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Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Canon Digital Cameras > Canon PowerShot S400 Digital ELPH
The Imaging Resource
Canon PowerShot S400 Digital ELPH Camera
Camera QuickLook
Novice to Advanced
Product Uses
Family / Travel / Special Events
Digicam Design
Automatic Exposure Control
High, 4.0-megapixel CCD
4x6, 5x7, 8x10 inches
Overview Picky
Test Images
Specifications Conclusion
Ask a photographer, either professional or amateur, to name the a couple of camera manufacturers and chances are one would be Canon. In the digital arena, Canon's continued their history of innovation, with a broad line of products ranging from entry-level models all the way to no-holds-barred digital SLRs for professional photographers. In the consumer arena, their products are distinguished by superb design, sharp lenses, and excellent color.
In both the film and digital worlds, Canon is known for their high-style, diminutive "ELPH" cameras. Long a popular APS film camera design, Canon brought the ELPH size and styling to the digital world with the original S100. The S400 launches the fourth generation of the design, with a larger, 4.0-megapixel CCD. Other improvements include a Center-Weighted metering mode option, faster maximum shutter speed (1/2,000 second), and improved macro capabilities. Add an improved user interface, easy point-and-shoot operation, a sharp lens, and great image quality, and the S400 is sure to please a host of consumers. Read on for all the details, this one looks like another winner from Canon.
The latest in Canon's digital ELPH series, the S400 continues the line's tiny dimensions and stylish looks. Portable and quick on the draw (thanks to its smooth retractable lens design), the S400 offers point-and-shoot control with a handful of extra exposure features. Its flat front panel (with lens retracted) makes the camera pocket friendly, while the aluminum body panels keep it rugged yet lightweight. Equipped with a 4.0-megapixel CCD and a sharp lens, the S400 captures high quality images, suitable for printing photos as large as 8x10 inches with nice detail, even with some cropping. Smaller resolutions are also available for email transmission, and a movie mode captures short videos with sound.
The S400 features a 3x, 7.4-22.2mm glass zoom lens, equivalent to a 36-108mm zoom on a 35mm camera. Aperture is automatically controlled, but the maximum setting ranges from f/2.8 at full wide angle to f/4.9 at full telephoto. A maximum 3.6x digital zoom option increases the S400's zoom capabilities to 11x, but keep in mind that digital zoom decreases the overall image quality in direct proportion to the magnification achieved, as it simply crops out and enlarges the center pixels of the CCD image. Image noise is likely to be more prominent with digital zoom, and details softer. Focus ranges from 1.5 feet (46 centimeters) to infinity in normal AF mode, and from 2.0 inches to 1.5 feet (5 to 46 centimeters) in Macro mode. An Infinity fixed-focus mode is also available. The S400 uses Canon's sophisticated, nine-point AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Autofocus) system to determine focus, which examines a broad active area in the center of the image to calculate the focal distance. Also built into the S400 is a bright AF assist light, which aids the focus mechanism in low lighting. For composing images, the S400 has a real-image optical viewfinder, as well as a 1.5-inch color LCD monitor. (In my testing, the S400's optical viewfinder was rather tight, but the LCD monitor showed almost exactly 100% of the final image area.) The LCD reports a fair amount of camera information, but excludes exposure information such as aperture and shutter speed. In Playback mode, a histogram display reports the tonal distribution of a captured image, useful in determining any over and underexposure.
Like the rest of the ELPH line, exposure control is automatic. The S400 does provide some manual adjustments, however, as well as a range of exposure modes for specific shooting situations. The Mode dial on the rear panel controls the main operating mode, offering Auto, Manual, Stitch-Assist, and Movie modes. A Mode switch on the back panel offers Record and Playback settings. Shutter speeds range from 1/2,000 to 15 seconds, with the 1.3- to 15-second end of the range only available in Long Shutter mode (which also automatically invokes a Noise Reduction system to reduce image noise in longer exposures). In straight Auto mode, the camera essentially controls everything about the exposure except for file size, flash, etc. Manual mode provides more hands-on control, with White Balance, Exposure Compensation, ISO, and a host of creative effects. Camera operation is straightforward and simple, as you literally just point and shoot most of the time. Pressing the Shutter button halfway sets focus and exposure, and the small LEDs next to the optical viewfinder let you know when the camera is ready to take the picture.
The S400 uses an Evaluative metering system, which means that the camera divides the image area into zones and evaluates contrast and brightness across the entire image to determine the best overall exposure. A Spot metering option ties the exposure to the very center of the frame, and is useful for off-center or high contrast subjects, as you can shift the metering region to pinpoint the exact area of the frame to base the exposure on. There's also a Center-Weighted metering option, which bases the exposure on a large area in the center of the frame. Exposure Compensation brightens or darkens the overall exposure from -2 to +2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third step increments. A White Balance option offers Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Custom (manual) settings. The S400 also offers a creative Photo Effects menu, which adjusts sharpening, color, and saturation. Sensitivity equivalents include 50, 100, 200, and 400 ISO settings, as well as an Auto adjustment. The S400's built-in flash operates in Auto, Forced On, Suppressed, Red-Eye Reduction, and Slow-Synchro modes. You can also lock the flash exposure in a similar manner to locking normal exposure. Pressing the Shutter button halfway and keeping it pressed initiates the exposure lock, signaled by two beeps. Pressing the metering-pattern button (the up-arrow button) while you're still holding down the shutter button fires the flash, locking the flash exposure as well. When this is done, an "FEL" icon appears in the LCD monitor until the Shutter button is released or fully pressed.
A two- or 10-second self-timer option counts down by flashing a small LED on the front of the camera before firing the shutter, giving you time to duck around the camera and get into the shot. Stitch-Assist mode is the S400's panoramic shooting mode, which lets you shoot as many as 26 consecutive images with the same exposure and white balance. The series of images can then be "stitched" together into one panoramic frame with the accompanying software. The S400 also has a Movie Record mode, which records moving images with sound for up to three minutes per clip, depending on the resolution setting and amount of memory card space. (Movies are recorded at either 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 pixels.) Finally, a Continuous Shooting mode captures a series of consecutive images (much like a motor drive on a traditional camera), at approximately 1.5 frames per second, for as long as the Shutter button is held down. The actual frame rate will vary with the resolution setting, and the total number of images will depend on the amount of memory card space and file size. Through the Record menu, a High Speed Continuous Shooting mode is also available, capturing images as fast as 2.5 frames per second. (See my "picky details" page for detailed timing of these modes, along with information on buffer-memory capacity, etc.)
The My Camera settings menu lets you customize camera settings to a specific theme. Everything from the startup image to operating sounds can be assigned to a theme, either one of the preprogrammed themes or one downloaded via the host software. The S400 also lets you record short sound clips to accompany captured images, via the Sound Memo option, great for lively captions to vacation photos or party shots.
The S400 stores images to CompactFlash Type I memory cards. A 32MB card accompanies the camera, but I strongly recommend picking up a larger capacity card so you won't limit your shooting due to insufficient card space (CompactFlash cards are available as large as one gigabyte). The camera uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack for power, which accompanies the camera, along with the necessary battery charger. Because the S400 does not accommodate AA-type or other readily available batteries, I advise picking up an additional battery pack and keeping it freshly charged. The optional AC adapter is useful for preserving battery power when reviewing and downloading images, and actually has a "dummy" battery that inserts into the camera's battery compartment to couple the power adapter to the power contacts. (Most users would find a second rechargeable battery more useful though, at least in my opinion.) A USB cable and interface software are also packaged with the camera, for downloading images to a computer and performing minor organization and corrections. Two software CDs provide the necessary drivers and editing software, both compatible with Windows and Macintosh platforms, but no added driver software is required with Windows XP or Macintosh OS X. One CD holds Canon's Digital Camera Solution Disk version 12.0 and the other features ArcSoft's Camera Suite version 1.2. Finally, an A/V cable connects the S400 to a television set, for reviewing and composing images. The S400 is DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatible, with detailed print settings in the Playback menu. Canon offers a selection of direct-connect printers as well, which simplify printing even more. (Read my review of Canon's excellent little CP-100 photo printer for an example of one of these.)
4.0-megapixel CCD.
Real-image optical viewfinder.
1.5-inch color TFT LCD monitor.
Glass, 3x, 7.4-22.2mm lens, equivalent to a 36-108mm lens on a 35mm camera.
Maximum 3.6x digital zoom.
Automatic exposure control, with Long Shutter mode for longer exposures.
Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 15 seconds.
Maximum aperture f/2.8 to f/4.9, depending on lens zoom position.
Built-in flash with five modes.
CompactFlash Type I memory card storage, 32MB card included.
Power supplied by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (charger included) or optional AC adapter.
ArcSoft Camera Suite 1.2, Canon Digital Camera software, and USB drivers included for both Windows and Mac platforms.
Movie mode with sound.
Standard and High Speed Continuous Shooting modes.
Stitch-Assist panorama mode.
Infinity and Macro focus modes.
Customizable "My Camera" settings.
Two- or 10-second Self-Timer for delayed shutter release.
Sound Memo option for recording captions.
Spot, Center-Weighted, and Evaluative exposure metering.
White balance (color) adjustment with seven modes, including a Custom setting.
Photo Effect menu for color adjustment.
Adjustable ISO setting.
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatibility.
USB cable for connection to a computer (driver software included).
A/V cable for connection to a television set.
Canon's "Digital ELPH" cameras have proven popular with consumers, thanks to their tiny size and reputation for quality, both in construction and in the images they deliver. The PowerShot S400 Digital ELPH updates and extends the line with a 4.0-megapixel CCD for higher resolution images. The increased resolution lets you print images as large as 8x10 inches with good detail, even with some cropping, and lower resolution settings are good for printing snapshots or sending to family and friends via email. Although exposure control is mainly automatic, the availability of exposures up to 15 seconds, adjustable ISO, and flexible white balance and color saturation options increases the camera's exposure versatility. The uncomplicated user interface is comfortable for novices and more advanced users alike, with simple operation for the novices, and enough variable exposure control to keep the advanced folks happy. All in all, an excellent "all around" digicam that just happens to live inside a super-compact case.
Practically identical to the PowerShot S300 and S330 before it, the S400 maintains the small dimensions that made the ELPH line so popular. The compact size is perfect for quickly stashing in a pocket or purse without worrying damaging delicate camera mechanisms. The retracting lens is a smart design that keeps the front of the case completely flat when the camera is off, underscoring the camera's pocket friendly design, while an automatic lens cover means you don't have to worry about smudging the lens or losing the lens cap. Measuring 3.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches (87 x 57 x 28 millimeters), the S400 is actually a hair smaller than the S330 model. The camera weighs a mere 7.96 ounces (226 grams) with battery and memory card.
The front of the S400 is distinctively ELPH, with the lens off-center slightly toward the right, and viewfinder and flash just above it. A light emitter, next to the optical viewfinder, serves multiple purposes, including autofocus assist, red-eye reduction, and the self-timer countdown. The camera's telescoping lens moves into place quickly when the camera is powered on, and retracts fully within the camera to maintain a flat profile when powered off. A small ridge from the wrist strap eyelet is about all the finger-grip provided, although the accompanying wrist strap should help give a more secure feel.
The Shutter button, Zoom lever, and Power button are all on top of the camera, protruding slightly from the surface. There's also a tiny microphone for recording sound with movies, and a speaker for playback.
On the right side of the camera (as viewed from the rear) are the wrist strap attachment and the CompactFlash slot, the latter of which fits securely beneath a locking plastic door. The release lever for the card slot is actually on the camera's back panel.
The opposite side of the camera simply holds the USB and A/V output jacks, which are protected by a snug rubber cover.
The remaining camera controls are on the back panel, along with the optical and LCD viewfinders. A small ridge along the right side provides a subtle thumb grip and reinforces the finger grip on the front of the camera when shooting one-handed (for small to medium hands, those with larger hands may have a little difficulty negotiating the controls, which are a little close together). Lining the bottom side of the LCD monitor are the Set, Menu, Display, and Function buttons, with a Four-Way Arrow pad just to the right of these. A sliding switch on the right side releases the CompactFlash slot door, and a Mode switch accesses Record and Playback modes. Directly above the LCD monitor is the Exposure Mode dial. Two LED lamps next to the viewfinder report camera status, lighting to indicate when focus is set or the flash is fully charged.
The S400 features a nice, flat bottom panel, which holds the metal tripod mount and the battery compartment. I don't usually like to see the tripod mount so far over to the side of the camera because the weight of the camera, placed off-center on the tripod head, can overly stress the mount threads. Given the S400's tiny size and the solid metal tripod socket (kudos for that), this may not be a concern. One consequence of having the tripod socket so close to the edge although, is that the camera may not rest level on some tripod heads. (Again, a minor concern, since you can usually just tilt the tripod to align the camera however you'd like.) The locking battery compartment cover slides open and then outwards, with a small, rubber flap in the center of the compartment door. This flap covers a hole in the battery compartment cover provided to allow access to the connector jack in the "dummy battery" coupler used in the AC adapter kit. (Like many other Canon digicams, the S400's AC adapter scheme employs a dummy battery that fits into the battery compartment, and which provides a plug for the AC power converter's cable.)
Camera Operation
The S400's user interface is very straightforward and relatively uncomplicated, like the rest of the ELPH series. Most of the camera's functions are controlled by the control buttons on the top and the back panel, while a handful of settings are controlled through the LCD based Record menu. A Function menu provides faster access to basic settings like image size, quality, and exposure compensation, without forcing you to sift through menu screens. The LCD menu system efficiently lets you scroll through menu items on-screen instead of through a series of pages. Additionally, the Setup and My Camera menus are always available, regardless of the camera mode. And even if the LCD monitor is switched off, pressing one of the control buttons on the back panel (such as the Exposure Compensation or Flash buttons) activates the display temporarily, so you can save battery power by switching off the LCD monitor without losing functionality. With the instruction manual in hand, it shouldn't take more than a half an hour to an hour to get comfortable with the camera.
External Controls
Shutter Button: Located on the top panel, this button sets focus and exposure when pressed halfway and fires the shutter when fully pressed. If the Self-Timer is activated, a full press of the Shutter button triggers the countdown.
Zoom Lever: Surrounding the Shutter button on the camera's top panel, this lever controls the optical and digital zoom in any record mode. In Playback mode, the wide-angle end activates an index display, while the telephoto setting enlarges captured images for closer inspection of fine details.
Power Button: To the left of the Shutter button on the camera's top panel, this button turns the camera on or off.
Mode Dial: Just above the LCD monitor on the rear panel, this dial controls the camera's exposure mode, offering the following selections:
Automatic Exposure Mode: Places the camera in charge of all exposure decisions, with the exception of image size/quality, flash mode, macro focusing, and the Self-Timer.
Manual Exposure Mode: Allows more user exposure control, such as Exposure Compensation and White Balance settings. The camera still determines the shutter speed and aperture settings however.
Stitch Assist Mode: Sets the camera to capture a series of overlapping still images, to be "stitched" together into a panoramic image on a computer after capture.
Movie Mode: Captures moving images with sound, with a maximum recording time of three minutes.
Mode Switch: In the top right corner of the rear panel, this switch puts the camera into Record or Playback modes.
CF Open Latch: Just below the Mode switch on the rear panel, this sliding latch opens the CompactFlash card slot.
Metering Button (Up Arrow Key): As the top button in the Four-Way Arrow pad in the lower right corner, this button cycles through Evaluative, Center-Weighted, and Spot metering modes. In any settings menu, this button navigates through options and selections. When the shutter button is half-pressed (locking exposure and focus), pressing this button fires the flash and independently locks the flash exposure, displaying the legend "FEL" on the LCD screen. Tripping the shutter or pressing this button again clears the flash exposure lock.
Macro/Infinity Button (Left Arrow Key): Pointing to the left in the arrow key pad, this control cycles between Macro, Infinity Focus, and normal focusing modes while in Record mode. When the shutter button is half-pressed in Record mode (locking exposure and focus), pressing this button locks the focus independently of the exposure, displaying the legend "AFL" on the LCD screen Tripping the shutter or pressing this button again clears the autofocus lock. In both Playback and Record menus, this button acts as the left arrow key to navigate through menu items. In Playback mode, this button scrolls backward through captured images.
Flash Button (Right Arrow Key): Pointing to the right in the arrow key pad, this button cycles through three of the available flash modes (options may change depending on the exposure mode selected):
Automatic: The camera determines when to fire the flash based on existing light levels.
Forced On: The flash always fires, regardless of lighting conditions.
Forced Off: The flash never fires, regardless of lighting conditions.
Red-Eye Reduction: Fires a small pre-flash before firing the full flash, to reduce the occurrence of Red-Eye in portraits.
Slow-Sync: Times the flash with a slower shutter speed, to allow more ambient light into dark exposures.
In both Playback and Record menus, this button acts as the right arrow key to scroll through menu items. In Playback mode, this button scrolls forward through captured images.
Continuous/Self-Timer Button (Down Arrow Key): The final button on the key pad, this button cycles through Single, Continuous, and Self-Timer shooting modes while the camera is in Record mode. In both Playback and Record menus, this button serves as the down arrow key to navigate through menu items.
Function / Erase Button: To the left of the circular key pad, this control activates the Function menu in any record mode. The following options are available:
Exposure Compensation: Increases or decreases the exposure from -2 to +2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third-step increments.
Long Shutter: Accesses longer shutter times, from one to 15 seconds. (Only appears as a submenu to Exposure Compensation when the feature has been enabled in the Record menu.)
White Balance: Controls the color balance of images. Options are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Custom (manual setting).
ISO Speed: Sets the camera's sensitivity to Auto, or to 50, 100, 200, or 400 ISO equivalents.
Photo Effect: Enables Vivid Color, Neutral Color, Low Sharpening, Sepia, or Black-and-White picture effects.
Compression: Sets the JPEG compression to Superfine, Fine, or Normal.
Resolution: Specifies the image resolution. Still image resolutions are 2,272 x 1,704; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,024 x 768; and 640 x 480 pixels. Movie resolutions are 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 pixels.
In Playback mode, this button pulls up the single-image erase menu, which deletes the currently-displayed image (unless write-protected).
Display Button: On the left side of the Function / Erase button, this button turns the LCD image and information displays on and off. In Playback mode, this button controls the information display only, and activates a histogram display of the captured image.
Menu Button: Nestled between the Set and Display buttons, this button accesses the LCD menu system in Record and Playback modes.
Set Button: Directly beneath the lower left corner of the LCD display, this button confirms menu selections and changes.
Camera Modes and Menus
Movie Mode: Records short movie clips with sound, at either 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 pixels. The actual recording time varies with the resolution setting and amount of CompactFlash space, but the longest clip time is three minutes. A handful of exposure controls are available in this mode, although options like flash mode, Continuous Shooting, and digital zoom are disabled.
Stitch Assist Mode: Records a series of as many as 26 images to be "stitched" together as a panoramic shot. Two directions are available: Left to Right Stitch Assist and Right to Left Stitch Assist (based on which direction the camera will move to create the panoramic sequence). The majority of the exposure controls are available in this mode, with the exception of digital telephoto, Auto and Red-eye Reduction flash modes, and Continuous Shooting mode.
Manual Exposure Mode: Restricts the camera's control to shutter speed and aperture only, letting you adjust the digital zoom, flash mode, image quality, shooting method (Single, Continuous, or Self-Timer), Macro mode, Infinity Focus mode, Exposure Compensation, White Balance, Photo Effect, metering, and ISO.
Automatic Exposure Mode: Places the camera in charge of all exposure settings. You can select only the digital zoom option, certain flash modes, the self-timer, and Macro mode.
Playback Mode: This mode allows you to scroll through captured images and movies, write protect images, view a nine-image index display, zoom into a captured image, delete unwanted images, rotate images, and set up images for printing on DPOF compatible devices.
Record Menu: Accessed by pressing the Menu button in Automatic, Manual, Stitch Assist, and Movie modes (some options are not available in all modes). Three menu tabs appear, one for Record, Setup, and My Camera sub-menus.
Record Menu
AiAF: Turns on the AiAF focus system. If switched off, the camera bases autofocus on the center of the frame.
Continuous Shooting: Designates whether the Continuous Shooting drive setting is set to Standard (1.5 frames per second) or High Speed (2.5 frames per second) modes.
Self-Timer: Sets the Self-Timer countdown to 2 or 10 seconds.
AF Assist Beam: Turns the AF assist light on or off. If on, the light automatically activates in low lighting.
Digital Zoom: Enables the digital zoom function, which is engaged by zooming past the optical zoom range. Also disables digital zoom.
Review: Turns the instant review function on or off, or sets the amount of time that the captured image is displayed on the screen from 2 to 10 seconds in one-second intervals. (Still images only.)
Long Shutter: Activates Long Shutter mode, so that it appears in the Function menu.
Setup Menu
Beep: Designates whether a beep sound plays when the Shutter button is pressed.
LCD Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the LCD display.
Auto Power Down: Toggles the automatic shut down, which turns the camera off after a period of inactivity.
Date/Time: Sets the camera's internal date and time settings.
Format: Formats the CompactFlash card, erasing all images (even write protected ones). (Option not available in Stitch-Assist mode.)
Shutter Volume: Controls the volume of the shutter noise.
Playback Volume: Adjusts the volume of playback sounds.
Startup Volume: Sets the volume for the camera's startup sounds.
Operation Volume: Controls the volume of operational sounds.
Self-Timer Volume: Adjusts the volume of the self-timer beep.
File No. Reset: Resets file numbering with each new CompactFlash card, if enabled. If disabled, the camera continues file numbering from card to card.
Auto Rotate: If enabled, reflects the camera's orientation in the LCD monitor.
Language: Changes the menu language to one of 12 languages.
Video System: Establishes the type of video signal, NTSC or PAL.
My Camera Menu
Theme: Selects a common theme for each My Camera menu settings item. Four options are available, the first one being Off. When a theme is selected, all of the settings listed below automatically are set to their values for that theme.
Start-Up Image: Sets the startup image when you turn on the camera to: Black screen, Canon logo, Canon logo w / sunset, and nature scene. You can also apply your own image using the Canon software.
Start-Up Sound: Sets the startup sound when you turn on the camera to: No sound, Musical tone (1), Musical tone (2), or Birds chirping. You can also apply your own sounds using the Canon software.
Operation Sound: Sets the sound when any control or switch is use (except the Shutter button). Options include Beep, Loud beep, Boing, and Chirp.
Self-Timer Sound: Sets the sound that signals you when the shutter release is two seconds away. Options include Fast beeps (1), Fast beeps (2), Telephone ring, and Howling.
Shutter Sound: Sets the shutter sound that you hear when you depress the Shutter button (there is no shutter sound in Movie mode). Options include Beep, Shutter sound, Boing, and Bark.
Playback Menu: Accessed by pressing the Menu button in Playback mode, the Playback menu also has subject tabs for the Setup and My Camera menus described above.
Protect: Marks the current image for write-protection, or removes write-protection. Protected images cannot be deleted or manipulated, except through card formatting, which erases all files.
Rotate: Rotates the current image 90 degrees clockwise.
Sound Memo: Records a short sound clip to accompany a captured image.
Erase All: Erases all files on the memory card, except protected ones.
Slide Show: Automatically plays all captured images in a slide show.
Print Order: Determines how many copies of the current image will be printed, with options for creating an index print, imprinting the date and time, and imprinting the file number.
Transfer Order: Marks images to be transferred via email.
See the full set of my sample pictures and detailed analysis here. The thumbnails below show a subset of my test images. Click on a thumbnail to see the full-size photo.
Outdoor Indoor Indoor Flash
House Musicians Macro
Davebox Resolution Viewfinder Accuracy
"Gallery" Photos
For those readers interested in a set of less "standardized" photos from the P10, here are some thumbnails of more random shots snapped with it. Click on one any of the thumbnails below for a larger view. Click on the larger view again to see the original image from the camera. (Photos in this gallery were shot by Gibbs Frazeur or Stephanie Boozer. Thanks Gibbs and Stephanie!)
NOTE: that these are big files, so be aware that (a) they'll take a while to download, and (b) they'll chew up a pretty good chunk of bandwidth on us. (Read the "support this site" blurb at the top the carrier pages, and think about it while you're waiting for the images to download.
NOTE TOO: Some browsers have difficult with very wide images, and distort them a lot when they display them. (I don't know about others, but IE 5.0 on the Mac definitely does this. If the full-sized images appear to be stretched horizontally, you may need to just download them to your hard drive and view them in an imaging application, or possibly try another browser.)
YIMG_1183.JPG
Shutter: 1/160
Exposure EV: 13.3
Aperture: F2.8
Aperture: F13
Shutter: 1/ 1
Exposure EV: 3.6
See camera specifications here.
Picky Details
Cycle times, shutter lag, battery life, etc. can be found here.
Canon PowerShot S400 user reviews on PriceGrabber.com
Canon PowerShot S400 user review on PC PhotoREVIEW
In keeping with my standard test policy, the comments given here summarize only my key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the S400's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource product tests, I encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the camera performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how S400's images compare to other cameras you may be considering.
Color: The S400 produced excellent color throughout my testing, with accurate results under a wide variety of lighting conditions. Color saturation was typically just about right, and hue was nearly always dead-on (even with the difficult blue flowers in the outdoor and indoor portraits). Strong additive primaries such as red and blue were generally just slightly oversaturated, but the effect was slight indeed. Skin tones were typically accurate as well, with just a hint more pink than the actual color of the subject. White balance was very good under virtually all light sources, even the very difficult household incandescent lighting of my "indoor portrait" test, although that light source required either the Incandescent or Manual white balance settings to produce good results. I noticed a tendency for the Auto and Daylight settings to run slightly warm, and the Manual setting to be a little cool and greenish, but once again the effects were very slight, and overall color was really excellent.
Exposure: The S400's metering system accurately gauged exposure under most of my lighting as well. As is typical, it underexposed the very high-key outdoor portrait shot, but required very little positive exposure compensation to correct the exposure nicely. It also underexposed the indoor portrait shot somewhat, both with and without flash, and required a little more positive exposure compensation to achieve a good exposure. (The amount of positive compensation required for this was on par with other consumer digicams I've tested though.) On my "Davebox" test, the S400 had no trouble distinguishing the subtle pastel tones on the Q60 target, while still holding good detail in the deep shadows. Overall, an excellent job.
Resolution/Sharpness: The S400 performed very well on the"laboratory" resolution test chart. It started showing artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 800 lines per picture height vertically, and around 700 lines horizontally. I found "strong detail" out to at least 1,100 lines vertically and 1,200 lines horizontally. "Extinction" of the target patterns didn't occur until about 1,300 - 1,400 lines. Overall, a very good performance for a compact digicam.
Closeups: The S400 performed well in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of only 2.70 x 2.03 inches (69 x 51 millimeters), which is slightly better than average. Resolution was very high, with strong detail in the coins and brooch. Details are soft in the dollar bill, likely due to the S400's AiAF focusing system, which focused on the closest object to the lens (the brooch). There was more softness in the corners in this shot, but this is a very common failing of the macro modes of consumer digicams, so the S400 doesn't deserve any special criticism in this area. The S400's flash almost throttled down enough for the macro area, though it overexposed the top of the frame and produced a shadow in the bottom portion. (You should be able to get decent flash pictures in macro mode, as long as you're backed off slightly from the very closest focusing distance.)
Night Shots: It's really "buried" in the user interface, but the S400 has a slow-shutter mode that turns it into a great low-light performer. You have to first enable long-shutter mode in the record-mode setup menu, then go to the first entry on the Function menu (Exposure Compensation) and press the Set button to set the exposure time over a range of 1-15 seconds. Once you find it though, the long-exposure mode works great. In my tests, the S400 captured usable images down to the 1/16 foot-candle limit of my test even at ISO 50, and bright ones at that light level at all higher ISOs. All photos were well-focused, even at the darkest light levels. The only catch is that the camera's exposure metering system isn't available in long-shutter mode, making it something of a manual, hit-or-miss operation finding the right exposure. (The optional histogram display comes in very handy for this.) In normal exposure mode, the camera's maximum one-second exposure time should let you capture good photos in normal city streetlighting (~1 foot-candle) at all ISO settings. In long-shutter mode though, you can easily shoot under much darker conditions.
Viewfinder Accuracy: The S400's optical viewfinder is quite tight at the wide angle end, as it showed only 79 percent of the final frame. At telephoto, the optical viewfinder showed approximately 84 percent frame accuracy, still on the low side. The LCD monitor is more accurate, actually just a little loose, seeming to show slightly more than what appears in the final frame. My standard measurement lines were just cut off on the top and left sides, but I'd have to consider this to be within the margin of error for this test. Given that I like LCD monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the S400's LCD monitor is excellent in this regard, although I'd really like to see a more accurate optical VF.
Optical Distortion: Optical distortion on the S400 was slightly better than average at the wide-angle end, where I measured approximately 0.7 percent barrel distortion. (This is just slightly better than average among cameras I've tested, but I'd still really like to see much less geometric distortion in digicam images than this.) The telephoto end fared much better, as I measured only one pixel of pincushion distortion. Chromatic aberration was low, showing only very faint coloration on either side of the target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.) The most obvious distortion was some corner softness (caused by coma?) in the corners of the image, particularly in the upper corners. All in all though, the S400's lens did a very nice job, particularly for a subcompact camera model.
Battery Life:The PowerShot S400 uses one Li-Ion rechargeable battery for power. Unfortunately, I couldn't measure its power consumption as I generally do, because it uses a nonstandard "dummy battery" power adapter connection. I did time how long the camera would run from a freshly-charged battery in its worst-case power consumption mode (capture mode with the LCD turned on), and found that it turned in a slightly shorter than average (for a compact digicam) run time of approximately 60 minutes. As always, I strongly advise purchasing a second battery along with the S400, so you can bring along a fully charged spare on long outings.
Packaged with the PowerShot S400 are the following items:
Wrist strap.
Video cable.
32MB CompactFlash memory card.
NB-1LH lithium-ion battery pack.
Battery charger.
Battery cover.
ArcSoft and Canon Digital Camera Solution Disk software CDs.
Operating manual and registration card.
Large capacity CompactFlash memory card.
Additional NB-1LH lithium-ion battery pack.
AC adapter kit.
Small camera case.
Recommended Software: Rescue your images!
Just as important as an extra memory card is a tool to rescue your images when one of your cards fails at some point in the future. I get a lot of email from readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. Memory card corruption can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for Windows or PhotoRescue for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF manual and quickstart guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...
Free Photo Lessons
Simple pro lighting and use tips let you snap stunning photos. Check out our free Photo School area!
The quality, versatility, and image quality of Canon's Digital ELPH series has impressed me from the start, and the 4.0-megapixel S400 holds true to that tradition. The camera's tiny size makes it a worthy travel companion, and the range of features give it an edge over many other point-and-shoot style digicams in the marketplace, particularly some other subcompact models. Although actual exposure control remains automatic, the ability to adjust ISO and White Balance, and access longer shutter times increases the camera's shooting flexibility quite a bit. The four-megapixel CCD produces great image quality and accurate color, and the S400's lens is better than that on many subcompact cameras. Representing the fourth generation in the ELPH series, the S400 maintains Canon's reputation for great quality in a very portable digicam. My earlier characterization probably sums it up best: An excellent "all around" digicam, that just happens to live inside a super-compact case. Highly recommended.
More Information on this camera from...
DCViews:
Canon S400 review
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text:
Republic Act No. 10479 - AN ACT SEPARATING THE BAGUIO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RIZAL ANNEX IN BARANGAY PACDAL, CITY OF BAGUIO FROM THE BAGUIO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, CONVERTING IT INTO AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS RIZAL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
AN ACT SEPARATING THE BAGUIO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RIZAL ANNEX IN BARANGAY PACDAL, CITY OF BAGUIO FROM THE BAGUIO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, CONVERTING IT INTO AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS RIZAL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Section 1. Separation and Conversion into a National High School. The Baguio City National High School Rizal Annex in Barangay Pacdal, City of Baguio is hereby separated from the Baguio City National High School and converted into an independent national high school to be known as Rizal National High School.ςrαlαω
Section 2. Transfer of Assets and Liabilities. All personnel, assets, liabilities and records of the Baguio City National High School Rizal Annex are hereby transferred to and absorbed by the Rizal National High School.
Section 3. Appropriations. The Secretary of Education shall immediately include in the Department's program the operationalization of the Rizal National High School the initial funding of which shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the Bagnio City National High School Rizal Annex. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued operation of the school shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
This Act which originated in the House of Representatives was finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on October 15, 2012 and January 28, 2013, respectively.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fizz is a trademark that symbolises Nordic cleanliness, crispness and excellent quality. All Fizz ciders are made from the best apple wine and only natural flavourings have been used to create taste. Fizz has been available on the Estonian cider market since 1994. These days, Fizz ciders are also sold in other Baltic States, Nordic countries and many European countries.
Fizz – the perfect cider.


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You may be wondering where best to buy NFTs of your favorite player, Jose Ramirez and the answer is quite simple: Sorare. Why? Simply because Sorare is the only NFT platform that offers more than just trading cards. You can use your Jose Ramirez NFT in any game and win more NFT cards or even ETH. This makes Sorare simply by far the best option to buy and trade Jose Ramirez NFTs. You can sign up and buy NFTs right here!
About Jose Ramirez
José Enrique Ramirez is a Dominican professional baseball player who plays for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball. He signed with the Indians as an amateur free agent on November 26, 2009. He made his MLB debut on September 1, 2013.
The deal was the biggest in team history, and Ramirez will now be with the team through 2028. It includes a full no-trade clause. The deal covers Ramirez's $12 million contract and next year's $14 million club option. The new contract also reshapes Ramirez's 2022 and 2023 option years. The deal comes at a critical time for the Guardians, who have received criticism for not spending more money on free agents. Cleveland was on the brink of opening the regular season with a relatively low payroll.
The Guardians were also looking into trade offers for Ramirez. Initially, the Cleveland Guardians planned to trade Ramirez if they didn't extend his contract. The San Diego Padres were the most aggressively pursuing the free agent, but the team decided to extend Ramirez. The deal will also automatically exercise Ramirez's 2023 option, but will run through 2028. Moreover, Ramirez will become a free agent after reaching age 35.
A press conference will take place tomorrow afternoon, and the news about the deal will likely be publicized in the next few days. Nonetheless, it is possible that Ramirez could join the team sooner rather than later, but it will still take some time. Ramirez needs to undergo a physical, and the Guardians' finance department will have to finalize the details of the deal before announcing it. So, keep an eye out for updates!
Jose Ramirez's 2016 season with the Cleveland Indians earned him a spot in the MVP voting for the American League. The young Dominican hit 36 home runs in seven games, stole 27 bases, and won the Silver Slugger three times. While settling for third base for the Guardians, he continued to be an all-star and Silver Slugger winner. A recent study found that he has shown loyalty in professional sports.
Ramirez has been instrumental in the Guardians' playoff push this season. The veteran right fielder has been named A.L. Player of the Month in April. He is helping the team reach the playoffs and making its comeback in the World Series. In addition, his numbers are impressive, earning him gold in the MLB Power Rankings. The future looks bright for Ramirez. If you want to see a glimpse of his greatness, get your copy of "Ramirez is the Man!"
Despite the recent announcements of the signing, initial reports suggested Ramirez's contract would be worth $150 million. This number is far from accurate. The salary will rise to $22 million in 2022 and then fall to $14 million in '23, which was the club option year in Ramirez's last deal. Over the remaining five years, the salary will increase steadily and peak at $25 million in 2028. This deal also includes additional performance incentives.
How to Earn Passive Income From Cryptocurrency
If you're interested in making passive income online, you have probably heard of cryptocurrency. While this is not the same thing as gambling, this type of cryptocurrency has a wide range of benefits. The first is that it offers a high degree of control over your income. You can choose to earn passive income from a number of different sources, such as trading, lending, or investing. It can be a great way to make money online without having to leave your house or taking time off from your current job.
The second method involves mining cryptocurrencies. In this case, you stake cryptocurrencies in exchange for rewards. The reason you stake them is because they will increase in value, so you can earn passive income. Another method is yield farming with NFTs, where you leverage your yields by investing in another platform. A further method to earn passive income online is staking, where you lock up a certain amount of coins in a liquidity pool and receive rewards.
Investing in cryptocurrency is the most common way to create passive income online, but there are other options as well. NFTs are a popular example of a cryptocurrency asset that can provide a passive income. You can earn returns from these assets in a variety of ways, such as through the trade of NFTs. If you invest in the right asset, you can make a significant amount of money. However, it's important to note that a passive income from cryptocurrency investment is not the same as passive income from other types of investments.
The NFT model uses smart contracts to manage transactions on the blockchain. The smart contracts automatically store pre-fed royalty data from NFT creators. As a result, multiple platforms reward the users who provide liquidity. Then, the owners of NFTs can sell the NFT reward to exit the liquidity pool quickly. The NFT reward is usually distributed in the form of a governance token. In addition to this, GameFi platforms allow NFT owners to earn passive income by renting digital assets. These renting deals are governed by smart contracts.


I'm getting the same error with a new installation after creating a project and trying to open it. I was thinking of purchasing Pro Tools to replace Sonar Platinum and Studio One 3 but if this new version of Pro Tools is as buggy as it is and cloud-based (why is this necessary?) I can't justify spending a lot of money to replace something that already works.
If you're truly considering Pro Tools to replace either of the DAWs you mentioned, please purchase a one month subscription to the real full version before rejecting the idea. The full version of Pro Tools 2018.3 is very impressive.
So has anyone figured this out yet? I can't open a project. Same error as everyone else here.
I installed Pro Tools First 2018.3. It has solved my problem. My songs are back.
Last edited by alcolucci60@gmail.com; 03-19-2018 at 03:15 AM.


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Mordellistena sepia es una especie de coleóptero de la familia Mordellidae.

Distribución geográfica
Habita en Honduras.

Referencias

Sepia
Coleópteros de Honduras

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Not just an entire pontoon, but an entire reef – all to yourself. Sunlover Reef Cruises has exclusivity at Arlington Reef on The Great Barrier Reef which means your charter is truly private. In addition to exclusive use of our air-conditioned catamaran, you can add activities to your private adventure suit your needs and create a custom experience like no other.
Give your clients or staff a once in a lifetime, backstage pass to the Great Barrier Reef! Your venue is a floating activity pontoon on the outer Great Barrier Reef. Your presentations and panel discussions are hosted in a theatre-style underwater observatory. Your group workshops rotate around stations on the pontoon and catamaran. Then, after a delicious tropical lunch, your guests enjoy a smorgasbord of unique reef activities throughout the afternoon. You could take your guests on a Certified or Introductory Dive, a Guided Snorkel Tour, a Seawalker Helmet Dive, a Glass Bottom or Semi-Submarine Boat Tour and so much more! You can even sleep overnight on the reef!
To enquire about this unique experience, contact our events specialist here.
We offer discounted rates for groups over 10 or more.
Please contact our Reservations team for more information here.
To enquire about your special event options, contact our events specialist here.


Fueled by encouragement from President Donald Trump leading into his crucial meeting with China's president Xi Jinping on Saturday, Wall Street's major averages all closed near their highs of the day as investors positioned for a potential relief rally on Monday. Caterpillar (CAT) was the Dow's top performer as industrials packed on gains in the blue chip, while ten of the eleven S&P 500 sectors closed in the green with energy again the notable exception.
Stocks struggled to turn positive earlier in the day, weighed down by heaviness in Europe on the heels of downbeat data on the Chinese manufacturing and services sector coupled with a miss on German retail sales and contraction in Italy's Q3 GDP. US futures perked up on reassuring remarks regarding the outcome of Saturday's trade meeting from US trade rep Robert Lighthizer, before retreating back into the red with oil weighing.
The major averages were unable to get any traction away from the flatline until later in the afternoon when Trump told reporters that he expects a positive outcome to tomorrow's meeting. The pre-emptive move higher in equities before a potential full-blown rally on Monday lifted the Dow by triple digits despite additional losses in oil futures.
In addition to a higher close on Friday, The Dow closed higher for the first time in three weeks with a 5% gain and higher by 1.7% for the month. The S&P 500 was higher by 4.8% this week and a more conservative 1.8% in November, while the Nasdaq gained 5.6% this week but just 0.3% for the month.
High Beta Spotted on KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE:KAR) as It Hits 1.14!


Amagi and George from our Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate free holiday programme talked to Radio Waatea yesterday about the FIZZ FREE CHALLENGE which involves ditching fizzy drinks for one month.
Eleanor Parkes, our Auckland Youth Coordinator talked about Youthtown's focus on empowering young people to come up with their own goals and decisions and this happens to be a very health one!
Visit www.fizzfree.org.nz for more information.
Good luck to all of our participants on this challenge!


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A CONSTANT SEARCH FOR THE DEEPEST CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF THE ZEITGEIST
Meet Angelo Accardi, a painter whose canvases are capable of tracing tenaciously dreamlike profiles with their apparent incongruity.
Accardi succeeds in creating a world where time and space, foreground and background, and the subject and his environment merge together. Within this world that he creates, but beyond the spirit of the time, Accardi appears to access the same psyche as his spectators, transmitting a message, a feeling, or an idea through skillful expressive details. He is spurred on by means of a style that could prove common thanks to its link to scratches, to drips, and in some cases, to "dirty painting." The interpretative key of Accardi's art, however, is much more.
His works are worlds in which parts of his life exist and enter into a dialogue with contemporary symbols such as characters of the cinema and cartoon figures, as well as looming "misplaced" presences such as ostriches and rhinos in the city, in glimpses of well-known urban realities and museums.
Angelo Accardi often unites masterpieces from the past with phenomena of our time. He creates constant dissonant presences juxtaposed with a chaotically ordered metropolitan. His works are disturbing but compelling because they are raw and ironic. Different artistic experiences, clear stories, never distorted by the need for script or market. They are streams of pictorial consciousness in which many symbols, seemingly distant from each other, re-exist, beyond the aesthetic aspect, certainly cared for, however not at the center of the decisive choice in the paintings.
Today, life no longer seems to belong to itself. Accardi remembers this and does so wisely as to free it. All that remains is to abandon yourself to his art, inside the world but outside any conventional scene.
HERE'S THE LINK, THE NEWSPAPER IS ILGIORNALEOFF.COM
Contact For More Information,
Availability and Price
A CONSTANT SEARCH FOR THE DEEPEST CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF THE ZEITGEIST2018-12-232022-01-24https://www.angeloaccardi.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2017/12/angelo_accardi_logo-black.pngAngelo Accardihttps://d11kvfv4kxw5s4.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/11/02004303/80xzn.jpeg200px200px
Minion Madness: a Compromise Between the Art of the Past and the Art of the Present
Animal Painting: The Ostrich and the Rhinoceros
Pop Art | a Conversation Between Artists
Feminine Art
A SURREAL NIGHT: 'MISPLACED' AT EDEN FINE ART LONDONAngelo Accardi, Exhibitions, Misplaced
Feminine ArtAngelo Accardi, Flower's Daughters, Paintings


The 2018 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship will be played in Herning and Copenhagen, Denmark.
The tournament consists of 16 teams; two groups of eight. Canada is in Group B along with Latvia, Finland, United States, Norway, Germany, Denmark and South Korea.
Find the complete schedule for the men's world ice hockey championship below (times and dates are ET). Denmark will be six hours ahead of Canada's eastern time zone during the tournament.
Gold and bronze medal games will be played on Sunday, May 20, 2018.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate your support of Canada's national teams.


Security forces have arrested several youth in the Oromo and Amhara regions of Ethiopia in a new round of crackdown on anti-government protesters last summer, according to ESAT's sources.
Security forces targeted the youth in Adama, Guji, and Borena zones in the Oromo region. Protesters in Gondar and Awi zones were also targeted in the weekend arrests.
The latest campaign of arrests came only two weeks after the regime released over 10,000 detainees.
The detainees were targeted for allegedly attacking regime supporters in the protests last summer in the Oromo and Amhara regions. The sources said security forces were still searching for the youth and were also offering bribes for tips leading to the arrest of protesters.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn meanwhile gave indications on Monday that the six month state of emergency declared in October could be extended.
At least 1,500 people were killed and 60,000 detained in a yearlong protests mainly in the Amhara and Oromo regions.


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"A lot of birth parents went into it thinking it was a privilege to them," said Brenda Romanchik, executive director of Insight: Open Adoption Resources and Support, an adoption education and support organization in Royal Oak, Michigan. "So when things got tough, they thought, this isn't working for me, so I'm going to leave. They didn't take the child into account."
It's equally important adopters understand that in a closed adoption little to no information will be exchanged with the birth parents, including their choice to arrange an adoption with the couple. This can feel like a distant business deal for some adoptive couples who want to know the nuances and personality of the mother of the child they're being placed with. Other adoptive parents may feel the separation of adoptive and birth parent eliminates possible instability an openly known birth mother's lifestyle may bring into a family dynamic. Also, in an open adoption, if communication is lost between the birth mother and adoptee, the child may become confused and hurt.
American Adoptions, a private adoption agency founded on the belief that lives of children can be bettered through adoption, provides safe adoption services to children, birth parents and adoptive families by educating, supporting and coordinating necessary services for adoptions throughout the United States. For more information on American Adoptions, please call 1-800-ADOPTION (236-7846)
Thankfully, as adoptive families, birth mothers, adopted children and child-placing agencies continued to see the negatives of closed adoption and the positives of open adoption, adoption as a whole began to evolve, and for the better. Today, most adoption agencies allow the birth mother to make most of the decision in the adoption, including how much contact she wants with the adoptive family and the child. It is then the adoption agency's job to find the appropriate adoptive family for each adoption situation.
Closed adoption, also called a confidential or traditional adoption, refers to an adoption in which there is no relationship between the adoptive family and birth parents. In a closed adoption, the birth parents and adoptive family arrange the adoption via a facilitator, attorney or a case worker at an agency. Neither member of the adoption triad knows identifying information about the other. By opting for a closed adoption, a future birth mother is trying to have as little involvement as possible with the placement process. For some women, this is a way to distance themselves from the emotional decisions associated with placement. However, the distance is something many adopters fear will make it easier for a birth mother to change her mind about placement.
In a closed adoption, the adoption professionals involved will usually choose the adoptive family for the child. It is important to remember that having a closed adoption does not guarantee that once a child reaches the age of majority in your state he or she will not seek out and reunite with their biological families or that the biological family will not seek and reunite with the child that was adopted. The closed or open adoption agreements made between the parties of an adoption at the time of the child's birth only stay in force until the child reaches the legal age in which he or she can make decisions for his or her own self.
Conversely, if they want a confidential adoption, they should not feel unduly pressured into agreeing to an open adoption. Adopters who agree to an open adoption against their wishes may later find it difficult to fulfill their side of the agreement (for example, sending the birthmother letters and photos). This is terribly unfair to both the birthmother and the child. Agreeing to an open adoption when they don't want one is also unfair to the adopters themselves.
About American Adoptions - ArticlesAbout Us: American Adoptions American Adoptions' Office LocationsWelcome to American AdoptionsAsk Michelle an Adoption QuestionOur Agency StaffGetting to Know American Adoptions Co-Founder Scott MarsA Life of Love and Opportunity - Scott's StoryThe Greatest Gift of All - Our SonAdoption Agency CertificationsAmerican Adoptions' NewsletterMore . . .
It's important to keep in mind that, while adoption relationships can change, it is more complicated to increase contact than to decrease it. If a birth mother starts with an open relationship and then decides later that she needs distance, she can do this at any time. However, if an adoption is closed and a birth mother wants more contact, then she has to come to an agreement with the adoptive family. Therefore, it is especially important that a birth mother choosing closed adoption is sure that it is what she wants.
When I first started out in my adoption journey, I automatically assumed I would want a closed adoption. Not only is that what I knew from a historical standpoint, but I also feared the unknown. When I started learning that the adoption agencies encouraged open adoption, I remember thinking, "Well I guess we could check the box for semi-open." I was hesitant and afraid. I heard horror stories of mothers changing their mind. I had people in my ear asking questions like "aren't you afraid she'll want him back?" I wondered if open adoption would mean co-parenting. I feared that I would have to "share" this child that I waited so long for.
Decades ago, virtually all adoptions were closed. A closed adoption means that there is no contact whatsoever between the birthparents and the adoptive parents and child after the adoption takes place. In fact, there may also be no contact before the adoption. Nowadays, however, the trend in the United States is toward open adoptions, in which all the parties to an adoption meet and often remain in each other's lives.
In all adoption searches, it is uncommon to find both the birth mother and father at the same time. A separate search, if desired, can be done afterwards for the father. Since males seldom change their surnames, and the mother might have additional information, it is usually easier than the initial search for the birth mother. In many cases, adoptees are able to do this second search for their birth father by themselves (or they try before paying for assistance).
Choosing between an open and closed adoption depends entirely on the adoptive family's preferences. It's strongly advised that couples that do not entirely support an open adoption should not engage in one. However, it's more rare to find an agency or attorney that is completely comfortable with a closed adoption and will not suggest a semi-open adoption to a birth mother.
About Family and Friends - ArticlesCan (and Should) a Family Member Adopt My Baby After Delivery?The 16 Most Important People in Your Adoption PlanDealing with Unsupportive Parents and Other Family Members"If I Want to Choose Adoption, Can I Be Forced to Keep My Baby?"Are You Being Pressured to Put Your Baby Up for Adoption? How to Create a Strong Adoption Support SystemHow to Talk About Placing a Child for AdoptionPreparing for How Family Members May React to Your NewsCan a Friend or Someone I Already Know Adopt My Baby?What is the Role of the Birth Grandparents in an Adoption Plan?More . . .
Now that the first open-adoption generation is under way, social workers are becoming more aware of the role of siblings in these arrangements. An adoptive child's relationships with biological siblings need to be taken into account. And two children adopted into the same family may have different degrees of openness with their birth mothers. Openness may also affect decisions about family size.
The social stigma of unmarried mothers, particularly during the Baby Scoop Era (1945-1975) rendered them social outcasts. By the 1980s the situation improved greatly and the vast majority of unwed mothers kept their babies.[7] In a mother driven society after WWII infertile couples were also seen as deviant due to their inability to bear children. The social experiment of taking the children from "unmarried mothers" and "giving them" to adoptive parents became the norm during the BSE. These adoptions were predominantly closed. The records were sealed, biological mothers were told to keep their child a secret, and adoptive parents told to treat the child "as if born to".[8][9]
Open adoption can vary, depending on the pre-arranged requests, the relationship built, distance, and time.  But one thing remains true, no matter what level of openness you have with your child's birth family: It is important.  It is an honor.  It should never be taken for granted.  It should never be held over a birth parent's head as a punishment or reward.  It should always be under-promised and over-delivered.
Some states have confidential intermediary systems. This often requires a person to petition the court to view the sealed adoption records, then the intermediary conducts a search similar to that of a private investigator. This can be either a search for the birth mother at the request of the adoptee, or vice versa. Quite often, in the many years which have passed since the adoptee was born, a birth mother or female adoptee has both moved to another address, and married or remarried resulting in a change of her surname. While this can make the search difficult and time consuming, a marriage certificate may provide the needed clue as to the person's whereabouts. If and when the intermediary is able to contact the birth mother (or adoptee), she is informed that her adopted child (or birth mother) is inquiring about her. In the few states that have open adoption records, should this party indicate that he or she does not want to be contacted, by law, the information would not be given out. Upon completion of the search in which the birth mother agrees to be contacted, the intermediary usually sends the adoptee the official unamended birth certificate obtained from the court. The adoptive parents' application to an adoption agency remains confidential, however.
Contact us at webmaster@adopt2connect.com | Sitemap xml | Sitemap txt | Sitemap


In case you haven't heard, for the next month more than 60 authors who write about Michigan and the U.P. will visit more than 20 U.P. communities. I'll be participating in several of the events.
"Upper Michigan has long deserved wider attention for its diverse and rich culture and atmosphere," Tichelaar said. "Everything exists here to make great fiction, from its history, to its powerful forces of nature, its isolation from the rest of the country, and the strength of its people. I wish to support all efforts to treat it as literature….As an author of Upper Michigan literature, I welcome fresh voices and differing points of view about the influence this area has upon people and how that influence is shaped into literature.
Ron Riekki, author of "U.P." is the organizer of the book tour which will include Lisa Cerasoli Weaver, Matthew Gavin Frank, Beverly Matherne, Jerry Harju, Marty Achatz, Jonathan Johnson, Gretchen Preston, John Carr, Steve Hamilton, Roxanne Gay, Darrin Doyle, Jane Piirto, and numerous other Michigan and U.P. Authors. Book signings and author panels discussing Upper Michigan literature will be held in such diverse places as Marquette, Negaunee, St. Ignace, Houghton, Menominee, Palmer, and Gwinn.
The U.P. Book Tour is the biggest literary event ever to come to Upper Michigan. Come out and support Upper Michigan literature. After all, what better place to write about?
It's Lady's Slipper season in Upper Michigan, and thanks to some of my Facebook friends, I heard my favorite wildflower was in bloom around Little Presque Isle near Marquette and set out on a rainy day to get photographs. I plan to have a photo of lady's slippers on the front cover of my next novel, Spirit of the North, which will be published in Spring 2012. In the novel, there is a pivotal scene around lady's slippers.
In fact, lady's slippers have been my favorite flower since I was a child growing up in Stonegate near the Crossroads where the flowers grew profusely in the woods. Even back then in the 1970s, they were illegal to pick, but we picked them all the time anyway. I don't recommend anyone doing so now since they appear to be more rare than they were back then, although by looking hard, I easily spotted about 100 of them, growing in groups of 1 and 2, but I remember them often growing in much larger clumps when I was younger. I was more respectful when I went out to photograph them this past week, and I swear they knew I was there, admiring them and they were ready for their photo-shoot. I think because of their shape they look almost like they have faces and their own personalities. You can decide for yourself.
I did not neglect to mention Lady's Slippers in some of my other novels, so I offer here a scene from my novel Superior Heritage in which young John Vandelaare, who is only about six years old, goes fishing with his brother and older cousins at Ives Lake where his grandfather is the caretaker, and on the way back, they stumble on a field of Lady's Slippers.
They were all a bit tired now from the long day, and less talkative than they had been on the way to the fishing hole. They walked with a bit of urgency because they knew it would soon be nightfall, and the forest's thick trees would block out the remaining light.
Then, as the beautiful summer evening ended, they stumbled upon a little copse, almost a meadow really, where sunbeams broke through the trees, illuminating a small patch of the forest floor.
All turned their heads to see the meadow packed with the little pink flowers that looked like fairy slippers hanging from their stems.
"How'd we miss seeing all those before?" asked Alan.
"I saw them," said William, who had not thought flowers worth mentioning.
Chad struggled to get out of the wagon.
"Where are you going?" Jason asked him.
"To pick some for Gwamma and Aunt Ada," was Chad's obvious answer.
"Hey, ain't these flowers the kind that are illegal to pick?" asked Jason.
"Why would flowers be illegal to pick?" asked Alan.
"Because they're rare," said William.
"Let's pick them all," said Chad. "We can give some to Gwamma, and Aunt Ada, and some to my mom and some to your mom." He felt overcome by a desire to give all the women pretty flowers until they would all feel as beautiful as Princess Ada.
"It's almost dark," said William.
"Mom's not going to cheer up until Dad quits being a jerk," William muttered; as the oldest, he was burdened with understanding his parents' marriage better than his brothers.
"Aunt Beth will give us vases, or at least plastic bags to wrap them in," said Alan.
While his cousins debated, John joined his brother in gathering flowers. William refused to pick any—he was too old for flower picking, even to make his mother happy. But Alan did not mind pleasing his younger cousins by joining in. Chad's little hands filled too quickly, so he enlisted Jason in carrying his flowers to the wagon for him. Meanwhile, Alan picked ferns to make backgrounds so the bouquets of lady's slippers would look even prettier in vases.
In ten minutes, the meadow was cleared. Heaps of delicate pink air pockets of flowers were gently laid in the wagon. Chad did not object when told he would have to walk home so his feet did not crush the flowers. He thought it nicer to walk beside the wagon and look at the pretty flowers.
The boys started back down the path. John looked back to where the flowers had been. He remembered just minutes before how stunned they had all been by the flowers—how there had been a seemingly endless field of pink rising up from the decaying leaves of last autumn. Now, he only saw the decaying leaves and little broken stems sticking up where once the flowers had been. The evening sun had lowered as well, leaving the field almost dark. Already he was starting to strain his eyes to see ahead of him. He wished they had not picked all the flowers; then he could have come back tomorrow night to see the pink field again.
"I hope the DNR doesn't catch us," said William.
"What's the DNR?" asked Alan.
John was frightened by the thought of jail. But he felt it would serve them right if the DNR did catch them. It seemed wrong to have picked all the flowers. They had not left behind a single one. He felt the trees would be lonely and sad without the lady's slippers.
When the boys got back to the house, Ada and Beth marveled at so many delicate flowers. Beth quickly found more empty coke bottles to serve as vases so Ada could go home with a bouquet, and the Whitman boys could bring another home for their mother.
"Thanks for having me, Beth," Ada said, as she picked up her vase and kissed her sister-in-law goodbye.
"Any time, Ada," said Beth.
"We wish you'd come to visit more often," said Henry.
"It was a perfect day," Ada said.
"Thank you for the pwincess," said Chad.
William and Jason said nothing, but Alan mussed his cousin's hair.
"We better get home before dark or Annette will be worried," said Bill.
William thought his mother might prefer if they did not go home, but he would not argue with his father in public. Instead, he carried his and his brothers' fishing poles to the car trunk. A sprinkle of rain started up as everyone piled into the car.
"We're going to have another storm tonight," said Henry as the visitors drove away.
"Did you boys have a good time with Aunt Ada?" Henry asked.
John got ready for bed, then came out into the kitchen to get a drink of water before he went to sleep. When he saw the lady's slippers sitting on the kitchen counter, he wished he could replant them in the woods, but he knew they would not grow now.
As he started to fall asleep, a loud thunderclap made him hide his head under the blankets. He was surprised Chad could sleep through the noise. He felt the thunder was a warning he had done something wrong to pick the flowers. They had been so beautiful in the forest; they were nowhere near as pretty sitting on the counter. He wanted to cry, but he felt if his older cousins knew he cried, they would think him a baby. That he refused to cry did not make him feel any less guilty.
Well, it might be lilac or some shade of pink, but no one can deny the Wooden Nickel has a new look. Apparently, the building was painted late last summer but I didn't get to that part of town until recently to see it.
The Wooden Nickel's New Color!
Why am I surprised by the color change? Those of you from Marquette will be surprised too. In fact, when I posted on Facebook a week ago that the Wooden Nickel was purple, I got many expressions of shock from former Yoopers who no longer live in the area.
You see, the Wooden Nickel has long been known as Marquette's biker bar, and probably the toughest bar in Marquette. Is it trying to change its image? And just what kind of image is it going for?
I don't know much about the Wooden Nickel's history, but if anyone else does, I would love to hear about it. According to its website, it is the oldest bar in Marquette. It is also going to be featured in a book on Yooper Bars. I am skeptical about the "oldest bar" designation since I know Remillard's Bar dates back to the 1800s and North Marquette wasn't really settled until more around the 1920s. However, I am sure the bar's sign is correct in saying it is "the only lasting original." I asked my great-aunt who is 93 and grew up in North Marquette and she said when she was a kid, back in the 1920s the building was a candy store – maybe the purple is a fallback to those days. According to the 1950 city directory, it was Lowell's Tavern & Restaurant (1743 Presque Isle Ave), then by 1960's city directory it was the Furnace Tavern (1745 Presque Isle Ave), and the 1983 city directory shows it as the Wooden Nickel (1751 Presque Isle Ave). I don't know if that means Lowell's was really a building next door or they kept changing the street address, but it has been the Wooden Nickel ever since. (As a historical aside, it's not easy to find taverns in the 1950 city directory. There's no listing for "bars" and when you look up "taverns" it says to see "beer gardens." Even then, "beer garden" must have been an outdated term. The only real beer garden I know Marquette ever had was at the old Castle Brewery.
I admit I was only in it once in college about 1992 when my friends and I donned leather and jean jacket so we would look tough and only went in it to say we had been there.
How the Wooden Nickel is perceived versus how tough it really is I don't know. I do know my great-uncle, who lived a few blocks up the road, thought nothing in his seventies and early eighties of walking down to the Wooden Nickel for a beer.
On the Wooden Nickel's website it says, "We offer an enjoyable atmosphere for everyone, College Students to their Grandparents." Will this change in perception scare off the bikers? Well, for all my Facebook friends who demanded I post a photo of the new purple Wooden Nickel, here are the photos and you can see there's a motorcycle parked outside. Bikers must like purple too. And why not? It's a great color.
I hope some of you more familiar with the Wooden Nickel can enlighten me more on its long history.
You are currently browsing the MY MARQUETTE weblog archives for June 2011.


On April 30, 2015 more than 125 stakeholders representing Regional Health Improvement Collaboratives (RHICs), physicians and healthcare systems, public and private payers and insurers gathered in Washington, DC to learn from the five (RHICs) that have worked together to implement and standardize Total Cost of Care reporting across their regions. The meeting participants shared ideas, learned new developments and soaked up the passion and energy around ways to leverage healthcare cost data to affect payment reform, manage overall cost of care, and improve quality. Throughout the event our distinguished panelists shared their insights into why this work is critically important, and what it really takes to implement Total Cost of Care reporting at home. Three breakout session options allowed attendees to take a deeper dive into data requirements, payment reform, and physician engagement, and the event provided ample and ideal opportunities for networking and learning from HealthDoers Who Have Done It. Hear what our followers had to say on Twitter at #costofcare15. If you are interested in learning more about the event, see materials and videos of the event provided below.
On February 7, 2013, NRHI convened a national Summit on Regional Healthcare Transformation in Washington, DC to report on the work that Regional Health Improvement Collaboratives (RHICs) are doing across the country to redesign the way healthcare is delivered so that healthcare costs can be reduced without rationing, to create payment systems that reward higher quality and lower cost, to help physicians, hospitals, and other providers succeed under new payment and delivery models, to effectively engage patients in improving their health and choosing the highest-value providers and services, and to measure and publicly report on progress.
At the Summit, over 100 leaders from Congress, federal agencies, national organizations, and regional collaboratives from across the country shared information about path-breaking initiatives to improve the quality and reduce the cost of healthcare. They also discussed ways to overcome the barriers that many communities and their stakeholders are facing in improving healthcare costs and quality, such as difficulties in obtaining access to timely, actionable data, problems in implementing appropriate and coordinated changes in payment systems, legal impediments to collaboration among payers and providers, and inadequate resources to support planning and implementation of dramatic changes.
Links to the videos and slides from the presentations from this important Summit are available below. They demonstrate the exciting and important progress that is being made in dozens of communities across the country in tackling one of the nation's most important challenges, and describe actions that can and should be taken to continue and accelerate this progress.


This is the ultimate shaper set for little vehicle fans! The cute train, plane, boat and car can be used as both mini sandwich cutters AND rice shapers - and they'll also work well on pastry, cookie dough, fondant icing...even playdough!
Use the stamp on half the shapes to create the vehicle details.
Assemble the sandwiches with the plain shapes on the bottom, and the stamped shapes on the top.
With the solid piece on the bottom and cutter on the top, pack plenty of rice into the shaper.
Top with the stamper and press down hard to create details. Unmould the rice and...voila!
Cutters and stamps measure approx. 6.5cm x 5.5cm and are 3.5cm high. Set includes 12 pieces - a solid base, cutter, and stamper for each vehicle.
Made from food-safe polypropylene. BPA free.
* To save on waste, we recommend keeping bread offcuts in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, whizz bread into breadcrumbs in a food processor and store back in the bag in the freezer. You can use the crumbs from frozen for coating fish/chicken, or adding to meatball mix.
Kiwi Wraps Reusable Sandwich Wrap - Medium "Zoom Zoom"
PlanetBox LAUNCH Stainless Steel Bento Lunchbox - (3 Large Compartments).


Welcome to eCafe and Bookstore.
A GReat place to hang out.
We may not offer paperclips and pencils, but we've got a GReat selection of ebooks, software, biz tools, and distractions that make working at home (or in someone else's office) not only successful, but enjoyable. We offer a variety of helpful resources, things you need, and just fun stuff.
Stay for a bit ... enjoy a cup of coffee while you browse.
Bookmark our site and come back often.


Every year, we at Career Services successfully prepare hundreds of interested candidates for the selection tests used by ESB, Bus Eireann, eir, Aer Lingus and many other apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships provide exciting career opportunities as well as opportunities to work in dynamic environments with a variety of different companies. Many companies use aptitude tests as part of their selection process for Apprenticeships. Our Apprenticeship Preparation Courses are for candidates who would like to prepare for the aptitude tests and for the interview for various apprenticeship competitions. Not only are our preparation courses appropriate for the popular ESB Apprenticeships, they are also appropriate for many other apprenticeship competitions such as Aer Lingus, Bord na Mona, Bus Eireann, eir, Iarnrod Eireann as well as hundreds of other private company apprenticeship competitions. Most apprenticeships would use very similar styles of aptitude tests and interviews. In addition, our courses have far-reaching benefits and provide you with life-long interview skills.
Please Note: Applying for a Career Services preparation course is not applying for an apprenticeship. Career Services is a private company that helps people to prepare for entrance exams and interviews and bears no association or influence with the organisations mentioned on this website. Our courses are not mandatory they are optional courses.
The 2019 ESB Apprenticeship programme opened applications on February 18th 2019. The deadline for applications was March 25th 2019. Applications could only be made via the ESB website. Candidates needed to be aged 16 or over on or before 1st June 2019 to apply and meet certain education requirements. A full list of eligibility criteria was made available on the ESB website.
Once applications are submitted candidates usually undertake a series of aptitude tests and an interview as part of the selection process.
Each year we run preparation courses for the aptitude tests used in various apprenticeship competitions including the ESB apprenticeship campaign. Our courses cover all of the aptitude test types as well as the structured interview. This is a competitive and popular apprenticeship opportunity and our courses give you the tools you need to succeed in the selection process. We have a proven track record with over 30 years of assessment industry experience. Our popular classroom courses take place nationwide. We also offer a comprehensive Apprenticeship Online Course. Check out The ESB Networks Video to see what an ESB Apprenticeship is like.
NOW OPEN: Bus Éireann have opened their 2019 apprenticeship programme for Heavy Vehicle Mechanics. The closing date for applications is 31st March 2019. Their apprenticeship positions are open to both female and male candidates. Apprentices are trained to the highest possible technical standards and acquire, amongst many other skills the ability to maintain the various systems associated with modern public service vehicles.
According to the official Bus Éireann website this is a hands-on practical technical education programme which leads to a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate.
Placements will commence in Autumn 2019 and applicants must be at least 16 years of age, on or before the 1st August, 2019. Each candidate will be required to undertake aptitude tests and the results will be used to compile a shortlist for interview purposes. Applications can only be made online on the Bus Éireann website.
Our preparation courses are help candidates prepare for the kinds of aptitude tests used in these apprenticeship programmes for the selection process and give candidates the best chance at success.
The Aer Lingus Apprenticeship is a 4-year programme in conjunction with SOLAS and DIT which allows successful apprentices to become fully qualified aircraft engineers once they have completed all phases.
The Atlantic Aviation Group will opened their Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Apprenticeship applications on March 27th 2019. Deadline for applications is May 7th 2019. Completion of this Apprenticeship leads to obtaining an Aircraft Maintenance License and the opportunity to work in an exciting growth industry. Ideally candidates need to be 17 years of age or older. A fill list of eligibility criteria and information can be found on the Atlantic Aviation Group website.
Iarnród Éireann opened their last recruitment campaign in 2017. They were seeking female and male applicants for the following apprenticeships; Apprentice Fitter, Apprentice Heavy Vehicle Mechanic, Apprentice Electrician and Apprentice Vehicle Painter in the following locations: Dublin, Drogheda, Limerick and Portlaoise. Placements were due to commence in Autumn 2017 and applicants needed to 16 years of age on or before the 1st August, 2017. More information and application details can be found on their website here: Iarnród Éireann.
Our courses are also relevant for apprenticeships and aptitude tests used by hundreds of private companies including Liebherr, Johnson & Johnson as well as many others.
Important: Applying for a Career Services preparation course is not applying for an apprenticeship. Career Services is a private education company that helps people to prepare for entrance exams and interviews and bears no association or influence with the organisations mentioned on this website.
A huge shout out to Career Services for helping me achieve my dream job as an apprentice aircraft mechanic. The apprenticeship preparation course was a huge asset to me and allowed me to approach the aptitude tests and interviews with huge confidence allowing me to do well in them. This therefore unlocked a new stage of my life as an aircraft mechanic. My tutor for the day brilliantly broke down what the aptitude tests required, and the booklet allowed me to adequately prepare in advance for the interview. Once again thanks for the great help.
I can honestly say going to the apprenticeship preparation course helped me to secure my ESB apprenticeship. I did not know what to expect from the aptitude tests or the interview before attending the course. I learned so much at the course and left feeling confident about my aptitude tests and the interview. I used what I learned at the course and was successful. I cannot thank Career Services enough for helping me to succeed with my apprenticeship.
I feel that attending the apprenticeship course was a great help to me in securing my EIR apprenticeship. I was unsure as to what the aptitude tests and interview stage entailed of before attending this course. I learned so much from the clear explanation given by the tutor at the course and I felt much more confident about my aptitude tests and interview. I used the knowledge I gained at the course for each assessment stage and thankfully I was successful. I would like to give a big thank you to career services for helping me succeed with my apprenticeship.


The 17 acre site on Saltbox Hill is recognised as one of the richest wildlife sites in Greater London and without urgent action the wildlife that thrives on the open sunny grassland will be lost. Thanks to the London Wildlife trust and Bromley council this area is to be saved and turned into a Nature reserve.
Saltbox Hill is one of the last surviving fragments of chalk downland that is not fully protected and is home to a myriad of wild flowers, orchards and butterflies. The owner of the land has agreed to sell the land to London Wildlife trust who intend to manage it as a valuable nature reserve.
"very rarely does a site of such importance as this for wildlife become available" said Sir DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, vice-president of the Wildlife Trust. "The London Wildlife Trust is to be praised for taking the initiative in wanting to purchase this area both for its captivating wildlife interest and to guarantee its future forever".
Traditionally sheep would have grazed the site, keeping the grassland rich in the wild flowers and grasses that are so vital for the survival of butterflies and other invertebrates. Saltbox has not been managed for many years and could be in danger of being ploughed up and built over with the ever increasing demand for housing in the S.E. of England.
There is still two section of land to acquire, and donations towards the appeal should be sent to London Wildlife Trust, Freepost PAM 4658, London SE1 0YW.


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'Fifty Shades of Grey' Adds Musician Rita Ora as Christian Grey's Sister
The erotic drama starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan is currently shooting in Vancouver.
December 2, 2013 2:00pm
Rita Ora Portrait - H 2013
British musician-actress Rita Ora has been cast in the erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey as Mia, the adopted younger sister of Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).
PHOTOS: 'Fifty Shades of Grey's' Jamie Dornan and 18 More Male Models Turned Actors
Ora is best known for her music career, including her breakout hit single "Hot Right Now," which was the first of three consecutive No. 1 singles. Her debut studio album, Ora, came out in 2012, and she followed that up with a 12-date U.K. Radioactive Tour in January 2013.
Universal and Focus Features' Fifty Shades of Grey also stars Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, a college student who falls for a mysterious and handsome billionaire, who reveals to her his world of S&M activities. Dornan was cast as Christian Grey after Charlie Hunnam dropped out of the role. The production began shooting on Dec. 2 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The cast is rounded out by Eloise Mumford, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk, Jennifer Ehle and Max Martini.
PHOTOS: Stars Misaligned: Charlie Hunnam Quits 'Fifty Shades' and 15 Other Casting Near Misses
Based on EL James' popular erotic novels, Fifty Shades of Grey is produced by Michael de Luca and Dana Brunetti alongside James. Sam Taylor-Johnson is directing. Kelly Marcel wrote the initial draft of the screenplay with subsequent script work from Patrick Marber and Mark Bomback.
Ora's acting credits include a role in the 2004 British film Spivs, and a cameo appearance in Fast & Furious 6. She also has had a presence in the fashion world, being selected as the face of Madonna's "Material Girl," fashion line, and as the new face of Rimmel for 2014. She's repped by Turn First Artists, and represented by CAA for film.
Fifty Shades of Grey is slated to hit theaters on Feb. 13, 2015.
Email: Rebecca.Ford@THR.com
Twitter: @Beccamford
'Fifty Shades of Grey's' Jamie Dornan and 18 More Male Models Turned Actors
Is 'Fifty Shades' a Date Movie? Delay Prompts Valentine's Day Showdown
'Fifty Shades of Grey' Begins Filming


We so glad to meet you here. It would be easier for us to tailor quotation if you could clarify your demand. You can send email to us via elise@vietdutch.com or fill the form. Choose any way that most convenient for you.


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Japanese Police Arrest Three People for Uploading 'Fast Movies' on YouTube
Japanese copyright law has been amended over the past decade to impose harsh penalties on illegal downloaders.
Pedestrians walking in Tokyo's famous Akihabara district, the epicenter of its retail anime and manga industry, in April 2020. In Japan, illegally downloading movies, music, manga, magazines, or academic publications can result in criminal penalties of up to two years in prison and a two million yen fine.
Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP (Getty Images)
Police in Japan have arrested three individuals for posting "fast movies"—entire films edited down to summaries of around 10 minutes or less, which anti-piracy groups claim goes far beyond fair use—in a first-of-its-kind crackdown, according to the Japan Times.
Miyagi Prefectural Police arrested three individuals (25-year-olds Kenya Takase and Nana Shimoda, and 42-year-old Takayuki Suga) on accusations they created fast edits of at least five films and uploaded them to YouTube. Police told the Japan Times this is the first time such arrests have occurred in Japan and that they had identified the suspects during a "cyber patrol" with the assistance of the Tokyo-based Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), an industry association that represents rightsholders.
Copyright law in Japan has historically been similar to the U.S. in that infringement was treated as a civil matter outside of extreme cases. But in 2012 amendments to the Copyright Act criminalized illegally downloading music and movies with up to two years in prison and fines of two million yen, resulting in scores of arrests, and in 2020, it extended those penalties to unlicensed manga, magazines, and academic publications (largely at the behest of the country's titanic anime/manga industry). Further amendments to copyright laws banned so-called "leech" websites which link to pirated content, with even harsher penalties for operators.
This is one of the strictest anti-piracy regimes in the world, though as TorrentFreak has explained, the law requires prosecutors to demonstrate factors such as repetitive, intentional, and malicious conduct that generally wouldn't apply to casual downloaders. While Japan has fair use laws, CODA insists that the 10-minute recaps, which reveal a movie's entire plot including spoilers, fall well outside those exceptions.
CODA told TorrentFreak that entire YouTube channels now consist of fast movies, often uploading hundreds of movies that gain millions of views and collecting ad revenue in the process. The group informed the site that the arrests were carried out under the amended Copyright Act and claimed the uploads were a "serious crime."
"From June to July 2020, the suspects edited I Am a Hero and two other motion pictures owned by Toho Co., Ltd. as well as Cold Fish and one other motion picture owned by Nikkatsu Corporation down to about 10 minutes without the permission of the right holders," CODA told TorrentFreak. "Further, the suspects added narration and uploaded the videos to YouTube to earn advertising revenue."
CODA has previously told Japanese broadcaster NHK that total damages cited by the loss-holders amount to around $857 million in the last 12 months, although industry associations have a long history of inflated estimates of how much they believe they're being robbed of, and studies have generated mixed findings as to how much piracy actually affects sales. As TechDirt argued in 2020, criminalizing copyright infringement can generate chaos and confusion, as content creators won't necessarily know where the line is crossed and Japan's law, in particular, is vague on the matter.
CODA further told TorrentFreak that it "shall co-operate with international enforcement partners to identify malicious account operators and consult with the police for successful criminal prosecution to wipe out 'fast movies'." It added it has not yet filed subpoena claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to identify uploaders in the U.S., but it will assist rightsholders planning to do that in the future. In the meantime, TorrentFreak noted the operators of a number of fast movie channels on YouTube appear to have mass-deleted videos.
TechCopyright


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Khosrow-Yazdegerd was a 5th-century statesman in Sasanian Iran, who was active during the reign of shah Yazdegerd I (r. 399-421). He first appears in 410, when he was sent with Mihr-Shapur as the shah's representative to the Nestorian Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Khosrow-Yazdegerd is the second person known to occupy the office of wuzurg framadar (grand vizier) after Abarsam, who was active under Ardashir I (r. 224-242). He was most likely succeeded by Mihr Narseh.

Sources

5th-century Iranian people
4th-century births
5th-century deaths
Viziers of the Sasanian Empire