The Insider - Homeschool Blogger

A little "confession"...haha!

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 18:22:00 -0600

GREETINGS from the Insider Staff!

Well, it's been a REAL long time since we've written on the "Insider"...(Almost a year!) And, well, this is such a great idea, we just really don't want to see it go to waste!

But first, let us explain...

We originally intended for this to be a fun, secret project as most of you know already...

So it was planned that absolutely no one would know who we were... but staying undercover proved to be a challenge with the HSB tech team around. (HAHA) Some of you curious people might have already put the puzzle pieces together anyway, so it might not be a surprise, but, anyway, we're sort of "givin' away" the site, since we're going to be getting real busy with our current "Priceless Purity" one.

We know - it's not as impressive, it's just boring normal people! (Exactly another reason as to why we wanted to remain anonymous, so the excitement could "live on".)

So, what we're tryin' to say is -

Anne Truly and Eva Surely are really Rachel & Jillian from Priceless Purity! (Surprise!)

So it was pretty much just us two girls (well, our 3rd contributor, a guy known as John Shannon -- never got to write anything, hehe) Anyway - So now we want to "hire" an entire new secret crew to write reports on here, and keep the fun up.

We might do a contest or something creative to give the Insider away, or something - we'll see.

We just don't have the time to work on this site, with other things to focus on, so it would be great if there were several different people on here that would like to pitch in and help with writing it.

Anyway...Stay tuned! (If anyone still visits!)

Private message us if interested in the job!

~Rachel & Jillian~

...formerly known as "Anne Truly and Eva Surely", to the Insider audience!

Volume 1, Issue 4:

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 16:29:00 -0500

The Buzz - HSB Events

Surprise! We're still here...

The Insider proudly presents the Homeschool Talent Showcase!

******

Got anything interesting to share? The Insider wants to know! The Insider is hosting a Showcase for homeschoolers to enter - So if you're an artist, musician, dancer, writer, etc. you can be included in the Showcase! An article about you will be written by the Insider staff, including the showcasing of your work! (As well as a special interview!) Remember, it could be anything, from knitting to building a 3 story tree house.

Note: This ISN'T a competition - this is just a way to share your God-given skills with everyone and how you plan on using them in your life.

******

Jessica Lynn Campos (age 20, The Risen, The Chosen And The Dark ) and Amanda Read (age 18, of Sincerely Amanda: The Writings Of Amanda Read) have just completed their literary projects.

Miss Campos is publishing The Dawn Of It All, the first book in a planned fantasy series.

Miss Read has just completed the final draft The Crusading Chemist, a historical/biopic/drama screenplay about Dr. Harvey W. Wiley and hopes to have it produced soon.

"Breezy Tulip" (age 17, of A Bowl Of Moss And Pebbles) won champion in her category in an art contest! Her art is quite spectacular, reminiscent of the late illustrator Tasha Tudor, but charmingly unique in its own way.

___________________________________

From St. Patrick's Day...

Check out Eric Novak's (from The Voice Of Experience) Irish Menu!

(www.ericnovak.com)

Read Anna Novak's (from Deer In The Meadow) post about "The Real St. Patrick"!

(http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blogchild)

___________________________________

The Heart Of Harmony is hosting Sketch Tuesdays.

___________________________________

Reviews
Movie Review:

Horton Hears A Who

"All in all the story is genuine to Dr. Seuss' version. It has a wonderful, Christian message..."

Click Here to read the rest from Mrs. Marianne Handlir of Hope In Homeschool.

________________________________

People Column

Spring birthdays!

Paul Suarez of PaulsBlogging.com officially turned 18 on March 22nd!

He also became HSB's Featured Member. As Tia Linschied said,

"This week we have a very special featured blogger, darthyxpu of PaulsBlogging. Today is Paulie's 18th birthday which qualifies him in the age bracket for being the featured blogger here on the Porch. Happy Birthday Paulie!...As for his other qualifications to be featured blogger? Well, he does bring glory to the Lord among his many blog posts. He inspires others and encourages his readers. He absolutely LOVES his family, which isn't so unusual among homeschoolers but refreshing just the same for a young man."

Mrs. Gena Suarez also had a birthday this month, March 10th!

Paul Suarez said, "Yay! It’s Mom's birthday
I wanted to send out a mass email to everyone letting them know what a
great
mom, Mom is!
Not sure if I am suppose to say this but, Mom was born in 1969, on March
10th. That makes her 39 today!

Thank you Mom for being the best mom, mentor, boss, friend, and example.
I love you!"

The best birthday surprise was from (drumroll please)

Julie Ott, Ott kids, Dena Wood, Pam McCormick, and a ton others

"Our little birthday tribute from all of us in the Store and Customer Service can be viewed in Quicktime if you download it at http://www.aaronott.info/gena.mov

__________________________________

News Tidbits

If you think about it, we have to rely on artists' impressions a lot when it comes to history. Since photographs didn't become common until well-into the 19th century, we have to imagine how various famous people from the past looked based on their portraits and descriptive writings.

This rare painting of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been authenticated:

"This portrait, which is presented as the most important find of its kind since the death of the composer in 1791, has been authentified by Professor Eisen, a world expert on Mozart..." Click here to go to the news article.

THE LION OF JUDAH and Aslan...

Eric Novak of The Voice Of Experience wrote,

"Last year (I think), I came across a thread on NarniaWeb.com that had a bunch of Bible verses that sounded like they were from The Chronicles of Narnia. I immediately had the idea to make a video with the verses and pictures of Aslan. Recently, I had a little more time on my hands, so I was able to make that video..."

Click Here to watch the video.

___________________________________

Classified Ads

Want some variety in your blog design? Check on these new styles available for free to HSB users! Brianna currently has 11 different different categories for her predesigned templates. No downloading is required; you simply copy and paste the code.

www.hsbtemplates.com

*****

Spread the word - Advertise for The Insider!

Here are the banners and their codes (please let us know if the codes mess-up or don't show up - we can help you with them):

< a href=http://homeschoolblogger.com/TheInsider>< img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/im-an-insider.jpg" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/im-an-insider.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/im-an-insider.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/im-an-insider.jpg"" border="0" alt="I'm An Insider"> < /a>

< a href=http://homeschoolblogger.com/TheInsider>< img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/littlebittyinsiderbanner.jpg" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/littlebittyinsiderbanner.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/littlebittyinsiderbanner.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/littlebittyinsiderbanner.jpg"" border="0" alt="The Insider"> < /a>

< a href=http://homeschoolblogger.com/TheInsider>< img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/3insidericon.jpg" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/3insidericon.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/3insidericon.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/3insidericon.jpg"" border="0" alt="The Insider...Your Ultimate HSB Source"> < /a>

< a href=http://homeschoolblogger.com/TheInsider>< img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/TheInsider-icon-resized.jpg" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/TheInsider-icon-resized.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/TheInsider-icon-resized.jpg"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/TheInsider-icon-resized.jpg"" border="0" alt="The Insider - Your Ultimate HSB Source"> < /a>

< a href=http://homeschoolblogger.com/TheInsider>< img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/2insidericon.png" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/2insidericon.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/2insidericon.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii198/TheInsiderPortfolio/2insidericon.png"" border="0" alt="Insider Icon"> < /a>

{Remember that when you paste these html codes in your template you must make sure that the spaces between < /a>, < img, and < a href, etc. Eliminate all spaces - we had to leave them in order for the codes to show up in text form rather than image form so you could copy them.}

Need a sleek and practical touch-up to your portfolio binder? Check out this New Use For Duct-Tape!

___________________________________________

Words of Wisdom

Words you can never get enough of

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
      God was manifested in the flesh,
      Justified in the Spirit,
      Seen by angels,
      Preached among the Gentiles,
      Believed on in the world,
      Received up in glory." - 1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

Quote of the Day

A mixture of the profound and the humorous

" I'm told it's high time that I update...well, it wasn't put in those words, but the words used were...not really words. So anyhow..."

- Emma, of The Life Of A Superchick Jesus Freak

"We drove to the base of our adversary, the mountain, watching it loom ever larger as we approached. When you see a mountain from a distance, there is a certain “cuteness” that accompanies its apparent miniature status, but when you are sitting at the bottom, looking up at that which you must surmount, the cuteness has entirely worn off. I am not saying that what the Israelites did was right, but I can empathize with them."

- Benjamin ("Deus Primus"), of God First, Knowledge Second

A Brief Legal Lesson

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:05:00 -0500

Since squeamishness over copyright laws pop up all over the internet, it's time to make sure our readers are the most well-informed on the issue.

THE FAIR USE PRIVILEGE

The United States of America is legendary for its liberty, and its copyright laws are no exception.

"The purpose of copyright laws is to advance progress of knowledge by giving authors an economic incentive to create new works. Authors and their heirs are automatically granted the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, perform, and display their works for many years; they are in effect, granted a monopoly over the use of their work. However, there are situations where strict enforcement of an author's monopoly would hinder, rather than promote, the growth of knowledge...To avoid this result, the fair use priviledge was created." pg. 487 The Public Domain, 3rd Edition (May 2006) by Attorney Stephen Fishman.

America's special Fair Use Privilege (www.nolo.com) goes like this:

"Under the fair use rule, an author is permitted to make limited use of another author's work without asking permission. All authors and other copyright owners are deemed by U.S. law to give their automatic consent to the fair use of their work by others." pg. 488 The Public Domain, 3rd Edition (May 2006) by Attorney Stephen Fishman.

Notice that this is NOT stealing, but rather spreading knowledge and giving ample credit. You have to understand that in the world of reporting and educating, if everyone sat around waiting for someone to give permission to use their quotes not very much would get done! Thus, the Fair Use Privilege exists so that the spread of information is not hindered.

From the Supreme Court:

"If the use is otherwise fair, no permission need be sought or granted. Thus, being denied permission to use a work does not weigh against a finding of fair use." Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 114 S.Ct. 1164 (1994).

Of course, great power and freedom requires great responsbility, and it is our responsibility to respectfully handle the rightful property of our readers, contributers and sponsors. In other words, we, as all reporters, must not abuse the freedom of speech and defame others. We hope to raise a high standard against slander in the blog world.

HEY, WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK ME FIRST? YOU SAID....!!!

Now, now...see here...we intend to inform you every time we include a work of yours (or a link to a work of yours) every time a new issue is made, just out of extra friendly courtesy. But you must understand, that due to timing and various other constraints, such contact will not always get made right away. Before you get too upset over it, please remember that we do have the legal right to publish without your consent. That's not to say that everything that is lawful is profitable (don't even start on that one), but there are sometimes when we all need to relax and remember what our priorities are.

The purpose of The Insider is to inform and encourage great blogging in the HSB community, so that writers will write things worth reading about and readers will read things worth writing about. We want to make every second of your time on the blogosphere worthwhile! Let us sharpen our minds and spread word of good report (and sometimes a few things that may require our prayer and concern)!

- The Insider Staff

P.S. ~ Issue 4 is coming soon! If you got anything to share, feel free to send it in! ALSO: We have some exciting news to announce that you will NOT want to miss out on!

Volume 1, Issue 3:

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 13:02:00 -0600

The Buzz

Homeschooling: ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA? - PLUS! Homeschool I.D. Cards

ALERT! Is California homeschooling officially - Banned!?

Some of you may already know, and some of you may not - but either way, read on...

MotherJoy wrote about it on her blog, Thoughtful Motherhood. She writes, "If you haven't heard, California has "banned" homeschooling. The ruling is being appealed, but it is causing some serious panic among homeschoolers."

These are the links she gave out -

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57679

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58053

She mentions later - "The consequences of this are serious. While I'm not going to panic, I do think we all need to be seriously fasting and praying for the future of our country."

HSLDA wrote about it on their site - and by the way, the family that this happened to were NOT members, so there was nothing the Home School Legal Defense Assosiation could really do. We suggest that any family that is NOT under HSLDA should be. Basically, the law is making it that you have to be a certified teacher in order to homeschool.

We just recieved a message from a homeschooler in California, and they said,

"I have something very important for you guys. California is about ready to pass a bill saying that all homeschoolers in Ca must send there kids to school. there is more info at either HSLDA.com or family.org

thank you
Because I live in california and I dont want to move out of state just to be able to homeschool" (From BroccoliDude)

It's true - homeschooling is being OFFICIALLY banned in California - right now, don't hesitate to pray. This is very important to homeschoolers everywhere.

Where does freedom ring in this case? This definitely is not the America we thought we knew.

We're still getting the latest on this news - stay tuned.........

Great idea, isn't it? Marianne from Hope in Home School wrote about it on her blog.

"I found a wonderful tool for home schoolers: HomeSchool ID. This service has already proved valuable as a home school educator. "

She recommends that you visit their site at http://www.HomeschoolID.com.

Also, check out Marianne's blog!

Book Reviews

Robin Hood - SkippyJon Jones in the Doghouse

LittleSkipper from Becoming a Heaven on Earth wrote a post about the book Robin Hood, on her blog. She explains that Robin Hood was more of a leader in the story, unlike how he is often portrayed in movies and stereotypes - "Robin had many qualties of an excellent leader. He never stooped into the role of a peer mentor, but instead always maintained the leadership role with his men. He gave mercy when mistakes were made, although punishments were given in a swift manner, but were given with soft words and kindness, and when the punishment was fullfilled, the subject was dropped."

Her closing remarks of the book were as follows, " If you've never read Robin Hood, go read it - it's NOTHING like the movies! Why read a book about a leadership figure? Don't you want to know how to lead your home with love, not fear?"

Check out LittleSkipper's blog today to read the whole review!

Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse

A 5 year old girl named Nini wrote a post on her blog (Adventures in Learning) about a book report she had to write - well, moreso about the book that she had to write the book report about. "We read the funniest little book today to do a book report. Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse. It is about a siamese cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua named Skippito.The book is written in a cheesy spanish accent, you know, 'eet' instead of 'it'. That part bothered me, but Arthur loved it and has been singsonging the different verses in the book this morning." To find out more of of what Nini thought, visit her blog!

People Column

The Novaks' new addition -

Eric Novak of the Voice of Experience recently announced that they have a new member of the family!

Vesper the dog joined the Novak crew! "My older sister, Claire, adopted Vesper (the name means 'little prayer') from a rescue shelter in Kentucky where she lives." Eric explained on his blog. He posted several pictures of Vesper, including the one below:

"Well, the neighbors complained, and Claire had to bring the doggy to live with us. It turned out to be a great choice, though, because we have wanted a dog for a long time."

Check out Eric's blog to see more photos of Vesper!

(Seems like the People Column is the Pet Column today, eh?)

Blog Events

Feelin' Feminine...again?

In the first edition of The Insider, we mentioned that Brooke from "A Glimpse of My World" was hosting the Fearlessly Feminine Challenge, and invited girls from other blogs to join in as well. The purpose of this challenge is to show girls how importance of why femininity should be a valued treasure to girls - and to see where other girls' femininty is defined in just the way they adorn themselves daily.

Well, we're happy to mention that one of the girls that joined in with several others in the challenge is Sylvia, who, along with keeping up with her own blog, also runs the Society of Avid Young Readers. Sylvia posted on her blog, (Titled, "Repent, For the Kingdom of Heaven is Near"), has posted exclusive pictures of herself while she was taking the Fearlessly Feminine Challenge! She states, "I have been enjoying this challenge! I suppose you could call me a bit of a 'tomboy' in a way; I don't pay much attention to clothes/jewelry/hair/etc. It's been good for me to step out and be a bit more 'fearless' with my femininity. It makes me feel so much more unique and...well...beautiful."

Visit Sylvia's blog to see her selection of skirts and hairstyles she wore during the challenge, and most of all, find out about how the Challenge affected her!

News Tidbits

First Bible Study Broadcast -

Brian Nash from "The Reformed Homeschooler" has broadcasted the first Bible study on the life of Joseph (Part 1) in the Bible. You can join him live on Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern Time.

He says, "Thanks again all those how joined me live I hope to utilize the chat portion more in the next show. You can join in the conversation during any of my live shows by going to www.reformedhomeschooler.info and entering the chat page under the broadcast window."

Visit his blog for more information!

Classified Ads

RedVsBlueReport.com

"Because from whom you receive your news can be just as important as the news itself." - RedVsBlue tagline

Press Release 2008-02-25

WWW.RedvsBlueReport.com is a newly developed free educational tool for college and high school political science departments across the nation.

WWW.RedvsBlueReport.com is changing the way Americans evaluate their news. We invite you to test out the newest and most innovative comparative news source on the Internet today. RedvsBluereport.com allows the reader to recognize from which side of the political divide their up to the minute news is derived. Additionally, RedvsBluereport.com provides you a comprehensive list of links to political writers and political radio broadcasts conveniently divided by their perspective. Compare both sides and then make up your mind; because from whom you receive your news can be just as important as the news itself. Book mark & share this free tool others.

Send us your feed back and suggestions at redvsblue@redvsbluereport.com

Sincerely,

RedvsBlueReport Team

(Submitted by RedVsBlue.com!)

Words of Wisdom

Words you can never get enough of

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand." - Psalm 37:23-24 (NKJV)

Quote of the Day

A mixture of the profound and the humorous

"When we are away from God or haven't accepted Him as you're savior you're practically standing out side in your swimming trunks freezing."

- Miss Elizabeth Bell from Walking In His Steps (excerpt from her February 26th post.)

Thanks so much to everyone who has given us permission to report about them on The Insider -

Also, stay tuned for the next edition of The Insider! (Remember...You might be in it!)

This latest edition was cut shorter due to breaking news (over the California homeschooling ban). We want to make sure everyone is aware of this! We are still writing articles that will appear on this latest issue!

Sincerely,

The Insider editors

-Anne Truly, Eva Surely, and John Shannon (Pennames)

Contact us at: TheInsiderFiles@yahoo.com for more information on contributing news.

Volume 1, Issue 2:

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:03:00 -0600

*Stay tuned - Issue #3 is in the works!*

The Buzz -

The Insider is granted permission by fellow bloggers

It is with great joy that the Insider staff announces to you that various bloggers have granted them permission for The Insider to report about the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly happenings on HSB and beyond!

Thanks to all of those that have made The Insider's reports possible. Without you, there'd be nothing to write about. Period.

- The Insider

Blog Events

Let us know when any contests or other great HSB events take place, and they'll appear in THIS column.

People Column -

100 is a classic number - 16 is too - Just your average look-alike?

Katie from Figure Skating and Loving Him has reportedly made over 100 entries on her blog! It's not every day you make your 100th entry - and you can only make it once. So, what do you say when you've made your 100th post? Katie puts it simply, "Wow! This is my 100th entry!!!!!! ".

Another example in which the number 100 becomes classic - Nathan (AKA BobaFett) made a perfect 100% score on a Bible quiz! His result read, "You know the Bible 100%! Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!" Nathan says of his quiz results, "Here is my bible quiz. I did an American presidents one as well but I got 22% and I'm glad I didn't get 100% because that'd mean I knew TOO much".

Check out his blog today to leave him a comment, or, to take the Bible quiz!

*****

Another classic number that deserves mentioning (and person as well) is Bethany's 16th birthday -SWEET SIXTEEN!

(On February 28th!)

Happy birthday, Bethany! The Insider wishes you a happy birthday!

She wrote on her blog more about her birthday - "SO far today I have gotten 1 presant a Panda Bear Ballerina! Yay. I have also gotten a card from my brother Timothy who is 14 that had a list of 16 things that he liked about me. It was so nice! Sometimes I get really mad at my brother, but I still love him!"

Go to Bethany's Blog and wish her a happy birthday!

*****

Brittany (AKA OutcastPrincess) from "Deliver Us From Normal" recently wrote a post saying "Hmm. Normally, I don't watch American Idol. I think it's pointless. However, I have caught the disease-I now watch bits of it every week." She went on to say that mainly the only reason she watched it was because of David Archuleta, a contestant, who happens to slightly resemble a friend of hers.

She posted a picture comparision of her "best bud Alex" to American Idol contestant, David Archuleta on her blog. In her own words she says, "I mean, he kind of resembles him a bit, but, yeah, NO. Not much."

Let's allow you to decide:

Alex:

David Archuleta:

Reviews

Mansfield Park - Jane Austen

Reviewed by Rebekah, The Lord's Daughter

Books by great authors, or just good books alone, deserve to be reviewed. This latest book review by Rebekah is very satisfying and thorough, and very good about not giving away the best important details that you have to find out on your own.

Last May, she finished reading Mansfield Park, one of Jane Austen's works. Her latest entry begins with a short biography of Jane Austen, with the review following afterwards.

Her closing remarks of her book review, she states: "I would recommend this book as highly as Sense and Sensibility and that is very high. Mansfield Park is definitely one of my new favorites!"

In the beginning of the review, she explains that "Mansfield Park centers around a young lady named Fanny Price..." And the rest, dear reader, you will have to find out on your own. (Here's a hint: Visit The Lord's Daughter today!)

News Tidbits

Around the Keyboard in 60 Seconds -

In other news -

Levi Suarez has made a 25, after originally making a 21. ElvishMaiden14 made a 29. CamTheMan got 41. Striker has made a 44. SAMIAM made 53. What are all these numbers about anyway? They are really signifying the words typed per minute on a speed typing test. Ah, the pride of WPM! [Which, most of you should know that WPM stands for words per minute.] The most WPM so far reported is 79 words per minute, by PianoSteve, followed by Joe McLean, with a staggering 72. Oh wait - we just recieved an inside report that PianoSteve has attempted to beat his own record and has made an 86!

In the meantime, dump all of your recent tags of Levi Suarez. On a second thought, perhaps you better not. He has been plagued with them in his recent comments on his recent posts. If you haven't heard from him, it's probably because he is busy filling out slot #96 on what his favorite ice cream flavor is. [Note: It's winter.]

Hm. Beat that.

Blog Highlights

The Society of Avid Young Readers

The avid young reader will undoubtedly be delighted in the SAYR [you know what that stands for by now, or something's terribly wrong] blogging group. Sylvia, (from "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is Near") who runs the SAYR wrote of it on her blog saying "We already finished reading The Giver this last week, but we will be starting a new book soon." - so if anyone has been interested in it, or hasn't heard of it and has decided that they are in fact, interested - Come join the SAYR as they dive into good books.

Recent Awards

Eric Novak's "Excellent" acceptance speech - Levi Suarez gets a dose of sweet "award"

Eric Novak of The Voice of Experience has been awarded The Excellent Blog award, and has now honored 10 other bloggers by bestowing the prestigious award.

In his opening acceptance speech, he says "I am honored to receive E for Excellence blogging award. I really don’t accept many awards, but I was given this award by many of my good friends, so I had to pass it along."

Six people awarded Eric for the "E for Execellence" blog award:

Walkinginhissteps, Nancysnook, Prodoceo, Suzanne, Littlesmurf and LeviSuarez.

The ones he has selected are as follows -

Psalms, Paul’s Blogging, Moss and Pebbles, Vintage Girl, Miss Alycia , Cam the Man, Book Freak, Cherry Blossoms, Just One of Four

He later remakrs, after listing those honored 10, "There are a lot more people that I would like to award, but award rules prevent me from going overboard".

According to the Excellent Blog Award rules, you are to nominate 10 people for the award that deserve it by the blog's purpose and content.

Visit www.EricNovak.com to see Eric's reasons for the 10 he selected!Levi Suarez has been presented with the "Daily Dose" blog award! He has given 7 other people a dose of it as well. Talk about sweet. Check out his blog for more information on the rewarded 7.

Classified Ads

Need some blog stattin' business?

At your service.

Want some stats for your blogs? Without a doubt, you should check out Blogstatter.com! Blogs such as The Voice of Experience, Paul's Blogging, and Walking In His Steps [are we allowed to mention The Insider?] are only just a few of the awesome blogs currently being statted daily.

Once you join blogstatter.com you can monitor the traffic on your site by putting a banner on the sidebar of your blog (or really, wherever you want it to be).

You can visit BlogStatter.com today to see who's holding the prestigeous place of #1!

Debates

The Boy Gymnast Vs. The Ballerina - Which is stronger?

Which do you think is stronger? Boy gymnasts or ballerinas? Bethany had a debate with her brother over this captivating question. Bethany believes that a ballerina en pointe has stronger ankles than just your average male gymnast. Her brother believes otherwise.

"Today My brother Tim and I had a debate (arguement) on which was harder Ballet or Boys Gymnastics. I was sooooooooooooooooo angry at him! He was saying that the boys/men in gymnastics had stronger ankles then Ballerinas on Pointe! Now those of you who know me, you know that I HATE it when someone disrespects ballet dancers!"

So what do you think? Go to Bethany's Blog to respond!

Quote of the Day

A mixture of the profound, and the humerous...

"Chapter 1 - In which: the characters break a mirror, in a tree house, and the old man lands on a hard substance, the threadlike second-character falls on the fatter one, Skinny whistles and comes upon a house with a kind host, poison!, An argument over a twig, the stump, a swim, another battle."

- Nathan (AKA BobaFett), in the opening line of the first chapter of his recent story.

BULLETIN BOARD

ATTENTION READERS OF ALL AGES:

The Insider is currently looking for original contributions written exclusively by fellow Insider readers. You may not consider yourself much of a writer, dear reader, but even the most worthless scribble is what we're interested in.

If you have any, please feel free to send your own report, story, or poem to: theinsiderfiles@yahoo.com - feel free to choose your own penname as well!

Stay tuned for the next edition of The Insider! (And remember...You might be in it!)

Sincerely,

-Anne Truly, Eva Surely, and John Shannon (Pennames)

Contact us at: TheInsiderFiles@yahoo.com for more information on contributing news.