The Wind in the Willows

  The Wind in the Willows is the enchanting tale of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad, read by Emmy Award winner Sir Derek Jacobi.  When Mole goes boating with the Water Rat instead of spring-cleaning, he discovers a new world.
The Wind in the Willows is narrated by Derek Jacobi
A Household Book; a book which everybody in the household loves, and quotes
continually; a book which is read aloud to every new guest and is regarded as the touchstone
of his worth.”A. A. Milne

The Wind in the Willows is a book for those “who keep the spirit of youth alive in them;
of life, sunshine, running water, woodlands, dusty roads, winter firesides.” So wrote Kenneth
Grahame of his timeless tale of Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad, in their lyrical world of gurgling
rivers and whispering reeds, a world which is both beautiful and benevolently ordered. But it is
also a world threatened by dark forces”the Terror of the Wild Wood” with its “wicked little
faces” and “glances of malice and hatred”and defended by the mysterious Piper at the Gates
of Dawn.

In the end, Grahame triumphantly succeeds in conveying his most precious theme: the miracle
of loyalty and friendship.

SUPERMAN – Everyone’s Favourite

The wonderful adventures of our favorite comic character – Superman.

From Superman‘s very first deed of daring to his battle of wits with evil business tycoon Lex Luthor, ‘The Adventures of Superman’ tells the story of the Man of Steel from the beginning – of his love affair with Lois Lane, his frienship with Jimmy Olsen, and his battles with adversaries including Luthor, the Bizarro Superman and Metallo, the cyborg with a kryptonite heart!

All of a Kind Family

“Memorable.” – The New York Times

“Heartwarming bit of Americana Delightful.” – Library Journal

“Warmly related from the author’s own childhood memories.” – Chicago Sunday Tribune

It’s the turn of the 20th century in New York’s Lower East Side and sense of adventure and excitement abounds for five yong sisters – Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie.

Follow along as they search for hidden buttons while dusting Mama’s front parlor, or explore the basement warehouse of Papa’s peddler’s shop on rainy days. The five girls enjoy doing everything together, especially when it involves holidays and surprises.

But no one could have prepared them for the biggest surprise of all!

Sydney Taylor has written many books for children, including the All-Of-A-Kind Family series: All-Of-A-Kind Family, All-Of-A-Kind Family Downtown, More All-Of-A-Kind-Family, All-Of-A-Kind Family Uptown and Ella of All-Of-A-Kind-Family.

Suzanne Toren has appeared on and off Broadway and in regional theaters throughout the country. She occasionally appears on television, most recently in “Law and Order.” and has recorded hundreds of audiobooks. She was the recipient of the Narrator of the Year Award for her recordings of Talking Books for the Library of Congress and of the TORGI Award from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

The Yellow Wallpaper

This novel is suitable for High School students and appears on many of the High School Summer Reading lists.
Watch a short video about The Yellow Wallpaper

ODesk – Online Staffing and Management Business

According to Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal ODesk Corp. has created a global marketplace where more than 125,000 freelance technical professionals from around the world have demand for their skills.

The Menlo Park-based startup is an online staffing and management business that helps companies hire, manage and pay an international pool of technical personnel at competitive rates.

“Think of us as an eBay for people, if you will,” said Gary Swart, chief executive officer of oDesk Corp.

ODesk is capitalizing on globalization trends, home-sourcing abilities and the access to talent, a challenge that companies face daily.

The startup presents small- to medium-sized companies with a global talent pool of technical professionals looking for an opportunity to work remotely on jobs that might not be available where they live.

Companies are trying to do more for less, might not need a full-time employee and can’t find temporary talent locally, Swart said. Companies aren’t charged for posting jobs. Professionals, however, are charged for posting their skills.

“These companies are saying, ‘If I could have a flexible bench — marketing, support or development resources — and I can take advantage of global arbitrage, maybe there’s a win there’,” Swart said.

The platform is attracting about 200 new companies seeking talent and 600 new job-hunting professionals a day, Swart said. On Oct. 24 the number of freelancers stood at about 123,000. On Nov. 4, the number had increased to more than 127,000.

ODesk raised $6 million in a 2005 A round from Globespan Capital Partners and Sigma Partners. A spring 2006 B round fetched $8 million, which was led by Benchmark Capital with Globespan and Sigma participating. This summer DAG Ventures led a $15 million C round with all three previous investors participating.

The company is growing at a rate of three times year over year, Swart said, and expects to do about $40 million in services in 2008, taking in $4 million in revenue.

Earthquake Tomorrow

According to The Redlands Daily Facts Millions will ‘Shakeout’ tomorrow in Southern California – Don’t worry, it’s only a drill
 On Thursday, millions of people around Southern California will drop, cover and hold on for two minutes as part of the largest earthquake drill in history.At 10 a.m. around 500,000 people from San Bernardino County will participate, and more than 5 million people are registered in Southern California for the Great California ShakeOut through schools, businesses, government agencies or faith-based organizations to participate in the event.The Great California ShakeOut was organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance, a group of earthquake professionals, civic leaders, businesses and emergency managers.The ShakeOut drill’s intent is to practice for a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The most recent large earthquake was the July 29 Chino Hills earthquake, which registered a 5.4 on the Richter Scale and was centered in Chino Hills.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, California has a 99.7 percent chance of having a 6.7 or higher earthquake in the next 30 years. The southern San Andreas has a 59 percent chance in the next 30 years to generate at least one magnitude 6.7 quake or larger for the entire California region. The fault runs along the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, through the Cajon Pass and up along the coast.