Did I say it wasn't a problem? I don't recall I did. However, I did in fact say it wasn't a perilous event that was causing a massive stroke against the united states (in which sparked this) -- yes, illegal immigration is a problem. No, the numbers aren't as high as 60%. Stop dilluting yourself and stick to one argument. Go read the site you linked to, most of their work is towards a time-out on immigration, which is a good idea considering we are in a recession. Completely irregardless of legal vs. illegal, all immigration should be slowed until America gets back on it's feet.
Lets recap: You think non-US citizens are lesser people as per your first comment. You blame the problems of your economy on illegal immigrants. You think your land value depreciating and gang activity increasing is a result soley of your 60% increase in illegal immigrants.
Wow. Go burn your cross somewhere else, America doesn't need you.
I have lived in a number of places where illegal immigrants to constitute a large number of the population. However, do you have any reports to substantiate your claim of the population of illegal immigrants increasing by 60%?
If so, the you must have one powerful economy to support all of them. Oh wait, gang violence and depreciated land.. You contradict yourself in economic terms. I'm not disregarding your statements, I'm just saying you are being stupid. First off, having someone work at $3/hour as opposed to $6/hour means you can hire two people for the cost of that one person. That one person, in turn, will reap the effects of those two people making contributions to the economy and there-by boosting the economy. It doesn't matter how much they are making or not making, having anybody employed helps an economy. Sure, it brings the capita down, but it soon will rise back up.
Your argument would be valid if our unemployment rate was really all that high to warrant your kind of dislike. But, as I said previously, you changed your argument mid-racist-stance. You aren't all superior because you were born in America.
The reason why the unemployment rate is so high now, is because of economic recession. A recession that has a negligible impact by illegal immigrants.
You are so full of bullshit your eyes are turning brown, and heart is tainted black.
What difference does it make if you aren't if you say things like "infiltrate the american workforce with non-citizens." I don't give a shit what race you are. And you never brought up illegal immigrants, that's a different issue. But what jobs do they take away? Do you really want to be a janitor for $3.75 an hour? Who complains when they don't get minimum wage? Oh right, they're illegal so they can't.
We still need immigrants, just as america has emmigrants as well. It's called cultural diversity and positive population growth which boosts the economy.
If you actually looked at numbers you would note that if there are any workforce delemmas it is caused more from legal immigrants (especially for the over-use of H1B visas for lower tech worker salaries through the dotcom years) - and if Americans weren't so lazy and poorly educated on average there would be no need to import harder working people for cheaper. Americans have no one to blame but Americans, but like most things, they blame everyone else for the situation they put themselves in.
As for your ethnicity, the great thing about america is you can be racist no matter what race you are. I don't think you are white or any other race. In fact, I don't care. What I do care about is your elitist attitude that american citizens deserve things that non-citizens should have, like a job. Go travel around, see the world and open your american eyes. Just please respect the cultures you see, and try not to embarass your country like so many americans do while travelling.
Sorry, I forgot that people from other countries were not really people and didn't deserve to work here. I'll remember that next time I am interviewing new employees. Do you have any information on where to buy white hoods and robes, I stained mine with the blood of the innocent and need a new one.
The difference is he lives in a house in suburban LA, pays little or nothing in taxes most likely (As he still lives with his mother) and has not even experienced close to what the real world is like. It's one thing to have revolutionaries, it's another thing to have a kid who has probably never seen first hand the things he preaches against make militant threats and attacks against a government.
Anyone going to war following a naive 18 year old kid will most likely reap what they sow, death or imprisonment. When it comes down to it, there is *no* reason to speak of overthrowing the government because it's not necessary. If you have a political opinion, there are many ways to change the political course of a government. Look at Hitler for a fairly good example. America needs reform, not children revolutionaries (Viva la revolucion)
Uhm, no. The only message I get it that if you attack the government (which he did, electronically) they will fuck you justifiably so.
He deserved everything he has received so far, and what he will receive in the future. He is a criminal who has committed a crime. This is not about his vocalization, this is about his crime. He wants to make it sound like it isn't, but, well, it's evident he is a dumbass.
The only message this sends is: You are really stupid, kid.
Amen to that. If I was in charge of an operation to go after someone with anti-government messages including those talking about new world orders and overthrowing the government (reference: his defaced websites) it would be done the same way.
Fuck kind and gentle. The kid is a criminal. Gang leaders carry pistols. Militant psychos make bombs.
Yeah - but that goes into the coercion aspect. If you look what they did with the cocaine dealer from Blow (Forgot his name) that didn't fall under entrapment because they just provided him the means and he took it.
If an officer tells them to do something, and they do it, it gets a bit gray. The key is whether or not they would do the same activity with or without the officers intervention.
Either way, afaik, it is seldom used because of the possibility of getting a great lawyer and having the case dismissed. I don't know any feds, only police so I'm going with what they talk about:)
Close, it has nothing to do with what they normally would or would not do. Entrapment just means that someone from the law enforcement side coerced an individual into committing a crime that they would not have done without that coercion.
For example, if you have a drug dealer who ceased dealing and an officer ask for one more deal and the dealer gets busted, it would fall under entrapment. Entrapment also does not require harassment or continual provocation.
Entrapment is the act of luring an individual into a previously or otherwise uncontemplated illegal act.
Most flights I've been on (American/United) have a standard cigarette-lighter style power adapter in the seats.
I'm curious if you can setup an 802.11 network in flight or if it will muck with anything they run. I think another thing that would take off well for the planes is having a game/lan server and either cat5 or 802.11. Being able to play Counter Strike/Quake3/Starcraft on the flight would be awesome. I'd pay extra for that capability, assuming you knew other people on the plane could play:)
LegOS. It isn't so much reverse engineering at this point, but a new operating system that you upload. Big difference. They can do whatever they want with LegOS. Besides, Lego doesn't care - they still sell hardware, and they are a hardware vendor. (Man times have changed since I was young.. to think I would ever say "Lego is a hardware vendor.")
And your sig is wrong. It is an action, not a noun.
It's trying to be a desktop computer with 64M of ram and a 2" screen.
Oh shit, I think you are on to them. They better change their name so something more obscure, like, oh I dont know, PocketPC?
why the hell do I need a DVD player in my pocket?
Probably the same reason why you think it's necessary to question other peoples motives for owning things. Because, some people use those features. I find it funny people who fail to understand things outside of their perception.
I use my CLIE to play games on the train, and write documentation to code - because it's the best way for me to do it. If I used my PalmOS device for much more, I would probably go with something more powerful.
It's the same debate over and over, like WAV vs. MP3.. Sure, WAVs are bigger but it's lossless, etc. So, silence yourself troll. Try harder next time to make a bit more sense.
They are blocked because of security reasons, and flawed software that does not behave in any form of standards compliant way.
We are blocked, because our OS string says 'Linux'. There is a huge difference. If we didn't have any CSS-capable browsers, I would understand. But they block us because not only do we not represent a marketable share, but they cannot correctly verify it works on alternate platform/browser combos. And, it's not worth their time to find out.
Blocking or manipulating a software package due to it's flawed design and implementation is not a bad thing. It's evolution, and natural selection in an unnatural silicon world. I hope you see the difference now.
Re:Voting with one's wallet is proven to work
on
Last Word on Loki
·
· Score: 2
The problem is, most people aren't just going to "vote with their wallet" for a game they aren't going to play. Now, I believe in giving to charity and all that bit -- but Loki is a company. To every person who bought a game from Loki in a charity act, I have to say that you make me sick. There are actual real people who need your help. Not a bunch of programmers who can find jobs somewhere else. You like the idea? Good for you, that means you are a gamer and it probably doesn't count. You like SDL? Contribute to the development efforts, with money or talent, whichever you can spare.
Loki didn't fail because people didn't buy their games. Loki failed because of an unstable business plan in an unstable and a poor market. There is no need to play games on Linux, only a want by a very small populace. I play 2 games, and I have a win2k partition to do so -- because it's just easier. I wish Loki the best, they really did do some great things, but gaming for Linux just doesn't work. Too many issues, and too different of a crowd than the windows gamers.
I'm sorry, but your entire argument is moot. Gamers don't have a need to switch to Linux. Gamers did however have a reason to switch from DOS, and there was a desire there. Windows was a superior game platform than DOS for a lot of different reasons. Maybe you are too young remember what DOS gaming was like. With HIMEM issues, and the eternal UNIVBE struggles. Windows did make that all standard, so if you got windows working, the games all had the same graphics. And they were easier to develop for (even though the windows SDK sucked, as far as graphics and standards went).
Linux isn't like that. Linux is taking a huge step back into fighting hardware, distro issues, compatibility issues. It's a pain in the ass, and not worth the effort. I don't think we're ever going to see that. Not until we have standardized development (SDL, still needs to go a long way) and good vendor support (Hi nVidia!). Don't hold your breath, because unlike windows, Linux isn't commercially backed for the desktop. The only way linux gaming will succeed with it's current setup is good nature which we all know companies don't have -- because that tends to turn them into liquidation material.
You hit it right on the head. All the games I want to play I can run under wine, which I don't because I have a win2k partition just for games.
They really wanted to create a niche market for linux porting, that would open up ground to a real game company. Unfortunately, most linux people who play games I reckon are pretty similar to myself. Coders and admins, they work and do hobby work and when they need a break from that they switch to games. Hell, I play around with crafty and gnuchess more than I play the games I've actually purchased. I think you have to look at the people who are running Linux. A lot of us aren't huge gamers, and those that are already have access to our games and are stuck in our paths.
I thought about buying Kohan from Loki. Then realized it'd be another game that I don't play ever. It woulda been nice to support them, in hindsight. I'm happily stuck in my niche, and they don't provide much in the immediate benefit for myself. I know it's a selfish outlook, but that's the way it goes.
Jeet Kun Do? Really? I didn't realize that was Kung Fu. Go read your books again kid. Different art, and if I need to explain that to you you just proved yourself an idiot.
I really wish you fucks would stop watching IFC (I've never heard of a real tournament called 'no-holds barred' unless it gets put on VHS and requires girls in bikinis) and think that has a semblance to real fighters. What form of grappling do you claim to study? Because Kung Fu in and of itself can be a grappling art. Hell, we spend a couple hours a week working on grappling but it's kung fu. Please turn your TV off and go outside.
A very well thought out post, I agree with most of your statements.
I hope you don't wait to learn another art before reaching your first dan. I found that by mid-level you were able to accurately grasp the concepts of the art. I took tae kwon do for years, and until an injury took me out of it thought it to be a fairly silly art. Not until I started studying kung fu did I realize just how silly. I took aikido after the injury and that was an interesting learning experience. Unfortunately, another injury (stupid horrible drivers and their cell phones) took me out of aikido before I could form a decent grasp of the art and would like to look into it again at some point. However, even as a beginner of the art it's not hard to understand the basic concepts of the art. I believe that to be the best at any given art, it's important to look at the "competiting" arts in depth and incorporate it's strengths into your arts weakness. That is why I like my art, because it's a constantly adaptive style that pays close attention to the other artforms. We even have quite a few karate techniques that have been placed in there to make our art stronger. Granted, I think it has the potential to end up like emacs, but it has merits. I wish you the best in your studies, and maybe we'll meet in a tournament someday:)
I understand the definition of a traditional art. It was your use of "effective" that seemed totally subjective. Indeed, rankings are very subjective, too - they tend to be entirely dependent on people entering tournaments, an idea which is not central to many arts. It's not my definition of effective. Its the groups who hold the world ranking tournaments that have setup these systems. In regards to the people entering in the tournaments, if one art supplies two times as many record-breaking fighters it seems more likely to assume that that art is more effective. Note I did not say my art was the most effective, as it's not. As far as tournament winning and fighting style, it is one of the best. Subjectivity aside, the medals awards and dissertations affirm this.
Some would consider a martial art created in the last thirty years to be very non-traditional. Of course, since it's your system, those in there have a vested interest in calling it traditional.
Since it's foundations are traditional, it still maintains the aspects of a traditional art.
Actually, when I practice karate I do get an adrenaline rush. The 'blandess' I was referring to before was the lack of flash that you were talking about when referring to karate and TKD. I really enjoy the style I practice.
It's a goal to achieve enjoyment out of your style. However, it's important to realize that an art doesn't need flash to not be bland. Look at the first form in Kajukenbo, 18 hands of Ho Lan, only two moves would be said to be "flashy" and both have practical applications and fit the form well. However, the form itself is exceptionally fluid and more practical than a form listing it's moves as "Right front snap punch, Left high block, Right front snap kick,..."
My sifu said this, and I hold it very true, "Martial Art is military science. To learn this science you must be as effective and dangerous as possible, and wanted" Unfortunately most arts (including my own that I hold in high regard) muttle the differences between effective and flashy, and dangerous and rigid. If you haven't already I would recommend reading Book of the Five Rings (by Musashi) which talks a lot about the flaws of other schools and learning off of those.
I do agree that we disagree, I am glad that you do take fondness in your art. However, keeping a closed mind to the aspects of other arts is dangerous and will only lead to lack of achievement. This is the main reason why I know 5 arts, and have just now settled on one that I will probably continue as long as I live.
Karate is a very adaptive martial art. Each movement fluidly leads into a number of others. Each block is a set up for a counter-strike, or a takedown. Karate is flawed because it has such things as blocks, and counter-strikes. Every movement while fighting should not be offensive or defensive. They are the same, and share the same purpose - to neutralize the enemy. I ask you, have you studied any art other than Karate? Another statement you have made seems to reflect you have not.
What is a "traditional effective art"? I wouldn't call an art founded in 1969 traditional (as effective as it may be). You seem to be throwing around terms here.
Various martial arts groups rank different arts according to effectiveness. The traditional arts are basically: Kung Fu (And it's many forms), Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, etc. An art founded in 1969 that pays homage to Choy Li Fut, Wushu and is part of the Kajukenbo system still qualifies as traditional. I'm not throwing around terms, apparently I just mistook you for a real martial artist who understood rankings.
The best way to see who is ranked higher, is to look at the practioners of the art and their current world standings. In my art alone, we have two sifu's that hold places in the top 10 list(Bruce Owens, Al Dacascos). How many karate students take rank in the top ten list?
Japanese arts have their place, and I respect them as an art. But your original statements explaining the lack of adrenaline and excitement seem to reflect the mundaneness of the art. And I have learned karate, as mentioned before. This is not an unqualified statement nor prejudice. It is merely an opinion I have formed, based off education and experience. Do yourself a favor, and if you want real excitement in an art go study Choy Li Fut or Wushu kung fu, enter a few tournaments, and then think back to the excitement you had in karate and then you can come back and thank me for my advice.
Slashdot Mirror
Did I say it wasn't a problem? I don't recall I did. However, I did in fact say it wasn't a perilous event that was causing a massive stroke against the united states (in which sparked this) -- yes, illegal immigration is a problem. No, the numbers aren't as high as 60%. Stop dilluting yourself and stick to one argument. Go read the site you linked to, most of their work is towards a time-out on immigration, which is a good idea considering we are in a recession. Completely irregardless of legal vs. illegal, all immigration should be slowed until America gets back on it's feet.
Lets recap: You think non-US citizens are lesser people as per your first comment. You blame the problems of your economy on illegal immigrants. You think your land value depreciating and gang activity increasing is a result soley of your 60% increase in illegal immigrants.
Wow. Go burn your cross somewhere else, America doesn't need you.
I have lived in a number of places where illegal immigrants to constitute a large number of the population. However, do you have any reports to substantiate your claim of the population of illegal immigrants increasing by 60%?
If so, the you must have one powerful economy to support all of them. Oh wait, gang violence and depreciated land.. You contradict yourself in economic terms. I'm not disregarding your statements, I'm just saying you are being stupid. First off, having someone work at $3/hour as opposed to $6/hour means you can hire two people for the cost of that one person. That one person, in turn, will reap the effects of those two people making contributions to the economy and there-by boosting the economy. It doesn't matter how much they are making or not making, having anybody employed helps an economy. Sure, it brings the capita down, but it soon will rise back up.
Your argument would be valid if our unemployment rate was really all that high to warrant your kind of dislike. But, as I said previously, you changed your argument mid-racist-stance. You aren't all superior because you were born in America.
The reason why the unemployment rate is so high now, is because of economic recession. A recession that has a negligible impact by illegal immigrants.
You are so full of bullshit your eyes are turning brown, and heart is tainted black.
What difference does it make if you aren't if you say things like "infiltrate the american workforce with non-citizens." I don't give a shit what race you are. And you never brought up illegal immigrants, that's a different issue. But what jobs do they take away? Do you really want to be a janitor for $3.75 an hour? Who complains when they don't get minimum wage? Oh right, they're illegal so they can't.
We still need immigrants, just as america has emmigrants as well. It's called cultural diversity and positive population growth which boosts the economy.
If you actually looked at numbers you would note that if there are any workforce delemmas it is caused more from legal immigrants (especially for the over-use of H1B visas for lower tech worker salaries through the dotcom years) - and if Americans weren't so lazy and poorly educated on average there would be no need to import harder working people for cheaper. Americans have no one to blame but Americans, but like most things, they blame everyone else for the situation they put themselves in.
As for your ethnicity, the great thing about america is you can be racist no matter what race you are. I don't think you are white or any other race. In fact, I don't care. What I do care about is your elitist attitude that american citizens deserve things that non-citizens should have, like a job. Go travel around, see the world and open your american eyes. Just please respect the cultures you see, and try not to embarass your country like so many americans do while travelling.
Sorry, I forgot that people from other countries were not really people and didn't deserve to work here. I'll remember that next time I am interviewing new employees. Do you have any information on where to buy white hoods and robes, I stained mine with the blood of the innocent and need a new one.
The difference is he lives in a house in suburban LA, pays little or nothing in taxes most likely (As he still lives with his mother) and has not even experienced close to what the real world is like. It's one thing to have revolutionaries, it's another thing to have a kid who has probably never seen first hand the things he preaches against make militant threats and attacks against a government.
Anyone going to war following a naive 18 year old kid will most likely reap what they sow, death or imprisonment. When it comes down to it, there is *no* reason to speak of overthrowing the government because it's not necessary. If you have a political opinion, there are many ways to change the political course of a government. Look at Hitler for a fairly good example. America needs reform, not children revolutionaries (Viva la revolucion)
Uhm, no. The only message I get it that if you attack the government (which he did, electronically) they will fuck you justifiably so.
He deserved everything he has received so far, and what he will receive in the future. He is a criminal who has committed a crime. This is not about his vocalization, this is about his crime. He wants to make it sound like it isn't, but, well, it's evident he is a dumbass.
The only message this sends is: You are really stupid, kid.
Amen to that. If I was in charge of an operation to go after someone with anti-government messages including those talking about new world orders and overthrowing the government (reference: his defaced websites) it would be done the same way.
Fuck kind and gentle. The kid is a criminal. Gang leaders carry pistols. Militant psychos make bombs.
Yeah - but that goes into the coercion aspect. If you look what they did with the cocaine dealer from Blow (Forgot his name) that didn't fall under entrapment because they just provided him the means and he took it.
:)
If an officer tells them to do something, and they do it, it gets a bit gray. The key is whether or not they would do the same activity with or without the officers intervention.
Either way, afaik, it is seldom used because of the possibility of getting a great lawyer and having the case dismissed. I don't know any feds, only police so I'm going with what they talk about
Yeah man!
Space habitats want to be FREE! I think I'll start a grassroots GNN effort, 'Gnu's Not Nasa'.
Close, it has nothing to do with what they normally would or would not do. Entrapment just means that someone from the law enforcement side coerced an individual into committing a crime that they would not have done without that coercion.
:)
For example, if you have a drug dealer who ceased dealing and an officer ask for one more deal and the dealer gets busted, it would fall under entrapment. Entrapment also does not require harassment or continual provocation.
Entrapment is the act of luring an individual into a previously or otherwise uncontemplated illegal act.
IANAL, but try to keep up on laws
Most flights I've been on (American/United) have a standard cigarette-lighter style power adapter in the seats.
:)
I'm curious if you can setup an 802.11 network in flight or if it will muck with anything they run. I think another thing that would take off well for the planes is having a game/lan server and either cat5 or 802.11. Being able to play Counter Strike/Quake3/Starcraft on the flight would be awesome. I'd pay extra for that capability, assuming you knew other people on the plane could play
LegOS. It isn't so much reverse engineering at this point, but a new operating system that you upload. Big difference. They can do whatever they want with LegOS. Besides, Lego doesn't care - they still sell hardware, and they are a hardware vendor. (Man times have changed since I was young.. to think I would ever say "Lego is a hardware vendor.")
And your sig is wrong. It is an action, not a noun.
Damn, I'm going to have to upgrade. I have a trial edition of Girlfriend 1.4 and all it does is complain I'm on the computer too often.
Again, another forgotton one in the current list: "Alice in Anal Land"
Knowledge courtesy of my brother, and his strange collection of movies.
It's trying to be a desktop computer with 64M of ram and a 2" screen.
Oh shit, I think you are on to them. They better change their name so something more obscure, like, oh I dont know, PocketPC?
why the hell do I need a DVD player in my pocket?
Probably the same reason why you think it's necessary to question other peoples motives for owning things. Because, some people use those features. I find it funny people who fail to understand things outside of their perception.
I use my CLIE to play games on the train, and write documentation to code - because it's the best way for me to do it. If I used my PalmOS device for much more, I would probably go with something more powerful.
It's the same debate over and over, like WAV vs. MP3.. Sure, WAVs are bigger but it's lossless, etc. So, silence yourself troll. Try harder next time to make a bit more sense.
They are blocked because of security reasons, and flawed software that does not behave in any form of standards compliant way.
We are blocked, because our OS string says 'Linux'. There is a huge difference. If we didn't have any CSS-capable browsers, I would understand. But they block us because not only do we not represent a marketable share, but they cannot correctly verify it works on alternate platform/browser combos. And, it's not worth their time to find out.
Blocking or manipulating a software package due to it's flawed design and implementation is not a bad thing. It's evolution, and natural selection in an unnatural silicon world. I hope you see the difference now.
The problem is, most people aren't just going to "vote with their wallet" for a game they aren't going to play. Now, I believe in giving to charity and all that bit -- but Loki is a company. To every person who bought a game from Loki in a charity act, I have to say that you make me sick. There are actual real people who need your help. Not a bunch of programmers who can find jobs somewhere else. You like the idea? Good for you, that means you are a gamer and it probably doesn't count. You like SDL? Contribute to the development efforts, with money or talent, whichever you can spare.
Loki didn't fail because people didn't buy their games. Loki failed because of an unstable business plan in an unstable and a poor market. There is no need to play games on Linux, only a want by a very small populace. I play 2 games, and I have a win2k partition to do so -- because it's just easier. I wish Loki the best, they really did do some great things, but gaming for Linux just doesn't work. Too many issues, and too different of a crowd than the windows gamers.
I'm sorry, but your entire argument is moot. Gamers don't have a need to switch to Linux. Gamers did however have a reason to switch from DOS, and there was a desire there. Windows was a superior game platform than DOS for a lot of different reasons. Maybe you are too young remember what DOS gaming was like. With HIMEM issues, and the eternal UNIVBE struggles. Windows did make that all standard, so if you got windows working, the games all had the same graphics. And they were easier to develop for (even though the windows SDK sucked, as far as graphics and standards went).
Linux isn't like that. Linux is taking a huge step back into fighting hardware, distro issues, compatibility issues. It's a pain in the ass, and not worth the effort. I don't think we're ever going to see that. Not until we have standardized development (SDL, still needs to go a long way) and good vendor support (Hi nVidia!). Don't hold your breath, because unlike windows, Linux isn't commercially backed for the desktop. The only way linux gaming will succeed with it's current setup is good nature which we all know companies don't have -- because that tends to turn them into liquidation material.
You hit it right on the head. All the games I want to play I can run under wine, which I don't because I have a win2k partition just for games.
They really wanted to create a niche market for linux porting, that would open up ground to a real game company. Unfortunately, most linux people who play games I reckon are pretty similar to myself. Coders and admins, they work and do hobby work and when they need a break from that they switch to games. Hell, I play around with crafty and gnuchess more than I play the games I've actually purchased. I think you have to look at the people who are running Linux. A lot of us aren't huge gamers, and those that are already have access to our games and are stuck in our paths.
I thought about buying Kohan from Loki. Then realized it'd be another game that I don't play ever. It woulda been nice to support them, in hindsight. I'm happily stuck in my niche, and they don't provide much in the immediate benefit for myself. I know it's a selfish outlook, but that's the way it goes.
Jeet Kun Do? Really? I didn't realize that was Kung Fu. Go read your books again kid. Different art, and if I need to explain that to you you just proved yourself an idiot.
I really wish you fucks would stop watching IFC (I've never heard of a real tournament called 'no-holds barred' unless it gets put on VHS and requires girls in bikinis) and think that has a semblance to real fighters. What form of grappling do you claim to study? Because Kung Fu in and of itself can be a grappling art. Hell, we spend a couple hours a week working on grappling but it's kung fu. Please turn your TV off and go outside.
A very well thought out post, I agree with most of your statements.
:)
I hope you don't wait to learn another art before reaching your first dan. I found that by mid-level you were able to accurately grasp the concepts of the art. I took tae kwon do for years, and until an injury took me out of it thought it to be a fairly silly art. Not until I started studying kung fu did I realize just how silly. I took aikido after the injury and that was an interesting learning experience. Unfortunately, another injury (stupid horrible drivers and their cell phones) took me out of aikido before I could form a decent grasp of the art and would like to look into it again at some point. However, even as a beginner of the art it's not hard to understand the basic concepts of the art. I believe that to be the best at any given art, it's important to look at the "competiting" arts in depth and incorporate it's strengths into your arts weakness. That is why I like my art, because it's a constantly adaptive style that pays close attention to the other artforms. We even have quite a few karate techniques that have been placed in there to make our art stronger. Granted, I think it has the potential to end up like emacs, but it has merits. I wish you the best in your studies, and maybe we'll meet in a tournament someday
I understand the definition of a traditional art. It was your use of "effective" that seemed totally subjective. Indeed, rankings are very subjective, too - they tend to be entirely dependent on people entering tournaments, an idea which is not central to many arts.
..."
It's not my definition of effective. Its the groups who hold the world ranking tournaments that have setup these systems. In regards to the people entering in the tournaments, if one art supplies two times as many record-breaking fighters it seems more likely to assume that that art is more effective. Note I did not say my art was the most effective, as it's not. As far as tournament winning and fighting style, it is one of the best. Subjectivity aside, the medals awards and dissertations affirm this.
Some would consider a martial art created in the last thirty years to be very non-traditional. Of course, since it's your system, those in there have a vested interest in calling it traditional.
Since it's foundations are traditional, it still maintains the aspects of a traditional art.
Actually, when I practice karate I do get an adrenaline rush. The 'blandess' I was referring to before was the lack of flash that you were talking about when referring to karate and TKD. I really enjoy the style I practice.
It's a goal to achieve enjoyment out of your style. However, it's important to realize that an art doesn't need flash to not be bland. Look at the first form in Kajukenbo, 18 hands of Ho Lan, only two moves would be said to be "flashy" and both have practical applications and fit the form well. However, the form itself is exceptionally fluid and more practical than a form listing it's moves as "Right front snap punch, Left high block, Right front snap kick,
My sifu said this, and I hold it very true, "Martial Art is military science. To learn this science you must be as effective and dangerous as possible, and wanted" Unfortunately most arts (including my own that I hold in high regard) muttle the differences between effective and flashy, and dangerous and rigid. If you haven't already I would recommend reading Book of the Five Rings (by Musashi) which talks a lot about the flaws of other schools and learning off of those.
I do agree that we disagree, I am glad that you do take fondness in your art. However, keeping a closed mind to the aspects of other arts is dangerous and will only lead to lack of achievement. This is the main reason why I know 5 arts, and have just now settled on one that I will probably continue as long as I live.
Don't they know security through obscurity doesn't work!?
Karate is a very adaptive martial art. Each movement fluidly leads into a number of others. Each block is a set up for a counter-strike, or a takedown.
Karate is flawed because it has such things as blocks, and counter-strikes. Every movement while fighting should not be offensive or defensive. They are the same, and share the same purpose - to neutralize the enemy. I ask you, have you studied any art other than Karate? Another statement you have made seems to reflect you have not.
What is a "traditional effective art"? I wouldn't call an art founded in 1969 traditional (as effective as it may be). You seem to be throwing around terms here.
Various martial arts groups rank different arts according to effectiveness. The traditional arts are basically: Kung Fu (And it's many forms), Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, etc. An art founded in 1969 that pays homage to Choy Li Fut, Wushu and is part of the Kajukenbo system still qualifies as traditional. I'm not throwing around terms, apparently I just mistook you for a real martial artist who understood rankings.
The best way to see who is ranked higher, is to look at the practioners of the art and their current world standings. In my art alone, we have two sifu's that hold places in the top 10 list(Bruce Owens, Al Dacascos). How many karate students take rank in the top ten list?
Japanese arts have their place, and I respect them as an art. But your original statements explaining the lack of adrenaline and excitement seem to reflect the mundaneness of the art. And I have learned karate, as mentioned before. This is not an unqualified statement nor prejudice. It is merely an opinion I have formed, based off education and experience. Do yourself a favor, and if you want real excitement in an art go study Choy Li Fut or Wushu kung fu, enter a few tournaments, and then think back to the excitement you had in karate and then you can come back and thank me for my advice.