Less Bad

People feel good when they smoke fewer cigarettes, eat less junk food and drive cars that release fewer toxic fumes into our atmosphere. Everywhere you go you see people, companies, factories, governments and entire countries trying to live, act and conduct business in supposedly better ways.

But what are we so happy about? Since when is less of a bad thing good? Less bad is not a double negative. Killing fewer whales is not good. Building a factory that releases less toxic waste into the environment is not good. Making bombs that kill fewer people is not good. All of these things are bad. Instead of doing bad things less often we should be looking for ways to do good things.

So, let’s stop fooling ourselves into thinking that less selfish is generous, less fat is thin and less violence on children’s TV is good. Less bad is still bad.

The Ultimate Challenge

Conducting business in a foreign language that you are not fluent in is challenging to say the least. Nevertheless, the benefits of doing business on an international scale far outweigh the occasional problems caused by inaccurate and confusing communication. Some will argue that these communications go better in face-to-face meetings while others prefer written correspondence. However, everyone agrees that the most difficult form of communication is the phone, with the poor sound quality of hands free devices making things considerably worse. If, on top of that, you add more people to the same call you end up with the most difficult challenge facing workers nowadays, the conference call. Conference calls are vital in today’s fast-paced global market place in which the difference between success and failure often depends on how quickly we can gather information and make decisions. Obviously, it’s time to bone up on our listening and speaking skills.

LAD

LAD stands for Language Acquisition Device. This is an area, present at birth in the human brain, which makes the process of learning languages possible. This innate facility provides children with the capacity to learn up to three languages simultaneously. Of course, if you have tried or are trying to learn a second language as an adult, you are well aware of the fact that this area of your brain has long since shut down. This window of opportunity, to acquire second and third languages naturally, closes by the age of twelve or around puberty. In fact, it closes much sooner in schools where the second language is taught in the student’s first language. The message is very clear. In today’s multilingual world, we must expose our children to second and third languages as early as possible.

SLOW LEARNERS

I have long been of the opinion that there is no such thing as a stupid child. Children who consistently do poorly in school are, in my opinion, the victims of a bad education system. It’s not that the students can’t learn but rather that the teachers don’t know how to teach.

We all learn in different ways. All of us are born with eight different types of intelligence that we use to understand the world we live in. However, by the time we start school many of us develop some of these intelligences more than others. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the instructors to identify the more highly developed intelligences of their pupils and adapt their teaching methods accordingly.

While the majority of the class may be able to understand a simple verbal explanation, others may be lost if not provided with a visual representation of the concept.

On The Lake

It was very peaceful at the lake in the Casa de Campo the other day.

Spain's July 4th

Yesterday Spain celebrated its national holiday with a military parade down the main streets of the capital accompanied by an assortment of aircraft flying overhead. Since there are a number of vantage points in the Casa de Campo with unobstructed views of the city I decided to take the camera with me on my morning bike ride.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was that the angle of light was really bad. I knew the pictures wouldn't be very good but I stayed just in case. In the end I was able to get a couple of decent pictures. You can see all of them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe.

Company Language Classes - The Truth

About this time last year, I enquired at a local language academy to see if they were looking for teachers. At the time, I was free in the middle of the day. Somewhat to my surprise, they set me up with a couple of midday classes in a company, that works for the government, to start that very same week. The pay was very low but I was free to conduct the class as I please.

As my relationship with the students developed, I discovered that I had been their first “real” teacher – someone with experience. Not only that but they had never even had the “luxury” of having the same teacher for an entire course. One of them confessed that it was the first time that he had arranged his appointments in such a way so as not to miss the class.

At the end of the course, we all thought that it would be interesting if we could continue together the following year but without having to go through the language academy. We agreed to keep in touch and they promised to bring the matter to the attention of Human Resources. We were quite optimistic that something could be worked out.

I called Human Resources last week and they confessed that their hands were tied. Since the language academy in question, having made the lowest offer for the umpteenth consecutive year, had won the contract for the classes, only their teachers would be allowed in the company.

El Popo

I spent most of the month of August near a town called Atlixco, in the state of Puebla to the south east of Mexico City. I had a wonderful time and took lots of pictures. I was most fascinated with this volcano, which everyone refers to as "El Popo". You can see the rest of my Popo pictures on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe/sets/72157601635260839/

Lucky Duck

This morning I made one final attempt to get a decent picture of the ducks in the pond along the bike trail in the Casa de Campo but even with my 75 - 300 mm zoom lens, it was impossible.

On my way out of the park, I decided to pass by the boating lake. I saw some birds in the water quite close to the bank and decided to try my luck. When I approached the water’s edge, they swam out a short distance from the shore but stayed close enough for me to take pictures.

You can see the rest of the pictures at: www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe

Elusive Duck

There is a small river running through the Casa de Campo. Many times when I ride through the park I notice some ducks in a small pond along this river. Several times I had tried to get a picture of them but they would always swim away or hide when I approached. Last Sunday I decided to insist. I found several spots around the pond where I could sit and hide. It was a beautiful day and I was prepared to wait as long as necessary to get a nice picture. I chose my spot put my camera in silent mode and sat down to wait. It was not long before I realized that the ducks were totally aware of my presence and refused to parade in front of me. The best I could do was the picture you see above. This guy was the lookout.

flickr

I've decided to open a flickr account to share my pictures with friends and family and to display my best pictures with everybody. For me, one of the best ways to get ideas and improve the quality of your pictures is to look at other peoples' photos.

Here's one of my latest pictures. You can see the rest at: www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe

It's Not The Camera!

As an avid photographer I really like my Sony DSC-R1 10.3 megapixel digital camera. It combines all the features of my old reflex cameras with the advances in digital technology. But it doesn't take better pictures than my film cameras, not yet.

What it does do is make it cheaper and easier. But the quality of the picture depends on the photographer not the camera.

We have 3 tulips in a pot on the window sill. I can't get a good picture from the street.




It doesn't look like there's any way to get a good picture from inside the house either.



But if I move the pot to the left and shoot from a low angle I can get a decent picture with the sky in the background.



It's not the camera!

My Weekend

On Saturday I took the camera with me to the Casa de Campo and I'm glad I did. You never know when you're going to have a photo opportunity. This is the wall along the northeastern limit of the park. This is as close as you can get to the mountains. Click on the pictures to see a larger version.



After taking a few pictures I continued my ride. At one point I heard a siren off in the distance which I thought might be an ambulance. It's not unusual. Some of the biking trails are dangerous. It wasn't long before I discovered what that there was race in progress.



I realized that the circuit or a large part of the race was being held inside the park and that there were still many laps to go. It was a great photo opportunity. So, I got off my bike, sat on the ground and started shooting away. I like taking action shots. There are a lot more things to calculate.



This was a lot of fun!









I wonder how old he is!



This guy doesn't need snow!



I checked out the flowers on the way home.







In the afternoon I went to a demonstration. We were protesting against the way the government is dealing with the terrorists.



It was nice to see so many young people and families. The government claims that only the right wing extemists and members of the opposition party participate in these events. So what does that make me?



As you can see there was a festive atmosphere. The government says that we shouldn't display the flag at these events. I don't understand this.



Sunday was an unusually clear day so I got some nice pictures in the park. This was the most difficult picture of all mainly because I took it myself. I must have spent a good hour here before I got what I wanted.



There's still some snow in the mountains.



I love these trails!











See you in the Casa de Campo!!

Memory Dignity Justice

On Saturday I went to a demonstration in support of the families and friends of the 25 people that were killed over an 18 month period by a single ETA terrorist whom the government is preparing to set free after spending 19 years in prison. This man has never apologized for his crimes and has written threatening letters to judges and elected officials from his cell that have been published in newspapers sympathetic to the separatist terrorist group. Ever since the government initiated its so-called peace process the victims have become the criminals and the criminals the victims.

I took the camera with me just in case there were some photo opportunities and also to have something to entertain myself with during the long wait before the event got underway. I always prefer to carry the camera and take no pictures than to not have it and miss a great shot.

As it happens I was in a pretty good spot and the light was good. I had no idea that during the event one of the volunteers was going to approach me to suggest that I go up onto one of the TV platforms that had been set up for the event but was not being used. When I climbed up the ladder and stepped out onto the platform and gazed out at the sea of faces below me I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The courageous relatives who volunteered to tell their stories, many addressing the terrorists and political officials by name, pleaded for memory, dignity and justice.

Forum Etiquette

There was a post in my forum asking about the difference between the words small and little. This type of question is very common in foreign language forums where native speakers of a language help learners. If you put yourself in the position of the teacher you will see the problem with this question. Imagine that someone asks you what they should wear but they don’t tell you why they are asking. You’re certainly not going to waste your time explaining what clothes to wear in every possible situation. Not knowing how much information will be necessary to satisfy the learner, there is a good chance that the teacher will skip the issue all together. However, if the student writes a few sentences using the words in question then the teacher will be much more inclined to make corrections and can, at his or her discretion, add an appropriate explanation.

I Get Paid For Doing This

The other day a new student joined one of my group classes. Fortunately, for both of us, we were alone for this first encounter which gave us an opportunity to get to know each other. At one point in the conversation she said to me that I loved what I did. This reminded me once again that I was among the privileged few that get paid for doing what they enjoy. Had I not become a self-employed language teacher/consultant/coach five years ago I would most likely be facing forced retirement or unemployment with little or no way of earning an income. I consider myself very fortunate.

To Flash or not to Flash

As a general rule I make every effort to avoid using a flash as the main source of light in my pictures. If the light is low and my subject is not moving then all I have to do is secure the camera and, for more precision, use a shutter release cable or the internal timer. When there is movement and I don’t have enough light I use some remote flash units, positioned at different angles from the subject. In the house it’s sufficient to place a couple of these flash units around the room and point them at the ceiling. The effect is amazing. Before I discovered this simple trick, all my indoor Christmas pictures had too much contrast between the bright and dark areas.

In order to take a picture of this fast moving fish I had to use three flash units; one on the camera and two remote units. I positioned one above the tank and the other one to my left, being careful not to pick up any reflection off the glass. The most difficult part was determining the exact area inside the tank where I would take the picture, manually focus on that point and then shoot every time one of the fish passed by.

It turned out to be much more difficult than I had expected.

3D Printer

One of the companies that I work for, which sells, leases, installs and services office printing equipment, recently added a 3D printer to its portfolio. The machine is located in the same room where we have English class which gave me an opportunity to see it in operation. It wasn't long before I volunteered to take some pictures of the different models. The design and manufacturing applications of this device are limitless.