Martial Arts News Items.

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Threat of fight clubs rings a bell (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fightclub17feb17,1,876219.story?ctrack=1&cset=true)

Are they the result of an ancient violent tendency or the sign of a more bloodthirsty generation? Experts see signs of both tendencies. (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fightclub17feb17,1,876219.story?ctrack=1&cset=true)


A handful of reports about "fight clubs" in Southern California and across the nation have grabbed headlines and led to swift crackdowns by law enforcement.

In the fall, a loosely organized fight club in Palm Desert led to a 16-year-old boy's death, and this week police filed gang and assault charges against members and associates of a club accused of a gang-style crime spree in southwest Riverside County.

Still, some Southern California school officials and child psychologists are reluctant to label the teen fighting bouts a new trend, saying that bullies behaving badly is an age-old schoolyard phenomenon.

Only now, those brawlers have adopted a new name, lifted from the 1999 film "Fight Club" starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton that offered a glorified look at underground fistfights and the mayhem that follows.Tai chi with a touch of rock (http://www.latimes.com/features/health/fitness/la-he-loureed19feb19,1,279676.story?coll=la-health-fitness-news)



Teaming Master Ren Guang-Yi with friend and disciple Lou Reed on the exercise DVD "Chen Taijiquan" would seem like an inspired idea — injecting a hefty dose of iconoclastic star power into the standard-formula exercise tape.

But for those expecting to see Reed do Taijiquan, forget it. And for those hoping to hear a cutting-edge Reed soundtrack, forget it. And finally, for beginners eagerly awaiting a by-the-numbers walk-through of Master Ren's style of Taijiquan in workouts of varying lengths, double forget it.

Filmed in New York's Central Park, "Chen Taijiquan" features Master Ren demonstrating the Chen style — one of five styles of tai chi — almost seamlessly, accompanied by Reed's minimalist score. In fact, Master Ren performs the entire 75-movement form — Lao Jia Yi Lu — and the 49 postures of "Straight Sword" form, one of several weapons forms — without a break.
Are martial arts classes appropriate for clergy? (http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-lsgod5105260feb24,0,2039705.column?coll=ny-news-columnists)



Is it wrong for Christians, or priests, or ministers of the Christian faith to attend judo classes and earn color belts? Is judo not a Chinese cult program?

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Young Sikh Men Get Haircuts, Annoying Their Elders (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/world/asia/29turban.html?em&ex=1175313600&en=bb62f7a1ff27e06f&ei=5087%0A)


Just an incidental mention of Judo:


Like many young Sikhs, he found the turban a bother. It got in the way when he took judo classes. Washing his long hair was time-consuming, as was the morning ritual of winding seven yards of cloth around his head. It was hot and uncomfortable.She's still a knockout after 10 years in ring

Ex-Playboy model has solid record-- and marketability (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0703080193mar08,1,4229651.story?ctrack=2&cset=true)


Mixed martial arts are diluting the popularity of boxing, and her experience as a tae kwon do fighter could enable her to switch, St. John said. "But I don't love mixed martial arts like I love boxing," she said.This house is fit for a Tae Bo king (http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2007-02-22-billy-banks-athome_x.htm)

The print article had several pictures:
He has earned millions since sparking the Tae Bo fitness craze, but the last thing Billy Blanks wants to do inside his home is exercise.

"My home is just a place of joy," says the fitness guru with a smile. "I didn't want a gym because I wanted a place to rest."


Dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, Billy, 51, scoops up Buster, one of five Yorkshire terriers, who is scampering by a flower arrangement in the airy foyer of the Neoclassical Italian-inspired home Blanks shares with wife Gayle, 47. The couple's menagerie also includes two Labrador retrievers, one pug, a Bichon poodle, 22 birds, two cats and a rabbit.


Luckily, there's plenty of space for everyone. The family's 21,000-square-foot urban retreat includes an aviary, indoor basketball court, arcade, outdoor swimming pool and two Jacuzzis.
Extracting meaning from the world of violence

(http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/booksmags/chi-0703020465mar04,1,2690405.story?ctrack=3&cset=true)A review of Four Days to Glory: Wrestling With the Soul of the American Heartland, by Mark Kreidler, and A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting, by Sam Sheridan.


" `Do you ever watch animals, horses and cows and birds?' " a retired boxer asks Sam Sheridan in "A Fighter's Heart," his first book. " `It's natural, everything fights.' " Humans, too, and in an impressive variety of styles. There's a world of fighting out there, 10,000 ways to get your clock cleaned, and on his grand tour in "A Fighter's Heart," Sheridan hits many of the high spots. He studies muay Thai in Thailand, mixed martial arts in Iowa, vale tudo and capoeira in Brazil, tai chi in New York, boxing in Oakland and an esoteric butting technique that uses the side of the head, behind the ear, in a YMCA gym in Yangon, Myanmar.

This first-person survey of near-naked humans' capacity to do harm is part of an educational trajectory extending from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and Harvard University into the hard-knock life, with supplementary forays into the merchant marine, construction work at the South Pole, firefighting, dogfighting, cockfighting and movie stunt work.

[...]

He turns even the most technical fighting lessons into exercises in greater self-knowledge. When he describes, say, preparing for the brutal kicking routines of muay Thai by rolling an oiled bottle up and down his shins, pressing hard to kill the nerve endings on the striking surface, he's also working his way into one of his main themes. Making himself hard enough to hurt opponents and take punishment allows him to measure the give, the tensile softness of compassion and grace, inside himself and others. Nobody is more vulnerable than a half-formed tough guy, but the handful of fully realized master fighters he encounters are gentle souls in hard bodies, strong enough in their skill and self-knowledge to let themselves be generous to others. They're teachers in the fullest sense of the word.
How a Cast Got Its Kicks. And Throws. And Punches. (http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50B17F63B5A0C778EDDAB0894DF4044 82)

Only a partial preview available online; the print article has several pictures.


The rule at rehearsals was simple: ''If you hit someone for real, you owe them a beer,'' said Timothy Haskell, director of ''The Jaded Assassin,'' which runs through March 4 at the Ohio Theater in SoHo and includes more than an hour's worth of onstage martial-arts combat.

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Japan's mania for certification (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/06/09/japans_mania_for_certification/)



Passing a test to earn a ranking is half of the joy of learning in Japan. Certification tests for nonprofessional purposes, as opposed to licenses to be doctors or lawyers, have long existed in traditional fields like martial arts, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement.


But these days, even the most obscure hobbies have their own ranking systems, usually administered by organizations backed by related businesses.


Enthusiasts say whether it's jumping rope or memorizing movie trivia, testing encourages the pursuit of excellence. Certifications also provide a way for status-conscious Japanese to size each other up, as well as a chance for a subtle boast in a culture that demands modesty.


The deadly art of writing (about kung fu) (http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Entertainment/2007/06/13/4256213-sun.html)


[...]when his British publisher told him he should get a black belt then write a book about Kung Fu, Preston chose not to kick his ass.

"My first reaction was, you've got the wrong guy," Preston says on the phone from his home on Vancouver Island. "But then I started thinking about it and realized it probably could be fun. And if someone's going to put the money up front for me to do it, why not?"

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The journey had begun. Walking the earth like Cain in Kung Fu, Preston braved broken ribs, a bruised ego and plenty of open cans of whoop-ass in order to research Me, Chi and Bruce Lee: Adventures in Martial Arts. His quest takes him from suburban strip mall gyms to the Shaolin Temple in China to the temples of sin in Vegas for the lights and fights of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Along the way, he traces the history of martial arts and offers insights into North America's adoption of the eastern combative art and how it's influenced our culture.

"It pretty much all goes back to Bruce Lee," he says.

Off Main Street: Kung fu campaigning (http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/94857.html)



Last Saturday, Hochul’s husband, Bill, who heads the U.S. Attorney’s national security and anti-terrorism unit here, earned a second-degree black belt in the kempo form of karate.


Already an instructor in that martial art, Bill Hochul was awarded his black belt at a kempo karate tournament held during the Springville Dairy Days.


Police sergeant uses judo move to pin down burglar in parent's home (http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070614p2a00m0na026000c.html)


A burglar who unwittingly broke into a police officer's family home in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, was arrested on the spot after the officer, a judo expert, arrived and pinned him down, police said.
[...]
After stealing coupons and other items, the 57-year-old burglar began rummaging about in the home, police said. While he was doing so, however, Katagawa turned up. The officer, who holds a second-degree black belt in judo, immediately pinned Komatsuzaki down using a judo hold, and handed him over to local police officers who arrested him on suspicion of theft.


Short Cuts (http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n12/soar01_.html)



During the row over weaponry that thundered on during the G8 summit at Heiligendamm – drowning out the distant shouts of protesters and the platitudinous murmuring of soon-to-be-ex-world leaders about the need (again) to tackle climate change – Russia’s president took a leaf out of his own book. The book is called Judo: History, Theory, Practice, and Vladimir Putin wrote it with a couple of buddies during the euphoric period that followed his re-election in 2004 with 71 per cent of the vote. It has since been published in English by North Atlantic Books – no relation to the treaty organisation – and is frustratingly hard to get hold of. This may be deliberate. Not only does it lay bare the deep strategic thinking behind Putin’s remarkable art of martial diplomacy – teaching a lesson from which his sparring partners Bush and Blair could learn a thing or two – but it is also a brilliant judo manual.

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Cary Girl, 6, Headed to Tae Kwon Do World Championship (http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1518167/)



A Cary girl is headed to Arkansas to compete in the Tae Kwon Do World Championship.

At just 6-years-old, Marzia Josephson is already a second-degree black belt – the same level as her 32-year-old father, David Josephson.DVDs: A primer to classic kung fu movies (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-flsunkungfunbjun19,0,36158.story?coll=sfla-features-headlines)


Do the words "wuxia eyebrows" mean anything to you? No? If, like me, you're a kung fu neophyte who doesn't know the difference between Gordon Liu and Jimmy Wang Yu, and for whom the phrase "monkey style" most emphatically does not conjure images of fight choreography, then the quartet of classic martial arts films being released today on DVD (Dragon Dynasty; $19.95 each) might not be for you.Retired covert operatives teach kung fu to the next generation (http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?CtNode=122&xItem=24331)



Climbing a six-story building without equipment may sound like a scene from the "Spider-Man" films. Breaking a marble tablet with a bare hand and shooting a chopstick through a plywood board might have come from an old kung fu movie. Getting run over by a jeep--and surviving--would seem to be an impossible mission. These stunts, however, were actually performed on March 17, 1967 in a demonstration for the high officials of the Military Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of National Defense.


"The showcase was held to display the skills of Taiwan's covert operatives," Lee Da-chiu, the retired captain of the 91 Action Team, said May 19. The group no longer exists, but several of its members have kept its spirit alive by teaching the kung fu they had learned from their training.

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Steven Seagal Sells Essential-Oils Farm (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118248192847844508-search.html?KEYWORDS=steven+seagal+essential+oils&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month)



Movie-action hero Steven Seagal has sold a 995-acre northern California farm he used to produce his line of aromatherapy oils, but he's keeping the much larger ranch across the road.

The Brazilian sway to get fighting fit (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/health/2007/06/02/hbrazil102.xml)



Capoeira was introduced to Britain by Brazilian masters Sylvia Bazzarelli and Marcos dos Santos in 1988 when they opened the London School of Capoeira.


Jacob Rety, who is leading my class of eight, trained with them for three years and is in no doubt as to the sport's benefits, both mental and physical.


Gibson's induction to wrestling hall brings feats to forefront (http://www.redding.com/news/2007/jun/14/gibsons-induction-to-wrestling-hall-brings-feats/)



n 1980, he became the first American to win a gold medal in the World Cup of Greco-Roman wrestling. He qualified for the world team in three wrestling styles: freestyle, Greco-Roman and sombo. He was the first American to ever win a World Sombo Championship in 1981, also winning freestyle silvers in 1981 and 1983, and adding a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman.

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WTF Offers Condolences to Murdered Iraqi Taekwondo Athletes (http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=5447)



Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, expressed his shock and sadness on learning that the remains of 13 Iraqi taekwondo athletes, who were kidnapped in May 2006, were found last week in Iraq.


Sports Briefing (http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50C11FF38550C768DDDAC0894DF404482)



The World Taekwondo Federation said yesterday that Muslim women who participate in competitions sanctioned by the federation would not be allowed to wear a hijab. The decision came after a request for a ruling from the Canadian Taekwondo Federation after two young Muslim girls were barred from a competition last month in Quebec.

GREAT BRITAIN’S OLYMPIC BID BOOSTED BY DOUBLE BRONZE MEDAL AT BEIJING 2008 (http://www.sportsfeatures.com/index.php?section=pp&action=show&id=40071)


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have accepted that the number of bronze medals to be awarded in taekwondo at the Olympic Games will be increased to two starting with next year’s Olympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing. The governing body for the Olympic Games accepted the World Taekwondo Federation’s (WTF) request for an extra medal on the grounds that a third against forth play-off could undermine an athletes’ health.

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Hungry pair ate and ran - into owner


Wilder fled the restaurant, with Pham in pursuit. Pham caught up with him in an alley and ordered him to stop. Pham said Wilder reached into his pockets, and Pham, fearing he might be armed, took him down with a basic judo maneuver. Pham said he then put his foot on the man's chest and held him until police arrived.

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Free Real Estate Safety and Self-Defense Seminar Offered in Woodstock (http://www.chicagoagentmagazine.com/news/index.asp?id=854)

Relax. Chicago market almost 'normal' now (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-mary_re_07-15jul15,0,433766.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed)




The most recent headlines come courtesy of a pair of con artists who this summer appeared to be working across the nation from California. The male half of the duo would prowl open houses for purses or wallets to steal while his partner -- police described her as his mother -- distracted the agents. They told the agents they sought to pay cash for the homes.

The two had visited open houses in a half-dozen northern California cities and were spotted in Park City, Utah, and Kansas before being caught in Missouri.

It's timely then, that the Martial Arts Club of Woodstock is offering a free safety and self-defense program for real estate agents from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 2 at the club's facility at 686 S. Eastwood Dr. in the far northwest suburb.

"There is no other profession that advertises where and when they'll be alone in an unlocked building," the group points out.

Creepy incidents at Collier karate class (http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=13506&z=3&p=)


Deputies are trying to contact a man who man several unusual visits to a Collier County karate studio.

The staff at Naples Academy of Martial Arts, located on Preserve Lane, called authorities Saturday morning after the man visited the studio for the third time.

Each time he carried a large plastic cup with a straw into the business and observed a karate class after telling the staff he was new to the area and looking for a place to enroll his children.


Billy Zabka is going to "Sweep the Leg" of the FM radio market (http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=30936)


Billy joins Adam to share information about his latest video on the market. Reuniting the cast members from the original Karate Kid film, Billy has written, directed and starred in this wildly entertaining music video for the band "No More Kings" and their song titled "Sweep the Leg".

[Carol]

Creepy incidents at Collier karate class (http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=13506&z=3&p=)



Yikes!

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Lerach Coughlin Lawyer Saves Woman From Pit-Bull Attack (http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/08/15/lerach-coughlin-lawyer-saves-woman-from-pit-bull-attack/)



Geller says he was nervous — “the adrenaline was flowing” — but he had something going for him that the rest of us might not — he’s an expert in jujitsu, chronicled in this recent article from Boca Life (http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/gellerprof.pdf). (Note to Hollywood writers looking for quirky-lawyer details for your next screenplay: Geller practices jujitsu in a room in Lerach Coughlin’s offices.)There's a separate (brief) article in the 22 August 2007 issue of the WSJ.

Octagon™: The Trademark of Ultimate Fighting Championship (http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/08/15/octagon%e2%84%a2-the-shapely-trademark-of-ultimate-fighting-championship/)



Mixed martial arts, a combat sport combining disciplines such as karate, judo, boxing and wrestling and often fought in an enclosed ring, has come a long way.

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“Al Bundy” Talks MMA (http://www.mmapunch.com/2007/08/18/al-bundy-talks-mma/)


What makes Ed O’neil (the actor who played Al Bundy on the TV show Married with Children) qualified to make any statements regarding the sport of mixed martial arts? For one thing, he’s been training jiu-jitsu with the Gracies for 15 years.There's a video clip of an interview there.

Japanese Coaches Train Russian Masters of Karate (http://vladivostoktimes.ru/show.php?id=13426&p=)

They hold a training gathering at recreation center near Nakhodka (http://vladivostoktimes.ru/show.php?id=13426&p=)



Participants and winners of international tournaments, promising wrestlers, working trainers and chiefs of city karate federations perfect their skills here. One of the instructors is the President of the East-Russian interregional organization of kiokushinkai karate-do Valeriy PUKAS, a holder of the black belt. Besides, on the invitation of the Far Eastern federation two belted sportsmen from Japan act as the trainers of future champions.

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Jet Li's Got Rogue Rage (http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=f4c017fc-8636-487e-878f-e178edff7207&k=12936)


If you've seen the movie poster for War, you know what to expect. Look at those two angry faces, one grizzled, one in sunglasses, staring each other down in front of what can only be the fires of Hell. But see the movie and your expectations will be dashed. Like the protest song says, "War:What is it good for?"


The idea, with its fight-of-the-century overtones, is certainly a winner. In this corner, five feet and eight inches of British cynicism, former Olympic diver, the man who put the sport in Transporter and the ran in Crank: Jason Statham! And in this corner, standing five-foot-six with only five letters to his name, portrait of a martial artist as a young man, Wu Shu master, once fought Statham and himself in 2001's The One: Jet Li!


Jet Li: I'm Getting Too Old for Fighting (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=3515029)


Jet Li: Keep Expectations Low for Fight Scenes With Jackie Chan; They're Both Getting Old (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=3515029)



Jet Li is urging audiences to keep expectations low for his eagerly anticipated fight scenes with Jackie Chan in an upcoming film.
He says it's not that kind of movie and they're both getting too old.


Jet Li's monk look in new movie released (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/22/content_6580039.htm)


"The Forbidden Kingdom", the first movie co-starring Kung Fu actors Jet Li and Jackie Chan, is entering its final phrase of shooting, which is due to wrap up in ten days.

As Jet Li will head for the "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" soon, the production team is racing against time to shoot his part.


Jet Li calls for Chinese censors to relax grip (http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2152780,00.html)


Action movie star Jet Li frustrated his Hollywood movies can't pass Chinese censors (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/20/arts/AS-A-E-MOV-Jet-Li-Chinese-Censorship.php)


From the first article:

One of China's biggest stars, Jet Li, has spoken out against the heavy film censorship in his homeland which means many Hollywood films never make it into cinemas.

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Jackie Chan's Son Wants His Own Identity (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hzx8oG7IxRZ2lQYQ_8oVOLkx9k3AD8S6DDV00)




Jackie Chan's son doesn't want to be an action star like his father.While the Hollywood comedy "Rush Hour 3" was another hit for Chan at the box office this summer, his 24-year-old son, Jaycee Chan, was mixing with the arty crowd at the Venice Film Festival.

With a major role in "The Sun Also Rises," a Chinese-language movie that competed for the top Golden Lion prize in Venice, Chan was considered for acting honors alongside the likes of Adrien Brody and Michael Caine.

Neither Chan nor the film won any prizes, but his appearance highlighted his desire to chart a course distinct from his father's.

"I'm starting to carve my own path," he told The Associated Press. "I've made an art-house movie. ... My range is greater. I'm not just making action movies. I'm trying many different things."

The elder Chan, through a spokesman, turned down an interview request.

So far, Jaycee Chan has played the son of a crazed mother in rural China in "The Sun Also Rises," a teenager dealing with his girlfriend's unexpected pregnancy in "2 Young," and a rebellious young man on the run from gangsters in the upcoming movie "The Drummer."

He's been in one film that resembles the work of his father: "Invisible Target," a frantic flurry of fight scenes and daredevil stunts in which he played a rookie police officer.

Jaycee Chan was born in Los Angeles and raised in Hong Kong. He attended high school in the U.S. and studied for two years at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

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Jackie Chan punches out Olympics countdown song (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/today/bal-to.people25oct25,0,1691669.column)





Jackie Chan has flexed his vocal muscles for the Olympics.


The 53-year-old actor, best known for his daredevil stunts, has recorded "We Are Ready," the official countdown song to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Jackie Chan visits children's cancer ward at NUH (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/307988/1/.html)


Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan on Friday visited the children's cancer ward at the National University Hospital.

The superstar, known for his philanthropic acts, created a stir in an otherwise sedate environment. Jackie Chan opens cafe in Starhill (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20071028083521/Article/index_html)



Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan believes in the universal language of coffee, and he is known for his philanthropy. So he has merged both in Jackie Chan’s Cafe, a chain of coffee shops whose proceeds benefit his Dragon’s Heart Charity that supports organisations for disadvantaged children.RUSH HOUR as Jackie speeds up to serve fans (http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,146056,00.html)



Hong Kong gongfu superstar Jackie Chan may not look like your typical trolly dolly, but he was all about first-class service at the opening of Jackie Chan's Cafe, Coffee And Tea yesterday evening.


As expected, he's no stranger to pulling crowd-pleasing stunts.


At his new $1 million Nassim Road outlet, Jackie added a personal touch by zipping in and out of the cafe on a Segway scooter - his right hand balancing a tray of plastic cups filled with Coffee Frappe and Dragonberry Cream Frappe - to serve the 300 invited guests gathered outside.

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A Symbol of Activism Is at Center of Court Dispute (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/nyregion/18slave.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)



Mr. Phillips amassed a fortune of roughly $10 million by buying property in Bedford-Stuyvesant when others were scared to walk its streets. A maverick lawyer and World War II veteran, he was twice elected Civil Court judge without the support of Brooklyn’s powerful Democratic machine. A 10th-degree black belt, he called himself “the kung fu judge.”



He told The New York Times that black voters should support Mr. Giuliani because of his experience fighting crime.

“I’m 6 feet 1,” Mr. Phillips was quoted as saying then. “I can kill you with my hands faster than you can believe, and I carry a gun. But I’m scared to walk the streets at night. How do you think black women feel?”

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Chuck Norris sues, says his tears no cancer cure (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071222/en_nm/norris_lawsuit_dc)



Tough-guy actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris sued publisher Penguin on Friday over a book he claims unfairly exploits his famous name, based on a satirical Internet list of "mythical facts" about him.I knew this book was coming...it was obvious. Everyone on the Internet did the writing for free so they need only assemble them in print.


It includes such humorous "facts" as "Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried" and "Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits," the suit said, as well as "Chuck Norris can charge a cell phone by rubbing it against his beard."


"Some of the 'facts' in the book are racist, lewd or portray Mr. Norris as engaged in illegal activities," the lawsuit alleges.
I had heard him say before that the "cures cancer" one, for example, is slightly bothersome to him as he feels that only Jesus Christ was able to cure the sick in such a way.

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Where Boys Were Kings, a Shift Toward Baby Girls

(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/world/asia/23skorea.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)

An article on gender in South Korea with an image of a young S. Korean girl practicing TKD!

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Her past is her lifeblood (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-26tonyadec26,1,7540021.story)

It's been 14 years since the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, but in many ways Tonya Harding hasn't moved on (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-26tonyadec26,1,7540021.story)



It's just past 10 p.m. on a Friday, and six sanctioned mixed-martial-arts fights combined with more than a thousand beers served have the testosterone of this place on tilt.

One man, visibly drunk for at least a couple of hours, takes his camcorder up to the winner of the main event and apparently says something unflattering. Within seconds, large fold-out tables are overturned. Metal chairs fly. The drunken man retreats, but not as fast as the bald, heavily tattooed fighter approaches.

(Tangentially related: Her former bodyguard, who attacked her rival, recently died (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004075340_webgriffithobit15.html).)

Chuck Norris' political syle: Choke 'em (http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/chuck_norris_political_syle_ch.html)



Movie star Chuck Norris and his wife showed up at a Capitol Hill press conference with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee today to express his support for the Republican presidential contender.


Huckabee took most of the questions, but one reporter couldn't resist asking the action-film star about what he thought about the political scene in Washington and getting into politics. A twinkle came to Norris' eye.


He said he had been asked several times to run for office and had declined, using a stock answer: "Let's say I run for a position in politics and I am debating my opponent and my opponent starts attacking my character and I leap over the bench and choke him unconscious, it's not going to help my campaign."

[Bob Hubbard]

Oh man has she fallen.

From this
http://www.tonyaharding.com/files/images/TONYA-HARDING_007.JPG

to this.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i181/PaisleyMoons/tonyaharding-thumb.jpg

[arnisador]

She looked much thinner in the picture that was in the paper. Maybe she put on weight for the match?

[Bob Hubbard]

Probably an older pic in the paper. Googling her brought up some, UGH results.

[arnisador]

A long way to go (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880113003)


The training culminates with a sort of hell week. In late February, the brigade’s final days to Fort Stewart before heading to the Middle East, the trainers will throw one simulated violent scenario after another at the troops.

“We’re not going to launch real mortars at them, but it’s going to feel real,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tony McKoy. “We’ll have roadside explosions that are going to seem like real IEDs.”The picture in the paper showed two pairs of soldiers grappling in what was clearly BJJ practice. It said they were practicing how to "grapple, strike and control an opponent" before their deployment. No picture online, unfortunately!

A small woman's guide to self-defense (http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/080113/080113self-defense.html)



Size doesn't matter when it comes to protecting yourself against an attack, a martial-arts expert says. See how the 6-foot-2, 210-pound powerhouse gets taken down by our 5-foot-2, 110-pound reporter.

Bas Rutten is featured, helping demonstrate "The ultimate self-defense move".

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Emotional Jackie Chan buries father in Australia (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080308/en_nm/australia_chan_dc)


Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan returned to his Australian roots on Saturday to bury his father alongside his mother almost six years after she died in Australia's capital.

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Taekwondo siblings are steps away from Olympics (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-04-03-taekwondo-lopez_N.htm)


Steven Lopez, 29, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo, has already qualified for the Beijing Olympics. Both Diana, 24, and Mark, 25, are top seeds at Saturday's Olympic Trials in Des Moines. They can pack their bags for Beijing with one victory, making it the first time since 1904 that three siblings would compete on the same Olympic team.

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Schools Struggle With Dark Writings (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121124048245705393.html)

In the Wake of Virginia Tech Killings,
Colleges Weigh Students' Safety vs. Free Speech (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121124048245705393.html)


When he turned in his story, Mr. Barber was on university probation for charges that included violating the school's alcohol policy and possession of a "tonfa," a martial-arts weapon similar to a policeman's nightstick. He says that he had a 3.9 grade-point average for the fall semester and made the dean's list, and that he had participated in a debate on race relations the night he turned in his story. "That's not antisocial behavior," he says.

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I saw a picture of Robert Downey Jr. practicing kung fu with an instructor in L.A. in the 11 May NY Post.

Robert Downey Jr. has reforged his career in 'Iron Man' (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/361415_downey02.html)



Under Bose's guidance, Downey gained more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months for the role of Iron Man.


Since the actor already was an avid jogger and kung fu student, he wasn't in bad shape.


Film: The Iron Man cometh (http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sos-review/Film-The-Iron-Man-cometh.4022970.jp)


Downey is on the final leg of a three-week globetrotting promotional tour for Iron Man, and while he'd clearly prefer to discuss his love of kung fu, graphic novels and on-set improvisations, from San Francisco to Seoul he's been invited to confront his drink and drugs reputation so often that it must seem like another conviction.

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Bruce Lee, Singing and Dancing (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/arts/20arts-BRUCELEESING_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bruce+lee&st=nyt&oref=slogin)



Bartlett Sher, currently being feted for his work on “South Pacific,” has agreed to direct the previously announced new musical by David Henry Hwang and David Yazbeck, “Bruce Lee: Journey to the West.” The show, which follows Lee’s path to martial arts superstardom (and involves Chinese mythological figures like the Monkey King along the way), is aiming for a place in the 2010-11 Broadway season.

[arnisador]

Man allegedly uses nunchucks to strangle girlfriend (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-nunchucksstrangul,0,1081095.story)




A 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to strangle his girlfriend with a pair of nunchucks.

Weapons seized during Lowestoft raid (http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=News&itemid=NOED22%20May%202008%2014%3A51%3A26%3A537)



A haul of weapons was seized during a police raid on a home in Lowestoft.

The knives, swords, nunchucks and spiked mace were found after officers executed a warrant at a property in Fairfield Road during yesterday afternoon. Cannabis plants and cannabis resin were also found.

There's a picture of the array of weapons too!

Martial arts weapon bothers complainant (http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=90f77bea-3e9c-44ed-a4fa-7dc2508bab40)


An anonymous complainant called police at 5:10 pm May 6 and reported that he was concerned about a suspicious white male walking down King Road in Rocky Point with nunchucks hanging around his neck. Officers responded but could not locate the man, according to police reports.

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'Panda' star Jack Black tries his hands at kung fu (http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-06-05-jack-black-kung-fu_n.htm)


Eric Chen, a martial-arts adviser to the Panda animators who also helped craft stunts for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Shanghai Noon, has Black's bulbous bod at his disposal.

And he's serious, showing off swords and fighting sticks.


Looks like this "training session" was just a publicity stunt.

[arnisador]

Taekwondo siblings are steps away from Olympics (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-04-03-taekwondo-lopez_N.htm)

Today's USA Weekend magazine insert has a story on Steven Lopez and high blood pressure. I also saw the whole family in a phone commercial. Good publicity for them!

[arnisador]

Tackling a Martial Art (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121520521471229245.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)



In an unlikely move for a U.S. footwear company, Nike is joining the small Chinese market of wushu shoemakers. The modern version of the sport, a close cousin of kung fu, emphasizes aesthetic and athletic performance over basic fighting. While it isn't an official Olympic sport, an Olympic-sanctioned tournament will take place this summer.
[...]
In a Beijing park, a four-person Nike team sought out septuagenarian Master Wu Bin, who was teaching hundreds of students, for his help.

[arnisador]

A Bruce Lee Museum (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/08arts-ABRUCELEEMUS_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bruce+lee&st=nyt&oref=slogin)


The owner of the house in Hong Kong where Bruce Lee lived before his death in 1973 has announced plans to turn the building, above, into a museum dedicated to Lee, the martial arts movie star, giving in to public outcry that the home not be sold, Reuters reported.

[arnisador]

Ultimate Fighting Tries to Gain a Foothold in Europe (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/sports/othersports/09mma.html)



In recent years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has established itself as the leading brand of mixed martial arts in the United States, Canada and Britain.

Now, the U.F.C. hopes to replicate that success through a European expansion, focusing first in Germany and Italy, among others. In doing so, the company not only intends to step into new markets but also to create a fan base largely from scratch in countries that are culturally and linguistically disparate.

My, How They’ve Grown (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/fashion/10fitside.html?scp=1&sq=%22Tae%20Bo%22&st=cse)


Tae Bo


Year it began: 1982, in classes taught by Billy Blanks


YEAR FIRST VIDEO WAS RELEASED: 1998. Collage Video, a fitness video retailer, sold thousands each week.



NOW: You can buy an original on eBay for a starting bid of $6.


SIGN OF THE TIMES: Think punching and kicking burns calories? Try breathing better, too, says Mr. Blanks’s son, Billy Jr., who developed Cardioke, a workout combining cardio-dance with off-key singing.

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Costly Asian Film Needs Foreign Crossover (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121571763577443405.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)



The most expensive Asian-financed film on record will need deft handling to win international success.

With a price tag of $80 million -- well above average for movies from the region -- "Red Cliff" is counting on its appeal to audiences outside Asia to break even. But that could be a formidable task: The movie is in Mandarin, runs roughly four hours over two parts, draws its plot from an 1,800-year-old Chinese battle and stars actors who haven't proved to be box-office draws outside their home markets.


Jackie Chan museum planned in Shanghai (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ioXFEGUEtouP_Agm1-rWvs0c1UAgD91RFFAG0)


Jackie Chan's Web site says construction has begun on a museum for the action movie star in the Chinese financial capital Shanghai.

Asin stars with Jackie Chan (http://entertainment.oneindia.in/telugu/top-stories/2008/actress-asin-jackie-chan-150708.html)


Now, the latest buzz says that Asin has bagged an offer from Hollywood! Though the details of this Hollywood movie are yet to be revealed, some sources said that Asin is going to star in some ads with internationally acclaimed actor Jackie Chan. One of these commercials will be shot in Japan. It is learnt that thid ad, featuring Asin flying in the sky, will soon make its debut on Indian TV.

[arnisador]

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson arrested after Costa Mesa car chase (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25695737/)


Ultimate Fighting Championship brawler Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on Tuesday plowed a pickup truck into several vehicles, crashed across a center divider and roared onto a sidewalk before being arrested, authorities said.

[arnisador]

Saw this on Jay Leno tonight ("Pitch to America")...a demo of Kenny Borum Sr. on a cross between a BOB and a moving Wing Chun dummy with a rotating arm (in a vertical plane). Apparently it didn't sell!

[arnisador]

One of Steven Seagal’s highest ranking disciples to stage Aikido seminar (http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_214232303.html)


The bodies made a resounding thump on the ground mats of American Aikido Institute’s dojo Friday night, as an average-sized man flipped martial artists twice his size through the air with a wrist lock.

And as humble as he was in demonstrating a variety of techniques to be taught at today’s seminar at North Clay Middle School in Brazil, Haruo Matsuoka Sensei’s resume and background offered the only explanation really needed.

[arnisador]

30 Seconds (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/sports/othersports/03seconds.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=wrestler&st=cse&oref=slogin)
With Brock Lesnar (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/sports/othersports/03seconds.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=wrestler&st=cse&oref=slogin)



MIXED MARTIAL ARTS LOOKS DANGEROUS. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN INJURED? I’ve never been hurt. I have been hurt more in wrestling. Now, if I feel my arm is going to snap, I can tap out. Hometown Honor, Earned in Eye Pokes and Dropkicks (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/us/03wrestle.html)


Others, like Gorgeous Gary Jackson, say they occasionally use their wrestling skills outside the ring.

“Every now and then, yes, I have to use a little wrestling to maintain order,” said Mr. Jackson, a deputy for the city sheriff’s department. “I try to do everything possible to avoid it, but every now and then I got to earn that money.”

Like many wrestlers here, Mr. Jackson, who in his 24-year wrestling career had a brief stint on the national circuit, said he no longer had the taste for the big leagues.

“I’m just going to do this till the body can’t take it no more,” Mr. Jackson said, “or Father Time says, ‘Hey, it’s over with you.’ ”

[arnisador]

The Green Hornet (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0990407/)


It'll star Seth Rogen in the title role, and Stephen Chow (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159507/) will apprently be his chauffeur/sidekick. Looks like he wrote and directed Kung Fu Hustle and its upcoming sequel and will have a part in the second one.

[arnisador]

Jackie Chan to star in Hollywood spy comedy (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gctHwZMjDUuXbWtJAzFxbFAjj5lwD92D7ST80)



Jackie Chan's next Hollywood project is an action comedy about a Chinese spy working undercover in the U.S. whose cover is blown, the movie's producer said Thursday.

"The Spy Next Door" will start shooting in mid-October, producer Robert Simonds told The Associated Press.

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David Carradine and Daryl Hannah Reunite in 'Kung Fu Killer,' a Two-Part Spike 'Original Guy Movie' Miniseries Premiering This August (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/david-carradine-daryl-hannah-reunite/story.aspx?guid=%7B285C3357-AEDA-41FA-BCEC-77A13D06E508%7D&dist=hppr)




David Carradine and Daryl Hannah reunite for the first time since their roles on the big screen in "Kill Bill" to star in the two-part original movie miniseries, "Kung Fu Killer" slated to premiere Sunday, August 17 and Monday, August 18 (10:00 PM - Midnight, ET/PT) on Spike in HD.

Set in late 1920s in China, before Communist rule, "Kung Fu Killer" tells the story of White Crane (Carradine), an orphaned son of Western missionaries who was raised as a Wudang monk to become a spiritual leader and master in martial arts, and his ultimate journey for revenge and justice.

[arnisador]

Cat burglar reveals techniques in L.A. (http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080814/a_nline14.art.htm)


Prolific burglar Ignacio Pena del Rio starred in a 70-minute police-produced video in which he discloses his modus operandi, the Los Angeles Times reports (latimes.com).


Pena del Rio of Spain came to the USA to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter. He earned a business degree from the University of San Diego, but turned to crime and stole more than $16 million in valuables.


He got six months shaved off his prison sentence for cooperating with authorities and was sentenced Tuesday to 7½ years for a two-year spree that netted fine art and jewelry, the newspaper reported.



In the video, the burglar said he targeted older folks, reasoning that they had accumulated more valuables. He would scout the neighborhood by walking around in a high-end jogging suit and would never panic or run when confronted, the Times said. Instead, he said, he would claim he was a utility worker looking for overgrown trees.

[arnisador]

Television Review (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/arts/television/18bern.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bernstein%20&st=cse&oref=slogin)
Sword-and-Sandals Men With Back Story Revealed (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/arts/television/18bern.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bernstein%20&st=cse&oref=slogin)



The program is the first installment of “Into the Unknown With Josh Bernstein,” a new series featuring the genial fellow who made archaeology entertaining as the original host of “Digging for the Truth” on History.

Mr. Bernstein promises a broader focus in his latest series, though that’s hardly necessary; ancient history has plenty of mysteries that could use his lively approach. In this episode, of course, his concern is the Roman Empire, and his premise is that those gladiators familiar from the movies are only part of the story, and what we know about them is not especially accurate.



That’s no surprise — when has Hollywood ever not distorted history? — but it’s a decent enough excuse to explore the far more interesting and more nuanced reality. Mr. Bernstein begins at a gladiator school in Rome, even doing a little gladiating himself. (Why is there a school to teach ancient gladiator skills? Who knows?) But he is smart enough not to let that silly bit go on too long, and soon we are hearing from well-chosen experts, including some who have found what they believe is a gladiator graveyard.

[arnisador]

Olympics-Judo-Ex-wrestler gives Mongolia its first gold (http://www.reuters.com/article/telecomm/idUSPEK18620120080814)



Mongolian wrestler-turned-judoka Tuvshinbayar Naidan upset a string of more fancied opponents to win the men's 100kg title on Thursday and give the windswept central Asian nation its first Olympic gold medal.

Twenty-four year-old Naidan, who switched to judo in 2000, used a traditional Mongolian wrestling technique to humble Athens heavyweight champion Keiji Suzuki in their opening bout, and then trounced Kazakhstan's Ashkat Zhitkeyev in the final.

[arnisador]

Afghanistan wins first Olympic medal (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/20/sports/AS-OLY-TAE-Taekwondo-Afghanistan.php?WT.mc_id=glob_mrktg_lnk3&WT.mc_ev=click)


Afghanistan won its first Olympic medal Wednesday, when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze in the men's under 58-kilogram tae kwon do competition.Iranian gold medal favorite to fight on Friday (http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=735780)


Olympic gold medalist Hadi Saei is scheduled to go against Nepali rival in the men’s -80 kilogram taekwondo competitions at the Beijing Olympics on Friday.

Other Iranian representatives Reza Naderian and Sara Khosh-Jamal Fekri failed to qualify for the next stages on Wednesday.
[...]
Saei has been World Champion in the Tae Kwon Do World Championships seven times and was awarded the title of “Best Tae Kwon Do Player of all Time” by the International Board.

[arnisador]

Kung-fu makes Olympic showcase debut (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/fight/2008-08-21-wushu_N.htm)


The fighters are gloved up like boxers, and enter to pumping rock music too. In action, they grapple like wrestlers, and launch kicks to their opponent's body armor like taekwondo athletes. Then a gong, not a bell, sounds to end each round.

This is Chinese kung-fu, making its Olympic debut … almost.

[arnisador]

David Carradine and Daryl Hannah Reunite in 'Kung Fu Killer,' a Two-Part Spike 'Original Guy Movie' Miniseries Premiering This August (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/david-carradine-daryl-hannah-reunite/story.aspx?guid=%7B285C3357-AEDA-41FA-BCEC-77A13D06E508%7D&dist=hppr)

I gave up on this pretty quickly. David Carradine's kung fu skills are...as I remembered them.


Television Review (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/arts/television/18bern.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bernstein%20&st=cse&oref=slogin)
Sword-and-Sandals Men With Back Story Revealed (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/arts/television/18bern.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bernstein%20&st=cse&oref=slogin)

I'm only part-way through this, but it's OK!

[arnisador]

Chinese Extravaganza Uses Valley as a Backdrop (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/arts/dance/30tan.html?scp=2&sq=martial%20arts&st=cse)



Midway through the grand spectacle “Zen Shaolin,” a blue-robed monk on a huge outdoor stage crowded with martial-arts performers appears to banish evil spirits rhythmically with his fists in an artistic meditation of motion and fury.

The extravaganza, with a cast of 500, is staged after nightfall in a valley that sits before a huge mountain in central Henan Province, one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.

There's a beautiful slideshow at the article!

[arnisador]

Just Asking . . . Nick Harkaway (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122004370339984339.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)

The son of John le Carré on ninjas, mimes and his first novel (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122004370339984339.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)


What do you like about ninjas?

You want your heroes to have scale, so the bad guys need to have scale, too. I needed a physically super-evil bad guy. And the subtext of ninjas is that one person can take on many. A lot of people feel a sense of futility in the battles of their real lives -- in their jobs or trying to hang onto their homes, it feels as though everything is stacked against them, and one person can't beat the system. A ninja can face down a whole army.

[arnisador]

Softer Nike Pitch Woos Europe's Women (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108023306820723.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)

'Here I Am' Slogan
Replaces 'Just Do It'
For Targeted Market (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108023306820723.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)


Nike's spots feature several athletes, including tennis player Maria Sharapova, sprinter Nicola Sanders and judoist Delphine Delsalle (above).

[arnisador]

City hosting tae kwon do tourney (http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_263231135.html)


And, since that class of tournament can confer state, national and world titles, competitors have flown in from as far as California, Wisconsin and the East Coast.

[Mike] Chat, instructor and creator of the X-treme Martial Arts System, was on hand

Mike Chat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Chat).

[arnisador]

The Price of Beauty (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/health/23beauty.html?ref=us)
Some Hidden Choices in Breast Reconstruction (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/health/23beauty.html?ref=us)


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/12/23/us/23beauty_600.JPG

(The woman pictured had the indicated procedure.)

[arnisador]

Guandu Journal (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/world/asia/02shaolin.html?_r=1&scp=1)
Town Asks Kung Fu Monks for Tourism Blessings (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/world/asia/02shaolin.html?_r=1&scp=1)



Mr. Dou found a savior 1,200 miles away, in the Song Mountains of central China, where the warrior monks of Shaolin have mastered the art of monastery marketing. Since the early 1990s, the chief abbot, Shi Yongxin, has turned Shaolin into a lucrative draw for kung fu enthusiasts and has transformed his lithe disciples into global emissaries for the temple’s crowd-pleasing mix of Zen Buddhism and fly-kick combat.

In November, the two parties struck a straightforward deal. In exchange for managing the Guandu temples for 30 years, the monks will keep all proceeds from the donation boxes and gift shops. In a news release announcing the arrangement, Shaolin said its primary goals were to carry out charitable activities, maintain the temples and “spread the faith.”

[arnisador]

All the buzz: Pot scandal jolts Japan's sumo world (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090205/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_sumo_drug_scandal)



In the past six months, four wrestlers have been kicked out of the ancient sport for allegedly smoking marijuana, creating the biggest drugs-in-sports scandal that Japan has ever seen.


Although three of the wrestlers who have been expelled from the sport were from Russia, the arrest last week of a 25-year-old Japanese athlete who goes by the ring name of Wakakirin for possession of marijuana has raised concern that use of the drug may be more widespread than originally thought.

[arnisador]

Seen on MT:
http://books.google.com/books?id=8iYYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA326&lpg=PA326


Pugilism in China.—The art of self-defense is regularly taught in China. It is much practiced, although not countenanced by the local governments. In the penal code, nothing appears concerning it. Tracts are printed which would, in all probability, accompanied by their wood-cuts, amuse the fancy in England. The Chinese have no pitched battles that we ever heard of; but we have seen a pamphlet on the subject of boxing, cudgeling, and sword- exercise, in which there are many fanciful terms.

From:
THE ASIATIC JOURNAL MONTHLY REGISTER
BRITISH AND FOREIGN INDIA, CHINA, AND AUSTRALASIA.
VOL. 1.—NEW SERIES.
JANUARY—APRIL, 1830.
LONDON:
P A R B U R Y, ALLEN, AND CO.,
LEADENHALL STREET.
1830.

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Judo Icon, a Fighter for Her Sport, Is Facing a New Battle (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/sports/othersports/17judo.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Judo&st=cse)


Rusty Kanokogi learned to scrap when her name was still Rena Glickman and she wandered the Brooklyn boardwalk. She learned to struggle when her parents ignored her in a tiny house near Coney Island. She learned to attack when she discovered judo in a dojo on Flatbush Avenue. She learned to argue in plush offices when she lobbied for women’s judo to become an Olympic sport. And at age 73, Kanokogi is still fighting.

Latest Jackie Chan Film Too Bloody for China (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/movies/17arts-LATESTJACKIE_BRF.html?scp=1&sq=%22jackie%20chan%22&st=cse)


Jackie Chan is starring in a new movie so violent that its director has decided not to release it in mainland China, which doesn’t have a film ratings system. The film’s director, Derek Yee, who is based in Hong Kong, told The Associated Press on Monday that he had first considered toning down the violence in “Shinjuku Incident” so it could pass censorship in China. But then he decided not to, he said, because he thought it would hurt the integrity of the movie.

[arnisador]

Women storm the sumo ring
Thea Jourdan explains how a once male-only sport is now helping women to improve fitness and confidence (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3301568/Women-storm-the-sumo-ring.html)


Hakkyoi! At the signal, two crouching sumo wrestlers lunge towards each other in a frenzy of flailing hands and slapping flesh.

Grunts fill the air as the opponents collide. Less than a minute later, it is all over. The loser, a 19-stone mountain of muscle and fat, lies flat on his back, felled by a hip throw. The winner, eight-and-a-half stone Chantal Freebury, bows low to her fallen rival.

[arnisador]

Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash (AP) (http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/jackie-chans-china-comments-prompt-backlash-ap)


Action star Jackie Chan 's comments wondering whether Chinese people "need to be controlled" have drawn sharp rebuke in his native Hong Kong and in Taiwan .

Chan told a business forum in the southern Chinese province of Hainan that a free society may not be beneficial for China 's authoritarian mainland.

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not," Chan said Saturday. "I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

[arnisador]

Pembroke Pines boy, 12, tackling a double major at FIU
A 12-year-old student is working toward degrees in physics and math at Florida International University -- after taking his first class there two years ago. (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1007907.html)


A home-schooler who has a third-degree black belt in tae kwon do and is fluent in Korean, he is dual enrolled and officially finishing high school at the end of this semester.

There are lots of pictures of him at his father's TKD school.

[arnisador]

Cops hunt sword-waving ninja after robbery bid
Armed culprit flees empty-handed when clerk refuses to hand over cash (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30340612/)


A man dressed like a ninja used a sword in an attempt to rob a dry cleaner, police said.

A convenience store clerk called police Monday after she spotted a man walking into the store wearing a ski mask and carrying a sword in a sheath on his belt.

(Ski mask? Do ninjas ski?)

Ninja robbery suspect felled by police in jail row (http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090422/NEWS01/904220352/1079/news01)


As Cox was being led to the holding cell, he stopped and asked where he was going.

According to the complaint, Cox was instructed to go down a hall, but he refused and began raising his voice. Cox then turned toward the deputy. The deputy grabbed Cox and Cox turned away. The deputy then swept Cox's legs out from under him and "took him to the floor," the record states.

According to the complaint, the deputy struck his right knee into the concrete floor, "causing extreme pain."

[arnisador]

Karate Kid Remake Plot Details Revealed (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/06/karate-kid-remake-plot-details-revealed/)


The film’s plot is broadly the same as the original 1984 film, but with many little differences. The Daniel Larusso character, played by Jaden Smith, has been renamed Dre (I kid you not) and is a skateboarding video game buff. With the fear of layoffs looming over her U.S. job, Dre’s single mother accepts an offer to transfer to the China office. Of course, unable to speak Chinese, Dre finds it hard to settle in, and gets beat up by the local bully.

The Mr. Myiagi character has been renamed Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan, spots a black-eyed Dre practicing martial-arts kicks as part of a Wii-style video game and agrees to teach him both martial arts and Chinese. The John Kreese’ character has been renamed Li Quan Ha, and is now the owner of the Fighting dragon school of Kung-Fu.

[arnisador]

Chuck Norris' photo scares away criminals
(http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=76229186533&h=1lZyT&u=XpeiJ&ref=mf) Businesses reach out to Hollywood tough guy for help in tough times (http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=76229186533&h=1lZyT&u=XpeiJ&ref=mf)


A bakery in Split, Croatia, has employed a poster of the TV star and martial arts champion after it suffered a string of burglaries.

According to European news accounts, the bakery had been broken into nearly every week until owners put up a photo along with the message: "This shop is under the protection of Chuck Norris."

[arnisador]

Exit the Dragon
A 'reverse biography' of Bruce Lee looks at his effect on pop culture
(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124235292440222425.html)


On Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, viewers will learn more about that legacy when History airs "How Bruce Lee Changed the World," a look at the effect of his work, which helped introduce the culture of China to a pop audience. The documentary will feature interviews with a wide range of subjects including actor Jackie Chan and Wu-Tang rapper RZA.
[...]
For Ms. (Shannon ) Lee, the special is one of several new initiatives that she's spearheaded. She launched Bruce Lee Enterprises last year to license products with his name. She also hopes to start a Bruce Lee museum. "I'm just trying to put a spotlight on [my father's] life," she says.

[arnisador]

Pro wrestler Lashley destroys Cook in 24 seconds (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Pro-wrestler-Lashley-destroys-Cook-in-24-seconds?urn=mma,163814)


Don't make fun of Bobby Lashley and his pro wrestling background. The former WWE star said he was incensed by the fact that his opponent Mike Cook came to the cage in a lucha libre mask a la Nacho Libre.

Lashley is generally a polite, sportsman but he refused to touch gloves with Cook. He charged Cook in the opening seconds and missed with a huge right. Cook made the mistake of dropping his head. Lashley, a big MMA heavyweight at 6-foot-3, 249 pounds, grabbed onto Cook's head with his left arm. From there, he used his bulk to lean on Cook and it took just a few seconds for Cook to wilt under Lashley's weight. Lashley flattened out Cook (7-4) and re-positioned his right arm to cinch on a choke. Cook's legs could be seen quivering and referee John McCarthy had to step in to stop the fight. All that in just 24 seconds.

[arnisador]

11-Year-Old Graduates From LA College
Pre-teen could probably beat you up, too (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/11-Year-Old-Graduates-From-LA-College.html?yhp=1)


Moshe Kai Cavalin, 11, graduates with honors from East Los Angeles Community College this week, but just don't call him a genius.

I consider myself a regular kid who works hard and does his best," says this only child of a Taiwanese mother and an Israeli father.

When Cavalin started college at the age of 8, he may have been the youngest person in class, but he ended up tutoring some of his 19- and 20-year-old classmates in math and science.

Astrophysics is his passion. Albert Einstein and Bruce Lee are among his idols.
Yet like a twist out of a Hollywood action flick, Cavalin combines his exceptional smarts with fearsome martial arts abilities: The preteen has won numerous national martial arts championships.

Up next for the tireless boy wonder: In the next take six months to a year he plans to devote himself to martial arts, write a book for kids on how succeed in school, and take up scuba diving.

Not on the agenda: playing video games.

"I feel it's a waste of time playing video games because it's not helping humanity in any way," says the 11-year-old, who wants to use his knowledge to change the world.

[arnisador]

It took five years of research, and some luck, to shape 'Up' (http://postgazette.com/pg/09149/973456-60.stm#ixzz0HgYuqEOf&D)


The producers tested hundreds of children and found Russell by accident when Jordan Nagai, now 9, tagged along with his older brother, who read for the role. Someone asked, "What about you, why don't you step up here?" to Jordan, who jabbered about his judo class.

[arnisador]

A&E Goes Into Production On "Steven Seagal: Lawman" (http://www.aetv.com/news/?id=391368)


A&E is in production on "Steven Seagal: Lawman," a new Real-Life series that will chronicle martial arts expert and international film star Steven Seagal's extraordinary life in law enforcement, it was announced today by Robert Sharenow, Senior Vice President Non-Fiction & Alternative Programming, A&E Network.

Seagal's movies have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. He is an expert martial artist, with a 7th-degree black belt in aikido. Along with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris, he's considered one of the film industry's greatest action stars. But it turns out that Steven Seagal isn't just an action hero in the movies. For almost 20 years, Seagal has been working as a fully-commissioned deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. In fact, in addition to going out on patrol, Seagal is an expert marksman who has worked with their SWAT team and has instructed Jefferson Parish officers in firearms and hand-to-hand combat.

"I've been working as an officer in Jefferson Parish for two decades under most people's radar," said Seagal, "I've decided to work with A&E on this series now because I believe it's important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in Louisiana - to see the passion and commitment that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in this post-Katrina environment."

[Carol]

Chuck Norris' photo scares away criminals
(http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=76229186533&h=1lZyT&u=XpeiJ&ref=mf) Businesses reach out to Hollywood tough guy for help in tough times (http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=76229186533&h=1lZyT&u=XpeiJ&ref=mf)



I like the "no machetes" symbol next to Chuck's visage. :D Thats awesome that Chuck has a sense of humor about it too :)

[arnisador]

Martial arts stuntman Steven Ho is on tonight's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, demonstrating some simple martial arts stunts.

[arnisador]

(Seen on MT.)

Martial arts student makes arrest (http://www.muswellbrookchronicle.com.au/news/local/news/general/martial-arts-student-makes-arrest/1526763.aspx)


At about 11.30am on Tuesday Alan Bridge and his partner were walking under the Subway when they saw a young man assaulting an older man, believed to be in his late fifties.

Mr Bridge, a martial arts student of St Alban’s Ministry Centre, immediately climbed up the Subway to reach and secure the offender with an arm bar – martial arts restraint move – around his head preventing him from moving.

It was then that Hunter Valley Police stepped in and arrested the man.

Mr Bridge said the policeman thanked him and arrested the offender.

[arnisador]

Heartless thieves strike at Maccas (http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/05/25/81855_gold-coast-top-story.html)


In April, Mr Gascoine's wife Beth bravely fought off an armed attacker in an underground car park at Mermaid Beach.


Mrs Gascoine, a black belt in Zen Do Kai martial arts, managed to fight off the knife-weilding attacker but she sustained a stab wound to her wrist in the struggle.

[arnisador]

Kung fu master jabs open coconuts (http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25671756-5006301,00.html)



A KUNG fu master has jabbed his way into the Malaysian records book after piercing four coconuts with his index finger in a little over 30 seconds.Vid clip at the link. Looks like he jammed his finger on number 3!

[arnisador]

Sexyama speaks: 'I wanted more challenges' (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2009/06/68493141/1)



If you never practiced MMA with a gi, how come you often fought in one?
I'm a judoka myself, so I wanted to show everybody, especially the younger kids, that there is somebody who's practicing judo in mixed martial arts.



How much of your judo is transferable to the UFC environment?
I feel that it's not 100% transferable, but there are ways that judo can be used in the UFC cage. Some of those techniques are judo throws, for example.

[arnisador]

From Israel’s Military To a Ring in Newark (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204261704574274362162345526.html)


Spare Ran Nakash the metaphors that boxing is a war. Mr. Nakash, a burly cruiserweight who will box against William Bailey at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday, is chief commander of hand-to-hand combat instruction for the Israeli Defense Force. He’s trained thousands of soldiers in krav maga, an anything-goes street-fighting technique with minimal similarity to boxing. Still, Mr. Nakash is 18-0 with 14 knockouts and hopes someday to fight champ Tomasz Adamek, whose title defense versus.

[arnisador]

WAR WITHOUT BORDERS
Mexican Cartels Lure American Teens as Killers (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/us/23killers.html?ref=world)


Mr. Reta also told the police that he had attended a training camp in Mexico for six months, where he learned to shoot assault rifles and engage in hand-to-hand combat. One of his instructors, he said, was an Israeli mercenary. Mr. Reta was also proud of his marksmanship.

[arnisador]

Saw this in the news--the lead in Drop Dead Dive used to work with them:
http://www.babeswithblades.org/company.htm


produces theater that showcases the strength, vitality, and proficiency of women in the art of stage combat.

[arnisador]

Korea Taekwondo National Demonstration Team kicks off U.S. tour in Noblesville (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907180408)


The Korea Taekwondo National Demonstration Team opens its U.S. tour today with a stop in Noblesville. More than a dozen members of the internationally acclaimed group will perform an hour of high-flying kicks and acrobatic flips at Noblesville High School's gymnasium.

Korean national team shows taekwondo feats (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907230356)


Members demonstrated a variety of acrobatic board breaking and martial arts skills, including flying scissor kicks, 540-degree spin kicks, jumping backflips, two-on-one sparring, self-defense and forms. About 200 boards were destroyed during the hourlong performance.

[arnisador]

Samurai Mind Training for Modern American Warriors (http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090907/us_time/08599192075300)



Rooted in the ancient Samurai code of self-discipline, Warrior Mind Training draws on the image of the mythic Japanese fighter, an elite swordsman who honed his battle skills along with his mental precision. The premise? Razor-sharp attention plus razor-sharp marksmanship equals fearsome warrior.



The Samurai image was selected after careful deliberation; it was certifiably anti-sissy. "We took a long time to decide how we were going to package this," says Ernst, who moved to North Carolina in 2006 and teaches classes at Fort Bragg as well as Camp Lejeune, a Marine base near the coast. "There are a lot of ways you could describe the benefits of doing mind training and meditation. Maybe from a civilian approach we would emphasize cultivating happiness or peace. But that's not generally what a young soldier is interested in. They want to become the best warrior they can be."

[arnisador]

A Travel channel show called Johnny Colt: At Full Volume, currently showing, features taht member of the Black Crowes at a Thai kickboxing match.

[Brian R. VanCise]

A Travel channel show called Johnny Colt: At Full Volume, currently showing, features taht member of the Black Crowes at a Thai kickboxing match.

I saw it last night and it was fun to watch. The fight was really just a demo but the show itself overall was very entertaining! http://www.fmatalk.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[arnisador]

I'm taping it on Thurs.!

[arnisador]

I saw it last night and it was fun to watch. The fight was really just a demo but the show itself overall was very entertaining!

I fast-forwarded through all the non-martial arts stuff. There was some info. but the demo. was a bit too played-up for me!

[arnisador]

Pittsburgh Martial Arts Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/x-24575-Pittsburgh-Martial-Arts-Examiner

[arnisador]

Martial arts master arrested after beating (http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_13474150?nclick_check=1)



A martial arts master is facing charges after authorities say some horseplay at a train station turned into a beating.

Matthew Walker was arrested Thursday night after two men were severely beaten at a Menlo Park Caltrain station.

[arnisador]

http://www.usaweekend.com/celebs/whos_news/


Ming-Na, 45, loves to learn. "I'm learning how to play Wii because my kids [ages 8 and 3] are totally into it," says the star of Syfy's new "Stargate Universe." "And I'm going to take tae kwon do. My daughter got me into it. Mama's still got some moves!" Her "new vice" is Twitter: "It's going to be so cool to get feedback after an episode airs."

[arnisador]

Defense instructor: If you're attacked, you better act (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910150462)



A police self-defense instructor offered simple advice to about 200 people gathered Downtown for an assault-protection training class Wednesday night: Hit them before they hit you.

"We're not trying to hurt anybody," said Jeff Patterson, creator of the Escape Plan assault prevention program, which had a free training session at Conseco Fieldhouse. "We're trying to buy time to get away."

[arnisador]

Judo champ jailed in train station beating (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/02/BA8N1A086N.DTL)



Horseplay between a martial arts master and a Menlo Park amateur at a Peninsula Caltrain station turned into a full-blown assault and put a national judo competitor behind bars, authorities said Friday.

[arnisador]

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/19/black-belt-watch/

The Black Belt Watch, for black belts only:
http://www.blackbeltwatch.com/

[Brian R. VanCise]

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/19/black-belt-watch/

The Black Belt Watch, for black belts only:
http://www.blackbeltwatch.com/

Oh my!

[arnisador]

Woman karate black belt teaches Australian muggers a lesson (http://blog.taragana.com/n/woman-karate-black-belt-teaches-australian-muggers-a-lesson-206894/)



A German on holiday in Australia had her black belt in karate to thank for thwarting an attempted robbery on the streets of the central Outback city of Alice Springs, Northern Territory police said Monday.


Would-be muggers who set upon the woman and her friends Saturday night as they were crossing a Todd River footbridge were given a master class in martial arts.

[arnisador]

Ed O'Neill appears on the cover of USA Weekend in today's paper, wearing his BJJ black belt:
http://blogs.usaweekend.com/whos_news/2009/11/ed-oneill-of-modern-family-graces-our-cover-this-week.html

There's a side story on his BJJ experiences with it:
http://www.usaweekend.com/09_issues/091108/091108health-kids.html


Lying on his back, he raises his legs, wraps them around the neck of a photo assistant and flips the guy onto his back. No one is hurt, but everyone is impressed.

"I once had to do this outside of a bar in Santa Monica when a friend of mine was being assaulted," the actor says. The assailant wasn't as lucky as the photo assistant. O'Neill squeezed the assailant hard, "and then he passed out. I am one of the strongest guys around."

[PG Michael B]

Plus his new TV show Modern Family is funny as hell....Go Al Bundy Go!

[arnisador]

Plus his new TV show Modern Family is funny as hell....Go Al Bundy Go!

My wife and I really wanted to like it but gave up after two episodes--the mockumentary style just didn't work for us!

[arnisador]

HDNet Fights Presents: 2009 U.S. Army Combatives Championships
http://blog.hdnetfights.com/post/240550491/hdnet-fights-presents-2009-u-s-army-combatives

Looks interesting. The trailer at that link includes training footage featuring stick-to-stick work with rattan sticks as well as some knife and a lot of BJJ.

[arnisador]

Police: Drunk 'ninja' impaled on First Hill fence post (http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/185393.asp)


A drunk man believing himself to be a ninja drew the help of Seattle police and aid crews late Monday after impaling himself on a First Hill fence post, a police spokesperson said.



The man's ninja skills, it seems, were bested by the 4- to 5-foot-tall fence he attempted to vault, according to the police statement.

[arnisador]

Tayler Lautner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Lautner) was on the Conan O'Brien show tonight. They showed a clip of him doing a gymnastic staff form. He dropped in his early teens.


Lautner is an accomplished martial artist, having studied karate from the age of six to thirteen. When he was eleven, he was ranked number one in the world for NASKA's Black Belt Open Forms, Musical Weapons, Traditional Weapons and Traditional Forms and, at the age of twelve, he won the Junior World Championships.

[arnisador]

Taylor Lautner’s Wild Ride: The New Issue of Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/11/24/taylor-lautners-wild-ride-the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone/)



What Lautner has done is turn his love of martial arts into superstardom as werewolf Jacob in the Twilight series. “This could have happened to anyone who played Jacob,” Lautner tells RS. “It’s Twilight. It’s not me personally.” But his hard work is inescapable: he started learning karate at age six and moved on to Xtreme Martial Arts, relocating with his family to Los Angeles to pursue acting and stomaching the bullying that came along with it.

Rain is the "Ninja Assassin" (http://www.teenmusic.com/2009/11/24/rain-is-the-ninja-assassin)


In Speed Racer, the Wachowskis saw Rain's martial arts skills and were blown away. When Warner Bros. execs suggested that Joel build a film around a hot young martial arts expert, Rain fit the bill and the Ninja Assassin was born.

[arnisador]

Kauai police use Taser on mixed martial arts fighter (http://www.starbulletin.com/news/breaking/71192827.html)



Kauai police used a Taser to subdue a mixed martial arts fighter and arrested him for drunk driving and threatening officers Friday morning in Lihue, a county news release said.

LeBeau Lagmay, 26, of Kapaa, was charged today with 14 counts of terroristic threatening, resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle, drunk driving and driving with an open container. He was being held on $147,000 bail.
[...]
Officers pursued Lagmay's vehicle and stopped him at the Wilcox Hospital parking lot, police said. Lagmay allegedly resisted arrest and threatened the officers, who tasered him, the news release said.

[arnisador]

Two martial arts schools contend (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200911/20091124/article_420390.htm)



These sound like magic shows or kung fu movie stunts, but they are the very real "iron skin" kung fu of Shaolin Temple in Henan Province and the "levitation skill" qigong of Wudang Taoist Temple in Hubei Province.

All kung fu fans know these seemingly enchanted skills from movies, and they will be able to see live demonstrations at the Shanghai World Expo next year.

Demonstrations of the two biggest and most famous martial arts centers in China will be staged throughout the six-month Expo that opens on May 1.

Kung fu masters will also teach visitors some basic skills -- in both Chinese and English.

[arnisador]

More on the Twilight actors:
New Moon's Ashley Greene: I'm doing mixed martial arts training (http://www.examiner.com/x-14380-NY-Celebrity-Fitness-and-Health-Examiner%7Ey2009m11d12-New-Moons-Ashley-Greene-Im-doing-mixed-martial-arts-training)




New Moon hottie Ashley Greene says she did mixed martial arts (MMA) training to prep for the intense fight sequences in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, the final two installments in the Twilight saga.


Like her co-stars Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kellan Lutz, the gorgeous Greene worked out and trained like an athlete for her role as vampire Alice Cullen.

[arnisador]

News of the Weird: Carry-on items confiscated include nunchucks, baby alligator (http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_13894864)


Thousands of airline passengers continue to attempt to bring prohibited carry-on items on board. The New York Post reported in September that the Transportation Security Administration had confiscated 123,000 items so far this year from just the three main airports serving New York City. Included were 43 explosives, 1,600 knives, a 10-point deer antler, several fire extinguishers, a tree branch, nunchucks, a grill, a baby alligator, "unwashed adult toys," a gassed-up chain saw and a kitchen sink.

[arnisador]

A 'De-Disneyfied' Wonderland (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703939404574568181733711974.html)

The heroine is a martial-arts instructor trying to rescue her boyfriend (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703939404574568181733711974.html)


His roly-poly characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum have been replaced by the nightmarish torturers Dr. Dee and Dr. Dum; the Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates) now runs the Happy Hearts Casino, which drains "oysters," or nonfantastical humans, of emotions and sells them as drug-like "quick fixes"; and most importantly, his child heroine has morphed into a twentysomething martial-arts instructor (Caterina Scorsone) who stumbles into Wonderland in search of a kidnapped boyfriend.

A review elsewhere in the paper wasn't very upbeat about the miniseries.

[arnisador]

Fairbanks native Capt. Eli Donker using deployment time to get ready for professional MMA fights (http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_340160745.html)


A former Army rugby player, Donker took an interest in the role of effective hand-to-hand combat during his first deployment to Iraq in 2003 with the 101st Airborne Division.

He said the experience showed him that, while the soldiers were very proficient with their firearms and crew-served weapons, Combatives was “something we needed to focus on.”

In 2006, he was again on Iraqi soil with the 101st and had since become a “second level” instructor in the Combatives program.

“My brigade really took the training seriously. It really made a difference and helped out in a lot of situations,” he said.

After returning home once again, Donker entered his first amateur MMA fight and won with a second round knockout.

It was a two-fold victory, because he not only had a win in the ring, but also he recognized this as a way to test the Combatives program.

[...]

Donker hopes the test of the Combatives program in the professional circuit will show that the techniques taught are able to stand up to other martial arts disciplines. What he learns there will give him insight into how practical the program really is, he said.

“It adds a credibility,” he explained, “Mixed martial arts is the closest way to replicate actual combat, so I can get in there and know it’s going to work and know that what I am teaching soldiers is going to work for them.”

MACP focuses on straightforward moves that can be performed quickly and have a “high tolerance” for different real-world battle situations, he said.

“You don’t have to be incredibly precise with them and that’s because of the gear, the battle fatigue, the nonstandard conditions,” he said. “You’re not in a ring. You’re on a concrete surface or up against a wall or inside a room.

“It kind of frustrates a lot of martial arts purists that Combatives is sort of, as they view it, sloppy,” he said.

Donker also said that while MACP has defined positions and moves, the strength of the program is from the mentality that will arise.

The culminating challenge for the first level of instruction is the infamous “clinch-drill” in which soldiers must achieve the namesake clinch-hold while starting outside striking distance.

And the instructors do the striking. “Watching guys go from being scared to being bloodied and confident is awesome,” he said, “Clinch-drill day is my favorite day because you get to see soldiers really understand, ‘That hurt, it was scary, but it didn’t hurt that bad, it wasn’t that scary, and I’m still going to win.’

“That attitude, whether it’s a firefight or a hand-to-hand fight or whatever is going on in deployment, it might save their life,” he said.

Donker advises that same philosophy to soldiers who are considering a fight in the cage because it has helped him win.

“The basic principle is close the distance, gain a dominant position, and finish the fight,” he said, “The definition of a warrior is willingness to close with the enemy.

“Those two things, I always stick to,” he said. “Not because it’s Army Combatives. I stick to them because they work. I’m 9-1 using that fight plan, why would I change?” For the remainder of his deployment, Donker will continue to coach soldiers in the informal classes on Contingency Operating Base Basra. He also is helping prepare a team of fighters for an upcoming all-soldier tournament on Contingency Operating Base Bucca in December.


The article in the paper had some pictures too. he's also on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eli-Donker-MMA/170821996093

[arnisador]

Taylor Lautner did some martial arts stuff on Saturday Night Live last night--gymnastic martial arts and a quick bo staff spinning demonstration, then he attacked a Kanye West dummy (he's dating Taylor Swift). It looks like he twice failed to kick the dummy's head off, then ended up backfisting it off so the bit could continue.

[arnisador]

Russian beauty makes boxing history (http://www.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/12/19/boxing.russia.natalia.ragozina/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn)



Russia's glamorous female champion boxer Natalia Ragozina has landed a heavyweight belt in a spectacular knockout victory in her first fight in her home country.

The new belt adds to her impressive collection of seven super-middleweight straps, setting a new record in women's professional boxing.

[arnisador]

Japanese women put up a fight (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3131798.stm)


Japanese woman are traditionally associated with polite and submissive behaviour.

But the thousands of spectators who flock to women's pro-wrestling fights view the women as heroines, who show that Japanese women can also be strong and assertive.

[Bob Hubbard]

Japanese Women Wrestlers develop 10 moves a year.
Japanese Male Wrestlers adopt 7 of those, the other 3 are too brutal.
Mexican Wrestlers snag 4 of those 7.
US Wrestlers whimper in fear that they'll run into the Japanese women.
Vince McMahon counts his money.
:D

[arnisador]

Federal Court Limits the Use of Tasers (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/us/01taser.html)



In a case that could set the first broad judicial standards for the use of Tasers, a federal appeals court in California has ruled that the police can be held liable for using one of the devices against an unarmed person during a traffic stop.


The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, said the electrically disabling device constituted excessive force when used against an unarmed man who did not pose a threat, and it refused to allow a police officer immunity for its use.


I do wonder if tasers have started to be used too freely, as though they were a completely benign way to resolve a situation...some backward motion on that matter may be needed.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/work_and_family.html


Q: I saw your recent column on people having positive midlife crises. I am a 37-year-old manager and am wondering whether I am having one. In the past two years, I have started taking martial-arts training and am close to earning my black belt. I also began to learn to play the piano. How can a person tell whether he or she is having a midlife crisis? —A.F., Far Rockaway, N.Y.

I didn't know that was a sign of a midlife crisis...

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Kung fu master puts a beat-down on the mister (http://www.wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/article_46b9b2a4-ffaf-11de-a853-001cc4c002e0.html)


A man identified in China's Chongqing Evening News in November as Mr. Zhang, 32, admitted he is competitive with his wife and "never wants to lose an argument," but inevitably his contentiousness leaves him with "bruises and scars all over" because Mrs. Zhang is a kung fu master. After negotiations led by Mrs. Zhang's parents, she agreed by contract to limit any beatings to no more than once a week, with a parent-administered penalty for exceeding that.

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Scandal-tainted Asashoryu calls it quits (http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=43369)


Asashoryu said on Feb. 4, 2010, that he has decided to bring an end to his illustrious but trouble-laden sumo career.

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Who Is Who: Bulgarian Former Top Secret Service Agent Aleksei Petrov (http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=112989)


Former Bulgarian secret agent Aleksei Petrov, nicknamed "The Tractor" is reported to have been arrested overnight during the special operation of the Bulgarian police codenamed "Octopus".


Aleksei Petrov was born on April 23, 1962. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was part of one of the elite units of Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry – the Specialized Squad for Fighting Terrorism, a squad of commandos whose members are commonly known as “the barrettes.” After quiting, Petrov became one of the founders of the Union of Former Barrettes.


Later he served in Bulgaria’s National Security Service, one of the main directorates of the Interior Ministry, and then entered the private business sector. Before 2000 he was a co-founder and member of the board of the insurance company “Apollo & Balkan”, insurance company “Spartak” (later “Levski-Spartak”), and is one of the owners of the “Spartak” pool in Sofia. He is reported to have had shares in several other firms.


He has been actively involved in the Bulgarian Karate Federation, including as a karate coach, which is where his path crossed with that of current Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who himself is a former coach of the Bulgarian national karate team.

The Female Factor
Women’s Influence Grows in Bulgarian Public Life (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/world/europe/08iht-bulgwomen.html)


Prime Minister Boiko M. Borisov of Bulgaria, a thick-necked former karate instructor, bodyguard and onetime fireman, may seem an unlikely feminist. But the former tough guy mayor of Sofia has in recent months promoted a legion of women, heralding what some are calling a sexual revolution in the politics of this abidingly macho Balkan country.

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Zimbabwe: ZKU Executive Face Huge Task (http://allafrica.com/stories/201002080059.html)


THE newly-elected Zimbabwe Karate Union executive has a mammoth task ahead of them as they try to revamp the sport and create unity among the different styles that are being practiced in the country.

Currently there are 16 karate styles that are being practiced in the country among them kyokushin, dentokan, seidokan, kimora shukokan, shitoryu, sankukai, bino-ryu, gojuryu, urakash and JKA shotokan.



However, the sport has continued to suffer both at national and international levels due to lack of unity among the people that are involved in the sport and lack of support from the local corporate world.

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Beverly master Bernie Mulligan reaches highest rank in Aikido (http://www.wickedlocal.com/beverly/sports/adult_leagues/x1468646730/Beverly-master-Bernie-Mulligan-reaches-highest-rank-in-Aikido)


Ask some people how they envision their life at 82, and some say they hope to accomplish their life’s goals long before that, or they mention senior centers and nursing homes. Not so for Bernie Mulligan of Salem. Last week, Mulligan reached the highest level of achievement in Aikido, a Japanese martial art. Mulligan, 82, was designated as “Shihan” or Master Teacher from Aikido World Headquarters in Tokyo.


The title of “Shihan” is rarely given, and given only to instructors who have taught for at least six years after attaining a sixth degree black belt. Meeting the time requirement is not the only criteria for the designation as Shihan. In fact, historically very few people of non-Japanese descent were given the title. In the US, only 25 Shihans are registered with the U.S. Federation of Aikido. Other criteria include character, attitude and diligence in practice.


Mulligan has over 45 years of combined Aikido training and teaching experience. In 1962, he founded and still directs a dojo (school) called Shodokan Dojo in Beverly, which offers other classes including Karate, Judo, Arnis and Yoga.

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Madoff Beaten in Prison (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704743404575128031143424928.html)

Ponzi Schemer Was Assaulted by Another Inmate in December; Officials Deny Incident (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704743404575128031143424928.html)


The current inmate said Mr. Madoff's assailant was a beefy man serving time for a drug conviction. The alleged assailant's mother said in an interview her son had not mentioned any scuffle with Mr. Madoff but that he had been a body builder and held a black belt in Judo until he was injured in a shooting in 2002. While behind bars he has regained strength and gotten back into shape, she said.

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‘One Perfect Suit’ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703625304575115942755364402.html)

Minneapolis’s near-mint set of samurai armor (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703625304575115942755364402.html)




This particular unknown samurai’s armor, fashioned early in the 17th century but still in near-mint condition, was recently acquired by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts at a Christie’s auction in New York. It’s a spectacular example of its kind, well worth its price tag of half a million dollars, according to Matthew Welch, the museum’s curator of Japanese and Korean art. At the moment, the armor holds pride of place in the museum’s lobby.

The print edition had a nice photograph of it too.

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Bow-Hunting Is In, Scooters Are Out (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704508904575192223706843024.html)


But bow-hunting isn't the biggest riser—that crown belongs to cardio kickboxing, where participation jumped 20.1%. That comes alongside a drop in sports like Tai Chi (-6.4%) and general martial arts (-3.8%). Joe Dunphy, a master with the U.S. Martial Arts & Tai Chi Academy, says this is because of a trend toward less-physical activities. "We've seen fads come and go, but Tai Chi is forever," he says.

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Cadets Develop a Fighting Spirit (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/sports/09boxing.html)



For more than 100 years, the United States Military Academy has required incoming male cadets to complete an introductory boxing course. The first lesson, both basic and brutal, never changes. Fist, meet face.

Yet here, inside the gym where West Point’s dominant college boxing team now trains, everything is relatively new. New rings. New equipment. Even the history — national championship banners from 2008 and 2009 — hanging from the walls.

This weekend, Army is defending those titles while hosting the National Collegiate Boxing Association championships for the first time, marking the academy’s convergence of longstanding boxing tradition with competitive prowess. “It’s absolutely fitting,” said Col. Greg Daniels, the director of physical education. “The Army is a physical profession. It can be a dangerous, nasty business. Boxing is the way we develop the warrior acumen. We should excel.”

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942 (http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2010/04/28/entertainment/doc4bd73a3c00829553746684.txt)
Jedi Knights walk among us (http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2010/04/28/entertainment/doc4bd73a3c00829553746684.txt)




They are the PA Jedi, a non-profit, all volunteer light saber stage combat group.[...]PA Jedi meets weekly from 7:30-10:30 p.m. where club members and visitors gather to learn how to wield a light saber, create characters and bios, and much more. The first class is always free, after that there is a $5 per class fee. Practice sabers are available during class but participants are encouraged to bring their own saber or other weapon (eskrima sticks, staffs and wooden bokkens are all acceptable).

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Execution does not stop Chinese knife attacks (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/china.attacks/)


Police officers show teachers and school workers at a Beijing school how to defend themselves during an attack.
943

This appears to be the man-catcher used by the Japanese to round up rogue samurai in the late 1800s (and of course used by others elsewhere). What's old is new again--even in these days of firearms, we're seeing knife and hammer attacks and the suggested use of an archaic weapon in response.

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Kicking From the Hip (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304506904575180162241451770.html?m od=WSJ_topics_obama)

Why the 'hard' martial arts—karate, judo and others—are attracting older students (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304506904575180162241451770.html?m od=WSJ_topics_obama)



It's a far cry from tai chi, the Chinese system of slow, graceful noncontact movements long associated with older adults. But so-called hard martial arts—tae kwon do, karate, kung fu, judo and akido—are attracting more students age 50-plus.

I'm not sure 'akido' (sic) is a hard art, but in general, good for them for starting in their 50s and 60s!

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Real estate CEO Mark Fromm uses BJJ to stay in shape:
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-WORKOUT09.html

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Cage fighter 'ripped out heart of training partner' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7787039/Cage-fighter-ripped-out-heart-of-training-partner.html)


(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7787039/Cage-fighter-ripped-out-heart-of-training-partner.html)A US cage fighter ripped out the heart of his training partner while he was still alive after becoming convinced he was possessed by the devil. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7787039/Cage-fighter-ripped-out-heart-of-training-partner.html)



Jarrod Wyatt also cut out his friend's tongue and ripped off most of his face in a brutal assault that police said looked like a scene from a horror film.



They found the 26 year old standing naked over his friend's body with body parts, including an eyeball, strewn around the blood splattered room.
[...]
The coroner said Powell had been alive when the organ was ripped out after his chest had been sliced open with a knife.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/7793159/Pictures-of-the-day-1-June-2010.html?image=17


Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao practices tai chi with local residents at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, Japan

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Family outraged MMA fighter accused of murder is released (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37911382/ns/local_news-las_vegas_nv/)


Jason Sindelar, a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, was arrested over the weekend for the beating death of a 26-year-old Las Vegas man. But now, hes out of custody until investigators receive a final report from the coroners office.

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Longmont High teacher, karate instructor arrested on suspicion of sex assault (http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15413374?source=most_viewed)


A Longmont High School teacher and karate instructor who is suspected of having sexual contact with an underage girl was arrested Wednesday just hours before he was scheduled to board a plane for Japan with a group of his teenage students.



Alex Tinsley, 51, faces a charge of sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust after someone spotted him Tuesday in a Longmont coffee shop with a teenage girl and called police.



Police said Tinsley and the girl, a student of his, told them they were meeting at the shop as part of their normal school activities, but after interviewing the student's mother, police began to suspect that Tinsley had sexual contact with the girl on repeated occasions.



He turned himself in to Longmont police Wednesday afternoon, just before he was scheduled to fly out of Denver for Japan with a group of teenagers who were enrolled in the Longmont Karate Club, where he was an instructor.

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Japan's sumo scandal (http://www.economist.com/node/16485499?story_id=16485499&fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/japansumo)

Caught off-balance (http://www.economist.com/node/16485499?story_id=16485499&fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/japansumo)
Yet another scandal, this time about gambling, prompts a clean-up of the sport (http://www.economist.com/node/16485499?story_id=16485499&fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/japansumo)


SUMO boasts 82 kimarite, or techniques, to take down an opponent. But the sport is most notable for pummelling itself. Its reputation has been scorched by scandals, from drug-use to accusations of match-fixing to the bullying to death of a young recruit. But recent revelations about gambling and ties to the yakuza, Japan’s mob, are the most serious yet.



On June 28th the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), the governing body, moved to dismiss a top-ranked wrestler, Kotomitsuki, and a “stablemaster”, or coach, Otake, for betting on baseball, which is illegal in Japan because of gambling’s links with the yakuza. There followed news of other such cases, and of incidents where wrestlers paid blackmail to yakuza to keep their sins quiet.

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Shaolin Temple's real kick is inner peace

Closely aligned with the temple in China, the shrine in Sherman Oaks focuses on philosophy and meditation. (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/19/local/la-me-beliefs-shaolin-20100619)


China's world-famous Shaolin Temple gained prominence among many Americans with the release of the 1980s martial arts movie of the same name. An updated version of the film, loved by fans for the riveting kung fu stunts of the temple's legendary fighting monks, is in the works. And in recent weeks, Hollywood's remake of "The Karate Kid" has topped the box office, wowing audiences with its seemingly magical martial arts techniques.


But while kung fu continues to make a splash on the big screen, members of the Shaolin Buddhist Temple in Sherman Oaks are keen to spread a different message about the Shaolin culture and what their sanctuary has to offer.

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Man issues his own brand of martial law (http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/upper-hutt-leader/3914205/Man-issues-his-own-brand-of-martial-law/)


A wanted man who sprinted away from police in Upper Hutt was tackled by a martial arts expert who answered an officer's call for help.
[...]
Nicholson ran away with the officer in pursuit, who appealed to the public for help. Jason, a supervisor putting in Main St's new lights who did not want his last name published, answered the call using his knowledge of aikido, a martial art.


"I went over and tackled him and put him in an arm bar," Jason said.

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Exporting Broadway (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704220704575367132050234118.html)

The business of sending musicals abroad has never been bigger—Disney has brought in more than $2 billion overseas from 'The Lion King' alone. But navigating the global stage can be tricky. Why Germans love 'Tarzan' and 'Fiddler' is big in Japan. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704220704575367132050234118.html)




The production picked the four actors alternating the role of Billy, ranging from ages 10 to 14, from a pool of 800 kids whose skills included Judo, Taekwondo and ballet (one Billy played Young Simba in "The Lion King" in Korea). The country largely lacks a tradition of "triple threats"—performers trained to sing, act and dance—so each boy needed training in at least two of those three skills.

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Banned by Taliban, Judo instructor teaches troops (http://www.cjtf101.com/regional-command-east-news-mainmenu-401/3018-banned-by-taliban-judo-instructor-teaches-troops.html)


KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Every night, among the hum of tread mills mixed with the tang of sweat in Forward Operating Base Wright’s small cardio room, Soldiers, Sailors and local nationals gather to practice Judo Karate with instructor Dr. Shams Kamalpuri, Speer clinic doctor.

Prior to Taliban rule, Kamalpuri had built a reputation for himself in the country after creating five Judo clubs with more than 800 Afghans participating in them -- before seeing everything he worked for whisked away by the imposing Taliban regime.

“When I was in the fourth grade I started training in Iran because there were no martial arts instructors in Afghanistan,” said Kamalpuri. “I competed in the surrounding countries like Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran, and I won 32 tournaments.”

In 2000, the Taliban arrested Kamalpuri for teaching martial arts and beat him to the point that metal rods now hold together the bones in both of his arms.

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This guy was the wrestling coach at my college until it was canceled last year for financial reasons. I know him but have never worked out with him, though I did study with the BJJ instructor mentioned in the article:

HUGHES, NEWS & VIEWS: Greg Archer still hitting the mats (http://tribstar.com/sports/x2105965497/HUGHES-NEWS-VIEWS-Greg-Archer-still-hitting-the-mats)



After taking a seven-year break from competition, Archer will represent the United States in the 76-kilogram weight class (roughly 167.5 pounds) of the 55-and-older age group in the 2010 Veterans Freestyle Wrestling World Championships in Switzerland. The tournament will run next Friday through next Sunday[...]Archer has decades of experience to draw from, having placed third in the 68-kg weight class (roughly 149.5 pounds) in the World Cup for sombo wrestling in Madrid, Spain, way back in 1980.[...]He’s even worked with multi-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Jack McVicker, another subject of “Hughes, News & Views” columns over the years, on his wrestling techniques.

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Busted Russian Spy Wants Old Life Back (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703309704575413600124475346.html)


He operated under cover with a single false name on two continents for 34 years, through part of the Cold War and beyond. He served spymasters in Moscow who reward such steel-jawed endurance with quiet adulation.

In Peru he was Juan Lazaro the karate black belt, the news photographer, the guy who married the star TV reporter. After the couple moved to New York, he became Juan Lazaro Ph.D. and adjunct professor of political science. At home in suburban Yonkers, he was the doting father of Juan Lazaro Jr., a talented young pianist.

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Tai Chi Reported to Ease Fibromyalgia (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/health/19taichi.html?_r=1&WT.mc_id=HL-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-TCE-081910-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click)


The ancient Chinese practice of tai chi may be effective as a therapy for fibromyalgia, according to a study published on Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Pain (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/acupuncture-real-or-fake-eases-pain/)


Fake acupuncture appears to work just as well for pain relief as the real thing, according to a new study of patients with knee arthritis.

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Cleaning Up Sumo (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2010200,00.html)

A story on how gambling, cultural changes, and the influx of foreigners in the sport are challenges to Sumo. It also discusses how the sport is tied in to Shintoism. Unfortunately the whole article isn't available freely online. Here are some images from a recent issue:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2009867,00.html


In just over a decade, foreigners have so come to dominate sumo that at a recent tournament in Nagoya there was only one Japanese competing in the two highest ranks. Highly ranked Baruto, right, is originally from Estonia.

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Christian Science Monitor photos of the day

(http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2010/Photos-of-the-Day-08-20/%28photo%29/10)


A member of Taiwan Coast Guard's shatters a cement plate with his head during a martial arts demonstration at a training facility in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on Friday.1001 (http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2010/Photos-of-the-Day-08-20/%28photo%29/10)

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Mighty Mite Sumo Wrestlers Strain to Lift Dying Sport (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704164904575421774076649464.html)


Sumo is one of Japan's most sacred cultural assets, yet its popularity has been steadily waning. Youngsters these days prefer to take up baseball and soccer. And then there's the size issue: People incorrectly assume they have to be meaty giants to participate in sumo.



"Initially, I thought I couldn't do sumo because I am small," said Mr. Yamaoka, who has a moon-shaped face and is quick to smile. "At my first match, the person wrestling against me was 100 kilos [220 pounds] and my first thought was: I hope I don't get hurt."


A few matches every year are grouped by weight class, which makes it easier for smaller wrestlers, like Mr. Yamaoka, to win.

[arnisador]

U.K. Marines practicing boxing in Afghanistan:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7883642/Life-on-a-British-base-in-Sangin-Afghanistan.html?image=7