A Major Operation

Impressive!

Story:
Ray Grey of Lancing was taken seriously ill with a heart condition and rushed into hospital for life-saving, double heart bypass surgery.

Only two years later, he got a prestigious karate black belt and has since achieved higher-ranking belts.

Mr Grey started his own club last year, saying: "This has been a major achievement in my life after the operation.

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Black Belt in Stupidity

UK -- "Two years ago when I was head of PE at a secondary school in Warrington, Cheshire, I was with the under-14s football ("soccer") team at a cup final."

"We were 3-0 down and it was clear that we were not going to win so I decided to take three or four players off to give others a chance so that at least they could say they had played in a cup final."

After the game a parent came up to me in the car park and wanted to take me on because I had substituted his son. He said he was going to "f***** kill me" and that he was a black belt in karate. It was pretty clear to me that he was not a black belt in karate. I am 6ft 3in tall and able to look after myself."

"I spoke to him intelligently and tried to calm him down, other parents then came over to help me. His son was absolutely mortified."

"In the end the case went to the police and he was fined £175 and an injunction was made against him preventing him coming anywhere near the school."

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Teeninja

Invisible? No. Airheads? Probably. Crazy 'bout flags? Absolutely!

Story:
Wisconsin -- Two teenagers in full Ninja costumes have been nabbed by police in connection with the theft of US flags.

Just before 2 a.m., a man walking his dog reported seeing two males in ski masks get into a van, which sped off.

An officer later spotted the van, and apprehended two boys 16 and 17 years old.

They say five flags that had been stolen last night and early today were recovered. There have been 17 flags stolen at Tomahawk during the last several months according to police.

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Tragedy

Oh dear ...

Story:
A 10-year-old hanged himself from his bunk bed while playing a game. Tragedy struck after the young boy went to his room after a minor squabble with his big brother to whom he was very close.

Minutes later, the 13-year-old found his little brother hanging from the top bunk with a karate belt around his neck in the bedroom they shared.

His spine-chilling screams brought mum Vikki running to the scene, and so began a desperate bid to get the belt off her son's neck and save his life. Paramedics were called, but they could not revive the boy either.

The mother believed her son had been playing "horses" with his sister and had wrapped the belt round his neck.

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Confuse-Us Speaks #12

Quadruple wow! Dude, I would really like to know what sort of mushroom this reporter is on. Is anything in this cosmos further from tai chi than karate? Formula 1 race car driving maybe? :-)

"Tai Chi is basically a martial art form thought to be a mixture of karate and Yoga which apparently has a myriad of health benefits".

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TKD Merger

Korea -- The sole North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Chang Ung, said Sunday that a merger of the two world governing bodies of taekwondo would help the sport remain an Olympic event.

Chang, concurrently head of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) run by North Korea, came here on Friday for a meeting with Choue Chung-won, head of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) that has been managed by South Korean officials.

"The merger of the two bodies will boost the popularity of taekwondo around the world and solidify the status of the martial art in the Olympic Games in the future," Chang said in a rare interview with a local TV station.

The Korean martial art, facing challenges from other combative sports, narrowly escaped elimination from the list of Olympic events in a vote of the IOC general assembly in 2004.

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No Kidding

Nooo ... Are you seriously trying to tell me that being kicked and punched to the head is actually harmful? Now what's next - someone trying to convince me that being stabbed and shot may not be good for me either?

Story:
According to BBC, a Turkish research team have measured the levels of the hormones in 16 male and 6 female amateur kickboxers. The hormonal changes found in their brains were then compared to those of healthy people of the same age and gender.

The results indicated that over 27 percent of the kickboxers suffered more from a condition called hypopituitarism than those in the control group; Hypopituitarism is when the pituitary gland fails to produce enough hormones.

The research found that six of the kickboxers were deficient in at least one hormone compared with the healthy group.

Scientists suggests that kickboxing can cause damage to the pituitary gland found at the base of the brain just behind the bridge of the nose. This gland produces many hormones that are involved in the body's regulation of metabolism, coping with daily stress and general well-being.

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Crazy Violent Expert

... And escaped from a mental institution a second time!

Apart from wondering how much an "expert" this guy is, I can't help but wonder how someone with a violent history like this can be given privileges to walk unsupervised, "through good behavior". From working in a psychiatric hospital, I learned first hand that not only the patients were crazy ...

Story:
Police are searching for a 44-year-old inmate who allegedly wandered away from the state mental hospital in Pueblo for the second time in two years.

According to police, he's a martial arts expert - considered extremely dangerous and violent.

He had earned privileges through good behavior, and was allowed to walk unsupervised on the grounds despite multiple attacks on the staff and other patients.

According to reports, the man is was cited more than 20 times for selling drugs, threatening patients' lives and beating staff (including a pregnant guard).

Records show that the 6 feet, 230 pound man also escaped from the hospital in September 2005.

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Seriously Injured

South Carolina -- A former professional wrestler - Sean Christopher Haire - who left wrestling in 2004 to focus on mixed martial arts fighting in Japan, was seriously hurt in a fight outside a bar on Friday night, a Beaufort County sheriff's report states.

The 36-year-old man told deputies he was attacked while walking up to the bar, according to the report.

The fighter claimed he was helping a friend who was attacked by three unknown males when a 28-year-old man punched him in his left eye, knocking him into nearby bushes and seriously injuring him.

Witnesses to the incident dispute Haire's allegations and say the other man was acting in self defense. The general manager of the bar said Haire had on several occasions tried to start a fight with the other man.

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Tai cChi Against Rash Hour

A new study shows that T'ai chi significantly improves the ability of older adults' immune systems to fight varicella zoster - a virus that causes shingles (a painful, blistery rash).

It is alleged that about one-third of adults over age 60 develop shingles.

The 25-week study was conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It involved 112 people, ages 59 to 86.

Researchers found that T'ai chi, by itself, increased immunity against the virus to a level that was comparable to having received the standard vaccine.

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An African Nuisance

Kenya -- Five men were recently ordered to keep the peace for a year when they appeared before a court in Kwale, after being found training local youth in martial arts at night. According to police, the suspects were not accredited Karate and Taekwondo instructors.

Neighbors complained that they had become a nuisance, and the young men were arrested at a South Coast primary school.

According to police, it was suspected that they may have been training the youngsters with ulterior motive, and that the five men were training to destabilise the forthcoming general election.

Police in the area killed five other young men two years ago. These men were found training in what were termed guerrilla warfare.

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Bye Bye Muggers

The 17-year-old brown belt has been training karate since he could walk, having his father and teacher by his side ever since. Now dedication to the arts paid off when he helped fight off would-be muggers outside a local mall.

John Benedict Jr.'s says he was leaving a Long Island mall on Wednesday night with some friends when a much bigger and older teen approached him, demanding a gold chain he was wearing.

When the intended victim refused to hand it over, the culprit tried to punch Benedict. The would-be mugger found himself eating dirt when he was shoved to the ground.

However, the melee wasn't quite over. The assailant left and came back with a car full of other teens armed with tire irons and crow bars.

According to the karate teen he wasn't really scared at all "because when I train in my classes I fight against six or seven adults at the same time."

Benedict was able to fight off his attackers, while a friend, who also recently took up karate, was able to chase away two of them. Two other attackers were arrested by police.

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Martial-Qaida

New York -- A man who earlier described himself as a "martial arts expert" has pleaded guilty to pledging to help al-Qaida.

The 44 year-old jazz musician admitted he was willing to share his fighting skills to further the terror organization's goals.

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A Bad Combination

The "dumbchucks" is not really that dangerous a weapon - unless the person knows how to use them properly. Still, this is not the best combination there is.

This guy spent two whole days in freedom before being arrested. I wonder why he was pulled over ... Could it be his looks?

Story:
Oregon -- A 39-year-old Salem man was arrested after police said they found drugs and nunchucks during a traffic stop Wednesday night.

Authorities said the man had methamphetamine, marijuana and nunchucks when he was in a car pulled over. The man had been released from prison two days earlier, police said.

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Fishy Kind of Fishing

"Martial arts expert" ... (sic.)

Story:
A 48-year-old, former Milton man and martial arts expert has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on charges of sexual exploitation of children.

In 2005, the man received one to three years in a state correctional institution for felony counts of molesting children, with the terms to run consecutively. He was also fined $500 for each felony and ordered to pay court fees.

He was charged in the spring of 2004 for sexual assaults that took place between April 2000 and March 2004. According to police, he was in possession of child pornography.

Shortly after being arraigned on the initial charges, he posted bail. He was nabbed at the Canadian border with court documents, cash and one of his victims. His defense team claimed he was traveling across the border for a fishing trip.

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Golf-Fu

Yeah, yeah, the family says they "join Phil for Tuesday night karate back in San Diego" - all the time he allegedly does taekwondo and kung fu. But hey - this is the home of Confuse-Us after all!

Story:
Apparently, (top golfer) Phil Mickelson was going to work out. Yes, that Phil Mickelson, the guy you once cheered for because his beer belly could rival yours.

In fact, on the night before he would begin defense of his 2006 Masters championship, Mickelson was going to do more than just work out. He was going to practice kung fu.

"I would classify him as between a brown and a black belt now," says Mickelson's personal trainer who was with him on Wednesday. "He's getting pretty good."

Mickelson has believed in the martial arts as a part of his training regimen for golf since he started working with a personal trainer. It helps his balance, flexibility and core strength.

The trainer says they have added kung fu into Mickelson's repertoire this year, instead of just tae kwon do. Kung fu teaches more punches and hand techniques to go along with the many kicks Mickelson already knows.

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Cool

For most 70-year-olds, getting a black belt is about purchasing an accessory. Not so Bob Willette of Sidney. He acquired his black belt through karate achievement.

Sunday he earned this mark of martial arts expertise, the culmination of a three-day test that involved a mountain climb, a rigorous written exam, a long distance run and fighting 13 seasoned black belt opponents.

Not bad for a retired man who started his martial arts training just five years ago.

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More Drunkarate

Maybe these loonies could start a school of "drunken style karate"?

Story:
On March 25, an officer responded to a call that a man had almost struck a woman's vehicle. The officer allegedly located and stopped the 25-year-old suspect driving a pickup truck.

After arresting him for DUI and other traffic offenses, the officer then responded to a gas station and was told that Turner had been inside the store yelling and practicing karate moves.

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The Nail House

China -- It has been dubbed ''the nail house.'' Sticking out like an upright nail, the house and its owner have stubbornly refused to be hammered down by a property developer who has bulldozed everything around it in Chongqing.

The owner, 51-year-old restaurateur and former kung-fu champion Yang Wu, has become a folk hero in China for refusing to surrender, even when his home became an isolated island in a vast excavated pit at a construction site.

The man and his wife have refused to go until they are given property of similar size in the same area.

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Nose Job

Serious nosejob here - kung fu by Fu ...

Story:
China -- Fu Yingjie pulled a van, weighing more than 1.5 tonnes with the driver, for 13.3 metres. He told media that he used his right nostril to suck one end of a thin line into his stomach.

"Once the line reached my stomach, I used kung fu to lock it with the stomach opening," he said.

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Law Fu

Turkey -- Lawyers have started taking up courses in martial arts such as Wing Chun to protect themselves. This is a result of being faced with a a growing number of threats outside and inside the halls of justice, both verbal and physical.

Exasperated by the failure of the police to respond to numerous complaints of abuse lodged by its members, the Bar Association in Izmir decided to take action.

A female lawyer who attends the course regularly, says: "Our job is very risky. Everyday we face threats. Once in a sequestration case (the confiscation of property due to debt default), I was nearly thrown down from the 4th floor of a building."

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Deadly Weapons

Maryland -- A 25-year-old man, from Woodstock in Howard County, has been arrested Friday on a warrant charging him with an attempted murder on March 23.

The man, a karate student, is accused of seriously injuring the victim by kicking him in the head. Police described the man's feet as deadly weapons.

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A Steadfast Rock

Getting a black belt is a great achievement for anyone, but it meant a little more to 53-year-old Pam Whittington.

Her instructor mirrored her smile. After teaching her for six and a half years - step-by-step - he knew how much she deserved it.

Earning the grade gave her a new outlook on life, and it became a steadfast rock in a life that had been filled with hardships.

Three years into her training, her life was turned upside-down when she returned home after a martial arts seminar in Las Vegas and found her husband had committed suicide. Despite the unimaginable pain Whittington felt, she leaned on her martial arts training to get her through.

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Judo Quarrel

Australia -- A top international sporting body is set to be taken to trial, accused of violating the human rights of a blind Adelaide man.

Paralympics gold medallist Anthony Clarke will call on witnesses, including an Olympic judo coach, to prove he can compete with able-bodied martial artists.

He claims the Oceania Judo Union banned him from its 2005 world tournament and cost him a spot at next year's Beijing Olympics.

The New Zealand-based group has vowed to defend its position that Mr Clarke would need a sighted carer if he was to be involved in the competition.

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He Certainly Grabbed it

It was summer 2006, and Brandon Earnshaw, who trains karate in Chattanooga, became the first autistic person to ever qualify for Karate Nationals.

His story had quite an impact. He became the subject of research papers for psychology students. But more importantly, Brandon inspired another local kid to succeed in karate.

When Alex Davidson's parents saw Brandon qualify for the Nationals last year, they felt the martial art might help their autistic son as well.

"It seemed like the consensus was that this was a good thing for a child with autism. Autistic children are very repetitive. They're very structured oriented. And once they get something, they grab it," Alex's father said.

The nine-year-old Dade County boy certainly grabbed it. He even sounds like a karate master.

"I've been enjoying karate with master Green for many months," he says.

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Its Spreading

This is a disease... What was once an American phenomenon seems to have has spread to other countries. The competition of having the youngest black belt is nothing but a disgrace for the martial arts.

Yes, they are cute, and yes the media, mum and dad loves them, but enough already!

"Little Eve looks a cutie - but the tae kwon-do protege has become the youngest person in the UK to be awarded a black belt."

I think I will go an bang my head against a tree :-)

Karate Kick Killer

A lethal kick from a fiancee skilled in karate killed a 47-year-old Florence man last week, police say, and not a drug overdose as they first suspected.

The 36-year-old fiancee admitted they had recently had a couple of altercations and that she knows karate. The woman said had gotten into an altercation and she kicked him in the stomach.

An autopsy showed wounds to the man's abdomen were so severe they clearly caused his death.

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More Mess

A karate instructor, who is "a fourth dan in Tae Kwon-Do, kick boxing and Chung Kwon Do". Boy what a mess - and that is even before this alleged crime!

Story:
UK -- A karate instructor and former bouncer has been arrested on suspicion of raping one of his students.

In 2005 the 36-year-old man, a fourth dan in Tae Kwon-Do, kick boxing and Chung Kwon Do, gave lessons in Malmesbury Primary School to help teach youngsters how to fend off bullies.

The incident is alleged to have taken place between September 1 and November 11 2006.

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National Pioneers

Connecticut -- For these young people, tae kwon do is not an easy elective or physical-education credit. They are national pioneers, pursuing the only bachelor's degree in martial-arts studies available in the U.S.

The program mixes practical lessons in tae kwon do, tai chi and karate with studies of the cultures behind these forms of self-defense and spiritual growth.

Since the university launched the major in 2005, interest has steadily increased, and department leaders say that trend likely will continue.

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In Jail

Seems like jail is the right place for this creep.

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Florida -- A 35-year-old man wanted for questioning in the sexual battery of a 75-year-old South Ponte Vedra Beach woman is in jail.

The woman was attacked at 9 p.m. Saturday in her home and raped. Police said she was so traumatized she crawled to her bed afterward and was not found until the next morning when her son came by to check on her after she failed to answer his daily telephone call.

The suspect faces a charge of possession of a concealed weapon by a convicted felon after nunchucks were found in the backpack he was carrying.

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A Chance Encounter

Portland -- When Keith Turpin enrolled in the first grade last fall, things didn't go too well. The seven-year-old has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyper Deficiency (ADHD). He was on medication and he was bringing home Ds and Fs.

Then she had a chance encounter with Clay Christal, who was in the process of converting a former store into a martial arts studio.

"One day we started talking about his school and what it could do for my son." she said. "So I enrolled him."

The effects have been positive.

"Since Clay started working with him, Keith has brought home As and Bs and some Cs," his mother said. "He has gone from taking 10 milligrams of his medication daily to five milligrams on weekends."

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Different Kind of Fight

Colorado -- Lauren was living the dream of many young women. A professional deejay known as Ms. Vicious, she was in Hollywood, enjoying the "scene" when she hit the moment only other alcoholics can understand.

"(It) got to a point where I was suicidal," she said. "I was just not on a very good path. I wasn't a very honest, good person."

A little more than a year later, Lauren has remained sober, in part thanks to training for a different kind of fight.

"I started kickboxing, originally, as a way to get me sober," she said. "I thought that would be able to get me sober because I would be training so hard, I wouldn't be able to party."

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A White Boer

South Africa -- A 69-year-old 6th-Dan judo instructor from Pretoria literally put his life on the line on Monday when he fought five robbers who had threatened to kill his wife.

The robbers told Hennie Pretorius that he was a "white Boer" and that they were going to shoot him.

The man was leaving his home in Queenswood for the shops about midday when a man asked him to put some water in his plastic bottle.

When Pretorius went to fill the bottle with water, another robber who was hiding in the bushes rushed at him. He was struck on the head with a firearm.

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Software Martial Arts

Yep, similar, yet different. Guess this is why so many artists and musicians does martial arts too :-)

Story:
Around the end of high school I studied Tae Kwon Do for a short period of time. Now my oldest son is taking Goju-Shorei at the local park district which has gotten me re-interested in the subject.

Aside from causing pain in my muscles which demonstrates that I'm not a teenager any more it has had another affect. It got me thinking about its similarities between martial arts and software development.

(...) it is fun sometimes to see the way very different things are actually similar.

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More Might for Mil$$

It seems that Heather Mil$$ plans to beat off paparazzi the next time they manhandle her, after taking martial arts lessons.

Just what we need, another nutcase learning martial arts... Seems that sue-mo wasn't enough after all.

The estranged wife of Sir Macca allegedly felt totally helpless when one rude photographer grabbed her while she was pregnant with her daughter - and she vowed never to feel that weak again.

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Captivated

Here's a great piece by Rebecca Coales, about the benefits of doing TKD in Korea - benefits besides doing martial arts.

Story:
"When a friend back home in England suggested that I try taekwondo while in Korea, I laughed. 'I don't even like kung-fu movies,'' I said, 'so why would I want to learn a martial art?'' I wasn't an obvious candidate for learning taekwondo when I moved to Korea to teach English.

But one week into my new job, I joined my preschool taekwondo class at a local gym, raising giggles as I wheezed my way through the warm-up activities.

Despite feeling exhausted, I was captivated by the vibrant and friendly atmosphere and signed up a few months later with two foreign co-workers and a Korean friend.

Five months on, I'm in no doubt that learning Korea's national sport has made my time here one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life."

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