Happy Humbug All You Grinches!

It’s like the bestest Christmas present like forever!!!


The next time you go gift shopping for a serious martial artist, don’t buy anything martial arts related. We already have what we need, or most times we’re either very particular or require specialized materials, fittings, or gear.

If you really want to make a serious martial artist go all giddy like a little kid, find out what other hobbies or joys he or she likes.

For me: I love British science-fiction TV. Doctor Who just happens to be one of my favorites (from Hartnell to the present). Space 1999, Sapphire & Steel, and The Tomorrow People are pretty cool, too.

The gift of the Sonic Screwdriver was courtesy of The Lasit Family. (Kevin cooks a mean rib roast and lives by the motto: Where there’s meat, there’s gravy.)

Twas The Dark Knight Before Christmas

T2: Takoyaki & Trance

In a previous post, I mentioned that I like Trance music. Well, I also like Takoyaki. Here's how to make it...with a drum beat:



I'm making these on New Year's Eve!

Wishing Everyone a Safe and Joyous Holiday

Graphics and formatting via Hallmark software

I've made several style Holiday cards to give to friends and relatives while simultaneously promoting this blog which goes official in January/February 2008. (Awesome fountain in the b.g.)

Pop Up Market

This wasn't staged for the camera. This is a real open market in Thailand.



Think: Modular transformation in Macross City aboard the SDF-1. (Google it, if you don't know.)

Lost in Translation? Luka vs. Ruka

(Suzanne Vega – Original Artist)


(浅香唯 - Asaka Yui – Cover Artist)

I’m not entirely sold on this “J-pop” version of “Luka.” Perhaps Yui’s manager was fascinated more with the melody. I’m guilty of falling for the melodies of some Japanese pop songs now and then; I learn the lyrics without translating them first, only to be totally embarrassed to discover just how immature or wrong I was about the songs’ meanings. (Back in the 1980’s, Bruce Springsteen toured around the world and people sung along to “Born in the USA,” some people not even knowing what they were saying. They just liked the song.)

Also, I had this vision of Japanese kids dancing to this cover tune. Even though the lyrics were translated into Japanese, I wonder if they truly understood that this song was about child abuse. Dancing to this song, to me, would be like celebrating each time a child got beaten. Not the right thing to do. (Which begs the question: Why was Suzanne’s lead guitarist so spastically energetic during his solos?) I counted Yui smile twice during her performance and she appeared to bob her head a few times, as if rocking to a groove. The swaying near the end didn’t fit either.

Lastly, I was really disappointed in the quality of the musical arrangement and staging. It’s obvious that Yui lip-synched for TV, and the “musicians” behind her were just props. I’m not sure which brand of mic was on stage, but an attempt was made to copy Suzanne’s use of the Shure SM58. Suzanne performed in close proximity to the mic capsule, since it is omni-directional. If she stood back, her voice would be drowned out by other instruments. The net effect is: Both Suzanne and Yui hid their mouths behind the mic. Yui didn’t have to because she doesn’t play guitar like Suzanne. So to me, it appeared as if Yui was directed to “copy” Suzanne’s stage style. Speaking of style, what was the kogal outfit underneath the A-Ha “Take on Me” video trench coat all about, eh? Sure it’s 80’s J-pop, but see how conservative Suzanne appeared at the same time?

Yui was a child star TV actress then moved on to recording music when her acting career subsided. After a string of hit songs, she took time off from performing for awhile, but staged a comeback. Her outfit in the video could have been used to portray a connection to the youth culture of the time. I found a TV news interview of her shot ten years after this video. More mature, she now dresses main stream. If only she had a voice like Natsukawa Rimi…

I'm Craving Donuts!

Since I've dropped 23 lbs. and am still dropping, I've allowed myself a treat once a week. Whenever I'm in Okinawa for training, I make it a point to stop by the andagi (Okinawa donut)stall located on Heiwa Dori (Peace Blvd.) located about a third of the way down from the intersection at Kokusai Dori (International Blvd.)

The sweet old ladies running the place have the best variety of flavors. There's plain, brown sugar, pumpkin, red bean, bannana, and others I can't remember. Simply fried and made fresh often, there's no need for emulsifiers or preservatives.

Here in The States, there's a particular chain of donut shops that say their donuts are "crispy." Well, they're not. They are...let's see...fluffy. Lots of air. They melt at body temperature. And, you need to eat half a dozen to feel satisfied. But, after the sugar blast, you fall into a deep depression and regret eating so many.


Mister Donut used to operate as a chain in the USA. Now, the chain exists in Japan and Asia.

Sadly, there are no andagi stalls here in the U.S. I can get the ingredients and make them myself, but it's not the same as having a true expert make them for you.

Andagi (sata-andagi) are light, crispy, and what I prefer DENSE! Real donuts have body and a bready texture and in a pinch can be used to defend yourself against a mugger. The fluffy-creamy wannabe donuts are about as useless as nunchaku made out of two ripe bannanas tied together with kitchen twine.

Everything you could possibly ever need to know about donuts can be found at http://www.theblognut.net/. This guy is absolutely crazy smart and prolific concerning all things donut.

This shop owner quickly set out a fresh batch before running out.


[image from www.okinawa-bussan.com]

After lasagna, Garfield's favorite snack. Sata-andagi!!!


[image from www.notquicka9.net]

Foothold Situation in the White House

If you're a fan of Stargate SG1, as seen on the Sci Fi Channel, then you know what a "foothold situation" is.

A foothold situation is when an extra-terrestial alien incursion occurs within our military bases and threatens to overthrow our government.

President George W. Bush just vetoed for the second time health care coverage for children. He justified this veto stating that the most recent bill from Congress won't cover poor children first, but rather move middle class children with private coverage into government sponsored health care and also allow adults as well as raises taxes.

What every American should be more worried about is: Who(m) is pulling our president's strings? Surely, a rational human being would bend over backwards to render aid to children. Our nation has been set in motion towards an uncertain future. Thousands of dysfunctional and impaired Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan veterans; under-educated and unhealthy children; families losing their homes; our air being poisoned; and the list goes on.

The only reason I can come up with to explain all this:

Aliens from outer space have taken over our planet.



Sci Fi has become reality. We have a foothold situation...

Letter to my Second Grade Teacher

Dear Mrs. Gagnet,

When I was your student in 1975 at Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla. (back then states had three letter abbreviations), I had a crush on you. Even though more than 30 years has passed, and you've been long married, changed your last name, had kids and grand kids, perhaps gone a little gray, and maybe not even be with us on Earth any longer, my memory of you as a newly graduated out of college twenty-something is fresh in my mind.

You always had my attention, not just because of your beauty, but because you had important things to say. You were honest in telling us if an atomic bomb went off nearby that the "duck and cover" drill we had to pracice wouldn't do us any good. I felt comforted when you said you wouldn't leave us alone in the classroom, if the bomb went off.

In the playground, you stopped the bullies from picking on me. And at lunchtime, you made sure your seat at the teachers' table was close to my class table; to keep an eye on us.

Back then, you had to teach every subject and with hindsight, that couldn't have been very easy. I especially liked the way you sang during music time. You got us all started on a chorus and you'd sing the lead or picked a song we could all do together.

On rainy days, you'd come into class with a hat on your head. Being French, I wondered why you never wore a baree'. On hot days, you'd roll up your sleeves like you meant business, as if you were about to bake a cake or butcher meat. One time, the principal called you over the intercom to go to his office. All of us students were unsupervised for about five minutes. I figured out that this was some kind of psychology experiment, and we were being monitored from the hallway and over the intercom. You came back a little disappointed that we didn't go berserker and tear the classroom or each other apart. You thanked us anyway for being such good boys and girls.

Since then, I've done a lot of growing and learning. I'm still doing a lot of growing and learning. Through the martial arts, I've also become a teacher and I hope you'd be proud that you've helped shape a person who could've gone on to do selfish things, but instead chose to do something selfless.

I often have lots of time to myself, usually very late at night after work and after teaching. I work on my writing projects and on something called a "blog." When I get bored with writing, I grab my guitar and play for awhile. Still, I wonder what life would've been like if I had stayed in Pensacola like my father had originally planned for us. I had Mrs. Whatley for 3rd grade. Who knows? You could've been my teacher for 4th grade.

As for sweethearts, I had a few out hear in California. But, nothing long-lasting. These days, it's hard to compete with the records of yester-year. So many people are moving too fast to get to nowhere. They think they know what they want, but settle for something different over the next horizon. I miss the comfort of my careless childhood. Sesame Street was dependable. 15 cent chocolate milks at the barber's shop by the school was dependable. Heck, even the racism was dependable.

And...Mrs. Gagnet's turtleneck sweaters, short skirts, and go-go boots were dependable! Let's face it, people. My first grade teacher was plain sexy. She looked a lot like Jeannie C. Riley (she recorded "Harper Valley PTA" in 1968). She didn't dress like that every day. Man, but when she did...wowzers!

So Mrs. Gagnet (and her family) please accept my most sincerest apologies for not being a gentleman in this instance. I've waited thirty years to get that off my chest.

I feel better now.

-Ernie, Chief Lab Rat

Cold Weather Training

Since we’ve entered the winter season, I thought I’d share a little bit of my childhood in the snow...

When I was five and six years old, I lived in Iceland. My father was stationed there while he served in the U.S. Navy. During most of the year, the weather is quite mild. But in winter, it can get cold enough to throw boiling water from a pot out the front door and watch it freeze before it hits the ground.

I remember bundling up and my friends and I would go to the corner playground to build snowmen. One kid and I tried to ride the see-saw. He sat on the low end, and I climbed up on the high end. He suddenly stood up and I thought I was going to plop straight to the ground, as kids often cruelly play this joke on each other. But, it was so cold, ice had frozen the pivot point and I was suspended in mid-air. We laughed so hard our boogers shot out of our noses like icicles.

Now a Californian (SF Bay Area since 1975), I still prefer cooler weather. Even in winter, people often ask me “Aren’t you freezing?” because I normally wear shorts and a t-shirt. I just explain, “I’m used to it.”

Not so much, recently. In the past eight months, I’ve dropped about 23 pounds. I’ve always been a little on the porky side, even as a little kid. I really love bacon. And cheese. Oh, did I mention rice and potatoes, too? Well, smaller portions are the secret to my weight loss. But now I’m not so insulated. Perhaps, age and a smaller appetite have a lot to do with it, too.

I do an awful lot of outdoor training. I’ll hike in the woods and find an opening among the trees and practice kata for a couple of hours, then hike back. Sometimes the woods can be bitter cold. So can Northern California beaches where I also train.

Being able to withstand cold extremes is all a matter of diet and training. I believe conditioning yourself to endure cold requires regular exposure and having eaten enough calories to fuel a metabolic rate to keep your muscles active, since they are what generate body heat.

In Japan, group outdoor training in the snow is called fuyu-gasshuku.

Giving Money to Beggars

Here's someone using humor to bring attention to a real problem.

Most civic leaders and law enforcement officers here in the SF Bay Area advise citizens to not give money to beggars. It bothers me that the same advice they give is the same kind of thinking city managers have to control urban pigeon populations. If you don’t feed them, they’ll go away. What a lot of people don’t know is that when we don’t feed the pigeons, they feed on themselves.

Today, I finished my first full day of Christmas shopping and I’m nowhere near done. But, as I expected, I was approached by a man asking for money. Passive beggars, those on corners and sidewalks holding signs, are easy to ignore. The active beggars, those who select and approach individuals seeking a donation, make you give them attention.

Normally, I scan the parking lot when I leave a store to avoid beggars. This time, there were just too many people getting in and out of their cars for me to spot him. My avoidance technique might sound heartless to most people, but it’s the best way to avoid a potential robbery.


Here's an actual sign used by a real homeless person.

So anyway, this guy comes up to me and shows respect by not getting too close. He kindly explained that he’s Tongan and that Tongans have strong family bonds and stay together and support each other. He mistook me for Samoan, but I didn’t say I wasn’t. He was depending on me to understand the clan mentality of the island nations of the Pacific.

He said that he recently lost his job and that he and his family were homeless and hungry. It’s at this point when I choose whether or not to give money. I’ve had enough drug addicts and alcoholics beg me for money that I can see right through their false stories and I give them nothing.

This guy seemed different. First of all, I’ve never been approached by a Tongan asking for money. This guy was huge and powerful looking. He walked with a cane. Maybe he blew his knee out when he was younger, or had it to gain sympathy. Lots of Tongans play football and rugby as young men. He was probably in his late forties. His clothes were somewhat new and clean, and he spoke eloquently as if he had some education. From other things he said, I could also tell he was a deeply religious man.

I went to school with Samoans and Tongans. They are proud people. Whatever misfortune that fell on this man was hard enough to compel him to beg. He asked me for $20 because the day was growing dark and it could make the difference between getting a hotel room or staying out in the cold. Most addicts will take anything and aren’t specific about how much they ask for. I gave him $5 and said, “I’ve got others to support, too.” He replied, “I can tell by the way you paused [when I was selecting a bill to give] you wanted to give me a twenty, but you’ve got your own family to think about. That’s alright and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. God blesses you for helping me and my family.”

Why did I give him only $5? One can never truly be sure of a really good hustler. And, I hate it when I’ve been suckered. He and I parted paths peacefully, and that’s all I really cared about. He didn’t press me for more money, even though he knew I had more and that cane he had, which could’ve been used as a weapon, was propped behind him against a car and not in his hands. So, the five bucks I considered a “good conscience fee.” I don’t feed pigeons. But I won’t participate in sending anyone to feed on others either.

Let me offer everyone some tips here:

• Always maintain a “safe zone” between you and a beggar.
  


• Always have small amounts of cash in your pocket that is separate from a wallet or money clip.
  


• Never show exactly how much money you’re carrying, if you’re going to give money to a beggar. It would be very easy for a thief to just grab everything you had in your hands.
  


• Also, keep your transaction brief. If the parking lot starts to empty of eye witnesses, cut off any stories the beggar is telling. Either hand him or her some money, or walk away immediately.
  


• Treat beggars with respect. An over-the-top denial could enrage a needy person. A polite “no, thank you” should be enough when approached.

Fake Photos - Real Criminals?

Appearing in a privately funded exhibit at the New York Public Library called Line Up are six photos that have stirred political controversy. The exhibit opened November 29, 2007 and runs until January 27, 2008.

Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese are the Brooklyn artists who digitally modified these images. At the library display, videos of each politician accompany the presentation with matching dates and times of the photos.

In the videos, when each politician makes statements about the Iraq War that the artists feel are criminal, camera flashes appear and the politicians’ appear in freeze frames, and jail bars shut in front them.


President George W. Bush


Vice-President Dick Cheney


Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales


Secretary of State Dr. Condolezza Rice


Former Deputy Chief of Staff Carl Rove


Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Library visitors’ responses to the photos are mixed. Obviously, Bush supporters were offended and Bush critics felt the artists had First Amendment protection. Other visitors felt a “political attack” at a publicly funded library was inappropriate. The library spokesman, Herb Shaer, stated that the New York Public Library has a long tradition of collecting political satire and caricature.

I rarely discuss or promote my own political beliefs, and I won’t bully people into believing as I do. Just take a look at these photos and place them in parallel with the results of their decisions. Then decide for yourself if this satire was in bad taste or without merit.

Keep in mind, not every American voted for the Bush/Cheney ticket, but every American that travels outside of the USA – as I have noticed – must walk on eggshells. Americans abroad “represent” the USA, and many of the world’s people do not understand that not every American thinks like Bush and Cheney, but are nevertheless victims of others frustrations over the USA on occassion.

It’s sad, but when an American in a foreign country reveals that he or she isn’t a fan of George W. Bush, that person gets invited to dinner, or to a party, or is treated to a free beer at the pub.

To save their own hides, reputations, and families, some former Bush staff and colleagues have stepped down or disassociated themselves from The White House and have started to speak against Bush policy.

In the next presidential election, the American public deserves the best presidential candidate who has the ability to repair our honor and status in the world, regardless of partisan affiliation. Again, it’s sad that the American voting public is so politically apathetic and under educated.

There’s an old saying: You get what you pay for!

Last Day of the Month

For most of us office pukes, "month end" can be scary or frustrating. Since tomorrow, for me, is the first day for Christmas shopping and a reminder to do some serious thinkng about the plight of others less fortunate or away from their loved ones. This is my last opportunity to goof off, kick my shoes off, let my hair down, drop the clutch, and eat anything I want before the New Year hits me on the head.

Therefore, I give you three ugly, but incredibly talented Canadians... RUSH! YYZ played live in front of a bunch of excited Brazilians.

Happy Friday Everybody!
-Ernie, Chief Lab Rat

For those who prefer something a little more quiet and calming... try this.

Trance/Electronica and Chloe Bruce

Directed by Mark Adcock.

Next to Modern Jazz, New Contemporary Folk, and Rock of the '80's, I find the genre of Trance/Electronica to be fascinating. Pair it with martial arts and you've got my attention.

I encountered this actual music video for the song "Rewind" by the artist known as Cylob (real name - Chris Jeffs). The martial artist performing is named Chloe Bruce. Normally, I don't follow the Tae Kwon Do and XMA scene, but the unusual talent of this woman made me take a deeper look into the choreography.

But initially, I was more interested in how the director shot this video. For one, did he use motion control? Or was the camera and crane controlled manually? Watch the video again and you'll notice there's no editing. It was all done in one take. Notice the grids on the floor and walls. They make calibrating motion control systems easier, especially if you're going to replace the background.

At times, it seemed Chloe's timing was restrained because she had to be at certain places on the floor to be in frame while the camera/crane was in motion. This leads me to believe they used a "click track" (similar to a metronome to define rhythm) instead of music playback to make it easier to adjust timing during post-production.

As for Chloe's martial arts in the video... Due to her video record on YouTube, I'm going to assume she had some help with the choreography. There are elements of Wushu, Shaolin Chi Gung, and XMA. Her primary art is Tae Kwon Do. Except for this video, which came out in 1999, she doesn't demonstrate ecclectic techniques again in her tournament appearances, performances with her touring group, or in her film and TV roles.

I would love to see her explore the dynamic side of Wushu on a long term basis. Her flexibility, muscle control, and proven level of commitment to training would serve her well like her patented Scorpion Kick has over the years.

Learn How to do the Scorpion Kick with Chloe's tutorial.

Writers Guild of America (WGA) Strike

I’m supporting the Writers Guild of America strike because the creative process needs protection from start to finish. During the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s, I was forced to give up pursuing a career in audio engineering and film making because all the time I invested in non-union productions amounted to nothing. All the promised screen credits and future distribution profits went nowhere. Recently, I've taken steps to re-enter the entertainment industry and writing is part of it. So, obviously the WGA has my support.

The samurai revered the artists and farmers of feudal Japan. Why? They fed their warrior minds an imaginative place to escape and kept their stomachs full, respectively. Even though the samurai were the bosses, they conceded that the poor and humble artists and farmers were high class people.

What writers do for our society is that they provide us with relevant commentary. They report. They satirize. They compose. They suggest. And, they offer doorways for us to explore. But most importantly, they keep us entertained. Writers are the lifeblood of the film and TV entertainment industry. Without them, producers, directors, studio crews, marketing firms, movie theatres, and TV stations have nothing new to work with.

A script isn’t a commissioned painting that’s sold, re-sold, and auctioned repeatedly after the painter’s death for millions more than its original worth and then displayed at a gallery to be seen for the price of admission. Scripts that a writer has sold and is produced will continue to earn money and value while the writer is still alive. That writer is entitled to earn residuals, a percentage of future profits. With the emergence of new technologies and broadcast methods, WGA members are due their fair share of developing revenues.

All across the USA, various organized unions have won over managements time and time again. So, Hollywood and New York big-wigs need to figure out real quick that their bread and butter are made by artists and farmers called “writers.” Give them the respect they deserve and pay them what they’re worth. Realize that most writers go unemployed for long periods of time (in between) scripts, and rely on residuals while they create new ideas and spend as much as three to five years writing and re-writing stories until they’re ready to be pitched.

Tsugaru Shamisen & Taiko

I don't need to say much here. Spend three minutes and change...



'nuf said!

Extra...
Awesome shamisen playing by Osanai Kaoru
SF Taiko Dojo do something like this please.

Majime - 真面目

Majime - 真面目 translated means: Sincerity. But, it means more than just that. The word to me emotes a deeper feeling because of its kan'ji's alternate pronunciation: Shinmenmoku - しんめんもく. Through this alternate reading, others have interpreted it to mean, "one's true character." This is so since the first character 真 (shin) is "truth," the second 面 (men) is "head," and the third 目(moku) is "eye." The flow of the characters is like a zoom lens into the mind through your eyes. Have you ever judged anyone by the look of their eyes? It's a human instinct.

I don't meditate as much as I used to when I was a college student. A working professional life limits me to weekends. When I do make the time, I sometimes use "shinmenmoku" as a mantra. It's a nice break from chanting the common Sanskrit phrases Om ma ni pad mi hum or Gate gate paragate parasamgate ("Hail to one's Overself" and "Gone, gone, gone far beyond," respectively).

Greek mythology is resplendid with examples of how hubris (over confidence or too much pride) in hero figures are humbled by the gods through loss or tragedy. So, it's often said that the only cure for hubris is nemesis (downfall or punishment).


(Image from www.dottyparker.com)

A week ago, my pick up truck needed a new water pump. It had been seriously leaking anti-freeze everywhere I parked. For the past couple of years, I've been taking my vehicles to service stations for repairs. But lately, money has been tight. So, I decided I'd tackle this job myself. I knew from past experience, the local shops would charge me around $450 (that's the pump, gasket, sealant, coolant, new fan belt, toxic waste fee, and labor). I've changed my own water pumps in the past, and I knew I could do it.

I took two days off of work because I knew that by the time I bought all the parts and supplies, half the day would be over (after inserting a good lunch at my favorite diner). The other half would be taken up with draining the radiator, removing the pump, and scraping off the old gasket. The next morning, I slapped the pump on, waited two hours for the sealant to cure, filled the radiator, installed a new fan belt, ran the engine with the rad cap off to bleed out any air bubbles in the cooling system, test drove it and was done. No more leaks!

That night, I bragged to my dojo mates that I saved a ton of money and I did the work myself. I was patting myself on the back a bit too much. I was being really smug about it. The next morning, on my way to work, I heard something bouncing underneath my truck as I crossed an overpass. I thought, I hope the fan belt didn't snap. When I parked at work, I opened the hood and found that the fan belt was still in place.

Later that day, going out for lunch, I discovered I had a flat tire. The object that was bouncing around underneath my truck was a padlock that had fallen off of a trailer, perhaps. It still had the keys in it. The lock had fallen away, but one of the keys had cut a one inch gash into the tread. I jacked the truck up to remove the wheel and discovered that my factory lug wrench wouldn't fit the aftermarket wheel lock for the new rims I had bought awhile back. I went to the maintenance shop of the warehouse where the mechanics there work on forklifts. So I knew they've got plenty of sockets that would fit my application.

I slapped on the spare and took the flat to my local wheel and tire shop, where I had bought all four wheels and tires new. I'm glad I bought the "no questions asked" guarantee and got my tire replaced for free. I cut my hand on the padlock key that was still stuck in the tire when I unloaded it. And, by now, my lunch hour was over and I had to get back to the office.

Next time I fix my car, I'm keeping my mouth shut. I should have been content with the good feeling that I wasn't polluting the environment (as much) with anti-freeze leaking out like a waterfall anymore. Lesson learned...practicing what I preach. Shin...Men...Moku.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N)

This is going to win me lots of love...

The quality of audio equipment can be judged and measured by their signal-to-noise ratio. Obviously, the less noise there is in a broadcast or playback the clearer the signal will be. This is known as fidelity.

In my practice and teaching of karate and kobudo, I strive to keep everything I've learned "as-is." As I studied several arts (kajukenbo, 3 different karate styles, tai chi, kobudo, and escrima), the more I emphasized keeping them separate. It's a given that with each generation techniques and methods take on the characteristics of the players. Here, I'm referring to the "core" principles, the soul of each art.

I'm bothered that there are schools here in the USA that list "karate, gung fu, jujitsu, tae kwon do, & kenpo" all on their storefront windows. But on closer inspection, the vast majority of these schools have blended theses arts into an amalgem. It takes a lifetime to master even one art. How is it possible to claim enough authority to teach six different empty-hand arts while the chief instructor is younger than 45.

If the teachers have one major style of study (15+ years)and only has a few years (5 or less) in the other arts, in all honesty shouldn't be included in their curriculum. If their studies of auxillary arts are on-going, that's a different story. Attend a weekend seminar and plug it in...sensei please.

In my audio analogy, the concept of "fidelity" finds pertinence here. The less "noise" your art has the more truthful it is to its soul. Some may justify that these mega-schools list all these arts to attract people who don't know the difference from one to the other and then clarify later. Jee, well, er...I call that deception and false advertising.

With the genesis of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), one may ask, "So what's the problem with 'mixing' different arts?" OK. MMA is fought in a cage or ring. Not, in a dojo. MMA is for people who already gained some profiency in one art and has moved on to another. MMA is for fighters 18 years old and older.

Using another audio analogy: An oversaturated tape recording will produce crosstalk, where signal on one track bleeds over to the adjacent track. When teaching children and adults new to martial arts, it's important not to feed them mixed signals (bad info). Karate doesn't have a ground game. Jujitsu doesn't rely on a stand up plan. A Chinese Long Fist strike inserted into a Judo drill doesn't belong.

Finally: Know your history! I feel really bad for teachers who can't trace their style or schools' lineage. At a minimum, every practitioner should be able to trace their lineage three teachers back. Know their names. Where they lived. Their professions. Some of their fellow dojo mates. Other styles or arts they studied. Their hobbies. There's more to be learned from your teachers than just martial arts. They're people, too, afterall. Why do I need to know this stuff? Budo is a way of life. If all you focus on is fighting skill or dojo life, then your existence outside the dojo becomes out of balance.

You don't need surround sound. Some of the best recordings I've ever heard were stereophonic. We only have two ears. Given the right circumstance (atmosphere) and proper record and playback equipment (lesson plan and teaching skill), you can recreate the original signal (budo) in high fidelity.

Ernie's First Video Post

I was rifling through my video archives to find something to use as a test file for my YouTube account.

Here's something from the 2006 San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival. I'm disappointed that the sound is out of synch. It seems they prefer .mpeg files, whereas my video was encoded using .avi. Well, I guess that just means I have more software to install.



This just goes to show, I can't get Okinawa and food off my mind. Sorry...

Stepping Stones

Well folks, I'm slowly building more skill and confidence in posting these entries. Recently, I've added a clock that displays Okinawa time and two other RSS feeds: Top right block is the Okinawa weather report by The Weather Channel; Bottom bar is rotating headline news from around the world from various agencies.
Just for a little flair, I added kan'ji (Japanese characters) to the header. Syllabically, it reads: eh ru nii no bu do ken kyuu sho. エルニーの武道研究所. Obviously, it means "Ernie's Budo Lab-oratory. Currently, I'm only able to use a basic unicode font. It's nothing special. I'd love to be able to type kan'ji with a more artful font. But, this works for me now. It's slow as molasses grabbing these ideographs off of html charts with copy/paste functions, as I don't have a kan'ji wordpro converter...yet.

Coming up..."Tools of the Trade" All the tools, jigs, rigs, and plans for making (octagonal) hakakukei nunchaku.

Stay glued to the flat tube!
Ernie - Chief Lab Rat

Why Japanese Baseball is More Entertaining

Lucky Catch!


Unlucky Uno Masaru's Blunders Chronicled Forever


Hoshino Aki strikes out a player who can't keep his eyes on the ball!

Here in the USA, we have the 7th Inning Stretch. In Japan...

You can have canned Yankee Stadium beer from this guy, or fresh keg beer from this gal at the Tokyo Dome.

This little dude blowing his horn to a really hip groove.

Japan doesn't have Gatorade. But they do have Tough Man Energy Drink! (Image from allthingsdigital.ca)

LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

(Def Jam/Colombia Records - 1990)

I'm not a huge fan of rap/hip-hop music, but this one gets my toes tapping.

Have I Been Saved or Not?

All my life, I've hated carry things in my front and hip pockets. It was always uncomfortable, sweaty, and bulky. For awhile I wore BDU (military) pants and carried stuff in the cargo pouches near the knees. Then I bought my first fanny pack back in 1985. It was hand made by a San Francisco artisan who normally made shoes and boots. It was the best fanny pack I ever owned. It lasted 18 years until the leather finally thinned out and a huge hole ripped through. I haven't been able to find an off the shelf fanny pack that lasted me more than a year. My lifestyle tends to treat them roughly, and I haven't been able to find any made from tough goat leather. The cheap sheepskin models at the malls are all crap!



Here I am siteseeing in Okinawa. I'm wearing an off-duty/plain clothes police model fanny pack that's designed to holster a pistol in the rear compartment. (The pack has a quick release that literally dumps the gun into your hand when opened. I used this section to carry Yen and my passport.) It's made of heavy ballistic nylon and has so far proved to be very tough. I'll be using this one for a long time.

Just surfing around, I came across the "Hip Holster." I thought mega-cool. Totally Han Solo. I gotta have one! Do they make left-handed and/or double-sided models?


[images from Urban Tool North America]

Then, it occurred to me, fanny packs went out of American fashion in the mid-1990's. If I got one of these, would my geek-factor shoot through the roof? Truthfully, I don't care. Walking around Kokusai-dori, in downtown Naha, Okinawa, I found dozens of shops selling hundreds of styles of fanny packs. And they weren't just for tourists. It seemed like every other person in town were wearing them. (I don't feel so lonely anymore.) These days we carry so much gear (wallet, cell phone, iPod, check book, sunglasses, keys, rescue breathing kit - yeah, I have First Aid/AED certification) that we need something more than our pockets and something less than a back pack/shoulder bag.

I'm always on the look out for a good fanny pack because I know I go through most like Swiss cheese. Pity I haven't been able to track down that guy in SF who made my first one. That really gets my goat!

Today's Musings

Caltrans Flagmen Beware...

Your job may be made "safer." All we need now are animated supervisor and consultant signs.


Husband and Wife Teams...

It's tough enough finding your soulmate these days. How about working with your mate full time? Looks like these people have found that elusive balance.
















The Ortiz Pottery Team






















The Johnson's - Music & Ministry Team

Husband & Wife Construction Team/Kaseyama Catalog Vol. 18

OMG! Bi-Lingual Bandits!

Minna-san, onegai shimasu!. Ki-o-tsuke. Kono wa bideo mitte kudasai. Ato de taka waraeba ii'n desu yo.


It's an English language education program from Japan. The scenario...so so. The acting, again, so so. The "aerobic" repetition instructors??? Moshiwage arimasen.

I'm hoping that the travel advice given to Japanese tourists in Western countries these days includes "don't wander by yourself" and "be prepared to fight off weirdos, perverts, and serial killers."

Talkin' 'bout my Generation

In 1965, the English rock band The Who released the single "My Generation." Ever since then, the song has been used on TV and in films to reinforce the rebellious nature of teenagers and the neverending divide between youths and adults. For many, the music and films we are exposed to as teenagers have an affect on our outlook as adults as much as the influence of our teachers, mentors, and clergy. This song is an eternal anthem which will stand forever to watch over this chasm. The "Baby Boomers" may claim this as "their" song, but it's crossed multi-generations.

For me, I fall into Generation X (people born between 1960 to 1980). My generation was initially described as: apathetic, cynical, disaffected, streetwise loners and slackers [Wikipedia], but was later revised during the height of the dotcom era as tech savy geniuses that created many of the giant internet corporations that exist today.

I got into television studio production and theatrical sound in high school. Needless to say, I had a lot of exposure to several TV/film styles and genres. As a live sound board operator, I endured very good music and extremely bad music. As any teen will seek out a "life defining" piece of work (book, music, film), I found my solice from teen-angst by watching over and over again the film Over the Edge. I think the idea of the central character, Carl, struggling to make the choice between be a "bad boy" versus be a "good boy" was something I needed to decide, too.

Theatrical Trailer/Warner Brothers


Over the Edge was first released in 1979 and since then has become a cult classic. The film never enjoyed mass distribution to chain movie theaters and in some cases was pulled in certain cities due to community concerns. Eventually, HBO picked up the film two years later and gave the public a chance to see it on cable. The film was based on a newspaper article titled "Mouse Packs: Kids on a Crime Spree" by Charles Haas which appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. The article focused on the problem of vandalism in the planned community of Foster City, California which initially didn't provide outlets (places of recreation and entertainment) for youths in their masterplan. Teens in the area fell in to drug and alcohol abuse. The rising vandalism was the tipping point that stirred the community into action. Perhaps in response to the original incident and current societal issues, the local school district has conducted workshops to help students focus on being good citizens. Kudos to Foster City and the SMFC School District!

Emergency PTA Meeting Scene/Warner Brothers


The actual school where the "PTA meeting scene" in the film took place is Nathanial Bowditch Middle School. I doubt, however, what actually happened was to the degree depicted in the film. I was a little disappointed when I drove by this school and found that it wasn't as large or as modern looking as the school used in the film. But, it didn't look that much different than any other middle school in the SF Bay Area.

Aerial view of Foster City, California/Public Domain Image
Bowditch Middle School is located roughly at 12 o'clock along the shore.

Over the Edge was released on DVD recently to the delight of many fans of the film. My VHS copy off of HBO from 1982 died about five years ago from multiple playbacks. I don't watch the film as much as I used to, but I still bring it out every now and then (maybe 3-5 times a year). By watching the film over and over again, I believe I was able to "unload" my own teenage angst, instead of lashing out in violent and unproductive ways because I saw the negative results that could happen. These days, I like watching it for the nostalgia. The film now serves as an anchor point to my youth; an intregal part of my personal history and also when I seriously started practicing karate.

Over the Edge fan sites:

Claude Zachary
Jimmy's Over the Edge Site

These clips are the source of the anti-vandalism film shown to the students.

The Problem of Vandalism - Destruction: Fun or Dumb?
part 1 part 2

Raise Your Flag!...Higher!...Higher!

Here's something for all you Björk fans:



Human Behavior
Big Time Sensuality
Hyper Ballad w/Reactable
Army of Me
It's Oh So Quiet SUPER TERRIFIC!

Basho - Haiku Poet

Natsu-gusa ya
Tsuwamono domo ga
Yume no ato

Summer grasses
remains of stalwart warriors
imperial dreams afterwards

Matsuo Munefusa (his real name) lived between 1644-1694. Rejecting his noble samurai background, he spent part of his life wandering and studying Zen. During his latter years, he settled in Edo (present day Tokyo) where he composed his major body of work. He took on students after developing a reputation as an excellent poet, thus he was able to make enough money to support himself.

Munefusa would often retire to a simple hut woven out of banana leaves to work on his poetry. In Japanese, this style of hut was called a basho which was how he chose his pen name. Due to his many years of living in poverty and being alone for very long periods of time, his style of haiku is considered to be the most elegant in their simplicity and deep contemplation. He had the uncanny ability to capture poignant moments in nature and humble life in words.

Kono aki wa
Nan de toshiyoru
Kumo ni tori

This autumn
Why am I aging so
A bird flies towards the clouds

The basic formula for a haiku poem is: Three lines. Line #1 = 5 syllables. Line #2 = 7 syllables. Line #3 = 5 syllables. Usually, the first line mentions the season of the year, but can be at the end too. Obviously, the English translation/interpretations offered here don't follow this rule since the English equivalent to many Japanese words will differ in syllabic inventory.

The Carrotty Kid

If you were a fan of the Cosgrove Hall production Danger Mouse, you might want to take a look at The Carrotty Kid. He's a crime fighting carrot who is mentored by a cherry called Che-ri. And they both worked to defend their town, Legume City (a play on Bean Town, perhaps) from the evil Count Cornelius Cobb...a cob of corn.

Here's the pilot of the "home grown hero" and "vigilante vegetable":



Here's the Official Homepage:

The Carrotty Kid

Shameless Self Promotion

These promo cards are going to find new homes at my favorite diner, independent coffee shop, book purveyor, and of course martial art supply store.

Biz Card Caddies!

Biz Card Caddies

Future Budo Lab Experiments

Here's a look at some future lab experiments I have planned:

1. Force/Impact analysis of breaking four stacked pine boards with a downward punch.

2. Testing durability and safety with different types of makiwara construction.

3. Slow motion analysis of a "double block" followed by a counter-attack.

4. 5-part tutorial on octagonal nunchaku construction.

5. Demonstrate Newton's Three Laws of Motion as they apply to karate and kobudo.

Not like this...

SF Bay Area Parking Problems

We shouldn't have to fight over parking spaces anymore. Rack 'em & Stack 'em, that's what I say...

This is how it's done in New York:



Here's another system in Japan:



...sure could use something like this where I work...the "Bat-turn" alone is worth it!

Tuesday - Kayoubi - Fire Day

Today is Tuesday. In Japanese, it’s called Kayoubi ( ). The first kan’ji character of this word is the symbol for “fire.” It’s unfortunate that so many people involved with the Southern California fires must suffer, especially on this ironic day. The latest number of evacuees has reached almost one half million people. Please take the time to consider your own good fortunes and wish a speedy end to this crisis and a rapid recovery. There are many ways to contribute after the fires are quenched. Seek out what feels best for you and beware of scam artists (on-line and face-to-face) posing as emergency donation collectors. Even at our most vulnerable moments, everyone should maintain a smart self-defense. Ask for IDs, permits, and tax exemption credentials before contributing money to any organization.

Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Things Not to be Forgotten

This beautiful singer's name is Rimi Natsukawa. I'm simply touched by her voice. She's from Okinawa, so she sings in Uchinaguchi (the Okinawan dialect) and not in Japanese, though the two languages have several commonalities.

The song is called "Wasurete wa ikenai mono" which means "Things not to be forgotten." It's a lament about lost love and missing the things taken for granted (I think). I studied the Tokyo dialect for a couple of years at SFSU, so translating this song might take me a long while because I don't have a Uchinaguchi-Nihongo dictionary in Romaji, yet. Luckily, it's subtitled so I'll be spending the next seven years figuring it out...Enjoy:




Other songs performed by Rimi-san:

Tinsagu nu Hana Traditional Folk Song
Irayoi Tsukiyohama This one makes me cry, but I don't know why.

Don't Regret the Sweat

Okinawa, the birthplace of karate, is very hot and humid. Those of us from cooler and drier regions of the globe need a couple of days to acclimate to the tropical zone where Okinawa is located. Obvious advice ranges from keep well hydrated; don't over-exert yourself while training; and don't forget to bring plenty of teri cloth hand towels. Believe me...you'll need more than one.

One under-discussed topic that karate training groups visiting Okinawa forget to bring up in committee is laundry. Cotton is notorious for absorbing water and not letting it wick away and dry. We've learned this fact from survival/adventure TV shows. In cold weather, wet clothing can lead to hypothermia. In humid climes, wet clothing can promote fungus...fungus of the kind that will make you itch in publicly inappropriate areas of the body. So, we are blessed with a number of manufacturers that now make high tech fabrics that breath like skin. Tropical grade underwear can either come in a loose mesh or fine weave. Some t-shirts, shorts, and trousers are also made from this same material. The benefit: After washing, hang them up and they'll dry overnight.

This is great for the clothes we'll wear to and from the dojo, or out-and-about the town sightseeing and gift shopping. Unfortunately, our traditional keikogi (practice uniform, aka "gi") is made from 100% cotton. Within ten minutes of even a light warm-up drill, us non-tropical Westerners are usually soaking wet. How does one deal with this situation? If you're visiting Okinawa for martial arts training, the obvious rule is bring more than one gi. As a general rule, two sets of gi is the minimum; three sets of gi is advisable. Why? Access to laundry facilities is very limited. Some hotels only have two sets of washers and dryers for the whole building. One can easily find himself being up at 1 AM to 2 AM feeding coins into laundry machines because serveral families or other group(s) of martial artists have monopolized the facilities since 9 PM.


Here, in my cramped hotel room in Naha, I've strung parachute cord from the door hinge to the HDTV (nice!) to air dry my keikogi overnight. One jacket hangs from the bathroom door. The other is already dry on the bed. I had to do this even though all my gi spent one hour in the hotel's electric dryer after being washed and spun.

Despite the disturbance to my sleep cycle, doing laundry, staying dry, and feeling fresh(?) wasn't that much trouble during my most recent visit to Okinawa. I had gone for training there two years ago and had learned some valuable survival lessons that I applied this year.

Beware the Flapper (Gross Factor 21%)

No, I don't mean a talkative young girl from the Art Deco period. I'm referring to that eternal training-sport-adventure injury known as a "blister." If you feel a warm or burning sensation inside your shoe (and you know it isn't Athelte's Foot) due to excessive friction OR if you're training barefoot on an unfamiliar surface, say karate training at someone else's dojo, take measures to prevent this:


I should have buffed the callous on my little toe with a pumice stone so that it wouldn't "grab" the wooden floor of the dojo I visited. I normally train on a waxed maple floor which has less grip than the floor where this injury occurred. Luckily, I had packed moleskin and extra sport tape in my handy first aid kit. Callouses on your knuckles might be a "seasoned" look for an old fighter, but having to baby an injury like this on the dojo floor can make anyone, including me, look like a freshman. Do yourself a favor: Get a pumice stone...or a pedicure at the day spa!

Take Your Education Seriously!

I just had to share this! This is a TV show where the object for the players is not to laugh. Watch the "punishers." Am I imagining, or did this TV show hire skilled swordsmen to handle the shinai? Or, were they golfers? I'm undecided. They're not just swatting, they're cutting.

"Triple String" Nunchaku

Please, please, please...for safety sake: Triple string your nunchaku. Actually, there is only ONE LONG CORD on this nunchaku. It passes through each bore three times. There are no knots tied, but rather, the ends of the cord are braided along the sides and rely on centrifugal force and friction to keep the cord tight. The standard single pass and double pass methods of tying nunchaku allow knots to slip and if a worn cord fails both will allow the swinging end to fly free, leaving you with half a nunchaku in your hand while friends and family go diving for cover. A tournament judge would definitely be annoyed. If one center strand fails on a triple stringed nunchaku, the other two WILL NOT slip...everyone's happy.



Here, the cord can be seen braided in between the side bores. It appears the same way on the other sides.

This is the top view of the nunchaku where three strands clearly can be seen passing through the top bores.

True Survivor - San Jose Girl

Despite more than 25 years of karate training, I've never had to use my skills to defend my life. I've had to immobilize a mental patient that shouldn't have been released from the county hospital who went berzerker on a co-worker at a mall job I had while I was a college student. And, there've been less than a handful of scuffles I'm proud to claim I talked and walked my way out. All the sparring in the dojo and at taikai don't count at all. The truth is: Most of us will never be tested. Yet, today I'm relieved that a suspect has been arrested for the kidnap-assault-attempted sexual molestation of a 12 year old girl from San Jose, California.

This brave young girl, ignored the pain of being struck by the suspect's car which was stolen. Suffering from a fractured skull and multiple pelvic fractures, she was dragged into the car by the suspect and driven some distance away where she successfully fought off what would probably have been her rape and murder. Eventually, she made her way to a house where she was helped by a friendly samaritan.

Thank goodness she possessed the will to live and the spirit to fight back. More than likely, she had seen and heard several stories on TV about abducted children who never come home alive. She made the mental connection that if she didn't fight, that if she didn't escape, she wouldn't see her family again. She wouldn't see tomorrow.

It's a sad time when we have to start teaching children to not just "stay away from strangers." But also: Beware adults. How can they ever learn to trust any of us?

I wish her a speedy recovery and return to her soccer team.

Below is a link to a local report by KPIX:
San Jose Girl

Things That Happened on October 5, 1973

• Bobby kisses Millicent and later thinks he might have caught the mumps on Episode 100, "Never Too Young" on The Brady Bunch


• The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee conducted the 12th Annual Midwest Medieval History Conference


• Jules Leger was chosen to succeed Roland Michener as Governor General of Canada


• Shuguang-1 (Project 714) was supposed to be China's first manned space craft


• Doctors Dove, Shah, and Schreiner submit the article "Effects of Nitroglycerin on Left Ventricular Wall Motion in Coronary Artery Disease" to the medical periodical Circulation

and then there's...

Doesn't that just make you want to go wreck the neighbor's patio furniture? Actually...don't.

Budo Lab Pre-Launch!

Thanks for dropping by and checking out my blog. The point of this exercise is to not waste all the modern technology I've acquired in the last couple of years. Perhaps some explanation of the name of my blog is due.

The Budo Lab's mission is to analyze basic martial art techniques and de-mystify the power and effectiveness of punches, strikes, kicks, and blocks using the human body and ancient weapons. Whenever possible, scientific measurements using chronometers and force gauges will be used. For purposes of fair reporting, this blog will remain ryu (style) and sensei (teacher) neutral.

Interspersed here and there, WE will have some fun and laughs along the way with news, factoids, rumors, cultural essays, and whatever comes OUR way.

I'll be spending the rest of 2007 honing and testing my HTML skills, setting up and rigging experiments, and researching Japanese/Okinawan languages and cultures. Everyone can expect the official launch of "The Lab" in early 2008. Until then, enjoy the postings I've already blogged.

Please stay tuned in.

Ernie - Chief Lab Rat