text:
Christian Bumbarra Thompson creates art expressive of a continuing relationship to his people, country and culture. Subtle and sometimes more explicit references to the land and heritage of his community, the Bidjara people of the Kunja Nation from south-west Queensland, present themselves in the artist's multidisciplinary practice.
His photographic series Gates of Tambo 2004 refers in its title to two bottle trees ('the gates of Tambo'), planted by Thompson's great-uncle outside the town of Tambo, north-west of Brisbane. Thompson's photographs afford viewers insight in ways that a young Indigenous Australian artist positions and defines himself within the world, and the various art worlds, in the early twenty-first century. Through impersonations of, variously, Indigenous artists Rusty Peters, Tracey Moffatt and the Woman from Peppimenarti, plus Andy Warhol, Thompson deconstructs the amalgam making up his identity.
In this work the artist underlines that he sees himself as both the young man behind a laptop in Melbourne, with a keen interest in 1980s fashion and pop culture, and the Aboriginal artist in remote Australia documenting his country and traditions.[1] The ease with which Thompson transforms into the other Indigenous practitioners challenges us to question the distinction made between Indigenous peoples living in different parts of Australia. The Gates of Tambo photographs also initiate an intergenerational dialogue between Thompson and the individuals whose characters he assumes. Exploring the ways in which his art relates to works made by well-established practitioners such as Peters and Moffatt, this younger artist pays homage to those who inspire him and also firmly situates his practice within recent Indigenous art histories. At the same time the image of Andy Warhol, celebrated international symbol of pop art, forms the key to Thompson's desire for himself and other Aboriginal artists to be part of global discourses on art making.
His digital video Desert Slippers 2006 continues Thompson's mapping of identities and relationships with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people – the things that shape him as an artist – but in a more intimate manner. The title comes from a cactus that has always played an important role in Bidjara society: the desert slipper. In the video the artist and his father, speaking Bidjara, perform a greeting ceremony with their bodies turned towards each other. The two men are engrossed in repetitively acting out the same gestures. This work describes a recent shift in Thompson's practice towards a more personal approach, using family members to document Bidjara ceremonies and rituals in a visual language
accessible to large audiences.
The artist is acutely aware that in the past Indigenous peoples have been coerced into disclosing aspects of themselves and their culture for European scientific and ethnographic study, and in Desert Slippers he does not reveal the meaning of the words exchanged between him and his father. Thus our attention is drawn to what is unspoken: the intimacy and ritual nature of communication between a father and son, teacher and student, older and younger man. This video is part of a larger project to create a family archive, begun by Thompson after becoming an uncle to his brother's children, when he re-evaluated his responsibilities as a Bidjara man.
Whilst exploring his Indigenous heritage, Thompson's work engages with topics that affect and move both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, transcending cultural boundaries. Desert Slippers not only invites us into a private space, allowing unique insights into the contemporary nature of Indigenous ceremonies and processes of enculturation, but also speaks about universal human experience. Irrespective of our cultural background, family rituals such as this Bidjara greeting have universal resonance. And the complexity of relationships and communication between fathers and sons, which is communicated in the work, is also fundamental to humankind. This merging of the culturally specific and universal leaves a lasting impression in Christian Thompson's art.
Marianne Riphagen
[1] Christian Bumbarra Thompson, interview by Marianne Riphagen, 23 May 2006.


text:
You are here:
|Knowledgeability = 10
|Clarity of Response = 10
|Politeness = 10
|Thank you
I'm able to answer any and all questions related to the English Yu-Gi-Oh! game itself. This includes, but isn't limited to:
Deck Fixes: Either making suggestions and improvements on a deck you've already built, or building a deck from scratch for you. In either case, please give an idea of the kind of deck you're building, the level of play you're planning to use it in (small tournaments, regionals etc), and the kind of budget you're on.
Please format decks in a way that's easy to read. Each card name should be on its own line, with a number before it indicating how many you're playing. Please split decks into Monsters, Spells and Traps.
NOTE: A level of reasonability is assumed with this. I cannot build you a nationals winning deck based on monsters whose name starts with the Letter 'A' on a budget of £4($6)... Nor will I generally respond well to Questions touting "No Xyz, Synchro... etc" or disallowing cards from certain parts of the show. I haven't seen the show in a number of years and find these conditions to usually be poorly-defined.
Rulings: On any card interacting with any other card(s). Tell me the scenario, and I'll tell you what happens.
I won't be answering questions on whether a trade is fair or not, or on how much X-card is worth, as both these kinds of question can be answered by using Ebay's completed listings page.
Level 2 Judge Qualification,
Level 1 Player Management Qualification,
Konami Rules Certification 1,
Regularly Head Judges Local Events,
Tournament Wins/Top 8 placements too numerous to detail here
BSc (Hons) Degree in Mathematics
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
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* includes only fuel cost
It will help us serve you better content and best deals


text:
PREPARE/ENRICH leads the way in helping couples explore and strengthen their relationships. The main component of the program is an online survey you each complete in about 30-45 minutes. PREPARE/ENRICH is not just any survey. The items you respond to are based on research and are intended to help you identify the unique strengths and potential growth areas of your premarital or married relationship. You'll meet with a facilitator trained to provide feedback by helping you understand your results and learn important relationship skills. Built on a solid research foundation, PREPARE/ENRICH has been improved and refined over the years to become one of the best, most effective, easy-to-use relationship assessment tools available.
Over the last 30 years, the PREPARE/ENRICH relationship assessment has empowered and energized more than 3 million couples. We're the number 1 premarital inventory and couples assessment tool.
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Before choosing a PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator, you should feel comfortable with their answers to the following questions:


text:
Kyrgyzstan Population: 5,548,0422 VISITORS FROM HERE!
« Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter Overview
|A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV. Over the next few years, the new president manipulated the parliament to accrue new powers for himself. In July 2009, after months of harassment against his opponents and media critics, BAKIEV won re-election in a presidential campaign that the international community deemed flawed. In April 2010, violent protests in Bishkek led to the collapse of the BAKIEV regime and his eventual fleeing to Minsk, Belarus. His successor, Roza OTUNBAEVA, served as transitional president until Almazbek ATAMBAEV was inaugurated in December 2011. Continuing concerns include: the trajectory of democratization, endemic corruption, poor interethnic relations, and terrorism.
Landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes
|Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan
|Geographic coordinates:
| total: 199,951 sq km
land: 191,801 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than South Dakota
|Land Boundaries:
| total: 3,051 km
border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,224 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km
|0 km (landlocked)
|Maritime claims:
|none (landlocked)
|dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
|peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation
|Elevation extremes:
| lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m
highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m
|Natural resources:
|abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc
|Land use:
| arable land: 6.38%
permanent crops: 0.37%
other: 93.24% note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural-growth walnut forest (2011)
|Irrigated land:
|10,210 sq km (2005)
|Current Environment Issues:
|water pollution; many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices
|International Environment Agreements:
| party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|^Back to Top
| noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)
adjective: Kyrgyzstani
|Ethnic groups:
|Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian 1%, Uighur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census)
|Kyrgyz (official) 64.7%, Uzbek 13.6%, Russian (official) 12.5%, Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census)
|Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%
|5,548,042 (July 2013 est.)
|Age structure:
| 0-14 years: 29.7% (male 842,511/female 805,295)
15-24 years: 19.4% (male 547,456/female 530,702)
25-54 years: 39.2% (male 1,063,702/female 1,111,423)
55-64 years: 6.8% (male 162,851/female 213,254)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 104,129/female 166,719) (2013 est.)
|Dependency ratios:
| total dependency ratio: 52.7 %
youth dependency ratio: 46.4 %
elderly dependency ratio: 6.4 %
potential support ratio: 15.7 (2013)
|Median age:
| total: 25.4 years
male: 24.5 years
female: 26.4 years (2013 est.)
|Population growth rate:
|0.97% (2013 est.)
|Birth rate:
|23.67 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
|Death rate:
|6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
|Net migration rate:
|-7.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
| urban population: 35.3% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 1.31% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
|Major urban areas - population:
|BISHKEK (capital) 854,000 (2009)
|Sex ratio:
| at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
|Mother's mean age at first birth:
|23.6 (2010 est.)
|Maternal mortality rate:
|71 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
|Infant mortality rate:
| total: 29.73 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 34.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
|Life expectancy at birth:
| total population: 69.75 years
male: 65.58 years
female: 74.21 years (2013 est.)
|Total fertility rate:
|2.71 children born/woman (2013 est.)
|Contraceptive prevalence rate:
|47.8% (2005/06)
|Health expenditures:
|6.2% of GDP (2010)
|Physicians density:
|2.3 physicians/1,000 population (2007)
|Hospital bed density:
|5.06 beds/1,000 population (2007)
|Drinking water source:
| improved:
urban: 99% of population
rural: 85% of population
total: 90% of population
urban: 1% of population
rural: 15% of population
total: 10% of population (2010 est.)
|Sanitation facility access:
| improved:
urban: 94% of population
rural: 93% of population
total: 93% of population
urban: 6% of population
rural: 7% of population
total: 7% of population (2010 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|0.3% (2009 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|9,800 (2009 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
|Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
|15.5% (2008)
|Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
|2.7% (2006)
|Education expenditures:
|5.8% of GDP (2010)
| definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.2%
male: 99.5%
female: 99% (2009 est.)
|School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
| total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2011)
|Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
| total: 14.6%
male: 13.6%
female: 16.2% (2006)
|^Back to Top
|Country name:
| conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form: Kyrgyzstan
former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
|Government type:
| name: Bishkek
geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
|Administrative divisions:
| 7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar); Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
|31 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
|National holiday:
|Independence Day, 31 August (1991)
|27 June 2010
|Legal system:
|civil law system which includes features of French civil law and Russian Federation laws
|18 years of age; universal
|Executive branch:
| chief of state: President Almazbek ATAMBAEV (since 1 December 2011)
head of government: Prime Minister Jantoro SATYBALDIEV (since 5 September 2012); First Deputy Prime Minister - Joomart OTORBAEV (since 5 September 2012); Deputy Prime Ministers - Tayyrbek SARPASHEV and Kamila TALIEVA (since 5 September 2012), Tokon MAMYTOV (since 19 June 2013)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president; ministers in charge of defense and security are appointed solely by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held on 30 October 2011 (next to be held in 2017); prime minister nominated by the parliamentary party holding more than 50% of the seats; if no such party exists, the president selects the party that will form a coalition majority and government
election results: Almazbek ATAMBAEV elected president; percent of vote - Almazbek ATAMBAEV 63.2%, Adakhan MADUMAROV 14.7%, Kamchybek TASHIEV 14.3%, other 7.8%; Jantoro SATYBALDIEV elected prime minister; parliamentary vote - 111-2
|Legislative branch:
| unicameral Supreme Council or Jogorku Kengesh (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 10 October 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ata-Jurt 28, SDPK 26, Ar-Namys 25, Respublika 23, Ata-Meken 18
|Judicial branch:
| highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 25 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president; Supreme Court judges serve for 10 years, Constitutional Court judges serve for 15 years; mandatory retirement at age 70 for judges of both courts
subordinate courts: Higher Court of Arbitration; oblast (provincial) and city courts
|Political parties and leaders:
|Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Feliks KULOV] Ata-Jurt (Homeland) [Kamchybek TASHIEV, Akhmat KELDIBEKOV] Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Omurbek TEKEBAEV] Butun Kyrgyzstan (All Kyrgyzstan) [Adakhan MADUMAROV] Respublika [Omurbek BABANOV] Social-Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) [Almazbek ATAMBAEV]
|Political pressure groups and leaders:
|Adilet (Justice) Legal Clinic [Cholpon JAKUPOVA] Citizens Against Corruption [Tolekan ISMAILOVA] Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society [Dinara OSHURAKHUNOVA] Kylym Shamy (Torch of the Century) [Aziza ABDIRASULOVA] Precedent Partnership Group [Nurbek TOKTAKUNOV] Societal Analysis Public Association [Rita KARASARTOVA] Union of True Muslims [Nurlan MOTUEV]
|International organization participation:
|ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (compliant country), FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|National symbol(s):
|National anthem:
| name: "Kyrgyz Respublikasynyn Mamlekettik Gimni" (National Anthem of the Kyrgyz Republic)
lyrics/music: Djamil SADYKOV and Eshmambet KULUEV/Nasyr DAVLESOV and Kalyi MOLDOBASANOV
note: adopted 1992
|Diplomatic representation in the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Mukhtar JUMALIEV
chancery: 2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 449-9822
FAX: [1] (202) 386-7550 consulate(s): New York
|Diplomatic representation from the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela SPRATLEN
embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217
|^Back to Top
Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a dominant agricultural sector. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity. The economy depends heavily on gold exports - mainly from output at the Kumtor gold mine - and on remittances from Kyrgyzstani migrant workers primarily in Russia. Following independence, Kyrgyzstan was progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved regulatory system and land reform. Kyrgyzstan was the first Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995, production began to recover and exports began to increase. In 2005, the BAKIEV government and international financial institutions initiated a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy. The government made steady strides in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit, nearly closing the gap between revenues and expenditures in 2006, before boosting expenditures more than 20% in 2007-08. GDP grew about 8% annually in 2007-08, partly due to higher gold prices internationally, but slowed to 2.9% in 2009. The overthrow of President BAKIEV in April 2010 and subsequent ethnic clashes left hundreds dead and damaged infrastructure. Shrinking trade and agricultural production, as well as the political instability caused by the change in government, caused GDP to contract 0.5% in 2010. The fiscal deficit widened to 11% of GDP in 2010, reflecting significant increases in crisis-related spending, including both rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and bank recapitalization. The economy grew 5.7% in 2011, but slowed to around 1% in 2012, primarily due to an 83% decrease in production from Kumtor. As a result, the budget deficit increased at year's end. Progress in fighting corruption, improving transparency in licensing, business permits and taxations, restructuring domestic industry, and attracting foreign aid and investment are key to future growth.
|GDP (purchasing power parity):
| GDP (purchasing power parity): $13.5 billion (2012 est.) $13.62 billion (2011 est.) $12.85 billion (2010 est.)
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
|GDP (official exchange rate):
|GDP (official exchange rate): $6.473 billion (2012 est.)
|GDP - real growth rate:
|-0.9% (2012 est.) 6% (2011 est.) -0.5% (2010 est.)
|GDP - per capita (PPP):
| GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,400 (2012 est.) $2,500 (2011 est.) $2,300 (2010 est.)
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
|Gross national saving:
|2.4% of GDP (2012 est.) 19% of GDP (2011 est.) 18.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
|GDP - composition, by end use:
| household consumption: 86.5%
government consumption: 20.7%
investment in fixed capital: 25.7%
investment in inventories: -0.5%
exports of goods and services: 53.3%
imports of goods and services: -85.7% (2012 est.)
|GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
| household consumption: 86.5%
government consumption: 20.7%
investment in fixed capital: 25.7%
investment in inventories: -0.5%
exports of goods and services: 53.3%
imports of goods and services: -85.7% (2012 est.)
|Agriculture - products:
|tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool
|small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals
|Industrial production growth rate:
|-20% (2012 est.)
|Labor force:
|2.344 million (2007)
|Labor force - by occupation:
| agriculture: 48%
industry: 12.5%
services: 39.5% (2005 est.)
|Unemployment rate:
|8.6% (2011 est.) 18% (2004 est.)
|Population below poverty line:
|33.7% (2011 est.)
|Household income or consumption by percentage share:
| lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 27.8% (2009 est.)
|Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|33.4 (2007) 29 (2001)
| revenues: $1.908 billion
expenditures: $2.138 billion (2012 est.)
|Taxes and other revenues:
|29.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
|Fiscal year:
|calendar year
|Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2012 est.) 16.5% (2011 est.)
|Current account balance:
|-$546.3 million (2012 est.) -$252.4 million (2011 est.)
|$2 billion (2012 est.) $2.271 billion (2011 est.)
|Exports - commodities:
|gold, cotton, wool, garments, meat, tobacco; mercury, uranium, electricity; machinery; shoes
|Exports - partners:
|Uzbekistan 28.8%, Kazakhstan 22%, Russia 14.6%, China 7%, UAE 6.3%, Afghanistan 5.7% (2012)
|$4.981 billion (2012 est.) $3.936 billion (2011 est.)
|Imports - commodities:
|oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
|Imports - partners:
|China 55.9%, Russia 17.7%, Kazakhstan 6.4% (2012)
|Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|$2.066 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.835 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
|Debt - external:
|$3.722 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $5.486 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
|Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|$1.572 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.312 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
|Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|$39.6 million (31 December 2012 est.) $39.6 million (31 December 2011 est.)
|Market value of publicly traded shares:
|$165 million (31 December 2011) $79 million (31 December 2010) $71.84 million (31 December 2009)
|Exchange rates:
|soms (KGS) per US dollar - 47.005 (2012 est.) 46.144 (2011 est.) 45.964 (2010 est.) 42.905 (2009) 36.108 (2008)
|^Back to Top
|Electricity - production:
|14.9 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
|Electricity - consumption:
|7.29 billion kWh (2009 est.)
|Electricity - exports:
|2.62 billion kWh (2011 est.)
|Electricity - imports:
|535 million kWh (2008 est.)
|Electricity - installed generating capacity:
|3.64 million kW (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from fossil fuels:
|20.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
|0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
|79.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from other renewable sources:
|0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Crude oil - production:
|1,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
|Crude oil - exports:
|0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Crude oil - imports:
|2,387 bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Crude oil - proved reserves:
|40 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - production:
|2,607 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - consumption:
|16,640 bbl/day (2011 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - exports:
|5,902 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - imports:
|28,940 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|Natural gas - production:
|12.5 million cu m (2010 est.)
|Natural gas - consumption:
|462.5 million cu m (2010 est.)
|Natural gas - exports:
|NA (2010 est.)
|Natural gas - imports:
|450 million cu m (2010 est.)
|Natural gas - proved reserves:
|5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
|Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
|4.131 million Mt (2010 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Telephones in use:
| 502,000 (2011)
country comparison to the world: 99
|Cellular Phones in use:
|6.277 million (2011)
|Telephone system:
| general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is being upgraded; loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are being used to install a digital network, digital radio-relay stations, and fiber-optic links
domestic: fixed-line penetration remains low and concentrated in urban areas; multiple mobile-cellular service providers with growing coverage; mobile-cellular subscribership was about 115 per 100 persons in 2011
international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat); connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line (2011)
|Broadcast media:
|state-run TV broadcaster operates 2 nationwide networks and 6 regional stations; roughly 20 private TV stations operating with most rebroadcasting other channels; state-run radio broadcaster operates 2 networks; about 20 private radio stations (2007)
|Internet country code:
|Internet hosts:
|115,573 (2012)
|Internet users:
|2.195 million (2009)
|^Back to Top
| 28 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 122
|Airports (paved runways):
| total 18
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
under 914 m: 3 (2013)
|Airports (unpaved runways):
| total 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 8 (2013)
|gas 480 km; oil 16 km (2013)
| total 470 km
broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
| total 34,000 km
|600 km (2010)
|Ports and terminals:
|Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)
|^Back to Top
|Military branches:
|Ground Forces, Air Force (includes Air Defense Forces) (2013)
|Military service age and obligation:
|18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary male military service in the Armed Forces or Interior Ministry; service obligation - 1 year, with optional fee-based 3-year service in the callup mobilization reserve; women may volunteer at age 19; 16-17 years of age for military cadets, who cannot take part in military operations (2013)
|Manpower available for military service:
| males age 16-49: 1,456,881
females age 16-49: 1,470,317 (2010 est.)
|Manpower fit for military service:
| males age 16-49: 1,119,224
females age 16-49: 1,257,263 (2010 est.)
|Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
| male: 56,606
female: 54,056 (2010 est.)
|Military expenditures:
|2.8% of GDP (2011)
|^Back to Top
|Transnational Issues
|Disputes - International:
|Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes over enclaves and other areas
|Refugees and internally displaced persons:
| IDPs: 172,000 (June 2010 violence in southern Kyrgyzstan between the Kyrgyz majority and the Uzbek minority) (2012)
stateless persons: 15,473 (2012); note - most stateless people were born in Kyrgystan, have lived there many years, or are married to a Kyrgyz citizen; in 2009, Kyrgyzstan adopted a national action plan to speed up the exchange of old Soviet passports for Kyrgyz ones; stateless people are unable to register marriages and births, to travel within the country or abroad, to own property, or to receive social benefits
|Illicit drugs:
|limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; major consumer of opiates
|^Back to Top
« Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter Overview
Source: CIA - The World Factbook


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France 1859 – 1891
Study for 'A Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'
[Etude pour 'Un dimanche après-midi à l'Ile de la Grande Jatte'] 1884-86
oil on wood panel
panel 16.0 (h) x 25.0 (w) cm
Musée d'Orsay, Paris , Anonymous gift 1930
© RMN (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski
Before he embarked on creating A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte 18861, Seurat saw Puvis' The sacred grove, beloved of the arts and Muses 18842 at the Paris Salon. Set on the banks of an Arcadian stream, the deliberately ordered figures, the intense stillness and the monumental size, all sparked the young artist's interest.3 Two years later, Seurat's contemporary version was exhibited at the 1886 Impressionist exhibition.
Seurat had made his largest number of preparatory drawings and sketches for this work. His approach was painstaking. He subdivided the composition, classifying it according to its elements. He then started the synthesising process, revising and joining the parts together. With not only immense skill, but an enormous amount of patience, Seurat slowly assembled the composition piece by piece.
The surprising variation we see between these two studies is due in part to Seurat's newfound interest in the effects of different hues, and in divided colour theory. Seurat also experimented with different paint application processes, using a wider brushstroke in these studies than the fine brush points used in the final work. He also tested diagonal brushstrokes, before rejecting them in favour of dots.
In these two studies, differences in the figures' poses, combined with a deep perspective, create considerable vertical movement. Seurat was extremely precise and methodical, ensuring no haphazard placement of figures in the relationship to landscape or to each other. For the most part the landscape remained fixed, and served as a stage for testing figurative combinations. His early panels show tiny figures enveloped by the landscape, whereas these two later studies have larger characters with a sense of their final positioning and authority.
Seurat spent six months sketching on La Grande Jatte, observing it under various light and seasonal conditions, and eventually opting for summer. Nature could never provide Seurat with precisely what he envisioned. Instead, it furnished him with snippets of visual information, which he selected and adapted. Angrand described Seurat's approach: 'He wasn't a slave to nature, certainly not, but he was respectful of it.'4
Known as croquetons—literally 'sketchettes'—Seurat's studies were all made on small wooden panels. Extraordinarily proud of them, he hung many in his studio. He also exhibited them regularly, demonstrating the significance he felt they had in his oeuvre. Seurat called the panels his 'constant joy'.5
Simeran Maxwell
Text © National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 2009
From Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin and beyond Post-Impressionism from the Musée d'Orsay exhibition book, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 2009
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.
- 460 x 1040 cm, Musée des Beaux-arts, Lyons.
- Richard R. Brettell, French Salon artists: 1800–1900, Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New York: Harry N. Abrams 1987, p. 113.
- Quoted in Daniel Catton Rich, Seurat and the evolution of 'La Grand Jatte', New York: Greenwood Press 1969, p. 10.
- Quoted in Rich, p. 17.


text:
France Population: 65,951,6111,106 VISITORS FROM HERE!
« Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter Overview
|France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing de Gaulle's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.
Largest West European nation
|metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Mayotte: Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
|Geographic coordinates:
|metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W Mayotte: 12 50 S, 45 10 E Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E
| total: 643,801 sq km; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France)
land: 640,427 sq km; 549,970 sq km (metropolitan France)
water: 3,374 sq km; 1,530 sq km (metropolitan France)
note: the first numbers include the overseas regions of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion
Size comparison: slightly less than the size of Texas
|Land Boundaries:
| metropolitan France - total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km French Guiana - total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
|total: 4,853 km metropolitan France: 3,427 km
|Maritime claims:
| territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
|metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)
|metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Mayotte: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
|Elevation extremes:
| lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m note: in order to assess the possible effects of climate change on the ice and snow cap of Mont Blanc, its surface and peak have been extensively measured in recent years; these new peak measurements have exceeded the traditional height of 4,807 m and have varied between 4,808 m and 4,811 m; the actual rock summit is 4,792 m and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit
|Natural resources:
|metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay
|Land use:
| arable land: 33.45%
permanent crops: 1.86%
other: 64.69% note: French Guiana - arable land 0.13%, permanent crops 0.04%, other 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other); Guadeloupe - arable land 11.70%, permanent crops 2.92%, other 85.38%; Martinique - arable land 9.09%, permanent crops 10.0%, other 80.91%; Reunion - arable land 13.94%, permanent crops 1.59%, other 84.47% (2011)
|Irrigated land:
|total: 26,420 sq km 26,950 sq km metropolitan France: 27,230 sq km (2007)
|Natural hazards:
|metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones); flooding; volcanic activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)
|Current Environment Issues:
|some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
|International Environment Agreements:
| party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|^Back to Top
| noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
|Ethnic groups:
|Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
|French (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect)
|Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan
|65,951,611 (July 2013 est.) note: the above figure is for metropolitan France and five overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is 62,814,233
|Age structure:
| 0-14 years: 18.7% (male 6,314,779/female 6,029,258)
15-24 years: 11.9% (male 4,017,893/female 3,840,268)
25-54 years: 38.9% (male 12,877,039/female 12,764,229)
55-64 years: 12.6% (male 4,020,974/female 4,287,381)
65 years and over: 17.9% (male 5,029,801/female 6,769,989) (2013 est.)
|Dependency ratios:
| total dependency ratio: 56.5 %
youth dependency ratio: 28.5 %
elderly dependency ratio: 27.9 %
potential support ratio: 3.6 (2013)
|Median age:
| total: 40.6 years
male: 39.1 years
female: 42.1 years (2013 est.)
|Population growth rate:
|0.47% (2013 est.)
|Birth rate:
|12.6 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
|Death rate:
|8.96 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
|Net migration rate:
|1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
| urban population: 85% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
|Major urban areas - population:
|PARIS (capital) 10.41 million; Marseille-Aix-en-Provence 1.457 million; Lyon 1.456 million; Lille 1.028 million; Nice-Cannes 977,000 (2009)
|Sex ratio:
| at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
|Mother's mean age at first birth:
|28.6 (2006 est.)
|Maternal mortality rate:
|8 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
|Infant mortality rate:
| total: 3.34 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.67 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
|Life expectancy at birth:
| total population: 81.56 years
male: 78.45 years
female: 84.82 years (2013 est.)
|Total fertility rate:
|2.08 children born/woman (2013 est.)
|Contraceptive prevalence rate:
|76.4% note: percent of women aged 20-49 (2008)
|Health expenditures:
|11.9% of GDP (2010)
|Physicians density:
|3.5 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
|Hospital bed density:
|6.9 beds/1,000 population (2009)
|Drinking water source:
| improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population (2010 est.)
|Sanitation facility access:
| improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population (2010 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|0.4% (2009 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|150,000 (2009 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|1,700 (2009 est.)
|Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
|18.2% (2008)
|Education expenditures:
|5.9% of GDP (2009)
| definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
|School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
| total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2011)
|Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
| total: 22.1%
male: 21.2%
female: 23.2% (2011)
|^Back to Top
|Country name:
| conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique francaise
local short form: France
|Government type:
| name: Paris
geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: applies to metropolitan France only, not to its overseas departments, collectivities, or territories
|Administrative divisions:
| 27 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Martinique, Mayotte, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion, Rhone-Alpes
note: France is divided into 22 metropolitan regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 5 overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 5 overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)
|Dependent areas:
|Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France since 1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent country and a French overseas department
|no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)
|National holiday:
|Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)
|adopted by referendum 28 September 1958; effective 4 October 1958; amended many times note: amended in 1962 concerning election of president; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended in 1993 to tighten immigration laws; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by referendum
|Legal system:
|civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts
|18 years of age; universal
|Executive branch:
| chief of state: President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Marc AYRAULT (since 16 May 2012)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 April and 6 May 2012 (next to be held in the spring of 2017); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Francois HOLLANDE elected; first round: percent of vote - Francois HOLLANDE 28.6%, Nicolas SARKOZY 27.2%, Marine LE PEN 17.9%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON 11.1%, Francois BAYROU, 9.1%, others 6.1%; second round: HOLLANDE 51.6%, SARKOZY 48.4%
|Legislative branch:
| bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (348 seats; 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for French Polynesia, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 1 for Wallis and Futuna, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms; one third elected every three years); and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; 555 for metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for overseas dependencies; members elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 25 September 2011 (next to be held in September 2014); National Assembly - last held on 10 and 17 June 2012 (next to be held in June 2017)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS/Greens 140, UMP 132, UDF 31, PCF/MRC 21, PRG 17, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PS 48.5%, UMP 33.6%, miscellaneous left wing parties 3.8%, Greens 3.0%, miscellaneous right wing parties 2.6%, NC 2.1%, PRG 2.1%, FDG 1.7%, other 2.6%; seats by party - PS 280, UMP 194, miscellaneous left wing parties 22, Greens 17, miscellaneous right wing parties 15, NC 12, PRG 12, FDG 10, other 15
|Judicial branch:
| highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions - 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members) judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judge term of appointment NA; Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years
subordinate courts: appellate courts or Cour d'Appel; regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance; first instance courts or Tribunal' d'instance
|Political parties and leaders:
|Centrist and Republican Union or UCR [Francois ZOCCHETTO] (previously Centrist Union Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for French Democracy or UDF) Europe Ecology - The Greens or EELV [Pascal DURAND] French Communist Party or PCF [Pierre LAURENT] Left Front Coalition or FDG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON] Left Party or PG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON and Martine BILLARD] Left Radical Party or PRG [Jean-Michel BAYLET] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS] National Front or FN [Marine LE PEN] New Anticapitalist Party or NPA [collective leadership; main spokesperson Christine POUPIN] New Center or NC [Herve MORIN] Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO] Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA] Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT] Socialist Party or PS [Haerlem DESIR] United Republic or RS [Dominique DE VILLEPIN] Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Jean-Francois COPE] Worker's Struggle (Lutte Ouvriere) or LO [collective leadership; spokespersons Nathalie ARTHAUD and Arlette LAQUILLER]
|Political pressure groups and leaders:
|Confederation francaise democratique du travail or CFDT, left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members Confederation francaise de l'encadrement - Confederation generale des cadres or CFE-CGC, independent white-collar union with 196,000 members Confederation francaise des travailleurs chretiens of CFTC, independent labor union founded by Catholic workers that claims 132,000 members Confederation generale du travail or CGT, historically communist labor union with approximately 700,000 members Confederation generale du travail - Force ouvriere or FO, independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members Mouvement des entreprises de France or MEDEF, employers' union with 750,000 companies as members (claimed) French Guiana: conservationists gold mining pressure groups hunting pressure groups Guadeloupe: Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG Movement for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI The Socialist Renewal Movement Martinique: Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM Frantz Fanon Circle League of Workers and Peasants Proletarian Action Group or GAP Reunion: NA
|International organization participation:
|ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
|National symbol(s):
|Gallic rooster and Marianne
|National anthem:
| name: "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
note: adopted 1795, restored 1870; originally known as "Chant de Guerre pour l'Armee du Rhin" (War Song for the Army of the Rhine), the National Guard of Marseille made the song famous by singing it while marching into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars
|Diplomatic representation in the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Francois M. DELATTRE
chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco
|Diplomatic representation from the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Charles H. RIVKIN
embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08
mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777
telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22
consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg
|^Back to Top
The French economy is diversified across all sectors. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. However, the government maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. With at least 79 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. France's real GDP contracted 2.6% in 2009, but recovered somewhat in 2010 and 2011, before stagnating in 2012. The unemployment rate increased from 7.4% in 2008 to 10.3% in 2012. Youth unemployment shot up to 24.2% during the third quarter of 2012 in metropolitan France. Lower-than-expected growth and high unemployment costs have strained France's public finances. The budget deficit rose sharply from 3.4% of GDP in 2008 to 7.5% of GDP in 2009 before improving to 4.8% of GDP in 2012, while France's public debt rose from 68% of GDP to 90% over the same period. Under President SARKOZY, Paris implemented some austerity measures to bring the budget deficit under the 3% euro-zone ceiling by 2013 and to highlight France's commitment to fiscal discipline at a time of intense financial market scrutiny of euro-zone debt. Socialist Party candidate Francois HOLLANDE won the May 2012 presidential election, after advocating pro-growth economic policies, the separation of banks' traditional deposit taking and lending activities from more speculative businesses, increasing the top corporate and personal tax rates, and hiring an additional 60,000 teachers during his five-year term. The government's attempt to introduce a 75% wealth tax on income over one million euros for two years was struck down by the French Constitutional Council in December 2012 because it applied to individuals rather than households. France ratified the EU fiscal stability treaty in October 2012 and HOLLANDE's government has maintained France's commitment to meeting the budget deficit target of 3% of GDP during 2013 even amid signs that economic growth will be lower than the government's forecast of 0.8%. Despite stagnant growth and fiscal challenges, France's borrowing costs declined during the second half of 2012 to euro-era lows.
|GDP (purchasing power parity):
| GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.291 trillion (2012 est.) $2.29 trillion (2011 est.) $2.252 trillion (2010 est.)
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
|GDP (official exchange rate):
|GDP (official exchange rate): $2.609 trillion (2012 est.)
|GDP - real growth rate:
|0% (2012 est.) 1.7% (2011 est.) 1.7% (2010 est.)
|GDP - per capita (PPP):
| GDP - per capita (PPP): $36,100 (2012 est.) $36,300 (2011 est.) $35,900 (2010 est.)
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
|Gross national saving:
|17.5% of GDP (2012 est.) 18.7% of GDP (2011 est.) 17.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
|GDP - composition, by end use:
| household consumption: 57.7%
government consumption: 24.7%
investment in fixed capital: 19.8%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 27.4%
imports of goods and services: -29.6% (2012 est.)
|GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
| household consumption: 57.7%
government consumption: 24.7%
investment in fixed capital: 19.8%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 27.4%
imports of goods and services: -29.6% (2012 est.)
|Agriculture - products:
|wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish
|machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism
|Industrial production growth rate:
|-1% (2012 est.)
|Labor force:
|29.78 million (2012 est.)
|Labor force - by occupation:
| agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 24.3%
services: 71.8% (2005)
|Unemployment rate:
|10.3% (2012 est.) 9.2% (2011 est.)
|Population below poverty line:
|7.8% (2010)
|Household income or consumption by percentage share:
| lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 24.8% (2004)
|Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|32.7 (2008) 32.7 (1995)
| revenues: $1.353 trillion
expenditures: $1.48 trillion (2012 est.)
|Taxes and other revenues:
|51.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
|Public debt:
| 90.2% of GDP (2012 est.) 85.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
|Fiscal year:
|calendar year
|Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2012 est.) 2.3% (2011 est.)
|Current account balance:
|-$58.7 billion (2012 est.) -$54.44 billion (2011 est.)
|$567.1 billion (2012 est.) $593.5 billion (2011 est.)
|Exports - commodities:
|machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
|Exports - partners:
|Germany 16.7%, Belgium 7.5%, Italy 7.5%, Spain 6.9%, UK 6.9%, US 5.6%, Netherlands 4.3% (2012)
|$641.3 billion (2012 est.) $681.6 billion (2011 est.)
|Imports - commodities:
|machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals
|Imports - partners:
|Germany 19.5%, Belgium 11.3%, Italy 7.6%, Netherlands 7.4%, Spain 6.6%, UK 5.1%, China 4.9% (2012)
|Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|$184.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $171.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
|Debt - external:
|$5.165 trillion (31 December 2012) $5.004 trillion (31 December 2011)
|Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|$1.119 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.054 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
|Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|$1.683 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.619 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
|Market value of publicly traded shares:
|$1.569 trillion (31 December 2011) $1.926 trillion (31 December 2010) $1.972 trillion (31 December 2009)
|Exchange rates:
|euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7778 (2012 est.) 0.7185 (2011 est.) 0.755 (2010 est.) 0.7198 (2009 est.) 0.6827 (2008 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Electricity - production:
|539 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
|Electricity - consumption:
|451.4 billion kWh (2009 est.)
|Electricity - exports:
|66.6 billion kWh (2010 est.)
|Electricity - imports:
|37.1 billion kWh (2010 est.)
|Electricity - installed generating capacity:
|119.1 million kW (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from fossil fuels:
|20.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
|53% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
|17.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Electricity - from other renewable sources:
|5.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
|Crude oil - production:
|49,530 bbl/day (2011 est.)
|Crude oil - exports:
|0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Crude oil - imports:
|1.428 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Crude oil - proved reserves:
|90.01 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - production:
|1.694 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - consumption:
|1.792 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - exports:
|487,200 bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - imports:
|778,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
|Natural gas - production:
|587 million cu m (2011 est.)
|Natural gas - consumption:
|41.52 billion cu m (2011 est.)
|Natural gas - exports:
|5.378 billion cu m (2011 est.)
|Natural gas - imports:
|47.04 billion cu m (2011 est.)
|Natural gas - proved reserves:
|5.522 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
|Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
|395.2 million Mt (2010 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Telephones in use:
| 39.883 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 7
|Cellular Phones in use:
|59.84 million (2011)
|Telephone system:
| general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive use of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: country code - 33; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - more than 3 (2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries overseas departments: country codes: French Guiana - 594; Guadeloupe - 590; Martinique - 596; Mayotte - 262; Reunion - 262 (2011)
|Broadcast media:
|a mix of both publicly operated and privately owned TV stations; state-owned France Televisions operates 4 networks, one of which is a network of regional stations, and has part-interest in several thematic cable/satellite channels and international channels; a large number of privately owned regional and local TV stations; multi-channel satellite and cable services provide a large number of channels; public broadcaster Radio France operates 7 national networks, a series of regional networks, and operates services for overseas territories and foreign audiences; Radio France Internationale (RFI), under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a leading international broadcaster; a large number of commercial FM stations, with many of them consolidating into commercial networks (2008)
|Internet country code:
|metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe - .gp; Martinique - .mq; Mayotte - .yt; Reunion - .re
|Internet hosts:
|17.266 million (2012)
|Internet users:
|45.262 million; 44.625 million (metropolitan France) (2009)
|^Back to Top
| 464 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 17
|Airports (paved runways):
| total 294
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 97
914 to 1,523 m: 83
under 914 m: 75 (2013)
|Airports (unpaved runways):
| total 170
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 64
under 914 m: 105 (2013)
|1 (2013)
|gas 15,322 km; oil 2,939 km; refined products 5,084 km (2013)
| total 29,640 km
standard gauge: 29,473 km 1.435-m gauge (15,361 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (63 km electrified) (2008)
| total 1,028,446 km
(metropolitan France; includes 11,416 km of expressways)
note: there are another 5,100 km of roadways in overseas departments (2010)
|metropolitan France: 8,501 km (1,621 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2010)
|Merchant marine:
| total 162
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 7, chemical tanker 34, container 27, liquefied gas 12, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 41, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 11
foreign-owned: 50 (Belgium 7, Bermuda 5, Denmark 11, French Polynesia 11, Germany 1, New Caledonia 3, Singapore 3, Sweden 4, Switzerland 5)
registered in other countries: 151 (Bahamas 15, Belgium 7, Bermuda 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 16, Egypt 1, Hong Kong 4, Indonesia 1, Ireland 2, Italy 2, Luxembourg 15, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 7, Mexico 1, Morocco 3, Netherlands 2, Norway 5, Panama 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapore 3, South Korea 2, Taiwan 2, UK 39, US 4, unknown 1) (2010)
|Ports and terminals:
| major seaport(s): Brest, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes,
river port(s): Paris, Rouen (Seine); Strasbourg (Rhine); Bordeaux (Garronne)
container port(s): Le Havre (2,215,262)(2011) cruise/ferry port(s): Calais, Cherbourg, Le Havre
|^Back to Top
|Military branches:
|Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air Force (Armee de l'Air (AdlA); includes Air Defense) (2011)
|Military service age and obligation:
|17-40 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; 1-year service obligation; women serve in noncombat posts (2013)
|Manpower available for military service:
| males age 16-49: 14,563,662
females age 16-49: 14,238,434 (2010 est.)
|Manpower fit for military service:
| males age 16-49: 12,025,341
females age 16-49: 11,721,827 (2010 est.)
|Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
| male: 396,050
female: 377,839 (2010 est.)
|Military expenditures:
|2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Transnational Issues
|Disputes - International:
|Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia
|Refugees and internally displaced persons:
| refugees (country of origin): 23,225 (Sri Lanka); 12,666 (Cambodia); 12,585 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 11,767 (Russia); 11,506 (Serbia); 10,887 (Turkey); 8,605 (Vietnam); 7,335 (Laos) (2012)
stateless persons: 1,210 (2012)
|Illicit drugs:
|metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics French Guiana: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe Martinique: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
|^Back to Top
« Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter Overview
Source: CIA - The World Factbook


text:
DIY Photo Light Box // Take Better Photos!
Sunday, January 1, 2012Etsy.com. And what's the most important part? Lighting!Follow this little tutorial to make your own Photo Light Box for the perfect lighting.
Cut a border of 2 inches on each side of the tri-fold display board (the two sides and the back). Make the front of the box (the part you'll take photos from) have a one inch border. Use the pieces you've cut out to add a bottom to the light box (or if you started with a cardboard box instead of a tri-fold display board, you won't need to do that).Use a ruler and an exacto knife to make straight edges. You should have two pieces that look similar to the photo below:Use masking tape to attach the two pieces to form a box. Create more support by attached extra pieces of cardboard to the joints (it also covers up the tape with white cardboard). Cut white poster board to fit into the box, forming a curve at the back. You want the back of the box to appear seamless from the white poster board, like the image below:Finally, cover the two sides and the back with white muslin fabric, attaching it with masking tape. Use a lamp with a "natural light" light bulb to prevent a yellow glow on the items you are taking photos of. The final light box will look similar to the image below: Ta-Dah!
Ta-Dah! And that's all it takes to a great close up photo! The white background is a classic look and it really makes your item pop!
Posted by Katelyn Shields Labels: DIY, Etsy, Photography, Project | Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook|
Meg said...
Wow, this is genius! I will definitely be making this soon, thanks!
The SPANGLER said...
Great tute... have seen a similar concept before but not with the cutouts and muslin... I think this will make the difference - FABULOUS & Thanks! :)
Marla Rae Morrison said...
I will definitely give this a try! Thanks so much for posting this! : )
Rosemary Station said...
Great idea and it was so easy to make! Thanks!!
where can the "white" lightbulb be found?
Thanks for all your comments! You can get the light bulbs about anywhere. They are often referred to as "full spectrum" light bulbs. I found some at Wal-mart: http://tinyurl.com/7prf2ue
-Katelyn, Ninth & Bird
Marlis said...
I. Love. You!
After my MIL passed away I came to inherit quite a bit of jewelry and wanted to catalog it. Of course, that works best with good pictures. Now I know how to do this. Thanks so very much. A task I've been dreading (and therefore delaying) now seems so much more doable.
Megan said...
You are my hero.
Will be making one this weekend!!
Thanks!!!! MEGAN
Vegan Housewives said...
I have been talking about trying this lately & buying vintage fabric for food backgrounds- same wavelength!! Thanks for posting the DIY :)
Farmgirl Gourmet said...
I wish I would've seen this post about 2 hours ago! I just ordered a pop up light box from eBay. Darn! This is a fantastic tutorial!! Thank you for sharing!
Maridith @ Strictly Homemade said...
Fabulous tutorial. I am going to give thus a try
Thank you for the tutorial. Found you on pintrest!
unraveldesigns said...
I love this, I am going to give it a try also. Thanks
unraveldesigns said...
And same Found you on a re-pin on pintrest and I re-pinned it.
Katelyn- Hey! In made my light box. However, The desk lamps I found at Walmart recommend a 40w bulb. I went with the 60w ( bought 3 lamps) & the lighting is ok.My concern is that the 100w would just be too much for those little desk lamps. I know the brighter the better. Im still not convinced these are the lamps I need. I was having a difficult time finding a lamp TALL enough for my box.I was bound and determined I was going to get this project completed yesterday:)
It appears your lamp is pretty substantial in height..do u think its still available? any suggestions?
thanks a bunch
Hey Jennifer - yes finding the perfect lamp might be hard. I only use one, not 3, but I found my lamp at a hotel liquidation store. Basically its from a hotel desk - but you should be able to find one similar. You need one that adjusts similar to this design: http://image.lampsplus.com/is/image/N7169.fpx?qlt=75&wid=460&hei=460&fmt=jpeg
Sorry you're having trouble. Perhaps I should have put better notes on the tutorial. Hope that helps!
-Katelyn, Ninth & Bird
Katelyn.hey. i'm just now reading your message.No,its not you.Promise. I think your blog is fantastic! I figured I needed a taller lamp but wanted to "complete" and "try it out" as soon as I could:):):) It was like getting a new toy.LOL! So, for the moment, I had to buy what was available.
It worked with what i have, but its not 'easy'(as I have to prop the lamp up high to get it into the box) and I think it would be better to simplify my set with only 1 great lamp. I'll keep looking.This set up is definately better than what i have been creating.
Thank you for writing this tutorial, I greatly appreciated it!
Isabel Alvarez said...
Amazing tutorial. I´m going to follow it :) Thank you!
Loren Crane said...
I just love your box and I am a new follower. I hope you follow me too!
cchesher said...
Just wondering where the best place to find the muslin fabric is? I'm located in Ontario Canada and was wondering if Walmart also carried this fabric like the light bulbs?
Thanks and amazing tutorial!
Oh yes, WalMart will carry white muslin fabric - at least I've never seen them not carry it. I'd say most all fabric stores carry that! :D
Glad you liked the project!
-Katelyn, Ninth & Bird
Lynn Ceteras Huerta said...
Thank you! I'll make one during craft support group and show you the results !!
Potty said...
brilliant tutorial, am in the process of making one right now, just need to cover it with the muslin. Going to use it to photograph my sculptures. Thank you
About Me said...This comment has been removed by the author.
Joy@Thrifty Parsonage Living said...
Thanks for sharing the tutorial! I'll have to make one of these for myself. I found you via Pinterest.
Cardboard Dollhouses said...
Thank you so much for sharing, I'm making one this weekend.
The inside of the box is white, my cardboard isn't, could I paint it white?
Could I use something other than muslim, maybe white cotton shirt? I hope these questions are not silly, I don't know anything about photography, I do want to take better photos for my blog. Thank you.
Yeah, I would paint it or just glue white printer paper on the inside. A white cotton shirt might work! I think as long as it's thin enough to let the light through. Have fun! Let me know how it works out!
-Katelyn, Ninth & Bird
Marie Vickers Art said...
Thank you for posting this tutorial, taking that "perfect" picture can be sooo difficult. I am definitely going to have a go at this! :)
Kurlikins said...
Brilliant! Thanks for the great tutorial- and great photos!!
Mal said...
This is just what I need! Thank you for the tutorial. Getting the boards and making it tomorrow!
Peony and Thistle said...
This is great! Thanks for sharing!
krossmiami said...
Is there a time of day that is best to take advantage of true "Natural" light along with the natural light bulb? I am photographing supplements for our company and the front of the bottle(colors and lettering) are coming out a bit dark? Besides that, I can't believe how great they look! Thank you:-)
Heidi Fowler said...
I wish I had one of these right now! I can't wait to make this. Thanks so much. I hope it will help me improve the photos on my site OneCreativeMommy.com. Great tutorial!
Rachel Butler said...
I made this and I love how my pictures look in it. I didn't want to spend tons of money buying a lightbox and this fit the bill! Thanks so much for taking the time to put up this tutorial! :-D http://rachelknowsstuff.blogspot.com All of the pictures on there, except if they don't have a white background, were taken in the box I made with your instructions!
artnot3book said...
Does the fabric go ontop of the box?
Yeah, Tape it to the outside of the box! :)
Sunny Lee said...
Wow! That's a very good idea! Will definitely try for my crafts! Thanks for sharing this!
Penny Wise said...
Thanks so much for sharing- I am definitely trying this!
Sara Ballard said...
This is a fabulous idea! I just added it to my list for Cardboard Boxes Up-cycled! I also can't wait to make one to take better photos of my jewelry for my etsy shop.
certifiable1 said...
You can obtain floor stand or desk lamps at most craft stores in the needle work supply areas or mail order them for needle work supply websites. They come with a natural light bulb.
SpiffyPix said...
If you can't find a 'natural' or 'full spectrum' lightbulb for whatever reason, you can change the 'white balance' setting on your camera from 'auto' to 'tungsten'. When you use an old-fashioned incandescent bulb, it puts out yellow light. The tungsten setting on your camera neutralizes the yellow and makes it white light.
Barbara Provati said...
Thanks for sharing the tutorial!
Tova Valdivia said...
I'm gonna give this a whirl, the lighting in my home is terrible my photos seam blahish! thanks for the info.
missfoodfairy said...
Thank you so much for this tip! I have just started writing my own food blog and need more inspiration for the perfect photos. Can't wait to give it a try! And that light is amazing, where could I get one?
Thanks! I got the lamp at a used hotel furniture place. =)
Tabor Linden Schmidt said...
I use an old chick warmer lamp. It's too wobbly for chicks, but for pictures when it's on for short times AND supervised, it's perfect. Plus, unplugged and cooled down (doesn't take but a few minutes), it fits perfectly in my box, which is then stored safe from toddler hands and dog toys. So everything other than the camera is just always gathered together. I've also got a few fabrics I store in a tote under the box, if I want a different background than white. Nothing is lost or damaged.
I also use a "natural light" LED bulb. Super low wattage, reads to be low lumens (which is actually what you want to look at vs wattage, I can explain if needed), but holy Batman's cape, that sucker is BRIGHT. DH didn't believe me that it was bright, and looked directly into the bulb as he turned it on. He believes me now.
Christian Sano said...
I'm so falling in love with your blog. I'll be making one asap. Thanks for sharing this.
JohnL said...
Great idea but I found using one of those large, opaque, plastic storage boxes, which usually come with a lid, are very good and rigid for capturing objects and you get an all round light according to where you place the lights. Colour correction is also easy to correct.
regards JohnL
ThePlaidLemon said...
Wonderful tutorial!
I was curious to know how this works with a plain old point and shoot camera? Usually to get the best effects from light boxes... a more professional camera is better/required.
Thank you!!!
Thanks! Well, I haven't tried it with a point and shoot - I only have my Cannon, but I suppose it would still look good with a less sophisticated camera. Also, if you had photo editing software you might be able to just tweak the photo a little and make it look better. =)
ThePlaidLemon said...
I was kinda thinking the same thing, but secretly hoping I was wrong. Hahaha Thank you so much for the help!
Charles Flaum said...This comment has been removed by the author.
Cindy Ehlers said...
Thank you for easy tutorial, this is just what I was looking for so that the photos of my greeting cards turn out better. Can't wait to try this.
Anita Johnson said...
I just now found you and this project on Pinterest. Such a coincident! Last Saturday I gathered up materials to make a box similar to this. I stalled because I wasn't sure of if it would work. Now I know it will! Thank you very much!
Julia Nyanyo said...
Oh I am soooo gonna make me one of these! I've been using just a sheet of white paper near the window and the other day I'd got a paper cut without realising and bled all over it. I love the idea of a bit more control of shadows etc. Thanks
Kim Renihan said...
Did you put the muslin over the top of the box also?
Jesika Loehr said...
Could this be made on a larger sacle, with 2 display boards?
Karen Roth said...
@jesika Loehr I have seen a tutorial on how to use pvc pipes and a white bedsheet to make a larger light box. I hope this helps you.
Thanks for sharing this tutorial. I am going to use a cardboard box. If I am seeing correctly I have to cut the sides and the top correct? I am planning to paint the inside of the box with gesso. I am not able to get the muslin though so I will have to go through my fabric to see if I can use one of those pieces .
Christy Payne said...
Great share! Thank you!
58 comments:


text:
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text:
Web Stories
Women: 50 years at Princeton University
Posted April 29, 2011; 11:00 a.m.
'WOMEN: 50 Years at Princeton University' celebrates the history of coeducation at Princeton. Read more.
Video Closed Captions
TV REPORTER: Princeton
University, in Princeton, New
Jersey, today announced the
end of it's all-male
educational tradition.
SUSAN CRAIG SCOTT: They made
the final decision to admit
women to the university, not
just to admit women to the
university, but to do it within
the next eight months.
MARSHA LEVY-WARREN: Arriving on
campus in 1969, there was a
tremendous amount of hubbub.
SUSAN CRAIG SCOTT: And as soon
as we heard that that was what
was going to happen, we among
ourselves decided that we
would apply.
MAE WONG MILLER: When
we arrived on campus
there was no housing.
MARSHA LEVY-WARREN: It felt like
a small group of women on
a male campus.
CAROL BROWN: The university was
ready for co-education but
still adjusting.
MARSHA LEVY-WARREN: Most of the
precepts I was in, I was
usually the only female
in the room.
I say in the room because, of
course, there weren't a lot of
female faculty members, either,
although there were some.
And they were very
important to us.
NANCY MALKIEL: They had systems,
if you will, for
understanding what to do about
spouses who were women, but
the, what do we do if it's a
woman faculty member with a
male spouse, nobody knew how
to reckon with that.
MARSHA LEVY-WARREN: The impetus
was to have a place
for us that felt
defined by us.
It was extremely important to
just meet and talk-- and talk
from the heart--
about what it was like to be
a woman, for it to be 1969,
1970, 1971.
The Vietnam War was about and
feminism was really taking
hold in a different way, and
we wanted to talk about
politics and personal
lives and how we
envisioned our futures.
JUANITA JAMES: So much happened
in a relatively short
period of time from us coming
in as the vanguard to being
involved with every aspect of
the fabric of university life,
and in leadership roles.
CAROL BROWN: We were definitely
a class of women
who were there ready to
take on the world.
The active female athletes were
a mix of what might have
been labeled feminists, but most
of us were just saying,
hey, I want to do this and
there's no reason I shouldn't
be allowed to, and
I'm not going to
take no for an answer.
ANNE CHENG: I think the reason
why my works focus so much on
race and gender and how they
intersect is because not only
do they intersect, they're
very parallel.
You know, this question of, how
does a woman come to find
her own voice and a place in
the world, is to me very
intimately tied into the
question of how you go from
being an immigrant
to a citizen.
think that the difficult thing
is to assimilate, but to do so
in a way that you can still
hold on to who you are.
JESS DEUTSCH: I think that the
male-female ratio was moving
toward more balance while I was
an undergraduate, so as
women I think we felt
we could pretty much
do anything on campus.
We certainly hoped for more
female administrators,
faculty, and coaches as mentors,
but basically, I
think we knew that we belonged
to Princeton and that
Princeton belonged to us.
PATRICE JEAN: For women in the
sciences, especially in the
department of molecular
biology, it was
actually quite fantastic.
There were several very young
established and accomplished
professors, including at the
time Professor Shirley
Tilghman, now President
JUANITA JAMES: I don't think
I would have imagined as an
undergraduate that in my
lifetime I would live to see a
woman become president of
Princeton University.
MALE SPEAKER: To the
best of my ability.
SHIRLEY TILGHMAN: To the
best of my ability.
MALE SPEAKER: So help me, God.
So help me, God.
NANCY MALKIEL: To have a faculty
member like that so
admired and so well known across
the campus be selected
as president was simply
And to have it be a woman.
SHIRLEY TILGHMAN: Well, I think
the significance for me
was not as a woman or even
as the first woman
president of Princeton.
I was really focused from the
instant I knew that I was
going to be president, and I'm
trying to be the very best
president I could be.
But I do understand completely
that for many others it had a
deep significance.
We had a long and storied
history in which we were
largely a male institution.
Women had, as you know, had
arrived on campus relatively
recently, given our long
history, and therefore I think
for many there was a
significance to having the
first woman president.
CAROL BROWN: We knew we'd
been picked to lead.
We weren't sure what we were
going to lead or where we were
going to lead, but we were ready
to take on anything.
JUANITA JAMES: I credit my
Princeton experience for
turning me into a leader.
MAE WONG MILLER: Life on an
all-male campus was easier
than going into a male-dominated
work world.
ADDIE MICIR: Princeton is full
of women who are very set in
what they want and their ideas,
and it's great to see
them in leadership positions
all throughout campus.
NORMA LOPEZ CAMPOS: My favorite
thing about Princeton
has been its people.
And yeah, a lot of those people
have been women, and I
don't think I would have stepped
up to the leadership
positions that I have if it
had not been for the past
leaders that came before me.
ADDIE MICIR: The women speak
their mind here on campus, and
it's been a great experience
all around.
SHIRLEY TILGHMAN: I think
Princeton is a place that has
the capacity to empower
We want students to arrive on
this campus already prepared
to be stimulated, to be
challenged, but for me the
most important thing is when
they graduate they feel
empowered, ready to take on
the world, ready to make a
difference in the world.
And I hope that as much for our
women students as I do for
our male students.
We're going to need them all in
the future, and that's what
our job has to be going
forward at Princeton.


text:
Marshall Headphones - 'Major' Over Ear (Black)
" I'm a professional DJ/Producer. In my rider I ask that the venue supply the headphones. So I have at least 100 pairs of headphones, and that's after giving away the majority of them to friends. Not going to bother to run off every pair but I've tried just about every pair out. Just before I was about to play in Stockholm I received a pair of these Marshall Major FX headphones..." --inthere
Stanton Dynaphase Sixty
"a tad muddy, but it can be easily fixed with abit of equalizing they're louder then stadium speakers with duel drivers there is a woofer and tweeter in each can, so that= loads of bass and tremble bass tons of bass to go around treble it has it, but that about all I can say sound they favor highs over mids, but 'they're still well balanced sound stage love it deep and rich Comfort fine..." --voodoo do-er
Stanton Dynaphase Fifty
" What can I say, vintage. Honestly well worth the $30 I payed for these. They have a nice sound to them in the $30 price range, not Hi-Fi by any means, but fun to wear around. " --GrandZechs
Stanton Dynaphase Sixty-A Headphones
I've been looking for someone that has these or has seen them before, I have a pair and have looked in many places but can't find these headphones ANYWHERE. No info, no pics, nothing...If anyone knows of these headphones or at least seen them in the past, please contact me ASAP. They were my dad's when he was younger. THESE ARE NOT STANTON DYNAPHASE SIXTY HEADPHONES, THEY ARE...
Aluratek Bluetooth Headphone w/Mic ABH02F
Bluetooth Headphone w/Mic
Aluratek ABH01F Bluetooth Stereo Headset with Built In Mic - Retail Packaging - Black
The Aluratek Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones delivers hands-free convenience and superb hi-fidelity stereo sound wirelessly. Stream your favorite tunes and listen to audio from your Smartphone, Tablet, PC or Mac laptop. Connect with friends and colleagues thru Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Gmail and AIM with the integrated microphone. Easily switch between phone calls and...
New Stereo Headset Hands-free Earphone with build-in Microphone for Apple iPhone - Compatible with iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod Nano 3G 2G 1G, iPod Shuffle and MP3 MP4 - White
The 3.5mm Plug of iPhone is different with the normal 3.5mm Audio output Plug, this stereo headset is compatible with iPhone and any device with a standard 3.5mm jacket: include iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle and more.
Stanton DJ Pro 60 DJ Pro 60 Headphones (Silver)
The new DJ PRO 60 compact, lightweight stereo headphones feature a comfortable self-adjusting headband and exceptional low end response. They come packaged with a free carrying pouch.
Stanton DJ Pro 2000S Swivel Cup Headphones with Carry Bag
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Stanton DJ Pro 60 Compact Stereo Headphones with Carry Bag - Silver
The new DJ PRO 60 compact, lightweight stereo headphones feature a comfortable self-adjusting headband and exceptional low end response. They come packaged with a free carrying pouch.


text:
Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20 Advanced Bass In-Ear Headphones
Allen & Heath's name is synonymous with premium mixers, but with the Xone:XD-20 they have applied their sound know-how to headphones. The Xone range is the first choice for many of the world's most discerning clubs and DJs. Whether you're browsing for new tracks or just listening for pleasure, Xone:XD-20 in-ear headphones let you experience the same exceptional performance...
Marantz HP101
Marantz HP101 in ear headphones.


text:
Sophomore Kristin Wilson, a Whitman College Council member, participated in her residential college's "I Heart Princeton" day, in which Whitman students helped to gather photos of people across campus who showed their "heart" for Princeton.
Photo by Nick Barberio
Web Stories
Video feature: 'I <3 Princeton'
Posted April 20, 2012; 08:00 a.m.
Princeton University is a vibrant community of scholarship and learning, and the core of that community is the people who live and work at Princeton.
Play the "I <3 Princeton" video.
The video "I <3 [Heart] Princeton" features some of the more than 1,100 faculty members, nearly 8,000 undergraduates and graduate students, and almost 6,000 employees at the University showing their appreciation for Princeton by making a heart symbol with their hands. From the leafy heart of campus to athletic events home and away, these individuals were eager to share their affinity for all Princeton has to offer.
Rabbi Eitan Webb, director of Scharf Family Chabad House and Chabad chaplaincy at the University, and his family stop by the Frist Campus Center to show their affection for Princeton. (Photo by Nick Barberio)