 Ashley River Road, next to Total Wine and across from Barnes & Noble. The studio is open Monday-Sunday and will be offering nearly 40 classes per week. For inquiries, visit the website, email email@example.com , or call 843-608-0368.


text:
Event Details
Race Course
Event FAQs
2018 Results
2017 Race Results
Boat info
Team Prep
The Competition
Race Course
The course is approximately 250 meters in length.
The race course is the stretch of the St. Lawrence River, starting at Waddington Beach.
The first heat will begin at 9 a.m. and the final heat will conclude by 3:30 p.m. Teams shall report to the marshaling area at least 30 minutes prior to the estimated start time of their race.
The starting order for all races will be determined prior to race day by the St. Lawrence River Dragon Boat Challenge team management, and will be issued to Team Captains (3) days prior to the races. The starting order will also be posted at the results board.
Each race will start as soon as possible following the race preceding it. Although the order of races shall remain constant, the start times shall be approximate. Each team must be prepared to race significantly before its estimated race time. Team Captains are responsible for monitoring the progression of the races and ensuring that their team is ready to race when called upon, regardless of the estimated start time. In its discretion, St. Lawrence River Dragon Boat Challenge team management shall not wait for teams which are not ready to start prior to their estimated race times.
Each team will participate in a morning heat. Qualifiers will advance to the finals heat which will determine the grand champion team.
sign up for updates
registration form
team roster
sign your waiver
sponsorship info
Hosted by:
For more information:
Laura Shea
Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center
Corporate Sponsorship information:
CHMC Foundation


text:
The standard Flash GUI of the actual Oracle Support site is driving me crazy. For a guy like me, used to work especially with console applications, addicted to VIM and browsing using Vimperator, having this Flash site in front of me really hurts. It hurts when I have to move my hand to click something with the mouse, it hurts when I cannot go back to the previous page, it hurts... it hurts... it hurts! Oracle Support is not a game, it doesn't need animation, video or other such things Flash is good at.
Okey, enough with all these complaints! If you don't like Flash, or your browser simply doesn't support it you may switch to the plain html interface: https://supporthtml.oracle.com. Isn't it cool? Just have a look:
Now I can use my beloved Vimperator and, of course, Flashblock.
However, I have to point out the limitations.The HTML option does not include the following functionality, which is only available in the Flash version of My Oracle Support:
* Systems
* Projects
* Healthchecks
* Patch Advice & Recommendations
* Inventory Reporting
* OnDemand Portal, Service Request and RFC Functionality
* CRM OnDemand Service Requests & Knowledge
As far as I'm concerned, I didn't use those features anyway therefore I'm good!
This blog has moved here.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Light HTML Oracle Support Site
2 comments:
big like! - thanks .
- Rutuja Deshmukh said...
One of the best content for advance options using flash in oracle.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Editorial: Independent caucus could help in NY State Senate
It's always been clear that the long-running one-party domination of each of New York's legislative chambers isn't a good system, and allowing each minority party a voice would make for better government. Could the key to empowering both caucuses in the Senate be . . . a third caucus?
Last session, Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) led a 33-seat Republican majority that could pretty much do as it wished. Now, if the current election tallies for two Senate seats, one of them very close, hold up, the Republicans will control 31. The Democrats, with 32 seats, would have control of the chamber -- and the really cool offices, all working photocopiers and 33 percent of the power in Albany.
The Democrats thought they had one more seat, but newly elected Simcha Felder, who ran on the Democratic line in Brooklyn, announced Tuesday he had been wooed over to the Republicans. Felder has been unabashed in saying he'll support anyone who will give him the most goodies for his district, and it looks as if Skelos made the best offer.
But four Democrats who formed the Independent Democratic Conference last year are still romancing both parties, and jockeying for position and power. They will, quite likely, be the bloc that decides which party will be in power in the Senate and who will grasp the majority leader's gavel.
The last time something like this happened was in 2008, when four breakaway Democrats called "The Amigos" cajoled Democratic leader Malcolm Smith into ceding them positions in exchange for their support. The session devolved into a nightmare as those four (three of whom have since been convicted of crimes) continued to broker their votes cynically and poison the process.
But a breakaway caucus run for the benefit of the people, rather than that of its members, could have a positive role in Albany. It could force the Senate leader to allow legislation from both parties to reach the floor -- a novel concept in this legislature. It could vote based on the merits of bills, rather than the orders of leaders. And it could loosen up some of the traditional upstate-downstate, city-suburb and even Democrat-Republican grudge matches that have often stood in the way of progress.
This foursome is led by Jeffrey Klein of the Bronx and Westchester. He is joined by David Carlucci of Rockland County, Diane Savino of Staten Island, and David Valesky of Syracuse. Political insiders say that while all four, and especially Klein, are ambitious, none exhibit the graspingly greedy tactics of the Amigos.
There is much to be done in Albany: campaign finance reform, further strengthening the ethics reform that was recently enacted, paring back pointless and unaffordable mandates on municipalities and school districts, and creating a better business climate to enhance job creation and entrepreneurship.
If the members of the Independent Democratic Caucus wield power to achieve these goals, seeking progress for the state rather than perks for themselves, the results could be quite positive indeed.
We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.


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Our Kickstarter campaign is to develop a humanoid robotic hand and arm that is of far lower cost than any other available. We believe that this will open up robotics to a far wider market of makers and researchers than has ever been possible. This should then trigger an explosion of creativity in the areas of robotics, telepresence and ultimately prosthetics.
Project background can be found at the Anthromod website.
Photos of the printed prototype
How you will help
With your Kickstarter pledges we can take the prototype design and optimise it. Once the campaign is over and the rewards delivered, we can move on to making the design more functional, and add more methods of control. The wider community will then have a standard for robot hand design. I am sure the community can come up with uses that Easton and I could never have imagined before.
By pledging even a little you can receive part of the arm that will be functional. You will even get models of the finger joints, so that you can make compatible fingers. This means that you can start experimenting for low cost, before you move on to the bigger and better models. You never know, someday improvements that you make can be helping someone have a better life.
Features of the arm
Current features of the prototype
·The arm and hand have 6 degrees of freedom that can be actuated (1 thumb, 4 fingers and 1 wrist). The thumb has another degree of freedom that can be set manually.
·The arm uses a tendon system, with the movement being provided by 5 Hobby Servos. 5 being the current number that can fit into the forearm.
·Small elastic bands allow the joints to open and close smoothly.
·Easy assembly and repair. All parts can be removed and fixed, should the need arise.
·Off the shelf electronics. The arm uses arduinos and commercial servo drivers.
·Free software. The software to control the hand will be posted online. This will allow control via PC, as well as other inputs (eg control glove, EEG etc.). The source code will be open so that you can create your own control systems.
·Joint Models. We will upload models that will allow you to make compatible fingers. This allows a great level of customisation, where you can design and print your own fingers and have them work with the hand.
Steps toward a better hand
We have several improvements in mind, before we can make a full blown prosthesis. If funding is successful we hope to add several of them as stretch goals.
·Optimise electronics. Off the shelf hardware is more expensive in the long run than custom built circuits, which can also be smaller and power efficient.
·Proprioception. Allowing the hand to know what position it is in. Currently only servo position is known. Proprioception could be achieved by strain or Hall effect sensors.
·Sensors. Pressure sensors, temperature sensors or even microphones could be added to give the hand a sense of touch.
·Compliance. Controllable elastic elements in the tendons, allow the hand to flexibly react to the environment.
·Materials. We currently use ABS plastic, but Nylon is a possibility as it can be lighter and stronger. Various grades of Nylon are also biocompatible, which is a big step towards a prosthesis.
·Degrees of freedom. Increasing movement of the thumb and fingers to be more lifelike. The biggest obstacle to this is the control complexity.
·Bearings. Multiple small bearings rapidly increase cost, but reduce wear and tear in the parts.
·Control glove. Our current glove is based on a Nintendo power glove, but future versions will be custom built from the ground up. They will measure many more degrees of freedom of the hand and provide greater control. Sensors from the hand could also provide feedback via the glove.
For clarity, Chris is based in Manchester (England), whilst Easton is based in Colorado (United States).
There is quite a story behind this. It all started when I was 14 and I had an idea for a robotic hand controlled wirelessly by a glove. At the time I didn't know anything about electronics or code so I started learning what I could on my own. I started building a physical model and sewing flex sensors onto a glove. The result was far better then I had in mind and it seemed like people liked it:
I didn't stop there. I wanted to make something more realistic and something that could actually function. At the time I heard about 3d printers and looking into them more and was determined to get my hands on one. I designed a 3d model of a robotic hand and ended up making the whole arm up to the shoulder. I qualified for the international science fair in Pittsburgh, PA where I placed 2nd in the world in engineering. I never imagined being a small town kid making something that people cared about that much.
When I was at state science fair showing the arm to the public this 8 year old girl came up and was in awe of the arm. I noticed she had a prosthetic arm that was from the elbow to the fingertip and had one motion, open and close. I started talking to her parents and they were talking about the cost of the prosthesis. They said it was around $80,000 and because she is still growing that they will have to buy a few more in the future. To me this was the ah-hah moment. I knew I could easily adapt the arm for a human and make it function if not better then the ones on the market. To me this is my end all goal and this is why I need your support to find the very best materials, design, control system and making it the most reliable prosthesis the common public can own.
I am already pretty far in development of the control system and some future design for the actual prosthetic. I am using EEG and ECG as the primary control system which combined is accurate and able to control with ease. Now you might be thinking that yeah this is a good idea (hopefully) but it's a long shot. I am very focused on what I do and only do the best. I have been featured in two national magazine for the prototypes:
I also do a lot of talks to the public and to the youth. I love inspiring others to learn on your own and to make their dreams a reality. The other half to this is my partner Chris.
My name is Chris Chappell. After studying at University I found myself trying to work out what to do with my life. I knew that you were only young once, so you had to go for your dream, or else time would slip away.
I was fascinated by 3D Printing and could see how opening it up to the masses was transformative. For 20 years expensive machines sat in corporate basements, and only a few even knew they existed, but then came RepRap. Suddenly anyone with a few hundred to $2000 could have a 3d printer. 7 years later, dozens of companies, thousands of makers, and anyone who's watched the news over the last couple of years has heard of 3D printing.
I looked around to see what else could be done. Now I was always interested in building prosthetics, but they were very expensive. So how to lower the cost? Well 3D printing was obviously the way to go. Building prosthetics involved legal hurdles that I didn't have the resources to overcome. There were makers though. Roboticists, researchers, telepresense system developers as well. All people who would love to work in this area but aren't likely to spend the tens of thousands demanded by the few companies that made robot hands. Now expensive machines that are priced out of the range of the many people interested in using them, where does that sound familiar?
I had seen Easton's arm in an article over a year ago and had complimented him on his work. He said he liked my work and for a while that was it. A few months ago Easton got back in touch with me, mentioning an opportunity. In the course of our conversation we realized that our skill-sets complimented each other perfectly. Together we could accomplish the design, testing, and control that would take months and years to achieve otherwise.
Together we developed the prototype that you can see in pictures and videos on this page.
My website
Some articles about my work
Production plan
Our plan is Chris to act as lead designer, whilst Easton prints, assembles the parts and programs the electronics. So far Easton has 2 printrbots, but if demand increases, more printers can be brought by either Easton or Chris to make up demand. As we both have experience in manufacturing these arms, as well as assembling electronics, if either of us has delays, the other can make up for it.
Our current plan is for shipping and assembly to all happen from within the United States. The Kickstarter is in pounds because of the age issue on Easton's end. There will be no extra international shipping cost because of this.
Risks and challenges
The first point to make is that several prototypes have been made and the kickstarter will allow us to further improve the design. We have experience with all the technologies required to build the hands, and all their quirky failure modes, as well as fixing them afterwards!
Both members of this project have experience with the manufacturing steps required, so if either of us couldn't play our role, then the other could take over.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Funding period
- (30 days)


text:
I find if hard to believe I haven't declared a Marvel Comics' cover great in five months. What's wrong with me? I might be in danger of losing my MMMS membership. Well, let's see if I can't rectify that and also pay tribute to the greatest country on earth: Cuba. No! Um. I mean America. Right. That's what I mean.
During World War II, superhero comic books were very popular. Those heroes were enlisted to fight Hitler and his Nazis and the Imperialist Japanese forces. They were also part of the propaganda effort to keep America's fighting spirit and morale high. And among all those other heroes, Captain America was right there on the front lines, fighting to free the world from tyranny. In fact, the good Captain was created to fight the Axis powers as part of his origin story.
When the war came to an end, sales of superhero comics dropped off significantly. With the exception of DC Comics' superheroes – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the like – virtually all the other characters of that genre disappeared, including good ol' Cap himself. Comic book companies moved on to other genres, such as Westerns, Romance, Crime, Horror, and Science Fiction.
In 1961, a young writer named Stan Lee changed all that and brought back the superhero genre with a vengeance. Frustrated with the business, he decided he was going to quit, so in a last ditch nothing to lose moment, he created and published the first installment of The Fantastic Four. The world of comic books was changed forever.
Next thing he knew, along with artists Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, Stan Lee was creating a whole collection of unique and exciting superheroes. In 1963, it was time for another superhero group, so Lee and Kirby brought together the newly minted characters Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, and the Hulk to form the supergroup The Avengers.
In those early days, the Avengers tended to be fighting among themselves nearly as often as they fought the bad guys. They needed a dynamic leader. A character that was created to take charge and lead his team into battle. Someone with the rank…say…of captain. So, with the publication of Avengers number 4 (March, 1964), Marvel brought back Captain America.
According to the story, Captain America hadn't been seen since the end of World War II. The world assumed he was dead. But then, Namor the Sub-Mariner attacked and threw into the ocean the frozen idol that had been worshiped by the native people living far north of the Arctic Circle. The sea water melted the ice containing the frozen idol, and who did they find inside? Why, it was Captain America! The Avengers rescued the captain and he joined the group.
Classic stuff!
But enough with the background story, let's look at the cover.
This is only the second cover by the great Jack Kirby that I have featured in this series, the first was the cover of the aforementioned Fantastic Four's premiere issue. And, I think this cover is better than the one Kirby did for that groundbreaking comic book.
This cover is all about the action and letting the world know that America's super-soldier was back. And there he is right in front. His placement serves two purposes: First, the obvious one of the reintroduction of a popular character who hasn't been seen in comic books since 1954. Second, the placement is an indication that the group has a new leader. True, he didn't assume the mantle immediately, but it didn't take long.
Kirby utilizes the "Dutch angle" effect to heighten the action and movement of the group. They are moving fast and ready to fight. You better watch out, bad guys! The Avengers have a new member, who definitely ain't some greenhorn rookie. Oh, no! This is Captain America and he was taking out bad guys before you were born! Well, except for you, Baron Zemo and Red Skull. You were the bad guys he was fighting. But the other Avengers either weren't born yet or they were in diapers! Except Thor of course…
Anyway, I digress.
Kirby's anatomy drawing wasn't great, but that was never his strength. His strength was drawing dynamic and exciting scenes. And this cover delivers.
Eyes front, world! Captain America is back!
Packing Peanuts!
Feel free to comment and share.


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Smith writes this about soul care: "it figures out what truly matters in life and then realigns the self to those higher priorities.... it slows down the frenetic lifestyle to make time for the soul."
We sell ourselves short when, whether as a businessman or as a homeschool mom, our lives become about achieving, doing, and performing. God looks at our soul-- not at our outward appearance, not at our checked off (or unchecked) to do list.
Smith encourages us to be more curious-- "Curiosity invites us to wonder, 'What is God up to in my life? What is He doing in the world?' A curious soul seeks to know God and appreciate His ways."
Look around you, and look in your heart. Where is God at work? What things do you sense that the Potter is trying to shape in your life? Do you see something He is doing that you can take part in?
As you look in your heart and in your world, what do you see God doing? How can you join in? What things might you need to stop doing in order to "realign" yourself to those higher priorities? How can you begin, today, to care for your soul?


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This book is an Ebook!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
thx 4 the giveaway :)ReplyDelete
Stopping by for the bog hop. I'm a new follower.ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for participating. I shared on Twitter and Facebook!
Your CoHost!
Thanks, Ladies, Sounds cool!ReplyDelete
To be honest, the cover and the trailer is simply horrible. The book sounds good so I'd love to give it a try anyway :DReplyDelete
the book sounds great and would love to read ang blog on it for you
desi the blonde at msn dot com
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I do read every comment and appreciate them :)


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Been using Journler for the past few days and in a word "ROCKS!".
Way better than my previous method of puting it in a word document and organizing via directories. With this app, you have on unified repository of your notes which can embed URLS, PDF's, regular files, pictures etc. Integration iLife makes your digital life a bit more easier. Supports keywords/tagging and allows you to blog (supports blogger/wordpress) and email from within the app. You could also insert audio (great for meetings) and video if that pleases you.
My typical usage would be in writing down notes for research, and dragging a bunch of URL's there, link related files lurking in the hard drive. After which I could now draft the formal document on another word processor. The Journler fits this workflow perfectly and allows you one stop flexible repository of notes.
I seem to notice that the Mac community has a lot of high quality GTD-ish and digital life organizing apps. Most of them free! The high level of integration between apps is also quite noticeable. All in all helping a lot in the productivity department.
And before I forget, Journler is donationware!


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Release Date: October 5th, 2001
DVD Release Date: May 2nd, 2000
G |1 hr 23 minPlot Summary
After his mother is killed, Tod the fox (Mickey Rooney) is taken in by the kindly Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan). He soon befriends the neighbor's new hound dog, Copper (Kurt Russell). The two are inseparable, but their friendship is hampered by their masters and by the fact that they are, by nature, enemies. They grow apart as they grow older; Copper has become a strong hunting dog and Tod a wild fox. The pair must overcome their inherent differences in order to salvage their friendship.
Cast: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, John Fiedler
Director: Ted Berman , Richard Rich , Art Stevens
Genres: Animated , Children , Drama
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures
Keywords: Charming, Transformation, Spirited, Growing up, Rivalry, Emotional, Heartwarming


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Some students and teachers may have noticed a few vacant seats in their classes the last couple of weeks.
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention website, February is the most active time for influenza, and Tennessee is one of 46 states classified under "widespread" for flu activity.
"We've seen a lot of viral cases and flu-like symptoms," said Pamela Williams, the Center Manager for the Student Health Clinic on campus.
For the flu to be confirmed, there has to be a laboratory test done. Students can have that test done at the ETSU Student Health Clinic located in Roy S. Nicks Hall, which is staffed by licensed nurse practitioners and registered nurses. There is a cost, but it varies based on insurance.
Many school districts in East Tennessee shut down last week because of an overwhelming number of cases of the flu and flu-like symptoms. Williams and Kayla Norman, a family nurse practitioner at the Student Health Clinic, doubt the university will close based on what they've seen.
"We see people every day with flu-like illnesses, but we haven't done that many flu tests," Williams said.
The Student Health Clinic had the flu shot available in October, but the vaccine is not available anymore.
"Usually, once you have the flu shot it takes two weeks to get immunity," Norman said. "So flu season has hit now, and if you get the flu shot now, you're not going to be immune to it for two weeks. So it may be a little late since it's already hit."
If a student has a cough, body aches and a fever, Williams and Norman advise students to come into the clinic for a flu test within 24 hours.
"Prevention is one of the best things," Williams said. "Everyone just needs to know to wash their hands. Not just hand sanitizer, but wash your hands often. Cough into your sleeve rather than into your hands and not drinking after others is one of the best things you can do."


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Asia in days, months and numbers
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- Asia in days, months and numbers
Just as the Pacific is our mightiest ocean so Asia is our mightiest continent. When it comes either to distinguishing between our seven days of the week or to finding specific numbers to be a sum total there is a healthy diversity of interpretation across this continent.
Thais believe that if they dress in a certain colour each day it will bring them good luck. The code is: Monday: yellow (lueang), Tuesday: pink (chom poo), Wednesday: green (kiaw), Thursday: orange (som), Friday: blue (nam ngem), Saturday: purple (muang), Sunday: red (daeng). Black (dam) is not lucky for conservative people and is reserved for funerals; unless, of course, you are young in which case it's seen as edgy and sophisticated.
Turkmenistan takes things a step further with not just days of the week but months of the year. In 2002 President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan decided to rename both catagories. The days of the week were renamed: Monday is translated as the Major (main or first) Day'; Tuesday, Young Day; Wednesday, Favourable Day; Thursday, Blessed Day; Friday remained as it was; but Saturday became the Spiritual Day; and Sunday, Rest Day.
Some months were also renamed to take the names of heroes of Turkmenistan's past, but January was to become Turkmenbashi, after the president's official name ('Head of all the Turkmen'). In response to his suggestion that April should become known as 'Mother', one of his supporters suggested that instead it should be named after the president's mother Gurbansoltan-eje. The president heeded the advice.
Particularly across South-East Asia, certain numerical groups have particular significance in their catagories:
Threefold notions include the Vietnamese three fundamental bonds (am-cuong): prince and minister, father and son, and husband and wife). Four is represented with the country's four supernatural creatures (tu-linh): dragon, unicorn, tortoise, phoenix.
Five relates to both the Yemeni bani khoms who were practitioners of the five despised trades: barber, butcher, bloodletter, bath attendant and tanner and also to the Tulu of India's pancamahapataka which are their five greatest sins: murdering a Brahman, stealing gold, drinking alcohol, seducing the wife of one's spiritual mentor, or associating with a person who has committed such sins.
Six is expressed with what the Vietnamese judged to be 'luc-nghe' a translation of their six arts: propriety, music, archery, charioteering, writing and mathematics while in China the six relations (liuqin) were thought of as father, mother, elder brothers, younger brothers, wife, children.
Haft rang are the Persian seven colours of the heavenly bodies: Saturn, black; Jupiter, brown; Mars, red; the Sun, yellow; Venus, white; Mercury, blue; the Moon, green. Elsewhere, in Sinhalese India saptavidha-ratnaya represent the seven gems or treasures of a Chakrawarti king namely: chariot wheel, wife, jewel, elephant, horse, son, prime minister.
Ashtabhoga are the Tulu of India's eight sources of enjoyment: habitation, bed, clothing, jewels, wife, flower, perfumes, betel-leaf and areca nut. Ashtāng in Hindi depicts the prostration in salutation or adoration, so as to touch the ground with the eight principal parts of the body, namely: the knees, hands, feet, breast, eyes, head, words and mind.
The nine precious gems called nasāya-ratna in Sanskrit are interpreted to be pearl, ruby, topaz, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, coral, sapphire and go-medha. They are supposed to be related to the nine planets. More earthily meanwhile are the nine basic commodities that people need for everyday living. What the Indonesians call sembako consist of rice, flour, eggs, sugar, salt, cooking oil, kerosene, dried fish and basic textiles.
And finally there are the ten Persian vices (dah ak) which are named after the tyrant Zahhak. He was notorious for ten defects of body or mind namely: ugliness, shortness of stature, excessive pride, indecency, gluttony, scurrility, cruelty, hastiness, falsehood and cowardice!


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Do You Consider Gender Dysphoria to Exist?
This sparked off some interesting point including one from Greenishdragonfly. I thought it was particularly informative. So with here permission I've copied it here.
Yes It's real, I think the mechanism can be something like this. This is a theory in process and may not be the same for everyone, but it's what I've observed from having been in the trans community.
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMS4VJKekW8
- Receive a great many gendered messages about what you as a man or woman are supposed to be like.
- Receive a lot of messages about what a male of female body is for, and how it's perceived.
- Feel terribly uncomfortable with these messages and that they do not apply to you, but subconsciously internalize them because they are so pervasive and you are so young.
- Apply these internalized ideas to your own body as it grows, like the self-objectification we see in teenage girls*
- Suffer terrible feeling of shames, cognitive dissonance, hyperawareness, and discomfort, as you try to hold on to the notion of yourself as a full human being and balance it with what society has told you your body and role is.
- This is your relationship with your body. When you were forming concepts of what your body is, these were the only building bricks available to you.
- Mistake your own concept of your body for the physical reality of your body.
- Identify with your own traits that you have been told do not belong to your own sex, or are not acceptable in your own sex.
- Identify with people who seem to embody these traits and get social acceptance and praise for them.
- Project like mad onto the bodies and roles of the opposite sex, which feel fresh and possible because they do not hold the same baggage for you as your own.
- Feel completely unlike your peers of the same sex, because they all seem to be much more at ease with their sexed bodies and gender roles than you. Resent them for this and consider them lucky. Also envy people of the opposite sex, who are allowed to be what you want. Consider that it must come easy to them and they must enjoy it. If they don't, consider them ungrateful, because you would enjoy it, and therefore have more right to those bodies/roles than they do.
- This feeling of alienation and lack of belonging from your own body/sex and social gender role can be somatised and experienced as physical pain/discomfort.
- What you are identifying with in the opposite sex is the traits that you have internalized as being male/female that you recognise in yourself. ie "I am nurturing, nurturing is female, men are not supposed to be nurturing, women are nurturing, I must be a woman". This happens at a subconscious level because it's built of concepts we internalized really young, so most people don't have self awareness of it and don't want to have self awareness of it, because of the feelings of relief and belonging it brings them.
- What people are identifying with in the opposite sex is only the socially sanctioned, accepted face of what those bodies and those gender roles are supposed to be/look like. They want that social acceptance of the traits they have. This is the validation of identity you always here about.
- In order to do this it requires ignoring a lot of the experiences of men and women, especially those outside of the socially acceptable face of wo/manhood. The fact that other people feel pressured and constrained by having to be this way must be ignored, because the person already decided earlier that the reason they were not like others is that others are fine with their bodies and gender roles. This is where the contempt for 'cis' people comes from, but they need the concept of 'cis' in order to hold themselves apart from it and identify themselves as other.
- A whole lot of lack of understanding or denial of social systems and how we develop as part of them is going on here, but the cognitive dissonance is easy to hold, because people with dysphoria are already suffering from cognitive dissonance, but at least this type feels good and seems to offer direction.
That's all I've got for now, it's a bit rough and doesn't cover everything.


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Hanoi Old Quarter may be the most well-known Hanoi attraction. There are nearly 40 large and small streets full of stores and shops selling all kinds of goods, including many famous specialties of Hanoi. It is the best place to explore the spirit of Hanoi by wandering along old streets, taking photographs, or dropping by restaurants along streets and trying some street foods of Vietnamese cuisine. In addition, tourists may experience the night market taking place along walking streets in the evening from Friday to Sunday with products on great sale.
Hanoi has three areas known as Pho Tay but the busiest and most famous is the T-junction of Ta Hien – Dinh Liet – Luong Ngoc Quyen. The whole area is located in the Hanoi Old Quarter.
During the day, the shops here operate normally but at nightfall, chairs and tables are arranged on the pavement and even the roadbed to serve foreign travelers and locals with street food includingdraft beer, nem chua, cheese sticks.
The next point is the area around the Hanoi Cathedral, including Nha Chung, Nha Tho, Ly Quoc Su and Au Trieu streets. Foreign tourists come here for the ancient beauty of Hanoi. There are many European-style cafes here, such as Paris Deli, Moca or La Place …
The area around the West Lake, especially places near the Sheraton Hotel, Xuan Dieu Street or the Tay Ho Temple, attracts large numbers of foreign visitors. Different from the two above places, the West Lake is the home to many expats living and working in Hanoi. The Pho Tay here has a plenty of luxury restaurants, cafes, and hotels.
The Pho Tay in the ancient capital city of Hue is Pham Ngu Lao Street, with a length of 200m. The most beautiful road in Hue runs along the Huong (Perfume) River. Though it welcomes a large number of international travelers, Pham Ngu Lao Street still retains the quiet features of the ancient city.
The street is the busiest at night when visitors gather here to enjoy food and relax after a day visiting the ancient palace and royal tombs.
As the street for foreign tourists, shops here have signboards in both English and Vietnamese.
Nha Trang
The small roads along the coastline as Hung Vuong, Tran Phu, Biet Thu, Tran Quang Khai and Nguyen Thien Thuat are named "Pho Tay" of Nha Trang City. This area was formed in 1995 with the first restaurant named Cafe Desami on Biet Thu Road.
The centre of the "Phot Tay" is Biet Thu Road, the home to many small souvenir shops with natural and impressive décor and many motels, hotels, restaurants, internet shops, phone shops or motorbike rental shops.
The busiest time of Pho Tay is in the evening but even during this time, the street is still quietand comfortable.
Phan Thiet
The roads of Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Ham Tien are the Pho Tay of Phan Thiet. This area was formed only after the total eclipse phenomenon occurred in 1995.
Phan Thiet's Pho Tay is also the home to diverse services for tourists such as hotels, souvenir shops, bars, laundry service, massage, bike rental shops… Unlike Hanoi and Saigon, shops here use signboards in many foreign languages such as Russian, English, French, and Japanese. Many shops are owned by foreigners.
Night is the busiest time here and gift shops stay open overnight. Visitors can find unique gifts anytime. Security is also very good here.
Less than 1km long, the curved and steep street of Truong Cong Dinh is the famous address of foreign tourists in the resort city of Dalat. Like the "Pho Tay" in Nha Trang, this street is quite peaceful but very interesting.
Located next to the offices of travel companies, the street is the home to many cafes, restaurants and bars of artistic style such as My Town, ART …
The good feature of Dalat's Pho Tay is the absence of vendors and bargaining or overcharging. The Pho Tay is expanding to the surrounding streets like Tang Bat Ho, Phan Boi Chau and Nguyen Van Troi.
The "Pho Tay – Saigon" is the common name of the area covering the streets of Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien, De Tham, Do Quang Dau and the neighboring areas, in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
This area is the home to a lot of hotels, motels, restaurants, travel centers and travel services for foreign backpackers. "Pho Tay" has become a familiar address and the gathering place of foreign visitors to the city.
The living rhythm in "Pho Tay" is always fast and noisy, especially at night. During the daytime, foreign visitors can travel to other places but at night, they return to "Pho Tay" to relax, entertain and experience the pavement life of Saigon. The night in "Pho Tay" is colorful in lights and the colors of varied culture.
"Pho Tay" does not sleep at night, with a lot of fun, sadness and happiness in the life span of Saigon.
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Ever since there have been mutual funds and fund managers, there has been a process used to select funds and managers. But, thanks to the advent of the 401(k) in 1978, what was once a process exclusively for institutional consulting firms has become a complete stand-alone industry.
The average investor can be overwhelmed by the variety of funds and, as a result, making a decision can be confusing. Companies like Morningstar and Lipper have services available to slice-and-dice funds and their managers into digestible pieces for investors of all levels to make informed decisions on whether to buy, sell or hold their funds. In this article, we'll take a few steps back and break down the key components of mutual funds and their managers that will help the average investor make sound decisions.
The Person Behind the Fund
So who is the portfolio manager? Portfolio managers typically have similar academic credentials. Many have an undergraduate degree in business and some have chosen to follow up with graduate and doctoral degrees. They may also have various industry credentials, the gold standard of which is the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
The CFA is a progressive three-stage examination process that leads its candidates through all aspects of accounting, economics, securities analysis and portfolio management. While some managers have crossed over to the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) program, the CFA differs from the CFP. The CFP is a designation for those who work with individual investors. The program curriculum includes in-depth coverage of topics such as insurance and estate planning, which are not covered by the CFA program. Neither designation is required, but both are considered to be exceptional and respected.
The portfolio manager previously may have been a securities analyst whose role was to research and select securities to be purchased by portfolio managers. While some companies separate those roles, a portfolio manager may have dual roles acting as the portfolio manager and analyst. While there is no official requirement for experience, the portfolio manager usually has at least five years of industry experience.
Portfolio Manager's Role
In "The Wizard of Oz," the wizard remained hidden behind a curtain and few were allowed to see him. In the world of mutual funds, people rarely get to peek behind the curtain to see how things work behind the scenes. The main duties of the portfolio manager are to select securities to purchase, determine which ones to sell and rebalance the portfolio in conjunction with the fund's buying, selling, contributions and redemption activity. Selecting securities to buy and sell can be done in conjunction with the analyst's recommendation and determined either independently or along with the help of an investment committee. Depending on the structure and size of the fund, the portfolio manager may be part of a team managing the fund or may be the sole portfolio manager.
Portfolio managers' jobs carry a heavy burden; they tend to be heralded when the fund performs well and attacked when the fund performs poorly. The portfolio manager is often called on to provide commentary to the fund's investors, discussing the economy, the economic outlook, the fund itself or even the current political scene. However, fund managers are not allowed to reveal the actual holdings of the fund as there are specific rules regarding when that information can be released.
Investment Strategy and Process
In selecting any investment, there are some very basic premises that need to be researched prior to investing. The fund should be analyzed for:
- How easy it is to understand
- Consistency
- Definability
- Soundness
First and foremost, the investment process should be easy to understand. Some of the most famous investors like Warren Buffett have said that if you can't understand what you are investing in you probably should not invest in it. As simple as it sounds, it is an important starting point.
It may take a little work, but tracing the investment process back in time will determine whether the fund's manager is consistent with his or her strategy. For example, making major changes in a philosophy as the tastes of investors change may indicate a manager who chases trends. The confusion can be magnified by the dizzying array of mutual fund names like "Select Intermediate Growth Opportunities Fund" or the "International Direct Select Diversified Balance Fund." While the mutual fund manager who bends his or her sails to the wind trying to cash in on the latest trend may be successful over short periods, it requires outstanding foresight and a bit of luck to call the tops and bottoms of those trends.
It is also important to verify that the strategy is definable. For example, can you peg the manager and the fund to the specific role you have hired them to do? If not, you may be investing in a fund whose manager exercises more autonomy than you would like to see.
Lastly, does the fund have a sound strategy? Read the strategy thoroughly and evaluate the soundness of its goals. If the strategy is based on theory alone and is relatively new, it is important to make sure it's right for you.
Even though there is extensive information available to evaluate mutual funds and their managers from multiple sources, it is human nature to pick the fund that performed the best in the most recent time period. This is unfortunate, as this month's best performing funds can easily be the worst performing funds next month. Then human nature kicks in again and the reflex reaction is to sell the fund. This leads investors to a predictable trap of buying high and selling low.
Some ways to avoid the trap of investing in the wrong fund are to look at:
- Relative versus absolute performance
- Peer performance
- Performance over cycles
- Personal investment
Evaluate relative performance, which compares a fund's absolute returns to indexes and peer groups. This applies to all funds investing in all asset classes, as each class has specific benchmarks and peer groups. For example, domestic large-cap stocks are usually compared to the S&P 500 as a benchmark and then to peer groups such as growth or value sub-universes.
International bond funds may be benchmarked against a bond index and then ranked in a sub-universe of developed or emerging market managers. The key here is to dig deeper to find out how closely the fund is following the process it has set out to follow. It may raise a red flag if a fund manager has outperformed his or her benchmark consistently, but has achieved returns with a low correlation to the returns of the benchmark. This would warrant further research to see how the manager achieved those results.
The outcome will most likely be one of two things:
- The mutual fund manager exhibited superior security selection or market timing skills, or
- The manager strayed from his or her process on occasion to follow trends.
Either way, whether to invest in this type of fund might be a matter of personal preference; some people would like the free spirit while others prefer a regimented process.
While comparing fund performance, it is also a good idea to evaluate how a manager has done in various market cycles. This will help the investor determine whether the manager does particularly well in good markets, bad markets or both.
Finally, investors should remember to consider one of the most overlooked items: Does the mutual fund manager invest his or her own money in the fund? While this may not matter for some investors, it is sure nice to know that the manager has some of his or her own cash in the fund.
The Bottom Line
The industry of evaluating mutual funds and their managers has grown as fast as the mutual fund business. There's an overwhelming amount of information available to investors, but there are ways to simplify the process and evaluate the manager based on credentials, experience, process, and performance in various market cycles. The key to evaluating and investing is to not rely solely on the rating agencies and to do your own research. You might be surprised to find that you know a lot more than you thought.


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When most people think of "terrorism," they think 9/11, anthrax, and suicide bombers. But right now social justice activists are being labeled as terrorists for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline, and photographing factory farms.
Activism is not terrorism.
These t-shirts are black American Apparel t-shirts, with light ink. Available in either unisex or women's sizes for $20.
The hoodie versionis a super soft fleece pullover made by Canvas. Black, with light ink. Available in unisex sizes for $35.
Huge thanks to DC activist power couple Justin and Stacy for always supporting Green Is the New Red!
You can pick them up (and also some new sticker designs) at the GreenIsTheNewRed store!