sofafurnishings

Playing games online is a great past time that many people enjoy. One of my favorite sites for playing games online is www.pogo.com. This is a great site that has two options: free and subscription. This is a very addicting site for playing games online.

The free version of pogo allows you to play games such as First Class Solitaire, Slots, Backgammon, Checkers and many more. These online games are very addictive and fun. You can play online all day long for free. The disadvantage to using the free service is the constant advertisements that you have to deal with in order to be able to play the games. If that does not bother you, then play away! If constantly having to look at advertisements does bother you, then there is always the subscription option.

Club Pogo is the subscription option of www.pogo.com. Club Pogo allows you to play a much more extensive collection of games. You can join chat rooms that are exclusively for Club Pogo members, and best of all there are no advertisements. Some of the games in Club Pogo are available in downloadable versions for faster, smoother play. Club Pogo pricing is $5.99 for a month or the much better deal of $34.99 for a year. I would recommend using Club Pogo's two week trial before joining, and then choosing the yearly option. You will find the yearly price to be a much better deal and after you join you are not going to want to cancel.

Some of my favorite games can be played on this site. Pogo has a Texas Hold 'em room where you can compete against other player's for tokens. This is a great online game to play without the actual gambling involved. The game of Lottso is also fun; it is a combination of scratch off lottery tickets combined with a bingo type game. Lottso is a very addicting online game. Some days I get totally caught up in the World Class Solitaire game, and it is hard for me to stop playing. With such an extensive and eclectic group of games everyone will find the ones that are their favorites.

Pogo allows you to collect tokens to trade in for prize auctions. They have a daily, weekly, and monthly prize auction for cash prizes. Many of the Pogo online games also have cash jackpots to be won. Pogo offers the option of great online games coupled with the opportunity to win cash and other prizes.

Overall www.pogo.com is a great site to play online games and it is geared so that people of all ages will enjoy the online games, but watch out Pogo's online games are totally addicting.

Who thinks that school is way over-rated when it comes to linking it to success? I do I do.

It is a simple way of thinking in today's society; people think that once they come out of the university they are meant to get that special job with that special salary. No way people, get off that dream because it's not happening, as I quote “been there done that“.

So is it only a societal myth to think that school is that important for a great career?

Wow wait a second there Pal, in many sectors of work, if you don't have that particular paper saying that you have earned the right to practice the studied science, you are definitely not going to be granted with a job. So yes indeed you need that scholarship in order to work in a special branch and you need to work hard to get it, trust me.

So do I really need school today to survive?

Yes, definitely. At least finish your High School because today you need as much information as possible to go anywhere. But hey, many people have made it far without going to college or university. So were these people smarter than everyone else or what? No, not at all, it only means that they have played their cards right through life. This type of gentlemen is the one who worked way hard to earn what he got at the end.

Let's take for example

Many people, such as plumbers, electricians and janitors have been laughed at by the schooled people during a certain period of time, but it came one day where these people found a way to success and made it way upper (social class speaking) than the doctor or the lawyer. So people don't be fooled by the beliefs of society, the doctor won't forever be a better man than the janitor.

So is school important today or what?

If you don't want to go to college or university, that's your choice, but at least, by finishing high school, you will avoid a lot of problems base on the ignorance you will have earned by being unschooled. I would say that school today is important until high school and that afterwards, its only based on what the person behind is future is planning for the rest of his life. You can be as successful in your studies as you could be in your normal life if you know what you're doing and why you are doing it. As my university teacher used to tell me, “ No one gets somewhere by accident, everybody gets at a certain point for one reason“

Hey don't forget that a lot of people who weren't good in school were genius in real life.

Buying your first vehicle is a very important step in your life. Think back to the important things that have happened to you; turning 16, your first kiss, your first boy friend or girl friend, buying that first vehicle. You will always remember that first vehicle purchase.

When you are young you have expectations for your first vehicle but as we all know those expectations can be a bit of a reach unless money is no object. So, you need to really do some research and make sure your purchase is a good one.

Here is a list of things that I have used to help me make decisions on purchasing vehicles. Things that I didn't initially think about that really ended up being a factor in my purchases or leases.

1) First and foremost, know what you can afford. The vehicle you may be able to afford may not be the vehicle you want to drive. The first time you set in the vehicle you just purchased, regardless of what kind it is, you will love it.

2) Speak with an insurance agent about cost and options. You are going to need the insurance to protect your purchase and you need to not only know what kind of coverage you can get, you also need to factor in the insurance payment into your budget.

3) Know the cost for putting and keeping your vehicle on the road. You will need to factor licensing and registration fees into your budget. You can get this information from you Department of Motor Vehicles. Note that dealerships typically handle this for you but know that you still are going to pay for it and upon renewal you are on your own.

4) Make sure the vehicle you purchase is compatible with your life style. If you play an instrument or a sport that requires a lot or room, vehicle that seats two without a back seat may not be the best purchase for you.

5) Make sure the vehicle is comfortable to set in and drive. Not having enough leg room or head room can make for a very uncomfortable ride.

6) Use the internet to research and compare different vehicles to one another to determine which has options that fit your wants and needs best.

7) Ask people you trust about dealerships and salesman that they would recommend. Dealerships and salesman can either make the first time buyers experience great or destroy it completely. If you don't feel comfortable with either, move on.

Look to the internet for purchases or leasing. There are various sites such as www.autobytel.com that you can use to purchase, lease or just research. I suggest Autobytel because I have personally used it to purchase and lease vehicles before and I have found it to be a wonderful tool.

9) Use Consumer Reports to get additional information about the vehicle you are looking at purchasing. You can get a lot of additional safety information here such as crash test rating and air bag information.

10) Looking into leasing options. Leasing options are very nice and each vehicle company offers different options which may make the transaction more affordable.

11) Look into different financing options. I would strongly suggest that if you belong to a Credit Union, look at that for you financing option.

When you are making decisions on major purchases like vehicles refer to “Maslow's hierarchy of needs” as a guide. Maslow's hierarchy is based on a person's needs with the base line needs such as food and water being the foundation, once these needs are filled then you can move to the next level. (See link for more information).

So make sure that the base needs are filled. In this case if the vehicle fits your budget, gas mileage needs, life style, and has good safety ratings then you can worry about color, leather vs. cloth seats and such.

How a new communications technology disrupted America’s newspaper industry—in 1845CHANGE is in the air. A new communications technology threatens a dramatic upheaval in America’s newspaper industry, overturning the status quo and disrupting the business model that has served the industry for years. This “great revolution”, warns one editor, will mean that some publications “must submit to destiny, and go out of existence.” With many American papers declaring bankruptcy in the past few months, their readers and advertisers lured away by cheaper alternatives on the internet, this doom-laden prediction sounds familiar. But it was in fact made in May 1845, when the revolutionary technology of the day was not the internet—but the electric telegraph.It was only a year earlier, in May 1844, that Samuel Morse had connected Washington, DC, and Baltimore by wire and sent the first official message, in dots and dashes: “WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT”. The second message sent down Morse’s line was of more practical value, however: “HAVE YOU ANY NEWS”. (There was no question-mark in Morse’s original alphabet.) As a network of wires spread across the country, referred to as “the great highway of thought” by one contemporary observer, it was obvious that this new technology was going to have a huge impact on the newspaper industry. But would the telegraph be friend or foe? …

Charles Bordes was born May 12, 1863 in La Roche-Corbon, France. Bordes was a French music teacher and composer. Although teaching was said to have been his passion, composition was the direction he wanted to go with his life. 

Bordes studied pianoforte with Antoine François Marmontel, who was a renowned French pianist and teacher. Marmontel's other students included Georges Bizet, Vincent d'Indy, Emile Paladhile, Louis Diémer, Francis Planté and, one of his more famous students, Claude Debussy. Bordes was pleased to be allowed to study with the man he considered a master. He is counted among Marmontel’s most celebrated students. Bordes also studied composition with César Franck, another renowned teacher and composer. Bordes is said to have been greatly influenced by Franck’s instruction. This was an important beginning for Bordes because he would later reunite with some of these same men and create one of the most powerful revivals in music of all time. 

Bordes was an organist and maître de chapelle at Nogent-su-Marne for four years beginning in 1887. It was here that his musical direction really took off and he saw what he considered to be his mission. In 1890 he became maître de chapelle at the église Saint-Gervais in Paris, which he made the center of the study and practice of 15th-17th century vocal music. This study became his passion. Bordes say a decline in what he considered one of the greatest forms of music of all time, choir music. He spent a great deal of his life trying to revive it and succeeded to some degree. 

Bordes first symphony, the Symphony in C Major, was written at the Paris Conservatory when he was only seventeen years old. It is said that it began as an assignment. When the symphony was first performed, it was labeled a junior. An astonding piece form a seventeen-year-old boy, the symphony is said to bear an amazing stylistic resemblance to the music of Franz Schubert, a pianist whose work went undiscovered for a long time and then was hailed as groundbreaking.
It was in Paris that Bordes created the Saint-Gervais singers choir. The choir became known throughout the world and in 1892 organized The Saint-Gervais holy weeks. Bordes created a program where as mass was accompanied by French or Italian renaissance music. This practice still remains in some European churches today as well as some in the United States. Many believe that the act of involving music within church services began with Bordes. Today most organized churches have a musical program. 

In 1897 Bordes published Archives de la tradition basque, an ethnomusicological study. The study was commissioned by the French minister of public education and also continues in use today throughout French schools. Bordes wanted to create a musical study that addressed the many aspects of ethnomusicological study and when he did so it was so widely accepted so quickly that many of the masters also took part in familiarizing themselves with his ideals. 

Bordes founded the Schola Cantorum, a society for sacred music, with Vincent D'Indy and Alexandre Guilmant, two other musicians with whom he had studied at the Paris Conservatory. On October15, 1896 the Schola Cantorum was inaugurated and a piece of music history was born. The Schola Cantorum was responsible for reviving interest in plain-song and the music of Palestrina, Josquin des Prez Victoria and others who many had thought long forgotten. Many other music scholars and renowned pianist took part in Schola Cantorum over the years. These societies were so important to the music world of the time that Bordes went on to begin another one in Avignon and another in Montpellier. It had been his desire to see branches of the society throughout the world. 

Bordes dies on November 8, 1909 in Toulon. He is credited today for being a choirmaster and musicologist helped in reviving Renaissance polyphonic choral music.

I have found it amazing when viewing art galleries and even online art places at the types of work that are considered great pieces of art. There are some paintings that are look like someone got drunk and threw paint all over the canvas. Yet, there is a message in these paintings. Not sure what it is but there is definitely one there. They go for literally hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.

Once I saw a television, reality show. The producer hired a “server” from a temporary staff agency. The “boss” tells the employee that they need a piece of art work to sell but the painting hasn't arrived. So, a bunch of paint and brushes are set on the table. The employee paints an “abstract” with the colors. The piece is dried with a hair dryer. The employee is sort of like a “ghost” painter.

So, the buyers come in and bid on the painting. Now, the buyers are real buyers and art collectors. They've never heard of this artist before but they bid on the painting. The interpretations of this “masterpiece” were incredible.

This show got me to thinking about all the various abstracts that I've seen. Yes, I guess depending on my mood, I could say that they caught my eye and could have a meaning in them. Yet, the majority are just pretty patterns of color or some bizarre image thrown together.

I think that I'm missing something. Surely there is more to painting than this??? So, my thought for the day is what exactly makes a painting into a piece of art?

This school year, College Misericordia will no longer be conducting classes in Dallas, Pa. That's because as of August 24, the higher education institution will officially become Misericordia University.

The layman may use the words “college” and “university” interchangeably, but the two terms differ in meaning when it comes to the structure of a higher education institution. Jim Roberts, Director of Marketing and Communications at Misericordia a college is made up of departments. However, a university Roberts explains is separated into different colleges, with each college being headed by an academic dean.

“I think Misericordia had evolved to a point where becoming a university was the right move,” he said. “It was time to reorganize the academic areas into three different colleges… evolve the campus into a university structure.”

The process to become a university began in 2005 with an exploratory committee comprised of students, staff, faculty, alumni and the board of trustees. Later that year the committee formally presented the proposal to the Board of Trustees. Then, the work began to submit an application for approval.

“We submitted a very lengthy document to the state,” said Roberts. After a year-long review process, which included site visits the application was approved.

At Misericordia, the new academic scheme is comprised of three different colleges:

–College of Arts & Sciences
–College of Health Sciences
–College of Professional Studies and Social Sciences

To meet the standards of becoming a university, at least one of those colleges has to offer several master's degree programs. Additionally Roberts notes that within each new college there will be an increased emphasis on research.

“There will be more flexibility within the colleges now to increase faculty/student research, not just in the sciences, but also the humanities,” he said.

Simultaneous with the application for achieving university status, Misericorda also applied for three new graduate programs: a master's of business administration, a doctorate in physical therapy, both available this school year, and also a doctorate in occupational therapy, available in the 2008-2009 school year. Aside from these three brand new programs, Roberts says Misericordia has been growing academically for the past several years, adding bachelor degrees in communications, sports management and speech and language pathology.

Roberts states that this change to a university will be nearly seamless to students.

“We have very strong academics now,” he said. “However, (students) will see a slightly higher challenge in academics.”

The 2007-2008 school year marks the largest freshman class to enter the university: 370.

“It's a big number for us, but still it's a small community. We are staying that small, very personal university. That's been the hallmark for 83 years, since we were founded by the Sisters of Mercy. We are only going to grow it very strategically,” he said.

Not only is the student-base growing, but also the campus itself. Ground was broken for two new buildings. To make room for projected growth, a new dormitory, McGowan Hall will soon begin construction. Another new building, Insalaco Hall will host classrooms, a research institute, an art gallery and a new facility for the existing speech and hearing clinic.

The trend in higher education is an annual tuition increase. With a change in status, does that mean there will be a more significant change in price?

“Higher education is an expensive business. There are highly trained and talented people, quality facilities and quality technology that students expect,” he said of the items tuition dollars pay for. “Costs go up every year and the past ten years, we've been very competitive with our tuition for local private institutions. But these (increased) costs are related to delivering the quality education students expect, not to the change (in status).”

Despite all the new things happening at the school-a change in name, new buildings, new majors-Misericordia is grounded in its roots.

“We provide a challenging education in a personal environment. We prepare students to succeed in their careers and succeed in life,” he said.

For more information on College Misericordia, or rather, Misericordia University, visit the schools webpage at www.misericorida.edu.

It is important for home school parents to add the laboratory element to their textbook instruction. Sometimes that laboratory is the great outdoors. At other times it may be the kitchen. For this chemistry project involving the separation of food colors using chalk chromatography, we will choose the kitchen.

What Is Chromatography?

Chromatography involves the separation of chemicals. Chromatography itself means “color writing,” since it can be used to separate plant pigments. Very similar to this, we will separate components of food coloring1 one from another, because of ease of visibility to youngster(s). Separation is accomplished by pushing a substance through a stationary medium, in our case a stick of white chalk, with a moving phase, rubbing alcohol. Be sure to read all safety precautions on the bottle's label.

What You Will Need

In addition to food colors, chalk, and rubbing alcohol, you may wish to use toothpicks to apply drops of color to the chalk, and some short, wide-mouthed jars, perhaps two or three baby-food jars, as the containing vessels. Finally, we will use a little plastic wrap. This completes the equipment needed for our home school chemistry project.

Procedure

Use a toothpick to obtain a small droplet of food coloring, and spread it as a band on the side of a stick of chalk about two-thirds of an inch from the bottom of the chalk. Set it aside, and prepare one or two more pieces of chalk with other colors, in the same fashion.

Put about a third of an inch of alcohol in each or three baby food jars, and set them where they will be used. Now taking one stick of chalk at a time, insert it through the center of a piece of plastic wrap, and seal the jar with the wrap so it is about in the middle of the jar. Do this for each of the pieces of chalk.

Observations and Concluding Remarks

In a while, you should notice the liquid rising up and the food coloring will gradually begin to separate into its component colors! You've done it. You have separated the individual chemicals (in this case colors) by means of chromatography. When you are satisfied with the color separation, remove the sticks of chalk and allow them to dry. You can even add to the fun by cutting them up according to color and re-extracting the component colors, or you can draw with the chalk.

1 A black magic marker can serve the purpose, instead, if desired. It would be cheaper, and there would be no need for toothpicks, but it might not be quite as informative. If you choose the food colorings, colors that are not primary colors, i.e., red, yellow, blue, should be chosen. Thus, orange, green, purple, or other colors are best.

Today, MTV announced Gamer’s Week 2.0 – the second annual weeklong multiplatform celebration of video games. Set for the week of November 13th, every single MTV on-air and online screen across MTV, games.mtv.com, MTV2, mtvU, Xfire, and GameTrailers will showcase video game culture, developers, competitions, music, news, hardware and more through innovative short and long form video game programming.

“We are excited to showcase the revolutionary hardware and games that will shape the future of gaming during Gamer’s Week 2.0 and present the content through exciting and creative short and long form programming across all of our platforms,” said Brian Graden, President of Entertainment, MTV Networks Music Group and President of Logo. “Video games are front and center in the minds of the MTV viewers, especially with the launches of PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, the continued success of Xbox 360, and the onslaught of amazing new titles this upcoming holiday season, and we intend to bring it all directly to our audience.”

Here's the lowdown directly from MTV…

GAMER’S WEEK 2.0 ON GAMES.MTV.COM:

Games.mtv.com is the one-stop-shop for all things Gamer’s Week 2.0 and is the premier destination for gamers to check out the best and latest in video games. The Gamer’s Week 2.0 site at Games.mtv.com will feature:

Video – On-demand versions of on-air Gamer's Week 2.0 programming from MTV, MTV News, MTV2, mtvU, Xfire and GameTrailers, plus bonus content.
Tune in – A guide to all gaming programming airing during Gamer's Week 2.0
Online Specials – MTV specific online features, “PS3: Dissected,” and “Wii: Dissected,” gamer's gift guides, and Gamer's Week 2.0 special versions of regular games.mtv.com features “Peep Show,” “The Dime,” “Obsessed” and “Game Character Playlist.”
Games – Video and info on all the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 games for holidays and into '07.
News – All MTV News gaming stories, both text-based articles and video pieces, will all be available

MTV’s GAMER’S WEEK 2.0 LINEUP:

“Sucker Free” – Weekdays at 7 PM – 8PM
MTV VJ's LaLa and DJ Cipha Sounds host a week dedicated to video games on Sucker Free by bringing Xbox 360, Wii, the PlayStation 3, and the biggest hip-hop celebs and pro-gamers battle it out, special features on gaming fashion, music soundtracks, and tons of DELL laptop and game giveaways.

Sucker Free Gamer’s Week 2.0 schedule on MTV:

Monday, 11/13 – Xbox 360 rules the day as Sucker Free features special guest Rich Boy. Snoop Dogg gives us the 411 on his role as “commish” of the Hip Hop Gaming League. Plus the audience plays the hottest X Box games in the “Players Lounge” studio arcade like NBA 2K7, Godfather 360 and Need For Speed: Carbon.
Tuesday, 11/14 – The spotlight falls on video game classics on Sucker Free as it features special Pro-Gamers, like Triforce from Empire Arcadia, the first fully realized urban gaming clan seeking prize money in organized competitions and arcade hustling, Dana Platt from “VOA: Valkyries of Arcadia” and David “Walshy” Walsh from Kianeto gaming clothing, and a look back at Tetris, Grand Theft Auto 3, Pacman and Super Mario Bros.
Wednesday, 11/15 – In anticipation of the highly anticipated launch of the Nintendo Wii, this Sucker Free episode features special guests The Clipse hitting the set to premiere their latest video. Plus we debut an exclusive cut from Wii, showing off some crazy fun controllers and accessories. And our gamers get their game on in the “Players Lounge” studio arcade to play the new Wii titles including Wii Sports, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Excite Truck..
Thursday, 11/16 – It’s all about the long awaited PS3 today as the big boss of all players, Fat Joe, crashes the set as co-host, unleash his new album. Plus Pitbull and Akon stop by, and we give you a behind the scenes look at the PS3 Celebrity Unveiling in Beverly Hills with Christina Milian, Chris Brown and many others. Also, Nick Cannon checks in from L.A. to bring us Tiger Woods as he shows off some moves for his game Tiger Woods PGA ‘07. The PS3 is locked and loaded in our “Players Lounge” studio arcade with Genji: Days of the Blade, Resistance: Fall of Man, Scarface and NCAA Football.
Friday, 11/17 – Gamer’s Week 2.0 closes out Sucker Free with an encore guest appearance by Fat Joe and gaming guru “LostCause” from the World Series of Video Games. Finally, find out what’s hot for the holidays with Juelz Santana as the “Players Lounge” arcade room is packed with Pimp My Ride, Fight Night 3, and True Crime: NY. Sucker Free On MTV shuts it's down with the hottest hip hop music, action video games and huge Dell giveaways you don't want to miss!

TRL – Weekdays at 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Gamer’s Week 2.0 on TRL will feature a video game segment each day with ton of surprises and prizes throughout the week including:

Monday, 11/13 – TRL sends a lucky fan to meet up with All-American Rejects on tour to play Xbox 360 and talk about video games on their tour bus, as well as features on new games as well as giveaways.
Tuesday, 11/14: Panic at the Disco stops by to give the audience their first chance to check out everyone’s favorite music video game, Guitar Hero 2 as they play the revolutionary music title on MTV’s 44 1/2 screen in Times Square.
Wednesday, 11/15 – Viewers watch as Tony Hawk surprises a lucky kid at home to play Downhill Jam on the Wii and then skate on the kid’s halfpipe in his backyard, TRL takes a visit to Virtual Laguna Beach with MTV VJ Vanessa Minnillo, and giveaways.
Thursday, 11/16 – TRL gives one lucky gamer the chance to win a highly coveted PS3 if he can play on the brand new system for 24 hours straight on MTV’s 44 ½ screen in Times Square without stopping or falling asleep. Watch this gamer’s progress live on trl.mtv.com all night long.
Friday – 11/17 – TRL closes out Gamer’s Week 2.0 with the big PS3 payoff for the hopeful, sleep deprived gamer.

Xbox 360: Settle The Score – Premieres Monday, 11/13 at 8 PM on MTV
“Settle The Score” is a celebrity-driven, high-stakes, videogame competition show, where two celebrities put everything on the line and go head-to-head for “pink slips” over XBox Live. Bow Wow throws down against Jermaine Dupri on NBA 2K7. This show will also air on MTV2 on Thursday, 11/16 at 9 PM.

The Empire Arcadia: Premieres Monday, 11/13 at 8:15 PM on MTV
If you think you know what videogamers are all about, you haven't met The Empire Arcadia. From the tough streets of the South Bronx comes this collective of arcade hustlers on a quest for world video game domination and fat earnings. In this reality series premiering during Gamer's Week 2.0, we follow the members of the Empire Arcadia as they smash stereotypes and gaming records while struggling to overcome enormous odds in their everyday lives as they try to become the greatest gamers of all-time.

GameTrailers Presents “Top 10 Best And Worst Video Games” – Premieres Tuesday, 11/14 at 8 PM
GameTrailers, http://www.gametrailers.com, the premier online destination for broadcast-quality video game media, presents “Top 10 Best And Worst Video Games,” a half-hour countdown special profiling the ten best and ten worst games ever created. GT’s expert panel compiled 30 nominees for each category and viewers voted for their 10 favorite and least favorite games via GameTrailers.com. Experts, comedians and celebrities will weigh-in as each game is profiled. Tune in to find out which games were gold and which were garbage. This show will also air on MTV2 on Tuesday, 11/14 at 9 PM.

G-Hole on MTV – Premieres on Wednesday, 11/15 at 8PM
Hosted by Jim Shearer and Blair Herter, the G-Hole is mtv.com's fast, funny and sharp look into video games. From user-generated shorts to previews, gamer correspondents, reviews and game culture tidbits, the show moves at a break-neck pace that mirrors the way players consume and attack their games. The show compiles short-form features that entertain and inform both hardcore gamers and weekend warriors alike. Featured segments/subjects to include world premiere looks at some of the biggest titles coming next year from Microsoft, Valve, EA, Nintendo, UbiSoft and others, Japanese arcade culture, and the best user-created content you'll never see anywhere else – plus Old Grandma Hardcore, The Gay Gamer and a few other surprises. This show will also air on MTV2 on Wednesday, 11/15 at 9 PM.

Inside the World Series of Video Games – Premieres on Friday, 11/17 at 8PM
Ever wonder who are the best video game players in the world? With “Inside the World Series of Video Games,” MTV takes an in-depth look at what it takes to compete at the highest level to become a bona fide world champion. The show follows several aspiring top gamers as they vie with the best on the 2006 World Series of Video Games circuit from Sweden to China and across the USA. With over $1 Million in cash and prizes, sponsorships from companies like Intel and some top players like Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel launching their own line of products, playing games on the WSVG circuit has become the best job in the world. This show will also air on MTV2 on Friday, 11/17 at 9 PM.

PlayStation 3 Shorts:

Throughout Gamer’s Week 2.0 interspersed throughout the programming across the various channels, MTV will be airing special 3-5 minute PS3 shorts that give insight into what’s under the hood of the new system, highlight the cutting-edge specs, give viewers to get up close with Blu-Ray technology, the stunning lifelike graphics, the Dual Shock design and motion sensors of the PS3 controller, the launch titles, teasing viewers with some exclusive footage from the best launch titles, explain in “everyman” terms why gamers have every reason to leave the PS3 “always on,” and check out the stars who will be making the PS3 an important part of their busy lives.

MTV2’S GAMER’S WEEK 2.0 LINEUP:

MTV2 Presents: Blastazoid – Premieres on Monday, 11/13 at 9 PM
Hosted by Dico & Rake from Viva La Bam, this outrageous show will feature a mix of the best user-generated content inspired by the video game world and culture through hysterical and off the wall animation and live action shorts. This show will also air on MTV on Thursday, 11/16 at 8 PM.

Gears of War: The Race to Launch – Premieres on Monday, 11/13 at 9:30 PM
This docudrama is the follow-up to Gears of War: The Race To E3 and follows the birth of the most anticipated Xbox 360 game of 2006, Gears of War, through the eyes of the obsessive, eager fans waiting for its release and the people behind the soon-to-be masterpiece – taking viewers right up to “Emergence day.” This show will also air on MTV on Monday, 11/13 at 8:30 PM.

Sucker Free – Monday-Thursday, 4:30PM – 5:30PM
Xzibit takes over Sucker Free for Gamer’s Week 2.0 to take viewers through all the twists and turns in the upcoming Pimp My Ride video game. A number of artists including Bow Wow, Pitbull and and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus stop by to customize their ride from the game.

T-Minus Rock – Weekdays, 11AM -12 PM
MTV2 checks out the Nintendo Fusion Tour's New York City stop and gets Hawthorne Heights & Plain White Tees to test drive the new Wii.

MTV2 Headbangers Ball – Gears of War Special, Saturday, 11/18 at 10 PM
Headbangers Ball goes full throttle on the much anticipated Gears of War. Hosted by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and shot on location at Six Flags in CT where gamers gather for a chance to sample video gaming's next big title. Viewers will also get to see an exclusive performance from Megadeth of “Gears of War” – a brand new track off their upcoming album.

Rock Countdown – Premieres on Saturday, 11/18 at 7 PM
Guitar Hero spawns a sequel and a new legion of rock fans. MTV2 heads to LA and hooks up with Avenged SevenFold/ The band not only contributes music to Guitar Hero 2, they also try their hand on the controllers. Check out gameplay and of course a countdown of the most popular rock videos of the week.

TWITCH – Airs Daily
GameTrailers presents TWITCH, a short-format series airing exclusively on MTV2. The pieces feature comprehensive, video game content highlighting new releases, major events, developers, celebrities and a look at hottest trends in gaming. During Gamers Week 2.0, fresh new TWITCH segments will air each day including profiles of the top three launch titles for PlayStation 3 and Wii, as well as a look at three top Xbox 360 holiday releases and more.

MTV NEWS’ GAMER’S WEEK 2.0 LINEUP:

My Video Game Block: Austin – Airs on Monday, 11/13 and Tuesday, 11/14
For the first time ever, MTV News’ Sway Calloway explores the sights and sounds of Austin, Texas – the heart of online-world game design. We hang with the Austinie who wrote the Xbox 360’s hottest 2006 title Gears of War, get an exclusive visit to the ultra-secretive Retro Studios where the Nintendo Wii’s hottest title Metroid Prime: Corruption is under development, and see if one Retro developer can break his 270lb bench press record. We tour Richard Garriott’s insane mansion, meet an Austin gamer who will pay $1000 to anyone who can beat him at Mario Kart, and more.

Virtual Concerts: The New Way To Launch A Music Career? – Airs on Wednesday, 11/15
MTV News covers the expanding breaking new music artists in “Second Life.” This report puts the spotlight on some of “Second Life’s” new virtual rock stars like Amy Te, aka Keiko Takamura, a college senior who turned to playing live performances in this massive online world and Frogg Marlowe, arguably gaming’s premiere virtual performer and mentor to many up-and-coming virtual musicians.

The Real Price of Virtual Gold – Airs on Thursday, 11/16
Utilizing exclusive footage shot in China by documentarian Ge Jin for MTV News, this is the first TV report of the illicit cross-continent trading of virtual gold in the wildly popular multiplayer online game World of Warcraft.

MTV Déjà Vu Gaming – Airs on Friday, 11/17
MTV News takes a look back at its coverage of the big games and systems of yesteryear to see how far gaming has come.

MTV News Goes Big Gaming – Airs on Saturday, 11/17 on MTV2 at 6 PM and on MTV at 9:30 PM
A roundup of all of MTV News’ Gamer’s Week 2.0 stories.

Xfire’s GAMER’S WEEK 2.0 LINEUP:

Xfire “Play With the Pros” Events – Monday–Friday, 11/13–11/17, 8 PM–Midnight EST
Every night from 8 PM to Midnight EST right after Sucker Free during Gamer’s Week 2.0, Xfire will run a live online gaming event giving gamers the chance to chat and play games online with Internet celebrities and pro gamers. Team 3D, Control Alt Delete, MTV News Correspondent Gideon Yago, Pure Pwnage, PMS Clan, and the writers of Joystiq.com will each be online on different days, to chat and play with gamers. Xfire is inviting its own 5.5 million users as well as the viewers of MTV’s Sucker Free to join in on the event, giving gamers everywhere a chance to play with the top players of the most popular PC titles as well as interact with some of the Internet’s biggest stars. Go to www.xfire.com to join in the action.

mtvU’s GAMER’S WEEK 2.0 LINEUP:

Machinima VJ Hits
mtvU keeps video gaming front and center all week long with Machinima VJ hits, featuring scenes from video games, manipulated to promote the week’s programming, and submitted by college students.

Special GameOrz Ball Episode: My Shot with Guitar Hero and HelloGoodbye – Premieres on Monday, 11/13
SUNY Orange Junior, Dom Attolino, challenges his favorite band, HelloGoodbye, to his favorite game, Guitar Hero II. Who's gonna lose in front of millions?

A Day In The Life Of Mark Leung – Premieres on Tuesday, 11/14
Most college kids play video games, but Babson College student Mark Leung thinks he’s living in one. Mark writes, directs, and stars as he takes a simple walk across campus means encountering Ninjas, UFOs, sadistic villains and college ladies in need of a hero.

Special GameOrz Ball Episode: Fresh Produce – Premieres on Wednesday, 11/15
Every week, mtvU’s Fresh Produce features the funniest and most eclectic batch of video clips submitted by college students. In a special gaming-themed episode of Fresh Produce, mtvU teams up with GameTrailers to present the newest in user-generated Machinima and other gaming content created by college students.

MTV MOBILE CONTENT FOR GAMER’S WEEK 2.0

MTV mobile will feature over 20 mobile video clips of Gamer’s Week 2.0 segments for streaming across all its carrier distribution partners, including all MTV news reports, Sucker Free on MTV and TRL packages, programming from MTV2, mtvU and Games.mtv.com. In addition, viewers will be able to purchase videogame ringtones, such as the ever-popular Super Mario theme song, in a Gamer's Week 2.0 ringtone boutique on mobile.mtv.com, as well as sign up for the MTV Games Insider text-message alert.

Sponsors for Gamer’s Week include Activision, Amp'd, Dell, Intel, Nintendo, PlayStation, Taco Bell, Toyota and XBOX.

This is just a short discussion of one of the most difficult aspects of the wet-on-wet painting technique. As anyone who has tried knows, making mountains that way that Bob Ross does is nearly impossible, at least for beginners. The problems can be broken down into two categories: the underlying layer and the highlights.

For the underlying layer, I am referring to the basic shape of the mountain that we block in using the knife and a combination of dark colors (usually blues, browns, blacks, and reds). One of the things that you will notice Bob saying is that after he blocks in the shape of the mountain, he scrapes the canvas with the knife to remove excess paint. After he scrapes, then he uses a brush to pull the paint in the direction he wants and, again, remove excess paint. The theme here is the removal of excess paint and just how much paint you need to remove all depends on the brand of oil paint you are working with.

If you are using the Bob Ross oil paints, you probably already know that the dark colors are drier and thicker than the lighter (whites) colors. What this means is that the darker colors have less oil in them and as we all know from watching Bob, a thin paint sticks to a thick paint in this technique (incidentally, this is the opposite of what occurs in traditional oil painting). If you are not using the Bob Ross oil paints, then you will find that the “wetness” of the colors varies greatly with the brand. The more expensive the paints, the more likely there is to be a difference in oil content between colors. With less expensive paints, the oil content is relatively uniform across the color spectrum.

Using the information about your specific paints, there are two methods that you can use to help improve the look of your mountains and prevent the “mud-mixing” that Bob refers to in The Joy of Painting. The first technique is to scrape away as much of the dark underlying layer as possible. If you are using Bob Ross brand paints, then his technique is probably sufficient. If, however, you are using another brand of paints then you will need to use a little more elbow grease. I have found that the following technique works well.

1. Block in the mountain and scrape it as Bob instructs. Pull the paint with a clean dry brush.

2. Go back and scrape with the knife again.

3. Clean the brush and pull the paint out again.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 several times. I find that 3 repeats is a good number, but it all depends on your paints.

What you are looking for is the canvas to show through just a small amount, indicating that you have finally removed enough paint.

Following the above steps helps to ensure that you have only the minimum amount of paint necessary on the canvas. As we have discussed, less is always more in the wet-on-wet technique.

Now the time comes for adding highlights. One of the issues that a lot of people have is the highlights come out looking streaked instead of like areas of more or less snow as in Bob's paintings. The first way to deal with this is to use the above technique to reduce the amount of underlying layer to the minimum possible. The next way to combat this problem is to change the consistency of your paints. When changing the consistency, you can take one of two routes: Thicken the under layer or thin the highlight paints. Thickening oil paint is difficult unless you are mixing the paints yourself and can control the oil content. The only real solution that I have come across is to let the paint air dry for a day or two before you use. This technique has the advantage that you won't have to thin the highlight colors as much and then they will be less prone to being picked up as you paint trees, etc. over top of them.

The second route to changing your oil paints is to thin the highlight colors. The best way to do this is to go ahead and mix the colors to create your highlights and then add linseed oil to dilute/thin the paint. Work slowly and add the oil a little bit at a time. This will take some practice to get right. The downfall to this method is that you are likely to pick up a lot of paint as you try to place trees and other objects over these colors. The only solution to this is to further thin the paints you are using to paint the trees, etc. with something like paint thinner or more linseed oil. Be careful about using too much linseed oil as your paints will start to run and mix together. You can see that this method will likely start you down the road of thinning all of your paints as your work progresses.

The answer to the mountain problem lies in practice and in combining the techniques listed above. Remember that less is always more in this technique, so the less paint you use when putting down base layers, the more successful you will be as your work progresses.