Yeah I know, you just have to overlook the fact that these people insist on training karate, when they in fact are doing taekwondo ... That aside, it is a great read :-)
Story:
Maryland -- When Allie Buote was 9 years old, she wanted to be a Ninja Turtle. Jumping on the couch and leaping across the room, she mimicked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles she saw on TV. She was dying to take karate lessons, so her parents enrolled her in taekwondo for her birthday.
"My mom didn't think I'd actually stick with it," Buote said with a laugh. She did. She loved it. By 12, she had earned a black belt. By 14, she had a first-degree black belt.
All the while, Buote was learning a host of skills and strategies that would help her with the sport she had a passion for most - lacrosse. Instead of becoming a Ninja Turtle, Buote became a Maryland Terrapin.
The starting goalie for the nation's No. 2-ranked women's lacrosse team, Buote has found that taekwondo instruction has made her a better goalkeeper, both physically and mentally.
"From karate, I definitely had good reflexes," she said. "We did a lot of stuff like footwork and sparring, which is good because you have to react to what the other person does and act back. I think that, speed-wise, it helped me with my decision making."
Source
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Open to Public and Ninja
Texas -- The backstory on a mysterious ninja seen at City Council last month has been uncovered. In a centerspread of a new free publication, The Vent Daily, Mayor Henry Garrett is pictured with said ninja.
The ninja showed up at City Hall on April 24 just as the five-hour meeting was ending.
Dressed in a black robe with a mask leaving only his eyes visible, the ninja peered out from behind a column in the City Council chambers for a few minutes before a Corpus Christi Police officer kicked him out.
That's when the ninja approached the mayor for a photo. He didn't have his hood on when he came up, Garrett said.
The ninja asked for a pic. Garrett obliged. The ninja pulled on his mask, shook hands and then he was gone.
Source
The ninja showed up at City Hall on April 24 just as the five-hour meeting was ending.
Dressed in a black robe with a mask leaving only his eyes visible, the ninja peered out from behind a column in the City Council chambers for a few minutes before a Corpus Christi Police officer kicked him out.
That's when the ninja approached the mayor for a photo. He didn't have his hood on when he came up, Garrett said.
The ninja asked for a pic. Garrett obliged. The ninja pulled on his mask, shook hands and then he was gone.
Source
Diaper Dan is Coming ...
So you think we are joking about this topic? I'm afraid it won't be long before the first toddler - or proud parents rather - claims "black belt, expert" status.
Story:
Meet the real karate kid. Two-year-old Isaac Hill has become the youngest person in Leicester to win a martial arts ranking.
Isaac is barely out of nappies but can already punch and karate kick his way around a class with children years older than him.
The pint-sized pupil has already moved from the beginners' white belt standard to the first grading of white belt with red stripe in just three months of training.
Source
Story:
Meet the real karate kid. Two-year-old Isaac Hill has become the youngest person in Leicester to win a martial arts ranking.
Isaac is barely out of nappies but can already punch and karate kick his way around a class with children years older than him.
The pint-sized pupil has already moved from the beginners' white belt standard to the first grading of white belt with red stripe in just three months of training.
Source
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Black Belt at 70
Missouri -- Very few have the dedication it takes to earn a black belt in a martial art. Fewer yet are able to do so at the age of 70.
On March 2, Janet Hinson of Morehouse became the most senior student in the area to successfully test to the rank of first degree black belt in taekwondo.
"I started when I was 65 I think, about five years ago," Hinson said. "My doctor required me to exercise. I do not like exercising at the gym on those stupid machines and I get bored walking around a walking track. And I like watching martial art movies."
Source
On March 2, Janet Hinson of Morehouse became the most senior student in the area to successfully test to the rank of first degree black belt in taekwondo.
"I started when I was 65 I think, about five years ago," Hinson said. "My doctor required me to exercise. I do not like exercising at the gym on those stupid machines and I get bored walking around a walking track. And I like watching martial art movies."
Source
Ninja Taking Pictures
All he took - was pictures :-)
Do these guys come from "The ninja church of morons" or something?
Story:
Florida -- A man dressed like a ninja broke into an Orlando home, smashed furniture, attacked two people and then vanished without a trace.
Three people were inside the home watching a movie Sunday afternoon when the ninja ran in, punched one man in the mouth and then kicked another man.
The victims reported that the costumed man slammed the DVD player and VCR into a dresser. Then he pulled out a knife and started waiving it around. The victims say the intruder didn't steal anything from the house but took several pictures with his cell phone camera.
When it was time for the ninja to make his escape, he didn't disappear in a cloud of smoke. The victims say the man ran down the street to a car and drove off.
Source
Do these guys come from "The ninja church of morons" or something?
Story:
Florida -- A man dressed like a ninja broke into an Orlando home, smashed furniture, attacked two people and then vanished without a trace.
Three people were inside the home watching a movie Sunday afternoon when the ninja ran in, punched one man in the mouth and then kicked another man.
The victims reported that the costumed man slammed the DVD player and VCR into a dresser. Then he pulled out a knife and started waiving it around. The victims say the intruder didn't steal anything from the house but took several pictures with his cell phone camera.
When it was time for the ninja to make his escape, he didn't disappear in a cloud of smoke. The victims say the man ran down the street to a car and drove off.
Source
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Plan Execute Fail
Guys, kids! Don't you know that any plan, even remotely associated to anything ninja-flavored, is doomed to fail? Don't you read the papers or watch the news? :-)
Story:
For three Simsbury High School students, The Country Market in Higganum proved tougher to crack than Fort Knox.
Their target, state police say, was the store's office. Once inside, they expected to find enough cash to buy a computer. They were familiar with the terrain, since one of them used to work at the store and his mother still does.
Plan A, in which one of them hid inside a sealed cardboard box that was carried, Trojan Horse-like, inside the store by the other two, failed when the would-be burglar burst from the box before the store was empty.
Plan B, four days later, was less subtle: A masked, ninja-wearing, machete- and-baseball-bat waving frontal assault. That didn't work either.
After the first arrest, there reportedly won't be a Plan C.
Source
Story:
For three Simsbury High School students, The Country Market in Higganum proved tougher to crack than Fort Knox.
Their target, state police say, was the store's office. Once inside, they expected to find enough cash to buy a computer. They were familiar with the terrain, since one of them used to work at the store and his mother still does.
Plan A, in which one of them hid inside a sealed cardboard box that was carried, Trojan Horse-like, inside the store by the other two, failed when the would-be burglar burst from the box before the store was empty.
Plan B, four days later, was less subtle: A masked, ninja-wearing, machete- and-baseball-bat waving frontal assault. That didn't work either.
After the first arrest, there reportedly won't be a Plan C.
Source
Shattering Stereotypes
Wendy Chang shatters the stereotype of a meek Muslim woman the way a karate chop splits a piece of wood.
The 35-year-old nurse was raised Catholic by her parents, who emigrated from Beijing, but converted to Islam after she met her husband, whose father moved to the United States from Jordan.
Today, the Redwood City native, wears a traditional Islamic head scarf, but can accessorize with a second-degree black belt in martial arts, which she's studied since a co-worker stalked her 12 years ago.
"It was a very threatening and scary experience," she said. "I decided I needed to take control of my life again."
Chang met he husband during self-defense classes in Fremont and now teaches occasional empowerment sessions for Muslim women in Hayward.
Source
The 35-year-old nurse was raised Catholic by her parents, who emigrated from Beijing, but converted to Islam after she met her husband, whose father moved to the United States from Jordan.
Today, the Redwood City native, wears a traditional Islamic head scarf, but can accessorize with a second-degree black belt in martial arts, which she's studied since a co-worker stalked her 12 years ago.
"It was a very threatening and scary experience," she said. "I decided I needed to take control of my life again."
Chang met he husband during self-defense classes in Fremont and now teaches occasional empowerment sessions for Muslim women in Hayward.
Source
Monday, May 28, 2007
Confuse-Us Speaks #14
I think I'll do golf for four years and become and "expert" - let's say, in volleyball? Hope this is just the media messing things up again ...
Story:
One day in the market place of Fez, Morocco, a local peddler accosts Dryden. He immediately saw through the man's kind offer of "best leather in Fez" but repeated attempts to avoid any exchange went unheeded and a shoving match ensued.
Luckily, or rather "unluckily," for Dryden, he was a seasoned karate expert, having spent four years studying tae kwon do stateside.
Source
Story:
One day in the market place of Fez, Morocco, a local peddler accosts Dryden. He immediately saw through the man's kind offer of "best leather in Fez" but repeated attempts to avoid any exchange went unheeded and a shoving match ensued.
Luckily, or rather "unluckily," for Dryden, he was a seasoned karate expert, having spent four years studying tae kwon do stateside.
Source
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Insufficient Evidence
California -- The case against a Livermore karate teacher involving allegations he molested two of his female students was dropped by the Alameda County district attorney's office because there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.
The man was arrested August 4, 2006, on two counts of lewd acts with a minor, which are felonies, and annoying or molesting a child, a misdemeanor.
"There was insufficient evidence to prove any criminal sexual intent," the prosecutor said. "His activities could be considered boorish and inappropriate," he said, but criminal intent had to be proved for charges to be filed.
Source
The man was arrested August 4, 2006, on two counts of lewd acts with a minor, which are felonies, and annoying or molesting a child, a misdemeanor.
"There was insufficient evidence to prove any criminal sexual intent," the prosecutor said. "His activities could be considered boorish and inappropriate," he said, but criminal intent had to be proved for charges to be filed.
Source
Friday, May 25, 2007
Trial Date Set
California -- A 43-year-old Daly City martial arts instructor accused of sexually molesting five female students, age from 9 to 29, at a karate school will stand trial in September. The incidents allegedly took place from 2005 through 2006.
The man was arrested on May 12, 2006, after two girls came forward with accusations that he molested them over a yearlong period when they were ages 10 and 15, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
After publicity from the initial case, three more female students, ages 9, 15 and 29, brought similar accusations against him, prosecutors said.
Source
The man was arrested on May 12, 2006, after two girls came forward with accusations that he molested them over a yearlong period when they were ages 10 and 15, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
After publicity from the initial case, three more female students, ages 9, 15 and 29, brought similar accusations against him, prosecutors said.
Source
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Having a Smashing Time
These ladies are truly something else!
Story:
The 22 members of the South Korean 'Grandma Taekwondo Federation demonstration team', are aged between 58 and 78. Part of the daily training routine for the formidably tough grannies is to shatter stacks of roof tiles with a single powerful punch.
They exercise at least two hours a day and six days a week under the guidance of taekwondo master Yoon Yeo-Ho.
According to Mr Yoon, it started as an idea that the martial art could help these grannies improve their health and that "uniforms would look good on them".
Now, the team of TKD grannies now performs several times a year at home and abroad - in China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Source
Story:
The 22 members of the South Korean 'Grandma Taekwondo Federation demonstration team', are aged between 58 and 78. Part of the daily training routine for the formidably tough grannies is to shatter stacks of roof tiles with a single powerful punch.
They exercise at least two hours a day and six days a week under the guidance of taekwondo master Yoon Yeo-Ho.
According to Mr Yoon, it started as an idea that the martial art could help these grannies improve their health and that "uniforms would look good on them".
Now, the team of TKD grannies now performs several times a year at home and abroad - in China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Source
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Violent Dan
Alaska -- Authorities have charged a 37-year-old New Hampshire State Prison inmate who lived in Rochester, with murdering an 18-year-old college student in Anchorage on the morning of Sept. 28, 1994.
The man was stationed in Alaska through the mid-1990s while in the Army. He was sentenced to six to 15 years in 2003 after pleading guilty to two armed robberies in Rochester and Farmington.
The man held a 5th degree black belt in karate, according to his estranged wife. "He was cocky and very sure of himself. "(...) He was a violent person. You never knew what was going to set him off," she said.
Source
The man was stationed in Alaska through the mid-1990s while in the Army. He was sentenced to six to 15 years in 2003 after pleading guilty to two armed robberies in Rochester and Farmington.
The man held a 5th degree black belt in karate, according to his estranged wife. "He was cocky and very sure of himself. "(...) He was a violent person. You never knew what was going to set him off," she said.
Source
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Hotel Despera-Do
"Poor" thing ...
Story:
Paris Hilton is signing up for self-defense classes so she can protect herself from violent inmates who have threatened to kill her in jail.
The blond hotel heiress is desperate to harden up after receiving chilling death threats from jailbirds. So Paris, 26, is working on karate techniques with a personal trainer before starting her 45-day prison sentence for driving while banned.
Source
Story:
Paris Hilton is signing up for self-defense classes so she can protect herself from violent inmates who have threatened to kill her in jail.
The blond hotel heiress is desperate to harden up after receiving chilling death threats from jailbirds. So Paris, 26, is working on karate techniques with a personal trainer before starting her 45-day prison sentence for driving while banned.
Source
Monday, May 21, 2007
TKD Fashion Feud
What started as a minor dispute over karate headgear has degenerated into an international incident that could tear apart an Olympic sport. On Monday, amid pugnacious rancor, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) upheld a ban on Muslim hijabs during sanctioned matches, fueling cries of religious intolerance.
The fashion feud started at a tournament in Quebec last month when "five Muslim girls, ages eight to 13... were told they could not compete... unless they removed their headscarves." Though the official rules state that "wearing any item on the head other than the head protector shall not be permitted," the ultimatum sparked a flurry of outrage across Canada with protesters claiming unfair treatment and inconsistent application.
Source
The fashion feud started at a tournament in Quebec last month when "five Muslim girls, ages eight to 13... were told they could not compete... unless they removed their headscarves." Though the official rules state that "wearing any item on the head other than the head protector shall not be permitted," the ultimatum sparked a flurry of outrage across Canada with protesters claiming unfair treatment and inconsistent application.
Source
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Hes Really Nice Really
How far out is it possible to get? I mean, consider a statement from this dude's girlfriend: "He's really nice unless you provoke him," (she said before leaving the courthouse with a friend). Oh well, we just have to make sure that no one (like the police, or law-abiding citizens) provokes him then ...
I'm glad Mr. Lykourinous stepped in - I'd rather call this gentleman really nice!
Story:
Massachusetts -- When 39-year-old Vasileios Lykourinos from Foxboro saw a police officer fall in a violent struggle during a traffic stop Wednesday, he thought of a New Hampshire police officer killed in the line of duty just five days earlier.
Lykourinos said he stopped his car and ran after the suspect, who had fled into back yards near city hall.
"Me and another citizen started running after the guy," Lykourinos said. The suspect and the two pursuers jumped over four or five fences before Lykourinos caught up with him. "After the last fence I jumped on the guy," he said.
A black belt in karate and a wrestler in his native Greece, Lykourinos said he put the man in a head lock and held on until police officers arrived.
Source
I'm glad Mr. Lykourinous stepped in - I'd rather call this gentleman really nice!
Story:
Massachusetts -- When 39-year-old Vasileios Lykourinos from Foxboro saw a police officer fall in a violent struggle during a traffic stop Wednesday, he thought of a New Hampshire police officer killed in the line of duty just five days earlier.
Lykourinos said he stopped his car and ran after the suspect, who had fled into back yards near city hall.
"Me and another citizen started running after the guy," Lykourinos said. The suspect and the two pursuers jumped over four or five fences before Lykourinos caught up with him. "After the last fence I jumped on the guy," he said.
A black belt in karate and a wrestler in his native Greece, Lykourinos said he put the man in a head lock and held on until police officers arrived.
Source
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Bachelor of Martial Art
Connecticut -- The University of Bridgeport awarded the nation's first two bachelor's degrees in martial arts Saturday.
Two students received their degrees yesterday, part of a 1,200 member graduating class at the school.
Bridgeport started the nation's only martial arts major in 2005 in the school's International College.
The program offers courses on the philosophical, historical and psychosocial aspects of the martial arts as well as practical classes on tae kwon do, tai chi and judo.
Source
Two students received their degrees yesterday, part of a 1,200 member graduating class at the school.
Bridgeport started the nation's only martial arts major in 2005 in the school's International College.
The program offers courses on the philosophical, historical and psychosocial aspects of the martial arts as well as practical classes on tae kwon do, tai chi and judo.
Source
Hes Now a Role Model
There are very few things that I personally find more meaningful - and inspirational - than stories like this.
Story:
UK -- When Andrew Brooks was born with Down's Syndrome in the 1970s his parents were told not to expect much of him and were even given advice to "put him away" in seclusion.
Despite the bleak prognosis and severe learning difficulties, Andrew has proved his doubters wrong in magnificent style.
Today he is celebrating something many would have thought impossible - he has gained one of the top ranks in karate, a black belt.
With a steely determination 31-year-old Andrew, of Felixstowe, has spent the last 11 years dedicating himself to the ancient martial art.
Thanks to the gentle encouragement of his parents, the patient guidance of his instructors and sheer desire to succeed, Andrew, who cannot read or write, is now a role model for other martial artists.
Source
Story:
UK -- When Andrew Brooks was born with Down's Syndrome in the 1970s his parents were told not to expect much of him and were even given advice to "put him away" in seclusion.
Despite the bleak prognosis and severe learning difficulties, Andrew has proved his doubters wrong in magnificent style.
Today he is celebrating something many would have thought impossible - he has gained one of the top ranks in karate, a black belt.
With a steely determination 31-year-old Andrew, of Felixstowe, has spent the last 11 years dedicating himself to the ancient martial art.
Thanks to the gentle encouragement of his parents, the patient guidance of his instructors and sheer desire to succeed, Andrew, who cannot read or write, is now a role model for other martial artists.
Source
Sword Violence
UK -- A 50-year-old man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend with a samurai sword, leaving her with life-threatening kidney damage, has been jailed indefinitely. The man allegedly turned on the 51-year-old woman because she went to look for him in a pub.
The man then plunged the blade into her side at their home in Gateshead, on November 18 last year - leaving an eight-inch deep gash.
The woman needed two operations to save her life because her kidney had been punctured. She was in hospital until January 10 while she recovered from her injuries.
Source
The man then plunged the blade into her side at their home in Gateshead, on November 18 last year - leaving an eight-inch deep gash.
The woman needed two operations to save her life because her kidney had been punctured. She was in hospital until January 10 while she recovered from her injuries.
Source
Judo and Karate Tricks
Tricks? Are you sure it wasn't ju jitsu rather than judo or karate? Look, it's really simple - it's judo chops, karate kicks, ju jitsu tricks! :-)
Story:
India -- According to a report, on April 16 a male foreigner, apparently European, and a female, reportedly from Japan, took tickets meant for Indian tourists and tried to enter the premises of the Sun Temple from the main entrance. The ticket for the entry of an Indian tourist cost Rs 10, while in case of a foreigner it is priced about Rs 250 (five US dollars).
Security personnel tried to prohibit their entry, as they didn't have valid tickets, adding that the tourists didn't listen to the guards and jumped into the premises from the embankment on south and then the north sides.
The report says that "the male foreigner is said to be a fairly tall man with the knowledge of Judo and Karate tricks, which he used to overpower the security staff. In the process, the security staff tried to protect themselves at which time the photo which has appeared in the media could have been taken".
"The security staff behaved rationally and never used force to overpower him in retaliation. After the tussle, the foreigners left the temple premises. Neither the foreigners nor the security staff lodged any FIR in the local police station," the report said.
Source
Story:
India -- According to a report, on April 16 a male foreigner, apparently European, and a female, reportedly from Japan, took tickets meant for Indian tourists and tried to enter the premises of the Sun Temple from the main entrance. The ticket for the entry of an Indian tourist cost Rs 10, while in case of a foreigner it is priced about Rs 250 (five US dollars).
Security personnel tried to prohibit their entry, as they didn't have valid tickets, adding that the tourists didn't listen to the guards and jumped into the premises from the embankment on south and then the north sides.
The report says that "the male foreigner is said to be a fairly tall man with the knowledge of Judo and Karate tricks, which he used to overpower the security staff. In the process, the security staff tried to protect themselves at which time the photo which has appeared in the media could have been taken".
"The security staff behaved rationally and never used force to overpower him in retaliation. After the tussle, the foreigners left the temple premises. Neither the foreigners nor the security staff lodged any FIR in the local police station," the report said.
Source
Karate Fan With Fan
Another nutcase "black belt in karate". Probably an "expert" too :-)
Story:
Connecticut -- According to a suspicious person complaint on May 3 at 3:47 p.m., a woman said a male in a van was parked near her driveway at about 10 a.m. May 1.
The driver reportedly opened the rear door of the van and put out a traffic cone. The truck had no marking on it.
When the woman left and then returned home a half hour later, the van was across the street in front of a neighbor's house. Police said the neighbor spoke to the man, who showed him what appeared to be a United Illuminating Co. ID badge.
The neighbor said the man had a collapsible fan and told the neighbor he was using the fan to "practice his marital arts moves" and that he had a black belt in karate.
Police said the driver claimed he was in the area checking the electrical hookups. The neighbor noted that the man never went to any of the houses.
The complainant called to check out the man's story and reportedly learned there were no work orders for her street.
Source
Story:
Connecticut -- According to a suspicious person complaint on May 3 at 3:47 p.m., a woman said a male in a van was parked near her driveway at about 10 a.m. May 1.
The driver reportedly opened the rear door of the van and put out a traffic cone. The truck had no marking on it.
When the woman left and then returned home a half hour later, the van was across the street in front of a neighbor's house. Police said the neighbor spoke to the man, who showed him what appeared to be a United Illuminating Co. ID badge.
The neighbor said the man had a collapsible fan and told the neighbor he was using the fan to "practice his marital arts moves" and that he had a black belt in karate.
Police said the driver claimed he was in the area checking the electrical hookups. The neighbor noted that the man never went to any of the houses.
The complainant called to check out the man's story and reportedly learned there were no work orders for her street.
Source
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