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The house edge, which is the commission that a gambling agent such as a
casino, a sportsbook (bookmaker), or a lottery administrator charges, is a
yardstick that measures how a specific gambling game is fair and reasonable.

It is one of the most important factors that every player should consider whenever he/she is engaged in any type of gambling, inasmuch as it indicates how much of the money wagered goes to the gambling agent’s pocket and how much is redistributed to the winners. Indeed, a house edge cannot be zero since casinos, sportsbooks, and lottery administrators have to make some money in order to cover their expenses, and to make some profit as well. Yet, a high house edge simply means that the players are unnecessarily being ripped-off, and as a result, any gambling game with a high house edge should certainly be avoided by a
knowledgeable gambler.

In this article, we shall compare, in the simplest way
possible, the house edges of a roulette, an evens-odd betting, and a Cash 3
lottery game as representatives of the three major gambling categories.

The Equation

The easiest way to compute a house edge is to compare the actual winnings that are
paid by the respective agents to the winnings that would be paid in a
fair game or bet. A fair game or a fair bet is one in which no commission
is involved; an obvious model is a game between friends. Therefore, in
percentage form, the house edge is obtained by subtracting an actual game winning
from a fair game winning and dividing the result by the fair game winning,
finally multiplying by 100. Thus,

House Edge = [ (fair game winning - actual game winning) / fair game winning ] *
100

Roulette

Because of its simplicity and popularity, we shall consider the roulette as a
representative casino game. A European roulette wheel has grooves marked by the
numbers 0 to 36; the American wheel (also called Las Vegas wheel) has an
additional groove marked as ‘00′. So, the European wheel has a total of 37
numbers, while the American wheel has 38. Internet casinos usually make available
the option to select the type of wheel the customer prefers, but the brick and
mortar casinos normally offer only one type. The winning number in a roulette
game is the number corresponding to the groove where a spinning ball lands.

Now, consider a fair game in which 38 friends are playing the roulette at home,
and each one selects a number and places a $1 bet on the number (no two or more
players wagering on the same number). When the ball is spun and lands in a
groove, the number marking that groove will be the winning number.
The person who has selected this winning number collects all the money on the
table thus making him win $37. On the other hand, if the game were conducted in
a casino, the winner would be paid only $35. The difference between the two
winnings applied in the above equation gives us the house edge of a roulette game
as

( 37 - 35 ) / 37 * 100 = 2 / 37 * 100 = 5.4%

This means that every time you spend a $100 on an offline or online casino roulette, $5.40 goes to the casino and the rest is redistributed to the winners. Evidently, there are quite a number of casino games and the house edge varies
from game to game, many of them having a house edge less than that of the
roulette. For obvious reasons, a good gambler always prefers games that have low house
edges, while the casino itself loves those games with high house edges. For example,
the house edge of craps is 1.4% which makes it one of the most preferred casino
games by the players.

Even-odds Sports Betting

Again, because of its simplicity, we shall consider an even-odds betting as a
representative of this category of gambling. By even-odds we mean that the event
(usually a sports game) has equal chances of going either way. An example is a
tennis match between two competitive players each of which has an equal chance
of winning the match.

A fair bet, in this case, is just a simple bet between two friends who just
pick one of the tennis player as winner. If these two friends wager $1 each, the
winner will collect $2, thus winning $1. If instead the bets are placed
through a sportsbook, the winner will collect only $1.91, since the odds of an
evens game at most bookies and online sportsbooks is 1.91. If you are not familiar with the
decimal representation of odds, 1.91 is the same as 10/11 in UK notation and
-110 in US odds notation. Odds of 10/11 mean that you’ll win $10 when you wager $11; and odds of -110 mean that you have to wager $110 in order
to win $100. Anyway, since the winnings paid by a sportsbook is only $0.91, the house
edge of an even-odds betting will therefore be

( 1 - 0.91 ) / 1 * 100 = 0.09 * 100 = 9%

So, this is how sportsbooks make a living. Since several internet sportsbooks offer odds higher than 1.91 in order to lure
bettors, the house edge could be smaller than 9%, which is one of the things that the bettor should be looking for when searching for a sportsbook. On the other hand, if the bettor is
wagering on parlays the house edge would be significantly higher than 9%; for
big parlays, it could go as high as 40%.

It should be apparent by now that the gambler is better off with casino games
than sports betting. It should also be noted that while the house edge could
be a major factor to consider while selecting a gambling game, it is by no means
the only one. For instance, one should consider the fact that casino games are
mostly games of chance, while sports betting also involves a learned decision in
selecting a pick, consequently leading to a higher probability of winning a bet.

Cash 3

Depending on the state you are in, this lottery game may be known by a
different name such as Pick 3, Play 3, Daily 3, etc. In this game, the player
selects a three-digit number from 000 to 999, and plays the number as a straight
or as a box. A straight play is a prediction that the number will come exactly
as selected while a box is a prediction for the number to come in any order. For
instance, if a player selects the number 672 and plays it straight, he/she will
win if the number drawn is exactly 672. Instead, if the player plays 672 as a
box, he/she will win as long as the drawn number contains a 6, a 7 and a 2, in
any order (276, for example). Obviously, a straight game pays much more
than a box game for the same amount wagered.

Now consider 1000 friends (maybe in a club) selecting a number as a straight,
each for $1, so that all the 1000 possible numbers are covered. When the winning
number is drawn, the person who has selected that lucky number will be deemed a
winner and will cash in all the $1000 collected, so making him win $999. This is
a fair game. In the case of state lotteries, however, the winner will be paid
only $500 in most states. Some states may pay a little bit less, others may pay
a little bit more, but $500 is more or less the standard. The winner therefore
wins $499. The house edge for a Cash 3 game will therefore be

( 999 - 499 ) / 999 * 100 = 500 / 999 * 100 = 50%

This house edge applies not only to the Cash 3 game but also to all state
lottery games such as Play 4, Cash 5, Mega, Fantasy 5, Lotto, Power Ball, etc.
So, whenever you are playing the state lottery, remember that you are wagering
only half of your money on the actual lottery; the other half, you are
just giving it away. Where this other half goes is not the gambler’s concern,
since his/her main objective is to win some money in order to pay the ever
present bills, or to get out of a miserable life, or to change his/her
20-year-old car. As regards contributing to education and other noble causes,
there are other means of collecting money called taxes and charities.

Unfortunately, many states do not allow casino games, and furthermore,
sports betting is illegal in the United States. The player is therefore left
with no choice but to cross state borders in search of a casino, or more
recently, to engage in online sports betting through the several offshore
internet sportsbooks. Nowadays, there is a plethora of trustworthy online
casinos and sportsbooks operating from Canada, the UK, Antigua, Costa Rica, and
so on.

The Conclusion

As far as the house edge is concerned, it has been shown that casino games
are the best choice for the gambler. On the other end, any state lottery is a
pretty miserable game to play. Nevertheless, besides the house edge, there is
also the possibility of winning to consider.

Casino games, like lotteries are mostly games of chance; the player just
selects a number or numbers and waits to see what luck brings him/her. There is
absolutely no basis to prefer one number to others. Some people try to analyze
previously drawn numbers in order to see the trend and predict the next numbers.
This strategy may work a few times, but not always. Keep in mind that it is the
players, and not the machines, who remember the previous numbers. In short, the
possibility of winning a roulette or the lottery entirely depends on luck.

While there is little or nothing that a roulette or a lotto player can do to
initially select a possible winning number, the situation could be quite
different in the case of betting. With a lot of information and some assistance from
sports handicappers, it is possible to predict the outcome of a sports event
with more certainty than predicting a Cash 3 number.

The author’s website us-lotteries.com” target=”_new us-lotteries.com - United States Lotteries presents winning numbers analysis, RSS feeds of latest numbers, lottery wheels and combinations generators for all US lotteries. Also, useful information on sports betting can be found at betstarter.com” target=”_new BetStarter.com.

Throughout history mankind have asked many questions based on death, the meaning of life, God, the devil, and last but not least; the meaning of hope. In this article I will present the four things that will never return to you once it has been put fort. Sometimes we put them out or they are presented to us through the inner workings of Destiny, Fate, and Providence (Some people call these Divine Order). Here are the four things:

1. The Spoken Word - The spoken word is powerful; it can make, break, compel, destroy, manifest, cause war, mend, heal, kill, love and make hate strive into envy. Whenever we speak, our words are transmitted into either concrete or abstract concepts and if we say the wrong words that may offend others there is no possible way we can return those words back to us. Even if apologize for statements we made the deed is already done. The spoken word is often taken for granted because people feel that within a free society one should be able to freely express their thoughts and opinions without any form of penalty. However, if we are to openly condemn one group of people over another there will be consequences that may affect us for the rest of our lives. We often see some celebrities, reporters, politicians, and even the regular man on the street get themselves into trouble when they say the wrong choice of words. No form of apology, rehab, or community service can erase what was already said.

2. A Sped Arrow - This has absolutely no relationship to Robin Hood! The sped arrow theory is metaphorical and can be related to things we say or do whenever we become angry. Rage can make a person commit acts of violence or even murder. A sped arrow can also be a premeditated or random act which may result in things we regret after the deed in done. When the evil plan is accomplished and we are finally caught then we wish that the deed was never accomplished.

3. A Past Life - Things that are past in our lives can never return to us exactly the same way in the present. Some people find it difficult to move on from a relationship they saw as good and may find themselves “stuck in the past”. When this happens the person in question will never be able to find their way in life’s path. The teaching of Another Thought helps individuals to move on when they find it difficult to let go. Anything that has past through our lives were placed there for various reasons and we must see it that way. Past relationships and situations that proved to be negative must first be forgotten. Ironically, these are the things that are often replayed in our minds time after time. Some individuals become depressed or even suicidal because they were not willing to give up negative things from the past.

4. A Neglected Opportunity - There is an old saying; “Opportunity only knocks once”. Whenever we get an opportunity to do something positive we should cease the moment without any doubt. There is a similar quote taken from the book “Another Thought” it says; ‘Chance comes once, second time as luck, third time as fate’. Once an opportunity has past us by it will never return to us exactly the same way. Life is a cosmic cycle and its motion never ceases to stop. We often hear of stories where people tell of lost opportunities. They often tell their stories with profound regret. Don’t allow a positive opportunity to past you by.

These four topics that were presented are inter-related into the philosophy of hope. We often take many things in our lives for granted and in doing so we have to pay the price of regret in the end. The Philosophy of Another Thought is the only practical teaching for mankind today. Hope is one of the central teaching of Another Thought. Hope brings positive actions which helps us to better understand ourselves; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Hope is essential for any positive change to take place. This important element helps us to believe in ourselves.

OC Tross is the author of the book Another Thought. He is a teacher, artist, and philosopher for over fifteen years. To read more of OC Tross’ philosophy visit; anotherthoughtbook.com anotherthoughtbook.com

My conscience won’t go on vacation. I can slather it with sunscreen and lay it in the sun, I can buy it maps and take it sightseeing, I can dress it up and take it out for a romantic dinner - but it refuses to go on vacation.

While I’m trying to have fun, my conscience continually lectures me. Although I try to explain that a vacation is time to do and eat things you don’t at home, it won’t listen. My conscience nags me most about exercise. It insists I make time to exercise on vacation.

When I first started an exercise program, jump roping was my exercise of choice. Yes, it had its ups and downs; but I didn’t need coordinated outfits, rainy days didn’t dampen my spirits and I could exercise my mind at the same time by watching early morning news on television.

I switched to jogging to spend more time with my husband, but time together sucking for air and dripping with perspiration wasn’t exactly quality time. Nevertheless, I persevered.

I thought I was doing fine. I was jogging less and less slowly. In spite of that, my doctor insultingly diagnosed me with walking pneumonia. Walking became the only exercise my doctor allowed me. He also advised against heavy lifting, overdoing and overtiring. Basically, he advised against being a housewife and mother.

When my lungs finally cleared, my desire to jog didn’t - until a vacation in Florida. As I was taking a brisk, morning walk along the beach, people my parents’ age were jogging past me. Damn! I was bitten. No, it wasn’t one of the scurrying sand crabs that bit me. It was the jogging bug.

I started jogging again, but not with John. He jogged for speed. I jogged for endurance - a euphemism for my still being slow. I contentedly jogged for several years until I was slowed to a walk again - this time by back problems.

Although I was forced to become an energy conservationist and missed jogging, exercise continues to be a big part of my life. I’m constantly running errands; and when I forget my shopping list, I jog my memory.

Unfortunately, my conscience isn’t satisfied with that. It wants sixty minutes of bonafide exercise every day - either walking, practicing yoga or working out at the gym - even when I’m on vacation. Frankly, I think I have a fat, guilty conscience.

KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST takes humorous looks at life.
knightwatch.typepad.com Take a minute to make yourself smile at
knightwatch.typepad.com knightwatch.typepad.com

We’ve all had addicts in our lives and we know it’s not pretty. Addicts can’t think clearly because their brain is so focused on whatever brings them the most pleasure, whether it’s painkillers, coffee, sex, shopping, chocolate, vanilla wafers, or oxygen. And those are just my addictions.

Recently I’ve discovered that my dog Maddy Lou is addict. Like mother like dog, I guess. Her substance of choice? Algae. That’s right, algae. And until you’ve seen an algae addict with the long stringy stuff hanging from her mouth, not even moving from her spot when you yell “Cookie,” you haven’t really seen them all.

There’s a fish pond in my backyard. Waterfalls, streambed, koi, the whole thing. I blew $3500 on this pond, but the upside is I had less money for chocolate and vanilla wafers for almost a year. Now I just need to find another place to funnel my mad money.

Where there’s a fish pond, there’s going to be algae. Don’t let the Pond People (doesn’t that sound like a great title for a really bad sci fi movie?) sell you $500 worth of chemicals and scrubbing devices that promise to keep your pond algae free. Unless you turn it it to a chlorinated swimming hole — which, by the way, will greatly disturb the fish’s addiction to living — there will be algae by the bucketful.

My husband and I both remove algae from the pond in our spare time, between fighting over how spicy to make the chili and watching how they built the pyramids on Discovery. I put the algae in a bucket and then dump the bucket in the compost pile. Hubby tosses the algae willy-nilly about the yard, despite my having asked him a thousand times NOT TO THROW THE ALGAE IN THE YARD BECAUSE MADDY LOU WILL EAT IT! I’ve even approached the conversation like you’re supposed to do with a two-year old who supposed can’t hear the word “Don’t.” I say “PUT THE ALGAE IN THE BUCKET,” but again, he hears, BLAH BLAH BLAH. I know, because he gets that same look on his face I get when he starts describing how to rebuild an engine.

So there’s algae on the lawn and a dog with an algae addiction in the house. Needless to say, she spends all day pacing back and forth between wherever I am and the back door, begging to be let out. She tries everything. The look that says “I really DO need to pee this time.” “Squirrel! I swear I saw a squirrel!” “Whoa! Was that a burglar stealing our koi?” It’s pitiful really.

She’s in detox now. I’ve cleaned all the algae I can from the back yard and I only let her out on supervised visits. I know my neighbors think I’m nuts as I follow my dog around the back yard like the Secret Service follows Dick Cheney every time he picks up a shotgun. I play a meditation videotape for her during the day to help her manage her Post Algae Stress Syndrome. I’ve even encouraged her brother to hump her to take her mind off her problems.

I’m hoping the onset of the rainy season will reduce the algae production and the likelihood of my husband leaving the warm, dry house for the backyard. But I’m not foolish enough to think breaking Maddy Lou’s addiction will be that easy. Next year, I plan to tell hubby DO NOT TOSS THE ALGAE IN THE NEIGHBOR’S YARD.

Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant is an award-winning humor writer, corporate humor and motivational speaker, and stand-up comic. Check out her other funny stuff on accidentalcomic.com accidentalcomic.com

I have been a musician since the tender age of 7 and in my career I’ve passed a larger number of auditions all of which have taught me something. These days, however, as the owner of a talent agency, I seem to be learning a disproportioned amount more about these same auditions. There is something to be said about looking at an issue from different perspectives.

In this article, I want to shed some light on what an audition process looks like from the point of view of the “auditioner” rather than the “auditionee”. I’ll give you seven tips that hopefully provide some help.

I should mention that my company, Oceanbound Entertainment Inc., hires musicians, bands, and variety acts for placement on cruise ships and thus the auditions I’ll talk about will mostly relate to cruise line entertainment auditions.

Let me quickly outline the various types of auditions you can encounter when applying for a job on a cruise ship.

The most obvious type would be the live audition, where you go to the audition location in person and play what’s asked of you.

You may also be asked to record your audition on videotape and mail it to the company. This is very similar to the first category since you’d play almost exactly the same music.

And finally, you may be asked to submit a recording of your band or your solo act to the company. This audition differs from the previous two in that you don’t have to perform music that the company provides, but rather your own repertoire.

There are several problems that keep arising in regards to these different types of auditions that have led me to compile the following tips.

1. Get the details on the job description

This is one of the most important steps. If you know exactly what it is that the employer is looking for, you won’t waste time, money, and energy presenting the wrong package. There is no point in submitting a tape of your local blues band if the employer is looking for a cover band that plays all kinds of musical styles. Similarly, there is no point in applying as a clarinet player if the job description clearly indicates that woodwind players have to play saxophone, flute and clarinet.
Also, if sight-reading is the main focus of the job you’re applying for, there is no point in hoping you’ll slip by simply because you can improvise like Charlie Parker.

2. Be flexible enough to present what’s actually needed

Let’s assume that you got all the details on the job description and you realize that you don’t exactly fit that description. It is probably wiser for you to take some time to try to fit the description, rather than trying anyway, hoping it’ll pass somehow. Try to make changes to your line-up, add some repertoire or start a completely new project that’s geared to the job in question.

3. Audition only when you feel that you have a good chance of passing

Often musicians apply for a job they are not qualified for. Now, you could argue that that’s what auditions are for, and people couldn’t possibly know in every case whether they are qualified or not. I agree, all I’m saying is that if the job description mentions that strong sight-reading skills are required for example, musicians should ask themselves how good their sight-reading skills really are and be honest about it.
Being dishonest about what your skills really are can hurt you in more ways than one. Let’s assume for a minute that you slip through the cracks and you end up in an orchestra but you can’t cut the gig. First and foremost, you’ll be humiliated in front of other musicians, you’ll feel uncomfortable, you may actually feel guilty for not being able to do the job, and you will get fired on top of it, which will most likely kill your career before it’s begun. (This happens all too often…)
So if you are unsure about whether you are qualified or not, ask questions. Call the agency you are about to audition for and ask specific questions that will help you get a good picture of the job you’re about to apply for. With that knowledge you can always postpone the audition and work on the skills that you may feel you’re lacking.

4. Put some time and effort into preparing your best possible package

This applies to bands, small ensembles, and solo entertainers. Often artists get turned down, not because they are bad entertainers, but because they didn’t supply a package that’s appealing, that can be viewed quickly and that presents exactly what was asked for in the beginning. Often this happens because the artist already has some demo laying around that could kind of qualify but not really, and instead of modifying it or recording a new one that fits the specifications, they send it in anyway.

Usually, demo packages include the recording itself, which should present the exact repertoire you’re planning to play on the gig, a short resume of each member, and a list of your repertoire.

You won’t impress people with fancy DVD animations or 12-page resumes, but rather with short examples of the repertoire that’s asked of you, played with energy and skill.

5. Try to impress with your playing, not with your resume

I would say 7 people out of 10 probably fall under this category. Simply put, a masters degree from the best school in the country won’t get you a gig if you can’t play, yet all too often do people try to sway the decision in their favor by mailing in overly long resumes stating all the famous people they’ve played with. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you hype yourself up with your resume and you can’t back it up later during the audition.

6. If you fail, accept the criticism and use it to prepare better for your next audition

All the practicing in the world may sometimes not be enough to pass an audition. If that’s the case, accept the reasons that you’re given by the jury, and go home and practice those specific things. If they aren’t forthcoming with specific reasons, ask questions. I think it’s only fair that a jury tells you what your weaknesses are if they turn you down.

I’ll spare you the details of all the things we’ve heard from people that have been rejected. Just watch “American Idol”, and you’ll get a good idea of what we go through sometimes.

7. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses

This step ties in with step #3. Keep in mind that the ideal candidate for a job is not always the best musician. Other qualities like, honesty, work ethic, respect for others and inter-communication skills, amongst others are qualities that you’re being judged on. Weaknesses you’ve been trying to hide prior to the audition will come out during the audition and will speak volumes about your character. Would you hire a dishonest person?

Those are my “7 Steps to a successful audition”. I hope that some of you will find this information helpful. Please visit my website for more information on the subject of “Music on Cruise Ships”. Contact me if you have questions or if you’d like to audition.

Good luck!

Marco Kasel
President
Oceanbound Entertainment Inc.
oceanbound.ca www.oceanbound.ca

Marco Kasel, owner and founder of oceanbound.ca Oceanbound Entertainment Inc., has worked for several major cruise lines as a drummer and musical director since 1999. As a result, Mr. Kasel is perfectly positioned to provide cruise lines with musicians and guest entertainers of excellent quality. He fully understands the cruise lines’ specific needs for skills and quality of individual musicians, ensembles, and guest entertainers.

Parents can play an important role supporting their child’s piano lessons and their piano teacher. However, about a third of parents do too much and try to take over responsibility for their child’s progress, which hinders their child’s ability to develop positive learning skills on their own. In contrast, about a third of parents don’t do enough, and fail to support and can get in the way of their child’s learning. The remaining 1/3 gets it right. These parents have learned to work together with the piano teacher to support their child’s piano journey.

Parents who are not getting it right fail to effectively support their children in piano lessons because they either take too much responsibility for their child’s success or not enough. Getting this balance is important because it sets boundaries that create a positive learning environment where children can learn from their mistakes within limits. Parents’ attitudes about your child’s piano lessons matters for setting boundaries and teaching learning values. For example,

Regarding your child’s piano progress, do you

(a) feel personally embarrassed if your child is not progressing as fast as you think they should;

(b) want your child to do their best and learn how to achieve their goals;

(c) feel that it doesn’t really matter how your child is doing, as lessons aren’t that important anyway.

If you chose (a), you may be taking TOO much responsibility for your child’s success and creating dependency instead of fostering your child’s ownership and responsibility of their lessons. If you find yourself answering (c), you may well be abdicating part of your responsibility as a parent and may be missing out on a wonderful way to encourage your child’s success. If you have answered (b), relax. You’ve got the right attitude and are encouraging your child while helping them take their share of responsibility for their piano success. Keep it up!

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit pianoadventurebears.com Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit pianoadventurebears.com PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com tallypiano.com

The Tiamat and the Winter Withdrawn (Part one of Three)

The Creation of Yort,
And the Land of Sorrows

(Part of the Tiamat Tales)

Written 6-21-2007
Part I of II I Parts

The Tiamat escaped the great winters of 9600 BC, when Atlantis sunk, and the creation of a new continuant was born, called “The Frozen Lands of Poseidon” (present day Antarctica).

At this time, a great catastrophe took place upon the continent of Europe, and Asia as well as—all the way down the Southern Atlantic, the underground, bottom of the sea, opened up and swallowed much of what was land, turned it upside down, or so it seemed, covered what didn’t sink with mud. Legend says, it was then called ‘The Land of Sorrows,’ much of the Atlantean elite, left the so called tips of the mountains of what was left of Atlantis and fled to Crete and Egypt, creating a new race and life, and a secret society within these societies, that would someday become worldwide.

At this time, many of the inhabitants also fled to a land near the Black Sea, where now stands Troy, but before Troy, it was Yort. It was a land set aside, alone on a mountain top, sort of. It could guard itself from the many nations that would in time envy her.,. a great enclosure her people would build, and man and beast would marvel at Yort’s great walls, the envy of the new world. Gilgamesh would try to copy these same walls in his day (2700 BC), the demigod from Sumer.

The Tiamat withdrew from the islands in the Atlantic and during the eruption was cast into the frozen waters of now, the new land, Antarctica.

At this time, Yort, was but a few months old, being build after the destruction of the old world order, which was by the leadership of Atlantis, thus, the first king of Yort was but a King for a very short period of time, called Hellsink (He was as wicket as he was sadistic, he had courage alright, and people of Yort grew to dread him and his ways: he loved the hunting of the wild bear and humans, with hidden eyes. He was at one time an Atlantean with a tinge of Greek heritage in him, a simple soldier, who now became a king. He would take at will, and call it his right, the brides to be in Yort, and if there was any resistance, he would kill the whole family of the bride, to include the groom.

Sunrise, the king’s young wife, also of Atlantean stock, but with Egyptian blood also, feared the king less than anyone, and above all, loved his new found kingdom. In truth, she proved to be a better Queen, than he a king. Straight she walked, and tall, for she had come from a royal house in the Port of Poseidonia, the land of Atlantis. And although the king would rule for less than two years, she would rule for one hundred and twenty-seven, and die at the ripe old age of 175-years old.

And so this is the history of the beginnings of Yort, and the coming of the Tiamat, and the winter she would withdraw from to find her new nest.

See Dennis’ web site: dennissiluk.tripod.com dennissiluk.tripod.com

Right now there are four ads on TV that feature elephants. One is a tap dancing elephant that’s advertising - I don’t know what -another advertises a financial firm, another something about Africa and the last one is for cookies, oreos with peanut butter filling. The thing is, I just get the feeling that this is some sort of ploy to appeal to the conservatives in America, you know, using this potent Republican to sell you stuff. Well, I got news for all these advertising firms, I ain’t gonna eat no damn Republican cookies or Republican anything else. So cut it out, already.

Anyways, all of these elephants remind me of my own terrifying encounter with an escaped circus elephant. It happened about two years ago when I was still living in the Twin Cities. I was in Wisconsin for the Weekend visiting my father and I had gone out for a jog. As I was returning from my jog, I saw, about a block away in the park, a circus elephant. My first thought was that I didn’t know that elephants needed to be walked but it must be what they were doing. Elephants need exercise don’t they? Makes sense. Right?

I jogged a little closer and saw that the elephant was being escorted by two men. One was a trim older fellow with silver hair who seemed to have a sort of patient, business-like air about him while the other guy was a young hillbilly with a mullet and a pot-belly. They were guiding the elephant with sticks underneath her tusks. The men stopped a woman passing by and it looked like they were asking directions, as she then gestured towards the University, which is the direction they then turned.

They passed by my Dad’s house at the same time I got there and I yelled out to them: “Hey, is the circus in town?” The Hillbilly replied in a grumpy voice: “It was.” And then seeing that he seemed out of sorts, I let him be. I kind of wonder how many times he’d heard that question already - or was about to. Later I found out that a couple of elephants had run amuck from the Shrine Circus, which had indeed been in town.

Not too long ago I was on a PETA website (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and I noticed that they had an article about the Shrine Circus and their mistreatment (alleged. reputed) of elephants. Elephants are generally social and peacable animals and tend not to misbehave unless things are really bad. That is female elephants. I guess male elephants aren’t usually used because they’re just SOBs and no one wants to deal with them. They’re necessary to make more elephants, but that’s about it. That pretty much holds true for the males of many species, too, by the way. Unless you neuter them, then they’re just pussycats.

My problem with PETA is that they seem to have the attitude that they’re right and everyone who doesn’t agree with them is Hitler. Hey, PETA, even Hitler had his okay points. He was a vegetarian. Bet you don’t disapprove of that. And I saw a video of Hitler once where he was petting a dog’s head. True, the dog was cowering in abject terror, but Hitler was smiling and he was nice to the frightened dog for at least as long as the camera was rolling. So you got to give him that.

You know, PETA, if you want to sell somebody on something - including ideas - the first thing you’ve got to do is build some rapport with them. When you’re throwing paint on someone you’re not building a lot of rapport with them, unless perhaps, they’re also someone who likes throwing paint on people. Then you’re on solid ground.

Steve Sommers is the author of Breakfast with the Antichrist. Visit his Website at breakfastwiththeantichrist.com breakfastwiththeantichrist.com

If you look all over the internet you will find that many sites offer free sheet music for just about every instrument. When looking for sheet music especially piano sheet music there are many different genres to choose from and this makes finding the music much easier. As the turn of the century arrived piano sheet music became very popular among young adults, many people were playing the piano and parlor music became the new trend to sweep the country, this made sheet music very popular. So much so, that every home had a piano and more often than not at least one member of the family could play it.

Sometimes it is hard to read sheet music, this is not because it is hard in general it just takes practice, the more you practice reading the sheet music the better you will becomes at it. When learning any instrument and you want to learn like a pro you need to learn the sheet music, understand it and process it.

Music directors and other musicians use sheet music for different songs and it covers many different vocal ranges and instruments. It will only teach you how to play songs and compositions by rote. Nonetheless, not everyone is blessed with the ability to play songs by ear. Musicians back then publish their songs in these unbound sheets of paper. Going back to the 19th century most of the songs in the USA became popular by sheet music. In the past not all songs were written down so most of the popular might have been lost.

If you are looking to improve your musical talents a create resource is the internet, you can download free sheet music and this will benefit you in many ways because it allows you to play other pieces of music. Musicians that are struggling musicians find it much easier to find sheet music, most of the time they can download it from the internet for free. Today, sheet music is found on many music sites on the Internet with some giving an option of free downloads.

The Internet has brought forth many resources for musicians, from one-click access to research of songs, pieces and bands, to easy access to catalogues full of thousands of instruments and other products that can be ordered and shipped directly to them with a few simple clicks. As pieces of music get complicated for the person playing it the notation of the music becomes more complicated and the difficulty to the compose the music becomes harder, because of all this you will learn how to write the music as you go along. There are literally thousands, if not millions of musical pieces for violinists to play.

To have a good grasp of the notes for a guitar a good suggestion is that you learn them slowly and with concentration. Most violin music is written in the middle C so when producing notes they are written on the treble clef. When you learn a piece of music with traditional sheet music you are not just learning the notes you are also learning another language.

David Marc Fishman is the owner of Bornasuperstar site. The online bornasuperstar.com auditions for bornasuperstar.com/dancers.html dancers. Learn the1truesecret.com the secret of success.

A new revolution is taking shape in the movie industry that challenges traditional filmmaking to the core. Spurred by a newfound passion amongst movie lovers to create their own content, thousands are coming together to form communities that will create movies via collaboration over the web. There’s no stopping this wave, as community film budgets get bigger and bigger; an ostensible threat to filmmakers, who are already struggling to get their share at the box office.

There is no business like show business. There’s definitely no arguing that. But what happens when show business is not merely the prerogative of the elite, but calls for participation by “regular” folks like you and me, who—lets face it—would probably never get a chance to play any kind of a role in the entertainment business in a lifetime?

Welcome to the new world of User Generated Filmmaking – An exploding community of thousands of movie lovers who do not merely carry a license to “watch” movies, but rather, to make what they want to see, when they want it. Sounds too good to be true? Not really.

In a way, these communities are performing a role reversal, if you will, on filmmakers and traditional filmmaking. The output of their collaboration results in a movie, much like any other; but the way that these movies are made is where the difference lies. The community does everything. They call scriptwriters (a heady mix, ranging from professional scriptwriters who simply love collaborating, to housewives, hobbyists and the odd nana, all united by a common passion for movies and filmmaking). A moderator, or the “alpha male” is swiftly appointed and the collaborative scriptwriting process begins with frenzied and fanatic discussions on online forums: “You write the first scene and I’ll follow your lead. May be you are being a tad too adventurous here with the central character. This is NOT a sci-fi thriller so lighten up!”

Collaboration tools like MediaWiki (the same technology that powers the amazingly popular user generated encyclopedia Wikipedia) and the new gun in town, Basecamp, provide the perfect solution to help these communities thrive. Their simplicity allows even technophobes to participate without hesitation.

Once the script reaches a stage where characters have been sketched and dialogues written, casting for the film begins – again over the web! Anyone from anywhere in the world can audition online by uploading their talent audios and videos, which the community swiftly begins sifting through. Performances are rated, feedback is given, and the new stars of tomorrow are born.

Then, traditional filmmaking processes takeover – locations are decided, cast and crew grouped together and shooting begins!

A perfect example of such a revolutionary filmmaking project is the aptly titled “Lets Film” project (www.LetsFilm.com). The project aims to create an ambitious action-packed, high intensity movie (that would understandably need a big budget for special effects and stunts!) completely online. Although it is not clear who is investing in and backing the project, the site has already raced to forming a neat little community online that’s buzzing with excitement.

So, if you have dropped off the kids at school and have some time on your hands, why not make a movie in your free time?

Avid open source and social networking trends observer