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The most popular animated character of all-time is undoubtedly Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse is the creation of Walt Disney with the help of fellow animator Ub Iwerks. While he was originally nothing more than a cartoon character, he has become one of the most recognized symbols in the world. How did this astounding character come to be

Walt Disney had already achieved a certain amount of success with his character “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.” However, his distributor asserted the rights to the character and hired away most of Disney’s staff. After meeting his contractual obligations with Oswald, Disney experimented with a number of different animals including a horse, cow, and frog. A new character was on the horizon. When Walt was a boy in Missouri, he had a pet mouse. His fondness for this mouse would finally inspire one of the greatest animated characters of all time. He asked Iwerks to come up with some sketches of a lovable little mouse and the initial drafts called the loveable mouse “Mortimer Mouse.” Luckily his wife talked him out of the idea and they came up with the idea of “Mickey.”

Mickey Mouse was first seen in a short movie called “Plane Crazy.” In this movie, Mickey hopes to be an aviator. He and Minnie take a flight during which Minnie parachutes from. Mickey eventually crashes the plane. The short received mixed reviews and did not fare as well as Disney had hoped.

Mickey eventually broke through with the movie “Steamboat Willie.” This was generally credited as Mickey’s official debut. The reason behind this is that this feature actually got picked up by a distributor, while the older Mickey shorts did not. While this wasn’t the first cartoon to have sound, it was the first one to synchronize the sound with the action. It is interesting to note that Disney personally performed the voices for Mickey and Minnie.

The path to becoming an intercontinental icon was set. Disney capitalized on Mickey’s popularity by putting his likeness on everything from lunch boxes to movie cases. Presently, those big black ears are recognized by practically anyone. In recent years, his recognition has continued with children as a result of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoon and similar shows. As each generation introduces him to the next, the appeal of Mickey Mouse knows no bounds.

Mickey Mouse can be seen in a number of loved movies and cartoons. If you would like to introduce your family to his hilarious antics, enroll in the Disney Movie Club today. You can have classics like “Fantasia” delivered right to your door. Share the magic tonight!

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Steve Collins
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The game of blackjack is one of odds and math with no sure ways of earning a winning hand with every draw. If there was a surefire way to beat the dealer, Las Vegas would be bankrupt in only a short time. The player can learn some tips and tricks to learn the game and win a few hands from the dealer.

It should be stated right off the bat that the goal of the game should not be to hit a 21. That is the best outcome, though aiming for 21 is the best way to bust. You have to beat the dealer. As long as you beat the dealer, you are a winner. And if you happen to beat the dealer and also have 21, then you are even a luckier winner. These tips are helpful when trying to beat the dealer, not for obtaining 21.

The dealer follows the same rules during every game of blackjack. The dealer will hit on a soft 17 (A, 7) and any hand lower than that. You can rest assured that no matter what the top card value is, if the total is soft 17 or less, the dealer will hit the hand.

If the dealer has a ten or a face card as the bottom card, and the up card is a four, five or six there is a greater chance that the dealer will bust the hand. This is because any card at or above a 7 will cause the bust. Taking all 52 cards into account, the dealer has a 45% chance of drawing a card that will not cause the bust and a 30% chance that the draw card will not be played at all.

If the dealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, 10 or a face card you will instantly know what the face down card value is. If the dealer takes a card the value must be 7 or below. If the dealer does not take a card, he has a hard 17 and you will need to fight or fold. If your hand values a 15 or higher, you must take the loss. If you have is valued at a 14 or lower, hit the hand and hope for a card to beat the dealer.

The dealer may, from time to time, show a 2 or 3 the rules of the game require the dealer to take at least one card. This hand gives the dealer a better chance of hitting a hand from 18 to 21. The chances of the dealer busting or taking a second card are less than 30%. Again, you are in a position with this dealer hand to hit on a 15 or lower.

The only surefire way to win at the game of Blackjack is to quit while ahead. The more greedy the player is the more apt they will be to walk away a loser, rather than a winner. The more you push the hand the better the chances that the house will take back the winnings from the player.

If you sit at the table getting greedy and hoping to win more and more; you are bound to end up dissapointed. A greedy player is one that will go off hunches and feelings. Blackjack is about odds and math, and very simple math at that.

Tags: Games by Greg Jensen
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In any discipline, you will have what many think of as “the purists”. Purists are those who revere the way things have always been done and view new innovations in the field as upstarts and obviously of poorer quality than the tried and true methods. This is nowhere more true than photography. For decades the film and chemical processing method has undergone continual refinement to achieve higher and higher levels of sophistication and to find higher levels of quality. Small wonder that when the digital revolution came along, “the purists” were, to say the least, a bit snobby about the idea of professional photography moving in this direction.

But there are some genuine reasons to at least incorporate digital technology into your professional photography game plan. These reasons are compelling enough that more and more we are seeing the big studios going all digital. So if you are running an independent photography business or if you are “just” a photography hobbyist (and thank God for the hobbyists), you may have to think through the value of moving to digital processing yourself. The amount of fuss and sheer “stuff” of doing a shoot digitally is dramatically less involved than using the older technologies. Witness how the digital revolution in photography has revolutionized the personal camera world. Now people can take as many pictures as they want and have them to review virtually instantaneously.

Digital photography has brought about many changes in both time, efforts and costs. The proofs of a photo shoot are available practically instantly. Should the photographer or customer not be fully satisfied with a picture, adjustments are made and re shot immediately involving a lower price and saving a huge amount of time. The customer gets the picture they were seeking as the photographer gets the shot needed the first time in the studio.

The impression we get when a technology delivers so much value to the public is that quality will go down. But, amazingly, this is not the case with digital photography. If anything, the quality of the photographs is as good or better than any we could do with prior technologies. And the cost both to you as the photographer and to your customer drops off so dramatically that the age old complaint the customer has had about professional photographs costing too much can be eliminated making the customer want to use your services more often.

Not only in photography, the digital revolution has brought about radical changes in our home computers. Computers combined with the communication power of the internet, have brought pictures and photography into daily life. We can now send birthday portraits to grandma via e-mail or save 50th anniversary pictures for years to come by burning them to CD or DVD. The customer has a variety of options in shots for practically no difference in cost and can deliver them to friend and relatives in a way that is easy to view and store.

Regardless of the old methods or the new technology, editing has always had some part in photography. The cropping and filtering that has taken place in the darkroom in the past is now only a simple click away on the computer along with a dazzling choice of other options. Sophisticated software programs such as Photoshop are available in stores that can create an endless variety of effects. But the most important function of this software is that it can easily correct the most simple of mistakes to the more complicated. This saves the integrity of the photograph making it acceptable through digital editing and touch up.

Although the ‘purist’ might not always agree, their are undeniable benefits to the use of digital photography that would win out even over the old ways. By working smarter, not harder, the digital revolution benefits the photographer in its simplicity, profitability and time involved. For the customer, it too creates a lower cost and provides an instant gratification in that the pictures are available almost instantly in a variety of forms such as e-mail. We can still respect and utilize the ‘purist’ view in photography, but the fact is undeniable that digital photography is here to stay due with overwhelming support.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Dan Feildman
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They are so easily available and so affordable! Even with their simplicity, they can enhance the visual appeal of a meal setting! Yet, few people pay attention to table centerpieces! They forget that these are but decorations, and can give every meal (even everyday ordinary meals) that special touch by making the dining table look special! So if you are a novice in this area, take a look at the tips on table centerpieces presented below.

Now, there are any number of table centerpieces that can be selected. If you have your own garden, you could take a large vase and fill them with fresh flowers every day. No garden? Forget it! It is too expensive to keep buying flowers every day! Yes, a vase in the center would attract everyone’s attention to it. But if this is not possible, there are other centerpieces that one can think of. The objective is to focus everyone’s attention on the entire meal setting, not on the centerpiece alone.

Other great table centerpieces are–candlesticks, decorative tins or boxes, tiny vases, votive candles, luminaria and baskets. In fact, any of these can complement a large vase to suit a particular theme.

Another point to be kept in mind is, “how many people are going to be at the table”? If it is only two individuals, a single tall vase filled with roses should do. Just keep it at one end. This creates a very romantic atmosphere!

If there are plenty of guests, a big vase with flowers will only be in the way. An individual would have look above or around the vase to see the other person he/she is conversing with–not a pleasant exercise by any means! So, avoid such blunders when giving large parties.

It makes better sense, with a large group, to have several small votive style candles or luminaria down the length of the table, with small vases or glasses of small dried flowers, each tied with a colored ribbon bow. A table runner underneath, running the length of the table attractively unifies and completes the centerpiece.

Another large group idea for a table centerpiece uses a couple of large ornate candlesticks with a thin profile placed towards the ends of the table. Shallow baskets filled with silk flowers are set spaced towards the center of the table. This is a good way to have a more formal look without interfering with conversations.

Want the table to look more glamorous? Go in for garlands, icicles and strings of beads! These are decorations used on Christmas trees. If they are interwoven amongst the candles and flowers, they give a very glitzy look to the table! If you do not want such decorations, use small figurines instead. But what has to be kept in mind is that the table is not overcrowded with decorations–just a few of each should do. The idea is to provide visual appeal, not clutter the table with as many items as you can find!

Some people like to decorate the table with baskets that contain fresh fruits. These can be taken by the guests whenever they feel like it. Others prefer to keep one shallow and long basket as the sole centerpiece. There are glittering fall gourds as well as “Indian” corn kept in this basket. The effect is truly marvellous!

So you can see there’s a world of ideas for table centerpieces. Some people set aside space in a cupboard or sewing room to store all their “props” to choose on a moment’s notice, ready to put some pizazz on your table.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by James Cavalier
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