From Peachpit Publishing’s New Riders Press, is a book 30+ years in the making. The book draws upon celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith’s best lessons learned over the last three decades photographing portraits of the rich and famous. It blends lavish celebrity portraits of a coffee table book with technical how-to insights with a side dish of behind-the-scenes celebrity stories. Solve a mystery hidden within antique paintings! Download and play for free! Genre: Hidden Object Available on: iPad, PC, Mac, iPhone Secrets slither within the canvas in Secrets of Great Art. Only you can uncover the truth behind the brush strokes! Help your amnesia stricken hero recover his lost memory and solve the mystery hidden within antique paintings. Explore 60 unique levels of beautiful. The book is based on a talk he’s presented to photographers from Brazil to Boise and at trade shows including PhotoPlus Expo, Imaging USA and WPPI. Secrets of Great Portrait Photography takes you though all the stages of a portrait shoot from pre-production planning through posing your portrait through perfecting your shot in post-production. Packed into this 264 page book, loaded with details about Smith’s last three decades of portrait photography, each chapter speaks to a different key to successful portrait photography broken down into spreads share the lessons learned from each shoot and details about the shoot itself. One of Smith’s favorite magazine portrait assignments of Richard Branson on Necker Island in the Caribbean for a Time magazine story on Virgin Galactic space flights is featured on the cover of ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’. The book tells the story behind the shoot and all the details about how it came together from planning to production to post. Secrets of Great Portrait Photography is available from, and. In this sexy, bold, beautiful book, photographer Brian Smith tells the stories behind the photos and lessons learned in 30 years of photographing celebrities and people in all walks of life. Throughout this juicy 264-page guide, you’ll stay inspired by the breathtaking images included of the famous and infamous-Venus and Serena Williams, Gene Hackman, Cindy Crawford, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, The Bee Gees, Antonio Banderas, Dwayne Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Anne Hathaway, Ben Stiller, Christopher Walken, Sylvester Stallone, William H. Macy and many more. You’ll get the inside scoop on what goes on at a celebrity photo shoot in this gorgeous guide to making professional portraits. Smith has mastered how to make a meaningful portrait on a magazine’s budget and on a celebrity’s schedule, which can sometimes be 15 minutes or less. Smith reveals his tips on connecting with people, finding the perfect location, telling a great story through portraiture, getting the ideal pose, capturing emotion and gestures, arranging unique group shots, and lighting the scene just right. You might not be photographing the rich and famous, but after reading Smith’s tell-all guide, you’ll know how to give everyone who makes their way in front of your camera the star treatment. “Drawing upon the best lessons I’ve learned over the last three decades photographing portraits of the rich and famous,” says Smith, “Secrets of Great Portrait Photography blends lavish celebrity portraits of a coffee table book with technical how-to insights with a side dish of behind-the-scenes celebrity stories.” “Brian Smith takes us through the subtleties and on past the hard core practicalities of portrait photography of the famous and infamous. His observations and instructions in this fine book define and serve the art of the photo portrait. Any photographer who has digested ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ will be sure to wield his or her power with knowledge and judgement.” — Elliott Erwitt / Magnum Photographer and Legend “The same humor and enthusiasm that have made Brian Smith a popular speaker can be found here in his insider anecdotes about photographing celebrities on assignment. Brian gives clear, step-by-step explanations of all the techniques, from the elegantly simple to the technically sophisticated, that have helped him solve the problems every pro encounters.” — Holly Stuart Hughes / Editor-in-Chief / Photo District News “Brian Smith demonstrates on every page of this terrific book that the real secrets of great portrait photography are the warmth, wit, and skill that he brings to every shot. He laces the stories behind his vibrant portraits with loads of useful tips and easy-to-understand techniques. ASMP BULLETIN WINTER 2013 MENTIONS: PODCASTS: WEBINARS: WHAT’S IN THE BOOK? CHAPTER 1: CONNECT WITH YOUR SUBJECT – The book kicks off with my number one tip for shooting better portraits and learning to make a connection with your subject for an extraordinary portrait. CHAPTER 2: FIND THE PLACE – Place adds yet another storytelling element to a photograph, as with real estate, photography can come down to three words: location, location, location CHAPTER 3: FIND THE ANGLE – Your vantage point can make a huge impact on your photographs. If you’re used to seeing life at eye level, maybe it’s time to look at the world from a new point of view. CHAPTER 4: TELL THE STORY – Learn the ways to convey an idea though conceptual portrait photography to tell your subject’s story CHAPTER 5: SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF – When it comes to photography, every small detail matters. Read how styling, props, hair & make-up can make a good shot great. CHAPTER 6: DON’T MESS WITH A GOOD THING: – For all the planning that goes into a shoot, one of the smartest things you can do is to know when to stand back and let your subject take over. Learn how to strike the right balance. CHAPTER 7: POSE, GESTURE, EMOTION – Posing is less of a science and more like being a good host. Make your subjects comfortable, relaxed, and engaged so their personalities can shine through. CHAPTER 8: LESS IS MORE – Read how removing all the distractions from a photo can be important than the elements you put in. Clear the clutter. Eliminate the extraneous. Keep It Simple, Stupid! CHAPTER 9: SEE THE LIGHT – Understanding portrait lighting begins with a few basic principles of how light works. This chapter shows how the quality of the light affects the mood of the photo and how to create the light you want in any situation. CHAPTER 10: GROUP PORTRAITS WITHOUT THE FORMALITY – Learn how to arrange group photos to avoid the deadly class photo shoulder-to-shoulder look and loosen things up so that each person in the shot feels special. CHAPTER 11: CREATE THE LOOK – Post is not an afterthought, but the continuation in the process – the “look” of a photograph affects how it makes you feel. CHAPTER 12: LIGHTS, CAMERA, LENS – All the gear used in the book is explained here. Once you understand the tools of portrait photography. They become an extension of your vision so you can then devote all your attention to your subject, not your gear. At the conclusion of this 12-Step Program to Great Portrait Photography, we’ve slipped in special BONUS CONTENT (courtesy of a bar bet I won with my publisher) of assignments to hone your portrait skills followed by a Q+A of your highly insightful questions paired with my occasionally humorous answers. WHO SHOULD BUY THIS BOOK? • EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHERS looking for a road map to their big dreams of success, but who haven’t gotten there yet. You may just starting out, or perhaps is still in school, yet you want to know the secrets for taking great portraits and succeeding in a highly competitive and desirable marketplace. • PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS looking to add a new skill or enhance one they already have. This is the book I wish I had when I was making the transition from shooting sports to portraits. • ANYONE WHO LOVES PHOTOGRAPHY or wants the inside scoop about what it’s like to be on a celebrity portrait shoot. • GREAT MOMS who see the next generation of superstars at the breakfast table every morning and are willing to share photos of them with the world. • GREAT HUSBANDS who photographs his kids, but would prefer to be photographing Anne Hathaway... Trust me guys, your wife will understand as long a you shoot sexy photos of her and cute pictures of the kids. • MY BOOKIE if he’s got any hopes of collecting on my bet that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would finish 1-2-3 in the Kentucky Derby. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes expensive and beloved works of art, which can be damaged through accident or over time through natural decay. Fortunately, the efforts of a skilled art conservator or restorer can extend the lives of such pieces and keep them looking beautiful for a very long time. Refers to the process of maintaining works of art against future damage, while restoration more often refers to repairing damage that has already occurred. Many professionals are adept at both. For those on the outside, the work these experts perform can seem either romantic and rewarding, or painstaking and nerve-wracking. We talked to several experts in the field for their insight about what goes into keeping art beautiful. CONTEMPORARY ART CAN BE HARDER TO RESTORE THAN OLD MASTERS. One might think that centuries-old paintings, with their layers of accumulated grime, would be harder to restore than works done much more recently. But Barbara Bertieri, a painting conservator and restorer in New York City who represents along with Abraham Joel, says that’s not the case. “With Old Masters,” she says, “the artists were trained in certain ways, and were very good at preparing pigments and canvas.” Because the older painting techniques are so well-established, they are quite familiar to restorers, as are the means of repairing such works. Contemporary art, though, can be much more unpredictable, and include all sorts of materials. “You never know what you’re facing,” Barbara says. “There can be water-soluble paint, oils and even objects in the same painting.” That can make the work a much bigger challenge. THE ART MARKET DRIVES A LOT OF BUSINESS., a sculpture conservator in Manhattan, has seen his fair share of clients, from museums to private collectors to entire municipalities. Increasingly, he says, restoration is driven by private collectors looking to cash in on their investments, rather than larger institutions. “A lot of the time, someone wants to sell something and it has not been maintained,” he says. In that case, the client will hire a restorer to make the necessary repairs so that the piece will bring the best price at auction. Other times, economic trends may open up a whole new market. Barbara and Abraham say they cater to a sector of the Indian art market that has only cropped up in the last 10 to 15 years, due to the growth of the Indian economy and a new interest in art there. SO DOES NATURE. Often it’s the inevitable damage done by natural forces that brings work to a restorer’s door. Many of the pieces at Barbara and Abraham’s studio bear cracks, tenting, and discoloration that are the result of changes in humidity, temperature, light, and age. Steve, whose company specializes in outdoor sculpture, grapples even more directly with the effects of nature in the course of his work. Marble and stone melt away over time due to acidity and pollution in the air, while brownstone, he says, “explodes in layers.” Bronze holds up better, though oxidation does eventually take a toll. SO, UNFORTUNATELY, DOES HUMAN ERROR. Mistakes happen, but they can be all the more dire when a piece of art worth thousands or millions of dollars is involved. High turnover in auction houses and warehouses can sometimes, and even works in museums can be subject to. Barbara describes a situation where a client’s piece fell from its frame to the floor and broke because it was framed incorrectly. Steve says he commonly encounters clients who take the idea of outdoor art a bit too literally and “will put a sculpture outside and think that it needs no maintenance,” leading to more serious damage later on. THEY HAVE TO VIEW THINGS IN THE RIGHT LIGHT. Restorations that look great in one type of lighting can be glaringly obvious in another. For this reason, Barbara and Abraham make sure to look at their work under as many different artificial and natural lighting conditions as possible (they also emphasize the need to look at a repair from as many angles as possible). In a restorer’s arsenal. Light within the ultraviolet range causes organic materials, and some inorganic ones, to auto-fluoresce (or glow, basically) at different levels of intensity, depending on their age and when they were applied, revealing even skillfully done touch-ups. This can help the restorer understand what kind of work has already been done on a piece. THEY BORROW FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES. In addition to artistic implements such as brushes and paint, and high-tech devices like UV, infrared light, and x-ray, restorers also borrow items from unrelated fields. “This industry is not big enough that they are going to make everything we need specially for us,” Barbara says, “so we end up borrowing from a lot of other places.” This includes using scalpels, droppers, and clamps from the medical industry, picks from dentistry, tweezers from jewelers, and even polyester sailcloth for backing damaged paintings. SOMETIMES THE BEST TOOL IS NO TOOL. A conservator’s accumulated knowledge and intuition can be their most useful tool. Steve says that his training in Florence in the 1970s focused on a holistic approach that relies primarily on his senses. “I rely on my eye, my touch, my taste, my sense,” he says, explaining that he can also knock on a metal sculpture and tell what type of metal it is made of, or touch a piece of stone and determine what it is based on its temperature. He allows that this ability is not necessarily so magical—it’s just a product of experience. “Even guys who work in scrap metal can do the same thing,” he says. THEY KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE. An important part of being a skilled conservator is knowing when it’s better not to interfere. “Very little should be done to paper,” Abraham says. He stresses that overzealous treating or bleaching a discoloration on the border of a work on paper risks ruining the whole thing, particularly if the central image itself looks okay. Likewise, applying a varnish with the intent of protecting a painting risks changing the color saturation or character of the work. And over-cleaning of a painting with a harsh solvent can lift away pigment that cannot be returned. THEY CAN GET LONELY, AND SOMETIMES A BIT OBSESSIVE. While the work of a dealer involves a lot of interaction with clients and schmoozing, the job of an art restorer can be a solitary one requiring long hours in close communion with artworks. “We don’t get to speak to a lot of people in a typical day,” Barbara explains. “It’s just you and your work.” And that work can be extremely exacting. Barbara explains that restorers can become “almost obsessed. If you are in a gallery and you see someone looking very closely at a painting,” she says, “that is probably a restorer.” 10. THEIR JOB CAN BE HAZARDOUS. While the use of such materials is on the decline, art restoration has historically involved hazardous solvents and other substances. Barbara notes it was once common practice for restorers to clean their hands in acetone, turpentine, and mineral spirits, materials known to irritate or damage the skin, lungs, and mucous membranes. Working environments, too, can be difficult. Steve’s company was tasked with removing from a JFK Airport terminal while it was being prepped for demolition and lacking heat in the middle of winter. Plus, when deadlines are looming, or there’s some kind of emergency, art conservators will often work all night. THERE IS USUALLY NO SCRIPT TO FOLLOW. For a restorer, jobs like the removal of the Carybé mural from the wall of JFK Airport can have no precedent. Each mural weighed one ton, was nearly 17 feet tall and over 50 feet long, and was deeply integrated into the wall structure. Steve describes being uncertain if the murals would disintegrate while being removed. “It was a once in a lifetime experience,” he says, but “beyond nerve wracking—more like an out-of-body experience. There was no way to prepare for it. No way to plan for it. Either you have to be up for these things, or.” 12. SOMETIMES THEY UNCOVER FAKES. The shadowy world of art fakes and forgeries provides fodder for news stories as well as books and movies, but these stories are considerably less fun for buyers and others on the receiving end. It sometimes falls to the conservator to break the bad news to a client. Abraham describes working on a collection of paintings being represented to a Far East collector as 15th-17th century works by Raphael, Rubens, Titian, and others, only to have x-rays reveal that they were actually 19th century copies. On the flip side, sometimes a conservator has the happy experience of proving a painting’s provenance. A highlight for Barbara and Abraham’s Fine Arts Conservation was revealing the signature on during cleaning. SOMETIMES THEY CREATE FAKES. Occasionally the best way to protect a valuable piece of public art from the elements is simply to bring it indoors. Many institutions and municipalities, particularly in Europe, have made the decision to place original works in more protective surroundings and to create a copy in hardier materials for outdoor display. Steve calls this practice “the greatest solution for outdoor conservation.” His team was responsible both for restoring the figure of Lady Baltimore on the 1814 Baltimore Battle Monument and for creating the replica figure that currently stands on the monument (the original was brought to Maryland’s Historical Society). They are carrying out similar work on the that graced the top of St. Paul’s Chapel in Lower Manhattan, which will be fully restored, moved indoors, and replaced by a resin replica. NO PUBLICITY IS OFTEN THE SAME AS GOOD PUBLICITY. The work of a skilled restorer is often invisible, taking place deep behind the scenes, and is aimed at erasing damage done to art rather than drawing any attention to it. Abraham points out that silence is often a sign of a job well done. “If you do your work well, nobody knows about it,” he says. THE BEST CLIENTS ARE THE ONES WHO LOVE ART. While many in the business say art collecting is becoming increasingly commodity-driven, there are still collectors who are motivated by a love of art itself. Collectors with a strong passion are Barbara’s favorite: She explains that those who view art as an investment can be more frustrated by damage to their property than glad to find a professional who knows how to fix it. They can also focus too much on the fact that the value will not be the same as before. Art lovers, on the other hand, “think of [restorers] as someone who rescues their treasure. They thank us so much, it’s good for us.” All photos courtesy iStock. Jedis are known for their fighting skills, not their fashion sense. But when artist discovered a treasure trove of designer suitcases while thrifting, the Star Wars fan couldn’t resist the urge to use them as the basis for a series of artworks inspired by the franchise. “I was in northern Michigan on vacation and came across a stack of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage from the 1970s at a small antique store,” Dishaw tells Mental Floss. “A spark of creativity came over me. I knew that I could use these somehow, and had to have them before I left. They didn't come cheap, but as soon as I got home I started the painstaking process of taking them apart.” While dissembling the suitcases, Dishaw became inspired to create upcycled homages to his favorite film. “I really enjoy taking two different ideas, or concepts that you wouldn’t normally consider together, and mashing them up,” he says. Dishaw spends his days working in corporate retail, and devotes ”every waking moment outside of work” to his art, he says. Each work in his Star Wars series took a different amount of time to complete, but Dishaw says that a Darth Vader bust typically takes more than 40 hours, while an Imperial Walker requires around 100 hours of work. Check out some of Dishaw’s Louis Vuitton Star Wars sculptures below, or visit to check out more artworks made from upcycled materials, e-waste, and found objects. Architecture has seen a lot of different styles in the past 3000 years, from the grand temples of ancient Egypt to the small, cubical dwellings of Japan., a project professor at the University of Tokyo's University Museum, has managed to fit elements from 30 distinct icons of architecture into a single 3D model. As reports, Memories of Architecture acts as both a history lesson in design and a challenging puzzle for architecture fanatics. The boxy, white structure looks like an example of abstract art. Arches, columns, and terraces are carved into the facade without an apparent thread tying them all together. But each feature was chosen for a reason: The hollowed-out space on the building’s second level is modeled after the dome of the Pantheon in Italy; one corner is reminiscent of the Notre-Dame cathedral of Reims in France; another element borrows from the famous Bauhaus art school in Germany. The architectural references are arranged chronologically, starting with 18th century BCE at the base and working its way up to modern day. If you still can’t identify all 30 pieces with that clue, you can find the full list of featured buildings here []. Over 30 Architectural Projects Represented In One 3D Object via — Jak Consultancy (@JakConsultancy) [h/t ]. Of course, it's possible da Vinci wasn't as opposed to self-portraits as we think. It could be that the reason his selfies are so hard to come across is because he kept hiding them in places where they'd take centuries to find. In 2009, the art world collectively lost its shit when a potential da Vinci self-portrait was discovered. It was hidden within one of his many scientific papers, a treatise on flight and general ornithology called 'Codex on the Flight of Birds.' The portrait was so cleverly hidden that it had gone unnoticed for 500 years, until an eagle-eyed Italian journalist spotted what appeared to be a nose hiding between lines of text. Elsewhere in this article, three noses hide between the lines. Can you find them all? Read Next The 17th-century Italian master was a super talented artist but a notoriously difficult and violent man with long enough that the NFL is still trying to sign him as a free agent. After just a few years of reveling in the glory of Rome's art circles, he had to flee a pope-induced death warrant due to a small matter of. So Caravaggio fled to Malta, where he soon found himself in hot water again, and was convicted for causing, which is actually kind of impressive for a baroque painter dude. This man is why knights wore chain mail over their groins. OK, so Caravaggio not only managed to piss off the freaking pope, he was also an irredeemable dick. So why is history still in single-name terms with him? Why didn't the pope lock his paintings in some vault and let the guy's name sink in the unsung pits of history? Because Caravaggio redeemed himself with a carefully constructed self-decapitation Easter Egg, that's why. Sometime before his death at just 38 (fever or 'mysterious circumstances,' depending on whom you believe), Caravaggio attempted to atone for his sins by producing one of his greatest masterpieces,, as a gift to the Papal court. Unlike some depictions of David, this one wore pants. See crotch guards, above. Is a very, very literal one. Also, running away with a knife sticking out of it, because cock-a-doodle doo, mother! Alien poop waffles! We're guessing this protests abortion. However, when Master Bruegel was on point, his keen eye for the detail and absurd were a killer combination. Consider, one of the rare moments when Bruegel took his crazy cap off so he could wax political. The painting was technically your run-in-the-mill biblical horror scene of Herod's soldiers murdering all the babies in Bethlehem. Until you start noticing the little details. Like the doggy. Wait, two doggies. No -- four doggies! For starters, that's not so much biblical-era Bethlehem as it is a wintery village from Bruegel's contemporary mid-16th century. The soldiers doing all the murdering are also clad in distinctive Germanic and Spanish uniforms and insignia of the era. You can even see the Hapsburg eagle. It turns out, Bruegel's liberal depiction of the scene was a protest of Spain's brutal occupation of the Low Countries under the Duke of Alva, who Bruegel included in the painting as well. And yes, of course they're all, Herod-style. Restorations have revealed that the piles of booty captured by the soldier -- hens, cattle, jars -- have mysterious shadows underneath them, which are all actually infants being attacked by the soldiers. So while the version most people have seen looks like this. With women weeping over pots, because they really like pots. Bruegel's original looked like this: But that one guy's wearing a Santa hat, so Merry Christmas! The reason behind these terrifying baby-murder Easter Eggs is Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, who got his hands on the painting shortly after it was finished, and went: 'Shit, that won't do,' and had its more controversial parts (e.g. Hordes of dead children) painted over. As for why Rudolf II allowed those 'shadows' that eventually revealed the dead infants linger in the painting, well. We're guessing he didn't. They just kept reappearing every time someone painted over them, because there's no way a painting with this many dead babies in it isn't haunted. One artist, Nelson Shanks, knew how the incident should be immortalized:, hanging in the National Portrait Gallery. Shanks was actually in charge of painting the portrait, so it's not like he just snuck to the gallery to smear lipstick on its crotch or something. His reference to the Lewinsky scandal was far more subtle, and went unnoticed for years until the artist himself revealed the secret last March. Do you see that long shadow looming over the fireplace, a little left of Clinton? Hint: It's the direction his slick willy is pointing. 1Hidden Images Of Halley's Comet Turn Up Everywhere For a significant portion of human history, comet sightings have that [insert deity here] was angry at us. Halley's Comet is no exception; as one of our most regular and visible sky guests, its appearance every 76 years often coincided with mass pant-shittery and general repentance. Kings and peasants alike prayed to the heavenly apparition for good health, successful crops, and for fertile women to spontaneously appear on their doorstep. 'Would you settle for a really horny ear of corn?' Then they inserted pictures of it just everywhere. Although we didn't figure out its exact cycle until 1705, people have been aware of the random bright lights that we'd later find out were all Halley's Comet for a long damn time. It has been for, featured in everything from jewelry and book margins to stoner posters and, oh, several world-famous artworks. Here's a particularly heavy metal illustration of the Great Comet of 1528, which is -- you guessed it -- Halley's. The image was included in a surgical textbook, in a chapter titled 'Des Monstres Celestes,' which roughly translates to 'celestial monsters.' Or, even more roughly, to: 'ALIENS.' And then there's the priceless Bayeux Tapestry, a 230-foot-long embroidered banner that documents the events leading to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It's basically a medieval comic book starring former kings Harold, Edward, and historical badass William the Conqueror. Also features Halley's Comet (top center), which appeared a couple months after Harold's coronation. It was considered a portent of doom and in those days referred to as '.' It didn't hurt the comet's reputation that shortly thereafter, William the Conqueror arrived and chokeslammed Harold's jabroni ass to oblivion. Via Well, it didn't portend William's doom. Perhaps most notably, the comet is featured in Giotto di Bondone's biblical masterpiece 'Adoration of the Magi,' part of a fresco completed in 1305. In it, Giotto cast Halley's Comet as the guiding star of Bethlehem, the ecclesiastical GPS that led the Magi to baby Jesus: Still didn't stop them from arguing the whole time that it would have been quicker if the comet had just followed their route. That's why the star is given something it doesn't have in the story itself -- a tail, looking like it's streaking across the sky. You know, like a comet. That's because the painting was done in 1305, and Halley's Comet had swept by and created its usual sensation just four years earlier. So, the artist retconned it into a painting of Baby Jesus, as God's sign from the heavens. That's how big of a deal Halley's Comet was. Is the author of and its follow-up, both of which you should totally order now! Be sure to follow us on and where you can catch all our video content such as and other videos you won't see on the site! For more things that aren't new, check out and. • • • • • • •. 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BHARAT DARSHAN – STATUS OF TAJ MAHAL AS AN INDIAN ICON BHARAT DARSHAN – STATUS OF TAJ MAHAL AS AN INDIAN ICON. ELABORATE FUNERARY MONUMENTS ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIAN CULTURE. BHARAT DARSHAN – STATUS OF TAJ MAHAL AS AN INDIAN ICON. THE CONCEPTION OF TAJ MAHAL AS FUNERARY MONUMENT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH FOUNDATIONAL VALUES OF INDIAN CIVILIZATION. Taj Mahal, most ornate mausoleum in the world, is viewed by millions of people for it stands out as beautiful, romantic building. It stands in a walled garden with an oblong reflective pool. The white marble exterior is inlaid with semi precious stones, floral designs, and arabesques. The dome, 80 feet high and 50 feet in diameter inside, forms a bulb outside, tapering to a spike topped by a crescent. The building has meticulous symmetry across its long and wide diameters.The octagonal tomb chamber is lit by light passing through intricately carved screens. Jul 18, 2010 This video offers a guided tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. It was taken while visiting to conduct two Social. Presents the alternative story to the Taj Mahal, how it was not built by Shah Jahan. AND THE LAST AMERICAN DARSHAN. The Wanderling 'This young American boy, without any formal religious background or training, according to. Agra Darshan Cab Book – Every humen of this world want to see Taj Mahal, The Wonder of the World. 2 options for people to visit Taj Mahal, 1rst from Delhi or from Agra. However, the grave site is not perfectly symmetrical. Mumtaz Mahal’s casket is in the exact center of the Palace crypt. Emperor Shah Jahan’s grave, introduced to the mausoleum following his death in 1666, has a west-of-center resting place. The story about Taj Mahal construction has been firmly associated with life story of Emperor Shah Jahan’s third wife Arjumand Banu Begum. She acquired the name ‘MUMTAZ’ for she was the ‘Chosen One of the Palace’. She was married for 19 years and led to the birth of 14 children. She died in 1631 at the age of 39 during the birth of her final child. Construction of mausoleum began in 1632, one year after her death. Construction of main building continued for 18 years and the entire complex, immediate adjuncts such as Mosque, wall, and Gateway, took another four years for completion. In development of Taj Mahal complex nearly one thousand elephants handled the transport of heavy building materials. The two-decade construction project may have involved over 20,000 artisans. Credit of designing the building complex is given to Turkish Architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Much of the intricate calligraphy work was done by Abd-al Haqq known as Amanat Khan Shirazi. French explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier visited India and Taj Mahal in 1665. Shah Jahan (1529 – 1666), Mogul Emperor (1592 – 1658), nine years before his death, fell gravely ill which led to his sons fighting over succession. Tajmahal bumped by Prem Mandir. February 29, 2012 by admin 15 Comments. In Temple premises one can have darshan of Shree Krishn’s Giriraj leela. His two sons with Mumtaz Mahal, Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb had begun fighting. Shah Jahan sided with his elder son Dara but his younger son Aurangzeb emerged victorious, killing Dara and imprisoning father in Agra Fort. Shah Jahan remained imprisoned and was barred from visiting Taj Mahal which was completed by about 1649 around the same time he fell ill. Indian historian P.N. Oak and sociologist Amarnath Mishra raised several issues about the status of Taj Mahal as an Indian icon. The architectural Truth of Taj Mahal has yet to be revealed. I am pleased to share view of Professor Marvin H. Mills, American architect, Pratt Institute, New York. Taj Mahal as a funerary monument is not representative of Indian Civilization. However, the building material such as marble stone represents India, apart from elephants which lifted these stones, thousands of artisans who carved these stones, and the site along River Jamuna or Yamuna definitely impart Indian flavor to this Mahal or Palace where two human beings remain buried. Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada Ann Arbor, MI USA AN ARCHITECT LOOKS AT THE TAJ MAHAL LEGEND AN ARCHITECT LOOKS AT THE TAJ MAHAL LEGEND by Professor Marvin H. Mills Pratt Institute, New York In their book TAJ MAHAL – THE ILLUMINED TOMB, Wayne Edison Begley and Ziyaud-Din Ahmad Desai have put together a very commendable body of data and information derived from contemporary sources and augmented with numerous photo illustrations, chroniclers’ descriptions, imperial directives plus letters, plans, elevations and diagrams. They have performed a valuable service to the community of scholars and laymen concerned with the circumstances surrounding the origin and development of the Taj Mahal. But these positive contributions exist within a framework of analysis and interpretation that distorts a potential source of enlightenment into support for fantasy and misinformation that has plagued scholarship in this field for hundreds of years, thus obscuring the true origin of the Taj Mahal complex. The two basic procedural errors that they make is to assume that the dated inscriptions are accurate and that court chroniclers are behaving like objective historians. As an architect, my principal argument with the authors is their facile acceptance of the compact time frame that they uncritically accept for the coming into being of the Taj from conception to its first Urs (anniversary) of the death of Mumtaz and the completion of the main building. Construction processes that had to consume substantial blocks of time are condensed into a few months. They feel justified in relying on what evidence is available, but fail to consider the objective needs of construction. They regret the loss of what, they say, must have been millions of Mughal state records and documents produced each year on all aspects of the Taj’s construction. They do not consider that the lack of drawings, specifications and records of payment may be due to their not being generated at the time. Nor do they consider Shah Jahan’s potential for deception as to when and by whom it was built. Yet they point out Shah Jahan’s careful monitoring of the contents of court history: “Shah Jahan himself was probably responsible for this twisting of historical truth. The truth would have shown him to be inconsistent and this could not be tolerated. For this reason also, the histories contain no statements of any kind that are critical of the Emperor or his policies, and even military defeats are rationalized so that no blame could be attached to him. Effusive praise of the Emperor is carried to such extremes that he seems more a divinity than a mortal man.” (p. Xxvi) With the court chroniclers’ histories carefully edited, and with the great scarcity of documents we are fortunate to have four surviving farmans or directives issued by Shah Jahan to Raja Jai Singh of Amber-the very same local ruler from whom the Emperor acquired the Taj property. On the basis of these farmans, the court chroniclers and a visiting European traveler, we learn that: (i) Mumtaz died and was buried temporarily at Burhanpur on June 17, 1631; (ii) her body was exhumed and taken to Agra on December 11, 1631; (iii) she was reburied somewhere on the Taj grounds on January 8, 1632; and (iv) European traveler Peter Mundy witnessed Shah Jahan’s return to Agra with his cavalcade on June 11, 1632. The first farman was issued on September 20, 1632 in which the Emperor urges Raja Jai Singh to hasten the shipment of marble for the facing of the interior walls of the mausoleum, i.e., the Taj main building. Naturally a building had to be there to receive the finish. How much time was needed to put that basic building in place? Every successful new building construction follows what we call in modern-day construction a “critical path”. There is a normal sequence of steps requiring a minimum time before other processes follow. Since Mumtaz died unexpectedly and relatively young (having survived thirteen previous child-births), we can assume that Shah Jahan was unprepared for her sudden demise. He had to conceive, in the midst of his trauma, of a world-class tomb dedicated to her, select an architect (whose identity is still debated), work out a design program with the architect, and have the architect prepare designs, engineer the structure and mechanical systems, detail the drawings, organize the contractors and thousands of workers, and prepare a complex construction schedule. Mysteriously, no documents relating to this elaborate procedure, other than the four farmans have survived. We cannot assume that the Taj complex was built additively with the buildings and landscaping built as needed. It was designed as a unified whole. Begley and Desai make this clear by their analysis of the grid system that was employed by the designer to unite the complex horizontally and vertically to into a three-dimensional whole. If one did not “know” that it was a solemn burial grounds, one would believe that it was designed as a palace with a delightful air of fantasy and secular delights of waterways and flowering plants. Could it be that this is Raja Jai Singh’s palace, never destroyed, converted by decree and some minimum face-lifting to a Mughal tomb? Assuming that Shah Jahan was galvanized into prompt action to initiate the project on behalf of his deceased beloved, we can safely assume that he needed one year minimum between conception and ground-breaking. Since Mumtaz died in June 1631, that would take us to June 1632. But construction is said to have begun in January 1632. Excavation must have presented a formidable task. First, the demolition of Raja Jai Singh’s palace would have had to occur. We know that the property had a palace on it from the chronicles of Mirza Qazini and Abd al-Hamid Lahori. Lahori writes: “As there was a tract of land ( zamini) of great eminence and pleasantness towards the south of that large city, on which before there was this mansion ( manzil) of Raja Man Singh, and which now belongs to his grandson Raja Jai Singh, it was selected for the burial place ( madfan) of that tenant of paradise.[Mumtaz]” (p. 43) Measures would have to be taken during excavation of this main building and the other buildings to the north to retain the Jumna River from inundating the excavation. The next steps would have been to sink the massive foundation piers, put in the footings, retaining the walls and the plinth or podium to support the Taj and its two accompanying buildings to the east and west plus the foundations for the corner towers, the well house, the underground rooms, and assuming the complex was done at one time, all the supports for the remainder of the buildings throughout the complex. To be conservative in our estimate, we need at least another year of construction which takes us up to January 1634. But here is the problem. On the anniversary of the death of Mumtaz, each year Shah Jahan would stage the Urs celebration at the Taj. The first Urs occurred on June 22, 1632. Though construction had allegedly begun only six months earlier, the great plinth of red sandstone over brick, 374 yards long, 140 yards wide, and 14 yards high was already in place! Even Begley and Desai are somewhat amazed. Where was all the construction debris, the piles of materials, the marble, the brick scaffolding, the temporary housing for thousands of workers, the numerous animals needed to haul materials? If “heaven was surpassed by the magnificence of the rituals”, as one chronicler puts it, then nothing should have been visible to mar the exquisite panorama that the occasion called for. But by June 1632, it was not physically possible that construction could have progressed to completion of excavation, construction of all the footings and foundations, completion of the immense platform and clearing of all the debris and eyesores in preparation for the first Urs. Begley and Desai have little use for the testimony of the European travelers to the court of Shah Jahan. But they consider Peter Mundy, an agent of the British East India Company, to be the most important source on the Taj because he was there shortly before the first Urs at the new grave site, and one year later at the second Urs. It was Mundy who said that he saw the installation of the enameled gold railing surrounding Mumtaz’s cenotaph at the time of the second Urs on May 26, 1633. But there is no way that construction could have moved ahead so vigorously from January 1632 to May 1633 as to be ready to receive the railing. After all, the railing could not have stood forth in the open air. It means that the Taj building had to be already there. It must have been immensely valuable since the cost of the Taj complex was reported to be fifty lakhs, while the cost of the gold railing was six lakhs of rupees. The gold railing was removed by Shah Jahan on February 6, 1643 when it was replaced by the inlaid white marble screen one sees now. An alternate interpretation of events regarding the railing is that Shah Jahan revealed the gold railing of Raja Jai Singh at the first or second Urs. In 1643 he appropriated it for himself and put in its place the very fine marble screen with its inlaid semi-precious stones, a screen that was not nearly as valuable as the gold railing. If Shah Jahan’s construction and interior adornment of the Taj are in question, what rework of the Taj can we attribute to him? The inscriptions were undoubtedly among the few rework tasks that he was obliged to do. He may also have removed any obvious references to Hinduism in the form of symbolic decor that existed. The book’s plate illustrations show that the inscriptions are almost always in a discrete rectangular frame which renders them capable of being modified or added to without damaging the adjacent material. In my judgement the black script on the white marble background seems inappropriate esthetically in the midst of the soft beige marble that surrounds it. By adding the inscriptions Shah Jahan probably sought to establish the credibility of its having been his creation as a sacred mausoleum instead of the Hindu palace that time will undoubtedly prove that it was. Based on the latest inscriptions dated 1638-39, which appear on the tomb, the authors estimate a construction period of six years. Six years in my judgement is simply not enough time. As reasonable approximation of the total time required to build the Taj complex, we can consider Tavernier’s estimate of twenty-two years. Although he first arrived in Agra in 1640, he probably witnessed some rework or repair. The time frame of twenty-two years may have been passed on to him by local people as part of the collective memory from some previous century when the Taj was actually built. The issue of repairs is taken up by the authors in their translation of the original letter of Aurangzeb to his father dated December 9, 1652. He reports serious leaks on the north side, the four arched portals, the four small domes, the four northern vestibules, subchambers of the plinth, plus leaks from the previous rainy season. The question the authors do not raise is: Would the Taj, being at most only thirteen years old, already have shown symptoms of decay? Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to believe that by 1652 it was already hundreds of years old and was showing normal wear and tear. Who built the Taj? The authors say it was Ahmad Ustad Lahori, chief architect for Shah Jahan. They base this belief mainly on the assertion by Luft Allah, the son of Lahori, in a collection of verses, that Shah Jahan commanded Lahori to build both the Taj and the Red Fort at Delhi. As evidence this is quite weak. The court historians are unfailing in their praise for the Emperor’s personal participation in his massive architectural projects and they are never lacking in glorifying his sterling character. But the European travelers have other things to say about his personality and his inability to focus on anything for long except his lust for women. Nor is the object of his supposed great love either tender or compassionate. It seems that both “lovers” were cruel, self-centered and vicious. To believe that out of this relationship, with the support of Shah Jahan’s alleged great architectural skills, came what many consider to be the most beautiful building complex in the world, is sheer romantic nonsense. While Begley and Desai are sceptical of the Taj Mahal’s being a consequence of romantic devotion, they yield not an inch in asserting its Mughal origin. They support this traditional view by overlooking some key problems: 1. Consider the identical character of the two buildings on either side of the Taj main building. If they had different functions-one a mosque, the other a guest residence-then, they should have been designed differently to reflect their individual functions. Why does the perimeter wall of the complex have a Medieval, pre-artillery, defense character when artillery (cannons) was already in use in the Mughal invasions of India? [Why does a mausoleum need a protective wall in the first place? For a palace it is understandable.] 3. Why are there some twenty rooms below the terrace level on the north side of the Taj facing the Jumna River? Why does a mausoleum need these rooms? A palace could put them to good use. The authors do not even mention their existence. What is in the sealed-up rooms on the south side of the long corridor opposite the twenty contiguous rooms? Who filled in the doorway with masonry? Why are scholars not allowed to enter and study whatever objects or decor are within? Why does the “mosque” face due west instead of facing Mecca? Certainly, by the seventeenth century there was no problem in orienting a building precisely! Why has the Archaeological Survey of India blocked any dating of the Taj by means of Carbon-14 or thermoluminescence? Any controversy over which century the Taj was built could easily be resolved. [Radiocarbon dating of a piece of wood surreptitiously taken from one of the doors gave 13th century as a possible date. But more data is needed.] If Shah Jahan did not build the Taj for the love of Mumtaz, then why did he want it? His love for Mumtaz was evidently a convenient subterfuge. He actually wanted the existing palace for himself. He appropriated it from Raja Jai Singh by making him an offer he could not refuse, the gift of other properties in exchange. He also acquired whatever was precious within the building including the immensely valuable gold railing. By converting the complex into a sacred Moslem mausoleum he insured that the Hindus would never want it back. Shah Jahan converted the residential quarters to the west of the main building to a mosque simply by modifying the interior of the west wall to create a mihrab niche. He added Islamic inscriptions around many doorways and entries to give the impression that the Taj had always been Islamic. Sure enough, the scholars have been silent or deceived ever since. Yet, we must thank Begley and Desai for having assembled so much useful data and translated contemporary writings and inscriptions. Where they failed is in accepting an apocryphal legend of the Taj for an absolute fact. Their interpretations and analyses have been forced into the mold of their bias. It would be well to take advantage of their work by scholars and laymen interested in deepening their knowledge of the Taj Mahal to read the book while keeping an open mind as to when and by whom it was built. Added note: A leading Indian architect, former professor of architecture at Mysore University adds: There are fundamental problems with the current theory of Islamic Architecture in India of which the following may be noted. (1) Unlike in the case of Hindu architecture, where there are literally hundreds of works on Vastu in several Indian languages, there seem to be almost no texts or manuals on Islamic architecture. It is difficult to see how a great school of architecture lasting 600 years could flourish without any technical literature. (2) Hindu architectural practices and traditions are maintained by thousands of mason families, especially in South India. These are known as Vishwakarmas or Vishwa Brahmanas. They are greatly in demand all over the world. No such Muslim families are known. (3) There are no standards of units and measurements for Islamic architecture in India. It is inconceivable that great works of architecture could come up without them. This is an objective requirement. TAJ MAHAL – The Illumined Tomb, an anthology of seventeenth century Mughal and European documentary sources, by W.E. Begley and Z.A. Desai: Published by the University of Washington Press, Seattle and London, 1989 (The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture). The reviewer Marvin Mills is a leading New York architect and professor of architecture at the Pratt Institute. Ever since P N Oak wrote the books ( it ran into four editions) proving that the Taj Mahal was an erstwhile Rajput Palace commandeered as a Mongol Tomb public opinion is now slowly but surely accepting his findings. First and foremost in their book TAJ MAHAL – THE ILLUMINED TOMB, Wayne Edison Begley and Ziyaud-Din Ahmad Desai have put together a very commendable body of data and. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Funerary Monuments are not representative of Indian Culture and Civilization. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Indians have not erected grand funerary monuments. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Funerary Monuments are not representative of Indian Culture and Civilization. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Funerary Monuments do not represent Indian Culture and Civilization. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Funerary Monuments are not representative of Indian Culture and Civilization. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. What is the architectural Truth? Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. If a building is defined by its purpose, funerary monuments serve no purpose in Indian Culture and Civilization. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. In Islamic architecture, Mosque faces North or towards Mecca. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. In Indian Culture and Civilization, buildings,palaces, and temples have specific functions and parts are aligned to represent cultural values. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Taj Mahal appears as a funerary monument but has several rooms whose purpose and function remains unknown. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. What is its Architectural Truth? Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Adding inscriptions to buildings may conceal Architectural Truth. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. This Marble Screen replaced a Golden railing. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Indians do not bury their dead in their buildings, palaces, or temples. If the building includes living rooms, it may not be a funerary monument to begin with. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Writings of Mulla Abdul Hamid Lahori. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as an Indian Icon. Bharat Darshan – Status of Taj Mahal as Indian Icon. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has told an Agra court that the Taj Mahal-- widely regarded as a masterpiece of Muslim architecture—is a tomb and not a temple as claimed by a group of petitioners. In a written statement filed in the court of civil judge (senior division) on Thursday, the ASI refused to accept the contention that the world heritage site was built on a temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. The court in April 2015 admitted a law suit filed by six lawyers, who had claimed the Taj is a Hindu temple, Tejo Mahalaya and as such followers of the religion should be allowed access inside the premises of the monument to perform ‘darshan’ and ‘aarti.’ They also asked for opening of the locked rooms in the monument. Currently, only Muslims are allowed to worship at the site, offering Friday prayers at a mosque attached to the monument. The court has fixed the next hearing on September 11. The court had earlier issued notices to the central government, Union ministry of culture, home secretary and ASI to file their replies. The ASI is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of historical monuments in the country. The counsel for the Union of India and ASI, appearing before the court, stated that the petitioners had no locus standi in the matter and neither did they have the right to worship or perform any religious rituals as the monument is Islamic. In its reply, the ASI also denied the existence of any temple within the Taj Mahal. On the basis of available records, the ASI asserted that the is a mausoleum was constructed by seventeenth-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his queen. Theories about Taj Mahal’s supposed Hindu heritage were floated after historian PN Oak in his 1989 book Taj Mahal: The True Story, claimed the monument was built in 1155, decades before the Muslim invasion of India. He said its name is a corrupt form of the sanskrit term “Tejo Mahalay.” The Union culture ministry in November 2015 told Lok Sabha that there was no evidence of any temple at the Taj. Day 01: Delhi – Agra. ( 201 Kms/ 04Hrs). Early morning pick up from hotel at 07.00 Hrs. From Delhi Airport/Hotel/Home, Our representative will greet and drive you to Agra. It’s approx 04-05 hrs. Drive and 235 km. Agra – ‘The kingdom of Mughals’ stands on the banks of Yamuna. It is home to countless Mughal architectural wonders. Agra reveals the map of bygone Mughal era drawn with the colors of war, rivalry, sovereignty, royalty, conspiracy, bloodshed, enthronement & dethronement etc. You will reach Agra around 10:30 AM. First stop — Sikandra. Sikandra is Akbar’s Mausoleum. The emperor himself planned his tomb. After his death Emperor Jahangir gave it a final shape. Red sandstone minarets, arched gateways and splendid marble inlay work reflects architectural opulence of the Mughals. On arrival Agra check into the hotel and take rest. After wash & change, you will visit Agra fort. It’s Built with red sandstone and white marble, Agra Fort is a treasure trove of Mughal architecture. Some of the noteworthy structures include Moti Masjid emittung pearl-like glow,Jahangir Mahal, Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience), Diwan-i-Am (hall of public audience),Nagina Masjid, Sheesh Mahal (hall of mirrors), Mina Masjid. Musammam Burj is a must see as Emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned here for 9 years. After visiting Agra Fort, chauffeur will drive you to Taj Mahal. If you wish, before visiting Taj, you can have lunch at hotel and then proceed on your tour. Taj Mahal engraved India’s name permanently on the world map by seeking a place for itself in the Seven Wonders of the World. The white domed marble mausoleum was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Holy inscriptions from Qoran embellish walls of the white wonder. Your visit to Taj Mahal will be complete by evening. Apart from being an architectural hub, Agra is also a shopper’s paradise. So, you can spend your evening in shopping at Meena Bazar, which is one of the major shopping destinations. You can shop here for some good quality craft items, home decor items made of marble, precious and semi-precious stones, jewelries. After this, you will return to hotel and take rest. Overvight stay at Hotel. Day 02: Agra- Delhi. After leisure breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and drive to Fatehpur Sikri. In the honor of saint Sheikh Salim Chisti, Emperor Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri — his capital for over 10 years. It looks more like a mini city with several palaces, halls, temples, towers, mosques, gateways. Here, you will get to see some finest monuments namely Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas, Buland Darwaza, palaces of Hindu queens, Birbal Bhawan, tomb of Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, and Jama Masjid. After sightseeing return drive to Delhi with wonderful happy memories. After braving 2 hours 10 minute to park my car in the designated parking for Rs. 70/-, stood for nearly 1& half hours in a very long Q to get entry tickets to Taj Mahal for Rs. Then another long Q was waiting to enter inside the precinct which took another 1 hour. But the real ordeal was still waiting - the accumulated crowed was in a very long zig zag Q encircling the main building - the famous Taj Mahal. It took almost 5 hours to enter the monument. As we visited on 16th August, 2014, which was in midst of closed holidays, crowd had swelled, even a lot of school students accompanied by their teachers and a large number of village people had come to see the world heritage. The crowd resembled like those waiting for Maa Vaishno Devi Darshan. On one of our trips to India we took a short trip to Delhi and Agra. It was worth the time, extra expense, and scheduling. The sites in both cities were inspirational and moving. The architecture and workmanship on the Taj Mahal was incredible. We hired drivers/tour guides for the trip and found it to be very beneficial, since the language and culture are both so different. It was a family trip of 8 adults and it was an experience that we are so glad we had. The beauty was breath taking, the history was awe inspiring, and the education we had is unforgettable. Not a trip for small children and we wish we had traveled on a day that wasn't 114 degrees Fahrenheit, but it is a family memory we will always cherish. Well, let me inform you in the beginning itself that the Taj Mahal is not the place which one should visit in the afternoon, and that too on a hot and sultry afternoon, bang in the middle of the summer. And also anyone visiting the Taj Mahal during this time of the day should also buy the footwear covers from the shops near the Taj Mahal. They aren't costly and its better to buy them instead of walking barefoot on hot marble. The mausoleum can be entered through three gates, namely the western, eastern and the southern gates. The eastern gate is the one which is frequently used by foreign tourists while the western one is more frequently used by the domestic ones. The southern gate is hardly used. An office of the CISF(Central Industrial Security Force) is also present near the eastern gate. On entering the gates, one can catch a glimpse of the dome of the Taj Mahal. The opportunities of taking colour photographs is far less than one would like. But there are few visitors at this time of the day and that was the main reason for me choosing this time to go and visit the Taj Mahal. Since there are fewer people at the Taj Mahal, I think that this is probably the best time for a person interested in clicking black and white photographs to go and visit it. I would only suggest such aforementioned people and people who are desperate to visit the Taj Mahal to visit the Taj Mahal in the afternoon during the summers. And yes, go solo! Pros: The Software is very user friendly. Even a child can use this product. When I say a child can use this I don't mean that it is not a powerful tool for your business. It keeps track of all my consigners, we have over 4 thousand active consigners. Without this tool this would be a lot of paperwork to keep track of. 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I looked at several other kinds of software before deciding on this one, and I'm so glad I went with Consignpro. Cons: About the only thing I can think of that I wouldn't mind added is if you could see some of the last items as you were entering them. When you're entering secondhand items in one by one, it's fine, but when you're entering in dozens of new items as we do, you can develop tunnel vision and forget where in the order you are. Also, I wish myresaleweb was a little more modernized. Comments: The dashboard screen of this software is very easy to understand, and well laid out. Limitations with the printing of tags, as well as full reports make it difficult for me to recommend this product. It is not too expensive, so if you are a startup consignment shop, you may want to consider this program, but it just has limitations that would make it more difficult to show mark-downs, print a full inventory, and keep track of vendors. 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Consignment software reviews are typically on pages owned by consignment software vendors, or marketing sites. The Computer Peeps are NARTS Members. My resale business is an at home venture, but I would be lost without this program as it helps me keep everything organized and to keep track of my clients and their merchandise. I highly recommend this software to anyone involved in secondhand sales. Recommendations to other buyers: Use this program for your online resale business even if you're not consigning, it's excellent for inventory databasing. Pros: The software is pretty much an all in one solution to run a consignment store. Cons: I wish customizing and exporting reports was a little easier. Overall: Consign Pro for the most part is by far the best consignment POS software you can find. We have used Consign Pro for about 7 years. We started with just a couple hundred consignors and now we have more than 10000! 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We have a lot of consignor's that want printed detailed reports of their activity since their last payout but this option doesn't show as much detail as the consignors want. We have to print their entire item history report, which can turn into a lot of paperwork. Overall: I have almost 8,000 consignors and have been opened for over 6 years. I have used ConsignPro since the very beginning. Not only is the software up-to-date and reliable but the ease of the system and the friendliness of the staff make it the best software to have! Pros: Customer Service is awesome. If I didn't have that tech support, I'd be terrified of my computers crashing and losing that database. Cons: Some functions are a little counterintuitive, but nothing unpassable. Overall: ConsignPro has been so great to use. It takes a little bit of a learning curve to master, but if you set it up right with all your categories, it's such a great POS system and we are able to generate great reports to help us make valuable decisions. Also, myresaleweb looks pretty antiquated, but consignors LOVE it. It keeps them engaged and coming back! Recommendations to other buyers: I did a lot of research before choosing ConsignPro, even though a family member already used it. I wanted to make sure I made the best business decision. I'm very glad we went with consignpro. Pros: I love how it is easy to keep consignors separate and organized! With both new and consignment items, ConsignPro easily separates the two and keeps profit easily identifiable. Cons: The user manual. It, unfortunately, is not very helpful. The most basic topics it will cover but I usually end up having to call tech support either way. Overall: ConsignPro has been a great software program in just starting a boutique with consignment and new! It lets us add our new items as well as items from other consignors, and helps keep everything organized! The extra customer support is well worth the price, as I can say one of the few issues we have is that the manual is not extremely helpful. It gives the basics, but being able to call and talk to someone and tell them your concern is much more valuable! Vendor Response by Visual Horizons Software on December 21, 2016 We have over 24 different reports that provide all the information you should need. We consider ourselves an open book and try to include our customers recommendations into our software updates. We would love your feedback on what additional reports you would like to see. No software program will ever be everything to everyone but if you can get 85% of your needs in a 'canned' solution you're way ahead of the game. We have over 200 features in the software, I'm glad that 198 of them are working great for you. Pros: I have recommended this product to other people either thinking about starting up a non-profit consignment shop or to those who already run one, but were impressed with the look of our tickets. Overall: I manage a shop that relies mostly on volunteers, so there is a huge turnover on cashiers. ConsignPro is very easy to learn and user friendly. When I have had a technical problem, the tech support staff have been very prompt in calling back, and very patient in guiding me through whatever process was needed to fix the problem. I've no complaints with either the program nor the company and it's staff. Pros: Ease of use, features available to customize to the needs of my business, technical support and updates. Cons: Not having the ability to pull up what has sold on a consignors account without having to drill down on the activity option one by one. Overall: I have been using consign pro since the day I opened 12 years ago. It seemed like a big investment at first since I was just starting my new business but has paid for itself ten fold! I would not have been able to grow and thrive without it! Recommendations to other buyers: Love it! Pros: It's easy to use as an in-store tool Cons: Not having real-time access from remote locations is very limiting Overall: The program is fine for the most part for in-store functionality (checking out customers, tagging and reporting) but does have a major flaw. It would be beneficial to have data stored in a web-based system so real-time information could be accessed not only from the store but also from a home computer. Tagging also could be done at home while the store is open if it was a web based system. As an owner who often has an employee working at the store, not having real-time access to the database from home is extremely limiting. In summary, it works fine for daily in-store functions but needs to move to a web base system so work can be done in real-time from locations away from the store. Customer service is very responsive. Vendor Response by Visual Horizons Software on December 21, 2016 It's not a major flaw that ConsignPro is not cloud-based, it's by design. All orders come with a free home copy so you can work from home when the store is closed. ConsignPro also has the option to text or email you the sales numbers everyday if you're not at the store. You can also use a remote desktop software to access your store computer at anytime in real time. Our support team can help you with any of these features. We will offer a cloud based option in 2017 and all customers will have an opportunity to upgrade at that time. Pros: Ease of use. Super easy to train. Nothing comes to mind Overall: Consignor is user-friendly even for the least computer savvy people. The customer service is knowledgeable, prompt and courteous. I extremely like that Brian welcomes comments from consignpro users and diligently makes needed updates. Consignpro sends emails regarding holiday hours for support and I find that extremely helpful. The offsite backup keeps me at ease in the event of a crash. These are just a few of the many wonderful things about consignpro. Pros: How everything is user-friendly and when you have a problem the solution is only a call away. Cons: I wish one of those great gals lived closer. So they could come to the store and show me just what I am missing that I am not doing HA!!!HA!! Overall: I can't say enough good about Consign Pro Program. It has so many different categories to work with. I don't even think I have begun to learn everything it offers, but I'm getting there. Anytime I call for support customer service are always so friendly and polite and never in a hurry. When I call and there is no answer someone calls me back within an appropriate time limit. The representative really did a wonderful service for us as Consignment Store Owners in creating this program. Recommendations to other buyers: No. Pros: Easy to add inventory and keep track of consignors items. Cons: Cannot delete an item without deleting entire sale, cannot save sales as we once were able to, not compatible with any other processor but theirs and no online accessibility for clients. Also, the wishlist feature is pretty much useless. On the inventory lookup, you must be too specific to find the actual item. Also, the types have been pre-selected and you cannot change them manually. Overall: When we first began using ConsignPro the features were exactly what we needed. As time has gone on and updates have been made, some features have been lost and some added, both to the improvement and detriment of ease of use. As our business has grown, we could use additional features, but have not found a program as easy to use as this. In the long run, however, this is an efficient software for small consignment businesses. Pros: It does just about everything I need it to. It is great for monthly reports Cons: It does not have a search feature when just trying to locate an item. I have to know who the consignor was. I would like a feature where I can put in what the item is so I can find who it belongs to if the tag has come off. Overall: We have been using Consign Pro for 2 years now and it has been a great program for all of our consignment needs! We started off with a very inexpensive program and it couldn't do even a 10th of this program can! It costs a little to get started but worth every penny! Customer Support is a yearly charge however anytime I have had a question I have been able to speak to someone almost immediately that could walk me through anything! I highly recommend them for your business needs! Recommendations to other buyers: Lots of features and customer support is great. Pros: User-Friendly. Trains my new staff for me!!! Cons: Sorry, have nothing yet. Overall: I have been using Consign Pro for 5 1/2 years and I have never had to worry about potential issues. The customer service is second to none and the staff is extremely helpful and very friendly. The response time is almost always immediate. I always recommend Consign Pro to new businesses. It is the best and the most economical software in the business: no, in the world. It is hard to not to appreciate a great software product matched by equally great customer service. Recommendations to other buyers: No, your communication and constant efforts to improve are much appreciated. Comments: Five years ago I opened my business, La Belle Legacy, a home decor consignment and gift shop. I researched other software packages and decided Consign Pro was the best option for my business. I have been very happy with the Consign Pro software, its yearly updates, and the support that they offer. Their customer service is valued. They also offer once a year a business trip to learn more about the latest additions to the software. Consign Pro is a key tool and I would highly recommend it to other businesses looking for consignment software. Pros: Ease of use. Overall: Have had a few minor issues - always solved quickly and efficiently. Almost always get a specialist when phoning in. Anytime you have to leave a message, the response is almost immediate. Have received compliments from customers about how easy it is to understand the dated markdown process. Truly appreciate this system! Recommendations to other buyers: On the 'Add Inventory' page could use a 'hold' on Description, Short Description, and Color/Size as well as Type. Would use that a lot and would be a big time saver for those of us who may not be the fastest typers in the world. (Like Me ha ha!). Pros: It's extreme ease to use. Cons: I don't use every aspect of the software so I haven't run into any cons. Overall: Computer software just isn't my thing. I get easily frustrated and just give up. ConsignPro makes it so easy to enter information and keep track of all my consignors. Consignors love that I can look up information quickly and efficiently. Keep up the good work! Recommendations to other buyers: Don't be afraid to take advantage of the whole package to see what it can do for your business. Pros: easy to use Cons: wish I really knew how to use all the features Overall: I was nervous then I first got consignpro 2 years ago because I wasn't sure I would like it and how easy it would be to use. BUT I love it, Very easy to use and I love the features it has. I am sure there are more features that I don't know how to use yet. It has made my life so much better and less stressful than when I was hand writing everything. I love being able to look up a consignor and see what they still have up for sale or sold. The customer service has ALWAYS been the best. Recommendations to other buyers: nope. Pros: Easy to use. Cons: I would LOVE to be able to work on multiple screens, rather than close out of one to go to another. For example, when inputting items, I would like to be able to open the sale screen then go back to what I was working on. Overall: We inherited ConsignPro when we bought consignment store. It was very easy to coldly navigate. We have enjoyed the continuous updates, and look forward to what else is in store! Recommendations to other buyers: Not really. It's really pretty great! Comments: Honestly, I have used this system for 12 years. My husband and I have owned our own store, furniture, and home goods, for 8 of those years and have four computers licensed with the program. We have never had a major issue with ConsignPro and customer service has always been available to us. And yes, we do pay for the additional service. For us, it is like insurance, money well spent. I recommend it to anyone starting a new business. It is a bit more expensive than other programs but in my opinion, worth it. We have also been on two of the annual trips sponsored by ConsignPro and it is nice to put faces with Brian and the crew. We enjoyed the experience and may someday will hopefully go again. The interaction and additional training are helpful. Comments: I have been using ConsignPro in my 3,000+ square foot consignment shop for 4+ years. It is easy to from the start and is nearly intuitive! The best part? The customer service. Any technical issues, (which in my case are nearly 100% caused by an error in the connection between the chair and the keyboard) are handled promptly. 'Dumb' questions are handled graciously. Guidance on 'year end' to do's to help with accounting are a bonus. Overall, a great program. A suggestion: Not all of us can get away for a training cruise or trip. How about a regional roadshow once in a while? Comments: I've been using it since 1999 and started with a small boutique. I've seen expanded, went online, sold off the business and kept the software to use to keep track of my sales, taxes and other financial data for items I sell on the side. I can honestly tell you that I've had millions of dollars in transactions using this software. The online access is a nice option also. When I started offering that, it was definitely a plus for my consignors and is an option most competing resellers don't offer their consignors. Comments: Let me start off with. They have incredible customer service! Most every problem I have ever encountered they have promptly helped me with an easy fix. Some entry requirements of the program have been a bit annoying to deal with, but I have to say I am using it in a capacity different than clothes sales with a background/experience of using QuickBooks. I'm using ConsignPRO at my art gallery where all my artists are consigning their work with me, so here are some issues: I use smaller tags which caused some issues, I find some of the reports hard to pull when I'm looking for simplified information, I wish I could customize it more to my needs and eliminate the extra unnecessary stuff. Considering purchasing Consign Pro Software for your consignment or resale store? Consider Liberty4 Consignment Software instead. Liberty4 is the most flexible, easy-to-use product on the market. No other consignment software on the market is capable of matching Liberty4's features, functions and capabilities. Try our totally free, 90-day demo and see for yourself. Here are just some of the things you will be able to do with the Liberty4 Software, that may be lacking in Consign Pro software: • Account Management • Inventory Management • Point of Sale • Pay Consignors • Reports, Email and Word Processing Liberty 4 can be scaled to support stores of any size, whether you have just one user or hundreds across multiple locations. It is even ideal for stores that specialize in sales of art, books, furniture, antiques, and more. Liberty4 also offers many unique features that Consign Pro Software does not, including iPad item entry, eCommerce Integration, and 70 built in reports. The core of our product is the account management system. We make it easy to find and edit accounts and customers. With 7 different ways to look up an account you will always be able to find what you are looking for. Browse through item detail, view purchase history, track reward points, and view item summary information with ease. Not only is our software the best on the market, Consign Pro Software can't compare to is our stellar support staff either. Our support is extremely knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Check out our testimonials to see what our other customers are saying about the Liberty4 Consignemnt Software and our support staff. For any questions related to which software or hardware is best for your consignment business, please call us at 1-800-785-4800 we are standing by to help ensure your business is as successful as possible. Here is what our customers who have switched have to say about their experience with Consign Pro Software: 'Their customer service needs to take customer care classes.' 'The written manual they send with the program is not user-friendly'. Benefits of a BluePay Partnership BluePay is proud to partner with ConsignPro to deliver a simple, secure, and seamless payment processing experience directly within the consignment shop software you have come to rely on to help run your business. Being an all-in-one payment solutions provider, BluePay helps streamline the entire payment process so you can get back to doing what you do best – running your consignment business. • Do you think you are already getting the best processing rates? BluePay offers a price guarantee. If we can't beat your current processing rates, we'll give you $500 just for letting us try. • Are you concerned about managing multiple software platforms? BluePay integrates directly into ConsignPro's point-of-sale system, keeping everything centralized, enabling a more complete, efficient, and accurate reporting process. • Are you worried about security? BluePay's integration with ConsignPro employs EMV technology so you can securely process cards equipped with computer chips and the technology used to authenticate chip-card transactions. Give us a call today for a free rate analysis! From ConsignPro is a resale shop management program that fully automates your consignment or buy-outright business. It includes capabilities for inventory management and bar-coding, consignor management and payment, point-of-sale, small business accounting, and complete financial reporting. Since 1996, literally thousands of resale shop owners have trusted ConsignPro software to run their businesses with. It's simply the easiest-to-use and most complete software currently serving the resale industry and it's endorsed by the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops (NARTS). Full Specifications What's new in version 8.0 Version 8.0 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes. General Publisher Publisher web site Release Date March 28, 2012 Date Added March 29, 2012 Version 8.0 Category Category Subcategory Operating Systems Operating Systems Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7 Additional Requirements None Download Information File Size 9.06MB File Name ConsignPro.msi Popularity Total Downloads 304 Downloads Last Week 0 Pricing License Model Purchase Limitations 30-day trial, limit of 25 consignors and 50 items Price $1295. You are here: > > Continental Cuisine Continental Cuisine Light food, which you can enjoy any time of the day. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as an in-between snack. Check out these yummy continental recipes. Chutney/Dips Summer Doris Mistry Main Course Khorshed P Snehil Snehil Kevin Tighe Tonya C Wilson Anu ARSHI Salads and Raita Prachee Tandon ARSHI Ketaki JimmiNi Soups and Stews manasi kumar Manasi Kumar Starters and Snacks Meenal Teli Madhu Aboti gauri Mittal Rashmi Shrivastava Rashmi Shrivastava Deepa Nischal manasi kumar manasi kumar Manasi Kumar >> Non-Vegetarian||||| All Rights Reserved Worldwide. (c) 1999 - 2017 India Parenting Pvt. Please be sure to read our, and. RE:Hello anyone from kakinada Hi i am hearing this place for the very first time. However, if you are fine you can surely share the information with us we will help you out if at all we can in some or the other ways. - Brahmi RE:first time egg eater Hi with time you will be able to eat it. During the start you will face trouble. Or else tell doctor to provide you some other option rather than egg. Something in veg itself which will stay helpful for you. - Manju RE:What are you makin today for dinner Hi Riya, not yet decided here in dubai we have weekend today so might be going out with family for dinner. Most of the people here go for dinner ith their family on thursdays to enjoy the weekend. - Beejal RE:Hello anyone from kakinada I have heard the name kakinada for the very first time in my life and i am sorry if i offended anyone but why can you now share it with other people too? What is it about and is it very important? - Kanak RE:Fish recipe needed hello manali, google will help you in this, you can search various dishes ovoer there and you can find out way of cleaning this fish, also number of receipies also, to you should take help of google. - pragati RE:Fish recipe needed hello manali, internet will be good option to this help, you will get number of receipies from internet search, and you can make good receipies in different styles, so once you have many options you can choose one from them. - naina RE:Fish recipe needed hello manali, there are many cooking sides available on internet search, you can find online which will give you the recipe of both traditional and international recipes that you can try with catfish. - namita RE:Fish recipe needed hello manali, we do have great suffer that is google so it would solve your problem and you check out the process also and you can cook by seeing the video, go for cooking that would give you better recipe. Geography Continental cuisine is a wide umbrella covering dozens of regional cooking styles. 'Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant,' a classic collection of ethnic vegetarian recipes, includes recipes from Provence, Greece and Italy. Find the great collection of 58 continental recipes and dishes from popular chefs at NDTV Food. 10 Best Veg Recipes In Hindi. You'll find specialty cookbooks for French vegetarian cooking, Italian vegetarian cuisine and Spanish vegetarian cooking. Continental cooking includes Mediterranean cuisine, and many classic vegetarian dishes find their origin in the 'peasant food' and ingredients of the Mediterranean regions. Ingredients Fresh vegetables are a mainstay of many continental vegetarian dishes. In his introduction to Provencal cooking in 'Sundays at Moosewood,' Kip Wilcox writes that residents of Provence consider fresh vegetables to be so essential, they tuck vegetable gardens into every stray corner. Hot or cold, continental vegetarian dishes feature tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, carrots, beans and peas. Salads include greens far beyond the traditional lettuces--spinach, dandelion greens, radicchio and other spring greens all make their appearance, alone or in combination. Dried legumes--beans, lentils and peas--feature heavily in main dish casseroles, loaves and soups. Mushrooms, particularly porcini and portobello mushrooms, add texture and flavor to soups, salads, appetizers and main dishes. Rice, wheat, barley and other grains are also important in continental vegetarian cuisine. Most meals include bread, pasta, rice or polenta, usually made with whole grains. Desserts, breakfast and snacks often include fresh berries, apples, pears, peaches and melons, either alone or in melange. For non-vegans, continental cooking includes fresh cheeses such as ricotta, chevre and cottage cheese, and a variety of aged and semi-aged cheeses including Provolone, Asiago and Parmesan. Continental Pantry Items In addition to the main ingredients, continental cooking makes use of a number of condiments and spices. Olive oil is ubiquitous, both as an ingredient and as cooking oil. Important spices in continental cooking include basil, oregano, chervil, parsley, fennel and anise. Continental cooks use garlic, onion and chives liberally, and southern Mediterranean cuisines often include lemon and mint in dressings, sauces and condiments. Classic Continental Vegetarian Dishes Many classic continental dishes are vegetarian by nature, while others are easy to adapt to a vegetarian table. Risotto, an Italian rice dish, serves as a base for many other dishes. Vegetables, brushed with olive oil and roasted or grilled, take on regional flavors depending on the spices or sauces used with them. In many regions, cooks slice polenta, a corn meal porridge, and fry it or roast it as a base for sauces and vegetables. Menu Planning A typical continental meal includes a starter or appetizer, a main dish, one or more side dishes and a dessert. The meal should include a grain, fruits or vegetables, a protein and some fat. A simple meal might include a salad of greens with tomatoes or berries tossed with vinaigrette dressing, hearty bean soup and whole grain bread. Pair pan-roasted vegetables with crusty bread spread with tapenade, or serve thick slices of grilled portobello mushroom with chilled tomato soup and croutons. If you don't eat dairy or eggs, make a special point of including whole grains, legumes and nuts to make sure that your meals provide the essential fatty acids and vitamins that your body needs. Copyright © 2017 Leaf Group Ltd. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the LIVESTRONG.COM, and. The material appearing on LIVESTRONG.COM is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. The LIVESTRONG Foundation and LIVESTRONG.COM do not endorse any of the products or services that are advertised on the web site. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web site-many of the advertisements are served by third party advertising companies. Continental recipes One of the things that bring together foodies from across the world is yummy food. In case of Continental recipes, it is the authentic, less spicy, and herbed European flavour that makes it delicious. Contrary to the Indian palette, Continental food is less spicy and stirred in olive oil. Dairy products, fresh herbs, meat, breads are the key ingredients that are used in Continental dishes. Additionally, Continental recipes use different methods of cooking like Baking, Grilling, Stewing, Roasting, etc. Popularly picked Continental recipes include wraps, muffins, salads, burgers etc. At, you can dig into all of them and more with our guilt-free and tasty Continental recipes. Tempted already? (Ver 5.1.0) ($49.95) • Your shopping safety is 100% guaranteed • One time payment, Lifetime Upgrades FREE • 100% Clean, no Spyware, Adware or Viruses • Registration code will be sent immediately after your purchase •, you can un-install our product from your old computer, then install it on new computer without buy it over again, you don't need to let us know your intention first before un-installing it from your old computer. 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You may unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time. Video to WMV Converter Application is an easy to use video converter for Microsoft WMV Video which can quickly convert all popular. By MovieSoft Inc. Meet our WMV file converter! Learn how to convert WMV to any video format or vice versa. Description: MovieSoft Inc. - Video Converter Software Video to WMV Converter is the easy to use WMV video converter software for Microsoft wmv Video which can. Easy Video/Audio Cutter; Batch Video/Audio Cutter; Advanced Video Cutter; Join Video/Audio; Split Video/Audio; Crop Video; Rotate Video; Add Watermark to Video; Add Subtitle to Video; Add Effect to Video; Add Audio to Video; Preview and Capture pictures; Convert video to video; Convert video to audio; Convert audio. ACCEPT & CLOSE. Super Mario Maker converted into a desktop version! Super Mario Maker PC Manager – is a program through which you install the full version of the game Super Mario Maker in the desktop version. 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Ning Lau Doll Exhibition at The Peak. Snapchat Tutorial 教學來了. Follow me on SNAPCHAT, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM: EVITAWONG 塔羅tarot booking (hk and /or overseas): whatsapp 9768-5388 or email [email protected]. © Copyright 2017, Joyetech Inc. Being the best e-cigarette manufacturer, Joyetech enjoys great reputation and popularity with our reliable e-cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, e-cig box mods and varies tanks and e-liquids with different flavors. Inspired by the automobile smart key, the Joyetech EKEE box mod aesthetically fits your hand comfortably. Featuring a 1.3 inch TFT color display and an easy-to-go interface, this compact starter mod is available in multiple attractive finishes. Having a plenty of options for you to choose, the ProC series heads are all capable with the ProCore Motor atomizer: from direct lung or mouth to lung, from massive vapor production to optimal flavor. 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Joyetech EKEE 80W TC Box Mod comes with a unique car key appearance of BMW i8, which features a built-in 2000mAh battery and the maximum output can be reached to 80W. Joyetech EKEE Motor Kit has a large 1.3inch TFT color screen to display the details. 1 Item processing time After confirming your payment, we usually ship products out within 24 business hours. However, sometimes due to large transaction volumes or other order issues, we may require up to 3 working days to process orders. You will receive a notification email as soon as your product(s) have been dispatched. In the two years since the accident, Balder has had plenty of time to think about what happened to him -- and why. On the simplest level, it happened because a criminally negligent driver pushed too hard and crashed. But it is also part of a broader trend of declining safety on the roads after decades of progress -- a trend that the United States Congress has aided and abetted by loosening safety rules even as both truck drivers and trucks are being pushed to their limits, just like Renato Velasquez. Perhaps, the trucking companies' lobbyists suggested to Congress, trucks could haul loads heavier than the federal 80,000-pound limit, which would allow them to deliver more goods with each truck. Maybe they could have longer double trailers, increasing the limit from 28 feet for each unit to 33 feet -- turning each rig into an 80-foot-long behemoth, as long as an eight-story building is tall. Or they could let truck drivers be more flexible with their rest breaks, which would allow them to work up to 82 hours a week instead of the already-exhausting limit of 70. Maybe trucking firms could reduce labor costs by hiring lower-paid drivers, younger than 21 -- as young as 18. Maybe they could stop federal regulators from raising insurance requirements that were set during the Reagan administration. Maybe the federal motor carrier safety ratings for unsafe trucking companies could be kept secret. Then-House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) allowed the bill's sponsors to bring it to the floor on Sept. 26, 2013, when the country was focused on the prospect of a looming government shutdown in the next four days. Safety advocates had little opportunity to raise objections. The bill passed with no opposition and was sent to the Senate. It passed the upper chamber a week later, in the middle of the shutdown, with no debate or even a roll-call vote. The legislation was slipped into a string of unanimous consent requests, lost among resolutions supporting democracy in Venezuela and recognizing Danish Holocaust survivors. President Barack Obama signed the law on Oct. 15,, just before the government shutdown ended. Horrifying crashes have a way of focusing Congress' attention on safety -- at least while the headlines are bold and the corpses are fresh. The rest of the time, lawmakers tend to listen to industry groups, which warn of job losses and higher costs if their demands aren't met. These conversations happen inside the cloister of legislative process, shielded from scrutiny. If what business wants doesn't put health or safety first -- and it often doesn't -- politicians try to meet the demand by adding provisions to much larger legislative vehicles, where they may be impossible to dislodge, if they are even discovered at all. In July 2013, the FMCSA enacted a regulation modifying an existing rule that says drivers must take 34 hours off after they hit certain maximum time limits working and driving. The new restriction mandated that truckers include two nights in that break, with no driving between 1 a.m. The new rule effectively cut the maximum hours drivers could work from 82 per week to 70. Studies show that humans get the best, most restorative rest while, and truckers face especially, so the restriction forced drivers to have two restful, overnight periods in their break, which is known as a 'restart.' Collins didn’t give up, though. When the nation was again facing a government shutdown in the winter, she managed to slip her sleep-rule provision into the so-called CRomnibus, a huge, unwieldy spending measure that needed to pass by Dec. 13 to keep the government open. No one outside of Congress knew that the trucking provision had been attached to the bill until lawmakers shoved their shambling creation into the light on Dec. 9, four days before it needed to pass. At that point, the measure could not be blocked, as it had been in the aftermath of Tracy Morgan's crash. Like the sleep apnea rule a year before, it passed under the cover of a funding battle, much to the disappointment of safety advocates, including Morgan's lawyer, Benedict Morelli. Those drivers, who are often independent and own their own rigs, have to cope with managers' demands and all the safety rules that still exist, even as the close-to-the-bone industry leaves little. Unpredictable hours, uncertain traffic, long stretches spent sitting alone behind a wheel, and meals that depend on roadside greasy spoons take a toll on. All that adds up to a circumstance that encourages drivers -- especially the growing number who have strict drop-off and pick-up times set in their contracts -- to take chances. And they do, to make their schedules. Drivers for smaller outfits are especially. Velasquez seldom saw the boss, or any other workers, and was dispatched remotely, according to his interview with federal investigators. He and another driver said they would drop off their logbooks and other records at a box outside Dimitrievsky's house once a week. There appeared to be little oversight or enforcement at the company, the NTSB concluded. Although Velasquez said he never got safety training from his employer, records say that he received at least a little, and the company did possess some of the required safety training materials. But DND also possessed a terrible, albeit remarkably common, safety record. In the two years before the crash, DND drivers had been subjected to 289 inspections, according to federal records. Its drivers had been ordered off the roads 27 times, most often for hours-of-service violations -- driving more than the legal limit. The vehicles themselves were found to be in violation 26 times in 131 inspections, a failure rate of 20 percent. The company racked up seven crashes between March 2012 and January 2014, causing one fatality and four injuries. Those stats meant that DND had alerts in two that the FMCSA uses to rate companies and identify dangerous carriers. BASIC serves as the foundation for the agency's Safety Measurement System -- a system that the trucking industry despises. DND had poor scores in the BASIC standards for safe driving and driver fatigue. The chances of a firm being involved in a fatal crash jump by 93 percent when it has an alert on unsafe driving and by 83 percent when it has received a warning for excessive hours-of-service violations, according to agency data. And firms with two alerts have crash rates that are the average among companies with no alerts. Independent drivers like Velasquez and his colleagues are paid by the load, not by the number of hours they work. A decent living requires good loads. To get good loads, a trucker needs a strong relationship with his trucking company's dispatchers, who take orders from shipping brokers and route them to available tractors. If you are like most drivers looking for CDL A truck driving jobs, you want to work for a company with the best pay, the most miles, the best benefits, the best equipment and the most home time. At Western Express, we believe that if you compare our pay, benefits, equipment and available home time to other trucking. Trips that are longer, more time-consuming or force the driver to return empty -- hauling 'flying canaries' or 'dispatcher brains' -- can even cost a driver money. A DND driver named Stanford Dean told NTSB investigators that his loads weren't even dispatched in the United States. They came from someone based in Macedonia. According to Velasquez's logbook for the trip that killed Vincent Petrella, he followed safety rules. It says Velasquez left Hanover Park at 11:45 a.m. On Sunday, Jan. 26, carrying a 6,707-pound load of cable to the Omaha Public Power District in Elkhorn, Nebraska. The entries say he reached Des Moines, Iowa, at about 5:30 p.m., took a 45-minute break, then motored on to Elkhorn by 9 p.m., keeping his driving time well inside the 11-hour limit and his on-duty hours within the 14 permitted in a day. The problem was that this was a trip across the Midwest in the dead of winter, with a brutal deep freeze, snow, fog and whipping winds along the way. Ahead of Velasquez on I-88, two other trucks crashed at 9:43 p.m. In whiteout conditions, shutting down the highway for four hours. Velasquez wasn't even out of Illinois at that point, and that traffic jam may have been his only rest in 37 hours. According to the truck's engine records retrieved by the NTSB, the longest it was idle that Sunday night and early Monday morning was for less than three hours. But about an hour before he got that far, a truck that hauled containers from railways broke down ahead of him in Aurora, Illinois, just shy of Velasquez's destination. It was owned by a firm called Michael's Cartage that had alerts in four of the FMCSA's troubling categories, including maintenance. Its drivers falsified work logs more than half of the time, according to an NTSB review. Just like with DND International, the numbers suggested the carrier was more than twice as likely to wind up in a crash. In this case, the Cartage truck became the hazard that Velasquez failed to avoid. Members of CERT have donated more than $13 million to federal election campaigns since 2012, and spent $80 million on well-connected lobbyists, according to from 2015 using data from the Center for Responsive Politics, as well HuffPost's analysis of more recent congressional lobbying reports through the rest of the year. The American Trucking Associations, which advocates on behalf of the industry, spent another on lobbying and $2.4 million on elections. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, another industry group, has chipped in and $790,000 on campaigns. It amounts to more than $20 million spent each year, solely to influence Congress. But CERT, the coalition of shippers, is determined to get approval for larger trucks, and was behind a push in 2012 requiring the Department of Transportation to study the impacts of size and weight increases. The industry coalition believed, or at least argued, that those impacts would be negligible; research proving that would help their case. But before that study was even completed, the coalition got its provision allowing longer trucks added to the House's version of the. The DOT study, in June 2015 two weeks after the House released the transportation bill, recommended against allowing larger trucks, saying the safety issues remained unresolved. There were several other industry requests in that funding bill for 2016, including a measure that aimed to extend the suspension of sleep rules that Collins had won just six months earlier. Her suspension lasted a year and required regulators to look into the effectiveness of requiring two nights of sleep and whether there was any case for the trucking industry's position. But rather than see that process through, the new provision changed the study mid-stream and called for gathering even more data — including the regulation's impact on the longevity of drivers. Studying workers' lifespans, of course, takes entire lifespans. That provision was signed into law with the 2016 spending bill that ultimately passed. Another measure the industry pushed last year aimed to short-circuit federal regulators' efforts to evaluate raising insurance requirements for trucking companies. Currently, carriers have to maintain the same $750,000 policies they did in the '80s. The industry’s argument is that independent operators would not be able to afford higher premiums -- and indeed, DND's margins were so close it shut down when its insurance company raised rates after the Balder crash. The industry argues that 99 percent of truck accidents do not generate such high damages. But $750,000 doesn't begin to cover the costs a serious semi wreck incurs. For instance, a widower whose wife was killed and children severely injured by a dozing driver in 2010 won in damages. The family of James McNair, the comedian who died in the Tracy Morgan crash, settled for in March last year. A somewhat weakened version of the measure did pass, requiring regulators to evaluate a number of different factors before they adjust the insurance requirements. Another industry-backed provision aimed to hide the BASIC safety measurements for trucking companies from public view, and bar their use in lawsuits. The lawsuit provision was dropped from the spending bill during negotiations, but the BASIC scores were in fact and removed from the agency's website. The industry used a that found the safety system could do better in some respects to justify its position, but the two firms involved in the Velasquez crash had exactly the sort of poor safety scores that the BASIC system predicts make them more likely to be involved in accidents. The trucking industry is back at it this year, adding a provision that would override state rest and overtime pay rules to a reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration, which is currently operating on a stopgap measure that expires in mid-July. The Senate is working on a dramatically different version of that bill, which almost guarantees a situation where trucking lobbyists have thrived -- a rush to finish a must-pass bill behind closed doors with a looming deadline and little ability to alter deeply buried provisions. Worked for TA for last three years recruited for them at driving schools and colleges as well as trained new hires fresh out of school. It's no secret TA pushes lease very hard on each person who comes through the doors. And they hook them in with the money they make versus being a company driver, because if you don't you make a measly 30cpm as company driver and rarely ever see more than 2500 miles a week. I did make momey at TA or i would've never stayed. But that money that was made came with huge sacrifices. I went home once every 2-3 months for 3-4 days because of the weekly operating cost for the equipment was so great. After all the loyalty that I gave to the company I was cornered one day after they refused to dispatch me for 3 days amd told if i didmt resign immediately they would fire me. I later found out it was becasue I named an office personnel a snitch on a closed facebook group. This company used to be a lot different the dispatchers don't fight for you, there's no loyalty or respect for the driver with regards to miles money or home time. They depend on you to pay the operating costs as a lease operator so they don't have to. I landed here because a lot of other companies shut the door in my face out of school. If that's your story by all means dont let anyone else's story stop you from taking advantage of you getting the necessary experience needed to go somewhere else because 'trans scam' (as they are referred to by employees and ex-employees) shouldnt ever be anything other tham a stepping stone for anyone. And should you take no need to this warning or think my story isn't in any way true, I'll leave you with this thought. If they were so great why do they need 20-40 new employees per week? Very friendly co-workers and management. A very strong team atmosphere. Encouraging management who are the 'help you push' instead of the 'tell you to push' kind of people. As the saying goes, 'employees don't leave businesses, they leave management'. If this is an accurate statement, I don't believe I'll ever leave TransAm. I honestly love my job, I love the people I work with, both directly and indirectly. My bosses and generally just everybody I speak with at TransAm are always very encouraging, knowledgeable and inspiring. I was told that this business was started by a trucker to wanted to create a business that was more trucker oriented; to build a business from the mind of a trucker and not just a businessman or woman. I think they took it one step further and not only make the truckers feel at home but also every employee who works at TransAm. If you like paying someone to work for them, go to Trans Am. If you want to be tricked into a lease, go to Trans Am. I have worked for them almost 2 mo. And have made 420 one check 850 one check, rest were -64, -115, -450, so if you do not want to make money, go to Trans Am. Just hit yourself in the head with a hammer and have the same experience without owing money. They also don't tell you that you have to pay them back for hotel and transportation if you leave before 90 days. As a lease driver, I owed $1008 a week before I drove my first mile. Then I have to pay for gas as well. If you are company, there will be no work in winter. So, please do not come to this company. In the 2.5 months since I started my training and was placed in a truck in 19 days, there have been over 200 people turn in their trucks and quit. They only have about 1,000 drivers so you do the math. I'll be quitting as soon as I make enough to get a ticket home. This job does not explain everything in orientation! Had a $2200 check but only brought home $700! They did not explain what all the deductibles were. Driver management does not contact workers. Settlement gives you the run around. This place is not the ideal company. They will sweet talk you into coming but treat you horrible! I was in the lease purchase program and started having problems with the truck the first day I took it out. Haven't had the truck for a good two weeks and my truck has been in the shop 3 times. And I'm still having the same problem! They say they don't push the lease but thats what they want you to do. The lease traps you that's how they make the money to pay for the trucks thsy claim its a walk away lease but youll get billed after you walk away stating what you owe them. Trucks are good if you like auto kws t680. They bait you in with the free tv apu and fridge. If youre not experienced go company that way youll learn first its made for drivers who already know how to manage owner operator positions. Makegood money training but its stressful being out there 60-65 days before you get a chance to go home. Ask alot of questions about youre accounts with your tal and escrows ask about uncapping and lifestyle lease programs. I started with transam as a company driver and for a month and a half my pay check were no more then $250 a week they always had me sitting and wen i kept on asking for more miles they would tell me to lease. So i finally sign a lease and now i get no paychecks the minute u go home u will be owing transam money just the truck payment alone its 1000 a week not counting fuel and etc. Yes there trucks a nice and it has about everything in it but at what cost save yourself time n money n go somewhere else cuz this is the biggest mistake I have ever done. If u have nothing n no bills then this is the job for you. The recruiters here tell u that you'll get a truck that's waiting for u in the yard after orientation to roll out and do your job. But when u get there after orientation they send u out to retrieve a truck that another driver dropped off somewhere. I was against it after orientation and I told them that. I said I didn't sign up to go retrieve trucks for the company. So they set me up in a motel thinking I was going to get a truck that was in the yard the next day. So they still sent me out to retrieve a truck anyway the next day. So I go out to retrieve the truck. I was already having issues with that truck. So it went in the shop for five days. I went to go pick it up and took it out on the road and the steering was shaking worse than when it went into the shop the first time. So to make a long story short they had me retrieve three trucks in all for two months and all of the trucks were doing the same exact thing or worse and also had a lot of the instrument lights that were on also. I was in the shop for two months when I was with this company and maybe got to be on the road for two weeks getting paid. From Invoice Generator Pro is a easy to use which keeps track of your sales, payables and inventory. And becuase you can export any report to Word, Excel, RTF or HTML format you can email or fax your Invoices, Quotes and Purchase Order to your customers. Features: • Network ready - 5 users. • Password protected. • Employee Module. • Inventory Maintenance Module. • Database Maintenace Module. • Accounting module. • Receiving Module. • Edit unpaid invoices. • Add comments to your invoice and much more. Create professional invoices faster on your device staying offline! No network connection needed to create invoice. No registration or login needed. The application is faster and more reliable because you can create all the invoice in offline mode. Fast and simple to use 3. Optimized for phone and tablets 4. Create invoice, order, quote and credits 5. Unlimited creation of customer and products 6. Customization of the invoice: A4 / Letter format, change the labels on the invoice, add terms & conditions 7. Email share 8. Be safe: backup your data on your sdcard or on the cloud on Google Drive 9. You can use a barcode to select faster the products 10. Print support 11. Different currency are handled 12. Set discount 13. Manage paiement You can create up to 5 invoices with the free version. Feel free to contact me if you detect any bug or any idea of improvement. From This software is easy to use and you can be creating invoices within five minutes. Invoice Generator not only creates invoices and lets you edit unpaid invoices but you can make down payments, partial payments, and prepayments. You can also track customer payments and sales, set credit limits, put accounts on hold, view customer history, and set a default tax rate. Invoice Generator comes with Sales Reports, Customer List, Inventory List, AR Aging Report, Customer Payment History Report, Customer Statement, and more. In Version 3.0, the biggest change is in the way you create invoices. You will see a new look as well as a new feature that will let you edit unpaid invoices. Get paid faster with ProBooks, the top invoice app to manage your invoicing anywhere, anytime. Can you add a highlighting option? UPDATE: I was pretty satisfied overall with the app in the beginning but, with time, it just doesn't fit our needs. There's no highlighting option - no big deal. There's no search (for client or invoice/estimate #) so have to scroll up and down a long list. You can't edit 'Product/Item' causing me to have to delete and write everything over. Free invoice generator. Create custom invoices online and download printable PDF samples. Professional template design by QuickBooks. Shopify's online invoice generator makes your life easier when it comes to billing and collecting money. Simply fill in the required information and create an invoice on the spot. You can save, print or email it directly to your clients. The Shopify invoice maker uses a professional layout that includes all of the necessary details. More Invoice Generator Pro videos. You can't zoom in on preview if you're using a mobile device. I was told by customer support to take a screenshot so I can then zoom. This app has become VERY INCONVENIENT. Right now I have a customer waiting (not the first time I needed something right away and app glitches). They've asked me to update contact information so they can pay us and I did just that but it's not updating.resulting in time wasted, we can't get paid until then, unhappy customer, and frustrated admin. Looking for another app. This one no longer works for us unfortunately. Oh, and lastly, while Tony is decently good with replying in a timely manner, at times like this when I need things done right away, there is no customer service number I can call for immediate assistance. Update (same day) There is a customer service # in the app but I was looking for one within the emails. Although that went to a voicemail, I messaged support and the responded within a reasonable amount of time and fixed the issue. I feel a little better but I still feel the same about the app, however, customer service is pretty decent. Thanks for reading. Overall, app is OK. But it's lacking some features. WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Not necessarily but I would say TRY IT. It may work just fine for you. • Summary: Immerse yourself in the award-winning strategy experience. Microsoft Studios brings you three epic Age of Empires III games in one monumental collection for the first time. Command mighty European powers looking to explore new lands in the New World; or jump eastward to Asia and determine Immerse yourself in the award-winning strategy experience. Microsoft Studios brings you three epic Age of Empires III games in one monumental collection for the first time. Command mighty European powers looking to explore new lands in the New World; or jump eastward to Asia and determine the outcome of its struggles for power. Bought this not long ago. I already had Age of Empires 3 (without the expansions), but had lost it a while back. It wasn't my favorite game at Bought this not long ago. I already had Age of Empires 3 (without the expansions), but had lost it a while back. It wasn't my favorite game at the time, but I thought I'd give it another go, and I had always wanted to try out the expansions. I made a very good choice. The expansions add so much to the game that the enjoyability is far above what Age of Empires 3 was without them. This is my favorite rts to date, and I've played quite a few of them. A wonderful game while not quite as good as Age Of Empires 2 it is still worthy to bear the name Age Of Empires and mowing down hordes of A wonderful game while not quite as good as Age Of Empires 2 it is still worthy to bear the name Age Of Empires and mowing down hordes of enemies flinging them across the screen not sparing a single villager BRINGING TOTAL DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO THE LAND WITH GIANT MOTHER MONSTER TRUCKS. You know is always good for a few laughs. But this game has lost some of the grandness of the previous titles while Age Of Empires 2 is a base builder not managing an empire like a total war game it made you feel like you were in something bigger than your self in the wonderful way the campaigns were presented even if they were riddled full of historical inaccuracies. But with so much content and slick animations and just plain fun gameplay (If you like RTS style games) you more then get your moneys worth with this beautiful RTS. Age of Empires 3 was a great game. Warchiefs and Asian Dynasties are great additions to the game. The offer you 6 new campaigns and many new Age of Empires 3 was a great game. Amazon.com: Age of Empires III: Complete Collection - PC: Video Games. Windows, North America: October 18, 2005. Europe: November 4, 2005. Mac OSX, North America: November 21, 2006. Europe: September 29, 2006. Windows Mobile, April 30, 2009. N-Gage, April 28, 2009. Compilations, Age of Empires III: Gold Edition Age of Empires III: Complete Collection. Warchiefs and Asian Dynasties are great additions to the game. The offer you 6 new campaigns and many new nations and maps to play on. And because it only adds maps, missions and nations, makes it a good DLC, because the game was a core game and the DLCs just added on the core game. Its not a half made game with DLC to complete it. AoE 3 Complete Collection is worth buying. I am a Civ minion and I LOVE the world-builders. This game is highly entertaining for a RTS which I generally avoid. I wish Microsoft would I am a Civ minion and I LOVE the world-builders. This game is highly entertaining for a RTS which I generally avoid. I wish Microsoft would take this franchise in a turn-based direction. I don't like rushing or trying to beat the clock- I do that all day at work. I think a chess-like Civ pace work work well with this title. The market is just flooded with RTS! I'm still searching for a good turn-based title that doesn't fall into the King's Bounty/ Heroes cookie-cutter style. I don't recommend it but it isn't bad. Get it on sale between $10-$20 and it's worth it. The game isn't bad but it's a lot more dumbed down I don't recommend it but it isn't bad. Get it on sale between $10-$20 and it's worth it. The game isn't bad but it's a lot more dumbed down from AoE2. Here you can only select a few nations and are very restricted building units (you can only have a set amount,) same with buildings - can only have a few guard towers. On top of that you can't build large cities anymore, they're mostly just small villages. The graphics are indeed better, it looks and plays great. But I wish it could be more drawn out and not as restricted. The screenshots are very deceptive. 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