Turn Five

A K-12 Education Blog

Archive for January, 2010

30
Jan

Nickels, Boots, and Seats in San Antonio

The West has long been known for its independent thought; it’s certainly true of Texas, and so it’s not surprising that some of the more unusual museums and artifacts in the world may be found in San Antonio.  Long known for The Alamo, its Riverwalk, and luxury San Antonio hotels, the city also contains such unusual sites as the world’s biggest wooden nickel.  Remember the phrase, “Don’t take any wooden nickels”?  It would be almost impossible to take this one, which is thirteen feet and four inches in diameter and five and a half inches thick and weighs a total of two thousand five hundred pounds, over a ton of nickel (no matter if you calculate that in US tonnage [2,000 pounds] or United Kingdom tonnage [2,240 pounds]).  There’s also a mighty big pair of boots in town, too, measuring forty feet tall and thirty-five feet wide, also the world’s largest.

But in all the states, perhaps nothing quite beats Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum.  Perhaps it’s not so strange if you consider that Mr. Smith used to be a master plumber; he worked at transforming toilet seat lids into art for over thirty years and has now over 800 pieces of art, which are displayed in a private garage.  Recent reviews of the work from July of 2009 remain enthusiastic about the art and passion that went into it.  Why would one work with wooden toilet seats as an art form?  Mr. Smith started out by looking for a place to mount a deer antlers.  Inspired by the world around him, both personally and internationally.  One toilet seat lid depicts the international time zones and a map of the world, along with the words, “Time keeps ticking wherever you are.”  Another seat contains a real leaf of marijuana and a skull and crossbones to indicate poison, with the words, Stop Drugs, “Say No.”

While you can view them, even take a group tour of the garage, Mr. Smith would not sell the works, considered too personal to part with.  The Chief of San Antonio police has even signed the back of the seat, providing legal permission for the leaf for the purposes of education.

No matter where you choose to go on your visit to San Antonio, whether its to look at big shows, big nickels, painted toilet seats, or more established fare, such as the Riverwalk, the Alamo, and related festivals, you’re sure to have an interesting time.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
27
Jan

Buddy Bolden’s Blues

I know what it means to miss New Orleans.  All it takes is one visit, and the energy there will hook you in.  It’s everything Andrei Codrescu says, and it even has that same mad, manic lyricism that characterizes his descriptions.  There are moments in any visit that are just outrageous, rather impossible to replicated anywhere else on earth, and also very funny.  It’s a funny city.  There are more than a few stories of tragedies that have passed through here, too, of course, and they give a very definite bite to the sweetness here, and that’s probably part of the charm.  There are plenty of luxury hotels in New Orleans that are perfect for anyone with a more discerning taste in accommodations, and plenty of hospitality.

The history of music in the U.S. has its pattern echoed here.  It’s been home to some of the greatest musicians the past century has seen, and the rest of them seem to pass through here at one time or another.  It’s impossible to talk about the city and the music without mentioning the great Buddy Bolden.  He’s considered by most to be the real Father of Jazz, and it’s actually difficult to see exactly why.  His work was never recorded, but everyone who plays the style will admit their enormous debt to him, and his life is as mysterious as the city itself.

His instrument was the cornet, and he played by ear, picking up pieces from memory and then infusing them with other styles, including blues and gospel, and developed something that would change the history of music.  He also died a pauper.  After playing for only a few years, less than a decade, he was hospitalized for dementia related to alcohol, although schizophrenia was also part of the diagnosis.  His story is remarkable, and has been told a few times with deftness, but I personally like Gus Edwards version of his life the best, capturing the elusiveness of the quest to find his traces, along with some fantastic stories about one of the great figures in New Orleans.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
26
Jan

Manu Chao in NYC

For those who harbor any hope of seeing Manu Chao perform in New York City this year, now is the time to start working the bandwagon.  There’s a good deal of public talk on this, and another voice is always welcome.  Especially because it would work beautifully with the populist leanings of this amazing musical artist.  New York seems like the perfect place for him, too.  In the midst of all the fine Manhattan business hotels, there are many different voices working in different mediums, and from any kind of perspective, the city is a barrage of multiple rhythms that don’t stop.

It suits his music perfectly, and it only makes sense that he performs again here as he makes his way around the world.  With things as they are, we need his voice here now more than ever.  The madness in the music has always been the perfect dada response to a world gone wrong.  On the sunniest days, it can make you feel the juiciest rhythms of the soul, combining influences from French and Italian sources, with a spirit that is wholly Latin.  And on rainy days, it can strike a wonderfully absurd chord in the back of the heart, to remind you that laughter is something that no one can ever take away from you, even if it has to be a cackling, insane giggle.

The man is as interesting as his music, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his multi-layered, chaotic, and sometimes surprisingly simple works.  He was born in Paris in 1961, and both of his parents are from Spain.  His formative years were spent in France, and when punk came to town with the Clash, Manu Chao started to find his calling.  He would eventually play as the front man for Mano Negro, where you can hear a lot of the multiple languages and cultural influences present in his recent work.  His solo career has been a very exciting one to watch, earning him the respect of other artists, the music industry, as well as the multiple alternative communities he crosses into and out of with a radical deftness.  It’s a remarkable feat for anyone.  He should play New York.

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posted by Aisha in Music,Travel and have No Comments
22
Jan

Fremont Ice Queen

When you find a room at one of the luxurious hotels around Fremont CA, click here, you will be amazed a the area. There is a lot going on in the surrounding areas. There is always the quick shot over to San Fransisco for a day on the Wharf or out circling Alcatraz. Or you can get a limo and go hit the near by wine country for some beautiful scenery and great wine tastings. Notice I said you could get a limo? Don’t drive or you will be passed out on Coppola’s Winery lawn from all the amazing wineries you won’t be able to keep yourself away from.

There are a few famous people who come from Fremont and still live in the area. Like the amazing and beautiful Kristi Yamaguchi. Her latest project was here very successful season on Dancing with the Stars. She got another win under her belt from that. I am sure that she has had plenty of dance lessons to go with her figure skating career and it showed in this reality TV dance contest. During the season she held the number one spot for six weeks. She had quite the different styles of dances to perform such as the Foxtrot, Mambo, Tango, Jive, Cha-Cha-Cha-, Samba, Viennese Waltz and Freestyle. She danced to songs such as Rio by Duran Duran, Hey Baby by No Doubt and The More I See You.

Her figure skating was the ultimate catalyst in getting her name splashed all over the news. She won the women’s singles in the 1992 Olympics. She won the World Figure Skating Championships in 1991 and 92. She has been inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. She has been a commentator for figure skating events during the 2006 Winter Olympics for NBC out of San Francisco. She worked very hard for many years and that work paid off. The world love to watch her skate and now she is a star from Fremont California.

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posted by Aisha in Sports,Travel and have No Comments
21
Jan

Gin Blossoms NYC

The Gin Blossoms are coming back to New York again, and this is really good news for their long-time fans.  For the new fans, too, this is a good thing.  I’ve been following them for years, but I know there are those who are just getting to know them from their last cd.  New York is a special place to hear anyone perform, and if the band has a little bit of history here, every show is like a homecoming.  This might not make it to too many eyes before the January show at Outpost in the Burbs, but if you missed it, too bad.  They’ll come back, though, they always do. 

My girlfriend and I (yes, she’s still my girlfriend, and yes, it’s serious, we just haven’t tied the knot yet, and after 18 years don’t see any good reason to) first heard them in Tempe, at Long Wong’s.  It’s weird to think how we can get accommodation in Manhattan and make it one of those long and lovely East Coast weekends.  We used to crash on our friend’s floor, a little house off of Mill avenue in the 1980s.  This was a time when you could hear local bands like the Rundles, who seemed to only play whenever they felt like it.  That was the kind of work ethic we all loved back then, because it meant that we were really living in generation x (before anyone even gave us a name like that). 

In those days, we’d drive up from Tucson to visit friends.  We’d hang out at 6 East, the Beast, which I heard has been closed for awhile now.  Then we’d struggle out of our little pocket of comfort there, saying goodbye to all of the black leather pool players and head down to Wongs.  There were some nights when the Gin Blossoms weren’t there at all, but instead, they’d been magically replaced by a band called the Del Montes.  This was an exact replica, only a lot drunker.  There was also a guy named Elvis, a homeless man they would take care of.  I’d love to see him in NYC, because it might fool me into thinking those days aren’t gone.  But with this new tour, some things remain.

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posted by Aisha in Music and have No Comments
19
Jan

Glensheen Duluth

Take your pick of one of the elegant hotels located in Duluth Minnesoda. The best time to visit this city is in the summer. If you go in the late summer you may have a chance to see some of the trees changing color. It is a beautiful sight with combination of the green hills and the grey ocean waters. If you are looking for something to do that may capture your imagination then you may be interested in the Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate. It is right along the shores of the great Lake Superior and it was built in 1908. It is a beautiful historical house mansion and it is taking visitors in to tell its stories of the building and the people who lived and worked there.

This mansion was the home of the Congdon family. Chester became a prominent lawyer and investor and he eventually got involved with politics. Clare Congdon, wife, mother and apparently designer. She was the one who worked with all the architects and designers to give this home all of its stately charm. Together they had seven children and that home did become the home of generations of the Congdon family. The last member to live in the home was daughter Elisabeth who lived there until she died in 1977.

Elizabeth’s death is added a final thrill to the home. It looks like her ghost is not at rest. The story is that her adoptive daughter’ Marjorie Congdon’s husband killed Elizabeth and her nurse. Apparently he wanted the money that was left so he took the elderly lady to her death. The nurse was killed for being a witness to the murder. He was convicted of the crimes and put away. Margorie Congdon as of 2007, was still evading the charges. People will drive by at night and see lights going on and off and sometimes there is the figure of a woman standing in the window.

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posted by Aisha in History,Travel and have No Comments
19
Jan

The Facts and the Fun of Miami

Everyone loves a day at the beach, and as far as family road trips go, I remember traveling across the Southern states as a little girl, in the back of my Grandparentsmotorhome .  We traveled through New Mexico, across the great state of Texas…the great big state of Texas.  Through Louisiana and Alabama and across Florida, until we finally set up camp along the shores of Miami.  When I was a kid I was obsessed with books that described ‘fun facts’ about people, places and things, “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” was one of my favorite.  I waited patiently each year for the new and updated version to come out.

As we set off for our trip, my Grandmother handed me a book of facts, about Miami.  I didn’t know where Miami was, but I knew that that was where we were headed, so I was excited not only to hit the road, but to read my book along the way.  Miami, the word, stems from the Tequestan word Mayaimi which means sweet water.  Looking back and remembering the beach on that first day, I know why that name was applied to the city.

The Banyan tree, a fig tree with large roots that sit above the ground as the tree ages, is indegineous to Miami, and the city competes with the Indian city of Phuket, for the largest and oldest tree, many of the trees live to 300 years old.  Miami has he largest port for cruise ships in the world, and is also the number one ranking international port for import and export.  Miami sits at the South Eastern most corner of the United States, and is the third most popular site of tourist’s destination, behind New York and Los Angeles, in the country.  And, Miami is the only American city to be planned and designed by a woman.

I read off these facts all along our trip, and I am pretty sure the adults were getting tired of hearing me start every sentence with “did you know?…”  My Grandfather treated us to an elegant dinner in one of the luxury hotels along the beach of Miami, as we had been camping out and eating “road food” for a couple of weeks.  And later on in the evening my Grandmother and I walked along the beach, and she asked me to tell her more about Miami.  All I could really say to her at moment was, “did you know?…that I love Miami?”  She smiled and we kept on walking into the sunset.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
15
Jan

Port Seattle

Seattle is the land go between the Pugent Sound and Lake Washington. It is a major port city where many people spend time on the water in so many different ways. If you are the type who likes to spend time in unique hotels around Seattle there are a few to check out. The city itself is rather unique and eclectic. Creativity and brilliance have made this city truly thrive since it began with the first European settlers arriving in the early 19th century. It was named after Cheif Sealth who was the leader of the Suquamish and the Duwamish Native tribes who were living in the area when the settlers came. It seems he set the tone of the area by being a gracious host and working with the new settlers. The city today is all about working together in community for the good of all who live here.

The early industry in those days was of course timber since there was plenty of it at the time. But there is always a change in demand and so this industry fell out and new ones came in. Today Seattle is a mecca of technology. Bill Gates created the super business of Microsoft in this great city. This has brought brilliant minds from all over the world to live and work here. Another one of the fuels of the city is coffee. Yes, the first time I had a cappuccino was in Seattle right before it was the new decadent beverage to have. Starbucks has become a world renown coffee phenomenon and of course it originated in Seattle. Now when I am visiting places like Baden Baden Germany there is a Starbucks in the old cobbled stone courtyard.

One of the many things to do in Seattle includes some time at the Pikes Place Market. Visitors can spend the afternoon shopping for crafts, flowered, fresh produce and the famous ready to go fresh fish. Another thing to do in Seattle is of course have some lunch in the rotating restaurant up in the Space Needle with its full range view of the area. Seattle’s Underground Tour is also an interesting and entertaining experience to have while visiting this diverse city.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
12
Jan

Denis Leary in NYC

New York is a city of immigrants.  More than any other city in the world, it’s apparent here that everybody, or nearly everybody, comes from somewhere else.  There is a Native population here who are the only ones who can make any claim to being truly local.  There are, of course, plenty of residents who were born here, or could be considered 2nd or 3rd generation New Yorkers, but the vast majority hail from other parts of the world.  This is very good news for everyone, because any visitor here can conceivably be as local anyone else.  In Manhattan, accommodation is the rule of the day, and it’s one of the most fluid and mutable cities in the world.

Cultures and traditions and even languages are adopted and adapted here.  It is also a city that can hold extremely maladjusted people and give them a place to develop their individual talents.  This is where Denis Leary comes in.  Although he is not from here, and in fact, has roots in Boston, and also holds dual citizenship in Ireland and the U.S., making him extremely suspicious and worth watching.  He is enormously volatile, and did not own anything of value until he was 35 years old.  He is also one of the most original and funny voices in the entertainment industry in the U.S.

All of his past and present have been fodder for his unusual stand-up, and his fast-talking, hyper-macho persona is always balanced by a terrifically complex self-effacement.  His sense of humor took the world by storm, making him an overnight sensation after having worked extremely hard for over 15 years to get any kind of attention.  His short spots on MTV, which were really brilliant bursts of intelligent criticism of the culture at large, caused enough people to wonder if he might have something to say.  It turns out, of course, that he did.  Denis Leary has done a number of films, television shows, and comedy albums.  He has also contributed to Firefighter causes for many years, after having lost a cousin and close friend in Massachusetts in 1999.  He’s an American Original, with multiple influences, and rock and roll is probably the most apparent.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
11
Jan

The Donkey Lady of San Antonio

Last year, while wondering the streets of Edinburgh sometime around midnight, I decided to take a “ghost tour”.  Many tours are offered so late at night in that Scottish city, adding to the lure and the lore, for what is better in the middle of the night than a really great ghost story?  I joined a group that was headed up by a fine Scottish gentleman, but his accent was just out of my understanding, and lo and behold I ended up on a “torture” tour.  I met that night though, another American.  While we listened to the stories of the various sites, we formed a bond…a need for a ghost story bond.  And when we found that we were actually from the same city in the US, we planned a trip for the coming year, to tour the US and find the sites of the best ghost stories.

Last month we found ourselves plotting out our plans in one of the best San Antonio hotels.  There are many ghost stories to be investigating in the US, and as it turns out, San Antonio has quite a few.  We had discovered online the existence of the Donkey Lady of San Antonio.  She is said to inhabit the south side of the city, around one of the bridges at the junction of Applewhite Road, and Jett Road.  Some stories depict her as a ghost, while others claim that she is of this world, half woman and half donkey.  For the young lovers of the city, she is known to have wreaked havoc by jumping on their cars while they were “parked” too long.

The origins of the Donkey lady are just a varied as the stories about her, and while Chris and I were curious as we “parked”, we were a bit nervous as well.  We had heard that she “honks” the donkey bray, and the best way to catch a glimpse of her, was to honk your horn.  So we pulled over, cut the engine and started honking.  We saw a few shadows in the trees, and laughed nervously as we wondered if she would appear.  We did not see her that night, but next year, we plan to go back once again.  So funny to find someone so close to home, in such a faraway place.  Next year it will be a ghost tour honeymoon, a very cool ending to a story that is still happening.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
09
Jan

Benefits of Search Engine Optimization and Reputation Management

We live in a fast-paced, technological world that is always looking for a new and more efficient ways of getting the job done. For business owners this often means new ways of marketing their business and product.  It is no longer enough just to have a well-designed, easy to use website.  With millions of websites currently live, it is easy for one to get lost and fall between the cracks.  This is where search engine optimization can help.  Search engine optimization not only increases the websites ranking on search engines such as Google, but it also increases the traffic to the website.  This will help draw in new potential clients as well as advertise to new customer bases.  With an increase in internet and social media site use, marketing has never been easier or more affordable.

However, as with most things, we must take the good with the bad.  With more and more people creating and using blogs and personal sites, one disgruntled customer, or former employee, is all it takes to tarnish a business’ reputation.  In a method similar to the search engine optimization, marketing agencies can begin a process of reputation management.  This involves increasing the ranking of positive sites in an effort to lower the ranking of the negative.  It is not necessary to wait for those negative sites to pop up.  By beginning this process early, before there are any negative comments, there is less damage control that will need to be done if and when they do show up.

Reputation management is a method that is often used by politicians, celebrities and other high profile people.  If an effort to save their businesses, positions and endorsements they utilize the methods of reputation management.  However there are cases, such as Tiger Woods, where there is not much that can be done.

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posted by Aisha in Business and have No Comments
07
Jan

Walking my way through New York

Someone once told me that I would either love New York or hate it. I both loved it and hated it. I found the cities raucous atmosphere intoxicating, but at the same time, seeing Starbucks on every corner, which to me typifies capitalism gone rampant. I fell in love with the people of New York, they are a fantastic bunch and as diverse as they can be, they all have a ‘gene se qua’ that’s quiet appealing. I found it hard to fault how abruptly rude they can be, because they just tell it like it is, which I appreciated and found it to be quite endearing.

I also found out that no matter where you go in New York there is always something happening. On my first day here, I took a walk from one of the top New York hotels, where I was staying, through Central Park. It was a Saturday, so Central Park was bustling with joggers, walkers, sunbathers, in-line skaters, and all kinds of sports being played ranging from hockey, to softball, to ultimate Frisbee.  The softball games I found to be the most entertaining with all the yelling going on between the umpires and the players. Later, I decided to change avenues, but I had no idea that I would feel like I changed continents! There were thousands of dancing and cheering Latinos all lining the street. It really took me aback for a few minutes. Someone finally told me that I was witnessing the Dominican Republic Day parade. It felt like all of New York was participating, there were police, firemen, politicians and tons of others parading down the street.

I did visit the Statue of Liberty, a Burger King, the Empire State Building, the what was the World Trade Center, Manhattan Bridge, Times Square and rode the subways from end-to-end without getting mugged. I guess the city really is cleaned up. Amazing. Walking the city, I found to be a real treasure as I absorbed the atmosphere and watched as New Yorkers went about their day. It was so different than how T.V. portrays the city. It’s so much better.a

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
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