While RF opened excellent generic photography to graphic designers and publishers who normally could not afford top-level agency prices, it caused a clamor in the commercial stock photo arena. Photographers who expected to make a living from the images in their files feared and railed against RF.

After an uproar of several years, RF has not gone away, the world of commercial stock has accepted it and even in some areas profits from it, and is still adjusting to it. But there?s one segment of the stock photography pie, as it turns out, that has not had to adjust, that Royalty-Free does not affect: editorial photobuyers who need ?exact content? photos ? that is, quality images that complement the subject matter of their publishing projects. Generic pictures simply don?t do the job as well as specific-content RM (rights-managed) photos.

Good news. The sky has not fallen. Royalty-Free photos are out there, yes, and they sell from $1 to $50 on average (up to $500 in some cases), but they are not popular with our target market, the photobuyers and researchers at books, magazines, and any periodical or service that publishes specific-content material.

If you have entered the stock photography field as a supplier of commercial generic (all across-the-board) images, this article may not be of interest to you.

Then again, you may wish to discover more about that segment of stock photography called editorial stock, where you produce photos in your select areas of interest (aviation, health, golf, education, environment, horse racing, etc.).

Recently I made a survey concerning Royalty-Free of the photobuyers who actively purchase photos through our network (PhotoDaily, PhotoLetter). More about that in a minute.

I was thinking the other day, ?Do major editorial markets use Royalty-Free photos?? A good way to test this was to go right to the source. I picked out a few magazines from our magazine rack here at the farm. Here?s what I found.

First of all, I found most of the magazines still use lots of art (illustrations) to get points across. Illustrators are alive and well. Not much RF damage there.

Second, the magazines featured stories assigned to either staff photographers or freelancers. Assignment photography is still alive!

Third, the magazines I looked at exhibited that they were not comfortable using generic RF pictures. The few generic pictures I saw, looked like the $200 and up RF variety. How did I know they weren?t $3 images? The models. They were pros, not the next-door neighbor. And the set-up and props. The stock ice cream, pie, or cake shots were professionally executed. Also, keep this in mind: large circulation magazines will use major stock agency pictures, whether the photos are RF or Managed-Rights, because the magazines are covered by the stock photo agency when it comes to legal matters such as model and product releases and copyright issues.

The magazines I reviewed were Readers Digest, AARP Magazine, Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, National Geographic, and Smithsonian.

Keep in mind that I did not review any of the advertising photos in the periodicals. In general, most advertisers, who want top-of-the-line quality and need releases, shy away from using non-released RF pictures. Also, I did not review any popular books, textbooks or scientific volumes. They, too, shy away from generic RF pictures since their commitment is to provide highly specific information for their readers. RF won?t do.

This issue of exclusivity is paramount. Book buyers and subscribers to magazines, like you and me, pay for uniqueness. No publisher wants to be up-staged by a competitor using the same Royalty-Free photo in their pages, too.

TRY IT

Make this test for yourself. If you are an editorial photographer, tear out all the commercial ads in a magazine, any magazine. What?s left are the editorial photos. You can usually tell a Royalty-Free photo when you see it. (?If it walks like a duck??) Depending on the periodical, you?ll note the dearth of RF photos that are used.

Well, then, where are RF pictures used? The answer: in low-budget periodicals, brochures, books, regional, state, and local productions and publications, on websites, non-profit newsletters ? any place where duplication of the same photo won?t matter. RF has been a benefit to commercial entities that don?t have budgets that can afford the highly professional photos licensed by major agencies. Royalty-Free also presents opportunities for part-time photographers to earn extra pocket money, thanks to volume sales and kinder standards.

NOT IN OUR INDUSTRY

Here are the results of our survey of 71 editorial photobuyers/photo researchers:

Do Editorial Photobuyers Use Royalty-Free Photos?

I rarely use Royalty-Free photos 42%

I occasionally use Royalty-Free photos 44%

I never use Royalty-Free photos 11%

I don?t know what Royalty-Free photos are 3%

If you sometimes use Royalty-Free photos, what percent of your research efforts result in a Royalty-Free photo being licensed as opposed to an ?RM? (Rights Managed) photo?

% of Photobuyer Respondents Using Royalty-Free — Percentage of Royalty-Free Use

6% — 0%

51%* — 1% to 10%

27% — 10% to 25%

8% — 25% to 50%

4% — 50% to 75%

4%** — 75% to 100%

*Respondents that occasionally use Royalty-Free, use it only 1%-10% of the time.

**Only 4% of the respondents use Royalty-Free most of the time.

A few years ago, I found myself consoling a friend one day, who was upset about some goings on at the Law office where she worked. She was a middle level lawyer in a fairly large firm, and she was beginning to find it hard to deal with the ?testosterone pervaded mentality? surrounding her.

She was intelligent, and as good at her job as any of the other male lawyers, but she didn?t have a clue what to do when she began getting taunts from one of her officemates. (She had always been a shy, bookworm type.)

He was the typical schoolyard bully, who had taken to picking on her just because he figured she wouldn?t fight back. She tried ignoring his (usually sexual) innuendos, but that didn?t stop him. In fact, it seemed to spur him on to saying things which were, of course, immediately circulated in the office gossip pool.

My friend was trying to decide what to do next. She considered going to one of the senior partners and complaining about him, but she was sure it would be treated as a potential law suit (they were a law firm, after all), much less labeling her as a non-team player. It would probably affect her ability to stay with the firm.

She had worked so hard to get this far, and she didn?t want to throw it all away because of this jerk. She was in such a quandary, that she even considered quietly quitting, instead of launching this potentially career changing ?snowball?.

I smiled, nodding knowingly, ? and then proceeded to tell her the following story.

?For many years I earned my living in engineering. I started off as an apprentice drafter, and over the years worked my way up through the ranks, until finally reaching the level of Senior Engineer (doing just about every job in between).

Our office was made up of about 75% men, and at that time women weren?t really considered ?outside? engineer material. (That means you go onto the job sites, and have to crawl in and out of manholes, carry heavy equipment, ? .) They had a number of female engineers, but normally they were funneled into something like the Records Dept., which didn?t really require them to inspect any work sites. (It also didn?t offer too many opportunities for advancement.)

If you wanted to get into field engineering, you had to prove yourself able to do the work, both physically and mentally. That included standing up for yourself when you?re out working with a crew of guys, who assumed you didn?t really know what you were doing. (Over the years, I got ?little lady?ed enough to choke Scarlet O?Hara.)

Most of the managers were nice, but there was one assistant manager who was younger than the rest, and he was always going overboard trying to prove that he was ?the boss? (definite overcompensation). As a consequence, he kept pushing sexual jokes and remarks toward all the women in the office, somehow thinking, that would ?up his standing? in management?s exclusive Boy?s Club. (Keep in mind, this was the late 1970?s.)

One day I was in the drafting room, working on a particularly large drawing. (Remember, this is pre-CAD.) I had taped it to my drafting table to make the main drawing, but there were a few things I had to change up in a corner, so it was easier for me to just lean over that area instead of pulling up the whole sheet. As a result, I was stretched across the table, my back was to the center of the room, and I was totally engrossed in my work.

At this particular moment, our assistant manager happened to be walking through the room, and spotted me leaning over the table. Without even stopping, he said ?Hey?, slapped me on the ass, and kept walking. I was so surprised, ? I was literally stunned speechless. (Which, if you knew me you?d know, was not a normal occurrence.)

I glanced around, and noticed the faces of the other two women in the room. They seemed frozen between a giggle, ? and waiting for a grenade to go off. We?d worked together for years on a daily basis, and they knew this wasn?t going to go unnoticed. They were just waiting for my cue, as to how it would be handled.

Now, I considered going to my boss and complaining, but I knew it would be seen as a ?big deal over nothing?, and a waste of their time. (It definitely would have labeled me as a non-team player.) So I decided to wait, and take my revenge as it presented itself. I knew karma?s pendulum would swing him back into my sights soon enough.

Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, our entire office had a meeting on a big project. All the different departments had their bigwigs in for a closed-door conference on coordinating schedules and workload. I didn?t happen to be in on that meeting, but our egotistical assistant manager was in there, acting like he?d finally arrived in the upper echelon.

My manager had asked for some file earlier, but I had to wait to deliver it until the meeting had broken up, and everyone was standing around chatting. As I entered the room, I saw ?him? leaning over a drafting table, chatting with one of the engineers about something. (Right next to my manager?s desk.) I walked over, dropped the file, turned around, gave him a backhanded slap on the butt, saying ?Hey Steve, how?s it hangin???, and (without missing a beat) walked out the door.

I got about two steps outside the office, when I heard the entire room erupt with laughter. I didn?t get to actually see his face, but the accounts I heard about later, were ? priceless!

Okay, if he wanted to play that game, he had to be ready for me to reciprocate in kind. (Even this many years later, I still have to smile about it.)

Needless to say, he backed off (as all bullies are prone to do), and I got my field chance soon afterward. I had somehow proven that I could play on the same ball field as the rest of them, by just standing up for myself. I grabbed the opportunity, and never looked back.

That day, I learned that true equality in the workplace is not really a gender issue. It has more to do with your own views toward yourself. If you let the bullies of the world stop you, ? then you are defeated before you?ve begun. You have to stand up for yourself first, ? then the world will happily follow along.?

********

(P.S. - Just for the record, ? about a year later, my friend joined the Peace Corps. She decided, she wanted to go help rebuild a country. Hmmmmm. Interesting choice.)

The dictionary defines Music as “the science or art of combining tones into a composition having structure and continuity:Also as vocal or instrumental sounds having rhythm,melody,or harmony. This is a wonderfully academic definition and be it far from me to question the authority of the dictionary,however this definition describes more the process of producing music than it defines what music actually is. Music is far more than a science it is in fact a creative force a spiritual dimension of life. Music has been apart of the human experience in every culture and society of mankind since time began. From the earliest cultures of man until now music has been used to express a wide range of human emotions from love, joy and celebration to sadness,anger and fear.Music has been used to inspire patriotism,incite wars and promote peace. Music is so much apart of us that we could not imagine a world or an existence that did not include this dimension of life. My point here is not to make a case for any particular genre of music but rather to help us understand that whether we know it or not the reason music is so much apart of us regardless of our age, race ,cultural background, or preferred musical genre and the reason it affects us the way it does is because in essence music is spiritual.

Understand that any thing that has the ability to alter our mood(positively or negatively), give language to feelings we cannot express, or transport us back in time or forward into the future is a spiritual force. Music does all these things on varying levels. When we speak of things being spiritual we are speaking of that which possess the following: potential,purpose and power

Potential

At this point I must inform you that music like many other things in life such as money and even religion has the potential for good as well as evil. If we believe that music is spiritual than it is crucial to understand that there is a good and an evil side to spirituality and spiritual things. For example the same knife that can be used to prepare a wonderful meal can also be used to mortally wound some one. The same wealth that can be used to feed the poor and promote positive change in the world could also be used to fund the trafficking of Illegal drugs or guns. In recent years the positive potential of music has been rediscovered as many mental health and therapy organizations are now including the use of music as a part of there therapy and recovery programs. Yet this is nothing new, in the bible there is a story of a great king named saul who was tormented in his soul and mind by an evil spirit. it was recommended to him that he employ the service of a skillful minstrel(musician). He was made aware of a young man named david who it was said was a cunning(expert,master) musician. David was brought before the king and he became the kings personal attendant. Whenever king Saul would start having one of his tormenting episodes David would play his instrument and the scriptures declare that as david played Saul would be refreshed and made well (read more in I SAMUEL 16). The positive potential of music to change our society and culture cannot be underestimated. Which brings us to the next thing we must understand about music.

The Highest Purpose

Someone has aptly stated: “that when the purpose of something is not known abuse is inevitable” when those who have been uniquely gifted to release the dimension of music into the earth fail to understand the reason for there gift it is possible to unknowingly(and in some cases knowingly) use the musical gift in a way that it becomes a conduit for the release of evil,perversion and negativity into the world. This is where we come to a very important point. music in and of it self is a neutral spiritual force. what do I mean? Its like a glove lying on a table it’s just there until someone with the ability to give it form puts his or her hand into it and then it assumes the form of the hand that it contains. In the same way music with all of its potential and possibility simply hoovers in the spiritual atmosphere around us awaiting to be employed by some one who has the musical ability to take it and form it into a song or composition and bring the awareness of it into the earth for the world to hear. When this process takes place the music simply assumes the form of the one forming it. What ever philosophy of life or worldview the gifted musician holds good or bad will inevitably be transmitted into there music and songs. So what is the purpose of music? I do not believe that we can answer this question, until we answer the question of the origin of music. since we know that music is a neutral spiritual dimension, we must then conclude that it has a spiritual origin. in other words, that which is spiritual comes from that which is spiritual. The bible declares in the book of John 4:24 that “God is a spirit” one of the most profound aspects of God’s spiritual nature is the creative aspect of his nature, in fact the first thing we learn about God in the bible is that he is the creator of all things,that means that every realm,domain,sphere,atmosphere and dimension was created by God(read Genesis 1 &2). in the book of revelations 4:11 it says “worthy are you our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you have created all things, and because of your will they existed, and were created. All things include the dimension of music with all its potential and power which includes those who have been gifted musically to release the benefit of music into the earth. Herein lies the purpose of music.

Let me say right here that I am not talking about whether your chosen genre is classical, jazz, pop, r&b gospel or contemporary Christian, the issue is one of heart motivation. As a gifted musician,composer,singer what is the heart motivation behind your music. The bible says that that our highest motivation as musician’s should be to perform,write and produce music that glorifies God and demonstrates the greatness of his creative spirit in the earth. Might I add that that this does not always mean that the songs or musical compositions have to be in the genre of what is known as gospel or Christian music. If the music was inspired buy Gods creative spirit and the heart motivation of the musician or composer was to inspire and add value and meaning to the life of the hearers in a positive, creative,powerful and beautiful way than this is a good work that glorifies God. This is what we learn when study the life of Great composers of the past such as Bach, Handel, Beethoven and Mozart. These men were master musicians and composers who were aware that there musical genius was a divine gift, but their music was more than just religious, it was inspired by Gods creative spirit within them. I only use the classical genre to make a point not to say that it is better or more meaningful than another genre,however there is reason why the works of these men are still used and referenced in the musical programs of our institutions of higher learning and even today are used as bench marks of Excellence and music mastery.

My point is that music has a purpose and the potential to change the spiritual climate of the earth. And I believe that we are about to see a modern renaissance as the creative spirit of God inspires musically gifted individuals both inside and outside of the church to begin to compose and bring fourth music that will promote change in our societal and cultural landscape.

If you are a musician reading this and in your heart you sense that this is your destiny begin by asking God to change your heart, recognize that your gift was given to you by the God of heaven and earth to be a conduit of his presence and voice to the world. dedicate your life to knowing God in a personal way and dedicate yourself to the craft of your music as a service for humanities good.

I can describe the latest release from R & B sensation Lauryn Hill for you with just one word? Outstanding!

Lauryn Hill has been a super star in the R & B genre for quite a while now and Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill is an excellent illustration as to why.

One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you?ve got one of Lauryn Hill?s most impressive releases ever.

If you’re even mildly into R & B music you’ll enjoy this album. Overall Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill is an outstanding release. I give it my double thumbs up. You will not be disappointed with one single track.

While the entire album is outstanding the truly standout tunes are Superstar [track 6], Final Hour [track 7], and Sweetest Thing [track 16].

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore […as in “Stuck On REpeat”] is track 10, Forgive Them Father. Wow!

Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill Release Notes:

Lauryn Hill originally released Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill on Aug 25, 1998 on the Columbia label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Intro
2. Lost Ones
3. Ex-Factor
4. To Zion - (featuring Carlos Santana)
5. Doo Wop (That Thing)
6. Superstar
7. Final Hour
8. When It Hurts So Bad
9. I Used To Love Him - (featuring Mary J. Blige)
10. Forgive Them Father
11. Every Ghetto, Every City
12. Nothing Even Matters - (featuring D’Angelo)
13. Everything Is Everything
14. The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
15. Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You - (hidden track)
16. Sweetest Thing - (Mahogany mix, hidden track)

Personnel includes: Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo (vocals); Carlos Santana, Johari Newton, Robert Browne, Earl Chinna-Smith (guitar); Grace Paradise (harp); Dean Frasier (saxophone); Everol Ray (trumpet); Nambo Robinson (trombone); Tejumold Newton, John R. Stephens, Joe Wilson (piano); James Poyser (organ, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer bass, background vocals); Chris Meredith, Tom Barney, Matthew Rubano, Paul Fakhourie (bass); Jared “Chocolate” Crawford (drums); Ruby Byrd (percussion); Vada Nobles, Che Guevara (drum programming); Sabrina Johnston, Earl Robinson, Andrea Simmons, Kenny Bobien, Eddie Stockley, Jenni Fujita, Chuck Young, Rasheem “Kilo” Pugh, Fundisha Johnson, Lenesha Randolph, Ahmed Wallace (background vocals). Engineers include: Tony Prendatt, Commissioner Gordon, Warren Riker.

The universe of music is full of scales. Major, minor, harmonic, blues, augmented, diminished, and many more. The major scale is the basic scale form and can be mastered just by memorizing a few simple steps.
1. Memorize the following:
Fudge
Chocolate
Giant
Donuts
Are
Extremely
Bad
For
Children
Always
Eat
Better
Food The first letter of each word represents the order of the sharps and flats.
i.e. f#,C#,G#,D#,A#,E#,B#,F#,C# - Ab, Eb, Bb, F

Now a scale starts on the name of it and then is spelled out using the abc’s of music. C starts on C, G starts on G etc
SHARP SCALES
C is the only scale with no sharps or flats. C D E F G A B C
G has one - F# (Fudge)
D has 2 - F# and C# (Fudge Chocolate)
A has 3 - f# c# g#
E has 4 - f# c# g# d#
B has 5 - f# c# g# d# a#
F# has 6 - f# c# g# d# a# e#
C# has 7 - f# c# g# d# a# e# b#
FLAT SCALES
Ab - Bb,Eb,Ab,Db
Eb - Bb, Eb, Ab
Bb - Bb, Eb
F -Bb

Putting this info down on paper is really improtant. Write out each major scale 10 times and then practice it on your instrument. In no time you will have them all memorized and will on your way to playing and sounding better on your instrument. For more info on scales and how to use them against chord changes get the book “The Jazz Language” and “Scales for Improvisation”.

Music lessons have been talked about for years. The importance of them cannot be over stated. There are many approaches and ideas about music and if lessons actually help. A private tutor is like a Personal Trainer at the gym. A music teacher will challenge a student, motivate a student, change the routine to make it more interesting, and always bring fresh ideas to the teable. Music lessons benefit our life in twelve different ways.
Self-Confidence. Being able to go from learning notes and rhythms to producing meaningful music instills in your child a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence.

Coordination. Hand, eye, body posture and thought all working together are the ingredients of playing an instrument. These coordination skills transfer to many other aspects of life.

Teamwork. Every child wants to be part of a group. Theory and musicianship classes, in addition to group performances and recitals provide just such unique opportunities.

Comprehension. Learning to perceive and derive meaning from musical sounds sharpens your child’s ability to comprehend abstractions.

Problem-Solving. Learning the basics of musical language and interpreting a work through performance teaches your child the ability to understand a problem and reach an appropriate solution.

Discipline. Learning all of the basics of music and applying them correctly takes perception and discipline.

Art Appreciation. The words beauty, serenity and excitement come to life with each musical experience. These feelings help every child appreciate all forms of the arts.

Logical Reasoning. When your child learns to analyze a musical work from all perspectives or to improvise within a certain musical style, both inductive and deductive reasoning grows stronger.

Communication. Music offers the ability to cultivate our feelings and thoughts through nonverbal means and to respond to these nonverbal thoughts in others.

Conceptualization. Your child learns to classify by learning to identify different types and styles of music and to recognize how cultures use music for personal expression.

Making Value Judgments. Learning to comprehend, consider and evaluate in music can help your child make informed decisions and uphold value judgments in other aspects of life.

Using Symbols. Learning to read, write and interpret musical notation strengthens the use of other symbol systems such as mathematics and language. re are twelve important reason why music lessons are beneficial to the human mind.

Enrolling in a well respected program that offers recitals, university trained educators, and that is respected in the community is worth its weight in gold.

Now brewing beer for almost 250 years and served in some 150 countries, Guinness Stout was founded as a family-owned brewery in Dublin, Ireland by Arthur Guinness. Not only is Guinness a top beverage in its own country, but even down in Jamaica the dreads swear by it, serve it up, and sip it down; ice cold, or at room temperature. Lots of big business has come out of ?Sir Arthur?s? product, which is known the world over, and spreading?

Truthfully, many affiliations between big business and the music industry have netted fruitful endeavors for all parties involved. And now, a university-level homework assignment: see if you can use a keen eye to find a few more examples of relationships between big business, government, or social organizations with the Rap community. Chances are, there?s probably some right around you; you may not have even been aware of them before. Hint: Take a good look at those motion pictures hitting the big screen. Here?s an interesting scenario for you to sink your teeth into?action!

Celebrity Will Smith laughed his way straight to the bank when many Rap fans wrote ?DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince? off as lame. But before ?the show? was over, Smith got the starring role on TV sitcom ?The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,? which debuted in 1990. The show had a long successful run, and continues running in syndication. Will Smith ?the rapper? performed the theme song, while Will Smith ?the actor? made sure his Rap music homey Jazzy Jeff was also cast in some shows; but Mr. Smith did not stop there. He went on to star in movies which earned him as much as $10 million a pop. There is no need to mention his list of credits; just go to Blockbuster Video or the Internet and type in the ?search.?

Finding a need to outdo ?himself,? Smith’s fee went from $10 million to 20 big ones, then from 20 large to $25 million per, before he dived into the big ?M? and ?super-sized? his life by marrying Jada Pinkett. She paved her own way as an impressive actress on shows like ?A Different World,? ?The Cosby Show,? and in blockbuster films such as ?Ali,? ?Jason’s Lyric,? ?Menace To Society,? ?Woo,? ?Set It Off,? the ?Matrix? spinoffs, ?The Nutty Professor,? ?Scream 2,? ?Collateral,? and who knows what else by now. I heard a rumor that the pair might have to buy a continent to use as a tax shelter. Wow - that?s big enough to get on the Oprah list! Combined, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith account for about two dozen top films of the 20th and now, 21st centuries. And these films usually came with hot music soundtracks, too. This is another example of the deepening relationship between Hollywood and the Rap/Hip-Hop world. For the purpose of fun, let?s call their happy union ?Holly-hood.? Watch out?-more fun?s on the way!

But hold up and wait a minute: before we dig in any further, let?s pull over at a local Asian restaurant for some grub?-we?ll need it for our next stop. My fingers tingle from all this typing action on the laptop, sitting here in the ?time out? corner of the classroom. Where?s my Dragon voice recognition program when I need it? At home parked on the desktop computer ? what a bummer!

Please note that things have changed with regards to technology, folks. Not only does my voice recognition program type as I talk into a microphone, it?ll read it back to me, too. When my editorial consultant Ms. Melilli (also known as the infamous ?XoxoJean?) sends e-mails to a friend with a text recognition program, it recognizes her name by saying ?Socks-a-Jean.? I?m just happy she likes my smoked turkeys. According to information obtained from my old friend B.Brown of Bar-Red Entertainment, my confidential Author Code Name is: ?Turkey Smoker of the Stars.? His mother Ms. Lydia works for the Atlanta Convention & Visitor?s Bureau. Both she and Miss Jean can keep getting the big birds too, as long as their taste buds approve of the transaction.

Data: A new development has just occurred. I heard a growl; my tummy?s empty from tapping into extra neurological cells to use a special, limited resource: my natural ?superior intellect.? I guess I owe my nephew Dez a fortune for this term?-his invoice may be the death of me yet!

So what?s your taste buds say? Anyone that knows me will tell you I get a little grumpy when I?m hungry. Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese; whatever you want?-it?ll be on me. Plus, we?re about to run into a whole bunch of people, and some of them may be hungry too. I?m not feeling like sharing plates today though, hence I?m buying with my per diem money. So go ahead and keep your ?cream? (dolla-dolla bills) in your pockets.

According to our itinerary, one colorful group that is listed as being capable of running circles around the proverbial ?viper?s pit? has the letters ?WTC? engraved in the minds of its constituents. This could mean trouble, ?cause the paperwork says they?re some kinda ?clan.? But as long as there?s no ?K? up in the mix, I?m good. I wonder if they look alike; you know what some people can say without meeting someone first. Maybe we can all blend in and ?just get along? if we?re eating some food representing the region. We?ll be having hot, buttered popcorn for desert, though. (You may see where I?m going with this in a minute ? I?ll remind you.) Both Asia and the Far East are known for their delectable dishes and many forms of cultural stimuli. On our next stop, you?ll see that cultures from the Pacific Rim have plenty of interesting offerings with regards to the consumable entertainment they produce, too.

Similar to us westerners, Asian food and entertainment go well together, just like popcorn and movies. One American network calls it ?Dinner And A Movie.? Lots of popular flicks include what are known as ?action movies.? Many film buffs enjoy action movies about world destruction, extra-terrestrial invasions, espionage, crooked government officials, dirty cops, gun-slinging cliques, posses, gangsters and the mafia; in short, these subjects and characters make up good thematic content for stories about extinction-level events and the underworld. Film buffs take to action films that come loaded with explosions, chase scenes, aerial shots, fight sequences, hand-to-hand-combat, and cutting-edge weapons. I know I do. Speaking of cutting-edge weapons, New York?s Wu Tang Clan uses one as a logo. What appears to be a rounded, sharply bladed, boomerang/disk is actually the ?W? in Wu Tang. From looking at the weapon however, I don?t think I?d be likely to wake up some morning with a notion of getting cut by one of those things. Ever.

There are those ?action movie heads? who would agree that some pretty exciting films feature martial arts. Back in the 70s, we called them ?Kung Fu movies.? After Carl Carlton busted out with the hit song ?Kung Fu Fighting,? I built myself a pair of chuck sticks. But after a few displaced pops to the back of the head, I retired them. Alas, my dreams of becoming a ?Samurai Ninja Martial Arts Fighter? were shattered; but that was better than having a self-inflicted busted cranium. I went on to other things; mainly, watching martial arts movies. By the way, that minute?s ?bout up. If you know the deal, you can keep on reading. If you don?t know, you might want to ask somebody, get a map, or keep on reading, too. Whatever?s clever!

It’s no secret that cultures like the Chinese have been known for their long-standing empires. They also developed a highly disciplined way to defend their ?valuable assets? that were stored in huge, heavily protected fortresses. Martial arts gave fighters an opportunity to go mano-a-mano in sometimes brutal displays of precision and brute strength. This Spanish term is also known as hand-to-hand, head-to-head, one-on-one, and single combat.

Historic teachings show that great forces were often referred to as being god-like. Some were also referenced through vicious man-killing beasts such as lions, tigers and bears. Oh my?-did you know that ancient Chinese dynasties developed many institutions or schools of thought and defense? Some were based on a mystical creature known as the dragon. One group that acknowledged ?the way of the dragon? broke ground by doing it all. Setting up a great and powerful Hip-Hop dynasty along the way, they?ve been long known for their tight embrace on the discipline of building rock-solid empires. Pioneering Hip-Hop supergroup Wu Tang Clan has built upon their image of being an invincible clan of talented MCs and producers. Chief knob-twister RZA orchestrated the rise of an original, three-man group; an entire planetary movement followed.

Originally synergized through a nucleus composed of RZA, GZA and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Wu Tang Clan produced sound recordings with themes based on Hong Kong’s martial arts and Samurai movies. Along with references to the Five Percent Nation, strategic moves, chess and other thematic subject matter, the influence of ancient Chinese dynasties flowed through The Clan like a river.

Soon after the original members crunk up the machine, more warriors jumped on board. The Wu Tang Clan ended up with 9 MCS, to qualify for labeling as a Hip-Hop supergroup, just on G.P. (general principle). As a producer, RZA later got a bigger break by acting in, but more importantly, composing music for the soundtrack of Forrest Whitacker?s ?Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai? and ?Kill Bill, Volume 1.? (I wonder if he can hook me up with Lucy Liu and her friend from the Crazy 88?s.) These movies have some great on-location scenes, and the fighting sequences are just what the doctor ordered. To kick off 2007, Spike TV offered up some new programming content. On New Year?s Eve, they unveiled ?Afro Samurai,? featuring Samuel L. Jackson as a ?superior fighting intellect.? The great and powerful RZA popped up once again, doing the music. This concoction totally made sense to me, by this point. If you haven?t seen these visual elixirs yet, what are you waiting for, a prescription?

Originating in the Far East, martial arts flicks somehow found a home in the world of American Rap music. It?s no doubt that Bruce Lee is the #1 martial artist to affect the 70s film world. Americans like Chuck ?Walker, Texas Ranger? Norris, John Saxon, and Karate-chop brother Jim ?Black Belt Jones? Kelly became martial arts film stars; even basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got a piece of the action in Bruce Lee?s personal project, ?Game Of Death.? When Lee got offered crazy money to star in the first Hollywood-backed martial arts film (?Enter The Dragon?), he did what any red-blooded entrepreneur would have done: he put the brakes on his project and began production on the new movie.

It became the biggest budget film in this genre?s history, and featured a young Jackie Chan as a stuntman. Bruce Lee?s untimely death, however, closed out an important chapter of martial art?s epic rise to fame, but Rap artists like the Wu Tang Clan used samples from ?Enter The Dragon? on their debut album, opening up a whole new episode. Both of Bruce Lee?s final martial arts films went on to spread the word about this growing faction of the movie and music (more simply put: entertainment) industries. Rap artists listened and responded; they would ?holla back? in their own unique, urban way.

On TV, David Carradine starred in the long-running, ?Kung Fu.? From Belgium, Jean Claude Van Damme made his mark in ?the arts,? too. While Jackie Chan headed into a ?funny-bone? crushing direction with comedian Chris Tucker in ?Rush Hour,? Jet Li got serious with Aaliyah and DMX in ?Romeo Must Die? (2000). Li also teamed up again with DMX in ?Cradle to the Grave? (2003). A multi-dimensional Jet Li film called ?The One? blended sci-fi with martial arts. This would not be the only flick with such a combustible mixture. There?s a long-awaited 2007 film featuring Jet Li and Jackie Chan now being completed. All of these urban-based action movies featured lots of martial arts moves; more were on the way.

Send requests for the conclusion of this story to me anytime.

If you haven?t shopped around for acting classes, how do you know there isn?t another method of acting that is more conducive to your learning style?

I, used to choose my acting classes in the past, because I knew other people who were studying with them. While I must admit that I learned a lot from their acting classes, I didn?t always feel that I was making progress as quickly as I could have or I didn?t feel comfortable with the method they used or how they were teaching me. I also believed that in some respects I wasn?t ready for their acting classes. In addition, I didn?t always feel that they really cared much whether I learned or not. While I have thick skin and can take criticism, I also wanted to feel that my teacher was interested in my learning. I didn?t always feel that way, so I changed teachers until I was satisfied.

The school where I have chosen to study has met my criteria. While doing research some three years ago to look for the right place to take acting classes, I interviewed different teachers and there was one in particular who stood out from the rest. She specializes in the Meisner technique, which I have found personally to give me the greatest results in making me a better actor, the quickest. While I haven’t written this article to sell the school and the teacher, my point is, that to arrive at the decision to study with her, I had my own personal list of criteria for choosing where to study.

My Criteria

Let me share with you my criteria for the choice of an acting school or place just to take acting classes(these are not in order):

? Teachers have experience acting

? Provides ongoing training (ongoing classes)

? Has a base technique

? Has a technique that is conducive to my style of learning

? Has a technique that gets me results as quickly as possible and that is easy to use

? Faculty that is serious and professional

? Teachers who care about my learning, who push me and challenge me, and who will kick me in the butt if necessary

? Teachers who don?t treat me like a number

? Teachers who take pride in the development of their students and who really care

? Cost of classes within my budget

? Class times suitable for my schedule

? Offers a variety of classes that are complementary to each other so that I can stay at the same school and practice the technique in all the classes I take there. (It helps to stay focused instead of taking a technique class at one school, audition technique at another, scene study at another, and so on. However, it might not be possible to do everything at one school. This is what I preferred a few years ago, when I was just starting out. Most schools usually specialize in one thing or do one thing really well. If you can find a school that does more than one thing well, that?s a plus. Just a thought.)

? Doesn?t play favorites

. Everyone is treated equally and fairly

These are my criteria for choosing acting classes. When you are choosing a school, I would suggest for you to have some criteria of your own. If you don?t know what you are looking for and why, then any school and any teacher (and maybe even at any price) will do. Know what it is you are looking for instead of just going to a school because one of your friends or someone you know is going there. Know what it is that will make you stay there. Have clear objectives for what it is you want to accomplish. I know it?s not always easy, especially now that you are maybe just beginning this new way of thinking, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you will feel and the easier it will become. In the beginning when you don?t know anything, it is difficult, but as you continue in your profession, things will become clearer to you.

If you are interested in making money from home, you should know that there are many different business home internet marketing opportunity factors that should come into play. First of all, when you are looking for home business or internet marketing opportunities that you are interested in, you should keep several things in mind. The first thing that you should keep in mind is that not every business/home internet marketing opportunity is going to be the same, because there are many different opportunities that you might want to thing about in many different areas.

You want to make sure that your business home internet marketing opportunity is one that you could stand to do for quite some time. This is because as you et the chance to do more and more, you internet marketing business is going to grow, and you are going to have to keep in going. This means that the business home internet marketing opportunity that you are starting up has to be something that you want to do for the long term.

The other thing that you should keep in mind when you are talking about a business home internet marketing opportunity is that you have to be able to have a way to make money. Your business home internet marketing opportunity has to be something that you want to do but also that will make you money.

There are also other things that you should keep in mind when you are thinking about different business home internet marketing opportunity propositions that you might come across. The most important is that you can find something to do that is interesting to you. It has to be something that you are interested in because it cannot be something that will bore you or make you uninterested.

So, when you are looking at the business home internet marketing opportunity that comes your way, you have to be sure that you first of all are interested in the proposition. You also have to be sure that you have a way to make money from the business home internet marking opportunity, and also you have to be sure that you are willing to do the internet marketing business for quite some time.

When you have brought all of these things in to play, there are many chances for you to find a home internet marketing opportunity of a business. There will be many chances for you to find these online, and they can be chances that you might want to take because they will give you money and they will give you security for the future. These are all things that you should keep in mind when you are looking at the different business home internet marketing opportunities that might come your way. Remember that this could be something you do for a long time.

About the Author:

Tobias Smith writes on a variety of topics related to home business and working at home. Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at Plug-In Profit Site.

For some reason, people seem to have grasped onto the image of a business owner as a tall man in a suit, and they won?t let that image go. These days, however, a business owner can be a little old lady who never leaves her house. This is the true meaning of taking advantage of a business opportunity from your very own home. Not to mention the fact that running a business from home, while it requires a bit of common sense and basic skills, does not mean that you have to go through eight years of college to get a degree in business management. Instead, the home business opportunity was designed for someone that doesn?t have time to go back to college, much less go out and buy nice suits to go with their business.

If you are at home all day but you want to bring in some sort of money, the home business opportunity is for you. It is also for those of you who do not wish to go out and join the work force. Running a business from home entails using a computer to make money, without having to worry about all of the formalities, and the best part is that anyone can do it if they know how to use their resources effectively. Unfortunately, the idea of running a home business seems to be disregarded and underestimated by people that say they are looking for a ?real? job. If you?re one of those people, then it should be made clear to you that running a business is a real job no matter where you are running it from. Besides, every successful business has to start somewhere, so it might as well start from the comfort of your home and have room to expand out into the business world.

The only prerequisites for starting a home business are access to a computer and the internet. Once you have those two things, the door is open for you to begin working however you want. Not only can you choose what type of business you want to run from home, but you can also choose the hours that you work, and you can decide how much money you want to bring in. Logically, the more time you spend working, the more money you will be bringing in, but if you don?t necessarily want to live off your home business, then you may only want to work a few hours a week.

There are so many advantages to running a home business, the list is endless, but there are a few things that stand out. The fact that anyone can run a business from home as long as they have the two basic resources is a huge advantage over other business opportunities. Secondly, the chance to choose how much you want to work, and thus earn, is up to you. This should be incentive enough to take advantage of a home business opportunity.

About the Author:

Tobias Smith writes on a variety of topics related to home business and working at home. Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at Plug-In Profit Site.