Ella in New York 13 July 1963
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Monday, August 08, 2005
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Christians Unite to Burn Harry Potter Books - Opinion & Commentary News from Send2Press Newswire Wed, 3 Aug 2005
Christians Unite to Burn Harry Potter Books - Opinion & Commentary News from Send2Press Newswire Wed, 3 Aug 2005: "Christians Unite to Burn Harry Potter Books"
Burning Books - Extreme Reaction or Proof of Uncompromising Devotion to God, asks Bob Miller
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - August 3 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Author and Gospel singer Bob Miller (bobmillerwrites.com/articless.htm), a registered Republican, said today that it was not carved in stone that President Bush will meet with Rev. T.D. Turner Sr. of the Jesus Non-denominational Church, Greenville, Michigan and others who have burned or advocate the burning of Harry Potter books. Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., a church bishop, said the congregation "will burn Harry Potter books and other witchcraft items to let the world know that there are true followers of Jesus Christ who will not call evil good."
"Twenty years ago, Christian parents were most concerned about protecting their teens from the evils of drugs, premarital sex, and, of course, rock and roll music. But in the past decade parents have grown concerned about the staying power of a movement that has gone from underground to mainstream - witchcraft.The modern neo-pagan movement, now generally known as Wicca, is not only more popular than ever with teenagers, it has changed from something only disaffected and loner kids were involved in to something all teens are confronted with. The shocking truth is that in America witchcraft and neo-paganism have become 'cool.'" - William Wells, in HomeLife magazine.
"It is for certain that the Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, and Dr. Jerry Falwell are better educated and better informed of the ways of the world than I'll ever be. All I can do is to welcome Senator Frist who recently joined me and Senator McCain in this little life raft that the Republican Party put us in and cast us off for better or for worse," said Miller.
"Hey, I'm not complaining. God saw what was happening and provided us with all that's needed out on the open water to sustain life, and we have wonderful conversations and tons of fun. Senator Frist, welcome. I believe you are going to know more joy and happiness than you've known in years."
"Just because the members of the clergy teach that God works in mysterious ways doesn't mean they believe it. Are burning books an extreme reaction or proof of uncompromising devotion to God?" asked Miller. "I'll leave that up to the likes of Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., Tony Perkins, and Dr. Jerry Falwell; but as an author, I sure hope they don't decide to burn J. K. Rowling along with her Harry Potter books."
Bob Miller has traveled the world over as a golf instructor and golf ambassador and worked as the golf professional on Holland America's ms Westerdam. Bob served as a pilot in Vietnam in 1969. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He challenged Richard Shelby for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1992. Books by Bob Miller, Toto Coelo, Taciturn, and An Angel Named Zabar.
www.bobmillerwrites.com
Burning Books - Extreme Reaction or Proof of Uncompromising Devotion to God, asks Bob Miller
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - August 3 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Author and Gospel singer Bob Miller (bobmillerwrites.com/articless.htm), a registered Republican, said today that it was not carved in stone that President Bush will meet with Rev. T.D. Turner Sr. of the Jesus Non-denominational Church, Greenville, Michigan and others who have burned or advocate the burning of Harry Potter books. Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., a church bishop, said the congregation "will burn Harry Potter books and other witchcraft items to let the world know that there are true followers of Jesus Christ who will not call evil good."
"Twenty years ago, Christian parents were most concerned about protecting their teens from the evils of drugs, premarital sex, and, of course, rock and roll music. But in the past decade parents have grown concerned about the staying power of a movement that has gone from underground to mainstream - witchcraft.The modern neo-pagan movement, now generally known as Wicca, is not only more popular than ever with teenagers, it has changed from something only disaffected and loner kids were involved in to something all teens are confronted with. The shocking truth is that in America witchcraft and neo-paganism have become 'cool.'" - William Wells, in HomeLife magazine.
"It is for certain that the Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, and Dr. Jerry Falwell are better educated and better informed of the ways of the world than I'll ever be. All I can do is to welcome Senator Frist who recently joined me and Senator McCain in this little life raft that the Republican Party put us in and cast us off for better or for worse," said Miller.
"Hey, I'm not complaining. God saw what was happening and provided us with all that's needed out on the open water to sustain life, and we have wonderful conversations and tons of fun. Senator Frist, welcome. I believe you are going to know more joy and happiness than you've known in years."
"Just because the members of the clergy teach that God works in mysterious ways doesn't mean they believe it. Are burning books an extreme reaction or proof of uncompromising devotion to God?" asked Miller. "I'll leave that up to the likes of Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., Tony Perkins, and Dr. Jerry Falwell; but as an author, I sure hope they don't decide to burn J. K. Rowling along with her Harry Potter books."
Bob Miller has traveled the world over as a golf instructor and golf ambassador and worked as the golf professional on Holland America's ms Westerdam. Bob served as a pilot in Vietnam in 1969. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He challenged Richard Shelby for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1992. Books by Bob Miller, Toto Coelo, Taciturn, and An Angel Named Zabar.
www.bobmillerwrites.com
Monday, August 01, 2005
Arriva Maya 7
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2005--SIGGRAPH(R) (Booth #1312)
Feature-packed release gives customers superior control, productivity, and creative flexibility
Maya(R) 7 software builds upon the architecture and performance enhancements in Maya 6.5 to deliver a feature-packed release offering new and improved tools for fast, realistic character animation, streamlined modeling and texturing, ground-breaking visual effects, and increased productivity. With the powerful new product features and the enhanced benefits of Maya Platinum Membership, including extended hotline access and improved response times, 3D professionals working in film, games, broadcast, digital publishing and design visualization are set to achieve more with the latest edition of this award-winning software.
"Maya 7 reflects our resolve to give artists the power to create ground-breaking computer graphics that tell better stories, enhance interactive experiences, and enable people to more accurately visualize products and designs," said Jill Ramsay, senior product manager for Maya. "We involved Maya users earlier and more extensively than ever before in our development process; the features and enhancements in this release have been guided by extensive feedback from leading studios and individuals worldwide. This is a must-have release."
Optimized Workflows for Rendering and Digital Publishing
One such customer-driven feature is a complete re-architecture of the Maya render layers functionality, which means that multiple versions of objects, including materials, lights and cameras, as well as post processes such as Maya Fur and Maya Paint Effects(TM), can now be managed in a single scene file.
"We have been an Alias customer for the past 13 years and in our opinion, Maya 7 is the biggest release we have ever seen," said Jonathan Brosseau, chief technology officer for Alpha Vision. "In the architectural visualization field, the 3D scenes tend to be very large and cumbersome, and we were truly blown away by the power and flexibility of the new Maya 7 render layer systems. Not only can we set specific attributes per layers on objects, shaders and lights, but we can also choose whatever renderer is required by a specific layer, all this within the same Maya scene. This makes it more convenient for us to use the power and continued integration of mental ray for Maya. Maya 7 is truly in another league."
Render layers can be rendered with any renderer integrated in Maya, including the latest mental ray(R) for Maya technology. This new workflow not only streamlines the rendering process, but it also prepares renders for optimal output to the artists' compositor of choice, or to Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) or Macromedia(R) Flash(R). Maya 7 also boasts new functionality that streamlines the workflow between Maya and Photoshop - as well as Adobe Illustrator(R), Alias MotionBuilder(R), and popular CAD applications.
Animating Characters is Faster, Easier and More Accurate Than Ever
The integration of the industry-leading full-body IK solver from Alias MotionBuilder makes rigging and posing characters simpler and more precise, as do paintable Blend Shapes and Wire deformers. Maya 7 now also supports collaborative, parallel workflows through its ability to iteratively substitute geometry and allow modelers, animators and technical directors to work on the same character simultaneously in a non-destructive way that maximizes productivity.
New Tools Deliver Industry's Most Comprehensive Modeling and Texturing Feature Set
Maya 7 introduces RenderMan(R)-compatible variable creasing on smoothly subdivided polygon meshes, allowing precise and intuitive control between smooth and hard edges. Portions of the subdivision surface implementation in Maya incorporate the use of Pixar Subdivision Surface Patents. "We are very pleased to see Maya 7 using Pixar's patented technology. This is very convenient for compatibility between Maya and our in-house tools, as well as a tremendous benefit for the many members of the Maya community who use Pixar's RenderMan(R), MTOR(TM) and RenderMan(R) for Maya products," said Dana Batali, director of RenderMan product development at Pixar Animation Studios.
Features Requested and Refined by Leading Games Developers
A host of other enhancements specifically requested by the games-development community include Edge Loop and Edge Ring tools, UV unfolding, tri-planar and multi-mesh mapping, together with the inclusion of CgFX and ASHLI plug-ins, which allow hardware shaders for next-generation consoles to be previewed within Maya. Maya 7 also helps artists optimize scenes without loss of visible detail through a new Surface Sampler, which utilizes normal mapping and other data transfer methods between models of differing resolutions.
"The surface sampler in Maya 7 is a major tool for us in generating next-gen console assets and the results have been outstanding," said Simon Kirk, technical artist at Eurocom, a UK-based game developer. "Not only is it handling our next-gen console requirements for high-quality normal maps, it is a great tool for baking textures back to low poly current-gen assets. Rock solid, fast and easy to use: who can ask for more?"
Innovative Visual Effects and Illustration Tools Extend Maya's Leadership
Developed by Alias' principal scientist Duncan Brinsmead, an incredibly powerful new Toon Shader leverages Maya's unique Paint Effects to support a wide range of non-photorealistic rendering styles; it affords extensive control over line style, placement and width, and features interactive previews in near real-time of even the most complex scenes. Among the many enhancements in Maya Unlimited, Maya Hair can now be transplanted from one character to another, Maya Fur is now integrated with Maya's dynamic curve technology, and Maya Fluid Effects(TM) benefits from a new High Detail solve mode for dramatically increased realism.
Maya Platinum Members Get the Most out of Maya
The features and services of the Maya Platinum Membership program help maximize an investment in Maya. Members will experience minimal downtime with the improved delivery of hotline support. Resources have now been dedicated solely to tracking hotline cases and ensuring quick response times. Through the months of September and October 2005, Platinum members can take advantage of an interactive Web-based Maya 7 training call. This is in addition to receiving early access to the Maya 7 upgrade - a distinctive competitive advantage.
Pricing and Availability
Maya 7 is scheduled for release in August 2005 and pricing remains unchanged from Maya 6.5 - Maya Complete 7 is US $1999(i) and Maya Unlimited 7 is US $6999(i). Upgrade pricing from 6.5 is US $899(i) for Maya Complete and US $1249(i) for Maya Unlimited. Both Maya Complete and Unlimited are available on the Windows(R), Linux(R) and Mac OS(R) X platforms.
Feature-packed release gives customers superior control, productivity, and creative flexibility
Maya(R) 7 software builds upon the architecture and performance enhancements in Maya 6.5 to deliver a feature-packed release offering new and improved tools for fast, realistic character animation, streamlined modeling and texturing, ground-breaking visual effects, and increased productivity. With the powerful new product features and the enhanced benefits of Maya Platinum Membership, including extended hotline access and improved response times, 3D professionals working in film, games, broadcast, digital publishing and design visualization are set to achieve more with the latest edition of this award-winning software.
"Maya 7 reflects our resolve to give artists the power to create ground-breaking computer graphics that tell better stories, enhance interactive experiences, and enable people to more accurately visualize products and designs," said Jill Ramsay, senior product manager for Maya. "We involved Maya users earlier and more extensively than ever before in our development process; the features and enhancements in this release have been guided by extensive feedback from leading studios and individuals worldwide. This is a must-have release."
Optimized Workflows for Rendering and Digital Publishing
One such customer-driven feature is a complete re-architecture of the Maya render layers functionality, which means that multiple versions of objects, including materials, lights and cameras, as well as post processes such as Maya Fur and Maya Paint Effects(TM), can now be managed in a single scene file.
"We have been an Alias customer for the past 13 years and in our opinion, Maya 7 is the biggest release we have ever seen," said Jonathan Brosseau, chief technology officer for Alpha Vision. "In the architectural visualization field, the 3D scenes tend to be very large and cumbersome, and we were truly blown away by the power and flexibility of the new Maya 7 render layer systems. Not only can we set specific attributes per layers on objects, shaders and lights, but we can also choose whatever renderer is required by a specific layer, all this within the same Maya scene. This makes it more convenient for us to use the power and continued integration of mental ray for Maya. Maya 7 is truly in another league."
Render layers can be rendered with any renderer integrated in Maya, including the latest mental ray(R) for Maya technology. This new workflow not only streamlines the rendering process, but it also prepares renders for optimal output to the artists' compositor of choice, or to Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) or Macromedia(R) Flash(R). Maya 7 also boasts new functionality that streamlines the workflow between Maya and Photoshop - as well as Adobe Illustrator(R), Alias MotionBuilder(R), and popular CAD applications.
Animating Characters is Faster, Easier and More Accurate Than Ever
The integration of the industry-leading full-body IK solver from Alias MotionBuilder makes rigging and posing characters simpler and more precise, as do paintable Blend Shapes and Wire deformers. Maya 7 now also supports collaborative, parallel workflows through its ability to iteratively substitute geometry and allow modelers, animators and technical directors to work on the same character simultaneously in a non-destructive way that maximizes productivity.
New Tools Deliver Industry's Most Comprehensive Modeling and Texturing Feature Set
Maya 7 introduces RenderMan(R)-compatible variable creasing on smoothly subdivided polygon meshes, allowing precise and intuitive control between smooth and hard edges. Portions of the subdivision surface implementation in Maya incorporate the use of Pixar Subdivision Surface Patents. "We are very pleased to see Maya 7 using Pixar's patented technology. This is very convenient for compatibility between Maya and our in-house tools, as well as a tremendous benefit for the many members of the Maya community who use Pixar's RenderMan(R), MTOR(TM) and RenderMan(R) for Maya products," said Dana Batali, director of RenderMan product development at Pixar Animation Studios.
Features Requested and Refined by Leading Games Developers
A host of other enhancements specifically requested by the games-development community include Edge Loop and Edge Ring tools, UV unfolding, tri-planar and multi-mesh mapping, together with the inclusion of CgFX and ASHLI plug-ins, which allow hardware shaders for next-generation consoles to be previewed within Maya. Maya 7 also helps artists optimize scenes without loss of visible detail through a new Surface Sampler, which utilizes normal mapping and other data transfer methods between models of differing resolutions.
"The surface sampler in Maya 7 is a major tool for us in generating next-gen console assets and the results have been outstanding," said Simon Kirk, technical artist at Eurocom, a UK-based game developer. "Not only is it handling our next-gen console requirements for high-quality normal maps, it is a great tool for baking textures back to low poly current-gen assets. Rock solid, fast and easy to use: who can ask for more?"
Innovative Visual Effects and Illustration Tools Extend Maya's Leadership
Developed by Alias' principal scientist Duncan Brinsmead, an incredibly powerful new Toon Shader leverages Maya's unique Paint Effects to support a wide range of non-photorealistic rendering styles; it affords extensive control over line style, placement and width, and features interactive previews in near real-time of even the most complex scenes. Among the many enhancements in Maya Unlimited, Maya Hair can now be transplanted from one character to another, Maya Fur is now integrated with Maya's dynamic curve technology, and Maya Fluid Effects(TM) benefits from a new High Detail solve mode for dramatically increased realism.
Maya Platinum Members Get the Most out of Maya
The features and services of the Maya Platinum Membership program help maximize an investment in Maya. Members will experience minimal downtime with the improved delivery of hotline support. Resources have now been dedicated solely to tracking hotline cases and ensuring quick response times. Through the months of September and October 2005, Platinum members can take advantage of an interactive Web-based Maya 7 training call. This is in addition to receiving early access to the Maya 7 upgrade - a distinctive competitive advantage.
Pricing and Availability
Maya 7 is scheduled for release in August 2005 and pricing remains unchanged from Maya 6.5 - Maya Complete 7 is US $1999(i) and Maya Unlimited 7 is US $6999(i). Upgrade pricing from 6.5 is US $899(i) for Maya Complete and US $1249(i) for Maya Unlimited. Both Maya Complete and Unlimited are available on the Windows(R), Linux(R) and Mac OS(R) X platforms.
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