Arts & Images

Paintings of The Sower

2008-07-15T19:19:00.001+08:00

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, a village in the south of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border. He was the eldest son of Theodorus Van Gogh, a handsome preacher, and his kind-hearted wife, Anna Cornelia Carbentus. He was named Vincent Willem after his two grandfathers. He was followed by a sister, Anna, born in 1855, and in 1857, his brother, Theodorus (Theo), was born.

The Sower, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890

Sower with the Setting Sun

The image of a farmer with the arm extended and throwing seeds on the furrows of the field was one of the favourite farmers representations of Vincent Van Gogh.

In 1888, while the artist was staying at Arles, he painted vary scenes of the Sower. Most of them inspired by Jean-Francois Millet, who years earlier painted many scenes of farmers and sowers.

During these early years, Van Gogh painted in different compositions several sowers, with the clear influence of Millet .

But, soon Van Gogh would show a personal interpretation of these traditional scenes, introducing the impressionist style to the country side, with the very electric and short strokes, and the application of a lot of vibrant colors..

Around the 21 st of November that year, Vincent sent to his brother Theo the sketch of a new version of the Sower.In this new version the simple figure of the sower is the main object in the painting. Van Gogh located next to the sower a big and dark tree inclined that divides diagonally the painting. In the back a big round sun finishes the trilogy of big figures of this surprising painting. Opposite to these big figures we find the details of the city far away and the crust of tree, seems filigreed and anecdotic.

The audacious composition with streamlined forms, the superpositions and the triangular mysteries of the fields along with the expressive and doughy application of the colour, results as an amazing modernity for year 1888.

Van Gogh painted several scenes of the sower inspired by Millet, even copying some of his drawings, but the last one was the favorite of Vincent Van Gogh and also the one closer to his own personality and style and most different and further from Millet`s influence.

Crying Baby Cliparts

2008-01-24T17:01:00.000+08:00

Protecting your art pieces at home is only natural if you are a lover of arts. This is similar to the mother who love her children. If you love your children, you would want to protect them from any injuries and danger. However, if you have babies and arts, can you protect both? Of course you can.

If you have small babies at home, you need to have art storage solution. At home, you cannot place your painting equipments such as all your lacquer, bottles of paints and brushes within the reach of your babies or toddlers. They would put anything which they touch into their mouth. If not careful, they can get poisoned or choked. Other important things to keep away from your babies or little ones at home is your pottery, sculpture, and any other antiques collectibles, cottages collectibles and many other treasured arts pieces. Once broken, they would be gone forever.

Whenever there are children at home, it is best to have an art room where you can still enjoy your hobby when your kids are asleep. When your kids are active in the day, the room is never accessible to the small kids. If your home is a small one, you might even consider putting your treasured arts under the care of the professional, such as custom art storage vaults.

Choir Cliparts

2008-01-15T12:13:00.000+08:00

In the church, you can see the choir singing and we get to enjoy their sweet voices. It makes the church a livelier place. At the church, we get free to hear free songs from the choir. But some people have to pay money to see choir performances. Do you know that in the casino, there are choir and performances too? Casinos used to be quiet, with sound of Jackpot and noises from people talking and shouting. But now, casinos have music!! There are singers or choir and even some live performances at the stage of the casino. This definitely add more spice to the casino. Normally the singers or choir group are dressed in a sexy manner.

Some people, like my grandmother, can stay in the casino for a whole day and night. That is why the casino has all their services cater for people like my grandmother. There are free food and drinks in the casino. And now, there are free music and performances at the casino! What a great change and a good improvement. It was a success indeed. Many casino visitors gather round the stage to watch the performances in the casino!

Though the casino can provide such a good service and wonderful entertainment to attract visitors, there are still some people who do not like to enter the casino. My mother does not like the smoky environment of the casino. She hates cigarette smoke. She would rather spend some time playing Casinos Online than to spend hours in smoky casino. At the casino, you do not get to see gambling news and tricks. But many gaming sites like Gambling PhD, which is a directory of online casinos and online gambling sites, provides daily gaming news and online casino reviews. And as I mentioned in the previous post, playing online do not require any special attire. So this is how online casinos can be better than real casinos on land!

Greetings Graphics

2008-01-14T11:48:00.000+08:00

Whether you enter a restaurant, a Casino or your friends' home, it is always so nice to be greeted. A sincere greeting with a genuine smile on the face of the host when you enter the home shows how much the host welcome you to their home as a guest. You would feel comfortable and happy to stay in their home. Similarly for the restaurant. When you enter the restaurant for breakfast, you will see the restaurant staff or manager standing at the entrance to welcome you. They would bow and say "welcome" and "Good Morning" together with a sweet smile on their face. This is what courtesy is all about. It is a politeness and smile to customers which make the customers happy.

At the casino, there are always security guard at the entrance and exit of the casino. There are no one to welcome you, but security guard to check your possession. They would also make sure that you are appropriately dressed. Without proper attire, you cannot enter the casino. Though the security guard will not say 'Welcome' to you, there are signs and pictures at the entrance of the casino which tell you that you are so much welcome to the casino! However, if you do not like to be 'checked' by the security guard and would like to enter the casino wearing your pyjamas, then Online Casino Suite, which is a directory of the best online casinos on the internet, is a place you can go. Search for the various types of games which interest you and you could be playing games like blackjack, video poker and Texas holdem! At Onlinecasinosuite.com, you can play free slots and other online casino games even when you are undressed!

Church Cliparts

2008-01-12T16:45:00.000+08:00

We are all stars of our own life. Everyday we are acting our own drama, our own show. Sometimes while acting, we get caught and we get banned. This is because we do not follow the rule of the game of life.

What game are you playing in our life? If you know how to play Reversi, our life can be depicted by that. The Reversi is a board games consisting of two players, each have their own white or black counters/disks. At the start of the game, each player has both two whites and two black counters on the green board. Once the game start, the number of black and white counters would be changed. Sometimes there are more whites, sometimes there are more black. Who would win the game? The number of whites on the green board win the game. If there are more black than white, then the player with the black counter wins.

How is that going to relate to our life? The white counters belong to God and the black counters belong to Satan. The green board where God and Satan used to place their bets is the earth. We are all counters of God and Satan. Every step we made seem to be 'fixed' by them. Do you want to be the black counter or the white counter? Both Satan and God can see that. If you are not sure, then Satan can see that too.

Both God and Satan are gambling! However, they do not need any Online Casino Guide or any other aid because they are of the highest order and He is the creator. Only Casino Newbies and beginners at internet gaming need casino guide. We are His creation. He 'determined' the prophets and messengers so that the necessary 'counters' would be turned white when the time comes. The same happens for Satan. He tries to mislead people, trying to turn most counters black in the process. Rules of the games on earth are implemented by people. They are not rules of God. You can learn how to play casino games and enter the best and safest online casinos and you are still leading your normal life, not doing anything evil or destructive to your family. But after reading casino reviews, playing numerous attempts of casino games and you have no control on your life, you are going to be the counter Satan will pick up. Who will ultimately win the game? Are there more good than evil now or are there equal number of good and evil now? The game is not complete yet. However, soon the results will be out.

Freedom Images

2008-01-10T00:03:00.000+08:00

Freedom is what everybody wishes to have. The birds and butterflies flying in the air shows how 'free' the animals or insects can be. Watching the birds flying in the sky is another freedom of the mind. It eases the mind and 'free' the mind of troubles and woes. Watching the birds flying in the sky, listening to their songs, you would feel the peace of nature and you would want to be like one of the birds, flying freely in the sky and able to see the world.

The butterflies visit flowers to flowers, they might not fly high like the birds, but they are just as free as the birds. They serve important purpose to the flowers and they make the environment prettier and merrier.

Fly, seek and find. These are what the birds and the butterflies do. They fly around, seeking for shelter and food. They build their home and serve the communities. We human also have to fly, seek and find. Though we cannot fly, but we have the capabilities to soar like the birds. We have brains more developed than the animals. We can make use of our brains to 'soar' and excel in our area of expertise. For example, if your passion is playing Online Casino games, then you have to fly and seek. Find the best casino directories site that can offer you useful information and news about casinos. Flatlands online casinos guide is an excellent resource for casual casino gamblers. You will find online casino reviews of the best online casinos. There are many casinos sites in the internet world. Just like the butterflies, there are many flowers in the gardens and parks. The butterflies just have to fly to search the best flowers. Flatlands have supplies of free bonuses from Microgaming, Playtech and Vegas Technology casinos, feel free to conquer Flatlands.

Inspirational Images

2008-01-09T21:31:00.000+08:00

Never be afraid to Dream... Live...Love and Laugh... Yes, do not be afraid. Have faith in your heart. We are all God's child. God created us and we are all his precious children. Just like normal children who do not listen to their parents, there are many children of God who do not obey him. They choose not to follow God but to follow Satan.

Satan is the evil spirit that would mislead people and ultimately lead them to destruction. Satan is the opposite of God. When you have faith in God, your everyday life will be constructive and filled with love. The more faith you have, the lesser fear you will experience. Fear is the opposite of Faith. Faith is God and Fear is Satan. If you believe in God, you trust him, you have faith in him and you will naturally found your life to be peaceful. For having no fear, you are free of anxieties and can be happy.

If you dream of getting rich or to have more money, then you have to work towards it. Have faith that God will help you. Ask and you shall receive. Dare to live your life you want. If you have faith and you always follow God's law, you will never fall, not even when you are at Casinos Online too! If you have faith, you will feel peace. When you are peaceful, you can listen to your heart. Listen to your heart and you can conquer the casinos! There are news, rules and rankings of casinos at OnlineCasinosDir.com, an online casino directory. Seek God, find peace and listen to your heart. What are the games that you like to play? Do you like Bingo, Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, Online Slots, Texas Holdem and Video Poker? If you love these, don't be afraid to play, enjoy and win! All you need is peace, confidence and Faith to gain victory!

Malicious Images

2008-01-08T23:00:00.000+08:00

The power of the weak minds are the targets of the devils. The Power of Evil seeks to drag men down to hell. The devil is often depicted as the image of a serpent. According to the bible, Revelation chapter twelve, verses seven to nine, that is Rev 12:7-9, Michael and his angels fought. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Today Satan and his angels continue to mislead the world. They caused families to be broken and lives to be destroyed. He wants to oppose God and whoever tries to follow God, he will try to drive them away from God.

The eyes of the evils are attractive and tempting. The eyes of the evils always have natural language that tell you to 'come to me, you will enjoy, you will have fun'. If your heart is not disciplined, you will ultimately lose all your money if you go to the Casinos of anywhere. However, if you are disciplined, you can always win money at the casinos. Disciplined yourself and your heart first and you can really have fun and enjoyment at the casinos. You might even win extra money to buy gifts to surprise your loved ones! Seek the help of Online Casino Reviews.biz to find the best online casinos which offer attractive free casino bonus cash and free gambling software downloads. Read online casino reviews and search for your favourite casino games including slots, video poker, blackjack and casino roulette! Remember, the casino games are tempting and fun, but if you are not disciplined, it is your road to hell!

Satanic Cliparts

2008-01-03T00:27:00.000+08:00

The Satan has a way to lure people. He disguised himself and can appear in many forms. Satan tries all his power and might so as to oppose what God is doing. God Loves his children and He wants his children on earth to be obedient to him. But Satan is the black sheep, misleading people and guiding people further and further away from God. His aim and purpose is to destroy God's creation, so that he may win God.

Who will win in the last day? Do you think God will win or Satan will win these fight? Everyday we are controlling our mind and body to do the will of God. If you are careful, you will fall into the trap of Satan and you would suffer for life. Your life is in your control and it is in your hand. Just like any games at Online Casino Scrutiny or any other betting games. You have to place your bet in life. Do you bet on God or do you bet on Satan? If you choose God, then you have to show that you are following him. To follow God, we have to follow His laws and be obedient to his commands. If you do not choose God, you may not know that you are in the hands of Satan. Satan is very cunning and Satan will do all he can to control your minds and thoughts. He will lead you into temptations and will slowly destroy you. Malaysia Minister Chua Soi Lek, Minister of Health's Christmas Sex Scandal Dec 2007, involving sex with his personal friend in a hotel room, which was later discovered by his wife and family, is one example of the Minister's wrong doing. This was a case of not able to resist temptations. For having a indisciplined heart and a 'weak' mind, he had to pay a price after eating the forbidden fruit.

The woman right in front of you may be pretty and seductive. The woman may seem better than your spouse, but that may be the first and your last chance. That may be the happiest moment you might have but that would also be the most memorable day for the future to come.

If you have God, God will always protect and guide you. If you follow God and study God's way, you will have a disciplined heart. Having a disciplined heart, you have no fear where you are. Even if you are at Casino Scrutiny, the online casino gambling guide for beginners, You will never be tempted. You would know what is discernment and you know what is right and what is wrong. Casino Scrutiny provides casino reviews of the best online casinos including Rushmore Casino, Golden Casino, Millionaire Casino and many more quality casinos. For the 'Free Thinker' and people who are 'mislead' by Satan, their hearts are not disciplined, neither are their mind thinking right. They fall easily into the addiction of gambling and they destroy their own life and their own family.

Betting Images

2008-01-02T16:13:00.000+08:00

Do you gamble because your parents are gamblers? Do you gamble also when your parents are non-gamblers? When you gamble, you are betting on something. The purpose of betting is to Win. You feel happy the moment you know that your bet is correct. Your pride and morale is boosted at the moment when you win. You feel thrill and you are motivated to keep Winning. The special moment that you feel in your heart is the natural ecstasy that you can ever get -- No side effect to your body at all.

Betting is not only restricted to Online Casinos or any land based casinos. There are balls betting such as soccer betting, and various other games. How many times do we always hear people saying "I bet he will win", "I bet she will be the winner", "I bet number six horse will win" and so on. We also have people betting to win women. How many times can we hear men talking about betting on women too!

It seems like we are Born To Bet. It seems like our innate ability. Without betting, life would be monotonous. Businesses have no competition. There will be no love rivals. There will not be racing competitors. Everybody would be dull and listless if there are no competition existing in this world! Human is thus logically thought to be 'Born to Bet' because that is the natural 'adrenaline' that drive men to work. With people of the same goals gather together, they had a mission to accomplish. Every mission is a bet which they do not know who is the winner.

Born to Bet is a free online casino guide with reviews of the best online casinos and poker rooms on the Internet. While life seems bore and uninteresting, Borntobet.com offers a variety of gaming choices for you. Feel your sense of worth. Feel your confidence boosted and all the natural ecstasy that was accompanied through placing your bet and playing the games of luck. We are born to bet. Life is a bet, a gamble when you married your spouse. Life is a gamble the day you are born. We are born to bet, but we might not know the rules to the many games in this world. Every games are played with its own rules. What is the game that you want to play? You want to play marriage, there is rules for marriage. You want to play racing, there are rules for racing. If you want to play casino games, go to a casino directory like Born To Bet, which also has many online gambling articles, poker bonus codes and free online casino bonuses. Everybody has the opportunity and potential to bet what they like to play. But, in order to win the games, you have to find out the rules of the games.

Money Images

2008-01-02T14:15:00.000+08:00

Billionaires Opportunities
Do you wish to have free money? Nobody would say no to Free Money. Nobody would say they have enough money. Everybody wants to have lots of money and be rich.

Everyday, so many people go Rushmore Online Casino to try their luck. They want to win the most money within the shortest interval of time. Billionaires Club by Rushmore Casino offers free online casino games and also a massive casino bonus up to $888! To win money, you have to pay a price. Self-doubt drowns your dreams. Hesitation holds you hostage. Skepticism scares away your success. You don't have to have a degree or a diploma! Don't need any qualifications, experience or credentials! You just need to download the Realtime Gaming online casino software and start playing the best Las Vegas style casino games on the web. Have confidence in yourself. No risk no gain. If you want to win, you have to pay a price. Take a risk and you could be inside the Billionaire's Club!

Some examples of billionaires and multimillionaires who never graduated from college are Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Jay Van Andel, Richard DeVos, Steve Jobs, Thomas Monaghan, Jim Jannard, and so on. These people did not let their lack of degrees or diplomas had them back! Another list of hugely successful authors who self-published their first major book are Tom Peters, Richard Paul Evans, John Grisham and James Redfield. Again, these people did not let their lack of a traditional publisher hold them back. Still, there are some other well-known self-publishers which include people like William Blake, Carl Sandburg, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Benjamin Franklin and many more.

The only diploma that counts is a million-dollar idea. The only qualification needed is a burning desire. The only credential required is fearless action. Everything else can be borrowed or bought. You can hire people with multiple degrees and diplomas. you can buy experience from mentors and condsultants. You can assemble a team of people who possess all of the money, skills, and experience you lack. All of these people are waiting for someone to say,"Follow me, This is the Way!"

Ratatouille Images

2007-12-28T18:35:00.000+08:00

Ratatouille (pronounced /ˌrætəˈtuːiː/, /-ˈtwiː/; French: /ʁatatuj/) is a 2007 animated feature film produced by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It tells the story of Rémy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), a rat living in Paris who wants to be a chef. The film was directed by Brad Bird, who took over from Jan Pinkava in 2005, and it was released on June 29, 2007 in the United States, to both critical acclaim and box office success.

Rémy lives in a rat colony in the attic of a French country home with his brother, Émile, and father, Django. Inspired by France's recently deceased top chef, Auguste Gusteau, Rémy does his best to live the life of a gourmet. Not appreciating his talents, his clan puts him to work sniffing for rat poison in their food.

The rats flee the house when the resident, an old woman, discovers the colony. Rémy is separated from the others and floats through the storm drains to Paris on a cookbook written by Gusteau, following the chef's image to his namesake restaurant, now run by former sous-chef Skinner. As Rémy looks into the kitchen from a skylight, a young man with no culinary talent, Alfredo Linguini, arrives with a letter of introduction from his recently deceased mother, and is hired to do janitorial duties. While cleaning, Linguini spills a pot of soup and attempts to cover up his mistake by adding nearby ingredients. Horrified, Rémy drops into the kitchen and attempts to fix the ruined soup rather than trying to escape. Linguini catches Rémy in the act, just as Skinner catches Linguini. In the confusion some of the soup has been served. To everyone's surprise, the soup is a success.

The kitchen's sole female cook, Colette, convinces Skinner not to fire Linguini, and Skinner agrees, provided Linguini can recreate the soup. Just as Skinner makes his decision, he sees Rémy trying to escape out the window and pandemonium breaks out in the kitchen. Linguini traps Rémy in a jar and Skinner orders Linguini to take Rémy away and dispose of him. Linguini cannot bring himself to kill Rémy, and begins to talk to him. As he tells Remy about his problems, he notices that Remy seems to understand him and responds with a series of nods and other gestures. The unlikely pair begin an alliance by which Rémy (now referred to by Linguini as "Little Chef") secretly controls Linguini's cooking in return for his protection. The two perfect a marionette-like arrangement by which Rémy tugs at Linguini's hair to direct his movements while hidden under Linguini's toque blanche.

Skinner, suspicious of Linguini's success in recreating the soup, plies Linguini with vintage Château Latour in an unsuccessful attempt to discover the secret of his unexpected talents and of his knowledge of rats. The next morning, hung over and disheveled, Linguini nearly confides his secret to Colette. Desperately trying to stop Linguini, Rémy pulls his hair, making him fall on Colette and leading the two to kiss. They begin dating, leaving Rémy to feel abandoned. Meanwhile, Skinner learns from the letter of introduction that, unknown to everyone but his mother, Linguini is in fact Gusteau's son and stands to inherit the restaurant and imperil Skinner's ambition to exploit Gusteau's image to market prepared frozen foods.

One night, Rémy and his colony are reunited. At the ensuing party, he surprises his father by saying that he is not going to stay with the colony, but instead continue to live near the humans. In response, Django shows Rémy the storefront of a rodent control business, which is filled with dead rats in traps. Rémy, horrified, does not believe that this is all the future can be, and leaves.

While scrounging food Rémy discovers Gusteau's will, which, after a chase by Skinner, he presents to Linguini. Linguini now owns the restaurant, fires Skinner, and becomes a rising star in the culinary world. Later, Rémy and Linguini have a falling out, with Linguini deciding he no longer needs Rémy's help. Rémy retaliates by leading a kitchen raid for his rat colony. Linguini attempts to apologize to Rémy, only to discover and expel his colony. Rémy feels guilty about hurting his friend, and refuses to join them in resuming the raid.

Things come to a head the night of a planned review by food critic Anton Ego, whose contemptuous earlier review of Gusteau's cooking reduced his five-star restaurant to four stars and eventually led to Gusteau's untimely death (which ended up dropping his restaurant's rating down to three stars). When asked what he would like for the evening, Ego challenges the staff to prepare whatever they dare serve him. Linguini, unable to cook without the rat's guidance, admits his ruse to the staff as Rémy has returned to help Linguini impress Ego, leading them all to walk out. Colette returns after thinking of Gusteau's motto, "Anyone can cook!" Django, inspired by his son's courage in continuing his dream to cook, returns with the entire rat colony to cook under Rémy's direction, while Linguini, discovering his true talent, waits tables at lightning speed on roller skates. Rémy decides to prepare ratatouille, a traditional dish that would not usually be considered haute cuisine, but does it so well that one bite of it leads Ego to relive childhood memories of his mother. Ego asks to meet the chef and after a frantic consultation with Colette, Linguini and Colette insist he must wait until the rest of the diners have left. At the end of the service, Rémy and the rats are revealed. A changed man, Ego writes a glowing review, declaring that the chef at Gusteau's is the greatest chef in all of France.

In the dénouement Gusteau's is closed by a health inspector, who finds the rats after being tipped off by Skinner. Ego loses his credibility and job when the public discovers he has praised a rat-infested restaurant. Everything is for the best, however; with Ego as investor and regular patron, Linguini, Colette, and Rémy open a successful new bistro called "La Ratatouille," which includes a kitchen and dining facilities for both rats and humans.

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Children's Cliparts

2007-12-28T11:51:00.000+08:00

The World Through Three Senses

I am not a teacher or an educator, but I have always believed that infants should be taught as soon as possible before they speak, to notice objects pretty or delightful or unusual. I have noted the wholesome effect upon a baby of fixing his eyes upon a pleasing colour or a delicately carved shell, listening to music that soothes or enchants him, touching a face he loves or smelling a flower to which he smiles.

If the mother puts as much gentle art into this delicate fostering of all his physical powers as she does into the task of preserving his health, her reward will be past calculating. The child's five senses are the faithful fairies who, if cherished and heeded, will surrender to him their priceless tokens of royalty -- the splendor at the rainbow's end, the seven-league books of imagination, lovely dreams fulfilled. He will always be charged or comforted by sky, earth and sea. Not only will he reach a well-ordered stewardship of his senses, he will also have the best chance of spiritual maturity.

For there is, I am convinced, a correspondence between the powers of the body and those of the spirit, and when the five senses -- or whatever of them there are -- serve as entrances into an inner world, the individual attains his or her fullest capacity of pleasure as well as self-mastery. Every person, every group thus excellently equipped for living is the greatest possible contribution to humanity. That is why I like to celebrate the accomplishments of the handicapped whom necessity drives to us all the faculties that remains. They show that normal beings can and should do with a complete set of faculties.

Once parents and teachers realize the tremendous potencies of good folded up in sense-life and set about developing them in children, they will confer upon the coming generation a blessing that will carry through untold ages its multiplying harvests of alertness, strength and beauty of life.

By Helen Keller

Christian Cliparts

2007-12-27T12:52:00.000+08:00

Our Lady Teaches Her Son

God became Man, to remake his world; he became a little child, and I suppose he used to play games; I don't think the Sacred Humanity would have been quite human if our Lord had never played games. And the best playmate he had, if so, was his Blessed Mother, such a short distance away from girlhood herself, who was so good at sympathizing, at seeing other people's points of view. At any rate, she was the Wisdom which accompanied him through all those steps of early childhood. Our Lord had, if he cared to use it, all the knowledge which is enjoyed by the blessed Saints in heaven. But, in order to be perfectly Man, he preferred to acquire knowledge by experience and by hearsay, just as you and I do. He went to school in the carpenter's shop; but his education had begun long before that. He had been learning all the time, "increasing in wisdom," the gospel tells us. And the person who taught him that wisdom was his mother -- who else should it be? ...

You have to think of a mother and her little son, who is just learning to talk in words of one syllable. They are looking out, from some point a bit west of Nazareth, at the great mass of Mount Carmel dominating the plain. And the boy asks,"Ma zeh?" (What's that?) And his mother answers,"That's ha-har (the mountain); say 'Har,' Jesus." Or they are a bit east of Nazareth, and suddenly through a gap in the hills they are looking down, across precipitous miles, at the Lake of Galilee where it forms a blue floor at the bottom of the plain. And this time she says,"Ha-yam(the sea); say 'Yam', Jesus." Or she takes him with her in the cool of the evening when she carries a jug to draw water at the spring called the Fountain of the Virgin, after her. And this time she says,"Ha-'em(the spring); say 'Em' Jesus." So the mind-pictures of the Incarnate were formed; and when he preached, years later, about a city set on a hill, or fishermen casting their nets into the sea, or a spring of water welling up to eternal life, he was utilizing the wisdom he had learned from that wise playmate of his, long ago.

By Monsignor Ronald Knox

Bible Cliparts

2007-12-26T14:50:00.000+08:00

The Letters of Love

In India, children are not put to bed just because it is eight o'clock. When it is time for the child to go to bed, someone in the family goes to bed with the child. When the child falls asleep, the person leaves the bed. See the feedback given here. When that child grows up, how will he feel toward those parents who were so giving and supportive?

I am reminded of Kabir, who says,"There are many scholars in the world who are constantly studying scriptures, but none of them has become a really wise person. Only that person can become wise who learns two and one half letters...." In Hindi, when we write "prem", which means "love", we use two-and-a-half letters. Kabir is saying that a person only needs to learn the letters of Love to become wise. In English, we have four Letters, L-o-v-e. How much time do we give to that?

Many of you complain that you were not loved by your parents. There is no sense in complaining about parents. They might not have been given good feedback in their own childhood and were victims of whatever situations they were in. There is something wonderful in being a great parent. Wouldn't you like to be the type of parent about whom your children could feel proud? Then, when you are old and no longer needed, they would still feel that attraction in your presence, as though they were being charmed with Divine energy, love and joy.

If we could change the setting and be wonderful parents, it would be uplifting for us as well as for our younger generation. How much time do we spend with our children? We spend time with television, with girlfriends and boyfriends; we spend time making money. We already have enough abundance, my friends. Now it is time for us to work on our love and selflessness.

Many people love to meditate, to go to seminars and retreats. You are running to a cave and meditating not because you really care for God but because you are still not able to see God in day-to-day life in your puppy, in your spouse, in your child. God is everywhere. God is in me, God is in you. Can you experience God only when you close your eyes?

When you appreciate tenderly, lovingly and joyfully, you not only help others whom you are appreciating and flattering but you help yourself in the process. By making someone happy, you become happy. You may become lost in the beauty of that experience. Ultimately, there is no other mystical experience than being lost.

By Swami Shantanand Saraswati

Christmas Cartoons

2007-12-25T15:25:00.000+08:00

Little Women Plan Christmas

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

"It's so dreadful to be poor," sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

"We've got Father and Mother and each other," said Beth contentedly, from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly,"We have not got Father, and shall not have for a long time." She didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone,"You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We cannot do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don't." And Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.

"But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy Undine and Sintram for myself; I've wanted it so long," said Jo, who was a bookworm.

"I planned to spend mine on new music," said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth brush and kettle holder.

"I shall get a nice box of drawing pencils; I really need them," said Amy decidedly.

"Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she won't wish us to give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and have a little fun; I'm sure we work hard enough to earn it," cried Jo, examining the heels of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner.

The clock struck six, and having swept up the hearth, Beth put a pair of slippers down to warm. Somehow the sight of the old shoes had a good effect upon the girls, for Mother was coming, and everyone brightened to welcome her. Meg stopped lecturing, and lighted the lamp, Amy got out of the easy chair without being asked, and Jo forgot how tired she was as she sat up to hold the slippers nearer to the blaze.

"They are quite worn out; Marmee must have a new pair."

"I thought I'd get her some with my dollar," said Beth.

"No, I shall!" cried Amy.

"I'm the oldest," began Meg.

But Jo cut in with a decided,"I'm the man in the family now that Papa is away, and I shall provide the slippers, for he told me to take special care of Mother while he was gone."

"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Beth. "Let's each get her something for Christmas, and not get anything for ourselves."

"That's like you, dear! What will we get?" exclaimed Jo.

Everyone thought soberly for a minute. Then Meg announced, as if the idea was suggested by the sight of her own pretty hands, "I shall give her a nice pair of gloves."

"Army shoes, best to be had," cried Jo.

"Some handkerchiefs, all hemmed," said Beth.

"I'll get a bottle of cologne," said Amy.

"How will we give the things?" asked Meg.

"Put them on the table and bring her in and see her open the bundles," answered Jo. "Don't you remember how we used to do it on our birthdays?"

By Louisa May Alcott

More Christmas Images Links

Candles Graphics

2007-12-23T16:09:00.000+08:00

A Good Friend

To have a child who is a good friend is of the highest delights of life; to be a good friend to a child is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings.

Friendship depends not upon fancy, imagination or sentiment, but upon character. There is no one so poor that he is not rich if he had a friend; there is no one so rich that he is not poor without a friend. But the friendship of one's child is more than can be encompassed in words or covered in a relationship. Real friendship is abiding. Like charity, it suffereth long and is kind. Like love, it vaunteth not itself, but pursues the even tenor of its way, unaffrighted by ill-report, loyal in adversity, the solvent of infelicity, the shining jewel of happy days.

Being friends with one's child has not the iridescent joy of love, though it is closer than is often known to the highest, truest love. Its heights are ever serene, its valleys know few clouds.

To aspire to friendship with one's child, one must cultivate a capacity for faithful affection, a beautiful disinterestedness, a clear discernment. Friendship is a gift, but it is also an acquirement. It is like the rope with which climbers in the high mountains bind themselves for safety, and only a coward cuts the rope when a comrade is in danger.

From Cicero to Emerson, and long before Cicero, and forever after Emerson, the praises of friendship have been set forth. Even fragments of friendship with one's child are precious and to be treasured. But to have a whole, real friend in one's child is the greatest of earth's gifts save one. To be a whole, real friend with one's child is a worthy high endeavor, for faith, truth, courage and loyalty bring one close to the kingdom of heaven.
From The National Magazine Contest (1906)

Claude Monet Paintings

2007-12-16T15:36:00.000+08:00

Palazzo da Mula, Venice

"Palazzo da Mula, Venice" was painted by Claude Monet in Oil on canvas during the Impressionism epoch in 1908. Original painting size was 31.9" x 24.4" (81.0cm x 62.0cm). The style of the painting is Impressionist and the theme represented is Landscape, Architecture. The painting is currently displayed at The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Claude Monet was Born on November 14th in Paris, France. French painter who was the initiator, leader, and unswerving advocate of the Impressionist style.

Monet's first success as an artist came when he was 15, with the sale of caricatures that were carefully observed and well drawn. In these early years he also executed pencil sketches of sailing ships, which were almost technical in their clear descriptiveness.

The concept of embracing spatiality, new to the history of painting and only implicit in the first water-lily paintings, unfolded during the years until the artist's death into a cycle of huge murals to be installed in Paris in two 80-foot oval rooms in the Orangerie of the Tuileries.

Water Lilies Pond

In 1893, in the garden at his home in Giverny, Monet created the water-lily pond that inspired his most famous works, the lyrical Nymphéas (water-lilies) paintings. Wildly popular retrospective exhibitions of his work toured the world during the last decades of the 20th century and established his unparalleled public appeal, sustaining his reputation as one of the most significant and popular figures in the modern Western painting tradition

Other Links

More Claude Monet Paintings
Claude Monet Biography
Claude Monet Calendar - sweet memories

Blackjack Images

2007-11-18T22:14:00.000+08:00

The blackjack is a popular casino games. The objective of this game is to draw cards which adds up to 21 or as close to 21 as possible. The player wins if his points are higher than the dealer.

Picture cards such as King, Queen and Jack are counted as 10. Aces are counted as 1 or 11, whichever is to your advantage. The rest of the cards are counted as face value.

For example in the picture on the left, Ace is eleven and that is blackjack! Anyone having a card of king, a card of 2 and a card of 5 would have a total of 17 points. If the dealer has a card of 9 and a card of Ace, then the dealer would win as the dealer has 20 points.

There are no limit to the number of cards drawn as long as the total point count is not lesser than 12 and definitely not exceeding 21.

The game of blackjack begins with the player betting using the casino chips. The betting limits are displayed at the gaming table. Player will be dealt 2 cards, while the House takes 1 card and the cards will be dealt face up. The player's total points for the first 2 cards shall determine whether additional cards are required to be draw a not.

Remember that in blackjack, you must have either a minimum total point of 12 or a maximum of 21 (Blackjack for the initial 2 cards). If not, you are required to 'Hit' an additional card or cards until you have a count of not less than 12 and not exceeding 21. You go 'Bust' when your total points of your cards are more than 21.

In the casino, there are many types of casino games. This applies for many Online Casinos too. For example, not only can you find blackjack, you can also find other interesting casino games such as Kenos, bingo and various poker games. To find more games available on the internet, Gamblecraft online casino guide is a place where you can visit to read news and reviews of various online casinos on the internet. Gamblecraft online casino guide is dedicated to helping gamblers find the best casinos for online gambling. They offer free software downloads from online casinos and original tutorial software developed by Gamblecraft.com. The top three online casinos they had shown at their site includes Golden Casino, Rushmore and English Harbour. One rare information which you can find at their site is Gambling tutorial, which tell you about probability theory and more. Gamblecraft is a site where you should visit if you want to stay up to date with the latest internet gambling news and find out whats new in the world of online casinos.

Sculptures And Fountains

2007-10-19T11:06:00.000+08:00

Regent's Park Sculptures and Fountains (website: www.royalparks.org.uk)
In 1650 more than 16000 trees were felled in the area now known as Regent's Park to raise money to pay the cavalry troops. The Prince Regent commissioned the design of Regent's Park in 1811 to celebrate the victory at Waterloo. His favoured architect, John Nash, was in charge of the project. Nash had already designed Marble Arch, Carlton House Terrace and Regent's Street and not only landscaped the park but designed many of the surrounding Regency terraces. His original plan was a housing development for the rich: grand Regency villas set among parkland. Fortunately Parliament intervened and saved the park for public use. It finally opened in 1835.

The park covers 472 acres and includes beekeeping and boating, a secret garden and shady tree-lined avenues, playgrounds, tennis courts and sports fields, a rose scented cafe, an open-air theatre, large expanses of grass, Regency villas and nearby Regent's canal, London zoo and Primrose Hill. The tranquility of this park is only 20 minutes' walk from Oxford Circus.

The design of the park is circular. The Outer Circle defines the park's boundaries. The much smaller Inner Circle contains the Queen Mary's Gardens, the cafe and the Open-Air Theatre. John Nash had planned to build the Prince Reagent's new residence within the Inner Circle. The newly built Regent's Street would have conveniently linked this to his other residence at Carlton House. The Inner Circle was built according to plan but the residence never materialised. Instead the Royal Botanical Society leased the area and when the lease ran out it was developed into Queen Mary's Rose Garden.

Regent's Park is so rich in bird life it has become an officially designated inland bird observatory. The Royal Waterfowl Collection is the largest public collection in the country. There are more than 90 species of swan and a heronry.

Related Links
Cherubim Figures

Casino Cliparts

2007-10-17T17:53:00.000+08:00

Land based casino requires you to dress appropriately before you can enter it. Land based casino requires you to travel, taking trains, aeroplanes or car to reach them. You might need to book for hotels during your stay at the casino. To attract more people to the casino, casino offer memberships. The more you play, the more points you get. Your reward is you might exchange your points for casino souvenirs such as casino towels, casino cups, casino jackpot coin banks, and even free casino hotel one day and one night stay! The list goes on. The casino has any possible rewards for you, their aim, to encourage you to play, bet in their casino.

Though there are many land based casinos, not many are within easy access. People are very busy in their life, with work and family commitments. How many people can afford to go land based casino everyday? But nowadays, this problem is not a problem at all! There are many online casinos on the internet. They are as good as any land based casino. No need dress code, no restrictions but just games rules. You can play any games, anywhere, even be patrons of two different casinos at one time! These online casinos are always open to you, 24hours and 7 days a week. Most games require you to download, while others do not.

One thing you need to be careful though about playing online casino games security. You are using credit cards to pay for your bets. There are many hackers on the internet and you do not want your money to land in their hands. Where can you find trustworthy online casino games? Which is the best online casino to go and offer the best bonuses? Online Casino Reviews will tell you all these information that you want to know. At iCasinoReviews you will be guided to the best online casino. You will read about various casinos on the internet with their respective reviews and bonuses shown. These reviews are all given by actual online casino gamblers. So if you love to play casino games, you do not have to travel far for it. If you do not know how many casinos are there on the internet, visit iCasinoReviews, the online casino directory of trusted casinos on the Internet! Go iCasinoReviews and find out which is the best casinos and who has the largest casino bonuses for you to cash in on. Furthermore, they also offers internet betting tips and information for newbies on how to select a quality online casino. Find your favourite casinos and have fun!

Princess Cliparts

2007-08-23T14:03:00.000+08:00

The Definition of Love

My love is of a birth as rare
As 'tis for object strange and high:
It was begotten by Despair
Upon Impossibility.

Magnanimous Despair alone
Could show me so divine a thing,
Where feeble Hope could ne'er have flown
But vainly flapped its tinsel wing.

And yet I quickly might arrive
Where my extended soul is fixed,
But Fate does iron wedges drive,
And always crowds itself betwixt.

For Fate with jealous eye does see
Two perfect loves; nor lets them close:
Their union would her ruin be,
And her tyrannic pow'r depose.

And therefore her decrees of steel
Us and the distant poles have placed
(Though Love's whole world on us doth wheel)
Not by themselves to be embraced.

Unless the giddy heaven fall,
And earth some new convulsion tear;
And, us to join, the world should all
Be cramped into a planishpere.

As lines so loves oblique may well
Themselves in every angle greet:
But ours so truly parallel,
Though infinite can never meet.

Therefore the love which us doth bind,
But Fate so enviously debars,
Is the conjunction of the mind,
And opposition of the stars.

by Andrew Marvell

Dolls Cliparts

2007-08-18T23:25:00.001+08:00

An Instrument of Peace

Lord, make me a channel of your peace:

where there is hatred,
may I bring love;
where ther is wrong,
may I bring the spirit of forgiveness,
where there is discord,
may I bring harmony;
where there is error,
may I bring truth;

where there is doubt,
may I bring hope;
where there are shadows,
may I bring light;
where there is sadness,
may I bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
rather to understand than to be understood;
rather to love than to be loved,
for it is in forgetting myself that I find:
It is by forgiving that I am forgiven.

~ Francis of Assisi

Gambling Stars

2007-08-18T01:31:00.000+08:00

Reasons For Gambling Online

Years ago, gamblers only had two choices, which is either to go to the nearest gambling town like Las Vegas or Atlantic City or stay right where they were and wager locally through some illicit sources. Today, gambling has become an almost international obsession appearing commonly in in every state and nations, with the opening of casinos, betting parlors, card rooms, sports book, high-stakes bingo rooms and even online games like online Poker or Paradise Poker.

As many people are trying out online games such as Pacific Poker that they may not otherwise have played in a traditional setting, many sites offer extensive how-to-sections designed to teach players the optimal strategies for a wide variety of games. In some cases, players can simultaneously gamble and review charts/strategies found in special tutorial sections of the site. While these tips may not quite replace practice and years of experience, they can serve as excellent references to help players increase their chance for success.

With poker gaming taking center stage of late, it is no mystery that the big dogs in the industry offer players a never-ending stream of exciting tournament action. But poker is not the only game that boasts big tournaments online. Just about every popular game has a tournament presence somewhere on the internet!

Other good reasons for gambling online is freedom and convenient of access. No longer are gamblers at the mercy of location. Gamblers can play anytime, anywhere, as long as they have internet access. Not only do online players save a lot of hassles of travel and check-in to airports and so on, they also minimise expenses. Funds which were once spent on airline tickets, cars rentals and hotel rooms can now be used to play online! In addition, you can play any online games at your own pace. You can play Poker Stars with less pressure. You can slowly or relaxedly, all according to your own pace.

Glitter Dolls Cliparts

2007-08-17T00:06:00.000+08:00

Early Influences

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.

If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be self-confident.

If a child lives lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative.

If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love.

If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with recognition, he learns to have a goal.

If a child lives with fairness, he learns what justice is.

If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is.

If a child lives with sincerity, he learns to have faith in himself and those around him.

If f a child lives with love, he learns that the world is a wonderful place to live in.