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It's National Library Card Month. If you don't have one, get one. It's one of the best cards you can carry with you.

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment (NMCP)

The following is an article sent to me from Eric Higgins, who works with the new Crime Museum in DC. I am looking forward to visiting this museum asap myself! Thanks so much Eric for informing us about the new Museum.

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If you’re planning a trip to the nation’s capital, you have to check out the latest addition to the Washington DC museum scene—the National Museum of Crime & Punishment (NMCP). Fun for the whole family, the NMCP takes you through interactive environments highlighting the history of crime, methods of punishment, and law enforcement. Other specialized exhibits include crime scene investigation and the America’s Most Wanted studio.

Beginning with the Middle Ages and moving on through the Colonial times, Wild West, post-World War I era, and into the present day, “A Notorious History of Crime” showcases the evolution of crime spanning centuries in America. The weapons and technology used to commit crimes may have changed, but the motives have generally remained the same. Discover the stories of famous outlaws and mobsters that drove the police crazy, and learn about some of the most distinguished criminal events on record. Don’t forget to get your picture taken with your head and hands locked in the pillory, a rare example of punishment nostalgia.

At the “Punishment: The Consequence of Crime” display, find out firsthand what it’s like to become a criminal as you tour a replica police station. From being booked and getting your mug shot taken to life inside a cold concrete jail cell, you’ll get an understanding of our country’s prison system and why it’s a place no one in their right mind would want to be for any length of time. How cool can you perform under pressure? Get hooked up to the lie detector and test yourself.

Working in the line of law enforcement is not for everyone. The “Crime Fighting” gallery outlines what a career as a crime fighter entails, the tasks of various law enforcement agencies, and how each division works together. Observe the uniforms, weapons, and equipment that law personnel must familiarize themselves with, and even rate your skills as a gun slinger at the shooting range simulator.

Are you a fan of the hit television shows CSI: New York or CSI: Miami? If so, the “CSI Experience” will not disappoint you. Smack-dab in the middle of a murder mystery, see if you have what it takes to uncover the clues at the crime scene and analyze them back at the lab using common forensic science techniques. Next, move on to the morgue to learn the ins and outs of an autopsy, or browse through files from some of the most notable cold cases.

Everyone has watched America’s Most Wanted, and now, the longest-running series in American television history has made the NMCP its new home. Discover why host John Walsh started the show and how successful it has been in bringing hundreds of fugitives to justice. Bring your children to the Cross Match Technologies booth to have them fingerprinted. It will be an enjoyable experience for them, but it will also be for a good cause, since all prints will be entered into a nationwide database for future reference.

Whether you are young or old, the National Museum of Crime & Punishment has something interesting for all ages. Located in the heart of the city directly across from the Verizon Center, the NMCP is a “can’t miss” attraction on your Washington DC tours list.

Remembering on 9/11

My thoughts go back to that fresh sunny morning 7 years ago. My prayers go out to all who grieve and have suffered from the tragedy that day. 

I remember clearly that I was in a Bible study with dear women at church, when our pastor came downstairs to ask us to pray due to an airplane crashing into one of the World Trade Center Towers. We gathered in a circle and began to pray. 

Several minutes later he came back down and gravely told us that another plane had crashed into the other tower. We all sank to our knees to pray more. Later on, he returned saying there were rumors of planes above DC, and a rumor that a building in DC had been hit, and again with the true fact that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. 

The husband of a woman in our circle was working there at that moment. Many of us had close friends who worked at the Pentagon and neighbors as well.

We left to see what to do to support our neighbors and to see about removing our children from school. (many of our husbands work in D.C.)

I removed my three young kids from their elementary school and tried to reach my husband. It was a harrowing time. I remember that my husband could not get through on his cell phone and that the trains and metro situation and the whole city of D.C. was in a state of chaos and shock and wondering how to get back home, or what to do. Some govt. folks were told to move to different sections of their buildings.

The shock of it all is still fresh. One of the strangest things that I remember is the beauty of the day that morning, how clear the sky was, the temperature so perfect, school had just begun and it was a fresh start. I pray that for those who lost loved ones, and are still suffering the loss, or still suffering from the mental anguish and shock, that they will find peace and comfort, and know that they are not alone. 

Ping

I'm learning all about Ping and the connections between twitter, facebook, blogger and others.

Check out Ping. You can set it to automatically post messages to a wide variety of sites. I sent the first part of this blog message from Ping and it went automatically to Twitter, Facebook as well. Very cool.

It's All About Connection....

I've been swimming with ideas lately on and offline about networking, trends, marketing and other odds and ends. In between finishing up an illustration project and planning for a line of artwork to license, caring for my three active kids and hyperactive husband (I say that in the kindest way possible. He is a gem, but when the two of us get together to brainstorm, it is exhilarating and exhausting)

He is reading Microtrends, a book I can't wait to get my hands on. I have also been following some savy folks on Twitter (http://twitter.com/earthenvessel) and Facebook and gleaning great ideas from them. I'll try to post links soon. My PC is still down, meaning I'm dependent on my laptop, which is carrying the Lion's share of the family's online load these days. 

I wish Blogger had a way to link blog posts to Facebook and Twitter. Anyone know if it does?

For any artists out there interested in licensing their art, I have started a group on yahoogroups for Critiquing art for Licensing, to help us hone our skill and succeed in that business. It's called Critsforartlicensing, and requires approval to join.  I have also started two groups for Artists who license on Facebook. (I'm learning the biz, but am not an expert, but figure we can all help each other learn and find resources and ideas

Articles I've found on Licensing for Artists

This morning I've been scouring the internet for more info about licensing for artists. I will include a few links to the best articles here.

A recent article in the New York Daily News By ELIZABETH LAZAROWITZ DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER Monday, August 6th 2007, 4:00 AM

Here's a great one in BNET Business Network

Mary Englebreit article on Licensing for Artists

Check out Mary Englebreit's article on licensing for artists. She is the queen of licensing in my view in the illustration field. The woman knows her stuff. 

Here is a quote from Mary Englebreit on the topic of licensing for artists:

 On licensing agreements:

"You have to remember that you're the one with the talent who's offering the licensees the gift to be cashed in on. You're certainly bringing something to the table, too, which you're entitled to be paid for. Always try to keep your copyright. Retaining the copyright is crucial. Plus, it's important to sign the contract for the shortest time period possible. That gives you more control if the product isn't as nice as you had hoped."

Blue Moon Studios Freelancing Tips

Check out Paul Fricke's Blue Moon Studios Blog. Along with his topnotch comics and illos, he's got a great post about freelancing tips.

Show and Tell by Dilys Evans

I recently came upon the book Show and Tell by Dilys Evans. It is a book that highlights the art of children's illustrators. Evans is the past art director of Cricket Magazine and is currently the agent and president of Dilys Evans Fine Illustrations. Here's an article about the book in Publisher's Weekly. 

The book is a treasure trove. I plan to add it to my collection.

A cool youtube video of a guitarist

I hope this works. My son plays electric guitar and found this  video the other day. I loved the technique used in filming it.

This is the cool guitar video. =2 0 Me messing around with my guitar testing yamaha crunch distortion for metal and also a few video effects

Animated movie from aniboom called I Do Art

Hey, check out this cool animated movie I found on www.aniboom.com! It's called I Do Art.

I Do Art by Stelios Polychronakis

Plus, try Shapeshifter, a tool that lets you make animation online for free.It's fun and easy to use!
Cheers,
Amy Moreno

Aniboom- an Amimation site like UTube

Aniboom is a fantastic site like UTube, but with animations. Highly addictive. I predict it'll be  a big hit! I just saw a fun animation I'll try to post here in a sec.

Have you seen Wordle yet?

Wordle says on it's site:
"Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends. "

It's fun. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to asap....

Put Your Name On The Moon with the LRO

This is So much fun...you can have your name placed on the LRO (Lunar Reconnassaince Orbiter), which will return to the moon. Do it by June 27th.
Join NASA's Return to the Moon! Names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO spacecraft for its historic mission bringing NASA back to the moon. You will receive a certificate showcasing your support of the mission.

Living Loudly for Liberty-July 4, Independence Day

The Negligent Blogger

Maybe that's what I should call this blog...the Negligent Blogger..... I've been way too busy lately...swimming along in the Northern Virginia pace of life. School has been over for a few weeks now and I'm enjoying having the kids home, but trying to juggle things at a different pace.

This image is years old..and seems to fit the seasonal turning of children growing...mine are growing much too quickly..so I'm treasuring my summer with them. (the scan of the image is a bit funky, but I don't feel like scrounding around in my files for the better scan/image right now)

Phil Noto's comics and Illustrations

Phil Noto's art is something wonderful. Check it out on his website. I found the link on Sidebarnation's blog...a group of incredible illustrators who create comics, concept art, and paintings.

Mother's Day

Mothers Day evokes the strongest blend of emotions. May your day bring peace, special memories, hope and an appreciation of the sacrifice, love and hard work our mothers give and gave for us. If you are a mom, let go of any guilt or feelings of falling short and take hold of the miracle of bearing a child, caring for them, having the honor of holding lives in your care for a short time and the privilege of impacting them for good.
God bless each mother out there!

Two Children's Illustrator Friend's links

I am so lax in blogging lately. I've had way too much on my plate, and trying to keep up with it all, and rest and keep my sanity has been all I can do. I decided to post links to two of my favorite 'children's illustrator friends' who it is an honor to know and consider friends...
Ginger Nielson and Sherry Rogers...Their work and they themselves are incredible...take a look.

April Fool's!

Check out Wikipedia's April Fool's info...
here's another site with April Fool's stuff...