Bluegrass in Baltimore: The Hard Drivin' Sound and Its Legacy

I heard Tim Newby talk about his book, Bluegrass in Baltimore:  The Hard Drivin' Sound and its Legacy, at the CHS Read across America event yesterday, Wednesday, Feb. 25th.  The room was packed and the audience was totally engaged with Tim's powerful presentation.  He covered many interesting connections the book has to his life, such as: how he came up with the idea for the book, his interviews of those who started bluegrass in Baltimore back in the 40's and his enthusiasm for bluegrass and its history in Baltimore.  I am looking forward to reading Tim's book!

Cougars' Digital Media Center

Cougars' Digital Media Center is the CHS media website.  I started it back in 2001 at the Tech Academy and started not knowing anything about web design.  I used a software called Web Easy that I purchased at Office Depot.  It was not at all easy!  Several years ago I decided to take an online html class through AACC.  Unfortunately I had just purchased an Apple computer which made matters worse because it was recommended that you use a pc.  The work I did would not upload etc.  It was a nightmare but I redesigned my site and retired the old one.  Johns Hopkins for years had been hosting my Tech Academy site and someone compromised the server, so they were no longer able to host the grads.  I have been with iPage ever since.  I have been very happy with their server.

After taking the html class I decided to transfer my site to Dreamweaver.  I have been fairly happy with it, and I do not have to memorize any html.

The sole purpose of the site is to empower and inspire students

http://cdmediacenter.com

Please let me know how you feel about the site and what I could
do to make it more useful to students!

The Power of Poetry Panel Discussion Questions

The best story I can think of that illustrates the power of poetry is Nelson Mandela, who died on December 5, 2013.  Mandela spent 27 years between 1962 and 1980 in prison.  The anti-apartheid peaceful revolutionary was not defeated by his imprisonment instead during his confinement at the Robben Island prison, Mandela studied law by correspondence at the University of London, learned Afrikaans to foster a rapport with jailhouse wardens, and was instrumental in launching the “University of Robben Island”, where prisoners possessing expertise in particular fields presented lectures to their fellow inmates.  However he was cruely treated.  Like Gandi and MLK, he patiently persevered. In an interview with Charlie Rose, above, Morgan Freeman discusses Mandela’s reliance on William Ernest Henley’s 1875 poem, “Invictus,” to keep his hope alive: “That poem was his favorite… When he lost courage, when he felt like just giving up — just lie down and not get up again — he would recite it. And it would give him what he needed to keep going.”
Freeman, who played Mandela in the 2009 film Invictus, also provides a solemn and dignified recitation of the poem. Although this poem is strongly connected to Mandela in his times of despair, its words of courage have served as inspiration to countless others. Famous figures who have drawn hope from “Invictus” include the father of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his struggle for Burmese independence and tennis champion Andre Agassi. Rumor has it that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was also quite fond of it.

“Invictus” 

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

.

Ilia Blinderman is a Montreal-based culture and science writer. Follow him at @iliablinderman.

Related Content:

Nelson Mandela’s First-Ever TV Interview (1961)

U2 Releases a Nelson Mandela-Inspired Song, “Ordinary Love”

Nelson Mandela Archive Goes Online “Invictus” Free Audio Books and Free eBooks collections.

Questions for the panel discussion:

In your opinion, what makes a poem a poem? What does it take for  a poem to be good for you?

In what ways do you think poetry is powerful?

Do you have a favorite poem that defines who you are and / or grounds you?  What is the history of that poem in your life?

Where are the various places we find poetry?  Are the lyrics of songs considered poetry? 

Can anyone write poetry? Why would you write poetry? Do you need to study this form of literature to write poetry?

Is poetry relevant?  Does it matter?  Is it part of our culture?

Who would you say is the greatest American poet?  What do you think is the greatest American poem?

    

Where is Your New Vision?

By Daniel Nie

(Daniel will be speaking at the CHS Read across America event on Wednesday, Feb. 25th from 9:10-9:45.  He will also be selling and signing his books and creating Coolligraphy for those interested.)

Where is Your New Vision?

By Daniel Nie

I am an artist. I sell my artwork for living. I need middle class people to buy my art.  Then, if thousands of the middle class make a good income, they may have money left over, after paying for living expenses, to buy my art.

When the middle class have money, an artist can make a good living if he is willing to work hard, because the number ratio of artists vs. the general population is good. That means, even if the artist can paint only fishes,  even if there is only a small percentage in the population in the U.S. who would purchase his fish paintings, he would have enough business. He could make $1000 if he sells 20 pieces at $50 each. He would be able to make $100K, if he produces and sells 2000 pieces (It is possible for an artist to produce that many, or even more pieces of quality paintings per year; I have!)

When the middle class has money, the artist can be confident that he can make more money if he works harder. Many common artists (average artists, not necessary famous ones) have done that in the 80's or earlier. I was one of them!

Now it is a different situation. The middle class no longer has much disposable income. To buy original paintings is now a luxury for the middle class and consequentially this has changed our culture. Many people do not care about the difference between a print mass produced in China and hand painted artwork by a local artist.

What should I do to make a good living as an artist who may not have any other skills or talents? Find a real job? The real jobs I could find may not pay much at all. So, even if I work 2 minimum wage jobs, I still cannot make enough to be considered middle class.  If I sell my art only to the rich people, although I may sell at $5000 per piece (sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?), there is not enough rich people out there who just happen to love my fish paintings. It would be considered very lucky for me to sell 4 pieces per year at $5000 each, but I would still be considered low income, making only $20K per year. With this low income, I will never be able to afford to live in an upper middle class neighborhood. Am I right? So how can I be a member of the upper middle class if I am willing to work my fingers off as a common artist?

Fortunately, I am not that poor artist, described above, whom I pretended to be. My point here is that the New America is not the same one I found in 1981. I do not know if I could make it if the economy and culture, at the time I started my art career, were what it is today.

In the past, as long as I was willing to paint, and willing to work 20 hours a day to produce as many paintings as I could, I did not need to worry that my paintings wouldn't sell. The buying population and the culture were there. Unfortunately, that is not true anymore.

Before, anyone, as long as he was willing to work 2 shifts, could work in the factory ----his time was money. But not anymore, it is no longer easy to find a place to work overtime even if you do not mind to sweat.

In generations past, one did not have to graduate from college or even from high school; he could get a good job on an assembly line that paid well. Now, you have to be outstanding, gifted, or someone who has connections and resources in order to get ahead.

In this new globalized world where jobs are off shoring and men are being replaced by robots, how can we recreate a middle class with a lot of disposable money? Is it possible? My answer is Yes! It is absolutely possible. We can make the changes necessary for the middle class to have disposable income once again.  Here is my vision and plan:

People no longer look for conventional employment.  They create work that is in demand by customers who prefer human-to-human services. However, this culture of human services has to be to be developed first. That means we need to establish some qualified people to promote such a culture.

80% of the population need to have money, enough money, that will make a life style change. Once they make a high income; they do not need much savings; they love to spend; they desire a better life style than the one they are accustomed. In order to reach this as a cultural reality, we first need to ask a key question: How can we make it possible for people to be able to make more money when they work harder even though this world has fewer and fewer conventional job openings? We need to research and find the kind of new political and economic system that can make this vision a reality. Who will be the legal entity or architect to carry this out?

The government will not do this job for people. The rich and powerful will not initiate this goal for the people. The people themselves have to wake up. They should not be distracted by the Left or the Right but focus on the real issues with a scientific approach to the social and economic problems that linger with them since off shoring and robots. People need an awareness to focus on the real issues!  Do our leaders have the will to call on researchers that could bring about real change that would update our American culture and society in a fundamental way? Are we confident enough to commit ourselves to renew our minds and spirits, so our ideology can be compatible to this globalized world?

How can our social and political system catch up with the leaping forward technology? If we do not ask these questions, we are kicking the can down the road; we are insane, as Albert Einstein said, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

2015

Ming visited CHS through a Hangouts session yesterday.  Here are some of the points he made about Soft Skills like communication.

Think about the impression you are making from the perspective of the other person.  Think about What Is In It For Me from their view point.  This is called WIIFM.  There are three major parts:

1. Visual - the way you look, from the moment you slip in front of the audience, 55% of the message

2.Vocal - the way you speak, 38% of the message

3. Verbal - your words, 7% of the message

All else is small potatoes!

Think about this:  93% of the message you want to get across depends on the way you look and your tone of voice!

Your tone says to the listener :  you are worth my effort and my message is worth it.  The first impression comes from the the way you look and your tone of voice.  Remember the old cliche' It doesn't matter what you say, but how you say it. 

In this series of blogs, I will draw from the knowledge, skills and wisdom of Ming Diaz.  What we will focus on is Dress, Tone and acceptable manners

The Visual Drives the Message!  

1.  Collared shirt (blue to white) buttoned down (lowest level is no collar) you must have a collar! This brings attention to the face.  Hint: it is valuable to have at least 3 shirts with cuffs.  

2.  Grease collects on the brow and upper side of face.  Take away this distraction by using a neutral set powder.  

3.  Always a belt!  Dress the part and get the recognition.

4. Only one item of jewelry and a gold watch for men.  Women ear rings and a matching penant.

5.  Good posture is a Fierce Enhancement as the message giver!  This will make a ferocious difference!  There are two inches between cowering and towering.

The Responsibility of an Envoy

1.  React on the behalf of others.  If you take away their fear, you are taking care of your customer.  Let them know there are no worries.  You will protect them.

2. Take care of their needs: for example:  bring them water and take them to lunch.

3.  Assure them they will not lack for anything.  This moment this place you say, let me make you important and comfortable.  (anthropology - like the monkey grooms - hygiene is what is necessary.

4.  You are in your domain, you are the guests best friend.  You remove their stress, treats and fear.  You are a visual anchor and they feel say knowing you are there.

Confidence 

1.  Basic rule as your confidence grows your rate of speaking slows.  Slow down at the end of what you want to say.  

2.  Enunciation makes up for quality.  

3.  Your dress is important.  

4.  Give good eye contact.

5.  Use a stance of inclusion.  You body language will include if you use open hands as long as it is no higher than your collar bone.  Stay in the area below the collar bone.  Any higher is the gorilla stance and is perceived as threatening and a sign of insecurity .

6.  Do not touch your face: a sign of subservient.

7. Make it until you fake it.  Do the things you know.  Good posture.  An obvious sign of stress and being unsure of self is touching the face.  These nuances are a way to deliberately  teach yourself automatic habits of not making the other person uncomfortable.    Work towards unconscious confidence.  

8.  Attention away from sex.  Draw attention to your face.  Hair away from face.  Women choker and matching earrings.  Solid colors best, then patterns, no logos.  

9.  Visual competence is 3 x as hard for a woman than for a man.  Impression of Competence depends on the quality of your dress and the style enhances the message. Single color dress draws attention to the face.  Non-glare make-up.  Hair away from face.  Think about how you present yourself especially if you are a female.  For females you must present your professional side more than your female side to break the glass ceiling.  

10.  Dress for success, dress professionally, dress conservatively which defines trust.

https://www.dressforsuccess.org

http://www.mindtools.com/selfconf.html

Annie Levesque, Motivational Artist

Several years ago I made a pilgrimage to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré a small town in La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada, along the Saint Lawrence River, 35 kilometers (22 mi) north-east of the Quebec City. In this small town there is a huge, beautiful basicilica.  While walking around this quaint town that appears to be set back in the 50s, we couldn’t help but notice a colorful building decorated with creative art and bright colors. Walking in we were greeted by Annie, an enthusiastic and adorable young lady, who we discovered to be the owner and the artist of many of the beautiful pieces of art on display.  Annie pointed out many of the unusual pieces and how through them we are forced to think outside the box.  She stated, we are often too busy to take the time to be playful.  When we stress, we get stuck in the way we see things, kill our creativity and are less productive. She continued,  art may help us to relax, be playful and to take on a different perspective.  Her carnival mirrors distorted our image which made us laugh and we played an unusual hopscotch game that instructed us to do silly things when landing in each box.  I was totally engaged. The bottom line:  it is important to relax and be playful.  

When she saw how much we were enjoying ourselves, she opened up.  We asked her many questions, and she answered our questions candidly.  Then she told us her story.  Her parents sent her to the university to study science, but instead she majored in art.  When she came home they were disappointed, but finally consented to her staying in the art program.  The art studio she was managing was actually a part of her class project.  Here she supported artists who she believed in.  Both of her parents were both working for her.  What a twist of events!  Annie is an inspiration to me because of her passion, initiative and ability to follow her dream no matter what.  I admire Annie for her belief in and support of herself.  Moreover, I am impressed with the way she reaches to support others.  Annie is truly a motivational artist!    

AnnieLevesque 

The banner on my Twitter page is a play on words by humorist, comedian and cartoonist Philippe Geluck.

The difference between an artist and a pair of shoes.  The artist must stop before he laces up and the shoes are not finished until being laced up.  In French, laced up is an expression for go crazy.

 

In French it states:

La differnece entre un artiste et une paire de chausures, c'est que l'artiste doit pouvoir partir avant de lasser, tandis que les chaussures, il vaut mieux les lacer avant de partir.

In English it means:

The difference between an artist and a pair of shoes is that the artist must leave before tiring, while the shoes, it is better to lace up before leaving.  I believe the phrase lace up means tire or go crazy.

More on why I choose it later! Read blog on Annie.