Well the COW has had its first live performance at the St Ninians Church in Lyneham, ACT.
The cast were all a little nervous, and with a new pianist they were able to provide the assembled masses with a taste from the Opera with only minor hiccups.
We thank you all that were able to attend, and now that we ourselves have had a slice, we are all looking forward to our opening night in December- book your tickets and enjoy the maiden performance at the opening night of COW's production of Exlir of Love at the ANU theatre.
Dale Stam
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Carbon Tax Hyperbolic Worries and Reality
Carbon Tax Hyperbolic Worries and Reality
By Dale Stam 18/10/11
Part One
‘I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore’ Asked Dorothy, breathing rapidly after crashing her house through a giant bubble.
‘Well no little girl, you are in Oz, and I’m afraid you went and broke our bubble’ said a Munchkin quickly before taking a large breath.
‘Why do you have a bubble around the whole land?’ Inquired Dorothy.
‘Well Dorothy it seems the merry old Land of Oz has implemented a tax on Carbon to keep the technicolour bright.’
Whether you like it or not, it seems that we will be implementing a Carbon Tax, this article will focus upon 5 hyperbole worries leading from the introduction of this Tax and tie them into the reality that spanned them. Just keep in mind, it could always be worse.
1. Electricity only supplied during peak hours.
The worry:
Electricity prices are going to go up with this tax. Why? Because Australia has a lot of coal which is made up of Carbon. You can’t eat it, you can’t wear it, its surface area is minuscule so it can’t be used as shelter, you can however do two things.
A) You can draw with it. It is messy and expensive, but that is all irrelevant because it has artistic merit, or
B) You can burn it, and provide heat.
We have developed B so that it boils water, which produces steam, which turns a turbine that gives electricity.
Now during peak hours, the vast majority of people are home from work and demand electricity, so for your share during this busy period you pay a higher rate. This is the section of the bill that is the highest, because the system is under the most stress, however after this period then it will have a long rest where preparations can be undertaken. This is the most lucrative section for energy companies, they would be able to reduce the amount of coal needing to be burnt because they did not need to provide electricity during off peak, or the unimportant people hours. Also because energy companies would not need to burn our dinosaur pals to supply energy for the minority, then they would release less CO2 into the atmosphere, and thus get taxed less. At $25 per tonne companies would be looking at ways to decrease the upcoming tax debt, and if they do this they are not passing the costs onto you, the consumer. Its win-win right?
How reality is almost there:
Electricity in the form that we imagine travelling the wires, does not store all that well. It is impractical for energy companies to charge up car batteries and then distribute them to everyone for personal use, not to mention astoundingly expensive. Solution, build a giant battery, but remember when your favourite song is half way through and your MP3 player beeps off dead. Batteries do not last long, are expensive, and only return roughly 2/3rds of energy placed within. But this has not stopped Australia from researching; currently we have a few avenues;
* Super batteries - they have worked for us in the past so just keep going, but making them more efficient and cheaper.
* Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) devices, which would use the dual relationship of electricity and magnets to create a perpetual field. Downside, it requires energy input to keep the magnets at the required temperature (relative to the beyond freezing temperatures of liquid nitrogen) to create the high quality superconducting effects.
* Mechanical or energy conversion - such as the turning of a windmill or turbine which can then release electricity with a hypothetical flick of the switch.
All of these various avenues will eventually lead to a realistic system that can be implemented and sustained at a country wide level. Then if we can store electricity we can also choose when it is released. So what leads to more efficiency of the company to save the electricity that they will be taxed on producing because of the essential fuel to start the process, could lead to them passing on the costs to the consumer, or the more likely the increasing of costs all around that people can only afford to use electricity when they need it, which would fall usually within the peak hours. If they can release electricity whenever they want, and the eventual demand will be during peak hours, why pay to have it flowing out during off peak hours. Who uses electricity after 8pm anyway?
Stay tuned for the other parts in upcoming posts.
If you liked this article you might enjoy my other article on the Carbon Tax;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/carbon-tax-and-what-it-means-for-you.html
Or continue onto part two of the worry;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/carbon-tax-hyperbolic-worries-and_10.html
COW: Rumours around the paddock
Dear Readers,
For those of you who of course went and bought tickets to COW's inaugural production, The Exlir of Love, I have a juicy piece of gossip that you can stick your teeth into.
There is the possibility that the ANU Theatre Restaurant Vivaldi's and COW will be combining forces to create a unique theatre going experience in the Canberra Region. With an opera and an inspired 3 Course meal for a good price.
For you guys seeking a nice Seasonal get together with your significant other, this could be something that you should really start to look into.
Check their website for further information.
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/
Also if you are in Canberra Saturday the 5th of November come down to the St Ninians Church in LyNeham. That is here guys...
http://g.co/maps/m8qr6
The COW will give their first public performance commencing at 11:30am.
Why so late? Well who said Opera is never spontaneous!
Come by and enjoy the St Ninians Fete and see some COWS moo.
Keep coming back to get further details.
Looking for more COWS;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/cow-up-and-mooving.html
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/cow.html
New to Canberra check out the following;http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/garden-capital.html
Here is some information to catch you up.
Dates:
Evening: 8.00 pm Friday, 9 & Saturday, 10 December 2011.
Matinee: 2.00 pm Sunday, 11 December 2011
Ticket Prices
Adult$38.50
Youth (under 26 years) *$35.50
Child (under 17 years) *$33.50
Pensioner/Senior *$35.50
All check to see if the rumour is true- or if there are any choice cuts available.
For the booking information.http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/buy-tickets-now
Do you have any news on COW or anything that you think people should know about send me a message at dalestamatgmail.com
Dates:
Evening: 8.00 pm Friday, 9 & Saturday, 10 December 2011.
Matinee: 2.00 pm Sunday, 11 December 2011
Ticket Prices
Adult$38.50
Youth (under 26 years) *$35.50
Child (under 17 years) *$33.50
Pensioner/Senior *$35.50
All check to see if the rumour is true- or if there are any choice cuts available.
For the booking information.http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/buy-tickets-now
Do you have any news on COW or anything that you think people should know about send me a message at dalestamatgmail.com
Plus Look we made a flyer, which you can turn into a hat, then you can sing 'Look I made a hat'.
A mention on the blog for those who can identify which musical that phrase is referring to.
Congratualtions Little One!
Well to follow up my previous comment, a brave poster by the name of Little One was skilled enough to find me within the group.
So to reward you for your detective skills, I give you the worlds greatest detective and his great advice.
So to reward you for your detective skills, I give you the worlds greatest detective and his great advice.
Enjoy!
Dale
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Chapter One Complete
You might remember a while ago this post I made http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/writing.html, well I have finished the plot outline, and have commenced the actual writing of my huge inter-connected fiction collection.
Refresher, this is a large project that brings together characters and themes from a wide range of my writings, which includes short stories, poems, films and plays, tying them all into a work of fiction that will be broad and offbeat at the same time.
For further information please send me an email.
Dale Stam
Refresher, this is a large project that brings together characters and themes from a wide range of my writings, which includes short stories, poems, films and plays, tying them all into a work of fiction that will be broad and offbeat at the same time.
For further information please send me an email.
Dale Stam
COW up and mooving
Look at that smiling group, the COW is definitely on the Moove to making a dent in the Canberra theatre scene.
Since my last post the Canberra Opera Workshop had a lunch last week where they had a professional photographer come by and take a group photo, which includes me. Yeah I actually exist. They have added this photo onto their website and it has become a lot more interactive.
We are heading into the production schedule which will involve the actual stage craft, where we are under the esteemed direction of Cate Clelland, an active director and designer within the Canberra Theatre Scene for a while know. I look forward to digging my teeth into this section of the rehearsal in preparation for our performance in December.
One of the key developments of the website is the details for tickets are available.
Location: ANU ARTS THEATRE, UNIVERSITY AVENUE, ACTON, ACT
But Dale of the blog, with your News and Ideas thing I do not know where this is. Well I consulted with the mighty demi-god Google and they have blessed us with an answer to your query, as only Google can;
http://g.co/maps/33mc8
Dates: Evening: 8.00 pm Friday, 9 & Saturday, 10 December 2011.
Matinee: 2.00 pm Sunday, 11 December 2011
Ticket Prices
Adult
$38.50
Youth (under 26 years)*
$35.50
Child (under 17 years)*
$33.50
Pensioner/Senior*
$35.50
See below for the booking information.
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/buy-tickets-now
Find out more about COW by looking at the Website;
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/
Remember the COW is building a community and if you are interested in developing your singing skills, or if we have a Joan Sutherland, or Pavarotti out there, COW would be a group to start making connections with.
Also keep looking at the website so you can see more of me.
Feel free to leave a comment.
If you want to send me an message email dalestamathotmail.com
Dale Stam
While here look at some past posts.
Expect a new post in the near future.
Oh and a mention on the blog for those who can identify me from that photo. Happy hunting.
Did you miss previous updates in regards to COW? Find them below;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/cow.html
New to Canberra check out the following;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/garden-capital.html
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
So who’s presenting?
So who’s presenting?
5 Steps to present
By Dale Stam 12/10/11
Public speaking is a scary beast that can leap out of the crisp corridors of office life, and snatch up all the confidence you built since 9am. There are various methods for defence, some people tackle the monster first, others react after it has pounced, and there are still others who run away screaming.
I have given a few public presentations, felt the stares and the rapid heartbeat, but there are some tricks to help you overcome the beast.
1. Do not be paranoid.
Truth is all those people you stare out over, they actually want you to do well. They would rather be engaged then bored, and if you are able to make a good presentation, then they will associate you with somebody who they can not only understand, but whom they want to hear from.
2. Turn on the slow-mo.
It might go against everything in your body telling you to fly when giving a presentation, but one of the major factors in bad presentations is presenters who rush into things.
Take a breather, if anybody asks, you’re doing it for dramatic tension. Actors use it to grasp audiences, and teachers do it to hold the class. The speed of the presentation varies from person to person and from your pre-run timing to the actual presentation.
Remember that control like the actor and teachers comes from the pause, let them want more- it also gives you a moment to adjust to the stress.
3. Look to the horizon.
If all those eyes staring at you start to make you quake, then adjust your gaze to a higher plane, but not too high. Rest on the fringe, or the forehead, it appears you are looking at the audience but you gain less of the side effects from direct eye contact.
Hair does not stare, hair does not judge, and it is ready to be blown over by the power of your presentation.
4. Know your stuff.
If you know what you are presenting, then you are able to ad lib, and you gain a sense of confidence that comes with knowledge. Knowledge is power, as they say. This is often a saving grace of teachers, they take a breath as in number 2 above, taking in the scene, and decide whether to follow their lesson plan, or whether it is necessary to improvise to draw the class back in.
Impromptu presentations make this difficult, however try to grasp a handful of items and flesh them out, add a story, bring what you know.
5. You have got to speak to me.
One thing the audience does not want is monotonic reading, you have to present. Most universities and schools have students who will just read their work as their oral presentations. To shine you need to be different, you need to engage with the audience, make it stick. Use examples, stories, jokes, have props, diagrams, or audience interaction.
Some full time public speakers use a theme or metaphor that runs through their presentation. This allows them a path to come back to if they get lost, and can enable a through line for remembering the information and connecting with the audience. Using this method allows them to explore various techniques of engaging the audience and have fun, and so can you because you have a support structure to lean back on.
In conclusion, the audience wants you to do well, because they have been to so many bad presentations, they will be surprised by someone who is able to overcome this. Defeating your fear might seem difficult, but with practice and experience the fear subsides, and then you are the one who pounces.
5 Steps to present
By Dale Stam 12/10/11
Public speaking is a scary beast that can leap out of the crisp corridors of office life, and snatch up all the confidence you built since 9am. There are various methods for defence, some people tackle the monster first, others react after it has pounced, and there are still others who run away screaming.
I have given a few public presentations, felt the stares and the rapid heartbeat, but there are some tricks to help you overcome the beast.
1. Do not be paranoid.
Truth is all those people you stare out over, they actually want you to do well. They would rather be engaged then bored, and if you are able to make a good presentation, then they will associate you with somebody who they can not only understand, but whom they want to hear from.
2. Turn on the slow-mo.
It might go against everything in your body telling you to fly when giving a presentation, but one of the major factors in bad presentations is presenters who rush into things.
Take a breather, if anybody asks, you’re doing it for dramatic tension. Actors use it to grasp audiences, and teachers do it to hold the class. The speed of the presentation varies from person to person and from your pre-run timing to the actual presentation.
Remember that control like the actor and teachers comes from the pause, let them want more- it also gives you a moment to adjust to the stress.
3. Look to the horizon.
If all those eyes staring at you start to make you quake, then adjust your gaze to a higher plane, but not too high. Rest on the fringe, or the forehead, it appears you are looking at the audience but you gain less of the side effects from direct eye contact.
Hair does not stare, hair does not judge, and it is ready to be blown over by the power of your presentation.
4. Know your stuff.
If you know what you are presenting, then you are able to ad lib, and you gain a sense of confidence that comes with knowledge. Knowledge is power, as they say. This is often a saving grace of teachers, they take a breath as in number 2 above, taking in the scene, and decide whether to follow their lesson plan, or whether it is necessary to improvise to draw the class back in.
Impromptu presentations make this difficult, however try to grasp a handful of items and flesh them out, add a story, bring what you know.
5. You have got to speak to me.
One thing the audience does not want is monotonic reading, you have to present. Most universities and schools have students who will just read their work as their oral presentations. To shine you need to be different, you need to engage with the audience, make it stick. Use examples, stories, jokes, have props, diagrams, or audience interaction.
Some full time public speakers use a theme or metaphor that runs through their presentation. This allows them a path to come back to if they get lost, and can enable a through line for remembering the information and connecting with the audience. Using this method allows them to explore various techniques of engaging the audience and have fun, and so can you because you have a support structure to lean back on.
In conclusion, the audience wants you to do well, because they have been to so many bad presentations, they will be surprised by someone who is able to overcome this. Defeating your fear might seem difficult, but with practice and experience the fear subsides, and then you are the one who pounces.
Did you enjoy this article perhaps you might enjoy the following from within this blog;
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