Keep A Clear Head On Writing

The biggest challenge any writer can face is in staying focused. Despite their best efforts, many authors are easily distracted and can have a hard time getting back into the writing zone. But creating the right mindset and being mindful of the potential distractions that exist---and avoid them---will help you get your writing back on track.

Instructions

1. Set Goals. Give yourself specific assignments such as, "Finish Chapter 1 by Monday" or "Write five pages of Chapter 2 by Wednesday." Treat your writing as if it's a daily job. Whenever you get distracted, keep yourself motivated by re-reading your goals and reminding yourself of what you're trying to do and why you are doing it.

2. Designate writing time. Even an hour a day would suffice. Find a time that fits into your schedule, perhaps right before bed or after you've put the children to sleep. If you're a morning person, wake up early and write for an hour before going to work. Don't let your busy schedule stop you because a lot of quality writing can be done in a short amount of time.

3. Create a designated writing space, or a "room of one's own." A home office would be ideal, but if you don't have one, block off an area in your house with a curtain or partition so that your family or roommates will know that you're working and shouldn't be bothered. If you don't have the luxury of your own writing space at home, find a place outside of the house that you find conducive to writing, whether it's a coffee shop, diner or park. Being surrounded by people can often be motivating---and perhaps a snippet of conversation or a glimpse of body language can spark your next story idea.

4. Avoid distractions. The Internet can be particularly disruptive to a writer. Do not check email until your writing is done for the day, and avoid social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. Better yet, disconnect your Internet altogether during your writing time. It can also be helpful to turn off the ringer of your land line, and shut off your cell.

5. Play some background music. Music can be very relaxing and helps stimulate brainwaves, according to the Health and Fitness Association. Put on some classical or ambient music because the soft melody can help you relax and focus, while also drowning out distracting background noise.

Produce The Cyclone For "The Wizard Of Oz" Onstage

The tornado in "The Wizard of Oz" serves a pivotal purpose.

"The Wizard of Oz" is a classic story that begins with a tornado that destroys principle character Dorothy's Kansas neighborhood. The tornado plays a major role in setting the stage for the rest of the tale, because it is in its wake that Dorothy is transported to the fairytale-like land of Oz. Creating a tornado during a live stage performance can be a challenge to pull off. However, when planned and executed with organization and creativity, the scene depicting an act of mother nature can be communicated to the audience effectively.

Instructions

1. Cast someone to play the tornado in the play.

2. Dress the person all in brown or gray, including pants, shoes, shirts and gloves. Paint his face and exposed neck to match the clothing.

3. Cut strips of brown or gray fabric that are 4 inches wide of varying lengths. There should be at least 30 strips approximately 6 inches long, 30 that are 12 inches long, and 30 measuring 18 inches long. The lengths can vary depending on your preference for the look of the tornado, but it is important to have at least three different lengths.

4. Pin the shortest strips around the actor's ankles and legs, the mid-length strips around his thighs and stomach, and the longest ones to his torso and sleeves. Fill in additional strips as needed until the his clothes are covered with strips of fabric.

5. Instruct the cast member to raise his arms above his head in a V and perform tight pirouette turns in a zigzag pattern across the stage, gently bumping into the houses on the set. This will cause the strips of fabric to flail out and the descending length of the strips to create a V funnel shape as he turns.

Write Surrealist Poetry

Write Surrealist Poetry

Surrealist poetry underlies much of the cherished painting, sculpture, film and literature of contemporary times. From the spooky, writhing paintings of Salvador Dali to the bizarre interlude scenes of films like "The Big Lebowski," surrealist poetry has given rise to mountains of creativity.

Instructions

1. Start doing automatic writing. The most central technique in surrealist poetry and in the surrealist movement in general, is automatic writing. Sit down with a pen and paper (or your word processing program) and start writing whatever pops into your head. Write anything and everything without being afraid or concerned about structure or content.

2. Use surrealist poetry games. One of the important techniques to come out of the surrealist poetry movement is a writing game called "The Exquisite Corpse." In this game, one member of a group of poets write a line or phrase of poetry. Without seeing the line, another group member writes the following line, and this continues until the group feels the poem is done. The result is usually a highly surrealistic piece of poetry.

3. Randomize the poetry. To continue in the direction of unordered words and phrases, place a few dozen words written on scraps of paper into a hat. Pull the words out of the hat in order to assemble the poem. Make adjustments to the resulting collection of words so that it takes the form of a flowing poem, even if the content is unintelligible.

4. Go to another level of consciousness. After practicing randomization techniques and automatic writing, you should try get to another level of surrealist poetry. Since the surrealist movement was an attempt to find "higher" level of reality, try meditating for half an hour before attempting to write. Let your mind wander and relax so that when you begin to write the poetry comes from a deeper level of consciousness.

Grow Jasmine Within The Shade

Jasmine growing in the shade still needs some sunlight.

Some plants commonly called jasmine actually belong to a different genus (Trachelospermum). These include Confederate jasmine and Asian star jasmine. All of the true Jasmine species (Jasminum) are vining, semi-tropical plants, with the exceptions of common white jasmine, which takes the form of a semi-vining shrub, and showy jasmine and winter jasmine, which grow as viney shrubs. Not all jasmines offer fragrant flowers, and those that are fragrant vary in the amount of scent they offer. J. officinale produces the well-known, traditional jasmine scent, while showy jasmine -- grown for its foliage -- presents flowers without scent.

Instructions

1. Choose a species of jasmine that is better adapted to growing in the shade. Asiatic jasmine is a shade-loving ground cover, capable of thriving even in deep shade. This jasmine will also grow well in sunny locations, but it does prefer some degree of shade. Asiatic jasmine does not offer prominent flowers. Confederate jasmine, also known as star jasmine, offers flowers with a strong scent. As a houseplant, this jasmine prefers indirect sunlight during all but the winter season.

2. Try to open up the area to allow light to penetrate the shade, if the shade is too deep for jasmine to perform well. You can offer more access to sunlight by trimming back tree limbs and other foliage that overhangs or blocks the growing site, and by rearranging elements in the yard so that they do not stand between jasmine plants and sun rays.

3. Train the vining plants to grow in a direction where they will receive greater exposure to sunlight. Anchor the vines to a support with soft ties if necessary to direct their growth. Add a temporary support structure to hold the vines while they grow to bridge the gap to a more permanent support if no nearby support is readily available.

4. Provide additional warmth for jasmine plants growing in shady sites. Jasmine plants prefer a warm location. Shady sites are often several degrees cooler than sunny sites. Help correct this difference in temperature by providing insulating material around the base of the plants in the form of mulch. White plastic mulch with a black backing, black plastic mulch and clear polyethylene plastic sheeting are recommended by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service to help raise the temperature of the soil.

Produce A Stereogram In three dimensional Studio Max

Stereograms (or stereographs) are 3D images created by using two 2D images to fool the brain to thinking it is seeing a 3D scene. These can either be presented as two images that are viewed separately through a special viewer, or they are combined into a single image known as an anaglyph. In recent years, 3D artists have been using programs like 3D Studio Max to create stereograms based on 3D models. You might have thought that this would be very difficult, but to create Stereograms in 3D Studio Max, all you need is the free VisuMotion plug-in. Once you have installed it, you can quickly create your own 3D stereograms.

Instructions

1. Launch the 3D Studio Max application. Select "File" from the menu and choose "Open." In the dialog that appears, locate a file you have been working on that you would like to render in 3D.

2. Go to the "Object" menu on the upper right side and click on the "Camera" button. Click on the drop-down menu under the camera in the panel and choose "VisuMotion 3DCam."

3. Go to the camera panel below this and select whatever usual settings you might use for the cameras in the scene, such as focal length.

4. Go to the camera on the stage. You will see that there are three colored layers projected from the camera into the scene.

5. Position these three planes so they overlap the objects in the scene that you want to make 3D. Anything not in all three of these planes from the perspective of the camera will not have the 3D effect. Position the middle plane where you want the focus of the 3D effect.

6. Go to the upper right and click on the "3D Render" button to render the image. Save your work.

Learn Dance Programs

Learning dance routines faster and with confidence can improve your dance skills

Dancers often have to learn new dance routines. Although some dancers are skilled at picking up new dance routines, for others it's not as easy. If you're not accustomed to learning dance routines, you will lack confidence in your dance skills, risk falling behind the rest of your troupe or advance at a slower pace. You might even feel discouraged from dancing all together. If you learn pick up new dance routines, you can have greater confidence, learn new routines faster and get excited instead of intimidated the next time your instructor starts teaching a new routine.

Instructions

1. Watch the instructor demonstrate the routine. Don't try to follow along or write down the steps the first time. Pay attention to sequences of movements rather than to individual steps to make it easier to remember the routine later.

2. Perform the routine step by step with the instructor leading. Have him demonstrate any complex steps you aren't clear on. Ask him whether he noticed any problems or has any corrections to make.

3. Perform the routine again with the instructor, and develop a mantra as you perform. Your mantra can be just reciting the steps to yourself in your head, thinking of a word that describes the movement to you and reciting it as you perform, or doing anything else that helps you remember the sequence of steps. You can also recite this mantra to yourself later when you're not performing, just to get the feel for the rhythm and to remind yourself of the steps.

4. Play your music while performing the routine. Listen for any musical cues, such as beats, tempos, instruments or lyrics, that coincide with steps to tell you when movements or sequences occur.

5. Perform your routine all the way through. Listen to your music for your cues, and recite your mantra to yourself. When finished, ask the instructor for any corrections.

Draw A Comic Cover

Using different shades of one color can give the appearance of lightness and darkness.

Comic book covers can be eye catching with the detail work and color. The amount of work put into a comic book cover can take minutes or it can longer depending on the artist and their vision for the drawing. Varying the line thickness using inking pens can give the appearance of thickness and depth and give the 2-dimensional drawing a 3-dimensional feel. Using light and dark shades can also add the appearance of light or darkness to the drawing.

Instructions

1. Lay the paper on a flat surface. Measure the paper using the ruler and mark the paper width at 6-5/8 inches. Mark the paper height at 10-1/4 inches. This will be the comic book cover size.

2. Sketch the cover for the comic book using a light lead pencil such as 4H or 2H. The higher an H lead pencil is, the lighter the lead will draw on paper. The higher a B lead pencil is, the darker the lead will draw on paper.

3. Draw the main image for the comic book cover first. This drawing will set the standard for the rest of the cover. Make the main image the focus of the cover by drawing it larger and later on outlining it darker than the rest of the cover.

4. Sketch the background for the cover using a light lead pencil. Sketch rough lines and go over the main image, if necessary.

5. Use a darker lead pencil to outline the final drawing.

6. Use a middle grade ink pen such as a 1 point or 2 point to outline the main character for the first outlines. Use the same ink pen to outline the background image outlines. Erase any extra pencil marks with the gum eraser.

7. Darken the outlines of the main drawing and background drawings with the ink pens. Vary the line thickness of the outlines according to depth. The thicker an outline is, the closer the image is to the viewer. This will give a 3-dimensional to the 2-dimensional drawing.

8. Use a .005 to .01 point ink pen to outline finer lines such as eyes, mouth, or any small details. Let the drawing dry completely before touching it.

Draw Cute Animal Sketches

A cute reference photo helps you create a cute animal sketch.

Animals are a favorite subject of artists, and the types of animals an artist can draw range from serious wildlife portraits to cute and comical cartoon animals. If your artistic preferences lead you to the cute side of things, you have a number of visual references upon which to draw. These furry friends range from cuddly cats to dorky dragons. But all of them have a few things in common; the skills to draw them are exactly the same.

Instructions

1. Look for reference pictures of cute animals. Some animals are inherently cute, while others are made cute because the illustrator drew them that way. Select the pictures that have the most appeal to you; it will motivate you during the drawing process.

2. Notice how the animal is shaped --- more specifically, look for the basic geometric shapes that make up that animal. For example, if you're drawing a cute kitty, notice that its head is oval-shaped with its ears being made up of small triangles. The body is made from a modified egg shape. A long, curly cylinder forms the cat's tail. To practice finding the shapes in your reference picture, place a piece of tracing paper over the photo or illustration and block out the shapes of the animal you're drawing.

3. Add the basic geometric shapes of the animal to your page. The practice you've done with the tracing should act as a good guide. Recreate the same basic shapes on your drawing paper that you did on your tracing paper. Doing this will help you position your drawing in the center of your paper and will ensure that your drawing is proportionate.

4. Draw in the defining lines. To know where to place the detail lines, look closely at the reference picture; for example's sake, pretend it's a dog wearing a doggy coat. You might notice that your animal has some fur near his collar area that's made up of jagged lines and that he wears a coat that reaches down to his waist. The key to drawing in these lines is to notice where they fall in relation to the other lines on the animal; some of the lines come from the geometric shapes. In the case of the animal's jacket, you see that the hemline of his coat falls just about two-thirds of the way down the side of his body. Some people prefer the scribble or gesture-drawing method, which allows you to scribble in the details lines until the basic shapes emerge. This will help you fill in the missing lines; you'll have extras, too, but you can get rid of those later.

5. Get rid of the extra lines. Use a clean eraser to remove the lines you no longer need.

6. Fill in the details. Notice if the animal has a funny expression on his face like furrowed eyebrows. Make sure to get the last rhinestone on his collar. Details like this add character to your drawing.

Use A Slate Pavement

Slate creates a nice effect for walkways.

Concrete can be an ugly building material. Dull-colored, uniform in shape, it can clash with a more rustic house design. Slate is a stone made of clay or volcanic ash, which has a dark color and a smooth to craggy surface. Slate pathways add a classic touch to your home design. Slate is also robust, surviving years of harsh weather without dulling or cracking like some concrete sidewalks. Do-it-yourselfers can install slate sidewalks.

Instructions

1. Run string along the intended walkway line. Make the pathway 3 feet wide.

2. Plunge a spade into the ground along the string marker to create a guideline.

3. Dig the entire pathway down 3 to 4 inches. Cut through any large roots with loppers

4. Set long pieces of flexible steel edging along the edge of the pathway. Slide a spike into the metal clip on the back of the edging and pound the spike into the ground with a hammer.

5. Cut two notches with a jigsaw 3 feet apart on a two-by-four and place it over the steel edging to keep the steel in place.

6. Unroll a sheet of landscaping fabric into the walkway to keep roots and plants from growing up into the stone.

7. Spread a 4-inch layer of pea gravel into the walkways, spreading it even with a rake.

8. Place the slate onto the pea gravel, best side up. Wiggle the slate into the pea gravel, then hit it with a rubber mallet to work it into the stone. Repeat with each stone in the walkway.

Use A Gauge Pod On The 1967 Mustang

Replacing the gauge pod takes time, but a new pod can dramatically improve the appearance of the Mustang's interior.

The 1967 Ford Mustang featured a newly-designed gauge pod, with three gauges at the top of the pod and two at the bottom. With the exception of the speedometer, which used a cable connected directly to the transmission, each of the gauges was electrical. Protecting each gauge is a plastic bezel. Over time, these bezels tend to get cloudy and sometimes crack. The bezels cannot be removed or repaired, but the gauge pod can be replaced.

Instructions

Removing the Gauge Pod

1. Disconnect the battery ground cable with a wrench.

2. Place a shop rag on top of the steering column to prevent scratching the paint while removing the gauge pod.

3. Remove the four screws, while holding the heater control panel in place, with a Phillips head screwdriver, then pull the panel out of the dashboard, taking care not to disturb the panel's wiring.

4. Reach through the opening left by the heater control panel with a wrench and unscrew the speedometer cable from the back of the speedometer.

5. Open the ashtray and press down on the tab at the back of the ashtray. Pull the ashtray out of the dashboard.

6. Remove the three screws which hold the ashtray's housing in place in the dashboard with a Phillips head screwdriver, then pull the housing out of the dash. Pull the single wire off of the back of the housing.

7. Reach through the opening left by the ashtray housing with a wrench and remove the nut from behind the right side of the gauge pod.

8. Remove the six external screws which hold the gauge pod in place with a Phillips head screwdriver, then pull the gauge pod out of the dashboard and position the pod on top of the rag covering the steering column.

9. Wrap each wire connecting to the back of the gauge pod with masking tape and label the position of each individual wire.

10. Pull each wire off of the back of the gauge pod. Note that the instrument lights must be rotated 90 degrees before each light bulb can be pulled out of the gauge pod.

11. Remove the gauge pod from the vehicle, then remove the screws which hold each gauge in place with a Phillips head screwdriver and pull the gauges out of the pod.

Installing the Replacement Gauge Pod

12. Insert the gauges into position in the back of the new gauge pod then install each gauge's retaining screws with a Phillips head screwdriver.

13. Position the gauge pod on the rag resting on top of the steering column and plug each wire and instrument light into position as noted by the masking tape wrapped around each wire. To install the instrument lights, align the two tabs on the side of the light's housing with the two slots on the gauge pod then twist the housing 90 degrees. Remove all masking tape pieces from the wires.

14. Position the gauge pod into place against the dashboard then install the pod's six external retaining screws with a Phillips head screwdriver.

15. Reach through the opening left by the ashtray housing with a wrench and install the nut onto the right side of the back of the gauge pod.

16. Plug the ashtray's single wire onto the threaded rod at the back of the ashtray's housing then position the ashtray's housing into place in the dashboard. Install the housing's three retaining screws with a Phillips head screwdriver.

17.Insert the ashtray into its housing with the ashtray in the open position. The thick horizontal bar at the back of the housing must fit in the slot at the back of the ashtray. Raise the ashtray to the closed position until it clicks into place.

18. Reach through the opening left by the heater control panel with a wrench and screw the speedometer cable onto the threaded fitting on the back of the speedometer.

19. Press the heater control panel into place against the dashboard then install the panel's four retaining screws with a Phillips head screwdriver.

20. Connect the battery ground cable to the battery with a wrench.

Use A Canvas Painting

Most canvas paintings can be hung with or without a frame.

Canvas paintings are most easily displayed in a home or business when they are properly stretched and attached to a wooden frame. Of less importance is the presence of an actual picture frame that surrounds the painted image. In fact, many contemporary painters continue the canvas surface around the sides of the stretcher, so they can paint the canvas edges in lieu of an additional wood or metal frame. In any case, framed and unframed canvases can be installed and displayed on a wall, as long as the wooden stretcher is solidly built and not warped.

Instructions

1. Examine the painting closely to insure the stretcher frame is tight. This means all wooden members need to be attached to one another securely and the canvas should cover the front, almost as tightly as the skin of a drum.

2. Place the painting against an open wall area to see if it sits flat. A painting that is severely warped could not pass this test, especially if the painting is large.

3. Weigh the painting. The simplest method is to grab the painting, stand on a scale and then subtract your weight.

4. Purchase a pair of eye screws and picture hanging wire rated at least 20 pounds higher than the weight of your canvas. The wire needs to be a foot longer than the width of the painting.

5. Measure the height of the painting with a tape measure and divide that number by 1/4. You may use a calculator if you wish.

6. Measure down from the top of the painting by the number that was calculated in the last step. Make two marks on the inside edge of the frame, one for each side.

7. Select a drill bit that is slightly smaller in diameter than the eye screw. Insert this bit into the drill and drill two pilot holes into the wood stretcher about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from the edge of the wood.

8. Screw the eye screw into the pilot hole. You can use a straight-edged screw driver for leverage.

9. Cut the picture-hanging wire to length with a pair of side cutters (the wire should be 8 to 12 inches longer than the width of the painting). Insert each end of the wire through an eye screw and pull tight. Then wrap the end strand once around the post of the eye screw and continue with tight loops around the main piece of stretched wire. Do this on both ends until you run out of wire.

10. Find a spot on the wall where you wish to hang the painting and measure up from the floor to your eye level.

11. Locate the nearest wall stud with the stud finder.

12. Insert the builder's screw through the hanging bracket with a screw gun. The screw should point downwards at a 45-degree angle.

13. Hang the painting.

Install An Exterior Cooler With An Xbox 360 360

This article will walk you through install an external cooler to your XBOX 360. An external cooler is used in conjunction with the internal cooler to keep your machine cool during long periods of play. There are many external coolers, but there is only one way to install one on the XBOX 360.

Instructions

1. First, unplug all cords from your 360 at the wall and the television. Next, align your cooler male power plug end into the 360 power port and guide the security pins on the bottom into the air vent holes that oppose them.

2. Next, press the cooler and console together until the clips at the top and bottom lock into the air vent holes and the male plug locks into the power port. Now the edge of the cooler should be flat or flush against the back of the console.

3. Now you can attach the XBOX 360 power cord into the female power port on the cooler and then plug in the power adapter that comes with your 360 to an outlet.

4. The XBOX 360 audio video cable that you unplugged in step 1 can now be placed back into the correct port you took it out of on your television. Turn the power on to your XBOX 360 and the cooler will start on its own. The cooler should automatically shut down when your 360 is turned off.

Install And Manage Banner Advertisements On The Joomla Website

Make money displaying banner ads on your Joomla website.

A great way to earn extra revenue is to sell banner ad space on your Joomla website to one or more advertisers. Once you've familiarized yourself with a few basic steps, you can add, remove and change banner ads on your Joomla site in just minutes. Display multiple banner ads, let Joomla manage the ad campaigns, and boost the earning potential of your website.

Instructions

Install Banner Ads on Your Joomla Website

1. Obtain a banner ad from a client who has agreed to purchase ad space on your Joomla site. The banner ad will be an image in GIF or JPG format. Log in to your Joomla administrator panel and click "Site" on the main menu. Select "Media Manager" from the drop-down menu.

2. Click on "Directory" in the Media Manager window and select "Banners" from the drop-down menu. Click "Browse" and select your client's ad. Click "Open" to upload the file. Click "Components" and then "Banners." Select "Manage Clients."

3. Click "New" to create a new client. Enter your client's information, including the desired advertising duration, number of clicks and the following details:

- If you sold banner ad space for a certain period of time, enter the details for how long the banner ad should run on your website.

- If you sold ad space and a specific number of clicks, enter that number as the maximum number of clicks the banner ad will receive before it is disabled.

- If you did not sell a limited number of clicks to your client, set the value to "unlimited" in the relevant field.

Click "Save" to save your client's information.

4. Display your client's banner ads. Click "Components" in the main menu, select "Banners" and then click "Manage Banners." Click "New" and enter the title of the banner ad. Select the client and enter the client's Web address - this should be the URL to which your visitors will be directed when they click on the client's banner ad. Choose the ad file and click "Save."

5. Ensure that a check mark rather than an "X" appears in the "Published" column. If you see an "X," change it to a check mark.

Remove, Add and Manage Banner Ads

6. Click "Components" in the main menu. Click "Banners" and then "Manage Banners."

7. Remove a banner ad by checking the box in front of it. To simply stop displaying the ad, click the "Unpublish" icon at the top right of the page. To completely remove the ad, click "Delete."

8. Add a new banner ad by clicking "New" and entering the necessary information. Choose the ad file and click "Save." Use the "Upload" button if you are adding a new banner image.

9. Add or remove clients by clicking the "Components" link in the main menu. Click "Banners" and then click "Manage Clients."

Make An Airbrush Tool

Create your own airbrush tool using common household objects

An airbrush tool is a machine that uses air to spray paint onto a surface. Airbrush tools are commercially manufactured and can be purchased at most art supply stores. Though prices vary based on the type of airbrush tool you purchase, they can be quite costly. Making your own airbrush tool can be done at home using a variety of common household items. Unlike commercially manufactured airbrushes, however, these homemade tools are operated by your breath.

Instructions

1. Wash the spray bottle and nozzle to remove any excess dirt or fluid. Cut the nozzle off the spray bottle head using an X-Acto knife.

2. Drill a hole into the side of the nozzle using a drill bit approximately the size of the spray bottle's tubing.

3. Cut a length of tubing from the bottom of the spray bottle system about 2 inches in length. Insert the tubing into the hole in the nozzle and glue them together around the edges. Be careful not to get glue inside the tube as it can cause blockages.

4. Drill two holes on each side of the bottom of the film canister for the metal straws.

5. Measure and cut the metal straws so that there are two pieces, one at 6 inches in length and the other at 2 inches in length.

6. Push the 2-inch metal straw through one of the holes in the film canister until it is about halfway through. Glue it in place being careful not to get glue inside the straw.

7. Place the cap on the film canister and insert the 6-inch straw into the film canister. Push it through the free hole until it is nearly at the top of the film canister without touching the lid. Glue it in place.

8. Remove the tip from the marker using the X-Acto knife, then drill a hole at each end of the marker and one hole in the center of the marker.

9. Glue the film canister to the center of the marker, with the cap side up, on the opposite side of the center hole with the metal straws sitting astride the body of the marker. Allow the glue to dry before continuing.

10. Cut three pieces of tubing approximately 4 inches in length.

11. Take one piece of tubing and thread it through the front of the marker, then bring it up through the center hole. Connect the end of the tubing coming from the center hole to the outside end of the 2-inch metal straw. Attach the free end of the tubing to the nozzle.

12. Connect another piece of tubing to the free tubing that you connected to the nozzle earlier. Glue these two pieces together, then thread the other end of the tube through the open front and back ends of the marker.

13. Connect the last piece of tubing to the open metal straw and then pass it through the third hole in the marker. Glue the pieces together.

14. Remove the cap from the film canister and fill it with paint. Be careful to not overfill past the higher of the metal straws. Use the airbrush tool by pointing the nozzle at your surface and blowing on the second and third tubes.

Pitch A Film Idea To Some Production Company

Hollywood is always looking for fresh ideas, ones that give their audiences a new cinematic experience. Even if you think your idea is too far-fetched or impossible to turn into a movie, production companies have scores of people to help shape and mold ideas into something that could be filmed. You just need to pitch the idea so the producers believe it will be a success.

Instructions

1. Form an idea that has depth and substance. You need not create all the characters for your movie; however, you must have a good grasp on who or what the main characters are.

2. Practice pitching your idea until you are able to tell your story without any stops or pauses. Time is money to these people and you want to make your pitch as short but also as detailed as possible. Practice what you will say prior to going to your meeting, so that you are able to pitch your idea in 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Create a presentation to have while you present your idea to production companies. This will help you to be focused and stay on track in the event you become nervous, which is highly likely, especially if it's the first time you've made a story pitch.

4. Be confident and determined while pitching your idea. The big shots at any production company don't want an idea from someone who doesn't show confidence; this could signify that you don't have confidence in your idea.

Enhance Your Personal Time Management

Make lists of all the things you must do.

If you feel like you never have enough time to get everything done in a day, take some time to evaluate how you spend your time. If you find that you aren't getting things done or spending time on things that aren't necessary, you'll need to strategize and find ways to better manage your time.

Instructions

1. Make lists of all the things you must do every day. Prioritize those items so that you do the most important things first before moving on to things that are less important. Check off each item on the list as you complete them. .

2. Use an appointment calandar, or a scheduler on your phone or computer to manage your tasks throughout the week. Set up a timer that alerts to when you must do things.

3. Say no if you can't do everything. It's okay to decline an offer or ask someone else to do something for you -- delegate tasks to others. Stick to the most important tasks that you must do each day.

4. Improve your time management skills by managing stress. You can best manage stress if you're energetic and healthy. Get plenty of sleep at night, exercise and eat right so that you can quickly and efficiently handle your to-do-list every day.

5. Break larger tasks into smaller tasks and work on a big project in little bites. You may find that you're able to breeze through the project if you're looking at as small, five minute tasks.

6. Step away from distractions. Turn off the phone and don't check your email while you're working on a project.

Enhance Your Speech & Enunciation

A mumbling speaker won't be given much credit by his listeners.

If you want to be taken seriously in the business world, you must be able to speak with clarity and confidence. Many people get through school without putting enough time in improving their public speaking skills. As a result, when they have to speak to coworkers, pitch products or make presentations, they lack the skills that make truly effective business people stand out. Fortunately, becoming a better public speaker is not hard; it just requires regular practice of a few key techniques.

Instructions

1. Slow down when speaking and practicing your diction exercises. Go too fast and you risk mumbling and muddling the parts of the words that need to be clearly defined. Take your time and concentrate on clarity, and eventually you will be able to speak clearly and quickly.

2. Work on pronouncing the hard consonants in words with clarity. You don't need to punch them; just make sure they are precise and that they don't blend into other words. Practice saying the following lines from Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" to work on consonants: "To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a lifelong lock, awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, from a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block."

3. Practice the following exercise to help get your mouth mobile. Exaggerate the movements to try and get your mouth working extra hard in order to build the muscles. Say, "The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the teeth, the lip, the lips" and repeat the phrase over and over. Try to build up speed, but never at the expense of clarity.

4. Practice repetitive diction exercises. Take a short phrase and repeat it over and over without letting the clarity waver through each repetition. Try the classic example of "red leather, yellow leather." Other good ones include "unique New York" and "lemon liniment."

Improve Stylish Hop Abilities

Hip hop is a music genre and a dance style. Hip hop skills can include producing your own beats, freestyling vocals and a number of dance techniques. The truly skilled hip hop artist is good at all three.

Instructions

Improve Your Hip Hop Dancing Skills

1. Improve your rhythm. When listening to hip hop music, tap your fingers and feet to the beat. Hip hop is a highly rhythm based music style. If you do not have rhythm, then there is very little hope for you.

2. Practice at a local hip hop night club. Glance around and see how other people are dancing. If you see something you like, try it out. Otherwise, experiment with your own moves.

3. Take a class at a local gym or dance studio. Most colleges offer beginner hip hop classes and gym classes are usually pretty cheap if you have a membership. Dance studios will be more expensive, but if you are looking for a higher level, studios are the places to go.

Make Better Hip Hop Beats

4. Buy a turntable and practice mixing at home. One of the main skills a hip hop producer needs is to know DJ. Learn to mix and develop new beats.

5. Buy some music studio software for your computer. Some professional producers make all of their music on programs like Fruity Loops (see Resources below).

Improve Your Freestyling Skills

6. Buy or download some instrumental hip hop songs that have no vocals. If your friend knows make a beat, then you can have him make a beat for you instead.

7. Practice your freestyling or flowing skills by improvising rap lyrics to a neutral beat. Try and rap at the right tempo and rhythm of the background music provided.

8. Try your hand at beatboxing. Try to mimic a hip hop beat using only your mouth. This is a form of freestyling too.

Find Cajun Dancing In New Orleans

Cajun dancing is usually a two-step, waltz, and sometimes jitterbug type of dance, although some would argue that jitterbug does not belong with Cajun dancing. When you do a Cajun dance, be prepared to move around the hall, not stay in one place. Cajun dancing is easy to learn and most of the dance hall or clubs will have patrons or staff available to teach you. If you already dance and love it, you can probably pick it up just by watching.

Instructions

Finding Cajun Dancing

1. Find Mulate's, directly across from the Convention Center. You will find the legendary restaurant recognized as the best of Cajun Dance halls. You will enjoy live Cajun Music with great Cajun food seven days a week. Mulate's is where the Cajuns go to dance. Join them to "pass a good time."

2. Travel to Michaul's LIve Cajun Music Restaurant at 840 St Charles. This premiere Cajun dancing, music and food purveyor will have you feeling at home in minutes. This is a family oriented organization and you will see children any time you visit. If you have never danced "Cajun" before, don't be surprised if a busboy asks you to dance in between bussing his tables. You will feel as if you have been dancing forever.

3. If it's Wednesday, drive to Mid-City Lanes Rock 'n Bowl, 4133 S. Carrollton Avenue. This combination bowling alley and dance hall also serves up a mean po' boy. On Wednesday nights, you can find Cajun music and dancing. A bowling alley and restaurant offering live music and dancing could happen only in New Orleans.

4. Walk through the French Quarter to 610 Bourbon and the Beach Club. You will hear the music before you enter the club. You will find the same friendliness and informality common to all Cajun dancing establishments. It's possible that the words, "Southern Hospitality" originated with the Cajuns.

Go Through The Spy Museum In Washington Electricity

The International Spy Museum

It may sound like something out of a super hero comic book, but the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., is very real and very serious, especially for those who love a good spy thriller. A visit to this museum will teach you something about spy history, spy tools and tricks, and even spies in the movies. Best of all, the Spy Museum isn’t a “look but don’t touch” experience; you’ll find plenty of hands-on activities to keep you interested and entertained.

Instructions

1. Check the hours of operation for the day you plan to visit; some days the museum is open until 6 p.m. and some days until 7 p.m. Try to get there no later than 3 p.m. because you’ll need at least two hours to see everything and you may want to spend some extra time. The last admission is two hours before closing.

2. Enjoy the briefing film and the Spy School exhibit. As you go through the exhibit, be sure to experiment with all the interactive stuff to improve your ability to work undercover. Learn about the tools and technology, then when you’re done, pass through the rest of the museum to learn about spying through the ages. The remaining exhibits will demonstrate how real spies use the tricks of their trade.

3. Pay the additional fee and take part in Operation Spy. You’ll have an assignment and a limited amount of time to complete it before something horrible happens to the world. According to the museum, this is not an exhibit. It’s real spy action and you get to experience it firsthand.

4. Take home some spy gear. The International Spy Museum has a store and you can purchase all kinds of spy stuff. They have special gadgetry for the spy wannabe, such as pens that conceal a jump drive or a voice recording device, a hidden hidey hole that looks like a wall socket, toys, games and even spy music.

5. If you have a really big group (15 or more people) and a lot of cash ($1,600 minimum), organize a scavenger hunt at the museum. The museum offers three different versions during regular hours and after hours. It’s a true test of your spook skills. You need to make reservations for this one.

Create A Good Caricature

A comic strip differs from a comic book in that it is typical simple and stands on its own. Even ongoing comic strips in newspapers tend to have a stand-alone theme or joke for each installation of the strip. Creating a good comic strip is a combination of drawing imagery and writing text that delivers a single concept in between five and ten panels and leaves readers satisfied at the end of the strip.

Instructions

1. Brainstorm a concept that you can capture in a limited number of panels. Satire, simple jokes, or odd predicaments are often ideal for the comic strip setting. Ten panels is an exceptionally long strip. Between three and five is ideal. The number you use is up to you, but each panel should deliver the maximum amount of story through its artwork and any text used.

2. Draw your panels. Use a ruler and blank (no lines) paper. The panels can be any size you like, depending upon the appearance of your strip, but leave plenty of room for you to draw the artwork.

3. Sketch your artwork in each panel. The object of a strip is to lead the reader's eye from one panel to the next, so placement of your artwork in a strip is important. Keep the main action of your first panel to the right side of the panel. Don't put a lot of detail in the back. Draw the action of your strip in the second panel more centered, then draw the action of your third panel more toward the left of the panel. This pattern can be repeated and helps focus the eye on the artwork.

4. Draw characters and images that speak to the reader as clearly as the words you write. If an image can showcase the concept better, don't feel as if you need to explain the joke with words as well.

Identify Reverse Foil Artwork

Observe the painted side of the reverse-glass painting to identify a real antique.

Reverse foil artwork is also known as reverse-glass painting, where artists painted on the back of glass for mostly decorative objects. According to the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art, reverse-glass painting was popular in America in the late 1700s to the early 1800s, though the technique was used in Europe since the thirteenth century. The subject matter of the paintings ranged from cupids to geometric designs, and the paintings were often incorporated into furniture such as sideboards and mirrors. To identify antique reverse foil artwork, examine the glass for the materials that were used during the height of its popularity.

Instructions

1. Study the front and back of the artwork with a magnifying glass to be sure that the painting is on the back. Reverse-glass painting should painted, inlaid or gilded from the reverse side. The painting was often translucent with silver and gold leaf. Be sure your artwork is not etched glass from the front side.

2. Observe the actual painting on the artwork. Reverse-glass paintings were often inexpensive decorative objects that appealed to a mass audience. The subject matter often used flowers, imitation stained glass, historical figures, important events, such as the American Revolution, and landscapes. Check if your artwork features this type of subject matter.

3. Examine where the reverse foil artwork is. Most reverse-glass paintings adorned furniture, mirror, frames and clocks. If your artwork is on its own in a frame, it may not be an antique unless it was taken off from a larger piece of furniture or mirror.

4. Look for separation of the layers of paint and gilding. This is a common problem according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, once the binding materials on the glass start to deteriorate. Paint layers do not bind well with smooth surfaces, and glass is a smooth surface. Detached paint layers look lighter and voids occur between the glass and the paint. Paint flakes are also a sign of layers separating.

5. Analyze the artwork with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, which museums or art conservators would have. It would analyze the composition of the paint and glass. For example, a reverse-glass painting at the Metropolitan Museum was analyzed to have a two to one ratio of potassium to calcium with traces of sodium, magnesium and aluminum, which pointed its origin to an American glass manufacturer in Maryland from the 1700s.

6. Test the paint sample with a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which is used by museums and art conservators. This examines the type of paints and other chemicals used on the artwork. For example, the Metropolitan Museum found on the same reverse-glass painting linseed oil as the paint medium, which was often used in the late 1700s to early 1800s on reverse-foil artwork.

Identify Pairpoint Glasses

Pairpoint glassware is very popular, and often sells for large amounts at auction.

Pairpoint glassware is made at America's oldest glassworks, founded in 1837. A wide range of glass products have been created by Pairpoint over the years, from vases and bowls to glasses and ornaments. Each piece is carefully handmade and painted to create unique and striking items which are loved all over the world. Unfortunately, Pairpoint's popularity does mean fakes have become available, but it is relatively easy to discover if your Pairpoint glassware is real or not.

Instructions

1. Look at the colors of the piece. Pairpoint glassware primarily use cranberry, sapphire blue, cobalt blue, ruby, rosaria, gold ruby, opal, Vaseline, camellia, auroria, amber and amethyst. There may be touches of other colors where these colors have combined, but if your item contains a very different color, it may not be original or may have been repainted.

2. Check the painting. Pairpoint is hand-painted, and while it is very high quality, the pieces have a distinctive handmade quality. Examine the painting for signs of machine painting, such as very straight lines or perfect shapes. These are often signs of fakes, as fake glassware is mass produced.

3. Match the pattern with the online database available on the Pairpoint website. Although there are hundreds of designs, most of these are available to view online, including commissioned or limited edition versions.

4. Contact Pairpoint. They have a corporate office in Cape Cod which is contactable by the public. It is worth asking if they will help you to identify your piece, and waiting to see what they need. For some pieces, photographs may be enough to identify whether it is Pairpoint, although more complex pieces may require you to send the item itself.

Produce A Line Drawing From The Photograph In Fresh paint Shop Professional

Finding just the right photograph to use on your website or print materials can be difficult. Sometimes the photograph is damaged beyond repair, and sometimes there are copyright issues. Sometimes the photograph contains elements you would like to remove or simplify. Why not use that photograph to create a line drawing in Paint Shop Pro? A line drawing is always your own work, and creating line drawings is a quick and easy way to fix otherwise irreparable problems in photographs. Still, you'll need a steady hand to complete this task. A stylus is also helpful.

Instructions Palettes > Layers. Select the new layer, which is named Raster 1 if you selected the default value. In the materials palette, select black. Trace the objects within your scene using the paintbrush tool. Be sure to trace each distinct area of color, not just outside shapes. Ensure that each section is completely enclosed by the black lines. Your image will look something like a paint by number when you are finished.

4. Make sure the Raster 1 layer is still selected. Click the dropper tool in the Paint Shop Pro toolbar. If there is variation within the section of color, try to select a median value. Section by section, select the fill tool to fill each area with a color selected from the the image. Continue this process until all sections have been filled.

5. Delete the background layer. Save the image with a new file name.

6. Zoom in on the image to see if there are any spots which have not been filled with color. Select colors from adjacent areas to use to fill the missed area. Refer to your original image if necessary.

Identify Various Kinds Of Fireworks

You can find several types of fireworks available for consumers and many more varieties sold to professional pyrotechnic experts worldwide. First invented by the Chinese over two thousand years ago, fireworks are a staple addition to many celebrated events across the globe. Read through the steps found here to better identify different types of fireworks.

Instructions

1. Look at the size of the firework to identify the type. The largest fireworks are available only to professionals and require a pyrotechnic license to obtain.

2. Read the label on the firework's packaging. All information about the firework's weight, colors and other technical data should be printed clearly somewhere on the item or its package.

3. Identify rocket type fireworks by their long cylindrical shape an aerodynamic tips. These types of fireworks fly and can travel to great heights.

4. Note the fountain type fireworks produce a shower effect display. These are common and are a favorite for younger firework watchers.

5. Watch for artillery shell type fireworks that are loaded into tubes and launched into the air. These fireworks are round in shape like a cannon ball and are professional-grade fireworks.

6. Notice the colors of the different fireworks. Differing colored explosions will help to identify their particular chemical make up. Red explosions contain strontium or lithium whereas blue displays have a copper base.

Read Drumline Music

Read Drumline Music

Drumline music sheets, or percussion charts, are musical arrangements for drums and other percussion instruments, typically notated for marching band. Drums, like other instruments, are notated rhythmically, but since they don't play melody, the notes are arranged on a specific line on the music staff according to the type of drum.

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with the standard music staff. A music staff consists of five lines and four spaces. This is where you will notate drumline parts according to the type of drum.

2. Learn the various types of drums. There are snares, bass, and tom-toms. In addition, you will need to recognize cymbals and hi-hats. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the sound these percussion instruments make.

3. Consider the order of the instruments from highest to lowest. This will typically be the way the drums are notated on the staff, starting at the first space above the highest line. This space is where the hi-hat is placed.

4. Remember that drumline music will have standard musical rhythm indications for note timing, such as quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, thirty-second notes, and the equal value rests. You might want to keep a note value guide handy until you're familiar with note values (see Resources).

5. Notate cymbals on the first line above the music staff, toms on the fourth space of the music staff, snare drums on the third line of the music staff, bass drums on the first line of the music staff, and pedal hi-hats on the first space below the bass drums. You can mark the head of each note with a small x or with the standard head of a musical note.

6. Learn special markings such as the letters r and l for right and left. A small circled x indicates cross-sticking, which is a method of playing the snare by crossing your arms.

7. Read, or play, as much drum music as you can. The more you read along while listening to drumliine music, the better your reading skills will become. Playing also helps increase your reading skills. You can buy a book of simple drum patterns and music at a local music store or find a variety free online (see Resources).

Recruit Former Military Being Cops

Police officers require discipline, and members of the armed forces share that trait.

Police departments can recruit former members of the military to become police officers with some effort. For instance, hosting a job fair or making a website for exiting military members are strategic moves. Departments can use these strategies to entice former military to see what skills they can transfer into a new career as a police officer. Marketing and interpersonal skills are required to ensure this process will meet recruitment quotas. Former military can become some of the most reliable police officers due to the level of discipline developed while serving the country.

Instructions

1. Have a job fair for military members ending their tours of duty. This will enable military members to learn about a new career that they qualify for immediately. It will provide face-to-face contact with current police officers and allow for the former military members to ask questions on the spot. The recruitment process must be engaging and provide details through brochures for follow-up purposes.

2. Create a website for the area that specifically caters to hiring military personnel that are moving on toward another career. This will help recruit potential new police members from the military as well. As an alternative, a police department may use a national database that collects applicant information to avoid the internal screening process. The approach of using the Internet is less personal, but it can generate interest of qualified former military. If a police department establishes an individual site, it should include benefits information, where to apply for a job as a former military member and any applicable exam information.

3. Provide a signing bonus for former military members to have an incentive to join the police force. It should be commensurate with the geographic location (i.e., risk level) and economic conditions of the area. Provide the bonus once you complete pre-employment screening and the former military member is ready to officially become a police officer.

Write A Highly Effective One Sheet For Any Compact disc

So you've recorded a CD that you're proud of and think that it deserves to be on the radio. You have a list of contacts at targeted stations who have agreed to listen to your CD and a supply of envelopes at the ready. Before you mail your CDs off though, you need to spend some time working on a one sheet. A courteous cover letter is all well and good, but even more importantly, your CD needs an effective one sheet. Think of this as an accompanying sales pitch; a mini-bio that quickly informs a programmer or DJ of pertinent details about the release and hopefully results in it being considered for airplay.

Instructions

1. Scan the artwork of your CD and save it to your desktop.

2. Create a new document in the word processing software of your choice and place the CD image prominently at the top of the page along with your name and the CD title.Alongside the CD image, type in a list of the songs on your CD, in the correct running order, along with the exact running length of each track. This is critically important, as DJs and programmers need precise running times of songs when planning their shows. Leave off this information and even if the DJ likes your song, they'll have no way of knowing if it will fit into any available slots on their playlist.

3. Write a brief introductory paragraph about the CD, explaining who the artist is, what genre the CD fits into and the CD's release date.

4. In the next paragraph, add any interesting selling points or details that might be of interest to a programmer. If you have a known producer on board, mention that person by name and mention his credits. Do the same with any notable musicians appearing on your CD; it can only give your release more credibility and help it stand out from the crowd.

5. Next, focus on what you consider to be the most representative and standout tracks. Pick two or three and write a brief description of each focusing on the feel, tempo and lyrical content of the song. You can also mention similar artists to further help categorize your music. This saves the programmer time by seeing themes at a glance rather than having to search lyric sheets or listen to the whole album. These are very busy people, so any accurate guidance you can give them about your music will benefit all concerned.

6. This is also a good time to slip in a testimonial quote or two from reviewers or DJs who have previously played your music. If you have quotes about specific tracks on your CD, all the better. There's no need to overdo this by adding a long list of these from your press kit, but those relevant to the CD (especially if they're credited to other DJs), can only help your cause.

7. Equally as important as the song titles and genre specifics is your contact information. Make this large and easily readable. It helps to set this information in large reverse type so it stands out. Make sure you include your website and your contact email, along with details about where the CD is available for sale. Remember that most stations list their playlists online and they often link to artists' websites. Sometimes they'll even link to your product at retail outlets like Amazon or CDBaby. This is too good an opportunity to waste.

8. When you're happy that your one sheet is a concise and professional representation of your CD release, save it to your hard drive and print out as many copies as you'll need for your initial mailing.

Make Dog Christmas Tree Ornaments

Use your dog as inspiration for making Christmas tree ornaments.

Christmas is a time to celebrate with the entire family. This includes your pets. One activity that can bring a family together during the Christmas season is making ornaments. This is an inexpensive way to decorate your Christmas tree while creating personalized ornaments that represent your family. If you have a dog, then you will want to create a few ornaments that represent your pup on the family Christmas tree.

Instructions

Paw Print Dough Ornament

1. Combine 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of water in a mixing bowl. This creates your dough.

2. Lay your dough on a flat surface and roll it out at a thickness of 1/4 inch. Sprinkle some flour on the rolling pin first so that it does not stick to the dough.

3. Cut out a circle or square that is large enough to fit your dog's paw. If you want to add your dog's name to the ornament then make it even bigger.

4. Lift up your dog and press its paw down into the dough to create a paw print.

5. Write your dog's name across the middle of the paw print, or below the paw print using a toothpick. Then take the toothpick and dig a hole of of the top of the paw print ornament. This will give you a hole to thread ribbon through for hanging on the Christmas tree.

6. Bake your paw print ornament in the oven on a cookie sheet at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours.

7. Paint the ornament to your liking after it has completely cooled.

8. Thread some ribbon through the hole at the top of the paw print ornament and tie it around one of the branches of your Christmas tree. Do this after the paint is dry.

Shrinkable Plastic Sheet Dog Tag Ornament

9. Turn your shrinkable plastic sheet so that the rough side is on top and the smooth side is on the bottom.

10. Cut the shrinkable plastic sheet into four even pieces. You only need one piece to make your dog tag ornament. If you prefer, you can repeat the steps to make three more dog tag ornaments with the leftover pieces.

Note: The piece may look large, but keep in mind that it is going to shrink significantly when you put it in the oven.

11. Punch a hole in the top middle of the piece of shrinkable plastic sheet with a hole puncher. This will give you a spot to thread string through to attach the dog tag ornament to your Christmas tree.

12. Color a picture of your dog on the shrinky dink sheet using colored pencils. You can also add your dog's name or a funny saying.

13. Set your shrinkable plastic sheet dog tag on a cookie sheet and bake for three minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

14. Thread a string through the hole in the dog tag and tie it around one of the branches on your Christmas tree.

Identify And Understand An Idealist Personality

An idealist focuses on the future, looking at the whole picture, longing for understanding and always putting the human factor first. This article is aimed at helping you to identify an idealist and understand how they see things and think.

Instructions

1. Idealists are generally very attentive and receptive to people welcoming new ideas or opinions. When they speak about solving a problem or what the future should look like their focus is based upon what would be good for people as a whole. They believe that everything is connected and trust that harmony can be found.

2. Idealists would much rather have everyone agree rather than be involved within an open debate or conflict, being most comfortable when people are open and friendly to each other.

3. Idealist are more likely to trust people since they are usually trustworthy themselves and expect the same from others, which can turn out to cause them the most disappointment. Expecting from others what they expect from themselves.

4. An idealist believes that all people have the same basic desires and needs and that everyone should be entitled to that, often taking longer in coming up with a solution to a problem since it is important for them to get everyone on the same page and be happy. Not much is strictly black or white, since in their thinking there are always more than just one solution to a problem.

5. Since an Idealist does not enjoy or want to be seen as challenging or argumentative, as a result their opinions are not always voiced, but kept inside, even though they just know that their ideas would work best because it would create the best advantages and harmony for all.

6. An Idealist will tend to humanize most situations and look beyond just the numbers of a record or chart. For instance, yes this new plan will bring in more revenue, but how many people will it hurt or make uncomfortable in the process!

Contain The Drumsticks Correctly For Any Press Roll

A press roll is a drum roll that is played with the drumsticks pressed firmly against the snare, thus creating a tighter sound. Playing a press roll requires holding the drumsticks differently than the way you hold them for a normal roll. Learning hold the drumsticks for a press roll is quite important in learning perform the press roll.

Instructions

Hold the Drumsticks Properly for a Press Roll

1. Hold the drumsticks in your preferred style, although the matched grip is probably the best for the press roll. The matched grip is a style in which both hands are holding the drumsticks in the same manner, usually in an overhand style.

2. Hold the sticks more firmly than you would normally. When performing a regular roll you hold the sticks more lightly than for regular playing, but for a press roll you should hold them more firmly than you do for regular playing.

3. Continue the firm hold on the sticks throughout the press roll.

Hold Canvas Works of art Inside A Frame

Save money by framing canvas paintings yourself.

Paintings or photographs that are printed on canvas can be framed in an open-back picture frame without the need for a glass front. Unless your canvas painting requires a custom frame size, you can save money by purchasing a ready-made frame and framing it yourself. The best way to ensure that your canvas painting is sized correctly for a ready-made frame is to purchase or create a canvas painting that is sized correctly for the frame you have available.

Instructions

1. Go to a photography specialty store or craft shop to view their selection of ready-made frames. Frames usually come in a variety of standard sizes, such as 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 18x24 and 20x24. While you may be able to find frames in other sizes, it is more likely that a canvas painting with different dimensions will require you to purchase a special-order frame.

2. Purchase a ready-made, open-back frame that suits the dimensions of the canvas painting. If you need to have a frame made for you, it is possible to save money by ordering the frame and assembling the framed canvas yourself.

3. Purchase clips to secure the canvas painting to the frame. Clips can be purchased in the framing department of craft stores -- they usually come in packages of four. Unless you are framing a very large and heavy canvas, one clip per side of the painting is sufficient.

4. Place the canvas inside of the frame carefully, so it rests on the inner lip. Some frames will fit more tightly around the canvas than others, so it is important to proceed carefully -- so that the canvas isn't scratched during assembly.

5. Put the clips in place to secure the painting in the frame. Push the straight end of the clip between the frame and the canvas and pull the other end over and around the canvas stretcher bar to secure it in place.

6. Repeat until all of the clips are secured. Once complete, the framed canvas is ready for display.

So Why Do Orchestras Need Conductors

A music conductor guides an orchestra through the sheet music.

Nineteenth century orchestras performed without a conductor, and small orchestras to this day rehearse without one, as well. However, because of the gradually increased size of orchestras, musicians became dependent on conductors. Even though a score is like a road map, orchestras still need conductors to guide them through this complicated map and its terrain.

Interpretation

Before the orchestra performs a concert live, the conductor looks over the entire piece. Memorizing all of the parts, the conductor learns where each low and high point is located for each instrument. As a result of his hard work, the conductor wants the audience to be intrigued, which can happen through his interpretation. Needless to say, each interpretation is different from the next. In fact, Tony Macaluso, author of Sounds of Chicago's Lakefront: A Celebration of the Grant Park Music Festival, states that the same piece performed by the same orchestra but with two different conductors can sound dramatically different.

Rehearsal

After reviewing the composition beforehand, the conductor hands his interpretation to the performers. When they begin to rehearse together, the conductor shows them how he wants them to perform. When the musical piece says "crescendo," the conductor decides how quickly the orchestra reaches its high point and where that high point is.

Friendly Reminders

During a concert, not all instruments play at the same time. Thus, performers take breaks and wait to start playing their instrument again. The conductor gently reminds each performer that his break will soon end. He usually does this through a subtle wink or a nod. Without him, the performer could forget or start playing at the wrong time.

Concert Tempos

While performing, orchestras can get easily carried away. Whether playing too fast, too slow, too gently or too roughly, the orchestra needs direction during the performance. The conductor acts like the director of a film. Through his gestures, he tells the musicians what to do. If the string instruments are playing too aggressively, he informs them to play softer and with less gusto.

Create A Simple Moonshine Still In Your Own Home

Brewing a jug of moonshine has romantic roots.

The recipe sounds simple enough: Mix yeast and molasses with water and let the mixture ferment until it becomes a bubbling cauldron of high-powered booze that is guaranteed to leave drinkers hungover the following morning. Technicalities aside, brewing a jug of moonshine has romantic roots. From rural Tennessee stills to law-flaunting Prohibition hooch runners, homemade mash has filled the world's alcohol gaps when, for one reason or another, availability, cash and laws have injected themselves between people and their favorite brew. Always looking to circumvent these roadblocks, brewers found unique ways to get their fixes. The most practical has been a do-it-yourself approach to mixing up private-label stock.

Instructions

1. Check local, state, federal and national statutes to make sure you won't break any laws by building a still to prepare your blend. Most states have prohibitions against making alcoholic beverages that exceed a specific proof, so adhere to those restrictions.

2. Drill a hole in the Crock-Pot lid, and feed one end of the copper tubing into the pot via the hole.

3. Fasten the plastic top to the milk bottle.

4. Carve out a large hole to be used for feeding ice into the container. Puncture the bottle top and feed the tubing into the bottle, then out the side of the bottle--approximately 2 inches from the bottom.

5. Feed the end of the tubing into the jug where you plan to keep your homemade brew.

6. Use waterproof seal to fill any gaps around the tubing where it feeds into both lids.

7. Blow into the tubing to make sure there are no obstructions, then fill the steamer/Crock-Pot with your ingredients (see Resources). Fill 2/3 of the milk bottle with ice cubes.

8. Cook the blend between 173 and 200 degrees F. If you don't plan to monitor the distilling process closely, rig up your still outside on a stone surface--and away from all flammable materials--in case the brew runs over or catches fire.

9. Discard the first few ounces to avoid ingesting impurities the still produces when it begins to brew the beverage.

10. Add ice to the milk bottle throughout the distilling process so the plastic doesn't melt.

11. Sample the brew frequently for taste and quality.

12. Turn off the still (wear gloves) when you start to taste nothing but water, and dump the residue. Add a fresh batch of ingredients and make the next batch.

13. When the beverage is cool, put a piece of charcoal between paper coffee filters arranged in a large strainer or funnel and purify the liquor.

Write The Minutes From The 4h Meeting

Minutes are a record of what was said in a meeting.

More than seven million young people in the U.S. belong to a 4-H club. Each club holds multiple meetings and the minutes of these meetings act as a record of what was discussed and decided. The 4-H organization publishes guidelines on take minutes at 4H- meetings based on good general business practices.

Instructions

Taking the Minutes

1. Obtain the agenda for the meeting. With a highlighter pen, mark the different topics of discussion. You will need to take notes for each of the items of business on the agenda.

2. Print out a list of people invited to the meeting. Use this to check off who actually attends and add the names of any extra participants.

3. Take notes, relating them to the items on the agenda. For each business item, keep track of who spoke, what they said, any votes taken and any action plans developed. Take the notes in enough detail so that you remember the content of the discussions, but not in too much detail that you miss what is said while you are writing.

Writing the Minutes

4. Write the minutes as soon after the meeting as possible. The discussion will be fresh in your mind in case you can't read some of your notes or you missed writing something down.

5. Write the name of your 4-H organization and the date at the top of the page. Also, indicate what kind of meeting it is, perhaps a monthly meeting, a special meeting or an annual general meeting.

6. Note the time that the meeting was called to order and by whom. This will usually be the club president or whoever is acting in that role for this meeting.

7. In the next paragraph, write that the minutes of the last meeting were read. Also, indicate any discussion about them and whether or not the club members approved them.

8. Using your notes from the meeting, write the details of any business items discussed. Include the name of who raised the item, who spoke about it and anything said, any decisions made and any action plans developed. For the action plans, make note of the expected completion date. For any motions made during the meeting, detail who made the motion and what the result of the vote was.

9. Keep the headings listed in the agenda. Common sections include "old business," "new business" and "members' reports."

10. Give details at the end of the minutes about the time and place of the meeting. The last thing written in the minutes should be the time at which the meeting ended and who made the motion to end it. Leave space for the club president to sign the minutes.

Create A Graffiti Stamp

Turn a graffiti tag into a reusable stamp.

Graffiti, in the form of spray paint on walls and trains, is ephemeral. The artwork is subject to rain, hail, paint removal solvents or even another graffiti writer's own tag. To immortalize your graffiti tag, make a reusable stamp from it. The stamp can be used to sign drawings, paintings on canvas, or as a monogram on letters and notebooks. Used in this way, the tag will not only be indelible, it will also be legal.

Instructions

1. Draw the graffiti tag in pencil onto a sheet of white paper.

2. Lay the drawing face down onto the bed of an image scanner. Scan the drawing and transfer the digital image directly from the scanner or with a USB key to a computer.

3. Flip the page horizontally using the photo editing software. The image will now appear backwards. Print this backwards image onto printer paper.

4. Tape the corners of the printed image down to a cutting mat or piece of cardboard to keep the paper from shifting. Cut out the backward graffiti tag using a utility knife.

5. Tape the cutout, with the image facing out, onto a block of linoleum. The linoleum block should be at least 1/2-inch bigger on all sides than the image on paper.

6. Trace the outline of the cut out onto the linoleum with a pencil.

7. Carve out the linoleum around the pencil outline, the negative space of the graffiti tag, using linoleum cutters. Use a U-shaped cutting blade to whittle away big pieces of linoleum from the outside edges and use a narrow or wide V-shaped cutter for smaller details.

8. Test the stamp out as you get close to completion. Press the stamp into an ink pad and apply it to a piece of printer paper. Take note of lines that appear jagged or spots that need to be whittled further down. Wash the linoleum thoroughly and wipe it dry with paper towel before continuing to carve it.

Hit Our Prime Notes Classical Style

Becoming a classical musician takes time, patience and practice. It won't come naturally. With the right combination of the three elements, no matter what your natural voice range is, you can expand it and hit high notes that you never thought possible.

Instructions

1. Warm up. This is key to hitting any high notes. Relax all of the tension from your throat. Volume and high notes don't come from tension. They come from breath support.

2. Get to know the area in your voice around your first break and learn to smooth it over by backing off your volume and breath support and staying relaxed. Practice this technique until you're comfortable with your break and know handle it. Sing through your first break.

3. Extend up the scale. Once you've covered your first break, less than an octave above that is the next one. This one isn't as challenging to cover as the first one because of the practice you gained in smoothing the first break. It's also easier because of the very nature of these notes. As you move from your head voice to your bell tones, you feel the notes coming out of the very top of your head even more than your mouth.

4. Relax your voice and let out your bell tones. There's a little tension at the top or your soft palate. That's normal. Be careful to keep it out of the rest of your throat.

Employ A Property Evaluator

Get an appraiser to find the value of your home.

Real estate appraisers are trained to evaluate conditions that affect market values for an assortment of property types. To obtain the fair market value for a house, land or commercial property, a real estate appraiser is hired to complete a property inspection. Generally, an appraiser is hired for purchase or refinance transactions. Appraisers are also hired to prepare an opinion of value for estate, divorce and auction sales. Some appraisers supervise the work of others, while an assistant appraiser can acquire training to become a general appraiser or certified residential appraiser. Each state has different experience and educational requirements for real estate appraisers who you might hire.

Instructions

1. Locate a real estate appraiser who is familiar with your area. Find an appraiser using online sources and local phone directories. Ask your neighbors about appraisers who provided satisfactory services for them or contact a real estate appraiser to get a referral for an appraiser who you can hire.

2. Contact an appraiser to determine if he has completed work in your market area. Ask an appraiser about local factors that contribute to the overall market conditions for your property type.

3. Ask an appraiser about his license type and years of experience. Request the name of the licensing division for your state to verify the appraiser's credentials.

4. Get the appraiser to provide the costs for an inspection and the estimated completion time.

5. Hire a real estate appraiser who is qualified based on your research and recommendations from your trusted sources.

Make Christmas Posters

Make your own Christmas posters.

Whether you are advertising your Christmas pageant, creating decorations for your home or recruiting volunteers to collect gifts for the needy, capture attention with a poster. There is no need to buy expensive, generic posters from the store when you can customize your own Christmas posters on the computer, using one of a number of different software programs. With just a couple of quick clicks, you will be making your own Yuletide posters for a festive holiday season.

Instructions

Using Paint

1. Open Paint, pull down the "Image" menu and click "Attributes." Set your poster dimensions; for a standard paper size, type 8.5 by 11 inches. For traditional poster sizes, try 18 by 24 inches, or 24 by 36 inches, and click the "OK" button.

2. Click the "Paintbrush" tool, select the medium round brush head and choose a green color from the "Color Picker" at the bottom of the screen. Draw the outline of a Christmas tree in the center of the poster. Click the "Paint Bucket" tool, then click inside the tree to fill it with color.

3. Click the "Pencil" tool, choose a red paint color and draw ball ornaments on the tree. Switch paint colors to add more ornaments, a tree trunk, strings of tinsel and a tree topper. Add other accents such as presents under the tree, doves and angels flying in the air and colored crosses around the top of the poster.

4. Click the "Text" tool, which looks like an "A" and click your cursor under the tree drawing. Type the poster’s message, such as "Church Christmas Mass." Add additional information such as event date, what to bring and location.

5. Pull down the "File" menu, click "Save As," name the poster and set a destination to save it to on your computer. Click the "Save" button.

Using Publisher

6. Open Publisher and click "Blank Publications." Click the "Poster" option, which opens an 18-by-24-inch page on the screen. To change the page size, pull down the "File" menu, click "Page Setup," scroll the "Publication type" option to "Custom" and type your new dimensions, then click "OK."

7. Click the "Text Box" tool, which looks like an "A" on an index card on the left side of the screen. Draw a text box at the top of the poster, then type the poster headline, such as "Holiday Adopt-A-Family Recruiting Now." Highlight the words, then use the text toolbar at the top of the screen to change and increase the font and recolor the letters, perhaps in red and green.

8. Add another text box towards the bottom of the poster with additional information, such as "Drop off holiday gifts and clothing for your chosen family at the parish by December 15" or "Volunteers needed to deliver gifts Christmas Eve."

9. Pull down the "Insert" menu, click "Picture" and select "Clip Art." Type a word or phrase, such as "Christmas," "Santa," "gifts" or "church" into the "Search for" box and click "Go." Scroll through the results and double-click a graphic, which appears on the poster. Grab a corner and increase or shrink the image to fit. Add additional images as desired.

10. Click the "File" menu and select "Save As." Name the poster and choose a destination for it on your computer, then click the "Save" button.

Using Word

11. Open Word, pull down the "File" menu and click "Page Setup." Set your preferred page size for the poster and click "OK." The Word workspace automatically adjusts.

12. Click your cursor at the top of the poster page and type the poster message, such as "Nativity Performance Sunday, 5pm" or "Ornament Craft Show and Sale!" Highlight the words and use the text toolbar at the top of the page to change their appearance.

13. Pull down the "Insert" menu, click "Picture" and choose "Clip Art." Search for Christmas-related images, such as "reindeer," "nativity," "Christmas tree" or "elf," and add the images to the poster.

14. Press the "Enter" key to move your cursor down to the bottom of the poster. Add more information, such as directions to the church, who to contact to volunteer or sign up for an event, or what to bring or donate.

15. Click the "File" menu and select "Save As." Give the poster a name, choose a location for it on your computer and click the "Save" button.

Hire A Novice Model

Hiring an amateur model is easier than you think.

Finding an amateur model is an inexpensive alternative to hiring a model through an agency. Amateur models bring a fresh attitude to the job and may not carry the baggage -- or the price tag -- that a professional model would. Finding an amateur model is infinitely easier with the tool of the Internet, giving you multiple avenues to find models. If you have a photographer and the materials you need, hiring an amateur model for your photo shoot will be a breeze.

Instructions

1. Search online social networking sites, such as Facebook, Myspace or Linkedin, for models in your area. Use their occupation search tools to find people who list themselves as models.

2. Find businesses similar to yours that have hired models and see where they found theirs.

3. Ask people on the street. Many modeling agencies recruit from places like malls, so why not just skip that step and go out yourself. Be honest and forthcoming about the project and the commitment you'll need.

Help Kids To Create An Instalment Inside A Book

Providing the right envrionment and assistance helps a child write a book chapter.

Part of a child's school assignment may be to write a chapter in a book. This might be based on a book that is already written, or may be a completely original work by the student. Creating a productive writing environment and providing proper tools to the child allows him to write the chapter to the best of his ability.

The Writing Environment

Creating a productive writing environment is the first step to helping a child write a chapter for a story. Developing a strong classroom community helps the student feel more comfortable when writing at school. The child is more likely to ask peers for assistance, and write more creatively because he feels secure in his surroundings. A quiet location to think and write also helps a child be more productive and efficient.

Pre-Writing

A pre-writing activity is any exercise that helps a student plan out her writing. One exercise may include discussion with a peer about the chapter topic. Another option is to ask the child to create a concept map of the chapter she plans to write. A concept map helps a child plan out the story as well as relate various concepts to one another. Planning out the chapter makes it easier for the child once she is at the chapter-writing stage of the process because the initial framework is completed.

Mini-Lessons

Mini-lessons allow you to quickly teach or review a writing concept with the child. These lessons should be very quick in nature and can focus on any specific skill you wish to teach the child. Anticipating specific concepts the child may struggle with helps the student write the chapter the best he can. You can develop mini-lessons to review grammar, vocabulary or strategies for writing more effectively.

Writing Conferences

Writing conferences provide a student with the ability to use both the teacher and peers to help with the chapter-writing process. The child progresses through the process of writing while having set conferences with peers or the teacher. During these, the student discusses thoughts and plans, and asks questions about his writing. You can also use writing conferences to help a child edit his chapter or further develop the story. Encourage the child to use the time to not only share the work in progress, but also develop ways to improve the writing. Set a goal for progress before the next writing conference. This way, the student feels accountable for the progress knowing that the next writing conference is ahead.

Help A Breast Given Baby Put On Weight

Breast-fed babies put on weight at a lower rate than bottle-fed babies, but medical reports encourage and advise mothers to breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of life. Normally, babies are expected to double their birth weight by the time they reach about five months of age and triple it by the time they reach one year. Generally, the difference between breastfed babies and bottle-fed babies is due to faulty breastfeeding.

Instructions

1. Talk to your doctor in detail about your baby's growth chart and special needs, if any. If this is your first baby, pay extra attention to your nipples. Normally, the nipple protrudes a bit, which makes it convenient for the baby to suckle. However, if the nipple is too small, pull it a little until the baby is comfortable with it. The baby needs to be kept in an inclined position in the nook of your arm so she does not take in air while suckling milk.

2. In the first month, your baby will need to be breastfed about every two hours around the clock. You need to be prepared for this grueling routine. You will know your baby is feeding well by counting the times he urinates. Ideally it should be six to eight times in 24 hours.

3. At night in particular, keep your baby close to you so you will know when she asks to be fed. Also, you can both sleep more in between feedings.

4. Be prepared to feed at higher frequencies around the fifth or sixth week. Fortunately, your amount of milk will increase accordingly. The hunger spurt will subside around the eighth week and re-emerge when the baby is about 12 weeks old.

5. Your diet should exclude cabbage, smoked fish, shell fish, soft drinks, coffee, alcohol and kidney beans. Include greens, fruits, milk and dairy products, chicken, fish and vitamin supplements.

Draw Better Pictures

Not everyone who likes to draw has raw natural talent. Many times, it takes long hours of practice to learn draw better pictures. You may have moderate skill at drawing pictures, but the more that you work at it, the better you'll get.

Instructions

1. Sign up for an art class. You learn to draw pictures better by receiving instruction in a classroom setting. Your art teacher can show you the mistakes that you're making and ways that you can improve your technique.

2. Set aside time each day to draw. Build time to draw into your schedule. Try to sketch at least an hour a day.

3. Practice drawing by tracing. Tracing and copying pictures and graphics helps you learn to draw better. You'll grow accustomed to working with your artist tools during the process.

4. Separate pictures into different shapes. Instead of drawing the picture as a whole, separate each portion of it into their corresponding shapes.

5. Get online critiques of your work. After you have created a few pieces, submit them to a site like Concept Art. You can then receive feedback about your drawings and ways that you can improve.

Teen Evening Clubs In Vegas

Las Vegas is known for it's 21-and-up nightlife, but there is an option for the city's younger guests: FroZEN75 and ZEN75, the one and only teen nightclub in Las Vegas. The club is located at 4427 East Sunset Road, a short drive away from the casinos and clubs of the Las Vegas Strip.

FroZEN75

FroZEN75 is the earlier club session for teens 14 to 17, or those 18 and older who are coming with a younger guest. The club is open 8-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights, and cover is $15, with student and military discounts available. Friday nights feature reggaeton, dance, electro, hip-hop and techno music. Saturday night's playlist includes hip-hop, R&B, dance and club music.

ZEN75

ZEN75 is the club's 18 and older party, beginning after the early session at 11:30 p.m. and ending at 3 a.m. The club is open Friday and Saturday nights, once again with a $15 cover charge, with student and military discounts. Dance, electro, rock and techno music is played Friday nights, and hip-hop, R&B, dance and club music is played on Saturdays.

Dress Code and Rules

A dress code is in effect for both club sessions: "Dress to impress," but be age-appropriate and classy. The club designates a special parking and pick-up/drop-off area for guests and parents to park or wait, and anyone taking the bus must show their bus pass or ticket so the club knows they have a way home. Club management has the right to search all cars and guests and to refuse entry to those not following the rules. Above all, FroZEN75 wants to create a safe, fun atmosphere for its guests.

VIP and Club Rental

A VIP list is available for all club sessions, via the FroZEN75 website. The list allows clubgoers to pay a reduced cover charge and not wait in line at the door. FroZEN75 is also open for rentals all day, every day except Sunday. If there is a private party on a Friday or Saturday night, that night's open club session will be canceled.

Harmonize Singing

Vocal harmonies are a cornerstone of popular music. From Broadway musicals to the Beatles, from the peaceful easy '70s rock of the Eagles to the modern romp of My Chemical Romance, vocal harmonies are everywhere, imbuing songs with depth, beauty and texture. Here, you will learn a simple, quick method of developing vocal harmonies.

Instructions

Choose Your Melody Note

1. Every harmony needs a melody. For this exercise, we will build a three-part harmony. So pick a note that is at the low end of your singing range, and sing it loud, clear and long into your voice recorder.

2. Use the scale: Harmonies happen when you perform two or more notes from the same scale. For this exercise, we'll use the scale everyone knows: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. (That last Do is actually the same note as your root note, just an octave higher.) Remember the note you just picked? Well, we'll use that note as Do. Now sing through the rest of the scale.

3. Add the third: Now that you have your root note and have sung through the scale, let's pick a note from it to start building the harmony. A very common three-part harmony is the root (Do), the fifth (So) and the octave (Do.) Play back your root note (Do), and sing along with it up the scale until you hit So. Now, sing So into your voice recorder as well, loud and clear and long, just like the first time. Once you get both notes in your head, go back to your root note and sing the harmony note.

4. Add the octave: Now you have two notes in perfect harmony. A great way to cap off a root-fifth harmony is to sing the root note an octave higher (Do-Re-Do). Repeat the same process we used above to find the high Do. You now have a three-part harmony, so find some friends and sing it!

5. Other harmonies: Root-fifth-root is a common harmony, but there are many more. There are root-third-octave, root-seventh.... so many different options. Experiment with them and find the one that works best for your song.