Finishing my Teaching Certificate: Black Belt

Head here for more details: IndieGoGo: the fundraiser website

My entire life I have been enchanted with the swords, and in the last few years I have worked toward the goal of teaching others Kumdo, the art of the sword. To become eligible to be a full instructor, though, I need to attain 1st Dan (commonly referred to as "black belt"). As my black belt test has approached over the last year, I worked extra jobs and saved that money for the testing fee. Alas, Fate has a cruel way of making life interesting and I was hit with unexpected vehicle repairs in the last month that wiped out my testing fund. With the test being on December 28, I have a very short amount of time to raise the necessary $700; not nearly enough time to work my additional jobs and save that money.

The Impact
By taking and passing my "Black Belt" certification test to earn my 1st Dan rank, I would be eligible to take on students and continue to teach Kumdo to more people, introducing them to a practice of mind and body, culture of honor and respect, and creating an opportunity for movement, health, and interesting exercise.

Should this campaign not reach its goal, I will continue to work and save for a future test later next year. This would be a delay on my beginning formal instruction of others, rather than being an assistant instructor, but it would only be a delay and not a final obstacle.

Living Canvas

Tattoos are a permanent form of self-expression

Self-expression is something everyone tries, whether it is through their choice of hair style, clothing preferences, the car they own, the neighborhood they strive to get into, or even their occupation. One thing about all those choices of self-expression, though, is they are all temporary. You can easily change or lose those choices. One piece of self-expression that cannot be easily changed is a tattoo.

Tattoos have been applied to peoples' bodies for centuries all over the world. Different cultures create their own customs, styles, and taboos relating to the practice of adorning one's body. Some cultures embrace the idea of inking the face, while others see this as a mark of a criminal. One thing is for certain, this practice is not something brand new or a fad, regardless of the increasing social acceptance in the United States.

The purpose of this post, though, is not to provide you with a history of the tattoo or even give you lots of great photos of people with tattoos. Instead, today I am writing to support someone's desire to get a piece of symbolic art permanently emblazoned on his body. The tattoo is going to be quite sizable, though, so that means it will be rather expensive. To help with this, he has set up an internet campaign fund at IndieGoGo.com.

Please head over to http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Living-Canvas and read more about the project, but also to learn how you can contribute. The campaign provides incentives, too, for donating cash; but, if you cannot donate your money, please pass this along to others that have tattoos, like tattoos, like art, or want to support artists.

Kilt Up!

Many people know I love my kilts. I love the freedom and comfort that comes with wearing my non-bifurcated bottoms. While I primarily wear Utilikilts, I love the heavier weight and warmth of a traditional wool kilt. Quite honestly, the best place I've found to get a kilt is at ScotWeb. Their prices may seem high at first, but if you look at the care they take in making certain you get the best attire, material, and service possible, you cannot pass up this incredible provider of amazing Scottish attire.

Some information about ScotWeb from their site:
About Scotweb
Scotweb was the world's first company to market kilts, bagpipes, tartans, and other Scottish speciality goods online. We still offer the world's largest choice of tartan products, plus an unrivaled range of superb Scottish cashmere, authentic knitwear including our famous hand-knit Arans and Fair Isle woollens, the finest Celtic jewellery, and much more. We guarantee unbeatable prices for comparable quality.

Almost all our goods are custom-made in Scotland, with the rest mostly from Ireland or elsewhere in the British Isles. We never sell the imported copies found elsewhere, so please don't be fooled by similar-looking imitations. If you want the real thing, of a quality to take pride in and to hand down to as an heirloom, trust Scotweb.

But product standards are only half the story. Scotweb's staff training programme is unique in our industry, so we can deliver advice and support to far exceed your expectations. If you have any questions, either simple or expert, please just get in touch. We'll do all we can to make your purchase not merely worry-free, but a real pleasure. We look forward to hearing from you.

Kasutera

This is an upcoming experiment for a dessert. While searching for the uses of Cream of Tartar, this looked rather appetizing, so it has made it on the list of things to attempt.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 large eggs, separated
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon green tea powder or unsweetened cocoa powder*

(optional-if using omit the orange extract)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use parchment to line the bottom of a 10-inch tube pan, preferably with a removable bottom or 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans. Grease the parchment. In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar, honey, vanilla, orange extract, and salt into egg yolks. Place bowl in a large pan of hot water. With an electric mixer, beat about 5 minutes on medium-high speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume. Gently fold in sifted flour.

Using clean dry beaters beat the egg whites in a large bowl on low speed 1 minute, increasing speed to medium-high. When foamy, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff but not dry. With a spatula, fold the egg whites in three steps. Pour batter into pan. Tap gently on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Bake on middle rack of oven 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. Signs that the cake is near done will be the sides of the cake pulling away from the pan slightly; the top will be flat and will feel spongy when pressed with finger. Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes. Carefully run a small knife between the edge of the cake and pan. Turn over pan and gently remove from pan. Remove parchment paper and cool completely. Serve or store airtight.

(Original) Published March 13 2010 - Fargo Forum
Corrections by Glyphrunner

Meridian Environmental Technology advances science in everyday life

GRAND FORKS - Technology is supposed to help people and organizations work smarter and more efficiently.

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By: Jonathan Knutson, Fargo Forum

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That’s what Meridian Environmental Technology, with headquarters [near] the University of North Dakota campus, is all about, said Leon Osborne, its president and chief executive officer.



“Meridian is a company founded on the premise that you could bring advanced science and computer technology to the forefront and solve problems of everyday life,” he said. The company works with farmers, state highway departments, and other organizations across the country.

"Though many people associate the company with weather, it’s more accurate to say Meridian handles weather applications as well as software and information solutions systems," Osborne said.

The company has 60 employees, 35 of whom are atmospheric scientists/meteorologists. Another 20 are computer scientists and the rest work on the business side or in sociology, what Osborne calls “the human factor.” "The human-factor employees dig into the societal implications of how people use information," Osborne said.

More than half of the 60 employees have advanced degrees. "Meridian is growing, and likely will have 65 to 70 employees by the end of the summer," Osborne said.

The company’s hires range from entry-level positions to people with many years of industry experience. “We have a great staff. Without them we wouldn’t make it,” said Kathy Osborne, Meridian’s chief operations officer and Leon’s wife.

She and Leon are the primary owners of the business. Several employees own most of the rest.

Kathy Osborne, who has a business background, said she and her husband work well together and enjoy it. Leon Osborne’s background is in atmospheric science. He’s served on the faculty of UND’s department of atmospheric sciences since 1979.

The company was founded with three employees in 1996, the year before record flooding devastated Grand Forks. “The flood sidetracked us,” Osborne said with a wry smile. The company really got going in 1998, when life in Grand Forks began returning to normal after the flood.

Two of Meridian’s key offerings are MDSS and 511, which provides advanced traveler information.

In 511, Meridian works with highway departments in eight states to give travelers quick and easy access to information such as road conditions, route-specific travel weather, traffic congestion, and accidents.

With MDSS, or Maintenance Design Support System, Meridian helps highway departments make decisions about road maintenance.

Meridian works with transportation agencies in 28 states. The list includes the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Tony McClellan, of the Indiana Department [of Transportation], said his organization has worked with Meridian for about a decade, receiving weather forecasting services and guidance on road maintenance decisions. "Meridian is good at what it does," he said.

But there’s more to Meridian than transportation-related services. “Though much of what we do is transportation related, the infrastructure we’ve established also allows us to work with agriculture and energy,” Osborne said. Meridian’s agricultural forecasting services include hourly forecasts out to 24 hours and monthly and seasonal outlooks for temperatures and precipitation. In energy, Meridian can help organizations with their forecasted power production.

Osborne said North Dakota often is too focused on attracting out-of-state companies at the expense of young, growing companies already here. “It’s the little guys, like Meridian, that get lost in the wash,” he said. Even so, he’s confident Meridian will continue to grow as opportunities present themselves.

“This is exciting,” he said of Meridian’s growth and success. “It’s just a joy.”

Liberty and Justice for All

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Take time to read over one of the most significant documents in the planet's history:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

Equality & relationships - do you really want to be 100% equals?

Equality in society and the workplace is something women have been fighting, protesting, and even burning their bras for decades to obtain. While I agree there should be equal pay for equal work, an equal expectation of personal responsibility, and equal voices in decision making and voting, I do not think we, as a society, should ever expect men and women to be 100% equal in everything.

One particular place this has come to mention is in relationships. When you take a look at currently popular dating advice sites, you will find women lamenting their status as "single." Oddly enough, the idea of a woman being unable to find someone to date or even marry is quite amusing to me. When it comes to relationships, women and men are in no way equal. In fact, women hold most of the decision power in this regard; this is Nature at her best. While most humans would object to being equated to the animal kingdom, mating in Nature is entirely at the discretion of the female; so too does this exist for homo sapiens.

If we pick the cliche of going to a bar to find someone to meet, what do you typically find? Women are clustered together, away from the men, primped up to attract the attention of the men. The men, meanwhile, attempt to impress the women in various manners, whether through a display of character, fashion, or finances. Ultimately, whether a lady decides to go with a particular gent is entirely that, her decision. She will decide if he has sufficiently impressed her, made her laugh enough, if he has enough money, wears the right clothes, etc.

Now that we've oversimplified the concept of women choosing their potential mate, we look at the long-term difficulties of today's world of relationships. As well-stated in Kristine Gasbarre's article, "Dating 101: Why Am I Still Single?, women "feel they need to be completely self-sufficient in their happiness." There's a major problem with this, though. Men are also raised with the expectation they are required to fix problems, be the provider, etc. How is a man supposed to feel involved in a relationship if he 1) does not really have a major say in who he gets to choose, 2) has to beg, do undesirable acts, and lie to remain in the relationship," and 3) constantly have to be concerned that he has upset or annoyed his significant other in some fashion or another?

In addition to this lack of power in the relationship, men are also not interested in the same things as women (cutesy emotional needs, excessive time commitment, and extraneous activities to "enhance" the relationship). Emotions are not something most men handle well, particularly because most of us are raised with an expectation to control our expressions and emotions, or only display "manly emotion[s]" (Shields, S.A., "Speaking from the heart: Gender and the social meaning of emotion, 2002). As for time commitment to the relationship, it's not that men don't want to put lots of time into a relationship, it's just they're too busy trying to meet the demands of the female for financial stability, increase their social standing, and generally doing whatever it takes to ensure he does not get yelled at or "nagged." Finally, the old adage of "if it's not broken, don't fix it" comes into play regarding extraneous activities, or "fluff." Most men are pragmatic and don't see a need for unnecessary additions.

Yes, that's also another oversimplification, but it serves well to illustrate the point that women are not equal in a relationship. Instead, they hold a massive amount of control and power in the relationship. Men and women operate on different levels and in different fields. Men are less likely to be concerned of emotional needs, are much more involved in "what works," and don't often need (in my opinion) "fluff." How can a relationship be built 100% equal when men and women have completely different needs?