My niece, Kira, takes karate here and she’s getting really good. Her dad signed up too after carting her to and from her lessons, but I think she’s better than he is. Kira’s always been into those tough, Japanese-inspired cartoon characters… no Barbies for her. They teach all kinds of martial arts, and I think that’s great training for kids both physically and mentally. And these days, it’s also smart for everyone to have some self-defense training. I was thinking about trying it, but I don’t think I can raise my legs that high. After all, the movies were about the«karate kid», not the out-of-shape karate grown-up.