Exclusives aren't the only creative geniuses in the world.   Many times I have run across images that look very similar to mine and I think "hey that person copied me". I go check, they have uploaded before me. And I KNOW I don't copy anybody, exclusive or otherwise. I read a lot of magazines and internet articles. Images flood my everyday life. Inspiration can come from anywhere and I personally don't believe that I can come up with any idea (or any other photographer, for that matter) that hasn't already been done by someone in the world at least once.* Sometimes that's just going to happen and you either accept the whole crowdsourcing model or you move to RM (or Getty).

*A great example, most recently...the apple logo with Steve Jobs silhouette on it. Turns out someone did that way before the version circulating after Jobs' death was a copy. Yet, IIRC, those two people lived in different parts of the world.

It is called convergent evolution, and is common everywhere. Even the concept of evolution was discovered by two people at det same time.

Email sent about Norwegian

Thank you!

I guess you haven't seen how we are spending the oil money. It all goes into a "pension fund" for when the oil runs out. We now have 2920 billions NOK in the bank, own parts of London, and are buying parts of Paris. But very little of this goes to my wallet, I still have to work and pay (a lot of) taxes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Government_Pension_Fund_of_Norway

Of course the export of crude oil is extremely important, but it is only part of the puzzle. If you look at the export/import calculations, you will see that we almost break even without oil. We are very large exporters of fish and fish products, electricity and goods that require a lot of energy to produce, and have a population filled with well educated people that travel the world but still send home tax money (e.g. oil engineers ).
Unlike other oil producing countries we are making sure that the income reaches shore, it doesn't go directly to the big companies like in Nigeria etc. This gives us room to build a supporting industry. One example: Shell was forced to land the gas in Norway, before sending it in pipes to England. This generated almost 1000 jobs at the landing site, and many times that number in the surrounding region (food industry, cleaning, IT, secondary engineering contracts etc.).

The US is also a gigantic oil producing country, why aren't they in a better financial situation if this only boils down to liters of oil/capita? They also have a lot of other natural resources, and unlike Norway it is possible to grow food there, they shouldn't have to import it.

We spend a lot on the welfare system, and make it difficult for people to become rich. Like you Swedes say; we are the last of the communist states. The US of A consider the individual to be more important than the masses. That is a fair choice, but it doesn't provide equal health care for everyone.

A different way to think secure passwords, is to combine unlikely words. Like GreyFishFliesInPeru. A bit lengthy to type, but very easy to remember, og almost impossible to guess.

http://chrisandjanet.net/asparaguspee/?p=1601

Isn't there some religious holy day on fridays? Islam and bahaii, I think.

gostwyck; stop being such an old grump.

These cows look like something Isselee would do? http://www.shutterstock.com/g/xedos4#id=30155161

Til Ungdommen
av Nordahl Grieg (1936)

Kringsatt av Fiender,
g� inn i din tid!
Under en blodig storm -
vi deg til strid!

Kanskje du sp�r i angst,
udekket, �pen:
hva skal jeg kjempe med
hva er mitt v�pen?

Her er ditt vern mot vold,
her er ditt sverd:
troen p� livet v�rt,
menneskets verd.

For all v�r fremtids skyld,
s�k det og dyrk det,
d� om du m� - men:
�k det og styrk det!

Stilt g�r granatenes
glidende b�nd
Stans deres drift mot d�d
stans dem med �nd!

Krig er forakt for liv.
Fred er � skape.
Kast dine krefter inn:
d�den skal tape!

Elsk og berik med dr�m
alt stort som var!
G� mot det ukjente
fravrist det svar.

Ubygde kraftverker,
ukjente stjerner.
Skap dem, med sk�net livs
dristige hjerner!

Edelt er mennesket,
jorden er rik!
Finnes her n�d og sult
skyldes det svik.

Knus det! I livets navn
skal urett falle.
Solskinn og br�d og �nd
eies av alle.

Da synker v�pnene
maktesl�s ned!
Skaper vi menneskeverd
skaper vi fred.

Den som med h�yre arm
b�rer en byrde,
dyr og umistelig,
kan ikke myrde.

Dette er l�ftet v�rt
fra bror til bror:
vi vil bli gode mot
menskenes jord.

Vi vil ta vare p�
skj�nnheten, varmen
som om vi bar et barn
varsomt p� armen!


      

English translation
By Rod Sinclair (2004)


Faced by your enemies
On every hand
Battle is menacing,
Now make your stand

Fearful your question,
Defenceless, open
What shall I fight with?
What is my weapon?

Here is your battle plan,
Here is your shield
Faith in this life of ours,
The common weal

For all our children�s sake,
Save it, defend it,
Pay any price you must,
They shall not end it

Neat stacks of cannon shells,
Row upon row
Death to the life you love,
All that you know

War is contempt for life,
Peace is creation
Death�s march is halted
By determination

We all deserve the world,
Harvest and seed
Hunger and poverty
Are born of greed

Don�t turn your face away
From needs of others
Reach out a helping hand
To all your brothers

Here is our solemn vow,
From land to land
We will protect our world
From tyrants� hand

Defend the beautiful,
Gentle and innocent
Like any mother would
Care for her infant.

Subscriptions have finally been upped to 0.30 bucks. Thanks!

http://www.canstockphoto.com/payout_schedule.php

Have you gotten invites? I've got some extra if you want them.

He has a background as a computer programmer geek. Why do you think he is thinking logic and economy, and not just; "I want my site to have the best code ever written, just because I can"?

Thanks for the tip, I even found a few without watermark, that looked legit.

This one was so sweet that I almost can forgive him for stealing my picture and claiming copyright to it...