The New York Voices

The New York Voices are a vocal jazz group that have learned from other vocal jazz groups such as Take 6, The Manhattan Transfer, Lionel Hampton and have taken jazz music to higher levels which have earned them Grammy Awards. Their sound is definite jazz sound with classical, pop, Brazilian and R&B immersed in.

In 1987, Peter Eldridge, Darmon Meader, Kim Nazarian, Caprice Fox and Sara Krieger formed the group. Darmon, Peter, Caprice and Kim went to Ithaca College, in upstate New York. They were able to go and tour the European jazz festivals in 1986. In 1989 they were signed to GRP Records and their first album New York Voices was released. In no time at all it seemed they became popular in the jazz music world. Four albums were done with GRP.

The Collection, Hearts of Fire and What's Inside. During this time, some changes were made. Sara left, and they auditioned more than sixty vocalists in the United States before they settled on Lauren Kinhan. When she sang with them, the chemistry was real and she fit in perfectly. Thus, they called themselves the "New" New York Voices. Lauren appears on the third recording. In 1994, Caprice left , and the New York Voices was at the point the same as it is presently.

The New York Voices, has recorded their own albums, guest starred on other albums, and many other performances. Some of those performances are Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, Brazilian Dreams, a Latin Grammy Award winner with Paquito d' Rivera and Heirs of Jobim. They have also performed with many famous jazz artists such as Annie Ross, Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, John Hendricks and Diana Krall. They tried something new in 1997, by singing Paul Simon's songs. It was called New York Voices Sing the Songs of Paul Simon.

They used many styles to sing his music. Near the end of 2000, after they have completed their sixth album, Sing , Sing, Sing, they took on big band music. They had performed with the Count Basie Orchestra for years, so Darmon arranged the band and vocal parts and Elliot Scheiner who has produced The Manhattan Transfer and Steely Dan, produced a great recording. Other arrangers on the recording were Rob Mounsey and Michael Abene. The result was something complex, with swing, and vocal parts intermingled that was contemporary as well as classic. They did it in a way that did not lessen either style.

In 2006 their was a new recording where they go back to their Brazilian style. The New York Voices have been all around the world astounding audiences with their amazing vocal style, arrangements and classy selections. They have been at numerous jazz festivals, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland and The Montreal Jazz Festival.

The New York Voices also helps high school and college students doing workshops and clinics. They have many projects teaching, writing, solo gigs as well as arranging. They are forever expanding their fan base by experimenting with all types of music.

Adult Swim - You Must Be This High To Ride This Ride

1. You Must Be This High To Ride This Ride
2. There’s No “P” In Pool
3. Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law
4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force
5. Sealab 2021
6. Brak Show
7. English Channel Swim
8. Bobby G. Can’t Swim

1. You Must Be This High To Ride This Ride

Adult Swim is a unique kind of Must-See TV found on the Cartoon Network. Catering a fast food sized gem of cartoon hilarity to a crowd that has become too jaded and aware for network fare. These viewers need something with juice and Adult Swim delivers on all accounts.

2. There’s No “P” In Pool

The shows in the Adult Swim line-up know about our attention deficit and don’t bore us with unnecessary drivel. For instance, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law lasts on 15 minutes and they pack the laughs in there tighter than ***. To play in this pool, you’ll want to close your laptop and shut off the cell phone because the rapid-fire jokes and humor are slung at you a mile a minute.

3. Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law

Harvey Birdman the Attorney was once Birdman the superhero, but he is now a dimwitted practicing lawyer. All his cases involve legal disputes between other cartoon characters. He’s handled cases involving a custody battle for young Jonny Quest, a copyright infringement dispute between the Chan Clan and Jabberjaw and defended Scooby and Shaggy on trumped-up pot charges.

With hammer in hand, the mighty Thor plays the judge. One of the episodes does a slippery Sopranos parody with Fred Flintstone aka the Dabba Don. He comes to Harvey to defend his many “businesses”. During the course of the 15-minute episode you get to see Harvey’s assistant defect to the side of the gangsters, Harvey adding commentary to old Flintstone’s footage and a pterodactyl lamp taking the stand.

4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about a group of human-sized food items living together in South Jersey. A pistachio milkshake, a bag of fries and a meatball have banded together to form a crime-fighting trio. As lazy as they may be, they make an effort to rid the New Jersey suburbs of unwanted mischief and crime.

This wacky trio was originally conceived to appear on the hit Cartoon Network talk show, Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast. Ah, but the network knows a good thing when they see it and gave these misfits a fighting chance with their own show during the ever popular nighttime line-up of more mature cartoon fare known as Adult Swim.

5. Sealab 2021

Aww, the drama of precariously doomed underwater colony and its personnel members that can’t stand one another. The year is 2021 and in the depths of the big blue ocean resides a monumentally high-tech compound known to all as Sealab. With a multi-national scientific staff and a trillion dollar budget the lab is dedicated to the research and exploration of the mysteries of the deep.

Underwater colonization is the order of the day since the surface of the Earth has gotten crowded, hot and icky. As is the case with most government agencies, Sealab is manned by a motley rabble of malcontents and misfits who are unfit for work in the private sector. This hapless crew have manipulated their wayward leader, Captain Murphy into submission and are purely content with riding the government clock, raking in a fat hazardous-duty paycheck. The humor here strikes a deep cord in reality and is some of the funniest stuff to ever grace the Cartoon Network.

Here’s an excerpt between the Captain and Marco:

Marco: Calm down, I'll see what I can do about finding your little toy.

Captain Murphy: It's not a toy, it makes real cupcakes, with a 40-watt bulb, and there's icing packets. But the secret ingredient is love. Damn it.

Marco: Just try to calm down, go have some pudding.

Captain Murphy: Pudding can't fill the emptiness inside me! But it'll help.

6. Brak Show

"The Brak Show is the story of a neighborhood. It's the story of a family. It's the story of what happens when adults have children and those children go to school. And Brak is in it. He lives in a house. A house on a quiet street not unlike yours or mine. A house in a neighborhood. That's The Brak Show."

That’s the network’s official description of their new hit sitcom starring Brak, the absent-minded space pirate from the Space Ghost cartoons. He goes through all the typical sitcom situations with his friend Zorak. Also along for the ride are Brak's parents, his brother Sisto, and his next-door neighbor Thundercleese.

7. English Channel Swim

The hilarious giant block of mature-themed entertainment also includes the shows: Baby Blues, Cowboy Bebop, InuYasha, Lupin the 3rd, Mission Hill, The Oblongs, Reign: The Conqueror, The Ripping Friends and Trigun.

Joining the lineup are ex-Fox Network nighttime toons, The Family Guy and Futurama.

8. Bobby G. Can’t Swim

The cornerstone of the parade of humor is former superhero, Space Ghost and his hit talk show, Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast.

Remember the acclaimed Superhero Space Ghost? Well now in his 40's he is no longer a superhero, and goes by his real name Tad Ghostal. However to remain in the spot light he has started his own late night talk show filmed in his studio in outer space.

With his co-host and former villain Zorak, and his director Moltar they interview movie stars on earth through their videophone. Space Ghost has conducted interviews with many big celebrities including Jim Carrey, Weird Al Yankovic, Johnny Carson and Cameron Diaz.

Truly Trivial: There was once an episode where Space Ghost’s evil twin brother Chad visits the show to cause havoc.

Why Write Bad Poetry

For Good Relationships with Yourself

You can write bad poetry, can you not? Why do so? Here are three reasons:

1. If you think it doesn't have to rhyme or be any good, you will write a poem each time you are struck by awe, struck in the gut, struck in the heart for good or bad.

2. If you write some, you will read one of mine. (below) Then you will start a heartfelt relationship with me.

3. You will soon afterward discover what is really important to you in all your relationships.

Many people assume that poetry is hard to understand or boring. Some academic poems are boring because they are simply showing off erudition. But poems about momentous or weird little experiences that strike the poet are wonderful to hear. Some are better than monologues from well known stand-up comics.

Poetry likes a strong feeling and the courage to express it with the power of that feeling. No holding back. Flat out condensation of the moment.

When you write bad poetry you feel gloriously alive. You improve all your relationships.

Eventually, you may re-write and turn your poems into some really good stuff.

Poetry won't make you money, but it will make you rich. Here's one of mine that set me free. See if you can tell how it set me free. If you have any questions, write to me. evycole@hughes.net

CRAVINGS by Evelyn Cole

I want to put out bowls of candy/to welcome every guest/ all kinds of sweets/ dripping with decadence

to offer red wine with legs/ stuffed grape leaves, Retsina, Italian prawns/carrot flan, Incan fire dip

and succulent salads /chilled ready to serve/ spinach, asparagus, pistachios /all fresh aphrodisiacs

marinated meats/ ready to grill to any taste/ from rare to rubber/ spiced tofu for some

a full shelf of pies I’ve just baked /with perfect crusts /Tiramisu and mocha mousse too /and apricot clafoutis

I have a craving for candy I don’t eat/a passion for cooking concoctions others won’t touch/ a yearning for money to give it away/

Why?

A craving to please /to ease

Why? A craving to give /to live?

Ah, Do I need to put out /or die?

~~~

That last stanza took me by surprise.

Here is what the former U.S. poet laureate, Stanley Kunitz, says about poetry. It's wild and wonderful.

Saturated with Impulse Stanley Kuntiz from “The Braid”

"So much of the creative life has its source in the erotic. The first impulse is strongly erotic, but then one becomes reflective--a philosophic human being, an explorer--and then as one grows older and older there’s a need to renew that energy associated with erotic impulse.

"A poet without a strong libido almost inevitably belongs to the weaker category; such a poet can carry off a technical effect with a degree of flourish, but the poem does not embody the dominant emotive element in the life process. The poem has to be saturated with impulse and that means getting down to the very tissue of experience. How can this element be absent from poetry without thinning out the poem?

"That is certainly one of the problems when making a poem is thought to be a rational production. The dominance of reason, as in eighteenth-century poetry, diminished the power of poetry.

"Reason certainly has a place, but it cannot be dominant. Feeling is far more important in the making of the poem. And the language itself has to be a sensuous instrument; it cannot be a completely rational one. In rhythm and sound, for example, language has the capacity to transcend reason; it’s all like erotic play.

"That’s the nature of aesthetic impulse, aesthetic receptivity. Whether you’re walking through the garden or reading a poem, there’s a sense of fulfillment. You’ve gone through a complete chain of experience, changing and communicating with each step and with each line so that you are linked with the phenomenon of time itself. The erotic impulse is so basic to human experience that we can never be free from it, even in old age."

So, dear reader, go forth and write poetry.

The American Influence Of Jazz Music

The Jazz music sensation began to rub off on other parts of the world which encourages the experimentation of melding their familiar sounds with the essence of Jazz. In Europe's country in the Region of France came the Quintette Du Hot Club de France who was responsible for the making of the early "Gypsy Jazz".

The Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt created gypsy jazz by mixing the style of French Musette which was used in the dance halls, eastern European Folk known as Jazz Manouche, and American swing of the 1930's. The sound was developed by instruments from the string family which are a steel string guitar, violin, and an upright bass. The atmosphere of the Jazz music is seductive with sudden unpredictable twists, and accelerating rhythms. The French artist Bireli Lagrene plays this unique music with old elements of the past.

Another style of Jazz music that allowed the musicians to express themselves freely was the invention of Avant-garde or free Jazz music. Both of these styles stemmed from the Bebop era, yet produced a relaxed form of harmonic and rhythmic music in the 1940's and 1950's. The musicians John Coltrane, Dewey Redman, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Sam Rivers, Ornette Coleman and many more were the creators of the free Jazz music. Between the 1960's and 1970's the Latin musicians created the Afro-Cuban and Brazilian Jazz Music styles after Bebop musicians Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Taylor cultivated it.

Gillespie and Taylor was influenced by the music of Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians Chico O'farrill, Tito Puente, Chano Pozo, Xavier Cugat, Mario Bauza and Arturo Sandoval. Jazz music expressed in a Latin interpretation was termed Bossa Nova with origins in Samba music which is a mixture of Jazz, classical and pop music from the 20th century. Bossa is a moderate sound of music with Classical harmonic structure from Europe, Samba polyrhythm's from Brazil and cool music. The tempo of such a work is about 120 beats per minute. The instruments used in this particular sound is nylon stringed guitar, piano, high hat tap of eighths, tapping on the rim of the drum like Sade's "Sweetest Taboo", and a vocalist. The sound produced is a new relaxing sound where the acoustic sound of the guitar can lull one to sleep with it's easy melodic line.

Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim became popular in the sixties with this style of music. The influence of Jazz music returned to the place of its origins in the religious music known as Urban Contemporary Gospel from the spirituals music. Much of spiritual music sung by southern slaves in the past has a haunting dark and mournful sound during the 1800 and 1900's. The churches know as the sanctified or holy churches took a more happier approach by encouraging member to sing speak their personal testimonies as they celebrated with song and dance.

The sanctified artist Arizona Dranes who was a traveling pastor made recordings that would fit in many musical categories such as blues, and boogie-woogie with the use of Jazz instruments. At the time the Jazz instruments used with religious themed music were percussion and brass instruments.

Milk Goats - Know Thy Enemy

Patience may be a virtue, but laughter is the only way to survive goat milking. You can strive for the perfect fencing. You must aim for good nutrition. But, don’t kid yourself. When it comes to milking, you do not get the last word.

When I decided to add milk goats to my backyard farm I envisioned pitchers of milk cooling in the fridge while cheddar rounds age in my cellar. Spirit, my first nanny, had other ideas. There is an old saying I just made up: “Don’t expect instant gratification from your very first dairy goat lactation.” Like dating, expecting nothing is the first step toward not being let down. Perseverance is the next step toward surviving goats with your sanity moderately intact.

Spirit proved mutinous in milking. Even with twins at her side, she had ample milk to share. Generosity was simply not her forte. However, like falling off a bike or getting thrown from your horse, when you find a goat leg lodged in your right ear, you must climb right back on.

To help other potential farmers deal with inevitable frustration, I have provided the following journal. It documents my first full month of milking Spirit. From this draw hope. There is light at the end of the nipple.

Day 1: Leashed goat runs around tie post kicking and bucking. Never got near the teat.

Day 2: Build "EZ One Hour Goat Milking Stand" from online instructions. Define five hours in hell.

Day 3: Adjust Goat Milking Stand so goat’s big fat head will fit through the stocks into the feed box.

Day 4: Adjust Goat Milking Stand so goat’s skinny little head will not retreat from feed box out through the stocks.

Day 5: Collect 3.5 tsp. milk from flailing goat on milking stand.

Day 6: Dido.

Day 7: Tether goat’s leg. Goat kicks loose in .3 seconds.

Day 8: Tether goat’s leg better. Goat kicks loose dumping over 3.5 tsp. of milk.

Day 9: Try new tethering technique. Collect entire ounce of milk. Goat’s effort to kick loose succeeds only after she sheds 3.5 tsp. of hair into the shot glass of milk.

Day 10: Go to store. Buy milk.

Day 11 – 14: Discouraged. Just squirt some milk straight onto the milking stand so that the apparently dwindling right teat stays active.

Day 15: Goat now standing still while I collect three ounces of milk. Then the cantankerous witch sticks her foot in it.

Day 16 – 18: Dido, dido and dido.

Day 19: Right teat has all but vanished.

Day 20: Right teat empty.

Day 21: Spirit’s legal team serves me with papers declaring her functional left teat off limits and for her babies only.

Day 22 – 23: Practice milking technique while coaxing droplets from withered right teat.

Day 24: Have mastered milking with right hand while my left hand holds the receptacle up, dodging the maniacal wenches attempts put her foot in the milk. Net bounty from flat tit approx 1.4 oz. Note: Goat still shedding.

Day 25-26: Milk rations slightly increasing. Goat and cottonwood trees now both shedding into the milk receptacle.

Day 27: Babies distract me by biting my shirt while I am milking. Spirit’s foot returns to the milk receptacle.

Day 28: Babies adamant about eating my clothes while I milk. I steal milk from their precious left teat.

Day 29: Babies try to distract me by eating my hair. I try to ignore them. Goat flinches. My foot avoider reflex overcompensates, hurling the milk directly inside my protective LASIK goggles. Startled by my French, both babies run off in opposite directions with my hair still in their mouths.

Day 30: And the beat goes on.

Day 31: Average daily yield now totals around 10 oz. Source: two milkings per day from 1.2 tits.

Remember, when the day comes, and it will, where you just walk up to your nanny and quickly squirt a little milk straight into your morning coffee then wander off sobbing, bear in mind with a little patience, all this can be yours.

New Types Of Poetry

There are many different types of poetry. I counted 50 on a quick search of the internet. You may have heard of Haiku and Limericks. There are the more obscure types too, like Terzanelle and Sestina. Learning different types of poetry though, isn't nearly as much fun as inventing your own, so here are some ideas about that.

Types Of Poetry - Playing With Stanzas

What is a stanza? A division of a poem consisting of two or more lines. How many ways can you structure a stanza? As many as you want. Look at this stanza from the poem, "Gratitude:"

So there is nothing to say

There is nothing to say

There is nothing

Nothing...

But gratitude

Each line is a smaller part of the previous line. In this case, it quiets the mind in order to emphasize the last word: gratitude. However, this idea could be used in many ways. You could start with a line like, "She watched the birds come in from the sea," and it can reduce to, "Come in from the sea;" "From the sea:" "Where Michael was left alone in the storm."

Each stanza could have lengthening lines. Lines could be varied in length to create a picture on the page. Playing with stanzas is a fun way to create new types of poetry.

Ideas For New Types Of Poetry

In the poem "Do Not Believe In God," each stanza starts with one of our senses: "See God... in stars and sunlight... and the face of your lover;" Hear God... in wind and waves... and the music of the birds." All the senses are covered. How could we use this general idea? By starting each stanza with a different verb or adjective? By starting each stanza with a different person's name? By having each stanza get smaller or larger as the poem progresses?

How many ways can you play with poems? "Dream poems," could be a type of poetry that puts actual dreams into verse. "Dialog poems" could have stanzas or lines answering each other back and forth. A series of poems could use all the exact same words, rearranged, with an entirely different outcome in each. There are endless types of poetry you can create.

All About Jazz Dance

The Art of Jazz dance is an amalgamation of different styles of dance that began between 1800's, and the middle of the 1900's rooted in African American movement. One man known for this type of dance was the star of vaudeville Joe Frisco around 1910 who danced in a unrestrained fashion in close vicinity to the ground while tossing his cigar, and derby in a juggling manner. The Jazz dance style up to the middle of 1950's was Tap dance which was always performed with Jazz music such as the Jitterbug, Swing, Boogie Woogie, Lindy Hop, and the Charleston. Katherine Dunham is renowned choreographer and dancer studied the cultural dances of Caribbean in Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Martinique and Shango making this African American dance a modern work of pure art.

She took this style to Hollywood and Broadway who embraced a more refined Jazz dance. Modern Jazz Dance is a smooth style of dance roots from Tap, Ballet and Jazz music which is performed in many musicals from the Pajama Game to Cabaret to Chicago to music videos and the Las Vegas showgirl performances. The usual technique for Jazz dance is that of a ballet dancer for balance and strength from doing slow movements. In contrast the typical Jazz dance has sharp movements, but the skills of ballet smoothes it down into a refined style.

Moreover, Jazz dance is such a versatile style that it can be combined with other dances from lyrical, contemporary and hip hop. Jazz dance like Jazz music can be combined with other dance styles to enhance the dance to another level. For instance, The United Kingdom witness a new movement of dancers in the 1980's who danced when the Jazz, and Funk music clubs was becoming unpopular known as Street Fusion Jazz Dance. Due to the new modern music scene, new groups who longed to keep the tradition of Jazz dance, and still leave room for the new styles.

There are two groups known for street fusion jazz dance known as IDJ ( I Dance Jazz), Brother in Jazz and Jazz Cotech. Famous people of the world of Jazz dance is Fred Astaire, Jerome Robbins, Jack Cole, and Bob Fosse. In the world of Jazz Dance there are terms people use to describe various dance movement.

Jazz Dance Terms:

Ad lib, Axel Turn, Ball Change, Barrel Jump, Barrel Turn, Bounce, Cake Walk, Cat walk, Catch Step, Chasse`, Coffee Grinder, Contract, Curve Or Arch, Dolphin, Drop and Recover, Fall, Fall Over The Log, Fan Kick, Figure 8, Flick, Flick Kick, Freeze, Funk, Head-Roll, Hinge, Hip Walk, Hip-Fall, Hip-Roll, Hitch Kick, Hop, Jazz Drag, Jazz Run, Jazz Split, Jazz Square, Jazz Walk, Jump Over The Log, Kick, Knee Fall, Knee Slide, Knee Turn, Lay Out, Limbo, Mess Around, Moonwalk, Pencil Turn, Pitch, Pivot Step, Primitive Squat, Release, Ripple, Shimmie, Shiver, Shoulder Fall, Shoulder Roll, Sissonne Fall, Skate, Snake, Snap, Spins, Spiral, Stag Leap, Step, Switch, Table Top, Tilt, Touch, Tripplettes, Turns, Twists, and the Worm.

The Bare Truth About My Butt Quiz

Forget about the SAT, never mind the FCAT, and remove forever from you mind any thoughts about the ACT. All these test pale in comparision to the examination that I just failed. Failing those test may have minor repurcussions like never making it into college and therefore being forced to work at fast food resturants well into you 40's. That's nothing. I just flunked a quiz that could scar me for life.

This morning I was doing my usual morning ritual of checking my email and all my affiliate programs to see if I had made any money online yesterday. I hadn't, in fact I never do, but I've found it's a great way to waste an hour or two. What usually happens is I get sidetracked by some banner or pop-up and I end up lost in the middle of cyberspace signing up for a free registration to some weird website just so I can get a free ebook with a title like 'Online Profits From Artichoke Juice!". This morning, however, I stumbled across a real winner. I came across a link that I just had to click. I was at JokesUnlimited.com reading redneck jokes when I saw 'Fun Quizzes: Can you guess which butts are male or female?

From the extreme look of excitement in your eyes I can tell that you feel the same way I felt when I saw the Butt Quiz link. My first thought was: 'Pictures of female butts! Yeeeessss! And it's a quiz so I don't have to feel dirty about it. It's educational! Yeeeesssss! I immediately clicked the link and started my quiz.

In hindsight(no pun intended), the expression 'Fools Rush In' comes to mind. I blindly rushed into this quiz in a testosterone induced urge to look at female hindparts and I forgot to think the whole thing through. I forgot to take a moment and reflect. I forgot that there were going to be male hindparts on the quiz too. Hairy male hindparts. In thongs.

Needless to say, I failed the quiz. I got 8 out of 15 right. That's about 60 percent. An 'F' in almost all 50 states. Even New Jersey. I, Tim Ward, humor columnist and straight male could not distinguish between the gluteus maximus of the male and female gender. I started to wonder: Were some of the butts that I said were female really male? If so, does that mean I find some men's butts attractive? Do I have a male butt fetsih that I didn't know about? Do I secretly enjoy slapping guys on the butt after a good sports play? And what about the woman's butts that I classified incorrectly? Has it really been that long since I've seen a bare female behind? Am I forgetting what the female body looks like?

All these questions have been running through my head since I failed my first Butt Quiz. It got to the point where I'm thinking about scheduling a retest. But this time I'll be sure to plenty of studying in advance. So ladies, if you see me taking large hard looks at your posterior region, I'm not a pervert, I'm just doing a little research. And to the fellas, forgive me if I give more that the usual amount of congratulatory butt slaps on the basketball court for awhile. I'm just trying to further my education...And maybe work through a fetish or two.

Successful Childrens Photography - It's a State of Mind

There's nothing I enjoy as much in drawing and photography, as the moment I succeed in capturing some of the essence of a child's consciousness to show on a print. It might not seem apparent to look at a child, but they can be truly challenging as photography subjects, and if you ever want anything more than just a toothless "cheese", if you want a picture that fairly drips with a child's innocence, wit and sparkling energy, then the stock-in-trade of imagination, creativity and patience you'll need can often be staggering. Here are my childrens photography tips on how to create moments and capture them on film in a way that the children being photographed will look at 20 years from now and say, "Yes, that is what it felt like to be me at five".

To begin with, you can't just pull a child in front of the camera and expect her to perform. The first lesson of childrens photography is, that you need to adjust your whole photography routine to them, because a natural smile never pops up on cue. And make sure that you don't pick a moment when the child is sleepy, hungry or cranky. Once you have your child with you, make sure that you spend a couple of hours around the child to build up a bit of familiarity a friendly atmosphere.

The child who is your subject needs to be comfortable; this isn't the time to insist on what outfit she should wear, and what place to frame your pictures. A child who is happy and confident about herself and her surroundings will bring forth more natural presence in her pictures. It should probably not be a place she is unfamiliar with, or she'll be careful and a bit withdrawn (unless that's the feel you are going for). When parents are present at the shoot, they can get terribly anxious about how they need to bring the best in the child out. It is for a reason that stage parents can be so distracting for young child actors. It could be a good idea and to help the anxious parent away from the photography area for some time. Childrens photography needs the child to be in her element - coaxing better performance out of her is hardly the way to catch her at her most natural.

And "natural" comes with patience. No end of patience. You need to understand that the child is the one that directs where the photography heads that day. You need to talk to her about her favorite toy, what she wants to do, or what a shadow reminds her of; try talking about a favorite cartoon character - and then listen. Good listening - is there no end to what there is to be gained with this great ability? The more you listen to a child, the more she will open up. And the best way to speak to a child is always to crouch down to her level. That's something all childrens photography experts will tell you - for the most part, they have to be no taller than she is.

The Office (Season 2) DVD Review

One of the best new comedies on television, The Office chronicles the inner-workings of the fictional Pennsylvania paper company Dunder-Mifflin. The name itself sort of alludes to a bureaucratic labyrinth administered by dunderheads, and in reality, it is. Unfortunately, what makes The Office so outrageously funny is the frightening ability of its millions of viewers to relate to the onscreen happenings. Dunder-Mifflin is mis-managed by the politically-incorrect, borderline lunatic Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Deploying his twisted logic as the basis of company policy, substituting worn out clichés for real leadership, and offering an endless array of ever ridiculous group activities to “increase morale,” he fosters a white collar environment that makes the comic strip world of Dilbert seem desirable in contrast.

Carell, one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, shines in the role of the crazed and eccentric office manager, and his talents are well complimented by Rainn Wilson in the role of Michael’s butt-kissing, rule-Nazi sycophant, Dwight Schrute. Dwight’s over-the-top antics regularly conflict with the rest of the office, particularly co-worker and desk neighbor Jim Halpert (John Krasinski). An unspoken office crush between Jim and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) makes for an interesting and recurring subplot. The two epitomize the rest of the Dunder-Mifflin employees who convey themselves as logical, well-reasoned, and normal individuals; normal people trapped in a bizarro world where bumbling idiots like Michael and Dwight preside over their work week. Similar in theme to the hilarious feature film Office Space, the show provides viewers with a much more excitable Bill Lumbergh lording over an army of Peter Gibbons-like worker bees. For creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who first experienced success with the concept in the United Kingdom, it’s a surefire recipe for pure, unadulterated laughter.

The Office (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “The Dundies” in which the annual staff awards, “The Dundies,” are handed out by Michael. Michael struggles with the event due to some corporate complaints about his past handling of the event, while still managing to offend each and every one of his fellow employees. Following a fight with Roy, Pam gets hammered and the spends the evening joking around with Jim. The two end up kissing before Pam catches a ride home with another coworker… Other episodes include “Christmas Party” in which Michael screws up the office Christmas party with another one of his erratic decisions, and “Conflict Resolution” in which Michael’s efforts to improve relations within the office result in a worse situation.

Below is a list of episodes included on The Office (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 7 (The Dundies) Air Date: 09-20-2005

Episode 8 (Sexual Harassment) Air Date: 09-27-2005

Episode 9 (Office Olympics) Air Date: 10-04-2005

Episode 10 (The Fire) Air Date: 10-11-2005

Episode 11 (Halloween) Air Date: 10-18-2005

Episode 12 (The Fight) Air Date: 11-01-2005

Episode 13 (The Client) Air Date: 11-08-2005

Episode 14 (Performance Review) Air Date: 11-15-2005

Episode 15 (Email Surveillance) Air Date: 11-22-2005

Episode 16 (Christmas Party) Air Date: 12-06-2005

Episode 17 (Booze Cruise) Air Date: 01-05-2006

Episode 18 (The Injury) Air Date: 01-12-2006

Episode 19 (The Secret) Air Date: 01-19-2006

Episode 20 (The Carpet) Air Date: 01-26-2006

Episode 21 (Boys and Girls) Air Date: 02-02-2006

Episode 22 (Valentine’s Day) Air Date: 02-09-2006

Episode 23 (Dwight’s Speech) Air Date: 03-02-2006

Episode 24 (Take Your Daughter to Work Day) Air Date: 03-16-2006

Episode 25 (Michael’s Birthday) Air Date: 03-30-2006

Episode 26 (Drug Testing) Air Date: 04-27-2006

Episode 27 (Conflict Resolution) Air Date: 05-04-2006

Episode 28 (Casino Night) Air Date: 05-11-2006

Jazz Music Festivals

If you are a jazz music lover, chances are that you go to a festival every year. What you probably didn't know is that there are jazz festivals all over the world. If you like to travel, expand your jazz tastes and go to these international jazz festivals.

Akbank Jazz Festival, Istanbul, Turkey

October 17-October 27

The Akbank Jazz Festival is one of a diverse mixture of sounds from the country as well as all around the world. Last year's festival was dedicated to Arif Mardin. One artist that has performed there is Kurt Elling. Kurt Elling is very popular in jazz music today. In his ten year career, all six of his albums were nominated for Grammy awards. He has toured all around the world in places including Israel, Japan and Australia. In 2003, he was made Vice Chair on NARAS.(National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) He has an album out this year.

Barbados Jazz Festival, Barbados

January 8-January 14

Some of the artists that will be performing here are Ruben Studdard, Anita Baker, Macy Gray and Robert Glasper. This is not a free Jazz music festival. Prices to hear performances range from $30 to $100, depending on the artist. If you want to attend this jazz music festival, you cannot order tickets internationally. You have to actually be in Barbados and provide the address where you'll be staying in Barbados and the tickets will be delivered to that address.

Brecon Jazz Festival, United Kingdom

August 11-August 13

Brecon Jazz has been around for twenty-four years. The best jazz music is performed at the brilliant Brecon Beacons National Park. It is located in Wales. The company, Brecon International Festival of Jazz Ltd., a charity organization, is backing the festival has an education and outreach program in Wales and the South-West of England, during the year.

This year, the Brecon Jazz Festival had an Artist-in Residence, Joe Lovano. Joe Lovano is one of the world's best tenor saxophone players and has been around since the '70's. He has performed in Woody Herman's orchestra and Mel Lewis's orchestra. The music he then went on to create broke boundaries collaborating with artists such as John Scofield, Hank Jones and Bill Frisell. He led the BBC Big Band at Brecon, taught a masters class to young welsh Jazz musicians. This year Brecon also featured "Women in Jazz". A couple of the artists were: Jessica Williams from the U.S. and Hiromi from Japan.

Copenhagan Jazz Festival, Denmark

July 6- July 15

In case you didn't know, the Danish are really into jazz. New artists as well as the old have been performing in the city. The concerts in the day are perfomed near the canals and historic homes. Some prefer to play small, crowded clubs. Every live performance is electrifying and memorable. Artists that have performed here are George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars, McCoy Tyner Trio, Scandinavian Brasillian-Big Band,Mavis Staples W. Band, The Zawinul Syndicate and Maceo Parker. Jazz music is not something that is only appreciated in the states, but everywhere around the world. It is important to experience jazz music in other places so that the magic of jazz will ever be broadened, shared and continued to be translated for years to come.

Gone Fishing For Trivia

1. We all know that fish travel in schools, but do you know some other plural fishey names?
A. Clutch
B. Shoal
C. Draft
D. Wave
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
G. B and C

G. B and C
TBD: It should have been wave though, don't you think?

2. Can you name the phobia that means a fear of fish?
A. Ichthyophobia
B. Limnophobia
C. Entomophobia
D. Pantophobia

A. Ichthyophobia
TBD: If you have a fear of lakes you suffer from limnophobia, of insects you have entomophobia, and of everything its pantophobia.

3. How do fish hear?
A. They don't
B. Through sound vibrations reverberating through the bones of their skull
C. Through their gills
D. Through their fins

B. Through sound vibrations reverberating through the bones of their skull
TBD: Fish hear without the aid of external ears. Sound vibrations reverberate through the bones of the skull to an internal ear. Fish also possess unique sensory organs called lateral lines. These canals along the sides of the fish can sense vibrations and, in some species, weak electrical fields.

4. What do you call a baby fish?
A. A guppy
B. A fry
C. A minnow
D. A baby fish

B. A fry
TBD: We guess that's where the expression "small fry" came from!

5. How do Anarctic icefish survive in freezing water?
A. Special antifreeze chemicals in their blood
B. Extra layers of fat which earned them the nickname "Puffy Fish"
C. Constant high level of motion to keep blood circulating
D. There is no such fish

A. Special antifreeze chemicals in their blood
TBD: We would have thought this was a made up answer if we hadn't researched it ourselves!

6. Just how much hot water can fish take?
A. Pot boilers in Ecuador survive in hot springs approaching 200 degrees Fahrenheit
B. Desert pupfish found in hot springs of western North America live in temperatures higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
C. Some fresh-water fish can take temperatures up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit without difficulty
D. Anything over 60 degrees Fahrenheit causes distress

B. Desert pupfish found in hot springs of western North America live in temperatures higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
TBD: We know we couldn't live in those springs without cooking!

7. How high can a flying fish fly?
A. 6 feet
B. 36 feet
C. 60 feet
D. 360 feet

B. 36 feet
TBD: Their flight may consist of several glides, in which they repeatedly return to the surface of the water long enough to renew their propelling power. They rise to a maximum of about 36 feet into the air and glide as far as 200 yards.

8. Just how fast can a fish swim?
A. Never over 40 mph
B. Barely 50 mph
C. About 60 mph
D. Over 70 mph

D. Over 70 mph
TBD: The fastest-swimming fish are the billfish and the tunas. One billfish, the sailfish, can swim in bursts of speed over 70 mph.

9. Known as one of the fastest fish, tunas are also built for long-distance endurance. How far do tuna migrate?
A. 7700 miles
B. 770 miles
C. 77 miles
D. 7 miles

A. 7700 miles
TBD: Swimming as fast as 30 mph, they migrate as far as 7700 miles in only four months.

10. What are the biggest fish?
A. Whales
B. Whale sharks
C. Great white sharks
D. Leviathans

B. Whale sharks
TBD: Whale sharks can reach 40 feet in length. Yes, whales are bigger, but they are not fish. Fish are cold-blooded and breathe underwater using gills; whales, on the other hand, maintain a warm and constant body temperature.

How Hollywood Soaps Threaten America's Security

How many Americans are aware that the most sophisticated tools of modern communication are being used on a daily basis in a vast program of disinformation about this country and its people that is beamed into almost every country on earth?

Every time I travel abroad I see this program at work and witness its results. "I am so grateful for this opportunity to get to know you and your family," said a Muslim woman in India in 2000. "We thought that Americans have no values, that they are materialistic, and care only about themselves. We thought there is no commitment to children and families, that everyone lives in immorality. It is so wonderful to see that these things are not true!"

Our own self-created propaganda wages daily war against us.
Whence this image of America? If someone had set out to create a powerful propaganda strategy to completely discredit a nation, they could have come up with nothing more effective than the garbage stewed up in Hollywood, marketed abroad and shown daily to billions of global citizens.

Our soaps show on a daily basis in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Nairobi, Bangkok, and thousands of other cities globally. Re-selling these shows makes nice profits for Hollywood.

As Americans, we ourselves are cheapened by their presence in our homes. But at least most of us know that neither we nor our neighbors live in glistening mansions filled with lustful people looking for their next liaison.

Unfortunately most of the world does not know this. When this realization first dawned on me living abroad in the 1980s I was stunned.

People really think that what they see on TV is real life in America? Today, there is no question in my mind. Over and over again, after they have had enough chance to get to know me that they feel free to speak honestly, I have had the experience of people in Africa and Asia saying, "I didn't realize there are ordinary, decent people living in the US. I thought everyone was....."

To the world we are Sin City.
Hollywood's profiteering means that to the world we are Sin City. We create and peddle, people believe, cheap and immoral sensations whose only design is to arouse unseemly hungers. We are unprincipled; materialistic; we indulge ourselves without thought, they believe, in our lusts.

This means that whenever Americans point to high standards or claim to seek the welfare of others, we are eyed with suspicion. People have pictures before their very eyes that, they believe, show who we are and how we live. Why should they trust nice words? Our inclination to lecture others on right and wrong makes us look especially hypocritical.

Worse yet, our vast military network - bases in 60 countries - and our history of frequent use of violence to advance "national interests" - we have dropped bombs in 23 countries since the end of World War II - makes us look like not only an immoral but also a ruthless giant.

Can we blame Muslims, for whom sexual modesty and purity is an important value, for finding it easy to consider us servants of Satan? Luckily, most Muslims oppose violence against America and know the Koran teaches against attacks on innocent civilians. But given the picture of us that Hollywood places on the screens of our globe every day of the year, a percentage are stirred in righteous anger. If anything, it is amazing that there is not more hatred towards us than already exists.

Many Americans are disappointed with the response of Iraqis to our occupation. Why do they not have a little patience, people wonder?

Part of the answer is that, like most of the world, Iraqis have long been skeptical of American intentions. Because they wanted to be rid of Saddam, many hoped for the best when the US invaded. But because their trust was so low to begin with, it took only a few months of errors on our part to convince Iraqis that their long-standing doubts were true.

In an age of weapons portable and powerful, no military force on earth can create security for Americans as long as the majority of human beings believe we are morally corrupt and selfish. Sadly, the truth is that moral corruption and selfishness do exist within us. But could we not at least curb the peddling of wicked exaggeration to the world?

Because we are not trusted at the most basic level of social integrity, the grim truth right now is that any military move we make that is not clearly supported by the majority of the world works against us. Not only do we look immoral, we look ruthless and unaccountable.

What it will take to build sustainable security.
Our security can never rest in futile efforts to destroy with violence every threat that dwells abroad. We cannot, as the saying goes, "chop off the head of the snake" that now threatens. When the majority distrust us, every strike, even "successful" ones, multiples our foes.

Sustainable security will come when people of the world see that we, the wealthiest and most influential nation in history, take seriously the daily well-being of others; when they believe that we care deeply about the ability of their children to get basic healthcare, good education, and jobs.

When the majority see evidence of this - and right now no honest person could point to much - the extremists of the world will gain few followers. In that day, scattered rabblerousers may still murmur and rail against us from the margins of their communities, but the world will handicap and neutralize them far more effectively than our bombs and marauding Special Forces.

In the meantime, could we insist that the entertainment moguls show some responsibility to their fellow citizens and ease off on the disinformation they are peddling abroad?

Copyright Ron Kraybill 2006.

Portrait Photography

Do you just snap pictures of friends without a thought to how it my turn out? Portrait photography takes you a step up from people photography. It gives you elements to notice such as the angle you take the photograph, the lighting you will use, and the expression of emotion on a persons face. While you may be an amateur photographer deciding to take Christmas photos without the expense you will need to have some basic knowledge of techniques used by the professionals.

First when taking a photograph of a person you need to study their face. The face is important to the angle you will shoot from. Though it is a cliché, it is true some people have a better side. This could be in relation to scarring or acne breakouts or even simpler. For instance my left eye is larger than my right by just a bit, and looking head on into the camera will cause a horrible portrait, however if the photographer comes from the right side and angles up a little the light and shadows will help even out the features while keeping the distinctions that make me who I am.

Portrait photography is about capturing the essence of the subject, the personality. The little nuances of a face add character to the portrait. You will want to loosen up your subjects. If you are becoming a professional portrait photographer you will want to learn about your subject as you are taking pictures or perhaps meet them before the session. If they are just your family then you should know what would get their personality captured on film.

Lighting is the next important step to portrait photography. A lot of photographers prefer natural light to artificial. Your subject will in part decide this for you. Remember you will use the light you have. Natural light will often require setting the aperture to compensate for the cameras lack of definition. In other words you need to create the contrast with the light and shadows for the effect you want. Often artificial light is harsh and not directed properly unless in a studio. Again you will need to use the manual settings on your camera to create the perfect portrait.

The background is also important when discussing light. In a studio a photographer will pick a background that will not wash your features out or your clothing. They want to have a distinction or contrast between you and the background. This is also important of home portrait photography. You will want a background that gives color to your subject rather than taking it away. Finding a nice spot with a tree to sit on and mountains in the background can be a great portrait, but you will want to make sure the background is not too busy to distract from the subject. Make the subject seem apart of the picture rather than outside of it.

The type of camera and film you use will also determine the quality of the photography. Once you combine techniques such as lighting, angles, and understanding your subject you will be able to create a near to professional if not professional portrait for your friends and family no matter the occasion. Just snapping a picture is possible, but it would be great to have a better portrait?

Player Profile: Amarillo Slim

Thomas Austin Preston Jr. is one of the great legendary figures in the world of professional poker, but to most fans he is much better known as “Amarillo Slim”. Strangely enough, Amarillo Slim isn’t a Texan by birth. He was actually born in Johnson, Arkansas, on December 31, 1928, but he now does reside in Amarillo, Texas.

Amarillo Slim is a colorful throwback to the “old days” when poker – then regarded as a disreputable game – was played in the back rooms of saloons, pool halls, and cramped, smoke-filled rooms in sleazy hotels.

Slim was what was known as “a rounder” or card shark, a professional gambler who made his living hunting for “fish”, gullible players with fat bankrolls who thought they were better players then they actually were.

Amarillo traveled the country in his constant quest for “fish”, or just looking for some poker action where ever he happened to be, often accompanied by fellow “rounders” Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts.

Slim is assuredly the stuff of which legends are made, and it was only natural that he should publish his autobiography, “Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People” in 2003 in which he tells of poker games played with U.S. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, as well as Hustler Magazine publisher and casino owner Larry Flynt.

Amarillo Slim did not, however, earn his legendary reputation due to his colorful past alone, it was his exceptional poker-playing skills that initially brought him the fame he enjoys today. Slim, in fact, is a four-time World Series of Poker event winner having won his four bracelets in:

• 1972 - $10,000 No Limit Hold ‘ em World Championship - $80,000

• 1974 - $1,000 No Limit Hold “em - $11,100

• 1985 - $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha - $85,000

• 1990 - $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha - $142,000

It could be said that Amarillo Slim has brought more world-wide attention to the world of professional poker than any one individual, having appeared on such high profile TV shows as 60 minutes, The Tonight Show and Good Morning America, among others. He was also cast in a 1974 gambling movie, “California Split”, starring George Segal and Elliot Gould, and directed by Robert Altman (M*A*S*H – NASHVILLE).

Slim is generous with his advice to new poker players and been quoted as offering these words of poker wisdom:

1. Play the players more than you play the cards.

2. Choose the right opponents. If you don't see a sucker at the table, you're it.

3. Never play with money you can't afford to lose.

4. Be tight and aggressive; don't play many hands, but when you do, be prepared to move in.

5. Always be observing at a poker game. The minute you're there, you're working.

6. Watch the other players for "tells" before you look at your own cards.

7. Diversify your play so others can't pick up your tells.

8. Choose your speed based on the direction of the game. Play slow in a fast game, fast in a slow game.

9. Be able to quit a loser, and for goodness' sake, keep playing when you're winning.

10. Conduct yourself honorably so you're always invited back.

Diary Complaints

My wife keeps a diary, and sometimes leaves it open with the last entry in view on the coffee table. I'm a person who wouldn't want to read another person's diary, even my wife's, diaries being personal. But out of a corner of my eye, on the diary page, I saw my name. I couldn't help reading.

"I can't let John's negativity get to me," the diary read.

What do ya' mean, negative? I thought. I'm not negative. Sure, I complain a little because I'm not a rich man. I have a relative who gets paid thousands of dollars, a lower-middle-class jerk who all he does is count couches at a furniture outlet. The guy thinks Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good actor. That's how dumb he is, and he makes all this money.

I'm the only man in my family who could have taken the bad luck I've had without becoming a drug addict, or ending up in a lunatic asylum, and for this I'm called negative. I work endlessly without a vacation. I put up with a sassy kid and a wife who takes me for granted.

Me negative?

Grumbling, I moved past the diary and went outside to mow the lawn. The next day, Sunday, my wife left the house, and the diary was open again and there was a new passage.

"Why do I have to deal with such stress?" It read. "I can't stand this complaining. We've become more distanced than ever. Yet, John has such spirit and sensitivity........"

"Well, at least that last part is good," I told the diary.

"He needs to not feel the world is against him," the diary added.

The world's against me? I never said that. Remember when Cynthia (my wife's friend), that college, over-educated snob (she thinks she's better because she's a Hollywood script writer who knows the names of all the English kings). Remember when her father died in Hawaii, and I forgot, and she came back from the funeral and I innocently asked, thinking she had gone there on a vacation, "how was Hawaii?"

"Don't dare say that," Cynthia had bitterly snarled.

It was an innocent mistake. Cynthia had no right to get mad. But I took her guff. I wanted to throw her out a window, but I didn't. I just decided I'd never speak to her again.

Disgusted, I put the diary down and went and racked the dishes in the automatic dishwasher. Wiping my hands, I returned, picked up the diary, and flipped back a page.

"John doesn't listen. He interrupts and has to have the last word," it read.

"Bull!"

I took a pencil and made my own entry in the diary. I copied my wife's style of handwriting. "My husband is a handsome, muscular saint," I wrote. "I really should allow him some vices."




© Copyright 2004 by SammonSays.com

Free Latin Music is Available Online Illegally

Everywhere you go these days people are pumping up the volume on free Latin music that they are downloading illegally from online file sharing sites such as Limewire.com or Napster. These free sharing sites are really just another name for illegal pirating and the people that are putting up these sites should be stopped and prosecuted in the opinion of many in the music and film business. A lot of time and money is spent to make the music that these artists and film makers create and for someone to just give it away randomly or steal it from the internet is completely wrong.

This is outright stealing and is covered under international piracy laws. You would not think of bringing your movie camera to your neighborhood multiplex and filming the latest release like “Avatar” or “Kick Ass” and then making thousands of bad quality copies and selling them on a street corner in Managua, would you? But that is precisely what you are doing when you download free Latin music or any form of music from the internet without the artists’ permission. It is hard enough for most musicians to make a buck these days without some goofball grabbing up his intellectual property without paying a dime.

If you think about it this form of piracy is just about being cheap. If someone wants free Latin music so badly why can’t they just sign up for an account with itunes.com like everyone else and pay a measly ninety nine cents per song, which is what most tunes cost these days. In some instances songs cost a bit more, but I have never seen them cost more than one dollar and twenty nine cents each. Don’t tell me you can’t afford ninety nine cents to pay the royalty rights to your favorite artists. And don’t even think about calling yourself a fan of these musicians or actors that you are stealing from. This is like some stranger coming up to you, picking your pocket and then telling you how much he loves your work. If you really love their work then pay for it like everyone else.

Free music and videos online are usually very poor quality anyway and you are never really getting the experience that the artist intended. I know a lot of people that tell me they don’t care if the camera is shaky or the film grainy or the sound quality muffled. These are the same people that eat fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and drink Keystone Light while telling you how much they love it. No one loves Keystone Light. They buy it because it is dirt cheap. Any one that buys or drinks this stuff is a cheapskate and that goes double for people downloading supposedly free Latin music online. It is wrong, illegal, and unethical and you need to stop.

Celebrity Inspired Jewelry - Get The Look For Less

These days, everyone wants the red carpet look without the million dollar price tag. If this sounds too good to be true, think again. Thanks to celebrity inspired jewelry, it’s now possible for anyone to own the best on a budget.

The craze with celebrity inspired jewelry first began with the diamond engagement ring given by Ben Affleck to Jennifer Lopez. A large emerald-cut pink diamond takes center stage as the main focal point of this beauty. One each side, white baguette diamonds proudly accentuate the enormous center stone. Fans fell in love with this ring around the world, which lead to the demand for designers to recreate the ring in a look that anyone could afford. The result was a sterling silver creation featuring a large emerald-cut pink cubic zirconia center stone, which is accented by white baguette cubic zirconia on each side.

It wasn’t long before the trend of wearing celebrity inspired engagement rings became the next big thing in fashion jewelry. When Nick Lachey proposed to Jessica Simpson, a beautiful pear-cut diamond ring came into style in a big way. This bold beauty dazzled the media and fans alike. With one diamond located on each side of the stunning pear-cut center stone, Simpson’s new ring was as bright as the spotlight itself. Once again, designers came through with a creation that everyone could afford. A bold sterling silver band with a large white cubic zirconia pear-cut center stone, which is accented by white cubic zirconia on each side, began showing up on jewelry lovers around the globe.

When it came to trends, Lachey and Simpson weren’t the only musical duo making their way into the line of celebrity inspired jewelry. Kevin Federline gave Britney Spears a stunning ring featuring a cushion-cut center diamond sitting atop a double row of connected diamond-encrusted bands. The inspired design was recreated in sterling silver and glistening white cubic zirconia. The cushion-cut center stone, which replicates a flawless diamond, sits boldly above a double band of cubic zirconia accents.

What line of celebrity inspired jewelry would be complete without a dazzling pair of earrings? As far as trend setters go, Oprah Winfrey is one of the best. Not only has she made a name for herself in the media, but also for her fantastic fashion sense. Oprah’s famous pear drop diamond earrings won her fans over in a flash. The design features a round white diamond stud and a large pear-cut diamond dangling below. In an effort to recreate this stunning design, jewelry manufacturers released their own version done in affordable sterling silver. Like Oprah’s authentic diamonds, the inspired earring features a round white cubic zirconia stud and a dramatic pear shaped cubic zirconia dangling below. Because the earring is available in cubic zirconia and sterling silver, fans can have the look of the real diamond earring for a lot less cash.

When it comes to red carpet wear, the styles are both dramatic and unique. Any woman who watches the annual award shows will probably agree that seeing the glamorous jewelry is one of the most interesting aspects of the red carpet arrivals. Not many can afford a million dollar ring or necklace, but most could afford that look if it were created in sterling silver and cubic zirconia. Thanks to celebrity designers, including Nolan Miller and Charles Winston, many of today’s most expensive looks can be worn by those who only watch the red carpet from afar as opposed to actually walking on it.

Who Wrote The Most Famous Love Poem

The Most Famous Love Poem

Love poems have been written for centuries to inspire lovers and create romance. When you give your special someone a love poem, you can express your feelings through eloquent words in a memorable way. Many famous love poems are written by classical poets, such as Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Shakespeare. But a famous love poem by a modern poet may appeal to a younger person who likes a less formal tone.

The poet e.e. cummings wrote what is probably the most famous love poem currently. It has been featured in other books and movies, used as inspiration for other writers.

i carry your heart with me
by e. e. cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

The poet e.e. cummings is quite a unique writer in that he used new methods of creating mood and setting the words to paper. He explored the use of white space on the page and made the words’ appearance just as important as their sound when the poem was read aloud.

This poem is a perfect example of his use of parentheses and unusual stanza variation. He found a wonderful way of expressing very abstract ideas with some concrete grammatical forms. Use this poem to express to your loved one just how much they mean to you.

Visit to find out more about famous love poems.

Taking Wedding Pictorials One Step Forward with Digital Photography

Cameras have always been present in times of events. They can really help people keep all of their treasured memories. Of course, during weddings/nuptials the ever-reliable cameras are surely present.

It is well known that weddings are one of the wonderful events in an individual's life. Many people wait for the day they can have a sacred union with the one that they love. And in order for them to have at least a good memory of this great event, cameras are needed.

You know, it's amazing how far our technology has come with regards to photography. Many devices or gadgets are now being introduced in order to help people treasure special moments in their everyday lives.

There are also new cameras that are being made especially to capture the most treasured times in our everyday lives. Among these devices are digital cameras. These devices are really great for capturing happy moments during events like weddings.

Since the introduction of digital cams, they have outsold film cameras. Thus, this makes digital wedding photography a more popular service than film photography. Why?

Well, this may be because digital photography can take wedding pictorials into new heights. Cameras used for digital photography provides a lot of new advantages to their users.

One of the major advantages of these digital cameras is that they let users skip the usual film separation process, which is among the most time-consuming processes in photography. So, removing one time-consuming process would mean getting results faster, right? And when living in a fast-phase society, quick results are a must!

Another advantage of digital wedding photography is that, even though it provides fast results, the quality of each printed photo is not sacrificed. This means that no matter how fast you get your pictures, the result is still beautiful.

Another advantage of digital wedding photography is that it provides customization options to its users. This would mean that a user can edit photos even before they are printed. You can change the size, brightness, contrast or sharpness of your photo. You can even add or remove some details on your photos.

Digital photography has also integrated with cellular phones. This means that you only need to bring a phone to take pictures during weddings. Nevertheless, it is a fact professional digital cameras can provide better results than the cameras of cellular phones. Most professional digital cams have 6 mega pixels while cellular phones usually have lower mega pixel.

But perhaps the greatest advantage of digital wedding photography is the availability of your photos to be reproduced over and over again without making any variations between the first printed photo and the last photo printed. Digital photography allows users to save their files on their computers, which would mean that they can be reproduced without wearing out any film, since it doesn't need one.

But, no matter how great a technology is, it's still not perfect. One of the major disadvantages of digital photography is that it is not ideal for 4-color printing. Why? Well this is because of the fact that there will always be a variation between the images you will see on your pc monitor and your 4 color printed photo.

Why? Well, computer monitors use RGB, right? Four color printing uses CMYK. RGB and CMYK have entirely different outputs. So, no matter what you do, the image on your monitor will never be the same as your 4 color photos, unless there are computer monitors that also use CMYK to produce colors for the images and texts.

Nevertheless, digital wedding photography is still better than film photography and that is also a fact. See for yourself.

Music Business News

Those looking for the latest music business news may be confused by all of the information out there on the Internet, mostly because much of it is outdated. The business of selling music, concert tickets, and even movie or television soundtracks is not what it use to be. The days of playing your heart out in local clubs and traveling around to different states hoping to be 'discovered' are pretty much over. It still happens, but the industry has changed dramatically, thanks to the Internet.

If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense that the Internet has changed the industry of making and selling music. Most up-to-date music business news stories will tell you that thanks to downloading music to MP3 players and other digital gadgets, it is easier than every for consumers to find what they want and buy it. They don't have to drive to the music store and buy an entire album they are not sure they are going to like. They can buy single songs in digital form and own it within seconds. That has changed everything.

Because consumers are spending so much time and money buying music this way, fewer are buying CDs. You may think that this bit of music business news has nothing to do with those hoping to be signed by a record label, but that is not true. The Internet has changed that too. Though people still love to go out and see live music, those bands wanting exposure do not have to rely on that as much. They have the Internet as a way to reach out as well. Some succeed without a record company footing the bill for a tour.

How do they do this? That is what is making the latest music business news. Some bands are so crafty that they sell enough of their own songs that they really don't need the backing of a record company, though this is now the best way to get that very thing. If you can prove that you can sell so many songs on your own, a record company may pick you up and put you on a tour. They want to make money, and if they see you are already doing that, they may just want a piece of that money for themselves. The smartest bands are the ones that think twice about these arrangements if they are already doing fine on their own.

To find the latest music business news, search hard online. Even better, search out bands on MySpace and other music related sites and ask them how they are doing and what they have done to be successful online. There is no doubt about it, it still takes hard work to make it in the music industry, but today it takes a different type of work in a whole new direction. Things have changed, and they will continue to change. You just have

to find a way to keep up with the latest news. The Internet has changed most business sectors, and music is no exception.

Under A Cuban Moon

Cuban authorities have implemented strict security measures at the embarkation points for the small ferries crossing Havana bay.Now, before boarding, all passengers must go through a metal detector. Newly posted signs warn passengers they can’t carry furniture or birthday cakes…

You know how it is on a stormy night when you take the ferry across Havana Bay and you smell the fear of the passengers as the waves call you to your death and the drunken ferry captain almost falls overboard three times before the rope to the harbour wall has been cast off.

The captain is drunk again, I said to my brother Ramon.

Not on his salary, Ramon said, He is dizzy with the danger.

Yes that is how it is , I said. But this danger that makes him dizzy does not affect us.

It is not that kind of danger, Ramon said.

And so we stood on the deck in the rain, all 65 of us, as the small ferry made its way across the bay.

After a few minutes, Ramon spoke again: It is the other kind of danger, like when a young chiquita comes down from the hills and sees the city for the first time. And she brings with her the smell of ripe bananas and sweet oranges so that when she walks along the street, the old men look up from their chess board and sigh: Aiy bananas, while the young men straighten their trousers and moan: Aiy Chiquita. That is how it is.

So we stood on the rain-lashed deck and prayed to God to keep a firm grip on the captain’s cojones for as long as it took. Five more minutes passed and Ramon leaned close to me and whispered : La fiesta no es para los feos. It was the signal to do what we must do and I moved through the people to get closer to the captain’s position near the front. Yes it is true I thought: this party is not for the ugly ones, but an ugly one may still start his own party. Did not Fidelissimo show us how?

When I got close to the captain, I saw it in his eyes that he still had the madness upon him. I tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned around, I pulled out the armchair from where I had hidden it in my shirt pocket and pointed it at his chest. La fiesta es perdido I said. E mas perdido. I could see from the look that came into his eyes that he had once been a good man. One of the good ones, maybe even one of the best, but tonight he stared at the armchair pointing at him and he knew that death had joined the passengers without paying a single peso. Verdad.

The captain, although he had once been one of the good ones gave a loud belch like an elephant getting up from a mud hole and the cloud of tobacco,tequila and three-bean stew caused the passengers to stumble back towards the stern of the ferry.

Que pasa? said the captain like a man waking in a gutter who feels a hand in his trouser pocket that is not his own hand. I held the armchair against his temple, and if you were not there you can never know the shiver of fear that wracked his wobbling frame. I made my voice the sound of the grave. Ramon, give me the thing, I called and he was at my side like the wind. In his hands he carried the thing that had kept us alive for the last five years. The thing that we had traded our mule, two machetes and a hundred bananas for. The thing we had to have, in the way that an old and rich man looks at a young chica in her Sunday dress and becomes an old fool for the rest of his life. Such was the nature of this thing that we had treasured.

With infinite care, Ramon peeled back the corners of the oil cloth that wrapped it, and when the light of the moon caught the shine of it, even the captain drew a quick breath.

While I held the armchair steady on the captain, Ramon leaned over and placed the thing that we had brought on the shelf in front of the steering wheel.

I stepped back and held the armchair at my side: Mi Capitan, I said in a firm voice while the other passengers crowded round,..You will take us to this thing you see before you. You will not stop until you reach it. And when we are there, we will sit around a table, you and I, and drink the best rum with real cocacola and speak of the past and the future, as men do who have looked at their feet for a long time but now choose to look at the stars.

The captain looked at me for a long time.

I knew you were the one, he said, you have a light that shines above your head, and also… he gave a small smile like a man who will not give his cards away…you have a big armchair… Then he turned to the steering wheel and took it in both his sun-darkened hands and pushed the throttle to maximum power while the rest of us stood carefully and watched the thing on the shelf ahead of him that would guide all of us to a different day. It was small but Madre Mio it shone like an angel to guide our way. One of the passengers said it was named El Statudo de Liberdad…


© Bill Dollar 2005

Celebrity gossip: How much is for real?

There's certainly no shortage of celebrity gossip on the planet. The question is, if you were the talked-about celebrity, how much of what is in print is true? There are rumors of this and that which take on a life of their own in a New York minute. The celebrity person has little, if any control over what is said, suspected or verified. However, celebrity gossip is a hot topic and fans can't wait to read what their favorite star has - or perhaps has not - been doing, with whom and where and when.

The average fan's thirst for knowing what celebrities are up to borders on the insatiable. Celebrity magazines and websites are more than willing to oblige. Celebrity gossip is fuel for conversation, at the very least. Just think what you can share with your friends, if you're the first to hear.

If the truth be known, the celebrity gossip gristmill is quite the cottage industry. Unless the gossip is outrageously unsubstantiated or particularly over the line, few celebrities bother to sue over what shows up in print. It's hardly worth the trouble. Besides, if you're worth gossiping about, you get lots of free publicity and the fans get plenty of entertainment.

It does make you wonder. Fans must certainly know that not everything they read can be true. Celebrities do have exciting lives, much lived under the spotlights of eager photographers and reporters. Probably most fans know that celebrity gossip should be taken with a grain of salt, but, after all, it's entertainment.

Most fans never meet the object of their attention and so are satisfied to fantasize about these beautiful people, moving from an agonizing ordeal to a mysterious tryst or scandalous behavior in a big name club. Even a simple lunch date can result in a full page article, detailing how one celebrity was having lunch with her mother, when rumor had it they hadn't been speaking. When the magazine, entertainment show or website publishes the story, millions of people eagerly read. It's something to talk about.

Even though there's likely more fantasy and speculation than fact to most of the celebrity gossip in circulation at any given time, the reporters and photographers who track down the stories are very well compensated. Why? Because the stories sell to an adoring and attentive audience. As a hobby or pasttime, it's all in fun. No one really takes it all as gospel. If celebrity lives were as ordinary as ours, it wouldn't be any fun at all!

The Boost of Digital Photography in the Fashion Industry

The growth of digital photography had made it feasible for everyone to capture the perfect moments of their lives better than ever. The big improvement in shutter speed and photo resolution, make it convenient and easy for both beginners and professional photographers to take good pictures. In addition, photo editing can now be done to create a more creative and artistic photos.

Digital photography has also been a huge plus for many online and offline businesses. A stock or image is used by a photographer to purchase images. These stocks are then purchased on different prices, depending on the license. But since they are digital, and they can be acquired outright from different companies, they can be modified, manipulated and edited using sophisticated editing software.

Today, digital photography is known to boost the fashion industry. Digital fashion photography far off different from doing television footages and taking photos on films. For digital photographers, it is a more challenging field to work on.

The ultimate purpose of digital fashion photography is to capture every detail in the ramp. It will focus on the figures of the stunning ladies, in their most fancy, magnificent and extreme fashion outfits. Digital fashion photography will capture the various outlooks essential to gratify the acceptance in world wide fashion trends.

While digital fashion photography is a meticulous field, a photographer should be creative enough to know the hottest craze each year.

Like fashion designers, digital fashion photographers should also work in high end ease, filed with beauty and glamour. The latter should really come up with the fashion’s great photos.

Here are few points to consider on digital fashion photography

1. Keep focused

2. Ensure that your camera is always with you

3. Know and set your objective

4. Don’t let go of the opportune moment

5. Envision on how could come up with a creative and interesting pictures

6. Make use of various distance and angles for each shot

7. Show contrast by giving blurry parts and sharp emphasis over your photos.

8. Organize your subject

9. Put weight on the shapes and lines of interest.

10. Create good impact that you are giving information on your audience

A digital photographer should also be conscious that whatever output he delivers will uncover the care, readiness and awareness of the many vital points to remember in taking pictures.

Requirements for a Flourishing Digital Fashion Photography

1. Proper Lighting- The photographer should use curtains and reflectors. Use a tripod and set light to either left or right side of the object at an angle of 45 degree. As much as possible, avoid bright lights, or else use polarizing filters. And lastly, never underexpose parts or expose the whole photo(e); never expose the entire photograph, underexpose other parts.

2. Good Color Harmony- Photographers can make use of backdrop materials to give emphasis on tint and color. Use reflectors, filters, see-thru transparency, and diffusers to neutralize colors. It is recommended to use gray and white backgrounds.

3. The Artistic view of a Photographer – As a professional photographer, your audience may not see what you see in the picture. People pay value to the subject and not on the background. It should connect each other.

Rent A Phoenix Limo For First Class Fun!

Renting a Phoenix limousine is an excellent way to make any type of special occasion even better. Luxurious yet surprisingly affordable, you’ll find plenty of top-notch Phoenix limousine rental services ready to take you and that special someone anywhere you both want to go, for as long as you both want to be there.

Imagine the look of surprise you’ll see when a Phoenix limousine pulls up to your honey’s front door. And then imagine how romantic it’s going to be, just the two of you inside, gazing into each other’s eyes. Think how you’ll be able to fully focus you attention on that special someone sitting beside you because the limo driver is up in front, dealing with the traffic lights and the traffic and all those other distractions on which you would normally focus your attention.

Once you’re both seated comfortably in the back of your Phoenix limousine, glass of champagne in hand, just relax and imagine the many different ways your date is going to thank you for your generosity and your thoughtfulness on this special evening.

Heading out for a night on the town?

The city of Phoenix has so much to offer. Cultural events, sporting events, concerts, movies, museums, fine dining, comedy clubs – it’s all right there. So when you’re ready to go, why not go in style? Even if you just want to head up into the foothills so you and your honey can gaze down on the brilliant city lights, your evening is sure to be a night to remember when arrive at your destination in style.

Looking for justification?

Then here it is. When you ride along in a Phoenix limousine, you really can feel like royalty. It’s okay – you’re allowed to indulge without feeling guilty or selfish. And besides, when was the last time you or your significant other truly felt like royalty? If you can’t remember, then it’s definitely been way too long. You don’t have to be a blushing bride to justify renting a Phoenix limo. Anyone can, so just go ahead and do it!

Looking for a reason?

You really don’t need a reason, but just in case you do, here’s a rundown of some of the times when it might make sense to spend the evening driving around town in a Phoenix limo: birthdays, anniversaries, wedding announcements, a new job or promotion, the realization that you’re “expecting,” or a holiday like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Sweetheart’s Day, or New Year’s Eve. Heck you could even go out on Groundhog Day if you wanted to! The only reason you need a reason is because YOU think you do.

You work hard and you deserve a break and that’s all the justification you or anyone needs. If you and your sweetie need time to “reconnect, then that’s a good enough reason, too! Just do it and stop wasting time thinking that you need a reason to rent a Phoenix limo!

Halloween Howler

1. What rock star worked as a gravedigger before starting his musical career?
A. Roy Orbison
B. Billy Joel
C. Mick Jaggar
D. Rod Stewart

1. What famous rock star worked as a gravedigger before starting his musical career?
D. Rod Stewart
TBD: That wasn't The QuizQueen's guess either, but that's what the research says!

2. Which tradition was NOT a precursor to Halloween?
A. The Celtic tradition of giving thanks at the close of the harvest season?
B. The European tradition of lighting candles and masquerading in costume to scare evil spirits away.
C. The celebration of the birth of Marilyn Manson.
D. The Irish custom where wealthy landowners would give food to the poor in hopes that the ghosts would look favorably on them and spare them from mischief.

2. Which tradition was NOT a precursor to Halloween?
C. The celebration of the birth of Marilyn Manson.
TBD: Gosh The QuizQueen sure hopes you got that right. Although who knows what historians in the next Millenium will conclude after studying the effluvium we leave behind.

3. Which phobia is the fear of Halloween?
A. Caspariophobia
B. Samhainophobia
C. Demonophobia
D. Boophobia

3. Which phobia is the fear of Halloween?
B. Samhainophobia
TBD: Personally, The QuizQueen has always been more frightened of Caspar than Celts, but you can't quibble with the facts.

4. Where does the name "Halloween" come from?
A. In Scotland, the Celtic Feast of the Sun, which marked the end of summer was known as "Hallowe'en."
B. In Ireland, the Celtic Feast of the Sun, which marked the end of summer was known as "Hollow Eve."
C. The Druids held a ritual on that night honoring the leader of their sect. His name was Hal Ween.
D. The Roman ceremony of burying a hollow casket to trap evil spirits beneath the ground.

4. Where does the name "Halloween" come from?
A. In Scotland, the Celtic Feast of the Sun, which marked the end of summer was known as "Hallowe'en."
TBD: The QuizQueen really hopes you didn't answer "C" here.

5. What is the purpose of a witch's familiar?
A. Hey, everybody has to have a friend, even Broomhilda.
B. The stooge she sends out to lure innocent victims to her lair.
C. An animal, such as a black cat, that amplifies her power.
D. Every witch is required to have a black cat, according to coven code, so it has become tradition to see the "familiar" black cat at a witch's side.

5. What is the purpose of a witch's familiar?
C. An animal, such as a black cat, that amplifies her power.
TBD: While "A" might be true, this is the real answer.

6. Lycanthropy is a term derived from Greek. What does it mean?
A. A psychiatric state in which the patient believes he or she is a wolf.
B. A person with a deadly fear of wearing Lycra (which is used in the making of some Halloween costumes).
C. A devotee of Lycos, the ancient Roman god whose feast was originally held on Halloween.
D. An inductee of the cult of Zeus which held a yearly gathering on Mt. Lycaeus.

6. Lycanthropy is a term derived from Greek. What does it mean?
A. A psychiatric state in which the patient believes he or she is a wolf.
TBD: The QuizQueen has always wondered what they call someone with a deadly fear of Lycra…

7. How did the "jack-o-lantern" get that name?
A. An old man named Jack who was too mean even to get into hell. The Devil gave him a piece of burning coal and sent him away. Jack used a turnip to hold the burning coal and serve as a lantern.
B. The Devil's favorite dish is pumpkin pie and a clever man named Jack carved all the pumpkins in town into lanterns to drive the Devil away with a blaze of bright light and of course deprive him of his treat.
C. In ancient times, when children went trick-or-treating, they were guided by a man who carried a lantern. The guide was called a "Jack."
D. The man who first cultivated the potato and carved it into a lantern was named Jack.

7. How did the "jack-o-lantern" get that name?
A. A mean old man named Jack who was too mean even to get into hell. The Devil gave him a piece of burning coal and sent him away. Jack used a turnip to hold the burning coal and serve as a lantern.
TBD: You should deduct points if you guessed any of The QuizQueen's creative answers!

8. Can you pick out Halloween's former name?
A. All Hallow's Eve
B. All Hallow's Day
C. All Hallowmass
D. All Soul's Day

8. Can you pick out Halloween's former name?
A. All Hallow's Eve
TBD: The important thing to remember is that it was the NIGHT before!

9. The word warlock is a derivation of the Saxon-English term "war-loek" which means what?
A. Man with the magic hands
B. Oath breaker
C. Witch's husband
D. Doomed one

9. The word warlock is a derivation of the saxon-english term "war-loek" which means what?
B. Oath breaker.
TBD: Did you sing along with "A"?

10. The Celtics would carry a lantern when they walked on the eve of October 31st. These first "jack-o-lanterns" were carved with faces to scare evil spirits away. What vegetable was originally used to make a "jack-o-lantern?"
A. Turnip
B. Potato
C. Pumpkin
D. Watermelon

10. The Celtics would carry a lantern when they walked on the eve of October 31st. These first "jack-o-lanterns" were carved with faces to scare evil spirits away. What vegetable was originally used to make a "jack-o-lantern?"
A. Turnip
TBD: Sometimes you don't even need to set up the joke.

Jazz Music Today

Jazz music has evolved to the point where basic signature of the style has minimized into an influential element. For example, the Jazz music of the 80's electronica music of IDM which stand for Intelligent Dance Music where such artists like Bjourk is known for. The drum and bass is another form of electronica that does not use the typical improvisation that is one of the key elements of Jazz music. In fact, this is not thought of as Jazz music at all, but a style that was influenced by Jazz music.

Musicians of the electronica age were St. Germain, Jazzanova, Portishead, Apex Twin and more who used live Jazz music to beats. The Cinematic Orchestra and Julien Lourau from Europe's France were very successful with this style of music. However, those musicians who master keeping the traditional Jazz music combined with new elements are the most loyal to the style from which it came. In the millennium, Jazz elements became a part of the American Pop scene with the artist Norah Jones, and Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse.

There are skeptics who do not believe the music should be called Jazz. However, Christina Aguilera's Back To Basics album used Jazz brass instruments with urban beats. Jazz music according to the National Public Radio filed a report stating that the music is becoming more popular with the public regarding the interest of the buyers of jazz music.

Rhythm and Blues music is a product of Jazz music that describes funk and soul. The musicians who successfully made their mark with this sound of jazz, boogie-woogie gospel, bebop and blues reinvented R&B into contemporary styles. Artist such as Robert Palmers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Keith Sweat, Mariah Carey, En Vogue, Guy, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Levert, Teddy Riley, Justin Timberlake, Aaliyah, Missy Elliot, Lauren Hill, Brian McKnight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are a few of the many people who've made this music popular. Later on Pop artist like Pink, Britney Spears and Gwen Stephani used R&B musical elements in their songs. The wheel of the evolvement of Jazz music keeps turning into new styles, yet turns back at different times toward the root where it began.

Those who were in favor of the traditional Jazz music feared that the essence of Jazz music would be lost among all the new innovations. Free thinking in the world of Jazz caused a division between the modernist and traditionalist. The world of Jazz music has changed to the point where Jazz once the leader turned into an element included in today's works of art. Nevertheless, nothing in the traditional Jazz music has changed, but the radios have extended their repertoire to include all the styles of music with jazz elements.

The array of Jazz music is present in the Jazz fests who played music with African elements that did not sound like Jazz music. One thing we all should look out for is the musical elements in Jazz that stand out such as the complex rhythm, and the chromatic chordal harmony or chord progressions typical for the Jazz Music.