Aetheric Mechanics Tool Test

And some Sherlockian stuff to set the mood.

HELP FIND MOO!

zoetica relates:

As some of you have heard by now, Daniel and I were in a very bad car wreck on Sunday night. A van ran a stop sign and totaled D's car as a result. Moo was in the car and was left miraculously unharmed, but ran away from the scene, terrified. More details here. She has no microchip nor tags on her.

We've been checking shelter websites and posting fliers all over the neighborhood but it's not enough - the city of Hollywood has something called the Hollywood Clean Team that's in charge of removing postings from major streets and intersections and they seem to think our little fliers are an eyesore.

Others seem to think it's a great idea to call me at 7:30 am and say they found my dog, then hang up while their buddies laugh hysterically in the background. People are incredibly fucking cruel and I'm starting to feel a little sick every time my phone rings.

I know that tons of you have re-posted my call for help online - the amount of compassion and concern Moo's receiving is the only encouraging thing that's come of this ordeal. Thank you all so, so much.

This case requires physical action from those of you in Los Angeles. Please, print a stack of these posters and tape/staple them to light and electric posts when you can. D and I are doing as much as possible but are also injured and therefore slow.

My hope is that someone has taken Moo in and will return her to me when they see how badly she is missed. Thank you all again and please send all kinds of positive thoughts her way!

---

I'll be sharing this with my work mates who work with me in the area.

FALCON 1 — next flight!

SpaceX News to me

show details 8:39 AM (1 hour ago)

Reply

Press Release: SpaceX Signs Contract with Department of Defense – Falcon 1 to Launch Operationally Responsive Space Satellite on Next Flight

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Hawthorne, CA – March 10, 2007 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announced that it has signed a contract with the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office to carry their first Jumpstart mission payload onboard the upcoming Falcon 1 launch.

Scheduled for flight in June 2008 from the SpaceX launch complex in the Central Pacific Marshall Islands’ Kwajalein Atoll, the Jumpstart mission aims to establish a preliminary framework for responsive contracting, and to demonstrate the ability to rapidly integrate and execute a mission, from initial call-up to launch.

SpaceX will demonstrate its ability to perform responsive mission integration for three separate candidate ORS payloads. The actual flight payload will be determined by the ORS Office at or before the SpaceX Flight Readiness Review for the Falcon 1 Flight 003 (F1-003) vehicle, which typically occurs two weeks before launch.

“In purchasing this flight, the Department of Defense’s ORS Office has given SpaceX a tremendous endorsement,” said Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX. “We look forward to demonstrating our ability to be a key ORS enabler with rapid and responsive call-up, integration and launch.”

"The Jumpstart mission is an important milestone for Operationally Responsive Space,” said Colonel Kevin McLaughlin, head of ORS and commander of Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development and Test Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. “It demonstrates many of the ORS enablers needed to achieve the responsiveness timelines demanded by our deployed forces. The SpaceX Falcon launch capability is expected to be a key contributor in the responsive launch arena and we are pleased to be their teammate on this important mission."

The list of candidate payloads already under development includes the following:

1. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Plug and Play (PnP) satellite bus – a third generation bus with multiple integrated payloads, that when flown, would be a risk reduction to future ORS missions.
2. SpaceDev, Inc. Trailblazer spacecraft bus, originally developed under a Missile Defense Agency contract, which demonstrates a flexible, modular commercial bus design using off the shelf components.
3. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)/AFRL NanoSat-4, CUSat – a Space Test Program experiment consisting of two nanosatellites developed by Cornell University in partnership with the AFRL under the University Nanosatellite Program.

In addition to the ORS primary payload, Flight 003 will also carry a rideshare adapter experiment for ATSB of Malaysia (the primary customer for the following Falcon 1 launch, F1-004), and two CubeSat payloads.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, SpaceX is able to offer light, medium and heavy lift capability, delivering spacecraft into any inclination and altitude, from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous transfer orbit to interplanetary missions.

About Operationally Responsive Space

Established in May 2007, the U.S Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space Office operates from Kirtland Air Force Base, NM, and is committed to improving the nation's means to develop, acquire, field and employ space capabilities in shortened timeframes and more affordable ways.

ORS Office, contact 377th ABW Public Affairs at 505-246-6068.

# # #

Falcon 1 Demonstration Flight 2 at liftoff, March 21, 2007, from the Kwajalein Atoll, Central Pacific. The flight reached space, and an altitude of 289 kilometers (180 miles). Credit: SpaceX.

# # #

Visit SpaceX.com for more information.

Press Release: First SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Remains on Schedule for Delivery to Cape Canaveral

SpaceX News for ZenPupDog

Press Release: First SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Remains on Schedule for Delivery to Cape Canaveral

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Hawthorne, CA – March 3, 2008 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) today announced its newly revised mission manifest listing twelve flights of its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles.

“We are on track to deliver our first Falcon 9 vehicle to Cape Canaveral by the end of 2008,” said Gwynne Shotwell, Vice President of Business Development for SpaceX. “In addition, we’re very pleased to have signed a significant new US government customer for our next Falcon 1 flight, and will be releasing details shortly.”

The full SpaceX mission manifest extends into 2011 and lists nine customers on twelve flights, including three demonstration flights of SpaceX’s new Dragon spacecraft for NASA as part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition.

CUSTOMER	TARGET DATE	VEHICLE	LAUNCH SITE
US Government & ATSB	Q2 2008	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
ATSB (Malaysia)	Q3 2008	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
US Government	Q4 2008	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
MDA Corp. (Canada)	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
Avanti Communications (UK)	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
NASA COTS - Demo 1	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
NASA COTS - Demo 2	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
SpaceDev	2009	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
NASA COTS - Demo 3	2010	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
MDA Corp. (Canada)	2010	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
Swedish Space Corp. (Sweden)	2010	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
Bigelow Aerospace	2011	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral

Target date refers to delivery of the flight vehicle to the launch site. The actual launch date is dependent on a variety of factors, which may include regulatory approvals, launch range scheduling, weather, customer payload readiness and vehicle to launch pad integration.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, SpaceX is able to offer a light, medium and heavy lift capability, delivering spacecraft into any inclination and altitude, from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous transfer orbit to interplanetary missions.

As winner of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition, SpaceX will conduct three flights of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for NASA. This will culminate in Dragon berthing with the International Space Station and returning safely to Earth. When the Shuttle retires in 2010, Falcon 9 / Dragon will have the opportunity to replace the Shuttle in providing both up and down transportation services to the Space Station.

NASA baffled by force acting on space probes

Space always follows Ninjas - dontchaknow? Resisting the Mall Ninja Meme...

LZP: NASA baffled by force acting on space probes

Five spacecraft experience unexpected anomalies in their motions

By Charles Q. Choi

updated 11:16 a.m. PT, Fri., Feb. 29, 2008

Mysteriously, five spacecraft that flew past the Earth have each displayed unexpected anomalies in their motions.

These newfound enigmas join the so-called "Pioneer anomaly" as hints that unexplained forces may appear to act on spacecraft.

A decade ago, after rigorous analyses, anomalies were seen with the identical Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft as they hurtled out of the solar system. Both seemed to experience a tiny but unexplained constant acceleration toward the sun.

A host of explanations have been bandied about for the Pioneer anomaly. At times these are rooted in conventional science — perhaps leaks from the spacecraft have affected their trajectories. At times these are rooted in more speculative physics — maybe the law of gravity itself needs to be modified.

Now Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomer John Anderson and his colleagues — who originally helped uncover the Pioneer anomaly — have discovered that five spacecraft each raced either a tiny bit faster or slower than expected when they flew past the Earth en route to other parts of the solar system.

‘Humble and perplexed’
The researchers looked at six deep-space probes — Galileo I and II to Jupiter, the NEAR mission to the asteroid Eros, the Rosetta probe to a comet, Cassini to Saturn, and the Messenger craft to Mercury. Each spacecraft flew past our planet to either gain or lose orbital energy in their quests to reach their eventual targets.

In five of the six flybys, the scientists have confirmed anomalies.

"I am feeling both humble and perplexed by this," said Anderson, who is now working as a retiree. "There is something very strange going on with spacecraft motions. We have no convincing explanation for either the Pioneer anomaly or the flyby anomaly."

In the one probe the researchers did not confirm a noticeable anomaly with, Messenger, the spacecraft approached the Earth at about latitude 31 degrees north and receded from the Earth at about latitude 32 degrees south. "This near-perfect symmetry about the equator seemed to result in a very small velocity change, in contrast to the five other flybys," Anderson explained — so small no anomaly could be confirmed.

The five other flybys involved flights whose incoming and outgoing trajectories were asymmetrical with each other in terms of their orientation with Earth's equator.

For instance, the NEAR mission approached Earth at about latitude 20 south and receded from the planet at about latitude 72 south. The spacecraft then seemed to fly 13 millimeters per second faster than expected. While this is just one-millionth of that probe's total velocity, the precision of the velocity measurements was 0.1 millimeters per second, carried out as they were using radio waves bounced off the craft. This suggests the anomaly seen is real — and one needing an explanation.

The fact this effect seems most evident with flybys most asymmetrical with respect to Earth's equator "suggests that the anomaly is related to Earth's rotation," Anderson said.

As to whether these new anomalies are linked with the Pioneer anomaly, "I would be very surprised if we have discovered two independent spacecraft anomalies," Anderson told SPACE.com. "I suspect they are connected, but I really do not know."

Unbound idea
These anomalies might be effects we see with an object possessing a spacecraft's mass, between 660 and 2,200 pounds, Anderson speculated.

"Another thing in common between the Pioneer and these flybys is what you would call an unbound orbit around a central body," Anderson said. "For instance, the Pioneers are flying out of the solar system — they're not bound to their central body, the sun. For the other flybys, the Earth is the central body. These kinds of orbits just don't occur very often in nature — it could be when you get into an unbound orbit around a central body, something goes on that's not in our standard models."

The researchers are now collaborating with German colleagues to search for possible anomalies in the Rosetta probe's second flyby of the Earth on November 13.

"We should continue to monitor spacecraft during Earth flybys. We should look carefully at newly recovered Pioneer data for more evidence of the Pioneer anomaly," Anderson added. "We should think about launching a dedicated mission on an escape trajectory from the solar system, just to look for anomalies in its motion."

Click for related content

Solving NASA's great gravity mystery Cosmic Log: Slingshots in space Scientists ponder the problem with gravity

Montana State University physicist Ronald Hellings, who did not participate in this study, said, "There's definitely something going on. Whether that's because of new physics or some problem with the model we have is yet to be worked out, as far as I know. A lot of people are trying to look into this."

Anderson and his colleagues will detail their latest findings in an upcoming issue of the journal Physical Review Letters.

© 2007 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Walther P99

Your pup's favorite gun: The Airsoft pistol review rocks.

Walther P99

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Walther P99
Walther P99 Military, 9 mm version with green polymer frame
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	Polish police, Finnish Defence Forces, German police (partial), Montreal Police Service
Production history
Designer	Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen
Designed	1993-1996
Manufacturer	Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen
Produced	1996-present
Variants	P99QPQ, P99 Military, P990 (P99DAO), P99QA, P99AS, P99C, P99C AS, P99C QA, P99C DAO, SW99
Specifications
Weight	630 g (22.22 oz) (9x19mm Parabellum model) 655 g (23.1 oz) (.40 S&W model)
Length	180 mm (7.1 in) (9x19mm Parabellum) 184 mm (7.2 in) (.40 S&W)
Barrel length	102 mm (4 in) (9x19mm Parabellum) 106 mm (4.2 in) (.40 S&W)
Width	29 mm (1.1 in) (9x19mm Parabellum) 32 mm (1.3 in) (.40 S&W)
Height	135 mm (5.3 in)
Cartridge	9x19mm Parabellum 9x21mm IMI .40 S&W
Action	Short recoil operated, locked breech
Muzzle velocity	408 m/s (1,339 ft/s) (9x19mm Parabellum) 344 m/s (1,129 ft/s) (.40 S&W)
Feed system	16-round detachable box magazine (9x19mm Parabellum) 12-round box magazine (.40 S&W)
Sights	Interchangeable 3-dot notch sight

The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol made in Germany by Walther Sportwaffen.

The design of the P99 was initiated in 1994, and the handgun was presented in 1997. The main goal was to develop a new, modern-style police and self-defense handgun that incorporated all the latest developments and would cost less than its predecessor, the Walther P88, which did not achieve any significant commercial success. The pistol is used by the German Police of some federal states of Germany and the Finnish Army's special forces and military police, where it goes under the designation Pistooli 2003 (PIST 2003).

Design details

The P99 uses an internal striker as opposed to an external hammer, with a red-painted striker tip that protrudes from rear of the slide when the gun is cocked, as well as a chamber loaded indicator on the right side of the slide. It also features four internal safeties, a decocking button, sights adjustable for both windage and elevation, tool-less takedown, accessory rail, interchangeable grip backstraps of varying sizes for different users, and an ambidextrous magazine release incorporated into the trigger guard.

Redesign

A redesigned P99 was presented in 2004, incorporating a modified trigger guard that eliminated the "ski hump", which is clearly visible in the accompanying images. This was done to address some users' comfort concerns regarding the previous style. Walther also took the opportunity to redesign the slide so the user could grip it more easily, and notably, change the proprietary accessory rail to a Weaver type. Some models built in 2005 and all later models received one more design change, an elongated magazine release.

Variants

P99AS (Anti-stress)

Single/Double action. Prior to 2004 there was no designation for the double action trigger which Walther now markets as the P99AS ("anti-stress") trigger. It is called anti-stress because the trigger pull is the same length for the first shot, regardless of single or double-action. In this way, the anti-stress trigger functions as a sort of two-stage trigger, and lessens the possibility of stress-induced negligent discharges.

P99DAO (Double-action only)

The P99DAO was previously produced as the P990.

P99QA (Quick-action)

Glock style action with preloaded striker (shorter, lighter pull). The P99QA was announced in 2000.

P99C (Compact)

Compact version of the P99 available in the 3 preceding action types.

Limited editions

The MI-6 Limited Edition

Walther has also created several limited production runs of the P99 including:

• MI-6 (James Bond) a marketing tie-in with the new James Bond movies
• La Chasse (hunting)
• Year 2000 (Millennium)

Smith & Wesson SW99

Closely related to the P99, the Smith & Wesson SW99 is a joint venture between Walther, who produces a modified receiver in Germany, and Smith & Wesson, who fabricates the slides and barrels in the United States. Magazines can be interchanged between the two variants, but the pistols are considered to be two separate types, and are easily distinguished from each other by the trigger guard and slide design. The SW99 is also available in .45 ACP, while the P99 is not.

Although some Walther P99s carry the proof mark "SMITH & WESSON Springfield, MA" this only denotes importation by Smith & Wesson (currently the official importer) and not that it was manufactured by them. An "eagle over N" proofmark on the frame, barrel and slide is present on all German made P99s.

Gallery

P99 stripped.

See also

• Walther P22, a smaller version of the Walther P99 chambered in .22 LR.
• Umarex air pistol

References

1. ^ Finnish Army equipment page

This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

External links

• P99 Semi-Automatic Pistols at Carl Walther Sportwaffen GmbH
• Walther America
• Walther P99 FAQ "Lenaburg Edition"
• Walther P99 at World Guns
• Walther Forums
• Review of the Walther P99 authorized Maruzen Replica
• Maruzen Pistol Series
  

Press Release: SpaceX Completes Qualification Testing of Merlin Regeneratively Cooled Engine for Falcon 1 Rocket

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Final Production Design Cleared for Next Falcon 1 Flight in Spring 2008

Hawthorne CA – February 27, 2008 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announced today that it has completed the qualification testing program of its Merlin 1C next generation liquid fueled rocket booster engine for use in the Falcon 1 rocket.

Tests were conducted at the SpaceX Texas Test Facility near Waco, TX, on a Merlin 1C configured for powering the first stage of a Falcon 1 rocket. After completing development testing in November of 2007, the qualification program began to verify the final design features on an actual production engine, clearing the way for full-scale manufacturing.

“Our propulsion and test teams finished the qualification program with a record-breaking day that included four full mission duration firings on the engine,” said Tom Mueller, Vice President of Propulsion for SpaceX. “This marathon run brought the total operating time on a single engine to over 27 minutes, which is more than ten complete flights. The engine meets or exceeds all requirements for thrust, performance and durability.”

“This was the final development milestone required for the next Falcon 1 flight,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “In the coming weeks we’ll begin qualifying Merlin for the higher thrust and performance levels required by our Falcon 9 rocket, keeping us on track for delivering the first Falcon 9 vehicle to Cape Canaveral by year end.”

The single Merlin 1C will power SpaceX’s next Falcon 1 mission, scheduled to lift off in Spring of 2008 from the SpaceX launch complex in the Central Pacific atoll of Kwajalein. The far larger Falcon 9 uses nine Merlins on the first stage, and a single Merlin in vacuum configuration powers the Falcon 9 second stage.

The Merlin 1C is an improved version of the Merlin 1A ablatively cooled engine, which lofted the Falcon 1 on its first flight in March 2006 and second flight in March 2007. The regeneratively cooled Merlin 1C uses rocket propellant grade kerosene (RP-1), a refined form of jet fuel, to first cool the combustion chamber and nozzle before being combined with the liquid oxygen to create thrust. This cooling allows for higher performance without significantly increasing engine mass.

In its Falcon 1 configuration, Merlin 1C has a thrust at sea level of 78,000 lbs, a vacuum thrust of 90,000 pounds and a vacuum specific impulse of 301 seconds. In generating this thrust, Merlin consumes 300 lbs/second of propellant and the chamber and nozzle, cooled by 90 lbs/sec of kerosene, are capable of absorbing 10 MW of heat energy.

The Merlin engine is the first new American booster engine in ten years and only the second in over a quarter century. The prior two American engines were the RS-68 developed in the late nineties by Pratt & Whitney’s RocketDyne division, used in the Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle, and the Space Shuttle Main Engine developed in the late seventies, also by RocketDyne. With a production rate of one engine per week by late 2008, SpaceX will produce more rocket booster engines than the rest of US production combined and more than any country except Russia.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of both manned and unmanned space transportation ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, powered by Merlin engines, SpaceX is able to offer light, medium and heavy lift capabilities to deliver spacecraft into any inclination and altitude, from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit to planetary missions.

As winner of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services competition, SpaceX will conduct three flights of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for NASA. This will culminate in Dragon berthing with the International Space Station and returning safely to Earth. When the Shuttle retires in 2010, Falcon 9 / Dragon will have the opportunity to replace the Shuttle in servicing the Space Station.

# # #

A Merlin 1C engine on Vertical Test Stand 1 at the SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas. The Merlin 1C engine will power the next Falcon 1 flight, scheduled for Spring 2008. Photo credit: SpaceX. Additional photos and videos available from SpaceX.com.

Science News

'Active glacier found' on Mars

By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News

White tips may be areas of freshly exposed ice Enlarge Image

A probable active glacier has been identified for the first time on Mars.

The icy feature has been spotted in images from the European Space Agency's (Esa) Mars Express spacecraft.

Ancient glaciers, many millions of years old, have been seen before on the Red Planet, but these ones may only be several thousand years old.

The young glacier appears in the Deuteronilus Mensae region between Mars' rugged southern highlands and the flat northern lowlands.

"If it was an image of Earth, I would say 'glacier' right away," Dr Gerhard Neukum, chief scientist on the spacecraft's High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) told BBC News.

"We have not yet been able to see the spectral signature of water. But we will fly over it in the coming months and take measurements. On the glacial ridges we can see white tips, which can only be freshly exposed ice.

This is found in very few places on the Red Planet because as soon ice is exposed to the Martian environment, it sublimates - or turns from a solid state directly into gas.

Flooding event

In Deuteronilus Mensae, Dr Neukum estimates that water came up from underground in the last 10,000 to 100,000 years.

"That means it is an active glacier now. This is unique, and there are probably more," said Dr Neukum.

The water subsequently froze over and glaciers developed, the researcher from the Free University in Berlin, Germany, explained.

Not all researchers share his view of events. Some believe that snowfall causes glaciers to develop on Mars, as it does on Earth. But Gerhard Neukum thinks there is too little precipitation on the Red Planet for this to be the case.

Glacial features have been seen before on the Olympus Mons volcano. But these are thought to be about four million years old.

Dr Neukum said glacial features would be prime locations for robotic rovers to look for evidence of life on Mars.

If microbes survive deep below Mars, they could be transported to the surface by water gushing up from deep underground.

Last month, Esa celebrated Mars Express's five thousandth orbit of the Red Planet. The unmanned probe arrived at Mars on 25 December 2003.

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

ZPD: Return to Ninjas! Thems good Blogging ...

Stephen K. Hayes

Stephen K. Hayes (born September 9, 1949 in Delaware) is a martial arts teacher and author.

Background

Black Belt Hall of Fame member, An-shu Hayes is a noted martial arts author. The nineteen books he has authored have sold over 1.3 million copies and have been translated into five languages. He is a 1971 graduate of Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. He has worked as an actor, notably in the TV miniseries Shogun.[[1]] He is married to Rumiko Urata. The couple has two daughters, Reina and Marissa.

Stephen K. Hayes is considered an authority on ninjutsu and a knowledgeable practitioner of esoteric Tendai mikkyo Buddhism. Today, Mr. Hayes lives and works in Dayton, Ohio, and was once again featured on the cover of Black Belt magazine for their March 2007 issue. The issue contains a chapter from his soon-to-be-released book Ninja Vol 6, Secret Scrolls of the Warrior Sage. The magazine’s opening editorial as well focuses on Mr. Hayes, and describes him as "one of the 10 most influential living martial artists in the world."

Biography

After graduating from Miami University in 1971, he spent time in search of authentic martial traditions, working his way up to sam dan in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do (tangsudo). Frustrated with the limitations he'd encountered in his training, he packed his bags and headed for Japan.

In June of 1975, he finally met the teacher he'd been seeking all his life in Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi, the founder of Bujinkan Dōjō. Stephen K. Hayes returned to the United States, and with his close friend Bud Malmstrom set off the "ninja boom" of the 1980s, creating one of the largest martial arts phenomena since Bruce Lee. During this time, he helped introduce ninjutsu to America and Western Europe and is responsible for many people becoming aware of ninjutsu. A number of today's senior American Bujinkan practitioners began training with Hayes during this time period, including Bud Malmstrom, Jack Hoban, Mark Davis, Jean-Pierre Seibel, Courtland Elliott, and many more.

In 1991 Hayes also received Tokudo priesthood ordination in Tendai Buddhism from Tendai Master and Vajra Acharya Dr. Clark Jikai Choffy. In 1993, Hayes was awarded the judan (tenth degree black belt) degree from Grandmaster Hatsumi. In 1997, he founded the martial art of To-Shin Do, an art based in his experience of budo taijutsu and life experiences, including security escort work for the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Hayes has also founded a Buddhist Order based on his teachings and experiences with Tibetan Buddhism and Tendai called the Blue Lotus Assembly.

Hayes and his SKH Quest Corporation have continued with their work of making martial arts accessible to people everywhere. The SKH Quest network now spans 18 schools in 12 states.

Affiliation with the Bujinkan

On May 14, 2006, during training in the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo, Soke Masaaki Hatsumi had Steven K. Hayes' name placard taken off the Bujinkan rank board. Without ceremony or fanfare, 12th dan Shidoshi George Ohashi took the name placard down while people were training. Soke Hatsumi stated that Steven K. Hayes was no longer recognized as a judan in the Bujinkan. [2] [3] On May 20, 2006, as a result of the Internet rumors that circulated following these events, Shidoshi Ohashi, also the Bujinkan's administrator, posted the following on the Bujinkan's Hombu & Ayase website: [4] (Archive of [5])

Although the latest news from the Hombu seems to have surprised many people, the facts involved are very simple.

Soke has decided that the person in question has moved away from the Bujinkan and so he is no longer recognized as a Bujinkan member. His name placard has been removed from the 10th dan board in the Hombu Dojo. (Soke doesn't care if people call it a Hamon or not.)

As of July 10th, 2006, Soke Masaaki Hatsumi was still sending Bujinkan rank diplomas to Stephen K. Hayes for the students that requested them.[6]

Trivia

During his time in Japan, Hayes occasionally worked as a photographic model. He can be seen in the handbook for the Canon AE1 camera, holding the camera.

He was the stunt double for Richard Chamberlain in the TV miniseries Shogun.

Books by Stephen Hayes

• Ninja combat method: A training overview manual, Beaver Products, 1975.
• Ninja Vol. 1: Spirit of the Shadow Warrior, Ohara Publications, 1980. ISBN 0-89750-073-3
• Ninja Vol. 2: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment, Ohara Publications, 1981. ISBN 0-89750-077-6
• Ninja Vol. 3: Warrior Path of Togakure, Ohara Publications, 1983. ISBN 0-89750-090-3
• Ninja Vol. 4: Legacy of the Night Warrior, Ohara Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89750-102-0
• Ninja Vol. 5: Lore of the Shinobi Warrior, Ohara Publications, 1989. ISBN 0-89750-123-3
• Ninja Vol. 6: Secret Scrolls of the Warrior Sage. Forthcoming, 2007 - (ISBN-10: 0-89750-165-X) (ISBN-13: 978-0-89750-156-9)
• Wisdom from the Ninja Village of the Cold Moon, Contemporary Books, 1984. ISBN 0-8092-5383-6
• Ninjutsu: The Art of the Invisible WArrior, McGraw-Hill, 1984. ISBN 0-8092-5478-6
• Tulku: A Novel of Modern Ninja, Contemporary Books, 1985. ISBN 0-8092-5332-1
• The Mystic Arts of the Ninja, McGraw-Hill, 1985. ISBN 0-8092-5343-7
• Ninja Realms of Power: Spiritual Roots and Traditions of the Shadow Warrior, Contemporary Books, 1986. ISBN 0-8092-5334-8
• The Ancient Art of Ninja Warfare: Combat, Espionage and Traditions, Contemporary Books, 1988. ISBN 0-8092-5331-3
• The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art, Tuttle Publishing, 1990. ISBN 0-8048-1656-5
• Enlightened self-protection: The Kasumi-An ninja art tradition : an original workbook, Nine Gates Press, 1992. ISBN 0-9632473-9-5
• Action Meditation: The Japanese Diamond and Lotus Tradition, Nine Gates Press, 1993. ISBN 0-9632473-7-9
• First steps on the path of light: Tendai-shu Buddhist mind science study guide, self-published, 1997.
• Secrets from the Ninja Grandmaster : Revised and Updated Edition (with Masaaki Hatsumi), Paladin Press, 2003. ISBN 1-58160-375-4
• How to Own the World: A Code for Taking the Path of the Spiritual Explorer, self-published, 2006. ISBN 0-9632473-2-8
• Enlightened Warrior Gyo-ja Practitioner Recitation Handbook for Daily Practice, self-published, 2006

External links

• Stephen K. Hayes Quest Center
• Quest Mailing List
• Blue Lotus Assembly

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Ninja

Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari.

A ninja may have been an assassin or spy in Japanese culture, usually trained for stealth. Appearing in fourteenth century feudal Japan, and active from the Kamakura to the Edo period, their roles may have included sabotage, espionage, scouting, and assassination missions, perhaps in the service of feudal rulers (daimyo or shogun). Since the art of stealth killing leaves no witness, the truth about the ninja will likely remain hidden.

Etymology

Ninja is the on'yomi reading of the two kanji 忍者 used to write shinobi-no-mono (忍の者), and Oniwaban (お庭番) both of which are native Japanese words for people who practice ninjutsu (sometimes transliterated as ninjitsu 忍術). Ninja and shinobi-no-mono, along with shinobi, another variant, became popular in the post-World War II culture. The term 志能備, has been traced as far back as Japan's Asuka period (538-710 AD), when Prince Shotoku is alleged to have employed one of his retainers as a ninja.^{[citation needed]} The underlying connotation of shinobi (忍, pronounced nin in Sino-Japanese compounds) is "to do quietly" or "to do so as not to be perceived by others" and—by extension—"to forebear," hence its association with stealth and invisibility. Mono (者, likewise pronounced sha or ja) means "thing" and/or "person." The nin of ninjutsu is the same as that in ninja, whereas jutsu (術) means skill or art, so ninjutsu means "the skill of going unperceived" or "the art of stealth"; hence, ninja and shinobi-no-mono (as well as shinobi) may be translated as "one skilled in the art of stealth." Similarly, the pre-war word ninjutsu-zukai means "one who uses the art of remaining unperceived."

Historical period of origin

The ninjas' use of guerilla tactics against better-armed enemy samurai does not mean that they were limited to espionage and undercover work; that is simply where their actions most notably differed from the more accepted tactics of samurai. Their weapons and tactics were partially derived from the need to conceal or defend themselves quickly from Samurai, which can be seen from the similarities between many of their weapons and various sickles and threshing tools used at the time. [1].

Ninja as a group first began to be written about in 15th century feudal Japan as martial organizations predominately in the regions of Iga and Koga of central Japan, though the practice of guerilla warfare and undercover espionage operations goes back much further.

At this time, the conflicts between the clans of daimyo that controlled small regions of land had established guerilla warfare and assassination as a valuable alternative to frontal assault. Since Bushido, the Samurai Code, forbade such tactics as dishonorable, a daimyo could not expect his own troops to perform the tasks required; thus, he had to buy or broker the assistance of ninja to perform selective strikes, espionage, assassination, and infiltration of enemy strongholds (Turnbull 2003).

There are a few people and groups of people regarded as having been potential historical ninja from approximately the same time period. It is rumored that some of the higher-ranking daimyos and shoguns were in fact ninja, and exploited their role as ninja-hunters to deflect suspicion and obscure their participation in the 'dishonorable' ninja methods and training.

Though typically classified as assassins, many of the ninja were warriors in all senses. In Hayes's book, Mystic Arts of the Ninja, Hattori Hanzo, one of the most well-known ninja, is depicted in armor similar to that of a Samurai. Hayes also says that those who ended up recording the history of the ninja were typically those within positions of power in the military dictatorships, and that students of history should realize that the history of the ninja was kept by observers writing about their activities as seen from the outside.

“Ninjutsu did not come into being as a specific well defined art in the first place, and many centuries passed before ninjutsu was established as an independent system of knowledge in its own right. Ninjutsu developed as a highly illegal counter culture to the ruling Samurai elite, and for this reason alone, the origins of the art were shrouded by centuries of mystery, concealment, and deliberate confusion of history” The Historical Ninja. –By Soke Masaaki Hatsumi

A similar account is given by 10th Dan instructor Stephan K. Hayes – “The predecessors of Japan's’ ninja were so called rebels favoring Buddhism who fled into the mountains near Kyoto as early as the 7th century A.D. to escape religious persecution and death at the hands of imperial forces” Ninjutsu: The Art of Invisibility.

Historical organization

In their history, ninja groups were small and structured around families and villages, later developing a more martial hierarchy that was able to mesh more closely with that of samurai and the daimyo. These certain Ninjutsu trained groups were set in these Villages for protection against raiders and robbers.

While ninja are often depicted as male, and nearly all military and related professions were typically limited exclusively to males, "ninja museums" in Japan declare women to have been ninja as well (Turnbull 2003). A female ninja may be called kunoichi; the characters are derived from the strokes that make up the kanji for woman. They were sometimes depicted as spies who learned the secrets of an enemy by seduction; though it's just as likely they were employed as household servants, putting them in a position to overhear potentially valuable information. In either case, there is no historical support for the modern image of female ninja assassins and warriors, they more likely had roles as spies and couriers, similar to male ninja.

As a martial organization, ninja would have had many rules, and keeping secret the ninja's clan and the daimyo who gave them their orders would have been one of the most important ones.

For modern hierarchy in ninjutsu, see: Ninjutsu

Historical garb, technique, and image

There is no evidence that historical ninja limited themselves to all-black suits. In modern times, camoflage based upon dark colors such as dark red and dark blue, and give better concealment at night. Some ninja may have worn the same armor or clothing as samurai or Japanese peasants.

The stereotypical ninja that continually wears easily identifiable black outfits (shinobi shozoku) comes from the Kabuki theater. [2] Prop handlers would dress in black and move prop around on the stage. The audience would obviously see the prop handlers but would pretend they were invisible. Building on that willing suspension of disbelief, ninja characters also came to be portrayed in the theater as wearing similar all-black suits. This either implied to the audience that the ninja were also invisible, or simply made the audience unable to tell a ninja character from the many prop handlers until the ninja character distinguished himself from the other stagehands with a scripted attack or assassination.

Ninja boots (jika-tabi), like much of the rest of Japanese footwear from the time, have a split-toe design that improves gripping and wall/rope climbing. They are soft enough to be virtually silent.

The actual head covering suggested by sōke Masaaki Hatsumi (in his book The Way of the Ninja: Secret Techniques) utilizes what is referred to as Sanjaku-tenugui, (three-foot cloths). It involves the tying of two three-foot cloths around the head in such a way as to make the mask flexible in configuration but securely bound. Some wear a long robe, most of the time dark blue (紺色) for stealth.

Associated equipment

The assassination, espionage, and infiltration tasks of the ninja led to the development of specialized technology in concealable weapons and infiltration tools.

Tools

Ninja are said to have made use of weapons that could be easily concealed or disguised as common tools such as the bo and handclaws (shuko, neko-te tekagi) probably being the most famous examples of concealable tools, as well as shuriken (throwing stars), which have more recently been popularized by comic books and movies. Kunai (originally a gardening tool) were also a popular weapon according to some accounts, as they could be hidden easily or carried if the ninja was disguised as a gardener. It was the equivalent of a utility knife, often used to pry or cut rather than fight. The makibishi (tetsu-bishi), a type of caltrop made of iron spikes, is also famous. It could be thrown on the ground to injure a pursuer's feet or thrown out on an enemy's escape path so that the targets could be cut down or shot down with bows and arrows while they looked for another escape route, but it could also be covered with poison.

Ninja are associated with the katana, a long, curved sword that is usually associated with the samurai. In popular culture, ninja are often shown as using special short swords called ninja-ken (or ninja-tō, see below for explanation), or "shinobigatana" (Note the inclusion of the term shinobi, a synonym for ninja). Ninja-ken are shorter than a katana but longer than a wakizashi. The ninja-to was often more of a utilitarian tool than a weapon, not having the complex heat treatment of a usual weapon^{[citation needed]}. Another version of the ninja sword was the shikoro ken (saw sword). The shikoro ken was said to be used to gain entry into wooden buildings, and could also have a double use by cutting (or slashing in this case) opponents.

While the nunchaku are often associated with ninja in the contemporary western imagination, historic ninja use of the weapon is unlikely on anachronistic grounds. However, most historians believe that ninja may have adapted a rice-threshing flail into a weapon for similar use.

One non-offensive tool used by ninja is irogome (literally, "colored rice"). Irogome was uncooked rice seeds colored in five or six different colors: red, black, white, yellow, blue, and sometimes brown. They would be placed on the ground or handed from ninja to ninja. Each combination carried certain meanings like "all clear" or "an enemy check point is ahead".

Specialized weapons and tactics

Ninja also employed a variety of weapons and tricks using gunpowder. Smoke bombs and firecrackers were widely used to aid an escape or create a diversion for an attack. They used timed fuses to delay explosions. Ōzutsu (cannons) they constructed could be used to launch fiery sparks as well as projectiles at a target. Small "bombs" called metsubushi (目潰し, "eye closers") were filled with sand and sometimes metal dust. This sand would be carried in bamboo segments or in hollowed eggs and thrown at someone, the shell would crack, and the assailant would be blinded. Even land mines were constructed that used a mechanical fuse or a lit, oil-soaked string. Secrets of making desirable mixes of gunpowder were strictly guarded in many ninja clans.

Other forms of trickery were said to be used for escaping and combat. Ashiaro are wooden pads attached to the ninja's tabi (thick socks with a separate "toe" for bigger toe; used with sandals). The ashiaro would be carved to look like an animal's paw, or a child's foot, allowing the ninja to leave tracks that most likely would not be tracked.

Also a small ring worn on a ninja's finger called a shobo would be used for hand-to-hand combat. The shobo (or as known in many styles of ninjutsu, the shabo) would have a small notch of wood used to hit assailant's pressure points for sharp pain, sometimes causing temporary paralysis. A suntetsu is very similar to a shobo. It could be a small oval shaped piece of wood affixed to the finger by a small strap. The suntetsu would be held against a finger (mostly middle) on the palm-side and when the hand that was thrust at an opponent, the longer piece of wood would be used to hit the pressure points.

In Popular Culture

Main article: Ninja in popular culture

Ninja appear in both Japanese and Western fiction. Depictions range from realistic to the fantastically exaggerated.

In the mid-1960s the Japanese TV series The Samurai created a major wave of popularity for the ninja in Japan, and this was replicated in several other countries where the series was screened, most notably in Australia, where the program's popularity rivaled its following in Japan among children.

Many sources, including books, television, movies, and websites are portraying ninjas in non-factual ways, often for humor or entertainment. A popular example is the Real Ultimate Power website and book, which are satirically written, feigning obsessive over-enthusiasm for ninja.

Modern Para-military groups

• Armed groups active under Indonesian rule in East Timor, which terrorized populations supporting independence and were allegedly controlled by the Indonesian military, in some cases called themselves "Ninja." However, there seems little resemblance between their methods and those of Japanese ninja, and the name seems to have been borrowed from films and books rather than being directly influenced by the Japanese model.

• The Angolan Special Police Forces, are a are a specialized para-military police force officially referred to as the “emergency police” but popularly known as “Ninjas” ^{[1] [2]}.

Notes

1. ^ Angola: Peace Monitor, II, 9, 5/29/'96. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER. Retrieved on 2007 March 23.
2. ^ Democracy Fact File: Angola. sardc.net. Retrieved on 2007 March 23.

References

• Hatsumi, Masaaki (June 1981). Ninjutsu: History and Tradition. Unique Publications. ISBN 0-86568-027-2.
• Turnbull, Stephen (February 2003). Ninja AD 1460-1650. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-525-2.

External links

• How Ninja Work at How Stuff Works
• History of the concept of the Ninja, especially in theatre

Note: A shobo is a weapon used by the ninja of Japan for striking pressure points on an opponent. It was a piece of wood that was gripped by the wielder and was hung by a ring.

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Sparky thinks we're seeing an alias of Bill Murray (who's obviously a dangerous man).