“I’m having a wedding. Can you be my photographer?”

Let’s get one thing straight. I am an amateur photographer. I started photography as a hobby and it is still a hobby. I have a full-time job that is nothing to do with photography. I do it for love, not money.

You want someone to do some cheap photos for you, don’t you? As you know me, you have come expecting that I’ll do the job at little expense to you, perhaps even free.

Well I won’t.

I can’t guarantee that the results will be to your liking. I have no insurance against failures. I have no experience in wedding photography. I can’t do it.

It is YOUR special day. If you want good images and a professional organiser, then you have to pay for this sort of thing. If I do it, it will be a sham and I will lose the confidence of you and your guests. I may even lose your friendship.

I am happy to take some snaps of your cat. If they don’t turn out as expected, no worries. We can take them again or just laugh it off. However, you can’t get married again. It is a one-off process. The best and most reliable results will come from you paying what the service is worth. That means someone else, not me.

Get a professional wedding photographer. Don’t ask me to do it as refusal often offends.

Eric Hartwell oversees theworldsbesthomepage.com the worlds best home page a user-led resource - do you wish to contribute your opinions?

Canada is an emancipated country in the relative scheme of things. But it has a dark history that some people aren’t aware of, and others would like to keep it that way. In the early 20th century the last Beothuk Indian met her death after various parties encouraged other Indians (Micmac) to hunt people to their extinction. It is true that the Beothuk stole merchandise but it is also true that their culture assumed that what wasn’t being used was for the common people to use and that those who weren’t using the canoe or boat wouldn’t mind if it was borrowed. In time they returned the goods if they were given a chance.

The debate in scholarly journals would suggest this was part of the difficulty and that there is little proof there was a concerted effort to eradicate the Beothuk. What truth in that suspicion of mine actually exists is up to you to decide. Clearly there will be no conclusive documentation I can provide; but there might be a reason to eliminate these people who are probably the cause of the moniker ‘red-men’. They would smear their body with the spiritual red ochre that had been part of their cosmogony since the time of the ancient copper trade to Isle Royale. This was a protection from evil spirits. Obviously it didn’t work in this world when the European heathen arrived to dispossess all natives and their quaint attitudes that had built up over thousands of years. The ‘protection’ was inadequate to protect what may have been the remnants of the Keltic ‘Brotherhood’ that first inter-mingled in North America. Their canoe or boat construction is unlike any other and Farley Mowat certainly thinks they were in touch with the Scots and Celts since the 8th century AD. There is a burial that archaeologists have found that interests me and I hope some day they do genetic testing on the body to see if they can track or trace the genetic material to Ireland or Norway. This body had been disinterred or taken out of its grave and then the bones were covered with red ochre. I believe this was a high priest or shaman who had the knowledge of his ancestors from Druidic Europe. The crouched position of the skeleton is reminiscent of some Scythian and Keltic burials as well as those near Mt. Carmel Neanderthal back to 150,000 years ago.

The fact is, no real attempt was made to deal with their culture and keep these people alive. Their lands covered the territory from Ungava Bay to Newfoundland at one time and there are lots of Norse settlements in this area so academics no doubt would say ‘So What’ if there is genetic material in these or other bones that ties in to Europe. They might even re-iterate their claim that there is no proof of cultural impact and the integration of the few Europeans who settled here is proof of their contention. My attitude is that the Algonkian and other Indians who encouraged sex before marriage and enjoyed the intermingling of species, races and culture were heavily and spiritually impacted by ‘messengers’ who were white and often Druidic. There is far more proof than just the Scandinavian sweat house design or pottery. The most important proof is the very attitudes of brotherhood and community that allow people to use and share the wealth of the land and aren’t so much into being rich. There are still ‘primitive’ savages (?) in Brazil like the Yanomami who are being dispossessed and eliminated in the name of ‘progress’; which is an extension of the concept of ‘Manifest Destiny’, and an ethic that is more of a real theft of property than any Beothuk ever did to his fellow man.

Pierre Berton is a highly respected Canadian author and historian who tells the story with appropriate documentation of the extinction of these once fun-loving and free people. It is a black mark on our collective consciousness and heritage made all the worse by a lack of awareness and transparency about what really happened. The effort to keep the knowledge of the ‘travelers’ and messengers or other agents of worldwide ecumenicism continues unabated and with something close to evil intent. It is entirely possible that courts would decide the white men were invaders and destroyers of a culture and people who had every legal and moral right to expect the newcomers to act like the white men that had come to live with them and trade the previous ten thousand or more years. It is possible that we all might agree the Paradise that was North America had a better form of land use and education or health or extended family management akin to the Kelts; and in line with the purpose God wants us to fulfill.

Author of Diverse Druids
Columnist for The ES Press Magzine
World-Mysteries.com guest ‘expert’

Traveling is one of the world’s favorite pastimes; however individuals continue to pay too much for airfare. The problem is people have some sort of brand loyalty, frequent flyer miles, or the like which inspires them to call the airline directly or go to the airline’s web page and book a ticket direct. Many airlines are now advertising they have the lowest fares for air travel on their carrier, and this might be true if you don’t take into consideration airfare wholesalers and consolidators.

The fact of the matter is there are many airline wholesalers and consolidators who buy large blocks of tickets from various major air carriers and then pass the savings onto the consumer. Airline consolidators and wholesalers have websites where you may search different dates, receive quotes from a variety of major airlines, and find the cheapest flights available, resulting in savings of hundreds of dollars per ticket. Also, when you fly on a discounted ticket you still earn frequent flyer miles.

Unfortunately, many travelers steer away from consolidators and discounted tickets because they are scared they will not receive a seat, they will miss their flight and their business trip or vacation will be ruined. This is a misconception and one that should be done away with immediately. Once you receive your booking confirmation and e-ticket you have a seat on the plane regardless of whether you bought the ticket from a consolidator or straight from the airline’s ticket counter. Consolidator tickets often times have more restrictions, but not enough to make it worthwhile to buy airline tickets straight from the carrier.

Flying can be an expensive form of travel if you don’t examine all your possibilities. Discount Air fair is a great chance to save a lot of money. Do your homework and make sure you are getting exactly what you pay for. In the end there are far better things to spend your money on while on your next vacation, or business trip.

usaflightinsurance.com USF Travel Insurance provides international trip insurance products for safety and peace of mind. Or check out this communitystarters.com Website Promotion Swervice

If we continue to allow over 1 million illegal aliens and illegal immigrants into our country each year then we must start teaching Spanish and make it a requirement to all in our schools. Since our nation is predominantly English speaking, yet we have currently 24 million illegal aliens in our nation of which 82% speak Spanish and 60% speak Spanish only we simply cannot operate our nation without being able to communicate between us you see?

Language and Communication Issues are serious and we need to do something. Either we require that all illegal aliens, illegal immigrants speak English or We Must Make Spanish Mandatory in All Schools and we must do this now.

We simply cannot run our nation in the future with 50 million people or one in 7 people speaking Spanish only. It is going to be a major dilemma and if these folks refuse to learn English or simply cannot due to the difficulty of the language then we all must learn Spanish so we can communicate.

Failure to communicate will lead to massive disruptions and inefficiencies in Business, Government and society. You cannot run a civilization if the humans in it cannot communicate with each other and if we continue to allow this massive illegal immigration then we must worry about the future. Please consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Most people think learning history is boring, something that is required in school and then promptly forgotten, like algebra. But, those people never had a history teacher who knew the little stories, and those little stories make history interesting. For me, art history is not just looking at pretty pictures with pretty colors; it is also a large body of knowledge about the culture and customs of real people. I was fortunate to learn from a number of gifted art historians, no, really storytellers, as teachers. This is one of those little stories.

Italian Renaissance giants Michelangelo Buonarroti and Raphael Sanzio had an unspoken competition. The irascible Michelangelo, forced by Pope Julius II into painting the ceiling of his own private chapel, the Sistine as we know it, complained that he was not a painter, but a sculptor. This complaint fell on deaf ears as the pope had a war to fight and neither time nor patience for soothing the artistic temperament. If the tale is true, the pope had even less patience for seeing that the artist was paid. Food being a necessity, this was a bone of contention between artist and patron. Raphael, on the other hand, blessed with a much more affable personality, never seemed to lack for funds, friends, or food. Both artists were occupied with the private artistic visions of the warrior pope in the Vatican simultaneously.

The work of Raphael in the Vatican Stanze was open to the curious; Michelangelo left strict orders that no visitors were to be allowed in the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo, busy as a bee himself, consumed with a daunting task, apparently had little interest in the work of young Raphael. But Raphael had an interest in his work. He paid a secret visit aided by the pope to view the Sistine Chapel ceiling of Michelangelo in progress. So profoundly did it affect him that he returned to his work in the Stanza della Segnatura, the private library of the pope, where he proceeded to pay tribute to Michelangelo by incorporating a seated figure of Michelangelo in the foreground of his masterpiece fresco, The School of Athens.

That is only the background for this little story. Perhaps not so well known then to modern viewers as his Madonna paintings or his magnificent Vatican frescoes, Raphael Sanzio also executed a stunning fresco of The Prophet Isaiah in Sant’Agostino in Rome in 1511-12. The donor patron of Isaiah was Head Chancellor of the Papal Court, Johannes Goritz of Luxemburg. Ruffled by what he considered to be an exorbitant price for the painting by Raphael, Goritz solicited Michelangelo for his opinion of its worth. Michelangelo looked at the painting of his chief rival with its powerfully rendered figure of The Prophet Isaiah. Rarely one to acknowledge the genius in others, Michelangelo simply replied, ‘For that knee alone, it is worth the price.’

Brenda Harness is an art historian and former university lecturer writing about a variety of topics pertaining to art and art history. She owns Fine Art Touch, a website devoted to the exploration of Italian Renaissance art, featuring articles on works from Renaissance giants such as Michelangelo and Leonardo to lesser-known artists such as Verrocchio and Perugino. The articles include images of the artwork to help the reader better understand the work being discussed.

“I hope that readers will find this website to be educational and inspire them to learn more about the art and artists who have so profoundly influenced our own aesthetic sensibilities,” said Mrs. Harness.

Visit her at finearttouch.com” target=”new Fine Art Touch

A guitar is not just a sweet sounding instrument. It is a good-looking instrument in the hands of a good guitarist. You can make your guitar look as good as you wish. In a different vein, any guitar will appear shabby in the hands of a shabby guitarist. Shabby guitarists do not belong to this planet and hence we assume you are good guitarist. A spic-n-span guitar should have a spic-n-span guitar strap. This is what this article is about – guitar straps.

There are lots and lots of good guitar straps that you can find in the marketplace. You can even shop for your guitar strap online on the internet. While searching for guitar straps online, search for ones, which have the highest possible finish quality.

The straps that you choose to purchase should be durable ones. You do not wish to have your expensive guitar ruined when you are playing it while dancing around just because of weak straps, which snapped all of a sudden! Do not go for the cheap guitar straps that you will find aplenty. Quality straps do not come cheap. However, they serve their purpose faithfully.

Guitar straps should be adjustable in length so that you can adjust them to suit your playing requirements. Moreover, they should have good and strong buckles and strap buttons. You should pay special attention to strap buttons because they suffer maximum wear and tear during guitar playing sessions.

Celtic Guitar Straps

Celtic guitar straps have Celtic designs and symbols on them. They are quite popular among rock guitarists and heavy metal guitar players. There are many designs available from which you can choose. You can even customize your guitar straps for greater aesthetics.

Cool Guitar Straps

For the ultra cool guitarist who wishes to flaunt his ‘coolness,’ many cool guitar straps are available. You can buy them in various materials like woven natural fabric, synthetic fabric, leather and even in hardwood.

Customized Guitar Straps

If you are not satisfied with the look and feel of the guitar straps that are available, then you can even go for a customised guitar strap. In buying a customized guitar strap, basic rules remain the same, namely that you should go for a durable one and a strap that has good and strong strap button and buckles. Once this is taken care of, sky is the limit to what designs and customizations you can incorporate into your guitar strap….after all, your guitar strap is your statement and an extension of your own persona!

For more information and reviews on guitarheadz.com/guitar-accessories.html Guitar Accessories and equipment visit guitarheadz.com guitarheadz.com, the complete guide for anything you want to know about guitars and related gear.

It’s time to take the plunge and call a reputable Singing Teacher if you have the urge to improve your voice or you have that dream to become performer on stage or television.

But, if you feel that you need to develop some more confidence before you talk to a Singing Specialist then why not search the internet, maybe using Google or Yahoo, and get hold of some easily downloadable Singing Exercises. All you have to do is type “Singing Exercises” or “Vocal Exercises” into the Search Engine and you’re on your way to developing some confidence with your singing.

Spend a few days practising your breathing and vocal exercises in a quiet spot in your house or even copy them to a CD and practise in your car on your way to work or school. At the beginning, don’t practise in front of others because they may be too critical which might discourage you from pursuing your dream.

You’ll be amazed at how quickly your voice can improve as you practise the beathing, phrases, vowel sounds, scales and arpeggios.

Once your voice starts to improve with the Singing Exercises, it’s time to download some Backing Tracks or even some Karaoke files which are easy to find on the net and are particularly easy to play in MIDI format on your computer. You can even download a free Karaoke Player like the one at VanBasco.com. This player even allows you to change the pitch and tempo, tailoring the backing to your needs. Most MIDI files even have a melody which you can mute later when you are more practiced.

Once you’ve developed some confidence, then you’re ready to call a qualified, professional teacher in your area. Your Singing Teacher will take you through the next steps to becoming a better singer and maybe you will be the next Idol, making your own CDs, performing like a STAR on stage and TV! Or, maybe you will be proud of yourself for downloading those exercises and improving your voice just for you. All the best and keep aiming high and you’ll be head closer to achieving your ultimate goals!

DAVID WILLIS - Singing Teacher to the STARS!

Over the years, David Willis has made quite an impact on Australian EDUCATION and the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. An accomplished pianist, singer and actor, David owns the Gold Coast branch of the Australian Talent School, teaching professionals and amateurs of all ages the art of Singing and Presentation, whilst nurturing their passion for Music and Performance.
David is proud of his SUCCESS STORIES including STARS from TV and Stage! To find out more about David’s unique style of teaching, his success stories and his special Singing Exercises offer, log onto…

cdorders.com/about-us.html cdorders.com/about-us.html

YOUR OWN SINGING EXERCISES IN MINUTES!

David’s unique SINGING EXERCISES have been graded from Beginner to Intermediate and Advanced. They are guaranteed to greatly improve your singing in a very short time. All it takes is a few minutes each day. Amateur and professional singers world-wide are thrilled with the results they get from the exercises! To check them out log onto:

cdorders.com/singing-exercises.html cdorders.com/singing-exercises.html

Let me guess, you love music and would do anything to be able to enter into the fabulous life of the music business? Better yet, you would love to become the next record mogul like P.Diddy or Clive Davis.

Well, guess what? You can

I am proud to declare that I am a huge Billy Joel fan. In fact, I still cherish my first Billy Joel album. That album is not a CD but an old vinyl record. The kind that my kids think should be used as plates. I can still vividly recall the day I bought my first Billy Joel album. I was as small as my kids are now.

I was introduced to Billy Joel through the sitcom “Bosom Buddies” with Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks. I was told that the show wasn’t suitable for children, but something about the antics of two men dressing up as women hit my funny bone. I was also fond of “Three’s Company”, so thinking back I wonder what my parents were thinking with regards to their seven-year-olds’ TV habits.

I was hooked by the theme song of “Bosom Buddies”, and I would run around our house singing “keep it to yourself…it’s my life!” at the top of my voice. I had no idea who Billy Joel was but I sure liked his song. One day my brother told me that the guy singing it was Billy Joel, and I discovered that there was a Billy Joel album available.

My tiny brain began to spin. If I could purchase a Billy Joel album, I could listen to my favorite song whenever I want on our record player. If I had his album, I could hear Billy Joel’s song without having to wait for a week for “Bosom Buddies” to come on.

I was only given fifty cents a week for my allowance and I calculated that at that rate it would take a few years before I could afford that album. I knew that I had to have that Billy Joel album, so I started a campaign of chores to show my parents that I deserve a bigger allowance.

I did the dishes, swept the floor, dusted, made my bed, and even walked the dog. I was sure that my parents noticed that I was up to something, but they know a good thing when they see it and didn’t let on. Finally my mother announced that she thought I deserved a treat. When I told her I wanted a record, we made plans to go to the mall. I was sure my mother expected me to pick out one of my story 45’s that cost a dollar, but she effectively concealed her surprise, when I marched up to the counter with my new Billy Joel album.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning mymusicreport.com/music–more/music/my-first-billy-joel-album.html Billy Joel Album. Visit our site for more helpful information about mymusicreport.com Billy Joel Album and other similar topics.

What can give you the most information and let you understand your partner the best? As most of you perhaps guessed these are not words but gestures. Nonverbal communication can give us the full picture of a person as he or she is without any pretending, as gestures that people show during the communication are subconscious and mostly express their thoughts and desires.

Actually, your success in relations with the opposite sex depends on your abilities to understand the signals sent by your partner. If you interpret them correctly, you can send the corresponding signals and behave tactically. If you want to figure someone out, it’s better to combine that person’s words and gestures when analysing a situation. Whrn the words of your interlocutor are at variance with his gestures, you’d better trust the motions.

It’s worth mentioning that women possess a larger spectrum of refined ways to attract attention and manipulate men. Besides, alluring gestures, long stares and adjusting hair or clothes are common for both sexes. For example, blushing cheeks and dilated pupils show person’s excitement. If you want to have a complete understanding between you and your partner, you can conciliate him in a fast and simple way by copying his pose and reflecting his gestures. Do it gradually, but only you feel yourself comfortable enough.

In case of long-distance relationship, guys want to know how to behave while meeting their ladies after the long months of correspondence over the Internet. Behaving correctly is very important in these situations. So, here’s one tip that will help you understand if your female partner is sexually attracted to you.

Scientists say, before two people decide if they need or want each other, their chemistry on subconscious level has already known it from the first moment of their face-to-face meeting. Every person has intimate or private space with the radius of 50 centimeters. If you want to check whether a girl likes you or not, try to get closer to her breaking this limit and step back after a few seconds. Then watch her reaction. If a woman feels free, relaxed, comfortable and allows you to enter her territory, it’s a signal that you can get closer to her. On the contrary, if she’s nervous and tries to get back from you while hiding irritation, it means she’s not ready for a close, sexual relationship. All this happens on a subconscious level so she’ll never notice that you’re testing her. She may even have not understood yet, if she likes or dislikes the person.

Also, if a lady is interested in the opposite sex, she subconsciously puts her feet a bit broader than usual. Even if she’s in a company of several men, no matter if she’s sitting or standing, her toes will be always directed towards a man she’s interested in. Crossed legs always show emotional dissatisfaction, though sometimes a woman does so if she is highly sexually excited. That’s why you should watch her eyes and mimicry as well.

Besides, for women the smell is one of the facts of the utter importance, because they are much more sensible to this kind of irritants. So, if they find some odor nice and gentle, it can greatly increase their sexual desire. If you want to attract a girl, use some good toilet water, but not too strong, before seeing the lady of your dream. The next steps will depend from your first experience and meeting.

For most guys, traveling to a girls’ home-country is a life altering decision, as many men may find it hard to choose their partner without actually meeting in person. That’s why it is absolutely OK to take a «private tour» and meet several ladies. Most girls will understand such a course of action; however, a few may find it offensive to know that there is competition.

Our best wishes in your search of A SPECIAL WOMAN!

If you want to love and to be loved, visit our site and meet YOUR oksanalove.com Russian Bride