Book Review - Kent Johnson - Lyric Poetry After Auschwitz

By Wilfred John

Duncan and Levertov had a falling out over Levertov's anti-Vietnam poetry. He argued he wasn't against 'political' poetry, but he believed Levertov's anti-war poetry fell short because the speaker was outside of what she/he was critiquing. Kent's poems do a great job of asking how poetry matters in a time of war (not to be confused with Gioia's book). He takes to task people and poets who attempt a self-righteous outsider stance (i.e. Berstein's reaction to Sam Hamill's Poets Against the War site (and anthology).

Berstein complains of the self-righteous stance of poems with unquestioning political content (perhaps in a similar way to Duncan back in the day). But the irony of his own self-righteous stance (the moral presumptions of poems with overtly political content) is not discussed or acknowledged. Bernstein is a very intelligent man and perhaps is aware of this. But I think it is very healthy to challenge this assumption and re-open the debate of poetry in a time of war (even if it means losing good friends much like Duncan lost the close friendship of Levertov).

Another aspect of Lyric Poetry After Auschwitz that I find compelling is how the poems feel lived/experienced. I know Kent was/is not a soldier in Iraq etc but I get a sense of lived experience in the poems. Perhaps Kent has experienced some of the horrors of war? I think I remember reading (was it in Lyric Poetry After Auschwitz? that he witnessed a bit of literal war.

The book is very consistent in its call for an honest look at ourselves as writers and persons. How the poems are constructed are not neglected for 'content.' Kent/the speaker walks a razor-thin tightrope between nihilism and hope as did all the great post of European existentialists.

All I can say is thank you. I really needed this book right now. It is an ongoing struggle to unite life/art, the common failure of the avant garde. Kent continues this vital and always unfinished project of the avant garde.

WILFRED JOHN BOOK REVIEW Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wilfred_John

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Comic Book Values

By Peter Gitundu

I don't know if you feel the same about comic books like I do, but one thing is for sure, I have held on to my first ever comic book for a very long time and I believe now it will probably cost you quite a penny especially since it is mint condition and it is a first series. When shopping for a comic book it is good to learn all you can on that comic especially if it is the rare or hard to find kind.

Apart from superheroes I have always loved comics like Archie, Jughead and the rest of the gang. I was also a big fan Josie and the pussycats and off course the DC comic's collection as well as Marvel comics. Many people do not know the value of their comic books and how much they can get for them if they have kept them in prime condition. In fact most time people just leave their comics lying around in their homes without ever thinking that if they needed another one and had kept the one they had in good condition they would be able to trade it in for another. This kind of trade is offered by several comic book stores.

The older your comic the more value it has and the more care you have to give it especially if it is a first edition or a very rare copy. Many a times you will find such comics in auctions or if you really want to luck out look for yard sales where people are moving out because you will find people are either selling their comic book collection at a very low price or giving them away for free. Always have them appraised.

Peter Gitundu Researches And Reports On Coin Collecting. For more information on comic book values, Visit His Site At COMIC BOOK VALUES Feel Free To Post Your Views About comic book values On My Blog Here COMIC BOOK VALUES

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How To Sell Your Self Published Books Fast

Author: Helen Hecker

So assuming you're a self publisher or book publisher and you've already published your book; you need to immediately implement a strong, no-holds barred, book marketing and promotion program to sell your books fast if you haven't done so already. Your book selling, book marketing, and book promotion planning should begin well before your manuscript is completed. In today's publishing marketplace, the success of a book entirely depends on a strong marketing plan.



Make sure you have at least one good timeless press release, written in AP style. You can send it out for the lifetime of your book. Make sure it's written in a timeless fashion. Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media.



Send out at least ten press releases to the print and broadcast media in your region every month. Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and then over and over again after you publish; you can never send out too many. Make sure your press release spells out the 'who, what, where, when, and why' as it relates to your book.



Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive a great deal of traffic to your website while providing multiple, excellent back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords. When picked up by wire services, a press release can easily end up generating hundreds or even thousands of mentions for your book.



Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs. I've seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don't advise it in the beginning -- get your feet wet first so you know what you're doing.



Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book. It's important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you'll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse.



Your sales letter or flier should include an eye-grabbing headline, the benefits to the buyer, the book features, book sales information and testimonials. I've not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers.



Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don't assume it's already listed there. Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing.



Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment. Be your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book's genre and to book review magazines.



Every day it's important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. Why not give away your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition.



Add these article tips to your book marketing and book promotion efforts. If you apply yourself every day and you promote your book aggressively, you can achieve the ultimate goal of selling thousands of copies of your book, hundreds of self publishers have done it. And make sure to test, test, and test some more before you lay out any large sums of money.

About the Author:

For more information on book marketing tips and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com founded in 1982, specializing in help for authors, self publishers, ebook and book publishers with tips, advice and resources, including information on media, library and other mailing lists, and press releases - online, wire service and offline distribution

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/how-to-sell-your-self-published-books-fast-123513.html

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How To Promote Your Self-Published Books

Author: Helen Hecker

With careful planning you can market, promote, and get (free) publicity (publicity is always free) on a limited budget; you can take the cheap and easy way. Your book selling, book marketing, and book promotion planning should begin before the manuscript is completed. Whether you've just published a book or have a book that isn't selling, now is the time to get to it; start promoting and marketing today!



Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories.



Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and again and again after you publish; you can never send too many. Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style, which you can send out for the lifetime of your book. Don't underestimate the value of a good press release for making book sales.



Make sure your press release spells out the 'who, what, where, when, and why.' Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month.



Build a web site that provides another avenue for ordering, a virtual online press kit and link exchanges with sites that relate to your topic. Be your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book's genre and to book review magazines. It's important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you'll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse.



Offer to trade writing a monthly column in a trade publication in your books' genre, in trade for display ads on the same page. I've not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere. Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing.



If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don't assume it's already listed. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers.



Arrange to speak at local, regional and national events that relate to your book topic; bring books along and have an associate sell them at the back of the room. Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment.



Your sales letter or flier should include an eye-grabbing headline, the benefits to the buyer, the book features, book sales information and testimonials. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs.



Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books. You can giveaway your book in a raffle at a local function to promote your book and get more book recognition; look for these opportunities.



The success of any book marketing effort depends on a good book and just plain hard work; its been done many times before and you can do it too. Use your book promotion and book marketing dollars wisely; go after the free and cheap resources daily. Now promote, promote, and promote your book some more!

About the Author:

For more information on book marketing tips and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com founded in 1982, specializing in help for authors, self publishers, ebook and book publishers with tips, advice and resources, including information on media, library and other mailing lists, and press releases - online, wire service and offline distribution

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/how-to-promote-your-selfpublished-books-127900.html

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What is a Goal?

Author: John Kenworthy

Copyright (c) 2008 GainMore Advantage



What do we mean by a 'goal'? It seems that these things are important, yet, so few people have them and some have been woefully misled by the term.



Everyone at some point in their life has heard that it is important for us to have goals. Goals provide you a map to your future, whether in business, life, career or indeed sport. It seems obvious, but a football team playing without a goal to aim for is just kicking a ball around. But, other than the more obvious physical goals as the target of a particular game, what exactly is a goal? And how do you know when you have achieved it? Is it even very important to have goals? A sporting goal is a useful analogy though, here we are more interested in the non-sporting variety.



The OED definition of a goal is "an aim or a desired result".



That's useful, but I prefer the Wikipedia version which defines a goal as "a specific, intended result of strategy."



They amount, ultimately to the same thing: the intended achievement of a desired result. The dictionary definition, however, suggests that the goal exists with or without you.



Why is this important? I hear some question already. Let me share an example: On the horizon is a mountain, its peak visible on this glorious day. It is your goal. You are aiming to reach the peak of this mountain.



According to the dictionary the goal is the mountain peak. According to the encyclopaedia, the intended result is that you reach the mountain peak as a result of the journey (intended strategy) you are making.



What's important, the existence of the goal or the journey to its attainment? Let me refer briefly back to soccer... Is the existence of the goal at the end of the pitch the thing that makes the game, or is it the strategy (and tactics) employed by players to score (reach) the goal?



The reason for being pedantic at this stage is to stress that we refer (in English) to goal as both an entity and as the intended result of our actions. For the purposes of this article, I refer to goal as both - an entity that we are able to describe in one or more of the five senses we enjoy and as a specific, intended result. I believe that it is critical that a goal can be described in one or more of our senses - otherwise we will never know what it is.



"A man without a goal, you are like a ship without a rudder." Thomas Carlyle



You know people, perhaps yourself, who would be lost without a "To Do" list. Daily, weekly, monthly tasks that result in specific intended results. Many people will consider this as their goals. Indeed, you can call them 'goals' if you wish. But I want to distinguish this concept further. I call these daily, weekly, monthly tasks "Outcomes" - they are important steps on the way to achieving goals but they are a small part of the overall intended result.



I'll borrow from my own To Do list for today. It includes, strangely enough, writing this chapter. Now, is my goal to a chapter of mybook? Is it to write a book? I can answer yes to both yet it doesn't tell us the full story - my Goal is to develop my business and as a part of that, I want to reach a wider audience for the purpose of building my brand, building my reputation and establishing myself as a trusted expert that you will now consider to design and run a training programme or undertake coaching in your organisation. This chapter is just one part of that strategy, and this section, just one part of this chapter. The primary and secondary research I've undertaken to be in a position to write, I trust, knowledgeably about goal-setting has been another part... and so on.



It is the goal that helps us determine the appropriate outcomes necessary to reach the goal, the specific outcomes help determine the actions we undertake to achieve them. The whole series together, makes a strategy.



For ease and clarity, I consider a "Goal" to be longer-term and the intended result of a strategy. "Outcomes" are the result of the steps, milestones or activities that we achieve en-route to achieving the goal.



When I was a child, schoolteachers and relatives would often ask "And what do you want to be when you grow up?" I honestly didn't have a clue. My friends seemed to have got the hand of this and I discovered that the expected answers seemed to be focusing around jobs or careers "I want to be a Fireman/Doctor/Train Driver", or perhaps something bolder like "Rock Star/Famous Actor" - or around money... "I want to be a millionaire". Apparently it didn't matter what you wanted to be - it still required that you studied hard, preferably got all A Grades - oh and it was critically important that you "eat all your greens". Quite how Brussels Sprouts are a necessity for success has never been answered fully to my satisfaction. By the time I was a teenager, I was at the "I dunno" stage. And by the time I was choosing my A level subjects it seemed that my options were becoming limited. Artist was ruled out on the recommendation of my delightful art teacher who claimed that my lovingly crafted painting "hurt her eyes" and Author was ruled out because I had little taste for over-analysing Jane Austin's Northanger Abbey.



To my knowledge, none of my friends answered "I wish to be a wage slave pushing paper from one side of a building to another, politically manoeuvring myself into a position of power and authority, attending useless meetings each day and commute for 4 hours" so what went wrong?



Well, perhaps it is the goal-setting process. But, that's another lesson.

About the Author:

Gain your leadership advantage. check out our online leadership development, fully interactive and supported.

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Accessing your Itunes Library From Multiple Computers

Author: PimpMyiPod

The Problem


It is probable that in your home, more than one person owns an iPod / MP3 player of some description. It is also probable, that one person seems to have been delegated the task of updating everyone’s iPod and managing iTunes.


If you are reading this article...it is probable that you are at least fairly computer literate, and therefore probable that you are that lucky, lucky person in your household.


Sure, being the sole manager of your household’s music has its advantages – you have complete control of your music, you can update your own iPod whenever you want, and I suppose with some clever deviations from the truth you could loosely call yourself a DJ, a sure way to pick up girls in your local club.


However, once your mates start asking why the hell you have the latest McFly album (which you innocently downloaded for your girlfriend / sister / roommate) on your iPod...a better solution is needed.





The Proposal


If you have even a basic wireless network in your home then there is a simple solution. By using what is known as a ‘Network Attached Storage” (NAS), you can attach a hard drive to your home network, on which you can store all of your music.


When you used any of the computers in your house, they would detect the NAS as another hard drive on your computer, meaning that from any PC in the house you could:





Play music


Download music from the iTunes store or other (totally legal, of course) places


Create a new playlist for your iPod


Synchronise your iPod


Sound appealing? If so read on!





The Possibilities...


There are many ways to add a NAS device to your home network - the main one I will discuss here is the simplest – you buy a NAS device, problem solved. These are relatively new, especially to the home market. If you take a look at http://www.scan.co.uk/ you will see a number of them ranging from £86 to £650. None of them there are particularly bad, but personally I use the Western Digital’s MyBook series and have had no problems with them. The instructions you need to follow however will be almost identical regardless of which product you buy in the end. For more info on choosing a NAS please look at the “Choosing a NAS” section at the end of this article.





The Solution


Once you have purchased a NAS (I like that acronym...) you simply plug the Ethernet (usually yellow or blue) cable into your router or modem. If you have a PC connected to the router via Ethernet, as opposed to wirelessly, don’t worry - you don’t need to plug the NAS into the computer directly.


It is beyond the scope of this article to cover plugging the NAS to a plug – if you need help, give your household Microwave company a call...they seem to specialise in telling people how to plug things in (for legal reasons you may have to lie and say its your Microwave by the way....you could try running the term “Network Attached Storage” by them but...)


Anyway – when you power up your PC, the NAS should be pretty much plug and play – the NAS will show up as another hard drive (viewable from My Computer) or possibly a network location, depending on how it was designed.


Either way, now all you have to do is move your music to the new hard drive. First, go to iTunes, click the Advanced tab and then click “Consolidate Library” - this will simply make sure all your files are in one place (My Music for Windows by default), so if you have downloaded files to random places over the years, it will move them to My Music.


Now close iTunes and simply move or copy your music folder into it from your local drive. Once this is done, you may want to delete your local copy to save space, and so you can be sure iTunes is no longer using the ‘old’ library.


Now to add the new library to your home computers simply go to File (in iTunes of course) -> Add folder to library -> select the folder you just copied everything to.


You can now install iTunes on all PCs in your house, and link them to the NAS!





Extra: Choosing a NAS


NAS devices can be a simple “hard drive in a box with an Ethernet port bunged on the back” affair – in which case the only real factor in making a decision is getting a balance between cost and space.


I would recommend you be generous with the storage capacity – a 320gb model is little more expensive than a 160gb in most cases, and it will obviously allow for future expansion of your (totally legal) music library. In addition, you can also use it to store documents, backups etc in the future.


These basic models will typically cost between £80 and £120. If you stretch the budget a little further, you can get the excellent “Asus WL-700gE NAS Appliance” (http://www.trustedreviews.com). This is not only a NAS device, but also a router with firewall, and acts as a “media and print” server – so you can connect all your PCs wirelessly to one printer, and stream TV etc. It can even be used to download files without a computer running through the night! I have not used it myself, but it has excellent write ups.


As stated earlier in the review, if you are looking for a simple NAS box, I’d recommend the Western Digital MyBook series, but LaCie and other companies also produce good devices.


If you have an old hard drive lying about, you should be able to find an adapter to give it an Ethernet port, but by the time you have bought that and an enclosure for it, it would probably be more cost effective to just get a separate NAS device.


If you have any questions , feel free to contact me at james AT pimp-my-ipod DOT com – this is my first article here but I intend to post more and maintain my existing ones to keep them up-to-date.

About the Author:

James Gupta runs "Pimp My iPod" - a company selling vinyl "decals" for the iPod.



Check out the store at www.pimp-my-ipod.com!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/accessing-your-itunes-library-from-multiple-computers-219213.html

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The Abc of Ssl: Super Duper Encrypted Security in an Age of Internet Commerce

Author: live2support

Price for Progress


You have most probably viewed a digital SSL certificate in action by visiting sites where an “s” appears in the http:// of an address bar. The “s” stands for “secure” and indicates that data being exchanged by the web site and your Internet browser has been coded or encrypted. Additional proof of a secure web connection is provided through the appearance of a little padlock at the bottom of the browser. Internet Explorer 7 provides the added advantage of confirming a secure status through a color-coded address bar .


In case you have wondered how all this is articulated, wonder no more because we are here to tell you how.


Simple Definition


The abbreviation “SSL” stands for “secure socket layer” which is one of the many ways to code, scramble or encrypt online data. This form and level of encryption is achieved through the use of complex algorithms. Today, the standard level of encryption used when transmitting sensitive data over the Internet is called 256 bit SSL encryption. This form of digital data protection ensures that communication between a web site and your browser is first scrambled and coded at the point of departure and then subsequently decoded when it arrives at its chosen destination. In other words, even if the data is intercepted by a malicious software application or by a live individual, the data is not compromised in any way, shape or form.


SSL Certificate Wish List


Like everything technical, SSL certificates come in various strengths and combinations. Which SSL certificate is best for you depends largely on the type of e-commerce company you operate, your transaction volume and the level of browser access you wish to provide to your customers. Your SSL certificate vendor is in a position to perform a needs assessment on your site and recommend the right digital SSL certificate for you.


Standard SSL Certificate


For starters, there is the simple, garden variety vanilla SSL certificate which provides protection only to a single domain also known as FDQN or Fully Qualified Domain name. The most popular versions of web browsers currently in use such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Safari are fully compatible with this certificate. This SSL certificate is incompatible with sub-domains. If you have more than one sub-domain which you need to secure, you have a better option available which we will explore in a moment.


SGC SSL Certificate


The second category of digital SSL certificates is called the SGC certificate. SGC stands for server gated cryptography and essentially allows you or your online customers to use old 40 bit legacy browsers to step up to 128 or 256 bit capacity and thus provide an added layer of security. This SSL certificate costs much more than the starter SSL certificate described above and may not be worth the extra expense.


EV SSL Certificate


EV SSL certificates provide an unprecedented level of security and protection through confirmed identity assurance. Until the advent of this certificate, your customers had no visible indication on the browser to confirm that you were a legitimate and a verified enterprise. EV SSL certificates work in tandem with all popular browsers and indicate through a symbol of trust, a green address bar or even a clearly spelled out message, that your corporate identity has been verified by the SSL certificate authority. This process of verification is implemented by asking you to submit corporate documentation such as licenses, articles of incorporation, bank statements, phone bills and other forms of verifiable evidence. Internet Explorer 7 currently provides the maximum amount of information to site visitors about the nature of this SSL protection. The address bar in Internet Explorer 7 has been programmed to change colors to reflect the security level of the connection. The address bar turns green when the SSL encryption is fully in place. Additionally, this browser also displays the name of the SSL certificate provider as well as the name of the certifying authority. Since these attributes are available only in EV SSL certificates in conjunction with Internet Explorer 7, investing in this class of SSL certificates is worth a serious consideration. If you happen to be an established Internet commerce company and have the funds to invest in this class of SSL certificates, this might be the right protection package for you and your customers.


Wildcard SSL Certificate


A wildcard digital SSL certificate is ideal for you if you have a need to secure a primary domain and a host of sub-domains through data encryption. Under normal circumstances, SSL certificates tend to secure only a single primary domain or a sub-domain. For instance, if you had one primary domain such as http://mybook.com and two sub-domains such as http://library.mybook.com and http://research.mybook.com, you would have to invest in three separate SSL certificates. A single wildcard SSL certificate, on the other hand, can protect not only the primary domain but an unlimited number of sub-domains. This results in significant cost savings for those who need this level and quality of protection.


SSL Certificate Bottom Line


Digital SSL certificates can start from as low as $70 and can go all the way up to several thousand dollars depending on the class and strength of certificates you require. SSL certificates have a dated validity and usually expire in one year. To save money, it is best to purchase certificates with multiple year validity and shop around carefully during renewal time. The price for an SSL certificate typically includes the cost of customer support, trouble shooting and a warranty to cover losses arising out of protection failure in rare instances.


To Buy or not to Buy


Everyone knows that the Internet has created new avenues and opportunities for e-commerce. Unfortunately, this unbridled growth has also stirred up the criminal element. Until now Internet commerce companies did not have a viable solution to this rather serious problem, but now we do in the form of potent digital SSL technology which guarantees unparalleled cyber protection to one and all. More information about SSL with Purpose can be found at http://ssl.live2support.com

About the Author:

Live2support Inc.

http://live2support.com

Email: newsletter@live2support.com

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