Jonas aka Basshunter on getting sex advice from his parents, getting touched in “places” by The Madhouse and that naked photo of him floating around the net… Check out theedge.co.nz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzR3Zmll05Y&hl=en

Not only will this be painful but it will also be long.  I am about to confront a whole bunch of feelings and thoughts that I really don’t want to confront.  But I can’t go on like this, it has been going on too long.  For the most part they are my shortcomings, I recognise this and this is why it is so hard to confront.  I sound way too academic: too much studying clearly.

Where to start?  My boyfriend? Sex? Or lack of it?  Performance anxiety? (on my part not his!)  I am scared to confront these feelings, because I’m scared to lose him.  Although, this is why I confront these feelings in a blog and not to his face.  That way, I can deal with my feelings first and then later deal with the issues with him.  I’m skirting around the topic aren’t I?  He is out tonight with his ex-girlfriend.  Do I have a problem with that? No.  I don’t know.  I trust him.  Tonight I trust him.  I don’t usually trust him.  I hate what I am becoming.  I’m fine with him being out with his ex, until I think about the fact that he might not be thinking about me.  It’s like I want him to be thinking about me all the time.  I’m scared that if he’s not thinking about me then I don’t matter to him.  Irrational fear?  Yes.  Do I think about him all the time?  Most of the time.  Should I? No.  Do I want to think about him all the time? Definitely not.  I need to have my own life.  I hate this relationship.  I hate being in a relationship.  I miss me.  Yet I constantly want to be with him. But when I’m with him it’s below average.  I love him, don’t get me wrong.  He’s supportive and funny and caring and loving and happy.  And don’t get me wrong there are a lot of things about him that drive me absolutely crazy.  But I honestly think a lot of those things are my own shortcomings not his.  Or they’re part of his personality, but me getting annoyed with them is my shortcomings.

I’m tired.  Ha!  Funny, coming from a narcoleptic.  I’m sitting here hoping his next text message will be him inviting me over for the night.  And I so desperately want to get in my car and go to him.  But at the same time I know I have to spend time away from him to let myself be me.  And un-depend myself on him.  As my ex said to me this afternoon:  I must not settle for less than I want.  And I want more than he’s giving me.  I want more attention than he’s giving me.  I want more 100% time than he’s giving me.  I want more romance than he’s giving me.  I want to go out on dates and get roses and feed each other and candlelight and make love.  Is it weird if I say it all started going wrong from the time that we told each other we loved each other.  It’s moved way too fast.  How long do you think we’ve been together?  Just under three months.  But wow it has felt like a long time.  But it’s been good too.  I just have so many issues to sort out and he’s not willing to sort them out with me.  That’s a lie.  He’s willing to sort them out with me, but his way.  And since they’re my issues, I need to sort them out my way.

I’m scared that he doesn’t desire me any more.  I don’t feel that he desires me any more.  It’s like he spends time with me for me not for him.  I don’t want to be that in my life and I don’t want to be that in his life.  I want so much more than that.  And I want so much more to life than this relationship.  Which isn’t happening at the moment.

So where do I go from here?  I want to be an easy going girlfriend.  I don’t want to have a complicated relationship.  I don’t want to have a complicated sex life.  I want it to be simple and fun and easy.  Okay, but its not like that.  So I need to accept that its not uncomplicated and its not easy.  I need to embrace that it is complicated.  And I need to embrace that it isn’t easy.  That’s okay.  It’s allowed to be complicated.  I’m letting a new person into my life.  It’s allowed to be difficult.  It’s allowed to test who I am.  And of course I’m going to be changed in the process.  He says I can trust him, so I’m going to trust him.  And he says I need to believe him when he says I’m sexually attractive to him.  So I’m going to believe him.  And he says that he’s not going to break up with me.  So I’m going to believe him.  And I’m going to let go of those fears.  And I’m going to give him his space.  I’m going to give him his space because he needs it. And I need my space.  I’m going to allow him to have his time.  I’m going to have my own time.  I’m going to have my life.  I’m going to fill my time up so that I don’t try and fill it up with him.

Oay, so it wasn’t so painful because I’m too tired to confront the deep scary stuff.

Je lance une pierre à l’organisation du CH aujourd’hui pour une chose: le manque de vision!

Dans la formation que nous a présenté le Canadiens en début de saison on pouvait compter qu’un seul défenseur droitier, soit Ryan O’Byrne.  Pas fort me direz vous!  En effet!!  Puis avec les blessures à ce dernier ainsi que Markov on a vu Bergeron et tout récemment Leach s’emmener dans l’équipe.  Deux autres gauchers.  Pourtant on a un certain Mathieu Carle qui est droitier et qui hormis son premier match n’a pas mal fait (du moin mieux que Bergeron défensivement) et qui de plus possède une bonne première passe.  Autre droitier qui fait partie de l’organisation… un certain P.K. Subban. 

On lui promet un avenir brillant et l’on croit qu’il est mieux pour lui de faire une année dans les mineures.  Mais pour ma part je lui aurais donné un apperçue de ce qu’est la LNH en saison régulière.  Après tout les joueurs talentueux sortent toujours un peu plus du lot, alors Subban vs Bergeron et/ou Leach… je ne réfléchie pas très longtemps.

With the season at the halfway point, I tallied up all of the stats for all defensive lineman (including 3-4 OLB’s) from the 2009 draft class. This will give an idea of the impact of the class as a whole, and individual positions. For those like me that are draft junkies, it is nice to see a side by side stat comparison of all the prospects that you were looking at.

Defensive Ends / 3-4 Outside Linebacker Body Types:

Sorted by sacks.  Not all of these guys are scheme interchangable.  Brian Orakpo is a 4-3 SOLB that plays rush DE on passing downs.  Clay is clearly the most impactful player of this bunch.

Defensive Tackle / 3-4 Defensive End / Nose Tackle Body Types:

Sorted by tackles.  Not all guys are scheme interchangeable.  Raji isn’t the most impactful rookie of this type, but he is near the top.  He has been the most impactful 3-4 lineman however, though Jacksonville has used some 3-4 sets, and Terrence Knighton has played well in those.  Knighton surely is the biggest “gem” of the draft on the defensive line, thus far.

Some notes on abbreviations:
TTK = Total Tackles
TK = Solo Tackles
Assit = Assisted Tackles
SK = Sacks
STF = Stuffs, tackles for negative yards
TYDL = Total Yards Lost, sum of negative yards on sack plays and stuffs
FF = Fumbles Forced
Int  = Interceptions
Yds = Interception Return Yards
PD = Passes Defended
TD’s = Touchdowns Scored

When two people are aggressively fighting each other, their main objective is to offensively and violently impose their Will onto each other.  The first person to submit through voluntary action, injury and/or death usually ends up losing the battle. The tactical means to this combative end is generated through the organised application of the use of force.

Conventional thought and political correctness has spread like a pandemic virus advising us not to antagonise a would-be attacker by responding with any kind of aggressive behaviour and/or continued resistance when being threaten with violence and/or attacked.  We are told that to escalate matters will only make things worse for us and often it is the “good guy” that potentially faces jail time for exercising his law abiding rights of fighting back when the chips are down.

However, the conventional thought process or political correctness, for that matter, holds little weight in the wake of a sudden violent attack when your survival clock is ticking.  Although our awareness and avoidance measures are defensive in nature, our response continuum must include offensive options as well as defensive options.  In other words, offence and defence are interdependent cogs of the same wheel.  One without the other is an instantaneous recipe for failure.   

Although I completely abhor violence, when faced with a violent threat and/or attack, you must adopt a survival mentality that gives you permission to respond offensively in defence of yourself and/or your loved ones.  In other words, in the wake of immediate danger, you   need to create enough resistance in order to reverse the roles where you are now able to impose “your Will” back onto your enemy.  Experts often refer to this principle as the “Predator/Prey Reversal.”

Let’s break this down into three phases:

1. Early Phase: Passive deception is a defensive posture used as a “camouflage delivery system” whereby you can launch a pre-emptive strike.  The pre-emptive strike is an offensive tactic used to surprise the enemy when all other defensive options are exhausted.
2. Mid Phase: The ability to successfully counter an attack means that you had enough time to read your opponent’s intentions.  The initial movement (parry, shield or cover) is defensive and employed to create enough resistance against your enemy’s attack, so that you are able to launch a counter-attack, which is offensive.  To remain completely defensive will only reinforce a victim’s mentality and ensure your untimely demise.
3. Late Phase: When you are surprised and overwhelmed by a sudden attack along with being unaware of your immediate surroundings, this places you in a precarious position to say the least.  This is potentially the “worst case scenario.”  This is where our defensive ability must be at its strongest; to preserve and protect yourself through resisting your opponent’s Will being imposed onto you.  Many systems do not cover these late phase options, but without them, the system is never complete. 

Many citizens of good character have difficulty with the thought of being offensive towards another fellow human being.  We have all been raised to embrace to the standards of fairness, goodness, equality and empathy towards others.  Unfortunately there are many other people in our world today who do not hold those same values; to them life is cheap!

Another stark reality to take into consideration in these modern times is that we can no longer rely on the police anymore for protection.  At best, these days law enforcement functions as a post-event reactionary organisation.  In fact, it is no longer even an occupational obligation for them to protect us from danger.  Our judicial system is also based on a post-event structure, often designed in favour of the criminal’s rights rather than our own. 

With interpersonal conflict becoming a staple of modern society and violence rising every year with staggering statistics, more and more people are becoming interested in some form of self protection.  Make sure you have chosen the right self defence system for YOU!  Whatever system you choose in the end, make sure that you ask them to define the actual interpersonal conflict – the fight: early, mid and late phase – before you invest those hard earned pounds and dollars!

Dedicated to YOUR Survival

Joe

In the last few months, I’ve seen occasional chatter related to this subject, most notably appearing as “insiders – rumblings” type things where a writer cites an unnamed source such as a scout that Raji is being used wrong by the Packers. Is this true? Thus far we’ve seen Raji used as both backup LDE, backup NT, and the extra big man in short yardage/goal line defense. His time at backup LDE has been the full responsibilities of the backup LDE, including play in sub package (pass) defense where the NT comes off the field. Most of his work has been confined to the LDE role and nickel work that goes with it.

What is Raji?

I think that the incorrect evaluation of Raji goes back to at least the senior bowl by a majority of armchair scouts and talking heads. The fact is that Raji was not a NT. He had the ht-wt combo that people latched onto that said NT, but that was not his use in college (Ron Brace had that role), and really was not the way he played. He has all the physical measurements that you would look for out of an elite NT in the NFL, but he is a project there that is a few years away from full time point play.

Raji had lots of highlight reel plays in college, and was unblockable in 1 on 1’s at the senior bowl. Almost every eye popping thing he did was related to the pass. Being a good run stuffer doesn’t get a guy drafted in the top 10. Being a good pass rusher does. And Raji can rush the passer, while being a true A gap tackle, like no other. Most DT’s that can rush the passer are under tackles; 1 on 1 tackles that line up over the guard and shoot the B gap or counter through an A gap. They are not built to control 2 gaps while a run double is applied, often they struggle to control 2 gaps even in a 1 on 1 situation.

What Kind of Defense Does Green Bay Play?

If you have watched the team closely this year you would know that formation has been a very fluid thing. This is not like a rigid 4-3 where the same 4 guys line up on the line all game with a little interior rotation. The Packers have played a 1-5-5, 2-5-4, 2-4-5, 3-3-5, 3-4-4, 3-5-3, 4-4-3, 5-2-3 at various points thus far this season, but the overall bulk of plays have fallen into a 2-4-5 and related variants (1-5-5, 3-3-5, 2-5-4) and a 3-4-4 and its variants (3-5-3). The 4-4-3 and 5-2-3 have been used on the goal line and for short yardage.

There has been a fairly even split in use between the 2-4-5 and its variants (base pass defense) and the 3-4-4 and its variants (base run defense) thus far. One of the truths of football is that the better your offense, the better your pass defense has to be (a reason that the Colts have been bottom dwellers in run defense for a long time, yet win a lot of games, their pass defense is typically quite good), as opponents will have to pass to beat you, running cannot score fast enough. On 3rd down, the down when the defense gets off the field, a form of pass defense is almost always used.

Where Does Raji Fit In?

At first when the switch was announced, many fans were panic stricken that Pickett couldn’t handle all the snaps at the nose, or even handle it period. Last year one of the “problems” with the defense that people seemed to agree on, was that the defensive tackles had a subpar rotation and they “wore down”, especially Pickett. Very few fans, and no reporters, realized just how much pass defense the team would use, and how it differed from the base 3-4 defense. The rotation issue has solved itself, Pickett has seen between a 33% and 50% reduction in the number of snaps that he is playing, and he is playing virtually every 3-4 down. There is absolutely no need to rotate him.

Another problem was that Pickett really didn’t have a backup on the roster. Cole had the body, but had never shown to be much of a player in the A gaps. His place was as a pretty stout tackle when lined up over a G in a 3 tech position. But he was no match for a double team. On the practice squad was Anthony Toribio, a guy lacking the body but having the style to be effective in the A gaps. Miami was developing him as a NT, Ted stole him during a roster maneuver (a counter action by an angry Parcells led to Lansanah being elevated and White released). Toribio was a pleasant surprise for me this summer and I was utterly shocked that he was not claimed after cuts, he reminds me of a poor mans Ratliff.

The fact that some thought that Pickett couldn’t handle it, that others thought that 2 NT’s in rotation were needed, the other thoughts that Pickett would be OK and nothing special, and the predraft assessment that Raji was a NT (and day 1 ready there) made Raji a no brainer pick for Green Bay. This is such a broken logic train, but yes, follow that logic train and Raji is out of position and GB is using him wrong. Numerous people are probably scratching their head, why isn’t Raji replacing Pickett? Why is he an end? He isn’t built like an end, who are typically 6′5″ with very long arms, around 300 lbs with a fairly lean build. Raji is 6′2″, 340 lb, with short arms and fat squatty build, what you look for in a NT.

Ted and the coaches really don’t discuss why they make certain picks and what they see as their future. Let me go back to an earlier statement that I made though. Run stuffers are not top 10 picks. If you notice the ratios, at least 66%+ of the snaps against our 3-4 and variants are runs, 66%+ of the snaps against our 2-4 and variants are passes. Raji from day 1 was a much better pass rusher than run stuffer, he excelled rushing the passer in college.

One of the realities of the 53 man roster is the cross training that must be done to back every position up.

Coming off an injury, and still learning his way, Raji’s snap count is surely down relative to what it will eventually be. Thus far he has been rotating mostly at LDE and that is it. But he has seen a couple of NT snaps. You couldn’t as for a better backup NT and he is a solid backup DE. But….

The 3-4 set is not Raji’s place, at least for many years. Raji is a pass rusher. Once he slows down a little and loses some of his explosion, a step down to 3-4 NT is definitely in the cards, possibly even a little before that if needed. But a man with interior pass rushing ability like his should not be exiled to mostly run downs.

You could not ask for a better 2-4 interior lineman than Raji. In 2-4 sets the 5 tech DE alignment is rarely, if ever, used. You do see a variance of alignments, but the two interior guys tend to align anywhere between 3 tech and 0 tech. One of them will almost always be a little wide at 3 tech, looking for a good 1 on 1 angle to the QB. Sometimes both are this way, sometimes the second lineman with be inside more in an A gap or over the C in an effort to control interior rushing. The second lineman is typically one of two types; not much of a pass rusher, but a run stout guy, however more mobile and a better rusher than the NT, or a good pass rusher that makes the 2-4 set vulnerable to the run. In a 2-4 (or variance) set, there is no man more valuable than a guy that is run stout, that can play the A gaps and eat doubles, while still excelling at rushing the passer. And when your offense is good, really your 3rd down/pass defense should be looked at as your base defense, not your run defense. It will be used as much or more as your run defense, and it is more important to winning games.

So Are We Using Raji Wrong?

No, the problem is that few recognize what right is. Right is not at NT 3-4 (run) sets, which is viewed currently as “starting” and more prestigious, where he is a good backup (and would be a good starter), but his talents would be relatively wasted. Right is at DT in 2-4 set (pass) set, where he can control the middle and still terrorize QB’s. Thus far he has not fully come into that role, being a rotational guy with Jolly, but he has been splitting that job with Jolly.

This will naturally sort itself out as well. He will likely sub in for Jolly more and more on pass downs, and less and less on run downs. Jolly is built to be a better 3-4 DE, and thus far, has been. Raji is built to be a better 2-4 DT, and over time, as he steals snaps from Jolly, he will rotate less and less with Jolly at DE. I suspect by the end of the season we will see very little of Jolly on passing downs, both he and Pickett will come off as the nickel DB goes in, and Raji goes in as well. In the NFL, that is where Raji’s talents will blossom first. Jolly simply isn’t built to excel in a 2-4 set like Raji is.

With time Raji’s head will swim less as it relates to what OL’s are doing to him, then he will really start to take off. Right now he is a little hobbled, and in the midst of rookie defensive lineman syndrome. One thing I’ve noticed over the years, the skill position players tend to hit a wall later their rookie year, the lineman, especially defensive, play their best at the end of the year. There reaches a point where it just clicks for them, and they get much better seemingly overnight.

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday’s game between Manchester United and Blackburn in the Premier League…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: soccer players. For a different topic see here. The blog is also related to: english football players.

I have been running in circles it seems with very little effect to my life. I have been working and haven’t been able to save. I have been trying to be a normal calm individual with very little success. I can’t even get my own house in order.

To sum it all up… I feel like a waste of space right now. I don’t feel good about myself and my progress… well… there really hasn’t been any progress….

I recently came to the conclusion that I need counseling but I don’t have the money to really go often. I found some information on a low income place that I am going to try but to be honest… I’m a little apprehensive about going. When I was younger, I went to many places trying to do a quick fix on me but to no avail. Back then, I used to pull my hair out and I was almost bald. No one could figure out why I did it, I told them it was because of nervousness and stress and that is true… but sometimes I did it because I just HAD to… it was almost like chewing my nails… I felt pressure until I did it. Now that I’m older I realize that I am an obsessive/addictive personality so no wonder I couldn’t stop back then. I still struggle with it but that’s not why I need a counselor now. I’ve been having a hard time letting things go from the past and I have negative feelings about myself. Worst of all… I’ve been constantly emotional and easily get defensive and angry. Because of this defensiveness I have taken my anger out on Donnie for no reason at all.  He tries to help me and because his opinion differs “I try to defend myself since it’s obviously an attack on ME”.

I have tried many times not to fight with Donnie but I only manage to fight worse and if I manage to keep my mouth shut long enough just so he can speak it feels like a spring inside being pushed down and ready to spring harder and harder. I always cut in on  him when he’s trying to explain things because I have to make sure he knows my side when I hear something I don’t agree with.

I’ve given up on myself at this point. I will be giving the counseling thing a try. I just hope I don’t have to go on medicine.

Have you ever been to counseling? I’d love to hear how it went for you. I’m hoping that I can fix my past to push myself towards the future. Wish me luck.

Werewolfchibichan

Cutler's awesome helicopter TD run

After last Sunday’s Redzone meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons, the Chicago Bears hope to go on the road and get a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the season more than a quarter of the way finished, the glaring problems of the Chicago Bears are becoming obvious. One of the problems is that the Bears can not run the ball, and it is not all of Matt Forte’s fault either. After a very good rookie season, Forte is struggling to get yards but the difference between this year and last year is the offensive line. The Bears O-line is just not run-blocking very well. My pre-season observations led me to believe the Bears O-line would struggle protecting Jay Cutler but instead the O-line is struggling to get any push in the run game. An indication that the offensive line is to blame rather than Forte is that opposing teams have been hitting Forte in the back field (that’s my personal observation). Running lanes have been scarce so far. The biggest problem – and unfortunately one that is out the Bears control – is the injury bug that has hit the Bears. The linebackers corps has been hit the hardest but the defensive tackles have been injured as well. Last week in the fourth quarter of the Atlanta game, Pisa Tinoisamoa suffered a season-ending injury to his right knee. The linebackers unit has already missed star MLB Brian Urlacher (out for the season) and all the other Bears linebackers except Lance Briggs have been injured at some point of the season and missed time (that includes pre-season and regular season). The latest high-profile Bear to be injured is Tommie Harris, who will not suit up for Sunday’s game. Israel Idonije has already missed time but did come back to play last week against Atlanta.

Are these problems worrisome for Bears fans? Surprisingly not yet. The Bears have been competitive in every game so far, but football adage says that the great teams win the close games. The Bears are 2-2 in their close games and 1-2 on the road. Not bad for a pretty tough starting season schedule. Despite the injuries to the defense, the unit has hung in there with good play from the fill-in linebackers of Roach, Williams, and Hillenmeyer. ‘Peanut’ Tillman has played very well, and Briggs is playing like Briggs – which is always good. Yes, there have been some defensive lapses here and there (evident last week when the Bears struggled with the no-huddle). Hopefully, the injuries are over as the unit can not afford anymore losses as then it would become worrisome (thankfully, the Bears are deep at both the linebackers and D-line). As for the O-line run-blocking I just can’t see the Bears turning on the switch permanently, but now would be the time to do so as the Bears enter the “softer” part of their schedule. The Bears can not put it all on Cutler’s shoulders and that became clear last week when Cutler threw an interception in the redzone. Had a running game been established, that crucial INT might have not happened.

These are only two obvious problems, while there are a lot more positives for the Bears. For one, Jay Cutler has been pretty damn good, and while he has not been flashy he has been a big part of the reason the Bears have been competitive this year. Another positive is the play from the wide receivers this years. I’m not quite ready to jump on the Johnny Knox bandwagon just yet, but it is not hard to see he has been pretty special so far. While Devin Hester has not come up on the stat sheet as fans would like, he has done the ‘little things’ that has impressed me. Hester route running is pretty good not playing the position for too long, and I’ve seen him make some big time blocks that most receivers don’t make. Plus, Hester has made some pretty tough catches in traffic. Aside from the Green Bay bomb and Calvin Johnson nearly having a field day, the Bears secondary has been the third positive in the Bears early season. In pre-season I really thought teams would pick the secondary apart but they have not been as bad as I expected. Lastly, the special teams – specifically the punting of Maynard and the kicking of Gould – have been awesome. Maynard especially impressed me with his punts landing inside the 20 yard line. Hey, its not pretty but field position goes a long way.

Gould & Maynard

Knox & Hester

On October 20, Kash Heed, the Solicitor General of British Columbia, introduced new legislation that would effectively ban body armour in the province of BC (see here for the news story).

To put it rather bluntly, Bill 16-2009 (Body Armour Control Act) is an abomination of legislation that should never have seen the light of day.  In an effort to reduce gang violence, Mr Heed has proposed that only those who can prove a legitimate need for body armour should be allowed to purchase and possess it in BC.  Additionally, the legislation proposes that the province should create a permit system and a registry to keep track of all citizens who are legally allowed to own body armour.  Anyone found to be in illegal possession of this armour could face up to a $10,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail.

I can see several problems with this proposed law, right off the top.

1)  There’s this pesky little document known as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Section 7 goes something like this:

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.”

Somehow I really don’t think that the government’s argument, that a passive safety device needs to be restricted just because a criminal might use it, really qualifies as a “principle of fundamental justice”.

2)  The logic (and I use that word very loosely) employed by Mr Heed, is that if access to body armour is restricted, gangsters will no longer be able to use it, taking away their “sense of security”, and therefore reducing the number of shootings in our cities.

By that same “logic”, in order to reduce high speed chases, we should ban seatbelts.  After all, without them, criminals would no longer feel “safe” speeding and would stop running away from police.  Right??

Does anyone else smell the BS?

3)  By definition, a gangster is a criminal.  They have proven time and again that they have no regard for the laws of our society.  So by what stretch of the imagination does the Solicitor General believe that even one single gang member will abide by this one?  If, for some unlikely reason, a criminal wasn’t able to purchase body armour on the black market within BC, it wouldn’t exactly be a hardship to legally purchase it in either Alberta or the Yukon.  The last time I checked, there wasn’t a manned border between provinces and territories in this country.

4)  Say a criminal is caught committing a crime, and the crown throws the book at him, charging him with every firearm, weapon and body armour offense they can think of.  Do you really think he’ll ever be convicted of any of those lesser charges?  Of course not.  As has already been proven time and again with the Firearms Act, the lesser charges will be plea-bargained away in order to make the “important” charge stick. 

So under this proposed new law, as usual, it will only be the general public who are convicted.  It will be the men and women who innocently forget to renew their permit, or make a simple mistake on their forms, who will suffer.  They are the ones who will be found guilty, convicted of “paper crimes”, while the real criminals go about business as usual.

5)  As I previously mentioned, one of the key components of this proposed Act is a permit and registry system.  Everyone who has a legitimate need for body armour will have to fill out a form and apply for a permit to possess body armour.  Every person who is deemed eligible to possess body armour will be recorded in a database. It will be that person’s responsibility to keep the permit current, and to ensure that all the information contained in the registry is correct.  

So, where is the money to operate this permit and registry system going to come from?  Setting up the permit office(s) and starting the registry will be an expensive proposition, and that money will be coming straight out of the taxpayer’s pockets.  At a time when the global economy is in turmoil, you’d think the government could find something better to spend our money on.

6)  Continuing on the theme of the registry, one more question comes to mind: How does making a list of law-abiding citizens have any affect whatsoever on crime?  I’m sure the criminals are just shaking in their boots right now thinking about this proposed new law.  Shaking with laughter that is.  Our government and lawmakers are going to be so busy making lists of honest people that they’re not going to have time to go after the criminals!

This Bill has just passed first reading in the provincial legislature, so there is still time to try and stop it.  Even if it does pass (which I’m afraid it will), it would likely be overturned on a Charter Appeal.  But it shouldn’t need to be.

Why do our lawmakers insist on continually putting forward such flawed legislation?  If I, an average Jane, can immediately see so many holes in their argument, why can’t they?  Our leaders can’t really be this naïve and misguided can they?

There is a part of me that still wants to believe that these are just honest men and women doing the best they can for our society.  But the jaded cynic in me is winning out.  I can’t help but wonder why every single new law seems to strip away more of our rights.  I can’t help but wonder why so many people are so eager to willingly give up their basic freedoms. 

What makes me really sick though, is that this gradual erosion of our rights, always seems to be done in the name of “public safety”.  Call me crazy, but here’s a thought: if our leaders were truly interested in public safety, they would be focusing on the criminals, not making lists of the innocent.

Psalm 61:3 “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong Tower from the enemy.”

Proverbs 18:10 “The Name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and are safe. [Set on high]”

Those are some of the most comforting and soothing words in the Bible. For those of us who know our righteousness in Christ and know our place with Him, there is a peace like no other. In just knowing that we are surrounded by the LORD, what is there to fear?

Have you ever seen a tower? I’m not talking about one of our modern day skyscrapers or some tall building. I’m talking about a defensive tower. Ones like you see on castles or today we see them in prisons and military bases. They are quite impressive.  Many towers were built to stand alone as watch towers and first lines of defense against an enemy.

Towers were far more then one might think by simply looking at them from the outside. Towers are huge. They have areas to sleep large amounts of men and they can hold and store large amounts of food. They were built high and up on high hills so the men stationed there could see far off.

See the spiritual similarities yet? First off, towers were built out of thick stone blocks. They were tough. Just like God sheltering us in His wings we are surrounded by strength. When you are inside the Tower, you are safe and secure. Towers had lots of room to store supplies and men. When you are inside a tower, you are surrounded by many defenders and you have plenty of provision.

In Christ, we are afforded the privilege of having many defenders. Psalm 91:11 says, “… he will give his angels charge over me lest I dash my foot against a stone…” I have my own personal army to protect me. One angel wiped out 185,000 men. 2 Kings 19:35 says, “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” Now if one angel can do that, what on Earth do I have to fear?

In order to hold all those men for long periods of time, towers had large storage areas for food. In Christ, My Strong Tower, there are great huge storage areas for all the provision I will ever need. He is Jehovah Jireh, the all sufficient Lord my Provider.

Isn’t it amazing that in being my Strong Tower He is also being My Provider? God is so unexplainable. Once you think you have Him figured out. Something entirely new comes out and blows away all your other preconceived notions. God will not be confined in a box. He will not be given one label as if that’s all He is. JESUS IS, I AM. These are the only labels He accepts to describe Himself.

Jesus is your Strong Tower. In Him, are security, provision and vision. Run into Him and be safe.

BrianKnack.Com

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J’étais au Uber Cafbar hier regardant le match sur leur grosse télé.

Ce n’est que 6 matchs mais la situation commence à être alarmante.
Perdre à domicile contre l’Avalanche du Colorado, une des pires formations de l’Ouest la saison dernière.

Tout d’abord allons-y du côté positif.
Le Canadien n’a offert que 23 fois comme cible son filet à l’adversaire. C’est une bonne nouvelle de ce côté.

Là est le seul point positif pour moi dans cette partie.

Allons y avec les points négatifs.

Scott Gomez -2, joue 23 minutes.  C’est trop.
Paul Mara, encore, -2.
Carey Price, encore une soirée sous les .900 comme pourcentage d’arrêt.  Une moyenne de 3.42 après 5 matchs. Outch !

Une défensive poreuse, des attaquants trop petits, un gardien aléatoire.

Quand une défensive est trop poreuse, normalement ça prend un gardien solide comme Martin Brodeur.  Après 5 matchs, moyenne de 2,90 et pourcentage d’arrêts à .901.

Le Canadien est actuellement 12e dans l’Est, je commence à douter fortement qu’il finira plus haut que cela.

Pendant ce temps tout va bien à Ottawa et au New Jersey on compte moins de buts qu’on en accorde mais malgré tout les Devils paraissent bien.

À Montréal le différentiel de but est déjà à -7 après seulement 5 matchs.  Oh que la saison s’annonce très longue pour les partisans du Tricolore.

Tiens justement, les Sénateurs d’ Ottawa et Alex Kovalev s’amènent en ville samedi.  J’entends déjà les hués chaque fois que le #27 touchera à la rondelle.  Ho que l’intelligence volera bas dans le Centre Bell.

Et si Kovy comptait 1, 2 ou 3 buts comment réagiraient les partisans?

Ottawa est au 28e rang au niveau du jeu de puissance, c’est la grosse faiblesse de l’équipe actuellement.

Bon, on s’en fou c’est la conférence du maire Labeaume qui prendra toute l’attention dans les médias aujourd’hui, les joueurs du Canadien pourront souffler un peu.  Mais imaginez une grosse défaite contre Ottawa. Lundi dans les chaumières de Montréal, il y aura de la grogne.

Now that we are a quarter of the way into the season, and have played a mix of teams, it is a good time to compare the metrics of our defense agaisnt the 4th quarter of last season, to see if there is any improvement. How is the switch to a 3-4 defense going?

2009 1st quarter opponents:
Chicago, Cincinnatti, @St. Louis, @Minnesota

2008 4th quarter opponents:
Houston, @Jacksonville, @Chicago, Detroit

Scoring:
The ultimate measure, are they getting the job done or not, are they preventing the opponents offense from scoring?

2009 – 93 points, 23.3 ppg average
2008 – 85 points, 21.3 ppg average
Verdict – Decline

3rd Down Defense:
Good 3rd down defense prevents opponents from sustaining drives, forcing opponents to produce big plays to put points on the board.

2009 – 25/57, 43.9%
2008 – 21/54, 38.9%
Verdict – Decline

Run Defense:
If you can’t stop the run, you aren’t going to field a very successful defense, and your offense will have little time to try to put points on the board.

2009 – 128 att, 449 yd, 3.5 YPC, 13 TFL, 2 TD, 10 10+
2008 – 105 att, 405 yd, 3.9 YPC, 10 TFL, 3 TD, 7 10+
Verdict – Improvement

Pass Defense:
Anecdote says stopping the run is the key to winning football games. Statistical studies of the game, including the trends of past Superbowl winners, shows that stopping the pass is in fact the key to winning football games.

2009 – 75/126, 59.5%, 892 yd, 7.1 YPA, 9 TD, 7 Int, 82.8 Rating
2008 – 85/144, 59.0%, 1019 yd, 7.1 YPA, 7 TD, 5 Int, 82.5 Rating
Verdict – Push

Big Plays:
Often it isn’t good fundamentals that wins at the end of the day, in football big plays are king; they change momentum and put points on the board.

2009 – 15 20+, 3 fum, 7 int, 5 Sk, 2 DTD
2008 – 17 20+, 2 fum, 5 Int, 8 Sk, 0 DTD
Verdict – Improvement

Penalties:
Penalties can hamper even the best units, and are typically the hallmark of poorly focused and/or coached teams.

2009 – 10 defensive penalites
2008 – 8 defensive penalites
Verdict – decline

Time of Possession:
Could they get off the field? Were they worn down?

2009 – 128:16, 32:04 DTOP/gm
2008 – 119:52, 29:58 DTOP/gm
Verdict – decline

Overall:
Overall I think that we are seeing slight improvements to fundamental metrics over where we were at the end of last season, however it is ultimately not translating to 3rd downs or the bottom line. The TOP gives us a clear indication why, the D isn’t getting off the field, and when they can, the offense is struggling to do much with the ball.

Overall I think that the unit is schematically limited by the injury to the starting SS. As the players continue to adjust, Bigby returns from injury, and the coaches get a chance to self scout, I think that we will see the group show steady improvement in the next quarter of the season. The first quarter of the season after a major defensive shift is expected to be a little bumpy.