Do Your Best

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Luck dictates success in America. When a test is about to be taken in school, the student is told “good luck”, as if some mystical outside factor will determine the outcome. The appropriate response is typically, “Thanks. I’ll need it.” In the Japanese culture, the student holds the responsibility for success. “Do your best,” are the words of encouragement. The response is, “I must do my best.”

The Japanese word Osu is made up of two kanji, “o” meaning to “push” which symbolizes one hundred percent effort and “su” means to “endure”. Combined, “osu” is a pledge to do one’s best and endure. This symbol, which represents the discipline and self-respect of martial arts is also said to signify patience, respect and appreciation.
In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit it is necessary to undergo rigorous training. You must push yourself to what you believe to be your limit, when you want to stop and give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weakness and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but above all you must learn to be patient. Just as students of martial arts take the personal responsibility and push themselves to do their very best in order to win, we all can “push and endure” through any of life’s challenges in order to gain personal success.

This osu kanji design is available on t-shirts for children and t-shirts for adults and teens. Also see it on other great gift ideas such as mugs, greeting cards, tile coasters, pillows, greeting cards, journals and more.

Get Out and Vote

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If anyone is out there reading this blog I implore you to get out and vote on November 4th for Barak Obama and Joe Biden. The alternative is just too frightening to imagine. The thought that Sarah Palin could end up a heartbeat away from the Presidency should be enough to get even the most apathetic citizens into the voting booths – one would hope. I for one intend to cast my ballot for the democrats (not a big stretch for me, I’ll admit, since I am a tried and true democrat. But, hopefully even the republicans will see just how dangerous it would be to have McCain & Palin in the White House.

Aside from her lack of knowledge of national and international affairs, her stand on environmental issues is less about protecting the environment than protecting her own interests. Here are just a couple of her positions:

• She filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne’s decision to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

• She issued a statement of opposition to a ballot measure that would have provided added protections for salmon from potential contamination from mining, an action seen as crucial to its defeat.

• She wants to prevent Beluga Whales from being listed as endangered.

• Global Warming: She apparently does not believe that the shrinking of the summer sea ice in the Arctic is human-induced or any cause for alarm

• She approved and expanded Alaka’s aerial predator control program which shoots wolves from the air and hunts bears from the air and kills them upon landing.

• Palin aggressively opposed the “clean water initiative” on the August ballot in Alaska (which then failed), favoring instead foreign mining company desires for fewer government regulations controlling their toxic effluent into salmon streams.

• She refuses to push Exxon to pay the goverment for the unanticipated environmental injuries from the 1989 oil spill. 20 years later the case is still unresolved while Exxon gets record profits from Alaska.

• Her admiistration has not approved any money to improve shipping safety through the Aleutian Islands.

The future of our world, our environment depends on NOT electing McCain & Palin this November. Please support Barak Obama and Joe Biden for the sake of the planet.

I’ve added some pro-Obama t-shirts to my shop, one specifically for scuba divers. Please take a look and show your support.
These images can be found at Wear My Dive Art!

Let the Sunshine In

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The calendar says it’s spring, but is it? Based on the weather here in NYC lately winter just doesn’t seem to want to let go. Last weekend I went skiing in Vermont in some great mid-winter powder conditions — in April! Now however I am ready for the warmth of spring and summer. Bring it on!
Maybe one of these sun design shirts will give mother nature a push:

Sun Shirt

Sun Tank

Men sun shirt