text:
I arrived in Okinawa yesterday evening and will be here until Easter! I will be back in touch after I return to Hawaii.
Charles C. Goodin
In Okinawa!
I arrived in Okinawa yesterday evening and will be here until Easter! I will be back in touch after I return to Hawaii.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, March 31, 2007
Arrogant Because...
I always say that Karate students or instructors who are arrogant simply have not been around enough truly skilled people. If you have met people who are truly amazing, you are not likely to "toot your own horn."
Most Karate students I know simply try not to "make shame" rather than show off.
If you meet enough truly skilled Karate experts, you just feel lucky to practice the same art!
Another thing -- truly skilled Karate experts are usually humble because they have met other experts (perhaps their own sensei) who are even more skilled than them.
I plan to spend the rest of my life hoping to become half as skilled as my own Sensei. So much to do and so little time. Maybe a quarter is more realistic.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Immutable Kata
Are kata immutable? "Immutable" means "unchangeable; changeless."
Some people like to say that kata are like the mountains.
But even as you look, the mountains are changing. They are eroding due to the wind and rain. Plants are growing, causing cracks. Landslides happen from time to time due to earthquakes and the weather. The mountains are always changing. One day they might be completely gone and new mountains will rise somewhere else.
So kata, if they are changeless, really are not like the mountains.
If kata are changeless, when is this measured from? It is easy to say that a kata has not changed for 10 years, but how about 50 years, 100 years, 500 years?
I practiced Matsubayashi-Ryu for many years. I think that we had pretty immutable kata. And yet when I compared film footage from the 1960s with the kata of the year 2000, there were differences. Had the kata changed? It certainly looked like they had, even if in only small ways.
I now practice the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu. We do kata many ways. There really is no one single way to perform a kata. How a student performs a kata depends on the student's level and his grasp of body mechanics. It may also depend on the assumed circumstances -- night, rough terrain, ideal ground, etc. Kata can even be practiced in a drunken-like manner.
Sometimes my Sensei will notice that students are having a difficult time with a certain movement. He might design a modification so that the students will do the movement correctly. Once the students can perform the movement correctly, he might let the movement revert to the normal form.
I have a very open attitude about kata. Why? Because I practiced them strictly for many years and did not experience good results. If you can learn to move properly, then the form of the kata does not matter very much. But if you are moving improperly, then even a 1000 year old kata form will not help you at all!
I do think it is important for there to be a main form for a kata. Otherwise, the students will be confused. And it is nice for the students to be able to perform the kata together and at least look similar. But this is a minor concern. Learning to move properly is the goal.
I will give you some examples of change in kata. You are supposed to step and punch. There are many ways to alter the timing of the step and punch and of the shifting of weight and setting. You could step and then punch, step and punch together, or even punch and step -- and all variations in between. Your punch could be at chudan level, but could just as easily be at jodan or gedan levels-- and all points in between.
My Sensei says that each movement in a kata represents a range of possible movements. If you can do the movement well, you should be able to do each movement in this range equally well.
Of course, I do not teach this to beginners as it would be too confusing. But after a few years, students are ready to learn the versatility of their kata.
Immutable or versitile? Should kata be a prison or a stairway?
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, March 26, 2007
Thinking You Know
Don't forget that thinking you know or understand something makes it more difficult for you to learn that thing.
Imagine that you understand 50% of a subject. If you think you get it, you will not try to learn the other 50%. You will only know half and will be blind to the rest.
In most cases, a person does not know 50%. It is more likely that he only understands 10%!
There is a big difference between understanding the terminology of a subject and being able to do something. We can talk about punching and the mechnics of a punch, but actually punching is a different thing. Understanding the terminology might help, but is never enough. You have to actually practice doing the thing.
I will give you an example. You can read about kime, but that does not mean you can strike with proper kime. But your mind might latch onto the the term and make you feel like you get it. And if you get it, why pursue it any further?
It is best to keep an open mind. Even if I think I get something, even if I am confident that I can actually do it -- I try to keep an open mind. I think to myself, "I might be wrong." Or I think, "What if there is a better way?"
Remember, thinking you know can be a problem. This is one of the reasons that I do not award any kyu ranks and do not award any colored belts until Shodan. I want the student to understand that there is always more to learn -- that you should not let what you know blind you to opportunities to learn what you do not yet know.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, March 24, 2007
Living Up To One's Potential
Today I was speaking to a senior Karate instructor and the subject turned to a particular student who had tremendous potential. For whatever reasons, this student did not progress very far and had not lived up to his potential. The instructor looked very sad when he discussed this subject.
It is sad when a student, who has potential, does not invest the time and effort necessary to realize that potential, or never receives the instruction necessary to enable him to realize that potential.
But we are all students. Have we lived up to our own potentials? It is one thing to think about other people. But what about ourselves?
Each day I have to ask myself, have I lived up to my potential? Or have I fallen short? What can I do to improve myself both in a technical sense and as a teacher?
Are there students in my dojo who I have not properly taught? Are some of them not living up to their potentials because I have not given them the necessary tools to do so?
When I see a student with a problem, I try to relate it to myself. As I have stated often, my students' errors are mine. Their accomplishments are their own.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, March 24, 2007
I wonder how many martial artists are learning things by watching YouTube.com videos. I am often sent links to various clips that people think are interesting. I have to admit that some of them actually are very interesting, particularly the Chinese ones.
Some clips are just downright funny. I'm sure they were posted for that reason.
But you have to be careful. Many videos are posted without the subject's permission. How do you know that the person was demonstrating a "good" example. He might not be an expert, or he might have been showing how "not" to do something. You could be watching an outtake.
I know that my own Sensei is very concerned about videos, because he always feels that his technique continues to evolve. What he did yesterday might not be what he is emphasizing today. And I know that sometimes he will intentionally show the wrong way to do something on a video with an explanation of the error. But in a video clip, the explanation might be deleted.
So you have to be very careful watching marial arts videos and videoclips. And you should never post anything unless you have received the subject's permission.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Friday, March 23, 2007
Ending Letters
As Karate students, we have to be courteous at all times. One of the important things to be careful about is sending letters and email. People tend to be more relaxed and informal, in particular, when sending email.
You might have noticed that I end each of these posts the same:
Charles C. Goodin"
This may sound rather bland, but I have to be careful. The people who read this blog may be senior sensei (whether I know them or not). I would not want to sound disrespectful to my seniors. But I also feel that respect is owed to juniors. Respect does not only go up -- we should respect all people.
Sometimes people put a tag line after their signature. I often see these. Imagine that I am sending a formal email to my Karate senior and I sign it as follows:
John Doe
I can't steer without my beer!"
No matter how politely I wrote the email, the tag line will make me look rather silly, and possibly disrespectful.
Another thing I often observe is the use of the title "sensei" by the person himself. I would not consider it to be proper to end a letter as follows:
Sensei (Hanshi, Kyoshi, Renshi, Shihan, Soke, Professor, etc.) John Doe"
Titles are used by other people to address us (possibly), not by us to describe ourselves.
If you are polite 99 times and disrespectful once, what do you think people will remember?
When addressing a letter, it is probably best to use the proper title for the addressee. Let us say that John Doe is a Soke. It would be best to open the letter by writing:
Dear Soke Doe,
It would not be a good idea to write:
Hey John!
I have seen this happen. Sometimes the address can become quite upset. Of course, titles are trivial when compared to actual Karate training and the practice of Karate ideals in daily life. Getting upset about titles is silly. But we should try our best to be respectful, particulary to our seniors who are kind enough to teach us.
Charles C. Goodin
Friend -- Qualification
As you may know, I have many "friends" who practice Karate. This is natural, since Karate is a big part of my life.
However, there is a problem with the word "friend." In English, at least to me, the word friend connotes a sense of equality. A friend is someone on my level.
But in Karate, we are always aware of our relative positions. For example, someone who joined the dojo before me is and will always be my senior. There is no question about this. I would not address him as "sempai" but I would be aware that he is my sempai. My "Sensei" is certainly my senior and I will always act with that in mind.
So can my sempai or sensei be my friend? The Japanese terms convey an element of relative position while the term friend conveys equality.
That is why I usually describe Sensei Pat Nakata as "my friend and mentor" or "my friend and senior." If I simply referred to him as "my friend," it would seem that I did not know my place. I am distinctly aware that he is my senior.
My own Sensei are Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato and Sensei Rodney Shimabukuro. I would have a difficult time calling them my "friends," because I respect them as my Sensei. I think of them more as my uncles. I guess that an uncle could be a friend, but again, this would be a little awkward.
My wife is Filipino (Tagalog). In her culture, you do not address your older brother or older sister by their first name. You call your older brother "kuya" and your older sister "ate." This is a sign of respect. My own children do this, and they are only 3/8th Filipino. If one of my younger children were to address their older brother by his first name, this would be a cause for concern in our family.
In my wife's community, we have many aunts and uncles, who might not be related to us by blood. But we call them Auntie or Uncle. Again, this is a sign of respect.
In Karate, how you address your seniors will depend on the form of courtesy practiced in your dojo. I generally find that Japanese dojo are more strict in this regard than Okinawan dojo, but it depends. It seems to me that Japanese dojo put more emphasis on formalities, while Okinawan dojo place more emphasis on relationships.
So the use of the word "friend" when it comes to Karate can present some problems, or at least some issues of which we should be mindful.
A student should always know his place and a sensei should never abuse his position.
Charles C. Goodin
My Compliments to....
On Monday evening, our class was pretty small and we practiced bo exclusively. I want to give my compliments to all the students who attended class: Ikaika, Cael, Kehau, Christine, Kaimana, Kai, Aaron, and Reyn. You all did an excellent job!
I am amazed that my students, even the younger ones, can learn kata such as Sakugawa Nu Kun. That is a long and complicated kata with many difficult movements. And yet I find that no matter what I teach, my students can learn it -- usually much faster than I learned it myself.
There is a saying that our reach should always be longer than our grasp. For me, as a teacher, I want to always be reaching so that my students will never settle for what is already within their grasp. Karate is a lifelong learning project. That means we never stop learning. Never.
But I am truly amazed to see youth and teens doing things I could not do in my early 40s! I canot imagine how skilled they will become if they keep training throughout their lives.
Good job!
Charles C. Goodin
Bo On the Line
In our dojo, we practice the Yamani-Ryu form of bojutsu as taught by Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato. We practice three kata: Shuji Nu Kun, Sakugawa Nu Kun, and Shirataru Nu Kun.
In some kata, you will find repetitive patterns. In Shuji Nu Kun, for example, there are three strikes/pokes in a row, and in the beginning of Sakugawa Nu Kun there are three sets of striking with the front and back of the bo (sorry I did not describe this very well).
The point I am trying to make is this: when you move forward in a repetitive sequence, the bo travels along a straight line -- your body moves off the line to accommodate the bo. You move around the bo, not the other way around.
To me, this is one of the "secrets" of real speed with the bo. If you try to move the bo off the line, you will lose speed and power. The bo generates a great deal of momentum. Moving the bo off the line requires that you slow it down. There is also lost time due to the movement of the bo, even if only an inch or two. But when you allow the bo to keep the line and move yourself instead, the bo can move very quickly without deviation.
So actually, you are "throwing" the bo in more or less straight lines while moving your body around it.
Many styles of bojutsu do just the opposite. You will find many students trying to "muscle" the bo -- to move it around their body.
I would say that the bo moves you.
Charles C. Goodin
My Senior Friends
Because of my Karate research, I get to meet many senior Karate Sensei. I am sure that to some people this must seem like an ego thing -- that I name drop. I actually saw this posted once in a discussion group.
I can understand this. I've met many people who name drop in an effort to make themselves seem more important.
But one thing I have learned about meeting and training with seniors is this -- your Karate will improve if you are surrounded by talented people. It is not that skill rubs off. It is more that seeing talented people gives you an idea of the right direction.
In addition, far from making you conceited, knowing truly talented people makes you more humble. It is easy to feel "superior" if you are surrounded by beginners, but you get a reality check when you are near outstanding martial artists.
I will give you one example. Sensei Morio Higaonna visited my dojo. I teach Shorin-Ryu. He teaches Goju-Ryu. But that does not matter. Karate is Karate and he is one of the finest Sensei I have ever met. Wow! Seeing him train really makes you want to train harder and improve yourself.
What about my own Sensei? Why do I mention Higaonna Sensei? Because it is not too good to say much about your own Sensei. It is easier to speak about others. Of course I admire my own Sensei. Of course I believe that they are outstanding. But that is not something a student says. A student just feels fortunate to have a fine Sensei.
I try to learn something from everyone I meet. When you are lucky enough to meet outstanding Karate Sensei, there is always a great deal to learn.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, March 20, 2007
White Belt
The other day I was rummaging through my pile of old white belts, when I realized that the white belt I always carry in my Karate bag was gone. I must have given it to a student some time back.
I always try to carry a white belt, occassionally for a student who has forgotten theirs, but generally for myself. If someone visits my dojo to teach another art, or if I visit another dojo which teaches another art, I want to have a white belt to wear.
A senior black belt (now a 9th dan) once mentioned that he wanted to visit my dojo to see our interpretation of certain kata. He said, "I'll come in my white belt."
Even a senior black belt should have the attitude of a student. But this is a pretty rare thing. Too many people let their "rank" blind them to what they do not know. A good student is always trying to learn and improve himself.
We should always carry a white belt, whether in our bag or in our attitude.
Of course, the belt is just a symbol. In some dojo, they wear no belts at all!
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Being Late
Some people are late to everything. I am not talking about being late to class, although that can a problem for some students. If a student is late to class because of work or school, or some other good reason, it is no problem. But if a student is always late because he is lazy and does not want to help clean up, then it is a problem. If a student does not want to help clean the dojo, he should quit.
But people are also late to other things. Let's say there is a dinner. Some people will always come late. Why is this? Of course, there may be many reasons. But there are some people who come late to get attention. If you go to enough events, you will start to notice this (with respect to some people).
My wife is usually a little late to parties, but this is for cultural reasons. My mother is Japanese and I think/feel like her when it comes to time. If a party is at 7:00 p.m., I want to arrive at 6:55. I do not want to be late because it is shameful and causes me stress (because of Japanese time values).
However, if we are going to a Filipino party (my wife's parents are both from the Philippines), the time expectations are different. Depending on the party, it is probably OK to be 15 minutes late. If you were to show up 5 minutes early, the only ones there would be the Japanese (and the hosts). I don't mean this negatively. I have been going to Filipino parties for over 30 years. I feel half-Filipino and have mestizo children. It is just that I think "Japanese" when it comes to time.
What about Karate functions? Here I think it depends on your seniority. If you were going to a Karate meeting, you should probably arrive early if you are a junior. That way you can help set up or assist seniors as they arrive. A junior should not arrive late. In the worst case, the meeting might be delayed because the group had to wait for the junior. Being prompt is a sign of courtesy.
Should seniors be late? Of course not. Seniors should be as demanding of themselves as they are of juniors. But if anyone might be forgiven for being late, it is a senior.
But being late all the time, that probably reflects a deeper problem. Try to keep track of this for a few months. You might find that the same people are always late and always act the same way when they arrive.
Personally, I find it easier to be prompt.
In life, being a little behind or a little ahead does not involve that much difference in effort. But it is much better to be a little ahead.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Friday, March 16, 2007
Good Basics -- Good Karate
We often say that without good basics, it is impossible to do good Karate. This is true.
The more advanced you become, the more important you realize that basics are -- and as a result will devote more time and effort to basics when teaching .
A student with good basics can advance. A student with poor basics cannot advance. It is that simple. Good basics are like a solid foundation upon which you build a house. Poor basics are like building a house on mud.
Some people will try to "hide" their lack of basics by concentrating on "advanced" techniques. There really are no advanced techniques, just basics.
If you can do one technique correcly it will be easy to do other techniques correctly.
Good basics make for good Karate.
Charles C. Goodin
Garage Karate
Sometimes a student will tell me that he learned in his Sensei's garage or house. Often, they will tell me this with a sense of embarrassment. They are embarrassed because they did not learn in a "proper" dojo.
I will always explain that it is an honor to learn at the Sensei's home or garage -- that is the best place to learn. What an honor to be invited to the Sensei's home!
A dojo is just a place. Sometimes you hear this about churches. Recently I watched a news report about a church that was destroyed by a tornado. The reverend was cleaning up and explained to the reporter that the church was not the building -- it was the people. In the same way, a dojo is not the place -- it is the students.
Some of the embarrassed students will also explain that their Sensei only had a few students. Few students? How lucky for them! The luckiest student is one who trains one on one with his teacher. For most of the time, I was my Iaido Sensei's only student. How lucky I was! I am not embarrassed by this -- I just thought how fortunate I was.
Whether you learn in a garage, a carport, a living room, or even a yard, you are lucky to be learning the best form of Karate. You should not be embarrassed -- you should be grateful for the opportunity to learn from your Sensei.
How should you repay your Sensei? By becoming a good student and eventually a good Sensei, so that you can pass on the art to the next generation of students. Who knows, maybe you'll teach in your own garage.
Charles C. Goodin
Refinement of the Person
A while back, I wrote a post entitled Karate Refinement. My good friend and mentor Sensei Pat Nakata, often speaks and writes about this subject -- the importance of refining Karate technique.
I would like to write about a variation of this theme. It is also important to refine your character -- to refine your life.
It is good to make your shuto more efficient. It is absolutely essential to do so if you wish to improve in Karate.
But it is even more essential to work on your character -- on the totality of your personality traits. What good is a strong shuto if you are dishonest? What good is a strong kick if you are so insecure that you always seek attention (rank, title, awards)? What good is any aspect of Karate if you do not work equally hard on your daily life?
A thousand punches -- easy. Holding your temper -- hard. A thousand kicks -- easy. Helping a person in need -- hard.
Conditioning the body is relatively easy. Making techniques efficient is relatively easy (even if it takes a lifetime). The hardest thing is to work on yourself.
Refine yourself.
Charles C. Goodin
Meeting Karate Students -- Technique
When I meet students or instructors, I am sometimes asked to evaluate their technique. Of course, we all practice different styles and we are all different.
When I do evaluate students or instructors, I do not ask myself whether they are faster or stronger than me, or other people. I ask myself how much of their potential they have realized.
This is very important.
It is OK to try to be better than other people. But suppose you are in a group of weak people. Being the best in this group might not be saying very much at all.
Even if a student is better than 20 other people, the question should be how he is compared to the best that he could be. He might be the best student in the class, but have only reached 50% of his potential. If he had a confrontation with his twin who had reach 100% of his potential, he would surely lose.
So, to be better than other people is OK as a starting point, but to be the best you can possibly be is the real goal.
As you age, you will find that your strength and speed will decline. It is a natural thing. If you rely on raw strength and speed, your Karate life will become very challenging, maybe even miserable.
That is why it is essential that you try to become the very best that you can be, that you learn to become very efficient, that you learn to generate power with you entire body rather than just your extremities.
Work to become the best you can be.
Charles C. Goodin
Don't Teach Well For Me
Tonight I missed my Karate class because of a bad cold. I did not want to risk getting my students sick.
I am lucky because I have three instructors and several assistant instructors in my dojo. This really helps me.
Sometime I will ask an instructor about how he or she taught in my absence. They will usually get excited to tell me about some aspect of the class. I am always happy to see that the instructors are very enthusiastic.
One thing I sometimes request is that the instructors not try to teach well for me. I want them to teach their best because they care about the students. If a person teaches for the sake of the students, he will always be very happy to teach. It will always be rewarding.
Teach well because you care about the students.
Charles C. Goodin
When I Meet Students
When I meet students of Karate, whether they are new students or instructors who have studied for decades, I always gauge or measure one thing. Can you guess what it is?
I do not care about rank, titles, awards, strength, speed, power, etc. Of course, these things are all part over the overall package that makes up a person. But without sincerity, all of these things mean nothing.
On the other hand, a sincere student, even if he lacks stength, speed and power, can become very skilled in Karate. Little by little, a person can improve.
Of course, a person cannot try to be sincere. Sincerity is a natural thing.
No matter how advanced an instructor might be, he will often say that "he is just a student, that he still has much to learn." I have heard some very great Sensei say this.
Sincerity is the most important trait of a good Karate student.
Charles C. Goodin


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Elon Phay was my 4th great grandfather. He married Loraine Rowley. Loraine Rowley was my 2nd Great Grandmother. It was the third marriage for him, and the second marriage for her. They had no issue together.
Stay with me...
If you spend several decades with these folks, as I have, it's quite simple to understand. Elon Phay was first married to a woman named "Lydia." Her maiden name has not been discovered yet – I have a 'theory' (loosely based) that her maiden name was 'Rowley', and that she was a sister of Loraine Rowley (her successor), but that is not proven. Lydia Phay had seven or eight children with Elon Phay, their third child, a daughter born in Ohio about1820, was Laura Rebecca Phay.
Lydia Phay died about 1845, and in 1846 Elon Phay married Flavia (or Flavilla) Dell. I would say very little is known about her, but I have no idea how little, or how much, is known about her – because I haven't researched her. So far, she plays only a passing, short term roll in my "Back Story." (I call all the trials, trails, and tid-bits of my ancestral tales a "Back Story", 'cause they're stories that go way back. Cute?
Oh, well... about Elon Phay.
I don't know what happened to Flavia, but by 1852 she's out of the picture and Elon marries Lorain (Rowley) Foote. He was about 17 years older than she was, and remember, if I'm correct, his first wife and the mother of his children, Lydia, could possibly have been Loraine's sister. Loraine may not have found this to be a very unusual situation, or she may have thought it to be deja vu, because her first husband, Charles Foote, was also married to a woman thought to be a Rowley, another sister of Loraine's, possibly Lucinda (Elihu and Chole Rowley gave all their girls names starting with "L.") When Charles Foote's first wife died, following the birth of their fourth child, he quickly married Lorain Rowley – if Charles' first wife was Loraine's sister those four children, and later Elon's seven or eight (11-12 total), were her nieces and nephews/step-children. And with Elon Phay she would have been on her second "Sister Hand-Me-Down!"
Now Loraine was no stranger to adversity. Her divorce pleadings from Charles Foote read like a bad, trashy novel. She left that marriage with about $500 and custody of their son, Martin Van Buren Foote, both dearly fought for, and still not enough in my book! Speaking of which, I could write a book about Lorain (Rowley, Foote, Phay, Kelly,) Brooks – and I just might, but it's more likely that I'll blog about her in more depth - later.
So, now, 1852, Loraine is married to Elon. Most of the kids are grown and on their own, her Martin V. Foote is 12 years old and, best of all, Elon is pretty, darn well-off! He had pioneered farming in Ohio as early as 1820. He had bought and sold land, he had lived well and prospered! Now he was slowing down, selling off bits and pieces of land, or giving some to his children. And then Elon and Lorain Phay move to Porter County, Indiana – and about March, 1861, in that place, Elon Phay died.
I spent a delightful day in the courthouse in Valparaiso, Indiana several years ago and the division of Elon's estate was an exercise in pure 'how to keep your sanity' and "...but I thought that son was dead, can he still inherit?" Fortunately, I was accompanied on that trip by my uncle (my mentor, and the greatest genealogist I have ever known!) who just happened to be an expert in land and plat research – enough that he taught advanced real estate law, as a guest lecturer, across the country. So I ended the day with a good understanding of what Lorain inherited, and what the various children and grandchildren inherited. The most amazing thing about that day was that my uncle and I were tunnel visioned on Loraine (Rowley, Foote) Phay – she was his great grandmother, and my gg- grandmother, all we wanted to know about Elon Phay revolved around his marriage to Loraine. At that point in our research we had not discovered that Elon Phay was also our ancestor!! As a result I learned a new lesson – but I didn't learn it for a few years after the trip – take notes, get copies, record sources on everything and everyone in your ancestors immediate 'circle'. It could be invaluable information in the future.
End of story? Not quite...
Remember Elon and Lydia's third child, Laura Rebecca Phay? Well, back in Ohio, in 1836, when she was 16 years old, she married Allen Freeman McKenzie. By January, 1849, Laura and Allen McKenzie (and many of Laura's siblings) were settled in Porter County, Indiana. So, here was the probable reason for Elon and Loraine Phay choosing to retire there.
The odd thing (to me) was that there they all were, they had all inherited some land and money, the area was lush and productive – and yet, by the mid 1860's nearly all of them, and a fairly large contingent of neighbors/in-laws, picked up and moved west to central Minnesota. They went to an area that was rugged and vicious – populated with very upset Native Indians, and 2-3 days journey to anything resembling the comforts of civilization they had known in Indiana. Why? Free land possibly, because of the 1862 Homestead Act, and 'War Weariness' for many who had either fought in the Civil War, or were simply tired of the country moving too fast for them in the post-was era. Everyone has a theory. Sadly for me, my ancestors did not leave written accounts that I have as yet located – if they exist.
Now, Laura (Phay) and Allen McKenzie were among those who held back for a bit, but in 1869 they also headed to the northern prairie, with their children, one a babe in arms, and their grandchildren. One of their married children, was their daughter Mariah. She had been born way back in Ohio, in 1839. She had married Alexander T. Newman while living in Porter County, Indiana in 1855. They had nine children.
Martin V. Foote had a wife and four daughters when he took his family to the new Minnesota settlement in 1869. They were farming next door (not exactly an accurate term) to the Newmans, and a stones throw from the McKinzies according to the 1875 Minnesota Territorial Census. It seems like Loraine (Rowley, Foote) Phay was about the only one who stayed on in Indiana (where she married twice more!)
Is everyone still following along? Questions?
That summer of 1875, when the Territorial Census was taken was not among the best they had known. It rained far more than normal and crops suffered. By fall the fields were water logged, the mud so deep that even the crops that had not drowned out or rotted were nearly impossible to harvest. Everyone had to be praying for a mild winter.
They didn't get one. They got a fiercely cold, bitter winter, with heavy snow and winds. And then the sicknesses started. By the Spring of 1876 every single family had lost at least one member. Martin Foote's wife, Abigail died on February 6th – just one month after they had buried their 14 year old daughter, Rosetta, who had died on New Years Day, 1876
Three year old Forrester Newman had died the day before, on December 31, 1875. Four year old Owen McKenzie died on January 19th , and two cousins left the Phay family: little six monyh old Ora Ellen Phay died on April 3rd, and Charles Phay, nine months old, died on April 5th. There were more, of course, striking nearly every home and farm on the prairie. The "causes" of death (most of which weren't recorded until months later) covered most of the "known" illnesses of the time: consumption, diphtheria, pneumonia, an unusual number of cases of "Inflammation of the bowel." I doubt that many of them had been attended by a physician. In fact, I'm not sure if there even was a physician living or practicing within 20 or 30 miles. And in that country, at that time of year, 20 miles might as well have been 200 miles!
When summer finally came they went about the business of starting their lives over, or carrying on. For Martin V. Foote life had grown especially difficult; he had three surviving children and no wife. His farm had produced near to nothing the previous year and he lacked money for a new crop. He took a job as a hunter for the railroad, providing fresh game to the crews that were constantly moving north and west laying the tracks and bringing more people. But that kept him away, often for 2 to 3 weeks. So along with taking the new job, he took a new wife – Fanny Newman, great-granddaughter of Elon Phay, who had been his mother's second husband!
Fanny Newman gave Martin V. Foote three sons. Their youngest son was Lewis L. Foote, and he had three sons, the oldest being Lynol L. Foote. And Lynol Foote had four daughters, the youngest being Catherine Foote.
Catherine Foote told her older sisters one day, that they had a great-great-grandmother who was married to their great-great-great-great grandfather and the the two of them had no children together. Her sisters looked at each other with that, "..there she goes again!" look, and said, "We are here to have dinner and a movie; we are not going to talk about the Second World War, the Civil War – or Dead People!!
They wouldn't let me tell them the story – they didn't have the patience to "Follow Along". So I told the story to you. Did 'ya get all that?

subset: commoncrawl


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HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker Cobras completed the three-game sweep of the Mars Hill Lions with a 10-2 win on Sunday (Feb. 23). The South Atlantic Conference victory improves the Cobras to 8-3 overall and 4-2 in the SAC.
The game began as a pitching dual, with just one run scored by Coker in the first four innings. The Cobras added another run in the fifth to take a 2-0 lead. Mars Hill made things interesting with a pair of runs in the top half of the sixth, but the game did not stay tied for long as Coker regained the lead, 3-2, thanks to an RBI single by Clint Allen in the bottom half of the inning.
Coker secured the sweep when they exploded for six runs on four hits in the bottom of the seventh. Another run in the eighth made it a 10-2 final.
Cobra starter Ben Brown (2-1) picked up the win. He tossed six and a third innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Forrest Arnold, Adam Webb and Hunter Ressler combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless relief work.
Jarren Donato paced the Cobra offensive going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Dustin Russell also drove in two runs on a double, while Fico Kondla and Ernie Kirkwood each had a pair of hits, scored two runs and drove in a run. Also driving in a run for the Cobras was T.J. Giczkowski and Allen.
The Cobras will return to the diamond on Tuesday (Feb. 25) when they travel to Barton College for a non-conference game. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
McDonald's Player of the Game – Jarren Donato


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To WW users, I am thinking of buying the 12m rapture then take advantage of the 1/2 price deal an 8m rage II or outrage as my next (and last) kite down.
A buddy tried the Rages in Hatteras and wasn't too impressed with the turning speed or height of jumps. He liked the Raps but wasn't able to try the outrages. We both owned a Best nemesis 12m and he figured the Rapture jumps around the same height but turns faster.
Anyway in the 8m size, what are the experiences of the rage vs outrage? I would probably prefer the extra height and hang time of the outrage and imagine the turning speed is irrelevant in that size for consideration kiting in the waves. Also what is the top end you have experienced with the outrage 8 ?
Thanks, Mattdog


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Principle Investigator
Technical Support
Project Advisors
This project will begin to build an understanding of the "book network" of the late medieval period in England, from the authors and commissioners of literary manuscripts to the scribes who copied them, from the people who sold and distributed them to the people who owned and bequeathed them. Such a network models the political, intellectual, professional, and familial associations of the age and is key to understanding the context of many literary works and extant manuscripts.
The project will begin building its understanding of the book network by focusing on a number of manuscripts in the Parker on the Web collection that were either produced or can be shown to have been used in London in the late fourteenth and fifteenth century. The hypothesis tested here is that in the period in question, London became a network "hub" for the production and circulation of medieval books – and that this helps to explain the major increase in the production and survival of literary and other texts in English in the period, and is a context for the successful introduction of printing to the metropolis by William Caxton in 1476.
The relationships between the producers and consumers of the books studied will be modelled electronically in the hope that, over time, a wider scholarly community will be able to add further nodes to the network and thereby increase our understanding of the human context of manuscript collections such as that of Matthew Parker.
The online collection of Parker manuscripts presents an unrivalled opportunity to investigate the networks of association of like-minded manuscript commissioners, makers, and collectors who preceded Parker but whose collections may now have been absorbed into his.
Recent work by scholars such as Ralph Hanna, Linne Mooney, and Wendy Scase suggests that medieval English literary manuscripts were produced, owned, and used in complex networks of political, intellectual, professional, and familial associations, but there has, as yet, been no attempt to research and formally document these networks for the benefit of the wider scholarly community. Until very recently it has been difficult to identify scribes working together in any kind of group environment whether in so-called "commercial" scriptoria or in scriptoria attached to religious institutions or departments of government at Westminster. The discovery by Linne Mooney and Estelle Stubbs of just such a group of scribes whose activities were centered on the London Guildhall is therefore of major importance.
The purpose of the proposed project, then, is to show how the activities of these scribes, owners, and users of books and others like them made, preserved, and passed on important texts – and in the process shaped culture in medieval England, especially literary and vernacular textual culture, and what we know about that culture.


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But recovery will likely be slow and uneven
Commercial real estate across Southwest Florida is showing the first signs of a comeback, with eager business operators opening new storefronts and employers expanding operations to accommodate post-recession growth.
But just as setbacks have long burdened housing, most in the industry predict that the commercial recovery will be long, slow and uneven.
An influx of Northerners now buying retirement homes and a stabilizing job market have heightened demand for consumer services from attorneys to dry cleaners. That, in turn, is leading to the slow absorption of the abundant commercial space vacated during the downturn.
The renewed interest among tenants has helped shrink vacancies to their lowest levels since the crash. But the availability of distressed buildings is still dragging on rents and preventing new construction from picking back up.
"Businesses are feeling more confident," said Ian Black, who owns a commercial real estate brokerage in Sarasota and Manatee. "We have been in this for seven years now. The ones that have survived are taking advantage of market conditions."
The rebound has been nowhere near as robust as in housing, but observers believe the market could get there by next year.
The 10.5 million square feet of commercial real estate between Sarasota and Manatee counties carried a combined 19.6 percent vacancy rate during December, the most recent data available.
That compares with 21.4 percent during the same time frame in 2011 and the 23 percent in 2010, quarterly reports compiled by Lakewood Ranch Commercial Realty show.
Leading the way
Demand is fiercest in areas that offer a healthy mix of retail, restaurant and general office space.
Choosey tenants also are looking for newer buildings that are more energy efficient, said Anthony Mazzucca, managing director of NIA Manasota.
Lakewood Ranch led the way with a 9.2 percent vacancy rate in December, followed by downtown Sarasota, at 13.4 percent, Manatee County at 20.7 percent, and Sarasota County at 26.8 percent.
On the other side of the spectrum, downtown Bradenton is the area still struggling the most, with a 36.2 percent December vacancy rate.
Brokers point to the age of buildings in the city, many of which would require major upgrades to lure the types of tenants now attracted to Lakewood Ranch, where buildings are predominantly less than 15 years old. A strong demand for housing in Lakewood Ranch, and its proximity to Interstate 75, also are drawing businesses.
Although south Manatee County has had a number of recent successes filling vacant commercial space — from the old Wellcraft Marine plant on Whitfield Avenue to the new DENTSPLY operation on U.S. 301 — general office space nearer to downtown continues to sputter, the report shows.
"There's only so much demand in our market, and Lakewood Ranch is just too strong of competition," said Mazzucca, the NIA broker. "In Bradenton, you don't see any other services like brand-name retail, viable restaurants or other services that would draw tenants."
'A domino effect'
Most of the recent commercial improvements have been fanned by a housing market that is coming off its best sales year since the recession.
Many developers are back to building new homes to help fill a void left by an inventory of existing houses that has sunk to decade lows.
Commercial real estate pulls demand directly from those new rooftops, which add to an area's overall consumer base and supports retail and back office operations.
But commercial real estate cycles typically lag their residential counterpart by about nine months to a year. During the Great Recession, the sector was slower to collapse than housing. As a result, the commercial recovery is now only in its infancy.
Also helping is a job market that has substantially improved. The unemployment rate in Sarasota and Manatee counties slipped 2.1 percentage points during 2012, declining to 7.8 percent in December.
That means more employers are hiring again and need additional room, said Barry Seidel, president and founder of American Property Group of Sarasota Inc.
"It all starts with housing," Seidel said. "As construction starts up on homes, offices will fill up because people go back to work. That will translate to demand for attorneys, surveyors and those types of businesses. It also means more retail, with people who need to buy things for their new homes. It's a domino effect."
This modest progress in the commercial market has been consistent across the country.
National vacancy rates this year are expected to decline another 0.4 percentage point in the office market, 0.4 point in industrial, 0.3 point for retail and 0.1 point in multifamily, according to an index released this week by the National Association of Realtors.
Although the index does not track the Sarasota-Bradenton market, it projects similar growth across greater Tampa Bay and in Orlando.
Signs of life
Darrell Hoke, who owns Pelican Cottage in Osprey with his wife, Nicki, has seen business rise at the furniture store since moving from an industrial space about a year ago.
The couple is now retrofitting another 10,500-square-foot storefront in Osprey for their second retail outlet, the Flamingo's Nest, which they expect to open in early March.
Brokers point to small business expansion, like the one now under way with the Hokes, as the primary driver to the hopes of a commercial real estate recovery.
"There's been good growth for us," Darrell Hoke said. "People are being more conscious of their recycling efforts, and that has helped our used side." Their new store "will give us the opportunity to showcase more products."
Multifamily has shown the strongest growth of the various commercial sectors, with investors snapping up multi-story apartment complexes across Southwest Florida, records show.
Retail also is showing signs of life, though analysts still are not sure how the new luxury shopping mall under construction on University Parkway will change the landscape.
An abundance of empty space left during recent closings by Albertsons, Sweetbay and Winn-Dixie also has posed a problem.
Because those empty storefronts are so large, they have been tough for brokers to fill with traditional tenants. Their departures also mean fewer patrons for nail salons, dry cleaners and small restaurants that leased in those centers, Seidel said.
General office space, which has seen demand shrink as technology allows more employees to work remotely, has been the slowest segment to recover.
Projects resurface
Average rents on commercial space also hover near industry lows.
That is the result of an over-supply of bank-owned foreclosures now available on the commercial market, the same phenomenon that has weighed on housing appreciation.
That has kept the phone lines quiet for most commercial builders in Southwest Florida, preventing them from hiring new workers.
"Commercial hasn't arrived yet," said Charles Wilson, a commercial builder in Sarasota. "But it's better than it was a year ago."
But some projects put on the hold during the Great Recession are again starting to resurface, leaving commercial builders with high hopes for the year ahead.
Lakewood Ranch-based Willis A. Smith Construction Inc., one of the region's largest commercial contractors, was forced to focus mostly on government jobs and publicly funded schools during the downturn.
But company president David Sessions says private work is now picking back up. He expects more growth later this year and into 2014.
"Private funding for projects just stopped, but we're starting to see our pipeline through 2015 pick back up again," Sessions said. "There's still a lot of empty office space that has to be absorbed. Much like with houses, that makes it less expensive to buy an existing facility than it would cost to build new."


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The Quick Change Way
Welcome to Quick Change Inc. We are here to serve you!
Quick Change Oil in Harrisburg Pennsylvania is a privately owned family operated 10 minute oil change facility which provides fast quality full service oil changes in a variety of types. We offer Conventional (Standard Oil Change) and Full Synthetic oil changes, at some of the cheapest and most competitive prices in the Harrisburg PA. area. We also offer Synthetic Blend oil changes designed to help keep your engine running at optimum value. All full service oil changes come standard with all fluids being checked and topped off, a cleaning of any batter terminal corrosion, and filling your tire air pressure to its correct level.
Comments for this post are closed.


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Handi-Dogs: Serving the Greater Tucson Arizona Area
A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
Our Mission:
Handi-Dogs is dedicated to helping older adults and people with disabilities gain independence and improve their quality of life through specialized training of dogs and to advocate about the important role of service dogs.
Service/Assistance Dogs A Service Dog is a dog that has been individually trained to assist an individual with a disability. With proper training, these dogs have public access rights.
Therapy Dogs
Pet Dogs
Watch our short video produced by Video Creations.
Our Core Values:
Integrity: We will do what we say, we will be accountable for our actions, and we will strive to make decisions that are equitable and in the best interest of individuals (people and dogs) and the community.
Service to others: We recognize our work is to help others live healthier and happier lives and to build a stronger community – it is not self-serving.
Knowledge: We will strive to be the 'subject matter experts' by staying abreast of changes in laws, perceptions, and best practices for training service, therapy, companion, and other assistance dogs.
Communication: We will share information and ideas, and maintain transparency of our organization's operational, programmatic and financial status.
Teamwork: We embrace that success is dependent on people/dogs working together for their mutual benefit, and that greater good is achieved by people working together rather than independently – both internally within the organization and externally with others in the community.
Collaboration: We recognize that greater good is best achieved by working together with others – individuals, groups, organizations, etc.
Respect: We appreciate and honor donor's intention, differing points of view, people's individuality, for dogs, for the relationship between people and their dogs.


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Jurors shown stiletto heel in shoe stabbing case
HOUSTON — A blue suede stiletto heel that prosecutors say a Houston woman used to fatally stab her boyfriend at least 25 times in the face and head was shown at her trial Tuesday.
The shoe — a size 9 platform pump with a 5½-inch heel — was brought out during testimony about the bloody crime scene at the trial of Ana Trujillo, who's accused of killing 59-year-old Alf Stefan Andersson. He was a University of Houston professor and researcher. A prosecutor later stood on top of a table in the courtroom and straddled a dummy to demonstrate for jurors how authorities believe the shoe was used as a weapon.
Authorities allege Trujillo sat on top of Andersson and struck him with the shoe during an argument at his condominium last June. Trujillo's attorney has told jurors his client was defending herself.
Also Tuesday, prosecutors played the 911 call Trujillo made in the early-morning hours and showed jurors video of the crime scene, where the shoe could be seen near Andersson's body.
On the call, Trujillo could be heard at times crying uncontrollably, telling the operator her boyfriend had "started beating me up." She also told the operator that Andersson is "bleeding, he's about to die."
It was difficult to understand Trujillo, and the 911 operator seemed to be unsure if Trujillo was reporting an assault or that someone was injured and needed medical help.
When the operator realized someone needed medical attention, she transferred the call to emergency medical services, which directed Trujillo to perform CPR on Andersson. Trujillo said she was already doing that.
Trujillo, 45, cried in court as the 911 call was played.
Houston police officer Ashton Bowie testified that when he responded to the condominium, Trujillo was "covered in blood." Bowie said that he found Andersson lying on the ground, face up. His face was covered in blood and swollen.
"I thought his head had been blown out by a gun," he told jurors.
Bowie also said he questioned Trujillo's emotional response to the slaying.
"She was sobbing but no actual tears were coming down her face," he said.
In video taken by police at the crime scene, the stiletto heel can be seen lying on the carpeted floor of Andersson's condominium, above his head. A large pool of blood was also near his head, which was bloodied, purple and had several visible wounds.
Prosecutor John Jordan showed the shoe to jurors after the video.
Later Tuesday during testimony from Houston police officer Chris Duncan, with the crime scene unit, Jordan grabbed the shoe and pretended to strike the dummy with it.
Duncan had earlier testified that blood spatter he found on walls near Andersson's body was created by someone hitting Andersson while he lay on the ground.
"Is all of it consistent with him being struck by this high heel shoe?" Jordan asked.
"Yes sir," Duncan said.
Trujillo's attorney, John Carroll, suggested to jurors that the blood spatter could have been caused by Trujillo slapping Andersson as she tried to revive him.
Carroll also suggested defensive wounds Duncan testified Andersson sustained on his hands as he was trying to block blows might have actually been wounds he got when Trujillo was defending herself.
Testimony was to resume Wednesday.
The trial is expected to last at least a week. If convicted, Trujillo faces up to life in prison.


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Well, due to my poor planning, April has not been very frugal at all for me, bento or otherwise. Due to that poor planning I've been travelling back and forth from Switzerland to France, not having access to a kitchen for half the month, which sort of hampered my bento making to put it mildly.
So...looking onwards: what are your suggestions for a May theme? Should we continue (and improve on my part) frugal bentoing? Or do something else? Get into shape for summer weight loss bento spring? Spring vegetable mayhem? Pink and green bentos? Something else? The good news is, we'll have a very nice giveaway to tie in with it. Give me your best ideas for a May theme and contest idea!
The Big Onigiri.
- Wherever you go, there you are. -


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The perils of distracted driving take a front seat during May, which is designated as national Motorcycle Awareness Month. The initiative, supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, encourages drivers to watch for motorcycles and understand that motorcycle riders enjoy the same rights and privileges as operators of other vehicles. Send a tweet to […]
Motorcycle Awareness Distracted Driving is Deadly Driving
May 16, 2014 by Staff
Filed Under: News Tagged With: AMA, Deadly Driving, Distracted Driving, Motorcycle Awareness Month, motorcycle rights, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Share the road, Tweet NHTSA


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Wednesday July 2, 2008 3:32 pm
Fuji Subaru Plug-in Stella
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Editorial, Transportation
Those of us that live around the Motor City hear reports almost every day of American car companies losing workers and factories. Sad to say that they are being replaced by such energy efficient vehicles as the Toyota Prius Hybrid. Now Fuji is celebrating their successful Subaru Plug-in Stella, a combination of the EV system in the R1 and the mini-car. The prototype electric vehicle is set to go into development and test marketing. This is not the first time Fuji has gone green. They also released a horizontally-opposed diesel engine in Europe this past March.
Read More | Far East Giizmos
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Blackouts are nothing new, but major storms over the past two years have hammered home the importance of electrical power. A standby generator can ensure your home remains energized for days, but these sophisticated machines also can cost more than $20,000 installed, and some are the size of a Fiat 500. Here are six points to help you decide whether they're worth the investment.
1. What They Are
Standby generators offer a steadfast solution to extended outages. Unlike portable generators, they're installed permanently on a concrete pad in your yard and will provide uninterrupted backup for days. That's because they're connected directly to your home's electrical panel and powered by an external fuel supply, such as natural gas, liquid propane, or diesel. Smaller, air-cooled essential-circuit units (below) are slightly larger than portable generators and can energize just a few circuits at a time. Larger, liquid-cooled whole-house systems will do just as their name suggests—they'll comfortably power an entire home.
2. How They Work
The brains behind the operation is an automatic transfer switch that disconnects you from your utility after detecting an interruption in service. Once your home is safely off the grid, the switch starts up the generator before transferring its power to the home's electrical panel. At the heart of the system is an internal combustion engine, which is usually fueled by the local natural gas supply. Where natural gas isn't available, liquid propane or diesel stored in a large tank nearby can be used. Keep in mind these systems rely on a finite amount of fuel that could run dry if storm damage prevents delivery or increased demand hampers supply.
When municipal power resumes, the switch shuts down the generator and reconnects your house to the grid. This seamless operation makes standby generators ideal for families with small children, as well as those needing uninterrupted use of electric-powered medical equipment. They're also crucial for anyone running a home business. The transfer switch acts as a safety mechanism too: It prevents back-feeding electricity to the grid, a potentially lethal practice that can start fires and harm utility workers attempting to restore your neighborhood's power.
3. Installation Drawbacks
Cities often have noise ordinances restricting the installation of generators. A machine may be rated at 62 decibels, but that's often measured at 25 feet. What does that sound like? Imagine a neighbor idling a Harley—tolerable in a rural environment but unacceptable in a tight city lot. Additionally, most building codes require generators to be at least 5 feet from a house opening and 5 feet from flammable materials, making urban installations tricky. Fuel-tank placement is almost always restricted, especially near parking lots and schools.
4. They're Not For Rookies
Hire a professional to assess not only your load needs (see No. 5), but also the logistics of installing a generator in your home. If you're planning on connecting to your local natural gas system, you'll need a high-pressure, high-volume line. Most generators require gas supplied at 5 to 7 inches of water-column pressure, which isn't available in some towns. If it is, you'll probably have to pay your utility a fee to access it.
"If the pressure is not high enough, you risk damaging the unit or the supply itself," installer Pat Porzio of East Hanover, N.J., says. "Only your gas company can give you more gas pressure."
Installing a standby generator is no DIY project, either. It requires advanced electrical and plumbing skills, as well as knowledge of local building codes. You'll also need permits before you start and inspections when you're done. Because of these complexities, professional installations can sometimes triple the cost of a generator.
5. They're Big and Costly
The higher the generator's capacity, the more circuits it can power at once. However, the size of your generator should be determined by your needs in an emergency, temporary situation—you're not looking to power each and every appliance and gadget during desperate times. The chart below will give you some idea of how much electrical capacity you'll need, though you should consult a professional for an accurate load analysis. He or she will calculate the combined load of the devices you intend to run simultaneously while also considering the starting wattages of motor-driven appliances such as refrigerators and AC units.
Many homeowners choose a generator based on what they can afford, and with good reason. A quality essential-circuit system starts at around $3000, and that's not including installation. Then there's the price of fuel: A fully loaded 7-kw unit consumes around 140 cubic feet of natural gas per hour. Based on average rates nationwide this summer, that's $2.23 per hour. Expect at least double that with a 22-kw unit. Keep in mind that large, whole-house systems can add significant value to a home.
6. They Need A Lot of Upkeep
Like cars, standby generators run nonstop for many hours, so they have to be maintained as if they were, well, cars. Generally, bigger units require more care.
"After 24 to 48 hours of continuous use, get it serviced," installer Pat Porzio says. "After around 10 days, have a professional change the oil and the filter."
Your generator will stay healthy through a lifetime of outages if you check the engine oil daily during use, run it at no more than 75 percent of its rated capacity, replace overworked or deformed motor brushes, and avoid starting or stopping it under load whenever possible.


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Weekend Reading: Chaykin, Layman, Cunningham & Batman
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, Television, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics,
You can't beat the power of the hammer. There's a new Thor trailer floating around that feels much more impressive than the earlier Fortress of Solitude one. I'm liking it more and more, even if the big battle in the desert town looks very movie set-ish.
Now let's read some stuff...
Chaykin: Here's an interview with one of my favorite creators, Howard Chaykin, talking about his upcoming work at Dark Horse.
Chew: Marc-Oliver Frisch at Comics Beat tackles John Layman to the ground and asks him lots of questions about food, comics and work-for-hire.
Smart: I wanted to conduct an interview with Darryl Cunningham, but he's so smart that it would only serve to point out how not-smart I am. Fortunately, Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter is a smarty and he landed an excellent interview with the creator of Psychiatric Tales.
Batman: The Pullbox talks to my old friend, the comics historian Peter Sanderson. Subject: The Batman TV series from 1966.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Chaykin, Layman, Cunningham & Batman
Mighty Samson: Jim Shooter & Patrick Olliffe
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Dark Horse Comics,
Here's a comic that might be flying under your personal radar that I think merits a look. Mighty Samson is part of Jim Shooter's Gold Key revival at Dark Horse (which also includes Magnus, Turok and Dr. Solar) but it's the only one of the bunch that was never part of Valiant.
This relaunch of the classic character is spearheaded by Shooter and his co-writer J.C. Vaughn, and illustrated by Patrick Olliffe (who does pencils and inks).
Set 500 hundred years after the end of the world in a now-primitive city known as N'Yark, Mighty Samson is filled with "mutated monsters, marauders, and savage subhuman predators." From the ashes of those ruins rises a super-strong champion, Samson, who will defend and protect his piece of the apocalypse from all comers, including the barbarian hordes from across the bridge in Jerz.
It's N'Yark vs. Jerz – a battle as old as time itself! I'm biased because I've met Shooter a couple of times, I'm friends with J.C. Vaughn and I used to work on projects with Patrick Olliffe. That's one heckuva bias, but I also know they can bring the goods, so I'm in.
Here's an interview with Dark Horse editor Chris Warner talking about the series.
And here's a preview of the interiors of the first issue that's on sale now.
Now go and get yours and let me know what you think.
[Artwork: Patrick Olliffe's cover Mighty Samson #1]
Michael Chabon & The MacDowell Colony
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Dark Horse Comics,
Michael Chabon, who will always be a nerd favorite for his book The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay (and its spinoff Dark Horse comic book The Escapist), has gotten himself a new gig.
The Pulitzer Prize-winner will take over as the chairman of The MacDowell Colony's board of directors.
He replaces the outgoing chairman, Robert MacNeil, who's been there since 1993. If that sounds surprising, it shouldn't. Chabon is a nine-time MacDowell Colony Fellow.
But what is The MacDowell Colony, and doesn't it sound like an M. Night Shyamalan movie? It's an artist residency program that's been going since 1907, headquartered on a "450-acre woodsy estate in Peterborough, N.H."
Creative types can apply to go up there for a month at a time, give or take, and just devote themselves to their own creativity and see what pops out.
Lunch is delivered to your door, and you don't have to interact with anyone until dinner. And the program is free if your application is accepted.
Click to continue reading Michael Chabon & The MacDowell Colony
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Brad Meltzer: Decoded
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Television, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics,
Remember when The History Channel was just D-Day Invasions, tank battles and old guys talking about shooting Nazis?
That changed with shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars.
And it's going to be a little different tonight (December 2; check local listings). Author and comic book writer Brad Meltzer (DC Comics' Identity Crisis & Dark Horse's Buffy The Vampire Slayer) is the host of a new reality TV series called Decoded, about solving some of history's mysteries.
Of course, this is the modern era so it won't be a bunch of gray-haired white people sitting in leather-bound conservatories holding court and being intercut with archival footage of beachheads and bombing runs.
Nope. Meltzer and his gang of historians have made it a race.
Click to continue reading Brad Meltzer: Decoded
Comic Book Jobs: Dark Horse
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Dark Horse Comics,
Do you want to work where it rains a lot? That would be Milwaukie, Oregon in the Pacific Northwest, home to Dark Horse Comics, publishers of various Star Wars and Hellboy titles, and hundreds of others. (I recommend John Jackson Miller's Star Wars: Knight Errant, issue #2 is on sale now.)
They're looking for a couple of people, and one or both of them could be you.
First up is a Marketing Coordinator for their Digital Store. You'll be managing their promo work for their digital comics, y'know, the future, and working closely with Marketing and Sales to make it all happen.
This includes writing copy, managing promotions and discounts, and developing the all-important blogging and social networking posts that make everyone seem like one big happy family. (Hint: Look at how Chris Ryall at IDW does it.)
You gotta be familiar will all the usual buzzwords like Google Analytics, SEO, A/B Testing, and so on. But it's a job with a future.
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Dark Horse
Comic Book Gift Suggestions For Prince William
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing,
Prince William has finally picked a bride, Kate Middleton, the only girl in London without a tattoo of an old boyfriend's name or an upskirt photo on the internet. It's a terrific moment for the Royal Family and for journalists who can postpone writing about the economy for a few more months.
But now you have some hard choices to make. You're a comic book fan and a fan of the Royals. So what can you give them as the perfect wedding gift? Yes, you could get them something spectacular from Harrods, but won't the rest of England be doing that? And do they really need a new toaster or some monogrammed tea cozies?
You can't go wrong with comics. It's the universal language, especially if your universe's language is in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. So don't panic. Here are some friendly comic book choices. Pick the right gift and you might even get a knighthood. Apparently they give them out like tiny Cadburys at Halloween.
King Aroo (Library of American Comics/IDW): The comical and fantastical adventures of a different kind of king, by the acclaimed cartoonist Jack Kent. Dean Mullaney and his crew have put together an awesome book that both Royals can enjoy while their bodyguard reads it to them.
Click to continue reading Comic Book Gift Suggestions For Prince William
Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Mighty Samson, The Shadow & Valerian
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,
Thank you internets, you've been great this week. So let's share that bounty with others:
Mighty Samson: Writer J.C. Vaughn has a preview of Mighty Samson #1 at his blog. Shooter's involved, Patrick Olliffe is the artist. Dark Horse is the publisher. I'm in!
Here's a little more about the series at Comic Attack.
Shadow: Novelist James Reasoner has a Forgotten Book that's a must have for fans of Maxwell Grant's The Shadow: Gangland's Doom: The Shadow of the Pulps, by Frank Eisgruber Jr.
British Comics: Matthew Murray at Comics Beat goes all out for the new Dandy and breaks down its contents.
Peanuts: Zach Weiner finally lets Charlie Brown kick that football.
Peppers: Mark Evanier lives the sitcom life.
3-D: Ricky Sprague at Project Child Murdering Robot tells how Marvel Comics (in 3-D!) turned him into an atheist. Bonus: 3-D artwork on the internets!
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Bill Finger, Mighty Samson, The Shadow & Valerian
Comic Book Jobs: Comixology
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics,
Remember that whole digital thing that's supposed to knock off the printed comic book? Oh wait, that's still happening!
If you want to be part of the industry now that we've passed "peak comic book," ComiXology the "digital comics leader" is looking for a couple of new people.
First up is a LAMP Developer, someone with "2+ years of experience with Linux, Apache, mySQL and PHP. Additional experience with AJAX/JavasScript/HTML5 (jQuery), XML, HMTL, XMLRPC, SOAP and other development environments is preferred."
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Comixology
Star Wars: Knight Errant #1
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics,
John Jackson Miller is a friend of the blog. I've known him since he used to work for Krause Publications and edited Comics Retailer magazine for them. He knows more about comic book circulation figures than any person alive, and can tell you how many copies Jughead sold relative to Batman in any month back in 1965.
He's also a Star Wars junkie, and he's written a lot of licensed comic books and novels that prove that. Now he's got a new comic book series, Star Wars: Knight Errant, and the first issue is out from Dark Horse right now. At his Star Wars blog, JJM describes the series as "breaking new ground…with stories set a generation before the Darth Bane novels -- a time when Jedi are few and Sith Lords are many." The series will also introduce a new female Jedi, 18-year-old Kerra Holt.
Miller, who also wrote the Knights of the Old Republic series, said at the Star Wars official website, "Knight Errant asks what it means to be a Jedi outside the Republic, in a time and place where no other hope exists."
Artwork for the new series is by Federico Dallocchio.
Click to continue reading Star Wars: Knight Errant #1
Read More | John Jackson Miller
Dark Horse Teams Up With Hammer Films
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Movies, Dark Horse Comics,
Comic book publishing house Dark Horse is teaming up with Hammer Films to print a series of comic books and graphic novels in the horror genre (fitting, right?).
First up on their list is a storyline based on Hammer's upcoming remake of last year's Swedish film, Let the Right One In (which you must add it to your Netflix queue right now if you haven't yet). Despite the fact that it has been released in the midst of the current teenage-vampire-lust trend, this tale of a 12 year-old boy and his friendship with a girl who only comes out to play at night is far removed from your typical Twilight fare—trust me!
No word yet as to the novels' storyline, but the companies claim that it "will incorporate some of the film's characters and mythology with some fresh themes."
The American remake, starring Chloe Moretz of current Hit Girl fame and Richard Jenkins, is set to hit theaters on October 1st. Knowing those smart marketers, I'm sure we can expect some of the said comics to be sold in conjunction with the film's release.
Read More | Reuters
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Shattering Collaboration Barriers
I don't believe we have talked enough about the changes to our collaboration series. We welcomed a new host, well hostess(?) if you will…in the little powerful packaged dynamo known as Laura Powers. Fitting name me thinks. My overly delayed shownotes for Laura's inaugural debut with us now follow. This episode, shot 80 plus percent at the Enterprise Connect Show, Formerly Known As, and Difficult to Get Used To, VoiceCon…had an incredible wealth of topics, tweaks and update worth sharing. You can watch the whole show right now by registering (if you are not already a registered fan) and streaming to your hearts content.
We continued to build on our relationship with Laura Douglas at this show as well. Laura is the 'wizard behind the scenes' making sure content from these shows are getting edited and posted to the collaboration community just as soon as possible. We managed to get Laura DOUGLAS on camera as well and quite frankly, I look forward to more partnership opportunities.
A little more on what we covered –
Keys to the Show
Robb & Jimmy Ray settle on the direction for the latest collaboration show featuring the debut of Laura Powers, TechWiseTV's newest Collaboration Host.
Barry O'Sullivan with Laura Powers
Fresh off his keynote address at the show formerly known as VoiceCon, Barry O'Sullivan maps the strategy for our own Laura Powers.
Cisco UCM BE 3000 Introduction
Engineer Tim Frias introduces ease of deployment with Cisco's latest entry in the Small Business Communications space, the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition 3000.
Cisco UCM BE 3000 In the Lab
Jimmy Ray takes the new small business communication platform, the CUCM 3000, for a spin in the lab
Cisco Jabber combines presence, instant messaging, voice, video, voice messaging, desktop sharing, and conferencing into a single experience for PCs, Macs, tablets, and smart phones.
Mike Fratesi lays it all out – Enterprise Presence and IM, Softphone and desk phone Control, Voice messaging, Integrated Web conferencing, Video to come soon…, Policy Enforcement, Security, Single Sign-on
Pervasive Video
Visualize new capabilities announced at Enterprise Connect with demonstrations of the 47" Telepresence system with touch control, Telepresence Content Server for your 'broadcast in a box' and video skills in the 8900 series IP Phones
Jimmy Ray breaks down the SIP SIMPLE protocol
More Information
We did a Fundamentals of SIP that continues to be popular – may help explain a few things for you or someone you know:
Special Thanks to: Barry O'Sullivan, Laura Douglas, Tim Frias, Mike Fratesi, Erica Schroeder, Shobana Shankar. Kirk McNeil, Mark Gervase
Keep up with the shows!
Thanks for watching!
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