Friday, July 4, 2008
The History of Vampire Art
Vampire Art has a long history, Artist have always been attracted to vampires. Vampires offer that rare blend of seduction, and danger. This represents a great challenge for the artist to capture. Artists are also responsible for shaping our image of the vampire. Early books help make vampires popular and Hollywood completed our image of the modern day vampire. Early oil paintings of the 1800's have evolved into todays fantasy vampire art. Vampires have come a long way from their early legends and myths that came out of the Balkans and other parts of Europe
One of the best known early depiction of a vampire was Edvard Munch's "Vampire" in 1895. It is popular even today and is probably his most famous work other than "The Scream". This was by no means the first depiction of a vampire, but most earlier works were either engravings or ink. Munch's work represents one of the early paintings of what we consider the modern day vampire. Todays modern day fantasy art has much of its roots in comic book illustrations.
There are thousands of people who consider themselves vampires and live the lifestyle as such. They are part of a sub culture closely related to the gothic scene. They live eat and dress the vamp image. In recent years there seems to be a rise in female vampires. The image of the sexy blood thirsty dominating female vampire is very often found in modern fantasy art.
Just as the vampire is after eternal life, our fascination means we will continue to see them in paintings, books and movies. Vampire Art is a great source for hard to find vampire clothing, vampire jewelry and vampire art online.
Artists STILL Don't Make Money From Record Deals
Who is the incredible bonehead who said rap artists make a lot of money? Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!! Because the fans expect their favorite artists to be very wealthy, and have an interesting, far above average, glamorous lifestyle, this puts an incredible amount of pressure on the artists to appear wealthy. And it's not just the fans; I can't tell you how many times I've been out with rappers along with people in the industry, and the industry opportunists have expected the artists to pick up the dinner check. I've even seen people have an attitude if the artist doesn't pay for everything. This is small minded and ignorant because the artist is ALWAYS the last to get paid.
Everyone gets their cut first:
the label (78% to 92% after they recoup most expenses),
the manager (15% to 20% of all of the artist's entertainment income),
the lawyer (by the hour or 5%-10% of the deal),
the accountant (by the hour or 5% of all income), and, of course,
the IRS (25% to 35% depending on the tax bracket).
Add to this the artists' own payroll responsibilities: fan club, website, security, office and/or studio, etc, and family members he, or she, is expected to support or help financially.
Once an artist releases a record, the pressure is on to portray a successful image to fans, friends, families, and people around the way. People expect the artists to be well dressed, drive an expensive car, live in a very nice house, etc. Think about it. Don't you expect artists "to look like artists?" Would you admire Jay-Z as much if he drove a broken down old 1994 Grand Am instead of that beautiful, brand new, top of the line Bentley?
Sadly, when an artist gets signed to a record label, especially a rap artist, he or she receives somewhere between 8 and 13 points. What that means is 8% to 13% of the retail sales price (less inane deductions that whittle that small percentage down another few points), after the record label recoups the money it puts out (the advance, the sample clearances, the producer advances, usually half the cost of any videos, any cash outlays for the artists, half of the radio promotion expenses, most of the street promotion expenses, etc.). The artist has to sell an incredible amount of units to make any money back. Here's an example of a relatively fair record deal for a new rap group with some clout in the industry and a terrific negotiating attorney:
ROYALTY RATE: 12%
We're going to assume that there are 3 artists in the group, and that they split everything equally. We're also going to assume that they produce their own tracks themselves, contributing equally, without sampling.
Suggested retail list price (CDs) $12.98
less 15% packaging deduction (usually 20%) =$11.03
gets paid on 85% of records sold ("free goods") =$9.38
So the artists' 12% is equal to about $1.13 per record sold. In most deals, the producer's 3% comes out of that 12%, but for the sake of brevity, in this example the group produced the whole album, buying no tracks from outside producers, which is rare.
Let's assume that they are a hit and their record goes Gold (although it is rare that a first record blows up like this). Let's also assume they were a priority at their record label and that their label understood exactly how to market them (which is also rare). So they went Gold, selling 500,000 units according to SoundScan (and due to the inaccuracies in SoundScan tracking at the rap retail level, 500,000 scanned probably means more like 600,000 actually sold--but they'll only be accounted to for the 500,000 SoundScan verified units instead of what actually has sold).
GOLD RECORD = 500,000 units sold multiplied by $1.13 = $565,000. Looks like a nice chunk of loot, huh? Watch this: Now the label recoups what they've spent: the cost to make the record, independent promotion, 1/2 the video costs, some tour support, all those limo rides, all those out of town trips for the artists and their friends, etc.
$565,000
-$300,000 recoupable stuff (recording costs, etc)
--------
$265,000
-$100,000 advance
--------
$165,000
Still sounds OK? Watch... Now, half of the $265,000 stays "in reserve" (accounting for returned items from retail stores) for 2 to 4 years depending on the length specified in the recording contract. So the $100,000 advance is actually subtracted from $132,500 (the other $132,500 is in reserves for 2 years). Now, there's also the artist's manager, who is entitled to 20% of all of the entertainment income, which would be 20% of $265,000, or $53,000. Remember, the artist is the last to get paid, so even the manager gets paid before the artist. The attorney is entitled to 10% of the upfront value of the deal, which in this case was $200,000, so the lawyer made $20,000 the day the contract was signed (which the label paid directly), which the artist pays back now out of royalties.
So the artists are in debt to the label yet their album went Gold, and they are experiencing some pretty good fame and perceived success. Unless they are making money in other areas (shows, mostly) they are completely broke. In two years when the reserves are liquidated, IF they've recouped, they will each receive another $44,166. IF they've recouped. Guess who keeps track of all of this accounting? The label. Most contracts are "cross-collateralized," which means when the artist does not recoup on the first album, the money will be paid back out of the second album. Also, if the money is not recouped on the second album, repayment can come out of the "in reserve" funds from the first album, if the funds have not already been liquidated.
Even if all the reserves are paid in our example, each artist only actually made 6 cents per unit. The label made and/or recouped about $8 per unit. This example also doesn't include any additional production costs for an outside producer to come in and/or do a re-mix, and you know how often that happens.
So each artist in this group has received a total of about $26,000 (pretty much just the initial advance, less the manager's cut). After legal expenses and costs of new clothing to wear on stage while touring, etc, each artist has made so little before paying taxes (which the artist is responsible for-- remember Kool Moe Dee?). Let's look at the time line now. Let's assume the artists had no jobs when they started this. They spent 4 months putting their demo tape together and getting the tracks just right. They spent another 6 months to a year getting to know who all of the players are in the rap music industry and building a local buzz while shopping their demo. After signing to a label, it took another 8 months to make an album and to get through all of the label's bureaucracy. When the first single dropped, the group went into promotion mode and traveled all over promoting the single at radio, retail, concerts, and publications for free--unless they had a radio hit as their single, in which case they began getting some show money for about half or a third of the dates they performed. This was another six months. The record label decided to push three singles off the album so it was another year before they got back into the studio to make album Number Two. This scenario has been a total of 36 months. Each member of the group made $70,000 for a three year investment of time, which averages out to a little over $23,000 per year. In corporate America, that works out to be $11 per hour (before taxes).
OK, so it's not totally hopeless. Since we're using the fantasy of a relatively fair deal, let's look at publishing from a relatively fair perspective. There are mechanical royalties and performance royalties to figure in. Mechanical royalties are the payments that Congress stipulates labels must pay based on copyright ownership and publishing ownership. These payments have nothing to do with recouping, but everything to do with who owns the publishing. Publishing is where the money is in the music business.
Although publishing can be quite cumbersome to understand, the most basic principle is that when an artist puts pen to paper, or makes a beat, the artist owns the publishing. It's that simple. Whoever creates the words or music owns those words or music. Where it gets confusing is all the different ways to get paid on publishing, all the ways to split publishing with other folks, and all the ways artists get screwed out of their publishing. In the 14 years I've been doing this, I have heard so many times, artists say that they don't care about losing a song or two because they can always make a ton more. That's stupidity. It's undervaluing one's ability. That's like saying it's OK to rob me of my cash, because I can go to the ATM machine and get more money. Wrong!! It's never right to rob someone. The "I can make more" defense immediately goes out the window when the creator sees someone else make hundreds of thousands of dollars off a song. Every time!! So why not protect yourself in the door?
Publishing reminds me of real estate. When you make a song, you are the owner of that property: the landlord. Sometimes you sell off a piece of the land for money (but you NEVER give away your land, right??) and if someone else wants to use your property, or rent it, they have to pay you rent to use it.
A copyright is proof of ownership of a song, both lyrics and music. If there is a sample in the music, you are automatically giving up part of the song, at the whim of the person who owns the rights to the original song (not necessarily the original artist). In order to "clear the sample," you send your version of the song to the owner of the original composition or whomever owns the publishing (and to the owner of the master, meaning original record label or whomever now owns the master). Then you negotiate two prices with those two owners. Some are set in stone and you get to either agree to their price or to remove the sample. It's not uncommon to spend close to $100,000 in advances and fees due to the sampling on an album. This usually comes out of upfront monies (advance) and the artist bears the burden of paying for it all, even though the record label owns the record.
Proof of copyright is easy to obtain by registering your song with the copyright office in Washington DC. You can either call them (202.707.9100) and ask for an SR Form (sound recording) or download one from their website (http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpai.pdf). You fill out the form, listing all of the owners, and mail it back to them with a copy of the song (a cassette is good enough) along with the Copyright fee (around $35 or so). This way, if someone steals your song, or a piece of your song, you can sue them for taking it and recover your legal fees. With the "poor man's copyright" (mailing your tape to yourself in a sealed envelope with your signature across the sealed flap, and then never opening it when it arrives back to you with a postmark proving the date), you can not sue for damages and it's more difficult to prove your case. The copyright fee may seem like a lot of money to some, but it's nothing compared to what a law suit would cost you.
Performance royalties are money that is paid for the performance of your song. The money is paid based on the percentage of ownership of the song. So if you own 100% of the song, you get the whole check. If you own just the music, which is half the song, then you get half the money. If you own the music with a sample in it that claims half the song, then you get a check for 25%. Ya follow? Performance Rights organizations consist of ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC (which is still quite small). They police the radio stations, clubs, concerts, etc (any place music is played or broadcast), all of whom pay a fee to play the music which the performance rights societies collect and split amongst their members based on the amount of times a record is played. Although the formulas change annually based on play, a Top 10 song played on commercial radio can earn a good chunk of change in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range.
There is another kind of royalty artists receive when their records sell: mechanical royalties. These are paid based upon a pre-set limit placed by Congress which increases automatically every two years. In 2000 and 2001, it was .0765 cents per song, and in 2002 and 2003, it was .0815 per song. In 2004 and 2005, it went up to .0865 cents, and in 2006 it became .091 cents where it will stay until Congress raises it again.
Record labels put caps on mechanical royalties at either 10 songs, 11 songs, or 12 songs, no matter how many songs actually appear on the record, and you get what you negotiate for. Also, there's a slimy little clause that restricts payment of mechanicals (because God knows labels don't make enough money as it is) to anywhere between 75% and 85%. This evil deed is called percentage of statutory rate. Here's the difference those few pennies make as it pertains to an artist's royalty check (I refuse to even consider illustrating the worst bullshit deals such as 10x at 75%) provided they own 100% of the song:
I based the above chart on the old 1998-1999 rate of .0715 per song, so I could use Fiend (No Limit Records) as an example. His first album came out in April of 1998 when the stat rate set by Congress was at this rate.
The dollar figure above represents monies due an artist (regardless of recoupment) per album based on ownership of 100% of publishing. So for example, Fiend who was signed to No Limit at the time, (provided he owns 100% of his publishing--I can dream can't I?), if his deal gives him 11x rate at 85% (which I am sure is higher than he got) then on his first album, There's One In Every Family, which came out 4/28/98 and sold 565,977 SoundScan units, No Limit would have paid him (hopefully) $378,369.77. If No Limit owns half of Fiend's publishing, he would receive $189,184.88 provided he wrote all of his own songs (which he did, except the verses by other artists who appeared which lowers the ownership percentage and dollar amount) and provided he made all of his own beats (which he did not; he features outside producers on this album like Beats By The Pound).
So there you have it, the real deal on how much money an artist makes. You can subtract another 25% to 35% of all income, including show money, (depending on the artist's tax bracket which is determined by how much income was made within any given calendar year) for the IRS who get paid quarterly (hopefully) by the artist's accountant, who gets paid 5% of the total artist's entertainment income for this luxury (that's 5% of the net income, meaning BEFORE taxes). If the average artist releases a record every two years, then this income must last twice as long... I think about this every time I see my favorite artists in their music videos drinking $300 a bottle champagne, or every time I see them drive by in a brand new Benz...
Rap Coalition
http://www.rapcoalition.org/
http://www.rapcointelpro.com/
http://www.HelpfulAngel.com/
Wendy Day is an authority on the business side of the music industry. She started Rap Coalition, a not-for-profit artist advocacy organization in 1992. She has worked with Eminem, Master P, Cash Money, Twista, David Banner, and many others. She has built many millionaires and has contributed to the success of many stars. Wendy also helps artists set up their own companies and start their own record labels!
Upright Pianos - What Are the Benefits?
Most people choose an upright piano as a necessary evil. If they had the money, they would probably get a grand or baby grand piano.
But there are many benefits to owning an upright piano. Economy, lower prices, and decent sound are all factors to consider when purchasing an instrument. In this respect the upright piano wins hands down. You can place it flat against a wall. It saves space and adds it's own special ambiance to a room. In fact, upright pianos are beautiful pieces of furniture in their own right!
What about sound? An upright pianos sound comes from the back of the piano. Most uprights have lids that allow the sound to come out and bounce off the walls giving a more expansive acoustic quality. It's a fact that some very good uprights sound as good or better than their baby-grand counterparts! Key action these days is computerized and set at the factory for optimal response. While the touch and feel may never equal a grand piano, the needs of most players do not require concert pianist key action.
They're excellent instruments to learn on. Why spend thousands of dollars on an expensive piano when an upright will serve your needs? You get a real acoustic instrument that will supply you with years of satisfaction. And when or if you want to sell it, the upright pianos of today have a high resale value. They're traded in and sold all the time on ebay and through newspaper classifieds.
Overall, upright pianos are a fantastic bargain if you're looking for an instrument that gives you a real acoustic performance at a low price.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!
Your Los Angeles Wedding Videographer
Wedding videography has always been a strong attraction for Los Angeles couples. Whether its the allure of television and entertainment, or the need for preserving those timeless memories, wedding videos are very popular for todays modern bride. Unfortunately, choosing the right videographer can be like finding the perfect dress or the perfect cake. A challenge to say the least, choosing a quality videographer doesnt have to be so hard. This brings us to an important question: How do you choose your Los Angeles wedding videographer?
With everyone claiming to be a professional, many soon-to-be brides are turned off by the stigma and cheese often associated with a wedding video. Unfortunately, the average videographer is a seasoned hobbyist at best, with little formal training or aptitude in video production. Wedding filmmaking has been plagued with a perception of being primitive at best.
Back in the 1980s we saw the introduction of the first consumer camcorders by Sony, which required bright lights, had fuzzy pictures, poor color reproduction, and limited audio capabilities. However, in the early 1990s the video industry began to shape up and clean its image. Manufacturers introduced digital video cameras with vastly superior imaging and audio performance. Event videographers were finally able to obtain the professional look of Hollywood without the huge expense.
As the equipment evolved so did the shooting styles of wedding videographers. Popular styles today include cinematic and MTV.
A cinematic style is more akin to the shooting techniques of motion pictures. In essence, the video is captured and edited in a more dramatic fashion. These types of videos often include slow motion, black and white, and other film like qualities.
MTV wedding videography refers to the edgy shooting and editing style pioneered by the music television network. These types of videos are often faster paced and include sound bytes, flashy editing, and a more upbeat approach.
Wedding videography has matured and been refined over the yrs. With it has come a whole new world of video offerings and packages.
Photo Montage: A montage of photographs set to music and often animated with slow zooms, pans, and transitions.
Love Story: A short video (5 7 minutes) of interviews documenting how the bride and groom met, how the fell in love, and what they like best about one another. This is often edited with romantic footage of them re-enacting what they are describing.
Today you can find almost as many styles as there are videographers. Wedding videos have evolved into a respectable craft and powerful medium well suited for preserving the memories of any marriage.
Los Angeles has become one of the busiest wedding locations on the west coast. Pricing and packages vary by county with Orange County costing considerably more than other areas. When choosing a videographer, its imperative to obtain a wedding DVD sample and physical copy of the contract to review.
Pay attention for consistent quality in video and audio. Can you hear the vows? Are the colors vibrant and sharp? Often videographers will show only their best work. For the bride, it is important to watch samples of all the essential events to evaluate the production standards. Make sure to watch excerpts from the ceremony, first dance, and reception.
Compare the creativity and approach of several videographers before making your final decision.
Mark Pommett is an accomplished los angeles wedding videographer, editor, and filmmaker. He began shooting wedding videos at the age of 13 in Nantucket, MA before moving to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking and clear blue skies. He is still an active wedding videographer and shoots all over Southern California and beyond.
Composing for Piano - Learn How to Improvise First!
When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think of classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven. This is the point where many "would be" composers freeze up because they tell themselves that their music could never be as good. And this is also the point where would be music makers end their desire to create.
When you compare yourself to another person you are really defeating the whole idea of creating to begin with. Why? Because your music is as unique as you are!
There will never be another person like you and there will never be anyone else who can create music like you. So give up your notions of becoming a great composer. Instead, focus on the joy that comes from being n the moment and creating your own music. To do this, learn how to improvise first.
You must have the ability to move forward without censoring what is coming out of you. Just like writers do with freewriting, so you too must do with improvisation.
Once you are able to just sit down at the piano and play without worrying if it's good enough, you'll be ready to put pen to paper and compose. Of course you could compose without learning how to improvise, but chances are the music will sound stodgy and
foursquare. It may not have the "life" that most composers shoot for.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!
Memories Are Made Of This : The Golden Years of The Sixties Music Revolution
I suppose my first realisation that music was something more relevant than learning the words to carols for the school Christmas concert was appreciating my Dad's collection of 78s'. He was a man with unusual tastes in music. My contemporys' parents listened to American crooners, like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and the like, or the big band sounds of the day.
But my Dad had individual tastes which included Eastern European folk music, Scottish bagpipe ballads and Welsh miners choirs; plus my first introduction to classical such as exciting pieces like Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance".
My Mother, a dedicated Crosby fan, disliked these strange sounds to the extent that she banished any playing of the 'caterwauling' to our barn, a large wooden structure at the back of the house. This suited my Dad, and me, just fine.
He would mend bikes and tinker with machinery in one corner, while I would curl up on a battered leather sofa looking at pictures in old movie magazines, giggling at jokes in back copies of Lilliput and reading girlie type books (Little Women, Black Beauty etc.) while the haunting strains of Bulgarian womens' voices, Highland airs or the overwhelming sound of Welshmen giving it their all emanated from the old wind up gramaphone; memories are made of this.
Musically I've come full circle. With the increasing popularity of 'world music' I am, once again, enjoying Bulgarian women's harmonies and Welsh folk songs along with the exciting newcomers from African and Latin American roots.
Every generation, mostly, think that they have experienced the 'best' period of topical music, but I do feel that the sixties were a special case. Consider this; any weekend my friends and I had a difficult decision to make. Did we go 'up town' to Ken Colliers to see American blues stars like Big Bill Broonzy or jazz giants like Dizzy Gillespie; or perhaps to the Marquee or 100 Club to listen to the up and coming Britishers like Paul Weller in the Jam, Eric Clapton and the Yardbirds and Georgie Fame with the All Stars.
Or did we stay closer to home and go to the Riki Tik in Windsor and risk asphyxiation in the tiny room listening to an exciting new group called the Rolling Stones. And that was only the start; what about Osterley where you could hear John Lee Hooker, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee and any number of other Southern American blues stars; or Windsor Drill hall where, on a Friday night you could enjoy the best of Cyril Davies and the All Stars, which usually featured one of my favourites, Long John Baldry.
And, if you were willing to risk parental wrath, it had to be Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, a den of iniquity where you could hear the best of new rhythm and blues; smell strange substances burning in the air and where I first encountered psychadelia in the shape of Pink Floyd whose innovative light shows of coloured lava lamp blobs popping and forming ever different shapes were the precursor of the giant video screens of today. To say we were spoilt for choice is not to overwork a phrase.
I haven't even mentioned the many folk clubs sprinkled about which I visited with my friend Lucy as a guest singing duo, where we shared stages with the likes of Bert Jantz, Duster Bennett, Cat Stevens . . We would travel to isolated venues in the heart of the Berkshire countryside and find ourselves in a barn somewhere, with people sitting on hay bales and listening to the stirring voices and lyrics of Sandy Denny, Davy Graham and John Remborne, or even the Wurzels (bring your own cider!).
If you wanted to dance, but strictly not ballroom, you could stomp the night away at a selection of 'trad jazz' clubs. Bands of various styles were always on tap; Dick Morrisey, the aforementioned Ken Collier, Acker Bilk; It really was a golden age for live music of every kind. And it didn't cost an arm and a leg to indulge yourself. If we paid more than a couple of quid to get in we felt hard done by. Even special occasions, like seeing the Who or Cream at the Hammersmith Odeon were cheap at the price.
Wherever we hung out with our mates there was music. This was the age of the coffee bar, always with a juke box in the corner belting out such classics as 'Dock on the Bay', or Buddy Holly's latest or Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Biaz; where to stop! Before the fashion for 'personalised music' (catered for firstly by the Walkman and now in it's newest incarnation, the ipod) the latest tunes brought like minds together. A normal Saturday outing was to the local record shop where friends would crowd into a booth together to hear the latest in the 'charts'.
Maybe it was all just 'fashion' but, as the years race by, that sixties music has stood the test of time. Many of our heroes are still household names. Our children still appreciate such giants as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding. The likes of Paul Weller, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones still tour all over the world. Am I showing my age when I find it hard to appreciate modern day offerings? Of course I am but no more than any other person who has let music into their life.
From the moment the first cave man (or woman) discovered how to make musical 'sounds' from reeds or rocks, water or wood, we have enjoyed the privilege of a great gift. How to explain the catch at the back of the throat when we hear a familiar song or melody? How to describe the pure feeling of exhilaration and joy as many human voices come together to sing some particularly uplifting work. I dare anyone to say they have never felt that. And if some hardened souls insist that is the case; well I feel very sorry for them.
Fabio whiles away the hours in his Tuscan villa writing and enjoys plying his trade especially on the Internet. He enjoys his music and often visits Quality Original Recordings where you can find a fine selection of rare imports. You can reach him here: Internet Traffic and Brand Building.
How Can I Say "No" To My Child
It's hard for a parent to say "no" when everything our children see in our culture today promotes "yes." Advertising companies make and spend billions of dollars every year to get us to say "yes." Our classroom teachers, who have been trained to say "no" in a variety of acceptable ways, have been replaced by Hollywood writers, video game producers, the music industry and other business cultures promoting "yes."
Yes Is In and No Is Out
Unless you and your family live in a home built in a remote part of the country, where there are no billboards, televisions, radios, Internet, mail and other modes of advertising, your children will be exposed to hundreds of promotional ads each day. In fact, each year the average child in the United States will be exposed to over forty thousand ads on television alone. Ads promote the words, "Yes, you can!" Credit card ads sell the idea that parents can "buy it now" for their children even when it's not in the family budget.
Does this sound familiar?
"There are some things that money can't buy, for everything else there's..."
The purpose of this credit card ad not only promotes the ideals centered on giving your child whatever he or she wants, it sustains the "yes" culture that our children have become accustom to living in. Living in this culture is not difficult. In fact, for parents it's often easier to say, "yes" than it is to say, "no." When a parent says "yes," the word often leads to:
GETTING A DESIRED ITEM = FUN = HAPPY LIFE = EASY LIFE!
What parent would not want this for their child? We want our children to be happy. But, does giving our children what they want lead to a lifetime of happiness? You do not need to read another research study that tells you that giving your child what she wants will not lead to life-long happiness. You already know that's true. You already know that instant gratification is not gratifying. You already know that your child needs to hear the word, "NO!"
How to Say "NO" and Survive?
Before you begin using the word "no" more often, consider the following helpful hints:
Use the words "I love you" with your child as many times a day as they ask or want something. This caring phrase does not to be used as a response, but should be used several times per day.
Turn television time into reading time. The average child in the United States watches over seven hours of television per day. Replace promotional ads with the promotion of literacy.
Make an effort to listen to your child. Eat at least one family meal together each day. This promotes family time. This promotes listening time. Another idea: Turn family television time into family game time.
Keep track and, if necessary, reduce some of your child's activity time. Many children are stressed! Stress often leads to addictions. Addiction leads to a need to have something. That something requires a "yes." Be mindful of your child's stress levels. Many children (and parents) today are doing too much. Slow down! Begin saying "NO!" to more activities.
Keep a list on the refrigerator of items that you buy for your child. Have the child keep a list of all the times they ask you for something beyond the basic needs (food, shelter, clothing). Contrary to popular teen opinions, a cell phone is not a basic need.
Finally, sit down with your child and hold a discussion on this topic. Your child will most likely be a parent someday. Sharing this article with your child, especially your teenager, will help him or her become a better parent someday. When your child sees that you are doing the right thing by saying "no," the child will learn to become comfortable with this word too.
Scott Wardell is a counselor who created ScottCounseling.com to provide parents with hundreds of free parenting articles and an online e-mail counseling service.
Visit ScottCounseling.com today!
Urgent Information - Don't Settle For the Disadvantages of Reverse Osmosis!
If you've been wondering, "does reverse osmosis make water safe to drink?" by the time you finish reading this, you are going to have some important information about the disadvantages of reverse osmosis
Let's face it...we're all concerned about what we take into our bodies. At the top of the list is water, since its so important to our health and well-being.
But living with high levels of environmental pollution has prompted many consumers to turn to water sources treated with alternative water purification methods.
Reverse osmosis is one such water purification method that has become popular with consumers.
Many companies falsely promote reverse osmosis as a "state-of-the art" drinking water system. And while this method provides "safe," pleasant-tasting water, there are several disadvantages of reverse osmosis that make this a questionable choice for people looking to purify their water.
Make no mistake. Purity from contaminants is important. However, nature, in its infinite wisdom, designed water to contain essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, necessary for the human body to work well and stay healthy. Reverse osmosis strips out these vital minerals.
And when we drink water that has been stripped of its natural minerals, two very serious things occur.
First, when water is demineralized it becomes more acidic. When humans consume an acid substance, our bodies automatically attempt to neutralize the acid by pulling minerals from our teeth and bones, making them weaker and more vulnerable to decay and fracture.
Second, it has been proven that when body fluids become more acidic, more free radicals are produced. An increase of free radicals can lead to an increase in the risk of cancer.
And if you're relying on reverse osmosis to filter out chemicals, forget it. I don't mean to get too scientific with you but you should know that reverse osmosis operates by removing things based on molecular size.
Since most synthetic chemicals are molecularly smaller than water they cannot be effectively removed by reverse osmosis. So you end up drinking synthetic chemicals that you were counting on being filtered out.
Another one of the disadvantages of reverse osmosis is that a home system is typically installed in the kitchen and treats only drinking and cooking water. So you still end up bathing and showering in highly chlorinated water, which strips your body's natural oils, leaving your skin dry and susceptible to premature aging. Chlorine also emits a gas which can aggravate asthma and other respiratory ailments.
So what is the alternative? You can look into a whole house water filter system, which uses a multi-stage filtration system.
This water filtration system conveniently connects to the main water line entering your house. So not only will you get clean, healthy water to drink and cook with, everything that dispenses water - faucets, toilets, baths, showers, washing machines, etc. will deliver safe, pure water.
Just make sure to do your research. Like anything else, you want to separate the good products from the bad. And, believe me, you will find both.
So the question, "Does reverse osmosis make water safe to drink?" can be answered by how the word "safe" is defined. The water may be "safe" but it isn't exactly healthy.
The disadvantages of reverse osmosis are important considerations to make when looking for the best water purification method for you and your family.
Olivia Romero is a life-long water drinking enthusiast who has devoted much time to finding the best drinking water filter systems Visit http://www.cleancoolwater.com to discover the recommendations that resulted from her extensive research.
Internet Pay-Per-View - The Taste Of Things To Come!
Pay-Per-View is not a novel concept. Most of us are aware of what it basically offers. Pay-Per-View cable television service is a common sight to be found in many households. By virtue of this service, one can choose to receive and enjoy select channel broadcasts through their cable connection against a fee. It could be the live telecast of a sports match, or the latest blockbuster from Hollywood, or simply, a brand new music video. In this way, premium content is distributed to various subscribers who pay a small fee per content to view them.
So much for pay-per-view television. But this is the era of the Internet and online technologies. With the advancement and proliferation of Internet technologies all around, coupled with the improved availability of high speed broadband, the time has come to experience the thrills of Internet Pay-Per-View.
For somebody who loves watching movies (who doesn't?), the Internet is a veritable goldmine. Nowadays, there is no dearth of movie downloads sites on the Internet. The latest to join the array is Apple with its iTunes Movie Store which lets one download a movie and watch it on one's ipod, PC or Mac.
Some of the biggest names in the Internet Pay-Per-View arena are Movielink and CinemaNow. Both of these sites are supported by major film distributors such as Warner Bros and Sony Pictures etc. All one needs is a computer with a tolerably fast Internet connectivity to play the downloaded movie.
Internet Pay-Per-View is fast gaining in popularity. Other names in the business that are fast coming to the forefront are sites such as Guba and Unbox. MovieLink is probably the largest Internet movie download site on the Internet toady. MovieLink draws its strength from a partnership formed by such movie giants as MGM, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios and BBC among others.
Most Internet Pay-Per-View sites carry a motley collection of movies, TV shows, documentaries and more, all available for download for a nominal fee. The cost varies depending on the content that one wishes to download. The crux of the service offered by these sites is that they charge the viewer on a pay-per-view or pay per download basis. Basically, one has to pay to download a movie or to watch it online on a streaming basis. The charges vary depending on how new the movie is, the movie itself and its exclusiveness.
In recent years, the Internet has become a throbbing center of endless entertainment. Offering a rich multimedia experience that few other media can match up to, the Internet today is a treasure trove of highly entertaining content for the masses. Streaming movies, e-radios, Internet talk radios, webcasts - the fun never ends on the Internet. The need to visit your local video library or music store is fast becoming redundant. Just sit back in your chair and click away. Experience the pure bliss of high quality digital entertainment at the click of your mouse. Your desktop is the stage for a wide array of entertainment.
Internet Pay-Per-View is paving the path for other exciting possibilities. The future sure looks thrilling for all netizens!
