Hello All,

I have watched this video a number of times and everytime I watch it I am amazed by this it. Ajarn Chai and this boy are amazing. Big props to his parents and Instructors for teaching him the fundamentals, discipline and respect to have the talent level that he already shows.

This boy has better form & mechanics @ 6 than Martial Artists that I have met who have trained for 20 years. Enjoy this video clip it is awesome!!!

Hello All,

This is a question that I am asked quite often by my new students and people who have not trained. My interest level in Martial Arts began when I was around 9 years old. My Grandfather was a huge boxing fan, he and my Dad would watch boxing on TV and I would watch it with them as a way to bond with them. My Uncle was learning Tai Chi around this time and when he would visit from Connecticut he would show me some pieces of the Forms that he was working on.

As I grew up in the 1980’s Martial Arts was exploding, fueled Sijo Bruce Lee’s influence. I remember watching the Karate Kid movie and being so excited by it. We watched movies with Martial Arts movie stars like Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and many others. The Ninja craze was also going on then as well and for my 10th birthday I got a Ninja uniform complete with authentic Ninja Tabi boots.

As I got older my interest in Martial Arts died down some but was always in the background. I had a friend in High School that trained in Tae Kwon Do and that started to refuel my interest. In 1992 I began training Karate through a Community Ed program and my interest started to take off. Though I enjoyed the training the material didn’t seem to  fit what I was looking for. What I was really looking for how to protect myself and more importantly my brother Colin. He was having some issues with a group of kids who were ganging up on kids randomly. Colin always seemed to be on their radar, though in the end thankfully they never did anything to him.

This lead me to look into other Martial Arts styles including Tai Chi, Isshin Ryu, Boxing, and Bruce Lee’s Martial Art Jeet Kune Do. I was having some trouble finding a Martial Arts School that taught one of these styles in Livingston County. By sheer chance in the summer of 1994 I met John Noonan (http://www.independentmartialarts.us) who was studying Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts. I trained with John for about 1 year.

In the spring of 1995 John and I went to Sifu Dave Hatch’s (www.attributivemartialarts.com) house for a private lesson. Sifu Dave at that time was an Apprentice under Guro Dan Inosanto (www.inosanto.com). I began training with Sifu Dave in fall of 1995 and he has been my primary Instructor since.

From 1995-2000 I put in approximately 12,000 hours of training in through training with Sifu Dave, teaching Cardio Kickboxing, private and solo training and seminars. During that time my friends would ask why I trained as much as I did. I would respond ” This is what I love to do, I get to meet and train with some of the best Martial Artists in the world!!!”

Like I said in the beginning I wanted to train to learn how to protect myself and my loved ones. Today I feel that I can do that and now I teach others to do the same. During the time I have trained I have learned a lot about myself, I feel that if I had not began training Martial Arts I would not be the person I am today. Martial Arts has helped me improve my self-confidence, self-awareness and helped me relate to people better.

I train now for the love of learning my Instructors are always learning new things and it inspires me to do the same. I have met people from Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, the Philipines and many other countries. From them I have learned so much about the history and culture of their home land it is amazing. This diversity in training and understanding has gone along way to teach me that we are really all just people and at the core we are all looking for the same things.

One of the other huge benefits in training is my understanding of my body. Martial Arts has taught me much about how and why I move the way that I do. When I am teaching I feel that I am not just teaching them how to protect themselves and their loved ones I am teaching them to understand and accept their bodies better.

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I would love to hear what you have gained from training Martial Arts. If you have not trained then what you would like to gain from training.

Shawn

Immer wieder haben wir Ihnen in den letzten Wochen und Monaten einzelne, neue Firmen hauptsächlich aus dem Rohstoffsektor vorgestellt, die wir für aussichtsreich hielten und halten – und die auch größtenteils bereits eine schöne Performance aufweisen. Mit der Zimtu Capital Corp. präsentieren wir Ihnen heute ein Unternehmen, das sich nahtlos in die Reihe unserer erfolgreichen Vorstellungen einreihen sollte – und das es Anlegern erlaubt, sich gleichzeitig an mehreren Rohstofffirmen aus unterschiedlichen Sektoren zu beteiligen.

Und zwar zu einem frühen Zeitpunkt, der sonst in der Regel professionellen bzw. institutionellen Anlegern vorbehalten ist! Denn bei der Zimtu Capital (WKN A0RDR9) handelt es sich um eine auf den Rohstoffsektor spezialisierte Beteiligungsgesellschaft der etwas anderen Art.

Denn die Zimtu Capital beteiligt sich nur in Ausnahmefällen an bereits bestehenden Unternehmen, hängt sich nicht an bereits vorhandene Investmentchancen an. Stattdessen „bauen“ sich die Experten ihr Investmentvehikel in aller Regel selbst! Das beginnt in der Regel mit der Auswahl des Managements durch Zimtu. Durch die exzellenten Beziehungen in der Rohstoffbranche kann Zimtu sich dabei sicher sein, ein Management einzusetzen, dem man Vertrauen kann. Im Endeffekt ist die Rohstoffbranche doch sehr überschaubar. Fast immer kennt man die handelnden Personen, zumindest über ein paar Ecken und kann sich im Vorfeld gut informieren.

Im nächsten Schritt nutzt Zimtu seine interne Expertise und Erfahrung, aber auch ein umfassendes externes Expertennetz, um sich ein aussichtsreiches und Erfolg versprechendes Rohstoffprojekt zu sichern – und dieses nach einer harten Prüfung von geologischen, rechtlichen und finanziellen Fragen günstig zu erwerben.

Ist das neue Unternehmen gegründet bzw. Management und Projekte in ein bestehendes Unternehmen eingebracht, wird dieses zum Börsengang vorangebracht – der Zeitraum, in dem beträchtliche Werte entstehen, und in dem Privatanleger in der Regel nicht involviert sein können. Für die erbrachten Dienste lässt sich Zimtu zumeist sowohl in Cash als auch in Aktien entlohnen –, die man auf Grund des frühen Zeitpunkts der Beteiligung zu sehr günstigen Konditionen erhält. Ein beeindruckendes Beispiel ist der Kaliexplorer Western Potash (WKN A0QZLM).

In diesem Fall hatte ein Prospektor festgestellt, dass eine Explorationslizenz für Kalisalz in Manitoba verfügbar war, obwohl das Gelände direkt an die Projekte der Branchenriesen BHP Billiton und Agrium angrenzt. Die ersten 300.000 Dollar zur Sicherung des Projekts flossen von Zimtu quasi über Nacht. Das war der Startschuss für Western Potash, die einschließlich Börsengang mehr als 40 Mio. CAD an Kapital eingesammelt. Das Schöne für Zimtu ist, dass man auf Grund des frühen Einstiegs im Durchschnitt bei nur 0,08 CAD beteiligt ist. So macht es noch nicht einmal etwas aus, dass sich die Aktie im Vergleich zum Börsengang bei 1,10 CAD mehr als halbiert hat. Der Hebel, den Zimtu mit solch einem Investment besitzt ist das Entscheidende.

Seit 2001 hat Zimtu Capital auf diese oder ähnliche Weise mehr als sieben Mineralexplorer gegründet. Grundsätzlich ist man auch bereit, mit diesen Unternehmen einen langen Weg zu teilen. Denn auf Grund des gerade erwähnten Hebels kann man auch schwierigere Zeiten z.B. auf dem Weg zur Produktionsaufnahme überstehen – und immer noch eine schöne Rendite einfahren.

Aber diesen Ansatz verfolgt Zimtu nur mit den besten Rohstoffliegenschaften im firmeneigenen Portfolio. In vielen Fällen betätigt man sich als „Makler“, d.h. man bewertet, exploriert und erwirbt Konzessionen für neue Rohstoffliegenschaften, die man dann an interessierte Unternehmen gegen Bahrzahlungen und Anteile weiter verkauft.

Der Clou dabei: Zimtu investiert für das Staking der Grundstücke nur zwischen 5.000 und 50.0000 kanadische Dollar. Und verkauft diese dann wesentlich teurer weiter. Denn nirgends im Rohstoffgeschäft gibt es eine vergleichbare Wertschöpfung wie dort, wo ein einfaches Stück Land zu einer Rohstoffliegenschaft qualifiziert wird (beispielsweise durch historische Daten) und dann auch noch in eine börsennotierte Gesellschaft eingebracht wird.

Und: Allein durch die Barzahlung beim Verkauf der Liegenschaft macht man bereits einen exzellenten Gewinn. Aber gleichzeitig erhält Zimtu auch Anteile an dem Käufer, die man also „umsonst“ erwirbt! Ein Vorteil dieser Art von Geschäft gegenüber der Unternehmensgründung ist zudem, dass diese sich wesentlich schneller abwickeln lassen und es dem Unternehmen so erlauben, in kürzerer Zeit mehr Deals abzuschließen.

Ein weiterer Punkt, der uns am Gesamtgeschäftsmodell des Unternehmens besonders gefällt, ist, dass Zimtu Capital sehr flexibel auf die jeweils am Markt gefragten Themen reagieren kann. So ist Zimtu seit September dieses Jahres über Ultra Lithium Inc. und Mineral Hill Industries Ltd. auch im Lithium-Sektor dabei, einem der zurzeit heißesten Rohstoffmärkte überhaupt.

Unser Ansicht nach bietet sich mit der Zimtu Capital Corp. eine exzellente Chance, um gleichzeitig in verschiedenen Rohstoffmärkten mitzuspielen und von der Expertise der Experten sowie deren Beteiligung an aussichtsreichen Unternehmen noch vor dem Börsengang teilzuhaben. Zumal hier auch ein hohes Maß an Transparenz gegeben ist, denn der Erfolg von Zimtu ist immer messbar – und zwar am aktuellen Wert des Beteiligungsportfolios der börsennotierten Gesellschaften. Aktionäre wissen also immer, welcher Gegenwert an Beteiligungen dem Börsenwert der Zimtu-Aktie gegenübersteht.

Und auch der Zeitpunkt für einen eventuellen Einstieg bei Zimtu Capital scheint uns aktuell sehr günstig! Denn gerade erst am Donnerstag meldet das Unternehmen eine kleine Kapitalerhöhung über 1,02 Millionen kanadische Dollar. Was darauf hindeuten könnte, dass bei Zimtu in Kürze – vielleicht noch vor Weihnachten? – die nächsten Deals anstehen dürften. Risiko bewusste Anleger sollten unserer Meinung nach deshalb jetzt zugreifen, bevor der Kurs der Aktie weiter ins Laufen kommt.

Disclaimer: Die hier angebotenen Artikel stellen keine Kauf- bzw. Verkaufsempfehlungen dar, weder explizit noch implizit sind sie als Zusicherung etwaiger Kursentwicklungen zu verstehen, jedwege Haftung diesbezüglich wird ausgeschlossen. Dies gilt insbesondere für unvollständige oder falsch wiedergegebene Meldungen, falsche Kursangaben und redaktionelle Versehen. Die Artikel und Berichte dienen ausschließlich der Information der Leser und stellen keine wie immer geartete Handlungsaufforderung dar. Zwischen dem Autor und den Lesern dieser Artikel entsteht keinerlei Vertrags- und/oder Beratungsverhältnis.

To the Freedom Crew -

Day 2 – June 14 – Outside Rochester, NY, from inside a truck stop restroom.

2:30 am

Hello fluorescent lighting. It’s a distinct honor to see you again. Another hello to the warm summer rain-shower outside.

They’re all sleeping back in the bus: Chase and Natalia are leaned against each other in a seat in an adorable way. He snores like a buzzard though — I don’t see how she sleeps so peacefully. Jasey is silent in the back; I sincerely hope he’s still alive. The guy — er — girl doesn’t say much. The kid confuses me.

Oh, and there’s Newton, who I wish would sometimes be quiet. He spent the entire two hour drive to Rochester asking me questions. He kept wondering what I liked listening to. Musically, I assumed. I don’t know why he cared. He doesn’t seem like the type who would care. There’s me assuming, though.

I couldn’t sleep though. The bus felt like a trap, though, so I wandered away. Here I am, leaning against the walls of a fairly disgusting restroom. I tried to position myself so I wouldn’t be able to see my reflection in the mirror. But I still see the girl sitting there in her light blue short and yellow tank. She looks up a lot as she scribbles in the Freedom Journal. I wish I didn’t have to see her.

I don’t know why Chase calls us that. The Freedom Crew. It’s scribbled on the front of this notebook in sharpie. His handwriting is godawful. He told us we couldn’t go back and read each other’s entries. I don’t think I’d want to. I don’t even think I’ll ever re-read my own entries. Even if I wanted to, I mean.

I’m going to die soon, anyway.

I told myself a long time ago that I want to go away and never come back. That’s what I’m doing. Thought I may as well see the world before I go. The way I see life is that you have 18 years of being young and free, and another 60 waiting to die. I don’t get why he calls us the Freedom Crew. There’s nothing I see free about this world.

I want to make a list of things I want to do before I die — just like the one from that one book, A Walk To Remember. I remember reading that book — and how the girl had made this beautiful list of things she wanted to do before her end. The boy she met helped her with the list. When I was driving earlier, I kept thinking about what I would put on my list. I thought about all the profound things I could put down. Like, I could make lists about the little things; like discovering a star or being in two places at once — like from A Walk To Remember — or the big things, like being on TV or standing on top of the world.

And then I realized that I had no damn clue what I wanted to put on my own personal list. I guess coming on this trip was more impulse. They didn’t understand why I wanted to run away with them. I got them the bus though, so they took me along. I don’t know what they think of me, but I have a fairly decent idea of it.

It’s the same thing they all see in me. The same thing everyone sees in everyone else; that single-frame view of whatever they think I am. I did it at one point, too — but with everyone else around me. My father was just the construction company owner with a huge house, a beautiful wife and three kids. My ex-boyfriend was just the football player with a nice smile and an extraordinary ability to make people around him think he’s genuine. I thought everything was just High School.

Guess that’s why Newton took me off guard when he asked me about me. I didn’t think he thought anything of me beyond the blond girl with no apparently purpose. I would tell him how correct that assumption is if that were the case. I am just a blond girl with no apparent purpose in life.

But I did think of one thing for the list I really want to do before I die:

I  want to eat at one of those really old fashioned Diners they have all over the east coast here. You know, the ones they always show on TV — on that food channel. I marked an X on our map of all the places on the east coast they have ‘em. Some of them are kind of out of our way, but I’m determined to visit the perfect one.

Hopefully I can think of more tomorrow. I’ll be the only one driving all the way to California. There’s time for me to create my list. I’ll expand the list the next time I write in the Freedom Journal.

Almost 4 am. Time to go back to the bus for a few hours of sleep before it’s time to hit the road again. Goodnight, Freedom Crew.

- Kali

As I write this, I am involved in a disagreement with several martial artists over on MartialTalk. I am going to spare you the juicy details of our disagreement (actually I laugh at things like this, because when a martial artist is easily offended, he/she is really telling on himself about how tough he is/or not). Basically, I was reading the Modern Arnis forum, when I noticed a sticky by the list owner, Bob Hubbard. He was lamenting the fact that he started MartialTalk as a place for martial artists to exchange ideas and talk about Filipino Martial Arts, mainly Remy Presas’ Modern Arnis. Instead, he says, the forum had turned into a place for seminar promoters to advertise their events and for people to divert readers to Youtube. I am sensitive about this, which is why I try my best not to lure their readers over to this blog.

But I digress. So there are two parts to this article–one part for the teachers of the art, and the other, for the student.

So let’s start with the teachers.

There is no secret that I was opposed to Remy Presas’ notion that Arnis is the perfect add-on art. Of course, anyone could benefit from these arts, but I believe he was trying to get students to notice the effectiveness of our country’s arts and needed to use existing martial arts students to find his first students. But once his family got on the ground, I believe that he should have taken his art in a different direction… which was into full-time schools with dedicated, full-time teachers. Instead, he continued with the seminar industry until his art, as well as the rest of the FMA community, became known as nothing more than an “add-on” art. Or worse, people referred to Arnis as just “the sticks”.

It hurt in several places:

• teachers of the art kept FMAs “on the side”, and very few people did exclusively FMAs. (As a result, when I began teaching in 1991, I only taught the Filipino arts, although I hold 5 Black Belts in different styles)
• curriculums only covered the hair and skin of the art, because teachers needed to teach a roomful of beginners as well as a handful of more advanced students. the training then, became drills-based and very little attention was given to skill and basics development. the result? guys who knew tons of disarms and counters, but hit like little girls
• turnover from student to teacher was too simple and too quick. rarely will one find FMA people who have fought much, and you will find three or four generations of students in less than a decade
• FMAs become a backyard/garage class style, rather than treated as a stand alone system, capable of 100% of a man’s attention. this is has been my message the entire time I’ve been a teacher
• when the teachers spend only a portion of their time practicing and training, they end up with mediocre skill. this is prevalent in the Filipino arts. I have shaken hands with many FMA people, and most of them have the grip of a 10 year old boy.
• the de-emphasis on physical skills and prowess results in a community of weak, soft-skinned martial artists who are prone to hurt feelings and offense. this leads to the unnecessary feuding we see among FMA people… take your pick!

Teaching full-time gives the FMA Guro ample time to develop his skills and his own unique ideas and systems. It gives him more teaching experience, which is–in essence–a learning experience. It shows the community that these arts deserve respect and attention, rather than being an additional certificate to fluff one’s resume. It also allows beginners to have the Filipino arts as a choice of what art to study, rather than to have to choose a mainstream art as a base style and then take a few courses in “sticks” to supplement one’s training. This is my biggest belief–that the art really needs students who will take this art to a higher level rather than simply a side course. (It is also the reason I do not allow my own students to study Kung Fu and Eskrima with me simultaneously. Instead, I require them to study one for 2 years before studying the other. I do not allow anyone to study my Kuntaw until they have been with me for 2 years.) 

With a full-time FMA school, you will see things in the art you never thought about, because you are now thinking about Arnis every day and teaching it every day. I guarantee that you will develop new ideas about the art, and will be able to let them manifest through your students skill. In one generation–yours–you will take your art in a completely new direction.

I am will close here, and in Part II, we will discuss why the student should study FMAs full time. Thank you for visiting my blog!

Hello All,

Well it’s the Holiday Season and you know what that means… Lots of shopping, going to parties, and the hustle and bustle of the season. I don’t mean to be Scrooge but here are some very important safety tips to keep you safe for the Holiday Season.

• Being on your PHONE IS NOT SAFE!!! It is a huge distraction when you are distracted that is a great time for MR. BAD GUY to ATTACK you.
• REMEMBER where you parked your car and AVOID using your KEY LESS ENTRY to find your car. This is a great way to let Mr. Bad Guy where you are at and how to plan his attack.
• If you are out enjoying some HOLIDAY BEVERAGES keep your INTAKE LOW and remember to keep track of your drink. It is very easy for someone to slip something into your drink. Also drink lots of water and eat consistantly this will help you moderate your alcohol levels.

I hope that these help to keep you and your loved ones safe. We have ongoing Self-Defense classes on going during the holidays!!! Not only will they help you to be safe they can also help you avoid adding any extra holiday goodies to your waistline.

Happy Holidays,

Shawn

Hello All,

In this video clip Sensei Erik Paulson (www.erikpaulson.com) is teaching defending standing guard passes. He shows how to use your feet and hips so not to get your legs controlled, how to use your knees so that the person that is standing can’t punch your head and also he shows how to use an axe kick from your guard!!!

Also don’t miss the last submission combo he does it is pretty cool!!!

Enjoy

About a weekend ago we had Professor Salem Assli come and do a 2 day seminar on silat, JKD, savate and kali.  I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following for passing their tests in either JKD or savate.  Great work guys! Jd

Martin Duncan – JKD White and Green Ying Yang

Anthony Colli – White Glove

Andre Maitland – White Glove

Calvin Millar – White Glove

Barry Lee – Red Glove

Neal Hoyte – Red Glove

Matthew Mejias – Green Glove

Waldek Rak – Green Glove

Maja Zonjic – Green Glove

Roberto Mastromarini also successfully tested for first level instructorship (Savate)

Again great work guys!!! Jd

Fighting almost never goes down like you plan it in training. One of the reasons is that there is often too much emphasis on reaction/defense against something the opponent attacks you with, and since you have no control over that the fight is too unpredictable. Take my advice, and steer your training towards your attacks–(1) things that you will initiate, and (2) things that you can do to draw a specific reaction from the opponent.  Today’s article will deal with what you use to initiate an attack.

What often happens in sparring is that fighters will base their strategies on what techniques the opponent is using. This philosophy is perhaps the most common one found in Filipino styles, but those who break from this mold stand out because their fighting ability will be better. Fighting is a blur. It happens so fast, we usually lose our senses while fighting and cannot think and plan to be able to perform better. This is why so many Guros believe in “less is better”; but it need not be so! Using base techniques–in this case, let’s keep it simple and stick to just base hand and base foot techniques.

What is a “Base Hand” technique?

A base hand technique is one of several short, but well thought through, punch and strike combinations that is used to build an attack around. For example, we can take a very common combination… the Back Fist – Reverse Punch combination. The base hand technique will either follow a kick (or kick combination), or it will lead into a kick (or kick combination):

• skip side kick > back fist – reverse punch
• sliding step / back fist – reverse punch > back leg roundhouse kick > finishing technique
• skip leg sweep > back fist – reverse punch > round kick to the face (to a fallen opponent)

The base technique then, could either set up a kick, could be used to set up a finishing technique, or could be used as a finishing technique. We could add here by having base kick combinations and finishing attack combinations also (finishing attack combinations are techniques that are used to “finish off’ the opponent:  knock him out, knock him down, injure him, etc.) and doing so would make fighting much like a matrix. One could have 7 base hand techniques, 7 base kick techniques, and 7 finishes; therefore, the attack would be a combination of two or three of the 21 techniques.

This is a simple philosophy that can occupy an entire curriculum of fighting and learning. In fact, this is the secret behind my Sport Karate style and many other people who have broken from tradition. Using base techniques requires less thinking and ad libbing. There is a method to the madness, and the only challenge once you have trained the pieces well is to use the right tool for the right job at the right moment.

I hope this simple, but effective tip finds a home in your training regimen. Thank you for reading my blog. Please look out for my book, coming soon! 

Mustafa Gatdula’s How to Build a Dominant Fighter in 12 Months

PhD Timothy Conway, Ammachi & Guruphiliac

PhD Timothy Conway (a critic of Sathya Sai Baba who thoroughly eulogizes, promotes and worships Mata Amritanandamayi Devi as a bona-fide Guru) cited Guruphiliac Jody Radzik on his enlightened-spirituality.org website as a notable person who endorsed him. Timothy Conway duplicated the following comments onto his website from Jody Radzik’s blogged article entitled “Conway’s Way Is No Con”:

Timothy Conway Solicited The Integrity Of Guruphiliac Webmaster On His Official Domain

“Timothy [has] got a slew of good stuff up at his Enlightened-Spirituality.org, including a nice little bit about the importance of critical thinking, the precious water and commodity that’s sorely lacking in the infernal desert of ignorance known as New Age spirituality in the West…. It’s good to see someone out there upholding the legacies of Shankara and Vivekananda, especially in these days of enlightenment pyramid scams and lame-brained channelling schemes designed to separate the psychologically needy from their dollars in exchange for a boatload of false hope and occluding nonsense about the truth of the Self. So give Enlightened-Spirituality.org a go when you’ve got a minute and the desire to cleanse your palate of all the superstitious nonsense that chokes the truth right out of spiritual culture in these times. –Jody, creator of the popular and controversial Guruphiliac blog at guruphiliac.blogspot.com.”

Timothy Conway promotes Jody Radzik (a known basher and trasher of Ammachi – Mata Amritanandamayi Ma) on his “spiritual” website. Jody Radzik’s critiques on Ammachi can be found here. As a matter of fact, Jody Radzik accused Ammachi (Mata Amritanandamayi Ma) of being:

• “Greedy”
• Money-hungry (or as Jody puts it, a “money-grubber”)
• A “Hindu Nazi”
• The “Al Qaeda Of India”
• Creator of “Goonsgate”
• The “Mistress Of The Hindu Right”
• A “foaming-at-the-mouth radical nationalist”
• Being allied with “people and goals of the radical, racist, Hindu nationalist right”
• Somehow involved with “murders” of “mysterious circumstances” at her ashram
• Enmeshed in an “Amma ‘Sex Scandal’”
• Involved in a “Mind-Control TV Network” through Amma TV
• Involved with “global domination”
• Manipulative and weakening devotees minds with her “astral breast milk”
• A rip off who “offer mammaries full of occluding nonsense to a world rife with infantilism”
• The slurs go on and on…

As a matter of fact, Guruphiliac Jody Radzik made the following composite image of Amma (see how it is used on his blog here), merging her face with Osama Bin Laden (the image links directy to Radzik’s atman.net website: Ref):

Timothy Conway Promoted Guruphiliac Who Attacked Amma As Osama Bin Laden

This is the type of hate that Timothy Conway promotes on his “biggest and best site on spirituality”. Poor Timothy Conway. His research into the notable people he cites on his behalf is as thorough as his lamentable research into the Sai Controversy. Attempting to bolster his illustrious reputation (sarcasm implied) Timothy Conway cited Jody Radzik (a promoter of raves and illegal psychedelic drugs) on his behalf. Not only does Jody Radzik bash Ammachi, he also bashes and lies about other Gurus as well. Timothy Conway promotes a man who claims he is self-realized, needs “to be stoned ALL the time”, is Kali Ma’s “sex slave” and hears the voice of Kali Ma in his head. Nice friend you got there, Timothy.

This information is going to be very disconcerting to all the Amma devotees who can often be seen citing the following quote from Timothy Conway describing Ammachi as:

“one of the most glorious lights to appear in the history of religion. Just her stamina – embracing these millions of people one by one, day after day, without a break, all over the world-is some kind of divine gift. No mere human resources could accomplish this.”

November 27th 2007 Update: Timothy Conway contacted Gerald Joe Moreno by email and informed him that although he hesitantly posted Jody’s blurbs on his official website, he was fully aware of Jody’s attacks against Amma and her devotees. Timothy Conway defended Jody Radzik and said he is “actually very positive about her (Amma) in many contexts, and has defended her to many of his readers”. Rubbish! Timothy said he was unaware of Jody’s “Amma Bin Laden” photo (how did that escape a PhD researcher?) and removed Guruphiliac Jody Radzik’s comments from his website. Good call and nice damage-control, Timothy. Interested readers can view Timothy Conway’s comment (expressing gratitude to Jody Radzik on his Guruphiliac blog) HERE.

Comincia oggi in Nepal una delle piu’ importanti feste religiose durante la quale oltre 300000 animali vengono sacrificati. Il Gadhimai festival, durante il quale si venera la dea della potenza, ha visto il via stamattina alle 2.45 a Bariyapur, nella parte meridionale del Nepal, con l’inizio dell’arrivo di milioni di devoti provenienti anche dall’India. Ma anche la presenza di attivisti animalisti che protestano. Ad aprire il festival religioso, il ministro della salute nepalese Umakanta Chaudhri che ha raggiunto il tempio vecchio di 260 anni dedicato a Gadhimai, per dare inizio al festival. Non senza polemiche. A parte quelle sulla sicurezza, visto che il Nepal da settimane registra problemi a causa degli ex ribelli maoisti, a tenere banco sono le polemiche animaliste. Attivisti per i diritti degli animali di tutto il mondo, tra i quali Brigitte Bardot, hanno scritto al presidente nepalese chiedendo la fine della festa e, soprattutto, della mattanza degli animali. ”Personalmente trovo difficile da immaginare – ha scritto la Bardot al presidente nepalese Ram Baran Yadav – che il suo cuore possa approvare questa crudelta’, sapendo che lei, essendo il capo di un paese, e’ anche responsabile della cosa”. Almeno 40000 bufali, arrivati principalmente dall’India, saranno sacrificati insieme a molti altri animali nel piu’ grande sacrificio animale di tutto il mondo. Dinanzi al tempio stamattina, anche attivisti di organizzazioni animaliste nepalesi e indiane che manifestavano contro i sacrifici di massa degli animali. Il governo nepalese si e’ lavato le mani, rispondendo agli attivisti di non avere il potere di fermare la festa religiosa. Il ”piccolo Buddha”, Ram Bahadur Bomjan, il giovane che ha meditato nella foresta per settimane senza mangiare ne’ muoversi, ha meditato nei pressi del tempio di Gadhimai per chiedere la fine del massacro, cosi’ come maestri e monaci tibetani che hanno recitato mantra (preghiere buddiste) intorno al tempio. Oltre 1100 agenti di polizia sono stati dispiegati in zona per evitare scontri. La festa di Gadhimai si celebra ogni cinque anni nella citta’ di Bariyapur. Fino a 500000 animali vengono sacrificati da 250 ’sgozzatori’ autorizzati. I primi animali ad essere sacrificati son i bufali, seguiti poi da capre, pecore, polli, piccioni ed anche topi. Circa 5 milioni di fedeli sono attesi alla festa, la maggior parte dei quali provenienti dall’India. La tradizione vuole che nei due giorni della festa, vengano sacrificati animali alla dea della potenza, assetata di sangue. Su internet si trovano video, ma sono troppo cruenti per me da postare.

There is a problem in the Filipino Martial Arts, that I have noticed seems to be a very dangerous one.

The arts we practice are very deadly. Not many martial arts styles address actually maiming the opponent or killing him. This style regularly introduces techniques that will result in the opponent’s death, and are designed for nothing more than killing the opponent. For street combat effectiveness, this seems to be just what the doctor ordered–our arts can truly arm the average citizen with a skill that will stop an attacker dead in his tracks. While many teachers claim to give their students self-confidence, what other skill can one have–besides shooting a gun–that would give you the range of simple self-defense to lethal potentials? Arming someone with the Filipino fighting arts can be similar to giving them a firearm, however, we must treat it with the same level of responsiblity. And this is one place that the industry of FMA instruction has failed.

I am not going to bore you with the number of FMA student who have killed in America alone. There is a conversation we must have openly in the art among teachers and masters:

Who do we teach, who do we refuse, when do we teach certain techniques, and how do we teach the arts?

Rhetoric and cowardness in the FMA have led to the philosophy, "I teach people to defend themselves, even to the point of deadliness, because they may need it." If you are teaching people how to fight, is it necessary to teach them mainly how to kill? I know of men who only speak of fighting as a life-or-death fight, and consider everything other than a life-or-death fight a separate skill from what they do. Any idea why they have this fantasy of fighting?

Yes, they are cowards in the biggest way.

These are men who are really afraid to mix it up, they are afraid of an ass-whipping. So afraid, that any threat they perceive must be met with death. Not much different from the 10 year old kid who is bullied at school and brings a knife to confront his bullies. See, he sees no way out of this situation–no way to handle it appropriately, so he falls back on the common dream the race of the weak often fantacize about: killing the people they fear. What situation is so bad that a 5th grader must carry a knife and kill another 5th grader? What taunts or names could you call him to justify that? Of course, none! But in his mind, his parents can’t end this bullying, his teachers can’t do it, and he certainly can’t do it, and the only thing he feels safe doing is to bring a knife and shove it in the boy’s stomach.

We have men, who call themselves "self-defense experts", who are so afraid of gambling the appropriate level of force to thwart an attacker (and the butt-stomping that would accompany that failure), that they hide behind knives and tough talk. These are men whose teachers never taught them true self-confidence and lessened their fear of another man by teaching them to deal with attackers with nothing more than bare hands. So the only thing they know will stop an attacker is the knife.

And let me tell you something about the knife.

 The knife is the perfect excuse for not having to prove you know what you’re doing. It’s the modern-day "my art is too deadly for sparring" excuse. It is something that many other men fear, and wielding one will scare other men into not challenging you on your knowledge. It is something that is so wrapped up in theory and fantasy, there is no testing or winning or losing to face–only the belief that "if I fight for real, I’ll kill you"…. It is the excuse for not being physically fit ("you don’t need abs or stamina to stab your attacker") or really having to train hard. It is the perfect thing to hide behind–along with rank, organizations, friends, reputations, and tough talk. Frankly speaking, it is the weapon of choice for cowards.

The coward is a guy who is afraid of everything and will not face his fears, even if they confront him. He will do everything in his power to avoid confrontation. It has nothing to do with fearlessness and courage, as courageous men are not fearless, they are just men who are strong enough to do and face what they are afraid of. Cowards are quite often cloaked in wolves clothing; they are dressed like the tough guys, they talk their talk and act like them as well… but inside–deep inside–they are cowards. As the saying goes, they wear their toughness only on the outside. The knife is something they brandish because secretly, they are hoping that this image will give the appearance of toughness. And they keep just enough skills, that secretly, they can’t wait for the day they get to use it (justifiably) and redeem themselves of being… well, a coward.

Don’t be a wannabe. No man wants to accept that he is afraid. We want our women to feel safe around us, and we want to know that we are capable of defending them and our children. But to hide this fear behind the false bravado of being a cold-blooded killer–when we know darn well that most of us would never face another man, mano a mano. This, my brothers, is cowardice. True self-confidence and bravery is the knowledge and belief that no man poses a true threat, unless he is the coward with the weapon. But instead, most FMA guys is that guy.

Don’t be a wannabe.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Od piątku w kioskach na terenie całego kraju można zakupić najnowszy, 148. numer magazynu PSX Extreme, w którym znajduje się recenzja Tekkena 6 autorstwa Mashtera i Kaliego. Serdecznie zapraszam do lektury.

Learn how to point fight and maybe you too can be a dangerous killing machine on the streets, like Ralph Macchio! LOL!

Point Karate to help develop streetfighting ability? Now, there’s a radical theory!

Reminds me of a joke:

Guy walks into a restaurant and orders a steak, the waiter brings him a hamburger. “That’s not a steak!” the guy protested. The waiter goes, “I know, but steak’s not available, but it’s the next best thing!”

Then he asks for glass of apple juice, and the waiter brings Kool Aid. When the man protests again, the waiter tells him, it’s the next best thing.

When the bill comes, the man leaves an IOU. When the waiter insists on cash, the man tells him he’s got no money, but it’s the next…

Fighters can’t call themselves “fighters” unless they fight. They must fight in any way they have available to them, and in as many ways that they can in order to develop their skill. I have heard arguments from non-sparring men ranging from they don’t like tournaments, to tournaments not being “realistic” enough, to tournaments creating bad habits, to there simply being no tournaments in their area. All this may be true, but in order to prepare for a streetfight it is best to spar often and spar with strangers. Truth be told, no tournament format (even NHB/Cage fighting) is quite unlike the streets. But in order to develop the skills needed for fighting successfully on the street–that cannot be developed through drills, focus mitts and bag training–you must have time squaring up with an aggressive opponent. And since no tournament format has it all, it would be a good idea to give yourself a good mix of tournament styles in order to capture experience and the benefits of the various types of competition.

I am an advocate of boxing and point fighting, because this is where the bulk of my fighting experience occurred. I did fight in Olympic style TKD tournaments, Muay Thai style, and regular kickboxing, but it wasn’t much compared to what I gained from boxing and point fighting. But I can tell you that my experience there was greatly enhanced by boxing and point fighting. I was faster, had better timing and was able to see and move in the middle of exchanges, where most fighters experience a blur. I know that if I had not owned a school and could have pursued my full-contact experience more avidly, I would have gone far because of the ease I beat some of my opponents.

The weapons used in point karate are somewhat “lame”; but they are necessary to esnure the safety of the fighters and also help you increase the speed by which you move. Can you throw a hook in point fighting? Yes. Can you throw a rear-leg, power Roundhouse kick? Yes! But those weapons are slower than Ridgehands and front leg Round kicks, and if you can deal with them, the Hook and the Roundkick won’t have a chance to reach you. You can always transition from one weapon to the next, depending on the rules of the bout you are about to fight. And fighters must be versatile. After all, not every fight you engage in will be a knock-down, drag-em-out death match. What if you must subdue a neighbor? Or a minor? Or your own son?

And in training, I’m sure you spar with your own Dojo brothers and training partners with some level of control, correct? We all adhere to rules, just like in competition, and it is actually a good practice to limit what you fight with in order to isolate certain limbs and techniques to focus our practice. Tournaments are no difference. As I said in the last “Using Spor Karate” article, we are only developing one part–while a very important part–of our fighting skill and the altercation, when we point fight.

I’d like to challenge you to try something… an experiment! The next time you spar, set the timer, and then you will spar for 3 minutes and not get hit 5 times before you land 5 hits on your opponent. Keep a count; you don’t have to stop the clock like they do in the tournaments to call shots.  You will find that this is very difficult to do if you’ve never fought this way. If you are an FMA fighter, this is an extremely important skill to have, as we fight with blades and even a cut on the forearm can main or kill you.

Try the best two out of three. Now, if you can’t do it, I would like to appeal to you to check back with me and I’ll give you some tips. If you can, then I would say get a better-skilled opponent or then again, maybe you already have the skill I’m referring to. But I am willing to bet that most of you do not, because point karate is one of the best ways to develop this ability.

Or you could always do what many of my friends have done at my request: spend an entire year fighting in Point Karate competitions. You’ll be surprised at how much your speed and timing will improve. This is the fast track to developing skill in full-contact fighting, including streetfighting. The premise of all of this is that you need to have actual fighting experience in order to join your practice with theories and ability. And I’m not talking about that time some guy punched you in the nose in the 12th grade–nor am I talking about that club security job you had tossing drunks on their bottoms. In the absence of consistent, real fighting experience, tournament fighting is the safest, “next best thing”.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please visit us again!

As I’ve mentioned before, martial artists are some of the biggest assholes.

Many of us got involved in the arts because we lack self-esteem or confidence that we can defend ourselves, and the martial arts allow us to feel like we’ve got back up. But something about arming a coward…. He usually ends up going overboard with the confidence thing, and is likely to become a bully or just major league jerk-off. Why is this? Because the martial artist was not really changed by his training, and is still a coward–and still insecure. But the arts at least gave him the wisdom to fake being tough;  it gave him the dress, the jargon, the mannerisms, and even the physique of a guy that can fight. But although he is dressed like a tough guy, he still has “puss” written all over him.

Bottom line is that the expectations of a newbie in the art are still there, if the training hasn’t done what it’s supposed to do for him. Whether we are talking about toughness in the art, fighting ability, or even our prejudices.

So one guy joins because he feels unsafe, and another guy joins because he watched “Black Belt Theater” on Saturdays in his pajamas and now he wants to be the next Grasshopper. He will bring with him all the silly, childish expectations of a beginner in the art about who he will become, what to expect, and what is authentic in the arts. If the teacher and the training are incomplete or not deep enough, as a Black Belter, he will still harbor those fantasies well into the mature stages of his martial arts career.

On the other hand, we also have those with plain old racism, xenocentrism, and prejudice in the art.

I have met more than my share of Asian teachers (not just Filipinos, but I am thinking of a particular Filipino teacher as I type this article) who believe that any White teacher of the art is inferior to Asian teachers. They have a difficult time referring to an American FMA “master” with all the qualifications–like time in the art, SKILL, and level of knowledge–while accepting a 28 year-old FOB (fresh off the boat) referring to himself as a Master. You see it in some of the Korean magazines (I didn’t subscribe, but I’ve been getting them for nearly 10 years);  Koreans of any age being referred to as “Master/Grandmaster/Kwangjangnim”, while all the White guys are being titled “Mr.” or “Teacher/Sabumnim”. I have quite a few friends and acquaintances that are Korean teachers, and many of them are very guilty of this. (Betcha didn’t know, but I grew up with a Korean stepmom, speak some Korean, and have the inside scoop in this community). Some of the Filipino teachers I know have suggested that I recruit in the Filipino community a little heavier, because my students are mostly White and Black, with a few others here and there. There is an underlying belief that more Filipino students would legitimize my school (to whom, I wonder?) and that perhaps I am giving up too much to the wrong people.

Not long ago, my school was like that. I have always had an “inner circle” in my school, as my teachers had one. Matter of fact, Gatdula’s Fighting Cobras (my old business name) once had ONE White guy, ONE Black guy, ONE Mexican, and ONE Cambodian, and all the rest of my school was Filipino. I don’t know, maybe it was because the older folks in my community encouraged their kids to do martial arts. But my school was also the only FMA school in Sacramento at the time (all the others were in community centers or operating out of subleased space in Karate schools), so that could be a reason too. When I moved to a bigger location downtown, I ended up with mostly Caucasian students, and I didn’t blink for a second. Hey, as long as these guys worked hard and made me look good, right? Yet there were still a few idiots who felt like my school was suffering something because although I was making much more money, I had too many “others” in the school.

And guess what? Those American guys made really good students. They are taller, they are humble and learn just as quickly–sometimes even more humble than my Asian students–and stronger. How could I complain about that? Where the average height in my school was once around 5′6″, it is now about 6′. I have four strongest fighters that are African American, and I would bet my money on them against any fighter in Sacramento. How many teachers can say that? One of my students is 55, and had been taken private lessons for about 3 years before I opened a group class (in Jow Ga, my kung fu style), and he is perhaps the best Kung Fu student I’ve had in the 18-year history of my school. My most accomplished tournament fighters (of the adults) are a guy now living in Fiji (Indian descent) and one of my African American students… both over age 30.

But cowardly is the word of the day, and none of the Guro I know that hold these feelings would come right out and say it (except the guy I’m writing this about, and I gave him an earful about it too). They express it in their attitude towards non-Filipinos/non-Asians teaching the art. I know that I’ve had people think that I was that way, but my attitude towards the FMA in the West has nothing to do with race (if you knew me personally, you would know that this is true). It was all about the approach to teaching the practice of the art. Sometimes, people don’t look deep enough into the things I say, and they believe that I am representing their view to the art and it will allow them to say stupid things around me. But if a practitioner of the art studied full-time, trained hard, tested himself regularly, and reflected on the philosophy of the art… and then repeated this process when he became a teacher, he is a qualified teacher. But if he learned by seminar, promoted by seminar, and skipped over everything else important (testing and full-time study), I have harsh things to say about you, Westerner or Filipino.

Sometimes, I can change my view of a person just by listening to the things they say, or to see what they are doing. Not long ago, I resented guys like Hock Hockheim–students of Remy Presas who now teach “non-Filipino” labeled martial arts through the seminar circuit. But recently, I came across his website/forum and really read what he says:

• I no longer “do” FMAs because, as a non-Filipino, there is a ceiling to my success
• I still teach FMAs, but have to label it as simply “stick/knife/empty hand” because of the implication that I am not qualified since I am not Filipino
• I still honor my teachers for what they gave me, but I must carve my own niche in this path
• FMAs, as it is being taught, does not involve skill development and is too random for anyone to really learn the art

Who can argue with that? As one who is very close to prejudice and injustice (remember I am from Washington, DC and Pampanga; I’ve seen more than my share of the ugly head of racism) it saddens me that this martial arts community cannot allow a guy who has paid his dues in the FMAs to simply be “one of us”. Something else you may not know:  Hock is my Kuya under Ernesto Presas’ Arjuken, so I know a little more about his training than what you can find on the internet. I remember reading that he now calls his art “PAC”/Pacific Archipelago Combatives, and for a short time (sorry can’t remember exactly what it was) some European stuff, and yeah, it pissed me off. But it wasn’t steal-FMA-from-the-Filipinos-and-call-it-something-else, it was find-a-way-to-market-to-people-who-won’t-respect-me-for-my-knowledge-because-of-my-race. And that’s a damned shame.

The solution, in my opinion, is natural. The seminar industry simply does not allow for students to develop, it is a dog-and-pony show for martial artists to sell videos and increase attendance to more seminars. I know what goes on. A bunch of seminar junkies and magazine/video tape/youtube nut-huggers gather around to watch the Master dazzle them with a tap-dance of techniques and drills. They take pictures, collect a certificate, and then add another notch to their resumes, while practicing what little they were able to take away from the seminar in their Karate schools and garages. Most of the complaints many people have of the FMAs (which caused them to come out with a new-and-improved version in the first place) come from this industry, and taking the traditional road will give you a different experience. And then, you have to fight. If American guys like Hock needed respect, they would get it by fighting and letting the world see their credibility; it’s an easy sell. You can’t convince a guy in a seminar. A common expression you’ll hear the Sayoc/Atienza guys say is “come to a seminar and you’ll see”. But that won’t do it for some of us, we have to see it in action. And the old, sad excuse “sparring ain’t real fighting” isn’t good enough either; if you don’t spar, you’ll have to streetfight and I’m sure there aren’t too many of you doing that. But respect comes from skill, and regardless of your race or ethnicity, you will have that respect if people see you fight–whether you are a dominant fighter or not. This is one reason why the Dog Brothers and their members get instant respect just by being a member. Ever heard the Filipino expression “Skill is rank”?

Sometimes, your skill in movement is convincing enough. But few people will really ever witness your skill before they meet you, and as a teacher you need to be able to put your stuff in print and paint a picture that way. A bio that reads, “Guro X fought in tournaments from 1988 – 2000″ carries a lot more weight in the minds of potential students than, “Guro X is certified by GM Y, GM Z…”  That stuff is for other seminar junkies. Substance will almost always transcend misconception, never forget that. And if you have good skill and they are still judging you by your race, then I say you wouldn’t want those guys as students anyway. The ones who hold the prejudices will eventually die away, they are really insignificant, insecure children who never grew up. Whether they are here or not, they won’t affect your bottom line, the life of your business, or the reputation of your skill and character.

Thanks for reading my blog, have a good Thanksgiving!

Scaduta la tregua, fra maoisti e governo il 20 novembre, continuano le discussioni. Addirittura il leader maoista Prachanda si è recato a Singapore per incontrare il Grande Vecchio del Congresso Koirala (ospedalizzato lì). Tutto si muove verso un accordo (come previsto in altri posts)  proprio nel giorno in cui si festeggia e ricorda la fine della guerra civile (1996-2006) con la firma del Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) fra i maoisti e i partiti democratici. Da allora si è mosso poco (stesura costituzione, smantellamento esercito maoista, riforma dello stato, ripresa economica). Si conta su un accordo ma l’attenzione di è già spostata sul piccolo villaggio di  Bariyarpur (Terai) dove stanno giungendo centinaia di migliaia di pellegrini per celebrare il  Gadhimai Mela, uno dei più importanti festival dell’India del nord (e Terai nepalese). che si tiene nel piccolo villaggio ogni  cinque anni. Qualcuno è già morto per aver bevuto come un matto, tradizione della festa, liquori contraffatti.

La zona è già nota per le apparizioni del Buddha Ragazzo e perché sarà il punto d’arrivo della prima strada a quattro corsie che dovrebbe congiungere la Valle di Kathmandu al Terai e India (finanziamenti permettendo). Intorno al villaggio,  piane foreste spelacchiate, qualche coltivazione di riso, mais, fiori gialli di sesamo, tanti bufali gobbuti e povertà. Non distante il confine indiano, la città ponte di Hetauda, grandi traffici e contrabbandi.  Le poche fabbriche del Nepal (chimica, juta, cotone) sono sull’orlo del fallimento o già chiuse come la Palmolive-Colgate e la Everest Polymers. Il distretto industriale ha perso il 45% della produzione (e dei posti di lavoro) a causa della crisi internazionale e dell’assenza di una politica economica del governo.  Qualche anno fa, si tenne una delle rare manifestazioni sindacali (proprio per una chiusura di una fabbrica) che finì con qualche morto fra gli operai.

Questo posto è, da qualche tempo, al centro dell’attenzione della stampa internazionale (specie indiana) per il gran festone del Gadhimai, una tradizione che va avanti da oltre 200 anni. Durante la festa (24-26 novembre) verranno sacrificati oltre 500.000 animali (fra cui 60.000 bufali), importati illegalmente dall’India senza controlli sanitari e doganali). Non è una novità nella tradizione hindu dove la venerazione alle divinità “energetiche” Shiva, Shakty, Kali, Durga, Devi è sempre accompagnata da sangue e morte. Gadhimai, dal volto nero e spettrale e dai grandi occhi bianchi, è una delle molti potenti emanazione dell’Energia Primordiale, Femminile e Generatrice. E’ la Madre Terra cui si deve (come in molte altre civiltà, compresa la nostra idealmente) manetenere viva la Forza offrendo sangue ed energia umana o animale (la Vita). In cambio, l’Umano, ha benefici generali (raccolti, protezione vita) e particolari (figli, mariti, potenza nel mondano, salute). Questo racconta la gente che ogni martedì e sabato sgozza polli e caproni fra gli alberi cupi di Dakshinkali (sui margini meridionali della Valle di Kathmandu), nelle migliaia di templi di Durga durante il Dashain, o sulle rive dei fiumi sacri, come al grande tempio di Kali a Calcutta. Da tempo immemorabile, questo raccontano i sacerdoti nei milioni di villaggi hinduisti del subcontinente e su questo vivono.

Le stesse speranze spingono centinaia di migliaia alla pagoda di Bariyarpur a fine novembre da oltre 200 anni, quando ancora qui governava la dinastia dei Kiranti (11-14 secolo) e Bara era parte del potente regno Mithila. Addirittura, si racconta, che il famoso tempio di Taleju a Kathmandu sia una replica di quello dedicato a Gadhimai e che la stesso culto della Kumari (la Dea Bambina, emanazione di Durga) venga da qui. I sovrani di Kathmandu scendevano nel Terai durante la festa e così fece anche l’ex re Gyanendra che oggi si è pentito e ha richiesto, insieme a animalisti, intellettuali, il Buddha Tamang , Brigitte Bardot, monaci buddhisti,  al governo nepalese (che se ne è impippato) l’abolizione della festa. Un corteo è sfilato nei giorni scorsi a Bara chiedendo di sostituire i sacrifici animali con offerte di frutta e vegetali (quello che fanno buddhisti e vishnuisti).

Si è mossa anche Maneka Gandhi (da sempre ambientalista) vedova del discusso Sanjay Gandhi e pecora nera della potente famiglia con un bello ma fragile articolo. Fragile perché le sue argomentazioni non toccano  i contadini, operai, disoccupati (il proletariato del subcontinente), che non potendo comprare i biglietti della lotteria si affida alla tradizione per continuare a sperare di migliorare le proprie condizioni o di re-incarnarsi in un ricco possidente. Scrive giustamente Maneka del business che sta dietro a tutto questo , (come ad ogni espressione rituale delle religioni), dei venditori di alcol (che s’arricchiscono durante le feste), degli onnipresenti prestasoldi che anticipano le spese dei sacrifici, dell’import ed export di animali, pellami, carne (ciò che resta dei sacrifici), e di sacerdoti che s’ingrassano a Bara come nei villaggi. Addirittua c’è un sito (non funzionante) sulla festa. Questa è ancora l’India, del resto cosa dovrebbero dire i milioni di tacchini uccisi (più o meno nella stessa data) al Thanksgiving nella civilizzata America.

Gli appelli degli intellettuali indiani per sospendere la festa non hanno avuto successo sul governo nepalese allo sbando. Il Buddha ragazzo, Ram Bahadur Bamjan, ha promesso di essere lì durante la festa per impedire le uccisioni. Il gran sacerdote del tempio di Gadhimai, il brahmino Mangal Chaudhari ha assicurato che, progressivamente, il numero di animali sacrificati diminuirà, la polizia ha aumentato il numero di uomini impegnati per evitare che, alle tradizionali botte fra i festeggianti, qualcuno non se la prenda con i contestatori.

Hello All,

In the last month we have had 3 really big events @ Synergy Martial Arts (SMA) so here is the update on all the happenings.

• On 10-12-09 we moved into our new location Hamburg Fitness Center (www.hamburgfitness.com) and since we have moved in we have had 6 new students join SMA.
• On 11-12-09 Synergy Martial Arts Instructors Shawn Kitzman, Jeffery Lopes and Jerry Whiting taught a 2 hour Clinch Workshop @ Gladiator MMA (www.gladiator-mma.com). We had a blast the guys @ Gladiator were eager to learn and worked really hard on the material.
• The feedback was tremendous and we were approached to teach @ Gladiator. So beginning on 12-10-09 Synergy Martial Arts Instructors Shawn Kitzman and Jeffery Lopes will be teaching from 7-9pm @ Gladiator.

For our regular students Jerry will continue to teach the Thursday night 6-8pm classes.

I would like to thank Jerry and Lopes for all of their hardwork and dedication. SMA would not be where we are at without them and my skill level as a Martial Artist and Instructor would not have grown the way that it has. Thanks guys : )

So there is all the news for now. Check back soon there is gonna be another big announcement soon.

Shawn

This past week, I have come to the certainty, that I am once again experiencing the rise of Kundalini.

My writing has taken a backseat this week, out of my current necessity to ground out this intense energy as it moves closer daily towards my crown.

I awoke today and found that I did want to write today,  not about healing or astrology advice for others, but about what this is like, the experience of Kundalini aroused.

I debated for a moment with myself over this, for I claim no authority in this area and I do not wish to represent that I do.

Yet, this has been a part of my life since 2002 when I had my first round with Kundalini.

Frankly, there is not much information accessible concerning Kundalini.

From my own experiences I believe this to be due to the likelihood that when one is in this experience, it is very difficult to bring into the human language ‘what this IS’.

After completion through the crown, you are left with much to assimilate and integrate. It is then possible to relate to others that which you acquired during your experience, yet, the essence of the experience is lessened.

So, I may attempt to share here a bit through my posts, of my daily experience, what it is like, as this particular episode unfolds.

My last experience in 2007 lasted in full peak experience for nearly 6 months.

This time, I have personal insights that lead me to believe this will be a much more grounded experience than mine was in 2007, and likely to be of shorter duration.

Though, I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see!

I have a little snippet to share, just something small, that is not directly about my current experience, yet for some reason unknown to myself, I wished to share this first, before I begin with blogging anything else of this experience of mine here.

I am mother to two daughters, now young adults.

My first daughter came into this world when I was 18.

I often tell people I think I was a more attentive mother at 18, then possibly I would have been at a later age.

A child filled with giggles and light, the sun shine bright in her every smile….her blue eyes twinkling, a peaceful child. She began reciting the ABC’s backwards, at 18 months. By 3, she could read and write. An artists Soul, she thrived in expressions of music, dance and canvas. This child I never remember crying, and the world around her fascinated her.

My second daughter made her grand entrance when I was 22.

A child of intensity and zing, at birth she climbed her umbilical cord, fist over fist, and the physician had to pry it from her fingers. We were told by the delivery doctor and attendings, that her Apgar score was off the charts. Usually, I believe it tops out at 10..they said she was the healthiest, most active child they had ever witnessed in the births they attended, and I do believe they meant it, for they kept stating it, over and over with a curious look on their faces. Ali walked at the beginning of her 7th month, and by 9 months she could push chairs to the counters, and we would find her walking across the kitchen counter-tops.

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As most mothers do, while expecting these children of mine, I made a short list of name possibilities.

Yet, not until I held them for the first time, did I know whom they were to be.

My eldest, I named Kaleigh.

My youngest, Alexandra.

When my daughters entered pre-school, they both had difficulty with others pronouncing their names properly. This bothered them very much, so they each chose a simple form of their name to express to others.

Kaleigh chose Kay…and later, just K.

Alexandra chose Ali. To this day, she has a dislike of her full given name, even if her father or I are the one’s using it. She is Ali..that’s it.

So I have these two daughters, they are like the sun and moon, day and night..yet in their dualities, they are the perfect compliment.

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These things I share now, are a retrospective. It has only been in recent years, that I have come to see the symbolism, and I share it because it means something to me.  Something deep and wonderful, something not meant to try to understand logically, but to be enjoyed with awe, and to be appreciated for the way it all works. The mystery of our experience and journey, and the magic it truly is.

Before my first stirring of Kundalini at 27, I rarely concerned myself with subjects such as astrology and gods/goddesses of the various religions upon the planet.

Yes, I was born ‘psychic’, but I maintain now that there is a distinct difference in being psychic, and being on the Path of Spiritual/Consciousness Awareness.

For myself, I came into this world with my psychic talents, but I had to CHOOSE to step onto the Path of Conscious Awareness.

It was a choice I believe we all have to make. And I do not believe that there is a right or wrong choice in this.

When it is the right time, for any individual, they will make the choice, that is just right, for them.

You KNOW when your time has come.

Until that time comes for someone, it is pointless to try to encourage them towards it in a forceful direct way.

You’ll just waste your energy and frustrate yourself, and you’ll be doing them no service either in harping on something they just can not currently conceive of.

These things, make no sense to you whatsoever, until the time is right, and upon you.

And that is as it should be.

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At the age of 33, shortly after my 1st experience of spontaneous kundalini awakening, I began to connect with an energy..a presence..whom I shortly after came to know as the energy of Kali.

I realized over time that this energy of Kali was deep within me, and all around me. After first identifying it, the energy signature, I came to understand that it is quite likely this energy had been with me since birth.

Kali, is creation and destruction, in perfect harmony. This I understand, and am not fearful of, I can see the divine beauty within this.

At 37, when I was in full kundalini experience, I said my girls’ names one day, to a friend, as they themselves put them forth, K and Ali. And something I never ’saw’ before, came into center focus.

When I named my daughters, as I mentioned, I had no conscious knowledge of Kali, nor kundalini, or even indeed any clue as to where my journey would take me a decade+ later. It would seem though, my daughters, represented themselves in my life from their birth, as the transformational element they would be for me. Of the gift, they came into my life, to share with me.

My daughters, symbolize Kali, very literally, for they chose for themselves, K + Ali…KALI.

I had always shared with others, that my daughters were my reason for getting back up, each time I hit bottom, each time I ‘died’. They, were the catalyst, for each re-birth.

And on the day, of this awareness, I was so very deeply thankful, for the Beings they are, not just in this temporary incarnation as my daughters, but these tremendous Souls..that carried the energy of Kali to me..and gifted me with the greatest of gifts.

Kachina

Hello All,

Upon my looking thru youtube today I found a clip of Sensei Yori Nakamura demonstrating the Shoot Wrestling Lock Flow series 1 and it is amazing!!!

For those of you who don’t know who Sensei Yori is here is the background that I have been told on him. He trained at the Super Tiger Shoot Wrestling Gym in Japan under Satoru Sayama in the 1980’s and came to the Inosanto Academy (www.inosanto.com) in 1989.

At the Inosanto Academy here is a small list of the people that he taught

• Guro Dan Inosanto (www.inosanto.com)
• Sensei Erik Paulson (www.erikpaulson.com)
• Sifu Dave Hatch (www.attributivemartialarts.com)

I know that there are many more people that he taught while at the academy. Those 3 have had a huge influence on me and my training. I remember when Sifu Dave would go to the academy and get to train with Sensei Yori he would come back and rave about him and how dynamic he was. There are many clips on Youtube of Sensei Yori this one stood out to me.

Hope you enjoyed this video clip as much as I did.

Shawn

An experiment gone awry.

I love a bit of decay incorporated into things, which is why I love old buildings, Michael Eastman’s photos, and the furniture I inherited (although a small fund to keep the chairs glued and un-wobbly would have been a good thing to inherit along with). I’ve been working on a way to include that in some of my pieces, but how best to partially destroy my work?

Here is a piece I’ve been wreaking minor destruction on, pre-destruction:

It definitely needs some decay, so I go to work on it, trying to balance giving it some integrity while still leaving it vulnerable:

Then I become Kali, speeding up the destructive force of time, and the result is:

Far too much decay!

Tomorrow, back to the easel, so to speak. I will repair it to wreak (less) havoc on it another day.

At least it won’t need this treatment:

Done to erase the result of another experiment. One not to be repeated.

bakteri-bakteri Kali Krukut
sedang mengisi perutku
tertinggal dalam pergolakan itu
menguasai alam bawah sadarku

antara aku dan kamu
air dan sungai penuh arus
antara aku dan kamu
rakit dan dayungku

terbalik lah layarku
terbalik lah aku
kau pelampung menggembung
hanya menahan ku mengapung

arus tetaplah arus
mengalirkan sampai ke hulu
air masuk ke tenggorokanku
bakteri senang menemaniku

ohh .. diare menyerang ku !!