Some cool how to put on eye make up images:
ONE WAY Ticket …item 2.. Lenny Bruce – How To Relax Your Colored Friends At Parties — Coca-Cola and white women ruined my life too! …
Image by marsmet553
The movie definitely goes off in some very Freudian directions, but it’s hard to imagine another actress in 1982 who could so immediately suggest a panther than Nastassja Kinski with her hypnotic, green-eyed, thick-lipped beauty. Luckily for us, she had a European attitude towards her body.
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……….*****All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ………..
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……item 1)…. youtube video … David Bowie – Cat People (Putting Out Fire) Music Video HQ …
… 06:46 minutes …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpdHMaccjw4
TheAtomicFlowers
Uploaded on Oct 30, 2011
One of my favorite movies from the 1980′s, this is a remake of the beautiful, haunting 1942 CAT PEOPLE. This version keeps the same idea: a mysterious young virgin travels to the decadent charm of New Orleans and discovers she is the descendent of a race of feline humans who transform into ravenous beasts when sexually aroused, and then must kill to regain their human form.
David Bowie’s theme song goes perfectly with the dark tone of the film, with a little goth rock influence thrown in. I’ve used the longer album version here. The movie definitely goes off in some very Freudian directions, but it’s hard to imagine another actress in 1982 who could so immediately suggest a panther than Nastassja Kinski with her hypnotic, green-eyed, thick-lipped beauty. Luckily for us, she had a European attitude towards her body.
Category
Entertainment
License
Standard YouTube License
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…..item 2)…. youtube video … Lenny Bruce – How To Relax Your Colored Friends At Parties …
… 6:26 minutes …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua0TT87KNwo
VerhipBe
Uploaded on Jul 26, 2008
"How To Relaxed Your Colored Friends At Parties" by Lenny Bruce, as performed on the album "Let The Buyer Beware".
Category
Music
License
Standard YouTube License
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Comments
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— Ethan Davidson 6 months ago
It’s a parody on realy stupid white people who are totaly inept and condescending towards blacks while still thinking they are being realy nice.
It was cutting edge humor at the time, and it still cuts now.
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— Jacob Della Torre 1 week ago
Ya can come to my house as long as ya dont do it to my sister.
Lenny, ya dead but ya still allright, boy.
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— Jacob Della Torre 1 week ago
”your a white-jew, you son-of-a-bitch…ya all right’. ‘
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— sclogse1 2 weeks ago
Come over…it’ll be dark soon…
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— greasegun49 1 month ago
Lenny Bruce and Mad Magazine. In my youth, these were my Parental replacements. Through the sardonic and sarcastic humor, the biting commentary on the issues of the day, I became educated as only truth can teach. Lenny had his own issues, and he unabashedly shared them with us. Lenny may have been caustic, snide, and pornographic, but just take a look at the world then and look at it now. Lenny saw it as it was and as it always will be. What else can one do but laugh?
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— Preacher898 1 month ago
Black guy sounds like a young Morgan Freeman
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— john silver 3 months ago
even Archie Bunker and The Jeffersons could not be put On Air today because they were not "politically correct" and it took real guts for all the actors and producers to hold a mirror up to America’s bruised and embarrassed face! we all cling to a little racism and ignorance, lets put it out there, and see if exposing it helps us understand each other.
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— the red power ranger 8 months ago
HEY…there is a U in COLOUR!!!!
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— CountThrillhammer 10 months ago
You shouldn’t be because the other guy with Lenny is his best mate Eric Miller a black jazz musician. It pokes fun at the white bigot and exposes all the cliches they use to try and hide their latent racism.
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— bentouta5 11 months ago
This makes me think of a passage I read in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The main character had just joined "The Brotherhood" and his liberal communist white colleagues held a party and one guy-drunk out of his mind- kept pandering to all of the known racial stereotypes about black people. He mainly asked the main character to sing. Bruce’s comedy had a lot of truth to it. I wonder how many white folks in that audience were silent because they embarrassed themselves like that before.
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— AllBobsAllTheTime 1 year ago
Man, can you imagine if Lenny Bruce wee around today doing a bit like this?? He’d probably get shot.
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— viralvultre1 1 year ago
NO offense, but you wouldn’t have the right to be offended even if you were.
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— Mirandasiwillja 1 year ago
People are to sensitive! This sort of thing is still happening. Someone does not want to offend you, because you are different, but they can’t help themselves. I’m a foreigner in a european country and one of the funniest (and insulting, yes I too take it personally sometimes) things the "natives" sometimes say to me is: "You know, you’re a good guy, you’re not like the rest [of your people]". Just saying, it’s funny cause it’s true.
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— jab3785 1 year ago
I know George Carlin was influenced by Lenny and he certainly had some funny bits. But I think he missed one of the most important things about Lenny. Where Carlin often shows his liberal bias and self-righteousness in his humor, Lenny had none of that. He would often present unpopular points of view like Southerners and even Adolph Eichmann.I think that’s because he realized given different circumstances, he could be like the people he criticized. That’s what made him truly unique and relevant.
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— TheProverbialHater 1 year ago
If you’re black and you’re getting offended kill yourself and step your life game up.
This is funny, this coming from a black man.
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— pnakotus 1 year ago
Awesome satire! Bruce was brilliant. This was a great jab at white liberals who were trying to undo all their cultural baggage from their parents and falling on their asses doing it, even though their intent was good, they still weren’t quite getting it.
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— jroxx11211 1 year ago
its funny you said that because lenny played his last show at the fillmore in june of ’66 and on the same bill was frank zappa and the mothers.
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— MARDUKSLAYEROFTIAMAT 1 year ago
Nobody knows what you’re trying to say because you type like an ignorant pre-teen. For you to call anyone stupid is ridiculous. Make an attempt to proof-read your own posts and use proper English.
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— IArePhluffhead 1 year ago
hey stupid, why don’t you listen to this with a little perspective. this was recorded at a time where blacks and whites drank from different fountains. comedians today, such as the one’s you mentioned, have lenny bruce to thank for their vernacular freedom. it’s not knee slapping humor by today’s standards, but for the love of god, show the man some respect. and you like lampanelli cuz other people laugh? try forming your own opinion. that one joke cunt makes my ears cry.
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— Stanman Brahman 1 year ago
Hey, Virtwonder, no one asked you to listen. Lots of us happen to be black or white or Jewish. You’re supposed to learn from history. Of course it’s dated, you jerk. But it tells you where we came from….and how far we’ve come…
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— TheRobEcho 1 year ago
I looked up Lenny Bruce cause i posted REM’s "End of the world as we know it" today and Lenny Bruce is not afraid…
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— vinyltiger 1 year ago
-As the "token black" on many occasions in the ’60s &’70s, I had to put up with that sort of thing quite often. In an effort to demonstrate their lack of prejudice, some white folks would try to make small talk by complementing a well known black or by talking in slang. Others would address me as "Brother" or tell me stories about the cool black guy they knew in the Army or in school. It was all so silly & unnecessary.
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— AllBobsAllTheTime 1 year ago
Can you imagine if Lenny were doing this bit in our uptight times today??? He wouldn’t last a week …
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— nktrygg 1 year ago
still the most controversial observational satirists.
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— LLcoolchris1016 2 years ago
Ok I’m black and not offended at all the guy had talent its only jokes people.
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— SKYGGEOSHANTI 2 years ago
A TRUE COMEDIAN CAN POKE FUN AT ANY AND EVERY BODY.
LENNY BRUCE WAS NOT AFRAID.
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— Kevin Jackson 2 years ago
All the comments about not being able to do intelligent humor like this because it would be regarded as too offensive or not P.C. are as ignorant as the devices that took lenny bruce down.
There was a very successful televions show that did bits like this every episode. All in the Family anyone? Archie Bunker ring a bell… goddamn bruce even sounds like the inspiration for that character here.
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— femmesfanatic 2 years ago
Coca-Cola and white women ruined my life too!
Just TRY and do a bit like this today.
The goddamn NAACP, JDL, ACLU etc. and their lawyers would all be up your ass so fast!
Lenny, thanks to you, our founding fathers, and free thinkers everywhere, for trying to keep our right to freedom of speech free!
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— EGarrett01 2 years ago
:45
"There are very few colored people at parties, which does not make the people who do not have colored people at the parties bigoted, because if you do not know colored people, to invite them as props is Crow Jim."
This is actually a brilliant joke, but he tries to be so unnecessarily fancy with his wording ("Crow Jim") that the punchline doesn’t come through upon first hearing and probably gets missed by a lot of people listening. He’s too clever for his own good there.
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— postatility 2 years ago
This bit may seem dated now,but it didn’t in 1960….
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— metyuewb 2 years ago
Wrong, comedy has seriously deteriorated since the time of Lenny Bruce, and offense is not even the point, you can’t tell people what not to be offended by, their being offended does not validate the level or skill of the comedian. Being "shocked" into humor is a sign of the culture DUMBING DOWN and selling out, finding the lowest common denominator. Hell no, what makes you think comedy’s evolved? You can’t even compare, it’s different TIMES!
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— jack straw 3 years ago
Too many people think of Lenny in todays world- – ya gotta remember this guy was using bits like this in the late 50,s- – except for beatnics and the" hip" society – he was vilified by the rest of society as a filthy mouthed pervert- -
A lot of what you hear in these clips isnt as funny, or shocking, unless you can imagine yourself hearing this 5 decades ago- – -Lenny, like him or not ,is a icon- opening the door for many others in the mid 60,s
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— grainofsandfan 3 years ago
Bob Dylan wrote and recorded a song, Lenny Bruce is Dead, and it’s a good song. It’s all evolution because without Lenny Bruce, there would be be no space for Richard Pryor. Richard Pryor just breaks me up and breaks my heart at the same time. I think to be a great anything or anybody, you’ve got to be really smart and Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor were really really smart.
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— 2degucitas 4 years ago
why the thumbs down? Are you all in denial that we say these things? Maybe you think you are all evolved and never make these comments?
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— jackulous 4 years ago
No matter how brilliant he was, he was a stand-up comedian. Hence he is comparable to other stand up comedians
Not all comedians are equal, but saying that you cant compare him to any other comedian is ignorant at best. He was only special because of the time he lived in.
Humour is subjective. The sooner everyone realises this the better
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— graeme6630 4 years ago
Best place to start with the work of Lenny Bruce?
Well, cinemaman3105, his "Carnegie Hall Concert" comedy album is brilliant – Lenny at his best. And the "Let the Buyer Beware" CD boxset is worth checking out as well.
The Lenny Bruce Performance Film is also worth checking out, it’s the only performance by Lenny Bruce that was ever put to film.
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FSU News .. Gumby wants his mat back (Jun. 26, 2013 8:29 PM) …item 2.. Outlaws – Ghost Riders in the Sky …item 9.. Football Schedule Preview: Miami — November 2nd will be a weekend marked on calendars (2013) …
Image by marsmet472
However, the perpetrator's fatal mistake was putting his stolen local trophy on display at his undisclosed FSU fraternity house susceptible to the eyes of his more honest brother. This total frat move (Greek translation: TFM) improved upon the standard orange traffic cone or stop sign college apartment décor. But one frat boy's gain was a company's bitter loss.
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……..*****All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ………
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… marsmet551 photo … Big Red Football … Who’s in Trouble Next in Steubenville? — The grand jury will convene around April 15. (MAR 18, 2013) …item 2.. Florida State groups bring attention to rape culture (Apr. 10, 2013) …
www.flickr.com/photos/67538764@N04/8593142199/
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… marsmet451 photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/70887333@N06/?details=1
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… marsmet 471 photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/70815929@N07/?details=1
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…..item 1)…. Gumby wants his mat back …
… FSU News … www.fsunews.com/ …
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img code photo … famed Gumby's mat
cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CD&D…
Back in February, Gumby's Pizza suffered the loss of its now famed Gumby's mat in a bizarre rash of repeated kidnappings. / Illustration by Chase Anderson / FSView
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Written by
Blair Stokes
News Editor @blairstokes
FILED UNDER
FSU News
www.fsunews.com/article/20130627/FSVIEW/130626025/Gumby-w…
Honestly, as if publicly ordering a grease-laden, 12 inch-diameter slab of dough at 2 a.m. wasn't already incriminating enough, he had to steal something—on camera. Rather than leave Gumby's with fingers coated in a sundry oil-ranch-marinara film, one patron left with hands dusted in all manner of filth tracked in from Tennessee Street as he willingly gripped a mat soiled by many a drunken foot.
"Dude just rolled up the mat and walked out with it. Like right out in the middle of the shift in front of people," said Cameron McCoy, a manager at Gumby's. "It's a dirty, dirty mat. We clean it but still it was late at night, it'd been walked all over. I don't know why you'd want to take it."
Perhaps the catalyst was the Gumby character's inviting wave, his verdant pallor a literal green light for the heist. Maybe the pizza halo about Gumby's beaming face was some religious beacon, evoking an angelic choir calling him to action. Perhaps it was the urge to engage in a vague nostalgia, the mascot emblazoned on the mat reminiscent of a simpler time when alcohol wasn't readily available to cloud reason.
While specific motives and culprit unknown, grinning Gumby and his host mat were patently abducted late last February. The mat was held hostage for four days, and when the prospects of return wore thin, an FSU fraternity brother walked across the pizza shop's unusually bare tile floor and thrust a folded mat over the counter.
Making little comment, he simply noted he saw the displaced decoration at his fraternity house and decided to return it, according to Gumby's owner Scott Fernbach.
Serving a largely collegiate clientele, Gumby's website boasts its status as "…a late night Tallahassee tradition." Yet this incident inspired a slew of copycats effectively initiating the less lucrative tradition of students stealing the Gumby's mat.
The act of such frivolous stealing demands audacity and entitlement, and judging by the frequency with which this mat is stolen, those traits seem common, especially after midnight. The Gumby's mat is a trophy, commending a victorious night of classic college tomfoolery. Congratulations.
45-seconds of footage chronicle the guy in the white backwards buckleback hat kneel to the ground, reach for the mat and nonchalantly exit Gumby's with the goods underarm. Replacing him on Gumby's candid camera is a blonde girl swaying back and forth, dancing on the gray and white checkered tile the mat once covered. Soon after reviewing the tape, the pizza shop waged a social media manhunt for these two suspects.
Mourning the mat's loss, and its price tag, Gumby's posted the clip on their Facebook page in the hopes that someone would recognize the nondescript culprit and return the mat within five days. After five days, Gumby's stated they would involve law enforcement.
"When the mat got stolen, I told everybody 'I will get that mat back,'" Fernbach said. "We basically said 'return the mat by [Feb. 25] or we're going to turn the video over the police and let them handle it.'"
It was the video that launched 1,000 Facebook likes and over 300 snarky comments, most of the unhelpful variety, rife with Big Lebowski jokes galore, pizza quality disparagements and general statements of futility in finding the suspect: "'we are looking for a white male in a tank top and hat, drunk, on Tennessee Street.' GOOD LUCK WIT DAT," read one popular comment. Fernbach said most comments were "poking fun" at the situation rather than providing plausible tips.
Before Gumby was returned to his guardians, the search saw a brief physical altercation between the swaying blonde girl and a female witness, a surplus of intentionally false leads and a reward for one girl's information about possible suspects, letting her have "whatever she wanted," courtesy of the store owner.
However, the perpetrator's fatal mistake was putting his stolen local trophy on display at his undisclosed FSU fraternity house susceptible to the eyes of his more honest brother. This total frat move (Greek translation: TFM) improved upon the standard orange traffic cone or stop sign college apartment décor. But one frat boy's gain was a company's bitter loss.
"I understand that it's a prank or a joke or whatever you want to call it but the big thing to me is that I've got to replace the mat," Fernbach said. "The mat is 0. We try to offer a good pizza at a low price. Every time I need to replace that mat, that money has to come from somewhere."
Costs of operating appear to be a concern to the owner of the pizza shop, yet as many scathing Facebook comments noted, Gumby's business practice hasn't always been as savory as ranch-soaked Pokey Stix.
Gumby's is still recovering from a sordid past as rumors about girls showing their breasts for free food have haunted the pizza shop as local lure for years. According to employees, there is some truth to the "mature" gossip, or at least there was.
"If I can, I'd like to say that most of the things that people have heard we don't do anymore," McCoy said. "We haven't done that in a year and a half. I wish people would stop asking about it. If you go onto the [mat] Facebook post, every third comment is about that kind of stuff and we don't even do that anymore."
While this Gumby's manager indicates the practice has since ended, it is still unsettling that this mat thief remains at large. He walks among us. He's in our town, at our university, in our classes. It seems like a standard drunken shenanigan. It seems like a typical Tallahassee problem. But it actually reads more like an epidemic of kleptomania infecting our town.
"Which time?" Scott Fernbach said when asked about the incident(s), his uncertainty emblematic of just how often patrons have taken a swipe at the now famed mat.
Fernbach said that soon after the mat's return, stealing it became a senior bucket list item at which point the mat was guarded behind the counter. During the summer semesters, activity has largely died down, although the owner tells store managers to remain vigilant and merciless in the face of a repeat offender.
"I've already instructed every person that works here that if the mat gets stolen and you catch the person, you call the police first, you call me second," Fernbach said. "We're sick of people thinking they can come in and steal the mat."
The original fraternity floor mat fugitive's exact whereabouts are still unknown, endangering all customized proprietary mats throughout the Tallahassee area. The subject is considered drunk and dangerous—to mats.
Should anyone know his identity, please contact the FSView & Florida Flambeau immediately. He is wanted for questioning (or interviewing).
For those trying four days in February, Gumby's surveillance cameras rolled on, missing their mascot's face smiling up from the pizza shop lobby's floor. It was a shame. That mat really tied the room together.
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…..item 2)…. youtube video … Outlaws – Ghost Riders in the Sky … 5:52 minutes …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmpvpypXKf0
iamobservingu
Published on Apr 5, 2012
Outlaws – Ghost Riders in the Sky
An old cowpoke went ridin’ out
one dark and windy day
Upon a ridge he rested
as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd
of red eyed steers he saw
A plowin’ through the ragged skies
and up a cloudy draw
Yippie I Ay, Yippie I Oh
Ghost herd in the sky
Their brands were still on fire
and their hooves were made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny
and their hot breath he could feel
A bolt of fear went through him
as they thundered through the sky
He saw the riders coming hard
and he heard their mournful cry
Yippie I Ay, Yippie I Oh
Ghost riders in the sky
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred
and shirts all soaked with sweat
They’re ridin’ hard to catch that herd
but they ‘aint caught ‘em yet
‘Cause they’ve got to ride forever
in the range up in the sky
On horses snorting fire
as they ride on hear their cry
Yippie I Ay, Yippie I Oh
Ghost riders in the sky
(Harmonica Solo)
The riders ‘loped on by him
he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul
from hell a riding on our range
then cowboy change your ways today
or with us you will ride
on Tryin’ to catch the devil’s herd
across these endless skies
Yippie I Ay, Yippie I Oh
Ghost riders in the sky
Category
Music
License
Standard YouTube License
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…..item 9)…. Football Schedule Preview: Miami …
… FSU News … www.fsunews.com/ …
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img code photo … Devonta Freeman runs for a touchdown in the last meeting between the ‘Canes and ‘Noles.
cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CD&D…
Devonta Freeman runs for a touchdown in the last meeting between the ‘Canes and ‘Noles. This year’s game is in Tally, and should be a good one. / Robert Mayer / USA Today Sports
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For the first time in a long time, Miami and Florida State will have huge implications
Jul. 29, 2013 |
Written by
Drew MacFarlane
Staff Writer @DrewMacFarlane
FILED UNDER
FSU News
FSU News Sports
www.fsunews.com/article/20130729/FSVIEW02/130729016/Footb…
Though Florida State will have played a few ACC opponents through their first seven games of the season, none truly classify as a rival team. Sure, Clemson has become close over recent years due to their recent success and ability to compete with FSU for the ACC Atlantic Division, but that doesn't come close to the first week of November rolls around, where Florida State will welcome in their first real rival of the 2013 season, the University of Miami Hurricanes.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Florida State and Miami don't like each other. Between the derogatory shirts, chants and jeers, it becomes evident fairly quickly that the two schools do not see eye to eye, and it has become clear over past years on the gridiron.
The Florida State-Miami rivalry has been around for 62 years now, beginning back in 1951. Unfortunately for Seminole fans, Miami has the series lead with a record of 31-26 against FSU, though the 'Noles have won the previous three meetings leading into the 2013 season. History has shown these rivalry games to be extremely close, intense games with plenty of implications on the line. In fact, the FSU-UM game in 2006 was reported as ESPN's No. 1 watched college football game in the channel's history.
Miami finished the 2012 season with a 7-5 record, including a 5-3 conference record which was just good enough to tie the University of North Carolina for first in the ACC Coastal Division, but they kept themselves out of the ACC Championship Game due to ongoing investigations about NCAA violations. Miami's previous schedule boasted some highly talented teams such as a Fiesta Bowl runner-up Kansas St. team, a national title contender in Notre Dame and an Orange Bowl Champ Florida State, all three of which those games Miami lost by double digits. To put another damper on their season, Miami kept themselves out of a bowl game for the second year in a row, only adding to the fact that they haven't won a bowl game since 2006 when they beat Nevada in the MPC Computers Bowl.
Senior quarterback Stephen Morris has led the offensive charge, throwing for 3,345 yards, 21 touchdowns and a QB rating of 138.1 in his first year as the starting quarterback role. Accompanying Morris is sophomore running back Duke Johnson, would topped the team in rushing last year with 947 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground. Falling just short of the 1,000 yard milestone, Johnson will have his eyes on that marker as he tries to become only the 8th 1,000 yard rusher in school history.
Along with the Miami offense coming from those two, the team's three leading receivers will be returning as well. Phillip Dorsett, Rashawn Scott and Clive Walford combined for 1,805 yards through the air and 11 touchdowns.
With an offense that has proven to be potent on different occasions Florida State's defense will have to be up to another challenge, but they'll already know that. Preparing for an in-state rival will be a fun task for the 'Noles. It's not very often that a team gets a taste at a team they dislike, let alone being in the comforts of their home stadium. Look for some of the older Seminole leaders who have played rivals before to step up and get their teammates ready to go. A few names that come to mind are core defensive players Lamarcus Joyner and Christian Jones, guys who have played in these games before and thrive on the rivalries.
With the combination of Halloween weekend, the arrival of popular YouTube party series "I'm Shmacked" and the Miami game, November 2nd will be a weekend marked on calendars for Seminole and Hurricanes fans across the country. Expect Doak Campbell to be stuffed to the top with fans ready to throw gasoline on an already scorching rivalry. Last year in Miami, the FSU-UM game had the highest attendance of the season with 73,328 in the stands, and it would be nothing short of predictable to see +80,000 form a sea of garnet and gold surrounding Bobby Bowden Field. With another year of great expectations, seats at Seminole home games will be in high demand, maybe high enough to break last year's capacity average of 75,601 (91%). This game will surely be an exception to those numbers
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How to put pretty stuff in those drops. Tutorial below:
Image by Steve took it
Water Drop Photography Tutorial
Or how to squeeze flowers into those teeny-weenie drops
I have always been drawn to nature and wildlife photography. I love taking my camera way up north to capture images of seldom-seen animals and exotic scenery. Unfortunately, we can't always plan distant adventures to shoot photographs of moose and northern lights. But we can train our eyes to find the unexpected beauty in our own backyards.
My fascination (some might call it an obsession) with water drops began when I bought a Nikon D200 last summer. Sadly, the lens I wanted was out of stock. There was no way I was going to just look at my camera body while I waited, so I picked up a Nikkor 60mm macro. Through that lens I discovered worlds of complexity hidden within the simplest tiny drops of water.
I'm often asked if the images inside the water drops are real or the product of Photoshop. Let me assure you they are real, and anyone can find them if they know how to look. Simple physics produces these tiny, beautiful and common images. Water is cohesive, it naturally bonds together in the shape of a sphere, and in that shape it functions as a miniature lens that will refract nearby objects. Using that organic lens as seen through your technological lens, will allow you to explore those tiny, complex worlds.
The water drop photos on my stream have been the result of an evolutional process. My most viewed, most faved and most interesting photo (according to flickr) was taken almost by luck, lying flat on my belly using a Diet Coke can as tripod. But after a great deal of trial and error, I've come up with a few simple, consistent steps for more easily creating a water drop photograph.
1. Focus
2. Focus
3. Composition
4. Background
1. Focus: No, that’s not a typo; focus is listed twice, and for a very good reason. It's necessary to consider the focus of the water drop itself as well as the focus of the subject displayed within the drop. My initial concern is the water drop itself and the plant on which the drop is located. I like to set my camera to aperture priority to control the depth of field. The trick is to have enough depth of field so the drop and the plant (and maybe some nearby drops) are all in focus, while leaving the background sufficiently blurred so it doesn’t compete for attention. I generally use f8 to f10 but I'll sometimes stop down to f18 if the background does not need as much blur. I also find I get a sharper focus by backing away just a little and cropping the photo, rather than getting as close as possible in an attempt to get maximum magnification.
2. Focus: As seen in the example above, the water drop is in focus as is the image of the flower seen through the water drop, but the flower itself is not in focus. That effect is achieved not by adjusting the camera, but by relying on the water drop to act as a fixed focal lens. In other words, instead of adjusting the camera I adjust the object I want to appear within the water drop. I simply move it back or forward until I’ve found the clarity of focus I want. Some photos look better with blurred refractions. For the greatest clarity I’ve found the object should be 3-4 inches behind the water drop. This, of course, may vary if using a different macro lens. Be sure to experiment.
3. Composition: Obviously, the guidelines for good composition apply to water drop photographs. Attention should be given to the Rule of Thirds, to simplicity, to the geometry within the frame, and to all the usual elements of visual composition. It’s important to remember, though, when photographing water drops that the very shape of the drop influences compositional decisions. Since the lens of the water drop is spherical (or nearly so), slight adjustments in the camera position…left, right, up, down…can have a radical effect on what is seen within the drop. Again, experiment.
4. Background: If you’re working from nature, your control over the background is necessarily limited. You have to work with what you’ve got. As mentioned earlier, the unique qualities of the organic lens formed by a drop of water allows you to make minor adjustments in the camera position that will have a profound effect on what’s seen within the drop. With a few simple props, you can gain better control over the background. For example, I often rely on a large sheet of insulation, which is bright blue on one side. I originally used it to block the wind, but noticed that even on the dreariest of days it can mimic a perfect azure sky.
Other Considerations: Almost every time I set out to take photographs of water drops, I learned something new. There was always some new factor to consider. I learned, for example, I could get bigger, more cohesive and more interesting drops on humid days. I discovered that even the slightest wind could have disastrous effects on macro focusing, as well as on the water drops themselves. I found that very slightly adjusting the exposure (-0.3EV to –0.7EV) would compensate for the natural sheen of the surface of the water drop, keeping it from being somewhat burnt out. Most important, I had to teach myself to remember that because a water drop acts as an organic lens, it presents everything upside down and in reverse (just like a pinhole camera or a large format camera).
So now I'm one of the few people who looks forward to really still, stifling, humid days. And even though my beautiful Nikkor 18-200mm has arrived, I still have my macro on more than half the time. Water drop photos are not only real, but also addicting to try to master.
That’s it. That’s how it’s done. It’s as simple as learning how chess pieces move, and just as complex as a game of chess. Good luck and think small.
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