Suggested me by another good friend a long time ago: thanks Pedram!!
Then, after all this funny fight, I had to take a look to an epic fight, Musashi vs. Kojiro in Samurai III, Duel at Ganryu Island:
I listed this animation under the category Iaido, 居合道since they are samurai!! I take the occasion then to publish one more video from Samurai Champloo, サムライチャンプルー , anime already mentioned in the past:
Ohhhhhh… I miss Iaido sooooooo much!!!!
Maybe.. but the comment is basically ARGH!!! for this one too!!!!
After Berlusca, also “Uolter Ueltroni” looks for the Italian abroad votes.. and I have been warned that also other Italian (minor??) political groups are sending these kind of (harassing) letters to us, Italian abroad.. 
We (Italians) call this “par condicio”, equal treatement.. Italian and English explanations (and a note on the word “condicio“) with a good pictorial equali-zation :-)
…and this is almost the last time I talk about Italian politics.. I will have one comment after the elections.. maybe.. 
PS I just took this test (in Italian and with some connection problems) to see where I am in the Italian politics panorama.. and the result is..
2 interesting papers about 2 quite famous Aikido sensei, recommended by 2 friends of mine!
From Mathias, an interview (part 1 and 2) of Chiba Kazuo sensei!
From Svein, an interview about Yamaguchi Seigo, 山口清吾, sensei!
And looking for these videos..I found the following one.. that I liked very much!! You can see Tissier sensei, Yamagouchi sensei and (yes, have a look!!!) Seagal sensei (ehen he still was young and doing Aikido, not focus on the money machine called Hollywood!)!! Suggestion: MUTE the video!!! The music is not sooooooooo good!!!
I have been a member of AIRE (Anagrafe Italiani Residenti all’Estero = “association” for Italian people living abroad) since my second year in Norway, when I realized I was not anymore only an exchange student, but my permanence there (here) would have been longer.
In those older times, as AIRE member, I had the right, in case of elections in Italy, to get half of the cheapest fare for traveling from the Italian border to my hometown, payed by the Italian governement: living in Norway, I never used that offer!!! 
But since 2006 elections, people registered in AIRE are able to vote by postal ballot (without having to physically return to Italy to cast their vote). This was a law proposed by the center right side, in the person of Mirko Tremaglia (right wing), who also founded a party active with voters living abroad. Let’s say that being 2006 the first time, there had been quite a lot of problems to really exercise the vote!!! However, I cannot complain! 
The main hope for the supporters of the law was in fact to gain votes for the cetner-right side of the governement. Forty-two percent of eligible voters abroad participated in the elections in 2006. And the final results had been not as the center-right expected: the abroad voters in fact tilt the election balance in favour of the center-left side!
That is probably why this year I got (ARGH!!!!) a letter from Him, l’unto dal signore, Silvio Berlusconi! ARGH!!!!
What I actually wonder is:
Given that right now his party is considered the favourite, and I am not a big fan of Him, I’d rather cross my fingers. Better, to ward off bad luck I’d quick grab at what are delicately called my “attributi” (or.. balls!). But I’ll do that in the privacy of my home, being this traditional act considered now an act against public decency!!
Soon enough, I will be able to exercise my rights.. again!
Anyway, I wonder now if AIRE is a sort of big brother, watching over our shoulders.. like HAL might have done during “2001: A Space Odyssey”, with poor Dave!
The second Aikido seminar organized here in Stavanger was also a success!!
Unfortunately the group picture (above ) was taken on Sunday (yeah yeah, I forgot on Saturday!) when less people managed to come to practice.. only the hrad core ones!! (and the people not working night-shift!!)
After having a great Aikido and social time with Jørgen Nyhus in December 2006, we repeat the experience with Erik last weekend! And as a further change, we went to China House for the social evening on Saturday and enjoyed a great mongolian barbeque!
On Saturday, we had also a small graduation, a first step in Aikikai, 合気会 (NAF, my federation) world for Jacqueline, Christian and Jimmy. All three were awarded of 6.kyu!! Well done, even if the main problem was probably to associate the names of the technique to the technique itself, being different in Tomiki style. They did some confusion.. but they also know that I am a quite strict trainer! I am sure I will see better “exhibition” next time!
Especially if these “kids” will join some of my Aikikai sessions! And it will be very useful for me for improving my Aikido with the big goal of my nidan.
I update all the pictures taken by both me and Geir Håkon, alias Gerry, alias Aiki-Pinky.. may the power of his finger be unleashed!
From today to Sunday Erik, 3. dan Aikikai from Oslo Aikido dojo, will be visiting Stavanger Aikido at Kampsport Instituttet!
A great change for practicing very good Aikido with my previous instructor.
In my two years in Oslo, practicing with him and many other great people at his club, my Aikido improved quite a lot: I hope the response from the people here in Stavanger will be good!
Monday will be the time to upload a few pictures!
Furthermore, for the first time since I came here, it will be also possible to perform Aikikai graduation for the level of 6. and, maybe, 5. kyu.
The graduation syllabus is available here and the graduation papers must be printed out and signed before lunch on Saturday 15th. The prices for graduation, fixed by NAF are available here.
Even if my old age made me messing up the flight reservation to Jorma Lyly’s seminar in Oslo, I manage to spend a reasonably ok saturday, putting off energy in a profitable way, and a very good sunday, relaxing and having a great time with my special person.
On saturday, and friday night, first I finally updated my Flickr account with some extremely old pictures/sets that deserved to be on much earlier. Because of that, I have mass uploaded and in a couple of weeks I will refilter the pics, deleting the ones less interesting or with less views (as done lately). These pics are about the visit from Taiwan of Rose and the tour with her in Stavanger, Trondheim, Røros and Oslo. Meeting this person had been a bit different than expected, let’s say not all worked as hoped But pictures are pictures.. and they are an important part of my life. I prefer to forget the rest!
Besides, when we were in Oslo I had a chance to partecipate to the wedding party of a good friend of mine: Olga!!! And since she worked also as a guide on the boats taking tourist to fjord tours, she organized the party of one of these ship. And the weather was wonderfull!!!
I had also two sets of Aikido related trips that had to be uploaded: Prague and Vienna, both seminars with Endo sensei, of course!!
Saturday, feeling uneasy for the missing practice, I decided to help my dear colleague (and boss) Phil in renovating (OK, starting the process, the easy part for me!) the first floor in his house: the destruction part!!
A few hours of quite hard work.. and next I was devastated enough for relaxing at home in the evening!
Sunday, finally, I went to meet Han Xu, for a very relaxing afternoon, first time in some weeks, since she also was a bit more free from University homeworks.. before her rush for preparing the many exams she has this semester.. So we could share some lazy time in the afternoon and evening, watching together some episodes of the first series ”Desperate housewives“, since I have never watched that before (while she is a pro for this series!!)
We had also a good dinner with pizza, unfortunately the place where we ate had been occupied for most of the time by a huge group of young girls, very noisy!! When they left one could really appreciate the quiet!!
Hello world! Hello Chuck!
What’s Aiki-dude then??
I love Aikido
I love Asia
I have gone a long way (mollo tutto!)
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