From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #464 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Sat, 20 Oct 2001 Vol 08 : Num 464 In this issue: eskrima: Ron Balicki Seminar eskrima: Re: Blood grooves eskrima: deer season is coming up eskrima: X-Mailer: Opera 5.12 build 932 eskrima: Arroyo & the Death Penalty 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). http://InayanEskrima.com http://Inayan.com 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: RBalicki@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 12:12:57 EDT Subject: eskrima: Ron Balicki Seminar Hi Everyone, Wanted to let you know that I will be in seminar in Grand Junction, CO at High Desert martial Arts. Check out my web page for more details www.pointmanproductions.com. Thanks Ron Balicki ------------------------------ From: Joshua Hutchinson Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 12:29:04 -0700 (PDT) Subject: eskrima: Re: Blood grooves Greetings, I asked my active and retired (military) relatives about blood grooves... Most just gave me a "what the hell are you talkin' about?!?" look. My grandfather said that the blood grooves made it easier to rapidly withdraw a knife from an opponents body. He said that he used his knife a lot in Korea and Vietnam, so I'm not going to doubt him. Well, that's my 2 centavos. Peace to all, JHutchin _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 13:37:11 PDT Subject: eskrima: deer season is coming up From an old post... >Now for all of you that are wondering why the blood groove in the bayonet, >I shall pass on the enlightened words of my U.S. Army D.I. when asked the >same question by some idiot who hadn't yet learned to not ask unnecessary >questions of a D.I.: "The blade is for removing body parts from an enemy >that you have convinced to die for his country and for opening c-ration cans >when you've lost your P-38. The groove is for eating the canned peas in >the c-rats so that they won't roll off the blade. If you have any doubts, test it out for yourself. No, not on your training partner... :) during your next outing this hunting season. The part about the peas does in fact work... Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: tenrec Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 07:42:31 -0000 Subject: eskrima: X-Mailer: Opera 5.12 build 932 Natahey y'all! gints@att.net wrote: >We've often heard the troughs in sword blades referred to >as "blood grooves." The >grooves appear on broader blades, mostly to lighten >the blade without reducing the width and to add >stability against a flex. The arch >is a force dispersion geometry common in Western >architecture offers the same function in a slab >of metal or a piece of paper. > >Has anyone heard of a blade designer, rather than >a user, refer to these grooves as blood grooves? >Were they added for function or form? I read somewhere (a Kurt Vonnegut novel I think) that it was to let the blood leak out of the (organic) body, like a tap...and another place I read that it prevents suction from forming which might make retraction difficult... weren't they also referred to as "blood gutters"? > ------------------------------ From: "Marc Denny" Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 20:34:10 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Arroyo & the Death Penalty A Howl etc: The following is from www.stratfor.com to which I subscribe and which I recommend highly. Woof, Crafty Dog - -------------------------- Death Penalty Breathes Life into Arroyo's Political Standing 2140 GMT, 011019 Summary Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently ordered the executions of 95 kidnappers, reneging on a pledge to commute all death sentences during her administration. The move will help bolster support for Arroyo in the politically important ethnic Chinese and business communities, which are frequently targeted in kidnap-for-ransom schemes. Analysis Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the immediate executions of 95 convicted kidnappers in a decision designed to "strike fear" in the hearts of kidnap-for-ransom syndicates, Agence France-Presse reported Oct. 15. Kidnappings have troubled the Filipino business community -- especially its ethnic Chinese, or Chinese-Filipino, segment -- and threatened the country's viability as a business locale. In an effort to stem capital flight and appeal to the Chinese-Filipino communities, Arroyo has taken a tough stance against kidnapping. Cracking down on this type of crime will boost Arroyo's popularity both at home and abroad. Kidnap-for-ransom gangs operate independently of militant Muslim groups that carry out abductions in the separatist regions of Mindanao and Zamboanga. The wealthy Chinese-Filipino community has suffered the most from such schemes. Now it is now both politically and economically imperative for Arroyo to take action: Ethnic Chinese comprise only 1 percent of the population of the Philippines but control 20 to 22 percent of its wealth, CNN has reported. By getting tough, Arroyo stands to protect investments in the country and could improve relations with Beijing. Citing Chief Superintendent Hermogenes Ebdane, AFP reported on Oct. 15 that 79 kidnapping cases have been reported in the Philippines since the beginning of the year. The true number is likely higher because many families choose simply to pay ransom without notifying police - who are widely suspected of involvement in kidnapping schemes -- in hopes of ensuring victims' safety. In 2000, kidnappers abducted 219 people on Philippine soil and collected $4 million in ransom money, according to the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER). As a result, the Philippines stands to experience significant capital flight. Because kidnapping schemes target the wealthy, the Chinese have become frequent victims. As a result many are opting to close down businesses or move them overseas or even send their children abroad, CNN reported in May. As more and more Chinese-owned businesses close, many Filipinos find themselves jobless. The kidnappings affect international relations as well. According to Citizens' Action Against Crime, a nongovernmental organization that monitors kidnapping cases, some 65 percent of Japanese investors do business with ethnic Chinese-owned companies. The loss of Chinese-owned businesses would have a subsequent effect on Japanese investments. Kidnappings also threaten investment originating from beyond the region. Three British citizens were kidnapped during the first half of 2001. In one of those cases, kidnappers collected $194,000 in ransom from Parsons International Ltd. -- the employer of one victim -- after showing a video of the person's ear being cut off with scissors, the Philippine Inquirer reported. Chinese nationals working for Chinese companies in the Philippines have also fallen victim. The situation is clearly a problem for the Philippines. "The country is paying too high a price for the trauma and insecurity the Chinese businessmen are feeling," Teresita See, president of Citizens' Action Against Crime, told FEER in an article published June 28. To further complicate the issue, police are often suspected of being involved with kidnapping gangs. Based on the professionalism of the operation and ransom negotiations, the Parsons International employee reportedly believes his abductors were police or ex-policemen. Gokonwei-Pe, who was abducted during the 1980s and is the daughter of an ethnic Chinese magnate, said her kidnappers were policemen and the mastermind was the son of a judge, FEER reported. And former police undercover agent Mary Ong implicated former police chief Panfilo Lacson, now a senator, in money laundering and kidnapping-for-ransom syndicates, the Mindanao Times reported. Arroyo has not gained support among the Chinese population since becoming president in January. And it was no help when Arroyo's choice for senior superintendent, Reynaldo Berroya, was convicted on kidnapping charges in 1995 and served two years in prison. Arroyo is now getting tough on crime in order to gain political support and to protect existing investments in the Philippines. Although she suspended the death penalty upon taking office, she is now apparently reinstating it. Arroyo also plans to establish a center under the National Anti-Crime Commission to focus on kidnappings. And she has offered significant financial rewards for information leading to the arrest of kidnappers, AFP reported. The French news agency also said Arroyo ordered five convicted kidnappers placed in solitary confinement on death row "to prevent them from running their syndicates out of their prison cells." In an interesting development, Arroyo is also working on an extradition treaty with China to have Chinese kidnappers sent to their homeland for execution. Arroyo apparently has decided support from the domestic Chinese and business community takes precedence over other groups such as the Catholic community -- which, under Cardinal Jamie Sin, packs a powerful political punch. Arroyo's willingness to overlook Catholic opposition to the death penalty indicates the depth of her need for support from the business community and her desire to keep any amount of money from fleeing the Philippines. The death penalty will likely deter abduction gangs at least a bit -- especially if they face execution in China -- and will help to boost Arroyo's political support. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 8:16:01 PDT Subject: eskrima: . ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #464 **************************************** 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. Remember 9-11!