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NASCAR The Game 2011 is a Simulation Racing game that brings the true excitement of world famous NASCAR racing to home gaming consoles. A departure from earlier NASCAR games, this all-new racing series focuses much more closely on realistic aspects of NASCAR racing. These include: a deep career mode, advanced AI allowing for realistic driver appearances, extensive tuning abilities for vehicles, …
Real cars, real racing. That’s what it’s all about in RACE 07. Enjoy 9 different racing classes, each with its own distinctive character. From the prestigious World Touring Car Championship to the insane speed of the F3000 class. These are just a few of the many cars and classes featured in this ultimate racing sensation. Hit the road on one of the 32 real-life racing circuits or city tracks and s…
Driving Force Wireless Force Feedback Wheel for PS3 – The Logitech Driving Force Wireless is a one-piece force feedback racing wheel that cuts down on clutter. Easy to set up and store it provides comfortable lag-free control from up to 30 feet away from the console. Features include 2.4 GHz wireless technology and an expandable lap rest built-in gas and brake controls….
Sprint’s first Android-powered smartphone, the Samsung Moment combines high-speed connectivity via Sprint’s dependable 3G network (EVDO Rev. A.), with access to built-in Google mobile services–including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube, as well as thousands of applications available in Android Market. Its 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen creates crisper colors and wider viewing angles th…
Sometimes cheering on a gridiron warrior just isn’t enough. Salute him in your home or office with this New York Jets Mark Sanchez Series 23 figurine from McFarlane Toys. It features a durable polyresin construction, boasts authentic detailing, and includes a display base….
The infamous Imperial Star DestroyerTM- now in midi-scale!
Appearing for the very first time in the opening scene of the first Star WarsTM movie, A New Hope,the Imperial Star DestroyerTM is the Empire’s most powerful warship and one of the most instantly recognizable in the entire series. This iconic ship now comes in midi-scale.
* No minifigures included
* Display the model using the convenient…
god I’m bored right now. By the way, there are only 75 more days until the 500 (i’ve got a whiteboard and I’m keeping track)
here’s a survey:
(mine are in parentheses)
who is your third favorite driver? (Jimmie Johnson)
who is your favorite retired legend? (Dale Earnhardt)
what was your favorite daytona 500? (1998)
who do you like more – Brian France/Mike Helton (Brian France)
what nascar items do you want for christmas? (2008 yearbook)
do you buy your favorite driver’s sponsor? (yes)
what is your favorite NASCAR team? (Hendrick Motorsports)
do you like Jack Roush? (no)
do you like Ray Evernham? (yes)
do you like Joe Gibbs? (no)
do you like Rick Hendrick (yes)
are you as bored as I am right now?
who is your third favorite driver? ………Elliot Sadler
who is your favorite retired legend?……passed away and it’s Sr.
what was your favorite daytona 500?…………1998
who do you like more – Brian France/Mike Helton…….apples and oranges…I guess Helton
what nascar items do you want for christmas?…….didn’t ask for anything specific…not into collecting much.
do you buy your favorite driver’s sponsor?….I buy M&M’s quite often regardless…yeah there are a few sponsors I purposely purchase from because of the racing connection.
what is your favorite NASCAR team?……..Gibbs
do you like Jack Roush? ……have nothing against the cat in the hat…
do you like Ray Evernham?……he’s OK….same as above…
do you like Joe Gibbs? ……yes I do he’s a good man
do you like Rick Hendrick……..not really but am more neutral i guess…
are you as bored as I am right now? …..I just got back from town and fixed myself a turkey salad so not bored just relaxing…got some company coming a bit later on.
This colorful book celebrating fifty years of America’s most prominent sports magazine is certainly more practical than hoarding 2,500 issues. The six-part book plays to the strength of the magazine: “The Stories” and “The Photographs” sections are the largest. The 35 articles are truncated, often just whetting your appetite for more. The companion book Fifty Years of Great Writing offers many of…
Monopoly Here and Now World One of the 2008 Best Christmas Gifts
Welcome to the exciting new world of Monopoly. Every time you travel around the board of the Monopoly Here and Now World Edition, you also travel through six continents. If you’re shopping for a board game that will truly delight your Christmas gift recipients, this new take on a long-time classic is sure to please.
This 21st-century version of the popular classic board game keeps the very best ingredients of classic Monopoly while adding thrilling new twists to the game play. The utilities–water works and the electric company–are now hip new renewable energy sources (solar and wind). The oh-that’s-so-industrial-revolution railroads now include rail, air travel, ocean cruises and space travel. Banking is now effortless thanks to digital electronic banking that keeps track of your transactions.
The electronic banker doesn’t exactly replace a human banker, but it sure makes their job easier. Shove a couple of AA batteries into the banker (um, the electronic one) and it’s ready for business. Monopoly Here and Now World can begin when everyone picks a moving and a credit card.
The electronic banking unit really makes game play simple. Some people (like me) can find that Monopoly banking is somewhat of a chore, but the new electronic system makes everything easy, even fun. The banking unit also rides herd on all the wheeling and dealing that goes on when someone lands on a property they don’t want. It even includes a random auction timer to add even more excitement and chance.
The game comes with six randomly selected mover pieces that bring even more international flair to this hot Christmas gift. Although your game will only come with six moving pieces, there’s a total of 24 mover types available (I sense an eBay opportunity here). You could get any six of the following: Kangaroo, Koala, Surfer, Boomerangs, London Cab, Pretzel, Matador, Windmill, Canadian Mountie, Cowboy Hat, Baseball Glove, Nascar, Inca Mask, Easter Island Moai, Football, Inca Statue, Safari Hat, Egyptian Head Mask, African Mask, Camel, Chinese Dragon, Tuk-Tuk, Russian Dolls, or a Sumo Wrestler.
The cities on the board read like a rock star’s world tour. Your properties are located in Taipei, Tokyo, Barcelona, Athens, Istanbul, Toronto, Rome, Shanghai, Vancouver, Sydney, New York, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, Belgrade, Cape Town and more.
Monopoly Here and Now World teaches and informs the players during game play. The community chest and chance cards include a selection of international facts and holiday festivals. Every property on the board includes stunning photography from around the world.
Let’s be honest. When the presents are being opened on Christmas morning, the board games may not be the first things played with. But this Monopoly Here and Now World Edition will be a long-term favorite even after Christmas has come and gone. Every family should have one (or more) Monopoly games in the house. Whether this is your first game or a new addition to the family, it’s sure to please everyone.
About the Author
Review the top Christmas gifts
for 2008 at http://www.ChristmasToyReview.com Find lists, reviews and links to the best deals on this year’s best Christmas gifts.
Every NASCAR® superstar brings a certain panache to the speedway. Honor your favorite driver’s individuality while chopping up veggies on this Kevin Harvick cutting board from WinCraft™. It features a durable, water-resistant Teslin® graphic laminated on the back, while four rubber pegs on the bottom ensure stability….
The BCW Storage Box is the highest quality, most competitively priced cardboard storage box on the market today. They are constructed of white corrugated paper and have a 200 lb. test strength. Use this box for store and protect collectible trading cards like: baseball cards, basketball cards, football cards, Magic The Gathering, VS, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Dragonball Z and others…
Racing decals and authentic styling make this the winner of juvenile beds. This bed “grows” with your child as it converts easily from crib to twin mattress. Includes molded-in racetrack for die-cast vehicle play. Support boards are also included. Minimal adult assembly required. Measures 23.625″H x 89.5″W x 49.25″D….
Stretching over almost 6 kilometers, the Sebring track in Florida alternates between straight stretches, quick curves and slow and technical turns. Plotted over a former military training camp turned into an airfield, this track has been a staple in North-America since the 1930’s. Each year, the 12 hours of Sebring take place there: an endurance race, whose slightly uneven course gives pilots the …
This large gamebook includes five action-packed racing games, four race car playing pieces, and an electronic, race-car sound Randomizer module that serves as electronic dice. The books also feature four popular NASCAR drivers-four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, 2003 champion Matt Kenseth, 2002 champion Tony Stewart, and popular driver Rusty Wallace, so kids can pretend to be one of these drive…
The BCW Storage Box is the highest quality, most competitively priced cardboard storage box on the market today. They are constructed of white corrugated paper and have a 200 lb. test strength. Use this box for store and protect collectible trading cards like: baseball cards, basketball cards, football cards, Magic The Gathering, VS, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Dragonball Z and others….
The BCW Storage Box is the highest quality, most competitively priced cardboard storage box on the market today. They are constructed of white corrugated paper and have a 200 lb. test strength. Use this box for store and protect collectible trading cards like: baseball cards, basketball cards, football cards, Magic The Gathering, VS, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Dragonball Z and others….
How public libraries can overcome budget cuts through cultural, educational, and business partnerships
How public libraries can overcome budget cuts through cultural, educational, and business partnerships
By Thomas Badgett
In the current difficult economic times, libraries of all sizes and types face budget cuts, often quite severe. At the same time the need and demand for library services surges. In order to minimize cutbacks libraries need to play to their strengths and promote how much value they offer to anyone who chooses to use them. They need to inform the public that they are available and promote what they offer in the way of services and alternatives to paid entertainment. As the public becomes more aware of libraries and what they offer, they may come to their support and demand more funding from politicians and bureaucrats.
During economic downturns, people cut back on unnecessary spending and seek value on what they do spend funds for. There is no better value than free. Public libraries provide services and materials to users that no competitor can beat because they are usually free. Families seek activities and places they can go to interact, be entertained, and spend quality time together. Libraries provide all this plus educational value, whether it be for self-help, school homework help, free choice learning for lifelong learners, or reference help. Also, libraries can preserve a community’s identity by recording oral histories, housing artifacts, and staging programs informing users of the history and culture of their community as it has evolved. Libraries should play to their strengths as educational and cultural institutions while also promoting their value as free and family friendly social centers.
Ways in which libraries might promote themselves as family-friendly centers include advertising at other family gathering venues such as bowling alleys, movie theaters, ice ream shops, and dining establishments. Libraries could establish booths for self-promotion at special events such as sporting events (soccer and baseball games), festivals (wine, music, crafts), concerts (classical, country, jazz, rock), and baseball card and toy shows. Perhaps the IMLS or ALA would sponsor a NASCAR team? To get the attention of young readers a library could sponsor comic book shows at one of their meeting rooms or have a kiosk/booth at a comic book convention. Cooperation with local booksellers and comic book stores or newsstands would be another way to publicize library services. The library could advertise certain businesses in its lobby and perhaps have signage donated by other businesses (in a manner like sports stadiums are doing). Even bookstores and libraries could refer users to each other in a sense of cooperation since both have a vested interest in the printed word. Libraries could also build relationships with hobby and craft stores and sponsor craft fairs or model kit shows in their community. In addition, the library could build a dialogue with local community members who are craftspeople or model collectors or any other collector. Card games could be sponsored at the library – a cribbage tournament, for example – or a poker tournament (with no gambling). There are innumerable ways for libraries to build relationships and get their message out to the public in addition to the Internet.
Scheduling and management skills on the part of librarians are now more important than ever since less money for staff translates into fewer man-hours for service. Library hours of operation should be based on peak demand times in the library’s community and not traditional banking hours. This is especially critical if the library intends to promote itself as a family or social center. Libraries need to be open when families can use them, not necessarily when it is most convenient for staff to be there. There may be no faster way to render libraries defunct than to cling to traditional banker-style hours Monday through Friday as in the past – unless a library tax is created. Weekends may become a peak demand time in some communities and library staff will have to adapt or face career extinction. In the short-term, at least, certain non-traditional skills (like scheduling in order to meet demand) should gain importance. As libraries continue to evolve additional new skills and a blurring of departments may occur in public libraries. For instance, reference may play a smaller role and customer service skills will be much more in demand. Every library, now more than ever, must focus on what services and materials are needed to provide service to its users.
The IMLS, whose mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas, is dedicated to serving a nation of learners. In addition to the NLG program, an International Strategic Partnership Initiative is in place to connect educational and cultural institutions from all over the world. The NLG program fosters collaboration between educational and cultural institutions on various projects, especially digitalization projects, in order for them to reach a broader range of users and make access easier for these users. Collaborations are both short-term and long-term in length, ranging from rotating exhibits between institutions to the multi-state Colorado Digitalization Program. Cultural heritage and educational institutions like libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies are good fits for partnerships through IMLS grants. However, schools and private sector businesses are also potential partners as the cultural/educational network expands.
One major goal of the IMLS is to preserve culture, whether it is local, regional, national, or international in nature. Through digitalization and the spreading of information this goal may be realized. Partnerships between cultural and educational institutions may help to ensure their survival through this severe recession, the longest in post-war history. Not only should partnerships result in more users, they may eliminate duplication of positions and result in streamlining of staff in these institutions, thereby placing them in an advantageous position for growth when the economy recovers. Collaboration projects enable libraries and museums to explore common issues and challenges, build networks for collaboration, share information and best practices, and further develop their institutions.
Museums today are active partners with libraries, archives, historical societies, and others in building digital libraries in order to emphasize their role as educational institutions. Museums have had a long and productive relationship with academic and special libraries and are now collaborating more often with public libraries. Two important considerations for producing digital resources are good cataloging (library strength) and accurate, knowledgeable description according to appropriate standards (museum strength). A broader, more diverse audience may be reached through collaboration and digitalization because the institutions complement each other. Also, the wear and tear on parts of the museum collection may be reduced once digital reproductions are created for Web consumption. Library web-sites should be interactive and participatory, much like many museum web-sites are. This interactive/participatory model lends itself well to free choice learning, which represents half of all learning (after formal schooling and work). In free choice learning the individual is the entry point in the framework of learning. The individual user decides what participation method, learning style, learning venue, and content they wish to engage in.
Library-museum partnerships may also collaborate with educators. In Illinois, the Illinois Library Association (ILA) noticed that school visits to museums and libraries were on the rise once collaboration projects began. Home school educators use museum and library resources also. Ways educators and museum staff can work together is through professional development workshops and training sessions at museums. Also, students can create their own museums in schools. Museums and museum web-sites can be excellent resources for teachers to use for the curriculum. NC ECHO is creating online curriculum resources for K-12 educators in North Carolina.
In addition to educators, government can play a role in library-museum partnerships. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an agency within the Executive Branch charged with the mission of funding collaboration between cultural institutions like libraries and museums. Libraries were moved out of the Department of Education in the FY 1998 federal budget and placed under the umbrella of the IMLS. According to Diane Frankel, IMLS Director in 1997, museums are starting to understand that they need to serve a more diverse audience – while librarians have always realized that. Frankel describes libraries and museums as being “community anchors” and social places to spend time together, as well as educational institutions. These functions make these entities natural partners and the IMLS intends to facilitate more collaborations and partnerships through grant funding with the National Leadership Grant (NLG) program.
Dilevko criticizes some library-museum collaboration efforts, describing exhibits as “edutainment” since many museum exhibits shown at libraries have nothing to do with the library collection or community. Instead he recommends a library-museum hybrid that can be based on one of two models. The first model is the cabinet of curiosities – where books and objects are co-located to enhance investigation and learning. This model is often found in academic libraries. The second model is the popular collections model in which public libraries use individuals’ popular collections of objects to design exhibits that heighten the interconnections among libraries, information, and user communities.
Originally a phenomenon of private collectors, the cabinet of curiosities displays (or cabinets) of rare and curious pieces –using deaccessioned and stored museum objects – can have a bearing on learning. These artifacts, along with books from the library collection create an interdisciplinary environment to be explored by the user. The popular collections model utilizes objects that are affordable and appealing to the majority of people in order to connect to an audience of users. Corporate sponsorship may play a role in the blurring of the educational and entertainment functions of museums, raising concerns regarding control over the content of displays and exhibits (either at the museum itself or at a library partner). Museums seem to be making a shift from emphasizing “authentic objects” to “authentic experiences” in order to attract more users to the museum experience. This could lead to a problem in that the museum provides services and facilities that don’t relate to the museum’s collection. Libraries may fall into the same trap by hosting museum displays/exhibits that have nothing to do with the library community or collection.
Dilevko and Gottlieb contend that libraries will have a more difficult time asserting their importance to a community if they act and look like so many other places – an obvious swipe at bookstores. They also mention that the digital age has created the notion of re-establishing the museum as a physical space – a place where people would want to gather. Libraries and museums, they add, should avoid the situation where the experience-based concepts used to bring people to the library/museum do not translate into meaningful experiences that meet the scope of their mandates. Libraries must make the distinction between the goal of simply attracting visitors and of attracting library users. Libraries lack rare or impressive artifacts that draw people to them for study. They are partnering with museums often on collaborative digitalization projects for educational use. Also, libraries host traveling museum exhibits – which may erode the importance of the library’s own resources in the community. Many times these exhibits have little to do with the library’s permanent collection. The creation of virtual museum-libraries conflicts with the library’s need to reestablish itself as a physical space and presence in the community. A Catch 22 situation exists whereby the library expands its access electronically and loses physical users. One solution is to develop their own exhibitions that combine museum objects and artifacts with the library’s own collection.
Museums have recently begun to recognize what Dana practiced nearly a century ago – the value of local collectors in connecting to their communities. Some museums have a “collector in residence scheme” and in England, museums sponsor “People’s Shows” – collective displays in a museum environment of a number of private collections that range from pencil erasers to pulp fiction. Popular collections models based on users in a library community could be supplemented with objects from the library collection serving as a form of community outreach. An example would be a model collector proposing an exhibit based on his/her plastic kit collection of World War Two aircraft and the library adding books and magazines about aircraft and World War Two from its own collection and perhaps sponsoring a community plastic model kit-building contest (or show). Both the cabinet of curiosities model and the popular collections model can provide experiences to draw people to an educational institution. The library-museums can maintain control over how the information is presented (without corporate sponsorship). The library-museum hybrid is another method of these two cultural/educational institutions partnering together as places where people gather together.
According to McCook, libraries of the future will follow four main trends. First, they need to provide a sense of place – a third place (not home and not work) – where people gather. This is where being perceived as family-friendly falls and also helps communities retain their character. Second, there will be a convergence of cultural heritage institutions – digitalization is the main manifestation of this trend currently. An example is NC ECHO. Third, libraries follow inclusive service mandates along with a commitment to social justice. This is the struggle to supply equal access to all users. Lastly, libraries must sustain the public sphere – act as a public commons where citizens can meet and voice interests and concerns. In this sense the library can serve as an unofficial, informal town hall and news center, much as commons did in New England towns during colonial times. Combined together these trends support lifelong learning.
If the IMLS is renewed past 2009 library and museum collaborations or partnerships will probably increase due to two factors. One being that the IMLS represents both types of institutions coupled with the harsh reality of reduced funding (both public and private). Those institutions that would normally be an island may be forced to find a partner/partners. In the future one may expect to see multiple partners in collaborations, not just two, because of lack of funding and the publicity and public relations advantages. In addition, corporate sponsorships may be combined with grants and partnerships in a hybrid partnership. However, for this to work to best effect the public sector and the private sector should be co-equal partners. IMLS research shows that working together libraries and museums can increase access to information in their communities and enhance education. Also, they can attract new audiences and expand and complement the reach of their programs. Libraries and museums share common educational goals and the preservation of culture as common bonds. As more collaborations/partnerships have taken place the “rules of engagement” and protocols have been established between the two institutions in order for them to share expertise. Many staff members from the two organizations have developed a dialog due to previous collaboration efforts. The possibility of future regional and state conferences that would unite library and museum decision makers is more likely because of past successful collaborations between these and other cultural institutions. This base of support could be expanded to include educational organizations (schools) and the private sector (businesses), as well as government at the local, state, and national level. Finally, library-museum partnerships could be used in order to promote tourism in certain areas of the nation and therefore, economically benefit their communities.
The fate of libraries and other cultural institutions are in their own hands and may well be decided by how quickly they adapt to ever-changing technology, educational and cultural needs, and public perceptions. Librarians need no longer be passive and hope the powers that fund them will “do the right thing.” They must aggressively promote themselves in new ways and partner with other organizations and businesses that share at least some common goals and that can be mutually beneficial to them. New library skills needed in the twenty-first century include technological aptitude, business-type management skills for scheduling and prioritizing, and shameless self-promotion as well as the ability to broker and negotiate deals/prices (haggling). The ideal Century Twenty-One Librarian might be part techno-geek, part bookworm, part used-car salesman, part entrepreneur, part teacher, and part activist. This combination may be what is needed in order for libraries and librarians to survive into the twenty-second century.
About the Author
Jimmie Johnson Team 48 2009 Sprint Cup Champ Part 1.wmv
Highlights: Phantom EFX’s newest 3D casino environment from the creator of the World’s First and ONLY Casino MMO! Sports Books is better than ever this year with the addition of NASCAR and Golf bet on your favorite teams horses dogs and NASCAR outes and watch the statistics change as others place their bets. Character creator featuring millions of binations making the player’s creativity endless!U…
Developed exclusively for PS3 by Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo 5 brings the world’s most realistic and comprehensive driving experience to fans in one of the most highly anticipated games of all time. Gran Turismo 5 features more than 1000 licensed cars from the world’s top manufacturers and more than 20 tracks with more than 70 variations, including famous world circuits, city courses, and othe…
And the winner is…Dana Johnson? What? Turns out Dana’s friend secretly entered her in the contest to win a dinner date with NASCAR driver Braden James. Burned by her former fiancé, Dana isn’t exactly eager to be swept off her feet by someone who’ll disappear after dessert. She tells Braden he’s off the hook, but he says they’re on. His sponsor—a matchmaking Web site—is counting on him. And …
Incredible story and pictorial of No. 48 Jimmie Johnson’s record-setting NASCAR Championship streak from 2006-2009. Loaded with great pictures and stories/reviews from Jimmie, Nascar Insiders/journalists, Chad Knaus and much more.
CONTENTS INCLUDE:
- By Definition
- Letters From Hendrick Motorsports
- Long and Winding Road
- First Stirke: 2006
- Second Th…
Every NASCAR fan’s dream come true; spend the year with several of your favorite NASCAR drivers. Each page has a color photo and a driver or NASCAR fun fact. Officially licensed by NASCAR….
