• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• Our language course ended in June of 1970. By that time we had learned passable English in six month. I was then advised to take the Michigan test if I intended to apply for university to finish my veterinary studies. I wrote the test in August and submitted my application to the Ontario Veterinary College. When they invited me for an interview I was disappointed to hear their classes were full. In the mean time, the University of Guelph admissions department advised me to complete grade 13 English (the final year of high school at the time), and apply the following year.
• The following summer I was accepted into the University of Guelph. I began my studies in September of 1971, and was admitted to their third year of a four year program. Meanwhile my husband found work in Brampton at a small animal veterinary clinic, so we decided to move there. It was a good clinic because they were constantly busy. Most of our education in Czechoslovakia was focused on large animals to serve the needs of the agricultural industry. In contrast, The only experience my husband had at the time was at the veterinary college in Košice where he was an assistant in a large animal department. Canada already had a large market of domesticated animals. So the Brampton clinic was a great opportunity for him to quickly how to quickly treat small animals.
• I graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in June of 1973. In many ways I fulfilled my dream, thanks to my husband. I also owe my heartfelt gratitude to my mother, Valeria Kende, who always believed in me. My mother could finally tell all her doubters that the sacrifices she made were worth it – Her daughter was a veterinarian.
Mamička
If you missed the other posts on Mamička, you can link to them here:
• We always want our children to be better than us. Some may interpret that to mean success through wealth, fame, or power. But it’s beyond that. I want my boys to be stronger than me. Emotionally, physically, and socially. I want them to survive in this world beyond what I could possibly achieve. I want them to make an impact on their world better than what I achieved. I want to give my boys what my father didn’t – to be their mentor.
• Even with emotional clarity, I always felt limited in my ability to reach the top tiers of success. I revered those that had mentors throughout their lives. I observed how a select few attributed their achievements to a mentor. I never had someone that would sit with me and assess my life and provide continual and persistent guidance. The only times I would be approached directly by a family member was when I was in crisis, or when I had done something horribly wrong. Those times I had been lectured and disciplined. The closest I had to a mentor in those years was my coach, Morris Vaillancourt*, and my girlfriend’s father, Conrad Brown. I respected them immensely – always listening to their words of wisdom, and lessons from life. They were mentors by example and in how they viewed life.
* Morris Vaillancourt, was the coach of the Burlington YMCA Swim Club. He is also a National Coach, Level I and II Clinic Conductor. In 1973 Morris was the Canada Games Coach and also held the position of Chairman of the Ontario Swimming Coaches Association. He has trained over 100 Provincial and National record holders.
• Gabičko
If you missed other Gabičko posts, you can find them here:
• Introduction by Ing. Maria ‘Cuna’ Cabanová • 2005 April 20 • Translation & Editing by Gabriel Dusil
• In 1962 the girls received their 5th kyu (yellow belt). At that time Košice did not have qualified examiners, so Ing. Robert Binder came from Bratislava. He was the founder of Slovak judo, and now over 80 year old. For me the event was significant because we were told that Mr. Binder was a very charismatic gentleman. He explained to me that judo is primarily for intellectuals and that I chose my sport correctly (at one time in my life I seriously flirted with running instead).
• I couldn’t have chosen better that the 14 years I dedicated to judo. After 45 years I can say that objectively. It was wonderful to belong to a team of smart boys and girls that were considerate, independent and responsible. After all Kajo, our coach, was only two or three years older than most of us. It was the same in the men’s team. Kajo not only secured the training schedule, but all organizational, financial and administrative issues related to the sport – and later with the Regional Judo Association. Most issues were managed by the three Dusil brothers: Robert, Vašek (unfortunately no longer with us) and Karol. When problems escalated, some of us were asked to help. I was among them, as well as Igor Fridrich. I transcribed meeting minutes and various reports that were required by the totalitarian regime. When Robert went to study in Sweden in 1967, Igor Fridrich took over management of the Regional Judo Association.
• I was never a successful competitor, but that did not hinder me, as I felt at home with the team. Kajo was in charge of all women’s age groups and performance categories, and very soon I also began to participate in coaching duties. I taught judo throws and basics to hundreds of girls. Before reaching the age of 18 I became a judge and a class III trainer. These positions sat with me more than the role of competitor. Vašek Dusil was in charge of coaching the men, and when he had other responsibilities, I’d take over.
• In addition to the activities in Košice, we promoted and established judo in other towns across Eastern Slovakia. Erika Mešterová-Dusilová and I came from railway families; we had permanent rail tickets and would go and train girls at the Central Pedagogical School (Stredna pedagogicka škola) in Prešov. We were still in high school. Great promotional events were organized in Michalovce, Slovakia and we combined that with a trip to Vienna. Our accommodations were in someone’s garage. Guarding the boys from the girls was of course, Kajo. As part of TJ Lokomotíva we were allowed to travel across all of Czechoslovakia. We used that to great effect and attended many competitions. If the girls weren’t competing we simply accompanied the boys as fans and observers.
• Košice Judo
If you missed my previous posts on Košice Judo, you will find them here:
64 – Košice · x, Berco Allman, Juraj Mazanek, Miro Brožek, Adolf Kostrian, Pepo Vosecky, Csaba Kende, Igor Fridrich, Vaclav Dusil, Jozef Lemak & Jozef Arvay (judo dojo)64 – Košice · Stefan Bartus, Vaclav Dusil, Pepo Vosecky & Vlado Makovsky (bridge)63 – Košice · Edo Novak, Miro Brožek, Igor Fridrich, x, Robert Dusil, Csaba Kende, Vaclav Dusil62.May.1 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil, Juraj Mazanek, Robert Dusil, Laco Hluchan, x, Ivan Spisiak, Joe Nalevanko, Vojtech Agyagos & Csaba Kende62 – Košice · x, x, x, Joe Nalevanko, Pepo Vosecky, Robert Dusil, x, x, x, Igor Fridrich62 – Košice · x, x, Pepo Vosecky62 – Košice · x, Csaba Kende, Miro Brozek, Pepo Vosecky, x (travelling)
• Documents & Articles
66.Jun.18 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (judo Article, Rudé Právo, Na tohoročných)69.Jun.23 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (Article, Večer, Rozšíria prvú ligu)66.Oct.15 – Košice · Document, Vaclav Dusil (judo Majster Kraja, Zá obetavú prácu)
• My dad was the men’s judo team leader and the head coach of Lokomotíva Košice throughout the 1960’s. He won a bronze medal in the 1960 junior nationals. As a senior, my dad always advanced to the final rounds in his weight category and typically ended just behind the medalists in 5th or 6th place. Even more difficult, my dad competed in the heavier weight class, to avoid fighting his older brother. In the early 1960’s, weight classes were up to 68kg (my dad’s fighting weight, in his prime), then up to 80kg and finally, 80+ kg. A judoka weighing 60 kg could compete in the 80+ kg category if desired. Everything being equal, typically the lighter fighter was at a disadvantage.
• Judo weight classes have been revised several times over the years. The weight classes were broader than those in boxing (in increments of 3 to 4 kg). So cutting weight by dieting or visiting a steam bath was far less common in judo than in boxing . Competitive tactics consisted mainly of focusing on the opponent’s weaknesses. Coach would shout tips during tournaments, such as which grip to use or throw to try. As residents of Košice, a city with a significant Hungarian minority, many knew a bit of that language, so tips during competition were frequently coded in Hungarian. On one occasion a referee tried to prevent one of the Košice coach’s to speak Hungarian during a match. An opposing coach complained that he did not understand. My uncle told him sharply, “learn other languages!” and he clammed up.
• My father and his teammates trained twice per week, in the original gym. As time passed they had more gym time and had proper judo tatami (the special mats needed to absorb the impact of a judo throw). By this time they trained three or more times per week. Women trained separately from the men. In the 1960’s the judo oddiel of Lokomotíva Košice peaked close to 100 members.
• I miss my dad tremendously. He would have celebrated his 73rd birthday today.
♥HappyBirthday♥Taci ♥
I love you,
• Taci
If you missed the other Taci posts, you can link to them here:
58 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (Poľnohospodárska Technická Škola)59 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil61.Apr – Stankove · Vaclav Dusil
• 6 minutes 58 seconds
61 – Slovenský raj · Vaclav Dusil, Zuzana & Robert Dusil61 – Slovenský raj · Vaclav Dusil
62 – Jazero Vinne · Vaclav Dusil
62 – Brno · Vaclav Dusil & Igor Fridrich
• Postscript by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 October • My dad and Igor Fridrich were best friends. Their friendship has also carried down to the next generation.
66.Feb – Košice · Eva Kendeova, Vaclav & Karol Dusil (neighbour kids)
• Postscript by Eva Dusil • 2014 November • This photo were taken in the yard where Taci lived. It’s the winter of 1966, soon after we started dating (happy memories). The two boys are from the neighborhood and were also judoka that your father taught.
• Documents & Awards
67.Sep.7 – Košice · Document, Vaclav Dusil (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , Czech)14.Nov – Prague · Vaclav Dusil (sports medals)
• During the communist era very few citizens of the eastern bloc were allowed to travel to the west, except for politicians and sportsmen. Travelling amongst countries such as East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia were allowed. But even that was difficult, since the authorities only allowed travel to the eastern block once every two years. Travel to the west on a Czechoslovakian passport required both a “vyjazdna dolozka” (an “exit visa” granted by the passport police) and an entry visa granted by the western country. Only after receiving the “vyjazdna dolozka” (specific to the country of destination) could the traveler apply for an “entry visa”. In addition, the traveler’s employment manager needed to approve the application.
• Top sportsmen from Czechoslovakia would have a number of STB minders when competing in western countries. STB, or “Štátna tajna bezpečnosť”, is Slovak for “State Secret Security”. Essentially they were the Czechoslovakian equivalent to the Russian KGB. STB minders were present as members of the Czechoslovakian delegation at events such as the Olympics, European or World championships. Despite these minders, some successfully defected to the embarrassment of the communist party – Martina Navratilova (tennis), Václav Nedomanský and Richard Farda (hockey), and many others. In the early 1960’s travel rules and political repression was a bit relaxed. But these political changes were not enough and this led to changes in the communist party hierarchy. It also resulted in the attempted reforms of the new General Secretary, Alexander Dubček, referred today as the Prague Spring. On the 21st of August 1968 the Soviet Union and four other members of the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia to halt Dubček’s reforms. This meant in a renewed orthodox communist grip on Czechoslovakia for the next twenty years.
• Dusil
If you missed the previous posts on Dusil, then click on these links:
• In 1969 my uncle requested travel to Paris, His boss asked what would happen to his children. My uncle lied, saying that his children would stay with their relatives. Essentially he was reassuring his boss that my cousins would remain home as “collateral deposit”. This was sufficient to reassure the authorities that the traveler would not defect. On that basis his manager approved their travel request. My uncle subsequently forged his children into the application. They obtained exit visas from the passport police, and then entry visas into France. Ten days later they “forgot” to return. The rest is history…
• Postscript by Eva Dusil • 2014 October • Gabičko, this a very cute photo when you were about two months old. I still remember Nanika commenting how well you were able to hold your head up. Love you, Mom, with happy memories.
• Postscript from me • 2014 October • I think I could have won the award for the roundest head in Czechoslovakia.
69.Jan – Kosice · Gabriel & Vaclav Dusil69.Jan – Kosice · Gabriel & Eva Dusil69.Jan – Kosice · Gabriel & Vaclav Dusil (cradle)69.Jan – Kosice · Gabriel & Vaclav Dusil (kiss)69.Jan – Kosice · Gabriel & Vaclav Dusil (on Taci’s shoulders)
• Postscript by Eva Dusil • 2014 September • This photo was taken at Slavo Sykorsky’s villa in Košice, where we lived until we left Czechoslovakia in August 1969 and emigrated to Canada. Prior to Slavo’s place we lived in Pepo Vosecky’s apartment for short time. You were about four months old.
• Postscript from me • 2014 September • Look at that little baby… Precious!
69.Apr – Košice · Gabriel & Eva Dusil
• 8 minutes 19 seconds
69.Sep.4 – Košice · Leaving for Paris (#1)69.Sep.4 – Košice · Leaving for Paris (#2)69.Sep.4 – Košice · Leaving for Paris (#3)
• Postscript from Eva Dusil • 2014 October • These were taken in Košice on the day before we emigrated. We are at the bus station on our way to Bratislava to catch our flight to Paris the following day. In Bratislava we slept over at a rental apartment with Slavo and Milica Sykorsky. We arrived at Orly Airport in Paris, late in the afternoon on the 5th of September – on Vašek’s birthday. As we landed in France we finally felt free. Our first night was in a university dormatory, since the fall semester had not yet begun. You took your first steps that night. During the trip you had a bad cold, runny nose and fever, but a couple days after arriving in Paris you were fine.■ My father-in-law didn’t know that we were leaving, and later told us he would have informed the authorities.
• Tags
Alexander Dubček, dusil.com, Eva Dusil, Eva Kendeova, Erika Dusil, Gabičko, Gabriel Dusil, Igor Fridrich, Karol Dusil, Lokomotiva Košice, Martina Navratilova, Pepo Vosecky, Prague Spring, Richard Farda, Robert Dusil, Slavo Sykorsky, STB, Stefan Bartus, Truncheon Law, Vaclav Dusil, Vašek Dusil, Václav Nedomanský, Vlado Makovsky, vyjazdna dolozka, Warsaw Pact invasion, Štátna bezpečnosť, Štátna tajna bezpečnosť
• Our earliest relationships shape our personality more than any that follow. Our adult personality forms significantly during our teenager years. Those traits are influenced by our partner as much as theirs are formed in front of our eyes. When we enter new relationships later in life, there is an inevitable divergence in that cerebral connection. As we get older it seems to be more difficult to find that compatibility, because our personalities are in constant divergence.
• Heather went on to veterinary studies at Guelph University. She was one of five volunteers from the Aldershot Animal Hospital who eventually became veterinarians. The others were Wayne Cot, Ellen Kinzl, Leann Benedetti, and Mary-Jane Ireland. Some came back to the animal hospital after graduating to work for my mom – this time as veterinarians. Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to be at a very young age. Heather knew that she wanted to help animals as early as eight years old. She now has a very successful clinic, and works very hard. I’m proud of her.
• Heather
If you missed the previous posts on Heather, you’ll find them here:
• Introduction by Ing. Maria ‘Cuna’ Cabanová • 2005 April 20 • Translation & Editing by Gabriel Dusil
• I started judo in 1961. I was an economic student and my classmate and best friend Erika Mešterová persuaded me to try the sport. At the time our judo facilities were in a small building in Petrov Sad, Košice. We had to share the facilities with the TJ (Telovýchovná jednota) Lokomotíva Košice wrestlers and boxers. The room where we practiced was covered with soft mats, more suited to wrestling than for judo. The building wasn’t heated so in the winter when we came to train, the mats were covered with a layer of frost. We had to wear socks on our feet, otherwise our feet would freeze. In such cold facilities no one took it easy during training. Everyone wanted to warm up quickly with a lot of movement. After training we showered under ice-cold water.
• After completion of the indoor swimming pool in Košice in 1963, our building became part of the swimming community, so we no longer had a place to train. In early September the team organized a march in the center of town with a goal to find a new gym. The event was a success and for some time we rolled around in Room 4 of the Technical University’s dormitory on Vysokoškolska ulice (street). Later we moved to the school gymnasium on Gemerská street. We also bought our own mats, ordered by Robert Dusil somewhere in Bohemia. The training facilities weren’t only for judoka so we only had a few reserved hours each week. The girls needed to train with the boys. Men trained under the guidance of Vašek and Robert Dusil, and the girls were under the leadership of Karol Dusil. Each workout started with laying the mats and stretching the canvas.
• The following school year we moved to the Cadets facilities on Komenského ulici. There we had separate training from the boys, and never trained with them again. In later years we also trained on Podhradová. When I first arrived, the girls were trained by Juraj Mazánek, aka. Hoszu. After a short time he was replaced by Dušan Halász, who we called Marmot. When he departed to military service Karol Dusil took over. Kajo, as we all called him, gave his entire soul to coaching. The first championships titles for Czechoslovakia were awarded to Julka Tóthová in Nuremberg, Germany in 1962 (Unfortunately she is no longer among us). Next champions were Božena Glaubicova-Mikušákova and Hanka Demáčkova in Košice in 1966. The most successful year for women’s Košice judo was in 1967. The Czechoslovakian championship that year was held in Žilina. Winning in their weight classes were Juca Ujjobbágyova, Erika Tordová-Királyová, Valika Zelenayová-Záhradníková and Maja Polončáková. In 1968 in Prague, additional championship titles were won by Milka Kojecká-Mišková and Božena Glaubicova. Gold metals were also awarded to Marta Ujjobágyová and Magda Antolíková. At that time, Košice women’s judo was the best team in Czechoslovakia. In 1968 in Košice took first place in the unofficial national championships. Kajo trained the women until he immigrated to Canada in September 1969.
• Košice Judo
If you missed my previous posts on Košice Judo, you’ll find links to them here:
62 – Košice · Pepo Vosecky, Ivan Krizko, Mato Mohr, Robert, Vaclav Dusil & Csaba Kende62 – Košice · Pepo Vosecky (judo flip)61 – Nitra · Edo Novak, x, x, Robert & Vaclav Dusil, Joe Nalevanko, (judo)61 – Košice · x, Halasz, x, Jozef Grusecky, Nalevanko, Kende, Nyaryas, Ivan Spisak, Juraj Mazanek, Vlado Babilonsky, Pavel Petrivalsky, x, x, Urban, Vojtech Agyagos, Laco Hluchan, x, Vaclav & Robert Dusil61 – Košice · Sano Drabcak, Edo Novak, Vaclav & Robert Dusil61 – Košice · Juraj Bialko, Erika Mesterova-Dusilova, x, x, Joe Nalevanko, x, x, x, Vaclav Dusil (station)60 – Košice · Joe Nalevanko, Vaclav, Robert Dusil, Ludvik Wolf, Juraj Mazanek & Ladislav Magyar (judo dojo)
• Documents & Articles
66.Jun.18 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (judo Article, Rudé Právo, Lokomotivy VSŽ Košice)68.Dec.10 – Bratislava · Vaclav Dusil (Article, Šport Bratislava, Judisti Lokomotiva Košice do 1. ligy)69.Jun.26 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (Article, Večer, Žiakom dosť mužom málo)
• The physical presence of our lives inevitably disintegrates with time. In a few short generations our living legacy will be retold exclusively on a computer screen. Any photo albums that survive will be relegated to a museum. In fact our imprint on society is already being stored digitally, and in the cloud. Whether it’s through social networking, blogs, or cloud storage services.
• Technology is progressing at a pace where each decade increases expectations of quality by another order of magnitude. What does this mean for our children’s children? It’s about realizing that what we think is excessive today, will be average for the next generation, and for their children may our efforts will be substandard. In other words, “technology overkill” in preserving historical content should be the mantra. Hopefully our offspring will appreciate the effort we have made in preserving history.
• Restoration of photographs archives precious family photos in the best quality possible. In digital form photos no longer degrade and aren’t subjected to nature’s elements that destroy photographs – light, moisture, and heat – or even a natural disaster. Once a photo is restored and saved digitally it can be printed over again at its maximum quality. Restoration include several stages of repair, depending on the age, wear, or type of image. It’s up to the client to draw the line between strict preservation of history verses improving the image even further with artistic expression. Each stage is demonstrated below, accompanied by an animated GIF showing a few sample images.:
Correcting colors
Fixing damaged images
Removing unwanted objects or people
Correcting composition
Restoration of historical photos.
• Color Correction
Correcting colors is necessary due to the degradation of ink over time. Color photos often lose their blues resulting in photos that shift towards yellow. In other cases the original photo service may have incorrectly balanced the image’s color. Or they may be over-saturated or under-saturated by the development studio. Positive and negative film also require special care in restoring colors. Digital correction can completely restore images back to the intended look of the photographer or the captured scene.
• Damaged Images
Damage may include rips, liquid stains, scratches, dust spots, or development errors that have ruined the image. Paper on which the photo was printed may include a texture that can otherwise ruin the image. Depending on the extent, much of this damage can be reversed to reveal the image underneath.
• Object Removal
In some cases a perfectly good photograph is ruined by someone entering the frame, or an object that is distracting the photo from its focal point. Depending on the position and size of the object, many of these distractions can be removed to regain the desired focus of the image.
• Composition Corrections
An excellent photo may be ruined by poor composition. Maybe the image was improperly balanced because the horizon isn’t level. Other photos may cut out important detail from the image, such as the top of someone’s head, or the space around the main subject has resulted in a cramped feel. Maybe the subject is centered when a preferred composition is the thirds rule. Digital restoration can correct many composition errors. In some cases missing details can be manually “painted in” to properly compose an image.
• Historical Restoration
Precious family photos inevitably degrade over time. In the same way that a photo represents a moment in time, a digital scan stops that image from degrading further, and protects it forever in a virtual form.
Studios in the 19th century and early 20th century accented their portraits by manually brushing eyes, lips, or hair. This technique is called hand-coloring or Pictorialism. To some, these manual touch-ups can be annoying and detracting from an otherwise perfect historical image. Some historians may feel that these touch-ups should remain in the image as part of preserving its historical record. The choice is subjective, and both versions could often be generated from the original image. Sepia effects were also used to artistically accent photographs. These effects can also be restored in the restoration process. Why not keep a sepia and black & white version to accommodate both aesthetic alternatives?
• Ask for a Quotation
Digital restoration services are priced on a project basis. Contact us if you have any questions, or would like an estimate on restoring all or part of your family archive. For generations that follow, start today by preserving your family heritage.
The recommended resolution for scanning photos is 1200dpi and 48bit color (16 bits per RGB color) saved in the Tagged Image File Format (TIF). TIF supports up to 2GB file sizes, allowing for quite large resolution images. Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is not be used for two main reasons: 1. the bit depth for standard JPEG is only 8bits per color (although JPEG2000 supports 16bits per color it is not as widely adopted). 2. JPEG photos have lossy compression. File sizes between TIF and JPEG are significant – A typical compression ratio is anywhere between 200:1 and 500:1 (TIF:JPEG). This gives some indication of how progressively JPEG compresses the image. In the interest of preserving history, the lossless TIF format is ideal.
All scanner enhancements such as “unsharpen mask”, auto exposure, and Digital ICE should be turned off. Editing should be left to the restoration service, for maximum control over the original image.
Positive or negative film should be scanned between 6000dpi and 9600dpi at 48bit color depth when possible to capture the maximum detail of the image.
If the approach above seems excessive then consider that as little as ten years ago 5 Megapixel (MP) cameras was the largest sensor in SLR cameras. Now there are 16MP cameras on smartphones that exceeding great quality. Ten years ago camcorders recorded video in 0.45 million pixels per frame (784×576 PAL). Now smartphones support 4K video (3840×2160, UHD) that support over 8 million pixels/frame. A similar progression has occurred in the digital audio industry. Technology is progressing at an unprecedented pace. Restoration services therefore need to look into future generation’s expectations of quality – not in what is considered normal today. Besides, a 8TB hard drives sells for 280 US$ (as of July 2015) – the storage cost is only 3¢ per TIF image.
• Sending & Receiving Photos
If you already only a few scanned images then they could be sent by email up (gmail for instance supports up to 25MB). But email is not ideal because some applications will automatically compress the images before sending, resulting in significant image degradation. The sender thinks they have sent a high resolution image, but the receiver gets a very low resolution version. A better approach is to send images via a cloud-based service such as Dropbox, which supports 2GB of cloud storage for free. Other cloud services have even higher capacities, up to 10GB for free.
If the client does not have scanning capabilities then the original photographs can also be sent for restoration processing. It’s recommended to send photos by registered post or a courier that will track the shipment to its destination. Photos will be carefully scanned at the resolutions specified above and returned to the owner once the restoration service has completed.
Restored images can be sent back to the client in several formats using a cloud service. As mentioned above, the recommended format is uncompressed TIF for archiving purposes. But several additional images can be provided in various resolutions and file formats as requested by the client.
Printing is provided on the Epson Stylus R3000. Supported services include:
Up to A3+ (329mm x 483mm, 12.95″ x 19.02″) paper size.
9 color inks are supported using the Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink technology. According to Epson, “UltraChrome K3 ink has improved print permanence characteristics that provide lightfastness ratings of up to 108 years for color and over 200 years for black and white.”
Paper grade is 250 grams or above.
Clients can choose premium glossy photo or matte stock paper.
Border-less printing is supported (i.e. no white border – ink bleeds to the edge).
Black & white or color printing is supported
Video capture of the restoration process can also be offered with each of the images, upon request.
For more information click here for more information on the capabilities of this printer: Epson – R3000 (brochure)
• By the time I entered my first year of university Heather and I had a more stable relationship. She found some equilibrium in dealing with my personality. My first year of university was very challenging though. Our relationship turned into a long distant one. My residence was three hours away and I would come home on the weekends and holidays to be with Heather and my family. Having a high school sweetheart entering university wasn’t the wisest move, and I knew it at the time. But I was in love, so nothing more can really be said about that.
• My second year was easier because I finished my studies at a university closer to home. (I didn’t transfer because of Heather, but the circumstances is outside the scope of this story, so I won’t go there). As I finished my third year Heather invited me to her high school prom, but I caused such a stink about something, she ended up going with a classmate. I deserved it. Shortly after that she broke up with me. I was being a douche bag, and she needed to get on with her life. I had many years to grow and mature, and she had far surpassed me in that regard.
• Heather
If you missed the previous posts on Heather, you’ll find them here:
88.Jul – Milton · Gabriel Dusil & Heather Brown (Crawford Lake)87.Jul.25 – Hamilton · Heather Brown (Wendy Evan’s wedding)87.Jul – Burlington · Heather Brown & Gabriel Dusil (hammock)87.Jul – Burlington · Zakk, Heather Brown & Gabriel Dusil (front yard)87.Jul – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil, Zakk & Heather Brown (front yard)87.Aug – Burlington · Heather Brown (Miss Burlington)87.Aug – Burlington · Heather Brown (Miss Burlington, 2nd runner up)87.Jun – Burlington · Heather Brown & Gabriel Dusil (high school graduation diploma)87.Jun – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil & Heather Brown (high school graduation)87.Jul.25 – Hamilton · Heather Brown & Gabriel Dusil (Wendy Evan’s wedding)
• There are three zones in stand-up combat. Each one is represented by a circle around the fighter. The largest is the white zone, where the fighter can’t reach the opponent with their fist or foot. The gray zone is where they are close enough to hit the opponent. The red zone is where both fighters are so close to each other it’s as if they’re fighting in a “phone booth”. Each fighter has different zone sizes determined by the length of their limbs. The gray zone is slightly wider for kicks than for punches because legs are usually longer than arms. Understanding your own zone borders and those of the opponent increases the fighter’s tactical advantage.
• A fighting tactic is to force your opponent into a zone where they are most uncomfortable. One approach towards this goal is to understand the comfort zone of different fighting styles. For instance, a key difference between Karate (空手) and boxing is that Karate practitioners prefers to fight along the border of the white and gray zone. On the other hand, boxers and Muay Thai fighters prefer to fight between the gray and red zones. Fighting in the gray zone is often called, “the pocket”. Boxers will stay in hitting range and use footwork and head movement to avoid attacks while counter-striking. This gray zone tactic allows the fighter to quickly transition to the red zone where they can inflict a lot of damage. A Karate ka (i.e. Karate student) in the red zone is completely out of their comfort zone, whereas boxers are well versed in this zone.
• A street fight can start in the white zone but quickly finish in the red zone, as if ignoring the gray zone entirely. A bar fight could start in the red zone and finish on the ground. This is called the black zone. It’s where Judoka, wrestlers, and jiu-jitsu fighters are experts. Likewise, transitioning from the red zone to the black zone lies in the expertise of judo, wrestling, and Aikido.
• Strikers hate the black zone because it’s foreign territory. Likewise, grapplers such as judoka and wrestlers hate the gray and white zone because they’re not quite close enough to grab onto an arm or leg. Grapplers need to get a hold of their opponent’s limbs and take them quickly to the ground, where they can dominate. This may require transitioning from the white zone directly to the red zone – a wrestling technique known as “shooting”, such as “shooting for a double leg”. Fighters should avoid the zone where their opponent is strongest. If this is not possible then a tactical approach is to stay in the zone where they have a weight, or experience advantage over the opponent.
• I trained in Shotokan (松濤館) in the 80’s, and also sparred with other disciplines like kickboxers, Taekwondo practitioners, and other Karate disciplines. We learned that each style had it’s strengths and weaknesses, but even then it was clear that a student of many disciplines would be very powerful. In February of 1988 Bloodsport was released in the theaters starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. His character Frank Dux travels to Hong Kong to fight in a martial arts tournament where the best from each martial art fight. In the martial arts community this movie fueled our debate as to which style would prevail. I came from a judo base, since my father and uncles were all back belts, so for me the debate began a generation earlier. Five years after Bloodsport, the UFC was launched in November 1993. This was the first widely televised tournament to test the strengths of different fighting styles. In fact, it was the goal of the legend, Hélio Gracie, one of the founders of Gracie and Brazilian jiu-jitsu was the best martial art in the world. He went one step further and didn’t even send his best son Rickson Gracie to the tournament. Sending instead his modest looking 175lbs son, Royce Gracie. It was as if to send a message to the world, “I won’t even send my best son, and we will still win.” That was certainly the case, and the Gracie family’s name was indelibly stamped in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) history.
• Over the next twenty two years MMA has evolved into it’s own discipline. Students now learn to fight in all zones – white, gray, red and black. MMA teaches fighters to overcome the limitations of any martial art by combining the best and most effective techniques from each discipline. MMA fighters become versed in all fighting contingencies by learning the skills necessary to defend and attack in all four zones. By mixing all fighting styles, MMA has revealed four dominating disciplines:
Boxing has dominated because of their ability to maneuver and attack with multiple striking combinations while in the red zone. Complementing this style is Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and kickboxing, partially for their ability to transition from the white to gray zone.
Muay Thai extends the boxer’s arsenal by including three additional striking tools to boxing: elbows, knees, and feet (six if you count both limbs).
Wrestlinghas its greatest strength in superior grappling and in maneuvering their opponents on the ground.
Jujitsu has a rightful position in this four corners of MMA in their ability to “finish” the fight – either through breaking a limb, ripping ligaments, or restricting blood flow or oxygen to the brain. It’s worthwhile mentioning Judoin this mix of dominating styles because it sits nicely between Muay Thai and Jujitsu in transitioning fights from the red to the black zone.
• There is a common theme among these four disciples in how MMA has evolved over the past two decades. It also answers the ultimate question of which fighting style is the most dominant – there isn’t just one – there are four styles that dominate: Boxing and Muay Thai have proven their expertise in the red zone, while wrestling and Jujitsu have shown the same in the black zone. Expertise in all of these disciplines is the foundation of the ultimate fighter.
• Martial Arts
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• A fighting tactic is to force your opponent into a zone where they are most uncomfortable. One approach towards this goal is to understand the comfort zone of different fighting styles. For instance, a key difference between 
Gabriel Dusil • Time Is Relentless 