entertainment

Funk Up Your Guitar With 9th Chords By Keith Dean

2009-08-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said "Funk".

Using 9th chords is a great way to add some spice to your guitar rhythms. They have a lot of uses and once you learn them they will quickly become a regular part of your playing.

Let's take a look at a common fingering pattern for a 9th chord that you can use to make things "funky".

Here is an example of a "C" 9th chord you can play right now.

E----------3----------------------

B----------3----------------------

G----------3----------------------

D----------2----------------------

A----------3----------------------

E----------------------------------

This chord is played with the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 5th string - the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string - and the 3rd finger will "barre" the notes on the 3rd fret of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings. The 6th string is not played, or muted.

The note that is on the 5th string in this fingering pattern of a 9th chord is the root note. In the above example, the note on the 5th string is played at the 3rd fret, which is a "C" note, making this a "C9th" chord.

You can simply slide this fingering pattern up and down the guitar neck to play it in any key which is determined by the root note located on the 5th string.

For example - if you slide this same pattern "up" two frets, your 5th string root note will be on the 5th fret, which is a "D" note - making the chord a "D9th" chord.

9th chords are used in a lot of "funk" songs and here is a common example using the Wild Cherry hit "Play that Funky Music".

E----7--------7---6---7--------9---8---7------6---7------

B----7--------7---6---7--------9---8---7------6---7------

G----7--------7---6---7--------9---8---7------6---7------

D----6--------6---5---6--------8---7---6------5---6------

A----7--------7---6---7--------9---8---7------6---7------

E--------------------------------------------------------------

Although at first glance it may look a little tricky, it's really pretty easy. You will hold the same fingering pattern throughout the riff, and the chords simply alternate around the same 4 frets, spanning between the 6th and 9th frets. Some funky pick hand strumming in combination with a little palm muting will really bring out the flavor.

Another Use

You can see now how 9th chords are great for funk type rhythms, but they can also be used effectively in blues progressions.

In a standard I, IV, V blues progression using all 7th chords, you might try substituting the IV chord and the V chord with 9th's.

For example - In a blues progression in the key of "A", using 7th chords it would look like this:

A, D7, E7

In this case, you could substitute the IV chord (D7), and the V chord (E7) with 9ths. The result would look like this:

A, D9, E9

Try playing both versions and see if you can hear the difference. This is a very common way to play a blues progression.

As you progress on your guitar playing journey, be sure to include 9th chords in your arsenal of weapons. After a while, you won't be able to live without throwin' in some "funk"!

Article Written By Keith Dean

Read and Write Stories Online By Lance Ibrahim

2009-08-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

What happened last night? I thought long and hard as I wondered through my neighborhood park. The night was warm with all the stars glowing brightly with the many constellations in the sky. I walked on the smooth cement path taking in the sweet aroma of grass and flowers characterizing the coming of summer. I looked down to my dirty outfit, which happened to be the same one I wore the night before.

I remember going with a good acquaintance to a pub up the road from my house maybe a mile or two away. We shared a few pitchers and pints and then... nothing. I would have remembered driving home, I would think, as I chose to not drink heavily because of a few engagements to attend to today. Today... today, did I do anything today? Time seemed to stop and my sense of obligation seemed to be non-existent as I followed this park path in pure ecstasy of the world around me. I was walking blindly though the empty park gazing around as I suddenly spotted something distinct about fifty feet away. It was a bright object glowing in a luminescent aura. I instinctively approached this mystery. "Shouldn't I be afraid?" I thought to myself as I came closer. There was something comforting about this object that drew me near. The glowing seemed to melt away as I approached to a figure that looked human.

"Uh .... Hello" I mustered out with a nervous effort. This man I was staring at seemed to be homeless from the ratty clothes he was wearing and the long unkempt hair matted against his face. He wore finely knitted sandals and was in a ratty robe that was reminiscent of his messy appearance. He smiled in a caring sort of way staring me straight in the eyes with a relaxed posture. "You have come to me why?" he said in a concerned matter with out ever losing his smile. "Well, um, I actually do not really know". He came closer and stood about three feet away from me, which I didn't seem to mind. "Do you know why you are here?". I stood confused about why I actually was there which I failed to assess earlier. "I guess I needed a walk". "You don't seem to have an understanding of your state of being," he said curiously. Now I was really confused on what was going on. The day behind me was all a blur and last night seemed to end very abruptly. "Who are you? I don't really know what is going on?. This is all I could think to say as I was really out of my element with motive and time. This man turned curiously to gaze up the hill behind him. I looked to see a bright flickering light over the horizon. He smiled at me once again in a passionate way and ushered me to follow him up this hill. I obeyed and followed him.

Many thoughts were rushing through my mind concerning this man in which I met and my real feelings about what were going on around me. We reached the top of the hill at last to a sight that changed my life forever.

The sight was a car crash between a large semi-truck and ... and ... a very familiar automobile. At this moment I was comforted by this mans presence as I realized that I was dead. It was the same night that it had been for what seemed like twelve hours. I watched the fire burn in wavy sight of disbelief. I turned to this man and he turned to me. We stared at each other in completely opposite states of mind it seemed. His warm hand touched my shoulder and he muttered a short statement to me.

I woke up in white environment moments later that slowly came into focus. I saw two concerned nurses staring down at me and my closest family members. My parents rushed to hug me as I felt deep pain all over my body as I was moved abruptly from my position. "He has second degree burns, he will need to stay a while.... It is a miracle he came though". I listened to these words in a realization that dreams happen for a reason.

"You will come when you are ready" are the words that will stay with me forever.

Article Written By Lance Ibrahim

Buying Sold-Out Tickets For Any Event By Tony A Morrison

2009-08-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Have you faced the daunting task of buying tickets for a concert or sporting event at the last minute? Then you know that it is near impossible. Until now! In the past, popular or sought-after events were sold out in the first day of going on sale (often in the first couple of hours). Making it nearly impossible for those of us with a life to get tickets to the event, let alone great seats. However, this has all changed in recent years. Now you can buy tickets online, sometimes at a fraction of the cost you would have spent on the day of their release.

Keep in mind there are a some things to be cautious of when purchasing sold-out or hard-to-find tickets. By using my tips, you can save yourself time and money, all the while protecting yourself from scammers scouring the Internet for suckers.

Security - First off, you should always check to ensure the site you are buying from is security-enabled. The order page should definitely be secure, to give you peace-of-mind that your transaction is being safeguarded. One way to double-check this is to look at the URL in the address bar. Make sure it reads "https://", as this indicates it's a secure portion of the website. If the online ticket company uses a third party service, make sure it's a company that is known and trustworthy.

Contact Information - Before you finalize your ticket purchase, make sure you have a contact number for the ticket company and give it a try to ensure you can reach a customer service agent if needed. If this option is not available on the website, then I would recommend taking your business elsewhere. If you choose to continue your transaction, you are liable to get stuck with a hefty bill and no tickets to show for it. This is especially true with sporting events. If the game you purchased tickets for is canceled due to weather, you need a phone number to contact customer service and find out what your next course of action should be.

Reputation - If you are not using one of the more well-known ticket purchasing sites, make sure to use the resources available to you to confirm that the company you are doing business with is recognized. One way to do this is by going to the Better Business Bureau's online site and researching the company. On their site you can find valuable information about the company, including how long they've been in business and recent complaints.

Hidden Fees - Before hitting the "Submit" button and finalizing your order, make sure there are no hidden fees being placed on your order. Often times companies will incorporate these fees as "service charges" and if you don't read the fine print, you could get charged an extra $25 or $35 per transaction.

Extra Assurance - Always lookout for something similar to "Buyer Guarantee". We all know that when you are purchasing tickets for an event, you are usually buying 2-4 tickets at a time. This can run your bill from $200-$1000 or more. You need extra assurance that if something goes awry, you have the support of the company you did business with to refund your money in a timely manner. Finding this assurance from the ticket company should not be difficult to locate on their page. Most are very enthusiastic about advertising it, as it's a huge bonus to offer their customers. But, read it, and know it. You never know if you're going to need them to bail you out because you were sent bogus tickets.

Buying Early Saves - Be sure when buying tickets online to know your local team's schedule or if your favorite band is coming to your area. Knowing upfront will save you the hassle of scrambling at the last minute, because you never know if someone will be willing to part with their tickets to the hottest show of the summer. However, if you decide last-minute that you absolutely have to attend the game this Sunday then please use the guide I have provided you above. Whether your purchase is for a sporting event, concert, theater showing, or any other event, you are equipped to buy your tickets online with peace of mind.

Article Written By Tony A Morrison

Stained Glass Art - Tools For Beginners By Austin Hansell

2009-08-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

Interested in creating stained glass art but think that it is too complicated or expensive? In actuality, the tools are relatively inexpensive and the skills needed to use them are easy to learn. This article will describe all the tools necessary to get started.

The simplest stained glass art style that requires the fewest number of tools is a glass panel using the copper foil technique. There are several tools used with this style; however, not every tool described below is absolutely required. The non-essential tools will make the process easier and quicker.

* Pattern Book -- A good pattern is essential to any stained glass art project. There are many books available and range in price from a few dollars to thirty dollars or more. While a pattern book is not required, beginners will be able to find many good patterns and ideas. There are also many good free patterns available on the internet.

* Glass -- Glass comes in a variety of colors and textures. Generally, sheets of 12 x 12 inch are good for beginners. Also, clear colored glass is easier to transfer the pattern to than opaque glass that cannot be seen through. Pricing depends on the color and texture but usually is only a few dollars a sheet.

* Glass Cutter -- A glass cutter is a required tool used to cut the glass to the correct shape. The cutter has a diamond or carbide tip that does not actually cut the glass but rather scores it. The glass can then be broken along that score line. Glass cutters come in a variety of shapes and styles and range in price from five to thirty dollars.

* Glass Cutting Oil -- Cutting oil is not required but highly recommended to extend the life of the glass cutter tip. A four ounce bottle will run about ten dollars and will last a long time.

* Glass Running Pliers -- These specialized pliers have a curved jaw and are used to break the glass along the score line. While not absolutely required, they make breaking smaller pieces of glass easier and safer. Many times, the glass can be broken by hand but can be dangerous since glass is very sharp. A good pair of running pliers will run less than twenty dollars and are highly recommended.

* Grozer Pliers -- These pliers have a special jaw design that allows small pieces of glass to be nibbled away if the original cut was a little too big or out of shape. While not required, they do allow small adjustments on the work piece rather than having to start over with a new piece. Grozer pliers generally run ten to twenty dollars.

* Copper Foil Tape -- This is a required item. It is a very thin strip of copper that is sticky on one side. The foil is wrapped around the edge of all the glass work pieces and is what the solder adheres to. Depending on the width and backing color, prices range from ten to thirty dollars.

* Foil Burnisher -- A burnisher is simply a plastic stick used to press the copper foil firmly to the glass. While it is required for properly working the copper foil, many items can be used in place of a professional tool such as the edge of a plastic ink pen or a plastic spoon. A burnisher specifically for stained glass will only run a few dollars.

* Soldering Flux -- Flux is an important item for soldering. It not only prepares the copper surface to accept the solder, it also helps keep the solder from sticking to the glass. Flux will generally run from a few dollars up to ten depending on the amount.

* Soldering Iron -- This is going to be the most expensive tool required to create stained glass art. The iron is used to melt the solder and apply it to the foil. A good soldering iron will run anywhere from thirty to fifty dollars.

* Solder -- This is what binds all the glass pieces together. There are many different types and each have unique working properties. For the beginner, a 60/40 tin-lead solder is a good place to start. If the lead content in the solder is an issue, there are non-lead solders available. Solder ranges in price from fifteen to thirty dollars. One spool of solder can do several small (8 x 10 inch) projects.

With the proper tools available, stained glass artwork can be created easily and safely. Most of the tools described above can be used for years before needing replaced. Others, such as the foil, oil, flux, etc, will need to be replaced when they run out. Thankfully, they are generally the least expensive of the tools.

Article Written By Austin Hansell

White Balancing and Color Temperature For Video Production By Lorraine Grula

2009-08-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Two things a bit on the technical side when it comes to making video are color temperature and white balancing. They are related. This post tells you everything you need to know from a practical level about these terms and how they affect the way you shoot video.

White balancing is an adjustment you make to the camera that tells it what kind of light you are recording in so that the camera records video the correct color.

(Small, automatic cameras always have automatic white balancing so you do not need to worry about it, but larger video cameras have manual white balance control which gives you better quality. )

WHY DO YOU NEED TO WHITE BALANCE?

Different types of light are different colors. The camera needs to adjust itself in order to shoot proper color. This might seem strange, because light generally looks white to us humans, regardless of its source. We do not see sunlight as blue, florescent light as green, or incandescent as orange, but they are.

Cameras see the light as it is truly colored but our brains and eyes sort them all out as white or else we'd feel like we were on a permanent LSD trip. (Wow man, everything is soooo colorful.)

Color temperature is the technical term for measuring the color of light. The Kelvin Temperature scale is used. Standard sunlight is about 5,400 degrees Kelvin. Shadowy sunlight is "colder," about 7,400 degrees. Tungsten halogen TV lights are orange and come in at 3200 degrees kelvin.

You do not really have to know these exact values to adjust your camera. Most cameras white balance by pointing them at a white card that is reflecting the light being shot under. Then a button is pushed and the camera reads the white and adjusts all other colors relative to it.

One advanced tip is to white balance on a card with a slight blue tint and you will get a nice warm orange. Not orange enough to look distorted, just orange enough to look inviting.

You can do the reverse by balancing on a slightly orange card. This gives you a blue tint, which might just be what you need to make that Christmas scene shot in July look cold.

To play it safe and get the truest color, it is best to shoot in one type of light. Mixtures can throw a camera off. For example, if you shoot inside under incandescent light your windows will look overly blue. Sometimes that can actually look nice, but often it looks horrible.

If you go outside to shoot without changing your white balance setting from taping indoors, your video is likely to be very blue.

If your camera has a manual white balance, use it every single time you change light. Also change it as the day lingers, because sunlight in the evening is much bluer than sunlight at noon.

One great feature to look for in more advanced video cameras is the ability to set white balance presets. They can help you change your white balance quickly, without having to go through the typical routine with the white card.

I hope this information helps you make better videos!

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal

Famous People By John Will Smith

2009-08-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Generally speaking, a superstar is someone who seeks media attention and the largest part recurrently has an vociferous personality. The want to be notable is obscure by more or less to be a part of Western culture and more specifically the American Dream as a quantity of accomplishment. A superstar with the aim of shys away from the freely available eye or keeps a very separate secretive life is called a reluctant superstar. At the other put an end to of the spectrum, a superstar with the aim of seeks unfashionable publicity instead of him- or herself is often called a media tart, but lone with the aim of uses his or her secretive life as a vehicle instead of enhanced superstar status, now and again desperately, is referred to as a media whore. Examples of this are fake or deliberate relationships, truth television appearances, superstar nudity and in extreme hand baggage, scandal or superstar sexual characteristics tapes.

There are a broad range of ways make somewhere your home can turn into celebrities, from their profession, appearances in the throng media, beauty or even by complete accident or notoriety. Instant superstar is the name with the aim of is used as someone becomes a superstar in very curt era of phase.

Indoors more or less seats, someone with the aim of one way or another achieves a small amount of transient fame through propaganda or throng media, is stereotyped as a B-grade superstar. Often the stereotype extends to someone with the aim of cascade curt of mainstream or persistent fame but seeks to reach or exploit it.

Indoors the 20th Century, the avid freely available lure instead of celebrities and hunger instead of superstar gossip has seen the arise of the gossip correspondent, tabloid, paparazzi and superstar blogging.

Just as lone possibly will turn into a regional or cultural superstar, lone possibly will additionally turn into a superstar in their niche marketplace and hold partial fame apart from it. Stan Lee (best notorious as co-creator of the classic Marvel superheroes) is mostly notorious to comic volume fans and while in latest years, he has turn into more well notorious, many outside fandom are still unsure of exactly who he is, other than being a voice.

One possibly will argue with the aim of all celebrities are niche marketplace celebrities, more or less niches are simply much better than others and many celebrities win fame apart from their niche marketplace as well. A first-rate model can be seen surrounded by the numerous specialized athletes with the aim of are well notorious even surrounded by make somewhere your home who organize not get the gist sports.
Article Written By John Will Smith

Freedom From the Hypnosis of Social Conditioning By Rupert Raikes

2009-08-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of centuries ago, a British gentleman called William Wilberforce, who had been educated in the 'usual way' of the privileged those times, devoted much of his adult life to championing the worthy cause of bringing about the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. On a sentimental note, on the very day of his death in 1833, slavery was abolished by an Act of Parliament.

This was a period of social reform, and one of Wilberforce's contemporaries, my fore-father Robert Raikes, used all the means within his scope in actively encouraging the education of all classes, and was a notable champion of the poor and the defenseless. Robert became an influential newspaper Editor, and channeled his ideas into the effort that gave him the title 'Inventor of the Sunday School'.

What may resonate with the more affluent and philanthropic reader is that both William W. and Robert R., to mention but two of the many effective social reformers of that time, understood and perhaps empathised with less fortunate and under-privileged people becoming dehumanised, almost as if they were mere units of consumerism or that they existed solely for purposes of exploitation - in short, Slavery. It is worthy of note that both William and Robert came from wealthy families and were in a position to ignore the plight and needs of the 'have nots', yet they did the contrary.

"In the case of Robert Raikes, the first Sunday School was opened in 1780 in Sooty Lane, Littleworth, UK, opposite the city prison, a slum area in which chimney sweeps lived. He chose ladies known for their ability to cope with rough boys, and required them to have clean faces and hands, and combed hair. He knew the children were too poor to have shoes or coats. They were taught to read, and Raikes printed the Bible in 100 parts, and Spelling books for them. He visited their homes, and rewarded cooperation and trust with gifts such as combs, (and, rumour has it, the occasional slice of plum cake). Social training was of special importance, and the resulting change in the behaviour of children was remarkable and surprising, given the cruel realities of life for the poor." (I am indebted to Elizabeth Janson, The Raikes' Legacy).

The historical facts of that era give us an insight into how people of low birth and little consequence were treated; "During the reign of George II (1727 - 1760) land formerly the property of the parish and its people was enclosed, and became the property of the landowner who took an 'Act of Enclosure' to Parliament to annex the parish lands so forcing many people out of their village and into towns where they became poorly paid factory, mill or mining workers."

Then in 1782 something that was considered unthinkable and impossible occurred; notwithstanding the might and superior power of the armed forces of the British Empire, the American colonies were 'lost'. I choose to believe that this was due, in great part, to a group of 'brave and treasonous' Americans of diverse ethnic origin who had found themselves in the painful position of being exploited to breaking point - in simple terms, I sense that they had had enough and were 'just sick and tired of being sick and tired'.

Until the French Revolution of 1789, the poor, and the working classes had no voice in government and were expected to serve the wishes of those with wealth. In revolting terms for some, the French set a precedent which showed the ruling elite families and money masters abroad that there was a real danger of revolution in their own back yard, so to speak, no matter how strong and powerful the powers-that-were may have seemed.

In my mind, the aforementioned considerations beg the question: "could history possibly be repeated in this day and age, and if this were to be the case, is there such a thing as a peaceful revolution?" For, as with every revolution, be it social (external/material) or individual (internal/spiritual), experience teaches us that changing the status quo does not take time, it is not changing it that does. Moreover, this brief lesson in our respective histories has, I believe, the potential to serve both as a metaphor and as a model for eventual peaceful replication.

Article Written By Rupert Raikes

Throats of a Thousand Demons (In English and Spanish) By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

2009-08-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

English Version

Throats of a Thousand Demons

(A Nightmare of the real kind)

Tyr, the Nightmare Demon

I heard the screams and yelling of a thousand demons, sounds of destruction and immediate death-it all came from the helm of a distant old wooden vessel-but one demon passed through the whole atmosphere around and above me-, never in all my days left on earth shall I forget the increasing agony within my heart's valves, and its compressing chambers, and the intense pervading terror, to the point the walls of those chambers were about to bust open-; thus, I felt my blood being squeezed through congealing and hardening veins-my skin cold and Goosebumps covering me from head to toe, standing hard and erect, and the voice of the Demon of Nightmares babbling as his hand grabbed my shadow and held it high by its neck, around its throat, the heavy body under it, pulling downward as to decapitate, the neck thinning- as the neck was stretching, my heart utterly being brought to an alarm state.

"You have to see this!" the demon repeated twice, and I looked and sensed I was going into a tumbling, headlong, insensible-numbness, should I not quickly escape.

"No!" I said exceedingly apposing the voice. I didn't want to watch and then, that was when I called out to my wife Rosa, "Wake me up!" whereupon I found myself reviving and bound once again to the waking world-paler than death.

I had nearly been run-down by a wild and loose demon, hailed by his demonic onlookers. Upon feeling my eyes opening, my explanation to my wife was but a few words-I was by all means, rough-looking from the nightly experience. Somehow he had crept into my dreams and it was impossible to avoid coming in contact with.

My wife asked, "Did you forget your prayers last night?" And I had.

"Thus, it was then obvious," she told me, "the demon rode immediately over you-as if without the least perceptible impediment to his progress."

No: 444 ((Nightmare, 7-28-2009) (written: 7-30-2009)) EAP

Spanish Version

Gargantas de Mil Demonios

(Una pesadilla real)

O í los gritos y rugidos de mil demonios, sonidos de destrucción y muerte inmediata-que venía del timón de un distante buque de madera viejo-pero un demonio pasó a través de la atmósfera alrededor y encima de mi-, nunca, en todos los días que me quedan en la tierra me olvidaré de la agonía creciente dentro de las válvulas de mi corazón, y sus cavidades comprimidas, y el intenso terror impregnado, al punto que las paredes de esas cavidades estaban a punto de estallar-; así, sentí que mi sangre estaba siendo exprimida a través de mis venas endurecidas y sangre coagulada-mi piel estaba fría y estaba cubierto de pies a cabeza con piel de gallina; el Demonio de las Pesadillas, tambaleándose pero erguido, balbuceaba, mientras sus manos agarraban mi sombra y la sostenía en alto a la altura de su cuello, alrededor de su garganta, debajo de su pesado cuerpo, jalándolo hacia abajo como para decapitarlo, el cuello adelgazándose-mientras mi cuello estaba siendo estirado, mi corazón fue llevado completamente a un estado de alarma.

"Tienes que ver esto", el demonio repitió dos veces, y miré y sentí que caería de cabeza insensiblemente dentro de un adormecimiento, si no escapaba rápidamente.

"No" dije sumamente con dificultad. Yo no quería ver, y entonces fue cuando llamé a mi esposa Rosa, "¡Despiértame!" A este punto me encontré a mi mismo reanimándome y una vez más en el mundo vivo-más pálido que la muerte.

Casi fui atropellado por un salvaje demonio suelto, convocado por sus espectadores demonios. Al sentir mis ojos abiertos, mi explicación a mi esposa fue sólo unas cuantas palabras-estaba por todos los medios, movido por la experiencia nocturna. De alguna forma él se metió en mis sueños y era imposible evitarlo venir en contacto conmigo.

Mi esposa preguntó, "¿Te olvidaste de tus oraciones anoche?" Y sí, me había olvidado.

"Entonces, es obvio", ella me dijo, "que el demonio pasó inmediatamente sobre ti-como si sin el más menor impedimento perceptible en su avance".

# 444 ((Pesadilla, 28-Julio-2009) (Escrito el 30-Julio-2009)) EAP

Article Written By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

Coming Home, One Survivor (A Vietnam War Story) By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

2009-08-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

(An account of a soldier coming home from the Vietnam War, 1971)

Chick Evens, still alive coming home from the Vietnam War, 1971, wasn't the first war hero to finally straggle back to St. Paul, Minnesota. He was just the one my father and mother bothered to tell me about, when we met him at the airport. It had been eight months since last he had been back through St. Paul. My father (Chick's uncle) discovering at the last minute that that afternoon his flight was coming in that we'd meet him, the airport being several miles away. I sat alone in the car, as my father went to find him.

He was not the first hero coming home from the war in Vietnam. There were several others I had read about in the paper, not sure if they were citizens of Minnesota to be sure of, but at least Chick was kin to us (and perhaps I was just interested in a member of my family being in the newspapers, I was seven years younger than he, being seventeen at the time).

Actually most of the heroes I read about were unscratched ones, and only the newspapers called them heroes, but my cousin was a real hero, with a Purple Heart, and Bronze Star, at least to me he was.

My other cousins, myself, and a dozen other family members, the ones who organized and put together the dinner for him when he left, all of us who hadn't gone to that war, and still were on hand to welcome him home, not with parades, because there wasn't any for any homecoming Vietnam Veterans, but to meet him at the airport, and call him by phone later on and say, "Welcome home..." You see Minnesota never intended to have a parade; maybe for the next war, or the one after that, but not for this one.

All of us back home, all we had to do was to get married, be female, or go to college by a specific date, and we'd simply end up out of the war, and organizing family hero-dinners. It's the way it was back then.

When I first saw him coming out of the airport depot, I loved seeing his Army patches near his shoulders, and war service strip on his forearm, and the many medal ribbons on his chest.

According to my father, who had been in the Air Force, but not in a war, nonetheless a soldier too (during the Korean War) had told me most boys in the armed services, had no idea where Europe was, or Korea, or Asia. And most likely, no one really knew were Vietnam was, and knew nothing about armies and being a soldier, let alone a real battle, or getting wounded, like cousin Evens. They, like Chick were snatched up by a system overnight and told in so many words: if you go to battle, to survive anyway you could, if you could. And I guess Chick was one of those survivors.

He told me Uncle Wally, a WWII, Veteran came back into what he believed would be a familiar world, the same one he left, but he only endured disruption-finding it wasn't as it used to be. Although Uncle Wally was a POW, and he got a parade, with a brass band to welcome him home, and a dinner to boot, after some years he readjusted to it all quite well.

So, according to me, cousin Chick was a hero walking across the street to our car, I was in the front seat, I got out, stood tall on the sidewalk, my heart beating a mile a minute. I can't remember at what point, or stage, or even moment, or exactly what action he entered this heroic state, but he was there.

In fact (in all of St. Paul, Minnesota anyhow) the ones that came back from the war, many came back with PTS, or limbs shot off, or other kinds of wounds, leg wounds, arm wounds, and so forth, came back worse than when they left, simply as italics (that is, words sloping to the right), which is why for many years he never rose higher than a simple roustabout; grabbing job after job.

After several more years, at thirty years old, perhaps a little older, something happened to him. Or perhaps it happened during the war, or his years in the Army, or those years before the Army, and the Army just helped it along, and we, in the family circle-all of us-started to notice it. Up to now, the hero part had faded, and he remained a bachelor, living here and there, not taking all them many baths, or visiting the barbershops as the Army made him do, getting a lot more drunk than he used to; doing some fighting, although the fighting stemmed from his drinking, out of this common stage, and somehow, after a few more passing years, he sobered up.

He had changed. Even we-his family members-saw this happen. It was like he woke up one day and said, "What the hell's going on here?" He had been like a damn mosquito, flying about a damn swamp for years. That was years ago of course, and I would, and now he is completely back home again, living as he was meant to live. And he has never flinched since.

Article Written By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

How to Avoid the 'Fatal Coincidence' When Writing a Screenplay By Melvyn Heyes

2009-07-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

There are a large number of pitfalls you can make as a screenwriter, but few are as glaring and as easy to avoid as the: 'Fatal Coincidence'. I'm not talking about the coincidences that often start a story, like Jason Bourne being found afloat by the fishing vessel at the beginning of the Bourne Identity. After all, if Mr. Bourne hadn't been picked up, there would not have been a story to tell. I'm talking about the ones where you find yourself saying - That's too improbable to happen! You've seen them at the movies or on DVD, unfortunately too many times. People showing up just at the right time, overhearing something just at the right time, or finding a miraculous clue, just at the right time. Some screenplays hide their coincidences and blend them into the story narrative so seamlessly you don't even notice. Here's one that does it really well (Spoiler alert):

In Scott Beattie's screenplay, Derailed, Charles meets his lawyer just before they go to the police to report that he is being blackmailed over his infidelity with Lucinda. But, first Charles decides he must tell Lucinda. Nice guy. Charles goes to the only places he knows where he can find her:

· At Lucinda's office, Charles is told by the receptionist that she is not there. Coincidentally, Lucinda is just walking out of the building. The problem for Charles is that, this Lucinda is not his lover. (So, who is she?).

· Charles then goes to what he thinks is Lucinda's apartment. But, a real estate agent there the apartment was rented to Lucinda and her boyfriend. (What's going on?).

· Finally, Charles desperately looks in another place he knows - the train station where Charles and Lucinda got off the train after they first met.

There, Charles finds Lucinda kissing the guy is man blackmailing Charles! This sequence constitutes an ideal end to Act II and provides the so-called 'Second Commitment to Act' or 'Plot Point B' in the Three Act Structure Model, and starts the 'Road Back' point in the Hero's Journey model.

Let's face it, the chance that Charles would arrive just at the right time to see this event is improbable, but the impact of the plot point revelation dampens our skepticism. We're ready to enter Act III and watch Charles get his revenge. This is the quality that screenwriter Beattie also incorporated into the plot of Collateral.

In contrast, here's a screenplay that isn't so seamless. In Patriot Games, Jack Ryan, now retired from the CIA, is on a working-vacation in London with his family. Just as Ryan sees his wife and daughter across the street, the IRA attack Lord William Holmes, the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, right in front of him! Later, when an IRA assassin tries to kill Ryan outside the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, Ryan just happens to get a glimpse of the same woman driving away in a Jeep as drove the getaway car after the attack in London. To cap the coincidences off, Ryan's memory of the woman is jogged when he just happens to accidentally go into the woman's restroom instead of the men's, and notice a woman with similar hair to the woman in the two vehicles.

So, how do you avoid 'Fatal Coincidences'?

· Find where they occur in your screenplay by asking yourself: 'Does this really stand a chance of happening?' If a coincidence makes things too easy for the protagonist, then your audience will likely not accept it.

· Give characters a specific reason for being in the location for the coincidence to occur. Note in Derailedhow Charles had a specific reason and rationale to be at the station (to look for Lucinda at a place he knows she visits) whereas as Ryan was there purely by coincidence.

· Have the character work to be in the situation for the coincidence to occur. The event seems more like preparedness simply meeting opportunity - it had to happen sooner or later. In Derailed, if seems like if Charles looks in enough places, he will eventually run into Lucinda.

· Foreshadow coincidences. Charles had already gone to two already familiar locations and received information that told him something was suspicious about Lucinda's story of who she was. By the third location, we were expecting to see something that answered what Lucinda was up to - and there is was! Make the coincidence seem inevitable.

· Have the coincidence explain something so large that the meaning of the coincidence overshadows the event itself.

Fatal Coincidences really reflect laziness and lack of creativity on behalf of the screenwriter. When you submit your screenplay to an agent or studies, Fatal Coincidences will do exactly that to your script. Avoid them!

Article Written By Melvyn Heyes

Angels Images Are Around Us By Christine Doheny

2009-07-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

I love angels. I love the look of them and I love what they represent. They seem so peaceful and give us all hope. I've seen so many angel tattoos out there. Sometimes when a loved one passes, the people who were left behind get angel tattoos to remember and keep them in their hearts. I remember when I was looking at getting a tattoo I looked through all the pictures of the angel tattoos, but instead I ended up getting the word hope. It represents a lot to me. It'd be cool if I added angel wings to the hope tattoo to represent a few things in one, but I'm not sure how that would look. I could try and draw out some patterns to see how it would turn out. There are angel crafts I could look at to get some good ideas.

I've seen many angel crafts as well. I've seen some free country angel patterns. One that I love so much is the Americana angel. It represents our country and makes us realize why we're here. With that God Bless America ribbon around the angel it just makes me smile.

Amongst the free angel craft patterns are the angel ornament pattern and the clay angel ornament. These remind me of Christmas. There are so many angel images all around us, especially around Christmas time. People have angels sitting on top of their Christmas trees and some have them hanging on their trees as ornaments. No matter how the angels are used they are so beautiful.

Another thing that reminds me of angels is my Grandma. She passed a while ago, but I still think about her a lot. I wish I knew the things I know now back then. I would have been wiser and appreciated things more. My mom told me my Grandma's favorite bird was a red cardinal. Every time I see a cardinal now I think it's my Grandma and I say hi. To me, that's my angel, watching over me. We all have an angel watching over us. I'm not all that religious, but I believe the angels are there.

One of the most beautiful angel images I have seen is the blue angel charm. You can make this charm to go on any piece of jewelry, whether it's a necklace or a bracelet. So even if you don't believe there are angels watching over you, you can still have them with you. This piece of jewelry is just so pretty and I love the bright blue color. It looks so peaceful. Next time you're looking at getting a tattoo maybe you can check out all the angel tattoos and see what they really represent.

Article Written By Christine Doheny

When Boys Become Heroes By Reina Links

2009-07-28T13:45:00.001-07:00

You slouched even further into your chair... Physics was invented, why? you ask yourself as your teacher explained it for the fourth time that day. You already knew how it worked, why it worked, what makes it work but as to WHY you have work is still a bewilderment. Six exercises already... how much homework does that man think we need?

"I think he'll give you a few more to do" you heard a voice come from behind you.

Wait.. but there weren't even chairs or... oh.

You looked back only to see a boy, your age, leaning into the window.

Chocolate brown hair... brown puppy-dog eyes... A slight blush crept onto your face but you quickly shook it off. Neither your friends or your teacher noticed that you two were whispering to each other, him outside the class and you inside. The boy smiled sweetly and looked over to the black board, "Gave us the whole of chapter eight to do... heh... see you are as bored as I was" he laughed softly. "And what makes you think that?" you said and folded your arms. He pointed to your leg. Bounce-bounce-bouce-bounce. You both laughed softly. "I'm Kio" he introduced with that serene smile on his lips. "Lynne" you answered softly. He glanced to the black board and then looked back at you, "Catch you during break?" he asked. Before you could even formulate a decent answer he had already vanished. You smiled to yourself. During break you didn't see him anywhere, even after school... You had to stay late since it was practice trails for athletics but then, just as you were leaving school you spotted him. Looked like he was fighting.. fighting?! You ran over to the secluded part of the school. It was the area, all ruins now, which was part of the school a few years ago but now it was just a part of the 'No Entry' section.

As soon as you arrive he spun towards you and grabbed the guy who he was fighting in a headlock. "Oh, hi Lynne" he said smiling brightly. His voice sounded strained, but all he had was a bruise above his left eye. "Kio! Holy Crackers!!" you said but stood rooted on the spot. "Holy Crackers? he repeated confused. The guy who was in a headlock was trying his best to escape. It was actually quite funny to see Kio sit on the guy. The poor guy flailing around.. "This is more addicting than watching a monkey on crack" you said with a smirk on your face. Both of the guys sweatdropped. "Sorry, had to deal with this guy first" Kio apologized and wrestled the guy to the ground, then promptly sat on him. "What did he do?" you said, not sure whether or not to be on his side. "The usual. Bragging about asking a girl out.. dating her.. then dumping her when he's done with her" he said with the same cheerfulness in his voice... but this time it was also laced with pure disgust.

Your eyes widened a bit. The guy on the ground was the guy in school who you've had a crush on!? You blushed a bit, but you had to know.. "Who was.. the girl?" you asked timidly. Kio's tired eyes shot up to meet yours for a minute. Of course it was you. Your crush was now literally crushed and had passed out. Satisfied, Kio stood up and brushed his hands off on his trousers. It was already quite dark and the moon was casting a slight glow over everything. You were still standing quietly on the spot, you didn't want Kio to see what you were thinking... feeling. You let out a small giggle and looked up to the moon, a tear falling down your cheek "Oh well, it could've been worse" you say and wiped it away. Kio walked over and hugged you tightly, "I'm sorry" he said in that creamy voice of his. "Nah, it's better this way" you assured and sighed a bit. He suddenly let go of you, turned and -ACHOO!!!

You sweatdropped slightly, "WOW, that was anti-climactic!" you said and laughed.

He sniffed and looked back at you, "Ugh..." he moaned. "You fight like the Blue Knight but you catch a cold in an instant? How does that work?" you said laughing. He sneezed again but smiled, "Oh yea, I can still kick your butt any -ACHOO" his sentence was cut short again. You threw him your jacket and smiled, "I think we'll postpone our battle for when you can actually finish what you were going to say" you said and giggled. He tried to glare but it came out as a cute puppy-face. You smiled and nodded, "Oh yea, that was scary" you agreed and laughed even louder. He stood still for a moment, "Wha?" was all he could think of to say, but you just smiled, took his hand and led him to the gate of the school. "Thanks for looking out for me" you said when you finally reached the gate. He gave your hand a light squeeze and brought it to his lips, "That's what I'm here for".

Article Written By Reina Links

The Mystery of Stone Ship ((in English and Spanish)(from the Satipo Jungles, Peru)) By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

2009-07-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

(A Legend out of the Jungles of Satipo)

English Version

(Advance) It's a very old rock structure, brown, with a sandy like texture to it, about the size of a 17th Century Ship, it resides in the middle of the Perene Rio, in the Central Jungles of Peru, called Satipo. Deep within the jungle nearby this rock structure, lived a tribe of natives, the 'Ashaninka,' derived from the earlier natives called the 'Arawak' ...I have visited an Ashaninka tribe myself; they are a warm hearted peaceful people, very creative in the arts. And so now for the Legend...:

Throughout the bloody and frightfully sixteen-hundreds, the so called Colonists (Colonos), with their slave ships, sought out the Ashaninka natives, for slaves, sold them to the highest bidder, in the Lima, and Huancayo markets, and in other parts of Peru, along with other cities of South America. The Colonists jammed an absolutely peaceful people into the guts of the ship; it was absolutely body to body. The officers were very cold and dehumanizing. The aftermath of these years took a toll; the Colonists had rapped the land like fire in dry grass-of its masses, putting them into slavery. These natives: insulted, frightened, none of them to return to their tribes. And the Colonists kept their recurrent surge up, keeping the slave-flesh, in the hole of the ship, with stale, deadly breath and putrid surroundings, many died on the journey to the markets, thrown over the stern of the ship for the fish and vultures to eat, once dead.

On a given day, something took place, that would mold into a legend, something, every Colonist would ponder on thereafter, and ship captains would forever take into account, when they'd sailed down the Rio Perene by what would be named-forevermore the 'The Rock of Stone Ship.'

It was an atrociously hot day. The rain had stopped; the captain had anchored his ship in the middle of the river, scouts lowered a small vessel into the waters, turned the boat towards an orchard like opening of the jungle, they were to search for tribal members, and return to the ship with the information, where they were now, how many of them were useful as slaves. In the meantime the Captain and his crew remained waiting onboard.

In those days, the chief of the Ashaninka kept a look out for the ships. They knew what the Colonists were contemplating, and of course the ship was taller than anything in sight and filled a good portion of the center of the river, and it was of course a symbolical threat once seen. And on this hot summer's day, it was seen by the chief, and his bodyguards.

The path the chief and his bodyguards were on came out on to the top of a hill; there they prayed that none of their kind would be kidnapped into slavery this day.

The scouts from the ship looked about spent quite a lot of their time trying to find stragglers, or the tribe itself, but they saw nothing, nothing but massive trees which shaded them from the hot sun, and would condemn them as they rested and fell to sleep, and when they awoke and went back to inform their captain of their fruitless search, they noticed suddenly the ship was gone. Refusing to believe the ship and its crew, and its captain could have left so anonymously, they moved about, but the only thing they found was a rock island mound in the middle of the river, that wasn't there before, it resided where the ship had been anchored.

It was a brown structure, likened to the ship itself in design and some details, as if it was melted down from wood to soft stone, somewhat circular dimensions, the rock island being the same size of the ship, which was now covered with large ants, running about.

The Chief, now looking down from the top of the hill, could see the newly formed mound, and the three scouts standing on it, in disarray, he said nothing, just bowed his head.

Written 7-17-2009, in part, at the hotel in Satipo, while visiting the rivers and falls and natives of this Central, Peruvian Jungle

Spanish Version

El Misterio del Barco de Piedra

(Una Legenda de las Selvas de Satipo)

(Avance) Es una construcción de roca muy antigua de color marrón, con una textura arenosa, similar al tamaño de un barco del siglo diecisiete, éste reside en el medio del río Perene, en la Selva Central de Peru, en la ciudad llamada Satipo. Profundo dentro de la selva, cerca de esta construcción de piedra, vive una tribu de nativos llamada 'Los Ashaninka', descendientes de los primeros nativos llamados 'Los Arawak'...Yo he visitado una tribu Ashaninka, ellos son personas pacíficas muy cordiales y muy creativos en las artes. Y ahora la leyenda...:

Durante los sangrientos y terribles años 1600s, los llamados colonos con sus barcos de esclavos, buscaban a los nativos Ashaninkas para esclavizarlos y venderlos al mejor postor en los mercados de Lima y Huancayo, y en otras partes de Perú, así como también en otras ciudades de Sudamérica. Los colonos, fríos e inhumanos, atascaban a esta gente pacífica en el interior de los barcos, era completamente cuerpo con cuerpo. Las repercusiones de estos años trajeron un número de víctimas, los colonos habían vejado esta tierra, como el fuego en pasto seco, de sus masas, poniéndolos en la esclavitud. Estos nativos insultados, asustados, ninguno de ellos retornaron a sus tribus. Los colonos mantenían su recurrente aumento, manteniendo la carne esclava en el hueco del barco, con viciado aliento mortal y alrededores putrefactos, muchos morían en el camino al mercado, siendo luego tirados sobre la popa del barco para que, una vez muertos, los peces y los buitres se los comieran.

Pero un día dado, algo tomó lugar que se moldearía en una leyenda, algo en que cada colono reflexionaría, y algo, en la que los capitanes de barco lo tomarían siempre en cuenta cuando navegaban por el río Perene, por los alrededores de lo sería llamado-siempre "La Roca del Barco de Piedra"

Era un atroz día caluroso, la lluvia había cesado y el capitán del barco había anclado en el medio del río, así los exploradores habían descendido a pequeños botes en el agua y se dirigían hacia una abertura de la selva, similar a una huerta, ellos iban a buscar a los miembros de las tribus y volverían al barco con la información de dónde se encontraban ahora, cuántos de ellos servirían como esclavos. Mientras tanto el capitán y su tripulación permanecían esperando en el barco.

En aquellos días, el Jefe de los Ashaninkas mantenía guardia sobre los barcos. Ellos, los Ashaninkas, sabían lo que los colonos estaban contemplando; y por supuesto, el barco era más alto que todo lo que se veía a la vista y ocupaba una gran porción en el medio del río, y era por supuesto, una amenaza simbólica una vez visto. Y en este día caluroso de verano, éste fue visto por el Jefe y sus guardaespaldas.

El camino que el Jefe de los Ashaninkas y sus guardaespaldas seguían llegaba a la cúspide de un cerro; allí ellos rezaron para que ninguno de su clase fuera secuestrado en la esclavitud ese día.

Los exploradores del barco miraron alrededor, emplearon bastante de su tiempo tratando de encontrar rezagados, o a la tribu misma, pero no encontraron nada, nada, sólo los árboles masivos que los protegían del sol caluroso y que los condenarían mientras ellos descansaban y se quedaban dormidos. Cuando ellos despertaron y regresaron a informarle a su capitán de su búsqueda infructuosa, ellos notaron repentinamente que el barco no estaba. Negándose a creer que el barco, su tripulación y su capitán podrían haber partido tan secretamente, ellos caminaron alrededor, pero la única cosa que ellos encontraron fue una isla de roca en el medio del río, que no estaba allí antes, ésta estaba donde el capitán había anclado el barco.

Era una construcción marrón, similar al mismo barco en diseño y algunos detalles, como si éste hubiera sido fundido de madera a piedra suave, de dimensiones un tanto circulares, la isla o montículo de roca era del mismo tamaño que el barco y ahora había sido cubierta con hormigas grandes corriendo por todos lados.

El Jefe de la Tribu, ahora mirando hacia abajo desde la cima del cerro podía ver al recientemente montículo formado y a los tres exploradores parados sobre éste en desconcierto; él no dijo nada, sólo inclinó su cabeza.

Escrito en parte el 17 de Julio del 2009, en un hotel en Satipo, mientras visitaba las cataratas y a los nativos de la Selva Central, en Perú.

Article Written By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

Why Choose a Vampire? Fiction and Society By Larry Schliessmann

2009-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Slowly, blood pooled at his feet. Stunned by the sight, he stared at the slippery liquid as it drained down his chest. The sensation felt both eerie and frightening since it reminded him of slithering snakes, and the inescapable approach of his own death. Yet, he also felt a strange elation, almost erotic attraction.

Unable to speak, for seconds he mentally pleaded with his attacker, Please don't kill me. I have a family. Then felt his muscles weaken and fail.

His heart slowed, stuttered, and stopped. Now, he knew he was beyond the hope of the living.

He felt lips graze his neck, pulling the last drops from within him. Then, as if life was nothing more than a single liquid moment, a large orb of thick cool blood coated his lips, his mouth as he opened it and gasped in air.

His heart resumed pumping, but it felt and sounded vastly different. He could not understand what happened, as strong hands easily lifted him to his feet and a voice said, "Drink this. It is life after death. Do as I command, and live forever."

He obeyed, tasted the eternal elixir, desired another swallow, and begged, "Please, I need more."

He felt too weak to reach out, and leaned against his savior without realizing that he who saved him after death had, beforehand, taken his mortal life without remorse.

In the 1980s, bookstores had shelves established for the horror genre. Those years were filled with the fear of world war, high inflation, recession, corruption, and more.

The 1980s gave writers like Stephen King and Anne Rice an opportunity, which both accepted and prospered from.

Then came the Clinton years. Somehow, Bill Clinton brought with him a new optimism. However, many old style politicians, including younger ones who resisted change, immediately went after him as if hope for the future was somehow a threat to their desired goals, which seemed to be maintaining the despair and fear of the past.

They appeared more interested in stopping change, than in welcoming the future as a time of renewed vigor. Of course, Bill Clinton was his own worst enemy, but those who wanted to destroy him wanted to destroy what he symbolically represented too.

During the 1990s, publishers announced that Horror fiction was dead. Bookstores removed it as a separate genre and combined it with science fiction. True science fiction rebounded and carried with it the promise of adventure, and technological advancements that would create a world of equality and promise.

Then came 9/11. The idea "look what science did or failed to do" eroded society. Humanity's cruelest crept from beneath the rocks of Afghanistan, and reminded us that the past was not the only time when men like Hitler boot stomped across innocent life with unjustifiable motivation.

Fiction horror was back, but this time tamed by "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." Somehow, the once nearly invincible vampire emerged as a vulnerable lovesick boy. Occasionally, the vampire seemed to miss mother's touch more than he cared for his gift of immortality. Movies, TV, and books hunted these creatures of the night as if to replace, or appease the need to crush those who killed without validation.

So, I ask why vampires? Why praise them? Why hunt and slay them? Why do we fear them, yet cannot get enough of what they offer?

Perhaps what they offer somehow makes their existence desirable to us. Immortality, no death, no disease, no fear, no war, no corruption. Injuries heal themselves. Every person is attractive to them and longs for their touch, in spite of the knowledge that a vampire's gift of death and rebirth may well mean the end of life.

2008 reminded me of 1992. An election of hope. I wondered if horror would again be diminished and replaced by true science fiction or another hope-filled genre.

Apparently not this time. Perhaps the despair and hopelessness -- driven by like-minded people such as those who derailed change in the 1990s -- that haunted us since 2001 remains fixed, an immovable object that divided us as a people, so that we now refuse to seek common ground for the most basic of human needs.

Why vampires?

Why not? At least they act logically. We can predict their outcome, their goals, and find some solace in that knowledge.

Article Written By Larry Schliessmann

"Nothing Will Come of Nothing" (Chapter Three, A Light Drama) At the Cafes, Les Deux Magots By Dennis Siluk Ed.D.

2009-07-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Chapter III
Café de Fore
and Les Deux Magots

It was a warm summer night and I sat at an outside table on the covered entrance of the Café de Fore, Tony had just left, and Bernadette was watching me get drunk and the electric lights on under the terrace that read in neon lights, "Café de Flore," switched on, there was a stop sign and traffic lights I was watching in front of our table, and a crowd of people walking by taxis pulling up and pulling out and dropping off folks for evening dinner, on two sides of the cafe. I watched a few nice looking women walk by, and then lost sight of them, and Bernadette, commented, "Men don't think of sex in the same way women do, do them?"

"Well, what would you think?" I remarked.

"Pardon," she said, "what's the matter?" she asked, "you thinking about those women that just walked by?"

"Sure. Aren't you?"

"Don't you know? You never know in this town what men and women are thinking."

"Men think of sex as being pumpkin soup, women think of it as, shopping for the recipe," I stated.

"Would you like to go somewhere else?" asked Bernadette.

"No."

"Why?"

"There isn't anywhere to go."

"My apartment, or to the Eiffel Tower at the lower restaurant, I know the manager there, we don't need a reservation."

"The coffee here has a great boost but it only lasts for a short time, but the wine is teriffic, what kind is it?" She grinned and made a point of not laughing, because I didn't know what I was drinking, although I paid for it and it was expensive.

"Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de la Reine des Bois, Domaine de la Mordoree," said Bernadette.

I stopped a taxi it pulled up to the curb, and we both settled into the backseat of the car, and we were driven down to her apartment on Saint Germain Boulevard. I looked at the clock in the car it was 11:00 p.m., we turned off Saint Germain, and was left off on the side street of the hotel. Inside her hotel, she cuddled against me, and she said she had look up at me after a few minutes, and I had fallen to sleep. And she put a light blanket over me for the evening as I fell to sleep on the couch, and she in her bedroom.

"What happened to me last night?" I asked her in the morning.

"Never mind," she said, a bit disturbed.

"Are you up set?" I asked.

"Yes, a little but I can't blame you, your sick and I feel sick and the whole world is sick."

She came out of the kitchen into the light that came through the windows behind the sofa, the Seine was a block away in the background, you could see it from the window, as well as Notre Dame Cathedral.

"You don't need to drink much do you and you go out like a light bulb!"

"Yes, that's so true. And my gout, I got the gout also."

"It doesn't matter all that much to me, to women such things are not all that important."

"You're British, right?"

"I've know you for six weeks, and you don't know yet?"

"Well, I know you come from a well to do family, and you have some relatives in Minnesota, and in San Francisco, but where in England?"

"Shipton," she stated.

"American-British, Right?

"Something on that order."

"Good, I don't detest either one."

"I met an Arthur Burg, in Augsburg, Germany; he took a liking to me."

"How do you know?"

"A girl knows these things."

"Would you like to go for breakfast?" I asked. I really didn't want to eat, I wanted to go to my place and sleep, but knew she did, and it would be nice to keep her company, she never liked eating alone. So we went and had breakfast at Les Deux Magots, we had boiled eggs, coffee, orange justice, and pastries.

"It isn't bad here," she said, "it's fashionable."

"Better than on the other side of the river."

"But I like the German food also," she commented, "let's order another bottle of wine," she said, "I'll pay for it this time if you don't mind?"

We drank another bottle of wine, and Bernadette made a joke, "Why did the bacon laugh?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Because the egg cracked a joke."

"Where did you find that joke?" I asked Bernadette.

"My nephews... how about this one, "Where do ghosts make their beer?"

"Just say it!"

"At the boo-ery!"

"I can't believe this, how many nephews you got?"

"It's a shame you got MS. We get on well, how does it affect you anyhow?"

"Hard to get an erection... !"

"Yes, I figured as much. You are blunt aren't you?"

"I don't know how I got it, I just got it."

"Oh, those dirty diseases."

We would have continued on with the subject of illnesses, but she had already agreed it was a damn shame, and I didn't say anything more on the subject, a calamity is just that, a calamity, and better to be avoided after you know enough about what it is, and how it is, no sense in belabouring it.

"Everyone's meeting tonight at the Moulin Rouge; you know it's been around since the 1880s. You got to be there."

"Who's everyone?"

"Tony, and Hans, and me and Katharine, and I think your buddy Ezra will be there."

"How about your buddy, Arthur?"

"I wish he was, but he's in Augsburg, says he might meet us at the Oktoberfest though. You must come dear."

"Of course, I'll come," I said.

"And bring Ezra!"

"Thanks, we'll be there," and I got up and left, went back to my small apartment by where Bernadette's hotel was and laid down on the bed, I needed to write more, but the wine was getting to me, and my foot was sore, the gout was starting to plumage my system. It all was too much for me, the night before, and this morning, the wine and the late hours.

6 Winning Factors For a Make-Up Competition By Charles Stuart Gregory

2009-07-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I am privileged to have a good team that joins me for make-up competition throughout Asia and will gladly share winning tips to prepare you for your next make up competition.

1. Know your theme well

You must understand the theme really well before you begin preparing for it. Make sure the colors, hair style and a model's outfit complements each other. Keep the colors natural, so that the model's feature can shine through. Let the make up speak for itself. Familiarize yourself with the tools and make up set you are using - the texture, the colors so that you can gauge how they will turn out and affect the model's looks. Do not be afraid to bring props. For example the theme is nature; you can bring some tropical fruits or a simple background theme that reflects nature.

2. Time yourself

It is very important that you are able to complete the look within the given time. Practice as often as you can before the competition and time yourself. Get used to the time frame and you won't feel so nervous on stage. Label your tools properly and always put them at the same place in your make up box so you do not waste precious time looking for your tools. I would suggest you practice at least 10 times before a competition. If a problem crops up when you are on stage, think quickly and find the next best option, do not waste time.

3. Choose a good model

When choosing your model, make sure you get someone who has flawless skin and beautiful as that will save you time preparing the face base. Make up will go on smoothly and the colors show better too. Make sure the other details, hair and outfit and bring out the model's best features. I would suggest if you can choose someone who is beautiful and tall as humans are always attracted to beautiful people and judges are humans too.

4. Plan ahead

Prepare a sketch of your creation in advance so you can refer to it. As I know there are no rules that you cannot refer to your creation. Take it step by step so you won't leave out anything. It will help you calm when you are on stage and won't have problems sticking to the time line.

5. Do your homework

The themes tend to be quite abstract, so it is up to you to figure out a strong concept. Surf the internet, look through magazines or watch TV to get ideas. Keep practicing until you prefect your techniques.

6. Use your imagination.

Sometimes you just get better results if you just go with the flow. Follow your instincts and let your imagination run wild. You tend to get more creative ideas what way and that is what judges look for.

Article Written By Charles Stuart Gregory

When the World No Longer Makes Sense By Reina Links

2009-07-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Article Written By Reina Links

You were sitting on the bench in the park. Why? It was almost dawn. Exactly. It's early, no one's awake... and besides, you need a sunrise today. Nothing has been going according to plan these days. Late homework? Check. Late for school? Check. Embarrased in front of the ENTIRE school? Check. Survived? Double check. Sunrise? Pending... It was still quite dark. Sunrise was supposed to be in about half an hour. WOW! IT'S DARK!!?? You feel someone's hands covering your eyes... but you didn't hear any footsteps...? Strange. "Guess who!" you hear a boy say. "Erm... I don't know" you say in an awkward tone which makes the guy let go.

You look behind you. It was the guy from your geography class. Joshua. The hottie with spiked black hair.. dark green eyes... with flecks of red in the iris.. 'like a bloodstone', you think with a small smile. The same tender smile arrived on his feature at the same time. "You've been having quite an interesting week" he said and walked over to stand in front of the bench. He extended his arm to the bench as if to say 'May I?' You nodded and he sat down. Close to the opposite end but closer than you thought he would. You have a few classes with him, you have talked before, but not about anything but geography, technology and the odd Yu Yu Hakusho conversation. He was awesome. Smart, loveable but a but also.. quite a mystery. He hanged his arm over the top of the bench and leaned back a bit, making himself comfortable.

"What makes you say that?" you say in that oh-so-casual tone. You had a reputation to uphold! People don't deserve to see you unhappy... or sad... or a little down... not even now.

"Your smile" he said and lightly poked your suddenly blushing cheek. He chuckled slightly and put his hand back on the bench. You looked away and sighed, "So? It doesn't matter. Everything's fine" you said and shifted slightly uncomfortably. He laughed heartedly, "It matters to me, silly. Your smile is much more enriching when it's real" he said and suddenly blushed quite badly. Your eyebrow lifted but you didn't say anything. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and pulled his brown leather jacket a bit tighter around him. You look up. The moon is full. A full moon is always better than the rest. "The moon seems larger tonight" he said, also looking at the moon now. "It's not going to be 'tonight' for much longer" you mocked slightly. You both smiled. He glanced at you and extended his arm up to the sky. He closed his one eye and covered his view the moon with the palm of his hand. You giggled at the sight and looked up. The night sky was so clear tonight. For the first time this whole week you could see the stars. "Tell me, Kaoru, did you manage to make it to the Milky Way?" he whispered with that same intoxicating smile on his lips. That was just the weirdest question you've ever heard. One of the best questions though.. You laughed slightly, "Umm... Joshua, I never went to outer space" you said and shook your head.

"I'm not talking about outer space" he answered looking at you with his piercing eyes.

You smiled and reached your hand up to sky too, now understanding what he meant, "I guess I'm still standing on the rings of Saturn" you answered and lowered your hand. He lowered his too, to untop of your own hand. The sun slowly started to rise. You could see rays of light slowly flooding the park. "And yet you keep the sun in your smile" he said and pulled you up from the bench. You laughed and hugged him. He hugged you back and lowered his head to your shoulder, "I'll never be able to live without it" he said softly. You leaned back and tilted your head, "Can't keep running on battery power then?" you stated. .. you both burst out laughing and head out of the park. Oh yea, sunburn at the beach sound better than school right now!

Do people we love become stars? Always watching over us, even when we're not aware?

Spells to Get Lover Back By Osita Modozie

2009-07-24T15:21:00.001-07:00

Are you searching for the spells to get your ex lover back after a split up? You can be able to successfully get back the love of your life after splitting up with her, all you have to do is to make the required things happen. If you care for your partner and you need to revive things again, you need to give it a careful thought before you act. Begin to reflect about the ways to bring them back and you are going to reminisce about the thing that caused the break at first. What are the things which you can act upon in order to revive the old glow?

Most people think that one of the most important love spells to cast to get their ex lover back after a split is to ring them on the phone and plead for them to come back. That is not the best method to go about this. I know you will also disagree with me that the best line of action to act upon is stay indoors all the time and weep till you are tired of weeping. That is not the way too. If you are really ready to get back your lover after split up, I have more effective spells which you can apply to straighten things out. Below you will find three spells I have laid that will put you in the right direction when moving on the road to get back the love of your life.

1 - First and foremost, getting back together after a break up means accepting that what happened. You are supposed to agree to the fact that the split up occur to enable you to work out a better way to revive things. Bringing your ex lover after a split up implies finishing the initial affair and beginning a new one instead of attempting to revive things to the direction they were at first.

2. In addition, you will not be helping things if you start initially to ring your ex.

You will send your ex further away if you ring them at the time you are figuring out better ways to get them back after a split up. You need to allow things to calm, balance your feelings and figure out the things that occurred which brought the relationship where it is now. You need to first of all work out the things that went amiss and correcting it, only after that will you have to ring them on the phone. Act on bettering the affair right there in your head and never try to ring your ex lover till stuffs have been straightened out in your mind and heart.

3. Lastly, bringing the love of your life when the two of you might have broken up requires a better plan which should be done at the right time.

When you begin to feel that you are a more better position to bring your ex back after a split it, then know it is time to start to plan the how and where. When you are ready to revive things, you are going to have a more convinced mind which will tell whether you still love him or her, or even if you no longer love him or her. Now that all things have been terminated, never border about the person that is mistaken. Rather, concentrate more on rekindling things using positives things in your mind. Start with a casual talk with them, a friendly relationship and allow stuffs to arise from that point. You need to make things to run in a gradual manner and let them be positive.

Article Written By Osita Modozie

The "Three P" Method of Entertainment By Ronald Fox

2009-07-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

For a friend's 40th birthday his wife threw the Bash of a lifetime. Eddie has been a KISS fan since he was knee high to a grasshopper. His loving spouse found a KISS tribute band and booked them to play the common space on the first floor of the beach-side condo they share. The space was two enormous rooms, and in one the band set up, and in the other was a cornucopia of food offerings.

I arrived early to help her set up the room. Every kind of KISS paraphernalia from concert one-sheets to dolls and limited collectors items filled every possible space. As we worked to ready the one room the band worked in the other to ready their equipment. They checked their play list, went over sound checks, and played several songs. From the other room they sounded awesome. I went over to watch and saw the band in ordinary street clothes working through their sound check. They were thorough, though, and took great effort to make certain nothing was left to chance on the technical side of things.

That night when Storme went upstairs to get Eddie (under the guise of going to a wedding), the tribute band finished last looks before making their appearance.

Eddie appeared to thunderous applause with a very surprised look on his face. As soon as the camera flashes subsided the band appeared. Already surprised by the party he was completely floored by the band.

We all were. Myself especially. The transformation was incredible. These guys looked like KISS. They sounded like KISS. They had the mannerisms and affectations down. We were watching Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss make their magic.

Between their two sets they made themselves available for photographs, autographs, and being present to add to an already electric atmosphere. Gene Simmons stepped outside to do some fire eating which had people eating out of his hands. And after their break they played their second set.

The band is called DESTROYER. I believe they are based out of South Florida and they are absolutely dynamite all the way around.

The reason I mention this experience is they epitomized certain critical aspects of entertainment, aspects that are easily transferred to almost any other business model in the world.

Their focus on Preparation, Presentation, and Professionalism showed a consummate sense of effort to their final product.

Preparation: they came in with their equipment and went to work immediately on identifying the show/concert space and the logistics of their performance. They set up their equipment and made several adjustments as they worked alongside their technical crew. They checked their instruments and gear, speakers and mics and made sure there were no surprises. They played several songs to make sure sounds were crisp and feedback issues would be minimized.

Presentation: They made their appearance striding into the room as if they owned the place. They picked up their guitars and drumsticks and began to play. And they had everyone entranced. Eddie's mouth was open for the first ten minutes as he watched like a kid locked inside a candy store with his favorite chocolate. The band members acknowledged Eddie several times, and got the audience involved as well. They had taken great care in their costumes, make-up, and musical ability to present something that was a turn-key package. Each member of the band had taken the time to study and understand the person whose work they were recreating. It was truly a visual feast.

Professionalism: The members of the band behaved like veteran performers who understood their obligations to themselves and others. Like a well-oiled machine, they knew what needed to happen, and when it needed to happen. Their timing was impeccable. They were KISS, and left little doubt to the others who gathered to watch.

The lessons here are simple:

Whether one is preparing for an audition, a table read, or the first day on a set, whether a supernumerary or a principal player, the necessary demands on self should be the same. Be prepared, be ready to present what you are arriving to present, do your research, and be totally professional with your finished product.

These apply to anyone, anywhere. These can be applied to our personal as well as professional lives. It requires time and effort, but the end result is worth it when we realize our goals.

It's simple: We stand to benefit greatly when we are willing to give more than those around us expect. Do the absolute best. Be willing to listen and learn. This applies across the board and is good to remember as we find our way down life's river and encounter others doing the same.

Article Written By Ronald Fox

The Solo Musician Prepares By Bill Kernodle

2009-07-20T13:41:00.001-07:00

Solo instrumental playing is often the hardest performance type of all and can occur in many contexts. Playing solo with no other instruments or playing a solo within a piece of music in the context of a band or orchestra. Both require the same techniques, focussing around the necessity to be knowledgeable about the music you are playing as well as being well rehearsed.

It is obvious that some instruments sound more plausible when played on their own. A piano and guitar have the capability of being able to play chords and melodies together, therefore accompanying themselves. Other instruments, such as violins and flutes are more suited to be played with another instrument but this can be overcome. To prepare for a solo performance takes some planning and preparation.

Study what pieces are available to your instrument. Don't play a piece of music simply because you are familiar with it. For example, cellists have excellent solo Bach concertos to pick form, while anything form folk music to Paganini or Russian dances sound excellent on an unaccompanied violin.

Rehearse your music. As you will be the only person playing all attention is on you. You must know your piece.

Learn more about the venue and setting you will be playing for. A jazz guitarist at a small restaurant will probably not need any amplification. A solo violinist playing at a busy wedding meal however will definitely need this.

Look presentable and confident. It is important to look the part as well as having a good posture. No one will want to watch someone cowering in the corner, while everyone will be impressed by an impeccably dressed, confident player (even if you do make mistakes)

Solos with a band or orchestra

This situation will require the same rules as above but with more focus on one section. Obviously a confident sax player who stands while playing their solos will be taken more seriously than one who sits behind the music stand but knowing the piece is imperative.

Solos often occur in jazz performances and classical cadenzas. A jazz solo performance will require the player to learn how to improvise correctly around the keys used in the piece. A classical cadenza however requires the player to read the music, and make slight alterations if they so wish. In both cases, it is the performers' time to shine and it is important to be prepared.

- Learn scales and chords if improvising around a jazz piece.
- Learn the cadenza off by heart if playing a classical piece. This way you can concentrate on what you are playing and change portions of the music if you so wish.
- Always stand if possible when playing your solos. This allows the audience to focus in on what you are playing and the ability to hear you will become easier. It is also easier for your breath and tone production.
- Try having a few full rehearsals with your band or orchestra. This will allow you to prepare for your cues and therefore know exactly when you will be playing.

It can be very rewarding to play a good solo or to perform as a solo musician. Practice these tips for solo musicians and you will have more confidence with your solos in no time.

Article Written By Bill Kernodle

Not the Christian Courtship Procedure Enamudu Ikhofua

2009-07-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

When Dan first realized it he was already married. He reflected and squirmed at the period the courtship lasted. It was dazedly brief. Is it the right approach for a Christian to do courtship? Did his Christian brethren and friends question him enough? The more he tried to put his mind off it, the more the refulgence of the ghost of the six months of courtship. It was not a friendly affair. It severely tormented his consciousness.

Tam had been a close friend of Dan, the Muslim-turned Christian. The circumstance that brought it about was one fraught with surprises. A bunch of friends had sat leisurely, relaxing and cooling off from the hurly-burly of the immediate past week. Some sipped from, and others gulped down cups of beer from assorted brewers.

"Good day to you sir," came the alerting voice of Tam.

"A very good afternoon to you," Dan responded in somewhat husky voice.

He had been sighted from afar. As the young men enjoyed their elegant but lively conversations the notice of the appearing man gave them no concern, it melted away, fast.

When later he appeared his presence didn't cause a scare. Dan, his chosen host, receptively shouted out to his wards to fetch a chair for the stranger. He was received with much Christian warmth.

Not many hours later, the hobnobbing came to a close. Dan's guests retired to their respective homes. The stranger stayed on as he had nowhere to go. So it seemed, so it was.

"Sir," Tam demanded attention, "I secured a teaching appointment and got posted to Osaka primary school.

"Yes," Dan nodded in admission of having some knowledge about the village.

"Eh...eh...it is a place I cannot live in - no water, no electricity," Tam reported.

"And you want to give it up?" Dan queried.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, goes the saying. Tam only wished he could find a place to stay in Eta, where he had met Dan. Osaka village is not a great distance from Eta. He would walk to and fro Osaka to perform his day's duties.

Dan provided accommodation for Tam, charge-free. Such was the birth of a relationship that would later burst into every facet of fame and frailties of human life.

Years rolled by as each person had gone their way. However, one bright afternoon Tam and Dan picked each other up again. Dan was on his usual marketing trips with his district when dramatically it coursed through his mind that it was Tam he was sighting. He pulled his and rushed a few hesitating steps, backwards. Lo and behold. He was right. It was a great re-union of some sort, royal in its execution.
Time usually is not always congenial. It flies irrespective of what situation it leaves anyone in.

Tam was all the time at home to Dan. Tam was enjoying his employment at Temana; he was a banker. What a reversal of roles! Mondays through Fridays, Dan would be a guest to Tam. No grudges, no hassles, no hard feelings. It was a plain-sailing relationship.

Few things are worse than moments when one thinks to remember the way certain things got started. Dan's minded rapidly shifted between that early evening when Tam talked so glowingly about Ehena as one possessed of so good manners as would have her recommended for marriage to the royals. Yes, the marriage was contracted, signed, sealed and delivered. That was the object of the reviews railing to and fro within Dan's mind.

Someone said, "Little stories tell big stories" and the big story here is the sour and frigid relationship that explosive wedding left the couples with, ever after. This offers the Christians some compelling questions: Is the fault rightly to be placed on the fleeting courtship? Have it for a food of thought. Is it that Tam didn't truly understand Ehena? Ehena might just as well be walking the path of a master pretender each time she was caused to relate with Tam whom she could have thought might just be available one day. That never happened. Tam might have had too little to examine or his small mind poured too great encomiums for little things he hardly understood.

To be or not to be? Apologies to Shakespeare. Can Dan be totally be absolved of blame? He may have permitted the picture painted of Ehena by Tam to sink too deep too quickly. Another kettle of fish. He could be all-trusting, the Achilles hill of his Christian sincerity.

Wait a minute! Supposing he was over-powered; there could have been some spiritual connotation in the whole affair. Religious or otherwise, let this short story be instructive to you in ways that aren't common in the affairs of men.

Article Written By E. Ikhofua

Anybody Can Learn How to Do Magic By Camron Matschek

2009-07-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the magic tricks David Blaine, David Copperfield, and Chris Angel do are usually fairly easy to do? Most magic tricks take lots of practice, practice that is well worth the time spent. But there are some magic tricks, that you can do without any practice, and there are even some magic tricks that work themselves!

Well, okay, that information is good to know. But, where do you learn these types of magic tricks? There are many websites on the internet the will actually charge you to show you how to do magic tricks. Well, I am going to tell you, never pay some website for a video on how to do a magic trick. Its okay to pay an online magic shop for a magic trick if they are mailing you something, but 90% of the time, if you are paying for a magic trick and all you get is a downloadable word document. It is probably not going to work.

There is hope. You can search YouTube for magic trick tutorials, but your going to waste your time trying to find the real magic trick tutorials from the fake videos just trying to get views. That's a waste of an entire day searching YouTube when you only learn two or three tricks! What a waste!

Well, there are some websites out there, that actually spent the time you did, looking for the legit magic tutorial videos on video sharing websites like YouTube, Metacafe, and revver. They got the real magic tutorials, and put them onto a website for everybody who is interested in learning to go view. Best of all, they made this website free!!! All you need to do is learn to search for it.

Article Written By Camron Matschek

Michael Jackson - The Promise of Neverland By David Armaan

2009-07-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

"A measure of any society is the way in which it treats its young people.... The nurturing of children - providing them with food, security, love and education - should never be viewed as an altruistic act." Pat Lancaster

He's really gone...and now all we can do is haltingly flashback to a kaleidoscope of memories. We are left with memories that bookends the innocence of "ABC" to the idealism of "We are the World" and the introspection of "Man in the Mirror". Looking back we can't help but realize that he has always been with us...and somehow we thought he always would. Losing him is like returning to our old neighborhood and finding our favorite places gone. We struggle to get our minds around this; but ultimately we recognize that this is a vacancy that can never be filled.

For many of us-loyal fans included, we could not have dreamed that there was such a deep reservoir of love for him around the world. For the past 13 years he has become perennial tabloid fodder...more superfreak then superstar. "Wacko Jacko", possible child molester, financially distressed has-been, Peter Pan, a misfit are just a few of the labels the media bestowed on him over the last 20 years. The more charitable observers thought of him as a lost tormented soul at best, who desperately needed therapeutic intervention.

Bubbles the chimp, self-mutilation, Neverland Ranch, Elephant Man's bones and his hyperbaric oxygen chamber are just a few of the bizarre behaviors linked to him. Many of the stories were blatant fabrications; however, Michael's publicist sometimes chose not to refute them as they kept people talking.

Of course, dangling his child out of a hotel window and sleeping with children certainly contributed to the idea that he had become undone. Still somehow now, none of this controversy is important. All the concerted efforts of the media to reduce him to a sideshow freak have failed spectacularly as we examine the facts. The London O2 concerts give us an idea of the ferocious loyalty of his fans. 800,000 tickets were sold out in 5 hours and this is nearly twice the sales of his hay day performances back in 1988. The Staple Center Memorial site reports receiving a half billion hits. Amazon reported that 60% of all CD sales were fans buying anything with his name on it. Barnes and Nobles actually sold out of his CDs, DVDs and books.

Even China, a country known for rejecting American excesses, gave him full page coverage on the country's largest Website, Sina.com. Predictably--Japanese media gave massive coverage to the death of "Michael-san," as did CNN in Asia. The three biggest cable news networks - CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC - averaged 8.2 million viewers in prime-time a figure nearly doubled their normal viewers. BBC reported an increase in viewers second only to the night when Barack Obama was elected President. Russian, South American, Canadian, Australian and African media reaction was equally massive.

It has been 13 years since Michael has toured and many wondered could he really deliver anything close to a smooth moonwalk or the youthful energy of his "Thriller" or "Bad" performances or would this just be another misadventure tailor-made for tabloid consumption. Even the promoters admitted being anxious but could not resist the possibilities and profitability of a Michael Jackson reemergence. The press voiced serious doubts that at 50 he could pull off the grueling 50-date O2 concert. However, video footage of his final days showed that his was poised to give the world one more thriller.

You could not help but wonder was this comeback story more about overly optimistic promoters trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Stories of him having skin cancer and a host of other chronic health problems have always persisted. He reportedly began his descent into prescription drug addiction shortly after his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The 1993 child molestation charges finally pushed him over the edge. Those close to the singer stated that by 1990 he had undergone about 10 plastic surgery procedures prompting some mental health experts to declare that Michael suffered from body dysmorphic disorder. This is a psychological illness that causes one to feel physically repulsive. In 1993 he shared that he had vitiligo in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. In December 2008, Michael Jackson biographer Ian Halperin, stated that he suffered from Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a potentially fatal genetic illness, as well as emphysema and gastrointestinal bleeding. His management vehemently denied most of this. However, we all wondered as images of him in a wheelchair and his zombie-like gaze during his last molestation trial were circulated.

Despite all the speculation about his mental/physical health status, he passed his physical for Tour Insurance "with flying colors," according to AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips. The photographer Kevin Mazur who had been following Michael for the past 30 years and was documenting the rehearsals for the tour book stated "Michael was back - that's all I could say," Everyone close to Michael from his choreographer to the shows producers agree about this. He looked energized and ready to give the performance that would bring him back to his former glory and maybe beyond. His O2 concert series was to begin in July and be followed by a world tour.

True to form... MJ's death can not be neatly explained. It seems the King of Pop will remain the King of Tabloid long after he is laid to rest. He has now undergone two autopsies and the cause of death is still inconclusive. Toxicology reports due back in 3 to 4 weeks may shed some light on the cause of death. Police reportedly removed the powerful drug Propofol, marketed under the brand name Diprivan from his Holmby Hills rented home. How this drug came to be in his possession is certain to be pursued by LA police and the DEA.

His personal doctor Dr. Murray and a host of other doctors/enablers will undoubtedly come under further scrutiny even though the Los Angeles police state that presently there is no evidence of foul play. Dr. Murray, a 56-year-old cardiologist with a practice in Las Vegas and a clinic in Houston, has lived in numerous homes over the last decade in several states. His former partner also a doctor in Houston was incarcerated for rather liberally distributing prescription drugs. According to public records Dr. Murray filed for personal bankruptcy in 1992 in California and has five tax liens against him for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Health Grades, a health care ratings company, indicates that he is not board certified in his two specialties, internal medicine and cardiology. While certification is not required to practice a specialty, it is recommended and indicates a high level of training and expertise. We have to wonder why someone of Michael's stature would hire anyone with less than impeccable credentials.

As we ponder the global appeal of this singular pop star and try to grasp the media frenzy and worldwide outpouring of emotion around his passing we have to ask why we are so transfixed. What is at the core of this phenomenon? This man-child as Paul McCartney so aptly describes him--who for a moment upstaged all world events including wars, the swine flu, the world's economic collapse and Kim Jong-il's nuclear ambitions.

Why did the world stand still for this pop star? His shy effeminate demeanor, surgically disfigured face and endless tales of bizarre behavior don't add up to the Mr. Clean image that idol makers typically package. He was never classically "commercial". He was certainly not a good fit for the hardcore rocker or hip-hop image because despite the phenomenal sales of the "Bad" album he was much more cute then "bad" when he released this album. In fact, imagining Michael as bad or intimidating is perfect material for a Saturday Night Live skit.

Everyone close to Michael from Deepak Chopra to his manager all agree that his adult years have been deeply troubled and he only seemed to find peace and fulfillment when he was performing and receiving a "fix" from his adoring fans. Interestingly, despite his painful recollections about his father's abuse, when asked if he would give it all back to have a normal childhood, he said no.

Michael's refusal to "grow up"- his child-like idealism is perhaps in the end the key to his universal appeal. Our grown up world is a world where 963 million people across the world are hungry and wars inflict incalculable suffering and depletion of valuable resources. Everyday a child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes. In the past decade around 2 million children have been killed in armed conflict. This is the world of so-called competent grown ups.

When we examine the life and contributions of Michael Jackson we must conclude that he was much more than a song and dance man. His consistent and some say naive messages of love and unity are perhaps why the world is reeling from the loss of this gentle soul. Of course, the media has never widely reported that he has given generously to 39 charities throughout the world. Unsurprisingly, many of these charity's primary mission was the well being of children.

As we begin to grasp Michael's universal appeal it becomes clear that this self-proclaimed King of Pop was singular, vast, and timeless enough to be genuinely deserving of this distinction. His magical performances transported us away from the relentless banality/brutality of the REAL world...and allowed us to escape to a musical Never Neverland. For this we are eternally grateful... and we will all delight in his rich musical legacy forever and ever ...and ever.

Article Written By David Armaan

Michael Jackson's Impact on the World By Natasha Slawter

2009-07-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Since the day I heard about Michael Jackson's Death on July 25, 2009, it still amazes me how much he has impacted my life. I never paid attention to Michael's current music as I am from the generation of the Jackson 5 era. To this day I have always played Michael Jackson's music on my iPod. My favorite song being "PYT" and "Ben". Since Michael's passing, I have been flooded with memories of all his good songs, his famous moonwalk, his cartoon show "The Jacksons" and his screen debut in the movie "The Wiz". Those were the good ol days when Michael was not scrutinized as heavily as he is today. Even though he is gone, his memory will continue to live on. The King Of Pop as we know him will leave his legacy behind for generations to come.

Michael came from a very large family of 9 brothers and sisters. His brothers formed a music group in the earlier days which became the Jackson 5-consisting of Michael, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Jackie. Randy joined the group years later and they changed the name to The Jacksons.

From the time Michael went solo, he has amazed us with a plethora of albums which includes:

Beat It
Earth Song
Blood On The Dance Floor
History
Dangerous
Bad
Thriller
Off The Wall
Ghosts
The Wiz
Got To Be There
Music & Me, Motown
Forever Michael
Moonwalker
Number Ones

and so many more. Michael has sold an estimated 750 million records in his career. His number one selling album Thriller, sold over 50 million worldwide. Guinness Book Of World Records recognizes Michael as the most successful entertainer of all time with Thriller being the biggest selling album of all time.

Amongst these list of albums, Michael has won 13 Grammys, released 13 Number 1 singles, and received the American Music Awards "Artist of the Century" award, which he so rightfully deserves.

There are still many speculations surrounding his death which are still to be confirmed. People want to know what is the real cause of Michael's death. Why did he go into cardiac arrest? There are now conflicting reports indicating that his doctor and nurse might have mistakenly overdosed him on prescription pain medication. Toxicology reports and the results of his autopsy will provide more clarification.

Fans around the world continue to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, constructing makeshift memorials around his Neverland Ranch in Los Angeles , childhood home in Gary Indiana, and even around the hospital where his death was confirmed (UCLA Medical Centre).

Let us continue to remember Michael for all his positive contributions to the world. The King of Pop will continue to live on in our hearts as the greatest entertainer of all time

Article Written By Natasha Slawter

Talent Search By Alan J Orr

2009-07-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

A talent search is really a two way street. People in the entertainment industry are looking for talent. People with talent are looking for ways to be discovered. How does one with talent get discovered ? Its not easy but it is perhaps easier now than in the past. In the past if you were a talented musician the best way to promote your skills was to perform as much as possible . To be seen as much as possible. This is a still an important step on the road to fame however with the internet being a way of life one can reach millions of people, including industry people, without leaving your home.

Musicians are not the only people with talent. Many creative photographers are also looking for a way to gain respect for their talents. In the old days a photographer would have to buy or rent space for a gallery and submit their photos everywhere they might be seen. Today a photographer can own his own online gallery for next to nothing, and submit his work to other websites dedicated to photography.

Talent sites if I may call them that, are popping up like wildflowers on the internet. Established sites like MySpace and YouTube are becoming more talent oriented as well as newer talent specific sites like Taxi, and Broadjam. Many of the specialized sites require payment to join, and may require additional payments for each submission.

There is however at least one site I came upon that offers artists a way to promote themselves for free. An artist can create a customized home page and submit original music, art, writing and more to be rated by other artists. There are even actual castings where an artist might find a commission for his work. He may also enter competitions and receive substantial prizes. In addition, industry people also join the site and can view potential talent. One thing is for sure. No matter how talented you are, you will never be appreciated if no one sees your work. The internet is an ongoing talent search, and it is possible in our times, to be discovered without leaving your bedroom.

Alan Orr is a musician of over thirty years and a digital composer living in the mountains of New York State

Article Written By Alan J Orr

Animation 101 - How to Produce a Winning Animation By John Salemo

2009-07-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

What makes life on earth so very interesting is that there are so, so many things we must get done even though we lack the experience, expertise, or technical knowledge to pull it off easily. My family had an uncle Sam, and when I was 18 years old and wanted to buy a run down music store in New York City, Uncle Sam burst my bubble by first telling me that I lacked the experience I needed to successfully run a business and then he then jabbed another pin into my bubble by introducing me to what I now understand to an indispensable partner in any endeavor: A bottom-line-driven plan. Uncle Sam was an accountant and his decision making was done by looking at the bottom line and working up from there. He penciled out a few numbers and I can still remember how quickly he showed me a clear picture of why it's good I never invested my time in that particular music store.

With animation, planning ahead is so very important because so many people hours and often a lot of hard-earned money, go into producing each second of finished animation. Moving forward without a plan can be extremely costly, and the worst part is, the end product won't be a success. Thank you, Uncle Sam!

When clients contact me to create an animation, what I find is that they often need to hit the rewind button and review their plan for the following:

1. What is the bottom line? What is the goal of each section of the animation? What is the goal of the overall animation?

2. What type of animation? Is your project calling out for a 2D or 3D approach? Both are good choices, but usually the type of project, final venue and audience profile will mandate either 2D or 3D. Simple 2D character animation or 3D animation?

3. Is it character animation? People, animals, walking, jumping, talking, running? (A much more technically challenging style of animation) Or just a matter of moving objects onto and off the screen in various directions and transitions. (Much simpler.)

4. Are you ready to start? What is already done what remains to be done? There are so many steps involved with animation: The idea. The wish list for the project goals. The character development. The scene development. Understanding the steps and building blocks, gives you a better picture of how much time will be involved and whose time it will be, yours or the animation studio's.

5. Is there a story? Without some a strong story, the ultimate goal of the animation may never be reached. Your goals should be understood and kept in mind with every second of planning and production, and a good story is what keeps people from walking away from your animation before it's over. The story is the vehicle and the choice of roads is derived from a map of goals such as these: Pique audience interest; "hook" the audience; make them laugh, cry, sit on the edge of their seat, or run out and buy whatever you are selling. Shakespeare knew this long ago. We can't all be Shakespeare, but we still shake up viewer emotions.

Planning ahead is the key to a winning animation! This is the first of a series of articles that will turn you into a good executive producer, or just a smart shopper you knows how to turn their goals into a compelling, Uncle Sam approved, bottom line successful animation project. I look forward to taking you through all the steps.

Article Written By Jonh Salemo

Michael Jackson's Affair With Animation By Aldric Chang

2009-07-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

We've seen the moonwalk, the one-handed glove, the anti-gravity lean, and that's just to mention a few of the innovations introduced by the late Michael Jackson. Sometimes people even forget how MJ reinvented himself from a child prodigy into a global pop sensation. But he has this sense of creativity and showmanship that is hard to match which leads him to try many things - one of which is cartoon animation for his music videos.

Michael Jackson's song "Leave Me Alone" in the 1987 album Bad prominently featured 2D cartoon animation as its motif. Throughout the entire video, Jackson was super-imposed as a scaled real-life character.

The song talks about the personal and public turmoil encountered by Michael after the success of his 1982 album Thriller. At this time, the tabloids and other gossip columns were targeting him with different rumors about his lifestyle. Among these were Michael's obsession with purchasing the bones of the Elephant Man and sleeping inside a hyperbaric chamber to counter the effects of aging.

The cartoon animated video was used by Michael Jackson as a rebuttal for all these charges. The narrative of the video starts with an amusement park with a collage of images attributing to his success, along with certain images such as a shrine to his popular friend Elizabeth Taylor (who gave him the moniker King of Pop). In the end, it is revealed that Michael Jackson is the amusement park and he struggles away, destroying the park in the process.

Leave Me Alone was directed by Jim Blashfield and it was most notable for winning the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards of 1990. It was also shown in the feature entitled Moonwalker. Here is the animated video of Leave Me Alone:

Michael Jackson helped popularize the utilization of music videos as a promotional piece and as an art form. Another of his videos which prominently used computer animation effects was Black or White, a strongly worded song contradicting racial discrimination - but was more known for its scenes of violence and sexualized dancing. The most recognizable animation effect used in this video was morphing.

Morphing is a special effect which tries to change one image into another seamlessly. The music video Black or White used this concept in the tail-end part of the video where people of different ethnicities, gender and ages were shot in a bust shot point of view and was made to appear like it is morphing while moving its neck from left to right. Here is the video:

This was another revolutionary touch from Michael Jackson and, together with Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991, the video helped set a trend in special effects and computer animation. Now, advanced computer software is available to create realistic simulations - but nothing will surpass that level of genius when it was first introduced by Black or White.

I'll list some of his most special awards here as a tribute to Jacko:

World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium

American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award

Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.

Double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (The Jackson 5, 1997; solo, 2001)

Multiple Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone),

13 Grammy Awards,

13 number one singles in his solo career-more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era

sale of over 750 million records worldwide

Rest in peace, MJ.

Article Written By Aldric Chang

Star Foot Tattoos - The Simplest Way of Locating Tons of Quality Art By Adam Woodham

2009-07-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

Whether you're just learning about the various star foot tattoos available or not, you need to realize something. The web is a breeding ground for totally generic designs that have no business being labeled as "tattoo art", and many people are settling on this cookie cutter stuff. Why? Because they were not able to find the sites that have better, higher quality star foot tattoos, but I'll help you solve this.

There's a pretty strong chance that you have personally been seeing hoards of this generic junk. You can stop this in it's tracks, though. You stop it by running away from search engines. Never use them to locate star foot tattoos, unless you really love cookie cutter designs. This is the only type of galleries that are pulling up in their lists lately. It's getting out of hand and it's making so many well intentioned people "settle" on generic art. The sad part is that most people realize how generic their designs are after they get it inked, which is never a good thing.

Next on the agenda is about how you can finally find the best, highest quality designs. It's also about originality. How will you find these galleries? You'll find them using the assistance of some of the bigger forums around the web. Any big forum will do. Just makes sure it's a general type of forum. These general ones have huge archives, which are religiously packed with topics about tattoo art. If you want to get directly to the hidden (and much better) collection of star foot tattoos, slide into those topics.

Begin reading through some of the posts, because so much information has been shared in here. It's where tattoo enthusiasts talk and chat about everything, including the names and links to the superb artwork sites they've managed to find in the past. Real, well drawn star foot tattoos can be found this way, unlike the generic crud that engines keep on showing you. It might be a different way to locate great artwork, but this way actually gets the job done.
In order to find the best star foot tattoo for your tastes, it takes a little patience and lots of good artwork

In order to find the best star foot tattoo for your tastes, it takes a little patience and lots of good artwork.

Article written By Adam Woodham

My Difference Between English Dub and English Sub Anime By Lucas Romine

2009-07-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have traveled the world of anime. Some anime I prefer to watch in English dub. Others I prefer to watch in English sub. All in all I want the best story and quality that each anime production has to offer. This is why I watch these dramatic and complex versions.

My biggest pro for English dub is that I'm hearing the shows in my own language. This makes the picture easier to follow. This also puts my attention on the picture of the program. However, a con comes to mind when I realize that the English dub is not telling or showing everything about the anime from the original versions stand point. The main thing that bothers me about English dub is the way in a lot of anime is the mouths of the characters can't stay in sync with the audio vocals of what they are saying. I don't know about you but this frustrates me trying to keep-up with the story not to mention all the action. Granted watching English dub is good, but it is not the original published work in productions for the actual story.

A con for English sub anime is not knowing the language and having to read subtitles to follow what's going on, but still the pro is that it is the original un-cut version of the anime to watch.

This is what makes it worth while to me.
This is an article to show the main reason why it is good to watch anime in both categories of dialect.

Article Written By Lucas Romine

Confrontation With Oneself By Ashley Carrillo

2009-07-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

I never had to journey far
For my destination was in clear sight
I see the woman smoking her cigar
Dressed in all black as dark as night.
Her image frightened and worried me
For I had no where else to go.
A threat that posed a bit of irony
And the fear she had bestowed.
She always looked me straight in the eyes Penetrating the soul's depth,
I never seemed to understand why
My faith she always kept.
A daunting grip was what she obtained,
I never could resist
Her ever action still remained
With her evil ways she would persist.
And though I tried I couldn't move
She kept me right in place.
Intimidation was what she proved
My hesitance she overjoyed,
My failure she would keep.
Little by little she would destroy
My benefits she would reap.
Courage did live in my heart once
And so it has revived.
No mercy is giving in abundance
For my hope has arrived.
I walked and asked her to step aside
For she was forking my path.
Then a familiarity I couldn't deny,
The sudden tone in her wrath.
Angered as though I had done something wrong
she threatens to reach her peak.
But I hold my ground and stand strong,
Refusing to ever render weak! "Why do you block my way?
All I wish is for you to leave."
Then one more time
I looked at her And
noticed that she was me.

Article Written By Ashley Carrillo

Photography Equipment Evolution

2009-06-09T05:10:00.000-07:00

David Nearqardner

Photography and more specifically photographs themselves have been around for over 180 years now. A great deal has changed since this timeless invention by the French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce. Even the name photography for instance would come to this invention after it's initial naming of heliographs or sun prints. These photos were the prototype for the modern images known as photographs by allowing light to draw the picture.

It's amazing how the proliferation of photos and photography equipment as well have advanced themselves through the years in such a relatively short amount of time. A lasting tribute to how popular photography is worldwide with the continuation of it's evolution even now. In the 1800's photographer's had but a single flash bulb that would expire with just one photo.

Today's photography equipment has kept pace with camera advancements in the digital age. To put that into perspective, a flash light bulb would yield but one photo per bulb over a century ago. In stark contrast, a flash light or strobe light in modern day photography studio equipment will yield an astounding 10,000 flashes before it's bulb expires.

Considering what pioneering photographer's had to work with in regards to both camera's and equipment at the time. It is a true testament to their ability as a photographer to have been able to capture some of the amazing photo's that they did, in say for instance the old west.

Today's photographers are able to capture high quality shots routinely that would have been much more difficult to achieve not long ago relying solely on innate ability without the assistance of modern digital cameras and digital photography equipment.

This difference in high quality photos can be seen clearly in magazines, books, and other forms of modern media compared to the quality of a comparable photo from just a decade ago. Professional photographer's utilizing the latest technology in flash lighting or continuous lighting with the use of fluorescent or quartz tungsten halogen photo lighting kits are producing utterly amazing photo's at an unparalleled pace.

As in the beginning, ability accounts for a great deal in the photographic world we live in and how well moments are frozen in time with light. Unique ability aside, the quality of the equipment you are using will have a great impact on your photo or video production as well.

Whether using sunlight in a natural setting or photography studio equipment for your lighting source at home or in your business. One constant remains in the realm of photography just as it did over a century ago with the invention of photo's. The importance of light, both in our world and capturing the images within it.

Having the right photography equipment on hand is important for being able to produce high quality photos on a consistant basis that will stand the test of time. You can find everything from strobe flash lighting for portraits to tungston halogen and fluorescent continuous lighting for portraits and video production for either your home or studio for less. Chromakey backgrounds, softboxes, photo umbrellas, stand and boom, barndoors, flash lights, light heads and more brand name photography studio equipment at discount pricing.

Five Quick Tips For Great Pet Photography

2009-06-09T05:07:00.000-07:00

By John M Lund

If you can keep the three following tips in mind while photographing your pet you can almost be assured of a satisfying result. You can use these tips as a springboard to ever more sophisticated and creative pet portraiture.

Tip Number One:

Get Down. Get down onto your pet's level. Seeing your pet at eye level makes a shot inherently more interesting. We are always looking down at them, but by shooting them at eye level we not only get a more interesting perspective, but you can also achieve stronger connection.

Tip Number Two:

Focus on your pet's eyes. Even if you don't get anything else sharp, get the eyes sharp. In fact, if your pet's eyes are sharp, and nothing else, it can even be a creative plus. Again, the connection you establish with your subject will be much stronger if the eyes are sharp, and connection is ultimately what it is all about.

Tip Number Three:

Get the light right. Having the light behind you a little to the left or right almost guarantees your pet will be well lit. Not necessarily the most interesting light, but I'd rather have well lit than a featureless blob. If you want to get a little more sophisticated, set your flash to 1/3 under exposed (if you have an adjustable camera and flash) and have the available light from behind or slightly behind your subject matter.
Using a flash, even in bright light, is probably a good idea as long as the flash does not overpower the existing light. Using the flash as a supplement is known as "Fill Flash". It can bring out the subtle details as well as adding a "catch light" to your pet's eyes. Adding a simple catch light can bring an otherwise drab image to life.

Tip Number Four:

Center yourself, not the picture. You're focusing on the eyes, right? Make sure those eyes are not in the center of the picture. Most people center the eyes leaving a lot of empty space at the top of the frame. Try putting your pet's eyes on the upper right or left quadrant for a starting point. And fill the frame; it is hard to be too close!

Tip Number Five:

Get your pet's attention. You have the eyes in focus. The composition is looking good. Now get your pet's attention. It might be calling their name, making a noise, or even having a friend hold a treat just above your head.
But be prepared. You want to press that shutter point just when your pet's eyes zero in on you and his or her ears perk up. That precious look usually only lasts a fleeting moment, but capture it and you'll have a picture you can treasure forever.

High quality concept stock photos covering every topic imaginable: People & Animal Pictures Animal stock photos, Fine Art Prints, and printed gift merchandise.

Stock Photos of cute puppies, cats, cows, elephants happy people, ethnic people etc.: Funny People Pictures Animal stock photos, Fine Art Prints, and printed gift merchandise.

Arranging a Boudoir Photo Shoot

2009-06-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

By Helen X Davies

Boudoir photography has become a popular trend with brides who want to offer their 'husbands-to-be' a wedding day present which will they never forget. Generally associated with a woman's bedroom, boudoir is a term which has been coined to describe a genre of glamor photography where nudity is implied by showing women in a state of undress or wearing alluring lingerie.

Of course, photographing women in a state of partial undress is hardly a new phenomenon, but the boudoir trend has brought an air of respectability to what used to be considered a rather daring and controversial area of glamour portrait photography.

Boudoir Photographers
No longer the preserve of the specialist, boudoir and glamor pin-up photography is widely available through many wedding photographers who have seen the trend as an opportunity to expand their businesses. Some have been so successful that they now dedicate most of their business to this form of portraiture.

When choosing a professional photographer it's a good idea to do as much research as you can beforehand. The internet should be your first port of call and this is where you'll get the most information with most providers of this serving having examples of their work on-line. Some will offer a wide selection of styles while others will be dedicated to a specific sub-genre such as Hollywood style glamor or pin-up photography.

Photo Shoot Location
No matter where you live there will be a boudoir photographer in your area. Many will have their own studio and there are some boudoir specialists who will arrange a shoot at a boutique hotel. This is particularly useful for those who don't want to travel and also has the advantage that many boutique hotel rooms offer a perfect backdrop which is difficult to create in a traditional photographic studio.

Photo Shoot Time Limits
Most budget photographers will have a strict time limit on photo-shoots, typically one or two hours, while higher-end photographers will be more flexible. Some will allow 3 or 4 hours and others will just say it will take as long as it takes. Obviously cost is a major factor and, generally, the more you are willing to pay then the more time you will be allowed. For some women time will not be so much of an issue but those who are a little nervous, or are unsure of the look they want to achieve, should opt for the most time they can afford.

Costs
Again, with most things in life, you'll often get what you pay for. Budget photographers will typically offer the best price but results and overall experience could be disappointing? It's not unknown either for some to pressure their clients into spending more on the day of the shoot. Often you will be better off paying a little more for a better experience overall, although this isn't an automatic guarantee of quality and you should still do your research.

What to Take with You
Many photographers will have a collection of outfits you can try, although it's advisable to take a couple of favourite lingerie pieces with you. Of course, you may be brave enough to not wear anything, though you are best taking something - just in case you get cold feet on the day?

Take some favorite make-up items with you but many photographers will have some form of hair and make-up service arranged. As always, the cost of the package will determine how good the make-over is but you'll probably be surprised at the standard offered?

At the End of the Boudoir Shoot
At the end of the photo shoot there will be a number of alternative shots to look through. Depending upon the format of photography used you may be offered a set of prints there and then or you may be given a password to a private on-line gallery which you can browse at your leisure later.

Typically, once you have selected the poses you want to keep they will be professionally printed and presented in either an album or in a frame. You'll also have the option of keeping the rest of your shots in the secure gallery with the ability to order further prints as when you wish.

Photo Retouching
Most people are familiar with the terms 'air-brushing' and 're-touching' and have a fair idea of what is involved. Most boudoir photographers will offer some level of basic image editing as standard. However, photo re-touching and air brushing is an art in itself, so, again, you may want to pay extra for a really professional finish?

Posing for a professional boudoir shoot can be a great experience and the results can be truly stunning. By researching the various styles on offer and finding the best photographer for you, you will have a great day and the result will be a set of images that will show you at your most attractive and certainly put a smile on your new husbands face.

Boudoir photography has become a very popular form of glamor portraiture and with a growing number of photographic artists offering boudoir photography and glamour photography to women in the UK, it's never been easier to find your photographer, book your shoot and prepare to create something special.

A Child of the Streets - A Tribute to Gregory Corso

2009-06-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

By Gerald Marchewka

Nunzio.
My little bambino
Nunzio.

Born to teenage parents.
And a father who brutally
beat his wife.

Your old man had the great temerity
to call your mother a lowly prostitute
as she sought sanctuary
from a highly dangerous life.

In and out of foster homes;
And a stint in the local county pen.

Forced to live on New York's
city streets

Quite tragically,
you were in fact
a case
that Catholic Charities
somehow seemed to forget.

Born in the heart of Greenwich Village.
You are an important poet
and son
of a legendary place called
Little Italy.

Ultimately the author of a brilliant poem
called "Bomb"

Notwithstanding

It is a magic medicine hat
enshrouded by the briolette tears
of what may
on an inclement day

be coolly cast asunder,
by nothing
but a big hungry
English eel pie.

On the eve of a cold steely blue night,
it is so regrettable that many of us
would rather pass it
far beneath our dirty sheets.

Yet above all else,
it is a grey mushroom cloud
only made complete with the blood
and vinegar of a dark alabaster hue!

It is true.
Yes, it is completely true.

It is true beyond belief.

Very much.
Yes, very much
indeed!

Gregory Corso was born on March 26, 1930. As this poem indicates his early life was quite chaotic. It is interesting to discover that as a thirteen year old boy he was briefly incarcerated for stealing a three piece suit. Tragically Corso was sent to "The Tombs" a New York City Prison otherwise known as the Manhattan Detention Complex at 125th street. At this time it is reported that Corso was surrounded by inmates who were considered criminally insane. It is also said that the local mafia syndicate considered Corso to be an endearing figure. As a result they provided him with the necessary protection to guarantee his welfare and safety within this treacherous environment.

In regard to his place in history as a modern American poet, Corso was a latter day member of the legendary circle of writers known as the "Beat Poets". "Bomb" is arguably Corso's greatest poem. As it was written during the American-Soviet cold war era it was a graphic image that struck a raw nerve in many readers and writers.

In general, Corso's poetry is provocative, informal and striking. He remains an integral part of a revolutionary group of artists that has had a significant impact upon the counterculture as well as mainstream American thought.

Do Flower Fairies Die? And If They Do - Is There a Special Place For Them in Heaven?

2009-06-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

By Kathy Ostman-maqnusen

Do flower fairies die?
If so..
where do they go when they pass
from this life?
Is there a special place in heaven?
A gathering of natures gifts
that never falls asleep
a fantasy harvests destiny?

Or is it that a faery in your garden
truly
never dies at all?
Is it possible that a pixie elf
rests in the Winter
till it's time
to come back out?

I believe it in this moment
that all fairy princesses
do indeed
forever live.

Once you decide that a faerie lives
on
'tis no longer a legend
or a mythological dream
its a matter of fact
a most beautiful
resounding
belief.

Embracing all the miracles
of each flowers gifts
touched by early morning dew
diamonds from the sky
shining brilliantly true
look on
believing.
What else is there to do?

Glorious beings
folklore told
magical creatures
cradle the gifts
of life
and all its miraculous
treasures
stored.

And despite all disbelievers
a flowers majesty
will always shine on
brilliantly true
for me
and yes
ever faithfully
for you
too.

Dear flower nymphs
make it through
the Fall and Winter of life
so
considering their resilience
why not me
why not you?

Goddesses of rainbows praying
fore Springtime miracles
pick it up
respond to the earths glory
appreciate their seedlings
despite their struggle
a prayer set forth
holy.
Watching as Fall
covers Forget-Me- Nots up
as Winter sets each petal to rest
it is for a faery
an acceptable
upset.
Springtime brings it all on again
and the mornings refreshed
with Mother Nature's
dance
and a whimsical angels song.

7 Fatal Flaws of Book Cover Design

2009-06-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

By Deborah Perdue

Some common mistakes of the amateur book designer:

1) Submitting low resolution files to the printer, in RGB color mode rather than CMYK

All artwork, both photos and logos, must be 300 ppi (pixels per inch) for book publishing. This can be changed in a photo editing program, however, the file must be large enough to begin with. An image file can be reduced but not enlarged to maintain quality. If your image looks pixilated or blurry, it is probably not high enough resolution for book printing.

Printers will reject files that have not been converted to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK - an offset printing standard) and instead are in the RGB color mode (Red, Green and Blue), which is for viewing with computer monitors. The way to change your file is to bring it into a photo editing program such as Adobe Photoshop, open it, and go to "Mode" where you will find a choice for CMYK instead.

2) Submitting the spine and back side of the cover in separate files, rather than integrating the front, back and spine all together.

This is self-explanatory. A professional book designer knows how to combine all files into one. Also important is to get the actual and exact spine dimensions from the printer BEFORE finalizing the cover art.

3) Finding art that is cartoon-like, for web use rather than offset printing.

Available online is non-copyrighted artwork and stock photography, which you can order high resolution. Often it is important to credit the company where you bought it. Web type artwork is NOT acceptable for printing of high quality book covers.

4) Using boring typestyles that are used all the time, like Times or Arial

5) Using too many typestyles so design looks confusing and is not clean.

6) Overuse of shadows and outlining so design is cluttered-looking

7) Designing without "white space." White space is important to give the eye a rest while looking at designs. If you peruse a professional designer;s sites, you will notice they often use even space around a book cover. Sometimes amateurs fill every nook and cranny of the page, not leaving at least 1/2 " of space between the outside margins. Sometimes printers will reject the book cover if type and artwork extends too closely to the margins.

Becoming a Graphic Designer

2009-06-09T04:48:00.000-07:00

By Joe Daley

Education

Agreed that end of the day, talent alone should be adequate to get you to the helm of graphic designing, unfortunately that is mere wishful thinking. However talented you may be, prospective employers are unlikely to consider you, if you do not possess the much needed and coveted piece of paper in your hand that certifies the professional training you have obtained in graphic designing. Of course, the certificate alone does not guarantee your graphical designing talent, but at least it highlights your knowledge base, as well as makes it apparent that you have entered the field, out of your own choice. The certificate also establishes beyond doubt, your desire to excel in this particular discipline, going forward. Post this realization, the bigger question lies in the choice of educational institutes for getting the requisite training.

Fortunately, the options across North America, Europe and elsewhere are plenty. Additionally, within the broad field of graphic designing, various institutes specialize in sub-elements of it such as multimedia and animation, visual communication, advertising, web development and so on. Therefore, it is important for you to choose your specialization, as per your passion and interest, at this very juncture itself. You must realize that the specialization you choose now will ensure you get into the specific field that you would like to see yourself in. For instance, a specialization in multimedia programs could possibly ensure a toehold for you in the television industry.

Choice of Specialized Program

You have the choice of either opting for a short term certificate course or a long term course that leads up to a professional degree like a Bachelor's in Fine Arts. Both have their pros and cons. With the shorter versions, you are likely to start off working sooner; the trade off being that you will really have to work your way up. Of course, if you are confident about your talent, this might be the ideal choice for you to make, as your work will itself ensure your progression to the top. On the other hand, you are likely to enter at a higher level as well as grow faster, if you are armed with a professional degree. The trade off in this case would be that you would be studying for at least a couple of years more than a short term certificate course.

Both the aforementioned programs offer the option of interning with a designing studio or firm, while you are doing the course. Often, you would also have the option of starting work with the studio or firm in question that you interned with, after you complete your course. If your performance during the internship has been of that level, these firms would be willing to hire you, even before you actually complete the course. Most professional colleges tend to maintain good relationships with businesses such that a steady stream of graduating students goes on to joining these firms.

It would be useful to keep a track of the placement record of the course or school that you are planning to join. A poor placement record should alert you to the possibility that the course may not be good enough, or its industry relations may be subpar.

Programs Offered in your Area

It is likely that you may not intend to venture too far for your education in graphical designing. Therefore, it would make sense for you to check out the courses that are on offer in your vicinity. Searching online for relevant courses and schools is likely to prove immensely beneficial. You might be amazed, but there are such courses that are offered online as well. An instance would be The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division. While providing you the relevant courses, the institute give you a full-fledged certification of completion of the program, at the end of it, akin to all other programs undertaken offline in real time.

Going Beyond the Online World

Books would be a great source of useful information on pertinent courses. Being portable, they offer that much of an edge over online resources; they also proffer the advantage of you being able to mark out relevant sections or points in them.

Magazines too are a very good source of relevant information in this matter.

How to Make Pencil Portraits

2009-06-09T04:43:00.000-07:00

By Naval Langa

The portrait drawing is an art and a technique. The beginner should first define the outlines of face of the person whose portrait is to be made. After the rough sketch is done, then you start adding the details. The next stage would comprise of the adding of the details in the eyes, nose, and lips.

These are the factors that make the face more and more identifiable with the original. The artists who have just started drawing recently should not worry about the dissimilarity found in the portrait and the real face, as it happens in the initial stage. As the practice of drawing increases that problem would be solved gradually.

It is customary to paint and draw the portraits of famous people and the celebrities. Before starting a pencil portrait of a man, woman or a child, just engage yourself with his or her eyes. Inspect carefully all the aspects of the eyes: the shape, the lower and upper eyelids, the pupil, the iris and the white portion. Carefully examine the shapes and shades of the lashes, the eyebrow and the portion of the eyes that catches the incoming light.

There are artists who prefer two traditions of making a portrait: drawing live getting the person before the eyes and taking the help of photographs of the person. While using the photographs as a base for the portrait, one must try understanding what the photographs of the person reveal. The visible characteristics of a person apparent on the photo should be incorporated into while drawing his or her portrait. Before doing the shading work or the putting some other advanced features onto the portrait, the artist must ensure that proportions of all the aspects of the face is truly incorporated.

For seeing pencil portraits of men and women you may visit PENCIL DRAWING

For seeing similar other paintings and reading the articles about such paintings with images, you can visit PAINTINGS OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.

The article sent is original one, and I am not connected with any person or company attached with publishing business. I write the articles using what I have read in various newspapers and websites freely available to the public.
Apart from doing literary writing-I'm a writer, a novelist-I try to see how a particular event would and could affect people living in its immediate surround.

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Aboriginal Art - One of the Oldest Art Forms in the World Becoming Commercial

2009-06-09T04:27:00.000-07:00

By Michiel Van Kets

Without a doubt, Australian Aboriginal Art is a form of art that has had a huge impact around the world. Robert Hughes is a prominent art critic and long time writer for Time Magazine and describes Aboriginal Art as the 'last great art movement'.

What makes that statement so significant is Australian Aboriginal Art is one of the oldest forms of Art anywhere on the planet yet as an art style commercially it is one of the youngest.

Ancient Rock Art found in some of the remotest parts of Australia date back 30,000 to 40,000 years. However, as a saleable commodity, this form of art has only really been available since the 70's.

The unification of ancient custom and practice and the originality of Aboriginal Art emerging on the international art market, has produced a huge reaction through the art world as it is realized as a discovery that will never be seen again.

Aboriginal Artists have actually been selling their unusual artwork since before the 1930's, not yet known to the international market it remained contained within Australia seen only by those who happened to be travelling through the remote parts of the country and discovered it for themselves.

Generally, artwork produced from these times was created on bark. Canvas was not introduced to the Aborigines until the early 70's when Geoffrey Bardon, a graduate of the National Art School, took on a teaching job at Papunya, an isolated Aboriginal settlement 250 km west of Alice Springs.

Bardon noticed the people at Papunya drawing images and stories in the sand. Bardon persuaded them to do the same but using various materials to preserve it, such as paper, the doors at the school and eventually transferring them to canvas.

Bardon worked alongside the Aboriginal painters and, in the early 70's, the Papunya Tula painting movement was founded. Bardon dedicated many years of his life to recording and supporting the art he respected so much. He was instrumental in establishing the art centre at Papunya and with it the last great art movement began.

From Papunya, Aboriginal Art found its way to Central Australia, Kimberley in Western Australia and up to the north of Australia in Arnhem Land, as well as the Tiwi Islands. Now recognized all over Australia, Aboriginal communities all over the country share their history and culture through art to anyone who is interested.

There is a huge difference in Aboriginal Art styles as each area of Australia is distinctive and totally separate from other parts of the country, each has their own unique traditions, culture, and stories to tell.

Aboriginal Art is not only the leading art style in Australia today, but also one of the most significant globally with major works of art by Aboriginal artists hanging in famous art galleries, auction houses and private collections.

Since its emergence commercially in the 70's and steady growth through the 80's, Aboriginal Art has burst onto the international Art landscape.

As demand rises and international art fanatics start to understand its unique history as one of the oldest and youngest styles of art at the same time, the realization that it just may be the last great art movement ever discovered is remarkable.

Easy Way to Play Guitar - Five Secrets of How to Play Guitar

2009-06-08T03:38:00.000-07:00

By Tom Mandasco

If you want to play guitar well, you will have to practice a lot, of course. However, there are some easy ways to play guitar. You can use them to speed up your learning. This article will tell you five secrets of how to play guitar. Knowing these secrets will help make your guitar learning an easier one.
1 Find a quiet place to practice. Learning guitar needs concentration. Also, you will need a good hearing to distinguish whether you are doing right. If your place is noisy, it will be difficult for you to perform well. At the end, you will progress slowly.

2 Don't practice when you are tired. After you have worked or studied all day long, you may feel very tired and you still have to practice guitar. You may have to put up with your tiredness in order to keep your discipline. That is good but it would be more effective if you can refresh yourself first. Take a shower or have a good dinner before you practice is a good idea. Keep your mind fresh so that you can get the most out of your practice.

3 Relax. Make it your habit. You have to feel relax when you play. This will greatly help you when you have to perform in public one day in the future. Close your eyes and meditate for a few seconds before you start. You will be able to play better if you can do this.

4 Use a good guitar. It will make your learning a lot easier if you have a good guitar for practice. Of course expensive guitar is better but you don't have to empty your pocket in order to get one. Buy reasonable priced guitar with a good quality. You can have someone who knows how to select guitar help you when you go to the store to buy your guitar.

5 Get a good teacher. Like learning everything, learning guitar needs good guide. Make sure that you select the right teacher and your guitar playing will rapidly progress.
Easy way to play guitar is to do it when you are ready. This article gives you some secrets to make your guitar playing more enjoyable.

Everything You Need to Know About the Violin From A-Z - Strings

2009-06-08T03:36:00.000-07:00

By Eric B Hill

Hello today I am continuing with my series everything you need to know about violin from A-Z. Today we are on S for strings. A hundred years ago violin strings were made from sheep gut. First you would have to take a newly killed sheep and disembowel it. You would have to stretch the intestines to their full 9 meters. You then had to knead out the offal by hand and soak the guts in water until they were soft and malleable. After that you would strip and crush the guts and finally twist then into violin strings.
It was a disgusting painstaking job and thank heavens that era is behind us. Modern strings today are made with far easier and modern methods, although some players still use gut strings there are also now steel core strings and synthetic core strings. The type of strings you use will depend on the style of music that you play.
Gut strings today are not made entirely out of gut like in the old days; they are now wrapped with silver or copper wire which helps to stabilize the tone. Gut strings have a warm rich tone they take longer to stretch out than synthetics but once stretched out are generally quite stable. Gut strings are susceptible to bad weather and you will have to check the tuning of your violin if there is bad weather. Gut strings are generally used by violinists playing classical or baroque music.
Steel core strings are popular among non classical players such as those playing country and bluegrass styles of music. Steel core strings have a very direct clear sound with few overtones. They also last longer and are mostly used for smaller or beginner instruments.
Synthetic core strings are made from synthetic materials such as high-tech nylons and composite materials they have the warm sound qualities of gut but are more stable in pitch.
Thicker strings give more volume and center tones, while thinner stings give brighter tones but less sustain.

The Modern Lyricist As Poet

2009-06-08T03:21:00.000-07:00

By Reena Daruwalla

Through my college years of studying English Literature, my friends and I were held in thrall of that bard beyond compare, of William Shakespeare, the name that is synonymous with drama and literature like no other. While we debated, researched and analyzed his works endlessly, trying to extract meaning, interpretation and layers within the words, we also realized that this man was a pop artist of his time.
While there was erudition and sophistication in his verses, there was also ribaldry and a coarseness that was there to appeal to the least sophisticated among his audience. For at the zenith of his popularity Shakespeare's plays were performed to royalty and the working class alike; both constituted his adoring public, and it is this catholic appeal of his work that made it endure over the ages.
Also at college I had a dawning conviction that rock musicians like Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and Jim Morrison (The Doors) were perhaps just such poets of our times. The existential angst that I could discern in their music and their lyrics was a reflection of their times; their artistic struggles.
I find many parallels between masters of yesteryear and modern musicians. As John Keats partook of hemlock and opium (Ode to a Nightingale),
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
So also did our modern poets struggle with the demons of their own addictions. As Keats was a brilliant creative life snuffed out in his prime (in his case it was tuberculosis, but also a delusional conviction of being poisoned), so also did Morrison and Cobain meet unfortunately early ends: in the case of Morrison it was drug overdose and in the case of Cobain it was suicide.
A heightened creative sensitivity also being a common trait among these notables, also perhaps made them more vulnerable to depressions, addictions or a feeling of being at dissonance with the world. The focused public gaze that is as much adoration as expectation could, I would imagine be profoundly unsettling. Witness Morrison's sense of aloneness in the iconic Doors track, People are Strange
People are strange, when you're a stranger, Faces look ugly when you're alone, Women seem wicked when you're unwanted Streets are uneven when you're down.
The references to faces come out of the rain and No one remembers your name are perhaps indicators of his mental state and certainly the lines of the song, evidence of his being a modern poet.
I read somewhere that modern Hop-Hop music is about 'knowledge, wisdom and understanding.' And these are surely the constituents of poetry?

A Beginners Guide to Cartoon Animations and 3D Animations

2009-06-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

By Cody Landon

Almost everyone enjoys cartoons of some type whether it is in the newspaper or on television. They are so popular that you will often see cartoon characters in a variety of advertisements. Saturday mornings used to be famous for cartoons. In today's age they have somewhat been replaced with video games, but then even those characters are animated. In addition, the majority of animated box office hits are now all in 3D animation.
You may be intrigued enough by animation that you want to know more about it. It has its complexities and it is by no means an easy job. To put it in easy terms, it is a group of drawings that an artist has designed and then they are put into frames, which are then imaged very quickly to denote movement. It should be remembered though that animation is not just restricted to cartoons.
There are many fazes to producing a great cartoon. First, the idea has to be borne. An artist or cartoonist is this case will dream up a character then draw it. Then it goes to the computer for animation. The animator will use various software to take the character through various stages, which will bring it to life, and then it must go through processes where it can be produced and put out to the viewer.
There is a certain amount of talent required for this job. There must be artistic talent where the artist as learned the fundamentals. Although the computer will do much of the work, the operator must tell it what to do, and then be able to judge whether the computer has done it right. In addition to this, the animator must have a good understanding of the various programs available and how they work.
Cartoons must have a purpose or a storyline. It is the interest in the storyline enhanced by the characters that make it successful. They must be fun and light hearted as this is what attracts people to them. It makes them laugh. Voiceovers in today's media are important. In the case of major productions well known actors and actresses will be retained to do them. It adds creditability to the story and depending on how famous they are often serves as an attraction.
Cartoon animation has predominantly been dome in 2D and 3D formats. 2D was the forerunner and with the introduction of computers, it was not long before it progressed into 3D. They both play a major role in the industry. 3D has not replaced 2D, but it has enhanced it. The computer can be used for both types of formats and there is software that allows the capabilities to do this. The software is only the tool that the animator works with, as we said earlier that there still has to be a well-trained user to execute it. The world of animation is no doubt going to progress and continually get better as computers and software continue to excel in their technology.
I hope you've enjoyed this article and learnt something from it.

Learn Model Poses That Will Get You Noticed

2009-06-08T02:58:00.000-07:00

By chuck R Stewart.

Learning to model is not a simple task but it can be very simple if you apply the right tools. To learn to model is to combine lots of dedication and hard work into weeks and months of hard practice to be noticed. Probably the hardest part of modeling is the poses. Posing means everything at the end of a runway or in an action filled picture. Your pose and your face say everything. Model posing can also be simple to learn but it takes a lot of hard work as well.
Throwing yourself into a position, quickly without hesitation, is not exactly easy. It takes a long time to learn how to get comfortable with your body and to learn how to move it into whatever a photographer tells you to move it. Model posing is difficult and it can look very awkward at first, but once you can learn the basic poses the job is simple. Basic poses consist of a lot of facial movement as well. While putting your face into an appropriate position, you also have to learn to move your body as well. Many people have issues when taking pictures where they think they are moving or making a pose, but really, they are standing still. This is not good, but it can easily be fixed.
One thing that helps when learning how to pose for modeling is to think of it like a dance. Think of it as still frames during a dance and each pose it like the middle of a different dance move. Try practicing with music on. The music gives you a specific rhythm to follow and that can also put you in the right mood to be comfortable posing. Model posing is much different from picture posing in that, as a model, you are capturing a moment, usually in the middle of it. Its not like a planned picture moment with a perfect smile, but usually like a story inside of a picture.
It can also help to watch other people strike a pose. In doing this, you are learning by observing and then you may be able to duplicate the move by yourself or even make it your own so that it is completely original. It is also a good idea to flaunt whatever assets you have. If you have a curvy tummy rather than a flat tummy, use your stomach to make your pictures better. Use certain angles when you stand do that your tummy is a good thing rather than a nuisance. The use of your body in different forms for pictures is extremely good for self-esteem and self-confidence issues as well.
Model posing is not extremely easy but it can be easy if you are ready to learn how to model. If you are ready to dedicate yourself and to work hard down a long hard through lots of difficult tasks, then you may just be all set for a modeling career. Even if it never works out though, don't be discouraged, it is an intimidating industry that can often be hard to transition to.
Chuck R. Stewart has a friend who bought a model DVD for his daughter who is interested in modeling as a career. He also took his family to the wax museum to see the modeling.