text:
GESEK Pages (43)
See More >
GESEK Mentions
See More >
RUTH GESEK Ruth Ann Lyons Gesek, a 19-year resident of Las Vegas, passed away March 17, 2013. She was born in Addieville, Ill., Nov. 2, 1923, to Homer and Atha (Wolgamott) Lyons, the fifth of 10 children. She grew up in Clear Lake, Iowa, and had many stories to tell of living through the Iowa winters with minimal heat and walking "three miles in the snow" to school every day. She was bright and started first grade at age four, thus graduating from high school at age 16. She was a nanny for a short time and also attended business college. During World War II, she was married to Jimmy Blumenstock. They settled in New Jersey after the war and he played football for the New York Giants. In 1951, she found herself single again and living in Michigan, where she met and married John Henry Gesek. They were married 28 years until his death in 1979. In 1959, John and Ann moved to southern California, where Ann was content spending her time in the garden and raising her three daughters, Kandace, Karen (Cooky) and Jonette (JJ). She moved to Las Vegas in 1994, to be close to her three daughters and their families. Ann spent her retirement years gardening, and shopping at the thrift stores where she had a knack for picking up valuable antiques, but most of her time was spent with her family. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Henry Gesek; and her siblings, Marjorie, Molly, Clinton (Bud), Bill, Jim, Jerry and Joe. She is survived by her brother, Larry Jack Lyons of Fort Worth, Texas; her daughters, Kandace Ann Harden (Richard), Karen Kay Gesek and Jonette Jean Hodson (Alex); grandchildren, Sean, Matt, Nick (Baylee), Megan (Kurt), Kayla, Hannah and Hally; stepgrandchildren, Cynthia, Adam, Audrey, Ben, Charleton, John, Roy, Breck, Brittany and Brooke; and 28 great-grandchildren, whom she adored. Graveside services will be at noon Wednesday, March 27, at the National Cemetery in Riverside, Calif. Ann will be missed for her spunky attitude and loving kindness that she showed her family and friends. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Coats for Kids at
Read More
Share a message, photo, or video below
all messages
" June 5, 2014 Hello, my name is Mary King. My 89 yr. old mom..."
"Thanks J.J. and family for posting this! She was a beautiful..."
"Kandace and family, We are so sorry that you lost your sweet..."
- steve korenek
"Many, many fond memories - Love the Buck's"
- Pauline Buck
"Our sincerest condolences to you and your family. Our..."
- Courtney and the staff at Acheson & Graham
Add a memory or condolence to the guest book
Add Message
Please add or record a video for the family of
Add a video
View All
Ruth Ann, 1944, Corpus Christi
Ruth Ann and Jimmy, 1944, Corpus Christi
Send Funeral Flowers
Donate to Charity
How To Submit An Obituary
Find Advice
Funeral Etiquette
Sympathy and Condolence Advice
Grief Support Groups
Back to today's Obituaries
© Copyright 1999-2015
All Rights Reserved
Questions? Contact us
Search obituaries nationwide


text:
tweet Print This! Senior Hour – December 23, 2009 Posted by: KHTS AM 1220 in Uncategorized December 23, 2009 - 8:00 pm 0 0 Views {enclose todayswoman-december23-2009.mp3} Right Click Here To Listen! 2009-12-23 KHTS AM 1220 Senior Hour – December 23, 2009 Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment You may use these HTML tags and attributes:   <acronym title="">
      <q cite=""> <s>   tweet Print This!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
HoopsHype Lithuania rumors
Howard Chen: After workouts today, @Donatas Motiejunas left Houston for Lithuania, where he'll repping the national team for EuroBasket 2013. #RedNation Twitter @ho_chenCSN
Linas Kleiza was named in the 15-strong Lithuanian national team preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2013 that head coach Jonas Kazlauskas announced in Vilnius on Tuesday. He was doubtful because of health issues. Eurobasket 2013
Center Jonas Valanciunas, who has just completed a very promising rookie NBA season with the Toronto Raptors will join national team preparations at a later stage as he will take part with his team in the Las Vegas summer league. Another center who had his first season in the NBA this year, Donatas Motiejunas, is also on the team after reaching the western conference play-offs with the Houston Rockets. Eurobasket 2013
Arvydas Sabonis' last season in the NBA was in 2003, after taking a year off from the NBA to play in Europe. During his career he became one of the game's consummate big men, and even won a gold medal in the 1988 Olympics while competing on behalf of the Soviet Union. Last year, the former Trail Blazer suffered a heart attack playing basketball and was advised by doctors not to engage in such rigorous activity — by the looks of things, Sabonis may have let himself go a bit in his post-playing days. As if doctors could stop him. Last week Sabonis suited up for his hometown Lithuanian team Žalgiris Kaunas as part of a legends game in which they took on a club from Moscow. There are any numbers of reasons that the below highlights are hilarious, among them are Sabonis' size advantage and apparent lack of conviction on defense. NESN.com
There was one — and only one — Dream Team. So that is the American view. But not everyone is American. As all knowledgable American basketball fans know, Lithuania is the country that has competed at a high level most consistently over the past six Olympics. Lithuania produced Arvydas Sabonis, Sarunas Marciulionis, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Linas Kleiza, Jonas Valenciunas, and Egle, among others. And now a film has been made about the 1992 Lithuanian national team, entitled "The Other Dream Team." SheridanHoops
Jeff Foote is set to replace Robertas Javtokas in Zalgiris' roster, Kauno Diena daily reports. The club needed to add a center as Lithuanian national team captain will be out of action for at least 4-6 months. The 25-year-old American center comes from NBDL team Springfield Armor where he averaged 14.6 points and 9 rebounds per game. TalkBasket
But the American Dream Team may not have been the best story from that Olympic basketball tournament in Barcelona. A new documentary — "The Other Dream Team" — looks back at the 1992 Lithuanian team — a country that had just split off from Russia, a country that had no money to help its basketball program until the Greatfull Dead stepped in with money and tie-dye shirts. A country that had some good players still in Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis. A country that had to play Russia during the Olympics in maybe the most meaningful game in Barcelona. NBCSports.com
Soon enough, James came back to make it all safe, first with a hammer dunk that opened up thanks to all the attention Durant was attracting, then with a 3-pointer inside the final two minutes over an isolated Marc Gasol that made it 102-93. "Big thanks to Lithuania for that tough game they gave us," Paul said, crediting a 99-94 scare in pool play for ensuring that Team USA could handle the tension of a tight game when it mattered most. ESPN.com
John Hobbs: Confirmed earlier this morning that Lithuania's Sarunas Jasikevicius has retired from international basketball following the Olympics. Twitter
John Hobbs: Lithuania's Darius Songaila has announced his retirement from international basketball, following his side's 83-74 defeat to Russia. Twitter
"We went to the qualification in Venezuela on the first of June, and some of our players came straight after they finished (professional) seasons," (Lithuanian head coach Kestutis) Kemzura said. " Of course (the Olympics) matters. We were fighting for this place. I don't understand this idea of sending younger players, not sending our best to the Olympics. I do not understand it. If we leave everything on money, and money runs the show, where's the sport? Where's national team idea?" Yahoo! Sports
The play sums up where Valanciunas is as a player — eager and talented, but operating without know-how. I brought the play up to coach Kestutis Kemzura, and he nodded. "There you go, this is the thing with Jonas," Kemzura told Sporting News. "Sometimes, he wants to come in and do everything right away. In his head, he is working too fast. He is young, that happens. But he needs to slow down." Sporting News
Valanciunas has not made much of an impact for Lithuania so far at these Games. This is a far cry from what he did in Eurobasket, when he played 15.7 minutes, averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds, and had 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting in a stellar game against Serbia. Sporting News
Coming off the bench, and without the prospect of beginning his NBA career in less than two months, Valanciunas seemed to put less pressure on himself to produce last year. Now, he is pressing. Beyond that, Kemzura said, Valanciunas still needs a lot of work. "It is like with most big men who have no experience," Kemzura said. "First he must get bigger and stronger. He must be able to hold his position and he needs strength for this. Second, he needs better post moves. He is still learning basics. He will play with his back to the basket when he is older. But now, he must learn. He needs to learn these things, and he will, but he will need time. He has a lot of work to do." Sporting News
But old-timer Sarunas Jasikevicius is still seeing some bending of the rules. Saras was quoted over at Talk Basket after the Lithuania-USA game as saying, "I don't get it. There are FIBA rules [that say that] if a player takes the ball and runs two meters, travelling must be called," he said. "Maybe the rules will be changed in the future, but at the moment that's travelling. Ball In Europe
"I'm not saying that [the referees] were indulgent towards Americans, or that we lost due to the referees' fault. Absolutely not. Simply there are rules according to which the play must be whistled; it doesn't matter if it's [an everyday player] or Kobe Bryant." Ball In Europe
It takes good fortune for Lithuania to stay with Team USA, and that comes with open 3-pointers that clank away and missed free throws. Lithuania coach Kestutis Kemzura confessed that his staff made hard decisions on the U.S. players they were willing to let shoot (Chris Paul, Deron Williams) and those who always had to be contested (Durant and Anthony). Sometimes, it worked. Sometimes, there was a price to be paid. "You have to pick your poison," Kemzura said, "and decide how you want to die." Yahoo! Sports
Marc Stein: Lithuania's Darius Songaila told me postgame he hopes to sign back in NBA ASAP. Definitely had his moments vs. Team USA: 11 pts in 17 mins Twitter
The USA, which hasn't lost in Olympic play since 2004, faced its toughest opponent and held off fearless Lithuania 99-94 Saturday. U.S. forwards LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony each scored a team-high 20 points. USA Today
Any rumor missing? E-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Cheap LGG to Philipsburg flights
Popular Flights from Liege, Belgium
Top Liege Flights to US Destinations
Top Liege International Destinations
Popular Flights from Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
Top Philipsburg Flights to US Destinations
Top Philipsburg International Destinations
LGG to SXM Route Map
Liege to Philipsburg Flights, Stats and Airplanes
Route information for flights from Liege to Princess Juliana Intl..
4,326.16 miles
SXM - Princess Juliana Intl. Airlines
Browse the most popular airlines servicing the Philipsburg (SXM) airport. Visit their flights pages to learn more about the most popular routes these carriers fly.


text:
The Indian rupee declined by 11 paise to 44.32 against the US dollar in early trade at the forex market today, with the American currency overcoming recent weakness to post gains against other major currencies.
The rupee had ended 14 paise higher at Rs 44.21/22 per dollar in the previous session at the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Thursday.
Forex dealers said the weakness of other currencies against the US dollar mainly put pressure on the rupee.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index Sensex rose by nearly 71 points to 21,075.71 in opening trade today.
Keywords: Foreign exchange, Rupee, Dollar, Exchange rates


text:
CircleCount helps you better understand Google+29,496,902 profiles indexed!
Not your profile? Login and get free access to your reports and analysis.
Ben Greenwood
Husband, father, online marketer and tech and social media fiend.
Occupation: SEO & Social Media Consultant (American Soda)
His ProfilesRankThis is the rank of 'Ben Greenwood' out of all Google+ Profiles (individuals).: 52,348 (GenderRankFor the gender 'Men'.: 26,123)
His CircleRankThis is the rank of 'Ben Greenwood' out of all indexed profiles (individuals) and pages (businesses) at CircleCount.com.: 66,665
Followers: 139
Following: 403
Views: 86,949
Added to CircleCount.com: 07/30/2013That's the date, where Ben Greenwood has been indexed by CircleCount.com.
This hasn't to be the date where the daily check has been started. (Update nowYou can update your stats by clicking on this link!
This can take a few seconds.)
No tag added here yet.
You can login on CircleCount to add some tags here.
Are you missing a tag in the list of available tags? You can suggest new tags here.
Ben Greenwood has been at 2 events
|The Script
|The Script's First Hangout... Pre-order Hall of fame HERE: http://bit.ly/OqaVtM #AskTheScript
|The Script's First Hangout
|2012-09-05 15:30:00
|Whether you can be there in person, or you'll be watching from the other side of the world, you are invited to join us for the biggest event of the summer! We'll be celebrating the spirit of the Games from Cadbury House in London's Hyde Park throughout and bringing you highlights of the atmosphere right here on Google+. Who's looking forward to it?
|London 2012 Olympic Games Celebration on G+
|2012-07-27 21:12:00
Ben Greenwood has been shared in 9 public circles
|Users in Circle
|John Nuntiatio (TodayNews)
|#circles #sharedcircles #circlesharing #circle #circleoftheday #bestofcircles #bestcircleshare #share #tech #business #sport
|2014-02-10 11:45:51
|Bernard Piette
|Hi,First off big hat tip to everyone who just participated in the Great Google+ Circle debate hosted by +David Oldenburg and +Christine DeGraff . Thanks to all on both sides on the debate to help us all get more perspective on this discussion. *NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM :-) *Announcing version 2 of the #MoversandShakers circle!! Yippee! Again this week, I have spent much time to ensure there are only quality engagers, posters and mentors who can bring value to your Google+ experience.If you want to be included,,,,, wait for it..... Be a strong contributor and participant on the Google+ platform. That's it, that's all. Just be a great google+ netizen.You don't have to be rich, famous or pretty LOL. I built this circle and stream to help Nooglers meet new people, learn new things, hear different perspectives, encounter someone you may never have had the courage to speak to live in person. Trust me, just reach out and comment on a post of someone you appreciate, You'll be amazed how happy people are to engage with you, once you've had the courage to reach out, so like Nike says, JUST DO IT! Please see some of my favorite posts from the last week below. 1. The Great Google+ Circle Debate - By +David Oldenburg ► http://goo.gl/2fYuuR2. My Joke of the day, Who else is in the same position? - By +Anabell Hilarski ► http://goo.gl/pEhlRM3. To most of us, Google + seems like just another social media platform. But that misconception�c - By +Ronnie Bincer ► http://goo.gl/AWdvRw4. 11 Quick Tips to Boost Social Media Results - By +Anabell Hilarski ► http://goo.gl/hoJO4h5. Time for another +The Mia Connect Power Chat! Each week we cover a variety of topics including the - By +Randy Hilarski ► http://goo.gl/IMeMl3=======================================================6. Just Joined Ronnie's Hangout Mastery Group - By +Craig Chamberlin ► http://goo.gl/cB1EeE7. Excited to see how +Jenn Herman is embracing Google+ and seeing how much fun and effective it can - By
|2014-01-17 19:23:23
|Bernard Piette
|Announcing the 2014 #MoversandShakers circle v.1.This one took me some time to put together as I really wanted to find those people that were having the biggest impact either in their corners of the world or to the larger Google+ community. I'm really happy with the result if I can say so myself. :-) No discussion on Google+ is complete without mentioning our Google mentors and coaches such as +martin shervington +Lee Smallwood +Mia Voss +Scott Buehler +Billy Funk +Shawn Manaher +Ronnie Bincer +David Oldenburg +Tom Coleman .. Google, you need to write these guys and gals a cheque!! Want to be added to the #MoversandShakers circle v.2 ??1) Be active on the Google+ community2) Share, share and reshare great content.3) Comment on people's posts.That's it, that's all. also please suggest names of people you think would like to be added to this community of sharers.Please help me in sharing this wonderful circle of contributors.Thanks#circleshare #circles #circleoftheday #sharedpubliccircles #sharedcircles #share #vipsnowballcircle #sharedcircleoftheday #sharewithyou #circlethursday
|2014-01-04 20:32:14
|Sue Ralston
|2013-06-10 12:40:27
|Paul Spoerry
|Freshly updated Social Media circle! #social #media #socialmedia #socialmediamarketing #circles #circleshare #publiccircles #publiccirclesproject +Shared Circles on G+
|2012-04-06 14:22:27
|Chris Lion
|my SOCIAL MEDIA Circle______________________ #social #media #socialmedia #socialmediamarketing #circles #circleshare #circlesharing #publiccircles #publiccirclesproject +The Best Circles on Google+ +Shared Circles on G+ +Public Circles +CircleCount +SharedCircles
|2012-04-06 14:09:48
|Chris Lion
|here's a little social media circle i created from lots of other social media circles!Great People with Awesome Posts!you should defenitely check it out!+Shared Circles on G+ +Public Circles +CIRCLES +SharedCircles +Shared Circles Google+ #shared #circles #sharedcircles #publiccirclesproject
|2012-02-24 12:00:14
|Gabriel Vasile
|Social Media First 100 by Relevance - shared on requestI went today to my Social Media circle which has about 627 people in it (great people by the way), sorted them by relevance, selected the first 100 and made a circle out of it. Add also +Chris Lang, +Michael van der Galien, +James Barraford, +Grace O'Malley & +Daniel Sandstein.So, here it is:
|2012-02-16 15:24:28
|Ivan Dimitrijević
|Social Media consultants, strategists, analysts, experts on Google+Here's the first part of my Social Media circle. Share it and enjoy.Ivan Dimitrijević shared a circle with you.
|2011-10-03 09:19:45
Top posts in the last 50 posts
Most comments: 2
Most reshares: 1
2014-04-11 14:38:28 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)
The start of something big... #americansoda #pyramid
Most plusones: 2
Latest 50 posts
2014-06-09 15:45:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)
#RIPRikMayall "Wooof!"
2014-06-06 14:52:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Bored at lunch, I thought I'd help #UKIP out.
2014-06-05 09:10:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
I wrote this.
#twitter #twittertips #twittermarketing #twitterads
2014-06-03 13:47:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-06-02 15:10:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-06-02 15:05:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-05-19 14:58:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-05-19 09:45:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)
Never could do this damn thing.
2014-05-14 22:17:20 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)
Spotted in a subway in #Manchester.
#starwars #stormtrooper #graffiti
2014-05-13 10:26:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)
I just don't trust ANY of them to run our country responsibly. #politics
2014-05-08 11:49:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-05-07 15:06:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-05-02 09:01:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-05-01 09:55:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Myself, Sean Passant and James Neild are taking on the Cheshire 3 Peaks Challenge in a little over a month, raising money for Francis House Children's Hospice.
We would really appreciate your support through sponsorship. You can either follow the link below and donate online or you can do it by phone:
TEXT FHCH58 £2 (or whatever amount you wish to give) to 70070.
Thank you in advance, we all really appreciate it.
2014-05-01 09:29:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Hell Yeah - definitely.
2014-04-30 15:55:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Interesting stuff from +Fluid Creativity
2014-04-30 12:03:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
UNITED! #mufc
2014-04-29 09:17:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
I wrote this.
2014-04-28 12:06:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-04-25 09:50:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Yeah. Do it. Let's go!
2014-04-24 10:47:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Veeeery interesting!
2014-04-22 15:22:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)
2014-04-22 12:13:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-04-17 08:47:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)
3.9 is out...here's what's good. Not a lot, but nice anyway.
2014-04-14 13:22:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
One of my all-time favourite listens / reads.
2014-04-11 14:38:28 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)
The start of something big... #americansoda #pyramid
2014-04-11 07:59:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Pretty damn good, even free.
2014-04-04 15:36:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
The first one is nice, but not really a step forward. Unfortunately, it's also likely to be the closest to the finished version.
The second one looks like a Nokia Lumia - which is beautiful, but it's not an Apple.
The third one is alright, not bad, not brilliant.
The fourth one is absolutely gorgeous. I'd buy that. It's also incredibly far-fetched.
The fifth one is nice but too thin - I'd break it, I know I would.
The sixth one is similar but better and more likely to stand up to how I treat my phone.
Overall, I'd LOVE the fourth one, be very happy with the sixth one but I'm pretty sure we'll end up with similar to the first one. Which is fine. But not ground breaking.
2014-04-01 11:33:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Help me out fellow Google+-ers. :D
2014-03-25 09:48:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-03-24 11:09:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Please help me raise money for this wonderful #charity.
2014-03-19 15:10:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Any bakers?
2014-03-14 16:43:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
A thorough tribute to #TonyBenn here.
2014-03-07 11:12:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Go, women!
2014-03-07 11:09:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
WANT: The Balboa one.
2014-03-07 10:51:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
LOL. I left too soon.
2014-03-03 10:46:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
LOVE Rocky Road!
2014-02-28 13:57:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Quality. #mufc
2014-02-21 15:19:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Clever little page...
2014-02-21 14:34:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Ah, Eric. How I miss thee.
2014-02-17 15:44:34 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)
#lego #ghostbusters
2014-02-17 13:49:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-02-07 13:33:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Been there, done that at +Fluid Creativity.
2014-02-06 13:04:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-01-31 15:20:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Damn good write up. Go Seahawks! #nfl #superbowl #seahawks
2014-01-29 15:32:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-01-29 15:31:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Like art? Like oil paintings? The I urge you to go visit my former colleague's sites here (http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EmmalouiseBell) and here (http://www.emmabellfineart.com/).
She's surprisingly (to me!) good!
#art #oilpainting
2014-01-29 14:05:32 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
2014-01-27 13:03:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
Please give generously. This is a fantastic cause and an even bigger event!
A special service of CircleCount.com is the following button.
The button shows the number of followers you have directly in a small button. You can add this button to your website, like the +1-Button of Google or the Like-Button of Facebook.
You can add this button directly in your website. For more information about the CircleCount Buttons and the description how to add them to another page click here.


text: http://ubuntuforums.org – Hi all, This is my first post, I am an absolute beginner, and not very experienced with computing. I am using linux in an academic environment and have been sorta thrown in the deep end without knowing how to swim! A colleague set up my Ubuntu desktop using the latest version, it runs in VMware. I had a shared folder in mnt/hgfs that I was using to interface between Windows and Ubuntu. Then one day the shared folder disappeared. It might have been after an update of Ubuntu I installed, but I'm not sure if it happened as a consequence of the update. A friend suggested I do something to the e (Hardware)


text:
Privacy and Cookies
Labour action started by the pilots of Bogota-based Avianca last week is forcing the Star Alliance carrier to cancel about 30 daily flights, most of them on domestic routes.
The pilots started their work slowdown on 13 September to force salary increases in the range of 15%, saying that they are now paid less than other pilots in the region. Only pilots belonging to Avianca S.A., the Colombian operator of the group of airlines operating under the Avianca brand, are participating.
An Avianca spokesperson plays down the impact of the labour action. "Today [Monday] we cancelled 29 domestic flights. This represents just 2.7% of all Avianca flights. We have notified and rebooked all affected passengers on alternative flights," she says.
While negotiations between the pilots, the airline and government mediators have started and will go into a new round tomorrow, the situation is expected to continue at least until 18 September.


text:
|Page: 5 of 100+
|Sort By:
Montauk, New York Hotels & Resorts - Come and experience the reinvented Montauk Yacht Club Resort and Marina which is a 3 season hotel with a peak Summer and incredible Spring and Autumn.
Geneva, New York Hotels & Resorts - AM/FM Alarm Clock; Bar/Lounge; Coffee Makers in all rooms, 24 Hour Front Desk; Handicapped Rooms/Facilities, Free Parking, modem Lines in room, meeting/banquet
Lake Placid, New York Hotels & Resorts - Spanning over 1,000 acres in the Adirondacks, Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club is adjacent to the Olympic Center in the heart of Lake Placid. Situated above
Geneva, New York Hotels & Resorts - Geneva on the Lake is an elegant resort in Geneva, New York, located on Seneca Lake in the midst of the scenic Finger Lakes Wine Country.
New York, New York Hotels & Resorts - This quietly sophisticated hotel offers understated elegance and unparalleled service in an intimate, friendly atmosphere.
Lake Placid, New York Hotels & Resorts - Situated on the peaceful shoreline of Lake Placid;s Mirror Lake, the High Peaks Resort is both a quintessential Adirondack retreat and a sanctuary of tranquility.
Windham, New York Hotels & Resorts - Windham is set high in the Catskill Mountains. In winter there is Windham Mountain and other winter sports.
Rochester, New York Hotels & Resorts - The Staybridge Suites Rochester East is a mile from the University of Rochester, two miles from Blue Cross Arena and seven miles away from the Seneca Park
Ithaca, New York Hotels & Resorts - Centrally located in Ithaca, the Hampton Inn Ithaca is near Ithaca College, Buttermilk Falls State Park, and Cornell University. Another attraction in
Brooklyn, New York Hotels & Resorts - Days Inn Brooklyn is located approximately four miles from downtown Brooklyn and Prospect Park, six miles from New York City, and 14 miles from LaGuardia
|Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Find the perfect accommodations for vacations, romantic weekends and adventurous getaways. Find the right accommodations for your travels, from budget to luxury!
|Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |


text:
Flow Flite 2 Snowboard Bindings - Women's
The Flow Flite 2 Snowboard Binding does not break the bank, but delivers some solid allmountainperformance for fun, everyday riding.
Key Features of the Flow Flite 2 Snowboard Bindings:
- The molded baseplate is engineered to balance support and forgiveness, and the DuPont POM plastic is super stable and durable in all temperature conditions.
- The DuPont POM hiback is responsive, but comfy enough for long days of riding.
- The CI-Flex PowerStrap with deep side cutouts provides ideal support for all-mountain riders, while the 3D-shape gives a direct boot-to-binding-to-board feel for those powerful toeside turns.
- 2 lateral Airframe MINIratchets and 2 medial QuickSet buckles allows you to simply adjust the footstrap to individual preferences at each corner, and EVA landing pads add all the cushioning and dampening you need.
- Stiffness: 2 - supportive and forgiving flex in any type of conditions.
This product can only be shipped within the United States. Please don't hate us.


text:
On Friday, the House passed a massive National Defense Authorization for 2016 that will guarantee U.S. involvement in more wars and overseas interventions for years to come.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the NSA's metadata collection program was not authorized in U.S. law. The PATRIOT Act, under which the program began, was too vague, the court found. But the truth is the Act was intended to be vague so that the government could interpret it in the broadest possible way.
Apologists for the National Security Agency (NSA) point to the arrest of David Coleman Headley as an example of how warrantless mass surveillance is necessary to catch terrorists. Headley played a major role in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack that killed 166 people.
One of the great ironies of American politics is that most politicians who talk about helping the middle class support policies that, by expanding the welfare-warfare state, are harmful to middle-class Americans. Eliminating the welfare-warfare state would benefit middle-class Americans by freeing them from exorbitant federal taxes, including the Federal Reserve's inflation tax.
Last week two prominent Ukrainian opposition figures were gunned down in broad daylight. They join as many as ten others who have been killed or committed suicide under suspicious circumstances just this year. These individuals have one important thing in common: they were either part of or friendly with the Yanukovych government, which a US-backed coup overthrew last year. They include members of the Ukrainian parliament and former chief editors of major opposition newspapers.
Militarism and military spending are everywhere and on the rise, as the new Cold War propaganda seems to be paying off. The new "threats" that are being hyped bring big profits to military contractors and the network of think tanks they pay to produce pro-war propaganda.
This week the Justice Department announced it would not charge former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official Lois Lerner with contempt of Congress. Some members of Congress requested that Lerner be charged with contempt after she refused to testify at a congressional hearing investigating her role in denying or delaying the applications for tax-exempt status of "tea party" and pro-limited government organizations.
A responsible financial institution would not extend a new loan of between $17 and $40 billion to a borrower already struggling to pay back an existing multi-billion dollar loan.
Twelve years ago last week, the U.S. launched its invasion of Iraq, an act the late General William Odom predicted would turn out to be "the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history."
As Iran continues to take an active role in helping Iraq fight the Islamic State group (ISIS), many neocons are upset that the U.S. military is not over there on the ground doing the fighting.
In recent weeks, the Federal Reserve and its apologists in Congress and the media have launched numerous attacks on the Audit the Fed legislation. These attacks amount to nothing more than distortions about the effects and intent of the audit bill.
Late Friday night, Congress passed legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security for one week. This vote followed weeks of debate over efforts to attach a prohibition on funding President Obama's executive order granting amnesty to certain illegal immigrants to the Homeland Security funding bill.
It was one year ago last weekend that a violent coup overthrew the legally elected government of Ukraine. That coup was not only supported by U.S. and European governments -- much of it was actually planned by them. Looking back at the events that led to the overthrow it is clear that without foreign intervention Ukraine would not be in its current, seemingly hopeless situation.
If I were still a practicing ob-gyn and one of my patients said she was not going to vaccinate her child, I might try to persuade her to change her mind. But, if I were unsuccessful, I would respect her decision. I certainly would not lobby the government to pass a law mandating that children be vaccinated even if the children's parents object.
Last September President Obama cited his drone program in Yemen as a successful model of US anti-terrorism strategy. He said that he would employ the Yemen model in his effort to "degrade and ultimately destroy" ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
This week, events around the country will highlight the importance of parental control of education as part of National School Choice Week. This year's events should attract more attention than prior years because of the growing rebellion against centralized education sparked by the federal Common Core curriculum.
Since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, the dollar has lost over 97 percent of its purchasing power, the US economy has been subjected to a series of painful Federal Reserve-created recessions and depressions, and government has grown to dangerous levels thanks to the Fed's policy of monetizing the debt.
After the tragic shooting at a provocative magazine in Paris last week, I pointed out that given the foreign policy positions of France we must consider blowback as a factor. Those who do not understand blowback made the ridiculous claim that I was excusing the attack or even blaming the victims. Not at all, as I abhor the initiation of force. The police blaming victims when they search for the motive of a criminal.
Since New Year's is traditionally a time for resolutions, and since the new Congress convenes this week, I thought I would suggest some New Year's resolutions for Congress:
This year's omnibus resembles omnibuses of Christmas past in that it was drafted in secret, was full of special interest deals and disguised spending increases, and was voted on before most members could read it.


text:
If God Used Sticky Notes (Hardcover)
|Author: Chris Shea
|Illustrator: Chris Shea
Learn more about If God Used Sticky Notes:
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvest House Pub
Sku: 203298850
Publish Date: 4/10/2007
Pages: 64
Age Range: NA
See more in Inspirational
Artist Chris Shea''s charming characters and Scripture-adorned sticky notes celebrate what God might say to readers as they rise in the morning, brush their teeth, go to work, or hail a taxi cab.
"I''m right beside you."
"Speak kind words today!"
"Remember, there is nothing you can''t do with your hand in mine!"
Love, God
This uplifting gathering of sweet messages offers a dose of cheer, encouragement, and joy while reminding readers that God is speaking messages of goodness to his children in many ways, always and forever.


text:
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 10,954
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
|Thread Tools
Homeschooling, Homesteading Mama to DD ('02) and DS ('04)
Adina mama to B 4/06 and E 8/13/12 (on her due date!)
Amy - Blessed wife to Jesse (the best dad in the world), mother of 10 on earth plus 8 in heaven. PROUD to be a Catholic! :
Adina mama to B 4/06 and E 8/13/12 (on her due date!)
|Yeah, stress is all it is about. Cause if I relaxed I would get pregnant. Guess what? I WAS RELAXED FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF TRYING. And I still didn't get pregnant.
|I wish there was something I could do to help but I feel like such an ass when all I say is "I'm sorry." and "Good luck." I bet it sounds really dumb too but I just don't want to say nothing, you know?
|Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Show Printable Version
Email this Page Email this Page
|Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off


text:
How did you hear of !band?:
My friend told me about the girls three years ago, and shortly after I found their CD for three dollars at a secondhand store! The rest is history-- I'm totally in love with their music and how they live out their ministry!
My Blog
This user has not yet posted any blogs.


text:
Nothing strikes deeper to the heart than the loss of children. It's one more reason why the horror in Newtown, Conn., has hurt our nation so badly.
I do not believe there is any human suffering like the suffering of a parent who loses a child.
I know it from personal experience. I lost a beautiful, young teenage daughter almost 10 years ago, and the pain never goes away.
When tragedy strikes, we want to do something. It is a natural human instinct that when we suffer, we conclude it is because something is broken and to want to fix it.
But in order to fix it, we need to understand what's broken.
Debate about access to guns and assault weapons is reasonable at this time. But it would layer tragedy on top of tragedy if the only thing we walk away from this incident with is that what may be broken in our nation is our gun laws.
We ought to be asking what connection there might be between the state of mind and behavior of the young man who committed this crime and the home and society in which he lived.
We should use Christmas this year to think about this. Nothing could be more in the spirit of the holiday.
Our popular idea about freedom is that it is about individuals being able to do what they want as long as they don't hurt others.
But the limitation we have in thinking about whether we hurt others is whether there is immediate and obvious physical damage. Hence, the first political reaction to the Newtown tragedy has been how can we better prevent the mentally ill from injuring others.
But what about damage done to others that may not be immediately obvious in the form of physical injury?
What responsibility do we bear for those we call "mentally ill?" How might their mental state and behavior reflect and result from our behavior toward them?
The theme, which seems to have defined this tragic young man's reality, is isolation.
The descriptions we read convey that he was a "nerd," "socially awkward."
I think we all can agree that isolation, certainly of a child, is unhealthy. But if we agree that isolation is unhealthy -- damaging -- how is this reconciled in a society that rejects the idea that there are truths that transcend individuals and connect us all to each other, that there are social truths as well as individual truths?
If a free society is just a collection of individuals who choose to live together because it is useful to do so, then those whom we do not view as useful we push aside and isolate.
The most vulnerable to this emotional brutality are children -- and often the most sensitive and talented.
We ought to be thinking about the falsehoods we commonly accept so we can wake up and improve.
If we really believe that in a free society pursuit of self-interest does not include behavior that harms others, we should appreciate that a society that equates freedom to moral relativism and meaninglessness does harm others and reject it.
The collateral damage of embracing the half truths and outright lies of moral relativism creates too many problems to sweep under the rug. The damage that is done to the elderly, the unattractive and unskilled, the "socially awkward" and the unborn cannot be fixed by Band-Aid laws that pretend to fix it all.
There is no Band-Aid for the damage caused by not seeing and respecting each individual as unique and sacred, made in the image of their Creator.
The isolation and alienation that results in a society fueled by use rather than unconditional love leads inevitably to tragedy like what we have just witnessed.
This should be this year's Christmas message from Newtown.
I agree with Rubio, America is losing ground in the world today because it is not being America. (comments)
Elizabeth Warren and Bill de Blasio's dream is that they get to run everybody's life. (comments)
Rules rooted in biblical tradition that enable virtue and self-governance have been increasingly displaced by government and moral relativism. (comments)
This is a battle about redefining the values of our nation's culture and, hence, redefining our nation itself. (comments)
Social Security taxes preclude wealth creation for low-income workers by taxing away the only funds they have available... (comments)
Is the American public happy with the socialism they've gotten thus far? (comments)
The objective of pro-homosexual campaigns is to de-legitimize and annihilate Christianity in America. (comments)
Ted Cruz sees American freedom centered not in government, but in individuals taking personal responsibility for their lives. (comments)
Pastors know that blacks pay a high price for the havoc that moral relativism has caused. (comments)
A war is taking place in our country to delegitimize religion. (comments)
Can John Kerry really be serious that he knows better what makes Israel safe than Israel's own Prime Minister? (comments)
Dr. King was outspoken in his support of Israel and today there is a street named for him in Jerusalem. (comments)
Who is looking out for black interests -- the Black Caucus or the white Republican they call a racist? (comments)
After Martin Luther King's speech, what followed were government policies defined and motivated not by content of character but by race, gender, and income. (comments)
By 2022, the percentage of white students in public schools will be down to 45.9 percent and the minority percent will increase to 54.7 percent. (comments)
Don't tell people where to live, which is what government low-income housing does. (comments)
The basis of humanity, civilization, and decency is respect for and awe of the miracle of life. This must take precedence over all. (comments)
The American recovery is happening despite government, not because of it. (comments)
How far do we let liberals go in censuring speech and ideas in America? (comments)
Why focus on trying to make government more efficient rather than on what government should or should not do? (comments)


text:
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday rejected the House of Representatives' controversial Republican budget plan by 57-40, one that would dramatically revamp Medicare while cutting spending by $4.4 trillion over 10 years to reduce future federal budget deficits.
The primary purpose of the vote, engineered by the Democrats who run the Senate, was to score political points.
Democrats were giddy all day after they won an upset victory Tuesday in a special election for an upstate New York U.S. House seat in a historically Republican district. Winner Kathy Hochul had campaigned vigorously against the House GOP budget, charging that it would devastate Medicare.
Democrats seized on her victory as evidence that their intense campaign against the House Medicare plan was working.
"We served notice to the Republicans that we will fight them anywhere in America when it comes to defending and strengthening Medicare," said House Democratic campaign Chairman Rep. Steve Israel of New York.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada carried the message to the Senate floor, calling the GOP proposal "a plan that would shatter the cornerstone of our society ... the promise to the old and sick."
Republicans protested vigorously, saying the New York result had been badly misread, and derided the Senate vote to reject the House GOP budget as a cynical waste of time.
First, they pointed out, Hochul won with only 47 percent. Republican Jane Corwin got 43 percent, and Jack Davis, who was listed on the ballot as a "tea party" candidate, got 9 percent. So Republicans argued that the Democrat won only because the majority conservative vote was split.
Second, Republicans contended, Democratic scare tactics about Medicare won't work.
"Republicans are trying to scare seniors? That's rich," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who called the Democratic attacks on Medicare a "verbal assault" that was "deliberate and premeditated."
Where, Republicans asked, is the Senate Democratic budget plan? None has been offered, and none is imminent.
"Nothing: That's their answer to this crisis," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "Their focus is on an election that's still almost two years away."
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., argued that his party is quite serious about budgeting and that the big decisions are likely to come from a bipartisan negotiating group led by Vice President Joe Biden, which has been holding regular meetings seeking a compromise.
"The only possibility for us to make progress is a bipartisan budget," Conrad said.
The House plan, authored by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., won House approval last month, 235-193. All yes voters were Republicans, while four GOP lawmakers joined 189 Democrats in opposition.
GOP leaders, and most Republican presidential candidates, have touted the House budget as the blueprint for Republican-style change. Republicans who voice doubts have been scorned; when GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said last week that the House-passed Medicare plan would be "right-wing social engineering," he was sharply criticized by many GOP loyalists.
The House budget is a striking contrast to President Barack Obama's.
Republicans would restructure Medicare, the health insurance program for seniors and some people with disabilities. For those who retire after 2021, the GOP plan would offer subsidies to help them buy private health insurance. Democrats would preserve the current system — in which the government pays medical providers directly for care — though they pledge to cut the program's costs.
Republicans also want lower taxes for the top earners, arguing that would mean more money in private hands and therefore more investment and job creation. Democrats think the government could provide more opportunity by spending more to boost education and infrastructure.
The GOP plan would lower the top individual and corporate tax rates, now 35 percent, to 25 percent. Democrats would end the Bush-era tax cuts for top earners, which expire at the end of 2012.
House Republican spending cuts
Congressional Budget Office budget and economic outlook
House approves Ryan plan, GOP's budget blueprint
As deficit-cutting talks proceed, what about Social Security?
Thought 2011 budget battle was messy? Wait for next round
McClatchy Newspapers 2011


text:
Moderators: Jason, Toothy, Tonyblack
meerkat wrote:Awww! Sweeeet!
I'm so glad your Tuesday Gardener (do you have a gardener for every day of the week?) is through the op ok. Send him my love! Not called Mellors is he?
Catch-up wrote:Saw that too Dug! I feel sorry for them, they must be scrambling to fix things right now.
Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot], Yahoo [Bot] and 13 guests


text:
The Vision, a long time Avenger who was present for almost all major events in the Avengers' comic history has just been given a slot in Joss Whedon's Avengers - Age Of Ultron. Paul Bettany who has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception in 2008 as the voice J.A.R.V.I.S, Tony Stark's self aware AI will be given a much bigger role as the first live action rendition of The Vision.
The long time Avenger has been a part of the Marvel Comic Universe since 1968 and was created by Ultron as a weapon to use against the Avengers especially Ultron's own creator Hank Pym. When Marvel announced that Hank Pym would in fact not be in the sequel to 'The Avengers', there was little or no talk of Vision making an appearance. However the introduction of the solo film with Paul Rudd portraying Scott Lang as the lead and Michael Douglas in a supporting role as founding Avenger Hank Pym, there was more than a chance that Vision would be introduced at some point.
Rumours hit the Internet hard, that after Agent Phil Coulson's death in 'The Avengers', he would be brought back as Vision in future instalments. But now that Bettany has the role, those rumours can be laid to rest. Now, it remains to be seen how Joss Whedon plans to include the Vision in the overall franchise; whether J.A.R.V.I.S will actually come under the control of Ultron or whether there will be no connection between J.A.R.V.I.S and the Vision whatsoever.
In other news, Marvel has announced that the Netfilx series revolving around Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist will all be part of the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Here are some things you'd want to know about the Vision before you seem him in 2015's Avengers - Age Of Ultron
* The Vision, a type of android he dubbed a 'synthezoid' was primarily created by Ultron to use as a weapon against his own creator Hank Pym and Pym's wife, Janet van Dyne, founding members of the Avengers.
* Since his introduction into the team, the Vision has been a part of most incarnations of the ever changing Avengers roster, being on there almost as long as its founding members.
* The Vision is highly formidable foe, and one of the powerhouse members of the Avengers. His powers include the ability to fire beams of infra-red and microwave radiation, super strength, flight, density manipulation, mind control, telepathy and the use of a hologram force to render himself invisible. The Vision is also capable of energy and holographic manipulation, shape shifting, and time travel.
* The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) was the first member of the Avengers to come in to contact with Vision.
* Ultron created The Vision by using the brain patterns of Wonder Man and what remained of the body of the original Human Torch.
* The Vision has a long term romantic relationship and later marriage with Wanda Maximoff AKA the Scarlett Witch (who will be portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen in Avengers - Age Of Ultron) and via her mutant powers, they have two children.
* At one point in the comics, the Vision led the Avengers for a number of issues.
* The Vision also worked along side the Young Avengers, becoming a mentor to them, and developed a romantic relationship with Scott Lang's daughter Cassie Lang.
* The Vision has 'died' a number of times in the comics and has been brought back to life.
* After the first version of Vision was destroyed, the second incarnation is a fusion of the old Vision's operating systems and the armour of adventurer Iron Lad, a teenage version of Kang the Conqueror who arrives in the present.
* Following the Age of Ultron storyline in the comics, Vision joins Henry Pym's Avengers A.I. alongside Monica Chang, Victor Mancha, and a reprogrammed Doombot.
(Inputs from Marvel)
Also Read: From Spider-Man to Iron Man to Captain America; here's your guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe


text:
What is Memorial Day, anyway?
Is a long-distance relationship worth it?
Meet the girl who ditched prom to help the homeless
The biggest OMG celeb moments of the week
Feel Good Friday: These special dolls are helping kids celebrate their differences
How to make cut off denim shorts
The best self tanners for a natural looking glow
The sugar-free French toast recipe you need to try
Hit the beach this summer with the PBteen towel from our June/July swim fashion shoot!
GL's Behind-the-Scenes of Strange Magic
More Friends = More Fun
GL Tweets !
3 HOURS AGO Got an old pair of jeans? Here's what to do with 'em: http://t.co/v56PhcGTfo
4 HOURS AGO This bronzer is a total game-changer...oh, and it's *super* affordable too! http://t.co/d9VFbeAggM pic.twitter.com/YhvnNSI8AN
5 HOURS AGO This recipe could seriously change your life: http://t.co/X43jSW6Fs3
sponsored links
Check these out, too...
Cecilia Cassini, 10, knew she wanted to be a fashion designer from the moment she was born. She started sewing at age six and now some of the biggest names in the biz are taking notice. We chatted up Cecilia about her fave outfits, her must-watch TV show (take a guess!) and who she'd love to dress. Keep reading to get seriously inspired by this stylish chica.
"I always loved fashion and clothes, and had an opinion of what I wanted to wear," Cecilia spills. These days, she's a total trendsetter by bringing green practices to her business. She reuses and repurposes fabrics as a way to save money and the environment. "I take old clothes and use the fabric to create new one-of-a-kind masterpieces!" she said.
In one of Cecilia's designs, Paris, she described the process of making the dress. "I used a simple black silk stretch on top and "repurposed" the sparkly sequins on the bottom!" she said. "It was pretty easy to do!" So, why the name "Paris"? Her response, "It made me think of Paris because it was beautiful and fancy like my favorite city in the world."
A few weeks ago, Cecilia was invited to show her creations at Tough Cookie, for a trunk show (when designers show their threads to merchandisers). Her favorite part of the day? "All day!" Almost all of her designs sold and she loved "just meeting and watching so many girls loving my designs, trying them on and buying them!" Celebs are turning to Cecilia to make cute clothes for their tots, too. Cool, right?
It's no doubt that the fashion world will be seeing great things from Cecilia. Her future goals? "I dream of having my own collection sold at stores all over the world, to have my own collection at fashion week, to dress a lot of girls who love my designs, including Sasha and Malia Obama and Blake [Lively] from Gossip Girl!"
Big dreams, but we're sure she'll go out there and make it happen!
To check out Cecilia's designs and read more about her story go here: ceciliacassini.com
Outfit: "A ruffled black blouse with high waisted silver shorts and pumps!"
TV Show: Gossip Girl. "I just love to look at what they are wearing!"
Designer: "Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel."
Accessory: "A strand of Mikimoto pearls because they add a classic and beautiful touch to any outfit!"
POSTED IN real girl style, How to get a job
Win it: Splash into summer with *free* books every day this June!
So. Many. Reads. To. Win.
GL's Beach Blanket Book Club is back—and we've got over 51 books for you to score this month! CLICK HERE to check 'em out.


text:
Earth from Space: Where Worlds Collide
March 26, 2012
Earth from Space is presented by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels from the ESA Web-TV virtual studios. In the sixteenth edition we look at an image of the Indonesian islands of Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa. credit: ESA
Topics: Environment, West Nusa Tenggara, Lombok, Lesser Sunda Islands, Technology Internet, Sumbawa, Geography of Asia, European Space Agency, Asia, ESA


text:
include $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/community/includes/head_CMSPLUS.php'; ?>include $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/community/includes/header_CMSPLUS.php'; ?>
The Northeast District competition is now open! And since you're all hunkered down for this snowstorm, you've got time to do some editing and send in those images. Hopefully you'll be shoveled out by then, but Image submissions will be accepted until March 6. Your entered works will be judged March 13-14 in Columbus, Ohio.
PPA urges our members to enter photographic competition to push yourselves to be more. You'll improve your craft and confidence in the process.
"Once photographers get over the initial fear of competition, most keep entering year after year and become better photographers in the process," said Randy McNeilly, PPA's photographic exhibition committee chairman. "Even if they don't earn a merit right away, there's so much they can learn. Plus, it's a huge confidence boost, not only for the photographer, but also the client who commissions their work--especially once they start to win awards."
At the district level, images either earn a "merit" or "does not merit" score. Merit images are sealed and move on to the International Photographic Competition (IPC), held each August. Non-merit images may be worked on and re-entered into the IPC that same year. Critiques from a PPA judge can be ordered to give entrants personalized feedback on the reason for the score. Entrants and non-entrants alike can watch the judging live online in January.
"The live stream was hugely successful at the International Photographic Competition in August so we're taking it to all of PPA's district competitions," said McNeilly. "This helps debunk some myths about the judging process and shows photographers how much they can learn by attending or ordering their critiques."
The best of the best images will enter the prestigious Loan Collection and be on display at the International Photographic Exhibit during Imaging USA 2016 in Atlanta. They will also be in a coffee table book published by Marathon Press. For inspiration, PPA produced a video featuring 2014's Loan Collection images to show what the best look like.
PPA's District Competitions and the International Photographic Competition are open to the public. PPA photographers and non-members alike are also encouraged to attend the judging. Photographers who belong to PPA are each assigned to districts based on their studio's geographic location. For full district competition information, visit PPA.com/Competitions. To learn more about PPA's membership benefits or to join, visit PPA.com/Join.
You might have some fears
about entering the International Photographic Competition (IPC), but think
about what you could learn! We hear time and time again from competitors that
once you overcome your nerves and enter, your skills and technique will improve--not
to mention the confidence boost! The best way to get the most out of your IPC
experience is to have your images critiqued by an IPC judge.
Below is an example of exactly what we're talking about. Don't forget, you can order critiques at your next District Competition too! This is "Entangled" by Pamira Bezman, critiqued by Larry Lourcey. Watch the critique to see why this image was accepted into the General Collection and how it could be improved to go Loan.
Georgia photographer, Judith Ann, was lucky (and talented!) enough to earn a merit on her first time entering PPA photographic competition. In this guest blog, she shares the funny story behind her merit image and an afterword with her thoughts following the International Photographic Competition (IPC).
Dog Gone, I Received a
By Judith Ann
A lack of communication and poor note taking almost cost me a very important session last year. I'll tell you upfront, the good news is everything turned out better than planned. Pardon the puns, but it caused me to dig deeper into my artsy side when I realized I had been barking up the wrong tree for most of my morning.
The day started off like a typical morning at my studio, beginning with a review of appointments, ordering sessions and events to help my day flow smoothly for the next eight hours. I have always prided myself on my ability to plan and custom fit each client's session based on their requests. This particular time, my daily calendar informed me I had a pet session scheduled for 10 a.m. My assistant had booked the appointment the day before and the details were sparse. So bright and early I got my chain rattled and had to react quickly to this situation.
The notes said, "English Bulldog/pet picture" and being comfortable with dogs I believed for a hot minute that this would be an easy session--that is until I got up from the computer and started walking to my shoot room. My assistant appeared suddenly and filled in the details about my soon-to-arrive client. The client recently added a "man room" to her home--thus the need for the bulldog portrait for the wall.
"Really?" I asked excitedly. Then she said the portrait was to be based upon the poker playing dogs. I stopped walking.
"Huh? What are poker playing dogs?"
My assistant gave me the look that only the younger generation can give as if to You gotta be kidding me! Have you been living in the dark ages! "Like, they're everywhere" she said, "I'll show you."
I must have had the dumbest look on my face realizing I was totally unprepared for this session while I stared into a computer screen to see bulldogs playing cards, smoking cigars and looking generally illegal.
"How old is her dog?" I asked.
"I believe it's a puppy."
What da' what?
Soon after I heard a car door close and a barking dog headed my way--my moment of truth had arrived. The only thing I had going for me was the fact that this client was a regular customer who trusted me with her family portraits for years, at least up until this point. The studio door cracked opened and the tip of a furry nose nuzzled through and the wrinkly bulldog puppy came barking, jumping and running straight into my lobby.
I stood there dazed and confused and in my squirreliest voice said, "Hi Jennifer!"
Jennifer gave me a curious smile and said, "What's up?"
"I just realized I don't have a deck of cards," I said. "Would you mind leaving your puppy with me and running over to the store to get a pack while I get the lights set?"
Ha! lights set? How about trying to pull off the fastest-built set in 15 minutes flat?
She agreed and when I heard her car start up I sprang into action. The puppy was left to run around the lobby while I began to think...
My son-in-law was in the studio the day prior drinking the brown, old-fashioned root beer glass bottles. I dug through my trash and apprehended two bottles from the bottom of the garbage can. Yes! Close enough to a beer bottle and now I need a cigar and I think I have one from the proud parent of a baby boy! I hope this pup won't eat my only cigar!
Some further hunting around the studio produced an antique checker board with chips, an old camera and a quick hand dive into my purse brought up some change and dollar bills to hopefully round out the set. We cleared off a side table from the lobby, moved it into the shoot room and carefully arranged the newfound items. Jennifer returned with the fresh deck of cards and it was time to put our puppy to the test.
We placed our furry little friend on the table and he curiously looked left, right, up and down and in a split second scooped the cigar into his mouth and brought his head up into the cutest pose. Click. The image was captured in the blink of a (puppy's) eye!
(Side note: The puppy was not harmed in any way in the capturing of this image. As a matter of fact he enjoyed all the attention. The cigar was not lit--we created the smoke and red ash in post-processing.)
My assistant and I discussed better communication techniques through more detailed note taking and a big HEADS UP on unique session requests. As a bonus, we have had several clients request that particular image as artwork for their home.
In this, my first year of PPA image competition, I included "Hold 'Em Ace," and was pleased to earn a merit seal at my state (Georgia PPA) and district (Southeast) competitions I'm excited to hear the results from the IPC! My fingers are crossed on being chosen for the Loan Collection.
It's official! I've come full circle in completing my first year of competition. I entered the same four images from start to finish (GPPA>SEPPA>IPC) and am excited to say that three of the four images merited! After I received my judge's critiques from the GPPA/SEPPA level, I made some adjustments on three of my four images. "Hold 'Em Ace" had already sealed and I was told you NEVER break the seal once you merit.
My judge's critiques helped me see her perspective on how I could improve my images and I was mostly happy to make the suggested changes. I have to admit I did take a little offense on my critique of "Bonny Boy." The judge made mention on my child's sausage fingers on the bike handle, I took it personally because, to me most children have little sausage fingers. After growling about the comment for several days, I took another look at those baby sausage fingers and began to see why the judge had pointed them out.
I agreed that maybe they were standing out more than they should, so I took my burn tool and ever so slightly browned those little sausages. My images went from being what I considered really good prints to great images with just a few small changes. As a suggestion, don't take the judges' comments to heart--they are there to help you become an even better photographer.
I was glad I took the time to compete and successfully survived entering into a whole new world. I bet you have already guessed about how I feel about next year, that's right, I'm thinking about conjuring up brand-new ideas that will hopefully earn more merits. It's a win, win situation that will benefit my clients. My final thought is that being able to resource a judge with years of experience, compete with your fellow photographer peers in the industry is bringing me closer to my goal: award-winning photographer, Judith Ann, M.Photog. (master photographer).
You might have heard, but the International Photographic Competition (IPC) was last week!
The results are in and they are GOOD! More images, more merit images, and WAY more images going loan. Way to go everyone! Here's an excerpt from our official press release below:
A panel of 45 eminent jurors from across the United States selected the top photographs from nearly 5,000 total entries from August 4-7 at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Judged against a standard of excellence, just over 1,800 images were selected for the General Collection and 918 (roughly 18 percent) were selected for the esteemed Loan Collection--the best of the best. The Loan Collection images will all be published in the much-anticipated "Loan Collection" book and over 200 selected General Collection images will be published in the "Showcase" book by Marathon Press.
Images accepted into the General and Loan Collections will also be on display at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee Feb. 1-3, 2015 during Imaging USA, the annual convention and expo for professional photographers. These images constitute one of the world's largest annual exhibits of professional photography gathered simultaneously under one roof.
Those who didn't earn merits this year didn't have to leave empty-handed. Critiques from the IPC judges were available upon request, and the judges completed roughly 1,800 during the competition. The critiques are offered as a way to help participants find areas of improvement and prepare for future photo competitions.
And for the first time, this year's IPC was streamed live online and 1,570 unique visitors from 13 countries tuned in over the four days. 643 of those weren't involved in this year's competition, showcasing the widespread curiosity in competition, but tentativeness to enter. This is something PPA hopes the live stream will help change.
"This was truly the biggest and best IPC yet," said IPC manager Rich Newell, M.Photog.Cr. "Those critiques must be working; we had about 250 more images go Loan this year. And we're thrilled with how many people viewed the live stream. We hope it showed all the non-participants who watched what truly goes on at competition. Hopefully they won't hesitate to enter next year!"
The IPC challenges photographers to grow their artistic and technical photography skills by creatively capturing and presenting their best images, and by doing so, improving their businesses.
Here are a few photos from the judging:
To view full results of the International Photographic Competition, visit PPA.com/IPC. And go ahead and start practicing for next year! Let's see those numbers soar even higher.
A first-timer's account of the International Photographic Competition
By Penn Hansa, PPA Intern
I naïvely thought I had been at PPA long enough to know what to expect when we went to the International Photographic Competition - lots of images, seasoned judges sitting in a dim room deciding whether the image presented should merit and a solemn air of importance surrounding the entire event.
I was only half correct. IPC is much, much more.
It's an invaluable experience, a chance to learn from some of the most talented photographers in the industry and oddly enough, it feels like a family reunion -- if your family were made up of experienced IPC judges, that is.
"Do you want to see my granddaughter?" a judge asks, while waiting for the next round of judging to start. He pulls out his iPhone and flicks through the images before anyone replies.
"Only if I get to show you mine," another judge replies. "And then we can judge the images!" They all laugh.
But when the session starts, it's all business. In the digital room, the judges sit in twos or threes, and as an image comes on the screen in front of them, they'll review and tap in their vote on an iPod Touch. Oftentimes, they'll lean closer to the screen to see the image more closely, viewing it from different angles to make sure they haven't missed a pixel when considering it.
A common misconception about IPC is that the judges will favor images that suit their style. Because they score in a matter of seconds, it seems easy to believe it. But when a judge challenges an image, it's all laid out on the table and it's clear to see that their deliberation is intense. They'll each speak at length about why they favor an image to merit or what fell short, citing the 12 elements of a merit image.
"It's not about the treatment of an image, and whether I like it or not," said Allison Watkins, M.Photog.Cr., CPP. "I have to put my preferences aside to see the image impartially."
I wanted to see more of the thought process behind the deliberation, so I headed to the critique rooms, where judges offer their thoughts and constructive criticism about the image. For each image that is being critiqued, the judge will talk about the image as a whole, explaining their stream of thought as they look at it, including both the positive and the negative. It's a real learning experience to see exactly what makes an image merit and truly invaluable.
I settled behind Gregg Wurtzler, M.Photog.Cr., as he critiqued a few images, and then pulled up a new one. Wurtzler has 14 years of judging and critiquing images under his belt.
"What do you think about this one?" he asked me as he made his initial assessment.
I tried to keep in mind what I had learned about the 12 elements from watching earlier judging and critiques, but was drawing a blank. I liked the image, but something about it seemed off, and I couldn't place my finger on the correct term.
He just chuckled at my confusion and started his critique, first complimenting the photographer on his choice of subject and capturing the right moment, then describing how the photographer could have improved his composition, to notice the placing of the subject's hands and the busy background that was detracting from him.
"At first, it's sometimes difficult to look at the image and have to guess why the judges didn't merit it," Wurtzler said after he finished the critique. "But we've all been doing this long enough that we can usually pinpoint what it is."
Later, I sat behind Mark Garber, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, who has helped thousands of photographers with his critiques.
For any photographer who hasn't entered competitions, take this as an incentive: Garber is a huge advocate, and made a point to encourage all the photographers in his critiques to keep entering their images.
"Competition is quickest way to improve photographic skills," he said. "Every photographer has had images that didn't merit, so don't be discouraged when it happens to you."
Convinced of the fun and invaluable experience IPC is yet? Find out more about entering your images, becoming a PPA-approved juror and other competitions at PPA.com/IPC.
By John Owens
The PPA team took its annual field trip up go Gwinnett Tech for the International Photographic Competition yesterday. Last year, I entered the International Photographic Competition as a wide-eyed rookie. This year, as a crusty, second-year veteran, I knew the drill.
But you know what? It was at least as exciting. And it's because the images are new and the judges' passion is unwavering.
There was also the added element of the first ever IPC live stream. When we arrived, Scott Morgan, director of information technology for PPA, informed us that roughly 850 unique users were currently watching. About 250 of those weren't even involved in the competition!
The stream features live audio from each judging room, with the digital image shown on the screen. It's perfect theater for Warren Motts, M.Photog.Hon.M.Photog.Cr., A-ASP, F-ASP, whose baritone voice lent his digital judging room added drama.
What those at home can't see is the added action in the print room. The white-gloved volunteers placing each print in the turnstile. The judges' routine of getting up from their seats for an inches-away look at each corner of the image. Every color correction, every shadow, every pixel. Glasses on, glasses off.
Past PPA president and current chairman of the board, Ralph Romaguera Sr., M.Photog.Hon.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP, was in his ultimate element (he's never really out of it) in the print room. As one of the rooms' jury chairmen, he led the judging and addressed the live stream audience whenever possible. "Hello out there in PPA land..." began each session.
For the judges, the IPC is photographic summer camp. It's their unofficial halfway point to Imaging USA--a chance to hang with longtime friends and colleagues and share in the passion that unites them. There's an equal share of hugs and friendly verbal jousting. The kind of environment you find in a tight-knit family, one that pulls you right in and embraces you.
A particular welcome sight was Keith Howe, M.Photog.M.Artist.MEI.Cr., CPP a longtime IPC judge whose battle with lymphoma and ongoing recovery has been followed here on our blog. "I'm moving pretty slow," he said. "But I'm happy I'm here."
They come together both for each other and for the greater good of the industry. To keep the competition and quality of winner images moving forward. They come for fellowship and to be wowed be beautiful imagery. They want to see something new.
"It's amazing how much time the judges spend every year nurturing this thing called image competition," said Randy McNeilly, M.Photog.Cr., MEI, API chairman of the Photographic Exhibition Committee (PEC). "I'm more proud to be an IPC judge than everything else I've accomplished in photography."
There are currently around 100 judges in the committee, with 20 hoping to join their ranks in this year's Judges Workshop, running alongside the competition. If averages hold, 3 of them will become approved jurors this year.
As for the IPC itself, the competition continues its upward trend. Total submissions crept over 5,000 for the first time this year, with nearly 2,000 of those earning merits and going back in for a second round of judging to see who will make up this year's prestigious Loan Collection book. 1,800 critiques were given, up from last year's 1,500.
From a photography standpoint, what impresses me most is the selection process. Think about how many images you capture over the course of a given year. Now choose four. That's all you get.
Now refine them into something amazing. Find a mentor and ask for their input. Maybe even enter them in a district competition beforehand to see how they rank. Should this leaf be here? What this line doing there? How's the lighting? The cohesiveness?
Everything matters. Even the title of your image can have a tremendous impact on its... impact. That's most paramount in the print room, when the title is read the moment it is turned into the judges' view. Does your image tell the story your title implies? Does it add something to the image?
It's something to think about.
By mid-afternoon, stream unique visitors climbed to 1,030, with 345 non-participants. Clearly the curiosity is there, so now that you've seen how the machine works, we hope you'll give it a try next year.
Oh, and speaking of that live stream, you can tune in to see who's going Loan right now! Judging continues for another 24 hours!
Coming soon...IPC Live!
You've always wondered what happens during International Photographic Competition judging. You
imagined judges sitting behind the closed doors, in a dim room, throwing out opinions, tearing down an image piece by piece--maybe even yours. Or maybe they pulled numbers out of a hat?
Fear not--the mystery of IPC judging is soon to be revealed! For the first time ever, PPA is live-streaming the whole thing!
From August 4-7, 8:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST each day, you'll be able to watch at stream.theipc.org with your desktop device*. If you're a PPA member, you'll be able to log in to view the stream. Non-members can easily register with your name and email address to access it for free. Once on the site, you can switch between rooms based on your interest, such as Portrait, Artist or Illustrative images.
Whether you have images in competition or not, the judging process is still a valuable learning experience. You'll be able to hear judges' comments and critiques, and see exactly what makes a merit image.
Judith Ann Elliott, a PPA member from Powder Springs, Georgia, attended the IPC as a non-participant before she entered her images for competition the following year. "I was sold on IPC after I saw the judges - they're fair and truthful. They aren't just there to tear your image down. They're there to build your image up and make you a better photographer," Elliott said.
"We're excited to offer live streaming so participants and non-participants alike can see the value in viewing the judging process," said IPC Manager Rich Newell, M.Photog.Cr. "Photographers will be able to see what truly goes on during the process, and hopefully this will encourage more to enter in the future."
*Audio is not enabled on mobile devices. For full audio and video, please view on your desktop computer.
By: John Owens, Communications Specialist, PPA
I've always been a "believe it when I see it" kind of guy.
As I boarded the bus with the rest of the PPA staff for our field trip to Gwinnett Tech, I wasn't sure what to expect from my first photographic competition. I'd written about the 12 Elements of a Merit Image and felt I had a firm grasp on them, but I hadn't seen them in action. They were just a list.
On the ride over I kept envisioning an American Idol-esque judging panel, or a Gordon Ramsay-type screaming at a helpless puppy in a photograph. My competitive background is in hockey, and I felt fairly certain that no one would drop the gloves, but who knows how heated the judging might get? What if someone attended and disagreed (strongly) with not earning a merit? If an image doesn't merit, does it get shipped off to an island of misfit images?
So yeah, I was excited for the International Photographic Competition, if a little misguided.
We arrived at Gwinnett Tech after a 30-minute drive from PPA HQ in downtown Atlanta. We entered the cafeteria where staff member and former PPA board member, Rich Newell, M.Photog.Cr., and chairman of the Photographic Exhibition Committee (PEC), Randy McNeilly, M.Photog.Cr., MEI, API, gave us the rundown for the IPC.
"For some members, this is why you're involved," began McNeilly. "I think you're going to see this event grow quite a bit in the next few years."
As they started to rattle off some numbers, it seemed like the growth was already in full-effect. At this year's IPC, nearly 5,000 images would be judged during the week. In the first year of IPC, eight images were judged.
For the first time this year, participants could sign-up for text message alerts to be immediately notified when their image was judged. The new feature was so popular, 1,200 text messages were sent in the first day, which was no doubt also a credit to the judges' efficiency.
In addition to the judging of the images, a record 1,500 images also requested individual critiques--a 250% increase over last year. Needless, to say, the IPC judges were in for a busy few days.
Then we learned that on top of the judging and critiques there was also a Judges Workshop taking place, where 38 students were taking the program to join the prestigious ranks of an IPC judge. So there was plenty going on! After our briefing, the staff was released to (quietly) roam the halls and pop into rooms to soak it all in.
I first headed into the large lecture room where the Judges Workshop was taking place. The room was dark, save for the light of a half-dozen Mac computers in the far right corner and a lit canvas in the left corner. The student judges were split into two groups, the left practicing the judging of print images, while the group at the Macs was mock-judging digital images. The 38 prospective judges was an impressive number, because as I learned from McNeilly, they can't exactly just show up. Even just being a student judge is actually years in the making.
They are entered into the program after they take the 40-hour Judges Workshop. But no, this doesn't mean they are a judge yet. Before they can become a judge, these brave photographers must earn their Master Photographer degree. It takes 13 merited images to achieve a Master's degree, and with a maximum of four submissions per year (none of which are guaranteed to merit), it can easily take six years or more.
Next they must start seeking out state competitions and tell them beforehand that they would like to be a judge. They spend three years judging at affiliate competitions and are evaluated by the existing judges. A committee then looks at the evaluations and votes on who can enter the fold.
Prospective judges must meet the minimum of three state competitions and have received five critiques, but no one gets in with the minimum. There are currently 114 total official judges. About two make the cut to join them each year.
But it's not just about becoming a judge for those attending. It's just as much about gaining an inside perspective to the competition.
New Jersey photographer, Mike Dill, CPP, was among those who, more than anything, came to improve his own photography.
"I wanted to see and learn what goes into the judging process so I could do better in future competitions," said the action and sports photographer. "I've watched competitions live before, but this gives me the opportunity to go behind the curtain and learn what goes into a winning image.
"It'll be a huge help to my photography to be able to evaluate my own images as well as become a judge in the future."
After a few more rounds of mock judging, the group took a break, as did the rest of the judges who were scattered in classrooms around the school. I immediately got the sense that they all knew each other, it almost felt as if they were attending an elite photography summer camp.
They wore matching black, short-sleeve, button-down shirts and gilded medals hung from their necks. Some had just a few pinned to their lanyard, but others had medals going all the way up the ribbon to their necks. They were the rewards of years and years of competition and merit earning, and the judges wore them proudly (in fact, I learned later they are required to). I could see them eyeing each other's tally, much like myself and the rest of the staff were, to see who among them was the best.
That's right, at the IPC, there's even competition amongst the judges--each striving to fill their lanyards to the brim like the lifetime members among them. But for these few days, they volunteer their time and fly out from all over the country to name the best of the best, and to push those who ordered critiques to be better.
After the short break, the judges went back to their respective rooms. I followed a group to a room for print submissions. I guess you could say submitting a print image is the old school method of competition, since printing and mailing four images can cost up to $800 versus just emailing some high-res JPEGs. But certainly from a spectating standpoint, the print submission room gave a better feel for what the competition was all about.
This batch of images was in the first round of judging, and would either merit or not merit. That means their brave owners decided to skip their district competition and submit directly to the IPC. Those images that earned an electronic seal (80 or above) at their respective district competitions go straight to loan judging. The difference in the judging is, at the IPC, there is no numerical scoring like there is at district competitions. Here it's either a yes or a no.
This room is much like the left side of the Judges' Workshop. The only thing illuminated is a large canvas, with a rectangle cutout in the middle to display the image. Images are clipped onto a three-sided rotating easel by white-gloved volunteers. The dark, the quiet and the lack of fingerprints gives a real weight to the competition.
The panel of six judges sits in a row maybe five feet from the displayed image. A seventh judge, sat to the side, announces the name of the image before it is displayed and oversees the scoring. As an image rotates into view, judges take turns approaching the image, getting within inches to examine every corner, every detail of the frame. Glasses on, glasses off, and then return to their seats to record a yes or no on an iPod.
The first two images do not earn merits, and then a third. A pattern starts to form as a fourth does not merit, but then it happens.
Total game changer. If a judge voted against the majority decision, they have the opportunity to challenge the result and argue their position, either for or against the image earning a merit. Then each judge says how they voted and why, highlighting details in the image they love or elements they find lacking. It might be the tiniest detail that they love or hate, every aspect of the image must have meaning and must be perfect. A judge might love a particular image, but that still might not be enough for them to vote in its favor. Their respect for the industry outweighs their passion for an image they're seeing for the very first time.
After they've all taken another look and discussed their thoughts, the judge who offered the challenge gives his or her rebuttal. Then they re-vote.
The constructive debate format takes the judging to another level. Their careful care examining each image is part of the reason only 30 to 40 percent earn merits each year. After about 20 minutes, the judges rotate to be sure they are seeing images from every angle. The judges complement each other on strong challenges that reverse the group decision and always offer thoughtful descriptions of what they're seeing. Color, texture, focus, exposure, depth, light, sharpness, technique, presentation, impact, tonality and design were all used in the discussion for a single image.
Those complete images that earn merits move on to another round of judging for the Loan Collection. This round, the finals, if you will, is even more tightly scrutinized. Here, a great image is just that, it takes more to enter the Loan Collection. The challenges are even more passionate, and discussions even more in-depth. In the end, only 682 images entered the 2013 Loan Collection and will go in the Loan book and be on display in Phoenix at Imaging USA.
From the print competition I headed over to the critique room. Patty Geist, M.Photog.Cr., a little Nebraskan photography sparkplug, was one of a few judges scattered in a Mac lab reviewing images. Wearing a headset, she told the image creator what she liked and didn't like about the image. Where it excelled and where it needed improvement. She offered suggestions and showed the image owner specifically what she was talking about with her cursor. It might not be her favorite part of being a judge, but Patty appreciates the value in the critiques and offered an easy answer to anyone thinking about getting one in the future.
"If you haven't submitted an image to competition before--of course!" she said. "If your image didn't merit, it's the only way you're going to learn why."
Judges giving the critiques are generally seeing the images for the first time unless they were on the panel by which the image was judged. If they were, this gives added value to the critique, because they have already seen it and judged with the help of five others.
"That way my individual paradigm isn't the sole influence," said Patty.
At the end of each critique, the judges encourage the image owner to go to Imaging USA for one-on-one sessions with an official judge.
"Here it's just a one-way critique, but there we can answer the specific questions they might have about their image. We told them what to fix, but there we can tell them how."
After another morning of judging and critiquing upwards of 1,000 images, everyone took off their judging caps and once again became friends at camp as they broke for lunch. One hundred-some photographers brought together in the same room by the great unifier--pizza.
Although I'm not a photographer, I can sense when I'm around greatness, and they had the medals to prove it. The International Photographic Competition is the past, present and future of photography all at once, and judging by the passion and camaraderie of those esteemed photographers, they all seemed to be aware of it. You'd have to see it to believe it.
So why enter? Why get a critique? Why attend? To get better. To be a part of the present and the future. And hey, maybe it will inspire you to be more.
For my part, maybe the 12 Elements extend beyond just photography. Did I touch on them all?


text:
VOYAGER smartphone designed specifically for use in cars
Using an existing phone number by way of a twin-SIM card, the VOYAGER can be easily installed in any car
The VOYAGER can be connected to the car's onboard diagnostics via Bluetooth or RS232 port, so it can provide updates on the car's systems
The Accel VOYAGER smartphone
Article Summary
Cars and mobile phones haven't had a very happy relationship. For most people, a car/phone interface means a bracket suction-cupped to the windscreen. At best, it means a Bluetooth connection between the phone and the car's infotainment system, that leaves much to be desired. Trying to rectify this situation, Israeli telecom company Accel Telecom describes its new VOYAGER smartphone as the "first standalone connected car smartphone," designed with the car specifically in mind.
« Back to VOYAGER smartphone designed specifically for use in cars
Other Images from this Gallery
Related Articles


text:
PORTLAND -- True to form, on the first day of spring, a light drizzle and a few showers. It's that kind of Northwest weather that was the inspiration for a creation this is now spreading across the country. It's called Hood To Go.
Susan Hammel got the idea after one to many times getting caught without rainwear when the skies open up. She took an old vest from a leather coat, and a hood from another coat. She pinned them together. It was her prototype.
The folks at Portland Garment Factory helped refine it. The hood can be used under any coat or jacket. It can be worn out of sight until it's needed, or worn as a fashion statement.
A mention on the Today Show last week put the Hood To Go on the map. When it rains it pours. Orders are coming in from all over the country.
I knew it could be a real business, said Susan Hammel. I knew there was a market for it. Everybody I showed it to thought it was a great idea. Not just in Portland, but everywhere.
Hammel is already thinking of adding different colors and designs, plus a version for men. The cost for the Hood To Go is $20. www.hoodtogo.com


text:
Love you too!
Added to Bag!
We'll let you know if it's back in stock!
Added to Wishlist!
All Chat and More Wedge
$49.99 $24.9950% off!
Details & Measurements
Details & Measurements
A catch-up lunch with your bestie calls for your chicest of digs, including these moxie-ful black mules! You cover every hot topic and then some looking stylishly spot-on in the pointed toes and stacked wedge heels of this vegan faux-suede pair.
- Man-made materials.
- Wedge measures 3.25 inches.
- Imported
Need style advice? Make a date with a ModStylist »


text:
How it happened
My father, 'Mathampatti' Sivakumar, has produced five films of which Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi and Thainadu became hits. At that time, I was very small and didn't know much about films. Despite having my father in the industry, I didn't nurture any ambition to act. When I was studying in P.S.G Arts College, Coimbatore, my friends encouraged me to act in movies. After completing BBM, I made my debut as hero in my father's own production titled Ilayavan. The highlight of the movie was the music by Ilaiyaraja.
How it felt
I watched the movie in Woodlands theatre (Chennai) along with the public. Though I was new to the field, the response I got, especially to the comedy scenes, was unbelievable. I was very happy and felt as if I had scaled the Himalayas. Only after some time did I realise that it was only the starting point in my career and that I had to work really hard to reach the top.
How life changed
People began to appreciate my talent. I started getting good roles. My 50th film Kasethaan Kadavulada is releasing soon. I am acting in nearly a dozen films such as Vallakottai with Arjun, Kanda with Karan, Raudhram with Jeeva, Mappilai with Dhanush, Thankar Batchan's Kalavadiya Pozhudhugal, Mittai and Agarathi. I am happy with what I am doing now and would like to continue this way.
Keywords: Sathyan, Ilayavan, 'Mathampatti' Sivakumar


text:
Light Heavyweight
- Join Date
- Jun 2005
- Location
- London,Ontario Canada
- Posts
- 3,317
Posted On:
3/19/2009 10:03pm--
Who Else Thinks BJ PENN Is A WHINY Beyotch?
I just watched an interview with BJ Penn where he declares that he 'didn't get his fair shot' becase GSP cheated by smearing too much vaseline on himself (or his cornermen doing it, whatever). He goes on and on about how opening an investigation is 'nothing to be ashamed of 'and how if GSP is 'innocent' he has nothing to worry about, he also makes comments like "Why would you want to be called champ if you really aren't " and all this other BS.
Got news for you Penn - GSP IS the champ and he WAS the champ before he fought you. If a rematch is declared to settle this **** he WILL be champ after he beats your ass again.
Fucking whiner..all you have to do is look at his face and you can tell he's the type of kid whio used to cry when he lost at sports and complain to the referees all the time about ****.
**** Off Penn..accept that the better man won and stop making an ass of yourself." If one wants to have a friend one must also want to wage war for him: and to wage war one must be capable of being an enemy." - Fr. Nietzsche 'On The Friend' Thus Spake Zarathustra
Choked out by Gene Lebell
- Join Date
- Jul 2005
- Location
- Grand Blanc, MI
- Posts
- 3,277
Posted On:
3/19/2009 10:08pm--
Well... now for another opinion.
I really am not inside the sport as I was in the early days. I do not know about this, as my mind doesn't work that way.
However, if it is true that you can grease up a player hours before the fight so it goes into the skin. Then wipe it off, but when they sweat they sweat the grease, then THAT should be banned.
Again, I do not know how true it is. In this case, well I guess it depends on who you are a fan of. The corner did break the rules, so yes, that gives a place for comment.
Personally, make them all wear a gi top and that ends the problem.
But that's just me.
United States Marine.
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Location
- San Clemente
- Posts
- 9,534
Posted On:
3/19/2009 10:39pm--
I think BJ is an overrated whiny bitch.
PROOF that I'm not a completely useless poster:
Originally Posted by Cy Q. Faunce
United States Marine.
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Location
- San Clemente
- Posts
- 9,534
Posted On:
3/19/2009 10:52pm--
KM, you're in Sweden?
PROOF that I'm not a completely useless poster:
Originally Posted by Cy Q. Faunce
Portrait of a BJJer as a Young Man
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Location
- Seattle, WA
- Posts
- 5,450
Posted On:
3/20/2009 12:42am--
This all stems from BJ's huge ego. A few years ago he kept talking about how he was going to move up through every weight class and win the title, eventually beating Tim Sylvia. Fast forward to now and he still hasn't made it even through the welterweight class, which has to be pretty frustrating for his plan of world domination.
He's going to bitch and moan and keep acting like he deserves it until he gets a rematch.
"I feel naked I was so distracted by your penis"
- Join Date
- Dec 2005
- Location
- DETROIT WHAT! (and surrounding upper-class burbs)
- Posts
- 1,842
Posted On:
3/20/2009 1:00am
Style: Ving Tsun--
"If you tap to strikes, you're a bitch." -- BJ "The Prodigy" Penn
I'd be super happy with a rematch only because it gives GSP another chance to make BJ's face explode. BJ is a completely unsportsmanlike ass, and his attitude before the fight as well as now only enhances my desire to see him beaten senseless. He said before the fight that GSP was never a champion, and now he's acting like his ass-beating was solely due to the grease and not at all due to the fact that he was ducking out of training, complaining about his weight, and taking vacations the for weeks at a time leading up to the fight.
I think I'll just take BJ's advice, drop out of any sub-wrestling training, and start carrying a ramekin of vasaline as my secret weapon to defeat any and all MMA fighters. Kryptonite, yeah!
Senior Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2007
- Location
- North of San Francisco
- Posts
- 4,458
Posted On:
3/20/2009 1:20am--
So screw the ties, those are stupid anyway, this is the baseball win/loss % which is wins/wins+losses ( I think BJ is overrated and complacent@170#s)
BJ "the Prodigy" Penn: 13-5-1 .722
Georges St Pierre: 18-2-0 .90
Dan "The Beast" Severn: 86-16-7 .843
Mark "teh Hammer" Coleman: 15-9-4 .625
Heath "Texas Crazy Horse" Herring: 28-14-0 .666
Don "the Predator" Frye: 19-7-1 .731
Renato "Babalu" Sorbal: 32-7-0 .821
Tito "The Hunginton Beech Bad Boyz" Ortiz: 15-6-1 .714
Matt "Keep your Woman in Check" Huges: 42-7-0 .857
Nick Nutter: 5-2-0 .714
Semmy Schildt: 26-14-1 .650
.......why is this depressing?Many things we do naturally become difficult only when we try to make them intellectual subjects. It is possible to know so much about a subject that you become totally ignorant.
-Mentat Text Two (dicto)