Vera Lynn and WW2

Iconic albums: The Wall by Pink Floyd will always be among them. The first time I listened to the album, it had a powerful impact on my middle-school-boy self, who keyed in on Roger Walter’s angst over his father’s death in WW2. The most memorable part of the album for me was hearing Vera LynnContinue reading “Vera Lynn and WW2”

Dracula as Historian

I admit to being a fan of the vampire genre: books and movies. Most recently, the BBC produced Dracula released in 2020 on Netflix.[1] It starts as a smart retelling of Bram Stoker’s novel with visual homages to classic movies along the way, but quickly takes new narrative turns. Unfortunately the series had a veryContinue reading “Dracula as Historian”

KIAI

Kiai (気合) I have mused openly in the past about the disappearance of the kiai from Aikido.  O’Sensei was reported to have a very powerful kiai that could be heard from miles away. Traditional arts continue to employ kiai, so why the downplay in Aikido? O Sensei kiai and kotodama video Kiai is ‘simply aContinue reading “KIAI”