Group citizen journalism is emerging in local communities as mainstream media reduces its reporting ranks. This book describes how community group journalism operates at adult and youth levels. An intimate, inside look at the internal workings of three pioneering publicationsthat started in 1996, 1998 and 2003reflects the satisfaction and energizing effect of being able to publish widely without the benefit of a printing press.

Group citizen journalism is emerging in local communities as mainstream media reduces its reporting ranks. This book describes how community group journalism operates at adult and youth levels. An intimate, inside look at the internal workings of three pioneering publications that started in 1996, 1998 and 2003 reflects the satisfaction and energizing effect of being able to publish widely without the benefit of a printing press.

"The Couch Potato has everything he needs within reach of his sunken couch cushion. But when the electricity goes out, Couch Potato is forced to peel himself away from the comforts of his living room and venture outside. And when he does, he realizes fresh air and sunshine could be just the things he needs ..."--

Spud is a potato who loves his couch. He watches TV all day and never participates in extracurricular activities with his family or friends. One day the TV breaks and Spud can no longer watch his shows. He is forced to get off the couch and walk outside where he is invited by several other young potatoes to join him for a game of baseball. He is hesitant but agrees and they teach him how to play. He quickly learns how enjoyable playing outside and being active is and learns a valuable lesson that TV can wait and it is much better to lead an active lifestyle.

Examines the phenomenon of new word creation, offering criteria for predicting the success of new words and including the American Dialect Society's listing of words of the year from 1991 to 2001.

For the first 70 years of television, broadcasters dictated the terms of the viewing experience, deciding not only when but how much of a program an audience could watch. Binge-watching destroyed that model by placing control of the experience in the hands of the viewer. In this book, media scholar Emil Steiner chronicles the technological and cultural struggle between broadcasters and viewers, which reached a climax in the early 2010s with the emergence of streaming video platforms. Through extensive interviews and archival research, this groundbreaking project traces the history of binge-watching from its idiot box roots to the new normal of Peak TV. Along the way, Steiner exposes the news campaigns waged by disruptive technology companies that exploited a long-simmering, revolutionary narrative of viewer empowerment to take over the broadcast industry. Binge-watching, an individual's act of gaining control and losing control through the remote control, exposed a debate that had been raging since the first TV set was turned on--one that asks, "Who controls the story?"

Drawing from his own considerable gardening experience and expertise, as well as leaning on the wisdom of the people he calls "The Zen Masters of the Western Garden," David Wann gathers a mix of stories, how-to advice, and simple, doable projects that are ideal for gardeners in the high and arid landscapes of the West. This covers topics such as strategic gardening (how to coax fruits and vegetables from a sun-parched garden), pest-proof planting, choosing the right varieties of edibles for the region, how to become a seed-starting maniac, a Farmer's Almanac approach to gardening (plant peas when the first cottonwood leaves appear!), as well as profiles of colorful local gardens and gardeners.