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Old 05-17-2013, 04:20 PM   #53
Robert Cowham
Dojo: East Sheen Aikido and Kashima No Tachi
Location: London, UK
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 289
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Re: How long does it take to understand Aikido? How long to use it effectively?

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
Hi Mary,
It's interesting to see what so-called "threats" people choose to focus on. 911 caused the whole country to go to war, change our concepts of individual rights and privacy, kill many tens of thousands of people and have far more of our own casualties than the original terrorist incident itself. We are far more at risk getting in our own cars every day than we have ever been from terrorist incidents.

People spend vast amounts of time and effort, spend huge sums of money, preparing for violent incidnets that may never happen. This while their environment is polluted, their diets are poisonous, our health deteriorates and medical costs soar. We are far more likely to die from cancer or heart disease than from some hypothetical violent attack (unles we are young and black and live in the ghetto... then death by violence is one of the main health risks).
I am sure it's been quoted on the forum before:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/sc...isks.html?_r=0

Quote:
This calculation illustrates the biggest single lesson that I've learned from 50 years of field work on the island of New Guinea: the importance of being attentive to hazards that carry a low risk each time but are encountered frequently.
For a UK centric view on recent Boston events (and at the risk of igniting flames):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...mbs-us-gun-law

Quote:
But by letting one fugitive terrorist shut down a major American city, Boston not only bowed to outsize and irrational fears, but sent a dangerous message to every would-be terrorist -- if you want to wreak havoc in the United States, intimidate its population and disrupt public order, here's your instruction booklet.

Putting aside the economic and psychological cost, the lockdown also prevented an early capture of the alleged bomber, who was discovered after Bostonians were given the all clear and a Watertown man wandered into his backyard for a cigarette and found a bleeding terrorist on his boat.
I visited Boston 2 weeks ago for my aunt's 90th birthday and had a great time. I remember when she came to London to visit us during the time of the IRA bombs, and all her friends said how brave she was to risk going to such a dangerous place - life goes on...
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