I was a copyright expert for 6 years on a prominent and highly respected photo gallery web site. I was the one that took direction from our team of lawyers. IF you photograph it and don't get caught, they will let it slide as long as it doesn't appear on a public forum - like this, Facebook, etc. If it is only shown as a vacation photo within your family group, they will not bother you. But, as with our amateurs' photo gallery on-line, we often heard from their legal team threatening us if we did not take the photo down because of this law. From experience, I know this is truth. (BTW, that permission is more than some payment. It is very costly, requires application well in advance and they demand to see in what context it will be used.) And our gallery did not sell anything, nor did we allow posting sample brochures, or marketing pieces...

Apple just pulled their game app of the civil war. They are talking of moving a confederate general and his family out of their final resting places in a prominent park so the flags on their memorials don't disturb people. If we pretend history never happened, soon it and it's lessons are forgotten to future generations. We cannot cleanse ourselves of our history by denying it.

the Eiffel Tower may not be photographed after dark. The design architect that owns the lighting display on The Tower has copyrighted the lighting. Few people know this. They have a few signs posted around the area stating this. However, people find ways to sneak photos or just take them and hope no one says anything. And lots of people just don't read and don't know they are violating copyright law.

Just an FYI, coons, frozen whole or skinned, go for a nice price per animal on the Taxidermy.net site. I've bought several in the past.

Coons carry disease. They are mean and will attack dogs and cats and people. My advice is keep the food in the house. Feed the cats in the house. Only let them out if you have to or when you can watch them. Trap and dispatch the coons. Believe me, there are more of them than you realize, as well as possums and skunks, who all will eat and drink out of the bowls. I was in the Vet's ER one night after my doxie was attacked by a coon (when I let her out briefly to potty), when two other people ran in carrying shredded and badly injured dogs that had also been attacked in their own yards. You are feeding the coons and only helping to create more of them in your neighborhood (and I bet no one is short of coons around there) so if you're not trapping, spaying and neutering the creatures, stop encouraging larger populations. BTW, I'm a taxidermist and they make great floor lamps and hats! :-) (coons, not cats...)

So glad to see my Northern California buddies enjoyed the temps as much as I did(n't). 105 in Sacramento yesterday at my house out by the executive airport (because temperatures fluctuate by 5 degrees depending where you stand in the city). But I'm sure you are enjoying the 84 degrees today with a light scattering of sprinkles falling intermittently during the day. How nice that it will be back up to 100 tomorrow so we can stew in the humidity.

Too late... we may fight among ourselves but we unite under a single cause...

Get over it. Dunce caps in schools, being called over the loud speaker in class to appear in the principal's office, wearing juvenile detention vests while performing community service, etc. are all things I've heard described as public shaming. So what if only 20 people see you instead of the 20 million on Facebook... I should hope a child would be shamed by a misdeed. It's in how they are taught to take responsibility for their actions whether they take it as the punishment it is, as a deterrent for future actions, or as "everybody hates me." Child suicide happens and it can be triggered by less than public punishment (or shaming). It's tragic and it hurts to hear of it, but bloody do-gooders making it into a homicide investigation gets me angry. It's not so bad if your child is an honor roll kid that was caught skipping school one day because they were curious. Send them to bed without dinner (oh, wait...now they say that's child abuse...) But if you have a habitually and chronically misbehaving child that will probably end up dead before they turn 18 because they think they can do as they please with no consequences, then you, as a parent, do what you can to stop it...the least of which would be public shaming.

As I read this, I'm sitting one hour out of San Francisco and it's been sprinkling on and off since about 11 p.m. last night and it's only gonig to be 84 degrees. Only enough rain to make the street damp (not wet) and tomorrow they are saying it will be back up to 101. Monday was 105. This is ridiculous. I don't mind the rain but the heat has to go!

Look for Polenta. It's the same thing only it's yellow. The taste is the same though. Red Mill products include many specialty items like gluten-free flours and mixes. Two of their bag products are grits and polenta. But both grits and polenta can also be sold as ready-made in plastic tubes by various makers. Usually near the bean and pasta products but sometimes in the refrigerator case.

How 'bout for men...
"If you like it, I'm sure I will too."
"Whatever you think is best, Dear..."
"Yes, Dear....."
"If you say so."
The total lack of commitment is hilarious...and it's excused as being their way to avoid an argument. It only starts arguments with me. I'm sure other women could add to this but these are the most vexing I run into...LOL

too much rain and humidity for me... I'll take our 78-80 temps and a 17% humidity, thank you. Northern California has it's benefits if you live in the right area.

A tiny HH birthday...
http://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=715849131821273

Horrid! Did you see how many people it put out of work on the construction alone! It may save electricity and fossil fuels but it claims it will put people out of work when the world population is skyrocketing!

I've been living with Harbaugh with the 49ers for some time now, and I have to say he's good, but he's an odd duck and it will be interesting to see if he can get along with everyone there. He has a "my way or the highway" attitude that ruffles feathers. At least the media enjoys his deadpan seriousness and inappropriate, unexplained outbursts.. LOL