Patrick

I think everyone has done a generally nice job of discussing this topic in a productive manner. Thanks all. Let's keep that going. Patrick

Welcome to KF, clfsean. Patrick

Congrats Tempest! Patrick

Congrats Devin! Happy for you. Patrick

Belated welcome, mal103. Glad to have you. Patrick

Hey Poseidon33. Glad to have you here. Patrick

My brother Sean and I played some BioShock: Infinite this weekend. As expected, a really interesting game. BioShock games are like movies. I could just watch him play. I have MLB 13: The Show that I really would like to play more. Sean and I are slowly working our way through the co-op campaign of Dead Space 3, which is an awesome new feature. Patrick

Yeah, my Dad ended up winning our little bracket challenge as he had Louisville to win it all and he was the only one of us to even have a Final Four team. Heh. Patrick

That's really awesome to hear. Thanks Alex. Patrick

Thank you for the submission, KarateGeorge. Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. The April 2013 selection is... Harlan. Congratulations! Thank you for all of your great contributions to our community. Sincerely, Patrick

Hey all, Alex (tallgeese) reached 5,000 posts at the end of February and I didn't notice it until now (thanks to Bob (sensei8) for pointing it out). Alex is just the 5th member to do this, following Brian (bushido_man96), Pat (SaiFightsMS), Heidi (ninjanurse) and myself. Congrats Alex! Thank you for all of the outstanding contributions that you have made to this community. Sincerely, Patrick

Thanks all. Glad you enjoyed it. April Fools! See this announcement: http://www.karateforums.com/april-fools-day-update-karateforums-com-etiquette-policy-vt44836.html

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. Today, on April 1, I announced that we would be introducing an etiquette policy here on KarateForums.com. This was an April Fools joke. Devin (Lupin1) had the main idea and Noah (Wastelander) contributed to it. Thanks guys. A related side story: This Grandmaster rank is actually what I used when the site began, for a short period. Unfortunately, some people did not really appreciate it and felt it was an ego thing on my part. My goal was to have martial arts themed ranks for the staff. i.e. Guide = Sempai, Moderator = Sensei, Administrator = Grandmaster. I actually had a Master at the start, too, my friend James, a.k.a. member #2. But, that perception concerned me, so I changed my title to KF Webmaster/Administrator with no belt, but left the other staff member titles and ranks. I'll leave my Grandmaster title and belt up for a little while so those who didn't visit today can see the joke in action. I hope that everyone had a great day. Thank you for taking this with good humor. Sincerely, Patrick

Edit: This was part of an April Fools' Day joke. Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. Unfortunately, over the last 3 to 6 months, I have noticed a trend within our community. This trend is a lack of discipline. In how members post and, especially, in how members treat more senior members within our community. This is not consistent with basic principles of respect or the way of the martial arts. As such, I am happy to announce that we will be instituting an etiquette policy, effective May 1. This etiquette policy gets to the heart of the problem by outlining how more senior members within our community, as well as Sempais, Senseis and myself, your Grandmaster, should be addressed. Please take the time to read it in full so that you are able to comply with this policy beginning on May 1. Etiquette policy: http://www.karateforums.com/karateforums-com-etiquette-policy-vt44833.html Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Patrick

Edit: This was part of an April Fools' Day joke. Participation in the KarateForums.com website constitutes agreement to our etiquette policy. This policy outlines how senior members and staff members within our community must be addressed, especially by those holding a lower rank. For a listing of our ranks, please see our FAQ. In addition to these ranks, there are three ranks for staff members. Sempais, Senseis and Grandmaster. Addressing Senior Members All members with 1,000 posts or more on our forums receive the rank of black belt. Due to the quantity of their contributions, all black belts have earned a high level of respect. As such, when speaking to them, you must refer to them as "sir" or "ma'am." Addressing Sempais, Senseis and the Grandmaster In addition to having a large quantity of contributions, staff members (Sempais, Senseis and the Grandmaster) are responsible for maintaining this community. These positions command respect and, as such, when addressing them, please note the following requirements. Sempais are to be addressed as Sempai Last Name and not just Sempai. For example, Sempai Mitcham. For all Sempai last names, please see our staff page. Senseis are to be addressed as Sensei Last Name and not just Sensei. For example, Sensei Wilmott. For all Sensei last names, please see our staff page. Our Grandmaster, Patrick, is to be addressed as Grandmaster. Not Grandmaster Patrick, just Grandmaster. If it becomes necessary to differentiate him from other grandmasters, you may refer to him as Grandmaster O'Keefe. All non-members, regardless of post count, must address staff members in this manner. Responding to Posts Made by Higher Ranking Members If you wish to respond to a post made by a member who is higher ranked than you are, you must ask for their permission by sending them a private message. On their post, there is a button labeled "PM." If you click this, you will be able to send them a private message. Only once you have received their permission, may you respond. Penalties Breaches of conduct will be met with pushups. Member must perform push-ups within the time provided, must video tape those pushups and must hold up a copy of the newspaper from the day of performing said pushups. The video must them be uploaded to YouTube and marked unlisted, which will allow you to send a link of the video to the member you have shown a lack of respect to. Once accepted, your account will revert to being in good standing. If you refuse pushups or demonstrate this lack of discipline on multiple occasions, you may be expelled from the community. Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com.

Thank you for the submission, Danielle. Patrick

Cool to watch. Congrats on making the journey, Alex. Patrick

Sorry, I meant to say football. Please start a basketball thread, if you want. Thanks. Patrick

Welcome to KF, Ein_Mädchen. Patrick

Welcome aboard, Mr. Orozco. Patrick

Welcome aboard, allenhrogers. Well said, xo-karate. Patrick

I like Alex Smith. For the first time in as long as I can remember, a lot of people are saying the Dolphins are one of the winners of free agency, if not the winner. Like I said, that's the first time I can really remember that happening, so that's pretty great. Of course others are saying that we may have overspent, but I'm really happy with the pieces we're putting around Tannehill. It's clear that we're building what could be a very strong pass offense. Bringing back Hartline was great. Bess is a good receiver. Then to add Mike Wallace, obviously huge, and then Brandon Gibson with a pass catching TE like Dustin Keller. That's really exciting. Plus it seems like we were able to get a really great LB in Dannell Ellerbe from the Ravens. Probably the most exciting I've been about a Dolphins season in a while. The Chiefs have picked up a couple of really good players from us, though, in Sean Smith and Anthony Fasano. Smith is a great corner and it is debatable if Keller is even much of an overall upgrade from Fasano.

Haha. Yeah, my dad, me and my brother always fill out a bracket every year, even though we don't even pay attention for the rest of the year and have no idea what's what. I've got Duke and Miami in the championship game with Miami winning, so I'm still OK. Actually, I'm probably in the best shape of the 3 of us. If Louisville doesn't win it all, I'll probably win. Patrick

Welcome aboard, tll230. Are you looking for gyms in a particular area?