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The Thunderbirds are migrating southeast in 2014.
The Skyline High School Marching Band is heading to the Magic Kingdom to show off their marching skills, said Skyline Band Director Bob Lee.
Every two years the band travels and performs. Lee had traveled with the Pratt High School Marching Band to Disney World and decided to take the idea to his Skyline students and parents. The idea was a success.
"Everybody thought it would be a good idea," Lee said. "So I put some numbers together to make it work."
In 2014 the band will spend spring break, March 15 to 23, hitting the road to Florida to march three-quarters of a mile through the Magic Kingdom on Friday, March 21.
The band will march from 20 minutes to 40 minutes before a major Disney parade. The estimated crowd will be from 17,000 to 20,000 park visitors.
"The kids are very excited. It's a chance to perform in front of a huge crowd," Lee said.
While at Disney World, the band will visit the theme parks plus spend several days at the beach.
Fund-raising is already underway to help pay for the expenses to Florida. Students have sold chocolate and cookie dough. More fundraisers are planned for 2013-2014.
Since marching season is over in late fall and the trip will be at the start of spring, the band will spend about a week reworking what they did in the fall, Lee said.
At this time it looks like 52 students will be in band in 2013-2014. For the trip the students and eight sponsors will pile on a school bus and head south.
The group will stay off site and use the bus to travel back and forth to the Magic Kingdom.
Besides Disney World, the theme parks and the beach, the group will also travel to Ron Jon's Surf Shop at Cocoa Beach to take in a classic surf shop and maybe pick up a surf board.
When the band performs they will be marching in new uniforms, at least uniforms that are new to the band.
Lee was able to get a great price on some lightly used band uniforms, five to seven years old, from a source in Texas. Kim Lee, Bob's wife, found the uniforms on E-Bay and Bob was able to get 100 uniforms for a fraction of the cost of new uniforms.
Fruhauf, a famous, quality uniform company, made the uniforms that feature a dark blue coat with a metallic sash that shines with multi-colors in the sun. The sashes have some red trim but that will be replaced with Columbia blue.
Lee wants to add an emblem on the left side of the coat front that identifies the band as Thunderbirds.
The uniforms also feature a hat and white plume with silver highlights that glisten in the sun light. The hat has a red trim that will be covered with blue as well.
Part of the low cost included Lee driving to Fort Worth, Texas to pick up the hats on Sunday, April 28.
Lee made the entire trip in one day but it was worth it.
"We got a really nice price," Lee said.
Follow on Twitter @GaleR_Tribune


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Former Defense Analyst: Be Cautious, Not Scared
Former Defense Department counter-terrorism analyst Jim Arkedis explains why the State Department's world-wide terrorism alert is cause for U.S. citizens to pause, but not to be afraid, as they travel in August. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... stunning amount to Jane Makati as former Defense Department counterterrorism analyst and progressive policy Institute senior fellow he joins us now ... Jim thank you for being map op ... global warning aam is this ... as big a deal is in my scene or or is this ... lapse in all of the soiree as fast it might seem at first sight ... well it's it's a question of degree really I mean it you know as says J mentioned this several days to come out over the course the past year they will probably continue to come out ... what this means basically is that the U S government has received some intelligence is run through the traps stomachs analysis ... and it cannot completely discount the possibility that something somewhere maybe happen ... U S government when it receives intelligence that can not completely discount ... it has a duty to warn the public so my guess is that there's nothing so specific as to say the sky is falling in everyone's stand side ... by ... um in in the range of confidence levels that the government has either from a low level coffers to a high level of confidence ... it's it's sort of hovering somewhere that they can immediately dismissed ... and and and and and part of the optics of this is that this was announced by ... Jake I mean I was the White House but thirtieth that it happened and ... that would have indicated perhaps a very high level of one right ... yes standard Li with the United States government does is the issue these warnings through the State Department so if there's intelligence in a specific country ... they will usually update the individual country memo that sort of does the presence of what's going on in the country ... when the intelligence is sort of so big that they don't know exactly where it's been a strength O issue when its worldwide warnings ... and if it were something more imminent or perhaps more serious my my guess is that word come out to the White House that you would iPad ... you know perhaps is you mention J Carty doing inasmuch ... as it was it sorted the standard forms that are warning undone by a state of the State Department spokeswoman and an him that if you are traveling this week and what what should you canceled the staff or what what did he do ... that ... I'd you know to take the cautious keep your head up ... you know to be conscious of your surroundings ... um but this is not a situation where everyone just inside uncertainty be gripped with fear I mean ... the government does this from time to time I was an intelligence analyst for the department was for five years ... and and I can assure you the ninety nine point nine nine percent of the ... intelligence that comes across my desk stopping attacks were ultimately proves to be not true ... but that says ... but that said when a US government ... feels compelled to notify the public there's something that they can automatically say this is not so ... keep your head up ... you know be cognizant of your surroundings but you know we plan to cancel plans to go OBISPO damage ...

subset: commoncrawl


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Sept. 14, 2006
Lipscomb forward Ben Page connected on a penalty kick at the 23:05 mark of the first period to lead the Bisons to a 1-0 victory over visiting Western Kentucky University Thursday night.
Western goalkeeper Pat Rickman made a diving move to the right and Page hammered the shot in to the left side of the goal mouth. Page had a game-leading five shots and also a game-leading three shots on goal.
"I was pleased," said Lipscomb coach Charles Morrow. "We did well with the chances we had. The chances we created were quality chances."
Freshman Bisons goalkeeper Danny Prichard earned his second straight shutout, making five saves.
"We knew Danny was going to be good coming in," said Morrow. "We just didn't know how he would transition to the college game, but he has done pretty well. He had to do it early on.
"He is good with his feet. He has good range. We are very deep at that position."
Western Kentucky out-shot the Bisons 14-8. The Bisons held a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
"The big thing is that we were focused and we worked hard," said Morrow. "Defensively, we put a game together for 90 minutes.
"Offensively, we didn't create or possess the ball like we have in other games this season. But Western Kentucky is a physical team. They work hard. They did a good job of putting us under pressure."
The Bisons are 3-3-1. Western Kentucky is 1-3-1.
Sunday at noon the Bisons are back in action when UNC-Asheville visits. The Lady Bisons host Murray State at 3 as part of a double-header.
"We can definitely take some things away from the Western game to work on in getting ready for Sunday's game. I have heard this is the best team they have had in recent years.
"It will be a game similar to the Western game. They have a few dynamic players here and there. It will be a team that does the simple things well. It will be another team that works hard for 90 minutes. We have to get ready for them."


text:
Our Patron
|Mar Jacob Manathodath
We are always indebted to and are remembering with sincere gratitude for the continued patronage and guidance extended by His Excellency Rt Rev Dr Mar Jacob Manathodathu, the Bishop of Palakkad Diocese, wherein the Sehion Retreat Center is established. We are thankful to the Bishop for all his prayers and support for all our endeavors.
Our Director
|Fr. Xavier Khan Vattayil
Rev. Fr.Xavier Khan Vattayil is the Founder-Director of Sehion Retreat Center. He is more blessed by Holy Spirit, and is a renowned preacher of the 'WORD OF GOD'. He is committed to spread the 'Good News' all over the world, and his sermons and services are providing tremendous change in lives of people around the globe. The television programs led by Fr. Vattayil turn to many faithful, as the media for God to perform miracles.


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Leah Risetter Cooper
Leah Risetter Cooper, 90, of Big Spring died Monday, Dec. 12, 2011, at Marcy House. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Alive in Christ Lutheran Church with the Rev. Carroll Kohl officiating.She was born Nov. 8, 1921, in Concord, Iowa to Clara and C.M. Pearson. She married Alan Risetter on Dec. 2, 1940. He preceded her in death in 1970.They moved to Big Spring in 1963 from Marshal Town, Iowa. She later married Claude Cooper in 1988 and he preceded her in death in 2001. She owned and operated the Desert Sands Motel and Restaurant. She later cooked at Brass Nail.She is survived by one daughter, Laura Averette of Big Spring; two sons, Stan Risetter and wife Linda of Whitesboro and Mark Risetter and wife Cheryl of Lewisville; two sisters, Evelyn Thompson and husband Don and Betty Vogt of Phoenix; one brother, Carrol Pearson and wife Paule of Radcliffe, Iowa; nine grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.In addition to her parents and husbands, she was preceded in death by one daughter, Carmen Rider; and one brother, Les Pearson.The family suggests memorials to Alive In Christ Lutheran Church, 2805 Lynn Dr., Big Spring, Texas 79720.Arrangements are by Myers & Smith Funeral Home. Pay your respects online at www.myersandsmith.com


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Linked by Conrad Voorsanger on Thu 2nd Jun 2011 16:28 UTC
OSNews sat down with Ian Seyler, the Founder and Lead Programmer at Return Infinity, the maker and sponsor of Baremetal OS, a 64-bit OS for x86-64 based computers written entirely in Assembly. Editor's note: We'd love to do similar interviews with the people behind other alternative or hobby OS projects. If there's a project that you'd like to learn more about, let us know.
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RE[4]: Locking threads?
by Dr.Mabuse on Sat 4th Jun 2011 02:25 UTC in reply to "RE[3]: Locking threads?"
"I'd pollute the thread it belongs on, were it not locked - and I assume appealing to the guy who locked the thread will accomplish nothing.
And then you assume that polluting this thread will accomplish something? Your sense of logic escapes me. "
The site doesn't have a forum. You have no way to gauge how many people feel the same way as you with a single e-mail. Perhaps if enough people voice their concern, our esteemed editor may see the error in his ways.
I appreciate your efforts Thom - I love this site, but that was not one of your finest moments.


text:
Discontinued, replacement part: #102224
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- Premium vinyl decals included
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- Pre-drilled body post holes make mounting the body quick and simple
- Fits HPI Baja 5B


text:
Moral Worth with Sam Harris
Check out Bas Rutten's Liver Shot on MMA Surge: http://bit.ly/MMASurgeEp1 Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape, answers questions submitted by users on Reddit.com. Hear Sam talk about everything from meditation to religion, and see if one of your questions got answered! To purchase Sam's books, click the links below: The End of Faith: http://amzn.to/gIudHF Letter to a Christian Nation: http://amzn.to/eTemcG The Moral Landscape: http://amzn.to/jAPZur
Length: 04:43


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6/14/2007 7:29pm, #1
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- Gatineau Canada
- Posts
- 2
- Style
Fang Shen Do: Tales From the Inner Circle
Fang Shen Do: Tales From the Inner Circle
Hello all,
Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who has posted about their past experiences with Fang Shen Do (aka Patenaude's Wing Chun Do) they were a great read, and I can corroborate much of the allegations made against the art and it's founder. This forum is without question the best forum on exposing what Fang Shen Do is really all about... It should have come out years before, but nevertheless, the truth is finally starting to be told.
I would like to add my two cents to it the following is some of my own darker personal experiences with the style and it's founder, Jacques Patenaude. I will not accuse the man of anything outright, but I will recount some of the more controversial experiences I had with the man and his cult over the years... I will let the reader draw his or her own conclusions.
I also hope that with me coming forward and telling my anecdotes, others who have had similar experiences with the man will also come forward with their own stories... I feel only the surface of what Fang Shen Do is all about has been scratched, and there's a lot more that needs telling.
Having said the above, due to the explosive nature of what I'm going to say, I wish to protect my identity. A word to the wise: Patenaude and his cult of core followers are dangerous vindictive people his organization is a cult in every sense of the word. For your own safety, you must consider messing with these people akin to messing with a hardcore motorcycle gang, or mafia-like thugs. I cannot stress this enough: Patenaude has followers that I believe, would blindly kill for him if asked.
I am not the only person who has said this many have said it before me.
My personal background: I studied what is now called Fang Shen Do, in the early 80s for roughly 8 years. I have studied other martial arts as a whole for over 25 years now, including Muay Thai and MMA.
My desire to protect myself via anonymity (I do not wish to have his cult stalking me) will make for somewhat of a credibility issue. I have decided that the best thing I can do is describe in great detail the inner workings of his school during that time period. Anyone who was there will know what I'm talking about, and they will instantly know that I talk as an insider someone who was there.... There is such a thing as Details that only an insider would know, and the first part of this post will simply be a short expose on how things worked there. The second part will be a few of my more explosive anecdotes.
One might ask why I'm doing this ? Well, truth be told, I got out of that place many years ago, and I really don't care either way what they do or don't do anymore HOWEVER, I feel I have a responsibility to WARN people of some of the things that I went through especially if you're a PARENT thinking about sending your child to one of his academies. You start thinking about that stuff once you have your own kids.
I also hope that in posting this, other ex, or current students will have to courage to come forward and perhaps post their own experiences as I have, to corroborate, and shed more light, on what I'm going to say. Again, I will not accuse anyone of anything I will simply recount facts as best as I can recall them, and let the reader decide. I cannot have that much credibility standing on my own, so ultimately, all of this will be taken with a grain of salt; but if more people come forward with similar stories, ultimately the weight of the evidence will be compelling on it's own.
Again, you, The Reader, can decide for yourself.
My Fang Shen Do Tale:
I joined the original Wing Chun Do school in the early 80s. It was the original school located on Catherine Street in Ottawa in the BASEMENT of this warehouse. Over time, the school has moved to Isabella street, then back to the original building (but upstairs). It has moved around since it first started in the late 70s, but it has always stayed in the same geographic area.
Like I said, the original school was in the basement of an old industrial building. The entrance was on the East Side, and was basically two big metal doors that led to a staircase that went to the basement. The school itself was relatively small it was comprised of a main floor to the left, and single change room UNDER the stairs to the right, and of course Patenaude had his closed door office straight ahead against the wall. The right side as you entered also had a row of benches and chairs for outsiders to watch classes, however things went closed door whenever there was sparring or advanced classes.
The front of the training area had mirrors, the left wall had a large bamboo curtain with a Wing Chun Do logo on it which had been painted by an alcoholic Indian who took forever according to Patenaude. The front right part of the training area had the biggest heavybag I have ever seen it was a gigantic bag triple sized at least, and it must have weighed over 350lbs. Anyone who went there in those days would remember it. The floor was all hard linoleum surface rolling around on that floor was like concrete, and it toughened you up, or broke you.
There was a hard as rocks regular punching bag in the back of the training area, along with a massive assortment of training gear (kicking shields, focus mitts, traditional, and spring-arm wooded dummies, along with more exotic stuff like Jeet Kune Do style reflex timers (which was bleeding edge electronics in the late 70s/early 80s). There was also tonnes of smaller training gear suitable for what we called Station Training (circuit training done at the end of classes, done to music with 1 minute periods of work with 10 seconds of rest). I can't tell you how many Tiger Pushups I did to the old Rocky Theme.
For uniforms, we wore traditional black Kung Fu pants, with oldschool white sole Kung Fu slippers. For a Top, we wore Wing Chun Do t-shirts (three kinds: first was white with small WCD logo over the heart, with black piping on the neck and sleeves, second was the same but with a large WCD logo on the back, and the third was a blue shirt like the second.
For belts, it was roughly like this:
No belt (approx 3-6 months)
White Sash: (approx 2 years)
Blue Sash : (approx 1-2 years)
Green Sash: (3-5 years)
Brown Sash (final sash)
Patenaude was the only Black Sash. At the time, he claimed James W. Demile awarded it to him, and that he did not have the authority to give Black Sashes (he only gave up to Brown). Anyone wishing to get a black had to move to Seattle and train with DeMile. Patenaude never spoke much of DeMile, and questions were NEVER encouraged about anything.
In reality, I later found out that Patenaude had no credentials with the guy other than being allowed to teach the bare basics. Demile claims he only attended one seminar and was around him only for a couple of weeks.
Patenaude was never authorized to teach Wing Chun Do what he was allowed to do was teach the basics in his OWN existing Martial Art. Sorta like how a Karate Instructor could teach you Jeet Kune Do Concepts without raising too many eyebrows.
Patenaude did his thing for years, figuring he was 2000 miles away in another country in the old days all there was, was Black Belt magazine and Inside Kung Fu, and they sure as hell weren't going to print stories about a pissing contest between two MA instructors. The advent of the Internet (circa 1994) changed this this is about the time Patenaude changed the art's name to Fang Shen Do it was done to avoid embarrassment. Patenaude used the Wing Chun Do banner in the old days because of the Bruce Lee connotation (Bruce Lee was GOD in the late 70s and early 80s) Patenaude based his entire early career as A Bruce Lee Student - even the big sign outside in those years was a giant Bruce Lee sign(!). Everyone who walked in there thought they were at the Bruce Lee School - that was the hook back then.
Despite having spent only a very limited amount of time with DeMile, Patenaude was thinking ahead he took as many pictures as possible, and avidly volunteered to be photographed in the early versions of some of Demile's books. He also had made himself FORGED instructor certificates which he used to put on the walls for all to see he eventually took those down once his reputation was established.
Nowadays, all he has for backing up his WCD claims is old pictures of he and DeMile together. He's always quick to show these, but you never get a straight explanation out of him.
Getting back to the Belt Ranks:
There also was what could be called a Secret Group the Inner Circle. This was comprised of select students from the Green and Brown ranks. Inner Circle members were the toughest of the tough, and the craziest of the crazy. Above all, they had FANATICAL loyalty to Patenaude, whom they revered almost like a God. Unlike most people, I did eventually reach the entrance of the inner circle, but I quit the system when I saw how insane it was.
I could go on describing more finer details of the place and the training we did in those days, but there's no point for now. I believe the above statements will prove that I was there and I knew the place intimately which was the point. Only someone who was there in those years would know the above details.
When I started WCD in the early 80s, I was but a teenager I stayed until I reached adulthood. Patenaude at the time was not the guy he is today (25 odd years later). He was a young man only 26 or 27 years old he was in his prime. Many students today talk of what a dangerous man he must have been in his youth I know exactly what he was like because I was there in short, he was a very dangerous man not from his size or strength (+/- 5'8, 130lbs), and not because of his fighting technique. The man was Dangerous because how INSANE and CRAZY he was... and because of the power and influence he wielded over others... Others who were just as crazy as he was.
A number of years after I left, there was the infamous Branch Davidian Cult episode in the early 90s I read very avidly about David Koresh (aka Vernon Wayne Howell )because he reminded me so much of Jacques Patenaude in those days. If I was to compare him with someone famous, that would be who I'd pick.
On the atmosphere there it could best be described as always walking on eggshells. Patenaude was an incredibly intense personality he suffered from what's commonly called Little Man Syndrome. He had an extremely explosive temper that could be set off for no reason. He was much like a proverbial Red-Nosed Pit Bull in temperament you were always on your toes when he was around you.
Above all, he ruled with an iron fist through fear and intimidation. He's the biggest control freak I ever met above all else, he craved to control everyone around him, and he wanted to be worshiped as the supreme leader. The whole scene was beyond fucked up.
In those days, he taught all the classes there were no franchise schools, no assistant instructors, no nothing... Just him and his wife (who ran the business side more than anything else, although she was very competent at the Sticky Hands drill). Two of his boys were sometimes present both are instructors in the system today, but back then they were only about 5 and 7 years old. To their credit, they both often trained alongside us and they managed to keep up for the most part. I remember feeling very sorry for those kids growing up having to constantly put up with a maniac like Patenaude.
Talking was not permitted. Asking questions was not permitted. Experimenting was not permitted all you did was exactly what Patenaude said and God Help You if you were a little less than perfect on anything. If you didn't give 110% full effort whenever he looked at you, you were in BIG trouble.
You could get in serious trouble for anything I saw Patenaude ball out people numerous times because they were looking at themselves too much in the mirror, or had some kind of smirk going. He wasn't above smacking people around either, but usually it was a hard slap on the back or arm.
I only know of him hurting one guy seriously this one guy sassed him off somehow, and Patenaude lost his cool and kneed him in the groin repeatedly. The guy ended up having a testicle surgically removed, and he sued but Patenaude got off because nobody in the room would testify against him.
Patenaude bragged about beating the rap for years - he was proud of his Disciples not ratting him out.
The training was very hard and not friendly towards people who couldn't cut it.
The weak stayed away to begin with all you had to do was feel the vibe of the place within minutes, the average curious visitor would be intimidated out of there. Among those who were tough enough to try it out for real, anything less but the strongest soon dropped out usually by the third month.
Rates wise, I seem to remember it being $35 a month, but you had to pay for belt testing fees ($30 to $50 I believe), but there were only a few belts in the system with much time between each one. You also had to buy your uniform and sparring gear off them (prices were roughly double what you'd pay on the street). I can't say the fees were unreasonable at all and there were no black belt clubs or seminars, getaways, retreats or firewalks whatsoever. All that crap came years later when Wing Chun Do was Franchised and rebranded as Fang Shen Do.
Those who made White Sash were worthy prospects. Those who made Blue were worthy fighters they weren't just tenacious people who toughed it out they were fighters. Patenaude had no problem failing the weak. From Blue onwards, it was the toughest of the tough, and the craziest of the crazies above all, fanatical loyalty to Patenaude was the rule.
From Blue onwards the sparring was frequent done with cheap foam dip karate safe-T-kick type gear popular in the early 80s it was designed for point fighting not full contact fighting, which we did. The half glove we wore weighted only 3-4oz little more than bag gloves, and crappy ones at that. The contact was full bore and absolutely ferocious. It's no wonder that sparring sessions were closed door. You always knew it was gonna be a long night when Patenaude hushed out visitors and the big metal doors locked. There were knockouts, cuts and even a few broken bones. When you're young (and stupid), you bounce right back for more. I knocked out a lot of guys it was kill or be killed. Above all, we were instructed not to talk about what happened behind closed doors.
The system itself wasn't very sound technically. It could best be described as very sloppy brawling Wing Chun. There wasn't much to the system oh, on paper it would work against other standup traditional martial arts, but it would crumble against anything MMA related. I went on to discard literally everything I learned in those years for more effective techniques, but I will say this that atmosphere toughened you up mentally and physically like nothing else I've ever done. I will give it credit for that. It made you mentally tough able to withstand just about anything. Patenaude's kids today are tough as nails you would be too if you had to grow up with a prick like him.
I could go on an on, but I'll summarize the big picture. Patenaude was all about SUPREME control of the individual, and his whole process was to weed out those who weren't 100% loyal to him he wanted people who didn't think for themselves people who would give themselves up 100% to him.
In the years I was there, you could see it starting it was a cult in it's infancy. Patenaude today is still doing it, however it's franchised and watered down a lot it's nowhere near as tough as it used to be, but the system of weeding out people is still there... It's more mental than physical now. Above all it's bigger and scarier.
The inner Circle is still there, the crazy followers are all there, and unlike the old days, Patenaude is using his total control over his students for financial gain listening to stories today about the atrocious rates and over the top nickel-and-dimeing of students is Patenaude's Ultimate Triumph reducing his students into disciples, who hand over all their money to him. Not only does he want their money he wants to DOMINATE and HUMILIATE them.
Compared to the old days, he's much more a recluse today and his world has become layer after layer of ascendancy to the inner circle. It's not just a close door school anymore it's turned into a FRANCHISE of closed door schools, with him ruling his empire from a compound in the countryside.
One could compare it to the bunker of the apocalypse that so many cult leaders gravitate to. He has his inner circle now doing what he did in the old days, and he associates with only the most fanatical of his followers. The cult is practically self running, and he's cashing in bigtime.
A word to the wise: For those of you who practice modern martial arts or MMA & the like yes, you have superior techniques out the yin-yang but remember, you are not dealing with individual fighters you are dealing with a cult group full of fanatical crazy nuts. My advice is to avoid them like you would the Rock Machine or the Hell's Angels.
I don't think any of the above is a surprise to this forum much of this was said either directly, or alluded to in passing in previous posts.
I'd now like to recount a few terrible incidents I had with the man I was being accepted into the inner circle at the time, and ultimately, the episodes below led me to leave that world.
One fine day we were training with the group we were in pairs of two, doing what was called Phon Sao drills (could be described as Two Step Sparring as done in more traditional martial arts). Anyways, Patenaude slipped into his office for one reason or another, and this old street person came down the stairs and let himself in. He was clearly inebriated to the gills with cheap booze he was basically a full on run-of-the-mill rummy/whino. In short he was a confused drunk old man not a threat to anyone, just an annoyance. The bum started talking to the guys nearest to the door, and I couldn't quite understand what was being said the bum looked confused and was asking questions.
Out of NOWHERE, out came Patenaude pushed the two students aside and he EXPLODED on the bum he basically closed on him in Wing Chun parlance devastating this hapless guy with a good dozen vertical punches the guy was basically blown away, and then Patenaude grabbed him by the hair and dragged him UP the metal stairs, where he took him in the alley and tossed him in the garbage cans. It was a ferocious unprovoked beating against basically a drunk defenseless old man. It was shocking to witness, and it really showed me graphically the type of guy Patenaude was. As for the room full of students ? Everyone just nervously ignored what was happening, and we kept doing our drills.
Pre 1993 (UFC1), very few people understood grappling. Those who did focus on it (apart from Judo), focused on standing grappling. Wing Chun Do was no exception, and they had a variety of standing grappling techniques and counters. One of the classic ones was the Wing Chun Do counter to a standard full nelson.
This was about the time that Patenaude started taking interest in me (more on that later), and he'd often use me as his partner to demonstrate techniques to the rest of the group.
One time, he asked me to put him in a full nelson I did, but not a hard one, because like I said, one was always on eggshells around him. Well, he flipped out and SCOLDED me for not putting on a Good Solid Full Nelson on him I got the picture, and I clamped on my best Full Nelson.
One thing about the WCD counter to the standing Full Nelson - it ASSUMED you interlaced your fingers, which is the WRONG way to do it. The standard defense was to reach back and grab one of the interlaced fingers and open the hold with a finger lock/break. That day I put on a proper full nelson, as taught by Gene Lebell I did a strong full nelson with a wrist grab grip (which is unbreakable) and I lifted him up on his tip toes. I clamped it on strong and waited for a counter, but it never came he struggled like a madman, and I realized, to my astonishment, and terror, that I had him and there was NOTHING he could do to get out of it. I outsized him by a very large margin, and it was clear I was a much stronger kid than he was a man I could have literally snapped his neck right there and he would not been able to stop me.
The problem, however, was that i had this MADMAN in a death grip, in front of his students if I just let him go, he'd go nuts on me for embarrassing him on the flip side, I couldn't snap his neck and kill the guy, and I couldn't clamp it on until he gave up I had a very serious problem on my hands.
I'll never forget looking at all the students in front of us... Every single one of them had a look of UTTER TERROR in their eyes. I had a problem I had the Tiger by the Tail, and I had to let him go.
I figured the best thing to do was release, and violently throw myself to the side to make it look like he somehow broke the hold and threw me I did, and on the way down I uttered I can't hold him too strong!!!!. It was enough to make him save face, and he walked away all smiles, puffing out his shoulders. That episode made me realize that even as little more than a big teenager, I could kick this guy's ass no problem I realized right then and there that everything said about the guy, his whole personality cult, and to a lesser extend his style was all a bunch of bullshit. He was a madman, and they were his fanatical followers that's all it was. I learned A LOT about Martial Arts schools that day.
The reason why nobody is allowed to ask questions or experiment, is because Patenaude is 99% self taught he has no depth or understanding of proper martial arts. It's all a scam.
I contend that his senior instructors today KNOW A LOT MORE than he ever has.
As mentioned above, Around this time Patenaude started taking what I would call a frightening interest in me personally. He always got me to demonstrate with him he always wanted to physically do things with me at the time I thought I was one of his prized students, but now that I'm a lot older and wiser (some 25+ years later), I suspect that something more sinister was going on. I was also being billed as one of his premier fighters - a young rising star.
Lets face it I was a better than average looking big strong wholesome kid, all but about 17 years old, and of all the people, Pantenaude seemed pre-occupied with me in an unhealthy way. Maybe it started with the Full Nelson episode I don't know.
On the day that I received my Green Sash, Patenaude asked me to stay a after class, and asked me to come by his office in 10 minutes. I did since the door was cracked open, I slowly peered in and saw the unthinkable Patenaude was looking like he was doing a quick line of cocaine. He saw me through the crack and quickly righted himself to this day, I'm not 100% sure what I saw, but I have my suspicions.
Regardless, he asked me to have a seat, and he produced a big bottle of Jack Daniels from his desk. He congratulated me on passing the test (which was very tough at the time), and proceeded to pour himself a shot he then did something that shocked me he produced another shot glass and poured me a drink. Feeling obliged, I slugged it back and gagged like any (very much underage) kid would which caused him to laugh maniacally. He then went on to tell me that my future was bright in the school, and that he had his "eye on me. The latter chilled me to the bone it was very weird how he said it, and how he was acting almost like he was trying to seduce me. At the time, I felt incredibly uncomfortable, and every instinct I had was to run out of there I quickly got up, bowed and made a quick break he started pouring me another shot and asked me to stay awhile longer I don't remember what I said but I got out of there as fast as I could.
25+ years later, looking back, I have to ask myself some questions. What the hell was a grown man doing, pulling a 16 or 17 year old BOY in his office, for a private drink ? The way he acted, and the way it all went down was incredibly fucked up, and I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life.
If there had not of been other occasions like this, I could have overlooked it... Ultimately, again, I can't know for sure what was going through his mind or what his motives were, so I'll just lay out the facts and let the reader decide for himself.
I got drunk around him many other times, but only for special occasions like Christmas parties and the like I always made sure to lose myself in the group. Sad part is I never drank until he got me into it. Pretty damn pathetic that a grown man, in a position of trust and power, would turn an underaged kid on to alcohol. Wing Chun Do was all about drinking hard and bar fighting all the self defense situations revolved around bar fights it was never about facing a would be mugger with a knife it was always about punch-outs in the barroom.
As I made my way to Brown Sash, more and more, I was indoctrinated into the inner circle the attention from Patenaude continued, and it grew extremely tiresome I wished he'd just leave me alone, I wished I could just be an anonymous student, indistinguishable from the next, but things just got weirder and crazier as time went on.
One fine day, I was one of the last people out of the class. They used to have this little fridge that had fruit juice for .50 cents (on the honor system). I was the last guy out, but before leaving I got myself a drink I suddenly found myself alone, and Patenaude was behind me. After some trivial chit-chat, Patenaude just went into story telling mode, and he told me a story that chilled me to the core.
He told me about how one time this guy off the street came in on a Saturday, and Patenaude was there alone. Said street guy said he was interested in taking Kung Fu classes that his life was in shambles, and he had just gotten out of jail the typical sob story about a guy wanting to rebuild his life after screwing up & coming of age. Patenaude then said he went to the office to get some handout forms, and the phone rang he got distracted from the call and basically forgot about the guy for 15 minutes. He then remembered there was someone out there waiting for him, so he cut the call short and went back out to the training floor.
At this point, Patenaude got weird on me like all I can say was he got incredibly creepy...
According to him, the new prospect had dropped his pants and had his penis out, and was jerking off on the wooden dummy, shooting all over it. He then paused and studied my reaction intently, he then, I believe, focused on my crotch. A long silence ensued.
I found myself alone, and terrified with Patenaude acting completely weird and creepy. After a long pause, I then figured I had to respond, so I said What did you do ? He answered, Oh, I let the guy leave himself out. It was like as if what happened after was irrelevant I missed the point obviously.
He then laughed, and I walked out of there backwards, bowing, basically going for the door as fast as I could without looking like I was freaking out.
Again, now that I'm a lot older and wiser (25+ years later), I look back and think that story must have been bullshit. Even if it wasn't, WHY would a GROWN MAN tell his student about that episode why would you tell anyone at all ???
If it was me and that happened in my school today, I'd be MORTIFIED, and would never want any of the students knowing about it. If I told anyone about it, it sure as hell wouldn't be some MINOR kid when he was alone in there I mean, it was completely fucked up.
I now seriously suspect that he was just telling me that bullshit story to gauge my reaction possibly sizing me up for something... Again, I'll let the reader draw his own conclusions.
There were a few other nasty episodes with him, but I wont get into them. None are as extreme as what I've already mentioned, and the more I say, the more it gets specific, the more it could identify me, and the more likely one of his lackies would track me down and mess with me.
I will say this when you join the inner circle, at least back then, part of the rite of passage was to go to a bar in Gatineau with the boys, and Patenaude (all 5 foot-fuckall of him) would pick a fight with some toughguy and you were expected to cut in and finish it. Everyone on the inside had to do it.
As I got older I got wiser, and I stopped ignoring all the insanity when it all started, all I wanted was to take Kung Fu lessons from just another school - what it turned into was a crazy cult and the more years you put into it, the harder and crazier it was to get out of it.
I finally left when I had enough it was not pretty but I got through it, and eventually I was left alone.
I had friends who continued, one of which was an inner circle guy for years (I won't name him as he's still involved). He can vouch for the infamous Bucket of Dogshit story as the years went on, Patenaude started doing out-of-school retreats to a farm he had out in Cassleman it started off small, but over the years it's gotten insane. Nowadays, it's a full on compound where they do Marine Boot Camp style training, and the top students keep getting put through ordeals to prove their loyalty.
Getting top prospects to put their heads in a bucket of **** is just another one of these ordeals and so is giving the guy 1000s and 1000s of dollars the more you suffer, the more you pay, the more you feel like what you are doing has value, and that you have a lot invested in it.
The harder it gets, the longer you're in, the more you suffer, the more it makes it harder to walk away - because you've invested so much into it.
Things like the bucket of **** also tests your resolve to put up with something unspeakable and keep your mouth shut. It also no doubt gratifies Patenaude and humiliates/dominates the student. It keeps going and going, and the more you go farther, the worse it gets. It's all about total control and total power, and who knows what else he's subjected his students to. Do things cross the line totally ? Does it degenerate to sexual domination ? Do all the other tests lead to this ?
Are the progressively worse tests a way of finding out who will really put up with _anything_ ? A way of selecting a core group of people who will act like virtual slaves to the cult ?
I have serious concerns about it.
I know a few inner circle guys who went deep in the organization, and left. They both say the man is completely evil and there's nothing he won't do they also won't talk details it's clear to see they're deeply ashamed of their past, and they're trying to forget it.
The best prototypical inner circle students are all the same very young men barely out of their teens in top physical shape. Almost all of them have serious emotional issues and come from broken homes many were violently or sexually abused these are the type of people who fit into that crazy world, and get strung along because they're vulnerable and receptive to being completely dominated.
Am I accusing Patenaude of something more ? Something completely disturbing and sinister ? Do we have a Catholic Schoolboy Abuse Scenario in the works ? No, I'm not accusing him of anything. I'm simply recounting my personal experiences, and speculating a little.
I will ultimately let the reader decide for himself.
I hope that former students read this post and if any of you out there have an absolutely insane WCD/FSD story, I hope this inspires you to come forward and post your experiences.
6/14/2007 7:53pm, #2
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Whoa. Quite the story and does fall in line with the general themes we've seen before (except for the sexual connotations seem new). Though, it seems those are very specific stories while trying to remain anonymous... (ole Jackie-boy might be able to place you from those)
6/14/2007 8:48pm, #3
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That is one incredible post !!!
I can't believe how fucking crazy those guys are!!!!!!!!!
El Maniaco
6/14/2007 9:17pm, #4
Woah indeed. Thanks for posting. Hopefully others will follow your lead.
Originally Posted by ghyslain
I like the "tiger-by-the-tail" story. I can just imagine the looks on the faces of the students. You should have said it was his chi that was too strong, though.
I wonder if this post will draw a reaction.
Last edited by myrmecophilous; 6/14/2007 9:26pm at .
6/14/2007 10:09pm, #5
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good read bro.
i never knew much about sJP, his training system and such. i always wondered about the early WCD/FSD years... it's good to hear from personal experience.
the FSD as i know, differs VERY MUCH from what you describe (as far as my experience goes). they are very very concerned about membership retention.
even the master's club is solely dependant on the fees.
6/14/2007 10:12pm, #6
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oh, and i read awhile back about silat and patenaude... at one point, apprently sJP claimed to teach penkat silat but he was disowned? can you detail on this?
6/15/2007 1:03am, #7
Great read. We really appreciate it.
It would be great if some of the other Inner Circle people would come forward to post.Surfing Facebook at work? Spread the good word by adding us on Facebook today! https://www.facebook.com/Bullshido
6/15/2007 1:05pm, #8
Fantastic post. Thank you very much for detailing out your experience so clearly and lucidly. Chilling to think about what people get away with, and what they are willing to do to their fellow man.
6/15/2007 3:16pm, #9
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damn, and I thought my old kung fu school was cultish, yours is just unreal
6/15/2007 4:12pm, #10
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Hi Ghyslain. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. These personal stories (by yourself and others)have been by far the most powerful indictment of the FSD organization.


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A Hands On, Use-What-You Have Room for Sisters
Names: two sisters (6 & 8)
Location: Portland, OR
My wife Lida designed the girls' bedroom, from the paint color and mural drawing to the style of beds she wanted. I finished off the room for my wife and the girls as a surprise and had it ready when they got home one night.
The Room:
- Long and skinny measuring at 14' X 8'
- Reclaimed kitchen cabinet for the girls clothes and play house...it was reclaimed, sanded and I added some steel legs for the bottom.
- The book shelf on the back wall is an antique wood ladder I attached to the wall.
- The mural is my wife's drawings that I brought to life with the brush.
- The wall shelf by the pictures is a reclaimed wood door from an old garage cabinet that I sanded down and added shelves too.
- A couple of my own toys adorn the shelves and some paintings of Lida's drawings that I put on canvas for the girls' room are on the opposite wall.
- The beds are pine box beds that I made to fit the room and the mattresses.
- Reclaimed wood and hook clothes hanger on the inside of the closet door.
- A salvaged step stool that has been painted and sanded down.
In the end the total cost of doing this room was bare minimal to the time and effort. We reused everything we possibly could and came out spending maybe $80.00 in actual out of pocket expense. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks Charlie and Lida! Readers, say hi to Lida on her blog Bubbers and Moo and check out Charlie's art and handcrafted toys on his website, Charlie Alan Kraft.
(Images: Charlie Alan Kraft)


text:
Four years ago the elected officials in Shelby township, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan passed a distracted driving law. Township supervisor Skip Maccarone says if you're stopped in Shelby township for a primary offense like speeding the officer also has the authority to issue a ticket for up to $500 for distracted driving.
"Tending a child in the back seat, having a dog on your front lap, talking on your phone, eating, drinking, doing makekup, reading a magazine while to trying to operate that motor vehicle, you will get a second ticket for what's known as distracted driving," he says.
Maccarone says one of the first citations issued was in the parlance of baseball, a triple.
"The soda between his legs, eating a cheeseburger, talking on his phone," Maccarone says. "(He lost) control of his car, rolled over in a ditch."
Every year as many as 4000 people in this country, safety officials say, die in vehicle crashes where driver distraction was a cause.
Minnesota traffic safety director Kathy Swanson says distracted driving is a factor in as many as a fifth of the state's fatal crashes.
"In 2004, there were 100 people killed in crashes where that was a factor. About 12,500 people were injured in crashes where that's a factor," she says.
The biggest distractions? All manner of objects and things outside the vehicle account for nearly a third of the crashes. Kathy Swanson has seen driver distractions first hand.
"My husband's a bird watcher and everytime there's a hawk or an eagle, I wish I was behind the wheel rather than him," she says.
Nearly a dozen and half states, but not Minnesota, regulate the use of cell phones by drivers in an attempt to reduce driver distractions.
However Swanson says fatal crash investigations here and in other states show cell phones are well behind other factors as a cause of distracted driving.
"Less than one percent of the crashes that occur get coded as having a driver on a cell," she says.
Even so, Swanson's opinion is no one's driving improves while talking on a cell phone.
Jane Stutts agrees. Stutts is a principal investigator at the University of North Carolina's Highway Traffic Safety Research Center. A few years ago she enlisted people who agreed to be videotaped while driving.
Her research affirmed a widely held assumption that older drivers are less likely to be distracted by activities which afflict younger drivers.
"They did not do the eating and drinking and the manipulating the radio and talking on the cell phone that the younger drivers did," she says. "But on the other hand they could also be more easily distracted by things going on outside their vehicle."
Congress and most states have declined to pass laws designed to prevent distracted driving.
Once again this session Minnesota lawmakers are being asked to consider limits on cell phone by drivers, proposals that have failed to win approval in the past.
Cities and counties can follow Shelby Township's example in Michigan and pass local regulations as long as they don't conflict with state laws, according to the Minnesota attorney general's office.
Few if any studies so far have measured the distraction of a new generation of gizmos appearing in motor vehicles, like the global positioning system in Sarah Kinney's car.
Kinney has nick-named the GPS, Jennifer.
Kinney enters an address on a small screen and Jennifer gently, if insistently, calls out directions in a computer-generated voice. Kinney says the position of her navigation aid and the sound of a voice reduce the level of distraction when she's in unfamiliar surroundings.
"It is not on the dash," she says. "It is up-mounted on my windshield and is about a three inch by three inch square so it's not in my way it doesn't block any of my vision."
Some navigation devices cause drivers to look down at screens mounted in dashboards and they don't generate a voice allowing a driver to watch the road.
These and a range of other diversions such as screens which allow the playing of DVD's raise new questions about how vehicle technology is reducing or increasing the number of distractions for drivers.


text:
In Teri Ann Loeser's CORNERING THE MARKET, we were in the spotlight!
Here's the article:
When starting a business venture, sometimes adding personal reasons and passion into the mix can make a big difference. Such is the case with Melissa Catalano, the owner of Elements Therapeutic Massage.
Formerly in the corporate and retail world, Catalano moved to Long Island from Brooklyn 12 years ago to start a family. She developed some medical issues, and with an open mind, explored the benefits of holistic health. Therapeutic massage, she discovered, helped her tremendously. Pain she has been experiencing eventually disappeared without medication. With that in mind, along with her business experience, she opened a massage salon with a unique perspective.
Since people get massages for different reasons, she matches up each client with a massage therapist who will serve them best. Among her 12 massage therapists, several are also medical students, one is a nurse, one is also training to do acupuncture, two work for chiropractors, and one is a personal trainer.
Whether you are recovering from an injury, have back pain, would like to improve the range of motion of your golf swing, want some "me" time, need to relieve stress, or you are a cancer patient looking for a wellness program, there is a special fit for you. After an initial intake, you'll be matched with the therapist most suited for you. He or she will listen to your needs and employ the proper techniques to deliver a truly therapeutic experience.
Massage therapy addresses many health conditions, the most common being stress-related tension. By improving circulation, flexibility, stimulating the lymphatic system, and releasing endorphins — the body's natural pain killer — massage can be beneficial for people with diabetes, depression, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, back problems, immunity suppression, migraine headaches, muscle pain from pregnancy, cancer-related fatigue and a host of other issues. Massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach to well-being based on the body's natural ability to heal itself.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. on Sunday. Gift certificates and periodic specials are available. One can join their membership program, which offers benefits and discounts, or try an individual session. Membership requires no long-term contracts or commitment, and family members can use it as well. Intake forms can be downloaded from their website. Walk-ins are always welcome.
-Teri Ann Loeser


text:
Donald Purn won't let history forget McHenry County's Civil War veterans.
That has meant a five-year crusade to painstakingly track down the veterans amid incomplete records.
It also has meant visiting the cemeteries in the county to search for the graves.
Some were never marked. Others have been vandalized, the headstones knocked over, completely broken or misplaced.
Purn has consulted with cemetery workers and been led to unmarked sites.
"Sometimes, I know they're buried there and there's no headstone, or there's a record they're buried, but we're not quite sure where," he said.
"One gentleman even took me out and stuck a long pole in the ground. 'Yep, there's a casket there,' " he told Purn.
Purn has discovered at least 35 missing headstones. With the help of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table, of which he is a member, donors and others, he's replaced seven so far.
He's hoping to soon receive the go-ahead to replace at least two more.
"I'll never finish," he said of his effort.
Yet, he'll never give up.
He's already put in countless hours so far, displaying a passion for history others can and should learn from, those who know him say.
"It reminds us not to forget that the freedoms and things you believe in don't come without cost," said Nancy Fike, administrator of the McHenry County Historical Society.
All this from a retired middle school teacher from Algonquin, a Peace Corp volunteer who's not a veteran himself.
It's easy, perhaps second-nature to remember veterans on days such as Memorial Day. But for Purn and others with a passion for history, remembering should be constant.
He does what he does, he said, simply because someone should.
"Otherwise," he said, "it's just a blank lot. How would anybody know who's there, if they were even a veteran?
"Some fathers and sons from a town would leave and join the regiments together. They'd leave their kids and wives to take care of the farms," he said. "A lot of times they gave up a lot to fight for what they believed in at the time."
There's James Johnson, a confederate soldier buried in Union, his headstone installed last Memorial Day and dedicated during the town's holiday ceremony. And Charles Dodd, an infantry veteran who died in 1864 and is buried in Algonquin Cemetery.
Purn enjoys learning the veterans' stories and telling those stories to all who will listen.
He talks of Earl Denison Thomas of Woodstock, who joined the war at age 13. By the age of 15, he was a sergeant major and is now buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
"A lot of people never heard of him," he said. "It's just one of those things. It's not recorded."
Once he tracks down the veterans and locates the graves, Purn must prove through records presented to the Veterans Administration they are veterans. Cemetery officials also must sign off on the documents.
Then Purn still must raise enough money for the headstones, hosting fundraising presentations throughout the community on veterans and POWs.
For years, he's worked with Zoia Monument Co. of Woodstock, which installs the headstones for $100 a marker. The company doesn't make any money on the project, basically doing it at cost.
"They're preserving history there," said Tony Zoia, who works with his father, Jim, a veteran of the Korean War. Created in 1890, the company dates back four generations of Zoias
"Those old graves, if they're unmarked, no one knows they're there," Zoia said. "The history is really in the marker that's left there. ... There's no indication on Memorial or Veterans Day of where to put a flag, so that's important."
The Civil War Round Table has a listing of 2,811 soldiers from McHenry County or buried in McHenry County. About 900 burial locations in 58 cemeteries have been identified as from the Civil War, and the group has maps and information on about 80 percent of those individuals, Purn said.
The Marengo City Cemetery has the most Civil War veterans, with about 152 buried in its grounds. Next is Mount Auburn Cemetery in Harvard with more than 100 Civil War veterans.
Also a member of the Algonquin Historic Commission, Purn has gathered about 3,500 historic records of the town through computer and library research.
What he's done through all of his efforts, Fike said, is set a standard for others to do the same in their communities.
"Recognizing that people gave their lives and had to fight on our own soil for what they believe in is something we're doing a better job of in our own times," she said. "When soldiers come back, they're honored. They didn't have a whole lot of that back then.
"They came back and went to the plows and their horses, if they did come back at all."


text:
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Creativity is becoming a more essential component as innovative teachers prepare students for a multifaceted and technologically advanced world. Students find new and creative ways to learn, to express themselves and collaborate with their peers. Following a THE Journal survey that examined how teachers are getting creativity into their students and their classrooms, three points were evident— collaboration nurtures creativity, access to technology is essential, and students will help you help them.
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In a lodge outside Nairobi, Kenya, 40 enthusiastic and bright young people with disabilities from 13 African countries came together last week to draft a constitution for a new organization they are forming, called the African Youth with Disabilities Network.
Among wheelchair users, sign language interpreters, and young people using various walking aides and other accommodations was 23-year-old student Seray Bangura from Sierra Leone, a country rebuilding after a devastating civil war. Seray is a coordinator for a disability advocacy group called Young Voices, a project of the UK-based Leonard Cheshire Disability charity. He is also in his final year of study at the Institute of Public Administration and Management in Freetown.
Seray is a member of the steering committee of the network, which was formed in May 2011 in response to a growing movement of young people with disabilities in Africa. Last week's gathering kicked off with participants updating the group on progress made and challenges encountered in their home countries since they first met in May.
Seray noted some successes in Sierra Leone over past six months, achieved with the help of Young Voices, including the appointment of a young person with a disability to Sierra Leone's National Youth Commission; regular radio talk shows focusing on disability issues and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; the creation of films about accessibility, education, and nondiscrimination; and the development of a university grant program for all students with disabilities.
Seray also noted, however, that the fight for disability rights in Sierra Leone is far from over. The country is ranked 148 out of 169 countries on the UN Human Development Index, and conservative estimates suggest that disabled people make up at least 10 percent of the population in the post-conflict nation. He lamented the lack of funding for disability issues in his country, and the fact that society still harbors negative perceptions of persons with disabilities. He also noted that implementation of the UNCRPD, which allows people with disabilities to fully realize their rights, is painfully slow.
Young people with disabilities in Africa continue to face enormous challenges. The meetings have allowed young people like Seray to gain new skills and learn about the process of creating a formal secretariat and establishing and managing a new, regionally, youth-focused disabled persons' organization. Seray, along with others at the meeting, will continue their work to increase empowerment, mobilization, and coordination among disabled youth across Africa.
Both meetings were organized and hosted by the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa, the Open Society Disability Rights Initiative, and the Youth Initiative.
25 Comments
very interesting and well written. thanks and best regards - duncan
Thanks for sending this, Kim - I see the future of a pan-Africa Disability Rights Movement here, which is so exciting and so needed. Let us know how we can help!
Mariette Bates
Disability Studies Program
CUNY School of Professional Studies
Hi Mariette ,
We look forward working with you too.African youth with disability Network and CUNY can make a difference together.
A good initiative - I have been working with people with disabilities in Mozambique for over seven years and I'm sure if young people in Africa can organise themselves they can start to speed up the process of change that is necessary. Good luck to everyone involved
This is a great piece. I see a bright future ahead of the African Youth With Disability Network...
Together we can make a difference.Meaningful participation of youth with disabilities in key decision making processes is what we are working for.Thanks OSF and Kim.
Aniyamuzaala James
President of steering committee
African Youth with Disability Network.
many thanks-Kim. Rest assured that the future of PWDs will be changed with the efforts much put, emphasized and advocated for by this network of African Disability youth. together we need to do more to change the status quo in order to make this world disability accomodatory. thanks once again-Ronald from Uganda
looking forward to work with you.
I am a special educator in India and if required I am volunteer to work with U for this noble cause.
Thanks for the article, as an African, I was moved to read the story and my goal for next year is to srat an NGO in Nigeria for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilitities.
This is has been my dream since Childhood: that disabled people themselves become vanguard of change. I am a PWD moving around in a wheelchair currently based in Uganda. Please let me know where and how we can work together. I am currently a student pursuing a MA in Educational Planning, Economic, and International Development (MA EPEID) Institute of Education, London University in UK. I have a degree in Adult and Community Education (BACE)of Makerere University, and a Diploma in Community-Based Rehabilitation (DCBR) of Kyambogo University, Department of Community Disability Studies.
Hallo Ronald Kasuke, it is very great to hear that you widh to join this great network,
Uganda has a Chapter of the network (African Youth With Disabilities Network - Uganda Chapter) we have shown a great deal of confidence in reaching out to every Ugandan Youth With Disability and you are very welcome Please, join our social Network via Facebook by following this link. http://www.facebook.com/groups/aywdn.ug/
we will keep you updated!
Eroku Simon
General Secretary
AYWDN-Uganda Chapter.
It was a great pleasure to be part of this initiative. Vladimir Cuk and I will always be with you. If there is anything we can do, please feel free to let us know. You all did a great job, now its important to keep the work moving forward.
We are thankful for the article. We, as a group of youth disabled refugees living in South Africa would like to partner with you in this noble cause. As disabled refugees we face unimaginable challenges. So, we took it upon ourselves to make a difference in our own lives. Our main objective is to become agents of change we believe in. Together we can improve our "world".
Godel Sefu
Director: Disabled Refugees Projects.
South Africa
Welcome AYDN,we at Action for Youth with Disabilities Uganda (AYDU) strongly welcome the formation of the African Youth with Disabilities Network. We believe that this initiative will play a great role in addressing the plight of youth with disabilities in Africa. AYDU is ready to partner with AYDN in championing this noble cause.
Aggrey Olweny
Executive Director
Action for Youth with Disabilities Uganda
Plot 2125 Bukoto Ntinda road (off Froebel stage
P.O.Box 5018, Kampala - Uganda
Tel: +256 414 599 864
Email: [email protected]
web: http://www.aydu.org
Hi Aggrey!
i would like to join and be part of AYDU in uganda.im an occupational therapist living in Ntinda and i have been working with people with disabilities in CBR and -institution settings of all ages.i have a keen interest in the youth!how do i go about it?
thanks for the work your doing!
i am so greatfull for what you are doing,i am living in nakuru Kenya and has faced several challenges,have started an organization helping persons with disability but the greatest challenge is where to mobilize resources,kindly advice and tell me organisations that can support me/us
Society of the Deaf & Sign Language Users has celebrated Bangla Sign 2012 in association with Disability Rights Fund and Actionaid Bangladesh for the first time in Bangladesh.
I have been an advocate for the disabled for eighteen years, especially the mentally challenged. I established an organization in Liberia to support non formal educational programs for the "specially challenged". Thanks to the youth for continuous awareness as my son is also a youth with challenges.
My thanks and appreciation to brother Seray and his colleagues. I call on you guys to stay focused as you work towards the establishment of the African Youth with Disabilities Network. It is a challenge but with all hands on deck it will surely happen. Go for it and count on Disability-Sierra Leone (DiSiL) as a partner in the struggle. Let me know if there is anything DiSiL can do to support your cause.
A powerful statement that we are now here, we are not making an apology for our arrival and we better be taken serious since a space for youth with disabilities MUST be found within the Mainstream Disability movement and the Youth development agenda in general in all of our African Nations and beyond.
We thank the OSF family for lending support to this emancipation drive.
Secretary General-AYWDN Steering Committee
I am greatly honored to know about this continental initiative. We believe that this initiative will play a great role in addressing the plight of youth with disabilities in Africa. AYDU is ready to partner with AYDN in championing this noble cause.
Aggrey Olweny
Executive Director
Action for Youth with Disabilities Uganda
Plot 2125 Bukoto Ntinda road (off Froebel stage
P.O.Box 5018, Kampala - Uganda
Tel: +256 414 599 864
Email: [email protected]
web: http://www.aydu.org
ADCCSU is greatly honoured to know about the formation of the African Youth with Disabilities Network. We at ADCCSU believe that a continental initiative has been missing to champion concerns of YWDs. We strongly expect AYWDN to address concerns of young parents with disabilities aware that we are many and facing numerous challenges. Our strong hope is that as we strive, AYWDN will contribute immensely in addressing the plight of young parents with disabilities in Africa regardless of disability category. ADCCSU is willing to work closely with you.
Kafeero Lyazi Vincent
Action for Disabled People their Children Care takers and Spouses in Uganda
P.O.Box 34808, Kampala - Uganda
Tel:+256 414 692851
Email: [email protected]
Together we can make a difference. Meaningful participation of youth with disabilities in key decision making processes is what we are working for. Thanks. I'm coordinator of Initiative for refugees living with disability (IRD) in differents camps in Rwanda.
We need to support our disabled persons in Uganda but we have no support


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Christopher Grundler
Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Christopher Grundler is the Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Prior to being appointed Director, he served as the Deputy Office Director and Chief Executive of the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He and a staff of nearly 400 employees strive to protect public health and the environment by reducing air pollution from transportation vehicles, engines, and the fuels used to operate them.
Mr. Grundler and his team establish and implement national emissions standards for transportation fuels and vehicles, as well as a variety of off road equipment. These mobile sources include cars and light trucks, heavy trucks and buses, nonroad engines, marine vessels, and airplanes. OTAQ is also responsible for implementing important aspects of the Energy Independence and Security Act, including establishing national renewable fuel standards. OTAQ is continuously evaluating a wide variety of advanced technology strategies which have the potential to reduce harmful emissions and fuel consumption.
Since joining EPA in 1980, Mr. Grundler has held a number of senior leadership positions within the Agency including Director of the Office of Federal Facilities Enforcement and Director of the Great Lakes National Program Office. Mr. Grundler has also served at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he helped create the Department's first environmental audit program. Mr. Grundler has been awarded the Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, EPA's highest honor. In 2008 he received the Presidential Award for Meritorious Senior Executives.
Mr. Grundler was part of the team that developed the nation's first greenhouse gas emission standards for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. Prior to that, he helped bring a slate of clean diesel standards for cars, trucks, and construction equipment. In addition, he administered a five year modernization program for EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, the nation's premier facility for testing and evaluating clean automotive technology.
Mr. Grundler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is an avid sports enthusiast. Mr. Grundler was raised in Michigan and divides his time between Washington, D.C. and Ann Arbor, Michigan.


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|Home >> Ask Olympus: Low Light Sports Photography
Do you have any tips for shooting high school football night games and basketball games? I have tried the Sports shooting mode and I'm still getting blurred action?
The Sports shooting mode does a good job of shooting sports in the daytime when there is plenty of light, but shooting night games and indoor sports require different settings. Professional sports venues have very high light levels to support television broadcasts. Photographers who photograph indoor sports such as basketball may also have powerful flash systems set up in the rafters of an arena to stop action. Light levels at high school sports venues aren't nearly as high as venues for pro sports, so your camera must be setup to stop action using high shutter speeds.
The first step is to select a high ISO - 800 or higher. You can preset the ISO in the camera's P (Program) mode. If the camera is in AUTO mode, it may select any ISO it chooses. If your camera has A (Aperture Priority) mode on the Mode Dial, activate this mode and select the brightest aperture. The lower number represents a brighter aperture, for example: f3.5 will allow more light through the lens then F8. Locking the camera at the brightest aperture will force the camera to use the fastest shutter speed allowed by the shooting conditions.
Tracking or panning with the players as you shoot will add a bit more sharpness to the players and blur the background, giving the effect of movement. If the camera has image stabilization, by all means use it to compensate for camera shake. If the camera has an option in the menu for Continuous AF or AF Tracking, set that to ON. The camera will continuously autofocus as it follows the subject.
In the camera's menu there are settings for the DRIVE modes. Normally the camera is set up for single shots. By selecting one of the Sequential Drive modes, the camera will shoot frames in sequence while you hold the shutter button down. This works around the shutter lag which occurs with single shots and presents more opportunities to get that magnificent shot. Depending on the drive mode selected the camera may automatically reduce the picture resolution to accommodate the higher shot-to-shot frame rates.
Before the game do some test shots using the different White Balance settings. You might find you get more pleasing color using one of the preset options than relying on the AUTO settings because some light sources don't provide the full color spectrum, such as sodium vapor and mercury vapor lights.
Archive - Compact Cameras:
- Playing back photos and movies
- Printing the date on your photos
- Taking better indoor photos
- Changing resolution
- Best image sizes for emailing
- Avoiding blur in low light
- Taking pictures faster
- Evening out exposure for panoramic sequences
- Digital vs. film ISO
- Grainy pictures
- xD-Picture Card Use and Care
- Black and White with your point and shoot
- Shooting for online auctions
- Panoramic photography
- How do I photograph documents?
- Get images off of internal memory?
- Increasing shot-to-shot speed
- Tips for shooting portraits
- Tips for shooting holiday lights outdoors
- Tips about memory card usage
- My videos I'm not getting any sound. Why?
- Tips for shooting panorama photos
- Minimizing shutter lag
- Transferring your photos to a CD
- Macro photography
- Double exposures and xD card questions
- Battery charging guidelines
- Truer color indoors
- Proper settings and exposure for stage photos
- Minimizing glare from glasses
- Adjusting for photos shot into the sun
- Keeping faces sharp
- Why do I get red-rye?
- Steadying camera in NIGHT Scene mode
- Extending my battery charge?
- Shooting in cold weather
- Using the Macro shooting mode
- Save a zoomed playback image
- Printing from Olympus software
- Low Light Sports Photography
- Shooting indoors in the winter
- Using my camera on a telescope or microscope
- Tips for getting better results using the flash
- Tips for controlling sunlight


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Bong Joon-ho doesn't have any movies playing in theaters.
If you feel like heading out, check out other movies in theaters.
The Host
Motel Seoninjang
Memories of Murder
Phantom, The Submarine
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
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text: APK 29,980 Posted April 13, 2015 OneDrive v3.0 (April Beta 1)Requirements: Varies with deviceOverview: OneDrive is the one place for everything in your work and life. It's free online storage for your personal photos, videos, documents, and more. OneDrive works on the devices you use every day – from PCs to Macs, Android, iOS and Windows phones and tablets. You and your organization can even use OneDrive at the office to work on and share business documents as part of Office 365 and SharePoint Server 2013.The OneDrive app for Android lets you easily get to, manage, and share both your personal and professional files while on the go: • Browse all your own OneDrive files and files shared with you • Share OneDrive files by inviting people, sending a link, or sending files to another app• Open your OneDrive files in other apps• Quickly get to documents you've recently openedFeatures on Android 4.0+:• Automatically upload photos and videos to your personal OneDrive using Camera backup • Access, edit and share your work files on OneDrive• Improved support for working with Office Mobile for Android and OneNote, including editing Office documents• Select multiple files to download• Search for your files and folders• Sort files and folders WHAT'S NEW New IconMore material-lyPersonal and Business AccountsProbably some bug fixes. This app has no advertisements More Info:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.skydrive'>>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.skydriveDownload Instructions: OneDrive v3.0 (April Beta 1) - android-zone.ws.apk - 13.6 MB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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About Us
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Civic Holiday - Closed
Our two showrooms will be closed this Sat, Sun & Mon for the Civic Holiday. Come in by 5pm Friday for your weekend project needs!
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Posted on 03 Aug 2017 by lbesser
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Please relay our cuddos to your installer for a JOB well and truly done!!
To state the very least, your assistance and Dynasty is stellar.
MANY THANKS for providing us with a water proof shower (once again).
Your installer walked into a potential disaster but recovered awesomely.
Our Design Consultant at Dynasty Baths was a huge help on our recent DIY bathroom renovation. She provided us great advice and a long list of waterproofing and tile systems that we would have never found on our own. Thanks for all the help throughout the job. P.C.
I believe that work that is well done should be acknowledged, so I am writing this "thank you" and commendation. Doug and Leland finished a three-day reno to our bathroom. We are very pleased. We were helped patiently and thoroughly from the first visit to the showroom. At the time of the final measuring, again we were met by professional, helpful staff. But I must say something about your two installers. They arrived on time and ready to work. Not just the first day - every day. They were personable, as well as professional, showing obvious skill and experience, but showing also interest in us and our home, and, obviously the project. At every step they consulted, asking questions and confirming our wishes. I was most impressed that whenever work was done, stage by stage, and tiles, flooring and all the other mess were removed, these men made sure that right then and there the space was cleaned and vacuumed. Literally, with every bucket taken out, the vacuum came out. And nothing was left behind at the end of the project but a lovely space we will enjoy for a long time. Thanks for taking something that could be messy and challenging, stressful and time consuming and making it not merely endurable, but pleasant and, the outcome worthwhile. So kudos to everyone, but especially Doug and Leland.


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Hayden Planetarium
Rose Center for Earth and Space
The Rose Center's Scales of the Universe walkway hugs the glass walls of the Rose Center and features differently scaled models that illustrate the relative size of cosmic and human objects, from galaxies, stars and planets, to the human brain and nucleus of the smallest atom. The 400-foot long walkway ingeniously uses the Hayden Sphere for size comparison.One of my Asterionella images is used to show the scale of things at 0.0001. And here are pictures of that very image in place, with my suitably impressed sister and nephew striking a pose.
So, next time you are in NYC . . .


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The Class of 2014 is one of the largest graduating classes in school history, and may very well be the largest ever, according to school officials.
The class valedictorian and salutatorian were expected to be announced on Thursday, May 15. They will speak at the commencement ceremony along with the two scheduled keynote speakers, long-time GCHS teachers Ed DeFrancia and Richard Jenkinson, both of whom are retiring at the end of the current school year.
Family members and other guests attending the commencement ceremony are encouraged to arrive at least a half-hour before the scheduled starting time of 8 p.m.
GCHS principal Stephen Hren said the tennis court parking lot will be closed during the ceremony and parking will not be available there. Guests requiring mobility assistance should instead use the parking lot north of the Technical Science and Art Center adjacent to the high school, which will be reserved for handicapped parking. A golf cart will be available to transport people from the tech center parking lot to the seating area, Hren said.