Slavery Footprint

Everyone says they would have fought against slavery 150 years ago. Now's your chance.

150 Years Of 'Taps'

I enjoyed every bit of this story and, like this reader, I am also a trumpet player who can relate to the Kennedy experience. -- Mike

Steve D wrote:

This hit very close to home. I too was a trumpet player and bugler in the Air Force between 1975 and 1980 in the 528 Air Force Band at Scott AFB, IL, outside St. Louis. I've played Taps something in the hundreds of times for sure. I still play trumpet regularly, and occasionally bugle calls - most recently a local feting of military academy students.

I didn't know the history of the piece and learning it was interesting.

But what really struck me was the story of the bugler at Kennedy's funeral. Just like running, playing a brass instrument involves a muscle that wants to be warmed up and flexible before being put through its paces. So - there you are. Outside in the cold for 3 hours, waiting, muscle slowly stiffening. The moment comes, the whole world stops to listen. The horn is cold, your lip is cold and stiff - it would be more surprising if he hadn't split an attack. It happens to all of us sometimes in this business. I did a funeral at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery one time at -20F. Visualize the kid sticking his tongue to the frozen flag pole in the movie Christmas Story - that's what really happens if you put cold damp flesh on frozen metal. I really felt for Kennedy's bugler hearing this story.

Listen to the whole story: at NPR.org

Hardest Job, Best Job

via youtube.com

Become a Better Baseball/Softball Hitter: Know Your Dominant Eye

I had a hitting breakthrough last night. We were having batting practice when my teammate, Bruce, asked if I knew which was my dominant eye. He said if I knew my dominant eye, I should position my head so it was closest to the pitcher/ball.

Turns out my right eye is dominant which means, ideally, I should hit lefty (since my right eye would be closer to the ball). Well, hitting lefty isn't something I was going to do at that moment so I made a simple adjustment and rotated my head towards the left and focused on the ball MAINLY WITH MY RIGHT EYE (this is key). From that moment, I saw the ball more clearly and began hitting a steady stream of line drives (vs. fly outs).

Here's how to determine which eye is dominant:

1. Hold your arms out in front of you.

2. Make a circle by overlapping your hands. You should have a peep sight with the webs of your thumbs, like shown in the photo, and stare at an object in the distance.

   
3. Look at an object through the hole made by your hands, preferably something round like a door knob.
4. Focus on the object, not your hands.
5. Now close one of your eyes. If you still see the object with your left eye open you are left eye dominant. If you still see the object with your right eye open you are right eyed dominant.

FYI, 80% of the population is right eye dominant and a very small percentage have no eye dominance at all (like my switch hitting 15-year old who can crush the ball from either side of the plate).

For more on this topic, read Science Made Simple

Happy hitting,

Mike

P.S. While we're on the topic of hitting, a pet peeve of mine is watching hitters warm up with a weighted bat. Watch this video and WAKE UP!

Sifteo - Intelligent Play

Surely worthy of Cool Site of the Day. A great find from the LAUNCH Edu Conference, which is a great resource for KidMoguls.com ("Teaching Kids How to Blog")

via sifteo.com

Is Blogging a Hobby or Business?

The following is excerpted from one of my favorite sites, kidslearntoblog.com

There are millions and millions of blogs on the net today.  They generally start as fun, but later on a few change into professional ones.

We write  posts  and play on the web.  Many think of these things as hobbies.  A hobby is something you do for fun, relaxation, and enjoyment.  It’s a change from the day-to-day grind of your job, whatever your job is.  It stretches the mind and body, actually making people  better workers for the time away from the job.

The moment you make money with your hobby, your hobby becomes a business.  As is with blogging it can be considered for both—education and earning.  When we start selling our hobby, it generally works.

Bloggers have turned from being a hobby buff.  They eagerly share their words and thoughts with others through their blogs, to businesses as their blogging changes once they put ads on their blogs.

Blogging and web publishing is a natural career move as technology developed along with skills and business.

There are bloggers who work 4 or 5 hours a day and make no money whereas business minded bloggers who work 4 or 5 hours a week and make 4 and 5 figures a month. The basic difference is focus.  If one adopts this smart move, blogging is one of the most fulfilling, easiest and most rewarding ways to make an income.

What does it take to turn blogging into a business?

It takes a whole lot of hard work, knowledge and passion about the topic you’re blogging about.  You need lots of patience and must get sophisticated and creative with your blogs.  Being in the right place at the right time sure helps!

You also need to frequently update your blog and reach out to the blogging community.  Practicing SEO tactics help a lot. You need to accustom yourself with the world of internet marketing with good strategies and sound technique.  Write what you love and then sell it.  Be professional and you will be successful!

Every moment you spend blogging and working on your blog has an hourly rate, which needs to be commensurate with what you need for income in order to survive and pay your bills, and hopefully build a better future for you and your family.

Some people turn their hobbies into multi-million dollar companies, and others turn their hobbies into simple blogs.  It’s up to you what makes you feel better, earning or just blogging.

A final note, rather than search for summer jobs for college students or jobs for teens, consider a blog and join some affiliate programs that interest you.