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Editor's Note: The prices quoted below were accurate as of 2002, when An Artist's Guide: Making It In New York was initially published. Check with the galleries and websites listed for updated information.
Few descriptions carry as much caché in the fine art realm as "New York artist." Artists believe, sometimes with reason, that an exhibition record in Manhattan adds stature to their careers and artwork, elevating them in the eyes of gallery owners, critics, collectors and curators elsewhere in the country.
Armed with this set of beliefs, artists around the United States strive mightily to get shows in New York City galleries. The results are often disappointing, as most gallery owners only exhibit the work of artists recommended to them by other artists or dealers or critics whom they know and trust: Sorry to say, the art world is not a meritocracy but runs primarily on a who-you-know basis.
For many, the alternatives for artists who want to be shown in Manhattan galleries are to either become part of the New York art world (moving there or visiting regularly) or paying to have their work displayed.
In order to succeed in one's career, we are often told, one needs to invest in it. That may mean additional schooling -- would-be lawyers and doctors, for instance, have rigorous academic programs and sizeable tuition bills ahead of them -- or taking out advertisements or purchasing a new wardrobe or simply buying business cards.
Money needs to be spent, but it must be spent for the most appropriate things: Should the musical group invest first in new outfits, in producing a demo CD, or in new equipment? That may depend on whether or not they have a bunch of performances planned, if they are looking for a recording contract or if their instruments are adequate. On the other hand, it might seem odd for a would-be novelist to "invest" in an expensive pen with which to do book signings before the first page of a manuscript has been written.
Fine artists also have investment decisions to make: Art supplies can be quite expensive; paintings may need to be framed, sculptures placed on pedestals; works may have to be crated, shipped, and insured. There are outlays for postcards, postage, brochures, slides and even (perhaps) a website. Still more possible expenditures loom ahead.
Should artists buy an ad in a who's who-type directory or rent a booth space at an art fair? New York City offers another opportunity for spending: renting a gallery for an exhibition.
There are a number of exhibition spaces -- most of them called galleries -- that charge artists between $1,000 and $4,000 for the opportunity to display their work for a two- to four-week period.
Monserrat Gallery, for instance, which is located at 584 Broadway, has three rooms that are rented for two-week shows: The room with a twenty foot-long wall costs $1,900; the gallery with a thirty-foot wall is $2,300, and the forty-foot-long space rents for $3,900. Jadite Gallery, at 413 West 50th Street, charges $1,200 for its small room and $3,500 for the larger space for shows lasting four weeks. "We love artists, and we try to treat them well," Katalina Petrova, assistant director of Jadite, said.
Similar fee structures are also found at Agora Gallery (415 W. Broadway), Art Alliance (98 Greene Street), Artsforum Gallery (24 West 57th Street), Broome Street Gallery (498 Broome Street), Caelum Gallery (526 West 26th Street), E3 Gallery (47 East Third Street), Emerging Collector (62 Second Avenue), A. Jain Marunouchi (24 West 57th Street), New Century Artists (168 Mercer Street), Nexus Gallery (345 East 12th Street), Slowinski Gallery (215 Mulberry Street), Subculture (376 Broome Street) and World Fine Art (443 Broadway).
Most of these gallery spaces are located in major gallery districts -- 57th Street, SoHo, Chelsea, and the East Village -- which might suggest to artists that even if the gallery itself is not prestigious, walk-in traffic may well include real collectors. Manhattan Fine Art Storage, which has two gallery spaces that rent for $75 and $125 per day, regularly advertises in art magazines: "Have a show in SoHo."
Rental costs may or may not include the expense of someone actually hanging the show or sitting in the gallery -- the artists or their friends and families often assume those jobs -- and promotional efforts are limited at best.
New Century Artists will place a listing in Art Now Gallery Guide. In addition to the listing, Agora gallery will also place display advertisements and mail out invitations to the opening reception parties. Feroline Pavone, exhibition coordinator of Agora Gallery, says that artists may also have a personal catalogue for their shows "if they pay for it."
The likelihood that shows at these "vanity galleries" (as they are sometimes called) will be reviewed is almost nonexistent. Sales are also iffy at best.
Meyer Tannenbaum, a painter in New York City who has paid to have his work exhibited at New Century Artists three times, noted that during his best show he sold two small paintings for $200 apiece - "I've never sold enough to make the rent."
Naomi Campisi, president of the Artists League of Brooklyn, which has shown its work at Broome Street Gallery, said that "if we sell two pieces, that's good. Usually, it's more like one piece, or maybe nothing at all." However, sales and write-ups may not be the point to at least some of the artists. "A lot of out-of-towners and people from other countries want a New York credential on their resumes," said Caroll Michels, an artists' career advisor in East Hampton, New York. "They assume that saying their work was exhibited in SoHo will impress people back home. Maybe it will."
She noted, however, that there may be a valid reason to rent a gallery space to show one's work: "You may have some people who want very much to see your work, but you don't have a place suitable to show it. In that case, renting a gallery simply solves a problem, and the costs are likely to be offset by sales or whatever you're expecting from the people you're showing the work to."
A number of artists and gallery owners have taken a different tack on the concept of artists paying to have their work shown, not only in the vanity spaces but also in galleries that otherwise represent artists in the traditional way.
Artists may be asked to pay one-third or one-half or even more of the costs of the gallery in putting on the exhibit -- payment to the gallery owner may reach $3,000 or $4,000 in order to have a three- or four-week show. Sometimes, these pay-your-own-way shows are tryouts for artists who want to be represented by the gallery.
"I usually go 50-50 with the artists," said Deborah Davis, director of El-Baz Gallery in SoHo. "Artists may not want to think about how salable their work is, but I have to. Artists may think that their work should be shown in museums, but I have to know if it will appeal to people who walk in off the street. You take a flying leap into the unknown with many artists, and you know that sales will be less than the costs of putting up the show."
Another SoHo dealer, who asked not to be named, asked "How can you invest in someone whose return on your investment is likely to be zero? We're not a communist country; everything isn't free. Artists have to be willing to help out in the costs or else they're living in some fairy tale." With escalating rents, dealers claim, many galleries are not in a position to give young artists a show without the financial assistance of the artists. "The reality," according to Katharine T. Carter, an artists' advisor, is that artists and dealers "need to be in a shared business relationship" in which both parties decide what they want and how they are going to pay for it.
She noted that artists should approach "emerging talent galleries" with a budget, "equal to what you would pay a part-time secretary, say $8,000-$10,000." That money would be used in part to publish postcards, a full-color catalogue with an essay, press mailings for the show, and mailings (of the catalogue) afterwards to museum curators and dealers around the country. For Carter, as well as many artists and dealers, this is what it means for artists to invest in their careers.
Pay in order to play is certainly a well-known theme in artists' lives.
Most juried competitions, for instance, require an entry fee. Coop galleries entail the payment of an annual membership, plus monthly dues, plus all the costs of organizing and promoting an artist's show. Many online mall sites for artists require artists to pay sometimes sizeable amounts of money with the hope that a user finds them and wants to buy something.
For example, ArtistsOnline, which is based in Santa Barbara, California, calls itself a "free" website, but it charges a one-time fee of up to $150 to create a one-page portfolio (for artists with their own site, they must still pay for a one-page "personal profile"); additional pages are $50 per page plus a fee of $1.95 per month, and any changes made to the website-such as changing the images periodically-are billed at $40 per hour.{Editor's Note: These fees and packages were current as of 2002. Visit ArtistsOnline for updated information).
Gallery Art Garden, which comes out of the city of Alkmaar in The Netherlands, costs a monthly fee of $25, affording an artist four images and a description of his or her work; there are also costs for changes and additional pages.
The New York City-based ArtistsRegister charges $450 for a one-year "membership" that includes one color illustration and text (up to 10 lines); additional illustrations are $60 each. The website itself is not actively promoted-either by direct mailings or advertising-by its operators, but Marie Fischer, who designed ArtistRegister, claimed that there are an average of 12,000 hits every week from all over the world. "I tell artists to support their website with direct mailings; that's the best way to let people know where they can find the artists' work," she said. ArtistRegister will also create an artist's direct mailing ("We'll write a nice letter, putting the artist's website on it") and provide a stamp and an envelope at the price of $1 per name.
A spokesman for World Wide Arts Resources (located in Columbus, Ohio) claimed that the site receives 100,000 visitors per month, but there are no figures for the number of sales actually made on- or offline from the artists and galleries that have websites attached. ArtistRegister also only has anecdotal information about works sold, commissions, artists taken on by dealers or hired to lecture, teach, or give demonstrations. They only count the number of overall hits, not the quality or the result of browsing, and they do not actively survey their artists. Unlike ArtNet.com and some others, these gallery sites remain in business because artists pay them for services and the rental of cyberspace.
The art world has a lot of what could be called victimless crimes.
Critics, for instance, are often hired to write privately-published catalogue essays for artists they never heard of before and to whom they may never ever pay attention to again. One editor at Art in America has written a number of these essays for artists whose work would never appear in that magazine, although the artists who pay for the editor's implicit endorsement ("a dollar a word is the going rate," the editor said) will proudly proclaim that their work was the subject of an essay by an editor at Art in America. The artist is happy, the editor is happy, but it is a fool's bargain into which the artist has entered, because it is cynical about rather than beneficial to the artist's career: Critics and editors will associate their names with these artists precisely because they expect the artists will never be heard from again. They wouldn't want their words thrown back at them years later.
Calling an expenditure of money an investment may make people feel as though they are taking charge of their lives or careers where in fact they are only gambling. All investments, of course, are a form of risk-taking, although the better risks tend to be researched and evaluated. The art world offers many opportunities for one's money to flow freely. Artists would be wise to invest a little time to understanding how the art market works.
Daniel Grant is the author of a number of career development books for fine artists, including The Business of Being an Artist, How to Grow as an Artist, The Fine Artist's Career Guide and The Artist's sexGuide: Making It In New York City, from which this article is excerpt. Allworth Press, publisher.


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LOS ANGELES, Jul 22, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the eagerly-anticipated major motion picture based on Blizzard Entertainment(R)'s award-winning Warcraft(R) universe. Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content.
Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy, which has broken box-office records around the world and garnered five Academy Award(R) nominations. Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic, The Evil Dead and produced 30 Days Of Night. He most recently wrote and directed the supernatural thriller, Drag Me To Hell.
"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."
Charles Roven's producing talents were recently seen with last summer's blockbuster The Dark Knight, which grossed in excess of $1 billion, was nominated for eight Academy Awards(R) and won two. His body of work also includes the widely acclaimed Batman Begins and the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys. Roven, with Atlas producing partner Alex Gartner, will be producing with Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, Legendary's Chief Creative Officer Jon Jashni, Raimi and Raimi's producing partner Joshua Donen. Raimi's partner, Robert Tapert, will be an Executive Producer and Blizzard Entertainment's Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, a Co-Producer.
"Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary's mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers," said Legendary's Tull. "Sam's passion for 'Warcraft' is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard's phenomenal franchise. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Warner Bros. and continuing our successful relationship with Chuck in bringing this rich new world to the screen."
"Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here."
"Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft has become a second home for millions of players and Sam's experience and talent make him the perfect director for this remarkable and action-packed world," said Atlas' Roven. "Alex and I are proud to be working with Sam and re-teaming with our friends at Legendary and Warner Bros."
The film will fall under Legendary Pictures' co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. "Warcraft is emblematic of the kind of branded, event films for which our studio is best known. We have enjoyed great success with our partners at Legendary, and this is an incredible opportunity for us to work with Sam on a project that is so eagerly anticipated by so many," said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft universe is a rich fantasy setting that revolves around the epic conflict between the opposing forces of the Horde and the Alliance. Since its debut in 1994, Warcraft has developed a loyal following across the globe, with several bestselling, award-winning PC games and a range of popular licensed products including novels, action figures, apparel, comic books, board games, and more. World of Warcraft(R), Blizzard Entertainment's subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Warcraft universe, is the most popular game of its kind in the world. Its most recent expansion, Wrath of the Lich King(TM), is the fastest-selling PC game of all time, with more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and more than 4 million in its first month.
Further details about the upcoming Warcraft movie, including cast and targeted release date, will be revealed as development progresses.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft(R) and the Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R), and Diablo(R) series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes eleven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net(R), is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Blizzard Entertainment generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Blizzard Entertainment's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Blizzard Entertainment's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Blizzard Entertainment's products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Blizzard Entertainment, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, vendors and third-party developers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates, integration of recent acquisitions and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, Activision Blizzard's success in integrating the operations of Activision Publishing and Vivendi Games in a timely manner, or at all, and the combined company's ability to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies of the transaction to the extent, or in the timeframe, anticipated, and the other factors identified in Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
SOURCE: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Blizzard Entertainment
Lisa Jensen, 949-854-6200
Copyright Business Wire 2009

subset: commoncrawl


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte couple who tragically lost their two kids in a car accident just welcomed twins Monday.
The family welcomed twins Isaiah Dobbs and Amos Reed.
The twins' middle names honor their older brothers who lost their lives in a car accident on their way home to Charlotte from a family wedding at the beach.
The Charlotte couple spoke out back in February about their loss.
Two-year-old Dobbs was killed and Hadley, who was 38 weeks pregnant at the time, gave birth to Reed after the accident. Sadly, Reed passed away a few days later.
"We believe there is a lot of hope in our story and it reminds us God is a restorer," says Gentry Eddings.
Hope – because the couple recently announced they are now pregnant, with twins, and due this summer.
Hadley says, "I had missed being a mom from day one but around this summer I thought, we're getting to that point where it ok for me to be pregnant and I want to have more babies. And I don't want to continue to live this life without being a mom again."
But she says she had to come to terms with exactly what it means to have more kids.
"It's not betraying my children who are no longer here to have more children and that was the things we had to work through before we decided to try again."
Gentry, a pastor at Forest Hill Church, also wants people to understand the power of forgiveness.
"Be willing to forgive others – that's been an important part of our healing is just to be able to forgive the driver that caused the accident."


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Al DeGenova and Charlie Rossiter
Poetry Dispatch No. 90 | July 13, 2006
Al DeGenova and Charlie Rossiter
I've known both Al and Charlie for a quite a few years—even 'performed' with them on one or two occasions, both here in Door County and back on their/my old Chicago turf. They are a unique team as performers, while at the same time, very different poets., each bringing his take, his perception of the Beat spirit, still alive and well today all over the world. Thanks to poets like Al (mixing sax and flute sounds at times with words as he reads) and Charlie, a kind of happy shaman on the stage (his beloved Han Shan in the flesh),laughing out lines, beating his bongo drum.
About five years ago I worked with them in putting together a combination memory/poetry book to be published by my small press, Cross+Roads Press, which I did. BACK BEAT (2001) was almost an immediate sellout/hit. And since my policy with the press is not to do a second printing…well, even worse than being a poet out of work, is a poet out of books. But I'm pleased to announce that a few months ago, another press picked up the second printing—some small changes, a few additions, but the same Emmett John's cover of Kerouac—and readers should please contact either Charlie or Al for copies. Or catch them somewhere in Chicago, the Midwest at a reading. They have a new CD too. Norbert Blei
(excerpt from Song For My Son) #6 by Al DeGenova
Writers' ghosts walk on Kerouac Street
Beat poems on beat up shelves
City Lights
stands unchanged (and not)
on the border between Little Italy and Chinatown.
Diane di Prima loses her virginity
again and again
as I sip espresso
with her Memoirs of a Beatnik.
I feel their sour breath;
the writers' ghosts of 1960 San Francisco
are wheezing, laughing, fucking, drinking
while I am here doing my duty
marketing communications
for the corporate god.
A saxophone calls me into Chinatown
(wheezing voice of the poets).
Oh spirits, we are kindred
in this dirty, old, beautiful, alive, dead
city with the bridge
yet I
am a conspicuous, lamenting conventioneer tourist,
part-time poet, part-time saxophonist, who
chose the path
more traveled.
Cole, listen to the poets.
Listen…"to thine own self be true."
Listen…"Blow, man, blow!"
THE EX by Charlie Rossiter
She's the worst kind of monster
made up of old parts of yourself
that needed a woman like her
and couldn't see disaster looming
like a bad dream that keeps coming back
when you let your guard down
you see her in a dark cafe and shiver,
it's like a visit from the grave
you try to recall good times
but you're torn–how else
to justify
how else to move on
you've switched back to your old brand
of toothpaste, but you still wear
clothes you wore with her
and drive the same car. You wonder
how far you'll have to go.
You want to blame it all on her
then you want to blame it all on you.
In your better moments you wish her well.


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Anoka has found a way to preserve one of the county's most historic homes, visited by governors and Civil War soldiers, by reincarnating it as a restaurant overlooking the Rum River near downtown.
An Anoka couple, Tim and Liz Koch, are renting and renovating the 155-year-old Woodbury House. They will relocate their Mad Hatter Tea Room from Main Street to 1632 S. Ferry St. (Hwy 169). They hope to open a family-style restaurant and tea room in the city-owned house before March.
Liz Koch, 49, started the Tea Room in 1999 in the old downtown Post Office. She said she is happy to stay in Anoka, where she has raised her two kids, now college students working part time for her. Tim Koch, her husband of four years, is doing much of the remodeling. She said they had been looking for larger quarters for years in Anoka and elsewhere. Finding a historic building fits well with the ancient art of serving tea, she said.
"I just want this to be a community place," Koch said last week, glancing around the vacant living room with bay windows overlooking a steep bank along the Rum. She said she'd like to have croquet, picnics and Easter egg hunts in the big front yard and host school prom dinners and residents' parties. She said two small Anoka bakeries and a butcher shop will provide pastries and meats.
City bought building
The City Council voted to buy the foreclosed home, which had fallen into disrepair, in April from the city Housing and Redevelopment Authority for $330,000. In November, after reviewing several development proposals, the council unanimously approved a five-year lease with the Kochs. The city is investing about $350,000 in new plumbing for a sprinkler system, upgraded electrical and other mechanical improvements before the grand opening, said Planning Director Carolyn Braun.
The Woodbury House, designed in the Greek Revival and Federal styles in 1857, is the third-oldest building in the county, said Todd Mahon, executive director of the Anoka County Historical Society. Dwight Woodbury, who bought the two-story house in 1860 from Anoka's first doctor, was a state legislator. He helped develop Anoka with his water-powered flour and sawmills on the Rum River where City Hall now sits. During the Civil War, Union army volunteers rested at the house on the way to Fort Snelling.
Mahon said Anoka area people have a deep interest in the old mansion, owned from 1985 to 2006 by former legislator and civic leader John Weaver. Mahon said the society's annual home and garden tour, limited to 600 tickets, sold out for the first time last summer when the Woodbury House was added to the tour.
"We never came close to selling out before," he said. "It is great that it is saved, and people have some access to it as well." A generation ago when Hwy. 169 was the main road north, the house with its big circular driveway was a landmark for thousands of families headed to summer cabins or resorts, he said, adding:
"It is white, sits up on a hill surrounded by an iron fence under a canopy of trees. It's kind of mysterious."
Overcoming concerns
Mayor Phil Rice said he was reluctant for the city to become a landlord and indirectly compete with other businesses. But he said his concerns were outweighed by the historic value and strategic location of the 2.2-acre property, which could become part of a future trail down the Rum River to a city park at the Mississippi River confluence.
Rice said he hopes to sell the house to the Kochs or others in 10 years, by which time restaurant rent would have recovered city improvement costs.
"Hopefully we can live up to our part," said Tim Koch, a former baker who manages a restaurant equipment supply warehouse.
The Kochs, who blast emails to 4,000 customers around the Twin Cities and beyond, plan to invest more than $250,000 in a larger, commercial kitchen, painting rooms, a handicapped accessible bathroom, glass and dinnerware, tables, chairs and other improvements, Liz Koch said.
The Mad Hatter will close its cramped shop in the old Post Office, built in 1916, at year's end. Then the couple will dive deeper into Anoka's history at the Woodbury House. At least two Minnesota governors, writer Ignatius Donnelly and several early legislators have visited the house. It sheltered area settlers who fled their outlying homes during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The home was added in 1979 to the National Registry of Historic Places.
Liz Koch said the living room and wood-paneled, high ceiling library, both with fireplaces, will become dining areas to seat about 50. Dining also will be offered on the wraparound porch in warmer months. Koch said she has hired a veteran chef to prepare lunch and dinner entrees, ranging from $12 to $20, five days a week and brunch on Sunday. The house's dining room will become a gift shop offering teas, jams, postcards and other items.
Koch said many of her patrons have asked if they can help with the move. She said she is setting up an online Kickstarter campaign to raise about $58,000 to assist with start-up costs. Those who contribute will receive free meals, tea parties or other rewards.
The city will provide parking for the Mad Hatter at the adjacent Carpenter's Union, which will be demolished soon, Braun said.
Anoka County's oldest building is the Banfill-Locke farm house in Fridley, now housing an arts center. It was built in 1847 as an inn and tavern on the Red River Trail, which ran up the Mississippi and through Anoka, Mahon said. The second-oldest building is also in Anoka. The Shaw-Hammons House, built in 1852, sits a few blocks north of the Woodbury house.


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WOOF! Ehehe I'm back here in my lonely blog.. Couldn't believe that i actually post something new in only 2 weeks time. Writing this post in between my sleepless nights doing my final homework *3 weeks to go hu! ha!*. My outfit taken freshly today by Anastasia Siantar *standingovation* and I furnished it right away. I Finally stocked so many beautifool pictures of my faces in Paris since I don't really take pictures of my face with my own camera *exept phone hoho
When i took this photo above, there was a beggar who keep staring and smirking or idk maybe just smiling towards me then suddenly he gave me some kind of sign to borrow his dog so click click click this dog keep turning around jumping here and there looking up for his owner and in the end he run towards his owner haha.. But he's a good actor anyway!
Hat - H&M
Sunnies - Linda Farrow
Trench coat - KENZO
Top - I.T
Pants - Zara
Shoes - Dr. Marten
seeeee you in a wink!


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51 DNA Custard Pie Throwing at Beggars Banquet Given by The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Framed Art Print
- Adorn your walls with a tribute to the iconic 60s Rock Band The Rolling Stones, currently on their No Filter World Tour. This collection comprises of stylish black and white photography of Mick, Keith, Ronnie and the band from the 1960s through to the 1990s, capturing moments from the bands legendary history.
- Custard Pie Throwing at Beggars Banquet Given by The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger
- Dimensions: 40x50cm
- Frame: Apollo Black wooden frame 2 x 3 cm profile
- Material: Museum grade mountboard, 185gsm barrier coated fine art paper
- Complete with hanging system
ID no: 15926808
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Please note that if you have ordered items from one or more of our sales, we will automatically split ship your order if certain items become available before others.


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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Stronger regulation should be the first line of defense against excessive speculation that could send the economy into a new crisis, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Sunday.
But he didn't rule out higher interest rates to stop that from happening.
The Fed chief's remarks were his most extensive on the subject since the housing market's tumble led to the gravest financial crisis since World War II -- and perhaps the worst in modern history, in his view.
Critics blame the Fed for feeding that speculative boom in housing by holding interest rates too low for too long after the 2001 recession.
But Bernanke, in a speech to the American Economic Association's annual meeting in Atlanta, defended the central bank's actions. Extra-low rates were needed to get the economy and job creation back to full throttle after the Sept. 11 attacks and accounting scandals that rocked Wall Street, he said.
Bernanke said the direct links were weak between super-low interest rates and the rapid rise in house prices that occurred at roughly the same time. The stance of interest rates during that period "does not appear to have been inappropriate," he said.
Still, the enormous economic damage from the housing bust -- the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s and double-digit unemployment -- shows how importance it is to guard against a repeat, Bernanke said.
"All efforts should be made to strengthen our regulatory system to prevent a recurrence of the crisis, and to cushion the effects if another crisis occurs," he said.
"However, if adequate reforms are not made, or if they are made but prove insufficient to prevent dangerous buildups of financial risks, we must remain open to using monetary policy as a supplementary tool," he added.
Speculative excesses are not easy to pinpoint in their early stages, he said, and using higher interest rates to combat them can hurt the economy.
For instance, rate increases in 2003 and 2004 to constrain the housing bubble could have "seriously weakened" the economy just when a recovery from the 2001 recession was starting, he said.
To help the country emerge from that recession, the Fed under then-Chairman Alan Greenspan cut its key bank lending rate from 6.5 percent in late 2000 to 1 percent in June 2003. It held rates at what was then a record low for a year. It's this action that critics blame for feeding the housing speculation.
Bernanke, however, said the expansion of complex mortgage products and the belief that housing prices would keep rising were the keys to inflating the housing bubble. As a result, lenders made home loans to people to finance houses they couldn't afford.
The Fed in 2005 did crack down on dubious mortgage practices and the type of mortgages blamed for the crisis. Bernanke acknowledged that these efforts "came too late or were insufficient to stop the decline in underwriting standards and effectively constrain the housing bubble."
Still, Bernanke said the lessons learned from the crisis isn't that regulation is ineffective but that regulation "must be better and smarter."


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Audrey Tobias has no issue with the collecting of census information, instead her issue is with Statistics Canada's use of the American manufacturer Lockheed Martin's software to crunch the numbers.
In 2006 Lockheed Martin's role caused concerns in Canada that personal and private information from the Census might have to be released to the United States under their Patriot Act. Then the Canadian government decided they would use the software for the 2011 census forms.
That is when Tobias decided she could not, in good conscious, support the filling out of the form because Lockheed Martin is a foreign based arms manufacturer. She has been charged with violating the Statistics Act and a judge will deliver his verdict on October 9th. She faces possible imprisonment and a fine which she says she will not pay. She could also be ordered to perform Community Service but she has stated firmly that she will not do so because to pay a fine or perform Community Service means that she believes she is guilty of wrong-doing.
How do you feel about her refusal? As a genealogist I want her to fill out her form but I do not agree with the Government forcing her to do so. I also think it is a waste of everyone's time and money taking her to court over her refusal when there are far more serious matters in the world today.


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Vegas ready for USA 7s this weekend!
The Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas will host the fourth leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series, and will likely be packed with well over 30,000 people making their way to Sin City.
Plenty of action is expected for this prestigious rugby weekend, with the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament (LVI) taking place from Wednesday to Saturday. USA Sevens LLC has done a brilliant job with over 170 teams entering the LVI this year - which could be the largest rugby tournament in the world. The atmosphere during the LVI was fantastic, with the International event happening on Saturday February 12th (games from 9.24am to 9.20pm) and Sunday February 13th (games from 9.16am to 4.00pm).
The Pools for Vegas are as follows -
Pool A: England, Argentina, France, Guyana
Pool B: New Zealand, Wales, Kenya, Uruguay
Pool C: Fiji, Australia, Scotland, Canada
Pool D: Samoa, South Africa, USA, Japan
The USA - after coming back in Wellington last weekend to claim the Shield title - will have a difficult first day on home soil. They face a powerful South African side (11.58am), 2009/2010 IRB Series champions Samoa (2.20pm) and Japan (6.25pm). USA Rugby will have match reports on all the Eagles matches during the tournament.
New Zealand will be favourites in Vegas, despite losing captain DJ Forbes to a knee injury. Who else could lift the title? England will be looking to avenge Wellington's result, while Fiji or Samoa could well surprise us all.
Legendary New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens said: "I think for the USA if they want to grow the sport they need to get a lot of support out there and for the guys to really put on a great display of Sevens rugby. If they can do that then the Game will grow here. There are a lot of athletes out here that are for real and once they get more numbers playing the Game they will become a real strength in Sevens rugby."
NBC and Universal Sports will be showing several hours of sevens on TV this weekend, which is a major boost for rugby in America.
The TV schedule for Saturday is (all times Eastern):
2.00pm - 3.30pm on Universal Sports
3.30pm - 6.00pm on NBC
6.00pm - 8.00pm on Universal Sports
9.30pm - 1.00am on Universal Sports
Meanwhile in the International Women's Sevens competition, the USA stormed to a 55-0 win over the Tyrolian Select side and also enjoyed a fantastic 7-5 victory over Canada today. Vix Folayan scored a sensational try in the Canada match, which was converted by Christy Ringgenberg. However, the United States went down 21-15 against the Netherlands earlier in the day, which meant they had to defeat Canada by 18 points to advance.
This leaves the International Women's semi finals as follows:
Netherlands vs. France
Spain vs. Canada
For more information about the Vegas event - please visit the USA Sevens website - with a link to purchase tickets here.
Also to follow the live scoring on the IRB sevens website: http://www.irbsevens.com/


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Mike of Genealogy Gazette mentioned a little known and under-used resource for genealogists on his Twitter feed. I checked it out and realized he's right - it's a gold mine for genealogists that is overlooked for the most part!
Those of us with English ancestry no doubt know of Free BMD. This is the volunteer based website where you can search indexes to find the GRO reference for birth, marriage and death certificates. It's invaluable. I use it frequently. But I never realized there is a little feature called Postems.
Postems allow visitors to add information to an index entry once found. So a genealogist could find an entry for an ancestor, send for the certificate and then enter some of the details on the Postem for that index entry. Mike pointed out that if more genealogists filled these out we could all benefit.
Of course we have to avoid posting copyright material so I personally would not copy and submit the actual certificate word for word. But there's no reason a summary could not be submitted - for a birth registration you could simply submit the parents' names.
After reading Mike's tip, I immediately went to Free BMD and started adding my Postems for ancestors whose certificates I have, and who are found in the index on that site. I simply added one or two sentences such as this one for the marriage index entry for my ancestor Charles Simpson
"Charles Simpson married Sally Page. I have photos. Contact me at email@example.com"Now anyone looking for Charles will hopefully see that Postem and can contact me!
Further exploration of the FreeBMD website revealed that visitors can search all Postems! So I searched for "SIMPSON" I was amazed to get 220 hits! These are all Postems, that is, user-added notes and details. I'm not about to slog through all 220 so I simply began adding more targeted keywords to find the Simpson entries I would be interested in.
What a great resource. I hope all my readers with English ancestry will give it a try and start adding their own Postems. My New Year's Resolution is to add *ALL* of my English ancestors' certificate details to the FreeBMD Postems in the year 2011. Why not join me?


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Zeiss's CP.2 series of lenses are incredible cine lenses. They have amazing resolution and contrast, very little chromatic abberation, and they are all color matched to each other. Each lens is the same exact size and shape, making it ridiculously easy to change focal lengths when shooting with a complicated rig involving a follow focus and a matte box. The iris of each lens is a 14- blade circular design, giving you super creamy bokeh in your out of focus areas. The design of the lenses eliminates "breathing" - where the image feels like it's moving when you are focusing. These lenses are great on Canon DSLRs as well as the newer C100 & C300. Check out our adapter to allow you to use these powerhouses on our Sony FS700.
Aperture: T 2.1 to T 22
Close Focus: 0.17m / 7"
Length: 80mm / 3.15"
Front Diameter: 114mm / 4.5"
Weight: 0.9kg/ 2.0lbs
Angle of View: 53°


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Sharks are some of the coolest animals we have today. They bring fear and amazement at the same time.
I think the fact that a huge shark was the main character in the movie "Jaws" has played a big roll in how people think about these animals of the seas. People were even afraid of swimming pools and bathtubs after watching that movie. Yet, there has never been an incident in real life that even closely resembles what happened in the movie.
One of the species of sharks that has never been made famous is the Frilled Shark. In fact even scientist do not know much about it but, you can see a few facts about it in the article Meet the Frill Shark. You might also recognize them as the Frilled Shark. Even though both names may sound cute, these sharks are anything but cute. They are a bit creepy if you ask me. I would not want this animal swimming next to me. But, if I got a picture of one I could swear it was the Lochness Monster. It kind of looks like a sea serpent.
Go ahead over and get a bit of animal info about the frill shark...you might just want to stay out of the deep water.


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Odell Beckham reception: Photo of the Day
LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham (3) is thought to be a first round draft pick by both of ESPN's main draft analysts.
((Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
LSU could have as many as 10 players picked in the 2014 NFL draft in May and two - wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry - could end up being first-rounders. At least that's how ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay see it.
Kiper and McShay both have Beckham going late in the first round in their latest mock drafts released Thursday. Kiper says he will go to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 22nd choice and McShay thinks OBJ will go one pick later to the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first mock draft, Kiper thought San Francisco would take Beckham.
Kiper, additionally thinks Beckham's LSU running mate Landry will be taken by the 49ers with the 30th pick. Kiper cited Landry's "strong hands" and his fearlessness as a blocker.
See Kiper's mock draft here and McShay's mock draft here.
McShay likes Beckham's explosiveness and that he's a good fit for the Chiefs, who are in need of playmakers. Kiper likes his versatility to play any of the receiver positions.
Beckham had 59 receptions for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns in a breakout season and finished his three-year career with 143 catches for 2,340 yards and 12 touchdowns. Beckham was named All-SEC first team as an all-purpose player and was a third-team AP All American at the same position.
Landry caught 77 passes for 1,193 yards and 10 scores. In three years his totals were 137 receptions, 1,809 yards and 15 scores.
Here are their complete comments:
Mel Kiper on Beckham: "He could show off elite straight-line speed at the combine, but he's particularly explosive out of breaks, creating separation and making him dangerous with the ball in his hands. His speed also translates to the return game. Beckham could be a good fit in Philly not just because he's a good receiver for a team that could use help in that department, but because he's versatile, and can work in the slot or on the edge."
Kiper on Landry: "Knowing how 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has raved about the pass-catching ability of Michael Crabtree, I think the coach will like what he sees of Landry when he rolls the tape. It's not Harbaugh's final call to make, but what they'd get in Landry is a really strong hands-catcher who is fluid in and out of his breaks and doesn't care about making catches in traffic. Landry is a competitor, and isn't afraid to throw a block. He's done a good job of building on the considerable base of talent he flashed coming out of high school."
Todd McShay on Beckham: "The Chiefs are in need of more offensive weapons, and Beckham seems like a good fit in Kansas City. He played his best football in 2013, and in particular his ball skills and overall focus improved late in the season. He isn't as consistent as teammate Jarvis Landry, but he's more explosive, a playmaker who is a threat to stretch the field and even more dangerous after the catch and on punt returns. Notre Dame DL Stephon Tuitt would make a lot of sense here as well, as would Fresno State WR Davante Adams, but Florida State WR Kelvin Benjamin is too much of a risk-reward prospect for the Chiefs to select at No. 23."
Jim Kleinpeter can be reached at email@example.com or 504.826.3405.


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It can be challenging to keep up with all of the latest news
about health care communications and health policy. Given that the
health communication industry is rapidly evolving, there is always
something new developing.
In an effort to help you stay current on the latest and greatest
health care communications news, we've created this highlight of
stories from the month of September that we feel are deserving of
your attention
And in case you've fallen behind on your blog reading, here's
what you missed on the Healthyist during September!


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It's been quite while since my last post and dammit I'm sorry about that, gang but things have been kinda crazy in HarpCarp-Ville. Between the arrival of the "Mini-Carp" (Miles Daniel James Oblander now age 9 months!) and rehearsing for and completing another successful Five Horse Johnson Euro tour, I've been busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony. But now I'm back and ready as I'll ever be! So, in todays episode I thought I'd talk a bit about harmonica microphones.
When I first started playing harmonica around 16-17 yrs ago (yikes!!) I resisted the idea of playing through a microphone. I thought it seemed like a blockage between my sweet playing and the peoples obviously hungry ears. It also seemed very complicated. Hell, I even heard that using a mic made players lazy! Finally, my dad of all people (He actually played harp in a blues band in the '60's. They even hung out with the Butterfield band! But I digress…) convinced me that I needed to give it a whirl. He loaned me a mic and a small amp and I never looked back.
Over the ensuing years I have used loads of different models, brands and styles of microphones. I kinda got addicted to finding out just what each one sounded like, and could really do. I kept buying mics and exploring the world of amplified harmonicating until I finally settled on some criteria that helped me hone in on what I need and like. In no particular order, here's a list of a few of the top harp mics I've used over the years–why I like 'em and what they do. Enjoy.
SURE 520 a.k.a "The Green Bullet" – Ahhh yes, THAT one! The classic. The Grandaddy of 'em all. It's the most easily recognizable microphone of the bunch, so I figured why not start at the top? Back in the early days, these mics were used for dispatching police cars/cabs and in-store announcements like: "CLEAN UP, ISLE THREE–CLEAN UP, ISLE THREE." These microphones were quickly adopted by blues players as a cheap and REALLY awesome way to amplify their tones. Eventually, the Sure company got wise and began to market the "Green Bullet" to people who felt hinky about stealing them.
I really love this mic, and I use them quite often but there has been a a highly volatile relationship between us. As a singer/harp player I like to hang my mic around my neck when not in use–and quite frankly the Green Bullet HATES when I do that. I have pulled the hard-wired cord out of so many of those damned things that I lost count. But, I guess it's the price you pay for all of that awesomeness. This mic gives me so many tones, all simply accessed by the amount of air pressure I let in with my hands. A tight grip can elicit some pretty gut-wrenching honks.
I don't claim to know the inner workings of any of these mics, but I do know that the high impedance diode (the equivalent of a guitar pick-up) is particularly powerful in the Bullet, and that what makes it really hum. For a far better and more technical explanation check out this link.
- Velvety tone that is thick as molasses.
- Fantastic bassy, low end tone.
- Distinctive tone; one of a kind classic sound.
- Makes even the crappiest of amplifiers sound great!
- Volume knob
- Can be a handful in the feedback department.
- Kind of a big learning curve tone wise.
- Heavy. It's a big chunk o' metal.
- THAT DAMNED HARDWIRED CABLE!! Very delicate and easily yanked out.
A few years ago I heard about these little gems and decided I needed to try one on for size. I couldn't find a store locally that carried Shakers so I ventured all the way up to Herb David Guitars in Ann Arbor, Michigan and picked one up. And, buddy let me tell you I'm sure glad I did. These little bombs are a big sound in a tiny package. I can get lots of cool and different tones out of any one of the many styles of SM's that I own. As a matter of fact the Shaker "Retro Rocket " was used exclusively on all of the harp takes on the CLUTCHalbum "Heard it all before; Live in Australia" that I was lucky enough to be a part of.
- Light weight, easily held and carried
- Very tough construction
- Connects with 1/4 " guitar cable jack (not hardwired)
- Hot tone
- Many different models to choose from
- Built in, easy grip volume knob
- Some volume issues
- I have sucked the diode out of them in the past
HOHNER "Blues Blaster" – Hohner got into the microphone game a few years back, and I'm pretty sure they might already be out of the game. In the late 1990's Hohner began to repackage the old bullet style Astatic microphones and started calling it the "HOHNER Blues Blaster". Astatic was one of the first of the old P.A. style mics I talked about earlier. I first became aware of their hotness when I opened up my copy of the Red Devils album "King King". As I was (and still am) into all things Lester Butler (RD's harp player/singer) I couldn't help but notice the mic he was depicted holding. So, naturally I bought one.
It was quite nice BUT EXPENSIVE, and soon I killed it. I bought ANOTHER one, and killed that one too. Later, I discovered that Hohner had issued one of their own at a much lower price so I started using those. I love the cable connector, again NOT hardwired but instead it had used a XLR connector. Also they have a really REALLY cool looking 50's automobile design. Very cool! They have a nice tone, but I felt that they were a bit thin sounding. The real Astatic's that I used earlier had a much nicer HONK. BUT they did fit the bill for many years of rough-house touring.
- Inexpensive alternative
- Lester used 'em ('nuff said)
- Cool, modular XLR cable attachment
- Thinner tone than other mics
- Kind of delicate (by my meathead standards)


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