As per the request of one of the DanceNet readers, here are copies of the past ramblings of the DanceNet Webmaster.
I just replaced all smoke detectors in my house. When a detector goes off at 5 am for no reason at all (with new batteries), it's time. I have no idea how old they were so I made sure to write the date on the news ones.
There's a miniscule bit of radioactive material in each smoke detector, and according to my town's health director, they're considered hazardous waste. They should *not* be thrown out in the regular trash.
Yes, smoke detectors are considered hazardous. If the company name and address is visible, the proper procedure is to return the detectors to their manufacturer. This is often not possible, so that people need to hang onto them until we (the nation) come up with a suitable alternative. We cannot accept them at the hazardous product facility either because we don't have a place to send them. I believe many people are throwing them in the trash without any alternative, although many are storing them until we solve the problem.Please don't throw out old smoke detectors; send them back to the manufacturer to be processed properly.
Back in the old days, when people got caught doing something "not proper" (but not bad enough to call the cops), they held up their hands in surrender and just walked away with a smile because they were "beaten"; they were "man enough" to admit they were caught. It was a game and no one got hurt. I participated in this game in my days as an usher at Sack Theaters in Boston many moons ago when we caught people sneaking in.
These days, it's interesting to see how many people get defensive at being caught and try to get tough and/or hostile and even try to put the blame on their victims. One idiot was asked to leave a dance the other day because he was hanging around the front door, hoping the people taking the money might be too distracted so he could sneak in. What he didn't realized is that they remembered that he tried to sneak in the back door a couple of months ago. It was amusing that this person tried to blame the event's helpers by saying that they were being rude to him and he totally ignored the fact that he had no intention of paying to get in that evening.
As a side note to this item, partially related, it was obvious that this person had come from another dance and was just trying to get into a second dance without paying. Apparently, this occurs fairly frequently as dancers feel entitled to get in free because they were arriving so late. When going to the movies, how often would one get away with that idea if arriving late? If a dancer shows up at a dance and pays to get in, then they're entitled to get into that one dance venue that evening and should not expect another promoter to let them in for free later in the evening. Just pay the entrance fee or go home.
See you on the dance floor,
Benson Wong
benson@havetodance.com
P.S.: No! I don't dance like *him*! He dances like *me*!
Then why do you ask for them [the website URL's]? You should at least stop insinuating you have interest in new links.And this was my response to him:I will not bother you again, however tomorrow I will mention your response on the air without giving the link. [apparently he's a radio dj]
I can be an ass too [you forgot the period at the of the sentence]
Before you make such assumptions, you should read the policies of my website at http://www.havetodance.com/articles/faq.html (all dance promoters should).
It clearly states what is appropriate for inclusion on my website. It is not my fault that your favorite type of dance is not what I want to list on my website. If it'll make you feel better, I don't include Native American rain dances or even the Polka dances on my website so I think you're in good company.
It *would* be nice if I were to be able to include all dances. It would be nice if I were to get paid for doing this. It would be nice if there were more people working on this website so I wasn't the only one doing it. It would be nice if I were able to answer all the personal requests for dance information (even though it's all available on the website). If I could put on my website all the Salsa dance information that people keep sending me. If I could support all the information that I get from other *states*. If pigs could fly....
However, in the interests of filtering out propaganda, there is only one point of view on this website. You will not see words like "Come to hottest dance club in...." or see things like "...the best band...". My readers have a point of reference. I spend a lot of time cleaning up the information I get. It's ridiculous that I have to do that. I get requests all the time from different dance promoters to give their venue preferential treatment; I've never even met these people nor have I visited all their venues. Is it *better* for my website to include information for another dance that my readers will have to sift through?
My website was created because of my personal interest in Swing dancing. I've done Argentine Tango and Hustle so I've supported those dances with sections on my website. I give away free webspace to the Boston's tap dancing pages (not to mention the free webpages that I give away to various dance organizations and businesses). I *do* provide links to other general sources of dance information like "salsaboston.com" so people *do* have a source of information there. Is there such a thing for Country music?
One thing you should remember. The world does not necessarily revolve around Country music; it certainly doesn't necessarily revolve around music *you* like. And that's neither good or bad. If you *do* care about your music and dancing as much as I do about mine, I strongly suggest you do what I did: create the biggest dance website in the state and spend 10-20 *unpaid* hours a week to maintain the level of quality that I have. (FYI: I *never* ask for free admission to dances nor do I ever ask for free lessons in exchange for what I do). Oh, don't forget about that weekly danceletter that I send out each week. I don't get paid for that, too.
We try to teach our kids these days that life isn't fair and you don't always get your way. How someone like you deals with it indicates your level of maturity and professionalism.
Regards,
Benson Wong
http://www.havetodance.com/
PS: Thank you for your letter.
And I can't resist including this piece of his reply. I'm just going include the interesting parts:
:And this person is certainly a shining example of the Country music crowd, right? I think not.
You are wrong when you say that country music is not the end all.
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Lastly, country music people are a different, more open and personable crowd. Swing, salsa and every other clique is just that- a collection of individuals with a unique agenda focused on themselves. That is a sin.
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While I appreciate passion and dedication, it's terribly sad that this person wears blinders and thinks that the world revolves around what he wants and likes, and that everyone who's not part of it *must* be bad. If I remember correctly, that's the same view that the Taliban in Afghanistan held. (not to mention Hitler). I hope no one thinks that this person speaks for the entire Country community.
It is unfortunate that this person does not see what he did. He held out his hand to ask for something he wanted, even though what he wanted was against the stated policies of this website and its webmaster. When he didn't get what he wanted, he decided to retaliate by insulting me and the dance community that I support (and other dance communities for good measure), forgetting that he wanted our support in the first place. Most people would have either said "Oh, well" and walked away, or put their energies into trying to convince me to change my mind (politely). Well, I suppose a grownup would have.