York Union is the debating society of the University of York.
It acts as a non-partisan forum for free discussion and debate on any, and every, matter. The Union does not shy away from the controversial but aims to hear and debate all views- the passive, the aggressive, the moderate, the extreme and the confused are all welcomed. Motions range from international affairs to questions of morality.
As one of the most active societies on the campus, they have a wide range of responsibilities and pursuits. Added to this is their role as a debating union in the national circuit of University debating unions. Thus their termcard is always full of activities.
Debating
York Union is increasing its involvement in the national debating circuit and now regularly sends teams to inter-varsity competitions (IVs) held almost every weekend at universities across the United Kingdom. The union also hopes to host its own IV for the first time in late 2007. As part of this effort the Union holds weekly debates as well as training classes for its members.
As well as this, York Union organises and chairs debates between other university societies and department lecturers.
Speakers
The other primary pursuit of the Union is to invite interesting and high profile speakers to the university, most recently they have hosted Lord Hutton, Anthony Giddens and John Witherow to address the Union.
Schools debating
The Union commits itself to helping Secondary school students in the Yorkshire area develop the skill of debating. With this, they are hosting the first Annual York Union Schools Competition in May 2007. It will be a one day novices competition starting with a workshop before the four rounds of the competition. As well as this event, the Union is organising regular debating workshops in Yorkshire Schools and running a mailing list for teachers to keep up to date on the debates and speakers the Union hosts so, should any be relevant to their students, they can come along.
Socials
The Union runs at least one social every term-week and these are wide ranging with movie nights, trips to comedy shows/plays, three-legged bar crawls, giant picnics in the summer, go-karting, ice-skating, Gift of the Gab (a battle between the sexes) and the annual ball after the York IV.
Society and council
York Union is managed by a council of 10 members, who are elected annually.
The current council are:
President
Maryah Mufti
Vice President
Edmund Scholey
Treasurer
Nicholas Duvall
Secretary
Lily Eastwood
Speakers Secretary
Morven Hamilton
IV Secretary (2 positions)
Katie Holland &
James Eustace
Schools Secretary
Carina Topham
Marketing and Publicity Secretary
Robin Jervis
Webmaster
Anthony Cox
It acts as a non-partisan forum for free discussion and debate on any, and every, matter. The Union does not shy away from the controversial but aims to hear and debate all views- the passive, the aggressive, the moderate, the extreme and the confused are all welcomed. Motions range from international affairs to questions of morality.
As one of the most active societies on the campus, they have a wide range of responsibilities and pursuits. Added to this is their role as a debating union in the national circuit of University debating unions. Thus their termcard is always full of activities.
Debating
York Union is increasing its involvement in the national debating circuit and now regularly sends teams to inter-varsity competitions (IVs) held almost every weekend at universities across the United Kingdom. The union also hopes to host its own IV for the first time in late 2007. As part of this effort the Union holds weekly debates as well as training classes for its members.
As well as this, York Union organises and chairs debates between other university societies and department lecturers.
Speakers
The other primary pursuit of the Union is to invite interesting and high profile speakers to the university, most recently they have hosted Lord Hutton, Anthony Giddens and John Witherow to address the Union.
Schools debating
The Union commits itself to helping Secondary school students in the Yorkshire area develop the skill of debating. With this, they are hosting the first Annual York Union Schools Competition in May 2007. It will be a one day novices competition starting with a workshop before the four rounds of the competition. As well as this event, the Union is organising regular debating workshops in Yorkshire Schools and running a mailing list for teachers to keep up to date on the debates and speakers the Union hosts so, should any be relevant to their students, they can come along.
Socials
The Union runs at least one social every term-week and these are wide ranging with movie nights, trips to comedy shows/plays, three-legged bar crawls, giant picnics in the summer, go-karting, ice-skating, Gift of the Gab (a battle between the sexes) and the annual ball after the York IV.
Society and council
York Union is managed by a council of 10 members, who are elected annually.
The current council are:
President
Maryah Mufti
Vice President
Edmund Scholey
Treasurer
Nicholas Duvall
Secretary
Lily Eastwood
Speakers Secretary
Morven Hamilton
IV Secretary (2 positions)
Katie Holland &
James Eustace
Schools Secretary
Carina Topham
Marketing and Publicity Secretary
Robin Jervis
Webmaster
Anthony Cox
Great Agbonlahor is a six-year-old autistic boy who was deported from Ireland to Nigeria on the August 14, 2007, along with his sister and mother. He had lived in Ireland since the age of two. The deportation order was one of the last acts in office of Michael McDowell, a former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Many people oppose the deportation on humanitarian grounds and are campaigning for it to be overturned. However, he was illegally present in Ireland as he and his mother and sister had previously been present in Italy, and EU law requires asylum seekers to apply in the first EU country in which they arrive, rather than choosing another country. This is to prevent forum shopping.
Dosphea is a football/soccer type sport that was created in 2006 by the team behind B.L.A.C.K.
It is played by two people on a 1m wide x 3.5m long x 40cm high block of wood that is on a 12 degree angle. Each player has their own side. There is usually a wall in which the ball may be bounced off to get past the opponent in a confusing/tricky manner.
Aim
The aim of Dosphea is to get the ball past the opponents side, using only your feet. When this is achieved it is called a goal.
Rules
If the ball is kicked off the wood then the it goes to the opposition of whoever kicked it out.
Pushing is allowed to a certain extent, if the referee blows the whistle, it is a foul. Usually the winner is the first to score 10 goals.
It is played by two people on a 1m wide x 3.5m long x 40cm high block of wood that is on a 12 degree angle. Each player has their own side. There is usually a wall in which the ball may be bounced off to get past the opponent in a confusing/tricky manner.
Aim
The aim of Dosphea is to get the ball past the opponents side, using only your feet. When this is achieved it is called a goal.
Rules
If the ball is kicked off the wood then the it goes to the opposition of whoever kicked it out.
Pushing is allowed to a certain extent, if the referee blows the whistle, it is a foul. Usually the winner is the first to score 10 goals.
A Shihan in the United States Aikido Federation (USAF) is a high-ranking instructor of Aikido, holding the rank of at least 6th dan, associated with Aikikai Hombu Dojo through the USAF. Initially, the only Shihan in America came directly from Hombu Dojo, but since 2004, several notable North American instructors have been granted the title by Hombu Dojo as well. A distinction is usually made between the two groups, as the North American Shihan are all students of the initial group of Shihan sent by Hombu Dojo. The USAF is one of several American aikido organizations with direct ties to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo.
For a period of several years in the late 1980s and 1990s, a Shihan-kai was held every two years at the dojo of the late Akira Tohei Sensei in Chicago, Illinois, at which an aikido seminar was conducted for attendees.
Historical Background
The term Shihan is often used in budo. The word means teacher or model. It should be noted that the Shihan system is separate from (but more or less coupled with) that of dan rank. A translation of its current usage within Aikido would be that of "Master Teacher." It is what some would consider equivalent to a terminal degree of Aikido, and thus the term Shihan has sometimes been translated as Professor. This practice was more common in the early days of Aikido's influx into America, and has been falling into disuse as the general knowledge of Japanese Terminology becomes more widespread. In Aikido, it specifically refers to teachers of high rank who have been given the authority to award dan rank above that of 1st dan to aikido students upon the successful completion of a regimented set of testing requirements.
Below Shihan are the titles Shidoin (Journeyman Instructor, or Second-level Instructor) and Fuku-Shidoin (Assistant Instructor). Generally, Fuku-Shidoin and Shidoin certification is awarded by a national organization for testing and training purposes. Fuku-Shidoin are at least of dan rank, but usually 2nd or 3rd dan and teach in some capacity at a dojo. Shidoin are generally at least 4th dan or higher, and either perform the roles of Chief Instructor or a Senior Instructor at their dojo. According to USAF policy, Fuku-shidoin certification allows the holder to promote students up to the rank of 1st kyu, Shidoin certification allows the holder to promote up to 2nd dan, while Shihan allows for even higher promotion privileges. In most cases, higher-level dan promotion tests occur in the presence of several shihan; as such, it is common practice in America to take a dan test at a larger regional seminar.
The title was generally given by the Doshu to Aikido Instructors in Japan upon reaching the rank of 6th dan, but it was unclear about whether Western instructors could receive the title of Shihan as well. In 2004, Claude Berthiaume received the title of Shihan from Aikikai Hombu Dojo, and subsequently, several of the USAF's senior instructional staff have been awarded the title as well. In 2005, Hombu Dojo issued regulations concerning the awarding of the title of Shihan to non-Japanese instructors, shuffling away with at least some of the ambiguity surrounding the awarding of the title.
Notable exceptions to this practice were Sadao Yoshioka and Robert Aoyagi, two of the first non-Japanese instructors to receive the title, both of whom received it in the 20th century. These exceptions were made for several reasons. While both have American Citizenship, both are of Japanese descent. Concurrent with their respective receiving of the title of Shihan, each was serving as head instructor of Aikido of Honolulu, one of the few places outside of Japan visited by aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and blessed by him in-person upon its opening. Both instruct in Hawaii, the first place outside of Japan where Aikido was introduced in its modern, post-war form.
Kazuo Chiba's dojo in San Diego, California offers a unique kenshusei program, which is inclusive of an indefinite training regimen that certified Shidoin may enroll in order to obtain the title of Shihan. At first, these titles were only recognized by Birankai, the trans-national Aikido Organization headed by Kazuo Chiba himself, but since the 2005 statement by Hombu Dojo, these titles were certified by Hombu as well. The course is quite stringent, requisites of which include a strong proficiency in zen meditation and batto-ho iaido, and spending several months at Aikikai Hombu Dojo, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Nikkei Shihan
*Akira Tohei
*Yoshimitsu Yamada
*Kazuo Chiba
*Mitsunari Kanai
*Seiichi Sugano
*Sadao Yoshioka (later formed the Hawaii Aikido Federation)
*Robert Aoyagi (assumed control of the USAF Hawaii Region, now defunct)
*Ichiro Shibata
*
American Shihan
*Claude Berthiaume
*Peter Bernath
*Shigemi "Eddie" Hagihara (Longest Active Aikido Teacher in New York)
*Harvey Konigsberg
*Paul Sylvain (posthumous)
*Clyde Takeguchi
*Donovan Waite
*Andrew Demko
*Robert Zimmermann
*Kristina Varjan (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Lorraine DiAnne (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Pablo Vasquez (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Michael Flynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Darrell Bluhm (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Juba Nour (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Jack Arnold (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Gloria Eiko Nomura (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Aikido Institute of San Francisco, Daly City, California.
*Elizabeth A. Lynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Eastshore Aikikai, El Sobrante, California.
*Robert Nadeau, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
*Frank Doran, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
For a period of several years in the late 1980s and 1990s, a Shihan-kai was held every two years at the dojo of the late Akira Tohei Sensei in Chicago, Illinois, at which an aikido seminar was conducted for attendees.
Historical Background
The term Shihan is often used in budo. The word means teacher or model. It should be noted that the Shihan system is separate from (but more or less coupled with) that of dan rank. A translation of its current usage within Aikido would be that of "Master Teacher." It is what some would consider equivalent to a terminal degree of Aikido, and thus the term Shihan has sometimes been translated as Professor. This practice was more common in the early days of Aikido's influx into America, and has been falling into disuse as the general knowledge of Japanese Terminology becomes more widespread. In Aikido, it specifically refers to teachers of high rank who have been given the authority to award dan rank above that of 1st dan to aikido students upon the successful completion of a regimented set of testing requirements.
Below Shihan are the titles Shidoin (Journeyman Instructor, or Second-level Instructor) and Fuku-Shidoin (Assistant Instructor). Generally, Fuku-Shidoin and Shidoin certification is awarded by a national organization for testing and training purposes. Fuku-Shidoin are at least of dan rank, but usually 2nd or 3rd dan and teach in some capacity at a dojo. Shidoin are generally at least 4th dan or higher, and either perform the roles of Chief Instructor or a Senior Instructor at their dojo. According to USAF policy, Fuku-shidoin certification allows the holder to promote students up to the rank of 1st kyu, Shidoin certification allows the holder to promote up to 2nd dan, while Shihan allows for even higher promotion privileges. In most cases, higher-level dan promotion tests occur in the presence of several shihan; as such, it is common practice in America to take a dan test at a larger regional seminar.
The title was generally given by the Doshu to Aikido Instructors in Japan upon reaching the rank of 6th dan, but it was unclear about whether Western instructors could receive the title of Shihan as well. In 2004, Claude Berthiaume received the title of Shihan from Aikikai Hombu Dojo, and subsequently, several of the USAF's senior instructional staff have been awarded the title as well. In 2005, Hombu Dojo issued regulations concerning the awarding of the title of Shihan to non-Japanese instructors, shuffling away with at least some of the ambiguity surrounding the awarding of the title.
Notable exceptions to this practice were Sadao Yoshioka and Robert Aoyagi, two of the first non-Japanese instructors to receive the title, both of whom received it in the 20th century. These exceptions were made for several reasons. While both have American Citizenship, both are of Japanese descent. Concurrent with their respective receiving of the title of Shihan, each was serving as head instructor of Aikido of Honolulu, one of the few places outside of Japan visited by aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and blessed by him in-person upon its opening. Both instruct in Hawaii, the first place outside of Japan where Aikido was introduced in its modern, post-war form.
Kazuo Chiba's dojo in San Diego, California offers a unique kenshusei program, which is inclusive of an indefinite training regimen that certified Shidoin may enroll in order to obtain the title of Shihan. At first, these titles were only recognized by Birankai, the trans-national Aikido Organization headed by Kazuo Chiba himself, but since the 2005 statement by Hombu Dojo, these titles were certified by Hombu as well. The course is quite stringent, requisites of which include a strong proficiency in zen meditation and batto-ho iaido, and spending several months at Aikikai Hombu Dojo, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Nikkei Shihan
*Akira Tohei
*Yoshimitsu Yamada
*Kazuo Chiba
*Mitsunari Kanai
*Seiichi Sugano
*Sadao Yoshioka (later formed the Hawaii Aikido Federation)
*Robert Aoyagi (assumed control of the USAF Hawaii Region, now defunct)
*Ichiro Shibata
*
American Shihan
*Claude Berthiaume
*Peter Bernath
*Shigemi "Eddie" Hagihara (Longest Active Aikido Teacher in New York)
*Harvey Konigsberg
*Paul Sylvain (posthumous)
*Clyde Takeguchi
*Donovan Waite
*Andrew Demko
*Robert Zimmermann
*Kristina Varjan (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Lorraine DiAnne (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Pablo Vasquez (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Michael Flynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Darrell Bluhm (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Juba Nour (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Jack Arnold (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Gloria Eiko Nomura (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Aikido Institute of San Francisco, Daly City, California.
*Elizabeth A. Lynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Eastshore Aikikai, El Sobrante, California.
*Robert Nadeau, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
*Frank Doran, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF