Archive for the ‘Building Self-Esteem’ Category

www.karakalearning.co.nz For over twenty years, Karaka Learning Centre has been providing a stimulating environment where young children are given a head start to a life of achievement. Excellent facilities, experienced staff and proven methodologies combine to give our children confidence and a competitive advantage for school. The proven academic record at Karaka Learning Centre is a key to our success. Now in their early twenties, many of our ex-pupils have achieved outstanding results as they have progressed through their formal education – results we believe can be attributed in part to the support, encouragement and solid grounding received in the formative years at Karaka Learning Center. Above all, we understand that the key to early learning is to make it enjoyable. The most common sound you’ll hear at Karaka Learning Centre is laughter – children having fun!
Video Rating: 5 / 5

7 Tips Help Children Face Exam 1. PREPARE LESSONS MUCH EARLIER TODAY You must pay attention to child development and learning activities at any time, including the implementation schedule of the exam. Should prepare for exams exercise at least three months prior 2. EMBED SENSE OF CONFIDENCE IN CHILDREN Make your child’s confidence will face a test when he gave way to inculcate the spirit of understanding through exams is fun 3. CUSTOMIZE CHILD LEARNING TECHNIQUES Every child certainly has a way to capture the lessons. There are various techniques that can be used in children in understanding the lessons such as: Summarize Lessons can be absorbed if it is revealed again what the teacher explained Mind Mapping This can be done by writing a child’s topic and then make some sense concerned with these things Make Practice Problems After receiving a lesson he can make his own question and answer Memorize This technique is most widely used in children, but be careful because this is not always an effective way 4. CREATE THE FUN OF COMMUNICATION Comfortable in a learning situation that will make children quickly absorb the knowledge given, you can also ask a different way when they want to test it 5. TEAM FORMS Forms of cooperation with other family members, teach them how to train children in exams 6. GIVE ROOM FOR CHILDREN RELAXATION Make sure children get a break for exams will be granted even though the child’s brain can not constantly bombarded lessons 7. EMBED THIS …

New York City, NY (PRWEB) December 18, 2003

Sky London, whose career in the adult entertainment industry spans three decades is now teaching women Â?How to Strip for Your LoverÂ? in well-attended classes in New York and Los Angeles. She returns to the Learning Annex in New York City with classes in January and February 2004.

Sky is a beautiful and dynamic 54-year-old woman whose down-to-earth, Â?make the most of what youÂ?ve got and get yoursÂ? attitude is contagious and empowering.

Classes are for women only, but men as well as the women who love them benefit from SkyÂ?s Â?been-there done-that, and several times with your fatherÂ? raunchy teaching style which makes her classes entertaining as well as educational.

Of late, sex-focused exercise classes have come into vogue, but SkyÂ?s class isnÂ?t just an aerobic workout. LondonÂ?s sound understanding of what makes men tick and knowledge of a womanÂ?s power and intelligence make her classes unique. The moves are easy enough that you neednÂ?t be a gym-rat to master them. Women see that they can take charge of a sexual situation and drive it. Most women who take the class acknowledge a feeling of self-assuredness afterwards.

Â?SheÂ?s good at this,Â? said a 40-year-old accountant. Â?She is saying, Â?This is something all women haveÂ? and she shows you how to make the most of it.Â? Three weeks after class, another student said she still feels Â?frisky.Â? Another woman confided that something had occurred to make her feel sheÂ?d lost a piece of her femininity. She took SkyÂ?s class because she thought it might help restore it. Her comments: Â?I couldnÂ?t take my eyes off Sky. It was entertaining, she teaches a real routine Â? and the best part is — it was a real confidence builder. Although I didnÂ?t have anyone to dance for when I got home, I looked in the mirror and thought, IÂ?ve got the goods right here. And theyÂ?re mine to do what I please.Â?

A 45-year-old healthcare professional said, Â?Back in the day, IÂ?d have to have an affair to pick up a few new moves. Well, those days are over, and now I have a whole new repertoire at far less cost and IÂ?m not talking about the money. Her instruction is a lot of fun, and although it might not save a deeply troubled relationship, it will definitely revive an interest in bedroom antics which, in turn, can give a lackluster sex life a healthier glow. I mean, how much would you pay for renewed interest in your sex life?Â?

Not everyone was impressed. A college student said, Â?I didnÂ?t learn anything new. But I had a lot of fun.Â? She had registered with a group of friends.

Sky wants to bring her continuing education to people who donÂ?t have access to her classes and is working on a video that would enable Â?women who are shy or those who live in the middle of the U.S.Â? to take advantage of her teaching. Her cable TV-show, “Sleeping with Sky London,” airs at 10 p.m. on Fridays in New York (check local listings). Aside from her Learning Annex classes, Sky London is available for private lessons and bachelorette parties.

ECProductions provides public relations services to individuals who are making a difference by offering unique and reasonably priced products and services.

###

A few nice building self esteem a self help guide images I found:

Army Photography Contest – 2007 – FMWRC – Arts and Crafts – Just The Two Of Us


Image by familymwr
Army Photography Contest – 2007 – FMWRC – Arts and Crafts – Just The Two Of Us

Photo By: SSG Adam Mancini

To learn more about the annual U.S. Army Photography Competition, visit us online at www.armymwr.com

U.S. Army Arts and Crafts History

After World War I the reductions to the Army left the United States with a small force. The War Department faced monumental challenges in preparing for World War II. One of those challenges was soldier morale. Recreational activities for off duty time would be important. The arts and crafts program informally evolved to augment the needs of the War Department.
On January 9, 1941, the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, appointed Frederick H. Osborn, a prominent U.S. businessman and philanthropist, Chairman of the War Department Committee on Education, Recreation and Community Service.
In 1940 and 1941, the United States involvement in World War II was more of sympathy and anticipation than of action. However, many different types of institutions were looking for ways to help the war effort. The Museum of Modern Art in New York was one of these institutions. In April, 1941, the Museum announced a poster competition, “Posters for National Defense.” The directors stated “The Museum feels that in a time of national emergency the artists of a country are as important an asset as men skilled in other fields, and that the nation’s first-rate talent should be utilized by the government for its official design work… Discussions have been held with officials of the Army and the Treasury who have expressed remarkable enthusiasm…”
In May 1941, the Museum exhibited “Britain at War”, a show selected by Sir Kenneth Clark, director of the National Gallery in London. The “Prize-Winning Defense Posters” were exhibited in July through September concurrently with “Britain at War.” The enormous overnight growth of the military force meant mobilization type construction at every camp. Construction was fast; facilities were not fancy; rather drab and depressing.
In 1941, the Fort Custer Army Illustrators, while on strenuous war games maneuvers in Tennessee, documented the exercise The Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Feb. 1942), described their work. “Results were astonishingly good; they showed serious devotion …to the purpose of depicting the Army scene with unvarnished realism and a remarkable ability to capture this scene from the soldier’s viewpoint. Civilian amateur and professional artists had been transformed into soldier-artists. Reality and straightforward documentation had supplanted (replaced) the old romantic glorification and false dramatization of war and the slick suavity (charm) of commercial drawing.”

“In August of last year, Fort Custer Army Illustrators held an exhibition, the first of its kind in the new Army, at the Camp Service Club. Soldiers who saw the exhibition, many of whom had never been inside an art gallery, enjoyed it thoroughly. Civilian visitors, too, came and admired. The work of the group showed them a new aspect of the Army; there were many phases of Army life they had never seen or heard of before. Newspapers made much of it and, most important, the Army approved. Army officials saw that it was not only authentic material, but that here was a source of enlivenment (vitalization) to the Army and a vivid medium for conveying the Army’s purposes and processes to civilians and soldiers.”
Brigadier General Frederick H. Osborn and War Department leaders were concerned because few soldiers were using the off duty recreation areas that were available. Army commanders recognized that efficiency is directly correlated with morale, and that morale is largely determined from the manner in which an individual spends his own free time. Army morale enhancement through positive off duty recreation programs is critical in combat staging areas.
To encourage soldier use of programs, the facilities drab and uninviting environment had to be improved. A program utilizing talented artists and craftsmen to decorate day rooms, mess halls, recreation halls and other places of general assembly was established by the Facilities Section of Special Services. The purpose was to provide an environment that would reflect the military tradition, accomplishments and the high standard of army life. The fact that this work was to be done by the men themselves had the added benefit of contributing to the esprit de corps (teamwork, or group spirit) of the unit.
The plan was first tested in October of 1941, at Camp Davis, North Carolina. A studio workshop was set up and a group of soldier artists were placed on special duty to design and decorate the facilities. Additionally, evening recreation art classes were scheduled three times a week. A second test was established at Fort Belvoir, Virginia a month later. The success of these programs lead to more installations requesting the program.
After Pearl Harbor was bombed, the Museum of Modern Art appointed Mr. James Soby, to the position of Director of the Armed Service Program on January 15, 1942. The subsequent program became a combination of occupational therapy, exhibitions and morale-sustaining activities.
Through the efforts of Mr. Soby, the museum program included; a display of Fort Custer Army Illustrators work from February through April 5, 1942. The museum also included the work of soldier-photographers in this exhibit. On May 6, 1942, Mr. Soby opened an art sale of works donated by museum members. The sale was to raise funds for the Soldier Art Program of Special Services Division. The bulk of these proceeds were to be used to provide facilities and materials for soldier artists in Army camps throughout the country.
Members of the Museum had responded with paintings, sculptures, watercolors, gouaches, drawings, etchings and lithographs. Hundreds of works were received, including oils by Winslow Homer, Orozco, John Kane, Speicher, Eilshemius, de Chirico; watercolors by Burchfield and Dufy; drawings by Augustus John, Forain and Berman, and prints by Cezanne, Lautrec, Matisse and Bellows. The War Department plan using soldier-artists to decorate and improve buildings and grounds worked. Many artists who had been drafted into the Army volunteered to paint murals in waiting rooms and clubs, to decorate dayrooms, and to landscape grounds. For each artist at work there were a thousand troops who watched. These bystanders clamored to participate, and classes in drawing, painting, sculpture and photography were offered. Larger working space and more instructors were required to meet the growing demand. Civilian art instructors and local communities helped to meet this cultural need, by providing volunteer instruction and facilities.
Some proceeds from the Modern Museum of Art sale were used to print 25,000 booklets called “Interior Design and Soldier Art.” The booklet showed examples of soldier-artist murals that decorated places of general assembly. It was a guide to organizing, planning and executing the soldier-artist program. The balance of the art sale proceeds were used to purchase the initial arts and crafts furnishings for 350 Army installations in the USA.
In November, 1942, General Somervell directed that a group of artists be selected and dispatched to active theaters to paint war scenes with the stipulation that soldier artists would not paint in lieu of military duties.
Aileen Osborn Webb, sister of Brigadier General Frederick H. Osborn, launched the American Crafts Council in 1943. She was an early champion of the Army program.
While soldiers were participating in fixed facilities in the USA, many troops were being shipped overseas to Europe and the Pacific (1942-1945). They had long periods of idleness and waiting in staging areas. At that time the wounded were lying in hospitals, both on land and in ships at sea. The War Department and Red Cross responded by purchasing kits of arts and crafts tools and supplies to distribute to “these restless personnel.” A variety of small “Handicraft Kits” were distributed free of charge. Leathercraft, celluloid etching, knotting and braiding, metal tooling, drawing and clay modeling are examples of the types of kits sent.
In January, 1944, the Interior Design Soldier Artist program was more appropriately named the “Arts and Crafts Section” of Special Services. The mission was “to fulfill the natural human desire to create, provide opportunities for self-expression, serve old skills and develop new ones, and assist the entire recreation program through construction work, publicity, and decoration.”
The National Army Art Contest was planned for the late fall of 1944. In June of 1945, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., for the first time in its history opened its facilities for the exhibition of the soldier art and photography submitted to this contest. The “Infantry Journal, Inc.” printed a small paperback booklet containing 215 photographs of pictures exhibited in the National Gallery of Art.
In August of 1944, the Museum of Modern Art, Armed Forces Program, organized an art center for veterans. Abby Rockefeller, in particular, had a strong interest in this project. Soldiers were invited to sketch, paint, or model under the guidance of skilled artists and craftsmen. Victor d’Amico, who was in charge of the Museum’s Education Department, was quoted in Russell Lynes book, Good Old Modern: An Intimate Portrait of the Museum of Modern Art. “I asked one fellow why he had taken up art and he said, Well, I just came back from destroying everything. I made up my mind that if I ever got out of the Army and out of the war I was never going to destroy another thing in my life, and I decided that art was the thing that I would do.” Another man said to d’Amico, “Art is like a good night’s sleep. You come away refreshed and at peace.”
In late October, 1944, an Arts and Crafts Branch of Special Services Division, Headquarters, European Theater of Operations was established. A versatile program of handcrafts flourished among the Army occupation troops.
The increased interest in crafts, rather than fine arts, at this time lead to a new name for the program: The “Handicrafts Branch.”
In 1945, the War Department published a new manual, “Soldier Handicrafts”, to help implement this new emphasis. The manual contained instructions for setting up crafts facilities, selecting as well as improvising tools and equipment, and basic information on a variety of arts and crafts.
As the Army moved from a combat to a peacetime role, the majority of crafts shops in the United States were equipped with woodworking power machinery for construction of furnishings and objects for personal living. Based on this new trend, in 1946 the program was again renamed, this time as “Manual Arts.”
At the same time, overseas programs were now employing local artists and craftsmen to operate the crafts facilities and instruct in a variety of arts and crafts. These highly skilled, indigenous instructors helped to stimulate the soldiers’ interest in the respective native cultures and artifacts. Thousands of troops overseas were encouraged to record their experiences on film. These photographs provided an invaluable means of communication between troops and their families back home.
When the war ended, the Navy had a firm of architects and draftsmen on contract to design ships. Since there was no longer a need for more ships, they were given a new assignment: To develop a series of instructional guides for arts and crafts. These were called “Hobby Manuals.” The Army was impressed with the quality of the Navy manuals and had them reprinted and adopted for use by Army troops. By 1948, the arts and crafts practiced throughout the Army were so varied and diverse that the program was renamed “Hobby Shops.” The first “Interservice Photography Contest” was held in 1948. Each service is eligible to send two years of their winning entries forward for the bi-annual interservice contest. In 1949, the first All Army Crafts Contest was also held. Once again, it was clear that the program title, “Hobby Shops” was misleading and overlapped into other forms of recreation.
In January, 1951, the program was designated as “The Army Crafts Program.” The program was recognized as an essential Army recreation activity along with sports, libraries, service clubs, soldier shows and soldier music. In the official statement of mission, professional leadership was emphasized to insure a balanced, progressive schedule of arts and crafts would be conducted in well-equipped, attractive facilities on all Army installations.
The program was now defined in terms of a “Basic Seven Program” which included: drawing and painting; ceramics and sculpture; metal work; leathercrafts; model building; photography and woodworking. These programs were to be conducted regularly in facilities known as the “multiple-type crafts shop.” For functional reasons, these facilities were divided into three separate technical areas for woodworking, photography and the arts and crafts.
During the Korean Conflict, the Army Crafts program utilized the personnel and shops in Japan to train soldiers to instruct crafts in Korea.
The mid-1950s saw more soldiers with cars and the need to repair their vehicles was recognized at Fort Carson, Colorado, by the craft director. Soldiers familiar with crafts shops knew that they had tools and so automotive crafts were established. By 1958, the Engineers published an Official Design Guide on Crafts Shops and Auto Crafts Shops. In 1959, the first All Army Art Contest was held. Once more, the Army Crafts Program responded to the needs of soldiers.
In the 1960’s, the war in Vietnam was a new challenge for the Army Crafts Program. The program had three levels of support; fixed facilities, mobile trailers designed as portable photo labs, and once again a “Kit Program.” The kit program originated at Headquarters, Department of Army, and it proved to be very popular with soldiers.
Tom Turner, today a well-known studio potter, was a soldier at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina in the 1960s. In the December 1990 / January 1991 “American Crafts” magazine, Turner, who had been a graduate student in art school when he was drafted, said the program was “a godsend.”
The Army Artist Program was re-initiated in cooperation with the Office of Military History to document the war in Vietnam. Soldier-artists were identified and teams were formed to draw and paint the events of this combat. Exhibitions of these soldier-artist works were produced and toured throughout the USA.
In 1970, the original name of the program, “Arts and Crafts”, was restored. In 1971, the “Arts and Crafts/Skills Development Program” was established for budget presentations and construction projects.
After the Vietnam demobilization, a new emphasis was placed on service to families and children of soldiers. To meet this new challenge in an environment of funding constraints the arts and crafts program began charging fees for classes. More part-time personnel were used to teach formal classes. Additionally, a need for more technical-vocational skills training for military personnel was met by close coordination with Army Education Programs. Army arts and crafts directors worked with soldiers during “Project Transition” to develop soldier skills for new careers in the public sector.
The main challenge in the 1980s and 90s was, and is, to become “self-sustaining.” Directors have been forced to find more ways to generate increased revenue to help defray the loss of appropriated funds and to cover the non-appropriated funds expenses of the program. Programs have added and increased emphasis on services such as, picture framing, gallery sales, engraving and trophy sales, etc… New programs such as multi-media computer graphics appeal to customers of the 1990’s.
The Gulf War presented the Army with some familiar challenges such as personnel off duty time in staging areas. Department of Army volunteer civilian recreation specialists were sent to Saudi Arabia in January, 1991, to organize recreation programs. Arts and crafts supplies were sent to the theater. An Army Humor Cartoon Contest was conducted for the soldiers in the Gulf, and arts and crafts programs were set up to meet soldier interests.
The increased operations tempo of the ‘90’s Army has once again placed emphasis on meeting the “recreation needs of deployed soldiers.” Arts and crafts activities and a variety of programs are assets commanders must have to meet the deployment challenges of these very different scenarios.
The Army arts and crafts program, no matter what it has been titled, has made some unique contributions for the military and our society in general. Army arts and crafts does not fit the narrow definition of drawing and painting or making ceramics, but the much larger sense of arts and crafts. It is painting and drawing. It also encompasses:
* all forms of design. (fabric, clothes, household appliances, dishes, vases, houses, automobiles, landscapes, computers, copy machines, desks, industrial machines, weapon systems, air crafts, roads, etc…)
* applied technology (photography, graphics, woodworking, sculpture, metal smithing, weaving and textiles, sewing, advertising, enameling, stained glass, pottery, charts, graphs, visual aides and even formats for correspondence…)
* a way of making learning fun, practical and meaningful (through the process of designing and making an object the creator must decide which materials and techniques to use, thereby engaging in creative problem solving and discovery) skills taught have military applications.
* a way to acquire quality items and save money by doing-it-yourself (making furniture, gifts, repairing things …).
* a way to pursue college credit, through on post classes.
* a universal and non-verbal language (a picture is worth a thousand words).
* food for the human psyche, an element of morale that allows for individual expression (freedom).
* the celebration of human spirit and excellence (our highest form of public recognition is through a dedicated monument).
* physical and mental therapy (motor skill development, stress reduction, etc…).
* an activity that promotes self-reliance and self-esteem.
* the record of mankind, and in this case, of the Army.
What would the world be like today if this generally unknown program had not existed? To quantitatively state the overall impact of this program on the world is impossible. Millions of soldier citizens have been directly and indirectly exposed to arts and crafts because this program existed. One activity, photography can provide a clue to its impact. Soldiers encouraged to take pictures, beginning with WW II, have shared those images with family and friends. Classes in “How to Use a Camera” to “How to Develop Film and Print Pictures” were instrumental in soldiers seeing the results of using quality equipment. A good camera and lens could make a big difference in the quality of the print. They bought the top of the line equipment. When they were discharged from the Army or home on leave this new equipment was showed to the family and friends. Without this encouragement and exposure to photography many would not have recorded their personal experiences or known the difference quality equipment could make. Families and friends would not have had the opportunity to “see” the environment their soldier was living in without these photos. Germany, Italy, Korea, Japan, Panama, etc… were far away places that most had not visited.
As the twenty first century approaches, the predictions for an arts renaissance by Megatrends 2000 seem realistic based on the Army Arts and Crafts Program practical experience. In the April ‘95 issue of “American Demographics” magazine, an article titled “Generation X” fully supports that this is indeed the case today. Television and computers have greatly contributed to “Generation X” being more interested in the visual arts and crafts.
Connect with us:
www.Facebook.com/FamilyMWR
www.Twitter.com/FamilyMWR
www.YouTube.com/FamilyMWR

Army Photography Contest – 2007 – FMWRC – Arts and Crafts – Night Vision


Image by familymwr
Army Photography Contest – 2007 – FMWRC – Arts and Crafts – Night Vision

Photo By: MSG Glenn West

To learn more about the annual U.S. Army Photography Competition, visit us online at www.armymwr.com

U.S. Army Arts and Crafts History
After World War I the reductions to the Army left the United States with a small force. The War Department faced monumental challenges in preparing for World War II. One of those challenges was soldier morale. Recreational activities for off duty time would be important. The arts and crafts program informally evolved to augment the needs of the War Department.
On January 9, 1941, the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, appointed Frederick H. Osborn, a prominent U.S. businessman and philanthropist, Chairman of the War Department Committee on Education, Recreation and Community Service.
In 1940 and 1941, the United States involvement in World War II was more of sympathy and anticipation than of action. However, many different types of institutions were looking for ways to help the war effort. The Museum of Modern Art in New York was one of these institutions. In April, 1941, the Museum announced a poster competition, “Posters for National Defense.” The directors stated “The Museum feels that in a time of national emergency the artists of a country are as important an asset as men skilled in other fields, and that the nation’s first-rate talent should be utilized by the government for its official design work… Discussions have been held with officials of the Army and the Treasury who have expressed remarkable enthusiasm…”
In May 1941, the Museum exhibited “Britain at War”, a show selected by Sir Kenneth Clark, director of the National Gallery in London. The “Prize-Winning Defense Posters” were exhibited in July through September concurrently with “Britain at War.” The enormous overnight growth of the military force meant mobilization type construction at every camp. Construction was fast; facilities were not fancy; rather drab and depressing.
In 1941, the Fort Custer Army Illustrators, while on strenuous war games maneuvers in Tennessee, documented the exercise The Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Feb. 1942), described their work. “Results were astonishingly good; they showed serious devotion …to the purpose of depicting the Army scene with unvarnished realism and a remarkable ability to capture this scene from the soldier’s viewpoint. Civilian amateur and professional artists had been transformed into soldier-artists. Reality and straightforward documentation had supplanted (replaced) the old romantic glorification and false dramatization of war and the slick suavity (charm) of commercial drawing.”

“In August of last year, Fort Custer Army Illustrators held an exhibition, the first of its kind in the new Army, at the Camp Service Club. Soldiers who saw the exhibition, many of whom had never been inside an art gallery, enjoyed it thoroughly. Civilian visitors, too, came and admired. The work of the group showed them a new aspect of the Army; there were many phases of Army life they had never seen or heard of before. Newspapers made much of it and, most important, the Army approved. Army officials saw that it was not only authentic material, but that here was a source of enlivenment (vitalization) to the Army and a vivid medium for conveying the Army’s purposes and processes to civilians and soldiers.”
Brigadier General Frederick H. Osborn and War Department leaders were concerned because few soldiers were using the off duty recreation areas that were available. Army commanders recognized that efficiency is directly correlated with morale, and that morale is largely determined from the manner in which an individual spends his own free time. Army morale enhancement through positive off duty recreation programs is critical in combat staging areas.
To encourage soldier use of programs, the facilities drab and uninviting environment had to be improved. A program utilizing talented artists and craftsmen to decorate day rooms, mess halls, recreation halls and other places of general assembly was established by the Facilities Section of Special Services. The purpose was to provide an environment that would reflect the military tradition, accomplishments and the high standard of army life. The fact that this work was to be done by the men themselves had the added benefit of contributing to the esprit de corps (teamwork, or group spirit) of the unit.
The plan was first tested in October of 1941, at Camp Davis, North Carolina. A studio workshop was set up and a group of soldier artists were placed on special duty to design and decorate the facilities. Additionally, evening recreation art classes were scheduled three times a week. A second test was established at Fort Belvoir, Virginia a month later. The success of these programs lead to more installations requesting the program.
After Pearl Harbor was bombed, the Museum of Modern Art appointed Mr. James Soby, to the position of Director of the Armed Service Program on January 15, 1942. The subsequent program became a combination of occupational therapy, exhibitions and morale-sustaining activities.
Through the efforts of Mr. Soby, the museum program included; a display of Fort Custer Army Illustrators work from February through April 5, 1942. The museum also included the work of soldier-photographers in this exhibit. On May 6, 1942, Mr. Soby opened an art sale of works donated by museum members. The sale was to raise funds for the Soldier Art Program of Special Services Division. The bulk of these proceeds were to be used to provide facilities and materials for soldier artists in Army camps throughout the country.
Members of the Museum had responded with paintings, sculptures, watercolors, gouaches, drawings, etchings and lithographs. Hundreds of works were received, including oils by Winslow Homer, Orozco, John Kane, Speicher, Eilshemius, de Chirico; watercolors by Burchfield and Dufy; drawings by Augustus John, Forain and Berman, and prints by Cezanne, Lautrec, Matisse and Bellows. The War Department plan using soldier-artists to decorate and improve buildings and grounds worked. Many artists who had been drafted into the Army volunteered to paint murals in waiting rooms and clubs, to decorate dayrooms, and to landscape grounds. For each artist at work there were a thousand troops who watched. These bystanders clamored to participate, and classes in drawing, painting, sculpture and photography were offered. Larger working space and more instructors were required to meet the growing demand. Civilian art instructors and local communities helped to meet this cultural need, by providing volunteer instruction and facilities.
Some proceeds from the Modern Museum of Art sale were used to print 25,000 booklets called “Interior Design and Soldier Art.” The booklet showed examples of soldier-artist murals that decorated places of general assembly. It was a guide to organizing, planning and executing the soldier-artist program. The balance of the art sale proceeds were used to purchase the initial arts and crafts furnishings for 350 Army installations in the USA.
In November, 1942, General Somervell directed that a group of artists be selected and dispatched to active theaters to paint war scenes with the stipulation that soldier artists would not paint in lieu of military duties.
Aileen Osborn Webb, sister of Brigadier General Frederick H. Osborn, launched the American Crafts Council in 1943. She was an early champion of the Army program.
While soldiers were participating in fixed facilities in the USA, many troops were being shipped overseas to Europe and the Pacific (1942-1945). They had long periods of idleness and waiting in staging areas. At that time the wounded were lying in hospitals, both on land and in ships at sea. The War Department and Red Cross responded by purchasing kits of arts and crafts tools and supplies to distribute to “these restless personnel.” A variety of small “Handicraft Kits” were distributed free of charge. Leathercraft, celluloid etching, knotting and braiding, metal tooling, drawing and clay modeling are examples of the types of kits sent.
In January, 1944, the Interior Design Soldier Artist program was more appropriately named the “Arts and Crafts Section” of Special Services. The mission was “to fulfill the natural human desire to create, provide opportunities for self-expression, serve old skills and develop new ones, and assist the entire recreation program through construction work, publicity, and decoration.”
The National Army Art Contest was planned for the late fall of 1944. In June of 1945, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., for the first time in its history opened its facilities for the exhibition of the soldier art and photography submitted to this contest. The “Infantry Journal, Inc.” printed a small paperback booklet containing 215 photographs of pictures exhibited in the National Gallery of Art.
In August of 1944, the Museum of Modern Art, Armed Forces Program, organized an art center for veterans. Abby Rockefeller, in particular, had a strong interest in this project. Soldiers were invited to sketch, paint, or model under the guidance of skilled artists and craftsmen. Victor d’Amico, who was in charge of the Museum’s Education Department, was quoted in Russell Lynes book, Good Old Modern: An Intimate Portrait of the Museum of Modern Art. “I asked one fellow why he had taken up art and he said, Well, I just came back from destroying everything. I made up my mind that if I ever got out of the Army and out of the war I was never going to destroy another thing in my life, and I decided that art was the thing that I would do.” Another man said to d’Amico, “Art is like a good night’s sleep. You come away refreshed and at peace.”
In late October, 1944, an Arts and Crafts Branch of Special Services Division, Headquarters, European Theater of Operations was established. A versatile program of handcrafts flourished among the Army occupation troops.
The increased interest in crafts, rather than fine arts, at this time lead to a new name for the program: The “Handicrafts Branch.”
In 1945, the War Department published a new manual, “Soldier Handicrafts”, to help implement this new emphasis. The manual contained instructions for setting up crafts facilities, selecting as well as improvising tools and equipment, and basic information on a variety of arts and crafts.
As the Army moved from a combat to a peacetime role, the majority of crafts shops in the United States were equipped with woodworking power machinery for construction of furnishings and objects for personal living. Based on this new trend, in 1946 the program was again renamed, this time as “Manual Arts.”
At the same time, overseas programs were now employing local artists and craftsmen to operate the crafts facilities and instruct in a variety of arts and crafts. These highly skilled, indigenous instructors helped to stimulate the soldiers’ interest in the respective native cultures and artifacts. Thousands of troops overseas were encouraged to record their experiences on film. These photographs provided an invaluable means of communication between troops and their families back home.
When the war ended, the Navy had a firm of architects and draftsmen on contract to design ships. Since there was no longer a need for more ships, they were given a new assignment: To develop a series of instructional guides for arts and crafts. These were called “Hobby Manuals.” The Army was impressed with the quality of the Navy manuals and had them reprinted and adopted for use by Army troops. By 1948, the arts and crafts practiced throughout the Army were so varied and diverse that the program was renamed “Hobby Shops.” The first “Interservice Photography Contest” was held in 1948. Each service is eligible to send two years of their winning entries forward for the bi-annual interservice contest. In 1949, the first All Army Crafts Contest was also held. Once again, it was clear that the program title, “Hobby Shops” was misleading and overlapped into other forms of recreation.
In January, 1951, the program was designated as “The Army Crafts Program.” The program was recognized as an essential Army recreation activity along with sports, libraries, service clubs, soldier shows and soldier music. In the official statement of mission, professional leadership was emphasized to insure a balanced, progressive schedule of arts and crafts would be conducted in well-equipped, attractive facilities on all Army installations.
The program was now defined in terms of a “Basic Seven Program” which included: drawing and painting; ceramics and sculpture; metal work; leathercrafts; model building; photography and woodworking. These programs were to be conducted regularly in facilities known as the “multiple-type crafts shop.” For functional reasons, these facilities were divided into three separate technical areas for woodworking, photography and the arts and crafts.
During the Korean Conflict, the Army Crafts program utilized the personnel and shops in Japan to train soldiers to instruct crafts in Korea.
The mid-1950s saw more soldiers with cars and the need to repair their vehicles was recognized at Fort Carson, Colorado, by the craft director. Soldiers familiar with crafts shops knew that they had tools and so automotive crafts were established. By 1958, the Engineers published an Official Design Guide on Crafts Shops and Auto Crafts Shops. In 1959, the first All Army Art Contest was held. Once more, the Army Crafts Program responded to the needs of soldiers.
In the 1960’s, the war in Vietnam was a new challenge for the Army Crafts Program. The program had three levels of support; fixed facilities, mobile trailers designed as portable photo labs, and once again a “Kit Program.” The kit program originated at Headquarters, Department of Army, and it proved to be very popular with soldiers.
Tom Turner, today a well-known studio potter, was a soldier at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina in the 1960s. In the December 1990 / January 1991 “American Crafts” magazine, Turner, who had been a graduate student in art school when he was drafted, said the program was “a godsend.”
The Army Artist Program was re-initiated in cooperation with the Office of Military History to document the war in Vietnam. Soldier-artists were identified and teams were formed to draw and paint the events of this combat. Exhibitions of these soldier-artist works were produced and toured throughout the USA.
In 1970, the original name of the program, “Arts and Crafts”, was restored. In 1971, the “Arts and Crafts/Skills Development Program” was established for budget presentations and construction projects.
After the Vietnam demobilization, a new emphasis was placed on service to families and children of soldiers. To meet this new challenge in an environment of funding constraints the arts and crafts program began charging fees for classes. More part-time personnel were used to teach formal classes. Additionally, a need for more technical-vocational skills training for military personnel was met by close coordination with Army Education Programs. Army arts and crafts directors worked with soldiers during “Project Transition” to develop soldier skills for new careers in the public sector.
The main challenge in the 1980s and 90s was, and is, to become “self-sustaining.” Directors have been forced to find more ways to generate increased revenue to help defray the loss of appropriated funds and to cover the non-appropriated funds expenses of the program. Programs have added and increased emphasis on services such as, picture framing, gallery sales, engraving and trophy sales, etc… New programs such as multi-media computer graphics appeal to customers of the 1990’s.
The Gulf War presented the Army with some familiar challenges such as personnel off duty time in staging areas. Department of Army volunteer civilian recreation specialists were sent to Saudi Arabia in January, 1991, to organize recreation programs. Arts and crafts supplies were sent to the theater. An Army Humor Cartoon Contest was conducted for the soldiers in the Gulf, and arts and crafts programs were set up to meet soldier interests.
The increased operations tempo of the ‘90’s Army has once again placed emphasis on meeting the “recreation needs of deployed soldiers.” Arts and crafts activities and a variety of programs are assets commanders must have to meet the deployment challenges of these very different scenarios.
The Army arts and crafts program, no matter what it has been titled, has made some unique contributions for the military and our society in general. Army arts and crafts does not fit the narrow definition of drawing and painting or making ceramics, but the much larger sense of arts and crafts. It is painting and drawing. It also encompasses:
* all forms of design. (fabric, clothes, household appliances, dishes, vases, houses, automobiles, landscapes, computers, copy machines, desks, industrial machines, weapon systems, air crafts, roads, etc…)
* applied technology (photography, graphics, woodworking, sculpture, metal smithing, weaving and textiles, sewing, advertising, enameling, stained glass, pottery, charts, graphs, visual aides and even formats for correspondence…)
* a way of making learning fun, practical and meaningful (through the process of designing and making an object the creator must decide which materials and techniques to use, thereby engaging in creative problem solving and discovery) skills taught have military applications.
* a way to acquire quality items and save money by doing-it-yourself (making furniture, gifts, repairing things …).
* a way to pursue college credit, through on post classes.
* a universal and non-verbal language (a picture is worth a thousand words).
* food for the human psyche, an element of morale that allows for individual expression (freedom).
* the celebration of human spirit and excellence (our highest form of public recognition is through a dedicated monument).
* physical and mental therapy (motor skill development, stress reduction, etc…).
* an activity that promotes self-reliance and self-esteem.
* the record of mankind, and in this case, of the Army.
What would the world be like today if this generally unknown program had not existed? To quantitatively state the overall impact of this program on the world is impossible. Millions of soldier citizens have been directly and indirectly exposed to arts and crafts because this program existed. One activity, photography can provide a clue to its impact. Soldiers encouraged to take pictures, beginning with WW II, have shared those images with family and friends. Classes in “How to Use a Camera” to “How to Develop Film and Print Pictures” were instrumental in soldiers seeing the results of using quality equipment. A good camera and lens could make a big difference in the quality of the print. They bought the top of the line equipment. When they were discharged from the Army or home on leave this new equipment was showed to the family and friends. Without this encouragement and exposure to photography many would not have recorded their personal experiences or known the difference quality equipment could make. Families and friends would not have had the opportunity to “see” the environment their soldier was living in without these photos. Germany, Italy, Korea, Japan, Panama, etc… were far away places that most had not visited.
As the twenty first century approaches, the predictions for an arts renaissance by Megatrends 2000 seem realistic based on the Army Arts and Crafts Program practical experience. In the April ‘95 issue of “American Demographics” magazine, an article titled “Generation X” fully supports that this is indeed the case today. Television and computers have greatly contributed to “Generation X” being more interested in the visual arts and crafts.
Connect with us:
www.Facebook.com/FamilyMWR
www.Twitter.com/FamilyMWR
www.YouTube.com/FamilyMWR

Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) September 27, 2006

Network Marketing/MLM is best suited for those who are experienced salespeople and can handle rejection. Ninety-eight per cent of the population wants nothing to do with sales. Most who do venture into an MLM company only to have a few people tell them NO, their confidence drops to zero, and they eventually quit. In order to make any money and even recoup their initial investment, they must sponsor a lot of people. They must then keep them in their group, hoping they will sponsor others. It’s a never ending battle. The average recruit only sponsors 2 ½ people. Don’t know who that ½ person would be, but that’s the statistic.

What are they first told to do by their sponsor? Make a list of family, friends and acquaintances. When they have exhausted that and try again, they quickly become a member of the NFL, not National Football League, but no friends left. Then what do they do? Most people give it up. The truth is most family members and friends don’t want to see them succeed. They are broke and only want to watch TV. They certainly don’t want to see anyone else they know get ahead of them.

So what is the solution?

There is a business model that is ideal for everyone. It is called Wealth System for Dummies, better known as the 1 Step System, says John Karstetter of www.whoisjohnkarstetter.com fame.

The product…Ultimate Marketers Toolbox. It contains a wealth of information and software for any business owner to increases their sales or services. In addition one can earn residual income generated by 1 Step System. That’s a dual stream of income to sweeten the pot.

This is a proven turnkey system. 1 Step System requires absolutely: NO Selling, NO Phone Calls, NO Presenting, NO Closing. And best of all, they experience NO Rejection. 1 Step does it all. It is completely automated. Aristotle Onasis said it best, “You are not truly wealthy until you are making money in your sleep.” 1 Step System works 24/7.

Simply direct people to the free 37-minute teleseminar and 1 Step System does the rest. The more people on the call the more success for a 1 Step System owner.

All responses are automatically qualified, eliminating all but serious buyers. 1 Step System generates and closes the sale, and will email the system owner when the sale is made. There is a requirement however. One must deposit each 0 commission into their bank account themself.

Know someone who has been fired, excuse me downsized? A stay at home mom or dad needing extra income? A single parent? Know someone who has lost most or all of their retirement nest egg from corporate scandals? I know someone who was just about to retire at Enron, his expected comfortable retirement, all gone. If you ask John Karstetter, “1 Step System totally levels the playing field for anyone desiring the financial stability and security they deserve. The American Dream is still very much alive and well.” 1 Step and you are on your way.

John Karstetter began his successful sales and marketing career in the corporate world more than 30 years ago. Since 1994, he worked in direct sales with an international company building sales groups. He co-authored Nutrition Guidelines, a best selling book in that company with the late Lloyd McCullough noted Herbalist/National Nutritional Speaker. Mr. Karstetter is based in Olathe, Kansas and is again building marketing groups and teaching people how to realize their true potential. He may be reached at 913-440-9780. and at http://www.whoisjohnkarstetter.com

###

Question by jimrich: How’s your relationship skills and self esteem?
Every thought that most if not all your relationship trouble comes from your own bad self esteem/worth and a sever lack of good relationship skills? Ever wondered if all your problems and the ones you are causing your kids could be easily fixed?
Well if you ever want to fix things….just…..google relationship tips and self esteem…….your kids will love you for finally bringing happiness back into their lives.

Best answer:

Answer by ?
lol! Sever? OK, I think you meant severe!

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Check out these children confidence images:

The Walter Collins Case


Image by angus mcdiarmid
When this photograph was originally published in 1928, everyone assumed that it showed the reunion of a mother with her son, who’d been abducted from his home four months previously. In fact, the boy in the picture knows full well that he isn’t her son, and the woman is pretty sure that he isn’t. Not that anyone’s going to believe her when she says so.

"Changeling", directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the story of the woman’s attempts to make people believe that that boy isn’t who he says he is. I saw it at the cinema on Saturday, and enjoyed it much more than most of the critics seem to have done. I might have been particularly predisposed to like it because it’s based on the sort of weird crime story that I always come across in the old 1930s newspapers that I go through when I’m looking for stories for the Unsung Joe.

Best not read any further if you want to go and see the film soon, mind. SPOILERS, as they say.

When I got home, I looked up some old news stories on the case (after first checking out the Wikipedia Wineville chicken coop murders article, of course), and found a good one from near the end of 1928, which was after most of the main developments in the case had unravelled, but before anyone had a clue what had really happened.

I’ve pasted the article below. If you’ve seen the film, it’s interesting to note the different slants that the article and the film put on the same story — for instance, for some reason, the article goes really big on the dog aspect, which is entirely missing from the film (much to the film’s benefit!) and doesn’t place nearly as much emphasis on the "murder farm" part of the story as the film does. But it’s an interesting piece even if you haven’t seen the film, especially if you bear in mind that there really was no reason why anyone should have been at all certain that the boy was this woman’s son, and an enormous amount of evidence that proved that he obviously wasn’t.

——————————————————————————————-

USED A DOG TO SOLVE THE ‘MYSTERY BOY’ ENIGMA
How ‘Walter’ Fooled the Psychologists, the Police, a Dog and Even His ‘Mother’ — and Then Told!

WHAT has happened to Walter Collins, ten-year-old Los Angeles lad who was kidnapped five months ago? Is he dead, the victim of some fiend’s fury, tortured, perhaps, in revenge for actual or fancied wrongs in the darksome shadows of Folsom Penitentiary? Or is he alive, mocking the efforts of experts to establish his identity, and secure behind the impenetrable mask of a talented child actor?

This strange enigma, which confronts Los Angeles authorities, constitutes one of the most involved and baffling juvenile cases on record. The drama is furnished by a child undeniably-keen and gifted, and the plot is being worked out against the colorful background furnished by a "murder farm" where at least four boys have met death, smoldering prison feuds, and the mysterious actions of a band of abductors.

Walter Collins, happy lad of ten Summers, disappeared something over five months ago. So far as his mother, Mrs. Christine Collins knew, he was playing near their Los Angeles home. As darkness settled and he did not return she became apprehensive. Then, after a few hours of tense waiting, she reported his disappearance to police.

A nationwide search was made, but there was no clue to Walter’s whereabouts. Finally he was given up for lost, and his mother mourned her son as dead. Then, a few weeks ago, a lad appeared in Los Angeles and said he was Walter.Collins. He was in charge of police officials and here is the story they told:

"Walter" had been turned over to them by the police of Illinois. When Mrs. Collins’ son was reported missing his picture was printed on circulars and these were widely distributed over the country. The Illinois officers said they recognized "Walter" from one of these pictures.

It was a strange case, the Illinois officers said, for the lad at first had denied his identity. Then, after long and patient questioning, he had confessed that he was "Walter Collins" and had seemed anxious to return to his "mother" in Los Angeles.

But Mrs. Collins’ joy at the restoration of her "son" was tempered with apprehension. "Yes," ‘she said, "he looks like Walter. And in some ways he acts like my son. But still I’m not certain about it. You see. Walter was quiet and well behaved. He always called me ‘mother.’ This child calls me ‘ma,’ and at times he is hard to handle. I certainly hope he is my son—but somehow I can’t bring myself to believe it"

Then the experts raised their eyebrows in surprise. For it is a very unusual-thing for a mother not to know her own child. So far as they were concerned there was no doubt of "Walter’s" identity. And they based their belief upon seemingly convincing evidence.

When "Walter" was brought to Los Angeles it was apparent that his memory had been affected by his five months with the kidnapers. He did act a bit strange, the psychologists and police officials agreed, so they planned and executed an elaborate series of tests to prove that the boy really was Walter Collins.

First, the lad was asked to take a man to the house where he used to live. He "remembered" the man, and to the satisfaction of the authorities, he led his companion straight to Mrs. Collins’ front porch nor would he be thrown off the track by suggestions of other routes.

Next "Walter" was taken into the homes’ of several friends and asked to identify pieces of furniture with which the kidnaped child had been familiar. He met this test readily, remarking that one "former playmate"’ had a new cabinet for his radio, and identifying some sketches on the living room wall of another. But. In contrast to this, he failed to remember the names of many of the boys with whom the Collins boy had played, and in some instances his "memory" failed him entirely.

The experts were convinced however. "He is your son," they told Mrs. Collins. "Evidently his abductors told him that he was to forget all about his life prior to his kidnaping, and undoubtedly they threatened him with physical violence. Under such circumstances it is thoroughly possible that the child would forget many obvious connections of memory, but just the same we are sure he is Walter Collins."

Still Mrs. Collins was not convinced and at last a new test was devised. Walter Collins’ closest companion and dearest friend was “Tiny,” a small black spaniel. Men’s judgment might err, the experts conceded, but the dog would recognize his playmate of six months before. So they agreed that “Tiny” should decide.

Again the opinion of the experts was vindicated. No sooner did "Tiny" see "Walter" than he rushed to him, licked his hands, and evidenced every sign of affection. "That proves it," said the experts—and this time Mrs. Collins was forced to agree.

“Yes,” she said, "I suppose it does. I suppose he is Walter, after all—but I can’t seem to rid myself of this lurking fear that the boy is not my son." She was advised, by the psychologists to take objective measures to free herself from this haunting suspicion, and she joined with them in planning to send "Walter" to camp, where he might start life anew and forget his chaotic past.

For a week or so everything was considered satisfactorily settled. The psychologists spent many hours going over their notes on the strange case. “Walter” had been very reluctant to tell about his "abduction." He furnished only meagre details. He was playing; he said, when a man told him that his mother wanted him to have new clothes. The man would buy them, said "Walter," so he went alone with the stranger.

Then he told fragmentary stories of how he wandered about the country, living a hobo existence — how his captors tried to make him steal and how he refused; and finally how they abandoned him. He got work on a farm, he said, and that was where the Illinois authorities found him. His story, however, was very hazy on all important points.

The experts had little trouble in finding a motive for the kidnapping: Walter’s father is in Folsom Penitentiary, where he is serving a long term. He is a "straw boss." Placed over a group, of other convicts, and most of them are degenerates. Several of them have been released since Walter’s father entered the prison, and two men in particular recently were freed. The authorities surmised that Walter was kidnaped in revenge for some actual or fancied wrongs in the prison, and they expressed the opinion that he would return to normalcy if given an opportunity to find new friendships and "establish confidence" in someone.

And then, the other day, like a bolt from the blue, came new revelations. Police had uncovered traces of a "murder farm" in another part of California. They were. Looking for a woman and her son, believed implicated in the murder of four boys, and they picked up a boy who gave the name of "Clark" and told of having been held at the farm, and then of escaping.

Could “Clark” identify any of the "murder farm" victims? He could — and he told of two of the boys. One was "Walter Collins," he said.

"But," police objected, "Walter Collins has returned home. He is back with his mother, and has told all about his abduction. Surely Walter Collins couldn’t have been a ‘murder farm victim.’”

But young Clark was adamant, so a new check-up was started, and it was then that the police, the psychologists and even “Tiny” got the shock of their lives. The returned “Walter” was closely questioned — and finally he broke down. “No, I am not Walter Collins,” he said. “I was only playing that I was!”

The authorities were astounded. They hardly could believe their ears for they had been thoroughly convinced of “Walter’s” identity. “But,” objected the psychologists, “this boy must be Walter Collins. Didn’t he lead a man to his home? Didn’t he recognize furniture, in the homes of his friends? Didn’t he pass all of our intricate tests — and, finally, didn’t the dog recognize him?"

"That may be," replied Mrs Collins, "but I felt all along that this child was not my son, and believe his confession. He is not my Walter.”

The examination proceeded, and the deeper the experts delved into the strange case the more mystified they became. Finally they have, been forced to give up in bewilderment. Who and where, is Walter Collins? No one seems able to answer.

The boy from the Illinois farm said he was Walter Collins, and he “proved” it to the satisfaction of the authorities. Now he says he is not Walter Collins, and his new story is so plausible that the authorities have been forced to agree that it sounds true. He does not even know his own name, he says, and he simply posed as the Collins boy because he was tired of working on the farm.

Meanwhile, the Clark boy sticks to his story that Walter Collins was a victim of brutal murder at the “murder, farm”, and plice are making every effort to identify the identity of remains found at the farm.

Two of the most, remarkable things in connection with the case are the certainty with which the authorities accepted the testimony of Tiny as final against the doubt of the mother, and the way psychologists, after trying every scientific test known to man, finally relied on the age-old test of whether the dog would recognise the boy or not.

There was seemingly good foundation for the dog test. The ability of dogs to recognize their masters has been an acknowledged fact for some thousands of years.

In relating the story of Ulysses’s return home from his wanderings in disguise as a beggar, the poer Homer narrated how the dogs were undeceived by the warrior’s tatters. They came and licked his hands and jumped all over him in gladness at his return.

There have been many instances in the courts of the United States where disputes have arisen over the ownership of dogs and have been decided by letting each of the claimants call the animals involved and declaring the owners to be the ones to which the dogs responded most enthusiastically.

So the people of Los Angeles were quite contented in their almost unanimous opinion that the real Walter had returned.

What really happened to Walter Collins may possibly never be known, but authorities agree that his strange case has contributed much in the annals of psychological knowledge. The specialists vindicate themselves in very plausible fashion. The admit that empirical reasoning must be applied in the realm of psychology: deductions must be based on past experiences.

“For example”, they say, “at first, the logical solution to the affair seemed to lie in the fact that the returned boy, whom we assumed to be the missing Walter had closed aisles of memory, as we say in the profession. This seemed to be borne out when the murder farm story came to light. We believed that Walter had been on that farm and that the events there had been responsible.

“His brain was tangled, so we thought, and that would easily explain the “closed aisles of memory.” The history of psychology is filled with similar examples.

“When the lad returned to his ‘home,’ he found his ‘mother’ acting strangely toward him. Of course, this is explained now, and Mrs Collins’ conduct is entirely justified, but certainly it appeared at first that his more or less cold welcome had served only to increase the cloudiness which enveloped his brain. We believed that his condition actually was intensified by the circumstances of his return and we were ready to accept many discrepancies in his story. We expected them as the natural result of his experience and his cool reception upon his return.”

Thus the “mystery boy” has furnished Los Angeles experts with the most baffling enigma they have faced for years. He convinced them that he was one person, and now he has convinced them that he is someone else. What next? Certainly the police can’t answer that question. They only fear that “Walter” will again change his story and if he does, they’re afraid that he’ll be able to convince them that he is a third person! And that would be an awful mess, everybody agrees.

By Marjorie Driscoll
© Newspaper Feature Services, 1928

————————————————————————————————-

The LA Times has a recent account of the story, which should fill in all the blanks, but which you definitely don’t want to read if you’re going to see the film. SPOILERS, I say.

My Wish For You This Day


Image by drp
My wish for you this day would be…

The comfort of family and friends.
The laughter and innocence of children.
The warmth of belonging to something greater than your self.
The healing power of grace and forgiveness.
The peace of a mind freed from worrying thought.
The strength of a spirit emboldened by faith.
The passionate work to achieve all goals.
The confidence to conquer every doubt.
The happiness born of unconditional love.
The hope to see the world with new eyes.
The promise of a tomorrow better than today.
The wish that each dream forged in your heart comes true.

[ + ]

I’m reinstating a practice I feel is very important.
Those of you who have known me for a while will remember this:

As a way of returning the extraordinary generosity and support
you have all shown me in this great community, whenever I upload
a new pic or series of shots this year, I’ll provide a link to another
flickr photographer whose work, personality, or spirit I feel you
should discover.

Visit and introduce yourself. Make a friend. Share the love.

Open your eyes to Karsenika today.

My Life List. Repost.


Image by Globetoppers
LIFE LIST:
1) Thank GOD Daily.
2) Every morning, think of one thing that will make me smile.
3) Love as many animals as possible
4) Hug Trevor Daily. Many Times.
5) Keep appointments
6) Be on time.
7) Be Trustworthy
8) Keep in Touch
9) Don’t feel guilty for wanting to be alone
10) Spend time alone
11) Laugh Often
12) Hold an Orangutan
13) Visit CoCo!
14) See Halle Berry In a Globetopper.
15) Meet OPRAH
16) Go To Africa
17) Cultivate Peace
18) Don’t Yell
19) Visit the Ocean more
20) Get a pool and swim daily
21) TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL
22) Feel Passionate
23) Follow My Passion
24) Play.
25) Dance.
26) Play Guitar more
27) Learn Spanish fluently
28) Learn Italian
29) Rent a house on Fire Island
30) See "The View" Live
31) Rent a Villa In Tuscany
32) Think Positve
33) Breathe Deeply.
34) Speak slower
35) Really listen
36) Read
37) Craft
38) Tell Friends often how important they are to me.
39) FINISH NOVEL
40) Sell on EBAY
41) Organize Flickr Photos
42) Allow others to see their Flame.
43) Change a Child’s Life.
44) Bring out the Best in others.
45) Don’t Worry. Silliest emotion.
46) Believe
47) Keep the Faith.
48) Exercise this 50 year old body!
49) Put Family Videos Onto DVD’S!
50) Kiss Pooter Daily
51) Build Home Extension
52) Help Build a Habitat Home
53) Do Meals On Wheels Every Summer
54) Write more poetry
55) More DEcoupage
56) BEAD BEAD BEAD
57) Go Camping AGAIN!
58) Go Skiing Again!
59) Look People in the Eye
60) Sit Up Straight
61) Moisturize
62) Hydrate Often
63) Swim With the Dolphins again…
64) Get Out Of Debt
65) Save Money
66) Recognize the Gift
67) Learn ASL
68) Take Joy In Life
69) MORE SEX
70) Do Good Work
71) Share what I know.
72) Play piano more
73) Say something nice to myself in the mirror daily.
74) Have someone who will be there for me
75) Donate Hair for women needing wigs
76) Do Not Harbor Negativity.
77) ACCEPT
78) TRANSCEND
79) Notice the Stars Everyday
80) Do a Jigsaw Puzzle
81) Paint by Numbers
82) SEND in Children’s Pelican Book
83) Learn Tai Chai or other Martial Arts
84) Be Still
85) Be in the moment
86) Say "I’m sorry" if I mean it and not say it if I don’t.
87)Tell the TRUTH
88) SEEK Truth
89) Commune with Nature Daily
90) Do a mosaic with tile
91) Organize Sort Scan Discard slides photos in boxes
92) Today, Make a difference in someone’s life.
93) Hug/ Connect with Ellen DeGeneres!
94) Project Confidence Clarity Coherence
95) Write continually
96) See the absurdity of my own mortality and Laugh.
97) Share Light
98) Thank my Body
99) SING LOUDLY
100) Get A House with a LOT of land
101) NYC— YEARLY
102) Go OUT to the movies more
103) Continue to speak to the Angels

Here’s the Travel List:
Vancouver
Tuscany
Florence
Africa
Kyoto
Ireland/ English countryside
Switzerland
Tetons (Wyoming)
Greece
New Brunswick
Madagascar
New Zealand
TIBET
St. John/ Virgin Islands with Rob this time
104)

‘Super Size Me’ viewing at ASU West
The documentary “Super Size Me” is the main feature next week at Think – Thursdays in Kiva Film and Speaker Series at Arizona State University’s West campus.
Read more on The Arizona Republic

Artistic Signs of Fairfield NJ has been producing High Quality Signage and Graphics since 1989! Our commitment to high quality design and execution have vaulted us to the top of the sign industry. Our years of experience, reputation, and recognition have instilled great confidence in our clients and hopefully future ones. * Truck Lettering * Banners * Large Format Digital Printing * Custom Graphics * Window & Wall Lettering * Perforated Window Graphics * Corporate Identity * Logo Door Mats * Printed Tote Bags * Vehicle Full & Half Wraps * Magnetic Signs * Business Cards & Printing * Logo Design * Trade Show Displays * Custom Decals Lables and Short Runs * Fundraising Boosters and Much More …. Artistic Signs LLC. 122 Clinton Rd. Fairfield, NJ 07004 973-575-0082 office 973-575-7136 fax

Rocklin, CA (Vocus) March 18, 2010

Graffeeti Inc., the kids footwear maker known for its Remarkable® kids shoes and backpacks, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company a patent for the write-on/wipe-off technology used in its shoe and backpack products. Unique in footwear for pioneering the integration of dry erase style write-on/wipe-off panels, Graffeeti is now prepared to expand its unique market position as the only kids shoe line that can offer boys and girls the fun and expressive ability to write, doodle and draw on the shoes over and over again.

The issuing of this patent comes at a critical time for the company as it continues to expand Graffeeti’s product offerings and market presence both domestically and internationally.

“This patent really comes at an ideal moment for Graffeeti,” commented Steven V. Rubin who recently moved from his post as VP of Sales & Marketing to president of Graffeeti, Inc. “It’s a fantastic confidence builder and one of many positive strides forward that we have made this year including the extension of our endorsement contract with rising teen star Booboo Stewart. This patent is just one more positive sign that our stars are aligning for 2010 and beyond.”

The multi-talented Booboo Stewart, who recently secured the role of Seth Clearwater in the upcoming feature film ”The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” will continue to be an important and creative ambassador of the Graffeeti brand and a featured endorser of the signature Booboo Stewart Graffeeti shoe. Graffeeti’s patent will protect the company’s market position as it surely grows with Boo boo’s celebrity in 2010.

About Graffeeti

Based in Rocklin, CA, Graffeeti Inc. introduced its first Re-Markable® shoes in 2007 to enthusiastic industry and media acclaim. The novel integration of dry-erase panels into sneakers, shoes, sandals, backpacks, and soon apparel and consumer products allows kids to get creative and let their unique personalities shine through. Because they are dry-eraseable, kids, tweens and teens can write, draw, erase and rewrite with the five colored Graffeeti pens (included with every Graffeeti product). Currently, Graffeeti offers eight styles in its Anthem kid’s sneaker collection and the Graffeeti Re-Markable® backpack in five colors.

For more information about Graffeeti Inc. please contact Lee Everett at LaunchPad PR graffeeti(at)launchpadpr(dot)com or 310 397-4321. Also see www.graffeeti.com for more information about Graffeeti, their products and charitable missions.

###

Question by David: How do I become more confident, I am so afraid of saying something silly or having nothing to say at all?
I know that practice is the key. But how do I practice? Where can I go? I don’t like drinking, so a bar is not an option, and I would like to learn to be more confident sober anyway.

I am just SOOOOO afraid of saying dumb things or saying nothing at all and th conversation going dead. I get so nervous.
HELP!!!!

Does anyone know if confidence classes exist, anywhere in the uk?

Best answer:

Answer by Hopefully Helpful
Start very small. Ask people questions about themselves.
People like to talk about themselves. Be a good listener so you can ask questions that the person would enjoy answering.
Share what you are interested in with people.
“I like to play…..” I enjoy going to…..”
“I saw this great movie last night.”
Little by little you will become more comfortable making small talk. There are also many books on building confidence and self esteem in the Psychology section of book stores.
Good Luck.

What do you think? Answer below!