Samurai Kent Ninomiya

No Excuses

2009-06-19T15:53:00.000-05:00

Not only do active children and adults benefit from martial arts training, the elderly and physically challenged can thrive as well. Martial arts is all about using your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. Each martial artist will have their own style based on their strengths, and will adapt their technique depending on the weaknesses of their opponent. Martial artists include paraplegics, the blind, and 90 year old grandmothers. Allow no excuse to stop you from indulging in martial arts training. It offers increased confidence, better health, and mental harmony.

Quality not Quantity

2009-06-18T13:42:00.001-05:00

There is a wide variety of tae kwon do and other martial arts schools to choose from. A common mistake martial artists make is to latch on to a school that does not suit their needs. Big schools offer large facilities and plenty of varied partners, but can often neglect the individual lost in a sea of students. Small schools offer individualized attention in a more intimate setting, but might not have all the fancy equipment. Each martial arts student must ask themself why they are studying the martial arts. If the answer is to be part of a large social setting with other martial artists, then a larger school is a better choice. If the answer is to hone your martial arts skills, then you would benefit from the personal attention of a small school. The bottom line is that it come down to quality instruction. Good instructors train quality students. You are not getting quality instruction if you are left alone with someone without a black belt to supervise you. Only black belts are qualified to teach. If a school tells you otherwise, go somewhere else.

Martial Arts Wandering

2009-06-17T01:20:00.001-05:00

The study of martial arts should ideally be done under the tutelage of a single qualified master. However, in today's modern society people move, schools close, and students get bored.
A lifelong student of martial arts may need to transition to several different martial arts programs in their lifetime. This can be incredibly difficult if you study a somewhat obscure martial art like hapkido. There are very few hapkido schools, so finding one when you move is a challenge. This is why tae kwon do is a good martial art to study if you plan to move a lot. No martial art is more pervasive in America today. The two largest factions of tae kwon do are the World Taekwondo Federation and the International Taekwon-do Federation. Their systems are somewhat standardized. If you study WTF or ITF tae kwon do, you should be able to find another school teaching pretty much the same way in another city. Your rank will also transfer to the new school. This allows you to continue your studies unabated.

What's in a Name?

2009-06-12T18:27:00.000-05:00

I am often asked the differences between tae kwon do, taekwondo, taekwon-do, tang soo do, moo duk kwon, jhoon rhee, etc. They are all descended from Korean martial arts masters developing their own styles following World War II. These masters were influenced by Japanese karate, but decided to take their arts in their own direction. This evolution continued as tae kwon do spread to American and around the world. You might find several martial arts schools in your neighborhood teaching a variety of these styles. They are all essentially teaching the same thing. They may have different forms, techniques, and belt systems, but at the end of the day it is all about punching and kicking. This tae kwon do topic page strives to encompass ideas from all these styles and freely exchange ideas without judgement. It also strives to reach out to cousin martial arts such as karate, hapkido, and MMA. Tae kwon do sits somewhere between karate and hapkido/MMA on the martial arts evolutionary scale. Whatever you decide to study, make sure that it suits your interests. Also remember that you can study more than one style. Perhaps someday you will start your own martial art.

Karate Is Back

2009-06-11T21:55:00.001-05:00

When Lyoto Machida won the UFC Light Heavyweight championship two weeks ago, he declared that "karate is back." Machida's martial arts training started at the age of 3 with instruction from his father, a shotokan master. Machita later branched out to sumo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and eventually mixed martial arts. He rose to the top of the UFC using a combination of his skills, but his technique remains dominated by the karate style he learned as a child. Tae kwon do and karate are closely related martial arts. You can see elements of these styles as you watch Machida fight. He is elusive. Machida never stands directly in front of an opponent, so rarely gets hit. He moves laterally with ease and strikes unexpectedly with remarkable precision. This karate style has frustrated opponents used to pounding opponents into submission. The UFC has long been dominated by submission specialists and heavy handed ground and pounders. Karate and TKD have long been written off as impractical for mixed martial arts. Machina is rewriting the qualifications for a mixed martial arts champion.

Tae Kwon Do Evolving

2009-06-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

An 18-year-old second dan named Dakota Srigley just won the ITF tae kwon do Canadian nationals. When asked about his aspirations, Srigley stated that he plans a career in mixed martial arts.
This on top of his next project, appearing in an upcoming movie starring Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman. This points out an interesting trend in martial arts. Students are seeing tae kwon do as a springboard to other things. Any actor who wants to be an action star needs to know how to fight. Many actors study tae kwon do strictly for career development. Mixed martial arts is all the rage these days. Kids watch MMA fights on TV then head to the Dojang to try them out. Many move on to other martial arts when they realize that tae kwon do wont help them with their ground game. If this trend continues, it wont take long for the tae kwon do schools to adapt. We will see more hybrid programs and fewer pure tae kwon do schools. Could this be what TKD is evolving into?

The "C" Word

2008-06-03T21:15:00.001-05:00

American sports broadcasters are being criticized for using the word "Chinaman" to describe Chinese sports stars. Last Sunday, Len Dawson of television station KMBC in Kansas City observed that Yao Ming attended the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 auto race. Yao was there to raise awareness about the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province and to urge Americans to donate to relief charities. Instead of pointing out Yao's humanitarian efforts, Dawson, a former professional football quarterback, said "it's not every day you see a seven-foot-four Chinaman working on a car."
The term "Chinaman" is considered derogatory in modern American culture and is defined as an offensive racial slur in current English language dictionaries. It was used in the 1800's to describe men from China in an anonymous dehumanizing way. Chinese men had their names recorded as "John Chinaman" or simply as "Chinaman" suggesting that they were all the same and not important as individuals. Asian American author Maxine Hong Kingston has said the antiquated term is equivalent to the N-word for blacks. The term "Chinaman's chance" is a shortened version of "Chinaman's chance in hell" meaning no chance at all. The expression comes from pre gold rush days in California when Chinese workers were deemed expendable and used for dangerous work such as placing dynamite. The term "Chinaman's chance" refers to the odds of the man surviving.
The comment has American journalists debating among themselves about the severity of the racial slur. The TVSpy Watercooler message board for journalists was a flurry of activity in the days following Dawson's comment. Some suggested it is being taken too seriously. One wrote "Lighten up. If it were done on a continuous basis ... it would be very offensive. But, said once in that context .. a funny line- that's all." In response, another poster wrote "It doesn't matter if it's funny or not. The term "Chinaman" is a racial slur. If he had said 'Look there's an N-word working on his car' this conversation would be about Dawson being fired and whether he'd ever work in TV again."
Just last month, on April 11, CBS announcer Bobby Clampett referred to Chinese golfer Liang Wen-Chong as "the Chinaman" during the Masters golf broadcast. According to CBS spokeswoman Leslie Anne Wade, Clampett later apologized on the Masters web cast. Clampett said, "if I offended anybody please accept my sincere apologies." The apology itself came under fire. On the sports site Fanhouse, writer Michael David Smith said "the style of apology that begins with 'if I offended anybody' always rings a little bit hollow. The word 'Chinaman' is a slur, and it's the slur that should be followed up with an apology, not the reaction of being offended by the slur."
The reaction to the comment is also raising questions about a double standard. Are racial slurs against black athletes taken more seriously than slurs against Chinese athletes? In January, Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman was suspended for two weeks for joking that if young players want to beat golfer Tiger Woods they should "lynch him in a back alley." The "lynch" reference offended African American advocates like Rev. Al Sharpton because of America's painful history of mobs lynching black men. Sharpton led a public campaign urging the Golf Channel to fire Tilghman. There was no such outcry for punishing Clampett for his "Chinaman" comment. Clampett was not suspended like Tilghman. Likewise, Len Dawson has not been suspended by his employer and has issued no apology for his comment about Yao Ming.

Kent Ninomiya

Mess in Myanmar

2008-05-07T18:25:00.000-05:00

by Kent Ninomiya

We are just now realizing the epic scale of the disaster in Myanmar. A U.S. diplomat in Myanmar now says up to 100,000 people may have been killed by the devastating cyclone. About one million people are now homeless. Much of the country is under water and bodies float everywhere. There is stiff competition for what little food and fresh water is left. Disease and starvation will have a serious secondary impact. To make matters worse, much worse, is the military junta that runs the country with an iron fist. They are paranoid of outsiders and restrict the access of foreign officials and aid groups that are struggling to deliver relief goods. However, the scale of this disaster may force Myanmar's leaders to compromise. State television in Myanmar now says the government would accept aid from any country and that help had arrived Wednesday from Japan, Bangladesh, Laos, Thailand, China, India and Singapore. Could this be the beginning of real change for Myanmar? Could a major disaster be just what was needed to open up the government and perhaps spur a change in leadership? We shall see. One thing is sure. Myanmar will need a lot of rebuilding, and if their government allows it, foreign aid will pour in. Keep an eye on Myanmar.

Asia Opportunites and Caution

2008-05-06T23:46:00.000-05:00

by Kent Ninomiya

Right now, the investment climate in Asia looks pretty good. The markets in the USA and Europe may have declined all they are going to in the near future. At the same time three of the best stock markets in Asia, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore appear to be pretty close to bottoming out. Talk now is that this bear market may have been far less scary than previous believed. Still, thing could change at any time so stay tuned.

In general, the economies of Asia are relatively stable compared to the free fall we have experienced here in the United States. That is not to say there aren't dangers investing in Asia. You just need to be smart about it.

Standard & Poor's released a report today saying "the general credit outlook for Asia's sovereigns is still predominantly stable in the current financial and economic crisis but risks loom as a few governments may lack prudence in addressing increased inflationary pressures."

That means some Asian leaders may sacrifice long term economic stability in favor of short term measures that make their people happy. This happens when it's an election year or there's social strife. There's a bit of that going around Asia these days.

The S & P report says, the potential negative effects from the United States housing and economic problems has the potential to reduce Asian exports, lead to a decline in foreign direct investment and lower corporate profits." At the same time, increased demand for food, energy, and workers combined with a booming demand for everything is increasing inflation.

Asian governments will need to decide whether it's more important to hold down inflation or encourage economic growth. People aren't happy when they're hungry. There are rice shortages all over Asia. In pursuit of quick fixes, some governments are introducing extensive and market-distorting food price controls and export rations. They could pay for that later.

So where should you invest? It depends. Here's the latest breakdown country by country.

Indonesia: experiencing fiscal pressure due to rapidly rising fuel subsidies

Vietnam: inflation of more than 20 percent. Concerns about economic stability here

Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Taiwan: governments seem hesitant to take many risks because of political situations

India: seems to be somewhat insulated from the slowdown in the United States. The Indian economy is pretty closed and doesn't trade much with the US.

China and Hong Kong: much better chances of economic reform and policy change here to address economic concerns. Chinese leaders aren't as swayed by popular opinion and their people are used to letting the government take care of things. Besides, it's also the region of greatest growth and demand in Asia. This region presents the best investment environment at this time.

Enlightenment - Kent Ninomiya

2008-04-21T00:16:00.001-05:00

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 ***

Don't Cry Wolf - Kent Ninomiya

2008-03-28T01:01:00.001-05:00

What is all this about the cover of Vogue being racist? Take a look at the image here on the right. The offended say LeBron James' expression combined with his arm being around Giselle Bundchen's waist “reinforces the criminalization of black men.” What?! Since when is an expression racist? People often see what they want. Perhaps the offended want to see racism here. It's not as though Giselle was in black face or LeBron was flashing gang signs. It's just a picture of two people on a magazine cover! There is enough REAL racism out there to worry about. When a big deal is made about imaginary racism like this magazine cover, it distracts from a real problem in our society. It also gives society an excuse to turn a blind eye when racism does rear its ugly head. When you cry wolf too many times, no one listens when the wolf really comes. Let's call racism what it is. Let's not call it racism when it isn't. Kent Ninomiya

The Race Card - Kent Ninomiya

2008-03-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

Since when does something someone else says automatically mean you endorse it? Since when do you have to agree with everything an authority figure believes in order to respect him? Since when does a stupid statement another person makes reflect on you?

All of us have friends and relatives who have beliefs different than our own. Think of all the elders, teachers, preachers, and role models you know. Do you agree with each and every thing that they all say? Of course not, but that doesn't mean they aren't important influences in your life.

Indeed, that is what we are supposed to do in life. We are influenced by others. We adopt beliefs we agree with and reject those we oppose. So why is Barack Obama being blamed for Reverend Jerimiah Wright's inflamatory statements? If you listen to someone making anti-American statements does that make you anti-American? Of course not. Obama's statement that he could no more disown his long time pastor than he could his racist grandmother is reasonable. Most of us can relate to that.

That's what makes Hillary Clinton's comments all the more disturbing. After staying out of the fray for a week enjoying the heat focused on Obama, Clinton decides to chime in on Rev. Wright. Could it be because she was caught exhaggerating the danger she faced during a visit to Bosnia? Clinton now says she would have disowned Wright. It guaranteed the issue would stay in the news another day and turn the focus back on Obama.

As strange as it might sound, Clinton is playing the race card. Obama enjoys wide support among white voters who see him as an unthreatning black man. The Rev Wright issue plants seeds of doubt in the minds of many white voters. Could Obama really be a radical black activist in politically correct clothing? Clinton would love for voters to think so.

I am disillusioned with the Clintons. I bring Bill into the equation because he is on TV every day as the blunt instrument of Hillary's campaign. The two are politically entwined and of like mind. That's a fact on the record, not my opinion. Throughout the Bill Clinton presidency they were outspoken advocates for equal rights. I remember doing a story about Bill being named the first "black" president for his tireless work for the African American community. However POWER seems to be a more tempting motivation for the Clintons. They are proving they are willing to sacrifice some of their core values just to get elected. Not only are they standing by while a black man is unfairly maligned, they are actively exploiting latent racist fears among white voters for their political advantage.

If Hillary Clinton suggests that Obama should be held accountable for Reverend Wright's comments then she should be held accountable for Geraldine Ferraro's comments. To suggest that Obama has it easy as a candidate because he's a black man is the height of idiocy. Since when do black men get anything easy in our society? If it was true, then we should have had lots of black male presidents by now. You can't have it both ways Hillary. Politics is a nasty game with few rules, but going to the racial game when you're a woman is a new low. It plays prejudices off of prejudices. A true advocate for civil rights speaks out against bias in all forms at all times. There is no free pass for presidential elections.

Kent Ninomiya

Lunar New Year - Kent Ninomiya

2008-02-08T10:44:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Happy Lunar New Year everyone! 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

Cultural Hypersensitivity - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-31T15:14:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - We are in the midst of an era of hypersensitivity over slips of the tongue and cultural issues. First there was the suspension of Kelly Tilghman for joking that Tiger Woods should be "lynched." Then it was ESPN's Dana Jacobson suspended for comments about Notre Dame and Jesus at a roast. Now it's CNN's Kyra Phillips coming under fire.

She was in a discussion with Gerri Willis and co-anchor. Willis joked that if she could predict the stock market, she and Phillips could run off to an island, prompting Phillips' , to ask not to be left out of the girls' getaway. This resulted in the following exchange:Gerri: Alright Don, you come too.Kyra: We could bring him along with the girls. Gerri: Come on!Kyra: He's paying! Thanks, Gerri.Don: A little sandwich!Kyra: Ooh!Gerri: Whoa, I have to go now!Kyra: Yeah, good time. You don't want to talk about the reverse oreo!

If you watch this exchange (you can find it easily on the internet) you will see that it's innocent banter. No one there was offended. However the hypersensitive among us could make this out to be racial insensitivity, sexual insensitivity or both. I would not be surprised if there are calls for suspensions. That seems to be in vogue these days.

I argue that cultural sensitivity is not the same as racial blindness. Pretending that we don't see that people are different is hypacritical. We should acknowledge and embrace these differences as what makes our American culture great. When someone makes a comment that is warmly greeted by the people they are addressing, it is not up to third parties to be gravely insulted. I believe that to be the case here with CNN. It's a bit different in the Jacobson and Tilghman cases since their comments were not so innocent, but I still think people over reacted. We have better things to do than micro manage every word people on TV say. Kent Ninomiya

Michael Chang Honored - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-25T01:31:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Michael Chang is elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This is a big moment for Asian American athletes. It validates the landmark career of this amazing athlete. Chang was just 17 years old when he won the 1989 French Open. He is still the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam title. Chang was also the first U.S. champion at the clay-court Grand Slam since Tony Trabert in 1955. It was an amazing thing to watch. He was so exhasted during his five-set upset of number 1 seed Ivan Lendl that he had to serve underhanded. Still he beat the best player in the world at the time and went on to defeat Stefan Edberg in the final. He never won another Grand Slam but finished runner-up three times at Grand Slam tournaments and won 34 singles titles. Chang reached a number 2 ranking in 1996. Not bad for a kid who was just 5'9" and 160 pounds. In an era when male tennis players were huge and dominated with power, Chang got it done with hustle and heart. Just like Tiger Woods with golf, Michael Chang inspired a generation of Asian American kids to enter the world of competitive tennis. Congratulations Michael, you deserve the honor. Kent Ninomiya

Asian Markets - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-22T01:37:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Asian financial markets are making it clear that they fear the economic crisis in the United States will spread world wide. Today Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 5.1 percent after falling 3.9 percent Monday. They stopped trading in India when the Sensex index free fell 9.75 percent in the first few minutes. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shrank 8 percent after diving 5.5 percent the day before. The same is happening in the rest of the world. In Europe Monday, Britain's FTSE-100 fell 5.5 percent and France's CAC-40 Index slid 6.8 percent. Germany's blue-chip DAX 30 plunged 7.2 percent. Likewise, benchmark indices in China, South Korea and Singapore each fell at least 4 percent. Australia's benchmark index slid 7.1 percent and Indonesia's market was down 9 percent. The pain is expected to come full circle. American stocks will probably fall even more leading to more selling around the world resulting in a planetary economic slowdown.

So what is this we are facing? Is it just another economic swing or something much bigger? Ask 100 economists and you will get 100 answers. Here's my take on it. We are realizing that everything in our world is interconnected. The war on terrorism, the war in Iraq, our unpopularity overseas all have economic components. We are spending a whole lot of money to support our agenda around the world. The United States is a rich nation but we have a finite amount of money. This is all catching up to us and there will be a reckoning. Most Americans alive today are too young to remember truly difficult times. 9-11 was certainly a crisis but it didn't impact most of our lives directly. Most of us don't believe we face something of the magnitude of the Great Depression or a World War. The truth is we can and may. Our economy, security and environment are more fragile than we know. We may soon find out just how fragile. Kent Ninomiya

Choi Victorious - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-15T20:47:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - K.J Choi muscled out consistant play to lead every round of the Sony Open and take home the title. He's only the third player to lead all the rounds. More importantly, Choi raises the profile of the Asian athlete. Choi has become a familiar face on the tour. His consistant play earned him a top 5 finish in the inaugural FedEx Cup. The power of role models can not be overstated. Tiger Woods proved that. Choi is quickly becoming another one. Kent Ninomiya

Asian Athletes - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

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

Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-10T14:05:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Here's a link to a blog you might find interesting. The author seems to have a good grasp on some pressing sports issues of our time. http://oldschool.tblog.com/post/1969970957#comment_anchor

Powerful Words - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-09T03:26:00.002-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Should someone lose their job and career for saying the wrong thing? Is it right that years of unblemished service be wiped out by a single off hand comment? The answer is... it depends. Last Friday, Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman said young pro golfers trying to catch up to Tiger Woods should "lynch him in a back alley." Naturally this comment sparked outrage since Tiger Woods is part African American. The anger further intensified as Tilghman was allowed to appear on the air all day Saturday as if nothing happened. She issued an on-air apology Sunday and said he apologized directly to Tiger Woods, however she remained on the air that day. The Golf Channel issued a statement saying "we regret if any viewers were offended by Kelly's choice of words."
Tiger Woods is apparently taking the high road and not making an issue out of it. Woods' agent is quotes as saying "It is a complete non-issue. Kelly and Tiger are friends. It might have been a poor choice of words, but there was absolutely no ill intent whatsoever."

It is entirely reasonable to assume that Tilghman did not mean to offend anyone and is not a racist. It was most likely a slip of the tongue and she did not realize the context of the word "lynch" when she said it. So then, what should be her "punishment" if anything? The Golf Channel is obviously concentrating on intent. Since she has no ill will then it's a simple matter of apologizing. The fact that their viewer base is primarily white and not overall offended by her remark anyway also limits their motivation to dole out any punishment. To some this makes the Golf Channel seem apathetic and racist. Other groups out there are horribly offended and want Tilghman's head. It doesn't matter to them that Woods himself says he's not offended and is willing to drop the matter. They want to make an example out of Tilghman as if punishing her will stop others from making slips of the tongue in the future.

I have worked in television for more than 20 years now. Many comments have passed my lips that came out differently than I intended them. When you talk for a living on live television you sometimes say stupid and inadvertently offensive things without realizing it. Is that a punishable offense? One time in San Francisco I was chatting on air with my co anchor about a man who found several stolen Oscar statues in a trash dumpster. His reward for returning them was an invitation to the Academy Awards ceremony in the next day or two. I commented that I hoped he had time to find something nice to wear since the Academy Awards are all about what people are wearing. The man happened to be African American. One viewer was greatly offended by my comment and wrote a letter accusing me of being a blatant racist. He said I claimed African Americans are too poor and stupid to dress themselves. I have quite honestly never had that thought in my life and was not thinking about the man's race at all when making the comment. I was talking about clothes. Despite this the viewer was irate. I personally expressed my regret to the viewer if my comments offended him and explained that I did not mean what he believed I did. It did not satisfy him and he continued to be angry and convinced I was a racist. Nothing I could say or do would satisfy him. He just wanted to be offended.

I have also been on the other side of misspoken words. I was hired to be a primary anchor at a television station in Minneapolis and partnered with an African American woman. The general manager who hired me was a visionary. He was willing to create an all minority main anchor team in an overwhelmingly white market. When asked about this, he said when it comes to anchors it didn't matter the color of their skin or the "slant" of their eyes. Columnists and Asian American groups around the country took it upon themselves to be offended by the "slant" comment. Some called for the general manager's firing. They didn't bother to ask me if I was offended. I wasn't. I knew this man to be honorable and brave. He took a huge risk hiring me and was in no way a racist. His words came out wrong. That's all. The story diminished what should have been a hugely positive story about the landmark all minority anchor team in Minnesota. Those who were so offended missed an opportunity to focus on a positive accomplishment by being petty and negative.

The bottom line here is that words are powerful, but they're just words. A sum of a person's character and accomplishments can not be reduced to a single inadvertent comment no matter what it is. If there's a pattern of offensive behavior or words, that's different. If it's a single off hand statement then it should be judged in the context under which it is said. Making a big deal about an innocent statement harms the movement for equality. If the mainstream sees minorities as over sensitive and unreasonable then they will ignore legitimate complaints. Likewise, the mainstream needs to understand that offensive comments do harm us all and use these incidents as opportunities to focus on removing them from our lexicon. There is work to do on both sides. Kent Ninomiya

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2008-01-09T03:26:00.001-06:00

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Asian lessons - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-06T21:53:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - One of the most important lessons taught by Asian martial arts is respect for parents. One of the primary beliefs of Bushido is never miss an opportunity to show them respect. The idea being you are already dead and could never have another chance to show your parents respect, so you should do it at all times. This message is often lost in American martial arts studios. Respect for parents translates to respect for all things whether that be teachers, instructors or fellow students. Parent should come first in childrens lives so if there is no respect in that relationship there is little chance it will trickle down to others. Respect flows both ways. It is offered when given. Let's teach our children this lesson well so they may teach their children. Kent Ninomiya

Asian baseball players - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-03T00:17:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - The Padres are going to have their hands full dealing with the Dodgers next season. Not only did they upgrade their manager to Joe Torre, they are loading up with premier players. Many of them are coming from Asia. They include newly added Hiroki Kuroda, Hong-Chih Kuo, Takashi Saito, and Chin-Lung Hu.(ESPN) With the acquisition of Hiroki Kuroda, the Los Angeles Dodgers have purchased a gem. The 32-year-old right-hander is a real no-nonsense player with a top-notch track record."He's got a good fastball and three or four above-average pitches that he can throw in the zone," said Marty Brown, who managed Kuroda the past two seasons with the Hiroshima Carp.Kuroda, who has a 3.69 career ERA and 103-89 record, did more to help his team win from 2002 to 2007 than any other pitcher in Japan. The only player who contributed as much to his team's success per season over that period was current Red Sox right-handerHiroki Kuroda's three-year, $35.3 million deal with the Dodgers includes a $7.3 million signing bonus. Although the newest Dodger is best known for his ability to get ground balls, Brown says what's special is Kuroda's knack for stepping up late in the game."He's similar to Pedro Martinez in that respect," Brown said by telephone last week. "They are different kinds of pitchers, but they both have that ability."He [Kuroda] will be in the sixth or seventh inning, sailing along, and he gets into a little trouble. Suddenly he grabs another gear. He has that competitive nature. We've all seen Pedro do that for so many years."Yet, as with most ace pitchers, there is always the fear that mammoth pitch counts in games, between games and in the preseason will bring Kuroda down to earth sooner or later. When Brown arrived to take over his former club in 2006, he began putting his 6-foot-1, 190-pound ace on a pitch count, while shifting him as much as possible to four days' rest instead of six.The new skipper also patched Hiroshima's porous defense, and despite a season that was punctuated by an elbow injury, Kuroda posted one of the nation's most impressive starting pitching seasons in nearly 20 years. In 2006, he rang up a 1.85 ERA despite working in a hitters' league and in Japan's toughest park for pitchers."I think Kuroda will be someone's No. 3 starter and will get just as many [ground balls] here as he did there," new Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman said last Wednesday in an e-mail. "He pitched and was successful in one of the smallest parks in Japan, and I also think he is a workhorse that will continue to eat up innings here in the States."Kuroda was eligible to file for free agency a year ago, but between elbow surgery in the United States in November 2006 and his father's failing health, the right-hander opted to remain in Hiroshima for another year.He was on track for another superb season in 2007 until it unraveled at the very end of July. From July 31 on, his ERA jumped by a run and a half to 4.58.Brown believes his righty was looking away from the small-market Carp, who had finished in the bottom of the Central League for 10 straight seasons."There were some promises made to him [Kuroda], about what the team would do to keep him, and most of those did not materialize," Brown said. "We were going to be more competitive, and then there was all the focus on [Tomonori] Maeda."Since filing for free agency in November, Kuroda's focus has all been on pitching in the majors.He seems a good match for Dodger Stadium because he doesn't give up many home runs or walks. Growing up in a park where you have to pitch inside, Kuroda locates his fastball well to both sides of the plate. Although he depends on a two-seamer and his breaking pitches to feed his infielders' assist totals, his location allows him to get strikeouts when necessary.While he will certainly need to adjust to more different situations than he faced in Japan, Kuroda has all the tools he needs to succeed and is unafraid to use them."He has a way of leaving everything on the field," Brown said.

Happy New Year! - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-01T22:51:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope your 2008 is fullfilling and fruitful. Let's all treat each other well and work toward peace and harmony. Kent Ninomiya