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Teacher punished for demonstrating use of tools, including a pocket knife, to class

August 26, 2011 / Glenn / 11 Comments

A Chicago elementary school teacher is being charged with possessing a weapon at school after he was teaching his class about garden-variety tools and displayed a box-cutter and small pocket knife to students, according to The Rutherford Institute.

The story, which was brought to our attention courtesy of Knife Rights, is an example of the “zero tolerance” policy gone too far. The public school teacher was giving a lesson to his second graders on “tool discussion,” which is part of the curriculum, when he showed the class examples of such tools as a 2.25-inch pocket knife, box cutter, screwdriver, pliers and wrench.

There’s no doubt it could have been a potentially dangerous and irresponsible situation if he passed them around to students, but he kept them out of students’ hands and merely displayed them as part of the lesson. Doug Bartlett, a 17-year veteran teacher, now faces strict disciplinary action and even possible termination because of his thorough lesson on widely used tools.

Attorneys of the Rutherford Institute, which is a strong advocate of free speech and constitutional rights, sent a letter insisting that disciplinary action against Bartlett be stopped immediately.

Check out the Texas Roadhouse Meat Cutting Competition

August 22, 2011 / Glenn / 1 Comment

Beef. It’s what’s for dinner, or in the case of competitors at the Texas Roadhouse Meat Cutting Competition, it’s their life’s work. Each year, the Texas Roadhouse Meat Cutting Competition hosts meat cutters across the country in a series of competitions to pick the nation’s best meat cutter.

In the video below, which was filmed at a semifinal event in Louisville, KY, earlier in the year, contestants had an hour to carve four muscles up into nine different cuts. Many confessed to having butterflies and being flustered by the high-intensity event, which will feed into a final competition where the winner will walk away with $20,000.

Check out the video below. Do you think your meat carving skills would match up to this crew of carvers?

Weird Knives: The Pointless Knife

August 22, 2011 / Glenn / 8 Comments

Despite the pretty obvious playfulness of the name, there is actually a point to this knife: prevent those spontaneous stabbings we are so often urged to do.

These New Point knives are billed as the kitchen knife that can’t be used as a weapon.

They arrived out of the fear that the UK was going to completely ban pointy knives because of all the knife crime. Knife crime is actually a huge problem in the UK, so this might seem like a good idea over there.

There are a number of problems with this design, however. Firstly, although you can’t fatally stab anyone since the knife doesn’t have a point, it still features an extremely sharp blade stretching the length of the knife. While it might prevent accidental stabbings if it falls off the counter, it will definitely not deter someone with malicious intent.

M1911 gun with knife with matching griop

Match your gun grips to your knife handle with the M1911 knife

August 19, 2011 / Glenn / 4 Comments

The M1911 pistol, designed by Utahan John M. Browning, was the standard-issue firearm for the military between 1911 and 1985. It was carried in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, The Vietnam War, and by some special operations units in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is, undoubtedly, one of the most badass guns ever to exist, a slim, single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated stunner, good enough for capping guerillas in the jungle or protecting your home from intruders.

Now, you can buy folding knives and tactical knives with the same grip designs that the M1911 has.

Made by Ultimate Equipment, these knives come with standard 1911 pistol bushings, grip screws and grip panels, allowing you to customize your knife with whatever grips you need. You can even match your gun grips to your knife, like this:

The knives are available in three different types: standard folders, officer compact knives and fixed blade knives.

For every blade type, you have a choice of satin-polished or black-titanium-nitride finishes, and a variety of grip panels. Additionally, the knives come with a hammerhead lock, which enables users to open and close the knife with only two fingers.

How to swallow a sword (and not die)

August 18, 2011 / Glenn / 7 Comments

There are many useful things you can do with a blade. For example you can cut tomatoes with a knife, use an axe to chop wood, skin a deer with a blade or put a sword down your throat. OK, so maybe the last example isn’t that useful, but it’s definitely cool.

After researching the story I posted earlier this week about renowned sword swallower Chayne Hultgren getting arrested, I became curious about how someone actually discovers this skill.Do they one day trip and fall head first, mouth open onto a sword and voila?

That didn’t seem too likely, so I took to the Internet and found that like juggling knives or throwing knives, it just takes a little practice.

Before continuing, I strongly advise you not to try this at home, especially with a real sword. This is not necessarily a how-to article, but rather a how-it’s-done article. Do not try this at home.

There’s nothing really magical about swallowing a sword, but it does take a lot of physical discipline and patience. For some, it takes years and hours of practicing before finally being able to swallow a sword. The Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) says it takes anywhere from three to seven years to learn.

The first and most basic thing you have to learn is to control your gag reflex. If you’re new and try to put a sword down your throat, you will gag and cut yourself for sure. That’s why you have to take it slow and practice with smaller objects. You have to invoke your gag reflex over and over until you become inured to the act. When you do active your gag reflex, be prepared for a world of discomfort and vomit.

Then, a performer must learn how to relax the muscles that are involuntary for everyone else. These muscles control the opening of the esophagus, which is where the sword enters your throat. You have to tilt your head all the back, relax your esophageal sphincter and guide the sword (or if you’re still just learning, another object) down your larynx.

Murray Carter shaves with a spoon

August 16, 2011 / Glenn / 0 Comments

If you peruse You Tube, you’ll come across a number of videos of guys shaving with machetes and other gnarly blades. However, few of them can compare with Murray Carter, who makes shaving with a straight-razor look like a walk in the park.

Carter’s made videos of himself shaving with neck knives, straight-razors, machettes and even a 21-inch sword. However, in the video below, he takes a slightly different approach, shaving with a spoon that he forged out of hitachi white steel.

Carter, who grew up in Eastern Canada, traveled to Japan after he graduated from high school, where he became an apprentice to a 16th-generation Yoshimoto bladesmith.

After completing his apprenticeship, he was asked to take the position of number 17 in the Sakemoto family tradition of Yoshmoto bladesmithing, the only Caucasian to ever assume such a position.

Currently, Carter forges his own collection of knives, which you can check out on his website. He now lives in Hillsboro, Oregon, so if you’re ever in the neighborhood and in need of a shave, you know where to go.

Scope out the video below and let us know what you think.

Sword swallower arrest in NYC is hard to swallow

August 16, 2011 / Glenn / 2 Comments

If you weren’t already aware of New York City’s overly staunch dedication to ridding sharp objects from existence, this story of one entertainer’s experience will certainly make you familiar.

An acclaimed Australian sword swallower was arrested on the streets of New York City as he entertained crowds with his unique skills, according to the Northern Star.

The Space Cowboy, whose real name is Chayne Hultgren, was taken to the station for “brandishing a sword in public.”

The man, who holds the unofficial world record of swallowing 27 swords and the official world record of 18, was performing in front of a large crowd when a police officer approached him.

As someone who lives literally across the street from an NYPD station, I feel particularly incredulous at what the Space Cowboy claims the police said to him. He said an officer told him, “I don’t care if you are a sword swallower, you were holding a sword in public and I have every right to shoot you.”

New emergency knife folds into a credit card

August 10, 2011 / Glenn / 7 Comments

A design company has created an amazingly unique folding knife that’s the size of a credit card.

Known as the “Cardsharp” by the company Iain Sinclair, the new creation is billed as a superlight and supersharp utility knife.

When the knife is closed in its disengaged position, it’s the exact shape of a credit card, but when it’s opened, the knife features a sharp blade smaller than three inches long.

While the concept might sound a bit campy, the pictures make the whole thing look very cool.

The website lists some of its uses to include camping, fishing, utility, cooking, medical, emergency services, medical uses, self-defense and others.

There are many reasons why this knife is impressive, such as the fact it weighs less than 5 ounces, is made from surgical stainless steel and is waterproof.

What glass-breaking knife is the best for escaping from a car?

August 9, 2011 / Glenn / 2 Comments

That’s the question Kevin Michalowski, editor of the publication Tactical Gear, wanted to settle.

In order to do so, Michalowski used four different knives — Spyderco Assist, Kershaw Responder, Breakout Safety Tool and Gerber Hinderer CLS — to break through windows and cut seat belts.

All performed reasonably well, except for the Breakout Safety Tool, which appears to be as about as useful as a stuffed animal if you’re trapped in a vehicle.

Which one of these knives you’d want to have in a life or death situation.

Knives Save Lives: Man vs. Bear

August 9, 2011 / Glenn / 6 Comments

Over the past few months, there’s been a deadly rash of attacks from grizzly bears, brown bears, black bears and even rampaging polar bears. This should remind us that whenever you go camping or into the wilderness, you should always be prepared for anything.

Back in 2003, one amazing man demonstrated why it’s important to always be ready with a knife in your pocket.

According to the Associated Press, John Hirsch, then a 61-year-old outdoorsman, was out in his backyard tending to his flock of 15 turkeys when he was surprised by a hungry visitor.

A mangy black bear had stumbled into his Canadian backyard desperately in search of food. Once Hirsch noticed the bear was coming straight at him without stopping, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife. Unfortunately, the only blade he had on him was a mere 3 1/2 inches.

This is when you separate the men from the boys. Instead of being afraid and cowering in fear, Hirsch stood up to the bear with his small blade ready for battle.

The Cutting Edge