2010 Shanghai International Wushu Tournament

2010 Shanghai International Martial Arts Tournament

A good time was had by all

July 2010, many fun people came from around the world to compete in the Shanghai International Martial Arts Tournament, including me, the Roaming Ronin. A good time was had by all. The competitors were amazing athletes who jumped, kicked, spun, and twirled weapons with incredible skill. Somehow the old guys like my friend Mark Troxell and me managed to win a few medals each.

I surprised myself even more. I went into this event without any care or desire for medals or certificate. I was mainly competing against myself and working for self improvement. But I am surprisingly happy and WAY TOO PROUD about winning a few medals in international competition. Not too bad for an older guy with a titanium hip replacement. My hip replacement doctor would be proud (or worried).

Here are some of the pictures. More pictures are in the picture album under this name in my other blog: http://worldronin.spaces.live.com/

Beijing Cleans the Air for 2008 Olympics

A Tale of 2 Origins:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Which side is closer to the truth?

Reading and listening to the news reports here in China, it is difficult to tell which version of "truth" is closer to reality.


From China's People's Daily news, July 23. The air looks amazingly blue.

China's version: Beijing's air pollution is substantially better than before. What we see now is haze and fog that is normal in many cities during hot humid summers. On August 7, start of autumn in China, the air will naturally start to improve. Beijing guarantees that the air will be clean during the duration of the Olympics.


Foreign newspaper pictures from July 28, the same day as the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Athletes' Village
The air pollution looks pretty bad. I wouldn't want to go out running in this stuff.

The version from many foreign news reporters: Beijing's air pollution is still TERRIBLE just before the start of the Olympics. It is difficult to see to the next building. Athletes might decide to wear respiratory protection masks. The biggest worry is whether wearing masks will cause Beijing to lose face and make people angry.

Wow. Such different images. Such different stories, and different pictures. Which is truth? Which is fiction? Or is the truth somewhere in between?

All this makes me wonder where I stand? Many people are cheering and applauding China's efforts. Many others are scoffing and mocking China for distorting the truth. But for me, I prefer to cheer people who are making good efforts. I'm a builder and problem solver at heart. I hate to sit back and throw stones at the people who are trying their best. Beijing is taking heroic and very expensive steps to improve the air for the Olympics Let's give them a break and say, "Let's GO China!"

I love Beijing but there is no doubt the air pollution can be stifling and overwhelming like a thick blanket. Hopefully Beijing's version of the truth is closer to reality this time. I hope the air will be clean enough for foreign athletes and visitors to enjoy the beauty and friendliness of Beijing.

My Blog Migrated

Hello Friends,

My blog changed location. Blogger is a great blog site. However it cannot be seen in China. Soon I am moving to Shanghai, therefore I need a blogsite that can be seen by my friends, family, and me.

Here's the new blog site http://worldronin.spaces.live.com

Cheers, 再见

Roaming Ronin

Yasukuni Shrine 靖國神社, Emperor Boycott

Yasukuni Shrine seen to be hot issue in LDP leadership race
- Japanese Mainichi Daily News 毎日新聞　August 5, 2006

Poll: Majority of Japanese opposed to PM's Yasukuni visits
- Japanese Mainichi Daily News 毎日新聞　July 24, 2006

"At some point, Class-A criminals became enshrined.... That's why I have not visited the shrine since. This is my heart." - Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Showa)

August 15 marks the 61st anniversary of V-J Day, the end of World War II in Japan. Every year at this time, the question of the Japan's Yasukuni Shrine becomes a topic of HEATED debate inside Japan and also from Japan's neighbors in China and Korea. The regional newspapers burn the headlines on one issue: should the Japanese Prime Minister visit Yasukuni Shrine to honor Japan's fallen war heroes? Should the Japanese PM boycott Yasukuni Shrine because of the War Criminals who also are enshrined there? These are BURNING questions with lots of debate.

This week I learned something very interesting: The current and past Emperors of Japan boycott the Yasukuni Shrine. They REFUSED to go there, either in official or personal capacity.

First some explanation: Yasukuni Shrine (靖國神社) (literally "peaceful nation shrine") is a controversial Shinto shrine located in Tokyo, Japan dedicated to the spirits of soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Japanese emperor. As of October 2004, its Book of Souls lists the names of 2,466,532 men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of Japan, particularly to those killed in wartimes such as Japanese and former colonial soldiers. The Yasukuni Shrine also groups a total of 1,068 convicted of war crimes by a post WWII court, including 14 convicted of Class A war crimes among the Showa Martyrs since 1978. The shrine also contains a controversial and allegedly revisionist history museum. -- courtesy Wikipedia

My Chinese and Korean friends hate the idea of a shrine for the soldiers and war criminals who wreaked such havoc and destruction on their countries. That's understandable. Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi's yearly visits to Yasukuni Shrine have caused a lot of hard feelings (to put it politely) among Japan's neighbors. This year Japan is in the the middle of elections for a new Prime Minister. Will the new PM continue Koizumi's tradition of visiting the shrine? Some candidates say no. Others won't say. Polls say the majority (54%) of Japanese people are opposed to the PM's Yasukuni visits. Politics as usual.

This week I learned something fascinating and new about Yasukuni: the previous and current Japanese Emperors have refused to visit the Yasukuni shrine since the Class A war criminals were enshrined in 1978. This is good news for people of good will. On the other hand, it is uncomfortable news for extreme nationalists in Japan and her neighbors. This interesting news comes from one of my favorite bloggers, The Angry Chinese Blogger, http://20six.co.uk/angrychineseblogger/art/564629 Angry Chinese Blogger is a foreign writer who lives in Beijing. His writing is brilliant, but probably blocked in China, so I'll try to give a summary here.

14 of the dead in Yasukuni have been classified as Class-A (the worst of the worst) war criminals. Their crimes include mass murder and facilitation of atrocities such as the Nanking massacre. Although most of the Class-A war criminals were executed in 1948, or died in prison during the 1950s, they were not enshrined at Yasukuni until 1978. Due to the controversy surrounding it, their enshrinement was kept secret, both from the Emperor and the population at large. It did not become public knowledge until 6 months later, at which point it provoked outrage among the Japanese people.

Last week's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper (commonly called the NiKei) published extracts from a series of official memos - taken by a senior member of the Imperial Household - which confirm that the late Emperor Hirohito choose to boycott the Yasukuni Shrine in disgust. After it was revealed to him that shrine officials had secretly allowed 14 Class-A war criminals to be interned at the site (in 1978), the Emperor refused to return.

"At some point, Class-A criminals became enshrined.... That's why I have not visited the shrine since. This is my heart." - Emperor Showa (As recorded by Tomita Tomohiko)

While his refusal to attend Yasakuni was widely known, neither Hirohito nor his staff had ever fully explained the facts of the matter. The recently published memos are the first official document ever to publicly confirm his personal views on this topic. Hirohito's son, the reigning Emperor Akihito, has also refused to attend Yasukuni.

The newly published memos come from a set of 20 notebooks, kept by Tomita Tomohiko in which they recorded conversations held with the late Emperor. Tomita was a senior member of the Imperial Household, becoming its Deputy Head in 1974 before rising to the rank of Grand Steward in 1978. Tomita held this position for 10 years, granting him close access to the reclusive Emperor. Tomita passed away in 2003, and the notebook records were provided to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper by family members.

The Angry Chinese Blogger points out that Tomita's memos are well received by most people. However, not everybody has greeted Tomita's memos with jubilation. Indeed, their very existence come as a great humiliation to extremists on both sides of the Sino-Japanese divide.

JAPAN: Many members of Japan's discredited and isolated nationalist minority claim fealty to the Emperor and former Emperor. At the same time, Yasukuni Shrine is one of this group's big causes. Until now, they have been at a loss to publicly explain why both Hirohito and Akihito have denied their cause by refusing to visit Yasukuni. Instead, these nationalist elements have tried to speculate about some other reason for the Emperors' boycott...some other reason than protest against the presence of Class-A war criminals.

Thanks to Tomita's memos, such nationalist denials are no longer possible.

CHINA: Just as the memos are damaging to Japanese nationalists - by removing their ability to claim the silent support of Emperor Hirohito - so have they been damaging to China's angry nationalists. The memos finally prove wrong any Chinese claims that Emperor Hirohito remained without remorse until the time of his death.

Tomita's memos resoundingly contradict any claims, by nationalist elements in either Japan or China, that Hirohito secretly supported the internment of Class-A war criminals in Yasukuni. These memos show clearly and definitively that he felt deeply about the presence of those who had ravaged China, Korea, and other neighboring countries. Out of disgust, the Emperor boycotted one of Japan's most important shrines.

For me personally, the release of Tomita's memos is fascinating. I hope someday they will be published in English language so I can read them. Until then, I'll try to see if I can find them on NiKei newspaper's English language site. Education, understanding, making friendships around the world is one of our best hopes to reducing wars and friction around the world.

English Language Lesson: Rolling Stone, the definition

How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
- Bob Dylan song, 1965

Moss doesn't grow on a rolling stone. - Old English Saying

ROLLING STONE is a great term for English language lessons, simply because it is so famous. The ROLLING STONES are perhaps the greatest music band ever. Their longevity extends from 1964 and they are still performing at high energy and producing new songs more than 40 years later. ROLLING STONE Magazine is one of America's most influential entertainment and culture magazines since the 1960's. Rolling stones can be found all over the world.

A rolling stone is a person who never settles long in one place, who is constantly on the move. I meet wanderers, gypsies, "ex pats", and other rolling stones quite frequently in my travels around the world. Many professional musicians are rolling stones - traveling from city to city to play their music and sing their songs.

If you often wake up in strange hotel rooms wondering which city this is? You're a rolling stone. If you know the subways in Tokyo, Beijing, and London better than your local highway system? You're a rolling stone. If you get an impatient feeling when you've been home more than 3 weeks? Definitely you're a rolling stone. I should know. I'm a rolling stone.

Let me introduce you to some of my favorite rolling stones:

Yvon Chouinard - Famous mountaineer, inventor, outdoor adventurer, environmentalist, and owner/founder of Patagonia Inc. Yvon Chouinard has been one of my heroes since the 1970's. In his early years, he was a famous mountain climber who traveled the world and built the world's best mountain climbing equipment. He founded and built two wildly successful companies, all the while using his unique principal of MWWA - Managing While Wandering Around. In recent years Chouinard has concentrated his enormous energy and talent on using his company to promote environmental causes around the world. Recently he wrote and published a superb book about his life in successful business, called Let My People Go Surfing. A truly inspirational rolling stone, he is.

John Green of Green Sales Guy, Inc. - world-wide traveling salesman, story-teller, and friend to many. John sells machines, technology, and materials worldwide in the composite materials industry. We work together quite a bit. John has boundless energy, enthusiasm and great humor whenever I see or work with him. It seems like every day is Christmas when in the vicinity of John. He has the great ability to take a common machine tool and talk with so much enthusiasm that it seems like the most advanced technology ever built. Although a world traveler, John is terribly dedicated to his family and takes great delight to show his family pictures to everyone. No moss grows on this rolling stone.

My brother Alan - he was a rolling stone for most of his life. Any country in the world, he's probably been. Early in life he traveled America selling soap from door to door. Then he traveled the western USA searching for oil and other treasure. For some time he traveled around America with circuses displaying the world's largest horse. Then he ended up in Antarctica, South Pole, New Zealand, Mexico, Thailand, Israel, all over Europe, Africa, and who knows where else? But of course --- he ended up in China, meeting a great Beijing lady and finally marrying her. Recently the newlywed couple settled in Michigan state USA. Maybe Alan is a rolling stone no more. In his stable days he should write a book of his adventures, calling it something like, “NO SHIT, THIS REALLY HAPPENED...more or less”

I have met many other rolling stones: musicians, salespeople, engineers, adventurers. I’m a
rolling stone. I have had tremendous adventures and tell fantastic stories that are ...more or less...true. What can I say? The far horizon is calling me. The next curve in the road whispers an irresistible invitation. The distant mountain commands me to come. How does it feel to be a complete unknown, without a home, just like a rolling stone? I think I know that feeling.

Stone Houses in Stone Valley

When in Rome, Do as the Romans do

The Aosta Valley of Italy is full of stones and rocks. Everywhere you look there are rocks, some grass, rocks, some trees, rocks, some snow, rocks. It's no surprise that rocks are the building material of choice. And why not? Stone doesn't burn, a great advantage for forest fires. Stone doesn't leak, and stone is resistant to rocks and avalanches falling down from the mountains above. It makes a lot more sense than building houses from glass.

No surprises there, until I noticed the roofs. The ROOFS are also made of stone shingles. The house in this picture is a great example. Stone shingles. My friends explained that stone shingles have been used for centuries. Italian mountain people invented an ingenious method of using freezing ice to make the shingles. Water was poured into a crack in granite rock. When the water froze at night, the ice expanded and broke the rock slab off from the main piece of granite.


Ingenious, don't you think? Well maybe not so much genius as common sense. For many centuries, mountain climbers in these mountains learned that they were in grave danger of rockfall every morning as the ice in the rocky cracks melted and let loose large rocks. Mountaineers learned early that they must start climbing at midnight or 2 AM to avoid the deadly rockfall that occurs nearly every summer morning. After dodging rocks for many years, someone finally realized they could use this natural phenomonen for a positive purpose: building their own houses.

What I hope to look like in 10 years

I can still reach my dreams

How often do you meet someone you really admire? Someone you hope to model yourself after? I was fortunate enough to meet one of these people recently on Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain. Its height is about 4,808 m (15,774 feet).

Yes, the man in this picture is one of my heroes. When I was in university, I always dreamed of growing up to live the free life like him. Now I can only dream and plan to approximate him in a smaller stature.

I encountered him on the cable car going up to the Aiguille du Midi on Mont Blanc. He was slim with an iron jaw, long hair, and forearms that seemed to be chiseled from steel. Certainly he is a mountaineer. His T-shirt proclaimed proudly that he had been to Mount Everest and to Mount Ama Dablam - giant mountains of the Himalaya range of Nepal and Tibet. He stared at the cliffs and ice falls of Mont Blanc as if they were his private, familiar playground.

Yes, in 10 years or 20, i hope to be living a life in the mountains. I hope to have the free style and eyes of the eagle of men like this. What do you think? Is it possible to return from the city to the mountains? Is there something in city air I just can't breathe? Is there something in the mountains I just can't leave? Yes....I think so.

IN THE THRONE ROOM OF MOUNTAIN GIANTS

Yesterday I found myself surrounded by the mountains of my childhood dreams. Finally, after so many years, I visited the Legendary Mountains - the European Alps - Mont Blanc and the Grandes Jurasses Mountain. I visited the villages where legends started: Courmayeur and Chamonix. The excitement of these magical names was more than I could bear. I might be smiling non-stop for 3 months.

During my teenage years, I bought every mountaineering book I could afford. I read about mountains, read again, discussed with my climbing buddies, dreamed, and read again. These are the mountains where Walter Bonatti "almost" died MANY times. Cats are supposed to have 9 lives? Walter Bonatti had 9 times 9. My heroes Herman Buhl, George Mallory, Heinrich Herrer, Chris Bonington and others pioneered many "impossible" first ascents on these two mountains. They survived blizzards, extreme weather, rock avalanches, severe injuries, and other challenges. In the 1870's Edward Whymper climbed here many times with his pack full of bottles of fine wine and metal brandy flasks; in case the wine bottles broke. Rheinhold Messner and Peter Habeler set fantastic speed records in the Alps, blazing up many standard 3-day climbing routes in just a few hours. Most of my childhood heroes proved themselves in these mountains with harrowing tales of near-death, survival, and indomitable spirit to continue.

Two days ago I arrived in Torino Italy late at night. I was determined to wake early and get to Mont Blanc, Courmayeur and Chamonix. The night passed with me being more excited than a young boy waiting to open my Christmas gifts. I couldn't sleep at all. At the first opportunity, I jumped out of bed, packed my hiking clothes in my bag, and took off to catch the first train to the mountains. I could NOT wait.

Courmayer, Italy and Chamonix, France. These beautiful mountain towns are dominated by Europe's largest mountains – Mont Blanc and the Grandes Jorasses. These towns were my target.

The early morning train cruised through the fertile Piemonte plains of Italy, famous for lush farms that produce some of the world's best food and wines. The numerous farms had corn higher than my head, hay for cattle, grapes for wine, beautiful farm houses, and roads that led to quaint villages. Finally we reached the base of the mountains. The train started the long, winding climb up the Aosta Valley. Reaching the town of Aosta, I traded the train for bus transport. I stopped for about an hour to visit Aosta, a beautiful mountain town by any standard. I wandered through the local outdoor market, watched motor-less glider planes soaring above the mountains, and was blessed by the statue of Saint Anselme with Mont Blanc beckoning to me in the background. I enjoyed Aosta, but could not stay. Mont Blanc dominated the background like a giant king. My heart was pounding with each glance. Mont Blanc was calling to me, demanding, “COME…”

Our bus chugged up the Aosta valley on winding, steep curves above a raging river. Immediately I wondered where I could rent a kayak or raft? That river looks FUN with lots of boiling white water churning over and around the numerous boulders. Next time.

We passed villages that contained small mountain houses built to prevent snow build-up on the roofs and destruction by avalanche. Finally we reached the town of Courmayeur. Courmayeur's scenery is dominated by the towering pinnacles, glaciers, and water falls of the massive Grandes Jorasses mountain. The Grandes Jorasses is awesome and intimidating. How many tales did I read about near death epics climbing this mountain? Many. Immediately I felt the urge to strap on heavy boots and climbing gear to test myself against this magnificent mountain. Mont Blanc? It was hidden behind another mountain, but still the king whispered with greater power, “COME…” I spent an hour or two hiking around Courmayeur; a great little mountain village. I could live here happily.

But I had to go to Chamonix. Why? To take the telepherique, the cable car, the tram to the top of Mont Blanc. I wanted to see the view from the top, even if I had to cheat and take the easy way. Reluctantly leaving Courmayeur, I boarded the bus with a group of French high school students. We drove to Chamonix through the long tunnel going underneath Mt. Blanc. Arriving in Chamonix, I was immediately stuck by the immense presence, the overwhelming size of Mont Blanc. I fell in love with Chamonix. What a great beautiful place, surrounded by mountains. No wonder so many people spend much of their lives here climbing, skiing, hiking, and enjoying the mountain life. I MUST return.

I jumped out of the bus and walked quickly to cable car, telepherique, to take me to the top ridge of Mont Blanc. The cable car goes to a pointed rock at 3854 meters (12,644 feet) called the Auiguille du Midi (Middle Needle). This is not the top of the mountain, but near enough for lazy people like me. The car was filled with people from all over the world. Most of them were tourists like me. Some were serious mountain climbers with all the heavy equipment, ropes, and pointed metal tools for climbing ice. Many years ago I was part of the group with the mountaineering equipment. But now I have a titanium hip. Those days are behind me.

Boarding the cable car, we climbed into the clouds that enveloped the top of the mountain. Looking through the windows we could see silhouettes of climbers traversing the top ridge of the ice. Finally we reached the top of the tram ride. We were enveloped in a snow storm, but still the scenery was spectacular and exciting. How I longed to go out hiking in the snow. I MUST return for some of the easy climbing up here.

The snow storm intensified until it became a heavy wind and thunderstorm. We couldn't go down the mountain until the storm passed by. Lightning and thunder rocked the cable car station, but fortunately we were warm and cozy inside the hut and rock cave. While waiting, I chatted with a group of tourists from Japan. They were having a superb time during a 10 day hiking trip in the European Alps mountains.

Finally the storm passed and we managed to reach the bottom just in time for me to catch the last bus back to Courmayeur and Aosta and the train. Maybe that was a mistake. NOW....now I wish that I had missed the bus. I wish that I was forced to spend another night in the magical presence of Mont Blanc. I longed to spend more time in Chamonix – much more than the few hours allotted to me. NEXT time, I will bring my wonderful wife and we WILL enjoy several days up here. I hope I can teach her how to climb steep ice slopes with me. We need to enjoy much more of the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) on the immense summit region. I need to find a way to reassure her that the many "near death" stories for other people won't happen when I'm involved......

After the bus and train, I returned to my hotel late at night. I fell asleep with more dreams – dreams of Mont Blanc, the Grandes Jorasses mountain. Dreams of the mountain climbers who were my heroes. While sleeping I dreamt that they all whispered to me – “COME AGAIN. CLIMB again. CLIMB even if only the easy portion.”

Yes, sometimes we are lucky enough to reach our childhood dreams. For me, that day is coming.