香江多才子

堂堂英語文學士大概是看了盜版UA93的二次翻譯版（英譯中譯英）字幕學的吧。立此存照。


不要跟我說是typo，水果系列的日常娛樂就是以揶揄別人家的typo為樂的。

"rule"是"主宰","roll"是"啟動","開始行動". 砸骰子是“Roll a dice”。
roll 的是我們, 某些(別的)人物"rules".
" Let's Roll "! "The Internet (or iPad, or Lady Gaga) rules"!

英國人做學問以嚴謹見稱，上了這些年學也該耳濡目染，不懂的話以後賣文時上wiki 查一查不行嗎？

p.s. 其他的非英語的常識錯誤就不說了，比如馮京當馬涼的Kemal 變 Kamel。硬生生把土耳其的國父變成好像駱駝一樣。

Water level in the Yangtze River

An ALA Award for Children's Poetry? What Do You Think?

There’s a discussion going on over at A Fuse #8 Production about whether ALA/ALSC should create a new award for children’s poetry.

Baby Wants Another New Award: Poetry Time!
By Elizabeth Bird

Here’s an excerpt:
An ALA award for children’s poetry?

It doesn’t exist, you see. Yes, I was as shocked as you when I thought about it. Joyce Sidman fools us by having her illustrators win Caldecotts left and right, but that doesn’t mean that the poetry itself is winning. Pretty sneaky, Sids.

Lee Bennett Hopkins drew my attention to this gap in our awardin’ saying, “RE: Your plea for a new ALA Award. Are you aware that there never has been an ALA award for POETRY? Methinks that should happen before a Graphic Novel Award.” I don’t see why we can’t have both (though perhaps not a Graphic Novel Poetry Award, as such a book for kids does not yet exist).

Mr. Hopkins then let me know that for years the only approximate award out there was the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, established in 1977, which he chaired twice and won last year. He went on to say, “I was adamant there should be an award for poetry, thus I founded the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award in 1993. After many years it is now given by Penn State University as part of PLA; it is an annual award with a cash prize of $1,000.00; the only award of its kind in the nation. More angry, in 1998, I founded the Lee Bennett Hopkins/IRA Poetry Award given every three years to a poet who has published no more than two volumes. The last, 2010, was Greg Neri, who you recently blogged about regarding his new graphic novel.”

********************

Should ALA have an award for children’s poetry? What do you think? Go on over and join the discussion.

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2010/07/30/new-award-poetry-time/

Li Lu's Value Investment lecture at Columbia

Streetcapitalist has a few posts which showed Li Lu's approach to investment.

If you have gone through the transcript, and understand how well Li Lu has grasped Buffett's approach, it would not surprise you that he emerged as one of the top candidates as Buffett's protege.

No, it is not about China play. China does provide Li Lu an opportunity to showcase Buffett with he BYD case study. But it is what he said in the lecture that Buffett liked.

---

Now, regarding BYD, perhaps people are more interested in whether it is a BUY now.

Here is the Question raised to Li in the lecture

• So when Buffett looked at the stock maybe it was a better deal but today it is this dream of vehicles that is really priced in. It does not feel like a good value investor stock. So why would you own it today?

Li sort of dodged the question. But I can try to answer for him. One of the key Buffett principles he mentioned was "You need a margin of safety so if you are wrong you don’t lose much." When Li and Buffet got into BYD, there were significant margin of safety (translation: price was cheap). Now that price has been 8-10x, the margin is clearly much smaller. But is there still a conformtable margin? That will be your own judgment. However, if you look at Buffet's past investment, or that of MSFT (about 250x since IPO), 10x is not that big a multiple for a "margin of safety".

Last Call! {GIVEAWAYS}

It's your last chance to enter the nine amazing giveaways from the MIDSUMMER BLOG PARTY.  Just in case you need a reminder, here's a list of all of the great sponsors and the prizes they're offering to AFOMFT readers:

Set of Three Reusable Snack Bags 

from BleuRoo Handcrafted Sweetness

$30 Credit to CeramicaBotanica

One Pair of Cutey Booty Initial Bloomers or Boxers

$50 Gift Certificate to Invitation Consultants

Personalized Monogrammed Art Canvas 
from Little House Monograms

Chocolate Leather Bracelet with Sterling Accent Beads

from London Anaise

Any Accessory of Your Choice from Sweetly Fallen

India Bohemian Ruby Paisley Earrings from tenthings

 Personalized Family Tree Print from A Tree Thing

You can enter all of these giveaways through 11:59 pm EST tonight, Friday, July 30th and don't forget - you can vote for us on Top Baby Blogs once per day per IP address to earn extra entries too.

I'll be announcing the winners on Monday so be sure to check back then and see if you were one of the lucky ones!

Things to Do If You Are a Castle: An Original List Poem

Well, I’m nearly finished with my Things to Do poetry collection. At the moment, the collection includes twenty-seven poems. I’m thinking of adding one or two more. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve changed the manuscript a lot in recent months. I’ve eliminated several of the original poems and added fourteen new ones. The Things to Do collection now takes a young child through a school day from dawn to bedtime. I believe it is a more cohesive collection of poems now. I’m hoping to submit it to a publisher by summer’s end.

I want to acknowledge three individuals for giving me invaluable advice on this writing project:

• Grace Lin helped me to look at my Things to Do collection with new eyes. Grace gave me the suggestion for changing the focus of the manuscript. That suggestion renewed my energy for working on the poetry project again. It inspired me to write lots of new poems.
• Janet Wong read through my manuscript and carefully critiqued it. She suggested eliminating particular poems and gave me topic suggestions for new poems. Janet’s suggestions helped me to provide better “poetry” transitions throughout the collection.
• Brad Bennett sat with me as we went through each poem with a fine-tooth comb a few days ago. I can always count on Brad to help me with the tiniest details. (Brad is a teacher and published poet. You can read three of Brad’s list poems here.)
  

********************

Here is one of the “things to do” poems that is no longer included in the collection. I was thinking of my daughter and her new husband when I selected the following poem. They recently returned from their honeymoon in Ireland--where they visited lots of castles.

THINGS TO DO IF YOU ARE A CASTLE

Stand on a stony cliff
overlooking the sea.
Wear a thick wall of armor.
Sprout tall turrets.
Be a haven.
Drop your drawbridge
for damsels in distress.
Shelter proud steeds,
brave knights who do good deeds.
Be a fortress, a bulwark.
Grow strong and stout.
Keep the evil invaders out.

********************

At Blue Rose Girls, I have a sonnet by Mary Meriam titled The Romance of Middle Age.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Live. Love. Explore!

For the Book Worms {GIVEAWAY}

Gabrielle and Alaina have recently turned into little book worms and I'm always asking friends which books their kids like so I can add some fun new titles to our collection.  I figured some of you might be looking for new books too, so here are a few our current favorites.

Gabrielle and Alaina love "touch" books, like Matthew Van Fleet's board books.  Their current picks are Cats, which has lots of soft tails to stroke and other fun interactive pieces to pull and push.

And Tails, which is very similar but also has scratch and sniff spots!

They're kind of stir crazy at this age but there are a few books they'll sit and listen to me read to them, like Giraffes Can't Dance by Gilles Andrae.

And The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.

The two newest additions to our repertoire are The Boy Who Wouldn't Share which is written by Mike Reiss, a former writer for The Simpsons. 

It's the story of Edward, who won't share his toys and ends up stuck in a pile of them after he tries to keep them all for himself. The illustrations are really entertaining and I like the message of the book a lot.

And then there's Push Button by Aliki. 

My girls love to push any buttons they find, so this book about different buttons and the noises they make when you push them is perfect for them. I also love the bright illustrations - they really pop off the page.

Check out some of these fun titles the next time you're at the library or the bookstore and I hope your little ones enjoy them as much as mine do!

AFOMFT is giving away two titles from Gabrielle and Alaina's favorite books, The Boy Who Wouldn't Share and Push Buttons, to two lucky readers.  To enter, post a comment here telling me what your children's favorite books are right now (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  #Win two terrific children's books @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT or this giveaway (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends August 5th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on August 6th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations TRISTA!  You've won this adorable set of Cherry Dot Bloomers from Three Yellow Starfish! 

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Saturday, July 31st to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.  And a huge thank you to Three Yellow Starfish for this fabulous giveaway!

A Beverly Cleary Post

From NPR

Ramona Quimby: The Mischievous Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Blair.

Click here to listen to a radio program about Beverly Cleary on Morning Addition.

Beverly Cleary, Getting the Best Out of Her 'Pest'

Listen to Debbie Elliott’s 2006 interview with Beverly Cleary on All Things Considered:



More about Beverly Cleary and Her Books

Ramona and Beezus Movie Trailer

From BookPage: Beverly Cleary Interview

Check out the Beverly Cleary website at http://www.beverlycleary.com/

Giraffes & Elephants & Butterflies, Oh My! {GIVEAWAY}

When it comes to decor for Gabrielle and Alaina's room, I tend to like things that are bright and bold so when I was introduced to the delightful designs from Giraffes & Stuff, I wanted one of everything in the shop!

Yulia, the store owner, combines bold graphics with great colors to create fun and funky nursery decor.  How great is this eleFUNt growth chart?

I love the wood grain background!  And what little guy won't want the Taxi Please version?

The Butterflies Be Free Growth Chart would go perfectly in Gabrielle and Alaina's room.

But the whimsy of the Vintage Bicycle is so sweet too!

Giraffes & Stuff carries more than just growth charts.  They have wonderful wall art, like the Air Adventures stretched canvas.

And the sassy Hello Owl.

As well as reusable wall decals, like the Watch Me Grow set.

And the Three's Company Owls.

If you're looking for unique and modern decor for your little one - or as a gift for someone else's - make Giraffes & Stuff your first stop.  Just browsing around makes me want to redecorate!

Giraffes & Stuff has generously offered to give away any item in the shop up to $30 to one lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit Giraffes & Stuff and post a comment here telling me what you'll choose if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.
• Visit Giraffes & Stuff and add the store to your favorites.
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  #Win a fabulous modern piece of nursery decor from Giraffes & Stuff @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT or this giveaway (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends August 4th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on August 5th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Giraffes & Stuff

Party Time, Excellent!

Gabrielle and Alaina are turning two in less than two months so I am in full on party planning mode and I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of my inspiration for their birthday bash.

Clockwise from top left:

Shabby Chic Number 2 {via The TomKat Studio}

Vintage Dessert Stand {Unknown}

DIY Paper Lanterns {Dollar Store Crafts}

Pastel Balloons {via Pen & Paper Flowers}

Pastel Mini Cakes {via Style Me Pretty}

Blue Dream Charm Necklace {by Tamar}

Paper Lollies {via The Tortoise and the Hare}

Clockwise from top:

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes {recipe from My Baking Addiction}

Pastel and Polka Dot Poms {via The TomKat Studio}

DIY Ruffled Party Hats {The City Cradle}

Pastel Marshmallows {Martha Stewart Weddings}

Shabby Chic Ribbon Chair {Hostess with the Mostess}

Summer Gingham Tags {from Pretty Little Studio}

More details on their party to come soon but if you have any fun ideas that you want to share, leave a comment.  I'd love to hear them!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations SHAWNA!  You've won the Smart Gift Set from Mommy Genius, which includes one Bib Drying Rack and two Bumkin Superbibs.  I know you're going to love it as much as I do!

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Thursday, July 29th to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.  And a huge thank you to Mommy Genius for this fantastic giveaway!

Don't forget to enter our other great giveaways we have going and use the exclusive AFOMFT discount codes.  You can find them all on our GOODIES PAGE.