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hey, everyone. Dang, looks like it'll be pushed back again! I sure don't want to see Andy Rooney anymore.
Hi puddin I'm not sticking around for the commentary...not my time zone....speaking of bored, ya think this season is "over-spoiled" ummm......YEAH! Once you know the final three before the first episode airs, sure makes for a dull season. fwiw, enjoy!
See thats having a brightside for georgiapeach
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Dr Jeff Hutchings (m): The World Bank in October of last year released a report in which they estimate that overfishing costs the world economy 50 billion dollars every year and has cost the economy 2 trillion in the last thirty years.
HOST: Hallo, life-protecting viewers, and welcome to Planet Earth: Our Loving Home. On this edition we examine the very serious problem of overfishing and other harmful human activities that severely threaten the continued existence of our fish co-inhabitants. "Is the Sea Ours?" Produced by Greenpeace Brazil
Lawrence Wahba (m):I've been diving in these waters from our coastline for more than 30 years, since I was seven, eight years old. And nowadays we see much less fish than we used to before.
HOST: Due to intensive fishing over the recent decades, it is estimated that worldwide a staggering 90% of the ocean's largest fish are now gone. Numerous species are at grave risk of extinction.
A study conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found almost a third of sharks and rays are at risk of disappearing permanently.
Today, Dr. Guillermo Moreno, head of the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF's) Hong Kong Marine Program, Dr. Yvonne Sadovy, a marine scientist and professor at the University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Jeff Hutchings, a biology professor from Dalhousie University, Canada, among others, share their expert knowledge and observations about the survival of fish in our seas.
Dr Moreno (m): The level of depletion is really reaching scary levels around our oceans. Here is a picture showing the East coast of the US and the West coast of Europe. And in red we have got places where in the 1900s, there used to be many fish, and levels marked in blue show very low levels of fish. In a matter of 99 years we have managed to deplete the fish stocks in these areas.
Professor Sadovy (f): In the 1980s, we found that we were catching more fish than the fisheries could produce, and that's a state of overfishing. And yet we continued to develop our fisheries to catch more fish.
HOST: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in 2002 there were 4 million fishing vessels worldwide. With many fleets employing highly environmentally destructive methods such as trawling or dragging large nets behind boats and possessing high tech equipment to quickly and easily locate schools of fish; fish have been disappearing at an alarming pace.
Dr Jeff Hutchings (m): In Canada we have depleted Atlantic Cod off Newfoundland, off the northeast coast of Canada by 99%. Now what does that mean in terms of numbers of individuals? Well it means we've depleted more than 2 billion spawning individuals. And another way to compare that is to take 2 billion and multiply it by the average weight of cod and 2 billion cod is equal to about 27 million humans.
Dr Jeff Hutchings (m): The second species is called the American Plaice. This is a flatfish. It's like a sole or a flounder or a halibut. And off the northeast coast of Canada, this once widely distributed fish has declined 96%.
Dr Moreno (m): It is currently happening all over the world, in the Antarctic waters, in the Indian, Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, in every ocean in the world right now.
Dr Moreno (m): So what it means that is eventually we're going to end up with no fish in the oceans at this rate.
HOST: Governments are financially supporting fishing industries which also fuels the destruction of the ever dwindling fish populations.
Professor Sadovy (f): One of the key ones is something called subsidies. Many fisheries around the world are provided with funding from their governments, which help those fisheries continue, even when there's not enough fish.
For more information please visit the following websites:
Dr. Hutchings
Dr. Moreno and WWF Hong Kong
Dr. Sadovy


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Pay citation here if: 1.) less than 45 days 2.) plea is "no contest" 3.) not a PARKING ticket (See Parking Tickets)
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To find out if your traffic citation is in default judgment check with the Alaska Court System through CourtView.
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…Much More than Climate Change
Climate change is the crisis of our age, and it is about so much more than climate change. It goes to the heart of all issues around social, environmental and economic justice. It affects everyone and everything – while at the same time reflecting and exacerbating all the existing inequalities which people across the world are fighting against. As an international organisation, but with our feet planted in Bolivia, the Democracy Center is well positioned to connect local realities and resistance with the global community taking action on the climate crisis. Read on…
Climate change is about…impacts, causes and consequences
Materials from the Andean region on the complex nature of the climate crisis and its implications for human society.
Climate change is about…resilience and alternatives
Snapshots of local experiences and responses which contribute to the global process of developing more sustainable alternatives.
Climate change is about… taking effective citizen action
Resources to support the battles being fought at the grassroots level, as well as strategic solidarity within the broader international climate movement.
+ Links: Climate Activism Links to climate organizations and movements
+ Climate Archive See all posts related to climate


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Despite an increase in tools to fight them, thrips continue to be a formidable foe for cotton growers in the upper Southeast. And an increase in western flower thrips populations could create even more problems in managing these tiny pests in 2008.
In 2007, growers in the Carolinas and Virginia routinely sprayed twice for thrips, despite using one of several new seed treatments. Even growers using Temik frequently had to come back and spray once or twice for thrips. Though no one knows for sure, entomologists in Virginia and North Carolina attribute much of this loss of control to increasing numbers of western flower thrips.
"As we got dryer and dryer in 2007 we kept getting higher thrips counts," says veteran North Carolina State Entomologist Jack Bacheler. "In general, I saw more thrips on Gaucho Grande and Arista than I saw on Cruiser and Avicta in North Carolina. However, in Virginia Ames Herbert (Virginia IPM Leader and Virginia Tech entomologist) saw the opposite. In terms of yields, we saw very similar results from all these materials," Bacheler says.
The 'perfect storm' for thrips is a cool, damp planting season, followed by extended periods of drought. For many cotton growers in the upper Southeast 2007 provided these perfect conditions for high thrips populations. Unfortunately long-term weather forecasts call for similar, if not more serious drought conditions for 2008.
In North Carolina there appeared to be more western flower thrips in 2007. And, worse news is that western flower thrips seem to be able to tolerate insecticide-treated seed better than other thrips species in the area.
Knowing which thrips to treat could influence which treatment to use, but identifying these tiny insects is all but impossible for growers.
Western flower thrips, once considered a pest only in the Southwest and West Coast Cotton Belts, are now common pests throughout the entire Cotton Belt. In recent years western flower thrips have seemed to thrive in the cooler growing areas, including North Carolina and Virginia. Though only one of five or six species of thrips that attack cotton plants in the upper Southeast, western flower thrips are far more difficult to manage than the other species.
Female western flower thrips are small, slender, winged insects which are amber or yellowish-brown to dark brown in color. Females are about one-sixteenth-inch long. Males are similar to females but smaller and always light yellow.
Western flower thrips eggs are delicate, cylindrical, slightly kidney shaped, smooth and translucent white.
Tobacco thrips are typically more common in the upper Southeast and are different enough from western flower thrips to affect control. Female tobacco thrips are dark brown or black, slender, and about 1 mm long. Each 8-segmented antenna has several yellowish middle segments; the rest of the segments are much darker. Males are usually yellow.
Regardless of the species of thrips, growers who plant early, typically in mid- to late-April in the upper Southeast, tend to have more problems with thrips. Bacheler says there is no good answer for control, other than for growers to be diligent in scouting and treating fields where high thrips counts are found.
The cost for not being diligent and not managing thrips can be high for cotton growers.
In a series of 50 or so replicated tests conducted here and in Virginia during the past decade, untreated cotton lost an average of approximately 300 pounds of lint compared to the best at-planting treatments — more often than not either Temik 15G at 5 pounds per acre or a seed treatment followed by a first true leaf foliar spray, according to Bacheler.
Though all the new insecticide-treated seed work to some degree to control thrips, especially tobacco thrips, Bacheler says growers should not expect control beyond about three weeks post planting.
To extend this short residual activity, foliar application following a seed treatment — the closer to the first true leaf stage the better — and no more than 3 to 3.5 weeks after planting.
Although it seems on the early side, a cotyledon stage spray is probably far better timed for thrips than a second or third true leaf stage application. In most cases a single application at the first true leaf stage provides cotton seedlings with enough thrips protection time to get the plants "over the hump", thus reducing further thrips vulnerability and often extending into a period of fewer migrating thrips, Bacheler explains.
Western flower thrips seem to be increasing in the North Carolina-Virginia Cotton Belt, but thankfully aren't a problem every year and rarely a problem in some parts of the two states. In areas where this species is a frequent problem, there seems to be a correlation between hot, dry weather and build-ups in western flower thrips populations.
For growers who can identify western thrips as a problem, Orthene at 0.5 pounds per acre (active ingredient) is about as good as it gets. Other insecticides, including Vydate, Bidrin, dimethoate and a number of pyrethroid insecticides appear to be less effective in controlling western flower thrips than other thrips species in cotton.
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4. Blocking Chandler Jones
Arthur Jones' little brother is making an instant impact for the Patriots' defense. The first-round draft pick from Syracuse forced a fumble against Titans quarterback Jake Locker in Week 1, with first-round linebacker Dont'a Hightower returning the loose football for a touchdown. Jones has 11 tackles, two quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. Fast and strong at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Jones is a tough assignment for left offensive tackle Michael Oher. Oher allowed a sack and forced fumble last week against Eagles speed rusher Trent Cole.
Jim Rogash, Getty Images
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London, 22nd September 2011 - Carbon emissions, management and remediation of contaminated land, and sub-contracted labour issues are some of the sustainability issues that should now be reported by construction and real estate companies, thanks to new guidance published today (22 September 2011) by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Jones Lang LaSalle was the principal technical advisor to GRI in developing this guidance, in consultation with a multi-stakeholder Working Group of industry representatives.
During its lifecycle – from design, through construction, occupation and operation and all the way to demolition – a building has many different impacts on the environment and society, from materials use during construction to energy consumption during occupation. The built environment is responsible for more than 40 percent of global energy use and one third of global greenhouse gas emissions – and up to 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in our cities and towns. In order to improve the sustainability of the built environment, impacts at all stages of the lifecycle need to be considered.
Measuring, monitoring and reporting the sustainability of construction activities and buildings has suffered from a lack of consistency until now. Today GRI, which produces a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world, releases its Guidelines tailored for the construction and real estate sector. The tailored guidance aims to make reporting more relevant for the sector.
GRI's Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement (CRESS) provides guidance for anyone who invests in, develops, constructs, or manages buildings on the principles and indicators to follow to report business strategy and performance. Specific issues covered in the new Supplement include building and materials certification, CO2 emissions, management and remediation of contaminated land and labor health and safety issues.
"The launch of CRESS should bring about a much more level playing field in sustainability reporting practices amongst real estate and construction companies. As part of Jones Lang LaSalle's global commitment to 'Lead the transformation of the property industry by reducing the environmental impact of commercial real estate', we are delighted to be advising on this important initiative, and we look forward to assisting our clients in complying with the CRESS guidelines." Julie Hirigoyen, Lead Director, Upstream Sustainability Services, Jones Lang LaSalle.
Maaike Fleur, Senior Manager Reporting Framework at the Global Reporting Initiative, said: "Today's new guidance will help construction and real estate companies be more transparent about the impacts their activities and assets have on the environment, economy and society. The built environment forms the structure in which communities function and is part of the landscape, so making sure companies in the construction and real estate sector have the tools to communicate their impacts is vital if we are to move to a sustainable economy."
"GRI relies on the technical advisor (in this case Jones Lang LaSalle) and industry experts in its Working Groups to ensure Supplements are relevant and useful for all organizations in a sector. The process of developing the Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement has been excellent, and the guidance will have a big impact on the sustainability of the sector. GRI extends great thanks to both Jones Lang LaSalle and each of the Working Group members," added Maaike Fleur.
The Supplement has been developed according to a multi-stakeholder process – volunteers from construction and real estate companies, labor, non-governmental organizations and academia were brought together in a Working Group to develop the Supplement. The public then commented on the draft in two Public Comment Periods. The Working Group took the consultation feedback into account and made further changes, and the final version is published today.
– ends –
Notes to editors:
1. About the Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) drives sustainability reporting by all organizations. GRI produces a comprehensive Sustainability Reporting Framework that is widely used around the world, to enable greater organizational transparency. The Framework, including the Reporting Guidelines, sets out the Principles and Indicators organizations can use to report their economic, environmental, and social performance. GRI is committed to continuously improving and increasing the use of the Guidelines, which are freely available to the public.
Website: www.globalreporting.org
2. How the guidance was developed
GRI, supported by Jones Lang LaSalle consultants, worked with an international multi-stakeholder Working Group to develop the Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement.The Working Group members volunteer their expertise to develop the content of the Supplement using GRI's characteristic consensus-seeking approach.The process of developing the Supplement has taken two years and the public has twice been invited to submit commentaries and suggestions on drafts of the guidance.In order to finalize the guidance, GRI Governance bodies reviewed the content and development process ensuring it has complied with GRI's due process standards and quality expectations.
Fiona Smith
+44 0 20 7399 5469


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In this folder you will find tools, books, and supplies to use for the art of Kumihimo as well as other tools and supplies for making cords.
Kumihimo or kumi himo: literally, kumi = coming together, and himo = string, cord or rope. This term refers to all the forms of Japanese braiding, made on several different types of stands.


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In observance of New Year's Day, CFCA's Kansas City headquarters will be closed Jan. 1, 2013. Happy New Year!
By Elizabeth Alex, CFCA community outreach and media relations director
A New Year begins tomorrow, and if you are like many planning to make some New Yearís resolutions, CFCA has a few ideas that are outside the usual realm of losing weight and exercising more.
The children, families and aging friends of CFCA need your help in spreading the word about the good being done in the field and here at home.
The best news of all: it doesnít cost anything near what a gym membership would set you back. In fact, it wonít cost you anything at all.
Make a New Yearís resolution to tell the CFCA story to your social media world.
1) Help us find sponsors through social media.
In 2012 CFCA found sponsors for 63 children through social media.
Weíve raised the goal to 75 for 2013.
You can help make this happen simply by sharing CFCA's photos of children and aging friends in need of sponsors on your own social media.
You can find us on all of the major social media channels: our blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
We hope to increase the number of likes on our Facebook page to 15,000 in 2013.
Why? Because "likes" help get our message to more people.
People who may want to help a child in a developing country, or someone who is looking for the special relationship only sponsorship can provide.
3) Pinterest
We can't think of a better way to share beautiful photos and recipes with our friends.
With 15 boards and more than 250 pins, we are sure you will find a great pic to pin.
We also have how-to tutorials for bakers and crafters.
4) Instagram Us
From spectacular sunsets to lush landscapes and the colorful celebrations of the countries CFCA serves, there is plenty to share about the CFCA world.
We invite you to share CFCA with your followers and friends. It is a resolution we hope you will make for 2013, and every year.


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I Take a Holiday, And Death Doesn't
April 16, 2008
Last week I went to Los Angeles to add a few more tendrils to the sprawling oral history project that's largely overtaken my life during the last few years. (The median age in my rolodex is probably somewhere around 81.) Compiling the research needed to ask good questions is a formidable chore all its own, and it always yields some unexpected dividends. Sometimes these surprises are unpleasant ones.
For instance, while I was digging around putting together videographies for this batch of interview subjects, I came across the unpleasant discovery that the TV producer James McAdams had passed away last September. There was no obituary, just a mention in (of all places) a comment posted an Amazon.com review of the DVD release of McAdams' series The Equalizer by one of his friends. I didn't reach out to anyone to confirm this, but the mention is bylined by one Coleman Luck, an Equalizer writer, and there's a matching Social Security Death Index entry, so sadly I'm thinking this is for real. McAdams was neither a writer nor a director, just one of those veteran production guys who made the wheels turn. One of my director friends remembered knowing him as an office boy at Universal even before his first official credit, as an assistant to exec producer Frank Rosenberg on Arrest and Trial. McAdams rose up through the ranks on other Uni TV product like Ironside, The Virginian, The Bold Ones, and finally scored some Emmy nominations on Kojak. James McAdams: 1937-2007.
During that same flurry of fact-sifting I finally sorted out another industry veteran's death once and for all, this one from a lot further back. I knew that Richard Lang, who directed a raft of Harry O and Kung Fu episodes, had died around 1997 or so, because it was mentioned in Ed Robertson's production history of Harry O, in the audio commentary on the Cleopatra DVD (Lang was an assistant director on the film), and apparently on an "in memoriam" card on the final Melrose Place episode he directed. So I gather Lang died suddenly. But there was no obituary in the press or the trade papers, and no source has ever formally reported Lang's death until now, when it occurred to me that his real name could be Walter Richard Lang, Jr. (His father was the film director Walter Lang.) That hunch yielded a matching SSDI listing and finally closed my file. Richard Lang: 1939-1997.
Then, as I was in L.A. making some new acquaintances among the ranks of early television writers, so was the Grim Reaper. I had already made my peace with the idea of not interviewing Seaman Jacobs, the veteran comedy writer with credits on a laundry list of famous sitcoms: The Real McCoys, Petticoat Junction, Bachelor Father, F Troop, The Andy Griffith Show. Jacobs, who died on April 8 at 96, was fairly well known and had told his stories to others better qualified to capture them than me. (And if you're having a chuckle over his first name right now, watch the first thirty seconds of his Archive of American Television oral history and you'll see that Jacobs beat you to that joke.) Seaman Jacobs: 1912-2008.
But I had some pangs of regret when I saw the obit for Robert Warnes Leach, a long-forgotten television scribe who died on March 30 at 93. His credits are those of a journeyman – some Ziv shows (Men Into Space), a quick pass at Perry Mason – but there's something about his decisive exeunt from the TV industry, and that wonderful nineteenth-century name, that make wish I'd taken a crack at firing some questions at him. Robert Warnes Leach: 1914-2008.
And then the final blow landed on Friday, when a lunch companion informed me that the veteran TV and film writer-producer Richard DeRoy died in early March. (Another close friend of DeRoy's confirmed the information this week, and told me that the family's desire for no publicity or memorial is the reason that no press release was sent out. Otherwise I imagine the news would have merited an obit in the L.A. Times, or at least the trades.) DeRoy was a talented and fairly important writer, one that flourished above all as a head writer, story editor, and finally producer on Peyton Place during its first two seasons. (Update: Two months later, a decent Variety obit.)
Rather than write more here, I'm going to move my 2004 interview with DeRoy – which was fairly brief, but pithy and amusing – to the head of the line and add it to the oral history page within the next couple of weeks. Richard DeRoy: 1930-2008.


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This is the last in our series of posts on working with lines in photography which we highly recommend you check out.
When framing a landscape shot one of the types of environmental features that many photographers look for and like to incorporate in their shots is converging lines.
We've talked previously about how lines have the potential to add interest to an image – but multiple lines that converge together (or come close to one another) can be a great technique to lead your viewers eye into a shot.
Perhaps the classic example (and one that's probably been overdone) of converging lines are railway tracks.
Position yourself in the middle of two tracks (after taking a look at what might be coming from behind of course) and you'll see the two tracks on either side of you appear to get closer and closer together as they go into the distance.
Note: we don't really recommend taking shots on tracks in this way. Safety first!
Take this shot and the natural reaction for those looking at the scene will be for them to follow the lines off into the distance. In a sense the two lines act like a funnel which directs the gaze of those entering them in a certain direction.
The same effect can be achieved with roads or pathways, converging fence lines, a set of stairs, power lines or virtually any other lines that run parallel into the distance or that actually converge at some point.
1. Experiment with Positioning – the classic railway line/road shot described above has many possibilities. One is to position the tracks dead center and symmetrically in the shot.
Another positioning would be to step to one side of the tracks and let them run diagonally through your frame from a lower corner to the opposite upper corner. The beauty of this is that you'll end up with a more dynamic shot. Symmetrical and vertical placement of the lines can be powerful but diagonal lines tend to convey movement.
Alternatively stepping away from the start of the lines can give another perspective – as can holding your camera on an angle to give another diagonal framing of the lines.
2. Wide Angle Lenses – different lenses can totally change the impact of a shot with converging lines. I find that a wide angle lens can be particularly useful – especially when positioning yourself between the two lines.
This will help to give the perception that the distance between the lines at the starting point of the image is wider than it is. This exaggeration of the width of your lines can have a powerful impact upon your shot.
As you're framing your shot ask yourself – 'where is the most effective position to frame this?"
3. Positioning the 'convergence' – one thing to consider when you have converging lines in an image is that they draw the eye into a shot – towards the point that they converge – this becomes one of the most important parts of this image – a focal point.
Keep in mind rules like the Rule of Thirds that says that the intersecting points of imaginary lines a third of the way into an image are key points for positioning points of interest. This can be a good place to let your converging lines lead (although breaking this rule can be powerful too)
Also know that if the point of convergence is outside the frame of the shot that you are leading the eye out of your shot. This could leave a shot unbalanced and with tension – alternatively it could enhance the shot and leave your viewers wondering about the place that they converge.
4. Adding Interest at the Point of Convergence – Sometimes it is worth enhancing the point of convergence with something of interest (for example waiting until a train appears in the distance on the tracks – or positioning a person at the top of stairs) – on other occasions the composition of the shot is strong enough without adding an extra subject.
If you've got some examples of converging lines in images that you've taken I'd love to see them over at the DPS forums – either in the Critique My Shot sections.
Here are a few more Converging Lines shots to illustrate the point and hopefully give a little inspiration.
I agree with fitzroy that the safety aspects and the legal aspects of railroad photography must be taken seriously. As a general rule, you can only take railway photographs from public grounds, or publicly accessible railway grounds like platforms.
The only safe way to position yourself in the middle of a railway track is from a controlled level crossing, where a sound warning and the barriers going down will tell you (just) in time that a train is coming, or on totally disabled tracks. Many trains are pretty silent even at high speeds. And when you're busy composing your frame, you may not hear them or even seen them in time through the viewfinder. Especially with wide angle lenses which provide great converging lines perspectives, the train will be very tiny in the view, and your judgement of the distance will be false.
Please also take into account that train drivers are very wary of suicide candidates (they have 1 to 5 suicides or accidents to cope with during their train driver's life, leading to nightmares, insomnia and lots of psychological troubles), so put yourself well out of the way and please wear a bright colored safety jacket when photographing near (not too near please) railway lines in operations.
Looking back for a second is just not enough. But railway tracks still make great photos, so do it safely. Very often you can position yourself safely at the start of a bend in the railway track and still have with a short telelens a straight perspective on a railway track.
Thanks Darren for the helpful article about using converging lines.. Much appreciated.
Useful tips. Gonna use tgem
Hi I am a nature lover,and your service is appreciated.Even I am out of this field,hope to get maximum from you
While not converging lines in the sense of this article the power and tramlines in this photo lead the eye into the picture. Normally I would remove power lines from a picture but in this case it was too complicated and they actually enhance the shot.
Used this idea just last week at the local farm park. Was able to position the camera at one end of a water pipe with younger son at the other.
Took several pics with focus on the duck or people in the bacground etc.
Good for lead in to a building
Sorry, but the suggestion to: "Position yourself in the middle of two [railway] tracks", even with the advice: "after taking a look at what might be coming from behind" is, at best, foolish.
In the UK, trespass on the railway is a criminal offence, carrying a fine of up to GBP 1,000 (USD ~1,500). Worse, on Southern Region, 750V DC third rail electrification is used, presenting a very serious risk of electrocution.
In countries where high-speed trains (i.e. 125mph plus - the wind speed of an EF2 tornado) are operated, a "look behind" might not be enough. The passage of an HST can blow you off your feet and even pull you into the slipstream. Try putting your ear on the rail instead - Tonto-style!
Later in the series of admittedly excellent photographs, there is one taken on an underground railway station. Prospective photographers on 'The Tube' in London must not that flash and assisted lighting is prohibited on platforms - for obvious safety reasons. I would not be surprised to learn that this is common throughout the world on underground systems. Bright focus-assist lights must be covered (or attenuated) too. The use of tripods and other camera supports is also forbidden - for health and safety reasons, given the usual crush of people on the platforms in the centre of the system, and for the trip hazard elsewhere (LU uses 600V DC fourth rail electrification).
Various activities cannot be photographed (or filmed) including such photogenic ones as graffiti, nudity, busking and begging.
A permit is required for photography if the images are for other than personal use - e.g. if they will be published on the Internet.
Converging lines are a great technique. I think they can be used from an angle as well to increase the effect with other subjects included.
Converging verticals and leading lines work so well with portraits too! Having your subject lean against a wall and letting the lines created by the brickwork lead you into the point of interest, the subjects face/eyes, is classic!
Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for newbie blog writers? I'd really appreciate it.
Good article. Here's a sampling of my older shots. I've been having so much fun shooting in the last few years that I've forgotten to update my Flickr. Maybe someday after I retire.
Here's my effort with converging lines: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoot-me1/3450672524/
i'm still learning with each picture i take...great article! very helpful. i think these are examples....
useful tips thanks...
[eimg link='http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanicus/751993517/' title='Love and Distance' url='http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1009/751993517_3c95cc1128.jpg']
I really like to use converging lines and leading lines in composing my shots whenever I can. It is one of my favorite composition styles. Here is an example of using abandoned train tracks in downtown Tampa:
converging lines are really great
Converging lines work so well with many subjects, great article.
The pews in the historic San Zaccarias in Venice:
Thanks for this article! Definitely something that I need to work on when composing my shots is leading the viewers eye.
While I have to agree and indeed I do practice the use of lines myself, there have been some studies on vision that show we don't always follow the lines or indeed the direction the original artist or photographer intends. It may happen in the course of viewing an image that we will follow the lines, but sometimes we get hung up on other distractions. If you want it to work flawlessly, severely limit any distractions that may occur around or along any of the lines you choose, to ensure people follow "your vision".
Greatr topic - here converging lines lead your vision up the stairs toward the Mission Bells!
It may be just a general composition issue, but I don't think "converging lines" need to be parallel. Mountains, branches, and rivers are all lines that that can converge and help compose a nice shot. The "lead the viewer's eye into the shot" is usually what we're looking for. Rivers and roads are often used this way in paintings.
I am loving the photos. Thus site has been a huge help to me. I have a new camera and no experience with photography, so this is all new to me. Thanks for all the great information!
Does this qualify as converging lines?
[eimg url='http://www.angelacarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/DSC0069-1.jpg' title='DSC0069-1.jpg']
Does this qualify as converging lines?
[eimg url='http://www.angelacarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/DSC0069-1.jpg' title='DSC0069-1.jpg']
Thanks for this article! I've been working on lines in my photos and this was helpful in understanding this particular aspect. I shared my experience experimenting with these ideas and some of the photos that I've done incorporating converging lines on my blog: http://the-meaning-of-mataphrium.blogspot.com/2011/02/photography-elements-converging-lines.html
Thanks! super helpfull
Excellent article. I've worked a bit on this and find that converging lines without an end point doesn't give such an interesting image. I had fun in the London underground over Christmas and shot this one. As you mentioned, wide angle changes everything and boosts the converging lines effect making it much more interesting.
Is the image by Loving Earth upside down?
here's one of the subway.
@Stevacek Very brave of you to get between the trains
These are some good shots, you should make some examples to show whats right and whats wrong, showing what falls under the category of coverging lines
What an article.. loved it! Eager to apply them..
PS: I would love to see some examples shots for right and wrong or best/worse shots in your articles.. That will help in visulaizing what is being explained.
I took a picture of the inside of a Titan Rocket, does this fall in this category?
Darren.... thanks for the great article...
nice shots.. converging lines are really great! I really appreciate them. Thanks for the tips!
Sorry forgot the link...
I'm totally new in learning about the basics and don't have any powerful or SLR cam. But, I would appreciate you guys input some comments on the picture. (please see link). Thanks
Great pictures. This is a style I don't often do so found this read interesting. Thank you!
Sorry bout that, here is the correct link...
I tried to do converging line shots during my recent vacation.
Here is one of them.
PS: i suck at landscapes...
Lines coming together can give a sense of strength or stability. They also don't have to converge to a single point -- several different points, especially if they're also located along a (different) line, can add a more complicated effect -- for example, Strength.
An excelent tutorial with some excellent examples!
In most of the examples above the use of converging lines is very obvious, very pronounced.
I don't think that it needs to be so "strong".
One can use such lines to give depth to a room.
Here is an example of what I mean.
sorry, the link was missing:
Re. the photo at the top of this article, I actually went back and retook it from in between the tracks.
Pretty hair-raising experience but the lines do converge quite nicely...
I agree, its a good article and only serves to reinforce the things that we think we know but all too often forget.
this article is great! Can't wait to start shooting!
Great article.
Great Tutorial! Really useful tips


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Micro Focus has announced its intention to acquire Borland Software and the Application Testing/Automated Software Quality business of Compuware Corporation. According to Micro Focus, Borland and Compuware's tools are highly complementary technologies to Micro Focus' existing suite of application management and modernization solutions, and these businesses will give Micro Focus a leading position in a market estimated to be worth $2 billion a year.
Compuware's Testing and ASQ Business automates quality processes within the software development function to control, measure and manage the delivery of results and to ensure process consistency and continuous improvement through sophisticated workflow capabilities. These products are highly complementary to Micro Focus' core solutions as they address a logically adjacent portion of the software development and deployment value chain.
Borland is a leading independent player in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) market with a range of software solutions to enhance the management of application delivery. These solutions include Application Testing / Automated Software Quality (ASQ), Requirements Management, Software Change Management (and Source Code Management), Project Portfolio Management and Model Driven Development.


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- Series hub | Game 5: Notebook | Box score
MIAMI — The last time the San Antonio Spurs were in The Finals, they swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. So maybe they're happy to hear James say that he "kind of went back to my Cleveland days" in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Dwyane Wade, playing with a bum knee, scored 10 points in 41 minutes. Chris Bosh, playing with a sprained ankle, scored seven points in 33 minutes. You could replace them with 2007 versions of Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden and there might not have been much of a difference on Thursday.
So, with his team down four at halftime, the MVP knew he had to take charge. He did just that, scoring or assisting on 25 of the Heat's 30 third-quarter points and leading them to a 90-79 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
"We were in wait mode in the first half, instead of going and getting it," James said afterward. "I took it upon myself to stop waiting and just go."
The Pacers won the other three quarters, 66-60. The Heat won the third, 30-13. And they're taking their 3-2 series lead back to Indianapolis for Game 6 on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
If the 2013 Heat are suddenly the 2007 Cavs, they don't have much of a chance against the Spurs. Heck, they might not make it through this series. But 2013 LeBron James is not 2007 LeBron James, and that may be all the difference.
Though their 40 first-half points were as much about pace as they were about efficiency, the Heat found something that worked — James in the high post — in the third. It wasn't a new look for the Heat, but it was in such large doses. And the Pacers couldn't stop it, as Miami scored 25 points on the 16 possessions the Heat went to it, including 13 points on six possessions in the 12 minutes that changed the game.
Those 30 third-quarter points came on just 20 possessions, as the Heat, despite the ineffectiveness of two of their three All-Stars, looked like the offensive force they were throughout the regular season. This was a level of efficiency that those Cavs never reached, in part because there was never so much more variety to James' game in Cleveland.
"When you think he can't get better, when he can't do anything else, he comes back and starts the new season bring something else to his game," Udonis Haslem, the Zydrunas Ilgauskas on this night with 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting, said. "We know every night we can depend on him. It's our job to just try to keep up with him."
The Heat's three wins in this series have come with large doses of pick-and-rolls in Game 1, low-post touches for James in Game 3, and high-post touches for James in Game 5. Every time the Pacers seem to gain some traction, the champs come with a new look.
The Pacers can draw some comfort it Miami's shooting numbers on Thursday. The Heat took 44 of their 75 shots from outside the paint, connecting on 21 (48 percent) of those 44 jumpers. Only seven of James' 26 shots came from the paint, but he shot 7-for-12 from mid-range and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Furthermore, he had just four free throws, and the Heat had just 12 as a team.
That kind of perimeter shooting *probably isn't sustainable (Miami had shot just 32 percent from outside the paint in the first four games), but the Pacers feel they were partially responsible for such hot shooting.
*A year ago, James shot 10-for-16 from outside the paint in his huge Game 6 in Boston. He then shot 8-for-48 from outside the paint over the last six games of the postseason.
"I thought they were probably more open than usual," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We didn't get to shooters well enough tonight."
"Most of it was us," Roy Hibbert added. "We just didn't defend at a high enough level to get the job done."
But as much as the Pacers can feel optimistic about how unsustainable the Heat's shooting was, Miami can feel good about the way they defended in Game 5. After scoring over 110 points per 100 possessions through the first four games, Indiana was held to just 79 on 83 possessions on Thursday.
They pressured the Pacers' guards, who came up empty. They rotated, double-teamed the post, helped and recovered. And they did it without fouling, holding Indiana to just 15 free throws, less than half of their total in any of the previous four games. Most importantly, the Heat finished off their defensive possessions with rebounds.
Indiana was held to just six offensive boards after averaging 15.3 in the first four games. It was a team effort for Miami, but James was as much of a force on the glass as he was on offense. He led the team with eight rebounds, all on the defensive end of the floor, the last three coming over or next to 7-foot-2 Hibbert, who grabbed only two offensive boards in his 40 minutes.
It was, by far, the Heat's best defensive performance of the series. And it was probably more characteristic of both Miami's defense and Indiana's offense than any of the first four games were.
"It's getting to our identity," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "applying pressure, covering ground, hopefully forcing them into mistakes, or at least getting them to play faster than they would typically like. That was the more important key to the second half, as our guys were flying around."
James' Game 5 numbers — 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists — weren't quite on the "Video Game James" level that we've seen him reach in other playoff games. But it was the slow pace (the Heat had just 82 total possessions) that really kept him from completely blowing out the boxscore.
Make no mistake about it. He dominated this game, and has the ability to do the same every time he shows up at the arena. Best player on the floor. Best player in the world. Sometimes, that's what it comes down to.


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There are certain assumptions people often make about diesels. They're dirty. They get good fuel economy. They're loud.
The dirty part is no longer true thanks to stringent emissions standards in the United States. You can't bring a diesel here that's dirty, and if you cheat on your emissions testing, well, then you have Volkswagen.
The fuel economy part definitely rings true – even in a pickup truck like the Ford F-150, which is estimated to get 30 mpg on the highway in the 4X2 configuration.
And the loud part? That's just a given. Right?
Apparently not so much. In fact, other than the smooth seamless power and the fun-in-the-mud off-road chops, that's the thing that surprised me the most about the F-150 Power Stroke Diesel. It was quiet.
I'm not just talking about the stellar interior quietness of the F-150. Engine noise is absent when you step outside the vehicle as well.
Most diesels have a loud and recognizable knock. But the 3.0-liter Power Stroke V-6 does not. In fact, I would have sworn it sounded like a gasoline engine.
I'm still stunned. My drive partner, who is an avowed truck guy, says the fact it was so quiet could be a problem for people looking to buy a diesel.
Me? I'm all in on the whole quiet thing. It was impressive.
Outside of that, there were a lot of other impressive things about this engine, including the ease of towing something that weighs around 5,000 pounds.
Granted, I am a towing neophyte, and this is the first time I've ever driven on roads hauling anything. But switching the vehicle over into tow mode and remembering that you can't be a speed racer with precious cargo, I was able to maintain speed up hill and I didn't feel a lot of herky-jerky movements coming from the trailer.
Nor did I feel the trailer pushing at me while I was braking. To be clear, I felt the weight, but it was manageable.
The maximum towing capacity with the F-150 diesel is rated at 11,400 pounds, and the maximum payload is 2,020 pounds.
The Power Stroke diesel delivers 250 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. And outside of the towing, the on-road driving was also really nice. It wasn't V-8 gasoline engine nice, but it did really well – especially if you tap it into Sport mode.
I noticed that in Normal mode, the acceleration was a little lackluster, and I was perplexed because the torque in diesel cars usually provides a peppier launch. But in a truck, torque is for towing.
So if you like a faster acceleration, Sport mode will totally be your thing. But don't expect to reap those fuel economy benefits if you're in anything other than Eco mode.
During the road tests, my partner and I were averaging around 20 mpg with hills, elevation and fast accelerations in combined city/highway driving. This was in a 4X4 Super Crew model, which has an estimated fuel economy of 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
We also participated in a fuel economy challenge in in the 4X2 model, and both my partner and I were able to best the EPA highway estimate of 30 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
But I'll issue a caveat here: We did employ a few advanced hypermiling techniques to get these numbers. I think we could have maintained numbers in the high-20-mpg range if we were careful, but certainly not if we were driving like normal – or at least like my normal.
Because the F-150 Power Stroke Diesel is meant to be a rough and tumble truck, with work-ready prowess, the assumption is that people who own this vehicle might find themselves in muddy, rocky situations.
So in addition to towing and fuel economy, Ford set up a little off-road course for us. The course, which was meant to showcase the vehicle's off-road acumen in dry situations, was beset with mud and snow.
And boy was it fun. I went through the course twice – once as a passenger and once as a driver.
I'm used to the nimbleness of a Jeep Wrangler or the agility of anything Land Rover, but the off-road chops of the F-150 Power Stroke Diesel were impressive. We certainly traversed terrain most owners will never encounter. But they could tackle it if they had to.
I will say, I had one hill that provided some difficulty for me. It was a straight shot up at a 45-degree angle and full of mud and goo. It took me three tries and a few different lines before I managed to make it up, and my opinion is that the Power Stroke diesel didn't have quite enough power to give me the momentum I needed to make it straight up the slippery slope.
But overall, this truck-and-engine combo did things I didn't expect it to do.
Ford started taking orders of the F-150 Power Stroke a few months ago and deliveries are starting soon. The Power Stroke diesel engine will only be available in the Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trims, and the base price for the Power Stroke diesel in the Lariat will be $45,420. The engine will also be available on the entry-level XL and XLT trims for fleet only.
The Bottom Line
This is the first time Ford is bringing a diesel engine to the F-150 lineup. And it will have some stiff competition. Ram just launched its new 1500 with gasoline engines, revealing no specs of its upcoming diesel offering. And GM announced a diesel offering in its upcoming Silverado/Sierra pickup-truck duo, but the trucks aren't on the market yet and specs haven't been released about this engine either.
So, this timing could be really good for Ford – it comes to the market at time when the latest and greatest versions of its all-new competitors don't have diesels. Or it could be bad – giving Ram and GM time to add more horsepower, more torque and more efficiency to their diesels.
Speaking to the Power Stroke, though, I'll say I was impressed with the smooth power, easy towing capability and un-diesel-like quietness. Throw in some efficiency and all the nice amenities that come with being in the F-150 lineup, and you can get a truck ranging from work capable to luxurious for around $45K.


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Tammy Faye Starlite and More to Guest on THE SKINNY with Peter DeGiglio at Red Room, 2/13
Part The Daily Show, part Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Skinny is a news talk show that combines topical comedy and timely, cutting edge, often wacky variety acts with thought provoking conversations featuring high-profile journalists, reporters, literary and political figures, and pop/cult icons.
Joining Peter and his guests on stage is his chic and sassy sidekick, D.J. April White, providing a hip musical and auditory adornment to the evening and serving as cheeky foil to the host.
This month's show features evangelistic-cum-nymphomanial right-wing tea-loving country singer Tammy Faye Starlite and Very Special Guest, Fordham University's Dr. Beth Knobel, journalist and expert in American-Russian relations.
Horse Trade Theater Group and DeGiCo Media present: The Skinny with Peter DeGiglio on Wednesday, February 13, 2012 at 8:00 pm in The Red Room Theater, 85 East 4th Street, New York, NY. Call 212-777-6088 for more information. Admission: $10.


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This time last season North Lenoir�s boys basketball team was still searching for its first win.
A year later, the Hawks hold a seat atop the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference.
LA GRANGE � This time last season North Lenoir�s boys basketball team was still searching for its first win.
A year later, the Hawks have a seat atop the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference.
Jauquaz Jones scored 15 points and Reggie Rouse added 11 off the bench as the Hawks pulled away from Southern Wayne late for a 61-54 win on Friday to stay tied for first place with Erwin Triton in the league.
Braxton Davis added 10 points and eight rebounds as the Hawks (8-7, 3-0) overcame a poor-shooting first half to drain five 3-pointers in the third period
They also carried a solid defensive effort over from the first half to the second to win their second straight game after dropping four in a row.
�We just want to do everything one game at a time. I knew Southern Wayne (would put up a fight),� North Lenoir coach Anthony Loftin said.
�I knew we�d be up for the challenge.�
In the second period alone, the Hawks and Saints (8-5, 2-2) combined to shoot 5-for-32 from the field � 2-for-16 by North Lenoir.
The Hawks made up for their shooting woes by hitting back-to-back 3s to open the second half, which cut a seven-point Southern Wayne lead down to one, and hit 9 of 12 from the field in the third quarter to hold a 41-38 advantage heading into the fourth.
The game�s last tie came with 48 seconds to play in the third quarter. From there, North Lenoir used a 10-0 run that extended into the final period � on 3s by Jones and Rouse and a putback by John Carlton � to go ahead for good.
The Hawks hit nine 3s in the contest � six in the second half.
�The shooting is confidence. I encourage them to shoot and to shoot with confidence,� Loftin said.
The Hawks committed far more turnovers than the Saints � 29 to 22 � but it was North Lenoir�s ball pressure that caused Southern Wayne to miss most of its shots.
The Saints shot 33 percent (20 for 61) while North Lenoir heated up in the second half to finish with 20 made field goals on 53 attempts � a raise of 17 percentage points (6 for 29 for 20.7 percent) after the first half.
�I�ve got to give my kids credit. I told them that we played very good defense, only giving up 22 points. But the problem was we couldn�t score,� Loftin said.
�I thought overall the guys stepped up and did a good job and made some shots.�
The win kept North Lenoir in a tie with Triton, which was idle Friday, in the loss column.
Zaria Atkins scored 25 points and the Saints held off a late Hawks rally for the win.
Southern Wayne (8-6, 2-2) led 45-36 after three quarters, but North Lenoir (2-13, 0-3) rallied back to make it interesting.
Erica Lee and Amanda Bizzell scored 14 apiece for the Hawks. Ta�Breia Foster added 13 and Quoya Porter eight points.
North Lenoir travels to Eastern Wayne for a league game on Wednesday.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.
Southern Wayne 12 10 16 16�54
North Lenoir 11 6 24 20�61
SAINTS (8-5, 2-2) � Tarvis Bradshaw 12, Jaylen Roberts 10, Bennett 8, Outlaw 7, Matthews 6, Burden 4, Fields 4, Smith 2, Allen 1, Shaw, Butler.
HAWKS (8-7, 3-0) � Jauquaz Jones 15, Reggie Rouse 11, Braxton Davis 10, King 8, Sutton 7, Summers 5, Hough 2, Carlton 2, Troy 1, K. Robinson.
Southern Wayne 11 15 19 12�57
North Lenoir 14 10 12 18�54
SAINTS (8-6, 2-2) � Zaria Atkins 25, Thompson 8, Wilson 8, Johnson 6, Maultsby 5, Herring 4, Lane 1, Seaberry.
HAWKS (2-13, 0-3) � Erica Lee 14, Amanda Bizzell 14, Ta�Breia Foster 13, Porter 8, Cratch 4, Howard 1, Murray, Varnell.


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Alexa and the Bacon boys
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Bacon Day is held on the Saturday before Labor Day US (the first Monday of Sep.). This year that is the 5th of September. Last year Bacon Day was celebrated in the US, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK. Lets see how many more countries we can add to the list this year!


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Erie, Pa. - Over 2013 spring break, eight Gannon University
students and one faculty member participated in an Alternative
Break Service Trip (ABST) to Detroit where they learned the
importance and value of community involvement to reach a common
goal of a healthier environment. Students returning from Detroit
wanted to apply to Gannon what they learned.
Tomorrow, they'll put education and service into action at the
Goodwill Garden "Pot Luck" Planting Party. The committee is
welcoming participants to help plant or donate various plants and
seeds; tools and refreshments provided. The Planting Party is
Wednesday June 5, at 4:30 p.m. in the West Hall courtyard at the
corner of West 7th and Chestnut streets.
The Gannon Goodwill Garden has already yielded over 800 pounds
of fresh vegetables, which are then distributed to food pantries
and similar organizations that help families in need. ABST
participants organized the garden's relocation to the West Hall
courtyard, where plants will have a more functional environment to
The committee is focused on urban agriculture that brings people
together by growing nutritious foods that sustain the community.
Grain from breweries, leftover food from restaurants, woodchips
from landscapers, as well as food scraps from individual homes can
be used for compost, making the soil nutrient-rich for growing
healthy produce.
Gannon University's Erie-GAINS (Gannon Alliances to Improve
Neighborhood Sustainability) seeks to improve the environmentally
sustainability of the target area, which includes the area bordered
by Presque Isle to the north, Parade Street to the east, 11th
Street to the south, and the Bayfront Parkway to the west. The
Gannon garden will be housed in the target community, keeping up
with the Erie-GAINS initiative.
All involved hope the Gannon Goodwill Garden will strengthen the
close-knit bond of the Gannon community. The students who traveled
to Detroit over spring break hope to inspire all future
participants in the ABST program to bring back what they learn and
apply it to the surrounding Erie community.
Gannon University announces the launch of the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK).


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Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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Hi everyone my name is Kim. I am an artist/antique collector. I am interested in all weird and unusual! I have been collecting items for years and wanted to share them with people. I look everywhere for inspiration weather it be books, magazines or the internet. So I hope you enjoy


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I feel like I've been extremely fortunate in my friends and contacts where I have someone(s) to turn to when I'm unsure of something, stressed out, or just have some good libraryland-related news to share that my non-librarian friends might not understand what the big deal is. A mentor doesn't have to be a great deal older than you to be effective: my ACRL Instruction Section mentor is only a few years older than me, but she can really relate to questions I ask and has a specific interest in early career issues. That's not to say a librarian with a decade or more of experience would be any less helpful: another mentor I have from when I was in library school is always supportive when I need some guidance and has scads of great advice to offer. Some of my mentors I don't even consider formal mentors, but I've admired them in some way or another, gotten to know them, and feel comfortable asking their opinion. It's invaluable to have a variety of perspectives as you make your way through your career.
One thing I was worried about when signing up for a formal mentorship program was that I didn't want the relationship to be all one-sided... I didn't want to feel like I was just taking and not giving anything back; but I do know in sharing experiences, and also offering a confidential ear, a mentoring relationship can certainly be useful to both parties.
If you're not sure where to start in finding a mentor, try looking at the associations you have membership in and see which offer mentorship programs; ALA Connect also has an option for your profile to add you to the mentoring community. If still in school, you can see if there is any faculty mentoring available or find a librarian on campus you can talk with. Being brand new doesn't have to be a scary thing, and even librarians with more experience seem to have mentors throughout their whole career. Building a great support network will get you through confusing times and build you up when there are exciting things to share.


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Last night I asked the children in my class to list words describing how they should feel about their parents. Some of the words included: respect, appreciation, nice, obedience, learn, and helpful.
These are certainly good words. A child should respect his parents. A child should appreciate the things that his parents do for him. A child should be nice to his parents. A child should obey his parents. A child should learn from his parents. A child should help his parents.
My class consists of children and adults. Our oldest student is 66 ( a grandfather).
So on the other hand, I mentioned that parents should act in a way that is respectful, so that their children can respect them. Parents should act in a way that their children will appreciate them. Parents should also be nice to their children. Parents should not abuse their authority. They should act reasonably and wisely so that their children will willingly obey them. Parents should appreciate the help that their children give them, and should also help their children. Parents should teach their children the important lessons of life.
Everything goes both ways. Respect is a mutual thing. Appreciation is a mutual thing. Learning and teaching are mutual things.
I mentioned to the class that I am 49 and my mother is 73. I still respect her as my mother and will do so as long as I live. Being older does not change the fact that I am her son and she is my mother. The relationships will last for both of our lives.
In Karate, we treat our Sensei almost like parents. We show them great respect. But we must remember that this relationship is also mutual. Just as our parents should live in a way deserving of our respect, appreciation, and obedience, so too should our Sensei and seniors be as demanding of themselves as they are of their students.
As Sensei, we have to always remember that we have to earn respect by the way we live -- by the way we conduct ourselves in daily life.
Charles C. Goodin
Parents & Children -- Sensei & Students
Last night I asked the children in my class to list words describing how they should feel about their parents. Some of the words included: respect, appreciation, nice, obedience, learn, and helpful.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, June 14, 2007


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Peter Guyan
Married to Ursina, 2 Childern (Andri 3 and Nina 2) we are living in our new house in Trin Mulin, Graubuenden, Switzerland.
My profession:
Mountain Guide, Skiteacher, Irata Level 3, Para-Taxi Tandem Paragliding pilot, Canyoning guide
My obsession:
Nature, climbing and skiing!
Owner of the mountainguide schools Go Vertical, Bergsteigerschule Pontresina and Swiss Avalanche Academy.
"I love my family very much and seeing my children explore the World.
I like the differences; skiing and climbing on the same day, paragliding and kayaking.
I get my strength from nature by working and being out there!"
Peter was born in 1976, started skiing when he was 3 years old and climbing at age 10 with his brother on a Rock in Haldenstein, Chur, Switzerland.
His climbing/mountaineering/skiing achievements he's most proud of :
1997 Mount Mc Kinley Alaska USA with skis to the top
3 times Patrouille de Glacier: from Zermatt to Verbier in 9h on skis
Heckmeierroute (Klassik) Eiger Nord Wall Switzerland
2005 Grenztour Graubünden; 77 Days, 180000 hm and 1000km
Mount Ama Dablam Nepal
Nose El Capitan, Yosemite USA
Peter's favourite place for climbing is the Rätikon, CH. It's part of his home, because he takes care of 240 cows in the summer underneath the walls there and in the Winter his favorite Freeride spot is Klosters, Davos.
Peter's dream is to one day climb the Lotus Flower Tower with his son who just turned 3 years old.


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I knew it was not going to be good. Having put myself through the novel, my motivation for seeing Fifty Shades of Grey stemmed largely from my curiosity over how much a quality Hollywood production headed by director Sam Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass's real-life wife) could salvage an adaptation of the third worst book I've ever read.
The answer? A decent amount, but nowhere near enough. You can't deep fry a turd coated in 11 secret herbs and spices and expect it to suddenly be finger-licking good.
Fifty Shades of Grey is probably the first adaptation of a best-selling novel where the dominant expectation is that it will suck because of the source material. Originating as a piece of Twilght fan fiction, the novel has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide despite universal scathing reviews. All the blessings in the world to author EL James for her remarkable success, but how this poorly written amateur effort — which was initially released by an independent Aussie virtual publisher — became a global phenomenon will surely go down in history as one of the greatest literary mysteries of all time.
By now you should know that the "erotic romantic drama" is about young, beautiful, virginal Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson — the offspring of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson), who meets and falls for the rich, mysterious and "impossibly handsome" Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). She likes biting her lower lip and he's a sex maniac who enjoys flogging women and contractual negotiations.
The problems with the story and the characters have been, like Anastasia's ass, flogged to death. People who have read the book would have anticipated this, but audiences fresh to this tale will be introduced to a whole new world of painfully awkward conversations, unrealistic human reactions and WTF moments of the purest kind. It's one unintentionally hilarious moment after another, each gradually propelling the film towards "so bad it's good" territory, but without actually getting there. I can honestly say that my wife, who never read the books, laughed louder and harder in this movie than any comedy we've seen in the last few years.
The film's other drawcard, the eroticism, was surprisingly flaccid. I knew they had to pare things back to squeeze the film into an R-rating under America's classification system, but I didn't believe they could make the sex scenes even duller than what they were in the book. We're talking soft-soft core; 9 1/2 Weeks and Wild Orchid it definitely is not. And I say this with an unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality (not that there's anything wrong with that): there was not enough man-junk for a movie whose target market is young to middle-aged women. In fact, while Johnson showed off everything, Dornan's johnson doesn't even make a fleeting, or even accidental appearance. By the way, the S&M scenes were just horrible. Maybe you need to be into that sort of stuff to appreciate it.
So when you take out the moronic characters, a paper-thin plot and tame eroticism, all that's left is a dull experience littered with trite dialogue, cringeworthy set pieces and tacky efforts at developing "romance" between the two leads, which is evidently difficult when the guy can only think about torturing the girl and the girl can only think about…nothing at all.
Still, you can tell they tried. The biggest issue with the movie is that the filmmakers were restricted in what they could change without angering the faithful fans of the novel — and the woman who wrote it. Apparently, James clashed constantly with Taylor-Johnson during the creative process and in the editing room. The author wanted the film to remain loyal to the source material, while the director wanted the film to be less shit. I've also read that screenwriter Kelly Marcel initially rehauled the embarrassing dialogue, but James vetoed her and a second writer was brought in to rewrite the original shit back in. The mess has been described as a "falling out."
I think it's safe to say neither Taylor-Johnson nor Marcel will be back in future entries, though they must still be credited for doing all they can to repair the damage. Taylor-Johnson does a solid job of infusing the film with a blue-grey colour scheme that's pretty to look at, while also moulding an atmosphere that suits the tone of the narrative. Marcel's biggest contribution is ensuring that the story is not narrated by Ana, so there's none of that "inner goddess" garbage or her annoying soliloquies. Some of the more ridiculous facts about her from the book — such as that she's never kissed anyone or had a boyfriend — are thankfully trimmed out. They even tried to scrape back the amount of pointless emailing and texting between Ana and Christian and all the excruciating back and forth about the contract details.
As for the performances, Johnson is actually pretty good as the
mentally challenged naive Ana, the beautiful girl who has no idea men are even remotely attracted to her. Though she's close to Ana's age in real life — Johnson's 25, Ana's supposed to be 21 — I found Johnson a little old-looking for the part, but kudos to her anyway as she at least channels the book version of the character well.
Jamie Dornan is by all accounts a great actor who will go one to bigger and better things after this, but you can tell from his performance that he couldn't believe he was in this shit, playing a piece of shit. To borrow from Arrested Development's Bluth family, Dornan's singular expression throughout the film said it all.
The rest of the cast sleepwalk through their way for their paychecks. Eloise Mumford, whom I've never seen before, plays Ana's best friend and roommate Kate, while veterans Jennifer Ehle and Marcia Gay Harden play Ana and Christian's mothers, respectively. True Blood's Luke Grimes plays Christian's brother Elliot and British singer Rita Ora plays their sister Mia, with the familiar face of Max Martini stepping in as Taylor, Christian's answer to Bruce Wayne's Alfred. Everyone involved seems to acknowledge that they're just in it for the money and the CV-boosting publicity.
Having said all this, Fifty Shades of Grey is not one of the worst films I've seen by a long shot. It's better than the book, which doesn't say much but must count for something. By all means, watch it to satisfy your curiosity or so you can crack jokes at it with your friends.
The film leaves audiences hanging like the novel, and judging from its box office success — smashing several opening weekend and R-rated film records — it appears at least two sequels (they'll probably split the last book into two films) are headed our way. That's not good, because the only two books I've read worse than Fifty Shades of Grey are — you guessed it — Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
1.75 stars out of 5


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Few games go through four years of development and two publishers, and come out smelling of roses. Psychonauts is a game Microsoft no longer wanted as part of its first-party portfolio and despite positive word of mouth and much interest from the gaming hardcore, Tim Schafer's debut console project looked to be in trouble. Fast forward a few years, chalk off a few delayed starts in Europe, and it's finally arrived, courtesy of THQ and, thankfully, it's just as good as everyone hoped it would be.
You play as Razputin (or Raz as he likes to be called), a young boy desperate to become part of the mysterious Psychonauts - a group of superheroes that fight inside people's minds. Raz gatecrashes the training summer camp run by Psychonauts operatives and after making a strong first impression is allowed into the training program. Despite the initial 'training' sections, the game and story develop effortlessly into a mystery surrounding the removal of the brains of fellow camp members. What seems to be training is in actual fact a slowly building plot, culminating in the outing of an evil agent and your mission to retrieve the stolen brains.
Your main contact within camp is Ford Cruller, an old Psychonauts legend who now spends most of his time in his underground lab, but takes on various disguises and appears all over the camp to keep an eye on the children. Cruller can be called on at any point (strangely by using bacon, which he loves) within the mental realm, offering advice on the current situation if you ever become stuck. For the most part the game is relatively straightforward, but some of the later puzzles frustrate slightly and his help is much appreciated.
The summer camp is home to a huge number of quirky characters, each being involved in some aspect of the story, and the camp itself acts as a hub to the main stages of the game. During the game you'll enter the mind of most the main characters, plus the odd giant fish and deranged milkman, and it's these levels that are the stars of the show. Set inside the minds of partially to fully deranged characters, the levels are simply insane. You'll see everything from a fully functioning city populated entirely by speaking lungfish, a white picket fence suburban town that seems to defy gravity, a bright luminous painted village with tight streets and a rampaging bull, and a whole lot more.
Each level sees you attempting to set things right within the mind of the person, helping them get over a fear, making them happy or simply sorting out the mess they've gotten themselves in to. Going into details would ruin much of the game, but expect plenty of bizarre, humorous and troubled characters. Every single character exudes personality, through their brilliant design to the perfect voice acting that fits every character to a tee. Raz himself is perhaps the best voiced, delivering his lines so perfectly that it's hard to imagine anyone else playing that part any better, but you're bound to have a few other favourites.
Strip away the layers of whackyness and the gameplay is remarkably traditional, but still polished. Raz can perform the usual 3D platformer moves, including the double jump, gliding, basic hand-to-hand combat, shooting laser beams, and all the rest, but, being the game Psychonauts is, you also learn to set things on fire, read people's minds, turn invisible, cloud people's minds, and more. Add in the numerous items that can be bought from the camp store (manned by Cruller in one of his many disguises) and you have a platformer so full of moves and new ideas that you'll never become bored.
Collectathons are frowned upon by many platforming fans, but in Psychonauts it just doesn't feel like a chore. Throughout each level is an abundance of arrowheads and psi cards that can be combined in Ford Cruller's lab to increase your psi rank. Doing so unlocks new powers and enhances those that you have already acquired. Collecting figments (holographic images inside each mind) also helps increase your psi-rank. I haven't even mentioned the mental cobwebs that can be cleared up using the cobweb duster, the emotional baggage cowering in each mind, or the memory vaults that need cracking open. Psychonauts is so full of ideas it's impossible to cover all of them.
Artistically no other game, this generation or next, comes close to Psychonauts. The whole game world is simply stunning, looking something like a Tim Burton directed Pixar animated movie. What's more, it's technically superb too, at least on Xbox and PC. Both version run at a great frame rate and feature high poly counts and some superb effects. The PlayStation 2 version suffers a little all over, running at a substantially lower frame rate, lacking some detail in characters and missing a few of the nicer visual effects, but the wonderful design still shines through. I've already mentioned the voice work, but it's worth mentioning again, alongside the musical score. The whole sound production is exceptional and plays a huge part in the game's quirky feel.
Everything's great then. Well, almost everything. If there's one thing that could hurt your enjoyment it's the targeting system. The lock-on targeting simply doesn't work as well as it should. Bashing enemies with your fists usually works a treat, but if you want to take them on from a distance, the lock-on will often refuse to do its job, frequently resulting in Raz being surrounded by enemies and a rapidly reducing health meter. It can get downright infuriating at times, but thankfully these sections aren't regular enough to upset things too much. You could also argue that, at twelve or so hours, the game is a little short. It doesn't really feel like a short game, but because what you've played has been so good, you're left wanting a lot more. Collecting all the items scattered around (including some well hidden treasure hunt items) will keep you busy for a while longer though.
It's no secret that Psychonauts failed abysmally in the US sales charts, but it's got absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the game. Whether you own an Xbox, PlayStation 2 or PC, you'd be doing Tim Schafer and the whole team at Double Fine Productions a huge disservice if this wasn't part of your collection. Lack of originality is often cited as a potential cause for a future slump in the industry, but if games like Psychonauts are anything to go by, our industry is safe. The real slump could come when no publisher is prepared to take a gamble on an original idea, forcing the real creative minds in the industry to disappear for good. Buy Psychonauts and hope it isn't the last of a dying breed.


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