Bullying
This post is just some random info regarding bullying. It’s an issue worth thinking about.
Bullying in schools (Australia).
Workplace Bullying definition.
Dealing with workplace bullying website.
Bully Beat-Down trailer.
Van Damme at Budo Gala
Interesting to see the flexibility and fitness on Van Damme. Especially considering he is about 50 years old.
Steven Seagal training with Anderson Silva
It’s interesting to see Steven Seagal‘s adaptation of more traditional Martial Arts techniques for use in the ring for his buddy Anderson Silva (UFC).
This is in principle what Zen Ki Bo does, it takes some traditional Martial Arts forms and techniques and improvises and adapts them into street-smart self-defence.
BOB (Bug Out Bag)
For those of you who are not familiar with the concept of a BOB (bug out bag), this is a quick explanation;
A BOB is a bag or pack or similar that is used in case of a critical incident / emergency etc. The contents of which are essentially items that are going to assist in your survival for the duration of the incident.
Bug Out Bag. (Tactical Zen Self-Defence Systems)
In regards to Urban Survival, or just plain survival, a BOB is an essential item. Actually its probably THE essential survival item.
Now, depending on one’s own personal risk-assessment, the contents of your BOB will vary somewhat, however there are certainly some staple items which should be in any generic BOB. This list comes from some associates of mine, they are people who really know about this sort of stuff.
The list is quite comprehensive, but the thing to remember is that you can customise it to suit yourself.
The list includes:
Basic Equipment
- 550 paracord
- Apparel (comfortable clothing depending on season, compression gear, footwear, socks, headgear)
- Bandana
- Batteries (lithium, alkaline)
- Carry method (backpack, slingbag, etc.)
- Compass
- Contact lenses (including solution cleaner, case)
- Documents (passports, birth certificates, insurance policies, property deeds, etc. including recent pictures of each family member, copies of everything in electronic format on USB)
- Duct tape
- Emergency contact list (relatives, friends, etc.)
- Firestarter (matches, spark device & tinder, magnifying lens)
- Fuel (gas, diesel)
- Glasses (prescription, sun protection)
- Gloves (cut and/or heat resistant)
- GPS
- Hand sanitizer/wipes
- Handbook on outdoor living
- Hygiene kit ((soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb/brush, deodorant, feminine products)
- Identification for all family members
- Instructions on how to use equipment
- Inventory list of all equipment)
- Lighter (bic, butane)
- Lights (LED, incandescent, headlamp, strobe/locator beacon, handcrank, magnetic coil)
- Lightsticks (chemlights, cyalume)
- Maps (road, topo, waterproofed)
- Money (credit cards, cash – preferably small denominations)
- Notebook (regular, waterproof)
- Radio – 2-way (GMRS, FRS, UHF)
- Radio (AM, FM, SW, emergency alert – NOAA or equivalent)
- Raingear
- Sewing kit (small)
- Signal mirror
- Watch
- Whistle
- Writing implement (space pen, pencil, waterproof permanent marker, etc.)
- Zip-ties
Medical
- Ammonia inhalants
- Bandages (steri-strips, ACE wraps, kerlix, bandaids, triangular)
- Documentation of family blood types and any allergies
- EPI pen
- Eye wash
- Foot powder
- Gloves (nitrile)
- Handbook on medical topics
- Hemostat
- Medications (prescriptions, aspirin, acetaminophen, prescriptions, antihistamine, ibuprofen, Loperamide, antibiotic regimen, anti-diarrhoea, indigestion)
- Mini CPR face shield
- Mini Cric Kit – cut down 6.5ETT wrapped with tape/preinserted stylet, 10cc syringe, cut down disposable scalpel, one way pocketmask valve for PEEP
- Moleskin
- Needles
- Paramedic shears
- Prednisone/steroid ampule
- Quickclot
- Respirator mask
- SAM Splint
- Scalpel blade (disposable)
- Suture kit
- Syringes
- Temporary dental filling material
- Tourniquet
- Tweezers
- Wound cleaning (antibiotics, burn gel, antiseptic, alcohol, peroxide, povidone-iodine topical antiseptic, After bite, topical anesthetic)
Shelter/Nutrition
- Cooking/eating gear
- Disposable hand and feet warmers
- Folding stove with fuel
- Food (MREs, energy bars, etc.)
- Pet food
- Plastic sheeting
- Poncho
- Powdered supplements (to mix with water)
- Salt tabs
- Sleeping bags/blankets
- Sleeping pad
- Space blanket/bag
- Tent
- Utensils (incl. chopsticks and spork!)
- Vitamin tabs
- Water (carry, treatment pills, purifier)
Tools/Security/Comms
- Allen key set
- Ammunition for all firearms
- Binoculars / monocular
- Blade – fixed
- Blade – folding
- Blade maintenance kit (sharpener, etc.)
- Bolt cutters
- Bow (recurve) with arrows
- Carabiners (with at least 1 locker) and belay tool
- Cell phone (with portable wall charger)
- Chopping tool (hatchet, axe, tomahawk)
- Firearm-cleaning/maintenance kit (small)
- Firearms
- Flexible saw
- Glass/window punch
- GPS device
- Grappling hook – folding
- Handcuffs with keys
- Linesman’s phone
- Linesman’s pliers
- Lockbox keys for phone/cable rooms
- Lockpick set
- Multi-tool (with bit set)
- Pepper spray
- Phone cards (for landlines and/or cell)
- Portable PIR (Passive InfraRed) alarms
- Prybar / crowbar
- Radio scanner (police, fire, EMS) with earpiece
- Rescue Hook
- SAK
- Scope (night-vision or thermal)
- Shovel – folding
- Silcock key (for water spigots)
- Solar charging device for electronics
- Wrench (adjustable, gas, valve open/shutoff)
Other
- Aluminum foil
- Baby wipes
- Bandana
- Camera – disposable
- Condoms
- Copper wire (for electronic repair, snares)
- Dental floss
- Door stops (rubber or wood)
- Dosimeter
- Duct tape
- Dust mask (N95)
- Earplugs (reusable, disposable)
- Electrical tape
- Empty bags (garbage, Ziploc)
- Fishing kit (hooks, sinker, line, etc.)
- Flex cuffs
- Gas mask
- Geiger counter
- Generator with hand-crank
- Gloves – rubber kitchen
- Gold/silver coins
- Handheld games for kids
- Hose for siphoning fuel
- Insect repellant
- Knee pads
- Microfiber pack-towel
- Multi-meter
- Paper clips
- Playing cards
- Portable smoke hood
- Power inverter to charge electronics from car
- Protective gear (body armor, helmet, faceshield, etc.)
- Public transit schedules (bus, train)
- Razor blades
- Reading material
- Reflective vest
- Rope
- Run-flat canister for vehicle
- Safety glasses
- Safety pins
- Shemagh
- Smoke grenades (for signaling)
- Spare boot/shoe laces
- Spiderline
- Spray paint (for marking buildings, routes, danger, etc.)
- SS or ductile iron wire
- Sunscreen / lip balm
- Superglue
- Toilet paper
- Travel-size powdered detergent packets
Some other general info:
- Organize your BOB gear according to what would be carried on your person (first-line gear), what would be carried on load-bearing equipment/backpack (second-line gear) and what would be carried in a bag/vehicle (third-line gear)
- If you have a safe house or planned destination, take some older clothes/gear and store them onsite so you don’t have to carry additional weight.
- Email the scanned/electronic copies of important documents to a web-based email account (Gmail, etc.) so you can access them anywhere if required
- Create BOBs specific to each family member as needed
- If you create multiple BOBs make sure to carry a core basic kit that is similar in order to minimize any confusion
- Your BOB(s) should not be static! Continually update your BOB as circumstances require (weather, expiration dates, gear maintenance, etc.)
BOB contents. (Tactical Zen Self-Defence Systems)
The Master and his three sons.
Master Swordsman
There was once a great master of kenjutsu (sword) renowned throughout Japan who, when visited by another great master, wished to demonstrate the teaching he had given his three sons.
The master winked at his guest and placed a heavy metal vase on the corner of the sliding doors, wedged it with a piece of bamboo and a small nail in such a way that the vase would fall on the head of the first one who came into the room when the door was opened.
While chatting and drinking tea, the master called his oldest son who came immediately. Before opening the door, he felt the presence of the vase and its position. He slid back the door, put his left hand through the gap to catch the vase and continued opening the door with his right hand. Then, clutching the vase to his chest, he entered the room, shutting the door behind him and replaced the vase; he came forward and greeted the two masters. ‘This is my oldest son’, said the host smiling, ‘he has learnt my teaching well and one day he will undoubtedly be a master of kenjutsu.’
The second son was called and he entered without hesitating and only caught the vase at the last moment: it almost landed on his head. ‘This is my second son’, said the master, ‘he still has a lot to learn but he is improving every day.’
Then the third son was called. Entering the room hurriedly, he was struck on the head by the vase. The blow was a heavy one but before the vase hit the tatami, he drew his sword and, in one quick action, cut the piece of metal in two. ‘This is my youngest son, Jiro’, said the old man, ‘he is the baby of the family and he still has a long way to go.’
Martial Arts with meaning and philosophy, Zen Ki Bo.
Machine Gun Preacher
I don’t know what category this story fits into, maybe none, but I think it’s a story worth sharing..
Ex bikie Sam Childers is now a self-appointed missionary who has dedicated his life to helping children in southern Sudan, Africa.
Machine Gun Preacher
Background info:
Uganda (a land-locked country in east Africa; if you looked at a map of Africa, the Republic of Uganda is basically in the middle) is engaged in what is essentially a civil war. Form what I understand, the war is against a group that calls themselves the LRA (The Lords Resistance Army), who by the way have been proclaimed by the USA as a terrorist organisation. The Lords Resistance Army was formed in 1987 and is engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government in what is now one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts. It is estimated that one half of the LRA’s soldiers are children. Actually the LRA have an interesting if not horrifying take on this point; they say that they have no children, only soldiers. Hmm.
The LRA is led by Joseph Kony. His goal is to establish a Theocracy, which is a form of government where a god is the supreme ruler. It’s not surprising that he claims be able to talk to god, the two of them in fact are on fairly good terms. One of the things he believes and practices, and tragically passes down to the child-soldiers in the LRA is the belief that one is able to resist bullets (and of course evil spirits) by rubbing oil on yourself. I assume the oil is magical oil and not the olive oil I have in my kitchen. I also assume this man is mentally ill.
Necessarily, as a direct consequence of this war and as a result of the abhorrent crimes and atrocities the LRA commit, there are thousands of affected children. When I say ‘affected’, this is what I am talking about; It’s reported (as a result of an investigation by the UN) that in February in this year alone, over 100 people were massacred. In 2009 over 1000 people massacred. And ‘massacred’ is the right word for it too; innocent villagers are shot, beaten and literally chopped to pieces with machetes. The survivors are then enslaved. The boys are ‘recruited’ as soldiers and the girls are turned into sex-slaves where they are raped, degraded and brutalised by the savage bastards of the LRA.
This is where Sam Childers comes in..
In 1998, Sam made his first trip to Africa. I can only imagine what he saw, but it obviously resonated sufficiently with him that he decided to give a damn. In his own words he decided to fight another man’s war (Book: “Another Man’s War”. By Reverend Sam Childers).
For about 12 years now, (Reverend) Sam Childers has been rescuing, feeding and educating children affected by the ongoing war. About 30,000 children have been displaced by this war.
The interesting part of this story for me, and the thing that makes me revere this man, is that he does not just wait for the victims of war to come to him, he actually leads armed rescue missions into danger zones. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing. He straps his pistol to his leg, shoulders his AK and goes out into LRA territory to face-down and fight the horrid little savages of the LRA, does what has to be done and rescues these kids. He then takes them back to an orphanage he has established, which is the largest orphanage in southern Sudan. Remember here that if Sam did not rescue them, these kids would actually die from starvation or from the injuries inflicted on them from the LRA. This man is literally saving the lives of thousands of children. As I understand it, one of the most important functions of the orphanage is the fact that they Educate the children too. This is obviously a vital factor in regards to the future, not only of each individual child, but of the region and country as a whole.
Sam also takes food, clothing and medical supplies to villages that have been attacked. They produce about 1200 meals per day from the compound.
That’s basically the story I wanted to share. Don’t ask me how it’s related to Martial Arts or self-defence etc because I guess it’s not. I hope the unrelated nature of this blog is forgiven. But this is something I feel is important and is worthy of more public attention.
I am about to contact Sam to ask what I can do to help. I reckon it would be great if you did the same.
Click here for Reverend Sam Childers website, http://www.machinegunpreacher.org/
Another related site is http://www.angelsofeastafrica.org/
NINJAS to the rescue as thugs pick wrong alley.
This article was sent to me recently, I thought I would share it..
It’s an account of an incident that occurred recently in Sydney where a young man was assaulted and robbed on a train by three male offenders, who then followed him down an alley to continue their cowardly and malicious attack.
Well this is the point where this story takes a turn for the better; unbeknown to this gang of recidivist thugs, the alley ran behind a Ninja School. The Ninja students and Instructor (Mr. Kaylan Soto), became aware of the crime and bravely ran outside to assist the victim.
Imagine the scene: you are a dirty rotten criminal scumbag in the process of assaulting, robbing and terrorising an innocent person, when all of a sudden your eyes must be playing tricks on you.. you see what looks like a band of Ninja! you put your syringe down and rub your eyes and take a another look.. this time they are even closer and in fact are rushing straight for you and your co-offender mates.. you are now wondering if you have had too much heroin because this is surely something out of a movie.. but No, its an honourable band of courageous citizens who have chosen to do the right thing and help someone in need.. Now you’re in the shit.. you do the only thing that people like you are capable of, you run away like the cowardly animals that you are.
The Martial Arts School responsible for this heroism is the “Ninja Senshi Ryu warrior school“.
To Mr Kaylan Soto and his school, on behalf of Tactical Zen Self-Defence Systems I extend Respect and Thanks. Your act was honourable and brave.
To read the full story on your mobile please use this link
http://m.abc.net.au/browse?page=11144&articleid=2904349&cat=Most Popular
To read the full story on a PC or Mac please use this link
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/20/2904349.htm
(Source: ABC News).
The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid trailer with Jackie Chan..
Also download free Karate Kid game:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=364298872&mt=8
Any reviews from anyone who has seen it?
It’s always challenging when an iconic movie is re-made. It’s going to be hard to beat the old “wax on / wax off” cliche from the original..
Mc-Blackbelt disgrace
UFC’s Rashad Evans apparently received his BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) black-belt recently.
It is claimed that fighters in the UFC can pick up black-belts “as easy as a Big Mac”.
Well it’s not just in the UFC; this farce is alive and well in other Martial Arts areas.
I have witnessed this disgraceful betrayal a number of times. I use the word “betrayal” because that’s exactly what it is to any legitimate and dedicated Martial Artist.
To be eligible for your Mc-Blackbelt “grading” you will need to brush up on your Cronyism (basic and advanced levels) and ensure you have displayed a demonstrated history in furthering the cause or income of the person grading you. Don’t worry yourself with those tiresome and antiquated things such as Dedication, Time in position, Attendances, Competency, Skills etc..
Sound good until you try to put your new black-belt into action. When you actually apply or teach your newly acquired “skills” you suddenly realise that because you have been fast-tracked you do not possess the skills or level of competency even close to be able to teach it to someone else. One of the things about legitimate Martial Arts is Repetition. Ever wondered why proper Martial Artists train so much and over the course of many years do each technique many thousands of times? Well its basically so you learn it properly and burn it into your muscle-memory. And because at a legitimate Martial Arts school you will learn each technique properly and thoroughly AND your organic progression will involve being taught how to instruct or teach, therefore you will not only know how to do each technique and know how to apply them, but you will also have the skills to convey that information to someone else.
For me, the saddest and most insidious part of fast-tracking is what happens to the students of the so-called black-belt. Their capacity to instruct is compromised to such an extent that it has no discernible quality or integrity. Unfortunately the humble and often experienced student is unable to identify that their instructor is fraudulent. This is a disgrace.
If this applies to you, you are not a real Black-Belt, you are a clown.
Feel free to agree or disagree with me; just leave a comment..
Bruce Lee and MMA
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and where does it begin?
It’s claimed that the philosophies behind the mixture of Martial Arts came from Bruce Lee in 1965 when he was challenging traditional ideas.
So the story goes, in order to win the right to be able to teach his style of Kung Fu (Jun Fan Gung Fu) to non-Chinese, he was to have a Martial Arts duel against a fighter who was representative of the traditional Chinese idea of Martial Arts. All of this because the traditional Chinese MA community did not want non-Chinese learning the art. Lee apparently won the competition and thus continued teaching to any student who wanted to learn. He did however believe that he should have been able to win more efficiently, therefore it is at this time his philosophy went from Traditional Martial Artist to Modern or Mixed martial Artist.
This is a great story, but what I am saddened by is the idea that anyone (Bruce Lee or not) would even consider compromising their own Martial Arts journey based on the expectations of other people. And as for asking permission to go after something that you’re passionate about? The only person that you need permission from is Yourself. It is outrageous that anyone should feel they have the right to control how any Martial Artist thinks or teaches.
Experience has proven that it is the case that many Martial Artists insist on making pathetic attempts to monitor and control the aspirations and philosophies of other Martial Artists.
Such attempts are nothing more than a psychological insight into little minds that are devoid of Courage, Honour and Vision. Their own lack of faith, understanding and experience means they are one of life’s Huddled Masses. These are people who, based on their own fear and inadequacies feel an overwhelming need to control everyone else around them.
When one of the Huddled Masses tells you that your goal or passion is not worthy, or could not possibly be viable, remember that this is a reflection on them and their own fear. It is not a reflection on you or the path that you seek.
Back yourself and follow your passion.