Wheelchair Fencing World Championships

Four years ago I started coaching a new team at Methodist Rehab Center here in Jackson.The USFA made the selection announcement of the USA FENCING WHEELCHAIR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM who will represent Team USA in Paris, France, November 4 - 12, 2010. Four out of the 10  fencers selected are from Methodist's team:  Joey Brinson, Ryan Estep, Sonia Fogal, & Rebekka Sides
What a testament to their dedication and hard work.

 Background:

Fencing for athletes in wheelchairs was first introduced by Sir Ludwig Guttmann in 1953 and has been a part of the Paralympic program since 1960. 

Athletes compete in wheelchairs that are fixed to the floor.  Though they rely on ducking, half-turns and leaning to dodge their competitors' touches, fencers can never raise up from the seat.  The first fencer to score five touches is declared the winner.  Athletes play the best out of three rounds.

Athletes compete in single and team formats.  Weapon categories for men include foil, epee and sabre.  Women compete in foil and epee.  Athletes are divided into A, B and C classifications, depending on their strength and mobility.  Class A players have the greatest range of strength and mobility, while Class C players have the least.

Paralympic fencing competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.

Healthy Vices

Manipulating Your Opinions

This is not a political article but when read carefully a psychological  article. Apply this to the information sources you rely  on and check your own bias.

SYTYCD

Best season ever. Congrats Lauren. I'd have been happy no matter who won (but I was pulling for Lauren).

Meteor Shower?????????

Bummer   clouds here.... maybe Sat morning.

Perseid Meteor Shower

To get an idea of how the peak of the Perseids – and that of many other meteor showers – could appear in your area, head over to the "Fluxtimator." Select the meteor shower, nearest major urban area, viewing conditions, and date, and the graph will automatically adjust itself to give you the peak viewing time at your location and how many "shooting stars" you may be able to see.

National Anthem

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=668438806220

I know exactly what happened here. To protect the first amendment right of free speech and to protect the sacred ground of memorials and historic spaces the supreme court allowed the National Park Service to create protected zones and free expression zones in the areas they administer. The protected zone could possibly be used for an event or speech if a permit were issued.

Specifically when you visit the Lincoln "Memorial" there are signs requesting quiet and respect while visiting the upper memorial area. Rangers frequently remind people to not have music or loud behavior in this zone. The quiet zone extends from the main floor down the front steps to the first landing. When some in the high school group started singing the National Anthem they were politely requested not to sing there. The group then banded together and all began to sing again and more loudly. At this point the rangers interrupted them to again request they move from that area.

The point here is that to have freedom of speech and protection of other interests the content of the speech is not at issue. The federal law, as written by congress and affirmed by the supreme court, was being enforced by the rangers. It didn't matter who was singing what, it just wasn't allowed in that area without a permit. If these students had been one landing down it wouldn't have been an issue. I can imagine these same students would have been appalled if some other country's anthem was being sung in that same location.

Remember all our freedoms exist only through the rule and respect for the law. And if we don't like the laws we have a way to change them.

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Think About It

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

AZ Gov. vs. Phoenix Suns

An immigration reform activist says Arizona Governor Jan Brewer hit the nail on the head recently when she called the owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team to ask for his opposition to the state's tough immigration enforcement bill.

Governor Jan Brewer has been attacked from various groups inside and outside her state for boldly standing up for SB 1070, which is scheduled to take effect on Thursday (July 29) but is facing court challenges from the Obama administration and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Among those who have criticized the bill is Robert Sarver, the owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns. In a May 2010 interview with ESPN, Sarver said the law calls into question "our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law" and will cause Arizona's economy to suffer setbacks at a time when the state is already in economic distress.

But Governor Brewer recently crafted a response to the basketball mogul:

"What if the owners of the Suns discovered that hordes of people were sneaking into games without paying? What if they had a good idea who the gate-crashers are, but the ushers and security personnel were not allowed to ask these folks to produce their ticket stubs, thus non-paying attendees couldn’t be ejected. Furthermore, what if Suns’ ownership was expected to provide those who sneaked in with complimentary eats and drink? And what if, on those days when a gate-crasher became ill or injured, the Suns had to provide free medical care and shelter?" -Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer


"I'm disappointed in her response. I would rather have had her declare (out of the blue) right before a game, that anyone who wanted to get in free could just show up and would receive free drinks and food. Then, when Sarver started spouting "you can't do that" she could let him have it. Personally, I think she should go ahead and tell him anyway that she is going to declare a "free" Phoenix Suns day for anyone who wishes to attend - on Robert Sarver. Kinda like the Feds telling AZ they can't control their state." Blogger