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Play Driving Games - Escape From All Life’s Worries Through Playing Driving Games

Online games, specifically video games have been inevitably invading the worldwide web as time passes by. Such games have been very helpful to us especially when we are feeling lonely and bored about our monotonous life. Furthermore, we tend to look for some enjoyment activities just to feel relax and at ease. That is why sometimes, it is good for us to play driving games.

Many online gamers nowadays, choose to play driving games rather than other breath taking war games. It is because driving games are more users friendly and also has some moral values. As a matter of fact, the simplest thing that you can learn in connection with the driving games is about following some traffic rules as well as to be persistent in reaching the finish line. Furthermore, driving games are not only intended for kids but also to adult gamers. Thus, it is safe to say that driving games were created for people from all walks of life.

In this day and age, more and more companies are popping out in the worldwide web to attract online gamers. Most of these companies are inclined with the driving games. Actually, one of the most favorite driving games sites today is the PlayCarRacingGames.ws. This download site in point of fact also offers free download. It has various kinds of driving games in which any one of us can choose from. Thus, there is indeed no reason for us not to try and play driving cars.

Most of the gaming consoles today make it a lot easier for us, the online gamers to play online and video games. They have actually innovated and improved the controllers, joysticks and other buttons which are necessary while playing driving games. Indeed, our tactical knowledge and motor skills are being well enhanced while we play driving games.

As a matter of fact, there are various forms of vessels as well as vehicles which we can use during our playing time. The possible vessels and vehicles are the boats, cars, Jet Skis, motorcycles and trucks. All these forms of vehicles can be modified and configured depending on our own preferences. Configuration of vessel and vehicle settings is just easy because most of the download sites actually let the gamers design their own car. Though the forms of vessels and vehicles may be different, but still the goal for all driving games is only one. That is to reach the finish line with a ranking of being the first among all other competitors. Reaching the finish line will allow us to take one level higher and can give us a somewhat sense of fulfillment.

Indeed, driving games are so simple but the enjoyment and excitement that it brings is undeniable. That is why many of us want to play driving games. Even just for a while let us take some time to relax and escape from our worries in life. After all, there is nothing wrong with playing driving games during our pastime just to have some sort of entertainment within ourselves. For more info visit PlayCarRacingGames.ws

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The Far-Reaching Influence of the English Language

As globalization takes hold of our collective society, the English language is quickly becoming the universal language for many reasons. For one, business across borders as well as over the internet, whether it is conducted by small companies or multi-national corporations is largely conducted in English. Global politics and diplomacy are largely conducted in English as well. In fact, English is the world’s second largest native language, the official language in 70 countries, and English-speaking nations are responsible for about 40 percent of the world’s total Gross National Product. Part of this can be attributed to the USA’s status as a major world power in economic, political and military aspects and by the huge influence of American movies.

The Internet

The internet was developed chiefly in America, and whether that is an influential factor or not, the majority of Web sites and Web pages are in English. People from all over the world access these English-language sites on a daily basis. This indicates that there are a many people all over the world who can at least read minimal amounts of English – enough to browse the Web.

Popular Culture

English can be at least understood on at least some level almost everywhere in the world among scholars and educated people. The English language is also widely recognized as the world’s media language, and the chief language of cinema, TV, pop music and as aforementioned, the computer world. All over the planet, even people who don’t necessarily speak the language know many English words, their pronunciation and meaning.

Countries Where English is Taught in School

Because of the English language’s far-reaching popularity and use all over the world, many non-English speaking countries are now introducing English lessons in their public and/or private school systems. Some of the countries that include the English language in their school curriculum do so for one or more of the reasons mentioned above. Other countries are simply forward-thinking in that they can see a degree of universality to the language that will offer its students greater opportunity. Other countries have their own, unrelated reasons for teaching English in their schools. No matter what the motivation, below is a list of countries that currently offer English as a second language in their schools:

- Asia

- People’s Republic of China

- Japan

- South Korea

- Taiwan

- Singapore (English is taught as a first language here)

- India

- Nepal

- Middle East and North Africa

- United Arab Emirates

- Kuwait

- Oman

- Egypt (English is mandatory from the 4th grade on)

- European Union

- Austria

- Belgium

- Bulgaria

- Cyprus

- Czech republic

- Denmark

- Estonia

- Finland

- France

- Germany

- Greece

- Hungary

- Ireland

- Italy

- Latvia

- Lithuania

- Luxembourg

- Malta

- The Netherlands

- Poland

- Portugal

- Romania

- Slovakia

- Slovenia

- Spain

- Sweden

- United Kingdom

- Latin America

- Argentina

- Chile

- Columbia

- Costa Rica

- Guatemala

- Honduras

- Mexico

- Panama

- Venzuela

Conclusion

As you can see, English is increasingly being taught to elementary, middle school and high school students all over the world. In many of the schools in the countries listed above English is either mandatory, or offered as a foreign language study much like Spanish and French are taught in the U.S. In other countries, English is offered as an option to those elite members of society who are in the position to pay for private school or tutoring.

Speaking more that one language is very common these days. Learning English as a second language at your own pace can be accomplished in your own environment with online online English schools courses.

Which Reality Tv Shows Match Your Body and Mind?

When you think about reality television, chances are that there are some shows that really appeal to you and other shows that you really just can not stand. This is true for most people when they think about reality television and it is true for them because of the fact that different reality television shows look at different parts of the human condition. Different parts of that condition tend to hold special or otherwise significant meaning for different people and that is exactly why reality television is such a varied landscape. If you are interested in discovering which reality television shows match your body and mind, here are some ways for you to figure that out.

Try to find a common theme

The first thing that you should do when going down the road of this quest is try to find a common theme linking all of these reality television shows together. Make a list of the reality television shows that you like and make a list of the ones that you don’t like. Once you’ve completed both lists, you should have a very good idea from the list of the types of reality TV shows that you like and the types that you hate. Overall, the common theme that you found within the reality TV shows will allow you to determine if future shows that come out are shows that you might enjoy.

Try to find a pleasing format

Just as a different theme of reality television might appeal to you, a particular show format might be what attracts you to the shows in the first place. Consider reality television in the format of a countdown elimination, a one episode per team instance or any other format that reality television producers might come up with and see if the lists of shows that you like and dislike fall into these formats. For most people, the answer is probably going to be somewhere in the middle since formats and themes don’t usually go together, but at the same time you might be able to discover something about yourself through making this type of investigation happen.

Talk to your friends

Talking to your friends is perhaps a thought that had crossed your mind, but if you are like most people then chances are pretty good that you dismissed that thought altogether. This is because while friendship is sometimes predicated on having similar interests, the interests that we do not share are the ones we tend to be most defensive about and for that reason discussing reality television with your friends might be a risky move in your mind. At the same time however, the reactions that you get from your friends and the way in which you deal with those reactions will tell you a lot about your own tastes in this area, which is why talking to your friends about reality television is a very good idea.

Read Online Reviews

The final thing that you’ll want to do in an attempt to figure out which reality shows match your body and mind is to read reviews of those shows online. Online reviews differ from newspaper and magazine reviews in the sense that they are more frequently written from a personal style rather than a professional one and that makes it a lot easier for you to identify with reviews that really speak to you. Oftentimes it is the case that the words you find hard to express find expression through others and that is exactly why reading online reviews is an excellent idea to pursue. Do this along with the other suggestions and you should definitely be able to find your answer.

HNE Castings is the industry’s leading producer of reality TV castings talent.

The Jupiter Of The Life Insurance Heavens

At the meeting of the Board of Directors, on October 7, 1891, John R. Hegeman, the affable and capable colleague of Mr. Knapp, was elected to the Presidency of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Haley Fiske, who was to carry the chief burdens of administration for nearly 40 years, was made Vice President.

For a decade prior to 1891 he had handled the legal affairs of the Metropolitan in the office of the company’s counsel, Arnoux, Ritch, and Woodford, and in that capacity had worked closely with the officers and had acquired a thorough knowledge of the life insurance (http://www.equote.com/li/termlifeinsurance.html) business. Mr. Knapp, two years before, had urged young Mr. Fiske to join the ranks of the company. This was not feasible at the time, but Mr. Knapp did arrange that on his death Mr. Fiske was to take on the administrative responsibilities of the organization.

Mr. Hegeman, as President, was to attend to financial problems, and to be the spokesman for the company in its relations with the public. In this regard, his picturesque and gracious personality was a distinct asset. It was agreed to let the task of management fall on the shoulders of the younger, harder hitting man. From 1891 to 1929 Mr. Fiske, first as Vice President and later as President, was the dominant force in the Metropolitan.

The president of a fellow company termed him the “Jupiter of Life Insurance Heavens.” His forcefulness was akin to thunderbolts. To him as much as to any single man, the Metropolitan owes its eminence and ability to produce no medical exam term life insurance to the insurance world. Nor was his influence limited to his own company. His vigorous personality and his constructive intelligence left their indelible mark upon the whole institution of life insurance in America.

Haley Fiske was born in New Brunswick, N. J., on March 18, 1852. His father was a blacksmith and, later, a foundryman; his mother, a keen witted woman known for her fine spiritual qualities. She inspired reverence in her son and evidently played a large part in giving direction to his life. Young Fiske attended Rutgers College, and although he made no particular mark as a student his fine personality stood out; his carriage and courteous bearing brought him the sobriquet Sir Haley.

In a real sense, he was Sir Haley for the rest of his life to all who knew him. His first job was as a local newspaperman, but at the same time he studied law with Judge Woodbridge Strong. Early in May of 1873 he entered the New York office of Arnoux, Ritch, and Woodford as a clerk. He advanced rapidly and soon became an outstanding figure in the firm. Young Fiske, it was noted, possessed an amazing astuteness and sound judgment.

The firm made him its trial lawyer, and his eloquence was such that even the famous Colonel Bob Ingersoll met defeat at his hands. Vigorous and incisive, he put his teeth into every thing he did. He was assigned by his firm to handle the increasingly important affairs of the Metropolitan, and thus made himself expert in life insurance problems and, more particularly, in those pertaining to the industrial business.

Mr. Fiske became Vice President of the Metropolitan before his 40th birthday, and soon became the dominating personality in the management of virtually all departments. He was unmistakably “Boss.” He looked into every detail of office management from life insurance rates (http://www.equote.com/info/life-insurance-info.html) to individual policies. He required frequent and detailed reports from his heads of departments; claims were reported to him daily. Under his militant direction the rapidly growing home office was galvanized into an even more efficient organization.

He inaugurated the “Triennial Conventions,” where he personally reported on the company to the Field Force in every State in the Union and in every Province in Canada in which it did business. He gathered together the district superintendents and agents for personal instruction. A naturally gifted speaker, he acquired, with the years, an extraordinary eloquence which he used in moving descriptions of the program of the company and its increasing contributions to the public welfare. He was at once administrator, chief salesman, and ambassador of good will.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in the history of life insurance, business, and finance. For life insurance rates or no medical exam term life insurance, please visit http://www.equote.com/.

Interesting Facts About The Atlas

An atlas is a collection of maps in the form of a book. There are different kinds of atlases available in the market today.

A collection of maps bound into book form is called an ATLAS. There are also atlases in various multimedia formats today. It has geographic features and political boundaries. An atlas usually features:

- Geopolitics

- social aspects

- religious traditions and

- economic statistics

Claudius Ptolemy, a geographer, constructed from his calculation the first book of atlas. He worked in Alexandria in 150 A.D. In 1477, his first edition was published in Bologna. It was illustrated with a set of 27 maps. This means it was not known then whether these maps were original engraved versions or otherwise.

In 1544, trading centers in Rome and Venice produced many maps. The publishers worked separately and produced maps based on their needs. These maps vary in sizes and later on, they bound them together into composite works. These works were called IATO or Italian, Assembled to Order. It was more often called Lafreri Atlases.

Abraham Ortelius was recognized in issuing the first modern atlas in May 20, 1570. The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum of Ortelius has about 53 map-sheets. It actually covers the whole world. This work reduced the available maps into a uniform size.

Gerardo Mercator introduced the earliest atlases in 1595.

The word ATLAS is a common basis of mistaken belief. This is because two mythical figures are connected with the making of maps.

- King Atlas – the mythical king of Mauretania.

A great philosopher, mathematician and astronomer based on legend who allegedly made the first celestial globe. It was possibly Mercator’s atlas that the legend was referring to. This was when “Atlas” was first coined. This was also where even a description of the King on the title page was included.

- Atlas (from Greek Mythology) - He is the son of Titan Iapetus and Clymene (or Asia). He is also the brother of Prometheus.

Atlas was punished by Zeus so as to bear the weight of the heavens on his back. In Homer’s Odyssey, he refers to Atlas as the one who knows the depths of the whole sea. He kept the tall pillars that hold the Heavens and the Earth.

In arts, Atlas is represented as the one carrying the heavens or the Celestial Sphere on his shoulders. The earliest representation is the Farnese Atlas. You will see this at Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli in Naples, Italy. This figure is more often found on the cover or title-page of atlases.

In modern times, publishers in different countries can reprint maps from different places. Maps displaying roads and transport links are known as Road Atlases. These show transport links and not geographical information.

Road Atlases come in many shapes, sizes and scales. It has motoring organizations in:

- UK

- Republic of Ireland

- Mainland Europe

- North America

- Australia and

- New Zealand

There are different styles of maps, depending on individual countries on a large scale. Thus, it is the user who can find this more useful for them. An example of this is the AA’s Close-up map of Britain. The map is of a large scale. It is good for driving on and off road. The scale helps place tracks and conventional roads.

European maps differ in scales as well. When people buy maps of Europe they also need to consider where they are traveling to. Thus, maps are sold in the United States and Canada, having scales that more often the best. These maps can be used for businesses. It can also be used either by tourists or just for general interest.

Australian and New Zealand maps have smaller scale. It is made to be sold for the European market. It was made by motoring organizations or map makers. This was made so that they will have an advantage on knowing the layouts of:

- Roads

- railways and

- rivers

For more information on Reading A Road Atlas please visit our website.

Which is Easier to Learn: English or Spanish

With such a large Hispanic population, there are many first, second or third generation Spanish speaking Latinos in the United States. In addition to that, there are thousands of visitors to the U.S., whether they are tourists, business people or students from Latin America or Spain. With such a large group of Spanish-speaking people here, many wonder whether it is easier to learn English or Spanish. You may wonder this because you have friends or family that speaks Spanish and you are considering learning yourself. If you are from Hispanic descent or just simply know how to speak Spanish as well as English, you may be planning on raising your child or children bilingual. If this is the case, you might be wondering if it is more beneficial to start teaching one language prior to teaching the other or vice versa. No matter the reason, if you’re wondering if it’s easier to learn English or Spanish, we will examine some factors that may help you answer this question.

What Makes One Harder and One Easier?

Unfortunately there is not cut and dry answer to which one is easier to learn or even to what makes one language harder to learn than another language. A lot of what makes a language easy or difficult to learn depends on the individual involved. Some of the factors in this regard include:

- The Individual’s Native Language

If the person learning a new language is an adult, young person or child who already has some sort of language skills, that individual’s native language will probably be the single most influential factor in whether Spanish or English is easier to learn. Languages that are similar to one’s native tongue will be easier, and ones that have little to no relation will be more difficult. For example, people who speak French and Italian will probably have an easier time learning Spanish, while those who speak Germanic languages such as Dutch and German will find English easier to learn.

- Related Languages

Most people will have an easier time learning the language that is related in origins to a language they already speak. Related languages share many characteristics and this will often make them easier to learn. These similar characteristics can make for fewer new concepts to deal with, whether they have to do with style, grammar or usage.

Popular Opinion: English vs. Spanish

Popular opinion, as dictated by a few recent Yahoo Answers polls, seems to indicate that English is a bit more difficult to learn than Spanish. The chief reason given for this conclusion is that the English language is more complicated is the fact that it is full of nuances that are particular to any given case. Examples were given where people whose native language is English still have a hard time mastering the language because o f this reason. Other factors cited for why English may be a more difficult language to learn than Spanish include sentence structure, pronunciation and punctuation. Meanwhile, the top reason cited as Spanish being difficult to learn was conjugation of verbs.

Conclusion

The conclusion is that there is no definitive answer. Whether Spanish or English is easier to learn is truly in the eye of the beholder. It really does depend a lot on the person actually taking on the new language. So if you find yourself as in the case of the example given at the beginning of this article, debating whether to teach your child English or Spanish first, why not try both? Or, start out with either first. But if you have the option, teach them a second language soon…while they’re still young.

Speaking more that one language is very common these days. Learning English as a second language at your own pace can be done in your own environment with online English schools courses. ******

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling

Home schooling is a viable option now for both parents and kids. There are many varying opinions on this form of learning. Some feel that it is not a good choice while others are encouraging it. Whether or not home schooling is right for your children is up to you. Taking a look at the pros and cons of home schooling might help you make the decision. It’s important to get your kids involved in this type of decision making as well.

One con of home schooling is that it does not allow kids an awful lot of interaction with other children. Activities like recess and after school sports are missed out on as well as fun stuff like field trips. Kids do need to spend time with others their own age. It wouldn’t be healthy to spend all of their time at home.

A pro is that there is more free time available when home schooling to work on other things. For example, some kids may complete their daily workload in less time than they would in a structured classroom. This allows them the rest of the day to do what they like or get ahead in their school work.

Slacking off may be a big con. When there is no teacher to scold you, it may become easier to slack off on the work being done. Being at home comes with temptations such as the television or the internet. Some kids may find that they are just too distracted to work and learn effectively at home.

The ability to learn at your own pace is certainly a pro. Not everyone learns at the same rate of success. Very fast or very slow learners might find they really prefer to work at home because it allows them to set the pace rather than struggling to match the class outlined pace. This is especially helpful when it comes to those problem areas that slow some people down. Being able to stop and work through it makes a big difference.

There are many great aspects associated with school that could be missed if one were to learn at home. Prom is one big part of school that many spend years looking forward to. Missing the prom is just one thing. Sports and other extra curricular projects that one does through school, such as yearbook, do not exist at home.

Parents might find that they are happier with the kids learning at home because it gives them a chance to be more involved in their child’s development and learning process. This can be beneficial for parents and kids since it eliminates the void of parents not knowing what their kid is doing at school. It also gives parents the chance to be part of teaching their kids rather than handing the reigns over to someone else.

Choosing to home school is a big decision. Make to involve your kids in it and allow them to think over the options. The choice should be something you make together.

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Character Education: Elementary Vs. High School

Character Education: Whose Job Is It? While elementary and middle school teachers often work with students on critical but non-academic issues of Character and Values education, such as getting along, behaving appropriately, being respectful, honesty, cooperating, and so forth, high school teachers have a tendency not to work on these issues.

According to Dr. Andrew Milson in the Journal of Research in Character Education (Vol. 1, Number 2,2003), many elementary school teachers feel that values and character based teaching should be combined along with subject-oriented teaching and learning. High school teachers on the other hand, tend not to have a strong sense of self-efficacy in relation to teaching character education. They often feel that they don’t know how to “do” character education and if they did try it, they feel they probably would not have a real impact on their students.

Milson (2003) cites studies which indicate that high school teachers who have only had character education pedagogy during their pre-service training, or who only have university-delivered character education training, feel less confident about being able to teach character development. In contrast, teachers who have attended conferences or had staff development sessions on character education express a greater sense of confidence about being able to teach these critical skills to their students.

It makes sense, then, that schools and districts attempt to provide sessions on character education in the form of staff development, in particular focusing on strategies and programs that address issues that teachers are currently experiencing in their classrooms, rather than theory or abstract ideas.

Teachers can also benefit from learning how to incorporate elements of character education through their regular curriculum. Character education can contribute to a psychologically healthy classroom environment as well as increased achievement among students. It can also set the stage for mutual respect in the classroom. This respect can reduce the amount of time usually spent on disciplinary issues, and focus the class time back on learning the curriculum.

When teachers get practical information on how to incorporate character education into what they already do, they can become more confident about following through and reaping the benefits of character education.

Hal Urban, a successful teacher in a multiethnic public school for 35 years shares the importance of character education at home and in the classroom. He begins his presentation by quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

Urban states, “The best news of all is that we now have solid research to prove that schools with an effective character education program promote higher academic standards. Yes, this even means higher scores on standardized tests. The reason is simple: an environment of mutual respect results in a better place for teachers to teach and a better place for students to learn.”

Utilizing an integrated character education program that emphasizes modeling and incorporating character education throughout the day is the best way to teach the students the value of character. Just as important is a support system for teachers that included staff development training and sessions that focus on specific implementation strategies, demonstrating how character traits can be integrated into the curriculum.

Marilyn Etzel is a volunteer for Building Good Citizens for Texas. Find out how “Building Good Citizens for Texas” can easily implement an integrated Character Education Program in your Elementary or High School by visiting Texas Character Education.

Cruise Ship Drumming

Cruise drumming is a very unique and fun gig to have. I worked for Royal Caribbean Cruises from June 2001 - Jan 2003; doing over 800 shows and working with over a dozen Grammy Award winners.

Getting the Gig

I auditioned for an agency that came to Berklee. The audition consisted of playing a medium tempo jazz groove, a ballad w/brushes, samba, bossa nova, rhumba, and then playing along to big band charts w/music minus drums and a click track. The emphasis was on good time keeping and chart reading.

I later learned that I could have auditioned directly for Royal Caribbean instead of going through an agency that wanted 12% of my pay. I recommend contacting the cruise’s “musician specialist”, human resources, directly.

Arrival

I was assigned to the Voyager of the Seas; RCCL’s flagship at the time. I met the ship in Miami FL. on it’s homeport day. That’s the day/port that the previous passengers leave and the new one’s begin their trip. I brought a suitcase full of summer clothes and a Tux, my stick bag, and cymbal case. The first sight of the ship was amazing. It was Huge! If you put the Voyager on it’s side it would be as tall as the Empire State Building.

After getting on, signing in, and getting my closet, I mean room, I started looking through the music given to me for the week ahead. Tony, the music director, gave me books of music for the Welcome Aboard, Farewell shows, two stock shows, and over 300 pages of Big Band charts….deep breath.

Day 1 :The Welcome Aboard show.

It’s a short show with snippets of entertainment to be seen throughout the cruise. As the new drummer I had to quickly learn the music review piece and the play-ons. The review piece had parts from the stock shows that are played every cruise with the on-board cast.

Play-ons are 5-10 second sections of songs used as a sort of theme music to introduce someone coming onto the stage. The horn sections of I Wish and Jungle Boogie are two commonly used examples.

The review piece was relatively easy as far as the drum part went. What was tricky was quickly getting comfortable with playing live to a click track and canned horns, strings, and percussion that augmented the already ten piece band. It was a real rush playing in a 1,500 person theater with a million dollar sound and light system for the first time. Two shows a night makes 3000 people a day. Don’t get stage fright! In situations like that, you just have to hang on and believe in yourself.

Day 2 : The first big show.

On a weeklong cruise there are usually two music review shows performed with the cast. The shows are 50 minutes of almost non-stop music. The Monday show was a mix of R&B, Top 40, and Cirque du Soleil. I spent a few hours that day studying the charts while listening to the CD’s that Tony gave me. Plus, I played a run through of the show during the cast’s rehearsal.

The stage crew places the drums so, all I had to do was give myself enough time to tweak the set up , make sure my charts were in order, and adjust my headphones. Ready to go. We received our 1 min cue and…….click, click, click, click off we go. See you in an hour! It can be a blast to be in the hot seat and have to concentrate for 50 straight minutes. The first time you nail an entire show, I mean every little thing, it’s an accomplishment!

Day 3 : My First Star Act

A Star Act is a guest artist. They come on and rehearse with the band for about 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon for the show that night. You run down all the songs once, twice at the most. You are rehearsing to make sure the band is together with the transitions and tricky bits. If there was something difficult, you better look at it on your own before show time.

Star Acts range from famous older groups like The Drifters and Bowzer (Sha Na Na) to Sinatra impersonators, magicians, and Broadway vocalists, among many others.

Sometimes you perform to a click but most of the time the song is counted off by either the music director or the artist. You only had a short rehearsal so, it’s important to have one eye on the chart and the other on the artist in case they want you to adjust the tempo a little.

Side Story. On these one week cruises, the Star Act does a Friday show for one cruise and then a Tuesday show for the next cruise. Seeing that I arrived on Sunday, this artist had a different drummer last Thursday. Apparently Tony had fired three drummers in a row when I got there. Being right out of school and only twenty two, I really had to prove myself to Tony, the band, and the Act. Each night was different and it’s own test.

Day 4 : Big Band

Alright. No Star Act. No review show to study. I got off and went to the beach in Jamaica. This was incredible! Especially after spending the winter in Boston.

That night we set up for Big Band in one of the many lounges on the ship. Tony would call out tunes from the over 300 numbered charts. They ranged from Take The “A” Train to Love For Sale. They’re all standards and mostly the original arrangements. Easy day.

Day 5 : The Hard One

Thursday we performed the second review show of the cruise. This one was mostly musical theater. There were lots of abrupt tempo changes and meter changes. High concentration is needed. Again, I spent a few hours reading and listening and I played the run through with the cast. I just held on during the run through so, I did some more studying before the show. It paid off.

I didn’t “own it” but I got through it pretty well and that’s what it took for Tony and the band to approve my staying in the band. The rest of the cruise was pretty easy after that.

Friday was another Star Act and Saturday was the Farewell show. First cruise completed.

After a few months you really start to feel like you can read anything put in front of you and your confidence grows. The review shows become second nature after a while. It’s important to be able to play with energy and concentration the first and 101 times you play anything. Tony once told me that the best way to keep your concentration level high is to pretend that every show is being recorded. You want to finish a show and be able to say “that’s a take”.

I try to do that with everything I play now. It’s the same as the legendary drummers who advise us to “Play with Purpose”.

Ship Life

O.K. yes the cabins are small but you have cable TV and a dorm size fridge. But who wants to stay in their room anyway? It’s a place to sleep, shower, and change. You have to get out and see the world.

I’ve been all over the Caribbean, Canadian East Coast in the Fall, and Northern Europe in the Summer. I’ve spent a week in Amsterdam, many overnights in St. Petersburg, and had my favorite bars and Cafe’s in La Harve France, Stockholm Sweden, and Copenhagen Denmark among others. All of this was while getting PAID, living free of rent, and all of my meals provided for free on the ship if I chose.

The staff on ships are very unique. Of 1,500 crew members, only 50 of us were American! You can’t beat the experience of living next to and learning about people from all over the globe. You see very quickly that we’re all people. We all have the same dreams no matter where we grew up. Priceless.

In conclusion, my time on cruise ships was incredible both musically and personally. From the music to the people and places you’ll experience, I highly recommend trying this exciting job.

My name is A. Gabriel Giannelli and I have played close to 2000 gigs in the last decade. After attending Berklee College of Music, I did two years on cruise ships and am currently in the Navy band. http://www.Gigging-Drum-Charts.com

STDs in Popular Culture

With the spread of sexually transmitted diseases becoming more and more of a problem, it’s no surprise to see popular culture mediums picking up on the risk. The only surprise is that they’re not more prevalent in entertainment, as art mimics life, but there’s still a certain taboo apparent which makes each instance remarkable. Here’s some of the more memorable instances of STD is music, film and even video games!

Film

The subject of sexually transmitted disease in film has been explored on an academic level, and indeed an article in a 2005 Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine made an interesting discovery with regards to STD in cinema. Taking the top 200 films as voted for on the Internet Movie Database (removing films pre the HIV epidemic and those unlikely to contain adult themes) it was reported that there were 53 sex scenes in 28 of the remaining 87 films reviewed, and only one of those implied the use of a condom. There were no depictions of consequences of this recklessness – no pregnancies, HIV or any other STD. It went on to report a few references to STDs in the dialogue (“disease spreading whore”, “I get checked every month”), but generally the scripts encouraged promiscuity and ridiculed celibacy.

Of course, there are some exceptions to this, and especially if you veer beyond the mainstream of IMDB’s top rated films. The first example of this is 1938’s “Sex Madness” (currently rated 2.0/10 on said film database) – a horribly heavy handed warning on the evils of loose living and the risk of resultant syphilis ruining your life. 1983’s TV movie “Intimate Agony” (5.3/10) fares a little better as a morality play, but had its thunder stolen weeks after its release when the AIDs epidemic started to make headlines. Films tackling HIV and AIDs are far more common, but two of the best examples are 1993’s TV movie “And the Band Played On” (7.6/10) – a dramatisation of the history of AIDS – and 1994’s “Philadelphia” (7.6/10) which depicts an AIDS’ sufferer’s court case against wrongful dismissal. The latter won 2 Oscars for Tom Hanks’ accurate and affecting portrayal of the physical deterioration brought on by the end stages of the sexually transmitted disease.

Music

Music is naturally that bit harder to track down definitive overt examples of sexually transmitted diseases in lyrics – they’re often just too ambiguous. Then again, Ice Cube’s “Look Who’s Burnin’” is pretty blatant in its subject matter: a trip to take an STD test…

“Yeah I see ya

First Miss Thang, now Miss Gonorrhea

Man it’s a trip how the world keeps turnin’

It’s 1991 and look who’s burnin’”

…and…

“Man this is gonna kill ‘em

Guess who got a big fat dose of penicillin?”

Elsewhere, we’re left to read between the lines that little bit more. It’s rumoured that ACDC’s “The Jack” is not about a round of cards at all, but about Gonorrhea (depending on who you believe, it was either once called The Clap or ‘The Jack’ was Australian slang at the time). With this knowledge the song takes on a whole new meaning:

“That all the cards were comin’

From the bottom of the pack

And if I’d know what she was dealin’ out

I’d have dealt it back”

Finally, we have The Darkness with “Growing on Me” – a charming ditty supposedly about the difficult subject of Genital Warts:

“I wanna shake you off but you just won’t go,

And you’re all over me, but I don’t want anyone to know

That you’re attached to me that’s how you’ve grown

Won’t you leave me, leave me alone?”

If Mr Hawkins was talking about Genital Warts, then a visit to his local clinic could present several options to make them “leave him alone” including chemicals, freezing or laser removal! He might also want to take other STD tests while there as co-infection is common…

Games

Unsurprisingly, games have thus far steered well clear of the area of sexually transmitted disease, but the upcoming Fable 2 is said to buck this trend. The role playing game allows your avatar to have sex with various characters throughout the game world – with or without a condom. If you risk the latter, pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease may occur (though the head developer has promised that virtual STDs will not affect the game too much.) As it’s still in development, it’s unclear as to how the STDs will be portrayed and whether the game can prove a lesson in safe sex, but it’s an intriguing concept.

As STD tests become more prevalent and the science of them is better understood, will we see more occurrences in popular culture, or will they be swept further under the carpet? Only time will tell.

Tim Leach is the Marketing Manager of USA Lab Testing, providers of local STD tests.

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