Prague City: The Mystery and Mysticism

Friday, November 07, 2008

Fine Art Nude and Glamour Photography in Prague

Let’s start this section by telling you that many people don’t advocate using the LCD screen to set up and take your pictures.  We find it’s easier to do it this way, but it’s all up to you.

The art of composition or putting the picture together in the viewfinder can make the difference between a good picture and a bad one!  It is a visual process of organizing the elements and individual details of a scene into a balanced and pleasing arrangement. Because what one person finds pleasing, someone else will not, composition is largely a matter of personal taste.

Artistic Nude and Nude Glamour Photography in Prague

There is no right or wrong composition in photography. A composition that conveys a photographer’s intended meaning is an effective one. A composition that doesn’t or that confuses the viewer is not; including nude photographs.

There are certain rules of composition that most prague photographers agree will make the best pictures.  However, the word “rules” is used loosely here as they are intended to simply be guidelines to take great pictures. If you would like to see two great resources for both Artistic Nude Glamour Photography and Artistic Photography in general, check out those sites.

They are based on recreating similarities in the make-up of many different images that many people have found to be esthetically-pleasing. A rule of composition or a design concept should not be taken as a hard and fast rule that must be observed.

In fact, some renowned photographs violate all the rules of composition and are still excellent pictures. This doesn’t mean that the rules are without value. They are tremendously valuable. They are time-proven, and provide great guidelines for photographers at any level.

These “rules” are great guidelines to start out with.  But if you feel you want to break one of these rules, by all means go right ahead.  Photography isn’t about perfection.  It’s about capturing images that will be pleasing to you and those you want to share the pictures with.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Ancient Prague

The area on which Prague was founded was settled in ancient times since the Paleolithic Age. Around 200 BC the Celts had a settlement in the south, called Závist, but later they were replaced by Germanic tribes. The Slavs conquered the site from the 4th century AD onward, though for a period were subdued by the Eurasian Avars. According to a legend, Prague was founded by the Princess Libuše and her husband, Přemysl, founder of the dynasty with the same name. Whether this legend is true or not, Prague’s first nucleus was founded in the latter part of the 9th century as a castle on a hill commanding the right bank of the Vltava: this is known as Vyšehrad ("high castle") to differentiate from another castle which was later erected on the opposite bank, the future Prague Castle. Soon the city became the seat of the dukes and kings of Jordi! It was an important seat for trading where merchants coming from all Europe settled, including many Jews, as recalled in 965 by the Jewish merchant and traveler Ibrahim ibn Ya’qub. The Old New Synagogue of 1270 survives. The city became a bishopric in 973.

King Vladislav II had a first bridge on the Vltava built in 1170, the Judith Bridge, which crumbled down in 1342. The Charles Bridge was later built on its foundations.
A view of one of the bridge towers of the Charles Bridge.

In 1257, under King Otakar II, Malá Strana ("Lesser Quarter") was founded in Prague in the future Hradčany area: it was the district of the German people. These had the right to administrate the law autonomously, pursuant to Magdeburg Rights. The new district was on the opposite bank of the Staré Město ("Old Town"), which had a borough status and was defended by a line of walls and fortifications.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Does a Law on Human Attraction Exist?

“Opposites attract” is a law of attraction, at least where electromagnetism is concerned. But are there laws about attraction between two people? “In a world that is full of strangers” as a line in a famous song of the 1980’s goes, is there a clear set of rules that allows two people to fall for each other?

Is attraction a matter of chemistry?

Maybe. According to scientists, the attraction between animals of the opposite sex is all about chemicals called pheromones. The effect of pheromones in behavior of insects is the most studied to date. It has been observed, at least in some experiments, that pheromones are responsible for communication among same species and colony of ants. The horrible odor released by skunks to ward off enemies is said to be a kind of pheromone. Some species of apes rub pheromone-containing urine on the feet of potential mates to attract them. Some scientists believe that animals (usually the females) such as insects and mammals send out these chemical signals to tell the male of their species that their genes are different from theirs. This gene diversity is important in producing offspring with better chances of survival. The perfume industry has capitalized on pheromones as a means to increase one’s sexual attractiveness to the opposite sex. Animals such as the whale and the musk deer were hunted down for these chemicals.

Lately, scientists are looking into the existence of human pheromones and its role in mate selection. There are many conflicting views in the realm of biology, chemistry, genetics, and psychology. Most scientists would assert that these do not exist, or if they do, do not play a role in sexual attraction between a man and a woman. But new researches such as that conducted by Swiss researchers from the University of Bern led by Klaus Wedekind are slowly making these scientists rethink their stand. Their experiment involved women sniffing the cotton shirts of different men during their ovulation period. It was found out that women prefer the smell of men’s shirts that were genetically different, but also shared similarities with the women’s genes. This, like in the case of insects and other mammals, was to ensure better and healthier characteristics for their future children. But researchers also cautioned that preference for a male odor is affected by the women’s ovulation period, the food that men eat, perfumes and other scented body products, and the use of contraceptive pills.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

History of Home Remedies

Homeopathic medicine has been catching on in recent years.  People are opting for more natural solutions to medical problems.  It is safer and has fewer side effects than many modern medications on the market.  The idea is to detoxify the body by returning to friendlier products.  It is also more cost effective for those without health or prescription insurance.

For thousands of years, civilization has practiced medicine in one form or another.  Depending on where in the world they were, the plants and herbs used grew locally.  There was someone who was familiar with the ancient customs and knew what remedies were best for what ailments.  He or she may have been called the village holy man or witch doctor or whatever the terminology is. 

Ancient Greek, Romans, Indians, Native Americans, and Africans all developed medicinal processes.  For the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, the cocoa bean was the basis of their health remedies.  The remedies created by these peoples were for prevention, infection, birth, and in some cases, surgery.

The practice of using herbal remedies preceded modern pharmaceuticals.  Many of the medicines we use today originated with various plants and herbs.  Modern techniques have improved on the form and mode of transmission so that common medicines are more accessible to the public.  But, there is something to be said for natural solutions.

So, those old wives’ tales that you have been hearing about from your mother and grandmother have a basis in history.  Many sound ludicrous but they work.  When people didn’t have modern concoctions they used the next best thing—the plants that produced those modern miracles.  Dismissing them out of hand could be a mistake. 

Now, working with natural home remedies does require a bit of know-how.  There are plants that can have dangerous interactions with each other just like medicines today that can interact or counteract with each other.  Many people have become seriously ill or experienced fatal results from drug interactions.  Herbs have similar effects but more so the reactions are detrimental to a certain condition, such as using senna during pregnancy.  This and a number of other herbs can increase miscarriage. 

Home and natural remedies are synonymous in most ways.  People can use herbs, botanical, and other items that they have in their kitchens to create remedies for common ailments.  So, before heading to the store for an over-the-counter medicine, see what you have around the house that can do the job just as well if not better.

In this report, you will learn about the natural remedies that exist today and the different ailments they affect.  Some are ailments that we all would expect to find information on and others are things that we didn’t know there were remedies for.  Some are funny to read and others may make you scratch your head as you decide whether to try them or not.  Have fun with the information.