Ideological battleground - Sweden Children's book publishers

I found this article pretty interesting about 2 publishing houses in Sweden that publish children's books that provide different view points on gender roles and other more progressive thought.
I do think it is important to offer reading for children that goes beyond the boundaries of traditional children's lit. The world is changing, children come from such different backgrounds and it should be reflected in the literature that is geared for them.
Plus, it's only 2 out of how many other publishers that are not making it a priority to produce these books.

clipped from news.yahoo.com Children's books become ideological battleground in Sweden STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Two new publishing houses for children's books have sparked debate in gender-equal Sweden over their professed aim of instilling the country's open-minded social values in the next generation. "Our goal is for all people, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity or other such things, to have the freedom to create their own identity and be respected for their personal qualities," said Karin Salmson, the co-founder of the new Vilda publishing house. But several critics are outraged, saying they are simply pushing propaganda disguised as literature.

Free Wi Fi Spot Directory

How cool! I like it If you are ever wondering where free wifi is, you should check out this directory. I never knew it existed! Cool beans!

clipped from www.wififreespot.com Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory - locations that offer Free Wi-Fi.

YA Review: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney (rated 4 stars)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

by Jeff Kinney

This will be short and sweet. I think, this is a great book for a “reluctant reader.” It funny and filled with illustrations. The relationship between “wimpy kid” and his brother is pretty hilarious and it kept me laughing or smiling.

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YA Review: "Peak" by Roland Smith (rated 4 stars)

Peak

by Roland Smith

Peak, that really is his name, was named by his father, a famous mountaineer. His father was getting ready to climb yet another mountain in Southeast Asia. He was not there when Peak was born but after Peak’s arrest, he has all of sudden come back into his life.
Peak needs to lay low and leave New York. His father take him back to Asia. However, he never could have guessed that his father was taking him to climb – Everest!
For a 14 year old boy, who is also a climber, this is the best thing yet. But why? Why is he here? What are his father’s motives?
The story follows Peak as he confronts physical and mental challenges to get to the top. He has to deal with his father. He has to deal with this mountain. It is full of adventure, wonderful descriptions of Everest and gives the reader a look inside the strenuous physical challenge of climbing Everest. It is a coming of age story but the challenges that Peak faces to go to the summit make is even a more worthwhile read.

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YA Review: "Lucy The Giant" by Sherri Smith (rated 3 stars)

Lucy the Giant

by Sherri L. Smith

Lucy is a giant! She towers over her high school classmates and no one can miss her. She’s so tall she can do a dead man’s carry with her dad after she receives that frequent call to pick him up from the local bar. She has dreams but she keeps them to herself. She’s smart. She can go to college if she wants to but she needs to take care of her dad after her mother walked out on them. What would you do when you cannot follow your dreams?
One day, she is sitting in a bar and hears a call for the next charter plane out of her small town, if you can call it that. She boards. She has no money. She has no prospects. She has no idea what will happen to her but she goes. She needs to go there is nothing for her at home.
Lucy no longer needs to be Lucy. No one knows her in this town. No one knows how old she is. No one knows her alcoholic father. She takes on a new identity and ends up learning about life and being an adult on a crab fishing boat.
If you like “The Deadliest Catch,” you will probably enjoy this tale. It ends a little too abruptly for my tastes but it was definitely a fun, adventure-filled and heart-warming read. It took about 2 hours when I had a bit of insomnia.

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Another reason to love Flickr

Yes, Getty Images and Flickr! Hello! Pretty neat folks.

clipped from bits.blogs.nytimes.com Great Photo on Flickr? Getty Images Might Pay You For It If you are a photographer with high-quality images posted on Yahoo’s Flickr service, you may soon get an e-mail inviting you to become a paid contributor to Getty Images, the world’s largest distributor of pictures and video.

Volunteer and Travel! I'm in!

I was looking at Happy News today and they featured an article on "Hands Up Holiday." Why not do both - volunteer at a worthwhile event and take a holiday. Seriously, this is one of the coolest things I've seen yet!

clipped from www.handsupholidays.com KickinIt clipped from www.handsupholidays.com Hands Up Holidays is all about giving you amazing holiday experiences that combine eco-sightseeing with a meaningful 'taste' of volunteering. These volunteer adventures are for you if: you are interested in having a break, want to explore a destination, and also give something back to the local community. you do not have specific skills, but have a lot of enthusiasm and a positive attitude (and if you do have specific skills, we will match these where possible) you value low-impact, sustainable tourism practices that directly benefit local communities. Most of these trips are upmarket, some of them even luxurious in terms of accommodation, as we know that this is your holiday, and volunteering does not have to involve sleeping on the floor - although we can arrange this if you prefer, and will gladly tailormake a trip to suit your budget and requirements.