I had been planning to ride a train from Vietnam to Malaysia, however two days before I was supposed to fly out, I chatted online with a cute little woman from the Philippines. I cannot fully explain why, but I changed my ticket to go back and Back Pack that country again instead. We were only supposed to meet for coffee, yet she ended up following me all about her countries islands, and eventually back to the US.
Since I have a first hand view of the "Immigration Process" I will help you out as likely you, as with most people have naught a clue, why would you?
She is what is called a "non Immigrant" meaning she came here on a Fiancé Visa, yea it is a bit confusing as she is still a Immigrant, but not, I wont get into that I have not fully figured it out myself, so here we go with the steps.
Soo you know, at anytime the Government could deny her process, a missed date, a misspelling anything they do not like could deny her.
The first step I had to file with the US government a petition to bring her here. In that petition there had to be Emails or letters of contact, and lots and lots of pictures together. There went a few hundred dollars. And the wait begins.
During this time you are not allowed to contact the US Immigration office, they cannot be bothered.
After the initial set of screening, she then signs up for a medical examination. That examination cannot happen at just any doctors office, it has to be an approved one by the US Government, fair enough. That one clinic was in Manila, so a plane ride away.
The Medical screening lasted three days. During that time she was examined, poked, and blood drawn. X rays were taken as well as Verbal interviews.
In her case she had scars on her lungs from TB, that would set us back another few months as she now needed Mouth Swabs to prove she was clear. Despite the Xrays showing she did not have it any longer. More blood was drawn and hundreds of more dollars spent.
Fair enough
Now back to her Island to wait, and wait, and wait. Then a interview with the US Embassy, which is back in Manila.
The interview is fairly quick and makes sure your love is legit and you are not just coming over to be a quick US citizen.
To ensure that your love is legit they issue you a 90 day get married or she has to go home Visa. That's right, you have 90 days to get married or your live, male or female goes home. Good job not rushing you into things.
Now before we get too far ahead of things, you have another interview in the airport by customs. That agent can refuse for any reason, so maybe your hair sucks that day, or maybe he/she had an argument with your spouse, you ate fucked at that point. Now you go back home, or are allowed. For this story it worked out.
Now that you are married you have to immediately file a change of status and apply for your green card. Another interview at the closest Immigration station so more driving, more money and another fee. Then more fees, and several years later you are finally a US citizen, uhgg.
Should you miss a step, which I can assure you is very easy, you are now one of those nasty Illegals the Right loves to throw about.
How easy is it? Well when the Government sends you letters, they are not even certified. We missed a letter which gave a date for our appointment at the Immigration office. Luckily the office was very accommodating and as you can Imagine, not very busy in Montana so we got right in and everything ended up being ok. Had we not started making calls, we never would have known.
Total so far in two years and still five years away from citizenship, just under 4000 Dollars.
In the case of a refugee they go through the same process to a point, but they have I believe it is a two year wait before they are allowed to come here. In that time frame emails are scoured, embassy visited (Unlike the Movies a US Embassy is not in every city on every corner with open outstretched hands) on and on.
I cannot Imagine what it must be like to not have any form of Transportation, and having to walk through minefields to get to an office of a interview to wait more months to hope you can bring your family to safety.
Now that the new Travel nonsense is in effect, and the worst of it thankfully overturned, lets talk about my wifes new process to go home for a visit.
Up until this point she simply had to show her Passport and off she went. Now she has to go to the Immigration office for another interview, then get approved for a Visa to leave the country, yea I know. Once she is in her Country she now has to fly over to Manila and have another interview before she can come home again. Hundreds more dollars thrown about for what? Was the process not good enough to begin with?
Maybe the sadistic right simply wants more hardship and more stress on anyone who is not "A white American" What nonsense.
There are other forms of Migrants. Many have to fly back home to have a interview at the US Embassy to come back to the US, think about that for a minute. Think long and hard about that. This nonsense has went on long before Trump, and has to end.
I encourage you to show your support for Migrants, and for what these families have to go through.
Immigrants bring lots of good to this country. Tesla was a Immigrant as and Einstein was a refugee. The list is quit huge, Apple would not have came to be had it not been for his Syrian Parents migrating to this country,.
Historically countries which had open boarders and a broad culture base expanded and were prosperous as new Ideas were exchanged.
Open your hearts and your minds, only good will come out of it, I promise.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Sunday, January 22, 2017
How to survive a bad workplace, and when to look for another job.
I guess we have all been there, working under a boss or around co workers, it seems to be nearly impossible to avoid. Make no mistake despite my title, you will have to suck it up now and again, however that does not mean you should tolerate it for good.
As a Manager and even a Company owner, I have an Idea what I want out of employees, as an employee, I know how I want to be treated, here are some tips.
When you go to work, you are giving someone your time, which is a substantial part of your life in order to complete a task in which you are rewarded monetarily. This is why it is important to enjoy what you do. A staggering one third of your life is spent at work.
Think about that for a minute, one third of your life is gone, do you want to waste that time listening to the biggest condescending jerk on earth? Not I.
Stress is a killer, avoid it.
Whatever you do at work, do not let things get to you. I understand it is not always that easy, but find a hobby, something to keep your mind off work, make sure you exercise, it helps mitigate stress and of course is good for your cardiovascular system.
Keep your nose to the grindstone:
You will find that life in general is just unfair, you will have to deal with those bad apples. Focus on your work, complete your task, punch out and go home. While hard work really is rarely rewarded by others, there is not a better feeling than knowing you did the best job you possibly could.
Take care of yourself before all others:
This is something I recently heard, and it makes complete sense. Eat healthy, exercise, stay mentally sharp and like I said avoid that stress. Never ever allow your body to be destroyed at work, do not do something dangerous. If you are injured at the workplace money likely will never take away that injury, trust me I know. If you are asked to lift something heavy, do not be afraid to ask for help or to find an easier way to do it. You may get some flack, but OTHER people are not living your life, keep that in mind.
Your sole point of going to work is to be able to make money to live and do what you want in life. You cannot do that injured.
Do not let yourself be used:
While you should keep your nose to the grindstone, do not be that person that does all the work for others. While a good boss should see what you are doing, most will not, and use work as their grab ass time with their pets. Never count on it.
Do not allow yourself to be degraded:
I absolutely refuse to be treated like shit. I can tolerate a lot but do not degrade me, and do not treat me like less of a human being than others. Keep that free spirit attitude, be polite but firm and do not be afraid. Once someone smells fear, they feed off it and your life will be hell from that point on. Once you stand up, they will retract.
My first real job was at a truck stop. My first manager was incredible and I learned a ton from him, things I still apply today. The second manager was a slime ball. Needles to say he was sleeping with waitresses for them to keep their job, he fired them anyhow.
I would end up kicking in his office door at one point, which of course was the end of my work there. I do not care, he is just lucky he left seconds before I got there. I spent the rest of the summer riding around om my motorcycle, Boo yaaa!
Do not argue:
Arguing rarely gets anyone anyplace, the best thing for you to do is just sit there and nod your head, which is what your jerk boss wants anyhow, just a yes man and a way to make his own fragile ego feel good.
Even if you are right, you will not win, kind of like arguing with your spouse.
Be Patient and give people a chance:
We all have our bad days, and even our bad weeks, do not judge them unless there is something egregious which happens. Odds are they will get over that hump, or maybe not, either way give it that curve and see what happens.
Do not be afraid to leave work:
As I started out, you give your time at work. Time as my grandfather stated "Waits for no one" do not waste months or years at a bad job. Plan things out and make your move. This is a good reason to keep your debts at a minimum, if you are too saddles in debt, you are going no place.
The average career in America is only six years:
This is a good thing to consider before buying a house or burying yourself in debt. The American work place is a vast complex machine now. Keep mobile, and remember the world opens doors for you.
Your happiness is contagious, so is your misery:
IF you have a bad job, that will likely reflect at home, adversely if you have a great job, that will as well.
Remember when I took my six day Desert ride and spent a month in the Philippines? Yea I quit a bad toxic work place which literally was making me sick. What memories do you think I will take away?
The only thing I regret was sticking that job out longer than I should have.
Keep your chin up, life is hard and likely you are the only person who can make it better, be strong you can do it.
http://thoughtsoftheages.blogspot.com/2014/01/tribute-to-mom-six-days-of-desert.html
As a Manager and even a Company owner, I have an Idea what I want out of employees, as an employee, I know how I want to be treated, here are some tips.
When you go to work, you are giving someone your time, which is a substantial part of your life in order to complete a task in which you are rewarded monetarily. This is why it is important to enjoy what you do. A staggering one third of your life is spent at work.
Think about that for a minute, one third of your life is gone, do you want to waste that time listening to the biggest condescending jerk on earth? Not I.
Stress is a killer, avoid it.
Whatever you do at work, do not let things get to you. I understand it is not always that easy, but find a hobby, something to keep your mind off work, make sure you exercise, it helps mitigate stress and of course is good for your cardiovascular system.
Keep your nose to the grindstone:
You will find that life in general is just unfair, you will have to deal with those bad apples. Focus on your work, complete your task, punch out and go home. While hard work really is rarely rewarded by others, there is not a better feeling than knowing you did the best job you possibly could.
Take care of yourself before all others:
This is something I recently heard, and it makes complete sense. Eat healthy, exercise, stay mentally sharp and like I said avoid that stress. Never ever allow your body to be destroyed at work, do not do something dangerous. If you are injured at the workplace money likely will never take away that injury, trust me I know. If you are asked to lift something heavy, do not be afraid to ask for help or to find an easier way to do it. You may get some flack, but OTHER people are not living your life, keep that in mind.
Your sole point of going to work is to be able to make money to live and do what you want in life. You cannot do that injured.
Do not let yourself be used:
While you should keep your nose to the grindstone, do not be that person that does all the work for others. While a good boss should see what you are doing, most will not, and use work as their grab ass time with their pets. Never count on it.
Do not allow yourself to be degraded:
I absolutely refuse to be treated like shit. I can tolerate a lot but do not degrade me, and do not treat me like less of a human being than others. Keep that free spirit attitude, be polite but firm and do not be afraid. Once someone smells fear, they feed off it and your life will be hell from that point on. Once you stand up, they will retract.
My first real job was at a truck stop. My first manager was incredible and I learned a ton from him, things I still apply today. The second manager was a slime ball. Needles to say he was sleeping with waitresses for them to keep their job, he fired them anyhow.
I would end up kicking in his office door at one point, which of course was the end of my work there. I do not care, he is just lucky he left seconds before I got there. I spent the rest of the summer riding around om my motorcycle, Boo yaaa!
Do not argue:
Arguing rarely gets anyone anyplace, the best thing for you to do is just sit there and nod your head, which is what your jerk boss wants anyhow, just a yes man and a way to make his own fragile ego feel good.
Even if you are right, you will not win, kind of like arguing with your spouse.
Be Patient and give people a chance:
We all have our bad days, and even our bad weeks, do not judge them unless there is something egregious which happens. Odds are they will get over that hump, or maybe not, either way give it that curve and see what happens.
Do not be afraid to leave work:
As I started out, you give your time at work. Time as my grandfather stated "Waits for no one" do not waste months or years at a bad job. Plan things out and make your move. This is a good reason to keep your debts at a minimum, if you are too saddles in debt, you are going no place.
The average career in America is only six years:
This is a good thing to consider before buying a house or burying yourself in debt. The American work place is a vast complex machine now. Keep mobile, and remember the world opens doors for you.
Your happiness is contagious, so is your misery:
IF you have a bad job, that will likely reflect at home, adversely if you have a great job, that will as well.
Remember when I took my six day Desert ride and spent a month in the Philippines? Yea I quit a bad toxic work place which literally was making me sick. What memories do you think I will take away?
The only thing I regret was sticking that job out longer than I should have.
Keep your chin up, life is hard and likely you are the only person who can make it better, be strong you can do it.
http://thoughtsoftheages.blogspot.com/2014/01/tribute-to-mom-six-days-of-desert.html
Monday, January 16, 2017
From someone who did not like babies and infants, this is why I cannot wait to be with mine.
I admit it, I have always been something of a scrooge, especially where babies and infants were concerned. Mind you I always wanted to be a dad, I just wanted to skip the first three years and fast forward to when they did more than poop and scream.
Friends told me I was wrong, "Hey kids are great, you will change your tune when you have your own" Nonsense, I have swam with whale sharks, stood on the Parthenon and looked upon the city of Athens, how on earth could babies even compare? Man was I wrong.
My first came as something as an accident, you see doctors said I likely could never have children as I have the testosterone of a 70 year old. while the two are not necessarily connected, it is a pretty good indicator.
Then along came my first child and it was amazing. There I beheld a mini Me, my creation something I never thought I could or would have. IT only got better from there.
I discovered that diaper detail really was not that bad. Before you say anything know that I have worked in the sanitation industry for nearly two decades before my first came about, so working around "Poo" was nothing new to me. Wit hthat said changing a babies diaper previously had made me gag. However the sayers were right yet again "It is different when it is your own" Perhaps there is something with our senses that allows us to more easily deal with our own, or perhaps it is just the old farm boy doing what needed to be done, nevertheless I enjoy changing my childrens diapers.
A man once told me about changing his childrens diapers "it is a intimate experience all men should experience and enjoy" While I am sure something is lost in translation as English is not his first language, there is something to his statement, and I am not exactly sure what.
I also enjoy the crying, it makes me smile. I do not know why, but when I come home and my little ones are fussing it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, the wife thinks I am crazy.
Overall parenting has been a blast, watching each and every stage is the best, seeing those longing eyes wanting you to hold them never gets old. I now am the guy who carries a phone with hundreds of pictures, ready to share them at a moments notice with anyone who asks.
You get to come home and watch them progress, their first steps are amazing and first words beyond euphoria. The childrens songs despite your hatred of them, are a valuable learning tool for them, so embrace those corny songs as much as possible. Besides, watching your toddler dance is absolutely the best.
Is it better than traveling the world? I dono about that, but I do know it makes having traveled a chunk of the world far, far more meaningful. IT also means that I have more kick ass stories for them, more experiences to share, and the best audience ever for my stories, my own loving children.
So if you are considering, or even having problems as a Parent, just look at your children and remember, it is all for them. If they are crying, fussy or being hard, try different food, avoid spanking, use time outs or other displine instead, and overall just try to enjoy them. Odds are if something is wrong, there is a reason for it, so listen to their cries and concerns, they cannot care for themselves so you are their link to growing into something wonderful.
I hope this short but heart felt blog helps others enjoy parenting, after all, if it was not for babies, how would we continue as a species on earth?
Friends told me I was wrong, "Hey kids are great, you will change your tune when you have your own" Nonsense, I have swam with whale sharks, stood on the Parthenon and looked upon the city of Athens, how on earth could babies even compare? Man was I wrong.
My first came as something as an accident, you see doctors said I likely could never have children as I have the testosterone of a 70 year old. while the two are not necessarily connected, it is a pretty good indicator.
Then along came my first child and it was amazing. There I beheld a mini Me, my creation something I never thought I could or would have. IT only got better from there.
I discovered that diaper detail really was not that bad. Before you say anything know that I have worked in the sanitation industry for nearly two decades before my first came about, so working around "Poo" was nothing new to me. Wit hthat said changing a babies diaper previously had made me gag. However the sayers were right yet again "It is different when it is your own" Perhaps there is something with our senses that allows us to more easily deal with our own, or perhaps it is just the old farm boy doing what needed to be done, nevertheless I enjoy changing my childrens diapers.
A man once told me about changing his childrens diapers "it is a intimate experience all men should experience and enjoy" While I am sure something is lost in translation as English is not his first language, there is something to his statement, and I am not exactly sure what.
I also enjoy the crying, it makes me smile. I do not know why, but when I come home and my little ones are fussing it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, the wife thinks I am crazy.
Overall parenting has been a blast, watching each and every stage is the best, seeing those longing eyes wanting you to hold them never gets old. I now am the guy who carries a phone with hundreds of pictures, ready to share them at a moments notice with anyone who asks.
You get to come home and watch them progress, their first steps are amazing and first words beyond euphoria. The childrens songs despite your hatred of them, are a valuable learning tool for them, so embrace those corny songs as much as possible. Besides, watching your toddler dance is absolutely the best.
Is it better than traveling the world? I dono about that, but I do know it makes having traveled a chunk of the world far, far more meaningful. IT also means that I have more kick ass stories for them, more experiences to share, and the best audience ever for my stories, my own loving children.
So if you are considering, or even having problems as a Parent, just look at your children and remember, it is all for them. If they are crying, fussy or being hard, try different food, avoid spanking, use time outs or other displine instead, and overall just try to enjoy them. Odds are if something is wrong, there is a reason for it, so listen to their cries and concerns, they cannot care for themselves so you are their link to growing into something wonderful.
I hope this short but heart felt blog helps others enjoy parenting, after all, if it was not for babies, how would we continue as a species on earth?
Friday, December 23, 2016
Self Defense, getting started and tips for basic street sense.
As a Martial Artist I have always been asked where to begin, what style is best and a plethora of other questions.
I realize it can be intimidating, by watching movies to YouTube there is a menagerie of styles and "Opinions" of what actually works best. Along with those experts come the inevitable demonstration showing just how easy it is to disarm someone, or of course crush them like a bug. These experts continue down in my opinion what is a dangerous dream of what it is actually like to have a street confrontation, most never have had. I trained at many different Martial Arts clubs and I can think of maybe one person in all those clubs who had ever been in a street fight, so how on earth would they really know what would work and what would not? Answer, they only have a theory, but they do have the tools to increase their odds of survival, which is why you are reading this, and looking into Martial Arts yourself.
I will say right off you should always do your best to avoid confrontation. I have hundreds of street fights under my belt, with that experience comes the realization that all but a couple were necessary, confrontations are easy to avoid for the most part.
Avoid eye contact, walk with purpose and simply ignore the chants. Try never to put yourself in a bad situation, stay in a lighted area if dark and of course stick where there are other people.
In the event something happens, do not expect help, odds are unless there is a Police Officer in the area nobody is coming to rescue you. I was in a bar room brawl once with quit literally the entire bar, despite things not going well for me, not a single person I was with, and they were all very well trained martial artists, came to my rescue. I survived simply by making sure my temples were covered as well as my throat. Always protect your critical areas, always.
Get a bright flashlight. We live in a great time when cheap blinding flashlights are available, even in the daylight one of these blasts of light can temporarily "Disable" an adversary allowing you to escape.
Situational awareness; Most people frequent the same area and route over and over again. You should take the time to make mental notes for escape routes as well as possible places someone may lurk in the shadows. This goes along with driving as well, be aware of having your window rolled down at a stop light or sign.
Be especially alert while shopping, many people are robbed/accosted while simply putting bags into their car! Take a minute, look around, if you have kids lock them inside the car before you unload your goods into the trunk.
Carry your keys so they protrude from either side of your middle finger, you can then punch someone and it will hurt like hell.
Imagine; Your Imagination is your best friend, and your worst enemy, for the sake of this article we will use it as your best friend. It is good if you Imagine horrible things happening, now imagine how you will get out of those horrible things.
I am someone nobody should ever watch a horror movie with, the entire movie all I can say is "Why did they not do this,. or this etc." this Is a lifetime of training myself to not only think differently from other people, but to imagine a way out of the worst possible scenario.
Strikes; In the event of a self defense situation you are not looking to "Bang it out" with the bad guy, you are looking to hopefully finish them quickly or to buy yourself some time to escape. Aim for the eyes, be it gouging or poking do not play fair, and do not quit, the eyes are painful as hell to have poked or gouged. Chop or punch to the throat (Front) and do not stop punching or chopping you always want to overwhelm your opponent. Go for the groin, kick punch an even grab and yank those toodles, the last will stop anyone right in their tracks as if they are a cartoon character. Stomp on their feet do anything you can think of to make that escape. If need be bite, scratch pull hair, pull ears. Fight as if it is your last breath, if it comes to this situation, it possibly could be.
Get a firearm, a concealed carry permit and get proper instruction on using it. This instruction goes well beyond the basic CCW one day classes, spend the extra money on an actual self defense/combat pistol class. Do not let the weapon simply collect dust in the closet after shooting it once, make a conscious effort ot go to the range several times a year. The more often you use the weapon, the more confident you will be if you ever do have to use it. Muscle memory is paramount be it hand to hand or using a weapon.
This leaves us with what art to actually take. While if you are in good shape a MMA class is arguably the best, the reality is you have a life to live and do not have the time, or energy to devote to a high intensity class, further you may not be a pillar of fitness yourself, so be realistic about your choice. While some styles are clearly better than others, go with whatever is closest, convenient and comfortable for you. Go ahead and meet the instructors, most places offer a free class, take it.
Anything is better than nothing, you will at least learn how to throw a punch or a kick so that puts you a huge step up over the average street thug. Keep in mind police only take a few hours of grappling and they can handle the bulk of street thugs, if you take a class often you will be way above that.
Most arts will offer a self defense class, I encourage you to take that class, while not everything they teach will be good, most of what they will teach you will help you out, especially in scenario presentation. Further it gives you confidence, and confidence is something people can read in body language.
Just like with firearms, the more you train the more confident you are. I would also like to say that a female friend, whom by her own admission is not athletic at all, has enrolled in Karate over the past few years with her daughter. The one thing she has gotten out of her Karate from sparring is the realization that unlike the movies, she was not going to curl up in a ball and cry when she actually did get hit in the face. She is now ready to test for her brown belt!
My step sister has kidney problems, she went from being on the verge of Dialysis to competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. While she no longer competes, she still trains and loves it, she is also someone whom previously would not have been known for any athletic ability at all. I am beyond proud of them both.
In the end, remember what is between your ears is your absolute best weapon you can possibly use, always always keep your head.
I realize it can be intimidating, by watching movies to YouTube there is a menagerie of styles and "Opinions" of what actually works best. Along with those experts come the inevitable demonstration showing just how easy it is to disarm someone, or of course crush them like a bug. These experts continue down in my opinion what is a dangerous dream of what it is actually like to have a street confrontation, most never have had. I trained at many different Martial Arts clubs and I can think of maybe one person in all those clubs who had ever been in a street fight, so how on earth would they really know what would work and what would not? Answer, they only have a theory, but they do have the tools to increase their odds of survival, which is why you are reading this, and looking into Martial Arts yourself.
I will say right off you should always do your best to avoid confrontation. I have hundreds of street fights under my belt, with that experience comes the realization that all but a couple were necessary, confrontations are easy to avoid for the most part.
Avoid eye contact, walk with purpose and simply ignore the chants. Try never to put yourself in a bad situation, stay in a lighted area if dark and of course stick where there are other people.
In the event something happens, do not expect help, odds are unless there is a Police Officer in the area nobody is coming to rescue you. I was in a bar room brawl once with quit literally the entire bar, despite things not going well for me, not a single person I was with, and they were all very well trained martial artists, came to my rescue. I survived simply by making sure my temples were covered as well as my throat. Always protect your critical areas, always.
Get a bright flashlight. We live in a great time when cheap blinding flashlights are available, even in the daylight one of these blasts of light can temporarily "Disable" an adversary allowing you to escape.
Situational awareness; Most people frequent the same area and route over and over again. You should take the time to make mental notes for escape routes as well as possible places someone may lurk in the shadows. This goes along with driving as well, be aware of having your window rolled down at a stop light or sign.
Be especially alert while shopping, many people are robbed/accosted while simply putting bags into their car! Take a minute, look around, if you have kids lock them inside the car before you unload your goods into the trunk.
Carry your keys so they protrude from either side of your middle finger, you can then punch someone and it will hurt like hell.
Imagine; Your Imagination is your best friend, and your worst enemy, for the sake of this article we will use it as your best friend. It is good if you Imagine horrible things happening, now imagine how you will get out of those horrible things.
I am someone nobody should ever watch a horror movie with, the entire movie all I can say is "Why did they not do this,. or this etc." this Is a lifetime of training myself to not only think differently from other people, but to imagine a way out of the worst possible scenario.
Strikes; In the event of a self defense situation you are not looking to "Bang it out" with the bad guy, you are looking to hopefully finish them quickly or to buy yourself some time to escape. Aim for the eyes, be it gouging or poking do not play fair, and do not quit, the eyes are painful as hell to have poked or gouged. Chop or punch to the throat (Front) and do not stop punching or chopping you always want to overwhelm your opponent. Go for the groin, kick punch an even grab and yank those toodles, the last will stop anyone right in their tracks as if they are a cartoon character. Stomp on their feet do anything you can think of to make that escape. If need be bite, scratch pull hair, pull ears. Fight as if it is your last breath, if it comes to this situation, it possibly could be.
Get a firearm, a concealed carry permit and get proper instruction on using it. This instruction goes well beyond the basic CCW one day classes, spend the extra money on an actual self defense/combat pistol class. Do not let the weapon simply collect dust in the closet after shooting it once, make a conscious effort ot go to the range several times a year. The more often you use the weapon, the more confident you will be if you ever do have to use it. Muscle memory is paramount be it hand to hand or using a weapon.
This leaves us with what art to actually take. While if you are in good shape a MMA class is arguably the best, the reality is you have a life to live and do not have the time, or energy to devote to a high intensity class, further you may not be a pillar of fitness yourself, so be realistic about your choice. While some styles are clearly better than others, go with whatever is closest, convenient and comfortable for you. Go ahead and meet the instructors, most places offer a free class, take it.
Anything is better than nothing, you will at least learn how to throw a punch or a kick so that puts you a huge step up over the average street thug. Keep in mind police only take a few hours of grappling and they can handle the bulk of street thugs, if you take a class often you will be way above that.
Most arts will offer a self defense class, I encourage you to take that class, while not everything they teach will be good, most of what they will teach you will help you out, especially in scenario presentation. Further it gives you confidence, and confidence is something people can read in body language.
Just like with firearms, the more you train the more confident you are. I would also like to say that a female friend, whom by her own admission is not athletic at all, has enrolled in Karate over the past few years with her daughter. The one thing she has gotten out of her Karate from sparring is the realization that unlike the movies, she was not going to curl up in a ball and cry when she actually did get hit in the face. She is now ready to test for her brown belt!
My step sister has kidney problems, she went from being on the verge of Dialysis to competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. While she no longer competes, she still trains and loves it, she is also someone whom previously would not have been known for any athletic ability at all. I am beyond proud of them both.
In the end, remember what is between your ears is your absolute best weapon you can possibly use, always always keep your head.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
As America decends into the Rabbit hole, can we once again find our moral compass?
This election has been something of a shock for people on all sides. Rampant corruption is now not only acceptable, but the swamp seems to be filling up instead of being drained. Anti Multicultural views took precedent with women's rights being slapped in the face yet again and the Environment is no longer even a moderate consideration. It is going to indeed be a bad place to be a human being in the US and possibly the world for the immediate future.
Authoritarian regimes throughout the world reached out to Praise the Presidential Elect in his win, Democracy screamed as she fell into a hole.
The parallels to history in this election are staggering to say the least om regards to the President Elect and nearly all have horrible out comes. One can compare this election to 1935 and the NAZI party electing a mentally unstable puppet they hoped to control, or way back to Rome and Caligula and its gross excess.
Authoritarianism is very appealing to many as it pushes simple agendas which seem to matter. The Military takes precedent over all others, well at least on the surface, problems are solved with the broad sweep of a hand and the iron fist solves all.
The reality is quit different, with the exception of a hand full of rulers, historically the people always suffer under such nonsense as their rights, which is something democracy can slowly give them, are taken instantly away and not even considered.
In our current country we have the US constitution which has some Unique Rights, and some not so Unique, but it is the basis as to which all laws in the US must conform, it provides a strong system of balances and checks, to hopefully prevent an Authoritarian regime, never the less twice in our history it has been largely stuffed aside and we made it out ok.
The first time it was mostly ignored offering us a brighter future would be under the then new third party President Mr Abraham Lincoln. The end result of course we all know well, minorities despite being used explicitly as cannon fodder would finally gain recognition as not only human beings, but as US citizens.
The second time would be during the Great Depression as FDR again seemed to ignore the constitution with amazing popularity/ While history generally looks on him fondly, he had many dark, dark aspects which are largely ignored. Millions starved to death with those surviving finding their gold savings being confiscated for the "good of the nation" However FDR would do something which many hope trump would do, spur industry. That spurring of industry came at a price however, our environment. The earth took a huge price as we lived in excess for the next few decades, mining, logging and polluting with reckless abandon. Cooler heads would eventually prevail out of necessity as rivers quit literally burned, the Republican Party, in coercion with a rational Democrat who authored the National Environmental Protection Act, which gave way to what we now know as the EPA.
The current administration has a unusual chance to side step much of this as it sweeps all of congress and the presidency leaving all of Humanity in jeopardy. With a cruel sense of Irony, the very party who gave minorities their rights, now opposes them, the same party who gave us a country with laws promising us to have a future for our children, are now opposing that future all for the now.
That party is the Republican Party.
Rational seems to have gone out the window as they attack nearly everything our country should be embracing, science seems to be on hold yet again as we are told to take comfort in a collection of Biblical writings written centuries ago by people with the educational level of a modern 5 year old. Is that really the answer to save us?
Women seem to be now given no more care than they can provide on their backs or as angry propaganda mouth pieces for what is now being coined the alt right.
Minorities in general? Well they are now the undesirables, the very people apparently responsible for all our woes, the people this collection of Angry people want to purge from our country. I will give you a hint the last time this Ideal was elected in popular ideology within the world, that was 1935 in Germany. Faced with a desperate economic situation largely acquired by the treaty of Versailles the German people pointed fingers wit ha vengeance, and indeed the rest you know, or at least should know.
So what now? Where does this leave us?
Uncertainty as always.
Trump likely will be impeached for ethics violations within his first year, however where will this leave us as far too many of his dangerous followers have crawled out of the pits of oblivion ready to spread their vile.
Mind you I am not saying all people who voted for Trump are vile, they most certainly are not, but there is a minority element that represents everything dark this world should hope to never see again.
They are armed, which is the truly frightening thing, but so are the rest of us, can we avoid the confrontation?
Perhaps with a Moral compass and patience we can.
With more education not less we can overcome the immediate dim future and focus on our children.
Perhaps out of all of this we will remember what makes us America, what makes us all Human.
Despite the hate perpetuated by both parties, as it does dear reader come from both sides, people the world wide want one thing, so listen carefully to my rule.
FFE
People want anywhere you go to Fish Fuck and Eat.
I ask you dear reader to look out your window today, from your nice climate controlled environment and tell me that homeless lady pushing her sole belongings in shopping cart is responsible for your problems. I want you to walk into that convenience store and tell me the man brown man who speaks broken English and sways his head form side to side when he talks is the cause of your life's problems?
As you browse the shopping market I want you to take a good hard look at the produce, and the people who walked often hundreds of miles with the sole purpose of enduring torturous labor for meager earnings to feed themselves, and you. Are they the reason the job market is horrible? Do you really think a under educated brown person who barely speaks English is costing you a job? Do you honestly think he wants anything less than you?
Now I want you to look away from the world you see in your immediate life, and look carefully over the horizon. Over that horizon to the east are people who are being blown to oblivion in a desperate battle for resources and control, all so you can live in cheap excess. I want you to now look at your children, and tell them if you were in the same situation, you should not be taken in by another country offering a helping hand.
Now turn to the south as the sun reaches its peak, ask yourself if the deforestation, the lung of the world in the south is worth your conveniences?
I ask you to look deep into the future and ask what you want to leave as your legacy.
Is it hate? Is it gross excess? Or is it a rational future where we can all finally get on?
I know what I want for my children, I want that Moral Compass, not just the one that guides me, but the one that nags on your shoulder to take control.
Be the change, See the future.
Links for your consideration
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/542109.The_Order_of_the_Death_s_Head
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-refugees
http://www.biography.com/people/caligula-9235253#!
Authoritarian regimes throughout the world reached out to Praise the Presidential Elect in his win, Democracy screamed as she fell into a hole.
The parallels to history in this election are staggering to say the least om regards to the President Elect and nearly all have horrible out comes. One can compare this election to 1935 and the NAZI party electing a mentally unstable puppet they hoped to control, or way back to Rome and Caligula and its gross excess.
Authoritarianism is very appealing to many as it pushes simple agendas which seem to matter. The Military takes precedent over all others, well at least on the surface, problems are solved with the broad sweep of a hand and the iron fist solves all.
The reality is quit different, with the exception of a hand full of rulers, historically the people always suffer under such nonsense as their rights, which is something democracy can slowly give them, are taken instantly away and not even considered.
In our current country we have the US constitution which has some Unique Rights, and some not so Unique, but it is the basis as to which all laws in the US must conform, it provides a strong system of balances and checks, to hopefully prevent an Authoritarian regime, never the less twice in our history it has been largely stuffed aside and we made it out ok.
The first time it was mostly ignored offering us a brighter future would be under the then new third party President Mr Abraham Lincoln. The end result of course we all know well, minorities despite being used explicitly as cannon fodder would finally gain recognition as not only human beings, but as US citizens.
The second time would be during the Great Depression as FDR again seemed to ignore the constitution with amazing popularity/ While history generally looks on him fondly, he had many dark, dark aspects which are largely ignored. Millions starved to death with those surviving finding their gold savings being confiscated for the "good of the nation" However FDR would do something which many hope trump would do, spur industry. That spurring of industry came at a price however, our environment. The earth took a huge price as we lived in excess for the next few decades, mining, logging and polluting with reckless abandon. Cooler heads would eventually prevail out of necessity as rivers quit literally burned, the Republican Party, in coercion with a rational Democrat who authored the National Environmental Protection Act, which gave way to what we now know as the EPA.
The current administration has a unusual chance to side step much of this as it sweeps all of congress and the presidency leaving all of Humanity in jeopardy. With a cruel sense of Irony, the very party who gave minorities their rights, now opposes them, the same party who gave us a country with laws promising us to have a future for our children, are now opposing that future all for the now.
That party is the Republican Party.
Rational seems to have gone out the window as they attack nearly everything our country should be embracing, science seems to be on hold yet again as we are told to take comfort in a collection of Biblical writings written centuries ago by people with the educational level of a modern 5 year old. Is that really the answer to save us?
Women seem to be now given no more care than they can provide on their backs or as angry propaganda mouth pieces for what is now being coined the alt right.
Minorities in general? Well they are now the undesirables, the very people apparently responsible for all our woes, the people this collection of Angry people want to purge from our country. I will give you a hint the last time this Ideal was elected in popular ideology within the world, that was 1935 in Germany. Faced with a desperate economic situation largely acquired by the treaty of Versailles the German people pointed fingers wit ha vengeance, and indeed the rest you know, or at least should know.
So what now? Where does this leave us?
Uncertainty as always.
Trump likely will be impeached for ethics violations within his first year, however where will this leave us as far too many of his dangerous followers have crawled out of the pits of oblivion ready to spread their vile.
Mind you I am not saying all people who voted for Trump are vile, they most certainly are not, but there is a minority element that represents everything dark this world should hope to never see again.
They are armed, which is the truly frightening thing, but so are the rest of us, can we avoid the confrontation?
Perhaps with a Moral compass and patience we can.
With more education not less we can overcome the immediate dim future and focus on our children.
Perhaps out of all of this we will remember what makes us America, what makes us all Human.
Despite the hate perpetuated by both parties, as it does dear reader come from both sides, people the world wide want one thing, so listen carefully to my rule.
FFE
People want anywhere you go to Fish Fuck and Eat.
I ask you dear reader to look out your window today, from your nice climate controlled environment and tell me that homeless lady pushing her sole belongings in shopping cart is responsible for your problems. I want you to walk into that convenience store and tell me the man brown man who speaks broken English and sways his head form side to side when he talks is the cause of your life's problems?
As you browse the shopping market I want you to take a good hard look at the produce, and the people who walked often hundreds of miles with the sole purpose of enduring torturous labor for meager earnings to feed themselves, and you. Are they the reason the job market is horrible? Do you really think a under educated brown person who barely speaks English is costing you a job? Do you honestly think he wants anything less than you?
Now I want you to look away from the world you see in your immediate life, and look carefully over the horizon. Over that horizon to the east are people who are being blown to oblivion in a desperate battle for resources and control, all so you can live in cheap excess. I want you to now look at your children, and tell them if you were in the same situation, you should not be taken in by another country offering a helping hand.
Now turn to the south as the sun reaches its peak, ask yourself if the deforestation, the lung of the world in the south is worth your conveniences?
I ask you to look deep into the future and ask what you want to leave as your legacy.
Is it hate? Is it gross excess? Or is it a rational future where we can all finally get on?
I know what I want for my children, I want that Moral Compass, not just the one that guides me, but the one that nags on your shoulder to take control.
Be the change, See the future.
Links for your consideration
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/542109.The_Order_of_the_Death_s_Head
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-refugees
http://www.biography.com/people/caligula-9235253#!
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Five classes every American should be required to have.
I suppose I had a common Rural Childhood for the 70 and 80s. I spent a good amount of time participating in Civics minded organizations, particularly 4-H, Cub scouts and Weeblo. Going to such organizations gave me a sense of community involvement and civic pride. IT seems to me that the following generations did not have the exposure and it shows, we have a very Me society without much knowledge about your community and being involved in civics, which brings about my first class which we all should have, Civics.
If people took civics many questions would be answered as to the 'why do we have to do this and co exist" garble which I constantly hear now days. I think if civics is taught (which seems to be called indoctrinating by todays Radical right) overall society would be far better off.
In the end the ultimate is to be part of some sort of a club which not only teaches, but applies such lessons, but at this point I will take what I can get.
First Aid; You are driving along and come upon a traffic accident, it is late at night and just you, clearly the person within the car needs attention, so what do you do? Well the sad thing is more Americans really do not have an Idea how to properly handle such a situation, which is flat out dangerous for everyone involved. What makes it dangerous? Well for one you could injure someone by not only moving them when they are injured, but in the event you have to, how would you safely do so? How would you stop bleeding? Or of course how would you possibly revive the person? At some point in your life it is highly likely you will come upon a situation where you need to apply First Aid, be it a family member or a stranger, it is a class we all should have which would help answer the above questions.
Your constitutional Rights; This seems to be yet another area most people know almost nothing about, but all like to talk about their constitutional rights, well which ones? Sadly after hearing peoples comments regarding Colin Kaepernick or even Presidential Candidates speeches and policies, most people seem to have little Idea what their rights actually are, nor what they are even good for. A class in this area certainly would help out miles, perhaps even making people again most civic minded and more involved in Politics in the correct manner. Not giving up your rights is very important, lets stop it now before it is too late.
Firearms Safety; Whether or not you own a firearm or even intend to own one, does not exclude you from the likely probability you will at some point encounter one in your life, so it makes obvious sense you have at least a basic knowledge of weapons when you do encounter one. Firearms accidents account for thousands upon thousands of lives and injuries each year, well over 30k annually.
IF we had at least that basic required class, perhaps we could lower that number substantially. This coupled with especially civics means people will overall be more responsible with a firearm. I included a picture of one thing the NRA does right, firearms safety, I included a picture of their Eddie Eagle teaching a class. This is important as people on both sides seem to forget things this organization does well, more of this, less of the other.
Science; Apparently science is no longer taught in school, be it from climate change to basic common theories, Americans seem to be clueless as to the workings of the world. Perhaps if we had more knowledge in this area religious dogma would largely disappear. Perhaps there would be a we bit of hate and less emphasis on that Imaginary friend. Now mind you before you get all huffy, I have Imaginary friends too, I just use them for conversations with myself however :O
Maybe if we had more Science in our lives, we would focus on tackling important issues such as Pollution, Ocean and Space exploration. God knows I could have understood the science behind our Moon landing a bit earlier in my life. Hell even more knowledge on the science of Climate change, one way or another would have helped me too. It sure beats the attitude of "well scientists are not always right" nonsense, no they are not always right, but they do at least have an educated guess, which is more than many can say.
In the end if we have these five things, perhaps there would be less fighting amongst ourselves, and a bit more joining of arms to move forward for the betterment of Tomorrow. We at least have to start a conversation about what is important in our childrens future, now is as good a time as any.
If people took civics many questions would be answered as to the 'why do we have to do this and co exist" garble which I constantly hear now days. I think if civics is taught (which seems to be called indoctrinating by todays Radical right) overall society would be far better off.
In the end the ultimate is to be part of some sort of a club which not only teaches, but applies such lessons, but at this point I will take what I can get.
First Aid; You are driving along and come upon a traffic accident, it is late at night and just you, clearly the person within the car needs attention, so what do you do? Well the sad thing is more Americans really do not have an Idea how to properly handle such a situation, which is flat out dangerous for everyone involved. What makes it dangerous? Well for one you could injure someone by not only moving them when they are injured, but in the event you have to, how would you safely do so? How would you stop bleeding? Or of course how would you possibly revive the person? At some point in your life it is highly likely you will come upon a situation where you need to apply First Aid, be it a family member or a stranger, it is a class we all should have which would help answer the above questions.
Your constitutional Rights; This seems to be yet another area most people know almost nothing about, but all like to talk about their constitutional rights, well which ones? Sadly after hearing peoples comments regarding Colin Kaepernick or even Presidential Candidates speeches and policies, most people seem to have little Idea what their rights actually are, nor what they are even good for. A class in this area certainly would help out miles, perhaps even making people again most civic minded and more involved in Politics in the correct manner. Not giving up your rights is very important, lets stop it now before it is too late.
Firearms Safety; Whether or not you own a firearm or even intend to own one, does not exclude you from the likely probability you will at some point encounter one in your life, so it makes obvious sense you have at least a basic knowledge of weapons when you do encounter one. Firearms accidents account for thousands upon thousands of lives and injuries each year, well over 30k annually.
IF we had at least that basic required class, perhaps we could lower that number substantially. This coupled with especially civics means people will overall be more responsible with a firearm. I included a picture of one thing the NRA does right, firearms safety, I included a picture of their Eddie Eagle teaching a class. This is important as people on both sides seem to forget things this organization does well, more of this, less of the other.
Science; Apparently science is no longer taught in school, be it from climate change to basic common theories, Americans seem to be clueless as to the workings of the world. Perhaps if we had more knowledge in this area religious dogma would largely disappear. Perhaps there would be a we bit of hate and less emphasis on that Imaginary friend. Now mind you before you get all huffy, I have Imaginary friends too, I just use them for conversations with myself however :O
Maybe if we had more Science in our lives, we would focus on tackling important issues such as Pollution, Ocean and Space exploration. God knows I could have understood the science behind our Moon landing a bit earlier in my life. Hell even more knowledge on the science of Climate change, one way or another would have helped me too. It sure beats the attitude of "well scientists are not always right" nonsense, no they are not always right, but they do at least have an educated guess, which is more than many can say.
In the end if we have these five things, perhaps there would be less fighting amongst ourselves, and a bit more joining of arms to move forward for the betterment of Tomorrow. We at least have to start a conversation about what is important in our childrens future, now is as good a time as any.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
A trip up Grassy Mountain to see a Landmark in Shambles.
I have not been up to the Lookout on Grassy Mountain for some time, but it has always been one of my favorite places. So when the opportunity presented itself this past week, I jumped on it.
We took the backroad up, a road which to my knowledge I have never traveled. The road was very rocky and unforgiven. Honestly it was so ridiculous in places I craved something I rarely do, big tires and a lift kit. Nope I did not get those extra bad places as I was too busy trying to keep metal from scraping :P
We took our time, even getting out in places to walk the road, to see how much farther we had.
Mind you, the road was not horrible, but it was bad enough I was a bit worried about a bent Rocker Panel or drive line.
We climbed, crawled and spun as we churned up the hillside, occasionally getting a glimpse of the wonderful view into the Pintlers, something every person on earth should get a chance to see.
We careened on up the road, finally stopping to call a friend who is six cans short of a six pack and mountain bikes up this ridiculously high road. I needed to see how much farther I was, I suspected not far but I had broken one of my cardinal rules on Gas, always going into the woods on a full tank, yet here I was hovering at the quarter of a tank, which is what I used to get this far :O
He would confirm that we indeed were not far, so we went forward. We were at the last bad spot so the final rocks to crawl over were all that was left to a spectacular view.
The Mountain itself lives up to its name, windswept and grassy. It was logged Barren during the days of the Anaconda Smelter and now suffers from some ridiculously high wind as a result. Since this lookout like most others no longer needed in the US is uncared for, I was a bit surprised to see it partially collapsed. I remember standing inside whne I was younger, able to Imagine what the lookouts saw for months at a time on their station.
It was sad but it is what it is. Like so many of Americas land marks, it has feel by the way side while Government Agencies pick and choose what to care for. |
It is indeed sad, as I would have loved for my Children to have had the same experience I did, to stand inside this, and other magnificent lookout towers and look upon incredible 360 degree panoramic views.
In the end, the person with me got to see what I had been pining about, and while he had previously tried to talk about going up here, he admitted even what was left was pretty damned cool.
We would make it out and back to town to get gas in the event you are wondering. I was really not worried provided I made it back to the highway anyhow. I had ran out of gas in the same area a long, long time ago, and using the doors of the truck as a sail we had.... well that is another story.
We took the backroad up, a road which to my knowledge I have never traveled. The road was very rocky and unforgiven. Honestly it was so ridiculous in places I craved something I rarely do, big tires and a lift kit. Nope I did not get those extra bad places as I was too busy trying to keep metal from scraping :P
We took our time, even getting out in places to walk the road, to see how much farther we had.
Mind you, the road was not horrible, but it was bad enough I was a bit worried about a bent Rocker Panel or drive line.
We climbed, crawled and spun as we churned up the hillside, occasionally getting a glimpse of the wonderful view into the Pintlers, something every person on earth should get a chance to see.
We careened on up the road, finally stopping to call a friend who is six cans short of a six pack and mountain bikes up this ridiculously high road. I needed to see how much farther I was, I suspected not far but I had broken one of my cardinal rules on Gas, always going into the woods on a full tank, yet here I was hovering at the quarter of a tank, which is what I used to get this far :O
He would confirm that we indeed were not far, so we went forward. We were at the last bad spot so the final rocks to crawl over were all that was left to a spectacular view.
The Mountain itself lives up to its name, windswept and grassy. It was logged Barren during the days of the Anaconda Smelter and now suffers from some ridiculously high wind as a result. Since this lookout like most others no longer needed in the US is uncared for, I was a bit surprised to see it partially collapsed. I remember standing inside whne I was younger, able to Imagine what the lookouts saw for months at a time on their station.
It was sad but it is what it is. Like so many of Americas land marks, it has feel by the way side while Government Agencies pick and choose what to care for. |
It is indeed sad, as I would have loved for my Children to have had the same experience I did, to stand inside this, and other magnificent lookout towers and look upon incredible 360 degree panoramic views.
In the end, the person with me got to see what I had been pining about, and while he had previously tried to talk about going up here, he admitted even what was left was pretty damned cool.
We would make it out and back to town to get gas in the event you are wondering. I was really not worried provided I made it back to the highway anyhow. I had ran out of gas in the same area a long, long time ago, and using the doors of the truck as a sail we had.... well that is another story.
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