Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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SHOUTING AT CLOUDS...'COS MY SHOES ARE TOO SMALL...
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| The Sunday Times, September 11th, 2011 |
Human nature constantly amazes me. Certain members of the UK comics' so-called 'creative community', always the first to bleat on about freedom of speech or expression and their opposition to any form of censorship (when it comes to their own personal projects), are also always among the first to try and bully into silence and submission any dissenting voices to their own self-serving view of things.
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Everyone knows that comics are in a bad way. Sales are declining all across the board (with the possible exception of Manga) and the future doesn't look particularly good. There are many reasons for such a situation, but we all know what they are by now so there's no point in repeating them here. Suffice to say that a significant number of those who used to buy comics no longer do so, and the usual reasons they give for abandoning their weekly or monthly fix are that comics are now too expensive and, basically, rubbish.
One clueless chump claims that those people have simply outgrown comics, although this fails to take into account why they continue to seek out publications from an earlier age that they haven't yet read, as well as reacquire those they once owned, either in the form of original issues or sturdy reprint volumes. For myself, I love comics - when they're done right. When I pick up a comic from years ago ('60s, '70s or '80s), even if it's one I've never read before, I can usually find something in it which I like and which entertains me. Whether it be the art, the story, or the mood - or some other indefinable quality, there's something that makes the exercise of reading it worthwhile. I'm hard-pressed to repeat the experience when perusing a modern comic, whether it be a British or American one. Which is not to say that there are no good comics out there, only that they're increasingly harder to find.
Some of my recent posts have come in for criticism in some quarters (mainly those with a vested interest),
saying that if I (or anyone else) don't like something then I should just ignore it and move on. (A bit like seeing a conflagration and not shouting "Fire!") It's therefore fairly safe to assume that they don't like what I've written, which makes their reluctance to follow their own advice in such matters all the more curious.
saying that if I (or anyone else) don't like something then I should just ignore it and move on. (A bit like seeing a conflagration and not shouting "Fire!") It's therefore fairly safe to assume that they don't like what I've written, which makes their reluctance to follow their own advice in such matters all the more curious.
Instead of practising what they preach, they devote themselves to sarcastic, supercilious, banal comments on their Twitter accounts (thus convincing me that such forums are aptly named, apparently catering to more than a fair share of twits), and creating false identities for the purpose of leaving feeble attempts at insults on my posts. (Most of which I don't bother publishing because they lack the courage to affix their real names to them.)
I have read and collected comics for over forty-seven years, fifteen of which I worked as a freelance comics contributor. Ignoring my professional involvement for the moment, my 'civilian' interest in (and devotion to) the medium surely qualifies my opinion as informed and considered at the very least, yet a few of those who disagree with me constantly seek to dismiss my 'expertise' in the subject as ignorant and worthless.As we all know, The Dandy is currently dying on its @rse. D.C. Thomson won't let it, of course, because they take pride in being the publishers of the world's longest-running weekly comic. However, what could possibly be the cause of its poor sales?
Consider the facts. They relaunched it amid much fanfare and within a few months it had lost half its readership. All the old tried and tested reasons for declining sales were trotted out to explain (away) the situation, despite it being obvious that they couldn't account for such a dramatic loss of sales in such a short space of time. That's clear to anyone with a brain.
Consider the facts. They relaunched it amid much fanfare and within a few months it had lost half its readership. All the old tried and tested reasons for declining sales were trotted out to explain (away) the situation, despite it being obvious that they couldn't account for such a dramatic loss of sales in such a short space of time. That's clear to anyone with a brain.
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Could the fact that the comic now featured some artwork which wasn't quite as polished and professional as in previous years be responsible in some way? Artwork which was basic, flat, crammed, repetitive, unclear and, in some cases, distinctly amateurish? Stories that were juvenile, uninventive and, worst of all, unfunny? Lettering fonts that were inconsistent, indecipherable and, let's face it, incompetent? Could it be because the comic bore little resemblance to what it had once been at its best, instead looking like some kind of 'underground' comic magazine with a poorly-rendered Dandy masthead pasted on?
No to all of the above, according to the editor and some of the handful of new artists who were behind the drastically altered look of what had once been - along with its companion paper The Beano - one of the Nation's top-selling humour periodicals. New look - half the readers. No such thing as cause and effect then, eh? Must just be a coincidence.
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The Dandy is part of the Nation's heritage. It's been around longer than Superman (in published form at least) and is regarded with fond affection by those who have long-since ceased to purchase it for themselves, but continue to do so for their children. (Although even that custom is now on the wane.) It's as British as the Bulldog and the Spitfire, and we are all concerned with its current ailing state and invested in the hope that a cure can be found to restore it to its former glory. Small wonder then, that passions run high and that newspapers devote so much space to reporting on the suspected cause of its infection.
Unfortunately, said infection seems to be of the 'superbug' variety and is resistant to treatment, or even shame at being responsible for the malady which afflicts one of the Nation's best loved comic icons. In the absence of any effective antidote to the condition, the only hope is to resort to the ultimate solution, drastic as it may be: amputation. Cut off the source of the infection and consign it to the furnace.
We fervently pray that D.C. Thomson decide to operate sooner rather than later, while something still remains of the patient to save.
Oh, and he's indulging in his usual habit of ascribing motivations of his own invention to those of a different opinion to himself, in an attempt to 'explain' and dismiss their point of view as irrelevant. All delivered in his usual smug, patronising style. However would we all manage without him telling us what we think and why we think it?
Here are the specific reasons why the examples he cites do not satisfactorily account for things. I am not someone picking up a comic after twenty or thirty years and being appalled by the fact that it's no longer anything like it used to be in 'my' day. I have never not bought comics. I gave up on The Dandy when they first revamped it into a 'yoof-style' magazine (because it was rubbish), and I gave up on The Beano only because of their insistence on attaching a pile of tacky poo from time to time and wanting to charge me anything up to £2 or £3 more for the dubious privilege.
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I haven't always liked every strip in even my favourite comics; some I liked more than others, some I didn't like at all. However, even if I liked only two or three strips an issue, I was still getting value for money because comics used to be the least expensive way available of passing an enjoyable half hour. That's no longer the case and publishers would do well to remember it.
Thankfully, I'm not in thrall to the same financial or 'insider' social considerations that he seems to be, and am therefore free to think and speak as I want to.
******
Incidentally, there's a fascinating discussion on the declining sales of American comics currently going on over at Jim Shooter's excellent blog on http://jimshooter.com/ - give it a look-see.
And while you're at it, give Thomas Haller Buchanan's equally delightful blog a visit. Loads of lovely pictures and fascinating thoughts. Click on http://mydelineatedlife.blogspot.com/ for your passport into Wonderland.
We fervently pray that D.C. Thomson decide to operate sooner rather than later, while something still remains of the patient to save.
******
UPDATE: A certain person has commented on his own blog about some of my recent posts, describing them as repetitive. He then trots out the same tired, 'one-
size-fits-all'
excuses that he's resorted to so many times before (completely unaware of the irony) in an attempt to explain away in general terms the specific
circumstances of The Dandy's current situation, ignoring and distorting
the pertinent aspects in the process.
size-fits-all'
excuses that he's resorted to so many times before (completely unaware of the irony) in an attempt to explain away in general terms the specific
circumstances of The Dandy's current situation, ignoring and distorting
the pertinent aspects in the process.
Oh, and he's indulging in his usual habit of ascribing motivations of his own invention to those of a different opinion to himself, in an attempt to 'explain' and dismiss their point of view as irrelevant. All delivered in his usual smug, patronising style. However would we all manage without him telling us what we think and why we think it?
Here are the specific reasons why the examples he cites do not satisfactorily account for things. I am not someone picking up a comic after twenty or thirty years and being appalled by the fact that it's no longer anything like it used to be in 'my' day. I have never not bought comics. I gave up on The Dandy when they first revamped it into a 'yoof-style' magazine (because it was rubbish), and I gave up on The Beano only because of their insistence on attaching a pile of tacky poo from time to time and wanting to charge me anything up to £2 or £3 more for the dubious privilege.I do not dislike some modern comics because they are 'modern' - I dislike some of them because they are not very good. If I don't care for a strip, my assessment is based on whether it is pleasant to look at or not, whether one can tell at a glance what happening on the page without hurting one's eyes, and whether it has been drawn to an admirable standard of craftmanship. Oh, yes - and whether it's funny. Not because it doesn't look like the comics I bought as a seven-year old. When I decided that I didn't like The Dandy, I was comparing it to what it had looked like only the week before - not how it had appeared in 1937.
That's why, even 'though there is an element of truth (as there always is in the best 'misrepresentations') to what he says in a general sense, it falls far short of explaining the specifics. Not all those who decry the current incarnation of The Dandy are folk who stopped buying it years ago in their youth; a sizable number are people who want to purchase it, but don't - simply because they don't consider it to be very good. (And that accounts for at least half of the comic's former readership in 2010.)
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I haven't always liked every strip in even my favourite comics; some I liked more than others, some I didn't like at all. However, even if I liked only two or three strips an issue, I was still getting value for money because comics used to be the least expensive way available of passing an enjoyable half hour. That's no longer the case and publishers would do well to remember it. Anyway, there's no point bothering with someone who refuses to recognise the facts, and who - despite however much he protests to the contrary - has a vested financial interest in 'talking-up' the comic and keeping on the good side of those who supply part of his livelihood.
He also seems to forget that I have witnessed first-hand the expediencies that some comic editors are prepared or compelled to indulge in. I used to visit the offices of IPC every week (sometimes twice) for almost two years (working in the building from about half-six in the morning to nine at night), and know full-well that certain people were sometimes utilised only because the preferred choice was unavailable
He also seems to forget that I have witnessed first-hand the expediencies that some comic editors are prepared or compelled to indulge in. I used to visit the offices of IPC every week (sometimes twice) for almost two years (working in the building from about half-six in the morning to nine at night), and know full-well that certain people were sometimes utilised only because the preferred choice was unavailable
******
Incidentally, there's a fascinating discussion on the declining sales of American comics currently going on over at Jim Shooter's excellent blog on http://jimshooter.com/ - give it a look-see.
And while you're at it, give Thomas Haller Buchanan's equally delightful blog a visit. Loads of lovely pictures and fascinating thoughts. Click on http://mydelineatedlife.blogspot.com/ for your passport into Wonderland.
Roanoke Times Leaps Ahead of Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer Knowledge
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Roanoke Times, 1-31-12, Pg E1: Almost full page exposé:
"Alzheimer’s – how to make sure you’re not next"
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Apparently the Editorial Girls at the Roanoke Times and their associate at the Orlando Sentinel have MD credentials in addition to their journalism credentials that empower them to tell the public “how to make sure you’re not next”! How comforting is that! Are these charlatan’s subject to lawsuits if their readers follow their instructions and then get Alzheimer’s? Could their medical licenses then be in jeopardy?
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Apparently they are in conflict with the published position that, according to the Mayo Clinic, one of the most knowledgeable institutions about health issues: “While the causes of Alzheimer's are not yet fully understood, its effect on the brain is clear.”
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers-disease/DS00161/DSECTION=causes
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Today’s WSJ Alzheimer article (Pg D1): A new target in fighting brain disease: Metals.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577192901072611524.html
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Of particular focus are the amounts of: iron, copper and zinc (all of which are included in the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) posted by the US Government). No reason for concern there!
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The headline claim: “how to make sure you’re not next to get Alzheimer’s” represents a new personal best in the category of chutzpa and false advertising.
If a company ran an ad that made these claims the Editorial Girls would be at the front of the line demanding retractions and legal actions.
-
Roanoke Times, 1-31-12, Pg E1: Almost full page exposé:
"Alzheimer’s – how to make sure you’re not next"
-
Apparently the Editorial Girls at the Roanoke Times and their associate at the Orlando Sentinel have MD credentials in addition to their journalism credentials that empower them to tell the public “how to make sure you’re not next”! How comforting is that! Are these charlatan’s subject to lawsuits if their readers follow their instructions and then get Alzheimer’s? Could their medical licenses then be in jeopardy?
-
Apparently they are in conflict with the published position that, according to the Mayo Clinic, one of the most knowledgeable institutions about health issues: “While the causes of Alzheimer's are not yet fully understood, its effect on the brain is clear.”
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers-disease/DS00161/DSECTION=causes
-
Today’s WSJ Alzheimer article (Pg D1): A new target in fighting brain disease: Metals.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577192901072611524.html
-
Of particular focus are the amounts of: iron, copper and zinc (all of which are included in the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) posted by the US Government). No reason for concern there!
-
The headline claim: “how to make sure you’re not next to get Alzheimer’s” represents a new personal best in the category of chutzpa and false advertising.
If a company ran an ad that made these claims the Editorial Girls would be at the front of the line demanding retractions and legal actions.
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Florida Highway Patrol’s “Failure to Foresee” Results in 10 deaths
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Roanoke Times, 1-31-12, Pg 4: Florida: Patrol defends reopening interstate ahead of wrecks that resulted in 10 people killed in fiery crash where visibility was reduced to zero by smoke from an ongoing fire.
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This tragic situation will likely not result in any action taken against those who are responsible for “the public safety” and who made decisions that in retrospect should be subject to the “known or should have known” or “failure to foresee” rules that have become so rigorously applied to ordinary citizens in accident situations in recent years.
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Prior blog item: Criminalizing Accidents
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2012/01/criminalizing-accidents.html
Everyone is subject to involvement in an accident. The targeting of those involved by aggressive law enforcement personnel and the associated district attorneys can result in draconian outcomes considering the lack of Malice aforethought or depraved indifference involved. Apparently disregard for an actions possible bad outcomes or failure to foresee negative outcomes has become the standard for determining who goes to jail in many cases. That applies to driving on ice or snow if a DA decides to make the case that you should have foreseen bad things before starting your trip in bad weather!
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Included in this big chasm, between those who are prosecuted as the results of accidents and those who are not, often include a hostile rush to judgment if a business is involved.
Of note would be the 29 miners killed in 2010 in the Massey Energy Mine in West VA.
The lynch-mob mentality demonstrated by the media, unions and government investigators clearly made a deliberate and professional investigation impossible.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/10westvirginia.html
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Society needs to assess this crusade to criminalize those involved in accidents where there was no malice aforethought and there is reasonable doubt about the persons involved having acted in a “reasonable and prudent” manner. We also need to demand that whatever the rules are they be applied equally to all persons and situations.
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Roanoke Times, 1-31-12, Pg 4: Florida: Patrol defends reopening interstate ahead of wrecks that resulted in 10 people killed in fiery crash where visibility was reduced to zero by smoke from an ongoing fire.
-
This tragic situation will likely not result in any action taken against those who are responsible for “the public safety” and who made decisions that in retrospect should be subject to the “known or should have known” or “failure to foresee” rules that have become so rigorously applied to ordinary citizens in accident situations in recent years.
-
Prior blog item: Criminalizing Accidents
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2012/01/criminalizing-accidents.html
Everyone is subject to involvement in an accident. The targeting of those involved by aggressive law enforcement personnel and the associated district attorneys can result in draconian outcomes considering the lack of Malice aforethought or depraved indifference involved. Apparently disregard for an actions possible bad outcomes or failure to foresee negative outcomes has become the standard for determining who goes to jail in many cases. That applies to driving on ice or snow if a DA decides to make the case that you should have foreseen bad things before starting your trip in bad weather!
-
Included in this big chasm, between those who are prosecuted as the results of accidents and those who are not, often include a hostile rush to judgment if a business is involved.
Of note would be the 29 miners killed in 2010 in the Massey Energy Mine in West VA.
The lynch-mob mentality demonstrated by the media, unions and government investigators clearly made a deliberate and professional investigation impossible.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/10westvirginia.html
-
Society needs to assess this crusade to criminalize those involved in accidents where there was no malice aforethought and there is reasonable doubt about the persons involved having acted in a “reasonable and prudent” manner. We also need to demand that whatever the rules are they be applied equally to all persons and situations.
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Here's My Yellow Cherry
Have you heard of the Made In Cherry Quilt-a-long that Pins and Bobbins is hosting?
The pattern is by Sarah Fielke and is available for free on the Lecien blog. Here's a link to it. I have been wanting to make a big star quilt and joined as soon as I saw this QAL. The directions on the Made In Cherry QAL blog are very well written and easy to follow.
I decided to use my Sunny Happy Skies FQ bundle for this quilt. I have a friend who is becoming a Grandma for the first time in February and I thought this would make a perfect Grandma quilt.
It's a fairly easy pattern, just uses squares and a few HSTs. Of course I used my trusty HST ruler instead of drawing on the back of the squares to get the HST pieces, but other than that I followed the directions precisely. Its a wonderfully written pattern. For those of you that use HST rulers, the HST pieces are cut from the same size strip as the squares you are using. I made the 60" quilt so I cut the HSTs from a 3.5" strip. I found it so easy to just cut a few HSTs from the 3.5" strips while I was cutting the squares.
I even know how I am going to quilt this, although the baby may be a toddler by the time I'm done quilting it. I am going to do a star echo, about 1" apart.
I'd love to see your Made in Cherry quilts. If you are just hearing of this now check out all the other great quilts on the Made in Cherry Flickr page.
Here's My Yellow Cherry
Have you heard of the Made In Cherry Quilt-a-long that Pins and Bobbins is hosting?
The pattern is by Sarah Fielke and is available for free on the Lecien blog. Here's a link to it. I have been wanting to make a big star quilt and joined as soon as I saw this QAL. The directions on the Made In Cherry QAL blog are very well written and easy to follow.
I decided to use my Sunny Happy Skies FQ bundle for this quilt. I have a friend who is becoming a Grandma for the first time in February and I thought this would make a perfect Grandma quilt.
It's a fairly easy pattern, just uses squares and a few HSTs. Of course I used my trusty HST ruler instead of drawing on the back of the squares to get the HST pieces, but other than that I followed the directions precisely. Its a wonderfully written pattern. For those of you that use HST rulers, the HST pieces are cut from the same size strip as the squares you are using. I made the 60" quilt so I cut the HSTs from a 3.5" strip. I found it so easy to just cut a few HSTs from the 3.5" strips while I was cutting the squares.
I even know how I am going to quilt this, although the baby may be a toddler by the time I'm done quilting it. I am going to do a star echo, about 1" apart.
I'd love to see your Made in Cherry quilts. If you are just hearing of this now check out all the other great quilts on the Made in Cherry Flickr page.
MY OTHER ALAN FENNELL STORY...
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| Alan Fennell and unidentified Thunderbirds pilot. Photo by Roger Elliott |
No, that doesn't mean there's another ALAN FENNELL (well, not any who concern us), only that there's another story about the legendary writer and editor to tell, which I promised to relate a good many months ago.
During the course of one of several telephone conversations I had with Alan (may even have been the first one) in the mid-'90s, he mentioned that he used to come to my home town in the '60s to a tenpin bowling alley situated just along the road from where I then lived. (In fact, my father used to work there, although I can't remember if he still did in 1965.)
Apparently, Alan's wife had friends or relatives in Scotland and, whenever they visited them, they would take the opportunity to come along to the bowling alley in question. This led me to wonder aloud to Alan about the following 'what if?' scenario, which perhaps isn't as far-fetched or as unlikely as it may at first seem.
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| The actual bowling alley |
Basically, I speculated on the possibility of Alan ever having passed me in his car on the way to the bowling alley as I made my way home reading a copy of TV CENTURY 21, and whether he might've seen me, turned to his wife and friends and said: "Look, that kid's reading my comic." One of the main roads to the bowling alley went right past the bottom of my street and it was the route to the main shopping centre (where the bowling alley was situated) along which I would often have walked. (Not the road obviously, but the pavement.)
I was much struck by the notion of perhaps having been in such fleeting close proximity to the editor of my then-favourite comic without ever having known it, and Alan, being the kind soul that he was, indulged my flight of fancy by pretending (I assume) to be as fascinated by the idea as I was.
Not long after, Alan dropped me a letter containing a photocopy of a chocolate Dalek recipe I remembered seeing (and which had once resided for years in my mother's cookbook) in an early issue of TV21 (# 28). This is part of what he said in his letter:
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| Go on - make some. You know you want to |
"Take a look at the photograph above. [The recipe.] Dear Roy Castle was one of the nicest people I have had the privilege to be associated with - and I remember this photo set-up and the lunches we had whilst promoting the Doctor Who and the Daleks film.
So, I'm grateful to you for reminding me of those days - and even the bowling alley!"
I never met Alan face-to-face ('though he may have passed me in his car), and I didn't know he had died 'til a year or two after the fact - but somehow his not being around any more at times fills me with the kind of sadness that one normally reserves for close friends and relatives.
He really was that nice a man.
******
For my first Alan Fennell story, see:
http://kidr77.blogspot.com/2011/02/regrets-ive-had-few.html
******
For my first Alan Fennell story, see:
http://kidr77.blogspot.com/2011/02/regrets-ive-had-few.html
Monday, January 30, 2012
KID KLASSICS: CALLING A SPADE A BLOODY SHOVEL DEPT...
Once, in a world far away and now forgotten, there was an objective standard by which things were measured. Alas, however, that was long ago. Today we live in an age of dumbing down. Exams made easier so that more students pass; participants in a primary school race all being awarded prizes so that no-one is disappointed or feels humiliated; people being given jobs on the basis of so-called positive discrimination rather than ability or merit.
There are no longer winners or losers; there is no longer good or bad, right or wrong, black or white - or at least that's the way it often seems in this bright new world of the 21st century. Excellence may still be rewarded, but so also, all too often, is mediocrity.
In the world of political correctness we live in today, everything is valued as being of equal worth. That’s why a pile of bricks or half a sheep in a glass case are now accorded the same artistic legitimacy as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or Rembrandt and Constable paintings. What utter tosh. To claim that the measure of a thing’s worth is defined only by whether people like it or not is ridiculous. Appreciation is no indication of quality or craftsmanship. Other criteria must also be brought to bear.
I can quite understand the natural reservations of those in any working 'community’ to make critical comment (at least publicly) on the merits of one another’s work; there is a professional courtesy at play which prevents them from doing so. In some ways that’s a good thing, but let’s be honest – it also allows those of lesser or no ability to infiltrate the ranks, simply because it’s not regarded as ‘good form’ to point out the failings or inadequacies of others, or to unmask the impostors.
One of the reasons why the standard of children's literacy, as an example, is so appalling today is that everything created for them is aimed at their level. That’s why many of them never progress to a higher one – they aren’t enticed or encouraged or motivated to. If you give them nothing but inferior quality, that’s what they learn to appreciate. But what if children like it? Children have the capacity to like whatever is put in front of them, but that's no excuse for giving them substandard fare.
Without wishing to offend anyone, there are certain strips in the current incarnation of The Dandy which simply don’t measure up to an objective standard. And don't be misled by those who claim there isn't one. It's that kind of wooly thinking that has resulted in unmade beds on display in art galleries. Also, there are some art styles which do not readily lend themselves to the medium of sequential storytelling in general, or children’s comics in particular.
Contrariwise, Ken H. Harrison, for example, has a fantastically fluid art stlyle and brilliantly clear sense of storytelling that fulfills the highest standard expected of a comic strip. He is the only artist to draw The Broons and Oor Wullie who has even come near - or is on - the same level as Dudley D. Watkins, talent-wise. There are some artists who don’t even come close, judging by the standard of the work they submit. Could they do better? Who knows? But what they ARE doing just doesn’t cut it.
And before I'm subjected to the same old tired, predictable and erroneous accusations of envy, bitterness, etc., etc., I’m merely speaking as a comics consumer, not a former professional comics contributor. I am not comparing those whose work I dislike against any level of artistic ability I perceive, pretend, imagine, wish, or delude myself I may have, but rather the recognized greats of yesteryear and today. Artists of the calibre of Bave, Baxendale, Brown, Griggs, Harrison, Law, Main, Martin, Mevin, Millington, Nadal, Nixon, Parkinson, Parlett, Paterson, Petrie, Reid, Ritchie, Sutherland, Titcombe, Watkins, and a whole host of others far too numerous to mention.
Today we live in an age where the utmost quality is no longer the main consideration - or even a requirement. In short, anything goes. Unfortunately, one of the first things to go was a regard for standards. We can only hope that it's due to make its return sometime soon.
******
(First posted September 16th, 2011.)
******
(First posted September 16th, 2011.)
Scrappy
Do you like scrappy quilts or a more organized look?
You might have noticed that my quilting style is not scrappy at all. Even when I attempt to have a scrappy look I take lots of time to place each piece in the exact right place. I like to call it 'organized chaos'.
This past fall I somehow amassed a bunch of FQ bundles. Some I got at Sample Spree at Fall Market, some I got from giveaways and some I got from The Fat Quarter Shops Designer Select club while a few I just had to have. While I love FQ bundles they don't lend themselves to an organized look, unless I want to get some background or coordinating fabric. Right now I really want to use the FQ bundles without other fabric added. I see it as a challenge to grow as a quilter.
And therein lies my problem. I just can't seem to do scrappy, even though I really want to. I think it would be fun to just sew and not 'worry' about if a piece goes with the piece next to it. Not only would it be fun, but it might be a little bit more relaxing, who knows.
So I need your help. I need some pattern suggestion, hints on how to make scrappy quilts and lots of eye candy to inspire me to start using those FQ bundles. I am planning on making a quilt with the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Atkinson's Designs. I think it's perfect for the Sandy Gervais Designer Select bundle, made with Sassy fabric . But that's as far as my plans go.
I'm ashamed to list all the FQ bundles I have to use. I have never been one that had a stash, all that unused fabric makes me sad and a little guilty, so imagine how I feel about these FQ bundles. But I am going to swallow my pride and list them anyway.
So here goes...
Bunny Hill - Puttin' on The Ritz Designer Select bundle
Aqua Red by Michael Miller
Anne Kelle - Zoology Designer Select bundle
Fig Tree - Butterscotch and Roses Designer Select bundle
Daisy Dance
Pam Kitty Morning
Bold and Beautiful
Daisy Cottage
Twirl
A Stitch in Color
Pear Tree
Stockholm
No Bullying
Flower Shop I Heart
Amelia
Ruby
Little Apples
So it's your turn now...inspire me please.
You might have noticed that my quilting style is not scrappy at all. Even when I attempt to have a scrappy look I take lots of time to place each piece in the exact right place. I like to call it 'organized chaos'.
This past fall I somehow amassed a bunch of FQ bundles. Some I got at Sample Spree at Fall Market, some I got from giveaways and some I got from The Fat Quarter Shops Designer Select club while a few I just had to have. While I love FQ bundles they don't lend themselves to an organized look, unless I want to get some background or coordinating fabric. Right now I really want to use the FQ bundles without other fabric added. I see it as a challenge to grow as a quilter.
And therein lies my problem. I just can't seem to do scrappy, even though I really want to. I think it would be fun to just sew and not 'worry' about if a piece goes with the piece next to it. Not only would it be fun, but it might be a little bit more relaxing, who knows.
So I need your help. I need some pattern suggestion, hints on how to make scrappy quilts and lots of eye candy to inspire me to start using those FQ bundles. I am planning on making a quilt with the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Atkinson's Designs. I think it's perfect for the Sandy Gervais Designer Select bundle, made with Sassy fabric . But that's as far as my plans go.
I'm ashamed to list all the FQ bundles I have to use. I have never been one that had a stash, all that unused fabric makes me sad and a little guilty, so imagine how I feel about these FQ bundles. But I am going to swallow my pride and list them anyway.
So here goes...
Bunny Hill - Puttin' on The Ritz Designer Select bundle
Aqua Red by Michael Miller
Anne Kelle - Zoology Designer Select bundle
Fig Tree - Butterscotch and Roses Designer Select bundle
Daisy Dance
Pam Kitty Morning
Bold and Beautiful
Daisy Cottage
Twirl
A Stitch in Color
Pear Tree
Stockholm
No Bullying
Flower Shop I Heart
Amelia
Ruby
Little Apples
So it's your turn now...inspire me please.
Scrappy
Do you like scrappy quilts or a more organized look?
You might have noticed that my quilting style is not scrappy at all. Even when I attempt to have a scrappy look I take lots of time to place each piece in the exact right place. I like to call it 'organized chaos'.
This past fall I somehow amassed a bunch of FQ bundles. Some I got at Sample Spree at Fall Market, some I got from giveaways and some I got from The Fat Quarter Shops Designer Select club while a few I just had to have. While I love FQ bundles they don't lend themselves to an organized look, unless I want to get some background or coordinating fabric. Right now I really want to use the FQ bundles without other fabric added. I see it as a challenge to grow as a quilter.
And therein lies my problem. I just can't seem to do scrappy, even though I really want to. I think it would be fun to just sew and not 'worry' about if a piece goes with the piece next to it. Not only would it be fun, but it might be a little bit more relaxing, who knows.
So I need your help. I need some pattern suggestion, hints on how to make scrappy quilts and lots of eye candy to inspire me to start using those FQ bundles. I am planning on making a quilt with the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Atkinson's Designs. I think it's perfect for the Sandy Gervais Designer Select bundle, made with Sassy fabric . But that's as far as my plans go.
I'm ashamed to list all the FQ bundles I have to use. I have never been one that had a stash, all that unused fabric makes me sad and a little guilty, so imagine how I feel about these FQ bundles. But I am going to swallow my pride and list them anyway.
So here goes...
Bunny Hill - Puttin' on The Ritz Designer Select bundle
Aqua Red by Michael Miller
Anne Kelle - Zoology Designer Select bundle
Fig Tree - Butterscotch and Roses Designer Select bundle
Daisy Dance
Pam Kitty Morning
Bold and Beautiful
Daisy Cottage
Twirl
A Stitch in Color
Pear Tree
Stockholm
No Bullying
Flower Shop I Heart
Amelia
Ruby
Little Apples
So it's your turn now...inspire me please.
You might have noticed that my quilting style is not scrappy at all. Even when I attempt to have a scrappy look I take lots of time to place each piece in the exact right place. I like to call it 'organized chaos'.
This past fall I somehow amassed a bunch of FQ bundles. Some I got at Sample Spree at Fall Market, some I got from giveaways and some I got from The Fat Quarter Shops Designer Select club while a few I just had to have. While I love FQ bundles they don't lend themselves to an organized look, unless I want to get some background or coordinating fabric. Right now I really want to use the FQ bundles without other fabric added. I see it as a challenge to grow as a quilter.
And therein lies my problem. I just can't seem to do scrappy, even though I really want to. I think it would be fun to just sew and not 'worry' about if a piece goes with the piece next to it. Not only would it be fun, but it might be a little bit more relaxing, who knows.
So I need your help. I need some pattern suggestion, hints on how to make scrappy quilts and lots of eye candy to inspire me to start using those FQ bundles. I am planning on making a quilt with the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Atkinson's Designs. I think it's perfect for the Sandy Gervais Designer Select bundle, made with Sassy fabric . But that's as far as my plans go.
I'm ashamed to list all the FQ bundles I have to use. I have never been one that had a stash, all that unused fabric makes me sad and a little guilty, so imagine how I feel about these FQ bundles. But I am going to swallow my pride and list them anyway.
So here goes...
Bunny Hill - Puttin' on The Ritz Designer Select bundle
Aqua Red by Michael Miller
Anne Kelle - Zoology Designer Select bundle
Fig Tree - Butterscotch and Roses Designer Select bundle
Daisy Dance
Pam Kitty Morning
Bold and Beautiful
Daisy Cottage
Twirl
A Stitch in Color
Pear Tree
Stockholm
No Bullying
Flower Shop I Heart
Amelia
Ruby
Little Apples
So it's your turn now...inspire me please.
Sharia Honor Killings And Western Culture And Laws
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Roanoke Times, 1-3-12, Pg 5: Jury finds Afghan family guilty in 4 honor killings.
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The actions of too many Radical Muslims stand in stark contrast to the assurances from our virtual-Muslim President that the Muslim religion and the Koran and Sharia Law and the Madrasas schools all represent a kind and gentle way of life and that the problem is that we “westerners” just don’t understand this culture.
Of particular interest is the number of liberal-progressive women who buy into the Obama view about this subject apparently oblivious to the reality of how women are treated under Sharia Law.
-
A current stark example is that a jury in Kingston Ontario found an Afghan family guilty of 'honor' killing three teenage sisters.
KINGSTON, Ontario – A jury on Sunday found an Afghan father, his wife and their son guilty of killing three teenage sisters and a co-wife in what the judge described as "cold-blooded, shameful murders" resulting from a "twisted concept of honor" in a case that shocked and riveted Canadians.
Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three teenage sisters because they dishonored the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and using the Internet.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/29/jury-finds-afghan-family-guilty-in-honor-killings/
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Islam is not just a Religion – it can be a dogmatic Government System that controls its subjects through Sharia Law with unbelievably harsh penalties and restrictions on all aspects of life.
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/08/roanoke-times-embraces-islam.html
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20 States have started drafting legislation that requires all Civil and Criminal processes to disregard Sharia Law and only use Federal and State Laws.
Washington Times, 8 -22-11: Muslims see ‘foreign law’ bill as attack on Sharia; Defenders call it buffer for courts.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/22/muslims-see-foreign-law-bill-as-attack-on-shariah/?page=all
-
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Followers of radical Islam have declared jihad against Christians, Jews, non-Muslims and secularists - simply because they regard us as infidels:
http://www.actforamerica.org/
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The rise of home-grown terrorists (a video presentation):
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid949801312001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E,AAAACEco_Vk%7E,9bOat4XcfB_88ri1a3UMdKnLpH9aM8Fv&bclid=0&bctid=1271237687001
-
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Teddy Roosevelt’s challenge of 1907 is vitally important today for ALL people in America.
http://www.roanokeslant.org/American.jpg
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http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/12/to-assimilate-or-not.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2011/01/obamas-radical-muslin-brothers-taking.html
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http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2011/12/obama-and-biden-so-blind-they-refuse-to.html
-
Roanoke Times, 1-3-12, Pg 5: Jury finds Afghan family guilty in 4 honor killings.
-
The actions of too many Radical Muslims stand in stark contrast to the assurances from our virtual-Muslim President that the Muslim religion and the Koran and Sharia Law and the Madrasas schools all represent a kind and gentle way of life and that the problem is that we “westerners” just don’t understand this culture.
Of particular interest is the number of liberal-progressive women who buy into the Obama view about this subject apparently oblivious to the reality of how women are treated under Sharia Law.
-
A current stark example is that a jury in Kingston Ontario found an Afghan family guilty of 'honor' killing three teenage sisters.
KINGSTON, Ontario – A jury on Sunday found an Afghan father, his wife and their son guilty of killing three teenage sisters and a co-wife in what the judge described as "cold-blooded, shameful murders" resulting from a "twisted concept of honor" in a case that shocked and riveted Canadians.
Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three teenage sisters because they dishonored the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and using the Internet.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/29/jury-finds-afghan-family-guilty-in-honor-killings/
-
Islam is not just a Religion – it can be a dogmatic Government System that controls its subjects through Sharia Law with unbelievably harsh penalties and restrictions on all aspects of life.
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/08/roanoke-times-embraces-islam.html
-
20 States have started drafting legislation that requires all Civil and Criminal processes to disregard Sharia Law and only use Federal and State Laws.
Washington Times, 8 -22-11: Muslims see ‘foreign law’ bill as attack on Sharia; Defenders call it buffer for courts.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/22/muslims-see-foreign-law-bill-as-attack-on-shariah/?page=all
-
-
Followers of radical Islam have declared jihad against Christians, Jews, non-Muslims and secularists - simply because they regard us as infidels:
http://www.actforamerica.org/
-
The rise of home-grown terrorists (a video presentation):
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid949801312001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E,AAAACEco_Vk%7E,9bOat4XcfB_88ri1a3UMdKnLpH9aM8Fv&bclid=0&bctid=1271237687001
-
-
Teddy Roosevelt’s challenge of 1907 is vitally important today for ALL people in America.
http://www.roanokeslant.org/American.jpg
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/12/to-assimilate-or-not.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2011/01/obamas-radical-muslin-brothers-taking.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2011/12/obama-and-biden-so-blind-they-refuse-to.html
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HOW TO GET STARTED IN COMICS AND LAST THE COURSE...
The answer is simple. Be good at what you do. Try and be at least as good as the very best, or even better if you can be. And don't be deterred when those who aren't very good at what they do seem to get the breaks and you don't. That sometimes happens when editors who aren't very good at what they do (and there's a lot of them) try and be different for the sake of it, or simply act out of expediency or desperation.
And if or when you do get the breaks, don't ever think that you can't or don't need to be better than you are. There's always someone behind you looking to take your place. And remember...even if you've got a lot of talent, you also often need a lot of luck. This might not seem fair, especially as those with little (or no) talent who got there before you only seem to have required a little luck, but that's sometimes the way the cookie crumbles.
Finally, whatever you do, when you see some talentless hack get his work published, don't be tempted to think that if he can get by with drawing badly rendered, incomprehensible, splodgy, childish scribbles, that you can too. Never take the easy route, even if it seems to be what's in vogue at the time. Tastes change, but talent is forever. So, work at being talented, not popular. That'll take care of itself.
And if you do make it, don't forget that you're in a minority niche market in which the majority of the population have little interest, so don't become a smug, arrogant prat towards those outside of your little 'club'. Remember that some people may have higher and more lucrative aspirations. (And may well have achieved them for all you know.)
Now there's some truly smart advice.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
PRESENTING A PERSONAL PERUSAL OF A 'POWER PACK' PUBLICATION...
One of my very favourite comics from the past is one that regular readers of this humble blog will doubtless have noticed me refer to before - FANTASTIC. This worthy weekly was published by ODHAMS PRESS, the debut issue being cover-dated February 18th, 1967. At the time of its release, I was too busy lusting over the feminine charms of SUSAN STORM in the pages of WHAM! to pay much attention to the arrival of this new periodical, but my mother bought me a later issue from a newsagent's kiosk on our way home from shopping one day.
The issue in question was #7 (cover-dated April 1st) - and I was hooked! How could I not be, with stories like THOR - "THE THUNDER GOD AND THE THUG!", X-MEN - "TRAPPED: ONE X-MAN!", IRON MAN - "VERSUS KALA, QUEEN OF THE NETHERWORLD!", alongside the superb adventures of THE MISSING LINK for good measure? I soon acquired the earlier issues, and it wasn't long before I became a POWER COMICS junkie, buying all five of the weekly publications regularly. (Wham!, SMASH!, POW!, Fantastic, and TERRIFIC.) 
Fantastic had forty pages per issue, but not even that number could accommodate the above tales in their entirety, so only the first halves of the Thor and X-Men stories were presented, the remainder of these particular adventures being completed the following week. These early LEE/KIRBY/HECK MARVEL epics were printed in black and white, but that - and the fact that some characters' names were changed from their American originals - didn't seem to spoil the readers' enjoyment one whit.
For example, THE BLACK WIDOW's name of NATASHA was altered to NATASIA (although perhaps they're pronounced the same, who knows?) and THE RED GHOST's moniker was changed (for reasons that later became obvious to me) to THE APE MASTER. I can still remember my astonishment in a shop one day at seeing the same story (FF #13) in an issue of COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS that I had already read in WHAM! and my bewilderment at the altered appellation of the baddie. How was such a thing possible, I wondered.
Nowadays, of course, I can see that the amended lettering in the British reprints is easily discernible, although it wasn't quite so apparent to me back when I was a lickle kiddie-winkie. (Okay, I was eight - but that's still 'lickle' in my book.)
Nowadays, of course, I can see that the amended lettering in the British reprints is easily discernible, although it wasn't quite so apparent to me back when I was a lickle kiddie-winkie. (Okay, I was eight - but that's still 'lickle' in my book.)Anyway, I have very fond memories of Fantastic #7, so I thought I'd kindly share a few pages with you here. Remember, if you enjoy them half as much as me, then I'll have enjoyed them twice as much as you. (Profound, or what?) Doh!
Ski orienteering on TV
I watched most of the Swedish ski orienteering championships this morning (thanks to SVT Play). I thought the coverage was good. The commentators noted that a viewer suggested helicopter views to show the skiers in the terrain. I'm sure the coverage could have been even better with more cameras. But, I can't imagine there's a bunch of money sitting around waiting to be spent on ski
Mr Dotcom is in police custody in New Zealand
Mr Dotcom is in police custody in New Zealand
Who Is Mr Dotcom. MegaUpload.com
Who Is Mr Dotcom. MegaUpload.com
Mr Dotcom is in police custody in New Zealand on suspicion of leading of a global criminal conspiracy to pirate films, music and television shows via his website Megaupload.com. A dual German-Finnish citizen, he has been refused bail as a flight risk and if extradited and found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in a United States federal penitentiary.
This week is not the first he has spent in a cell, however. In 1998 he was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence for a string of hacking offences stretching back four years. After the conviction, Mr Dotcom set up a legitimate computer security firm and sold it at the height of the dotcom boom to become a millionaire. The firm went bust in the crash, but he had already begun a jet set lifestyle.
Further convictions and jail time for insider trading and embezzlement followed, as well as a strange, publicity-seeking effort to find Osama bin Laden, before he set up Megaupload.com in Hong Kong.
It began in 2005 as a simple “cyber locker”, offering users a way to store and share large files online. It was one of dozens of similar operations that sprung up to advantage of the tumbling price of computer storage and internet bandwidth.
In a bizarre email in 2010 to new neighbours concerned by his criminal past, Mr Dotcom claimed he was a “good boy” and that his firm employed more than 100 people. He suggested they either “call Interpol, the CIA and the Queen of England, and try to get me on the next plane out” or “give me a chance to do good for New Zealand”.
Megaupload.com was certainly a success and had spawned spin-off service including Megaporn.com and Megavideo.com, a video streaming website that allowed users to upload whole films and television episodes for others to watch for free within their browser. The websites were free to access and carried advertising, but for a monthly subscription of at least $9.99 per month user could get faster downloads, or unlimited streaming.
According to American authorities, the operation generated more than $175m in "illegal profits" by infringing copyright on a "massive scale". They also allege that in contrast to comparable services such as YouTube, which is run by Google, Kim Dotcom and six of his associates deliberately ignored requests from copyright holders to take down pirated material.
“The conspirators would disable only a single link to the file, deliberately and deceptively leaving the infringing content in place to make it seamlessly available to millions of users,” the Department of Justice said.
Megaupload.com nevertheless enjoyed support from major recording artists such as Kanye West, and its lawyers have claimed the website was “just like YouTube”. It was shut down by court order at the same time as four of its operators were arrested on Friday.
Their leader, Mr Dotcom, was detained with a sawn-off shotgun after authorities arrived by helicopter and cut into a “panic room” at his mansion.
This week is not the first he has spent in a cell, however. In 1998 he was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence for a string of hacking offences stretching back four years. After the conviction, Mr Dotcom set up a legitimate computer security firm and sold it at the height of the dotcom boom to become a millionaire. The firm went bust in the crash, but he had already begun a jet set lifestyle.
Further convictions and jail time for insider trading and embezzlement followed, as well as a strange, publicity-seeking effort to find Osama bin Laden, before he set up Megaupload.com in Hong Kong.
It began in 2005 as a simple “cyber locker”, offering users a way to store and share large files online. It was one of dozens of similar operations that sprung up to advantage of the tumbling price of computer storage and internet bandwidth.
In a bizarre email in 2010 to new neighbours concerned by his criminal past, Mr Dotcom claimed he was a “good boy” and that his firm employed more than 100 people. He suggested they either “call Interpol, the CIA and the Queen of England, and try to get me on the next plane out” or “give me a chance to do good for New Zealand”.
Megaupload.com was certainly a success and had spawned spin-off service including Megaporn.com and Megavideo.com, a video streaming website that allowed users to upload whole films and television episodes for others to watch for free within their browser. The websites were free to access and carried advertising, but for a monthly subscription of at least $9.99 per month user could get faster downloads, or unlimited streaming.
According to American authorities, the operation generated more than $175m in "illegal profits" by infringing copyright on a "massive scale". They also allege that in contrast to comparable services such as YouTube, which is run by Google, Kim Dotcom and six of his associates deliberately ignored requests from copyright holders to take down pirated material.
“The conspirators would disable only a single link to the file, deliberately and deceptively leaving the infringing content in place to make it seamlessly available to millions of users,” the Department of Justice said.
Megaupload.com nevertheless enjoyed support from major recording artists such as Kanye West, and its lawyers have claimed the website was “just like YouTube”. It was shut down by court order at the same time as four of its operators were arrested on Friday.
Their leader, Mr Dotcom, was detained with a sawn-off shotgun after authorities arrived by helicopter and cut into a “panic room” at his mansion.
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Why The FBI is Shutting Down MegaUpload ?
Why The FBI is Shutting Down MegaUpload ?
FBI is Shutting Down MegaUpload NOTICE
DOCUMENT: Read the indictment against MegaUpload
In a joint statement, the Justice Department and FBI called the action "among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States."
Ira Rothken, an attorney for MegaUpload, said in an interview that he only learned of the actions in a press release this morning and had not yet read the entire indictment. "Our initial impression is that the allegations are without merit and MegaUpload is going to vigorously contest them," he said. "We have deep concerns over due process and assets being taken without the opportunity for a hearing."
According to the indictment, the operators of MegaUpload earned more than $175 million in illegal profits and caused an estimated $500 million in harm to copyright holders.
The site is advertised as having more than 50 million daily visitors, according to federal authorities.
Four of MegaUpload's operators have been arrested in New Zealand, while three more remain at large. The seven each face a maximum of 55 years in prison.
Not listed on the indictment is rapper Swizz Beatz -- real name Kasseem Dean -- who, according to a report in the New York Post, is the CEO of MegaUpload. Beatz is married to pop singer Alicia Keys.
Rothken said that Beatz had not been running the site but that recently there had been "a transition period going on."
The news is sure to be welcome in the entertainment industry, whose leaders have faced a recent setback in their push for the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act. The proposed bills, if passed, would make it easier for U.S. courts to go after piracy sites that, unlike MegaUpload, operate entirely overseas.
FBI is Shutting Down MegaUpload NOTICE
The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it has conducted a major action to shut down MegaUpload, a popular file-sharing site widely used for free downloads of movies and television shows.
Justice Department indictment of MegaUpload After receiving indictments from a grand jury in Virginia for racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and other charges on Jan. 5, federal authorities on Thursday arrested four people and executed more than 20 search warrants in the U.S. and eight foreign countries, seizing 18 domain names and an estimated $50 million in assets, including servers run in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
MegaUpload is a "digital locker" that allows users to store files that can then be streamed or downloaded by others. Its subsidiary site MegaVideo became very popular for the unauthorized downloads of movies and TV shows. Users whose uploaded content proved particularly popular were paid for their participation.
Justice Department indictment of MegaUpload After receiving indictments from a grand jury in Virginia for racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and other charges on Jan. 5, federal authorities on Thursday arrested four people and executed more than 20 search warrants in the U.S. and eight foreign countries, seizing 18 domain names and an estimated $50 million in assets, including servers run in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
MegaUpload is a "digital locker" that allows users to store files that can then be streamed or downloaded by others. Its subsidiary site MegaVideo became very popular for the unauthorized downloads of movies and TV shows. Users whose uploaded content proved particularly popular were paid for their participation.
DOCUMENT: Read the indictment against MegaUpload
In a joint statement, the Justice Department and FBI called the action "among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States."
Ira Rothken, an attorney for MegaUpload, said in an interview that he only learned of the actions in a press release this morning and had not yet read the entire indictment. "Our initial impression is that the allegations are without merit and MegaUpload is going to vigorously contest them," he said. "We have deep concerns over due process and assets being taken without the opportunity for a hearing."
According to the indictment, the operators of MegaUpload earned more than $175 million in illegal profits and caused an estimated $500 million in harm to copyright holders.
The site is advertised as having more than 50 million daily visitors, according to federal authorities.
Four of MegaUpload's operators have been arrested in New Zealand, while three more remain at large. The seven each face a maximum of 55 years in prison.
Not listed on the indictment is rapper Swizz Beatz -- real name Kasseem Dean -- who, according to a report in the New York Post, is the CEO of MegaUpload. Beatz is married to pop singer Alicia Keys.
Rothken said that Beatz had not been running the site but that recently there had been "a transition period going on."
The news is sure to be welcome in the entertainment industry, whose leaders have faced a recent setback in their push for the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act. The proposed bills, if passed, would make it easier for U.S. courts to go after piracy sites that, unlike MegaUpload, operate entirely overseas.
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Comment and Share to your friends!!
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MegaUpload.com megaupload.com FBI Block The megaupload.com
MegaUpload.com megaupload.com megaupload.com
Why The megaupload.com is Block
FBI Block The megaupload.com
The 38-year-old has a list of financial and computer hacking convictions to make the BBC’s modern Moriarty blush, and a multimillion pound fleet of vehicles bearing number plates such as “GUILTY”, “MAFIA” and “GOD”. Standing 6ft7ins and heavy set, the married father-of-three is the personification of the old saw “larger than life”.
Even his adopted name, Kim Dotcom, recalls those earlier, wilder times online.
His extravagant lifestyle is seriously threatened, however, by a potentially lengthy prison sentence. So is his status as one of the world’s best players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the bestselling video game.
Mr Dotcom is in police custody in New Zealand on suspicion of leading of a global criminal conspiracy to pirate films, music and television shows via his website Megaupload.com. A dual German-Finnish citizen, he has been refused bail as a flight risk and if extradited and found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in a United States federal penitentiary.
Why The megaupload.com is Block
FBI Block The megaupload.com
The 38-year-old has a list of financial and computer hacking convictions to make the BBC’s modern Moriarty blush, and a multimillion pound fleet of vehicles bearing number plates such as “GUILTY”, “MAFIA” and “GOD”. Standing 6ft7ins and heavy set, the married father-of-three is the personification of the old saw “larger than life”.
Even his adopted name, Kim Dotcom, recalls those earlier, wilder times online.
His extravagant lifestyle is seriously threatened, however, by a potentially lengthy prison sentence. So is his status as one of the world’s best players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the bestselling video game.
Mr Dotcom is in police custody in New Zealand on suspicion of leading of a global criminal conspiracy to pirate films, music and television shows via his website Megaupload.com. A dual German-Finnish citizen, he has been refused bail as a flight risk and if extradited and found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in a United States federal penitentiary.
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Comment and Share to your friends!!
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Creating some images of the ground with OL Laser
I use OL Laser to generate images of the ground from lidar/laser scan data. You can save the images and then open them as templates. The images can be helpful for fieldchecking.
Back to okansas.blogspot.com.
Back to okansas.blogspot.com.
Time Management Tips for Busy Professionals
How To Time Management Tips for Busy Professionals
Tips for Busy Professionals.
Tips for Busy Professionals.
Time Management Tips for Busy Professionals
If you feel like your life moves faster than a Nascar race, you're not alone. We are living in a time where dual income families and single parent homes are the norm, a sharp contrast to the happy sitcom families we grew up watching on TV.
Turn your email off. It may be hard to break away from your constant communication with the world, but if you check email twice per day instead, you will be amazed by how much time you save. Specify specific time frames during the day that you will devote to email and stick to your schedule.
Create email filters to send junk mail directly to the trash bin. With the latest version of Microsoft Outlook, you can right click on a junk message and add the sender to your Blocked Senders list, preventing any future messages from that sender from landing in your Inbox.
Hire a Virtual Assistant to handle administrative tasks. VAs are remote office administrators who can handle tasks including large mailings, contact management and other office duties. They can be hired for a simple project or on an ongoing basis. To find a VA, visit the International Virtual Assistants Association.
Get in the habit of using a To Do list every day. At the end of each day, make a list of items to complete the following day. This helps you put closure on the day so you don't leave worried about forgetting the tasks that await you tomorrow.
Manage your meetings. Set expectations when beginning a meeting by announcing a cut-off time. You could say something like, "I know you're busy too and I have another meeting at 3:00 so let's plan to wrap this up by 2:45." This not only keeps your schedule on track, but busy attendees will appreciate it as well. Keep an eye on the clock and stick to the time you have allotted.
Use pre-printed lists for supplies, groceries, etc. Make a list of the office supplies that you use regularly and post one on a bulletin board near your desk. Simply check off the supplies you need when you run low so you remember what you need to reorder. This system works well for groceries and household supplies too. Get your family in the habit of checking off items that are running low so you never again forget to pick something up at the grocery store.
Freeze leftovers. If you have a serving or two left of tonight's dinner and you know nobody will want it tomorrow, put it in a freezer safe container and save it for lunch or a quick dinner option in the upcoming weeks.
Don't forget the most important time management tip- make time for yourself.
If you feel like your life moves faster than a Nascar race, you're not alone. We are living in a time where dual income families and single parent homes are the norm, a sharp contrast to the happy sitcom families we grew up watching on TV.
Turn your email off. It may be hard to break away from your constant communication with the world, but if you check email twice per day instead, you will be amazed by how much time you save. Specify specific time frames during the day that you will devote to email and stick to your schedule.
Create email filters to send junk mail directly to the trash bin. With the latest version of Microsoft Outlook, you can right click on a junk message and add the sender to your Blocked Senders list, preventing any future messages from that sender from landing in your Inbox.
Hire a Virtual Assistant to handle administrative tasks. VAs are remote office administrators who can handle tasks including large mailings, contact management and other office duties. They can be hired for a simple project or on an ongoing basis. To find a VA, visit the International Virtual Assistants Association.
Get in the habit of using a To Do list every day. At the end of each day, make a list of items to complete the following day. This helps you put closure on the day so you don't leave worried about forgetting the tasks that await you tomorrow.
Manage your meetings. Set expectations when beginning a meeting by announcing a cut-off time. You could say something like, "I know you're busy too and I have another meeting at 3:00 so let's plan to wrap this up by 2:45." This not only keeps your schedule on track, but busy attendees will appreciate it as well. Keep an eye on the clock and stick to the time you have allotted.
Use pre-printed lists for supplies, groceries, etc. Make a list of the office supplies that you use regularly and post one on a bulletin board near your desk. Simply check off the supplies you need when you run low so you remember what you need to reorder. This system works well for groceries and household supplies too. Get your family in the habit of checking off items that are running low so you never again forget to pick something up at the grocery store.
Freeze leftovers. If you have a serving or two left of tonight's dinner and you know nobody will want it tomorrow, put it in a freezer safe container and save it for lunch or a quick dinner option in the upcoming weeks.
Don't forget the most important time management tip- make time for yourself.
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