joesteph

I heard some voices for a short bit at one point. I'd have loved to have been taking that video and having that beautiful giraffe come over for a "look-see." My philosophy students read an article, "Can Animals Think?" (Time, March 22, 1993), and we discuss it. Most believe animals can, just not exactly as humans do. This "tall fellow" seemed more than curious; he seemed to be trying to figure out what the humans were doing with this funny object--the video camera.

"Golden Triangle." I like the focus and the name.

It's definite; Harry's the Chosen One. He has to contend with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. Excellent trailer. Can't wait for July.

I know that for me, as a lower (orange) belt, it's helpful regarding combinations and balance, and my teacher can watch to determine that I'm performing a technique properly as I go from one to the other, or even the same (e.g., a series of punches) done correctly all the way through. Whenever something from a hyung I perform is taken out and shown with martial application, the hyung becomes a sort of "library," with each technique as an individual library book. When we form a line, and a combination of moves (and there are many combinations can can be thought of) is called out, invariably at least half the time something from a hyung is part of the combination called. The toughest part of understanding my training is not in the hyung, but in the combinations called out, and the hyung has "saved" me on occasion from standing there, not knowing what to do, or doing it in a shoddy manner.

Home Leg stretches Class Punches and kicks against small and large targets; sparring combinations; concentration on Chil Sung E Ro Hyung; learned new wrist defense--first time against the two-handed grab

In the US, Wa-No-Michi, when you might want to look up martial arts schools, you might find a listing under "Karate" for all different types of martial arts. It's just like the home page of KarateForums.com, that there are all different martial arts, but they're under one "banner" for ease of access. I guess it's that the public finds it easier to look under "Karate" rather than "Martial Arts." BTW, martial arts schools listed in my hometown's web site are on the "Fitness Centers" web page! Feel free to take a look: http://www.bayonnenj.org/cgi-bin/database/read.pl?search=Fitness%20Athletic%20Karate%20Sport

We were doing side kicks today against the body/kick shield, and it was a lead leg side kick, not the rear leg that's been most of the discussion in this thread. If the proximity of the adversary makes using the lead leg the better choice, then the snap front kick that was observed (with the leg chambered like a front kick, but fired off as a side kick) can come into play. That might fit in with stopping the opponent. When I block a kick with my leg (lifting it, not jamming his kick), I've responded with a front snap kick from that already-chambered position. I wonder, if the angle's right, that a side snap kick couldn't be used from that position, with the blocking/chambered leg in a sense being the lead leg?

I agree. A new art has been born, just so happening to have the word "mixed" in its full name, Mixed Martial Arts, born of an admixture of ingredients. And whatever any martial art posseses ("goals, outlooks . . . strategies . . . training methodology and drills" [Tallgeese]), you'll find in MMA.

You really did the right thing talking with the other student, Brian. Just by starting this conversation, it gave you the opportunity to keep things fine between you. You'll likely be working together at another point, with no friction as baggage. I'm going to assume that both you and the other student addressed the instructor respectfully, so that leaves me concluding that the instructor was overreacting to things not going according to plan. If he doesn't usually act like this, then maybe he had a bad day and it (inappropriately) came out in class. If he's usually like this, then you've got a grouchy one on your hands. (I'd have said "grumpy," but there's already a Grumpy as one of the seven dwarfs. )

Home Leg stretches Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung Class Grappling; outmaneuvering/redirecting strikes; wearing a vest to practice blocking punches and responding with strikes to body (light contact!); concentration on Chil Sung E Ro Hyung for orange belts

A good point, Tallgeese. I took glucosamine and chondroitin for years for my knees to deal with the bone-to-bone concern of the upper and lower legs meeting at the knees. (The kneecap itself is surprising small.) The cushion effect of cartilage, and its necessary rejuvenation, was what I was focusing on, and the supplements served me well for years. Tendons and ligaments are not candidates for rejuvenation by these two, and it's frequently the actions of the person that will cause flare-ups of these tissues. I went through seeing a specialist and using anti-inflammatories, as well as altering my workout exercises to accommodate connective tissue along with the joints themselves. I eventually no longer needed the anti-inflammatories, and the glucosamine and chondroitin supplements did their job for my knee joints.

The women used a ribcage strike, a simple move that has to be remembered in that the first thought is about his arms on them. Maybe the size/height difference worked in their favor for this one. The inner elbow pressure point technique was against a man wearing a coat, so if he felt it, it's a good one. Simple and straightforward; that's the way to do it. That throat strike was interesting in that there's a feint to cause the adversary to move his head and so expose his neck right where you want to poke. Clever.

I follow you, Brian. My concern about lethal force was the overriding factor. If it's not at that point, it seems much better to use Option1. I can see that they would be obligated to take someone in if it's the lethal force situation; it'll likely be considered within context if it's a bar fight, you speak up in a level-headed manner, and the police have more leeway to use their discretion.

I can see why you especially liked no. 27, Patrick. It's unique. The caption for no. 18 was interesting: "The former Russian icebreaker and now cruiseliner Kapitan Khlebnikov . . ." I understand that visiting Antarctica is offered for people who've felt they've been "everywhere," so why not have a "cruiseliner" that cuts through Antarctic waters?

"The Story of Philosophy" was written by Will Durant alone, John, and is dedicated to his wife. "The Story of Civilization" is the multi-volume work they collaborated on. Perhaps you'd be interested in the book "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman. (It was also made into a motion picture, but just called "Peaceful Warrior.") The book isn't about martial arts per se, but a gymnast who's a world-class athlete, and there are segments within it that cause you to think of the martial arts. I teach Western philosophy on the high school level. It's alive and well. We just have to look for it, as I have my students do, and, to their surprise, it's all around them.

Thinking of what you posted, Tallgeese, a nickname for a lawyer is a "mouthpiece." It may be that you should be saying as little as possible and politely but firmly insist on consulting with an attorney. No matter how right you may be--or think you are--you can dig a hole for yourself if you go beyond a certain point trying to convince the police to be on your side. This is, as I understand the thread, most likely a case of your having used deadly force. I agree about the proper verbalizing, and it's very true about the "reasonable person" standard, but I'd want legal consultation, the attorney present during questioning, even if the police say to me that it makes them suspicious, just to be certain that, in trying to "plead my case" to the officers, I don't dig myself into a hole that the more I say, the deeper I find myself. Deadly force can lead to an ugly situation--even if you're the law-abiding one.

This is the kind of "homemade candy" that would be a hit at kids' birthday parties. Really clever.

Oops! I found another posting by you, Shotokan, and you're a married gal. Well, that was embarrassing . . . But maybe you haven't started a family yet, making one out of three right for me? Club KO or something comparable might still fit into your schedule.

Have you ever heard of the curse of the "0" year for US presidents, Shotokan? The winner of the 1840 presidential election, William Henry Harrison, died in office within a month. The winner of the 1860 election, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated during his second term. The winner of the 1880, James Garfield, was assassinated during his first year. The winner of the 1900 presidential election, William McKinley, was also assassinated. The 1920 winner, Warren G. Harding, died in office. The 1940 winner, Franklin Roosevelt, also died while in office. The winner of the 1960 election, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Then the winner of the 1980 presidential election, Ronald Reagan, was shot--but survived; by the time he exited office, he achieved being the oldest president we've ever had. And it looks like George W. Bush is going to make it till his term ends at noon on January 20, 2009. No curse, then a "curse" that was a steady stream, and back to no curse. I think you'll both do fine, Shotokan. Good luck to you and your husband.

Class tonight with my boys. Was assigned a teenager to work with individually to get her more focused for a standard beginning of class, as although she'll stay with special needs, she'll be worked into the adult class, too. Phoned my boys' school today to speak with a Special Needs Services person. Got the okay to send her info about my teacher's special needs classes in case more special needs children's parents are looking for a sport to introduce their children to. Might need a Board of Ed okay for her to suggest to parents.

You sound like a "high energy" guy Shotokan, and I'm going to guess that you're not married/haven't started a family yet. There are kickboxing classes that I wish I had the energy for at Club KO on Saturdays. It's boot camp for an hour, from their ads, and about half the time you're doing a lot of pounding against the heavy bags. I wish they'd have instruction for half that time; that's my maximum, but I doubt it's yours. If you do have a Club KO or comparable nearby, you might want to check it out. We can't have you sad on weekends!

Hi Chikara. Glad you're posting again. The OP was about lying either by commission (outright) or omission (leaving something out to create a false impression). But the instructor who advocated this, and the person wrestling with this, sought to avoid conflict. There was mention of gangs being present in the OP. It may be reasonable and prudent (that's actually used in law--What would a reasonable and prudent person do?) to "gild the lily" to prevent someone from starting or, if already started, continuing an altercation. We shouldn't be hung up on the word "lie," as though we seek to cause harm; we can say (or not say, as in I have a health problem and am not 100%, but I don't want a gang member to know it) without causing harm. I do not believe that falsehood is an absolute wrong; adhering to telling the truth no matter what the repurcussions can be concluded as illogically doing more harm than good. There are necessary evils (in this case, lying) in the world, whether we want them or not, just as there are outright evil individuals (gang members) in the world, no matter how they became that way. I sympathize with a (wo)man of conscience, but I must also consider situation ethics--which may dictate a lie of commission or omission in a particular circumstance.

Leg stretches Received email from Sensei; he can't do the private lessons--time crunch. I'll keep my eyes and ears open . . .

Interesting! The boy is ten years old, so it'll be somewhat different. Maybe that's good; a pre-teen instead of a teenage character.

It was called "The Next Karate Kid" and had Hillary Swank in place of Ralph Macchio. The URL for info is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Next_Karate_Kid It deals with a troubled teenager, which is standard, but there was a different bond formed when Mr. Miyagi now worked with a female. (I remember him speaking aloud to himself, "Boys much easier teach than girls.") A Buddhist monastery was also in the film, the monks being somber at the monastery, but lovable when at Mr. Miyagi's home. I liked the movie, but no sequel came along.