Two of the Karate Institute of America’s loveliest students are Zemia
“Barracuda” Garrett (photo right) and Hannah “Hannibal” Shamassian (photo
left). They are dedicated, driven, talented ladies with great smiles, as we
can see from the following photo.
Hannah and Zemia
However, let it be known, they are developing their martial arts skills to the
point where anyone—man or woman—would be woefully unwise, i.e., foolish, to
assault them. Those beautiful smiles are real, no doubt, but so, too, are the
looks they can manifest to ward off any assailant, smiles which clearly send
the message, “Don’t tread on me!” And believe this, those more serious looks
are a harbinger of the mayhem these women can inflict on anyone seeking to
harm them. So … beautiful smiles, absolutely, but beware. These women can
absolutely bring down the thunder!
This story was aired on NBC on 29 April 2007. In Saratoga Springs, New York, a
high school Senior female track star named Lindsey Ferguson was going to her
car in the school parking lot. Adjacent to her car on the driver side was a
van. She saw it and thought it was a parent’s car. As she opened her car door,
the van door slid open and a man exited. He grabbed her around the waist with
one arm and attempted to cover her mouth with the other.
As one of the seemingly endless and escalating scenarios of stalking, assault,
abduction, rape, and possibly murder, a woman in the San Diego area was
walking innocently along a sidewalk when an older model black sedan began
following her. The driver asked for her phone number and repeatedly asked her
to get into the car. If this were to happen to you, what would you do? Here
are some positive actions:
Living in today’s world, more than ever before, demands we be constantly
vigilant in relation to self-defense on a daily basis. No excuses. This world
is not Pollyannaville. If anything, it is a Pandora’s Box full of misfortune.
One of the principle ways to protect ourselves is to be constantly aware of
our surroundings. Dr. Ignatius Piazza, Founder and Director of Frontsite.com,
shares his organization’s “Color Code of Mental Awareness.” It’s valuable
information. The Karate Institute of America suggests you check it out. It’s
divided into two parts (
here and
here)
and is available through his newsletter. The image below is a brief summation
of his color code.
From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.
Within the heart emotions stir.
Failure is not what we prefer;
but yet, the victors all confer - The Road To Success Is Paved With Failure.
We live in a dual dimension. There is positive; there is negative. There is
day; there is night. There is high; there is low; masculine and feminine; hard
and soft; hot and cold; on and off; up and down, war and peace and … success
and failure.
There’s often a lot more to KIA practitioners than martial arts.
Last week we featured Steve “Coyote” Vertun and
his wonderful song Ghost. This week we take you back to the mid 1990s with
troubadours Richard & Richard, a Karate Institute of America singer/songwriter
duo who played locally at various venues including the San Juan Capistrano
Mission and The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano where they occasionally
performed as an opening act for nationally known touring singers and bands.
