In early "head" racing the object of the competition was to row and bump their opponents' boats from behind. Eventually, one by one, each of the boats that had entered the race would be eliminated until only one was left standing. This last boat standing was referred to as the "head of the river."

Melted wax (Javanese: malam) is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is common for people to use a mixture of bees wax and paraffin wax. The bee's wax will hold to the fabric and the paraffin wax will allow cracking, which is a characteristic of batik. Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colors are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.

The sound of a thousand matracas, the wooden noisemakers carried by people of all ages during Semana Santa, heralded the carnival-like scene.

Holy Week ends the 40-day period of Lent and is the most sacred time of the year in Mexico. During this time, there are numerous activities, such as religious processions and decorations on the sidewalks with flowers. People may create small altars and palm crosses are ubiquitous.

Throughout history, the balustrade has enhanced the beauty and character of fine architecture. A baluster is a short pillar with a curved outline and a balustrade is a barrier made with pillars of this type and topped with a coping or rail. The word comes from the Greek word (balustion) for a pomegranate flower which resembles the shape of a baluster.

View of the Chiesa Della Salute on the Grand Canal. The church was built after the plague, over a million trees were consumed. This photograph is processed in the style of a daguerreotype (copper plate).

Shortboarders, longboarders and bodyboarders locked horns in a series of timed heats with a set quota of waves competitors were allowed to ride. Each competitor was judged on the tricks they attempted, and points were awarded based on the degree of difficulty and variety of maneuvers.

Florence has an ancient tradition of craftwork: once upon a time, each area of the city was characterized by a certain type of work, each controlled by the powerful Corporazione delle Arti: sculptors’ laboratories, leather goods makers, blacksmiths and goldsmiths. The corporations were based on strict rules and only the legitimate children of a member could join the profession. In this way, art and techniques have been handed down through the generations to the present day.

It's a quintessential NYC tourist thing to do - take a hansom cab ride around Central Park. It's a tourist stereotype, but it's fun and not something you do every day, which must be why everyone does it. The cabs line up around the south end of the park, across from the famous Plaza Hotel. Find one you like and hop in. Rides tend to run around $25 and loop up to the halfway point of the park and around - maybe about 20 minutes. If you get a good cabbie, he'll give you a history of Park sites and others within eyeshot. Make sure you get the cute photo of yourself in the cab.

Every day is market day in Cholula.  Large markets and individual street vendors supply most of the ingredients for traditional and popular dishes originating from the region. Some examples are “tinga”: pork or chicken stewed in chiles, “mixiotes”: spiced rabbit, lamb or chicken wrapped and steamed in a sauce, and “chiles en nogada” : seasoned ground meat combined with fruit, raisins and pine nuts stuffed in a roasted, battered and fried poblano pepper topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. No meal would be complete without blue tortillas, made from the local corn of that color.

" I want to stress the mixed media aspect of this work. I feel like I'm drawing my materials from a variety of sources.....a softness in character- like the that found in the works of Botticelli. The texture and vivid colors found in Van Gogh. A modern, edgy, fashion vibe...from all my Vogue magazines. An eclectic mix of ideas and material. I like the fact that these works start out with a drawing...the basics. I feel committed to them in a way because I have the physical piece to work on outside of the computer. Then to complete the process, they're scanned in and further edited in photoshop and painter. I have used "curves" on every print...I love the sensitivity of the Photoshop editing...I'm moving back and forth between the programs, Photoshop and Painter, more and more."  Rachel

The American Heritage Dictionary defines collage as: "An artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and colors." The word collage is from the French "coller", to glue! Dada artist Kurt Schwitters used bits of newspaper, tickets and bits of cloth to elevate everyday objects to high art. Ironically he was attempting to ridicule the art establishment. Over the years the art form has moved from the originally radical efforts of Picasso and Georges Braque (combining found objects into the art) to the montage or photomontage works of Max Ernst. Today, the quantity of imagery at one's disposal has exploded. The power of today's computers, the availability of reasonably priced software (PhotoShop. and Painter) and advances in digital cameras and scanners is rapidly changing the artistic landscape.

Puebla, Mexico is considered the world’s cradle of corn: the oldest kernels ever discovered were found in this area. Cholula, in the state of Puebla, has produced many of the country's most classic dishes including mole poblano, made with over 30 ingredients including spices, seeds, nuts and even chocolate!

Mike Grell was already well established as a writer and artist of some repute when LONGBOW HUNTERS was originally published in 1987, with such renowned works as THE WARLORD and JON SABLE: FREELANCE behind him. Taking the impetus from editor and friend Mike Gold, Grell opted to redefine Oliver Queen as an 'urban hunter', and thus deal with real-world issues - a sharp contrast to the super-villains and alien invasions that were commonplace during Green Arrow's adventures up until that point.

In this three-issue prestige format limited series, Green Arrow abandons gadget arrows and fights crime in Seattle, Washington, where he now lives with Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance). The series took on a more gritty, violent, and urban tone, befitting the series' mature audience label.

The art, though, is the real attraction of LONGBOW HUNTERS - Grell employs various techniques (drawing on cardboard, use of white space) to great effect, leading the eye with ease. While Grell's technique may be seen as old-fashioned by today's standards, the lack of flash and glitz in the storytelling helps the story, rather than hides it. The subdued colours used by Julia Lacquement compliment Grell's art excellently - placing substance over style.

In lushness and variety of life the Sonoran Desert far surpasses all other North American deserts and yet paradoxically, it is one of the hottest and driest regions on the continent.