Educational Beefcake

OK, so who is this guy? And how can my suppossedly comedic beefcake postings for the ladies (and gentlemen of certain persuasion... eh, Shinobi.wind?) be educational?

You're looking at Jon Erik Hexum, star of such television gems as Voyagers and Cover-Up. What, haven't you caught the reruns on Nick at Night TV Land? Oh, yeah, not ready for prime time.

Basically, these shows ran on one big cylinder (?) Jon Erik Hexum's good looks. The ladies tuned in to see Hexum as a time traveling guardian with the emotional range of Dudley Dooright paired with a precocious 12-year-old history buff with an Afro. And they followed Hexum over to the action romance of Cover-Up which stretched his acting chops by asking him toplay a male model -- who happened to be a covert agent. Classics both.

Anyway, Mr. Lantern Jaw here was fooling around on the set and had the bright idea one day of playing Russian Roulette with a prop revolver. He pulled the trigger and discharged a blank round. No problem?

Actually, it's a big problem. Blanks are still explosive charges of gunpowder, and the combustible powder is held in the brass casing by wax and/or paper wadding. At that close range, the wadding punched a hole into Hexum's skull and deep into his brain.

So, let's all remember the most important rules of handling firearms:
1.) Always assume the weapon is loaded.
2.) Never let the muzzle cover anything you aren't willing to destroy.

Because beauty is only skin deep, but stupid sometimes cuts through the bone...

oh boy.

Sometimes, you just have to say... WTF.

Some Unusual Items from Afghanistan

Yes, we're still in Afghanistan. Stay informed about this conflict with a couple of items from that mysterious land.

The Raven King

Here's an unusual job. According to superstition, if the ravens leave the Tower of London, the kingdomof England will fall. So many centuries ago, it was decreed that at least six of the birds would always be kept there. So now there is a civil service job of raven keeper. Only in England. I guess. I'll give bonus points to anyone who can correctly identify the origin of the names of each of the birds.

You can take the man out of bookselling, but not the bookselling out of the man...

Here's a brief article on the Fall's big news book releases.

Hattori Hanzo

Many moviegoers first heard the name Hattori Hanzo when they saw Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. The "hip" film aficionados were smugly offering trivia to their seatmates about actor Sonny Chiba's performance as Hattori Hanzo on Japanese television many times -- and that the movie character was intended to be a modern descendant of the original character. But how many of these hipsters knew that Hattori Hanzo was a real, historical person?
Hanzo comes down to us as perhaps the most famous ninja in history. His fame is linked, as with so many other warriors, to that great powerbroker and general, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun.

Hattori Hanzo was born in 1541 to Hattori Yasunagi, a hereditary retainer of the the Tokugawa clan. Hanzo participated in a nighttime assault on the castle of Udo in 1557 when he was 16. This was a typical age for a warrior's first battle. We know he later participated in two more battles at Anegawa in 1570, and Mikata go Hara in 1572. Hanzo came into prominence in 1582 when he came to the aide of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In June of that year, the virtual dictator of Japan, Oda Nobunaga, was assassinated by a rival. At the time, Ieyasu was a staunch ally of Nobunaga. He was making a visit to a noble whose loyalty to Nobunaga was also suspect. Thus, when the news of the assassination reached Ieyasu, he found himself behind enemy lines and far from his nearest stronghold with only a handful of warriors (including, as it happened, Yagyu Munenori). Ieyasu gathered his men and made a break for his closest fortress before the enemy armies could reach him. The enemies sought to cut off the route of escape, so Ieyasu made a gamble and crossed into the physically dangerous, bandit-ridden territory of Japan's Iga province, home of the families we know as ninja.

As Ieyasu crossed into Iga, Hattori Hanzo rendezvoused with him, bringing about 200-300 of his own men. Hanzo acted as a guide for the rest of the journey. The Hattori network of spies provided warnings and bulletins throughout the course of the escape. (It should also be mentioned that many historians also credit the local knowledge of the Yagyu in this escape, which calls into question their connections to the Iga ninja. This is a thread we may pick up again another day.) We don't know much about this trip after this point, other than Ieyasu arrived safely. It is hard to imagine that it was completely uneventful. What subterfuge was employed to slink the famous lord through the hostile territory? What methods of guerilla warfare were employed to clear otherwise immovable obstacles?
In gratitude, Ieyasu took Hanzo and his men into his service. Hanzo was appointed the head of security to the rear gate of Edo Castle, and to this day, the gate is referred to as "Hanzomon" or "Hanzo's gate." Hanzo is generally credited with establishing a national network of agents to spy on the recalcitrant lords. The network survived Hanzo's death and provided information to the Tokugawa for many years. The legend is that the Iga warriors and their descendants were employed as the Edo Castle "gardeners" between outside missions.

During the wars of consolidation fought by Ieyasu to establish his grip as shogun, Hanzo came to be counted as among his greatest generals. Hanzo died in 1596 at the age of 55. One story surrounding his death has it that he and a strike force of ninja commandos were engaged in putting down a mutiny of pirates, and Hanzo died on a burning ship. Hattori Hanzo is buried in Tokyo in the garden of Seinenji Temple. The temple also houses his spear.
Death, however, has rarely kept a good ninja down. The legend of Hattori Hanzo has continued to grow and today it would be safe to say that the legendary Hanzo is much better known than his historical original. There have been countless printed tales of Hattori Hanzo and almost as many films and television shows. As mentioned one of Sonny Chiba's most recognized roles was as multiple generations of Hattori Hanzo engaged in preserving Tokugawa-era Japan from conspiratorial plots. There's even an action figure of Chiba's Hanzo (see above). Modern ninja master, and sometimes actor, Hatsumi Masaaki has played Hanzo for TV. And anyone who has played the video game Samurai Showdown knows that Hattori Hanzo is a prominent character in the game. All of these enduring images of Hattori Hanzo typically show him in the stereotypical black uniform and hood of the ninja. Most of these are also fantasy images showing him skilled in the use of mystical powers or even magical spells. The real Hanzo was a skilled warrior with a flair for information.
"I'm done doing what I swore an oath to God twenty-eight years ago to never do again. I've created "something that kills people." And in that purpose, I was a success. I've done this because, philosophically, I'm sympathetic to your aim. I can tell you, with no ego, this is my finest sword. If, on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut."
-- Hattori Hanzo; played by Sonny Chiba, Kill Bill Vol. 1

More Beefcake for my female readers

Here's David as Mitch, the buff lifeguard who use to drive a bitchin' talking car but didn't pick up nearly as many chicks...

And here's David desecrating the memory of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. I think his next line after coming around the corner is, "Dude, where's my car?" But maybe I'm wrong.

The Bloodless Duel of Miyamoto Musashi

After posting the story about Jubei over the weekend, I got to thinking that another story from the Yagyu family might help illustrate the lessons of Jubei's actions in his duel.

It seems that nearly everyone has heard of Miyamoto Musashi, and most Americans would probably say that he was the greatest swordsman who ever lived. They'd be wrong. If you've heard of Musashi, you've probably also familiar with his impressive record of sixty undefeated duels. While many of these are notable stories, the truth is that the majority of his opponents were carefully selected for the fact that their reputation far outstripped their actual skill. But not all. There is a lament among Musashi fans that he never tested his skill against the "A-list" swordsman of his day. But, as we will see, that's not quite true either.

Musashi's modus operandi was typically the same as the ronin in Jubei's tale. He would stroll into town, find the swordsman with the best reputation and either challenge him to a duel or ask him for a "lesson." By defeating these men, he built his own reputation. And when Musashi arrived in Edo (modern Tokyo), he wasted no time in requesting a meeting with Jubei's father, Yagyu Munenori.

Munenori had built his reputation on the battlefield and served Tokugawa Ieyasu in his struggle to become shogun. Munenori's art was the Shinkage Ryu, and not only had he mastered the armed sword techniques, Munenori pioneered the Shinkage Ryu techniques of meeting a swordsman with empty hands and disarming him. It was after demonstrating these techniques to Ieyasu that Munenori was awarded the position of sword instructor to the Shogun's family.

As a martial artist, Munenori was in an especially visible position, and everybody wanted to knock him down from it. Any martial artist worth his salt was at least benchmarking himself against the Yagyu. Additionally, as a member of the Shogun's household, Munenori was a symbol of the Shogun's power.

Munenori sent a speedy reply to Musashi. In the letter, he regretted that he was feeling under the weather and could not offer full competency in his current condition. He would, therefore, have to decline Musashi's request at this time. Sent with the letter was a single, cut flower. Musashi left Edo and never again sought Yagyu Munenori.

The story is usually explained that Musashi looked at the cut stem of the flower and realized it had been severed by a perfect sword cut. Perhaps this is true. Modern forensic experts can easily determine the kind of instrument that makes a cut, and the geometry of a sword blade makes a unique cut. Musashi was an expert with his sword, and surely would have the experience to recognize a clean sword cut. The implication is that through that cut, Musashi saw Munenori's mastery and realized that to fight such a man meant that the best possible outcome of a duel would be mutual death -- ai uchi. That would be senseless.

But as I've thought about this over the years, I've decided the perfect cut only illustrated a code in the letter. It was the letter instead that told the real mastery of Munenori. Duels are not settled by perfect cuts, they are settled by timing and distancing. (The lessons Jubei's story taught us.)

The perfect poise of Munenori's letter was like a perfect, impenetrable defensive posture. Had Munenori curtly dismissed Musashi as a mere ronin, he would've signaled weakness. Had he hidden behind his status as the Shogun's vassal he would've signaled cowardice. Claiming illness was not a dishonorable lie, but the feint of a master swordsman who leaves a deliberate opening to draw his opponent to a specific attack. The issue of sickness created a no-win situation for Musashi. Had he rudely insisted on a duel and won, the "illness" would preserve the dignity of both the Yagyu and the Shogun. After all, Musashi would've beaten a "sick" man. Had Musashi lost, it would've only increased the stature of the Yagyu as the premier sword school, because even the "ailing" master's techniques would be proven superior to the young upstart.

Had this been all the letter said, Musashi's withdrawal would've been the equivalent of an ai uchi and proven relatively equal mastery between both men. But Munenori's carefully crafted letter included one more sly line. Munenori asked Musashi to consider returning when he felt better.

"Nun" for You!

Real quick now... This Catholic nun in the UK is upset with The Da Vinci Code filmmakers. Bet she won't get anywhere near the coverage that Cindy Sheehan gets...

More Nessie News

Well, I stretched a little to put in the Nessie news over the weekend, but then I came across a slew of stories...

It seems that Channel Five in the UK decided to have a little fun with tourists. They commissioned animatronics experts to build as lifelike a plesiosaur as possible. Then they submerged this thing in Loch Ness without telling anybody. You can't get away with this kind of thing here in the United States. Read about it here, here, and here.

Back in July, they ran a triathalon in the Scottish Highlands that included a swim across Urquhart Bay, a frequent Nessie spotting site. Whether it was for publicity purposes or prudent planning, the organizers took out an unusual form of insurance. I hope they got a good rate.

Finally, you can say what you like about whther or not anything unusual is currently living in the Loch, but there is no further dispute about ancient residents of the area.

Peta Wilson

Good, Lord! This woman looks good in anything. Including that billowing black, robe thing they stuck her in for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Peta Wilson is best known in the United States for the TV version of La Femme Nikita, based in the film of the same name. It ran for several seasons on the USA Network. The show was basically another proto-Alias. It was a truly scary examination of the question of: do the ends justify the means? I can't begin to decribe the twisted nature of this show. If you like this sort of thing, get the DVDs. I highly recommend it.

Before the TV role, Peta played women's basketball in Europe. And, of course, she modeled. So, like Famke Janssen, the camera is very kind to her (and she knows all the tricks to look her best).

Her breakout role was suppossed to be the aforementioned League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a film based on Alan Moore's comic book story following several Victorian era literary heores. Peta played Mina Murray/Harker, and the film made it clear that she had not escaped Dracula's designs entirely, although the vampire connection in the comic is more subtle. Unfortunately, the movie sucked. She was the best thing about it and actually breathed life into the undead character. Oh yeah, and she was totally sexy. Something about the purr in her voice...

She also marks the first blonde cheescake we've had.

40K Fan Art

These ladies are Sisters of Battle, one of the many WH40K armies. I have a small army of these tough ladies. When my wife asks me, "What are those?" I tell her they are fighting space nuns. Wacky? Yeah, I agree. You have to get sucked into the whole WH40K thing for awhile before you accept fighting space nuns without laughing. So go ahead, laugh... Anyway, the Sisters are a hard hitting force of shooters equipped with bolt guns and power armor. Their weakness on the playing table is their close combat ability. No staying power in the fray. If a tougher foe gets stuck-in with them, these ladies usually get routed. This second picture is really good. Nice line work and drafting. He really should try to break into comics are book illustration.

I found a lot of art online this weekend. The spirit moved me to post a boatload of pictures. Scroll through whatever you don't like. I did write an editorial about humility in martial arts that might interest a few of you. There's some cheescake, some beefcake, a car review (well, sorta), some movie news, and well, the usual craziness... Enjoy, Dear Reader!

The Silent Master

Tommy! That's you! Who's the Mini-Me?

Danger Girl

The Saturn Sky

Sweet. Now, where do I put the babyseat?

The Legend of Zorro News

Oh, sorry. I was a little distracted.

Did you hear that Catherine Zeta-Jones will get to have several more swordfights in the new Zorro movie due out this October? Cool, huh. Now... Where was I?

TCB, Baby, TCB...

For a lot of people today, Elvis is a joke. But few remember that Elvis was a highly complex individual and artist. He was a gospel singer. He was father. He was a soldier. He was son. He was a husband. He was a womanizer.

And he was a karateka.

Elvis had a legitimate black belt rank under Ed Parker's American Kenpo karate system. Elvis enjoyed the practice and had an area of his gym at Graceland set up as a dojo. He tried to incorporate a little karate into every movie. And some of his trademark concert moves were derived from karate stances.

BIG Screen Star!

It seems that Steve Alten's book The Loch has been optioned for the big budget treatment in Hollywood.

I read the book at the beginning of the summer. It was a good beach read. It wasn't too cheesy. It wasn't too heavy. It included just enough real science to make me feel like I learned something when I finished, and hadn't just fed myself braincandy.

I think it could make a good movie with some decent special effects. Of course, the Loch Ness Monster has never been big box office. The last U.S. movie about Nessie starred Ted Danson. Ted Danson? There's a draw. There's a U.K. movie that's more recent. I haven't seen it, but it sure sound good. Then there's this piece of trash that somebody cobbled together.

And here's another one.

Oh, heck. I should just be excited about Jackson's King Kong, and not hold out any hope for a decent Nessie movie.

The Humility of a Martial Artist?

I had an interesting experience as a martial artist this week. I was walking out of a meeting alongside my boss. In the waiting area sat a familiar looking man who stood when he saw us. My boss, who knew him, said hello. Then the man asked, "Tough meeting?" "Not really," she said, "Why?"

"Well, you brought your bodyguard with you," he said. My boss was perplexed at this point. "He's dangerous," the man said, "I've seen him in action." I was laughing. I'd figured out that the man was the father of one of my fellow students at the dojo. But my boss didn't even know that I was a martial artist. The gentleman's comments were both pleasing, and a little embarrassing for me. It's always flattering to be recognized for one's abilities, but it's even more important to have self-recognition of the limits of those abilities. So when this gentleman called me a "master" and bowed (!) to me, I had to put a stop to it all.

Humility is a virtue most people expect in a modern martial artist. However, it's not something we always get. Anyone remember the ruthlessly glory seeking Cobra Kai dojo in The Karate Kid? Have you seen the pro-wrestling-like spectacle surrounding the entrance of a Mixed Martial Arts competitor as he heads to the ring? Howabout the hype in the martial arts fan magazines ads for training videos? ("Kill ANY man instantly with these FIVE devastating, secret techniques!! I can tech you!!!") No matter, most people expect martial artists to be humble about their abilities.

humility of a somewhat different kind was expected of the classical warrior. And the frankly fawning experience I had reminded me of an old story.

Yagyu Jubei was the scion of the Yagyu family of swordsmanship instructors to the Shogun's family. The Yagyu family had developed a school of swordsmanship over the course of three generations, and it was renowned as a particularly effective method with several secret techniques. Even at a young age, Jubei was a true master and understood the distance and timing that spelled the distinction between life and death for a samurai swordsman. His skills were in much demand as an instructor, and no matter where he went, his reputation preceded him. The following story is the version recounted by Wayne Muramoto, a leading U.S. martial arts writer and a student of the Takenouchi Ryu:

Jubei was at a daimyo lord's estate when a masterless samurai, or ronin, managed to enter the domicile and requested a match. The two met with wooden swords. Two matches were played out before the daimyo.
At the end of the second round, Jubei turned to the swordsman and said, "Well, did you see the results of the match?"
The ronin said, "Of course, it was a tie (ai-uchi) both times!"
Jubei then turned to the daimyo and said, "Did my lord see the true results?"
The lord replied, "As the ronin said, they were both ties."
Jubei was disgusted, and told them that they were too inexperienced to see the actual outcome of the duel.
Angered, the ronin demanded a rematch, this time with real swords.
"It would be a good idea to stop asking for something unreasonable," Jubei replied coolly, but anger flickered in his own eyes. "You don't have two lives, you know."
The ronin kept pressing for a rematch, however, thinking that by decisively defeating Jubei he would secure his own fame. Finally, Jubei assented.
"Let it be on your own heads, then," Jubei said, passing a freezing glance at the daimyo and the ronin.
The two again met, this time with real swords, in front of the daimyo. The ronin attacked Jubei with the same technique he used in the previous two matches. However, Jubei's sword sliced quickly through the ronin's shoulder before he could utter a second kiai, or shout, and the swordsman toppled in a crumpled, bloody heap before the stunned daimyo.
Jubei was also touched by the ronin's sword, but the sword had only cut slightly through his kimono. Jubei had timed and distanced himself perfectly, something neither the daimyo or the hapless ronin were able to understand in the previous matches with wooden weapons.
"Please verify the match," Jubei said to the daimyo."Look at this dead man. True swordsmanship is a matter of a hundredth of an inch. You should have seen that in the previous matches and ruled it as such. This death was a senseless one."

That's the story. Modern readers are accustomed to humility being expressed as I did, in an exchange of: "You're the greatest." "No, no please; I'm just me." "Really, you're the greatest!" "Please stop, I'm not all that." "Truly, you are." etc., etc. It's sincere, but something of a self-mockery at the same time.

Jubei, on the other hand, lived in a world where reputation, experience, and actual skill all existed in a potentially deadly balance. Humility is a different concept in such a circumstance. Humility exists here in choosing the correct action. Jubei had several choices in the story. He could've ignored the ronin -- but to ignore too many challenges raised the specter for others that he was a coward. He could've completely thrashed the ronin in the first match, possibly even crippled him in a one sided encounter. Instead, he attempted to subtly overmatch the ronin, and respected him by allowing him the chance to see and admit his loss. Even when the threat escalated to live steel, Jubei allowed everyone else the option to back out of the match. The ronin forced Jubei into revealing his full skill in a decisive encounter; at that point Jubei's personal honor, his family honor, and even the honor of the Shogun was at stake. Given the time and place, he had no choice.

We might read this story and see an act of arrogance in Jubei's annoyance that no one appreciated the subtlety of his skill. We might even believe that Jubei won the encounter by killing the ronin. But I read this and see a man who fought reluctantly and with great humility. In the aftermath, he must have felt defeat having been cornered by circumstance. By recognizing that his martial skill was superb, but that his political skill to avoid the situation was still lacking, Jubei was probably humbled by this defeat and reminded of the long path still ahead of him to mastery.

What do you think we'll find on Mars?

Readers of Edgar Rice Burroughs' tales of John Carter, Warlord of Mars know full well what to expect when we finally land humans on Mars. A decaying society of red skinned, half naked men and women with ray guns, swords, and flying ships. There are also four armed, green-skinned humanoids with big eys and giant tusks. (All of which makes ERB, the creator of Tarzan of the Apes, the perfect subject matter for illustrator and comic book maven Frank Cho. His work illustrates this post.)

Scientists, on the other hand, get excited about things like "frozen lakes." Jeez. Part of me understands why this is so significant and important, but I miss the days when our ignorance allowed a little romance and imagination to populate the landscape of Mars. Those were simpler times...

BEEFCAKE!!!!!!!!

"Mr. Estrada? Tom Selleck just called. He'd like his pants back."

A number of ladies who read this post cornered me in the hallway the other day to express outrage that I only post cheesecake. I promised them some Grade A Prime Beef. Here it is. More to come, ladies, more to come...

For the Glory of the Emperor!

You all know that I'm a big geek. I admit it, and I embrace it. So let me tell you, Dear Reader, just how excited I am about the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 releases.

WH40K (as we geeks call it online) is a sci-fi wargame. There a whole backstory about the grim, religious-cult fueled future of humanity and their numerous enemies -- all of whom bear a suspicious resemblance to Fanatsy mainstays such as orcs, elves, and at one long-ago time, dwarves. But the story is just an excuse to field incredibly detailed armies of crazy figures. There's always some reason for the players to pit armies gainst each other, even when they are suppossed to be allies.

Much of the fun is in building those armies. No matter how large an army a player owns, it started out a a pile of anonymous bits of plastic and white metal. Each piece had to be put together, posed, primed, and painted. Some gamers choose a quick color scheme ("These will be 'camo'.") and use no more than one spray can ("Where's that forest green can?"). Others will slave for hours over every figure, tryng hard to breathe life into each one. I fall into this second category. Since most of my hobby time will be spent making the figures rather than playing the actual game, why not try to make each one look his best?

I actually have four different armies. But my main army is the Black Templars, a force of formidable armored Space Marines. The beauty of the WH40K system is apparent frm this statement. With that simple description, you probably have some idea of the army's form and function without every having played a game.

The BT's are a fanatic bunch, utterly devoted to their religion. They excel in close combat, and though you would expect a sci-fi wargame to include all manner of death ray devices, the BT's preferred weapon is the evocatively named, "chainsword." But as a group, they maintain their share of missiles and death rays.

For years, BT players have had to cobble together a fighting force from various unrelated parts. But in October, we shall see the release of specialized Black Templar box sets of figures. Now our Marines will finally take on the image of crusading knights we hace all long imagined. I already have the equivalent of two full BT playable armies on my shelves. Nonetheless, I envision melding my current set with enough figures to make a third army in their own right. This shall swell the ranks of my Black Templar Crusade to a force of enormous proportions! No force in the Galaxy will be able to withstand my relentless advance!

whew.

And what's next for me? Well, something smaller. I'm imagining a squad of the Legion of the Damned. Or perhaps a tiny, but powerful Kill Team from the Deathwatch...

Currently, actress Melinda Clarke plays a MILF on The O.C. Now, I don't watch The O.C., but let me tell you, Ms. Clarke was never hotter than when she played Margo Vincent, the CIA Operative on the now canceled, syndicated show Soldier of Fortune, Inc.

I still get all weak in the knees thinking about Margot's versatility with a laptop or a Glock. She had social engineering skills that would take her from a Rio block party to the ballroom of the French Embassy. But she also had combat engineering skills and could blow up a damn. Ah, Margo, who could pass as fluent in several languages.

Now, you may say that Jennifer Garner is doing all this every week on network television. True, but Melinda did it believably. You could watch her shoot and strip an MP-5 like it was an H&K training video. Ms. Garner sure makes her stuff look pretty, but it's still fakery.

Besides, Jennifer doesn't have those wonderfully feline eyes...

Is Your Day Just Not Exciting Enough?

Wanna be a slick, cool, superspy? Do you enjoy driving fast, a good punch-up, and the chance to put holes in things with high-velocity firearms?

Is "Danger" your middle name?

OK -- if not "Danger," how about "Fun?"

Covert OPS Adventures runs a Walter Mitty-style adventure camp catering to your James Bond Finale fantasies. From the moment you step off your flight, to the trip to the surplus CIA Training Camp, to the day you use your new skills to rescue your assigned hostage (Who, I am sure, is guaranteed to be beautiful) you are treated and trained as an unstoppable special mission operative with a license to paintball. They teach crash courses in evasive driving, hand-to-hand combat, and combat pistol shooting. And all your instructors are ex-Special Forces types. ("Sof" for the initiated among you...)

So it's just like being a real spy, right?

I gotta agree with this guy...

Sometimes you just feel in sync with a journalist. The reporter reaches out and plucks some universal truths. Then he sets them down in writing for everyone to see. I agree with this man. Famke Janssen is stunning in black leather.

And if I could find the picture of the sword-wielding Catherine Zeta-Jones from The Legend of Zorro, I would post that too. Maybe on Sunday.

Buying Blades

Lots of people ask me about buying martial arts equipment. I have a few suggestions; but mostly I do research. If you're in the market for martial arts quality Japanese-type swords, I suggest reading this article.

Feeling a Little Queasy?

You know, I had a friend who actually shoved a teacher into the blackboard. But he doesn't like to talk about it. But that didn't go to court like this incident.

The Mysterious Rosslyn Chapel

Ron Howard will be directing Tom Hanks in the film version of The Da Vinci Code. I'm on record here as being... how to say this politely? "Not favorably disposed" to the original book. But, so long as we understand the book is not the infallable history lesson, I'm not opposed to a good story, and I'm sure with the talent attached to this movie, it will be pretty good.

No matter how good the movie, the production is still dogged by the baggage the book carries. And so they've had some trouble securing the rights to film in certain locations. Westminister Abbey, for instance. However, they will get to film in the Louvre for key opening scenes, and they grabbed the rights to film in Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel.

Rosslyn is a mystery in its own right. It seems to hint at connections between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. There is a widespread belief that the surviving Templars escaped the arrests of 1312 by going to Scotland. There they disappeared into the landscape, possibly helping Robert the Bruce achieve kingship over Scotland before completely disappearing.

Rosslyn Chapel was built by the Sinclair family, which may be descendants of fugitive Templars. There are several Templar symbols incorporated into the decorations. The Sinclairs were known to be active Freemasons, and there are also Masonic symbols. Whether or not the Templar connection is real, and what link might exist between the Templar and Masonic symbols is widely debated.

For Those Keeping Score

I found MSNBC is helping those of us at home keep track of all the terrorists captured or killed.

We constantly hear the bad news, but very rarely do we hear about the successes in our Global War on Terror. For those of you interested in the inside scoop on the action, you might try this book... Once it goes through the harrowing gauntlet of Pre-Pub Review.

While I have sympathy for those people trapped in desperate situations, once you pick up the asymmetric tactics of terrorism and put innocent lives in your sights, I feel you get what you deserve. There are other ways to change the world around you.

In related news, there are some people out there who seem to have "jerkdom" encoded in their DNA.

"Progress"

There's something eerie about the fact that a Japanese Engineer has constructed an "android" type robot that looks like a woman.

Sure, there's an obvious level of creepiness in simply moving closer to the dystopic future of Blade Runner replicants like our pictured friend, Pris. But consider that Japanes society still ritualizes the subservience of women in general. Consider that no new technology exists for long without being perverted to pornographic use (witness the iPod). Consider the strange erotic proclivities in Japanese pop art, such as manga and anime.

It just doesn't sit right with me. It just smells funny.