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Sunday, 22 September 2013

Giraffe Weevil

Image Frank Vassen
Trachelophorus giraffa
Forget the wide-eyed lemurs, grotesquely overweight trees and miniature chameleons who could live a full and eventful life clinging to a perm, the real majesty of Madagascar is in its Giraffe Weevils.

There are more than 60,000 species of Weevil in the world, the most famous ones being those who use their long snout to bore into plants or dry foods like nuts and flour. Some of them are significant competitors for various fruits, vegetables and grains we like to eat. But they're far too small for us to take them seriously as competition so we just call them pests.

Leaf-rolling Weevils are a little different from most other Weevils. Not only do a lot of them lack a long, thin snout but, as if they simply refuse to do without having SOMETHING ridiculously long and thin, they have a long, thin neck instead.

Image: Frank Vassen
Few, however, are quite as long and thin as that of Madagascar's Giraffe Weevil.

The male Giraffe Weevil, that is. The female's neck is modest in comparison, probably because she has some actual work to do. Leaf-rolling Weevils didn't get their name for nothing!

Madagascar is full of charming, bright-eyed creatures who would just love to feast upon the supple flesh of mother Weevil's growing larvae. As you might imagine, she's opposed to this. Unfortunately cotton wool and bubble wrap are rare in the rainforest, so she wraps her children in a huge leaf instead.

Video: BBC

It's long, arduous work for the female Giraffe Weevil. She has to cut lots of slits all the way down the leaf's central vein and then use her legs to fold the whole thing in half. Next, she rolls the entire thing up into a tight cylinder, using yet more bites to keep it from unrolling. Then she tucks the sides in so it's all safe and secure. After several hours of this lonesome engineering, she'll lay a single egg in the centre of the elaborate structure.

Not to be outdone, the male Giraffe Weevil's neck is 2 or 3 times longer than the female's.

Image: Nicky Rakoto
He looks tremendous with his elegantly disturbing neck, the shiny black body bringing out the bright red of his wing cases. He looks like a sort of organic crane, a vision of a wondrous, bio-engineered future where our bulldozers are giant Mole Crickets and Bombardier Beetles paint our walls.

It's also the kind of madness a gentleman can get away with when he doesn't have to work for a living. A gentleman must fight, though! The ladies won't go along with any old schmuck, they must prove their worth through the ancient art of fisticuffs.

Presumably they use savage blows of the neck, not unlike actual giraffes, only tinier and less painful to watch. It's brutal and barbaric necking all the way, as the female Giraffe Weevil stands nearby watching and encouraging.

"Hit him!" she screams.
"Bash him in proper!" she shrieks.
"If you really loved me you'd show him what for and no mistake!" she squeals.

She doesn't say it to any particular one of the rivals, it's just general encouragement to anyone who happens to be fighting at the time.

Image: Ralph Kränzlein
Eventually one of the protagonists bows out (a significant undertaking for such a neck). With her bloodlust finally assuaged, the female can get back to leaf-rolling while the victorious male just kind of hangs around and gets in the way. It's a common activity among independently wealthy, essentially ornamental gentleman.

Soon enough, an egg is laid and a grub is born. It grows up quite ignorant of the drama that led to its birth, as it lounges mollycoddled in layer after layer of thickly coiled leaf. But it can't last. Soon our innocent milksop must pupate and emerge into the adult world of violence and romance, doomed as it is to the eternal repetition of life's unflinching wheel.

They get some sweet neck out of it, though. It's all swings and roundabouts!

Thanks to @dieKali for suggesting this one! Great, big, long-necked thanks!

TexWisGirl said...

'bows out' bwahaha...

what a freaky thing!!!

Joseph Jameson-Gould said...

It doesn't get much more ludicrous than that!

Ishrat Hussain Mohammad said...

" This thing is really gorgeous, as you know I had seen this insect when I was active insect looker"

Lear's Fool said...

Oh! Unrelated, but how does one send you recommendations?

This little jumper is amazing!

(They're both batesian AND aggressive mimics! And quite clever and sneaky. They travel in packs to look like ants to scare away mama spiders and eat their babies)

Esther said...

He looks like he would make a lovely set square~

Joseph Jameson-Gould said...

@Ishrat: It is rather lovely, in a delightfully absurd way!

@Lear's Fool: You can email I'm typically very bad/slow and getting onto them, though.

But those spiders sound amazing! There are so many ant-mimics but I'd never considered the idea of them taking the next step and becoming a little more social. Wow!

@Esther: Haha! The mathematical fruits of the rainforest!

Lear's Fool said...

@Joseph Gotcha! And yeah, they're pretty interesting little critters. I mean, a lot of the ant-mimic jumpers are kind of freaky when they open their jaws . . .

But the behavior of those guys is just. . . yeah, they kick it up a notch, don't they?

Joseph Jameson-Gould said...

Oh, wow! That picture is crazy!

Lear's Fool said...

You inspired me to re-find the video of them fighting!

That's why it took jumping spiders hunting in packs disguised as ants to pass them up as 'favorite ant-mimic jumper' :)

Also, Giraffe Weevils are awesome. :)

Joseph Jameson-Gould said...

That programme looks cool! I'll have to give a watch soon.

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If you ever need to hide a body, the 2nd page of Google search results is a great place to put it.

Did you know that between 91-95% of all Google searchers find what they are looking for on page 1 of Google’s search results?

Even though a better solution to their query may be found on page 2, only a very small slice of the internet will actually go there.

Meanwhile on the second page of search engine results
Page 2 and on... the barren wasteland of search results.

As a real estate agent who is trying to promote a listing – AKA your business’ bread & butter – you better be making damn sure that listing is appearing on page 1.

ESPECIALLY when you search for it by address!

Imagine this: your client’s listing (123 Fake St.) has been active on your real estate website for two weeks. Your client types their address into Google and hits Enter…

… on page 1 they find a number of results… all of which are links to websites that are featuring their listing (123 Fake St.) — but none of them – I repeat……. NONE OF THEM – are linking to the optimized listing on YOUR website.

The client is puzzled and frustrated now. They start clicking through page 2, page 3, page 4… they FINALLY found their listing on your website on PAGE 5 of Google’s search results.

This client is definitely NOT going to be impressed with your prowess in online marketing.

You’re going to look around to find someone to blame, and 9 times out of 10 you’re (unfortunately) going to blame your real estate website provider.

“Why aren’t my listings #1 on Google automatically!? My client is not pleased – neither am I.”

Well if your website provider is anything like us at RealtyNinja, then you know they want the best for you. They (we) are not out to sabotage your listings, quite the opposite — we know that your victories are our victories.

We want you to be successful online, we want your clients to find your listings on page 1 of Google and be proud that they listed with you…. and  we want you to love your real estate website.

That’s why I’m writing this Step-by-Step guide today. If you follow this guide you’ll be setting up your listings for success. There are no guarantees in life or in SEO, but it doesn’t hurt to aim high ;)

Want to increase your chances of being found on Page 1? Do these things:

(Psst… download this entire guide as a handy PDF to read later)

Step 1: Load the listing onto your website

After loading your listing into the MLS® system for your board, it’s time to load the listing onto your website as well.

If you’re a RealtyNinja customer, this process is automated for you. Meaning, when you submit a listing to MLS®, that listing will be automatically appear on your RealtyNinja website.

MLS Listing ported to Enhanced Website Listing on Kate Miller's Site
Kate's listings automatically get ported to her RealtyNinja site.

If you are not a RealtyNinja customer, make sure your listing is imported from MLS® onto your real estate website so that you can customize and optimize the version located at www.yourwebsite.com.

Step 2: Customize the listing on your website

Google doesn’t know or care who the listing agent of a property is. Popular search engines just see each of your listings as a piece of content (consisting of a series of photos, a description, and some other info.)

Because of the MLS® reciprocity program (and MLS® programs like it) that same listing is now on THOUSANDS of other websites that use the same MLS® data feed.

Your listing is now on thousands of real estate websites
Notice how Kate's listing is appearing on page 1 of google, 4 spots down - Awesome SEO work, Kate!

In order to tell Google that the version of this listing on your domain is unique and thus worthy of “SEO juice,” we’ll have to customize it on your site. Steps 4 and on will go full-ninja on listing customization.

Step 3: Enhance listing photos on your website

The listing photos on MLS® are generally small and low res. The version of your listing on your website should feature HD photos.

First replace the default MLS® photos with larger, high resolution ones. Next, add even more photos than MLS® allows… give your web-listing the edge over MLS®.

And don’t forget to add captions for each photo — captions are read more often than descriptive paragraphs. Use captions on your listing photos.

Step 4: Add PDF documents

RealtyNinja customers have the ability to further optimize their listings on their website with PDF documents.

Attach a PDF floor plan and more to your enhanced listing

Have a floor plan you’d like to attach? Want to include a beautiful feature sheet? Important Strata documents to include?

These are all things that can be PDF-ized and attached to the newly optimized listing on your REALTOR® website.

Kate Miller's 4138 Puget Drive Floor Plan
Kate Attached this PDF Floorplan to her 4138 Puget Drive listing. What else would you attach?

Step 5: Add a unique and long-form description

This is such an obvious trick that is often ignored… Maybe you don’t know why it’s important… maybe you don’t know how… or maybe you’re just LAZY.

Take an extra 10 minutes and write some spectacular (or at least pretty good) sales copy for the new listing living on your website.

You will be rewarded by the search engine gods for writing 300 or more words. Long-form text descriptions will earn you more traffic to your website and listing.

Having a unique description for the listing on your website tells search engines that your web-listing is not duplicate content from MLS® (like the thousands of other real estate websites that are automatically pulling listing data from your board.)

Step 6: *** EPIC NINJA TIP *** Get thousands of backlinks to your listing

Speaking of those thousands of other real estate websites… wouldn’t it be awesome if you could get them ALL to link to your listing and your website?

Yes…. yes that would be awesome. Because relevant backlinks from other websites (especially popular websites) indicate to Google that your site is both trusted and well-recommended by others.

HOW IT’S DONE: You know the listing on your website that we’ve been enhancing? You want to COPY the URL for that listing (yourwebsite.com/listingXYZ,) then go to your MLS® account, log in, find the same listing and PASTE the URL you just copied as the “Virtual Tour URL” for the listing. Save or update the listing on MLS®.

Get backlinks from thousands of real estate websites
You can automatically place your website backlink on all the other real estate sites out there... #googlejuice

Now, all those thousands of other real estate websites are automatically providing your website (and specifically that listing) with a backlink. Do this for all of your listings consistently.

Caveat Emptor: This tip will make the listing on your website link back to itself when a visitor clicks “View Virtual Tour.” Make sure you customize your own listing with unique virtual tour link to avoid this.

Step 7: Load your listing video onto YouTube

If you haven’t created a video that tours or otherwise showcases your listing yet, you’re already failing at Step 8. If you haven’t created a video tour yet, you need to close your laptop right now and get on that before we continue…

Go to YouTube.com (the second largest search engine on the planet) and upload your listing video to your YouTube channel — make one if you don’t have one already.

When uploading the video to YouTube, you need to add a title. Here’s the formula to use for your YouTube video title:

Address of the Property + Property Type + “For Sale in” + MLS® Area

So now that your listing video on YouTube is titled something like “123 Fake St. North Vancouver BC, Single Family Home For Sale in Lower Lonsdale,” add a unique and proper description for that listing on the YouTube video as well.

In the description, include a link to the enhanced listing on your website – more backlinks!

I gotta have more backlinks

[-_-]~~~ Ninja Tips: Don’t forget to tag your video with relevant keywords before publishing, to make it easier for your audience to discover on YouTube & Google. Also, add captions to your video if there is narration – great for SEO.

Step 8: Embed YouTube video into the listing on your website

When your listing video is done uploading and processing on YouTube, find the embed code and copy it. Check the GIF below to see where the YouTube video embed code is found.

Embed code on YouTube
How to copy the Embed code on any YouTube video

Now that you’ve copied your embed code, you can use it to embed the video right into the enhanced listing page on your website. Return to the listing on your website and paste the code right into it… now visitors can watch the video right on the spot without having to open YouTube in a new browser tab (or leave your website!) #WINNING

If you’re a RealtyNinja website customer, this is how you embed a YouTube video into a listing.

Step 9: Set up a keyword rich page title for the listing

You a RealtyNinja customer? This step is done for you automatically.

Kate Miller 4138 Puget Drive Listing - Page Title
The page title tells search engines a LOT

The page title is the linked text that appears up in Google results for any website. It’s also the text that appears in the browser tab for that listing. The formula we use at RealtyNinja for automatically generating listing page titles is very similar to the formula we used on YouTube titles… like almost exactly the same.

Kate Miller 4138 Puget Drive Listing Page Title on Google
As you can see, the title you set for your listing appears quite prominently on search engine results...

Before I continue, I just wanted to point out that Kate Miller is our customer, and a ninja rockstar REALTOR®. When you Google the address of her Puget Drive listing, her result appears on page 1, very close to the top. Be like Kate!

If you’re not a RealtyNinja customer (…that sucks bro) and you need to manually set a keyword rich page title, you can follow our recipe:

<title>123 FAKE STREET – North Vancouver Apartment/Condo For Sale, 2 Bedrooms – Your Name Here</title>

Skip the hassle and signup for an awesome RealtyNinja website now.

Step 10: Set up keyword rich meta description for the listing

You a RealtyNinja customer? This step is done for you automatically.

The meta description gives search engines a peek at what this page is about, and appears to searchers as a brief, 160 character blurb beneath your page title (Step 9.)

Continuing with Kate’s listing, you’ll notice her meta description matches the description written in her 4138 Puget Drive listing page.

Notice how Kate has mentioned the words “Puget Drive” in her description, as well as her title. This is a micro-optimization, but the duplication gives you some bonus Google-Juice.

Kate Miller's Puget Drive Listing Description
Kate's meta description = first 160 characters of listing description

If you’re not a RealtyNinja customer and need to set your own meta description, here’s the tag to use in the  section of your website (note – only modify the underlined area):

<meta name=”description” content=”This wonderful 2 bedroom home for sale in north vancouver is a true masterpiece, bla bla etc…” />

Step 11: Set up a keyword rich URL structure for the listing

You a RealtyNinja customer? This step is done for you automatically.

The way your URL is structured is important to search engines. Let’s do a little quiz. Which one of these two URLs make more sense to you:

  1. http://www.katemiller.ca/listings/view/117128/vancouver-west/arbutus/4138-puget-drive
    — OR —
  2. http://www.yoursite.com/23HDK98497X1YA234KLW53246093&nbsp&!%@14759.php?ref_129346kjnbsdkj

For the record, the second one doesn’t link to anything… I made it up and may have exaggerated it’s horrible format to make a point.

The point is, if YOU don’t know where a URL is going to take you simply by glancing at it, neither does Google.

If your listing URLs look more like the 2nd example, you need to figure this out with your website provider. When you talk to them, tell them “I want my URL structure to be like RealtyNinja,” and then show them this formula:

Caveat Emptor: If you go and tell your website provider to update your URL structure, it’s like changing the locks of your house. None of the old keys will work again… meaning, none of the old links to your listing that are already out there on the internet are going to work – they will send people to a 404 Error page now. So keep this in mind before just flipping a switch and changing your entire website’s URL structure.

Step 12: Set up keyword rich meta keywords for the listing

You a RealtyNinja customer? This step is done for you automatically (aren’t we great?!)

Meta keywords are the ninjas of the meta world… you can’t see them.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have a part to play in the great battle for page 1 Google status. RealtyNinja customers get automated meta keywords set up for them based on a number of factors:

  • Property Type
  • MLS® Area
  • Sub-Area
  • Address
  • Popular Keywords
Realtor becomes a ninja
That moment a REALTOR® begins using meta keywords properly

Kate Miller’s 4138 Puget Drive listing would have an auto-generated, meta keyword tag in her site’s  code section that looks like this:

<meta name=”keywords” content=”House/Single Family, Vancouver West, Arbutus, listing, listings, mls, real estate, 4138 Puget Drive” />

Step 13: Feature the listing on your homepage

Your homepage is the most important page of your website according to Google. Stop squandering your potential for listing marketing here.

If you do not have your enhanced listing featured on your homepage somehow, do it for the love of god hurry up.

There are so many ways to promote the enhanced listing on your homepage… you could embed a photo from the listing and link that, you could use a button, include the listing in a carousel on your homepage, include it in your homepage slider.

However you do it, DO IT.

Step 14: Add the listing to your “Featured Listings” page

You should have a page on your website that is titled something like Featured Listings or Active Listings…

Add your enhanced listing into this page. I’m not going to bother going into much detail about this. Just trust me and do it.

Kate Miller's Featured Listings page is updated
If Kate's doing it, you should be doing it too.

Also, if you’re a RealtyNinja customer, this is done for you automatically (you just enter your Agent ID in the settings.)

Step 15: Blog about the listing

Now that your listing is totally polished, optimized, enhanced, and generally supercharged, there’s one more thing to do.

I’m not sure what that means to you in particular, but I’ll tell you what it shouldn’t mean:

If your idea of blogging about the listing is writing “Just listed 123 Fake Street – Check it out” and then adding a link to the listing………. your blog post sucks.

Just Sayin...
... just sayin....

Remember: people don’t care about you, they care about them. They don’t care about your listing, they care about what your listing means to them — what it can do for THEM!

With that in mind, try writing out a proper introduction to the property — doesn’t have to be long or take long — include a photo or two, some property details, embed the listing video, and then link to it from the blog post.

[-_-]~~~ Ninja Tip: When you blog about the enhanced listing, make sure to include ALT tags on the photos you add. The ALT tags should contain the listing address, followed by property type and area.

Congratulations, you just took care of 15 very important listing enhancements that will poise your listings for SEO success.

These 15 improvements are great stuff, but they are also ON PAGE SEO… meaning they are changes made ON your website that will help you rank better.

If your domain is brand new or doesn’t have much authority or history, then you’ll also need to engage in some OFF PAGE SEO.

Here are some off page SEO tactics that will also help make you a better real estate marketer in the digital era:

  • Share the listing on social media,
  • Advertise (or) boost the listing on social media,
  • Run a Google AdWords campaign, especially if its an expensive property,
  • Write guest blog articles for other sites with backlinks to the enhanced listing on your site,
  • Get it up on local real estate sites or portals (craigslist, etc.) and backlink to the enhanced listing on your website,
  • Include a link to the enhanced listing in an email to your mailing list,
  • Etc. (watch our top 10 SEO checklist for REALTORS® video)

A couple of quick notes before I let you go and start optimizing your own listings…

This article has been completely focused on things you can do ONLINE to improve the SEO of a listing. There’s still a boatload of tactics you can/should do OFFLINE to market the listing.

Nobody has total control over SEO… there are no switches to flick or buttons to press that will take you to page 1. The tips I’ve outlined in this step-by-step listing marketing guide are all very helpful — that doesn’t mean they are going to work overnight.

That'd be great...
This is literally impossible for real estate agents.

Your website’s reputation with search engines does not increase in minutes, hours, or even every day necessarily. Think of your SEO rank like your credit score… it takes a long time to build it up – you must consistently pay your bills on time, etc.

Like your credit, optimizing your website and listings for search engines can take a while, but screwing them up is very easy. I hope this article reminds you not to miss any more “SEO payments” ;)

Thanks Ninjas, and if you made it all the way through this article, let me know your feedback and questions in the comments below.

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STOCKTON - The Pacific softball team's two wins followed a familiar script Saturday afternoon.

STOCKTON - The Pacific softball team's two wins followed a familiar script Saturday afternoon.

The first game against Cal Poly featured a complete-game gem from junior Nikki Armagost and an opposite field two-run home run by senior shortstop Nicole Matson in a 2-1 Pacific win. With freshman Dani Bonnet tossing a scrappy complete game in the nightcap, the Tigers also won the second game to send the crowd of 270 at Bill Simoni Field home happy with a 3-2 victory. Senior Megan Allen provided the clutch home run in this game, hitting a solo shot, her first of the season, to right field in the second inning, and Bonnet held on after that.

"It was tremendous to get two clutch home runs like that, but we won these games because of our pitching and defense," Pacific coach Brian Kolze said.

The victories assured the Tigers (31-16, 10-4 Big West) a series win ahead of the finale at noon today as well as a share of first place in the conference with Long Beach State and UC Davis.

Armagost said she got into her comfort zone in the first game after the Mustangs scored their only run in the third inning. She allowed four hits, including just two in the final four frames.

"I was able to mix in my changeups really well," Armagost said. "I threw one to every batter and it was a successful (formula)."

Bonnet got off to a rough start in the second game as she allowed three hits and hit a batter in the first inning, which led to two Cal Poly runs. She allowed just three hits the rest of the game and finished it by striking out the final two batters.

"After I got my first inning struggles out of the way, I just went for it," Bonnet said. "I knew if I hit my spots and got ground balls, my teammates would take care of the rest."

Matson and Taylor Petty got RBI singles in the bottom of the first to tie the game before Allen hit her 13th career home run in the second for the winning margin. The junior third baseman has struggled all season (.220), so this was a satisfying afternoon.

"It's definitely been awhile since I hit a home run," said Allen, who hit her last home run May 7, 2011. "It was a pitch low and outside. I got under it and the wind took care of the rest."

Contact reporter Jagdip Dhillon at (209) 546-8292 or Visit his blog at


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Q. Have you ever heard of sarcopenia?

Q. Have you ever heard of sarcopenia?

A. This one made me go to the dictionary. Sarcopenia, a Greek word that means loss of flesh, is the decrease in muscle tissue that comes with age.

Sarcopenia (pronounced sar-ko-PEEN-ya) begins early in life. Studies show that after age 40, most people lose about 1 percent of their muscle mass each year.

However, strength exercises — also called resistance training, weight training and weightlifting — can rebuild your muscles and provide many health benefits. Research funded by the National Institutes of Aging (NIA) shows that even people in their 90s get a lot out of weightlifting.

In one study at Tufts University in Massachusetts, nine women and men, ages 87-101, strengthened their arms and legs by exercising with weights. In eight weeks, they increased the strength in their front thigh muscles by an average of almost 175 percent.

Some studies have shown that, of all age groups, seniors benefit most from weightlifting. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults age 50 and older work out with weights two to three times a week. The National Institute on Aging also recommends weight lifting for older adults.

Weightlifting can do the following for seniors:

Prevent bone fractures. The exercises boost your strength, balance, and agility, making falls less likely. And weightlifting can also build bone mass in the spine and the hip, so it's especially important for people with bone-thinning osteoporosis. Help you lose weight. Control blood sugar. In one study of adults with diabetes, 16 weeks of strength training provided dramatic improvements, comparable to improvements from taking medication. Relieve depression and improve sleep. Increase stamina. A University of Vermont study of healthy seniors ages 65-79 found that subjects could walk almost 40 percent farther without a rest after 12 weeks of weight training. Relieve arthritis joint pain. Weightlifting can cut down on pain by strengthening the muscles around the arthritic joint. Stronger muscles reduce stress on the joint.

You should always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Weightlifting can be done at home with household items, but many health organizations recommend working out in a professional setting for maximum benefits.

The number of facilities that cater to older adults is increasing.

Here's a brief guide to exercise for seniors:

Start out slowly with a one-pound weight, or no weight at all. You should feel challenged, but not close to your limits. You may feel some normal muscle soreness at first. You should not experience exhaustion or pain. Do strength exercises for your shoulders, arms, back, stomach, hips and legs at least twice a week. Avoid jerking or thrusting movements. Don't lock the joints of your arms and legs into a strained position. Do 8-15 repetitions in a row of each exercise. Use smooth and steady movements. Once you can easily lift the weight 15 times, increase the amount of weight. Take three seconds to lift or push a weight. Hold the position for one second, and then take another 3-5 seconds to lower the weight. Exhale as you lift or push the weight, and inhale as you relax or lower the weight. Don't hold your breath during the exercises.

Email questions to freelance health-care writer Fred Cicetti at fred@healthygeezer.com. Cicetti's book, "How to Be a Healthy Geezer," is available for purchase at www.healthygeezer.com.


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Red Cross Holds Preparedness Event in OKC Hispanic Community

User News Image
I hope to share the information I learned today with my family and my neighborhood

The American Red Cross works with people of all different backgrounds, nationalities and circumstances. In an effort to better reach the Hispanic community, the Red Cross launched a Hispanic outreach effort, the Cruz Roja, in the south Oklahoma City area. The event took place at Oklahoma City Community College in Capitol Hill.

The event’s goal was to prepare Hispanic families for the upcoming tornado season and to gain volunteers in that community. After the devastation caused by the May tornadoes of 2013, The American Red Cross recognized the urgent need at hand. Thus, the Red Cross put a plan into motion to reach and engage the Hispanic Community.
“We were trapped in our car with no way out! We didn’t think we were going to live! There was a river of trees, water and power lines. The only thing that kept us together was knowing our family was together,” said Teresa Ellis, a victim affected by the May tornado. Although her house was not affected, the experience alone called her into action. When Teresa heard about the preparedness event hosted by the American Red Cross, she made it a point to attend.

“We want others to realize that the Hispanic people want to help the community too. We are not just here to take from it,” stated another Hispanic Red Cross Volunteer.

Many volunteers came to assist the Hispanic Outreach event. One of these volunteers was Ivelisse Cruz, a bilingual volunteer since 2009. “Before I moved from Puerto Rico to Oklahoma City, I was not aware of how many different ways you could volunteer at The American Red Cross. During the May tornadoes, The Red Cross OKC became like a family to me. We became a team, and we would check on each other constantly.”  She recognized the need to prepare the Hispanic Community and has been determined to make a difference. “We all come from different backgrounds, but we are passionate to serve and here to help,” she said.

In order to prevent the dangers associated with miscommunication and unpreparedness, The American Red Cross has made an effort to acquire many new bilingual volunteers. “As a volunteer, I hope to be the bridge between The American Red Cross and the Hispanic Community. I have found that many people do not come to these events because they think that it is only in English. They had no idea that there were resources provided in Spanish too,” exclaimed Mercedes Mortin, a recent addition to the Red Cross volunteer’s team.

The event provided all materials in English and Spanish. All who attended were given vital preparedness information for the upcoming storm season.

“I found this event to be extremely beneficial, and I hope to share the information I learned today with my family and my neighborhood,” said Ellis.

The American Red Cross has bilingual volunteers and provides all resources in Spanish. For more information about the Red Cross please visit or  Join the Red Cross as a volunteer today at


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60 Second Cities

THIS Mexican Getaway Is Affordable, Adorable & Unexpected

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Read any tourism pamphlet or travel guide and you'll likely see the word magical thrown around like it ain't no thing. But it's rare that a pre-planned vacation can fully embody such an elusive word. That is, unless you're headed to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, aptly nicknamed el pueblo mágico. You see, in order for a trip to be truly magical, it needs to have some elements of surprise, the feeling of being absolutely special, and authenticity that'll make you want to be a local, for real. Just a few hours outside of Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende offers all of the above and more. It's the kind of big little town that feels like home even before you discover what each cute cobblestone road holds around every turn.

As one local told us, "I wake up in San Miguel de Allende with nothing to do, and by the end of the day, I still haven't done it all." From a sunrise hot-air balloon ride worth waking up for to late-night street tacos you'll fall asleep dreaming about, a day full of activities in SMA is unlike any other. With parades and events occurring on a regular basis and a wide range of local art galleries, shopping, and unique destinations (Hello, desert hot springs!), there's more to discover in SMA than you'll be able to fit on your calendar.

Our advice? Don't even try. Instead, bookmark this page with our top spots, watch our quick-hit video to get the full San Miguel de Allende vibe, and then go ahead and book that flight. You can arrive with a full itinerary (ours was pretty dope, if we do say so ourselves) or wing it with the friendly locals when you get there. That's just one of the awe-inspiring tricks up this magical town's sleeve.

Food & Drink
Lavanda Café:
With outdoor seating and occasional live music, Lavanda's atmosphere is just one thing to love. It also happens to have the best coffee in SMA. Chilaquiles, cazuela (you won't regret adding extra bacon), and a wide range of eggs Benedict options make this a spot to hit twice while you're in town.

The aroma of freshly baked pastries is all the advertisement this beloved spot needs. But just in case, here's our vote of confidence: This place is worth a visit.

La Parada:
Mexico doesn't mean Mexican food for every meal. In the case of La Parada, it can mean damn good Peruvian, too. We suggest the octopus and the arroz con pollo (though you can't go wrong with a ceviche to start). Finish your meal with a crema helada and you're in heaven for the night.

On every trip, there's one meal that's so good, it's worth the plane ticket in and of itself. With its Top Chef acclaimed cook master, Matteo Salas', beautiful tasting table, mouthwatering kobe beef, and baby squid with brown butter and leeks, dinner at Áperi is that meal. Not to miss.

Insurgentes Tacos:
Forget everything you know about tacos. Then, book a trip to SMA and get the Gringa with Bistec from Insurgentes. That way, you'll know what a taco is supposed to taste like.

The Restaurant:
Thursday night is burger night at The Restaurant, which means it'll be lively till late with locals chomping on big-as-your-head burgers and not-to-miss sides (the Esquites, a twist on a common Mexican corn salad, was especially bomb). If you're lucky, chairs will get moved and dancing will begin.

Josephine's vegan shakes and smoothies are so satisfying you'll wanna ask the blendmaster exactly how she does it. Try the cheesecake or the mint chocolate chip for some refreshing, filling wizardry.

Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar at Rosewood Hotel:
Panoramic views of the sunset, blankets on hand for a night chill, and margaritas ready to be doubled: Yep, this is your magic-hour spot.

Casa Dragones Tasting Room:
This newly minted tequila tasting bar (yep, that's right, a bar of just the world's top tequila) is made of custom-carved obsidian tiles and sits in the middle of a concept department store. That means you can have a swig, or several, in-between your purchases,
Art & Activities
The Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery:
The badass artist's live-and-work space triples as a public gallery. This mystical, fully mosaic-tiled property sits on the outskirts of town, but it's worth a quick trip for a guided tour by its master Anado McLauchlin. Bonus points if you use Ray's self-made compost-toilet art piece.

Horseback Cantina Crawl with Coyote Canyon Adventures:
This ain't your mama's pony ride. It's an hours-long jaunt from hilltop viewpoints to side-street saloons that your guidebook won't find for you.

Hot-Air Balloon Ride with Globo San Miguel:
When the opportunity to hover thousands of feet above a beautiful and meaningful landscape presents itself, take it. It's worth forking over the pesos and waking up early.

Gil Gutierrez at Bistro Mi Casa:
You'll have plenty of opportunities to turn up (as the youth say) in San Miguel de Allende, but to wine, dine, and act refined, we recommend booking a front-row seat to see Mr. Gutierrez's live band. It doesn't hurt that the cozy little dining hall is situated next to one of the best church views, either.

La Gruta Hot Springs:
Drive about 15 minutes out of San Miguel de Allende and you'll arrive at a natural hot-springs club that's inexpensive to enter and reasonably priced to enjoy. We're talking affordable massages; Micheladas and snacks; and cavernous, naturally heated pools they'll have to drag you out of at closing.
The top contemporary Mexican designers — spanning fashion, jewelry, and home accessories — gather in one sleek concept shop, complete with a gourmet food court and that aforementioned tequila tasting bar. Designers including Carla Fernández, Armour Jewelry, Sangre de mi Sangre, and Laura Kirar.

Thanks to this homegrown-designer startup, luxury capes, wraps, and caftans inspired by the traditional poncho — but made with some of the finest fabrics in the world — have again become a staple in San Miguel de Allende.

Enter through Mixta's light-soaked front courtyard and you'll find a great store for funky threads and gifts (jewelry, home wares, and clothing). It sources the world for pieces from small designers.

Kingsley Market:
A standout on the well-trodden cobblestone streets of SMA, Kingsley Market is a sleek, minimal store for high-end, ethically produced jewelry and accessories that honor the traditions of Mexican artisans. It's the best stop in town for vintage Taxco silver.

The Artisan Market:
Get lost for hours in the best and most affordable haven for quirky Mexican souvenirs. (Hello, brightly printed Frida Kahlo bags!) It's great for tapestries, inexpensive ceramics, and awesome lanterns. Bonus points if you find Ruth, the owner of a silversmith stand with a workshop outpost in Colonia Guadalupe. Truly a local's secret, her stand at the Artisan Market (as well as her corresponding home base) is the gold mine, or rather silver mine, of amazing boxes and purses — all handmade right in front of you and adorned with local semiprecious stones and crystals.

About 60 Second Cities

Join Annie Georgia Greenberg as she explores the world's most vibrant cultural and culinary centers—all in 60 seconds, of course.

What To Do San Miguel de Allende Mexico Vacation GuideReleased on October 17, 2016


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About Reilly - We craft more than just windows and doors.

Welcome to Reilly Architectural. In 1981 I rented a large, unused chicken coop from a farmer in Bridgehampton and spent four weeks wielding shovel and pitch fork to create my first custom millwork and cabinetry shop. I had forsaken a career as an architect in favor of sawdust and the satisfaction of building things with my own hands, something that still gives me tremendous pleasure.

That was many shops and a mountain of sawdust ago. Now operating out of converted airplane hangars in Calverton with over 200 employees, the dedication and passion that moved me to build my first project thirty years ago remains a key component of our success today. State-of-the-art technology along with the skilled eyes and careful hands of master craftsmen who remain our lifeblood empower us to produce the highest quality windows, doors, screens shutters, millwork and cabinetry available anywhere in the world.

From the very beginning, our company’s fine reputation and breadth of offerings has grown due to the beauty and superiority of our final product, a fact that has become our hallmark and a source of tremendous pride. The outcome of our commitment to excellence in everything we do is the fulfillment of your vision as the discerning customer. From all of us here at Reilly, that’s our pledge, that’s our promise – and you can count on it.

We pride ourselves on creativity and execution, along with being versed in millwork and cabintry in many different applications. When you have a challenging project that calls for full integration of the buildiung envelope with your millwork and cabinetry needs, please consider the years of experience that we can bring to bear to help deliver your vision to a stunning conclusion.

View a conversation with Michael Reilly and Martha Stewart.


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Home » Electroacoustic/Contemporary » USSACHEVSKY, VLADIMIR: Music of...

Europe pioneered Musique Concrete and Electronic Music in radio Studios, while in the USA it was tape music in Universities. The pioneer at Columbia-Princeton (1952) was Ussachevsky. Here at last collected are some of these pieces (earliest 1957 so not the oldest, but the oldest are very clunky), the 1960's electronicised choir piece "Three Scenes from the Creation" and the later "Missa Brevis". The first six tracks are historic and indispensable for any student of the form, as well as being fine pieces.

Code: CRICD813
Price: £12.50


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Dallas Housing Market

Dallas Housing Market

Dallas is becoming one of the hottest real estate markets not only in Texas but in the entire country. According to realtor.com housing prices in the Dallas area have increased 43.3% over the past year. The continued growth over the past years have given home buyers and investors a great ROI and with growth rates continuing to rise it's the perfect time to invest in the market.

For all of your DFW real estate needs, please contact me at ThomasReilly@RogersHealy.com

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Richard Sensei's Corner: Shiramizu Japan Karate Internship コロム：白水の研修生

JKFan karate magazine 2010 #11

This month's 'Richard Sensei's Corner' column in JKFan Karate Magazine explains the Shiramizu Karate Dojo Japan Internship for non-Japanese. This unique program was started by Shiramizu's Arakawa Sensei and myself in 2005. Since my main topic is only printed in Japanese in the magazine, the English version may be read here on my blog -just scroll down!

My bilingual interview this month is with the 8th & current intern, Pete Williams, from England.

To order this month's magazine go to JKFan's order page!

JKFan #11 2010 Shiramizu Non-Japanese Karate Internship

When I first came to Japan to learn karate, I had a hard time finding a dojo, then trying to find work that wasn’t during karate practice times. Now that was before the internet, but still today, how to balance the matrix of karate, work and life can be daunting for a non-Japanese (NJ) new arrival with limited language skills. Eventually I figured it out, but I always thought I should help other NJ when they come to Japan.

Finally in 2004, Takamasa Arakawa Sensei of Shiramizu Karate and I came up with an internship idea for a NJ to take karate classes and teach English for one year.

To get the ball rolling, I started teaching English classes to dojo members of all ages after coaching karate club practices at Seiritsu Gakuen High School. After several months, the first intern finally arrived in August 2005, Mark Taylor from my Kenzen Karate dojo in Canada. Mark took the internship one step further by sourcing part-time English conversation jobs while Arakawa Sensei introduced him to a job at Sugito Kindergarten (
杉戸白百合幼稚園) to play with the students in English in the morning.

As Mark experienced a heavy weekly schedule of karate, English teaching, tournaments and seminars while trying to stay positive and see some of Japan, I worried about finding of the next right person. The internship would only as good as the intern in it.

After a lengthy search, we selected Paul Atkins, also from Canada. He arrived 2 weeks earlier allowing for a 2 week cross-over with Mark so Paul could learn the 'internship ropes'.

Big Paul was also a Shotokan guy, hence he juggled the Shiramizu practices with a shotokan dojo's practices too. And, he fell in love, taking his sweetheart home with him. (Richard is a good name for any boys that may come along, Paul…)

Next up was Lawrence, again from Canada. He stayed in Japan for a second year while the next interns were here, and he placed 2nd in men's kata at the JKF Wadokai World Championships in 2008. That's a pretty good result after training at Shiramizu!

That year we received the couple Carl Jorgeson and Amy Coulson from England. They expanded the internship to 2 interns. Plus the English class students got to experience 'English English' as Carl put it!

By June 2009, we took another two interns, Erika Ip from Canada and Louise Fisk from New Zealand. It's amazing to think that by the time the girls had completed their year, the internship was 5 years old! Then in June this year Pete Williams from England arrived as intern #8!

We still have things to improve. Each intern has been hit or miss with their learning of Japanese. And we will be starting the internship from April from now on to coincide with the Japanese school and competition calendar.

My hope for each intern is that they not only discover Japan and good karate, but that they have a journey of a lifetime, truly filled with self-discovery as they realize they are capable of much more than they ever thought possible. And they make some lifelong friends along the way too!

Inspiring talk with Tokey Hill & US athletes! 奮い立たされるトーキー・ヒル先生と米選手の会話

This week I had a chance to talk with the first American to win a WUKO World Karate Championship, Tokey Hill Sensei, currently on the USA Karate Board of Directors and High-Performance Committee.

Tokey Sensei was also the first person to introduce to me plyometrics training specifically for karate back in the 90's, which helped me improve greatly.

In addition I spoke with his students, US Team members Billy Finegan (10x USA kumite champion & New York State Golden Gloves Boxing champion) and Ashley Hill (-61kg kumite athlete, 3rd place University World Karate Championships 2010). Both will be representing the USA at next month's WKF World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Currently I'm working on a column for JKFan Karate Magazine about sport karate at the world level and Tokey Sensei mentioned the WKF has tried to get more technical and administrative information to country members, allowing for any country to develop superior athletes.

Billy and Ashley both spoke about the Internet & YouTube especially letting anyone be able to analyize other top athlete's competition performances.

Check out their New York dojo's website!

さらに、僕は米国チームのメンバーであるビリー・フィネガン(米国の組手チャンピオン１０回、ニューヨークのゴールデン・グローブス・ボクシング・チャンピオン)と、アシュリー・ヒルと話をしました(２０１０年の世界大学空手選手権-61kg級組手で３位)。 両者は来月セルビアのベオグラードで開かれるWKF世界大会の米国代表選手です。

Billy's highlights video.

Ashely's highlights video.

Richard's AsaGaku newspaper interview!　毎日小学校新聞インタビュー

Last week I was interviewed by AsaGaku newspaper, also known as the Everyday Elementary Newspaper (Mainichi Shogakkou Shinbun). The article came out on September 15. Here's my rough translation of it below. It is a nation-wide distributed newspaper.

先週、僕は毎日小学校新聞のインタビューを受け、記事は9月15日版に載りました。 下記が僕の簡単な翻訳です。

To develop the spirit of the Karate means to have control over oneself,

Seiritsu Gakuen Junior & Senior High School's Junior High All Sport's Club is a system that can allow junior high school 1st year students to choose sports that they want to join by trying two or more sports in their first year. I have been teaching Karate to all junior high school boys for three months. One's manner in Karate is very important, as there is a saying "It starts from the bow, and end it ends with a bow". The budo spirit of courtesy, modesty, respect, and martial arts are begun to be taught.

My motto is 'Focus, Fitness and Fun'. The 3F's. "Focus = martial art's spirit"(as well as properly learning one's martial art), "Fitness = a healthy mind & body", and "Fun = the want to do train" (enjoyable, but also even things that are difficult can be enjoyed).

While Karate has the image of being severe, we play Karate games and learn English conversation which leads to creating an environment where we can enjoy Karate with others. Even the beginner can do easy Karate kata after three months. We also finish each class shaking hands. It's my desire that the students come to appreciate the importance of respecting others.

Although Karate can be difficult and severe, there is saying that "If one can do Karate, one can do anything', and 'If one can achieve a first degree in Karate, anything can be achieved". Internationally, top Karate athletes also tend to be strong in academics. And the junior athletes on Japan's junior national team members are also strong in school. I think there is the same desire to be better at both Karate and studying. Through the passing of time facing off against opponents one improves their abilities through the strengthening of their will power.

When the junior high school students study or practice, I think they should be intently using their time to become better at both things.

At the high school level that I also coach at, the students become aware that even though Karate is an amateur sport, the university Karate league is the best in Japan. It is necessary to take a university examination to enter university if one wants to continue improving at competitive Karate. Therefore, all high school students in the Karate club study hard. In the future students may also want to go abroad to places like Europe to see what Karate is like there.

If one tries hard at both studying and sports then their results that follow will be very satisfying.

While the school will support each student in both their studies and sports, the students can enjoy working hard at Karate together, through which I hope they develop the strength to do things on their own.

JKF Wadokai World Cup Program 2010 和道会ワールドカップのプログラム

JKF Wadokai World Cup 2010 Program

Here was the official program. Thanks to Wadokai Tokai for uploading it on their website to share with everyone.

大会の公式プログラムです。和道会東海本部　のホームページにありました、ありがとう。

JKF Wadokai Nationals video 和道会　全国大会ビデオ

Here's my only video from this year's Wadokai Nationals which I also received from Arakawa Sensei, the Men's Team Kumite 3rd place round between the Shiramizu Karate Dojo and the Meikugijuku Karate Dojo. Shiramizu won 3-0. Since these are the two dojo in Japan I am closest to, I'm glad I wasn't actually there at the time or I would have had a hard time cheering for both.

JKF Wadokai World Cup kumite video 和道会ワールドカップビデオ

My only video of this year's JKF Wadokai World Cup in Nagoya is of the final round in women's 55kg kumite where Rie Hirai from Shiramizu won the gold medal, courtesy of Arakawa Sensei. Enjoy!

I know him too! 僕も彼を知ってるよ！

TV interview with Rich Heselton, plus kumite highlights.

Over summer night I had a wonderful talk with a chairman of a Tokyo Karate Federation, F Sensei, and long-term Tokyo resident and Takushokudai university OB, Rich Heselton, who also runs the ISKC Taishijuku dojo in Meguro Tokyo.

ISKC 大志塾

One part of the conversation I thought was fun to listen to as an observer was how F Sensei and Rich know so many of the same people in the huge JKA Shotokan Karate association just in Tokyo. It went something like;

'Do you know so and so?'
'Yes, he is my senpai's kohai.'
'Oh really, well he's my university classmate'.
'You don't say. Then you must also know so and so'.
'Sure, he's younger than me, but my senpai in rank, and he always trains with so and so'.
'Now that's interesting because he comes to my dojo every Monday with what's his name'.
'Now he's a talented guy, he fought that other so and so at the last tournament...'

... and so on and so on as it went on for 30 minutes. I really should have videotaped it!

Richard Sensei's Corner: Japanese High School Karate

JKFan Karate Magazine 2010 #10.

JKFan Karate Magazine 2010 #9.

This month's 'Richard Sensei's Corner' column in JKFan Karate Magazine is part two of my experiences as a non-Japanese coach in the Japanese high school karate system. Since my main topic is only printed in Japanese in the magazine, the English version may be read here on my blog -just scroll down!

My bilingual interview last month was with European Champion Kalvis Kalnins, and this month's interview is with the first female WKF referee, Norma Foster.

To order this month's magazine go to JKFan's order page!

Here is the whole original, expanded article.

Seeing High School Karate in Japan from a Non-Japanese Coaches Eyes

Huge colorful cloth banners drape from the spectator seating balcony that wraps around the arena, each banner blazingly declaring every club’s motto like ‘Never Give Up!’ or ‘Eat the bark off a tree to survive!’ Hundreds of karate uniformed high school student’s march in military lines, swinging their arms high, as local high school girls in their skirted uniforms lead each team while holding a placard announcing the club name. The teams file by the VIP stage at the front where the many karate association’s presidents stand at attention. For a non-Japanese, it is all an impressive display of the color and pageantry at the opening ceremony of the All-Japan Karate High School National Championships!

But to get to Nationals, I had to adjust to the Japanese high school karate club culture first. When I started as a karate coach at Seiritsu Gakuen, I remember one of the first times I went to clean the dojo, a first year student grabbed the mop out of my hand, bowed, then mopped the floor. Hmm. Then I tried to clean the mirrors, when another student grabbed the cloth, bowed and then wiped the mirrors. This is how I learned that the first years do all the chores. Interesting, maybe they’ll wash my car too…

On the biggest differences for me coaching in Japan compared to Canada was how my training menu had to adjust to the needs to the club. I’m used to 2 to 3 hours of daily competitive, strategic training (footwork, tactical theory depending on point score, adjusting attack plans when facing stronger, even or weaker opponents) and maybe only 2 times a week of training. the basics. But here the students really wanted an hour or more of just basics everyday to feel they’re ready before competitive training. Yet that’s ok as it has become possible to balance both training menus since the students come to the dojo 6 days a week, compared to 3 to 4 times overseas. It’s similar to a professional modern ballet company that still has classical lessons in the morning for the dancers to keep developing their skills prior to their practice of avante garde productions in the afternoon.

One thing a karate club in Japan is really good at is building intensity. The stereotypical view that Japanese are ‘quiet and reserved’ gets throughout the window when a non-Japanese sees a high school karate club practice! At anytime during standing basics, moving basics or kumite practice, everyone kiai, people in lines waiting kiai to get the energy up, everyone is constantly yelling encouragement and advice, so it gets pretty noisy. This is great and makes me feel 20 years younger right away too!

Even more intensive than that is summer camp. These two words seem to have a heavy weight that when spoken aloud which make Japanese people become quiet and reflective. It is the hardest, toughest time of the year, compared to some overseas camps which can be a mixture of karate training and vacation play time. Here, everyone eats together, trains together, sleeps together and baths together. There’s before breakfast practice, morning practice and afternoon practice, plus night time lectures and note taking. For 4 days or more. The first time I went my thoughts of playing beach volleyball every afternoon disappeared really fast!

Whereas overseas we normally do pushups if the students make a glaring mistake in practice, I was surprised to see at summer camp a common training punishment is 100 squats, meaning over 1000 squats can be done a day, with students actually crawling out of the dojo with leg cramps at the end of a session. Rough. But this is great at the same time because such an exercise builds the spirit as well as the body.

What I find charming at summer camp is when after new captain is elected, the third years who have just retired each give a speech to their kohai (juniors) asking them to keep up their practices, to fight the ‘good fight’ (don’t give up at anything they do, means the good fight), build the reputation of the school and honor them with strong competitive results. Wonderful. It’s hard for me not to shed a few tears then too.

Part 2 next month

Fall arrives with tournaments to qualify for Nationals. I warmly remember the first time as a coach our club qualified for Nationals and a few days later on the side of the school’s main building, there was a huge, tall banner 4 stories high hung on one wall announcing the karate club qualified for Nationals. How cool is that! I felt a real sense of pride that our accomplishments, and hundreds of squats, paid off!

Winter before Nationals of course brings the cold Siberian winds over Japan. In Canada in winter we need to turn on the heat as it can get a low as -35 degrees in some cities. But even though it doesn’t go below zero in Tokyo, I was surprised to see how so many dojo don’t use heaters in the winter at all, as students wear their club track suits under their doji to stay warm for the first part of the training. This reminds me of the saying in the West we heat the house, but in Japan we heat the body.

The atmosphere at Nationals is very serious. Everyone from athletes to coaches to officials to volunteers to spectators all clutch programs and seem like they each have an important job to do which is integral to the championship. Like overseas, an athlete and a club’s reputation can be cemented at Nationals. I was surprised to see such a high level of ability from the students. So when I’m standing with my athletes in the middle of the arena beside the mat as they compete, I always think there is no other place I want to be, but right here. Actually being in the dojo everyday is the most enjoyable thing for me, but when it leads to the Nationals, like in any country, it is something truly to look forward to.

The one suggestion I would have for any high school karate club is try to take their club to an international event every 3 years so that all the students can experience karate with non-Japanese once while they are a high school student. An ideal event to attend would perhaps be the International Hawaiian Open Championships in November because many nationalities gather there and the competitors tend to be of high caliber, so new ideas, strategies and tactics can be learned first hand. Plus there may be a way to arrange a training camp after the tournament with other interested teams.

The question I sometimes get from non-Japanese international students is if high school karate clubs will accept them. The answer is yes. International students training with in their school’s karate club is a great way for NJ to learn Japanese, make friends, and have a far deeper experience in Japan. In addition, it is beneficial for the Japanese students as well by making international friends through whom they can build an international view point. Truly through karate the world can become closer.

With our school having started a junior high karate club from this year, I’m looking forward to further mixing the best of all karate worlds into the club’s culture so that the students can have a positive and healthy karate experience, and we can together represent the school at many more national events!


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