Puppets -- Adding Humor And Laughter To Your Life

Kids love to play with puppets as it allows them to set free their creative imagination. Puppets can bring great joy not only to kids, but also to adults, all over the world.

Puppets were first introduced to the world of entertainment thousands of years ago. It originated from Greece as the Greeks then were known to be fond of theatrical presentations. Though they enjoyed theater, they found supporting the actors financially rather expensive, so that they turned to the use of puppets in plays. They soon discovered that puppets were just as able as actors to elicit positive response from the audience, so they continued to patronize the use of puppets in puppet shows and presentations, and soon stage puppet shows became many people's favorite past time.

Today, puppets and puppet shows have come far from their humble beginnings and still continue to be popular. Many puppets are patterned after animals such as frogs, elephants and birds. Every puppet used on stage has a distinct characteristic and personality. The differing personality is expressed not only by the puppet's design but also by its individual body movements as expressed by the puppeteer's hand movement.

Puppet performing it is not as easy as you think. It requires thorough and consistent practice before you can become an expert. A puppeteer needs to study different techniques such as the basic positioning, diction, arm rods and body movements.

The most common type of hand puppets is the simple hand puppet and the larger hand puppet. Each of the puppets has their distinct usage in puppet shows.

The simple hand puppets have few or no moving parts at all. They are usually made up of flexible materials and have distinct facial features such as eyes and nose. The mouth is often included on the simple hand puppets but it is usually there just for design purposes. It does not even open or close unless a thumb enters a pocket allowing it to move.

Larger hand puppets are more complex. Other than obviously being bigger in size than the simple hand puppets, they have additional manipulatable parts such as the eyelids and hinged mouth and arms.

Aside from providing amusement and fun, puppets nowadays have taken a political turn and are also used in thinly veiled political caricatures and satire. These political puppets are often modeled on known political personalities and are often depicted in the characters' usual political setting.

Whatever the size or the design, puppets and puppet shows today still provide wonderful entertainment to many people of all ages.

For a more comprehensive look at Puppets visit Susan's sites Puppet Show and Puppet Theater. Susan also enjoys writing on various topics at Shopping and Society.

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Curb The TV Habit In 3 Easy Steps
So you're not quite ready to throw the TV away, but you're limiting the time spent viewing television in your home? Here are some easy tips that have worked for me.

1) Identify when and why you watch and change your habits

Do you usually turn the tube on when you get home from work? Why? Do you turn it on in the late afternoon when the kids get home? Why?

Sometimes the TV goes on when we're tired or bored. If you're tired, you either need to: get more sleep or get more exercise. So instead of automatically flipping on the television, why not go for a 10 minute walk to refresh yourself? Or, take a nap!

If you're turning on the TV to "zone out" and decompress after a busy day, try developing a new, healthier habit.

Some examples:

Brew a nice cup of hot tea and drink it slowly.
Write in a journal.
Put your feet up on the couch and listen to music.
Do crossword puzzles (a recent study showed that people who do crosswords on a regular basis are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease.)

2) Make TV watching inconvenient.

A TV does not belong in the bedroom! Keeping one there is bad for a marriage and bad for your love life! It also contributes to insomnia. Put the television in an inconvenient place like the basement. Unplug it. Cover it with a blanket.

3) Give up cable.

I decided a long time ago that I would never have cable. I can think of about a thousand other ways to spend $50 a month (Starbucks, anyone?) plus my husband would probably spend all his time watching the Discovery channel instead of talking to me!

If you live in a semi-rural area, you might not even get any channels if you cancel your cable service. But that would be a good thing if you're trying to limit TV! You can use the TV as a "movie machine" and rent DVDs so that you can at least control the content better.

Here's to turning off the TV and turning on life!

InsteadofTV.com is a valuable resource for families wanting to kick the TV habit. Sign up for your free "101 Things To Do Instead of TV" at www.InsteadofTV.com

Guitar Lessons – Hammer-On, Pull-Offs
One of the primary legato techniques all guitarists must learn is the hammer-on, pull-off. This technique is important because it allows for nuances in tone and expression, and it allows the picking hand a “break” since it does not have to pick the notes on the hammer-on or the pull-off. This results in a faster progression of notes, sometimes called licks.

The hammer-on is accomplished when you pick a note and then using another finger hammer down on the same string. The sound of the hammered note is less pronounced than the picked note. For example place your first finger on the 5th fret of the 3rd string, and the hammer down your third finger on the 7th fret of the 3rd string. Don’t use your just quickly strike the second fret position with the tip of your 3rd finger. This would be described in guitar tab as 5h7 or 5 hammer 7. Keep your first finger on the 5th fret because you are going to pull-off of the 7th fret in the next example.

The pull-off results when you release a plucked note with enough force such that the second fretted note rings. This may require a slight side way motion to create enough friction to cause the string to ring out. The sound of the pulled-off note is less pronounced since you aren't using your pick to create it. This would be illustrated in guitar tab 7p5 or 7 pull 5.

If you combine these techniques you can create very fast note runs or licks. Imagine how this sequence of hammer-on, pull-off’s would sound when played very quickly 5h7p5h7p5. In deed the hammer-on, pull-off technique is the cornerstone for legato and most speed playing techniques.

It takes time to perfect the technique but it is worth the effort.

Bill McRea is the publisher of www.guitarwarehouse.com and www.kansasfans.com. Bill has owned and operate a highly successfull guitar business until he sold the business in 2004.

Watching TV Has Never Been More Fun
Have you ever found yourself yelling at the TV after your team just made a boneheaded play and realize there is no one else to share your pain? Or, overcome with emotion when your favorite character died on the O.C., Lost, or 24 and realize there’s not another soul in the room that cares? Have you ever been so engrossed in a show that you would have given anything to be able to interact with the producers, writers, or even the actors? For the past 70 years, television has primarily been an anti-social, one-way device, without an outlet for social interactivity. Well, now that’s changed. Meet BuddyTV.

As more and more people get broadband Internet connections and put computers in their TV rooms (or laptops on their, well, laps) the notion of television as a one-way street is no longer reasonable. While you watch your favorite show, celebrities, experts, friends, family or (possibly) mortal enemies may be providing live commentary at BuddyTV. Everything imaginable is available; live video, live audio, live text, and interactive polls are all part of the BuddyTV experience. In fact, you can broadcast your own, private, live commentary to all your friends and neighbors. The television experience is now a communal one, where people can interact and socialize with both their friends and celebrities.

Television is never going away and it still draws enormous worldwide audiences; the most popular shows in the US drive over 30MM viewers per show. As the world becomes smaller and the global community continues to effortlessly reach across borders and oceans, television must adapt and become a community hub whose programming brings people closer together. It is happening today and it’s exciting, with BuddyTV leading the charge. Watching TV has never been more fun and exciting. Try BuddyTV out and ask youself this: Is this the next evolution of TV?

So, if you want to find our more about The OC or especially about 24, please visit this website BuddyTV Television

Paying Referral Fees to Designers as a Creative Subcontractor - Should You Do It?
Kirstin,

I am a faux finisher and I do some murals, too. When my clients ask me for referrals for designers, I give them names of people whom I think can help them. Should I let the designer know that I referred them?

- Arlene, Baltimore, MD

Arlene,

Not only should you let the designer know you referred someone to her, you should also ask for a referral fee or a percentage of the contract if she gets the client.

In the creative industry it is somehow "standard" for designers to get a percentage of contracts for murals, faux finishes, and other artistic work, but somehow it is not standard for the reverse. He who has the client's trust is the one who holds all the power. Should you be the one who the client trusts enough to ask for a referral, you should be rewarded for giving that referral.

If someone refuses to pay a referral fee or percentage for work you handed to them, then work with other designers or vendors. There are plenty of people out there who understand the value of a "hot referral" and are thrilled to reward people for them.
We all know how difficult and costly it is to get a new client and how much time and effort is spent on marketing and selling. If someone hands you a "hot referral" that leads you right to new business, you should reward that person with a check. Don't see it as a loss of income, see it as a gain in new business. Without the referral, you wouldn't have had the business. Most successful businesses - in every industry at every level - make a portion of their revenue from money paid to them for referrals, and you should, too.

-Kirstin

Kirstin Carey is the author of "Starving Artist No More: Hearty Business Strategies for Creative Folks". Kirstin knows that most creative professionals hate sales, contracts and discussing money. She consults creative folks on the business side of creativity so they make more money, attract better clients, and love what they do. Get proven strategies and insider secrets to help creative types like you get the business help you need at www.MyCreativeBiz.com