Thursday, March 31, 2016

How to recognize Verbs and Predicates

If you're reading a sentence and the line says: "Gina smacked her mother in the face to get her attention," the word smacked is referring to an action taken by Gina. This will help you understand how verbs describe the action or movement taking place within a sentence. This part of the sentence is also known as a predicate.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

What is a Conjunction?

When you're trying to connect words, phrases or clauses then you use a conjunction. The word "but" is an example of a coordinating conjunction.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Why Musicians use the Metronome

The metronome is used to allow the musician to better feel the tempo with ticks that keep the musician in tune with the timing so he or she will know when to trigger a sound from the instrument.
The metronome's main purpose is to keep the musician in tune and in rhythm. The ticking sounds can give the musician a direct feeling of the tempo or pace in which he or she wants the piece to be. This is the main reason why musicians use the metronome.

Friday, March 25, 2016

The Burdens, the Woes, and the Resurrection; the Greatest Stories Untold:

A voice whispers: "Everything will be okay."
You're born into the world. You get to meet your parents. Your real father sells drugs. You're raised by your mom but another man takes on the job of your real father. You keep wondering why all of the girls in your neighborhood are having sex but getting rid of their babies. You later find out that they were put in this position because of a deranged woman who wanted to wipeout people in the ghetto. Almost everyone in your family is strung out. Someone whispers in your ear who the real Hebrews were. There's fights constantly breaking out. Your friend punches you in the face and kicks you while you're on the ground while another friend watches. The pastor at church keeps reminding you that someone is going to come and save everyone. You then find out that he is sleeping with other members of the church. Another reverend nearly forces you to marry someone who is sleeping over your house because she hates her life. Every woman you meet is afraid to love. Your second girlfriend's mother disowns her because the church taught her to stay away from demons. You marry another girl and she gets pregnant by some unknown man and tries to put the burden on her husband. The church thinks you're a loser. You constantly are bombarded with everyone's truth but your own. Everyone wants a million dollars but no one wants to put in the work. Then when they get a million dollars everyone is their friend. Tons of borrowers but noone pays back. You're in a room all alone. You watch the news and you find out the country is falling apart and all of the people who you grew up with either don't care or are afraid to face the facts. Your entire community has to sell food stamps just to eat. Most of the people running for office say they care but noone trust them. You enlist and see all of your brothers returning less than normal. You keep hearing this voice telling you everthing is going to be okay. The psychologist keeps asking you, "Are you hearing voices?" Rumors float around that you've lost it while on the battle field for the spreaders freedom. Most of your pleasure is pain. People say that they're proud of you but you later see a knife in their back pocket. You find out the truth about the faith that you've served your whole life is a fraud from a complete stranger. Your favorite night out is on the internet. All of your ancestors are still trying to be free. You're afraid to trust. You open up a business and no one wants to pay but they proudly go give their money to people who could care less. You keep imagining this picture in your head of you stabbing a terrorist as the both of you blow up and you scream to your brothers, "See you on the other side." Your first girlfriend gets upset because you have to dump her because she has no clue of the jungle you're in. You have a near death experience but you see no one from the bible present and there's no fire at all, just complete peace. The white light pushes you back and the only reason why you're resurrected is because you don't want to see your mom die trying to get to her son...
This piece is for all of those battling with stories untold. God Bless and I pray that in this piece you will find relief once you let out your own stories to the world.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The Seven Coordinating Conjunctions in the English Language

The seven coordinating conjunctions in the English Language is:
1. and
2. for
3. or
4. nor
5. so
6. but
7. yet

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The Prince of Peace

In my younger years everything seemed like it revolved around me.
My money was mine and no one else's.
If a girl would smile at me, it had to be only me.
Just like any other man I was afraid of war but I had to fight.
I battled with envy, jealous vibes, prejudice moods, and unnatural emotions.
Like the apostle I often looked up to the sky to hear a voice.
Eighty thousand pounds of dead relatives behind my legacy.
Hundreds of people passing by not knowing what I'm really feeling inside.
There's a reason why I have to stay busy.
There's a reason why I'm afraid of sin and doing evil.
The ripples of time cannot correct what is left after things become unsettled.
Once the first shot is fired, it will take years to repair.
Forgiveness hurts because the thoughts are still there.
The pain slowly eats at my heart but the children keep my thoughts pure.
I pray that they don't have to battle with such memories.
I pray that they too will look up to hear the voice of a savior.
I'm humbled by the things I've saw.
I must work to heal the pain.
If a man kills another man, will he fail to reason with justice?
If a man takes another man's belongings will that not cause strife?
Is he the law?
As I sit pondering in my thoughts...I realize that I too must die someday.
I too will faceoff with the truth.
I shiver but must remain brave...
Time ticks away and I get older by the day.
There's nothing I can do about the past but cherish the days that I have left.
I honor peace and I pray that man will cherish it for all it's days.
The air that flows through my lungs on a sunny day.
The sounds of the birds singing in the trees.
Because I chose a peaceful past I too am like a savior.
Dying for the innocent, watching all of the lives I've saved by choosing not to strike.
I walked away and took the pain.
I was punched, kicked, and embarrassed.
Left for dead with no sympathy from my own kind.
I am rewarded with a time to heal and remember those days.
I won't look back.
I walked away and took the pain.
For that, I too am a Prince of Peace.

Monday, March 21, 2016

A Masterpiece

When a picture is painted in a dark place the artist uses the light from the stars and moon. Opression is in the air and the artist must keep painting as a symbol of freedom. His or her hands are cramping but a force keeps them going, other artist then come together to dissect the mind of the painter. Everyone in the room is speechless. Spellbound by its details they cannot take their eyes off of the piece. The art grabs them and the only explanation is devine intervention. The dirty streets then become clean, the poor become clothed and what was impossible becomes possible. A miracle is the only word to describe the piece and priceless explains the masterpiece.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Thursday, March 17, 2016

How Brainstorming Builds more Ideas

It's amazing how the mind works, but it's even more amazing how the mind can build ideas off of other ideas. The technique is called brainstorming, which involves putting a bunch of ideas on paper and building off of those ideas. Sometimes if you carry a piece of paper or even a recorder around with you, you would be amazed at how big the idea can become. Most artist or people who specialize in thinking of new creative ideas use brainstorming to build onto future projects. It's a good technique that requires writing down words or thoughts and just going about your day until you can't think of anything else (thoughts or words) to add to the idea.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The Pros and Cons of the Independent Film Venture

Sitting in the shadows of every major production is an independent film producer searching for their big break. Although some independent directors never see their film on the big screen, there are a lot of advantages when going independent. Here are the pros:
  1. You call the shots.
  2. Your film belongs to you.
  3. You retain most of the profits unless you partner with someone to market your film once it's done etcetera.
  4. You get hands on experience with your cast. (Most independent producers train their cast themselves.)
  5. Most of the films budget belongs to you, so you don't owe anyone after the film is produced.
  6. All you have to do is finish the production and if a major production company picks the film up, then you have the upper hand in contract deals.
  7. There is usually less legal work to deal with in the independent film market although paperwork is still required.
  8. The cast and crew you work with usually becomes your second family. (There's even situations when a cast or crew member from your film gets a spot on the big stage and may increase the value of your product.)
Here are the cons:
  1. You're on a budget so you often have to roll with the punches.
  2. You have to deal with actors who may not take your project seriously, but this even happens on the big stage so don't worry.
  3. You have to find an audience and you often have to start from the bottom while earning your way up to the top.
  4. You have to shop your film to local stores just to get it on the shelf.
  5. You often have to edit your own work with a tight budget and little time unless you have good friends who will help-out.
  6. If you cannot afford union fees or big time actors then you have to work with who ever shows up.
  7. Your equipment has to fit your budget.
  8. You have to find good people who will stick with you through the ups and the downs.

Monday, March 14, 2016

The Rich Man and the Poor Man

The rich man: Why do you keep staring at me?
The poor man: No reason.
The rich man: Well stop it.
The poor man: Can I have some change?
The rich man: I don't have any change; I have to get to a meeting.
The poor man: Can I go with you?
The rich man: You can, but you have to clean yourself up. What can you do?
The poor man: I can tell jokes.
The rich man: Get him outta here...get him outta here.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Peta the Lucky Elephant

Out of all of the elephants, Peta was the strongest but for some reason Peta kept being picked on by the humans.
"Hey Peta, look at how big you are compared to those little bitty stupid humans. You should crush them and kick them," Gina told her laughing.
"You're right Gina, I'm so tired of them coming into our camp like they rule the world. I'm going to punish them!" Peta replied with a grin.
After about an hour of being cracked with a whip, Peta lost it. She trampled and smashed every human in sight. They were screaming and yelling for help, while she kept kicking away. After the stampede Peta went to go take a break from all of the punishing that she had unleashed. Her friend Gina was so proud that she finally stood up for herself.
"Wow Peta you did it. Now they'll never mess with you again. Don't you feel better? Your luck is really going to change now," Gina explained as she and Peta walked off into the sunset.
"I punished them Gina, I really punished them," Peta said with a confident smile.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Lucky Carson

Carson was the richest man in town until his wife divorced him and took all of his money. He went through depression for a while then he was finally healed once he started rolling dice. Carson saw a purpose when rolling dice. He saw a mountain of opportunity because he began to study his opponents. Every night he would beat every man in town by taking advantage of their greed. Carson's strategy was to make the pot as big as he could and rip at his opponent's instinct to want more. No one could stop Carson. The crazy thing is, is that it had nothing to do with the money, he just enjoyed winning. One night after beating the whole block, Carson went to rest on the porch and saw his ex-wife across the street. It turned out that once they got divorced she started using drugs. The rumor going on around the neighborhood was that the house across the street was a drug house. Sitting on the porch juggling his dice around in his hand, Carson couldn't believe what he had been witnessing. He had been left with almost nothing and she was blowing all of his money on drugs. Carson decided that he was going to take action after a few months of watching this go on. It's amazing what a man sees sitting on the front porch but Carson was tired of the same crazy conflicts every night and no justice. Witnessing a crazy drug infested party, Carson took a golf club, threw his dice up in the air and swung. His small dice flew straight into the electrical transformer attached to the street pole. He knocked out the power on the whole block. After a moment of silence, everyone came running out of the drug house, some women didn't even have any clothes on. It was a complete blackout and the only thing that they had to see was the light from their cellphones. Once Carson saw the commotion, he quickly dashed back onto the porch and took a seat keeping an eye on the madness. Everyone soon cleared out, Carson then fell to sleep in his chair and was awakened by gun shots. He woke up to flashing police lights and a major shootout. Afraid for his life, Carson fell to the ground for cover. His life flashed before his eyes. This would've never happened if I hadn't knocked out the power, he thought to himself. Once it was all over, the neighborhood was back to normal.
The landlord soon got the place cleaned up and some woman moved in with her two girls. Carson got to know the woman and they became good friends. She and Carson had soon fell in love. After about a year of courting her, she became Carson's second wife. Carson vowed to never make the same mistake with the first wife so whenever he would reach a certain amount in savings he would bury it under the dog house. The relationship stayed pretty stable until his second wife found the money. When she found it she assumed Carson was insane and they began to argue. While they were arguing Carson felt his heart getting heavy and he passed out.
Once he woke up in the hospital, his wife was there rubbing his head. After Carson was released from the hospital, he received a bill in the mail with a zero balance. It turns out that his wife had paid the bill with the money he stashed under the dog house.
Was it luck that Carson had saved the money or was it just fate?

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

The Art of Sex and Nudity

Nudity has been a vital piece of art throughout the ages. You can look at ancient artifacts and sometimes giggle at the minds of artist who took on this task. Although we live in a society now where sex seems to sell more than clothing, most people feel that a quick look into the other side of life is a sign of luck and relief. Yes, the art of sex is often abused, even by professionals looking just to make money but from an ethical standpoint it's a symbol of creation and reality. The art of nudity sometimes brings up uncomfortable conversation, but can be an amazing art form when used properly. The magic of it all, is how it creatively enhances the mind of those who don't know they're engaging in a form of art. A lot of people believe nudity and sex to be immoral but actually many ancient beliefs thought of it as a connection to God or the Gods (depending on the culture or religious belief). Till this day, it's safe to say that people still engage in the profession of nudity and sex because some people just enjoy and cannot fight the feeling that the art provides. This art form has always been not only a sign of pleasure but a sign of freedom. Some countries treat this art form as sacred and some embrace it for what it is. Most people who study sex and nudity are often very serious about this profession and do not like being judged because of their beliefs.