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Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler and Grant Blackwood

March 4th, 2010 Britt Hellman No comments

Spartan Gold is the first in a new series by New York Times bestseller Clive Cussler in cooperation with action novel writer 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.

Having fulfilled the American dream early in life to become independently wealthy, the Fargos now devote themselves to archeological treasure hunting; and they let nothing stand in their way of finding what they search for.

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.

In Spartan Gold, Sam and Remi Fargo pursue a trail of clues left on the labels of twelve wine bottles from the lost wine cellar of Napoleon Bonaparte, written in a code they must first decipher.

Needless to say, the unraveling of this mystery also includes adversaries. A former Soviet freedom fighter named Bondaruk, turned ruthless Mafioso billionaire, sends a his hired help to interfere with the Fargos, first by trying to kill them, and later by taking advantage of their greater experience.

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 wine-bottle trail leads Sam and Remi, as well as their adversaries, from a sunken German submarine in the Great Pocomoke Swamp, Maryland, to the Bahamas, through much or Europe, from Germany, France and Italy to Croatia and Ukraine: not necessarily in that order.

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 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 Cussler book site to order Spartan Gold or read her review of the most recent Dirk Pitt novel, Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler.

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

February 28th, 2010 Britt Hellman No comments

Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels often focus on one or more current geopolitical events. The latest one, Arctic Drift, is no different, centering on a worldwide financial crisis in 2011, coupled with global warming woes.

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 pins his hopes on Canadian natural gas to replace the coal used in many of the country’s electricity generating power plants, as well as the gasoline used in cars. The U.S. would thereby make substantial savings on expensive imported oil, while at the same time being able to meet the international demand to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

But of course, this desperate play by the U.S. gets exploited by Goyette to the fullest. Publicly, he’s a hero to the environmentalists because of his role in developing wind power and finding solutions to carbon dioxide sequestration. Out of the public eye and unknown to all but a few, Goyette has major holdings in the Melville gas field of the Canadian Arctic, as well as the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta.

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.)

However, Goyette’s double-dealing with the U.S. and China may actually be the least of his crimes. He’s also guilty of assassination, bribing politicians, creating toxic waste that kills people and wildlife, and almost instigating a war between the U.S. and Canada.

The only fly in Goyette’s ointment goes by the name of Dirk Pitt, Clive Cussler’s action hero of 35 years. In the end Pitt prevails over Goyette, and multiple crises are averted.

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

Should McGwire’s Acknowledgment Be Chided or Respected?

February 26th, 2010 Brandon Thompson No comments

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.

What may have been more interesting is the fact that McGwire claims to have used these drugs not simply as a means of getting ahead. McGwire says he took steroids because he believed that they would help him heal from injuries more quickly.

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.

His strategy seemingly paid off. During the 1990s, McGwire experienced fewer injuries than he had in the prior years, despite the fact that he was older. He also saw a significant boost in his home run total.

Everything came together in 1998, a year in which McGwire set baseball history. Having broken a seemingly unbreakable record held by Roger Maris, the St. Louis Cardinal hit an astounding 70 home runs during the course of the year.

It was a matter of a few seasons before people realized that there had to be some means of artificial help creating seasons once thought to be impossible for older players like McGwire, Barry Bonds, and many others. There had to be steroids involved.

In retrospect, it should have been obvious that McGwire and others were using illegal substances. There was no other way to explain the unprecedented jumps in production, and the baseball world should have been keen to this.

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.

Enjoy more of this writer’s advice about the wooden bar stool and wooden step stool chairs.

Clive Cussler’s The Wrecker

February 24th, 2010 Britt Hellman No comments

The Wrecker is the second novel in a new Western series by “one of the greatest adventure novelists of our time” (imdb). It promises to become perhaps the most popular Clive Cussler series yet. Because, let’s face it, stories about the Wild West never lose their appeal to American (as well as International) audiences.

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.

Conveniently, Isaac Bell is also independently wealthy, heir to a prominent Boston banking family. After disappointing his father by not following in his footsteps, Bell has pursued his detective work with a fervor that spells obsessive passion more than a way to make a living.

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.

Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes’ arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty, the villain known as The Wrecker is nearly as brilliant as Isaac Bell himself. Unbeknownst to all, until the end of the book, The Wrecker hides in plain sight, right within the innermost circles of his adversaries.

The agenda of the Wrecker is to seize control of the Southern Pacific Railroad through various dummy corporations he has put in place, which will help him capture the fallout from Southern Pacific’s impending bankruptcy. Not only that but it appears he plans to eventually to control the entire United States railroad system, the greatest source of billionaire wealth in America at the turn of the last century.

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.

The Wrecker features the 1907 Model 35 Thomas Flyer, winner of the 1908 New York to Paris race, as well as a Packard Grey Wolf, a Bugatti Type 41 Royale, and Isaac Bell’s own Locomobile.

Although Clive Cussler may be best known for his love of diving and sea exploration, both through his fictional stories and non-fictional enterprises, he obviously also cherishes the rugged landscapes of the American West. Why else would he have chosen to live in the mountains of Colorado, as far from the sea as you can get in the United States?

The Wrecker gives a glimpse into this other side of Cussler, his love of the mountains and the still-not-entirely-tamed American West, a contagious passion that is likely to rub off on a whole new generation of Wild West enthusiasts and reinvigorate many old ones. The new Isaac Bell series may well be Clive Cussler’s best work yet.

Britt Hellman lives in Western North Carolina with her spouse and three sons, working as a copywriter. She writes book review as a hobby. Visit her site to order The Wrecker by Clive Cussler, or the most recent Dirk Pitt adventure, Arctic Drift, Clive Cussler.

White Cyc Los Angeles – Process

February 19th, 2010 Phillip Guye No comments

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 twenty first century. White Cyc Los Angeles is still being used for filming special effects. Any los angeles studios can have their own White Cyclorama Studios, but it is less costly to hire a White surfaced Cyclorama studio in LA.

Things to do and avoid for a successful White Cyc Los Angeles background : 1 ) the 1st and most important part of a white surfaced cyclorama is deciding between building or leasing is the design and construction of the white backdrop. 2 ) A good white backdrop should show a bunch of time and planning in its construction. Three ) The background and stage should be well lighted without shadows, seams, dirt, and flaws showing up in post production. Four ) It’s imperative that the curve between the floor and wall is correct to avoid shadows cause by the wall and floor meeting together at a ninety degree. 5 ) the proper curve helps with lighting by bouncing back light dumping the shadows on actors, props, and for example.

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 : 1 ) 20 four hour hire time seven days every week two ) On site help 3 ) fifteen thousand square feet 4 ) three walls of white cyclorama five ) 3-D animation six ) Compositing before and after production 7 ) RV camera auto combo. De Studio features : one ) town centre with 20 foot white cyclorama 2 ) Provides lighting needs for smooth shade less appearance 3 ) will provide lighting apparatus four ) Plus the studio will supply extra lighting if required five ) Studio is quit design with sound recording in mind six ) Studio is setup for motion picture lighting 7 ) “Stills” flash lighting.

There are so many other sites offering various forms of advice on how to use White Cyc but a lot of them are not very detailed or concise. Before following these, make sure to check my own articles and reviews on White Cyc Los Angeles and White Cyc Rentals, additionally, you can reach me at phillipguye@hotmail.com or 1-323-851-3825

White Cyc LA – Seamless Background

February 19th, 2010 Phillip Guye No comments

White cyc LA is a special seamless background with no visible corners, and sharp angles that cause shadows. White surfaced cyc can be use in conjunction with green screen to improve the films computer effects. Advantages of white surfaced cyc are : to form a visible illusion of unlimited space, and supply a background for every type of lighting possibilities to realize the desire background effect for the photographer. White surfaced cyc can be use to form every type 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 types of lighting options give the photographer the selection of lighting or not lighting the background. For a dark background only the foreground is lighted. This showcases the product or model. For mood lighting on an incline surface can be use to make a background effect without contesting with the model or the final impact of the image. There’s no right or wrong way for the photographer to use the cyc background it’s completely control by the cameraman’s creative eye to realize the need 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 so many other websites offering a variety of forms of advice on how to use White Cyc but most of them are not very specific or concise. Before following these, make sure to check my own articles and reviews on White Cyc LA and White Cyc Rentals, You can also reach me at 1-323-851-3825 or phillipguye@hotmail.com

Ecological Garden Patio Furniture

February 13th, 2010 Owen Jones No comments

If you have a beautiful garden, then you probably have a patio of a deck so that you can get every last scrap of enjoyment out of it. Most patio furniture is left outside for a lot of the year so it is best to get high quality garden deck furniture. High quality garden deck furniture is essential if you expect it to withstand the rigours of all kinds of weather and yet last a tolerable length of time too.

Another factor, particularly these days, is the ecology. People want to have as little impact on the ecology as possible, thereby reducing their carbon footprint, as they say. The manufacture of plastic involves polluting the environment with more CFC’s and disposal can cause problems too. Plastic can take decades and decades to bio-degrade.

Metal patio garden furniture also has its issues. It has to be mined and fabricated and people are beginning to worry about robbing Mother Earth of her minerals, but at least old metal can be recycled. That leaves us with timber and especially hardwood. Before, there was a great deal of concern in almost every country about logging, but a lot of countries have the problem under control now after sustained pressure from the West.

Most people understand these days how important it is to look after our planet. There is even a special day to help people remember the Earth’s dire state called ‘Earth Day’. Using hardwood from replenishable sources is the best way to save our forests.

Garden furniture made from hardwood from a guaranteed sustainable source is the most ecological way out. If you maintain your hardwood furniture according to the manufacturer’s recommendations for the type of wood you have, it will last for a decade or more. Far longer than any plastic or metal furniture, which you might well have to replace every two years or so.

Acacia hardwood offers a hard wearing and comfortable alternative to teak. In fact, this type of wood is much like teak, as if you leave it untreated it will transform to a silvery grey color. However, it is best to treat all hardwood once or twice a year with suitable oil in order to maintain the warm tones of the timber.

Most people will have a garden patio furniture set of up-right chairs, loungers and a table or two or a nest of small tables. However, there are a few other pieces of furniture that will help you get more pleasure from your garden. It is nice to be able to sit in the garden after it gets dark or when it is a bit chilly too. This can be achieved easily with a few accessories.

I suggest a patio heater, an electric mosquito killer and suitable lighting. Patio heaters are not dear any longer and a single upright propane heater will keep up to eight people warm, depending on their seating pattern. An electric mosquito killer will usually keep a whole garden clear. In fact, some will keep a quarter of an acre or more clear of flying insects. These two items may provide enough light for you, but is best to have a few spots to highlight a plant in bloom or to read by.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with commercial patio heaters. If you are interested in patio heaters too, please click through to Residential Patio Heaters.

Wooden Boat Building – Save Money By Making Your Own Boat

February 10th, 2010 Thomas Young No comments

Lots of of us daydream of pocessing a boat, but we just cannot afford to purchase one. Factory built boats are exceptionally expensive, and boat dealers will charge you by the foot. Wooden boat building is a good project to work on from your own shop or garage and you will save a lot of money. In the end you will have a boat you can be proud of, a boat that is just waiting for you to take it out for a spin on the water.

If you don’t think you would be any good at wooden boat building, you never know until you try. There are lots of really teriffic wooden boat building plans available on the net that you can download directly to your computer and then print out so that you can have the plans in front of you. A plan set will come with a list of materials that you need to complete your project. When building boats this is one of the top ways that you can save money since you can shop around to find the top price on what you are needing to conclude your project.

You might be thinking that downloading free wooden boat building plans would be the best way to save cash. This may be true but you are probably making a big mistake. You’ll find the reasons reasonably simple. Free plans do not have support for you to help you with your project. You have no clue about how created these plans and I’m pretty sure you do not know for sure if the plans were designed by someone who has the education of boats and know-how in building boats.

The top way to save cash with wooden boat building is to do your project right the first time. If you spend a lot of money on materials and using a free plan, mess up the project, you will only have to start over again and do it correctly. This will definitely not save you cash, because you will have wasted all of the materials on your fudged project.

You can do yourself a favor but finding a website that has all of the resources that you need. So what if you have to pay a small, one time fee. You will have access to plenty of plans, so if you locate that building boats is right for you, you have other plans to build. Purchasing the correct plans the first time will ensure that you will be victorious and that you will be able to conclude your build. The end result will be something that you are proud to own and you will want to let everyone know that you manufactured it with your own two hands.

Are you attempting to find information on wooden boat building? Click the link : http://www.squidoo.com/woodenboatplan for additional information.

Golfing for Beginners: Part I

February 10th, 2010 Rhys Jones No comments

The sport of golf has really boomed in public awareness over the last 45 years. It has produced fantastic world-champions such as Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods and world-renowned courses like St. Andrews, Sunningdale, Pinehurst ans Augusta.

Why has golf become so popular these days? Its the opportunity to be outside, to get a good whole body workout, network with friends or business colleagues at a leisurely pace, and to play a game that you can never play perfectly.

Your scorecard shows your progress, or lack of it, and this can spur you on to want to play again.

This is the first lesson for the novice golfer who doesn’t know anything about golfing.

A round of golf is usually played on an eighteen hole course. Each hole has its ‘par’, which is the total number of tee shots (drives), fairway shots, chips (short shots near the ‘green’) and putts on the green, it should take to sink the golfball in the hole.

‘Par’ is determined by the length and difficulty of each hole and can range from three to six. So, if you get the golf ball in the hole in six shots on a ‘par six’ hole, you ‘made par’; if you make it in five, it’s a “birdie” or seven, a “bogie”.

‘Hazards’ or obstructions are usually placed before all the holes. Ponds, sand bunkers and trees are positioned in such a way as to make it more difficult to reach the green. Novice golfers should try to find a course with fewer hazards, which is therefore easier to play.

Players mark their own scorecard with the cumalative total of shots taken for each hole. After playing all the holes, the players add up their own scorecards and the one with the lowest score is the winner.

It is important for beginner golfers to not take themselves too seriously. It takes a long time to get good at this game; even though the professionals make it look so easy.

Take a lesson or two at the start of your golfing ‘career’, because it will help you develop a proper swing and help you get off to a good start.

Are you new to golf? We have some greon our website at tips for the beginner golfer on our website at Golfing Tips for Beginners Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Why Karaoke Song Downloads Are In Demand

February 9th, 2010 Sean Kerring No comments

People in general love to sing. You see one walking on the street humming his favorite song, or you hear someone taking a bath and pretend to have a concert going on in there. This is why karaoke was developed. More and more businesses are establishing with karaoke in it because for sure, people will swarm with it.

It has become a phenomena! People in every walk of life had become accustomed to sing in karaoke. To some, it became their hobby but to others, when asked, it is their passion. Well, we there is no denying, karaoke is indeed a really good past time. It is fun many folds than any other recreational activities.

So what is a karaoke anyway? You will often hear this question from those individuals who have not yet tried and experience the wonders of karaoke. For them to better understand the meaning of karaoke, here is one if the simplest explanation about it.

Most karaoke machines have old tracks. Today, there are also a lot of karaoke machines for the younger generations which have new tracks. However, most of the karaoke machines out there still have not been updated yet with new tracks from artists of today.

Probably, the only problem you can find in a karaoke is that most of the karaoke songs are of old fashioned. The generations now wanted to sing songs from Neyo, Carrie Underwood and hundreds of famous artists of today and the songs of these artists may not have been added to the data of the karaoke yet.

You can get the latest karaoke songs and that you like through karaoke downloads. It is a better way to have the songs that you want because it is less expensive than buying CDs or DVDs.

So if you are young or maybe just young at heart, karaoke downloads is perfect for you. You do not have to settle with old school because the new one is in reach. New karaoke songs are now the demands, especially for the youth of this generation.

These karaoke songs are always updated in its website. That is also one of the reasons why more and more people are addicted to the karaoke today; they have a chance to sing their favorite artist songs.

What could possibly be more fun than singing karaoke songs all night? Nothing could be more fun. Do you have lots of karaoke downloads you can enjoy singing for hours on end. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.