Friday Blitz

More like a blizzard today. I've been on travel, and my wife says it's been snowing since Sunday. Welcome to Western  PA, huh! Anyway, here's a roundup of items I think you may appreciate.

Five survivors keep history alive at Pearl Harbor (USA Today)
PEARL HARBOR — They are the ironmen of their generation, living through Dec. 7, 1941, and the World War that followed, and defying the pitfalls of age and health into their 80s and 90s.
TDA-We all owe a great debt of gratitude to our service men and women, and these guys just remind us. Thank a veteran or service-member any time you can.

Tremendous Judo throw at Mokuren. Watch it!

Black Belt Mama's review of "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is an insightful analysis of a book I should've read a long time ago. My brother read it years ago, recommended it to me, and I've remembered his thoughts on how soldiers and kids (through media and video games) are desensitized to all types of violence against others. There's a healthy thread over at CoCA on it, too, so check both of them out.

Chris at Martial Development's post "The End of Mixed Martial Arts?" is well-worth a read. I think he misses the basic point of the success of MMA, but makes a very good argument. As a surface analysis, I think MMA is here to stay for the same reason that other major sports are - kids today idolize their favorite MMA stars and their fighting style in the same way that we used to root for boxers, action heroes, and sports figures. MMA is exciting, and the UFC's marketing has displaced something in the public consciousness, including those other sports. Certainly, it's fans are also fans of other sports, but it has, to no small degree, changed perceptions of what fighting and martial arts are (accurately, or not). Read the whole post at Martial Development.

Along with many others, I've really enjoyed Dojo Rat's "Old School" series of videos on a myriad of martial arts. Head over and check them out!