This totally amazing video of our planet and its moon was taken by a satellite a million miles away!
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In early July, a satellite camera caught the moon crossing the face of Earth.
Source: Moon photobombs Earth
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Easy Book Title Creator!
If you’re an author who needs a good laugh or perhaps an author who has trouble making up titles, this post is for you!
Create a book title: color of your underwear, food you ate last, and the city you visited on your last vacation: The (blank) (blank) of (blank). Substitute socks or pants for underwear if you’re shy; no one will know.
Post your answer below.
Care and Feeding of Beta Readers
Great tips for working with beta-readers!
DO: give thematically-appropriate gifts.
DO give them a properly formatted, grammatically-correct, spell-checked manuscript.* It’s annoying as hell to wade through someone’s poor grammar to try and understand their story.
DON’T respond to critiques about poor formatting, poor grammar, misspellings, or misused words with “that’s just how I like to do it.” That’s fine if you’re journalling just for yourself, but the second you give someone a manuscript to read you’re on their time and you owe it to them to follow the rules of engagement. Also, you sound like an entitled twat.**
DO include any relevant reference material. Maps (especially for alternate world settings) and glossaries are useful for understanding some stories.
DON’T foist your whole world-building bible off on them so they can be awed by your genius. They won’t be.
DO offer compensation. Some don’t want it, but you should still offer. It doesn’t have to be money…
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US Presidential Candidates and Congress: Can You Sing?
Today’s guest post is from Cherie LeBrun, a classically trained musician with an international reputation and political activist who’s greatly concerned for the condition of our country. It has been the lament for centuries that fine artists are under-appreciated by the masses while only the wealthy have the education and means to appreciate and avail themselves to such luxuries.
But there’s more to art than sheer entertainment. It’s what feeds our soul. Cherie’s passion for music has prompted her to speak out, noting ways it could help heal much of what afflicts the world today. Her credentials for presenting such an admonition and appeal are duly impressive and included at the end. I know Cherie as a dear friend who is intelligent, compassionate, insightful, and a devoted animal lover. Her thoughts are somewhat long, but worth listening to.
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US Presidential Candidates and Congress: Can You Sing?
Our American Leaders ignore essential facts about the importance of Fine Music and Fine Arts in our educational system. Let’s get this on our Platforms. It is as important as any goals you have for America.
Why can’t our leaders integrate more funding for fine arts, musical instruments, lessons? Private non-profits can’t handle all of it. What’s wrong with putting Fine Arts as a requirement in our public educational system?
Are American leaders on both sides so blind, including EVERY ONE of the candidates, they have not read all the research in regard to the importance of Music and the Arts? Don’t they know that Music prevents Violence? Won’t Bernie, Donald, Hillary, Jill, Gary, even POTUS & VPOTUS, take a look at the importance of MUSIC & ARTS in our world? These folks have money. Are they too lacking in cultural education? Sometimes I wonder. Who brings it up? Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. El Sistema. It works! Look it up! Contact Gustavo! Contact Lang Lang!
As a classically-trained musician, I’m particularly concerned about the LACK of EDUCATION in Fine Arts and Fine Music, the base and heritage of our Western music, especially since programs like El Sistema WORK! We are talking the HIGHEST Olympic-like technique, the understanding of tone and musicality and various methods to extract that tone to a musicality that is far beyond merely counting with a marching band’s metronome.
As an older musician/teacher I can say our nation no longer has enough FINE MUSIC & FINE ARTS. It has been and still is reserved for the highly educated and wealthy. American kids today don’t understand it, why so many of our Classical Artists representing the highest technique reachable are coming from Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia, etc. Even our wealthy youth don’t pursue it. I know older doctors and lawyers who are also highly trained, but that tradition of deep knowledge for music is waning.
An example of how times have changed for the worse for fine music is exemplified by the lack of State and National Music competitions, AND, the lack of Class A students, vs Class B and Class C. In Ohio, I had a student participate in the District Competition. Even if he received a Superior Rating, that was it, he could not go on. In the 60’s, when I received Superior, Class A, I went on to State.
Even our high schools are focused more on Marching Bands than Symphonic Orchestra. I don’t even think we have many or any young high school orchestras in rural Appalachia where I live. Sports takes a priority.
But music educates the right and left brain, and discipline is necessary, including manners.
Over the last few decades, music exists OUTSIDE the family structure, with earphones glued to the ears of our children.
Families don’t sing enough together — or at all.
We need music at home, singing together at home.
We need to FUND lessons with great teachers at schools, which will also teach kids discipline, manners, kindness.
We need to teach our children to bring music home and share it!
Meanwhile, Republicans hate Democrats, visa versa.
So many of us feel that our leaders are not inspirational. They’re not. Monotone. I don’t think they can sing! Where is the inflection? The sincerity of the voice that comes with singing?
How many show us the way to the Fine Arts? We talk about SCIENCE constantly– POTUS especially. Musicians are tired of hearing it. WHY? Because MUSIC IS A SCIENCE!
Students come to private teachers saying, Oh, there’s no money in music, I want to study science or medicine!
Folks, I’m blasting this to the world. MUSIC IS A SCIENCE! And it is the ONLY Science that involves both sides of the brain, left and right, feeling and thinking!
Einstein was a fabulous violinist!
We need an education with REQUIREMENTS to study fine arts! I’m not talking about Marching Band, pounding on an instrument without learning the subtle technique for bringing out melodies and different feelings, dynamics, tone. I’m referring to public education with top teachers, musicians, artists, singers performing for our youth and teaching them as well! Just contact Gustavo Dudamel and ask him.
Soon, teaching private piano or other instruments will fade in many parts of America. The free lessons at schools are not worth much, believe me. And yet, there is SO much TALENT! But Fine Arts need to be REQUIREMENTS. Why? Because the kids today lack discipline! Once they figure out that Discipline and Manners will bring joy of hard work, they will be happy the discipline was there in the end. AND, they need to be inspired by superb teachers who are paid well!
Our young Americans have no idea what listening to fine music means, the architecture of the music. They don’t even realize their pop music is just a simple ABA structure, most of the time.
Think about it. Why do parents often say, mine included, Oh, you can’t make a living at music? For sure, without a Masters or PhD, you may not, unless you are such a top performer or POP artist, you survive in a capitalistic society of arts.
Why? Because our American culture does not give Fine Arts and Fine Music any relevance in our culture! I’m talking about the highest form of art, technique, tone, interpretation.
When was the last time the White House exemplified the fine arts? Maybe Kennedy’s?
Our kids don’t even know some basic HISTORY of ART & HISTORY of MUSIC! Everyone, even their parents, are glued to computer keyboards, earphones… we don’t even HEAR the MUSIC in Nature! The beauty of the Mourning Dove, the rhythm of the Woodpeckers.
Our city and inner-city kids are far removed from the beauty of nature. Our rural kids are far away from attending a major symphony. They can’t even hear the beauty. they hear pop, pop, pop…. helicopters overhead in North Long Beach in the 2000’s, “Stay in your House!” Sirens, more sirens.
Besides music, some of the so-called LEADERS need to talk about integrating, not only music, but more NATURE into the cities as well, with important programs for our youth. El Dorado Park in Long Beach is a good example.
That includes more music in the parks, not just bands, but FINE MUSIC. not just the loud music with pounding high vibrations, harming ear drums, like the hustle bustle, cries of ‘give me, give me’ attitudes, greed and idol worship and loud sirens. But with all the gangs in the parks with their guns (I was once in a middle of a gang shoot having lunch in a small park in Culver City), how can we even bring music to our parks?
Will it ever change and has it ever changed?
Instead, we live in a society that has no respect for the fine arts. Only the rich can afford to become educated to understand it, attend the concerts. Inner City, grade schools, high schools in cities may attend once per year, a token field trip. As a result, serious Musicians with the Highest Technique and Musicality and Tone, are not respected by American youth, not like youth in Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, represented by Lang Lang, who has done so much to bring this appreciation to China.
Our heroes and heroines often become those who are mere sex symbols or people we can’t even trust. But our Music and Poetry & Literature and Arts are honest representations of our souls, our times….even the people we have lost confidence in.
We need to free the lower 50% more than a mere FEW days per year, for trips to Arboretums, grand beauty parks of nature, and to philharmonic orchestras with famous soloists…. including an education about what they are actually hearing! Instead, in big cities, walking down the street with an ‘attack dogs’ can be more popular. I saw it often in North Long Beach,CA.
Violence, violence, violence everywhere, in our music, violence in our movies, automatic weapons, boom, boom, boom, violence in our voices, and violence of guns permeate our culture, instead of MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, more Paint Brushes & Colored Pencils.
And the Media often encourages it, hour by hour, day by day, owned by Wall Street and lobbyists who know that SENSATIONALISM brings more profit! Listen to the political statements after every disaster or mass murder. POTUS did not even mention the names of the officers!
Has anything changed on Planet Earth? Can’t we keep the simple 10 commandments of the Native Americans if we deny Christianity? Are people packed together only to exist in economic despair, impacted by poor Trade Deals and many times, no place to play!
Yes, we have lost touch with our SOULS. We fail to dream. We have lost touch with honesty and trust for our leaders and government. We fail to see the inspiration in simple pleasures. Electronic gadgets and video games rip us apart but ironically bring us together in our war-zone cultures.
But, can we SING? We don’t sing with our family members. We expect our children to be just like us, often forgetting their own individuality and needs. We put the kids by the TV sets instead of taking nature walks, dancing with them on the kitchen floor, singing a song, holding their hands with fun and love like my Baltic mother often did.
But, can we begin our route to music as a way of life, because we can begin to SING! Our voice is the very first musical instrument! Kids don’t even know that in today’s world!
Yes, every single day, we can sing a song, learn to carry a tune again! So many of our children can NOT carry a tune! Folks, it’s not INNATE! You have to practice HOW to CARRY a TUNE if you want to sing! We ALL can sing, unless we have had some surgery preventing our vocal chords from functioning. We can sing sad songs, holy songs, spiritual songs, poetic songs, rap with depth,soul, & love.
We can, like my Godchild in Texas, start groups or participate in groups @Crescendohtown, bring families together with music. We can sing to our children, sing to our teenagers and sing together. We can even learn Solfeggio like Europeans.
So, let’s take our earphones OFF! … as we mourn the violent diurnal murders of today, yesterday, tomorrow, in a world unawakened, blind with fear of telling the truth, blaming everyone else instead of facing one’s own reflection in the mirror, fearing our own transparency, fearing we may lose control…
We can return to songs we knew when we were younger, we can learn songs of different cultures, folk songs, country music songs…so many songs we can sing, why the birds are always singing.
Most importantly, every side of the spectrum can sing together. The Republicans can sing with the Democrats who can sing with the Green Party who can sing with the Independents who can sing with the Libertarians, on and on….
Then, maybe we can all sing together to bring Fine Arts BACK into this country, our culture, our educational system.
As an addendum, below are some superb interviews and facts about El Sistema. This could work in the USA if our Congress had more wisdom and insight!
(Brigitte Engerer) https://youtu.be/liTSRH4fix4
Singing takes them away from their daily lives…Music changes their souls, their minds
For children, gangs, youth in jail and in trouble with the law –saved by El SISTEMA:
El Sistema – JUVENILE DETENTION/JAIL https://youtu.be/c28oypf3ZPc via @YouTube
Gustavo Dudamel interview: https://youtu.be/UWQtwBB76c4
How Music Saved Venezuela’s Children: https://youtu.be/43tqQhOTCgQ
Imagine 4graders excited to stay after school to study classical music:
For anyone opposed to El Sistema, just listen to Gustavo Dudamel.
Chopin – Complete Nocturnes (Brigitte Engerer)
Serenity and dream… 1. 0:06 Op. 9, No. 1 in B flat minor. Larghetto 2. 5:53 Op. 9, No. 2 in E flat major. Andante 3. 10:29 Op. 9, No. 3 in B major. Allegre…
This post originally appeared on Cherie’s Facebook page.
BIOGRAPHY
Cherie Lebrun graduated from University of Notre Dame/St. Mary’s and the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Upon audition, she was accepted into the Innsbruck Conservatory of Music to study with F.Pinter. Cherie won several scholarships to summer music school at Capital University, received Superior ratings at Ohio State Music competitions, Class A, and also entered State Competition. She was one of three students accepted by Jakob Gimpel at California State University. Gimpel, a concert pianist and personal friend of Arthur Rubinstein, performed annually at the Ambassador Auditorium, as well as Hollywood Bowl with Zubin Mehta.
Cherie studied composition with composer Dr. Beverly Grigsby and Thomas Hulbert, as well as some jazz with Mark Massey. She was coached by Bruce Sutherland, well-known class-A instructor & composer, who studied with Amparo Iturbi. Cherie performed for the City of Santa Monica where she created their first fine music/piano course with recitals for youth who could not afford music lessons or instruments.
After a bout with death in her late 30’s, without healthcare insurance, Cherie left her full-time music teaching & performances. She became a Marketing and PR professional for a variety of multi-national and national companies, including non-profits and progressive political campaigns & organizations. She was an advocate for homeless people, a grass roots lobbyist and youngest President of Gray Panthers Network (seven chapters) in So.California in the early 90’s.
Cherie also assisted Carol Shaw in writing her book, Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are, a premier guide for beautiful fashions for the larger-sized woman. She served as a ghost writer and published several articles on various subjects, including commercial real estate. Her article, LA Needs a Wake-Up Call on Homelessness, was featured in the front of the LA Business Journal.
Presently retired, Cherie is an auditioned member of a music performance group in Ohio Appalachia — and working on a few books, various subjects.
CONNECT WITH CHERIE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherie.lebrun.3
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cherielebrun
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO A WRITER
This is not only hilarious but, as excellent humor usually is, totally accurate.
5 Parenting Tricks to Raise a Smarter Child
Children are born curious. That is why they drive their parents nuts. Even before they can talk, they’re into everything, whether it’s the kitchen cupboards or the catbox. Hopefully, the no-no’s are replaced by toys that are equally stimulating, though most parents have found that nothing can replace something as simple as a big, fort-sized box. When they learn to talk, then the questions begin. And for busy parents, these are often seen as a nuisance and distraction versus the opportunity they are to enhance your child’s intelligence and creativity. Instead, it’s usually squelched by sitting them in front of Netflix or a video game. I won’t even talk about the concept of going outside to play, since nowadays that seems as old-fashioned as rotary phones.
Most parents want their children to grow up to be successful, self-sufficient adults. With luck, maybe they’ll even take care of you someday. The question is whether your current parenting tactics will bring that result? What does your child’s diet comprise? Not just physical, either, though that’s the first place to start. Proper nutrition is important in too many ways to address in this blog, but if nothing else, it teaches healthy eating habits, even if you don’t explain why vegetables and fruit are healthier than cupcakes and soda. Proper nutrition contributes not only to a healthier body, but mind as well.
A healthy emotional diet is important, too. Lots of hugs, positive reinforcement and appropriate discipline are essential. If a child feels loved, overcoming other parenting mistakes is much easier.
But what about his or her intellectual diet? What’s feeding their little minds? Are you putting some thought behind it when they’re bored or just reaching for the easiest distraction? Here are a few tips for encouraging your child to love learning.
1. Answer their questions! In the past, unless you were a physicist, it was more difficult when a child asked “Why is the sky blue” or “What causes a rainbow” or “Why can airplanes fly?” In the past it required a huge dictionary and a bookcase of heavy and expensive encyclopedias. Now all it takes is a quick query on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Don’t dismiss any question as stupid! Face it, you probably think it’s stupid because you can’t answer it. That attitude will rub off, too! If your child sees you looking up answers, it won’t be long before they do, too.
2. Make learning fun! There are just as many educational games out there as mindless ones, most of which teach battle strategies and violence. Shop carefully, paying attention to what the story line comprises. If your child gets addicted to video games, wouldn’t you rather they be learning something?
3. Failure is not an option! Part of making learning fun is creating a love for challenges, which is what games do. Make learning something new exciting, not something to be feared. Encourage your child to confront challenges, head-on, by setting goals, then celebrate even small successes. Teach the concept that failure isn’t permanent, but only a learning experience that serves as a stepping stone along the road of life.
4. Identify his or her learning style! It’s great that there’s so much visual learning these days, which I wish had been the case when I was a youngster. There are numerous learning styles with the most basic audio, visual and kinesthetic (hands-on). Do you know which one your child favors? It’s best to introduce all three and see which one your child’s naturally drawn to.
As a visual and kinesthetic learner, I did poorly with teachers who did nothing but talk, which went in one ear and out the other. Visuals helped, but hands-on resonated. While it’s a good idea to introduce the other styles to build skills in those areas, be sure to use your child’s favored media for the most important areas. Once you know what it is, find out which method(s) your child encounters in school. If it’s not the favored style, then you’ll want to supplement learning at home in the style s/he’ll not only absorb but enjoy.
5. Music appreciation! Learning a musical instrument not only teaches discipline, it actually improves a child’s brain and concentration. If this isn’t possible, you can still control what they’re exposed to. What becomes familiar is what they’ll prefer. If a child never hears classical music, it’s unlikely to be embraced later.
If music programs the brain in some way, then what do you want your child to listen to? Pay attention to lyrics, too, which are absorbed at the subconscious level. Music is a powerful tool. Make sure it’s having the desired effect. Going on vacation? While you have a captive audience in the car is a great time to introduce classical music. Turn off the DVD player occasionally and have them watch the countryside, which can be used as an impromptu geography lesson. Visiting a National Park? What an excellent time to introduce the compositions of Bach, Beethoven or Brahms.
None of these take a lot of time, certainly a lot less than most sports programs, which have their place in a child’s upbringing. But if most of your child’s leisure time is occupied with sports, what priorities are you teaching? Think about it.
Once you make up your mind to focus on these simple tricks, they’ll become second nature, not only for you but your child as well. Children truly do learn what they live. The intellectual quality depends on you.
It’s Time to Ban Atrazine Now
It’s time for the EPA to do what its name implies PROTECT, and not the chemical company’s profits but the health of humans and animals alike.
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A new analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency paints a grim picture for wildlife in the United States. The country’s second-most commonly used pesticide, atrazine, is likely harming most species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, especially in the Midwest where its use is highest.
Source: It’s Time to Ban Atrazine Now
The Emotional Stages of Putting Your First Draft Away #writers #SundayBlogShare
This is so true! The longer you can let it sit, the better! When you can see your work objectively as a reader would, you can really get to work editing and polishing the first into the jewel you always imagined.
Bad reviews = good company! #1-starClassics #SundayBlogShare
If you’re an author who has ever received a less than stellar review (and which author hasn’t?) you will love this short little picker-upper.
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Reblogged on WordPress.com
Source: Bad reviews = good company! #1-starClassics #SundayBlogShare
Watch the book trailer for “The Owl of the Sipan Lord” by Viv Drewa
Sounds like a fascinating story! Check it out!
#AromasAuthors#VivDrewa @vivdrewa
This is the story of a widow who, with the help of an owl and a blue-eyed spirit, solves her husband’s murder and a 1300-year-old mystery in Peru.
Marcha's Two-Cents Worth 