Thursday, October 27, 2011

Spartan Training - The Agoge

Most, if not all, of the reasons for Spartan dominance on the battlefield can be attributed to their incredibly strenuous and brutal training regiment, the Agoge. Even before beginning the Agoge, newborn Spartan boys underwent a highly in-depth physical scrutiny to make sure the newborn was without flaws. Any that did not pass the examination were left out in the country to die. Then, between ages five to seven, the boy was taken to begin training. There were no fond farewells, boys were simply taken to live in barracks as a "pack" or unit and encouraged from the start with competitive play against other packs.

By age 10 they had been taught to read and write and their physical exercise was increased. An important activity was dancing (of all things) with their weapons until all movement with the weapons became ingrained and natural. Movement was the key to the warrior's success and the ability to freely move was paramount. By 12 they would have learned all of the Spartan war songs and their military training would begin in earnest. The journey to manhood also meant they would have their hair cut short, their tunics would be taken away and instead they were given a cloak in its place to fend off whatever the elements threw at them.

To toughen their feet they would go barefoot at all times and to further the bestial mentality they would eat very little always keeping them aggressive and hungry for more. They were allowed to supplement this diet of course by testing their cunning by stealing, but with a heavy punishment if caught- not for stealing, but for being caught! Severely beaten for any reason the instructors could come up with, training was harsh and brutal. Many boys wound up dying during the course of their training due to its brutality. Those that survived, however, became true Spartan soldiers and were unstoppable in battle.

Finished with the Agoge at age 20, a young man still had to be selected by a group of older peers before he became a homoioi, a full Spartan citizen. From then on, his life would be devoted to the army. Either away at war or at home training and competing against his fellow soldiers for recognition, a Spartan man was always devoted to combat and bettering his ability to make war. Whereas other cities in Greece were noted for their advanced culture such as theater and philosophy, Sparta was famous for the personal fortitude, character, restraint, and moral fiber of people it produced.


http://EzineArticles.com/6498601

Monday, October 24, 2011

What Is Pop Art? Contemporary Artists

Over the past five decades Pop Art has necessarily evolved alongside of mass media and popular culture. Original artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselman brought art out of stuffy, high-end galleries and made it accessible to everyday Americans. Since then, Pop Art has experienced various waves of popularity. During the 1980's, a style developed called Neo Pop Art which featured pop icons, animal figures and contained embedded psychological evaluations. Today, three contemporary artists are redefining this art form with vibrant colors, bold outlines and playful themes.

Few realize that before Carlos A. Navarro became a celebrated artist, his original career path was in the corporate world. After years of spending long workdays in what he refers to as "too structured" of an environment, Navarro left the business world to rekindle his passion for art. In 1992 the artist was approached by a family friend who offered him work painting a mural for a hotel on South Beach. Although the job eventually fell through, Navarro had already developed various sketches, and decided to commit them to canvas. This was the humble beginning of what has developed into a phenomenal career. His work is a fusion of traditional Pop Art with Miami, Cuban, and other contemporary influences. His pieces have been featured in the Smithsonian, as well as various exhibitions and festivals.

Tim Rogerson describes his own work as a "jigsaw puzzle of color to form an image." Long recognized as a rising star in Pop Art, Rogerson is best known for his vibrant and detailed renditions of common Disney characters. This artist attended the prestigious Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. He majored in Illustration, and was awarded the 2003 Best Artist Award, as well as the 2003 and 2004 Best of Ringling Award. When recalling his experience at the art school, Rogerson said "I was a very traditional art student and explored all the works from the old masters to modern art." Since graduating in 2004, Rogerson has contributed his artistic abilities everywhere from SS Designs to Disney. His style has been called prolific and inimitable. He is now considered one of the best Pop Art artists in the world.

Romero Britto began his career in Recife, Brazil. He grew up among eight brothers and sisters and had an extremely humble childhood. However, his innate creativity allowed him to fill his life with vibrant colors and images. Many of Britto's first projects are little known, but led to his discovery and notable mark on the art world. He is a pop culture phenomenon who's depiction of exultant and joyous figures have brought smiles to the faces of millions. When questioned about his inspiration for his work, Britto replied "I believe that every human being should try to do good for someone else. There are so many different ways to do it. My art can be an instrument for helping people... What a good feeling - that I can do that with my art..." He is one of the most iconic Pop Art artists of the past decade.

Together, Romero Britto, Carlos A. Navarro, and Tim Rogerson are forging a new style of Pop Art. They have definitively broken with the Pop Art of Warhol, Lichtenstein and Wesselman, and have instead created a more contemporary and widely attractive identity. However, they have preserved the original intent of making art more available to the masses. These artists have blurred the line between art and retail design, as they have licensed gift collections, house wares and jewelry. Their use of sharply contrasting colors and playful themes has garnered public adoration, while demanding the respect of the high-end art world.

Pop Art Miami is a Pop Art vendor and an information portal. They are the most complete online destination for Pop Art from Romero Britto, Carlos A. Navarro, and Tim Rogerson. They have retailers located in malls across the country, and offer unmatched $9.95 shipping on your entire order within the USA, as well as great low rates for international shipping. Visit them on the web at http://www.popartmiami.com/.


http://EzineArticles.com/6501043

Saturday, October 22, 2011

NREGA Scheme and Its Current Status

NREGA stands for National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). This is an initiative by the Government of India to ensure compulsory employment opportunities are available across the country to all the citizens of India and is aimed for the welfare of the rural class in specific.

India is a country where majority of population reside in rural areas and for their development, the Government has to allocate funds and schemes. Thus, NREGA is an enactment specifically devised for ensuring the employment for all in the rural and backward regions of India.

The enactment was passed some time back by the Parliament but its implementation was delayed due to the inherent issues such as delay in payment of wages to the employees. The delay was observed to be for nine months to 1 year in cases reported from regions like Chattisgarh and Jharkhand. The delay was mainly due to poor monitoring system at the Government department. Also the bureaucracy in the Departments have strong foot hold coupled with the naxal affected areas that prevent the schemes of the government being reached to the ultimate user. The delay in payment of wages is the main problem as identified by the Ministers. Though the amendment in the NREGA cannot be carried out instantly, it was considered that necessary rules will be modified to simplify the existing guidelines. The issues of fake job cards and muster rolls are also being considered.

The poverty seems to be prevalent in spite of the attempts of the Government to carry out the welfare activities for the rural and poverty stricken citizens of India. For the proper NREGA scheme implementation, the IT stalwart TCS was approached to develop a IT-led execution of the program that has the data of all the employees and the phase wise implementation of the scheme is a proper manner. This flagship program is aimed at combating the poverty and it guarantees the poor to have the employment. The implementation of the NREGA scheme needs a reliable and transparent mechanism that should have the information right from the grass root level to ensure success of the program. The NREGA scheme implementation thus required an Information combined Technology solution which was automated by the TCS exclusively for the use by Government of India in Andhra Pradesh state. This is a computer based data centre that aids in monitoring and review of the scheme on online basis. The real time stream of data is web based and has the following features:

1. Visibility and clarity in all the transaction by the stakeholders.
2. Accountability is increased as all the details of the concerned officials and individuals are available.
3. The fraud as to fake employment card is ruled out as the system identifies the employees through biometric system.
4. Fraud is restricted as every information requires access through a secured HTTPS model.
5. The administrative costs associated with manual maintenance of data is reduced.
6. The biometric authentication of the employees ensures that the wages are disbursed timely.
7. The generation of reports at periodical intervals aid in effective monitoring and review.

I am a 24 years old enthusiastic and passionate blogger who likes to talk about current affairs, news, latest happenings around the world. I am more so interested in sports and bollywood but I never back down from any challenge put up to me. I am a determined writer and a self believer.

My Contact Information:

e-mail: mohit.maini29@gmail.com Facebook ID: Mohit Maini Twitter ID: mohitmaini07


http://EzineArticles.com/6500124

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Paint Masking Tape: The Perfect Solution to Prevent Paint Bleeding

If you want clean edges when painting, paint masking tape is indispensable whether it is a DIY or a large commercial project. Nothing looks worse or more unprofessional than dripping, bleeding paint whether on an automobile or in a house around ceiling trim, baseboards, door frames, and windows.

What kind of paint masking tape is best?

Paint masking tape isn't expensive, but you don't want a tape that is so cheap that it's worthless. The following is what you should look for when purchasing masking tape:

• The tape should be made of paper that you can easily tear off the roll while using.
• The tape should have excellent tensile strength (meaning it can be stretched without tearing).
• It should be easily removable without leaving an adhesive residue.
• If using for large commercial jobs, use a medium-high adhesion tape.

Steps for using paint masking tape successfully

If you don't apply paint masking carefully, the job will not be clean. Just follow a few simple steps and your project will be a success.

It's important to take your time. Putting the tape on straight and tight on the wall is the trickiest part of all, so don't be in a rush when applying the masking tape.

Use short lengths of tape (no longer than 18" strips) or you will not have control of its application. It is critical is to apply the tape as close to the edge as possible to ensure you have a tight seal.

Once in place, apply as much pressure as you can to the tape with either a putty knife or your hands, smoothing away all bubbles and being careful not to add wrinkles to the tape.

You can now safely begin painting the unmasked part of your project. Leave the tape in place if applying a second coat. If applying more than two coats, you should apply new tape since the tight seal can be lost after too many paint applications.

The best time to remove the masking tape is immediately after you are finished painting or after the paint is completely dry. If you try to remove it while the paint is setting, you risk peeling off some of the paint.

Slowly and gently pull each section of the masking tape off in a horizontal position (at a 45 to 90 degree angle). The result should be a clean, professional-looking edge cut.

Paint masking tape may seem to be an unnecessary, time-consuming chore. However, if you do not use it, you will end up spending more time cleaning up all the places with unwanted paint on them. You will see that the little bit of time it takes to apply the tape will be well worth it once you see the finished results - perfection.

Jeffrey Adams invites you to take a look at Oriental Commerce. If you want clean edges when painting, paint masking tape is indispensable whether it is a DIY or a large commercial project.


http://EzineArticles.com/6511685

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez is one of the most important paintings in western art history and has become a much discussed work with no true conclusions ever having being drawn. This article looks into the career of artist Diego Velazquez as well as the legacy of the classic Las Meninas oil painting which is now on permanent display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, the Spanish capital which itself has an impressive history within art.

The painting features a great number of different people who are each captured in extraordinarily high detail, allowed by the fact that the artist used such a huge canvas which measures more than 3 metres by 2 metres. Much of the controversy which still surrounds this painting concerns the people within the painting, and many are still unsure as to who exactly they are. One thing for certain is that the artist is one of them, stood in the corner looking in. The others however may be notable people of the time, or simply inventions from the creative mind of this artistic genius whose contributions to the Baroque movement and adding new ideas to it was huge. Besides Las Meninas, Diego Velazquez also produced much loved Baroque paintings such as Old Woman Frying Eggs, Crucifixion, Forge of Vulcan, Infante Balthasar Carlos in Hunting Dress and Venus and Cupid amongst many others dating back all way to the start of a truly extensive career.

Beyond the career of Velazquez, other notable Spanish artists have included the likes of Salvador Dali who himself re-produced original Velazquez paintings in his own style, which was a huge complement to a painter who had inspired him so much.

We can conclude that Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez is a critical painting for any budding art historian because of the importance of it in the development of Baroque art which itself followed on closely after the periods of the Renaissance which started in Italy before moving on to the rest of Europe. Velazquez demonstrated exceptionally creative ideas which were to inspire many future Spanish painters but there was also great controversy about this particular work which makes it stand out from the rest of his prestigious and productive career, even in including a small portrait of the artist himself within the art work. Those fortunate enough to get to visit the Museo del Prado in Madrid should certainly take the time to check out this wonderful piece of art.

You can buy Las Meninas Velazquez paintings from Lasmeninasvelazquez.com.


http://EzineArticles.com/6512046

Friday, October 14, 2011

Franz Marc

Franz Marc was a German expressionist painter from the 20th century and this article looks into his career and paintings in great detail. Franz Marc was part of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) alongside Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and this became an influential group of sought to bring new contemporary ideas into the art mainstream and judging by the success of their careers, and the fact that their reputations are still very strong today, then they certainly succeeded in this ambition.

As a direct result of their experiences together within the Der Blaue Reiter, the two artist held relatively similar styles within their art which was both expressive and slightly abstract. Franz Marc and Kandinsky had started their careers with much more traditional approaches to art, covering landscapes and the like, before the outcome of their art research and new theories caused them to change path in their artistic development. Whilst Kandinsky became known for highly abstract representations of objects through simple shapes and colours, Franz Marc specialised in expressive depictions of animals. The artist commonly covered dogs, horses, cows and tigers in various ways and each follows a similar look in terms of style and colour, giving him an easily recognisable career of work.

The most famous paintings from the career of German painter Marc included Yellow Cow, Fighting Forms, Large Red Horses, Tiger and Large Blue Horses. Sadly for the artist and his many fans he was yet another highly talented and creative individual who whilst excelling within his own career, struggled to establish any kind of stability within his own private life. Franz Marc married twice in his twenties and seemed to regularly be attracted to situations which were clearly not advisable. In this case, Franz Marc is certainly not the only artist to have been embroiled in a challenging and turbulent private life, with others including the likes of Jackson Pollock, Amedeo Modigliani and Vincent Van Gogh.

We can easily conclude that the success of Franz Marc within the mainstream was his popular choices of animals within his paintings as well as the original style in which he covered them. Beyond the success of his work, he also played an important role in the development of contemporary art around the start of the 20th century thanks to his work with Wassily Kandinsky and other modern creative minds within the Der Blaue Reiter movement which is still considered highly influential even today.

You can read more on Franz Marc at Franzmarc.co.uk.


http://EzineArticles.com/6512126

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Childless Mother And Other Poems

Childless Mother (Dedicated To The Mothers Of Norway)

A poem dedicated with all emotion and sentiments of sadness to the people of Norway and specially to those mothers and fathers who lost children in a most regrettable and despicable way.

Childless mother
adolescent red blood shed
morose act on the land
of peoples of the Norse
rage in savage flight of lead

Dread of mother
tears of silver fallen to the ground
mother weeps in silence's sound
child in slumber nightmare of the dead

Tragedy of mother
beauty of youth gone
sweetness in years stolen
generation of sorrow
to share grief of morrow

Starry Sky Over Amsterdam

A poem inspired by the first and last time I ate hash. This being in a place in Amsterdam which served what is commonly referred to as "space cakes."

Stars in bright light, sun in dark of night
as I make way in Amsterdam
eyes see not save shapes of luminosity
lines of shine in dark
mass in forms of surroundings
beauty about in mind or illusion
as canvas of Van Gogh illustration

sounds reach ears yet it be not clear
if laughter or cry do I hear
noise of street become symphony
delightful as fear's distortion
erotic Stravinsky composition
filled is my perception of inner creation
instinct as mind adorns all with emotions

Walk about be task as it be
each step to deliver vibrations
mind exploding impact of deliberations
stroll in the dark or light
be without wrong or right
as rain of sweat descend
as unclear be destination

Voice be not heard
does my word cry out
or echo in spirit through out
time force of motion compel all

Dry is all as desert
take hold in oasis of dream
oh, may I return to mind of reality
or stay in creation of fantasy
flight of beyond to desire's way

Romance Of Silesian Damsels On Summer's Grass

A poem inspired by the vision and photos I took of two lovely young ladies from Silesia on their visit to a park in Warsaw; where it was the music of Chopin to create romance on to all. It being their youthful beauty and sensuality which caught the imagination of my words and admiration.

Silesian damsels of youthful charm
ladies in duo of harmonious sensuality
golden delight of mane to fill light of sun
russet richness as chestnut in flowing tresses
manner of cotton flowers on dresses
Slavic blonde serving contrast be on to brunette

Silesian damsels of youthful ardor
bodacious as season of passion
ivory legs in fleshiness of desire
coquette shades azure to lilac
upon summer's lawn

Silesian damsels of youthful lust
fragrance of moist beauty
silks covers sensual roses
oh, sweetness of maiden glory

Silesian damsels of youthful romance
ladies painted on canvas of illusion
girls with eyes upon stormy nature
thine tender caresses stroke
smooth skin of thee
scene of beauty as ye garnish
in wishes of adolescence

My name is Gianni Truvianni, author of many an article to be found on the internet along with the book "New York's Opera Society." My works also include the books "What Should Not Matter," "Love Your Sister" and several others which still remain unpublished though I am presently looking to change this.


http://EzineArticles.com/6507740

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Foreign Blueberries

Don't be timid
and don't be shy

Foreign blueberries
are good for you!

Pick them from a bush
put them in a bag
Roll them across your tongue
and feel free to remove them from your cold grubby hands;
But if you should choose to take them from the till,
I suggest that you keep them dangling forever,
from your delightful little itty-bitty blue velvet stash.
But keep in mind that it makes no difference what mama says
Someday she will learn that foreign blueberries
are good and there is no reason for you to be afraid at all

Served on an intrepid milky white monkey plate
they make such a tantalizing scene
Pretend you are smokey the bear because she knows how
stiff and sumptuous they can really be

So behold! Goldie Locks was no salacious sinner,
even though she had such a lovely cornucopian mane
So take them over to grandmother's house even before you decide
to walk down mockingbird lane. The porridge is so hot and the cookie
cutters have all been finely sharpened. Besides isn't it about time that you
had an enchanting summer evening date?

Braided hair and pony tails
bobby socks and chestnut snails
have all been set up upon the incandescent vodka still

Drink them down
with the power of a peanut freight
Chug along to the sweet memories of the tune
Open your eyes, smell the weed
and stand absolutely upright in the wicked wind tonight

A firm set of lungs is likely to put you in a festive mood
Annisette and eggnog go well with the lemon custard pie
and may be smeared upon her chubby adolescent thigh
But you must speak kindly of the mountain range
because it is fresh and new
Hold it in your hands and make it jingle like jello
For it is the logical thing for you to do
slurp it down slowly and rub the berries in a wide circular shift
Cocconut may add to the graphic design as there is an antler's rack
on a yellow rod park bus. But beware! You know that the belfry is after you
A short pleated skirt in traditional plaid will be the mark of a candy man's crescent,
as long as a Spanish quilt has some sort of legal right that will begin to make
some of this stand up just for you. And it should bring a subtle smile
to the pretty French cuticles of that insipid jester who is destined to become
an ungrateful, dissatisfied muculent crump.
But a sleek design should be an asset to this rambling rum. It could bring out the moon
in full season and dispell the notions of any young children who are just about to assault the kitchen floor
if they wake up just a tad too late

But if you must know the gingerbread man is still in Cleveland,
with his hands upon his hips and his heart upon a cold smoking
winter time grate

So shackle the horse
Wail the pine and let the alpine nectar flow
Sit up in a glass until it raises its dreary head
but avoid the plastic powder at noon

It might make all of us wish
that we weren't standing up in a sinking canoe

Or feeling the motion of a drunken pirate
who pretends that he is Napolean
even when he can't manage to keep his imminent pecker
high above the strait

Oh boy, oh boy

Gerald Marchewka is an American freelance writer currently living in Lviv, Ukraine. Gerald's most recent book, "Straight from the Heaven's: Li Bai's Poetry in Retrospect" featuring the Illustrations of Seb Fowler is now for sale on Lulu.com Questions about Gerald's projects may be referred to geraldmarchewka@yahoo.com


http://EzineArticles.com/6506000

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Greece - Culture, Politics and War

The evolution of the political system in ancient Greece was closely mimicked by the evolution of war itself. When most people think of ancient Greece they think of their philosophy, theater, democracy, the hoplite soldier and so on. What most don't realize, however, is this view of ancient Greece only applies to a certain period: The Classical Age of Greece. The Classical Age is when Greek influence truly began to spread along with Greek culture. Greek warfare became focused around the hoplite and phalanx formation. Athens dominated the sea with their navy and Sparta dominated the land with their unstoppable army.

Before this age could develop, however, Greece went through the Archaic Age. This is the age of heroes and kings. Battles were hundreds or thousands of individual duels and nobles became known throughout the land for their battle prowess. Achilles and Hector, Ajax, and Odysseus were all heroes of the Archaic Age where they gained great prestige through their skill in battle or cunning and intelligence. There was no such thing as democracy. Kings and nobles ruled. As only the kings and nobles could afford the best armor and have the leisure time to train, it was these men that stood out in war. All things change with time though. A new kind of soldier and warfare emerged that would dramatically alter the course of Greek history and, arguably, the world.

The hoplite developed as the common soldier and helped usher in the Classical Age of Greece. A hero of ancient Greece may be powerful but a wall of men, each protecting each other with their shields, could present a great warrior with no opening to attack. Over time, the method of war composed of noble duels and nameless grunts gave way to the hoplite and phalanx (for more information on both the hoplite soldier and the phalanx formation, see corresponding document). During battle, each man in a phalanx was equally prepared to give his life and face the dangers of war to protect his family and home. As a result of this, each man began to see himself as equal outside of war as well. Nobles and kings could no longer claim the glory as they no longer contributed to battles. The common man grew in status and equality and over time, the concept of democracy was born.

Not only was the phalanx and armored hoplite able to defend Greece from Persian invasions, but, with the development of democracy and more equal status to everyone (at least to free men who owned property), the culture of Greece was able to bloom and prosper along with the cities of Greece. Sparta, however, was left behind in this bloom of culture. Ever traditional, Spartan law forbad all Spartan males from any profession other than that of war. This enabled Sparta to become incredibly powerful and influential on the field of battle and in Greek politics for a while but left them severely lacking in any developments of culture. As time went on and tactics evolved along with technology, Sparta's rigid structure became its downfall. Once it no longer had the military power to dominate Greece, its influence drastically fell and, eventually, so did the city itself.

The phalanx was the most powerful fighting formation in the world for several hundred years. When Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great upgraded and rearranged the phalanx it was able to help bring down the largest ancient civilization in existence, Persia. This opened up both Greece and the Middle East to each other and much of the known world, forever altering the cultures and civilizations of the peoples affected. Just like Sparta's rigidness, however, the phalanx's lack of ability to adapt became its downfall. Like much of the Mediterranean world, Greece was eventually conquered by the Romans whose highly flexible and adaptable battle formations defeated the rigid Greek formations. Greek culture, however, was so influential and advanced that the Romans incorporated most of it into their own culture and civilization. Over a thousand years later, Greek and Roman culture became the catalyst that propelled Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.


http://EzineArticles.com/6498081

Monday, October 3, 2011

An Introduction to the Akkadian Civilization

The Akkadians were a group of Semitic people from the Arabian Peninsula at the time the great Sumerian city-states were flourishing. These people eventually migrated north, where they encountered the Sumerians. Around 2350 BC, an Akkadian military leader, Sargon (Sharukkin-"the rightful ruler") conquered the Sumerian city-states and built an Akkadian Empire, creating the world's first empire. It included most of Sumer and stretched as far as Lebanon, Syria, Anatolia, and western Iran. Akkad (from Agade) was the capital, which became the basis for the name of the people and of the language.

The Akkadian Empire had a centralized government under the authority of the king, the royal court, and the high class of priests. Sargon was mostly responsible for this development. A strong economy was the empire's foundation and Sargon and his court were in the middle of the economic activity, unlike in Sumer, where the priests had more say on matters economic. Their economy was heavily dependent on agriculture; their farmlands were very productive because of an efficient system of irrigation. The productivity of their farmlands enabled the empire's population to increase. Their agricultural products were abundant, but the empire was short on everything else. Timber, metal ores, and building stones had to be imported. Sargon's military conquests, however, expanded the boundaries of the empire, eventually including the regions that were sources of these precious commodities. The king brought great wealth to the empire, which spawned a large number of bureaucrats and administrators, in the process creating the first bureaucratic organization. This bureaucracy enabled him to rule the empire more efficiently.

The Akkadian civilization was an extension of the Sumerian civilization; their society was similar to the Sumerians'. The status of women generally was similar to that of the women in Sumer, although the legend of the "sacred female" started during this period. Sargon even appointed his daughter Enheduanna as high priestess to the goddess Inanna. Incidentally, Enheduanna may have been the world's first published poet. Her poems, extolling gods and goddess, are estimated to be around 4300 years old.

Sumerian gods and goddesses were given Akkadian names. However, the role of temple priests and priestesses were diminished. Sargon became the mediator between the people and their gods and goddesses. These gods and goddesses had human form, and had human qualities; they could be foolish, intelligent, shy, humorous, jealous, or angry. These deities were derived from nature, which was understandable considering that life in Mesopotamia was controlled by nature. In trying to understand nature, they gave human shapes to the forces of nature. Thus, they had An, the god of sky, Enlil, the god of air, Nanna, the moon god, and Utu the sun god. The Mesopotamians believed that these gods created the universe and everything it contained, including, of course, humans. They also believed that men and women were created by gods to serve the gods-to make sacrifices to them, to clothe them, to honor and obey them. This religion, however, did not have any laws about ethics or morality. Good and evil were left for people to discover on their own. Humanity-according to early Mesopotamians-exists to serve the gods, who were responsible for the smooth running of the affairs of humanity and of the world in general. They ruled the world through their representative; in Akkadian civilization, this meant Sargon.

Besides having a comparatively sophisticated agriculture that included irrigation and the use of plows, Akkadians had also discovered a method of casting bronze. They also use mud bricks in building houses and temples, and had an advanced pottery industry.

Formal education during this era was practical and aimed primarily to train priests and scribes. Education started from basic reading, writing, and religion, then higher learning in law, medicine, and astrology. Upper class youths were usually prepared to become scribes, ranging from copyists to librarians to teachers. Excavations also revealed that schools for priests were as numerous as temples, indicating not only the importance of priests in Mesopotamian society, but also the thoroughness of priestly training.

Art of the Mesopotamian people including Akkadians had during this period attained a high degree of refinement; a bronze head of a king, which scholars think may be of Sargon, was excavated in Nineveh (ancient capital of Assyrian empire). It is thought to be around 2300 to 2200 BC. This head is considered as one of the great masterpieces of ancient art. Another example is the two cylinder seals that date back to the time of Sargon, which are among the most beautiful examples of its kind. A relief sculpture of Naram-Sin (Sargon's grandson) shows him in one of his military triumphs. Many clay tablets that were excavated in various places in Iraq contained the ancient Mesopotamians' literature, mostly poems and hymns to their gods and goddesses.

Sargon reigned for fifty-six years (from 2335 to 2279 BC) and his son Rimush, who was later killed in a palace revolt, succeeded him. Another son, Manishtushu was also killed in another palace revolt. The last king in the Akkadian Dynasty, which lasted about a century, was Naram-Sin, and was the first to claim kingship by divine right. His downfall, and that of the whole empire, was thought to be due to the invading armies from the east, called Gutians. Recent findings however found evidence that a drought that lasted for 300 years was the main cause of the empire's demise.

Scientists discovered evidence that the downfall of the Akkadian Empire started around 2200 BC. This civilization was heavily dependent on agriculture; a drought that occurred during this period severely weakened production, and subsequently caused the decline of the empire. People fled and moved south where agriculture was still sustainable. There was a revival of Sumerians' former glory, but it did not last long. Eventually, new conquerors followed the footsteps of Sargon, and united the city-states of the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia).


http://EzineArticles.com/6499201

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Genetically Modified Crops May Be the Only Way to Feed 10s of Millions of Starving Africans

As the coordinator for a think tank which happens to operate online, we talk about the challenges that mankind faces moving off in the future. We also touch upon some of the challenges we are dealing with today. When folks think and talk about NGOs, and large nonprofit organizations on the African continent, generally folks talk about HIV-AIDS, water supply, farming, the need for jobs, and starvation. It's not always a pretty picture, and there are a tremendous number of humans living on that continent - a continent which can be rather unforgiving at times, and completely seasonally cyclical.

Indeed, I doubt there's anyone on this planet which wants to see other human beings suffer, and the United States has certainly been generous with food shipments, and monies to African nations. Almost to the point of causing unintended consequences because of our generosity and the abundance of the gifts we give. There are also economic forces afoot here in America which could likely curtail the monies that flow into Africa from our government.

That's completely understandable considering there are some folks there who are using our money flow to do bad things. Still, there is a lot of good being done too, and whereas, it is practically a proverb that; "beggars can't be choosers," we also see some of that too. For instance, there seems to be a rebellious nature against giving free Genetically Modified food to Africans or genetically modified seeds so they can grow their own food in abundance. Despite what you might believe about GM foods and GM seeds, you must also realize that when people are starving they need something to eat pretty badly.

There was an interesting news piece about NGOs and genetically modified crops on SciNev Net recently, posted on August 10, 2011 titled; "Drought persuades Kenya to import GM maize," written by Peter Kahare which stated;

"Kenya's government has made a controversial move to allow the import of genetically modified (GM) maize from South Africa to fight hunger and starvation, even though GM crops cannot yet be legally grown in the country. The UN estimates that 2.5 million people in Kenya are in urgent need of food, a figure expected to rise to three million soon. The government said that GM maize can be imported on condition that it is not used as seed; that products are clearly labeled; and that it is certified by the National Biosafety Authority."

It is good that finally some realization has come to this issue, and they are allowing the food in that they need to help them survive. GM crops may be the only way to get caught back up with this terrible starvation problem, at a time when the cost of food commodities has risen sharply, while the main donor nations of the world are cutting back their allotments of money, due to economic factors, to the giant NGOs which are feeding starving Africans. Indeed I hope you will please consider this, and understand the logic behind the GM debate, and why this is necessary.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,500 articles by August 24th or 25th will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..


http://EzineArticles.com/6500305

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Choices We Face

A crossroads... what a nice, simple concept. You're on a journey along a road and get to a place where you need to choose whether you this way or that way, black or white, yes or no. It's such a convenient analogy and at times to be sure it's appropriate. Art is a journey and sometimes you do reach a crossroads that is a clear choice, so often though we are not travelling as on a road but are adrift on the open sea, we have a course but are influenced by forces beyond our control and can end up drifting off in an unexpected and unwelcome direction.

It's so easy to drift into bad habits, I've recently caught myself taking my art for granted, I've been pushing myself hard to produce work for my coming exhibition and have found I've developed a 'that'll do, next!' attitude to my paintings. Where the hell did that come from?...and how will 'that do' exactly? Will it do because it's saleable? because it's up to a certain standard that I've come to expect my art to adhere to? Sounds a lot like a feeling of complacency to me, something an artist has no business experiencing.

Just this morning I read a post on t'internet from a gallery owner about being spammed by aspiring artists who tell him that their art will be just the thing for his gallery, he went on to say, quite rightly of course, that a gallery cannot simply display anything that any artist thinks is worthy, the business doesn't work like that and on the whole aspiring artists need a bit of business acumen. There is of course a large element of truth in that, if you want a gallery to display your work then you'll need to conform to the gallery's standards, they know their market after all. If you want your art to sell then you need to produce work that appeals enough to buyers that they buy it. I can't help though to feel a bit uncomfortable about this though, of course we have to compromise ourselves to some extent. If we accept a commission we are probably working with a subject that is not one we would have chosen, sometimes it's necessary to 'brute force' such work to get it done.

This is one of those areas where there is no definite choice but a subtle shift in direction. We don't decide to never paint what we want and how we want to but to cynically turn out work that conforms to a sensible model that is appropriate, saleable, complements the galleries wall decor etc, where we decide that inspiration, wonder, experimentation all get thrown out in favour of grinding out pretty pictures. What happens is that it's easy to get lazy, to slowly slide into a way of painting that 'ticks the boxes' without even realising it's happening until one day you look at the work you're doing and say 'what the hell's all this stuff?'

What's to be done though to prevent this slide into conformity, even into mediocrity? You have to pay your way. How far are we prepared to let ourselves slip, to slowly compromise our work to gain a modicum of critical & financial success as an artist? Once we've developed enough skill to consistently turn out crown pleasing work then it's very tempting to do so at the expense of what you could become if you stuck to your guns, didn't give an inch and painted what and how you were inspired to paint.

At some level we all know that that's how you become great, not by knowing which arses to kiss and pickling cows and such but by being absolutely honest and 100% dedicated to our vision, our ideas in art.


http://EzineArticles.com/6506462

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Triquatrain And Pantoum Poetry

The ghostly ship ( fantasy)

In the blue sky height, the red strange sun's waves of light
Rend here and there the painful horizon making it to be mobile.
Touching the Southern Bight, they seem to reach the night,
Making the sea to be as empowered and as blue as a noble.

The sea waves transgress, diaphanous moonlight illuminates the Ness
And cannot displace the waves of the painful horizon in universe.
The moon's whispers,nevertheless, can touch the sea with finesse.
The stars are sky's tears, their light is really true in reverse.

At the horizon's frontiers, from another life, a ship appears
To reach the ghostlike moonlit memories on the shoreline.
The past sinks its fears into the inaudible music of the spheres.
We're on that illusory ghostly ship and you are forever mine.

Note:

Triquatrain

The Triquatrain form was created by Robert L. Huntsman. It is a quatrain poem in tri-rhyme with a specific rhyming pattern (see below). Lines 1 and 3 have internal rhyme whereas lines 2 and 4 do not.

Rhyme Pattern:

(a,a)b(c,c)b

(d,d)e(f,f)e

(g,g)h(i,i)h

My poem has the Rhyme Pattern:

(a,a)b(a,a)b

(c,c)d(c,c)d

(e,e)f(e,e)f

The mirror

Human values

Mirrored images
Engrossed in self
Magic imago,

Mirrored minds
Engrossed in self
No moral code,

Minded mirrors
Engrossed in self
Imago of banked souls,

Awakened souls
Engrossed in self
No nourishment,

Graffiti walls
Magic in the mirror
Engrossing secret codes,

Erosion of values
Image deterioration,
Anarchy consuming

Human values.

Summer's Dance (Pantoum)

Summer rainbow's ribbon still stretches in the blue rain
As green snakes dance to the tune of charmer's jazz flutes.
Blue butterflies chase velvety bumblebees singing duets in vain,
Summer laughs around red velvety roses and green fruits.

As green snakes dance to the tune of charmer's jazz flutes
Summer's ends her path over meadow, with a dream of green.
Summer laughs around red velvety roses and green fruits,
Moon shines behind the barrier of cloud's fence, as a queen.

Summer's ends her path over meadow, with a dream of green
Into the autumn's sky with puffs of cotton clouds and floating light.
Moon shines behind the barrier of cloud's fence, as a queen.
And dancing green shadowy sprites appear all round the sight.

Into the autumn's sky with puffs of cotton clouds and floating light,
Blue butterflies chase velvety bumblebees singing duets in vain.
And dancing green shadowy sprites appear all round the sight.
Summer rainbow's ribbon still stretches in the blue rain.


http://EzineArticles.com/6506857

Friday, September 23, 2011

Watercolor Painting Technique: Planning Your White Spaces

In watercolor painting, the unpainted shapes are very important. These are the places the artist has planned ahead of time to represent the white areas of the painting. The eye naturally goes to "whites" first, especially if these are areas of high contrast. It is necessary to plan these areas in advance, and not to let them become just an afterthought; the whites need to be part of your overall design. A single white area is not enough in your composition. You will want to have a pattern of whites (in three or more areas of your watercolor) to keep your work balanced. I often find it helpful to look at my initial value sketches upside down, to determine where I might need more white space in my composition.

Once you have decided how much white paper to leave, and where it works best in your composition, you can fill in the values of the remaining shapes. Make sure to vary the sizes and shapes of all the elements of your painting. Your whites can now be adjusted slightly to bring either a warm or cool variation to your scene. For instance, part of a white "shape" (this could be a house for example) in the distance, may be given a cool Cobalt Blue glaze, which will push it further back in your composition, as part of your background. It will still seem like a white house to your viewers, but with a subtle coolness. A very thin wash is all that will be needed here.

The same thing applies to whites in the foreground of your composition. These can be given a soft warm glaze made by mixing Aereolin Yellow and Rose Madder Genuine together. Apply a single layer of this color to a portion of a white element in your foreground. I prefer to wait until much of my painting is complete to add these subtle touches to my whites. This way I am careful not to overdo when altering the whites. These glazes should be very delicate.

Another way to give the whites in your painting a warm or cool cast, is by purposely placing a complementary color adjacent to it. For example, to make a patch of a white dog's fur seem warm, place a cool blue-gray next to this area. This will create a warm glow. In other parts of the animal's fur, use the ideas described above, varying your cool and warm sections. Your watercolor dog will have many different "whites" making him much more interesting to look at!

When altering your watercolor whites, remember less is definitely more!

Sue Doucette
http://www.capecodwatercolor.com/
I have been painting with watercolor for twenty-five years, and I'd like to share with you what I have learned. Many artists wish to keep their "tricks of the trade" secret, fearing you will become the better painter. My hope is that you will come to love painting with watercolor as much as I do!

Pleas visit my website http://capecodwatercolor.com/ and read my monthly Hints For Artists. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.


http://EzineArticles.com/6496433

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Sacagawea Legends - Which One Of The Two Accompanied The Corps of Discovery Westward and Back?

In the early 1800's, it was still common for trappers and fur traders, even the prominent ones, to have Indian wives in different tribes. Sacagawea's husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, was no different. He had two Shoshone wives, including Sacagawea, when he joined the Corps of Discovery together with their newborn son, Jean Baptiste, in 1805. His other wife stayed behind. And then, years after the expedition, he was known to have had as many as six wives.

Post-expedition history.

About three years after the expedition, Toussaint and Sacagawea moved from their ND native village to St Louis so William Clark could keep his promise of educating their now-weaned young son. Toussaint would also try his hand at farming the 320 Missouri acres there awarded to him as a crew member by congress. Sacagawea would track her son, and fit into the village life the best she could.

It did not work out. Toussaint decided he was not a farmer, and sold his land to Clark. Also, Sacagawea was known for imitating the life there by wearing hand-me-down clothing. She probably was having language difficulties as well. At the time, she was not well-known nor appreciated by the white world.

Two years later (1811), Henry Brackenridge, a lawyer, writer, and traveling fur dealer, saw her and Toussaint together. He wrote in his journal that she was a good creature, mild and gentle, but had become sickly, and wanted to revisit her native country. Later that year, he wrote that both Sacagawea and Toussaint were living at Fort Manuel, SD. They had indeed returned.

Toward the end of the next year, this Sacagawea was dead. On December 20, 1812, a clerk at the Fort Manuel, John Luttig, recorded that the wife of Charbonneau, a Snake (Shoshone) squaw, died of a putrid fever. He wrote, she was a good and the best woman in the fort, aged about 25 years, and she left a fine infant girl. Sacagawea was buried on the fort grounds outside of the stockade. Not long after that, her legend began to grow. No one wanted to believe she was gone.

Five facts confirming her death.

Her good character described above parallels why she received praise and protection from the captains during the expedition, and why they felt obligated to her. Her death age is correct. She was about 19 when the journey ended in 1806. Earlier, during the outgoing journey itself, she had become deathly ill with a high fever and low pulse. Standard medications did not help her any. Luckily, she was given water from a sulfur spring. That cured her for the remainder of the expedition. However, this ailment could be what hurt her health later, especially during the birthing of her second child, Lizette. In August of 1813, official records in St Louis show Clark adopted both of her children, a boy of about 10 and a girl of about one. For this adoption to have taken place legally, the children's parents had to have been known dead. Sacagawea was, and Toussaint was thought to have been killed during an Indian raid. Later, it was learned he survived. Clark was in a position to know of her whereabouts. Near 1826, he noted on a list of the expedition members: "Se-car-ja-we-au Dead."

Who was the second legend?

According to certain oral histories, this one spoke of helping white men on a lengthy journey west. She also had a peace medal, which was like the ones given to the tribal chiefs during the expedition. She eventually left the Comanche tribe she had joined, and made her way back to her Shoshone people where she died in 1884.

Yet, if her supposed ages of 78 or 100 are subtracted from 1884, she was either born the same year the expedition ended, or she was 21 when she joined the expedition in 1805. The real Sacagawea was about 16-17 when she joined the Corps with her husband and newborn son.

Also, a ND Native-American scholar on Sacagawea, Dr. Amy Mossett, thinks the second one could have been one of Charbonneau's later wives, possibly the Ute one. Mossett has researched numerous tribal histories thoroughly, and found them to be conflicting and confusing. Still, this theory makes sense.

For one thing, white men's legends and rumors are also devoid of documentation, and are embellished and confusing for varied reasons. Additionally, this later wife could have easily acquired knowledge of the journey and a peace medal from her husband who had made that journey.

Conclusion. In agreement with most of today's historians, the real Sacagawea died at Fort Manuel, SD, in 1812, after serving successfully on the expedition. For more information on Sacagawea or the expedition, see these websites.


http://EzineArticles.com/6508876

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Ancient Greek Warfare - The Phalanx

Classical Phalanx

Drums beat in the distance, keeping the rhythm of the advance. The hot Greek sun beats down on you under your heavy armor and equipment. The overlapping shields of you and your fellow soldiers keeps you locked into formation, steadily advancing towards your enemy. Several yards out from the enemy line, the order is given to charge. You crash into your opponent's shield with a sickening crunch, the pushing match has begun. Friendly soldiers behind you push you harder into the enemies' shields as their allies do the same for them. Placing your left soldier and thigh against the rim of your shield, you push with all your might as you stab through the cracks in the shield wall with your spear. The rank behind you stabs over it. Welcome to phalanx warfare.

Battles would continue like this for over an hour with many men being crushed to death, suffocating in the heat, or being speared by the enemy. Eventually, the line on one side would break and the men would scatter, knowing the battle was lost. These pushing matches were how many experts believe Greek warfare was fought during the late Archaic Age and all during the Classical age, with little variation. But first, what exactly is the phalanx?

The phalanx can best be described as a long line of heavily armored men moving in rhythm with each other. As hoplites carried massive shields, these would overlap with the shields of the men next to each hoplite. You defended the man to your left with your shield and the man to your right defended you. This created a solid wall of bronze with iron tipped spears poking out. Drums or other kinds of musical instruments kept the rhythm for the advance. If anyone ran ahead or fell behind, the solid line would be incomplete and severely weakened as a result. Since the phalanx required much concentration and cohesion to maintain, it was only effective at a walk or slow charge and even then, only on flat even ground. Uneven terrain would break up the shape in a heartbeat. In addition to this, attacked from the sides or rear, the phalanx was slaughtered and as this formation was so slow, being attacked in the flanks was a very real threat.

Despite these flaws, in head on engagements almost nothing could penetrate the solid wall of the phalanx except for another, larger phalanx. The typical phalanx was eight men deep, that is, eight rows of men, and any number of men wide. There are instances of both less and greater ranks of men in various battles though. The hoplite's main weapon was a spear between seven to nine feet long. With spears this long, the first two ranks of men would be able to reach the enemy with their spears. Deeper rows would serve as both reinforcements if front row men fell and as pushing weight used to keep pressure on and break the enemy's line. As a greater physical force than the opponent was required to win, sometimes there would be veteran soldiers in the very rear of the phalanx with swords drawn to "prod" their men on and keep them from faltering.

Macedonian Phalanx

Philip II of Macedon saw both the potential and limitations of the Greek phalanx and sought to improve it and make it truly unstoppable. He created the sarissa, a spear 18 feet long and held in both hands, rather than the hoplite's one. As a result, five rows of men could present their sarissa to the enemy! That means there were more spears in the front row than there were targets for them to skewer! The flip side of the coin, however, is that as both hands were required to wield the deadly sarissa, a large shield could no longer be used. A much smaller, lighter shield was strapped to the arm or done away with completely; as was most of the heavy armor. With five rows of spear points presented no enemy could be able to get close enough for the soldiers to need armor. He called his new infantry phalangites, rather than hoplites.

In addition to reinventing the phalanx, Philip II of Macedon added a very heavy and very deadly cavalry element to his army to compensate for the phalanx's lack of flexibility, speed, and mobility. He added javelin throwers and heavy infantry in addition to a large variety of other soldiers, all in an effort to make his army more flexible and adaptable. With this army he easily defeated Greek phalanx armies and was able to gain political power over Greece. Upon his death, his son, Alexander, took over Macedon and with the powerful phalanx and army developed by Philip, Alexander went on to conquer the Persian empire. The phalanx, with its mobile yet heavy cavalry wing, helped create the empire of Alexander the Great.

The End

Ultimately, the phalanx's lack of flexibility, slow speed, and enormous vulnerability on the flanks led to its demise. Roman armies, using highly adaptable formations and advanced battle tactics, were able to defeat the phalanx in all its variations. They exploited its weaknesses and avoided its strength and wound up conquering all of Greece, an achievement never before done. After centuries of total domination of the battlefield, the phalanx became obsolete. It should be noted, however, that various alterations of the phalanx were used in wars and armies millennia later, albeit limitedly.


http://EzineArticles.com/6498301

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Poems (Fibonacci, Sonnet, Haiku)

FIBONACCI WORD UNIT AND LINE UNIT PALINDROME POEM

It
is
Rats' star,
Drawn onward,
No devil lived on.
Blessed are they believe they are blessed.

MY DEAR FRIENDS, A PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION

'It's true for me, if I believe it.'
I may believe it, but it may be wrong.
It might be a lie.
So, I may believe that something is wrong,
Or I can refute to believe it, but it can be right.
'There's no right or wrong',
Or there is no truth for me.
Anyway, I must believe in something.
So, I need a virtue.
I need the truth.
Now, all I know is that I have a need.
Can anyone tell me,
Because I need to know,
'Can a virtue be taught? '

FOR JESUS

Shadows of HIS footprints are HIS words
And I love to enclose them all inside
In time
Shadows of HIS words are HIS thoughts
And I love to call them eternal
Because
"Thou shalt speak unto him, and put words
In his mouth:
And I will be with thy mouth,
And with his mouth,
And will teach you what ye shall do." (Exodus 4:15)
And shadows of His thoughts are HIS words
Because His thoughts are incommensurable
And shadows of HIS words are HIS footprints
Because we will become land
And
Because we will be the land needing HIS footprints...

FIVE HAIKU POEMS

Regret

Don't regret the past
It happened for a reason,
So, just look forward.

Life

Eat not to dullness,
Drink not to elevation,
Think innocently

Natural things

In this common world,
Draw new virtues from above
For natural things

Success

So many people
Work long hours,even weeks,
Without successes.

Ethic

To use moral sense
For the betterment of selves
Is quite immoral.

THE END OF TIME (TERZA RIMA SONNET)

I pray, although it's the end of the time,
The angel wakes up to flutter his wings.
Fluffing up the cloud's pillow, he's sublime.

Snowflakes are the angel's feathers, like springs.
They dance with the wind of change, in despair.
The sky glows pinky in the shades of things.
We're like icy trees screaming at the air,
With icy leaves and crystal hearts, we dream
The crystals of wept tears in our prayer.
Within sky vastness is our bleeding scream,
Digging early graves in the war of crime,
While our thread of love weaves wounds for life's gleam.
I pray, although it's the end of the time,
Fluffing up the cloud's pillow, he's sublime.


http://EzineArticles.com/6439077

Monday, September 12, 2011

Watercolor Papers - An Overview

Watercolor paper comes in many different forms. There are blocks of paper, full sheets (measuring 22"X30"), half sheets, sketchbooks and pads. It may also be purchased in a long roll, 42" wide, which may then be cut to any length you desire. The papers have many different surfaces and weights, and are most commonly "cold pressed" or "hot pressed". A gelatin sizing is added to the paper, either during or after its production, to make it less absorbent. Without the sizing it would be overly absorbent and become "soggy" when watercolor was applied.

"Cold pressed" watercolor paper has a medium texture to its surface. It's neither smooth nor rough, and is my personal favorite. Once the paper has been made, it is pressed through cold cylinders to flatten it; hence its name.

"Hot pressed" watercolor paper is pressed through heated cylinders at the end of their production, yielding a smooth, slick surface. The paint seems to move around a bit on it before settling in.

Many sheets of watercolor paper have lovely deckled edges. These irregular borders are a result of the paper making process and give it character. Whenever I need to make a smaller piece, from a full sheet, I carefully tear along the line I have made, rather than cut it. Although this edge won't be nearly as nice as the deckled ones, it is somewhat rough and much preferred to a cut edge.

When choosing a watercolor paper, you will notice a weight in its description. The higher the number, the heavier the paper. This number is derived from stacking 500 completed sheets, and then weighing the stack. For example, there is 140 lb paper and 300 lb paper. The three hundred pound paper won't buckle when wet, making it easier to work with, but of course is more expensive.

I always use 140 lb paper and get around the buckling issue in two ways. The first is to lightly wet the back of the paper before painting on the front. This helps to keep the paper from curling while I am painting. The second thing I do is when I have finished painting for the day, I evenly dampen the back of my work, then place it between two sheets of masonite board flat on the floor. I then place five one gallon jugs, filled with cement, on top of the masonite. Any heavy objects would do, such as stacks of books. In the morning I have a perfectly flat painting.

Sue Doucette, Artist/Author
http://www.capecodwatercolor.com/
I have been painting with watercolor for twentyfive years, and would like to share with you what I have learned. Many artists wish to keep their "tricks of the trade" secret, fearing you may become the better painter. My hope is that you will come to love painting with watercolor as much as I do!

Please visit my website http://www.capecodwatercolor.com/ and check out my monthly Hints For Artists. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.


http://EzineArticles.com/6506498

Friday, September 9, 2011

Interring Intruding Thoughts and Dancing Around The Fire (2 Poems)

I would like to get comments on these two poems I wrote. Lately I've been trying to incorporate narratives into my poems, and I would like to know what people think about these. I write mainly as a hobby but I would like to get better, so all criticism is welcome.

Interring Intruding Thoughts

Could someone sweep this floor?

The question lies in a coffin
At the door of my consciousness.
A sturdy, ash wood, unmovable coffin
At the door of my consciousness,
Restricting thoughts
To the dirty corridor.

My neighbor glances
At his dad's image,
Covers eyes faintly
Reddened by tears
As memories break
Through levees thought
To hold them back.
His lids are shut.

Mine are wide.
I can't stop looking
As flies swarm
The golden tassel,
Clinging to the cob, as newborn
maggots to decayed skin.

As he speaks,
I imagine the thing
Rotting, changing
From gold and green
To a brown, smelly broth,
A feast for the earth below.

Feet shuffle on the sand.
Condolences, small talk
To ward off grief.
Family comes
From the house, shadowy
Faces attempt to smile.

"Good sitting." they say,
One after the other
As they pass. By
The third time, I realise
What the phrase means:
Thanks for coming.
We don't see much of you.
We don't know what to say,
Least know how to say.
But we are here to help.
Whatever you need, ask.

Could you clean this mess?

The question whispers
Through the coffin lid,
Inaudible.

And as it's time to go,
Stepping out the gate,
I think:
Could I have asked
To help
To clean the floor?

Dancing Around The Fire

I approach the smoke hoping to find food
What they could be roasting, I wonder.
A rabbit family in its prime: plucked
From the barn of a village farmer.
Or a goat: one of the many that roam
The streets, idly gnawing at the women's laundry
Having finally found a better use.
Or even better: an elk... in Africa?
I am delirious now. I should hurry.
Whatever it is, sweet juices will be streaming from it
And I shall thank God for his good grace: I am alive.

I have been walking for half
A day, the balls of my feet
Torn, my left arm enshrouded
In a constellation of shrapnel
Though I can feel it no more.
Only a few hundred metres to go.

Their village entrance has been blown to dust
And half the thatch in town has been burned,
Houses abandoned, left to burn
Just like mine has. But there is joy here
They are celebrating a victory
They were more fortunate than I was:
They pushed back the rebels' guns and jeeps,
Protected their girls from sure rape
And revel in their victory( as they should)
Though that smell is still here;
The same smell that soaked my sister's burning body.
They lost some dear ones too. Not many
From what I see: Only a few bodies
Soaked in red water, their final baths.

I see the people dancing around the fire
They have their guns raised obove their heads
Waving them at the sky like the black smoke from the flames
They are wearing military
Trousers and casual white shirts.
I can see it tied in the fire: my redemption.
Sounds of joy falling from the dancers.
It has been attached, feet together
Glazing in the sun
It writhes free and runs out of the flames
They push it back in and it stays there
That smell again.
I must be delirious. For a moment
I thought I saw the shape of lunch
And lunch was a man.

I opened a blog fairly recently where I share poems.

If you liked these poems and want to read more or if you prefer commenting directly on the blog then go to

http://robbyspoeticcorner.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you there.


http://EzineArticles.com/6493932

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My Dilemma

Temperature rising, pressure through the roof
This dilemma is the cause of the stress I'm going through
My baby's daddy claims to love me
After I've finally found another man,
The thing that destroys me is that I know I shouldn't care
But as I try to ignore it and stay right where I am
The text messages through my phone have me stuck in space like damn
I thought I wouldn't care if he ever came around
I thought I wouldn't mind not being with my father of my child
But as I look into statistics and evaluate my families past
I realize that I want different than what most people have had
I want a happy home, where my family can live in peace
Share last names and go out of town to relax on a beach
So my minds so far gone as I think of the perfect picture
Though I know what I have is good, and what we have is content
I just know that the fact that I have a child will prevent him from staying in
He acts as if he can handle being second,
Because my child will forever come first
But deep down I know it hurts, he wanted to ejaculate in me first
What's done is done and I have a child the relationship is great though it gets quit mild
But if I deceive our love, then my ex just runs over my heart
I know you won't want me back and that's the dilemma I can't reach facts
Like is this game my ex is playing real or is it fake
Does he really want us to work or is he holding on to old times sake?
It's a challenge, my mind is racing my ex is walking through the door
He said he wants to speak in person and I don't have time for rehearsing
So let's see what he wants to say and feed off his words with emotions...
I'm listening to him as he speaks, I'm shaking my head to whatever, I agree
The conversation is making me weak, the tears falling down my face brought me to my peak
I've broken down, my heart is too heavy, love is in the air but it's foggy so the image is blurry
I'm done trying to put the pieces together cause my hands are all full and I have no time to worry
So the conversation is through and I hope I've made the right decision,
Only God knows if I should've choose the other.


http://EzineArticles.com/6515623

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Watercolor Painting Styles: What's Yours?

Watercolor painting styles are unique and personal. There are as many styles as there are artists. Some paint very loosely, others "tightly" with a photographic quality to their artwork. Often artists will emulate other, more well-known painters. The paintings of Winslow Homer for example, tend to be very realistic with much detail. Many would-be artists of his time learned to paint by copying his work. In the 1800s "copyists" practiced duplicating Homer's paintings at the Louvre Gallery in Paris.

One of Winslow Homer's best known watercolors is "Breezing Up" (first titled, "A Fair Wind") It was said in 1876, when this picture was exhibited, that it was in a class of its own. As one review put it, "Its sincerity and cleanliness of idea served as an exemplary antidote to the venality and corruption of post-Civil War American political life." So not only was his actual painting style important but also the feelings it evoked following a difficult wartime.

A more modern artist Charles Reid, renders very loosely painted watercolors yet his compositions are well planned. He makes contour drawings of his subjects which emphasizes a linear quality. In these drawings he often attaches the subject to background shapes. This is done without explaining all of the subject's boundaries. It gives his work an interesting quality. His relationships between one form and another in his works are thought out in advance and the spirit of his subject is often captured through rhythm or gesture. These elements give Reid's watercolors a distinct look which is loosely painted. It may appear that he quickly and spontaneously completes a painting, when actually much preparation has gone into it.

A third modern artist Timothy J. Clark, has a style which I consider to be somewhere between that of Winslow Homer and Charles Reid. His watercolors have the same well planned compositions as the previously mentioned artists. His skill and knowledge of his medium are evident in his work which is neither photographic in nature, nor painted very loosely. His paintings have a painterly quality which one is able to recognize as his own style.

A good painting is not only well executed, but draws the viewer in to experience the emotion the artist is conveying. This can be accomplished with any style or technique, if the work is coming from the heart. My advice is to practice emulating any artists' work you like, but in the end just be you. You will find if you stay true to yourself, your own style will emerge; one which is uniquely yours.

Sue Doucette, Author/Artist

http://www.CapeCodWatercolor.com/

I have been painting with watercolor for twenty-five years, and would like to share with you what I have learned. Many artists wish to keep their "tricks of the trade" secret, fearing you will become the better painter. My personal hope is that you will come to love painting with watercolor as much as I do!

Please visit my website http://www.capecodwatercolor.com/ and read my monthly Hints For Artists. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.


http://EzineArticles.com/6500941

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Squirrels - The Plague of Southern Ohio in the Early 1800s

When we think about the dangerous animals faced by our pioneer ancestors, what comes to mind? Probably we would imagine wolves, bears, panthers, and poisonous reptiles. Few would consider the lowly squirrel! But for the early Ohio settlers, the squirrel was the cause of famine and suffering.

As pioneers moved into the Valley of the Paint in southern Ohio in the early 1800s, they immediately began to radically change the area's landscape. Cabins had to be built, fireplaces stoked, and fields cleared for planting. As a result, the great oak, beech, chestnut, and black walnut trees were cut down far and wide. Trees not needed for building were rolled to the vast fires and destroyed.

These trees, especially the nut-bearing ones, were the habitat and food source for the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of squirrels in the area. In short order, the squirrels were desperate for food. They turned to the easiest and most abundant food source-the pioneers' crops.

Seemingly overnight, hordes of the furry thieves stripped the fields of the young corn, wheat, and rye plants. The settlers and their families were now facing a winter of starvation. There were no general stores in this wilderness; the only food was what the pioneers grew for themselves. Many of the settlers hastily planted kitchen gardens of cabbages and turnips in order to have some provender for the harsh winter to come, while others, who had seed corn still, replanted their corn crop quickly, hoping for a small harvest before the snow came.

In addition to the squirrels' depredations, blight struck the remaining corn crop at the same time. Many suffered despite the assistance offered by those residents fortunate enough to have a little to spare. American pioneers always supported each other through extended family groups or as neighbors. This was the way before government stepped in to solve the country's problems. We took care of ourselves.

Highland County, in response to the settlers' complaints, put through a county levy in 1806. This levy required residents to turn in a specified number of squirrel scalps under penalty of law. Open warfare had been declared against the pests. Men headed into the remaining woods with muskets loaded and ready, along with bags to carry the small, furry bodies. Back at the cabins, the tiny scalps were carefully stored to meet the levy. No doubt, the carcasses ended up in the stewpot hung over the fireplace. Squirrel was a popular meat among the pioneers.

The harsh winter of 1807-08 nearly eliminated squirrels as a species in the Valley, and the levy was allowed to expire. The pioneers continued to subdue the wilderness and open the land to agriculture. The days of the great forests blanketing Appalachian Ohio were coming to an end. In their place now stood row upon row of tall corn plants and waving wheat. Civilization was on the march.

Although most people would name wolves or rattlesnakes as the worst danger to early Ohio pioneers, it was the squirrel that caused the most suffering. Man's effect on the rodents' food source led to crop loss and famine. The county act that required the killing of the squirrels, along with the settlers' sharing with their neighbors in need, helped the new community make it through the long, cold winter to come.

Donna Gruber Adair is a former teacher of high school English and creative writing with a degree in history. Her newest book, An American Odyssey, follows a real-life pioneer family in their journeys through Ohio, Indiana, and Kansas, finding adventure on the Santa Fe Trail, the Colorado Gold Rush, and the Civil War. Find it at Amazon.com in print or for download to Kindle or PC, or at http://www.createspace.com/3618194


http://EzineArticles.com/6491820

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Sir Henry Wotton And The Character Of Happy Life

A Brief Biographical Note:

Henry Wotton (1568-1639) was born in Kent and was the son of a country gentle man. He was educated at Winchester School and Oxford, where he went first to New College and then to Queen's College. He was a confidential agent and correspondent of the Earl of Essex, an eminent figure at the court of Queen Elizabeth. On his return to England, he was made one of Essex's secretaries and in 1594 he went to the Middle Temple to study law. Early in 1601, he fled from England on the failure of the revolt of Essex. In 1602, he made a romantic excursion under the false name, from Italy to Scotland where he was brought to the Scottish king, James VI, a report from Tuscany that there was a conspiracy to assassinate him.When James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English throne as James I of England, he showed his gratitude by knighting him immediately. Sir Henry Wotton served James as an ambassador for next twenty years at Venice. He defined an ambassador as 'an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.' He led an important mission in 1602, to the court of Emperor Ferdinand at Vienna to conduct negotiation on behalf of Jame's daughter, the Queen of Bohemia. Such experience favoured him to compose his loveliest poem "On His Mistress, the Queen of Bohemia". After retiring from foreign service, he was installed as provost of Eton College. King James never forgot his loyalty to himself and his daughter and gave him a generous pension in 1627 which was more than doubled three years later. The last fifteen years of Wotton's life formed a tranquil close to his eventful career, that of a truly distinguished diplomat, scholar and poet.

The Various Aspects of a Happy Life:

The Character of a happy life is deeply a religious poem by spirit. It concerns with the life and virtue of a good man. According to him,it is a happy man who gets birth in this world and it is more brilliant that he is taught here the knowledge based on selfishnessless, honesty, truthfulness and simplicity. All defends him from worldly filths and brightens his spirituality. Such teaching eradicates vanity and his existence feels him happy in his work.

The happy man never makes passions his masters. They will make him subordinate to his wills because they are concerned with mundane fame. Such passions expand his reputation in society and the inhabitants start secret talking about him. The honest man is eminent from all spiritual characters and does not worry of such public fame or secret talking. His existence never makes this world center but his inclination is to spirituality and this world is for time being. So his soul always remembers death and is prepared for it. It means that his virtual being is ready to welcome it because happy man knows it and is united. His passage is different and directs him to lords abode
The virtuous man or man of happy life is true and simple. His inner being or existence that is pure like a newly born baby. He never churns contempt for those whom chance favours. He is spiritually frank because he is not ambitious man. In the abode of simplicity and truthfulness, vice is not allowed. He is under the arch of love, virtue, simplicity and honesty where as vice never comes on such track. In such lovely life, praise is a great deception and is a mean of bringing vanity that makes great wounds in his spirit and physique. Such man has no will to rule over men but to rule over good.

In his poem, the virtuous man is happy not only in the promise of a heavenly reward but also in the enjoyment of a serene life of virtue in this world. His life is quite unusual and free from rumours. Rumour inflicts and annoys man kind. It brings restlessness and makes happy life noisy. His conscience is not weak but strong having an unfalling determination. In such state, cpnpiarcy and flattery never makes efforts to disturb or raises chance to upset him. So flatterers flee a way from his honest state. Not only this but also even oppressors never dare to ruin his glorious state.

There is likeness between this poem and Compion's The Man of Life Up Right. Both are concerned with the life and virtue of a good man. The honest or happy man is always satisfied and bows before God for His grace. He never acts like a selfish person. He is satisfied and thankful to Almighty Allah. When a person is completely devoted to God, the harmful days never appear. He enjoys all days with great spirit and love in the company of a religious book. The honest man accompanies great things based on spiritual directions and truthfulness,how his life can be miseable.

In last stanza, the poet jumps to conclusion that such man is free from slavery. He runs on virtuous and honest tracks never be exploded or derailed. All his hopes and fears are tied with it. He rules over him self but has no hope to rule the land. His happy life is waived with all good things, So it is his property that makes him glorious in this world as well as in the life here after.


http://EzineArticles.com/6502888

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Poetry - Writing the Perfect Love Poem For a Special Occasion

I love to write. It is one of my passions and when I am overcome with strong emotions, I feel the urgency to express those feelings in words. Whatever comes to mind, I put down on paper, thoughts, feelings, ideas. Then I begin to create in free verse as I believe a poem encapsulates emotions better than plain narrative text.

When writing, you must write with someone in mind. Are you conveying a message for a particular person? Is he or she someone special? Or are you writing to release your pent-up emotions? To share with your loved one or a stranger your feelings, your state of mind as you put your thoughts into words? If this is the case, they you need to convey your mood and the situation.

To do so you would need to choose your words carefully so that they can convey your feelings clearly. Your reader has to experience what you are feeling. You have to paint through your words the picture you want him to see. An artist chooses colors to paint his picture. A writer uses words to give his picture color.

The words a writer chooses to use would depend on his preferences. Will he use symbols, imagery, similes or metaphors to dress his message? When I write, I like to use personifications and imagery.

A person who creates a poem does have poetic licence which means he does not have to adhere to a fixed structure. For example, if I were writing a story, I would have to abide by correct grammar rules and proper sentence structures. However in a poem, I need not do that. I can reverse the word order, for example, instead of saying "Do not fear me", I can say "Fear me not".

In a poem, the poet can write on very personal subjects, close to his heart or even share his own experiences. Or he can write on general truths and add his personal comments.

Writing a poem requires mental discipline. To write a love poem, your theme has to be about love. Which aspect of love are you going to focus on?

Unrequited love, professing your love, joys of love, lost love, writing about your lady love?

Then you need to decide the form in which you will create your poem. Will it be a ballad, a sonnet or just free verse?

A ballad has a definite form, comprising four rhyming lines in one stanza. A sonnet has fourteen lines, comprising three four-line stanzas and a final couplet. If I'm creating a narrative poem, I usually choose to write in ballad form.

Poems are usually very personal and a poet's skillful use of imagery can create a vision that is unparalleled in a narrative. For example, in Robert Burns' song "A Red, Red Rose" he describes love which he compares to a beautiful red rose and a sweet melody.

" My luve's like a red red rose

That's newly sprung in June

My luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune "

We know that a red rose is a symbol of love and being in love is truly like the strains of a beautiful melody to which our hearts dance.

Shakespeare's love sonnet reads:

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate"

Which young lady will remain untouched by the romantic words above?

A poem requires an economy of words which have to convey different shades of meaning. It should lend itself to interpretations when read by others. One way of doing this is to make allusions to myths that have relevance to your message. For example, a man can compare himself to Orpheus if he wants to assure his lady love of his devotion and faithfulness. Orpheus went to Hades in search of his wife Eurydice who had died, to bring her back.

Writing the perfect love poem for a special occasion will draw upon your cache of vocabulary to create unique descriptions that will appeal to the person you are writing for. Most important of all, your feelings must come from the heart and be sincere.

Your first draft will never be the perfect poem. You will need to read it and re-write it a few times. Write your first draft, read it aloud and see how you like it. Re-write making improvements. Keep it aside for a couple of days and then return to it. Read it again and make further improvements until you are happy with it. I would like to share my poem entitled "The Jade Bangle" with you. It is about love, lost and found and never to be. It was published by Noble House Publishers in 2003 in the collection "Theatre of the Mind" under my maiden name Lim Seong Ngor.

The Jade Bangle

Lost years fade away

As you slide my soapy wrist

Into the jade bangle,

Never to come off.

Its perfect circle,

Symbol of love everlasting,

Binds me to you.

Its green hues the spring song,

Reflections of the heart's melody.

My constant companion for all time,

Its lustre warms me, comforts me,

My wrist forever encircled, embraced,

It is you clasping me close,

Forever entwined, forever green.

My trouble heart quickens, then soars.

© Lim Seong Ngor

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Peggy is the owner of http://www.beautifulsterlingsilvercharms.com/ For more information on beautiful sterling silver charms visit my website.


http://EzineArticles.com/6505681

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Poems Dedicated To The Rose

Scandinavian Rose

A poem inspired by my friendship with a lovely young lady from Norway by the name of Celina. It being her ways of the modern day teenager which gave me the idea for these particular phrases.

Scandinavian rose
maiden flower of Norse
pale as soft milk
adorned by ruby's silk
adored lustful adolescence
desire's youthful essence

Scandinavian rose
damsel's lips of sensuousness
young lady's tender caresses
lust's sweet bouquet
do the scenes coquet

Scandinavian rose
delicate taste of beauty
as palate of delight
feeds from Nordic deity
in charm of delight
sweet moisture of desire
be mine as passion of fire

Expressions Of Sonadora

A poem inspired by young lady of expressions in her face as to tell a story with every glimpse or whim of her eyes or mouth.

Dawn rises as morrow begins
slumber of night
still be upon my dreams
as Sonadora with angelic visage
of devious playfulness climbs upon

Mane with light of sun enflamed
crimson flows about my Sonadora
as waves in glory of deity
it be my sonadora to glow
as warm as twinkle
in sparkle ever bright

Lips glossy in lexis
assert sensuality
as with kiss of allure
acquaints upon my tenderness
Sonadora with delicacy of caress
delivers sweetness of adolescence
root of mine to awaken as with boldness
my Sonadora's tongue savors

My Sonadora be as visage of splendor
capturing wonder of coquet joy
my Sonadora as child with toy
desire in eye a azure
delivers upon my root
warmth of youthful sexuality

Oh, my Sonadora as Freia
with devotion she gazes
as my fingers dare
upon delicate tresses
of her crown
whilst lust cometh upon
growth of my longing

Beauty my Sonadora
be as painting of master
in act of sheer bliss
to be enhanced as
mirage in Sonadora's eyes

Devilish she care with glee
casting stare upon me
as in slide of body or fate's glide
she transform with lustful malice
descending upon my taste
with desire's red rose

Lips of flower's intimacy
does my Sonadora caress mine
teasing as if pleasing
while placing embrace
as queen upon throne

My Sonadora tempting with rose
does but permit palate of tongue
to rise as stroke delivered
provoking that I might reach fruit
beyond thus to descend
as feather in wind, fickle in ways
to my painful yearning

Ay Sonadora bring upon me
to despair as with devil of eyes
in jest comic she charm
scent of mine with fragrance
of her rose's perfume

My Sonadora's rose
have way upon mine
paradise does my senses
fervently imbibe from oasis
of my Sonadora drenching
with torrent passions as all
be wine of my Sonadora

Expression of my Sonadora
be as melody of symphony
in harmony of arousing
flashing images emerging
silk skin from my Sonadora
does take ways with mine

My Sonadora as damsel on steed
does she turn to gallop
as with haste my Sonadora
mount that mine might
intrude femininity's passage

Deepest of sensations
be our ride in clouds
as flight of rage commences
gaze of my Sonadora glistens
in pride as with force of Brunhilde
does my Sonadora reign upon servant
with hypnotic fashions of coquet

Storms of fury we face
with courage we pass
in boldness our crises
do we encounter
my Sonadora with fury
reaches conclusion of frenzy
my Sonadora with soprano of sigh
cries our aria in high
as nails of blood does ours end.

My name is Gianni Truvianni, author of many an article to be found on the internet along with the book "New York's Opera Society." My works also include the books "What Should Not Matter," "Love Your Sister" and several others which still remain unpublished though I am presently looking to change this.


http://EzineArticles.com/6512038

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Common Guitar Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

The significance of learning how to play guitar the proper way is unfathomable. You probably have wished to play guitar but never got the chance to get started. There are many instances that once you embarked yourself on trying this new adventure, next thing that comes along is the feeling of ambiguity. With the large number of people who can play guitar, it is still a fact that only few of them can play well.

If you're thinking that you are the only individual who can't seem to progress in mastering guitar, think again! There are many guitar lessons available online that you can take advantage for free. If you are still mulling over on staying to your perspective of pulling out your talent on guitar playing, you definitely need to know the three common guitar mistakes so you can avoid them.

Beginners commit some frequent mistakes which could lead into undesirable habits. In many instances, beginners are just preoccupied and have chosen to stay away from understanding the fundamentals of guitar playing. Given that, there are 3 awful guitar mistakes you need to avert if you really want to transcend yourself and bring your guitar playing exercise to the next level.

The first thing you need to avoid is the use of inadequate guitar. Learning how to play guitar professionally is a great reward. As a beginner, it is always imperative that you are well-versed on the instrument you are playing. You must choose quality guitar that does not need to be tuned every time you play it. This will give you an edge to exactly handle the instrument and play well. Using inadequate guitar seems to hold you back so getting the right instrument with the right strings and size can help you perform effectively. With just few alterations you can learn from a reliable guitar lesson tutorial, you will be empowered and become enthusiastic.

Secondly, there is actually a correct learning order, a 1st thing, 2nd thing, and even a 3rd thing to learn. The process of learning how to play guitar should be in the right track. Just like skipping rungs on a ladder, jumbling up the learning order causes a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering. It can even lead to bad habits that are nearly unfeasible to break.

The third and biggest guitar mistake a beginner must avoid while playing guitar is a variety of bad habits. Some of the awful guitar mistakes here include poor posture while practicing, tensing the muscles and incorrect hand placement. Beginners are usually stubborn, tolerating the practice of having awkward finger placement. Rhythm and timing are the two things that should always be corrected. You should learn the proper way on how to hold the instrument and pick, play a scale, change chords as well as common chord progressions that can be used to play songs.

Sooner or later, you will become more passionate to practice or even record your own guitar playing. There are guitar lessons online that are already created for beginners. It is highly suggested that new guitarists will start lesson one, spending a minimum of one week learning the exercises and songs in that lesson before moving forward. And, of course, avoid the 3 guitar mistakes mentioned above. In this way, you can absolutely enhance your skill and potential to become a professional guitarist or even a rock star!

To further your knowledge on guitar learning mistakes, visit http://www.starlandguitar.com/7-deadly-guitar-learning-mistakes and get the FREE 7-day course video.

Tomas Michaud is a guitarist, recording artist, entrepreneur, music educator. He is the owner and Music Director of the SF Bay Area's premier music education facility, Starland Music Center in Alameda, CA, and has taught or consulted with thousands of students over the past thirty years. He is the author of six CDs of Contemporary Instrumental World Music, and his latest, Beauty and Fire, has consistently charted in the top ten.


http://goarticles.com/article/Common-Guitar-Mistakes-and-How-To-Avoid-Them/5180249/

Friday, August 19, 2011

Illustration Is A Passion Not Only A Job!

If you have a talent for drawing and painting then you might want to go into a career as an artist or painter. This is something that does not pay that well at first and it is very hard to actually make it as a private artist. With the internet nowadays many people simply get prints made and you can look at graphic design as more of a lucrative career path. You can also get involved in illustration if you don't want to learn all the computer programs for graphic design.

Illustration is used in various places and you can find lots of jobs all over the world in film, animation, cartoons, magazines and books, education guides and more. All of these print media device use illustrators. It is quite easy to find jobs in this field and you can apply for many online.

Most of the time you will have to just prove that you are a good artist for them to hire you, but some companies do insist that you have a degree. If you are a great artist then you will have probably gone to fine arts school or completed a degree in arts of some kind.

For this you will have to have learnt about all kinds of drawing and illustration mediums including oil paints, pencil, chalk, charcoal, water color and other forms. You will also have learnt various different styles including cartoons, caricatures, landscapes, still life and abstract art.

When you start looking into the different jobs you can get as an illustrator you will find that the list is long. You will also get a good salary working in this field and the price will also be dependent on the industry you work for. The advertising industry is very lucrative but also quite stressful.

You can also get a very high paying position when you join a production company or animations studio. These will pay large sums of money and you can perhaps get some fame from this. You could become one of the illustrators on the next big animated movie.

When you have so many options at your fingertips you will probably need to think about what you need in terms of a job. If you want to be secure and stable then a job in advertising is quite good to go with and Australian Illustrator "Darren Pryce" is one who has chosen this job and now he is a well known illustrator of the Melbourne city. He has illustrated hundreds of designs for the personal to professional websites.

Visit the site and you can learn all about the illustration when you search the internet. You can discover what kinds of jobs are available and you can even apply online for many of them. You can do a search and come across plenty of job openings in your area. Website portfolio is one of the most important things that every artist or illustrator needs to have. This should contain a large number of different pieces that show off your style and versatility.

When you have so many options at your fingertips you will probably need to think about what you need in terms of a job. If you want to be secure and stable then a job in advertising is quite good to go with and Australian Illustrator "Darren Pryce" is one who has chosen this job and now he is a well known illustrator of the Melbourne city. He has illustrated hundreds of designs for the personal to professional websites.


http://goarticles.com/article/Illustration-Is-A-Passion-Not-Only-A-Job/5176112/