WanderingSalsero

Nobody's job is safe...even teachers.

Image via Wikipedia

Providence plans to pink slip all teachers

 

I don't know...what would you call this....dark humor?

I suppose not.  Maybe you could call it some ironic?

Whetever you'd call it, this headline I linked above there kinda reminded me of the several Korean teachers I've met over here who have more or less said that they think their jobs are totally secure because they're teachers.

This is their response when I've suggested to them that improved technology is changing the nature of teaching and that it's very probably that advances in internet, long-distance teaching could mean lots of teachers might find themselves out of a job pretty soon.  Unless they learn how to teach on the itnernet themselves of course.

They're response has basically just been, "Nahhh, that couldn't ever happen!"

I wonder how many of these teachers who are probably going to get axed up in Providence might have once said or thought that same thing?

It's always kinda amazed me how it's common knowledge that 'Johnny can't read' yet every year the teaching colleges crank out more of (presumably) the same kind of teachers, school boards ask for bigger budgets and get them and teachers generally seem to be a pretty carefree lot.

As the Bible says, "It rains on the just and unjust alike."  I don't know where that is but that's what I've always heard anyway.

Most probably the average teacher isn't a very violent type person.   But I do know that as more and more Americans get laid off, can't find work, lose their homes and get generally lose any hope for their future you're very, very likely to see violence over here (i.e. in the US ) like you're seeing in the Middle East right now.  That's what Gerald Celente has been saying for years..and I agree with him.

When you remember that most people have little if any money saved, it's scary to think how getting caught in one.....just one......food riot or anti government demonstration could really wreck your life.   Not to mention the increasing possibility of being caught in the middle of a violent crime of some sort.

If I was in the US right now, I'd for sure be wondering how much money I could put together to move someplace relatively quiet and peaceful in SE Asia or Latin America.  If I had to stay in America I'd damn sure buy a gun and as much ammunition as I could afford.  And storable food items too.

The Obama Deception isn't going to be the only 'real chage' that's gonna catch a lot of otherwise good people with their pants down.  Are ready for life in the 'New America'?

Related articles

• End 'last in, first out' teacher layoffs (cnn.com)
• Teachers Unions be Gone! (socyberty.com)
• Rhode Island City Issues Layoff Notices to All Teachers (foxnews.com)

Playing piano......you really always wanted to, right?

Image via Wikipedia

I think that there's lots of people who, even though they'll admit that they don't want to do the work to get the skill, they still wish they could miraculously know how to play piano. 

Well, I found a resource that might interest some of you.  Here it is:

http://www.playpiano.com

I don't know the guy.  His name is Duane something.  He apparently lives in Virgina somewhere (or maybe it's W.Virgiania).  Anyway..........he's got a website that gives away very cool, simple, easy to understand daily free piano lessons.

And since simple keyboards are so cheap at places like Walmart or Best Buy, etc., wouldn't it be a neat thing for you to invest a little time and money in yourself and see if you can learn some piano basics?

I'll bet you can do it and I'll bet you'd enjoy it once you started to get into it.  I think you'll like listening to him to.  I do.

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Don't just play the Piano Entertain on the Piano!!!! (teachstreet.com)
• Playing Piano by Ear (teachstreet.com)

Stephen Colbert rocks Congress

Stephen Colbert, otherwise known as a comedian, took his talents to Congress recently to contribute his testimony on the illegal immigrant issue. I wish most Congressmen were as good at representing the American public as he is in making them laugh. Notice in one part of this video the smug Congress-critter sneering.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Stephen Colbert Testifies Before Congress, Despite Being Asked to Leave [Video] (gawker.com)
• THE HILL: Colbert appearance causes mixed feelings. "Comedian Stephen Colbert's scheduled appear... (pajamasmedia.com)
• Fox News, GOP Congressmen Furious Over Colbert Testimony [Video] (gawker.com)

T-Shirt War

The T-Shirt War from Ibrahim Nergiz on Vimeo.

Is lap dancing catching on?

I notice on YouTube that there seem to be a surprisingly small number of instructional video information on the subject of lap dancing.  Much less than I noticed when I checked it after Jorge Elizando told me he'd recently released his instruction DVD, "Sensual Touch".

Here's the states:

"lap dancing":                      1,600 results

"How to lap dance"                    51

"Learn to lap dance"                    8

"Lap dance instruction"               3

"Lap dance instructional DVD"      2

 

With a Google search, in quotes, for the same terms, you see 496,000, 681,000, 9,180 and 2 respectively.  I'd say the instructional side of that market is still pretty much wide open but I'm glad open it up.

You can see a couple of sample clips by going either to Jorge's site at http://www.bachatafusion.com or by going to YouTube and typing in 'lap dance instructional DVD'.

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Encore Jorge! (wanderingsalsero.typepad.com)
• Oops! (wanderingsalsero.typepad.com)
• The Miley Cyrus Lap Dance Video: What a Disappointment! (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Lap Dancing.....who''s doing it? (wanderingsalsero.typepad.com)
• Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease (lifescript.com)

My Mysterious Macondo Girl

I wonder who this pretty salsera was...

Yes, I had a generally good time up in Seoul this weekend....which included a very brief encounter as I was leaving Macondo.  A couple (or three) girls were coming in just as I was leaving and I noticed one of them had a really pretty looking floral piece in her hair. 

She was pretty anyway but I especially thought the thing she had in her hair was noteworthy because, to me, it seemed to fit in so perfectly with her own natural facial features and also the whole idea of being a 'salsera'. 

I asked her if I could take her picture.  She was 'willing' so here's the original photo plus some treatments of it I did with that little photo tool I like called Fotosketcher.

Actually, I really tend to prefer the black and white ones. 

That probably wouldn't usually be the case but I think in this instance it's because she has very much of that 'old country' look about her.  You know.....Mediterranean, Spaniard, Italian, Latina....and the thing in her hair accentuates it even more.  Thus, black and white (or it could have been sepia) makes the picture even more authentic.

I like them all but, alas, I don't even know this gal's name.  I gave her my 'WanderingSalsero' URL and told her I'd like to give her a copy of the picture.  Time will tell if I ever hear from her.

Ahhhh, but that's the beauty of the Korean ESL adventure, isn't it?  :-)

Which ones do you like?

 

Dance Notation........something that's needed?

I just read an article about 'dance notation'.  Did you know there was such a thing?

Dance notation is based on the same notion as music notation.  Whereas music notation is designed and intended to insure that a piece of music is played the same way by different players, the idea behind dance notation is the same.....i.e...that a dance work is subsequently performed by other performers the way that was intended by the original writer/choreographer.

Do you think it would be a good thing if we had such a system in salsa?

I do.

Actually there is such a system.  Or was.....

I remember back in my early salsa days and days on the internet.  In the late 90's.  I subscribed to a site from up in New Jersey or Brooklyn somewhere.  It had over 100 video clips of salsa dance patterns and a similar collection of clips for cha-cha and, I think, one other dance.

The couple that did it was a big tall guy who was supposedly an engineer who had turned dance instructor.  His partner was a cute little lady named 'Maria' who was much shorter than him.  Their patterns, I think, were 'on2' but I think I didn't even realize it at the time.  I could be wrong on that.

But what I remember about it relative to this subject is that he had written a book about a way of notating salsa pattern.  I saw some samples of it and it was basically little stick/cartoon figures drawn in such a way as to shoe directions of movement, turns and hand connections.  I never bought it but I'll bet he's still got it if somebody could find out who he is/was.

anyway......according to the article I read, there are multiple such systems in existence already.  They were intended originally for professional, classical dance companies of course.  But there's no reason why they wouldn't work for salsa. 

The only problem with these systems, according to the author of the article, is that they're too hard to learn.  And the fact that since there's more than one system all claiming to do the same thing...people are reluctant to learn any of them.

But I still think it's an interesting idea.  You've already got notation systems for music.  And sub systems for special types of instruments like percussion.  So, I don't know what a dance notation system for salsa would look like but I still think it's an interesting idea.

And I don't think it would inhibit artistic interpretation........any more than standard music notation inhibits artistic interpretation of the works of the great musical composers.

Sade.....Le Fox is alive!!

As a rule, I'm not really into celebrity worship.  But there is at least one singer that I've always liked and I never got enough information about.  You remember Sade, right?

I always liked her music.  Yeah, I think she's a stone fox, drop-dead, put-your-boot-on-my-head seductress......but she's also a great singer.  I never understood why she dropped out of sight.

But apparently she's still alive.  Actually, I knew she was.  She's got other interests too, you know.  Matter of fact, I read once that she had a successful career in modeling and fashion prior to becoming a famous singer.

So...tonight I'm reading some stuff on video marketing.  And it made the comment that Sony is very much into video marketing.  Ok.......I went to their site:

http://www.sony.com/index.php

If you go there, you'll notice that one of the media pieces that Sony (Sony Entertainment) owns is a video that Sade did.  Probably recently because you can tell she's got a different 'look' than what she used to have.  Similar......yeah.  But you can see some slight but noticeable differences too.  But don't get me wrong.....she's still hot!

It's a very good video.  Watch it.

More with Fotosketcher.com

It's a little bit laborious to do but only because I've got so many photos.  It's hard to remember which file to look into.  I also discovered that the photos that work best with Fotosketcher are the ones with fairly simple subjects.....i.e. a simple face, person's profile, flower or motorcycle come out looking better than trying to do something attractive with a picture of a crowd of people.

I'm speaking of www.fotosketcher.com .  That's the photo treatment program I found a few months ago.  It's really great for (1) making an otherwise bland photograph look interesting or (2) making a photo with good compositional qualities look even better.

I found a few pictures from the school here where I teach and made some changes on them with Fotosketcher.  Many of you who read WanderingSalsero have lots of pictures of dancers that could really be made 'award-winning' with www.fotosketcher.com .

Here's my offering today:

 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
   

Thriving Houston studio needs qualified instructors

Do you know any good dance instructors who are looking for work?

If so, have them contact Sonias World of Dance in Houston, TX.  I've been told that they've got almost more students than they can handle and they're looking for a few more good (and I stress....."good") instructors.

Sonias World of Dance has been around for several years and probably has one of the better social programs in Houston too.  They actually built their business mostly around the ballroom type dances and a C&W dancing but a few years ago (back when I lived in Houston) they started doing salsa and other latin dances and that part of their business has expanded a lot.

Part of the reason has been their excellent location in the dynamic and prosperous SW Houston/Galleria area.  But part of it also has been that Sonia(Sonia Farr, the proprietor) has attracted some of the best instructors in town and been successful in integrating an excellent social program into her product mix.

Their website is www.soniasworldofdance.com .  Give'em a call if you'd like to get more information about opportunities there.  If you're not from Houston but are looking for 'greener fields' than where you are now, I suspect Houston should be on your short list because the economy is relatively good there. 

There's several other reasons for moving to Houston.  Especially if you're a salsa dancer.  

• The climate is relatively nice (mostly warm)
• The salsa talent there is good
• There's 4 or 5 pretty good to OK salsa clubs
• The Texas salsa community is pretty 'tight'
• There's a salsa congress almost every other week somewhere in Texas (it seems)
• You're near three other Texas cities (Dallas, Austin, San Antonio) with lots of salsa talent.
• Living costs are fairly low compared to other US areas
• The people in Houston are generally pretty nice.

Check it out!