Shaolin kung fu, or Shaolinquan is one of the oldest extant styles of martial arts and one of the most influential. It has existed since the 6th century CE as a means of self-defense and exercise for Buddhist monks. Over time it spread throughout Eastern Asia. Even many modern systems of Chinese martial arts can claim descent from traditional Shaolin and they often use the name as part of their advertisement, for better or for worse. For those curious about this martial art, we’re here to provide a brief history and overview of Shaolin fighting systems.   Origins of Shaolin Kung Fu Shaolin monks training. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The earliest versions of this system of fighting are thought to derive from the teachings of the Indian monk Batuo (originally named Buddhabhadra), the first abbot of the Shaolin monastery, in the 5th century CE. Shaolin kung fu is not the oldest martial art or even the oldest in China (that distinction likely goes to Shuai Jiao), but it is the most widespread.   Monastic life involved long periods of meditation; to counteract the potential negative effects of sitting still for long periods (e.g. blood clots in the legs), martial arts were introduced as a means of exercise and to foster wakefulness during Buddhist meditation. At first, the Shaolin were taught a series of simple forms known as Luohan Shiba Shou, or 18 Arhat Hands.   Although the common story is that the monk Buddhadarma taught the Shaolin the Indian martial art of kalaripayattu, no historical mention was made of him until the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), two centuries after the temple was built.   Many Chinese martial arts are characterized by poetically-named techniques and large-flowing movements. So let’s explore some of the most well-known forms.   The Five Animal Styles White Crane Style Kung Fu. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The various forms of kung fu inspired by the Shaolin are thought to be derived from the monks watching the movements of animals when expanding on the original 18 Luohan techniques that were created during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE). Legend has it that they would mimic the behavior and “spirit” of the movement, exemplifying the desired qualities of a martial artist such as power, balance, or flexibility as expressed in the animals’ movements. This may be the case for most of the forms; one of the five forms is that of the dragon and it is safe to say no monks were mimicking dragons from first-hand experience.   Although different traditions have their own take, the five most commonly accepted animal forms are the Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake, and Dragon. Here are their commonly accepted characteristics:   Tiger: Powerful strikes with the hands often through palm strikes or clawed fingers, low and broad stances. Crane: Precise strikes to soft targets using the fingertips. Focus on evasion using swift, yet balanced movements. Snake: Sinuous movement, attacking from deceptive angles. Leopard: Quick aggressive motions that strike from oblique angles, but not overly powerful. Dragon: Broad sweeping motions powered by solid biomechanics and proper breathing. Incorporates elements from the other styles.   Conditioning of Shaolin Trainees Shaolin Iron Palm Practice. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Practicing any form of martial art requires a degree of physical fitness. A strong core enables a stable posture with proper form and drives the movement of the limbs. Strong muscles and bones allow for explosive movement and can endure the force of attacking or defending from blows performed at full speed. Flexibility and speed allow fluid motion from any position without loss of power. It is said that the ideal feeling of, for example, a punch, is with the fist as a hammer on the end of a whip. For cardiovascular conditioning, vital for prolonged activity, running, jogging, and other exercises—especially up stairs or steep mountain paths—work well.   Some of the most well-known training exercises performed by the Shaolin include the “Iron Palm” which involves striking hard surfaces, “Iron Body,” which involves being struck repeatedly for the purpose of body hardening, and the famed water-bucket carrying exercise for endurance. They also sometimes use weights on their arms and legs—not too much, for fear of damaging ligaments and tendons—as a method of resistance training.   Training of the Shaolin consists of equal parts cardiovascular conditioning, strength, and flexibility training, and martial training to learn the movements. As a part of meditation, the monks practice deep breathing exercises to cultivate qi, or life energy (which is derived from proper oxygenation and healthy eating and sleeping, nothing supernatural or mystical).   Weapons Dao with scabbard, Chinese, 18th century. Source: The Met Museum   Not only do Shaolin trainees train to great skill levels in unarmed fighting, but they also attain proficiency in several weapons. The weapon most associated with the traditional Shaolin is the gun, or staff similar to the Japanese bo. The gun is held more like a European quarterstaff, with one hand at the center and the other near the tip. The techniques of this weapon bear close resemblance to battlefield spear techniques. The Buddhist beliefs practiced by the Shaolin prohibited them from killing except out of necessity, so the staff and the pudao, or the monks’ spade, were the preferred weapons when venturing outside the temple and are therefore part of Shaolin training still.   Because the Shaolin knew that they could be targeted by someone wielding anything, they trained to defend themselves against a variety of swords, daggers, and other weapons. Styles that descended from the Shaolin traditions incorporated the teaching of these weapons for use by soldiers or police officers.   Northern and Southern Kung Fu Man Practicing Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. Source: Wikimedia Commons   No fighting style is developed in a vacuum. Tactics and weapons evolve to meet the needs of the prevailing culture as well as the environment. In this vein, Shaolin styles and other Chinese martial arts often fall into two broad geographical categories: Northern and Southern. The division between these two regions is either the Qian mountain range or the Yangtze River.   Northern China has vast open stretches of flat terrain. Martial arts from Northern China focus on broad movements, upright stances, and kicks, practiced in flowing patterns. They also incorporate more weapons-based training as a holdover from ancient military drills with spears.   The original Shaolin Temple, located in Henan Province, influenced the majority of Northern styles.   Southern China, meanwhile, is mountainous. A slip on treacherous terrain could lead to one falling to their death. Therefore, Southern styles focus on stances that are low to the ground for stability and short, close-range movements. The close movements also serve well in tight quarters, such as urban combat or aboard ships, e.g. fighting the Japanese pirates of the 16th century. The Southern Shaolin-influenced styles came from a sister temple in Fukien.   Notable Lineages Chi Sao Wing Chun form. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Virtually every modern Chinese martial art can in some way trace its lineage back to the Shaolin Temple, to the point that it’s impossible to list them all. We’ll focus on several of the most notable.   Hung Gar: Created during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), Hung Gar is a Southern Shaolin style focused on low stances, specifically the horse stance. Its wide footwork facilitates blows driven by the rotation of the torso and kinetic linking from grounded stances. It includes Tiger and Crane techniques in its repertoire of hand movements, as well as the use of the staff and broadswords.   Wing Chun: Wing Chun is another Southern Shaolin style. Unlike Hung Gar, Wing Chun is focused on tight movements with the hands held close to the center of the body. The main characteristic of Wing Chun is its speed. Skilled practitioners can throw lightning-fast punches to vulnerable points and simultaneously defend themselves. Wing Chun is one of the styles that Bruce Lee incorporated into Jeet Kune Do.   Long Fist: Also called changquan, this fighting style of the Northern Shaolin excels in leaping, acrobatic kicking techniques, and broad movements that involve more rotation. It also has an extensive weapons curriculum that teaches the gun, the qiang (spear), dao, and jian (straight sword), as well as over a dozen others. The extensive variety of movements and their acrobatic nature make it well-suited for exhibitions.   Xingyiquan: This Northern Shaolin-derived style bears the closest resemblance to military drills. Its movements are sharp and linear as if fighting from within a tight formation. Staff and spear movements feature heavily in Xingyiquan. The motions occur at short ranges and are single-time — that is to say, attack and defense occur in the same instant.   Modern Shaolin Kung Fu Shaolin Temple Entrance. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The Shaolin Temple still stands after having been destroyed and rebuilt several times over its history. It is an immensely popular tourist destination in China, with visitors from all over the world coming to observe the monks — or even to live and train with them. Of course, to be allowed to do this requires that one speak fluent Chinese: there are few if any willing translators at the temple. Those wishing to join the temple can apply on their website, filling in all medical information, food requirements, and personal, passport, and visa information.   Shaolin kung fu is practiced all over the world, so anyone wishing to learn need not necessarily go to China. Monks, upon gaining a recognized degree of skill, are allowed to start their own schools.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. WTVJ-TV reported on May 22 that 45-year-old Matthew Moulton of Walla Walla, Washington, was placed under arrest after he sent Volusia County, Florida, Sheriff Mike Chitwood an email on March 20 in which he allegedly stated, "I'm going to have to threaten you with...

If you pay close attention to the news every day, you might have developed some kind of anxiety disorder. At minimum, you probably reach a point of exhaustion from time to time. We might call it "Outrage Fatigue." Thus, one craves stories that showcase people whose work spreads light amid...

While we are all watching Iran, Putin continues his gradual advance into Ukraine. Putin has told Ukraine he risks renewed armed conflict in the future if it does not recognize the results of referenda ballots Moscow held in 2022 in four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed. Crimea is off the table for […] The post Putin Expands the Buffer Zone in Sumy, Considers Taking It appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The Supreme Court denied the Snope and Ocean State Second Amendment petitions earlier this month. They have left us open to gun law schemes and tyranny. The Maryland Case is Most Consequential According to CNN, one appeal included Maryland’s ban on semi-automatic weapons such as AR- and AK-style rifles. The law was enacted after the […] The post When the Political SCOTUS Left the 2A Open to Tyrannical Schemes appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

As a mother, advocate, and candidate for the Alabama State School Board, I’ve seen firsthand how the quiet march of artificial intelligence (AI) into our public school classrooms is happening with little public awareness and even less parental consent. While the tech industry touts AI as the future of education, the reality is far more complicated — and in many ways, far more dangerous. This is not a debate about whether technology belongs in schools. It’s a call to pause, evaluate, and protect children before we hand over their data, emotions, and daily experiences to unregulated machines. Across the country, AI tools are already embedded in software used in classrooms — often installed by default on school-issued devices without informing parents. These tools don’t just support learning; they track facial expressions, predict emotional states, and collect vast amounts of personal information. When I raised concerns in my local district, even administrators admitted they didn’t know the apps even existed on the machines. It gets worse. Some AI systems store data on third-party servers, outside the reach of school district oversight. Parents rarely have access to this data, don’t know who can see it, and can’t opt out. In many cases, children are being profiled and emotionally analyzed without ever giving meaningful consent. And this is happening to minors. Children who legally cannot open a bank account or create a social media profile without parental consent are being subjected to predictive algorithms inside the classroom. Advocates of classroom AI say it improves safety by detecting potential threats. In tech-heavy communities like Huntsville, Alabama, some districts have adopted facial recognition and behavioral analytics to monitor students. But these programs raise urgent questions: What happens when a system flags a student incorrectly? What emotional harm comes from constant surveillance? And what precedent does this set for future generations? We are raising children in what author Jonathan Haidt calls The Anxious Generation — a generation already plagued by rising anxiety, isolation, and digital dependence. Normalizing AI surveillance in their learning environments only exacerbates these problems. It teaches kids to perform for machines rather than relate to people. It chips away at trust between students and teachers, families and schools. The good news? People are starting to take action. First Lady Melania Trump has championed child protections in the digital age. She recently celebrated the signing of the Take It Down Act, legislation backed by the Trump administration to remove explicit AI-generated content involving minors from the internet. This is a critical step in the right direction. But classroom AI poses a broader risk. We need transparency, oversight, and parental rights built into the law. I’m advocating for a model policy that any state can adopt: A ban on emotion-detecting and behavior-predicting AI systems in schools Mandatory parental opt-in before AI tools can be used on students Transparency requirements for all EdTech vendors Annual AI ethics and data privacy training for school staff A statewide or state-level task force to assess AI impact, report findings, and recommend guardrails Local school boards don’t need to wait for Washington or their state capitol. They can start now: Audit every digital tool currently in use Inform parents Pause new AI adoption until clear guardrails are in place We must ask ourselves: Are we solving real problems with AI in classrooms, or creating new ones we don’t yet understand? This isn’t anti-technology. It’s pro-accountability. Pro-parent. Pro-child. Whether you live in Alabama, California, or anywhere in between, your school district likely has AI embedded in ways you never imagined. It’s time to demand transparency, ask hard questions, and ensure that no child becomes a test subject for Big Tech. Let’s make this a national conversation. Let’s protect the classroom. * * * Emily Jones, a North Alabama native and founder of the state’s first Moms for Liberty chapter, is running for the Alabama State School Board to restore excellence to a system in decline. Like many parents, COVID-era schooling opened her eyes to just how far our public education system has fallen—from slipping academic standards to a breakdown in trust between families and schools. With Alabama ranking 45th in the nation, we must ask: what are we doing to stop the slide? Emily is committed to rebuilding the vital partnership between parents and teachers and restoring classrooms as places where educators are empowered to teach and students are expected to thrive. It’s time to raise the bar for Alabama’s children. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

A treasure trove of scientific papers by codebreaking war hero Alan Turing have fetched over a half million dollars at auction after being found in a loft and nearly shredded. The incredible archive of important works by the British mathematical genius was discovered gathering dust at a property in London after it was gifted to […] The post Alan Turing Papers Found in Loft And Saved From Shredder to Fetch a Record $625,000 appeared first on Good News Network.

Before he was David Mamet the acclaimed author, filmmaker, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, he worked a variety of low-paying jobs well into his 20s: from kitchen help at a summer camp to a maintenance worker in a truck factory to working in the Merchant Marine doing maintenance on boats. Mamet said he knows what it’s like to get your hands dirty to make ends meet.  “I also worked in a day camp teaching. Even right after I got out of college, I was unemployable, didn’t have any skills, and the degree wasn’t worth anything,” Mamet said in an interview with the Washington Examiner.  “The one thing I knew how to do was to work because they say, ‘You can’t get work in Chicago, you can’t work.’ Well, I found ways to work because I had to,” the Chicago native said.  All of these experiences formed not just his distinctive talent capturing the human experience with blunt, raw, emotional dialogue. They allowed him to capture what the loss of dignity and power does to men in the American workforce, how betrayal and chaos creates complicated relationships, and how the slow breakdown of morality through outside pressures can lead the everyman toward catastrophe.  Through it all, one common thread in his work is what he refers to as his “crazy love of our country.”  “My grandparents were immigrants. My dad was raised by a single mom during the Depression, very, very poor, and she didn’t speak English, and I knew my grandmother very well,” he recalls with deep fondness, adding, “She was a wonderful woman.”  Mamet said his father grew up and went to college on the GI Bill, got into Northwestern University, and graduated first in his class.  “And then he set out on the business of going to work. He worked like a son of a b—and he worked all day and he’d come home, we had dinner, he’d take a bath, put on his bathrobe, and that’s what I remember him doing every night,” he explains with deep admiration.  As a result, Mamet emulated his father’s work ethic.  “So I always worked as a kid. I worked weekends and holidays and all the summer vacations, so I knew what it was to get a job and go to work.”  After Mamet earned his Merchant Mariner card, he went to New York but struggled to find work.  “So I went back to Chicago and worked cleaning offices, and I worked a lot of stuff in food preparation and service, and I drove a cab for a year there, a whole bunch of stuff,” he explained.  Somewhere in there he said he started writing plays.  “I got asked to come back to this college and work directing theater,” he explained.  After the position ran out, he along with fellow thespian William H. Macy, whom he had known since college, decided to go off on their own and start their own theater company.  “It was called the St. Nicholas Theater. And we started putting on plays and we all had day jobs, all of us, and there wasn’t any money. We had the time of our lives. And one thing led to another. And I went to New York and I won the Obie Award from the Village Voice, and I started to make a little living as a playwright, which I didn’t even think was possible,” Mamet said.  Boy, was it ever a living.  Mamet would go on to write the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Glengarry Glen Ross” as well as “Oleanna,” “Speed-the-Plow,” which earned him a Tony nomination, and “American Buffalo.” His screenplays include “The Verdict,” for which Mamet received an Academy Award nomination, and “The Untouchables” and “Wag the Dog,” which earned him his second Oscar nomination.  Mamet said 50 years after starting his first theater company and writing his first plays, he is still in awe that it happened.  “I am very, very, very grateful to be in America, where immigrant people send their kids into the professions and they send their kids like me into the arts. And that’s my story. I’m very grateful for that. I lived in a time when I could make a living writing plays,” he said.  He was Hollywood and Broadway’s darling until 2008, when the Village Voice asked him to write a story about a play he had done centering on American politicians, a profession he said he always found amusing.  “Growing up in Chicago and working in everything in the world, I was no stranger to shakedowns both by the administration. The question always was, who do you got to pay around this place?”  “The idea of corruption growing up in the Mayor Daley Chicago was the way things were. So I wrote a play about politics, making fun of politics, and the Village boys asked me to write an article about the play,” he added.  Mamet called the article “Political Civility.”  “I said, we’ve got to be civil with each other. This is a comedy. It’s about how all politicians are a bunch of whores. We all know that, but we must be civil in our actual political discourse. I said, I’m not even civil to myself. I always describe myself as a brain-dead liberal.”  Those last three words, “brain-dead liberal,” and why Mamet was no longer one, became the choice of the part of the Village Voice headline that read, “David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a ‘Brain-Dead Liberal.'” The pushback was ugly.  Mamet said he had gone from the golden boy to the boy whose number everyone lost.  “I had a lot of time on my hands because I wasn’t writing plays anymore. People wouldn’t put them on if you still put them on Broadway. But the regional theaters, which always did my plays and always accepted my new plays, decided not to,” he said.  His essay collection “Everywhere an Oink Oink” is a humorous take on his time in Hollywood. It contains the exact type of dialogue you’d expect from Mamet prose. His wit and his take on Hollywood’s culture of greed and compromise comes to life in vivid observations.  His latest book is aptly called “The Disenlightenment: Politics, Horror, and Entertainment.” It is a force of nature that examines our corporate curators who hold power in government, institutions, academia, politics, and of course, Hollywood. They are seen with a keen, unfiltered eye that deconstructs the influence they have had on everything we see, feel and touch. Prepare to buckle your seat belt as he offers his views on the deep state and its impact on our constitutional protections.  COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Up Close and Personal With David Mamet  appeared first on The Daily Signal.