Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog: Self Help Books

January's book display featured self-help books to support all those New Year's resolutions. Self-help books can be found in the non-fiction stacks shelved according to the subject.? So browsing through the Dewey Decimal system, here are some self-improvement titles in the Berkeley Heights Public Library.

Religion and Spirituality -?

A Cluttered Life, searching for God serenity and my missing keys (158.1 DIN) by Pesi Dinnerstien explores the topic of messiness from all angles but not from the angle of going out and buying lots of cute boxes to put all your old useless stuff in. This is more a meditation on messiness or possibly another way to avoid actually tackling the pile of clutter, but just learning to accept it and embrace it.

The Cloister Walk, (255 NOR) by Kathleen Norris is a sort of religious/spiritual memoir and a New York Times Notable book of the year 1996 by the author of Amazing Grace.

Mindfulness Yoga, the awakened union of breath, body, and mind (294 BOC) by Frank Jude Boccio. The subtitle says it all. Many yoga books can be found in the exercise/health area (613.7), but books often end up in unexpected subject areas, so be sure to check the catalog or ask the librarian to help you track down those books which strayed from what you might consider the most 'logical' location.

Careers and Finance -?

In the business/career section we found Encore, finding work that matters in the second half of life (331.5 FRE) by Marc Freedman.

Women and Money, owning the power to control your destiny (332.024 ORM) by Suze Orman offers her usual practical personal financial advice.

Science -?

How to Build a Time Machine (530.11 DAV) by Paul Davies, while not exactly a viable self-improvement project, didn't you always want to understand physics better than you did the first time around in high school? Here's your chance and if you do succeed in making the time machine, you could go back in time to make decisions which would lead to a better you later on which would mean the new you wouldn't have to read self-help books. You followed the logic there, didn't you?

Pets -?

How to Speak Dog, mastering the art of dog-human communication (636.7 COR) by Stanley Coren. Reading this book offers the opportunity to improve not only yourself by learning a foreign language (doggish), but also to include your best friend in your new year's resolutions. It's a win-win premise! Did I mention that one of my dogs in the distant past, ate a dog training book that I had checked out of the library? Really. I guess she didn't like self-help books.

I've been fiddling with this self-help book post for a couple of days. Self-help books are everywhere in the library, in every subject area, so I wasn't sure how to approach what has become such a huge part of publishing, the bestseller lists and most library collections. I happened to pick up a copy of New York Magazine in the doctor's office yesterday with the story "The Power of Positive Publishing, how self-help ate America' by Boris Kachka. Mr. Kachka has given this self improvement genre a lot of thought, so take a look at his article for a history of this publishing phenomenon. The magazine also includes brief summaries of several self-help books which you can read online: How to Read 31 Books in Four Minutes.

Reading self-help books can be like going to continuing education classes, or professional development conferences or taking webinars. Once you have sorted the self-help wheat from the chaff, you are bound to pick up a few pointers to improve your life. If not, you can give the book to your dog. Not the library books please.

I totally expect some comments about the best and worst self-help books or advice you have ever gotten.

Source: http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2013/02/self-help-books.html

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Banker By Day, Ski Maker By Night In Sun Valley | Idaho Travel ...

But after nearly three decades of cutting through fresh powder and slashing through downhill runs, he decided something about this sport. It was a simple decision, and it was this:

He could build a better ski.

Not just that he could. He would.

And he did.

?It?s really, really fun to be able to build something, then go out there and slide on the snow with it,? the Coeur d?Alene man said. ?It just makes people smile, so it?s a really good feeling.?

He learned by doing. He experimented, figured and refigured. He chopped up old skis, studied manufacturing and visited ski factories, read reviews and of course, talked with skiers to see what they liked. There was trial and error, fine-tuning and tweaking, too.

?I slowly started reverse engineering them, figuring out what?s involved, what to do,? he said.

Bottom line, it worked. And it?s still working.

?My very first pair is probably still my favorite pair,? he said. ?I still use it today.?

Since launching Substance Skis two years ago, Burnham estimates he has created about 100 pair _ sold about 60 pair, with the others being prototypes ? which he made in his garage. It?s there a ski press sits, with the words, ?Not made in China,? because Burnham made that himself, too.

?That?s my baby,? said the banker by day, ski maker by night.

Burnham custom made seven pairs of his skis for North Idaho College that he presented in January to the Regional Recreation Management Outdoor Leadership Program and the Outdoor Pursuits program. The skis, specifically made for the two NIC programs, are smaller and easier to handle than standard skis.

?What they were looking for was something that all skill levels could handle,? Burnham said. ?That?s what this should do here.?

The leadership program led by instructor Paul Chivvis will use them during a field trip to Lookout Pass. Students added the bindings to the skis this week. He said the new skis will expand their equipment, which includes telemark gear and split snowboards. The Substance Skis will be used in mountaineering classes, backcountry skiing and avalanche education.

Previously, about half the students would use snowshoes for some class trips into the outdoors.

?Now we can take people that have alpine ski background and get them out into the backcountry without any learning curve,? he said. ?We didn?t have the ability to give that to the students until now.?

Chivvis said the NIC outdoors programs were in the market for skis and heard about Substance Skies through Ski Shack in Hayden. A local guy making great skis appealed to Chivvis. Plus, Burnham gave NIC a great deal.

?They?re probably the prettiest looking skis I?ve ever seen, too,? Chivvis said.

?If they perform half as well as they look, they?re going to be awesome,? he said.

Appearance isn?t everything, as the name Substance Ski suggests.

?I was always looking for skis I couldn?t find, or if I could find a nice handmade product it was out of my price range,? Burnham said.

So he began making skis three years ago, and started the company two years ago. He likes the finished product, and while feedback has been good, he?ll always be seeking a better way to build a ski.

?It took a while to figure it out. There?s a lot of parts involved, a lot of steps in the process to do it,? he said.

There?s no hurrying a superior ski.

?There?s a little tweaking going on there to get it where it needs to be,? he said.

There?s a secret to his success and he gladly shares it: Find the best material you can find. Burnham lists some of the materials he uses ? massanranduba, triaxial fiberglass, carbon fiber, epoxy, and Isosport 8210 nylon topsheet. Most important, bamboo.

?What we?re finding in the ski industry today is the best material is bamboo,? he said. ?We source only FSC certified bamboo to use as the heart and soul of every Substance Ski. Bamboo is highly renewable and provides a flex, pop, and strength that is not found in the typically inferior wood cores of the industry today.?

?That?s the core,? he says. ?Ninety percent of how a ski is going to behave is based on the core, that wood core that?s inside. Everything else is aesthetics, built around it that encapsulates that core, keeps any moisture out and keeps it in good shape.?

And when it?s done, it looks good, which does matter.

?A lot of people buy these for the aesthetics,? he said. ?You try and create a good-looking product that works as well as it looks.?

It?s far from a quick process. It?s labor intensive, with eight hours into each ski. The entire process is even longer, allowing for the overnight curing.

He works most nights following a full day in the mortgage business.

Substance Skies are offered for $550 a pair, which Burnham notes brings them in at a lower price than most. As demand increases, so might the price.

But money isn?t what it?s about. Not now. It?s about creating something in a garage, and heading to the ski hill to test it.

This is about making that perfect run, on the perfect day, on the perfect ski.

By BILL BURLEY
Coeur d?Alene Press

The original story can be found on the Coeur d?Alene Press website:?http://www.cdapress.com/news/outdoors/article_a76e301a-bb2d-5771-8ea5-117e604c351a.html

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Source: http://www.idahotravelrecreation.com/blog/2013/02/01/banker-by-day-ski-maker-by-night-in-sun-valley/

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Deadly storms move East after pummling the South

ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. (AP) ? As rain pelted down, Kandi Cash trudged through the splintered debris of her grandparents' house, hoping to salvage photos and other family keepsakes after a day of violent storms raked the Southeast, leaving two people dead.

The demolished home was one of many in the Georgia city of Adairsville splintered by a massive storm front that punched across the Southeast on Wednesday and took aim Thursday at the densely populated eastern third of the country.

Along a path pocked by shattered homes and businesses, the storm has unleashed tornadoes and dangerous winds, easily flipping cars and trucks and cutting power to thousands.

Forecasters said severe thunderstorms were expected to continue Thursday morning in the East as the front slides out over the Atlantic in coming hours. Forecasters also said snowfall was possible in varying amounts from the Great Lakes region through the Northeast.

A flash flood warning was issued for much of the nation's capital. Emergency responders in Virginia's Loudoun County said they conducted water rescues throughout the night after flooding there. WTOP radio reported one driver was plucked from the roof of a van after the vehicle went into a water-filled ravine. Water rescues also were reported in Montgomery County, Md.

Some flooding also was reported in North Carolina, where 13,000 customers were reported without power Thursday after high winds and heavy rains swept through.

On the same Adairsville lot where Cash's grandparents had their house there also was a mobile home where her aunt lived and another small house her cousin was fixing up to move into after a planned May wedding. All three homes were demolished: Christmas ornaments, children's toys clothing, household items and just about everything else that makes up a home were strewn about.

"I'm just picking up pictures," the 28-year-old Cash said. "I've found the most important ones, like when my cousin was born and her late daddy, the ones that matter most."

Cash, who lives in nearby Cartersville, rode out the violent weather in a neighbor's basement. Once the worst had passed, she called her family in Adairsville and was relieved to hear they'd all made it to a cinderblock storm shelter under her grandparents' home.

"I just told them that the Lord was watching after them," she said. "The houses can be rebuilt. The most important thing was that they were safe."

WSB-TV in Atlanta aired footage of an enormous funnel cloud bearing down on Adairsville. Winds flattened homes and wiped out parts of a big manufacturing plant in the city about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta. Pieces of insulation dangled from trees and power poles. A bank lost a big chunk of its roof.

Anthony Raines, 51, was killed when a tree crashed down on his mobile home, crushing him on his bed, Bartow County Coroner Joel Guyton said. Nine other people were hospitalized for minor injuries, authorities said.

Elsewhere, one other death was reported in Tennessee when an uprooted tree fell onto a storage shed where a man had taken shelter.

Near Adairsville, the storms tossed vehicles on Interstate 75 onto their roofs, forcing the route to close for a time.

"The sky was swirling," said Theresa Chitwood, who owns the Adairsville Travel Plaza.

The storm decimated a building behind the plaza. Gusting winds knocked several tractor-trailers on their sides in a parking lot.

A shelter was set up at a recreation center as temperatures plummeted to the 30s and 40s overnight and people had no heat or power. Georgia Power said some 9,600 cusottmers were still without power Thursday morning, 2,500 of them in the state's hard-hit northwest corner. That was down from about 14,000 without power in Georgia a day earlier.

Around the Southeast, meanwhile, authorities were investigating several reports of twisters from the system that had raked Missouri and Arkansas on Tuesday before heading eastward. Some tornado watches remained in effect early Thursday along Virginia's coast as the storm headed off.

In Tennessee, officials confirmed that a tornado with peak winds of 115 mph touched down in Mount Juliet. No serious injuries were reported even though the path of damage was about 150 yards wide. At least six other tornadoes were reported statewide. At a shopping center in Mount Juliet, large sheets of metal littered the parking lot and light poles were knocked down. One wall of a Dollar General store collapsed, and the roof was torn off.

The storm deaths ended the nation's longest break between tornado fatalities since detailed records began being kept in 1950, according to the Storm Prediction Center and National Climatic Data Center. The last one was June 24 in Florida. That was 220 days ago as of Tuesday.The last day with multiple fatalities was June 4, when three people were killed in Missouri.

___

Associated Press writers Kristin M. Hall in Mount Juliet, Tenn., and Phillip Lucas in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-dead-storms-rake-south-aim-east-121814451.html

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Canon PowerShot ELPH 330 HS and 115 IS hands-on (video)

In Japan, they've been coined the IXUS 255 HS and IXUS 132, but folks in the US will probably recognize them as the ELPH 330 HS and 115 IS. By any name, they're Canon's two mid-range point-and-shoots for CP+, and while they were joined by the A2500 during this week's announcements, that latter model didn't seem to make it to the company's booth here in Yokohama. In any case, if you've handled an ELPH model in recent years, you know what to expect here -- Canon's design hasn't changed much, but we're not complaining. The 330 HS includes a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, compared to a 16-megapixel CCD in the slightly smaller 115 IS.

Cosmetically, the biggest difference between the two is the powerful 10x optical zoom lens on the 330 HS, compared to a still-respectable 8x optic on the lower-end model. Both cameras offer the same familiar PowerShot UI, and they look nearly identical with the lens retracted. Zoomed in, however, it's clear which camera is the more capable of the bunch. Both performed very well during our hands-on at Canon's booth, though we'd definitely opt for the 330 HS, which offers a superior sensor and extended lens, not to mention built-in WiFi -- it's definitely worth spending an extra 60 bucks to snag the $230 HS model. Both cameras are set to ship beginning in March, but you can check them out in our walkthrough today, embedded just past the break.

Gallery: Canon PowerShot ELPH 330 HS and 115 IS hands-on

Filed under: Cameras, Canon

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/31/canon-330-hs-115-is-hands-on/

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Ex-'Idol' judge welcomes baby boy via surrogate

Getty Images file

Mike McCuddy and Kara DioGuardi.

By Bruna Nessif, E! Online

Well, that was super fast!?Former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi revealed that she was expecting a baby via a surrogate with hubby Mike McCuddy less than a month ago, and now -- he's here!

The couple welcomed their first child together, a son, earlier Thursday in Los Angeles, according to People.

Kara DioGuardi is expecting!

Greyson James Carroll McCuddy was born at 1:01 p.m. Thursday afternoon, weighing 8 pounds and 10 ounces and measured just short of 21 inches long.

The singer-songwriter opened up about the couple's struggles to get pregnant in her 2011 memoir, "A Helluva a High Note," including three unsuccessful rounds of IVF treatment during her last stint on "Idol."

Take a look at these other famous families

"I wanted a child and there was no way I could get pregnant under the stress of eighteen-hour work days and live TV," she wrote about her decision to quit the show. "Leaving was painful and there will always be a part of me that wanted to stay. But my desire to be in control of my destiny was larger than my need to be a household name."

And now, the pair are finally parents. Congrats!

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/02/01/16805478-ex-american-idol-judge-kara-dioguardi-welcomes-baby-boy-via-surrogate?lite

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Zimmerman wants to delay trial for Martin shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Attorneys for the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with shooting Trayvon Martin to death on Wednesday asked for more time to prepare his case, saying prosecutors had been slow to turn over evidence.

At the same time, Zimmerman's lead attorney, Mark O'Mara, renewed his request for donations to George Zimmerman's legal defense, which he said could cost up to $1 million.

"The state has virtually unlimited resources to prosecute George," O'Mara said on Zimmerman's defense fund website. "To finance his defense, however, George relies on the generosity of individuals who believe he is innocent."

Spokesman Shawn Vincent said Zimmerman's attorneys want his second-degree murder trial to be moved from June to November. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.

A hearing in which Zimmerman will argue he was acting in self-defense is scheduled for April. The judge has said that hearing will be at least 45 days before the trial.

Prosecutors did not immediately respond to emails and phone calls about the defense request.

O'Mara said prosecutors had been slow to turn over evidence. As an example, he said someone from State Attorney's Office had removed Martin's cell phone from an evidence locker to have it sent to California for analysis, but the state has refused to give him any information about the agency and the type of tests being run on the phone. He also said prosecutors had made it difficult for O'Mara to get answers to administrative questions from a chief investigative agent and had refused to forward them other information on Martin and a witness.

O'Mara also asked the public to donate more money for his defense, saying on the web site that Zimmerman's defense fund has raised more than $314,000 since he was charged. Of that amount, $95,000 was spent on bail, almost $62,000 was spent on Zimmerman's living expenses during the past eight months and $56,100 was spent on security. The pricey living expenses were the result of Zimmerman having to stay at extended-stay hotels until he could find a place to rent after his bail conditions were changed to restrict him to Seminole County, Fla., according to the statement on the website said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zimmerman-wants-delay-trial-martin-shooting-222949259.html

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BlackBerry 10: The beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning

BlackBerry 10

The stage was set. The house was packed.?The lights were dim. The cameras were rolling.?The crowd was silent. And just as the show kicked off, a BlackBerry blogger was called upon to walk on camera and get his ponytail chopped off. Then, about an hour later, Alicia Keys was brought on stage and given an executive position at RIM (RIMM).

[More from BGR: BlackBerry Z10 review]

Spectacle aside, BlackBerry ? the smartphone vendor?s new name ? bared all on Wednesday and showed the world its next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system. It also unveiled its first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Q10. This operating system and these smartphones mark a new dawn for BlackBerry. These are the weapons the company will use as it fights for its life in?Thunderdome.

[More from BGR: Dell founder reportedly plans to spend $1 billion of his own funds to regain control of company]

Like most other attendees at the press conference on Wednesday, I was given a BlackBerry Z10 to take and explore. I got back to my office after the event, opened up the sleek packaging, and dove in.

Firstly, I did not find the BlackBerry 10 interface as confusing as many others seem to have. Confusing is a poor choice of words, I think. The UX in BlackBerry 10 is not confusing, it?s illogical in the context of the modern smartphone platform.

Android and iOS both have linear workflows. You open an app, you close an app. BlackBerry 10 also lets you open and close apps, but there are additional layers that are core to the experience. Swipes up, and down, and left, and right all perform different functions and reveal different layers. Some swipes do different things at different times. Some swipes in one direction expose layers that enter the UI from another direction.

It sounds overbearing but I found that after about 30 minutes of usage, I was able to navigate the UI fluidly with no problems. It?s just like Windows 8. The workflow is new and it takes some getting used to, but it?s really not that complicated. If I can do it, you can probably do it too.

With what is seemingly the biggest barrier to entry overcome, I began to dive deeper. The UI was cheerful and attractive. The display was bright and vivid. The performance was silky smooth. The Hub that aggregates all of my emails, text messages, BBM messages and Twitter notifications was a breath of fresh air.

And just when I started to think that BlackBerry is really on to something here, that BlackBerry 10 could really be something special, that this giant finally has legs? questions began popping up left and right. And they all started with ?why.?

Why isn?t there a visual notification with a message preview when a new email or BBM message arrives?

Why do the volume buttons still work when the phone is locked?

Why can?t I schedule profiles so my phone isn?t buzzing and chiming with alerts on my bedside table throughout the night? My RAZR HD is smart enough to know when to shut up. My iPhone is smart enough. My Galaxy S III is smart enough. Why isn?t my Z10, with a brand new operating system, smart enough?

Why can?t I see what time it is when I?m in an app?

Why can?t I find a decent app?

Why do photos captured with the Z10?s camera look like they were taken with a flip phone from 2006 unless the subject is in optimal lighting?

Why does a swipe up on the BlackBerry Hub screen cause a panel to enter the UI from the right?

Why doesn?t is sync to the server instantly when I read an email as with other smartphone platforms, so other devices know to mark opened messages as read?

Why isn?t a BBM chat scrolled down to the most recent message when I get an alert and access the appropriate chat in BlackBerry Hub?

Why?

I could go on and on.?Put plainly, BlackBerry 10 isn?t a platform of the future in its current state. It?s a platform of the present is some ways, and in many others it?s a platform of the past.

Early reviews of RIM?s first BlackBerry 10 smartphone paint a somewhat troubling picture. They all find drastic?improvements?over earlier BlackBerry platforms and they all find faults as well. The conclusions are almost unanimously worrisome, though.?BlackBerry 10 is nice, the BlackBerry Z10 is nice, but there is no reason to choose either over Android or the iPhone.?

This is not good news.

BlackBerry has a?sizable?installed base of just under 80 million users. It is from this group that analysts expect most of the new platform?s early adoption to come. Much of that installed base exists in the enterprise market, where upgrading to new server software and deploying new handsets is a costly endeavor. Another huge chunk comes from various consumer markets around the globe where low-cost handsets prevail and a $750 smartphone is out of the question.

For current BlackBerry users desperate for an upgrade, the Z10 is a fantastic option that makes BlackBerry 7 look sad and stale. The problem, though, is that BlackBerry 10 should make Android and iOS look sad and stale as well.

I?m not going to tell you that there isn?t a market for BlackBerry 10. Businesses that have BlackBerry phones deployed right now might find BB10 to be a great upgrade. Diehards will love it too, of course, because they would love anything BlackBerry put out. Just like iPhone diehards will buy any shiny new iPhone and Android diehards can?t wait for the next bump in specs.

But the mass market ? the millions of smartphone users and new business customers RIM needs to reel in ? might not be so easy to convince.

Frankly, people invested in other platforms have no reason to switch to BlackBerry 10. There are no compelling features present on the Z10 that are missing from their iPhones and Galaxy S IIIs, there is no striking differentiation, and they?ll lose most or even all of their favorite apps if they switch. It?s a very, very tough sell. Is it possible for BlackBerry 10 to gain a fair amount of traction with the right marketing message and the right sales pitch at retail stores? Maybe, but it?s a long shot at best.

With all that said, I sincerely hope BlackBerry has done enough to give current users incentive to open their wallets. I hope BlackBerry 10 attracts some new users as well. I hope the company sells millions of these new phones and I hope the revenue they generate is enough to carry BlackBerry forward as it uses BlackBerry 10?s building blocks to mold its new platform into something special.

The groundwork is there. I can see it. Yes, there are holes and yes, some are gaping. But with enough time I think BlackBerry can fill many of them. The question, though, is whether or not the company can also start building real innovation and compelling differentiation into its platform while also filling these holes. BlackBerry?s future may depend on the answer to this question.

We all now bear witness to what will inexorably?be the beginning of the end for BlackBerry, or the end of the beginning.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-10-beginning-end-end-beginning-161053431.html

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