We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! Feliz Navidad, Prospero Año y Felicidad!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! Feliz Navidad, Prospero Año y Felicidad!

Posted on December 26, 2013by profesorbaker

¡Felices Fiestas!

Pavarotti,Carreras,Domingo – Feliz Navidad
(We Wish You A Merry Christmas)
Bought a #Kindle 4 #Xmas?

Make sure 2 buy #Books!

★http://ow.ly/29jNLa ★ #read #ASMSG ★http://ow.ly/29jNL9★ RT @profesortbaker – video created at http://animoto.com

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Jerome-Baker/e/B007G9HJFM

We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad! Prospero Año y Felicidad!

Give a gift that keeps on giving.

Give someone a book this Christmas.

Books are 4Ever!

http://goo.gl/fm9zaJ Public Speaking

http://goo.gl/vs1lnk Story Tellers: In Pursuit of Happiness

http://goo.gl/sGnjKI Looking For Catarina

http://goo.gl/TCEN67 Boudicca: Warrior Queen (paperback)

http://goo.gl/btNam1 Meet Me In Memphis

http://goo.gl/9yKKox Five Short Stories

http://goo.gl/Wx7Xu6

Venus Cover Contest: Who Can Convert Boticelli’s “Birth of Venus” Into An ACX Audiobook Cover?

Venus Cover Contest: Who Can Convert Boticelli’s “Birth of Venus” Into An ACX Audiobook Cover?

Posted on October 5, 2013by profesorbaker

http://bit.ly/1665rSq

Can you put Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” on an Audiobook cover? Let me describe you, your talents, skills and abilities. You are:

Talented & Gifted.

Artistic & Authentic.

Creative & Innovative.

You are a wizard, a goddess, a genius.

You are both mortal & immortal.

You are a legend in your own time,

You are a legend in my mind.

You are a storyteller and a creator,

You are an artist and inventor,

You are revolutionary,

You are visionary.

You are motivated,

You are dedicated.

Are you without fear?

Then, and only then,

Now is the time when

You must bring Venus to life.

Bring her here.

Ancient sacrifice

Ancient religion

Can you put Venus on the cover?

Venus whispers to you: “Join my admiring legion“

Will you be my storyteller?

If I have accurately described you, and you believe you have what it takes, the journey you must make is a difficult one. The requirements of your challenge is below:

- Submit your contest entry within the next 7 days
- The winner will be decided by public vote
- Voting will be conducted by reader response on this blog
- The vote will last for seven days and seven nights
- Winning entry will be announced here and amplified by social media all throughiout the internet (over 8 billion webpages)
- Title: “Storytellers: In Pursuit of Happiness”
- Author: Thomas Jerome Baker
(Title & Author must appear on the cover)
- Any questions? Write to ==> profesorbaker@gmail.com

** Opportunity knocks. Show off your talent to the world. Are you ready? Can you bring Botticelli’s Venus to life? Yes?

http://bit.ly/1665rSq

Here are the requirements your Audiobook Cover must meet:

Image Requirements

Cover art submitted to ACX must meet the following requirements:

Technical Requirements

• Images must contain both the name of the title and author(s).

• Images must be no smaller than 2400 x 2400 pixels in size.

• The resolution of these images can be no smaller than 72 dpi.

• Images must be squared. The squared cover must be a true squared cover and cannot be rectangular with colored borders on the side (e.g., CD case cover/jacket).

• Images should be at least 24-bit.

• Images cannot refer to physical CD’s or media other than the audio presented.

• Jewel cases, promotional stickers, and cellophane are not allowed.

• Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

Acceptable File Types

• JPG in RGB format only.

Delivery Methods

• Upload through ACX.com only.

File Naming

Each image file should be named with a condensed name of the title. Alpha numeric characters only.

Adhering to Image Specifications

Below are image samples that depict what a properly formatted cover should look like, and some examples that would be rejected.

Source: ACX

Cover A displays an appropriately formatted image that would be accepted into production.
Native size 2400×2400 pixels (not to scale in this document), with a resolution of 72dpi. Some elements had to change size or placement to accommodate the square size.

Cover B is an example of a cover that’s been rejected for not meeting spec.

Although sized appropriately, we do not accept covers that add borders on the sides (in this example, white bars) of the original cover sized for print editions.

We are asking for true square covers (which may mean layout changes) to add into our production.

Another incorrect example is C.

It is essentially the same rectangular image in B, stretched to meet our image spec. This also goes for smaller sized images, Cover D, being scaled up to meet the size spec.

Although this does meet our size requirements, there is too much noise and pixelation added to the image when scaling up that prevents sharpness and readability.

Source: ACX

Source: ACX Image Requirements

The Audiobook: Is hearing a book as good as reading one?

The Audiobook: Is hearing a book as good as reading one?

Posted on October 2, 2013by profesorbaker

Shutterstock/Takayuki

Is hearing a book as good as reading one?
This is possibly the wrong question to be asking in 2013. However, I will give my answer to this question after I share some amazing information with you. First of all, according to a recent CBS News report, Audiobooks have become a $1.2 Billion dollar industry. Evidently, there are a tremendous amount of people who enjoy listening to audiobooks.

Advantages of an Audiobook

Long distance runner? Listen to your favorite audiobook while you enjoy the scenery go by, exercising your body and your mind at the same time.

http://bit.ly/1665rSq

Commuting to work? Why not listen to Storytellers: The Pursuit of Happiness while commuting to and from work: car, subway, bus, train, ferry, bicycle, walking, your audiobook is the perfect companion. A good audiobook can make your daily commute seem like a walk around the block.

Multitasking: Is there anyone left on the planet who only does one thing at a time anymore? In this busy world we live in, time is a precious commodity. Very few people can afford to do only one thing at a time nowadays.

Who is listening to audiobooks?

74% of those who download audiobooks through public libraries are women. Most are between the ages of 30 and 59 with a college or postgraduate degree, a study by Overdrive downloading service showed.

Most audiobook listeners are commuters. According to the The Times, they make up 47 percent, while 25 percent listen as they’re working around the house, and 23 percent listen while exercising.

Pop Culture: Audiobooks Are Cool

Matthew Thornton of Audible, Amazon’s audiobook publisher:
“We’re seeing heavy growth among younger listeners, people in and getting out of college who are part of the emerging app culture.”

A Wall Street Journal story (The New Explosion In Audiobooks) described how sales of audiobooks have “jumped by double digits in recent years,” and “shifts in digital technology have broadened the pool of potential listeners to include anyone with a smartphone.” The New York Times noted in June that audiobook sales went up 22 percent from 2011 to 2012.

Digital Innovation

Digital innovation isn’t just changing the way audio books are created, packaged and sold.

It’s starting to reshape the way readers consume literature, creating a new breed of literary omnivores who see narrated books and text as interchangeable.

Last year, the audio book producer and retailer Audible unveiled a long-awaited syncing feature that allows book lovers to switch seamlessly between an e-book and a digital audio book, picking up the story at precisely the same sentence.

So far, Audible, which is owned by Amazon, has paired some 26,000 ebooks with professional narrations. The company is adding more than 1,000 titles a month and aims to eventually bring the number to close to 100,000.

http://amzn.to/Qxmoec

Finally, is hearing a book as good as reading one?

Yes, hearing a book is as good as reading one, there can be no doubt about that. The evidence overwhelmingly points this fact out, and most experts predict that the audiobook trend will continue to increase in the future. We are talking about a Billion dollar industry, after all. The Audiobook industry is big, and it will only get bigger as innovation and technology responds to the demand for more audiobooks in the ears of more people…

I’d like to finish by inviting you to listen to a preview of my new audiobook: Storytellers: The Pursuit of Happiness. It is performed, in multiple voices, by the talented voice actor, Mr. Rich Crankshaw. You will surely agree that he has made this book come alive with his skills as a voice actor. His voice range is rich and wide in diversity, able to play multiple characters, as he does in this book. This audiobook will be coming out very soon. Be sure to get your copy early. I thank you in advance for your support.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: New TESOL Book Series

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: New TESOL Book Series

Posted on September 13, 2013by profesorbaker

Perspectives on Teaching in Different Contexts

Proposal Deadline: 30 September 2013

Series Editor: Andy Curtis

Source: TESOL International Association

TESOL is now accepting proposals for a new series that will consist of 80-page books addressing the challenges specific to certain contexts for teaching English language learners.

Scope and Purpose of the Series

The Perspectives on Teaching in Different Contexts series is aimed at raising awareness of the challenges that are specific to a given teaching context both within and outside the United States, from intensive English programs (IEPs) to private tutoring. The books will use concise, accessible language to identify the needs of the learners within a given context and then explain which lesson formats, strategies, and resources most effectively address those needs.

For details on the Perspectives series please see the articles in the 14 August 2013 and 13 September 2013 editions of TESOL’s English Language Bulletin.

Audience

The audience for the series includes preservice and in-service English language teachers (ELTs). The series will be particularly useful for those completing their teacher training and considering employment opportunities. The language and content should also be appropriate for experienced language educators who are preparing to teach in a new context and would like to learn what can be transferred and what needs to be adapted.

Series Format

The project is envisioned as a series of 80-page books, each addressing a different teaching context. Topics limited to a certain geographical region(s) will be considered.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

- Intensive English programs (IEPs) at universities
- Intensive English programs (IEPs) at private language schools
- Community colleges
- Adult education
- Business English for corporations
- English for specific purposes (ESP)
- K–12 programs (including large groups in an EFL setting)
- Early-childhood programs
- Private tutoring (face-to-face and online)
- Boarding schools

Length: 80 pages/book (about 20,000 words)

Section parts

Each book will follow a similar format consisting of the following sections:

- Explanation of the needs of ELLs within the context
- Other concerns (e.g., administrative challenges)
- Lesson planning: format, materials needed, available resources, objectives, procedures, classroom/ teaching strategies, and assessments
- Questions for reflection

Authors

Authors should be ELT professionals who have considerable teaching experience in their respective contexts.

Submissions

Please submit a 500-word proposal for initial consideration by 30 September 2013. E-mail one copy of the proposal, a current CV, and contact information to:

Series Editor Andy Curtis, andycurtiswork@gmail.com

** Acceptance does not guarantee publication.

Proposal Guidelines

The proposal must include:

A 500-word summary of the proposed topic that describes the following:

- Explanation of concerns specific to a teaching context
- Suggestions for strategies and resources that best meet the needs of ELLs in that context.
- A list of conferences or professional meetings at which parts or all of the contents have been presented.

Proposals will be judged on the appropriateness for the series format.

Copyright

TESOL asks all contributors to assign their copyright to the Association. The author(s) will be asked to sign a contract during the production cycle for the book. Please do not submit work that has been previously published, is currently under consideration elsewhere, or is already under contract, and do not submit work for which you wish to retain copyright.

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I Live In Chile: Ready for Fiestas Patrias!

Just click and check out the book you like...enjoy your book! My 63rd book, "I Live In Chile" coming in time for Fiestas Patrias! *******

Check Out "Punta y Taco" in, "I Live In Chile"

“I Live In Chile” Will Be Out In September to Celebrate Chile’s Independence Day! Have You Heard About “Punta y Taco”?

Posted on August 11, 2013by profesorbaker

http://amzn.to/PCX6ho

http://on.fb.me/11VrDfr

http://on.fb.me/11VrDfr My new book, “I Live In Chile” is almost ready! It is planned to be out in time to celebrate Chile’s Independence Day, the 18th of September, or as it is known here in Chile, “El Dieceocho”.

I have been experimenting with a visual solution for one comment I received from a Chilean that said, “In Chile we don’t walk around dressed as cowboys and dancing cueca all the time.” However, the exception is during the month of September, when it is a common to participate in many traditional dances and related activities.

So, how do I represent this aspect of Chilean culture, legitimately?

http://on.fb.me/11VrDfr

The answer: Meet my brother-in-law, Bernardo León, and his wife, Fabiola. They are the proud owners of a business that is intimately connected with Chilean tradition and culture, called, “Punta y Taco”. Punta y Taco is best translated as “Heel and Toe”, which are two crucial elements in dancing the national dance, “La Cueca”.

Bernardo and Fabioña, as owners of “Punta y Taco” sell traditional Chilean clothing and accessories for dancing cueca: shoes, boots, spurs, hats, ponchos, pants, dresses, skirts, shirts, handkerchiefs, etc. Also, if you would like to learn how to dance cueca, you can find no better teachers than this couple. You can find them at:
Av. 21 de Mayo 3225,
Local #92, 4030000 Concepción, Chile
email: contactopuntaytaco@gmail.com

Bernardo and Fabiola have danced cueca with their hearts and souls for the past 45 years (all their lives), since they were both old enough to walk! Have a look for yourself. Here’s Bernardo and Fabiola, dancing the national dance, “La Cueca”!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/PUNTA-…
Don’t forget to click “like” on their Facebook Page!

Also, take a look at my Amazon Author Page for updates: http://amzn.to/Qxmoec

A Book Cover, For, “I Live In Chile” (She Has Personality & She Is Beautiful)

A Book Cover, For, “I Live In Chile” (She Has Personality & She Is Beautiful)

Posted on August 6, 2013by profesorbaker

Chile, I can assure you, is breathtakingly beautiful. Snow-capped volcanoes, glistening glaciers, fire and ice to the south, moving north we begin to find turquoise blue rivers and lakes, a never ending mountain chain, the bluest of the bluest waters, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and passing the fertile central valley, we discover the worlds’ driest desert to the north, the Great Atacama. Believe it or not, flowers grow, naturally, in this desert.

Chile has it all. It’s a marvelous country. Try to dream it, and she will defy your dream. Try to imagine her, and Chile will defy your imagination. Chile, as I said before, has it all…and then some.

Yet beyond all this, Chile is also, people. In fact, after one recovers from Chile’s great natural beauty, her people remain, ever present, across the centuries of recorded time…, and then some.

The people are here. They were here. They will always be here. Close your eyes. Open them again now. The people, they are still there…

They smile, they laugh, they cry, they sing and they dance. They are real. They are here…

The Chile I live in is one of the most beautiful countries on Earth. Yet even more beautiful than Chile herself, is her people. With a great sense of humility, I proudly say, “I Live In Chile”… ¡Viva Chile!

Come along for the journey. It has taken me twelve years to discover her, and when I look at her from all the viewpoints available to me, I can only say two things, 1. She has personality, and, 2. She is beautiful…

**

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I Live In Chile: What Does It Mean? (to live in Chile)

I Live In Chile: What Does It Mean? (to live in Chile)

Posted on August 6, 2013by profesorbaker

“Negotiated meaning”: What you take from a book may be very different from what the author puts into it. We cannot ask, “what the text means”, for each reader brings to it different knowledge, experience, attitudes and needs.” – Michael Lewis, 2002, The Lexical Approach: The State of ELT and a Way Forward.

My new book, “I Live In Chile” is one in which meaning is negotiated. Once it is in the hands of the reader, nobody will be able to ask me what the text means. The interpretation of the text will be based on what the reader brings with them to the text.

As Michael Lewis pointed out, knowledge, experience, attitudes and needs of each reader will not be identical. Thus, meaning will be negotiated between you, the reader, and me, the writer. Of course you might ask: “Why is this important?”

http://amzn.to/Qxmoec

To negotiate meaning is important, with this book, because it is experiential, based on my experience of living in Chile for the past 12 years. Of course, you are correct if you say to me, “Thomas, that does not make you an expert on living in Chile.”

In fact, there are many people and institutions who are better sources to consult on the topic of what it is like to live in Chile. People involved in social career fields would be a good choice. Doctors and nurses would be a good choice. Mothers, grandmothers and heads of households would be a good choice.

The list of people could be augmented by organizations: governments, World Health Organization, United Nations, UNESCO, OECD, European Union, Red Cross, Un Techo Para Chile, Greenpeace, etc. Again, these are better sources of information than I about what it is like to live in Chile.

I honestly admit that, so that you, Dear Reader, can look elsewhere for those insights from official entities and better situated observers than I. So I urge you not to buy this book.

Don’t buy this book if you are looking for statistics. Don’t buy this book if you are looking for comparisons with other countries. Don’t buy this book if you are looking for extraordinary phtography. Don’t buy this book if you are looking for the voice of experts. Quite simply, you won’t find any of that in this book.

Now that I have tried to persuade you not to buy this book, why should you buy this book? That’s an easy question to answer:

It’s because you are curious to know what it is like to live in Chile, and because of that curiosity, you are interested in my story. You want to know about Chile, not from the standpoint of a tourist, or an empirical researcher, but from the viewpoint of a real person, living a real life, in Chile. In short, you are looking for Culture: “Little C”, instead of Culture: “Big C”.

Further, it is possible that our shared knowledge, shared experience, shared attitudes and shared needs, will allow us to negotiate meaning, so that what you take from this book, is what WE put into this book. Yes, I said, “WE”, meaning you and I.

That’s why WE, you the reader and me the writer, decided on a cover for the book together. I value your opinion, I truly do. I’m looking forward to what else WE can do together to make this book a shared reality…

http://amzn.to/Qxmoec