Popular Mechanics
by Carrie Cummings, May 19, 2011, 2:45 PM

Usually, I only read magazines whose content appeals directly to me: ones with glossy spreads of the top 50 newest lip glosses, advice columns on how to look hotter than and stop Googling your ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, what flea market in Brooklyn has the best cheese -- chick mags, if you will.

To be fair, Popular Mechanics doesn't exactly go after my 20-something-single-girl-in-the-city-who-works-until-8-every-night-and-eats-crackers-alone-over-her-sink demographic. Instead, it appeals to the neighborhood guy with a family and propensity to brag about mysteriously attained esoteric knowledge on gadgets and things made in garages. So Popular Mechanics wasn't high on my must-read-every-month list. That is, until I saw the May 2011 issue wrapped in plastic with a supplement featuring what I thought were laptop accessories -- in other words, things to buy.

I tore the plastic wrap off, and quickly found that the supplement was about robotics, featuring high school kids and their erector sets. I let out a sigh, promptly threw it away and was left with the magazine itself. Since my Southern mother taught me to dance with the one that brung ya, I fought the urge to grab InStyle for this review and instead dived into geek land. Here's what I found:

I noticed the ads first. It's safe to say that nearly all of them feature a man and a car. Even the ad for the cholesterol medicine Lipitor featured a man standing in front of a truck!

There's a nice piece that opens with a great, sensual description of motorcycling, with the pitch that owning a motorcycle "makes financial sense." Then there's the safety pitch about getting the proper training and certification before one dons the leather and heads for the sunset. With that out of the way, and with the legal department satisfied, we get into the gear of riding. Finally, something to buy. So, I'm not really interested in the gloves or jackets, but there is a great photo spread of motorcycles with stats and price points. Now I'm having fantasies of racing a Hyosung GT250 through the streets of New York. For only $3,699, it seems like a steal.

The "DIY Underground" feature is right up my alley with a focus on creating handmade, craftsman products in small, unknown garages around the country. The piece profiles shops from Washington to Maine that sell everything from handmade wooden boats to custom daggers, and also focuses on the human element -- the people behind the crafts. I wasn't surprised that the first shop mentioned, Warehouse Woodworkers, is based out of my own hipster-'hood of Brooklyn.

As part of its recurring monthly departments, Popular Mechanics' last page is called "This is My Job," and it profiles someone with a remarkable job. This month, Carl Mehling, who catalogs fossils at the American Museum of Natural History, got the honors. There is a picture of Mehling standing among his fossils in the Big Bone Room (seriously, guys, his office is called the "Big Bone Room" -- that's fantastic!) with short write-ups on what are probably the most valuable or interesting ones. The Barosaurus bone displayed was used to make a cast of the museum's display skeleton. I had to read that many times because I actually thought that the skeletons on display in the museum were real. Nope. Casts. Apparently casts are easier to install than the real deal, and real fossils are easier to study if left uninstalled. Win-win, I suppose.

Oh, Popular Mechanics. I won't be buying you on the newsstands unless you start selling shoes and purses on your pages, but I won't turn my nose up at you anymore. And if there is a stray copy lying around the office, you can bet I'll thumb through the pages to catch up on my knowledge of all things with motors.

MAG STATS
Published By: Hearst Corporation
Frequency: Monthly
Web site: popularmechanics.com

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/150852/popular-mechanics.html#ixzz1koqHTXBk

New Book "Everyday" Explores the Impact of the Ordinary through Thought Provoking Photographs and Essays - Images that Evoke Emotions Rarely Projected

New photography book "Everyday," by Leonard Volk, FAIA emeritus, and retired architect in Dallas, TX explores the impact of the ordinary through thought provoking photographs and essays. Volk offers readers a rare look inside his collection of select photographs and essays from more than 60 years of personal photography, loaded with content, and stories that evoke emotions rarely projected. A man with a camera and a passion. A scholar, an architect, and a visionary - "Everyday" is a series of photographs that focuses on the familiar and the small, things usually screened from ones attention

Dallas, TX - December 09, 2011 - New photography book "Everyday," by Leonard Volk, FAIA emeritus, and retired architect of Dallas, TX offers readers a rare look inside his collection of select photographs and essays from more than 60 years of personal photography.

A man with a camera and a passion. A scholar, an architect, and a visionary - Leonard Volk purchased his first camera in 1950 - a Leica Illc - in Limburg, Germany, igniting a passion for photography and discovery of his innate talent for capturing extraordinary yet often overlooked aspects of daily life.

"Everyday," explores the impact of the ordinary through the lens. "This series focuses on the familiar and the small, things usually screened from our attention," says Volk. "When we notice the small, we sometimes find qualities and intensities harder to find in broader views of the world," states Volk. "Such discoveries make us aware that the world around us contains wonders and epiphanies."

"The images are more than visual; they are loaded with content, and stories that evoke emotions rarely projected. This is much more than a collection of excellent photographs; in a quiet way, it tells the story of everyday with high drama," says Hal Box, FAIA, former dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin.

"For me, making an image is only half the job. The other half is communication - sharing it with others, so that they may share my experience," adds Volk. "Through the lens we find complexity, mystery, drama, poetry, humor, and beauty," says Volk. "Effects are often multiplied by analogy, metaphor, and our emotional responses."

Although the small and familiar have long been recognized as worthy subjects by photographers, Volk believes they are surprisingly neglected. "Uniqueness fairly jumps from tiny objects and bits of landscapes," he says. "I feel inspired to hunt the significant ordinary."

The subjects of Volk's photographs range from household items to intimate human interactions, each as compelling as the next. "His imagery is magically, vibrantly, lyrically, evocatively and, yes, obsessively - poetic. Architecture may have been the subject by which Volk chose to define a significant portion of his 'professional' career, but his concerns remain truly modern and touch upon all things from history, symbology, philosophy, music and, thank goodness, art itself," says Roy Flukinger, senior curator of photography at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

In addition to taking poignant and meaningful photographs, Volk wrote extensively on his insight into the art from his many years as a photographer, a selection of which are included among the photographs.

Taking from his own experiences, he challenges readers to stretch themselves and reach for satisfactions in photography only they can recognize, further suggesting they start their own "Everyday" collection, finding a subject matter they care about strongly, that no one else would know to photograph, that no one else would photograph. "Art, like flying, is freedom," says Volk. "I believe we are all artists if we allow ourselves that freedom."

"Everyday" is a collection of astounding photographs captured by a brilliant artist that will be a welcome addition to any photography lover's library. "I offer this collection of photographs with respect and encouragement to each person just beginning to find his or her way in photography, and to each casual photographer who simply records family events, pets and trips," says Volk.

For more information on Volk and to purchase of copy of "Everyday," please visit: http://www.leonardvolk.com

Contact
Cindy Birne
Brown Books Publishing Group
972-381-0009

Movie Puncture Exposes Hep B&C, HIV Dangers in Needlestick Injuries for Nurses, Healthcare Workers

The movie Puncture reveals the untold true story of the enormous risks faced every day by nurses and healthcare workers exposed to dangerous and deadly bloodborne pathogens (Hepatitis B, C and HIV) through accidental needlestick injuries.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20, 2011 - Captain America star Chris Evans plays an unusual attorney in Puncture who takes up the cause of a local ER nurse who contracts HIV after an accidental needlestick injury on the job. He emerges as an unlikely hero who takes on a medical device monopoly, fighting a landmark legal case to get safety needles into the hands of every American healthcare worker.

Puncture reveals the untold story of the enormous risks faced every day by nurses and healthcare workers exposed to dangerous and deadly bloodborne pathogens Hepatitis B, C and HIV through contaminated needlesticks, sharps, or splash exposures. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 800,000 accidental needlestick injuries have occurred annually.

The underdog lawyer wages a contemporary David and Goliath battle against the medical device industry forces that block front line healthcare worker access to proven safety needle innovation for blood drawing and infusion.

The classic "one person-against the odds" cautionary tale portrays the issues leading up to the passage of the U.S. Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act 2000 and the added protection under the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Act Administration (OSHA) and its Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.

For the global healthcare worker industry and advocacy community, Puncture brings all the urgency and passion of this real-life story to screen, illustrates the daily realities of the workplace and the underlying forces that restrict the purchase and use of safer needle products.

Puncture opens Sept. 23 in New York (Empire 25, Sunshine), Los Angeles (The Landmark) and Houston (River Oaks); Oct. 7 in additional cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C.; and will be everywhere this fall.

SOURCE Millennium Entertainment, LLC

Author and Single Father Talks About Exercising Right as a Parent

Discussion on child support, custody, visitation rights, and why court systems are so crooked tackled in an enlightening book

Toledo, OH - March 18 - Xlibris, the print-on-demand self-publishing services provider, announced today the release of The Tools You Need to Be Successful. Authored by Joshua McDowell, this book gives readers the most up-to-date information on how and what paperwork to file when going through the court system.

McDowell is a single father who would do anything for his son. A father who truly wants to be a part of his child’s life, he’s willing to fight fire with fire and never back down. Caught in an ugly custody battle with his ex, he reveals how real good, loving, honest, caring fathers like him can get screwed when it comes to the court system. In his book The Tools You Need to Be Successful, he teaches them how to deal with baby mama drama, how to become a better parent, and how to become successful in court. Through his experiences, readers will gain a much better understanding about child support, custody, and even visitation and how it is used. They will also know about the good, bad, and ugly of parenthood.

Never give up is the key to a parent’s success in their life. A father needs to be willing to go above and beyond what is expected of him each and every time. When McDowell went through the custody battle over his child, it was one hell of a roller coaster ride. But his son was worth fighting for and he never backed down. Through his book, he hopes to enlighten readers not only about child support, custody, and visitation, but also why the court systems are so crooked and what people can do to change it.

“By the end of this book you will know exactly what it takes to be a parent and what they go through. You will understand not all fathers are bad people. You will find out why it is a good idea to wait to fall in love too fast, too soon. You will know the positives and negatives of having a child,” shares the author.

For more information on The Tools You Need to Be Successful, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author
Joshua S. McDowell is a tremendous father who would give anything to be with his son. He attends college to one day become a family law lawyer. He loves to learn new things every day. McDowell inspires everyone he meets to want better for their life and to want better for their child’s life as well. He is a writer, author, motivational speaker, karate instructor, and encourages everyone to never give up and fight for what he or she believes in. He encourages everyone to be a better parent for their children and want to be a better person for themselves. On his own time, he loves to attend Cedar Creek Church where he is from. McDowell is a powerful leader and speaker and is well respected by his peers throughout his community.

The Tools You Need to Be Successful * by Joshua McDowell
Never Give Up Never Back Down
Publication Date: January 19, 2011
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 284 pages; 978-1-4535-4200-2
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 284 pages; 978-1-4535-4201-9
eBook; $9.99; 978-1-4535-4202-6

Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879.

For more information on self-publishing or marketing with Xlibris, visit http://www.Xlibris.com. To receive a free publishing guide, please call (888) 795-4274.

Contact
Marketing Services
Author Solutions, Inc.
(888) 795-4274 7879

This Old House

by Fern Siegel, Wednesday, August 24, 2011

This Old House I live in a Greenwich Village apartment. If you have one bedroom, you're considered fortunate; two qualifies as nearly palatial. Old means pre-war. Personally, I'm a fan of cozy, contained spaces. By contrast, whatever falls under the "house" label -- large or small -- particularly if it can trace its lineage from the 18th-to-mid-20th century -- is the province of This Old House.

The Time, Inc. magazine is targeted to DIYers, those who use miter saws and nod knowingly when salvaged corbels become accent pieces. My expertise extends to identifying a hammer and nails; when my A/C installer requested a Phillips screwdriver, I was as clueless as Michele Bachmann on U.S. history.

However, for those in the know, This Old House is a treasure trove of useful information. My mother, a voracious reader, claims to "devour" the magazine. There is the joy of grandchildren and the delights of a freshly minted This Old House. Both light up her eyes -- but only one turned down Brown.

Per her, the magazine boasts great ideas, beautiful layouts and an "inviting" manner. There are few experts we can trust any more; economists misread the housing bubble and pushed deregulation, while politicians manufactured a debt-ceiling crisis that earned the U.S. an AA rating. On the national scene, confidence builders are in short supply. For DIYers, that assurance rests with TOH. The magazine's experts know their onions.

Here's why: the pub traffics in helpful information, how-to articles about wiring, plumbing, carpentry and landscaping. The goal is to ensure your house is a home, customized to specific tastes. The range of topics -- revamping a kitchen to unusual decorations -- is impressive. Whether turning a tiny attic into a master bath or enlarging a Victorian foursquare kitchen, TOH meets the challenge with easy-to-understand blueprints and hints to highlight each element in a room. It's the homeowner's bible.

The front-of-the-book offers soup-to-nuts "Home Solutions," a regular column that posits an array of nifty stuff, like 10 uses for wax paper. No. 6, make fixtures shine. Yep, you can buff faucets. Or No. 5, free a stuck zipper. Lightly run the wax paper over the teeth -- advice that's handy in a host of situations.

So are the salvage projects. TOH takes reuse and recycle to artistic levels, such as turning an old window into a patio table with the aid of scrap-wood legs. The adventurous can build a desk with a hutch -- guided by step-by-step directions. Also, as Matisse and Monet knew, color matters. Sad wood cabinets can be updated, so can walls and stairs by a splash of color -- be it sea mist, rose or guacamole. A story about a revamped Ocean Grove, N.J., getaway proves the wisdom of embracing color wheels. 

In addition, readers are invited to participate in occasional makeovers. Chris Baldwin of Gainesville, Fla., had his messy garage redone -- though the resemblance to an industrial storage unit that harvests organs is pronounced. He's probably thrilled, but I'd love to know how he finds anything. Labeling the ultra-sterile cabinets probably helps.

Still, the magazine's charge is to spiff up and simplify, trim and accessorize. The art direction is clean and friendly, and the writing is the same. If the tax code was this smart, GE would contribute to Uncle Sam, and the rest of us would approach the annual ritual with far less trepidation.

In essence, This Old House's appeal is really about the power of transformation -- restoring a Craftsman bungalow or a neglected homestead to their original beauty. For those who love home renovations, or can afford those in the know, TOH is essential reading. A visible reminder that home is where the art is.

Publisher: This Old House Ventures

Frequency: 10 times/year

Web site: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/magazines

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A Love That Multiplies - New York Times Best Seller

New Book From TLC's Hit Show '19 Kids & Counting'

'A Love That Multiplies' by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar has also attained an Amazon Best Seller Status by Ranking in the Top 100 in sales out of Amazon's over 22 million print books. Both milestones were reached within 8 days of its release. More information is available at http://www.duggarfamily.com.