How To Draw Anime Girl 075 - Www.spyre.co.nr
7 min - Aug 30, 2007
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Today’s author: Eran Megiddo, the program manager who led the Excel Services 2007 effort. Eran is going to briefly talk about a few books that the Excel Services team wrote about the product.
I wanted to let folks know about two new Excel Services books which can help you get familiar with this new technology, deploy Excel Services, and develop applications that work against it. Both were written by members of the Excel Services team.
The first book is “Beginning Excel Services”. The first part provides an overview of Excel Services, and explains what Excel Services is, what scenarios it is good for and the benefits it provides. It also shows how to get started with deploying Excel Services and the high level architecture of the product.
The second part provides in depth details about the various aspects of the service, including chapters on:
The third part will walk you step by step through a number of scenarios. These include:
The second book is “Programming Excel Services”. It is all about the Excel Services developer – the first part will explain all about the internals of Excel Services, will go through all the programming options that Excel Services provides. This includes detailed information about UDFs and Excel Web Services, but it also contains information about common “gotchas” and about the reasoning behind some of the features. The second part goes through a dozen or so examples showing various solutions that can be done by using Excel Services – most of them reusable and generic enough that they can be used in almost any solution. Through these examples, the book shows how to use not only Excel Services UDFs and Excel Web Services, but also AJAX, SharePoint, Workflow and Excel Client technologies.
Your Amazing Brain: Capable of generating enough electricity to power a lightbulb, the human brain is one supercomputer. From enabling you to think, learn, create and feel emotions to controlling every blink, breath and heartbeat, the brain is the ultimate control center. National Geographic Kids presents five brain-teasing facts that are sure to make you think. Page 30.
Wacky America: National Geographic Kids travels to some wacky, creepy and just plain mind-boggling art displays all across the country. On your next road trip, check out eight strange-but-true roadside attractions, including Foamhenge in Natural Bridge, Va., an exact Styrofoam replica of England’s Stonehenge; Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, a pasture filled with 10 spray-painted antique Cadillacs buried hood-first in the ground; and Regent, N.D.’s Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch of metal sculptures including a 40-foot-tall pheasant and a 60-foot-long grasshopper. Page 24.
Rain Forest Rescue: A new dam built on the Caroní River in Venezuela to provide electrical power to millions of local people caused major flooding that threatened the survival of all living creatures in the rain forest valley. National Geographic Kids reports on the rain forest rescue mission and the dedicated team of conservationists who saved and relocated thousands of animals both big and small. Page 18.
Culture Trek — Nepal: Climbing Mount Everest is a way of life for the Sherpa people of Nepal. Meet Temba Tsheri Sherpa — one of the youngest people ever to summit Everest. Find out how your life would be different if you were a Sherpa, and learn a few Sherpa words too. Page 32.
Pamper Your Pet: Try four fun and inexpensive ways to treat your family pet like a star. National Geographic Kids provides step-by-step instructions for baking cat and dog treats, constructing a kitty condo, stuffing a one-of-a-kind dog bed and growing cat grass. Page 36.
National Geographic Kids, a multitopic, photo-driven magazine for 6- to 14-year-olds, empowers its readers by making it fun to learn about the world. It has received numerous industry awards, including the Periodical of the Year award in 2005 and 2006 from the Association of Educational Publishers. Published 10 times a year, National Geographic Kids has a circulation of 1.325 million and is available by subscription for $19.95 a year and on newsstands for $4.95 a copy. Its Web site is at nationalgeographic.com/ngkids.
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WASHINGTON (Aug. 23, 2007)–”Through the Eyes of the Condor,” an exhibit of 40 dazzling images of Latin America by renowned aerial photographer Robert B. Haas, will be on display at the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall from Monday, Sept. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007.
The images have been selected from Haas’ book, “Through the Eyes of the Condor: An Aerial Vision of Latin America,” published by National Geographic and in bookstores Sept. 18.
Haas spent more than two years traveling to 14 countries — Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela — covering some 80 percent of the land mass of Latin America for a rare glimpse into the most spectacular and inaccessible corners of the continent from an awe-inspiring vantage point.
Leaning from open doors of helicopters and small planes, he captured patterns in the land, its wildlife and cities that only emerge from above — rivers meandering serpent-like through the undergrowth, strings of lakes glistening like jeweled necklaces, a flock of flamingoes flying in bird-shape formation, textured salt flats swirling into an abstract artwork, a flotilla of starfish embedded like gems on the shimmering seafloor.
Haas shows that beauty can be found in unexpected places: From on high, a lithium mine edging the Atacama Desert is graced with the symmetry of parallel plowed furrows, and bubbling water treatment pools in Chile morph into intricate patterns of lace and brocade.
In this rich mosaic of people, animals, towns, cultural treasures, dramatic natural features and great wildernesses, Haas’ lens captures the region’s vibrant colors, textures and rhythms. What attracts his attention the most is the unparalleled diversity of the land, a place where “the Andes, a massive line that threads its way across the entire length of South America, separating east from west…spawns both frigid glaciers and hot-blooded volcanoes.”
As part of the National Geographic Live! program, Haas will discuss his photography and give an insightful look at themes important to understanding Latin America at a lecture at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m.
Beginning in September, several other museums will also host “Through the Eyes of the Condor” exhibits. Venues include the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium; NorthPark Center in Dallas; and the Centennial Museum and the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, University of Texas at El Paso. An exhibit also will be hosted by the Prince of Asturias Foundation in Gijon, Spain, from September through December.
The National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Dec. 25. Admission is free. For information on the “Through the Eyes of the Condor” exhibit, the public should call (202) 857-7588 or visit www.nationalgeographic.com/museum.
Superbad
2 min - Aug 23, 2007
Two co-dependent high school seniors (Hill and Cera) are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry. Surprisingly Hilarious. Starring Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Bill Hader.
(SANTA ANA, Calif. — August 10, 2007) As China begins its one-year countdown to the summer Olympic Games in Beijing, a delegation of museum officials representing the Bowers Museum in California, The Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas and the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., have reached agreement with Chinese officials in Xi’an for an historic U.S. tour of the famed Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors beginning in May 2008.
These warriors represent one of the greatest archaeological treasures in the world today. The exhibit will feature Emperor Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor; his tomb and surrounding sites; the discovery of the site by well diggers in 1974 and many exciting new finds, as well as the largest collection of the famed figures to ever leave China.
The exhibition of 120 sets of objects will include 20 complete life-sized terra cotta figures and will feature new discoveries of court officials, acrobats and generals. Equally exciting and probably most dramatic are the inclusion of two recently discovered, half-sized bronze chariots and life-sized bronze animals that were found in what would have been gardens within the tomb complex belonging to Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 B.C.).
Emperor Qin is one of the most important emperors in history and has been credited with unifying several separate warring states into a unified China in 221 B.C., creating the foundation of the China that we know today. He is also well known for initiating construction of the 30-foot-high, 3,000-mile-long Great Wall of China to protect his empire from invaders from the north. It is thought that his tomb, in addition to being heavily guarded by thousands of Terra Cotta Warriors, replicated an underground city that included a bronze tomb with 500 tons of mercury flowing as rivers and a jeweled ceiling representing the heavens. The tomb itself remains unexplored today.
“The upcoming United States tour of the first emperor’s Terra Cotta Army is of historic proportions,” says Bowers Museum President Peter Keller. “To put the importance of this exhibit in perspective, no previous exhibit from China has ever been allowed to include more than 20 ‘level one’ objects. We are bringing 52 ‘level one’ objects.”
A national panel of experts in China has established a rating system by which it grades art and antiquities on their importance to China. Those of the greatest importance are graded level one and are highly restricted as to the number that can be out of the country at any time.
“Since their discovery, the Terra Cotta Warriors have captured the world’s imagination because they give us a fascinating glimpse into the life of China’s first emperor, a man who created multiple historical marvels that endure to the present day,” says Joel A. Bartsch, president of The Houston Museum of Natural Science. “We’re eager to present the magnificent achievements of this ancient Chinese culture when this unprecedented exhibition comes to Houston.”
“National Geographic is pleased to host these national treasures of China that have captured the imagination of people around the world since their discovery in 1974. These magnificent objects from the tomb of Emperor Qin showcase the rich cultural legacy and Chinese contributions to the world,” says Terry Garcia, executive vice president for mission programs at the National Geographic Society. “We are pleased to offer the final chance to see this rare collection before it returns to China.”
These objects were drawn from 11 different collections around Shaanxi Province, including the Museum of the First Emperor’s Terracotta Army and Horses, the Shaanxi Provincial Institute for Archaeological Research, the Zhouzhi Museum, the Baoji Museum, the Xianyang Museum, the Lintong Museum, the Fengxiang Museum, the Chencang Museum, the Xi’an Institute for Archaeological Research and Protection, the Baoji Archeological Excavation Team and the Xianyang Institute for Archaeological Research.
“In 2008, while the world’s attention is focused on modern China and the Summer Olympics in Beijing, this partnership will allow Americans to explore ancient China and the legacy of its first emperor, right here at home,” adds Dr. Keller.
The collection will be seen this September at the world-famous British Museum and will close in April of 2008. The U.S. tour premieres at the Bowers Museum on May 18, 2008 where it can be seen through Oct. 12, 2008. The Houston Museum of Natural Science will host it from May 18 through Sept. 25, 2009, and the National Geographic Society Museum from Nov. 19, 2009, through March 31, 2010. The High Museum will present the same collection under a different title from November 2008 to April 2009.
Bowers Museum. Bowers Museum is a world-class, internationally-celebrated institution of art and culture dedicated to the preservation, study and exhibition of fine arts from around the globe. It is the largest and most revered museum in Orange County, California. Bowers has organized some of the most culturally significant exhibits in history, including “Secret World of Forbidden City,” “The Dead Sea Scrolls” and now “Terra Cotta Warriors.” Located minutes from Disneyland, it features eight spectacular permanent and special exhibits and has been voted Orange County’s favorite museum for more than a decade.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Houston Museum of Natural Science—one of the nation’s most heavily attended museums—is a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, and the Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at One Hermann Circle Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure.
National Geographic Society Museum. The National Geographic Museum offers visitors the chance to experience compelling stories, stunning images and scientific research associated with the National Geographic Society. The museum presents changing exhibitions on a variety of cultural and natural history topics as well as permanent interactive and educational displays. The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet.
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Some readers have expressed interest in working with and better understanding SpreadsheetML, part of the Open XML Formats recently standardized by Ecma International (I received a string of about a dozen emails in the last week or two asking how to do this or that with SpreadsheetML). I wanted to highlight a good resource that covers that specific ground: www.openxmldeveloper.org. The site has news content related to the Open XML Formats, a library of ‘how-to’ articles written up, and a forums section with various discussion topics & categories. Here’s a copy of their mission statement, to give you their view on why the site exists:
“The Open XML Formats Developer Group is being formed as a community for developers to exchange information with each other regarding the usage of the Ecma-developed Office Open XML file formats. The community will serve as a technical resource for Open XML developers to submit and answer technical questions and to share tools and ideas around Open XML Formats-based solutions. The Open XML Formats Developer Group is open to anyone free of charge to enable broad participation and development of solutions using the Open XML Formats on any platform. The Open XML Formats Developer Group will support the wide adoption of the specifications being created by Ecma Technical Committee 45. More information is available at www.OpenXmlDeveloper.org.”
The site also points to the official Ecma specification as well.
WASHINGTON (Aug. 15, 2007)–A quiet, unassuming, young Native American woman competes to represent her nation in the most traditional of all beauty pageants. A gang of Mexican wrestlers dons colorful costumes and formulates colorful rhetoric to take on the slumlords and bureaucrats that threaten their communities. A humble Aymara farmer makes an unlikely bid to become the first indigenous Bolivian president on a pro-coca platform. These stories and more converge to bring audiences the contemporary tales of indigenous and under-represented minority cultures in the fourth annual National Geographic All Roads Film Festival, to be held Sept. 27-30 at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles and Oct. 4-7 at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. The four-day event will also feature a walk-through photography exhibit and music concert in both cities. In Washington, the event will include an art market.
Some of this year’s stand-out films include “Super Amigos,” a feature documentary by Arturo Pérez Torres that combines live-action with comic-book-style animation to depict a group of Lucha Libre wrestlers who have taken their fight to the streets of Mexico City, and “Miss Navajo,” a feature documentary by All Roads seed grantee Billy Luther (Navajo/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo), that follows the contestants of the Miss Navajo Nation competition.
Exclusive to Washington, D.C., the heralded films “Enemies of Happiness,” by filmmakers Eva Mulvad and Anja Al-Erhayem, and “Cocalero,” by director Alejandro Landes, will show the political process from two separate perspectives, as an Iraqi woman and an indigenous Aymara coca farmer endure racist and sexist insults, and sometimes death threats, in a quest to attain public office.
“The theme for this year’s festival, ‘New Voices, First Stories,’ exemplifies our mission to identify and promote the work of up-and-coming filmmakers, photographers and musicians who have fascinating stories to tell about their cultures and communities,” said Francene Blythe, director of the All Roads Film Project. “To overlook these stories is to ignore a vital part of our history as a global community, and thus All Roads will always seek out these films and make them accessible to a broader audience.”
This year’s festival will present four programming strands: “Women Hold Up Half the Sky,” a spotlight on women filmmakers; “Ancestors, Elders and Land,” highlighting the connection between native people and their land; “Under the Same Sun,” a look at the struggle that people endure as they confront dual cultural identities; and “Shorts from Around the World,” a showcase of short-subject films depicting a wide array of global cultures. Films represent a diverse range of countries and cultures, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga (South Pacific Islands), Turkey and the United States.
All Roads will feature the world premiere of “A Shout Into the Wind,” by seed grantee Katja Gauriloff (Skolt Sámi). U.S. debuts include “Waban-Aki,” by First Nation filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin; “Crocodile Dreaming,” by Aboriginal director Darlene Johnson (seed grantee); “Daf,” by Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi; “Hush,” by Aboriginal director Dena Curtis; “Land & Airwaves,” by First Nations filmmakers Patrick Boivin and Alland Flamand; “My Brother Vinnie,” by Aboriginal director Steven McGregor; “Nana,” by Aboriginal filmmaker Warwick Thornton; “Taua,” by Maori director Tearepa Kahi (seed grantee); and “Tavake,” by South Pacific Islander Paul Stoll.
Premiering in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., are features “Dol,” by Kurdish director Hiner Saleem, and “Four Sheets to the Wind,” by Native American director and seed grantee Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Creek). Shorts “Menged,” by Ethiopian director Daniel Taye Workou, and “133 Skyway,” by Native American filmmaker Randy Redroad, will also make their local debuts.
This year’s photography program highlights the works of Kashmiri photographer Altaf Qadri, whose photo essay “Kashmir: Paradise in Pain” depicts the toll the Indian occupation of Kashmir has taken upon its people; Israeli photographer Oded Balilty, whose photo essay “Along the Lines” explores how Israel’s construction of its protective fence contributes to the further separation and removal of the Israeli and Palestinian people; Nigerian photographer Akitunde Akinleye, whose photo essay “The Troubles of a Blessed Country” documents the resulting chaos from a fire at a petroleum pipeline ruptured by local scavengers; and Chinese/Inner Mongolian photographer A Yin, whose photo essay “Highland Mongolian Life” beautifully captures the traditional way of life of the people of the Mongolian highlands. Adobe is a sponsor of this year’s photography program. The awardees’ work will be exhibited in the courtyards of the Egyptian Theatre and National Geographic Society.
Balkan Beat Box will headline the Friday night music concert in both cities, marking its West Coast debut. The group will be performing songs from its just-released second album “Nu Med.” Made up of Israeli, Palestinian, Bulgarian, Moroccan and Spanish musicians now based in New York, Balkan Beat Box melds rhythms from all over the Mediterranean, giving its music an eclectic sound that combines dancehall grooves with hip hop beats, infused with Jewish, Balkan, Arabic, Syrian, European, Moroccan and American influences. TimeOut New York has compared Balkan Beat Box’s live show to an “electronic gypsy circus,” and Entertainment Weekly has described the music as “grooves… fueled by Manischewitz wine and a big dose of punk ‘tude.”
For ticket information in Los Angeles, please call 323.466.3456 (FILM) or order online through www.fandango.com. In Washington, DC tickets can be ordered online at www.tickets.com or by calling 202-857-7700.
The All Roads Film Festival is part of the All Roads Film Project, a National Geographic initiative to provide a global platform for indigenous and under-represented minority-culture storytellers around the world to showcase their talents and teach a broader audience about their cultures. In addition to providing a venue for their films, All Roads offers its filmmakers and photographers a series of networking opportunities with leaders of the film and photographic community. The All Roads Film Project awards a minimum of 10 seed grants a year to support the development and production of film and video projects by or about the indigenous and under-represented minority-culture film community. Seed grant recipients are considered for inclusion in the All Roads Film Festival and other National Geographic-affiliated broadcast outlets. The All Roads Photography Program provides photographers with seed money, cameras and photography equipment to assist with their fieldwork.
For more information on All Roads, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/allroads.
Established in 1981, the American Cinematheque is a nonprofit viewer-supported film exhibition and cultural organization dedicated to the celebration of the Moving Picture in all of its forms. The Cinematheque presents daily film and video programming, which ranges from the classics of American and international cinema to new independent films and digital work. Exhibitions of rare works, special and rare prints, etc., combined with fascinating post-screening discussions with the filmmakers who created the work, are Cinematheque traditions that keep audiences coming back for once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences. The American Cinematheque renovated and reopened (on Dec. 4, 1998) the historic 1922 Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This includes a state-of-the-art 616-seat theatre and a smaller 78-seat screening room housed within Sid Grauman’s first grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. The exotic courtyard is fully restored to its 1922 grandeur. The Egyptian was the home of the very first Hollywood movie premiere in 1922. In January 2005 the American Cinematheque expanded its programming to the 1940 Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. www.americancinematheque.com.
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For images, please visit: http://ftp.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/all_roads_2007/
username: press; password: press; or email Adrian Coakley at acoakley@ngs.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Singapore is set to stage biggest World Cuisines Show in Asia
SINGAPORE — The World Cuisines Show 2008 (WCS’08), to be staged in Singapore from July 25-27, 2008, is a global marketplace where countries around the world gather under one roof to showcase their national cuisines and cultural activities. National tourism authorities from more than 130 countries have been invited to participate in this inaugural international event.
Globally, gastronomic tourism is coming up as a form of special interest tourism in which food and beverages are the main motivating factors for travel to a desired destination. Studies have shown that food plays an important part in the holiday experience of travellers, consciously or unconsciously.
Tourism authorities around the world are recognising the potential of gastronomic tourism as a powerful tool to identify and promote places, regions or entire countries.
Global trends have identified that gastronomic tourists are looking for a more participatory style of holiday experience, which satisfies their interest in food and beverages and contributes to their personal development and social status or ‘cultural capital’. There is a shift from ‘passive observation’ towards ‘interactive involvement’, whereby the visitor comes into close contact with locals and their way of life.
Increasingly food and beverages are becoming the main reason for travel. The challenge is to combine food, beverage and culture into a total tourism experience which is authentic and truly reflects the local and unique flavours of that particular country.
According to Singapore Food Expo (SFE) the longest running local food show in Singapore, visitor-ship has been exceeding 500,000 and in 2006, they have registered an all time high of 720,000 visitors.
“Now, with the staging of the first ever World Cuisine Show 2008 in Singapore, it is expected to attract the same, if not more, number of visitors to experience the wide varieties of cuisines and culture that all the participating countries will bring under one roof” said Sophie Xiao, the event director of the show.
National Tourism Authorities from more than 130 countries will be invited to promote and showcase their ethnic food, arts and culture to the domestic and international visitors who are expected to attend this event which will be held at the Singapore Expo.
For more information, please contact Jon Tan, Tel: 65 62263818 Fax: 65 64463018
Email: jsppics@singnet.com.sg Website: www.worldcuisineshow.com
