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Should Mark McGwire’s Truthful Confession Be Condemned or Commended?

February 28th, 2010

Many fans of baseball were surprised by Mark McGwire’s recent confession. The slugger had used steroids for the greater part of his baseball career, as this gave him an unfair edge and contributed to the mammoth seasons that we as fans witnessed.

The logic would typically follow that a player takes any performance enhancing drug to enhance their statistical performance. A strong player will hit more home runs, and his team will find more success. McGwire, on the other hand, took these drugs because he felt that they were his only means of staying free of injury.

This would make sense in McGwire’s case, as injuries seriously slowed down the pace of what would have been an otherwise torrid career. He was one of the best power hitters in the game, but his potential was always cut short due to injury.

What followed in the years to come was exactly what one would expect. He was healthier through the majority of the remainder of his career, and his offensive production was exceptional.

The pinnacle of this all took place in 1998, when McGwire shattered the old home run record set by Roger Maris, hitting 70 home runs in a season. The baseball world was amazed, and McGwire was the toast of the baseball world.

Just a few short years later, a few steroid allegations by Jose Canseco and some admissions by others shocked and devastated baseball fans. Many began to speculate that McGwire was under the influence of these illegal substances too.

Baseball fans almost feel foolish to have believed that everything was done legitimately. After seeing decades in which players struggled to top 50 home runs, 60 and 70 were suddenly being done nearly every year. This couldn’t have been more obvious.

McGwire violated the trust of the baseball world and cheated his way to a record. Despite this all, he deserves a bit of respect for having the courage to come out with a secret that hundreds of players from that era still likely hold.

See more of this author’s tips about the wood bar stools and wooden step stool.

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Book Review: Arctic Drift, a Dirk Pitt Novel, by Clive Cussler

February 28th, 2010

As always, Clive Cussler’s latest novel stays right on top of current geopolitical events. Arctic Drift, set in 2011, centers on global warming and the financial crisis.

The bad guy of the story, Mitchell Goyette, is a Canadian energy tycoon with a public facade of green technology and renewable resource businesses. However, his dark underbelly conceals heavy involvement in oil and natural gas.

South of the Canadian border, the United States faces a financial crisis of unequaled of proportions, a crisis intensified by the looming boycott of the U.S. by the international community if the country does not cut its greenhouse gas emissions from coal burning and automobiles.

The American president in 2011, when the story takes place, plans to use natural gas from Canada to replace both coal and automobile gasoline, thereby killing two birds with one stone. The nation would make huge savings by cutting down on expensive oil imports, and simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions by burning a cleaner fuel.

However, Goyette is in a perfect position to take advantage of the United State’s desperate gamble, and he does so without conscience. To the Canadian public, Goyette is an environmental hero who invests millions in wind power and carbon sequestration. Unbeknownst to the masses, he’s unscrupulously involved in every dirty industry that will make him more money, in particular the oil sands of Athabasca, Alberta, and the Melville natural gas fields of the Canadian Arctic, over which he has full control.

With one hand, Goyette makes a deal with the U.S. government to supply nearly limitless amounts of natural gas at market price from the Melville fields to help solve the American energy crisis, and indirectly the financial crisis. But with his other hand, he secretly strikes a deal with the Chinese to instead sell them all of the gas from Melville at 10% above market prices, with no intention of honoring his agreement with the American government.

(In reality, it seems a little farfetched that the American government would not have had an iron-clad, legally binding, written contract in place for a deal of this magnitude and importance. But it makes for a good story.)

Even so, the backstabbing of the United States as a business-partner is the least of Mitchell Goyette’s shenanigans. He also bribes high ranking Canadian officials, creates toxic waste that kills wildlife and people, pays to have property stolen or vandalized, and for his opposition to be assassinated.

Of course, what Goyette fails to take into consideration is Dirk Pitt, the hero of twenty novels by Clive Cussler, including this most recent installment. In the end, Pitt manages to wreak havoc with all of Goyette’s ill-willed plans.

The co-authorship between father and son Cussler in Arctic Drift appears seamless. Their penmanship cannot be separated. Whatever parts of the book were written by the younger Cussler, he did a magnificent job of adopting his father’s inimitable style. (Intentional oxymoron!)

Arctic Drift is a thrilling read in classic Clive Cussler style. You will not be disappointed. It may not be the edge-of-your-seat non-stop action from cover-to-cover as in some of the older Cussler works, but it’s still an exciting, intriguing and brilliantly written story that keeps your attention and makes you want to keep reading. The thugs are as smart as they are sinister, and the heroes as pure as Arctic ice.

Britt Hellman lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children. She runs her own copywriting business from her house. Clive Cussler has been one of her favorite authors since reading his Trojan Odyssey in 2003 and she writes reviews like this one on Arctic Drift, by Clive and Dirk Cussler, for the fun of sharing that excitement.

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The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

February 27th, 2010

“The Isaac Bell Novels” is a new hit series by “one of the greatest adventure novelists of our time” (imdb), Clive Cussler. The Wrecker is the sequel to the successful first Isaac Bell novel, titled The Chase. (The next release in the series is scheduled for June 1, 2010.)

A detective by the name of Isaac Bell represents the main character in The Wrecker. Bell is as athletic and fearless as James Bond and as intellectually brilliant as Sherlock Holmes.

As luck would have it, Isaac Bell is an independently wealthy heir of a major American banking family, his detective work more of a passion and obsession than a job-for-money.

Isaac Bell gets hired by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company to find and stop a saboteur known as “The Wrecker,” who has targeted Southern Pacific construction sites throughout the West. If the sabotage continues in the midst of pressing deadlines to finish work on a major new track, it could cost Southern Pacific its good standing with its lenders, and rapidly lead to bankruptcy.

Unbeknownst to all until the very end of the book, The Wrecker is a regular member of the inner circles of Southern Pacific Railroad president Osgood Hennessy, even courting the railroad baron’s “unspeakably beautiful” daughter Lillian. He’s a formidable adversary, perhaps as brilliant as Isaac Bell himself.

The Wrecker’s agenda turns out to be the hostile takeover of not only the Southern Pacific Railroad but as a side effect gaining complete control of the entire United States railroad system, at a time in history when the wealthiest men in America were railroad barons such as Vanderbilt, Harriman and others.

Set in the early twentieth century, the novel of course presents a golden opportunity for automobile enthusiast Clive Cussler to have fun with several classic automobiles from the age when the invention of the car was in its infancy and the experimental variety in styles was greater than ever in history.

Featured in The Wrecker, we find the winner of the 1908 New York to Paris race, the 1907 Model 35 Thomas Flyer, as well as a Packard Grey Wolf, a turn of the century Rolls Royce, Isaac Bell’s Locomobile, and a Bugatti Type 41 Royale.

Clive Cussler is a man of many passions, one of the best known and most obvious being his love of the ocean, as evidenced by his countless action novels revolving in and around water. But the fact that he has chosen to live in Colorado, far from the any great body of water, suggests that he also loves the rugged, arid and mountainous landscapes of the American West.

This “second” love of Clive Cussler shines through in his new Isaac Bell series in a way that will likely reinvigorate many old Wild West enthusiasts as well as give birth to a whole new generation of Western lovers. The book is a highly recommended read.

Mrs. Hellman lives in North Carolina with her spouse and three sons, where she works as a professional copywriter. She writes book review as a hobby. Visit her site to order The Wrecker by Clive Cussler, or the most recent Dirk Pitt novel, Clive Cussler’s Arctic Drift.

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Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler and Grant Blackwood

February 25th, 2010

Spartan Gold signifies the launch of a fifth book series by perpetual New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler, this time in partnership with up and coming young author Grant Blackwood.

The books of this new series are called “Fargo Adventures,” so named after the book’s heroes, married couple Sam and Remi Fargo.

After a few years of entrepreneurship early in life which made them a fortune, the Fargos have been able to devote their new lives to their main passion, archeological treasure hunting. And they generally let nothing and no one deter them from finding their prize.

The Fargo Adventures feature a new set of characters and a new approach in the form of archeological treasure hunting. (New in terms of being the main focus.) But as with any Cussler-novel, we can still expect a lot of the action to take place in and around water, as well as plenty of exotic cars, foods and drinks.

Spartan Gold follows Sam and Remi on the trail of Napoleon Bonaparte and twelve bottles from his legendary lost wine cellar, each with a clue written in code on the back of the label.

Of course there are also adversaries to be faced and dealt with. A former Soviet freedom fighter turned mafia billionaire sends his hired hooligans to interfere with the Fargos’ investigation, several times imperiling their very lives.

Bondaruk believes the end of the trail will lead to an ancient Greek gold-treasure once conquered by his ancestor, the Persian ruler Xerxes the Great. A treasure which Bondaruk has convinced himself is his rightful heritage, and no one will be allowed to stand in his way of getting it.

The riddles on the wine-bottles lead the Fargos and their adversaries from a WWII German submarine in the Great Pocomoke Swamp of Maryland to the Bahamas and through much of Europe including Monaco, Croatia, Italy, Germany, and Ukraine: not necessarily in that sequence.

To sum it up, Spartan Gold is the first in an exciting new series by the master of marine action novels, Clive Cussler, complete with the distinct hallmarks that we have come to love and expect from this beloved author. In other words, Spartan Gold is another guaranteed New York Times bestseller.

Britt Hellman resides in Western North Carolina with her spouse and three sons, operating her own copywriting business out of her home. Clive Cussler has been long time favorite author. Visit her dedicated Cussler site to order Spartan Gold or read her review of the latest Dirk Pitt novel, Arctic Drift.

categories: novel,literature,review,book,story,entertainment,library,adventure,crime,criminal,law,history,diving,marine

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The Process of White Cyc Los Angeles

February 19th, 2010

White Cyclorama is a perpetual process that’s stayed the same since its first use in German nineteen century theaters and it’s still being use today in the 20 first century. White Cyc Los Angeles is still being used for filming computer effects. Any los angeles studios can have their own White Cyclorama Studios, but it’s less costly to hire a White surfaced Cyclorama studio in L. A. .

Things to do and avoid for a successful White Cyc Los Angeles backdrop : 1 ) the first and most critical part of a white surfaced cyclorama is deciding between building or renting is the design and construction of the white backdrop. 2 ) A good white background should show a bunch of time and planning in its construction. Three ) The backdrop and stage should be well lighted without shadows, seams, dust, and failings showing up in post production. 4 ) It’s vital the curve between the floor and wall is correct to avoid shadows cause by the wall and floor meeting together at a ninety degree. Five ) the right curve helps with lighting by rebounding back light eliminating the shadows on actors, props, and etc .

In addition, the ceiling should not be too low to avoid a few of these Problems : one ) Low ceiling causes Problems with filming off stage. 2 ) Detracts from the special effects. 3 ) Causes a nightmare of Problems getting the right camera angle. Here are a few more pointers. Don’t lease a White Cyc Los Angeles~ studio with only one white wall to avoid these issues : 1 ) Limited filming option. 2 ) Everything needs to be film straight or head on. It’s better to employ a studio with 2 walls of white cyclorama. 3 ) 2 white walls with horizontal and vertically arced corner are better for filming. Four ) permit for big selection of camera angles.

The Most ideal place to video is a White Cyc Los Angeles studio with three walls of white cyclorama as it allows for appearance of filming in a big white ball. It is also perfect for allowing the most camera angles. Ultimately, the movement of light and camera better uses the white walls to bop light back creating a continued white void. Proper lighting needs to be taken into consideration to avoid light bounce and shadows. Poor lighting will cause Problems : 1 ) Details will not be clear or sharp. Two ) Shadows and light bounce will cause issues here are some tips on lighting : one ) One way to light a white cyclorama is a soft overhead light that allows for a giant quantity of light not causing shadows. 2 ) Make the lighting as even as possible. 3 ) be sure to hire the studio with enough time to setup lighting correctly .

two White Cyc Los Angeles that rent studio space with white cyclorama are : Atomic Studios with features : one ) 20 four hour lease time 7 days every week two ) On site assistance 3 ) 15,000 sq. feet four ) 3 walls of white cyclorama 5 ) 3-D animation 6 ) Compositing pre and post production 7 ) RV camera auto combo. De Studio features : 1 ) city center with 20 foot white cyclorama 2 ) Provides lighting desires for smooth shadow less appearance three ) will supply lighting appliances 4 ) Plus the studio will supply additional lighting if required 5 ) Studio is quit design with sound recording in mind six ) Studio is setup for motion picture lighting seven ) “Stills” flash lighting.

There are a lot of other websites giving various forms of advice on how to use White Cyc but a lot of them are not very specific or precise. Before following these, make sure to check my own articles and reviews on White Cyc Los Angeles and White Cyc Rentals, You can also reach me at 1-323-851-3825 or phillipguye@hotmail.com

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Seamless White Cyc LA Background

February 19th, 2010

White cyc LA is a special seamless background with no visual corners, and pointed angles that cause shadows. White surfaced cyc can be use in conjunction with green screen to improve the films computer effects. Benefits of white surfaced cyc are : to create a visible illusion of unlimited space, and supply a background for all types of lighting possibilities to achieve the need background effect for the photographer. White surfaced cyc can be use to create every kind of backgrounds for different sorts of film media.

Many professional photographers are replacing the unbroken paper backgrounds in their studios with more durable white cyc LA backgrounds. Why? Because white surfaced cyc gives the photographer complete control over the choice of background effects. The cyc routinely is use to cover 2 walls of the studio. Permitting for controlled lighting creates the background effect of light or dark. The utilization of color lights and pattern screens can be use with the cyc to make fascinating backgrounds. Plus lighting can be use to form an infinity background behind the model.

White cyc LA backgrounds with various sorts of lighting options give the shutter-bug the choice of lighting or not lighting the background. For a dark background only the foreground is lighted. This showcases the model or product. For mood lighting on an incline surface can be use to make a background effect without contesting with the model or the general impact of the image. There is no wrong or right way for the photographer to use the cyc background it’s very control by the cameraman’s artistic eye to realize the desire background.

Today most professionals can have their own white cyc LA backgrounds in their studios. Permitting them to create any sort of background effect required for the photo. With a cyc background the paparazzo has unlimited selections to create pictures with whatever kind of backdrop to augment the image. White surfaced cyc use with green screen permits the photographer to put his models in distance locations or different environments without leaving his studio for expensive location filming.

Video photographers can use the white cyc LA background for music videos, dance routines showing infinite number of dancers, newsrooms, and weather reports. Plus the white cyc LA backgrounds allow for the paparazzo to film crowd scenes without all of the extra people. Or place his model or product during the past or the future.

There are a lot of other websites giving different forms of advice on how to use White Cyc but most of them are not very specific or concise. Before following these, be sure to check my own articles and reviews on White Cyc LA and White Cyc Rentals, additionally, you can reach me at phillipguye@hotmail.com or 1-323-851-3825

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The Easy Way To Make Your Own Candles

February 12th, 2010

If you need to make a romantic atmosphere from time to time in your place, or if you like the scented smell some candles have and you can not always afford to purchase them, you’ve got to know that you can make them yourself, with the aid of some recommendation.

Candles are made from old burned candles or from new ones, bought in one pound packs; they are much cheaper that way. New candles are not made from wax as it is expensive and it leaves candles with a warm dark yellow shade. Still, it burns better without any smoke. The candles will be melted in a recipient full of water. They will never be placed directly on fire, because it is dangerous.

At the same time we should prepare the shapes the candles will take. We’ll be able to make them ourselves or we are going to use boxes or paper glasses ( ike the ones from fast-foods that go with refreshments). We turn the shape the other way up ; we are making a miniscule piercing that’ll be used to keep the head of the candle separated from the rest of it.

The straw that can keep the candle burning can be taken from an old candle of can be made out of white cotton straw. We turn the shape the wrong way up, and with a stick, pen or pencil we introduce the straw so it is placed right through the middle. More exactly, we wrap the straw around a stick that’ll be fixed by the rimmed of the shape. To paint the wax we’ll use oil colors or coloring dust that is softened in the liquefying wax.

If we’d like a candle with horizontal lines, we shall pour each line at a time in different colors, waiting every time for them to cool down so that the colors won’t mix. After they are definitely cold we are going to remove them from their shapes. If we can not do this, we are going to put them in the refrigerator and wait an hour or so, and remove them after that.

For more advices, Matt Embry invites you to visit his Art Blog.

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Wooden Boat Plan – Making Your Own Boat Is A Rewarding Experience

February 10th, 2010

Mmmm yes, the great out-of-doors. Who doesn’t like being out on the water on a summer’s day with a fishing rod? What? You don’t have your own boat? No money to buy your own boat? Don’t feel bad, boats are dreadfully costly. Some of us don’t even have the money to buy a plain dinghy. You can change all that by building your own boat with a comparatively inexpensive wooden boat plan.

Before you freak out and talk yourself out of constructing a boat with a wooden boat plan, consider this. Just about anyone can make a boat. It is not a pipe dream. Even someone who has never picked up a tool in their life can construct a boat, if they find the right wooden boat plan.

What should you look for when you begin your search for a wooden boat plan?

1. The plans should be inexpensive, and they should offer a money back guarantee if you ultimately decide that making boats is not for you. Give it some effort, though, it is a really enjoyable hobby.

2. Are DVDs available to back up the plans that you choose? There are some folks that learn more through visual aids and they may need to see a demonstration of how things are constructed as well as seeing the plans on paper.

3. Are the plans created by someone with previous boat constructing experience? You shouldn’t just download some free plans off the internet sine you won’t know who put them together. You should always make sure to be safe and vigilant about the plans that you are choosing, you would not want to be in the boat in the middle of the lake and start having problems.

4. Are there credible testimonials about the plans that you are considering? Have the plans been tried out by these individuals? Were they happy with the results? Did they finish their project successfully?

You may find out that boat making is extremely rewarding. Obviously it is out of many folks’s reach to afford to purchase a boat, new used or in any other condition. If you were to make your own boat you will be able to save on many thing such as materials and on labor as well since you do not have to hire someone. Your success and how the boat building develops and even if you do not have any experience if you have an brilliant plan set you will be have to make it to the finish. After you have finished your current project you might even find that you enjoy boat constructing so much that you are wanting to construct another one. Once an initial skill set has been established there will be no stopping you.

Are you looking for a wooden boat plan? Click the link : http://www.squidoo.com/canoebuildingplans for more information now.

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Boat Building Instructions – 6 Speedy Tips To Picking Out Boat Making Instructions

February 8th, 2010

Are you in love with the outside and water, in particular? Whether you get pleasure from fishing or you just like being out on the water, nothing is more pleasing than building your own boat by hand. If you don’t already possess a boat, and can’t afford to purchase a factory built one, you may believe using comprehensive boat building instructions. You can really save thousands of dollars in the long run by building your own boat and besides that you will have the personal fulfillment of owning a water craft that you made with your own two hands. Here are some things to keep in mind in your search for the perfect boat building instructions:

1. The plans that you pick should be straight forward and simple to follow, whether you are a novice or a seasoned boat builder. You should also make sure that there is support available for any questions that you have.

2. There should be a wide selection of plans available, along with DVDs for those who need to see how things work.

3. Ideally the plans should be designed by someone that has really had boat constructing experience.

4. The boat building instructions should be systematically tested and deemed reliable.

5. Checking for credible testimonials from other people that have used the very same plans is always a great plan.

6. The instructions should be cost effective, low priced and include a money back guarantee if you decide that trying to build a boat just is not for you.

Are you wondering what the advantages of utilizing boat building instructions and doing this type of project on your own is? There are a lot of advantages. You will save a lot of money. Boats that are made from the factory are very expensive. Building a boat on your own allows you to select less costly materials and save on construction costs as well.

Other than locating a reliable set of plans you should also know that you will need to have a good location to start constructing your boat. Maybe you will use a garage or even better you may already have your have work shop.

Just because many other people might think that constructing a boat with their own hands is just a pipe dream doesn’t mean it has to be a pipe dream for you. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is in reality entirely possible and be a very rewarding experience when constructing your own boat. Your chances of success increase with plans that have been tested with success by others. If you take pleasure in building boats, you should pick a resource where you can obtain many different sets of plans as you gain experience and move on to more complicated projects.

Are you looking for boat building instructions ? You can visit http://www.squidoo.com/boatbuildinginstructions for more info.

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Boat Building Tips 5 Criteria For Finding Proper Plans

February 8th, 2010

When on the prowl for plans for boat building tips I am certain you have almost certainly wondered if there was a site that exists to supply you with all of the info that is required to know about boat building. You should make certain this site has a high-quality set of plans integrated.

When you have boat building as a hobby it may be extremely enjoyable but also keep in mind that it is incredibly elaborate as well. Having a high-quality manual and boat building tips will assist you to accomplish a finished project in no time at all. Believe it or not there are many sites where you can get plans for free, yup no charge associated with them. Downloading free plans means, often, that you will be left with no assistance or back up on how to build your boat.

When trying to find a good site to download plans for boat building and the best boat building tips you should always keep these major points in mind:

1. The plans that you download should be trouble-free to follow, complete and exact so that even beginners that have no practice will be able to follow them. There should be plans that are just the thing for the greenhorn and then if you want to take on even more complicated plan then there should be that option as well.

2. There should be a one time fee linked with obtaining these plans. This free plan should also include numerous sets of plans, not just one.

3. From time to time it is necessary to have some additional demonstrations, the plans should come with this in the form of a DVD that you can follow along with simply. Plans can be quite overwhelming when they are in blueprint form and not everyone can relate to the visual aspect of the plans.

4. The plans should be available from someone who is experienced themselves with boat building. Anyone can draw up plans, but someone who has knowledge in building boats can draw up usable plans.

5. Suppose you order these plans. The plans arrive and you attempt a project but then you come to a decision ultimately that boat building is just not for you. Do the plans come with a cash back guarantee? When a business is credible they will offer you an iron clad cash back guarantee. Make sure that you read the terms of the guarantee thoroughly before you order anything.

You can get on with the very real task of building your first boat once you are sure that you have located the right place to obtain plans. The boat building tips and plans should give you a usable boat that you can enjoy for years to come. You will have a great personal satisfaction and sense of achievement after you have built your first boat and you might find that you have gotten a new pastime.

Are you looking for boat building tips ? For more information click the link : http://www.squidoo.com/boatbuildinginstructions now.

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