World Events in Tapestries

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

The media today is packed full of doom and gloom – wars, economy, stock market, tsunamis, earthquakes, hunger, global warming – the list is endless. But how different is it today compared to 700 years ago, 400 years ago or 200 years ago? We think we are in the middle of major maelstrom, but we find that history constantly repeats itself and that the ongoing events of the world are documented in full living color in woven tapestries.

Going back in time to the medieval period, a period known as the dark ages, we come upon a series of famous hand woven tapestries known as the Apocalypse series. In fact this wall tapestry, woven in 1373 was originally one continuous piece measuring 459 feet. This incredible wall hanging tapestry documented the events of the 1300′s – its wars, famine, failed harvests due to major climatic changes and of course the human condition. Additionally this tapestry wall hanging predicted the demise of the human race with the 4 horses of the apocalypse. What remains today of this hand woven tapestry is approximately 110 feet in segments and preserved at the castle in Angers in France.

In between the dark ages and the Italian renaissance, we have lots of tapestries depicting battle scenes and wars, along with scenes of the nobility at leisure in their gardens and peasants harvesting. The world had not come to an end, as outlined in the Apocalypse tapestries, and so war scenes became interspersed with wall tapestries depicting ordinary life, and of course more inspirational tapestries of saints and saintliness that were commissioned by the church.

Moving on to the Italian Renaissance we enter an age of enlightenment – a returning back to the classical Greek period. European tapestries had entered a new era. Inspired by the Sistine Chapel, Pope Leo X decided the only complimentary art to this magnificent piece of work, would have to be hand woven tapestries. Commissioning the famous painter Raphael to create cartoons (the art work) for a series of 10 large tapestries depicting the Acts of the Apostles, they were subsequently made into woven tapestries remains and to this day remain one of the wonders of the world in the art. Coming out of the dark ages, these hand woven tapestries inspired scholars, historians, artists, noblemen, and the ordinary man to better himself and participate in a more peaceful and beautiful world.

By the time we enter the late 1600′s through to the 1800′s, we find that tapestry wall hangings now depict the lives of ordinary people and the nobility alike. For example, in French tapestries, chateaux scenes are depicted representing 12 months of the year – a different chateau for each month. In Italian tapestries we see scenes in the Months of Lucas series showing everyday life in 12 separate hand woven tapestries, each representing an individual month. Tapestries had taken on a liveliness, a joie de vivre, a back to nature and interest in the joys of living, loving and playing.

By the 19th century, in wall tapestries, the connection to the past medieval period is once again employed with the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris. The decorative arts become the focus of interest and some of the most magnificent stained glass work, paintings and of course hand woven tapestries are created by the guild of Morris & Co, located in England. While wars, poverty, economic events and natural disasters continue to occur, this was Victorian England, and the world looked promising.

Our connection to the world through time depicted in tapestries remains. How we would convey our current events in a wall hanging tapestry would be a curious question. Perhaps this is a question for the art world, our economists, our governments or our churches. Regardless, tapestries give us the benefit of recognizing that history does repeat itself and that the current world events are not new.

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Blackpool Tower in the War Years 1939-1945

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

During the Second World War the town took on a number of new roles as Blackpool turned its attention from entertaining the masses of the North of England to providing facilities for soldiers, airmen and others involved in the war effort.

The tower top was taken over by the Royal Air Force as an emergency radar station. A 40 foot section of the spire was replaced by a wooden structure bearing the receiving aerials, and a number of steel cantilevers were inserted into the tower at various heights to carry their transmitting aerials. It must be remembered that Britain was at this time pioneering the use of Radar and that this work would have been labelled ‘Top Secret’.

Many technical difficulties had to be overcome by the engineers and service personnel before the radar station call could operate efficiently. There was interference from the tramway system on the promenade, and even the steel structure on the tower itself interfered with reception. The Tower Company’s chief engineer, Mr K. L. Foster worked night and day to solve the problems encountered by the RAF radar operators, whose task was to maintain surveillance of the Irish Sea from the Crows Nest at the top of the tower.

The tower top was also used as a lookout post by men of the National Fire service and the home guard, and the buildings below were both used by the RAF and the Royal Artillery for training purposes. Blackpool had become a joint training camp with more than 90,000 servicemen billeted in the town. The RAF used the ballroom and the Royal Artillery held lectures and training sessions in the Tower Circus each afternoon; in the evenings both ballroom and circus reverted to their normal role, providing entertainment for both the troops billeted in the seafront hotels and boarding houses and the holidaymakers who came to Blackpool for a brief respite from aiding the war effort. Throughout the dismal years of war, the Blackpool lamp of entertainment still shone brightly in spite of the blackout.

The first six days after declaration of war on third September, 1939, all places of amusement had been compulsorily closed. The tower staff kicked their heels, wondering what was going to happen. Then, realising the value of keeping the nation’s spirits up, the government decided theatres, cinemas and ballrooms could serve a more useful purpose open than closed. Blackpool immediately swung into action, training troops by day and entertaining them at night, along with the many visitors who crowded into to the West Coast resort.

Each evening every ballroom in the town was packed with servicemen of all ranks dancing with local girls or visitors, many of them making a conscious effort to forget what the future might have in store for them. Many lasting friendships were forged, sometimes at the price of absent and temporarily forgotten sweethearts in their home towns and villages. The bands of the towns ballrooms found a winning entry with a whole new range of tunes and a change of tempo the dancers, south of the border down Mexico way and deep purple giving way to run Rabbit run, and lets hang out the washing on the Siegfried line and we’ll meet again.

When the well-dressed and better paid American troops arrived to sweep the British girls off their feet, to the intense disgust of the poorly paid and drably dressed UK servicemen, a whole new range of dances influenced mainly by Glenn Miller and his band arrived with them.

As the towers male employees enlisted or were called up on conscription, the Tower Company replaced many of them with women. The ballroom bands found their ranks depleted many of them never to resume their former big-band status. When Reginald Dixon joined up he was replaced by a female organist, the talented Ena Baga, sister of Florence De Jong, who used to take her place when her sister was ill. Ena’s signature tune was Smoke gets in your eyes, which became a familiar tune to the servicemen as Reginald Dixon’s signature tune had been to pre-war holidaymakers.

Concerts were held in the ballroom to raise cash for “salute the soldier week” and “War weapons week “and other similar campaigns. One such concert was given by the Halle Orchestra, conducted by Richard Tauber. In the Blackpool theatres there appeared all the big theatrical names as shows from London were transferred to the north of England to escape the blitz on the Capital.

Broadcasting from the tower was a regular feature, both the tower band and the organist’s frequently being heard on the radio in programs designed to entertain the forces at home and abroad. The sound of the tower Wurlitzer could be a reminder of better times and a boost to morale for a sailor in the wastes of the North Atlantic or an airman servicing a bomber in the Western Desert. Near the end of the war Harold Grime, the editor-in-chief of the Blackpool Gazette and Herald, while serving as an officer found himself leading a unit of Indian soldiers onto the stage of the Tower ballroom during one of the concerts. As to the crowded audience rose and cheered them somebody whispered to him Mr Grime what would the national anthem of India be? Puckering his brow, perplexed Mr Grime whispered back heavens, there are about 150 of them. The bandleader was by no means at a loss. The band struck up land of Hope and Glory, which seemed to fit the bill quite adequately and everyone the Indian soldiers included cheered and clapped.

With the invasion of Europe people in Britain could begin to look ahead to the end of the war and to plan for a return to normal. The war years had a mixture of sadness and happiness to thousands of people as they had lost relatives in the fighting and of new and lasting romance in the ballroom. Many American servicemen married English brides, and not a few returned home at the end of the war with broken hearts behind them. Some of the ladies were with child

But if the war had its moments of tragedy, it also had its lighter moments as When Lord Haw Haw, a British broadcaster whose propaganda program transmitted from the German station was listened to with amusement by many Britons, announced that the Luftwaffe had bombed Blackpool Tower, completely destroying it. It was even said that picture of the tower lying on the sands alongside the central Pier had been published in German newspapers. To no one’s surprise the tower was seen next morning in its usual place; one wit remarked that our engineers must have been extremely busy during the night getting it back into position. With victory over Germany and then over Japan there began a slow return to normality, and members of the tower staff returned to familiar scenes and roles as they were demobbed from the forces. The lift service, reserved for official personnel during the war, was restored to the public in August, 1946, and Walter Dutton, lift man for more than 18 years, declared that he was delighted to see the public again. For six years he had taken RAF radar technicians and civilian fire watchers to the top; he had seen a German aircraft swooping to bomb Seed Street, when Blackpool suffered its only air raid of the war; and he looked out from the tower top at the fires as Liverpool blazed after the bombing of the town and the Merseyside docks.

When Reginald Dixon hung up his uniform and returned to claim his place at the Wurlitzer, Ena Baga moved back to London. She came back to Blackpool only to play at the new Odeon console for a Sunday night concert, and on that occasion, told a local reporter that her stay in Blackpool had made her famous in London; a common remark was “overheard you at the Blackpool Tower”. Blackpool was sorry to see Ena Baga go. She kept in close touch with many friends she made during a wartime stay in town, telling them of her first television audition, that she found exciting.

Plunging back into his work, Reginald Dixon returned to a round of broadcasting and making records; some of these records sold more than 70,000 copies, earning him a gold disc from the record company concerned. He was immensely amused when one afternoon a dear old lady, evidently with no idea that she was talking to the organist, asked him what time do they feed the animals? At 3.30 he said again with a smile. Dear me, said the old lady, looking quite annoyed how silly to have both performances at the same time!

And amongst his fan mail Reginald was delighted to have a letter from a 71-year-old George Boyce who told him that he was one of a dozen ornamental plasterers who in 1898 and 1899 and worked on the new ballroom. The havoc wreaked by servicemen’s boots on the floors of the ballroom and other rooms plus the enforced postponement of essential maintenance work during the war resulted in a spate of repairs when peace returned. The ballroom was closed but redecoration, and the opportunity was taken to making number of changes in the general arrangement of the tower buildings. The menagerie and the aquarium were both enlarged and the Oriental lounge was redecorated and refurnished.

The post-war years saw a period of austerity as Britain sought to repair the damage caused by five years of hostilities and restore its shattered economy. With almost all the necessary materials in short supply progress was slow as Blackpool prepared itself for the holidaymakers who crowded into the town, glad to escape for a week or two from the restrictions of austerity and rationing. As many as 80,000 people regularly visited tower during the days of high summer. By 1952 the whole town had been restored to a peacetime appearance and was enjoying something of a boom. So many people were coming to Blackpool on day trips to see the illuminations that the town’s railway lines were hopelessly congested at the height of the season. Some trains did not leave until one or two o’clock in the morning, and the Tower Company was granted a special licence allowing it to remain open till the last the crowds had left for home. Reginald Dixon regularly remained at the organ console until two in the morning entertaining the trippers till the departure time of their trains. Blackpool Tower still had come through the war and had secured its place in the post-war new Blackpool.

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Car Buying Tips: Top 10 Car Options And Accessories To Buy If You Have Kids!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

When a family walks into a car dealer, seldom do they realize the importance of the decisions they are about to make. A family car is more than just a means to go from point A to point B; it is actually a MEMBER of the family! Your family vehicle is with you when you drive your children to their thousand-and-one activities, it is with you when you take a family vacation, and it (hopefully) will be with you as your children become teenagers and as your teenagers become young adults.

If you are shopping for a new vehicle, you know there are many options, accessories and packages that are available to you. To make sense of it all, you need to understand your…well…needs.

If you have children, you know that they are often accompanied by a specific set of needs as well. You may be wondering which options, accessories or packages are best for them. We have attempted to group together a list that highlights what we feel should be added to your new car in order to make it more child-friendly.

Enjoy!

1. Leather seats, the darker the better.

As any parent knows, children occasionally tend to spill things. Nothing hurts your vehicle’s resale value more than a large, smeary blue stain on beige fabric decorating your back seats. What usually happens is that your beautiful child will spill some sort of reddish or purple-ish concoction (that to this day, we do not understand why we bought in the first place) on the seat. Our valiant yet foolhardy attempts to correct the misdeed only serve to exaggerate the original error, leaving us no choice but to camouflage the whole mess with an attractive beach towel.

Sound familiar? Not to anyone with leather seats. Leather seats are the ultimate option for your new car that every parent with young children should absolutely select. Ideally you want to have graphite or black leather seats, but red and brown leather upholstery will also do. The beauty of leather is that it delays the absorption of any liquid splashed on top of it, giving the parent a much larger window of opportunity to clean up the mess. As a matter of fact, you can even go ahead and select pale colors such as tan or grey for your leather interior. The problem with light colors is that you will, after a while, begin to see dark stains generated by wear (all those jeans that rub the seats day in and day out), but that is about it. Stains from food or juice can be washed away as easily in a light interior as a darker one, provided it is made of leather!

2. Fabric Protector

Ok, I know some of you are on a budget when it comes to buying a new car, or maybe you just do not like leather. In that case, opt for the second best thing to protect your new car’s interior from your kids: fabric protector. You can usually buy fabric protector in the finance and insurance manager’s office (F&I) and it is usually offered to you after you have agreed to buy a particular new car while you fill out your credit application.

Fabric protectors create an invisible protective film on your seats that prevents any liquid or food from penetrating the fabric. Your car’s interior thus remains as beautiful over the years as the first day you bought it. Fabric protectors are not a huge investment either. Most will retail in the 150 US$ range, and do not hesitate to negotiate the price by at least 10%! Profit margin percentages on F&I products are higher than any other product in the dealership, included the new cars themselves. You can also opt to apply a protector to your leather seats but I would not recommend unless you select a light color leather and wish to prevent stains that naturally occur from wear over time. On darker leather colors, there really is no need to protect it from stains.

3. All-wheel-drive

I know some of you will mention that this is a pretty big option! Others may wonder what it has to do with children. There are 2 reasons we include all-wheel-drive in our list of the top 10 best accessories for children: 1) Safety and 2) Convenience. Let’s talk safety first. There is no question that an all-wheel-drive vehicle, when driven appropriately of course, is safer than either front-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive vehicles. You will find an explanation of each available drive system in our article entitled Drivetrain Systems Explained and Compared: FWD, RWD, 4WD, AWD. The stability and cornering abilities of an all-wheel-drive new car are superior and provide sure-footed driving in any weather, not just winter. We believe we are not too far from the truth when we say that their children’s safety should be at the top of any parents list when shopping for a new car.

The second reason has to do with all the activities, outings, parties, school events, sporting events, and family vacations that (in the eyes of your children at least) are of life-or-death importance and absolutely cannot be canceled. Your child is unable to understand the potential problems associated with a January Nor’easter so you may want to opt for an all-wheel-drive vehicle and kick those problems to the curb yourself. This will allow you to stay right on schedule no matter what the weather brings.

4. Rear-view Camera

Kids tend to wander; that is not a secret for anyone. They also tend to leave their toys and bicycles in dangerous areas, like right behind your vehicle. If you are like, oh, 99% of the population, you probably do not have a peak behind your car before stepping in and backing out. Having a rear-view camera will allow you to see what is behind your car before you accidently run over it potentially causing hundreds or even thousands of dollars of damage.

More importantly, rear-view cameras may help prevent injuries or worse. Some of you may remember the Lexus advertisement that ran in magazines a few years back. The ad showed a young child on her knees playing in the driveway. The image of the child was displayed via the rear-view camera and a caption below the picture wrote “according to your rear-view mirror, she isn’t there”. We all know children do not have the same perception or recognition of dangerous situations. Thus, it’s a good idea to have that extra pair of eyes just in case.

5. Rear Airbags

More and more vehicles now have side airbags that extent to the back. In the next couple of years, expect all vehicles to have this extra protection for all occupants. Unfortunately however, there are still new cars on the market today that only have 2 airbags, or that have side airbags that only protect the driver and passenger.

In our opinion, car shoppers should stay away from these vehicles, especially if they have children. Why on earth would a parent not choose to have each and every available protection for their kids? It also should be mentioned that all new cars engineered in the past 2 years almost all have rear passenger airbags. So if you are shopping for a new vehicle and come across a model that does not have this increased protection, it is likely that the vehicle is behind its competition in terms of technical and overall safety improvements. If that is case, we strongly recommend you shop elsewhere for your new car.

6. 4-zone climate control

When a sales representative wants to sell a vehicle with 4-zone climate control, they almost always have to stress to the parents that it will be great for the kids. Now some parents feel that this is a little too much luxury to provide for their children (and yes, 4 zone climate control is usually pricey or comes as part of the most expensive options package) while others do not see the benefits. For the first group, well, we certainly will not tell you how to do your job as a parent! For the second group, read on.

4-zone climate controls simply refer to a system that provides independent controls for heat and air-conditioning for the driver, the passenger and the occupants in the back. In other words, it allows everyone in the vehicle to select their own settings for temperature. If your family tends to use your car to go on trips, you know that kids are either too cold or too hot, and they will undoubtedly let you know about it…over and over and over. Having 4 zone climate controls allows everyone in the car to be happy. And if everyone’s happy, well, life is good.

7. Rear Seat DVD players

Similarly to 4-zone climate control mentioned above, Rear Seat DVD players are controversial and really depend on your family values. One thing is for certain however, if you value nice relaxing drives surrounded by total silence; you will absolutely need to add Rear Seat DVD players to your new car’s option list.

Contrary to popular belief, almost all vehicles can be equipped with rear seat DVDs. If the manufacturer does not offer them as new car options, the dealership often will provide an in-house installation. Of course the price of rear-seat DVDs hover around 1500 US$ but for some parents, it is a small price to pay to enjoy the much-more-expensive yearly family vacation…or the trip to grandma’s house.

8. Roof Box

It is a fact that the more children you have, the more “stuff” you have. As you children grow and become teens, you will have even more “stuff”. After a while, you will likely have more “stuff” than your current vehicle’s cargo area can handle. If that becomes the case, you need a roof box (sometimes called cargo box) which will allow you to increase the amount of, well, “stuff’, you can haul around.

If you are shopping for a new car, the roof box is something you should definitely ask to have included at no extra charge. As always, it may not be possible, but the roof box is often much more expensive to buy for the client than it is to give away for the dealer (i.e. high markup) and you may be able to get the extra cargo space included in the deal.

9. Heated Rear Seats

Heated rear seats are more appropriate for families living in the northern states and Canada. That being said, even southern states have their cold streaks (right Florida!). Adding the heated rear seats option to your new car is a nice way to ensure your children do not freeze their butts off (literally) while you are nice and toasty up front.

If you have followed this article’s advice, well, firstly, good for you, and secondly, that means your next new car will have leather seats. The importance of heated rear seats when your new family vehicle is equipped with leather upholstery cannot be overemphasized. Leather tends to reflect the temperature outside; if it is freezing outside; your leather seats will be glacial. Heated rear seats alleviate this problem.

10. Rear window screen

We finish off our list with a small, inexpensive accessory that is often overlooked by parents when buying a new car. The window screen has a variety of uses and really can be beneficial for young children as well as teens. The screen attaches to your rear car window, or windows (might as well get two) and blocks out not only the sun, but lights as well, reducing glare and making night time more relaxing for your kids.

Window screens will allow your children to keep cool and prevent the sun from pummeling them. If you are driving overnight, the screen will reduce the amount of light (from streetlights and stoplights) that comes in and will allow your kids to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. The price of a rear window screen is below 100 US$ in most cases and, we believe, worth the investment. Better yet, they often clip on and off so you can transfer them from one car to the next.

So there you have it, parents, a list that can help you choose your options for your new car. Now, we want to stress here that if you feel an item on this list is unnecessary or that you cannot add everything to your new vehicle for financial reasons, that is absolutely fine! This list is not meant to be an examination of your parenting skills, just a nice friendly list of items that sometimes parents do not even know exist.

Oh and by the way, children often ignore the existence of the rear seat DVD players. For your sake, we recommend you do not show this list to your kids!

Regards,

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Good Things About Having a Friend

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

People have different personalities and they pretty much affect the way we live our lives. One good example is having a friend around. A friend is someone you get along with and heavily influence your life. Without a friend, you might have become one big mess if not for these qualities that each and every friend have.

A good thing about having a friend is that you are comfortable on your own skin when you are with them. You do not feel the need to pretend or tighten it up for the sake of pleasing someone. You friend knows your flaws and your strengths and accepts it.

Your friend can easily boost your self-esteem within minutes after talking to you. This is why friends are so important especially when you feel like you are the world’s most bumbling idiot. A friend you can talk to is a friend you need.

Know that your best friends are the most honest people in the world. They will tell you things that other people will be afraid of telling you. They will tell you, quite frankly, of how you do not look well with the shirt you are on and would ask to change it rather than go out and look funny.

People are different and we all have different experiences. Friends are likely to give you a fresh perspective on things that you might see as something you have done before or you might find boring. If you find a routine boring, bring your friend with you and see how she can make a difference.

A friend is the best person for you to get in touch with when you are experiencing troubles in your life. A friend can easily shut his mouth and listen to you ramble about the things that are happening to you and in the end, still get the love and advice you need to help you.

Loyalty is another important aspect in friendship. If you find yourself having to think twice about telling your friend a secret or a plan without anything backfiring, then you might want to find someone you can really trust.

Having a friend means having to talk to. We all want to talk about our lives and how we can make ourselves better. Friends are that sole purpose. If you find yourself talking about your life and people around you are yawning and suggest other places to go then you get out and find your true friends.

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Indian Classical Dance Classes – Bharatnatyam Teacher

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

Namaste,

Indian culture today has a distinct identity enlivened through Temple traditions. Indian dance forms associated with the evolution and development of Temple arts speak volumes of the great cultural endeavour. Indian dance forms as practiced today have captured global attention sensitising the Indianness in all the cultural vistas of the world.

India offers a number of classical dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The most famous classical forms are BHARATANATYAM of Tamilnad, KATHAKALIand MOHINIYATTAM of Kerala, ODISSIof Orissa, KATHAK of Uttarpradesh, KUCHIPUDI of Andhrapradesh and MANIPURI of Manipur.

Dance forms were nurtured with a purpose in the sacred premises of temples. Temple dancing had a mission: to take art to the people and conveying a message to the masses. The monotony of the life of commonness as well as the elite was equally shared in the premises of a Temple. True religion sanctified every element with a touch of beauty.

Art was an effective means to suggest the cosmic truth touching the hearts of the devotees through dance, music, sculpture, architecture or a piece of jewellery, when compared to the effect created by rigid ritualistic practices

Sheetal, founder of Shital Arts, has been a Bharatnatyam dancer since she was 5 years old. She has been performing and teaching this traditional dance form for almost 6 years now. After having a huge success in India, Sheetal has now moved to LA where she continues to share her tremendous knowledge of this dance. She has a diploma in dance from the most renowned dance Institute of India called Nalanda University. She finished her Arangetram (the final mastery of Bharatnatyam) at the age of 16. She conducts classes in Canoga Park and also does private lessons. Besides dancing she also teaches Yoga and is an awesome henna tattoo artist.

Sheetal just did a performance at the California State University Northridge (CSUN) for their International Open Market Festival to spread more awareness about this gracious dance. This was featured in the Sun Dial Magazine – [http://sundial.csun.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/21/4381fe76b3090]

Classes are located in the following locations:

1. Canoga Park, San Fernando Valley

2. Los Angeles, Culver City (Pico + La Brea) close to Korea town, Hollywood

If you are looking to learn about this awesome dance form or need an artist for performance – please call us on the numbers below and we will be glad to help you.

Blessings!

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The Globalization Of Entertainment – The Global Artist Career – Part 2

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

You’d best believe that the air up there is very rarefied indeed. In spite of hearing all your life the estimation of so many well known performers careers identified as “international stardom”, somewhat of a recapitulation is in order. Who actually determines the parameters identifying the circumstances or achievements that must be met to assign such grand and lofty accolades to any one individuals accomplishments? Who is that assigned “king (or queen) who decree’s that a particular artists has indeed reached a place that bestows upon them the ultimate recognition, undying love and devotion of countless human beings throughout the world? Who is it that measures, in such precise detail the level of admiration, commercial sales, tragic acts of devotion or brilliant acts of unselfishness enacted in their name that would seem to me to be a minimal way to really acquire some true sense of the value of someone destined to be showered with this kind notice?

Who Indeed? I submit to you there is no such person, that the bluster and huff attributed to all this generally misstatement of facts has simply been for the most part, a not to cleverly disguised PR ploy that has allowed silver tounged hucksters to play themselves into position to extract unimaginable bounties of booty from the gullible, the naive and the “agendized” media executive with to much time and money on his hands. That is until now. Remember, we’re talking about performing artists here not Mother Theresa. We often find so many of these types of people to be selfish, when ego is involved selfishly unkind and often removed from contact with the more common folk who walk the earth among them. Of course there are a few exceptions, but for the most part the stereotype just described holds true more often than not. What anyone does with the resources they acquire is their business and their business alone. Just don’t be looking for the world to love you all over when the only opportunity you take to spread love, ease suffering is when cameras are rolling and large crowds are around to sing your praise.

Many times in casual conversation with whom I assume to be average consumers I am often excoriated when I endeavor to explain to them that because they hear about an artist here in America all over the media they should not assume that to means that an equivalent amount of coverage is extended to that same performer in countries all around the world. Hell some performers are not even widely covered in other states let alone the 250 + countries and thousands of cities all around the world. Some get downright indignant with me about my conclusions as if I haven’t the slightest clue of what I’m talking about. Not withstanding the fact that i have had the occasion to visit, live and work in different countries or that I now work with talent from different countries from all around the world, they just really have no clue at all that many nations have their own “superstars” they admire. Of course there are probably a few exceptions but this will be nothing compared to what is about to happen if the very near future.

According to Professor Deborah Glik /UCLA – Community Health Sciences at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) just about 112 years ago the earth’s population was about 2 billion people. That has increased to more than twice that number in this short span to more than over 6 billion people (closer to 7 billion). Because communications globally have improved so unimaginably during this period the ability to truly shape the career of a truly international global superstar is well withing our reach unequivocally, unquestionably. The life and death of perhaps one of the very rare, definitively global, international talents ever – Michael Jackson signaled two things, the end of a dynamically changing dimension of life, the beginning of the new uncharted waters of a future no one cares to tell us how we landed in.

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Phone Sex – is It Cheating? or is It Better Than Cheating?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

Everyone has an idea of what a professional phone sex call is like. “Hi sexy, I’ve been waiting for you all night….” as the Visa bill is charged up at $2.99 per minute. What exactly is the cost/benefit of all that heavy breathing and visa authorizations?

Well, having been in the industry for 4 years, having participated in over 5,000 phone sex calls, I have an opinion. Read on if you are curious – I already know you think you have the answer. So did I, 4 years ago. I was wrong.

First, lets look at phone sex itself. This is the safest and most convenient kind of sex. It can last as long as you want, or be over in less than 2 minutes, no strings attached. Callers can remain anonymous, can explore fantasies they wouldn’t dare admit to, and confess anything to a sympathetic ear. They can ask for advice about personal situations. Callers can experiment with outlandish fetishes without committing to anything, or catching anything! I could go on and on, suffice it to say phone sex is easy, secretive, and has no real restrictions on what is ‘allowed’.

What about married men calling for phone sex on their way home from work, or during Thursday Ladies Night Outs? What about them? Are they cheating? No, Phone sex is not cheating. Phone sex is entertainment, and it is much better entertainment than TV or Porn – its interactive and alot more ‘effective’.

Are they perverted? They may be, but not because of the phone sex call. Millions of men are happy in their ‘vanilla’ relationships, loving and caring for their partners. Some of those men secretly crave some ‘sexual spice’ but would never risk offending their partner with their desires. Some men are ashamed of their fantasies. Some just don’t know exactly what it is they are sexually looking for. There are deep rooted questions, “Am I gay?” “Is BDSM for me?” “Crossdressing?” These kinky fantasies just don’t go away, so the man either quietly keeps them bottled up inside,until he withdraws from the ‘vanilla’ relationship and seeks a spicy live partner. Or, on a safer note, calls up a phone sex service and in 15 minutes relieves the craving and gets back to his happy vanilla self.

Are phone sex callers looking for relationships with the phone sex women? No. The only kind of relationship they want is to find someone nice to listen to who can quickly get at the ‘itch’, who doesn’t rob them, and has a great imagination. Its about the same way women feel about a great hair stylist – someone who just knows what she wants, will style her hair beautifully, taking risks now and then, and not charge too much.

Is phone sex therapy? Yes. Think about it, there is a friendly ear paid to listen and encourage conversation, without any competing ‘issues’ to distract from the conversation. Women have girlfriends for support and listening. Men don’t have that same kind of luxury. During a phone sex call, many men talk through stressful events of the day. Sometimes they ask for feedback and opinions, sometimes they don’t. Besides the fact that ‘sex’ is a great stress relief, the actual conversation relieves stress and refreshes the mind and body.

The conversations are what I believe wives are jealous of, and that is where the ‘cheating’ accusation comes in. Wives want their husbands to talk to them, not some stranger. Of course, that is what makes relationship strong and healthy. However, how many wives will LISTEN as well as a phone sex operator? How many women encourage their men to speak on ANY topic, wearing and doing anything he pleases, agreeing to play along with the fantasy, and not change the topic? I know that if more wives and girlfriends could actually do that, there would be alot less phone sex calls made.

Phone sex is not cheating.

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Trying to Become a Director Of Photography? Read How I Did It!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

From the age of only 9, I had wanted to Become a director Of photography. Most of people my age were eager to become firemen, footballers and ‘rich men’ but I knew that I wanted to Become a director Of photography. How? I had worked on the sets of several films as a Child Actor. It gave me the insight into the industry that brought upon the passion I now have for it.

But how did I do it? How did I Become a director Of photography? It’s fairly easy and fairly straight forward to explain. Read the steps I followed in order to Become a director Of photography and you SHOULD be able to replicate them:

1. You need to understand how the step ladder of the camera department work. It is the jobs you ALL will take on when you want to Become a director Of photography:

- Video Playback Operator – Their job is to record the footage onto tapes/disc/hard drives. The quality is not brilliant but it allows the Director and more importantly, continuity to check that everything was in order in the previous takes.

- Camera Trainee – Their job is often to assistant the Clapper Loader and the Focus Puller. They will collect filters, lenses and batteries for the camera. They will also make sure that there are always batteries on charge, whether this be on the Camera Truck or on set. Imagine if the camera batteries all went flat? Not good!

- Clapper Loader – Their job is to control the clapper (the board with the scene and take information on). They will also load and unload the film from the magazines so that it is either ready to be shot on or ready to be sent to the lab.

- Focus Puller – Their job is to ensure the shot is focussed properly. There is not a lot more they do. They assistant the director Of photography. The Focus Puller does have one of the most important jobs in the camera department. If they do their job wrong, the shot can be completely ruined.

- Camera Operator – This job is become rather extinct on film as the director Of photography is not operating the camera more often, but if they don’t, the camera operator will… Operate the camera.

FINALLY! – Director of Photography – Their job is to basically run the shot and make sure the shot is perfect at the end of the day.

2. Once you have a sound understand of how the camera department works, you are one step closer to living your dream to Become a director Of photography. The next step you need to technical knowledge, you need to know the difference between 16mm and 35mm film. You need to know what the Arri Alexa and Red Cameras are. You need to know what Zeiss lenses are. You need to know what Depth of Field means. And what Aperture and Exposure means. You need to know what Focal Length means. You need to know what a Polarizing Filter does. Well I could go on… But there’s no point. If you are completely new to the industry, you probably don’t know any of this so the best way is hands on experience. But how do you get hands on experience?

Try (and pester) the camera rental houses to get some experience, whether it be for a few hours, a week or a month. The BIGGEST camera rental houses internationally are Arri and Panavision.

3. Something I did that a lot of people who wanted to Become a director Of photography didn’t do is get yourself an Online Presence. No that does not mean adding hundreds of people in the Film Industry on Facebook, this is just annoying. Instead you need to get a professional profile online where you can show your contact experience, your education, a little bio, a small resumé and show reels etc.

Honestly, it is something that will help you stand out among the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of other people who want to Become a director Of photography.

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Music Industry Or Music Business: Which One Are You In?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

There is a big difference between being in the Music Industry and being in the Music Biz. Knowing the difference will help you make better decisions as you Step Into the Music Biz.

The Music Industry is mainly made up of Musicians and DJ’s- people who love to sing, play and perform.

Some Musicians, in the music industry, will play for little or no money. You’ll find people in the Music Industry singing in your Church Choir, on a street corner for tips, or playing the local College Bar. For a Musician, a paid gig is usually icing on the cake.

There is nothing wrong with playing music for the love of playing. There is noting wrong with wanting to play your favorite records in front of crowds for little or no payment. But don’t get it confused with being in the Music Biz. The Music Biz is all about business.

Being in the Music Biz means developing marketable assets and preventing them from becoming liabilities.

An asset is anything that can generate money for your business (CD’s, videos, mechandise, concerts etc.) and marketing those assets to prevent them from becoming liabilities.

A liability is anything that loses money. To effectively market your assets and limit liabilities, you’ll need to have some sort of business structure or music company established.

A Record Label is a business created by companies that specialize in recording, producing, manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings on various formats including CD’s, LP’s, DVD’s. The Record Label name derives from the paper label at the center of a “phonograph record”.

If you plan on being in the music biz, you are planning on making money. If you plan on making money, I suggest that you have your administrative game on point. There will be lots of paperwork (Incorporation, Taxes etc.) and details that you’ll need to have in order to succeed in the Music Biz.

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Your Child Has Just Told You He is Gay! What Next?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by gongliss236

The world has suddenly stopped turning, your life changed forever. Your child has just calmly told you that he or she is gay. This is a situation that is faced by hundreds of parents. But how do you handle it. The most important thing is that your reaction be honest and does not alienate them.

Every parent has dreams for their children. Dreams of financial success and equally important dreams for a happy family life. As a society, it is in our subconscious that a happy family life equates marriage to someone of the opposite sex and a couple of healthy kids

As a parent who is confronted with the news ‘I am gay mum and dad’, your dreams are immediately shattered.

Typical thoughts that go through a parents mind are

‘That joke is not funny’ or

‘What will the neighbours, friends, society think?’ or

‘It’s my fault, I must have done something wrong in your childhood’

Whatever runs through your mind you have to remember this

This is about your child, not about you. Do not make the center of the discussion your feelings and your thought. Make it about your child’s feelings and their thoughts

Give them a chance to talk to you. The reason a child comes out to their parents is they want you the parent to know about this, they want you to understand what they are going through and hopefully for you to accept and love them, gay or not. Make sure that channels of communication are kept open. The only person that loses when you refuse to talk about it is you, the parent

Realise that no matter how liberal a household you run, it takes a lot of courage for your child to come out to you. Respect that they trust you enough to do this and recognise the courage it has taken

Understand that being gay is not a decision your child made. He or she was probably as bewildered as you are when he realised that he was gay. Studies have shown that gay or bisexual people are that way from the start. No-one chooses to be gay just as no-one chooses to be straight.

Don’t question their certainty of their sexuality: By the time a child comes out to his or her parents, you can be certain that they are sure that they are in fact gay. He or she would have subconsciously argued the decision to tell you for a while, probably discussed it with a friend or partner, examined and re-examined themselves. Coming out to parents is not a spur of the moment thing. By asking them if they are sure, you risk insulting your child’s intelligence

Support your child: Being gay or lesbian is not the easiest of lifestyles. Your child has just told you he or she belongs to a group of people that are still misunderstood and harassed today. Even in the 21st century, being gay or lesbian is still a daunting thing. No matter how liberal we say we are, the amount of gay bashing that still goes on paints a different picture.Gay bashing is as rampant today as it ever was. Your child needs your support

Really, your child coming out to you is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Instead it opens up a new set of challenges which you can conquer together.

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