Nowadays democracy is considered to be one of the best solutions of the problem of inequality, oppression, deprivation and many others. However, it is an idealized view on democracy as it also has certain disadvantages. Many specialist and non-specialists as well realize that democracy is not perfect and it is necessary to look for the ways to improve it. Some experts name the existence of interest groups as one of the demerits of democracy and they do not appreciate the desirability of certain forces both political and economic to develop such an institute within a democratic state.

Obviously, it is quite a reasonable position but it seems not less idealistic as belief in an ideal democracy and equality for all members of the society. As long as human society endures there exist inequality and as long as inequality exist there remains and will remain the conflict of interests that stimulates the creation of interest groups which are now amply criticized. In order to understand whether interest groups are a positive or negative phenomenon it is necessary to analyze them from both controversial positions.

First of all, speaking about positive aspects of interest groups, the most important thing they provide is the effectiveness of their work. It is quite natural that a group of people of organizations united by one common idea or interest will work much more effectively then if they attempted to achieve certain results separately. It also contributes to better presentation of different interests in public, for instance in the parliament, or mass media. Interest groups may also unite its members making each of them stronger due to the mutual help. Thus, being a member of a certain interest group seems to be not a bad deal.

However, it is not exactly so. Firstly, it is necessary to underline that even though interest groups may protect interests of its members, provide the mutual help they still do not produce a positive impact on the society at large. It can hardly be argued that the whole society, being divided by the conflict of interests, becomes more and more shady structure the stronger groups interests are within this society because each of this group protects its own interests even though it may contradict to the interests of the whole society. This statement practically doesn’t need any evidences because it is enough to have a look at any rogue, undemocratic regime where a group, elite controls all aspects of life. At this respect, democratic countries do not have any guarantee that the same situation is impossible for them. It is obvious that the competition between interest groups in politic or economy, for instance, creates a political and financial instability and its level depends to what extent competitive interest groups are strong.

Thus, it is obvious that interest groups even in the most democratic countries in the world are not desirable. Despite their ability to unite certain parts of the society they destroy its solid structure and engender instability. At the same time, human society cannot exist without interest groups and that is why it is necessary to work on the creation of a form of popular government, as suggested Madison, that could smooth relations and conflicts between different interest groups within the society.

As we travel along lifes' roadways we learn much about life. Yet, the question of independence verses dependence is quite perplexing. Many great philosophers are still trying to figure that one out. The big question is: If interdependence is our goal, what is the most efficient way to get there?

We are all born dependent on our parents and others who surround our simple yet needy life. We depend on parents for the basic necessities of life. Yes, we must depend on them for food, shelter, and clothing. While these basic needs certainly would put young children in the dependent category, there are many other social needs that keep a child dependent. Children are dependent on their parents, friends, and peers for that crucial need that we call acceptance.

While food, clothing, and shelter are our basic needs, it is obvious to me that our mental health and social well being also require nurturing. It is my basic belief that children must have the approval and acceptance of others in order to be socially and mentally healthy. I also believe that as we mature and grow socially, that need to be accepted and approved continues.

So, if the desired goal in life for true happiness and efficiency is interdependence, how do we become interdependent?

We must first put out of our mind the notion that many philosophers have ingrained in our psyche. Many great thinkers feel that dependence is weakness and that independence is strength. I say that if your goal is interdependency, then you must first master dependency.

Why do we want to be interdependent? The interdependent community has the ability to achieve more and be much more efficient than the independent employee. The old expression that one plus one equals three, can only be achieved through interdependency. No matter what you are trying to achieve, efficiency is of up-most importance. Three employees working together interdependently can and will achieve their goals quicker and more productively than they will independently.

My argument with many philosophers is simple. Since interdependence is what we are thriving to achieve... dependency is much more valuable than independence. I say this because of the obvious. Dependency is part of interdependency. If you are a dependent person that relies on others then you are half way there!

In fact the independent person will actually have difficulty making the transition. The independent worker is so used to working by them self that they will have to learn how to depend on someone else. The independent worker is so used to having their own way in everything that they will be socially inept when it comes to compromise.

Let's make this real by giving an example. We all know that factory workers can not do every job in a factory. If it is within the automobile industry we need workers that are dependent on each other for the final outcome. We need people on the assembly line that can put the parts together. We need people who can primer and paint. We need many workers depending on co-workers to get a quality product. Is anyone really working independently? I do not think so. Furthermore I think that to do so would be counterproductive.

To understand a kind of people the most important thing to study is their literature, and art. In case of India, the cultures that have developed are not one but many. The subcontinent has been a rich base for the cultivation of an even richer set of cultures, which have been influenced by different settlers of over thousands of years. The multitude of languages spoken and the mix of religions present have further enriched the land and its people. This paper in particular focuses on the visual arts and architecture in relation to their influence on Indian music.

Indian art is highly symbolic. The much-developed ritual-religious symbolism presupposes the existence of a spiritual reality that, being in constant touch with phenomenal reality, may make its presence and influence felt and can also be approached through the symbols that belong to both spheres. The art and architecture produced on the Indian subcontinent dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Therefore from that alone it can be determined as to how culturally influenced it must have been. To Western eyes, Indian art can appear strikingly ornate, exaggeratedly sensuous, and voluptuous. A strong sense of design is also characteristic of Indian art and can be observed in its modern as well as in its traditional forms.

Indian art is religious inasmuch as it is largely dedicated to the service of one of several great religions. It may be didactic or edificatory as is the relief sculpture of the two centuries before and after Christ; or, by representing the divinity in symbolic form (whether architectural or figural), its purpose may be to induce contemplation and thereby put the worshipper in communication with the divine. Not all Indian art, however, is purely religious, and some of it is only nominally so. There were periods when humanistic currents flowed strongly under the guise of edificatory or contemplative imagery, the art inspired by and delighting in the life of this world.

Although Indian art is religious, there is no such thing as a sectarian Hindu or Buddhist art, for style is a function of time and place and not of religion. Thus it is not strictly correct to speak of Hindu or Buddhist art, but, rather, of Indian art that happens to render Hindu or Buddhist themes. For example, an image of Vishnu and an image of Buddha of the same period are stylistically the same, religion having little to do with the mode of artistic expression. Nor should this be surprising in view of the fact that the artists belonged to nondenominational guilds, ready to lend their services to any patron, whether Hindu, Buddhist, or Jaina.

The religious nature of Indian art accounts to some extent for its essentially symbolic and abstract nature. It scrupulously avoids illusionistic effects, evoked by imitation of the physical and ephemeral world of the senses; instead, objects are made in imitation of ideal, divine prototypes, whose source is the inner world of the mind. This attitude may account for the relative absence of portraiture and for the fact that, even when it is attempted, the emphasis is on the ideal person behind the human lineaments rather than on the physical likeness.

To be properly understood, the art of India must be placed in the ideological, aesthetic, and religious framework of Indian civilization. This framework was formed as early as the 1st century BC and has shown a remarkable continuity through the ages. The Hindu-Buddhist-Jain view of the world is largely concerned with the resolution of the central paradox of all existence, which is that change and perfection, time and eternity, immanence and transcendence, operate dichotomously and integrally as parts of a single process. In such a situation creation cannot be separated from the creator, and time can be comprehended only as eternity. This conceptual view, when expressed in art, divides the universe of aesthetic experience into three distinct, although interrelated, elements—the senses, the emotions, and the spirit. These elements dictate the norms for architecture as an instrument of enclosing and transforming space and for sculpture in its volume, plasticity, modeling, composition, and aesthetic values. Instead of depicting the dichotomy between the flesh and the spirit, Indian art, through a deliberate sensuousness and voluptuousness, uses one with the other through a complex symbolism that, for example, attempts to transform the fleshiness of a feminine form into a perennial mystery of sex and creativity, wherein the momentary spouse stands revealed as the eternal mother.

The Indian artist deftly uses certain primeval motifs, such as the feminine figure, the tree, water, the lion, and the elephant. In a given composition, although the result is sometimes conceptually unsettling, the qualities of sensuous vitality, earthiness, muscular energy, and rhythmic movement remain unmistakable.

The form of the Hindu temple; the contours of the bodies of the Hindu gods and goddesses; and the light, shade, composition, and volume in Indian painting are all used to glorify the mystery that resolves the conflict between life and death, time and eternity.

The arts of India expressed in architecture, sculpture, painting, jewelers, pottery, metalwork, and textiles, were spread throughout the Far East with the diffusion of Buddhism and Hinduism and exercised a strong influence on the arts of China, Japan, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, and Java. These two religions with their various offshoots were dominant in India until Islam became powerful from the 13th to the 18th century. With Islam, which forbids the representation of the human figure in religious contexts, geometrical patterns became the most common form of decoration in art and architecture created under India’s Muslim rulers, especially the Mughals.

The earliest surviving Indian architecture consists of brick buildings. While early wooden structures have generally not survived, later stone buildings, built in a similar style, are known. The oldest traces of architecture in India are the vestiges of buildings of burnt brick found at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa (now in Pakistan), dating from about 2500-1750 BC. The subsequent Vedic period, which precedes the beginning of historical styles, is represented by burial mounds at Lauriya Nandangarh, in Bihâr State, and rock-cut tombs in Malabar, Kerala State.

The establishment of historical styles began about 250 BC in the time of the Indian king Ashoka, who gave imperial patronage to Buddhism. Accordingly, the monuments of this time were built for Buddhist purposes. A characteristic Buddhist construction was the tope, or stupa, a hemispherical or bell-shaped masonry monument, typically surrounded by a railing, and with four entrances marked by gateways, and designed as a shrine or reliquary. Buddhism waned after the 5th century as Hinduism and Jainism became dominant. The Jain and Hindu styles overlapped and produced the elaborate allover patterns carved in bands that became the distinguishing feature of Indian architecture. The Jains often built on a gigantic scale, a marked feature of their architecture being pointed domes constructed of level courses of corbelled stones.

The Hindu style is closely related to the Jain style. It is divided into three general categories: northern, from AD 600 to the present; central, from 1000 to 1300; and southern, or Dravidian, from 1350 to 1750. In all three periods the style is marked by great ornateness and the use of pyramidal roofs. Spire-like domes terminate in delicate finials. Other features include the elaborate, grand-scale gopuras, or gates, and the choultries, or ceremonial halls. The next style that remained dominant was that of the Islamic era. Islamic architecture in India dates from the 13th century to the present. Brought to India by the first Muslim conquerors, Islamic architecture soon lost its original purity and borrowed such elements from Indian architecture as courtyards surrounded by colonnades, balconies supported by brackets, and above all, decoration. Islam, on the other hand, introduced to India the dome, the true arch, geometric motifs, mosaics, and minarets. Despite fundamental conceptual differences, Indian and Islamic architecture achieved a harmonious fusion, especially in certain regional styles.

Indo-Islamic style is usually divided into three phases: the Pashtun, the Provincial, and the Mughal. Examples of the earlier Pashtun style in stone are at Ahmadabad in Gujarat State, and in brick at Gaur-Pandua in West Bengal State. These structures are closely allied to Hindu models, but are simpler and lack sculptures of human figures. The dome, the arch, and the minaret are constant features of the style. The Provincial style reflected the continued rebellion of the provinces against the imperial style of Delhi. The best example of this phase is in Gujarat, where for almost two centuries until 1572, when Emperor Akbar finally conquered the region, the dynasties that succeeded one another erected many monuments in varying styles. The most notable structures in this phase are found in the capital, Ahmadabad. The Mughal phase of the Indo-Islamic style, from the 16th to the 18th century, developed to a high degree the use of such luxurious materials as marble. The culminating example of the style is the Taj Mahal in Agra. This domed mausoleum of white marble inlaid with gemstones was built (1632-1648) by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife. It stands on a platform set off by four slender minarets and is reflected in a shallow pool.

Building in India since the 18th century has either carried on the indigenous historical forms or has been modelled after European models introduced by the British. Numerous examples of Western styles of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries may be seen in public buildings, factories, hotels, and houses. The most outstanding example of modern architecture in India is the city of Chandîgarh, the joint capital of Haryana and Punjab; the city was designed by the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier in collaboration with Indian architects. The broad layout of the city was completed in the early 1960s. Notable architectural features include the vaulted structure, topped by a huge, concrete dome, and the use of concrete grille and bright pastel colours in the Palace of Justice; the arrangement of concrete cubes topped by a concrete dome that is the Governor’s Palace; and the use of projections, recesses, stair towers, and other contrasting elements to break the monotony of the long façades of the secretariat building, which are 244 m (800 ft) long. Modern Indian architecture has incorporated Western styles, adapting them to local traditions and needs—as in the design of the railway station at Alwar, Rajasthan State.

The next most important aspect of Indian culture is Indian Music. It is an element that forms an integral part of their religion in addition to the culture. Dance in fact is an expression of that music and that too has religious importance in Hinduism. However one other important issue to consider is that the art and the architecture of the land were greatly influenced by religious beliefs and customs, as has been seen especially by the Buddhist and Islamic religions. The same is true for the music. That too was greatly influenced by religion. In fact the first forms of music were religious hymns and ballads called bhajans. They were songs sets to musical instruments such as the sitar and table and they were stories about religion and mythology.

Just as there is no such language as Indian, but instead many hundreds of languages, with over a dozen considered major, so there is no single entity as Indian music. The range of musical styles and traditions in the subcontinent of South Asia, which comprises modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, is in proportion to the vastness of the geographical area and the density of population. This is most obviously the case with folk and tribal music. Given that India is predominantly rural, it could be claimed that such categories of music are those of the majority. On the other hand, the rapid development of communications and wider access to the mass media have helped to create what is almost, despite the language differences, a pan-Indian popular music, recorded and disseminated electronically. This emanates from the Indian film industry, the largest in the world, of which the products tend to adhere to formulaic devices, including many songs and dances.

What is usually understood by the term Indian music refers to the classical tradition, based on the melodic system of raga and the rhythmic system of tala. This music is traced back thousands of years to the vedic chants of the early Hindu settlers, though it has reached its present form in the last four or five hundred years. Its development over almost the last two thousand years has been documented in a series of theoretical treatises, mostly written in Sanskrit, which enhance its status, whether they elucidate or obscure its actual practices. The word commonly found in Sanskrit for music is sangit, which denotes the primacy of vocal music, with instrumental music largely derived from it, and dance as a further integral element. Although it is not expected that musicians will be dancers, it is still vital that dancers be musicians. Muslim invasions and the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century and the Mughal Empire in the 16th century in the northern part of the subcontinent greatly contributed to a bifurcation of classical music by the 16th century into a northern tradition of Hindustani music, and a southern tradition of Carnatic music, and a gradual shift in both from religious application to a courtly entertainment. Both retain their basis in raga and tala and share many other general features, though they are sufficiently different in detail to necessitate separate training. Since independence from British rule in 1947 and the demise of the princely courts, Indian music has moved to the concert hall, the recording studio, and the world stage.

Hindustani Music is the classical tradition of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and, to some extent, Afghanistan. It also corresponds to the area of Indo-Aryan languages and the greatest concentrations of Muslims within a predominantly Hindu region. Many of its characteristics are traced back to the court poet and musician, Amir Khusrou, at the end of the 13th century. From his accounts, and from treatises by other authors, it is clear that the Indian music of that time was already highly sophisticated, and he is said to have introduced several Arabic and Persian elements. This process continued under subsequent rulers, especially the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the late 16th century, whose court boasted the legendary singer, Tansen, and the later Mughals and regional rulers in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Under their patronage music became a matter of prestige, and there was intense rivalry between courts and between the musicians themselves. Repertoires were often jealously guarded, and much of the teaching was kept strictly within the family. This helps to explain the rise of gharanas, traditions associated with different families, usually of Muslim court musicians and named after the city in which they were employed. Although gharanas are still talked about as a means of indicating a musical pedigree, they have been dying out since the demise of the courts and the advent of recordings and rapid communication, and also because of the greater mobility and independence of the musicians.

When the great theorist, Bhatkhande, collected music from court musicians in the early years of the 20th century, he found not only a huge range of compositions but also of performing styles. As part of his effort to classify Hindustani music and reconcile theory with practice, he grouped the thousands of melodic types, ragas, under ten scales, or thats. Only a fraction of the ragas in existence are in common use. The priority in Hindustani music is the maximum development of the minimum material, so a musician needs to know a few ragas in depth, rather than a large number superficially.

However the most important relation of Indian music to art is through the raga. Raga is the melodic basis of Indian classical music. Each raga has infinite possibilities of variation, and a skilful performer can extend improvised and composed material from a few minutes to well over an hour. The origin of the word, from a Sanskrit root meaning color, suggests that a raga is more than a musical idea. Its correct rendition must instill a certain mood in its listeners, creating aesthetic delight (rasa), and ragas have been associated with paintings and poetic aphorisms in the thousand or so years of their existence. Therefore the visual arts through the paintings and their rendition into architecture have influenced music through the development of the ragas. There are many and they in turn form the basis for all kinds of musical interpretations.

In the North Indian tradition of Hindustani music, ragas are also assigned to particular times of the day or night, and, in many cases, also to seasons of the year. Each raga must be distinguishable from all others, whether in the Hindustani or the southern tradition of Carnatic music.

The development of the raga will normally continue with one or more compositions, set in particular talas, or time cycles. In vocal music, which is always pre-eminent in Indian music, the main Hindustani song forms are the khyal and dhrupad, and there are several shorter forms, usually of a lighter nature, such as thumri, and tarana.Khyal, as its name suggests, has strong Muslim influences, while dhrupad, a term from Sanskrit, is older and regarded as essentially Hindu, although it developed to its present form in the Mughal courts.

Conclusively it can be said that the development of music descended for art, in the sense that the basis of Indian music the ragas, were musical expressions of the existing art, and architectural depictions of the periods and styles that they were developed in. In addition it can also be determined that Indian music is the soul of the Indian culture whose body is the art of the subcontinent.

I had a friend recently ask me why I called myself an atheist. She said, "you seem to have such a big heart." Apparently, she thought that there was something oxymoronic about a benevolent atheist. (In her defense, it turned out she thought I was a Satan worshipper, not an atheist.)

As a history buff, a news junkie, and a political activist, I certainly must acknowledge all the helpful and philanthropic accomplishments of religious people and religious institutions. One must commend what religious people and religious institutions have brought to this world - in terms of education, healthcare, nourishment, housing and unity.

Even though I acknowledge these achievements, the idea that religion could possibly have a monopoly on philanthropy shocks me in its absurdity.

I could reject the suggestion of a link between religion and philanthropy on the basis that religious people have committed great atrocities in the name of religion. However, humans have committed great atrocities in the name of many non-religious ideas as well - namely communism and nationalism. The fact of the matter is that humans commit atrocities, religious or not.

Despite that cynical point, I think it's manifestly false to say that the only reason a human would be kind is because a god or gods told the human to. Yes, mankind is far from perfectly benevolent. However, mankind is equally far from perfectly callous.

The reason I help people is not because a god told me to. The reason I help people is not because I believe such actions will get me into heaven. The reason I help people is not because I believe it is moral. I don't even believe in god, heaven, or morality.

I help people because it makes me feel happy. I believe that I am not the only person who receives this pleasure. In fact, most (if not all) of humanity takes pleasure in helping each other out.

Love may be a deep emotional connection that's hard to define, but I think it’s a secular word. Philanthropy literally means love of people. There is nothing necessarily religious about loving people. People, religious or not, love other people. Are we not all philanthropists in our own light?

I'm a cynic; don't get me wrong.

It may seem that the abundance of social conflicts between mankind are incompatible with the theory of mankind's inherent philanthropy. However, this seeming incompatibility quickly vanishes when one remembers that people often engage in self-destructive and foolish activities.

If one can accept that a person would harm themself due to their own self-destructive folly, one can equally accept that a person would harm the object of their love due to the same self-destructive folly, even if that object is all of humanity.

Legal nurse consultants apply their knowledge and understanding of medical, nursing and health-related issues to make the attorney's job easier, more efficient and more effective.

Legal nurse consultants are medical insiders who know the inner workings of our complicated healthcare system firsthand. Their professional expertise as an RN and a legal nurse consultant qualifies them to provide the following services:

Assessing Medical Records and Analyzing the Case

* Identify, locate, review and interpret relevant medical records, hospital policies and procedures, other documents and tangible items.
* Organize, tab and paginate medical records for easy reference.
* Prepare chronologies of the medical events involved in a case.
* Summarize, translate and interpret medical records.
* Identify issues of tampering with the medical records.
* Screen medical malpractice cases for merit.
* Identify, locate, summarize and interpret applicable standards of care.
* Identify adherences to and deviations from these standards.
* Identify causation issues, assess damages/injuries and identify contributing factors.
* Identify and recommend potential defendants.
* Develop written reports for the attorney's use as study tools.

Supporting the Attorney's Case

* Search and summarize medical and nursing literature and integrate results of your search into case analysis.
* Analyze the validity of research studies relied on by all parties.
* Coordinate and attend independent medical examinations.
* Help in developing life care plans.
* Expand the attorney's medical library.

Serving as the Attorney's Liaison

* Interview plaintiff and defense clients, key witnesses and experts.
* Consult with healthcare providers.
* Meet with other consultants and service providers on the attorney's behalf.

Working with Experts and Other Witnesses

* Identify types of testifying experts needed for the case.
* Find and communicate with appropriate expert witnesses for deposition and trial.
* Analyze potential experts' reports and other work product.
* Help prepare witnesses and experts for deposition and trial.
* Serve as an expert witness and testify to the nursing standard of care.

Assisting with Discovery and Preparing for Court

* Prepare questions for deposition or trial examination (direct or cross).
* Prepare interrogatories and requests for production.
* Review and draft responses to various legal documents and correspondence for the attorney's signature.
* Analyze and summarize depositions and past testimony.
* Assist with exhibit preparation and other demonstrative evidence.
* Attend courtroom proceedings when relevant.
* Coordinate and assist with facilitating focus groups and mock trials.
* Assist in resolution of cases through alternative dispute resolution, such as arbitration and mediation.

When you choose upon having a tattoo armband design, the next step is to always go and check out what's tattoo designs are out there, simply by looking at what latest styles are gracing arms everywhere.

So here are some of the three most popular armband tattoo design ideas right now:

Armband Tattoo Design One - Tribal Design

The recent resurge in public interest into these designs has meant that they are more popular now than they have ever been. Preferred typically by men, for a tattoo design, they take their influence from Celtic drawings or from art and symbols from as far away as New Zealand and North Africa.

Armband Tattoo Design Two - Half-Sleeves Design

Not really an armband design in a typical sense, half-sleeve tattoo designs are still worth a mention here (even though they would be seen as a little bit more hardcore by some).

An example of a half-sleeve design, is the picture that hip-hop artist Eminem wears on his upper right arm, of his daughter Hailie. Its a design that draws, in complete, all over your upper arm from your elbow to your shoulder, inking a full bodied painting onto your skin.

Armband Tattoo Design Three - Far-Eastern Designs

These tattoo designs are heavily influenced by Japanese art and tradition. Also Chinese symbolic lettering are always popular. Typically drawings of dragons curling around the arm, or tapered Chinese lettering spelling the name of close loved ones, give you more options for your armband design.

If you appreciate art, try searching for online art galleries on the Internet and you will be amazed at the rich and varied offerings that are available to you. The parade of art is more than just a display of great artwork. There are auction sites, listing of important art events, informative sites that narrate the history of the great artists of all time. And, of course, there's gallery after gallery of timeless and awe-inspiring paintings.

A typical art website contains thousands of art pieces, while the more popular among these sites boast of stirring masterpieces in the hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, other sites display paintings by subject matter, whether landscape, still life, figurative, impressionist or abstract. There are websites dedicated to showcasing the works of Pablo Picasso , Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh , Edgar Degas and the other great masters. Others focus on discovering the outstanding artists of today and are a God-send to young and aspiring artists everywhere because it gives them more opportunities to get that elusive first break.

With over a dozen websites dedicated to lucrative art auctions, one gets the sense that the art scene is a thriving business where millions of dollars exchange hands. And the good fortune seems to have trickled down to the artists as well. Week after week, these websites announce the latest sales by today's artists (with photos showing the beaming artist beside his work) in a seemingly endless parade. There is also room for the small and medium-sized entrepreneur in the online art world. At this end of the spectrum are the websites which charge $400-800 for a hand-painted reproduction of select art pieces at varying sizes to boot.

A notable aspect of the online art industry is that it provides artists with a dependable source of income, making the pursuit of art a more viable endeavour. Online art galleries typically commission new artists to assemble artworks for an exhibit. Payment is either in the form of an agreed-on amount or a commission of sales that the exhibit will generate. Meanwhile, established painters have an entirely different arrangement. They pay the gallery a rental fee up front and retain all proceeds of their exhibit.

A curious aspect of Rhodesiana (Rhodesian and Zimbabwean collectables) is that the most sought-after items are almost always those from the last 15 years of the country's existence, from the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965 to the nation's independence under majority rule in 1980 as Zimbabwe. During this period there were strict currency restrictions, preventing Rhodesian citizens from exporting money out of the country or from taking money with them when they emigrated - from 1975 emigrants could take with them only Rh$1000 (about US$1200) per family. A local industry grew up creating high-value souvenir items for investment - sets of military medals; sets of gold and silver medallions; UDI souvenirs made in precious metals and in limited editions. Books were invariably produced in two forms: a normal retail hardback edition, and a special collectors' edition: badged, bound in leather (in the case of Contact, by John Lovett, in elephant hide), autographed and bearing special tipped-in pages, and offered in a luxurious slip-case.

The sad truth is that, until the Internet created fresh interest in Rhodesiana, most of these investment items proved a very poor investment. Many of them now sell for barely more than their original cost, once you factor in 30 years' inflation.

However, books have consistently performed well and remain items of strong interest. My top tips for modern Rhodesian/Zimbabwean books are as follows (all prices are mid-2006):

* Contact, John Lovett, Galaxie Books, 1977. This elephant-hide-bound edition set new standards for luxurious presentation and deservedly remains popular. The Collectors' Edition was limited to just 115 individually numbered copies, of which 15 were given to the Rhodesian National Archives, politicians and senior servicemen, and 100 offered for sale. The volume comes in a silk-lined slipcase and is handsomely bound in Rhodesian elephant hide, with heavy, polished brass title plate and edgings, and a high-relief badge of the coat of arms of Rhodesia, struck in brass, on the outer front cover. The Collectors' Edition is identical to the normal 1977 first edition except for two additional pages bound in, and protected with tissue paper covers. The first page bears an explanatory note and the Galaxie imprimatur, and certifies the copy number. The second page bears the original autographs of ten prominent Rhodesians:

John Wrathall, President of Rhodesia
Ian Douglas Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia
Clifford Dupont, the first President of Rhodesia
B. H. 'Jack' Mussett, Minister of Internal Affairs
Roger Hawkins, Minister of Combined Operations
Lt Gen Peter Walls, Commander, Combined Operations
Air Marshal M. J. 'Mick' McLaren, Deputy Commander, Combined Operations
P. Sherren, Commissioner of the BSAP
Lt Gen John Hickman, Commander of the Army
Air Marshal F. W. Mussell, Commander of the Air Force

Normal copies of Contact sell typically for between £50 and £80. The Collectors' Edition can change hands for up to £1000 at a book dealers'; perhaps 20% less on eBay.

* Contact II, Paul Moorcraft, Sygma Books 1979. Much harder to find than Contact, and written by the esteemed historian Paul Moorcraft, this volume is particularly sought because it contains a nominal roll giving many - but not all - of the later Rhodesian honours and decorations. In Very Fine condition this work typically sells for £80 to £100. The Collectors' Edition is similar in format to the Collectors' Edition of Contact I, and typically sells on eBay for between £300 and £700, but may be seen offered by book dealers for much higher prices. With both Contact and Contact II a good tip is to look through to see if any pages have been autographed - this was pretty common practice, and a nice autograph from a highly-decorated soldier can add 15% to the selling value.

* Encyclopaedia Rhodesia, Peter Bridger, Margaret House et al (eds), College Press 1973. Practically impossible to find in decent condition. In VG condition typically £30-45.

* Chimurenga! The War in Rhodesia 1965-1980, Paul Moorcraft & Peter McLaughlin, Sygma/Collins 1980. A small-format paperback, printed in tiny numbers and very elusive nowadays. In Very Fine condition typically £30-45.

* Up in Arms, Chenjerai Hove, ZPH, 1982. First poetry collection by Hove, now Zimbabwe's best-known poet and living in exile in Norway. This book was printed in minute numbers and is ultra-rare: particularly in decent condition. Typically £35-40 in VF quality.

* Rhodesia Served the Queen, A. S. Hickman, Government Printer 1970. A 1970 account of the Boer War by historian and former BSAP Commissioner A. S. Hickman, typically selling for £150 to £200 for the 2-volume set.

* The complete set of 36 volumes of the Books of Rhodesia Gold Series published between 1968 and 1974. A brilliant concept from Louis Bolze of Books of Rhodesia, a full set fetches about £550-£650 on auction in the UK, although I have seen them offered at higher prices.

* Other desirable curiosities include A-Z street atlases (Guide to Greater Salisbury (M. O. Collins, 1975) £20-25) and telephone directories.

"Everything that can be invented has been invented." ~ Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the US Patent Office in 1899.

"Children nowadays are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food and tyrannize their teachers." ~ Socrates

Why is popular music so bad today? I mean, I'm not that old, but jeez, the music of today, with only a few rare exceptions, kinda stinks. Some would say that when New Year's Eve 1979 ended, we were ushered into an era of lame music that we still haven't escaped from today.

I grew up in the 80's and remember listening to the Beatles, John Lennon, Simon & Garfunkel, Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and David Bowie, to name a few, with my brothers or my dad. I remember seeing album covers strewn about my brother's bedroom. Albums, not CD's. (If you're a really young reader, albums are like CD's in that they're flat and round, but black, and a lot bigger. The get scratched and don't work just like CD's though).

Some say that the 60's were a turbulent time in the U.S. and the world and thus created a perfect environment and culture for innovative and creative music. But let's face it. These days are pretty turbulent as well. So where's the Crosby, Still, Nash and Young of today to sing about our involvement in Iraq? Or where is the Paul Simon of today to protest the government's stance on stem cell research? All we've gotten recently is the new Paris Hilton CD. Paris Hilton? Isn't she just famous for being famous? And her new CD actually got some good reviews.

Before anyone accuses me of painting a broad brush stroke condemning all music after the 70's, let me say that in more recent times there has been a small amount of good stuff like Phish or Midnite, and even politically-minded music such as U2, but no where near the creative amount of earlier times.

I remember when the Dixi Chicks came out against President Bush and the Iraq war. While not a bad band, they're hardly going to achieve iconic status. And they paid dearly at the hands of big business for their outspoken views. That's a far cry from the politically-charged days of Woodstock where many artists were speaking out, and changing things.

If you think about it, there are only a select few artists or bands that can regularly sell out huge arenas today. These are the icons. And the vast majority of those artists are bands from before the 80's! Between last summer and this summer, here are some of the really big concert ticket sellers: The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Eric Clapton and The Eagles.

I recently read an article that suggested that music and tour promoters, large venue owners and ticket companies are all worried about concert sales taking a plunge after the legendary artists stop touring. They realize it's going to be hard to sell out big arenas after the dinosaurs become extinct. Who are the artists of today who will reach that status tomorrow?

In a recent interview with Joe Walsh on Sirius Radio Joe said there is not nearly as much improvisational rock anymore. And I agree. When asked what bands he thought were decent these days, he couldn't think of any for a while, and then finally said he thought the Goo Goo Dolls were good. Hmmm.

iTunes is a proprietary digital media player application, launched by Apple Computer on January 9, 2001 at MacWorld Expo San Francisco 2001, for playing and organizing digital music and video files. In the world of recorded music there has been a fantastic evolution the recent years. Not many years ago you had to purchase you vinyl records and CDs in the music store. Fortunately for most of us this time is over. Now you can download all the music you want to your computer – easy and convenient – from your own home. And you can even get it for free or at a very low cost.

Getting free music downloads for itunes is very simple. What’s really great with the internet as a source for your music downloads is that lots of sites are coming up in one list. A simple search on the internet is sure to throw you a lot of such sites. Some of the free music download web sites also give you links to the software that plays the music that you download. iTunes is one such software this is used to play music, video, and other media files. This software is available in Apple’s website for free. This is available for Windows and Mac. This software finds it use very much in organizing the already existing music files in your system. You can use this software to do a lot of tasks related to organizing and playing your music files. The latest version also comes with controls that allow you to provide access controls to your kids.

iTunes music store is a website that also has some free downloads of music for your iTunes software or your iPod. There are many free websites that allow you to download music files for free for you iTunes. Websites like macworld.com, music.yahoo.com, eMP3Finder.com, and eMusic.com are some of the sites that allow you to download music for free. In an attempt to sell their music software there are companies that give you free music along with the trial version of their software. You can also use these to have your favorite music. Websites like download.com also provide you feature to download music for free.

On the internet there are many website that have reviews of the various free music download sites. One such site is wikipedia. You can get information on the other free music download sites from this link. Apart from downloading music from websites for free you also use p2p software programs that enable you to download music from other music lovers on the internet for free. Such peer to peer programs are becoming more popular among the internet users since they get everything for free by using it. So, let’s cross our fingers and hope that these sites have come to stay for a very long time!

Shouting, “Shiver me timbers”, the villain with an eye patch, a steel hook for a hand or wooden leg is the vision of pirates we all have. However, a pirate is simply one who loots at sea or even in cities near the shore, without authority from any nation to do so.

Piracy dates back 3000 years. Plutarch, the Greek historian, gave us the first account of piracy and in 140 BC the word “peirato” was being used by the Roman historian Polybius. In the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey,” there is a mention of piracy. In the middle ages in Europe, the Norse riders, called the Danes or Vikings carried out acts of piracy. In England, they were called sea thieves or sea robbers.

The English, Dutch and French sea-faring adventurers were called buccaneers. Some of the famous buccaneers were heroes like the dashing Englishmen Sir Francis Drake and Sir Richard Hawkins. They had become rich in the many “privateering” operations against Spain, in the Caribbean and off the coasts of North America. These privateers had a “letter of marque”, from the government to capture ships belonging to an enemy country in order to weaken the opposition. They could never be charged with piracy though perhaps, that’s what they really were. In the Declaration of Paris in 1854, seven nations together suspended the use of the “letter of marque”, and later, it was completely outlawed in the Hague Convention.

Over the years, the success of the privateers saw many becoming drifting pirates, also called freebooters. Many were even slaves released from ships. In the second half of the 17th century, they became a menace in the new world or the American Continent, looting the Spanish colonizers. This period between 1560 and the early 1700s was the classic era of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Tortuga and Port Royal were two of the best-known bases during this period. Some of the most famous pirates were William Kidd, ""Calico Jack"" Rackham, Edward Teach, or Blackbeard and a woman pirate called Jeanne de Belleville.

Most of us have a very romantic notion of pirates as rich, rebellious and interesting, operating outside the rules of a rigid society. In truth, most were poor, unhealthy and died young. The work was hard and dangerous, they had to fight, loot and maintain a ship that was usually old. Their riches were usually spent in taverns sometimes in one night. Some buried their treasure and died before they could come back for it.

However, they had certain laws which were more democratic than the societies they lived in. They elected and even replaced leaders. The captain was usually the fittest and the most vicious fighter and the ship’s quartermaster had considerable authority when they were not in battle. They even shared the booty and had a fair system of sharing in place. Those injured in battle got compensation or were given simpler jobs. These laws were written down and sometimes even used to declare them outlaws in a court of law. But the pirates’ own justice system was very harsh. For simple crimes such as disobedience they could be whipped, marooned, burnt or even drowned and killed. For a pirate, “walking the plank” himself was a terrible sentence.

Modern pirates are found in South and Southeast Asia, parts of South America, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. They target cargo ships navigating slowly through narrow straits, which they overtake in their small motorboats. The safes carrying cash are looted along with personal belongings. They may even capture ships and later disguise these for their own use.

Modern day piracy sometimes takes place during civil war or times of unrest. Warlords could attack UN ships carrying food. They could hijack a ship or kidnap a person or people for ransom or exchange their victims for a wanted terrorist.

The name Italy (Italia) is an ancient name for the country and people of Southern Italy. The word "Italy," in Greek, stands for the "Land of Cattle Calves or Veal."

Etruscan was the first major civilization in Italy. Today, the Etruscan civilization is the name given to the culture and way of life of a community of ancient Italy, whom ancient Romans called “Etrusci”. The Etruscans are believed to have spoken a non-Indo-European language. History records state that the Etruscans were a sophisticated community who traded throughout the Mediterranean, from their base in Central Italy. The Etruscans were excellent architects, and this is reflected in their creations. The Etruscans occupied the north of Italy while the Greeks occupied the southern tip. This entire area later came to be known as Magna Grecia. After Magna Grecia, the Etruscan Civilization, especially the Roman Empire, dominated Italy.

Much of Rome’s empire crumbled under attack from invaders as it resulted in a substantial destruction of their cities. The Medieval struggles between the Popes, Emperors and Kings were followed by rivalry amongst the city-states. The Italian Renaissance referred as Rinascimento followed, resulting in some of the world’s most treasured works of art. Italy had a deep influensce on European science and art during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

The advent of modern Italy is of recent origin. It began in the 19th century with Napolean Bonaparte as the ruler. Following this, there was a nationalist uprising led by Garibaldi that finally led to the creation of a united Italy, and Vittorio Emmanuele II was declared King of Italy. Monarchy thrived until the Second World War, when Mussolini and his Fascist party took sides with Germany and formed the “Axis “powers. With the downfall of Mussolini and the end of the world- war II, Italy set about a path of reformation and in 1948, the Republic of Italy was established. Italy today, is a charter member of NATO and the European Union.