Friday, July 31, 2015

Police Militarization

In several different forms, lately, I've heard people defending the militarization of police. One person even said "well, if they're going to take guns away from our military (recruiting centers), then we need the police to be trained in tactical and military operation."

Folks, this is scary. This is how it starts.

No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

Here are some logical arguments against the militarization of police:

The founding fathers fought a war to secede from a government that coming led police and military.

Nazi Germany would be in favor of your militarized police. It was just like them, after all.

If your only tool is a hammer, all the problems in the world soon start to look like nails (whether or not they are).

Do you really want low IQ, anti-social people to be trained to be good at exactly one thing... efficient killing of people?!?!

Who will you call when they turn on you?

When we have to take the country back, do you really want your most likely enemy to be that well trained?

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The Lion, The Dentist, And The Planned Parenthood

No animal's life is greater than that of a human.

A few days ago, my Facebook feed lit up, the subject was that some lion was shot by some dentist big game hunter. Now I understand the guides may have engaged in shady practice, but you should have heard the punishments these people suggested!

Oddly enough, the vast majority of these "people" were SILENT when it came to denouncing Planned Parenthood for the auctioning of human infant body parts! And crickets were the only noise to be heard when Republican "leadership" in Congress failed (again) by backing down from defunding  Planned Parenthood for same offenses.

So I saw these photos, and reposted them. And here they are again, as I feel they are supremely important.


Wednesday, July 29, 2015

"Trump Can't Lead"

I read an article by an establishment Republican shill a few days ago talking about the shakeup in the establishment by candidate Donald Trump. The author wrapped up by implying that maybe shakeup was good, but Trump as the GOP nominee was a bad idea because for all his talents, "Trump can't lead."

That's ironic...

Certainly not a Trump supporter yet, though I do enjoy his testicular fortitude to say what he thinks. However, of all his skills, one of his most pronounced is that of leadership. Like him or hate him, you don't build an empire like that doing it all yourself. You have to be a great leader.

My money says someone in the GOP is frightened, and wants him out of the race desperately.


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Single Issue Voter

Some people will occasionally describe themselves as being a "single - issue voter." In other words, whether they will vote for a candidate depends on that candidate's stance on a single issue. I might even be this way on guns for the appropriate levels of government. 

For my many conservative and/or Christian friends, let me enlighten you as to two single issues you have no business being a single - issue voter on in Federal elections:
Abortion
Gay marriage

Both are the law of the land thanks to the Supreme Court. And I do not see even a Republican supermajority doing anything to overturn either. If you think Republicans will do something, you're only fooling yourself.


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Gi Review

It has taken me a while to do this review proper. Mostly because I needed to wait on the right size jacket on the gi. That will be addressed in the review.

Note: I bought this uniform myself, and am not being paid for this review.

Ripstop Gi from  jitsugi.com -

Price
On the surface, they seem to be some of the more reasonably priced companies. While that is surely the case, also look deeper... this is one of the few places where you can order separate sizes, as their pants and jackets are sold separately. I got pants for $22.95 + S&H and the jacket for 34.95 + S&H.

Durability
It's ripstop, need I say more?

As advertised?
Lightweight - very  much so. Barely weighs more than a lightweight karate gi. Most of the excess weight is in the collar area.

Size
I wear an A4 is Brazilian sizes. I can take a Fuji off the rack and it fits perfectly. However, the Jitsugi.com jacket runs small and the pants run a bit big. I should have ordered an A3 pants and an A5 jacket from the start.


Monday, July 27, 2015

Vacation Takeaways

Last week, I spent time with my family on vacation in and around Cape Canaveral, FL. Here are some random thoughts and observations from the week:

Getting sick on vacation
Getting sick on the last day of vacation is better than getting sick on the first day. Of course, not getting sick at all on vacation is the preferred methodology.

Whiny cousins
Whiny cousins get played with less often than the rest. Then they whine, complain, and make drama because they aren't being included.

Disney is not cheap
And it was worth every penny. Not sure I'll ever go back, but I am sure my kids made memories for a lifetime there. Once was enough for me, and my son says he agrees so far.
(For the record, my mom told me she took me when I was 17 months old. I have no memory of it, and there are no pictures nor other evidence of it. I think it was just a ploy to not have to take us when we got older.)

Singing
It was funny to hear thousands of little girls sing Let it Go during the evening Disney festivities.

Baby steaks
My daughter, whose nickname is "baby cakes," declared at the table of a Brazilian steak house, that we should call her "baby steaks" for the rest of the evening.


Doing martial arts.
Thrice on my vacation, I visited a nearby dojo run by a long time friend. Two of the three times, I was enlisted to help run the class. So much for just participating.

Beautiful side kick
Those were the words of one of the elder Sensei present who had only ever seen me do jiu-jitsu before. When he learned of my karate rank (5th Dan), his response: "that's all?!?" His suggestion  was that I get ranked higher in karate.

Missed the rocket launch.
Was doing karate at the moment. Thought it had launched the day prior, when it had originally been scheduled to launch.

Missed the sharks, too.
Not as upset about this one.

Disney is not just American
Most of the other people there when we went were from foreign lands, based on their languages. No, not all were Spanish-speakers... most were African and European.

Cruise ships
They leave out of Cape Canaveral fairly regularly. We were at the Ron Jon Resort, and it has a fantastic view to watch the ships leave. The Disney cruise ship is absolutely huge!


Friday, July 24, 2015

In Memoriam

Thus concludes the one week of silence observed on this blog after the terrorist attack in my hometown that killed 4 US Marines and a US Navy Sailor.

Thus has been a story I've followed closely, as it hit so close to home. While there are many articles out there, detailing this facet or that, my inclination was to do a big picture overview. With that, I'll begin. And no, I'm not gonna cite sources on this, but you and Google are welcome to figure it out.

Chattanooga police will kill you.
They have some of the best tactical training money can buy, and no ordinary need for it. I'm not going to stoop to saying it was needed in this instance, it wasn't. Several people close to me from the area have alluded to the possibility that more than one officer shot a fatal blow. The same sources indicated that "perhaps," an officer or two "made sure" the bad guy was down for good. However, from first hand knowledge of dozens of Chattanooga police officers, this is SOP when someone fires on a Chattanooga cop.

I'm glad the shooter won't face trial.
But I really wish it had been the Marines and the Sailor to have secured that outcome.

The President WILL NOT condemn radical Islam.
No matter the facts in his face. 

Arm our military and do it now.
Enough said. And while several other governors have issued executive orders, our own spineless Bill Haslam won't do that. Instead, he put the matter up for study. That means, if we are lucky, it will become law July 1, 2016.

It was good to see the support.
Many non-Chattanooga friends updated FB profiles to "NoogaStrong" or similar. Some even made the journey to Choo Choo Town to show support. That was cool.

Gun free zones have got to go.
How many more senseless shootings must occur in gun free zones before we have had enough? We the People must take back our full 2nd Amendment rights.

Domestic spying has got to go.
Seriously, none of that data collected by the NSA was used to stop or prevent this.

Yet again, it wasn't a redneck with an AR15.
We aren't even spying on the right people.

The "Peaceful Religion" just isnt.

Some tweets I made on that day:
Wondering if it was a mentally ill liberal loon or a member of the religion of peace responsible for the #ChattanoogaShooting  ? (Tweeted very early, before reports came in).

Calls for gun control in ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
#ChattanoogaShooting

"Muhammad Youseff Abdulazeez" =/= "Domestic terrorist"
#ChattanoogaShooting

Obama trusts Iran with nukes, but not Marines with guns...
<sarcasm font>
<<< Hmmm... that makes *sense* >>>
<sarcasm off>
(Posted 7/19)


Thursday, July 16, 2015

Kimura Secrets Review

Some time back, I purchased Rafael Lovato Jr.'s DVD, Kimura Secrets. I've watched it a couple of times and here is my review on the video.

First, I bought this video on my own. It was on sale from BJJ Super Deals, though I cannot recall the price. If you do not follow BJJ Super Deals on Facebook, I highly recommend it. They put up some deals that really save money. The only drawback is that they know price points well, and you might be tempted (a lot) to buy when they run a special.

On to the video itself...

Production quality is about on part with many instructional videos.
Sound is fine, as are the camera angles. And that's a misnomer - there are no "camera angles," per se.  There is only one camera and all shots are taken from one stationary spot. Mr. Lovato and his demo partner simply rotate to give you different angles.

Content is where this one shines.
If you are looking to learn 87 new techniques, this is not the video for you. This video only deals with the Kimura arm lock (ude garami) from the side position. Note: I include the north-south as part of what I call side positions, as it is a top position that is not the mount. This video will give you options to make this one attack very strong.

There are 14 techniques presented.
Six of the techniques are based on how to secure the Kimura, depending on your opponent's hand positioning or reactions. Two more techniques are dedicated to counters to a strong grip by your opponent in an attempt to thwart your Kimura attempt. The final six techniques are dedicated to transitions that arise from a thwarted Kimura attempt.

Mr. Lovato's instruction presumes you have an intermediate knowledge of grappling.
Transitional techniques include wrist lock, straight arm lock (juji gatame), Ezekiel choke (sodeguruma jime), bow & arrow choke (jigoku jime). I do not recommend this video for a new white belt. I would suggest it for a green belt or above in my dojo, or for a blue or purple belt in BJJ.

Summary
Good video. Definitely worth the modest price.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Alpha B!tch

Some time back, a female I know posted a link to get sympathy.  8 qualities every alpha woman should look for in a man. of course, the implication is that she is an alpha female.

That's why you heard my maniacal laugh for 20 minutes. Yes, I know you don't live anywhere near me.

Alpha Female Quiz
So I took the  dating market value test for her. Since she cannot be counted on the be honest, I did it for her. (-29) was her score. According  to Heartiste:
-39 to -20:  You were born to cockblock.  But you’ll manage to marry a table scrap.

That was extremely accurate.

Vox also has a quiz
She scores "Tier 4" or "Tier 5," depending on if she is a Slutty Jane or Frisky Jane.


Hot-Crazy Matrix
About a 4 hot and about an 8 crazy.
"No-go zone."


Oh, and evidently, a lot of women's magazines are quick to patronize their readership as being "alpha females " instead of just saying the truth: they are bitchy.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

False Reposts

Came across this on Facebook recently. Read it carefully and I'll tell you how you can know it's fake.

1. Immediate police investigation.
About the only "crimes" that police will actively try to prevent are drug and prostitution related. In other words, "crimes" where there are no victims. If police really thought something was up, they would either not be there at all, or they would be harassing the man in question.

2. Phony investigation.
Since when do police tell you what they are investigating? They don't do that. Especially if they have no evidence on the suspect.

3. White van.
Ever see the "candy van" meme on the Internet? Come on , be creative.

4. Reposts.
I'd seen this, attributed to several people from different parts of Tennessee and other states as well. Some details had been changed (the name of the local park, for example). But some details like "hardly to no hair" and "50 - 65 years old" hadn't changed. Also, the "police whipping in" is part of it.

The Anecdotal
Now those are the parts I'm sure of. What is odd, though I cannot prove it conclusively, is the fact that almost every person I've seen post this has had the police badge with the thin blue line as their profile picture in the past 6 months. Makes me wonder if it's anti-CopBlockers trying to raise up public support for police.


Monday, July 13, 2015

Misdirection

Concealed carry question -

Since one of the purposes of concealed carry is to avoid alerting potential aggressors as to the presence of your gun - i.e. misdirection...

Can the same misdirection be accomplished by wearing a GLOCK hat when you are, in fact, carrying a Smith & Wesson?


Friday, July 10, 2015

Recruiter Busted!

"Wow" is all you can say about this one.
From a reader:




I was contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIn. She wanted to meet for coffee and / or lunch to discuss my qualifications. I doubted she actually had a position, as there was no mention of it. Anyways, here is the message:

HER: Thanks for connecting. I wanted to reach out to you and see if you were available for coffee / lunch. I wanted to learn more about what you were working on at your place of employment (presumably for helping to identify a match with a prospective employer).

ME: I typically do not meet with recruiters because I have found the majority do not have any real positions. Many simply want to stick my name in a database. And that's really a waste of my time. In fact, the only recruiters who have ever proven beneficial have never even met me in person. 
...
Hope this message doesn't come across as harsh, it's just business and that's how I handle it (as business, and my time is valuable).






Did that work? Oh hell no! She had to retort, and try to make herself out to be something she wasn't. 

HER: I wanted to meet with you to discuss how your company is working around analytics and talk about consulting, not to recruit you. And don't worry, you definitely won't be on my list after an unwarranted response like that. 






PROBLEM: Here is her company's website. They are an IT recruiting firm: 



Thursday, July 9, 2015

Libertarian Voting Republican?

I was speaking to the mayor of Red Bank, TN recently. He is a great guy personally and also a pretty conservative fellow, politically. We've known each other about 5 years, and thoroughly enjoy speaking to each other about politics.

He asked me:
"Are you going to vote in the Republican Primary next year? For whom? Would you vote for a Republican in the main election?"

Great questions. And I had this post written already, so it was easy to amend before it posted to include his question.

As of Wednesday, July 8, 2015, the announced candidates for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination include:
Jeb Bush
Ben Carson
Chris Christie
Ted Cruz
Carly Fiorina
Lindsey Graham
Mike Huckabee
Bobby Jindal
George Pataki
Rand Paul
Rick Perry
Marco Rubio
Rick Santorum
Donald Trump
Scott Walker (expected to run)

My thoughts on each category, and on each person and why:

Will not vote for them in the primary, and will not vote for them in the general election:
Jeb Bush - is an explanation necessary?
Chris Christie - Liberal Statist (LS)
Mike Huckabee - LS
George Pataki - LS

Will not vote for them in the primary, but might vote for them in the general election:
Ted Cruz
Carly Fiorina
Lindsey Graham
Rick Perry
Marco Rubio - could get bumped to the worst category. 
Rick Santorum - could get bumped to the worst category. 

Might vote for them in the primary, and would vote for them in the general election:
If my most preferred is no longer in the primary, and in this order...
Ben Carson
Bobby Jindal
Donald Trump

Would vote for them in the primary, and would vote for them in the general election:
And in this order...
Rand Paul
Scott Walker (expected to run)


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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

What's Wrong With Karate 6

Some time ago, I was at supper with my family. That's not the funny part, though. As we were leaving, my wife and daughter went outside to the car, talking with friends. My son and I stayed back to pay the tab.

A fellow restaurant patron had a T-shirt with a mention of a karate event. I was unfamiliar with that event, so I asked her what it was about. She proceeded to tell me.

In the process of telling me, she smoothly transitioned into a detailed pitch for the studio where she attended. It was nearly 20 minutes before she asked a question or let me speak in any manner. Her question - "do you live near here?"

I replied in the affirmative and asked her current grade and time training. She had been training 3 years and was a black belt candidate. I asked what kata she was currently studying. Naihanchi was the response.

My reply - performing the first half of the kata.

Her look: total astonishment. She never took her eyes off of mine. I guess it had never occurred to her that perhaps I had trained. She had certainly not thought to ask. Maybe that caught her off guard. Perhaps she felt a bit embarrassed for having gone on and on about karate to a person who had quite clearly trained longer.

Her reply: "Except... You are supposed keep your toes pointed more inward "

She had never glanced down at my feet.

I politely demonstrated kiba-dachi - the stance most styles use for Naihanchi, where the toes point straight ahead. I also demonstrated the product of 20th Century US Karate - "Naihanchi-dachi" - which is what I had used in the performance of the kata a moment prior, and which has the toes pointed slightly inward. And last, I demonstrated sanchin-dachi, the most extreme stance with regards to the toes being pointed inward, and which is a feature of the kata, Seishan - ironically, the next kata in her future.

A brief and courteous mutual farewell was had, in which she coincidentally forgot all about inviting me to the studio where she trains. But I was left realizing some of the problems with so many karate styles and studios today...

One-Upsmanship
So many karate schools teach (indirectly of course) the students that their black belt means more than it does. So, if they feel shown-up, the karate man feels he must demonstrate superior knowledge in absence of superior skill. This "skill" is handed down directly - teacher to student.

"I say, you do"
In the rest of the world, we have conversations and interact socially. A high number of karate studios keep the quasi-military mentality. This does not help the students converse normally about their passion in public.

Too much salesmanship
Enjoy what you do, and let others see that... this is your most powerful sales tool. Scripts, controlling the conversation, etc. are for inside the professional dojo. Not for talking with people in public.

Too much studio pride
It's fine to have pride in your studio, style, etc. But on the grand scale, be accepting of the fact that you are fellow martial artists. Being inclusive is not what karate schools used to do, but it is how Americans in the 21st Century interact.


Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Priorities

 I ran across this article on how to fit your jiu-jitsu training into your budget. Pretty good article.

My thoughts:
Make your training a priority. Usually, when I hear the excuse that someone cannot afford training, it's really because something else is a higher priority.

Find deals on your rash guards. Wal Mart and Target sell them for under $20 per article.

A good gi should be $100 or less, unless your specific school requires a specific gi.
* Often, if your studio requires a specific gi, then they are also the highest priced studio in the area or pretty darn close. So, if you were budget - conscious in the beginning, you wouldn't have wound up there. 
* Ask your instructor about a lower quality gi that would cost less than $100. If they permit, you can certainly get a good judo gi online for less than $100.

Ask your instructor about payment plans... but do not ask about "doing stuff for the studio" in lieu of payments. Really. They are tired of hearing it. In fact, your instructor knows that if you even ask this, there's less than a 1% chance of you even being in the school in 90 days, regardless of price.
Why is this the case? How does the instructor know this? See my first point for the answer.


In the end;
if you have picked up all the side jobs you can,
if you've cut every last luxury from your life,
if you've done everything in that article, in addition to my above suggestions, and you still have trouble making the payment...

Martial arts may not be for you at this stage of your life.
Get your shit together. Fix what's troubling you. It may or may not be a failure on your part, but get your end together in either event. Happen to life - quit letting it happen to you.


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Friday, July 3, 2015

Quick Facts

Saw this the other day on the timeline of a young friend. If he had been over 18, I'd have admonished him for his foolishness. We will allow his youth to be his excuse. 




Gas to $2.50
When Obama took office, gas was $1.84 per gallon. Now it is about $2.50 per gallon. I'm not sure I'd celebrate a 35% increase. Both Obama and Bush presided when gas prices hit and exceeded $4 per gallon.

End 2 wars
Please, tell me... which wars were ended? Where were we fighting that we are not fighting anymore? Liberal Statists were quick to disparage Bush when he stated "mission accomplished." Similarly, Conservative Statists disparage Obama for his lies about ending the war.

Get Bin Laden
Really? Last I checked, it was the US Navy SEALs.

Bring unemployment below 8%
Because so many people are now employed? Not the case. 33% of Americans are not in the workforce. Just because fewer than 8% are receiving unemployment insurance benefits is not cause for celebration.

Being told he's failing as a President is an understatement.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Bad Check 2

Sometimes, people write bad checks. Sometimes it is purposeful, and other times it is accidental.

When I worked at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a renter once paid for his rental with a bad check. He secured the rental with a credit card and paid the balance with a check when he returned the car.

My boss, Rich, completed the transaction and accepted the check when the renter returned the car. I was a new trainee at the time.

We were presented with the returned check in short order. Rich attempted twice more to put the check through only to have it returned both times. He worked with the local branch of the issuing bank and learned that the account holder had an amount deposited every other Thursday which would cover the check.

Evidently, the account holder - our former renter - would get paid on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. and would withdraw the cash at about 3:30. We had tried to run his credit card for the balance, but it had been closed!

The next such Thursday, at the time indicated by the bank manager, Rich was waiting at the bank to cash the check. At 1:10, with the blessing of the bank manager, we presented the check and it was honored.

At 3:35, the former renter called our branch.
"Did y'all get the money on that check? OK."

He was caught and he knew it.


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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Bad Check 1

Sometimes, people write bad checks. Sometimes it is purposeful, and other times it is accidental.

Once, when I was a young boy, my father owned a camper. After some time, he decided to sell it. The purchaser paid with a check. And, well, the check was returned.

My dad went to the issuing bank to learn about the account. He discovered the account was only $5.00 shy of being adequately funded to cover the check. My dad fronted the $5.00 and deposited it and the bank honored the check on the spot.

In the process, Pops learned a big lesson. He made sure to teach us about that lesson as well.


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