There is an art to taking beautiful portraits. I’m learning a lot about the tools and techniques involved. I also hope to introduce new and interesting ideas into my portraits. Just as an example, I wonder how I could incorporate classic log furniture. Anything that might make my portraits more interesting and attractive. I am up for creativity and I’m willing to learn everything I can to achieve those creativity.

We didn’t have summer camp where I grew up.  But my husband can tell me what his experiences were when he was growing up though.  He tells me it is very popular here in North America to send your children off to a camp somewhere in the wilderness for a couple of weeks out of the summer.  The kids already have a month off of school, so it’s a very welcome diversion for the kids – and for the parents too.  I thought about this the other day when I was considering sending my daughter to a camp and was checking out camps in our area through the American Camp Association website.

There seem to be a variety of camps in our area that cater to various kinds of children’s interests.  There are camps oriented to a specific sport like hockey or tennis.  There are riding camps, religious camps, drama camps, and even Coed Sleepaway Camps – almost everything that you can think of.  And then of course there are simply general interest camps that have the usual canoeing, swimming, and other fun activities. This was what my husband experienced in his teen years.

You could argue that kids ought to have the summer to experience the unbridled freedom of not having any daily schedule to follow – so that they can spend it with their friends and just play.  Some parents believe that kids should be left alone to play – that play is the best teacher for young minds.  Play forces kids to develop all sorts of physical muscles as well as social “muscles” as when the inevitable conflict arises and kids have to find a way to settle their differences or go home by themselves.  I’m one who believes that kids have to be allowed to play as much as possible.

Of course, you can let kids have too much of the reigns and then you wonder why they don’t seem to take your loving instruction very well.  That might be the one of the great benefits of sending the kids to summer camp where they can learn to follow outside instruction – giving them (and parents) a break from tired old voices telling them to do this and to do that.

It’s sad to read about the latest development in the medical industry saga.  If you’ve been reading my posts regarding other drugs and their tragic “mis”-effects, then you’ll know that this latest news is no surprise here.  It’s just another example of the mis-guided pursuit of so-called “health” by the powers that be in the medical industry.

But tragically, to many patients who had been given actos as treatment for their diabetes, this DID come as a TOTAL surprise.  These patients might have been aware of certain side-effects of taking the drug — if the physician who prescribed it bothered to take the time to explain it to them fully.  However, they were never told that one of those side effects happens to be bladder cancer.  Now, instead of getting the best treatment for their diabetes, these patients find themselves having to take out an actos lawsuit against the ones who gave them this drug.

Now that this has come out in the open, there is every legal right available to those who have suffered to pursue an actos class action lawsuit.  This is familiar territory to us and many in the legal profession who have seen this type of medical miss.  But that’s why they’re there – to inform and help you retrieve whatever recompense you deserve.