Stefan’s Newsletter – Spring 2017 |
| Hi Everyone Hope you all had a good winter! Despite the approaching end of civilization, I managed to squeeze out a little productivity these past few months. I hope you all are finding time to do what you care about too! |
Latest Art Projects
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Books |
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Kung Fu in the Park – Starts June 1st
Check out my double sword video: Old Man in Winter. If you’re in the Toronto area sign up for classes here: |
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New Videos |
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So I only managed to turn out a couple of vids this winter, but they are pretty important. Bad news first.
We are at war, and we don’t even know it. Our society is under full scale attack by psychopaths. If we don’t stop what’s happening now, the world may not see freedom again for a thousand years. And the good news
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Radio Interviews |
Winter is interview season and I did a lot of interviews. The one that got the most attention is the one I did with Sean over at SGT Report. Yes, the movie “Hostel” is an accurate depiction of what our rulers like to do on the weekends. To listen to all my interviews, check out my radio playlist here: So that’s all for now. Stay in touch!
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The hell of another Canadian winter is behind us. I did go to the lake a few times to train but now that the warm weather is here, join me every Thursday night down by the lake for some easy going Kung Fu training.
Stefan’s Newsletter – Fall 2015 |
| Hi EveryoneHope you all a good Summer!Despite the increasingly dysfunctional social conditions and economic hardships I managed to squeeze a little productivity out the past few month. I hope you all are finding time to do what you care about too. |
Latest Art Projects
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New Videos
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Survival Vids |
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Radio TV Interviews |
China, Corruption & Surviving the Age of ChaosWhat’s Coming? Check out my interview with Michael Parker on LIPTV. Not my best, was too scattered getting my art projects ready. |
 Well that’s it for now.I am staying positive and am working on several big projects, and at the same time, training and getting ready for some hard times, like one of the artists at Ft Mac told me, “It’s like being manic depressive all at the same time.”Stay strong, and enjoy life! |
Canoe
Survival Calendar
Stefan’s Newsletter – Spring 2015Note: Images in this newsletter are linked from my website instead of inserted into the body. Your mail server may block the images until you click the ‘Allow Images’ box. You can view this newsletter on-line at: http://www.chinastrategies.com/newsletter-archive/ |
Hi EveryoneWhat a winter !As if the arctic cold and hurricane force blizzards weren’t bad enough, the daily polar bear attacks made commuting by bicycle very annoying.So much to share with you all. Hope you enjoy. |
Latest Art Projects
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New Videos
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Historical Cycles: Are we doomed to repeat the past?Chinese dynastic cycles show how the theory of historical cycles work and how to apply them to our current situation. Are we headed towards an age of chaos? What did the ancients do to survive?
This article appears in The Trends Journal, Fall 2014 edition. Read the article here: |
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Survival Vids
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The Ultimate Bug Out Vehicle
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Radio Interviews
If you like talk radio these shows feature, yours truly, pondering and ranting on a variety of topics from psychopaths, to history, to protesting and survival. |
Public SpeakingThis summer I am scheduled to give two presentations on Urban Survival for two of Ontario’s biggest prepper/survivalist events.
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Writing
Magazine Articles
Mr. Celente is one of the great old time truth tellers, a modern day Mark Twain. Check out his videos on YouTube. Read one the articles I wrote here: |
Martial Arts
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Stefan’s Newsletter – Winter 2012Note: Images in this newsletter are linked from my website instead of inserted into the body. Your mail server may block the images until you click the ‘Allow Images’ box. You can view this newsletter on-line at:http://www.chinastrategies.com/newsletterwinter12.htm |
| Hi Everyone It’s been a year since my last newsletter and what a strange year its been! So much to share with you all. Hope you enjoy. |
| Latest Art Project |
 Miyamoto MacheAmazing sculpture of the legendary swordsman made from recycled newspaper. This is my homage to one of my heroes Miyamoto Musashi. He was a warrior and and artist, and so much more. A total rebel.Watch the youtube video of this sculpture Here: |
| New Videos Lots of new vids, from radio bags and solar chargers to Kung Fu spear and art. Please like and share, comments always welcome. |
 Lohan Spear FormThis is yours truly practicing my spear form on a cold autumn day. Anyone who can guess the location wins a free private lesson! |
 Learning the Shaolin Staff Form While we’re on the subject of Kung Fu, here’s a short clip of Master Tsai trying to teach me staff form in Taipei, more than 25 years ago. Sherman set the way back machine to… |
 Cigarette Case Solar Battery Charger How to make a solar powered battery charger that fits in a cigarette case for under $12.00I was up-dating my emergency preparedness kit and I noticed that I use a lot of AA batteries for flashlights, radios, and Walkie Talkies. If the power went out for any length of time I would have no way to recharge them. I needed something really slender for my already bulging Radio Bag.This video will show those with just a bit of electronics experience how to put this super slim and rugged solar charger together. |
 Emergency Communications Bug Out BagSpeaking of radio kits, this video shows you how to put together an emergency communications bag. An important part of a disaster preparedness plan. |
 How to Survive War Excerpted from the book, The Art of Urban Survival, this video teaches how to recognize the signs of impending war and what you can do to protect yourself and your family from wartime conditions. |
Writing Blind Zen Audio Book Now Available!This professional quality audio book includes music and sound-scapes that help illustrate different parts of the story.Available for download for on Amazon AudibleBlind Zen tells the story of how a blind woman’s efforts to learn self defense led to a unique experiment to adapt martial arts and eastern philosophy to develop new skills and increase self confidence. |
| Radio NewsI was interviewed by Allan Russell of Insight Radio on Scottish Radio about how to teach martial arts for the blind and vision impaired.Watch and listen on youtube here: |
Read my last article for Black Belt Magazine free on-line. Dancing the Wu ShinHow to develop No-Mind through Free Form This is another in my series of articles that provide scientific explanations for Zen martial arts principles.In this article I explain the purpose of Wu Shin (Chinese) or Mushin (Japanese) also known as ‘No-Mind’ and why developing this state of mind is essential for real life combat. This article will teach you how to become a Dancing Wu Shin Master! |
Stefan’s Newsletter – Summer 2011Note: Images in this newsletter are linked from my website instead of inserted into the body. Your mail server may block the images until you click the ‘Allow Images’ box. |
| Hi EveryoneIt’s been more than a year since my last newsletter so this one has lots of news!Writing |
 If you have been watching the news lately you will have heard of earthquakes, tsunamis, radioactive fallout, evacuations, riots, police brutality, revolutions, economic hardship, and war. All these situations are covered in my latest book…The Art of Urban Survival*A Family Safety and Self Defense ManualThis is an encyclopedia of safety and emergency techniques everyone should know. Written in a direct to the point manner giving you exactly what you need to know. Over 226 illustrations and graphics.Paperback, 304 pages, illustrated, US $24.95 |
The Art of Urban Survivalis the ideal manual for families. Includes:
Watch my video on The Art of Urban Survival here: * New publisher and new cover, same contents. If you already bought a copy with the old cover, congratulations, it’s now a collector’s edition! |
My latest article in Black Belt Magazine’s 50th Anniversary May 2011 issue. Dancing the Wu ShinHow to develop No-Mind through Free Form This is another in my series of articles that provide scientific explanations for Zen martial arts principles.In this article I explain the purpose of Wu Shin (Chinese) or Mushin (Japanese) also known as ‘No-Mind’ and why developing this state of mind is essential for real life combat. This article will teach you how to become a Dancing Wu Shin Master!This is a collectors edition and is already sold out in most stores. But you can order a copy from Black Belt here: |
| New Videos |
 Defense Against the PsychopathThis Zeitgeist style video is based on the chapter on psychopaths from my book, The Art of Urban Survival. Using over 250 movie clips to teach you about the different types of psychopaths, how to recognize their key characteristics, how they operate, and how to defend against them.If you want to understand what is happening to society, this video will provide some surprising answers. |
 Strategy 1: Fool the Emperor to Cross the Sea Strategy One from my book, The Thirty-Six Strategies of Ancient China. This video covers the first strategy from the book and includes a Japanese teaching tale called the Cat and the Rat.To illustrate the story I used images from Edo Period Japanese woodcuts, one of my favorite art forms. |
 Taipei Night Life 1987Dug this one out of the vault. Filmed in 1987 this clip features Taipei’s only live band, ‘The Diplomats’. Since posting this on youtube I’ve made contact with most of the old band members and they are all doing fine and still living in Taiwan.First couple of minutes is filmed from the back of my motorcycle as we drive through Taipei traffic. Not for the weak of heart! |
| Latest Art Project |
I was recently commissioned by Van Der Graaf to create four statues for their trade show display. I carved these figures out of Styrofoam, (a first for me) and I have created a webpage that provides info on the technical techniques I used here: |
Stefan’s Newsletter – October ’08Note: Images in this newsletter are linked from my website instead of inserted into the body. Your mail server may block the images until you click the ‘Allow Images’ box. |
| Writing |
 My new book, Chinese Business Etiquette, The Pocket Guide, is now available. I have added a new webpage for the book where you can read some book excerpts here:Order Chinese Business Etiquette On-line
Read my interview in the Shanghai Star Business Journal.
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| Art |
Tubular Zen Huge Success!The City of Ventura’s Public Art committee recently selected my proposal, Tubular Zen, to be commissioned for the Artwalk Festival.We just had the opening reception and it was, well, Tubular Dudes!We had a troupe of dancers show up on the back of Harleys that drove right into the plaza and they danced around the sculpture and invited members of the audience to come up and activate the tubes. it was all very “California” but truth is everyone loved it!Tubular Zen is located at the California Plaza at the foot of California Street right next to the beach and between the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Aloha Steak House.The installation will run from October 16 to Nov 19 ’08Go to my Tubular Zen page to learn more about this unique artwork. |
Stefan’s Newsletter – April ’08Note: Images in this newsletter are linked from my website instead of inserted into the body. Your mail server may block the images until you click the ‘Allow Images’ box. |
| Writing / Martial ArtsMy latest article for Black Belt April issue is on newsstands now. |
 The Dragon’s GazeWhy You Should Not Focus in Combat – A Scientific Explanation.This article explores the cognitive and physiological concept of ‘Focus’ in the martial arts and when and how to use an alternative observation technique called diffuse focus.You can read all my previously published articles here:See my new bio on Black Belt Mag’s website here: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/stefan_verstappen/archives/762 |
| VideoI have up-loaded a clip of my appearance on LATV’s Local Explorer show broadcast two years ago here in La La Land.Co Hosts Elina Chang and Kelly Howard are riding their bikes along the Ventura Bike Trail (See photos here:) when they come across the long abandoned and mysterious Foster Bowl. The intrepid couple brave the forbidding staircase to the bowl where they happen upon the Phantom of the Foster! (yours truly) Youtube clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lLhtH-XVv8Little Warrior Safety Tips on VideoI have cut and edited eight short safety clips from a training video I made in Houston six years ago. These are less than a minute each and teach children some important street safety tips. http://www.chinastrategies.com/vidpage.htm |
| Art |
| I recently scanned and up-loaded two comic strips from my college cartoonist/barfly days. Back in ’79. The Absinthe was the coolest college pub at York and if you ever worked at a college pub you will probably like them, if not, you’ll probably be bored to tears! http://www.chinastrategies.com/zero.htm |
| People |
I recently met with martial arts legend and author Joe Hyams.He is the author of one of my favourite books, Zen and the Martial Arts. (Check out his book on Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Martial-Arts-Joe-Hyams/dp/0553275593 For those of you too young to know this, Joe Hyams was a student of Ed Parker, Bruce Lee and other martial arts luminaries. He has written over 25 books (one with Chuck Norris), is well known in Hollywood and was a close friend of my favourite movie star Humphrey Bogart.Joe and his lovely wife Lisa were gracious enough to stop by Ventura on their way back to Colorado and we had a great talk on the patio of the Crown Plaza Hotel on Ventura Beach.At 85 Joe still trains everyday. TriviaSo I was googling myself and found that I’m referenced in Roger Ebert’s Movie Yearbook 2007, page 924.Huh? Roger Ebert ??!!Well it seems he read my article on balance in Black Belt and quoted from it for an article. You can read the article on-line here: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/atoz/article_1157631.phpGo figure.You can read the original article I wrote for Black Belt Magazine here: The Real Sixth Sense |
Stefan’s Newsletter – September ’07Note: Images in this newsletter are linked from my website instead of inserted into the body. Your mail server may block the images until you click the ‘Allow Images’ box. |
| Art |
Stefan’s Ventura Public Art Design Huge Success!Last month the California beach town of Ventura held a contest for artists to decorate local street utility boxes.I completed my Chinese Treasure box design and received rave reviews. Listen to me being interviewed on KCLU Radio in Santa Barbara here: http://www.chinastrategies.com/KCLU_artwalk.mp3I also filmed myself during the four days I worked on the project and condensed the footage into an entertaining 1 minute 45 second video clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nUvxRSptNwThe video clip was so popular among the staff at city hall that it has been chosen by the City of Ventura to be included in their Annual City Report.The city also created a poster (Above) of the Treasure Box design!Click here for more info: http://www.chinastrategies.com/artwalk.htmWell I guess I wringed about as much publicity as one can out of this event.Next Newsletter: And for something a little different, my new book deal is about to be inked. |
Pagoda
