CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick, the sequel to fallen angel story HUSH, HUSH, comes out on October 19th - it's one of the October sequel releases I'm looking forward to. In anticipation of the release, I'm posting the book trailer. Enjoy the preview, and if it seems interesting to you, go read HUSH, HUSH and look for CRESCENDO on October 19th.
FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater Cover Reveal - Pre-order to get a SIGNED copy!
Maggie Stiefvater has released the book jacket image for FOREVER, the final book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (begun with SHIVER and LINGER). Not only are these some of my favorite books ever, but also have the most beautiful covers I've seen for young adult books (designed by Christopher Stengel - see Maggie's interview with him about the covers here: Shiver Cover Interview). The cover is what drew me to the original book, the lyrical writing is what kept me reading, the plot and multiple point-of-view storytelling is what made me love them. I've heard Maggie speak in person and she is fascinating to listen to, and has a great web presence sharing her writing brilliance with all.
I'm really excited about some of the books that are coming out in October, lots of series sequels, and I've pre-ordered most of them. It looks like October will be a busy reading month. I'm looking forward to so many of them that I thought I'd share here!
In My Mailbox is a shared posting concept/listing from The Story Siren (read about what it is and how it got started here: In My Mailbox). This will be a semi-regular feature on Teach 8 YA Book Blog.
Sounds like an intriguing new series that fans of the Percy Jackson series might like.
Sounds like an interesting novel based on the premise of needing to stand out in today's society.
A new dystopian dealing with a modern concern of oil running out.
My students have been eagerly awaiting this one by an always popular author as they've read through the first two FOUND and SENT.
Takes place by Yellowstone National Park and is a coming-of-age story of a one saving the wolves that have been reintroduced that the community is scared of. Of course the title sells it.
Will be delivered to my room on Nov. 9, the release date.
Got another copy because I can't keep them on my shelf - probably because I keep telling the students they all need to read it and they are!
The boys that have read it have loved it, so wanted another copy to keep them reading this wonderful novel.
Needed another copy because I can't keep it on hand due to so many students reading the series right now.
Needed to replace some that are falling apart from being read so many times!
Celebrate BANNED BOOKS WEEK - Sept. 25-Oct. 2 - Read a Book!
Books: save people; save lives; help us figure out what we would do in certain situations; open our eyes to parts of the world we may never know otherwise; help us figure out our own lives, thoughts, feelings, concerns, frustrations, hopes, and dreams; help us grow; help us grow up; are the mirrors that show us who we are; are the windows to the world around us; help us figure out who we want to be and how we want to act; show us others have gone through things we have - even if no one around us understands; let us figure things out we're too scared to say out loud; help us realize that we aren't alone in this world.
That is why we celebrate Banned Books Week - a week dedicated to: celebrating the freedom to read; drawing attention to the harmful nature of censorship; reminding us about intellectual freedom (whether we personally agree with the ideas or not); stressing the importance of ensuring access to all viewpoints for those who want them; knowing the importance of our First Amendment rights; and highlighting the power of literature.
"Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. The targets range from books that explore contemporary issues and controversies to classic and beloved works of American literature."
Exercise your freedom to read! I'm not saying you should read something just because it has been challenged, especially if it doesn't fit with your or your family's personal values, but does that mean it shouldn't be available to others who may need it? You have the freedom to make choices about what you read, and you should be making educated choices about books that are important for you to read and appropriate for you personally based on your family's values. Challenging or banning a book means one person, or a group of people, has decided that a book is not appropriate for you to read - shouldn't that decision belong to you (or those who are raising you) - those who know you and what you need the best? Being aware that this happens and knowledgeable about what it means is important as a literate member of our society. So, Celebrate Banned Books Week - pick up a book and read it - because you can!
When I was trying to decide what book to read next last week, I decided to go with another light-hearted cute book and chose ACES UP by Lauren Barnholdt. I supposed because I've been watching the World Series of Poker Main Event each week on TV lately, I had poker on the mind when I gravitated toward this book.
The summary goes like this: high-school senior Shannon Card needs money for college tuition because her father lost his job and she's been accepted early-decision to Wellesley, so she gets a fake ID and to get a job as a waitress at a casino to make as much money as she can. But she discovers it's a little more difficult than she imagined carrying trays of drinks while walking in high heels, and then gets the mysterious invitation in her work locker to join Aces Up, a secret group of poker players who are really talented because of their math knowledge - and she's just the kind of player they need. Only one problem - she's underage and has never played poker before. As if all of that isn't enough, Shannon's dealing with Max, who used to be her friend until there was an almost kiss they haven't talked about, and Cole, the cute college guy trying to recruit her for Aces Up. All of that made me think this might be another fun book, and it pretty much was. But really, this book is about a girl who tries to take a quick fix for her problems, ends up getting into bigger trouble, losing herself in the process, disappointing those around her, and has to figure out how to work her way out of the mess she's created.
The thing I liked most about this book is the voice of the main character. Shannon has a great way of narrating in first person that at times seems as if she's talking to the reader in asides. I really like it because it makes me more invested in what she's going through because I like her - although at times I do wonder if she shouldn't have seen where there was headed long before she did. I also really liked her way of describing things - she just does it in a way that seems true to the voice of someone her age and she has a sense of humor in her voice that is somewhat snarky at times. The thing that bothered me about her though was that I think she could have taken more control over her relationships, and for as intelligent as she is supposed to be, she sometimes made really stupid decisions in parts of the book.
Here's the problem I had with the book: I feel like it was too easy for Shannon to fall into something with Cole that had no depth to it other than him being mysterious. It seemed like Shannon's character was made out to be more independent and strong than how she was acting with him, so it was hard to buy into her being that into him and into the trouble she got in to. Because that part was a little unbelievable, the story came across as a bit shallow in those parts. I really liked the parts where Shannon was dealing with Max and what was happening with their relationship, and even the stuff with her sister and work friend Mackenzie, I just wanted a little bit more depth to round out all of the characters for a light-hearted, cute, fun, girly read.
Overall I liked it for the voice and humor of the main character, the storyline with her guy friend Max, her relationship with her sister, and the fun poker references.
Sometimes I really want a light-hearted book without all the angst and drama of a lot of the popular YA books/genres out there right now, and to get a good girl-power message - even better. That's exactly what I got with Elizabeth Eulberg's debut novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, plus I got a little Beatles nostalgia along with it. I was drawn to it as soon as I heard the plot summary, but of course, the cover sold me on getting it in hardcover - it's so fun!
This book is a story with an independent high school junior girl main character who gets treated badly by a boy she's had a crush on for a long time. The girl - Penny Lane (a Beatles song of course since her parents are huge fans) - decides she's not going to deal with one more boy treating her badly, so she swears off dating for the rest of high school. Thus starts the lonely hearts club (inspired of course by the Beatles' Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). Once word gets out, other girls decide they don't want to deal with immature boys who treat them badly either, and they see how much fun the girls in the club are having, so the club gets a reputation around the school.
There's a really important message coming out of reading this story - it's not just about not dealing with the boy drama, but it's more about what it means to be a good friend to the girls around you. It's about keeping your friends honest, being there for each other, and not letting boys change your priorities. The club's rules say that a girl can't change who she is for a guy, she can't ditch her friends for a guy, she can't let a guy take over her whole life and forget about her friends - what a great message to send teen girls who need to remember that when they get to high school and boy drama and pressure becomes so much more of a part of their lives.
I think the highlight about this book for me was that even though it deals with the typical boyfriend drama of high school girls, it's done in a unique way in which the girls still get to be strong characters. I do wish some of the secondary characters had the chance to be developed a little more fully because they had the potential to really add to the story more than they were able to with the length of the book, but it was it will be an accessible book for many adolescent girls - and it doesn't cross the line into mature content. I loved this book for it's light-heartedness, great message, and fun story (with a Beatles twist) and am glad I found it.
WHITE CAT is one of those books that I had heard so many good things about from so many authors that I like, that I was expecting to really like it, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, I was left feeling a little confused by it in the end. Ultimately, I would probably read the next one in the series because I started to care about the main characters and I'm curious what will happen to them next.
I think there are a few reasons for my confusion in the beginning.
First, I'm not sure if I really liked the flow of the writing - there is quite a bit of jumping back and forth and skipping to the next scene that is done with just a break in the text, which was throwing me off a little bit as I read and would have to look back and see where I was at in the story.
Second, I felt kind of lost for most of the first half of the book. I couldn't quite get a handle on this world of the curse workers and what it really was or how it really worked. I guess I felt like I really needed a more explicit or longer explanation of what was going on earlier in the book.
Third, I sort of liked Cassel, the main character, but I'm not sure if I felt the urgency to find out what was going to happen in the story. I liked that he was a male main character who was intelligent and had a wry sense of humor, but I wasn't totally engaged with wanting to know what was going to happen to him in the beginning.
Fourth, honestly, it was a little slow for me. It took until at least 100 pages in until I felt like something was happening that I understood and then another 40 pages before I figured out the real conflict, then 40 pages later it really started to get interesting.
So, that's how I felt for the first half of the book. Then I started to get more into the story as Cassel figured out more of what was going on, found out what he'd done in the past, figured out what the big con was, and then worked his own counter-con. Now this was what I was looking for in this book and the kind of book I like. The secondary characters started to get more interesting as they got tangled up in Cassel's big con, which made me want to read more also.
The thing is, it's not a bad book by any means, it just took awhile for me to get into it. However, since Cassel himself is in the dark for most of the book and confused about what's going on, it is very possible I was supposed to feel a little foggy about what was happening to make me feel like I was in his shoes. If you like realistic-fantasy books, this is a good one and I really liked that it had a male main character who was likeable and interesting. I'd probably read the next one in the series just to see what comes next for these characters because by the end of the book, once I figured out what was going on, I really liked them.
I need to start this review of RETURN TO PARADISE, the sequel to Leaving Paradise by talking about the author - Simone Elkeles - because she is the reason I read the first book in this series. Ever since I read Perfect Chemistry (my first Simone Elkeles book) I have loved her as an author - she writes emotional, edgy, real, romance books with deep characters. They are realistic fiction stories about girls and boys in high school, but go beyond just the typical cliched looks at high school that some young adult books in this genre stick to. They also go beyond just the girl's story and drama - we get to hear from both the boy and the girl who are the main characters in the story. By switching points of view for each chapter, we get characters who are more fully developed and go beyond shallow feelings, to understanding why the conflict happens in these relationships. While they are romance stories, they go beyond that with deeply-flawed characters who have to find their way through their own issues before they can be part of a couple, and discover more about themselves and the how to get by in the world around them by their journeys through these stories. Simone writes in a direct style with a voice that seems true to life for teenagers. Her books are not overly complicated, they are to-the-point delving into the emotions, hardships, struggles, inner-battles, and love of the characters she writes. There are a few more mature situations in her books, but nothing too graphic, and always handled well with the thoughts and emotions that the characters go through in relation to those situations.
Now that you know how much I love Simone Elkeles as an author, I need to tell you about the first book in the series. I first read Leaving Paradise when one of my students gave me her copy to borrow after I read Perfect Chemistry and talked about how much I loved it. I devoured Leaving Paradise in one day. It is the story of Maggie, whose leg was severely injured when hit by a drunk driver and a year later is still struggling with getting her life and spirit back to being able to live her life. Caleb is the boy who went to jail for hitting her - and also her neighbor and twin brother of Maggie's best friend. The story starts when Caleb comes home from juvie and Maggie is heading back to school. In all of their emotional struggles that ensue with their life changes, Maggie and Caleb realize that the one person they're most afraid of - each other - might be the only person who can help them get through to the other side. I loved the first book, but felt a little let down by the ending, mostly because I felt it left Maggie and Caleb's story a bit unfinished.
Flash forward to a year and a half later when I heard Simone had written a sequel - RETURN TO PARADISE - to complete Maggie and Caleb's story and let us know what happened after Leaving Paradise. Simone was running a facebook contest and I commented about her books and she thanked me for being a teacher who reads what her students read and then offered to send me a free copy of the book. I was really excited to read this book, and was not disappointed. The thing that I really loved about this book is that it wasn't just an easy path for either of them when after eight months, Caleb shows back up in Maggie's life. They are on a summer trip to tell other teens about the dangers of reckless driving with four other teens who have also been affected in some way. Both of them have their reasons for having their guard up and fighting against the feelings they have for each other, while each of them has to travel their own path to self-acceptance and realizing that the other one is the best person for them.
Without giving away too much of the story, I will say that when the realization is made that accidents affect far more than just the perpetrator and the victim, but the entire families around them, it is a moment of healing, acceptance, and moving forward that was much needed for their stories. The other thing I really like is that neither one of them has to give up who they are or what is important to them to be better with each other. Simone has left this book with a satisfying ending for Maggie, Caleb, their families, friends, and the reader. Now, with both books combined, this feels like a complete story and journey of discovery, acceptance, and healing for these characters who I was began to care about.
OK...so this is my first New Books This Week post because I'm so excited about all the books that I've gotten this week, and I want to start sharing more titles that my students may be interested in reading - and give them a sneak preview of what will be showing up in my classroom library soon. This idea came from The Story Siren's In My Mailbox posts (read about what it is and how it got started here: In My Mailbox). This will be a semi-regular feature on Teach 8 YA Book Blog.
ARC - book releases 10/12/10 Thanks Random House!
Story sounds really intriguing and contemporary/historical genre-bending. I could see my higher-level girls loving this book based on the jacket summary. I'll need to get one of them to read it soon.
Sent for being along with awesome posters for my classroom promoting the book trailer for Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction and a bookmark of all of her books.
THANK YOU for supporting teachers, Simone!
I'm so excited to read this one, but am forcing myself to wait until a little closer to the release date. I'm hearing rumblings of being a great find for those who need something after The Hunger Games is over.
Really excited to read this one - sounds like a great contemporary book!
This is one that I've heard so much about, I knew I needed it for my classroom - it also seems like a good pick for adolescent boy readers.
Sounds like a cute contemporary realistic-fiction with some fun poker elements.
If you've read my reviews of The Mortal Instruments series you know why I had to get this when it came out this month.
Needed to get this one in my room for all of those that love her other books, because I know how good it is, and because the sequel is out!
I've been hearing so many good things about this book I figured it was really past time for me to get it and finally read it.
For almost two years (and through the course of ten books), I've been following the story of fourteen-year-old Amy and eleven-year-old Dan Cahill, and all of their relatives, as they've traveled the world learning about all sorts of famous people and events throughout history as they've fought to search for their family's hidden clues that would lead to power. They've learned much about history, themselves, family, how to work together, survival, outwitting others, how to be there for each other, and most importantly, what family really means. These books are quick, fast-paced, exciting, easy reads which kept me guessing until the very end. Finally, I've read the culminating book in THE 39 CLUES series: INTO THE GAUNTLET, and I'm glad I went on this journey. I truly enjoy a good mystery, spy, or heist book and this series combines all of those with adventures, double-crossing, and excitement.
The 39 Clues is a series of ten books, written by various fantastic young adult authors, that all tell the story of what happens to Amy and Dan after their grandmother dies and her will leaves them (as well as members of the other four branches of the Cahill family) one million dollars or the first of 39 clues that will lead them to a source of power. They take the clue and the adventure begins. Along the way, as they decipher hints to lead them to the main clues, they learn how many famous people in history were actually members of the Cahill family and involved in the clue hunt: Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhardt, and Mozart just to name a few.
I liked how the series ended and felt satisfied with how the hunt ended up. I enjoyed the bits about William Shakespeare in this final book, and how Amy and Dan were able to mature and become the strong people they are by the end of this journey. I appreciate books where the brother and sister are portrayed as real as these two are: they have their fights are arguments, but ultimately, it's all about protecting and looking out for each other. I'm glad I got the chance to follow their journey throughout this series as they all discovered more about themselves and who they really are, and would highly recommend it to middle school readers. It's a series with a lot of adventure, suspense, sticky situations, clues to figure out, mysteries, loyalties to be tested, and assumptions to be questioned - it's a great amount of fun!
After reading City of Bones, the first book in The Moral Instruments series, I knew that I wanted to read the rest, so I quickly moved on to CITY OF ASHES and CITY OF GLASS, and am glad that I did. I liked the first book in the series and the Shadowhunter world that Cassandra Clare created and the characters that she introduced me to, but I definitely wanted to know more about what happened to the people living there and the politics of the world they were living in. Now that I've finished the entire trilogy, I realize that if I really wanted to know the whole story, I had to read all three books. I do like that about books that are planned to be a series from the start though, the fact that each one can stand on its own, but there is definitely a plan by the author for the overarching storyline and where it will end up that satisfies the reader. One of the things that I like most about series books, is actually starting them once the whole series is published so I can read them all in a row instead of having to wait many months for the next book to come out, but I can be impatient that way.
Especially with this series, I'm glad I got to read them all in a row, otherwise I might have been slightly frustrated because there is a main conflict plot point between Clary and Jace that is not resolved until two-thirds of the way through the last book. All along I was hoping there would be a resolution similar to what happened, and in fact, there was probably some foreshadowing along the way because I did predict a few of the details, but ultimately, if I had to wait a long time, I might have been a little less likely to keep going because after the first and second book I was disappointed in what was happening between the two of them. One of the reasons I didn't rank these two books quite as high as the first one was because there were times where I felt as if I knew more than the characters and I became frustrated that they weren't figuring things out quickly enough. However, another piece of these books that is so good are the secondary characters that are as engaging as the main characters - it left me wanting to know more about them. Ultimately, I because engaged with all of these characters and wanted the best for them, which is why I became frustrated when they weren't figuring things out - which shows that the writer was able to make me care about her characters and the world they were living in. These books are still page-turners that make me want to find out what's going to happen next.
Overall, this series continued to be an enjoyable world to live in through the writing. The plot continued to be fast-paced, exciting, intriguing, and adventuresome with it's family, romantic, political, and social issues. These books are filled with adventures and battles and scenes that draw the reader in to the excitement in a way that I could picture it in my mind. There is an interesting piece of these books that deals with "otherness" and the idea that there can be hatred of others just because they are not like ourselves, and it is handled really well and leads to an understanding at the end that it's not the best way to think for us to get along in this society. I do appreciate that although the books are enjoyable, they also do lead to a message that is important for adolescents to hear.
I am glad that I read the whole series and was satisfied with the way it all ended up. I'm also really glad to know that Cassandra Clare is going to be continuing the series with three more books to be published: City of Fallen Angels in spring 2011, City of Lost Souls in spring 2012, and City of Heavenly Fire in fall 2013. But first, I'll have to read CLOCKWORK ANGEL, which was just released, because it is the first book in The Infernal Devices, a prequel/companion series that takes place 100 years before the events of The Mortal Instruments books. I'm sure they'll be on my to-read list because I did enjoy my time with these characters in their world and became invested in what happened to them, so I am curious to find out what will happen to them next after the resolution of all of the issues in the first series and the appearance of a happy ending for them all.


Lison Blais = Louise Camirand, and the issue of false memory – WHO KILLED THERESA?
So let's talk about false memory.
In late October, 1978, a week before Theresa disappeared, she said she witnessed her brothers and my sister talking together at Mount Orford, Quebec. The location itself was very compelling because Theresa had been in fact at Mount Orford the week before she died.
But when I questioned her further, the story began to crumble. My sister was hiking at Mount Orford. This woman's account was more like a ski expedition. Everyone was skiing in the snow. Contact was made. They said, "Theresa, hello!"… She acknowledged the greeting.
Very compelling. There's just one problem. There was no snow on Mount Orford in late October 1978. I cannot recall a year where there was ever snow on Mount Orford in late October, 1978.
I believe the woman believes she was telling her version of the truth. No question. This is a false memory, and it happens all the time.
A reporter asked me recently how often I get people claiming they know who killed Theresa. I think they were shocked when I said, about every two months for the past 13 years. And they all sincerely believe they have the piece that will solve the puzzle.
I don't post every lead I get on this site because I believe it fool-hardy to send everyone on a wild goose-chase. When I get a good lead, and post it, you can best believe it has been vetted, and I have confidence that it deserves to be shared with the public.
So publishing yesterday that there may be a possible connection between Louise Camirand and Lison Blais and a purse was not done haphazardly. This is something that needs to be considered in a measured fashion.
So back to false memory. Last Saturday I took my youngest daughter to the high school dance. She was wearing a red and white striped strapless dress, tapered at the waist and cut at the knee, of that I am certain. I cannot be certain of the direction of the stripes. Maybe horizontal, maybe diagonal, but I think diagonal because that is a more attractive dress (but this is not based on my memory, this is based on an assumption).
So this was five days ago. And a fairly important event. I had taken all my other daughters to similar dances, this was the first time I took my youngest: I would expect to remember that.
Jump to the next day. Ask me what my daughters wore on that Sunday. I haven't the slightest clue. It was a routine Sunday, I remember muted colours, maybe greys and blues, perhaps jeans?
It has always frustrated me the degree of uncertainty with my sister's case. Was she seen on a staircase at the residence at Compton, or not? Did the hunters find blue corduroys (like the ones she was last seen wearing) or blue jeans?
But think of it. You are asking people to recall an event that IN RETROSPECT is very significant, but at the time was very routine and mundane.
And this brings us to the purse. My daughters have all kinds of purses, I could not describe any of them. Is it important that the composite drawing does not exactly match the photo of the purse recovered from the Camirand site?
The two purses has the same basic shape. They are both black. They have a similar strap. Does the recovered purse have vertical lines like the composite? No. Does it matter? No. Might we be looking at the back of the purse which has a different shape than the front, and which was never photographed in the recovered purse? Yes.
When is a purse not a purse?
When it is a composite. A drawing made by a police artist, derived from the memory of someone who remembered the purse.
Is this matter easily resolved? Yes. We know the Blais family, we will take the photo to them and ask them, "Is this Lison's purse?". And they will answer, Yes, or No, or I Don't Know, it's been too long. And EVEN if they say NO, they might be wrong. It's been close to 40 years = false memory.
This is a completely different purse. We would never confuse it with the Camirand and Blais purses.
Is it unusual for wallets and purses to be missing? No. It is quite understandable to separate a crime scene from the means of discovery of the victim, such as identification. This tells us that the perpetrator does not want anyone to easily discover who they murdered.
And still all of this misses the larger point. This should have been looked into decades ago by Quebec law enforcement. I am in no rush to get the purse back and process it. I am in no rush to talk to the Blais family. That point is long past. We are past the point of resolving these crimes. It's not the perpetrators who are under investigation at this point, it is the police, and there absolutely lack of effort to solve these crimes.
Demand a public inquiry for Quebec Police to do their job.


text:
Herb Gould
Cruden Bay a peaceful classic
The Cruden Bay clubhouse sits serenely above the golf course, providing an excellent view along with a much-needed post-round pint.
I had trepidations about making Cruden Bay the first round of our trip. I had heard so much about it, I knew it would be special. And I not only feared setting the bar too high right off the plane; I also wondered if we'd enjoy Cruden Bay more with the benefit of a warmup round elsewhere.
But some of our friends were playing there that day, and we wanted to share the experience with them.
Fortunately, Cruden Bay turned out be a great place to start. It's mesmerizing and pure, as fine an example of Scottish seaside golf as you could ever hope to see.
The drive from Aberdeen was about 45 minutes. After the initial bustle of that thriving oil-centric city, it was a quiet ride through the countryside.
When we pulled up in the car park, we found a very comfortable clubhouse perched on a bluff that overlooked a good chunk of the course and the North Sea beyond it. There was also a view of Slains Castle, believed to be the inspiration for Dracula author Bram Stoker, who visited the area before writing his chilling 1897 novel.
Slain's Castle, said to be an inspiration for Dracula author Bram Stoker, lurks ominously over magical Cruden Bay
As you stand outside the clubhouse, you realize what all the fuss is about. Cruden Bay, a consensus member of the top-100 courses in the world, oozes all the things that is beloved about links golf.
Designed by Old Tom Morris with the aid of Archie Simpson, Cruden Bay opened in 1899, spurred on by the railroad expansion responsible for the wave of seaside courses that opened in the late 19th century. But evidence of a nine-hole course on the site goes back to 1791.
Enjoying a pint and the excellent view from the clubhouse after our round, we had the pleasure of meeting Cruden Bay general manager Les Durno, who had recently completed 72 holes in one Summer Solstice-aided day with his son—on four different courses, if I recall correctly. My marathon golf days are over. In case yours aren't, the sun rises around 4 a.m. and sets around 10 p.m. in Scotland in late June.
The lofty 10th tee at Cruden Bay provides a panoramic view of No. 10, the par-three 11th, the par-five 13th and Cruden Bay itself.
Durno also introduced us to some historic footage of a match between Harry Vardon and a pipe-smoking Ted Ray played at Cruden Bay in 1914. It begins around the five-minute mark of this online video: http://ssa.nls.uk/film/3007
But now for our golf. . .
The front nine is dominated by hilly, sloping dunes. Length is generally not an issue, and there are many places where a ball that isn't perfectly straight avoids the gorse and heather. The course measures 5,850 yards from the visiting men's tees, but ambitious golfers can back it up to 6,287 or even 6,599 yards.
The 36-34 layout has two par 5's and four par 3's, including the make-or-break 15th and 16th holes. No. 15 is a 190-yard blind shot, No. 16 is a 172-yard downhiller. Playing those two well, as I did, can ease a lot of earlier pain, which I also inflicted.
Even from Cruden Bay's forward tees, the blind shot at the par-three 16th requires trust and a confident swing.
But the joy of Cruden Bay is the way it takes golfers on a journey over a classic stretch of dunes and hills, with a wide variety of interesting but not overwhelming (most of the time) links experiences.
On the first tee, for example, a ball struck down the left side will kick right onto the sloping fairway, but there is enough room to make a less precise shot work. The approach to the high green poses a blind-shot pitching challenge from second shots that end up short and right, which is easy to do.
The second and third holes are short par-fours, with the the third a mere 264 yards down to a hidden and slippery green.
As interesting as the opening holes are, the middle of the course becomes increasingly remarkable, and often for very different reasons.
The par-five sixth hole, for example, features a green that's tucked around to the left of the fairway. If you don't smoke your first two shots, you'll need a blind third shot to reach a green that sits up high. There's also a burn across the fairway to catch third-shot bailouts.
I hit what I thought was a decent third shot that cleared the burn to the right of the green. I not only never found it; I ddn't even know where to look for it..
By contrast, the short par-four eighth hole, a 232-yard downhiller to a steeply pitched plateau of a green, is easily within reach of good hitters. Even my drive came perilously close to the putting surface. The catch is, the green sits up high. To land a tee shot on it and have it stay there is far different than merely hitting the ball far enough.
Even my pitch, which was a little too hot, left a nasty downhill putt. Meanwhile, Liz and our friend Ira putted up a steep fringe surface that demanded a deft touch.
On the back nine, the course moved closer to the sea. The views were dazzling, and the holes seemed to get more fun as we moved along. As much as I was in awe of the front nine, the back nine is etched in my mind. Part of that was because it had some inviting holes, and part of it was because I hit the ball better.
The 10th tee, which sits atop a bluff, offers a majestic view of the course and Cruden Bay beyond it. No. 10 is also a fun hole that allows a roomy tee shot, but requires a careful approach to an undulating green that sits behind a burn.
Among the seaside classics we have played, Cruden Bay is right there with Royal Dornoch and the North Berwick West Links. History aside, Cruden Bay also stands up well against Open legends like the Old Course and Turnberry.
For further information, http://www.crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk/
Please click on photos to see enlarged view.
TOPICS: Courses and Travel, Golf, Scotland, Scotland 2014, Travel
ABOUT: Herb Gould
Herb Gould's historical novel, `The Run Don't Count: The Life and Times of Frank Chance and His 1908 Chicago Cubs,' was published recently. A longtime Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter, Herb is a co-founder of TMGcollegesports.com, an in-depth and off-beat national college football website, along with Chris Dufresne (LA Times), Mark Blaudschun (Boston Globe) and Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He remains a contributor of golf and college-sports commentary at the Sun-Times. Herb also is the author of Victory March, an account of Notre Dame's 1988 national championship, and has written for many sports outlets, including ESPN.com, Lindy's football and basketball annuals, Chicagoland Golf and other golf publications.
From dining to craft beers, hiking to golf, scenic Asheville charms
Mistwood second to none on the upscale Chicago golf scene
ASU, Phil help restore historic muni Papago in Phoenix
U.S. Open makes links golf cool, practical and fun. Especially fun.
In 1908, same as today, Cubs owner kept close eye on bottom line
Mountain Shadows: 18 hole-in-one opportunities in Camelback splendor
Big Wick puts Wickenburg on Arizona golf map with big imprint
The Run Don't Count. . . the signed version

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Rick Karr
Rick Karr contributes reports on the arts to NPR News. He is a correspondent for the weekly PBS public affairs show Bill Moyers Journal and teaches radio journalism at Columbia University.
From 1999 to 2004, he was NPR's lead arts correspondent in New York, focussing on technology's impact on culture. Prior to that, he hosted the NPR weekend music and culture magazine show Anthem, and even earlier in his career, worked as a general assignment reporter and engineer at NPR's Chicago bureau.
Rick was nominated for an Emmy award for his 2006 PBS documentary Net @ Risk, which made the case that the U.S. is falling far behind other nations with regard to the speed and power of its internet infrastructure. He's also reported for the PBS shows NOW and Journal Editorial Report.
Rick is a member of the songwriters' collective Box Set Authentic. He lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with his wife, artist Birgit Rathsmann.
American Museum of Natural History In New York Grappling With A Board Member Dilemma
Climate-change activists have launched a campaign to get the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to sever ties with board member Rebekah Mercer, whose family foundation has poured millions of dollars into funding climate change denial organizations.
'We Shall Overcome' Ruled Public Domain In Copyright Settlement
The civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" is now in the public domain. The music publishers that copyrighted the song in the 1960s settled the lawsuit on Friday.
William Eggleston's Music, Much Like His Photography, Thrives Off Ambiguity
William Eggleston is renowned for making the art world take color photography seriously. He started taking pictures when he was a kid, around the same time he started playing piano.
Guggenheim Pulls Animal Art From Upcoming Chinese Exhibition
The Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced late Monday night that it would be withdrawing three works from an upcoming exhibition of contemporary Chinese art over protests from animal rights groups.
Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain
The decision follows a year-long lawsuit filed by a documentarian against music publishers and folk singers, including the late Pete Seeger, who copyrighted the civil rights anthem in the 1960s.
Big Bird, Bowie And Muppets: Museum Of Moving Image Honors Jim Henson
The New York museum opened a permanent exhibition on the work of the late Jim Henson, including a Big Bird puppet, David Bowie's costume from Labyrinth and Muppets, all gifts of Henson's estate.
Gary Lucas Uses Film Music 'To Shed Light On Obscure Corners Of Culture'
Gary Lucas, known for playing with the late Captain Beefheart and as the late Jeff Buckley's songwriting partner, built reputation with film music. His latest is for an early Orson Welles comedy.
A Prog-Jazz Suite About Architecture? Jacob Garchik Does It All
The composer and trombonist has covered a lot of territory, from jazz to Balkan brass bands to arranging for Kronos quartet. His latest album enlists three guitars and one very esoteric concept.
Karen Haglof, No-Wave Guitarist Turned Doctor, Relaunches Music Career
Karen Haglof made her name as a guitarist on the ultra-competitive New York no-wave scene of the 1980s. Then she stopped playing and launched a career in medicine. Now she's back with a solo album.
NFL, Broadway Fight FCC Auction Of Broadcast Spectrum
The Federal Communications Commission is getting ready to auction off more broadcast spectrum and that has the folks who use wireless microphones very worried.


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When can this test be performed?
These easy-to-use urine drug tests can be used anytime. Simply insert the 10 panel drug test kit into the urine sample vertically and remove after 10 to 15 seconds. About five minutes later, you will see a pass-fail reading. Negative results may appear even sooner, but positive results take five minutes or more to appear. Stored at room temperature, these drug tests have a shelf life of 12 to 18 months.
This very accurate and sensitive 10 panel drug test meets the standards set forth by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA. You can use a 10 panel drug test kit for pre-employment screening or in a hospital or clinical setting. Each test is individually wrapped in foil and has complete instructions for use. The tests are also CE approved for use in the healthcare industry.
Because this type of drug test is so sensitive, you must take care when performing the test to prevent contamination that could lead to inaccurate results. Be sure to read the instructions closely before using the test. Please note that all urine drug tests provide a qualitative result, and positive test results should be laboratory-verified with a secondary testing methods such as gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).


Pregnancy is the most crucial nutritionally demanding period of every woman's life. The high demand of nutrients to deposit energy in the form of new tissue, growth of existing maternal tissues such as breast and uterus and increased energy requirements for tissue synthesis makes pregnant women more vulnerable to malnutrition. Dietary practice is defined as an observable actions or behavior of dietary habit and can be classified as good dietary practices and poor dietary practices. The incidence of dietary inadequacies as a result of dietary habits and patterns in pregnancy is higher during pregnancy when compared to any other stage of the life cycle. Thus, this study aimed to assess dietary practices and associated factors during pregnancy in Bahir Dar town, Northwest Ethiopia.
A community based cross sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 1, 2016. A total of 616 pregnant women were participated in the study. All eligible pregnant women were identified through house-to-house visit with the help of health extension workers. Cluster sampling was used to select eligible pregnant women. The data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire prepared in English and translated in to Amharic. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with dietary practices.
This study has shown that 39.3% of the study participants had good dietary practices and the rest 60.7% of pregnant women reported poor dietary practices. Concerning dietary knowledge, 61.4% of the study participants had good dietary knowledge while 38.6% had poor dietary knowledge. Husband income, ownership of radio, history of disease and dietary knowledge were shown to have significant association (P < 0.05) with dietary practices.
Dietary practices of pregnant women in the study area was suboptimal. Husband income, ownership of radio, history of disease and dietary knowledge were independent predictors of women dietary practices. Awareness should be created among pregnant women by concerned bodies such as governmental and non-governmental organization through local mass media.
Pregnancy is the most crucial nutritionally demanding period of every woman's life. The high demand of nutrients to deposit energy in the form of new tissue, growth of existing maternal tissues such as breast and uterus and increased energy requirements for tissue synthesis makes pregnant women more vulnerable to malnutrition .
In 2010, maternal and child undernutrition was responsible for 1.5 million mortalities in the world . A serious problem of maternal under nutrition is evident in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South-central and Southeastern Asia . Ethiopia is one of the countries with very high burden of maternal and child under nutrition. Based on 2014 Ethiopian democratic and health survey (EDHS), maternal mortality (number of deaths per 100,000 live born) was 25.1% . In 2011, 27% of Ethiopian women were undernourished and it is 29.8% in Amhara region where current study was conducted. Moreover, 23% of Ethiopian women aged 15–49 are anemic and 1% having severe anemia . Malnutrition during pregnancy yield both short and long-term effects on the health of an infant by programming the infant's development  and associated with risk of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease in later life . Malnourished mothers are more vulnerable to diseases, encounter more miscarriages and give birth to underweight children whose survival is at risk [8, 9].
Pregnant women must get all essential nutrients and gain sufficient weight, the two main modifiable risk factors influencing maternal and infant outcomes . Appropriate nutrition and weight gain benefits pregnant women to meet the demands of her offspring, her own body needs, and to prepare her body for lactation . Low weight gain during pregnancy is risk factors for the delivery of infants too small for gestational age leading to neonatal mortality and morbidity , failure to grow, slow cognitive development and chronic diseases in adulthood .
Dietary practice is defined as observable actions or behavior of dietary habit and can be classified as having good dietary practices and poor dietary practices. The incidence of dietary inadequacies as a result of dietary habits and patterns in pregnancy is higher during pregnancy when compared to any other stage of the life cycle. Different scholars discovered that many women in developing countries restrict their food intake during pregnancy for different reasons such as to have smaller infants because smaller infants will carry a lower risk of delivery complications , cultural reason and perceived severity of delivery complications because big babies make delivery difficult [15, 16]. Thus, low intake of essential nutrients such as protein, energy, vitamins C, Vitamin A and iron due to inappropriate nutrition practices together with environmental factors, socioeconomic factors and infections are common causes of maternal mortality, low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation [17, 18].
Even though the existence of government health sector development programs, it was recognized that poor nutritional status of children and women continues to be a serious problem in Ethiopia. Limited studies explored factors influencing maternal dietary practices in different parts of the country. For instance, exposure to nutrition information, attitude towards specific dietary habits and nutrition knowledge , attending antenatal care , maternal education and income [19, 20] were explored as predictors of maternal dietary practices. In addition, age at first marriage, meal frequency , educational status , occupation of head of household, religion , maternal age and marital status [22, 23], were discovered as predictors of maternal nutritional status which in turn influence dietary practices of mothers. Identifying specific factors affecting maternal dietary practice is necessary and critical to design right intervention. Thus, this study was aimed to assess dietary practices and associated factors of pregnant women in Bahir Dar town, Northwest Ethiopia.
A community based cross-sectional study was employed from March 1–April 1, 2016 in Bahir Dar town, northwest Ethiopia. The town is located 565 km Northwest of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Based on the 2015 population projection, the town has total population of 243,300 of which 8262 (3.4%) were pregnant women. In the town, there are 10 government health centers, one referral hospital and many private health facilities. The town has a latitude of 11°36′N 37°23′E, longitude of 11°36′N 37°23′E and an elevation of about 1800 m (5,906 ft) above sea level.
The source population was all pregnant women who resided in Bahir Dar town during the study period. The study population was all pregnant women who lived in randomly selected sub cities.
The sample size was calculated using single population proportion formula. Sample size determination was based on previous research finding of prevalence of poor dietary practices (59.9%) during pregnancy in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia . Using margin of error (0.05), critical value at 95% confidence level (Z1-ᾳ/2 = 1.96), design effect (DE = 1.5) and non-response rate (10%), the total sample size calculated based on statistical formula was 611. Even though calculated sample size was 611, the investigators included a total of 616 pregnant women lived in the three selected sub cities so as to not miss additional 5 women in the area. Among nine sub cities (clusters) in Bahir Dar town, three sub cities were selected by simple random sampling method. All eligible pregnant women were identified through house-to-house visit with the help of health extension workers. No pregnant women were excluded since they were apparently healthy (self-reported) and had no disability problem at the time of data collection. Thus, all pregnant women who lived in the three selected clusters were included.
The data were collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaire by six trained diploma nurses. Socio-demographic and socio-economic factors, obstetric factors, dietary knowledge, dietary practices and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) were assessed.
Questionnaire for evaluating dietary practices was adopted from English published articles and contextualized to local situations. Ten questions were used to assess dietary practices. The score of dietary practices was obtained by summation of responses of each question. Each question was given one mark if the answers were correct, favorable or healthy for dietary practices. Zero score was given if the responses were wrong, unfavorable or unhealthy for dietary practices. Study participants were classified to have poor dietary practices if they correctly answer < 75% of practice questions and good dietary practices if they correctly answer ≥75% of questions [24, 25]. Dietary knowledge of pregnant women was assessed by constructing 10 questions which were assumed to assess dietary knowledge of pregnant women on the aspects of nutrition required during pregnancy. Similar questions were used by previous study in Guto Gida district of Oromia region and this study adopted some of them .
Nutrition status of pregnant women was determined by using non-stretchable measuring tape made for measuring MUAC of adults. MUAC value of the left arm was taken to nearest 0.1 cm with no clothing on the arm and done in triplicate for each respondent in order to ensure accuracy . Respondents were classified as undernourished (MUAC< 23 cm) and normal (MUAC ≥23 cm) .
Questionnaire was first prepared in English, translated to local language (Amharic) and then re-translated back to English to keep consistency. Two days training was given to data collectors and supervisor. The questionnaire was pre-tested on 5% of the actual sample size. Data were monitored and checked for completeness on daily basis during data collection. The data were coded, checked for any missing and entered into Epi-Info version 7 and then exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 for analysis. Continuous data were checked for normality using Kolmogrov–Smirnov test. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were generated. Bivariate analysis was employed to identify factors associated with dietary practices. Variables with p-value less than 0.2 in bivariate analysis were entered into multivariate analysis as it controls confounders. The association between dietary practices and independent variables were determined using crude odd ratio (COR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% confidence interval and variables with probability value (p-value) less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant predictor of dietary practices.
A total of 616 pregnant women participated in this study making the response rate 100%. The mean age of study participants was 28.79 ± 5.13. About 36.4% of study participants were between age ranges of 25–29. Majority (94.5%) were Amhara by ethnicity. Four hundred seventy-three (76.8%) were orthodox by religion. Ninety-eight percent of the participants were married. Concerning education status, (37.5%) were attained secondary school (9–12). Forty-two percent of study participants were house wives and only 12 % were involved in other works. More than half (54.2%) of the participants earn on average less than 1000 Ethiopian birr (ETB). Majority (93.8%) of participants reported that monetary decisions made by husband and wife together. Average family size in this study was 3.45 ± 1.25 individuals and majority (81.3%) has family size greater than 4. About 97.4, 83.1 and 86.0% of participants have mobile phone, radio and television respectively (Table 1).
Concerning obstetric and pregnancy related characteristics, more than half (53.7%) of women were at third trimester followed by 40.1% of women who were at second trimester. With regard to women's previous pregnancies, about 549 (89.1%) of women had 0–2 previous pregnancies. Concerning number of times, a women gave birth to child, 52.9% of women had less than 2 parities. Sixty-four percent of women had more than 5-years pregnancy interval whereas only 2.4% had less than 2-years pregnancy interval. As far as experiencing illness is concerned during pregnancy, 36.5% of women experienced certain illness a month prior to the survey (Table 2).
In this study, 378(61.4%) of the study participants had good dietary knowledge and 238(38.6%) had poor dietary knowledge. Specifically, except for the knowledge about iodine source foods (48.7%), vitamin A source foods (64.1%) and iron source foods (60.4%), all other knowledge variables scored≥75% indicating good dietary knowledge (Table 3).
Food is important for growth and development of fetus.
Food is important for providing heat, energy and for the normal functioning of women's body.
Food is important for fighting infection or disease.
Inadequate diet can cause miscarriage and still birth.
Dietary practices of study participants were indicated in Table 4. The result indicated that 203(33%) study participants avoid certain foods, of which 74.4% avoids food due to religious reason. About 61.7% skip their usual meal and the most commonly skipped meal was breakfast. From 436 (70.8%) who took an additional meal; 210(48.17%) and 217(49.77%) took one and two additional meals respectively. Concerning consumption of macro and micro nutrient source foods 41.7, 38.8, and 77.4%, were consuming carbohydrate, protein and vitamin rich foods like fresh vegetables respectively. About three fourth (75.3%) of the study participants had practiced checking weight in current pregnancy. Generally, majority (60.7%) of the study participants had poor dietary practices and the remaining 39.3% of the study participants had good dietary practices (Table 4).
In multivariate logistic regression analysis, husband income, ownership of radio, history of illness and dietary knowledge revealed significant association with dietary practices(P < 0.05).Those study participants whose husbands earn 1000–2000 ETB per month were 2.8 times more likely to have good dietary practice than those earning less than 1000 ETB (AOR = 2.84, 95%CI, 1.74, 4.62) where as women whose husbands earn more than 2000 ETB were 3.1 times more likely to have good dietary practice than those earning less than 1000 ETB (AOR = 3.12, 95% CI, 1.743, 5.586).
The study participants who own radio were 3.17 times more likely to have good dietary practices than their counterparts (AOR = 3.17, 95%CI, 1.76, 5.67). Relative to women experienced illness; women who didn't experience illness were 1.7 times more likely to have good dietary practices (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI, 1.17, 2.56). The study participants who have good dietary knowledge were 3.86 times more likely to have good dietary practice than their counterparts (AOR = 3.86, 95% CI, 1.91, 4.29) (Table 5).
Maternal dietary practices during pregnancy play an important role in determining the long-term health and nutritional status of both the mother and her growing fetus. Poor dietary practices during pregnancy may result in increased rates of stillbirths, premature birth, low birth weight, maternal and prenatal death. In this study only 39.3% of the study participants had good dietary practices. This figure is nearly similar with study in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia , but slightly higher than study in Guto Gida district, western Ethiopia . The differences in dietary practices among studies, particularly modest improvement in dietary practices may be due to Ethiopian government is currently promoting nutrition related interventions through health extension program, health facility nutrition services, community-based women development army program and active involvement of pregnant women in focused antenatal care as well as in one-five network meeting at community level.
Even though health sectors developing different health and nutrition programs, this result have shown that poor dietary practices during pregnancy is still problem in Ethiopia. In current study, maternal nutrition regarding specific dietary practices such as skipping usual diets, avoiding certain food items and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables were sub optimal. Avoiding food in pregnancy repeatedly reported by pregnant women. In this study more than one third of the study participants reported to avoid food during pregnancy. This finding is in line with other study in Oromia region, western Ethiopia . On the contrary, this study indicated lower prevalence of skipping meal, avoiding foods, taking no additional meals during pregnancy and consumption of fruits and vegetables compared to study in Wondo Genet district, southern Ethiopia . The discrepancy might be attributable to differences in sample size, geographical location, socio-economic characteristics and cultural differences. It is also repeatedly reported that dietary practices can be influenced by culture, socioeconomic and environmental determinants [18, 29, 30]. Low prevalence of avoiding food due to cultural reason reported in this study was consistent with studies in Wondo Genet district, southern Ethiopia ; but it is in contrary with previous studies in Guto Gida district, Gondar town and Shashemene district [16, 19, 20]. This may also be attributed to differences in sample size, geographical location and socio-cultural differences. This may be because of what is taboo (culture) in one society is not taboo in other society particularly when the society is very diverse.
In this study, husband's income was significantly associated with dietary practices of pregnant women. This might be due to the fact that, the more husband earns, the more he invests on family nutrition and health which in turn attributes to good dietary practices of family in general and pregnant women in particular. Furthermore, earnings can influence availability of resources which in turn improve access to a diversified diet and thus improve dietary practices. This study is in line with other studies which also reported that income has positive significant association with women dietary practices [19, 31].
Present study also revealed that pregnant women having good dietary knowledge were more likely to have good dietary practices compared to women who do not have dietary knowledge. This was also documented by study conducted in Gondar town where nutrition knowledge shown significant association with women dietary practices . One study in America also indicated that women dietary knowledge was predictor of good dietary practices . Statistical significant association, but not strong association between dietary knowledge and dietary practice was also indicated by one study in Singapore . This may have explained as, when a woman had good dietary knowledge, she become more concerned to good dietary practices and immediately can put it in to practice. On the other hand, good knowledge about basic nutrients and balanced diet usually resulting in positive dietary practices which are important determinants of optimum health from conception until death .
Current study has revealed that owning radio was significantly associated with women's dietary practices. This might be attributable to owning radio and television would help individuals and families to broadcast important nutrition information such as about good or favorable dietary practices and its importance. Research evidence also suggested that women exposed to nutrition information were more likely to have good dietary practices than women haven't exposed to nutrition information . Present study also documented that women who experience illness were more likely to have poor dietary practices relative to women who didn't experience illness. This might be due to synergistic relationship between diet and disease since infection can decrease appetite and dietary intake as explained in malnutrition-infection vicious cycle.
In this study only 39.3% of the study participants had good dietary practice indicating that the overall dietary practice of the pregnant women in Bahir Dar town is suboptimal and the rest 60.7% of pregnant women reported poor dietary practices. Concerning dietary knowledge, 61.4% of the study participants had good dietary knowledge while 38.6% had poor dietary knowledge. Husband's income, dietary knowledge, possessing radio and history of illness were significantly associated with dietary practices of pregnant women in Bahir Dar town, Northwest Ethiopia.
Therefore, increasing household income through providing income generation activities on the behalf of the government should be created. Improving knowledge on nutrition through nutrition education and integrating key nutrition messages in already existing strategy should be strengthened. Furthermore, means of access to radio and television should be created as they can play key role in improvement of dietary practices. Prevention and treatment of illness during pregnancy should also be strengthened. Finally, women of child bearing age should be considered and basic education should be strengthened on the behalf of the government.
Lack of standardized questionnaire at national level and failure to assess food intake in terms of specific nutrients consumed.
The researchers were thankful to Bahir Dar Institute of Technology for funding this research. We would also like to thank Amhara public health institute for their cooperation and providing permission. We were also grateful to administrative of the three sub cities. Finally, we would like to acknowledge data collectors and study participants for providing all necessary information.
Bahir Dar Institute of Technology provided financial support for this research.
Datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
AN carried out the study design, data collection, data management and analysis. TZ participated in study design and data analysis. AN drafted manuscript and TZ revised manuscript. Both authors read and approved the manuscript.
Ethical approval was obtained from Bahir Dar University ethical review board. Permission was obtained from Amhara public health institute which was previously known as Amhara regional health laboratory. We made further contact with administrative of the three sub cities (Ginbot 20, Sefene selam and Hidar 11) just before starting data collection. Informed verbal consent was obtained from each study participants.
CDC. National health and nutrition examination survey: anthropometry procedures manual. 2007. (June 20–2016): available from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad361.pdf.


What's Next When You Run Out of Bin Space?
If a state-licensed elevator/plant fills up, they could apply for temporary or emergency storage allowed by U.S. Warehouse Act (USWA). This would allow the elevator to take in grain during harvest rather than turn producers away. However, temporary storage can be costly due to USDA rules/requirements and that cost may be passed on to the farmer. Temporary storage structures need to have a permanent (concrete/asphalt) base, sidewalls, tarp, and aeration fans and ducts. Temporary storage is permitted for six months while emergency storage is only allowed for three months and involves piling grain on the ground. There are many elevators that don't or can't take advantage of either option.
In that case, farmers may have fewer contract options if their local elevator/processing plant fills up and needs to wait until some of that grain ships out or is ground for feed or ethanol. Ryan Wagner who farms in Roslyn, South Dakota, told me via phone that one elevator in his area is only taking contracted grain because they are full. He said he contracted some bushels so he had somewhere to haul new-crop bushels that can't fit on his farm yet.
"There are a lot of ground piles around here," said Wagner. He has heard of elevators throughout South Dakota that have bagged new-crop wheat to make room for corn and soybeans. I have heard similar stories of farmers doing the same thing. He did tell me he has not heard of any free delayed pricing (DP) contracts offered, which makes sense if elevators are filling up and/or piling.
Tim Luken, manager Oahe Grain, Onida, South Dakota, told DTN, "In our area or here anyway on corn, I have not heard of any free DP right now, but I will not rule it out being offered after the first of the year or a little later. DP charges I have heard around here are 5 to 6 cents a month with no minimum. I have also had a few guys do HTA (hedge to arrive) on spring wheat, winter wheat and corn, but very few. I have been trying to get other producers to do this especially on winter wheat with the huge carries we see in that market.
There is also a floored average contract offered that locks in a floor price. Over time the bushels are divided by the weeks specified in the contract and priced once a week. The seller gains on that week's bushels if the weekly close is over the floor price, but does not lose if below. Cost is slightly less than call options. The price of the floored average contract is deducted from the floor price and the net is paid up front, similar to a minimum price contract.
So, the choices are many, but some of them are not very lucrative for farmers, especially basis fix contracts and cash contracts. The DTN Cash Index for corn on October 21 was $3.10 and while farmers would be happy to see $6, realistically they would likely take $3.50 or better at this point. The DTN Cash Index for soybeans was $9.12 and while farmers love "beans in the teens," they would probably be happy with a price of $10 or higher.
However, right now at harvest the key is to find a home for their crops and like one farmer told me, at least make a contract so you can get rid of it if you don't have space on farm.


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Mosul Mosque – level 3
The incomplete Grand Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul is under construction again.
The mosque is situated in eastern Mosul, overlooking the Tigris River, and it was previously called Saddam Mosque after the former Iraqi president. Building began in the mid-nineties; however, works were interrupted due to political instability in the country.
Work was supposed to restart in 2013; however, the battle against ISIS in northern Iraq further delayed it. ISIS reportedly used the mosque as an explosive factory and a sniper outpost.
The structure was lucky to survive as the terrorist group was ousted from the city. Now, the Iraqi Sunni Endowment is funding the project to finish the mosque. In 2018, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) promised to provide $50 million dollars to fund the reconstruction project with a joint collaboration between the UAE, UNESCO, and Iraq´s culture ministry.
The expected completion date of the reconstruction is in 2023.
Difficult words: sniper (a person who shoots at people from a hiding place), outpost (a small group of buildings used for trading or military purposes), oust (to remove someone from a place or position).
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Home / CLASSICAL MUSIC / Classical / MOZART / BEETHOVEN / LISZT: Piano Concertos
MOZART / BEETHOVEN / LISZT: Piano Concertos
Walter Gieseking (1895-1956)
Concerto Recordings, Vol. 2
Gieseking's father was a distinguished German doctor with akeen interest in entomology who travelled in France and Italy. As a result, his son Walter was born in Lyons, France, and spent the first 16 years of his lifein southern France and Italy. Although the young Gieseking played the pianofrom the age of four, he had no proper tuition until his family moved in 1911to Hanover, where at the age of sixteen he became a pupil of Karl Leimer at theHanover Conservatory, studying for three years, after which he had no furthertuition. At the age of twenty Gieseking performed the complete Beethoven pianosonatas in six recitals. World War I, however, interrupted the beginnings ofhis career, and it was not until 1920, when he was already 25, that he made hisdebut in Berlin at the first of seven recitals in the city that season.
Although he played music by Debussy and Ravel, composers with whom he would be associatedthroughout his life, Gieseking was hailed as 'the new Anton Rubinstein', atitle which would hardly have been applied to the Gieseking of the 1950s by whichtime he was acknowledged as one of the finest interpreters of the Frenchimpressionists.
Gieseking made his London debut in 1923, his American debutin 1926 and appeared in Paris for the first time in 1928. During the 1930s hespent much of his time touring Europe, the United States and South America. Although he was in America in 1939, he decided to return to Germany at the outbreak of the SecondWorld War. After the war he played in Australia, Japan and South America, butwas not able to return to the United States until 1953 owing to his wartime allegiances.
In 1955 he embarked on a ten-month tour of America and in the autumn of 1956undertook a series of continuing recording sessions for EMI in London, where he died at the end of the year.
Before the Second World War Gieseking's repertoire was agood deal wider than it became later. He played concertos by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov,piano sonatas by Scriabin, works by Schumann, Beethoven, Mozart and Bach, and championedcontemporary composers such as Busoni, Hindemith, Korngold, Krenek, Poulenc, Pfitzner, Schoenberg and Stravinsky, many ofwhom dedicated works to him. He became known for his wide palette of tone anddynamics. At his London debut recital where his programme included Bach's EnglishSuite in D minor, Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 4, Op. 30, and Schumann's Waldscenen,Op. 82, one critic wrote, 'Mr Gieseking's skill is great enough in some ways...
and his pianissimo now and then becomes as nearly nothing as is possibleto imagine... The Bach was played with perfect clarity and his tone gradationshere and in the Debussy pieces were masterly'.
At the end of October 1932, while giving performances in England, Gieseking went to HMV's Abbey Road Studio No. 1 to record two works for piano andorchestra with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Henry Wood. First herecorded Cesar Franck's Variations Symphoniques and then Liszt's Piano ConcertoNo. 1 in E flat major. The Liszt is given a spirited performance, the pianistbeing noticeably light rather than bombastic, and, with the help of Henry Woodand his orchestra, poetic rather than histrionic. Here we get a view ofGieseking the virtuoso who during the 1930s played concertos by Brahms, Rachmaninovand Tchaikovsky. The Gramophone's critic, who obviously hated Liszt'smusic, dismissed the recording in eleven lines, commenting mostly on the qualityof the recorded sound. His sour prejudice toward Liszt is borne out in thenonsense of his last sentence, 'The orchestra always sounds coarse, do what anyconductor will, and that quality is inherent in the music; in the composer'sspirit, which was a queer blend'.
The previous year Gieseking had also played under Henry Wood'sbaton at a Royal Philharmonic Society concert, in March 1931, performing Mozart'sPiano Concerto in E flat major, K. 271, at Queen's Hall in London. A newspapercritic noted that, 'His as well as the orchestra's was a beautifully scaledperformance, in which the details were closely related and subtly articulated,and the originality of Mozart's design, particularly of the slow movement, wasunfolded without any forced emphasis of its features'. The reviewer added that,'We do not generally expect extra pieces at Philharmonic concerts, but theapplause induced Herr Gieseking to play Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau andthe "encore" was justified by its exquisite playing'. It was notuntil five years later, in September 1936, that Gieseking made a commercialrecording for Columbia of this Mozart concerto. Whilst in Berlin, he recordedthe work with members of the State Opera House Orchestra and conductor HansRosbaud. The beauty and clarity of Gieseking's playing is refreshing, and as thecritic above noted of the live performance of this work, everything is inproportion and tastefully delivered.
The following spring, in April 1937, Gieseking recordedagain in Berlin with the same orchestra and conductor. This time it was the PianoConcerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, by Beethoven. Again, Gieseking takes a lightand fast view of the work, which may make it sound rather more like Mozart thanBeethoven, but this is an early work, and while Gieseking's approach to the firstmovement is for two beats in a bar, it makes a buoyant and youthful impression.
In the third movement, played slightly slower than usual, Gieseking concentrateson the leggiermente marking. When the recording was originally releasedit was referred to as 'deft and trim'. Two years later Gieseking played the concertoat the Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and he recordedit again for Columbia in 1948 with the Philharmonia Orchestra and RafaelKubelik.
?é?® 2005 Jonathan Summers
Artists Gieseking, Walter
Gieseking, Walter
Composers Beethoven, Ludwig van
Conductors Rosbaud, Hans
Wood, Henry
Rosbaud, Hans
Orchestras Berlin State Opera Orchestra
Berlin State Opera Orchestra
Producers Marston, Ward
Marston, Ward
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124/R455
1 I. Allegro
2 II. Andantino
3 III. Rondo
4 I. Allegro con brio
5 II. Largo
6 III. Rondo: Allegro scherzando
7 I. Allegro maestoso
8 II. Quasi adagio
9 III. Allegretto vivace
10 IV. Allegro marziale animato
If you like MOZART / BEETHOVEN / LISZT: Piano Concertos, please tell your friends! You can easily share this page directly on Facebook, Twitter and via e-mail below.
MOZART: Symphony No. 40
Gieseking
MOZART / BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonatas
MENDELSSOHN: Songs without Words
Leider, Frida: A Vocal Portrait 8110744-45 01/01/2003 £18.99
BEETHOVEN: 'Moonlight' Sonata / CHOPIN: Mazurkas 8110684 06/01/2002 £11.99
BEETHOVEN / MOZART: Violin Concertos 8110946 08/01/2001 £11.99
LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody / WEBER: Rondo Brillante 8110669 01/01/2001 £11.99
Heifetz 100th Anniversary Tribute 8107001 01/01/2000 £32.99
LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody / WEBER: Rondo Brillante
SCHUMANN, R.: Kinderszenen / MUSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition
BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 / SCHUMANN: Kinderszenen
BACH, J.S.: Piano Transcriptions
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2


Revised the dnet and seti scripts to remove all line feeds and to include the links.
Which means I should go back to REZ, no bad thing.
I bought for UK ebay from the USA a Quake II Marine figure, about 5 years ago I knew someone who paid thirty pounds plus P&P for one !!
http://www.gamasutra.com/newswire/news/index19991115.htm#15 - hmmm, why did I book mark this ?
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/ - The Global Consciousness Project, creeeepy !
Well the script formated everything nice, only its killed off the header footer, doh !
as you can see I have had some fun fixing that, I also tweaked the time stamp code, check the times below to see what I mean.
I was playing Evil twin on the Dreamcast last night, hence no updates.
That game is soooo tricky, controls (as in all 3d platformers) can be twitchy, but is also damn addictive and quite unpredictable.
http://www.distributed.net/download/clients.html - download now !!
http://www.col-conk.com/executiv.htm - remarkable rubber band guns !!
http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame1.html - Cartoon representations of flamers !
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/ - Like what it says on the tin, I DO !
In other news I have a desktop rover, more on that later, for now enjoy these links.
Maybe I will get it mod'd with the likes of http://www.tritonlabs.com/Merchant4/merchant.mv (previously portablemonopoly)?
I did have the original one when I was younger, but the main reason I got it was simply for the two red imperial guards (which now sit atop of my monitor).
named was running but I do not remember installing it !! and if i did why did it not work b4 ???
I was all set to order this until I noticed (well someone else did) that it was dodgy US voltage !! http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/fun-stuff/59e0.shtml - must order stuff from thinkgeek !!
So I am finally back from the USA (well have been back for a couple of days but I have been jet lagged to hell and back) one week in Florida (Disney), four days in Los Vegas and three days in New York.
Came back expecting to have to do major work to get the Linux box to function as the name server it did b4, but I just turned it on and it works fine, very odd.
I really want to start posting the new URLs I have been collecting, so expect a few over the next couple of days and I try to use them up !!
My [Hacking Linux Exposed] book is making me paranoid about leaving the firewall on even with the highly restrictive rule set (great book, very up to date).
I got one of the last Dreamcast Games, Evil Twin today and apart from being quite hard it is highly addictive !!
No more updates for a while, catch you on the flip side !!
So as I lay awake last night I plotted my revenge against the evil Linux !!
Then I made sure I installed [dhcpcd] and not [dhcp-client] and that I made the system aware (via apt) of ALL my six CDs and this gave be the right kernel source options along with [ncurses-dev (3/4)] which let make menuconfig work which made life infinitely easier !!
Note to self: use [ENTER] to exit dselect (will double check dependencies), cos I kept using X and losing all changes except default ones.
Note 2: Compile [ide-floppy] in the kernel and NOT as a module !!
Note 4: try plugging the cat 5 cable in the other way round !!
Oh and now everything is running (DNS is not up yet), I even managed to see http://www.google.com homepage via this laptop.
OK, so its now time to startup the win98 behemoth just so I can upload this flog !!
In other news I have had some odd requests on various http://www.jumpstation.co.uk email addresses.
One was from a guy who liked the disk ripping page and wanted some assistance recovering data off a floppy in some database propietory format, I tried to help but I think he wants more sooner (i am slow to reply sometimes).
While I have been typing this Linux has not been cooperating !!
Get loads of module errors in the boot sequence and now make bzlilo will not run.
In fact I'm not responsible for anything ever, so there!


text:
Q: Accordion close tab when another is clicked I have created an accordion, but I want it to close the tabs when another one is clicked. At the moment, it opens the tabs, but when another is clicked, it doesn't close the last one...
This is the code:
<button class="accordion">Accordion</button>

Content

<button class="accordion">Accordion 2</button>

Content

This is the code working

A: Just "close" all accordion pages in the click event.
var acc = document.getElementsByClassName("accordion");
var i;

for (i = 0; i < acc.length; i++) {
  acc[i].addEventListener("click", function() {
    var elems = document.getElementsByClassName("accordion");
    for(var it of elems) {
      it.classList.remove("active");
      it.nextElementSibling.style.maxHeight = null;
    }

    this.classList.toggle("active");
    var panel = this.nextElementSibling;
    if (panel.style.maxHeight){
      panel.style.maxHeight = null;
    } else {
      panel.style.maxHeight = panel.scrollHeight + "px";
    }
  });

}

Live demo.

A: use below Accordion and download first js and css on giving path on link in html

$( "#accordion" ).accordion({event:false, active :false});

var noSections = $("#accordion h3").length-1;

$("h3").each(function (index, element)
{
    $(element).click(function()
    {
       if($(this).hasClass('ui-state-active'))
       {
           if(index < noSections)
              $("#accordion").accordion('option','active',index + 1);
           else
              $("#accordion").accordion('option','active',index - 1);
       }
       else
       {
          $("#accordion").accordion('option','active',index);
       }
   });
});

.accordionStyle{
 position: relative !important;
 width:500px !important;
 margin: 30px auto !important;
}

.accordionStyle h3{
 padding-left:35px;
}

p{
 font-size:12px
}
.ui-accordion .ui-accordion-icons {
    padding-left: 2.2em;
}
.ui-accordion .ui-accordion-header {
    display: block;
    cursor: pointer;
    position: relative;
    margin: 2px 0 0 0;
    padding: .5em .5em .5em .7em;
    min-height: 0;
    font-size: 100%;
}
.accordionStyle h3 {
    padding-left: 35px;
}
.ui-corner-all, .ui-corner-top, .ui-corner-right, .ui-corner-tr {
    border-top-right-radius: 4px;
}
.ui-widget-content {
    border: 1px solid #aaaaaa;
    background: #ffffff url(images/ui-bg_flat_75_ffffff_40x100.png) 50% 50% repeat-x;
    color: #222222;
}

Accordion 1

    test1

Accordion  2

   test2

  <link rel="stylesheet" href="//jqueryui.com/jquery-wp-content/themes/jqueryui.com/style.css">

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


For Wednesday's words today I'm sharing pictures of inspirational or uplifting words found on different items in stores. I take pictures with no clue what I'll do with them, so for today some are being shared with you.
A simple jar cut-out that looks like a large canning jar, to be hung on the wall, or maybe on the porch? Imagine it filled with seeds of dreams.
This next one isn't so much inspirational or uplifting, although it is encouraging. Mostly it made me smile, I hope it does the same for you. This is a refrigerator magnet.
Another refrigerator magnet, because sometimes we just need a reminder to hang on, life is going to get better. Mugs are always a great source for thoughts. Pictures of them take up less space than the actual mugs.
Picture frames with words do double duty. I don't have this one, yet. A picture of all my grands would be great in this one, or one of my husband. What would you put in it?
And finally, great suggestion found hanging above a fireplace in a hotel.
Quilter, writer, speaker, mom and grandmom. I enjoy making quilts for my grandkids, and other children. I especially love hearing and sharing quilt stories with others, that's how the book came about and this blog will continue to share quilt stories and how God works with quilts to comfort and teach us.
This entry was posted in Ultimate Blog Challenge and tagged encourage, entertain, inspiration, quotes, Ultimate Blog Challenge. Bookmark the permalink.
The trouble with time travel is that by the time I have figured out that something I did was a bad idea, and I go back to tell myself how bad it was, I cannot find myself because I have already moved on.
I love the jar idea! And I agree about the power of hearing "hang in there, baby!" even if you're seeing it on the wall or the fridge.


text:
Kortze selected for collegiate honor
Brenda Young
Sep 25, 2012 at 12:01 AM Sep 25, 2012 at 9:14 AM
Former Lutheran prep runner Sarah Kortze earns weekly collegiate award.
Former Lutheran cross country runner Sarah Kortze was named the NAIA National Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week based on her performance from Sept. 10-16.
The Concordia (Neb.) senior was the top finisher among NAIA runners at the Woody Greeno Invitational on Sept. 15. Hosted by the University of Nebraska, Kortze was seventh overall with a time of 21:54.9 in the 6K race. Five of the six runners in front of Kortze were from NCAA Division I ranks.
Kortze said the school's website that was pretty excited about her race and that it was the fastest time she had ever run a 6K.
Kortze and the ninth-ranked Bulldogs are back in action Sept. 29 at the Griak Invitational held at the University of Minnesota.
Kortze was a Class 1A state cross country qualifer in 2008 for Lutheran.


A Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said "the only thing that is constant is change". That is probably more true now than in 500 BC when he said it.
Change is an unavoidable constant in our working and personal lives. Sometimes the change is within our control, but most often it's not. Things are changing from technology, to travel, to education and the work place. So, we need to take up the challenge and start to learn how to cope with change.
Remember : you don't need to change, survival is certainly not compulsory. But if you want to survive you need to learn to change.
This coping with change training will help you to learn new skills so that you can more easily navigate the transition from the old, comfortable reality to the new, somewhat scary, reality.
Why is this course important in a work setting?
Digital disruption is commonplace these days and many of us fear losing the security of our jobs as rapid digitalisation takes place. But the good news is that if we understand the change process and the reasons for it we can better change-proof ourselves and contribute to the success of our company's change process.
Dominique Chalvin trained as a psychologist and sociologist and holds an EOM diploma from the International Transactional Association in San Francisco. He runs seminars on management, team building, communication and personal efficiency.
Dr Puig is a leading researcher in human intelligence and has studied higher brain functions for 25 years. He is a prestigious speaker and specialist in motivation, leadership and creativity.


Dogs love agility! Author Jane Simmons-Moake writes in her book about agility that it is, "...a visit to a doggy amusement park." Click on Chipper or Cody for agility info on our dogs (also you can use the dropdown menu from the Agility menu above).
Agility is an exciting fun sport for you and your dog which builds upon your relationship with your dog. You and your dog are a team! As the handler, you use hand signals and words to lead your off leash dog through an obstacle course. Prior to each event (run) there is a walk through where the handler learns the course and practices different strategies for completing it. Each run is timed as dogs rush through tunnels, jump through tires, run across a teeter-totter and "dog-walk", sit or down on a table for five seconds and climb an A-frame.
Agility was founded in Texas by Kenneth Tastch in 1986 as the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA). Now, there are 4 organizations: USDAA, AKC (American Kennel Club), NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council) and UDC (United Kennel Club). Three levels are offered in most agility competitions - novice, open, and elite. The difficulty of the course and the number of obstacles varies between classes. There are 5 types of competition events: standard/titling, jumpers, gamblers, pairs and snooker.
Agility is challenging for both dog and handler. Bichons are so smart that they are eager learners, and love to move quickly through the obstacles. For all dogs, agility is a physical sport that can improve their body. For some bichons, agility is a confidence builder.


text:
How to Write a CV for a Sales Job
Benchmark Feb 23, 2015 Career Advice, advice-centre
Sales CV
The best sales jobs usually come from referrals so it is important for you to write a good sales CV. In this like of work, it's the people who know you and trust you who are most likely to find you your next position. That's why your reputation as a sales professional is so crucial. It's also why it's long-term career suicide to screw with your customers to make your numbers. However, even though it's probably your reputation and contacts that will get you most of your jobs, there are times - like when you're starting out in a new industry, or have just moved to a new geographical area - where you may need to write a CV for a sales job. The purpose of this post is to help you with that process.
Rule #1: Only write a CV if there's no other way to get an interview
The only time a CV is useful is when you're answering a specific Help Wanted advertisement. In ALL other cases, you're better off crafting a specific letter to a specific person or pursuing the contact personally. Remember: the goal of the CV is just to land a telephone interview with whomever you'll be working for. As with any other sales situation, it's usually quicker and easier to achieve that goal without getting gatekeepers (I.E HR) involved.
Rule #2: HR groups use CV's to disqualify candidates.
For you, the purpose of a CV is to land you a telephone interview, which will then lead towards further conversations and (hopefully) a job offer. For the HR group in the hiring firm, however the purpose of your CV is quite different: they want to use it to get you off the list of people they need to think about. In other words, the POINT of the CV is to survive multiple screenings, not to sell you as a candidate. You do that when you get on the phone!
Rule #3: Write unique CV for each job.
Your CV is going to be screened, probably by computer and if not, by some drone in the HR group, and if it doesn't contain the same keywords that are in the advertisement, you're toast. That's why generic CVs are useless. You're about as likely to get an interview from a generic CV as you are to win the lottery.
Rule #4: Don't write a CV if you aren't qualified.
HR is going to throw out every CV that doesn't fulfill their minimum requirements for the job it's a pointless exercise to write and send a CV if you aren't qualified. It's like selling to somebody who's already decided not to buy. A total waste of your time.
Rule #5: Echo the wording of the ad in your CV.
If the screening program (or the HR drone) doesn't see the right teminology, your CV will be winnowed out. So you MUST put the right terminology in the CV. For example, suppose you see this advertisement: Acme would like to invite ambitious, hard-working individuals to apply for the position of full-time Outside Sales. Applicants should be able to bring new ideas and improvements to business practices; remain fair, respectful and moral in all situations; and work well both independently and as part of a team. List out the qualitative words in the ad, like "ambitious" and "hard-working". Then write a self-description that echoes back the advertisement, like so: An ambitious, hard-working, moral indivdual, looking to for a full-time job in outside sales, with the opportunity to work both independently and as part of a team. The purpose of that description is to make sure that you get through the first level screening. Put your self-description at the top of the CV, right under your name.
Rule #6: Research the hiring company
If you know the name of the hiring company, do some quick research into their business model, sales practices; etc. This will be useful in the next step. However, if you know A LOT; about the hiring company, then you'll probably be better off forgetting about HR screening and the CV process and instead and the CV process and instead use your network, social network or sales skills to go directly to the hiring manager (See rule #1)
Rule #7: Compile quatifiable evidence that the self-description is valid.
Your next task is to make sure that the claims that you made in your "self description" are backed up by specific, quantitative examples of what you did personally in your previous positions, for example:
Ambitious: "I Increased sales revenue by 23% by actively developing accounts in a 'new industry sector'.
Hard-working: "I clocked 60 hour work weeks until the project was complete, thereby saving the company $10 million in lost sales."
Moral: "I registered for an completed a two-day Ethical Selling course"
What's important here is to avoid vague generalities (those go in the "self description") and instead provide hard evidence that you're the type of person they'd probably want to hire, expressed in terms that an HR person will understand. The presence of this information will help ensure that your CV is put into the "call back" pile.
Rule #8: Structure the CV to play to your strengths.
Once you've got the guts of the CV, structure it either according to time line (if you've been regularly employed) or according to skills (if you've got gaps in your employment history). Needless to say, the finished CV must also state clearly how you fulfil the basic job requirements in terms of experience and education. Once you've gotten the telephone interview, it's just like any other sales situation: building a relationship, assessing needs, etc. That should be easy for you, or you wouldn't be in sales, right?
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