Ask

Ask is an informative, high quality magazine for children that engages them as readers and learners. Since each issue is devoted to a particular theme, my students gain indepth information about a variety of topics. They are fascinated by the attractive format -which includes wonderful photographs, illustrations, and graphic aids that are appropriate for young readers. My students have eagerly written letters to the editor and entered the bi-monthly contests. I highly recommend Ask as an excellent magazine for school libraries, classrooms, and homes.

My elementary age kids are just beginning to understand the larger scope of the world and human knowledge. While in the process of looking for good magazines about current events I came across Ask, Muse and Dig. I signed up for a subscription to Ask in hopes that it would help my kids get that better understanding of the world of ideas. We've been quite pleased with it.

In that process of looking for good kids magazines we tried out a bunch of them, and got subscriptions to most. Here's my quick quick rundown

Kids Discover: heavy on pictures, light on words. The articles tend to be little snippets and factoids without context or much explanation.

National Geographic Kids: heavy on pictures, light on the words. Articles are a bit more in depth than Kids Discover.

Time for Kids: Thin and a bit flimsy, but comes frequently (every two weeks?) and covers major current events pretty well. Different versions are available for different ages. Order it from the Time for Kids web site since Amazon doesn't seem to carry it.

Dig: In depth interesting articles addressing history and society under the guise of archeology. Probably best for late elementary and middle school, and/or more thoughtful kids.

Ask and Muse: In depth interesting articles addressing all sorts of thoughtful topics. Probably best for late elementary and middle school, and/or more thoughtful kids.

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Ask Magazine is another wonderful publication from the originators of Cricket. Ask is all about arts and sciences, with each issue having one unifying theme. The recommended age range is from seven to ten, but younger fluent readers can also enjoy Ask.

Ask contains regular features as well as a variety of articles related to the central theme. "Scoops" is a two page spread of science news and discoveries. One story might be on a robotic arm, another on the acquisition of language in sac-winged bats. "Nestor's Dock" is a double page cartoon with enjoyable recurring characters. Each issue also has a contest which ties in with the theme. The water issue asks readers to design a fountain, the learning issue requests that readers design a school, and an art issue invites readers to copy their favorite work of art. Winners have their entries printed in a future issue. "Jimmy and the Bug" is another regular feature. Here, readers questions are answered in cartoon format. Questions might appear simple, "Why do lions have manes?" or more complex, " what are the rings around planets made of?" Answers are both thoughtful and informative. Every issue ends with the silly but sweet cartoon, "Marvin and Friends", on the back cover.

The "Making Art" issue of Ask includes a lovely piece on quilting traditions in rural Alabama. Many beautiful photos of quilts are displayed alongside comments from their creators. In the same edition, "Playing with Mud" showcases delicate Korean celadon pottery.

"The Liquid of Life" issue of Ask has a fascinating story on water. It covers the water cycle, water forms, a water molecule diagram, and gorgeous photographs of a water droplet, snowflake, and children and animals in various poses with rain and snow. Information offered can be quite complex, but it is just the thing for feeding hungry young intellects. This issue also has water trivia cards, with intriguing questions such as, what can go longer without water, a camel, or a giraffe? An article on water powered generators is very well done, and the issue is rounded out with a nice tour of bogs, fens, swamps, and marshes.

I'm very pleased to recommend Ask. It's funny but not obnoxious, informative but not controversial, with articles a bit shorter and lighter than those found in big brother's Muse Magazine.

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A magazine my children love as much as I do!!! We homeschool and love to plan lessons around all the fun articles and recommended activities. My children look forward to each and every copy. And guess what??? NO ADS!!!

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I bought Ask for my 8 year old son. I think I am as excited as he is when a new one arrives. It is very educational and brings out a little explorer in all of us. You will be so glad you bought Ask. They don't teach this stuff in school. My son wants to be a scientist when he grows up, now.

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Black Hair

I discovered the UK magazine, Blackhair at my local library. I devoured the latest three issues. As a Black woman, Blackhair is the beauty magazine I've been longing for. Each issue is divided into three sections--beauty, fashion, and hair. There are plenty of stories on how to care for all types and Black complexioins of skin, as well as hair from weaves to braids to relaxers to natural styles. Most United States Black hair magazines seem to forget about natural styles or attach a story that seems tacked on at the end.

Blackhair also offers a glossary of chemicals and ingredients featured in most beauty and hair products. This gives women a chance to figure out if they're using the right products based on their needs. There are also plenty of advice columns that answers readers' questions. I really love the fact that they use real-looking models and dark-skinned models as the norm, and not as an afterthought. If a subscription wasn't $74 US, I would certainly plunk down money for one.

I love Blackhair magazine and I hope my library keeps carrying it.

This magazine is great, Ive thumbed thru 2 issues @ my salon, and I LOVE it, there is so much information on black hair care, fashion, beauty etc. I think it might be the best Black Hair Care magazine Ive seen. I wish it was readily available in more stores!!

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Hi there I'm having trouble locating a magazine called Black Hair...I think its an Italian Magazine. I can't locate it on the web, and I know its sold in the US.

Can you refer me to a website where I could locate it?

Thanks

Rachel

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Vanity Fair July 2007 Africa Issue, Rice/Bono Cover

If you love Bono and especially where he stands for, you may not miss this magazine. With whole his heart he speaks about being a Christian, starting by himself and therefor giving it all away to the people whom need it more then himself.

GREAT ISSUE AND ARTICLE ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN OUR WORLD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. EVERYONE SHOULD BE EDUCATED ON AFRICA AND HOW TO IMRPOVE THE CONDITIONS THERE.

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Yachting (1-year auto-renewal)

Yachting Magazine is a publication dedicated to the acquisition of large sea going vessels and the enjoyment that spending time on a yacht can bring. This publication is all about big boats, with an emphasis that is divided between buying a yacht, comparing yacht performance, evaluating new models of yachts, and enjoying life to the fullest as the owner/operator of your own home on the water.

Yachting Magazine is a magazine about luxury and it compares favorably to other, similar publications. Magazines about yachts are intended for an elite group of people for whom money is no object and Yachting Magazine is no different. The big boats talked about, tested, and offered for sale in the classified section usually sell for a minimum price of around half a million dollars and many of them sell for multiple millions of dollars, placing the bulk of the magazine's promoted material out of the reach of most individuals.

Even though yachting magazine is impractical for most people, there are a few nice features with Yachting Magazine and at the top of the list is the photography. Not only do you get to gaze in awe at these incredible aquatic machines, you also get to enjoy great photographs of beautiful lakes, oceans, and rivers where yachts of different sizes can often be found. These photographs set the imagination soaring and they rank as the magazine's number one asset. Second to the photographs are the travel articles. Again, they usually feature some nice photography, not to mention a few travel secrets from coastal and/or riverfront cities around the world.

As for the writing in Yachting Magazine, it is generally good, but other than the articles mentioned above, most of the material in this publication is too simplistic and/or irrelevant to the bulk of the population. For example, the evaluations of new make/model of yachts are often very lacking, offering only a one page summary, which isn't nearly enough to make an informed buying decision. Worse from a practical standpoint, the vessels the magazine features are usually in the one million+ dollar price range. This is fantasy material for most people. The yachts are nice to look at and fantasize about, but unless I receive a pay raise in the onethousand percent range, there is practically no chance that I will be purchasing a multimillion dollar yacht any time soon.

Taken as a whole, Yachting Magazine is an acceptable publication that I will continue to read solely for its eyecandy properties. I really like the photography and the magazine can sometimes impress with a few of its travel articles. But other than that, Yachting Magazine is a fantasy read, pure and simple. Even though the photographs are great and they can set your imagination on fire, the magazine is an impractical read for most with more fantasy material than your favorite adult movie.

I agree with the 2009 reviewer in reqard to the content. It's a great magazine to read and view and dream about having the money to own such boats. I had the subscription for 5 years. I must say that in the last year, the magazine has gotten about 20% thinner. Such is the way of print. Like my subject line said, it used to be better (more stuff). Hence, I didn't renew my subscription. Just don't have the time to read it and with the reduction in the quantity, figured not renewing was the thing to do.

Still a great buy at less than $1.50 per issue when you get to see parts of the world and a lifestyle that most of us will never see. Sometimes it's good to dream a little dream.

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Primitive Archer Magazine

My husband loves this magazine. We were given an Amazon gift card for Christmas and decided to renew our subscription using Amazon. That was in December and we have yet to recieve a magazine (this is March). I've called and my husband has called and I don't think their customer service has been great.

Hello, The magazine arrived, but it was not as expected. I like to hunt and shoot traditional bows, Recurves and Longbows. I do not want to make my own bow or make my own arrows. I assumed, incorrectly, that the magazine was what I wanted. Completely my fault, but unfortunate. Thanks.

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Shambhala Sun (1-year auto-renewal)

"Shambhala Sun" has a beautiful lay-out, and is filled with words of wisdom from ancient and contemporary Buddhist thinkers. It features articles and interviews from people like Alice Walker We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Light in a Time of Darkness, Jon Kabat-Zinn Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life and many others. One author in particular had an influence on me and how I think about relations and even politics, and that is Jack Kornfield After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path. I used to work as a security guard and had the opportunity to listen to a presentation he gave on "The Roots of Buddhist Psychology" (available from Sounds True audio). He revealed all sorts of counter-productive habits of mind we find ourselves in, or that we've been put in by a very manipulative corporate media Manufacturing Consent Noam Chomsky and the Media. For me, Buddhism isn't just a spiritual practice, but something that can assist in bringing on progressive social change, exemplified by the many Buddhists who are engaged activists. We hear a lot about the Christian Right and its political power, but the Buddhist Left (among other progressive denominations) is quietly revolutionizing how we perceive the world and encouraging kindness, which is a radical proposal in what can be a mean world.

See Turning Wheel magazine for more on Buddhist political action.

Regularly recognized by Utne as one of the best magazines in its field, "Shambhala Sun" will appeal to both serious Buddhist practitioners, and those with a vague interest.

See also:

Buddhism for Mothers: A Calm Approach to Caring for Yourself and Your Children

Discovering Buddhism

Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution

This magazine is great, and I look forward to receiving every 2 months. Great articles, book reviews, authors, stories, etc. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the buddhist or generally mindful path. Gives great insight into multiple traditions as well.

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I have just received my first copy of the Shambhala Sun, and although I am not completely through readying it yet, I am completely in love with this magazine. It is so knowledgeable and has something for everyone. The photography is beautiful and even the advertisements, which do not take up the entire magazine, have a reason to be read. I am more than happy that I chose this magazine and I will be renewing it too. The most important things is that there is something detailed in it about Buddhism and the Dahli Lama that affects you personally and something you did not know that you can learn and live with and apply to your life immediately.

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Named for the mythical (?) and mystical kingdom in the East, Shambhala Publications is known for bringing some of the greatest and sometimes most obscure philosophical writings of Mankind to the attention of the general public. As part of its Dharma mission, the company markets several web portals and periodicals, among which this is the best-known.

SHAMBHALA SUN presents us with some of the best Buddhist writing available today. I have watched this magazine mature into an eminently readable publication as it has shifted its primary focus away from dry scholarly and pedagogical articles written by University Professors of Oriental Studies and obscure Vajrayana mountain hermits to the more immediate concerns of Western Buddhists---like how to maintain your practice in the face of an interaction with an obnoxious sales clerk; or how to be "in the moment" with digestive troubles: "The Sh***y Monk," a recent article, reflects SHAMBHALA SUN's movement away from self-importance.

The scholarly and pedagogical articles still do appear, albeit written with a lighter hand. Information on the neurological changes caused by meditation and information on little-known aspects of Sri Lankan Buddhism no longer cause me to develop glazed eyes and a sudden desire to find the ecstasy in the laundry.

Does SHAMBHALA SUN have shortcomings? Well, in my opinion, a few:

It has become the self-appointed promoter of the emerging "Mindfulness" movement, an academically-sanctioned whitebread-and-jelly form of meditation practice sans spirituality now becoming the new darling of Corporate America.

Like "Green," "Mindfulness" permits companies to appear to be interested in the human concerns of their employees while co-opting workers into accepting even less autonomy. Soon, meditation, or at least sitting on your arse quietly, may become a job pre-requisite for health benefits. But without allowing for a spirit of internal inquiry, it really is just sitting on your arse.

SHAMBHALA SUN is also slick and full of ads and promotions for meditation retreats and other expensive products. I know ad space pays the bills, and I like money as much as any capitalist can, but the nakedly exploitative nature of some of the ads is troubling. Chogyam Trungpa, the founder of Shambhala, wrote a seminal work named CUTTING THROUGH SPIRITUAL MATERIALISM, and I have to wonder what he would think of the Dharma practices of Ford Motor or the "Geshe Lama Gogolak Awareness Retreat of Telluride Colorado (only $10,000 per day, minimum twenty days)."

Having made these objections, I will quickly add that these issues are raised by way of promoting awareness among potential subscribers, not as a critique of the magazine itself. People can and do benefit from Mindfulness training, retreats, and practice aids. SHAMBHALA SUN itself is hardly responsible for the hijacking of meditation practice into the corporate culture. Also, the magazine only runs ads, it doesn't judge them. Thus, insofar as this reviewer goes, none of this costs the SUN a star.

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I have read many different Buddhist magazines over the years, and Shambhala Sun stands out in taking a fresh new look on the traditions. Where many other magazines might talk about meditation basics or a history of a famous person, Shambhala Sun is interviewing Buddhists with tattoos who swear and who bring Buddhism into inner city environments. The same issue had a look at the blogging firestorm that erupted around Tiger Woods, his infidelities, and his statements about Buddhism.

Yes, there are the articles on the Dalai Lama, there are reviews of recent books that touch on the Buddhism world, and there are the typical pages and pages of advertisements. I really wish magazines didn't have to be so densely populated with ads. Do they really need *that* many in order to pay their basic bills?

For me, I'm taking off one point because while many of the articles are interesting, they're more newsy than practical. I do enjoy learning about Buddhism in other parts of the world, but I can do that online fairly easily. I am hoping with the magazine to get more of a direct, helpful way to improve my own practice.

Still, a fairly minor complaint, and if you're keen to learn about the various ways Buddhism is changing and growing as it spreads into untouched nooks and crannies of our world, this magazine is the one which will cover it.

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