Product Description
Ping-pong, played in every corner of the world by over 250 million people, cast a hypnotic spell on Jerome Charyn's imagination early on. Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins portrays the great pongistes, from Ruth Aaron, the Ginger Rogers of table tennis, to writer Henry Miller. From ping-pong detente in China to the underground bars of New York, the playlands of Las Vegas, and the convention centers of Florida, Charyn details the sport's history while passionately arguing for its benefits in combating aging-related depression. The book includes photographs of ping-pong's champions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

OK reading.Little new.
Jerome Charyn is a good writer and also a table tennis lover.He writes about the sport with many colorful analogies and clever expressions, sometimes using French without translating it.For me, it got a bit tiring, but it could be enjoyable if you like his creative writing style.

Much of the book is rehashing of the stuff in Marty Reisman's "The Money Player" and Tim Boggan's books.But Jerome also interviewed many people for the book and adds new perspectives to some well known figures in the sport from these interviews.

I noticed an occasional mistake in the book, but not many.It is mostly well researched.

Good book for students of table tennis history
I checked this book out expecting it to be an instructional book of table tennis.Nevertheless, I proceeded to read beyond the first few pages of the book and was enveloped in a different side of table tennis that I have never looked into before.

For a person who would like an instructional book, "Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins," is not going to be the right book for you, but if you would like to read a book filled with witty anecdotes and info about the greatest players of all times (e.g. Dick Miles, Marty Reisman...etc) then this book should not be overlooked.

Dont let the title fool you
THIS BOOK DOES NOT TEACH ANY PING PONG PLAYING SKILLS.Do not buy this book if you want to know HOW to do Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins.

This book only talks about older famous people who used to play ping pong.This book is not instructional AT ALL.I almost bought this POS thinking it would help me with my loops/counter loops and forehand chops, but luckily I looked inside it before I went to the register or I would have been really[mad]...

A Gem of a Book
Delving into this book is like opening the lid of a treasure chest.It's filled with gems of information about a forgotten era when ping-pong was in its heyday in the borough of Manhattan--at a spot called Lawrence's Broadway Courts.There played the biggest names in table tennis from around the world and produced such U.S. champions as Marty Reisman and Dick Miles.

But the best part of the book is the delightful writing of Jerome Charyn.His sentences are so interesting and evocative that I couldn't stop reading it once I began.You actually look forward to picking up where you left off.If you've ever picked up a paddle and found yourself hooked, or if you are any kind of paddle or raquet sport enthusiast, this book is a must buy. ... Read more

Product Description
Readers will squeal with laughter at this soaring tale about friendship and working together.Bounce, Bounce, Bounde! "Ping Pong Pig" loves to leap, jump, and bounce all over Apple Tree Farm. He is far too busy having fun all day to help with the chores. Soon he lands into a big mess, and he's up to his ears in trouble. Will he learn to help his friends before pigs fly? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Ping Pong Pig
Church, C.J.(2008).Ping Pong Pig.New York:Holiday House.

0823421767


On the busy Apple Tree Farm, everyone is hard at work except Ping Pong
Pig who is attempting his own endeavour:Trying to fly.While Ping
Pong Pig refuses to give up his jumping and leaping, he causes som
damage to the farm that means more work for the other animals.So,
the other animals of the farm hold a meeting and try to find a way to
help Ping Pong become a flying pig.

With adorable and colorful illustrations, this book can be used to
familiarize young students with farm animals and farm activities.




Activities to Do with the Book:

A teacher or parent could try to focus on one of several lessons in
this picturebook:dedication, helping others, giving back, finding
ways to make work fun, and quite possibly the danger of jumping from a
tree branch, etc.

Since students could have a lot of fun with the alliteration of Ping
Pong Pig, a teacher could encourage them to come up with names for the
other animals that also make fun use of sounds.It could turn into a
poetry-writing activity.

Students could also think of other methods they could use to make Ping
Pong Pig fly.They could create illustrations of their own flying
inventions or (if older) could page through picturebooks on flying.


Favorite Quotes:

"Apple Tree Farm was a very busy place.Every day the animals would rush this way and that doing their daily chores.
All the animals worked very hard indeed.All, that is, except one..."

"Ping Pong Pig was far too busy doing his own thing.He spent all of his time trying to fly!"

"Ping Pong climbed aboard the trampoline.He jumped and bounced, and bounced and jumped."Wheeeeee...I can fly!" he squealed."

Very Funny
My 4 year old son absolutely loves this book.Every time we read it he laughs out loud at the antics of ping pong pig. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Zipzer hits back
What do you do when you discover you love something but most people do not understand it, or they think it is lame? Well if you're Hank Zipzer you try to hide it. It's the beginning of the 5th grade and Hank has joined the soccer team, but he's not very good, and does not really enjoy it. Then his grandfather takes him to a Ping-Pong Emporium, and not only does Hank like it, he can actually see some skill developing. But when he tries to feel out his friends on the subject of Ping-Pong they leave the impression it is lame, and the school bully McKelty mocks it the most. So he tries to hide his newfound love of the sport Ping-Pong.

Unfortunately he loves Ping-Pong so much he keeps skipping soccer practice to play; when his father finds out he gets a big lecture. His father lets him know he does not think Ping-pong is a real sport and he is disappointed in Hank for letting his soccer team down by not following through on his commitment.

The story comes to a head when at PS 87's Parade of Athletes, McKelty mocks a kindergarten kid about Ping-Pong and makes him cry. Little Sam Chin will try again if Hank will play with him, but to do so will be to admit his love for the sport. Can he overcome his fear of ridicule? Can he change his father's attitude about Ping-Pong? Can he rise above and help Sam? Read and find out why being a Ping-Pong wizard helps Hank with more than just developing hand-eye co-ordination.

... Read more

Product Description
In this collection of essays, Professor Basil Mitchell provides a commentary on issues crucial to all Christians, whether lay, academic or clergy. They deal with topics of fundamental significance to those interested in the relation between Christianity and the life of the mind, as Basil Mitchell examines the contemporary challenges to Christian apologetics, contends with those keener to score theological points than to get to the heart of the Christian Gospel, and discusses, among other things, distinctive Christian ethics, the relationship of church and politics and the place of symbols in Christianity. ... Read more

Product Description
This tour de force in experimental robotics paves the way toward understanding dynamic environments in vision and robotics. It describes the first robot able to play, and even beat, human ping-pong players.

Constructing a machine to play ping-pong was proposed years ago as a particularly difficult problem requiring fast, accurate sensing and actuation, and the intelligence to play the game. The research reported here began as a series of experiments in building a true real-time vision system. The ping-pong machine incorporates sensor and processing techniques as well as the techniques needed to intelligently plan the robot's response in the fraction of a second available. It thrives on a constant stream of new data. Subjectively evaluating and improving its motion plan as the data arrives, it presages future robot systems with many joints and sensors that must do the same, no matter what the task.

Contents: Introduction. Robot Ping-Pong. System Design. Real-Time Vision System Robot Controller. Expert Controller Preliminaries. Expert Controller. Robot Ping-Pong Application. Conclusion.

A Robot Ping-Pong Player is included in the Artificial Intelligence Series, edited by Patrick Winston and Michael Brady. ... Read more

Product Description
Leigh Anne Jasheway's latest book, How'd All These Ping Pong Balls Get in My Bag!? The Stressed-Out Woman's Guide to Letting Go with Laughter is the perfect book for the multi-tasking, stress-addicted woman who realizes she should let go of the small stuff, but doesn't know how. With laugh out-loud stories and proven solutions, How'd All These Ping Pong Balls Get in My Bag!? is the the perfect book for the woman with too much on her To Do list to read another book (that's why it's short and to the point). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Lighthearted and fun book
I really liked this book because it gently reminded me how I invite stress into my life without trying. It was refreshing to have someone point out that we women have all these "ping pong balls in our bag" because we're thoughtful and want to help people. `Bout time somebody noticed that!The tips and quizzes inside were fun and the book was sprinkled with really interesting facts about the physical benefits of laughing and having more humor in your life. I really loved the cover too--I am that woman!

Stress Sucks
Great book!I didn't realize there were so many different kinds of stress in my life.The author helped me get rid of many stressors and she made me laugh!Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Ping-pong," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Ping-pong in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Ping-pong when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Ping-pong, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
A personal and ancedotal view of China in light of its past history and present-day aspirations. ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever enjoyed a nice game of ping-pong?Doesn't it excite you to serve the ball and enjoy hitting the ball back and forth with your partner?Many things in life are like ping-pong.This play explores thematically how life can be like a ping-pong game.Major characters, Steven and Alvin, are in search of love and meaning in life.They serve in the hopes of obtaining the love of their lives.Will they succeed?Serve balls with heavy spins and some fastball serves come their way.How are they going to respond?Will they successfully return the serve?Or will they completely miss the ping-pong ball?Follow life-adventures of Steven and Alvin as they wade through their college campus experience in this metaphor-packed play.This play is filled with surprises, twists, and turns. And a really big surprise is waiting in the end.You will laugh and you will cry as the story unfolds.

Customer Reviews (17)

Not all Americans are Evangelical Christians!
The title, Ping Pong: A Play about American College Life suggests that this play creates an impression of life in an American college. When one begins to read this dross, one quickly realises that the title should be changed to 'American College Life: An Evangelical Christian Extremist perspective'. The content is tedious, predictable, and unrepresentative of life in colleges in the U.S., and the whole plot can be summed up in a pamphlet. The anti-Semitic and unpleasant religious undertones are particularly disturbing. The book should be avoided.

yet more atrocious tosh
Curious, don't you think, that reviews like this one:

'The characters behaved in unrealistic ways e.g. men would approach women, who were complete strangers and ask whether they would marry them. I accept that love at first sight is possible, however I've never heard of two strangers agreeing to marry when they've just met. The novel appeared to be based on the sexual fantasies of the author . . . '

Match up rather well with the complaints received by Cambridge University Law Faculty, and Jesus College (from which Christian Kim has been, or is hopefully about to be, forcibly ejected). A large number of complaints have been received from female students, stating that Kim harrassed them, bombarded them with demands that they marry him (when they had only just met), or touched them inappropriately. And he continues to protest his innocence? Maybe he'd do better to keep his fantasy world inside his head, and not inflict it on the rest of us.

Accurate Picture of Evangelical Christian Life
I was impressed by this book because it provides an accurate picture into evangelical Christian life and struggles.There are a lot of evangelical Christians in America, but there are not many books accurately depicting real life struggles of evangelical Christians, particularly on the college level.This book fills in the need in this genre.I would highly recommend this book to everyone, but particularly to those who are interested in learning about the experience of evangelical Christians and their struggles in secular society.

Extremely boring and slow moving
I found this play very boring, predictable and slow moving. The plot could be summed up on a pamphlet.

The play seemed to take forever to get anywhere. During the inane dialogues, the characters start 80% of their sentences with "So, ....". There was very little action or excitement to enthral the reader, instead the play just rambled along on its monotonous path. I fell asleep after about 10 pages it was so tedious.

The characters behaved in unrealistic ways e.g. men would approach women, who were complete strangers and ask whether they would marry them. I accept that love at first sight is possible, however I've never heard of two strangers agreeing to marry when they've just met. The novel appeared to be based on the sexual fantasies of the author, who may be a homosexual or inexperienced in relationships with women.

There were some rather nasty undertones associated with this play. The most offensive of which, was the idea that Jews were responsible for all the ills of American high school students. I've read many of Kim's appalling books and found that anti-Semitism pervades all of them. It seems that Kim is on a mission to destroy all Jews on the grounds of revenge for the death of Jesus Christ. One must question as to whether Kim is a Nazi or something. It certainly seems as if he thinks that Adolf Hitler was a hero and the holocaust was a good thing.

This is yet another of Kim's poisonous books that should be avoided at all costs.

Boring and repetitive
This play was a real bore; there was no action or twists and turns. The story was very slow moving and nothing seemed to happen.

The book focused on the idea that every girl in high school is a possible conquest. I felt that religion was over-emphasised, especially when you consider that most American high school aren't the slightest bit interested in religious matters. This book may represent life in colleges in extremist religious states such as Utah, but it doesn't represent America as a whole.

I was very disappointed at the lack of editing. I got the impression this book was rushed on to the market; perhaps Kim was short of money or something.



... Read more

Product Description

Ping-Pong Words byMarti Kramer Suddarth is a children's sermon book. Here are some of the topics covered in this children's sermon book:

Customer Reviews (5)

Ping-Pong Words
Ping-Pong Words, and 30 More Children's Sermons
By Marti Kramer Suddarth

Marti Kramer Suddarth is an elementary school teacher who writes music reviews, children's musicals, and short stories.Her new release, Ping-Pong Words, and 30 More Children's Sermons contains thirty-one scripture-based sermons for Sunday school teacher's use with children from toddlers to age thirteen.Each Bible story in children's sermon form illustrates a spiritual or moral principle and includes a scripture, list of needed materials, the story, and a prayer.For example, working with a volunteer, lesson one illustrates the story of the father and his sons whose actions did not match their words in "Actions Speak Louder than Words," taken from Matthew 21. In this lesson, the teacher calls the assistant to the front and then proceeds to talk to the children and ignore the assistant, who then acts hurt and angry at her poor treatment.The skit shows children people's actions DO speak louder than words and that their actions need to match their words.Other sermon topics and skits touch on love, anger, encouragement and more.Ping-Pong Words is an excellent, much needed resource for Sunday schools, and church or day school programs.

By Gail Welborn
On The Bookshelf
RIVER REGION'S
Journey
May 2008

A Guide To Teaching Sunday School
I can remember back to teaching Sunday school each week and what a difficult job it was to have new ideas for younger children. You had to become very creative in order to reach those children. Well, there is now a handy and most helpful solution to that kind of a situation in the form of a little book called "Ping-Pong Words And 30 More Children's Sermons" by Marti Kramer Suddarth.

The book was written by someone who has been there and done that.This book is like a school lesson planner whereshe lays out 31 lessons. The ideas illustrate the principals of the Bible and are scripture based. She has succeeded in connecting with the needs of younger children with this very appropriate volume for Sunday school classes.

Suddarth, who is herself an elementary school teacher, gives easy to follow instructions complete with what materials one needs to make the lessons come alive.Truly a gifted effort and one that fills a huge need in the religious community.

If you are a Sunday school teacher -then this is a must have for your reference library. This book has my personal recommendation and receives The American Authors Association highest book rating of FIVE STARS!

Ping Pong Words Are Fun for Kids!
What's more intimidating than trying to show a Bible truth to a bunch of kids on Sunday morning? Marti Suddarth takes the fear factor out, and puts the fun into showing kids God's truths. Kid-tested and from an experienced classroom teacher, you will want to get a copy to keep if you are in charge of any children's program at church or in Christian schools.

Ping-Pong Words Review by Karen Wingate
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Whole Being Worship
In the introduction of her new book, "Ping Pong Words: And 30 More Children's Sermons" Marti Suddarth says, "Preschoolers and early elementary-aged children often listen with more than just their ears. They stand while doing art projects, dance while listening to music, and wiggle and laugh while anticipating favorite parts of stories. In short, young children listen with their ears, their eyes, their voices and their whole bodies." When I commented on this except to Marti, she told me how children in her first grade class will stand beside their desk as they contemplate a problem, concentrating so hard, they are unaware they have stood up.

This made me think of multiple verses in the Bible that talk about David's reaction to God. He says, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart (Psalm 9:1), "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name (Psalm103:1), "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands (Psalm 119:10), and "Give me understanding and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart (Psalm 119:34). [italics mine]

The New Testament builds on this concept of whole being surrender to God. Jesus told his followers to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Paul tells his readers, "Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).

As I watch the children I teach, I realize that God wants me to put my whole being into my worship of Him. How do I do this? Five year old Peyton reminded me how last Sunday. Four year old Tori told me solemnly that God is always with us. "But he's invisible; we can't see him," she said. "One day, we'll go to Heaven; then we'll see Jesus and be with Him forever," I told her. Hearing that, Peyton jumped out of her chair with a grin that lit up her face and clapped enthusiastically.

My worship should be exuberant. My service and obedience should be with whole hearted passion. When I am reminded of my spiritual blessings, I should burst out of my chair like Peyton. When I obey the Lord, it should be with such concentration that I'm not even aware of how I'm throwing my whole being into my obedience.

"Become like little children," Jesus told us. This week I want to do some whole-being worship, some full blown service. How about you?
Posted by Karen Wingate

Ping Pong Words Review
Making a presentation that conveys a spiritual or moral lesson to a group of children can be very intimidating. You may have considered writing your own material but perhaps time constraints or a feeling intimidation prevented you. Marti Kramer Suddarth, an elementary school teacher and published writer has devised a clever grouping of children's sermons to make this job easier. Ping-Pong Words contains 31 short"Children's time" lessons targeted to children ages toddler through age 13.

The lessons are easily adaptable to a variety of venues including Sunday school, worship services, religious schools and even day care programs. Each begins with a scripture reference, then lists materials needed.
Suddarth includes cues and suggestions for how the presenter should approach the audience.There are typically two roles, one for the primary speaker and the other for an assistant. Together they enact a short scenario to bring home a lesson point. Lessons are closed in prayer.

Suddarth, who has had mini-musicals and anthology inclusions published, excels at taking scriptural and moral lessons and simplifying them for a creative, fun presentation. If you work with children in any form of teaching setting Ping-Pong words should be in your arsenal of resources. ... Read more

Product Description
"Ping Pong and Pussy Popping: All The Things You Always Wanted to Know But Were Too Afraid to Ask". ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more