No Spec Work - Rewarding Creativity Properly

It is important to realize that your choice of a niche can have a significant influence on the success or failure of your new blog.

Deciding on a theme can be a daunting task. What exactly are you going to write about? Your niche needs to be a popular topic that many people are interested in.

If you are going to blog about yourself, then you better have a very interesting life, or you will have difficulty keeping your readers coming back for more. You should choose a topic that will make it comparatively easy to grow your readership and build a strong following.

Since many bloggers write about their favorite subjects, it’s not a bad idea to start brainstorming by writing down a list of your hobbies, interests, and any areas of professional expertise. Now try to determine a niche you can target within one of those areas.

Should you blog about automobiles in general, or the latest sports cars? If you choose too narrow a theme then you may struggle to come up with regular, fresh content. And if you choose a topic that’s too general your readers may be confused by a jumble of seemingly unrelated posts.

You might consider niches within the following general topic areas which have proven to be popular for blogging:

• Automobiles
• Computers & Information Technology
• Digital Cameras
• Gadgets
• Music
• News
• Photography
• Politics
• Shopping

If you plan to use Pay-Per-Click advertising to get traffic to your blog, then remember also that the hottest topics might have the highest pay-per-click fees.

You can sometimes get great niche ideas by browsing at Blog directories and sites like Google Blog Search: http://blogsearch.google.com

Since it is so time-consuming trying to com up with the ‘perfect’ niche idea, many bloggers and webmasters have turned to specialized niche discovery tools. I particularly recommend Online Gold Finder and NicheTopics.

With Online Gold Finder you can uncover profitable, undiscovered online markets with just a couple of clicks. Read more about Online Gold Finder at: http://www.moneyforblogging.com/goldfinder.htm

NicheTopics is quite handy in a different way. You get to use some great research that’s already been completed by an expert. It is a ready-to-use report on 109 unique, untapped niches. Read more about NicheTopics: http://www.moneyforblogging.com/nichetopics.htm

The tools above are not free but consider for a moment. If you are planning - or would even like - to make some money from your blog, then it will be worthwhile to start off with a well-researched niche.

If a particular tool uncovers a good niche that pays an additional $5 a day, it will pay for itself inside the first month!

Don’t forget, it will be very difficult to change the theme and niche of your blog later. So invest some time wisely during your planning stage.

You will be off to a strong start in building a successful blog.

Mike Seddon is a writer, entrepreneur, and webmaster. He is the author of the popular e-book, ‘How to Build a Money Making Blog’, available from www.MoneyForBlogging.com

Whew! You have counseled the victims. You have counseled and yelled at the bullies!

And they are still running their mouths and hurting innocent students!

Remember the Bully Zapper motto - “Keep Trying!”

Our school has an in-house counseling program through our county health department.

These therapists have an office right in the school, and we use them for mental health emergencies also! They also provide in-service training to our staff on ADHD, Depression, and other common disorders.

We recommend counseling for both the bully and the victim. Often, the victim’s parent or guardian will enroll their child. This is so wonderful for the victim because now they have another person to talk to for support.

The therapist is also another set of eyes and ears for the victim. They also report any more bullying to us. More information from an adult gives the school staff more authority to discipline the bully, and possibly remove him/her from the general school
population.

Most of your schools don’t have in-school counseling programs. But, don’t worry! I then refer the bully and the victim to outside therapists in the community!

You can get a disclosure statement signed and still get information from this community therapist! “Where there is a will, there is a way!”

Paula McCoach invites you to join the Bully Zapper Newsletter, which is published weekly with tons of tips on how to effectively deal with bullies in elementary and middle school. You will receive a free special report for your subscription. To join, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

Purchase the latest Bully Zapper publication, 11 SIMPLE STEPS TO ZAPPING BULLIES! Discover tips on working with the bully as well as the victim, talking to parents effectively, using behavior checklists with success, enabling teachers to deal with bullies in their classrooms, and much more practical and useful information you can use immediately to Zap the Bullies in your school! To order, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

©2005 Permission granted to reprint this article in print on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to the email
coach@bullyzapper.com and http://www.bullyzapper.com

You can trade your cards in two different ways: face to face, or by postal mail. The first type of trading is performed at tournaments, at schools, or at the local comic shop, and you arrange the trades by checking the other person’s cards directly, holding them in your hands. Otherwise, cards are traded by mail when the parties can not meet because they live far apart from each other.

Both ways of trading have their own risks and you can be ripped in both situations if you don’t take the necessary precautions. Trading face to face is normally less dangerous, because you are seeing the material you are getting, and you receive it at the same time you give yours. Nevertheless, you can still be cheated in two ways. You may get counterfeit cards, or you may get cards whose value is far lower than the value of those you give.

Counterfeit cards are normally easy to tell apart for a person with experience with the real ones, but many young traders do not know enough about the cards they are trading, so they can be fooled into believing they’re some special kind of legitimate cards. And there are also very good counterfeits out there that are really difficult to distinguish from real ones even for an experienced player.

Cards from each collectible card game have different details you should check to validate their authenticity. For Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, for example, which is one of the games that is suffering most from these deceiving practices, one of the main tell-tales is a small hologram at the bottom right corner, which should show the Anubis eye, or the word YuGiOh depending on how the light shines on it. But also the coloring scheme of both sides of the card and even the general layout may be different in fake cards. You should always compare the cards you are getting with the ones you have and make sure the consistency of the cardboard and the quality of the printing are similar, as counterfeit cards are normally made with cheaper materials, including paper, ink, glue, etc.

Nevertheless, most trades involve only authentic cards. But there is another thing you have to be aware of when trading your cards. In every trade, the value of the exchanged cards should be equivalent. But determining this is not an exact science. The worth of a card depends on parameters like its rarity, and its condition. Rarity is determined by the frequency of printing, and the condition of conservation is important mainly for collectors. But the value is also relative and sometimes subjective. The same card may have different value for different people. For example, a collector may value a card much more than a player when it is difficult to find but it is not all that useful in the game. Also, the value of a card changes with time, as new game strategies are explored or new cards are published.

However, you can always determine a general value for a card based on how desirable it is for the average trader. That’s why most people will generally agree on a trade being balanced or not. So, if you are unsure about the value of your cards or the ones you are going to receive, you should ask someone else to evaluate the trade.

Summing up, if you have a minimum of experience and can value the cards and distinguish fake ones, you should have no real problem when trading cards in person with any other trader.

But nowadays it’s getting much more frequent to arrange trades on the Internet and performing the exchange by postal mail. People are meeting on the net, checking their haves and wants and arranging trades, all remotely and without meeting. Then they swap addresses and send their cards by postal mail.

In these cases you don’t know anything for sure about the other person, just whatever they want to tell you about them. You don’t know if they really have the cards they are offering, or if the cards are authentic and in the agreed condition. Here you can not see nor touch the cards before agreeing to the trade, and you can only verify if the cards are authentic, and in the right condition, once you receive them in your mailbox. If you have already sent yours, it could be too late by then.

In trades by mail you run a greater risk, therefore, if you send your cards before receiving those from the other trader. That’s why there is a lot of discussion, when arranging a trade through the web, about who will send his cards first. The most usual way to determine this is by resorting to references. References are votes of confidence given by someone who has traded before with this person and was satisfied by his performance. It is assumed that the greater number of references a trader has, the more reliable he is. Consequently, the rule is that the person with fewer references should be willing to send his cards first if required to do so. Nevertheless the sheer number of references is not guarantee of a perfect trader. You should always check one or more of the references to verify they are authentic and recent. A reference includes a way of contacting the referrer so he can explain when and how the trade took place. You should ask politely and thank any replies you get.

Even after verifying references, you may end up not getting the cards you wanted. You may have fallen pray of a ripper, or the other person may have simply forgotten about the trade. Or they may have sent you fake cards believing they were real, or damaged cards they had rated as fair. If you can still contact your trader you may reach a second agreement to fix any deficiencies in the trade, though this will imply more expenses and time, and may need of a lot of negotiation. You should always try to be as polite as possible even if you are discussing what you think is a misbehavior. Upsetting your speaker won’t improve your chances of getting a good resolution to the problem.

Most people use Internet forums to get in contact with other traders. They post their lists, exchange messages, match their collections, and arrange trades all in the same format, as board messages. Everything is manual and users need to keep visiting the forums to check for new users and visually identify the cards they are looking for. To ease this process, a few specialized web sites have emerged that allow users to input their haves and wants in a standard way so that the system itself can match their collections and tell them about possible traders and wanted cards that are available. This way the search for trades gets automated and a lot of effort is saved. Nevertheless, users must still visit the sites periodically to check for new matches. Trade Cards Online (http://www.tradecardsonline.com) is the only site which offers their exclusive Automated Report on Possible Trades, alerting their users whenever any of the cards they are looking for becomes available for trading. Users receive an e-mail message without having to visit the site continuously for this purpose.

So finding the best trades is getting much easier thanks to the Internet and its global access. The web is also making the trades by postal mail much more frequent. Unfortunately, it is not reducing the associated risks. Forums are getting full of messages complaining about this or that user who has cheated someone. Special forums are created to post the names of those people deemed to be bad traders. There is in fact a web site dedicated to fighting bad traders of collectible cards: G.A.B. (Good Against Bad traders: http://www.gabtraders.com) is a community of volunteers who investigate reports of misbehavior in card trades, and maintain a list of confirmed cheaters. The minimum precaution you must take before initiating a trade with someone is checking that they are not already listed in that website as bad traders.

But if you are really concerned about safety, then Trade Cards Online is the site for you. Trade Cards Online (http://www.tradecardsonline.com) is a feature-rich site dedicated to facilitating your trading of collectible cards and which has made every effort to increase your security when trading. There are several features that make it the safest place to trade on the Internet:

• Spam-free: your e-mail address is never shared with anyone else, as all messages are exchanged through an internal messaging system which directs them to your mailbox without disclosing your address to the other user. You can also decide whether you want to receive messages only from registered users, or also from external traders.

• Trustworthy: the site features an easy-to-use reference system that lets users give references to each other and keeps track of them and the time they were submitted. Checking the number of references a trader has and contacting a few of them is all easily done from within the website.

• Protected: the site offers the exclusive Protected Trade service which guarantees you won’t get cheated or ripped. The site acts as intermediary and checks that the cards are in fact sent and are the correct ones before resending them to their final owners. This way you get your own cards back if the other party on the trade does not meet its commitment. You will never lose your cards again to a dishonest trader.

• Free of rippers: there is no bad trader list, and that is because bad traders are simply removed altogether from the site, so it stays free of cheaters. Whenever a user thinks he has been ripped in a trade with another user, they create a Bad Trader Report which is investigated based on the internal records of messages exchanged. If no resolution is reached, offending users are automatically expelled from the site and banned for life. Users who get listed at G.A.B also get immediately removed from this site.

Trading online is full of advantages that make trading cards much easier and more convenient, but you need to be cautious and use all the available services that reduce your risks of being ripped of your precious cards.

About the Author:

Clemente Zamora is the webmaster of Trade Cards Online

The site where trading collectible cards is made easy!

He is also in charge of Miniature Trading and Hypernovels.com

During the recent “schools out session”, I was reminded how much the kids crave entertainment. No matter what time of year the “Kids Just Wanna Have Fun.” And who could blame them? I don’t think there are many of us who haven’t longed for the carefree, playful days of our youth. I have four of these carefree fun hungry kids. Keeping them entertained on a tight budget is always a challenge.

I have discovered over the years that more money doesn’t necessarily mean more fun. In fact, some of the simplest, age old activities, seem to feed their fun hungry souls the best. Remember, in the “old days” that is the “very old days”. Family gatherings provided a great source of entertainment. It’s hard to believe that in today’s fast paced, high tech, world that children still enjoy this kind of interaction.

I have found that for some reason, maybe because it validates their own behaviors, kids love to hear stories of when we were young. No, not the kind that remind them of how good they have it today. I’m talking about our childhood antics, the times when we misbehaved, did something wrong, and the consequences.

Most of us have funny moments in our life that just stick with us. Sometimes they weren’t so funny at the time at least from our prospective, then. My kids love to hear stories of my childhood antics, when I broke the rules, how I felt about it, and what punishment I had to endure because of it. They especially like the punishment part. Some sort of satisfaction knowing that I had to endure the cruelties of punishment also!

Of course it doesn’t sound amusing to talk about times when you got in trouble. But, those memories are funny to us now that we look back at our childhood. Sure we can laugh now……… We’re a lot smarter and see the innocence of our ways.

This is a great way to also remind ourselves that we were once kids also. And not so different than our own kids. With much the same innocence, gullibility, and scheming potential. Ahhhh… a great tool for reminding us that at least some of the behaviors we frown on in our kids is just the normal age old process of growing up! A very reassuring thought when you’re ready to pull your hair out.

In some ways this ritual of reminiscing shows our children that we love them unconditionally. That we understand. Why, because we’ve been there, done that. And we acted in many ways , and felt in many ways , the same way they do today. Its true that some things never change. I have a shorter list of tales to tell being one of three siblings. My husband on the other hand is one of eleven children, and he can keep them in belly busting laughter for hours, leaving them begging for more. Telling not only his own antics but those of his brothers and sisters.

So, if you ever find everyone sitting around looking bored to the gills, start up a casual conversation and work in some of your funny moments in life. You’ll have them begging for more and more tales. “Tell some more, tell some more!” And the best part ….. It’s Free Entertainment!

With a little research….what was that?……..research? If you’ve been to visit http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com you know this is one of my pet peeves….. If you don’t know what’s out there or if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’re doomed to spend too much of your hard earned money!

There no disputing the fact that an ” Informed Consumer = More Savings! ” There! I said it again. Boy did that feel good. Well now that I got that off my chest let me share some ideas on this FUN thing.

• Roller skating- went once a week when I was a kid. Loved it! Guess what? My kids love it too! And it’s cheap if you do your research. Our local rink has a family night. Get this , $1 to get in $1 for skates if you need to rent.

  If you make this a regular outing, invest in the skates. That’s one of those birthday or Christmas gifts that will pay you back in the long run. My husband and I don’t skate, those days are gone. Although I highly recommend it for a great workout. That means four kids can get in for $4. Three hours of fun for $4. You can’t beat it!

  I could get us in for even less . . .only $2. We have a local grocery store that prints coupons on back of the receipts, one of the most frequent coupons I get ….the local roller skating rink “buy one entrance fee, get one free” .

  I prefer not to use these for family night since my oldest daughter likes to go to the rink on “teen night” The rink socks it to them at $6 an entry. They know where the money is! This is a social event that many teens in the area just can’t miss! This way she can get in free if she goes with a paying friend. Sometimes, just to be fair, we share the savings with her friends and each of them only has to pay $3. This way she doesn’t feel like she’s taking advantage of anyone.

• Bowling: this can be a great low cost avenue for FUN if you don’t get carried away. Usually you have to pay by the game, per person. So set your limits and have fun. Most lanes have bumper guards now that prevent the little ones from excessive “gutter ball blues” It helps put the fun back in it for the very young children. A great feature. Even for the fumbling adult. Who am I kidding, I love those bumper guards!
  Most alleys have a discount night. So, try to plan your activities so you can enjoy the benefits of the discounts.

Just a Note: Both of the above businesses usually offer birthday party rates as well. If you’re not into planning your own party at home (by far the most economical way) then consider checking out the party packages.

• Cookouts and Picnics: Cookouts don’t have to be for special occasions. We have several wonderful parks in our area that sport wonderful playgrounds and scenic walking or biking trails. So take the boredom out of lunch one Saturday or Sunday afternoon and throw together a cookout or picnic at your local park. My kids just need to get out of the house sometimes. They don’t really care where they go, as long as they go somewhere!

  Parks are a great resource for free fun! The internet is a great resource for finding new, different, and exciting parks in your area. Just do a simple search and you will probably be amazed at the numerous parks within driving distance from your home. So keep it interesting and travel a little bit to get to exciting new places!

  An extra bonus . . . . You will be making great memories for your kids!:)

• Museums and Historical Landmarks: Don’t think you have any near you? Bet Ya’ do! Why even in the far out sticks of nowhere you might be surprised to find a museum within a reasonable distance. I am blessed to live in a highly cultural area between Washington DC and Baltimore. So museums, tourists attractions, and historic landmarks (yes many of them Free) are abundant.

  But, no matter where you live, do a little research (yes, again) and I’ll bet you’ll find some interesting attraction or museum convenient to your home. If in a rare case you don’t, then plan to visit an area on a weekend trip where you can enjoy these types of historic attractions.

• Family Game Night:

- I know that many times after a hard days work we just want to sit, relax, and well, basically, do nothing! But, once you get in a habit of designating one night “Family Game Night” I guarantee you’ll look forward to it.

This is a great way interact with your kids. It’s fun, educational, and provides an opportunity for conversation (Now that’s something those teens don’t offer up much). Choose games that everyone enjoys and is capable of doing. Games that suit the family’s entire age span are always more fun. And, there are many out there.

If you have a large family with some large age differences, you can opt to have two game nights so you can include games suited for the younger children that the older ones might get bored with. Of course, always provide the option for older ones to be included. Sometimes, believe it or not, they just enjoy the quality time with parents and siblings.

Well, I’m hoping these ideas will keep you busy for now! And remember, it doesn’t have to cost alot to be alot of FUN!

Cheryl Johnson is a mother of four helping herself and others become and stay debt free. Publisher of Simple Debt Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com - A self-help plan, ideas, and resources for debt management, personal budgeting, and frugal living, including tips for low cost family entertainment.

Commemorate a major milestone or just light up an ordinary day by gifting the man in your life with personalized cigar accessories. Cigar aficionados will appreciate adding a few of these practical yet posh accoutrements to their stash of smoking implements, many of which are perfectly-sized to be taken on the go.

Perhaps one of the most important personalized cigar accessories is a travel humidor, because, let’s face it, there is nothing humorous about arriving at your destination with dried out and crushed cigars. About the size of a hardback novel, a travel humidor will hold up to a dozen of a guy’s favorite smokes while maintaining their integrity with an internal hygrometer and durable cedar-lined case. Cigar humidors come in styles that reflect the recipient’s favorite hobby such as golf, gambling or outdoor sports and can be personalized with a name, date and special message.

Anyway you slice it, a quality cigar cutter is another must-have personalized cigar accessory necessary for the proper enjoyment of the stogie. The “V” cutter and the “punch” cutter both help achieve a clean cut and luxurious draw from the cigar; the choice between these implements is based on the smoker’s personal preference and cigar type. With his monogram engraved on the side, no man will ever want to be caught biting the tip off his cigar again.

For the guy who likes to streamline his gadgets, there are personalized cigar accessories that provide heaps of utility in a well-designed, functional format. One of the most popular is the trifecta combination “flask-cutter-case” cigar accessory. Pour a bit of your favorite spirit from the flask while your prepare the finest Cuban cigar for its intended use with the cutter. Aside from a massage, what more could you ask for in gentlemen’s relaxation!

Other personalized cigar accessories include lighters engraved with a monogram, etched glass ashtrays or even a plush smoking jacket embroidered with the wearer’s initials. Always in fine taste for business gifts, groomsmen gifts or other occasions that should be marked with a sophisticated token of appreciation. The aroma of tobacco piques the senses of the aspiring and seasoned connoisseur and personalized cigar accessories are just the means to bring about an evening of male bonding.

Article written by Groom Stand, a provider of personalized groomsmen gifts. You are free to reproduce this article as long as all links remain intact.

1) BRAINSTORM

It is a good idea to pick a baby boy, girl, or a unisex baby name, even if the sonogram has already shown you the sex of your baby, after all, surprises do happen. Set aside time with no interruptions to clear your mind and brainstorm names that appeal to you and write them on a piece of paper. You may want to honor an endeared relative, or choose a name with religious meaning. Or perhaps you have heard a name before and said to yourself ‘Hey, that’s a cool baby name’. If you want the name to have a specific meaning, for example ’strong’, do an internet search, or look it up in a book. Check out the most popular baby names list for the last few years. It is surprising how many names you thought were unique are actually very popular. If you want an unusual baby name, skim the dictionary or a favorite book to see what pops out at you. Surf the internet for sites with free or paid baby name wizards, usually you answer a few questions and the wizard suggests possible baby names, for more ideas.

2) ELIMINATE

Hopefully you have a good-sized list of possible baby names by now. Takes a few days break after your brainstorming session to clear your mind. Then, write your names neatly on another sheet of paper, including all combinations of possible first and middle names with your last name. You may be able to automatically eliminate a few that may have sounded appealing when you were brainstorming, but now you wonder ‘what was I thinking?’

Now, eliminate names in which the last letter of either the first or middle name ends with the first letter of the last name, for example Allison Newman, or Allison Ann Newman (makes pronunciation difficult because there is no clear distinction where the last name begins and the first name ends). Eliminate names whose initials spell undesired acronyms, for example
Richard Arthur Turner = RAT, unless you want to make it as easy as possible for other children to poke fun at your child in school (yes kids can be cruel). Do some internet or book research to find out the meanings of remaining names. You may want to eliminate names with undesired meanings, for example ‘nave’, while you may discover others that are definitely keepers, for example ‘brave’.

3) DECIDE

I know, deciding on a baby name is easier said than done. Give yourself a few days break again, and then reassess your list. You should be able to eliminate a few more. Ask friends and family for their opinions, or post your finalists on an internet poll. You can do this for free on many sites nowadays.

And you also have to decide how you want to spell it! Many people nowadays are creating exotic ways to spell traditional names for example Kaysey or Caisee, and like most things, this has pros and cons. It gives originality and uniqueness to your childs name, however your child will go through life constantly correcting the spelling of his or her name.

And remember, the most important thing is that YOU are happy with whatever baby name you choose. Happy Hunting!

Joy is the webmaster at http://www.babynamesetc.com - home of the free and unique baby name generator.

Cancer of the mesothelium is a infrequent cancer of the tissue that lines the body’s inside organs. Nearly two thousand brand new occurrences are pinpointed each year in the whole US. Out of these, aroundthree out of four of instances affect the sac around the lungs, called the pleura. This type of cancer is called pleural mesothelioma. In about ten to 20 percent of occurrences, mesothelioma cancer might involve the tissue that surrounds abdominal organs, referred to as the peritoneal membrane, creating what is then known as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Exposure to asbestos is absolutely the main influencing factor for this rare aliment. After exposure to asbestos, the time period to development of the mesothelioma disease may be 2 to 4 decades. As a result of work related introduction, mesothelioma is almost three times more likely in males, than in females. Because the mass of cases rises with age, there are nearly ten times more instances in the men more than age 64 than in the males in their thirties.

Getting Cancer of the mesothelium is a grave sickness, that, currently, has a incredibly bad rate of long-term continuance. On the other hand, if it is recognized early on, care are then in existence that will seriously lengthen the patient’s life. All new therapies continue to be and are being developed through clinical trials.

WIth so many darn home gyms on the marketplace and abundance of advertising how in the heck is someone suppose to decide what home gym to buy. If you are anything like me you’ve in all likelihood purchased a couple of all the rage products believing that you’ll use them, merely to realize that you have only bought something to hang your dirty clothes on. I have learnt the hard way that someone should expect for certain characteristics. The first one I will speak about in this series is durability.

It’s real that the choice and variation in home gyms is virtually too much to handle. I can surely understand why people might just think to buy whatsoever piece of home gym equipment is pushed or appears hot. Surely, esthetics is part of how someone might select a home gym. However, looks should be the least criteria to use.

Home gyms come in all shapes and sizes. All The Same, when searching at home gyms I believe the number one criteria ought to be durability. Lack of durability, of course, you will find yourself in the market for a new home gym relatively soon. Yet, worse than that is the fact that psychologically when you are exercising you realize the gym is fragile and inadvertently hold back on workouts with intensity. Intensity is a essential ingredient in having a strong workout.

Okay, In my humble opinion the first cirteria to utilize when looking at which home gym to buy is durability. There are many home gyms on the market, but not all of them arefashioned with quality. They might work, they may even work good, but what good is it if they break in 6 calendar months.

Get Wholesale Fabric & Sewing Notions at Salehoo wholesale directories and help your business. You may want to choose products that you already know something about in order to use that expertise to choose quality products that you can then sell and make profit from. Read on about Wholesale Fabric & Sewing Notions, Wholesale Region 2 Dvd and how Salehoo Wholesalers can help. Yes you can make good money without the greatest wholesaler or distributor but is it smart if you do not have a popular image like many online giants or are not fully recognized as a perceived authority? Buy low sell high- formula has been proved profitable for decades now. More on Wholesale Fabric & Sewing Notions and Wholesale Outlet Tee Shirts Phoenix Az at Salehoo wholesalers. And also see more about Ribbon Rose Wholesale

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As aunt of a preschooler and an aspiring voiceover actress (I knew all those hours of watching Bugs Bunny would come in handy), I know all the kids’ shows as well as every kids’ DVD out there.

In my opinion, there’s no better way celebrities can recoup their outrageous salaries than entertaining and sometimes educating kids. And They Might Be Giants get the “cooler than Elvis” vote for singing the theme song to one of Playhouse Disney’s newest hits, “Higglytown Heroes,” which is also on their CD/DVD for kids, “Here Come the ABCs.”

For those of you not familiar with all things Higgly (an adjective used as much as “Smurfy” but not, thank Higgles, as a verb), the series centers on a small town and four tots named Eubie, Kip, and siblings Wayne and Twinkle. Think “South Park” with better art and no foul mouths. The strongest language is, “Aw, pickles,” usually uttered by Twinkle (pinker than Trista Rehn Sutter!) after her fanciful ideas for solving the kids’ dilemmas get gently punctured by Fran, a friendly squirrel voiced by Edie McClurg.

In each two-episode half-hour show, the Higgly Kids experience common, innocent childhood events such as finding a caterpillar, hosting a television party for the Happy Hairy Higgly Monster Primetime Special, losing a tooth, Kip’s Grandpa locked in the bathroom, or caring for an unhappy bird. The kids try to solve their problems, guided by Fran who is the voice of reason, helped by their loving families and the ever-enthusiastic oddly Bill and Ted-ish Pizza Guy…plus someone special. Then comes the inevitable song…

“Someone special, who could it be?
This job’s too big for you and me.
We need some help!
But never fear-o,
It looks like a job for a…Higglytown Hero!
A Higglytown Hero!”

Some of the heroes are natural choices, especially after September 11: Police Woman, Firefighter, etc. But how many of us think of sanitation workers, electricians, plumbers, gardeners, mail carriers (voiced by Kathie Lee Gifford) and farmers as heroes? Or a telephone operator (voiced by Cyndi Lauper)? Although the heroes have celebrity voices, the Higgly Kids discover that the real stars all around them are the people who solve problems every day.

Some of the dilemmas get a little ridiculous from an adult perspective. For example, when Kip climbs a tree to save a beloved neighborhood cat and her kittens, his friends help him. Why, when he gets stuck, can’t they help him back down? Ahem…when was the last time you tripped and panicked? You need help in your own life every day without thinking about it.

The beauty of “Higglytown Heroes” is that it celebrates working together, “having fun together,” and the Higgly Kids as well as their families never take for granted the Heroes in their lives. The Electrician (Lance Bass) gets invited to share in the “Higgly Monsters” TV party after repairing the circuitry for Kip’s house. The Fire Fighter (Donald Faison) who gets Kip out of the tree shares in a birthday party for the neighborhood cat. How many of us go out of our way to thank the people who make our lives easier? Sometimes we forget to see them as people with needs and feelings.

We even forget to see our own families as heroes. Kip’s Grandmama (voice of “Golden Girl” Betty White, with Rose Nylund-like hairdo) knits the kids sweaters. Kip’s real-estate agent Mom, Bitty, acts like the soul of ’50s domesticity, but gets rewarded when Kip and his friends make her a get-well card. Wayne’s Mom, Plunkie, shows the kids a caterpillar and drives them to the beach, while Wayne and Twinkle’s Uncle Lemmo cooks them breakfast at his diner and, in the Christmas special, drives Wayne and Twinkle about in his sleigh.

Interestingly, Higgly families aren’t always nuclear families, something Disney portrays as normal without calling attention to it. Kip’s family is the proverbial nuclear family, with twin sisters, a baby sister, a mom and dad, Fripp, (who operates a hot dog cart), and two grandparents who either live in Kip’s large house or visit constantly. Twinkle and Wayne’s mom seems to be a single parent (although all are African-American, no one has screamed racism yet), and Eubie is apparently being raised by his Southern-accented Aunt Mellie and Uncle Zooter, with visits from his Southern-accented Grandpop Crank (a farmer).

In many ways, Higglytown is idealized. No one really seems to worry about jobs, money or status. People go to the library, and a Librarian is a Higglytown Hero! The kids “work real hard” and take responsibility (gasp) by thinking up ways to help themselves and their families, and in each episode there are little moral lessons and advice (take care of your pets, don’t use too much electricity, make someone smile) to show the kids how they can grow up to be…Higglytown Heroes!

Cynics and naysayers will deride this as kiddie pablum. I call it a refreshing dose of reality and a tribute to the heroes all around us. The Disney animators are Higglytown Heroes for creating this show.

Author’s Note: After this review originally made the rounds on the Web, actor Rory Thost, who provides the voice of “Kip,” was kind enough to be a “Higglytown Hero” and make my day by telling me how much he and the cast liked the review. For all of those who think our kids are complete troublemakers, young Master Rory Thost is thirteen: http://imdb.com/name/nm1191277/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9cm9yeSB0aG9zdHxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft=4. His showbiz career is already longer than mine! More importantly, in a world where bad behavior by celebrities is sadly the norm, this young man remains polite, mature, well-educated and well-grounded.

Author’s Note II: This series gets better and better. The continuity is even on a par with most primetime shows. Kip has adopted a dog named “Shadow,” who makes guest appearances; we meet Fran’s parents after seeing them in the Christmas special; Eubie’s Grandpop becomes a Higglytown Hero; Eubie’s bird Flappy makes appearances from time to time. The Firefighter returns. And Pizza Guy’s role keeps expanding. He comes to the rescue more than once, but when oh when will he get to be a Higglytown Hero? I want to hear that song!

Author’s Note III: Disney has created JoJo’s Circus toys, so I assumed that Higglytown Heroes toys were not far behind. Stacking Russian-doll toys? What could be simpler? But after receiving e-mails from some of you inquiring about Higgly toys, I double-checked. Sad to say, there are no Higgly toys out there.

Aw, pickles!

The best thing to do is go to Playhouse Disney Online (http://playhousedisney.com) and e-mail the Mouse about making Higgly toys!

Kristin Johnson is co-author of the “enthusiastically recommended” Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com