Martial arts in films and comics is far removed from street combat or sparring activities. Though many are ancient practices, the knowledge they yield is still pertinent for the modern age. More importantly, many martial artists attain benefits that reach far beyond the physical as routine training strengthens the mind as much as it does the body.
What is often forgotten are the benefits of martial arts in education. The tradition of many martial arts dates back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Passed down from Grandmaster to student, martial arts instill the virtues of self-discipline, harmony, compassion and clarity of mind in its practitioners.
Read the rest at the Melbourne City News.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
3.9.10
Sense Data from the AGS
Here follows a summary of the activities of the Australian General Semantics Society National Conference and our attendance at the UN DPI-NGO Conference "Advancing Global Health" held in Melbourne, Australia.
The 1st Australian General Semantics Society National Conference
27-29 August, 2010 held at the Initiatives of Change Center, Toorak, Australia
The first day of the conference on Friday Night was muted - just a dinner held in the stately Armagh manor in Toorak. A federation mansion, it boasted a ballroom, two libraries and a conservatory - the focus point for our discussions. I met some of the AGS members - David Hewson, Pauline Heather as well as Dr. Earl Livings, Laurie Cox and Robert James and his wife Jeanne. We talked into the night before retiring for the big day ahead.
Saturday Morning saw President Robert James and elder statesman Laurie Cox make their keynote addresses and Earl make his talk on Fiction and GS, particularly A. E. van Vogt and the World of Null-A and Nexialism, a sort of fictional applied GS that has even been applied in the real world.
I then gave my talk on Overcoming Conservative Characteristics, a research into a little known chapter in Korzybski's Science and Sanity.
In the Afternoon, David gave his talk on GS and Happiness to the general public as well as another one on GS and problem solving using other sciences. Laurie talked briefly explaining GS to beginners. Robert James prepared a talk on a "sense of purpose" that GS brings as well as bringing in Initiatives of Change volunteers to give their perspectives.
Sunday morning we reconvened for a talk by David on "Identity, non-identity, then what?" which was originally published as an article in ETC. Confusing facts with inferences was a warning to us all. Earl then presented his talk on the nexus between Edward De Bono's work and GS which proved very useful, in my estimation.
31st August - 2nd of September - the United Nations DPI-NGO Conference: "Advance Global Health" held at the Melbourne Convention Center, Melbourne, Australia
Though I only attended one of the three days at the UN conference, I thought my time to be more interesting than valuable. It was admirable to see the United Nations and affiliated NGOs work to advance the Millennium Development Goals. However, the milieu of the delegates was centered around a select few organizations and their booths (we at the IGS were not given one) as well as "Workshops" which focused more on guest speakers, established players and government officials rather than opening up the debate to people like myself or even the youth delegates. Though we met many people interested in GS, its hard to explain "What GS is" since GS principles are more like verbs, not nouns. I can explain How it works or why one should use it but emphasizing "clear thinking" or "sanity" will invariably draw glances of indignation - "How dare you imply I am unsane!"
Nevertheless, it was a rewarding experience and I would like to thank the members of AGS for affording me these wonderful learning and networking opportunities.
The 1st Australian General Semantics Society National Conference
27-29 August, 2010 held at the Initiatives of Change Center, Toorak, Australia
The first day of the conference on Friday Night was muted - just a dinner held in the stately Armagh manor in Toorak. A federation mansion, it boasted a ballroom, two libraries and a conservatory - the focus point for our discussions. I met some of the AGS members - David Hewson, Pauline Heather as well as Dr. Earl Livings, Laurie Cox and Robert James and his wife Jeanne. We talked into the night before retiring for the big day ahead.
Saturday Morning saw President Robert James and elder statesman Laurie Cox make their keynote addresses and Earl make his talk on Fiction and GS, particularly A. E. van Vogt and the World of Null-A and Nexialism, a sort of fictional applied GS that has even been applied in the real world.
I then gave my talk on Overcoming Conservative Characteristics, a research into a little known chapter in Korzybski's Science and Sanity.
In the Afternoon, David gave his talk on GS and Happiness to the general public as well as another one on GS and problem solving using other sciences. Laurie talked briefly explaining GS to beginners. Robert James prepared a talk on a "sense of purpose" that GS brings as well as bringing in Initiatives of Change volunteers to give their perspectives.
Sunday morning we reconvened for a talk by David on "Identity, non-identity, then what?" which was originally published as an article in ETC. Confusing facts with inferences was a warning to us all. Earl then presented his talk on the nexus between Edward De Bono's work and GS which proved very useful, in my estimation.
31st August - 2nd of September - the United Nations DPI-NGO Conference: "Advance Global Health" held at the Melbourne Convention Center, Melbourne, Australia
Though I only attended one of the three days at the UN conference, I thought my time to be more interesting than valuable. It was admirable to see the United Nations and affiliated NGOs work to advance the Millennium Development Goals. However, the milieu of the delegates was centered around a select few organizations and their booths (we at the IGS were not given one) as well as "Workshops" which focused more on guest speakers, established players and government officials rather than opening up the debate to people like myself or even the youth delegates. Though we met many people interested in GS, its hard to explain "What GS is" since GS principles are more like verbs, not nouns. I can explain How it works or why one should use it but emphasizing "clear thinking" or "sanity" will invariably draw glances of indignation - "How dare you imply I am unsane!"
Nevertheless, it was a rewarding experience and I would like to thank the members of AGS for affording me these wonderful learning and networking opportunities.
17.12.09
Stalker Alert
If you're like me and on an income that is instantly gripped in the talon-like fingers of debt and arseholes, you can't really spend $1.50 on newspapers with copy that doesn't stink of the wretched cologne-soaked keystrokes of PR "mavens", social media'd or otherwise. Therefore on the train, the mX is an alternative to mind-numbing boredom of train travel and the accompanying whines of kiddies who are similarly bored and love the sound of their own attention-making hole. In every edition, the "talk" section showcases snippets of Melbourne's overwhelming stupidity in about 160 characters or less. Even more fun is the "Here's Looking at You" section.
An outlet for the dateless and (very) hopeful, the HLaY section boasts vague 'missed connections' from commuters on the Melbourne train network (for my Amerifriends: it works about as well as our internet does.) Pleas for "the cute girl on the 6:32, I liked the cut of your jib, lets go to coffee" are routinely heard, as well as the occasional, more detailed clip, like this:
Oh sorry, did I say detailed? I meant stalkery. The proximity required for Mr. iLike to make these observations would be mere inches - millimeters even - unless iLike is an actual cyborg manufactured by Apple Computers, replete with digital zoom and programmed to recognize the human emotion we know as love. (read: lust.) However, his memory banks also have brand recognition and like any functional Apple design, the brand is the advertisement. (classic iPod? Oooh!) Fair enough that he can remember what clothes she was wearing - even that she was eating food. Shows that he's attentive. But this dude can even smell the firmware crack on her iPod touch - amazing! Here's what his brunette beauty should say, even though we all know she never will.
Also: see my latest "magnum opus" on YouTube.
An outlet for the dateless and (very) hopeful, the HLaY section boasts vague 'missed connections' from commuters on the Melbourne train network (for my Amerifriends: it works about as well as our internet does.) Pleas for "the cute girl on the 6:32, I liked the cut of your jib, lets go to coffee" are routinely heard, as well as the occasional, more detailed clip, like this:
Oh sorry, did I say detailed? I meant stalkery. The proximity required for Mr. iLike to make these observations would be mere inches - millimeters even - unless iLike is an actual cyborg manufactured by Apple Computers, replete with digital zoom and programmed to recognize the human emotion we know as love. (read: lust.) However, his memory banks also have brand recognition and like any functional Apple design, the brand is the advertisement. (classic iPod? Oooh!) Fair enough that he can remember what clothes she was wearing - even that she was eating food. Shows that he's attentive. But this dude can even smell the firmware crack on her iPod touch - amazing! Here's what his brunette beauty should say, even though we all know she never will."Dear iLike, remember when you bought your first iPod and after about a year, the little sad face appeared on the screen? Well, that's how I feel about you. You're like that sickly little computer confined behind an LCD screen. While I feel sorry for you, it doesn't translate into boom-boom sexy time action. I guess your credit card will be charged with another months subscription to Big Busty Interracial Grannies.There are websites and courses that can turn your ownership of a lonely heart into a broken heart. Don't say I didn't warn you, iLike.
Take care,
Normal Girl"
Also: see my latest "magnum opus" on YouTube.
9.2.09
It's What's Been Done
Complete and utter devastation. One can only stare blankly and ask why. I'll be donating to the Bushfire appeals. It's the least we can do.
21.12.08
The Top 10 Shit of 2008
The Top 10 of 2008
I'm not sure about you, but this year for me has been languid; mostly a learning experience and a major write off in terms of love, life and happiness. A realignment of priorities and expectations. I've gone through three jobs; all of them dispiriting that also left me no closer to my goal of reaching the United States for the Presidential election. It just crawled by with no great stories to tell - I'm literally having trouble trying to remember any bright points that occurred. I really gave up paying attention about half-way through, but kept a spark alive for my journalism career, which saw me interview Trivium, Parkway Drive, Flogging Molly, Daysend, In Flames, Soilwork and Alice in Chains. I'm sure 2009 will fare better!
10. The slow death of Australian Journalism
I don't know about you, but if you refused to watch A Current Affair or Today Tonight you'd be relatively safe from the "stories" about grandmothers cheated out of $2,000 worth of Scratchie prizes, why Australia is such an amazing film and competitions that pit bogan against bogan as they stare agog at the multitude of savings they can make by ordering Devon ham from the deli instead of the cooling fridge. But instead the actual News services engaged in a loathsome race to the bottom, elucidating the public on how to wash one's car properly, that a detained journalist is fodder in comparison to a former footballer's indiscretions or game show hosts out on the piss. Lead stories; all worthy, according to Australian commercial television! Thanks for nothing, Fox News.
9. The resurgence of good Television
Name a great Australian TV show. Can you think of any other show apart from Underbelly? I bet you can't - this was a renaissance of Australian drama, doing what Aussies do best; real life crime. We love our crims; we loved Ned Kelly, we revere Chopper Read and now the Carlton Crew and their freewheeling whack-a-mobster spree in the 90s. Of course, the U.S. also had some enticing offerings (more crime, believe it or not) in Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Wire. (Which I am yet to see, but can pick up for $16 a season at a local DVD shop.)
8. Raising the "We're All Going to Die" Alarm
Luckily, being surrounded by men and women of science, I forwent the doomsaying and irrational nonsense that surrounded the activation of the Large Hadron Collider; besides, if we all ended up as dust, we wouldn't even know about it. How do we know it didn't happen already? A great step forward for the human races' industrious quest to master its place in the universe.
7. Chinese Democracy Drops, no one cares
Seriously Axl, no one cares. Sales were "dissapointing" because most albums don't require a childhood and half an adolescence to produce. I spose if you live in America and like Dr. Pepper its sort of good, but little else.
6. Stealing the Libs thunder
The embattled Liberal (that's Conservatives, for my American friends) can't cut a break. Even missteps that should infuriate (well, me at least) such as raising taxes on Alcopops (while discouraging drinking and tax receipts) and a hare-brained economic stimulus, the Rudd Government had a quiet, if not uninspiring year. Labor buggered up WA, but that was to be expected. Let's see what 2009 holds.
5. World Financial Crisis hits, cheap CDs ain't cheap no more
Gordon Brown infamously proclaimed that UK growth would increase by 3.5% faces hit a multitude of palms as banks were nationalized and entire sectors of the US economy were bailed out by a magnificent and magical sum of $700 billion which seemed to validate bad business sense. Seriously, why would anyone buy loans that no one could possibly re-pay? Have you never heard of the Great Depression, you Stanford MBA types? Sometimes thrift is a virtue.
4. The Heavy Metal fossils rock out Down Under
Well, it was great if you were a metalhead; Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Judas Priest all lobbed down to our shores to delight legions of fans who hitherto never had witnessed their metal gods in full metal regalia before their very eyes. Satisfying down to the very last note.
3. Michael Phelps wins the entire Olympics
Yes. Australians are fucking cocky when it comes to the Olympics. We punch above our weight and we know it. We take on superpowers and win (per capita.) But when this arsehole fucks up our entire pissweak men's team and gives a good one to our debutante darling Stephanie Rice, your simmering hatred gives way to a good natured rivalry and desire to reclaim one's crown; if kids keep buying $20 Bacardi Breezers, then we might have enough money to fund the Aussie Institute of Sport well enough to field a decent team in London.
2. Lesbianism is the new black
I've always advocated an alliance between manly-men blokes and lesbians, but this time it's gone a bit awry. It seems that Lindsay Lohan has made lesbianism a fashion accessory - the feel-good hit of the summer so it seems. Even Katy Perry cashed in on the "lipstick lesbianism" craze by singing light-hearted pop about the taste on the lips of the opposite sex, while "real" lesbians such as Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi have to settle for gaining equal rights for LGBT people to give people a buzz.
1. Liberalism is the new black...President
It seemed inevitable that America had drifted to the left as they realised they've been had; had by right-wing cronyism, had by warhawks in ivory towers; had by media outlets on the Republican payroll. It was time for a change, and the charisma of Barack Hussein Obama cannot be denied. I hope that his talk is as good as his walk; but for now we can have faith that - yes, he can - restore America to its former glory and standing in the world.
See you in 2009!
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