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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
Immutable Kata
Are kata immutable? "Immutable" means "unchangeable; changeless."
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, March 26, 2007


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A friend recently wanted my advice on leasing a new car.
I've only leased a car once, but I knew enough to want to put zero cash down.
I let the lender bear the depreciation risk. But many customers don't know about that risk, and I imagine only some dealerships explain it to them.
So should a finance and insurance officer or a salesperson explain the risks of a big down payment to a lease customer?
That's the ethical question that Mike Conn, business manager at Dreyer & Reinbold dealership group in Greenwood, Ind., posed to his F&I peers on Facebook in a post expressing concern that a customer used his entire trade equity of $9,500 to reduce a lease on a $25,000 car.
Interestingly, many of Conn's peers who commented either didn't have a firm grasp of the issue or definite direction for their moral compass.
Here's the thing: Making a large down payment on a lease does not benefit the customer.
With a zero down payment, if the customer walks away at the end of the lease term, he got a two- or three-year test drive, with the lender taking the depreciation risks. Sometimes the car is a good buy at the end of lease, but often it's not, so if the customer put a lot of cash into that lease, that's money he will never see again with no trade equity.
And then there's the concern Conn expressed: What if a customer totals the car before the lease ends?
While the customer often will not be out any additional cash because the contract typically is protected by GAP, all the money the customer put in the down payment will be gone. Insurance money will be used to pay off the lease, not to the customer.
Some of Conn's peers wrote that certain financiers put a cap on the amount of capital reduction a customer can put on a lease.
Still others wrote they do explain the risks of a large down payment to customers because doing so creates trust. Wrote one manager: "They know you're looking out for their best interests, and they feel good when they get a check handed back to them. The beauty of having all that cash in hand is that if the resulting payment is too steep for them after you've suggested product, they can always dip a little into that cash to make it a little more palatable."
But in Conn's situation, neither he nor his salesperson told the customer what a "horrible mistake" the customer was making at the time.
Wrote Conn: "I just crossed my fingers and said a little prayer that the customer doesn't total the car."

subset: commoncrawl


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Partners programme
The Organising Committee is excited to advise that the WCGALP Congress will be offering an exclusive partners programme that will be run each day of the Congress. If this sounds like something you would like to join in, please register your interest below. Further information and pricing will be sent out as the programme is confirmed.
Congress partners are more than welcome to attend the scientific sessions each day.
Click here to register your interest
Monday 12 February
Catch Up
Partners are invited to meet at the Box coffee shop at 1000 to touch base with other Congress partners and friends.
You are most welcome to have Lunch at the Congress or a lunch box will be organised.
City walk
The Auckland City Walk leaves from the Queens Wharf Village (89 Quay Street) and heads up through Britomart Transport Centre, taking you through the city's pedestrian laneways and right up to the recently renovated Auckland Art Gallery.
You'll then wander through the historic Albert Park and University of Auckland, before heading back down to Auckland's famous viaduct precinct and across Te Wero Bridge, concluding among the hustle and bustle of the always-interesting Silo Park.
Tuesday 13 February
Matakana 'foodie' tour - all day
Discover the delicious tastes of fresh Matakana Coast produce; served in local restaurants or purchased from the roadside. The quality and care our passionate locals instil in the creation of their produce is evident in the taste sensations you will experience.
The Matakana Taste Tour includes visits to two wineries as well as three local producers of your choice – choose from the following: Sausages, boutique cheeses, hand made chocolates, gourmet Smoke House, oysters, honey, ice cream, olive oil, pure water & a farmer's market option on Saturdays.
Tour Highlights:
Tiritiri Matangi Island (Bird Sanctuary) – all day
Tiritiri Matangi Island is a wildlife sanctuary and one of New Zealand's most important and exciting conservation projects. It is located 30km north east of central Auckland and just 4km from the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. A hundred and twenty years of farming had seen this 220-hectare island stripped of 94% of its native bush but between 1984 and 1994, volunteers planted between 250,000 and 300,000 trees. The Island is now 60% forested with the remaining 40% left as grassland for species preferring open habitat.
As well as wonderful wildlife Tiritiri Matangi has a lighthouse, a Visitor Centre some great walks and views and beaches. Most visitors start with a guided walk which finishes at the Visitor Centre where free tea and coffee is provided. There are plenty of tables outside to have your lunch and if it is wet there is plenty of room in the Visitor Centre.
In the afternoon you may want to explore some of the east coast, relax around the Visitor Centre or head for Hobbs Beach for a swim. Please click here to find out more about Tiritiri Matangi.
Wednesday 14 February
Partners will be able to register for the Congress Technical Field Trips.
Congress Technical Field trips
Possible trip options:
- Forestry breeding
- Dairy Recording and breeding
- Sheep recording and breeding
- Beef recording and breeding
- Aquaculture breeding
- Conservation genetics
- Shell Fish genetics
- Grapes and wine
- Horses
- Companion animals (drug screening, NZ post)
- Lab animals
Thursday 15 February
Art Gallery – includes tour and lunch
Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tamaki, is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand, and has the most extensive collection of national and international art in the country. With multiple exhibition spaces spreading across three levels of the award-winning building, it is the largest and most inspiring visual arts experience in Aotearoa New Zealand. Their collection and loan collections currently number over 16,000 artworks. Together, they include major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art. Alongside outstanding works by Maori and Pacific artists, they represent significant international painting, sculpture and print collections.
Museum - includes tour, cultural welcome
In one of New Zealand's most outstanding historical buildings, boldly situated in the Domain - a central city pleasure garden - you encounter exhibitions that will excite you with the artistic legacy and cultures of the Pacific people. See the monumental carvings, buildings, canoes and taonga (treasures) of the Maori.
Bush walk in the Waitakere Ranges
The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park is home to some of Auckland's most visited natural treasures. Explore the lush native rainforest, scenic coastline and windswept black-sand beaches. Waitakere Ranges walks are the best way to experience the area's beauty and there's a huge range of other activities on offer.
Friday 16 February
Some suggestions for the day


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Color Rush - The crazy Stroop effect
- Publisher: Override
- Genre: Educational
- Released: 20 Sep, 2012
- Size: 12.3 MB
- Price: $0.99
- App Store Info
DescriptionEver gotten crazy experiencing the "Stroop effect"? Well here's your chance. Race against time while colors will terribly confuse you!
In various challenges, your basic goal is to touch the colors you're reading on the screen. Easy you think? Not if the word is displayed in a different color than the one you're supposed to touch! ... cause that's when the "Stroop effect" kicks in.
This irritating effect is caused by the fact that naming the color takes you much longer when the name of a color is displayed in another color than the one it denotes (like, when the color name "green" is displayed in yellow). But, having to make a decision fast as time is running out isn't the only challenge! Thanks to the "Stroop effect" you'll be more prone to errors, too! So focus and sharpen your senses, because this game will definitely get you in a rush.
With Color Rush, you'll probably get the most fun out of the "Stroop effect". Featuring a very neat user interface, this game includes:
+ Two different challenges
- Time Challenge
Try to hit as many right colors as you can in 30 seconds. A right touch gains you two points while a wrong one costs you one point.
- Stamina Challenge
Stay focused! One wrong touch will end the game if you're not careful. If you stay brave you'll get rewarded with an increasing bonus factor each stage, but you better hurry because you'll have less and less time for each color.
+ Game Center support
See how the rest of the world is doing! Including global leaderboards for each challenge and various fun achievements for you to unlock.
+ Local Highscore
Challenge your friends and see who knocks the other off his throne. Featuring a separate highscore for each challenge.
+ Top statistics
See who reaches the highest taps per second rate or who has the most stamina. Featuring many interesting top statistics you can try to beat.
+ Interesting facts about the "Stroop effect"
Learn what parts of your brain are involved when playing or show your friends what the effect is all about.
+ Slick artwork
Fun to play, but also nice to look at. Enjoy the nice and colorful user interface while playing.
What's New in Version 2.0- New User Interface
- Reduced game board size
- Minor bugfixes


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A modern metropolis
May 27, 2012
Kiev, Ukraine, is an off-beat destination, invoking images of Cossack song and dance, repressive communist grime and the catastrophic nuclear accident at the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. But, just as those who have lived a veiled life under the Iron Curtain are discovering, we foreigners are not "all spies with cameras in their buttons, radio transmitters in the heels of their shoes and pockets full of Colorado beetles," as contemporary Soviet poet Yevgeny Alexandrovich Yevtushenko said. As such, Westerners preconceived ideas are also changing.
We half expected to find a city in which we could still feel the frosty breath of the Cold War on our face. Instead, we found a bustling, modern metropolis, Paris Hilton-types click clicking along cobblestone streets in five-inch stilettos and designer fashion. Range Rovers, Hummers and Bentleys honk and pound their way through the city's heart, and mile-high video boards hype the latest technology.
Yet beneath the skin of modern-day consumerism lies onion-like layers of history and tradition. Shiny office blocks mix with medieval statues, onion-domed churches and concrete-slab in a Brezhnev-era architecture.
After touching down at Boryspil International Airport and checking into the Premier Palace Hotel, we headed straight for Khreshchatyk, Kiev's Champs Elysees-like main thoroughfare and the most fashionable part of the city. It's lined with sweet-smelling chestnut trees, high-end shops, outdoor cafes, coffee wagons and ice-cream stands. During the week, traffic sits gridlocked along its plumb-line straight expanse through the city. But it takes on an entirely different atmosphere on weekends, when it's closed to traffic and becomes a thronged pedestrian precinct with live bands. Jugglers, in-line skaters and stilt-walkers weave through the crowds creating a carnival-like atmosphere; children skip through fountains; and young and old alike, in sophisticated fashion, hit the shops and strut their stuff.
The first two full days, we took a couple of free and inexpensive tours to get the lay of the land, visit some of the main tourist attractions and learn a bit about Kiev's 1,500 year-old checkered history. We walked from landmark to landmark, starting in Independence Square, located at one end of Khreshchatyk. It was here that, in 2004, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, dressed in orange, demonstrated for weeks in harsh, winter conditions against political corruption and a rigged election.
Today, Independence Square is the city's social hub, where concerts, festivals and parades take place, along with plenty of late-night drinking and people-watching. Underneath the square is the "Metrograd," a vast, high-end shopping center, just one of many subterranean shopping centers throughout the city.
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At the opposite end of Khreshchatyk, in front of the only statue of Lenin remaining in the city, is the Bessarabsky Market, a rotunda dating to 1912, where women in babushkas sell colorful spices, vegetables and flowers, fish, meat, sausage and Russian caviar.
At the top of the list of Kiev's tourist attractions is Pechersk Lavra, the caves monastery, a vast complex of churches and museums, dating to the 11th century. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the most well-known Ukrainian symbol of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Of particular interest are two sections of caves where dozens of monks once lived but were mummified after they died and are now on display in glass coffins. The religious pass by and, with tears in their eyes, bend to kiss the glass.
Along the hill, overlooking the caves and the picturesque Dnieper River, stands the Mother Homeland. A massive titanium statue erected during Soviet times, she raises a sword to the skies in her right hand, and with her left she holds a shield emblazoned with a hammer and sickle.
Equally as impressive is the nearby National Museum of the Great Patriotic War, where Brutalist Soviet-style sculptures depict the devoted work of the Soviet sons and daughters on the home-front, the courageous defense of the Soviet border from the 1941 German invasion, terrors of the Nazi occupation, and partisan struggle, all to the piped sounds of rousing military music.
Other historic sites to see include St. Sophia's Cathedral. A UNESCO World Heritage site, with its 13 golden domes, this 11th-century Orthodox Church is one of Kiev's most impressive landmarks. As is St. Michael's Cathedral, which really only masquerades as a contemporary of St. Sophia's but, in fact, was destroyed by the Soviets in 1934 and only recently rebuilt to its original 12th-century splendor.
From St. Sophia's Cathedral, walk or take the funicular up St. Andrew's Descent, a steep, cobblestone street lined with cafes and coffee shops and is the place to buy authentic Ukrainian souvenirs, including matryoshky (colorful, stackable dolls), Christmas ornaments and Russian lacquer boxes, all made of high-quality paper mache and layer upon layer of lacquer. They're delicately hand-painted, oftentimes using a single strand of squirrel hair as a brush.
Of all that Kiev has to offer, Chernobyl is likely the most familiar to Westerners. On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Power Plant, which lies 60 miles north of Kiev, exploded. The largest civil nuclear disaster in history led to mass evacuations and long-term health, agricultural and economic
According to government regulation, we booked a tour with SoloEast Travel 10 working days in advance of our visit. After clearing checkpoints and armed with a Geiger counter, we started our tour at a kindergarten in an abandoned village just outside the town of Chernobyl. Desks, beds and cribs are scattered in disarray, the crunch of glass underfoot the only sound. The shadowy image of frightened and confused children leaving behind their dolls and balls, toy trucks, storybooks and workbooks was palpable.
The town of Pripyat, the ghost town that was created in 1970 to house the workers of the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, is eerie and surreal. Completely devoid of people, it is teeming with wildlife, and its shops and homes are fast deteriorating under a tangle of foliage. Graffiti adorn the walls. A graveyard of more than 1,300 Soviet military helicopters, buses, bulldozers, tankers, fire engines and ambulances irradiated during the accident lie in repose. A Ferris wheel and bumper cars stand motionless and rusting. Reactor No. 4 lies derelict, covered by a sarcophagus.
Poised to change outdated perceptions, Kiev will showcase the warmth of its people, the richness of its culture and its shiny, new infrastructure as it gears up to host key matches of the European Football (soccer for us Westerners) Championships in June and July, in addition to the opening of the Mystetsky Arsenal National Art Museum Complex, expected to be one of Europe's largest museums.
When Patti Sills isn't traveling to exotic locales, she lives and stores her suitcase at her home in Eagle-Vail, where she lives with her husband, Bud the St. Bernard and Vinny the cat. Email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Tacoma, WA Auto Shop SEO & Web Design
Is your auto shop struggling to get enough business to keep your team of mechanics busy? Are you getting great reviews and customer feedback but still can't get your shop to show up in internet searches locally? We understand that search engine rankings play a huge role in your ability to attract potential customers in your service area as they search for auto repairs. In fact, that's exactly the services that we offer to you: auto shop SEO for Tacoma, WA. Our search engine optimization services are delivered by a team of experts who know just what it takes to help a shop go from invisible to prominent in search results. Because this is how customers are finding service providers, SEO is an investment that you can't afford to skip!
Local Marketing Facts
Tacoma, Washington is home to 205,159 individuals. Out of the 180,335 locals who are on the web in Tacoma, 91,971 (51%) are searching the internet from their smartphones. So what does this mean for your business? It means that having a website that loads quickly and is responsively designed will go a long way in reaching this audience!
Consider, too, that half of mobile searches are for nearby services, and over 60% of those inquiries resolve with a transaction of some sort. This is a big deal for local businesses! In light of this fact, your internet marketing must include mapping for the local area so that these consumers can find you as they search online.
85% (174,385 people in Tacoma, WA) rely on web searches to locate products and service providers, and it's hard to ignore the impact of social media on the search process given that 94,373 (46%) consumers in Tacoma, WA consider these platforms as they narrow down their options.
All of these facts point to the importance of having solid social media coverage and effective internet marketing in place! With nearly 180,335 (87.9%) people in Tacoma, WA searching online, it's vital that your SEM strategy appeals to those potential customers and gets you noticed.
Internet Marketing for Auto Repairs
Organic SEO is one of the most effective ways to encourage growth for your auto shop, but many business owners assume this just means having a website. Sure, that's a start, but there are many other details and techniques that differentiate those who are on the first page of search results versus those who are still pages behind.
Internet Marketing for auto repairs in Tacoma includes managing all the facets of the online presence for your auto shop so that you look authoritative and trustworthy to Google. When you have well-established social media accounts, content that is added regularly (such as blog posts), optimized local mapping, and consistent citations so your information on the web is streamlined, you become the kind of business that search engines promote locally. When a potential customer searches for auto repairs in your city, you'll be matched as a relevant, strong response to that need, and your position will increase month by month.
Get Those Clicks Working for You
Consumers who find you in search results and click to view your website are much more likely to call for the auto services they need. With our approach to Tacoma, WA SEO for auto shops, you'll get more and more visibility as time goes on. We actively manage your accounts and site every month so that you optimize well and continue to see growth. Call us at 800.377.3068 to get started and see what organic SEO can accomplish for your bottom-line!


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A single, weighted index aggregated from thousands of predictions by hundreds of forecasters.


text: « back to directory print Joan G. Wexler Dean and President Emerita 250 Joralemon Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 780-7900 | Email Areas of Expertise Family LawTax Law Education B.S., Cornell University M.A.T., Harvard University J.D., Yale Law School Biography Courses Publications Noteworthy Joan G. Wexler is Dean and President Emerita of Brooklyn Law School. She served as the Law School's President from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013 and was Dean and President from 1994 until June 30, 2010. Prior to that, she was the Law School's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She has been a member of the faculty since 1985. She previously taught at New York University School of Law, practiced as an associate with the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York.President Wexler is a prominent member of the legal community. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute. She served as President of the Federal Bar Council from 2004 to 2006 and Vice-President from 2001 to 2004. She chaired the 2002 FBC Winter Bench and Bar Conference and currently sits on its Executive Committee. She also was President of the Federal Bar Foundation from 1998 to 1999. President Wexler has held leadership roles in a number of bar associations. At the Association of the Bar of the New York City, she served as Vice-President, chaired the Committee on Honors, and was a member of the Nominating, Long Range Planning, Matrimonial, and Family Court Committees. At the Women's Bar Association, she served twice as its Vice-President and was a member of its Board of Directors. She was a member of the American Bar Association's Independent Law Schools Forum Committee, and has served on its Continuing Legal Education, New Deans' Seminar Planning Committees, and Data and Policy Committee. President Wexler is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation as well as the New York Bar Foundation. She has served as a member of the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar. Among her extensive professional and community activities, President Wexler has served on the Board of Directors of the Practicing Law Institute and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. She has also served on the boards of the American Judicature Society, the American Law Deans Association, the Children's Law Center, and the Fund for Modern Courts. President Wexler was a member of the Committee to Restore the Thurgood Marshall Landmark Courthouse, the Planning and Program Committee of the Judicial Conference of the Second Circuit, and the Judicial Conference of the State of New York. She was a member of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Online System for Clerkship Application & Review (OSCAR) Working Group and currently serves on the United States Magistrate Judge Selection Committee for the Eastern District of New YorkAt Cornell University, President Wexler is a member the Cornell University Council and serves on its Admissions & Financial Aid and Public Relations Committees. She is an emerita member of the President's Council of Cornell Women and is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for the College of Human Ecology. From 2004 to 2007 she was a member of the Yale Law Journal Alumni Advisory Board.President Wexler received numerous honors for her commitment to the advancement of the interests of adolescents and their families and for her leadership in the legal community. Among her many honors are an Honorary Doctor of Laws from St. Francis College, the President's Special Award and the Special Recognition Award from the New York Women's Bar Association, an Outstanding Women of the Bar Honoree from the New York County Lawyers' Association, a Special Award from the National Association of Women Judges, the Good Scout Award from the Greater Boy Scouts Council of New York, the William Shoenfeld Award from the Society for Adolescent Psychiatry, and the President's Award from the New York State Court Officers Association.President Wexler is a graduate of Cornell University, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Yale Law School, where she was Articles Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Related Links: Faculty News Curriculum


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Late in the summer, my brother and I rode out across the old Bonsall bridge. There the abandoned roadway floats above the California oaks that rise from the dry riverbed. On the far side, foxtail and wild yarrow grow up through cracks in the pavement, and in that particular hour they were caught in a halo of expiring light. The weeks since have passed quickly, turning those golden afternoons to violet dusks, cold and clear. Every now and again, the air has the scent of damp earth and wood smoke.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Golden Hours
Labels: Life
13 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Beautiful. Beautiful. I constantly feel as if I can't keep up with these days.
- October 28, 2011 at 5:29 AM
- found and sewn said...
beautiful photos, sounds perfect x
- October 28, 2011 at 7:36 AM
- Daniella said...
These are gorgeous... I love that late afternoon glow.
- October 28, 2011 at 7:41 AM
- Paper Squid said...
I love these photos and the way you wrote about them, beautiful.
- October 28, 2011 at 9:09 AM
- Anonymous said...
I have so missed your writing.
- October 28, 2011 at 9:14 AM
- nicole said...
i was so happy to read these words, and see these photos! How i wish you would blog more ;)))
- October 28, 2011 at 10:16 AM
- Isidora said...
This summer I enjoyed taking photos one hour before sunset, I like the atmosphere captured then, rays are really golden... Your photos are beautiful.
- October 29, 2011 at 10:17 AM
- Sugar Muffin said...
What stunning images!!! You are truly talented and to say your work is beautiful only scratches the surface.. Mwah!! xxx
- October 29, 2011 at 2:25 PM
- Jean said...
Such a great post. Loved the photos.
- October 29, 2011 at 8:30 PM
- Sum said...
These are dreamy photos!
- November 22, 2011 at 10:53 AM
- Ashley said...
These photos are so beautiful- remind me of summer!
- December 1, 2011 at 12:19 PM
- Jenny said...
Beautiful!!!!! Love your shoots....
- February 8, 2012 at 1:05 AM
- walking dot photography said...
Such lovely words and images. :)
xox, giedre
- March 28, 2012 at 8:48 AM


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In early 2012, when the Susan G. Komen For The Cure foundation announced its intention to cut funding for Planned Parenthood—a decision reversed after public outcry—the political fallout was, for many, the first time Komen's philanthropic goals were broadly questioned. Though cancer activists had been on the case for years, suddenly the organization's political and corporate ties came under much greater scrutiny, as did the amount of money allotted for administrative and promotional costs in relation to research. Léa Pool's documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc. was produced well before the Komen flap, but its release dovetails nicely with the shift in public sentiment toward the "pinkwashing" of breast cancer and the efficacy of awareness campaigns in fighting the disease. It's a crude, angry battering ram of a film, much more concerned with counter-messaging than aesthetics, but it gets the job done.
Jumping off Samantha King's book Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer And The Politics Of Philanthropy, Pool sets footage of corporate-sponsored walks, runs, and jumps against reasoned testimony by activists, medical experts, and a Stage IV support group. Needless to say, the Komens, Revlons, and Avons of the world come off poorly in the balance, throwing events that increase awareness of Yoplait and Kentucky Fried Chicken more than an understanding of breast cancer—much less where all those research dollars are going. Pool's favored subjects express discomfort with the terminology of the pink movement, with its reassuring bromides of empowerment and loaded terms like "fighting" or "surviving" the disease, but much more damning is the conflict of interest between breast-cancer organizations and corporate donors whose products may be part of the problem.
Pink Ribbons, Inc. speculates about the possible environmental factors contributing to the increase in breast-cancer cases, all while complaining about the lack of funding directed at that possibility. The hypothesis is valid, and the film's criticism of Komen and others for getting into bed with polluters like Ford, Eli Lilly, and various cosmetics companies is its most convincing and powerful argument. But noting that lack of research or proof about the environmental assertions undermines the point a little. Still, Pool's all-points attack on breast-cancer branding makes it impossible to see pink without a jaundiced eye.


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Advanced Search
Mobile Computing | News
The UTeach
Institute, a teacher preparation organization launched by
the University of
Texas at Austin, has launched
a program designed to help aspiring teachers use mobile devices to
encourage student learning and interest in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Dubbed the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Higher Education
program, the initiative pairs "math and science majors pursuing
secondary teaching certification through UTeach programs [to] work with
K-12 students, integrating mobile technologies into inquiry-based
lessons," according to a news release, in an effort to expand "the
resources and instructional tools available to teachers to engage
students in relevant and exciting applications of math and science."
The initiative will also develop lesson plans and resources for
integrating mobile technology into STEM education to be inclused with
UTeach curriculum at the organization's 35 participating universities.
In addition to UT Austin, the program is currently available to
students at the University
of Colorado at Boulder, the University of
Kansas at Lawrence and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, with
plans to expand to four more UTeach universities in early 2014.
"While the future teachers we will one day graduate are very tech
savvy, it's one thing for them to use that technology personally, and
another thing entirely to use it to help kids learn and achieve," said
Michael Marder, executive director, UTeach Science Program, in a
prepared statement. "This program we've launched with the Verizon
Foundation is needed today as more students and classrooms across the
country have mobile devices. The training we're providing our students
will help them better use mobile devices as learning tools."
In support of the program, Verizon
has donated more than $1 million in
cash and hardware, including more than 400 Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
tablets with LTE service.
Go to uteach-institute.org
to learn more about the UTeach Institute.
About the Author
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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These days, you might know Scott Adsit best as overworked and under-appreciated producer Pete Hornberger on NBC's "30 Rock," but, if you're old enough (or just a nerd about these things), you may also remember him from his days performing in iconic mid-'90s Second City shows like "Pinata Full of Bees" and "Paradigm Lost." We caught up with Adsit during his break from "30 Rock" to reminisce about his days in Chicago, get his thoughts on "30 Rock" and Pete Hornberger's final season and talk about pizza.
You're on off-time with "30 Rock" right now. What are your summer plans? What are you up to?
I'm working on an Adult Swim show called "Moral Orel," which I did for three years a while ago. We're doing a special now. And we just finished wrapping picture on that, and I'm working on music and sound effects now. Do you know Moral Orel?
Yeah, it's like claymation?
Stop-motion, yeah.
And it was on Adult Swim but it got cancelled, right?
It got cancelled, yeah. It turned into a drama, so they took it off the air. But they still liked it, and three or four years later now they've asked for a special, so we've just finished that.
And where are you working on that? In LA? New York?
Yeah, it's happening at Starburns Industries, a studio in LA. My partner is the guy who plays Starburns on Community.
How did you guys meet?
We met in college. I think in a comedy class. At Columbia, in Chicago. We've known each other since like '86.
You're from the Chicago area originally, right?
Northbrook, yeah.
When did you decide you wanted to do comedy? How did you get involved in stuff here in Chicago?
Well I did a lot of theater in high school, and then when I went to college, I went to a liberal arts college in Indiana. But only for a semester because I didn't find anything I was interested in there. So I quit there and I went to Columbia to be a filmmaker, which I'd been dabbling in in high school. And I spent a year or two in the film program at Columbia. And then just to [laughing] stay happy I took some acting classes. Eventually the acting took over from the filmmaking, and I left one department and majored in the other. So I stayed in the theater department and did a lot of plays there. And that got me hooked up with Second City because there were a lot of teachers at Columbia who also taught at Second City. I had seen Second City as a kid and seen just amazing stuff onstage, from like George Wendt and Tim Kazurinsky, Mary Gross, people like that, and they really inspired me. I never planned to be a comedian. I don't consider myself one now. But I started making money – being funny, I guess, at Second City.
So do you consider yourself an actor more than a comedian?
Yeah, hopefully I'm an actor who can do whatever's needed. But it's just been a lot of comedy because it's the focus at Second City and that's where I kind of began to get noticed. People just associate me with comedy – not that I mind. I don't mind that at all.
What are some serious roles you've done?
I did a movie a little while ago called "The Music Never Stops." I played a neurosurgeon who has to explain the news that this kid has a brain tumor and what it's doing to him. That was withJ.K. Simmons.
What about in Chicago? Did you ever do some, like, really arty, pretentious plays while you were in Chicago?
Yeah, it was all before Second City though because Second City took up all my time. But I did a staged version of the Hollywood Ten Trial, the McCarthy hearings, called "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been." That was very serious and a little pretentious. But it was directed by Anna Shapiro, who's at Steppenwolf. And what else? I did "Three Sisters" and "The Homecoming."
So you went into comedy at Second City. How long were you there before you were performing mainstage shows?
Let me see. I got hired for Touring Company in, like, '87? And I took some time off and I did "The Homecoming." I understudied "The Homecoming" at Steppenwolf. And then when I came back to Second City I did the Tour Company for like a year-and-a half or so. So I toured for like two years, and then I did the full ladder. I did Northwest, which doesn't exist anymore, in Rolling Meadows. Did a show there. And then I did three E.T.C.s, and I did four Mainstage [shows]. So I got to Mainstage in '94.
So you were making money from Second City that whole time? Did you have a day job or anything at that point?
I worked, I think as a clerk at a video store at that time, just trying to make ends meet. Touring didn't really pay the bills as much as you'd want. So yeah, I worked in a video store, I delivered pizzas.
Who did you deliver pizzas for?
I delivered pizzas for Ranalli's, on Lincoln.
They have a picture of you up in the front there now, I'm sure.
[Laughs] If they remember me – they probably do remember me because the manager, Reno, would have to come out and jump my car! I had this broken down old Saturn – no, not a Saturn, a Supra? Anyway, he'd have to come jump my car, in the snow, at least twice a week.
Were you also involved at iO during that period?
I was around back in the days of the Players' Workshop, which preceded the iO, I believe. But I wasn't – I didn't go to either of those places. There was kind of a Berlin Wall between Second City and iO at that time, in the late '80s, early '90s. There was not a lot of cross-breeding there...And then a bunch of Touring Company people were hired out of iO for the first time. It was kind of a detente. They allowed all these iO people to come in, and there was a huge influx of talent like Kevin Dorff and Adam McKay and Brian Stack. All these really brilliant performers were suddenly under Second City's umbrella. And we did this show...that kind of led the way to what Second City would eventually kind of become structure-wise. I was not part of iO. And I was doing eight shows a week, so I would go and play the Armando show on Mondays when I could, but that was my only experience with iO 'til after I was done at Second City.
Well now they have your picture on the wall at iO, so I was wondering...
Well I never took classes there. I performed there quite a bit. I did stuff with [Dave] Pasquesi there. And John Lutz and I performed there. I've done a bunch of evenings there, but no runs.
It seems like the early '90s is when improv began being accepted as an art form. What do you remember of the scene when it wasn't as accepted that improv is something we have in Chicago?
I think it's when longform became more accepted and kind of the norm. As opposed to shortform or gamey kind of improv. There was a lot of like ComedySportz and Second City where there were a lot of games and a lot of short scenes that were just kind of one joke driven. Like a train of cars that were all scenes. Scene, blackout, song, scene. And the iO influence, I think, the Harold and Del Close's influence, bled over to Second City, which legitimizes anything, I think. But it got to us later than it did for others. And we, I think we saw the potential ourselves in the "art" of improv and the fact it could be more emotional and more dimensional than it had been. More than just a magic trick, kind of.
Do you still do much longform improv?
I do a weekly show with John Lutz in New York. And then I do another show called "Gravid Water" in New York, which is a bit of a game. It's really high quality. It's a bunch of Broadway people matched up with improvisers in two-person scenes. And the Broadway people have memorized the scene – from a real play – and they're paired with an improviser who has no prior knowledge of the scene whatsoever. It's like [shortform game] "Playbook," but without a book.
It seemed like when 30 Rock started, New York was bubbling over, and UCB was becoming this big thing, and then all those people moved out to LA. What's New York like as far as comedy right now?
I think it's still very experimental and moving forward and has some really very high quality people still here in New York. There are a lot of shows at UCB particularly that are experimental and sometimes are grand failures and sometimes are true art. So that's still going on. And Ali Farahnakian has the PIT theater, which he opened up. Which is a beautiful new space and is also looking for the cutting edge. New York is almost as important as Chicago, improv-wise.
Almost. Well that's good that we're still on top here, at least in some peoples' minds. I saw one of the other things that you did while you were was that you had done the voices for a pinball machine. Have you done any other interesting voiceover work?
Well, voiceover-wise, I have these two Adult Swim shows, which are "Moral Orel" and one that's running now called "Mary Shelley's Frankenhole." And that's stop-motion as well, through the same people – different look and different kind of sensibility. Those have done very well for us. They're very popular, and they've won some Emmys. I've done a lot of Adult Swim stuff. I've done guest-starring stuff on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I did an episode of Colbert Report's cartoon, "Tek Jansen."
Did you ever do any commercial voiceovers or stuff like that when you were in Chicago?
Oh yeah, I did. I did a bunch of commercial voiceovers in Chicago before I left. For Balducci's pizza; I did a whole series. Actually I was making a good living with voiceover before I left.
So you were sort of on top of the pizza market from every step of the industry.
Yeah, I was covering both ends of that scale.
As far as 30 Rock, what should people expect for the last season? What would you like to see?
I'd like Pete to be satisfied in some way. Whether that be emotionally or work-related, sexually. I'd just like him, at the end of the day, to say "I feel good about myself."
It seems like Pete has become a progressively more tragic character over the arc of 30 Rock.
How do you think that happened? What was the deal there?
[Laughs] You've got me! Maybe the writers have gotten to know me better. No, I think the longer a show's on the air the more – you've got to keep writing or be true to the characters, and either they grow or they don't. It's like –"M*A*S*H" was a great show, but it was on so long and it had such a spectrum of characters that they all grew and became better people and more three dimensional. Eventually they all essentially had the same point of view. They all kind of agreed on everything by the end. Other shows, the dumb people become incredibly dumb by the end; the lustful people become crazy for sex; the people who are lazy are lazy to the nth degree. I think the writers decided on a one or two-word description of Pete and just reinforced it.
What do you envision for yourself after 30 Rock ends?
Well I'll stay in New York and maybe get some plays. Otherwise, I'll just be looking for work.
When you left Chicago originally you moved to LA, right?
I left Chicago in like 1998 or '99, and I was in LA until "30 Rock." So seven or eight years. And was doing guest spots and small parts in movies and commercials – a lot of commercials.
What commercials did you do out in LA?
I did one where I was – a Honda commercial – where I was a man who was raised by wolves. That ran for a long time. Then I did one [laughs] for United Airlines about the check-in kiosks, you know the things you can go and check in by yourself now? They were just rolling those out. And it was about it being a quicker, easier pace at the airport, where you just don't have to worry about anything. And it came out the day before – I think September 10, it premiered. 2001. And so they immediately removed that commercial. That shouldn't help me. I did a Washington Mutual commercial. It was a series of three, but mine stood out because it won the Silver Lion at the Cannes Film Festival. Which I didn't know they had a commercial award. But here's another thing: This Washington Mutual ad was about easy home loans and [how] nothing bothers me. So I get the wrong tooth drilled, and I get a boot on my car, and I get a bowling ball in the nuts, and I laugh it all off because I've got a great home loan – easy home loan. And then, of course, that destroyed America.
You pretty much single-handedly caused the recession, it sounds like.
I got out of doing commercials for the sake of the country.
No pizza commercials out there, though?
Ha, no I did a Pizza Hut commercial.
Do you have any Chicago shoutouts or places you really love in Chicago?
I'm looking forward to eating at Penny's Noodles under the train tracks. And maybe getting some, well, I don't know – Balducci's maybe!
Kyle Kramer is a RedEye special contributor.
Just for Laughs Festival - Scott Adsit and Jet Eveleth
Where: iO
When: June 15, midnight
Tickets: $15, justforlaughschicago.com
Just for Laughs Festival - Scott Adsit, John Glaser, Kevin Dorff, TJ Jagodowski, & Dave Pasquesi
Where: iO
When: June 13-14, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
Tickets: $20, justforlaughschicago.com


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|Hey Mom! Learn more about the Gerber Life Insurance Grow-Up Plan!
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Site Supporter Program!
We have long looked at numerous suggestions from our members here at DS and continually saw that many of you were wanting:
We have finally found a way to do this that makes sense. You all know that DS is a free community and we will NEVER charge you to be a member of this community. We strive to keep this place in tip top shape by offering the benefits of this community, fast page loads, and the support needed to make your stay an enjoyable one. All of these things cost a tremendous amount of resources. This is the very reason we have ads on the site to alleviate out of pocket expenses. For those mamas that wish to view less ads (how about only 1 ad per page and it is at the VERY BOTTOM!!!), you now have a way to do that!
Not only will you just have the single ad at the bottom of the page, but you will have a TON of really cool perks to make your stay here even more enjoyable!
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Black Americans and HIV/AIDS
Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the epidemic's beginning, and that disparity has deepened over time.1,2 Blacks account for more new HIV infections, people estimated to be living with HIV disease, and HIV-related deaths than any other racial/ethnic group in the U.S.3,4,5 The epidemic has also had a disproportionate impact on Black women, youth, and gay and bisexual men, and its impact varies across the country. Moreover, a number of challenges contribute to the epidemic among Blacks, including poverty, lack of access to health care, higher rates of some sexually transmitted infections, lack of awareness of HIV status, and stigma.6 Despite this impact, recent data indicate some encouraging trends, including declining new HIV infections among Black women.3 However, given the epidemic's continued and disproportionate impact among Blacks, a continued focus is critical to addressing HIV in the United States.
Snapshot of the Epidemic
- Today, there are more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., including more than 506,000 who are Black.5
- Although Black Americans represent only 12% of the U.S. population,7 they accounted for 44% of new HIV infections and an estimated 44% of people living with HIV in 2010.3,4,5 Blacks also accounted for almost half of new AIDS diagnoses (49%) in 2011 (AIDS being the most advanced form of HIV disease).1
- The rate of new HIV infections per 100,000 among Black adults/adolescents (68.9) was nearly 8 times that of whites (8.7) and more than twice that of Latinos (27.5) in 2010. The rate for Black men (103.6) was the highest of any group, more than twice that of Latino men (45.5), the 2nd highest group. Black women (38.1) had the 3rd highest rate overall, and the highest among women.3
- HIV was the 5th leading cause of death for Black men and the 7th for Black women, ages 25-44, in 2010, ranking higher than for their respective counterparts in any other racial/ethnic group.8
Key Trends and Current Cases
- The number of new HIV infections per year among Blacks is down from its peak in the late 1980s, but has exceeded the number of infections among whites since that time.9 While new infections among Blacks overall and among Black men have remained stable in recent years, the latest data indicate a drop in incidence among Black women, driving an overall decline in new infections among women.3
- The number of Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis increased by 7% between 2008 and 2010, compared to 5% among whites.1
- Blacks accounted for about half (48%) of deaths among people with an HIV diagnosis in 2010. The number of deaths among Blacks with an HIV diagnosis decreased 8% between 2008 and 2010; deaths among Latinos decreased as well (by 3%), and deaths among whites remained stable.1
- HIV-related deaths and HIV death rates are highest among Blacks. Blacks accounted for 56% of deaths due to HIV in 200910 and their survival time after an AIDS diagnosis is lower on average than it is for most other racial/ethnic groups.1 In 2010, Blacks had the highest HIV death rate per 100,000 – 11.6, compared to 2.8 per 100,000 Latinos and 1.1 per 100,000 whites.11
- HIV transmission patterns among Black men vary from those of white men. Although both groups are most likely to have been infected through sex with other men, white men are more likely to have been infected this way. Heterosexual transmission and injection drug use account for a greater share of new infections among Black men than white men.1,3,12
- Black women are most likely to have been infected through heterosexual transmission, the most common transmission route for women overall. White women are more likely to have been infected through injection drug use than Black women.1,3,12
Women and Young People
- Black women account for the largest share of new HIV infections among women (6,100, or 64% in 2010), and the incidence rate among Black women is 20 times the rate among white women and over 4 times the rate among Latinas.3 Black women also account for the largest share of women living with an HIV diagnosis at the end of 2010 (60%).1
- Although new HIV infections continue to occur disproportionately among Black women, recent data show a 21% decrease in incidence for Black women between 2008 and 2010.3
- In 2010, Black women represented 3 in 10 (29%) new HIV infections among all Blacks – a higher share than Latinas and white women (who, respectively, represent 14% of new infections among Latinos and 11% of new infections among whites).3
- In 2010, Black teens and young adults, ages 13-24, represented more than half (57%) of new HIV infections in that age group.3
Gay and Bisexual Men
Among gay and bisexual men, Blacks have been disproportionately affected.
- In 2010, male-to-male sexual contact accounted for half (51%) of new HIV infections among Blacks overall and a majority (72%) of new infections among Black men.3
- Young, Black men who have sex with men are particularly affected, with those ages 13-24 representing over half (55%) of new HIV infections among all men who have sex with men in that age group.3
- In addition, newly infected Black men who have sex with men are younger than their white counterparts, with those ages 13-24 accounting for 45% of new HIV infections among Black men who have sex with men in 2010, compared to 16% among whites.3
- A study in 20 major U.S. cities found that 30% of Black gay and bisexual men in the study were infected with HIV, compared to 15% of Latino and 14% of white gay and bisexual men. Many of these men did not know they were infected.13
Although HIV diagnoses among Blacks have been reported throughout the country, the impact of the epidemic is not uniformly distributed.
- Regionally, the South accounts for the majority of Blacks newly diagnosed with HIV (61% in 2011) and Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis at the end of 2010 (55%).1
- HIV diagnoses among Blacks are clustered in a handful of states, with 10 states accounting for the majority (68%) of Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis at the end of 2010. New York and Florida top the list. While the District of Columbia had fewer Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis in 2010 (10,995), it had the highest rate of Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis at the end of 2010 (4,260.3 per 100,000); a rate more than 3 times the national rate for Blacks (1,242.4).14
- Ten large metropolitan areas accounted for over half (59%) of Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis at the end of 2009. The New York and Miami metropolitan areas had the greatest numbers of Blacks living with an HIV diagnosis.15
HIV Testing and Access to Prevention & Care
- Three quarters (75%) of Blacks, ages 18-64, report ever having been tested for HIV. Blacks in this age group are more likely than Latinos or whites to report having been tested for HIV in the last 12 months (45% compared to 30% and 14%, respectively). Furthermore, estimates indicate that about 1 in 6 (17%) Blacks living with HIV do not know they are infected.5
- Among those who are HIV positive, CDC data indicate that 31% of Blacks were tested for HIV late in their illness – that is, were diagnosed with AIDS within one year of testing positive for HIV; by comparison, 32% of whites and 36% of Latinos were tested late.1
- Looking across the spectrum of access to care, from HIV diagnosis to viral suppression, reveals missed opportunities for reaching Blacks. While many Blacks (81%) are diagnosed and linked to care (62%), only 34% remain in regular care and fewer are prescribed antiretroviral therapy (29%). Only 1 in 5 (21%) Blacks are virally suppressed, compared with 26% of Latinos and 30% of whites.16
Concern About HIV/AIDS
- A recent survey found that Black Americans express concern about HIV/AIDS. One in 6 Black Americans surveyed name HIV/AIDS as the number one health problem in the U.S.17
- While the proportion of Blacks saying they are personally concerned about becoming infected with HIV has declined since the mid-1990s, concern among Blacks is higher than among other racial and ethnic groups, with 33% saying they are very concerned, compared with 19% of Latinos and 6% of whites. Blacks are also more likely to express concern about an immediate family member becoming infected.17
CDC. HIV Surveillance Report, Vol. 23; February 2013. HIV diagnosis data are estimates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 6 U.S. dependent areas. Rates do not include U.S. dependent areas.
CDC. Special Data Request; 2006.
CDC. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, Vol. 17, No. 4; December 2012. Data are estimates and do not include U.S. dependent areas.
CDC. Fact Sheet: HIV in the United States; November 2013.
CDC. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, Vol. 18, No. 5; October 2013. Data are estimates and do not include U.S. dependent areas.
CDC. Fact Sheet: HIV among African Americans; February 2014.
U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 Population Estimates.
CDC. Slide Set: HIV Mortality (through 2010).
Hall HI et al. "Estimation of HIV Incidence in the United States." JAMA, Vol. 300, No. 5; August 2008.
NCHS. "Deaths: Final Data for 2010." National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 61, No. 4; May 2013.
NCHS. Health, United States, 2012; May 2013.
CDC. Slide Set: HIV Surveillance by Race/Ethnicity (through 2011).
Wejnert C et al. "HIV Infection and Awareness among Men Who Have Sex with Men – 20 Cities, United States, 2009 and 2011." PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, No. 10; October 2013.
CDC. National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention Atlas. Data are estimates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Rate is not available for Puerto Rico.
CDC. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, Vol. 18, No. 1; January 2013. Data are estimates from 46 states and Puerto Rico. Estimates are not available for all metropolitan statistical areas.
CDC. Fact Sheet: HIV in the United States: The Stages of Care; July 2012.
The Washington Post/KFF. 2012 Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS; July 2012.


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I stumbled upon an engaging post by Jay Baer @ http://ow.ly/10GdQ
on whether blogs should be at the epicenter of your SM strategy. He argues yes, and makes some excellent points, but I have a slightly different view.
The real time web/mobile enabled, and various SM channels are exponential reach multipliers. It will be myopic to discard one over the other. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Corporate sites and microsites – all of them need to work in conjunction, but which is the most critical among them?
I say, Personal branding trumps everything else. Whether you are starting your blogging career, or are an established one, want to create the next big enterprise, or indeed lucky enough to work on a "national" brand, it all starts with Personal branding. Engagement, and Dialogue on a one to one basis is at the bottom end of the Influence propagation funnel. It culminates in Trust, and it is easier to trust people than a corporation!!
While personal branding without wide reach is ineffective, so is having a personal brand without influence. I think Brian Solis makes a great point when he says we are all "brand managers" in this new media. http://ow.ly/10FgL
So, here is how I would use the following SM channels:
Twitter: For Personal brand building, Influence Propagation, and Driving traffic to blog or web site. Here are the ten commandments of Twitter 🙂 http://johnantonios.com/
Blogs: For Personal brand building, Influence Reinforcement, Driving traffic to corporate sites, micro sites
Facebook – Good for retention initiatives. It is a closed system, with little scope for exponential influence propagation.
Home page – The moment of truth for a brand. This is where you have brought the "party" to your place (to quote Trey Pennington, in this article http://ow.ly/10FRB). It is your time to bring out the fine china, and impress them.You (homepage) should be so captivating that your audience does not want to leave, or wants to come back every chance they get. In my mind, it is very important to include some "game" or "competition" elements to engage your audience even more, once they are there. Easy navigation would be the other obvious element to have.
In summary, personal brand building is the foundation, and you have to use a combination of Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Corporate or Brand site (if applicable) to reinforce and capitalize on the trust that your personal brand has built.
Agree? Disagree? Ambivalent? Would love to know what you think. If nothing else, just a thumbs up or a thumbs down would be appreciated.


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"Budo as love" and the Yagyu doctrine of katsujinken "life giving sword" are a close fit. Similarly, the "posture in kenjitsu" in the Yagyu katsujinken doctrine was founded on shuji shuriken, an esoteric concept described cryptically in the Heiho Kaden. Munenori's text describes shuji shuriken as joining "being" in the upward palm, and "non-being" in the downward palm in to one. This describes the the in/yo joining of the juji + figure.
There is also a Doka of O Sensei's with that very image of taking "in" in the left hand and "yo" in the right hand. This is tenchinage. While Daito-ryu has a version of this technique they call it aikinage -- the tenchi Heaven/Earth image of the technique name is only in aikido and is directly related to the juji + in/yo figure.
According the annotations, Yagyu Mitsuyoshi explained the secret doctrine of shuji shuriken as learning an enemy's mind from the cross-wise block, i.e -- juji +, That is very likely the "Cross of Aiki" as O Sensei wrote in several of the Doka that I already laid out above. Also as I discussed above, he referred to his art in a Doka as "jujido."
As to my presumption that he got mu-to training whether legitimately (assuming the menkyo debate is resolved), the emphasis of Yagyu on its mu-to system (whether he was certified in it or not) certainly had to inform their curriculum otherwise. Munenori says precisely that in Heiho Kaden Sho, that postures, sword positions, distance, movement, mental focus, feints and attacks were all premised on mu-to. "No-sword is central to all important things." Hiroaki Sato, tr.


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When I drove my Mercedes to pick up food stamps ...
Hartford - Sara Bareillis played softly through the surround-sound speakers of my husband's 2003 Mercedes Kompressor as I sat idling at a light. I'd never been to this church before, but I could see it from where I was, across from an old park, abandoned in the chilly September air. The clouds hung low as I pulled the sleek, pewter machine into the lot. But I wasn't going to pray or attend services. I was picking up food stamps.
Even then, I couldn't quite believe it. This wasn't supposed to happen to people like me.
I grew up in a white, affluent suburb, where failure seemed harder than success. In college, I studied biology and journalism. I worked for good money at a local hospital, which afforded me the opportunity to network at journalism conferences. That's how I landed my first news job as an associate producer in Hartford. I climbed the ladder quickly, free to work any hours in any location for any pay. I moved from market to market, always achieving a better title, a better salary. Succeeding.
2007 was a grand year for me. I moved back home from San Diego, where I'd produced "Good Morning San Diego." I quickly secured my next big gig, as a producer in Boston for the 6 p.m. news. The pay wasn't great, but it was more than enough to support me. And my boyfriend was making good money, too, as a copy editor for the Hartford Courant.
When I found out I was pregnant in February 2008, it was a shock, but nothing we couldn't handle. Two weeks later, when I discovered "it" was actually "they" (twins, as a matter of fact), I panicked a little. But not because I worried for our future. My middle-class life still seemed perfectly secure. I just wasn't sure I wanted to do that much work.
The weeks flew by. My boyfriend proposed, and we bought a house. Then, just three weeks after we closed, the market crashed. The house we'd paid $240,000 for was suddenly worth $150,000.
Two weeks before my children were born, my future husband found himself staring at a pink slip. The days of unemployment turned into weeks, months, and, eventually, years.
Then my kids were born, six weeks early. They were just three pounds each at birth, barely the length of my shoe. We fed them through a little tube we attached to our pinky fingers because their mouths weren't strong enough to suckle. We spent 10 days in the hospital waiting for them to increase in size. They never did. Try as I might, I couldn't get my babies to put on weight. With their lives at risk, I switched from breast milk to formula, at about $15 a can. We went through dozens a week.
In just two months, we'd gone from making a combined $120,000 a year to making just $25,000 and leeching out funds to a mortgage we couldn't afford. Our savings dwindled, then disappeared.
So I did what I had to do. I signed up for Medicaid and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
It's not easy. To qualify, you must be pregnant or up to six months postpartum. I had to fill out at least six forms and furnish my Social Security card, birth certificate and marriage license. I sat through exams, meetings and screenings. They had a lot of questions about the house: Wasn't it an asset? Hadn't we just bought it? They questioned every last cent we'd ever made. Did we have stock options or pensions? Did we have savings? I had to send them my three most recent check stubs to prove I was making as little as I said I was.
Driving to the WIC office the first time was scary. It wasn't an office, like I'd thought it would be. It was the basement of a dreary church.
Using the coupons was even worse. The stares, the faux concern, the pity, the outrage - I hated it.
The funny thing about being poor is everyone has an opinion on it, and everyone feels entitled to share. That was especially true about my husband's Mercedes. Over and over again, people asked why we kept that car, offering to sell it in their yards or on the Internet for us.
But husband bought that car in full long before we met. Were we supposed to trade it in for a lousier car we'd have to make payments on? Only to have that less reliable car break down on us?
That's how I found myself, one dreary day when my Honda wouldn't start, in my husband's Mercedes at the WIC office. I parked gingerly over one of the many potholes, shut off the purring engine and locked it, then walked briskly to the door - head held high and not looking in either direction.
No one spoke to me, but they did stare. I didn't feel animosity coming from them, more wonderment, maybe a bit of resentment.
We've now sold that house. My husband found a job that pays well, and we have enough left over for me to go to grad school.
We didn't deserve to be poor, any more than we deserved to be rich. Poverty is a circumstance, not a value judgement. I still have to remind myself sometimes that I was my harshest critic. That the judgement of the disadvantaged comes not just from conservative politicians and Internet trolls. It came from me, even as I was living it.
We still have that Mercedes.
Darlena Cunha is a former television producer turned stay-at-home mom to twin girls. She blogs daily at http://parentwin.com, and writes for The Huffington Post and Thought Catalog.
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EcoTouch insulation is the reinvention of fiberglass insulation from Owens Corning, the industry leader that invented fiberglass insulation. Install our insulation with confidence knowing that over 70 years of innovation and experience has gone in the making of EcoTouch insulation. Unlike traditional fiberglass insulation, Owens Corning EcoTouch insulation contains more than 99% natural ingredients consisting of minerals and plant-based compounds and is verified to be formaldehyde free. Owens Corning EcoTouch insulation is third-party certified to include a minimum of 65% total recycled content for unfaced insulation and 58% for kraft faced insulation. Owens Corning EcoTouch insulation helps to control sound and temperature - keeps your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
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Miguel Zenon
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miguel Zenón studied saxophone at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica and at the Berklee School of Music in America. After graduating from Berklee, Zenón received a scholarship to attend Manhattan School of Music and in 2001, he received a Masters in Saxophone Performance.
In his relatively short, but rather illustrious career, Zenón has performed and/or recorded with a quite a diverse array of artists including: David Sanchez, Danilo Perez, Charlie Haden, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Bobby Hutcherson, Jason Lindner, Guillermo Klein y Los Guachos, The Mingus Big Band, Brian Lynch, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, Ray Barretto, Steve Coleman and Branford Marsalis, among others.
Perhaps one his most important collaborations began in 2004, when Zenón was asked to become one of the founding members of the SF Jazz Collective; an octet whose past and present members include: Joshua Redman, Bobby Hutcherson, Nicholas Payton, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and Brian Blade.
Miguel Zenón has just been named a MacArthur Fellow for 2008. Also known as a "Genius Grant", the prestigious award provides $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years.
Miguel Zenon Quartet Luis Perdromo, piano Henry Cole, drumsHans Glawischnig, bassMiguel Zenon, alto sax