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The day of the great fantasy film franchise is not over. It may only have just begun as Hollywood studios dig through the science fiction and fantasy genres for old series of books to mine for modern profit. The next franchise to be developed into a series of big budget movies is Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter books. The first volume was published in 1912 with the title “Under the Moons of Mars”. Republishing later as a book called A Princess of Mars, the short novel about Earthman John Carter’s adventures on the ancient world of Barsoom (Mars) kicked off a 10-book series that helped established Burroughs as one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century.

Burroughs made his biggest mark with the character of Tarzan, who was featured in over 30 books, numerous comic strips, and many movies. Other fantastic stories came from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ skilled hands as well: the Pellucidar novels, the Pirates of Venus books, and two books about The Land That Time Forgot. Some of these stories were made into movies. Most of them were transformed into comic books. At one point or another various scholars have attempted to document connections between all the stories to show that ERB (as he is affectionately known to his fans) created a complicated master universe filled with numerous worlds, civilizations, and cultures.

While it is not clear that the larger fictional universe will be explored, the Disney Studios in partnership with Pixar Animation Studios are producing three movies based on the John Carter stories. The first movie, John Carter of Mars, is scheduled for release in 2012, marking the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first book.

Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins lead a star-studded cast for John Carter of Mars featuring Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, James Purefoy, Thomas Hayden Church, Dominic West, Mark Strong, Polly Walker, and Daryl Sabara.

Fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs have been discussing a possible John Carter of Mars movie for several years as rumors have circulated. Despite several false starts over the decades the character of John Carter has never yet appeared in any movie. That will change starting in December 2009 as a direct-to-dvd low-budget adaptation is released by The Asylum.

An active life can make it tricky to read every title you want to. Often we don’t understand how long commutes and different daily tasks may take up sizable chunks of our time. A demanding job, caring for children or looking after your home all reduce the free time you have to persue your interests. If you really enjoy learning and are finding it troublesome to fit it in, journeys to work might provide the perfect time for catching up. Thanks to downloads, you can relish Last Voyage Of Columbus by Martin Dugard by Download Audio Book Online, or audio books brought to life by Alan Colmes without even lifting a book. Nowadays multi-tasking now becoming important. Audio-books such as Pimsleur Spanish I Part 3 by Dr. Paul Pimsleur for sale from Download Audio Book Online occupy the dead hours in our schedule, it may be time passed waiting at the dentist’s surgery or maybe buying groceries. Audiobooks are obtainable to download as audio files suited for computers, laptop computers and media players these include Journey Into Space: Operation Luna - Episode 11 by Charles Chilton, so use of your mp3 player and earphones and get ready to check out a thriller or a great novel, such as audio-books penned by James Patterson without carting heavy books around.

The various benefits of audio books include renting or buying the instructional book of your choice then savoring it at your leisure. Need to learn French? Try an audiobook! Perhaps new sales techniques matter to you, you can even explore religious or spiritual trends. Audio books are in stock in a myriad of titles and genres. It really doesn’t matter if you’re a natural history fan, nuts over science fiction and fantasy or even interested in personal development, it’s easy to download many audiobooks now. Many plans are available; you can easily take a subscription to a rental program or make a purchase. Reading devotees will invariably seek out a time for reading, even so the most convenient way may be the thousands of audio titles now available. Some stories, for example audio books narrated by Carmen Bin Ladin, are even better when performed by the writer or a famous actor. Just reading a title is not the same as listening to an audio title told by Elizabeth Kostova, with the additional refinements of an real rendition. Enjoying audio-books narrated by Gordon B. Hinckley can bring more meaning to the title and often can mean more than written word. So the next time whenever you consider buying the hard copy of a book you might never find time to read, do not forget about audio-books as another choice.

Please review our excellent web site for http://www.audiofrombooks.com products!

A barrister bookcase is a traditionalistic bookcase that is believed to have originated in Britain. Its differentiating feature is a flawless field glass front end. This glass face is hinged at the allowing a person to easily access volumes and other collectibles simply by raising the glass door. The barrister bookcase is ideal for a thousand things. A Barrister’s bookcase was frequently used by a lawyers since it was often necessary for them to move. Now, they are very convenient, especially if one is invariably on the move. This is because of the doors. This entails they can be moved while whole.

Oak Furniture
Barrister bookcases have the benefit of protecting things from dustand other foreign impurities. They in fact offer greater protection than other types of bookshelves. Except junk, it is also possible to offer protection from sunshine by adding tempered glass. . sunlight impacting the spines of the books. This will maintain the books coloring from fading

This special brand of furniture, despite many benifits,can be quite pricey. Fortuitously, there unqiueness has caused some producers to start creating replica editions. Some modern versions are also available at very healthy prices. Some variations have simple appearances and can be made to fit a particular decor. They can also be trimmed and made into customized storage units.The fact that they can be stacked together allows them to be easily used to create very interesting unit arrangements. Some can be used to create end tables, breakfronts or even dinning tables.

An ebook is a book in electronic format. It is downloaded to a computer, PC, Mac, laptop, PDA or any other kind of computer, and is read on the screen. It can have numbered pages, table of contents, pictures and graphics, exactly like a printed book.

Ebooks present many benefits and advantages, and this article shows some of them.

It is very simple and easy to purchase and download ebooks through the Internet. It is exactly like purchasing any other product. The only difference is that after payment you will either be directed to a download page or receive the download link in an email. All you have to do is click on the link and the ebook will automatically download to your computer, to a folder of your own choice.

After download you don’t have to be connected to the Internet in order to read the ebook. You can stay offline. If you wish to have it printed, it is very easy. Just click on the print button in the ebook, to print it with your home printer.

So what are the benefits and advantages of ebooks?

1. Ebooks are delivered almost instantaneously. You can purchase, download and start reading them within minutes, without leaving your chair. You don’t have to go to a bookstore to buy them, neither wait for them for days, weeks and sometimes more to arrive in the mail.

2. No trees are required to manufacture paper for the pages of ebooks.

3. When you need certain information, you can get it immediately, by downloading an ebook.

4. Many ebooks are sold nowadays with bonuses, which you usually do not get with a printed book. This adds value to your purchase.

5. Ebooks take up less space. You practically don’t need any space to store them. You don’t need a library or a room for them. You can store hundreds and thousands of ebook in your computer.

6. Ebooks are portable. You can carry a whole library of hundreds of books with you, on CD, in a laptop, notebook or any ebook reader, without worrying about their weight.

7. With today technology you can read ebooks anywhere, on the bus, train, airplane and while standing in line.

8. Ebooks are more safely stored and carried from one place to another, than ordinary books. They also withstand time more than books.

9. Ebooks can show links, for easy access to more information and related websites.

10. Ebooks are searchable. You can easily search for any information in an ebook, instead of turning page after page.

11. Ebooks can be interactive and contain audio, video and animations, which can enhance the message that the author is trying to convey.

12. As ebooks are delivered through the Internet, there are no packing and shipping expenses.

13. Ebooks can be printable, so that if you wish to read an ebook in the traditional way, you can very inexpensively print it with your home printer or at any printing shop.

14. Fonts in ebooks can be resized, making it easier to read for people with disabilities. With an additional software it is possible to turn some of the ebooks into audio books.

15. Ebooks are very easy to to sell and distribute.

16. It is very simple and easy to purchase and download an ebook. People living in big modernized cities, in a remote village in a far away country or on a small island, can equally access an ebook. It takes them the same amount of time to purchase and download an ebook, provided they have an Internet connection.

17. It is possible to purchase an ebook 24 hours a day, every day of the year, from the comfort of your own house or office. You can purchase and download an ebook, even if you are on a vacation, if you have a laptop and wireless Internet connection.

18. People are already spending a lot of time in front of their computers, so why not read and ebook, instead of doing something else?

Nowadays one can find ebooks about every possible subject, fiction and nonfiction, free and not free.

Considering non-fiction ebooks, such ebooks disseminate knowledge not pages, which means that it is not correct to evaluate the price of an ebook according to the number of its pages. The price should be determined by the information it contains, its usefulness and relevancy, and on how much it gives you in terms of practical knowledge, inspiration, motivation, tips and advice, and also by the uniqueness of the information it contains.

© Copyright Remez Sasson

Remez Sasson writes and teaches about self improvement, positive thinking, creative visualization, motivation, success, mind power, spiritual growth and meditation. He has been studying and practicing these subjects for many years.

Remez Sasson is the author of several books, among which are, “Will power and self discipline”, “Visualize and achieve”, and “Affirmations - words of power” and is the publisher of the ezine “Consciousness and Success”.

Visit his website: http://www.SuccessConsciousness.com, where he shares his experiences and knowledge through his articles and books!

Don’t panic. Jack Mitchell, the author of Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results, isn’t suggesting that you take his title literally. Hugging your customers, he says, has nothing to do with being touchy-feely around them and everything to do with offering them over-the-top service. His advice is hardly groundbreaking. For instance, what rookie employee has not heard the old adages such as “know your customer, think outside the box, have a ‘no problem’ attitude”? While we’ve all heard this obvious, age-old advice repeatedly, how many of us can honestly say we’ve seen it practiced with any level of success where we shop, eat, travel, etc.? That’s the point of this book. Everyone knows what should be done to create repeat customers … very few people do it!

Chances are pretty good that you’ve never heard of this author or his business establishment. Jack Mitchell is co-owner and CEO of Mitchells/Richards, two independent clothing stores in southern Connecticut and New York’s Westchester County (two of Manhattan’s most affluent suburbs). This upper-end clothing retailer dresses many Fortune 500 executives from Chase, GE, IBM, Merrill Lynch and Pepsi to name a few. Today, Mitchells/Richards sells $65 million in apparel annually. However, the store began as a modest family business, started by Jack’s dad in 1958. Don’t make the mistake of tuning out at this point because you don’t work in the clothing business. What Jack learned from his father decades ago can be applied to any and all customer-centric businesses that appreciate the importance of knowing that having satisfied customers no longer insures successyou must have extremely satisfied customers who want to return time and time again and encourage others to do the same!

Mitchell credits his family store’s success to making the store a home, where customers feel welcome. Mitchell says his parents: “… understood that customers wanted five things more than they wanted a great location or enormous inventory:

1. A friendly greeting
2. Personal interest
3. A business that makes them feel special
4. A ‘no problem’ attitude
5. Forward thinking

For Mitchell, that means literally offering a customer the coat off your back, if that’s the only one left in the store in the customer’s size and preferred style and color. It means going to customers’ homes to tie their bow ties for big events. It means serving coffee and bagels in the store and giving away hot dogs in the parking lot on summer Saturdays. Some might view this as fawning, but for Mitchell, it’s the best way to keep customers coming back. You, of course, will have to determine what it takes to “HUG” a customer within your environment. This would make an excellent exercise for your staff. Once the crucial determination is crystallized, discuss expectations, training, and follow up to insure success.

Mitchell writes: “When you have strong relationships, customers will do more of their buying from you. They’ll refer other customers. They’ll communicate with you better and tell you what they like and what they don’t like, in turn making your business more efficient and effective.”

The author points out that hugging is difficult to quantify, and many companies ignore customer satisfaction and customer profiling altogether. While inventory is recorded on the balance sheet, Mitchell tells us that a company’s greatest assetrepeat customersdoesn’t appear on any financial statements.

Further, while companies invest significant amounts in computer systems, they rarely develop computer systems that support a hugging culture.

Mitchell writes: “What’s amazing is that although personal relationships are absolutely crucial to any company’s success, they are rarely tracked by any system. Hotels don’t know who likes queen-sized beds and who wants extra pillows. Airlines don’t know who prefers aisle seats and who prefers the window.” Can something similar be said about you, your business and your customers? If so, take action to correct this situation.

Mitchell is a big fan of profiling customers to provide more personal service. He likes his sales associates to know which customers like M&M’s and what nicknames they prefer.

Knowing personal information about each customer is nearly impossible without a database to support this information. However, it doesn’t stop there. I know of many companies who boast a tremendous database and yet do nothing with it. Like any other customer service strategy, knowing it is not enough. You have to use it. In today’s unbelievably competitive marketplace, there are few who “use it.” So-o-o-o-o, define your “HUG,” make it an expectation, train your staff to “HUG,” practice it, and then, most importantly, “HUG!”

More than 100 business book reviews written by Harry K. Jones are available at http://www.AchieveMax.com/books/.

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Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax^®, Inc., a firm specializing in custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has made presentations ranging from leadership to employee retention and time management to stress management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. He can be reached at 800-886-2MAX or by visiting http://www.AchieveMax.com.

The Price of Pride
By Donna MacQuigg
Five Star Publishing (2006)
Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (3/06)

“The Price of Pride” is an enjoyable and entertaining western romance
that takes place in the Territory of New Mexico in the year 1892. The
deaths of Zachary Farrell and his young fiancée, Emily Brighton, in a

suspicious fire have Zachary’s older brother; Marshall Ira Farrell
determined to get to the bottom of the untimely deaths. The Marshall
leaves his current jurisdiction of Carefree, Arizona and heads home to
Santa Fe, New Mexico, intent to bring a killer or killers to justice.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Missouri, Sarah Brighton, cousin to the
unfortunate Emily who also perished in the fire, is the lone female
journalist working for the St. Louis Herald newspaper and writing for
the society page. Sarah’s ambitious nature and her determination to be
any man’s equal have caused conflict with her boss in the past, but
when she asks for a few weeks off to travel to Santa Fe to see to her
deceased cousin’s estate, she is flatly refused. Sarah resigns from the
paper and heads to Santa Fe, single and alone, but full of spunk.

Once they arrive in Santa Fe, of course Ira and Emily are destined to
meet, and both are determined to solve the mystery of the questionable
fire and premature deaths of their relatives. At first each one has
different ideas on solving the mystery, but they soon realize they must
work together to bring justice. The web gets more tangled when
another murder is uncovered and a cattle rustling heist has so many
townsfolk baffled. Could all of this be connected? Ira and Sarah soon
realize that maybe it is not dislike they feel for each other, but
something entirely at the other end of the spectrum of emotion.

What follows is a fun-filled adventure to find the guilty parties, with a
good deal of romance thrown in. The story is your typical western
complete with shootouts, good guys versus bad guys, and pretty girls
that hang out in the local saloon. If you enjoy westerns and romantic
mysteries, you should enjoy “The Price of Pride.” The Farrell family
reminded me of the late television show, Bonanza, as Uncle Jeb does
all the cooking and holds the home front together for the other males
of the household; Adam, Cole and Ira, along with Zachary before his
death. No other females live on the ranch. The Farrell’s business is
cattle and they are one of the largest landowners in the area, making
their ranch one of the wealthiest. In comparison, I remember how in
Bonanza, Ben Cartwright was a single parent to Adam, Hoss and Little
Joe on the Ponderosa Estate in Nevada where cattle was their
expertise, and Hop Sing kept the household running smoothly.

Donna MacQuigg tells a good tale, and I enjoyed the strong-willed
characters she developed. Each is determined and has certain
expectations, so inherently there will be friction, and sparks will fly.
And they do, literally! Reading “The Price of Pride” was a pleasurable
experience, and I would recommend it to others who enjoy a good
western romance!