John Kevin's Journal: January 2016

Sunday, January 31, 2016

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL VIDEO

I found this video on You Tube a couple of weeks ago. I think it's very good, except that they left out voodoo/Ifa, but it's not half bad.

I hope you enjoy the video.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

WATCH THIS VERY IMPORTANT VIDEO!!!

No words. JUST WATCH.

Analyzing The Negative Black Stereotype, Image and Education
Analyzing The Negative Black Stereotype, Image and EducationIt's very important you watch this video. A throwback from 30 years ago but is still extremely relevant for us today.Watch and share
Posted by Moe Hassen on Sunday, January 17, 2016

Friday, January 15, 2016

NOTHING WILL STOP ME!!!

LOOK AND LISTEN!!! Just look.

And, listen

Sunday, January 10, 2016

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL VIDEO....

For today's Sunday School video... just watch it.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN?

How The Global Elite Stay In Power..Explained In 5 Minutes
How the global elite stay in power...Explained in a 5 minute video. It's a planet, not an empire! Some food for thought here.Collective Evolution Thanks to How To Change The World & We Are Change for the video.
Posted by Collective Evolution on Monday, October 26, 2015

Saturday, January 2, 2016

PUKULAN CIMANDE PUSAKA SANDERS PENCAK SILAT: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ART REVIEW

Hi Everyone.

This is my first ever book review! The name of this amazing booklet is PUKULAN CIMANDE PUSAKA SANDERS PENCAK SILAT: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ART, and it was written by PENDEKAR WILLIAM SANDERS.

Now this book is basically about what the basic components of Pencak Silat Pukulan Cimande Sanders is comprised of, and how they're taught. But before I tell you what PCPS is, let me tell you what it's not.

Below, is a video of a modern form of Pencak Silat Cimande:

Now I myself have a lot of respect for Cimande, I made a BLOG, and a YOUTUBE VIDEO PLAYIST on this style.

But Cimande is NOT what we do.

What we do is PUKULAN CIMANDE PUSAKA SANDERS, which though based on cimande, is beyond what traditional or modern cimande is comprised of.

This is PCPS:

O.K., now let's get on with this review.

The book starts with a forward by GURU NAGA PETERSON MENEZES, who describes his journey in the art, followed by a history of how Pendekar Sanders put together the various components of his system, including what he learned from his teachers, and what he himself has contributed to it, and how the art has changed over the years, into what it is now, and how he teaches it. and then he gets down to the nitty-gritty.

PCPS is a vast and deep system containing many components. I'll list them here The Silat Kicking Jurus (In silat, a Juru is a short form, usually just a few moves)

This is the first thing taught in this system. There are 13 of them, and they give the student the ability to prepare for the positions of the Sera Depok jurus, while working on the proper body mechanics and our unique delivery system. These include some combinations and even the start of the tonjok berang, or poison hand strikes.

THE CIMANDE SEATED JURUS came from from Pendekar Mama Sukarma from West Java, who in addition to teaching traditional Cimande also taught Pendekar Sanders SERA, PAMACAN, And TRUMBU. The seated jurus teach not to run or cower, but to use indirect vision to stand your ground and calmly pick off and parry strikes coming at you. It's important to note that in PCPS, we do not smash our forearms together to strengthen the bone like in traditional cimande, but instead, we use the hard parts of our arms to strike the softer, weaker parts of the opponent.

The Sera Depok Jurus

This is the master key to PCPS. There are 15 of these jurus. They teach space, off timing, off balancing, redirection and misdirection. They also strengthen the legs and develop the energy power of the body. Once understood they compose 15 equations that the practitioner has as a "play book" to be able to bait the opponent whenever they want.

And after that, Pendekar Sanders goes into the basic Animals in the system.

PCP style is organized around the use of five primary animal forms - Monkey, Tiger, Snake, Crane, Dragon. Here, the practitioner learns how each animal can be broken down and utilized for various ranges and styles of fighting.

The Monkey (Monyet, Kera) portion of the style uses slaps, grabs, punches and elbows, changing position from high to low. Arm movements are circular with open hand parries, and closed hand grabs with palms down. Defensive body movements are side-to-side and forwards and backwards, with dodging head movements and body rolls across the ground when needed.

The Tiger (Cimacan,Pamacan) utilizes a very low stance, and seeks to smash the opponents limbs and drag him down to continue the fight on the ground. The tiger also fights in a full supine (Harimau) position where the practitioner is lying fully on the ground.

The Snake (Ular) style comes in two types, cobra (Sendok) and python (Sawa). The cobra style uses half-fists to deliver fast strikes to the eyes and soft body tissues. Elbow-to-elbow distance is kept close to the body to protect the midsection from injury. By weaving the arms, body, and legs during retreats and attacks, the snake exponent appears to be giving in, but immediately redirects the fight to his advantage. The python attempts to strike then wrap the opponent's limbs and body to break, strangle and throw them to the ground.

The Crane (Blekok) style uses high stances and leaps, together with open hand strikes. Kicks are delivered from high to low. The head rotates in all directions to watch for any oncoming attackers, providing a circle defense.

And Lastly, The King Snake Dragon (Raja Naga), is the synthesis of all the animals together, as well as the kicking jurus, the seated Jurus, and the Sera Depok Jurus.

There are other animals like the APE, the FLAT TIGER, the LAZY CRANE, etc. But he does not go into that. He also didn't talk about the weapons practiced in the art, or go too much into the spiritual aspect, other than to talk about what he teaches now, compared to what he taught before.

So, who is Pendekar Sanders?

I was gonna write a long introduction telling you all his accomplishments in Pencak Silat, but I thought I'd just let the man himself tell you:

And in addition to Pencak Silat, He's also learned traditional Irish stick fighting, and the art of San Michele Italian knife fighting from Don Vito Quattrocchi

O.K., here we are the end of this review. You can purchase this amazing book at www.LULU.com, or by going to the PCPS page at www.cimande.com.

P.S. There are a couple of things Pendekar Sanders put in the book that is not in this review. If you want to know what they are... BUY THE BOOK!!!

Friday, January 1, 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year Family! May the ancestors guide and protect you each step of the way in 2016. May you trust the divine leadership flowing within you. May you fear no one and walk boldly toward your dreams. Know that the world needs your gifts and your unique vision. Happy that our paths have crossed and honored to be of service. Wishing you and yours great things in 2016.

Now, let's look at googles year in review:

A YEAR IN SEARCH 2015

I've been watching this series for a while, and I think it's absolutely AMAZING, so I thought I'd share it with you.

I hope you enjoy it.

Published on Sep 11, 2015

Turn on the Closed Captions (CC) to know the countries where the images were filmed and the first name of the interviewees.

What is it that makes us human? Is it that we love, that we fight ? That we laugh ? Cry ? Our curiosity ? The quest for discovery ? Driven by these questions, filmmaker and artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand spent three years collecting real-life stories from 2,000 women and men in 60 countries. Working with a dedicated team of translators, journalists and cameramen, Yann captures deeply personal and emotional accounts of topics that unite us all; struggles with poverty, war, homophobia, and the future of our planet mixed with moments of love and happiness.

Watch the 3 volumes of the film and experience #WhatMakesUsHUMAN.

The VOL.1 deals with the themes of love, women, work and poverty.

In order to share this unique image bank everywhere and for everyone,
HUMAN exist in several versions :
A theatre version (3h11) , a tv version (2h11) and a 3 volumes version for the web
If you are a distributor, a theatre or tv channel , contact : distribution@human-themovie.org
If you are a NGO, a cultural center …… contact : event@human-themovie.org

If you want more information about the movie
www.human-themovie.org or http://g.co/humanthemovie
contact : marie@human-themovie.org

Category
People & Blogs
License
Standard YouTube License

While looking at thie movie, I came across this incredible essay, about Human civilization, and about things we as a species have forgotten.

Check it out!!!

THE GREAT FORGETTING

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Let's face it - think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and of course, Tarzan. How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African civilizations, which in their day, and even to this day, were just as splendid and glorious as any other great civilazation on the face of the earth?

I've added numerous links to different websites to show everybody some of the Real History of Africans and thier descendants, as opposed to How we are usually stereotyped, even by some Black people. It is these stereotypes I believe (among others), that lead to discrimination, racism, and ultimately, a weaker society.

So I put those links there, not to say that we are somehow better or superior to other nations, or to try to put down any of the other great civilizations of this planet, but to show that we africans worldwide have our own cultures, civilizations, and ways of life that are just as complex, advanced, and worthy of study as any of the other great nations and peoples of the world, if not more so.

"It is in my nature to be kind, gentle, and loving...

BUT KNOW THIS: When it comes to matters of protecting my friends, my family and my heart... Do not fuck with me. For I'm also the most powerful, relentless, and ruthless MONSTER you will ever know... BELIEVE THAT."

I love the Martial arts, but I don't consider myself a "Martial Artist". I consider myself what I call a SELF PRESERVATIONIST. What I mean by that is, my interest in Martial Arts and Survival is for one main purpose. That purpose is to SURVIVE, and to PRESERVE LIFE in general, and in particular, MY LIFE, and the lives of MY LOVED ONES.

You see, I don't stick fight, I don't knife fight, I don't sword fight, I don't gun fight, or whatever.

I SURVIVE, the aforementioned methods are merely the tools I use to accomplish my goal. If you come at me looking for a "fight", you've come to the wrong place, because I'm not gonna "fight" with you.

I'm going to do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I SURVIVE.

I don't like to be called a Martial Artist because like I just said, I'm not really a martial artist. I just use the martial arts to help achieve my goals in survival, and health (and when I say health, I mean physical, mental, and spiritual).

And honestly, there are certain "ISSUES" in the Martial Arts Universe that keep me from wanting to wear the label of, "Martial Artist".

Besides, In my opinion, a lot of martial artists, especially here in the U.S., tend to be a very STRANGE group of people(Myself included).

But I DO love to read about the arts, watch martial art movies, and learning more about the Martial Arts.

Below, I posted links to various martial art websites and media. I hope you like them.

What is a Warrior?

I see through different eyes.

I see a bigger picture when others see only grey skies.

Though many can’t conceive it,

I stand... facing the wind.

My bravery not from fighting,

but from my strength within,

I am a Warrior.

I will walk the extra mile,

Not because I have to,

Because it’s worth my while.

I know that I am different,

When I’m standing on a crowded street.

I know the fullness of winning;

I’ve tasted the cup of defeat.

I am a Warrior.

They say I walk with ease.

Though trained for bodily harm,

My intentions are for peace.

The world may come and go,

But a different path I’ll choose.

A path I will not stray from,

No matter... Win or Lose.

If you've been in the Martial Arts for a while, you'll find many people who would like to believe in the idea that just because they practice the Martial Arts, they are some kind of Warriors.(I like to call them Wannabee Warriors).

But what exactly is a Warrior? I mean, throughout history, there have been many different types of warriors, all having different Codes of Honor that they live by (And in case you're wondering, yes, there is a Warrior Creed that I follow and try to live up to also...) . But if you really try to define what a warrior is, there seems to be no one answer to that question. In fact, there seems to be many answers, almost as many answers as people you ask.

So, what I did was provide some links to some different websites about different warriors and types of warriors throughout history. Hell, I even posted links to web sites about Dan Millman and Carlos Castaneda for you "Spiritually Aware" types. Perhaps if you look through them, you'll find a good definition of a warrior for yourself...

And for you Wannabee Warriors out there... Some of the links I put up are to Law Enforcement & Military websites. If you really want to be warriors, Check out those links and become a police officer, or go join the armed forces. They need you!!!

FROM WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA: Silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts of the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what are now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, it was also traditionally practiced in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. As a result, it is closely related to other Southeast Asian martial arts including krabi krabong and eskrima. Practitioners are called pesilat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao.

There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws, animal-based techniques, or some combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Ikatan Pesilat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from Singapore.

Below, I added some links to various websites and video clips so you can get a better understanding of what Silat is about.

One of the gravest disservices we have done to the people of our world is to have provided them with a poor education. We do not teach students to think.

If you do not learn to effectively process information (and it is a learned skill) then you will always be at the mercy of people promoting their favorite dogmas.

The problem is, that all kinds of people would like you to uncritically believe what they are telling you about the way the world is. Many of them pretend that such uncritical belief is "faith", which it is not.

If you do not have the tools to discover what a given person or group is really trying to sell you, then you are libel to be making some really wacky presuppositions about the world, which will in turn become the heuristics by which you operate.

About half of what we perceive as "intelligence" is the ability to process information effectively, so if you want to be "smarter" then all you have to do is improve in that area.

While this is pretty simple, it is not necessarily easy. In my experience, most people are conditioned to a way of thinking already comfortable to the individual. When a person tries to change the way they process information they run a good chance of evoking a "threat response" from within themselves.

The wonderful thing about the internet is that you have access to so much useful information. If you're reading this, then you are able to self-educate on any number of subjects to a remarkable degree, and do it almost for free.

And that's what this section is about. I added some links here so anybody with a brain can study and learn to use it.

Remember 2 things people:

"I NOT ONLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THINK AT ALL TIMES, BUT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO."

"IF I DON'T THINK FOR MYSELF, THEN SOMEBODY ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME".

There are over 10,000 different religions in the world, 150 of which have at least 1 millions followers. Which one is the truth? "Christianity!" someone says, but even Christianity alone has over 38,000 different denominations. So which interpretation is the TRUE one?

Religion is not the anchor-point of truth. The truth always existed. Religion is man-made, meaning that the truth existed prior to both man and religion. Religion may be an effective catalyst for some individuals who desire to invest their minds into ideological association for whatever reason, but it is not a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a relationship with God, and understanding of the Creator, or the inner workings of the self.

Spirituality is not a belief. It is a state of consciousness, a mental framework with which you approach the world. Spirituality is in fact what birthed religion through the attempted organization of experience and wisdom, which ended up being the hierarchical stratification of various belief systems that we call religion.

Don't let the commitments you have to a religious belief system in your mind take you away from your natural state of Being with all things. You were a human before you learned religion. God's light existed in you before you learned this through some spiritual guru. Does this mean don't read or believe what Jesus of Buddha had to say? Of course not. Just make sure you take the time and effort to experience the rose instead of just believing in the accounts of others. This is not an attack on any religion by any means, and religion has brought many people happiness and the experience of being close to one's creator, but don't let it cause segregation away from our inherent unity.

As for my religious beliefs, well...

I'm a CHRISTIAN, in the sense that I believe that personal redemption is feasible for everyone and that universal love makes that salvation possible.

I'm a MUSLIM, in the sense that I believe that there's only 1 GOD, ans that all are equal under this one GOD. And, althought I'm not jewish, I do have a respect for JUDAISM.

I'm a BUDDHIST, in the sense that the seeds of enlightenment are within all of us as an integral part of our DNA, and that we are capable of reaching the Absolute through our own efforts.

I'm a HINDU, in the sense that I believe that GOD takes many shapes and forms to reach out to mankind.

I'm a TAOIST, in the sense that I have a total belief in the reality of Yin & Yang Energies.

And I also have a total belief in the world of spirits, and what we can learn from them, so I guess that makes me an ANIMIST.

I never want to tell someone what to think, for ones spirituality is a private matter between that person and their creator.

My goal here is only to show all of you the history and traditions of the many, many ways the people of the world have reached out to god.