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Steven Spielberg Exposed as Inhumane, Dinosaur-Hunting Prick
Getting angry about real dead animals is one thing, but now Facebook commenters are in a rage about fake ones.
With anger over hunting photos already spiking thanks to Texas Tech cheerleader/trophy-hunter Kendall Jones, a Facebook jokester decided to post an image of Steven Spielberg with a downed triceratops from Jurassic Park.
"Disgraceful photo of recreational hunter happily posing next to a Triceratops he just slaughtered. Please share so the world can name and shame this despicable man," Jay Branscomb joked in the caption.
Inevitably, a handful of readers missed the joke and excoriated the "disgusting, inhumane prick" in the comments:
Although comments like these were in the minority, they gave rise to something worse: People sarcastically pretending not to get it, followed by another wave of people who missed that sarcasm and started meta-trolling the supposed dumb-dumbs. Nearly 6,000 painful comments later, it's the perfect Facebook trainwreck. You don't want to stare, but you can't look away.
Bonus points to everyone who wrote that the animatronic dinosaur was "obviously Photoshopped." Practical effects wizard Stan Winston is rolling over in his grave.
Yes, I know wizards aren't real, it was a... you know what? Fuck it. Shut down the internet. We're done here.


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SACRAMENTO, California (AP) - California Governor Jerry Brown has designs on building some of the most expensive public works projects in the U.S. and wants to keep the state moving forward in its slow recovery from the recession.
Where better to go searching for the money to further those interests than the world's second largest economy and a country that has piles of cash to invest around the globe?
The governor of the most populous US state heads to China next week to begin a weeklong trade mission that he hopes will produce investments on both sides of the Pacific. Mr Brown will lead a delegation of business leaders in search of what he calls "plenty of billions."
"They've got US$400 billion or US$500 billion they're going to invest abroad, so California's got to get a piece of that," Mr Brown said in an interview last week ahead of his seven-day trip to China.
The governor and business leaders accompanying him are trying to rebuild the state's official relationship with China after California closed its two trade offices and others around the world a decade ago in a cost-cutting move. California finds itself playing catch-up to other states that have had a vigorous presence in China for years.
California, which would be the world's ninth largest economy if it were a separate country, will open a trade office in Shanghai during Brown's visit. The Bay Area Council, a coalition of business interests from the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, is raising about US$1 million a year in private money to operate it.
"California shouldn't be the only state in the union not to have a presence with key foreign trading partners like China," said Mr Jim Wunderman, president of the group.
The council opened its own office in Shanghai in 2010 to fill the void after the closure of the trade offices.
Mr Bruce Pickering, executive director of the Northern California office of the Asia Society, called the 2003 decision "penny wise but pound foolish." "We've basically said, 'We're California, show up and stand in line with everybody else,"' Mr Pickering said. "You have to do a little more than just say you're welcoming a business. ... You have to really send a message that you are ready for it."
The Asia Society, a nonpartisan, non-profit organisation that promotes collaboration between the US and Asia, reported in 2011 that businesses from China have established operations and created jobs in at least 35 of the 50 US states, including California.
Mr Pickering said California is behind other states in recruiting Chinese investment, while states as varied as Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida and Arkansas have had an official presence there. The Republican governors of Iowa, Virginia, Wisconsin and Guam also are visiting China this month and meeting with provincial leaders to discuss trade and the environment.
"I would think it would be very difficult to try to attract investment without having someone on the ground there on your behalf," said Mr Joe Holmes, a spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Agency.
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe led a mission to China last year, and a number of deals are being discussed as a result, Holmes said.
The Asia Society reported this year that China's direct foreign investment is poised to skyrocket to between US$1 trillion and US$2 trillion by 2020.
California is ideally situated to capture some of that money if it goes after it: China already is California's third-largest export partner after Mexico and Canada.
And Mr Brown already has a relationship with President Xi Jinping. The two met to discuss trade issues last year when the then-vice president visited California.
Technology, life sciences, real estate, banking, health care and agriculture are among the industries state business leaders and officials hope to target. The concentration of skilled technical engineers and the clean-energy sector in the Silicon Valley also are a draw for emerging companies, along with Chinese tourism to California.
State and local tourism officials are among those joining Brown on the trip, along with winemakers, cheese proprietors and almond growers. In all, about 75 business and policy leaders from a cross-section of California industries are joining the mission, which will include stops in the capital city, Beijing, as well as Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Those cities are among the most developed and important in China. Shanghai, a port city, is an important center of industry and finance, while Guangzhou is in the heartland of the Pearl River Delta region, which is home to the myriad processing and assembling factories that have made China the world's factory floor.
The nearly US$4 billion a year in computer and electronic products California sends to China account for the state's largest export, followed by waste and scrap, non-electrical machinery and transportation equipment. The agriculture products such as strawberries, almonds and lettuce are fifth.
According to the governor's office, the vast majority of Chinese exports headed to the United States go through California ports.
The trip also signals a pivot for Mr Brown as he seeks to rebuild California's nearly US$2 trillion economy after the state's tumultuous ride during the Great Recession. It was the epicenter of the housing crisis and weathered double-digit unemployment for nearly four years.
Mr Brown said the state budget has stabilised, in large part because of voter-approved tax increases, and that he is now moving on to broader policy issues.
"California is a place where it's a cauldron of creative activity, and I see that China has some of that, maybe a lot of that," Mr Brown said in the interview. "You have always got to find a way to renew things, and that's what I see as my job here."
The governor's boldest and most expensive projects are a US$68 billion high-speed rail system that is expected to start construction this summer and a US$24 billion project to build massive water-delivery tunnels and restore parts of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast.
Mr Brown is especially interested in studying China's extensive high-speed rail system and use it as a way to promote his own plan, which has come under intense criticism and has been losing public support as its projected cost has soared.
The governor is scheduled to ride part of China's rail system from Beijing to Shanghai, accompanied by the chairman of California's high-speed rail board, Dan Richard.
China has the world's longest high-speed rail system, covering 9,300km, and has tried to turn it into a showcase.
But the system also has faced problems: Part of a line collapsed in central China after heavy rains and a crash in 2011 killed 40 people. The former railway minister, who spearheaded the bullet train's construction, and the ministry's chief engineer, were detained in a corruption investigation.
Mr Brown said he likes "the exuberance" with which Chinese officials approached building high-speed rail and would welcome investment in the California system or any other infrastructure projects in the state.
Despite the governor's enthusiasm, it's not clear how applicable the Chinese system is to a major infrastructure project in the US
The Chinese high-speed rail network benefits from heavy government financing and faces few of the environmental and legal hurdles found in California.
The land needed to build the Chinese system is often forcibly procured at below market prices.

subset: commoncrawl


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ORADEA, TRANSYLVANIA – Lovesick werewolves are causing big trouble in Transylvania — and the problem could spread to the United States.
"Usually werewolves confine their courting to the night of the full moon," says veterinarian Dr. Anton Honthorst. "But the remarkable closeness of the red planet Mars is confusing the creatures."
Hans Mackensen is an innkeeper in the city of Brasov, located among the foothills of Romania's Carpathian Mountains.
"The howling goes on all night long," he complains. "Scores of werewolves come down from the mountains and into the shadowed ravines and canyons among the hills, seeking females. Mars is driving them crazy.
"The howling disturbs my guests and all tourists to Transylvania. Unused to the ways of the werewolf, they demand wolfsbane and revolvers loaded with silver bullets to protect them.
"But I'm only one man and I can only do so much. This is a task for the government and the army."
Dr. Honthorst and other experts say it won't be long until American werewolves start reacting in the same way.
"The howling will spread," he warns. "Soon the cry of the werewolf will be heard all over the United States. There is a lag because werewolves are always slower to react to changes in their environment when they are in foreign lands — away from their ancestral breeding grounds."
If all the creatures did was howl there wouldn't be all that much cause for alarm, says Dr. Honthorst. But the light from Mars that's got them on the prowl for sex night after night instead of just once a month has also stimulated their appetite.
"Under normal circumstances, werewolves feed on chickens, dogs and cats, and only occasionally on a slow-moving child or senior citizen," says the expert. "But these days they're hungrier — and that puts people from all walks of life in real peril.
"Male werewolves are big — up to 300 pounds of near solid muscle. And with their sharp teeth and claws, they can and will rip you to pieces."
When it comes to mating, continues the expert, werewolves can be surprisingly tender toward a female of their own species.
But if an animal or human disturbs their mating — which more closely resembles human intimacies than those of wolves — they can lash out with a fury that rivals that of a lion.
"We've investigated an instance where a werewolf spun on his heels and knocked a police officer's head off her neck like it was a golf ball on a tee," says Dr. Honthorst.
"Think about boxers and how hard they swing — and then think about the kind of power it would take to separate a man's body from his head. That's the kind of explosiveness we're dealing with."
In the U.S., the FBI and local law enforcement agencies have issued internal alerts warning agents and officers in the field to be "aware of and report immediately" any unusual activity that may signal increased werewolf activity.
"We have werewolves in every state, particularly those with foothills, mountains, dense forests or lots of small farms that give them a good place to live, hide, breed and feed," says an FBI source.
"We're just hoping they won't react as strongly as what we've been seeing in Transylvania. Americans are fighting a war against terror. We need a werewolf outbreak like we need a hole in the head.
"Cross your fingers on this one."


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POD® Voted Product of the Year!
Music Trades magazine, the leading journal of the music products industry for almost 120 years, votes POD®, and its entire family, Product of the Year for 2007!
With a fantastic full-page article in its April issue, Music Trades explodes POD history, POD development and the numerous ways in which POD proves "eminently useful," in live settings as well as in the studio.
Describing how the POD family "has changed the way guitarists make and record music," Music Trades recalls that when Line 6 first introduced amp modeling in the mid-90s, it was greeted with much skepticism. But, the article continues, guitarists "delivered a decisive rebuttal to the critics" and, with "hundreds of thousands of units sold", welcomed modeling with open arms. In fact, after the runaway success of POD, "dozens of modeling amps and effects" developed by many different companies, began appearing on the market.
Music Trades sums up the POD family this way: "There are PODs with floor pedals, rack-mounted PODs, PODs that practically fit in your pocket" and "what they all have in common is tonal quality and genuine functionality." Bringing fresh and revitalized meanings to what they called "the two most overused adjectives for describing products in the music industry," Music Trades enthusiastically dubbed all the members of the POD family "innovative classics".


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The American presidential election on Nov. 6 and its outcome will be at the forefront driving markets this week.
Investors will likely hit pause leading up to Tuesday's hotly contested political race, and analysts are expecting markets to react as soon as the results are in.
Brian Lazorishak, a senior vice president of Chase Investment Counsel, expects a rally if Republican nominee Mitt Romney is elected, and a possible sell off if President Obama holds on to his seat.
"If you get a Romney win, it could be better for the market in the short-term, knee-jerk reaction, since it could be taken as being a more business and investment-friendly administratoin," he said. "While the market might sell off on an Obama win, it's hard to see how long that would last."
Lazorishak said the outcome of nationwide Congressional elections could play a bigger role in affecting investors' reactions.
That's because the pending fiscal cliff poses a biggest threat to stock market, according 60% of the investment strategists and money managers surveyed by CNNMoney.
According to the Congressional Budget Office and many economists, Washington's failure to address the fiscal cliff -- the simultaneous onset of tax increases and spending cuts that will be triggered on Jan. 1 -- would push the country back into recession and drive unemployment up even higher.
Related: Candidates mum on fiscal cliff
Though the election will garner most of the attention this week, several reports on the U.S. economy are also on tap, including data on mortgages, consumer sentiment and credit, trade and wholesale inventories.
Europe will also take some of the spotlight away from U.S. politics this week, when the European Central Bank's Governing Council meets Thursday. While no major decisions are expected to come from the meeting, investors will be looking for signs of whether the ECB will make the "outright monetary transactions" ECB president Mario Draghi said the central bank was prepared to take in September.
On the corporate front, several companies are expected to report earnings this week, including AOL (AOL), Time Warner (TWC), JC Penney (JCP) and Tesla Motors (TSLA).
Many large money managers who work in New York and the surrounding areas are still reeling from the effects of superstorm Sandy. Trains to the area around the New York Stock Exchange are still suspended and many neighborhoods continue to struggle without power.
The stock market was closed last Monday and Tuesday after Hurricane Sandy flooded parts of lower Manhattan, the financial heart of New York.
Last week, the Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq finished down 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, while the S&P 500 gained 0.2%.


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We're back in Wellington and James has returned home to work on shaping what will be the One Day Sculpture project. As I mentioned, this post covers a bit about James' practice by looking at a few works.
James Luna has been creating visual art, interdisciplinary exhibitions and performances that are informed by his native culture for over three decades.
He is probably best known for the work Artifact piece, above. For this work he lay in a display case, with some of his possessions and explanatory labels around him. (This piece was recently re-presented at the National Museum of the American Indian by artist Erica Lord.)
James continually challenges the view, still often presented, of native people and cultures as static and traditional practices as the only 'authentic' ones. To do this he incorporates tradition and history with modern technology to speak of current issues declaring them to be authentic.
James' cultural references draw on his American background including his Native American Indian and Mexican heritage as well as the influences of other indigenous peoples, colonial settlers and of course contemporary America. The work at right is an example of this type of referencing.
You may recognise the sculpture it refers to as the End of the Trail by James Earle Fraser. The sculpture was the original work, and has subsequently been widely reproduced on posters, belt buckles and many other places. A google image search for the End of the Trail will give you an idea of the use of the highly romanticised image.
Incidentally, the original sculpture is now held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
James' version of the work is a ' tableau variation on End of the Trail, Luna mimics the same lifeless pose, but the pony has been replaced by a weathered sawhorse, and the spear by a bottle of liquor. Nobility has been replaced by pathos.' (Stephen Durland).
Some work-in-progress involves masks and characterisation. James recently spent some time with a photographer performing characters. His reference points were late 19th and early 20th century Native American masks and carvings used for performances and ceremony. He didn't reproduce specific masks, but rather just moved through expressions and characterisations freely as the photographer shot pictures. These images might end up being used on TV screens stacked like a video totem pole.
You can see examples of the type of masks that James had in mind while he was working on these expressions of character by searching the National Museum of the American Indian collection database.
Here is a mask by the Gitxsan (Gitksan) people
James has also performed with Chicano artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña in their ongoing project The Shame-man meets El Mexican't.
James Luna is unafraid to push buttons to defy the stereotypes. His stories are not those of the nice Indian storyteller – they can be painful – but he also uses well placed irony, parody and humour in his delivery as a strategy to diffuse the tension that so often surrounds cultural stereotypes.
UPDATE: Due to unforseen circumstances James Luna's project Urban (Almost) Rituals has been postponed. James is unable to make it to New Zealand at this time. We are planning to reschedule the project. Check the Te Papa website and/or the One Day Sculpture website for updates. Sorry for any inconvenience.


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(ARA) – As the recession continues to take its toll, college grads have to work harder to stand out. Businesses expect to hire 22 percent fewer recent grads in 2009, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Competition for available jobs is fierce, even among candidates armed with a college degree.
If you're one of the millions of graduates looking for a job this year, there are some basic things you can do to stay ahead of the competition.
Use technology to stay ahead of the game
Windows-powered PCs can help you stay ahead of the competition when it comes to college funding, admissions and job opportunities.
Use your networking skills
You probably already know that social networking sites are a great way to meet new people, but they can also help you stay ahead academically and begin job networking before you graduate.
Be sure to use a network that matches your interest and objectives — and there will probably be more than one that fits your needs. Networking and resume sites that allow you to post virtual resumes are a great way to get your information in front of a large group of potential employers.
Create a calendar
If you're already having nightmares about oversleeping on the day of the big exam or forgetting an internship interview with a Fortune 500 company, it's time to create an online calendar. An online calendar allows you to share access with other important people in your lives, so you can remember that important interview as quickly as you remember to call Grandma on her birthday.
Find a job that relates to your major or your interests
Working and going to school isn't easy, and you'll be even less inclined to enjoy your job if it bores you. While you may not find your dream job right now, any opportunity to see if you enjoy working in your ideal industry is a good learning experience.
Look for internships
Now is a prime opportunity to get experience that can build into a full-time job after graduation, and it's also the one time in your life when you can live very cheaply. Internships don't often pay well or anything at all, but they often count for course credit and always build your résumé, so take advantage of them while you can.
Start job hunting a semester (or more) before graduation
Every May, the job market is flooded with new graduates ready and eager to find work. If you start sending out résumés, going on interviews and networking ahead of your classmates, you can have a job lined up before you even get your diploma. You can really enjoy walking across that stage even more when you've already accepted an offer.
Remember that you're a working student
Although a lot changes from high school to college, some things stay the same, namely, the need to remain focused on school and taking the job seriously. Don't forget to study for an exam because of work. (And don't forget to show up for work because you were having too much fun.)
Don't forget to have fun
No matter how hard you work, this summer is still sure to have some special events and fun moments. Be sure to record them and share them with friends. Start with a good digital camera — prices have dropped in recent years, making them affordable for just about everyone. Look for features like red-eye reduction and the number of mega-pixels.
Don't fall into the trap of leaving photos on your camera. Upload your images with online photo-sharing software or Web sites. Services like Windows Live Photo Gallery make it easy to edit, store and share photos for free. Consider creating photo books of your summer's highlight images to share with friends.
For more creative ways to de-stress this summer, visit www.windows.com .
Courtesy of ARAcontent


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Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Book Review: Two Modern Austen-Inspired Stories
Pages: 320
Released: December 2009
Publisher: Egmont
Received: Library
Age: Middle Grade
Rating: 3.5/4 out of 5 stars
I really, really enjoyed this book. It was light, fun, sweet, charming...all those words that describe that kind of book I seek out when I just want something nice to read. There was just enough relationship drama (friendships, family) to make this engaging and touching without being annoying.
Polly's love of all the classic kindred spirit books (think Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen's hits, etc.) made everything extra endearing and I loved every reference she made to all my own well-worn favorites. Her tendency to ape the social norms and ways of speaking during those times was spot on and definitely one of the things I loved about this book. The fact that she works in a family-owned bakery was icing on the cake (yes, yes, I know, that's a terrible pun but I just couldn't avoid it). Highly recommended, especially if you love books like The Penderwicks, any of the above mentioned classics, Keeping the Castle, or Stephanie Kate Strohm's books.
Pages: 286
Released: June 2009
Publisher: Razorbill
Received: Library
Age: Young Adult
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I'm mixed on this one. On one hand, the main character was super annoying and could not stop pushing her modern ways of thinking on everyone and then getting hugely offended with them when they held beliefs in line with their time period. The pride, prejudice, and jumping to assumed conclusions that Jane Austen cautioned about in her original story were definitely Lessons to Learn for Callie. She was just behaving so stupidly and rudely, and even if she was ultimately right in some ways, her methods made her wrong, wrong, wrong. It was painful to watch her blunder around like a bull in a china shop.
And yet, this was still a fun, light time travel story with romance and balls and dresses and endearing friendships and a hint of sweet romance. So. I'm a sucker for all that and despite Callie's groan-inducing moments, overall this was exactly the light, sweet, forgettable-but-enjoyable romp I was hoping it would be.
Posted by Small Review at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
DNF Explanation: Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
Released: January 2, 2018
Publisher: Berkley Books (Penguin Random House)
Received: E-ARC from publisher, via NetGalley
Jennifer Ashley is probably better known for her romance novels, but she does branch off occasionally and that's when she piques my interest. My one experience with her was her historical fiction take on Elizabeth I and I was pretty impressed with her storytelling, characterizations, and historical detail. So I had high hopes for Death Below Stairs.
The good? Just like in her Elizabeth book, Jennifer Ashley focuses on a historical craft and brings it wholly to life. In the Elizabeth book it was fashion and sewing, but in Death Below Stairs it's all about the food. The main character serves as the cook in a fancy British house ala Downton Abbey and the descriptions of the dishes she makes are detailed and divine. Honestly, I would have enjoyed the book if it was entirely about the cooking. The Downton Abbey feel of the upstairs, downstairs relationships and the big house was charming and thoroughly enjoyable.
So why the DNF? Mainly two reasons: I didn't like the main character and I didn't like her romance. The character of the main character didn't ring true to me and she was far too Strong Female Character for her own good. In an early scene she boldly sasses the master of the house while standing in defense of one of the servant girls who he occasionally likes to get handsy with. Now, don't get me wrong, she was in the right and the master of the house was very much portrayed as the Villain of the Piece, but it all felt so contrived. She also ran off half-cocked, which is behavior that would be more likely to get her fired than not. Which, a woman in her position would know and therefore not likely behave in such an eye-roll-inducing way. I know these traits are supposed to make us root for her, but it really just made me shake my head at her and find her off-putting and not realistic.
And then there's the romantic lead. He's a scoundrelly guy with Secrets who engages in work that isn't exactly above board. He has a network of spies and secret handshakes and disguises and he felt like such a contrived caricature and I just could not care less about him. He and the main character apparently have a history together, which is hinted at very strongly (which, really, the purpose was to hamfistedly direct the reader to the prequel novella) and yet he keeps so many secrets from her. I imagine this is supposed to make him seem dangerous and mysterious and therefore alluring, but I feel like I'm too old for that crap and I just want him to cut the childish games and be trustworthy, honest, and stable for her.
To be fair, much of this is simply a case of "wrong reader" as opposed to any real flaw in the book. The romantic lead is very much the adult version of the Dickensian street scamp, and that's a character I tend not to like very much.
Anyway, then, underneath all this, there is a murder mystery. I was interested in following this part of the story, but between the unappealing main characters and historically unrealistic vibe, I found it hard to stick with the story.
Bottom line
Readers who click with the main character and romantic lead should find enjoyment with Death Below Stairs. There are a lot of elements here I can get on board with and I want to love this series, but I think it's probably just not for me.
Posted by Small Review at 12:00 AM 1 comments
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Side-scrollers, while they still exist, have mostly become indie fare recently while larger companies focus on different genres. Enter Rochard, a side-scrolling physics platformer/puzzler that combines a slightly twisted sense of humor with some genuinely entertaining gameplay, both of which help to distinguish this title from the rest in this category.
While Rochard may not be my game of the year, it does a lot right, and proves that side-scrollers are not dead, or even dying. They are alive and well, and now include redneck miners in space.
Rochard (PlayStation Network[Reviewed])
Developer: Recoil Games
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Released: September 27th, 2011
The game follows John Rochard, an unassuming redneck who makes a living mining asteroids with his crew, an old mechanic named Zander and the sassy techie Skyler. Its a good thing they excel at being heroes, because they are terrible at mining. As the game starts you find out that Rochard and company are about to be sacked because they are costing their company, Skyrig, more money than they're worth. Their boss, Maximillian gives Rochard an ultimatum; find something worth money, or pack up and get out. So the group finds a ruin. In an asteroid.
Gameplay starts by introducing you to the basic mechanics and, more importantly, the G-lifter, a multi-function gun that will eventually allow you to lift and throw heavy objects, lower gravity, shoot bullets, grapple and throw grenades. That, combined with color-coded energy shields make for some interesting puzzles. The further you get into the game the more intricate puzzle combinations get. At one point I was running around reversing gravity (that is something else that happens, walking on the ceiling), lowering gravity, using the G-lifter to pick up large crates and dodging enemy gunfire.
Besides the G-lifter, there is one other gameplay mechanic at work that helps the bring variety and challenge to the puzzles and platforming: energy shields. There are a few different types, and each has a specific purpose. Blue and red shields block inorganic and organic matter respectively, yellow act as shields against energy (bullets or lasers) while white block everything. Although use of these shields can sometimes lead to frustration (see below), there are other times that they can provide unique solutions to defeating enemies or avoiding death. On more than one occasion I was able to remove the red shield under a guard, causing him to plummet to his death, or put up a white or yellow shield to avoid laser or enemy fire. The only thing more satisfying than dropping a guard onto an electrified bit of ground was solving some of the puzzles.
Not all of the puzzles were fun, however, and there were some that felt rather obtuse. While none of them were ever so hard I couldn't figure them out, there was a time or two when solving them did not bring a sense of satisfaction, only an annoyed feeling of 'about time'. For example, during one puzzle I was required to move an object from one room to another, which sounds easy, except that a blue object-blocking shield prevented me from just taking it to the other room. Due to the camera angle I missed the small hole above the door with no shield, which I could throw the object through. It wasn't until I moved to a different part of the room that I even noticed the gap. Small tricks like that were not always present in puzzles, but when they were it felt as though the developers were using sleight of hand to compensate for a lack of an actual challenge.
Despite my frustration with some of the puzzles, most were entertaining with some of my favorites showing up later in the game. Using the G-lifter and pulling either the top or bottom of a laser, I was able to change the angle at which it fired and while the lasers were not new, the approach to these puzzles were. They were in small, one floor, rooms and all that was required of me was moving the lasers in a way that would give me a path out. These were not flashy, or complex. They did not require a bunch of objects thrown or pulled or dropped, and I found them delightful because of that simplicity.
While my feelings on the puzzles were occasionally less than enthusiastic, none of them ever brought the sheer level of irritation I experienced with some of the enemy encounters. For the most part killing enemies was fun and even amusing (when you knock them out, they will scream funny little lines) but there were times when, in Contra fashion, I died again and again and again. Some of you may love that sort of encounter; I did not. Besides the fact that enemies could see me before they were even on screen, and thus shoot — and often kill — me before I even knew where they were, there were times where four or five enemies were thrown at me all at once. This might not sound like many but Rochard is not a space marine and dies fairly quickly, which meant that even if I took out one or two targets, chances are I would die and have to repeat the entire section over again. This wouldn't have been an issue if combat was always difficult, but for the most part it was fairly easy to get past enemies. As with some of the puzzles the more difficult combat felt more like a cheap shot than an actual challenge.
Repeating areas might not have been so bad, but the sections between checkpoints were sometimes rather large, as was the case later on in the game when I had to complete two areas in one section, both filled with enemies. During this section it became more a matter of route memorization than figuring out unique or creative ways to take out the bad dudes. By the time I completed that part of the game I was not thrilled or triumphant that I was victorious over my foes, I was just ready to move on. I will give the devs credit though, since as the game progressed I was given more powerful upgrades on the G-lifter to help me take down enemies, as well as upgrades for health, weapons fire and grenade capacity. Even if the encounters were aggravating at times, I never felt under prepared as far as weapons and ammunition went.
One of my favorite aspects of Rochard was the level design. The entire game is broken into five levels, all of which are on space stations. Despite the potential to reuse the same environments, each of the levels has its own character and personality, and I never felt bored with the look and feel of the areas I was running around in. Each level has its own theme and color palette, and none of them were bland or dull. The cartoony feel of the game, combined with the vibrant colors kept the environments from feeling stale or uninteresting. It would have been easy, and probably cheaper, for the team at Recoil to recycle some of the areas — especially since you will revisit one of the sections — but they didn't, and I applaud them for that.
The story was also fairly unique, if not a bit strange. What seems like a straightforward problem becomes more deep and odd the further in I went, and there were even hints of a larger conspiracy. Sadly a lot of the questions and ideas brought up during the course of the game were never fully explained, and at the end I was left with more questions than I had answers to. I hope all these unanswered questions means a sequel, otherwise it is just a slightly confusing and unfinished premise.
All in all, Rochard is a solid game with a few frustrating flaws, which are not big or bad enough to topple my appreciation for what Recoil Games did here. It isn't a terribly long game compared to the 40+ hours I normally spend on a title, and took me about 10-12 hours to beat, but for the price they're asking that isn't a bad deal. There is even a trophy for beating the game in three hours or less (something you will almost certainly need to do a second runthrough for) which adds replay value. I think it is a testament to the quality of the game that, despite how frustrated certain areas made me, I would absolutely not mind sitting down and replaying it. Rochard is a solid title with more going in its favor than going against it and I hope to see a sequel that builds upon all the good things the developers did here.


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Megan Chase, Book 1
Stacia Kane
Juno Books
April 15, 2008
Dr. Megan Chase has just taken on a new job counseling callers on a radio show, and with so many people in need of slaying their personal demons Megan has her hands full. She may be able to help them cast aside the little voices they hear, but with each one she stops from committing harmful acts Megan's digging her way into deeper trouble.
Greyson Dante is a fire demon sent to recruit Megan, but somewhere along the way he takes more of an interest in her life and welfare. He's aware that she unknowingly carries within her important information about The Accuser, an entity that every demon fears. In an effort to keep her alive he enlists the help of three demon brothers, Maleficarum, Malleus and Spud, to guard Megan and keep her out of trouble.
Megan finds herself fighting off demons, defending her past to a determined reporter and being stalked by Arthur Bellingham to volunteer time as a counselor for his Fearbuster group. Greyson is by her side, sharing forbidden knowledge and lending her the strength to stand against her enemies. Now it's up to Megan to remember her past and set things right for the future.
In this first book of the Megan Chase series, Ms. Kane reels readers in with a brilliant concept and keeps them fully engaged while the heroine is forced to accept something beyond her wildest imagination. Fast moving action, deadly confrontations in vivid detail, and a scorching romance make Personal Demons a great read. The second book, Demon Inside, is currently scheduled as a January 2009 release.
Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews


text:
Kindergarten Registration
2020-2021 School Year
- Entrance age - 5 years on or before September 1, 2020
- Child must have been born on or before September 1, 2015
- Full Day Kindergarten at all Sites
Transitional Kindergarten Registration
2020-2021 School Year
- Entrance Age - 5 years old between September 2, 2020, and March 2, 2021
- Child must be born between September 2, 2015, and March 2, 2016
- Transitional Kinder Sites:
- Cresson
- Jersey
- Lakeland
- Lakeview
- Paddison
- Studebaker
- William Orr
Online registration for KINDERGARTEN and TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN will begin on March 2, 2020. Original birth certificate, parent identification, and proof of residence (ex. utility bill, cell phone bill, bank statement) must be presented to the school office to receive your online pre-registration code.
Parents registering their child for kindergarten or transitional kindergarten must provide the following documentation:
Proof of Age
Acceptable documents:
- Original Birth Certificate
- Original Baptism Certificate
- Passport
Immunization Records
(Must list month, day and year):
- Polio - 4 doses
- DPT or any combination - 5 doses
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) - 2 doses after their first birthdate
- Hepatitis B - 3 doses
- Varicella - 2 doses or already had Chicken Pox, must be documented by physician/clinic
Proof of Residency
We will only accept original billings with your name and your residence address within the Little Lake City School District boundaries dated in the last three (3) months. Present one (1) of the items listed below in the name of the parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) for resident verification.
- Current Utility Bill
- Rental Contract or Current Escrow Documents
- Current Vehicle Registration
- Phone/Cell Phone Bill
- Current Bank Statement (not credit card statement)
New Student Registration
Convenient online registration is available for all new students. You must provide proof of residence at your home school to receive an access code to register online.
Once online registration is complete, return to your school with the following documents in hand:
- Original Birth Certificate
- Immunization Record
- Proof of Residence (ex.utility bill, current rental contract, current vehicle registration, current escrow documents)
- Last Report Card (Recommended for placement - Middle School Only)
- Latest testing results (SBAC/CELDT - Recommended for placement - Middle School Only)


text: BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) and software giant Microsoft on Tuesday announced a new pact under which the two companies will partner to offer a variety of Bing related services to BlackBerry smartphone and PlayBook tablet users. Bing is Microsoft's Web search offering, and it's one of the top three search engines along with Google and Yahoo Search, according to Hitwise.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"Bing will be integrated in the BlackBerry experience, starting this holiday season," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, while on stage in Orlando at BlackBerry World, RIM's annual BlackBerry user conference.\n\n\n More specifically, Bing will now be the default browser search engine on all future BlackBerry devices, including the recently announced BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone. And Bing will eventually also integrate with the BlackBerry universal search function in RIM's new mobile OS, BlackBerry 7, so Bing content will show up when users search their devices and not just when they use Web search. \n\n\n\nIn the past, some wireless carriers have decided which search engines would be the default in their BlackBerry device browsers, and it's unclear whether or not those carriers will still have a say or if they'll be forced to leave Bing as the BlackBerry default search. Either way, it's not difficult for individual RIM smartphones users to manually change the BlackBerry default search to the engine of their choice.\n\n\n\n\nRIM's new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet also uses Bing as its default search engine, and a Bing mapping app comes pre-loaded on the device. Bing will also receive regular, featured placement and promotion in RIM's BlackBerry App World mobile software shop, according to Ballmer.\n\n\n\n\nAnd RIM and Microsoft will work together to market and promote each other's respective offerings, though Microsoft will still strongly focus on its Windows Phone 7 platform, a BlackBerry rival. \n\n\n This new deal is not the first significant partnership between the two technology giants; RIM and Microsoft have worked together for years to ensure BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) compatibility with Microsoft Exchange. And recently the companies announced a new, hosted version of RIM's BES for Microsoft Office 365 users. \n\n\n\nRead more about the BlackBerry\/Bing deal on Microsoft's Bing blog.\n\n\n\nAS


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can't wait!
Posted by Mackenzie on Thursday, October 30, 2008
Happy Halloween everyone! Our neighborhood gets tons of trick-or-treaters and I'm looking forward to handing out candy in my costume (I'm going to be a jockey, Shorty's gonna be ma race horse!). What's everyone else being?
So once Halloween is over (in my opinion) we're in "The Holiday Season". We set the clocks back, I start my Christmas shopping, there will be parties, family get-togethers, twinkle lights, and oodles of wedding proposals... I can't wait! I love the holidays. Does anything create a festive mood like fancy shoes? I think not! All from J. Crew.


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This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
Kansas City March 2007 Meeting
The OWASP Kansas City chapter meeting in March 2007 was held from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on 3/7/2007. The location of the meeting was at the local Microsoft office in Corporate Woods in Overland Park (10801 Mastin Blvd, Suite 620).
Meeting Summary
Dave Ferguson started the meeting with a welcome and brief overview of OWASP. Membership options were described as well as the upcoming Spring of Code 2007 campaign where OWASP will be offering cash payouts to individuals for a variety of different approved projects. Everyone at the meeting then introduced themselves to the group.
Our first speaker was Tom Stripling from Security PS. Tom's topic was advanced script injection. He presented a variety of clever and interesting ways that attackers can take advantage of vulnerabilities and hinted as some nasty worm-like attacks that could start appearing in the future.
Following a break, Rohini Sulatycki from VML had a very informative presentation about the security issues around Adobe Flash. Rohini discussed the growing popularity of Flash and some vulnerabilites that existed in previous versions. Special attention was given to the importance of understanding Flash Remoting and Shared Objects.
The evening ended with a couple of book giveaways. Microsoft provided the group with two copies of Writing Secure Code (2nd Edition) by Michael Howard and David LeBlanc. Two lucky attendees went home with a copy.
Advanced Injection Attacks (ppt within a zip)
Adobe Flash Security (pdf)


text:
The province's decision to charge a steep 15 per cent property transfer tax when foreigners buy Metro Vancouver homes may help cool the region's "bubbly and overpriced" housing market, one B.C. economist says.
Jock Finlayson, executive vice-president of the Business Council of B.C., said it should have "some effect in dampening the demand" for real estate, particularly the single-family houses that have shot up much faster in price than townhomes and condos.
He said there's some evidence the housing market is cooling already and that cooling may accelerate after the extra tax kicks in Aug. 2 on purchases by foreign nationals or companies they control.
MORE: B.C. imposes foreign buyer tax on Metro real estate
He also noted the province's decision to apply the new tax only in Metro, at least for now, could shift the foreign appetite for B.C. real estate to neighbouring regions.
"It may in fact lead to greater foreign demand for housing in areas like the Fraser Valley, Squamish, Greater Victoria and the central Okanagan," Finlayson said.
Finance Minister Mike de Jong indicated the new tax could be extended to other parts of B.C. if needed.
Finlayson said he hopes the province uses the revenue, which will go into a Housing Priority Initiatives Fund, mainly to assist renters, who face steeply rising rents in some urban areas.
That should be a priority, he said, because home ownership, particularly detached house ownership, is "just not going to be the future" for many area residents.
Delta Mayor Lois Jackson said she hopes the new tax helps cool the market by deterring foreign purchases.
"We have to slow the market down somehow," she said. "People who work here can't keep up with the cost and we're putting all of these young people totally out of the market."
But Canadian Taxpayers Federation B.C. director Jordan Bateman suggested the 15 per cent tax – $300,000 on a $2-million house – may be viewed by foreign investors as merely a cost of doing business.
"If you're spending 10, 15 or 20 per cent over asking, what's 15 per cent going to do? It's not going to discourage you."
Bateman said the province must also close a long-standing loophole that allows the shares of a real estate holding company to be sold to new owners without triggering any property transfer tax because the registered owner – the company – didn't change.
He called the province's move a reversal.
"There is nothing more popular than a tax on somebody else," Bateman observed.
Applying a tax on foreign buyers is a one-time cost on purchase.
The province has not yet pursued more aggressive options to block or deter foreign buying.
Australia has also seen strong investment flows from China and restricts foreign buyers to purchasing new homes only, not participating in the resale market.
West Vancouver Mayor Mike Smith in late July proposed allowing municipalities to charge an additional property tax on homes that are not principal residences owned by Canadian citizens.
That would have the effect of extracting more tax for the local city every year from foreign owners, as well as vacation home owners and investors.
The province recently released new data showing 5.1 per cent of homes sold in Metro Vancouver in three weeks of June went to foreign nationals, mostly from China.
Economists such as Finlayson and Central 1 Credit Union's Helmut Pastrick both say more can be done to increase the supply of housing units in the market, through speedier municipal approvals.
But both also acknowledged that more rapid redevelopment and densification of single-family neighbourhoods would result in even fewer detached houses available, likely widening the price gap between multifamily units and detached houses.
Finlayson also suggested parts of the Agricultural Land Reserve that have never been productively farmed could be opened up to development.
White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin said while foreign buyers may be having some effect on house prices in his city, he's more concerned at the potential for loss of existing rental apartment buildings if developers seek to turn them into condos.
Real estate board critical
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said the new foreign buyers tax "needlessly injects uncertainty into the market" because of the province's decision to impose it with eight days notice and no industry consultation.
"Government has had a long time to take action on the affordability issue, yet they decide to bring this new tax in over a long weekend, with no notice, and no time to prepare," said board president Dan Morrison. "To minimize short-term volatility in the market, we're calling on government to exempt real estate transactions that are in the process of closing from this new tax."


text:
Either Colin Powell's Facebook Was Hacked Or He Has Had a Sudden Change of Heart About George W. Bush
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is the latest powerful brand to be hacked. Powell's official Facebook page has been taken over and is being peppered with insults to his old boss George W. Bush as moderators fight to take back control. (The page seems to be down at the moment.)
It's safe to say this social media fail is the biggest fail of Colin Powell's entire career.
Update: Powell's page has been fixed. According to a post Powell's page: "I'm happy to report that the hacking problem has been fixed. We have been working with fb this morning and they took immediate action to remedy the situation."


text:
The cabinet papers are a unique collection of conclusions and reference materials that detail the role of Cabinet and its history.
This section presents a selection of cabinet papers using thematic and chronological historical overviews, covering three main themes of British Governance in the 20th century.
These packages highlight the United Kingdom's world relations in war and peace; from the great wars and confrontations of the 20th century, to the negotiation of treaties, alliances and agreements and the disintegration of empire.
These packages bring together different aspects of the United Kingdom's economic development and performance. They also examine the interaction between finance, business and the resources and communications used.
The way ordinary people live, work and interact with government has changed dramatically over the last 100 years. These packages chart the changes in the government's approach to the challenges of society in the United Kingdom during a period of unprecedented change.


text:
FLORIDA PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY NETWORK (FPAN) SOUTHEAST/SOUTHWEST REGION at FAU
Click Here to View FPAN Events, Activities & Collaborations
Check Out FPAN's Social Media Sites at:
Sponsored by the Florida Public Archaeology Network, the Southeast/Southwest Region Center for Public Archaeology at FAU has the following objectives in the south Florida's fast-growing metropolitan area:
Planning outreach and strategies for bringing an understanding of archaeology to diverse publics that include teachers (3-12), city and county governments, developers, scuba diver organizations and associations, etc.
Coordinating the preservation of archaeological knowledge within the urban development framework of southeast Florida
Creating alliances across institutions that can impact the perception of the archaeological resources of the region
Promoting heritage tourism
Developing web-based public archaeology materials targeted for particular stakeholder audiences.
FAU is especially equipped for this mission with the resources of its campuses along the eastern coast of Florida. The Center staffs both terrestrial and marine archaeologists.
For Citizens and Visitors: the Center offers lectures and presentations to learn about the archaeology of Florida. It encourages the preservation and patronage of archaeological sites, on land and underwater, museums & cultural heritage sites.
For Schools and Education Centers: the Center develops lesson plans and modules for the study of archaeology and conducts talks and demonstrations.
For Civic Organizations, Societies, and Clubs: the Center participates in celebrations, meetings and events with heritage themes.
For Local Governments: the Center assists with the evaluation of endangered sites, offers education opportunities for parks employees, provides consultation about cultural resource management, and encourages visitors at local heritage tourism sites.
For the Florida Department of Historical Resources: the Center promotes state sponsored projects, provides educational materials to private schools and public schools, promotes underwater heritage tourism sites, participates in over Florida Archaeology Month events, and provides education to the public at large.
Click Here to View FPAN Events, Activities & Collaborations
For More Information About
The Florida Public Archaeology Network
3200 College Avenue
Davie West 429
Davie, Fl. 33314
Go To The Website at http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/serc/ or Call The Southern Regional Center at 954-254-9657


text:
- 4 Bedrooms
- 3 Total Baths
- 2,961 Square Feet
- PENDING Status
The "Shelby" by Celebrity Homes. Open Design offers an oversized Island Kitchen, Gathering Room, Owner's Suite includes spacious Bath w/ Deluxe Shower & Dual Vanity, Large Deck & that's just the start! Quality GE Appliances (Refrigerator, Washer & Dryer), Designer Light Pkgs, GDO, Window Blinds & Extended 2-10 Warranty Program. (Pictures of Model Home) Price may reflect promotional discounts, if applicable
Directions to Property
From 168th & Ida St, Head South to Reddick. Turn right (West) into community. Visit model homes at Highland Hills for access to homes and Community Map.
Dimensions & Layout
Taxes & Fees
Area InformationElkhorn
Annexed by the city of Omaha in 2005, Elkhorn has not lost its small town atmosphere while adding numerous new subdivisions and businesses to its perimeter. The original city was located on the eastern bluff overlooking the Elkhorn River, primarily on the south side of what is now Maple Street. Its downtown reflects the charm of its earlier days with several buildings from the late 19 th and early 20 th century still in use. The community was first populated in the mid 1800s as a result of the fertile land and water availability in the area. Transportation on the Elkhorn River to the Platte and then to the Missouri was also a strong consideration in its selection. The area was platted in 1867 and incorporated in 1886. When the Union Pacific Railroad line moved westward through Elkhorn, the town became a water station and the home of many UP employees. Business, agriculture, and commerce flourished with the railroad's presence. As its population grew, more emphasis was placed on entertainment, religion and education. These activities remain strong today with many churches, recreational facilities and schools serving the area. Today, the Elkhorn Public School District educates over 5,000 students in six elementary, two middle, and two high schools. There are also several large parochial schools, as well. The Elkhorn area continues to be an attractive residential option for people of all ages and requirements. Apartments, townhomes, and single family dwellings are available in many price ranges. And the Dodge Expressway provides convenient passage for commuters. Other amenities—medical facilities, an abundance of services and retail outlets, Village Pointe Shopping Center, and grocery stores are conveniently located close by, making Elkhorn a convenient and special place to live. Elkhorn Public Schools Information: http://www.elkhornweb.org/
Mortgage Calculator
We have mortgage solutions for your homeownership aspirations. When you're ready to look or buy, or possibly refinance, I'll put my expertise to work and be with you every step of the journey.
Count on a personalized and seamless experience—all the way to closing. Start the pre-qualification process by using our easy online application!
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Listed By
Celebrity Homes Inc
MLS ProviderGPRMLS
This data was last updated on Sep 29, 2023. The data is subject to change or updating at any time without prior notice. All properties are subject to prior sale or withdrawal. The information was provided by members of The Great Plains Regional Multiple Listing Service LLC Internet Data Exchange or members of the Broker Reciprocity program of the Southwest Iowa Association of Realtors (SWIAR) and is copyrighted. Any printout of the information on this website must retain this copyright notice. The data is deemed to be reliable, but should be independently verified as no warranties of any kind, express or implied, are given. The information has been provided for the non-commercial, personal use of consumers for the sole purpose of identifying prospective properties the consumer may be interested in purchasing, and any other use is prohibited. The listing broker representing the seller is identified on each listing. All properties are required by applicable laws to be offered without respect to race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, or disability.


text:
The New American Bumper Sticker
Now available, exclusively from Freedom Bound International, the New American bumper sticker!
This high quality 3.25" x 9" sticker is made from weather resistant vinyl and can be easily removed without damage to your car's finish.
Pricing on this item is determined by quantity ordered. Shipping and handling are included in the price. Send cash or money orders only (no checks of any kind please) to:
Freedom Bound International
c/o 411 North 6th Street
Emery, South Dakota uSA (57332)
|3.00 each
|2.50 each
|2.00 each
|1.75 each
|100 +
|1.50 each


text:
Smokey Quartz Statement Ring
This Gorgeous Smokey Quartz Ring is a beautiful Statement Ring which is set in an intricately designed band.
Metal - Sterling Silver
Metal Weight - 5.55gm.
Main Stone - Smoky Quartz
Main Stone Shape - Round
Main Stone Color - Brown
Main Stone Weight - 4.8ct.
Accent Stone - White Topaz
Accent Stone Weight - 1.20ct.
Fine Color Jewels Rainbow Collection | Smokey Quartz Round Shaped Ring for Women | Statement Ring | 925 Sterling Silver | Beautiful Gift for Her
In USA:
US shipments are free for all orders over $50
For orders below $50, US shipments have a specific shipping charge.
Delivery Time: 2-7 Days
(You can opt for express shipping for immediate delivery)
Free and easy returns within 30 Days
International Orders:
Shipping costs depend on the distance from the country
Delivery Time: 4-12 Days
Ensuring secure deliveries around the globe.
Easy returns within 30 Days
Shipping Charges
All shipping charges are non-refundable. No exception
Please visit the Shipping , Returns and Exchange page for more details


text:
20 Self-Guided Tours of LA: #1 Downtown Mini Bus Tour
- Metadata
20 Self-Guided Tours of LA: #1 Downtown Mini Bus Tour
Alternative Title
#1 Downtown Mini Bus Tour
Date Created
The film provides a brief history of Los Angeles and then instructs the audience on how to conduct a self-guided tour of Downtown LA and what sites they must make sure to see.
Creators and Contributors
Creator: Southern California Rapid Transit District
Performer: West Ho Films, Inc.
Performer: West Ho Films, Inc.
Subject Entity
Media type
16mm film
1 Reel
Copyright Statement
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library & Archives. Copyright Holder has given Institution permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Country of Creation
United States
Contributing Organization
Call Number
Link to Internet Archive


text:
Stocks are set to extend their September run Monday, with the S&P 500 near a record, as investors welcome the withdrawal of Larry Summers from the race to become Fed chairman.
U.S. stock futures and global markets were pushing higher as investors now anticipate Janet Yellen will take the helm of the Fed.
All three major U.S. indexes were moving up by more than 1% ahead of the opening bell, bringing the S&P close to its record of 1,709 from Aug. 2. The U.S. dollar was slipping.
Investors are excited at the prospect of Yellen taking over from current Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, since she is widely expected to pursue a similar policy of stimulating the economy to bring the unemployment rate down.
Investors had been concerned that Summers, the previous frontrunner for the top Fed job, would have been more aggressive at pulling back on the monetary stimulus measures that have been pumping cash into the system and supporting stock markets around the world.
Related: Janet Yellen is again the frontrunner for Fed chair
Meanwhile, Saturday's announcement that the U.S. and Russia had created a framework to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons may also support a positive sentiment.
The threat of imminent U.S.-led military strikes against Syria has now faded to the background, but it had caused a significant amount of market volatility and spikes in oil prices. The price of light crude oil is now easing.
Looking to the day ahead, the New York branch of the U.S. Federal Reserve will publish its monthly manufacturing survey at 8:30 a.m. ET. At 9:15, the Census Bureau will release reports on industrial production and capacity utilization.
Related: Fear & Greed Index idling in neutral
U.S. stocks finished higher Friday, capping a strong week of gains. The Dow Jones industrial average rose by 3% last week, while the other two main indexes rose by nearly 2%. It was the best week since January for the Dow and the best week since July for the S&P 500.
European markets were solidly higher in morning trading, with Germany's Dax leading the way with a gain of more than 1%.
Most Asian markets were climbing, though markets in Japan are closed for a holiday.


text:
Bardiglio Nuvolato
A black, grey and white marble
Natural stone is purely created by nature
Therefore each nature stone slab is a unique work of art. Colours and veining vary from slab to slab. The images shown are just a preview what the stone may look like.
Please contact us by email firstname.lastname@example.com or phone +31 (0) 497 645 942 to get the full scoop on the exquisite beauty of natural stone.


text:
With 3D printers finding their way into the workshops of makers the world over, it was bound to happen sooner or later. [Ivan Sentch] is making an Aston Martin DB4 with a 3D printer.
Before we board the hype train, let's go over what this is project is not: [Ivan] isn't making any metal parts with his 3D printer, and the chassis and engine will be taken from a donor car. Also, the printed plastic parts won't actually make their way into the final build; the 3D printed body panels will be used to pull the final panels in fiberglass. That being said, it's still an impressive undertaking that's going to cost [Ivan] $2250 NZD in plastic alone.
[Ivan]'s body panels are made by taking a DB4 model in Solidworks, slicing it up into 105mm squares, giving each square extruded sides, and finally securing them to the wooden form after the parts are printed. There's still an awful lot of work to be done once the 3D printed parts are all glued together, but it's still an amazingly impressive – and cheap – way to create a replica of a very famous automobile.


text:
Bear Games & Videos
Word Unscramble is a fun and popular game. Unscramble is similar to other word games that ask the player to find words in several letters that have been scrambled up on a game board. Not only is this a great game to play for a fun time with your family, but it can also add educational value by helping to add new words to your vocabulary. If you enjoy playing this word scramble game you will probably enjoy other scramble games that also ask the player to unscramblesentences. Test your scramble and vocabulary skills by playing these great games!


text:
Go to whole of WA Government Search
Our Allied Health Service offers a dynamic new model of care that is vastly different to that of any other hospital in Western Australia.
The contemporary model offers staff more opportunities and ensures that the best possible care is delivered to patients undergoing physiotherapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, acute rehabilitation and other allied health services offered here at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
For the first time in the State, our contemporary Allied Health model sees the appointment of a Director of Allied Health to our executive group.
Our Research Director and our Education Director work with the Director of Allied Health to support our commitment to research, quality and ongoing professional development for our Allied Health services.
Clinical education in Allied Health comprises professional entry student training, graduate support and staff professional development.
The Director of Allied Health Education works in partnership with Allied Health Heads of Service and Professional Leads to provide leadership, direction and coordination of Allied Health education in accordance with the strategic direction of Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Two Allied Health Educators lead and facilitate sustainable, efficient and effective delivery of education and training within Allied Health across the continuum of care.
Our Allied Health service includes:


text:
What's in the exam?
Find out about our Performance Grades and alternative route to a graded music exam.
- Three accompanied songs
- Unaccompanied traditional song (folk song)
- Sight-singing
- Aural tests
Candidates for Grade 6, 7 or 8 exams must already have passed ABRSM Grade 5 (or above) in Music Theory, Practical Musicianship or a solo Jazz instrument. For full details including a list of accepted alternatives, see Regulation 1d.
New editions offering support to teachers preparing students for Practical exams.
Read our guide to the unaccompanied song.


text:
It's a good thing Jeremy Liew met Barack Obama.
In March 2012, Liew's Facebook profile picture was of himself and the President. He didn't know it at the time, but that picture would help him land a crucial early stage investment.
Liew is a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, a firm with $2 billion under management. There are nine partners who lead startup deals in the United States. Only Liew and one other partner, Justin Caldbeck, hunt for startups in the crowded consumer technology space. And in March 2012, Liew had his eye on an app called Snapchat.
When Liew first found Snapchat, the disappearing photo app had fewer than 100,000 installs. Liew's partner had seen it on his teenage daughter's phone. She told her father there were only three apps high school kids were using: Angry Birds, Instagram, and Snapchat. Liew was familiar with the first two. But he had never heard of Snapchat.
The comment was enough to pique Liew's curiosity. He made it his mission to find out who was behind the mysterious app.
Liew did a Google search and came up dry. No articles had been written about Snapchat. There was no contact information on the startup's website except for a generic email address. Liew messaged it and heard nothing back. Liew looked up the company on LinkedIn and sent a message. Again, there was no response.
Determined, Liew did a WhoIs lookup on the domain name, Snapchat.com. It had been registered by Toyopa Group, the former parent company of Snapchat. Spiegel had named it after the street his father lived on, Toyopa Drive.
Liew did a Google search for Toyopa Group and found Evan Spiegel's name. He was a student at Stanford, where Liew had also gone to school. Liew was able to message him on Facebook through the Stanford alumni network.
When Liew sent the Facebook message, Spiegel finally replied. He wasn't looking to raise a round of financing; Liew was fine with that. Liew invited Spiegel to meet him at his office on the most famous street in the entrepreneurial world, Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. A few feet to the left sits Greylock Partners, Sequoia Capital and Institutional Venture Partners. To the right sits Khosla Ventures.
During the meeting, Spiegel shared his vision for Snapchat. Facebook is a place where you can share superficial feelings with the world. It's for sharing times when you're happy, confident, and enjoying life. But what about all the other times when you're sad, feeling crazy or even depressed?
Spiegel felt there should be a place where intimate feelings could be expressed privately via fleeting messages. After all, true friendships are formed when people share both positive and negative experiences. And negative experiences can't be housed on a public, identifying platform like Facebook.
Spiegel's app hadn't been downloaded many times, but engagement metrics were strong. "People were using it like crazy and staying for a really long time," Liew recalls.
Eventually, Spiegel let Lightspeed invest in his company. It was the only investor in a $485,000 seed round, which Spiegel raised in May 2012. He was still three classes shy of graduating. Snapchat has since raised more than $120 million and it turned down a multi-billion-dollar acquisition offer from Facebook.
Liew later asked Spiegel why he returned the Facebook request and none of his other messages.
"It was because you had President Obama in your profile picture," Spiegel said.
"There's serendipity involved in all this stuff," Liew said, recalling that conversation.
But Liew's investments are based on much more skill than luck. His name is frequently mentioned in the Los Angeles startup scene, where a number of his early investments are panning out.
Whisper is another social app Liew found before other investors. Based in Santa Monica, Whisper lets users anonymously share secrets in a safe, supportive environment, like an open-source diary. Liew saw Whisper trending in the App Store and it fit his firm's investment thesis.
Liew emailed its founder, 26-year-old Michael Heyward, on a Monday. He said he'd be in town for a board meeting that Tuesday. By Wednesday, Liew convinced Heyward to meet with his partner. On Friday, Liew sent Heyward — who hadn't been interested in raising a round of financing — a term sheet. On Saturday, Liew flew back to Santa Monica and finalize the investment in Whisper. Lightspeed led its $3 million Series A round of financing.
Whisper now has millions of registered users. It has 80-times more content than there are Wikipedia pages. It has raised $25 million.
Liew also found ShoeDazzle, a once-buzzy startup run by Kim Kardashian and Brian Lee, early. Like Spiegel, Lee wasn't interested in meeting him. Lee told Liew that ShoeDazzle was profitable, so it didn't need venture capital.
"Eventually, I flew [uninvited] to LA and said, 'Hey, I'm here,'" Liew says.
Lee agreed to meet Liew for coffee. After months of leaning in, Lee let Lightspeed invest in ShoeDazzle.
Liew's partner, Justin Caldbeck, is equally persistent. Caldbeck recently invested in a consumer startup that ignored his initial emails. Instead of taking "no" for an answer, Caldbeck showed up on the startup's doorstep with a plate full of cupcakes.
In addition to being persistent, Caldbeck and Liew are observant. If his partner hadn't been an engaged father, Liew might have missed Snapchat. With ShoeDazzle, Liew noticed a friend collecting pink boxes of shoes. He asked her what all the boxes were about; she told him they were Kim Kardashian's shoe-of-the-month club.
Liew and Caldbeck try to think differently about their investments. So while other VCs are looking right, they turn their heads a little to the left.
"When everyone is saying, 'We don't invest in this,' that's sometimes a good time to invest," says Liew. "You have to find a reason the conventional wisdom no longer applies."
Liew used the recent craze around e-commerce startups and the rise of Facebook's platform as an example.
"E-commerce startups shouldn't work," Liew says. "They don't have brand-names and they don't have scale, so their cost to acquire customers should be much higher and their lifetime value much lower than incumbents. The only time it makes sense to invest in e-commerce startups is when there's a new customer acquisition channel that's scalable. Startups are nimble enough to take advantage of the opportunity and grow to scale before the incumbents even notice. The first time that happened since Google paid search was when Facebook opened up its right rail to e-commerce companies and advertisers."
Startups like Gilt Groupe, LivingSocial, ShoeDazzle, Groupon, and Ruelala were able to scale their customer bases quickly and cheaply on the coattails of Facebook before larger brands caught on. Now that the Facebook channel is saturated with brands like Nordstrom and JC Penney, e-commerce startups can't rely on it for growth.
"Before Zulily, there hadn't been a $1 billion exit in e-commerce in 10–12 years," says Liew. "[Investors] who were saying, 'We don't invest in e-commerce startups' didn't realize something (Facebook's emergence as a cheap customer acquisition channel) had changed."
Snapchat and Whisper seem like obvious investments now. But when Lightspeed invested, most people assumed social startups had peaked. Facebook won the space, especially after it purchased Instagram. Instead of writing off social startups altogether, Liew's team tried to find entrepreneurs who were innovating in places where Facebook couldn't follow.
Facebook, Liew determined, is the journal of record for our real lives. By its nature, it needs to tie users to their real identities. It also aspires to host everything its users publish forever. That creates an opportunity for startups to host temporary content or to thrive on anonymity.
"If you flip Facebook's need for real IDs to anonymous accounts, then you get an app like Whisper," Liew says. "If you flip Facebook's need for permanence to impermanence, you get Snapchat."
If you flip Facebook's need for real IDs to anonymous accounts, then you get an app like Whisper. If you flip Facebook's need for permanence to impermanence, you get Snapchat.
Liew is constantly on the hunt for under-the-radar trends like that. One of his favorite resources is PageData. PageData shows which pages are trending on Facebook. While some trend because they're newsworthy (like Paul Walker's page following his sudden death), others hint at investment opportunities.
Last year, Liew noticed pages with memes, or text-and-picture content, were trending. When he saw Whisper and Snapchat, he realized those housed the same type of content. Sites like LOLCats and PerezHilton had been creating that type of content for years; Snapchat and Whisper were bringing the experience to mobile devices.
Now Liew is noticing publications like Viral Nova and Upworthy, which are driving rapid growth through social sharing. PolicyMic, a media startup that has quickly grown to 8 million monthly readers, is one of Liew's investments.
Liew is also interested in Bitcoin startups, as well as startups that are applying big data to financial services.
While Liew has invested in all kinds of consumer startups and entrepreneurs, there's something they have in common.
"We believed in the vision of each team, as well as the teams themselves," Liew says of his investments. "We were able to reach out to startups like Snapchat and Whisper and get to them quickly. Also, they were outside of the typical investment cycle."


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The most difficult objects to mask are those with soft, undefined edges. This is a common issue in photos snapped using a wide aperture (or too close to the object), resulting in an increasingly soft focus as the object extends out of the lens' focal range. Accommodating this variance in focus can be a challenge. To help get your masks just right, I'll show you two advanced masking techniques for Adobe Photoshop CS4 and CS5.
Prepare your mask
You'll need to do a bit of prep work before executing the steps below. Open a photo and create a mask using the techniques outlined in an Introduction to Masking Parts and Advanced Masking: Vector Masks. In areas where the object veers out of focus, make sure the mask's edge runs comfortably inside the object's blurry edge.
Once you've completed the basic mask, you'll have to arrange the document's layers so that you can correctly follow the steps. The topmost layer should contain the object photo and the initial mask, and below it, a color fill layer that will help you see the mask. You must convert any vector masks to raster masks before continuing. Control-click the mask thumbnail and choose Rasterize Mask from the contextual menu.
Technique 1: Use the Blur Tool
This technique can be used to selectively soften the edges of your mask. It's an effective way to deal with objects that have multiple levels of blurring (i.e., a watering can whose spout and handle extend out of focus in opposite directions).
Choose the Blur Tool.
In the Options Bar, click the Brush Preset picker and set the brush size to 100 pixels with a hardness of 0 percent. This means that the blur is applied most densely at the center of the brush and barely at all at the edge, so that the transition between blurred and non-blurred areas of the mask is smooth.
In the Options Bar, set the Strength to 100 percent.
Go to Layers (Windows -> Layers) and click the layer mask thumbnail, which you'll see to the right of the layer thumbnail. This allows you to make edits directly to the mask without having to enter Quick Mask mode or switch to Channels.
Use the Blur Tool to paint over the edges of the object that require a softer focus. You'll notice that the mask's edges get blurrier with each stroke. Apply blur more generously as you move away from the focal point, and in a few minutes, you'll have a reasonably accurate mask.
Technique 2: Use Lens Blur
This technique can approximate the natural blur of the camera, making it a better choice for objects with more pronounced blur. It's best used on objects with simple shapes (i.e., a chocolate bar) that slip out of focus in only one direction.
Double-click the Quick Mask Mode icon in the tool panel to call up the Quick Mask Options and ensure that Color Indicates: Selected Areas is chosen. Click OK to continue.
Enter Quick Mask Mode (Hit Q on the keyboard).
Choose the Gradient Tool.
In the Options Bar, click the Gradient picker and then choose the gradient in the top left (Foreground to Background). Ensure that the current foreground color is white and the current background color is black.
Using the Gradient Tool, click the canvas where the photo is most in focus, and then drag the cursor to where it's least in focus. As soon as you let go, a red gradient will appear over the canvas.
Return to Standard Mode (Hit Q on the keyboard).
Go to Layers (Windows -> Layers) and click the layer mask thumbnail, which you'll see to the right of the layer thumbnail. Once again, this allows you to make edits directly to the mask without having to enter Quick Mask mode or flip over to Channels.
Choose Filters -> Blur -> Lens Blur. On the right of the filter interface, you'll see a smattering of options. The only one you should concern yourself with is Radius (under Iris). As you drag the slider from left to right, you'll see the mask get progressively blurrier along the gradient you just added. When you think you've approximated the actual focal dropoff in the photo, click OK. The results are immediate; if you don't like what you see, back up and try again.
Finishing up
After applying either of these techniques, you might find that the object has a hint of an aura when overlaid on darker colors. This aura can be curtailed quite easily in Adobe Photoshop CS5.
Go to Layers (Windows -> Layers) and click the layer mask thumbnail.
Choose Select -> Refine Edge. A window offering refinement options will appear, and you'll need to tweak two details. First, enter a figure of -2 percent in Shift Edge.
Check the option to Decontaminate Colors and adjust the slider to 75 percent. All other fields should remain 0. Click OK to lock in the changes. (Note that this action creates a duplicate layer because it modifies the original photo.) The mask should be nearly flawless now; to finalize it, just control-click the layer mask thumbnail and choose Apply Mask.
[ Chris McVeigh, a frequent contributor to Macworld, is an author, illustrator, and toy photographer in Halifax, Nova Scotia.]
Photoshop CS5
Read our full Photoshop CS5 review


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Get your motor revving with our great selection of free parking games at ParkingGames.com! Whether you want to try your skills at becoming a champ of parallel parking, learn how to park, or rise to the top as a car thief you'll find a game to hone your skills.
Browse through our selection of new games or popular games that put you in control of cars, trucks, boats and more. You'll need fast reflexes and superior directional sense to guide luxury vehicles and street racers alike exactly where they need to be.
Most people get their first taste of parking while driving their parents' car. Without practice it can get overwhelming quickly. After all, you don't want to hit a curb during your driving test! Our fun parking games are a great way to practice. Our truck games will put you in the driver seat of a big rig. This is a perfect time to learn and perfect your backing skills with a trailer attached. You can dive right into the hectic job of a valet driver! Parking vehicles in a busy hotel for customers can get crazy. Or try parking in boats too! You never know when you will get the opportunity to get out on the water and need to know how to park properly.
Play your favorite free parking games right here on ParkingGames.com, share high scores on social media and challenge your friends to a parking showdown. Parking games are fun, unique and an excellent way to play online. So start your engines, check your mirrors and start playing right now!


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Posts Tagged 'Dick Barr'
More Assumption Church Marriage Records – Germans – Irish – French of Upstate New York
Dick Barr has done it again. He extracted about 800 marriages from the Catholic Assumption Church Records in Syracuse, and they have been published by CNYGS in their Journal "Tree Talks."
The following is an announcement from CNYGS.
"Church of the Assumption marriages celebrated between 1844 and 1864 are also now fully indexed in the December, 2007 issue of the Central New York Genealogical Society's journal, "Tree Talks" (72 pages, nearly 800 marriages, primarily of Germans, but including some Irish and French marriages from Syracuse and the surrounding area as well).
The typical entry in this index contains the date of the marriage at Assumption Church, the names of the bride and groom, the parents, the witnesses and the officiating priest, but often also includes ages and residency or place of origin.
Original spellings and diacritical marks have been meticulously transcribed by Mr. F. Richard Barr.
Send a $15.00 check or money order payable to the Central New York Genealogical Society to: CNYGS – Publications, P.O. Box 104, Colvin Station, Syracuse, NY 13205."
Remember that not all of these people were from Syracuse and Onondaga county. Assumption being one of the most prominent early Catholic churches attracted people from Oswego and other surrounding counties.
Visit our main website at www.unyg.com


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Associated Press//June 11, 2012
//June 11, 2012
PHILADELPHIA — Lawyers for a Maryland teen convicted in a Jihadist terror plot want him moved to a juvenile facility to await sentencing.
A federal judge in Philadelphia is considering the request after a hearing Monday for 18-year-old Mohammad Hassan Khalid of Ellicott City.
The Pakistani citizen has been in custody since his arrest last summer at age 17.
Khalid has pleaded guilty to helping an alleged terror cell in Ireland plot a Muslim holy war in Europe. The group included Colleen "Jihad Jane" LaRose of Pennsylvania. She's pleaded to charges she plotted to kill a Swedish cartoonist.
Defense lawyers say Mohammad needs psychological treatment at a state juvenile facility near Harrisburg.
He awaits sentencing, and faces deportation after serving his time.
U.S. officials oppose the juvenile treatment plan for financial reasons.o


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Hidden object game review
Unravel a puzzling whodunit in Grim Facade: The Cost of Jealousy!
You have been called to Spain to investigate the murder of a grieving woman's husband. But what looks like a simple case soon becomes an elaborate mystery filled with twists and intrigue. You must use your skills to get a step ahead of the murderer before you become their next victim. But uncovering their identity won't be easy in this tale of deceit, betrayal, and disguise.
Everyone is a suspect in this exciting hidden object thriller — Grim Facade: The Cost of Jealousy!


text: Oriol Vidal was born in Barcelona, Spain, where he currently resides. For more than ten years, Oriol has worked as an illustrator and storyboard artist with agencies, publishers and animation companies in developing children's books, character designs, concept art and storyboards. He has worked with clients including Intermon Oxfam, BKN Kids AG, Imira Entertainment, and BRB Internacional. In his spare time he enjoys mountain bike riding and painting big pictures, often with traditional mediums, like acrylic on wood


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Family: Cacatuidae (Cockatoos, 14 species in Australia)
Size: 38-41 cm
Distribution: Southeastern VIC, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Eastern half of Tasmania
Status: Common
Habitat: Red gum woodland, farmland
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest
The long-billed corella is seen out to about Penrith, but not often in the Blue Mountains.
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW.
Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds, Peter Slater, Pat Slater and Raoul Slater. This is a smaller field guide, and its advantage is it is easy to carry around. Its size is 21.3 x 11.4 x 2.8 centimetres, or 8.4 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches in the old scale. So it is a good one to get if you want to have your field guide with you out in the field. Unlike most of the field guides it also has illustrations of the eggs of all the birds that breed in Australia. It has very good reviews on Amazon.
Click here to Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)
Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson)
Click here to purchase from Australia (The Nile) $28.45 AUD (May be unavailable)
Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond) May be expensive.
Click here to purchase from Amazon
Field Guide to Australian Birds: Complete Compact Edition, by Michael Morcombe. Based on the above larger book. It's a while since I've seen this one. The publisher's commentary says that "This slimline, compact edition contains the same information on mainland and Tasmanian birds as his best-selling handbook, the Field Guide to Australian Birds. Features include plastic jacket, QuickFind system of colour tags and Quick Index ensure durability and ease of use in the field."
Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)
Australian Bird Field Guides
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Route Map
22nd July 2012
Description to follow...
Distance: 16.62 miles / 26.75 km
Ascent: 1415 feet / 431 m
More details:
Help Out
Accommodation: If you run a hotel, B&B or campsite near the end of this day's walk, and would be kind enough to let me stay, please get in touch!
Events: Ideas for fundraising events en-route? Let me know!
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If you'd like to come along for all or part of this day's walk, please drop me a line at:
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Cast Daily Vote for Minecraft Server:
OmegaMinecraft Zoo
You're able to vote once a day for Minecraft Server "OmegaMinecraft Zoo" on Planet Minecraft. This United States server has been on PMC since Feb 28th, 2022 and this month they have 2,117 votes. Voting for this Minecraft server helps them rise the server charts on Planet Minecraft. Thanks for helping them grow.
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Why we love this product
Not a lover of early mornings? To all those in the snooze parade, get yourself the Teufel Mug and change the vibe of your mornings. Its solid design and stylish colouring could help give you that extra morning buzz - and of course, don't forget your morning playlist!
Key advantages at a glance
- Mug with print on both sides
- Logo print on the inside of the bottom
- Colour: black
- Holds: 310 ml
- Height: 85 mm
- Diameter: 91 mm
- Material: ceramic matt
- Dishwasher safe
Included components
All necessary accessories are included in the delivery.


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Photography - Rules of Composition
By Richard Schneider
Composition is defined as the combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole. In photography that definition is very important in taking quality pictures. The following rules of composition should be learned and considered but not necessarily used in every photo. Once you have learned these rules you will be more observant of the possible photo opportunities that surround you. But keep in mind that the really famous photographers usually find a creative way to stretch or break the rules of composition.
The rule of thirds has been used through the centuries and is probably the most recognized rule. The rule of thirds directs that the frame can be divided into three vertical sections and three horizontal sections. Wherever the separating lines connect is an ideal spot for a subject or point of interest. By positioning your main subject at any of the four intersection points, you are giving your subject more emphasis than if it is right in the middle of the photo. The intersection points can also work if there is more than one main subject in a photo. Most famous photographs and paintings have the rule of thirds applied to them in some way or another.
The simplicity rule directs that you should keep the items in your photo relatively simple. If your main subject is close to the lens, then your background should be very simple in order to avoid distractions. Another good idea is to avoid objects or lines that lead the eye away from your main subject.
The contrast rule directs that light subjects should be placed against dark backgrounds and vice versa.
The framing rule directs that using natural surroundings mindfully can add more meaning and focus to your subject. The surroundings could be anything such as bushes, windows, trees or even a doorway. When using this rule be sure to focus on the main subject and not on the surroundings that are framing it. It is also a good idea to use a narrow aperture (high f/stop) when using this rule in order to create a high depth-of-field.
The texture rule can add a great amount of interest to most photos. When people see texture in a photo it can spark their imagination and make the photo more real to life. Texture would be a good idea when taking photos of rocks, walls, surfaces, hands or even leaves. In order to create texture try to compose your photo so the light is coming from the side and therefore casting shadows in key places.
The diagonal rule directs that diagonal elements or lines can make a photo more dynamic. Diagonal elements could be fence posts, roads or even tree branches.
The leading lines rule can be used to direct the eye deeper into a photo and commonly to the main subject. Leading lines can lure the eye to a subject by leading to it from any side or depth of the photo. Leading lines could be roads, rivers, tree branches or even bridges.
The color rule is what adds interest and emotion to your pictures. Different color configurations can inspire and amaze viewers. Colors can also be used to accent certain parts of a photo.
It might not be a bad idea to keep these key terms with you when you practice taking photos. The best way to learn and improve your composition is just to use them often and to experiment.
Richard Schneider is a digital photography enthusiast and founder of http://www.picturecorrect.com/ which offers tips and news about digital photography, digital camera reviews, photoshop tutorials and computer wallpaper.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Schneider
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