Vox’s posts tagged leader

Against All Odds

nobody@vox.com(Farzin) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:07:07 +0000

So this was the scene heading into week four. The Chiefs were 0-3, coming off of a 12 game losing streak since last October and the Broncos were 3-0. However, the Chiefs were able to win against all odds while hosting their bitter rivals. And anytime you pull the upset against your bitter rivals in front of your fans, the level of confidence will sky rocket. I’ll tell you what, as a die-hard Chiefs fan, yesterday felt like Christmas in Kansas City. I almost forgot what winning felt like until yesterday afternoon.

While the Denver Broncos were the hottest offense, they also had the coldest defense. This past Sunday, they were cold on both sides of the ball. After a huge block by Damien McIntosh, an offensive lineman who hasn’t been so bright for Kansas City, Larry Johnson earned himself 65 yards, the longest of his career. The Chiefs got a field goal off of that long run. Not bad so far.

After a nice pass to Brandon Marshall, Turk McBride’s hustle forced Marshall to fumble to football to allow rookie Brandon Carr recover the ball. The Chiefs were able to get another field goal following the turnover. Jay Cutler did not let the Chiefs smile for long as he started to get the Broncos going on a hot drive, which eventually lead to a Brandon Marshall touchdown over Brandon Carr. Cutler tried to get the offense to click again after a short pass to Marshall, but Derrick Johnson tackled Marshall hard popping the ball out as the other rookie cornerback, Brandon Flowers picked up the ball and took it to the two yard line. The Broncos were able to bounce back and get themselves a field goal before halftime.

The score was 13-10 heading into the half as the Broncos should have tied the game if it wasn’t for a chip shot missed field goal by Matt Prater. After a field goal by both teams, the action picked up in the boring third quarter as Derrick Johnson picked off Cutler. Despite Larry Johnson fumbling right after the Derrick Johnson fumble, Cutler threw two straight interceptions, this time to rookie Carr. The Chiefs were able to pull off a victory with a Tony Gonzalez touchdown, who is three yards shy of breaking Shannon Sharpe’s record for most receiving yards by any tight end in NFL history. Larry Johnson also got back into the endzone twice for the first time since 1/1/07 in Dick Vermeil’s final NFL game. “It felt good,” said Johnson. “At first I was thinking I should have been in there the first couple of drives. But we kept fighting and T Herb Taylor did an excellent job coming in filling in for T Branden Albert. To be able to put the ball in there twice, especially at that crucial time in the game, that’s how you want to end the game.”

Johnson also had a total of 198 rushing yards off of 28 carries with a 7.1 yard per carry average. This is the old Larry Johnson all the fans wanted to see, and their money was worth it as Larry Johnson is leading the entire AFC in rushing yards. LJ also is third overall in the NFL in rushing.

Larry Johnson did an outstanding job, but he didn’t do it all alone. The rookie cornerbacks and the rest of that defense were on fire as well limiting Jay Cutler to his success despite his 361 yards passing. “I thought our corners did a pretty good job on the receivers,” said head coach Herm Edwards. “Denver passed the ball some but (CB Brandon) Carr and (CB Brandon) Flowers – two rookie corners – did a good job. The one touchdown pass (by Denver) in the end zone was a big time catch and the young (corner) came back and intercepted one later.” Brandon Flowers was also going up against a close friend of his from college, Eddie Royal.

The locker room was full of smiles as the music was playing during the celebration. Even former Chief who got cut this past week, Jason Dunn, showed up to visit his teammates.

Like I said earlier, many Chiefs fans including myself forgot what it felt like winning a game. Kansas City finally won by snapping our 12 game losing streak against our undefeated rivals at home. Larry Johnson is now on top of the AFC in rushing. Could this have played out any better?

Winning was a huge Christmas gift that came early for Chiefs fans this year. The reason Kansas City hasn’t won a game in a while is because of the dull performances of Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle. Anytime Damon Huard starts a game and finishes, the Chiefs find success. Unlike last year, Huard is working with improved and better football players than last year. This was his first time starting a game and playing all the way until the end. There is no question in my mind that if he started and finished the games against New England and Oakland, that this team would be in talks of possibly winning a division. I never want to hear Herm Edwards say that “Tyler Thigpen gives us the best chance to win.” That is not the truth as we all know. I would be really stunned if Croyle replaces Huard if this team continues its success.

Overall, awesome win for Kansas City and I hope each and every Chiefs fan is smiling right now.

—I normally don’t tell you what I will write about next time, but this will be one of few times. Tomorrow I’m going to write about Shannon Sharpe and why I’ve had enough of his pompous attitude.

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Whole Wheat Eggs

nobody@vox.com(Darryl) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:11:04 +0000

One day a five-year-old daughter helped her mom put away groceries. She didn't know she'd purchased brown eggs instead of the usual white. When the young girl opened the carton, her eyes widened in amazement and she exclaimed, "Look, Mommy, whole wheat eggs!"

When our sons were growing up, we heard them say many such things that made us laugh. My dear wife Chris even wrote them down in a notebook she kept for each of our boys. Today, looking back, their exclamations and expressions are even more dear to us.

God is our heavenly Father. He must delight in the things we say and do as his dear children, too. Whether we're five years old or ninety-five, we still say and do things that are curious, delightful, and memorable. I like that about God. Don't you?

As I think further about my lesson for the week, Philippians 2:1-11, I am meditating today on verse 2. Paul, writing from prison, tells the Christians in Philippi:

"Then make my joy complete, by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

We make God's joy complete when we are one in spirit. In a family, at work, in the community, and at church, there are things we do together. Then we look back on the success and we say, "Wasn't it great? We were truly one in spirit as we did that."

We make God's joy complete when we are one in purpose. God has a purpose for your life. God has a purpose for my life. God has a purpose for our lives together and apart.

Maybe your purpose is to find the person or persons with whom God wants you to complete his joy by fulfilling your purpose. The Christian life is not a Lone Ranger act. Remember, even he had Tonto. And they had their horses, too. In other words, we're stronger and more effective together than apart.

I once sat at a workshop on new forms and ways of worship. Among the many things I learned that day was this. We each have spiritual gifts and we have half-gifts, too.

What is a spiritual half-gift? It's half of a gift that needs the other half. So, find that person or persons in your own setting who will help you use your half-gift.

I see this in church life a lot. A leader will pair with a follower in a task. Think of how brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright did what they did. They each needed each other's gifts and abilities to get their first flight up in the air.

So be looking around for that one or several who have the gifts you can match up with yours to do something that makes God's joy complete.

Will you do that?

Promise?

Come on, make my joy complete.

Make God's day, too!

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It's about us leaders

nobody@vox.com(Dale Williams) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:42:51 +0000

I love Robert Greenleaf's work on servant leadership.

Let me get that out of the way so that you don't have any doubt about where I stand on this leadership thing.

I was introduced to his work by Joseph Jaworski. Joseph mused with his father (special prosecutor for the Watergate scandal) how Richard Nixon, the President, the Main Man leading America, could be corrupt. How does this work he asked?

Today I live in South Africa where corruption is top of mind. Our future President is in court on corruption charges and I predict that Thabo Mbeki will be taken to task within the next two years on corruption charges. More than 100 members of parliament are accused of cooking the books on their travel claims to the tune of R36 million. I could go on...

So what do we do?

A typical South African evening revolves around too much beer or wine combined with strong, indignant complaints about how our politicians and leaders are wrecking the country. It's all about 'them'. If only 'they would do a better job' then things could be so much better. How can 'they' be so stupid.

I think differently.

It's not the leaders who we have to blame for where we are.

Leadership starts from within and there isn't a person I know of now or in history who hasn't, when they've decided to make a difference - made a difference. Funny that.

So what should we do about leadership?

Could we start with our own sphere of influence and become leaders that we would want to look up to?

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world". There couldn't be a truer word spoken by a person who lived every word of it. A simple lawyer found a way to bring the British Empire to its knees.

He didn't do it by complaining to friends and family how unfair things were.

The leadership in South Africa right now is just fine. It accurately reflects where we are as a country.

According to psychologist Erik H. Erikson, each individual passes through eight developmental stages or psychosocial stages (see Wikipedia entry). While his theory is for individuals, it is remarkably true for our country if we examine our current situation.

Each stage in his theory is defined by a crises that needs to be overcome to move to the next stage.

Have a look at his entry for Adolescence (Ages 12 - 18) which is defined by the crises of Identity vs. Role Confusion. It's just 14 years since our first democratic elections making us 14 year old.

According to Erikson, 14 year olds ask the question "Who am I?" To successfully answer this question, Erikson suggests, the adolescent must integrate the healthy resolution of all earlier conflicts. Did we develop the basic sense of trust? Do we have a strong sense of independence, competence, and feel in control of our lives? Adolescents who have successfully dealt with earlier conflicts are ready for the "Identity Crisis", which is considered by Erikson as the single most significant conflict a person must face.

If the adolescent solves this conflict successfully, she will come out of this stage with a strong identity, and ready to plan for the future.

If not, the adolescent will sink into confusion, unable to make decisions and choices, especially about vocation and her role in life in general.

If I look at the series of crises playing out in our country, the question "Who am I?" seems perfectly apt.

South Africa. Who am I? What is my place in the world? Am I competent? I am truly independent? Am I in control?

Who is this new South Africa. What does it mean to really live in post-apartheid South Africa. Now that we've moved beyond the celebration of the birth, the excitement of some early achievements, we're now in the stage where the real growth and pain can happen simultaneously.

Like a marriage, the first years are bliss and every seven years or so some crises arrives to really challenge us. Coming out of the crises can be tremendous growth or it can be terminal. If we don't go into the crises, if we avoid it for some reason, then we miss out on the opportunity for growth and the risk of not continuing the relationship.

So it looks like our country is in one of the those at the moment.

Our collective psychosocial development stage is reflected by what we get when we melt all individuals together into one big pot - warts and all. So to focus on our leaders is only a small part of the issue. We need to start within our own spheres of influence and work at growing the influence we can have. This is more effective than sitting on the sidelines allowing ourselves to be impudent and lobbying stones at our collective leadership.

I believe when the changes start happening in our neighborhoods, our schools and our suburbs then change will ripple through the country. I've seen the results of neighborhoods pulling together and making a collective decision about what will be tolerated. Usually it's the result of a crises like a crime wave. Neighbours start speaking to each and make plans which were neglected before the crises.

The conference this week in Midrand entitled Action for a Safe South Africa was for me a strong step in the right direction. Not so much because of the issues they addressed - but more importantly in the tone of the output which had a strong focus on individual rather than political leadership. A great move from the usual rhetoric.

Attended by leaders from business and society including Roelf Meyer, Graca Machel, Cheryl Carolus and Cyril Ramaphosa and approximately three hundred people representing the business community, civil society and government, the conference could be the start of strong social movement.

Graca Machel commented: "This is the first movement I know that is focusing on safety and not crime. And there is a huge difference. If we are focused on crime, we can only be reactive to elements that are perpetrating crime. But if we are focused on safety, we are proactive and we develop profound, holistic, comprehensive, and more importantly, constructive ways of addressing our problems.

"This movement brings to the core that issues of safety are not only for police, or government and courts. But mostly for us and how we relate to each other, in our families, in our schools, in our communities and in our society."

At the end of the conference Roelf Meyer read out the Charter which summarised the outcome of the conference:

Over the past four days, Action for a Safe South Africa (AFSSA) has grown from being a collaborative effort of a small group of organisations to being an explosive, organic and dynamic coalition of individual and collective activists who share a vision of a safe South Africa.
Crime and violence has already caused untold hardship, disruption and loss of life in our country. It jeopardises the foundations of our Democracy and undermines the principles that formed the basis of our transition to Democracy as embodied in our Constitution. Millions of our citizens live in continuous fear as a result of the climate of crime and violence.
We recognise that the social and economic transformation of the country is not nearly complete and that South Africans are still suffering economic deprivation. Whilst the correction of the said imbalances should be a common objective, crime and violence remain obstacles in the way of rectifying the socio-economic climate essential for allowing a better life for all.
Fixing the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is obviously an important goal for any society, yet we realise that it alone will not make us a safe society and unless we significantly reduce the demand on the CJS it will never be able to deliver justice for all.
We recognise the need for a practical and an achievable vision of a safe South Africa - a vision that encapsulates an ideal safe society. We know that realising this ideal will be lengthy process and we commit to working innovatively, cleverly and with resilience to realise the capacity, funding and structures to achieve this.
We aim to enable every South African to contribute to making South Africa safe through sustained science-based, inclusive partnerships and actions. We will not duplicate nor compete with any other initiative with similar or complementary objectives. We will strengthen each other through co-operation and the development of a critical mass of those who respect the rule of law and work constructively to build a safe society.
We commit ourselves to the practical implementation of a plan comprising of the specific outcomes of this Convention as outlined during the report-back session, by representatives of the eight working groups. These plans will be articulated in a book produced with "South Africa - The Good News" and will be widely circulated to all those who so generously contributed over the last few days and to all those in South Africa who wish to participate and contribute in the future.
We have consulted and will continue to consult those whose contribution to this civil society initiative is essential. We mandate the organisers of this Convention to continue this consultation with those not represented at this Convention and in particular the Department of Social Development, the faith-based community, organised labour and other key sectors.
We ask the organisers to ensure that the required mechanism and capacity are in place to implement the plans we have developed, to secure the necessary funding and to report in writing to us and by reconvening an expanded Leadership Forum within a period of 75 days from this Convention.

I could end by saying 'Let's hope this makes a difference' but that would be in the same mold as the wine induced winging about our leadership. We'll know if changes are afoot when we wake up in the morning and see change in the mirror. Imagine that?

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Leadership Vs Followship (Part 1)

nobody@vox.com(Mark Evenden) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:45:07 +0000

This is the first of three articles looking into the concept of “Followship”.

There are many books and articles that have been written about leadership, and how to become a great leader, but what about “Followship”, how can you encourage people to become great followers? After all it is important to recognise that successful leadership can only be achieved if there are fruitful interactions between those who lead and those who follow. Nevertheless many organisations focus their attention on leadership development with what appears to be an assumption that their staff will instinctively know how to follow.

So what are the characteristics of effective Followship? Interestingly they share a number of elements that are similar to effective leadership. For example followers:

· Lead and manage themselves effectively.
· Are highly participative.
· Show commitment to the organisation and what it’s trying to achieve.
· Model effective follower roles and behaviours.
· Continuously learn and develop.

Followers are not simply “sheep”. “Sheep” are passive and uncritical, lacking in initiative and a sense of responsibility. Effective followers are highly participative, critical and independent thinkers.

Further, research suggests that those who prove able to follow effectively, usually transition to formal leadership positions over time. This demonstrates the interactive nature of the leader/follower relationship.

For organisations to be truly successful they need both effective leaders as well as followers, but how can organisations develop effective Followship? This issue will be discussed in the following articles.

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What can you do when there is a conflict of leadership in the executive team?

nobody@vox.com(Mark Evenden) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:25:30 +0000

This conflict on leadership can and does arise from time to time in senior teams in organisations when a new member joins the team or when a new leader is appointed and the leader and a team member do not get on. This can be for any number of reasons such as different views about:

the organisation’s products, services or marketplace
the future vision, direction, business or financial strategy
the key people, their deployment or potential.

However the other area where this difficulty can typically arise is in the leadership style and behaviours demonstrated by the leader versus their new team member and a difference of opinion about how this business should be led and managed. Quite often there is a large element of the view being taken by the subordinate manager that “I could do a better job” of running this organisation than my boss is doing – but they rarely if ever say this out loud – or that “things were running much better in the old days before Pat took over”.

When considering what to do about this, it does depend on where you positioned in this debate. If you are the leader and the boss then you could decide not to tolerate such dissent from within your team and request or demand that the team member stops complaining right now, gets on with it, gets into line with your style and expectations or moves on and out. (I have rarely seen a CEO in a substantial organisation take such decisive early action but it can and does happen occasionally).

More often today’s leaders will try to work it out with their dissenting manager and look for a change of style, an accommodation from them over time and hope for an improving relationship in the medium term. They may also feel able to look at their own style and approach.
If you are the team member who is dissatisfied with your leader's style then you need to decide if you can tolerate it and live with it or whether you or they can and will change. Of course you will recognise that the only person whose behaviour you can directly change is your own, and that by the definition more of the power and status in the team will reside with your boss. So expecting your boss to change radically is not likely option - why should they?

The best line for both parties is to find an agreed path where both acknowledge the differences in each others styles and preferences and agree to respect these differences and to work to increase their understanding of each other and to reduce the impact of their styles. This process can often be helped by the support of an objective, external facilitator who brings out these style differences and people's strengths in a positive way.

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CBC Ride Leader

nobody@vox.com(genman) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:29:52 +0000

I was sweep for a few Tuesday Night Surprise rides for the Cascade Bicycle Club. Last night I was officially leading the ride. Lynn was going to "sweep."

With the help of Google Earth and Bikely I put together this ride which renders like this in Google Earth:

Lost_in_laurelhurst

This is Seattle; Gasworks Park, where we started, is off to the left (East). The route we followed is the thin white line you see overlaid on the map. It roughly follows the shoreline of Lake Washington. To the right is Magnuson Park.

There were 17 riders last night, and due to the good weather some newcomers. I was a bit nervous, given the turnout there were likely people wrong for the ride. I was also using a mostly untested (in a group) route which would have a fair number of hills. The hills would certainly be a problem for some, especially a Dad with his two kids (largely "dead weight") on a tandem.

Still, despite the possibility of being "too hard", I was looking forward to some "new roads" in the route. The route followed many roads I've never seen other leaders chose: roads through the University of Washington campus (twice), roads of Laurelhurst and Windermere, Magnuson Park, and my favorite bridge over Ravenna Park. I included many roads I used to ride 10 years ago as a student. I also picked out a number different hills, some new to me.

We went through U.W. mostly together. There are a few hills and decents where I picked up speed, but I kept my pace at 14 mph on the flats -- the "moderate pace" meant I had to keep it at around 14-16 mph. Still, I went faster than many in the group. I was told to "keep it slow" and keep the group together. A couple of lights through U.W. a parking lot later, we were in Laurelhurst and I was having to check the cue sheet. Laurelhurst was really the main focus of the ride. My route was called "Lost in Laurelhurst" since the roads snake around a bit making it tough to navigate and I did make one wrong turn -- into a dead end! -- since my cue sheet was incorrect. And rounding the tip of the peninsula (shown in the middle bottom of the map), was a big climb which I think was hard for a number of riders. It was still hot!

I was to wait and regroup after every climb, which I did. It took some time to for all riders to arrive. I felt like apologizing to those late-comers who were having a bit of a hard, obviously. I took out a couple of extra climbs in Laurelhurst but there was still another climb until leaving the neighborhood.

Waiting in front of a gas station, Lynn (sweep) was telling me to "stop" and wait for somebody with a dropped chain. Given we had 17 bicycles, it was inevitable that something would happen to one of them. Then there was a lady who was walking her bicycle downhill, and who I later heard was recovering from a shoulder injury before she left the ride.

I knew Windermere was going to be easier, so I wanted to move along and redeem myself. Indeed, it was a fun ride and much flatter than Laurelhurst. Then there was getting to Magnuson Park, which was easy. I discovered the park was under serious construction and no water for the people who ran out. This was bad, although not really my problem since the riders could have easily carried enough to ride these 20 miles! Lynn also said goodbye to the injured woman and her friend, who I guess wasn't up for the ride.

Post potty break, we rode through the rest of the park, reaching the end, and there I was finding the road did not end up at the exit of the park, but instead pretty much dead-ended. With 17 people (now 15) you try to hide your mistakes a bit. Near the old Navy village, people were clamoring for water, but there was none, and we had to carry on.

There was one more big climb, and I sort of dreaded it, since I think people had their fill by now. I stuck with the plan. The decent was fun but lead to a busy arterial with no shoulder (NE 95th Street). It'd be normally okay, but with 15 riders it was pretty dangerous to take that road, especially uphill a bit. John with the two kids had enough and went home. And the rest of us went to Meadowbrook Community Center and had a water break. It was now getting on to sunset.

Lynn suggested a different way back than in my cue sheet to save a hill, and advised me to take a way not entirely familiar. I missed my turn to Ravenna Avenue NE. The group was split! Realizing my mistake we U-turned and the front half (me) eventually caught up with the back half.

Returning was mostly uneventful except for passing through a Block Party, which we weren't supposed to do.

I learned a few things from this experience: 1) Moderate pace means picking a route with hills climbleable with moderate effort. (Though 80% of the riders were okay, it probably wasn't good to "kill" the other 20%) 2) Pick routes for groups not for individual riders. This means routes with fewer lights and lots of room for cars to pass. 3) People are very tolerant of mistakes made. 4) I might want a clipboard for the sign-up sheet, which takes a long time for many people to get through.

We had a pretty good turn out for the post-ride meal. At the Nickerson, we had a rider under 21 -- a first for this ride? -- and given the liquor laws, we had to eat inside, frustrating since it was hotter inside the building than out. I talked rides with Mike Wong, a ride leader off for the week, ate meatloaf, and had a Manny's.

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To the other side of the wind!

nobody@vox.com(Huxley) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:23:16 +0000

♥ Thank you, Yoshikazu-chan:

I became an Arashi fan after passing the 50-year-old mark, but they have saved me time and time again. Whenever I felt troubled or depressed about work and relationships and such, their presence gave me strength and courage. I am still quite a novice as a fan, so in no way can I analyze nor critique them. That is why my newly-finished book "Why I came to like Arashi" is not one of analysis or research, but one that tells the story of how I came to like Arashi. Whenever I felt tired from dealing with people, I only have to look at Captain, Nino, MatsuJun, Aiba-chan, and Sho-kun laughing on my TV screen, and I am comforted. Whenever I watch their high-quality performance on their concert DVDs, I also feel like, "I've gotta work hard too!" Unfavorable winds always blow in everyone's lives, not just in mine. In times such as these, Arashi said these to us: instead of worrying amidst the ill wind, let's imagine things going well. I have seriously been saved by these words. These past few years Arashi has been moving only forward at full throttle, and the headwinds will probably get stronger by just as much. During just such times, I want to be the wind at their backs. Arashi! Cross the mountain that is looming right in front of you......to the other side of the wind, to the other side of the wind......!

× ~~The address of Shuukan Gendai,~~ just in case you have some live strains of Anthrax or other biological warfare sitting in your fridge and feel like sending it to them. Or if you're a hacker extraordinaire and would rather send them a virtual virus: wgendai@kodansha.co.jp wgen@kodansha.co.jp (Just kidding. Sort of.)

☆ This is a critique of the actual article by a fan (and cancer survivor). She wrote that she wants overseas fans to know as well since Arashi has their Asian tour coming up:

The problem is the marijuana thing. But, if you really think about it, if anything Ohno-kun is the victim here.
This involves the law, and its effect seems to be really profound, so I want fans to clearly understand the situation he was in. While saying that, I am only analyzing from bits and pieces of information, but from those I tried to analyze as best as I could, and as much as possible I want to support him objectively and not just emotionally.
During this time, they say Ohno-kun was drunk. The article is written based on the testimonies of "two women". They say that when he was dead drunk, someone said "Look what I've got" and brought out the marijuana and they took their turns smoking it, him included.
Point 1: It is in the women's testimonies that the dead drunk Ohno-kun did not seem to know that the thing that that someone brought out was marijuana, and they think he learned only after getting high. Yet these two women knew that it was marijuana before he smoked it. While knowing beforehand, isn't it a crime to make someone who is dead drunk and clueless smoke it? It surely must have had profound negative effects on his body, and from this one can say that Ohno-kun is a victim of bodily injury.
Point 2: This magazine article is written based on the testimonies of these two women. Why did the editors of this magazine, after hearing their story that marijuana was smoked, not report to the police, but instead write an article which questions Johnny's and Ohno-kun who smoked unknowingly? I mean, this magazine knows the women who knowingly smoked marijuana, so they should have notified the police immediately. Shouldn't they be charged for withholding information?
Point 3: The biggest offender is probably the "someone" who brought the marijuana. These two women know that person, so yet again, why did this magazine not report that to the police?
Point 4: There is only the women's testimonies to back up the story that marijuana was smoked. It seems that no other evidence exists.
Point 5: I don't know legally how much responsibility is placed on actions taken while drunk, but being drunk can make one unable to make clear judgments, so in such circumstances, no matter how you look at it, it was the people around him who knew it was marijuana and made him smoke it who are the ones at fault.
It is possible that Shuukan Gendai holds some other information, but whatever comes out, let's think about it calmly. Even if Ohno-kun himself thinks he's alright, I think he'll probably be sad if the fans are sad.

Edit: I posted this not because I believe Leader smoked that weed (it's innocent until proven guilty for me; it's hasty to believe the allegations of nameless, faceless "Girl A" and "Girl B"), but because orgelpyon-san (thank you very much!) did a good job of pointing out the loopholes in the story. They say Shuukan Gendai still has more pics, including possibly the money shot. However, I've been reading up on the Cannabis Control Law ever since the gravity of the whole marijuana involvement sank, and correct me if I'm wrong, but even if the story turns out to be true, it's highly unlikely that Leader will go to jail:

大○に使用罪はありません
http://asayake.jp/modules/report/index.php?page=print&storyid=719
http://asayake.jp/modules/report/index.php?page=print&storyid=758

The Cannabis Control Law states: "No person other than a cannabis handler shall possess, cultivate, receive, or transfer cannabis, or use cannabis for scientific research." This law does not cover usage. That is, unless one is caught with the drugs in his/her possession, or the plants growing in his/her property, he/she cannot be charged with a crime. A person could be arrested for suspicion of possession/cultivation, but the women's testimonies, if to be believed, clearly state that the pot was not Leader's. It would be unreasonable to nab someone who is not a habitual user for suspicion (not to mention for something that happened years ago).

I still can't help but worry though...someone finally dared to mention it on TV for the first time. Johnny's shroud of silence is keeping everyone on tenterhooks. The antis are unfortunately still at it. Monday is supposed to be fun ZERO/Shukudai-kun day dang it, not dread-the-new-issue-of-Shuukan-Gendai day. ~~Forget about joking, someone send them Anthrax already, if only to restore my peace of mind~~ (kidding again)

● Anyone here a lawyer or law student? Here's a link to an English version of Japan's Cannabis Control Law (all the legal jargon is making my head spin). To be honest I didn't think it was going to be a big deal at first...little did I know that the Japanese law has a very strict and unforgiving attitude towards pot (it is only now that I remember what happened to Paul McCartney). Also, please take whatever rumors you read with a grain of salt...Leader nor the other members did not say anything about it during the recent Music Lovers taping. And "news" from Tokyo Sports and Osaka Sports about Johnny's waging war on Kodansha (which I think is a really bad idea) etc. etc.: these papers are notorious for their lack of credibility.

p.s. Just thought of a way for fans in Japan to appease their sponsors for the next few weeks --- increase their sales:
- switch to au (and say it's because of that guy who sings "puru puru puru puru")
- eat nothing but Tongari Corn and Nino's noodle thingy
- drink nothing but Pepsi Nex and Shava Dava
- move to a new apartment using Able
- buy a Toyota

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Frank Chase, False Roads to Manhood - Vision PublicityServices - Vision Public Relations Group - PRE

nobody@vox.com(Frank Chase Jr) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:20:09 +0000

Frank Chase, False Roads to Manhood - Vision PublicityServices - Vision Public Relations Group - PRE

http://www.visionpublicityservices.co...

In False Roads to Manhood, Chase challenges men to tear down the walls that keep them from reaching their full potential and authentic manhood. He chronicles the journeys that men pursue when life really hurts, and shows them how to surrender their pain and get back on track to a life of fulfillment.

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Renaissance woman

nobody@vox.com(katyag85) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:26:15 +0000

After passing of Jutta who had many followers, Hildegard was elected to be a leader of her sister community. Then she was still in doubt about her visions. But then Hildegard decided that her visions were instructions from God. She confided in Jutta about the visions, who could not keep this secret and told it to several other people. Yet, Hildegard would not record her predictions and visions. Only when suddenly she became extremely sick, she overcame her fear and was more open about her visions that she continued to get throughout her life. Her work on vision was always in progress. In the end accounts of visions were compiled in three books and stopped only in 1179 with her death.

Hildegard founded several monasteries and was respected throughout all medieval Germany. Among her heritage there are many medical, botanical and geological works, poems, plays and music. Amazingly, she was the first woman in Europe to write about feminine sexuality and the first to describe scientifically origin of female orgasm. She remained at the level of beautification and her name was was taken up in the Roman martyrology. But never was formally canonized by Rome. Nevertheless, for Germans she was and would remain Saint Hildegard and she is highly popular there even today.

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Speech in front of school

nobody@vox.com(Amy) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:22:38 +0000

I did a speech in front of my school this morning.

it was about the Environment Forum and Carbon Footprinting.

omg i was TERRIFIED.

I was OKAY right up until 2nd Spell, (assembly was after 2nd spell) and i was on the verge of tears

like i've spoken (lol well can you count the acting voice class with no voice a speech?) in the Opera House before, but with the lights you cant see anyone... but this is the school hall, with 850 people, where you can see everyone staring at you o.O

and i was prepared to say NO I'M NOT DOING IT

but...i did it.

and omgggg i was terrified. and my face was burning.

and juliane said, who was sitting at the back of the hall, that she could even see my bright red face from back there.

great. *roll eyes*

and so hopefully this terrifying speech gives me a headstart for the Community Services Leader next year?

lol yeah right.

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