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I recently graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education, and I will be attending Kalamazoo College this fall. I trained in both theater and modern dance at Perpich, and I have practiced shotokan karate for several years. I am also interested in in revolutions (both theory and practice), philosophy, history, political activism, political theory, and military strategy. I am very interested in the Martial Arts, and I really enjoy modern dance. Not only have I been involved in shotokan karate on and off for several years, but I hope to learn many other martial arts as well. I am curious about Tai Chi, BJJ, eskrima, Shaolin Kung-Fu, kenjutsu, and even boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling. I also practice yoga (Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, to be specific) to increase my flexibility and strength, and for general fitness. I was born in Seattle, on December 15th, 1987. My family moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota when I was about three years old. I am quite into physical fitness, and (possibly for lack of anything better to do) work on my strength, flexibility, and endurance on a semi-regular basis. ...working full-time at a foundry makes it hard to find the energy to go jogging.
[edit] Perpich
I attend Perpich Center for Arts Education as a member of the dance program, although last year I was part of the theater department. I am a resident there (at Delta Dorm) and enjoy Perpich greatly. It is one of the best things in my life, it has changed who I am as a person, it has introduced me to many new and interesting people, and I am infinitly thankful that I have been granted this opportunity.
[edit] Martial Arts
I have trained in shotokan karate since about 1997 (since I was in third grade), although I only started to bocome serious about it around 2004. Unfortunatly, sue to schooling, housing, and transportation circumstances I have been able to train very little in the past few years. I have had very minor training in Tai Chi, and attended two classes of Aikido, one of Kenjutsu, and one of BJJ, all of which I would like to learn more of. Ideally, I would like to learn and excel in many different martial arts. However, since club memberships cost money, and working takes up time, and school takes up alot of time, I am afraid that I will have to put off my martial pursuits for a few years.
[edit] Shotokan Karate
[edit] History
Shotokan is a school of karate, reflecting the style of the initial students (including his son, Yoshitaka) of master Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), who 'officially' brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan (note: Kenwa Mabuni, Motobu Choki and other Okinawans were also actively teaching karate in Japan prior to this point) . Shoto was Funakoshi's pen name for his poetry, while Shotokan was the name of the hall where "Shoto" trained his students. Funakoshi had trained in both of the popular styles of Okinawan Karate of the time: Shorei-ryu and Shorin-ryu. He combined and modified the styles, and made his own, though he never named it, always referring to it simply as "karate". The karate that he transmitted to his students reflects the changes made in the art by Itosu Anko, including the Heian/Pinan kata series.
[edit] Style Description
Training is usually divided into three sections: kihon or basic movements, blocks, and attakcs, kumite or sparring, and kata, or a series of choreographed moves. Shotokan techniques in kihon and kata are characterised by deep, long stances which provide stability and powerful movements. Strength and power are often demonstrated instead of slower, more flowing motions. The kumite techniques mirror these stances and movements at a basic level, but progress to be being more "free" and flexible at a higher level. Funakoshi is said to have found the traditional martial arts (such as sumo, jujutsu and kenjutsu) to be too focused on combat, and he put more emphasis on health, breathing, releasing energy and outstanding mind and body control.
[edit] Dojo Kuhn
The Dojo Kuhn is a creed of the dojo. It describes what a karate practitioner should strive for. All karate-ka should seek to achieve this.
- Seek perfection of character
- Be faithful
- Endeavor
- Respect others
- Refrain from violent behavior
[edit] Etiquette
Although these rules are specific for Central Minnesota Karate, or CMK, which is where I train. (CMK Homepage) These general guidelines can be applied to most schools of karate, although when in doubt, simply be extra polite, and respectful of those who seem to deserve respect.
- Always bow when entering and exiting the dojo.
- The teacher should always be addressed as sensei.
- Other black belts should be addressed as sempai.
- The karate uniform must be a bleached white with proper tailoring. No insignias or designs allowed with the exception of your club patch.
- If you do not have a uniform, wear clean sweat pants and a t-shirt. (No sleeveless or tank tops).
- Good personal hygiene is expected. Fingernails and toenails should be clipped short. This helps to prevent injury.
- No wearing jewelry during class.
- No gum or food during class.
- If you are late and class is in progress, it is proper to kneel at the entrance until the Sensei invites you to join in.
- If you need to leave class early, bring this to the Sensei's attention before class begins.
- Always pay close attention to any instruction or criticisms given by the Sensei, at which time all students must respond by strongly announcing os to demonstrate their alertness and understanding.
- Students should never lean against walls or sit on chairs during the training period.
- All tuitions for classes are to be paid in advance. If visiting another dojo, the individual class fee should be paid prior to the class.
- If you desire to test for a higher rank, you must have a recommendation from your instructor.
- Under normal circumstances, spectators are not allowed during class training. Always ask the instructor if you have a visitor or family member that wants to observe. They must then sit quietly at the rear of the dojo.
- All practitioners are expected to uphold the standards and morals of karate-do. Any abuse of the art will result in immediate expulsion.
- Anyone that holds the rank of 4th kyu or above, is expected to report in advance to another student or their sensei if they are not going to attend their regularly scheduled class.
[edit] Terminology
Remember that may of these words are taken from the Japanese language, and are thus pronounced differently from an Anglophone perspective. Also take note that some of these words can be combined to form more complex terms. For example "zuki chudan" refers to a punch at the middle level.
- Sempai - Senior student
- Kumite - Sparring
- Sensei - Teacher
- Kamaite - Get into, get ready
- Karate-ka - Karate practitioner
- Kata - Fixed sequence of techniques
- Rei - Bowing
- Kia - Spirit shout
- Dojo - Room used to train in karate
- Focus - Concentration on strength
- Os - Term used in demonstrating acknowledgment
- Otagai-ni-rei - Bow to each other
- Yoi - Get ready
- Shomen-ni-rei - Bow to front
- Yame - Stop
- Karate-do - The way of karate (Philosophy)
- Shiai - Contest
- Dachi - Stance
- Dan - Degree
- Uke - Block
- Kyu - A step in grading system
- Zuki - Punch
- Gedan - Lower level
- Geri - Kick
- Chudan - Middle level
- Uchi - Strike
- Jodan - Upper level
[edit] Interesting People
These are people I think are interesting. I do indeed idolize some, but not necessarily all of them. I do indeed, for instance, think that Hitler was a bastard.
[edit] Theater
[edit] Les Miserables
Les Mis is my favorite musical. Ironically, I have never seen it. I love the music from it, and am familiar with the story. Seeing Les Mis is something I would like to do.
[edit] The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is probably my second favorite musical. Interestingly enough, I have never seen a production of Phantom either. I like the music alot, and I saw the movie, which I was rather disappointed by. Mostly the main theme is what I like, although "Angel of Music" and "Music of the Night" are both nice too.
[edit] Political Theory
[edit] Anarchism
Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination a state and all forms of coercion in human relations. The philosophies and movements favor social relations based upon voluntary interaction, self-management, community or individual control, and a society characterised by free and autonomous individuals. These philosophies use anarchy to mean a society based on voluntary interaction of free individuals, and the creation of a society that is based upon the idea that communities and individuals have as much say in deciding the outcomes of decisions, as the proportion that they are affected by them. Philosophical anarchist thought does not advocate chaos or anomie — it refers to "anarchy" as a manner of human relations that is intentionally established and maintained.
While a voluntary society and opposition to the state and hierarchy are primary tenets of anarchism, anarchism is also a positive vision of how a stateless society would work. There is considerable variation among the anarchist political philosophies. Opinions differ in various areas, such as whether violence should be employed to foster anarchism, what type of economic system should exist, questions on the environment and industrialism, and anarchists role in various movements. The terms "anarchy" and "anarchism" are derived from the Greek αναρχία ("without archons (rulers)"). Thus "anarchism," in its most general meaning, is the belief that rulership is unnecessary and should be abolished. The word "anarchy", as most anarchists use it, does not imply chaos or anomie, but rather a stateless society with voluntary social relations.
[edit] Liberalism
Liberalism is an ideology, or current of political thought, defines itself as striving after maximisation of individual liberty through a democratic system of rights under law, in a system where the form of society is determined by the outcome of open competitive process, generally including economic competition, free exchange of ideas, and political expression within a defined framework. Liberalism therefore rejects many foundational assumptions which had dominated most theories of government to that time, particularly those which fix the form of society by hereditary status, religious values, or other means seen as extrinsic to the individual. It has nevertheless itself become the foundational ideology of western society]. For this reason, sociology speaks of liberal societies, not necessarily with a liberal government.
[edit] Philosophy
Philosophy is a discipline or field of study involving the investigation, analysis, and development of ideas at a general, abstract, or fundamental level. It is the discipline in search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means. The term covers a very wide range of approaches, and is also used to refer to a worldview, to a perspective on an issue, or to the positions argued for by a particular philosopher or school of philosophy. The phrase "a philosophical attitude" is often used to refer to a stoical approach to life.
Historically, definitions of philosophy have been hard to construct, as most (if not all) fail to cover all the works that are traditionally categorised as philosophy. Introductions therefore usually refuse to try to offer a neat definition, preferring instead to present a set of examples of philosophical problems and discussions, and a list of approaches which are not philosophical. These often include such questions as "what is knowledge?", "could human beings have free will?", and "of what sorts of thing is the universe made up?" The philosophical approach to these questions is not, for example, an appeal to authority (either from the past or the present), nor an examination of what most people believe, nor (usually) an examination of what is most useful or practical; it involves, rather, an examination of the relevant concepts and their relationships with other concepts and theories.
[edit] Philosophical Topics I Enjoy
Philosophical logic is the study of the more specifically philosophical aspects of logic. The term contrasts with mathematical logic, and since the development of mathematical logic in the late nineteenth century, it has come to include most of those topics traditionally treated by logic in general. It is concerned with characterising notions like inference, rational thought, truth, and contents of thoughts, in the most fundamental ways possible, and trying to model them using modern formal logic.
[edit] Ethics
Ethics is the branch of axiology – one of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, epistemology, and logic – which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to define that which is right from that which is wrong. The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy.
[edit] Schools of Though That Appeal To Me
[edit] Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of philosophy founded (308 BC) in Athens by Zeno of Citium (Cyprus). It teaches self-control and detachment from distracting emotions, sometimes interpreted as an indifference to pleasure or pain. This allows one to be a clear thinker, levelheaded and unbiased. In practice, Stoicism is designed to empower an individual with virtue, wisdom, and integrity of character. Students are encouraged to help those in need, knowing that those who can, should. Stoicism also teaches psychological independence from society, regarding it as an unruly and often unreasonable entity.
Virtue, reason, and natural law are prime directives. By mastering passions and emotions, it is possible to overcome the discord of the outside world and find peace within oneself. Stoicism holds that passion distorts truth, and that the pursuit of truth is virtuous. Greek philosophers such as Cleanthes, Chrysippus, and later Roman thinkers such as Cicero, Seneca the Younger, Marcus Aurelius, Cato the Elder, Cato the Younger, and Epictetus are associated with Stoicism. In Cicero's case, it should be emphasised that while he shared many of the moral tenets of Stoicism, he was not a Stoic himself but an eclectic. Stoic philosophy is usually contrasted with Epicureanism.
[edit] Hedonism
Hedonism describes any way of thinking that gives pleasure a central role. Hedonism can be generally summed up as "Pleasure is the highest good", or in an ethical formulation, "whatever causes pleasure is right."
However, even if one assents that the highest good is pleasure, it is still difficult to ascertain what it is that brings the most pleasure. For example, a night of pleasurable heavy drinking can lead to painful consequences that outweigh the initial pleasure.
[edit] Epicureanism
Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus (c. 340–c. 270 BC), founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Following Aristippus—about whom we know very little—Epicurus believed that the greatest good was to seek modest pleasures such as tranquillity and freedom from fear through knowledge. Although some equate Epicureanism with hedonism or a form of it (as "hedonism" is commonly understood), professional philosophers of Epicureanism deny that.
For Epicurus, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship, and living a virtuous and temperate life. He lauded the enjoyment of simple pleasures, by which he meant abstaining from bodily desires, such as sex and appetites, verging on asceticism. He argued that when eating, one should not eat too richly, for it could lead to dissatisfaction later, such as the grim realization that one could not afford such delicacies in the future. Likewise, sex could lead to increased lust and dissatisfaction with the sexual partner. Epicurus did not articulate a broad system of social ethics that has survived.
[edit] Free Love
Free love is an ideology that love and sexual activities should be shared amongst many rather than confined to long term relationships, and that notions such as marriage should be abolished altogether. The term is therefore generally not applied to polygamous cultures, such as 19th century Mormons and Islamic cultures, because these still limit sexual activity to within a formalised long-term relationship. The idea has appeared various times in history such as among the Cathars of Medieval France, the Saint-Simonians in the early 1800s, the Oneida Society in nineteenth century America (whose founder, John Humphrey Noyes, coined the term 'free love', although he preferred to use the term 'complex marriage'), the Greenwich Village movements of the early 1900s, and among hippies in the 1960s and 1970s. The movements which support free love tend to be utopian collectivist ones which see the traditional institutions of marriage and family as oppressive. Partly because of these anti-institutional views, free love cultures and those that support traditional, formalised forms of polygamy tend to be quite hostile to each other. As of the 1980s, concerns over AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases has greatly diminished the popularity of the free love ideology. A more general term is sexual freedom, as opposed to sexual oppression.
[edit] My Contributions to Wikipedia
I have created a few pages in an attempt to circulate knowledge through the wonderful medium that is Wikipedia. I have created pages about:
I have also edited pages concerning:
[edit] Useful Wikipedia Pages
Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup
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