Fingret i luften heter den politik som socialdemokraterna tror ska rädda de usla opinionssiffrorna. Mona Sahlin noterar att högervinden är stark och missar därför helt vänstervinden som är på uppsegling.

Tydligen har hon även missat att läsa tidningen de senaste dagarna. Maud Olofssons opinionssiffror har ju knappast rasat på grund av vänstervridning inom centerns mest centraliserande citykommitté. Den slags (M)ittenpolitik vrider istället politiken ytterligare ett snäpp åt höger och snart går det inte att komma längre, om man inte ska riskera krocka med SD.

Det verkar som Mona förväxlar S’, FP:s & C:s målgrupper –  ur vilka tänkbara väljare kan hämtas - med SD:s; oroväckande, minst sagt. Vilka politiska krafter är det egentligen hon vill fria till, med detta sällsynt illa genomtänkta utspel i valrörelseupptakten? Sitter socialdemokraternas upphandlade mediastrateger i ett ljudisolerat rum dit ingen information från omvärlden når fram hur högljudd och alarmerande den än är.

Så här i vinterns gruvhål kan det kännas som det kompakta mörkret kongenialt illustrerar vad som händer i politiken. Istället för att blicka mot framtiden med ljusnande blick stirrar man in i ett svart hål, som uppslukar nuet medelst hypnotiskt magnetisk dragningskraft från ett europeiskt diktatoriskt historiskt förflutet.

Den hurtfriska naiviteten hos de styrande i Europas ledarskikt bortser från vad krig, tortyr och folkmord kan göra med en kontinent och vilka spår som det därför sätter långt in i nuet. SD:s framgångar i opinionen är ett levande och brännande aktuellt exempel på detta. Så även den övriga extremhögerns frammarsch i Europa.

Sämsta sättet att hantera situationen är således att hänsynstagande spela den i händerna genom ytterligare högervridning av politiken. Istället behövs motkraft från vänster. Om möjligt ännu sämre var steget att ratificera Lissabonfördraget så att den demokratiska kontrollen över den verkställande makten går förlorad. Lissabonfördraget ger farligt fria händer för de styrande över 500 miljoner européer försänkta i djup ekonomisk kris med en massarbetslöshet som är i växande.

Läs: Jonas Sjöstedt – Dansk vänstervind,   Cecilia Malmström – “Viktiga diskussioner om EU:s framtida utrikespolitik“, European Civil Liberties Network – Oppose the “Stockholm programme“

Se tidigare bloggpost: Ett segertåg ut ur riksdagen,   Vår Gud är oss en väldig Borg,   Den “legala nihilismen” och gasledningarna,  Vintergata,

Se även: Wall Street Journal – French Unemployed Rose 2 % in October,   British Unemployment to continue rising – Chancellor Darling,   Timesonline,

Läs: SVD – Sahlin varnar för politiskt kaos,  DN – Sahlin öppnar för styre med C och FP,   Expressen – Mona Sahlin kan tänka sig regera med C och FP,  AB – Styr hellre över blockgränsen än låter SD bli vågmästare,   DN – Rekordstort stöd för Sverigedemokraterna,  P J Anders Linder,   Peter Andersson – med rätt att tycka,  Mina moderata karameller,  GP – Sahlin varnar för politiskt kaos,  SVD – Mona Sahlin siktar mot stjärnorna men har svårt att lyfta,  SVT – Sahlin kan regera med C och FP,  AB2,   SVD3,   Expressen2,  AB3,   SVD4,    jj.n,    Holmqwist,     Spikharry’s Blog,     Andrea Doria,    annarkia,   Mitt i steget,    Kommunisternas blogg,   Jonas Sjöstedt,    gameover,   Elin Frid,    Germunds blogg,   Maria Ferm,   Robert Noord,    Kent Persson (m) blogg, Claes Krantz,   Kommunisternas blogg,   Olssons blogg,    Blocken blockerar,   Svensson,

BECOME A FAN OF THE LIBERAL MINUTE:
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A Liberal Minute with Jason Lamarche.

In this episode I speak with Ross Rebagliati who is the world’s first ever gold medalist in snowboarding. Ross talks about his historic Olympic gold medal victory, political vision, and his campaign for federal MP in the Okanagan—Coquihalla riding.

Ross is also the author of a new book called “Off the Chain: An Insider’s History of Snowboarding”. His book is available at Chapters and online via this link: http://bit.ly/6MChaw

For more info on Ross visit his website at:

http://RossRebagliati.com

On Tuesday the APPG on Global TB hosted a meeting in Westminster entitled ‘Combating Tuberculosis: From Social Determinants to Policy Bottlenecks’.

Special guest speaker Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Stop TB Department, highlighted the successes we have had to date in the fight against TB. These include 2 million deaths averted and 32 million people cured of the disease between 1995 and 2008. But Dr. Raviglione also emphasised that at the current rate it will take literally a thousand years for TB to be eradicated and said that greater political will and increased investment are needed to combat TB.

International Development Minister Mike Foster responded by acknowledging that there is still much to do to address global TB. He suggested that as well as DFID’s long-term commitments there was a need to look at alternative funding streams for development, perhaps including a ‘Tobin Tax’.The Tobin tax is a small tax on speculative financial transactions and has the potential to raise billions of pounds globally. RESULTS is currently campaigning for a Currency Transaction Levy, or CTL (see our earlier post on the subject), which is a kind of Tobin Tax.

A significant step forward was made recently when Gordon Brown supported the idea of a CTL, and Mike Foster’s comments on Tuesday show that a ‘Tobin Tax’ continues to be considered by the UK government as a credible source of new development funding.

RESULTS’s December action on World Aids Day will be to call on Gordon Brown and the heads of the other major political parties in the UK to support a CTL specifically to provide resources for global health. Mike Foster’s comments at the APPG meeting are a step forward for the campaign for a CTL for health, and provides a strong basis for our action on Tuesday’s conference call.

At the meeting, Mr Foster also announced that DFID have finally appointed a new TB lead within the department, and representatives from the UK Coalition to Stop TB will be meeting with this appointee to gauge a better idea of DFID’s strategy to fight TB over the next few years.

What was clear during the meeting was the important role that the APPG on Global TB plays in highlighting TB with the UK. Mario Raviglione thanked the group for the work that they do, and commented that no other country has such a committed all-party group of parliamentarians dedicated to fighting the disease!

La firma francesa se lanza al teclado QWERTY y la pantalla táctil con dos nuevos modelos: One Touch Tribe y One Touch Mini.

El primero es un teléfono sencillo y moderno que está dirigido principalmente a los jóvenes e incluye funciones y accesos directos al correo electrónico, redes sociales y mensajería instantánea con sólo un clic.

La rueda de desplazamiento lateral del One Touch Tribe permite una fácil navegación por los widgets y consultar las noticias, el tiempo y la hora mundial desde el primer nivel del menú. Cómodo, rápido y con un diseño atractivo y colorista.

Este modelo cuenta además con reproductor MP3, radio FM, cámara de 2MP, Bluetooth, GPRS, ranunra para microSD de 4 GB, originales aplicaciones que incorporan un sensor de movimiento y hasta un podómetro que mide cuánto caminas… Por menos de 70 euros no está mal.

La otra novedad es One Touch Mini, un teléfono que comparte muchas caracterísiticas con el Tribe pero que le gana en sencillez. Cuenta sólo con una pantalla táctil (2,4 pulgadas y 320×240 píxeles de resolución) desde la que se manejan todas los widgets con sólo arrastrar y soltar. Está dispuesta en dos zonas: la parte superior, desde donde se acceden a las aplicaciones más frecuentes, y la inferior, por la que se navega a través del menú del teléfono.

La cámara es de menos calidad que la del OT Tribe, 1,3MP, pero tiene también conexión GPRS, Bluetooth y además es más barato; está disponible a partir de 59 euros.

Vodafone y Alcatel lanzan el 541 Touch, un teléfono todavía más sencillo y barato que el One Touch Mini.

Presenta una pantalla táctil de 2,4 pulgadas y 320×240 píxeles de resolución y funciona de la misma manera que el Mini: La parte superior de la pantalla permite, con una ligera presión, acceder a las funciones más utilizadas del teléfono y personalizar la pantalla de inicio con sólo arrastrar y soltar los iconos de las aplicaciones. La parte inferior se ilumina con led´s azules y sirve para navegar por todo el menú del teléfono.

La cámara es sólo de 1,3MP, pero tiene radio FM, reproductor MP3, conexión Bluetooth A2DP y tarjeta microSD de 2GB (pudiendo ampliarse a 4GB).

Está disponible para clientes de contrato y migraciones a Vodafone desde 0 euros, a través del programa de puntos y en pack de tarjeta por sólo 49 euros y con 100 de saldo. La relación calidad-precio es excelente, desde luego.

Por fin está disponible el nuevo Nokia N900 en Europa, Medio Oriente, Rusia y EEUU por un precio cercano a los 500 euros. Este teléfono de gama alta, etiquetado como mobile computer, se centra sobre todo en la navegación por Internet, la ejecución de aplicaciones y almacenamiento de archivos; técnicamente es muy parecido al Nokia N97.

Tiene una pantalla táctil de 3.5 pulgadas con 800×480 píxeles de resolución, una memoria interna de 32GB y 256 MB de RAM, cámara de 5MP (óptica Carl Zeiss y flash con doble LED) y GPS, pero su mayor atractivo es sin duda su nuevo sistema operativo, Maemo 5 basado en Linux.

El N900 es el primer Nokia que lo incluye y goza de un buen funcionamiento superior a Symbian; soporta múltiples escritorios, gestiona widgets para controlar varias aplicaciones, permite una navegación rápida e incorpora el Flash 9.4 para perfecta reproducción de vídeos.

Por supuesto dispone de radio FM, conexión 3G y HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth y además compatibilidad DLNA, que permite enviar archivos entre los diferentes dispositivos conectados a una misma red, como pueden ser la televisión y el propio teléfono.

Apetecer, apetece todo. Asequible no es ni un pelo. Veremos qué ofertas nos presentan las operadoras…

The Online Citizen has recently been running a series Pre-election Test Name Your MPs Quiz. Has been interesting so far, not so much of the pictures that were posted, but how some commenters seriously have their facts wrong.

Take for example Quiz No. 2, which features a slate of Jalan Besar MPs. Commenter Hansolo answered, and I quote verbatim:

denise phua: got autistic kid, but don’t hear much of her efforts (if any) in special education; yaacob ibrahim: environment minister who ignored potential flooding in bukit timah for 10 years; lee boon yang: always go concerts at esplanade; lily neo: she genuinely seems to care for the average singaporean, despite her upper class background; heng chee how: ntuc man

My take on each MP:

• Denise Phua: an MP who does not tow the Party line and speaks from where she stands, and firmly believes in them. Made it possible that special education is even receiving attention at all
• Yaacob Ibrahim: looked into sustaining Singapore’s potential lack of water resources and initiated programs to make Singapore self-reliant
• Lee Boon Yang: former Minister from a range of portfolios that included Defence, Community Development and Information. Placed Singapore on the global IT roadmap
• Dr Lily Neo: not much really known about her, but she was part of the Primary Education Review and Implementation Committee that advocated for an overhaul of the primary school teaching system
• Heng Chee How: Former MOS for Health and current Dy-Sec of NTUC. One of the pioneer Mayors in Singapore who set the standard for public administration at district level

I guess the above are not all that exhaustive of the MPs credentials. Yes, they have their own tendencies and eccentricities. For all we know, our MPs might sleep standing up or not brush their teeth in the morning. They are after all human.

Oh wells…

For the first time in Mizuno MP Series, the prestigious irons manufacturer introduced a one-of-a-kind product that is basically designed to merge the playability of player irons with the forgiveness of a multi material construction modern iron. With continuous innovation in mind, Mizuno MP-58 irons were released in the market in 2008 intended to blow the minds of meticulous golfers.

The merging

We all marveled at Mizuno for having been a success ever since they’ve started presenting their products in the golf market. Many enthusiasts hailed their efficiency. They claimed that their irons proved a varied range, which gives the players something to look forward to in every collection. Some critics even say “there’s irons and Mizuno irons”, an evident hierarchy represented.

But perhaps what made golfers love this brand is because of Mizuno’s ability to jive with their game style. The irons have indeed been proven superb in any terrain regardless of anything.

Mizuno MP-58 is characterized by a titanium insert into the outer muscle pad of the club head, which gives this iron a uniquely solid feel at impact and increasing the perimeter weighting. This makes the iron more consistent on off center hits. The 11 gram titanium plate is positioned 2.9mm from the face.

This iron has a thinner sole and top line than the MP-57 model. It definitely looks different from its predecessor due to its lower cavity badge. This new feature enhances forgiveness for the player and keeping the centre of gravity close to the clubface. The beveled sole and flattened mid sole improve ball contact.

The Mizuno MP-58 irons is said to provide a customized tool for golfers who want a forged feel and like to shape their approach shots.

However, remember to keep maintenance to all of your clubs and irons. After a day’s game, make sure to wipe off the dirt and polish them to keep a longer life span.

MP face parte de pe varianta de lux a albumului Priceless semnat Birdman , postat la timpul lui pe blog , editia de lux contine 3 piese in plus , plus curiozitatea mea sa le aud , desi albumul lasa de dorit (parerea mea) .

Previous/Anterior Birdman – Pricele$$ (Album)

Via: Dajaz1 .

]]> http://lionpuppyheart.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/jew-convicted-sentenced-prison/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:20:08 +0000 lionpuppyheart http://lionpuppyheart.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/jew-convicted-sentenced-prison/

24 November, 2009

A reply from the The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P.
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Re: Yaghoghil Shaolian , 19, sentenced to two and a half years in Iranian-prison‏

Mr. Perecowicz,

I apologize for the late reply to your email, dated November 12, 2009. I have enclosed the Minister’s response to your concerns. Please feel free to contact me should you have any additional inquires.

Regards,
Melissa Lantsman

—————————————

Dear Arieh Perecowicz :

Thank you for your email, sent to my Office on November 12, 2009, concerning the situation of human rights in Iran and the case of Mr. Yaghoghil Shaolian , an Iranian national detained by the Iranian government.

The Government of Canada is deeply troubled by the current situation in Iran and has taken many opportunities to express its condemnation of Iran’s human rights abuses and to call for the release of all those unjustly detained in Iran. On June 15, 2009, I made a statement in which I outlined Canada’s concerns regarding allegations of irregularities in the voting process and reports of violent crackdowns by Iranian security forces on their own citizens. Furthermore, on June 21, 2009, I made another statement condemning the use of violence against protestors. You may read my statements at http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/index.asp

Officials of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada have also relayed these concerns directly to the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires in Ottawa, on a number of occasions, as Iran is not represented by an ambassador in Canada. As well, on June 22, 2009, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, made a statement on the situation in Iran, which you may view at www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&id=2647. Canada has also consistently called upon the Iranian authorities to release all political prisoners and journalists who have been unjustly detained, and to uphold all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice.

On June 17, 2009, in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Harper clearly articulated Canada’s position on Iran:

There is no secret to the Government of Canada’s position. We have been outspoken for a very long time in the councils of the United Nations and elsewhere about the unacceptable ideology, democratic practices and human rights record of the Government of Iran. We are obviously strongly displeased by the reaction that has taken place by authorities to events this week.

We encourage those authorities to respect people’s basic human rights and to move forward on democratic progress in this country. We find the behaviour of that regime unacceptable in so many ways that I cannot even begin to name them.

On the same day, I stated in the House of Commons that:

Everyone knows that this government has been very active on the Iran file, particularly in terms of condemnation and the commitment we made at the United Nations to condemn human rights abuses.

In addition, Mr. John Weston, Member of Parliament and Government Liaison to the Persian and Iranian Community, introduced the following motion, which was unanimously adopted by the House of Commons:

That the House express:

its solidarity with, and support for, the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people;
its concern with ongoing violations of civil and human rights in Iran, and calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners; and its support for a transparent electoral process that respects the genuine will of the Iranian people.

On July 8, 2009, Canada joined with other G8 countries in expressing serious concerns about recent events in Iran. G8 Leaders deplored the post-electoral violence, which led to the loss of lives of civilians, calling interference with media, unjustified detentions of journalists and recent arrests of foreign nationals unacceptable. They called upon Iran to solve the situation through democratic dialogue and the rule of law. You may read the statement at www.canadainternational.gc.ca/g8/summit-sommet/2009/political_declaration-declaration_politique.aspx.

On October 20, 2009, Prime Minister Harper welcomed the safe release of Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari by the Government of Iran. However, he stated that “while we rejoice today for Maziar Bahari’s homecoming, we must not forget about the countless others who remain unjustly imprisoned in Iran today.”

The Government of Canada will continue to call upon Iran to respect the human rights of all Iranians, and that ordinary Iranians must be able to freely express their views without fear of intimidation or violence.

The Canadian government’s concerns about human rights in Iran are long-standing. As part of its ongoing efforts to focus the international community’s attention on the human rights situation in Iran, Canada successfully led a resolution on this situation at the fall session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for six consecutive years. Canada and 41 co-sponsors tabled a resolution at Third Committee of UNGA, for the seventh year on November 10, 2009. The resolution, which passed with significant margin of support on Friday, Noverember 20, 2009 calls on the Government of Iran to fully respect its human rights obligations and implement previous resolutions. It also expresses deep concerns about increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities, recognized or otherwise, including, inter alia, Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and their defenders. Collective efforts to table such resolutions send a strong signal that the international community remains deeply concerned about Iran’s unacceptable human rights violations.

Please be assured that Canada will continue to use all means available to raise its concerns about human rights, including the post-election situation and the continued unjust detention of Iranian and foreign nationals, such as Mr. Shaolian , in Iran.

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your concerns.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Foreign Affairs

FULL STORY

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So it seems the most exciting news of the day from Parliament Hill is that yet another MP has gone and shot their mouth off. Again.

Unfortunately for him though, this is his second strike in two months.

Gerald Keddy and one of the giant cheques that got him in trouble back in October

Conservative MP Gerald Keddy, who got in a real mess back in October for handing out oversized donation cheques with the Conservative party logo on them, is in another mess.

This time, Keddy’s in trouble for calling migrant workers and street people in Halifax “no-good bastards” because they won’t go work on Christmas tree farms. The phrase was considered so obscene that the Speaker of the House admonished an MP for repeating it.

Of course, there’s a whack of calls in the House for Keddy to quit his post as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day. It’s standard Canadian politics, really? An MP did something dumb? Put them in the back and make them go away for a few weeks until someone else does something dumber. Canadians may be one of the smartest people in the world, but when it comes to political memory, we’re pretty much goldfish.

That being said, this is Keddy’s second gaffe since this season, and it’s not a pretty one.  People are out of work for a variety of reasons, and very few of them, if any, are “no-good bastards.”

Will Keddy disappear? Probably not.

Should he? Well, it wouldn’t be the worst idea he’s had lately…

START HERE:

Dear Stock Photography Professionals, Amateur Photographers, Illustrators and Graphic Designers

“Success” is relative …

It was just over two years ago I started to research how to sell my photography when I caught “The Bug” to start selling my images online. In September of 2007 I decided to dedicate two years to explore the possibilities of the incredible world of stock photography. I felt that two years would be enough time to give me a chance to sink my teeth into training myself from any and all sources and to get up to speed, starting basically from scratch, on this rapidly expanding and growing industry. At the time I had never even picked up a photography book or taken a photoshop tutorial. It is now two years later, and while I feel I have come very far and achieved many successes, I find that there is always more to learn. I absolutely love this work !

In July of 2007 I relocated to Washington State after accepting a transfer to work at The Boeing Company’s Commercial Airplane Headquarters in Renton, Washington just outside of Seattle, Washington. Analyzing Market Research was my specialty. Driving out to Washington from Colorado during the course of my relocation I captured a few thousands pictures on a Canon SD750 camera. At that time I was interested in seeing if I could market my images by selling prints of them at festivals, art shows and galleries. It was during this period of research that I discovered the world of commercial stock photography.

My first site that I was approved as a contributor at was BigStockPhoto in September of 2007. For that reason alone I will always have a special place in my heart for them. I found that their entry criteria was not as strict as some of the larger sites. The same applies for 123rf so these are both excellent places to get your first exposure to in selling your photography online. That being said you will want to get into Shutterstock and iStockPhoto as soon as possible. This took me many months to achieve as I was starting from nearly complete scratch with the exception of strong information technology background.  FYI: Recently BigStockPhoto was acquired by the subscription based microstock giant Shutterstock .

Stock Photography Sites are often referred to by short abbreviations. It was more than a little confusing to myself when I first started researching microstock on the various forums so I will list a few abbreviations that you may find useful to know your first time encountering them:

• SS = Shutterstock
• IS = iStockPhoto
• DT = Dreamstime
• FT = Fotolia
• BSP = BigStockPhoto
• MP = MostPhotos
• BME = Best Month Ever
• WME = Worst Month Ever
• BDE = Best Day Ever
• MSG = Microstock Group
• EL = Extended License
• RF = Royalty Free
• Glass = Camera Lens for a DSLR Camera ex. Canon 55-250 IS
• IS = Image Stabilization

My first sale came from the second site that I was approved at as a contributor which was Dreamstime. I initially sought out DT during a time when BigStockPhoto was halting uploading over the weekends. This is just one small example of the kind of roadblocks one faces when it comes to trying to build up an approved portfolio at a microstock agency.

At its most basic level, getting started in microstock photography takes just a few basic steps …

• Check-out the various stock photography links on this blog
• Browse the microstock sites and become familiar and get a feel for the photography on them
• Prepare 3-10 of your best images in accordance to the respective standards of the site you wish to join
• Submit your applications to become a contributor (a.k.a photographer) and get approved to contribute
• Shoot Pictures. Post Process Images in Photoshop. Upload Photos to all sites for review. Repeat.
• Collect the revenue from sales made each month across all sites over the years for the life of the image. Large subscription based sites such as Shutterstock will ultimately produce daily sales for you after your portfolio of approved images grows to a modest size of a few hundred images however credit based sale sites such as iStockPhoto will yield higher commissions at a much slower rate. There is constant debate over which is best. Most stock photographers submit all of their work to each of the most profitable microstock sites.
• Receive your payout after reaching a threshold for each respective site. (ex. $50, $75, $100)

I believe a quick recap of where my interest in photography as a child came from will prove insightful to some readers …

Photography had been an interest of mine since I first began taking snapshot photos with “hand me down” cameras from my parents I was about 9 or 10 years old. It was probably around 1979-1981 ish when I first started using 110 film cameras that I usually borrowed from my mother. The first camera that I actually owned was a Polaroid One Step instant camera. I remember having to pay for my own film. Early on I mowed lawns and later on I worked for the family gas station starting at the age of 10 working for $2.00 / hour. At the very least I know I was responsible for paying for the cartridges of film which were very expensive for around ten photos if I remember correctly. This limited my ability to take pictures as I was saving up to pay my way for a $750.00 30-Day bus tour trip across the country with the Boy Scouts to the National Jamboree in Virginia in 1981. Since the film for my instant camera was so expensive my mother allowed me to borrow her Sony Disc Camera. I took both cameras on my 30-day bus tour “Reunion with History” to the Jamboree. The Statue of Liberty was getting a makeover during our tour but it was still amazing and one of my favorite subjects. However, when I went to the top of the “Twin Towers” World Trade Center, that was my favorite scene. The bridges and skyscrapers of New York City fostered my love for architecture and structures which I later studied at length. I plan to dig up a couple of those first photos of mine from that trip, scan them, and post them here as a point-of-reference …

TIMELINE FOR KEY EVENTS THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON MY STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY:

1981 “Reunion With History” 30-Day Bus Tour of various historical sites of United States with Boy Scouts. Kodak Disc Camera borrowed from parents when I was 12 years old.

1985 Exposure to Mac Paint Graphic Programs on first Macintosh which parents bought 1986 Drafting  1,2,3 Architecture & Architecture Classes 1987-1991 Travel the world while serving in the United States Navy taking photos every step of the way. 1991 Leave the Navy to study Architecture at the University of Arizona. Learn AUTOCAD. 1999 First Photoshop and Image Ready exposure working with web design. 2000 Graduate University of Phoenix Bachelor of Science in Business  Major: Information Systems

2005 May Bought Digital Camera: Canon SD750

2007 July: Relocate to Washington State road trip from Colorado. Research Selling Prints / Selling digital files online.  Research Selling digital negative files

2007 September: Accepted into BSP

2007 October: Accepted into DT / Forum participation

2007 November: Thanksgiving Day 2007 was my 1st Microstock Sale at DT Accepted into Fotolia . BME across all sites. Joined Microstock Group Forum (MSG). 1st SS Application Rejected. Read Photography & Photoshop Books. Study free tutorials from The MIZ and many others.

2007 December: Join Featurepics. Make plans to buy my first DSLR camera by April or May 2008. New BME across all sites. Bus Travel  from Seattle Washington to Denver capturing many photos on this journey. Caught severe flu and ear infections after many winter weather related travel delays.  That took me out of action for most of January and the first part of February …

Illness contracted from December / January travel …

2008 January: New BME across all sites. Stock sales happen even when your down and out sick …

2008 February: Joined MostPhotos . Joined Zymmetrical.  BME’s at DT, BSP, SXP, Met stock photographer suwanneeredhead (Stacey Lynn Brown) through interactions as two of the first few Americans on MP . New BME across all sites.

2008 March: set-up first home studio. Continue to improve work for next SS and IS applications as these are the two largest revenue producing sites for a microstock photographer.  BMEs at DT, FT, 123RF, MP . New BME across all sites. 5th BME in a row.

Got my first DSLR …

2008 April: Buy first DSLR:  a used Canon Rebel XTI a.k.a 400D continue to shoot and begin working with fractals for part of my SS applications.  Not a BME … streak broken …

2008 May: Accepted into Shutterstock the last week of the month after to many applications to count.

2008 May: BME at DT.

2008 June: BME’s at SS, BSP, 123RF, MP. First Full month of Revenue from SS. New BME across all sites.

2008 July: BME’s at DT, BSP, FP, FT       WME at 123RF

2008 Sep:  September 25th propose marriage to suwanneereadhead (Stacey Lynn Brown)

2008 Oct:  Mark Payne (mwp1969) & Stacey Lynn Brown (suwanneeredhead) married in Seattle, Washington. First Extended License Sale on SS …  it must have been a belated wedding gift

2008 Dec:  Canon 55-250 IS lens received as Christmas gift from my beloved wife

2009 April: Accepted into iStockPhoto

2009 May: Upgrade to DSLR Canon Rebel XSI a.k.a Canon 450D

2009 June: Began doubling and tripling my upload efforts to all of the sites that I was behind on …

2009 October: BME for number of sales at DT. Close to BME at SS & IS

2009 Nov: Achieve next level raise at SS . BMEs at both SS & IS. Roll-out initial microstock related blog.

I am always happy to help a newbie try to break into stock photography by submitting their work for sale online.  This is a painstaking task if you try to do it all on your own. I offer my own  trials and tribulations to you so that you might be able to avoid some of  them yourself along your way. Thank you in advance for checking out my image and design portfolios.

If your interested in submitting your own images and want to try and get started right away  you can do so through the links I have provided below.  These links will help you get started with some of the most favorable and profitable microstock photography sites. The commissions from the sale of your own images will pay you again and again for the rest of the life of the image so delaying your decision to start by a day only delays you getting paid by a day down the road.

Best of Luck !

My Referral Links to Top Producing Microstock Photography Websites:

http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery.mhtml?id=144463

http://www.dreamstime.com/Mwp1969_info

http://www.istockphoto.com/mwp1969

http://www.123rf.com/profile_markpayne

http://us.fotolia.com/partner/200479231

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/?refid=HW16kzhvJX

Midstock Photography Sites:

http://www.mostphotos.com/mwp1969

Our Website:

www.PayneImages.com

]]> http://hfortysixit.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/canon-1d-mkiv-new-iso-performance-images-by-jeff-ascough/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:50:17 +0000 hfortysixit http://hfortysixit.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/canon-1d-mkiv-new-iso-performance-images-by-jeff-ascough/

Canon 1D MKIV New ISO performance images by Jeff Ascough



Jeff Ascough is UK based photographer that is known for not using flash for any of his shoots. Looks like he’s been using 1-series bodies for quite awhile and really familiar with them. Looks like Jeff has the camera 24hrs before his shoots and didn’t have alot of time setting up the camera, but its not much different from his 1DsMKIII. Shots from the Canon 1DMKIV they are stunning in low light!

Autofocus performance is stunning. There is no other word for it. Canon have spent a lot of time and energy on this aspect of the camera and it shows. I was shooting in horrific lighting for AF systems, and it just performed faultlessly. I used the center point and the back button for focusing as this is what I have become use to over the past 12 months with the 5DMKII, and like I said it was faultless. I didn’t try AI servo mode (as I always use One shot) or any of the other AF options (some of which have been borrowed from the 7D). Source:[Jeff Ascough/Canonrumors]

Pictures after the jump!

Click HERE to Jeff Ascough Site

Vodafone España y Research In Motion (RIM) han anunciado hoy el lanzamiento comercial del nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Storm2 (modelo 9520) que Vodafone tendrá en exclusiva estas Navidades y que está disponible en los puntos de venta habitual a partir de la próxima semana.

La segunda generación del innovador smartphone de pantalla táctil de RIM, BlackBerry Storm2, incluye una versión avanzada de la pantalla táctil de los smartphones BlackBerry, así como nuevas tecnologías y características que permiten a los clientes permanecer en contacto con las personas, lugares y cosas que más les importan.

Los clientes empresas y autónomos con “acuerdo PYME” podrán adquirir el terminal a desde 29€ con el servicio BlackBerry Profesional de 15€/mes. Esta tarifa incluye correo “push email”, navegación por Internet y acceso a aplicaciones exclusivas del portal Vodafone Business Place.

La Tarifa Plana Ilimitada de BlackBerry para empresas y autónomos incluye el tráfico de correo electrónico para consultar, editar, responder y adjuntar archivos; mensajería instantánea, acceso a Internet para navegar sin límite y a la tienda de aplicaciones profesionales Business Place, redes sociales, por 15€/mes (sin i.v.a.) Esto, junto con un plan de voz de empresas, permite que los clientes de Vodafone tengan el gasto controlado en todo momento.

Los clientes particulares lo podrán obtener desde 49€ con la Tarifa Plana Mini “A Todos” o con la Tarifa Plana Mini “24 Horas” (350 min./mes por 19€/mes) y con la “Tarifa Plana de Internet en el Móvil Plus” de 15€/mes. Esta tarifa incluye toda la Música sin Límites, la navegación por Internet, las redes sociales y el correo electrónico.

El smartphone BlackBerry Storm2 incluye algunos de los servicios Vodafone 360, como Vodafone Music o Mi Web, el servicio de acceso a Internet de Vodafone 360.

Entre las nuevas características del smartphone BlackBerry Storm2 se incluye una versión de la tecnología SurePress basada en un sistema de suspensión electrónica. La nueva tecnología facilita la navegación y el uso del teclado virtual, permitiendo una escritura rápida y acciones de multi-teclado como la combinación de las teclas Shift o Alt.

El smartphone BlackBerry Storm2 soporta UMTS/HSPA (2100 Mhz), cuatribanda EDGE/GPRS/GSM y redes WiFi (802.11 b/g).

Someone asked this very important question:  should governments use blogging as a tool for public service? I answered yes so here goes…telling an all-too-familiar story another way.

The all-too-familiar story told another way...tingim.

After 30 years in public sector work, I present to you the ruminations of a dinosaur with one eye open. Close your eyes…now, aherrm both eyes please…and come with me on this journey…

Just imagine receiving a blog from your local MP…

Can’t help it…got to say it! I can just see the title of my next tune beckoning in the distance: Blogging Me! Blogging You! Uhuhhhhhh’. For now, try singing/humming (whatever), these words with that famous ABBA tune ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You, uhuhhhhhh…’ See…not difficult is it?

Where are we? Oh yes the MP’s blog. Yes the blog is in your face and you seeing his/her face on your computer – for the first time! Wow! Some of these MPs don’t visit their electorates as often as they should once elected. So we need to think creatively to keep on reminding them about who gave them their mandate.

Unfortunately for most, they are all over you like a rash and in your face just before elections. Sometimes that is not so bad as someone’s got to put their best foot forward and declare their intention to lead. For some it’s more like willingly offering themselves for a life in a fishbowl, or go down in some quarters like the season’s pickings to be chewed up and spat out! Quite unceremonious goings on but that as we know comes with the territory.

Anyway, wouldn’t it be great for your MP to tell you what his/her vision is for your electorate for the next 5 years, and tell you about his/her hopes, concerns, issues, hobbies, interests, good causes, family, challenges and hardships they themselves or you put them through etc. MPs are human too. Yes, but human or not human is a small part of the commitment they made when they stood on top of trucks with loud hailers bleating out promise after promise for a better life that is only possible through them, disrupting traffic, disturbing the peace with loud noise, littering the sidewalks with their posters…etc.

Back to Le Blog, I could imagine a couple of engaging MP blog titles such as:
‘Getting to Know You’ (is this a line in a musical or what?)
‘Meet and Greet’ (hmmm…too wishy washy)
‘Coming to You Live from…(name of electorate/village)
‘Today With You’ (too suggestive perhaps)
‘Spanning Our Tribal Bridges’ (oooh…that’s heavy)
‘With Love From Me to You’ (maybe not…) and so on and so forth.

Gradually, election fever is no longer life-threatening, the warmth of the ballot paper becomes cold and the loud hailers are silenced and tossed aside in some dark damp corner for another 5 years or so. Promises become challenges and a 4-5-year uphill battle, more like every year, to meet election commitments prevail. The mandate to govern becomes blurred with self-indulgence and extreme liberties.

The electorate once more fades into yet another 4-5 years of the same old same old…as the loyal voter cries out over and over again: where is the road, the school, the aidpost, the airstrip, the drugs for all manner of illnesses etc etc? Why are we suffering when our country sits on gold and oil deposits, our rich forests and oceans teeming with bountiful harvets of tuna etc. That’s right! the promises that were coming over the loud hailers not so long ago. Why?, where?, how? — on it goes day in day out like a broken record.

Now I got to thinking as an avid blogger: Could blogging change this ever so familiar negative scenario? Most may answer maybe or yes, followed by how soon! And from the zealous ones: how about yesterday?

So this ‘new face’ (dispela ‘niupela pes’) that I’m talking about or rather agonising over - what about it?

Just think of yourself, the blogging honest voter let alone a citizen in your MP’s electorate telling him/her or rather blogging him/her about your successes, hardships, challenges, your family, taxes, your community and the beat goes on – day in, day out.  This goes on for what seems like an eternity.

Then one day, voila! you get a response! A response from your MP! Oh my gosh, your lips form these immortal words, slowly and with great emotion and no sound emanating from your mouth. Your heart is beating faster than usual, you are not sure whether to laugh or to cry! As you reach for the Kleenex your heart is full of wonder and love…yeah love…imagine that too. The blogger and bloggee in contact with eachother in perfect harmony…hmmm.

As you log off you wondered...

The hours pass by and you go back to your usual routine of checking your emails and Facebook and anything fun or witty. Then you log off your computer and wonder about your MP blogging back…well what a humongous surprise…you feel the lump of emotion in your throat again. You stand up from your desk and in the silence of your office you wonder….

What would future elections look like and what would elected leaders be like? If you were all blogging for 5 years after he/she got elected. Yes, what kind of church, community and youth leaders, public servants, newspaper editors, office managers, donor agencies, technical advisers, volunteers, project managers, departmental heads, CEOs, and politicians – the elected representatives etc, would a blogging community produce. It could go the other way too…we could create monsters. Yeah that too, but let’s just focus on our hopefully benevolent and caring MP, please.

That’s all very well. But what if the MP doesn’t have a computer? Is there another way? Do we need to give every new MP a crash course, say, Blogging 101? Do we need legislation to introduce blogging as a form of government communication? Prepare a Cabinet submission on this? Allocate a fraction of the budget for blogging resources? Or should we as law-abiding citizens exercise our human and civil right and just do it, that’s right! Go ahead and blog with our MPs to our hearts’ content every minute, everyday, every week, every month and so  on. Well, it would all makes sense if we were receiving our MPs’ responses, right?

It all boils down to this: MPs are duty bound to communicate with those who are and may be potentially affected by their actions and they are morally bound to be accountable for their actions, right? Yes, it’s all good…but MPs are just one aspect of governance. And mine just one perspective.

So the more than a million quid question is: Could blogging be the ‘new face’ of governance? Could blogging empower us to create cultures of good governance?

My mind journeys on, long after the flames of my gas heater burn low and another night to create in slumber my world of happiness, wealth and prosperity. A title of another blog perhaps?

Have just been updating my weblog and recounting the time I reported on the trial of a poacher at Wimbourne Minster in 1826

http://tinyurl.com/yjqmffa

Do you download Songs, Video or Software free from the Internet? Or if someone uses your Wifi without your knowing.

Your soooo fcuked if this UK bill is passed.

You may or may not have heard about this new Bill that’s going through the UK parliament at the moment. You might think that politics is boring and nothing ever affects you. Well, most of the time I would agree with you, BUT not this time!

This boring Bill, if approved, will mean that if your internet connection has been shown that you have downloaded any copyrighted material, be it songs,videos or software you will really be in the shit.
Not just a “slapped wrist” in the shit , I mean really “in the shit” so much in the shit that you will be doing jail time and paying a £50,000 type of  “in the shit”.

If that was not bad enough, and doing jail time for most people really is a no no, then the really scary part is that some if this can happen WITHOUT you ever going to court!

So much for UK democracy! But there is still a chance it can be stopped, if many people need to keep this in the news with Blogs, Tweets and emails to your MP’s.

The Bill looks like, if it goes through, will come into effect in two parts.

Three strike policy where your internet connection will be cut off after two warnings. A maximum fine for file sharing of £50,000. It also forces ISP’s to spy on you with a fine of £250,000 for any that don’t cooperate.

The scary part is set to come in, in 2011. This includes the power to disconnect file sharers without judicial review. It would also give the Secretary of State, Lord Mandelson himself the power to change and amend the provisions of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).

The UK ISP TalkTalk has taken a public stand against this bill with a website and a manifesto making pledges to its customers:

1. Unless we are served with a court order we will not surrender your details to rights holders. We are the only major ISP to have taken this stance and will maintain it.
2. We will continue to fight this draconian legislation as it makes it way through Parliament.
3. If we are instructed to disconnect your account due to alleged copyright infringement we will refuse to do so and tell the rights holders we’ll see them in court.

Please do all you can to keep it in the news, tweet it, write on Facebook, talk to your mates do anything legal. (Don’t climb on the houses of parliament and unfurl a huge banner against  “Mandy’s” bill as that’s a bit extreme, no wait… great idea   do it !

If you only do one thing about this, sign the Number 10 Petition against the Bill
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dontdisconnectus/

Also You can write to your MP at http://www.writetothem.com
Send them a constructive email explaining that the bill is outrageous and should not be allowed etc

Send Lord “Mandy” Mandelson a message http://threestrikes.openrightsgroup.org

I morgon måndag den 23 november 2009 klockan 17:00 avslutas provvalet för Stockholms stad. Så glöm inte att rösta i provvalet, det tar sin lilla tid att läsa igenom materialet och välja kandidater.

Här är min kandidatpresentation (favorit i repris):

Min politiska syn är att samhällets strukturer skall förändras stegvis mot en effektiv förvaltning och ge möjlighet till valfrihet under enskilt ansvar.

Skattepolitik skall alltid resultera i en effektiv användning. Privata samt offentliga monopol måste avskaffas via skärpt lagstiftning. Jag vill föra en rak politik med fokus på resultat.

Jag brinner för ENERGI, MILJÖ, IT och KULTUR.

KANDIDATUR TILL RIKSDAGEN:

•Nya kärnkraftverk i Karlshamn (3 st på 1500 MW), detta ger många arbetstillfällen samt räddar vår basindustri. Ett av dessa nya kärnkraftverk skall användas till enbart produktion av drivmedel (vätgas).
•En ny infrastruktur i form av ”Energibönder” skall införas för att garantera produktion av drivmedel i form av biogas, etanol och metanol från jord- och skogsbruken.
•Nordiskt samarbete med Island för produktion av mineraler och halvfabrikat genom användning av Islands naturliga energikällor.
•Användning av EU:s jordbruksstöd till rökgasrening av äldre förbrännings- och energianläggningar i Europa, stödet kan därefter avvecklas successivt.
•Arbetslinjen skall utvecklas även på längre sikt.
•LAS måste förändras så att nya arbetstillfällen lättare kan skapas, detta bör slopas helt och hållet för små företag och slopas endast för ungdomar i medelstora företag, däremot bör LAS inte ändras för stora företag.
•Pensionering av 40-talister måste forceras så att ungdomar kan bli lärlingar till den som skall pensioneras, med minimilön och där arbetsgivaravgiften slopas för båda under denna övergångsperiod, för att förhindra en ungdomskatastrof.
•Fildelning och internet skall vara fritt, solidariskt finansierat via bredbandsavgifter, fördelat via intresseorganisationer till upphovsrättsägarna och där viss del av bredbandsavgiften blir till ett permanent kulturstöd inom bild, film, musik och litteratur.
•Skärpt parlamentarism i riksdagen så att demokratin förbättras via nytt röstningsförfarande

KANDIDATUR TILL LANDSTINGET:

•Omvandla landstinget till en rent professionell upphandlingsorganisation, med utförsäljning av alla verksamheter (primärvård samt sjukhus) stegvis.
•Försäljning av verksamheter skall endast ske till marknadsvärde så att skattebetalarna får tillbaks de resurser som tillförts en viss verksamhet.
•Forcerad pensionering av äldre medarbetare så att arbetstillfällen skapas inom landstingets alla verksamheter.
•Utöka vårdvalet för att skapa en jämlikare vård. Skärpta garantier och regler för vård inom vårdvalet.
•Gratis tandvård måste medges i ett högt civiliserat samhälle och skall gälla för alla landstingsanställda.
•Satsa på ett utökat samarbete mellan primärvården och sjukhusen, där oftast specialistvården är starkast. Utnyttja därför läkarresureserna vid våra sjukhus i första hand. En annan organisationsmodell måste utarbetas.
•Öka antalet hembesök via primärvården nu när antalet äldre kommer att öka i framtiden.
•Läkarbristen måste hanteras där studenter utomlands erbjuds att slutföra sin utbildning i Sverige samt utökad satsning på läkarutbildningen så att framtida läkarbrist kan hanteras nu. Även Karlstadsmodellen måste analyseras, att anställa utländska läkare.
•Satsning på spårbunden kollektivtrafik i första hand i regionen därefter bussar och nya alternativa bränslen (el, vätgas, biogas, etanol, metanol) för att förbättra miljön.
•Satsa på ett samarbete mellan andra landsting för inhemsk vaccinproduktion så att vi är oberoende av vaccinproduktion inför nya pandemier.
•Krav på öppna källkodssystem och fri programvara inom alla verksamheter.
•Nytt IT-system för uppföljning av vård pga rotationen av läkare i primärvården, detta är jätteviktigt.

KANDIDATUR TILL KOMMUNEN:

•Avskaffa trängselskatten omedelbart som endast kan anses vara smygsocialisering, därefter stoppa projekt ”Förbifart Stockholm” som leder till ännu mer biltrafik i en redan hårt sargad region. Yrkar här på en klimatsmart lösning byggd på ökad kollektivtrafik med alternativa bränslen och en utbyggnad av kapaciteten i T-banan och pendeltåg.
•Omvandla kommunen till en rent professionell upphandlingsorganisation, med utförsäljning av alla tekniska verksamheter i första hand. Försäljning av verksamheter skall endast ske till marknadsvärde.
•Granskning av bidragsfusk skall utföras endast på lokal nivå direkt i verksamheten.
•Forcerad pensionering av äldre medarbetare så att arbetstillfällen skapas inom stadens alla verksamheter.
•Stödja attraktiva satsningar som sätter Stockholm stad på världskartan.
•Effektiva samförläggningar vid grävning i allmän mark så att vi slipper dyrare grävningar och återläggningar inom staden.
•Energieffektiviseringar inom alla verksamheter. Ökad användning av solfångare på stadens fastigheter, dessa sparar uppvärmningskostnader för stadens fastighetsbestånd.
•Uppmuntra till större användning av kraftvärme och sopförbränning, detta förbättrar miljön där metangas och tungmetaller kan minskas.
•Användning av elbilar i stadens tjänst för att förbättra vår miljö, nu när laddstationerna till elbilar byggs ut.
•IT-effektiviseringar med krav på öppna källkodssystem och fri programvara inom alla verksamheter.
•Utökad möjlighet till fritt internet i alla allmänna ytor i staden.
•Satsa på en central IT-förvaltning som ger stordriftsfördelar och minskar stadens kostnader radikalt.

Om ni vill rösta på mig så har jag nummer: 0981 i provvalet !

C-G Boström
Civilingenjör energi
Provvalskandidat nr: 0981
Riksdagen/Kommunen/Landstinget
Nya Moderaterna (M)
Stockholms stad