RECCE ROOM

Why is it that virtually every "judge" in the US has the middle name "god" and is a complete moron? A Superior Court judge in California ruled a $1.5 Million judgement against Lowe's because their "2x4" lumber does not measure exactly 2" by 4". For the record, I learned that a 2x4 actually measures about 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches when I was seven years old. I wonder what kind of life this judge lead such that he didn't know that this is a standard practice... EVERYWHERE! (Not just Lowe's) Thoughts: The article linked has some very relevant questions that arise out of this ruling. If I was the CEO of Lowe's, I'd send $1.5 Million in wood chips to that Judge's house. Lowe's will likely win on appeal. I have met a judge who isn't a moron, and who does not think he has the middle name "god" - my friend, Andy Wright, seems to be the exception. .

Today's entry: tag. Seriously, the game of tag known as "point sparring" is a fun game, but not conducive to self defense. .

So very long ago, a jiu-jitsu master started taking karate in Japan. These were the early days of karate in Japan, as it had recently been imported from Okinawa. He was one of the fasted promoted to black belt ever. His understanding of martial technique, science, and the importance of skill was unsurpassed. Soon, the head karate instructor, Gichin Funakoshi, advised the jiu-jitsu master to go to Okinawa and study with Funakoshi's instructors. And so he did. Hironori Ohtsuka, eventually founded Wado-Ryu - one of the four original styles of karate. In doing so, he departed from many practices the other schools. He also incorporated many more training drills than other styles - and drills above and beyond the kata performed elsewhere. At the time, the drills were novel: the latest and greatest way to get students ready for self defense. As time passed, and knowledge increased, and availability of information eventually went global, these training drills came to look old-fash...

The following is copied from a Facebook conversation between two people I know. One is a police officer, the other is not. The other, whom we shall call "Citizen," is like me - feels police have too much authority, and abuse said authority way too much. Officer: Please qui [quit?] sending me the "bad" cop stuff - my job is hard enough, and I have lost friends over the years - one that was shot with her own gun. There are "bad" people in every profession - it does not make us all bad or bullied in school. Citizen: I'm not sending anything. (note - Citizen was not sending anything, but was hitting "like" on statuses. Officer: I keep getting stuff from you called "Cop Block" and it is all police bashing crap. Citizen: I do follow that page and hit "like" on a fair amount of it. I do not send that to anybody. Officer: For some reason, I keep getting it. Citizen: Upper right corner of any post is a down arrow. Click ...

This conversation, overheard recently: Person #1: "Have you ever been falsely accused of racism?" Person #2: "Every time." Person #3: "I've never not witnessed a false accusation of racism." .

I don't know how many cases he's had overturned on appeal, but it is quite a bit. One thing is for certain, though, he rules in favor of his "good ol' boys" network. Gallatin judge Tom Gray ruled that a government entity had first rights to proceeds from the sale of property of a dissolved business entity instead of a secured creditor. That means he said that their legally secured by contract document was null and void and the supposed delinquent taxes took precedent. Good thing Tom Gray is out of office now. .

For this week's installment, lets analyze kata (forms or patterns). Karate practitioners developed  kata  in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The first  kata  were developed to help the masters teach. A single instructor might have students in several towns. Clearly, only one set of students could be taught at a given time. At the time, the practice of martial arts in Okinawa was banned, so the instructors disguised their lessons as a "dance." The students would practice a specific dance for years, and rarely learned more than a handful of dances. Some people think there are literal and figurative meanings behind the moves in kata . To be sure, that is partly true. But kata is not a code written in a secret language, which needs to be deciphered. Kata is a training drill, designed to let the person practice known moves in a solo manner, all the while keeping a low profile in an area that bans martial arts practice. So, keep doing the kata , but don...

Came across this link the other day. It inspired some thoughts: 1. Most cops understand why tickets are necessary, but don’t particularly like writing them. Well, unless they happen to stop “the guy who pays their wages” and then writing a ticket isn’t so bad. Most sane people don't work jobs where they "don't particularly like" 85% of the duties... 2. The vast majority cops have never shot anyone, but most cops can recite a detailed list of people who are/were deserving of being shot because they posed a deadly threat. This means that most cops have successfully defused a potentially deadly confrontation using only words and less-lethal weapons. Nope... not even close. Most never see any real action, which is why harmless people get killed by police every day. Agreed that some people deserve to be shot... seems that the percentage of police deserving it is higher than the rest of the general population. 3. Most cops wonder if they have something better to do unt...

The following conversation took place in my living room. With my wife and son as witnesses. With our freshly-laundered jiu-jitsu uniforms in plain view (and previously commented upon by the subject). Oblivious: "So, when are your jiu-jitsu classes?" Me: "Monday & Thursday, 6 pm for kids, and 7 pm for adults." ** two minutes pass ** Oblivious: "Yeah, this town is a jiu-jitsu desert... but you know that... there's nobody around who teaches unless you go all the way to Nashville." My wife's eyes were about to pop out of her head with a "WTF" look. .

Came across this link the other day. It gives a simple formula for converting Wonderlic test scores to a rough IQ estimation. It also has links to take free versions of the test so you can estimate for yourself where your IQ is. Their formula (Wonderlic score x 2) + 60 = IQ Using their formula, my IQ estimations : (lowest side) (46 x 2) + 60 = (92) + 60 = 152 I have scored a perfect 50, and can at any time now. However, some feel this is because of my repeated exposure to the exam. So be it. But just for kicks: (50 x 2) + 60 = (100) + 60 = 160+ But I wonder what it really is, because the test stops at 50 questions, and I could hypothetically answer more correctly in the time they allot. It is said that a Wonderlic score of 20 is comparable to an IQ of about 100, and this formula would indicate the same. .

He strikes again! This time, the unjust judge refused to let an expert testify, and ruled in favor of the party he might well have predetermined that he wanted to win, regardless. Again, the appellate court overturned his erroneous ruling. Good thing Tom Gray is out of office now. .

For today's installment of What's Wrong With Karate, let's evaluate stances. Zenkutsudachi Kibadachi Kokutsudachi Neko-ashidachi These are the most common, though many other stances exist. The problem with all of these is that they are not entirely practical. Of the ones listed, all but nekoashidachi are too long and wide to be mobile. Nekoashidachi is too upright and leans too much on a single foot. Almost no karate stances have a balance of weight evenly between the feet, while simultaneously offering good mobility and lending the practitioner enough power. The big problem is, these stances were never designed for combat. They were designed for doing drills, including kata , which are specifically to help strengthen the legs. But karate teachers don't often teach it that way any more. You will see "self defense" routines laced with these stances, even in schools where the instructors acknowledge their uselessness in actual sparring or combat. Yo...

Picture this: You are a caveman, wandering the land some 15,000 years ago. Your tribe is not much different than any other. Each of the members of your clan has a unique personality... not much different than nowadays. One of the guys, Thog, is kind of ... off. He is the one that if you come across a herd of buffalo, will kill three extra, even though you don't need to.  He is the one that will try to break your spear when you aren't looking.  Speaking of spears, he tries to take the spears away from other tribe members - he doesn't feel they are "qualified" to carry a spear.  He is the one who clubbed to death the dogs that your tribe had kept for years. He said they were acting aggressively toward him. You don't think so.  He is so insanely aggressive on things that your tribe decides to put him in charge of "security" - the plan being, if attacked by another clan, you send Thog out first to meet the threat. He will either kill the threa...

The first plane hit 13 years ago today at this time. .

I am convinced that the plumbing subcontractor that built the plumbing in our house deliberately tried to find the most nonstandard plumbing parts in the industry. So far, as I've replaced ordinary items, I've found major inconsistencies in: toilet hardware sink hardware pipe hardware dishwasher clothes washing drains kitchen sink garbage disposal units .

This unjust judge is just haywire. Judge deems that a person can purchase a house in a rent with the option to purchase arrangement at whatever price the buyer wants to pay... regardless of what the actual contract specifies. Fortunately, the appeals court overturned this horrible ruling. Good thing Tom Gray is out of office now. .

Here is a little series on my mind about what is wrong with karate. At the core, it is because the training is not literal, and most people don't get things that aren't literal. When things are open to interpretation , by definition there is more room for misinterpretation . The Corkscrew Punch Known in Japanese as chokuzuki or junzuki , this punch is capable of developing a lot of power and can smash through targets with proper training. Wait... that doesn't sound so bad, does it? The problem is not the power.  Delivery One of the main problems with chokuzuki is the delivery: Chambered at the hip or the ribcage, the arm is not in a position to defend the body or head. The punch only develops slightly more power than a good boxing punch. Because of the chamber position, the punch is a bit slower than a good boxing punch. Chokuzuki was designed by Okinawan peasants to be used against a samurai, wearing bamboo armor. The focus of the punch was to smash throu...

No, seriously, please don't buy an AR15. From time to time, I'll have a friend or reader tell me that they think an AK47 pattern rifle is better. They claim it is more reliable. They claim accuracy is not that bad. Etc. They can't afford it The fact behind the questions or statements is really quite different, though. It is that these folks cannot afford an AR15 rifle. Truth be told, they cannot afford an AK, either... but that's not the point of this post. They don't really have $1000 to splash down on a rifle. They don't really have more money beyond that for ammo and training. They don't really have more money beyond that for a minimal amount of gear. They don't really have more money beyond that for a backup rifle. They don't really have more money beyond that for a pistol and all that comes with it. The real investment Of course, if you were honest about a minimal amount of training, ammo, gear (including mags), a backup, a pistol,...

In conversation the other day with someone who shares my disdain for silly HR folk. The following came from conversation and I present to you in a condensed form: Over 25% of resumes contain inaccuracies. ( source ) Over 50% of job applications contain inaccuracies. But all 100% of job advertisements contain inaccuracies. .

Recently, my son purchased Call of Duty: Ghosts for his XBOX 360. One of the first weapons used is the "Honey Badger" - more correctly, an AAC Honey Badger PDW ; which is an AR15 type rifle. Naturally, my son asked me if I could assemble one. I can... it's just not legal to do so in its proper configuration without going to the trouble of registering it as a "short-barreled rifle" and also as a suppressed weapon. Once I explained that to the lad, he was rife with remorse for our Marxist governmental leanings. Why should any free man be barred the ability to own one of these magnificent rifles if he so chooses? My son's sentiments mirror those I hold. Because self defense isn't a privilege that must be registered or otherwise controlled... it is a human right. .

Unjust Judge Tom Gray of Gallatin, TN issued an order that a case before him should be heard by interchange. The problem was, he had no jurisdiction to do so. The appeals court found this to be the case. Good thing Tom Gray is out of office now. .

As a rule of thumb, I get along great with most everyone I meet. We all have that exception here and there, and I am no different. However, 99.99% (probably more) of the people I come across have no issue with me, nor I with them. There is an element of surprise to this statement, as my few close friends describe me as a Sigma ... one who has no penchant for playing the games of society. That's me. In groups, I can take the role of Alpha, Beta, or Delta, as the group needs. Oh, did I mention that I only become a part of a group for specific reasons - to benefit myself, to benefit my family or friends, or to benefit society or my country or planet. I tire easily of groups, so I rarely belong for a long time, with certain exceptions of course. Over the years, I have noticed that 0.01% (probably less) of people I do not get along well with. I have studied this odd group. To be sure, I have noted that these people do not get along well with much of anybody. For me, that is the issu...

Happy Labor Day! Look around the blog, see if there's anything you like!