To be honest, I am completely ambivalent about retiring the Canadian Penny. I was  inspired to write this article when I began to consider the nearly two decades I have spent in customer service of one stripe or another. Although, I became fairly adept at balancing my cash at the end of the day, I got to thinking about what effect phasing out the penny would have on those slight overages and shortages experienced by businesses every year. Let’s say for example, you run Caffeine Crazed Coffee Consortium or C4 (my dream name if I were to ever open my own coffee shop). On Monday, after shutting your doors, you find yourself over by a few cents. Tuesday, you are short. You get the picture. By Sunday, your overage and shortages due to pennies averages out to be about $.27. If you multiply that by 52 weeks/year, you lose a whopping $14.04. Say my C4 chain is super successful; and I manage to create a 100 franchises across Canada. This $14.04 becomes $1404. According to Wikipedia, Tim Hortons has 3355 stores across Canada as of July 2012. That weekly $.27 becomes a loss of $47,104.20!! Donuts cost about a dollar, so that is 47,104 rings of deliciousness.

So, will rounding up or down to an increment of $.05 make a significant difference to the bottom line? I say, “absolutely”!! Here is why. Most retail food and beverage business are staffed with young people, who have lots of things on their mind, and at times, the least of which is the job at hand. Having an 11 year old and a 9 year old in my house has taught me that it is easier to teach a kid their 5 and 10 times table than to teach them their 3,4,6,7,8 or 9 times table. Simple math errors are less likely to occur when using multiples of 5. So, of course, time will tell, but it seems as though cash handling just got easier without the penny. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have been given a blank stare when told my bill comes to 3.64 and I give them $5.14 to get a nice, round $1.50 in change. Of course, time will tell, but I am interested to see what will come of the penny retirement.

Let’s now consider how much copper the Canadian Mint stands to recycle. I have done a whole bunch of interesting math on spreadsheets figure out how much copper is tied up in pennies. In summary, since 1908, Canada has produced close to 35 billion pennies. The percentage of copper in a given penny is dependent upon when that penny was made. Up until 1996, pennies contained over 95% copper. After 1996, pennies were only between 2 and 5% copper in the form of copper plating. I was able to access the number of pennies produced per year since 1908 and determine the amount of copper/grams per penny. I did this for every year up until 2011 to reach a truly staggering number. If we were to collect every penny ever produced since 1908 and recycle the copper, we would end up with 1.15 billion kilograms of copper. The Canadian Mint is not able to report the amount of pennies they have reclaimed to date, but think about all that copper!

According to Geology.com, the average car contains between 44 and 99 pounds (20-45 kg) of copper. Copper is used in electrical wiring as well. With the growing industrialization of some third world countries, the demand for world copper is going to soar. The Statue of Liberty has 80 tons of copper. All of the reclaimed Canadian pennies could make almost 16000 copies of the Statue of Liberty.

And that, is my two cents worth!

The Smurfs are little blue and white gnome-like characters created by Peyo (a.k.a. Pierre Culliford) in 1958 as a Belgian comic strip. They became very popular in North America in the 1980′s when The Smurfs t.v. show and licensed merchandise became available and have recently seen a resurgence in popularity with the release of the Smurfs movie featuring Katie Perry as Smurfette.

Let me be clear; I grew up in the 80′s and 90′s at the height of Smurf mania and was always puzzled by the cartoon. One female in a group of over 50 males? They don’t age, and there seems to be a baby, but it isn’t Smurfette’s baby? Where did this baby come from? The Smurfs were always fighting over who got to be Smurfette’s boyfriend and the show often featured petty little rivalries between them. Even more upsetting is Smurfette’s back story.

Smurfette was introduced into the comic strip in 1966. She was created by Gargamel as a Pinocchio - styled doll to infiltrate the Smurf village and create dissent and petty rivalries among the male populace. After spending some time in the village, Smurfette decided that she wanted to live there permanently, so Papa Smurf took her into his laboratory and changed her from a doll into a real Smurf, signified by her blonde hair (it was black when she was a doll).

Smurfette’s back story is a horrifying role model for girls: females are created/exist to create dissension between men and the only relationship that can exist between a man/woman or girl/boy is one of constant sexual tension. I know it is only a cartoon, and kids don’t really consider all of these things when watching it, but it is good to know, nonetheless.

LEGO was created in Billund, Denmark

Clackity, clackity, clackity goes my vacuum cleaner. Oops, another piece of Lego gets sucked into the great oblivion. No big deal, I tell myself; the kids have lots and lots of Lego, one piece here and there will not make a dent in their collection. While this is true, it got me thinking; just how much Lego do we vacuum or sweep up every year? I work at a toy store in Courtenay, B.C., Canada and I have to listen daily to customer laments on the costliness of the world’s favorite toy. If every parent was like myself; preoccupied with the minutia required to keep a family of 4 on track, one little yellow brick is nothing in the grand scheme of things; but is it really?

How many thousands of dollars are we sucking up every year in a desperate attempt to stay on top of the professional messmakers we call children? The first step in answering this question starts with myself. I estimate, conservatively, I vacuum about 5 pieces of Lego per year. I have two kids, so that is 2.5 pieces of Lego per child, per year in my house. The latest Statistics Canada data available (2006) tells me there are 3,889,305 kids between the ages of 5 and 14 in Canada. So; assuming 2.5 pieces of Lego are done away with per child, we are looking at 9,723,262.5 pieces of Lego vacuumed up every year in Canada!

Almost 10 million pieces of Lego are vacuumed or swept per year!!! What does this mean for our collective pocketbooks? Well, each 1 x 1 square of Lego weighs approximately .55 grams (0.2 of an ounce). Most vacuum cleaners can handle a 1 x 1 square without too much complaint. I have a Dyson, which will suck the white off rice; so it can devour 2 x 2 bricks with ease, but I digress. I have done the math so you don’t have to. We, as Canadians suck up 5,348 kilograms (11,790 pounds) of Lego yearly. A quick trip to eBay told me that the going price for used Lego is about $6.83 US per pound (averaged over 9 completed listings). That is over $80,000 US dollars that we squander away collectively in Canada on this innocuous,  plastic brick!

Our neighbor to the south has many, many more professional messmakers. According to 2009 US Census data, there are 40,934,306 kids between the ages of 5 and 14 in the United States. American families vacuumed up 102,335,765 pieces of Lego in 2009! Assuming  1 x 1 squares (at 0.2 of an ounce) were the nasty little culprits, 123,827 pounds (give or take) were vacuumed up in the United States in 2009 representing over $845,738 US dollars worth of Lego.

Food for thought….

Harbour Porpoise in Denmark; photo credit Erik Christensen

The main difference between a dolphin and a porpoise is size; porpoises are generally smaller, reaching a length of up to 2.5 metres. The smallest dolphin, the Maui Dolphin, reaches just 1.2 metres. The largest member of the dolphin family is the Killer Whale or Orca, that can be up to 9.5 metres long. The Orca, although called a whale is actually a member of the order Cetacea, which includes dolphins and porpoises.

Porpoises have a triangular dorsal fin, whereas dolphins’ dorsal fins are more hooked shaped. Porpoises also have flattened, spade shaped teeth, whereas dolphins’ teeth are conical in shape. Porpoises’ heads are more blunt and less rounded than dolphins’ heads. Porpoises also have a stouter, more compact body shape.

Porpoises are less adaptable to captivity than their dolphin or orca cousin; so you won’t find many in public aquariums. There are however, more endangered or threatened species of dolphins than there are of porpoises. The Vaquita porpoise, native to the Northern California coast is endangered; with as few as 100 left in the world. Both the Ganges and the Yangtze River Dolphins are Critically Endangered or Functionally Extinct – no individual Yangtze River Dolphins have been documented. If an animal if Functionally Extinct, there are either: no individuals found, or the ones in existence are too advanced in age to be viable reproductive specimens.

Ganges River Dolphin Photo Courtesy of worldwildlife.org

The Ganges River Dolphin is actually one of two subspecies of the South Asian River Dolphin. The other is the Indus River Dolphin. These two dolphins have not interbred in many hundreds, and possibly thousands of years. The Indus River dolphin may have as few as 1000 individuals. The Ganges River Dolphin may have a couple thousand individuals; but there habitat is extremely threatened with dam building projects and pollution.

There are different types of Amino acids; but this article refers to the Amino acids needed for protein synthesis in the human body. Amino acids are the building blocks of polypeptide chains which are the building blocks of protein. The human body uses 20 different amino acids in our genetic code. In most cases, our bodies can manufacture 11 of the 20 amino acids used to build protein molecules, but we need to derive the other 9 amino acids from our diet. These 9 that cannot be synthesized without nutrients in our food are called Essential Amino acids. They include the following list with a selection of foods they can be found in. The list of foods is in no way to be considered comprehensive or exhaustive (as I am not a medical professional), but rather a sampling of the foods that these amino acids can be found in.

Isoleucine – found in eggs, soy protein, seaweed, turkey, chicken, lamb and cheese

Leucine – found in soy protein concentrate, peanuts, wheat germ, almonds, lentils, chick peas, corn and brown rice

Lysine – found in soy, red meat, lamb, poultry, cheese, certain fish and eggs

Methionone – sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, fish and cereal grains

Phenylalanine – dried egg white powder, dried whole egg powder, peanut flour, seeds, soy flour, soy meal, some fish, frozen tofu, and cheese. An important non-food source is Aspartame.

Threonine – cottage cheese, poultry, fish, meat and lentils

Tryptophan – chocolate, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, and poultry

Valine – cottage cheese, fish, poultry, peanuts, sesame seeds and lentils

Histidine – soy protein isolate,dried egg white, parmesean cheese, sesame flour, peanut flower, dried frozen tofu, defatted soy flour.

There are two provisionally needed amino acids that some people cannot manufacture without dietary sources. Tyrosine can be manufactured from Phenylalanine, but in individuals suffering from PKU – an inability to digest Phenylalanine, Tyrosine may be deficient. Secondly, Selenocysteine, is an unclassified Amino acid that may be deficient in some populations.

Lithograph of the Rotator Cuff group from Gray's Anatomy.

The Rotator Cuff is a group of four muscles that attach to the humerus and scapula to support the shoulder joint. The Glenohumeral joint (where the scapula and humerus meet, a.k.a. the shoulder) is a ball and socket style joint and due to the small surface area of each bone where they connect, it is the most moveable joint in the entire body. The Rotator Cuff along with deltoid, teres major and the coracobrachialis make up the 7 muscles responsible for the movement and stability in the shoulder.

The four muscles of the Rotator Cuff include the supraspinatus, the subscapularis, infraspinatus and teres minor all of which have their attachment and/or insertion points on the scapula bone and/or the humerus (the large bone connecting the shoulder to the elbow). The most commonly damaged muscles in the group are the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus.

A sudden, powerful movement of the shoulder joint can cause an acute tear. Bowlers, tennis players, boxers, and pitchers often suffer an acute tear. A chronic tear is caused by repetitive motion wearing down the muscle on or near the tendon. Chronic tears can lead to Impingement Syndrome; the condition where the inflammed muscles are squished under the acromial arch before they attach to the Humerus. Chronic tears occur most often in people over 40 years old.

Rotator Cuff tears have a 40-90% treatment success rate.

Smooth Muscle cells by Polarlys

The human body has three different kinds of muscle: smooth, skeletal and cardiac. Smooth muscle is the involuntary, non striated muscle that is found in your digestive tract, blood vessels, lymph system, bladder, respiratory system, uterus, skin – almost any part of the body you can think of that requires movement of some type that is automatically regulated without your conscious control. For example, smooth muscle lines your digestive tract and is responsible for moving the partially digested food through the small and large intestine by peristalsis, the systematic contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers that produces a squeezing effect. Peristalsis is what happens when you swallow food as well. Smooth muscle cells contain only one nucleus; whereas skeletal muscle cells contain multiple nuclei.

Skeletal muscle is under our conscious control and is involved in every movement the human body

Skeletal muscle structure by Raul654

makes; be it walking, talking, chewing, riding a bike, and so on. Skeletal muscle fibers are structurally different from smooth muscle in that they are striated – under a microscope, dark lines appear along their length. Each space between two striations in a skeletal muscle cell is called a sarcomere and is made up of actin and myosin proteins. When a muscle contracts or relaxes, actin and myosin fibers slide against one another becoming closer together or further apart. Thus the striations appear (if we could see this in action under a microscope) to come closer together or further apart.

Individual smooth muscle cells are fusiform in shape and flatten out in their relaxed state and fatten up in their contracted state. Individually, these cells have more elasticity than skeletal muscle cells.

Heart Muscle fibers by Dr.S. Girod, Anton Becker

Cardiac muscle cells are striated, involuntary cells found in the heart. They differ from skeletal and smooth muscle in many ways, but two are key: cardiac muscle fibers appear branched under the microscope, but still have a striated appearance and the chemical mechanisms that activate their contraction or relaxation are different from those of skeletal or smooth muscle.

Rafflesia arnoldii Photo credit ma_suska

The biggest flower in the world is the Rafflesia arnoldii, a.k.a. the Corpse Flower, so named because when blooming, it smells of rotting flesh. This flower is unusual in design in that it appears to have no stems, leaves or roots. The Rafflesia arnoldii grows as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine. This flower takes over a  year to blossom, and sadly, is an endangered species. It lives in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia and Malaysia and its habitat is disappearing such that scientists don’t know how many of this plant are left.

The Rafflesia arnoldii is a non-photosynthetic plant; it gathers all the nutrients it needs for growth from the Tetrastigma vine. The Corpse flower blooms to over a meter wide and can weigh up to 11 kg. The stench of rotting meat attracts flies and beetles for pollination. This flower not only smells like a rotting corpse, it looks like flesh as well; with large, blood red petals with white spots.

The Rafflesia arnoldii bud has been eaten as a delicacy in Thailand. It is used in some parts of Malaysia to aid women after childbirth, to staunch bleeding and shrink the uterus, although the chemical properties haven not been extensively studied; so any health claims have not been verified. It may even be toxic as it contains tannin and phenol. Rafflesias have also been used in religious ceremonies.

Crab Nebula taken by the Hubble Telescope

For two words so similar, they could hardly be more different in meaning. Astronomy is the study of celestial objects; in short, objects outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Astrology is a philosophy that teaches that placement of celestial objects – the sun, moon and stars determines and influences your personality. Astronomy is a science whereas Astrology is is a pseudoscience.  Historically, the two disciplines were related but parted ways in the 17th century when core scientific principles such as the Earth revolves around the Sun which is the centre of the solar system became widely accepted as fact.

Put in another way; Astronomy is the study of celestial objects and Astrology is the study of how the position of said celestial objects affects mood, personality and world events. Astrology is not empirically provable. There is no evidence that the predictions made by Astrology are true and many followers of Astrology suffer from Confirmation Bias – that is, they tend to believe outcomes that support their preconceptions: cherry picking the evidence as it were. Simply put, they believe that Astrology is true and confirm their belief by only paying attention to the data that supports their belief and ignoring evidence against.

Astronomy’s divergence as a separate science began in earnest with the invention of the telescope. Until then; ancient civilizations studied the predictable movement of the sun and stars and used this data for celestial navigation and calender making. The science of Astronomy as we know it today could also be called Astrophysics.

The Deadly Arts Part II

In my last article, The Different Types of Martial Arts, I sought to assess the differences between the major martial arts of the world and what it is that truly sets them apart. After coming up with a basic four-tier system for categorizing them, whether they are internal or external, striking or grappling, I examined six major arts, researched their history, and tried to determine where they fell into that system. And while I thought that those six martial arts were a good starting point, I felt that they simply weren’t enough! One cannot hope to do justice to thousands of years of history and hundreds of cultures with one paper. So, without further ado, here is my second installment on the Deadly Arts!

Aikido:

Aikido is a Japanese martial art that emerged out of the larger practice of Jujutsu during the 1920’s. Much like jujutsu, aikido is a grappling-based martial art that relies on using an opponent’s own strength against them. In addition, it relies on exclusively “soft” techniques: wrist manipulations, joint locks and throws that are designed to disarm and incapacitate an opponent without causing serious injury. Its development is attributed to Morihei Ueshiba, who created it as a synthesis of his own martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs.

Aikido is often translated as “the Way of unifying (with) life energy” or as “the Way of harmonious spirit.” Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. This requires very little physical strength, as the practitioner “leads” the attacker’s momentum using entering and turning movements. The techniques are completed with various throws or joint locks. Today aikido is found all over the world in a number of styles, with broad ranges of interpretation and emphasis. However, they all share techniques learned from Ueshiba and most incorporate a sense of concern for the well-being of the attacker as well as the defender.

Capoeira:

A Brazilian art form that combines elements of dance, music, martial arts, and sport. It traces its origin to the 16^th century, when African slaves were first imported to Brazil by the Portuguese. While the exact time and place is subject to dispute, there is little doubt that its roots are African or what its original intent was. Beginning in the Quilombos, free slave communities established in Brazil’s interior, Capeoira was practiced in conjunction with dance and music to disguise its true purpose. This was, quite clearly, to train the freed slaves how to defend themselves against slave traffickers and authorities who came into the interior looking for them. By the 19^th century, due to growing urbanization and the increased presence of slaves in the cities, Capoeira was officially suppressed as an art due to growing concerns over street fighting. In fact, in an 1862 police ledger, out of 4,303 arrests made in the city, 404 were arrested for the simple act of practicing Capoeira.

By 1890, the Brazilian government passed a full-scale prohibition against the art. This was due in part to the ongoing problem of inner city violence but also due to the fact that many practitioners had become body guards and mercenaries now that slavery was outlawed. Anyone found practicing it was now subject to arrest and even torture by the police. This, however, did not deter people from maintaining the art. Capoeira maestres continued to practice and even demonstrate the art in public, especially for tourists. In 1932, Maestra Bimba was even granted permission by the municipal government to establish a school in the city of Salvador. In 1940, the ban was officially lifted by the state of Brazil, and by the 1970’s, Capoeira became one of the nation’s biggest exports. Today, the art is recognized internationally and remains an active exporter of Brazilian culture to the world.

Hapkido:

Hapkido is a Korean martial art that employs numerous techniques, many of which are borrowed from other forms of fighting. Foremost amongst these are karate, jujutsu and aikido, which had a strong influence on Korean martial arts during the late 19^th and early 20^th century when Japan was occupying Korea. For this reason, Hapkido is often described as an “eclectic” form of self-defense, incorporating joint locks, throws, pressure point attacks, kicks, punches and other strikes into one system. In addition, a number of traditional weapons are used, including the sword, rope, nunchaku, cane, short stick, and staff which vary in emphasis depending on the style. The art evolved from largely from the teaching of jujutsu and aikido in Korea by Choi Yong-Sool, a martial artist who returned to Korea after World War II after 30 years of living in Japan. This system was later combined with kicking and striking techniques of indigenous and contemporary arts such as taekkyeon and tang soo do (both of which went into the development of modern Tae kwon-Do).

The name is most often translated as “the way of coordinating energy”, “the way of coordinated power” or “the way of harmony”. This depends on the translation of the name. Hap is often translated to mean “ridiculous”, “coordinated”, or “joining”, while Ki describes internal energy, spirit, strength, or power; and Do means “way” or “art”. It is most often translated as “the way of coordinating energy”, “the way of coordinated power”, “ridiculous energy way” or “the way of harmony”, depending on how literal one wants to be. However, the working definition emphasizes the arts harmonious coordination of energy and power into a single discipline.

Ninjutsu:

A controversial and antiquated style, Ninjutsu is an unconventional and even guerilla style of fighting that combines armed and unarmed combat with espionage and escape artistry. It traces it practice to the shinobi, mercenaries and assassins that known in Japan as ninja. And while there are several modern schools that claim to teach Ninjutsu, there is no centralized style or representative body. The name itself combines the word nin (stealth, secrecy, patience) with jutsu (art or technique). The term therefore can be translated as “the art of stealth”.

Ninjutsu was developed by groups of people mainly in the provinces of Iga and Shiga in central Japan during much of Japan’s medieval period. Throughout history the shinobi have been seen as assassins, scouts and spies who were noted for their use of stealth and deception. They became particularly famous during the Edo period of Japan, a period marked by feudal rivalries and political turmoil when ninjas were employed as information gatherers and assassins by all sides. Because these activities were seen as dishonorable, Japanese warlords hired people who existed below Japan’s social classes to perform these tasks, people not bound by the bushido. For these reasons, the ninja were often seen as form of social advancement for women and peasants who had no other opportunities for progression.

In addition to combat training, ninjas were also extensively schooled in the arts of non-detection, avoidance, misdirection, disguise, escape, concealment, and also medicine. In accordance with their skill sets, ninjas were expected make use of swords, spikes, throwing knives, throwing stars, bows, spears, blow darts, smoke and glass grenades, and grappling hooks.  Due to their success, a shroud of mystery began to surround the ninja, with some going so far as to claim that they possessed magical powers that allowed them to go unseen, or strike from the shadows and then disappear!

By the 19^th century, the art of Ninjutsu all but disappeared from Japan, due to a combination of social factors and legal pressure. With the end of feudal rivalries, assassins were no sought after, and with the desire to modernize Japan and centralize all authority, the schools were suppressed. In addition, the methods of the ninja fast became obsolete thanks to the development of firearms and modern espionage. Today, there are many schools that claim to teach true Ninjutsu, but these claims are dubious and considered suspect.

Sambo:

Not to be confused with the deplorable racial term, this martial art and combat sport is Russian in origin. The name, in fact, is an acronym which stands for SAMooborona Bez Oruzhiya, which literally translates to “self-defense without weapons”. Beginning in the 1920’s as a form of unarmed combat training for the Red Army, Sambo was a merger of judo, Karate, and many other forms of wrestling adopted from abroad. Since that time, it has gone on to become an international sport and even made a show of itself at the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow.

Its invention is traced to two Russian practitioners of the martial arts: Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov. Oshchepkov spent much of his life in Japan and studied judo under its founder Kano Jigoro, while Spiridonov was a veteran of World War I who specialized in wrestling and self-defense. Both were responsible for bringing their own styles to the fore, Oshchepkov focusing more on “freestyle wrestling” and judo techniques, and Spiridonov focusing more on soft techniques that did not rely on strength. This was due in large part to injuries Spiridonov suffered during the war. In time, the two styles cross-pollinated each other and came to merge. Years later, a student of Oshchepkov named Anatoly Kharlampiev began to teach the combined system and the art of Sambo was born.

In 1938, it was recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee. Because of its prevalence in the Russian military, it is often referred to by the more generic term, Systema (the System). However, unlike Systema which can involve weapons and strikes, Sambo is distinct in that it focuses on unarmed combat and predominantly on grappling and takedowns.

Savate:

Also known as boxe francaise, this martial art is a national sport in France that combines boxing with graceful foot techniques and weapons to accomplish what many refer to simply as “French Kickboxing”. This is due to the fact that, much like Kickboxing, it is different from Muay Thai in that only punches and kicks are permitted in competition and not knees, shins or elbows. The name itself means “old shoe” in French, and is a reference to the fact that practitioners are expected to wear shoes while training.

Savate began as a form of street fighting in Paris and northern France during the 19^th century. It was similarly paralleled by forms of fighting amongst sailors in southern France, especially around the port city of Marseilles and neighboring Italy. But while British sailors and street fighters used only their fists in combat – in accordance with the Queensberry rules, kicking considered unsportsmanlike – French sailors relied on kicks and open handed slaps, most-likely to circumvent the law which considered fists to be a weapon. Shoes were also worn to prevent serious injury and with the advent of cloth gloves, French fighters were able to use punches once again, but the rule remained in effect.

Today, savate is practiced all over the world and in spite of its roots, is considered one of the safest contacts sports in existence. Many countries (including the United States) have national federations devoted to promoting Savate and hold competitions. Modern codified savate provides for three levels of competition: assault, pre-combat and combat. Assault requires the competitors to focus on their technique while still making contact; and referees assign penalties for the use of excessive force. Pre-combat allows for full-strength fighting so long as the fighters wear protective gear such as helmets and shinguards. Combat, the most intense level, is the same as pre-combat, but protective gear other than groin protection and mouthguards is prohibited.

Silat:

Silat, rather than being a single martial art, is actually a collective word used to refer to the various indigenous martial arts of the Malay Peninsula, Malay Archipelago and South East Asia. Much like Kung Fu, it includes a range of styles that focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws, animal-based techniques, or some combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games and various other region-wide competitions.

Like many ancient martial arts, Silat emerged from a number of indigenous fighting and hunting systems practiced by the natives of Malaysia, Indonesia and South East Asia. In addition, the regions proximity to India and China also allowed for the importation of various fighting techniques, methods, and philosophical belief systems. For example, in addition to Hindu wrestling, which also incorporates thigh-slapping, many forms of Silat were influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. The southern Chinese were also influence by and played on influence on Silat, practicing their own form known as Kuntao.

It is widely believed that the first forms of Silat were influenced by observing animals, as one myth that comes from Sumatra suggests. Another myth claims that the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, who had a huge influence on the institution of Kung Fu thanks to his visit to the Shaolin monastery, also played a role in the development of Silat. It is said that during while travelling from India to Southeast Asia via the Sumatra-based kingdom of Srivijaya (located on the southern tip of Sumatra), Bodhidharma introduced pre-determined sets (aka. kata, forms, or patterns) as well as the concept of combining spiritual training with fighting techniques. The arrival of immigrants from Okinawan in the 15^th century and after due to trade and displacement also brought with them the art of Karate, which was to have a large influence on Silat through the incorporation of largely unarmed fighting techniques.

In time, these various arts came to be practiced by the armed forces of the various kingdoms that dominated the area. With the introduction of Islam, there have also been attempts to move Silat away from its ancestral practices and ancient forms of spiritual worship. This was especially the case during the 1980’s and 90’s when the Islamisation movement began in the region. However, the Hindu-Buddhist and animist roots of the martial art have never been erased and the art remains a potent example of the culture and traditions of the Indonesian, Malaysian and South-East Asian peoples.

Sumo:

Sumo is a full-contact form of wrestling that was developed in Japan and is considered both a modern sport and an ancient ritual. Over the centuries, its role has changed due to the whims of Japanese rulers or the dictates of history. For example, Sumo has often been used as a form of entertainment in royal courts or as a symbol of affluence, while at other times was relied upon as a training tool during times of civil strife. In any case, the rules and customs have evolved over time, while certain ritualistic aspects have remained static and unchanged.

For example, it is believed that Sumo began as an extension of the Shinto faith. Across Japan, there are many shrines where ritualized dance is carried out, religious practitioners are expected to “wrestle” with a kami (a Shinto divine spirit). In time, it grew to become a form of competition in the royal court where representatives from each province were ordered to attend and participate as a way of fostering a spirit of unity. During the Edo period of Japan (ca. early 17^th to late 19^th century), Sumo became professionalized and modernized, serving as a form of entertainment but also additional income for samurai and ronin.

By the beginning of the 20^th century, the rules for Sumo competition had been refined and regulated with the introduction of a ring. Whereas victory was awarded in old competitions based on who could pin their opponent first, modern Sumo came to rely on a point system whereby competitors scored based on pins, throws, or forcing the opponent outside the ring. However, ancient ritual and ceremony remain very much a part of this modernized, nationalized sport. Before a match, competitors throw heaps salt (an ancient cleansing ritual), rinse their mouths out with water, dress in ceremonial loin cloths, and perform a ritualized dance before the audience (this consists of stamping his feet to drive away evil spirits). Sumo wrestlers are also considered a national symbol in Japan, with athletes living a strict life, often in the seclusion of special training compounds.

Different Kinds of Martial Arts I by Matt Williams