Obama Now Wants Your Pocket Knife by Evan F. Nappen, Esq.
June 4, 2009
Beware! That folding knife in your pocket may turn you into a criminal if the Obama administration gets its way. Although there has been a lot of fear and speculation that the new administration wants to take your guns, the most pressing threat now is actually to your pocket knives. With the changing of the guard at U.S. Customs, that agency has now embarked on redefining "switchblades" under federal law to include a wide variety of one hand opening knives that never were intended to be prohibited. In fact, many of the knives U.S. Customs now seek to prohibit under the Federal Switchblade Law had not even been invented at the time of its enactment! Furthermore, four previous U.S. Customs ruling letters (prior administrations) specifically determined "assisted opening" knives not to be defined as switchblades.
This new proposed U.S. Customs regulation is so broad that thousands of pocket knives will fall under its sweep and millions of knife owners will be affected. The problem is not simply that imports will be banned (which is bad enough), but that the "agency determination" will be used by domestic courts and law enforcement to determine what a "switchblade" is under both federal and state laws. Many states, including New Hampshire, fail to define switchblades and simply rely on the federal definition.
Luckily, the two premiere knife organizations in the US, American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI) and Kniferights.org, are fighting hard on this issue, but they both need your immediate help. Customs is attempting to jam this new regulation though at record speed.
U.S. Customs has proposed revoking earlier rulings that assisted opening knives are not switchblades. The proposed new rule would not only outlaw assisted opening knives its broad definition could also easily be interpreted to include one-handed opening knives and even most other pocket knives.
Note that customs interpretation of the Federal Switchblade Act forms the basis for national, state and even local law and judicial rulings in many cases. The effect is NOT limited to just imports.
URGENT NEWS - U.S. Customs Proposal would characterize assisted-openers as switchblade knives and jeopardize all pocket knives. On behalf of the entire sporting knife industry and knife owners across the country, AKTI will be filing an official response to U.S. Customs.
This is the biggest threat to American knife owners in U.S. history. AKTI informs us that this "Customs' proposal will make criminal out of 35.6 million Americans."
AKTI further states:
U.S. Customs proposes to bypass Congress and expand the switchblade definition to include all knives that open with one hand. These include multi-tools, traditional pocket knives, one-hand openers, and assisted-openers. More than 35.6 million law-abiding Americans now own one-hand-openingknives in one of the above four categories.
AKTI suggests that to register your opposition to the U.S. Customs'plan (19 CFR Part 177) to re-classify assisted openers and all folding knives; address your comments by June 21, 2009, to:
19 CFR Part 177 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of International Trade, Regulations and Rulings Attention: Intellectual Property and Restricted Merchandise Branch Mint Annex, 799 Ninth St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20229
Shaggy Dog does something quite like this too in his backyard in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. For the fish, he uses Tilapia, which are an excellent clean protein source as well.
Actually, I got the idea after reading a post from Shaggy to DogZilla on Facebook. After doing some research there is a farm here on Oahu that has classes as well as a family on the big island that does it commercially. I think we will start out with Tilapia but I have also been reading that other people use Koi, Crawdads, Goldfish, and Perch. Interesting stuff. The more I read the more excited I get.
A small step to being self sufficient.
(geez, just realized that I totally misspelled the subject)
Im not entirely sure where this fits in it could be environmental but it is also a part of health. My girlfriend and I have been seriously looking into Aquaponics. Anyone else do / tried this?
“Kimbo Slice” will be among the 16 heavyweight fighters to join the 10th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which starts shooting this week in Las Vegas.
Well, the new agey guys snored me before I could get to the end, but the Doczac guy is dead on with one of what I believe to be the two principal patterns to look for.
Yeah.. I thought I would throw him into the mix. There are a lot of clips on youtube.
This was interesting too but it looks to be addressed to someone specific.
This is the PDF file the guy in the video references, he provided more info within the comments section, it is an article "An exercise programme for the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy" from the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
There are some clips on youtube for exercises \ treatment, I have yet to try them as I was looking up the exercises last night. Im sure taking some fish oil for the inflammation may help too.
As I remember Sonny telling it, this footwork was traditionally practiced on a large cross section (approx 4") piece of bamboo cut in half on the ground - Sonny would use a 2x4. It looks like Chris has expanded on this concept by combining the 2x4 with the X that Sonny always had drawn out on the floor of his living room. More than that would be telling ... wink cheesy
Ah cool, it looks like a fun training "device" just think of the fun you could have by you adding the pendulum ball like J does in one of his clips.
BTW I googled Chris Charnos' just to see if he had some more clips or info about his training with Sonny and apparently he fought out of AMC Pankration \ Matt Humes gym AND he was Josh Barnett's 1st Professional Opponent.
I met Chris Charnos years ago, I think it was at the Sonny Umpad seminar that Kelly Worden hosted. I believe Chris was also a student of Jesse Glover too but I could be wrong.
Following years of shoulder abuse and injury (particularly whilst experimenting during training for the OAC), I was more than a little keen to try out The Rotater. And I have to say, it easily exceeded expectations.
Rather than relive my own shoulder-training trials however, here are a couple of thoughts from my father, who has been using The Rotater for a few days now. As you'll see, it really is an incredible piece of equipment.
When Scott asked me to test the Rotater my response was keen but somewhat apprehensive. Following years of bodily abuse in various sporting activities (several breaks, dislocations & tears) I am now, at age 67, suffering early stages of arthritis. One area of concern is my shoulders - not so much because of pain and stiffness but the limitations this places on my ability to exercise on a regular basis.
When I first used The Rotater for a few minutes my feelings were confused. How could such a simple device create the feeling of freedom I was now experiencing? Having now used The Rotater for several days I have come to the following conclusions :
1. After a few minutes of stretching with The Rotater I can now comfortably exercise my shoulders using my home gym & appropriate free weights. 2. Until recent years I have done twists on a daily basis using a broomstick across my shoulders. This had become impossible as holding the stick behind my neck was too painful. After a suitable warm up I can now once again twist for as long as I choose.
The results of my test of the Rotater are surprising, amazing, & in my case stimulating. A look at The Rotater in action
Here's a brief look at The Rotater in action. As you can see, it's an incredibly simple device; yet you can feel a difference almost immediately. If years of squatting have robbed you of a bit of shoulder mobility, you'll be amazed at just how great this feels.
Final Thought on The Rotater
If you've ever experienced shoulder pain, you'll understand just how frustrating it can be. Apart from the pain itself, it's perhaps the fact that it prevents you from doing your normal exercise routine that's the biggest source of aggravation.
In my case - and in my dad's - The Rotater ended that frustration. An incredible feeling.
it is possible the fans were booing leites' buttflopping instead
Possibly, but even Dana White had something negative to say.
Hopefully a friend recorded the fight on their DVR.
‘Spider’ Bites
For the second time in as many appearances, middleweight champion Anderson Silva finds himself under heavy scrutiny from fans and the media. Not even White, one of his most ardent supporters, could look past his performance in a lackluster five-round decision win against Thales Leites at UFC 97.
“I wasn’t thrilled with it,” said White, who later hinted at challenging the champion with a return to the 205-pound division. “I did not like the fight at all -- on either side.”
Silva moved into the record books as he passed UFC hall of famer Royce Gracie and welterweight contender Jon Fitch for most consecutive victories inside the Octagon with his ninth. The 34-year-old Brazilian has won 10 straight bouts overall. Still, he wound up on the defensive after his triumph over Leites.
Photo by Sherdog.com
Fans chanted for GSP at UFC 97. “I go out there and train to try and be efficient and have a perfect fight,” Silva said. “Not every fight is going to be a knockout. Not every fight is going to be a spectacular finish. What I trained to do, I felt like I executed in there. He wasn’t able to execute his game, and I was able to do mine. I walked away with the victory and the belt still.”
Silva was visibly flustered by the negative reaction he received but remained diplomatic in the face of criticism.
“I’m comfortable with people’s opinions,” he said. “People have a right to their own opinions. I was unable to finish. Sometimes, I’m able to finish guys; sometimes, I’m not able to. I proved to everybody I can go five rounds and I’m in good shape.”
White addressed a potential showdown between Silva and current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who will defend his belt against Brazilian bomber Thiago Alves at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas. Chants of “GSP! GSP!” rang out during the Silva-Leites match.
“Everybody’s chanting GSP,” White said. “GSP has probably the toughest fight of his career coming up. Do not overlook Thiago Alves. That’s going to be a very hard fight for him. Georges St. Pierre can’t start looking at Anderson Silva until he gets past Thiago Alves.”
You can catch the UFC @ Roundtable Pizza on the conrer of Kuhio & Kaiulani in Waikiki, there might be more in Waikiki but I'm not sure. If you want to venture further then you can go to Red Lions or perhaps the varsity in the University District.
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Main Academy 844 Queen Street, 2nd Floor Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 (808) 589-2524 (808) 589-1592 Fax Email: gracie@aloha.com URL: http://www.relsongracie.com
Main Academy Hours & Fees Call the academy at (808) 589-2524 for updated class schedules & fees
The main academy is located on the second floor of the Mosler building on Queen Street. If you are traveling east on the H-1 Freeway you can take the Kinau Street exit and take a left onto Ward Avenue. Then take a right onto Queen Street, one block after the Blaisdell Arena (which is on your right). If you are traveling west on the H-1 Freeway, you can take the Lunalilo Highway exit. Take a left on Pensacola, then take a right on Kapiolani Blvd. Blaisdell Arena will be on your left, at that stop light, take a left Ward Avenue, and a right on Queen Street. The academy will be on your right side.
A cyber spy network operated from China hacked into classified documents on government and private computers in 103 countries, internet researchers have revealed.
The spy system, which investigators dubbed GhostNet, compromised 1,295 machines at Nato and in foreign affairs ministries, embassies, banks and news organisations across the world, as well as computers used by the Dalai Lama and Tibetan exiles.
The work of Information Warfare Monitor (IWM) investigators focused initially on allegations of Chinese cyber espionage against the Tibetan exile community but led to a much wider network of compromised machines. Related Links
* Spy chiefs fear Chinese cyber attack
* Councils rapped as spy requests surge
* Big Brother only wants to help you
IWM said that, while its analysis pointed to China as the main source of the network, it had not been able conclusively to identify the hackers. The IWM is composed of researchers from an Ottawa-based think tank, SecDev Group, and the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies.
The researchers found that more than 1,295 computers had been affected at the ministries of foreign affairs of Iran, Bangladesh, Latvia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Barbados and Bhutan. They also discovered hacked systems in the embassies of India, South Korea, Indonesia, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, Thailand, Taiwan, Portugal, Germany and Pakistan.
The remote spying operation is thought to be the most extensive yet uncovered in the political world and is estimated to be invading more than a dozen new computers a week. Other infected computers were found at Deloitte & Touche in New York.
The IWM report said: "GhostNet represents a network of compromised computers resident in high-value political, economic, and media locations spread across numerous countries worldwide. At the time of writing, these organisations are almost certainly oblivious to the compromised situation in which they find themselves. The computers of diplomats, military attachés, private assistants, secretaries to Prime Ministers, journalists and others are under the concealed control of unknown assailant(s)."
It added: "In Dharamsala [the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile] and elsewhere, we have witnessed machines being profiled and sensitive documents being removed. At our laboratory, we have analysed our own infected 'honey pot' computer and discovered that the capabilities of GhostNet are potent and wide-ranging.
"Almost certainly, documents are being removed without the targets’ knowledge, keystrokes logged, web cameras are being silently triggered, and audio inputs surreptitiously activated."
Once the hackers infiltrated the systems, they gained control using malware – software they had installed on the compromised computers – and sent and received data from them, the researchers said. The investigation concluded that Tibetan computer systems were compromised by multiple infections that gave attackers unprecedented access to potentially sensitive information, including documents from the private office of the Dalai Lama.
The investigators went to India, Europe and North America to collect evidence about the infected systems used by Tibetan exiles. It was in the second stage of the inquiry, when they were analysing the data, that they uncovered the network of compromised computers.
The IWM report said in its summary: "The GhostNet system directs infected computers to download a Trojan known as Ghost Rat that allows attackers to gain complete, real-time control. These instances of Ghost Rat are consistently controlled from commercial internet access accounts located on the island of Hainan, in the People’s Republic of China."
The researchers said GhostNet was spread using classic malware techniques. "Contextually relevant emails are sent to specific targets with attached documents that are packed with exploit code and Trojan horse programmes designed to take advantage of vulnerabilities in software installed on the target’s computer.
"Once compromised, files located on infected computers may be mined for contact information, and used to spread malware through e-mail and document attachments that appear to come from legitimate sources, and contain legitimate documents and messages."
Greg Walton, the editor of IWM, said: "Regardless of who or what is ultimately in control of GhostNet, it is the capabilities of exploitation, and the strategic intelligence that can be harvested from it, which matters most. Indeed, although the Achilles’ heel of the GhostNet system allowed us to monitor and document its far-reaching network of infiltration, we can safely hypothesise that it is neither the first nor the only one of its kind."
Two researchers at Cambridge University who worked on the part of the investigation related to the Tibetans are releasing their own report. In an online abstract for The Snooping Dragon: Social Malware Surveillance of the Tibetan Movement, Shishir Nagaraja and Ross Anderson wrote that while malware attacks are not new, these attacks should be noted for their ability to collect "actionable intelligence for use by the police and security services of a repressive state, with potentially fatal consequences for those exposed".
GM Roland Dantes passed away this weekend. I met him at a BBQ years ago. He was handing out food and making sure everyone had enough to eat when it should have been the other way around.
Fcuk!!! Another gaddammed technology to vampire life!!!
True. The cool thing about it that during the power outage earlier this year, people were twittering what was going on in their area as well as what time power was restored to each part of the island.
See reply #41 above for more info on Twiitter, Guro Crafty.
I have question about Twitter for anyone who uses it. Can you have the tweets forwarded to your phone as txt msgs? There are a few I'd like to follow but I don't sit at a computer all day. Since I have unltd msg, I thought it would be a good way to use twitter.
Yes, If you are a member you can set it up send you txt messages.
Twitterfall: A New Twitter Tool for Journalists Posted by Paul Bradshaw at 12:21 PM on Mar. 2, 2009 A new Twitter interface application, Twitterfall, has been around for a month now. If you're a journalist, this is a must-see -- for about 10 minutes. Then it becomes a must-use.
Yes, this is yet another Twitter interface. But: This is Twitter on crack ... on roller skates ... in a jumpsuit.
Here's what Twitterfall does:
* Scanning. You can choose to watch everyone's tweets go by, or log in to watch only the tweets of those you follow. Thanks to Comet technology, Twitterfall has an especially fast search service. You can alter the speed from 0.3 tweets per second to a mind-scrambling 10 tweets per second.
* Keyword tracking. You can see the most popular terms of the moment, and just follow tweets containing those keywords (including hashtags). Or you can enter your own search term (as on the Web-based Twitter service Monitter) to track tweets mentioning it. You can combine keywords, too.
* Geo-filtering. You can enter a location to narrow down your display to tweets from that location that also mention keywords you choose (again as with Monitter). The words Mumbai and Chengdu come to mind.
* Basic usability. Unlike Monitter, you can use Twitterfall to post tweets yourself, reply to tweets and mark tweets as favorites. Just hovering over a tweet pauses the whole thing. You can also follow a user with one click -- a feature some popular clients like Tweetdeck lack. You can filter by language and choose to exclude retweets. You can save favorite searches. And you can customize the appearance of the interface, including the font size.
This is quite simply the best-designed Twitter interface I've ever seen -- and I have seen a lot of them.
If they ever create a mobile version of it (and it does sort of work on an iPod Touch/iPhone) I'll probably explode.
The fact that it was made by two students in York, U.K. also pleases me no end. You've just saved me 30 minutes every week convincing newspaper editors where the value lies in using Twitter, so thank you.
Another use of Twitter and iPhone. This is actually pretty cool, when the power went out on the island of Oahu many people still had use of their iPhone and so we twittered. Checkit out - http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23hipower
Anyway, we have added extra batteries to our emergency preparedness kit for the iPhone.
In a bittersweet conclusion, a missing skier in the Swiss Alps was rescued with the help of Twitter and an iPhone, but it appears that his fellow skiing companion was found deceased after the two were separated from the rest of their group.
Tracking Twitter search for the term "verbier" (the region of the Alps where the two went missing) has brought much of the news together.
Blogger Robin Blandford of ByteSurgery.com rounded up some of the messages: one member of the ski trip Twittered that two members of the group were missing, and another posted a tweet requesting the cell phone numbers of the missing skiers to attempt to contact them. From what it looks like, the GPS coordinates of their iPhones were used to pinpoint their location, but when one of them was found alive, he had become separated from his companion.
The Swiss news source Le Nouvelliste reported on Tuesday that, unfortunately, the second skier had been found deceased.
Blandford updated his blog post to say that the two skiers worked for a start-up called Dolphin Music, and that a number of other tech entrepreneurs were in the same British ski group.
UPDATE at 8:53 a.m. PST: We have more information, and in English now, thanks to the U.K.-based Evening Standard. The two missing skiers were actually on snowboards, and have been identified as Jason Tavaria and Rob Williams, the 29-year-old co-founders of Dolphin Music.
Tavaria was found alive after he was located with GPS on his iPhone, but Williams was found dead, and according to the Evening Standard, had fallen about 66 feet and landed on rocks.
Blizzard conditions at Verbier had made the search and rescue process difficult.
******************************************************************************************************************** What is twitter? Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS (receive only), or through applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, and Feedalizr. The service is free to use over the web, but using SMS may incur phone services provider fees. ********************************************************************************************************************
Twitter is huge, my GF has been using this for a while initially i thought it was .. well. Stupid but now Im a user. LOL.
Many people use it even celebrities, news stations and the president.
A variety people use it to connect and share information.
This is a guest post by Straight to the Bar's Scott Bird. Strength, Nutrition and Conditioning on Twitter.
Just joined twitter and wondering what to do, who to follow? Here are just a few strength athletes, nutritionists and serious fitness enthusiasts to add to your list. To follow any of them, simply open the link in a new tab and click the 'follow' button near the top of the page. If you'd like to add someone that we've missed (whether it's you, or just someone you enjoy reading), leave a note in the comments. The more the merrier. NB : if you're looking for somewhere to start, (and to find out more about the people on this list), why not tune in to the weekly twitterchats on Straight to the Bar. Each Wednesday, a top strength athlete or coach will be available online for an hour of serious questioning. Great chance to chat about strength training. Grip training
Scott Bird is the editor of strength-training site Straight to the Bar, and all-around fitness enthusiast. When he's not in the kitchen stuffing his face, he can generally be found engaging in cruel and unusual punishment in the backyard.
Interesting article, I also posted this in the MMA thread. I believe that DBMA has high standards for its members and with TUF showing de-evolution I think the DBMA TV Show would be great for for taking a higher road with its fighters.
16313 Fights inside and outside the cage and ring fall under the mixed martial arts umbrella. For David Mayeda, MMA has become as much about responsibility as excitement.
The “human cockfighting” phrase still reverberates, despite support from mainstream advertisers like Nike, Bud Light and Microsoft. Mayeda, who earned his PhD in American Studies from the University of Hawaii, set out to explore MMA’s place in society in 2005 after coming to know the sport through “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
“I knew, even though I was seduced by mixed martial arts as a fan, it potentially could have differing effects on society in terms of violence,” said Mayeda, who has placed his academic focus on violence prevention geared toward youth.
“Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society” was published in February 2008. Mayeda took his theses from print to film when he directed, co-produced and narrated the documentary “MMA 808: Inside Hawaii’s Fight Game,” which was later derived from his book.
“I’m going to stick to my assertion that because MMA is the closest thing to the complete sport of fighting, it holds -- the sport as a whole holds -- a broader social responsibility,” he said. “That overlap between MMA and street school or domestic violence is the most striking concern for me socially. I’d like to see the MMA community take a broader responsibility in distancing the sport from those types of violence and sending out the right social messages to prevent those types of violence.”
MMA enthusiasts charge Mayeda with taking the sport backward by acknowledging its warts. Detractors, on the other hand, view him as an apologist.
The Hawaiian recognizes reluctance to be honest about the sport because of the obstacles it has had to overcome to become accepted in the mainstream. If the UFC applies its marketing muscle to social issues, it can make a visible impact, according to Mayeda. He was pleased with UFC Fight Night 16 “Fight for the Troops” in December and hopes the show serves as the first step in significant social involvement.
Balance between violence and the “feel good” story seems paramount, and the former high school football player points to the NFL as a potential model for the UFC. That organization -- the most popular and powerful professional sports entity in America -- also walks arm-in-arm with violence.
“They have really strong charitable organizations that they promote during their commercials during their games,” Mayeda said.
Responsibility does not rest solely with the UFC. If an MMA promotion can profit from a community, it can give back to it, as well. Mayeda offered one startling example of MMA doing its best to curb violence. In Kailua, Hawaii, more than a year ago, a man beat his ex-girlfriend to death with the butt of his gun. MMA Hawaii executives who run MMA Hawaii Magazine and mmahawaii.com recognized the perpetrator as one of the spectators at an event they sponsored.
Photo courtesy of MMAHawaii.com
Kala Kolohe Hose and the HSCADV. In response, MMA Hawaii initiated partnerships with the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MMA Hawaii Magazine also enlisted Icon Sport middleweight champion Kala Hose and had him pose with his daughter under the caption: “You love your daughter. You want to give her the world. Start by treating her mother with respect. Real fighters keep it in the ring.” Mayeda thinks responsible fighters should speak out against domestic violence, drunken driving, substance abuse and other social ailments more often.
Even with island MMA in recovery after the extended absence of Rumble on the Rock and Icon Sport -- Mayeda believes MMA was more popular in 2001 than it is now -- ads like the one involving Hose do more than educate fans; they educate lawmakers, too. It frustrates Mayeda that similar campaigns are not already fixtures in the sport.
“I think those icons need to be pushed, not just as athletes but as humanitarians, as well,” he said. “I think that can do a lot to change the culture of mixed martial arts.”
Mayeda thinks MMA has the power to use its popularity to bring about positive change. He and Antonio McKee -- a former International Fight League standout who also works with children in his community -- agree that youth violence prevention programs involving MMA appeal to at-risk kids because it provides a release through which they can draw on their physical abilities. However, advancing the culture of MMA has many obstacles, and one -- “The Ultimate Fighter” -- stands out above all the rest.
Each installment of the Spike TV reality series brings promising talent to the UFC. What happens along the way perturbs Mayeda. The fights may not be official, but UFC President Dana White’s presence -- along with prominent fighters serving as coaches -- makes the show a representation of the UFC, in particular, and MMA, in general. It has a heavy influence on first impressions.
“They already have the [male] 20- and 30-something demographic kind of hooked,” Mayeda said. “So I don’t know that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is bringing new fans from that demographic. They need to be reaching out to an older demographic, men and women.”
Mayeda sees it as a tug-of-war between long-term investment and a shortsighted play for ratings and cash. He points again to the NFL, which puts together family-friendly events despite the inherent violence associated with football. MMA role models abound, according to Mayeda.
“[Rosi Sexton has] a 2-year-old child and [is an] 8-1 mixed martial artist with a PhD,” he said.
Mayeda now watches traditional MMA programming as he continues his advocacy for a sport still struggling to find its identity. The more he speaks out, the more criticism he receives. His is a thankless job. Mayeda no longer watches “The Ultimate Fighter,” even though it brought him to MMA. He suggests Junie Allen Browning’s antics on the most recent season countered the UFC’s efforts to keep negative images -- like the infamous Noah Thomas-Marlon Sims street fight on season five -- under wraps. Mixed signals are being sent.
“It’s hard to reconcile that inconsistency,” Mayeda said. “It’s like ‘Jackass’ the movie for the series. They’re really helping to create that ambiance. I just don’t understand anymore. They should have learned from TUF 1. They’re not evolving. They’re devolving.”
Mayeda wants MMA to borrow from traditional martial arts. Teach it for discipline, self defense and self-esteem building. Teach younger students more grappling than striking. Build family relationships and educational goals.
“Those are the things that martial arts schools are known for doing,” he said. “If MMA schools can capture that identity and really pursue those goals, it’ll have a much easier time gaining acceptance across the country.”
16313 Fights inside and outside the cage and ring fall under the mixed martial arts umbrella. For David Mayeda, MMA has become as much about responsibility as excitement.
The “human cockfighting” phrase still reverberates, despite support from mainstream advertisers like Nike, Bud Light and Microsoft. Mayeda, who earned his PhD in American Studies from the University of Hawaii, set out to explore MMA’s place in society in 2005 after coming to know the sport through “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
“I knew, even though I was seduced by mixed martial arts as a fan, it potentially could have differing effects on society in terms of violence,” said Mayeda, who has placed his academic focus on violence prevention geared toward youth.
“Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society” was published in February 2008. Mayeda took his theses from print to film when he directed, co-produced and narrated the documentary “MMA 808: Inside Hawaii’s Fight Game,” which was later derived from his book.
“I’m going to stick to my assertion that because MMA is the closest thing to the complete sport of fighting, it holds -- the sport as a whole holds -- a broader social responsibility,” he said. “That overlap between MMA and street school or domestic violence is the most striking concern for me socially. I’d like to see the MMA community take a broader responsibility in distancing the sport from those types of violence and sending out the right social messages to prevent those types of violence.”
MMA enthusiasts charge Mayeda with taking the sport backward by acknowledging its warts. Detractors, on the other hand, view him as an apologist.
The Hawaiian recognizes reluctance to be honest about the sport because of the obstacles it has had to overcome to become accepted in the mainstream. If the UFC applies its marketing muscle to social issues, it can make a visible impact, according to Mayeda. He was pleased with UFC Fight Night 16 “Fight for the Troops” in December and hopes the show serves as the first step in significant social involvement.
Balance between violence and the “feel good” story seems paramount, and the former high school football player points to the NFL as a potential model for the UFC. That organization -- the most popular and powerful professional sports entity in America -- also walks arm-in-arm with violence.
“They have really strong charitable organizations that they promote during their commercials during their games,” Mayeda said.
Responsibility does not rest solely with the UFC. If an MMA promotion can profit from a community, it can give back to it, as well. Mayeda offered one startling example of MMA doing its best to curb violence. In Kailua, Hawaii, more than a year ago, a man beat his ex-girlfriend to death with the butt of his gun. MMA Hawaii executives who run MMA Hawaii Magazine and mmahawaii.com recognized the perpetrator as one of the spectators at an event they sponsored.
Photo courtesy of MMAHawaii.com
Kala Kolohe Hose and the HSCADV. In response, MMA Hawaii initiated partnerships with the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MMA Hawaii Magazine also enlisted Icon Sport middleweight champion Kala Hose and had him pose with his daughter under the caption: “You love your daughter. You want to give her the world. Start by treating her mother with respect. Real fighters keep it in the ring.” Mayeda thinks responsible fighters should speak out against domestic violence, drunken driving, substance abuse and other social ailments more often.
Even with island MMA in recovery after the extended absence of Rumble on the Rock and Icon Sport -- Mayeda believes MMA was more popular in 2001 than it is now -- ads like the one involving Hose do more than educate fans; they educate lawmakers, too. It frustrates Mayeda that similar campaigns are not already fixtures in the sport.
“I think those icons need to be pushed, not just as athletes but as humanitarians, as well,” he said. “I think that can do a lot to change the culture of mixed martial arts.”
Mayeda thinks MMA has the power to use its popularity to bring about positive change. He and Antonio McKee -- a former International Fight League standout who also works with children in his community -- agree that youth violence prevention programs involving MMA appeal to at-risk kids because it provides a release through which they can draw on their physical abilities. However, advancing the culture of MMA has many obstacles, and one -- “The Ultimate Fighter” -- stands out above all the rest.
Each installment of the Spike TV reality series brings promising talent to the UFC. What happens along the way perturbs Mayeda. The fights may not be official, but UFC President Dana White’s presence -- along with prominent fighters serving as coaches -- makes the show a representation of the UFC, in particular, and MMA, in general. It has a heavy influence on first impressions.
“They already have the [male] 20- and 30-something demographic kind of hooked,” Mayeda said. “So I don’t know that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is bringing new fans from that demographic. They need to be reaching out to an older demographic, men and women.”
Mayeda sees it as a tug-of-war between long-term investment and a shortsighted play for ratings and cash. He points again to the NFL, which puts together family-friendly events despite the inherent violence associated with football. MMA role models abound, according to Mayeda.
“[Rosi Sexton has] a 2-year-old child and [is an] 8-1 mixed martial artist with a PhD,” he said.
Mayeda now watches traditional MMA programming as he continues his advocacy for a sport still struggling to find its identity. The more he speaks out, the more criticism he receives. His is a thankless job. Mayeda no longer watches “The Ultimate Fighter,” even though it brought him to MMA. He suggests Junie Allen Browning’s antics on the most recent season countered the UFC’s efforts to keep negative images -- like the infamous Noah Thomas-Marlon Sims street fight on season five -- under wraps. Mixed signals are being sent.
“It’s hard to reconcile that inconsistency,” Mayeda said. “It’s like ‘Jackass’ the movie for the series. They’re really helping to create that ambiance. I just don’t understand anymore. They should have learned from TUF 1. They’re not evolving. They’re devolving.”
Mayeda wants MMA to borrow from traditional martial arts. Teach it for discipline, self defense and self-esteem building. Teach younger students more grappling than striking. Build family relationships and educational goals.
“Those are the things that martial arts schools are known for doing,” he said. “If MMA schools can capture that identity and really pursue those goals, it’ll have a much easier time gaining acceptance across the country.”
The pics of Maestro Sonny and me are from Dieter Knuetel (sp?) and Alfred Plath's big shindig several years ago in Dusseldorf Germany (A "20 masters under one roof for one weekend" sort of thing). Great fun! Given the nature of such an event, it was expenses only for us and Germany is a long trip from Los Angeles. I can honestly say that seeing that Maestro Sonny would be there was the key factor in my decision to go. I had heard rumors that intrigued me and made sure to schedule my day so that I could check him out.
He recognized me and was very kind and gracious. A very gentle demeanor. His "pendulum" training method is conceptually quite similar to our "metronome" and so we were able to achieve a base level of training rapport quite quickly. He gracefully and effortlessly established some serious angles on me. The amount of distance he could glide was quite amazing. When we did knife he did standard grip reverse edge-- which I had never before experienced in the hands of someone who knew what he was doing.
I asked if he would teach me and he laughed and said he would rather exchange techniques. I think I may have blushed a tad. He gave me his address, but in one of the larger stupidities of my life I failed to follow up. I was in LA and he was in Oakland and as the years went by it was always "I'll get to this next month".
I got word of his lung cancer from one of his students. In such a moment one wants to be sure to not intrude or be the ghoul, and at the same time, it is a last opportunity. I had his student ask if he would be interested in doing a Grandfathers 2 with us and was informed he was quite eager to begin.
Things were set up and Ron "Night Owl" Gabriel and I drove up. As we entered his living room/training hall, I was moved to see that he had a picture of the two of us together in Dusseldorf.
It was a very special day as is students came to perform for him one last time.
Maestro Sonny's dignity and composure throughout the day moved me greatly-- off the top of my head I cannot think of a greater lesson than that.
Speaking of The Grandfathers. I have read articles that Floro Villabrille could pull nails out of 2x4's making a sound similar to a gunshot, and also had the abilitiy to peel coconuts with his bare hands! Does anybody here thinks that possible, or can anyone confirm these feats.
I do not know the answer offhand but I believe there are a few people around Hawaii who may have a clue. I was told that Floro Villabrille and Braulio Pedoy used to train together but it would always be in private. Oh to be a mongoose in the banana patch during those sessions.
Great pics! Is there a cool story to share behind it too? I know Guro Crafty said that he first met Sonny in Germany, Im assuming the pics are from then?
America unmasked: The images that reveal the Ku Klux Klan is alive and kicking in 2009
The USA has a new president but an old problem - and nothing typifies it like today’s Ku Klux Klan. The photographer Anthony Karen gained unprecedented access to the ‘Invisible Empire’
Words by Leonard Doyle
Saturday, 21 February 2009
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Klan members gather at a cross 'lighting' in Scottsboro, Alabama
Klan members gather at a cross 'lighting' in Scottsboro, Alabama
These images show members of the Ku Klux Klan as they want to be seen, scary and secretive and waiting in the wings for Barack and his colour-blind vision for America to fail. Anthony Karen, a former Marine and self-taught photojournalist was granted access to the innermost sanctum of the Klan. He doesn’t tell us how he did it but he was considered trustworthy enough to be invited into their homes and allowed to photograph their most secretive ceremonies, such as the infamous cross burnings.
When he talks about the Klan members he has encountered he tends not to dwell on the fate of their victims. Karen’s feat is that he takes us to places few photojournalists have been before, into the belly of the beast. The scenes he presents portray a kinder, gentler Klan. The mute photographs present an organisation that is far less threatening than the hate group of our popular imagination. Consciously or otherwise, his photographs hold our imagination in their grip while doing double duty as propaganda for the extremist right, much as Leni Riefenstahl’s work did for the Nazis.
Today the Klan is a mere shadow of what it used to be and there are at least 34 differently named Klan groups. “They are a fairly low-rent bunch of people, many of whom use their local organisations as a way of raising money for themselves,” says Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. Related articles
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Photographs of the Klan folk in their hooded regalia aren’t all that rare. The archives of America’s newspapers contain plenty of front-page photographs of lynchings throughout the past century. Three years ago, James Cameron, the last survivor of an attempted lynching died, thankfully of natural causes.
The older generation of Black Americans grew up hearing about Klan lynchings whispered over the dinner table but never mentioned outside the home. At the Klan’s height, around the turn of the 20th century, some 30 to 40 lynchings a year were being recorded. It is believed that there were in fact many more unrecorded deaths, especially in the cotton-growing south where the deaths of black field-hands were often not recorded.
Karen’s photographs show an entirely different side of the far right. He presents a 58-year-old, fifth-generation seamstress he calls “Ms Ruth” and he has photographed her running up an outfit for the “Exalted Cyclops” or head of a local KKK chapter. She gets paid about $140 for her trouble. Karen tells us that she uses the earnings to help care for her 40-year-old quadriplegic daughter, who was injured in a car accident 10 years ago.
Karen’s images of the Klan and its supporters regularly appear on the recruiting websites of the far right. Out of context, the images of hooded Klansmen and their families tell us little of the real story – the inexorable rise in the number of extremist organisations in America.
The number of hate-crime victims in the US is also rising and as America’s middle and working class gets thrown out of work, the hate groups behind the crimes are flourishing. As people lose their homes to foreclosure and, without the benefit of a safety net, find themselves slipping into poverty, there is already a search for scapegoats underway. Immigrants from central and South America have become particular targets as the grim economic times take hold.
Anyone who doubts the capacity of the modern KKK for violence need look no further than the recent case of 43-year-old Cynthia Lynch of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She had never been out of her home state before she travelled to Louisiana to be initiated into the Klan. She was met off the bus by two members of a group that calls itself the Sons of Dixie and taken to a campsite in the woods 60 miles north of New Orleans.
There, Lynch’s head was shaven and after 24 hours of Klan boot camp, including chanting and running with torches, she had had enough and asked to be taken to town. After an argument, the group’s “Grand Lordship”, Chuck Foster, is alleged to have shot her to death. He was charged with second-degree murder and is awaiting trial. Just as shocking is that the event happened in Bogalusa, a backwoods Louisiana town that was once known as the Klan capital of the US.
In the 1960s the Klan operated with impunity in Bogalusa and once held a public meeting to decide which black church to burn down next. Local Klan members were suspected of ambushing two black policemen in 1965, killing one and wounding the other. No one was ever tried for the crimes.
Despite all its notoriety the Klan has been a spent force for decades with nothing like the clout it once wielded. At its peak the KKK boasted four million members and controlled the governor’s mansions and legislatures of several states. Since the 1930s the KKK has been in a state of disorganisation and today it probably has 6,000 members. But the economic crisis is swelling their ranks and already, a month after the inauguration of the first black president, the tidal wave of interracial harmony that greeted Obama’s election is starting to recede.
“Things are certain to get worse,” says Potok. “The ingredients are all there: a dire economy that is certain to get worse; high levels of immigration; the white majority that is soon to turn into a minority and a black man in the White House.”
More than 400 hate-related incidents, from cross-burnings to effigies of President Obama hanging from nooses have been reported, according to law-enforcement authorities and Potok’s organisation, which files lawsuits against hate groups aimed at making them bankrupt.
Late last year, two suspected skinheads who had links to a violent Klan chapter in Kentucky were charged with plotting to kill 88 black students. They were then going to assassinate President Obama by blasting him from a speeding car while wearing white tuxedos and top hats. They were never going to succeed, given the huge security net around Obama, but the fact that they had planned such an outlandish attack may be a harbinger of things to come.
“There is a tremendous backlash to Obama’s election,” says Richard Barrett, the leader of the Nationalist Movement, another white supremacist group. “Many people look at the flag of the Republic of New Africa that was hoisted over the White House as an act of war.
Uh oh.... Just in from BJ's site ... will it happen?
BJ Penn accepts GSP and Greg Jackson’s challenge # Posted by BJ PENN on February 5, 2009 at 10:29pm
For the past several days I have been reading statements made by St. Pierre and Greg Jackson about our fight on January 31. St. Pierre claims that he is “not a cheater” and that he and Greg Jackson will have “no problem with a rematch in the summer of 2009.” To the untrained eye the grease might not look like much, but every grappler knows the effect that it has. Being able to apply your submissions and sweeps or just being able to hold on to your opponent to defend yourself from being hit is absolutely critical! There is a reason why you are not allowed to put grease anywhere on your body except for the area around your eyes. Because of the grease applied to St.Pierre’s Body the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director, Keith Kizer has stated that the Penn-St. Pierre fight “definitely wasn’t fair”. I hereby accept George St. Pierre and Greg Jackson’s challenge for a fight in the summer 2009. Lets call Dana now and set it up.
Following his knockout loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: Day of Reckoning, Andrei Arlovski has signed with Golden Boy Promotions and will begin his career as a boxer, reports FightHype.com.
You may recall that Arlovski’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said he’d like to see Arlovski take on heavyweight boxing champ Nikolai Valuev if he was victorious against Fedor. Of course, he wasn’t, so maybe Valuev won’t be Arlovski’s first opponent, which is probably just as well. But whoever he does face in the boxing ring, at least he won’t be tempted to try another flying knee.
If you’re Arlovski this move makes perfect sense right now. Having lost to Fedor, there’s no immediately obvious opponent for him outside the UFC ranks. He’s already beaten Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, Josh Barnett has the next shot at Fedor (though it won’t happen until the summer, at the earliest), so why not put on some bigger gloves and find out whether Roach really knows a boxing diamond in the rough when he sees it?
The upside for MMA fans is we get to see someone from our world match his skills against a real boxer. We’ve all heard about how superior their striking is for so long, wouldn’t it be nice to find out the old-fashioned way? Not to mention, this could actually get people to care about boxing’s heavyweight division again, at least for a little while.
IF at any point DURING the match BJ thought that there was a problem, he could have made it clear to the ref. He didn't. This looks rather unprofessional.
I think BJ was too busy getting hit to notice or wonder what was going on and if I read everything right, it was a member of the NSAC who noticed it first. Ill go back and read but the fact that someone from the commission had to jump up during the fight and wipe GSP off seems unprofessional to me. IT may have not changed the outcome and the better man won but let not ignore the fact that what the corner man did was wrong.
If you watch Dana's video blog he's already pissed at the end of the match and asks Rashad Evans about that the vaseline.
Im not here to say BJ would have won if it wasn't for the vaseline, it's just a shame that GSP victory may be tainted.
But then again you have to take it with a grain of sale since Matt Hughes lost. Im not sure when that article came out I cant find the date, and like the article says maybe it is a chance to dig at GSP since he lost.
The following article lists others with complaints about someone being greased up.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer today reported today that an improper application of Vaseline to St. Pierre's back by his cornermen has already merited a stern warning from the commission, and further actions may follow.
"There was no need for it," Kizer said of the incident in question. "It was disturbing. Where it goes from here, if anything, I don't know."
"The first round, one of the inspectors that was on the outside of the cage came over to me and said it looked to him that when the cornerman, who I think in that case was Phil Nurse, put the Vaseline on Georges' face then rubbed his shoulders -- which you see the guys rubbing the other guy's shoulders to help him out -- he didn't wipe off his hands between doing that. I said, 'Well, I'm going to watch very closely after this round.'"
"At the end of the second round I watched, and then another cornerman who I believe was Greg Jackson, he put the Vaseline on Georges' face, and then he put his hand on his back to do the breathing thing they always do. As soon as I saw that, it looked like there was still some Vaseline on his hand. Not a lot, but still some."
"Tony Liano and I immediately yelled at him, and I don't think he heard us because of the noise. So I actually went into the octagon, and I said, 'Take your hand off of his back. What are you doing?' We wiped it down. We made sure it was wiped down after the third round as well. This was after the second when I was in there. I was very upset. I don't know if they were doing it intentionally or not. Either way, they shouldn't have done it."
"I came out of the octagon and explained to the commissioner what I saw. I also motioned toward (UFC President) Dana (White) and (UFC co-owner) Lorenzo (Fertitta) so they'd know what I was doing in there. After the fight, actually both Mr. White and Mr. Fertitta both commented on how they're not sure whether those guys need to corner any other UFC (events) ever again. I leave that to them from a company standpoint. We'll deal with it from a commission standpoint."
"It wasn't necessary, it definitely wasn't fair to Mr. Penn. I don't think it was even fair to Mr. St. Pierre."
"His cornerman should have been more careful if it was an accident. If it was intentional, that's even worse. Just very, very disturbing."
"I found out this morning -- I talked with another inspector of mine -- he said that apparently B.J. Penn had complained to the inspector in his corner after either the first or second round that he though maybe Georges was a little slippery. I found that out this morning. At the same time he was complaining we were actually handling the situation in Georges' corner. It's just unfortunate."
"It wasn't like [St. Pierre's cornerman's] hand was covered in Vaseline, but he went directly from the face to the shoulders. By itself it's not a problem, but if there was still some Vaseline residue on, which there very well could have been, you've got to be more careful than that."
"Again, I don't know if that was a trick they were trying to play on us or not, but regardless, it's improper. We took the action we did after the second and third round."
"If they do file something, we'll obviously deal with it in due course. Whether or not the commission wants to do anything on their own initiative, other than what we've already done, obviously, in giving them a very, very stern warning, (I don't know)."
"Anytime you have disciplinary action, it could involve a suspension. It could involve a fine. It could involve a revocation. But it's a little premature to be talking about that."
"They can definitely file a complaint against the cornerman, but that's probably it. I don't know. We'll see. I don't see any basis to protest the decision, but you can definitely complain against the actions of the cornerman."
"My understanding is there's four ways you can overturn a decision. There's a scoring error. There's some sort of collusion; you know, someone paid off a judge, etc. The third is a positive drug test, and the fourth is the referee misinterpreted the rules. For example if you had the old boxing rule of three knockdowns in a round and after the third knockdown the referee says, 'Hey the fighter's fine. He can continue,' and he ends up winning the fight, you can overturn it then because the referee misinterpreted the rules. So I don't see any basis here."
"The example I give is Gaylord Perry of the (San Diego) Padres back in the day was known for putting Vaseline on the ball. The umpires did their best. Let's say it's the eighth inning and his team is up 10-0, he's throwing a shutout, and they find out on some pitch that he put Vaseline on the ball. They take action against him, but that wouldn't invalidate the rest of the game, although you could argue maybe he used it on every pitch and got this 10-run lead."
"But again, the Penns have the right to file whatever they're going to file, and we'd look into it and see if there is any basis for whatever they asked for."
"We wiped [St. Pierre] down very, very hard and even after the end of the third round, even though there was no touching of his back with Vaseline, we still wiped him down again after that round, too, just to be safe. You do the best you can to make it back to an even playing field and go from there."
"And I did tell the cornermen that if we ever see this again, that's it for them. I don't know the outcome of this specific incident, but we definitely gave them a warning that if we ever see that happen again that's probably the last time they'd be cornering in Nevada. As far as cornering in the UFC elsewhere, I'll leave that to the owners of the UFC."
"It's just an unfortunate incident. No fight needs it, especially a fight of this caliber."
"The fans can make their own conclusions on what they felt from their aspect. They saw what I saw for the most part based on some of the .gifs (small video clips) out there showing what happened.
"This may have tainted [St. Pierre's] victory in the eyes of many fans, and it's his cornerman's fault for that. It doesn't take away his victory, but it does take away from his victory in the eyes of many fans, I believe."
16028 The sweat had not yet dried when accusations began to fly against welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre after his lopsided victory against B.J. Penn in the UFC 94 main event on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Not long after his win, St. Pierre and his corner, including trainer Greg Jackson, came under fire for allegedly using a “greasing” agent between rounds. Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer on Monday confirmed improprieties had occurred in the champion’s corner after the first and second rounds.
“After the first round, one of my inspectors came to me and told me he thought he saw one of the cornermen -- I believe it was Phil Nurse … after putting Vaseline on [St. Pierre’s] face, he saw him rub his shoulders, and it appeared as though he might not have wiped off his hands,” Kizer said. “After the second round, we observed Mr. Jackson putting Vaseline on Mr. St. Pierre’s face and then putting his hand on his back.”
At that point, Kizer attempted to get Jackson’s attention from outside the cage.
“I don’t think he heard me because of all the noise in the arena, so I immediately walked into the Octagon myself -- I’ve probably done that two other times in my career -- and told him to take his hand off Mr. St. Pierre’s back,” he said. “We took a towel and wiped off his back. After the third round, we went in again and made sure his back and shoulders were wiped off to ensure a level playing field.”
Kizer informed Penn’s camp of the situation after the bout ended. Penn’s manager and brother, J.D., told Sherdog.com on Sunday that the Hawaiian’s camp planned to file a complaint with the NSAC, but, as of Monday afternoon, Kizer had not heard from Penn’s representatives. Penn has 10 days to file.
Nevertheless, Kizer admonished Jackson and Nurse after the match.
“I told them I was disappointed and that they may have tainted Mr. St. Pierre’s victory,” he said. “I told them if it happens again, it will probably be the last time they work a corner in Nevada. Basically, they said, ‘Look, we’re sorry. We’re not trying to do anything. It was an accident.’ Whether it was intentional or not, I don’t know. It was improper.”
According to St. Pierre’s trainer, Greg Jackson, the controversy surrounding the bout has been blown out of proportion. Jackson addressed the accusations on the Monday edition of the Savage Dog Show on the Sherdog Radio Network.
“The controversy came because people didn’t know what they were looking at,” he said. “Steve Friend, ‘The Witch Doctor,’ he works with a ton of these guys, and he has this energy stuff [he does]. In between rounds, Phil [Nurse] put Vaseline on Georges’ head; then he’s supposed to reach around and rub something or tap something … I don’t know how it exactly works. On the outside, it looks like, ‘Why is he rubbing his back?’ And you don’t know why. ‘Oh, he’s putting Vaseline on. That’s got to be it.’”
St. Pierre punished Penn for four rounds, as he took him down numerous times and passed his guard with unthinkable ease. By the end of the fourth -- after Penn had absorbed a lethal dose of ground-and-pound -- the Hawaiian’s corner motioned to the cage-side doctor to stop the fight.
“On B.J.’s side, you just got beat, and you got beat pretty well,” Jackson said. “You gotta have something to hold onto. There’s gotta be a reason I got beat. They have to hold onto something, and I think they’re holding onto this.”
Jackson -- who also trains UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans -- vehemently denies any intentional wrongdoing took place in the corner in between rounds.
“We certainly don’t need to cheat to win,” he said. “If we were going to put Vaseline on his back, it wouldn’t be like a tapping little thing. We’d take some Vaseline and make it count, you know what I mean? We don’t do that. We don’t cheat.
“It’s really a non-issue to me because there are cameras everywhere; there are inspectors everywhere,” he continued. “I’m not the smartest guy, but I’m not a moron. I wouldn’t grease someone between rounds.”
One of the sport’s most visible and respected trainers, Jackson thinks St. Pierre’s performance may have worked against him in terms of giving the controversy legs. No one had ever defeated Penn so soundly before.
“When you’ve got a guy as good as Georges and people are looking, like, ‘How can this guy be so good?’ People are going to find controversy somewhere at some point,” Jackson said. “Georges was, like, ‘What are you talking about? That’s ridiculous. I worked really hard.’ It’s nice for us because we know we didn’t cheat. We know what happened that night. To me, it’s not really a big deal when you have the truth on your side.”
Not surprisingly, the Jackson’s Submission Fighting founder indicated the otherworldly St. Pierre would invite a third fight with Penn if there was doubt about the legitimacy of his victory.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind fighting B.J. a third time if they’re that concerned about it,” Jackson said. “I’m sure everybody would make a lot of money, and we’d certainly welcome that fight again.”
Jackson expects the furor surrounding their rematch to die down soon.
“There’s not a lot of validity to it,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t a close fight where people were like, ‘Oh, if it wasn’t for all the cheating they did …’ I think it will just blow over once people realize what the truth was.”
Kizer was uncertain as to whether or not the incidents impacted the match. The first time St. Pierre and Penn met, the outcome was far less one-sided, as the French Canadian took a split decision at UFC 58 in 2006.
“It’s hard to tell,” he said. “I don’t think it takes away the victory, but I think it takes away from the victory. You’ve got to be better than that.”
Hmmmmm ..... people reaching for straws or a legitamate concern:
B.J. Penn's Camp Files Formal Complaint Over Vaseline on St. Pierre's Back Between Rounds | www.cagepotato.com
" "I saw the commission jump up there and flipping out," said Dana White. They said one of the guys was rubbing Vaseline on Georges' back in between rounds. It was one and two, I think."
"The guys from the athletic commission went up there and started screaming at them. Knocked the Vaseline and kicked the Vaseline out of the Octagon."
White added that "some Vaseline on a guy's back didn't change the outcome of that fight, but you don't do it," and said the blame should fall on the cornerman responsible and not GSP.
"If a guy was intentionally putting Vaseline on a guy's back, he should never corner a mixed martial arts fight again."
As for what becomes of the complaint now, White said it's out of his hands.
Honestly I think BJ took some good shots, maybe never been hit that hard before and was demoralized by the 3rd round. 4th round started out a little better. GSP had the perfect plan to negate BJ strengths.
Love the Machida fight, lateral movement in and out with the knees.
The spinning elbow was cool, I was wondering if it could work if someone grabbed your weapon.
Sorry.. not as technical as others. Looking forward to hearing others as well.
Missed some of the earlier fights got to Mike's late.
I picked up Ip Man(Yip Man) cool movie, i'm not sure on the accuracy of this biopic. There's a nice fight scene in a dojo with Yip Man(Donnie Yen) vs 9-10 japanese soldiers. Other than that the fight scenes are pretty limited. This movie was choreographed and directed by Sammo Hung. I've always liked the straight blast, just it's use must be timed like anything. Vitors boxing blast is a variation.
I still want to get Throwdown that judo movie....but I hae to order it via the web.
I was in Kaimuki the other day, watched a little because it was on the TV. It kind of reminded me of the Bruce Lee movie Fist of Fury \ Chinese Connection. I decided I could wait a little while longer..
to be fair to both movies, you must've only watched that scene where Donnie takes on 10 guys. the rest of the movie Ip Man is nothing like BL's FOF/CC.
True, I watched that scene, browsed the store a little bit and then watched a little more I was intent on getting it but decided to buy something for my sons instead but Ill get it, eventually.
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Looking forward to the knowledge that comes from the footage.
