It was obviously the UIT who were behind the scheme. Being the sole producers of XiRite alloys, they had everything to gain, and nothing to lose. And, if Oernon had actually lost, the Itani would have given the Serco for free the technology that the UIT was able to sell.

bleh....they shouldve done midget tossing instead of a fight...but then, the itans wouldve cheated as well.

Lebermac: I disagree,

Not that I think that doing anything from outside of arms reach is anything but hypnosis or a concealed weapon. But simply how momentum, and the momentum built up by an actual threat can cause someone to lose control.

Its what makes Aikido so interesting.

Now, in these particular cases, there's no threat.

I think Leber is talking more about hypothetical energies though… things that can't be scientifically tracked. Ki is in the word Aikido itself, but if ki something other than the "mystically-experienced" combination of mental calm and incredibly well-honed timing, and is actually a force spewing from our fingertips, we can't scientifically track it—and in this day and age, that's cause to assume that it doesn't exist.

Still though, there's a big difference between an Aikidoka who understands the ki concept and one who doesn't. It seems that metaphors are often just as effective as, dare I say, scientific principles—at least for a human training their mind. Physics, however, is a different deal.

But as for metaphors, just because they work as they propose to work does not means that they are scientific evidence in of themselves, and that what metaphors are talking about actually exist in the world of physics. I'd vouch to say that they exist in a way we can't understand them, hence the metaphor in the first place. How else do you explain the intricate dynamics of Aikido to a fresh student?

First you have an idea. Then you imagine what it would look like. Then you put it into instructions and words. Only then can you make a change in the physical world through the tool that is yourself. In this way, it's the metaphysical that gives rise to the physical. That is the gift of humans, to shape the world from that which does not exist. On the other hand, those very ideas are contained and stored in a physical medium, the brain. Really it's just a matter of perspective.

OK, Shape. If you can shoot ki-energy force lightning from your fingertips or flip me over from across the room using "mental energy" without touching me then I will give you a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi. And if you can do THAT, maybe we'd better call James Randi to collect on his bounty.

There's plenty of methodology in aikido or kung-fu that is couched in mystical terms when in fact it's just a matter of knowing how joints work and knocking people off of their "root." If you think about it, Shape, there's actually a lot of physics in aikido.

Since this has become more of a martial arts discussion than one of the storyline, I'm moving it to off-topic.

It clearly says in the backstory that Oernon concealed a weapon. And if Oernon had concealed a weapon, we, the Serco, kept the terms honorable and fair so we shot the hippy bitch.

GG Itani.

All the backstory says is that the Serco at the match accused Oernon of carrying a concealed weapon. Besides that, Karun was a weapon, so this accusation is hardly fair.

Admittedly, the document is Itani-biased (they were, after all, the authors of the document), but no proof is given to either confirm or deny this claim. And, the Dominion never released Karun's autopsy report to the Council of Eo (if they ever performed one at all), so the cause of Karun's death remains unclear.

Some blame Oernon, some blame the Akaneese, and some even have the gall to accuse the Union Corporations of the deed (killing a political leader is a bad economical move, no matter how you slice it). I, however, maintain that it was the Dominion Triumvirate that assassinated Karun and, subsequently, Oernon.

All the backstory says is that the Serco at the match accused Oernon of carrying a concealed weapon. Besides that, Karun was a weapon, so this accusation is hardly fair.

Exactly! If the Serco accused Oernon of concealing a weapon, it must have been for a good reason... because they're Serco! Also on the second sentence is pretty understandable, but the Itani scum who wrote the document should have made it sound like it really was: They should have stated that all Serco are weapons (as a statement) and that they were truly so scared they, as their pitiful de-evolved race they were, were pissing in their pants while they were writing that paragraph. But instead they wanted to whine about how it was so "unfair" that the Serco are just plain awesome and shouldn't be allowed to compete in anything at all because they're so awesome. In conclusion: the accusation is very fair.

AYE AYE SHANK!
I second your post

That sounds reasonable.

mmm, old news.
http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/News/Meditation_Alters_Brain_WSJ_11-04.htm

I think you can affect your own brain, but not someone elses. Not directly by thought alone. You can try to make someone think something.