Skywatch Friday - Hummingbird On A Limb

I was strolling through the gardens with my head up in the skies looking for birds, planes and super heroes :) I was astounded and happily surprised to find this hummingbird perched on the top of a tree limb. I wanted to get a closer shot but did not want to scare the bird away. I always love catching birds with my camera lens.

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Thursday Two Questions Meme - Plagiarism

Those of you who were around during the Today.com days know that my work on the apoetsview blog was scraped and plagiarized. I was successful in having the site that stole my work taken down, though it took many months of hard work and frustration.

I also had poetry stolen and entered in a contest on poetry.com. I also spent quite a while dealing with that and had it taken down.

Well, it's the internet so yet again I found that an article I wrote on my new blog, Collectibles Mercantile was scraped, stolen and appears on some site called e-shout.com. The worst part is that they actually have the html code for that page and a box where people can copy and paste the article along with all of my photos and use it as their own work.

Of course I was furious but quickly remembered the frustration and stress it caused me the last couple of times this happened. I am not going to do anything about it. All I have to say is I feel sorry for people who do not have the intelligence to write their own articles. I think I should feel flattered that they thought enough of mine to steal the contents and photos. In closing all I can say is KARMA - what goes around comes around.

My two questions this week are:

1. Have you ever had your work stolen whether it be writing or otherwise?

2. If you have, what did you do about it?

Also, I will be announcing the winner of my giveaway next Thursday on this meme. Thanks for following.



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Watery Wednesday - Water Reflections @ Stern Grove

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Ruby Tuesday - Exotics

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Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday - Flowers

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Protector Of The Plains Collectors Plate by Perillo

Issued in 1989 by Artaffects - Made in the USA, the Protector Of The Plains by artist Gregory Perillo was strictly limited to 14 firing days which makes this plate highly collectible. It measures 8 1/2 inches in diameter and is one of eight plates from the Proud Young Spirits series by Artaffects. Each plate in this series depicts a proud North American Indian Child and a bird of prey. The border is trimmed in gold and the details in the feathers both on the headdress and bird are amazing. Very vivid colors and expressions both on the child and bird's face. The COA is located directly on the back of the plate. The plate is numbered 0886 D and is signed by both the artist Gregory Perillo and the president of Artaffects, Richard Habeeb. This plate is one of Perillo's premier works and a true collectible.

For more information and ordering instructions visit the Jo's Collectibles Mercantile listing.

Skywatch Friday - Sunrise Moon

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Save Our Soaps All My Children & One Life To Live -Thursday Two Questions Meme

It was 1970, I was 15 years old and began watching the soap opera All My Children with my Mom. It was in black and white back then and only aired for a half hour. I liked it because I related to the character Erica Kane played by Susan Lucci. She played a 15 year old who was feisty, outspoken and giving her on screen Mom hell. That first day I watched the show, I became hooked and have been an avid viewer and fan ever since.

The show has been on the air on ABC for almost 41 years. Susan Lucci as pictured above is one of the few original cast members left. She is also my all time favorite actress. This show has inspired me at times, left me speechless at times, had me heartbroken at times and has always entertained me.

I grew up with Erica Kane, Susan Lucci's character and she has helped me through good times and bad times. I specifically remember when my own Mom passed away in 1994, the actress playing Erica's Mom in real life passed away around the same time. They had both been playing the roles of Mother and daughter together for over 20 years so the death of Erica's on screen Mom devastated her - in real life. Much of the emotion and grief was not acting but real. We both went through that horrible time together and that particular storyline helped me probably more than anything else or anyone else could. My point here is that these shows are not just crazy story-lines and entertainment, they help people.

All My Children was one of the first show to break ground on many social issues to include AIDS, Homosexuality, Drug Abuse, Alcoholism etc... It told poignant and true to life stories that touched the heart and offered wisdom and hope. It has been a pioneer in social issues and continues in that vein today.

As many of you may already know, ABC has pulled the plug on both All My Children and One Life To Live and will cancel AMC in September and OLTL in January 2012 to be replaced by a cooking and lifestyle show. The cancellations were done without warning and the cast and crew were told about an hour before the news broke worldwide. Many cast and crew members did not even know about the cancellation until they saw it either online or on the news.

The head of daytime TV at ABC, Brian Frons states that they were canceled due to low ratings which has been proven not to be true. OLTL has had consistently higher ratings than General Hospital which has been kept on the air. The reason for these cancellations is MONEY. They want to save money and it is much, much cheaper to air reality shows than scripted shows. It is sheer greed and nothing more. They don't care that not only are the actors and actresses losing their jobs but as a result, thousands of people will lose their jobs. These shows cannot be produced without writers, sound and lighting people, hair and makeup people and so many more. All will lose their jobs and thousands of families will lose their livelihoods. ABC doesn't care. They only care about lining their own pockets with $$$.

There are thousands and thousands of fans banning together in order to keep these two shows on the air. There are petitions, letter writing and email campaigns, protests across America being planned and more. We are working together to get the sponsors to pull their advertising from ABC of which we already had a major victory. Hoover vacuum is supporting this cause and will pull their ads from ABC this Friday. We are going to fight with all we have to keep these two shows on the air.

Margie and Edna, my two blogging buddies and yours as well have generously offered to help with our cause. Here is their blog post which contains links to the major pages and has some valuable info on what we are doing to save these two shows - http://margieandednasbasement.blogspot.com/2011/04/save-soaps.html

I've ranted here long enough and I will get to the point. Here are my two questions:

1. Would you fight to keep your favorite shows on the air?

2. If so what would you do and if not, why not?



A short tribute clip for All My Children.

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Ruby Tuesday - In Bloom

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I Left My Heart In San Francisco Animated Cable Car Music Box

This item has been sold. Visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile for more music box items.

Macro Monday - Water Droplet Reflection

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Weekend Reflections - Japanese Moon Garden

The Japanese Moon Garden @ The San Francisco Botanical Gardens


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Camera Critters - Hover Fly

A hover fly who is able to disguise himself as a bee in order to ward off predators.


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Skywatch Friday - Plane & Flower Branches Against Blue Skies

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Thursday Two Questions Meme - What Is This?

1. What in the world is this?

2. Where did I take this macro?

I also wanted to let you know that in order to gain even more followers, I have extended my Collectibles Mercantile Giveaway through May 4th, at which time I will choose a winner. So, there is still more time to tell your friends and follow me at Collectibles Mercantile.


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Cherry Flowers Collectors Plate Poetic Visions of Japan

Inspired by the Haiku Cherry Flowers by Kyoshi:

Cherry Flowers

the cherry flowers are now
in full bloom, and no petal
flutters from the bough

Kyoshi

This item has been sold. For more collector plate listings, visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile.



1. What is your passion?

2. What inspires that passion?

For me, it is writing and photography. Being out in nature and music inspires both of my passions.

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Just a note that the contest giveaway for Collectibles Mercantile has been extended thru to May 4th in order to acquire more followers so join up on this blog today.

Watery Wednesday - Stream and Pond

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Macro Monday - Sunday Lunch

Sunday Lunch


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Thomas Kinkade Painter of Light Hardcover Art Book

Thomas Kinkade known around the world as The Painter of Light is one of the most loved artists of our time. His original oil paintings of cottages, Winter themes, cities and towns are immediately recognized for their portrayal of nature, home and light. There is a "glow" to his work that is second to none. His artwork is so popular that it has been reproduced on limited edition plates, figurine cottages, lithographs, calendars and much more.

This particular hardcover book is a portfolio of 70 of his most popular works. This book is 176 pages full of color photos of his works alongside the descriptions and inspiration behind each work. This book was first printed in 1993 and only available to The Lightpost Publishing club of which I belonged to back in 1993.

The book measures 12 x 9 1/2 and makes for a beautiful coffee table book. This is truly a collectible in it's own right.

This item has been sold. Visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile for more treasures.

Collectibles Mercantile Promotion Giveaway Extended

As a special promotion, I am offering a giveaway for everyone who follows my new blog with Google friend connect at http://collectiblesmercantile.blogspot.com

From now until May 3rd, follow Collectibles Mercantile which is my new store blog. On May 4th I will pick one name from my followers out of a hat and that person will receive:

$20.00 cash, a Sony Holland CD of my choice and will have the opportunity to choose any one collectors plate (with the exception of the sets that are shown) from my store. Tell your friends.

Thanks

Macro Monday In Green & White & Pink

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Visit my new blog Collectibles Mercantile.

The Weekend In Black And White - 1 Hairy Plant

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Weekend Reflections

I was photographing this Russian Orthodox church a while ago near my neighborhood. I looked across the street and found it's reflection in a glass constructed building which gave it a unique look.




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Harrah's Reno and Lake Tahoe Presents Gaming Through The Ages

This vintage Harrah's Reno and Lake Tahoe Presents Gaming Through The Ages book was created by world renowned artist Harper Goff. He is known for his richly detailed and skillful depictions of historic events. His works have appeared in various films and on covers of well known magazines such as National Geographic. He has designed stage sets for The Charge of The Light Brigade, Captain Blood and more. He also received Academy Award distinction for his sets used in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

He was commissioned by Harrah's casino to create these historical paintings of gaming through the ages of which are highly detailed and richly vivid in color and expression. This beautifully illustrated volume takes you from the Hounds and Jackals of Egypt 1300 B.C. up through and including the modern day casino in 1961 of which I believe is when this book was published. There is no ISBN or information about a publishing company or date when published. Due to the saddle stapled format and the fact that the modern day casino was depicted in 1961 I believe it to be published that year. There was also a calendar made and distributed that same year.

This item has been sold. Visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile for more treasures.

In Celebration of National Poetry Month

page by page
petals unfold
poems in full bloom