Happy Vampires

The other day I typed in “Language Schools″ into Google and came up with a whopping 95 million hits. After popping my eyes back into my head, I wondered just how many public schools, junior colleges, and universities are offering second language learning opportunities in the United States. That must be an equally mind-boggling yet mysterious figure.

The ultimate mystery in all of this is really why, with all the opportunities to learn a second language, are so few Americans bilingual? The truth of the matter is that about 9% of Americans have a true bilingual ability. Yet, there are so many public and private schools offering second language instruction not to mention the booming business in the foreign countries offering Americans the chance of “becoming fluent” in another language.

With all of these opportunities, Americans remain at about 9% with Europeans at a 52% bilingual rate. Have you ever wondered why? I have.

For the past five years, I have been approaching my second language-learning odyssey using non-traditional approaches. I did not start with grammar first courses. You know what those are. If you took any sort of second language learning instruction in school, including Latin or Greek, you began learning the dead or live language with a grammar book.

What this effort got you, if you “stayed the course″ was an ability to translate written texts. The almost universal experience of students who begin their second language learning adventure using the grammar-first method is that when they try to speak the language, or even go overseas for a year abroad, all they can utter is,

“I need to go to the bathroom and can I have a cheese sandwich, please?”

The way in which all of us, no matter our country of origin, learned how to speak our native tongue is the same way in which we must approach second language acquisition. Note I said, acquisition, and not learning the second language. There is a difference and therein lies the rub when it comes to selecting a course of study where you will first acquire a high degree of spoken fluency before learning grammar rules.

Let me go out on a limb here: If you do not approach the learning of a second language first with second language acquisition, instead of a grammar-first approach, you will not learn how to speak the language. And, is that not what we are talking about—spoken fluency?

One method accomplishes one thing while the other method gives you something you do not necessarily want. I am a long way from being able to read and discuss physics in Spanish. But, I can discuss simple news events, go to the doctor, or do most anything I need to do in Spanish. I want to grow linguistically where I will have the ability to discuss issues that are even more complex.

Right now, I am still in the child stage of Spanish acquisition and that’s ok. Note carefully, however, I did not get to that stage by taking a grammar-first course. I can do what most five and six-year old native Spanish speakers can do. Trust me when I tell you this: This level of spoken fluency most Americans I know struggling to learn Spanish would kill to achieve.

So, how did I do it? I used the same method I unknowingly used learning my first language, English. I am learning Spanish using the same approach all Spanish-fluent native speakers used in learning Spanish as children.

I am engaging in second language acquisition first, and second language learning second.

The horse, language acquisition, must come before the cart, language learning.

That is what you must seek first.

Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Content, Transitions Abroad, International Living, Escape Artist, and The Front Porch Syndicate.

He is founder of zyworld.com/theolog/page14.htm Mexican Living Print & eBooks.

There is no doubt that photographing young children poses special challenges, as they have much more energy than the photographer and rarely sit still.

Taking pictures indoors in a formal setting, like a photo studio, will only work if the child has something to occupy him, such as a toy or a doll. Modern digital cameras have large memories and a sports mode, whereby you can take many pictures in sequence; this is a great advantage when the child is moving around or refuses to sit still long enough for a formal pose.

Children photograph best when the camera is at their level; get down on your knees for the child’s perspective. Follow the child in his activity shooting many shots rapidly. Zoom back and get some shots of the scene, as well, keeping the child as the focal point. Zoom in close and get pictures of his facial expressions.

If a very young child is sitting peacefully, he cannot be directed to look in a certain direction. But if you hold up a toy, such as a teddy bear, his eyes will follow the toy. If you have placed your camera on a tripod, and generally composed the shot in advance, you can then move the toy around and the child will look in that direction. Use the sports mode and make many shots.

Taking pictures of active children outdoors has different challenges. It works best if you can confine the activity to a small area, such as a flower garden, a clump of bushes, a large tree, or the edge of a duck pond. Left alone in a large area, children will roam all over, leaving you gasping on the ground trying to breathe. Again, use the sports mode, take many pictures as they play. Zoom in and out frequently, but beware of the background intruding: you don’t want branches seemingly growing out of a child’s head.

In summary, taking pictures of young children works best if you are somewhat prepared.

1. Insert a large memory card in your camera. Memory is cheap these days; buy a couple of large capacity cards and practice until you can switch cards quickly. Mark the cards (#1, #2, etc., or some other code), so you can quickly identify and distinguish them.

2. Make sure your memory cards are erased; you will be taking a lot of pictures.

3. Bring a tripod; know how to mount the camera and remove it quickly. Practice several times before the shoot, because you don’t want to be fiddling around when you should be shooting pictures.

4. Consider the setting. If indoors, have a toy or two to occupy the child. If outdoors, try to choose a location that will occupy the child’s (or children’s) interest and is a relatively small area.

5. Get plenty of sleep beforehand, you will need to be rested before tackling children who seem to have more energy than a racehorse.

Pictures of children playing can be sold; there are several photo banks that accept pictures of children in various activities. But most insist on a signed model release if there is a single child or if the children can be identified in some way.

Doug Anderson, now in his sixties, has been photographing all kinds of things since the age of 8; he has compiled many useful tips and techniques at photography-help.biz photography-help.biz there is also information on how to sell your photos through photo banks.

The Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story. This is why stories such as Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Midnight Cowboy (1969), American Beauty (1999), The Graduate (1967) and many others (all deconstructed at the URL below) appear to be different but are all constructed, almost sequence by sequence, in the same way.

and more…

*****Final Conflict: Allies against the Hero*****

Post the Crossing of the Return Threshold and before the Master of Two Worlds and Selves, a hell of a lot happens that is rarely given mention. The Final Conflict (a metaphor for this stage) follows a distinct process. One aspect of this stage is the possibility of allied forces turning against the hero. In Straw Dogs (1971), Amy decides to go against David and give then Henry.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at clickok.co.uk/ clickok.co.uk/

The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

Grandpa’s Reproaching
[The Old Russian Bear: 1957]

Old Grandpa Tony [Anton] swore more than most people prayed, and I’m talking about the clergy. A 4’11 inches tall man, that’s all he stood, I always thought he was at least six foot tall, even when I went to high school, but no, he was four foot, eleven inches tall. It’s not the unpardonable sin, I know—to swear, but if you added them all up, all the cussing words he done in front of me, and then there is 24-hours to the day, it would top the Andes, and then some. But he was kind enough to allow my mother and my brother and myself to live with him, in his house during my formative years. And back in the fifties, it was rough, so I suppose I can say, thanks gramps. But the Old Russian Bear, used to say:

“I tell you vhut you gottaa wtch dem boys Elsie (his daughter and my mother)—dhay mak-a too mch noyce!”

All the time, we had to be like mice.

“Well,” I heard mom say, “I can’t watch them every second of the day?”

Grandpa thought about that for a while, “I gonna thorw dem out!” he’d say. I think he started telling mom that from my thirteenth birthday on: steadily. He liked my brother Mike for some reason: perhaps I didn’t pay him much attention, or for that matter attention. I was very active: meaning, overactive, I could never seem to slow down, and that may have bothered him. Nowadays, they give kids pills up the tuba to slow them down: back then, mom would say: ‘Go run it off…” and out the door I went, and I’d run a mile here or there, and come back and eat up a storm (my son and my grandson are the same way, but now they want to give them pills, pills: have them run it off, that is how I got rid of it).

“Yes,” mother would say,” I’ll tell him to play out side more…” (I was but ten, then, at the time). I think it all started one day when I was in Ernie’s 1950 Chevy (my mother’s boyfriend for forty-years), and mom was looking at me in the backseat, and I was about seven years old then, and I asked about this and that: many, if not too many questions, never could be settled too long, and she noticed that, and would try to answer my numerous questions, and she’d get tired, and say:

“Stop! You’re wearing me out with questions.”

So when I got older I bought an encyclopedia set and read it a few times from start to finish: a to z. One year I read 400-books, after all my other activities. I slept four to six hours all my life, until I got ill, and slept 10 to 14 hours; made up for all that lost sleep.

—Then Grandpa would put his pipe in his mouth, pace the kitchen, mumbling,

“Them god…d…m..kids.”

He didn’t want us boys to stay with him in the house, but he didn’t want mom to leave, she did all the work, and bought the TV and the furniture, and did his laundry, and bought the groceries: she was an economic asset for him, as he was for her (or us). He bought the meat for the Sunday meals, paid the heat and water bill, and phone bill. They had a good system going I suppose. I always prayed mom would take us kids out of that environment, but it was as it was, and it gave me a father figure I suppose: he had good work ethics, and I suppose I got that from him. In any case, mom, she’d reinforce, by telling me, “Nobody’s going to kick you out.” And he never did. When I grew up: went to Vietnam, and came back home for a visits, Grandpa, being in WWI, was proud, but he still had that bear in him, and one day he said something, and I got mad, and I wasn’t a kid anymore, and I said:

“Grandpa, don’t swear at me, if you don’t want me here I’ll leave, but if you swear once more I’m going to knock you on your ass!” and I walked away angry. I had always felt bad about telling Grandpa that, even to this day, it really wasn’t called for: I could have walked away like always, I just wanted to let him know, I was not that little kid you could pull his ears, when you didn’t like what was happening. And I was sorry for that, as I had said—but I did make up for it, I think. When he was too old (meaning, 83-years old, he worked up to 78) and his children were coming over to count his money (he had several children living at the time), and was threaten by them, I heard about it, and made myself present when they were present, and told everyone: the threatening was over, that if I heard about it again, I’d throw them out, everyone out. I think, Grandpa may have heard it from the dinning room, not sure what or how he felt, but I guess, if it made up for that bad remark, so be it.

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When you say the word deejay, it might take you back of those high school dances where you heard all the lame tracks from that year or perhaps to those pitiful summer backyard parties that your parents used to throw where your cousin played spin master. You might even think of that middle-age man with the saucer-size headphones, who spun mediocre at your aunt’s wedding, playing tunes like Sister Sledge’s We Are Family.

But to the contrary, Adam Michael Goldstein is far from middle age and mediocracy. In fact, he’s so good that as of late, his resume reads like the Grammy invitation list. The former Crazytown member has worked with everyone from bubblegum rapper-turned mega famous actor Will Smith to pop queen Madonna.

Simply known as DJ AM, this kid rocks late night hotspots from Los Angeles to New York and back. A regular fixture at his own nightclub, LAX in Los Angeles and resident DJ at Las Vegas’ Pure, this 33 year-old has become synonymous with red carpets, A-list parties, and of course the dreaded grocery store tabloids.

Although his job and love life have made him famous, this quasi-celebrity appears to be very down to earth. “Adam is who I am all the time,” he explained before adding, “I’m just a cool down-to-earth person that loves music.”

He isn’t naive though about his status in Hollywood. “Although I am a DJ AM it seems as if that name has become more a business or a brand. I definitely appreciate that because it allows me to do what I love and get paid for it at the same time.”

AM considers his fame to just be apart of the job. “I love being a part of the Hollywood scene but honestly I just feel lucky to be able to do what I love. I love being a deejay and making people feel the music.”

Born in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, AM sometimes would get beat up by the guys in his predominately minority community. In that same community is where the turntable twister first got hooked on hip hop.

AM later got hooked on turntables when he was 12.

“I had a friend named DJ Mighty Mi and he was the first one to let me get on the turntables. At that point I knew what I was meant to do,” said AM.

A showman in his own right, AM isn’t like most DJs, spinning just one genre of music. You will every kind of mash-up from country rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd to Run-DMC when he spins.

“Most DJs on the club scene are boring and they don’t really work the entire night. When I’m up there I am working all night and I’m trying to give the crowd a show. I want them to leave with a feeling like they have seen a performance.”

Although AM admits that most his musical influence comes from early 90s hip-hop and 80s rock he loves 80s rap gods Run DMC.

AM recalls a chilling encounter with Darryl McDaniels at Maxim Super Bowl party a few years back.

“It was a little bit after Jam Master Jay had died and Run and DMC where at the party. I starting spinning a tribute to Jam Master Jay and DMC turned around with his fist in the air and he looked at me and had a tear in his eye. That night I got the chills because Jam Master Jay had been such an inspiration to me.”

Music isn’t the only thing that inspires him. Apparently, real-estate does too. When asked what he wants to do in the near future, AM said he’s starting to jones for property. “I want to do real estate. I love the real estate game and I’m trying to own a few more clubs as well.”

Juicy magazine ( juicymagazine.us juicymagazine.us) is the brainchild of journalist Jennifer Clark. Jennifer has been published for over eight years and has contributed to numerous media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, MTV Radio, Rap-Up magazine, and more. She has appeared on several television and radio programs including the Fox Family Channel, MTV Radio, PBS and Canada’s CTV.

Playing poker on the Internet has become very popular, as more and more people each day join the millions of other individuals playing from all over the world. Many individuals simply want to play for fun or are only willing to invest a small amount of money. However, for individuals who want to win lots of money and play against some of the best competition there is, the Internet offers several high stakes poker games.

High stakes poker is great for individuals who love to take risks. Playing in a high stakes poker game can be very intense, as one hand has the potential to dramatically affect your chip stack and your bank account. The thrill of winning a large sum of money with a single hand is what attracts many individuals to high stakes poker games.

Skilled players are also commonly attracted to high stakes poker games. They have spent many hours practicing and perfecting the game of poker. By participating in high stakes poker games, they not only can play against tough competitors, but they can also win a lot of money if they are good.

For many individuals Internet poker games offer a place to play poker for free or with only a minimal cash input. However, for individuals who want to win big, the Internet offers several different high stakes poker games. If you are someone who likes to take risk or you are a highly skilled poker player looking for some tough competition, check out the variety of high stakes poker games offered on the Internet today.

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Just want to share with you the piece I’ve composed for my boyfriend who fathers my children

Read on..

YOU

I dreamt of you.. long before.. years ago…

Funny now.. I remember.. I would rush God for you

All the while, He would pacify me and tell me to WAIT a while.

“Wait a while”! “But, I have been waiting for long!”

And then He would lead me to other matters…

His way of preparing me to meet you.

I dreamt of you.. long before.. years ago…

Didn’t know then that I was forming you…

.. in my mind… in my heart… in my soul…

Funny now.. how dreams do come true

In time.

In God’s perfect time!

I’ve met you when I was ready..

Molded by God to meet you.

And right there and then, I know…

It was you…

I dreamt of you.. long before.. and here you are!

As if we’ve communicated in our dreams for long…

As if we were long time friends who have met again…

As if you’re my twin, lost in heaven…

Dreams can be realized – indeed!

I dreamt of you.. and here you are!

My heart thumped so hard, ready to fall of my chest

You were just a dream.. and here you are!

And God was grinning, “My design, my child, my design”.

I was bewildered, stunned, shocked, mesmerized.. in all truth!

But deep within, my heart was full of gratefulness..

For God said “ Wait.. I have something good for you…

And you will know in Time!”

And it has come to pass. His word were realized.

My dream came true.

You found me. I welcomed you.

We smiled. We laughed. We cried.

We talked in words, in action, in silence.

We held hands. We kissed and embraced.

We made our vow, “to have and to hold,

From this day forward, until death do us part”.

And who would have thought? – a simple dream…

A dream of you…, came true!

We celebrated our 6th year wedding anniversary last October 8, 2006. We have 2 children, 4 year old daughter and 7month old baby boy.

Yes, I still dream but this time I dream with him! I’m the stubborn one! (Obvious?)

And who knows one day, one at a time.. it will all come true- again! Yahoo!!!

Hope all your dreams come true too! God Bless Us!

Roulette is a simple, fun game but to win at roulette you need to avoid some common errors that both novice and experienced players make.

Avoiding the mistakes below is easy and if you do you will win at roulette and maybe win big some big payouts.

1. Go To Europe

If you want to win at roulette never play the American wheel.

European Roulette Has the Best Odds and to win at roulette you need to play it.

American roulette, wheels have 38 slots with “0″ and “00″. The European wheel has 37 slots with just the single “0″.

The extra zero in American roulette makes the house edge 5.3%. When you play European roulette; the house edge is just a 2.7%.

The house edge against you on American wheel is therefore almost double.

Play European roulette for better odds straight away.

2. Playing Bad Bets.

Roulette is a game of chance and the odds reflect this the bigger the difference between the odds and the payout the less chance you will have of winning.

Never for example bet on single numbers. The payouts are big, but thats because you have very little chance of winning at roulette this way and avoid the seven number bet as it has the worst odds of all.

To win at roulette play “even money” bets and “en prison”.

Play even money bets. These are those of Odd, Even, Low, (numbers 1 through 18), High, (numbers 19 through 36), Red, or Black.

These all offer payout odds of 1: 1.

You have about a 45% chance of winning each time which are good odds finally, always play the best odds bet which is “en Prison” .

This bet has a house edge of just 1.35% making it the best bet of all.

3. The roulette ball does not have a memory!

The history of previous spins has an affect on the outcome of the next spin as a roulette ball does not have a memory.

For example, if the ball falls on red 20 times in a row a player may feel black has a higher chance of coming up next.

This is simply not true.

The odds are 50% - 50%.

This of course would be true if the ball had fallen on red 40, or even 100 times.

Every spin is an independent event and previous history cannot be used to predict future spins.

Many players also look for and bet on ’sleeping numbers’

These are numbers that have hit for a long time.

There is no logic behind these bets, the chances of that number coming up is 1 out of 36 numbers on every spin.

Just because a number has been ’sleeping’ does not make it more likely that the number will be hit on the next spin.

The above means roulette is a game of chance and this is why roulette systems never work as a system by its nature needs reliable historical data it can use to predict the odds, in roulette you simply don’t have any!

Winning is easy!

To win at roulette all you need to do is place the bets with the lowest house edge and play them on the wheel with the best chance of success.

Keep in mind that is all you can do and if your lucks in, you will win at roulette.

Finally never be tempted to buy a roulette system.

If you want a way to guarantee you will lose do it.

If you want to win at roulette don’t simply stick with the best odds wheel and the best odds bet and you may well win at roulette.

Good luck.

MORE FREE INFO

On all casino games including tips to win at

So ya wanna join the masses and rent your movies and DVDs online huh? And you don′t know where to begin? Well, there are a lot of options out there afterall. Just to name a few of the many, you can choose from Netflix, Blockbuster, Intelliflix, and Gameznflix. All offer different features and benefits, as well as different selections and prices. Don′t worry, I’ll try to make the choice a little easier on ya.

Movie and DVD rental companies began moving their services online in 1998, with Netflix at the lead. They were the first in the U.S. to offer the basic business model of :

• The customer joins and then creates a queue of movies she wants to rent
• DVDs are mailed to the customer
• The customer returns the DVDs when she is done with them

Usually the amount of DVDs mailed to the customer is dependent upon the service plan purchased. The more expensive the plan, the more DVDs can be rented at one time (usually 1-.3 DVDs at a time). Some service plans may also limit the total amount of DVDs you can rent in a month, while with others you can rent as many movies as you can watch per month. Also, you can keep the movie as long as you want without due dates or late fees.

So that’s the first thing you should think about: How many movies and DVDs do you think you′re going to watch?

• Rarely / A few movies per month: Consider a plan that only rents one or two at a time and may impose a monthly limit. No need to spend extra when you won′t watch all those movies. Blockbuster has a $9.99 plan that features unlimited movie rentals, one out at a time. Netflix has an identical plan, but also has a $5.99 plan that limits DVD rentals at two per month

• If you plan to rent a lot of DVDs, consider a better plan that will probably cost around $20 per month. Generally, you’ll get unlimited monthly DVD rentals with three out at a time. This is the type of plan I recommend for the average user.

What else will you want to consider?

• Speed of Delivery: Netflix and Blockbuster are the kings of online DVD and movie rentals. They have the most distribution centers, therefore the fastest ship times. However, Netflix has gotten a lot of negative press for “throttling” the speed of DVD deliveries for customers who rent a lot of movies. In other words, the more movies Netflix customers rent, the slower they arrive in the mail.

• Selection and variety: Netflix and Blockbuster are kings here as well. They have been in the game the longest and will have the most to choose from.
• Game Rentals: Are you interested in video game rentals with your DVD rentals? If so, you′ll need to go with either Intelliflix or Gameznflix. Intelliflix offers game rentals for a higher monthly price. Gameznflix rents video games included with the DVD rental price.
• Adult Titles: If you’re interested in adult movie titles, your only choice is Intelliflix. For an extra cost you can rent adult movie titles there.

Blockbuster is offering a new program called Total Access that allows their customers to return DVDs and movies they got in the mail to their neighborhood store. Then, they can pick out a new movie or even a video game immediately. This is an obvious competitive advantage over Netflix, and you may want to keep this in mind if there’s a Blockbuster store near you.

Netflix answered Blockbuster’s Total Access by allowing customers the ability to watch movies on demand streamed over the Netflix website. This service is still new and has been made available to only a limited amount of customers and movies. This feature has great potential to keep Netflix at the top of the DVD rental industry and help lead them into the future.

So, what will you choose? My personal recommendation is Blockbuster because of the Total Access program. When I’m done with the movies I got in the mail, I can return them to my local store and pick a new one out right away. I can even pick out a video game if I want. I’m very interested in Netflix’s streaming video feature, however it’s still in it’s infancy. But in the future it may make Netflix my favorite pick. The other two options (Intelliflix and Gameznflix) have great potential and could be a great service for you, so don’t count them out.

Ryan Hansen writes for e-consumerguide.com e-Consumerguide.com, a resource site featuring e-consumerguide.com/dvd/ online movie rentals, web browsers, internet help, and BitTorrent. Visit today to start learning.

When I hear your voice inside my head it makes me think of you every single day as I fight back tears of sadness and wonder if you′re okay

My life is empty without you I wish time would take away the pain but the ache in my heart persists and my simple hopes seem in vain

I realize how much I hurt you and now I know it’s too late to tell you how sorry I am and expect you not to hate

I don’t deserve a second chance to show you how much I care when you needed me the most I know I failed to be there

Now your trust in me is gone forever and I will never have the chance to say I really hope your dreams come true and happiness finds you every day

I would give almost anything in life if I could go back to that day and erase everything I said and did to make your heartache go away

What hurts the most is this is what you didn’t say and the absence of these words haunt me each and every day…

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp