Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Police Seize Guns

Maryland -- Baltimore police say they have seized 38 guns from a convicted sex offender's home. The weapons included an Uzi and a sawed-off shotgun.

Because he has been convicted of sexually abusing his students, the former karate instructor is not allowed to own a gun.

The seizure was the work of a regional gun task force created this spring to help combat the illegal gun trade.

Source

Family Keeps Vigil

Hang in there buddy.

Story:
New York -- The family of the tow truck driver who was right on top of the steam pipe that exploded in Midtown spoke about 21-year-old Gregory McCullough's progress.

His mother told the NY Times he had opened his eyes for the first time last week, "They can't tell us if he'll be OK because his injuries are too severe. He is still in a coma but the nurses said he can hear us. So I sing to him and I know he's listening. I know he can hear me."

McCullough, who also attended classes at John Jay College and studied karate when not working, suffered burns over 80% of his body, and doctors put him into a medically induced coma. It's estimated that the heat of the steam from the 83-year-old pipe was at least 400 degrees.

Source

Another Offense

North Carolina -- A search warrant was executed Thursday for evidence tied to a 58-year-old Wake Forest man charged with a sex offense. A large number of pornographic pictures of an underage girl were found on hidden disks in the basement.

It is alleged that the man - arrested on the charge in late June - sexually abused and photographed the girl in 2000 and 2001.

The former karate instructor, was charged with assaulting a 10-year old boy in Durham in 1993, according to reports.

Source

Men Going Swordsmental

Just what we all needed - more samuraving mad swordsmen ...

Story:
UK -- A 41-year-old man is wanted for questioning in relation to a serious assault with a samurai sword. The violent assault took place in Wembley on January 4.

A 43-year-old man was followed by another man driving a van. The van driver then got out and approached the victim's van, smashed the window and began asasulting him with a Samurai sword.

Source

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Judoka Family Man

New York -- A Manhattan business owner has been arrested for trying to arrange what he called a "glorious threesome" with someone he thought was an 11-year-old girl and her mother, authorities said yesterday.

However the girl, "Cassie," and her 29-year-old mother, "Sheryl," were actually undercover officers with the Canon City Police Department in Colorado.

The man was arrested at a Newark airport terminal where he had planned to meet the pair. FBI agents nabbed him after he attempted to answer his cell phone when authorities called the number he had provided "Sheryl," a U.S. Attorney said.

A "video biography" on a Web site for the man's business states his "passion for family and engineering is matched by his love for sailing" and that he stays fit by practicing judo twice a week.

Source

Leading by Example

In 1996, a 32-year-old martial arts teacher who advertised his stress management expertise was charged with shooting at a Florida neighbor who allegedly complained about his barking dog.

Police said Clear, who ran a Pentjak Silat studio, fired a shot at his neighbor. Luckily, the man wasn't hit.

I guess we may conclude that this was another case of "do what I say, not what I do"? Or maybe the guy was just overly attached to his dog?

Whatever the case, maybe his "street approved style" wasn't the best for stress management after all?

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Numbnuts Assault

What are you talking about ... Are you saying he beat the man with Numbducks - and he didn't die? But, but, but, those Dumbnucks are über deadly! Pure ninja! Even more deadly than the scary "throwing stars" ....
This can't be - It's common knowledge amongst ninja that the only man who can survive a real Bumsucks assault is Kato from the Pink Panther movies.

Story:
Wisconsin -- A suspect hit another man so hard with nunchuks (sic.) that it broke one of the sticks over the man's head and left an imprint of the chain on his neck, according to a criminal complaint.

The 42-year-old Delavan man was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, burglary, criminal damage to property, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

He is accused of going to the man's house July 14 because his ex-girlfriend was there and he wanted her home, according to the complaint. The two were living together as friends.

When she refused to leave with him, the suspect kicked in the door and began beating the 50-year-old man with nunchuks, a martial arts weapon fashioned from two sticks joined by a chain.

The woman, also 50, wrestled it away from him and threw it outside, according to the criminal complaint.

The victim ran out the door, but the suspect chased him down, continuing the beating with a broom, according to the complaint.

The victim received staples for a severe cut to the head and suffered a broken wrist, according to the complaint.

Source

He's now a plumber

Canada -- A Kingston karate instructor won't have to go to jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student during a private lesson.

The 30-year-old former owner of a martial arts school, received two months' probation, which places several restrictions on him, including forbidding him from coaching or teaching anyone under the age of 18. He has also been placed on the national sex offender registry and forced to provide a sample of his DNA.

The man called the victim at home and asked her to visit his dojo for a private lesson because she had missed some classes. Her younger brother came with her, but the man told him to stay put while he took her into another room for a lesson.

The instructor gave the girl a pair of shorts to wear even though she had brought her own karate outfit and they began to practise some kicks. At one point he touched her. According to reports, he put his hand inside her shorts and inside her underwear and there was skin-to-skin contact.

Source

Therapeutic Martial Arts

Ohio -- Michelle Martin says therapeutic martial arts is working for many of her students.

The school psychologist is also an instructor at Insight Learning and Wellness Center in Cleveland. She teaches Tae Kwon Do to students who have ADHD, autism, Asperger's Syndrome and she has seen improvement in their focus and social skills.

She says the martial arts teach self control and concentration. She teaches children 6 to 18 years old. It is a combination of group therapy and martial arts.

Source

An Attention Grabber

Even at the Olympic Training Center, with its assortment of world-class boxers, swimmers and weight lifters crowding gyms and training rooms, Grace Ohashi is an attention grabber.

In the past six months, the 18-year-old has emigrated from Japan, figured out a foreign culture, finished second at the USA Judo Senior National championships, earned a spot in the ongoing Pan American Games and transformed herself into a potential Olympian.

And that was the routine part. Ohashi can barely see.

She walks into walls. Uses a walking cane on busy streets. Tumbled down stairs before her national championship match in Miami. Nearly stepped off a dock at Pueblo Reservoir. Can't see the faces of the women she fights.

Source

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

I Do - Ai-Ki-Do

I suppose the matrimonial pledge - If that's what i is called in English (You know the: Do you so-and-so, take so-and-so for your lawfully wed wife/husband ...; you will have to excuse my limited English and matrimonial experience here :) - was open to be answered with aikido, rather than I do?

Anyways - if you're about to do something as scary as getting married, why not do it on the mat? Didn't know they had shoulder throws in aikido though.

Story:
Some people throw rice at weddings. Barbara Stanton, 48, threw her groom over her shoulder and slammed him down. Hard.

Unfazed, Jonathan Klopp, 53, jumped up and flipped his black-belt bride onto her back.

That display of holy acrimony went over well with the wedding guests - so well that about 50 of them rushed the mats of a Federal Hill martial arts studio yesterday and had themselves a celebratory brawl.

Source

Wrong Victim

Norway -- December 1, 2004, a 39-year-old Oslo man - reportedly attending a seminar in Fredrikstad - picked the wrong home to break into.

The homeowner, a lawyer by the name of Lasse Kopperud, had practised karate for 20 years. In addition to that he was armed with a machine-gun when he confronted the intruder.

After having subdued the intruder, opting not to wait for police or having to struggle with the man inside his car, Kopperud dragged the man on foot to the police station.

Passing motorists alerted police about the strange duo arguing. When police arrived, they were briefly explained the situation and handed the intruder without further ado.

Monday, July 23, 2007

This is a Master

The term master is used far too often these days in my opinion, giving way for grandmasters, 'great grandmasters', 'really great grandmasters', 'even greater than that really huge grandmasters' - and what have you not ...

Make no mistake about it - there are true masters (and grand masters out there). And this guy here seems to be one.

Someone who has this kind of bonding with the students and who can bring out these kind of emotions, of progress and pure fun - has definitely got what it takes in my book. Read the story - it is absolutely great!

Story:
"When I see a kid like Patrick become this confident kid, I say to myself - 'Hey, what's better than that.' "

Sidnam has many similar stories from his 25 years as an instructor, stories that demonstrate how karate and its discipline, its philosophies of self-awareness, can heal a wounded psyche. He remembers a father who brought his daughter in for lessons, saying she was on the brink of suicide and in desperate need of self-belief. The daughter became an average student, a "mediocre kicker and puncher at best," Sidnam said, but grew emotionally.

"Wow, what a difference in confidence," Sidnam said. "With these kids, its about breaking down the barriers that they don't think they can get through."

Source

Accused Teacher Ends Career

A former high school teacher accused of sexually abusing several students has agreed to turn over his teaching certificate and never work in education in New York.

The 55-year-old longtime teacher, was accused in May 2003 by a Green Island man. He said the teacher sexually abused him when he was a freshman in 1979. The alleged victim said he had to retire early from a state job because of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by the alleged abuse.

The alleged victim said in 2005 that his homeroom teacher, regularly invited him to his house to learn karate and self-defense, but that once he was there, he allegedly improperly touched him and gave him alcohol.

Several other former students described similar experiences with the teacher, according to a police report released in 2005.

Source

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Pakistance

Ah yes, the deadly karate stance (Think Inspector Clouseau here) ...

Story:
A would-be thief probably thought his intended victim would cower in terror when he produced a knife with a 12-inch blade and started barking orders.

But the 39-year-old was unmoved. His service in Pakistan's security police - including training in hand-to-hand combat and tackling terrorists - had prepared him well for just such a situation.

The newsagent - who served as a bodyguard to the prime minister of Pakistan - was cashing up just before 9 p.m. on Sunday when the armed robber walked in.

He said: "This man came in and pulled out a knife, which was around a foot long. He pointed it towards me and told me to give him all my money.

"There was £500 in the till and there was no way I was giving him anything. I stood out from behind my counter and took up a karate stance as I had learned with the army."

Source

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Young at Heart

Great going, gentlemen!

Story:
Herbert Mullins of Des Moines, Iowa is 81 years old, although he's not your typical senior citizen. He breaks 1" boards of wood with his fists. Mullins first became interested in martial arts when he was in his 60's.

"My grandson and I went to the 'Y' and he said 'Grandpa, you can't do it'. Now I'm still doing it and he went off to college to find girls," said Mullins. Now, Mullins is a black belt and keeps up a daily martial arts regimen to maintain his health.

"I like the camaraderie, the exercise and agility," said Mullins. "You have to have lots of energy, which I do, as you can tell!"

James Webster of Cape Canaveral, Florida is 70 years old, and has been practicing martial arts for nearly half his life.

Source

Friday, July 20, 2007

Samuraving Mad

Really, what's this thing with Brits and Samurai swords?

And calling this guy a football fan? Why not use a more suitable phrase - something along the line of violent moron, lunatic or drunken idiot?

Story:
A football fan enraged by his team's defeat went on the rampage with two Samurai swords, attacking his partner and her son, terrifying neighbours and threatening to kill police, a court was told today.

The 40-year-old Coltishall man damaged two cars and rammed a police car, telling armed officers: "Go on and shoot me!"

Norwich Crown Court heard the man, a recovering alcoholic, had been drinking at his home in the cul-de-sac on April 15 while watching his team Blackburn Rovers lose 2-1 to Chelsea on TV.

Source

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Side Kick One Leg

This guy is frigging amazing; read this story!

For 26-year-old Puran Chauhan it was just another hard day's work in February 2007; returning from Delhi to his home in Ghaziabad on his bike. Stopping at a traffic signal, he heard a cry for help.

Glancing across the line of cars, he saw four burglars making their escape after snatching a gold chain from a woman in a car. Chauhan jumped off his bike, leaped over a car and gave a side-kick to one of the fleeing thugs. The thief, who was armed with an eight-inch dagger, fell to the ground. He quickly spat out the chain he had stuffed in his mouth and surrendered. His companions, meanwhile, ran for their lives.

The spectators, who saw Puran in action against the thieves that day, were flabbergasted. For this street-hero who pulverised a bunch of armed thieves had only one leg!

Source

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Pham Bam Thank You Mam

I suppose it's correct to say that justice was served, and that this couple bit of more than they could chew? "Chewdo" wins again :-)

Story:
Minnesota -- A couple stretched their leisurely meal over five hours at a high-end French-Asian restaurant in Minneapolis. About 10 p.m., when the waiter was bringing dessert, they sneaked out, leaving a hefty unpaid bill.

The restaurant owner Thom Pham, who had seated them at a sidewalk table, was fuming. "I was thinking, 'I hope to God I see these people again,' " he said. Three hours later, Pham got his wish.

He walked into an upscale Asian-fusion eatery he owns, and found the pair finishing off some expensive drinks after a hearty second dinner that included a rack of lamb (This has got to be a really hungry couple :)

"I thought, 'Oh my God, I can't believe my wishes are so powerful,' " Pham said. When they tried to flee, Pham, a former judo instructor, chased one man into an alley, forced him to the ground and held him until police arrived. His partner was arrested a half block away.

According to a police report, the latter was dressed as a woman and wearing a wig.

Source

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Another Cheater

A 44-year-old single mother-of-two has appeared in court after it was found she had attended Tae Kwon Do classes while claiming disability living allowance at the highest level.

An anonymous tip-off led to investigators visiting the Tae Kwon Do Wales website, where they found a photograph of the Newbridge, South Wales green belt in a martial arts pose.

It later emerged the woman had competed in a martial arts tournament.

Source

Extremists With Dumbchucks

The "dumbchucks/rice flail" (nunchaku) for someone as dumb as this - how fitting ...

Story:
A man who called for British troops to be brought back from Iraq in body bags at a demonstration against cartoons said to be offensive to Islam was today found guilty of inciting murder.

The a 24-year-old web designer from north London, is one of four people convicted of various charges following a protest near the Danish embassy, in central London, last February.

It was organised following the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad - including one showing him as a terrorist - in a Danish newspaper. The cartoons were reprinted around Europe.

Following the verdict, the court was told he had previous convictions for offences including causing criminal damage by covering up naked women on advertising posters and having a rice flail martial arts weapon in his car.

Source

Monday, July 16, 2007

Negative Positive Tests

According to the California State Athletic Commission, a MMA fighter has tested positive for Boldenone Metabolite and Stanozolol Metabolite. The fighter in question is Phil Baroni, who was choked out by Frank Shamrock in the main event of the Strike Force/Elite XC pay-per-view on June 22.

The event took place in San Jose, and Baroni was not the only fighter on the card to fail a drug test, as Carter Williams tested positive for cocaine.

These suspensions come on the heels of MMA legend Royce Gracie's suspension. The Brazilian tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone. He reportedly had 25 times the normal limit of Nandrolone in his body.

Source

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Another Molester

Florida -- A former Newberry martial arts business owner and leader of a charismatic Alachua County commune was sentenced to 75 years in prison Friday for sex crimes against a young girl.
A jury deliberated about an hour Friday before finding the 60-year-old man guilty of two counts of molesting a child, two counts of sexual battery on a child and one count of exposing a minor to obscene materials.

The victim was 11 years old and living at the man's spiritual commune in northwestern Alachua County when the abuse began. The girl reportedly kept the abuse to herself until about a year after her family moved out of the commune.

Source

Payback Time for Chuck

I guess Chuck finally grew tired of all the "Chuck Norris facts" being spread through cyberspace :-)

Anyhow, here he is paying a surprise payback visit to a couple of his "fans".

A great soda commercial, and great fun! Chuck Norris really does the wisest thing he can do - laughing along. I guess he probably laughs all the way to the bank too.

You can watch the clip here (mpg file, 8MB)

Remeber to watch more funny clips at Your Martial Arts Resources

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Human Weapon

Well, I'll be darned - this sounds interesting!

From the History Channel:
"This summer The History Channel® embarks on a remarkable journey across the globe to reveal the history behind one of humankind’s most ancient skills: the art of hand-to-hand combat.

Viewers will join hosts Jason Chambers – mixed-martial-artist and professional fighter – and Bill Duff – former professional football player and wrestler – as they embark on a mission: to explore the history and practice of these time-honored combat arts.

Together, Jason and Bill fold back the rich historical and cultural layers of Muay Thai, Eskrima, Judo, Karate, Savate and more in the ultimate search of Human Weapon.

The series starts (reportedly) on Friday, July 20.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Its a Drag

"(...) A rottweiler with toothache" :-)

Story:
UK -- A mugger targeted a woman for her vanity case - but his victim was a karate expert in drag. The man - who had just finished a club performance as drag queen Cherry Tart - chopped the thief on the neck.

Then he kicked him in the leg, and threw him into a pile of dustbins. The 38-year-old man of Hove, Sussex, said: "Nobody nicks my vanity case - it's got all my make-up in it. I may wear a dress, but when upset I'm a cross between Lily Savage and a rottweiler with toothache." The thief in Brighton hobbled away.

Source

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Instructor Jailed for Abuse

UK -- A 47-year-old karate black-belt, who sexually abused a teenager in Corsham during a hands-on martial art lesson, was jailed for four years today.

He was convicted of abusing a 15-year-old girl, who had a mental age of only seven, in a dark icehouse on a Corsham industrial estate where he worked as a full-time handyman.

Source

Monday, July 09, 2007

The Self Esteem Fraud

"In the West, the word kung fu is known largely as martial arts. It has a larger meaning in the East: spiritual discipline and the cultivation of the self."

Here you have a really great article about some of the major differences between the East and the West - you really should read it!

It is titled: "Too much self esteem spoils your child", and it shows how the "super size ego" of the Western world - in particular the US, may actually be counter-productive (or outright damaging) to school students and youngsters alike. Nina H. Shokraii, author of "School Choice 2000: What’s Happening in the States", calls an essay of hers "The Self Esteem Fraud".

Sumo-No-More

As the 700 members of Japan's sumo fraternity prepare for 15 days of bouts this Sunday in Nagoya, Japan's national sport is fearing for its future after if failed to attract a single new recruit for the first time in its history. The Japan Sumo Association was forced to cancel the recruitment tests planned for yesterday.

The attempt to bring more Japanese youngsters into the ring - now dominated by foreign rikishi - won't have been helped by the death last week of Takashi Saito, a 17-year-old wrestler, in suspicious circumstances.

His stable initially said that Saito, who wrestled under the name Tokitaizan, died from a heart attack after a rigorous training session. But it was revealed that the teenager appeared to have sustained as yet unexplained injuries - including cigarette burns - and that he had run away from the stable at least once.

Source

Abuse Victim Speaks Out

UK -- The teenage victim of a paedophile martial arts teacher has spoken out about the abuse he subjected her to in the hope of encouraging others to come forward.

The schoolgirl, who was taught by the karate instructor, said: "If I could talk to other girls in the same position as me I would tell them 'don't hold back. Don't let them walk all over you. Don't let them bribe you'. I did for too long. I wish I had been able to speak to someone about it earlier."

"He was like a second dad to me. Then he took advantage of that. I was battling with it on my own for a few months. The way he treated me gradually changed. It was just little things to start with. He would ask me funny questions."

"He would say something and then forget about it. But I would be like 'hold on, do you know what you just said?' "He didn't tell me to keep quiet, just acted like it was nothing and he'd got amnesia."

Source

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Skunk Fu

This sounds like great fun :-) Apart from the rap "music", that is.

Story:
An Irish cartoon which has taken the animation world by storm is finally set to hit British television screens this month.

Skunk is a Western kid learning kung fu from a wise old panda in China, so that he can help the resistance fight against the evil black dragon and his army of ninja monkeys.

He is brave but impetuous, he must learn to master kung fu and his temper if he is to defeat the dragon. This leads to many action-packed and hilarious adventures.

The series also has a theme tune written and performed by the notorious Ghost Face Killa of the Wu Tang Clan to gel with the hip-hop kung fu flavour of the series.

Source

Friday, July 06, 2007

Karate Calm

Mississippi -- Boys will be boys. After being told by their father that no one was to swim in the family’s pool without adult supervision, Kurt and Luke Shaw of Kosciusko did just the opposite – they let three friends go swimming when their parents weren't home last Wednesday.

Later that same day when 16-year-old Ar-Riquez Kern was lying at the bottom of the pool near death, 11-year-old Kurt again did something his father had told him not to do – he jumped in and pulled his drowning friend to the surface and saved his life.

His father attributes Kurt's calmness to his karate instructor Donald Martin. "(Martin) has been working with Kurt on building his confidence," said Frank. "That contributed to his calmness."

Source

Thursday, July 05, 2007

She Failed

Washington -- A 54-year-old South Kitsap resident was arrested for driving under the influence at about 9:10 p.m. June 1 after driving her car into a ditch and failing several field sobriety tests.

Deputies asked the driver to perform several field sobriety tests, and during the walk and turn, she misunderstood and thought the deputy was asking her to do her ballet steps.

Deputies said she did several walk/stumble/glide steps, hopped and repeated the process. When asked to stand on one leg, she did a strange plie with her arms in a Tai Chi/ 'Karate Kid' maneuver.

Source

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Not Guilty

Texas -- An Amarillo karate instructor has been found not guilty of an indecency with a child charge from 2005 by a Potter County jury.

The jury announced they found the man not guilty of one count of indecency with a child for an incident with an 11-year-old girl in November 2005.

The man was in charge of an after-school program where the alleged incidents occurred.

He was arrested in January 2006 following an investigation into two children's complaints that he improperly touched them during an after-school program. Another indictment against the man is still pending.

Source

Monday, July 02, 2007

Not My PS3

Florida -- Damian Fernandez and his sister Deanne were at home alone when two burglars entered their house in Miami. They took some household items, and began to search for the console after spotting an empty Play Station 3 box.

While his sister hid in the closet, the young a brown belt in karate, decided to attack. "I jumped off my (bunk) bed and I grabbed my sword ... and I just waited for him," he said.

Fernandez lunged at the burglar with his samurai sword, striking him in the chest. "He freaked out," Fernandez said.

The 15 year-old then chased the burglar down the street while his sister called the police. A police dog found the burglar hiding behind a bush in a nearby house.

Source