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Monozygotic twins

A twin is generally defined as one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy[1] and/or born at the same birth process[1][2], although people with unusually high genetical similarity also may be called twins although they may not be born at the same time (possibly by Caesarean section or surrogacy), such as with monozygotic (MZ, colloquially "identical") twins. Offspring that are not genetically identical but are born at the same time are called dizygotic (DZ, colloquially "fraternal" or "non-identical") twins.

In contrast, the general term for more than one offspring in the same pregnancy (multiple birth) is multiples; a fetus which develops alone in the womb is called a singleton.

The number of living human twins in the world has been estimated to be approximately 125 million in 2006[3] (roughly 1.9% of the world population), with just 10 million monozygotic twins (roughly 0.2% of the world population and 8% of all twins). The twin birth rate in the United States in 2004, 2005 and 2006 was slightly above 32 twin live births per 1,000 live births[4].

Due to the limited size of the mother's womb, multiple pregnancies are much less likely to carry to full term than single births, with twin pregnancies lasting only 37 weeks (3 weeks less than full term) on average.[5] Since premature births can have health consequences for the babies, twin births are often handled with special precautions.

The Yoruba, a large Nigerian ethnic group, have the highest rate of twinning in the world, at 45 twins per 1,000 live births.[6][7][8] Some researchers have claimed this may be because of high consumption of a specific type of yam, Dioscorea rotundata or white yam containing a natural hormone phytoestrogen which may stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side.[9][10]

Zygosity is the degree of identity in the genome of twins. There are five common variations of twinning. The three most common variations are all dizygotic:

  • Male–female twins are the most common result, 50 percent of DZ twins and the most common grouping of twins.
  • Female DZ twins (sometimes called sororal twins)
  • Male DZ twins

The other two variations are monozygotic twins:

  • Female MZ twins
  • Male MZ twins (least common)

Among non-twin births, male singletons are slightly (about five percent) more common than female singletons. The rates for singletons vary slightly by country. For example, the sex ratio of birth in the US is 1.05 males/female,[11] while it is 1.07 males/female in Italy.[12] However, males are also more susceptible than females to death in utero, and since the death rate in utero is higher for twins, it leads to female twins being more common than male twins.

Eight month old dizygotic twin girls napping

Dizygotic twins

Dizygotic twins (commonly known as fraternal twins, but also referred to as non-identical twins or biovular twins) usually occur when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterine wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, DZ twins result. The two eggs, or ova, form two zygotes, hence the terms dizygotic and biovular.

Dizygotic twins, like any other siblings, have an extremely small chance of having the same chromosome profile. Like any other siblings, DZ twins may look similar, particularly given that they are the same age. However, DZ twins may also look very different from each other. They may be of different sexes or the same sex. The same holds true for brothers and sisters from the same parents, meaning that DZ twins are simply brothers and/or sisters who happen to be the same age.

Studies show that there is a genetic basis for DZ twinning. However, it is only their mother that has any effect on the chances of having DZ twins; there is no known mechanism for a father to cause the release of more than one ovum. Dizygotic twinning ranges from six per thousand births in Japan (similar to the rate of monozygotic twins) to 14 and more per thousand in some African countries.[9]

DZ twins are also more common for older mothers, with twinning rates doubling in mothers over the age of 35.[13] With the advent of technologies and techniques to assist women in getting pregnant, the rate of fraternals has increased markedly. For example, in New York City's Upper East Side there were 3,707 twin births in 1995; there were 4,153 in 2003; and there were 4,655 in 2004. Triplet births have also risen, from 60 in 1995 to 299 in 2004.

Monozygotic twins

Comparison of zygote development in monozygotic and dizygotic twins. In the uterus, a majority of monozygotic twins (60–70%) share the same placenta but have separate amniotic sacs. In 18–30% of monozygotic twins each fetus has a separate placenta and a separate amniotic sac. A small number (1–2%) of monozygotic twins share the same placenta and amniotic sac. Dizygotic twins each have their own placenta and own amniotic sac.

Monozygotic twins, frequently referred to as identical twins, occur when a single egg is fertilized to form one zygote (monozygotic) which then divides into two separate embryos.

It is estimated that there are around 10 million monozygotic twins and triplets in the world.

Regarding spontaneous or natural monozygotic twinning, a recent theory posits that monozygotic twins are formed after a blastocyst essentially collapses, splitting the progenitor cells (those that contain the body's fundamental genetic material) in half, leaving the same genetic material divided in two on opposite sides of the embryo. Eventually, two separate fetuses develop. [14] Spontaneous division of the zygote into two embryos is not considered to be a hereditary trait, but rather a spontaneous or random event.[15][13]

Monozygotic twins may also be created artificially by embryo splitting. It can be used as an expansion of IVF to increase the number of available embryos for embryo transfer.[16]

Monozygotic twinning occurs in birthing at a rate of about three in every 1000 deliveries worldwide,[15] regardless of race.

The likelihood of a single fertilization resulting in MZ twins is uniformly distributed in all populations around the world.[13] This is in marked contrast to DZ twinning, which ranges from about six per thousand births in Japan (almost similar to the rate of MZ twins, which is around 4–5) to 15 and more per thousand in some parts of India[17] and up to 24 in the US, which might mainly be due to IVF (in vitro fertilisation). The exact cause for the splitting of a zygote or embryo is unknown.

In-vitro fertilization techniques are more likely to create twins. Only about three pairs of twins per 1,000 deliveries occur as a result of natural conception, while for IVF deliveries, there are nearly 21 pairs of twins for every 1,000.[18]

Genetic and epigenetic similarity

Monozygotic twins are genetically identical (unless there has been a mutation during development) and they are almost always the same sex. On rare occasions, monozygotic twins may express different phenotypes (normally due to an environmental factor or the deactivation of different X chromosomes in monozygotic female twins), and in some extremely rare cases, due to aneuploidy, twins may express different sexual phenotypes, normally due to an XXY Klinefelter's syndrome zygote splitting unevenly[19][20].

Monozygotic twins have nearly identical DNA, but differing environmental influences throughout their lives affect which genes are switched on or off. This is called epigenetic modification. A study of 80 pairs of human twins ranging in age from three to 74 showed that the youngest twins have relatively few epigenetic differences. The number of epigenetic differences between MZ twins increases with age. Fifty-year-old twins had over three times the epigenetic difference of three-year-old twins. Twins who had spent their lives apart (such as those adopted by two different sets of parents at birth) had the greatest difference.[21] However, certain characteristics become more alike as twins age, such as IQ and personality.[22][23] This phenomenon illustrates the influence of genetics in many aspects of human characteristics and behaviour.

Phenotype similarity

Monozygotic twins are almost always the same sex and their traits and physical appearances are very similar but not exactly the same.[24]

Monozygotic twins look alike, although they do not have the same fingerprints (which are environmental as well as genetic). As they mature, MZ twins often become less alike because of lifestyle choices or external influences. Genetically speaking, the children of MZ twins are half-siblings rather than cousins. citation needed

Half twin

The extremely rare half twins or semi-identical twins are twins that inherit exactly the same genes from their mother but different genes from their father. The exact mechanism of their conception is not well understood, but could theoretically occur in polar body twinning where sperm cells fertilize both the ovum and the second polar body.

Degree of separation

Various types of chorionicity and amniosity (how the baby's sac looks) in monozygotic (one egg/identical) twins as a result of when the fertilized egg divides

The degree of separation of the twins in utero depends on if and when they split into two zygotes. Dizygotic twins were always two zygotes. Monozygotic twins split into two zygotes at some time very early in the pregnancy. The timing of this separation determines the chorionicity and amniocity (the number of sacs) of the pregnancy. Dichorionic twins either never divided (ie: were dizygotic) or they divided within the first 4 days. Monoamnionic twins divide after the first week.

In very rare cases, twins become conjoined twins. Furthermore, there can be various degrees of shared environment of twins in the womb, potentially leading to pregnancy complications.

It is a common misconception that two placentas means twins are dizygotic (non-identical). But if monozygotic twins separate early enough, the arrangement of sacs and placentas in utero is indistinguishable from dizygotic twins.

Normally, twins have two separate (di- being a numerical prefix for two) chorions and amniotic sacs, termed Dichorionic-Diamniotic or "DiDi". It occurs in almost all cases of dizygotic twins (except in very rare cases of fusion between their blastocysts[25] ), in 99.7% of all pregnancies,[26] and in 18–36%[27] (or around 25%[25]) of monozygotic (identical) twins. Dichorionic-Diamniotic twins form when splitting takes place by the third day after fertilization.[25]

DiDi twins have the lowest mortality risk at about 9 percent, although that is still significantly higher than that of singletons. [28]

Monochorionic twins share the same placenta.

Monochorionic twins generally have two amniotic sacs (called Monochorionic-Diamniotic "MoDi"), which occurs in 60–70% of the pregnancies with monozygotic twins.[27] Monochorionic-Diamniotic twins are almost always monozygotic, with a few exceptions where the blastocysts have fused. [25]

Sometimes, monochorionic twins also share the same amniotic sac. Monoamniotic twins occur when the split takes place after the ninth day after fertilization. [25] Monoamniotic twins are always monozygotic (identical twins).[29]. This situation occurs in 1–2% of monozygotic twin pregnancies.[27]

The survival rate for monoamniotic twins is somewhere between 50%[29] to 60%[30].

Consequently, if twins are monoamniotic that means that the two babies will be sharing a placenta and as a result, due to the small capacity of sharing a sac, the umbilical cord has an increased chance of being tangled around the babies. Because of this, there is an increased chance that the newborns may be miscarried or suffer from cerebral palsy due to the lack of oxygen.

When the division of the developing zygote into 2 embryos occurs, 99% of the time it is within 8 days of fertilization. If the division of the zygote occurs later than the 8 days then conjoined twins are usually the result.

Mortality is highest for conjoined twins due to the many complications resulting from shared organs.

A recent study found that vegan mothers are one-fifth as likely to have twins as vegetarian or omnivore mothers, and concluded that "Genotypes favoring elevated IGF and diets including dairy products, especially in areas where growth hormone is given to cattle, appear to enhance the chances of multiple pregnancies due to ovarian stimulation."[31]

From 1980–97, the number of twin births in the United States rose 52%.[32] This rise can at least partly be attributed to the increasing popularity of fertility drugs like Clomid and procedures such as in vitro fertilization, which result in multiple births more frequently than unassisted fertilizations do. It may also be linked to the increase of growth hormones in food.[31]

About 1 in 90 human births (1.1%) results from a twin pregnancy.[33] The rate of dizygotic twinning varies greatly among ethnic groups, ranging as high as about 45 per 1000 births for the Yoruba to 10% for Linha São Pedro, a tiny Brazilian settlement which belongs to the city of Cândido Godói.[34] In Cândido Godói, one in five pregnancies have resulted in twins.[35] The Argentine historian Jorge Camarasa has put forward a theory that experiments of the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele could be responsible for the high ratio of twins in the area.[36] His theory was rejected by Brazilian scientists who had studied twins living in Linha São Pedro; they suggested genetic factors within that community as a more likely explanation.[37] A high twinning rate has also been observed in other places of the world, including Igbo-Ora in Nigeria[38] and Kodinji in India.[39]

The widespread use of fertility drugs causing hyperovulation (stimulated release of multiple eggs by the mother) has caused what some call an "epidemic of multiple births". In 2001, for the first time ever in the US, the twinning rate exceeded 3% of all births. Nevertheless, the rate of monozygotic twins remains at about 1 in 333 across the globe.

In a study on the maternity records of 5750 Hausa women living in the Savannah zone of Nigeria, there were 40 twins and 2 triplets per 1000 births. Twenty-six per cent of twins were monozygous. The incidence of multiple births, which was about five times higher than that observed in any western population, was significantly lower than that of other ethnic groups, who live in the hot and humid climate of the southern part of the country. The incidence of multiple births was related to maternal age but did not bear any association to the climate or prevalence of malaria.[40]

Predisposing factors

The predisposing factors of monozygotic twinning are unknown.

Dizygotic twin pregnancies are slightly more likely when the following factors are present in the woman:

  • She is of West African descent (especially Yoruba)
  • She is between the age of 30 and 40 years
  • She is greater than average height and weight
  • She has had several previous pregnancies.

Women undergoing certain fertility treatments may have a greater chance of dizygotic multiple births. This can vary depending on what types of fertility treatments are used. With in vitro fertilisation (IVF), this is primarily due to the insertion of multiple embryos into the uterus. Some other treatments such as the drug Clomid can stimulate a woman to release multiple eggs, increasing the likelihood of multiples.

Delivery interval

A 15-year German study[41] of 8,220 vaginally delivered twins (that is, 4,110 pregnancies) in Hesse yielded a mean delivery time interval of 13.5 minutes.[42] The delivery interval between the twins was measured as follows:

  • Within 15 minutes: 75.8%
  • 16-30 minutes: 16.4%
  • 31-45 minutes: 4.3%
  • 46-60 minutes: 1.7%
  • Over 60 minutes: 1.8% (72 instances)

The study stated that the occurrence of complications "was found to be more likely with increasing twin-to-twin delivery time interval" and suggested that the interval be kept short, though it noted that the study did not examine causes of complications and did not control for factors such as the level of experience of the obstetrician, the wish of the women giving birth, or the "management strategies" of the procedure of delivering the second twin.

Complications of twin pregnancy

Vanishing twins

Researchers suspect that as many as 1 in 8 pregnancies start out as multiples, but only a single fetus is brought to full term, because the other has died very early in the pregnancy and has not been detected or recorded.[43] Early obstetric ultrasonography exams sometimes reveal an "extra" fetus, which fails to develop and instead disintegrates and vanishes. This is known as vanishing twin syndrome.

Chang and Eng Bunker, born in Siam (now Thailand) in 1811, were the origin of the term "Siamese twins".

Conjoined twins

Conjoined twins (or the deprecated term "Siamese twins") are monozygotic twins whose bodies are joined together during pregnancy. This occurs where the single zygote of MZ twins fails to separate completely, and the zygote starts to split after day 12[25] following fertilization. This condition occurs in about 1 in 50,000 human pregnancies. Most conjoined twins are now evaluated for surgery to attempt to separate them into separate functional bodies. The degree of difficulty rises if a vital organ or structure is shared between twins, such as the brain, heart or liver.

A chimera is an ordinary person or animal except that some of their parts actually came from their twin or from the mother. A chimera may arise either from monozygotic twin fetuses (where it would be impossible to detect), or from dizygotic fetuses, which can be identified by chromosomal comparisons from various parts of the body. The number of cells derived from each fetus can vary from one part of the body to another, and often leads to characteristic mosaicism skin coloration in human chimeras. A chimera may be intersex, composed of cells from a male twin and a female twin. In addition, in certain cases the person or chimera may have two sets of DNA.

Parasitic twins

Sometimes one twin fetus will fail to develop completely and continue to cause problems for its surviving twin. One fetus acts as a parasite towards the other. Sometimes the parasitic twin becomes an almost indistinguishable part of the other, and sometimes this needs to be medically dealt with.

Partial molar twins

A very rare type of parasitic twinning is one where a single viable twin is endangered when the other zygote becomes cancerous, or molar. This means that the molar zygote's cellular division continues unchecked, resulting in a cancerous growth that overtakes the viable fetus. Typically, this results when one twin has either triploidy or complete paternal uniparental disomy, resulting in little or no fetus and a cancerous, overgrown placenta, resembling a bunch of grapes.

Miscarried twin

Occasionally, a woman will suffer a miscarriage early in pregnancy, yet the pregnancy will continue; one twin was miscarried but the other was able to be carried to term. This occurrence is similar to the vanishing twin syndrome, but typically occurs later than the vanishing twin syndrome.

Low birth weight

Twins typically suffer from the lower birth weights and greater likelihood of prematurity that is more commonly associated with the higher multiple pregnancies. Throughout their lives twins tend to be smaller than singletons on average.

Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome

Monozygotic twins who share a placenta can develop twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. This condition means that blood from one twin is being diverted into the other twin. One twin, the 'donor' twin, is small and anemic, the other, the 'recipient' twin, is large and polycythemic. The lives of both twins are endangered by this condition.

Human twin studies

Twin studies are utilized in an attempt to determine how much of a particular trait is attributable to either genetics or environmental influence. These studies compare monozygotic and dizygotic twins for medical, genetic, or psychological characteristics to try to isolate genetic influence from epigenetic and environmental influence. Twins that have been separated early in life and raised in separate households are especially sought-after for these studies, which have been used widely in the exploration of human nature. However, the utility and accuracy of these twin studies has been called into question and remains controversial. Classical twin studies have largely been replaced in favor of modern molecular genetic methodologies.

Unusual twinnings

Among dizygotic twins, in rare cases, the eggs are fertilized at different times with two or more acts of sexual intercourse, either within one menstrual cycle (superfecundation) or, even more rarely, later on in the pregnancy (superfetation). This can lead to the possibility of a woman carrying fraternal twins with different fathers (that is, half-siblings). This phenomenon is known as heteropaternal superfecundation. One 1992 study estimates that the frequency of heteropaternal superfecundation among dizygotic twins whose parents were involved in paternity suits was approximately 2.4%; see the references section, below, for more details.

Dizygotic twins from biracial couples can sometimes be mixed twins, which exhibit differing ethnic and racial features. One such pairing was born in Germany in 2008 to a white father from Germany and a black mother from Ghana.[44]

Heterotopic pregnancy is an exceedingly rare type of dizygotic twinning in which one twin implants in the uterus as normal and the other remains in the fallopian tube as an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies must be resolved because they can be life-threatening to the mother. However, in most cases, the intrauterine pregnancy can be salvaged.

Among monozygotic twins, in extremely rare cases, twins have been born with opposite sexes (one male, one female). The probability of this is so vanishingly small (only 3 documented cases[45]) that multiples having different sexes is universally accepted as a sound basis for a clinical determination that in utero multiples are not monozygotic. When monozygotic twins are born with different sexes it is because of chromosomal birth defects. In this case, although the twins did come from the same egg, it is incorrect to refer to them as genetically identical, since they have different karyotypes.

Semi-identical twins

Monozygotic twins can develop differently, due to different genes being activated.[46] More unusual are "semi-identical twins". These "half-identical twins" are hypothesized to occur when an unfertilized egg cleaves into two identical attached ova and which are viable for fertilization. Both cloned ova are then fertilized by different sperm and the coalesced eggs undergo further cell duplications developing as a chimeric blastomere. If this blastomere then undergoes a twinning event, two embryos will be formed, each of which have different paternal genes and identical maternal genes.

This results in a set of twins with identical genes from the mother's side, but different genes from the father's side. Cells in each fetus carry genes from either sperm, resulting in chimeras. This form had been speculated until only recently being recorded in western medicine.[47][48][49]

Twin calves of the Hereford breed

Animal twins

Twins are common in many animal species, such as cats, sheep, ferrets and deer. The incidence of twinning among cattle is about 1–4%, and research is under way to improve the odds of twinning, which can be more profitable for the breeder if complications can be sidestepped or managed. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has identical twins (usually four babies) as its regular reproduction and not as exceptional cases.[50][51]

See also

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  43. ^ Gedda, Luigi (1995). "The role of research in twin medicine". in Louis G. Keith, Emile Papiernik, Donald M. Keith and Barbara Luke. Multiple Pregnancy: Epidemiology, Gestation & Perinatal Outcome. Taylor and Francis. pp. 4. ISBN 1-85070-666-2.
  44. ^ Lovell, Tammy (2008-07-17). "Pictured: Proud parents show off their million-to-one black and white twins". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers Ltd). Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  45. ^ Schmidt, R; EH Sobel, HM Nitowsky, H Dar and FH Allen Jr (February 1976). "Monozygotic twins discordant for sex". Journal of Medical Genetics 13 (1): 64–68. doi:10.1136/jmg.13.1.64. PMID 944787.& PMC 1013354. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  46. ^ Gilbert, Scott F. (2006). "Non-identical Monozygotic Twins". Developmental biology. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0-87893-250-X. OCLC 172964621. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  47. ^ Souter, Vivienne L.; Melissa A. Parisi, Dale R. Nyholt, Raj P. Kapur, Anjali K. Henders, Kent E. Opheim, Daniel F. Gunther, Michael E. Mitchell, Ian A. Glass and Grant W. Montgomery (April 2007). "A case of true hermaphroditism reveals an unusual mechanism of twinning". Hum. Genet. 121 (2): 179–85. doi:10.1007/s00439-006-0279-x. PMID 17165045.
  48. ^ LiveScience Staff (2007-03-26). "Rare Semi-Identical Twins Discovered". Imaginova. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  49. ^ Whitfield, John (2007). "'Semi-identical' twins discovered". Nature. doi:10.1038/news070326-1.
  50. ^ Cyranoski D. (2009). Developmental biology: Two by two. Nature. 458(7240):826-9.PubMed
  51. ^ Newman HH. Patterson JT. (1909). A Case of Normal Identical Quadruplets in the Nine-Banded Armadillo, and Its Bearing on the Problems of Identical Twins and of Sex Determination. Biological Bulletin, 17: 181-187 JSTOR 1536114

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Hummingbird House The Garden Helper
No-dash-here, you've found The Real Garden Helper! Gardening on the Web since 1997
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christmas cactus

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
« Prev thread: Christmas Cactus| Next thread: Christmas Cactus »
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by butterflygirl on September 06, 2004 04:16 AM
i live in northeastern ohio.
about 15 years ago my mother purchased a 'gold' christmas cactus (flowers bloomed a lovely golden color)from a local garden center in florida. i have searched the internet but i can not find anyone who sells a christmas cactus in this color. any ideas? is it possible that the plant my mother had was not a true 'christmas cactus' but a variety of a completely different plant?
by weezie13 on September 06, 2004 05:44 AM
Hello Butterflygirl,
Welcome to The Garden Helper's Forum!!!
We are very glad you found us!!!

I'm not too sure of an answer for you,
but I just wanted you to know that I was going
to move your post into a section that was a little more traveled by our gardener's into the House Plant section......
I'm sure someone there may be able to help you a little bit better!!!

P/S Have you tried taking the 1" sections from the plant and rooting them in some dirt already to probagate the one you already have??
Or do you still have it/????

* * * *

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

by janeycanuck on September 06, 2004 12:30 PM
Hi! My favourite book (The Houseplant Expert) has a small section on "forest cacti," which includes Christmas (zygocactus) and Easter (rhipsalidopsis) cacti. There is a separate one with yellow blooms listed, called epiphyllum (can you tell I've got the book in front of me - I'd never be able to spell any of these Latin names!), or Orchid Cactus. It says it is very closely related to both the Easter and Christmas varieties, and blooms annually quite similarly. I don't know if that's what you've got there....are the blooms pretty big?

Active Garden Forum

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poor hungry children

Barack Obama lashed out at Republicans in his Weekly Address this week accusing the GOP of going home for the holidays while mothers suffer who need help feeding their kids.

The president is currently vacationing in Hawaii.
From President Obama’s Weekly Address:

Just a few days after Christmas, more than one million of our fellow Americans lost a vital economic lifeline – the temporary insurance that helps folks make ends meet while they look for a job. Republicans in Congress went home for the holidays and let that lifeline expire

…We make this promise to one another because it makes a difference to a mother who needs help feeding her kids while she’s looking for work; to a father who needs help paying the rent while learning the skills to get a new and better job. And denying families that security is just plain cruel. We’re a better country than that. We don’t abandon our fellow Americans when times get tough – we keep the faith with them until they start that new job.

Of course, this is quite a bold statement from the vacationing president who owns the worst economic recovery in history and the worst jobs record since the Great Depression.

As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or just generally being a jerk. Enforcement of this policy is at the sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Guest posting is disabled for security reasons.


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The Global Outpost

September 11, 2014

The Music Piracy Complex - Part 2

Filed under: Music Industry — Mathew D @ 1:01 pm

The following is Part 2 of a 2-part series examining the less obvious aspects of the state of music piracy. Part 1 can be read here.

Part 2 - The Artist as the Victim

Meet the New Boss…

It is too simplistic a notion to throw all consumers under the bus as the main agents of piracy whilst corporations invoke the name of the artist to generate revenue, but then subsequently engineer creative accounting systems and interpretations of the law to deprive these same artists of their rightful revenues. As David Lowery of the bands Cracker and Camper van Beethoven astutely observed in his critique on the state of affairs, “Meet the new boss, worse than the old boss?”,

The tech side of the music business really needs to look at how their actions and policies negatively impact artists,  just as they have pointed out the negative effect record company actions have had on artists. Too often the debate has been  pirates vs the RIAA.  This is ridiculous because the artists, the 99% of the music business are left out of the debate.

Unfortunately, artists who have spoken out intelligently against the  injustices of the current system are often brush-stroked broadly by the digerati/ tech lobbyists as  “dinosaurs……luddites or doddering old hippie musicians.

It is also ironic that in this digital age where processes and resultant royalty earnings can be mapped down to the minutiae, transparency is the enemy and obfuscation seems to be the norm in the music industry. And the biggest loser seems to be artists.

Artists Beware…

How do they screw thee? Let me count the ways
They screw thee to the depth and breadth and height
Their hands can reach, grab your money out of sight

1) Equity, Advances/ Breakages, Piracy Settlements

Hidden Treasure

The newest shenanigan in the hall of shame is the side deal which some labels have been making with music services for equity and non-recoupable advances that will not be paid to the artists they supposedly represent, with both music services and labels conveniently hiding behind non-disclosure agreements that serve more to keep the information away from the artists than to preserve business confidentiality.

Robb McDaniels, CEO of music distributor INgrooves, recently shared his insights on major labels’ machinations on market share:

”I have long wondered why major labels and publishers care so much about ‘market share’, seemingly above even generating profits (at least at the distribution/JV level). I now realize that it is because there is so much non-recorded music revenue generated from the market share metric. Things like equity stakes in startups, non-recoupable advances and fees from retail and promotional partners, black box funds from performance royalties not collected by indies and “in store” promotional space.”

Rich Bengloff, head of the Association of Independent Musicians accused some of the majors of extracting equity deals and/or huge advances from streaming sites like YouTube and then jointly engineering low ’standard’ per stream rates so that they only need to pay through a fraction of it to artists.

Bengloff added:

“Then, on top of that, they have something called a ‘listener hour guarantee,’ which they know is going to up their compensation by about 40% — since it’s per listener hour, not per track, the artist gets screwed because it’s not attributable to a track, so the artist doesn’t get a royalty. That’s not fair, that’s not the way we do business. The third thing they do is get a minimum annual guarantee or an advance if they know the service isn’t going to reach that level of business and be able to recoup — it’s what’s called [digital] breakage and they also don’t share that with the artists.”

Although negotiations are done in the name of artists via a collectivization of songs, artists are paid only a portion of the breakage and the corporation keeps an inordinate share, and this is what I will term ‘leakage’. Following a similar pattern, anti-piracy action by corporations, again undertaken in the name of artists that results in successful compensation claims or settlements have often not been disbursed to artists.

It’s a fine line to tread as the sales of and early MySpace off the backs of musicians pushed the labels to swing the other way and demand greater accountability (and equity) from other start-ups. But the processing of streaming revenue royalty reports is in itself resource intensive service that not all entities in the food chain are able to provide satisfactorily leading to another source of leakage.

The silver lining in light of the increased role of streaming has been the emergence of some enlightened labels that have looked out for their artists and provided them fair royalty rates to their artists as the market evolves.

2) Advertisers/ Ad Agencies/ Website/ Media brokers/ Google conspiracy

Follow The Money

Most pirate sites survive…scratch that, thrive on advertising revenue especially by tapping into Google’s advertising programs. A study by the Digital Citizens Alliance estimates that pirate sites earned more than $227 million in revenue annually.

Good Money Gone Bad

Advertisers are not limited to dubious fly-by-night companies, but also to many major brand advertisers like Amazon, Adobe, AT&T, BMW, Ford, HP, LG, McDonald’s and Target.

Samsung was notorious for advertising on many unlicensed music services, fueling the pirate industry in China, while Nokia’s Asian marketing team maintained for a number of years that it would continue to advertise on pirate sites and worked on a different remit from its very own Nokia music service. Little wonder then that its music service was doomed when its own staff acted against the interest of artists and labels.

The usual reaction from media agency executives and marketing directors in many of these companies is to feign innocence and blame third party ad networks – which conveniently gives them plausible deniability. They are happy to gather large traffic numbers (fraudulent or otherwise) to bolster their internal targets, regardless of whether pirate sites have been farmed. However, this also serves to strengthen the ad fraud element in the business with Google being a key cog in the machine by serving ads to many pirate sites and amassing huge revenues in the process. There is a whole ecosystem - of advertisers, media buyers/ brokers, ad networks with so-called programmatic systems, ad serving companies, websites and Google itself - that feeds off the advertising system at the expense of content creators, that is, the artists.

As David Lowery of Cracker and Camper van Beethoven sums it up:

“We can see that there are a lot of people making a lot money from the unauthorized, illegal infringement of artists’ and creators’ work. This is no longer about individual ‘sharing.’ This is about businesses exploiting artists for profit, and not paying the artists a penny.”

3) The DMCA Safe Harbor Law Abuse

“Safe harbor provisions were introduced with some foresight, by the legislators in the USA framing the DMCA, to provide a notice and take-down procedure for unlicensed content. But the legislation has been distorted into a protective wall behind which cyberlockers and torrent sites, and companies such as YouTube and Grooveshark operate.

The original intent was to protect reasonable people acting reasonably from falling foul of the law, to enable the digital economy to grow without ‘gotcha’ lawsuits against ISPs who had no idea that their networks were being sued for infringement. They were not intended to provide fortress walls behind which companies could build billion dollar businesses on content that had not been cleared. They were never intended to become a “defacto licence”. As you might imagine, policing the YouTubes of this world for infringing content is a herculean task, one beyond all but the largest of companies.

These provisions are being abused. Many of the companies taking advantage of them are not start-ups that need a break, they dwarf everyone in this room. They’ve been in business long enough to now be able to identify that content. They know what it is……We are at the point at which notice and take-down must become notice and stay down.”

~ Sir Martin Mills, Chairman, Beggars Group

It has been expedient to simply frame the end-consumer with the smoking gun, but the other players in this cozy little ecosystem are all set up to knowingly profit while facilitating the transfer of unlicensed content.

But what about a user who downloads the music of Pretty Lights or Moby via torrents? Both artists used Bit-Torrent as a mass distribution mechanism. Yet if that same user downloads a Madonna album via a torrent, he is somehow expected to differentiate that this is unlicensed. Furthermore, if a pre-release unlicensed Madonna album were available on both file locker Mega and YouTube, users accessing it via the former would most likely be accused of piracy but not those via YouTube.

Kim Dotcom, owner of the now defunct MegaUpload file locker service, upon his arrest infamously claimed in his defense that his business was no different from YouTube, in that users were similarly uploading files, and his organization should therefore be protected by the Safe Harbor provision in the copyright law. Interestingly, Google went so far as to file an amicus brief in support of another file locker service, Hotfile (and also defended MegaUpload) but despite that, Hotfile was found guilty of piracy in a case brought against it by the MPAA. Of course it still remains to be seen if Dotcom’s MegaUpload induced/encouraged piracy or violated some other statutes of the copyright law, which will eventually be determined by the courts, hopefully without further use of SWAT teams!

Note that Viacom sued YouTube for piracy and lost the case despite producing a smoking gun of emails showing that the founders had knowledge that unlicensed content were on their service, with the tacit understanding that this would attract the most users, which was surely a violation of the Safe Harbor Law. Pirate Bay and its founders, on the other hand, were conclusively found to be guilty of piracy by the Swedish courts in 2009, but Google and most ISPs around the world have been reluctant to block the site, yet Google zealously blocks child pornography sites proving that they are not just dumb pipes with no control over content.

4) Collection Societies/ Performance Rights Organizations

 Broken link

Collection Societies and Performance Rights Organizations were set up in a byzantine era when the world was a seemingly bigger place and these collective rights organizations were able to simplify the licensing process and collect revenues in bulk from various organizations that used their members’ works across international borders.
With a borderless Internet world and the emergence of digital formats, rights licensing should have been a more transparent process but has become mired in complex territorial legacy systems that has hobbled the fair flow of revenues to artists.

There are some well-meaning and effective collection societies that have upped their game and have served their members well, but as they are part of a global network, they are only as strong as their weakest link. Collection societies in some countries are downright corrupt and the current anachronistic structure serves as a black hole where artists revenues go to die, or worse, line others’ pockets.

It is a disgrace that millions of dollars in artists/ composers revenues remain unpaid as it supposedly cannot be matched to the rightful artist/ composer simply because music metadata systems are a mess. Worse, it has been said that in some collection societies, unmatched black box royalties for so-called orphan works are sometimes divided up and shared amongst the top publishers. The 1% rule applies again and robs more artists of their revenues.

To the outsider, putting together a veritable central database of artist metadata and rights does not seem to be a complex task in this digital age. Yet, the Global Repertoire Database initiative which was supposed to have addressed this was scrapped in June after 6 years and 8 million pounds spent.

The outsider obviously does not have to contend with the various parties’ parochial interests. Complete Music Updates’ Chris Cooke wondered if some members wanted it to fail as, “an efficient repertoire database would render the societies redundant in that domain.”

Clearly, more needs to be done to clean up the undesirable elements in the network.

5) US Terrestrial Radio Performance Royalties

Pirate Radio

Unlike most of the free world, terrestrial and satellite radio stations in the US only pay royalties to composers for the performance rights of the musical works (the lyrics/composition) via ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, but not for performance rights of the sound recording to the artists who recorded the works.

Internet radio stations in the US on the other hand, have been paying both since 1995, highlighting a discrepancy in the application.As the non-payment of sound recording royalties also applies to foreign artists whose music is used by US terrestrial radio stations, Performance Rights Organizations in the rest of the world reciprocate the negativity by not paying US artists their royalties which almost all other artists in the world enjoy.

As such, foreign artists whose music is played on US terrestrial radio stations can deem it to be pirated music as they don’t get paid for it.

The US National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) with their strong lobbying arm has so far resisted calls to pay fairly and instead claim that radio stations are offering these artists the privilege of exposure and this should therefore be deemed a promotional activity. While there might have been a case for that in the past, Internet radio’s conformity to the payment of sound recording performing rights weakens the NAB’s case. Even though a proposed Performance Rights Act has now been submitted to attempt to correct this injustice, it remains to be seen if it survives the powerful lobbying forces.

Other countries that similarly do not pay artists in practice include China and North Korea.

6) Unethical Copyright Term Extensions

Old Mickey Mouse

Copyright law was legislated to protect artists, authors and composers subject to a limitation of time, but long after they are deceased, their estates and corporate owners have lobbied to extend the copyright terms.

Copyrights expire after the life of the author plus 50 or 70 years (depending on the country) or for corporate authorship, 95 or 120 years. Or in the case of Mickey Mouse or Gershwin, seemingly forever, hence the reference to the law as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act.

In 1993, European copyright terms were extended by 20 years and in 1998, the US reciprocated by extending its term with the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act by another 20 years, supposedly to harmonize it with the European term but mainly at the behest of corporations which simply wanted to keep the revenues coming in. This was in addition to the 1976 Copyright Act that established an earlier copyright term. Long copyright terms lobbied by corporations undermine the raison d’etre of copyright and robs the culture of public domain works. It is rich irony that when the owning corporation or estate of an artist wilfully and successfully lobbies to extend the copyright term of works beyond its moral lifespan it is an act of ethical piracy against living artists who are robbed of the opportunity to re-use these works freely.

As the current extension cycle winds down, incumbent copyright holders will definitely attempt to start lobbying soon for another term extension to prevent their works from falling into the public domain on January 1, 2019.

There are many that act in the name of artists but until artists unite and reclaim their right with a greater say in the collectivization of their songs with a systemic, structural approach to cut the Gordian Knot, hitting out randomly at streaming services or radio et al is akin to a baby throwing toys out of a pram. There is definitely money in the recorded music industry, but currently it’s just being siphoned away from artists and misappropriated as advertising, technology, ‘unclaimed’, investment or even shipping revenue!.

For the average user on the Internet there is a basic truism that dictates their behavior:

If it’s on the internet, it can, and will be downloaded or streamed.

That consumers are burdened with complex moral or legal copyright dilemmas which the industry has failed to define and resolve properly in the first place is an atrocity. Artists and the music industry at large cannot cop their responsibility in fixing these broken areas by not speaking out and acting accordingly, otherwise they are simply complicit in the shenanigans of the complex.

All images by Can Stock Photo except
Old Mickey Mouse by Teaessare Illustration & Design

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Saturday, October 4, 2014

Saturday Night Fun...

Wine, sea shells, a glue gun and a little Grateful Dead playing in the background.
(Oh, and my sweet acorn-candle-holder-vase thingy in the background.)

Not too shabby if you ask me...

(Can't wait to share the finished product with you!)

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Tuesday, 24 April 2012 17:06

Hockey Stick Materials

Hockey sticks have evolved quite a bit over the years, from the wooden stick to the shiny new carbon fibre one-piece sticks. "But why is there such a large price difference between all these sticks?" you ask. The simple answer is - Materials.hockey sticks made of wood and protected by fibreglass

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Friday, April 3, 2009

Ready, Partner?

For three weeks now, Resident Evil 5 has been out in the world infecting the masses. I just finished it on Monday night, so that’s why I’ve been silent about it until today. Normally, I’d have been done sooner, but the busy schedules of myself and my co-op partner only intersect for about six hours a week.

It has been thirteen years since I first played the original Resident Evil. Many installments, headshots and ink ribbons later, this video game series has become my all-time favourite. Each new game release has been an event and I’ve played them all - well, all except for the ones caught up in retarded Nintendo exclusivity deal. Then in 2005, a much needed shake-up came to glorious fruition with the release of Resident Evil 4. That game was a revelation for me. I couldn’t believe Capcom had managed to top Code Veronica – which I ADORED. RE4 was a gaming milestone and rightfully ended up on many Game Of The Year lists. So, here we are four years later at the release of Resident Evil 5.

And the verdict is…

It’s awesome sauce.

It is fair to say that in many ways, this fifth installment is a shinier Resident Evil 4, but with one very important evolution; the co-operative gamplay. That is really what makes Resident Evil 5 a winner. The Resident Evil series has experimented with co-op before – with the Outbreak games – but they never really worked quite right. They were more of a glimmering portent for the fantastic things to come. RE5 was my buddy Phil and I’s first real experience with co-op gameplay and we were both floored. It’s very hard to describe the innumerable scenarios that were enhanced because there were two of us. Needless to say, there was much “Yeah… so this is awesome” in between “Behind you!” and “I fucking PRESSED it, fuck!”

After playing RE5, I am really surprised about some of the hate online, so I’ll respond to the naysayers. A lot of people seem to be up in arms about the controls. I had no issues, it having only taken me the length of the demo to get used to them again. I can appreciate gamers suggesting a new control scheme is overdue, but to say these controls are ‘broken’ seems absurd to me. I don’t remember anyone having a problem with these same controls when Resident Evil 4 came out. That was four years ago, you say? Okay, if you want an even more recent example, as its controls are very similar, Dead Space. No complaints then either. And if I have to hear one more person bitch about not being able to walk and shoot at the same time… Is this REALLY a deal breaker for you?! Now, the biggest gripe is about the friendly A.I. I obviously can’t comment on this because I played it as it was MEANT to be played – with a living, breathing partner! I don’t want to sound like I am making excuses though, so I’m willing to relent. If the A.I. is as shitty as some say, then Capcom dropped the ball on that one. It was wrong of them to make a far inferior single player product. On the other hand; this can be easily remedied. Grab a partner! As for the enemy A.I, they seemed to be able to get the drop on us several times, so that should at least say something.

Okay, back to the good stuff. Resident Evil games have a reputation for bloated and convoluted storylines and this installment is no different. And even though I could see where the story was going fairly early on, I dug it a lot. Talk about tying up loose ends! This one, more than any other, really felt like we were inside an action flick. I love the game design of the last few Resident Evil games. It somehow gives you JUST enough ammo to complete your mission. When all was said and done, my partner and I had six bullets left between us. And on top of all this, the game is GORGEOUS. The African locale was an inspired choice and really brought the series into an environment that had yet to be explored.

This was an amazing experience… and it’s not over! We still have Mercenaries mode, tons of unlockables and upcoming DLC to keep us busy. Resident Evil 5 may not be as mind-blowing a jump as Resident Evil 4 was, but the inclusion of flawless co-op gameplay makes it a completely different beast altogether and a total must-play for all fans of the series.

So, again I ask you… Ready, partner?

Locked and loaded.

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The House Plan Shop Blog » Cottage House Plans

Tag Archive 'Cottage House Plans'

Jan 27 2014

Profile Image of M.K. Tenney

Featured Vacation Cottage House Plan

Vacation Cottage House Plan 054H-0058This adorable vacation cottage house plan appears humble on the outside, but it is certainly grand on the inside with enough coziness to call it home away from home. A vaulted ceiling lends to a spacious feeling in the living/dining area which is bathed in natural light from the clerestory windows. Boasting efficiency, the kitchen is designed as a convenience not a chore. Storage space is offered in the bedroom to hold all of the trendy vacation-wear and in the linen closet for crisp clean sheets and fluffy towels. Whether seashells or dried mountain flowers, souvenirs are proudly displayed in a built-in niche just inside the front door. Leading to more sleeping accommodations in the loft, is a unique space saving spiral staircase. As a weekend retreat or a summer home, this cottage home plan offers the amenities of home with efficiency and class.

Browse more cottage home plans like this one in our cottage house plan collection.

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Jun 08 2011

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

Quaint Cottage House Plans for a Secondary Residence

Cottage House Plan 027H-0127Exuding charm and style, this quaint cottage house plan is comfortable and efficient. Just imagine it in a little country town or along the New England coast delivering, peace and quiet with all the comforts of home. The exterior of this charming cottage is neatly trimmed and showcases a welcoming front porch lined with columns and opens to two sides of the home. Inside, you’ll discover and open floor plan perfect for the family to kick back and relax after a long week at work. It also encourages conversation with the kitchen and dining area connecting to the great room. Whether you bring the kids or grandkids or some of your closest friends, three bedrooms (one is an open loft) and two full baths deliver comfortable accommodations for everyone. Or, if you’re retired and prefer to spend a lot of time at your cozy cottage, this two-story cottage home plan makes a great secondary residence or vacation home with room for visitors.

For more floor plans like this one, please browse The House Plan Shop’s complete collection of cottage house plans.

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May 12 2011

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

Simple, Yet Charming Cottage House Plans

Cottage House Plan 027H-0119For those who don’t require a lot of living space, cottage house plans are a good choice. Though they don’t offer everything you might find in a family-sized home, and they will never compare to a mansion, cottage floor plans are designed to be comfortable and accommodating. Small in nature, cottage home plans are well suited as a primary residence for a single person or a couple and provide all the comforts of home without all the fussy extras. Furthermore, they make great vacation homes and are even a nice selection for a mother-in-law suite or guest house on a large estate. Cottage house plans are sometimes referred to as English cottages. They are quaint, but deliver plenty of outward charm. Though the floor plan is usually simple in design, cottages usually enjoy decorative exterior details and trim such as a railed porch, window shutters and flower boxes. Their interiors are neatly decorated as well. These small houses typically provide basic accommodations including one or two bedrooms and baths, an open floor plan with combined living and dining areas, a modest kitchen and occasionally, a space for a stacked washer and dryer unit. Cottage designs blend nicely in a variety of settings from the side of a peaceful country road to a cozy and peaceful neighborhood. The House Plan Shop’s cottage collection features floor plans that offer no more than 1200 square feet of living space and do not include a garage. Because of their small nature, cottage home plans are closely related to cabin floor plans. Known for their charming designs and cozy accommodations, cottage house plans deliver comfortable and relaxed living year-round or just on long weekends.

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The Jewellery Watch Prize at the 2013 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève was handed to Chopard for the heavily diamond-set L'Heure du Diamant.

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Monday, October 3, 2016

Fall 2016

The Little Nook 2016-2017.

We started off our school year with good manners, our first Weekly Theme, while exploring, sharing, creating and sometimes making a bit of a mess together.  Good manners are important skills children should develop when they are young.  After all, manners are beneficial for the rest of their lives and as we try to model them at The Little Nook, we thought that one week of really practicing could make perfect!

If you have a play kitchen at home you can make learning manners fun!

Set a pretend table for your children and let them tell you what they are cooking in the kitchen.  Set the table together with all of their little play plates and pass the food around the table.

They will love it and you will find them smiling from ear to ear when you sit down for a real dinner that evening and they show you what they learned.

Transportation week at The Little Nook was a hit!  We had so much fun listening to "vroom vroom" and "ready set go" and "row row row your boat" while we learned and played!

We are always so thankful for our Community Helpers! The children loved talking about their doctors, dentists, firemen and mailmen.

We cooked up some really good stuff during our In The Kitchen week!

We couldn't ask for a better start to the school year!

Friday, May 27, 2016

Summer at The Little Nook

Oh Mama…If you are like me and looking at your calendar, then you are saying "school is almost out"!

What am I going to do with these kiddos all summer?
Looking for a day or two in between beach trips and camp and pool-ing it, then come join us!

We have lots of fun in store for your kiddos!!!

Email me at or call us at 404.846.2232 for more information.

We have fun camps planned June 6th - August 31st


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Breaking News
Jeff and Jan exhibition

Jeff and Jan exhibition

Painters Jeff Barringer and Jan de Beer come together in the upcoming exhibition in the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre from Oct. 18 to Nov. 12.

Working in a traditional abstract style, Jeff Barringer presents acrylic and/or mixed-media paintings on canvas or panels in his exhibition “Conscience”. The collection explores “the connections between conscious thought and the subconscious”.  Barringer believes that abstract art is, by definition more about what the artist is feeling than what they are trying to say, the latter is up to the viewer to interpret.

Jan de Beer’s exhibition “Tides” is a series of paintings created with recycled paints and materials. Jan de Beer likes to think of his work as “being created within the tradition of surrealist automatism and that the recycled materials challenges the notion of art objects being precious.”

The opening reception will be held Saturday, October 21 from 2-4pm. The following Saturday, October 28 at 1pm both artists will be on hand for our “Meet the Artist” series.

For more information please visit our website at

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Tall Tales from Latin America

This post is part of a series of posts celebrating the countries and cultures of Latin America. The first post featured creation stories from Latin America, and the second introduced clever folk heroes and trickster tales. This post shares a few favorite tall tales from Latin America.

Doña Flor: a tall tale about a giant woman with a great big heart (2005) by Pat Mora and illustrated by Raul Colón (a Golden Kite Award winner and a Pura Belpré Award winner). Doña Flor is a giant of a woman, of the likes of Paul Bunyon and other earth-shaping tall tale heroes. She uses her kindness and ability to talk to animals to help both the neighboring villagers and the wildlife. But when a ferocious puma's growl threatens people and animals alike, Flor knows she must take action!

When the Pigs Took Over (2002) by Arthur Dorros and illustrated by Diane Greenseid. In this absurd story, Alonzo's big brother Don Carlos takes everything to extremes. He wears seven hats - instead of one. And still he asks for "más" (more). As his requests spiral out of control, his little brother teaches him that perhaps there are times when enough is enough!

Do you have a favorite Latin American tall tale to share?

Saturday, September 26, 2015

#3rdfor3rd: The Doll People series

Welcome to #3rdfor3rd where I share books that my third graders recommend for other third graders. (Please note that my third graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for third graders.) Read more about this book recommendation series and format here.

The Doll People series

Book recommendation by Ava.

The Doll People by Ann Martin and Laura Godwin.

The doll people is about a family of dolls who are alive. The main character is named Annabelle who is owned by Kate Palmer from the Palmer family. She is on a search to find her Auntie Sarah who has been missing for many years.

Then she meets another family of dolls owned by Kate's little sister, Nora. One of the dolls from the new family is Tiffany. Annabelle becomes friends with her. Tiffany helps Annabelle look for Auntie Sarah. Annabelle is excited to have her new friend that is the same age as her to play with and you will find out more and more by reading this book.

I recommend this book because is is a great book and it is creative and has lots of adventures! I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures. I hope you read this book because it is an awesome book. I rate this book five stars!

Click here or the #3rdfor3rd tag for more great book recommendations!

(Note from me: I reviewed an advanced copy of the newest book in the series, book four, here.)

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Interested in Teaching Cursive?

Thought this might be of interest to some of my teacher-readers.

Get Sponsored Cursive Handwriting Curriculum for Your Classroom

Now through Oct. 17th, elementary school teachers and principals are invited to request CursiveLogic workbooks for their classrooms.

CursiveLogic is a patent-pending handwriting instruction method that teaches the entire lowercase cursive alphabet in four lessons―meaning it requires far less classroom time than traditional cursive instruction. You can learn more about the CursiveLogic method here and read reviews here.

The workbooks are being sponsored by companies and individuals who are concerned about the disappearance of cursive from many classrooms.

Sponsored workbooks will be allocated to schools on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more and request workbooks at More questions? Email

[Full disclosure, CursiveLogic was started by my college roommate, and some of my students used a pilot version of the program last year.]

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Trickster Tales from Latin America

This post is part of a series of posts celebrating the countries and cultures of Latin America. The first post featured creation stories from Latin America. This post will focus on clever folk heros and trickster tales. The final post features tall tales.

Señor Cat's Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America (1997) retold by Lucia M. González and illustrated by Lulu Delacre. This collection features six short tales collected from across Latin America. Several feature folk heroes featured in other books in this post, including Juan Bobo, a trickster rabbit, and Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. (Read this post for reviews of other books featuring the Puerto Rican folk hero Juan Bobo.)

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: a Cuban folktale (2007) retold by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Michael Austin. (A Pura Belpré Honor Book.) In this version of the story, Martina must decide who to marry and agrees to follow the unusual advice of her Abuela - to see how each suitor reacts when coffee is spilled on him! This humorous tale provides great advice for looking beyond appearances and determining someone's inner character.

Just a Minute: a trickster tale and counting book (2003) by Yuyi Morales (a Pura Belpré Award winner). In this inventive trickster tale, Grandma Beetle is surprised to find the skeleton Señor Calavera beckoning her to follow. Imposing on his politeness, Grandma Beetle continues with an escalating list of tasks (with numbers in both English and Spanish). Kids will delight in this outrageous outsmarting of Death.

Juan Bobo is a popular trickster from Puerto Rico and one I have shared about many times before. There are many picture books written about him, and you can read more about all of them at this post: Meet Juan Bobo!

Love and Roast Chicken: a trickster tale from the Andes Mountains retold by Barbara Knutson (also available in Spanish as Amor Y Pollo Asado). Poor cuy (guinea pig) is such a small, defenseless creature, that he must rely on his wits when he is threatened by Tio Antonio, the fox. His clever solutions to difficult situations will keep kids laughing and impressed by his creativity.

Borreguita and the Coyote by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Petra Mathers. Based on a Mexican folktale poor Borreguita must find a way to outwit the wily coyote!

Jabuti the Tortoise: a trickster tale from the Amazon by Gerald McDermott. This Jabuti tale references several others tricked by Jabuti, but in this story, Jabuti himself is tricked by Vulture who is jealous of his song and colors. This pourquoi tale explains why the tortoise's shell looks cracked and why Vulture is black when other birds are colorful. This Jabuti tale comes from the Tupi-Guarani tribe of the rain forests of Brazil.

Papago: the Mischief Maker by Gerald McDermott. Papagayo is a bit of a bully and annoyance to the other creatures of the Amazon rain forest, especially to those who preferred to sleep during the day. But when the fearsome moon-dog starts eating away at the moon, it is Papagayo who convinces the nocturnal animals to scare him away. (No specific cultural attribution.)

Share your favorite trickster tales in the comments!

Monday, September 21, 2015

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9/21/15

It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR. (Don't you love the updated logo?)

Last Week's Posts

  • Kid Lit Blog Hop. The Kid Lit Blog Hop is a great community of kidlit bloggers, authors, and publishers. Come share a post or find some new posts to check out!
Also, my exciting news of the week is that I have been named a Round 2 judge for the 2015 Cybils Picture Book Award! I am delighted to continue to delve into the amazing picture books of this past year and to join this talented commitee in picking the eventual winner! You can read the full announcement here. Book nominations will be open Oct. 1-15th, so please share your favorites.

Picture Books

The Hunter's Promise: an Abenaki Tale (2015) by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. I was excited to hear of a new tale from master Native American storyteller Joseph Bruchac. The story opens with a full page author's note about the origins and earlier versions of the tale and its links to Wabanaki culture. It is an interesting story and well-told. I love the focus of Wisdom Press and their books, but something about the layout decisions and the text make this edition seem unprofessional. (The text seems too large and the margins around it too small in places.) Curious if anyone else has this same gut reaction to these books.

Middle Grade / Young Adult

The Shepherd's Crown (2015) by Terry Pratchett, book four in the Tiffany Aching series and number 41 of the Discworld series. This posthumous release by Terry Pratchett features the death and departure of a beloved Discworld character, the powerful Granny Weatherwax, whom Death himself regrets having to take. A fitting tribute to a beloved author.

Adult Books

The Martian (2014) by Andy Weir. This was an enjoyable read, but one where I actually think the (upcoming) movie might be better than the book. The changing narration and point-of-view shifts really did not work smoothly for me, though I understand why the author couldn't make only the first-person logs work for the whole book. (Read via Kindle.)

Award-Winning Books Reading Challenge update: 13 books, 2 dedicated posts

Dive into Diversity Challenge update: 175 books, 35 dedicated posts

Happy Reading!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Creation Stories from Latin America

Latin America is a diverse region of the world, and this great mix of cultures, people, and geography leads to great stories and cultural tales. This first post highlights some of my favorite creation stories from this part of the world. The next two posts highlight favorite trickster tales and tall tales.

The Golden Flower: a Taino myth from Puerto Rico (2005) by Nina Jaffe and illustrated by Enrique O. Sánchez. This version of the creation myth for the island of Puerto Rico begins with a desert and a young boy who plants the mysterious seeds that he finds. Only after these seeds grow and one produces an enormous pumpkin, do problems follow. Two men, fighting over the pumpkin, release the sea that was held inside, flooding the desert, and leaving behind just the top of the mountain as the island of Boriquén.

How the Sea Began: a Taino myth retold and illustrated by George Crespo. Another Taino story from Puerto Rico. In this version it is a group of young boys who accidentally release the sea the covers the land and leaves behind the island of Boriquén.

How We Came to the Fifth World / Cómo vinimos al quinto mundo (1988) adapted by Harriet Rohmer and Mary Anchondo and illustrated by Graciela Carrillo. This bilingual tale is a retelling of the classic Aztec creation myth about how humanity came into the fifth (and current) world and what happened to the previous four worlds.

The Two Mountains: an Aztec legend (2000) retold by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher. This legend comes from the Nahua people, descendants of the Aztec, and tells the origin of the two great mountains in the Valley of Mexico, which were once a son of the sun and a daughter of the moon.

The Gentle People (from Tales Alive! Ten multicultural folktales) This story from the Patagonia region of Argentina tells of the origins of the guanaco.

The Llama's Secret: a Peruvian legend (1993) adapted by Argentina Palacios and illustrated by Charles Reasoner. This ancient tale from Peru is a flood story. The farmer is warned by his llama about an impending flood, so he, his family, and the llama hike to the top of the great mountain, Huillcacoto. Along the way they warn two of many kinds of animals who accompany them and are spared from the flood. An author's note at the end explains the cultural significance of the llama and draws connections to other well-known flood stories.

The Princess and the Warrior: a tale of two volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh. This classic legend from ancient Mexico has roots in the Aztec and Tlaxcalan cultures, and Duncan has also included a connection to the Mixtec codices which inspired his signature artistic style. Rather than a creation-of-the-world story, this is the origin story of two mountains. The artwork is incredible, and the story reads like a Shakespearean tragedy. This is a wonderful addition to any classroom or library and definitely one I will be talking about come Caldecott time! For more about Duncan Tonatiuh, please read Featured Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh, part 1: fictional stories and part 2: biographies.

Do you have other favorite creation stories from Latin America? Please share them in the comments below!

It's Kid Lit Blog Hop Time!

Welcome to the 66th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists. So, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

Music Teaching and Parenting

Pragmatic Mom

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

Spark and Pook

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

Kid Lit Blog Hop

Kid Lit Blog Hop Rules *Please Read*

1. Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*

2. Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

3. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

4. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Happy Hopping!

Monday, September 14, 2015

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9/14/15

It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.

Last Week's Posts

  • More Smart Board Ideas. Part 3 in my Smart Board provides a bunch of ideas for using a Smart Board (outside of just Smart Notebook).

Picture Books

Leo: a ghost story (2015) by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Another in the recent pantheon of books about invisible friends, Leo is a ghost who finds himself sadly unwanted when a new family moves in. Rather than give up, he sets off to find out where he belongs. A predictable, yet still adorable, conclusion awaits. (H/T Mr. Shu.)

Hope Springs (2014) by Eric Walters and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. This book is based on the author's foundation and experience working with orphans in Kenya and focuses on the digging of a new well for the orphanage and then for the village. Another book to use with children when discussing issues of water rights and water availability in the world. (H/T Carrie at There is a Book for That.)

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (2015) by Don Tate. This biographical picture book introduces readers to enslaved poet George Moses Horton, the first southern African-American man to be published. I found it interesting that the author's note opens with a comment about his initial reluctance to illustrate stories about slavery.

Chukfi Robbit's Big, Bad Bellyache: a trickster's tale (2014) retold by Greg Rodgers and illustrated by Leslie Stall Widener. This story is based on a Choctaw tale, and the character's names are the names of their species in the Choctaw language. I love a good trickster tale, but this one just did not stick with me. There was nothing particularly memorable about Chukfi or his exploits.

Middle Grade

Little Robot (2015) by Ben Hatke. My students love Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl series, so there was much excitement about his newest graphic novel. The book did not disappoint. This is a very sweet story with minimal text, making it great for reluctant readers.

Adult Books

Go Set a Watchman: a novel (2015) by Harper Lee. Bit belated on this one - waited to get it from the library. Really, I don't understand the point of this book at all. It is not particularly well-written, the story makes very little sense, and I finished it out of sheer stubbornness. I'm surprised an editor asked for more if this truly resembles the original submission.

Award-Winning Books Reading Challenge update: 13 books, 2 dedicated posts

Dive into Diversity Challenge update: 175 books, 35 dedicated posts

Happy Reading!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Poetry Friday: Flutter & Hum / Aleteo y Zumbido

Flutter & Hum: animal poems / Aleteo y Zumbido: poemas de animales (2015) by Julie Paschkis.

Folk artist Julie Paschkis has assembled a delightful collection of animal poems in Spanish and English. A native English speaker, she was recently inspired to learn Spanish by a picture book project about Pablo Neruda. Composed in Spanish and translated into English, these poems feature a variety of animals of the land, air, and sea.

I love the combination of Julie Paschkis' unique art style with the bilingual poems as well. She uses words as such integral parts of her illustrations, and the language of the words chosen matches whichever language she is using for the poem on that part of the page. So clever!

Happy Poetry Friday! Robyn has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Life on the Deckle Edge.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

#3rdfor3rd: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Welcome to #3rdfor3rd where I share books that my third graders recommend for other third graders. (Please note that my third graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for third graders.) Read more about this book recommendation series and format here.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Book recommendation by Maeve.

I will tell you about a book that is magical and mysterious at the same time. It is called The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

In the book there are 4 children whose names are Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They left London because of the air-raids they now live in a mysterious house with a very old professor who helps with their problems and helps them with alot of things around the house.

This is a great book because first Lucy goes into the wardrobe then no one believes her until they see for themselves. It is also a great book because it is magical and there is some made-up things like a faun. You would think of it as a baby deer but it is really a man with goat legs and horns but man head and chest.

My favorite quote is "Are you my councillor or my slave?" said the white witch. It is my favorite quote because she says that when she changes from bad to really bad.

If you like mysteries or magic you will love this book because it has a lot of questions you come up with and answer too, and most of the questions are about one thing.

I love this book so much I am going to rate the book 5 stars.

Click here or the #3rdfor3rd tag for more great book recommendations!

(Note from me: I strongly stand by the original publication order for reading this series, which is why students started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.)

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

More Smart Board Ideas

Smart Boards have lots of potential uses in the classroom. This post will share more ideas for using your Smart Board on the web. The first post in this series provides more general tips and tricks for using Smart Boards, while the second explores my favorite ways to use Smart Notebook in my classroom.

More Smart Board Ideas

Media Center

Having a Smart Board eliminates the need for a separate TV or DVD player in your classroom, as long as the computer you use has a DVD player. I recommend getting a separate set of speakers to help with the sound. A Smart Board can easily share DVDs as well as You Tube or other online videos, provided you have a fast enough Internet connect to stream videos.

Last year was the first time using our Smart Board for Skype, and it was a great success! We had a Skype author visit from the ever-engaging Tara Lazar, who read aloud her book The Monstore, while I flipped pages in our class copy. We also did a Mystery Skype with another class, where we switched off asking yes/no questions to try and determine their location. (Pro tip, remind your students not to wear identifiable t-shirts that day, local sports teams, etc. Kids are ruthless observers!)

Skype-ing with a Smart Board works best if you can easily position your computer and webcam near the Smart Board itself. For our Tara Lazar talk, the laptop was a little off to the side (on a folding kitchen step stool), which meant she usually saw the side of kids' heads. When we did our Mystery Skype, it was in our computer lab, which is a longer room, so we put the computer on a cart in front of the board.

Giant Read Alouds

You can use the Kindle app on any computer, tablet, or phone to share books with students on the Smart Board. This is great for stories with really detailed illustrations or other text features that you want everyone to easily to able to see. Back in the day, I scanned the entirety of Love that Dog for reading aloud, because I wanted my students to see and appreciate the line breaks. (Read more about Teaching Poetry with Love that Dog.)

PowerPoint, Google Slides, Haiku Deck, Prezi, etc.

The Smart Board is an excellent way to present information. Since you are not limited to only using Smart Notebook, you can use any type of presentation software or web site to share information. When I bring in parents to share about other countries, PowerPoint is often their software of choice for sharing photographs and facts.

Padlet for Real-Time Collaboration

This is one I have not tackled yet, but I know of many teachers who use Padlet for collaboration within the classroom. For schools where students have access to their own tablets or laptops, you could conceivably have the whole class logged into a single Padlet page, sharing thoughts and ideas in real time. (I will admit that when I picture this with third graders, I picture mass chaos!)

Student Screen Sharing

There are also devices available that let students share their own tablet or laptop screens directly with the Smart Board. The Chromecast from Google plugs into the projector itself and allows anyone with a Chromebook or Chromecast app to send their screen to the projector. I observed a middle school teacher who had his students use the Chromecast to each share a presentation with the class.

Document Camera

Document cameras are another great piece of technology to integrate with a Smart Board. A document camera allows you to easy share print media up on the board. You place the book, for example, underneath the camera, which then sends a live image of it onto the screen. This would also work well with items like math manipulatives.

The Smart Board can also be used like a giant projection screen TV. Once a year as part of our school fundraiser, my classroom becomes the game room, and either a Wii or XBox gets plugged into the projector for giant-sized gaming fun. For last year's "Teach a Teacher Tuesday," several of my third graders used the web-based version of Minecraft to teach me all about the game on the big screen.

The Web

Finally, of course, you can do anything on your Smart Board that you can do on your regular computer. You can also use the pens and "ink" to mark up a digital page for reference. I appreciate the ability to model reading or using a web site in front of students.

How Do You Use Your Smart Board?

What other great ideas do you have for using a Smart Board in the classroom? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Monday, September 7, 2015

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9/7/15

It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.

Last Week's Posts

  • #3rdfor3rd: The BFG. Third grader Lily says, "If you like giants, orphans, adventure, and caveman speech, you will love this book."
  • My Favorite Uses of Smart Notebook. Part 2 in my Smart Board series provides an overview of many different applications of the Smart Notebook program to classroom learning.

    Picture Books

    Shi-shi-etko (2005) by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim LaFave. This story of the Native American residential schools focuses on the days before a young girl leaves for such a school for the first time. The author's note at the beginning sets the context for the story and explains some of the history of these schools. Because the story focuses only on her home life and preparing to leave, it is a less bleak book than others on this topic. Her story continues in Shin-chi's Canoe. This might be a good book to pair with When I Was Eight and Not My Girl which continue the story to school and home again.

    Mr. Peabody's Apples (2003) by Madonna. I understand the point this story was aiming for (you cannot easily undo a rumor, once spoken), but the book itself took too long in the telling. The illustrations remind me of the exaggerated style of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which also made it harder for me to take this story seriously.

    Loula and Mister the Monster (2015) by Anne Villeneuve. This third and newest picture book in the Loula series features the young girl and her trouble trying to get new dog Mister under control. Loula and her chauffeur Gilbert try valiantly to teach Mister the lessons of manners and civility, but he has different ideas.

    The book is cute, and the dog's responses amusing, but I felt like there just was not a lot to this story (even with the "twist" at the end). Plus in this era of seeking diverse and inclusive books, I have a hard time understanding the choice to make a main character so wealthy her family has a personal chauffeur. (Digital ARC provided via Net Galley in return for an honest review.)

    Middle Grade

    The Lion Who Stole my Arm (2013) by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Annabel Wright. This gripping realistic fiction novel will draw in adventure-lovers and reluctant readers alike. Young Pedru loses his arm to a lion attack in the first chapter and must spend the rest of the story deciding how to respond. The action will draw readers in, allowing the environmental message to resonate. A new book in this Heroes in the Wild series, Manatee Rescue, is coming in January. (A review copy of the book was provided by the Candlewick Best in Class mailing. All thoughts are my own.)

    Five, Six, Seven, Nate! (2015) by Tim Federle and read by Tim Federle. At the suggestion of several of you, I listened to the audiobook of Tim Federle's latest contribution to his Nate series, which was a great companion during a few long drives right before the school year kicked into gear.

    Five, Six, Seven, Nate! continues where Better Nate than Ever left off, focusing on the rehearsals and lead up to an actual Broadway production. (Each chapter is subtitled with a count down towards previews.) Nate finds some unexpected allies and friends as his improbable good fortune continues to get him in (and out) of some pretty elaborate situations. Listening to the story rather than reading it myself forced me to slow down and enjoy even more the humorous dialogue and internal voice of this endearing character.

    Challenges and Summer Plans

    Award-Winning Books Reading Challenge update: 13 books, 2 dedicated posts

    Dive into Diversity Challenge update: 170 books, 35 dedicated posts

    Happy Reading!


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Strap in for a special treat from Douchka and Nowadays Records. The release of the genre-breaching EP Infantile came late last month, but it’s so good that we’re going to have to show it some love still. If it slipped through your grips like us, don’t fret, Infantile is here now for your aural pleasure.

Douchka cooked up a handful of tracks for this project, including the single “Call You Mine” that we previously supported prior to the full EP’s release. Collaborators on the project include Lia who was on the previously mentioned single, as well as Hi Levelz who brings an artistic splash on two tracks. The thing is, we have four of those songs for you today, but you can exclusively listen to the intro, interlude and outro through digital services. Every song on here is something you’re going to want to sit back and listen to in full. Do so today and treat yourself on this hump day.

’No Reason feat. Hi Levelz’
’Call You Mine feat. Lia’
’Douchka – This Mood feat. Hi Levelz’
’Douchka – Oh Lee’
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