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Canada Iran Human Rights and Democracy Committee0 comments - published on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Canada Iran Human Rights and Democracy Committee- Creation of Parliamentary Group On December 12th 2011 I had the pleasure of speaking at the first meeting of the new parliamentary group "Canada Iran Human Rights and Democracy Committee" which took place at the La Promenade Building at 7:00pm.
This Committee was created with the initiative of James Bezan Member of Parliament for Selkirk-interlake, in the Conservative Party.
This Committee will seek to "bring to light human rights violations being committed by Iran, both domestically and internationally and to make it abundantly clear to the Government of Iran, as well as the international community that Canadian Parliamentarians are serious about promoting Canadian values of peace, democracy, the rule of law, security and human rights."
Throughout the year this Committee will focus on issues relating to human rights and democracy within Iran, Iran's illegal nuclear weapons program and Iranian support for militancy throughout the Middle East and terrorism abroad. The Committee will also focus on elements affiliated with the Islamic Regime in Canada.
If anyone is interested in further information please feel free to contact me.
Down with the Islamic Regime in Iran
Long Live Freedom in Iran
Commemorating 16 Azar- National Student Day in Iran0 comments - published on Wednesday, December 07, 2011
December 7th marks the National Student Day in Iran. The student movement is a power to be reckoned with and has been for many years. Students in Iran have been actively and consistently fighting against the Islamic Regime for many years.
We all remember the pro-democracy student demonstrations in July of 1999 which shook the Islamic Regime to the core, as well as countless anti-regime protests and demonstrations we have witnessed since 1999. The students have been very active and very involved in asking for a secular/ non religious, free and democratic government in Iran. As a result the number of arrests, imprisonment, torture and rape of students has increased over the years.
Today I am commemorating 16 Azar, the National Student Day in Iran, and am dedicating this post to all brave Iranian students who are relentlessly fighting for a secular and democratic Iran, and specifically to Akbar Mohammadi and Behrouz Javid Tehrani, two symbols of strength and resistance against the Regime in Iran.
Down with the Islamic Regime in Iran
Long Live Freedom in Iran


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About calicojones
So, let's take your "conclusions" a step further.
Since you seem to be stuck on where the tweeting took place, in your view, if the reporter was at home watching it on TV and tweeting, that would be ok?
Also, I think there's a large amount of wiggle room in the term "broadcast". If you consider 140 character tweets about a game to be broadcasting, what about an attendee describing the game in detail to a friend afterwards? Couldn't that be considered broadcasting as well? And how far do you have to go in your tweets to cross the threshold into broadcasting? Is tweeting "This game is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!" broadcasting? Tweeting a play-by-play? Somewhere in between? Who decides?
Right now, it's all carrot for lawyers who choose to go this route. There's no stick.
Here's a radical idea.
Change the system to where, if you file a lawsuit, it MUST go to trial. No payoffs to just go away. Lawyers fees for both sides are rolled into the final settlement as a percentage. The losing side lawyers get minimum wage for hours worked, while the winning side lawyers get what's left. And that's added ON TOP of the base settlement that MUST go directly to the winning side, NOT the lawyers.
I know, I know, there's probably a million and one holes in that plan, but it's nice to dream.
And somewhere, Streisand is singing.
To me, it's about hindering my ability to be an informed consumer. If I go to buy a DVD at the store, I check it out to see what I'm getting for my money. What extras, if any, does it have? Is it Blu-ray? 3D? I make sure that I'm spending my money wisely.
Except that it doesn't matter because there's a very good chance that they've slipped in things that they didn't tell you about. Unskippable ads, FBI warnings, auto-install programs, etc.
Why is it that, when I have JUST GIVEN YOU MONEY, do you see it as a great marketing opportunity?
I can tolerate ads, but unskippable ones? That's just lazy programming. If seeing it once didn't do the trick, the 50th time won't do it either.
The FBI warnings always crack me up. If I bought it, I'M THE WRONG PERSON TO BE WARNING.
Because it's possible to separate the two?
That's the problem with shills. ANY argument against their goal, even the methods used to achieve that goal, means that you are "the enemy".
Until you realize that no one is arguing "for" piracy but, instead, arguing "against" idiots making things worse for everyone just for their own personal gain, you'll never win.
Happy Birthday! Mine is in a couple of days.
-Pirate Mike.
-You just want free stuff.
-If you actually worked in the industry, you would understand.
-Artist should be paid for their work.
I think that's all the shill arguments. Did I miss any? It's early and I need more caffeine.
I may be crazy, but I don't consider the Olympics to be a simple "sporting event", and that's how it feels like NBC treated it. It's an event of world-wide importance, and it should be treated as such.
Yes, I know they paid a lot to have the "privilege" of broadcasting(which is a problem in itself). I have no issue with them trying to make a buck. Just don't package it. In this day and age, if you sign on to broadcast it, you need to broadcast it all as it happens. If you want to create a "best of" show for your primetime audience, great. Just don't withhold coverage to boost it.
I loved the online stuff, especially since a lot of them didn't have the idiotic, babbling commentators. You got to enjoy the events naturally, and I would love for coverage of other sporting events to follow suit. How great would it be to be able to turn off the audio track for the commentators on a football game and instead enjoy the game with the ambient sounds? The one thing that irritated me was that they put the results in the description of the event. Seriously not cool.
To put all of this in perspective, take any other event and put it in place of the Olympics and see if the way NBC handled it makes sense.
"Tune in tonight to watch the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Superbowl XLVI with a thrilling last minute touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Tune in tonight to see if the fearless US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin succeed in being the first humans to land on the moon!!!!!!!!!!!"*
*While every newspaper in the world has the headline "Fearless US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin succeed in being the first humans to land on the moon!"
I have to ask. Why would this tip the balance of anything? Do you really think that Google has that big a role in connecting people who you call "pirates" to sites that cater to that?
I have scary news for you. "Pirates" will "pirate", and they don't use Google to do it. If their favorite site goes down, they move to one of the other 50 that they already know about. They don't need Google to point them.
This will ultimately mean nothing, and that's the ultimate take-away from this. Once again, the "Content Industry" does something that doesn't address the issue while clinging to their "business model" and refusing to even consider change.
Yes, I understand that people getting content for free sucks. People should be paid for their work. I haven't seen anyone here argue against that, despite your claims to the contrary. What people ARE saying is that, if the market shows you, point blank, what they want, you're a fool to ignore it. A wise and savvy businessperson will look at it and think "What can I do to capitalize on that?". Instead, you think "How can I squash that behavior?".
In other words, for the love of Pete, INNOVATE!
Comparing a new game to existing games is as old as games themselves.
Pong? Ping-pong, but on your TV.
Hell, it's not even limited to video games. EVERYTHING that's sold does this to some degree.
New author? The new Stephen King.
Step off the high-horse and quit acting like this was some nefarious plan. OF COURSE it's used to drive potential users to your program. As long as it's accurate (your program can logically be compared to Masters of Orion, for example), then it is in no way keyword spam.
This just smells of Google trying to use a crawler with no human intervention. Keyword spam is not black and white. It takes judgement.
I've made the decision to just ignore the buzzing. I feel like, if I keep trying to make some kind of sense out of the noise, I'll go crazy.
I don't want to be one of those crazy people who detaches himself from reality and thinks that everyone is out to get him. Or something really crazy like thinking everyone is a pirate.
Ninjas are cooler anyway.
Ok, this is seriously freaking me out. I've noticed patterns in the buzzing noise. It sounds almost desperate.
I think it's trying to communicate, but I have no idea what it's trying to say.
I don't know how to explain this, but now the buzzing sounds.....angry somehow. Weird, right?
A little, but it's hard to tell. It just comes across as this monotonous droning. It's just the same thing, over and over again.
Does anyone else hear a buzzing noise? It's like a high-pitched whine.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thanks so much for joining us for a Victorian/Old Fashioned Christmas last challenge. We had another brilliant number of entries and some truly amazing cards! The winner of the fabulous candy supplied by Wild Orchid Crafts is Astrid. Congratulations Astrid, please email me to claim your prize.
We also have our top 3 entries from the last challenge and they are
Congratulations ladies, your entries were fantastic! Please take the Top 3 blinkie from the side bar.
This week our challenge is to use the colours Pink, White andelish prize
You don't have to use Wild Orchid Crafts products to enter, but if you do that would be wonderful. You can combine our challenge with any other challenges of your choice and as long as you follow the theme for this challenge and you link back to Wild Orchid Challenge blog you will qualify to be in the draw for the fab prize. NO back linking, new projects/cards only please.
Please link your card or project (not your blog) using Inlinkz by 8pm UK time Sunday 2nd January 2011 (this challenge is running for 3 weeks)
Here's some inspiration from the DT
Please turn off comment verification if you want the DT to leave you a comment. There are step by step instructions in the side bar on how to turn it off and enable moderation (which allows you to screen the comments left). Thanks.


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Why See Aladdin?
Broadway ShowsMusicalsFamily ShowsRomantic RelationshipsFilm-TV
A Whole new theatrical experience!
One of Broadway's finest family shows, don't miss the spectacle that is Aladdin on tour! Based on the beloved movie, we follow our plucky hero as he tries to win the heart of Princess Jasmine and keep his magic lamp (Genie included) from the clutches of the evil Jafar! Featuring all the songs from the movie including, 'A Whole New World' and 'A Friend Like Me', Aladdin also welcomes some brand new hits my music maestros Alan Menken and Chad Beguelin.
The Broadway production opened in 2014, and was greeted with enthusiastic reviews and five Tony nominations. Spectacular fun for all the family, the show has launched international productions in Japan, Germany and the UK.
Aladdin is a charming street urchin in Agrabah, who, when 'exploring' the mysterious Cave of Wonders, uncovers an ancient lamp that proves to be more than just a lighting solution. He unwittingly frees the lamp's resident wacky Genie, who grants him three wishes. Transformed from pauper to Prince, Aladdin catches the eye of beautiful but bored Princess Jasmine, who longs for some adventure of her own!
But it's not all a smooth magic carpet ride, because Aladdin isn't the only one that knows of the lamp's power. Enter the nefarious Jafar and his minions, who have plans for three wishes of their own and it's up to Aladdin to defeat him to keep the Kingdom from his clutches.
Additional Information
Opening night: 31 January 2019
Suitable for audiences of all ages but perfect for families to enjoy the adventure together!
Run time
Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
And before you stop reading
Images are from the 2014 Broadway production
Cast and Creative
Keena Kekoa as Jasmine
Clinton Greenspan as Aladdin
Major Attaway as Genie
Jonathan Weir as Jafar
Jerald Vincent as Sultan
Zach Bencal as Babkak
Reggie De Leon as Iago
Ben Chavez as Omar
Colt Prattes as Kassim
Ensemble: Mary Antonini, Michael Bullard, Michael Callahan, Bobby Daye, Lissa deGuzman, Mathew deGuzman, Olivia Donalson, Michael Everett, Karlee Ferreira, Michael Graceffa, Clinton Greenspan, Adrienne Howard, Albert Jennings, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua, Jason MacDonald, Angelina Mullins, Celina Nightengale, Kameron Richardson, Jaz Sealey, Charles South, Manny Stark, Annie Wallace, and Michelle West
Book by Chad Beguelin
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
What we thought
SHINING shimmering Splendid
Disney has truly shown us a whole new world - shining, shimmering, splendid!
I coined a new phrase in the middle of this show, a lightbulb moment if you will, as I witnessed a plethora of lavish costumes and impressive sets brought to life by a giant cast of 39. This is the Disney Dollar! I wondered how other shows could ever comRead full review
Nicola Quinn
What you thought
32 reviews, average rating: (4.0 Stars)
Wow this show was incredible. It is by far the best show I have ever seen.... more
Wonderful musical. All actors/actresses were outstanding especially... more
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Sound good to you? Share this page on social media and let your friends know about Aladdin at ASU Gammage Auditorium.
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Please note: The term ASU Gammage Auditorium and/or Aladdin as well as all associated graphics, logos, and/or other trademarks, tradenames or copyrights are the property of the ASU Gammage Auditorium and/or Aladdin and are used herein for factual descriptive purposes only. We are in no way associated with or authorized by the ASU Gammage Auditorium and/or Aladdin and neither that entity nor any of its affiliates have licensed or endorsed us to sell tickets, goods and or services in conjunction with their events.


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My Sign - Incorporate your name in the banner - contact our sales team for details.
This Digital Wall Art comes in 5 easy to apply
panels (each panel is 45cm wide x 265cm high).
This Wall Art can also be re-scaled or coloured to your exact specification. Contact Sales Team for further information.
Please Note: Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery.


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An ex "Buckwild" star is behind bars for the holiday -- finally serving her sentence for a DWI arrest from nearly 2 years ago.
Law enforcement sources tell us Ashley Whitt turned herself in to the Pitt County Detention Center on Friday to begin her 30 day stretch in the lockup. Cops busted her in Greenville, NC back in May 2014.
It's unclear why the case took so long to be resolved.
A lots changed since Ashley's big MTV debut back in 2013. Or maybe not much at all ...


text: Thanks for all the help guys. Where can I find a list of California accredited schools as you guys have mentioned? I looked around and can't seem to find a comprehensive breakdown of each school that is not ABA in California. I'd like to research all my options. Thanks again!


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With the holidays approaching, our house is already filling up with the love and laughter of family and friends. Surrounded by my favorite people day and night, I keep coming back to one question: How do I make them go away?
Oh, I'm all for family togetherness; it's just that the constant presence of nearly everyone on my Christmas list has made it impossible for me to work on their gifts in secret.
That's right, I'm a stealth knitter.


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K Dogg necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 1003 diseños de 172 diseñadores freelance.
The Wimasis GmbH develops and deploys image analysis solutions mainly for biomedical research. The focus of its activities lies in the development of robust, quantitative and automated web-based image analysis standards. Our "outside-the-box" thinking delivers new, innovative and creative solutions that can detect and track cells and structures on image and video files. We are reliable and dependable, honest and trustworthy.
We are passionate and focused on delivering leading, innovative solutions and quality products, constantly aiming for the best, the optimum. Providing quality, hassle- and stress-free services that allow our customers to relax, be happy and feel safe and confident in our hands. Attention to detail is important and we will strive for perfection in all that we do.
Thank you in advance for your creativity. This is an urgent project that will be
monitored continuously. We will provide feedback and guidance as soon as possible. Further
projects for corporate identity and marketing material will follow for the winner of this competition.
Small, medium and large businesses and research groups of all types who require professional help with their software-based image analysis, are looking for cost efficient I.T. solutions or wish to outsource their I.T. requirements, etc.. Our main target audience is anyone looking for ways to objectively analyze their biomedical cell-based assay images. The typical user of the application would be a biologist, pathologist or a technical assistant at a lab.
We are looking for a logo that fits our corporate identity, a design that invokes the image of a professional and trustworthy service provider. The logo design will appear in all corporate content such as business cards, our website, marketing material, letterheads, etc.
+Words "Wimasis" and "image analysis" to be used.
+"Wimasis" is the main company name. "image analysis" should be smaller and more in the background in terms of appearance.
+A modern, sophisticated, professional, crisp and clean font
+slick, professional, creative and clever should come to mind through the logo
+Logo should be impactful and memorable (meaning that it should also work on its own)
+Logo can be abstract and doesn't necessarily have to portray anything
+all objects need to be printable in black&white and color
+all objects need to be scalable from small (business cards) to big (posters)
+"Wimasis" is the short version of "Web-based Image Analysis
+sketched ideas and doodles also welcome (we will give you feedback very quickly on whether or not we find your idea interesting)
+it is very important that the design does not look too crazy or like a cheap web2.0 design.
+It should work on dark and bright backgrounds
+Final files must include vector files .eps & .ai and layered .psd
This is an urgent project and we will provide feedback and guidance continuously during the day.
Dear designers,
thank you very much for your participation! We are very happy with the outcome so far... Naturally we don't get to work with designers on a regular basis, so please bear with us, when our requirements "evolve" along with the contest.
we don't really want an icon/logo that just portrays the letter "W". Instead it should be something that involves maybe more colors with the basic color palette being greenish / blueish / biotechish :). Design elements could be microscopes, cells, magnifying glasses etc. etc. ... however this is NOT a requirement. Generally we are looking for a more or less abstract logo / icon that maybe has overlapping parts, different color theme ideas etc. ... and as always we invite you to post unfinished doodles and scetches, so that we can give you feedback on your ideas...
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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My second son, Charles, is the head of our dojo. I have mentioned that he does not like to wear a gi. Most of the students in our dojo wear a white gi bottom and a white T-shirt (usually a Hawaii Karate Museum T-shirt).
Not Charles. He just wears shorts and a T-shirt. I think he wears basketball shorts. He does not care about a gi at all. Since he is the head of the dojo, what can I say? He always tells me that I am the one who said that gi, belts, and rank are unimportant.
I still wear a traditional gi and belt, but that it probably half because I am an old fut, and half because I get cold easily. It also helps with new students who wonder who is in charge.
But I agree that a gi is unnecessary. The trappings of Karate often become traps.
If you eliminate the gi, belts, rank, titles, patches, embroidery, trophies, medals, plaques, certificates, positions, organizations, politics, commercial aspects, tournaments, and drama, what are you left with?
TRAINING. And you do not need a gi to train.
Plus, I have always hated loud gi.
Charles C. Goodin
No Gi Is Fine With Me
My second son, Charles, is the head of our dojo. I have mentioned that he does not like to wear a gi. Most of the students in our dojo wear a white gi bottom and a white T-shirt (usually a Hawaii Karate Museum T-shirt).
Warm-Up Exercises and Koshi
In most Karate schools a set of warm-up exercises are done before basics, kata, and other forms of training. The set done in Matsubayashi-Ryu are pretty standard and are similar to those done in other systems.
Originally, most Karate warm-up exercises came from the Japanese military, which in turn got them from European military advisers in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
So here is my point -- the warm-up exercises often have very little to do with Karate. In particular, with respect to our style (Kishaba Juku), the traditional warm-up exercises were not designed with koshi or koshi dynamics in mind -- they were not designed to improve the student's koshi.
This is important, at least to me. One of the important aspects of training in Kishaba Juku is reshaping the body to be optimized for koshi/core driven mechanics. Working the arms and legs is a very good thing, but working the core is also important. And working the connections between the upper and lower body, and core and extremities, is essential.
The military advisers to the Japanese army over 100 years ago were not thinking about this. We can.
I have been reformulating our warm-up exercises to help in the body reshaping process for our students. I am still working on it. I get this funny feeling that the exercises will make us more like Goju-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu students -- more alike physically and in posture.
And personally, once a student can do warm-up exercises properly, I would prefer that he warm up on his own so that we can get right into kata and training. Kata is a preferable way to warm up, at least to me. Why do warm up before doing kata? Why not just do kata to warm up?
But if we are going to teach warm-up exercises, it would be nice if the exercises could help us with body reshaping and body dynamics.
Charles C. Goodin
Guest Post: Nice Karate Dream
This Guest Post is by one of the adult yudansha in our dojo (Hikari Dojo), Peerawut "Peter" Kamlang-ek.
Peerawut Kamlang-ek
Classical Fighting Arts
The new issue is out. Mine came in the mail yesterday. I have two articles this time. I hope that you enjoy them (if you get the magazine). I have written about Mitsugi Kobayashi and Shozen Sunabe (part 2 of a 3 part article).
Some of the photos in my articles are from our museum collection. However, most were provided by David Chambers and some real treasures are included.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Guest Post: No Stances...
This Guest Post is by my good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, of the Zentokukai Okinawa Shorinryu Toude Association. Angel is the creator of One Minute Bunkai. The URL is oneminutebunkai.com. He and I are members of the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Friday, September 21, 2012
Learning a Long Kata (Yara Kusanku)
I am teaching a student the Yara Kusanku kata. I believe that it is the longest kata in our system -- so there are a lot of movements to learn. I would say that it might take a student about one month to learn the kata. I had one student who learned the kata in just a day or two -- but I think she practically has a photographic memory.
Anyway, as I was going over the kata with the student today -- and it seemed like such a long kata -- I said, "Learning the movements and sequence of the kata is only one percent (1%). Learning how to do the kata well is the other ninety-nine percent (99%)."
I added that anyone can learn a kata. A kata has almost no value in and of itself. Learning a certain kata does not make you better at Karate. Being able to perform a kata well (with good body dynamics and power and with a good understanding of the meaning and applications of the movements) makes you better at Karate.
I added that many people know advanced kata and do them terribly. So what! Knowing an "advanced" kata does not make you advanced. An advanced person can perform a "basic" kata and make it look extraordinary. An unskilled person can perform an "advanced" kata and make it look horrible. Actually, the hardest thing is to perform a "simple" kata well -- because there is no place to hide (as Robert "Snaggy" Inouye used to say).
Learning the movements and sequence of a kata is like tracing a picture, something any child could do. Now take that tracing, color it, add dimensions, and turn it into a living, breathing thing! Animate your kata.
Kata are not simply things to collect. If you become better at one kata, your overall Karate skill should increase. Each kata interacts in some way with all the others.
Yara Kusanku is an excellent kata. However, I feel that Rohai, Passai, and Chinto best capture the feeling of our particular style. Rohai and Chinto are frightening and Passai is beautiful.
"Learning the movements and sequence of the kata is only one percent (1%). Learning how to do the kata well is the other ninety-nine percent (99%)."
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
More Promotion Advice
Tonight I spoke to the student who was promoted Monday night. I recommended that he (and other students) concentrate on skill and conditioning -- these are things that cannot be taken from you. I told the student, "Monday I promoted you, today I could demote you. Rank is an arbitrary thing."
If you are good at Karate you are good whether I say so or not. Certainly a person who might attack you won't care about your rank -- he probably won't even know that you study Karate.
If you are promoted -- good! Now keep training and help the other students. Keep going. Enjoy the moment and get back to work -- the work on yourself. Hey, almost none of the students even wear belts in our dojo. Most wear a gi bottom and T-shirt with no belt. So the belt itself mean nothing. It is the skill that counts. Keep working on skill.
Would you rather be a 1st degree black belt with a skill level of 3, or a 3rd degree black belt with a skill level of 1? It sounds like a ridiculous question but I am serious. Rank is so arbitrary, particularly when you look at many schools. Can you imagine being a 7th degree black belt with a skill level of 1?
If you are promoted -- good! Don't let it get in the way of your training.
If you are promoted -- good! You are on the right track. You've learned a lot and there is a great deal more to learn!
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
What We Said When A Student Was Promoted
One of our students was promoted to shodan Wednesday evening. My son and I basically said:
- Good job.
- Keep it up.
- Help the other students.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Maintaining Power When Transitioning to Kishaba Juku
What do all of the most senior instructors of Kishaba Juku have in common? To my knowledge, all of them spent many years, even decades, first studying one or more different styles of Karate. At one time, most of the early instructors of Kishaba Juku practiced the Matsubaashi-Ryu form of Karate. Today, some Kishaba Juku instructors might have practiced Shotokan or other styles of Karate.
My point is that for most instructors, the methods of Kishaba Juku represented a change or transition from one form or style of Karate to another. In addition, the methods of Kishaba Juku represented a change or transition from a fairly linear approach to Karate to a more dynamic, whole body, core driven, rotary, whip-like, non-linear, etc. approach.
In my case, I had practiced the Matsubayashi-Ryu form of Karate for over 25 years before becoming a student of Kishaba Juku. I think that I am fairly typical. In fact, it is pretty rare to find a senior instructor who began in and has only practiced Kishaba Juku.
When I became a student of Kishaba Juku, I had reached a point where I was deeply frustrated by my inability to improve. I feel that I had reached my own limits of linear Karate. I am not saying that other people could not have done better than I did with the same training and methods -- I am just saying that I had reached my own limit. Trying harder did not produce better results. Quite the opposite. Trying harder only made be stiffer, more robotic, and more frustrated!
Of course, the answer is that I was doing things wrong. For a person who had trained for 25 years, I was doing it wrong. I was still training like a beginner, which is appropriate for a beginner but not for a more advanced student or instructor.
I will give you a concrete example -- chudan shuto uke or uchi. I could perform the movement reasonably well (I thought) and could generate a fair amount of power. However, I could only do 7 or 8 in a row before I became tired. I was generating all the power using my extremities. I was muscling the movement and hacking like a caveman. I simply was not strong enough to keep going after 7 or 8 of such inefficient, full power movements.
When I went to Okinawa and met Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato, I was amazed by his ability to execute full power shuto techniques, one after another, up and down the dojo, seemingly with no limit. I remember telling him, "Sensei, if you could just show me how to do that I would be so happy!"
Wow, was I asking for a lot! Obviously, Shinzato Sensei was not only skilled at shuto. He could perform any movement just as well -- because of his body dynamics. The technique did not matter because his body dynamics were so good. I sometime use a power drill analogy. Techniques are sort of like drill bits. You can change the drill bits all you want, but the power source does not change. If the drill is strong and has good speed and torque settings, you can use any bit you like. In the same way, Shinzato Sensei's body dynamics don't really change depending on the technique he is performing. His body dynamics allow him to execute any technique he wants.
So I was incorrect to ask him to "just" teach me to perform shuto like he did. Then, I did not understand the concept of body dynamics which explains why I incorrectly focused on a certain technique.
But to make a long story short, after my first few training sessions with Shinzato Sensei, I think I could perform about 20 shuto in a row without getting too tired. Looking back, I was still horribly inefficient, but the point is that the improvement was noticeable. It gave me positive feedback and hope. I knew that I was on the right track.
But I have to admit that my early movements, when I was transitioning to Kishaba Juku, were not as powerful as my previous movements. I could hit more but I was not hitting as hard.
Which brings me to the point of this long post. When transitioning to Kishaba Juku, it should be expected that the student will lose some power. The student has to learn how to move in a completely different way. The beginning and end of the movement might look the same but everything in between will be different. In particular, the student will be learning to generate power in a new and different way -- whole body, core driven mechanics (plus much more).
The new student will lose power but will learn to move more freely in a relaxed manner. Freed from the rigidity of robot-like movement, the student will gradually be able to generate more power, not by exerting more strength or effort, but by moving faster and with much better timing.
A club can hit very hard. However, it would be much easier to crack a whip 50 times than it would be to swing a club 50 times.
After about 2 years, I was able to generate as much power as I did before I became a student of Kishaba Juku. After about 4 years, I was able to generate considerably more power, and by then could perform about 30 or 40 shuto in a row without getting very tired. Today, I am not sure how many shuto I can perform. Generally, it seems that I can do as many as I want -- like I remember seeing Shinzato Sensei do, but of course not as well.
When I have a visiting student in Kishaba Juku, I often observe that they tend to concentrate on free movement rather than powerful movement. Sometimes I ask them, "Did that feel powerful to you?" The question seems to surprise them. A new student in our style might think that free, fast movement is good in and of itself. It is not. We need to move like a steel whip - not a wet noodle.
Dynamic movement is not good because it is pretty or impressive. So what? Can it be used? If someone attacks you, can you drop them? Can you move very fast and hit very hard? You have to be able to do both.
Which is why I think that it is good to start with linear mechanics. As I mentioned, I could generate power before I became a student of Kishaba Juku. I was just very inefficient at it. Now I can generate power much more easily. I don't get as tired because I am not using as much effort as before. The two reasons for this is that: (1) I am generating power better (core drive, whole body, etc.), and (2) I am wasting way less energy. It is not that I have become a great deal physically stronger. I have become stronger because of my overall training, but that is probably only about 20% of the equation -- 80% is body dynamics.
I sometimes work with Shotokan students. I enjoy doing so. They have great linear basics which they practice very diligently. But, like me, they tend to reach a natural limit moving with linear basics. More effort does not result in more power or more satisfying movement. Like me, they need to learn to produce power better and waste less energy. I can relate to them
Students with linear basics and mechanics will naturally reach a limit -- a limit which is aggravated by age. With linear mechanics, you have to put in more and more energy to get better results. Obviously, with age, energy generally diminishes. I am 54 now. I certainly am not as strong as my 3 sons. But then, when I was their ages, I was not a strong as them either! But can honestly say that I can perform techniques much better at 54 than I could in my 20s, 30s, or 40s. I am much more powerful and have much more stamina -- again because of the way we generate power and the fact that we do not waste much energy. My net result today is way better than my net result at younger ages. And, of course, I have had more time to understand and refine my movements.
When do students reach the limits of linear mechanics? Of course, it depends. But I generally think that it is about at the 2nd dan or 3rd dan adult level -- assuming a traditional ranking system not a belt mill. You certainly know that something is wrong when you find a 5th dan or higher who is still cranking away at linear mechanics. Such people tend to be very frustrated and possibly suffering from self inflicted injuries -- much like I was!
So let's see. How can you tell if you are moving well? First, does it feel good? Do you feel like you are moving very quickly, with a great deal of power, without getting tired? You have to evaluate yourself very honestly. Are you moving like a robot, a wet noodle, or a steel whip?
There is another way to evaluate yourself. When I first watched Shinzato Sensei, and for years after that, whenever he executed a dynamic movement my mouth would drop open. I would simply be in awe. When he visited my dojo, my students had exactly the same reaction. I think that other people have shared this experience.
Well, when you move well, people tend to blink and wonder -- and their mouths tend to drop open.
When you surprise yourself you are on the right track. It is a good sign when you say, "Wow, how did I do that?" Now do it again and again until it comes naturally.
And always remember that speed by itself is not enough. When transitioning to Kishaba Juku, the ultimate goal is to have more power -- seemingly endless, easy power, that appears to come from nowhere. Or at least, that is what I think as a student who is still working on it.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Karate Magazine Covers
I just spent a few minutes looking at Karate and Kenpo magazine covers on Ebay. Phew! What a lot of violence and testosterone!
If you have practiced Karate for a while, you might have appeared in articles or even on a magazine cover. The photographers for such things does tell you to, "Look calm, look peaceful, look like you don't want to fight." Quite the opposite! Covers have to be exciting -- at least in part to people who really don't understand the martial arts.
I watched a video of a well know escrima teacher from the Philippines. What got me about it was how casual and natural the teacher looked. Karate people tend to act like they are doing Karate. They seem to take on a persona -- like they are acting. This escrima teacher looked like an ordinary Filipino man, just moving around naturally -- but with exceptional ability. Except for that exceptional ability, you could not tell him apart from any other man. Even the terminology he used was ordinary language. There was no pretense or drama.
Again, he was perfectly ordinary seeming, but with exceptional ability.
Of course, it should be same in Karate. We should be perfectly normal, but with exceptional ability. We do not have to put on a gi or "act" like the people we see on magazine covers. We do not have to act at all. We can just be ourselves. Our facial expression does not have to change when we move or execute techniques. We are not being photographed for a magazine cover or video. People are not watching. The only person who might be watching is the attacker, and he probably won't care about our facial expressions.
My wife is Filipino and my four children at mestizo (mixed). My first Karate instructor was Filipino. I first thought that Karate must be a Filipino martial art because so many of the teachers were Filipino. My early Karate teachers were also escrima instructors. Perhaps this is why their Karate looked so natural and unforced.
Karate should be natural. We should just be ourselves -- with exceptional ability.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The E in Karate
The last letter in Karate (at least in the English spelling) is "E" and that letter can stand for escape.
It is fitting that the last last letter in the name of our art is also the last thing you will do in an engagement -- escape. If you have to defend yourself, if it was not possible to avoid the attack, then at the earliest opportunity you should escape. Defend and escape. Not defend and make a point. Not defend and defeat the attacker. Not defend and beat the crap out of him. Defend and escape -- get away.
If someone attacks me, he is committing a crime. He is a criminal. I am not willing to fight. I would only protect myself and loved ones. I am not starting anything and I will try my best to avoid a violent situation. But if someone attacks me by surprise or will not allow me to withdraw, then there is no choice but to defend myself (or loved ones).
At such time, I will be looking for the earliest possible moment to escape -- to get away. I am not getting away from a fight. I am defending, not fighting. I am getting away from a criminal.
When practicing bunkai, it is useful to practice various techniques -- from the initial avoidance or block, to the counter attack, to a take down or throw, to striking the attacker once he is on the ground, and even to grappling on the ground. However, if someone attacks you do not have to use every technique you know. At every phase of the defense, you should be looking for a way to escape.
And if are attacked and defend yourself, you may well have to explain your actions to the police. Even if you were initially justified in defending yourself, did you go to far? Did you continue to "fight" when you could have safely escaped? Did you become the aggressor?
Don't get me wrong. Karate is to be used as a last resort, and if it is a last resort your life or the life of a loved one is on the line. If someone attacks me in such as situation, I will do whatever it takes -- but only whatever it takes and no more. After that, it is up to the police to handle the criminal, not me.
As a Karate instructor, I am not looking for an excuse to use my techniques -- I am trying my best to avoid it and if I must defend myself, I will try to escape at the earliest safe opportunity. KaratE.
Please also see: Avoidance and Escape.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Sunday, September 09, 2012
Tight Shoulders -- Advice?
This is a story.
A Karate student tried really hard to do things right, but had a chronic problem -- his shoulders were too tight. His tight shoulders affected all his movements and caused him a great deal of pain. He even had to see the doctor and chiropractor about his shoulder problem.
His instructor would yell at him whenever he saw his tight shoulders. Then he would command, "Lower you shoulders and drop and give me twenty!" The student would obediently drop and do the pushups. This went on for years and the problem only got worse.
Finally a visiting instructor came to the dojo. He observed the student and mentioned to him that his shoulders were too tight. The student dropped and started to do pushup.
"Stop, stop," said the instructor, "please get up."
So what do you think that the instructor said to the student?
"Relax and squeeze your lats."
The point is that yelling at the student and making him do pushups as punishment only made the problem worse (mentally and physically). The solution was not to feed the problem but to have the student work positively on a solution.
"Relax and squeeze your lats" is not a punishment -- it is a positive solution to the problem.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, September 08, 2012
You could say that I am a "prepper." Living here in Hawaii, we have to be prepared for hurricanes and tsunami, among other things, and the disruption of public services that can result. My father was in the military and I was a Boy Scout, so prepping is in my blood. Plus, my eldest son's good friend Darin has been a big influence on me. He is from Kauai and they seem to get it bad whenever we have a hurricane (Hilo too). So he has grown up with an awareness of the need to be prepared.
This week I purchased a really nice bugout bag. The brand doesn't matter, but the person selling it had included "SHTF BOB" in the title. It took me a while, but I finally realized what this means.
If you think about it, Karate is also something you need when the SHTF.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, September 08, 2012
About Power: Strength, Speed, and Timing
I was speaking to a student tonight after class and I said to him, "Right now, I am more powerful than you."
I explained to him him that power depends on strength, speed, and timing (along with such factors as proper body alignment, weight shifting, technique, etc.). I told the student that he was certainly stronger than me, but that his timing was not there yet. With proper timing, he would be more powerful than me.
My second son, Charles, was also there. I mentioned that Charles is more powerful than me. Even though I might be a little faster than him, he is much stronger and has better timing than me.
We are always working on body dynamics in the dojo. There are a number of factors. But for me, strength, speed and timing are key when it comes to power.
It is difficult to become stronger. It takes hard work and time. It is difficult to become faster. Generally, I think that people have a certain maximum speed. Once you are efficient, you cannot move faster. You can move smarter, but not faster. But timing is something that we can work on and improve without too much effort. Better timing is largely a matter of eliminating wasted movement. It is hard to become much stronger when you are older. It is not that hard to develop better timing, even as one becomes older.
I mentioned that my son Charles has better timing than me. Because I usually teach beginners or young yudansha, I almost always move in a way that is appropriate for them. I move in a way that they can see and copy. As a result, I am not moving in my natural way, and my timing is thrown off. In particular, I tend to throw my techniques late. I also enlarge the lines of my koshi movements, again so that the students can see and copy me. But this throws off my own timing, which reduces my overall power. My son tends to move in his natural way, and does his best to break it down for the students.
How powerful are you? How are your strength, speed, and timing? Are these things that you are working on?
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Wednesday, September 05, 2012
A Half Second Warning
Would you rather be 15% better in Karate of have a half second warning?
Think about it for a moment. We practice Karate, at least in part, to develop self-defense ability. If we are attacked, we should be able to defend ourselves using the techniques we learn and practice in Karate.
We train, year after year, even decade after decade, just to become a little bit better.
But being better might not be enough. Even a skilled Karate expert won't have much chance if he is hit hard without warning. He is walking down the street, and bam! A punch to the side of the head. All the self defense training in the world won't work if you are unconscious.
But what if the Karate expert had a half second warning? Then he could step aside, block, counter attack. You can do a lot in half a second!
It is one thing to practice to improve your skill. It is quite another thing to train to improve your sense of awareness. Dojo training often (usually) does not concentrate on awareness. Attacks are prearranged. You know who will attack you, when, and how. Walking down a dark street you will know none of these things.
But if your awareness is "turned on" and you are consciously aware of your surroundings, you might be able to see a dangerous situation before is happens and avoid it. Or you might be able to at least see (hear, sense) the punch before it lands. A half second is a really long time in self defense.
It takes a whole lot more work to get better than it does to be more aware -- and awareness might be more useful.
Of course, we should work on both things -- really work on both things. Practice awareness. When you do, you will realize how oblivious most people are -- like people crossing a busy street while texting.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Guest Post: Karate is Not Jujitsu
This Guest Post is by my good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, of the Zentokukai Okinawa Shorinryu Toude Association. Angel is the creator of One Minute Bunkai. The URL is oneminutebunkai.com. He and I are members of the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Emergency Types
In an emergency, I have observed that there are four types of people:
- A seemingly strong person who loses it and cries like a baby.
- A seemingly calm person who gets really angry and curses.
- A seemingly normal person who becomes super calm and focused on dealing with the emergency.
- A clueless person who doesn't even realize that there is an emergency.
The second type cannot focus on the emergency because his anger blinds him. He just gets in the way.
The third type is how Karate students are supposed to be. He rises to the occasion. He does what needs to be done. He saves other people. He seems to summon superhuman strength, not just physically, but of will and determination as well. He is prepared for emergencies because he prepares for emergencies.
The fourth type is also useless in an emergency and is usually one of the victims.
I might have missed some other types. But over the years I have definitely observed that the third type of person is not necessarily the one you would expect. This person rises when there is a need and fades back when the emergency is over. Thank goodness for such people!
What type of person are you? How about the people around you? Can they count on you, and can you count on them? -- maybe this guy will lose it, this guy will fly into a rage, this guy will be clueless...
And of course when I use the word "he" in this post, I mean "he" or "she".
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, September 03, 2012
Shozen Sunabe Article -- Part 2
I have proofed and finalized the second part of my article about Shozen Sunabe, a student of Chotoku Kyan. I had not read it for a while, and it was interesting to hear Sunabe Sensei's words and memories again.
I usually submit some photos with my articles. But David Chambers, the publisher of Classical Fighting Arts, often supplies his own photos or those of other contributors. This time, I was blown away. There were two photographs I had never seen before! I would purchase the magazine, just for the photos (in my articles and others).
There are also some very nice photos in my editorial about Mitsugi Kobayashi (student of Seko Higa).
As I have mentioned before, because my articles appear quite a while after I wrote them, I often forget about much of what I have written and it is like I am reading the articles for the first time. I really mean this. By the time I get to read an article, I might have written others and worked on other projects, such a lectures or exhibits. I am always working on projects. I figure that there will be time to remember what I have written later. And nothing is as important as training -- right?
I do hope that more young Karate instructors will write about the art. Just start with one article about something that interests you. Once you get into writing, the words will just flow! You will find your voice, and then I can read your articles!
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, September 03, 2012


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Your risk of high blood pressure increases as you get older. But simple dietary changes can help maintain healthy blood pressure and prevent high blood pressure-related health problems.
Pressure-Related Problems
Your blood pressure is usually recorded as 2 numbers, for example 120/80. The upper number, or systolic pressure, measures the force in your blood vessels when your heart contracts. The lower number, or diastolic pressure, represents the force while your heart rests between beats. Though both pressures may fluctuate, pressures should normally stay below 120/80. Accurate readings on several occasions of 140/90 or higher mean that you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
Hypertension is a risk factor for many serious conditions, like coronary heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Fortunately, certain dietary steps may ward off many of these complications.
A DASH of Prevention
In 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published the results of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study. DASH researchers found that adults can reduce their blood pressure by eating a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. Study results showed that the DASH diet works as effectively as some blood pressure medications. Today, several organizations endorse the DASH diet for adults of all ages who want to reduce blood pressure.
Eating the DASH Diet
For a person who eats 2,000 kilocalories a day, the DASH diet calls for:
- Grains: 6-8 servings each day
- Vegetables: 4-5 servings each day
- Fruits: 4-5 servings each day
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products: 2-3 servings each day
- Meats, poultry, eggs, and fish: no more than 6 servings each day
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes: 4-5 servings each week
- Fats and oils: 2-3 servings each day
- Sweets: no more than 5 servings a week
Salt Sense
Results from the second phase of the DASH study completed in 2000 (called DASH-Sodium) indicate that cutting salt intake is another effective way to lower blood pressure. After 14 weeks of monitoring 412 adults on six different diets, researchers found that those who consumed a DASH diet with only 1,150 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day had the biggest improvement in their blood pressures.
On this diet, people with and without hypertension had significant reductions in blood pressure. Those with hypertension saw their blood pressures drop even more. The researchers concluded that eating less salt may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure as you grow older.
- Reviewer: EBSCO Medical Review Board Michael Woods, MD, FAAP
- Review Date: 11/2017 -
- Update Date: 02/03/2014 -


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ST. PAUL, Minn.—Minnesota health officials say residents of the metropolitan Twin Cities are more likely to end up in the hospital for asthma compared to those living in the rest of the state.
The Department of Health released a report Thursday that shows about 302,000 adults in Minnesota have asthma, or 7.6 percent of the population. That's lower than the national rate of 9.1 percent. The state has a childhood asthma rate of 7 percent, or about 90,000. That's also lower than the U.S. rate of 8.4 percent for children.
The health department report also says asthma hospitalizations are 50 percent higher among children and 30 percent higher among adults living in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area compared with rates for children and adults living in the rest of the state.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two weeks after Utah athletic director Chris Hill completed the most significant football scheduling agreement of his 25-year tenure, we now know why he booked that series with Michigan.
Hill just wanted to defeat my argument regarding Utah vs. BYU.
In May, I wrote that Hill could not use the proposed alliance between the Pac-12 and the Big Ten as a strength-of-schedule reason to interrupt the rivalry, because the Utes would not be facing the likes of Michigan or Ohio State.
So, of course, he schedules Michigan.
I'm not dissuaded.
Look, Michigan is the flagship school of my home state, Michigan Stadium is No. 1 on my list of sports venues I need to experience, and having the Wolverines play a season opener at Rice-Eccles Stadium is good stuff.
I wanted both Michigan and BYU on Utah's schedule, that's all. And to those who claim they've moved beyond the rivalry game and won't miss it, my response is simple: Yes, you will. The rivalry is not merely a media creation it's part of the fabric of this state. That's why there's a car with a "54TEN" vanity license plate.
Hill is the most persuasive person I know, combining doctoral-level education with New Jersey-rooted argumentation. He was as shrewd as ever Tuesday during an informal media briefing, couching the news about the series being discontinued in 2014-15 with the promise of games to be played in '13 and '16, enabling him to say he's "not killing the rivalry."
He applied this logic: Counting nine conference games and Michigan, that's 10 high-quality opponents (of 12).
"I can't expect us to play 11 really, really difficult games in a season," Hill said.
Why not?
In 2012, Oregon State is playing Wisconsin, Nicholls State and BYU. Washington is playing LSU, San Diego State and Portland State. UCLA is playing Rice, Nebraska and Houston. How are those schedules not comparable to Utah's playing Michigan, BYU and anybody else in '14 or '15?
Hill and coach Kyle Whittingham say they're doing what's best for the program. That's fine. They also have to live with some side effects, including accusations that they're dodging BYU and, even worse, validating BYU. Hill talks about an "A, B and C" nonconference scheduling philosophy, like he's arranging a golf scramble team, and he's categorizing BYU as an "A" player.
So the Utes will substitute some school like Idaho or Colorado State for BYU. Is that a significant enough balancing of the schedule to really make a difference in Pac-12 play?
There's just no reason the Utes shouldn't play BYU every season, from 2016 forward. By 2017, the Utes will have had six years as Pac-12 members. They should be superior enough to BYU that they win three of every four games in the series.
Hill accurately observed that the rivalry feels different in September, but being in a different league is all the more reason for Utah to play BYU. Let's be honest: Ute fans are going to compare these teams' performances every week, so why not have 60 minutes of actual competition?
Things change; I understand that. The Utah-Utah State series once was more meaningful than Utah-BYU, and that tradition long ago ran its course. But saying the same about Utah-BYU is just not true.
Twitter: @tribkurt


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In the NFL, the middle is a tricky place to be.
Winners are winners and losers are losers, and a record that places a team squarely in one category or the other can provide a certain amount of clarity moving forward. Teams that win as much as they lose, however, wind up in a no man's land of mediocrity.
History hasn't been especially kind to 8-8 teams. Of the 22 teams that posted .500 records from 2008 to 2012, just six improved the following season (and just three of those made the playoffs), while five teams stayed at 8-8. Half, meanwhile, did worse. And 10 of the 22 squads failed to win more than six games. Of course, that isn't to say you can't get anywhere from 8-8 -- three of the past 14 Super Bowl-winning teams had .500 records the year before (the 2009 New Orleans Saints, the 2007 New York Giants and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens).
Last season, six teams finished at 8-8: the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. As we look ahead to the 2014 campaign, I thought I'd attempt to predict which of these squads will improve, which will stay even and which will slip. Here's how I see things shaking out:
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have epitomized mediocrity recently, finishing 8-8 for three straight seasons. I was all set to pencil them in to finally win nine -- and then linebacker Sean Lee tore his ACL during Tuesday's OTA session. Lee simply is Dallas' defense. He's such a force as both a leader and a playmaker, someone who seems to make everyone around him better. If he's out for the season, as is expected, it will be a severe blow to this team, likely costing it a win or two.
One positive for the Cowboys is that, unlike when Lee missed time last season, they have some options to replace him, starting with rookie Anthony Hitchens. Iowa's defensive MVP and leading tackler last season is an active -- if undersized -- guy. He's also a relative newcomer to the position, and it might take some time for him to learn everything he has to learn at the pro level. At least Lee's injury came early enough for Dallas to formulate a plan to account for his loss, either by doing a big job on Hitchens or by finding someone else. Perhaps the Cowboys could coax former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who knows defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli's system, out of retirement.
As for the rest of the roster, new offensive play-caller Scott Linehan should help significantly, especially when it comes to running the ball more effectively. If the Cowboys had fielded a better ground attack last season, they could've won 10 games. Consider the Week 15 defeat to the Packers, in which Dallas was up by 23 at the half but lost because of an inability to run. This area of the game will be crucial when it comes to keeping the Cowboys' defense off the field. The offensive line, meanwhile, is on an upward trajectory; a unit that gave up just 35 sacks last season is getting yet another young talent in first-round pick Zack Martin, one year after the team used a first-rounder on center Travis Frederick. And while back issues typically concern me, Dallas seems to be confident quarterback Tony Romo will be able to perform after having offseason surgery. I do know he's mentally tough and will play through whatever pain he might encounter.
Predicted win total: Seven.
New York Jets
This team is an enigma. How the Jets could be outscored by 97 points while posting a turnover differential of -14 and still manage to finish 8-8 is very hard to explain.
Geno Smith is the key in New York. Of the Jets' 29 turnovers in 2013, Smith contributed a whopping 25. For what it's worth, he did cut down on such gaffes toward the end of the year, giving up just two picks over a 3-1 stretch to close things out. And, of course, he didn't have much in the way of help, so the Jets added a number of offensive pieces, including receiver Eric Decker, running back Chris Johnson and lineman Breno Giacomini. Smith's ability -- or failure -- to take advantage of those pieces will determine the course of the Jets' season.
New York also picked up some helpful assets in the draft, adding safety Calvin Pryor and underrated cornerback Dexter McDougle to a pass defense that ranked 22nd last season. Additionally, they grabbed some prospects who could further help the offense in tight end Jace Amaro and receiver Jalen Saunders. The latter actually reminds me of Saints first-round pick Brandin Cooks in terms of quickness, but Saunders is lighter and didn't have the same kind of production in college.
Still, everything's riding on Smith, which makes the situation with Michael Vick especially interesting. Vick had been saying all the right things about being a backup -- that is, until he volunteered his opinion that he could take the Jets to the Super Bowl. A split on this team could be catastrophic.
Predicted win total: Eight.
Chicago Bears
With Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte leading the way, Chicago's offense had a prolific 2013, scoring at a clip of 27.8 points per game, the second-best mark in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Bears, their defense allowed their opponents to be even more prolific; Chicago gave up 29.9 points per game, among the worst rates in the league. The Bears also had the NFL's worst run defense, yielding 161.4 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry, and struggled to bring down the passer, finishing with a league-low 31 sacks.
Chicago's big offseason task, then, was to shore up the defense. And to that end, I think they did a great job in free agency, adding talents like Jared Allen, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston; Houston, in fact, was probably the Oakland Raiders' best defensive player last season. As for the draft, Chicago used its first-round pick on Kyle Fuller, whom I expect will contribute immediately as a third cornerback, and turned to the line in the second round, grabbing LSU defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, who projects as an eventual starter. Finally, new defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni is very, very good at what he does, and will be a boon to the unit. With a better defense supporting their explosive offense, the Bears should make a sizable leap in 2014.
Predicted win total: 10.
Pittsburgh Steelers
After stumbling to an 0-4 start in which they were outscored by 41 points, the Steelers pulled themselves together in a major way last season, rallying to an 8-4 record the rest of the way and falling just short of a playoff berth. I think Pittsburgh already was better than its 2013 record indicated, and that was before the team made a series of moves to address some of its weaknesses.
Like the Bears, the Steelers need to do a better job stopping the run. They also must tighten up the protection for Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked 42 times in 2013. Free-agent signee Cam Thomas will help with the former issue, while new offensive line coach Mike Munchak will make a huge difference when it comes to Big Ben safeguarding. As for Pittsburgh's draft haul, linebacker Ryan Shazier will provide an instant impact; in fact, I see the first-round pick as a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. This team has a way of getting the most out of guys like Shazier and fellow defensive rookie Stephon Tuitt. And while the offense did lose receiver Emmanuel Sanders to free agency, the talented Antonio Brown is still on the roster. Plus, Pittsburgh can expect to have a full season with tight end Heath Miller.
If the Steelers played just about anywhere besides the AFC North, I would pencil them in for at least 10 wins. However, they are stuck in the same division as the Ravens and Bengals, so I can't be quite that optimistic.
Predicted win total: Nine.
Baltimore Ravens
In the 2012 playoffs, Joe Flacco threw 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions en route to helping the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII. Last season, he was picked off 22 times -- three more times than he found the end zone. Baltimore's attempt to break the 8-8 barrier in 2014 hinges largely on which version of Flacco takes the field.
A few things should be working in Flacco's favor, including the addition of veteran receiver Steve Smith; I consider that move to be among the steals of the offseason. Yes, the Carolina Panthers castoff is 35 years old, but he's a competitive guy who will catch the kinds of passes that fell incomplete (or were intercepted) in 2013. Having tight end Dennis Pitta healthy also helps Flacco a great deal. Pitta, who missed 12 games in 2013 with a hip injury, made so many of the big, drive-continuing plays that kept the Ravens going during their Super Bowl run.
Beyond Flacco, Baltimore has an excellent special teams unit, plus a top-notch kicker in Justin Tucker, who missed just three of his 41 field-goal attempts in 2013, and a very good punter in Sam Koch. Running back Ray Rice, meanwhile, must do better than his 3.1-yards-per-carry rate from last season -- and that's aside from whatever discipline he might face in the wake of his recent issues off the field. The team helped itself in the draft, adding several players who could bolster the defense, including excellent linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Terrence Brooks and defensive linemen Timmy Jernigan and Brent Urban.
At the end of the day, the Ravens have the same problem as the Steelers: They're in the AFC North. It's tough to pile up the wins when you have to play Cincinnati and Pittsburgh twice.
Predicted win total: Nine.
Miami Dolphins
This is the year Ryan Tannehill has to show he can improve, namely by cutting down on interceptions thrown and sacks taken. Yes, adding Branden Albert to the offensive line will help, but the fact remains that some of the league-leading 58 sacks given up by the Dolphins last season were Tannehill's fault; it looked like he held the ball too long at times. Fortunately for the Dolphins, I think Tannehill has the capacity to grow as a quarterback and take care of these issues. Miami also will need to get more from receiver Mike Wallace, who managed just 12.7 yards per catch -- not commensurate with the big-money contract the team gave him last offseason.
Of course, even with an offense that ranked 27th in the NFL in 2013, Miami still managed to hang in the playoff hunt late into the season. In 2014, we can expect the Dolphins' attack to bring much more pizazz, thanks to their secret weapon: new coordinator Bill Lazor. He's a sharp up-and-comer who can have a transformative effect on this squad.
Predicted win total: Nine.
Follow Gil Brandt on Twitter @Gil_Brandt.


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Clark OneCard
Office Location & HoursAlumni and Student Engagement Center Room 325
|Spring 2019
|Monday - Friday
|11:00am -5:00pm
Please call or email if you need to schedule an appointment outside of these hours. To make an appointment, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com or call (508) 793-7109.
- Cash Card Program/List of Merchants
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Who Needs a OneCard
All students, faculty and staff are required to obtain a Clark OneCard. It is your official University identification and should be carried at all times when you are on campus.
Get a OneCard
To obtain your OneCard, visit our office and bring some form of personal identification such as a driver's license or passport.
A staff member will take a photo of you. You may instead submit a high-quality digital photograph or passport picture via email to firstname.lastname@example.com. Students can also submit photos online (just login with your Clark computer account username and password). All submitted photos must be a close-up, color, face-forward picture. The photo should not include hats, sunglasses, bandanas, scarves, inappropriate facial gestures, or hands near the face. There is a $20.00 fee to replace a lost card.
About the OneCard
Your Clark OneCard looks like an ordinary university ID, but it's much more than that. The OneCard acts as a key to a number of services on campus including:
Access to campus events and buildings
Allows access to residence halls, athletic facilities, and Dana Commons. Some doors are equipped with a card reader that requires you to insert your card in the provided slot. Other buildings are equipped with readers that allow access simply by swiping the card in front of the scanner. Please note, only students residing in on-campus housing receive residence hall access.
Cash Card Program
The Cash Card program works similar to a bank debit card. You deposit funds into your Cash Card account online at CUWeb (students only) or through the Cashier's Office and are then able to use it like cash at a number of locations on and around campus. Learn more about the Cash Card.
Printing Services
All students will receive a free printing allowance each semester which may be redeemed in any community printing area (e.g., printing in public labs, the Goddard Library, etc.). You use your OneCard to access these services. Please see the Printing Services webpage for more information.
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Allows access to parking garage if you purchase a garage sticker from University Police (located in Bullock Hall).
Library card
The Clark OneCard is your library borrower's card for the University libraries and maintains a history of your transactions. To activate your library barcode, simply present the card at the Library circulation desk.
Computer Net Services
Use your Clark OneCard for computer services to initially establish an e-mail address, use the computer labs, and access the Secured Student Records Area on the Web for your Student Record and billing information.
Dining Services
The Clark OneCard contains undergraduate Meal Plan information and Dining Dollars for use at on-campus dining services and off-campus restaurants.
WOO Card
The Woo Card Program is a service run by the Worcester Cultural Coalition for local college students. If you register your Clark OneCard ID number at their Web site, you can present your ID card for discounts at a variety of local art, music and cultural events. Learn about Woo Card benefits


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The median household income in Lawton, Michigan is $42,059. The median household income for the surrounding county is $46,536 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Lawton is 39.1 years.
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Misc News/Press Release
Kullu Rape Case: BJP Leader and a Worker Booked for Pressurizing 9-Year-Old Victim's Widow Mother to Hush-Up Case
Kullu-A local leaders of Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) and worker were booked in relation to the rape of a 9-year-old girl after the Kullu Police faced a protest from locals and Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM) for inaction. They were identified as Chunni Lal, BJP Board Vice President and Ratna Bharti, a BJP worker.
An FIR was registered under section 504, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, reported ANI. The report was confirmed by SHO, Anni Police Station, Bhag Singh.
As per a report published by News 18, the local MLA Kishori Lal Sagar was also alleged of trying to hush-up the case. However, the MLA denied these allegations.
The mother of the victim, who belongs to a poverty-stricken Dalit family, on May 21 had filed a complaint at a local Police station alleging that former Gram Panchayat president Ropa and one Chuni Lal of Mandar village and another Rattan Bharati of Ropa were allegedly trying to hush-up this heinous crime. She also alleged that she was offered money in the police station to not file a complaint against the culprit.
"When the victim's family refused the money, they threatened the Dalit family that they would no longer be allowed to be in the village,"
the convener of DSMM Vivek Kashyap had alleged in a press statement issued after a protest.
The family of the victim is now living in fear after being pressurized by influential upper-caste people.
She had also expressed fear of assault on her family. She also alleged that despite filing a complaint, the police was lousy and reluctant to file an FIR. When the matter came to the knowledge of the locals, they expressed their anger by protesting against the police. The Superintendent of Police, Kullu, Shalini Agnihotri, had to convince the locals that appropriate action would be taken against anyone who is found guilty of pressurizing or threatening the victim's family.
On May 19 – the polling day for Lok Sabha Elections-a person identified as Devender Kumar allegedly lured a 9-year-old girl, who was playing near a polling booth in Anni, and took her to a deserted building and raped her. The accused was booked under Section 376, 511 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The accused was later sent to police remand.
The alleged incident again highlighted casteism that still prevails in rural areas of the State. The DSMM has pointed out that recently atrocities against Dalits have witnessed an increase. The most gruesome was the murder of RTI activist Kedar Singh Jindan in Shillai area of Sirmaur district last year. Earlier, in April this year, a controversy was reported when a Dalit lady's cremation was not allowed at a village crematorium.
Misc News/Press Release
Now Report Traffic Violations on WhatsApp Numbers or Facebook: Kullu Police
Kullu-After 45 people lost their lives and 37 were injured in one of the most tragic road accidents in Himachal Pradesh, the District Police, Kullu, has today issued a notification requesting common people to help curbing traffic rule violations. Referring to the bus accident in Kullu's Banjar sub-division on Thursday, the police said,
It came to notice that the bus was overcrowded to the maximum extent. Such accidents can be avoided if all of us remain vigilant and follow traffic rules.
The police has issued two WhatsApp numbers (8219681600, 8219681601) where anyone can report traffic rule violations like overloading. Complaints can also be made on district police's Facebook page. The complainant will have to mention specific details like place, time, vehicle registration number along with a photograph. The identity of the informer will not be disclosed to protect them from any harassment or harm, the notification said.
However, it appears that police in other districts is still waiting for similar accidents before they could take similar initiative to encourage people to bring traffic violations to their attention. Such steps should have been taken long ago. Sadly, it took the sacrifice of 45 lives to woke up the police.
The State Police need to issue directions to all Superintendents of Police to issue such numbers and act on complaints made by common people on social media. It helps the police to enhance their reach and deter traffic rule violations.
However, the people questioned how it would solve the problem relating to shortage of bus services in rural areas. The main cause of overloading is the shortage of bus services. The public is left with no option but to board on over-crowded buses because there is a long gap between services to their respective destinations. The State government and district administration are required to intervene here to sort this problem out. The strictness of police alone can't solve issues like overloading.
As a ray of hope, the Chief Minister Jairam Thakur yesterday took notice of this issue and said that authorities should identify the crowded stations in the state, which require more transport vehicles. To cope up with the issue of overcrowding in the buses, more permits should be issued to mini buses, maxi cabs and trax etc., he had added.
It's to be seen how swiftly the authorities act on these directions. Meanwhile, the public is requested to co-operate and avoid boarding in overcrowded buses and to indulge in violation of other traffic rules.
Misc News/Press Release
After Kullu Bus Accident, CM Jairam Speaks of New Plans to Prevent Such Tragedies
Kullu-As usual, statements with assurances to take strict measures to check loss of lives in road accidents are being given by the state government after Thursday's tragic 'Kullu bus accident.'
This time, the Chief Minister Jairam Thakur has claimed that a special campaign will be launched to identify and rectify the black spots on roads of the state to minimize the road accidents and the new roads would be passed after the approval by the road safety auditors.
He held a meeting of senior officers of the state government held here today.
He said that the earlier procedure of identifying the black spots would be done away and new mechanism to identify and rectify the black spots would be implemented so that the same could be improved instead of waiting for any untoward incident for it. He said that special focus would be laid on improving rural roads having greater traffic frequency.
Special awareness campaign would be launched to sensitize the people regarding over speed, rash driving, drunken driving and use of mobile phones while driving. People would be encouraged to register complaints against the erring drivers. He said that it has been found that 93 percent of accidents occur due to human errors, thus special emphasis would be laid on making driving test more stringent.
Jai Ram Thakur said that all the transport vehicles including taxis would have to display name with the photograph of the driver prominently in the vehicles so that the commuters could know that the driver is well trained and authorized to drive the vehicle.
He said that the condition of transport vehicles would be ensured properly and laxity in this regard would not be tolerated at any cost. He said that automatic testing of the condition of the vehicle would also be done for ensuring that only vehicles with good conditions are on the road. The driver licenses for heavy vehicles would be issued only after ensuring proper test of the drivers. He said that a mechanism such as installing biometric system in driving schools will be adopted so that it could be ensured that the trainee actually undergo training for a specific period. He said that efforts would also be made to provide automatic driving test facilities in all the districts of the State.
Jai Ram Thakur said the authorities should also ensure that there is no overloading in transport vehicles. He said that strict action would be taken against the violators. All the school buses would be regularly monitored and school management would be sensitized about the safety guidelines which is the ultimate objective of the government for the safety of the commuters.
The Chief Minister said that authorities should identify the crowded stations in the state, which require more transport vehicles. He said that to cope up with the issue of overcrowding in the buses, more permits should be issued to mini buses, maxi cabs and trax etc.
Earlier today, Jai Ram Thakur also visited the regional hospital Kullu to enquire the well being of the injured persons of the bus accident.
He said that 39 dead bodies were brought to Kullu hospital on Thursday evening for postmortem and except for three unidentified dead. The remaining bodies were handed over to their family members. As many as 37 injured were referred to Kullu after first aid at Banjar hospital out of which five persons including a tourist died.
He said that seriously injured eight persons were referred to PGIMER, Chandigarh on Thursday evening only whereas three more persons were referred during the midnight.
The district administration has arranged employees to assist the injured referred to Chandigarh. Besides, the doctors of PGIMER, Chandigarh have also been requested for providing treatment to the injured on priority.
The Kullu district administration distributed Rs. 10.35 lakh as immediate relief to the family members of the deceased and injured persons on Thursday night, he informed.
A magisterial enquiry has been ordered to find out the reasons for this bus accident and the enquiry committee headed by ADM, Kullu would submit its report shortly, he said.
HW Community
Kullu Bus Accident: Death Toll Reaches 44, About 35 Injured, Several Critical
SKullu-The bus accident in Banjar sub-division of Kullu district has entered the list of biggest tragedies in Himachal Pradesh. Per the last information received, the death toll has reached 44, and over 30 injured are undergoing treatment at Banjar Civil Hospital, Kullu Hospital, and Hosptial in Mandi's Nerchowk.
Several injured are in critical condition and have been referred to PGI, Chandigarh. The district administration fears a possible rise in the death toll considering the critical condition of the injured.
All deceased are said to hail from about 20 villages in Kullu and Mandi.
The accident has again exposed the State government's hollow promises to take measures to reduce road accidents. There is still no check on vehicle maintenance and overloading, leave alone appropriately placing crash barriers on cliff-side of the roads.
This 42-seater bus was carrying over 75 passengers, there were passengers on the roof as well, eye-witnesses confirm. The bus had left for Gada Gushaini from Banjar on Thursday evening at about 3:45 PM. The bus had not covered more than two kms when it plunged into a 500 feet deep gorge near 'Bheot mod' and landed in a Khada fter scraping the mountain face.
As per a Hindi Daily, the driver was untrained and was perhaps driving a bus for the first time.
Locals, who travelled in this bus daily, told another Hindi Daily that the bus was in poor condition and often developed technical snags. According to the Daily, the driver experienced a problem in shifting gears when the bus approached the 'Bheot mod' and began to move backwards uncontrolled before skidding off the road.
The Superintendent of Police, Kullu, Shalini Agnihotri said, the exact cause of the accident could only be ascertained after a proper probe.
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, who visited the hospital to meet the injured said,
The road at the spot was not in bad condition. Prima facie it looks like a case of overloading. A meeting was held today to ensure that such incidents don't happen in future
The driver is reported to have jumped off the bus. A Daily said the driver survived and fled the spot. However, official confirmation was awaited. Hearing the sound of the accident, the locals from nearby Bhumar village rushed to the spot. As per eyewitnesses, the bodies were scattered all over the steep mountain.
Moreover, the condition of crash-barriers install was quite poor. The single-row crash barriers were not installed properly and held no chance of stopping the bus from skidding off the road.
The bus was shredded into pieces and its parts were mangled all over the hill and the stream at the bottom of the gorge. The locals had a tough-time descending the steep hill. With the help of ropes, the bodies and injured were extricated and brought up to the road. Further, the locals formed human chains to carry the injured across gushing water of the stream.
The accident is not the first of its kind. There have been several such accidents in the past in Himachal Pradesh. On April 9, 2018, 27 people including 24 children were killed in a school bus accident in Nurpur in Kangra district. In April 2017, 45 people had died when an overloaded bus had plunged into a gorge near Nerwa in Shimla district. In 2016, 17 had died when a bus fell into Beas river in Mandi district, 25 in Rampur in 2017, 31 in July 2015 when a bus fell into the Parvati in Kullu. Before that, May 2013, 42 people were killed as a private bus plunged into Beas river.
In 2019 alone, 430 people have died in 1,168 road accidents in Himachal Pradesh by May 31. Between 2009 and 2018, over 11,000 people had died in nearly 31,000 different road accidents in the state.
Every time an accident happens, probes are ordered and government issues statements taking vows to fix black spots and implement violation of traffic rules like overloading and rash driving strictly. Further, assurances are provided to take strict action against all government officials and those responsible for the accident. After a few months, the usual business continues as the government officials go back into deep slumber. No action is ever taken against government officials responsible for negligence.
It's no different this time too, the chief minister has ordered a Magisterial probe while the state transport minister Govind Singh Thakur has made similar promises. How and what actions will be taken remains to be seen.
It's seen over the year that no audits are conducted to assess the need for additional bus services. The rural areas face a huge problem due to the lack of sufficient bus services, which is also responsible for overloading. There are limited buses and people are left with no choice but to board on overloaded buses to reach their destinations.
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The Regional Transport Office also has a role in such accidents because poorly maintained buses are passed easily. The Public Works Department has all the time to build a corrupt nexus with private contractors, but not to care to install much-needed crash barriers. The district administration and police hardly find time to run regular inspections to see if there is a paucity of bus services or buses are being overloaded.
कुल्लू के बंजार में हुए दर्दनाक बस हादसे में घायलों का कुशलक्षेम जाना।
कुल्लू अस्पताल में उपचाराधीन लोगों को बेहतर चिकित्सीय सेवा उपलब्ध करवाई जा रही है।
हमारी सरकार पीड़ित परिवारों के साथ है।
मैं ईश्वर से घायलों के शीघ्र स्वास्थ्य लाभ की कामना करता हूँ । pic.twitter.com/X6laTOtOKP
— Jairam Thakur (@jairamthakurbjp) June 21, 2019
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Start counting your staffers now. That is the upshot of regulatory guidance issued by the government on Dec. 28, when few small-business owners noticed in the midst of the holidays and the "fiscal cliff" debate.
Small-business owners have been bracing for 2014, when a health-care law provision is scheduled to kick in, potentially subjecting them to penalties if they don't offer health insurance. Many are planning to keep the number of "full-time-equivalent" employees under 50 to avoid being subject to the provisions of the law.
But one critical detail that many business owners might not know is that the government will rely on data about the composition of their companies' workforces this year in order to determine whether a firm will be liable under that provision. That means employers need to adjust or manage the makeup of their staffs now-not in one year's time, as many of them had likely planned.
"Business owners who don't prepare will find themselves paying potentially significant penalties for 2014," says Monique Warren, partner at workplace law firm Jackson Lewis LLP in White Plains, N.Y.
"I don't think there is a high level of awareness" of the law's provisions, says Penny C. Wofford, employment law attorney at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in Greenville, S.C. "It's such a complex law and most employers don't fully understand it. But they have to get a handle on it this quarter so they have the option to make adjustments."
Under the law, only the smallest businesses will be exempt from penalties if they don't offer health insurance in 2014. This provision is commonly called the "employer mandate."
To determine the size of their firm, and whether it would be subject to the employer mandate, business owners have the choice to calculate their head counts by averaging the full 12 months of 2013 or a consecutive six-month period during the year.
If a firm falls under the employer mandate and doesn't offer health coverage to their employees or their children up to age 26, and if at least one employee receives federal insurance subsidies, the penalty is $2,000 per year for each full-time employee in excess of 30 full-time employees. There are no penalties if part-time employees aren't offered coverage.
There are other penalties if coverage is considered "unaffordable" or doesn't provide "minimum value," according to guidelines written in the law.
The basics that companies need to know:
-Employers who averaged 50 or more full-time employees or 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees during 2013 will be subject to the employer mandate.
-A full-time employee is one who is employed (work and paid leave and vacation) an average of at least 30 hours a week, or 130 hours in a month. Seasonal employees may be counted as full-time.
-A full-time equivalent refers to a combination of employees, each of whom individually is not a full-time employee. Part-time or part-time seasonal workers can be lumped together to count as full-time equivalent.
-To calculate the number of full-time equivalents in a given month, add all the hours worked, but not more than 120 hours of service for any employee, and divide the total by 120.