** This was my response to a question: Several people thought it was a good idea so I'm posting it here for those who may have missed it. May you find it helpful ** Here's my approach: 1) CONCENTRATE ON LISTENING SKILLS. Spanish, in my opinion, has a naturally quicker pace and rythm than English - which tends to make it hard for our gringo ears to distinguish words and stuff. Use the Rocket Spanish conversations and focus on understanding what they are saying, not necessarily being able to remember how to say what they are saying. Another VERY helpful hint: DESTINOS This is a 52 episode "soap opera" of sorts that is designed to teach Spanish. You can view all 52 episodes online at http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html. You do have to create an account but its worth it. What I did was start a notebook to keep track of words I don't know - I use a dictionary to look stuff up. I don't worry about memorizing these words, just be familiar enough with them to maybe recognize it when I hear it. Also, DESTINOS was filmed in Mexico, Argentina, Spain, and Puerto Rico - so you get a variety of accents and dialects. 2) MASTER EACH CHAPTER OF ROCKET SPANISH CONVERSATION COURSE: This is the part that addresses your concerns specifically. Don't move from Chapter 1.1 to 1.2 until you KNOW everything in that section to the point that you can say any of those phrases at will without even thinking about it. So what if it takes you a week. A week so that it becomes part of you is better than one day on a section and then not being able to remember it two weeks later. That's my two cents, or a quarter.

This link doesn't work :?:

[quo]*Quote from * Antonio This link doesn't work :?:[/quo] I also tried the link and it didn't work. However, I went to their home page at http://www.learner.org/ and that worked. Then I clicked on where it said "telecourses." Then I scrolled down where it says "Which Annenberg Media series are telecourses/e-learning courses?" You will then see "Destinos" listed. Click there. There is an icon shown at the top right that is used to click for the video to play, and one is listed after each unit. Try this and see how that works.

Yes I could get to the video this way. Thanks a lot. However it is not of use to me as the site, in my professional opinion is backward. They offer the video's in Windows Media Format only. Amazing how many people still live in the 1980's. Never heard about Linux and Open Formats.

I used streaming video capture software to "record" all 52 episodes, in .mpeg format. Total, it was a little over 5 gigs. Took a VERY LONG time to do it, and a whole lot of patience - but I'm glad I did. I haven't yet worked up enough patience to encode them to DVD format so I can put them on DVD though - because the DVD encode process takes forever.

Please forgive me if this is stating the obvious, but PBS often broadcasts the Destinos episodes. They play at odd times, like 5:00 AM, but with patience you can record the whole series, and then watch it full-screen on your TV. Just a thought to consider. pastorbk

You can find all the episodes here as well. http://media.scctv.net/annenberg/Destinos_01.wmv for episode 2 change the 01 to 02 ...etc...etc

I might add that the only thing wrong with taalibeen's link in the first posting is that he accidentally included the period at the end of the sentence in the URL. If you remove the period, the link works fine and is the one I used when I watched (or, rather, was addicted to :D ) Destinos: *__http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html__*. Just scroll down a short way and you'll see Individual Program Descriptions, followed by the listings for each one and a box on the right to click to run it.

just for good measure, I would like to add that ( on behalf ot Rocket Spanish ), recording from this site is against the agreement that you made when you logged in the first time We do not encourage infringements on copyrights. So, that was the legal thing :roll:

Just a follow up. You can find the exercise part for destinos on this site. http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072497084/student_view0/ Click on : choose one .on the left side op the page Have fun Antonio

Living in Spain, watching this on TV is not an option and I find watching on the PC to be uncomfortable. Does anyone know where I could buy second hand copies of the videos? Alan

Concerning the quizes that you can take for Destinos that Antonio put the link for: que chevere!!

[quo]*Quote from * Alan-LaCala Does anyone know where I could buy second hand copies of the videos? [/quo] I know of people who have bought second-hand copies on eBay, and they were fine.

[quo]*Quote:* I know of people who have bought second-hand copies on eBay, and they were fine.[/quo] Couldn't find anything on eBay. ( and I have doubts about the legality too . It's like saying : I found a secondhand copy of WindowsXP )

What issue of legality could possibly arise from purchasing a second hand copy of a DVD. Second hand in this sense does NOT refer to a copy, but rather to a product that was purchased by a person legally, then re-sold to another person. If I buy a car, and a year later sell it to you - guess what? You have just purchased a second-hand vehicle, though the customary term in the case of automobiles is just "used car." As long as the person isn't selling you a ripped copy of the DVDs, but rather the original DVDs that they themselves purchased, there's no legal issue to contend with.

taalibeen, You are right in what you write above, but the world of software copyright is a messy thing. All depends on how their copyright licence is written ( which I don't know ) But it makes sense that there are clauses that say that you can't pass on the piece you bought. After all, they do not produce a product so that other people can make money out of it, but so that * they * can make money out of it. Anyway, I don't want to carry on with this discussion, as it is boring for me. I have to read about these legal issues every day of my life and I am getting tired of it . You may be right, you may be wrong, I don't know in this case.. Antonio

If selling a DVD that you purchased legally was illegal, then I'm sure one would not be able to purchase them through such an established firm as Amazon.com. Example: http://www.amazon.com/Used-Cars-Kurt-Russell/dp/B00005UEQX/sr=8-2/qid=1164895306/ref=sr_1_2/002-0116971-6619220?ie=UTF8&s=dvd. Notice the Buy Used link. Were it illegal, it is reasonable to assume that they would have long ago come under legal fire. Where the tricky legal issues come in is in the following scenario: José purchased a DVD from WalMart. José compró un DVD de Walmart. He copies the DVD. Copia el DVD. He sells the DVD to Juan. Vende el DVD a Juan. Does José have to stop using the copy? José tiene que parar de usar la copia?

Does José have to stop using the copy? Yes, in my opinion he has to stop. You make a backup in case something goes wrong with the original. This is not the case with Jose. Jose is taking the profits away from Wallmart by stopping Juan to go to Wallmart. That's how they see it in court. It's called unfair competition.

I agree that José has to stop using the copy. Estoy de acuerdo que José tiene que para de usar la copia. The copy was for use while he owned the original. La copia fue para usar durante el tiempo que tuvo la original. But he no longer has the original. Pero ya no tiene la original. However, I don't believe there is anything wrong with him selling the original copy to Juan. Sin embargo, no creo que hay un problema que vende la original a Juan. In that case, couldn't you sue Amazon.com? En eso caso, podrías "sue" a Amazon.com?

Hello Taalibeen, This topic is very interesting, but has little to do with Rocket Spanish. So, although I am interested, I am going to stop right here. My last contribution is the following link. Not because I want to argue, but because I think you might find it interesting. http://www.cjnepal.org/story/433/fighting-piracy-microsoft-is-not-by-your-side So, I'll be seeing you in another tread Antonio

Y este es mi ultimo mensaje sobre este topico. You're not comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Computer software and DVD entertainment videos, while bearing similarities in their physical appearance, are not the same thing. Computer software, usually, has liscense agreements that inhibits not only copying but shared use and other issues as well. DVD entertainment media does not come with that sort of licensing. Perhaps that is why on Amazon.com and similar sites you will see the selling of used books and DVDs, but not used copies of Windows XP!

[quo]*Quote:* I know of people who have bought second-hand copies on eBay, and they were fine.[/quo] The only one I found on e-bay was located in Australia and the postage to Spain was more than the cost of the videos. alan

[quo]*Quote from * taalibeen As long as the person isn't selling you a ripped copy of the DVDs, but rather the original DVDs that they themselves purchased, there's no legal issue to contend with.[/quo] I agree. Selling your originals are quite legal. I have some reservations whether someone who invested the following would sell them: DVD - Entire Series: $450.00 (52 half-hour programs on 12 DVDs) at http://www.learner.org However, I found several listings on eBay, especially for the VHS copies, so I guess my reservations have been proved wrong!

Selling your original is maybe legal. Selling your original and keeping a copy is illegal.

[quo]*Quote from * Antonio Selling your original and keeping a copy is illegal.[/quo] Absolutely. However, the seller will be the transgressor, not the purchaser. The buyer might have some moral obligation to determine whether se seller has kept (the/possible) illegal copies, but in practice there would not be any way for the buyer to determine that to any level of certainty. That said I have not seen the Destinos licensing agreement/copyright notice. I work in a training environment and we have 2 or 3 DVD programs that are licenced for our exclusive use and where we are not allowed to transfer ownership or even use it outside ourown sites for people not employed by us!

*What we agree on: * If you sell your originals, you cannot legally continue to use the copies you have made. Usage of copies of something you legally own is okay, once you no longer own the originals, you are in violation of the licensing agreement if you continue to use them. *What we don't agree on: * Can you legally sell a DVD product that you legally purchased to another individual.

[quo]*Quote from * taalibeen\n\n*What we don't agree on: * Can you legally sell a DVD product that you legally purchased to another individual.[/quo]\n\nI think we can safely say that for virtually all commerical DVD movies, music videos, etc. you are fully in your right to transfer ownership of your original copy to another person. I own around 1900 DVDs and have never seen a copyright notice/licensing agreement either on the disc or case stating that ownership may not be transferred. *What is very clear from the copyright notices on these discs is that the products may not be duplicated or used for public broadcast at clubs, schools, etc. whether a fee is charged or not. *(Many schools & universities DO break the law in this regard according to my experience by using DVDs in classes that contains this restriction -- specifically in foreign language classes!)\n\nFrom own experience with our training DVDs, there are sometimes exceptions where such transfer is prohibited. However, this is quite rare. Only 3 of around 80 video/DVD programmes we own have such restrictive licensing terms.\n\nThe answer may be in the price. A commercial DVD cost $5-$25 on average depending on a variety of factors. Many training videos / DVDs on the other hand cost $200-$500 for a programme as short as 20 minutes!\n\nIn my view it *depends entirely on the individual product's licensing agreement*. From the material I own or manage this indicates that generally (there are always exceptions to anything - like the irregular verbs!) you can assume that commercial DVDs can be freely re-sold, but that you have to be a bit more careful about training DVDs and videos. For the latter, you'll have to study the licensing agreement in more detail to be sure. \n\nComing back to Destinos, I search the Annenberg Media website and at their ordering FAQ found the answer to these questions as it relates to Annenberg Media products.\n\n__http://www.learner.org/faq/faq_ordering.html__\n\nMost surprisingly though was that, in contrast with commercial DVDs, they actually do allow public broadcast!\n\n[quo]*Quote:*\n\n*Do your videos include public performance and closed-circuit rights? *\nYes, all of our videos come with public performance and closed-circuit broadcast rights.\n[/quo]\n\nBut, here is our answer. Yes, you are allowed to sell your original copies:\n\n[quo]*Quote:*\n\n*What should I know about online auctions?*\n\nSeveral of you have brought to our attention that there are online auctions offering unauthorized copies or downloads of Annenberg Media video programs. Remember that most of our programs are available FREE online at Learner.org, either through Video on Demand or by watching the live Annenberg Channel stream (now closed captioned). We never sell or charge a fee to access Video on Demand or live streaming; such access may not be sold. \n\nPlease be aware that as a buyer or seller you may be infringing Annenberg Media's rights under the United States Copyright Act if you are buying or selling (1) an unauthorized copy of our VHS, DVD, or audio programs; (2) access or links to our Video on Demand and/or live streaming; (3) access to downloaded digital copies of our programs; (4) any other access to our Web site, programs, copyrighted material, or intellectual property without express written permission from Annenberg Media. \n\n*What can be sold or purchased legally? Original items (NOT COPIES OR DUPLICATES) that you purchased directly from Annenberg Media or one of our authorized distributors.*\n\nWe cannot guarantee the quality of any item(s) you purchase through online auctions/sales. We are not responsible for any loss you may have incurred through such auctions/sales. If you wish to purchase any of our programming, you can do so easily via our online catalog. \n\nIf you are aware of any illegal sale or distribution of our programs, please contact us immediately. We appreciate your diligence in helping us to make quality professional development material accessible to all. \nStill have a question? Please email us at [redacted] or call 1-800-LEARNER.\n[/quo]\n\nBit of a long post, but I hope it helped!

[quo]*Quote from * taalibeen *What we agree on: * Usage of copies of something you legally own is okay, once you no longer own the originals, you are in violation of the licensing agreement if you continue to use them.[/quo] This may need some clarification, as it will depend on the copyright laws of your specific jurisdiction and the licensing agreement for the particular product. Under South African copyright law, you may make "back-up" copies of software & music (for archival purposes) but it is specifically prohibits the making of archival copies of any video material! Also, as discussed in my earlier post, most if not all commercial DVD's (and VHS) explicitly forbids the copying of the product in their copyright notices/licensing agreements. So, I'd refrase the first bit as such: [quo]*Quote:* * Usage of copies of something you own legally is okay, provided that you are allowed to make such copy for your own use.*[/quo]