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We don't have 4-3 edge rushers... Wilk and coples would ideally play inside in a 4-3
Premium positions: Money players :
QB : Overall team Leader and backbone of the team: The only person in the Franchise more Important should be the owner. We don't have that.
RB : Must be elusive more than speedy with the ability to catch the ball and block to some degree : We have a candidate
LT : Must be able to run block and pass block equally effective: We don't have that
OC : Must be stout at the POA and able to control the OL : We have that
43 Defense: Money players:
DE : NT : CB : We have candidates:
34 defense : Money Players :
OLBer : NT : MLB: CB : We have Issues :
The Pass rush is of utmost importance on any defense.If u can rush the Passer, Kyle Wilson can be an all pro CB.This comes from the ends in the 43 and the OLBers in the 34.
You must be able to stop the run and push the middle of the pocket which makes it imperative to have a quality NT in either defense.In both schemes, you need atleast 1 inside/middle LBer who can run and hit. These are the players where you spend your money and the rest you make sure can support around these core players.
Here is the problem with the Jets. When your 2 best players are a CB the other team can avoid and a WR who need someone else to get him the ball or the other team can take away,you are doomed.
The Jets no longer have these 2 players so now, they have to play football . The so-called 2 best Players on the Jets are not even the most important players any football team need to succeed.
This team is now better off. It's in bad shape, but it's better off.
We don't have 4-3 edge rushers... Wilk and coples would ideally play inside in a 4-3
Coples should be an edge rusher and the guy on the other side should be Mcintyre: That Kid can get to the QB and over power most OT and RBs.His Problem is, he can't play in space as a LBer. This Jet Coaching staff is dumb as a box of rocks.
And Wilkerson would be a solid 3T DT
Thanks for posting. Good read and I agree with just about everything.
I think defensively we have the tools to compete in both the 3-4 and 4-3.
I think we're underestimating Ellis's ability to crash the pocket (he may end up being our best player on defense once Revis is gone)
I also think Maybin can be a quality 3-4 OLB - if the pocket is being collapsed. Speed rushes work if the QB can't step up into the pocket.
Offensively we're a mess, one thing I would disagree with you, D'brick is a quality LT (maybe not the best run blocker but he's a sold player, we're fine there)
Coples best year at UNC was at DT where he had double digit sacks. If he came out that year he was a legit top 5 pick. He went back to school, moved to DE and he really struggled. His stocked dropped and the rest is history.
Go tell that to Chris Long and Justin Tuck . One of the Fastest players on the Jets is Aaron Maybin and he don't play because he doesn't have what Coples has. He can't beat anyone at the POA. Maybin Needs Revis and Cromartie to make a sack. Speed in the DL or at OLBer is over-rated.You need power and a variation of moves to throw at the OT. Maybin has neither and that's why he doesn't play. His sacks comes on QB who hold onto the ball forever.
RB is not a premium position. You can be a really good team without even an average RB. Pats, Packers, and Giants are proof of this, Saints to some extent as well
You mean the conference that is second behind the SEC in first round picks? The one that had the following picks? (Kuechkly, Coples, Branch this year).... so all those teams just don't get it, I guess.
2006 Mario Williams, NCS .......Texans ............. 1st
2006 DBrickashaw Ferguson, UVa .....Jets .............4th
2006 Vernon Davis, Md. ............ 49ers .............6th
2006 Ernie Sims, FSU ................. Lions .............9th
2007 Calvin Johnson, GT ............ Lions ............2nd
2007 Gaines Adams, Clem. .......... Bucs .............4th
2008 Chris Long, UVa. ................ Rams ............2nd
2008 Matt Ryan, BC .................Falcons .............3rd
2009 Aaron Curry, WF ......... Seahawks .............4th
2009 Darrius Heyward-Bey, Md .... Raiders .............. 7th
2009 Eugene Monroe, UVa. ..... Jaguars .............8th
2009 B.J. Raji, BC ....................Packers .............9th
2010 C.J. Spiller, Clem. ................Bills .............9th
And then there are all those guys that come from small schools that Palmetto wouldn't deign to bother with... after all, they're not from the SEC...
Tony Romo- Eastern Illinois
Terrell Owens- Tennessee Chatt.
Donovan McNabb- Syracuse
Brian Westbrook- Villanova
Randy Moss- Marshall
DeMarcus Ware- Troy
Osi Umeniyora- Troy
Jared Allen- Idaho State
Jason Taylor- Akron
Chad Johnson- Oregon State
Steven Jackson- Oregon State
Brian Urlacher- New Mexico State
Brett Favre- Southern Miss
LaDainian Tomlinson- Texas Christian
Antonio Gates- Kent State
I stopped reading at don't have a LT. Pfffffft.
Seems to always come back to D, comical.
I happen to love the ACC. They paid for two of my children's educations. Saved me over $180k. But in all fairness, and forget the above, there are a few decent players, the Pac 10, Big 12 and Big 10 provide a better quality player. THe SEC is off the chart.
Of the above list, Williams and Johnson are excellent. We'll see about Spiller. The others are ok. Obviously Adams is not.


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uniform and strictly regulated.
tertiary education
Sam is basically right, he's just cranky.
Quote from: Plank of Wood on May 10, 2017, 03:29:10 amtertiary educationI don't think uni level education should be standardised. For sure there should be some means by which you can compare the quality of universities and allow people to judge what level of qualification you have (all of which we obviously have already). But having some sort of higher education curriculum that's analogous to a school curriculum is madness and really would just get in the way of the lecturers and researchers trying to do their jobs even more.
Well, yeah.I don't know what the system is like in America but in the UK obviously we have a national curriculum up to secondary level. Also I believe there are certain standards universities have to meet but I'm assuming they're a lot more relaxed than they are for secondary schools.
No, no, he did. In the everything else section, at least. Officially, this makes him king.
I am going to start with education. I feel that elementary education should be uniform and strictly regulated. So much of who we are are built up at the primary age to let it be determined by whim. To give a choice is to create differences in knowledge and understanding, which I think would be detrimental.
Strictly regulate them. It says so right in what you quoted.Let's get the terminology straight before the UK people take over completely. When you say elementary you mean elementary school, kindergarten - 5th grade, right? not K-12?
Do you have in mind a set curriculum, not standards to meet? That's the impression I get. Could schools do supplemental stuff, go above the standard? Would this apply to private schools too or could they do their own thing?
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This story is about animal rights, and if you're thinking why I wrote this story it's because I hate seeing animals being abused like they are.
Have you ever seen an animal get abused like on TV? It's just the same in the real world also. Animals can't talk, so they can't tell you what they want.
And they can't tell you if it hurts or if they don't like something. So that's why people abuse them like that.
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Sexual Jihad - the need to degrade and humiliate the Infidels - provides the religious motivation for Islamic gang rapes and pedophile abductions.
Sexual jihad, using rape and other forms of sexual humiliation and sadism, has been employed as a weapon of war against infidels since the time of Mohammed. Sexual jihad, including gang rapes and pedophilic abductions of Christian children, continues unabated wherever Muslims come into contact with infidels.Demoralising and humiliating the infidels by sexual degradation of both adults and children is one of the most repulsive tactics of Islamic supremacism.
In Britain, Jack Straw and the rest of the political class have finally been forced to acknowledge that there is a nationwide problem, ultimately of their own making, of organised Islamic pedophile rings abducting and gang-raping non-Muslim children. However, beyond wondering why it's so difficult to get the Muslim community leaders to do anything, they won't even consider that there may be an Islamic theological 'justification' for these activities.
'Ann Cryer, a former Labour MP for Keighley, she had been made aware of a problem in her constituency in 2003 after she was approached by about six mothers who said their daughters were being groomed for sex by Pakistani men. She said she tried to intercede with the community by asking a councillor to speak to Muslim elders, but they said it was not their affair.' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12142177
The BBC dhimmis have also tried to 'racialize' the problem by suggesting that the abductions are by 'Asians' on white children. This is a defamatory slur on all decent law-abiding Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Taoists, Confucians etc to be categorised with these jihadists. The exploitation is not based on race, but on the predatory ideology of Islam. Afro-Caribean, Hindu and Sikh girls have also been targeted.
But Melanie Phillips has been brave enough to say what most of us have been thinking...
'...For this is certainly not a racial issue. Indeed, one of the many red herrings in this debate is that - if cultural characteristics are discussed at all - the gangs tend to be described as 'Asian'. But this is to besmirch Sikhs, Hindus, Chinese and other Asians. For these particular gang members are overwhelmingly Muslim men. And the common characteristic is not ethnicity, but religion. For these gang members select their victims from communities which they believe to be 'unbelievers' — non-Muslims whom they view with disdain and hostility. You can see that this is not a racial but a religious animosity from the fact that, while the vast majority of the girls who are targeted are white, the victims include Sikhs and Hindus, too.
Back in 2007, The Hindu Forum Of Britain claimed that hundreds of Hindu and Sikh girls had been intimidated by Muslim men who took them on dates before terrorising them until they converted. And the Sikh Media Monitoring group described 'the deliberate and targeted sexual degradation of Sikh women purely because of their religion' and how a minority of young Muslim men boasted about 'seducing the Kaffir (unbeliever) women'...'
Organised pedophilia as a 'community activity'
Of course you find pedophiles and rapists in all communities, but these are nearly always loners operating in secret, because pedophiles are despised and hated by normal people.
However Islam is different . Pedophilia is socially acceptable in Islam because 'the perfect man' Mohammed was a pedophile. In addition, pedophile attacks on 'kuffar' (non-Muslim) children are seen as a legitimate form of jihad, inflicting humiliation and demoralisation on the children and their parents.
The Islamic invasion of the West is one huge razzia (raid of rape and pillage) and Western children are war booty. Pedophila is widespread in Muslim communities, with Christian children being the main targets. The pedophiles operate in well-organised gangs and networks. They are protected and encouraged by their wider communities and enjoy immunity from prosecution so as not to damage 'Community Cohesion'
There are many forms of jihad, not all of which involve bombs and bullets. Sexual jihad, using rape and other forms of sexual humiliation and sadism has been used as a weapon of war since the time of Mohammed.
Humiliation of the non-Muslims is especially important to Muslims, since their accomplishments are so negligible this is the only way they can prove their supremacy.
Although originally confined to Europe, Islamic pedophile networks are now being set up in America.
Here are some more examples of sexual jihad carried out to humiliate the infidels...
Children forced to drink urine, raped and murdered
"The ways in which they were treated I will abbreviate . Children were shot for crying. Teachers and parents were shot for trying to calm the hostages. Young girls were gang raped. Young girls were raped with gun barrels and other objects. Many young girls did not survive these rapes. Children were forced to drink their own urine before being executed. The list of inhuman acts committed by these Muslim animals is as nothing I have ever heard before."
The Rape Jihad
"What does rape, then, have to do with these religious conflicts? Unfortunately, everything. The Islamic legal manual 'Umdat al-Salik, which carries the endorsement of Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, stipulates: "When a child or a woman is taken captive, they become slaves by the fact of capture, and the woman's previous marriage is immediately annulled." Why? So that they are free to become the concubines of their captors. The Qur'an permits Muslim men to have intercourse with their wives and their slave girls: "Forbidden to you are ... married women, except those whom you own as slaves" (Sura 4:23-24)."
Sweden Tops Europe for Number of Rapes = Muslim Rape Jihad
" Sweden is now experiencing the results of multiculturalism and and its facilitating of Islamization. Now Sweden leads Europe in the number of reported rapes - more specifically Rape Jihad.
"Sweden, 46 incidents of rape are reported per 100,000 residents. This figure is double as many as in the UK which reports 23 cases, and four times that of the other Nordic countries, Germany and France. The figure is up to 20 times the figure for certain countries in southern and eastern Europe......Over 5,000 rapes are reported in Sweden per annum while reports in other countries of a comparable size amounted to only a few hundred." see below article
Way back in July of 2005, well known blogger Fjordman warned of Sweden's escalating rape crisis but unlike the below article - which tries to cover up the real facts and blame the increase in rapes to "party lifestyles" - the evidence clearly shows that the rape crisis is directly due to MUSLIM immigration into the Country:
Muslim Rapes Christian Toddler for Refusal to Convert to Islam
"Baby Neeha, at the age of 21/2, was raped by the son of her father's employer and left to die by the roadside, he said. No one was arrested for the crime.
These horrific events took place because her father, who was Christian, refused to give in to pressure from his Muslim employer to convert to Islam," El Shafie said.
The family went underground in Pakistan to hide from Muslim extremists who were seeking revenge for their non-conversion, he said.
"The family has lived for years in hiding and in constant fear of being discovered by the employer's family or Islamic extremists," El Shafie said. "We are thrilled that she's finally in Canada."
For those of us seeking a better understanding Islam, there are a few points to note:
The rapist wasn't prosecuted, because according to Islamic law he hadn't committed any crime. The 'prophet' Mohammed was a child-rapist, and Mohammed is the perfect man and role model for all Muslims. Also, rape is a legitimate weapon of Jihad, especially against children, as we saw in the Beslan school attack.
Not only had the rapist not committed any crime, but his action was actually commendable from the Islamic point of view, because spreading Islam (by whatever means may be necessary) is the greatest good which justifies ANY action. The system of morality (if it can be called that) in Islam is totally different from that in any other religion.
This attack also shows a common Islamic trait of getting at Christians by attacking children and other vulnerable people (as at Beslan and in the 'Street Jihad' intifada by young Muslim men).
Increasing the power of Islam justifies ANY action , which includes lying as well as rape, murder and anything else you can think of.
Islamic Gang Rape and Violent Assault on Kuffar Woman Reporter
"The media is so intent on whitewashing the savage protesters in Tahrir square in Cairo that the brutal rape and beating of Lara Logan went on in public for at least a half hour to three hours, according to various reports. The people in the square watched it and allowed it to go on for some extended period of time.
Think about that. These horrible people stood by for hours while this went on. And the media paints these people as "freedom-yearning people." And the dirty little secret about this is that this kind of treatment of an infidel woman is acceptable in Islam, and that's why the media doesn't talk about it.
The media's collective silence makes them as guilty as those in the crowd that stood by and did nothing.
And the UN? They are busy drafting resolutions condemning the tiny Jewish state.
CBS international reporter Lara Logan is a well known public figure. And CBS and other media have accepted that she was brutally assaulted. However, Youtube and some Arab Websites are offering some further claimed shocking details not reported by the U.S. media and even some video about the extreme brutality of the attack on CBS reporter Lara Logan . Reportedly, some videos did show a crowd of about 200 or more men surround and separate Lara Logan from her security, and the crowd shouted "Jew, Jew!", and "American bitch!". Lara Logan is not Jewish or American, she's a South African native.
Reportedly some of physical and sexual assault activity was caught on camera phones as well. One video purportedly involved some boy fondling the breasts of the reporter. However, another purported video that was described by a controversial YouTube video claims that a bearded man ripped the top off the reporter and began slapping her face and breasts. He then pinned her to the ground, and by this time she stopped resisting, apparently accepting the fact that she was overpowered. The bearded man then removed her pants and masturbated in front of her before raping her. He also reportedly clawed at her breasts with his hands. The YouTube video claims that at least six men raped her vaginally, and a number of men also raped her anally as well. She was reportedly masturbated on and urinated on by some men as well according to the YouTube video claims which was supposed to be pieced together from information and videos posted on Arab Websites and other sources.
It was claimed by various reports that the sexual assault and beatings might have lasted anywhere from 20-30 minutes on the short side, and as long as about 3 hours on the other hand. It was also claimed that her left breast might have been bitten or might even had the left nipple bitten off as well. One report claims that somewhere from 6 to about 50 men might have sexually assaulted or beat the attractive reporter. http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/02/lara-logans-vicious-violent-gang-rape-medias-silencesanction.html
Muslim Gang Rape and Islamic Sexual Mutilation of Christian Girls in the Middle East
Hypermasculine Muslims - Islam and hypermasculinity Predatory and domineering, Islam is a brutal, hypermasculine, barbarian, tribal warrior cult that glories in murder, mutilation, rape, genocide, terrorism, destruction and anarchy. Women, girls and all the feminine aspects human nature are chattelised and subjugated. Weakness is despised and seen as ripe for predation.
A woman or girl is to be owned, not treated as an equal. If she punctures the fragile inflated ego of her owner, then she must be killed to restore the man's 'honour' among his peers. Kuffar women and children are war booty.
Islam is predatory, bullying, aggressively arrogant, swaggering wife-beating thuggery, which is the destroyer of all that is beautiful, spiritual, gentle, innocent and vulnerable.
Sex as violent domination
"Socially segregated from women, Arab men succumb to homosexual behavior. But, interestingly enough, there is no word for "homosexual" in their culture in the modern Western sense. That is because having sex with boys, or with effeminate men, is seen as a social norm. Males serve as available substitutes for unavailable women. The male who does the penetrating, meanwhile, is not emasculated any more than if he had sex with a wife. The male who is penetrated is emasculated. The boy, however, is not, since it is rationalized that he is not yet a man.
In this culture, males sexually penetrating males becomes a manifestation of male power, conferring a status of hyper-masculinity. It is considered to have nothing to do with homosexuality. An unmarried man who has sex with boys is simply doing what men do. As the scholar Bruce Dunne has demonstrated, sex in Islamic societies is not about mutuality between partners, but about the adult male's achievement of pleasure through violent domination.
There is silence around this issue. It is the silence that legitimizes sexual violence against women, such as honor crimes and female circumcision. It is also the silence that forces victimized Arab boys into invisibility. Even though the society does not see their sexual exploitation as being humiliating, the psychological and emotional scars that result from their subordination, powerlessness and humiliation is a given. Traumatized by the violation of their dignity and manliness, they spend the rest of their lives trying to get it back."
Vicious, sadistic Muslim gang rapes in Australia
On August 16, New South Wales Judge Michael Finnane sentenced a 20-year-old youth to a 55-year jail term with a 40-year non-parole period after he was found guilty of leading a series of gang rapes in Sydney...(this)...lifetime imprisonment follows the conviction and sentencing of two other young men-Belal Hajeid and Mahmoud Chami-for their part in the crimes. Hajeid is serving a 23-year sentence, with a 15-year non-parole period, and Chami, an 18-year term, with 10 years non-parole. A week after the 55-year jail term decision, a 19-year-old youth who also participated was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. Three other teenagers-18-year-old Mohamad Senussi, his 17-year-old brother Mahmoud Senussi and 18-year-old Tayyab Sheihk-were sentenced today to 21, 11 and 15 year jail terms respectively.
The sexual assaults, which X is alleged to have organized, took place on three separate occasions in August 2000, just before the Sydney Olympic Games. The first occurred on August 10 when eight young men forced two teenage girls to repeatedly perform oral sex on them in a suburban park. The girls were threatened and bashed during the ordeal. Two days later a 16-year-old-girl was taken to a local park. Two cars arrived on the scene and she was forced to the ground, partially stripped and raped by two men. She was threatened and a gun held to her head to stop her struggling. She eventually escaped and was given sanctuary by a man from the local neighborhood.
On August 30, another young girl was raped by a total of 14 men, including X. She was sexually assaulted by four youth in a public toilet, then passed over to a group of three who drove to another location where she was raped again. The girl was transported to an industrial estate and sexually assaulted by two other groups of youth, who then hosed down the distraught teenager in a final humiliation.
Press reports of the trial allege that the men, who come from Lebanese immigrant families in Bankstown and Greenacre-working class suburbs in southwest Sydney-selected the girls because they were Australian. According to prosecution evidence, the young men called the girls "Aussie pigs" and subjected them to racist taunts during the rapes. Defence lawyers challenged these claims. While it is not possible to determine if the gang rapes were racially motivated, Judge Finnane likened the violent and sadistic assaults to those "usually seen in war zones". This comment, which contains more than a grain of truth, raises several crucial issues.
The gang rapes certainly bore the hallmarks of crimes committed against civilians during military conflicts, death threats, beatings, the total degradation and dehumanisation of the victims. But this triggers the obvious question, why has such behaviour emerged in suburban Sydney. And if it was racially motivated, why?
Mumbai terrorists sexually mutilated Rabbi and his pregnant wife
"Indian official sources are now reporting what many Israelis knew but did not report. Now, with graphic reports appearing in the Mumbai Mirror and the Atlas Shrugs blog, it is confirmed that "the Rabbi and his wife at Nariman House were sexually assaulted and their genitalia mutilated," according to an unnamed senior officer of the investigating team quoted by the Indian paper.
Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, reported in advanced stage of pregnancy, were among the 8 murdered by terrorist in the Chabad House. Their two year old child was rescued.
According to the Mumbia Mirror, "Disturbing photographs made available to this newspapers by police sources indicate that several of the guests at the Taj Mahal Hotel during the siege November 26 were sexually humiliated by the terrorists and then shot dead."
"Police sources confirm that even as the terrorists were engaged in a fierce combat with NSG commandos, they were humiliating their hostages before ending their terrifying ordeal. Photographs taken by a police forensic team after the hotel was sanitised yield a gruesome picture of some of the guests in the nude."
Christians testicles and rectum mutilated by jihadists in moderate secular Turkey
MALATYA, Turkey: Three Protestants murdered at a Christian publishing house here were tortured for three hours before their assailants slit their throats, a press report said Friday, quoting one of the doctors involved in the grisly case. Dr. Murat Ugras, a spokesman for the Turgut Ozal Medical center, told the daily Hurriyet of hospital surgeons' fruitless efforts to save Ugur Yuksel, one of the three victims of the massacre at the Zirve (summit) publishing house, which distributed Christian literature.
"He had scores of knife cuts on his thighs, his testicles, his rectum and his back," Ugras said. "His fingers were sliced to the bone. It is obvious that these wounds had been inflicted to torture him," he said.
But they're just following the example of the 'Perfect Man'
"Safiyah was a beautiful 17 years old Jewish woman who was captured when Muhammad's troops raided Kheibar. She was the daughter or Huyeiy Ibn Akhtab, the chief of the Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe of Medina , whom Muhammad had beheaded two years earlier along with the men of Banu Quriaza. The tribe of Banu Nadir had been already banished from Medina and their properties were confiscated.
Safiyah had married to her cousin Kinana, who was a young Jewish leader of Kheibar. When Muhammad raided that fortress, he killed its unarmed men and captured the rest. A Jewish traitor, to gain Muhammad's favor and be spared from death, told him that Kinana was the treasurer of the town and that he used to hide the money in some ruins. Muhammad ordered Kinana to be tortured to reveal the whereabouts of the treasures and killed him.
Then he asked the prettiest woman from amongst that captives to be brought to him. Ibn Ishaq writes: "The apostle occupied the Jewish forts one after the other, taking prisoners as he went. Among these were Safiya, the wife of Kinana, the Khaibar chief, and two female cousins: [sisters of Kinana] the apostle chose Safiya for himself. The other prisoners were distributed among the Muslims. Bilal brought Safiya to the apostle, and they passed the bodies of several Jews on the way. Safiya's female companions lamented and strewed dust on their heads. When the apostle of Allâh observed this scene, he said, 'Remove these she devils from me.' But he ordered Safiya to remain, and threw his reda [cloak] over her. So the Muslims knew he had reserved her for his own. The apostle reprimanded Bilal, saying, 'Hast thou lost all feelings of mercy, to make women pass by the corpses of their husbands?'"
Safiyah was taken to Muhammad's tent. Muhammad wanted to have sex with her on that very night, only hours after torturing to death her husband. She resisted his advances. That night Abu Ayyub al-Ansari guarded the tent of Muhammad. When, in the early dawn, Muhammad saw Abu Ayyub strolling up and down, he asked him what he meant by this sentry-go; he replied: "I was afraid for you with this young lady. You had killed her father, her husband and many of her relatives, I was really afraid for you on her account". (Ibn Ishaq, p. 766)
The next day Muhammad covered Safiyah with his mantle, an act signifying that she is now his. Safiyah was groomed and made-up for Muhammad by Umm Sulaim, the mother of Anas ibn Malik and was taken to Muhammad who married her in a mock marriage ceremony and raped her that night. Muslims call this marriage. I call that rape. I am certain not many young women would like to jump into bed with an old man who happens to be the murderer of their father and husband and many other relatives. That poor woman had no choice; therefore that marriage was nothing but a mockery of this sacred institution. At that time Muhammad was close to sixty years old.
Another victim of Muhammad was Rayhana, a 15 year old girl from the tribe of Banu Quraiza. Muhammad massacred all the men of that tribe. Then women were brought to him to pick and he chose Rayhana. Rayhana never married Muhammad and unlike Juwairiyah and Safiyah never feigned being a Muslim to have an easier life. She preferred to remain a sex slave rather the wife of the murderer of her father, brothers and uncles. .
Years of covering up - Muslims get Child Sex Documentary banned on 'Racial' Fears
"The producers of this documentary spent a year working with Bradford Social Services and the troubled people they help. "These are the neighbours we don't want to know whose problems we don't want to see," said the producers. How right they were.
LONDON (Reuters) - A British television documentary which shows Asian men grooming under-age white girls for sex has been shelved because of fears it could incite racial violence ahead of elections, Channel 4 said Friday. The broadcaster said the decision to pull "Edge of the City" was taken after discussions with police.
Bradford, the northern city where the program was filmed, was rocked in 2001 by race riots between Asians and whites. "The police feared that the timing of the broadcast would increase community tensions in Bradford...with the risk that it would lead to public disorder," the broadcaster said in a statement. The program, which was to have been screened earlier this week, explores what it calls an explosion of child abuse whereby Asian men in the city have been targeting young girls for sex -- one as young as 11 -- by plying them with drugs.
The Muslim Political Affairs Committee (MPAC) is crowing:
"Success: 'Edge of the City' Stopped. It was a last minute rush to get this biased documentary postponed, but we did it. MPACUK readers rushed to register their dismay at linking race with paedophiles; the police registered their concern by stating that it could cause racial tensions and MPAC contacted 5 MPs and a Lord to ask them to raise this with Channel 4. Here is MPAC's story on what we did, who we talked to and the one guy who we got to. This is why lobbying works and why Muslims need to know their MPs."
Muslim religious leader's fawa encourages Muslims to rape non-Muslim women and children
On October 28, 2011, the jihadi forum Minbar Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad published a fatwa by Sheikh Abu Humam Al-Athari, a member of its shari'a council, in which he unequivocally permits mujahideen to capture the infidels' women and have sexual intercourse with them, even those who are married, on the claim that their marriage bonds to infidels are dissolved as soon as they are taken captive.
Following are the fatwa's main points:
The inquiry in response to which Al-Athari issued the fatwa reads as follows:[1] "Is it permissible for mujahideen in jihad fronts to kidnap the infidels' women and hold them as their captives? What is the ruling regarding a captive in our times? How should they be divided [among the mujahideen]? Is it permissible to imprison [an infidel woman who has been taken captive] in an infidel land, or must she be brought to Dar Al-Islam [the abode of Islam]? How much time must one wait before having sexual intercourse with her, regarding both one who is a virgin and one who is not?"
Al-Athari replies: "There is no doubt that taking the women of the combatant infidels captive – whether they are from Ahl Al-Kitab [i.e., Christians or Jews] or pagans – is permitted according to the shari'a... That being said, it must be done only after [the spoils] has been divided by an imam in Dar Al-Islam; if there is no imam at hand, prisoners may not be taken..."
Al-Athari emphasizes that before deciding to take infidel women captive, "one must consider the gains and losses that will result from this deed, which is to say that if the imam of the Muslims in a given country believes that taking the infidels' women captive will lead the infidels to band together and rape the Muslims' women, and that the Muslims are in too weak a state to prevent this, he should forbid taking [infidel women] captive..."
Al-Athari notes that "there are too many proofs of the permissibility of taking the infidels' women captive to enumerate here, but we can divide them into two categories: 'general proofs' and 'concrete proofs.'" He explains that the "general proofs" are those which clarify that it is forbidden to violate the honor of Muslim women, but that this does not hold true regarding the infidel women, except in cases where they are assured protection. Al-Athari claims that the permissibility is absolute and anchored in the principles of the shari'a. Therefore, he says, it does not necessitate proof, and it falls rather on those who forbid taking infidel women captive to prove the legitimacy their claims.
In his discussion of "concrete proofs," Al-Athari quotes Al-Qurtubi, who says: "Most scholars, including Malik [ibn Anas], Al-Shafi'i, Abu Hanifa,[2] and others, thought that taking [infidel women] captive removes the protection [they previously enjoyed], and permits whoever is holding them to have sexual intercourse with them." Al-Athari also quotes another scholar whose interpretation of Al-Qurtubi's ruling says that the latter uses the word "protection" to refer to married women, who are forbidden to men other than their husbands. That is, when these women are taken captive, their marriage contracts with their infidel husbands become void, and they become permissible to their captors. Al-Athari adds that the amount of time a captor must wait until having sexual intercourse with a captive infidel woman depends on her condition: if she is pregnant, he must wait until after she gives birth; if she is menstruating, he must wait until after her period is over; and if she is young and has not yet begun menstruating, he must wait a month from her capture. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/islamic-cleric-misunderstands-islam-issues-fatwa-permitting-jihadis-to-kidnap-imprison-and-rape-infi.html


text:
I remembering watching a television show about these large rock spheres in Costa Rica or some other tropical land. Anyway, these spheres are pretty big and close to being perfect. Given the technology of the inhabitants, some researchers had speculated that they must have been created by... you guessed it, aliens.
But it turned out that there was a more earthbound explanation. The inhabitants, using pretty primitive tools and their shaping skills, worked at it very hard for a long time.
You could not shape these stones in a day or a week -- that would be impossible -- but if you had lots of time and kept working at it, it could be done.
I remember the first time I saw visiting Okinawan Sensei at a seminar. They were so skilled, so strong, so fast, and they made it look so easy. Of course, it seemed like they must have had a special secret. I heard speculation that their secret was that they were Okinawan! They were so skilled, so strong, so fast, and they made it look so easy because they were Okinawan.
Of course, that was not the explanation. The explanation was more earthbound -- they had worked hard, trained hard, and kept working at it. Like the mysterious stone spheres, they had seemingly done the impossible. It is true that it would have been impossible to develop such skill in a short time, but they had put in lots of time and kept working at it.
Sometimes, things that seem impossible are actually just hard and take a lot of time and effort. Karate is like that.
I know many highly skilled Karate instructors. In most cases, I weigh more than them, am taller, and am younger. I have not excuses! Their skill is not because they have some physical advantage over me, or because they are of a certain ethnic background -- their skill is the result of hard work over a lifetime.
My attitude is that if someone can do something, I can too if I am willing to put in as much work as they have done. I don't mean that I could slam dunk like an NBA star (unless they lowered the hoop a couple of feet), but in Karate, I should be able to become as skilled as other experts if I am willing to work at it like they have done.
And that is the heart of the matter. How many people are truly willing to work at something that hard and for that long?
Of course, there a many aspects to Karate and we have to pick the areas in which we wish to specialize. We cannot be good at everything. But if we focus our efforts and work really hard at it, we can shape ourselves, like mysterious rock spheres.
Charles C. Goodin
Hard, But Not Impossible
I remembering watching a television show about these large rock spheres in Costa Rica or some other tropical land. Anyway, these spheres are pretty big and close to being perfect. Given the technology of the inhabitants, some researchers had speculated that they must have been created by... you guessed it, aliens.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Sunday, February 27, 2011
Like Religion
A Sensei once told me that the way a person does and understands a kata is a bit like a person's religion. We should not give our opinion or offer corrections unless we are asked to do so.
Even if it seems obvious to us that the person is doing the kata or interprets the applications incorrectly, we should be respectful and remain silent -- unless asked. Even if we are 100% certain.
It does not matter if we are right. What matters is that we are respectful of the other person's understanding and interpretation.
And I always try to keep in mind that what is right in my style/system might be wrong in another style/system. What appears to be wrong to me, might be correct to another person.
But even in my own style/system, I try to be careful about offering corrections, particularly with visitors. I will try to clarify with them if they are visiting to merely train or if they are visiting to learn. If the person is a student of another dojo, I will usually ask his or her instructor if it is permissible to me to offer corrections, particularly if the instructor is my senior in rank or age.
My own Sensei is very sensitive to these issues. When I train with him, he often prefaces a correction by "You might try it this way". He never says, "That is wrong!", even if it is obviously wrong. And I have to say that my errors tended to be pretty obvious!
I also try to keep in mind that my own views about kata and their meanings have changed a great deal over the years and decades. We are all at different points in our Karate journeys.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Sunday, February 27, 2011
Hawaii Okinawa Today Program Online!
The Karate program that recently appeared on Hawaii Okinawa Today, is now available online.
The program begins with an interview conducted back in 1999, and then moves forward to my lecture at the University of Hawaii in 2009, in connection with the establishment of the Hawaii Karate Museum Collection at the Hamilton Library. There is also interview footage shot just this month. So I am shown in 1999, 2009, and currently, in case you notice that I look different.
During my lecture, I showed historic Karate images on a screen as part of a Powerpoint presentation. The video crew included the actual images in their show, so the images are very clear.
If you watch the video online, you can click on the video and zoom to full screen.
I am very grateful to Henry H. Isara and the video crew at Hawaii Okinawa Today, as well as the staff and volunteers at the Hawaii United Okinawan Center. They have helped us to share information about Karate in Hawaii with viewers here, and now around the world via the internet.
Mr. Isara was actually the cameraman for the 1999 interview. That interview was conducted by Wayne Miyahira, who passed away not long ago. Mr. Isara conducted the interview earlier this month, and was also present at the University lecture (he is sitting in the front, to the left).
The producers of the current video were Henry H. Isara and Steve Arashiro. The editors were Henry H. Isara, Steve Arashiro, and Ronald Miyashiro.
I am also deeply indebted to the many Karate instructors and their families who donated photographs that became part of the video.
Charles C. Goodin
58 Updates
Earlier this week, I reactivated a desktop computer I had not used for a year or so. When I ran the Windows update, there were 58 of them! I think it took over an hour to download and install them all!
58 updates.
I imagine that it would feel that way if you missed Karate class for a year or so. But the updates would take considerably longer than an hour to process!
Charles C. Goodin
Ads in this Blog
I have signed up for Google Ad Sense and will soon start having ads in this blog. Before you worry that I've "sold out", please rest assured that I will use all the ad revenue, if any, to purchase books for the Hawaii Karate Museum Collection at the University of Hawaii.
So when the ads appear, please click like crazy! Maybe we will be able to acquire originals of Motobu Sensei's two books (and have the university put them online). Wouldn't that be something?
Charles C. Goodin
Remembering a Basic Kata
I remember, a long time ago, that we were practicing a basic kata (I think it was one of the Naihanchi kata). We had a visitor with us. The visitor was quite advanced and said that he would have to practice (review) the kata because he had not done so for a long time because it was so basic.
That is like saying, "I need to practice writing the letter "A". You need to remember all the letters. In Karate, you do not forget or neglect a kata just because it is considered to be a basic or beginner kata.
I do not view kata that way. Our students learn Naihanchi Shodan first. In that respect, it is a basic kata. However, we practice it at almost every training session. In many ways, it is one of the most technically difficult and advanced kata. It is not basic at all.
Kata only seem basic. Fukyugata Ichi is an easy kata to learn but a very difficult kata to do well. If you make any mistakes, they will be obvious. Mistakes are easier to hide in more complex kata.
If you have to remember a "basic" kata, I would say that you know too many kata. Kata are cumulative. The second one is added to the first one. Now you know one longer kata. You keep adding and adding. They are separate, but together they are like one kata. You cannot neglect any part.
It is like the blood circulation in your body -- if the blood does not circulate to your feet they will die. Blood has to circulate throughout your body.
Don't neglect any kata. If it is worth learning, it is worth practicing.
Charles C. Goodin
Unzipping a Kata
Last week at our dojo, I taught training variations of Naihanchi Shodan and Fukyugata Ichi, in which the kata is done in a straight line moving forward only.
Take Fukyugata Ichi. The first movement is a left gedan barai (downward block) to the left. So begin the kata by standing facing to the right (rather than the front of the room). When you do the first movement, you will now be facing toward the front.
The second movement is a right chudan zuki (middle punch). So step forward and throw the punch.
Next, you are supposed to turn in the opposite direction and execute a right gedan barai (downward block). Instead, without taking a step, just slide forward and execute the block.
Whenever you are supposed to change directions, don't. Just keep moving forward with the techniques of the kata.
This is not a new kata or even a variation of the kata. It is simply a different way to practice the kata -- to experiment with it. It is sort of "unzipping" the kata.
There are two benefits to this practice. First, it makes students think more about the design of the kata. Students who are familiar with the kata should have an easy time changing the directions and flow of the kata. Students who are not that familiar with the kata, or generally just follow along with the other students, will have a harder time. This practice makes the student visualize the normal kata and also visualize the modified version. Both versions have to be in the student's mind.
What I like most about this practice is that it introduces different transitions and footwork. In the third movement of the kata, you normally change directions and step forward with a right gedan barai. In the training version, the gedan barai is thrown without changing stances (except that you shift forward in to zenkutsu dachi). At other places in the kata, techniques are thrown in half steps or half stances. The normal kata does not have such footwork. Actually, such footwork is usually found in the more advanced kata.
Students in our dojo learn Fukyugata Ichi within the first year or so of training (after the Naihanchi kata). It is not a difficult kata to learn but it is a difficult kata to do well. Any kata is difficult to do well. "Unzipping" a kata can give the students more insight into a kata they might think they already understand. In this way, they will never take a kata for granted, even it might be considered to be a basic kata or one that they learned when they were beginners.
Another way to look at this is to imagine that each technique in a kata is like DNA. The kata has the pieces of DNA is a certain sequence. By changing the sequence, things change, even though the parts remain the same.
Now I am not suggesting that kata variations are something you would do for tournaments or demonstrations. And I mentioned to my students that if a senior is visiting, we would never do this in front of him (or her). This is for our own private training.
I want our students to learn the kata correctly, but then be creative with them. Look at the kata from front to back, up and down, right and left, even in changed sequences. Look for the connections between the movements -- even between movements that are not contiguous. How does the first movement relate to the last movement? How does movement 3 relate to movement 4, and to other movements? And don't forget the mirror image of techniques.
Sometimes we should unzip the kata, shake them up, and see what happens!
Charles C. Goodin
Guest Post: And The Winner Is...
This Guest Post is by one of the adult yudansha in our dojo (Hikari Dojo), Peerawut "Peter" Kamlang-ek.
This is a story.
Two best friends were hanging out and decided that they both wanted to learn Karate. They promised each other that they will take training seriously and will meet in ten years to test each other's skill out and see who would win.
The first young man had a lot of money so he joined the most famous dojo that is linked to a big organization and held world tournaments. The dojo charged him for lessons, gi, belts, promotion, membership fee, and seminars.
The second young man didn't have that much money so he ended up joining a dojo that no one has ever heard about near his parent's house. The Sensei didn't charge him a dime and only asked that he come in early to help clean the dojo.
Ten years later the first karate student got really skillful and became the rising star, featured in many magazines, television shows, and was known as the "world champion". Remembering his promise to meet up with his friend he finally decided to show up at the dojo where his friend trains.
The world champion showed up while his buddy was cleaning. With a big smirk full of arrogance the world champion took a fighting stance and exclaimed, "It has been ten years old pal! I am the world champion now, attack me with anything!"
The student paused for a second, looked at the broom in his hand, and calmly walked over to the world champion. He put the broom in his friend's hand and politely said, "I'm so sorry old friend, I remember our promise but Karate is not for fighting. Now help me clean the dojo, our Sensei and the students will be arriving soon."
The second student won.
Peerawut Kamlang-ek
Articles By George Donahue
I recommend any articles written by George Donahue, also of Kishaba Juku Shorin-Ryu. You can find several of his articles at the FightingArts.com website. About 10 years ago, George was very kind to introduce me to koshi and Kishaba Juku body dynamics. Please see:
I like his recent article, Koshi/Yao: An Introduction.
Charles C. Goodin
Why Nigeria?
This is off subject, but it has been on my mind.
What makes people think that if they send me an email notifying me that I won 10 million dollars in a lottery or that a former dictator wants to deposit money to my checking account, that I would be more likely to respond to them if they are in Nigeria?
Have you ever noticed that you never get any of these messages from Okinawa? At least I have not.
Charles C. Goodin
Karate "Thoughts" -- Floating Symbols
Well, since we have compared Karate to language, we might as well go a step further.
When learning Karate, we think in terms of words and phrases. Over the years and decades, we learn the language of Karate and become fluent in it (hopefully).
Then, we no longer think in terms of words strung together in a linear fashion. Complex concepts (movement, application, and response patterns) become symbols to us -- three dimensional, animated, colored and/or textured objects that appear and disappear, as needed, in our minds.
It might take quite a while to say 100 words, 500 words, or 10,000 words, but a symbol embodying the totality of their meaning can be thought/seen/perceived in an instant.
It is like the way some autistic savants can quickly perform complex mathematical computations in their minds. They don't always see the literal numbers. The equations and solutions are sometimes expressed/visualized in novel ways (shapes, colors, sounds, heat, even smells).
I wanted to mention this because the language analogy, while correct to a point, is also a bit limited. We have to "think" in terms of language in a broad sense, which includes symbols containing/representing huge packets of information (movement principles, techniques, applications, etc.). A Karate expert thinks, but probably not in the way you might think he thinks.
Also, when you think this way, the kata fit together in very novel ways. The symbols of each kata (however you visualize them) sort of float and bump/touch/overlap into each other, revealing the connections of movements and sequences in ways that most people might not readily see. And the answers just appear -- without words (in English, or any other language for that matter).
Do you see?
Charles C. Goodin
More on Becoming Fluent in Karate
This is a follow-up to my post, Becoming Fluent in Karate.
There are so many similarities between learning a language and learning Karate.
In writing, we must first learn our alphabet (basics or kihon).
Then we learn words (techniques or waza).
Words are assembled to form sentences (multiple step applications or yakusoku kumite).
Sentences are combined to form paragraphs (kata).
Paragraphs form chapters and eventually a book (a style of Karate or ryuha).
In our native language, we can speak without thinking about which words we should use. The words just flow naturally. As I said, the language does not get in the way of expression.
In Karate, we learn to respond to attacks instinctively, without thinking. If we have to think, "He is punching with his right, so I should block with my left" (for example), we will never have time to defend ourselves. We have to be able to react from muscle memory imprinted from years of training, and only afterward realize what we have done.
Words can have multiple levels of meaning. So can techniques. One technique can have multiple levels of application -- a simple strike, a parry and strike, a joint lock, a dislocation, a take down, etc. Some people express themselves in Karate with an amazing level of sophistication. Others are still at the "baby talk" phase.
My wife likes to tell out children that, "It is not what you say, it is how you say it." This also applies in Karate. "It is not what you say, it is how you say it." "It is not what you are doing, it is how you are doing it."
If Karate is like language, you could say that some Karate people say a lot but don't say much at all, and other Karate people say very little but those few carefully chosen words speak volumes.
I know some people who are not only fluent in Karate, they also speak other languages. You have to watch out for multi-lingual Karate experts!
Analogies to language are not limited to English. Asian languages also have multiple writing systems. Please see: Kata, Bunkai & Calligraphy, by George Donahue. Our Sensei, Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato, compares movement in Karate to the kaisho, gyosho, and sosho calligraphy forms -- and he expresses this beautifully in movement.
If Karate is like language, then you better be very careful about what you say. Choose your words carefully, and say something useful.
Charles C. Goodin
Becoming Fluent in Karate
When you are fluent in a language, you can easily express yourself. You do not have to struggle with words. They come easily. Language does not get in the way of expression.
We are working to become fluent in Karate. First, we must seek fluency of motion -- the ability to move freely and to execute techniques in any required direction. We must also seek fluency of application -- the ability to apply the appropriate technique freely and effectively.
If someone attacks, we must be able to respond quickly without thinking, as if casually carrying on a conversation.
Most of us are fluent in at least one language. Are you fluent in Karate?
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Wednesday, February 23, 2011
More About Improvement In Higher Dan Ranks?
This is a follow-up to my post, Improvement In Higher Dan Ranks? I received several comments on this at my Facebook page. My blog posts become notes at my Facebook page.
In a way, my post confuses two separate subjects: improvement and rank. One can seek improvement without any thought of rank, and sometimes one can earn a higher rank without regard to improvement. However, in a perfect world, in my opinion, rank would be a reflection of improvement.
As Karate students, we should always be seeking to improve ourselves at all levels -- technique, knowledge of the art, teaching ability, character, etc.
However, we should not expect that the indicators of improvement would be the same for a shodan (1st degree black belt) as it would be for a hachidan (8th degree black belt) . For a shodan, learning the next kata may be required. A hachidan will have learned all the kata in his system decades ago. For a shodan, being able to do a certain number of push-ups or punches might be relevant. A hachidan, if he is elderly, certainly will not be getting stronger in terms of push-ups and how many pounds he can bench press.
My point is that the indicators of improvement will change with advancement. So what might be looked for as signs of advancement in higher ranks? Please allow me to speculate (I am still a student and beginner).
A shodan might consider how hard he can hit. But most of his effort will be wasted. Of all the power he generates, very little will make it into his fist (if that is what he is hitting with) and even less will make it into the attacker. And even then, a shodan will probably hit the attacker in a less than ideal place. A hachidan, in contrast, will be much more efficient. Generating power with his "whole body", he will efficiently transfer and boost this power through his body, to his fist, to a single knuckle, with which he will strike the attacker at a vulnerable spot designed to do the most damage with the least effort. The hachidan may not be as physically strong as the shodan, but he will be able to do a whole lot more with less.
A shodan is learning what to do. A hachidan is far along in the process of refining what he has learned. See Karate Refinement. For a shodan, it is an additive process. For a hachidan the process involves stripping away unnecessary and inefficient movements.
But the process is not limited to movement alone. As one advances, the ability to read the attacker also improves. An advanced Karate student can more clearly see what the attacker is doing and about to do -- perhaps even what he plans to do. Because the advanced student can read the attacker, he can do more to preempt the attacker's movements, not just respond to them. See Making Sense of "Sen". A shodan might block a punch (if he is lucky). A hachidan might be able to stop the punch at its root by jamming the shoulder (just as an example). From there, it is just a short distance to strike the attacker in the neck, face, etc. Again, the hachidan will be able to do much more with less.
But it goes further than reading the attacker. As one advances, one's ability to sense an imminent threat should also improve, so that one can better avoid an attack entirely. As I have written, any technique can fail but avoidance is 100% effective.
So as one advances, the indicators of this advancement will change. A shodan should not be evaluated by the standards applicable to a hachidan, and vice versa.
And certainly, the more one advances, the more one's character should improve. See Okinawa's Bushi: Karate Gentlemen.
As students, we should always seek improvement, keep working at it, and then work at it some more. This attitude should guide us throughout our lives.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Guest Post: Until I Get It Right
This Guest Post is by my friend and senior, Sensei Pat Nakata. Nakata Sensei is the head of the Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate Association in Hawaii. He was a student of Chosin (Choshin) Chibana in Shorin-Ryu, and also studied Ryukyu Kobudo under Sensei Fumio Nagaishi. When he was a young man, he studied Wado-Ryu Karate under Sensei Walter Nishioka.
My neighbor's daughter is 8 years old. She has been playing the piano for just about a year. During the course of the year, we were amazed by the progress she has been making. The other day my daughter-in-law being impressed with her piano playing, asked her how long she practiced every day? She responded, "Until I get it right." Wow! Until she gets it right. There were no time limits. It was until she got it right. This 8 year old girl already knows what it
takes to excel.
Imagine if we approached our Karate training in the same way: Until we get it right. We practice and never seem to improve. As Snaggy (the late Bob Inouye) used to quote the legendary basketball coach, Bobby Knight, "Practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent." We must practice correctly and in the right way. It is a matter of focus and awareness.
We are made aware of our mistakes and we try to correct it by training harder. We see students who have been training for 20 years and are still making the same mistakes from their first year of training. They trained hard from the time they started, but they accomplished 1 year of training repeated 20 times. We should not only look at training harder, but practice until we get it right.
My mother would remind me about doing things right and I would respond, "Yea Mom, you already told me that a thousand times." She would come back with, "Yes, I'm going to tell you this a thousand and one time and maybe this time I'll get through to you." So, rather than just training, practice to get it right and maybe this time you will get it right.
How do you know when you get it right.? There is the concept of "Shirimasu" and "Wakarimasu". Shirimasu means I know. Wakarimasu is I understand. Someone may explain something to you, so you have knowledge: Shirimasu. Understanding though comes from empirical knowledge or experiencing: Wakarimasu. When you practice and work on getting it right, and when you do get it right, you will know. You now understand. Then you realize the value of "Until I get it right."
Pat Nakata
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, February 21, 2011
¿Mejora En Los Grados Dan Más Altos?
My post, Improvement In Higher Dan Ranks?, has been translated into Spanish. Please see:
at Blog de Víctor López Bondía.
Thank you very much to Bondía Sensei.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, February 19, 2011
Luxury Shoes
Imagine that you are going to buy a pair or really expensive luxury shoes. These babies cost $10,000! (If that does not sound like a lot to you, then they cost $1 million!)
Now everyone wears shoes. To spend that much, these shoes have to be special -- really special. Of course, they have a luxury brand name. You are not just paying for the shoes, you are paying for the brand and the right to show off that you are wearing that brand.
Just any brand will not do. This brand is really special. Here in the US, that means it must be from some exotic land or Europe or something. It has to be something really different -- otherwise why would you pay so much? (Personally, I would buy American.)
And these shoes, this brand, is somehow possessed by a special power that will make you more attractive to the opposite sex and envied by your peers. When you wear these shoes, you will not just be something, you will be someone!
These are not just shoes -- these are life changing receptacles for your feet. Kings and queens would have been lucky to wear them, but you will be the one to get them, for the measly price of just $10,000.
So what is the point?
Don't treat Karate like luxury shoes. Karate is not really something you can purchase. It is something you become skillful at by training, by your own hard work. And if anyone tries to sell you Karate the way someone might sell luxury shoes, you should remind them that you don't need to wear shoes when you practice Karate. You leave your shoes outside the dojo (or in the hall). Leave the world in your shoes (or slippers) and just train.
I wear a $20 gi that has lasted me years (actually, I wear a few of them). I wore out expensive gi pretty quickly. The cheaper one turned out to be better quality.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Friday, February 18, 2011
Folding Chair
On Wednesday, we practiced using a folding chair as a defense against a club (stick) attack. From a sitting position, we practiced pulling the chair out between our legs, grabbing the seat and back, thrusting the legs toward the attacker's face several times while spinning the legs somewhat to parry the club, and throwing the chair (just pretend so that we did not damage the chairs or flooring) to create an opening to escape.
I will tell you this. I felt pretty vulnerable when I was the attacker. The four legs of a folding chair are a pretty good weapon.
Part of self-defense is being aware of your surroundings and identifying items that can be used for protection. Another thing I emphasized to our students is being aware of avenues of escape. There's a big difference between running for an exit and running into a closet.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, February 17, 2011
Improvement In Higher Dan Ranks?
Here is a question I was asked (I am paraphrasing it):
"Are higher dan ranks awarded for technical improvement or for other factors, such as contributions to the art and teaching?"It is certainly true that higher ranks, such as 7th dan through 10th dan, do take into account the awardee's contributions to the art, teaching, and similar factors. However, in my opinion, a person should improve from one dan level to the next. This applies to higher ranks as well.
Thus, in my opinion, a 7th dan should be more skilled than a 6th dan, an 8th dan should be more skilled than a 7th dan, etc. A Karate student should never reach a level where he no longer improves. I am sure that there are 80 and 90 year old Karate experts who are still "working at it." The work never ends and neither does improvement.
Now I am not saying that you can necessarily compare a 7th dan in one style or dojo to another 7th dan in another style or dojo. Ranking is a pretty subjective thing with wide variations. But within one dojo or organization, you would expect to see some uniformity of ranking. And in this situation, I would expect there to be a qualitative difference between holders of higher ranks. In other words, I would not expect an 8th dan to simply be an older version of a 7th dan. An 8th dan should be more skilled and more technically advanced.
I have written before that the passage of time and the attainment of a certain age should never be the basis of rank. Improvement should be the basis of rank, and improvement comes from one thing and one thing only -- training.
I've also written that what's important is not being better than other people but being better than yesterday (quoting Jigoro Kano). It is also true that if you have not improved today, you have gotten worse (because you have gotten older). We must constantly seek improvement.
I am fortunate to know many skilled Karate instructors who have dedicated their lives to training. They train to improve, not to be promoted. Actually, I do not know any skilled Karate instructors who seek promotion -- they are too busy training and working on themselves.
Skill is the result of training. If skill increases, that is a reward in and of itself. An acknowledgment from a ranking committee is not necessary. It is also true that rank without skill and ability means nothing at all.
So I feel that a person should improve from one rank to the next, and this applies from the earliest ranks to the highest. But the goal is improvement, not rank. If rank comes, it should be accepted with a sense of humility, gratitude, and increased responsibility (to the other students).
I would also like to relate something I often experience. I meet many Karate instructors who are more skilled that me. I am never intimidated by this. Instead, I am inspired to train harder so that I can improve. I am 53 and my Sensei in Okinawa is 72. I say to myself, "I will try to be as skilled as he is when I am his age." And then I think, "At least I have some time to try to catch up." I have mentioned this to my Sensei many times. He replies that "We can try to improve together."
That is exactly how I feel about my own students. "We can try to improve together."
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, February 17, 2011
Evaluating a Movement
When I see a student perform a movement, I feel like saying:
- Generating power the way you are doing it, your movement has a potential of 3 (out of 10).
- Transferring power the way you are doing it, your movement has a potential of 2.
- Executing the technique the way you are doing it (the shape and pattern), your movement has a potential of 5.
- Executing the technique with your understanding of the meaning of the technique, your movement has a potential of 3.
- How does the student generate power?
- How does the student transfer power?
- What is the range of applications based on the form of the movement?
- What is the range of applications based on the student's understanding of the movement?
Take a simple punch (chudan zuki). First, the student needs to know how to get power into the punch (whole body dynamics). Next, the student needs to know how to transfer that power through the punch into the attacker (striking surface, kime, kikomi). If he punches in a very linear and limited way, he will probably only be able to execute a very linear and limited punch. But if he understands that the punch presents a range of possible movements, then the doors are opened. And if he knows where and how to hit most effectively, then that is really something. For example, a punch to the center of the attacker's chest might have a certain effect. If the student has a great deal of power and can transfer it effectively, he might be able to knock down the attacker. But there are many other places to hit in that general area that will have a much greater effect with much less effort. A skilled Karate expert is a little bit like a surgeon. He will hit or strike for maximum effect -- and the won't waste the recoil of the punch or the location of his fist after the punch either.
So... there are a lot of things to consider.
When I see a student or instructor who rates high on all of the four questions I presented at the beginning of this post, I think, "watch out for him (or her)!"
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Sunday, February 13, 2011
First Kendo Practice
My granddaughter is a year and a half old. Today, she came up to me with the cardboard roll from wrapping paper and tried to hit me!
I was so proud. (I blocked, if you are wondering.)
My eldest son practices Kendo, so we anticipate that my granddaughter will too -- Kendo and Karate. I'll bet that my third son teaches her Ju Jitsu too.
Charles C. Goodin
More on Vicious Techniques
This is a follow-up to my post, Vicious Techniques. My friend, Sensei Jim Alexander, also posted a Guest Post on this subject.
I do not believe that Karate is for fighting -- it is for defense only. Karate does not make you a good fighter, it makes you a good defender, hopefully.
As Sensei Alexander pointed out, attackers do not follow any rules. And some of them are very good at fighting/beating people up because they get a lot of practice.
In Karate, we should learn to defend against the types of attacks we might experience. I am afraid that attackers are not going to use a chudan zuki. And if the attack ends up on the ground, they are not going to call time out so that you can both stand up. NO RULES. NO TIME OUT. NO TROPHIES.
As Karate students we should avoid conflict unless it is the last resort -- to defend your life or the life of a loved one. Talk your way out of it if you can, walk away if that does not work, run away if you have to. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. I would rather give up my wallet than risk my life.
But if there is no other way, and you have to defend yourself -- and this is the key point -- you need to be prepared to defend against real attacks. The techniques that might receive points in a tournament are probably not going to work. And, in fact, the techniques that will probably work best are also probably illegal in tournaments (most of the techniques I would use certainly are).
That is why I wrote about vicious techniques -- you need to know what dirty is in order to defend against dirty.
And if you do have to defend against a vicious technique, you are probably going to have to be more vicious, not to win, but to survive and get away.
Winning and losing are for sports. My good friend, Professor Kimo Ferreira, likes to say that in self defense, it is not who is first but who is last (as in the last one standing).
Please do not get me wrong. I am one of the most peaceful people you could meet. I am not a fighter at all and will always try my best to avoid conflict unless self defense becomes the last resort. But I do realize that as Karate students we have to keep it real. We have to learn to defend against the types of real attacks we might experience. You cannot hope to defend against something you have never even seen.
Charles C. Goodin
Guest Post: About Vicious Techniques
In response to my post, Vicious Techniques, my good friend, Sensei Jim Alexander (of Belleville, Illinois) wrote:
"First rule of real combat....there are NO rules. Second rule; NOBODY WINS , Everybody gets hurt. Third rule...the one who gets hurt least gets to walk away.Thank you Jim. I appreciate your views and experiences. -- Charles
I'm totally against the teaching of ideas that give a student any delusions about winning an encounter... training may improve your odds, but there are no guarantees and anyone that has had real life experience, in the military or the police will tell you, the only way to guarantee an outcome, is don't be a participant to [in] violence.
I had a friend once, from a dojo I was involved with, that went to Vegas on business, got mugged and beaten severely. He was a brown belt at the time. He felt from all his training it was worth resisting the two guys that demanded his wallet (it had credit cards and a considerable amount of cash in it). Instead of turning it over he took a defensive stance... when he returned from the trip he was totally demoralized. He complained to his sensei... what good is all this training if I can't even defend myself? His sensei responded... "You didn't listen when I told you to walk away from danger, run if possible and do not fight unless it is your life or the life of a loved one."
To this I always add, when teaching a community service class on self defense... It may be your first fight... but you can bet it is not your attacker's first attack. Bad guys get PLENTY of practice...that's why good guys should practice MORE, and practice like it is for real. Better to get a bruise on your forearm in the dojo than one on your brain in the street.
I sincerely hope your students listen more closely to you than my friend did to his sensei.
Vicious Techniques
The other night I was showing a series of techniques that ended with a takedown. Then, with the attacker on the ground, I showed a couple of basic strikes/kicks followed by a technique I will not mention, but suffice it to say that it was particularly vicious, terrible, horrible, etc.
I then explained to the students that they need to be aware of such techniques, because if they are taken down to the ground, these are the types of things an attacker might try to do to them. This is an important point -- it is very difficult to defend against attacks and techniques you have never seen. But if you have practiced these attacks and techniques, you will be better prepared to defend against them.
I used to practice Kenpo Karate here in Hawaii. When I am taken down, I never leave my legs open (one leg always protects my groin). In some grappling arts, stomping on or kicking the groin is not allowed. In Kenpo, it is assumed that an attacker will attack your groin, head... anything possible. Anything goes, so you have to be ready to protect everything. You certainly do not leave your legs open and your groin area exposed.
Learning vicious attacks makes you more aware of the need to carefully defend yourself and not to take anything for granted.
Charles C. Goodin
One More About Anderson Silva
It is late here in Hawaii, and I just had this thought.
If I were in an MMA match with Anderson Silva (which could never happen and I am probably old enough to be his father), the match would start and the next thing I would know is that Anderson was kneeling over me, bowing, and being really nice.
I would be thinking, "Oh no! Anderson Silva is being nice. It must be over!"
I really respect fighters like Anderson Silva who are polite to their opponents. My third son, Cael, told me that there might be a fight between Anderson Silva and George St. Pierre. Now that would be something! And they are both very polite.
As I have mentioned before, because my son Cael practices MMA (Brazilian Ju Jitsu), I have come to better understand (just a little) and respect the art. Often at our Karate class, I will begin a technique and ask Cael to explain how he would finish it, or how he might respond to the same attack. For some reason, he usually wants to take the attacker down. Having "rolled" with Cael very lightly, the ground is certainly not a place I would like to be with a grappling expert.
Charles C. Goodin
About that Kick
Here is an interesting article at the CNN website about Anderson Silva's front kick to Vitor Belfort's jaw:
In my style, kicks are generally no higher than the waist and are usually aimed at the groin or knee areas.
My Kenpo friends like to say, "If you want to kick to the head, take the attacker down first (then stomp him)." Not that I would necessarily do that... just that I have heard that. Of course, I would do everything possible to avoid an attack.
Charles C. Goodin
The Most Important Karate Book Ever
As the head of the Hawaii Karate Museum, I am blessed with access to some of the rarest Karate and martial arts books in the world (almost all of which we have donated to the University of Hawaii). After years of research, I have decided to name the most important Karate book ever written. Do you know what it is?
It is the attendance book at your dojo.
No book can compare in importance to a book that lists the weeks, years, and decades of your practice. Whether it is an actual book, or just one that you keep in your mind (and your Sensei's mind) doesn't matter. The best Karate book -- your Karate book -- is written in sweat.
Print books are nice too, but they only become relevant if Karate has become alive in you through dedicated training.
Charles C. Goodin
Mae Geri is a Great Kick
This evening I watched UFC 126 with my sons and some of their friends. Of course, the big match was Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort.
For all my students at our dojo, "See, I told you that mae geri (front kick) is a great kick!"
Then again, I think that Anderson Silva could make any technique work and look good.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, February 05, 2011
Win A Fight, Then What?
From time to time, I hear about incidents that go something like this:
Two guys get into an argument at a bar or club. A fight ensues (usually in the parking lot). One guy beats up the other. The loser leaves. Later, the loser drives to the other guy's house with a gun...There is always a bad ending to this story, often with one or both of the fighters or innocent bystanders being killed.
My point is that the fight at the bar or club is not necessarily the end. And winning the fight does not mean that you are safe or that the fight is over. The loser could come back later with a gun or with a bunch of friends (who might also have guns). Or he might just run you over with his car!
This is probably not on the minds of the fighters when they are in the parking lot, but it is certainly a possibility.
A skilled Karate student/instructor might have a good chance in the parking lot, particularly against an untrained aggressor. But even the best Karate expert cannot block bullets.
That is why it is so important to avoid the fight in the first place. If the fight is avoided, the subsequent shooting will also be avoided (hopefully). Karate is only used as a last resort. Avoiding a fight is the best technique. If it cannot be avoided, then that is another thing. But we should always remember that parking lot glory can be quickly followed by tragedy.
Charles C. Goodin
Learning by Teaching
I was speaking to a young man who was promoted to shodan (1st degree black belt) in our dojo earlier this week. I told him:
"You learn 20% from your teachers and the other 80% by teaching others. The first part is easy, all you have to do is follow instructions and apply it to yourself (and train hard, of course). Teaching others is hard, because everyone is different. You cannot assume that a student will just be able to copy you, or that he will necessarily understand what you teach him. Some students learn well by listening, others by observing, others by the "feel" of the movement. Since they are all different, you will have to figure out how to teach each student the best way possible. But by doing so, you will truly understand what you have learned."Years ago, I thought that the ratio was 50% (what you learn from your teachers) and 50% (what you learn by teaching). Now I think it is 20% and 80%. One day I might think it is actually 1% and 99%!
We learn the most by teaching. So if you are ever asked to teach (whether the entire class or just one student), please keep this in mind -- you are learning by teaching and you can only learn by teaching.
Charles C. Goodin
Hawaii Okinawa Today Program on 'Olelo -- Okinawan Karate
Hawaii Okinawa Today, a cable program on 'Olelo, Oceanic Channel 53, will feature Okinawan Karate, specifically the donation of the Hawaii Karate Museum rare book collection to the University of Hawaii, along with the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai's demonstration to celebrate the event, and my lecture on the early history of Karate in Hawaii at the Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii. The program will premiere on Monday, February 21st at 7 p.m., and be shown again on Saturday, February 26th at 5 p.m. It will be one hour.
I hope that you can watch it!
The program is sponsored by the HUOA (Hawaii United Okinawa Association) and was created by Mr. Henry Isara, who came to my office earlier this week to film an interview. I was first interviewed by Hawaii Okinawa Today back in 1999. At that time, Mr. Isara was the cameraman and the interviewer was Wayne Miyahira (who passed away not so long ago). Mr. Isara now conducted the interview and edited the program. I really appreciate his hard work and dedication to Okinawan culture.
We all practice Okinawan Karate. Let's not forget to study the "Okinawan" in Okinawan Karate!
Charles C. Goodin


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text: One of my goals in life has been to go back to Costa Rica and spend several months just hanging out, learning spanish and teaching English for free. I had thought I wanted to spend my time on the beach, but I might just venture inland to Finca Bellavista which is a mountain retreat set high in the canopy of the rain forest. A series of tree house hotel rooms high up in the trees. What I really like about Costa Rica is that an American can safely drink the water there, with little worry of getting sick. You can enjoy all their fruits and it is a very stable country, it doesn't even have a standing army.


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Asset Allocation Monday: Buying Bond ETFs, Selling Stocks?
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Market watchers are agog Monday at what they say are a handful of large asset allocation trades moving in the *opposite* direction of where the market has been headed lately.
Brokers say the big trades sent close to $750 million into ProShares Ultra 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (UST), a leveraged bet on U.S. government debt, and $2.5 billion into iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IE). At the same time, large investors pulled close to $5 billion out of ProShares Ultra S&P 500 ETF (SSO), a leveraged bet on stocks, and iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV).
"Roughly $2.5B out of stocks into bonds," Dave Lutz, an ETF trader at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. writes clients via email.
If so, the against-the-grain move would be keeping with the portfolio rebalancing investors are regularly urged to undertake: When an attractive asset falls in price and another rises, buy the one and sell the other.


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The new Trooper fertilizer spreader from Barron & Brothers International (BBI) produces a wide swath. The ground-drive spreader features a new manual-engage ground-wheel pump and hydraulic quick connect. To fine-tune application rates, the spreader is equipped with an adjustable gate and new adjustable flow divider and fin placement. The hopper holds 5 tons of product.
Price: $11,000. Contact BBI, Dept. FIN, Box 630, Cornelia, GA 30531, 800/282-3570, www.bbispreaders.com.


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Golden Sunray
Internal Flowers Opening
Golden Sunray
Flower Open, Profile
|Plants (Plantae) - Daisies
|Daisies (Asterales)
|Daisy (Asteraceae)
|Golden Sunray (Hyalosperma glutinosum ssp glutinosum)
|This Photo:
|Flower Open, Above
|Other name:
General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), and elsewhere
Small annual with cylindrical, succulent, green leaves with golden yellow flowers.
The overall shape can vary widely, from a tiny single flower stem, thru wiry & spreading to upright and bushy.
The leaves become hairy/sparsely woolly as they grow.
The buds can be yellow thru burnt orange.
Generally it has one flower at the end of each stem from the base. Often the stem will divide to throw another flower head.
The stems go red from the base with age.