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Now, even the most nefarious politicians have clean hands. Just ask them and they’ll show them to you. How is that possible? Have they all suddenly been overcome by moral rectitude?

Not at all. While we’re free to tell ourselves such a fairytale, the surprising feat is due entirely to the wide use of hand disinfectant.

It seems that politicians have discovered the germ theory of disease. They know if they go out and shake a multitude of hands, they’re likely to get cold and flu germs on them and who knows what else.

“Good stuff, keeps you from getting colds,” President Bush raved. “I even use it after I touch my wife.”

So it appears that now most politicians are they’re taking the precaution of scrubbing their hands with disinfectant immediately after every glad-handing event.

A favorite user is Dick Cheney, who, as we all know, has hands that are saintly clean, even without disinfectant. Just ask him.

Of course, there are politicians who are disaffected with the entire practice. They think it shows disrespect for voters and prevents candidates from experiencing the joys of human contact.

“It’s condescending to the voters,” Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who, it seems holds the Guinness Book of World Records mark for shaking the most hands within one eight-hour period. “The great part about politics is that you’re touching humanity,” he maintains. “You’re going to collect bacteria just by existing.”

It seems we still have a while to wait for a disinfectant that will clean up dirty politics.

Tom Attea, humorist and creator of NewsLaugh.com NewsLaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway. Critics have called his writing “delightfully funny,” “witty,” with “good, genuine laughs” and “great humor and ebullience.”

If you enjoy playing poker and making lots of money then you should check out bonus poker or bonus poker deluxe. Both bonus poker and bonus poker deluxe are virtually the same game and are both very simple to learn, play, and win with. Here is a quick rundown of the rules and how to win at bonus poker and the deluxe version.

You are dealt five cards and can then choose to keep or discard up to five cards. In the game of bonus poker and deluxe aces, 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s have a higher payout than any other 4 of a kind. You multiply your winning by 4 when playing the bonus poker game and the deluxe version. You win with all standard poker hands.

It is important to note that jokers are wild and can be used to create winning hands, but you cannot use jokers in the bonus game of bonus poker.

Here are the bonus games you can play with bonus poker and bonus poker deluxe. You can multiply a winning hand by clicking ‘double’. The bonus game has begun and you must predict whether the face down card is red or black and select its suit. If you guess both the correct color and suit your winning in bonus poker deluxe are multiplied by 4. You will now have the option to collect your winnings or to play the bonus game again.

Here are some examples of the potential payouts you can earn. A straight pays 3x your bet, a 4 of a kind pays 18x your bet, and the king of them all, a natural royal flush will pay 800x your bet when you bet the maximum number of coins. Playing bonus poker and bonus poker deluxe is an easy way to increase your winnings four fold.

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These two factors are skill and focus. You need poker skills in order to realize what decision to make. Sometimes you will have to raise, other times you will have to fold, and other times you will have to bluff. You will also need focus in order to use your poker skills to the maximum. There’s no use in having excellent poker skills if you cannot properly use them, now is it?

There are also other factors that influence your poker game, such as the fear factor. And they influence it in a negative manner. Just think about it for a second. Every activity has a certain degree or risk in it. That risk makes us uncomfortable, makes us scared of an unwanted outcome. It gets worse when you are playing poker. You are competing against real people and all of them want to get the pot. That means that all of them can do pretty much everything to get the pot. Well, they cannot break the rules, but they can use your own fears against you. If they can figure out what you want, they will try to prevent you from getting that thing. If they can figure out what makes you afraid, they will use that information to their advantage.

But what are poker players afraid of? The truth of the matter is that there are plenty of things that worry and scare a poker player. All the things that make you worry when you are playing poker are actually part of the fear factor. Let’s say that you just made a big raise, you will surely be afraid or concerned that someone will call you. The same applies to when you call, bluff, bet, re-raise, and so on.

Being afraid or concerned is a good thing. There is quite a lot of money on the line and you should by all means be a bit afraid. But you must not get your emotions get the best of you. Remember that you must stay focused and on top of your game. Try not to show your opponents any of your fears, and try to take advantage of the fears and concerns that they display. If you are afraid of the competition, try playing fewer hands and tighten up your game.

The thing that you must realize is that fear can considerably influence your game. If you keep your emotions in check, then that fear will help you be more focused, will help you play better. If on the other hand you let your emotions run wild, if you let your fears get the best of you, you will only lose. To have a profitable poker session you must stay calm, keep a cool head, and stay focused on the game.

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1—Stars over Germany

[1990s]

2—Octoberfest—1970

[Munich, West Germany]

3—Black Forest Cast

[Bravura’s-deep; l970]

4—A Lazy Day in Augsburg

[West Germany--1970]

5—Wakening of the Mosel

[In the Valley of the Mosel/1976]

1. Stars over Germany

Ah! When ere, long I watched

Your stars reach

From east to west; now

I, as ye (saw)—enmeshed in a day,

(From darkness come light?)

Your wings become one?—

Come! The ancient flame waits

The exiled—land, once your cast

(Homesick) all is now one Germany!…

#1176 2/6/2006

Note: Perhaps this poem is long overdue, but one can only write poetry when it is clear that it is time.

Germany, remains precious within my being, I lived there for four and half years, in the 1970s; it is a most wondrous and beautiful land, with a medieval delightful touch.

I am very proud they found a way to unite east and west, to become one Germany.

2. Octoberfest—1970

O Munich, Munich! Evermore—,

To hear the dancing, and bronze horns!

(Once more…)

The flavored birch beer, pleasing to thy heart!

I dream of your Octoberfest—, cast;

To wake and know thy presence is

O’ so near—

Thou twilight of your affect, upon thy eyes,

And thoughts, shapes my soul,

Endlessly…!

Note: the author attended the 1970 Octoberfest in Germany, it was perhaps one of the few highlights of his first visit, and stay in Germany, of which was for ten-months.

3. Black Forest Cast [Bavaria’s Deep]

Wherewith beauty is’s cast:

In the ‘Black Forest,’ of Bavaria;

Wherein, the sunlit tender sky,

Beams the light within the

Winters gleam, —

Penetrating the forests white

Beauty fashioned—far and near:

Here, yes—here is where beauty’s

Cast…!

In the 1970s, the author was in the wintry snow, within the Black Forest, with a few friends—whom got stuck with their VW (several times) and felt lucky they made it out and back to Augsburg, with no frozen parts to their bodies. #1177 2/6/06

4. A Lazy Day in Augsburg [West Germany—1970]

Now in the forenoon, here I lie

(No work, no place to go)

Against a big oak tree I rest:

Where still: the green grass grows.

Here! The warm blue sky

Looks down on me—,

Doubtless, she’s jealous today,

But nonetheless, she doesn’t protest,

She just weaves her golden

Rays—to me!

Notes: The author spent much time in Augsburg, Germany, as an American Soldier, in the 𚦪s, and he remembers this moment from a picture he had, and gave it to his son, whom joined the Army Rangers, and likewise, sent his father a picture of him, doing the same thing (sitting back by a tree with his green fatigues on) but with a smirky-smile (Cody); Cody also went to the Octoberfest but 20-years after his father; when he was in the US Army.

5. Wakening of the Mosel (The Valley and River 1976)

Of orchards fresh and mild—

I roamed the unforgotten

Mosel Valley;

How fair the wine vinegars were!

How refreshing the long-valley

Breeze!

The hum of the river and bees.

The view o’er the mountain

I bent to look…

All-innocent, with love and fate, —

With memories I cannot fathom

Now—

And words indiscreet!

Note: among the many places Dennis visited during his two stays in Germany, the Mosel Valley, its river and castles were among the greatest highlights. It is seldom a poet can go back to the moment to capture the event. It took Dennis 30-years to write the 12-poems he did on Vietnam, and when he wrote them, it was in less than a week. Here again, is that magical moment in his poems on Germany, 36-years ago.

See Dennis’ web site: dennissiluk.tripod.com dennissiluk.tripod.com See his new book out: poetry on Minnesota, go to bn.com bn.com or amazon.com amazon.com

Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It’s easy and quick. Just as easy and quick is touching up those digital photos. Is your image too dark? Is there a glare that is affecting the picture quality? Red eyes are often another problem with using a flash. Many of these things and others can be corrected with the use of digital photo touchups. Here are some quick tips to improving your photo quality.

Probably the best way to fix digital photo touchups is to not have any! As obvious as this sounds, it is a common problem that can be rectified easily. Read your owners manual that came with your digital camera. Learn how your camera reacts to different light situations, shadows and glares. Prepare your picture by using your LCD screen. Taking a picture properly is the first step to not having problems with digital photo touchups.

Even still, mistakes and unexpected problems arise. Know your camera’s digital photography software. Most digital cameras come with software that can help you. Again, read the manual!

Software is available! Yes, you can purchase some great software to help you with digital touchups as well. If you are avid about having the best pictures out there, you can find many programs that will enable you to fix issues quickly and simply. But remember, a good piece of software shouldn’t cost you a ton either.

Standard software should provide for red eye removal, noise reduction, cropping, and other digital issues. Make sure the products you buy do these common things.

Use the black and white and sepia features to enhance the quality of your pictures in a unique way.

Check out the programs available online that can help as well. Find these by doing a web search for digital photography software. You may even find a free program as well.

Use the tools provided to you on your camera. Many digital cameras have features right on them to enable a clear shot, high resolution and more. Check your owner’s manual and learn to use these.

There is an unlimited amount of options available to digital photographers and their cameras. Buy software products that have some of these features if they interest you.

Be patient and play! Yes, to touch up your digital photos you should try new things and experiment. Be patient and learn all that is to learn about your software!

John Howard is an avid digital photographers. Visit his
website for tips and tricks at: 1st-digital-cameras.info Digital Photography

©2005 John Howard All Rights Reserved. This article may
be published in web based or email form as long as this
credit box is attached and the hyperlink is active. It
may not be altered or edited in any way.

n recent years many people like to have their own oil paintings. There are few companies in the market who offers ‘a painting from photo’ services. The whole process is done online when the customer sends his digital image directly to a studio who paints it. Once the artist finishes the painting, he will send it to the customer.

A painting from photo is highly complicated it is one of the most difficult style of painting. An artist who paints according to a given photo should be highly skillful and must have a long experience in paintings. There is no other style that requires such high level of technique. Any mistake in the painting may cause the customer to reject the painting. If a customer sends a photo of his daughter, hoping to have an oil portrait of her, he expects that all his daughter’s details will be capture carefully in the painting. If the artist makes a slight change in the facial details, it may change the whole appearance of the child. Therefore, the artist must have tools to help him to make the right proportions of the subject. When we talk about paintings from photos, we must remember that proportions are the basics to a successful painting.

The artist has various tools that he can use in order to start a painting according to a given photo. If the artist doesn’t use any tool and paints only according to his intuition, the painting will have a more artistic feeling but on the other hand it will be less accurate and may show the subject in the wrong proportions.

Listed below are some of the most popular tools an artist can use while making a portrait from a photo:

Roller: a roller is a special tool designed for artists to enable them to draw the outer lines of the subject to the canvas according to the proportions in the original photo. This special roller is placed on the photo and on the canvas at the same time, when the artist moves the roller on the subject in the photo, it moves in bigger proportion on the canvas. The side of the roller that moves on the canvas has a pencil attached to it so when it moves, it draws lines on the canvas. This is an accurate tool, it is cheap and it is easy to use.

Copy paper: some artists will print the photo on a paper which is in the same size as the canvas. They put a copy paper between the canvas and the printed image so when they move a pencil on the printed image, it is transferred lines of ink to the canvas. This is an accurate tool, it is relatively expensive but once you have the printed image it is fast to paint the proportions.

Printed canvases: in the last few years a new technique has developed to help the artists to capture the fine details and colours in the painting. This new method is very simple, The artist prints the image directly on the canvas. After the photo the artist will paint over the print. The quality of the painting is related to the number of layer that the artist uses to cover the print. The print is a tool that shows the artist the correct proportions and colors of the original photo. however, if the artist use only one ore two layers to cover the print, the painting may lack the artistic feeling because it will be very similar to the photo. Another disadvantage of the print is that if there are not enough layers to cover it, the oil paints might fade or break after few years. The reason is that the ink layer doesn′t have good reaction with the oil paint. The longevity of an oil painting is determined by the quality of the canvas, the oil paints, the print thickness and the numbers of layers. (which should be 3-4 layers for an oil painting). To solve the problem cause by the ink, there are new printers which produce prints based on watercolours.

Projector: this tool is preferred by many artists. The artist puts inside a special projector which projects the photo directly on the canvas. The image is shown on the canvas in full colours and the artist uses a pencil to mark important details on the canvas. This method allows the artist to see and draw the correct proportions of the photo directly on the canvas.

Discover the perfect gift for a wedding, anniversary or any other occasion.

1. George W. Bush is the 43rd president. How many presidents have there been?

A. 41
B. 42
C. 43
D. 44

B. 42
TOPICS: There have only been 42 presidents. Grover Cleveland was elected for two nonconsecutive terms and is counted twice as the 22nd and 24th president.

2. Who was the oldest man to ever hold office as president?

A. George Washington
B. Woodrow Wilson
C. Dwight Eisenhower
D. Ronald Reagan

D. Ronald Reagan
TOPICS: By the end of his presidency in 1988, a few months before his 78th birthday, Ronald Reagan was the oldest man to ever hold the office of the President of the United States. He was also the oldest man elected at the age of 69 when he was elected to his first term.

3. Which president was the first to live in the White House?

A. George Washington
B. John Adams
C. Thomas Jefferson
D. James Madison

B. John Adams
TOPICS: John Adams, the second President, was the first president to reside in the White House, moving in November 1800 while the paint was still wet. When Adams and his family moved to Washington to live in the White House, they got lost in the woods north of the city for several hours.

4. The U.S. Forest Service was created by this President?

A. James Garfield
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. Harry Truman
D. Ronald Reagan

B. Theodore Roosevelt
TOPICS: Theodore Roosevelt was a great outdoors man who loved nature and wanted to preserve it for generations to come. He created the U.S. Forest Service so the land would be protected.

5. Which president had an electronic horse installed in the White House?

A. Ulysses Grant
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. Calvin Coolidge
D. George W. Bush

C. Calvin Coolidge
TOPICS: Calvin Coolidge had an electronic horse installed in the White
House which he rode almost every day.

6. Who was the oldest living former president?

A. William Taft
B. Woodrow Wilson
C. Gerald Ford
D. Ronald Reagan

C. Gerald Ford
TOPICS: Gerald Ford was the oldest living former president. He was born on July 14, 1913, and died on Dec. 27, 2006, at age 93. The second oldest was Ronald Reagan, who also lived to be 93 years.

7. Who was the only bachelor president?

A. James Polk
B. James Monroe
C. James Buchanan
D. James Madison

C. James Buchanan
TOPICS: James Buchanan, the 15th president, was the only president never to marry. The White House hostess was his niece, Harriet Lane. In 1819, Buchanan became engaged to Ann Coleman. A misunderstanding took place and their engagement was broken. A short time later, Ann died. Buchanan vowed he would never marry.

8. Who established the first national park?

A. Thomas Jefferson
B. Ulysses Grant
C. Theodore Roosevelt
D. John Kennedy

B. Ulysses Grant
TOPICS: The 18th president Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park on March 1, 1872.

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The story of Eminem is similar to that of his songs, it needs a little censoring. Some may not be appropriate for those viewed as too young, but here I feel it’s important to look at why his music, and consequently Eminem himself, appears so angry. Everywhere you look in his life from his hard child hood with an unstable cruel mother, to his well-publicized and rocky relationship with wife Kim, you see that Eminem raps about what he knows. His life is the subject of his music and he makes no excuses. But a hard upbringing only propelled him into superstardom as you can read in magazines like The Source and XXL. Eminem took his humble beginnings and built a career.

Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers) was born on October 17, 1972, in Kansas City, Missouri where he lived for twelve years until he moved to Detroit. He never had much of a chance to make friends moving every other month because his mother continued to get evicted for the lack of pay. Eminem went to school up to the 9th grade where he failed three times before dropping out. He then continued to strive for that record deal to make him famous. While trying to achieve his goal he little Haile Jade Scott was born on December 25, 1995 with long time girlfriend Kim Scott. (Eminem homepage) Eminem continued to rap after the birth of his daughter entering into 97 Rap Olympics in Las Angeles that produced 1,500 to the 1st place winner. Eminem furiously came in 2nd desperately needing the money not knowing that a few producers had seen him from Interscope. Finally he had the opportunity to show what he is made of with Dr. Dre, Dr. Dre was so impressed after hearing Eminem free styling on a Los Angeles radio station that he put out a manhunt for the Michigan rhymer. (Eminem homepage) a famous rap producer that wanted to open the doors for Eminem. The two instantly hit it off, recording four songs in the there first six hours of working - three that made it to his first LP. (Eminem Bio.) Now officially making it, Marshall and Dre set to make his second LP. The album became the Marshall Mathers LP and won 3 Grammies and was the first rap album ever to be nominated ‘Album of the Year’, selling more than 8 million records in the United States alone. (Eminem Bio.) Eminem continues to succeed with the his partners who started his career for him although he continues to face many difficult times between the media, his mother and the long conflicting relationship between him and his girlfriend. After they had broken up they had obviously still talked, either about there relationship of for the sake of their daughter Hailie who means more to Eminem then anyone in the world at this point of his life. I wanted to be a family to Kim and Hailie and raise my daughter the right way and not cut on her like my father did to me. My family is all I have ever fought for and all I’ve ever tried to protect. The only thing I’m scared of is being taken away from my little girl. (Chuck Weiner) Eminem was also scared to raise a family and wasn’t sure if he would have sufficient funds or know how too. When my daughter was born I was so scared I wouldn’t be able to raise her and support her, as a father should. Her first two Christmases we had nothing, but this last Christmas, when she turned three she had so many f*ckin’ presents under the tree, she kept opening them saying, ‘this one’s for me too?’ My daughter wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she’s got one now! (Chuck Weiner) Eminem can’t help but to spoil his little girl being that he feels it was degrading that way his mother treated him. If my mother is f*ckin’ cruel enough, knowing she didn’t help me get where I’m at, try to take food out of my mouth and out of my daughter’s mouth, try to take me for everything that I have, then I’m not holding back on this album. She’s always been out to get me, and now she knows I have money so she won’t leave be alone. I know that’s not a nice thing to say about your mother, but unfortunately it’s true. (Chuck Weiner) Eminem has so much hate toward his mother that has built up in all the recent years in his life that he will do anything to keep Hailie happy and keep a healthy relationship between the two of them. His mom on the other he can’t seem to forgive because of all of the grief and trouble that she has put him threw.

Eminem has psychologically turned 360 degrees throughout his life. From the fighting and confusion with his mother, never meeting his father to being one the biggest success stories in rap history. The best example is an experiment of Eminems anger management, after he had started to rise he would get opinions from people saying “Your white, why are you rapping” &amp “Go play Rock and Role” and he said that drove him angrier and angrier and he emphasized it throughout his lyrics. Eminem was probably born as a kid with no chemical imbalances, but after his mother put him threw so much hell after he has grown up he may have a chemical imbalance and not be able to control some of his emotions that he feels when people disrespect him. When he is presented on T.V. he looks as if he is always sad of something is always bothering him that he can’t be proud of his achievements of happy to be where he is and it’s got everything to do with his childhood and recent terrible interactions he’s had with friends, family and rivals.

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The new generation Blu-Ray DVD employs a blue light laser to illuminate the pits found in the DVD disc. It results in huge information storage in the same space, as blue light has a shorter wavelength and hence the pits can be spaced closer together. The HDTV - Blu-Ray HD players are designed to play such tightly packaged DVDs.

The summer of 2006 saw the market flooded with an amazing range of players from big players like Panasonic, Samsung and Pioneer. The initial cost of these players is around $1000 to $1800, but it surely will dip with competition. These players are compatible with the 1080p resolution HDTV sets which were launched at the same time.

The technical specifications of the player: 720, 1080 or 1920 x 1080 represent the number of horizontal lines of pixels, with the larger number corresponding to resolution. The printed letter ‘p’ or ‘i’ indicates progressive and interlaced, respectively. These specifications determine the quality of projected images.

The latest Blu-Ray players are designed for a 1080p signal output via the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) jack. Although the current TV sets convert the 1080i resolution of HD-DVD models, the future holds promise for the 1080p native resolution HDTV sets very soon. There are various models and their most prominent features drives market interest.

The Samsung BD-P1000 model costs $1000 (twice the cost of Toshiba’s HD-DVD player). This player is a slim, high quality unit from one of the leaders in the best DLP TVs manufacturers of HDTV. Although many HDTV sets come with a built-in memory card slot, this player has a 9-in-2 Multi Memory Card slot which enables digital photos to be displayed on the TV set. Samsung also promises to add an alarm utility in the player, which would alert the viewer to an upcoming show or event. This model is only a player and does not support recording as of now.

The Pioneer BDP-HD1 player offers some features like Home Media Gallery software that allows viewers to display digital photos, listen to music or watch movies all stored on the home computer, not found on the Samsung. The Pioneer manufacturers are known for their excellent quality consumer electronics goods like CD changer and reliable HDTV models. Hence the player looks promising but costs around $1,800 initially.

The Panasonic DMP-B᪚ was launched in September 2006, along with the company’s plasma-type 1080p HDTV. The initial market price is around $1,500. Panasonic is rated to be the most favorite in the field owing to the report of their excellent quality DVD player and HDTV sets. The unit has been launched along with the company’s proprietary EZ-Sync HDAVI feature, which enables viewers to connect and control multiple HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) units with a single remote.

Sony is due to facilitate the HD player compatibility with its Playstation 3 model in November 2006. This model would cost around $600 and should be able play Blu-Ray discs along with downloading and playing games.

For more information on

How would you like to be able to play what you feel on the piano within 1-hour? Impossible? Not at all. It’s all about chords. But not just any chord structure.

The chord structure I′m talking about will have you playing the piano with both hands right away. And it won’t take hours or days to do it. I′m talking about something called the open position chord, and with it, you’ll be able to really create your own music!

The trick to all this is how the chord is made. You see, most piano teachers begin their students with triads. And while there is nothing wrong with learning triads, they’re a little antiquated.

The open position chord is a modern sounding seventh chord that is used today in pop, jazz, new age, and other contemporary piano styling. The seventh chord is a term that is used to describe how the chord is constructed. It’s really easy. The chord is made up of the root note, the third, the fifth, and the seventh. If we were playing a C Major 7 chord, it would be spelled c-e-g-b.

Now, by itself, the seventh chord is a very good and often used chord structure. But, if we “open it up” by breaking the chord up into both hands, we get a very spacious and beautiful sounding chord… hence the name open position. Here’s how it’s constructed. The left hand gets the root note, the fifth, and the seventh. The right hand plays the third, the seventh and the third again. Spelled out, this would be: Left hand… c-g-b. Right hand… e-b-e.

This 6-note chord sounds unbelievably full and rich. And the best thing about it? Once you get this chord down in your hands, you can learn how to play it very easily in all 12 keys!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html now and get a FREE piano lesson!