Kent Ninomiya writing - Articles - Zimbio

Musashi..again hehehe...

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:30:00 -0700

Miyamoto Musashi - a Legend of the Samurai

Are you attracted by everything related to the samurai, their way of life and philosophy and dream about becoming a master - swordsman performing wonders with one's samurai sword? In order to understand better the way the samurai treated their samurai swords and acquired their remarkable skills in sword fighting, find out more about the most prominent Japanese swordsmaster, Miyamoto Musashi.

The warrior's height well exceeded the average mark and his Daito, the long sword, was made particularly to correspond to his size. It is believed that Miyamoto Musashi developed the two-sword style of swordplay that gave a warrior the ability to fight while using both the Daito and the Wakizashi. A real wonder of the art of sword-making, the famous warrior's Dai-sho is a great item to be included in the collection of martial arts and swords.

The legend of Japanese history was born in a samurai family in the region of Mimasaka. Miyamoto's first victorious duel took place at the age of 13, and Miyamoto's life was marked by more than 60 brilliant duels. Miyamoto Musashi became the unsurpassed genius of Niten Ichi Ryu - a sophisticated method of fighting with two swords at once and the strategy of the Long Sword. The samurai took care of finding the Individual School of Two Skies in order to pass these remarkable skills and knowledge to others and shared his experience for many years. His greatest contribution into the filed of sword-fighting is represented by the most glorified book -Go Rin No Sho- the Book of Five Rings.

The legends were composed about Miyamoto Musashi's feats and inspired numerous novelists and screenplays for writing about the samurai. It is a wide spread belief that Miyamoto was reluctant to take a bath as he was afraid to be caught off guard. However, when the samurai was really attacked by some hired warriors who had set his bathroom on fire, he beat everyone.

Miyamoto Musashi was credited with the following famous saying that should be considered by anyone related to swordsmanship - if I have defeated one person - I have defeated one hundred, meaning the warrior will be able to fight other warriors with the same fighting style. The sword-master also developed the eight-point position which gave the warrior the opportunity to be protected from every side, being ready for breaking up an attack.

Miyamoto Musashi carved out a distinguished career of a martial arts warrior and great strategist, but during the last stage of his life, Miyamoto secluded oneself from vanity of outer life, having settled in the mountains and devoted oneself to perfecting one's skills in calligraphy, jade-carving, and poetry. Then he wrote his famous book very short time before his death.
Having become a loner, Musashi spent a lot of time studying Buddhism and swordsmanship. He was an experienced artist, sculptor, calligrapher and possessed architectural skills. His perception of combat was rather straightforward, with no frills or aesthetic regards, the fact probably explained by his real-life combat experience.

Miyamoto's Book

The Book of Five Rings represents a rather unusual work for its time - Musashi wrote it in katakana (a Japanese phonetic syllabary) rather than kanji (the Chinese characters presently used in Japanese logographic writing system.) The book did not contain many religious references in comparison to similar books which appeared in that time.

This 17th century Japanese treatise introduces the readers into the martial arts strategies that will help anyone become an invincible warrior. It is not a book of certain rules. The major principle of the book may be described as the victory of one's spirit over the list of rules and acting more by intuition. The book continues to inspire a lot of Japanese and foreign businessman and just anyone seeking for success. It consists of five parts, with every part being concentrated upon certain element - for example, the books of water and fire are devoted to the practical principles of dueling. Miyamoto Musashi believed that the real samurai had to pass the way of many professions and master numerous art forms (tea drinking, manual labor, etc) - not just the one of sword fighting.

UFC Imitators - By Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:21:00 -0800

Mixed Martial Arts are exploding on the scene. The undisputed king of the genre is the UFC. They deserve to be where they are. They endured while the league struggled with lack of interest, economic viability and lawmakers who wanted to shut them down. Like a true MMA champion they survived it all to thrive. Even though I am a martial arts purist, I confess to enjoying the UFC. I don't watch their reality show because I don't care about the private lives of the fighters, but I like watching these amazing athletes show off their skills. They are professionals and highly trained. Unfortunately, wherever there is success there are cheap imitators. Several inferior leagues have popped up trying to cash in on the UFC's popularity. Some of them are downright sad.

For example, I was watching HD Net Friday Fight Night. It was worse than amateur hour. The fighters are pathetically bad. Some are downright fat. They look like they just put down their beer and pried themselves off the couch to fight. Predictably most of the fights last just a few minutes since they have no skills or conditioning. The winners then have the nerve to parade around like they've vanquished Mohammad Ali in his prime. I saw one guy with a 1-6 record win and act like he was the champion of the world. I witnessed another guy with a 6-5 record act like a punk taunting his downed opponent. The worst part about watching it on high definition is that it's crystal clear how pathetic the whole scene is. It made me wish I had an old blurry black and white TV.

By Kent Ninomiya

Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu | Ted Hanulak Sensei

Lessons From the Book of Five Rings: Adaptability

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:29:00 -0700

The Classic Japanese Text on the Way of Strategy by Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645)

Article and summary by Aikido Student, Sean Hannon

The Water Book is the second of Musashi's Book of Five Rings. Musashi continues his warriorship dissertation by describing why the second book is called the Water Book.

"When water is at its base, the soul is like water. Water takes on the shape of its vessel."

Musashi explores the virtue of ADAPTABILITY as it pertains to warriorship. He uses the element of water as a metaphor for describing this value.The longest of the five books, the Water Book spends a great deal of time on specific techniques of sword fighting. Musashi discusses topics such as posture in strategy, proper gaze in Strategy, proper footwork and stances, and specific techniques and principles such as no plan- no concept, running-water strike, and continuous cut. However, Musashi also still finds time to promulgate philosophical proverbs that can be extrapolated not only to Aikido training, but to daily life, in general. The virtue of adaptability that Musashi advocates (as implicated in the title The Water Book) is taken, by me, to mean adaptability in both physical skill and in the willingness to think and perceive situations flexibly.

In this article, I, once again, offer my own thoughts, opinions, and modern day interpretations of Musashi's poignant philosophy. Again, you are welcome to disagree with and/or ignore anything you read in this interpretative essay.

The second book is called the Water book because like water we must possess ADAPTABILITY to our every changing lives and environment. This is pure Darwinism. Adapt or die. I find it of particular interest that Musashi, a samurai, appears to have truly embraced the virtue of adaptability. As beautifully depicted in the 2003 film, The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, the samurai were virtually wiped out because of their unwillingness to grow, change, and adapt to their rapidly changing environment. Of course, Musashi was a very strong individual.

Individualism was/is not necessarily considered a positive attribute in traditional Japanese culture. He was also rather eccentric. His school of Strategy Ni to ichi ryu broke with traditional by proposing that the best way to battle was with two swords simultaneously – one held in each hand. This contrasted considerably from the traditional, two-handed sword style of traditional samurai.

"You will not attain the Way of Strategy simply by reading this book. You must internalize the writings of this book… you must understand the principles with your body."

Action, action, action! To know is not to do. To know and not to do is to not really know at all. Experience and results are what count.

Of course, the Way cannot be comprehensively expressed in writing. Words, while valuable and diverse, are limited by their very nature. You cannot become a warrior of life just by reading books, watching movies or instructional videos, and certainly not by playing video games! Get out there and actually do it! Aikido is much the same way. You can't learn just by watching (although you can learn a lot from watching an Aikido class, particularly when you are injured).

"Your body should not relax in correspondence with your mind, and your mind must remain resolute when the body is calm."

Here's another paradox much like yin and yang. At no time, according to Musashi, should your body and mind both be relaxed. Similarly, at no time should your body and mind be over-tight. They should be at opposite ends of each other. Your body fit and your mind empty or you body relaxed and your mind at attention.

"In all types of strategy, you must assume this combat posture and make it your regular posture."

Live presently. Be ready. The ultimate aim of awareness is not in the ethereal or the abstract, but in the present: here and now. Nothing exists in the past. The past isn't real. Nothing exists in the future, it hasn't happened. The only reality that exists is the present. Our posture, our body language, should at all times reflect the present and only the present. Look at people. Can you not see the lack of presence in their physical body? One who is tired isn't living in the present, but is trapped in either the past or the future. You can see non-present-ness in people's eyes, in people's posture, in people's gait, in people's skin tone, and in people's body fat. If you can't see this in others, you then must practice your own present-ness.

There is nothing more present than the live blade of a sword and its inherent ability to cut. When was the last time you were completely in the present? Was it when you cut yourself with a kitchen knife or dropped something heavy on your toe? Was it when you narrowly avoided a car accident? Physical danger is often a means of bringing us into the present. However, paradoxically, attracting physical danger is often caused by non-present-ness. There are other, less dangerous, less risky ways of learning to be present in both mind and body. One such way is, of course, through the committed practice of Aikido (or other martial arts or discipline). There is no need to attract danger to live presently with a combat posture. Think not only of your body carrying a combat posture, but think of your mind as such. This is not to be confused with being paranoid or worry that you always may be in danger. It just means to live presently, know where you are, and recognize your relationship is to everything else.

"Use the eyes in a broad manner."

Musashi distinguishes sight as two things: seeing and perception. He views seeing as weak and perception as strong. Seeing is done merely with the eyes. Musashi views perception as more than just the physical sense of sight. To Musashi, perception means viewing with your eyes, ears, nose, and with your gut, your intuition, your internal "vibe." See people, read people with all of your faculties, both physical and non-physical. Tap into that visceral part of you, which says "yes" or "no" to something, not from a place of logic or evidence, but from a place of your gut or gut feeling. However, I would recommend that in order to trust your gut – your intuition – your vessel must be clear. The more polluted your body is with garbage like alcohol, tobacco, drugs, medications, fast food, etc… the less you will be able to use your eyes in a broad manner.

"It is important to be able to see both sides without moving your eyes."

This quote is particularly important to me. It reminds me a lot of Stephen Covey's 5th Habit in his best selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit number 5 is: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." The ability to see both (or multiple) sides of any set of circumstances is critical to having successful relationships with family, spouses, colleagues, employers, or even enemies (or perceived enemies). When practicing the art of Aikido, this skill is critical to the optimal execution of a technique. Only by seeing both sides of a confrontation, yours and your opponents/partners are you able to optimally respond to an aggression. The people who are consistently victorious in combat, business, or in their personal lives are those who acknowledge the importance of, and learned competence in, the ability to be able to see both sides without moving your eyes. Without moving your eyes is another way of saying without having to use great effort. This comes only through repetitive practice.

People have often said to me, "How come you are such a good listener?" Or, "How come you are able to figure out or resolve this issue so quickly?" I believe the answer is because I have recognized the importance of seeing from both sides and have practiced it enough to be able to do it without moving my eyes.

"When you pick up a sword, you must be intent on cutting down your enemy. There should be no change in your grip as you do so."

Practicing everything you do with intent and perfection in mind. Pay attention! Everything is important, even the little things. "When walking, walk. When sitting, sit. But above all, don't wobble." When you are working, work well, work intently. When you are exercising, be focused on the exercising. Do it well. Do it intently. Don't read a magazine while exercising. When you are sleeping, sleep well. Make the room dark, quiet, and turn off the TV. Sleep well. When you are lying around on a Sunday afternoon watching television, just watch television. Watch television well, really well. Try not to multi-task. Multi-tasking is far over-rated. People think they are saving time or being more productive. It is my experience that the only thing multi-tasking makes you more proficient at is being less productive. It is my experience that people who multi-task get less things done, not more.

"A fixed hand is a dead hand. A flexible hand is a live hand."

Jack LaLane frequently say, "Life is motion. If you want to stay alive, keep moving." LaLane could be compared to Musashi in many ways. LaLane is as committed to his art of being forever fit and healthy as Musashi is to his perfection of the Way of Strategy. Both these masters encourage one not to get too stuck in your routines. Don't become old. Stay young, by constantly growing and constantly adapting.

"Encounter your opponent with the point of your sword aimed right at his face."

Be decisive. If you are going to engage with someone, do it directly; do it openly. Don't beat around the bush, don't gossip or go behind someone's back. Confront your enemies directly, be they external or internal. Like an Aikido technique, enter the confrontation, blend and take it off the intended line of attack, and attempt to redirect the energy to a hopefully mutual and harmonious conclusion.

"Attack the enemy at the exact moment he attacks you."

Don't hesitate. Aikido student Kriss M. introduced me to the acronym OODA. It means Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. While we may learn these steps sequentially, the master is one who appears to move through these four distinct steps instantaneously. This is a product of mastery, which is a product of repetition. The Aikido mat is a perfect place to learn these four steps viscerally and then take that sense of mastery into other areas of your life. "He who hesitates has lost" is a popular secular proverb. In Musashi's world, hesitation could mean death. Perhaps this still remains true today. Hesitation could be financial loss, injury, a career setback, the loss of a valued relationship or any other number of opportunities. A lack of clarity and lack of intent cause indecision. Napoleon Hill, author of the classic 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich! calls this "having a definiteness of purpose."

"Hit your opponent's hands from below, as he attacks… concentrate on hitting his hands."

This is a big challenge for all of us. Cut your opponents hands and the threat of his sword vanishes. Similarly, a gun isn't dangerous unless it is in someone's hand. I take this to mean: Focus on what matters. Don't get distracted by the frills. Avoid the shiny objects. I often use the shiny object metaphor to remind me to stay focused. I came up with it by watching my cat become completely distracted by something shiny reflecting in the house. Address the foundation of your challenges, the source of what ails you, not the symptoms!

"You must come to know my style and general rhythm and harmony in order to anticipate the opponent’s sword direction."

"By seriously understanding (the Way), you will be assured of victory by discerning your opponent's intent."

Practice centeredness. Know yourself and you will know nature's rhythm. Feel the natural rhythm of things and your opponent's intent will be revealed to you. Embrace nature's rhythm and you will find a path through your challenge (or enemy). Learn to step outside of your own interests and perspectives and you can learn to easily read and anticipate the actions, intentions, and motivations of others.

"If we are well aware of the path of the sword, we are able to handle it with ease."

Repetition is the mother of skill. We only get good at the things we do repeatedly. If you spend your time on things that benefit you, you will get good at those things. If you spend your time on things that harm you, you will get good at those things, too. So, spend your time on things that benefit your body, mind, and spirit and you will be able to handle challenges with relative ease.

"If you try to wield the long sword quickly, you will be mistaken in the Way."

Be present. Focus on where you are. Be mindful of the future, know exactly what you want to be, do, or have in the future, but don’t try to live in the future because the future doesn't really exist. And, when it does exist it will not longer be the future, but then will be the present. Don't be in too much of a hurry to "succeed" at something otherwise you may find that your alleged success unfulfilling. Remember: if it feels like you are cutting corners, if it feels easier, if it feels like it's cheating, then it is.

"The way you hold your sword must be that which makes it easiest for you to cut the enemy well."

Leverage. Live your life at a level of awareness, at a level of honesty that allows you to leverage your skills and assets in such a way that you optimize your time, your effectiveness, and your results. Don't create artificial prisons, mental prisons that hold you back in life. Avoid being sucked up into socially-conditioned beliefs that limit our happiness and sense of integrity.

"The most important principle when taking a sword into your handsis to cut down your enemy by whatever means need to be applied to this end."

Be decisive and act! The more clearly you know and feel your outcome, the faster you will achieve it. The most successful people in the world make decisions quickly and change those decisions very rarely, if ever. Unsuccessful people call this stubborn. Successful people call this committed.

"You must think first and foremost about performing the motionwhich will bring about cutting him."

Begin with the end in mind. Focus on your objective, your ideal outcome, while maintaining your awareness of the present and you will find that your obstacles are not really obstacles. Some say that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If you can vividly identify these two points (Point A – where you are now, and Point B – where you want to be), that straight line will reveal itself. If you don’t know one or both of these two points, no map will help you.

"When your enemy tires, you must expand your body and your spirit,and cut him… using your power like that of water from a flowing stream."

Everything has momentum. Success has momentum. Failure has momentum. Health has momentum, and sickness has momentum. When our enemies (such as laziness, self-doubt, fear, etc.) begin to tire, begin to lose its momentum, we must seize the moment and expand our power, our commitment to your advantage. We must never allow our enemies to rest and regain their momentum. The art of Aikido teaches us how to do this.

"Cut quickly and strongly with your hands, body, and legs. If you practice well you will be able to cut with great force."

"The Cut and the Slash are distinct from each other. The cut is decisive,and done with a brave spirit. The slash is simply a touching of the enemy."

Nothing great happens when you only committed part way. If you commit only half of your resources to any effort, you often only get half a result... sometime even less! If you want great results, you must commit completely with your entire spirit. So ask yourself, are you really cutting in your life? Or are you just slashing?

"When you are fighting against many… you must crash the enemy together,as if you were tying a line of fish."

What often looks like many problems in life is often just one problem. Do not separately identify one problem as many, for it will overwhelm your spirit. Try to identify what the one problem is that is in your way from succeeding and then cut it down decisively. Defeat the one, and you will discover that the other problems may seemingly vanish. The ability to discern the one from the many is largely a matter of perceiving your challenge from a perspective of intensive honesty. Honesty is most often the "skeleton key" to solving most problems.

"You will be able to win using the One Cut… If you practice well in this way, strategy will flow from your mind and you will have the ability to win according to your will of mind."

Get really good at one thing and you will find that the other things often fall into place with great ease. Be just average or mediocre at several things (by not being focused) and your life will feel mediocre and cluttered, at best. Jack of all trades, masters of none are usually the most unsuccessful, least happy people. Develop mastery at something and succeed in that endeavor before you venture on to the next interest. Spread yourself too thin and unhappiness will find you quickly. Remember: avoid the shiny objects.

"You make a journey of a thousand miles by taking step after step."

There are no shortcuts that lead to success. So, stop searching for them. If you find such a shortcut, it will likely be short-lived. Perhaps by taking bigger steps or by walking more in a straight line may shorten your journey, but those physical steps still have to be taken.

Remember, you may begin with the end in mind, but you still have to actually get there by taking the physical steps in reality. Beginning with the end in mind just makes the journey more enjoyable, it doesn’t substitute for taking the steps.

Well, that’s enough for now. I'm off to Book Three: The Fire Book. See you next time!

Read Part One: The Book of Five Rings

Ready to Try Aikido or our Weapons Class?www.CRaikido.com - Castle Rock AIKIDO

A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Japanese Text on the Way of Strategy, by Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645)

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:11:00 -0700

Article and summary by Aikido Student, Sean Hannon

Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings is a classic Japanese text of samurai sword strategy. Yet, it is so much more than just a manual on how best to wield a sword. The principles discussed in Miyamoto Musashi's masterpiece can, in many respects, be applied to life as a whole. Even though most of us today may not carry around a samurai sword on a daily basis, a reader can still find great value in the observations of this great, innovative, and eccentric samurai. Musashi developed what is called ni to ichi ryu or the "two as one way." In short, it is Musashi's preferred way of fighting with two swords simultaneously, instead of the traditional, two-handed fighting style of Japanese samurai. We can find meaning in Musashi's text beyond that of just sword fighting because, in both in Japanese and in other cultures, the sword is often used as a comprehensive metaphor for life.

Musashi was born in 1584. According to legend, Musashi had a real knack for fighting and killed his first opponent, a well-known samurai, when he was only 13 years of age. He cut down dozens more men by the time he was in his late twenties. In one such altercation, Musashi was said to have single-handedly killed over thirty men in a single challenge. Perhaps mired by his constant killing, in 1612 Musashi made the decision to never use a real blade in battle again. He, instead, elected to use only a wooden sword (a bokken). It is thought by some that he believed himself to be too good to fight others with a real sword. Perhaps out of mercy or a true compassion for life, he chose not to use a live blade. It just wasn't fair to his lesser skilled opponents.

It was also around this time that Musashi speculated that his undefeatedness was not due to his mastery of the sword, but perhaps only to natural talent, luck, or even divine intervention. So at thirty years of age Musashi then decided to dedicate the rest of his life to discovering the Principle, or as he called it, the Way of Strategy. It was not for another twenty years, at age fifty, that he had decided that he had truly discovered this Way.

In 1645, at age sixty, Musashi isolated himself in a cave near Mt. Iwato on the island of Kyushu. It was there that he committed the Way of Strategy to writing. Allegedly, Musashi died only a few days after completing Go Rin No Shu, the Book of Five Rings. Each book of the Book of Five Rings is titled after an element of nature; Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and, what Musashi calls, the Void.

In this six part series, I offer my own thoughts and propose modern day interpretations of this great master's philosophy. I present excerpts from Musashi's introduction plus each of the five books that I found important in my own study of budo. Please keep in mind that what I share here is strictly my own opinions and interpretations of Musashi's writings. You, of course, are welcome to disagree and/or dismiss my interpretations in part or in whole as you see fit. I make to claim to know the true mind of Musashi.

I believe that understanding Musashi's writings requires an appreciation for the notion of paradox. Many people could easily read his books and say that he constantly contradicts himself. I feel differently. Many paradoxes exist in his writings, but I don't feel that they are necessarily contradictory because, after all, life is full of paradoxes. For example, Aikido is a very powerful martial art, yet it can be practiced very gently without sacrificing power. To some this is a contradiction. To others, it is merely a complementary paradox. A paradox being a statement where two facts appear to be in conflict with each other, but, in fact, are both true. This, of course, is congruent with some of the principles of Chinese Taoism and Musashi appears to have an appreciation for such a philosophical perspective.

Introduction to Go Rin no Shu

Before entering the first book, the Earth Book, Musashi acknowledges his place in the Universe and demonstrates humility on the subject to which others claim him to be a master.

"There is no fighter in the world today
who understands the Way of Strategy completely."

Within this statement Musashi acknowledges that even he cannot claim complete mastery over the Way. I think this statement demonstrates Musashi's humility despite sometimes appearing to be somewhat arrogant. I have found that sometimes, a healthy self-confidence is interpreted by others with less self-confidence as arrogance. A modern day cliché or affirmation expressing a similar notion might be the idea that "no matter how good you are, there is always someone better." This, of course, may or not be true. You very well may be the best at something. However, the acknowledgement of such a possibility is the admirable trait of humility. A similar saying is "There's always room for improvement." We can strive for mastery in any calling, even achieve it to some degree, as long as we simultaneously recognize and respect the fact that there is no such thing as perfection; there is no such thing as absolute mastery. Indeed, there is very much a difference between mastery and perfection. One is achievable, one is not.

"Even if a man does not have an inborn ability to fight,
he can become a warrior by consistently practicing each of these Ways."

To me this statement simply means that we are all capable of reaching our own potential. One of the most common things I hear when prospective students call our Aikido school in Castle Rock is, "I'm not sure I'll be any good at Aikido. I'm really out of shape and I'm in my mid thirties." Of course, when it come to Aikido, your age and your weight aren't relevant. Virtually anyone can train Aikido at any age. We can all become a warrior in any calling, on or off the mat, if we choose to make the decision to do so and take the persistent action necessary to become such.

"The Way of the warrior is the brave acceptance of death."

This is often quoted in samurai bushido code and I think it tends to come across to many people as scary or morbid. To me, this quote doesn't mean you need to be prepared to die in order to train martial arts. It really just means embracing life to the fullest and not taking this great gift we have for granted. Accepting the notion of death is just a more macho way of saying to live fully… to live completely. It is only because of death that we, as humans, value life to begin with. It is the supposed contrast between these two that creates value. The fictitious samurai, Katsumoto, in 2003's film, The Last Samurai expressed a similar notion as "Life in every breath." This is the brave acceptance of death. It is the willingness and the courage to experience life in every breath. This is something most people never do.

"The warrior is different because by studying the Way of Strategy
he learns to defeat other men."

Here Musashi differentiates his Way of Strategy from that of mastery over other non-martial arts such as calligraphy, tea ceremony, carpentry, dance or even sword crafting. He contends that they are different, in many respects, because mastery of, for example, the Japanese art of tea ceremony (sado) is the mastery of a system of self – or put another way, one defeats oneself. In warriorship, people learn to defeat other people. Personally, I don't recognize the difference Musashi is trying to make, but, of course, I am not a samurai master!

"The spirit which defeats one man is the same
as that which defeats ten million men."

"If one masters the long sword, that one man can beat ten men."

Musashi appears to be a big believer in the idea that there is no such thing as size or scale. One is the same as ten. Ten is the same as one hundred and, of course, one hundred is the same as one. For a classic, pop-culture reference, I would relate this saying to that of the Yoda character in the Star Wars movies of the 1980's. Of course, many know that the character of Yoda (a Jedi master) was probably influenced to one degree or another by ancient samurai masters, perhaps even Musashi. Nonetheless, Yoda, a creature probably less than two feet tall was represented as having great strength and power despite his physical stature. "Size matters not. Do or do not. There is no try," is a famous saying of the little master.

Notice how Musashi states that it is the "spirit" that defeats one man or ten million men. He didn't say it was the man, or the skill, or the weapon, but the spirit. This is essential in learning the Way of Strategy. A classic illustration of this principle is the infamous Japanese Tea Master Story.

When the tea master met the samurai, he thought the samurai was a Ronin, and this insulted the samurai greatly. The samurai was so displeased that he challenged the team master to a dual the next morning. The tea master was terrified. He ran to the only sword master he knew and pleaded with him to train him in one night to become an able swordsman. But the tea master was a hopeless student. No matter how patiently the sword master tried to teach him, the tea master remained inept. At last the sword master said to him, "Just approach your sword fight the way you approach your tea ceremonies," and gave up.

The following morning, heavy hearted, his fate sealed, the tea master reluctantly went to his appointment. When he faced the samurai on the misty hill he shut his eyes tight, lifted the heavy sword above his head, then concentrated and centered himself the way he did when he performed his tea ceremonies. At that, the samurai threw down his sword, got down on his knees, and begged the tea master for forgiveness. "If I had known you were such a great swordsman," he said, "I never would have challenged you!"
(Source)

Musashi tries to communicate that large is small, and small is large. It is a rather holistic way of viewing the world, a world of sameness, likeness, and whole-partedness (if there is such as word).

In my opinion, Benjamin Franklin made a very similar quote. "You can only grow to the size of your thoughts." Think small and you will be small. Think big and you will be big. This also applies to other aspects of our lives. Think yourself fat and you will be fat. Think yourself tired and you will be tired.

"The principle of strategy is the accomplishment of one thing,
in order to accomplish ten thousand things."

I sum this notion up in one word: Focus. Musashi is firm on the notion of mastering one thing in order to be victorious in every thing. It is only by mastering one thing that we can learn how to master all things. Most people try to be great at a number of things before they have learned to be great at just one thing. I contend that it is this misconception that keeps people from having the success in their lives that they crave.

What will you master? How will you learn the art of mastery? Aikido? Your job? Another hobby? Your emotional state? Master one thing and you will be able to achieve great things because of what you learn in the process of mastery. Try to succeed at multiple things simultaneously without first learning the process and having the experience of mastery, and you will struggle indefinitely.

"You must train day and night in order for you to be able
to make decisions quickly."

Successful people from Napoleon Hill to Andrew Carnegie; from Henry Ford to Anthony Robbins all say that the most successful people are those who make decisions quickly and change their minds rarely, if at all. The ability to make decisions quickly in battle, of course, can mean the difference between life and death. This is definitely a skill that must be acquired. But this skill very much spills over into other areas of life as well.

To acquire this skill, you will be the recipient of heavy criticism. You may be called excessive, compulsive, stubborn, or even neurotic. However, these are often the criticisms of people less committed to their own success, growth, and mastery. I recommend that you ignore anyone who isn't absolutely and completely supportive of your attempts at mastery.

Your training doesn't end when you step off the mat – at least, not if you are paying attention it doesn't. If you've been practicing Aikido for even just a few months I'm certain you have already recognized how you actually are practicing Aikido (or the Way of Strategy) 24 hours a day, seven days per week, even though you may only train at the dojo 2 or 3 times per week. You begin to see the Aikido in everything, in every interaction, in every challenge you face. The more you practice Aikido the more you will find your intuition, your visceral body wisdom, and the more you will be willing to trust and execute your instinctive decision making abilities. I believe this is what Musashi means about training to make decisions quickly.

In the next article, we will dive into The Earth Book, the first of the 5 books of rings.

*******
Castle Rock Aikido combines Aikido philosophy and Hombu recognized Aikido training. We practice Aikido in everyday life. We are greatful for our students who commit to regular training and are even willing to travel from Denver or Colorado Springs to practice Aikido at our dojo. We welcome people to come watch or try a class for free.

Oil Culture Collapse - Kent Ninomiya

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:55:10 -0700

by Kent Ninomiya

We are in trouble. Really, really big trouble. Monster trouble that few of us think much about. It's all about oil. That stuff that used to shoot out of the ground is getting harder and harder to find, pump and refine while the demand increases by the day. Most people glaze over when the subject is raised. Our "oil culture" has been around all our lives. Since the 1970's we've been inundated with stories of gloom and doom, yet the oil still flows. Sure we pay more for gas and we gripe about it, but we still fill up our gas guzzling SUV's and drive around the block to buy a quart of milk. It's like we are in a societal state of denial. Denial of what you ask? Denial of these simple truths.

1) There is only so much oil in the ground. We are getting better and better at extracting it but someday it will run out.
2) Demand is exploding. Not just in the west but also China and India with more than 2 billion people between them. The International Energy Agency says oil consumption will skyrocket 35 percent by 2030! That will require an additional 11 billion barrels of oil every year! This isn't just gasoline for our cars. It impacts airplanes, electricity production and manufactured goods. Any economist will tell you that when you have a dwindling supply and hefty demand you get higher prices.
3) With the rising price of oil comes the rising price of everything. Just about every person on Earth needs oil to get anywhere. Just about every product you consume got to you on a truck, train or plane using oil. Just about every service you require needs oil to provide it. That means everything gets more expensive when oil gets more expensive.

Now visualize a world where you just can't get your hands on any oil at any price. That means prices of everything will skyrocket. People wont be able to get to work to make money to buy things that wont get to them anyway because there is no oil to ship the stuff around the world. Economies will collapse followed by societies, cultures and civilizations. Is this an exaggeration? Not really.

So how did we get in such a mess? About a century ago a relatively small group of people saw big bucks in oil. It improved human standard of living in ways we couldn't imagine before. Suddenly we could travel around the world, get exotic items from just about anywhere, and do away with countless age old limitations involving distance. A steady stream of cheap gas fed our habit until it was all we knew. Growing up in the suburbs, getting your own car as a teenager, hitting the highway as an expression of freedom... all became part of our culture. It is now who we are. Asking us to give it up is asking us to deny who we are.

We've known for a long time that oil pollutes the planet and that we would someday run out. Yet we have done remarkably little about that. Technology for wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal and other alternative energy sources have been around longer than oil in some cases. So why have we not done more to switch to those sources as we face our own demise with the end of oil? Conspiracy theorists will tell you the oil barons squashed alternative fuel technology to stay in business. While this may be somewhat true, it doesn't entirely explain how an entire species would buy into an oil habit that everyone agrees we will eventually have to go cold turkey with.

The answer is that oil was easy. Running out of it and the damage it did to Earth was a future generation's problem. We just didn't care enough to do something about it. Well... now we are starting to. We might not run out of oil in our lifetimes but we will certainly suffer for it. The pain we feel now paying higher prices is just the beginning. The strain on our currency, supply chain and way of life will become more and more pronounced. Larger and larger chunks of our household budgets will go straight to the oil industry. Care free days of driving to the store to buy the latest fashions or stock up at the supermarket are disappearing. What will happen to a society that defines itself by what it does with its cars? We shall see.

*** Kent Ninomiya ***

Mobile Addicts - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:53:08 -0700

How many cellular phones have you owned in your lifetime? If you're like me you have no idea. When I got my first cell phone in the early 1990's it was the size of a brick, cost $500 and the calls cost 75 cents per minute. I felt cool carrying it around but was afraid to make calls fearing an outrageous bill. Fast forward a decade and a half and cell phones are like pants. Quite literally everyone has them. In fact I don't know a single person past puberty who doesn't have one. The once pricey phones are now given away "free" when you sign a contract and call minutes are conveniently packaged in monthly bundles for you. It would seem that we've made progress with cellular phones... but have we? Sure they're smaller and do cooler things, but we are paying more than we ever realized we would for something nearly all of us didn't have nor need 20 years ago. Cell phones are now a necessity of life. Even the eccentric families who don't have TV's have cell phones. The cellular phone companies realized that the key to raking in money was volume. Like the drug dealer on the corner, they started giving away the phones for "free" knowing you would be back for more and willing to pay for it. You see... cell phones are every bit as addictive as drugs and much harder to quit. You are encouraged to use them more and more with the minute bundles. When you don't think about the minutes that are ticking away, it's easy to forget you're paying extra for the convenience of a cell phone. Before you know it, a family is paying more than one hundred dollars a month on a cell phone bill. Multiply that by, well everybody, and you have a very lucrative business. Now the only thing the cell phone companies have left to do is fight over market share. They fight hard over that too. Once you are on the hook for a contract you can't get out without paying an outrageous penalty. Have you ever noticed that the cell companies push two year contracts but the free or discounted phone they gave you only lasts about a year and a half? It has happened to me and countless others I know more times than we can remember. When you call to complain they tell you the warranty expired at a year but they would be happy to give you a brand new phone... IF you sign a brand new 2 year contract. THIS IS THE SCAM! It is my hypothesis that the phones are deliberately designed to last less than two years so the cellular phone companies can trap you into renewing your contract. What do you think? Kent Ninomiya

Satori

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:36:50 -0700

by Kent Ninomiya

Satori is a beautifully simple yet infinitely elusive concept. This is especially true for the western mind that deals primarily in the physical realm. Yet I would argue that it is the western mind that is especially in need of attaining satori. Defining satori is as evasive as satori itself. Ask many experts on the matter and you will get many answers. None of these answers will tell you how to attain satori or even what to look for. There in lies the difficulty for the western mind that is used to following pre printed instructions.

My personal definition of satori is enlightenment attained by a seemingly unrelated event. One of the guiding principles of zen is that the harder you try to be enlightened the less enlightened you are. Only through purging yourself of desire can you attain all you seek. I know... it messes with your mind. A famous story about satori involves a monk who meditated for decades in isolation but never achieved enlightenment. One day he was sweeping his walkway when the sound of a pebble hitting a rock suddenly gave him satori. He then understood everything. All that meditating did nothing. The sound of the pebble broke through all barriers to his understanding. I know... it messes with your mind.

The word literally means "understanding" in Japanese. It's been said that satori is the reason Zen exists. Without satori there would be no Zen. I agree. However, you don't have to understand Zen or Buddhism or even enlightenment to appreciate this.

Here is a western way to look at it. Just imagine working diligently for many years on a task only to achieve modest success. This could be your career or sports or a relationship or anything. Suddenly one moment something unexpected happens where you suddenly realize you were looking at it all the wrong way. One moment before you knew nothing. Now you see the big picture clear as day and wonder why you never saw it before. That is satori. It is an unanticipated turning point we can all relate to. It is a gift of awareness and understanding.

*** Kent Ninomiya ***

disappearing stereotypes - Kent Ninomiya

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:22:49 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Take a look at the leader board at the Sony Open. K.J. Choi is the big story. He is leading thanks to his amazing 5 under 65. It's a monumental turn around from his last place finish among the 31 winners at Kapalua for the Mercedes-Benz Championship seven days ago. He leads Kevin Na by two strokes. Another big story is Tadd Fujikawa. Last year he became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA Tour. The 17-year-old from Honolulu failed to make the cut this time but he's the focus of attention whenever he plays just like Michelle Wie and Tiger Woods. Do you notice anything about the names? Every one of them if Asian or of Asian ancestry. Tiger is the undisputed face of Golf yet many don't realize that he is more Asian than he is black. Asian athletes are moving to the forefront of American athletics. Gone are the days of the meek Asian stereotype. Baseball is full of Asian stars like Ichiro. Basketball has Yao Ming. Football has Hines Ward. The list goes on and on in sports ranging from tennis to figure skating to soccer to hockey. It's good for the future of sports to have role models of every color. It inspires young athletes to strive for their dreams. These pioneers represent far more than they know. They are like Jackie Robinson breaking down barriers both real and imagined. Kent Ninomiya

Remote Control DNA - Kent Ninomiya

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:39:39 -0700

If there was ever any doubt that there's a link between genetics and the remote control... I have the proof. It's a universally known fact that men need to control the remote. It's programmed into their DNA. When man first stood upright he headed straight for the couch to sit on his ass and use his newly opposable thumb to channel surf. Various heretics out there might cluelessly claim this is a cultural behavior. Silly them. Today I watched my just past kindergarten son walk into a room where females were watching television, commandeer the remote control, and proceed to flip through the channels until he found a program with crashing cars. When his sister tried to wrestle the remote from him, my son exerted his dominance with the veracity of an alpha dog guarding a rib eye. Once the remote is in his grasp, it's his. I was never so proud of my boy. It's not just about the program on TV either. He will change the channel if he's told to, but he wont give up the remote. The clings to it like a third world dictator clings to power. Even before he could read he knew how to operate every button on the remote. He even managed to program in his favorite channels. He taught himself to do that. If it wasn't programmed into his DNA, then how else can it be explained? *** Kent Ninomiya ***

Laying Waste to TV - Kent Ninomiya

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:45:32 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - The two month old Writers Guild of America strike threatens to change every aspect of our media. That includes TV, movies, Internet, and much more. All indications are that both sides are digging in for a long fight. The union would not give exemptions for awards shows like Peoples Choice and Golden Globes. They promise to take a hard line on the Academy Awards next month as well. The studios aren't blinking. They have canceled dozens of writers' contracts suggesting they are willing to concede the fall line up. Ordinarily networks are ordering new shows this month but nothing is happening now. The Directors Guild of America just agreed to a tentative three year contract. The studios hope to hold that over the writers and force them to make concessions on the issue of revenue on digital entertainment. For now neither side is budging and it is laying waste to the industry.

As stockpiled TV shows are drying up, favorite programs are going into annoying reruns or disappearing altogether. Reality shows are becoming more popular and successful. This is tragic for lovers of sitcoms and well written dramas. Nightline is enjoying a ratings resurgence at the expense of late night talk shows that disappeared for a while. Many viewers are turning off the TV for other forms of entertainment. Video game and DVD sales are up. The Internet is seeing a remarkable increase in activity. If this continues for months what will be left of television? That isn't clear, but whatever it is, it will be drastically different than it was before.

When baseball went on strike in 1994 they lost a significant chunk of their fan base. It took MLB a decade to regain fan trust and flourish again. Likewise TV may see changes that take years to undo. It may also lose forever many of the programs and genres that were once adored. The way we entertain ourselves may never be the same again. Kent Ninomiya

UFC Imitators - Kent Ninomiya

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:13:24 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Mixed Martial Arts are exploding on the scene. The undisputed king of the genre is the UFC. They deserve to be where they are. They endured while the league struggled with lack of interest, economic viability and lawmakers who wanted to shut them down. Like a true MMA champion they survived it all to thrive. Even though I am a martial arts purist, I confess to enjoying the UFC. I don't watch their reality show because I don't care about the private lives of the fighters, but I like watching these amazing athletes show off their skills. They are professionals and highly trained. Unfortunately, wherever there is success there are cheap imitators. Several inferior leagues have popped up trying to cash in on the UFC's popularity. Some of them are downright sad. For example, I was watching HD Net Friday Fight Night. It was worse than amateur hour. The fighters are pathetically bad. Some are downright fat. They look like they just put down their beer and pried themselves off the couch to fight. Predictably most of the fights last just a few minutes since they have no skills or conditioning. The winners then have the nerve to parade around like they've vanquished Mohammad Ali in his prime. I saw one guy with a 1-6 record win and act like he was the champion of the world. I witnessed another guy with a 6-5 record act like a punk taunting his downed opponant. The worst part about watching it on high definition is that it's crystal clear how pathetic the whole scene is. It made me wish I had an old blurry black and white TV. Kent Ninomiya

Dare Not Blink - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:40:00 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - I took my son to a high school basketball game. He got free tickets at school along with dozens of other kids his age. He was wide eyed with excitement seeing all the action and cheering people. Still, all that noise and activity is intimidating at first to a small boy. I encouraged him to go off and see his friends sitting elsewhere in the bleachers but he preferred to stay close by my side. After more prodding he eventually sought out his best friend a few rows away. Soon he was hanging around the railing with girls, getting drinks of water at the fountain and running off to the gym to jump off things. Every now and then he checked in to make sure I was OK. I spent the rest of the game watching my son, not the basketball. It was the first time I saw him really socialize in a large setting. He worked the room, flirted, and charmed his friends. I wondered how much of that personality came from me and how much was his own. I wanted to take credit for much of it but knew I couldn't. He's his own person now, not the baby I once held in my arms. Sad how quickly that transition happened. I looked around at the little kids faces then at the faces of high school kids nearby. They're not so different. I stared wide eyed at my son's face as he joked with his friends. I dared not blink fearing I would open my eyes to find him all grown up. Kent Ninomiya

Snow Day - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 21:09:11 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - There's nothing like a snow day to bring a family together and give you a fabulous work out. It's like a surprise holiday. That is if you don't have to work. A lovely 6 inches fell over night prompting the kids to force me out of bed at the crack of dawn. First order of business was to clear the driveway of snow so we could get the car out. That's a significant work out in itself. I had a good sweat going by the time I cut a path wide enough for our vehicle. All the while the kids romped and played on a miniature hill I created by my digging. Once we could get out the real play and exercise began. We went to the local hill for some serious sledding. There is nothing like the uncontrolled laughter of a family flying out of control down a steep snow covered hill. We think nothing of the vigourous climbs back up the hill for the next run. By the time we called it a day we had hiked miles up a steep slope. We were covered in snow and sweat. We were exhausted and giddy. The best kinds of exercise and happiness are the kinds that you don't know you are getting. Kent Ninomiya

kids on line - Kent Ninomiya

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:38:34 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - When it comes to computers, our children are generations ahead of us. Before they can read or write they are clicking a mouse. This is evidenced by the explosion in children's online virtual worlds. Barbie has a monster of a site with 10 million registered users gathered in less than a year. Think of the marketing possibilities. It's scary. Of course Disney wont be left out of this boom. Their Club Penguin and Webkinz sites are sucking in the kids. IBM and Zula USA are creating another one expected to launch this summer. So what is a parent to do? On one hand you want your children to be computer savvy. On the other you don't want to willingly expose them to the exploitation of the toy companies. It's a tricky balance. Kids want to play with toys that their friends play with so if their pals are on line they want to be as well. Also virtually all children's entertainment out there has a commercial component. If you want to keep them away from that stuff you need to shut them off from all popular culture. I guess the solution is balance. You may not be able to keep them out of the virtual world but you can make them live a majority of their time in the real world. Kent Ninomiya

Staying in shape past 40 - Kent Ninomiya

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:33:23 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - I've always taken care of myself. I don't drink or smoke. I eat well and exercise every day. Still, I find it increasingly difficult to stay slim and fit now that I've passed 40. It's something every middle aged person complains about, but somehow I thought I would be immune since I considered myself fit. I accept that I am getting older but I refuse to accept that means I need to get soft and flabby. A few years ago I changed my focus from being big to being lean. I traded low rep heavy weights for higher rep maintenance weights. I also cut back on my protein and calories. The diet that fed my muscles through my youth was fattening me up in my middle age. This seemed to work fine until I decreased my weight work and increased my cardio. It actually made it harder for me to keep off the pounds. I was puzzled by this until I talked to several experts in fitness and nutrition. Apparently I lost muscle mass when I stopped lifting all those weights. Muscle burns a lot of calories, apparently more than cardio work in my case. So I hit the weights again and seeing the results. I will never stop lifting again. Kent Ninomiya

Asian Celebration - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 10:44:52 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Happy Lunar New Year everyone! All around the world there are celebrations with feasts, fireworks and dancing dragons. It's a time for Asian families and familes of Asian decent to get together and revel in the new year. It is Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day all wrapped into one in asian culture. It's often called "Chinese New Year," but this isn't particularly accurate. While it is widely observed in China, it is also an important holiday for people throughout East Asia and of Asian ancestry all over the world. Believe it or not, there are still people out there who do not realize all Asian people are NOT Chinese. Lunar New Year is also a more accurate term. The holiday usually begins on the first day of the first lunar month. This makes the lunar calendar much more accurate than the Julian calendar. Jokes are often made about the Chinese being backward for celebrating the new year late. In reality the west celebrates the new year early. While the traditional Chinese calendar does not record continuously numbered years, 2008 is considered year 4705. So happy 4705 everyone! Kent Ninomiya

Karate Kids - Kent Ninomiya

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:29:06 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - How young is too young to being martial arts training? I started my studies at 5 years old. In fact I don't remember a time I didn't train. It was as part of my life as breathing. I wanted the same for my children so enrolled them when they were very young. What I didn't realize is that their ability to learn is extremely limited at that age. While watching them I realized that my recollection of that time in my life was probably drastically different than they way it really was. 5 year olds don't have very long attention spans. They are also in the early stages of developing their coordination. As a result they fall down a lot and lose focus. I had to get a hold of myself and realize that my children will not be proficient in the martial arts for many years. The best lesson young children can learn from martial arts is discipline and attention to teacher and detail. If that is the lesson you want them to learn then starting them at 5 or 6 years old is fine. The physical skills will come later. By the way those are not my children in that picture. Kent Ninomiya

New Direction for Bond - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:43:59 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - The name of the new James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," has fans and critics everywhere scratching their heads. It's not just an opaque name. It marks a significant change in the direction of the James Bond character and franchise. Not since George Lazenby has there been a more unpopular choice of actor to portray Bond than Daniel Craig. His first Bond film, "Casino Royale," restarts the character from the beginning though it is set in modern times. The movie relied much more on story and character than the action and stunts Bond films are known for. "Quantum" continues right where "Casino" left off. Bond seeks revenge for the death of his love Vesper. Producers promise more action in this film but the die is cast for a new Bond. It is too soon to know if this will work with fans. If "Quantum" is a success then we can expect Bond to continue down a darker brooding path. If it flops we may see the return of Roger Moore slapstick. Hopefully Bond will find a happy medium. Kent Ninomiya

Mean Mom - Kent Ninomiya

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:31:56 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Did you hear about the woman from Des Moines, Iowa who calls herself the "meanest mom on the planet?" She found alcohol in her 19 year old son's car so decided to place a classified ad in the newspaper. It reads:

OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

The mean mom got about 70 calls from people who wanted to congratulate her for her meanness. The car already sold but she's running the ad for another week anyway, just so everyone will know how mean she is. Wouldn't it be nice if all parents could be so mean. That way fewer would have to mourn the loss of children who die in drunk driving accidents but have nice parents.

Kent Ninomiya

Writers Strike Benefits - Kent Ninomiya

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:34:55 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - The writers strike likely end is good news for Hollywood and fans. All that pent up creativity can now come flowing out of the writers. I expect nothing less than brilliant original material at every level. I may not get that but I expect it. The strike allowed studios and networds to prune the withering branches from their production tree. Thankfully lame shows like Bionic Woman and Cavemen will not return. They were doomed anyway because of their inept writing. Movie production is being pushed back. The new Star Trek film will open summer 2009 instead of Christmas. The move will probably make everyone involved a lot more money. Studios are now cherry picking dates and films without rushing projects to the screen. In the long run we could see a better product all around. Let's hope so. Kent Ninomiya

CNN's Cool New Toy - Kent Ninomiya

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 21:18:21 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Did you see CNN's new touch screen contraption during Super Tuesday coverage? It's pretty cool. More importantly it is an increadibly useful tool. It instantaneously breaks down specific districts with real time numbers of election returns. In the hands of an effective and knowledgeable political broadcaster like John King, it gives viewers valueable insights into the shifting vote counts as they come in. It makes an unprecidented neck and neck Super Tuesday contest even more exciting. There are still a few bugs in the system, but I suspect that has more to do with operator comfort with the technology. Just watch. All the major networks will feature one of these by the general election. Kent Ninomiya

Yo quiero - Kent Ninomiya

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:49:17 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Yo quiero a healthier taco! Continuing my look at better food choices when you dine out... how about Taco Bell? That's right. The fast food chain has a "Fresco" menu with nine items with less than 9 grams of fat. That's still quite a bit of fat for a little taco but much less than what the regular stuff packs. There's nothing too innovative here. They just replace the cheese and sauce with salsa. The fatty meat and fried shell are still there. No one ever went to Taco Bell looking for health food so I doubt this will make anyone change their habits. However, if find yourself in a Taco Bell and are forced to eat, try something Fresco. Kent Ninomiya

Cool Cal - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:08:26 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - I know I usually talk about Cal football but, believe it or not, there is much more to Cal than the pig skin. There are a whole bunch of smart people there. Here is one. She is physics professor Alessandra Lanzara. Yes, physics professors can look like her. She is working on a way to make electricity virtually free and the means to store it limitless. She wants to restring the power grid with high temperature superconductors. Superconductors can transmit a current without electricity loss when chilled below a critical temperature. Power lines made of superconductors could retain wasted energy and hold it indefinitely. Pretty cool (pun intended) and it's being developed at Cal. Kent Ninomiya

Starbucks lite - Kent Ninomiya

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:54:08 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - Starbucks is finally jumping on the healthy bandwagon. They plan to introduce a line of lighter products this year. The first will be skinny lattes and mochas. They are just 90 calories for a tall compared to 190 for a regular latte and 270 in a regular mocha. The shocker here isn't that Starbucks is introducing diet coffee. It's that many of us have been guzzling this stuff for years without realizing how fattening it was. Oh... the new drinks have no fat compared to 5 grams for a regular tall vanilla latte and 12 grams of fat for a tall caffe mocha. Feeling coffee remorse? You would have been better off with the doughnuts! Kent Ninomiya

MSN Yahoo Merger - Kent Ninomiya

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 14:32:15 -0800

Kent Ninomiya - The proposed merger of MSN and Yahoo is very good news for the internet world. Yahoo and Google use very different techniques in their searches. You can get very different results from the same search on the two engines. There is a vital need for both to survive lest we become a 100% Googlized culture. That wouldn't benefit any of us. Take the deal Yahoo. Kent Ninomiya