From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #413 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Sun, 16 Sept 2001 Vol 08 : Num 413 In this issue: eskrima: just one way to help eskrima: Sulu info eskrima: Awkward ? eskrima: WTC survivor tells his story eskrima: . ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1200 members strong! Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The premier internet discussion forum devoted to Filipino Martial Arts. Provided in memory of Mangisursuro Michael G. Inay (1944-2000). Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of the Eskrima-Digest at http://MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ray Terry Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 17:20:10 PDT Subject: eskrima: just one way to help Just one way we can all help, right now. Taken from http://www.redcross.org, the American Red Cross. Donate Online The American Red Cross is providing lifesaving assistance in the form of immediate disaster mass care and blood to victims and emergency workers in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania following the incomprehensible attacks of September 11. The Red Cross will stay with these people as this tragedy unfolds. The Red Cross has been on the scene from the beginning providing disaster support in the form of food, shelter and mental health counseling to all individuals affected. To help the victims of these and other disasters please support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. * $600 buys food for a week and clothing for a family of four. * $300 buys five days of meals and motel stays for one displaced disaster victim. * $250 provides emergency shelter and food for 50 disaster victims for one day. * $100 buys replacement prescription medication, like insulin, blood pressure or seizure medication for 3 disaster victims who have lost everything. * $50 buys 10 new blankets in an emergency. Your tax-deductible gift in whatever amount you choose will provide disaster relief and other essential Red Cross services in your community, and around the world. Donate by Phone Call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669) To donate to our disaster relief operations, please mention the Disaster Relief Fund when donating by phone. Donate by Mail Send a check to your local chapter -or- Make your check out to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and mail to the following address: American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund P.O. Box 37243 Washington, D.C. 20013 Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 9:41:16 PDT Subject: eskrima: Sulu info The Philippine province of Sulu Capital: Jolo No. of towns: 16 Land area: 1,600.4 sq. km. Location. The Sulu Archipelago is the Southernmost part of the Philippines. It is between the Sulu Sea on the north and the Celebes Sea on the South. Brief history. Inhabiting the shores and coast of the many islands which constitute the Sulu Archipelago, the people of this province naturally take to a seafaring life. Long before Miguel Lopez de Legaspi colonized Cebu, foreign traders were already familiar with Sulu waters. When Manila and Cebu were yet small settlements, Jolo was already a city, the most important in the Philippines, with trade flourishing between its inhabitants and Chinese merchants. The early existence of the island had been influenced by the introduction of Islam by three men, namely: Makdum, Raja Baginda and Abu Bakr toward the end of the fourteenth century. The Sultanate of Sulu began to rise as a system of government in those days, with Raja Baginda as its first supreme ruler. He was succeeded by Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr firmly established Mohammedanism and effected governmental reforms. The presense of foreign forces in Sulu brought about several conflicts that caused the fall of the first organized state in early Philippines. For 300 years, beginning from the 16th century, the Suluans had fought all alien forces who had attempted to dominate the people and change their way of life. The first armed conflict staged by the Suluans were againt the Spaniards, as early as 1578, when Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa conducted an expedition against the Muslims. The "Moros", as they were refferred to by the Spaniards, retaliated by pillaging the coastal towns in Visayas and Luzon under the Spanish control. This Muslim hostility drove the Spanish governmental to send at least five expeditions to Jolo for punitive purposes. The fourth expedition led by Governor-General Corcuera in 1638, resulted in the first Spanish occupation of Jolo. The fighting, which lasted for three and a half months, forced the Suluans to flee their capital. Corcurera occupied the town, reconstructed its forts and left there a garrison. In 1646, however this garrison was recalled to Manila and Sulu was abandoned. During the nineteenth century, the Spanish made a second occupation of Sulu. Spain evacuated Sulu in May 1899 and turned the local government over to the Suluans. Foreign domination continued until World War II when the Japanese occupied the Philippines. These little footnotes of history have made Sulu what it is. Today, with more Suluans being educated from day to day, the feeling of fierce resistance to anything foreign has given way to an attitude of understanding and compromise, resulting in a mix of the old and new, a flurry of the east and west. This peaceful coexistence has been immortalized in the provinces official emblem where the Cross of Christianity harmoniously blends with the crescent and star symbolizing Islam. Geography. The province consist of over 400 scattered and almost isolated islands, stretching from the tip of Zamboanga Southwestward towards Borneo. It forms one of the three connections of the Philippines with Borneo which prove the geologic theory that the Philippines belongs to the same geographic region as Borneo, Sumatra and Java and therefore, to Asia and not to Oceanic. Major industries Far-Flung Sulu. Is surprisingly a first-class province by income classification. While there is an absence of mineral deposits, Sulu nevertheless abounds in timber resources. And lying outside the typhoon belt, it is blessed with a year-round bounty of harvests both from the land and the sea. Due to the character of soil and climate, the province of Sulu grows greater variety of products than any other part of the country. In addition to all the crops of the islands, which are abaca, coconut and fruits like oranges, lanzones and jacks, other fruits that do not grow in the northern islands are harvested, such as the mangosteen and durian. Fishing is the most important industry. Trepang and pearls are extensively gathered. Sea turtles and fish of all kinds are caught. Unfortunately, most of the fishing industry has gone into the hands of the Chinese and Japanese. During a break from their fishing activity, the people of Sulu engage in boat-building and mat weaving. The people have learned how to produce beautiful trays and combs out of the back of the turtles. Technology has taught them to preserve the durian and mangosteen. Sulu has other existing industries, such as boat building, mat weaving, coffee processing, and fruit preservation (durian and mangosteen). Climate. Sulu is outside of the typhoon belt. Its climate is warm, humidity is generally moist, but precipitation is constant throughout the year. February is considered the coldest month, while May to August are the hottest with a mean relative humidity of 86%, one of the hottest in the country, January to April is considered the dry period with a monthly average of 7 to 9 inches of rainfall. The mean annual temperature is 26 degrees centigrade and the maximum is 27 degrees centigrade. Language / Dialect. The principal dialect of the natives of Jolo is "Tausog". The rest speak Samal, Cebuano, Chavacano, Tagalog, and other dialects. English is also widely spoken. Points of interest Historical Walled City. Jolos walled city is the smallest in the world. Here is located the historic brick walls of Jolo that now crumble due to age, neglect and decay. These are evidence of Jolos historic and continuous strife. At the entrance of the city are four gates which were used are watch towers and several mounds which were burial grounds of Spanish and American soldiers who died in the hands of the Muslim warriors. Provincial Capitol. Constructed during the administration of Governor Murphy Sangkula. This is also condidered as one of Jolos tourist attractions because of its moorish-inspired architectural design. Port Asturias. Located .85 km away from the center town of Jolo American Calvary Monument. So far the only existing museum in Sulu. Located approximately more than 1 km. from the town of Jolo. Tulay Mosque and other existing mosques situated in each barangay. Festivals Jolo Town Fiesta Hariraya Puasa. A religious Muslim holiday. Hariraya Hadji. A religious Muslim holiday. Amon Jaded. A religious Muslim holiday. Special interest Pearl Farm at Marungas Island. It can be reached in a 30-minute pumpboat ride from the mainland of Jolo. The Sulu Sea is dotted with coral reefs and can provide probably some of the worlds best dive spots for those seeking the ultimate in underwater beauty and adventure. Tubbataja Reef is the best known site in the Sulu Sea, drawing divers from all over the world Philippine dive books and diving expert claim that diving here is a wonderful experience due to the rich marine life that abounds in the reef. Snappers, sweetlips, groupers, angelfish and morays can be found amid huge fan corals and sponges.. Large schools of barracudas, jacks, rainbow runners and surgeons pass by while tunas race about. Most divers use Puerto Princessa in Palawan as their jump-off point. The most experienced dive cruise vessels are docked here. How to get there. Jolo is the gateway to the Sulu islands. Three commercial flights are available daily from Zamboanga City. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 10:18:14 PDT Subject: eskrima: Awkward ? Interesting... In watching a replay on ESPNC, for the umpteenth time, of the 1964 boxing match between Sonny Liston and (then) Cassius Clay, the fight commentators called Ali's boxing style awkward and him an awkward fighter. Interesting in that what we might now term poetry in motion, then appeared awkward to some experts. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: "BILL MCGRATH" Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 15:21:20 -0400 Subject: eskrima: WTC survivor tells his story The following is an email I received from a officer who worked at our academy the day of the attack. I am posting it here with his permission. I have removed the surnames out of respect for their families. Tuhon Bill McGrath Pardon any spelling errors- Capt. Harry T , S.C.O. K. and S,C.O. J are still missing. I am much better now. I dislocated my shoulder and breathed in a lot of pulverized concrete. My lungs are clear. My eyes don't sting any more and the Doctor told me don't wear the sling on my arm anymore( my shoulder popped into place.) Thanks for asking :-) I don't know where everyone was when the first tower collapsed but I'll tell you what I know about the academy staff. ( I am extremely proud of my co-instructors). When the first tower fell, Kathryn N., John. C, Pat M. and I were outside 5 World Trade Center. I was near the entrance of the lobby of 5 WTC. I heard an explosion and saw a red flash. I looked up and saw the sky turn black. I ran in to the lobby as fast as I could and dove to the floor in 5 WTC. The noise was like an avalanche. I looked back to the entrance and it was pitch black. I could see nothing. The entrance was covered with rubble. The air was filled with the pulverized concrete. It was hard to breathe. I thought I was trapped under the rubble of the WTC I don't mean to be melodramatic but I thought that I was going to die there. I prayed an act of contrition. Then I called aloud and Kathryn N. Heard me and we found each other by voice. Kathryn had a small mag light with her but it did no good in the thick air in there. Then two fire fighters(who apparently had ran into the same lobby as I did) said, " Don't panic. We know the way out. Follow us." They turned on their helmet lights and big flashlights. That alone was great. The firefighters had big sledge hammers. They bashed their way through the wall and led us into a Barnes and Noble Bookstore. They led us( there were a number of other people with us) through the store and OUT! Kathryn and I still could not see through the gray/brown stuff that hung in the air. We made our way away from the towers and were finally able to see on Broadway. Once we could breathe, we called on our radios and everyone from the academy was accounted for except Harry T. (For a short while we did not know where John C. was but he was OK- thank God) Pat and John pretty much had the same experience as me. Joe B. , Al M., and Andrew W. were high up inside the north tower when the south tower collapsed. They managed to get out of the north tower before it collapsed but they did not get too far away from the north tower when it also collapsed. They were knocked flat by the concussive blast. They were also covered by the pulverized concrete. They were pretty beat up but they are OK. We all were treated for our injuries. Tuesday I was in Metropolitan Hospital and found to be OK and was released. Wed morning I could not move my right arm and went to LIJ hosp. They found that I dislocated my shoulder. I went back to the Doc today and I am fine (NO more sling on my arm). I am not sure how many other court officers were there that day but I am reliably told that three are missing, counting our Capt. Harry T. Thanks again for asking. Good to hear from you :-) Frank p.s. The other academy instructors were away at training. Sam and Ed were at an F.B.I. school. Visit the PTI web site at: http://www.pekiti-tirsia.com/index.html ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 16:00:23 PDT Subject: eskrima: . ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #413 **************************************** To unsubscribe from the eskrima-digest send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and the Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.