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ABBAWorld, How Can We Resist You?
The music of four small-town Swedes has endured for nearly 40 years. Now, a new theme park open in London extends the appeal of the 1970s supergroup to a new generation.

Comedian Russell Peters Capitalizes On Indian Roots
As a small South Asian kid with a big mouth, Russell Peters found himself the victim of race bullying. To coax his bullies from rage to laughter, he used self-deprecating comedy. Decades later, he is still poking fun at his own ethnic quirks to disarm audiences, and in the process, he is becoming one of the highest-earning comedians.



 

 

Informative Articles

Beginning the Special Education Process
Like anything else in life, there's a method to the special education process. It was put in place to help people who deal with learning disabilities get the best services possible. In order to help you understand this method, here's a simplified...

Borderline Division 1? How To Make It
As a former NCAA Division 1 Athlete, I have parents ask me quite often what their son or daughter needs to do in order to make it to the highest level of college athletics. First, mom and dad need to know where they fit in the equation to...

e-Book on Russian Women (Part 6)
Russian Women and Harmful Habits Let us see, what habits can be called bad? First of all, those that do irreparable harm to a woman's health, destroy her social status, lead to family conflicts and make her children suffer. In other words, social...

Educational toys to make both parents and children happy this holiday season
(NC)—Choosing the right toy for your child will give her the opportunity to think, practice a particular skill or learn something new, as well as engage her in hours of play. To strike a balance between learning and fun, parents should look for...

Man Shortage, Again?
In the last two weeks I've read articles crying the age old desperate woman battle cry, "there are no marriageable men". This has to be the most ridiculous assumption women has ever bought lock, stock, and barrel. There's no shortage of men,...

 
Schreiber, Johansson Build A 'Bridge' To A Classic
Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson are starring in a widely praised revival of Arthur Miller's <em>A View From The Bridge</em>. They tell reporter Jeff Lunden that as in all great tragedies, this one's clashes and catastrophes have something of the inevitable about them.

Stargazing At The Opera
The Hayden Planetarium in New York takes opera to the moon with a new production of <em>Il Mondo Della Luna.</em> Diane Paulus and Philip Bussmann talk about merging cosmos footage with music, how science can enhance the arts and the future of technology and theater.

Obama 'The Musical' Opens In Germany
A new theater production <em>Hope: The Obama Musical Story</em> opened this week in Frankfurt, Germany. It tells the story, in song and dance, of America's first black president. It is likely to be a big success in a country where President Obama is still immensely popular.





How to take Great Photos of your Child


Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children are so easy to photograph. What I hear from parents is that they dont think that their kids are that easy to photograph. Thats only because they dont know some basic tips.

1. Young children especially infants take beautiful photos while they are asleep. Keep the light natural avoid flash if at all possible. Keep the image tight on the child and crop out distractions. For infants when theyre awake youre better off having another person in image, it gives the child someone to interact with and you can crop the shot to keep the other person out of the image or you can keep the adult and child in the photo.

2. Toddlers look best when they dont know that youre taking their photo. Candid shots are the way to go for this age group. Keep your camera handy and when they start doing something cute snap the photo quick. Remember your child doesnt have to be looking directly into the camera to take a great photo. Dont ever say to the toddler, Oh how cute, now look here. It wont happen.

3. Children ages 4 plus are really good at sitting for photos. But if youre going to dress them up make sure that they are comfortable and dont put them in some outfit they hate, it will show in the image. Crop tight on your subject, keep the light natural, and if youre using a toy to get their attention make sure that it makes them laugh and doesnt scare them. (I learned that lesson the hard way.)

4. Older children are really good at dressing up for photos. The hardest thing


Cheyenne Jackson On 'Song Travels'
The Broadway and <em>30 Rock</em> star performs a stripped-down version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream."




Blair bribes parents and children into higher education
It would seem that the media mania over the cost of an education is finally paying off, with the UK government taking increasingly strong measures to maintain the current level of school leavers moving into higher education. According to the Times...






will be getting a natural smile from them. Say, cheese is a sure fire way to get a fake smile. Most of us learned young to smile automatically at that cue. Here you have to get silly. One time I was working with a young boy and his older sister. She was a natural smiler and loved being dressed up. He was not happy and kept pulling at his tie. His mother straightened it for the tenth time. I posed them and addressed the young boy I said, Now on the count of three I want you to say, I hate this tie! His sister smiled surprised at what I said, and he grinned. I took the photo. He then screamed, I hate this tie! Again both smiled wide and I took a second photo. The images turned out beautiful.

I hope these tips help you to take better photos of your child. With a little practice and a few tips youll see better family photos immediately.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.