The 2012 National Black Arts Festival

The National Black Arts Festival is an Atlanta festival that celebrates the art, music, and culture of people of African descent. The family friendly festival is scheduled from July 6-15 and includes activities such as literary, musical, and theater performances, fine arts exhibits, and an international market. Although a few events are ticketed, many of the activities are free.

The main weekend of the festival is July 12-15, with many activities taking place at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. Festival attendees can visit the International Marketplace, which will feature artisans from all over the world. Offerings will include paintings, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, and other items. In past years exhibitors have come from such diverse places as Jamaica, Haiti, South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Brazil, Canada, and India. The kids will be entertained at the Childrens Educational Village. This years theme will be Destination Africa and Beyond. There will be musical entertainment all weekend from the concert stage. Local and international chefs will be giving cooking demonstrations at the Publix Healthy Cooking Pavilion. Attendees can learn to prepare healthy and balanced foods as well as enjoy tasty samples. All of these activities are free to the public.

Several other free events are planned during the festival. City Gallery at Chastain will present JOuvert: At the Devils Playground, featuring the work of Jamaican born photographer Radcliffe Roye. The exhibition, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence, will run from June 14-July 28. An artist talk is planned for June 30 from 1-3pm. Pre-registration is required for the talk. Jah Music- A Celebration of Traditional Jamaican Music, featuring the Tallawah Mento Band, will take place on June 24 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. The program is scheduled for 3-5pm, and pre-registration is required.

There will be two free screenings of A Raisin in the Sun at the Southwest Arts Center. This will be the original film version of Lorraine Hansberrys play starring Claudia McNeil, Sidney Poitier, and Ruby Dee. Screening dates are July 6, and a special screening for seniors and students on July 11.

The Hagedorn Foundation Gallery will host an exhibition of intimate photos of Michael Jackson by his personal photographer, Todd Gray. The Gray Room with Act 1 of the Performance Piece, Caliban in the Mirror is scheduled for July 6-August 31. The Coretta Scott King Book Fair will be held on July 11 at the Central Branch of the Atlanta Fulton Library. Attendees will meet award winning author Walter Dean Myers and award winning illustrator Michele Wood. The event is free, but pre-registration is required.

The festival also includes several ticketed events. Those events include a gala fundraiser and tribute to actress Ruby Dee on July 14. The play Guess Whos Coming to Dinner? will run July 10-29. There will be an exhibition of the art of Vivian Schuyler Key at the Hammonds House Museum and the exhibition Rise Up: Hale Woodruffs Murals from Talladega College at the High Museum of Art. A benefit event for the National Black Arts Festival, Slavery By Another Name: The Dialogue is planned for July 12.

Buffets, Infusions Restaurant and The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet, A Gourmet Dining Exper

In eighteenth century France the modern day buffet was developed which soon spread across Europe. Serving a meal to oneself has a long and interesting history, and eventually this style of eating was converted to modern day buffets.

The second half of the nineteenth century, especially in the English speaking world, buffets became extremely popular for meals. Buffets are very popular with people today, because, it offers plenty of food variety at a reasonable price. People can create their own dishes with more meat, less vegetables and fewer side dishes, plus creating salads with appealing ingredients that they enjoy. Buffets offer people the opportunity to try new types of food that they would not order off a menu in a restaurant. Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College hosts many buffets every year, and the last “buffet” was held a week after their Okanagan Wine Festival Gourmet Dinner which attracted a sellout crowd of over 80 dining guests. Guests were treated to a “Five Course” gourmet dinner with special Okanagan Valley wines to accompany each course.

The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet will be prepared with the special talents of the new, up and coming future chefs of your favorite restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, ski and golf resorts, all directed and instructed by World Class Chefs. The buffet will include fresh meats, poultry, seafood of all types, and of course Okanagan Valley fresh vegetables and fruits.

Infusions Restaurant and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts Bakery will have a spectacular dessert buffet for this special night with freshly made gourmet desserts, and with a delicious assortment of as many freshly made Pastries, Tortes, Cakes and Chocolate Confections as a person could possibly eat after the meal.

The Culinary Arts buffet will offer a HUGH selection of seafood and seafood platters, from Sushi Rolls, Dim Sum, Salmon, Halibut to Shark and Lobster. Dishes containing Gratin of Potatoes & Yams, many types of Pasta with Grilled and Glazed Vegetables, and of course the Roast Beef and Beef Tenderloin, and ALL for $15.95!

For people in Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley who want a “Spectacular Feast”, this buffet will take place on December 12, 2008 at Okanagan College’s Infusions Restaurant. Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts program hosts many private gourmet dinners, private functions and private buffets every year for people, companies and organizations in all parts of the Okanagan Valley and beyond.

Join them on Friday at Okanagan College’s Infusions Restaurant for their Spectacular Friday Night Seafood & Prime Rib Buffet! The Chefs and Culinary Arts Student chefs will create special tantalizing items for this special December Buffet Extravaganza! Come in on Friday, December 12, 2008 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm and enjoy a fine gourmet meal of your choice. Infusions Restaurant is located at 1000 KLO Road, in Kelowna. Fine Dining At Kelowna’s Best Kept Secret!

A very reasonable price for this gourmet buffet at $15.95. Call for reservations at Infusions Restaurant: 250-762-5445 ext. 4426. James Murray is a successful writer and online Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in seo and sem strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet, provide useful and factual seo and sem information and insight. Some of his websites are : http://www.seo-worldwide.net , http://www.atclickbank.com , http://www.website-submissions-worldwide.com

LA Schools Claim Victory In Efforts To Acquire New Arts Ed Funding

Los Angeles Schools are seeing a steady increase in arts education as the dual result of a long-term program and recent state funding. The Arts for All program was initiated in 2002 as a 10-year plan to restore arts education to the 80 districts of Los Angeles Schools. The project focuses on bringing music, dance, drama and the visual arts to K-12 schools in the area. Nine schools have just signed up for the 2007-2008 school year, bringing the total number of Los Angeles Schools involved up to 27.

Two of the newest participants are the Lancaster and Palmdale districts of Los Angeles Schools. Both schools completely eliminated their elementary music programs in the last decade due to budget cuts and increased pressure to perform on state tests. Major cuts first began for Los Angeles Schools with Proposition 13 in 1978. This California mandate reduced property taxes and district funds, which required all Los Angeles Schools to reduce or eliminate arts and physical education classes.

Los Angeles Schools were pleased when the state announced funding of $500 million for art, music and physical education classes in the beginning of June. Los Angeles Schools will use much of these funds for the Arts for All Program. Arts for All is built on a five-step process which, while proven effective, costs money. The five steps involved are:

1.Allocating 5% of a district’s budget to arts education 2.Having a board adopted policy 3.Creating an implementation plan with a timeline 4.Assigning a district level arts coordinator 5.Maintaining a student to arts teacher ratio of 400:1

Los Angeles Schools will pay for a program expert to guide parents, staff and community members in the creation of their implementation plan. The Lancaster district has an additional grant of $260,000 for its art and music programs.

Los Angeles Schools welcome the increased funding as a long overdue measure. Many educators in the Los Angeles Schools have lamented the loss of the arts as harmful to student development. While many of the cuts to arts education result from diverting funds to cover academic subjects needed to pass state tests, teachers argue that art actually enhances learning, allows children to make connections between subjects, and provides a much needed balance to education.

Like the rest of the country’s urban districts Los Angeles Schools are trying to meet the 2014 No Child Left Behind requirement that mandates proficiency on state tests by all students regardless of developmental delays or language barriers. Diverting funding away from the arts has put Los Angeles Schools in a situation where children as young as third grade are losing recess, physical activity and a basic arts background in a frenzied scramble to meet rising national standards.

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Things You Must Do For A Successful Martial Arts School

There are three key actions you must take to achieve a successful martial arts business. Being a master of the arts is an enormous and impressive accomplishment, but to run a thriving dojo you must also be a master of the business of running a dojo.

This doesn’t mean you have to get your MBA, but it does mean that you must focus the business details along with the details of your art. The keys to having a successful martial arts business can be summarized with three main points:

* Getting new students

* Retaining your existing students

* Selling new products or services to your students (often referred to as “up selling”)

Getting New Students in the Door

Attracting new students to your dojo is all about marketing. This is how any business attracts new customers and that is what your students are – customers. Your dojo may showcase your martial arts skills, but your business office better be figuring out where and how to most efficiently spend those scarce marketing dollars.

Your target customers, meaning students, may be children or adults or both. Focus in on where your potential customers receive their information on recreational or educational activities. Possibilities could include schools, libraries, and community centers.

Once you know “where” your potential customers are, you can then decide on the “how”. Mailers, print advertising, posted flyers, free demonstrations – these can all be effective ways to get the word out about your school.

Retaining Existing Students Month After Month

That first month of martial arts is exciting for a new student. But once that student gets over the initial rush of a new activity, the student may become distracted, bored, or overwhelmed by the immensity of what they want to accomplish in the martial arts.

A successful martial arts teacher will pay attention to how to keep the students inspired and engaged. This can involve both the personal touch of one-on-one attention and encouragement along with varying drills and activities specifically designed for new students.

Structuring attainable goals and making sure your new students not only reach them but are recognized for reaching them is another important component of a student retention plan.

Selling New Products or Services to Your Students

Developing new products and services does not mean just thinking up ways to make more money for your martial arts business. The creative dojo master will regularly review his products and services to determine if there is a need that is not being met.

Do some students need private lessons for a more personalized learning experience or to prepare for advancement? Would printed learning material assist some students? Would T-shirts, sweatshirts, and equipment bags printed with the name and logo of your school inspire your students and market your business?

Will students benefit from a more advanced program? Which students show signs of becoming leaders in the school and thus be good candidates for your leadership programs?

A Business Master

Someone who has mastered the martial arts already has proven their commitment and passion to their art. The master of successful dojo is proof of their commitment and passion to their school and their students.

This master will always pay attention to the business aspects of his or her martial arts business as well as the art, both for their own financial benefit and also for the sake of their students. You must successfully recruit, retain, and meet the needs of your students if you are to achieve a successful martial arts business.

The Two Most Powerful Weapons Of Martial Arts

Nunchakus, the katana sword, double sticks, and others are among some of the weapons to be mastered through different styles of traditional martial arts. All of them have their own merits, but I believe the two most powerful weapons which can multiply the power of your techniques are the subconscious mind and Chi energy. Below I will explain in detail why.

All skills we have learned in any style, after hard and serious training, become natural reflexes. The reason for this is that there is a section of our mind that is in charge of memorizing all of our experiences from the moment we are born until the last breath we take. This part of our mind is in charge of vital functions of the body, such as breathing, defecating, regulation of bodily fluids and circulation as well as, other complicated processes. This part of our mind is working 24/7 without rest. Behold the subconscious mind!

What is the subconscious mind and how can it help you become a powerful martial artist? Sub means under and conscious means your everyday mind or the mind of everyday life. So subconscious means the part of your mind that is below your conscious awareness. In order words, you are not aware of it. The most important part for a martial artist to know and master about the subconscious mind is its inability to recognize physical limitations. Whatever skills regardless of the situation, you will be able to accomplish it if you impress or command the subconscious mind with an exact image of what you are trying to accomplish.

Let me use myself as an example. I do lots of visualization with my techniques and when I do them physically Ive noticed something very interesting. I feel like Ive been performing them for a long time physically. They feel crisp, with more strength, faster and alive. All the things Ive visualized give me a sense of connectedness to the techniques. In other words, my body, mind and emotions work together as one with the technique. This was an aha moment because I had heard the stories of visualization, but had never experienced them myself.

Another function under the control of the subconscious is the reflexes. When you react or attack your opponent, before all this happens, there is a signal sent from the brain to the body via the nervous system. The nervous system activates the muscle and then the muscles move the body. This happens in an instant, but you can lessen the time it takes for your muscles to receive the signal by training your subconscious and the body at the same time. This is accomplished using visualization as the above example proves.

Aside from the subconscious mind, there is another aspect to the training of martial arts call Chi training. Chi is not easy to explain, but let me give it my best shot. Chi is life itself and all things are made of it. It is internal and external energy. Planets and constellations are made of Chi. In the human body, Chi is regulated by the conscious mind and the amount is limited. Breathing exercises are one of the tools used to increase the amount of Chi in your body. I know, if all things are made of Chi how come it is limited in the body, thats your question. I dont know the answer to that question yet, but I have a theory and I will explain it later on.

Among the benefits of increasing your level of Chi is a stronger immune system, an increase of overall strength, faster reflexes, faster blood circulation, a strong sense of being grounded and a feeling of being in the present moment or in the Zone. If you practice martial arts, extra strength and total awareness and being in harmony with your opponent is a great skill to have, dont you think? Ask your teacher if he knows anything about Chi and ask him to teach you about it. If you are a practitioner keep reaping the rewards of your Chi.

Finally it may be possible that Chi is another expression of the subconscious mind. It is not a subjective experience, all youve got to do is practice and you will soon reap the benefits of Chi training, whether you practice the martial arts or not.