Why We Love Retro Pin-Ups

In the 1940s and 1950s, pin-up girls became very popular among men. In the military, pin-ups were often featured on the side of bomber planes as a means of distraction for soldiers. Enlisted men may have also carried these posters with them during service, to keep an image of a beautiful woman with them. Military officers even used these pictures to act as a map for points of attack, because they knew that the privates would pay attention to lessons involving women.

For men of the 1940s, a pin-up could act as an object of fantasy and/or affection. This feminine image helped men deal with their sexual urges, and gave them motivation for their military activity. They could imagine that after they stopped fighting, they could go home to this idealistic sweetheart and live the American dream.

A variety of women could be the subject of this type of image. Models, artists, and popular actresses were some of the most common images depicted. Betty Grable was one of the first common women featured as one in the early 1940s, and many young military men hung her poster in their lockers.

Though today's posters and magazine spreads have become much more provocative, retro pin-ups still hold a certain allure. They are a reminder of an era past, where both men and women were more innocent. These girls maintained a sense of innocence that many believe today's women have lost. In the 1940s especially, these girls were often portrayed with a patriotic slant, dressed in American colors or posing with flags. Mixing the beautiful woman with the patriotic imagery was appealing in the 1940s, and is still popular today.

Retro pin-ups were also very artistic. Some were not photos at all, but paintings of an idealistically beautiful woman. Thus, as opposed to today's over-exposed famous actress, these older female images could be entirely imagined. That mystery held appeal to men of the times, and still holds appeal for people sexually and as a way to study perceptions of beauty in the past and present.

In fact, pin-ups have become an art form in themselves. Several artists focus on the depiction of women as sexual objects, and in some ways, this type of artwork has become explorations of the female body. Beyond the sexual, these portraits explore the pure aesthetics of woman. While these edgy portrayals are popular, there is still a lot of fondness for the more modest pin-up of the past.

You can buy retro pin-up stickers and decals for your vehicles, and guitar decals in the UK from Rock Artist Studios.

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Expand Your Horizons With A Canon Super-Telephoto Lens

When you can't go to the mountain, bring the mountain to you! You can do it with a Canon super-telephoto lens.

What is a Canon super-telephoto lens?

Here is a breakdown of terms:

*Super-wide angle = less than 18mm
*Wide angle = 18mm to 35mm
*Normal = 35mm to 50mm (normal is the way the human eye would see a scene under normal conditions)
*Telephoto = 50mm to 300mm
*Super-telephoto = greater than 300mm

**Note: these are based on full frame sensors which give the same results as a 35mm film camera. If you happen to be the owner of a crop sensor camera such as those in the Rebel series, the numbers have to be modified by a factor of 1.6. So when you use lenses that are more than 300mm in focal length, you will literally be "expanding your horizons" since you can take pictures of things that are not seen by the naked, unaided eye. These can include many things depending on your own personal preferences.

Some photographers are naturally disposed to taking pictures of sports events. Think about the amazing pictures you could capture as you are positioned in the end zone of a major football contest. You have seen those photographers with their "big guns," you know, the ones with the big grayish white lenses. Each one of them has a magnificent Canon super-telephoto lens attached to their digital SLR camera. You see the results in magazines and the online sports websites.

Then there are those who love photographing wildlife in a natural habitat or soaring through the skies. You certainly can't get those photos with your regular all-purpose lenses. You can pretend you work for a photography magazine and you are on assignment to photograph some endangered species. What fun!

A Canon super-telephoto lens is not really meant for family photos or neighborhood block parties. It is designed for the things that are not possible with something less.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to be aware of. First, with long focal lengths, you increase the chance of blurred images, so you really benefit from lots of sunlight so you can use a really fast shutter speed. A good sturdy tripod is also a plus when it comes to a steady camera.

Another possible negative is the price. Quality long distance focal length lenses do not grow on trees, nor are they cheap. In fact, a 400mm model can set you back anywhere from twelve hundred to five thousand smackers depending on the aperture of the selected lens.

How about you? Do you want to expand your photographic horizons?

Wayne Rasku is an amateur photographer and Canon super-telephoto lens owner. He has a website at http://www.canoneoslenses.org/canon-telephoto-lens where you can find out more about these engineering marvels.

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SMART New Year Resolutions

The S.M.A.R.T. acronym offers a useful checklist

New Year seems to be a good time to turn over a new leaf, stop procrastinating, or make that change you've been putting off or started and not continued. And whilst approximately 50% of us make New Year resolutions, less than a quarter of those stick to them. Somehow we seem to hope that because it's a New Year resolution it is more likely to be successful than making a change at a different time!

Whether you're making a New Year resolution or you're setting a new goal part way through the year, careful planning and consideration of why, what, how and when will make it much more likely to succeed and easier to achieve.

What's the benefit of this change you desire? If it's not compelling, why would you go to all that trouble?? Get clear about why you are setting this goal, get in touch with the feelings and benefits that success will bring. And be clear about what you are giving up on if you don't succeed.

• Make it Specific. Losing weight, smoking less, exercising more, are all vague. Walking to work 3 times a week is specific. Work out exactly what you will do, where, when and how and who else is involved. The more detail the better.

• Make it Measurable. To check that you are on track you need to be able to measure your progress as your go. Recognising this progress will spur you on.

• Make it Attainable. As well as any skills you may need to develop, what qualities and attitude do you need and what might you need to work on in order to stretch yourself to reach this goal?

• Make it Realistic. It's not just about making it easy, sometimes easy goals are just not motivating and are less likely to be reached! If it's too much of a stretch only going some way towards it may be unsatisfying and demoralising. When you're clear about what's involved you'll need to be realistic about how willing and able you are to do what's necessary.

• Make it Time-bound. If there's no time frame for the achievement of this goal it will likely dissolve with time. Partial achievement may happen at the start but even this may be retracted as disappointment and negative reinforcement sets in. Fix a time frame for completion and for the steps along the way. Giving the SMART treatment to every step will keep you focused and moving towards your goal.

Enjoy your success. It's all too easy to focus on a new 'wish' as you achieve your goals and not give yourself credit. You may not want to shout about it but being proud and enjoying what you have achieved will give you greater motivation and a 'can do' attitude that will help your next intentions.

Working with a buddy can be a big help. It could be that you do something together, like exercising or it could be that your share your intentions and achievements and encourage each other on different actions.

And finally, accept that life sometimes gets in the way and that you're human. Sometimes our plans have to be adjusted, sometimes we slip. Check back in with your goal and if it's still what you want and fits the above, resolve to re-focus and get back on track. New Year resolution or goal, if you're serious about wanting it, it's got to be worth the investment.

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How Free Is the Artist Without Money?

"If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him."

-- John F. Kennedy

Ludwig van Beethoven is considered one of the first 'independent' musicians in the world, making his money from recitals, writing music and conducting, instead of depending on the patronage of the nobility most of his predecessors had to rely on. It was still a tough life, but supposedly he had his freedom to do as he pleased artistically and perhaps, considering what the options were that was also the case, for the time.

Now consider; How free is the independent artist? How free is anyone without enough money to live comfortably, not knowing how the rent is going to be paid, the food will land on the table or the children will be educated? Not very if you ask me. Not at all, to be honest. On the contrary even, to be blunt.

Personally I came to a point in my work as a singer where I got so totally fed up with applying for the grants to get sponsoring of my projects coming from outside sources that I desperately asked the heavens for a final solution to this peril. I felt so trapped and far to many times I had been asked to sing what others wanted to hear instead of me delivering what I had to give from my heart. I was independent, but not free!

The curbing of artistic expression is one of the most evident problems for the broke artist, but it is hardly ever addressed on any lager scale. It is as if independent means having no money, perhaps not even a decent place to live, when instead it should mean freedom to create what is most important to her heart.

There is the old, romantic myth of the suffering artist, creating better, deeper pieces than the one with food on the table. To be poor for anyone can be as stifling as imprisonment. But for the artist creativity is crippled on top of that when you can't buy the materials you want to experiment with, join classes to educate yourself further, travel to get influences from others, practice languages in foreign country's, eat properly, take a vacation, sleep in, visit the theater and so on and so forth. To make sure you have money as an artist is an important way to defend your artistic expression!

For me the way to solve this problem came with MLM. It might not be the route for you, but there are some elements that are very similar when it comes to reaching out to your target market and through an MLM-opportunity you can learn a lot about how to promote your artistic path as well, thus finding "multiple streams of income". Or rather a twin stream of income, as I don't believe in spreading yourself thin.

Use your art and the MLM-opportunity to become financially independent for real. I have been on stage all of my life, I know how to capture an audience. This skill comes to good use in a business situation. You can create your own presentations based on your skills, interests and what you know best. This approach might feel unconventional for you and it is too, but with all due respect to JFK, I think we have to set ourselves free by creating our own financial means of independence.

© 2012 Stella Scott

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Stella Scott is a Swedish opera singer, coach and Network Marketer. To hear her sing you can visit http://www.myspace.com/stellascott

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Discovering the Meaning of Life Through Partnership

Great awareness can come out of relationships, if both parties are unafraid to reveal their true self to each other, and if they see the relationship as a tool to understanding their inner workings, beliefs and complexes.

Too often, people seek a relationship to calm their emotional storms and sexual urges. These relationships often end on the rocks because the connection is superficial and not deep and lasting. People walk away angry, frustrated and blaming each other for the failure to make it last. They do not see that each of them is triggering pain deep inside the other and, while it seems to be the other person's fault, it is still THEIR pain. It comes from inside you and it is a key as to why you feel cut off from life.

Till death do you part is only realized by people lucky enough to have found love. Love calls you to unity, it reveals hopes and it also binds you to discover those fears, doubts and illusions that prevent you from being more conscious and aware. It is for your Being and not just your body. Love is an energy that permeates everything, but it is separated from us by the duality of existence. Mind is the opposite of being. Thought is a bridge for being to relate to mind in our outer reality. A barrier exists between being and thought and that is mind. It allows us to function in this realm as a separate ego, still connected to being but unaware of its location or presence. Our aloneness is our lack of awareness of our totality as beings.

Partnership in love is an opportunity to weaken the ego and bridge the consciousness through the heart to the soul. It allows for awareness to blossom and healing of the unconscious. It helps to show us that life can be easier when we come from a level of deep awareness and magic does exist. Life can be a dance and a synergy with the divine. Our power is revealed through partnership as we realize that we become conscious of a cooperation that exists with the greater parts of our beings. Together, we share in its vision and revelation. We are tools for the divine to reveal its nature, purpose and truth.

So little respect today exists for love, partnership and marriage. The sacredness has been forgotten. The energy is misunderstood and the purpose polluted. Still, it lingers and waits for the mystery of love to breathe on two souls and say come hither, come together, come as the whispers beacon you deeper beyond the strife to the clarity of being and existence.

This is my home website with links to all my creative efforts. The URL is http://www.magicmansuniverse.com/

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Belly Button Piercing Technology

Belly Button piercing is a puncture in the area of navel for body jewelry wear.

Advantages:

· This type of piercing is easy to hide under cloth and that is why it is so popular among teenagers. Also, this type of piercing is great for those who have strict dress code at the office (requirements of the appearance and especially of cloth).

· Rejection is quite rare even though it is junction

· Changing of a piercing jewelry is not more difficult than the ear piercing

Risks

· After accidental shift of a piercing, during the healing period, wound gets an infection right away.

· Severe infections and blood infections are possible

· It is a myth that an infection transmits to the liver

Belly Button Jewelry

There are rings and bars as well that are used as a body piercing jewelry type for the belly button piercing. Usually, after a piercing, a bar is placed, which you should wear until the end of the healing period.

There was a special variety of bar invented for the belly button piercing, which is called banana bar (it got this name because of a bent form)

The following body jewelry are also wide popular: simple bent bars, rings that have ball fastener, bars with pendant etc.

It is not recommended to use a piercing jewelry, which is made of surgical steel. Only 15% of piercings with this kind of body jewelry end up with a problem.

Changing the navel jewelry is not more difficult than to change it in the ear.

Main types

There are following types of the belly button piercing:

· Standard - the belly button piercing is done strictly vertically. The main condition is that the upper ball should be about half of the millimeter above a piercing in order not to press on the belly button.

· Multiple center belly button piercings consists of several piercings. It cannot be done at once; otherwise, piercings would prevent each other from heal.

Each following piercing can be done only after the full healing of the previous one.

Technology

The main thing in the navel piercing is the distance between the inserted navel piercing jewelry and a surface of the skin. In case, if it would be too close to the skin surface then the new skin would form under a belly button jewelry within some time and the old skin will wipe off and will push out the body jewelry. However, if a puncture would be too deep and a needle would get to fat tissue then a puncture would be suppurate quite long but would not close up. You would have to skin it over in such case.

If you do not like a piercing you just got, it is possible to get another one right away without any harm. Particular piercing is not very painful. The healing period of such piercing ends up within 1-6 months.

At qpiercing.com you can find tongue rings, lip rings, belly button rings, ear plugs and ear tunnels, ear rings, piercing retainers, piercings kits and many more.

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