It is an important question and one that has been asked many times. Each artist has many reasons for creating art. There are no wrong reasons, but some are more important than others. The sometimes complex reasons anyone has for creating art may be completely different from another persons reasons.

You can hear some artists say that they create art because that is just what they do. Some say it is almost a ritual or a religious experience or a sexual experience. Other artists just say it’s fun. Some artists want to feel the admiration of viewers, or buyers, or experts.

If an artist describes the process of creation as painful or exhilarating or challenging or joyful then we can assume they have some emotional involvements as a part of the reasons for creating. Some artists have a more intellectual approach to creating and doing art. Some artists seem to have little thought about art or creating at all, as if it is just a natural everyday event that happens automatically.

You have reasons for creating as well, and some of those are reasons that you haven’t become aware of as yet. The more understanding you have about yourself or any creator - their reasons, emotions, drives, fears, anxieties, and ego – the more you will understand their work, or your own.

This process of examination is really never complete, because no artist ever stops changing as a person. A creative person may mature, change attitudes, learn, add many experiences and context to their thinking and feeling. This is natural and necessary. As you change you must try to revise your attitudes about creating art as a positive process.

This process of revision with maturation will make any artist stronger, more sure of their skills and goals, more centered. This in turn prevents wasting of time with low level creative activities. In fact, as any artist involves him/her self with the highest levels of creativity, that artist will be able to see the next mountain peak of creativity sooner.

For an artist time is very important, you shouldn’t waste your time. It will always be the artist that will regret the waste, maybe the artist's collectors as well. But there is a real possibility that the rest of the world will never know an artist wasted time.

Every artist has their down periods, requestioning that is evident in their work. And an artist may even need a vacation from their work periodically. These periods of relative nonproductivity are a chance to adjust, relax, reformulate, gain new inspiration or direction. Do not believe these periods are necessarily stagnation or recapitulation. Even these times can be used productively, as a foundation for progress.

It is up to the artist to determine the "what" and the "why" and the "how" of these things. Ultimately, an artist wants to get back on track at the highest level possible when your powers return.

I felt touched but unable to express myself in words. It seemed like listening to a story that moved every parts of my heart. I even wanted to ask, what happened after that? when the music finished.

That's how I felt when Ms. Qi Xiaochun played her instrument, the erhu, at a Chinese New Year Show sponsored by New Tang Dynasty Televison (NTDTV) last January.

The erhu, sometimes known in the West as the Chinese violin or Chinese two string fiddle, is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument. The instrument looks so simple that I even tried to build an Erhu when I was about 12 years old. Of course, the sound quality was not good at all, but I really loved it for a while.

The erhu can be traced back to instruments introduced into China more than a thousand years ago. It started to be popular in Southern China during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD), where it was called "Nan-hu", Nan meaning south in Chinese.

Nowadays the erhu often plays an important role in national orchestras. In smaller orchestras, there are usually two to six erhu players, in larger ones, 10 to 12. In fact, in Chinese orchestras the erhu plays the part the violin does in Western orchestras. Like the Western violin, the erhu is renowned for its expressiveness and is often said to echo the human voice.

Growing up in Shanghai, Ms. Qi began learning to play this difficult instrument at the age of six, taught by a friend of her father's. She was later accepted to the Shanghai Music Conservatory and won an award at the Chinese National Erhu Competition. She has also played at the Hollywood Bowl, but her most memorable performances have been at the New Tang Dynasty television network's (NTDTV) Chinese New Year spectaculars.

In addition to performing, Ms. Qi also teaches the erhu. "When learning to play the erhu," she says, "people must develop basic skills first. The music, however, comes from the person's character. People carry their own things into the music. What they want to express, and also the person as a whole, is expressed through the music. As an artist, your moral character will also determine your skill."

This idea is reflected throughout ancient Chinese culture, whether in painting, martial arts, or poetry—in order to cultivate talent, one must cultivate the whole person. Ms. Qi finds this philosophy is also also present in NTDTV's performances. She hopes that when people see the show, they will not only be entertained, but will also experience something about the deeper qualities these ancient Chinese arts can bring to people. In Ms. Qi's opinion, it is simple: "pure compassion, pure beauty."

1.The Premise Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a long-running sketch comedy show in the vein of “Saturday Night Live”. As we know from the second episode, Studio 60 also exists in the same universe as Saturday Night Live; they mention it by name a number of times. The difference between the two shows are important. Studio 60 takes place in Los Angeles and is aired on Friday nights. The premise is perfect for an hour-long drama because there is the built-in tension and suspense of putting together a live show with a deadline. And, who isn't interested about what goes on behind-the-curtain of a show with lots of talent and big egos?

2.The Creator Aaron Sorkin created Studio 60 and it's largely biographical. His cypher is Matt Albie (played by Matthew Perry), the new Head Writer for Studio 60. Sorkin created NBC's monster hit “The West Wing” and ABC's short-lived, yet brilliant “Sports Night”. Widely considered to be one of the best writers in Hollywood, Sorkin is known for his extremely clever dialogue and dynamic characters. Also, as a writer, he is prolific in a way that only him and David E. Kelley know. Sorkin will write almost every single episode of the show he is running. Even if he doesn't write a story for a particular episode, he will always at least write all the dialogue. This will give Studio 60 a consistency and focus most shows can only dream of.

3.Matthew Perry & Bradley Whitford Matthew Perry has been largely anonymous since “Friends” ended, and that is a shame. Perry is, and always has been, an underrated and talented comedian who has deserved far better material than he has received outside of “Friends”. With the character of Matt Albie, he has been given a once-in-a-lifetime character that Perry is perfect for. It will be a huge upset if he isn't nominated for a Best Actor Emmy, and it wouldn't be surprising if he wins it. Bradley Whitford plays Danny Tripp, Matt Albie's partner and co-show runner on Studio 60. Whitford is well-acquainted with Sorkin, having played Josh Lyman (a great character in itself) on “The West Wing” for it's entire run. The Danny character is a meaty one for Whitford; Danny is a recovering cocaine addict who is only working on Studio 60 because he tested positive for cocaine weeks before he was supposed to direct a movie (scripted by Matt Albie). Whitford is an excellent actor, and the chemistry between him and Perry is already superb.

4.Amanda Peet & Stephen Weber Amanda Peet has been under-utilized for most of her career, which is a damn shame. The talented and beautiful actress got her start in “The Whole Nine Yards” (with Matthew Perry) and has since languished on the fringes of Hollywood's A-List. Again, Sorkin has created an incredible character for Peet to portray as the newly appointed NBS (Studio 60's fictional network) President Jordan McDeere. She is brash and ballsy, unafraid to take on the higher-ups for something she believes in. She has made it her goal to bring Studio 60 back to it's previous heights, and will stop at nothing to do so. Facing off with Peet is Jack Rudolph, the NBS Chairman played by “Wings” Stephen Weber. Weber has been around for awhile, and is also a victim of receiving material not up to the level of his talent. His character is a worthy antagonist to Peet's idealistic network President, ruling with an iron fist and breaking down the realities of a company whose only goal is to make a profit.

Digital cameras have many advantages but they also have some disadvantages and response time is one of them. There are three response times that you should care about: the delay between pressing down the shutter button and shooting a photo, the delay between turning on the camera and shooting a photo and the delay between shooting a photo and shooting a subsequent one. This article explains the causes for these delays and suggests ways to overcome them.

There are three response times or delays that are important to understand and to be aware of when shooting photos. Here is the list with the causes and ideas for how to effectively handle them:

Shutter delay: There is a noticeable delay between pressing the shutter button and capturing a photo. When you press the shutter button the camera goes through a series of setup processes in order to get all its electronics ready. Only when this processing is done can the camera capture a photo. Some cameras will also initiate a focus process when the shutter button is held down and will only take the photo when this focusing process is completed. The delay time varies from camera to camera but is usually less than one second. If you used film cameras before you are probably not used to that delay which did not exist with most film cameras.

Although less than a one second delay sounds very short it can be significant when shooting photos of moving objects such as in sports events. There are a few photo shooting practices that can help in avoiding the delays’ results. One way to handle shutter delay is to hold down the shutter half way when taking photos of moving objects. This method can work if the object is in more or less a fixed distance from the camera or is in infinite focus. Holding down the shutter half way locks the focus and forces the camera to do some setup processing work. When you are ready to take your photo press the shutter button all the way down - the result will be a significantly shorter delay as most of the processing work and focus were already done. Another way to minimize the shutter delay is to avoid the automatic focus process which usually starts when the shutter button is held down. One way to do that is to hold the shutter button half way down. In most cameras the result will be a one time focus process and then a f ocus lock. The camera will stay in focus and when the shutter is fully pressed down it will take a photo without re-focusing. Another option is to put the camera in manual focus.

Subsequent photo delay: This is the delay between taking one photo and when the camera is ready to take a subsequent one. With film cameras this delay was very short as it only involved the camera rolling the film to the next fresh negative. With digital cameras there is processing and housekeeping that needs to be done after each photo is taken. For example the camera has to execute a computational process that compresses the photo (turns the raw pixels into a compressed JPG file) and then it has to store the photo on its memory card (storing files on flash based memory cards is a slow process due to memory technologies used). Another way is using the camera’s burst mode (if the camera supports one). In burst mode the camera shoots a fast series of photos for as long as the shutter button is held down or until the camera’s memory is full. In this mode the camera writes the photos to a temporary volatile memory which is very fast but small. When the shutter button is released or the memory is full the camera starts the slow process of writing the photos to the memory card. Using burst mode you can shoot fast photos of an action event and then choose the one that best captured the event. The speed and the amount of photos that the burst mode supports vary between cameras. For example some high end cameras can take as much as ten photos over the course of one second.

Conducting a search online is an easy and effective way to come across CD replication companies to fit your personal or business needs. There are a plethora of websites offering all kinds of CD replication services with free trial periods and money-back guarantees. The products and services on offer are reasonably priced. You can also use the option of free downloads. Most of them save both time and money.

Most CD replication company websites have tutorials to help beginners get started with the product. In addition, the companies provide technical resources for glass mastering. These websites also have price quotes on CD duplication and replication. They take care of your needs whether they have to do with manufacturing or packaging. Websites are also informative and contain many suggestions to help you get the best deal.

CD replication companies offer a wide variety CDs: 1-color, 2-color or true 16.7 million color CDs are available for you, apart from customized full-color jewel case inserts and tray cards. Through CD replication, you can burn music as well as data files onto one CD. Companies may email you an Adobe Acrobat pdf file to get your approval before they start printing CDs.

Almost anything can be replicated onto a CD- tape or any other analog media; data files; MP3; or even WAV formats. If there are any graphics you give, they can be used by the company on the CD insert or as the CD cover.

The whole procedure is hassle-free, especially with quoting systems, job tracking, and order coordination all in place. With a strong business backbone, good CD replication companies guarantee customer satisfaction.

Some companies also offer digital rendering technology to restore old media such as LP records, 8-tracks, cassette tapes and reel-to-reel tapes to enable you to listen to them on long-lasting CDs.

Despite my somewhat underwhelming reputation in the music business, I have been asked on occasion – usually by woefully uninformed novices – how to write music. Wow, this is kind of a heavy topic, I mean so many ways to address it. In order to save you from the unintelligible ramblings of someone who is not the most brilliant music theoreticians, I will skillfully side-step the technical aspects and move into the more esoteric aspects of writing good music.

Why are guys like Lennon and McCartney, Page and Plant and Sir Elton and Bernie Taupin so successful? I find that it’s because you have in these relationships the consummate lyricist and the consummate musician existing side-by-side. If Morrison was the poet, then Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore were the guys who set that poetry to music and they would not have been The Doors without that combination. It helps to know what you’re stronger in. I, for example have worked with pretty fair lyricists and some good musicians, and I find that I definitely fit in the lyricist category. I once heard The Edge of U2 comment that most of their songs were written on one string. That’s my philosophy, and I’m not being entirely facetious in that. I can see the logic that a “music” writer goes through in developing a song, but for the life of me, I have not been able to replicate that in my own dabblings. Realizing your own limitations is half the battle. There are some extraordinary people who are capable of writing both music and lyrics, but these are few and far between (and what is “… the pompitous of love” anyway). Find what you are good at and make that, either writing music or lyrics, your primary mission. That’s not to say that you should not do both, at least as an exercise in perspective. I think it’s extremely valuable to stretch yourself on a personal and professional basis, but it’s my opinion that you stand a better chance of scoring success long term by finding a philosophical Yin to your Yang. And it need not be only one person either. Many successful songs have been written as part of a group effort.

Once you’ve found your niche, it’s important to have a process in place for you to be productive. When I first realized that I would have to get a real job to put food on the table after college, I went into the information technology field. Now anyone who has worked in this area knows that they are really big on developing repeatable processes so that once they’ve successfully done something, they can keep going back to do it the same way. As an artist at heart, I rebelled against this notion. “It thwarts the creativity process,” I railed. Well, turns out that they may have been on to something. While having things too tightly structured may be a hindrance to creativity, having a set way of going about songwriting in general may be a great help. For example, let’s say you are a California band and you really want to emulate the Eagles, so you go into the studio with the mindset that you’re going to write a Southern rock song in 4/4 time only using this standard set of chords. Chances are, you’re going to be a pretty boring band. But, if you go into it saying, this is the style of music I feel comfortable with, we’re going to come in every day at 8:00 a.m., whether we feel like it or not, write until lunchtime, whether what we write is any good or not, and then after lunch write for a couple of more hours. By building that habit of writing at a certain time, for a certain amount of time, you’re creating a process that will produce consistently good songs with some flashes of brilliance. The reason is not because the process itself makes you any better, but it does produce a considerable amount of work that lets you get your ideas down on paper. Later you can separate the wheat from the chaff, and you won’t feel rushed to turn out a masterpiece in a day to fill in that last spot on the CD.

Is it possible that Asian and Western cultures could find a common language and thus share with one another the finest examples of their cultural heritage?

In the past, this was just a dream, but not anymore.

Holiday Wonders, a show to be staged on Broadway in Manhattan before Christmas, promises an unprecedented experience. Through music and dance, the essence of traditional Chinese culture will harmonize with Western classics of the season in this celebration of holiday spirit.

Holiday Wonders is hosted by NTDTV, which introduced the highly- acclaimed Chinese New Year Gala in 2004. In fact, the 2006 Gala production was ranked among Billboard Magazine's Top 10 Shows. This year, NTDTV is also launching the Holiday Wonders show which will play exclusively at the Beacon Theatre from December 19th through December 24th.

What makes the Holiday Wonders show so unique?

First of all, the essence of Chinese culture. As in the previous Chinese New Year Gala productions, Holiday Wonders brings genuine Chinese culture to the audience. With an all-new line-up, the superb performances of dance and music will explore ancient myths and legends that express the soul of the 5,000-year-old Chinese culture.

Seondly, pure heart. Giora Feidman, renowned for his clarinet solos in the film Schindler's List, will join the Holiday Wonders performers. Touched by the selflessness and harmony of the team of performers, Feidman noted this as "clean mind." As a matter of fact, from the costume preparation to the stunning projection screens, such pure heart is evidenced everywhere in this effort to bring the very best of culture and performance to the audience.

Thirdly, a Fusion of East and West. Humanity and genuine art transcend language and demographic barriers. The Holiday Wonders show is a celebration of this divine transcendence. Through the essence of Chinese traditional culture and the classics of the Western holiday traditions, the show will bring a glow of happiness and tranquility to all, touching hearts and creating moments to be cherished.

The board game backgammon is one of the most ancient games known to man. It is believed that early variations of the game were played in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Ancient Rome. Since then, the game has evolved, changed several names and spread to different parts of the world. It is currently a popular pastime all over the US, East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

In order to play backgammon all you need is a partner, two dice and a special backgammon board with checkers. The backgammon board is divided into two sides with each one is the mirror reflection of the other. Each side contains 12 triangles called points numbered from 1 to 24. Points 1 to 6: Home Board or Inner Board Points 7 to 12: Outer Board 7 point: Bar Point 13 point: Mid Point

At the starting position of the game, each player has 2 checkers on the 24 point, 3 checkers on the 8 point and 5 on the 13 and 6 point. Each player moves from his home board through the outer board towards the opponent home board.

The object of backgammon, then, is to move your checkers towards your opponent home board and remove them off the board before your opponent moves his checkers towards your home board. The speed of the progress of each move is determined by the outcome of the dice roll.

The backgammon play begins with both players tossing one die. The player whose outcome is the highest, makes the first move using both his and his opponents number. If the outcome of the dice toss is even, the players toss the dice again until an uneven outcome appears. From now on, each player tosses both dice on his turn.

After each toss of dice, you should move your checkers forward the number of steps appears on both dice. You can move either one checker the number of steps summed up by both die or move two checkers. To make it clearer: if the outcome of the dice roll is 5 and 4, you can either move one checker 9 steps forward or move one checker 5 steps forward and then move the other piece 4 steps forward

If the dice rolls a double, which means an even number on both dice, you can move double the number appears on the dice. For example, if you roll double 2, you can move 2 points four times. In that case, you can either move one checker 8 steps forward; move two checkers a total of 4 steps; move two checkers a total of 2 steps each plus a total of 4 steps; move one checker a total of 6 steps plus 2 steps; or move four checkers 2 steps.

You can move a checker to a point where there is another one of your checkers or no more than one checker of your opponent, called blot. When you hit a blot, it is moved to the middle of the board to the part divided between the home board and the outer boards, called the bar.

The checkers placed on the bar are kept out of play until the bar can be entered by a dice roll in the opponent’s home boards. For example, if you roll 2, you can enter a checker to the 23 point and enter the opponents home board and re enter the bar checkers into the game. You cannot move the other checkers unless your entire bar checkers are at your opponents home board.

By the time your checkers are in your home board, you must remove the checkers from the board, to bear off, using a roll of dice. For example, if you roll 1, you can bear off one checker from the 1 point; if you roll 2, you can move a checker form the 2 point, and so on.

If your opponent has not borne off any checkers while you have borne off 15 checkers, you win the gammon. If your opponent has not borne off any checkers and still some of his checkers are placed on the bar, while you have borne off 15 checkers, then you win the backgammon.

Here’s a confession, I actually am not all THAT fond of puppets. I prefer cartoons. But my obsession with bears stretched all the way to the puppet world too. So here are just a few puppet bears that played a part in my childhood and continue to do so up ‘til today. For those of you out there who grew up with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, may this be a trip down memory lane for you too.

Fozzie Bear
Ah, Fozzie! Who can watch the pale orange bear trot about on screen and not think he’s adorable? Everything about him, from his brown hat to his polka-dotted necktie and his open-mouthed grin, is just so cheerful! It doesn’t matter that his jokes are lame, I thought and, still think, that he’s great. One of my fondest memories of Fozzie was this episode where Harry Belafonte (I think) was a guest star on Muppet Show. He sang The Banana Boat Song with the Muppets helping him with the chorus. The first part everyone had to sing the signature ‘Day-O’ beginning together in unison. Everyone was able to sing the ‘Day’ at the same time, on cue, except Fozzie. First time he was slower than everyone else – his ‘day’ came after everyone else had ‘day-ed’. And to the exasperation of everyone, he continued to miss the cue many times after that (he was either too slow or too fast). I thought that was simply hilarious! Now, I can’t remember if they ever completed the song or even got beyond that very first ‘day’(I suppose they did), but I’ll remember that scene with Fozzie missing the cue forever! Another fond memory of Fozzie happened while I was pursuing my degree. I had a good friend, C, in the same course of study, who is as fond of bears as I am. One day, we were in Macdonald’s for lunch. Mac’s was selling Muppet character stuff toys with each meal purchased. We were really poor then, and happened to be broke just at the time Fozzie came on sale. So we stared at the stuffed Fozzies on display longingly. We actually hatched a semi-serious plot to distract the staff and steal a Fozzie each. Ah, tertiary education certainly does have its merits. It really was a great plot. Well, C, you know who you are. And if you happen to read this, call me!

Bobo Bear
Bobo was only added as a Muppet way after Fozzie. Although he’s a boring brown colour, I thought his hang-dog face and his heavy brows were very charming. I think he’s a watch man or security guard on Muppets Tonight. He’s also really delightfully slow-witted at times. The episode I remember him most vividly was the time Cindy Crawford guest starred in Muppets Tonight. My brother and I were wathing the show together. Bobo was so taken with Cindy he could barely speak when she was around! He just made his funny ‘Ahhhh…’ sound. M brother and I guffawed so loudly my dad thought we had gone crazy! It made me wonder how Cindy could NOT like this bear!

Ojo Bear
Ojo is the little cub from Bear in the Big Blue House. My first encounter with this little bear happened only a few years back when I was already (supposedly) a matured adult in a respsibl profession. I was on board a plane and flipping through the channels and programmes offered. I remembered watching a movie or two. Then, I got so bored with the other programmes I channel surfed to the children’s channel. There, I saw Ojo (didn’t know his name then) talking to Bear. And he was the cutest thing I’ve seen in a really long time! The cutest part about Ojo is the way his nose and snout moves whenever he speaks. How did the animators do it? Kudos to whoever came up with the idea of moving Ojo’s nose in such a manner! I literally couldn’t bear to change channels until the programme ended. From that day on, whenever I happen to see a trailer for Bear in the Big Blue House, I think of plane travel. And when I travel in a plane, I think of Ojo.

I’ve looked for and found tons of articles debating the existence of ghosts. Some say they are real, others call it a psychological phenomenon. I would argue that they are real in one form or another. When an otherwise sane person has a terrifying mystical experience, they tend to become believers.

This is why I am a believer.

It was twenty years ago now at the time I’m writing this. My family had just moved into a new apartment in Saco Maine. The place was pretty nice actually, spacious, a large back yard that was fenced in, behind which was a huge and well kept cemetery. It was a wonderful place for an afternoon stroll with the kids. They would run around hiding behind the bushes and gravestones, jumping out yelling “Boo!” when the adults finally caught up.

However, it didn’t take long for us to realize that there was something very strange going on in there. It all started when my four year old son Michael, started playing with an imaginary friend who he called Emma. At first it was cute and we didn’t think much of it, figuring that it was just a vivid imagination brought on by the change in living space.

At night, every now and then we would be sitting there, reading a book or watching television when we would hear something fall off the counter in the kitchen. At first you didn’t think much of it.

Over time, however these occurrences increased. After a few months, there was absolutely no shortage of strange happenings. There were cupboard doors opening and closing, items falling off counters or shelves in other rooms, etc. There was a thing for spoons. We couldn’t leave a spoon on the counter or a table ever. It would end up on the floor with a clank. We would come home and things would be moved. One time we even called the police because we thought that someone had broken into the place. The police found no evidence of a break in though.

Michael would often be there to say “Emma did it. Emma did it.”

At several points my wife would say, “Ok Michael, enough about Emma. She is not real.”

But she was real alright, either that or we were both crazy, because after a year of living there, we were convinced. The creepiest thing that would happen, you see, was every now and then, late at night, there would suddenly be the pitter patter of little feet running down the hallway. Both of us would hear it at the same time.

My wife and I would get up, in a sort of tired frustration from a long day, asking which kid is up now? Only to find out that both were sound asleep in their beds. This began happening more and more often.

It was enough to drive you nuts.

Michael was just about to turn 6 when we moved. We told him that we were going to live in the new house. He said “Bye Emma,” as we left.

And then all of this stopped.

Now, I have to say, that I would be revealing my age if I told you that I bought (and still have) one of the first copies of a 45rpm released by an obscure band called "The Tourists". However, this "single" has formed part of my life and for one particular reason - on it is a song called "Blind Among The Flowers" by an A. Lennox. A very powerful song. Now, being Scottish myself, perhaps I would like to boast of the strength I noted in the singing of this, then unknown, young "lass" from Aberdeen, but no. She was even then, in the 1980´s in a class of her own. Since then Annie Lennox has developed beyond the borders of the small Scotland that cradled her and became a fully fledged international artist who now peruses the boulevards of cosmopolitan Paris.

Annie Lennox was born a star. But it was her relationship with Dave Stewart that cemented her persona, that gave her the gall to stand alone - not because of the love they had as a married couple (and functioning band as the Eurythmics) but as a foil against which she developed her real self as opposed to her stage persona.

Annie Lennox is the real thing! A world-renowned singer, a pop star, and a real woman. To understand her and the life she has lead is to see where we can also go. She recognizes no limits, neither musically nor physically, she is woman and she is strong. Annie Lennox will continue to be a reference point for many young female singers to follow and guide them in their careers for even in the nineteen eighties, she defined what female independence WOULD be. . . . and then sang about it!

Audiobooks generally come in two formats: MP3 and WMA. Both of these formats will play on PCs and Macs and most

portable players, like the iPod.

The book publisher chooses which format they want the title to be distributed in. When you purchase a downloadable title

from an online store, you are usually taken to a special area of the site where you can choose from a variety of file

format based on the quality of the recording.

Naturally, the higher the quality, the bigger the file and thus the longer it will take to download. If you have a high speed broadband Internet connection you will probably prefer to download the highest quality file available. If you have a slow Internet connection you can choose to download a file that is smaller in size, but will not be of quite the same quality, but it will still be very listenable.

With 70% of the digital player market dominated by Apple and the iPod, a natural question is whether the audiobooks can be transferred to the iPod. The answer is a resounding "yes."

All you have to do is burn the files to CD first (this is a step we'd always recommend as it is wise to make a physical backup copy of anything you buy just in case your computer ever fails or is stolen) and then rip that CD straight into iTunes, when it's transferred to your iPod on synchronization.

And don't worry, Copying the files to an audio CD on your computer is quick and easy, particularly if you are using Windows.

It is very easy to download an audiobook. Once you have made your purchase from a reputable online store, you will be taken through to a special part of the site where you can download the files you have purchased. Easy to follow instructions are always provided on the download page.

Audiobooks will work on a standard PC and Mac and there is no risk of breaking the law as with many music sites and piracy.

ALL of the content of audiobooks has been approved by the publishers and copyright holders. As a paying customer you are entitled to download and listen to these files as often as you wish and on whatever equipment you wish. However, like any other media, it is illegal to make copies of the files and give them to other people.

The length of time it will take for an audiobook download will vary greatly depending on what kind of Internet connection you have. If you have a broadband connection it will take just a few minutes per part. If you have a 56k dial-up connection it will be considerably slower.

If a recording is several hours long we will have split it into several parts to make it easier to download so even if you are on a slow connection you can start listening to the first part whilst the others are downloading.

Along the rim of the roof—

over looking the Balcony—
(on Puno and Real streets)

above the windows—
The overlap, quivers with age.
The city—, now winter’s here again.—
becomes a festive place. Rains
dribble down the outlines of the roof (s)
—the street light (poles), the lights

across the street, in the

park (Plaza de Arms)—
seen in a morning sunset, share in a
deep soothing heat.
--People gaze and lean out
from the wooden windows—near
the balcony, a step out—is like

a captain’s bridge?

with a depleting roof

overhead!
Shortly cut off
At the balcony’s edge.

How endless, are the varieties
offered again and again—
to the human eyes (balcony’s in this

old city), each street, a new
Pasture: here the city is
vibrating (cars—parks, mountains,
thousands of people).

Still the overlap, quivers with age
as people open wide their windows
with great exuberance: ah!
What a variety—everyday, on Puno and Real.

#1584 12-23-2006 Inspired by Juan Ramon Jimenez

Note: in the Mantaro Valley, beyond the Andes of Peru, it is one continues fest you might say, but close to Christmas, it is more so, as I suppose is every place in the world. Here you have many children graduating from school, and many chocolates parties going on (of which I was invited to one a few days ago in the little city called Cajas, at the Independence School there), to celebrate Christ’s Birthday. It is an endless celebration. The Cathedral is lit up like a Christmas Tree, and the city is buzzing.

“When the creative spirit stirs, it animates a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to innovate, to explore new ways of doing things, to bring dreams of reality.” ~ Daniel Goleman

It is discouraging that there aren’t much up-to-date studies of the benefits of art. The creative process in the avenues of our imagination is where we find solutions to the world’s problems. Awakening those recesses of the brain brings about new ideas, new places to explore for information. Learning how to learn is what we should be teaching ourselves and yet we get stuck on memorizing facts, repetitive processes and stale concepts that offer no value for the future. The study of art informs our meta cognition, the ability to think about what we are thinking, and it awakens our spirit, that which is in us struggling to stay alive.

Semir Zeki was a professor of neurobiology at the University College London and co-head of the Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology when he published the article “Artistic Creativity and the Brain” in Science Magazine July 2001. No, “Wellcome” is not misspelled. In his article, Zeki outlined how cognitive abilities are developed through the creative process and that artistic expression is the key to understanding ourselves. “A major function of art can thus be regarded as an extension of the function of the brain, namely, to seek knowledge about the world.”

Zeki’s findings should have sparked a revolution among scientists and psychologists as well as therapists and even teachers. If it was more widely believed that cognitive abilities are strengthened through the use of creative expression, scientists could discover ways in which to solve such problems as cures for diseases and resource conservation. Psychologists would better be able to understand how the mind works in relation to certain behaviors. Therapists would be more capable of talking their patients through critical issues and to a greater understanding of the world around them. And teachers would be able to tap into greater resources in the classroom.

But, the need for art is often overlooked because other things seem so much more important. As individuals, we reduce our lives to the pursuit of sufficient employment, secure shelter and edible provisions. As a nation, we struggle with competitive industry, land preservation and national defense. Our problem solving techniques are reduced to simple math and logical reasoning. But, our creative abilities could offer us greater solutions and make our lives so much more valuable to us. That’s what we’re missing.

If more time and energy were placed into the studies of art and its affect on the human condition, we would be a far more advanced society. “Going outside the box” would be the common practice for solution finding. But just to exercise ourselves in art, set up an easel and explore a canvas, is clearly enough to find personal exploration and avenues of your own imagination. Art is therapeutic as well as developmental. So, even though studies aren’t swarming to uphold the benefits of art, you don’t have to wait for your confirmation. Explore the benefits yourself and enjoy more out of life while you’re at it!