Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network recognizes another Paladin title

The eJournal of the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network has run another rave review for a Paladin Press title. This time they've spotlighted Loren Christensen's important book, Surviving Workplace Violence: What to Do Before a Violent Incident; What to Do When the Violence Explodes. Loren's companion book, Surviving a School Shooting, on teaching children and young adults how to respond to these horrific incidents, is due for release in October 2008.

Hiding in Plain Sight: This Week's Paladin Centerfold Now Available!

Aspiring ninja, heads up: visit us at our retail website, http://www.paladin-press.com/, for this week's bonus item - an inside account of the three-day ninjutsu training convention Bujinkan Tai Kai in 1986, led by grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi!

Hatsumi's popular Paladin Press book, Secrets from the Ninja Grandmaster, is a collection of heart-to-heart lessons for his senior student and first American disciple, Stephen K. Hayes.

To access this material, go over to Paladin's website and hover your cursor over the "Features & Extras" tab (located along the top of the homepage). When the dropdown menu opens, click on the "Classic Paladin Centerfolds" link; you'll then be taken to the download page for this week's classic Paladin Press catalog centerfold. The files, highlighted in red, should open on your computer's pdf reader.

Paladin Podcast Episode #2 with John Plaster Now Available!

This month's episode of The Paladin Podcast features 30 thrilling minutes with top Paladin Press author Major John L. Plaster. Our host this month is Bill of Rights Press owner Jesse Heron, who received sniper training while serving in the Army.

Plaster, a former U.S. Army Green Beret and author of the bestsellers The Ultimate Sniper, SOG: A Photo History, and most recently, The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting, is a recognized authority on sniping and special operations. A veteran of extensive covert operations during the Vietnam War, Plaster spent more than two decades instructing military and police snipers in the United States and Europe.

The Ultimate Sniper, published by Paladin, is the most-used sniper training handbook in the world. The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting, featuring over 800 pages of text, photos and illustrations, has received glowing praise for its entertaining, thoroughly-researched look at sniperdom.

Click here to visit The Paladin Podcast blog; once there, click on the "pod" icon (located next to the episode's title) and the interview should begin streaming on your computer's media player.

Fighting Secrets of Muay Thai Clip on Paladin Press YouTube Channel!

Bob Carver is a frequent traveler to Southeast Asia and has been teaching martial arts for over two decades. His website lists some of his accomplishments:

Muay Thai
The Only full instructor in Canada with Ajarn Surachai Sirisute

Filipino Martial Arts
One of two full instructors in Canada with Guro Dan Inosanto

Jun Fan Gung Fu/JKD Concepts
Senior Associate Instructor

Pencak Silat Mande Muda
Jagabaya with Pak Herman Suwanda

Mixed Martial Arts-Combat Submission Wrestling
Representative Instructor with Erik Paulson

His video Fighting Secrets of Muay Thai: The Art and Science of Thai Kickboxing, gives you vital lessons in Thai Boxing. Here's a short clip:

Mark Hatmaker's 3rd Annual Tennessee Boot Camp

Mark Hatmaker's 3rd Annual Tennessee Boot Camp

This year's camp will be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 8th & 9th at Bill Whitworth's beautiful octagon-equipped facility in Morristown, Tennessee. Here are the details:

• 2-days of hardcore Old School Conditioning, Pugilism, and All-In Wrestling. Come with notebooks in hand as we will fill them up.
  
• We will be doing Coaching Level Evaluations this year. If you think it's time to get started or to bump up, this is the place to do it.
  
• This Boot Camp is suitable for all levels of experience and/or fitness. All we ask is that you work to the top of your own ability/limits--not anyone else's. Last year's survivors, I'm sorry, that should read participants, can tell you--we'll push you hard but never fear, we'll take care of you, too.
  
• Gear: Mouthpiece, 16 oz. boxing gloves, and NHB gloves are required. Wrestling shoes, knee pads, elbow pads, are optional.
  
• We will work in a rotating fashion this year in that all aspects of the game get equal attention: Striking, shooting, ground.
  
• This is a limited attendance Boot Camp. We like to keep the numbers low at these Boots so that we can provide individual attention.
  
• The price is $200 for the two days.
  
• Attendance will also confer Lifetime Membership status meaning that you will receive a 15% discount on all Products from that day forth.
  
• To register, simply contact us via email with your intention of attending. You must then send a $50 deposit to secure your spot. Previous attendees do not have to forward a deposit.
  
• Again, I emphasize, this is a limited attendance Boot camp. Once the spots are full--they are full.
  
• For those with family in tow who have better things to do than to watch you sweat, we are less than a 1/2 drive form the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  

For accommodations, search in the Boot Location area:

Red Dragon Martial Arts Center
284 South Daisy St
Morristown, TN 37813
(423) 587-3755 School

http://www.rdkarate.com/

A Wealth of Information

It’s no longer breaking news that the economy is in trouble. Whether you call it a downturn, a recession, or just say that Wall Street has a “hangover,” for most people it means tightening the belt and working out a new plan to stay afloat.

Paladin Press’ Financial Freedom books offer a variety of ways for average Joes to live better while spending less money. The classic Living Well on Practically Nothing is filled with homespun advice from author Edward H. Romney, a self-avowed “penny-pinching New Englander” who grew up in the shadow of the Depression. Romney’s tips on saving money range from solid business opportunities to low-cost ways to feed a family to recreation on the cheap. In Max Edison’s How to Haggle, you’ll learn how to get the lowest possible price not only on used items sold privately, but also on brand new merchandise from big department stores.

For those who are trying to rehabilitate their finances while fighting creditors, we have several books—including BestCredit, Beat the Bill Collector, and Life after Debt—that can help you get back on your feet as quickly as possible.

Incorporating even a few of the measures found in these books and the others in our Financial Freedom category could help put you back in the black and keep you there.

UFOs, Alien Abductions, and Scam Artists

Paladin author Peter Huston (More Scams from the Great Beyond) makes a good case when he discusses the charlatanism that pervades the UFO scene in his recent op-ed in the Schenectady Gazette. Whether you’re a believer or skeptic, you’ll get a kick out of Pete’s amusingly written but serious take on the types of characters that inhabit this world.

We still have a signed model release from famed UFO abductee Betty Hill somewhere around the Paladin office. Betty’s photo and candid interview with Peter appears in More Scams, as does his hilarious account of how his commissioned story on alien abductions was completely rewritten—and, um, embellished—by the staff at Hustler magazine.

Peter has become something of a subject-matter expert on the bizarre cul-de-sacs of American subculture. In September, he’ll be featured in a Spike TV “MANswers” segment. The topic? How people make money by selling dead bodies or other human remains. Like we said—bizarre.

Jerusalem Terror Attack Ended by Armed Citizen; News Coverage Mixed

You may have noticed the news stories yesterday about the man who went on a rampage in a construction vehicle in Jerusalem. It turns out he was shot and killed by an armed citizen who was driving by the scene.

In reading U.S. media coverage of the incident, at first it was unclear who killed the terrorist. Various news outlets stated that he was stopped by a policeman, by a civilian and a policeman, or did not say anything other than the fact that the rampaging driver was “shot dead.”

A complete account of the incident can be found in the July 23 Jerusalem Post, which specifies how the rampage was stopped by a 51-year-old grandfather who reacted instantly with his sidearm. Interestingly, the Post’s lead paragraph states that the driver was “shot dead by a Druse border police officer and a civilian passerby.” You don’t learn until several paragraphs into the article that it was the civilian who delivered the fatal rounds; the police officer responded afterward, shooting the body to “verify” that he was dead.

The U.S. media has had a day to get the facts straight, and many news outlets made changes to their accounts. (The construction vehicle, for instance, was erroneously identified as a bulldozer in the earliest reports.)

CNN still calls it like this: “The driver in Tuesday’s attack struck several vehicles, including a No. 13 city bus, before a civilian and an Israeli border policeman shot him, a government statement said.” No further details given.

The New York Times, hardly a champion of an armed citizenry, gets it exactly right in the second paragraph of its coverage: “The driver was stopped when a passer-by got out of his car and shot into the vehicle’s cabin. A border policeman then fired more shots at the driver, the police said, ‘to confirm his death.’”

The Associated Press initially reports it correctly, but a later AP wire story not only drops the involvement of an armed civilian from the lead paragraph but adds this muddled paragraph later in the piece: “Many Israelis carry guns through their work in the military or as security guards. The man who shot Tuesday’s attacker lives in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, Sternberg said. Many settlers have licenses to carry weapons for their protection.” The AP apparently wants to give the impression that only soldiers, security guards, and residents of ultra-high-risk areas carry sidearms in Israel.

In terms of mainstream media bias against gun ownership, maybe things have improved since a pair of eye-opening studies in 2000 found that the major television news shows overwhelmingly slanted their coverage to promote anti-gun messages while denigrating or ignoring pro-gun statements and incidents. So in the future, when an armed civilian is mentioned as having been involved in such an incident, it will pay to dig a little deeper and discover the true facts of the case.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Strategies Author Cavalcanti's Team Takes Title at IBJJF Mundial

It is hard to be humble when you are number one, especially when you are number one in the rough and tumble world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This year fighters from team Alliance applied the strategies featured in head coach Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti’s book, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Strategies, to win the team championships at the prestigious Pan Am tournament and the grand daddy of all Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, the IBJJF’s Mundial (World). For the second year in a row Cavalcanti’s team Alliance, which boasts such champions as Fabio Gurgel, Marcello Garcia, Rubens Cobrinha Charles, Lucas Lepri, Fernado Gurgel, Aelexandre Paiva, Tarsis Humphries, Fernando "Soulso" Di-Pierro, Michael Laughi, Fabio Clemente, Chris Moriarty, and many others is the undisputed, number one best Jiu-Jitsu team in the world.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Strategies features the advice of ten of Jacare’s top fighters and black belt coaches including “The General” himself, Fabio Gurgel. “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Strategies is the only book of its kind on the market,” says co-author Mark Van Schuyver. “It’s the only book that tells you exactly how to prepare for and win against many different types of fighters. Most importantly this is the only book in the world that contains the wisdom of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s number one coach, Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti.”

Restraint and Control Strategies Clip on Paladin Press YouTube Channel!

Loren Christensen has been a best-selling author of Paladin Press books and videos for decades, and has always been very generous about sharing his knowledge, experience, and expertise in several subjects from police tactics to martial arts to self-defense. Restraint and Control Strategies: State-of-the-Art Defensive Tactics for Law Enforcement and Security Professionals was one of the first videos he did with Paladin, and it's an excellent guide to the sorts of standing grappling situations anyone can get into, from cops to bouncers to ordinary civilians.

Before long, we'll add other clips from Loren's videos to the Paladin Press YouTube Channel, but for now, here's a bit from Restraint and Control Strategies:

Knife Geeks, This One's For You

Attention, knife enthusiasts: there's a unique treat awaiting you in this week's Paladin vintage centerfield scans ... an interview with legendary knifemaker Bob Terzoula!

Many of the knives designed by Terzoula have become highly collectible. In 1984, Terzoula designed the limited-edition “Paladin Survivor” knife. This 1985 article reveals a number of interesting details about the man and his craft.

To view the article, head on over to our retail site, http://www.paladin-press.com/ and open the "Features & Extras" tab along the top of the homepage. Click the "Classic Paladin Centerfolds" link in the dropdown list and select this week's classic scan (it's split into two files, each highlighted in red).

And once you've kindled an interest in the knifemaker's craft, why not check out Paladin's broad selection of books and DVDs on all aspects of this fascinating topic?

Melissa Soalt Awarded Best Women's Self Defense by Black Belt Magazine!

Congratulations to the incomparable Melissa Soalt, aka Dr. Ruthless, for recently receiving Black Belt's Industry Award for Best Women's Self Defense of 2008!

Soalt, author of the popular Paladin Press DVD Fierce and Female: Practical Rape Defense Tactics for Every Woman, received the most votes to snag this honor. While the announcement won't be "officially" made until the September issue of Black Belt hits the stands, we think this news is too impressive to hold back until then. And we can't think of a more worthy recipient for such recognition. Congratulations, Melissa!

Our recent videoclip of Fierce and Female has had thousands of hits on Paladin's YouTube channel since we posted it a few weeks ago. Check that out here.

Visit Soalt at her own website, http://www.dr-ruthless.com/, and stay tuned to this space for future announcements and info regarding America's leading women's self-defense expert.

Paladin Centerfold #3 is up!

We're pleased to present another piece of vintage Paladin Press "bonus" material for you this week in the form of a classic centerfold article from our catalog archives. This week's blast from the past: the indispensable Ragnar Benson!

For years, Paladin Press was the only publisher that regularly covered the world of preparedness, self-reliance, and survival. This wide-ranging 1983 interview with Benson, Paladin's best-known survivalist author, touches upon themes that he continues to explore to this day.

You can access this material via Paladin's retail site, http://www.paladin-press.com/, via the Features & Extras dropdown along the top of the homepage. You'll need a pdf reader (such as Adobe Acrobat) to view the centerfold scans.

Paladin Pulls Off Coup in Mercenary Warfare Publishing

We took note of the recent sentencing of British mercenary Simon Mann to 34 years in prison for his part in plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea. The SAS veteran’s connection to freelance soldiering in Africa stretches back to a stint with the South African organization Executive Outcomes before he cofounded the London-based private military firm Sandline International. Both companies had extensive experience with for-hire military operations in Africa. The Mann episode—which involved everything from illegal weapons purchases in Zimbabwe to the alleged high-level involvement of the son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher—is only the latest episode in the long, murky history of modern mercenary activity in Africa.

We pulled off a coup of our own recently when Paladin publisher Peder Lund struck a deal with famed mercenary Mike Hoare and his son to reprint four of the Colonel’s out-of-print books (Congo Mercenary, Congo Warriors, The Road to Kalamata, The Seychelles Affair), each with an exclusive new foreword by the author. Even if you own copies of the original printings, you won’t want to miss the new material in the Paladin editions, with Colonel Hoare’s canny reflections on mercenary intrigues and combat operations in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s.

Paladin has long been interested in publishing books on mercenary warfare. The African Merc Combat Manual, released in 1986, was a combination of four manuals and accumulated materials used by the 5th and 6th Commando units that operated in the Congo during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Portuguese Paras Flechas in Angola and Mozambique, and the Rhodesian Para-Commandos during the late 1970s. Long out of print, copies in good condition can fetch more than $100 on the used-book market today.


One of the most fascinating titles on mercenary warfare ever put out by any publisher is Manual of the Mercenary Soldier by Paul Balor, nom de guerre of one of the last true soldiers of fortune of the 20th century (and the subject of a classic centerfold interview to be released in the Extras section of our website in the near future). Here’s what SOF magazine had to say about Balor when his book was first published by Paladin Press: “When you are an 18-year old Marine presented with the opportunity to make an old-fashioned, sword-swinging cavalry charge for a Chinese warlord, you are fated to disappoint your mother. Paul Balor has not looked back since he made that charge with the Chefoo Brigade in Shantung Province against the Communists in China’s civil war . . . Balor is one of the rarest. He’s not only been a professional soldier for 40 plus years, he’s made a good living at it. Along the way (primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean), Balor discovered the right and wrong way to go about it. He is also a fine and entertaining writer.”

People have asked us over the years: Is that Balor on the cover of the book? Nope. It's Mitchell WerBell III—OSS veteran, proprietor of Military Armament Corporation (MAC, as in the MAC-10 and MAC-11 submachine guns), and himself a player in the spook world Cold War of the 1950s through 1970s. So why is WerBell on the cover of Balor's book? Marketing—the photo simply fit the image of what many people felt a mercenary might look like. 

Combat Shotgun Clip on Paladin Press YouTube Channel!

Simply put, Louis Awerbuck's video The Combat Shotgun is the most complete instructional video on the use of the shotgun in combat on the market today. From use of the sling to patterning to types of ammunition to transitioning from the shotgun to a pistol and more, this video is a must-see for anyone who owns a shotgun and wants to get the most out of it. In it, he explodes myths about recoil and shot-to-shot recovery, and takes a beginning shooter through the necessary skills and techniques to make him a competent shotgunner. Here's a short clip of the program:

Infidels Unite!

Bill Wilson, author of How to Get Rich as a Televangelist or Faith Healer, will join host Reggie Finley for what’s sure to be a lively discussion of his book on The Infidel Guy Show. Listen live from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 17. Shows are archived for several months, so if you can’t listen live, you can listen later.

Since 1999, The Infidel Guy Show has brought listeners uninterrupted freethought and science-minded guests such as Richard Dawkins, James “The Amazing” Randi, Michio Kaku, Dan Barker, and Massimo Pigliucci. At the site and weekly show they take “a truthful and investigative look at religious beliefs, political systems, social issues, economic systems, the paranormal, pseudo-science and scientific claims.”

Wilson, who has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, is also the author of Cover Your Tracks without Changing Your Identity, Under the Table and into Your Pocket, and Backyard Catapults.

ATF weighs in on the Heller decision

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has released their comments on the landmark Washington D.C. v. Heller Second Amendment ruling.

The statement issued by Acting Director Michael J. Sullivan reads:

"ATF is pleased with the Supreme Court's ruling recognizing that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms, including for private purposes unrelated to militia operations. The court's ruling is in accordance with the text of the Second Amendment, historical practice, and the Attorney General's 2001 guidance on the scope of the Second Amendment, and is consistent with the bureau's understanding of the scope of the Second Amendment. The Bureau also is pleased that the court appropriately made clear that nothing in yesterday's ruling casts doubt on the constitutionality of longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.' In addition, the court appropriately recognized that the 'carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons,' such as machineguns, is not protected by the amendment. The bureau is studying the decision, but expects that it will not affect its continued enforcement of all existing federal firearms laws."

This seems OK to me, because the Heller case was carefully crafted to address a very narrow slice of the Second Amendment as it relates to handguns. But I think that at some point the question of machine guns will also have to be addressed.

If the Second Amendment is supposed to give us the right to keep and bear arms in common use, and therefore, the ability to hold a tyrannical government accountable by force, if necessary, then don't we need more than just handguns? What would Thomas Jefferson shoot?
I think a BAR, or perhaps something belt-fed in .30 cal?

Paladin Contributions to Counterinsurgency Studies

Details are still coming out about the Colombian military’s dramatic rescue of 15 hostages (including three Americans) held for years by the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (better known by its acronym, FARC). The stunning operation is being called “right out of a spy thriller” and “an unprecedented operation that will go down in history for its audacity and effectiveness” by news outlets and blogs that specialize in unconventional warfare topics.

Creative, successful counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in the news are only partially responsible for the surge in interest in this specialized area of modern warfare—from a publishing standpoint, it’s been ongoing since the United States military faced off with insurgents and terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq after the respective U.S. invasions of those countries in 2001 and 2003.

We noted this development and responded in a number of ways. First, Paladin staffers personally combed the libraries of select authors and public institutions for copies of out-of-print COIN classics to reprint. The first book to make the cut was Jac Weller’s outstanding study of COIN warfare against Communist guerrillas, Fire and Movement: Bargain Basement Warfare in the Far East. This penetrating analysis of the principles of COIN operations is written in such a way that the words “Vietnam” and “Communist” could be replaced by “Iraq” and “insurgent” and the arguments would still make sense. (Interestingly, many of Weller’s predictions about unconventional warfare in general have come to pass.)


Next, we made contact with veterans of one of the most instructive COIN conflicts of the 20th century—the African bush wars—and secured the rights to distribute two of the most riveting combat memoirs ever published: The Bush War in Rhodesia by legendary Rhodesian reconnaissance specialist Dennis Croukamp and Fireforce: One Man’s War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry by Chris Cocks.

Finally, we got our hands on a copy of U.S. Army FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency, the U.S. armed forces’ blueprint for successful COIN ops coauthored by Lt. General David Petraeus, the four-star U.S. Army general in command of all U.S. forces in Iraq (and soon to be commander of U.S. Central Command), and Lt. General James Amos, former commander of the II Marine Expeditionary Force and current Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

We are always on the lookout for worthwhile books on counterinsurgency (or any Paladin-type topic) to reissue. If you know of an out-of-print book on COIN tactics that you think might be relevant to today’s global conflicts, drop an e-mail to Paladin at editorial@paladin-press.com and let us know about it.

Busting Bill Collectors

Nobody wants to fall into debt, but sometimes circumstances put us behind on our payments, whether it's an unusually inflated credit card statement or the type of serious debt that stems from the loss of a job, a medical emergency, or some other major disruption in one's life. 

CNNMoney recently ran a story under the headline "Debt Collectors on the Rampage," detailing the aggressive tactics of bill collectors as they bully debtors to settle up on overdue bills. The story offers a couple of helpful tips . . . but there's a lot more to it than what can be covered in a brief news article.

Check out what former debt collector Max Edison has to say about getting collection agencies off your back for good while you get your life in order. 

Paladin's NRA Pistol Class

There was a time in this country when it was not unusual for a company to have a its own shooting range for the benefit of employees; pistol ranges for smaller companies, trap and rifle ranges for larger corporations with more real estate. Over the past few decades something happened. As open land became scare in some areas, corporate bean-counters decided that the company shooting range was worth more in dollars than it was as a safe shooting venue for employees. Couple that with a growing anti-shooting sentiment, and it’s not hard to understand how American workers have lost so many shooting ranges. Either their employer decided to cash in on the increasing value of the real estate, or they took the path of least resistance and gave in to the anti-gun people in order to avoid tarnishing the company image and the potential loss of customers.

However, the pendulum seems to be swinging back in the other direction. Whether it’s because more people are feeling the need for a gun in the home, discovering the fun in competition shooting and hunting, or because they no longer believe the anti-gun rhetoric, the sale of firearms, ammunition, and related equipment such as books and DVDs is increasing, as are the numbers of people seeking formal training.

A group of Paladin Press employees recently took the NRA Basic Pistol class at work, sponsored by Paladin Press, and conducted on company time. This is about as formal as training gets for us. But it certainly gives our staff a better understanding of how firearms work, and in turn, allows us to better understand our authors and the needs of our customers. This is the second NRA pistol class that we have run here at work, and if the staff sign-up sheet is any indication, we’ll be running more. The NRA course material covers safety, operation of handguns and how they work, fundamentals of marksmanship, how ammunition works, cleaning, safe storage, and more.

It would be great if other companies started offering shooting classes. It’s the best way to dispel some of the myths about guns and the people who own and use them responsibly. To find an NRA certified instructor in your area, contact the National Rifle Association, or visit their website at www.nrahq.org/education/training/find.asp

This Week's Classic Catalog Centerfold Is Up!

For your extracurricular reading pleasure this week, we're proud to present another retro centerfold from the Paladin Press catalog archives: "International Smuggling: Big Money on the Fringes of the Law." To check it out, head on over to the Features & Extras menu on our new website's homepage, and from there scroll down to the "Classic Paladin Centerfolds" link (or just click the handy link provided). As always, you'll need to open the pdf files located there in order to view the material.

If our vintage interview with M.C. Finn on the topic of international smuggling fires your imagination, Paladin Press offers several exciting titles to satisfy your curiosity. But remember: Paladin Press does not intend for any of the information contained in its books or videos to be used for criminal purposes!

Be sure to revisit our Extras section next week as we unearth another gem of an interview: Ragnar Benson on survival and self-reliance!

Situational Self-Offense Clip on Paladin YouTube Channel!

Fans of Kelly McCann, AKA Jim Grover, know that his material is practical, realistic, and street-proven. It's what he teaches to people who need to use it to save lives, and has been tested in places ranging from the mean streets of America's inner cities to the most dangerous parts of the war-torn Middle East. His video Jim Grover's Situational Self-Offense is a necessary add-on to his best-selling Jim Grover's Combatives Series: it takes his previous material and applies it to the sorts of self-defense scenarios you're most likely to face. McCann has said more than once that there's no such thing as "Advanced Combatives." Advanced Combatives is just doing the basics well, properly, quickly, and with power. Self-Offense, taught in his pragmatic, inimitable style, gives you the rest of the unarmed combatives program, and is an invaluable asset to anyone with an interest in realistic fighting. Not convinced? Take a look at this clip:

Armed Citizen Crime Watch Launches in North Carolina

As reported in this recent news item, armed citizens have taken their community's safety into their own hands and are patrolling the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the wake of a criminal shooting and three armed robberies in a local business district.

Paladin author Mac Tanner advocated that very approach to combating crime back in 1995 when he wrote The Armed Citizen's Solution to Crime in the Streets. The book spells out a complete program for organizing armed volunteers into safe, legal, and effective community self-defense patrols. 

Now that the individual right to keep and bear arms has been affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, perhaps more Americans will follow the advice of Tanner and the lead of the determined citizens of Charlotte and consider organizing similar groups in their own communities. 

Response to New Jim Cirillo Book Overwhelmingly Positive

Jim Cirillo's Tales of the Stakeout Squad was one of the most highly anticipated books ever published by Paladin Press. The unforgettable stories Jim recounted in his book Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights and in his first video, Secrets of a Master Gunfighter, only whetted the appetite of readers and viewers who were eager to learn more about the accomplishments and tactics of the New York City Police Department's Stakeout Unit. Author Paul Kirchner exceeded all expectations with his masterful biography of Jim.

The response to Tales has been tremendous. Members of the Cirillo family, former officers with the NYPD and FLETC, fellow Paladin authors, old students—everyone who knew Jim or had the pleasure of being instructed by him have all commented how his voice jumps off virtually every page of the book. Typical of that response is this wonderful review (see p. 11) by Jim's long-time friend and colleague, Gila Hayes. In it, she writes, "At one point, I told my husband that reading this book was so much like talking to Jim that I just about couldn't handle it. Still, it is to Mr. Kirchner's credit that the stories ring so true, and the voice telling those tales is so clearly that of Jim Cirillo."

Gila and husband Marty hosted Jim on several occasions as a guest instructor at their acclaimed shooting school, Firearms Academy of Seattle, and allowed Paladin to shoot Jim's second video, Jim Cirillo: Modern Day Gunfighter, on site at FAS. Marty appears in that video and contributed a handful of warm memories of Jim for the new book. 

New "One Against Many" Clip on Paladin YouTube Channel!

Branimir Tudjan is no stranger to violent encounters involving multiple opponents. A former police officer and security professional, he's been in more than his fair share of scrapes. His biography states:

Branimir Tudjan was born in 1965 in Zagreb (Croatia). He began his martial arts training at age of 8 in Japanese Karate. As a teenager he studied Wing Chun and Tae Kwon Do and Western Boxing. After the compulsory army service Branimir traveled to Israel (1987) where he worked as a journalist and had his first encounter with the Israeli self defence system Krav Maga while teaching his Karate classes to the Kibbutz children.

After a while Branimir relocated to The Netherlands where he first introduced Krav Maga (as an official representative of the Israeli Krav Maga Association- IKMA from Israel) and Takeda-ryu Aikido (from Japan). He also introduced Krav Maga to his native Croatia.

Branimir was police officer in The Netherlands for over 13 years and has visited many police departments through the world (NYPD. ESPD, Israeli National Police, French GIGN etc).

Branimir has been teaching Krav Maga, PATS (psychology, attributes, tactics and skill) and his MOSS system to the members of law enforcement, military, security and civilians in The Netherlands and abroad.

Branimir's MOSS system is greatly inspired by Rob Redenbach PATS system, Krav Maga and his real life violent street encounters.

He can be contacted through his websites here and here. His video from Paladin Press, One Against Many, is featured in our July 2008 catalog. Here's a clip: