VampireS Sumo

The pet industry is growing fast. More than ever before, people are treating their pets like members of their families. We now have many more pet shops, groomers, and veterinarians. Traveling with pets is becoming more common than ever before and the hospitality industry knows it. Breeders, kennels and good obedience trainers are becoming easier to find.
Finding the right pet is rewarding and comforting for many. As we live longer and some of us become empty nesters, our desire to have animals in our homes allows us to continue to love and nurture an animal as much as if it were a child of our own.

I have many reasons for wanting to work with animals and photograph them. One big reason is that people want to be recognized and to show others the comfort they enjoy with their pet. Some want to share the joy of having a new puppy. Some want to have memorable images of their older pet who might not be with them in a few months. There are many reasons why people want pet photos.

When Steve Cook, the editor of West End’s Best Magazine, asked me to write an article about being a pet photographer, I was flattered. I was telling Steve how I get the results and I came to realize that it just takes a lot of patience, persistence, and praise. Dogs are pack animals and will respect the leader of the pack and give the leader cooperation only when the leader has earned their trust and respect. The behavior I want from the dog is best when it is not forced but given willingly by the dog. That’s the only way you can get the dog to “smile”. Before my photo session begins, I talk to the dog, play with him, and give him a chance to do what dogs do. He is a dog, not a furry object. He has his own unique personality, sometimes shy, sometimes outgoing. For me it’s not about the breed, but more about the personality. Since I only have a short amount of time to get results, I think it is important that the dog be made to feel important and to understand that this get-together is all about him. He must see that he is the focus of the attention and he is very important to us. My success comes with this kind of cooperation, not control. You can control a dog for a few moments, but he might want to cooperate for a longer amount of time if you guide him towards the right attitude and behavior.

Before I begin photography, we might romp around for a short while before getting in front of the camera. I might ask the dog to sit or be obedient and then praise the dog with food treats. By using treats and rewards, I can get the dog’s attention. By gaining his trust, I try to become the pack leader for the session time. By showing them how persistent I can be, and how much I really want a certain pose, they understand that this get-together must be important. It’s not magic that I use, it is my respect for the animal’s individuality that gets me some very fine pet portraits. Add the pet’s human to the mixture, and we now have a captured moment that often shows the comfort shared between the owner and his or her pet! How wonderful it is for me when I deliver the images or album and hear how the owner can’t wait to show it around! That is my reward, my praise, my motivation!!!

Michael Waine is a professional photographer with over 30 years of experience.
He has been very successful in capturing the special moments people have with their pets.
Visit his website at michaelwaine.com/pets michaelwaine.com/pets to see his work.

Advancements in technology have blurred the lines between the tube for living
room entertainment, the Television, and the tube for work and games, the PC
(personal computer). The PC now allows us to watch television shows and to listen to
radio broadcasts virtually through any PC. All one needs is an extra hardware to
connect to the PC. Your PC is now a satellite TV.

This other hardware is called TV capture cards, and there are two types. One type must
be installed inside the PC, like a new DVD-ROM player. You need to connect it
securely inside the PC via data and power cables. The other type can just be an
external device that is connected to the PC via the USB port. Just an extra
hardware to buy in order to turn your PC into a satellite TV.

How does this hardware, the capture card, work? There exist cards that use the PC’s
internal workings to decode satellite-fed signals. The decoded signals can now
be watched on the PC’s monitor, as though it were a normal teelevision set. In this
context, you can think of the PCTV as some kind of filter. The TV “inside” the
PC can be viewed even while running other programs. And both types of cards can
receive Broadband Internet through a satellite feed, so that your PC becomes a
satellite TV.

To make certain that you PC becomes a satellite TV, that that extra hardware
works right. There must be some minimum requirements for your PC: it should be
at least a Pentium II at 333 MHz, with MS Windows 98, or ME, or XP installed
inside as the operating system. Also the CPU should be equipped with a sound
card, a CD-ROM drive, and USB slots. These you can have installed at t PC repair
shop should you be upgrading your PC or buying a new one just so your PC could
be a TV. Also, if you are the savvy type, install a media player of
choice, which can be anything from Windows media player, QuickTime, Real, or VLC.

Technology has pushed the level of entertainment to another level, making you PC
into satellite TV, and therefore expanding the range of shows you can watch.

Additional resource on this topic available, just click
squidoo.com/satellitetv_pc SATELLITE TV

The nodes (south and north node) are two points in an astrological chart that possess priceless information about one’s karmic past and soul-destined future.Calculated by using the birth data of the individual, the nodes symbolize the unique life path that one is on and can answer many questions about his own, as well as his partner’s, inner struggles and desires — answers that can transform not only his relationship but his life.

Since there are twelve signs of the zodiac, there are also twelve unique nodal positions — each pair of nodes (north and south) representing two opposite signs of the zodiac.
For instance, a Sagittarius sign north node is paired with an Gemini sign south node because they are opposites.
And because they are opposites, they create a clear picture of the dualistic struggle that resides within the Sagittarius north node/Gemini south node individual.

Often, the individual is unaware of the war taking place inside, a situation that could go on for years. As time passes he is dumfounded by his inability to progress in life - professionally, emotionally, and spiritually. He doesn′t understand why he keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again and continues to dwell on the past as he desperately dreams of the future.

All of us have our own set of visible (and invisible) struggles to work through — obstacles that the Nodes of the Moon can help us isolate and resolve while simultaneously freeing us to move forward on our destined path.

We all know that knowledge is power…and that’s why I offer a bit of it to you…to give you the strength and courage you need to not only live, but thrive.

This week I’d like to begin with a brief overview of the Sagittarius sign north node/Gemini sign south node position.

To start, let’s take a look at some keywords. These words describe the polarity between these two opposing signs and can offer you a glimpse of the soul journey that the individual with this nodal position is on.

Just remember that the south node represents the comfortable but not necessarily healthy habits within your personality - patterns that have accumulated over lifetimes that now need to be acknowledged and released.

The north node, on the other hand, represents your soul’s potential - the direction of the future…the behavioral habits that will lead you to greater happiness and the kind of life that you will find fulfilling.

Here are a few Gemini sign south node traits that should be put to rest, sort of speak, if the individual with this nodal position is to live an emotionally rich life:

Inconsistent, deceptive, nervous, tense, unreliable, distracted, moody, gossipy, easily bored, unfocused, manipulative, scattered, lost in the present, high-strung.

Here are a few Sagittarius sign north node traits that this individual might at first find foreign but eventually will need to embrace if he is to connect to his true soul potential and live the life he was meant to live:

Optimistic, straightforward, truth-seeking, ethical, goal-oriented, futuristic, philosophical, love for freedom, love for nature, love for travel (intellectual, spiritual, and/or physical), desire to teach.

The journey from a Gemini sign south node to a Sagittarius sign north node will not be easy. But then again, neither is anything else in life that’s worth doing.

Obstacles are simply strategically placed hurdles meant to remind us of our inner strength and hidden needs. Therefore, as long as the Sagittarius sign north node individual remembers that his soul is creating the kind of life he needs in order to evolve as a spiritual individual, he will make it through the transformation just fine.

The following are some of the hurdles that the Sagittarius north node individual must overcome in order to feel a sense of direction in his life;

• He must release his fear of commitment

• He must explore who he is at the core; what he believes in and what he is willing to defend

• He must stop participating in gossip and trying to pass others’ opinions as his own

• He must realize that constant duality in thought and action only leads to unsteadiness and confusion

• He must learn to make choices

• He must seek higher knowledge

• He must practice speaking his own truth

• He must let go of all that is superficial within himself and devote his life to searching out the real and natural

For only when the Sagittarius sign north individual masters the lessons mentioned above, will he be able to create the soul-connected existence he so desperately seeks.

The north node path is offering the Sagittarius sign soul an opportunity to gain wisdom, strength, and freedom. But it is still up to him to decide whether to accept the gift.

Having said all that, it might not be such a bad idea for the Sagittarius sign north node soul to surround himself with as many people and symbols that can support his journey. By encircling himself with people who understand him and symbols that exude the Sagittarius sign energy, he invites the support needed to follow his internal voice and path to fulfillment.

Now, if you’re reading this article and it’s your mate that has the Sagittarius sign north node, and you do that for your mate, well…that’s just about the greatest gift that you could ever give him/or her.

Why? Well, because there’s nothing like the feeling one gets when he realizes that he has found someone who really gets him — a true friend…lover…and the irreplaceable soul companion he’s been searching for his entire life.

…that soul companion who is you!

Have an adventurous journey my friend!

You may freely use this article on your blog, website or newsletter provided the above credit and active link are retained.

Copyright 2006 Romantic-ideas-for-life.com

Julia Simkin is the co-founder of

One word describes the CD Never Say Never from Brandy… AWESOME!

Never Say Never grabs your attention right from the beginning with Angel In Disguise and won’t let go until the very last note of the very last song I Do It Fory You, which is another great track by the way.

The nice thing about a CD like this is when the talent is this rich even if Pop isn’t your favorite style you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.

Overall Never Say Never is a solid release. Quite possibly Brandy’s best to date. Really sensational from beginning to end. If you’re even mildly into Pop music you’ll enjoy this album.

While the entire album is really very good some of my favorites are track 3, Boy Is Mine, track 4, Learn The Hard Way, and track 11, Put That On Everything.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5, Almost Doesn′t Count. Wow!

Never Say Never Release Notes:

Brandy originally released Never Say Never on Jun 09, 1998 on the Atlantic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Intro
2. Angel In Disguise
3. Boy Is Mine, The - (with Monica)
4. Learn The Hard Way
5. Almost Doesn’t Count
6. Top Of The World - (featuring Mase)
7. U Don’t Know Me (Like U Used To Know Me)
8. Never Say Never
9. Truthfully
10. Have You Ever?
11. Put That On Everything
12. In The Car Interlude
13. Happy
14. One Voice
15. Tomorrow
16. I Do It For You, (Everything I Do)

Personnel includes: Brandy, Monica (vocals); Mase (rap); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar); Isaac Phillips, Rick Williams, Anas Allaf, Michael Thompson (guitar); The Darkchild Orchestra (strings); David Foster (piano, keyboards); Harvey Mason Jr. (keyboards); Nathan East (bass); Harvey Mason Sr. (percussion); Rodney Jerkins, Simon Franglen, Chuckii Booker, Felipe Elgueta (programming); Joe, Shelly Peiken, Bebe Winans, Mervyn Warrin, Willie R. Norwood Sr., Kayla Parker, LaTonya Holman, Donyle Jones, Meri Thomas, Vatrena King, Alfie Silas, Bridgette Bryant, Kristle Murden, Mona Lisa Young, Nikisha Grier, Carmen Twillie, Carmen Carter, Bobbette Jamison, Alex Brown, Maxine Waters, Yvonne Williams, Ricky Nelson, Richard Jackson (background vocals). Producers: David Foster, Rodney Jerkins, Brandy.

Clyde Lee Dennis is a life long music enthusiast and in addition to writing music reviews he is also the Real Estate Editor at Oklahoma City: eNewsBriefs.com where he covers topics like

Vegas is the king of gambling destinations for poker players. Sure, there are more and more reservation casinos cropping up all over America, but Vegas still has the best gambling action. This is not just because there are more lights on the strip, and more shows, but because a Vegas poker room has the most competitive play and the highest payouts.

A Vegas poker room could be intimidating to novice players. Poker has seen such an upsurge in popularity lately that more people are playing poker at Vegas casinos than ever before—people who might not have the skills yet to play with the big boys. Depending on the casino, there may be a Vegas poker room for beginning players, as well as competitive gamblers. After all, beginners are more likely to win more than they lose, so Vegas casinos want every type of poker player to have a place to play.

Most every major casino in Vegas will feature a poker room. If they didn’t before, they do now, given the great demand for a Vegas poker room. The popularity of certain rooms changes during the year, so make sure which is the hottest game room going before you settle on a particular room.

Online casinos try to make the experience as much like a Vegas poker room as possible. In Vegas, the really high-stakes players will be given a variety of comps, including a hotel room. High-stakes online players will be sent gifts in the mail if they play at a certain level. In addition, high-stakes poker will try to mimic the feel of the Vegas casino. The high-stakes player may be able to enter an exclusive section of the casino software, mimicking the velvet rope of a real Vegas poker room.

Professional SEO. He helps a number of online gambling sites like:

doylesroom.com/ Poker
pokeraffiliatesprogram.com/ Poker Affiliate Program
doylespokerroom.com/ Poker Room

If you’re looking for an easy and quick way to make money on the internet then consider affiliate internet marketing. This is not a get rich quick scheme that requires you to put up a great deal of time and money. Affiliate internet marketing simply allows you to affiliate with existing companies and help sell their products or services. You get paid every time you make a sale.

You don’t have to buy any products yourself; all you do is affiliate with a company that will pay you a commission for helping to sell what they offer. If you have a website the company will provide you with tools such as banner ads to place on your website. These ads allow you to do affiliate internet marketing directly from your site. Every time a visitor to your site clicks the ad they are taken to the company’s website. If your visitor then makes a purchase, you get paid.

You can also do affiliate internet marketing by using your e-mail to send your friends and family to a company’s website. If they buy, you earn a commission. A good company that provides affiliate internet marketing opportunities pays a decent commission on each sale and pays on a regular basis. It will also provide excellent customer support to its affiliates. There are no risks with affiliate internet marketing, but there is an opportunity to get a steady income with very little effort on your part. It’s a program worth looking into.

Professional SEO. He helps a number of online gambling sites like:

doylesroom.com/ Poker
pokeraffiliatesprogram.com/” title=”Poker Affiliate Poker Affiliate Program
doylespokerroom.com/ Poker Room Online

Digital cameras are useless when their batteries run dry. Battery technologies have improved a lot in the last years but batteries still have just a limited energy capacity. To get more out of your batteries you should understand what digital camera feature consumer more power and how to minimize energy consumption.

Not all camera elements consume the same amount of energy. You can save battery energy by minimizing usage of battery energy guzzling features. The following is a list of battery hungry battery features minimizing usage of those features will provide you with longer battery life.

The digital camera elements can be divided to electronic and mechanical. The chipset and the CCD for example are electronic while the lenses focus motors are mechanical. Generally speaking mechanical elements tend to consume more energy than electronic elements for the same amount of usage time. The exception is the LCD screen that is an electronic element but is also a battery hungry one.

Here is a list of three components that consume the most energy in a typical digital camera and some ideas for how to minimize their consumption.

The LCD screen: Digital cameras allow viewing of digital photos immediately after they were taken on a small bright LCD screen built into the camera. This allows you to review the digital photo composition and to decide if the digital photo is good or if you need to take more photos. LCD screens are also convenient when used as view finders. You can use the LCD to see a real time view of the picture the camera is capturing and then hit the shutter button when you got the digital photo you are looking for. The drawback of the colorful bright LCD screen is that it consumes a lot of energy. If you ever wondered why those LCD screen are turned off automatically by the camera it is to save energy as if they were left on all the time the battery would last a very short time. To save battery try to minimize the usage of the LCD screen. If you have an optical view finder use it whenever possible instead of the LCD. Manually turn off the LCD and only turn it on when absolutely necessary to either access some digital camera menus or to preview a digital photo.

The motors: The digital camera mechanical components are powered by electrical motors. For example an auto focus is implemented by motors that move the lenses in and out. Some digital cameras also include motors that let the photographer control the zoom factor with a press of a button. Motors are electro-mechanical components. They are high energy consumers. The bigger and heavier the lens, for example using high zoom telescopic lenses, and the optical elements that the motor has to move the more energy is consumed. To minimize battery consumption move the digital camera components manually whenever possible. For example if the camera supports zoom in zoom out buttons avoid using them and instead manually move the lenses ring to change the zoom. Try to focus only when you are ready to take a digital photo. Avoid using continuous focusing and holding the shutter button half way for a long time as the motors will keep moving and consume energy during all that time.

The flash: Flash is used when taking digital photos in dark scenes or as fill-in when there are shades on the objects. Flash is an electro-optical component. Energy is charged into a special electronic component and later on that energy is discharged in a short time in the form of light energy. In general the brighter and longer distance a flash unit supports the more energy it consumes. Avoid using flash in scenes where there is enough ambient light.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing and photography in general on

A carefully thought out pre-flop strategy is essential if you are to win at Texas holdem poker.

Here is a basic Texas holdem pre-flop strategy to get you off to a winning start:

Tip 1 – Consider the Number of Players

With 10 people in the game, there is a greater chance of someone having a good hand, than in a game with a lesser number of players. Players need to be more cautious in large games as more players means more competition.

Tip 2 – Consider the Other Players Playing Style

Consider how the other players are playing and adapt your strategy to give you the best possible advantage against them.

For example, if you notice a player is raising every hand pre-flop, you should consider playing tighter. You can then take him out when you have a good hand in the pocket pre-flop.

Tip 3 - Your Bankroll

If you only have a small bankroll, you should play extremely carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players involved as possible for a good size pot.
On the other hand, if you have a large bankroll, you can take the higher-risk higher payout bets and be more aggressive.

Tip 4 - Consider Your Table Position

Players in late position have the ability to influence the size of the pot more than players in early position. This is especially true pre-flop. The dealer is obviously in the most advantageous position, as they get to see how all the players play before making their own playing decision.

Players must be more selective with their hands in early position, as they don’t have the advantage of seeing other players betting before they decide if they want to stay in the hand.

Players in late position can play weaker hands with less fear of loss.

Tip 5 – Know the Hands You Should Play

When playing Texas Holdem, it’s essential to know which hands you should pursue during pre-flop betting i.e. which hands are most likely to yield a win, and to determine which hands are worth risking money on.

There are many books and downloads on the Internet that will do this for you automatically, and for novice players these tools are useful until you gain experience

Tip 6 – Discipline

The most important pre-flop skill is to play with discipline and patience.

The idea is to only play a hand when you have an advantage.

You have to beat 10 other Poker players, and most of the time, your hand will simply not be good enough to win.

Playing only the hands when you have an advantage requires a great deal of discipline, since you will not be involved in many pots.

Playing with this strategy, will however, provide you with a lot of time to study other players and their potential weaknesses that you can exploit.

Texas holdem is a game of psychology as well as odds, and the above are general pre-flop strategy guidelines to follow.

To find out more win-at-online-poker.com/poker-articles-sitemap.html Texas Holdem Pre Flop tips and playing strategies to help you win more often visit our web site: win-at-online-poker.com/index.html Win-At-Online-Poker.com

Here they are some useful online casino tips for choosing the right online casino.

1) Find an online casino portal, usually these online casino portals are packed with information to filter the casinos you want to play at. I call all these online differences, features. Here are some examples of online casino features: some online casinos have tournaments, other have free games, other have free playtime, you get the idea right?

2) Look for the best online casino page in the portal, usually online casino portal owners rank the online casinos in order of features, customer service, bonuses and brand recognition.

3) When you click and visit a casino, take a look at the casino bonus offered. Usually all online casinos have a promotion page. And usually they may have more than one promotion. For example if you deposit 50 you can get a bonus, but if you deposit more you can get a better bonus, which equals a better buck for your money!

4) Usually online casinos will give you the bonus immediately or some may take some time to credit the bonus. In some casinos you have to go again to the website to fill a fast form for the bonus, where you will just add your user id and email and that’s it. It will be credited in the next couple of hours.

5) Check out the loyalty section, since you will be playing regularly in the casino of your choice it is important to have loyalty points, which can be converted to cash when you accumulate lots of playing points.

So have fun and good luck in your online casino journey!

Fernando Trevino is an online gambling reviewer

Clay sculptures have been a popular art form since pre-historic times. The popularity of this art form was historically due to the availability of the materials used to create them. Today this art form is used as a fine art form, a therapy art and as a learning art form.

To create clay sculptures you first need the right tools and materials. First of all you will need the right type of clay. Sculpting clay, also referred to as potter’s clay, has been cleaned of impurities and it has a fairly homogenous consistency. Potter’s clay comes in a variety of volumes from 5 pound blocks to 100 pound blocks. After you have bought your potter’s clay you will next need shaping and cutting tools. You can use just about anything for a shaping tool. Some common items used for shaping clay include knives, forks and texture tools. You will also want to get a wire for cutting the clay. In order to stabilize your clay sculpture you will need a kiln to fire your sculpture. These high temperature ovens come in a variety of sizes from small table top models to extra large corner units. The final items that you will need are glazes.

After you have all of the supplies and materials needed for your clay sculptures you will be ready to start. The first step is to figure out what you want to sculpt. You may want to sketch out your ideas so that you have a visual reference to refer to when working with the clay. Next you will want to use your wire to cut off a piece of clay to work with. To start with the clay will be hard to manipulate, however, as you work with the clay it will soften and become more pliable. Work your clay into the shape that you want using your hands, fingers and shaping tools. Common shaping techniques for clay include rolling, balling and pinching. After you complete your sculpture you will want to fire it in the kiln and allow it to cool. You can then glaze the item and re-fire it. This will cure the glaze and finish your sculpture.

Learn about the culture and art of the Philippines including filipinosculptures.info/filipino_sculptures.html” target=”_blank Filipino clay sculptures, antique carvings and pottery - filipinosculptures.info/sculptures_from_philippines.html” target=”_blank Philippine Sculptures is your source for information on Filipino art, music and traditional culture. Art lovers who travel to the Philippines can find both traditional and contemporary pieces that will compliment just about any decor. For more on cultural and historical art of the world also check out masksofafrica.net/masks_africa.html” target=”_blank masks of Africa.