Before and After PARTY!

Hello there! I�m so glad you�re here and hope you will join me for the first linky party of 2010! Woot!

I have had an overwhelming desire to rearrange furniture in our house over the past few days. It�s been totally nagging at me like never before. We just don�t move our furniture around � ever. Our home is very much an open concept, which means we have very few actual walls to work with. This also translates to very little wall space for art, etc., but that�s another post. :) If you combine the wall issue with the placement of cable outlets, there�s just not many options for moving things around.

Which is driving me MAD this week. So I�ve made a couple changes that I really love, without spending much money at all. The first, I�ll show you tonight!

There is a little spot in our kitchen and family room that used to be completely empty and it always bothered me. Part of the issue was the speaker on the wall that is right where art would hang:

I plan on spraying those speaker covers to match the walls � I know you painter�s are freaking out right now. ;)

A few months ago, my sweet stepdaughter surprised us with a collage of pictures she had put together of our family�sniff. Lurve her! Anyhoo, I looked around for the perfect spot to hang it, (remember the no wall space thing?) and then realized this empty wall would be PERFECT. The shape of the frame made it work just right under the speaker. I added a lamp from the basement for more light, and I was really happy with it for a couple months:

Normally I wouldn�t hang something this low on the wall, but I sometimes you have to tell the �rules� to take a hike. :)

I have a thing with floor lamps. They have to be just the right height for me � I don�t use them very much. I find them too short too often. I really do love this one and hated it was sitting in the basement, but I still felt like the spot needed something more.

Or I was obsessing over the cord showing.

You decide.

Soooo�I kept thunkin�. We have a set of nesting tables that I pulled apart long ago � I use the small one in our living room, the large one in the basement, and the middle size fit perfectly in this little spot.

Then my friend forced me to go to HomeGoods with her. Or maybe I offered to go. Whatever. Details.

I can�t tell you the last time I bought a lamp in a store as is. I always have to mess with them somehow. But I saw one with swirls on the shade and I was hooked. I couldn�t resist. They only show up when you turn on the light�I freakin� love those!:

I added the cloche (I already had) for more height, and I�m really loving how this little spot turned out!:

Of course, the basket was added to hide the cord. It also serves as another spot I can throw the toys, which is a very good thing:

I did it all for the cost of the lamp! And I could have done it for free if I could have resisted the HomeGoods lamp and used one I had.

I am really surprised I added to the house right now, instead of taking away. :) Everywhere else I�m decluttering like mad. But this is really growing on me�it satisfied my need for a change and it has a really warm and cozy feeling. You see it straight ahead when you walk in our house and I love that.

So, my before and after!:

I showed mine, now I want to see yours!

As always, only direct links to your Before and After post will be accepted�not to your blog overall. (To do this, right click on the title of your post, copy, then paste that into the linky.)

You can grab the beautiful Before and After button over to the left. The party will go till this Friday, so you can add a post until then! Have fun and enjoy!!

Walmart, Costco, US Bank Profit From Energy Credits in US; Carbon Tax Thrown Out By French Court

Inquiring minds are noting Court throws out Sarkozy's carbon tax.

France's new carbon emission tax, due to have gone into effect tomorrow, has been ruled illegal by the country's constitutional court because it exempted too many polluters.

The Conseil Constitutionnel struck down the tax on Tuesday because the exemptions breached ''the principle of [tax] equality''.

It estimated that 93 per cent of industrial emissions outside of fuel use, including those of more than 1000 of the country's most polluting industrial sites, would be exempt from the tax of �17 ($27) a tonne of emitted carbon dioxide.

The ruling is a blow for the President, Nicolas Sarkozy, as the measure was one of his flagship initiatives to cut emissions. It also leaves the Government with a �4.1 billion hole in its 2010 budget.

Meanwhile, the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has signed a law requiring that Brazil cut its projected greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent by 2020, meeting a commitment made at the Copenhagen climate change summit.

Winners, Losers, Inequality

The Conseil Constitutionnel made the correct ruling. It's clear to see what the policy was: handouts to 1000 favored industries at the expense of everyone else.

Walmart Wins Oregon Loses On Energy Credits

Please consider Walmart, others make money on Oregon's energy tax credits.

When Oregon started handing out jumbo tax subsidies for renewable energy projects two years ago, one of the biggest beneficiaries was also one of the world's richest corporations -- Walmart.

No, the retail giant hasn't branched to solar panels or wind turbines.

Instead, Walmart took advantage of a provision in Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit that allows third parties with no ties to the green power industry to buy the credits at a discount and reduce their state income tax bills.

State records show Walmart paid $22.6 million in cash last year for the right to claim $33.6 million in energy tax credits. The cash went to seven projects, including two eastern Oregon wind farms and SolarWorld's manufacturing plant in Hillsboro. In return, Walmart profits $11 million on the deal because that's the difference between what it paid for the tax credit and the amount of its tax reduction.

The loser in the transaction is Oregon's general fund -- which pays for public schools, prisons and health care programs -- because the state is out the full $33.6 million in tax revenues.

Walmart isn't alone. An analysis by The Oregonian shows Costco and U.S. Bank, which also rank among the nation's top 200 wealthiest businesses, have made millions by buying up energy tax credits to cut their Oregon tax bills. Dozens of other companies and hundreds of individual Oregon taxpayers also have cut their tax bills by buying up the tax credits.

"It's so convoluted," says Eric Fruits, an adjunct economics professor at Portland State University who has studied Oregon's energy incentives. "You've got all these dollars swirling around. Everyone is trying to grab them as fast as they can."

Walmart, Costco and U.S. Bank, which top the list of energy credit buyers, shelled out a combined $67 million to avoid paying $97 million in Oregon income taxes.

Walmart and others are making money on projects that were closed, went belly up or never produced the energy or energy savings they initially claimed.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski and state energy officials say they recognize problems with the energy tax credits and are working to overhaul the program when state lawmakers convene for a short session in February. Among the targets of the overhaul is the pass-through option.

"The governor believes there's been a public value to the program," says Anna Richter Taylor, Kulongoski's spokeswoman. "That said, he also is very supportive of efforts to align the rate better with other public investment portfolios."

Insanity of Cap-And-Trade

Oregon thinks it knows how to fix the problem, but the whole idea of granting companies credits that they can trade is simply fatally flawed.

Walmart, Costoc, and US bank made millions for doing nothing and Oregon taxpayers got clobbered.

In Europe, the Cap-and-Trade Carbon Credit Extortion Scam In Full Swing.

The world's biggest polluters wanted the carbon cap so they could trade their permits (acquired for free), to other businesses who will have to buy them to expand.

Now some of those polluters are going to move to India anyway after extorting extra permits out of the EU.

Not only is the global warming data bogus and manipulated, the whole cap-and-trade program is now easily seen as nothing more than an extortion scam, a scam that has fittingly blown up in the face of the EU and UN clowns who created it (unless of course that was their intention all along).

Unfortunately, EU workers and taxpayers are the ones who are going to suffer over this, not the clowns who created this ridiculous scheme.

Such is the insanity of Cap-And-Trade. It creates a big stream of winners and losers out of thin air, with taxpayers being the most likely loser.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Plunder! How Public Employee Unions Are Bankrupting the Nation

Jack Dean at Pension Tsunami just emailed subscribers a note to watch Steven Geenhut, author of Plunder!: How Public Employee Unions Are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation on C-SPAN2 tonight at 10:00PM EST.

About The Program

Steven Greenhut takes a critical look at government workers and the unions that represent them. Mr. Greenhut argues that government employees, who receive salaries, benefits, and a level of job security that far outpace workers in the private sector, have become a huge drain on state and federal coffers.

About the Authors

Steven Greenhut, a former member of the Orange County Register's editorial board, is the director of the Pacific Research Institute's Investigative Journalism Center and News Bureau in Sacramento. He is the author of "Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain."

If you don't have access to BookTV (C-SPAN2) via your cable provider, you can watch it on your computer (Windows Media Player required) at CSpan2Live.

If you want to keep abreast of pension news, enter your Email address at Pension Tsunami and click subscribe. It's free.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Pension War In Ohio, Greedy Police and Fire Unions Ask For Still More

It is bad enough that police and firefighters beg for still more taxpayer money, the worst part is politicians are willing to go along with it. Please consider Pension reform fight has makings of a war.

Like it or not, lawmakers will be asked this year to overhaul the state�s public pension systems that serve 1.7 million Ohioans and cost local governments more than $4 billion a year.

It�ll be an epic struggle among powerful interest groups to determine how the burden of shoring up the pension systems is shared.

Teachers, cops and firefighters may be asked to work longer. Retirees will likely face higher medical costs. And taxpayers may be asked to chip in as much as $5 billion toward the pension systems, if lawmakers accept proposed increases from two of the state�s five public pension funds.

The Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund and State Teachers Retirement System are asking for rate increases that, over the next five years alone, would cost local governments hundreds of millions of dollars.

State Sen. Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, described the viability of making taxpayers shell out more through higher employer contributions as �highly unlikely, probably impossible,� given the economic slump and the financial struggles local governments already face.

�This isn�t just putting a new coat of paint on the house� said Ken Thomas, a city of Dayton employee who chairs the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System board, which is proposing adding two years to the eligibility age for a full pension for its members. �This is re-doing the foundation.�

None of the proposed changes, however, call for following the private sector into 401(k)-type plans that might ease the burden on local governments and schools.

�The goal should be to continue the defined-benefit plan,� said state Rep. Todd Book, a Portsmouth Democrat who chairs the Ohio Retirement Study Council.

Opposition to raising employer contribution rates already has begun to surface. In Springboro, where multiple levy defeats have forced the district to close a school, cut back on busing routes, lay off workers and boost participation fees for extracurricular activities, the proposal is about as welcome as an H1N1 outbreak.

�The community already feels we compensate every employee in our school system wonderfully,� said Kelly Kohls, who was elected to the school board in November. �We�ve been very generous.�

Sensible Goals

Pray tell why should defined benefit plans be the goal? The goal ought to be to get rid of them. Is Todd Book watching his pocketbook or that of taxpayers?

It clearly is not the latter. Not another dime of taxpayer money should go to increasing employer contributions. Enough is enough. Taxpayers need to get rid of clowns like Todd Book.

Citizens of Ohio, dump Book.

Graft On Ohio Public Employees Retirement System Board

Take another look at the self-serving comment of Ken Thomas, a city of Dayton employee who chairs the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System board: �This isn�t just putting a new coat of paint on the house. This is re-doing the foundation.�

Clearly Thomas' statements are nothing but complete self-serving pomp. Adding two years to the eligibility of a full pension does not eliminate any structural problems. To re-do the foundation one would have to

1) Eliminate defined benefit pension plans
2) Lower the assumed benefits
3) Cap employer contributions
4) Make the plans accountable for pension assumptions, not taxpayers

The reason change is so difficult is

• Pompous clowns like Ken Thomas (acting in their own best interests) dominate pension boards
• Legislators unwilling to stand up to unions are on the public gravy train themselves

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Digital painting tutorial character design

Here is an update from the previous Digital painting process post (digital painting process character design). I decided to redesign and remake the whole illustration of the female character (Wuxia inspired). The previous one wasn't bad but this one is for sure better overall. I basically re-drawn her post and re-arranged the composition of the illustration to make it a lot more dynamic and interesting to look at. It gives a character design a lot more personality and attitude.
Again there is not yet a video tutorial for this one. Just the step by step process for now, I hope you will enjoy this series of tutorial. I am taking it up a few notches. :)

This character design is basically is loosely base on one of my favorite character Huang Rong (??) or shorten as Rong'Er from the series called Condor Heroes (????? -pinyin: sh� diao ying xi�ng zhu�n)a classic Wuxia novel of Jin Rong or Louis Cha (???).

Since the original character has a weapon called "Dog Beating Rod", I decided to make it a little more important in the illustration than the previous design version.

If you are looking for more video tutorials: I have great recommendation for you guys. If you like drawing comics charcter like X-men, Batman, Superman then you should go see the drawing tutorials from the following links How to draw comics girl Emma Frost, How to draw comics Batgirl, How to draw Fantastic 4 Susan Storm (basic comics style drawing with pose) and watch How to draw comics superhero spiderman, and my How to draw comics character Hulk, it also has coloring or paint over tutorial. Also the new arrival video tutorial, How to draw Captain America. And an older video tut, How to draw Batman or Darknight. These are somewhat a little in between basic and intermediate and you should have some drawing experience.

If you prefer Manga and Anime series character tutorials. For basic go Naruto series character tutorials, How to draw Naruto, How to draw Kakashi, How to draw Anime Sakura, How to draw Manga facial expression mad, and how to draw Manga Ninja. These two are a bit more advance with painting demo: How to draw Anime Character Blair from Soul Eater (This one is also a basic painting tutorial video), Draw Manga character Maka (also painting and coloring included),

Anyway, here is the character design color sketch process so far.

Huang Rong (??) digital painting (work in progress)

These are step by step Female character design tutorial:

Here is the final so far and to be continued:


Next step: Digital painting tutorial Rong'Er

Enjoy!

Also basic figure or drawing humans anatomy and body tutorial, you can go watch and read these ones How to draw female body torso step by step (Easy lesson on how to draw and construct a body in the simple way for beginner.) and how to draw woman figure hip pelvis (This one I show the simple way to draw pelvis, butts, and legs). There are also figure in simple form using lines or what we called gestures figures video tutorial and learn how to draw woman proportion sheet. And these are for Male anatomy study, Drawing body muscle torso anatomystep by step and video. Then Drawing arm muscles bicep tricep video is one of many readers favorite video. Enjoy the videos and hopefully you can get something good from them.



FEATURE TUTORIALS: *Over 60 minutes to 2 hours of video.



-Draw and Paint Women Body Tutorial I: Female Manga Fusion I
-Draw and Paint Women Body Tutorial II: Female Manga Fusion II

Samsung Launches the NX10

SAMSUNG UNVEILS THE NEXT GENERATION OF CAMERA - THE NX10

Samsung NX10�s Innovative Technology Provides �Best in Class� Features with a Large APS-C Size Sensor, Bright AMOLED Screen and Fast Auto Focus to Give Users Ultimate Performance

Ridgefield Park, NJ (January 4, 2010) - Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the Samsung NX10 � an innovative digital camera that provides users with optimum image quality in a sleek, compact body. Delivering creativity without compromise, users can now be as creative as they want on the move, without having to compromise perfect images. The NX10 will be on display during the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 7-10, in the Samsung booth #11026 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The NX10 incorporates a fast and decisive auto focus (AF), 14.6 MP APS-C size CMOS sensor and unique, large 3.0� AMOLED screen, allowing users to easily view their images, even in bright sunlight. Users can also record in HD movie to create the full story. Available in two colors, Noble Black and Titan Silver, the Samsung NX10 is small, light and ergonomically designed to ensure maximum portability for everyday use.

The Samsung NX10 ensures users never miss a moment, with one of the fastest AF in its class on the market. The company�s latest innovation, the new DRIMe II Pro engine and advanced AF algorithm, also provide ultra fast AF speed with the higher precision of contrast AF.

The Samsung NX10 has the heart of a DSLR embedded inside the compact frame of a digital camera, successfully integrating the APS-C size CMOS sensor with a mirrorless interchangeable lens, for a sleek, lightweight camera that users can easily take with them everywhere they go.

Consumers are not just limited to taking shots but can also tell their own stories in video format with HD movie recording (H.264 codec).

Samsung continues to extend the usage of AMOLED screens across many products, using a large 3.0� AMOLED screen in Samsung NX10. AMOLED provides easier viewing even in bright sunshine and at acute viewing angles, meaning users no longer need to shield their screen with their hand. The category leading screen also provides 10,000 times faster response rate than conventional LCDs, has a far lower power consumption and higher contrast ratio � 10,000:1 vs. 500:1.

�The new Samsung NX10 marks the start of the next generation of cameras,� said Mr. SJ Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. �We know from our detailed research over several years that what consumers want from their cameras is evolving, which we�ve reflected in the development of the Samsung NX10. With specialist equipment open to everyone and no longer restricted solely to the professional, more and more people want to capture something creative and tell a story through their camera � but they also want something compact that they can carry around with them all day. The large sensor and the ultra fast auto focus give consumers the quality they demand as well as the compactness they want in one exceptional package.�

Mr. Park continued: �Samsung has always been quick to implement cutting edge technology and no more so when it comes to quality of images. For the first time in the market, Samsung has successfully integrated an APS-C size sensor into a compact body by eliminating the mirror box, meaning that our users can now be as creative as they want to be on the move without having to compromise on image quality.�

The Samsung NX10 also contains a range of intelligent features to put professional quality images within reach of the amateur photographer. The Samsung NX10 includes in-depth manual controls and also a Smart Auto function which automatically detects the surrounding environment of the shot and selects the best shooting mode. Its Smart Range feature also enables the user to vividly express both bright areas and dark areas in the same frame, and the Supersonic Dust Reduction system keeps those dust particles clear of the image sensor that can often impair an image. It even senses when the user brings the camera close to their face to look through the viewfinder, and puts the AMOLED screen on standby to conserve power.

Samsung Electronics America�s CES press releases, video content and product images are available at www.samsung.com/newsroom.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information.

Samsung Launches the NX10

SAMSUNG UNVEILS THE NEXT GENERATION OF CAMERA - THE NX10

Samsung NX10�s Innovative Technology Provides �Best in Class� Features with a Large APS-C Size Sensor, Bright AMOLED Screen and Fast Auto Focus to Give Users Ultimate Performance

Ridgefield Park, NJ (January 4, 2010) - Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the Samsung NX10 � an innovative digital camera that provides users with optimum image quality in a sleek, compact body. Delivering creativity without compromise, users can now be as creative as they want on the move, without having to compromise perfect images. The NX10 will be on display during the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 7-10, in the Samsung booth #11026 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The NX10 incorporates a fast and decisive auto focus (AF), 14.6 MP APS-C size CMOS sensor and unique, large 3.0� AMOLED screen, allowing users to easily view their images, even in bright sunlight. Users can also record in HD movie to create the full story. Available in two colors, Noble Black and Titan Silver, the Samsung NX10 is small, light and ergonomically designed to ensure maximum portability for everyday use.

The Samsung NX10 ensures users never miss a moment, with one of the fastest AF in its class on the market. The company�s latest innovation, the new DRIMe II Pro engine and advanced AF algorithm, also provide ultra fast AF speed with the higher precision of contrast AF.

The Samsung NX10 has the heart of a DSLR embedded inside the compact frame of a digital camera, successfully integrating the APS-C size CMOS sensor with a mirrorless interchangeable lens, for a sleek, lightweight camera that users can easily take with them everywhere they go.

Consumers are not just limited to taking shots but can also tell their own stories in video format with HD movie recording (H.264 codec).

Samsung continues to extend the usage of AMOLED screens across many products, using a large 3.0� AMOLED screen in Samsung NX10. AMOLED provides easier viewing even in bright sunshine and at acute viewing angles, meaning users no longer need to shield their screen with their hand. The category leading screen also provides 10,000 times faster response rate than conventional LCDs, has a far lower power consumption and higher contrast ratio � 10,000:1 vs. 500:1.

�The new Samsung NX10 marks the start of the next generation of cameras,� said Mr. SJ Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. �We know from our detailed research over several years that what consumers want from their cameras is evolving, which we�ve reflected in the development of the Samsung NX10. With specialist equipment open to everyone and no longer restricted solely to the professional, more and more people want to capture something creative and tell a story through their camera � but they also want something compact that they can carry around with them all day. The large sensor and the ultra fast auto focus give consumers the quality they demand as well as the compactness they want in one exceptional package.�

Mr. Park continued: �Samsung has always been quick to implement cutting edge technology and no more so when it comes to quality of images. For the first time in the market, Samsung has successfully integrated an APS-C size sensor into a compact body by eliminating the mirror box, meaning that our users can now be as creative as they want to be on the move without having to compromise on image quality.�

The Samsung NX10 also contains a range of intelligent features to put professional quality images within reach of the amateur photographer. The Samsung NX10 includes in-depth manual controls and also a Smart Auto function which automatically detects the surrounding environment of the shot and selects the best shooting mode. Its Smart Range feature also enables the user to vividly express both bright areas and dark areas in the same frame, and the Supersonic Dust Reduction system keeps those dust particles clear of the image sensor that can often impair an image. It even senses when the user brings the camera close to their face to look through the viewfinder, and puts the AMOLED screen on standby to conserve power.

Samsung Electronics America�s CES press releases, video content and product images are available at www.samsung.com/newsroom.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information.