Happy Vampires

The Color Purple deals with the blacks, females, and the poor
rural population in the South during the beginning of the twentieth
century .

The character of Celie is central to the female network; through Celie
Walker has aimed to present a process of emancipation of a woman, body
and soul, from the domination of men.

The novel is written in the form of letters. In using the epistolary
style Walker is able to have her major character Celie express the
impact of oppression on her spirit as well as her growing internal
strength and final victory. This novel spans two generations of one
poor rural black family , interweaving the personal with the flow of
history; and the image of quilting is central to its concept and form.
But in the Color Purple, the emphases are the oppression black woman
experience in there relationships with black men (fathers, brothers,
husbands, lovers) and the sisterhood they must share with each other
in order to liberate themselves. As an image for these themes two
sisters, Celie and Nettie, are the novel’s focal characters. Their
letters, Celie’s to God, Nettie’s to Celie and finally Celie’s to
Nettie, are the novel’s form.

When Nettie escapes from her stepfather she comes to live with Celie
and Albert. Because she rebukes Albert’s amorous attentions, however
she is forced to leave, and is not heard from for many years. Celie
later discovers that Albert has been intercepting Nettie’s letters
from Africa where she has gone with a missionary couple, Samuel and
Corrine who have adopted Celie’s two children. Albert’s unsuccessful
attempts to expropriate or conceal Nettie’s letters suggest again,
Walker’s intention to subvert male efforts to suppress black woman in
life as well as letters. Over and over again , Celie accepts abuse and
victimisation. When Harpo asks her what to do to control his wife
Sofia, Celie, having internalised the principle of male domination,
answers.

When Celie next sees Harpo, ‘His face is a mess
of bruises’. Sofia , then, becomes Celie’s first model of resistance
to sexual, and later, racial subjugation. Cheeky and rebellious Sofia
is described as an ‘amazon of a woman′. She scorns rigid gender
definitions and prefers fixing the leaky roof to fixing the evening
dinner. Moreover as Harpo quickly learns , Sofia gives as good as she
takes. ‘All my life I had to fight,’ Sofia explains to Celie, ‘ I had
to fight my daddy. I had to fight brothers. I had to fight my cousins
and my uncles. A girl child ain′t safe in a family of men.’ Not only
does Sofia resist Harpo’s attempts to impose submission, she is also
jailed for ’sassing′ the mayor’s wife and knocking the mayor down when
he slaps her for impudence.

Each of these relationships, however, forms the part of a vaster
network of communal relationships in which female bonding is the
dominant connecting link. Challenging the hierarchal power relations
exercised between men and women (and by implication, whites and
blacks) are the relationships among the women based on co-operation
and mutuality. Women share the children, the labor, and at times, the
men. Ultimately it is the female bonding which restores the women to a
sense of completeness and independence. The relationship between
Celie and Shug, on the one hand, and between Celie and Nettie, on the
other, exemplify the power and potential of this bonding.

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Chris Botti, the exceptionally talented trumpet playing smooth jazz artist, has released the CD entitled Night Sessions and I have to say my iPod is currently loaded up with Chris Botti music and I′m looking for more.

Smooth Jazz fans, and in fact any music fan will love Botti’s music as he is certainly a master mood setter.

I recently had a trumpet player, who is no slouch himself, tell me sounds like those generated by Chris Botti you’re either born with the ability to produce, or you work your whole life trying to develop. I’d say that’s pretty high praise from a fellow musician. Which ever the case is with Botti, he sure is incredibly smooth.

Night Sessions launches with a great track called Lisa and proceeds to only get better from there.

It’s part of the work that I do but it seems a rare day when I get to listen to a CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is one of those rare CDs.

Contributing on the project is Jeff Lorber on keyboards, and a whole slew of other fairly notables.

Overall Night Sessions is an outstanding release. What I call, must have music. I give it two thumbs up. This is a CD any music fan can and will enjoy totally irregardless of genre preference. It’s just simply good music and a must have. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is absolutely superb.

The standout tunes on Night Sessions are Miami Overnight [track 2], Streets Ahead [track 3], and Light The Stars [track 10]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 11, Through An Open Window. Very nice!

Release Notes:

Chris Botti originally released Night Sessions on October 30, 2001 on the Sony record label.

CD track list follows:

1. Lisa
2. Miami Overnight
3. Streets Ahead
4. Interlude
5. All Would Envy
6. Best Time
7. When I See You
8. You Move Me
9. Blue Horizon
10. Light The Stars
11. Through An Open Window
12. Easter Parade

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at

It’s springtime in Idaho, the water is rushing down from melting snow scaring the hell out of folks as it rushes down the streets of some Idaho mountain towns.

One daffodil has poked its head in my front yard.

There is a dead starling in the front yard too.

I’m afraid to touch it. I don’t know if it died from the West Nile virus or the Chinkeroo bird flu.

My spell checker says there is no such word as Chinkeroo. There is now. I just love that “add to dictionary” feature.

Anyway, I just got back from Seattle and the great Northwest. When I got home, Xrytspet© from Fanton in G10009845788899990766 asked me if I had a chance to chat with Bigfoot again. This is how that went:

Hack Writer: No! The whole time, except when they were sleeping, I was playing with the triplets and their big sister.

Xrytspet: I know where Bigfoot is.

Hack: I guess he’s back from Florida. Did he have a good winter being the Swamp Ape?

Xrytspet: He stole away in one of those humongous Air Force cargo jets. It was headed for Fort Lewis so that the troops could complete their cargo-loading training.

Hack: I went to Air Transportability School at Fort Sill in 1950 or early 1951. We loaded the plane and took off for a ride over Texas. We “passed” because the cargo didn’t shift and squash us all.

Xrytspet: Your lack of concentration is phenomenal. We were talking about Bigfoot.

Hack: Sorry!

Xrytspet: He was spotted by a member of BFRO at a yard sale in Fostoria, Oregon. He was perusing a copy of Ancient Mysteries by Peter James and Nick Thorpe. The BFRO member was Cindy Keep Seeking of Yakima. She’s a Native American.

Phontos, the last Chican, was disguised as one of the regular bums that attend yard sales but Cindy Keep Seeking caught a whiff of him and noticed his great size. That’s when Phontos dematerialized and levitated out of there. Nobody noticed but Cindy Keep Seeking. There was no other witness.

Now, not even the BFRO members believe her story. The secretary of the organization said, “Bigfoot at a yard sale. Who are you kidding? Bigfoot lives in the forest.”

Cindy Keep Seeking told the organization “Go straddle a flying knife-edged dream catcher!” and she quit. Her last comment was, “You morons believe in every bump in the night but you can’t believe a sighting by a Yakama Indian in broad daylight!” (Read about the Yakama Indians at u-s-history.com/pages/h1588.html.)

Hack: That’s a big loss to BFRO. They should learn to be more tolerant of their member’s observations, especially if the member is a Native American that is expert in field observations. What in the heck is the BFRO, anyway?

Xrytspet: You’re sitting at your computer, idiot.

I searched for BFRO and came up with their site: bfro.net/.

Hack: I saw these guys on television. They claim to be “The only scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery.”

Xrytspet: Well, they missed their chance. Phontos decided to get out of there and is spending the summer on Hudson Bay. He’s working as a short-order cook in the café of the Lazy Bear Lodge in Churchill, Manitoba. He likes to watch the Beluga whales in his spare time. See lazybearlodge.com/.

Hack: There is something else that Phontos should be watching.

Xrytspet: What would that be?

Hack: His paduka! There are polar bears up there.

Xrytspet: Didn’t I tell you that Paduka refers to the sandals of the preceptor?

Hack: Well, yes, I guess you did. Well, he better sit on his sandals while he is watching the Belugas less a polar bear creeps up behind him and bites him on his natiche.

The End

BFRO, Big Foot, Mapinguary, Sasquatch, Florida Skunk, Swamp, Ape, Yeti, Yowie, Jersey Devil, UFO, Xrytspet, Lazy Bear Lodge, Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

More info: tjbooks.com tjbooks.com

Business web site: aaaflagpoles.com aaaflagpoles.com

When I tell people I play the piano, the most common reply I hear is “Oh I’ve always wanted to play but…“ Here’s are the top-ten reasons that adults give for not becoming a musician- even though its their secret ambition. Read on for how to overcome these barriers and achieve your dream.

“I’m just too busy”

Most people assume that you will need hours of free time every week set aside for lengthy practicing to get any good. This idea is a complete fiction- in fact I would say about 5 minutes each day is fine at first (and if you don‘t have 5 minutes per day to spare, I don‘t believe you!). If you book lessons with a teacher, you will be committing some time at least each week to concentrate on learning, which may even be enough at first.. Don’t kid yourself you’ll be less busy in three months time because if you don’t start learning now you probably never will.

“I work shifts/ long hours so I can’t fit time for lessons in”

Many teachers will offer lessons in the daytime, evenings and weekends- so you should be able to find something that suits you- just call up some local teachers and ask when they have spaces in their schedule. There are also a good number of online courses for most instruments. Or you could buy a ‘Teach Yourself Book’ and take it from there.

“Lessons are too expensive”

Again, you could start off teaching yourself from a book- but not all lessons are as expensive as you might think. I teach in groups, which keeps the cost down for the individual, and also turns lessons into a social activity. Find out if there are any teachers in your area who do this.

“I’m too old”

Your definitely never too old to learn a musical instrument! In fact I’ve found adults of all ages learn much faster than young children initially. Learning new cognitive skills has even been found to have great health benefits.

“I won’t be able to learn”

Well, I’ve never met anyone incapable of learning to play yet! Obviously people have different standards and ‘natural’ abilities, they’ll learn at different rates. But everyone will be able to play to some degree. The best thing is to ask yourself what you want to achieve… and then just go for it.

“I’ll never be any good, so what’s the point in starting now”

This depends what you mean by good. OK, I admit if your 57 and never played a note in your life theirs no chance of you becoming a virtuoso after ten lessons. But is that really why you secretly want to learn your chosen instrument? How about learning just for the sheer achievement of acquiring a new skill. Or being able to pick out a few carols at Christmas. Or finally write down and record that song that’s been going round in your head your whole life. These are all achievable goals you could reach after learning an instrument for just a short time. And does it even matter if your any ‘good’ if you really enjoy playing?

“I’ve been told I’m tone-deaf and so I can’t learn”

The short answer to this is, your almost certainly not. Tone deafness is a very rare and specific condition, and music lessons should help improve your listening skills.

“I don’t think any teachers will be interested in taking on an older learner”

Most teachers I know (including myself) really enjoy teaching adults because they have made the decision to have lessons themselves and appreciate lessons so much more than children who are learning all the time. Maybe your children are having lessons, why not ask their teacher if they could teach you as well? I’m sure they would be pleased to, or at least recommend another teacher with vacancies.

“I’d love to learn again- but I hated my lessons when I was younger”

A lot of adults have horror stories about severe piano teachers rapping their knuckles with rulers for making mistakes, and punishing them for not practicing 30 minutes a day. Luckily, there aren’t many (any?) people like that around anymore. Please don’t let a bad experience from the past stop you from achieving what you want today. Find a teacher, let them know what you want to achieve and I’m sure they will be pleased to help. If you don’t enjoy their lessons, let them know why- music lessons should be enjoyable, and as an adult you will be the one in control, with your teacher there to help you.

“I’ve heard learning to read music is really hard…”

Learning to read music is really very straightforward. And some teachers might be happy for you to play by ear. There’s a lot of advice on reading music, on the web which can get you started.

I hope none of these excuses are holding you back from becoming a musician! Good luck in learning to play your chosen instrument.

Polly Powell runs a keyboard and piano teaching studio in North Somerset, UK. Visit the website for further information on music lessons kweststudios.co.uk kweststudios.co.uk

“Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig,” wrote Frank Moore Colby, “How many of them will own up to a lack of humor?”

In my experience the answer is “None.” Ask any gathering for a show of hands who
among them does not have a sense of humor. Not a hand goes up.

Unfortunately, the experience of humor is so pleasant and entertaining, that it is all
too easy to overlook humor’s fundamental roll in maintaining our emotional
balance. However, an understanding of what your sense of humor is up to will help
elevate its importance and increase your respect for it. Your sense of humor has real
work to do and will do it faithfully if you’ll let it.

First of all our mind-body system needs to experience humor. It is essential for our
well being. In fact, our system actually searches for it. An event that happened in
my service club demonstrates this.

For years one particular club member volunteered to compile a scrapbook to
present to the outgoing club president as a memento of his term in office. On one
occasion he was fourteen months late in making the presentation. This happened
because the compiler had experienced an extended illness, which all of us were
aware of. In the presentation ceremony he explained the delay by saying, “When
Chuck became President I had a heart attack.”

The club members erupted in laughed as our sense of humor simply bypassed the
known facts of the statement. Instead it focused everyone’s attention on the
erroneous but comical meaning: “Chuck as President so upset me that I had a heart
attack.”

Notice that there was no “build up” to this comical thought as there is in the usual
structure of many jokes. The thought was not one that anyone even considered.
Instead, it was spontaneous and immediate. The sense of humor, with an energy
force all its own, over rode the clear facts and pulled the comical meaning out of his
factual remark and held it up, letting it glisten like a jewel sparkling in the sunlight.
It rewarded us with laughter and delight.

This search for humor makes sense when we realize that the sense of humor is a
natural part of ourselves. It was a part of human nature long before there were
stand up comics, gag writers and cartoonist. It is not an added feature, sort of after
thought. Our ability to discover and appreciate humor is structured in our very
being.

So what need satisfaction does the humorous experience meet?

A look at where the word “comedy” comes from gives a clue to answer. Remember
the boy in the neighborhood who chose to stay home instead of going with the
others in search of adventure. and how the gang considered him strange and gave
him a few uncomplimentary names.

Well, the word, “comedy” apparently comes from the name of a Greek demigod
named Comus who behaved something like this. As Joseph Meeker, author of The
Comedy of Survival, explains it he was a god quite content to leave great intellectual
matters to Apollo and the driving passions to Dionysus. His attention went to
household affairs seeing to it that the biological processes necessary to keep life
moving along in normal fashion did so: Plants propagated, family and community
life perpetuated., has said, It was the commonplace conditions friendly to life that
Comus sought to keep in good order. Keeping life in balance was his appointed
task.

One’s sense of humor works in much this same way. You’ve experienced it in action
again and again. It happens in work or club meetings where the issues are serious
and the debate long. Suddenly, from out of nowhere someone says something with
a comic ring. The assembly erupts in laughter.

I recall listening to the radio broadcast of the 1952 National Republican Party
Convention during the proceedings in nominating the GOP presidential candidate.
One particular issue ignited a strong floor debate. As it went on and on even sitting
at home you could sense the mounting tension. And then it happened. According to
protocol any delegate recognized to speak had to first announce his or her name
and the State the delegate was from. When emotions seemed near the breaking
point a delegate went to the microphone to be recognized and said, “My name is
John Johnson, I come from Wisconsin.”

The coincidence of this delegate’s identification being identical to the popular
stereotype of a Wisconsin resident was too much for the assembly. to maintain its
strained emotions. The entire assembly was convulsed in laughter. Comus had done
his work.

Often this response is called “comic relief.” But that’s looking at the reaction
through the wrong end of the telescope. It’s not simply relief. It’s your sense of
humor hauling you away from the stress and strain that interfere with your proper
emotional and physiological balance. It’s saying to you. “Hey, you’re too far afield.
Come back where you belong, Over here, where you are relaxed and at your
best.”

(c)2006 Cy Eberhart

As a hospital chaplain Cy Eberhart, (now retired) was a firsthand witness to the
entire spectrum of human emotions: personal successes and failures; the deepest
despairs and the great peaks of joy. Two questions remained foremost in his mind:
How was it that some could find inner strengths that brought courage and hope and
others could not? What was to be learned from these experiences that would have a
positive and creative effect for daily, routine living?

His lectures, writings, workshops, book

The role of the military drummer is a fascinating chapter from the hidden history of drums.

Hidden, because most people are unaware of the vital role played by the military drummer in communicating strategy and keeping the machinery of battle oiled.

Battle Stations

In the 17th century, in preparation for battle, before the head on clash between rival armies, considerable time was spent manoeuvering men into position.

The drums were used to convey orders - each ‘beat’ having a specific meaning instantly recognisable to the soldiers.

When the drummer’s ‘Call′ was heard, the men dropped what they were doing and immediately regrouped by their lieutenant or platoon commander to await further signals.

The Captain’s order to beat the ‘Troop’ was a signal to shoulder muskets, advance pikes and close rank and file.

The ‘March’ was a signal to advance, faster or slower according to the beat of the drum, to the point of rendezvous.

The ‘Preparative’ signaled the men to advance in rank and file to within skirmishing distance and be ready to engage battle.

At this point the company drummers would run to where the Colonel stood (or sat on horseback) beside his own side-drummer and the standard bearer.

Engaging The Enemy

On the Colonel’s order the drummers would beat the ‘Battaile′ or ‘Charge′.

This was described by Colonel William Barriffe to mean ‘pressing forward in order of battle without lagging behind, rather boldly stepping forward in place of him that falls dead or wounded before thee…’

In the thick of battle, with the sound of cannon and musket, the neighing of horses, the screams of the dying and wounded, the Colonel’s voice would not be heard and the beat of the drum continued to play a vital role in communicating orders to the troops.

From his vantage point the Colonel would command his drum-major to instigate various manoeuvers. If it was required to withdraw in an orderly fashion - for relief, or to gain a vantage point, or to lure the enemy into an ambush - the ‘Retreat’ would sound. The soldier, fighting for his life, was well prepared - the meaning of the different beats had been literally ‘drummed’ into him time and time again in training.

At the onset of battle, the roar of the assembled drummers would surely instil courage in the hearts of the men (and fear in the hearts of the enemy). Possibly, in the heat of battle, the beat of the drum, detached and ethereal, took on a spiritual quality, helping the combatants to distance themselves from the horror and suffering all around.

The drummer clearly carried a huge responsibility in the orderly conduct of war. In recognition of this it was considered highly dishonourable to knowingly strike or wound a drummer in battle.

Source:

Hugh Barty-King ‘The Drum - A Royal Tournament Tribute to the Military Drum’ 1988 ISBN 0 9513588 0 4

If music is the passion that drives you visit music.bass-clef.com” target=”_blank Music.Bass-Clef.com for articles on the history of drums, and information on great music resources.

Last night I watched an old film from the early 80’s about London gangsters.

Bob Hoskins at his best, along with a cast which actually included some real London villains of not notoriety.

Still a good film but today I think it held some troubling lessons. The film was about being a big fish in a little pond. A school yard bully, and of course the big world always creeps in. The gang boss runs London and all the old 60’s crime bosses, a left over from the Krays and the Richardsons. But as he tries to become even bigger he hits a new phenomena: the IRA.

Now we have a world of terrorism where death comes easily and you are up against people who have nothing to loose. The cosy world of London gangs holds little respect here, as you are up against people who know there is no running away from the final battle. If you are not totally loyal to the CAUSE they will always hunt you out. Gangsters are cowards by nature as it is just laziness taking over in terms of human greed. If they can’t get what they want fare and square the whole thing falls apart, to resurface in some other form: drugs or protection.

But terrorism is about political solutions and total war. Here people look into their hearts and find the fear that means facing up to death, and few gangsters have ever had to face that.

The film is about much more than that though. And here we see how little men have to face up to bigger powers. Once they know they face the IRA, the local corrupt CID officers are frightened and want to turn it all over to Special Branch, an organisation dedicated to fighting terrorist gangs in the UK. Here we have the old guard, of the establishment. People who have been running the country and the world for a thousand years. They faces these types of problems back in the middle ages, and have taught their descendants well. They face their fears and bite their lip when they have too. With power comes wisdom and the use this power wisely.

Of course the London gangs care nothing for this, and go stumbling into the same predictable traps. So to become the play things of other forces.

So what do we learn from this? In the Godfather films the Mafia did learn from their mistakes. David Corleone knew they had to become smart, to fight their battles in the court room. In the 3rd film he flew at the up and coming prodigy for showing his emotions and having a knee-jerk reaction to an assassination attempt. His way was to draw the real enemy out, and then strike. The difference here is that this man knew that you have to work with the forces around you. Good and evil balanced in your own judgement. Destroy an enemy only if he threatens you, else come to terms with them.

When we see the modern world of Blair and Bush, things don’t change much. Here are two people and one organisation which is in the game for the long term. It does not matter to them if we like their decisions or not. The real power lies in the hands of those we could never influence anyway. Even if we could see the faces of those gangsters.

Steve.

UK

Astrology can be a very complex science. There are many aspects to consider when determining compatibility between two signs. One of the best, easiest, and often overlooked way to see if two signs are compatible is by simply understanding the elements.

There are four elements, and each one is attributed to three specific signs.

Fire
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Air
Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Earth
Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Water
Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Each of these elements have certain characteristics, and I will give you a brief summary of what those are.

Fire
Positive, Assertive, Determined, Active

Air
Social, Intelligent, Doers, Communicators

Earth
Stable, Enduring, Structured, Introverted

Water
Passive, Receptive, Reactive, Intuitive

It could be possible that you are beginning to understand which elements are the most likely to blend well together. As a “general” rule, in dealing with the elements, Fire mixes with Air, and Earth mixes with Water. I know it seems far too general, and much too simple to be taken seriously, but in my experience it can create a solid foundation in considering compatibility. If you are a casual Astrology fan, and calculating planetary aspects between two charts is not your bag, then this is a much simpler formula you can incorporate. You will find that it sells itself in the end. You can also get insights as to why you are most attracted to certain types of people, when the “general” rule does not seem to apply to you specifically. Of course, a natal chart would most definitely complement this, because you would be able to see exactly why you find yourself leaning towards a certain type. There is a great number of free sites that you can find on the web that will generate a natal chart for you. For instance, my personal natal chart does not contain a single Earth, or Water element sign. I often find myself very drawn to the Earthy signs, and Alpha personalities. But, on the other hand, very distant from Water signs. This is because I am predominately Air influenced. Air, and Water signs have the most trouble blending together. Those relationships can be difficult if there is not some sort of balance elsewhere in the horoscope. Which is a good start at better understanding who your attracted to and why. Chinese Zodiac Signs are also element influenced. That will be Part II of this article.

A. Astralis is at Astralis astralis-horoscopes.com/ Horoscopes You can read your astralis-horoscopes.com/dailyhoroscope.htm daily horoscopes for the whole week in advance. Astrology, Numerology, Love Signs, and more.

When you take a photograph from a digital camera of, say a beautiful pastoral scene, and straightaway view it on the computer, or in print, what you see would be a subdued image of the scene, removed to some extent from the reality that your eyes beheld while shooting. This is because the digital image is not able to capture in full the quantity and distribution of natural light in the actual scene. In fact, no camera can capture the full tonal details of the actual scene in one exposure.

Light distribution in nature is dynamic, which means that the light falling on any object has different and changing intensities which cannot be faithfully recorded by the camera lens. But we can capture the total range of light, (the tonal details) through any camera in one way : by taking a number of identical pictures of the scene with different shutter speeds, and then merging all of them to make a single image. That single image will encompass the whole range of light at the scene, thereby bringing it close to what the eye sees directly. Thus, the tonal details of a scene cannot be captured in a single exposure. It has to be a multi-exposure and merging job.

The technique by which the entire range of light distribution (or tonal details) of a scene can be captured faithfully in a photograph is known as High Dynamic Range Photography or Imaging (HDR Imaging). Through HDR imaging the photographer captures the actual light distribution in a scene to make it realistic. This merging of images into a single image is done by means of the Photoshop CS2 software. The “merge to HDR” feature of the software brings together a series of exposures of the identical scene into one image containing the tonal details captured in each exposure. Such a “merged” final picture will have the depth and tonal quality of the real scene.

For creating an HDR image, at least 3 exposures will do, though for maximum accuracy, 5 or more exposures are recommended. More the exposures, more the quantum of light that the camera can convert to digital values to enhance the blending of tonal details. The Photoshop CS2 creates a separate HDR file for each image, recording the shutter speed, aperture and ISO setting in each exposure so that the light intensity in them can be assessed (as it may vary from exposure to exposure). The software creates an HDR file by using 32 bits to determine each color channel, instead of the 8 or 16 bits which lie in the Low Density Range.

Though the HDR technique helps us get realistic tonal qualities in photographs, it should be used with great care and skill because overdoing the merging job could distort the image of the scene photographed. There can be no substitute for good lighting, and nothing can come close to the High Density Range of the real scene which the eye naturally perceives. It must also be remembered that improvement of tonal details of a photograph also extracts a price by way of reduction in the contrast among the tonal values. Like everything in life, any technology available for betterment has always to be used with balance.

Moses Francis is the owner of flickrville.com flickrville.com, a gallery of beautiful photographs.

A hand shot up out of the audience and waved emphatically, attempting to catch the celebrity’s attention. The spotlit fiddler peered out into the darkness and candidly asked, “Do I know you? Am I related to you?”

The whole room burst into laughter and I felt like I was right there with Natalie MacMaster in her kitchen enjoying a homespun “ceilidh,” (pronounced “kay-lee”) Celtic dance.

This “kitchen” had a world-famous celebrity, a top-notch symphony orchestra and over 450 paying guests at $40 each, but that’s beside the point. It was still Natalie’s kitchen.

She went on to tune her violin patiently, though hundreds of eyes watched anxiously. Perhaps she sensed the urgency when she joked that her tuning was, “Close enough for Celtic,” and the room chuckled again. Then this sweet, down-to-earth gal from Cape Breton Island picked up her fiddle and the “kitchen” went up in flames! There wasn’t a foot within earshot that could resist tapping to her phenomenal playing and dancing.

Earshot, but not eyeshot. Unfortunately, most of the audience could only see the virtuoso from the waist-up due to the level seating arrangement of the hall. Natalie’s legendary clicks and clacks of tap shoes on the hollow stage stirred me to leave my seat and watch the entire concert from the side aisle. Soon after standing, I ran back to my aisle to fetch my young violin students, who were too short to catch the fancy footwork from their seats.

In true Celtic tradition, our quiet observation from the sidelines grew into louder foot stomping, which rapidly escalated into energetic circle dancing and jigs. Natalie’s own dancing featured high kicks, quick spins and rhythmic tap dancing. As the show progressed, her traditional Scottish step dancing morphed into groovy modern hip-hop and disco moves, including the notorious and difficult “Moonwalk!”

Much to my surprise and delight, the music also went through a breathtaking metamorphosis. The concert started with traditional Celtic melodies played by the silky string sections of the symphony. Next was a Cape Breton fiddle tune in A major, what Natalie called the “Canadian key.”

After such traditional pieces, we learned that she was more multifaceted than imaginable. From a Latin mix to the gorgeous jazz ballad, “Autumn Leaves,” we were all captivated by her versatility.

Concertmaster of the Okanagan Symphony, Denis Letourneau, was as mesmerized as the audience was! The classical virtuoso beamed from ear to ear and repeatedly shook his head in awe and admiration of Natalie’s fiddling fireworks. Then he contributed to the pyrotechnics when he joined Natalie for a musical goulash where “fiddling met violining.” Their duet blended the popular fiddle tune “Devil’s Dream” with the intricate Bach Violin Partida in E!

“Denis, we have an expression back in Cape Breton,” said Natalie afterwards, “When we really dig in, we say we were ‘driving ‘er.’ Now you can go home and say last night you were really ‘driving ‘er!” Denis blushed. Natalie smiled. We all felt two worlds converge and it felt wonderful.

As our cultures blend, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more “Traditional fusion” in music. Diverse forms of music, polar as they may seem now, will soon merge and create new genres that people of all ages and walks of life can appreciate. Put a symphony orchestra, a fiddler, a funk band and a bagpiper playing on stage at the same time and everyone from Grandma to the teenager with the spiked hair will approve.

There will be growing pains, naturally. As in Natalie’s concert, there will be an obvious polarity in the audience in deciding proper concert protocol. Some people at the concert didn′t know whether get up and dance in the aisles, or to be content in sitting in quiet appreciation. Like any pioneers, we’ll find a middle ground that works for everyone. Heck, a friend of mine once created “seated dancing” in such an awkward situation.

Natalie’s charm and talent, coupled with her obvious love of music, were enough to inspire me and several other violinists present to explore new avenues of expression and technique. I couldn’t wait to get home to try some of the things she showed us so flawlessly that night.

Natalie provided further inspiration when she agreed to sign fiddles my students had brought with them. Then she stood, weary and tired, but smiling enthusiastically for group photographs with me and my fiddle students.

My students, young and old, talked about Natalie’s concert for weeks and have found a role model who will guide them into wonderful new directions.

Thank you, Natalie. You are one amazing Canadian pioneer and we love you for it!

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.

She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s “Music Teacher Magazine.” Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!

Rhiannon, age 29, has worn the hats of businesswoman, performer, events promoter, classical music radio host and school orchestra music arranger in rural British Columbia, Canada.

Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit fiddleheads.ca fiddleheads.ca

Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: violinsociety.ca violinsociety.ca