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One day last fall, a Taliban gunman boarded a school bus carrying Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teen who had spent years advocating for girls' education. He asked for her name, aimed at her head, and fired.
She miraculously survived and slowly recovered, and today, on her 16th birthday, Malala is scheduled to deliver a speech to the UN on the importance of education as a human right, particularly for girls.
But even as Malala delivers her message on the world stage, her cause is losing ground: Almost 50 million children around the world are being denied schooling, and the number of attacks on education is rising, according to a new report from the nonprofit Save the Children.
The group reports that there were more than 3,600 attacks on education in 2012, up from 1,600 the previous year. More than 70 percent of those were in Syria: Since the start of the war there, 3,900 schools have either been destroyed, damaged, or are being occupied for other uses, and 22 percent of the country's schools are now unusable. Other types of attacks on schooling include "killings, disappearances, abductions, forced exile, imprisonment, torture, maiming, rape and sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers."
The nonprofit offers some quotes from youngsters impacted by the violence:
"I saw that when they see a child they shoot without hesitating. In our school they aimed missiles towards us, and when the missiles hit the school it destroyed half the building...I was not at school that day, but I saw it on fire. I have seen many bodies - in the streets, thrown outside homes, and even in the river." -- Fadi, 9, Syria
Another 16-year-old described what it's like to watch your friends die in the classroom:
"Now students don't go to school, because when they did there were shells - I think they targeted the school because shells fell all across it. Students were leaving to go home in the afternoon when it started and two children died - they were both very young. When children are injured in Syria, they die. They die because there is no way to rescue them, to move them. We are surrounded. Even if we could have, there was nowhere to take them. So children died from these fragments of bombs."
Usually we hear about the Syrian conflict in terms of rebels, refugees, or chemical weapons. But Save the Children points out that before the war, Syria had almost reached universal primary and secondary enrollment. Numerous studies have linked educational achievement with a country's growth and prosperity. The news that almost one million school-age Syrian children are now prevented from learning reveals yet another tragic aspect to this war: An entire generation may never be able to gain the knowledge necessary to build a stable future for their country.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to email@example.com.


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I would like to recommend another post by Sensei Mario McKenna. Please read Karate as it was Never Meant to Be - A Defensive Art. Please read that post and then come back here.
Did you read it?
Once again, McKenna Sensei is exactly right. His quotes of Motobu Sensei illustrate his point.
I am working on the translation of an early interview of Choki Motobu (I am one of the editors, not the translator). Motobu often emphasizes that block and punch Karate will not work. You must be able to simultaneously defend and attack. It is not "1" and "2". There is only time for "1", which must serve as both defence and attack.
In many Karate schools, students are taught to block with one hand and hit with the other. Motobu Sensei would block with one hand and and hit with it too!
In fact, one of the most basic defenses is to block with a punch that also hits the attacker in the face (or other target). The two punches cannot occupy the same space. If your punch can slip the attacker's, even slightly, he will miss and you can hit him. Your punch is a block.
When Motobu Sensei's son, Chosei Motobu, visited my dojo a few years ago, he demonstrated a technique on me. He jammed my right hand with his left, blocked my left punch with his right hand, bumped my body with his right elbow, and buckled my legs with his knees/feet -- all at the same time. He explained that this type of block/attack overloads the attacker's senses, making it very difficult for him to react or counter. For a split second, the attacker does not know what to do and cannot coordinate his body. His body shudders or stutters. In that split second -- just a split second -- the defender attacks (hits, such as with an elbow).
Most skilled Karate instructors I know do not think much about blocking. Their defense is an attack.
Karate is defensive -- we do not start fights. But if someone is going to attack us, we do not have to wait to be hit before we can defend. Once we are hit, we might not be able to defend ourselves or our loved ones.
We must be able to perceive a very fine line between the formation of the attacker's intention to attack and his actual attack.
My Sensei sometimes demonstrates an uncanny ability. He will stand in front of a student and ask him to attack using either hand or foot. As soon as the student starts to move, my Sensei will point to the appropriate hand or foot. He points to the hand or foot before it can move. This shows that he could prevent or choke the attack at its root.
Charles C. Goodin
Karate -- Is It Defensive?
I would like to recommend another post by Sensei Mario McKenna. Please read Karate as it was Never Meant to Be - A Defensive Art. Please read that post and then come back here.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, January 09, 2007

subset: commoncrawl


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How Does the Movie End - Movie Endings & Movie Spoilers Review & Ratings Website
Welcome to our site - Spoiler Alert!
Ever missed the end to a film and wondered "how does the movie end"?
Then this is the website for you! We watch all the poorly-written, directed or acted movies so you don't have to!
How Does the Movie End is the definitive movie endings and movie spoilers website directory. We throw in the mix a ratings and review feature, argument-inducing "best and worst movie ending lists" ... and we like to have a bit of fun too.
We're a movie review website with a twist - we tell you the movie ending and don't hold any punches, so you can decide whether to watch it or give it a miss. Not just packed with spoiler alerts, we encourage comments from members, uploaded reviews, movie news and we even throw in special offers when we find them! You can even find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/howdoesthemovieend!
So, what are you waiting for?! This could be the start of something amazing. It might even be emotional.
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What is this crazy site about? - Movie Spoilers!
Whether you fell asleep in front of the tv, or the movie started too late and you needed to call it a night, or the in-flight movie was cut short, or you were interrupted by a noisy neighbour ... then stick around and we'll answer all those burning questions you'll have!
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Dear readers,
Dear readers,
Yes, there is a Santa Claus, and you embody him. Hundreds of you gave of your time and money to the Pocono Record's 31st annual Toys for Joy campaign, and because of your thoughtfulness and generosity, children all over Monroe County will be celebrating a warm and wonderful Christmas today.
As we do every year, we launched the campaign on the day after Thanksgiving. The first donation we featured came in the form of a $200 gift from members of the Monroe County Cruisers Car Club, who had turned their thoughts toward needy children before we even asked for contributions.
Readers responded right away. Civic clubs, bus-driver groups, bar and diner patrons, school children, widows and widowers, fond grandchildren and myriad others sent $10, $25, sometimes hundreds of dollars to our fund knowing it would buy toys and gifts for less fortunate children in our community.
We are coming out of a long recession, and as a nation we have struggled to keep our homes and to feed our families. Jobs have been scarce, prices high. But as the dark December days wound their way toward this holy day, the community came together.
Even this past, hectic weekend, readers took time from the pre-Christmas rush to give. Just look at the list of memorials! Special thanks go to our colleagues at the Pocono Record, and to the loyal patrons of the "Sni Di," who pooled a cool thousand for the children.
Today more than any other time, we realize the importance of sharing and giving. We delight in holding out a hand to care for those who are not as fortunate. We say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy holidays" to all, even people we don't know.
Thank you to all who contributed this year. The Pocono Record is very grateful for your support. Thanks to you, we can all feel confident that the 31st annual Toys for Joy campaign put smiles on the faces of hundreds of children around Monroe County.
In memory of Rod, Ron
and all loved ones $10
Brenda and Ed in memory
of Larry Strunk $20
Dakota and Daytona in loving
memory of their Uncle Timmy $25
Mikki, Katelyn, Phil, Allison, Bella
and Grace in loving memory of
their most precious blessing, Nana $25
Patti, Marv and Teddy Walton
in memory of Sally and Ted
DeSanto and Marvin Walton Sr. $25
Rich and Pat Cosgrove $25
Gail Stine in memory of
her husband, Robert Stine $25
Pam and Bill Hoy in honor of
their children and grandchildren
and in memory of their parents $50
Cherry Valley United
Methodist Women $50
Rhonda Wright in memory
of Ronald Wright $50
Anonymous $75
Cheryl Caines in memory of her husband,
Rev. Dr. H. Randolph Caines Jr., and
her mother, Vivian J. Bishop $100
Janet Hauguel in memory of Poupsie $100
Bob and Mary Ann Messler in
loving memory of John and Mary
Elisabeth Eckert and Dorcas Williams $100
Lady Hall Rebekah Lodge No. 202 $112
Laurie Samet Physical Therapy $200
Pocono Record employees $418
From the patrons and staff
at the Snydersville Diner —
Merry Christmas $1,000
Total for this year $27,166.50


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The NCAA's decision to dial back one of the penalties against Penn State for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky molestation scandal has drawn positive reaction from students and others associated with the university, who got some good news after two years of scandal.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ? The NCAA's decision to dial back one of the penalties against Penn State for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky molestation scandal has drawn positive reaction from students and others associated with the university, who got some good news after two years of scandal.
College sports' governing body announced Tuesday that it would gradually restore 20 football scholarships, saying the school has already made significant improvements to its athletics programs.
"I think it's great that the NCAA is coming down a little easier," said 22-year-old Brendan MacBride, a senior from the Philadelphia suburbs who learned of the decision on a cellphone message during a criminology class in State College. "They were too hasty to begin with."
Five scholarships will be restored next year and 15 more will be phased in until the school reaches the limit of 85 in 2016-17, a season earlier than the school had agreed to, the NCAA said.
Joseph Sinclair, 19, a Penn State student from Reading, said the decision was a return to "the way it should've been."
"They took it out on the kids," Sinclair said. "But I'm glad they're lifting them and bringing back some scholarships."
Penn State president Rodney Erickson called it particularly welcome news for student-athletes who want to attend Penn State.
"As we promised throughout this process, we are committed to improving all our policies, procedures and actions," Erickson said.
The NCAA said the unanimous decision by its executive committee was based on the recommendation of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who has been serving as Penn State's athletics integrity monitor.
"This action provides an opportunity to recognize Penn State's significant momentum, while also providing additional opportunities for student-athletes," said Wake Forest University president Nathan Hatch, chair of the NCAA's Division I board of directors, which endorsed the decision.
The penalties came amid heavy criticism of university leaders' response to complaints about Sandusky. Penn State and the NCAA agreed to the penalties by entering into a consent decree more than a year ago, shortly after Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse. They also require the school to pay a $60 million fine and serve a four-year ban on postseason play. The NCAA also eliminated 112 wins by the football program.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, whose federal anti-trust lawsuit over the penalties was thrown out by a federal judge earlier this year, said the decision showed that "the NCAA is recognizing the important changes and reforms that the university has undertaken and will continue to make moving forward."
The NCAA said it also may reduce the postseason play ban, depending on the university's future progress. Mitchell said it was premature to say which other sanctions might be changed.
"This was a positive response to positive action, and as to the future, we'll have to make judgments in the future," Mitchell told reporters in a conference call. He said the decision was particularly warranted by the actions of Erickson and other university leaders "in the face of considerable opposition within the Penn State community."
"Over time, their actions led to a circumstance where it became clear to me that their response was positive in the face of difficult circumstances," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he recommended the restoration of scholarships, but the specific elements were decided by the NCAA and Big Ten Conference.
"It is the mechanism most directly targeted to students, student-athletes," Mitchell said. "I felt it was an appropriate place to provide the relief."
Earlier this month, Mitchell issued a report on the first year of his service as monitor, crediting Penn State for notable progress that included implementation of 119 recommendations made last summer by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who directed the school's investigation into the scandal.
The family of former coach Joe Paterno issued a statement calling the decision welcome news. Paterno died from lung cancer in January 2012, weeks after the arrest of Sandusky on abuse charges and two administrators on allegations of a criminal cover-up. A lawsuit by his surviving family members and others against the NCAA is pending in county court near State College.
Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys, including incidents inside Penn State athletics facilities. A state appeals court recently heard oral argument in his quest for a new trial.
The Nittany Lions are 3-1 and do not play this week. In response to the NCAA announcement, coach Bill O'Brien said his staff was pleased for the players, who, he said, have "proven themselves to be a resilient group of young men who are able to look ahead, focus and overcome adversity."


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Plate 382
Masked Dancers In Canoe Qagyuhl (b) c. 1914
Holland Van Gelder
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Our program provides students with an understanding of social life that recognizes the complex relationship and dynamic interplay between society and its members. One of our primary goals is to help students cultivate the sociological perspective as a type of critical thinking and informed analysis. The course of study equips students with the means to understand the nature of complexity that characterizes our global world so that they become more informed, engaged, and contributing members of civil society. The education that Merrimack's sociology majors receive makes for a more enlightened person who will be well prepared for either a wide variety of employment opportunities or the pursuit of graduate education.
Students are urged to discuss their career goals and aspirations with their advisers early in their academic experience at Merrimack College so that timely and adequate planning can be made to guide students in the appropriate direction to realize their career goals. An important part of advisement is for the student and faculty adviser to work together toward the design of an academic course of study that prepares the student to take advantage of the specific avenue of opportunity in which the student is interested.
Because of its focus on group behavior and social justice, sociology majors who seek employment opportunities following graduation from Merrimack College are strong candidates for positions in human service organizations, government, or business. Visit our alumni page to find out where some of our recent graduates are working. A quick perusal of the employment page of any major newspaper finds an array of positions that sociology majors are qualified to fill, such as: research assistant, resident service coordinator, program coordinator, youth worker, training associate, case manager, operations assistant, property manager, customer service representative, sales support associate, or sales manager trainee.
Graduate Studies
Our program also prepares students to pursue a graduate education in sociology and in a variety of other related professions such as social work, law, criminal justice, public administration, public health, human services, human resources, journalism, and business.
Students who are interested in applying to graduate school are encouraged to discuss this interest with their adviser or the department chair, and to seek guidance and advice from faculty members in the department.
Admission to graduate programs typically requires that applicants earn a high grade point average (GPA), take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), write a personal statement, and provide letters of recommendation. When asking faculty members to write letters of recommendation, it is necessary that the faculty member knows information about the student both academically and personally. Therefore, when asking for letters of recommendation, it is helpful to provide the faculty member with the following:
- A current resume
- A copy of your transcript
- Names and dates of courses you took with the professor writing the recommendation
- Any other pertinent information
Students interested in attending graduate school are urged to visit the Department of Sociology's bulletin board outside Sullivan 303 and the websites of graduate programs that interest them in order to learn the admission requirements, the faculty's interests, and other pertinent information. Students are also encouraged to discuss their interests with either the department chair or their adviser.
Department Chair
Sullivan Hall 303A
Administrative Assistant
Sullivan Hall 303


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Do I need a bio? I have stepnophobia if that counts.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
"The 1911 was the design given by God to us through John M. Browning that represents the epitome of what a killing tool needs to be. It was true in 1911 and is true now."


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Cultural Heritage
Cultural Heritage resources include historic buildings and heritage districts, as well as cultural landscapes and archaeological remnants that are valued for the important contribution they make to our understanding of the history of a place, an event, or a person or people.
The Sarnia Heritage Committee is an appointed committee of Council that acts to advise and assist City Council with the protection of cultural heritage and archaeological resources, publish information and undertake public awareness programs.
Sarnia Heritage Buildings & Sites - Downtown Sarnia Walking Tour
Official Plan Cultural Heritage Strategy
Register of Cultural Heritage Resources
Designated Heritage Properties
Heritage Tax Rebate Program
Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment Terms of Reference
This page was reviewed or revised on Monday, February 13, 2017 11:33 AM


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Walgreens reaches out to benefit consultants on healthcare value
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday directly appealed to benefit consultants with a letter apprising them of the chain's withdrawal from Express Scripts' pharmacy provider network, effective Jan. 1, 2012, and educating those consultants of the healthcare value that Walgreens still can deliver without Express Scripts.
The letter also makes a direct appeal to plan sponsors whose pharmacy benefit manager contracts soon will come up for renewal to either "select a PBM that includes Walgreens' more than 7,700 pharmacies in their networks," or perhaps consider "direct arrangements with plans currently using Express Scripts, to the extent permitted by their contracts." The letter, a copy of which has been obtained by Drug Store News, included "a template agreement that can be used to implement such direct arrangements where permitted," for consideration.
"We … wanted to remind you of the significant value Walgreens provides to plan sponsors and their members, as they consider their pharmacy benefit decisions," Kermit Crawford, Walgreens president of pharmacy, health and wellness, wrote in the letter.
According to the letter, this includes:
Better generic performance. Walgreens helped Express Scripts clients drive greater penetration of generics — 73.9% during 2010 — which is 140 basis points better than the average of the Express Scripts retail network excluding Walgreens, based on Express Scripts' own data. Walgreens consistently performs better in quickly driving generic utilization, reaching 80% generic utilization on new molecules more than four months faster on average than the industry average. This better generic performance translates to average savings of more than $2 per script, or $12 to $16 per member per year, which can save millions of dollars for plan sponsors in avoiding unnecessary branded drug costs;
More convenience and access. Walgreens offers the most retail pharmacies of any chain, including the most with 24-hour access, as well as drive-through pharmacies and a fully integrated online pharmacy with "scan your refill" options at all times and locations, and online pharmacy chat lines available to patients. Convenience and access translates into savings for plan sponsors by avoiding unnecessary emergency room and other hospital costs;
Competitive unit prices. Walgreens has highly competitive unit prices validated by external benchmarks. In fact, during the company's recent acquisition of Duane Reade it found Walgreens offered significantly better unit prices;
Savings from chronic medication management. Walgreens offers superior programs that can help reduce not just pharmacy costs, but also medical costs, which is where the majority of the cost-savings opportunities exist. The Walgreens "Retail 90" program results in a 15 percentage point improvement in adherence to medications. In fact, Walgreens has the highest penetration of 90-day supply in the industry, at more than 20% of its adjusted scripts, whereas many pharmacies do not even have a 90-day offering. 90-day retail results in lower costs and savings for plan sponsors, often at unit rates that end up costing plan sponsors less than mail programs. Walgreens find these cost savings programs are often not adequately promoted by Express Scripts to plan sponsors; and
Broader healthcare value. Walgreens has the largest in-store immunization program, with more than 26,000 pharmacists who are certified immunizers. In fact, Walgreens is the second-largest provider of flu shots in the country, second only to the U.S. government. Walgreens also has more than 700 Take Care Clinics and worksite health-and-wellness centers providing easy, affordable access to health care. Many of these are in communities that are medically underserved.
"Plan sponsors whose pharmacy benefit management contracts are currently up for renewal may wish to select a PBM that includes Walgreens' over 7,700 pharmacies in their networks," Crawford added. "We also would be pleased to discuss direct arrangements with plans currently using Express Scripts, to the extent permitted by their contracts. We have attached for your consideration a template agreement that can be used to implement such direct arrangements where permitted."
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Robert Quevillon
Assistant Vice President of Corporate Security, Laurentian Bank
How the big picture helps fight financial crime
Laurentian Bank pulls together data to combat fraud and money laundering
Financial crime costs Canadian financial institutions more than $1 billion a year. And while banks' analytic systems are often very effective at detecting and shutting down suspicious transactions through a single channel, patterns of criminal activity are often very sophisticated and involve more than one channel, account or identity. With myriad touch points, including: transactional accounts, credit card accounts, mortgages and other financial instruments, along with falsified addresses, phone numbers and other identification information, making connections between the players and their games very complex.
Laurentian Bank of Canada, which manages more than $33 billion in balance sheet assets and has 3,800 employees, is redefining the standards for managing suspicious banking activity using SAS to pull together the "big picture" of networks of fraudulent transactions and the identities associated with them. Laurentain Bank is using SAS® Anti-Money Laundering and SAS® Detection and Investigation for Banking to identify potential fraud and money laundering more quickly and effectively.
Cross-referencing across several cases and identities tells you you're dealing with a criminal network.
Robert Quevillon
Achieving a comprehensive view of fraud
Combining SAS Detection and Investigation for Banking into the mix provided the bank with the ability to uncover unknown relationships amongst its customers, accounts and businesses through the use of link analysis technology upon bank data. This solution enabled the visualization of the relationships identified between entities, uncovering unknown relationships while helping to identify the use of synthetic IDs that may use a common piece of identifying information – a popular tool for the analysis of the card application process to better understand and confirm the identity and creditworthiness of the applicant.
"SAS Detection and Investigation for Banking allowed us to move from a transaction and product view of fraud risk to a complete view of fraud risk at the customer level," affirmed Isabel Rainville, Senior Manager of Fraud Prevention for Laurentian Bank.
Before the bank deployed SAS' crime fighting solutions, it used a case management system developed in-house, referred to as GDI. While this system was effective in its own way, it had limitations, particularly with respect to associating identities and cases. For example, if a subject's identity had multiple phone numbers, addresses or other identifying information, separate subjects had to be created for each instance. And subjects could only be associated with a single case; new subjects had to be manually created, with all that duplicate information, for each case the subject was associated with.
With SAS, a single unique subject can have multiple addresses, phone numbers, spellings of names and so on, folded into a single identity. And that identity can be associated, in a variety of roles – subject, victim or witness – across the various cases or incidents that are relevant. "Cross-referencing across several cases and identities tells you you're dealing with a criminal network," says Robert Quevillon, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Security for Laurentian Bank.
By unifying that data, analysts can view in a single window the relationships between subjects and cases. But the unprecedented marriage of the three solutions was challenging. SAS and Laurentian Bank worked hand-in-hand to bring the components together, creating a blueprint for other companies in the financial services sector.
A year into the project, measuring the return on investment is easier on the fraud side of the house than when dealing with money laundering crimes. Fraudulent traffic can be detected in near-real time – but by its very nature, money laundering can only be detected after the fact. "We're not real-time," says Celine Demers, Manager of Anti-Money Laundering Solutions at Laurentian Bank. But by getting suspicious transaction reports and unusual transaction reports – whether they're automatically generated or flagged by bank staff – into SAS faster, analysts can make the call on whether an account should be shut down faster. Such decisions took six to eight days using the previous system. Now they're made in about two hours, limiting the bank's exposure.
The efficiencies have bred more productivity for Laurentian Bank's financial crimes crew. Because of the bank's increased effectiveness at spotting irregular transactions, "the numbers are not staying still. They're going up," Quevillon says. More staff must be assigned to handle the increased volume of cases.
Combating fraud and money laundering.
- Visualize relationships between entities and uncover unknown relationships while helping to identify the use of synthetic IDs.
- Move from a transaction and product view of fraud risk to a view at the customer level.
- Spot criminal networks by cross-referencing across several cases and identities.
- Detect fraudulent transactions in near-real time.


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- Hierophant
- Location: St. Petersburg
- Join Date: 10/2/2011
- Posts: 1,018
- Member Details
Well here it is, a round up of articles and opinions from the news taken from the headlines right here at Diablofans. This project is a merger of my typical patch notes coverage as well as some thoughts on the Ask the Devs answers. In the video you will also find side by side comparisons of some areas with the new monster density from live to 1.0.8
I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave feedback here, on YouTube, or on the Email account listed. If you do find it at all interesting or entertaining, please don't forget to give it a thumbs up to help it get noticed, that's always appreciated.
EDIT/Update: I'm hoping this is well recieved and really want to stress I'll be looking at feedback. This one took a very long time to produce due to the large amounts of video streams and editing that took place. It even took my video software 4 hours to encode it. It was a massive piece of work, but I think it paid off.
Here's the video description which indexes the entire video with time stamps:
Diablo Digest - Patch 1.0.8 PTR and Ask the Devs Answers (Parts 1+2)
Trying something a little different this time, merging my typical patch note discussion with the new Diablo Digest format. Please let me know what you think of this format, any feedback is appreciated for as this is still a very new segment.
All news articles obtained from http://www.diablofans.com
*Item Drop changes not occurring in 1.0.8 (1:38)
*Jay Wilson admits the Auction House "really hurt" the game (2:40)
*Making Shields viable again (10:11)
*Wrath of the Berserker and Archon changes (14:04)
*Ask the Devs Part 1 (16:55)
*Legendaries getting Level 63 stats (17:24)
*All Legendaries can drop in inferno (yes, with 63 stats) (18:12)
*Controlling item stats by allowing users to change them (19:37)
*Creating items with fixed affixes, items having a guaranteed stat (21:33)
*Adding sockets to items (29:41)
*New craftable items in the future? (30:24)
*Reduced drops affecting crafting (30:43)
*Ask the Devs part 2 (31:05)
*Class specific items being guaranteed stats (31:05)
*Best in Slot items (32:42)
*Should white items be more useful? (35:28)
*Plans for Magic Find, removing it from gear? (36:10)
*Weapon types having a unique stat or bonus (38:03)
*Black weapons more powerful than other weapons (41:16)
*Possibility of crit damage being reduced? (41:47)
*One time quest rewards (42:20)
*Monster Density, a better feel for earlier acts (43:10)
*Identify all through Deckard Cain or the Book of Cain (44:58)
*PTR 1.0.8 Patch notes and updates to the PTR as of April 23rd (45:34)
*The new Magic Find cap due to multiplicative bonuses: 680% (47:30)
*Pings on the map when fighting elites and Treasure Goblins (49:00)
*The new public game system: Tags (50:12)
*Public conversations, a guild chat substitute (51:23)
*Party Guide!! Why oh why? (52:30)
*Crafting updates! Multiple items and stashed items used in crafting (55:00)
*Experience for quests turned back on in Inferno (55:58)
*Number of Buffs and Debuffs shown at once increased (56:20)
*Buffs to channeled skills (57:14)
*Keywarden changes: Inferno only, Nekarat drops random keys (1:04:18)
*Buffs to healing skills (1:06:06)
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Welcome to the CRG Discussion Forum!Forum registration problems: Make sure you enter your email correctly and you check your spam box first. *Then* email KurtS2@gmail for help.Classified ads are not allowed on the forum.
Has anyone matched the orig color on the DELCO Script and the Caps ? I'm going to paint the text and caps on my repo battery to look like the original and would like to get a color match if anyone has this available? Thanks a lot Lloyd (Edgemont) for giving me extra work to do!!
yes, correct - I need the color match for the yellow and the red - 2 cars to do! ok, ill ask Lloyd - thanks for the reply
Im thinking of getting a stencil made so that u can overlay it and spray it on with adhesion promotor so it will stick and last. I need to check to see if the DELCO lettering is the same on all the batteries that we are doing - If you want to send to me your exact height and length of the wording and a pic, ill check with my other ones and see if I can get the stencils made up.You can email me at email@example.com
I'm confused but been there before I did not remember any original Y55 batteries back in the day with the Delco painted yellow and the NOS one I have (yea, it's a later service replacement) needed to have the caps painted yellow which I completed. I checked my archives and found this picture Jerry had posted from the GM archives showing a 68 Z/28 from the factory. It shows no yellow Delco script. Not saying it's wrong but what are we using as a base that is the way they came from the factory?
If that pic is org achieves, look at the heat riser position....there has been much discussion on this from the point of what is the correct position.


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Brussels, June 21, 2011
New name for the future EU funding programme for research and innovation
Statement by Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn on the outcome of the competition to name the future EU funding programme for research and innovation
I am very pleased to announce that "Horizon 2020" is the winner of our "You Name it" online vote to name the future EU-funding programme for research and innovation.
Three names were shortlisted. Horizon 2020 received 3 055 votes against 2 785 for Imagine 2020 and 2 478 for Discover 2020. 8 318 votes were received.
The full name that I shall be putting forward towards the end of this year as part of the legislative proposal for the new programme will therefore be: "Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation".
I congratulate the competition winners Marcela Endlova, a teacher from the Czech Republic, and Beata Zyngier, also a teacher, from Poland – who both suggested the name - and look forward to meeting both of them at the European Innovation Convention in December.
I was already very clear publicly in my first few weeks in this job that I was interested in having a new name for the Framework Programme.
I wanted the decision to be made in a democratic rather than a technocratic way.
I am delighted at the response and the interest this exercise has generated. We received over 1 600 suggestions for names. I warmly thank the jury and all those who took part.
The new name marks another step in our endeavour to establish research and innovation where it belongs, at the centre of EU policy making.
To achieve that in a lasting way, we need to connect with a wider public and give our work a higher profile.
So the new name is an important symbol of a new departure and a new adventure.
Horizon 2020 is not just a new name for the same Framework Programme.
It is the name for the new, integrated funding system that will cover all research and innovation funding currently provided through the Framework Programme for Research and Technical Development, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). These different types of funding will be brought together in a coherent and flexible manner.
This will be a smarter way to support researchers and innovators in Europe – so as to further boost excellence and to help ensure that good ideas reach the market and generate sustainable economic growth and new jobs. Research and innovation funding will focus more clearly on addressing global challenges. Needless red tape will be cut out and participation made simpler.
However, there is also, in the longer title, a certain continuity. We will not lose sight of the fact that the Framework Programmes have been a big success and that there has been much to be proud of. We are not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Europe is currently facing very serious economic challenges. But there are reasons for optimism. High on that list is the enormous and still largely untapped research and innovation capacity that we have in Europe.
So it is fitting that the new programme should have a name with an optimistic ring that evokes vision, new possibilities and an ambitious view of what EU-funded research and innovation can achieve.
Because it is only at an EU level that we can mobilise sufficient resources to tackle societal challenges.
Only through EU funding can we help our researchers and innovators to join forces and work together across national borders.
And only the EU can organise continent-wide competition to stimulate our researchers towards greater excellence.
The "You Name It" competition was launched on 28 March (see IP/11/1371) and was linked to the stakeholder consultation on the Commission's Green Paper on the new research and innovation funding framework for the period post-2013 (see IP/11/138, MEMO/11/76).
The year "2020" was added to the names to show clearly that the future funding system will be designed to support the research and innovation objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. The words: "Framework Programme for Research and Innovation" are included to show an element of continuity with the past.
The winners receive a trip to the European Innovation Convention, which will take place in Brussels at the end of this year and will have the opportunity to meet Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and other leading political, scientific and business figures.
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Those who find legislation boring haven't been paying attention to Sacramento this year. Bills kicking around the state Capitol cover some of Californians' favorite things and hottest topics: movies, soda, football, pornography, guns, crime, plastic bags and political scandal.
Most of the headline-making bills have been passed by the state Senate or Assembly and need approval by the other house before going to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature or veto. Here are some of the ones to watch and how Southern California lawmakers should see them.
• Film tax credits: California's response to other states' rich incentives for movie and TV producers passed the Assembly late last month. AB 1839, by Democratic Assemblymen Mike Gatto of Silver Lake and Raul Bocanegra of Pacoima, would raise the $100 million annual cap on incentives, although the mount of the increase still isn't specified, and would expand the program to include some TV shows and big-budget movies that are currently excluded. This would be an important step in trying to keep entertainment-industry revenue and jobs in the region that most depends on them.
• Porn condoms: It's ironic that many legislators who support film-TV tax credits, to bolster the local entertainment industry, also support requiring the use of condoms in adult movies produced in the state, which would drive a source of production jobs out of California. AB 1576, by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton, mimics the condom law passed by Los Angeles County voters in 2012 because of exaggerated public-health concerns, and likely would do similar economic damage. The Assembly gave the bill just enough votes to advance; the Senate should stop it.
• Soda health warnings: This bill wouldn't stop Californians from consuming all the soda they want. But it would help to inform them about the consequences, perhaps giving them pause. Drinks with 75 or more calories per 12-ounce serving, many of which people may not realize are unhealthful, would have to carry a label warning: "Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay." Sugar in liquid form is ingested faster, and thus is more dangerous, than sugar in solid food. SB 1000 has passed the Senate and should be approved by the Assembly.
• Football concussions: One way to reduce brain-injury risks for middle- and high-school football players is to limit full-contact practice time. AB 2127, which has passed the Assembly, would do that. It's not a wimpy idea. Nineteen other states have similar laws, and football hotbed Texas' is more restrictive.
• Guns: Two bills would help to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of dangerous people. AB 1014, co-sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Das Williams, an Isla Vista native, would allow police to seek restraining orders prohibiting possession of guns by people said by relatives or friends to be a danger. SB 53, by Sen. Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, would increase background checks and licenses before ammunition sales.
• Campus crime: Responding to allegations that sexual assaults at Occidental College and USC have been underreported, Gatto's AB 1433 would require colleges to report violent and hate crimes to local police if victims agree. The bill passed the Assembly unanimously and should be approved by the Senate.
• Plastic bags: The controversial SB 270, by Southern California Democrats de Leon, Alex Padilla and Ricardo Lara, would extend statewide the phase-out of single-use plastic shopping bags that is in place in many of the region's cities. Business groups are signing on, seeing the virtue of the bill's incentives for manufacturers to retool and retrain workers to make reusable bags. Hopefully, this is a sign of momentum for the environment-friendly bill.
• Ethics: Even with the corruption charges against colleagues Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, and Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, fresh in their minds, state senators have passed only a watered-down package of ethics reforms. Rejected was a bill, Padilla's SB 1101, that would bar lawmakers from political fundraising in the last 100 days of the legislative session. Padilla should keep trying with this effort to mute the influence of special-interest money.


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Regis Philbin reportedly in talks with CBS
The success of "A Chef's Life" on PBS has thrust Lenoir County into the national spotlight. In recent weeks, television producers have been scouring Kinston and the surrounding areas for the next small screen sensation.
PBS President/CEO Paul Kroger says viewers are currently enamored with all things southern.
"I'd never heard of collards before 'A Chef's Life'", Kroger said. "I used to think they were the part of a shirt that needed the most starch. Nowadays I sprinkle them on my Cheerios every morning."
Although producers and talent scouts from PBS usually arrive with little to no fanfare, Pink Hill resident Barbara W. Davis knew something was up.
A few weeks back I spotted two Volvos in town on the same day," Davis said. "Also, a scholarly looking fellow with a beard and glasses asked me if there were any good vegetarian barbecue restaurants in town. All I could do was put my hand on my mace and back away slowly."
Several occupations were considered as the subject of a proposed new PBS series.
"We considered law enforcement, firefighting, farming and teaching, but there are already dozens of great documentaries on all of those subjects," Kroger said. "We asked ourselves, 'Which profession had yet to be given the serialized documentary treatment?' The answer: Roofers."
Kroger admits "A Roofer's Life" is a pet project of his.
"My uncle was a builder, and one summer I was employed by him as a roofer," Kroger said. "Sure, when we broke for lunch that first day I ran away from home and even now can't be in the same room with a hammer, but I have loads of respect for people who are tough enough to do that kind of work."
Set to begin airing in the summer of 2014, "A Roofer's Life" will follow the exploits of La Grange roofer Will Munson.
"To be honest, when the producers introduced themselves to me on a construction site this summer I thought I was being recruited for an adult film," Munson said. "They kept asking me if I was good at hammering a nail, so you can see why I was initially concerned."
Munson has been a roofer for Bluthe Construction since 1997. During his years on the job, Munson estimates he has shingled over 1,000 houses and consumed as many honey buns.
"One of the benefits of roofing is that it keeps you in shape," Munson said. "My brother jogs five miles a day and eats tofu, yet he's still the size of an army barrack. Conversely, I've eaten fried chicken for lunch every day for 13 years and I'm built like an Adonis. Man, aside from my right arm being twice the size as my left arm, roofing is awesome."
The first episode of "A Roofer's Life" begins with Munson turning off his alarm at 5 a.m. and follows him throughout a grueling day on the job. The dangers of the job give the producers plenty of drama, but an early story arc details how Munson's father helped him overcome a fear of heights.
"My dad must have thrown me off the roof at least a dozen times, but living in a two-story house really sped up my recovery," Munson said. "I know immersion therapy is controversial, but it worked for me. Sometimes now I'll throw myself off the roof just to make the new guys soil themselves."
With "A Chef's Life" already a proven hit and "A Roofer's Life" generating a pre-season buzz, Lenoir County is now on the minds of every TV executive in the country. There are even unconfirmed reports that Regis Philbin is pitching a game show to CBS that will take place in Walmart parking lots throughout the region.
"If the show gets the green light, it'll be called �Guessing Game,� � said Les Moonvest, CEO of the CBS Corporation. "Contestants will be asked to guess which part of Philbin's body last underwent plastic surgery. The first contestant to guess correctly will be allowed to shop at their local Walmart for free for an entire month � excluding food, electronics, clothing, athletic equipment, toiletries, medicine or items from the home and garden section."
"A Roofer's Life" will air in 13 half-hour installments beginning July 14 on PBS. Check local listings for time.
Jon Dawson's column appears every Tuesday and Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or email@example.com. Purchase Jon's new book "Counterfeit Sauerkraut & The Weekend Teeth" at the Free Press office and jondawson.com.


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NEW HAVEN-BASED tapestry maker Elinor Steele has several of her creations on exhibit at the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow in Middlebury. Steele has been weaving wool for more than three decades.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell
September 24, 2007
By JOHN FLOWERS
NEW HAVEN — Elinor Steele has her feet planted in two epochs as she deftly manipulates dozens of delicate strands of wool into stunning tapestries in her New Haven studio.
The very basic upright frame loom at which she toils is a throw-back to the 1300s. But the designs that inspire her tapestry creations come from a modern-day computer.
"It's the same technique as with medieval tapestries, but with modern design," Steele says.
Several of Steele's most recent creations are now on display at the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow. Each tapestry — most of them measuring four-feet-by-four-feet — bursts with vibrant colors and geometric shapes that seem to dance around such common agrarian fixtures as barns and rolling hills.
By MEGAN JAMES
MIDDLEBURY — Every year parents of high school-aged children from all over the country call Middlebury College asking why their son or daughter can't attend the rigorous summer Language Schools program.
Vice President of the Language Schools Michael Geisler gives the same answer every time: The program is geared toward adults. It is intense, and younger students are usually not ready for that kind of intensity.
In 2008 he can give them another option.
In collaboration with the Monterey Institute of International Studies, the college recently established the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA), a summer language immersion program for pre-college students that will take place next summer at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Menlo College in Atherton, Calif., and Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.
By ANDY KIRKALDY
VERGENNES — A recently announced $70,000 federal grant should help the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes continue its recent growth by increasing outreach to and programs for local teens, said club director Mike Reiderer last week.
The grant was part of a $1.5 million national package announced on Sept. 14 by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). It also included $310,000 to Burlington's Boys & Girls Club.
Vergennes-area club officials and board members are still deciding how the grant will be put to use at its two School Street children's and teens' sites, although increasing staff hours will almost certainly be the outcome, Reiderer said.
"Most likely it will go to staffing," he said. "The purpose of the grant is to increase our service for the kids, to do more outreach, to reach more young people and to provide more programming. And the staff are the key to that. If you have good strong people who can get out there and build relationships with the kids, that's what it's all about."
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Bikers traverse busy thoroughfare in Pasig City on its second leg of the "Right-to-know Water Patrol Expedition". Organized by Greenpeace, the expedition travels 85 kilometers in three weeks during the month of September to examine and document sources of toxic pollution from Marikina River all the way to Laguna Lake. Greenpeace is urging the government to speed up the elimination of priority hazardous chemicals and establish a pollution disclosure system.
© Alanah Torralba / Greenpeace
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This is something that I have wanted to write for a while, but have not been able due to the holidays. Before I begin, some background information.
I am a former Catholic and have not told my family that I am an atheist yet. They are very set in their religious beliefs and to be honest I'm a little worried about their response when I do tell them that I don't believe anymore. I also live in a rural part of the south (US), so I am fairly lonely in my religious beliefs. But back to the topic.
I have about a 45 minute commute on a small, windy road. On this road I pass several churches all with signs out front that are often amusing to read. But today I read one which pressed my buttons. It read, "Faith is a journey, not a guilt trip." My thoughts immediately jumped back to an instance in mass over the holiday break.
As I said before I haven't told my parents of my disbelief, so I found myself in the pew at church. The one thing about mass is that it is consistent. Every week the only thing that changes are the readings and the homily. Everything else becomes subconscious, a fact that was highlighted during this mass. Apparently they have changed the responses that we are supposed to give the father. Luckily they had pamphlets to let us know what we're supposed to say. Here is, word for word, what Catholics repeat every Sunday:
Penitential Act (A)
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and what I have failed to do,
And, striking their breast, they say:
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
Then they continue:
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Penitential Act (B)
Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
People: For we have sinned against you.
Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
People: And grant us your salvation.
Invitation to Communion
Priest: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
So I ask you, is faith anything but a guilt trip?
Views: 226
Oh the irony!
If you're Catholic or Jewish...oh,such guilt there is.. Oi vay...
Contradiction in religion? I don't believe it.
But seriously, good luck to you. In my personal experience I found that people were actually much more accepting of my lack of belief than I thought they would be. Hopefully you find as much support from your friends and family as I did.
Thank you! I think I will tell my sister first, since she seems to have lost her romanticism with the church.
[I know it's sad an all but I can't help but find this comical.]
It depends on the faith. In eastern orthodoxy, it is approached a bit differently than western catholicism. Guilt isn't really as much of an issue there. Catholicism is a pretty big guilt trip though, I'll give you that.
Pentecostalism on the other hand is just a trip. It really depends.
I think it's all pretty much a guilt trip since one of the tenants is that you have to repent for sins to the omniscient being.
Guilt is certainly one of the tools used by religion to control the flock. Guilt isn't necessary for faith, but rather a complementary bludgeon. After all, the guilt has no hold on people who don't believe.
@ Connie - Wow! They had you by the neck didn't they? You were up against the wall, shoved into a corner. I know the feeling even though I do not discuss my situation in depth, on-line. Trust me, I know what it is like, that's why I am not an out atheist.
I feel for you, I really do. How awful to be driven to have to do something like that under your circumstances (what you said on your Facebook).


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I received an email from the author of The Whale People blog at http://www.thewhalepeople.com/. I thought you might like to visit it.
Like I said, to me, whales and dolphins are basically people. Here in the United States, if someone tried to do to dogs what commercial hunters do to whales and dolphins, our whole nation would be up in arms.
Charles C. Goodin
The Whale People
I received an email from the author of The Whale People blog at http://www.thewhalepeople.com/. I thought you might like to visit it.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Whales and Dolphins
This post is a bit off topic for my blog, but I know that some of my readers are interested in my general thoughts.
I have come to the point in life where I believe that whales and dolphins are basically humans and intentionally killing them for commercial reasons should be a crime. I am not commenting upon the practices of native peoples, just commercial slaughtering of these intelligent beings.
Now back to Karate!
Charles C. Goodin
Flashlight as a Weapon
My friend Jim Alexander mentioned the use of a flashlight as weapon. I know that some people purchase flashlights for this reason and also train in such use. Some flashlights come with a strobe or flashing feature that can temporarily blind an attacker.
My comments about flashlights are limited to their use for safety, basically for illumination. I do not teach their use in self defense -- but I am open to the idea.
However, I do advocate the use of anything available in self defense situations -- a folding chair, backpack, umbrella, pen... whatever is available. Please keep in mind that I view Karate as something to be used as a last resort only. In that situation, the use of improvised weapons would be appropriate.
Charles C. Goodin
One More About Flashlight
Today I went to Costco and Home Depot and both were selling very reasonably priced tactical flashlights (under $20). Please make sure that you have flashlights for your car, home, office, etc.
OK, you can actually spend some serious money on flashlights. The one I saw today at Costco came in a 3 pack and was 100 lumens. I bought two of those in the past and it seems that once you get into tactical flashlights, you keep wanting brighter and brighter ones. In my car, I have 240 lumens flashlights currently (with zoom lenses), and have just ordered a pair of 500 lumens ones.
Now I have been looking at 1000 and 1200 lumens models.
A good flashlight and a good knife are nice things to have. A good gun too (in my opinion), but I have never bought one yet.
Here's an idea -- for Christmas you can buy nice tactical flashlights for your family members and loved ones.
Charles C. Goodin
About "Flashlight"
In response to my post, Flashlight, my good friend and Shorin-Ryu instructor Jim Alexander, of Belleville, Illinois, wrote:
I know you are speaking of preparedness here...but actually a good flashlight is a great self-defense tool. I taught H2H and anti-terrorist technique to American Airlines flight crews after 9-11. And one of the few things flight crews could... have on their persons was a small flashlight to assist passengers looking for lost or misplaced items during the evening portion of long flights when cabin lights are permitted to be dimmed. I recommend the scorpion tactical light. Used in breech entries by SWAT team and cops all over. It is incredibly bright, so bright that in a dark environment ( think parking garage, alley, etc. ) it can stun an attacker into looking away and subsequent optic overload ( white of purple spots before your eyes) allowing the defender to strike back or better yet run , during the temporary blindness. It easily fits in a purse, even a small one, or pocket and has a rubberized metal housing.
PS it also makes a great striking implement when the butt is placed firmly into the closed fist and applied to the temple or base of the nose :-)
PPS...the other thing was a steel barreled ball point pen sold at Sharper Image Stores....absolutely lethal, and writes well too!
If you are sitting down in a safe place (not driving), I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are driving your car. Your hands are on the steering wheel. Now reach for your flashlight. Do you know exactly where it is? Can you readily reach it?
Is it buried in your glove compartment or somewhere in your trunk? What if it is completely dark? Could you find it? After all, you cannot use a flashlight to find it... because you are looking for your flashlight!
And how are you reading this? You are supposed to have your eyes closed! Just joking.
It is important to have a good flashlight in your car. I like the tactical versions, but any good flashlight will do. And don't forget to change the batteries once in a while.
Here in Hawaii, we are always worried about hurricanes, so we have lots of flashlights. I actually have one next to me when I sleep. In my car, I have one within easy reach and another in the trunk. Actually, I have three or four in the trunk. I don't know how many I have a home (plenty).
Karate is more than punch, kick, block -- it is also about being careful and safe, and being prepared for emergencies.
OK, you can open your eyes now.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Friday, October 22, 2010
MMA Thought
Have you ever watched a MMA (mixed martial arts) fight between a fighter in his prime (usually the famous one) and an older fighter (usually not so famous or perhaps he used to be famous)? Sometimes after nearly three, four or five hard fought rounds, the younger fighter will win and everyone will cheer! He is the winner and the other fighter is the loser -- even if there are only 10 seconds left in the final round.
When I see that, I ask myself this: "In a real fight, could the winner have knocked out the other guy in 10 seconds?" Obviously, the answer would usually be "no"-- after all, it took so many rounds for him to win. A real fight does not last that long. Some fights are over very quickly.
Some of the MMA fighters who lose fights are terrific fighters who can take tremendous punishment. I dare say that an average person, even an average martial artist, could beat on such fighters all day long and do little or no damage. They are just too strong and too skilled.
What I am saying is that real fights are usually over quickly. Some people, especially trained fighters, can take a lot of punishment. And they will not just be standing there -- they will be doing their best to beat the crap out of you.
To make matters worse (at least in my case), if you fight in an ordinary way, then size and weight matter. Since I am only 5 feet 8 inches tall, many fighters are taller and heavier than me. If I try to match them in raw power, I will almost certainly lose. And I am a grandfather too. I am probably way older than most fighters.
So what is a martial artist to do?
One day I asked my third son, who is quite strong and much taller than me, if he could take me in a fight. He started to have that certain grin indicating that he was certain that he could. But before he could answer, I added, "I have a knife and you don't". His expression instantly changed. A knife? That's a different story.
Karate is like having a knife. Karate strikes are almost surgical in their focus. The targets are very specific points.
Would this work on a trained fighter? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps it could give you the split second necessary to block an attack and escape.
But when you feel pretty good at Karate, you should watch a hard fought MMA match. It is a good reality check. Now imagine that the fighter is armed, or has friends. Yikes! Now imagine that you are attacked without any warning. That is exactly what we are training for.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Friday, October 22, 2010
Me and My Grandaughter
Here is a photo of me with my granddaughter, Madeleine. It almost looks like she is punching me in the chin, no?
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, October 14, 2010
Observation Changes the Results
Borrowing a principle from quantum physics, the mere act of observation changes the results (this is generally known as the uncertainty principle). So how does this affect a student who is demonstrating a kata in front of an audience? Does the observation by the audience change the performance of the kata?
OK, I realize that this situation is not one of quantum physics. But I think that most Karate students and instructors will agree that the audience does have an effect.
The audience will probably make new students nervous. Thus, they make mistakes and speed up their performance.
Advanced students will probably not get nervous as they will have had experience performing for an audience. But will they change the way they do things in order to get the audience's approval? Will the advanced students change their timing, the focus of their strikes, jump higher and yell louder than normal, etc.? And even if they do not do so consciously, will they do so subconsciously.
Even the dojo can be affected. After years of performances, the Sensei will know what the audience likes and what it does not like. He will know what other dojo have done. And he will probably want to do things that will get the audience's approval -- at least so that the dojo will be invited back the next time. There are also ways to perform that get more media attention.
So the observation effect is more than just a hypothetical. It is a real concern. It is something I think about a lot.
I also think this: if the crowd likes the way I perform a kata or demonstrate a technique, what does that mean? The crowd does not understand Karate. If I am seeking the approval of people who do not understand what I am doing, then what am I doing?
Performing for my Sensei or seniors is one thing, performing for people who cannot possibly understand what I am doing, how I am doing it, and why I am doing it, is quite another.
When someone says, "That was great!", I remind myself that: (1) they might not understand what I was doing; and (2) they might just be being polite. How often have you performed a kata and had a spectator say, "that was terrible, the worst ever?" Spectators are almost always polite and complimentary.
As you can probably tell, I do not like giving demonstrations. I would much rather practice and teach privately. That is just me. I realize the need for demonstrations, and I have had to coordinate some and ask my Karate friends to participate (these were for cultural/educations events). But I generally do not like to give or participate in demonstrations.
Going back the the effect of observation, there is another form of observation that can result in changes -- self-observation. When you do something and are aware of yourself doing it, and are also aware of yourself observing yourself doing it, that can change things too. In contrast to the changes caused by an audience observing you, which are generally negative, the changes resulting from your observation of yourself are generally positive. While practicing Karate, we should not only be aware of our movements, we should also be aware of our thoughts and feelings, and of ourselves observing these. That is not a bad idea for daily life either.
Be aware of yourself.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Demonstration Advice -- Don't Rush
Today I got to watch a Karate demonstration. Normally, I am conducting the demonstration or being the emcee, so I cannot actually watch the performances. But today I had the luxury of being a guest.
Here is my advice. I think it applies to anyone performing a kata anywhere.
Don't rush.
I know that it sounds like simple advice. I am serious -- don't rush.
It is good to punch, block, or kick fast. It is not good to rush from one position to the next. It is not good to punch before you are set or move on before your strike has focused.
There is nothing good about finishing a kata quickly. It is not a race. What counts is performing each movement properly. A properly performed kata has a composed pace.
Don't get me wrong. I know that everything moves at a different pace when you are in front of an audience, particularly if you are nervous. It can seem like time slows down. But knowing that, it is important to move with proper timing.
Don't rush.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Sunday, October 10, 2010
Passai Night
At training last night, my second and third sons attended, as did another adult yudansha (black belt holder). Because the class was small, I got to spend the entire class working with the yudansha on the Passai kata (my sons taught the other students).
What a pleasure!
I honestly feel that Passai is the most beautiful kata in our curriculum. We practice the Tomari version of Passai. I have learned about three slightly different versions of the kata -- all beautiful.
If I could only practice three kata, I am sure that Passai would be one, Naihanchi Shodan would be another, and the third would either be Chinto, Kusanku, or Fukyugata Ichi... I'm not too sure about that third kata. But Passai would be one of the kata for sure.
When I practice a kata, I ask myself what the creator of the kata was thinking -- what was he trying to preserve and teach. I did the same thing in school. Instead of just answering the questions on tests, I asked myself what the tester was thinking -- what was it that he wanted the students to know and thus answer.
What was the creator of Passai (at least our Tomari Passai) thinking? What did he want to preserved. What techniques did he want the students to know? How did he want the students to move? What was his sense of direction and changing directions? What was his muti-level approach (usually at least three levels of applications for each movement)? What was his approach to transitions?
Here is my answer to these questions -- the creator of Passai was "way out there", way beyond my level in Karate. He was a real artist! Practicing Passai is like catching glimpses of genius. Even if we cannot perform the kata correctly, just trying makes us better.
Think about the kata. If you could, would you change even one movement? Would you change the techniques or change the order of the techniques? Does anything feel out of place? To me, the kata is perfect. I would not change anything.
Our own Kishaba Juku approach to the kata, and all kata for that matter, is for each movement to be core (koshi) driven. To perform the whole kata in this manner is a challenging thing of beauty.
And this may be a strange thing to say -- I feel happy when I perform Passai. I always have. It does not feel dark or heavy. Chinto does not make me feel happy -- that kata makes me wince. Naihanchi does not make me feel happy -- that kata makes me feel rooted and powerful (like a metal whip). Fukyugata Ichi does not make me feel happy -- it makes me feel precise (like origami). Kusanku does not make me feel happy -- it makes me feel like I am on a tour (going here and there). But Passai makes me feel happy.
So being able to work on Passai all last night was a real pleasure! I'm still happy.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, October 07, 2010
My Granddaughter is 1 Year Old Today!
My granddaughter, Madeleine, became one year old today! She is the daughter of my eldest son, Christopher, and his wife, Michelle, who live right next door.
I cannot adequately put into words how happy I am to be a grandfather. It is both a joy and a responsibility -- just like teaching Karate.
Some people have asked when I will start teaching my granddaughter Karate. Actually, I think I would like for her to learn how to properly fall first. I have started that, a little. As for Karate training, I think maybe I will wait until she is 5.
But martial arts training will definitely be a part of her life. My son, Chris, was very active in Kendo. Maybe Maddy will practice Kendo too.
We'll see!
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, October 07, 2010
We Need to Be Better!
This is a story.
The head sensei of a very large and successful dojo called all the instructors together. "Our students need to be better! I want each of you to give me your recommendations."
The first instructors said, "We need to teach more hours."
"But we already teach 7 days each week all day and all night," replied the head sensei.
The second instructor said, "We need better facilities."
"But we already have the best dojo facilities in the entire country," replied the head sensei.
The third instructor said, "We need more kata to teach."
"But we already teach 150 kata gathered from the best Karate systems," replied the head sensei.
The fourth instructor said, "We need more trophies in our frontage windows."
"But we already put on tournaments every two months and have trophies up to the ceiling," replied the head sensei.
Finally, the fifth instructor, who was also the dojo's lawyer gave his suggestion, "We need to redefine better."
"What do you mean?", ask the head sensei.
"We need to redefine what it means to be 'better.' I suggest that we promote all the students by one rank and then charge them higher tuition. We promote them to make them feel better and we charge them more because they are better."
The first four instructors started to protest but the head sensei said, "Wait, let's think about this."
No, let's not. If you want to get better you just need to train (regularly, intensely, and with attention paid to details). Training and refinement are the keys to improvement, not tricks.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, October 04, 2010
Beginner Kata
One of the problems caused by systematizing a style of Karate is deciding what is beginning, intermediate and advanced. Even these categories present problems in and of themselves. If you look at a sphere spinning in many directions, where is the top, middle and bottom?
But it is common for the kata curriculum of a style to be divided by rank. A 5th kyu might learn a certain kata, a 4th kyu another kata, and so on. The most advanced kata might be reserved for a certain dan level. If a system has 18 kata, these are split up and assigned by rank. The same applies for a system with 60 kata. So the number of kata a student would be expected to learn depends on the system, and the assignments made by the Sensei.
Let me ask you this -- if one system has 18 kata, and another system has 60 kata, when students in both systems learn a total of 18 kata, should they be at equal levels? Of course not! In an 18 kata system, a student might not learn the 18th kata until he is a sandan (3rd degree black belt). In a 60 kata system, a student might learn 18 kata (or even more) while still in the kyu ranks.
So are the kata equivalent? Is the value of each kata the same? It all depends on how you teach them.
One of the things I do not like to hear is when a student refers to a certain kata as being for "beginners." This is probably because the student learned that kata when he was a beginner. But that certainly does not mean that the kata is only for beginners. It is a dismissive comment.
Take Naihanchi Shodan. Students usually learn this kata fairly early in their training. In our dojo, it is the first kata that a student learns. But that does not mean that it is a beginner's kata. Naihanchi is practiced by all students in our dojo, irrespective of their level. It is a kata for all levels.
A beginner should do Naihanchi Shodan like a beginner, an intermediate level student should do the kata like an intermediate level student, and an advanced student should do the kata like an advanced student. How the student does the kata depends on the student's level.
It is kind of like a musical instrument. You could have three people play the same violin and it will probably sound entirely different. It all depends on the level of the musician.
In Karate, it all depends on the level of the student.
With kata, it is important for students to understand that their level when they learn a kata does not mean that the kata is for that level only. The timing is just part of the approach followed in the dojo. There are no beginning, intermediate, and advanced kata -- there are just beginning, intermediate, and advanced students.
It is truly awesome to see someone perform Naihanchi Shodan with strength, speed, focus, timing, power, and composure. A student will never learn to do this if he views the kata as being only for "beginners." He will probably want to move on and perform an "advanced" kata.
In the old days, the emphasis was not on learning many kata. In fact, a student who went around learning many kata was looked down upon -- because he was learning many kata rather than perfecting even one. One good kata is better than a hundred poor ones.
If you can do one kata well, you can easily learn to do 100 kata well. But if you cannot do one kata well, then you are wasting your time with 99 more! You don't learn Karate by learning new kata -- you learn Karate by working on the details of the kata you already know (or already think you knew).
And that is the problem in too many dojo today. As soon as a student learns a kata and can basically "do" it, he is rushed on to the next kata -- probably so that he can test for his next rank. There is no rush. There is no reason to associate kata with rank, except in a general sense. The emphasis should always be on learning each kata properly.
As you improve in one kata, you improve in all the other kata you know. It is a cumulative process. When you finally reach the most advanced kata in your system, it is then that you might begin to appreciate the first kata you learned.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, October 04, 2010
Promoted and Crying
This is a story.
At a gathering of all the students in a particular style, the head Sensei called everyone to attention and announced that Sam was being promoted to 8th dan and awarded the title of Kyoshi. Sam's eyes welled up with tears and he began to sob.
"I know it is great honor," said the Sensei.
"That's not it," said Sam.
"I know that you do not feel worthy," said the Sensei.
"That's not it," said Sam.
"I know that you feel it is a great responsibility," said the Sensei.
"That's not it," said Sam.
"Well I don't understand," said the Sensei. "Why are you crying?"
"I can't afford it!" cried Sam.
The way I look at it, the student has paid for his rank and title by his hard work and the attainment of skill.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, October 02, 2010


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- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Cream filling
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 1
- 1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
- 1
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 18 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1
- Additional powdered sugar
Recipe Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms with parchment paper round; butter parchment. Place chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth.
Whisk all purpose flour and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl to blend (mixture will be crumbly). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in warm melted chocolate. Mix in dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with buttermilk in 1 addition. Divide batter among prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack; peel off parchment. Cool cakes completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes in plastic and store at room temperature.
cream filling
Place 2 tablespoons cold water in small bowl. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over; let stand 10 minutes to soften.
Bring 1/2 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Add hot cream mixture to softened gelatin; stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator just until cold, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
Place remaining 1 cup chilled cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until peaks form. Add gelatin mixture and beat until peaks form.
Place 1 cake on 8-inch cardboard round or tart pan bottom. Spread half of filling over. Top with second cake. Spread remaining filling over. Top with third cake. Chill on cardboard round 3 hours.
Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool.
Place cake on rack set in large rimmed baking sheet. Spread half of ganache over top and sides of cake. Chill cake 1 hour. Rewarm remaining ganache in small saucepan over low heat just until lukewarm, whisking often. Pour ganache over cold cake, spreading as needed to cover top and sides. Chill until ganache is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Cut out paper heart shapes of differing sizes and arrange atop cake. Sift powdered sugar over. Carefully lift hearts from cake. Serve immediately.


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Could Upton's Refusal to Long Term Deal be his Downfall
Even before the Tampa Bay Rays were bought and their brand re-invented by Stuart Sternberg, the Vince Namoli ownership group tried to convince their young " shortstop of the future" to a long term deal…..He declined.
After his subsequent removal from the then D-Rays Shortstop carousel, he found himself subsequently hopping around the team's infield like a rabbit at Target Field, but still he was adamant about dodging a long term deal with the new ownership. Some thought he was being arrogant, some thought he was selfish, in the end, he is still doing only 1-year deals with the Rays.
Finally Sternberg and Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman tried over the last 2 Winters to get this stalwart star to finally commit to possibly signing a deal for longer than one season. Even at this stressful juncture with the Trade Deadline looming like a vulture, there are hints that the Rays still want to venture into possible long term deal.
So far all they are hearing is a deafening silence from Upton's camp.
Could this be another legitimate reason the Rays are now positioning CF B J Upton on their top shelf of players available for trade chats? Could Upton's long standing refusal to stall or put off any long term discussion past the first refusal. Sure Upton has been known to be sometimes surly and gruff to American League Umpire spats, but inside the Rays Clubhouse and speaking with team officials, he has been nothing sort of cordial..
Legitimately you want a budding star to give you some financial security along with the thought of no service interruptions via a team-friendly long term deal. In Upton's case, discussions have been held with his agent, but nothing have materialized past the initial talking stage. Pity, a more contract secure Upton could relax until Sunday while the 1-year deals will have him guessing all the way to the end now.
Must be frustrating for Sternberg and Friedman to know just as Upton is beginning to finally mature on the field and show that true potential we have been basically begging for for years, he might be dealt because Upton might have ultimately priced himself out of the Rays equation. But the same could have been said for Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena in 2010 as they entered their "walk " seasons, but they ended up staying with the ball club and helping the Rays to their second A L East title in 3 seasons before departing for the deep pockets of Boston and the North side of Chicago.
Teams are poking and prodding at Upton have been quoted to be offering everything from a small package of prospects to "the Moon". Because New York Mets CF Carlos Beltran has an American League anxiety towards the Designated Hitter position, Upton has vaulted towards the top as a key outfield acquisition target.
From Atlantic (Nats/Braves) to Pacific (Giants) teams are throwing together their best package hoping Friedman pulls the trigger.
With the surging emergence of Rays outfield prospect Desmond Jennings posting out-of-this planet offensive numbers, it has not only the Rays brass excited, but every MLB Fantasy Baseball geeks. Sam Fuld and Jennings can both play Upton's Centerfield position and can make a transition pretty effortless if they wish to ship Upton out before the end of the Trade Deadline, or the season..
But with the team on the cusp of falling out of at least an American League Wild Card slot, Friedman might be more willing to at least listen to offers right now. This is not to say if Upton signed a 2-year deal today he would still not be dealt by the Deadline's last moments on Sunday. But with a year m ore of team control, Upton would not be traded to become a "rental" player.
Got to be hard on a guy knowing eyes are prodding him nightly, stats are being compiled in big piles and everything from his speed from Home Plate to First to his bat swing is being monitored and evaluated with intense scrutiny.
Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a player mentally, emotionally and physically. Upton was hyped for so long as the "next big thing" for the Rays. Hints of that ability have risen then fallen just as quickly.
Not matter what happens to Upton over the next few days, you got to give him a ton of credit for not showing the stress, emotional tug-of-war or snap out at the Rays. Rays Manager Joe Maddon has said he has discussed around 65 trade scenarios with Friedman over the past few days. Let's hope if Upton is in that bunch, the team again gets a return that will help them in the long term.


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To help you meet the continuing education requirements of your pesticide applicator license or certificate, here are a few recommendations.
Start early. Continuing education activities occur year-round across the state. In Nueces County alone, in the year 2010, 34 hours of CEUs were offered by the Nueces County Extension Office. You may not find affordable, convenient or sufficient numbers of opportunities if you wait until your license or certificate renewal deadline is near.
Monitor the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) list of approved recertification courses and training contacts. It's available from the Certification and Training Division by calling 800-835-5832 (800-TELL-TDA). The list, along with links to Internet - accessible continuing education units (CEUs), is also posted on the TDA website at http://ceusearch.texasagriculture.gov/. Another excellent source of CEU information is your local County Extension Agent with Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
How many needed?
So what CEUs do you need to maintain your pesticide license? For Private Applicators: 15 CEUs every five years, including a minimum of 2 in Laws and Regulations, and 2 in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Up to 10 CEU's may be obtained through TDA approved home study programs, including online courses. For Commercial and Noncommercial Applicators: 5 CEUs annually, including at least 1 CEU each in two of three special topics: Laws & Regulations, IPM, and Drift Minimization. CEUs from TDA-approved home study may be used to re-certify only every other year. No CEU carryover is allowed as CEUs must be acquired prior to renewal. Extra CEU credit obtained in one renewal cycle cannot be forwarded and used in the next renewal cycle.
Retain your Certificates of Completion obtained from participating in CEU courses. Although some commercial trainers may provide duplicate certificates, there is no recourse for lost certificates from the Extension Service. No single source provides cumulative tracking of all the CEUs you acquire. It is up to the individual to keep certificates on file to be accessed if you are subject of a TDA audit.
Shortly before your license or certificate expires, you will receive an application for renewal from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Be sure to notify TDA if your address has changed. After you submit the application for renewal, your license or certificate should arrive within a few weeks. Keep your Certificates of Completion for one year following renewal.
Training and testing date
The Nueces County Office of Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a Private Pesticide Applicator Training Monday, February 7, 2011, at the Nueces County Extension Office located in the Calderon Bldg. at 710 E Main in Robstown, Texas. The training will begin at 8:00 a.m. followed by testing administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
A Private Applicator is defined by law as a person who uses or supervises the use of a restricted-use or state-limited use pesticide for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity.
Participants in the training should secure a study manual from their local Extension office prior to the training. The study manual is $25.00. Participants are encouraged to bring a pencil and calculator for the exam. Reviewing the study manual prior to the training and test will improve performance on the exam. For additional information about the training contact Jeff Stapper, County Extension Agent - Agriculture & Natural Resources at (361) 767-5223.
Video CEU conference, February 9
Every year about this time my telephone starts ringing with questions about where one can get some CEUs for their pesticide applicators licenses, since they just got their renewal notices in the mail from Texas Department of Agriculture. To help meet the needs of some last minute CEU hunters, a Video CEU Course will be conducted on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, at the Nueces County Extension Office, (710 E. Main - Calderon Bldg. in Robstown, Texas) beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding by 4:00 p.m. A total of 6 CEUs will be offered ( 2 Laws and Regulations, 2 IPM, and 2 General).
Individuals with disabilities, who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodation in order to participate in any of the mentioned activities, are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office eight days before all programs for assistance.