Barnes & Noble began to publish books during the 1980s, when they started reissuing out-of-print titles. One of these titles, "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" by Suzette Haden Elgin, has sold over 250,000 copies. The reissued edition of "The Columbia History of the World" by John Garrity has sold over 1 million copies.
Since then, the company has expanded its publishing operation. This expansion was helped by the company’s purchase of SparkNotes, an educational website and publishing company. Further expansions of the company’s publishing business include the purchase of how-to publisher Sterling Publishing in 2003 and the launch of Quamut in 2008.
From around 1992 through early 2003, Barnes & Noble released a series of literary classics for adults and children under the imprint Barnes & Noble Classics Collection. Originally available only in hardcover, most titles came in a black or cream-colored dustjacket edition. In 2003, Barnes & Noble redesigned and expanded its line of literature classics, releasing books in hardcover, trade paperback and mass-market editions.
The first store to feature a café serving Starbucks beverages was in Springfield, New Jersey in 1993. Since then, most stores have been changed or built specifically to feature a cafe. The cafes serve Starbucks beverages, Harney & Sons or Tazo Tea, FIJI Bottled Water, bakery goods from The Cheesecake Factory, candy from Godiva Chocolatiers, sandwiches and other specialty products. Although the cafés are owned and operated by Barnes & Noble, servers follow Starbucks' standards in beverage preparation.
In 2004, Barnes & Noble began offering Wi-Fi in the café area of selected stores, using the AT&T FreedomLink network. All 777 stores currently offer Wi-Fi, an effort which was completed in 2006. As of July 27, 2009, Wi-Fi is offered for free to all customers.
Barnes & Noble hires community relations managers to engage in community outreach. The tasks of these managers include organizing in-store events, such as author appearances, children’s storytimes and book groups. Community relations managers work closely with local schools and groups for the promotion of literacy and the arts. One of the things that Barnes & Noble does in the community is sponsor a children's summer reading program that promotes literacy and puts over 2 million books into the hands of the children each year. Barnes & Noble also hosts bookfairs which raise funds for schools and libraries. The company also hosts an annual holiday book drive to collect books for disadvantaged children. in 2007, 1.16 million books were collected and distributed. To promote nationwide literacy among 1st to 6th graders and encourage more reading during the summer, Barnes & Noble has started a summer challenge where if children read 8 books and write about their reading, Barnes & Noble will give the readers a free book.
Barnes & Noble Nook is an electronic book reader created by the company, based on the Android platform. The device was announced in the United States on 20 October 2009. It was released 30 November 2009 for US$259. nook competes with the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, and other readers, and includes Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connectivity, a six-inch E Ink display, and a separate, smaller color touchscreen that serves as the primary input device.
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc. is a part of the company which operates bookstores at more than 600 colleges. College Bookstores was previously owned by company chairman Leonard Riggio. It is based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers says that its store at Fifth Avenue and 18th Street in New York City is the "world's largest bookstore". This store carries a large variety of textbooks, medical books, and medical supplies in addition to the various trade titles carried at the company's main stores.
Wasit Province
Wasit () is a province in the east of Iraq. The capital is Al Kut. "Wasit" is an Arabic word meaning "middle". The province is along the Tigris about midway between Baghdad and Misan.
Birth defect
A birth defect (or congenital disorder) is a defect in a baby at birth, or which develop in the first month of life. It is "neutral" as to whether the cause is genetic (inherited birth defect) or environmental (causes in the environment, that is, "outside the foetus").
If a condition is said to be "congenital", that is neutral language. Often it is not known what causes a condition found at birth. In common use, it is often redirected to "birth defect". That term is also neutral as to cause.
There are two main types of congenital defect. The first is caused by genetic abnormalities, which are hereditary. The second may be caused by conditions (such as infectious diseases) which a baby may get. However, we may not know what caused the condition.
Sometimes doctors may find out that a baby has a congenital disorder before its birth. They use prenatal diagnosis and screening tests, such as amniocentesis.
Some gene alleles (versions of a gene) can damage the baby.
Conditions like dwarfism are nearly always genetic in origin. One type, achondroplasia, happens when a child's bones does not grow correctly. Another type is caused by pituitary malfunction, where the pituitary gland, which puts out growth hormones, does not work properly.
Many genetic disorders are caused by mutations (or changes) in gene alleles. Mutations can cause development to go wrong, or a simple biochemical deficiency (the body does not have enough of an important chemical). In the case of a chemical deficiency, the problem may be curable. For example, phenylketonuria was a cause of mental retardation. Doctors came up with a simple test to find which babies have this condition. They found that if these children got treated and followed a strict diet, they could get enough of the chemical they needed. Phenylketonuria now causes few cases of mental retardation.
Another type of genetic defect is caused by errors in chromosome copying during the cell division which produces the gametes (meiosis). Cells divide and copy themselves to produce gametes. Sometimes, errors happen in the way that chromosomes are copied during this process. These errors are then copied again and again as cells keep dividing and copying themselves. The most common chromosomal disorder is Down syndrome ('Mongolism'). This condition happens when a child has three copies of the 21st chromosome, instead of two.
The other main type of congenital disorder is caused by an infectious disease being passed from mother to child. For example, If a pregnant woman gets rubella, her child can have many birth defects. Congenital syphilis was common a century ago, and congenital AIDS occurs today, and is common in some parts of Africa.
As time passes, screening and antibiotics has caused the number of infections transmitted by the mother to drop. It is a much smaller proportion than a century ago, despite AIDS. Also, maternal nutritional defects are much rarer, except in countries where food supply is limited. Therefore, genetic disorders have grown as a proportion of the total congenital defects.
Sometimes mothers take chemicals which cause the embryo damage. Any substance that causes birth defects is known as a teratogen.
Drugs taken by the mother may affect development of the embryo. Pregnant women are not allowed to use some drugs. For example, thalidomide should not be used by a pregnant woman, or it can cause many defects in the foetus.
If the mother took certain things during pregnancy, these can lead to problems with the baby. Common examples of such things are smoking tobacco, or drinking alcohol. Food related: Pregnant women should eat well. If a pregnant woman does not receive enough folic acid with her food, the child can get neural tube defects.
Many women give up cigarettes and alcohol when pregnant, because this gives the embryo a better chance of developing normally.