Previously, I did a quick Star Wars mini-story based on one of the numerous Star Wars memes out there. Now I’m choosing to continue the story at long last.
With that in Mind, I bring you this week’s Writing Wednesday:
Part II: A Different Hope
Obi-Wan first buried Luke and then returned to the interior of the house. He looked at Artoo and let out a heavy sigh. “It’s been a long time, my little friend”. “The years seem to have been kinder to you than they have been to me.”
Artoo chirped excitedly and rocked back and forth, apparently happy that the earlier charade had now been dropped.
“Now, what brings you to this forsaken corner of the galaxy?” “The message the boy mentioned, I presume?”
Artoo beeped and chirped, and then a small access panel on his body popped open.
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, walked over and knelt down. “I see… Give me just a moment to undo what the Jawas did…”
He tinkered around inside the small compartment, and suddenly a holorecording of Princess Leia sprung to life.
“General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the clone wars, now he begs you to help him in the struggle against the Empire.” “I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I’m afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed.” “I have placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit.” “My father will know how to retrieve it”. “You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan.” “This is our most desperate hour”. “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”
“Hmmm, do the impossible with limited information and resources… here I worried life had changed from the good old days.” Kenobi said with the hint of a wry smile.
Qui Gon’s spirit smiled. He’d grown to appreciate the dry humor of his former padawan during their time communing together on Tattoine. “Trust in the Force, Obi-Wan”, he replied calmly. “It’s guided the droid to you, and will open further doors as well when the time is right.”
“I don’t appear to have much choice.”, Kenobi replied bluntly. “Whatever is happening is something big… it’s connected to the dark premonitions we’ve all been having.” He glanced back and forth between the Force projections of Qui Gon and Yoda. “She was desperate to get this droid delivered also.”
“Go to Alderaan, you must”, Yoda said. “Seek answers there regarding the girl’s location.”
Obi-Wan gathered up some of his belongings, placing them into a knapsack. “I should return the speeder, and tell the boy’s aunt and uncle what happened…” he said slowly.
“If the Empire has a clue about the droid carrying whatever this information is, they’ll certainly be looking for them.” Qui Gon added.
“Then I have to warn them.” Obi Wan replied.
“Of the essence, time is, Master Kenobi” Yoda rebuked. “Warn them you should, but be quick you must.”
Obi Wan nodded, then reactivated C3PO, stored both droids on the back of the speeder and then hopped in it. He gave it full throttle heading towards the Skywalker homestead.
As with my previous version of this, I intended to write more, but I got stuck due to a combination of real life responsibilities and a realization of just how vast the Star Wars universe has become since “A New Hope” first hit theaters in 1977. There’s so many possibilities and so many questions that come up when considering that reality. Something that deserves a post all it’s ownto help me noodle out.
A comment over at M’ChelsMusings led to me promising to do my next “Martial Monday” post on walking canes as a self-defense item. SO… Here we go.
I imagine some of you are scoffing at the idea already. Reality is, Korean Hapkido and English Bartitsu are just two martial arts that teach the cane as a self-defense weapon.
Canes have two big advantages right off the bat: They don’t LOOK like a weapon, and you can take them anywhere thanks to the A.D.A. (Americans with Disabilities Act). There’s just nowhere near the likelihood of trouble as there is with carrying a firearm. A sturdy cane designed for self-defense can also be used to parry and block attacks, strike, hook and control opponents. A cane also can give you a range advantage against an attacker with a knife.
Don’t try self-defense with a cheap drug store cane though. While we’re at it, this video also shows the difference various weight levels and materials can make:
There are two big drawbacks with a cane. First is that a predator may see it as a sign of weakness and decide you’re an ideal target. This can be partially offset via good posture and staying alert so you don’t amplify the perception.
Second is that with a length of almost 3 feet, canes aren’t the best choice for up close fighting in tight quarters, Captain America’s famous elevator fight scene for example. That’s something that training can offset however.
There’s also the possibility that if you look very healthy, people may suspect you’re carrying the cane strictly as a weapon. You can always lie and say you have a trick knee though.
The Basic Strikes:
Wielded one handed, a cane can be used similarly to a club or sword. Two handed, the techniques are similar to a Jo Staff (4 ft Japanese staff – the only weapon to beat Musashi). Here’s a very brief overview:
Thrusts: Holding the cane at the handle end with either one or both hands, thrust the other end into an attacker. The bridge of the nose, the mouth, the throat, the solar plexus, and stomach are all good choices of targets. Keep in mind your local laws on use of force in self defense though. A throat shot in particular is highly damaging and potentially fatal. Thus it should only be used in the most serious of situations.
Swings: Ideally done with one hand for fluidity of motion. That’s why the correct weight of cane is important. Nothing fancy to explain here though. Swing it like a club or sword. Some choice targets are the temple, the side of the jaw, an attacker’s wrist if they’re holding a weapon, the side of the knee, and if you can master an upwards swing, the groin as well. Fluidity of motion is key here, and learning escrima style figure 8s can help you keep an attacker off balance.
Two Handed Shove / Strike: Holding the cane at both ends vertically in front of you, shove the bar of the cane into the attacker. Anywhere in the face is a good choice for momentarily stunning an attacker (potentially). A shove to the chest can knock an opponent backwards also if delivered with enough force. Because so much of the cane’s length is exposed to the opponent, this does run the risk of the cane being seized. Strike hard and fast, and pull the cane back equally fast.
Handle Strike: Good for closer ranges. While holding the cane with two hands and a wide grip, swing the handle end of the cane into the side of the opponent’s head. The movement will look something like a hook punch, or swinging a quarterstaff while holding it in the middle. Done as a step through strike, it can deliver significant damage.
Handle Tip Rakes and Tears: Technically this can be done with the edge of the opposite end of the cane as well. The distance between you and an attacker determines witch end is more appropriate to use. The idea is to use the tip of the curved end of the cane to dig into the attacker. This is a power move, and thus less likely to be effective if you’re smaller or don’t have good strength. The tip can rake across the eye socket, the side of the nose, or even pectoral muscles and tear flesh. Using the edge of the opposite end of the cane will involve swings at the exact distance for the cane tip to rake across the face or other targets.
This video, although a bit long winded for my tastes (not to mention the clickbait title) covers those basics:
Hooks, Entangles and Grappling; The Advanced Stuff.
This blog is far too limited a medium to discuss some of the advanced things that can be done with a cane. These range anywhere from a strike to the ankle with the hooked end followed by using the hook to pull the attacker’s leg out from underneath them, to fancy entangles that use the cane to assist putting the opponent into an arm lock or similar move. Hapkido in particular teaches all manner of techniques involving hooking limbs and the neck. This preview video will give you a small taste:
Practical and Legal Considerations:
First and most important, just like any martial art, using a cane as a self-defense tool is something that requires practice. While most of the techniques are nowhere near as difficult as a Tae Kwon Do 720 kick, they do require enough training that at the very least muscle memory kicks in when in a real fight.
Secondly, we have to be real about who can use a cane as a weapon. The honest truth is that the less you need a cane to move around with, the more effectively you can use it as a weapon. Mobility and physical strength are factors in every physical confrontation. If you only need a cane as a minor assist, you’ll be more effective than somebody who can’t stand at all without one. Avoiding trouble is a better option in that last instance. Still, no matter your age, if somebody is bound and determined to hurt you, then you should use every tool at your disposal to protect yourself.
Lastly is some “legalities of self-defense” considerations. First, while the ADA may allow most people to get away with carrying a cane, it at least used to be that the TSA banned and would confiscate hapkido style canes as weapons based on the oversized loop of the curved handle end. That and gimmicks like that spur sticking out of the back of the cane in the very first video MIGHT mark your cane as a weapon with law enforcement and hoodlums both.
Lastly remember that laws and interpretations of them vary widely by location. What’s legally justifiable self-defense in some areas is criminal in others. Know and follow your local laws. Know how authorities tend to interpret them also. Nearly anywhere in the Western world, a 65 year old woman is more likely than most to get away with giving a 30 year old a thrashing with a cane if there’s reasonable evidence that it was a self defense situation (as one example).
Cane Arts: Bartitsu and Hapkido
Of the two arts, Bartitsu MAY be just a little older than Hapkido. That being the case, we’ll start with it:
Bartitsu was created in the 1890s. England gets credit for the art despite it’s claim of incorporating Japanese jiu-jitsu techniques in it’s teachings. It was (is) considered the “gentleman’s” self-defense system of England and includes boxing techniques, French Savate (similar to kickboxing), cane, sword cane and knife techniques and the aforementioned Japanese jiu-jitsu.
For what it’s worth, I’m skeptical regarding jiu-jitsu techniques being included prior to World War 2’s end. Japan didn’t open it’s borders until 1868, and opening borders didn’t equate to opening all aspects of society. It wasn’t until after the culture shock of losing World War 2 that Japanese schools were willing to more openly teach Westerners. It may very well have happened as advertised, but I think it far more likely that Bartitsu originally included western wrestling techniques, which were later refined into Japanese grappling. Renaissance texts on grappling are surprisingly advanced, almost to the same degree as fencing manuals of the age.
If you’re wondering where you heard the name Bartitsu before, one of two things is likely. You’re either a reader of Sherlock Holmes (it was his martial art) OR you’ve played Street Fighter 6 where the main villain, J.P. uses Bartitsu.
Since any proper English gentleman carried a walking stick or cane in the 1890s, they were naturally incorporated into the fighting style:
I suspect the fighting style in the Kingsmen movies was influenced by or supposed to be Bartitsu also, modified for Hollywood fight scenes and bulletproof umbrellas of course, LOL.
Manners Maketh Man (& Woman)
Hapkido:
Hapkido shares it’s roots in the art that Morihei Ueshiba studied before founding Aikido; the art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. Think Aikido’s throws but with some utterly brutal locks and grappling thrown in. Anyway, Choi Yong-Sool took what he’d learned back to Korea and collaborated with other teachers and his top students to create a uniquely Korean art based on Daito-Ryu. This was all shortly after 1900.
If I were to over-simplify it, Hapkido is alot of throws and locks with some grappling and Tang Soo Do (Chuck Norris’s style of “Karate”. Yes, it’s actually Korean not Japanese) style strikes added into the mix.
The answer to this one came almost right away. It would be the law that allows corporations to exist. In reality, that’s a who network of laws. It would take a ban in every country also. For the sake of discussion however, we’ll pretend it’s a straight forward single change.
Why nix corporations? Because ever since they were created, corporations have allowed the rich to get richer using other people’s money. They use it to buy influence for themselves and favorable loopholes in the law for them and their corporations.
You can spend all day on a search engine looking up the numerous lawsuits against corporations, and how even when they kill or disable countless people, they get a slap on the wrist compared to the total damages suffered. Then the lawyers take most of that payout, which is another issue altogether.
We hear about all the jobs corporations create. How about the higher paying ones in better work environments that they destroy? Corporations gobble up competitors or force them out of business all the time. Starbucks bought out Teavana just to shut them down. Amazon has almost single handedly destroyed small business in nearly every field. It started with book stores but sure didn’t end there. No corporations, no hostile takeovers.
Corporations continually tell us that their primary obligation is to their shareholders, yet balk at any attempt to change that. Profit above people (including customers) and the environment.
Speaking of the environment, it’s that same corporate greed that’s led to one of the worst, yet ignored abuses of the environment AND customers; the abuse of planned obsolescence. The earliest Coca Cola vending machines were made so well that the company making them went out of business because they ran out of places to sell them and nobody needed replacement parts. That became the rationale for planned obsolescence; things had to have some sort of finite lifespan to keep companies going.
We’ve gone from products lasting a decade or more to often lasting a year or less, with precious little drop in price to match their lifespan. I have dish towels inherited from my grandmother that are still in nearly pristine shape despite being as old as me. I’ve also bought “premium” dish towels from Bed Bath and Beyond the last few years that have fallen apart after the first wash. Major appliances used to last decades. Some only last a few years now. G.E. has such a bad rep there that they were the ongoing target of a cable news personality.
Nobody wants to admit that it’s not just inflation making people poor, it’s having to constantly rebuy everything. And yes, if you’re an environmentalist, think about all the extra resources that go into constantly having to replace everything, and the extra pollution that creates.
The bottom line for me though is that doing away with corporations ends their political and legal influence over society and creates greater competition that allows small business to thrive.
…and why you have to be skeptical of even so-called fact checking sites.
I’ve been debating posting links to a fact checking site and it’s affiliated network of similar sites for about a week now. I waited to see if I’d catch them in some Snopes style distortions of facts. I did. Ergo, their most recent articles has led to this post on how to analyze stories, ” fact checks” and even people’s arguments.
I’m fairly fortunate in that my college statistics class was also a class in critical thinking and the way statistics can be twisted. My instructor used to say numbers don’t lie, but people do. Sometimes it’s a lack of understanding of the numbers, sometimes it’s deliberate misinformation. The case study for this post is the fact checking of Joe Biden’s claim that billionaires only have a tax rate of 8%.
For the record, I’m leaving politics out of this. The way the “fact check” compares apples to oranges is a great example of how BOTH parties manipulate numbers and followers both. Being aware of the tricks can help you avoid being played.
Getting to the Heart of the Matter:
OK, so let’s start with the basic claim; Billionaires only pay 8% income tax.
The fact check article, claims that the top 1% pay an average of 25.99%, BUT they provide no link to support their claim, only text with different color. This is an OLD trick by the way. Most people will not click links to verify allegedly supported claims, so some sites will use colored text to make it appear they have information links supporting their arguments.
Next comes the apples to oranges part of the fact check. The author quickly moves from their unsupported percentages claim to talking about the overall percentage of the total income tax paid by the populace:
Data from those returns also suggested that this income bracket’s share of income taxes paid rose from 38.8% in 2019 to 42.3% in 2020.
Additional data from the National Taxpayer Union Foundation also showed that the share of taxes paid by the top 1% of all income earners in the U.S. increased from 19.3 percent in 1980 to 42.3% in 2020. Among the top 5% of taxpayers, that number increased to 62.7% in 2020, according to the report.
First, there’s no active link to any government site to verify these statistics so we’re again left taking the article author’s word for it. Note the “data” in the second paragraph quoted is another fake link.
The far bigger problem with the statistics quoted is that it ignores the equally important inverse of the equation. If the top 5% are paying 62.7% as claimed, HOW MUCH of the nation’s total income pool are they also EARNING? For the sake of argument, let’s briefly take the claim at face value. HOWEVER, If they’re taking in 62% of the income, it’s only fair that they pay 62% of the taxes. If they’re taking in even more than that, then they’re not paying enough.
Trying to chase down exact figures on what’s made in income vs what’s actually paid after ALL possible deductions is tricky though. I searched and found multiple sites that gave figures on, after the most common deductions that were taken, but nothing specific or showing the full picture. Maybe I’ll take a deep dive of the IRS’s website later.
For now, the important take away is that saying one group pays a certain percentage without providing the corresponding percentage level of income earned for comparison is misleading at best.
Next, the fact check gets into a little slight of word:
The White House spokesperson further said that “we are confident this is a fair and true statement.”
“In short, the OMB-CEA analysis incorporates capital gains income,” the spokesperson said.
Chris Edwards, a policy scholar at The Cato Institute, explained to Check Your Fact that Biden uses unrealized capital gains as part of income when he claims they pay only 8%.
The same article as above
The word game is the difference between “unrealized” capital gains and actual capital gains. The very short explanation is that capital gains are taxes paid on sold investments like stocks. UNREALIZED capital gains are boosts in the investment’s value that aren’t actually earned yet because the investment hasn’t been sold. Since investments go up and down, they’re not taxed until sold for a profit or loss.
So, the point here is that actual capital gains income is a completely different thing than unrealized capital gains (which are NOT income). The article tries to use the terms interchangeably though without any supporting evidence that their claim is correct.
An important secondary piece of information is that capital gains are taxed completely differently AND SEPERATELY from normal income tax. Also, IF capital gains are promptly reinvested, they’re subject to little if any taxes since the reinvested money is then treated as unrealized capital gains. Capital gains also aren’t factored into the income tax statistics normally, which is apparently what Biden did.
Do capital gains make that big a difference in wealth and taxes paid? Absolutely. Warren Buffett has repeatedly said that his secretary pays more taxes than he does. He’s said that while lobbying for income tax reform. The reason why the secretary pays more however is because the vast majority of Buffett’s income is generated via investments that pay capital gains tax, not income tax. Buffett is solidly in the top1% also, but his secretary sure isn’t.
Within the scope of the fact check though, since neither side offered evidence to support their claim about the nature of the capital gains (actual or unrealized), the reader is left with no real information about who is telling the truth.
the lack of distinction between the two types of capital gains, and the misleading comparisons between percent of income paid and percent of the total tax burden shouldered improperly slants the article decidedly against Biden’s claims however. The fact checking site calls the claim “misleading” but not an outright lie. That MAY be the case, but without supporting evidence from either side, it’s very difficult to know.
This is why you have to question everything you’re told. Just because an “authority” says something, especially without supporting evidence, does NOT automatically make it true.
The same is also true of the ever present “computer models” as an authority. There’s an old programming analogy of “Garbage In, Garbage Out“, which means you can twist a computer’s analysis of anything by simply cherry picking the data you give it and twisting how you tell it to interpret it.
PS: Do NOT mistake Buffett’s efforts at INCOME tax reform as benevolent either. What he’s advocated for would put more strain on the lower and middle upper class and keep them from getting to the level of being able to compete with billionaires and mega-corporations. Always look for the ulterior motive.
For those who are not comic nerds, Project Rebirth is the government program that turned scrawny Steve Rogers into Captain America:
This isn’t a post about Cap though, it’s about me… and my efforts to finally begin to turn my life around. It’s not the first attempt over the years by any means either. This time, I really feel like something is different though.
It started with the factory job I took last year. I was old, out of shape, and pushed myself harder than possibly any time in my life trying to make it work. The carpal tunnel in both arms and crooked dealing around it finished the job, BUT not before it showed me that I wasn’t nearly as old and broken down as I thought. Far from it actually.
The other shoe dropped in mid-November last year. A few of you MAY recall my rant from the 18th of that month where I vented about a friend who had walked all over me then tried to gaslight me about it being my fault. Hardly the first time a situation like that has occurred in my life. Empaths are frequently targeted by narcissists and psychopaths. The difference was that I had already been working on emotional healing for a while, AND this time it was just so blatant at the end that there was no doubt the vast majority of the blame fell on her. It took a few days to calm down after that, (unusual for me), but you know what did happen once I did?
That about summed it up. Once it TRULY sunk in that my past drama was not all on me… that I spent far too much of my life letting toxic people tell me what my worth was and what I was capable of achieving… I got determined to flip them the bird. No more curling up in a defeated ball, no more excessive self-doubt, no more… well ALOT less anger at the state of things, etc… Just a determination to change for the better while staying grounded (lest I become the same type of braying ass that kept me down for decades).
Long diatribe cut short, burning internal motivation kicked in.
I started out trying to put together a… well, calling it a workout plan would be inaccurate as I’m including more reading, listening to a wide array of self-improvement material, meditating, continuing physical rehab for my back and wrists, etc… With all the other drama going on, that took all of December. I was planning on a New Years launch anyway.
Why New Years Matters:
If I hadn’t had so much going on, this would have been a separate post 20 days ago. Despite what some nay-sayers believe and spout, New Years *IS* a good time to start any kind of change work. There’s an emotional and spiritual energy of newness and renewal that hangs in the air on and after the start of the year. It’s a great source of external motivation to help get you kick-started.
People fail on their resolutions for two reasons. First, they think one slip is the end of it. That cookie killed the die instead of simply being a stumbling block. Second, they fail to look inside, ask why that resolution is important to them, and find the internal motivation to keep the ball rolling.
So Far So Good?
My personal “Project Rebirth” ended up being fairly ambitious and time consuming. Because of that, I’ve had my stumbling blocks over the past few weeks. Overall, it’s paying off. I’m building positive habits, my weight is down, my strength and stamina are up, I’m thinking more clearly, and my diet has improved.
Sadly, the biggest problem thus far has been my other half. I’ve felt like a cross between a roommate and hired help for a long time, and I made it clear that things needed to change in our relationship in multiple areas, or I had to make changes of my own. There’s movement in the right direction but it’s come with some major arguments the last few weeks. The last one reminded me far too much of the final days of my first marriage. I think it also served as a wake-up call. Time will tell.
Let’s Throw Some More Drama Onto the Pile!
In the meantime, I’m also still trying to figure out how to pull a miracle out of my hat with the Georgia house purchase lawsuit. We don’t have money to hire another lawyer, and none of the legal aid places will help us, either because we don’t live in Georgia or they (supposedly) don’t handle that kind of case.
We also found termites in the trees on the property right before the weather went to the ninth layer of hell in a handbasket. That means we have to get ahold of the landlord and have the house checked for termites as well as have him do something with the trees.
Oh yes, and let’s not forget the weather turning a million other things that need to be accomplished into giant pains in the arse. It’s 12 degrees F as I write this with a “feels like” temperature of 4 degrees. That’s -11 and -15 for you metric folks. 🙂 This has been the second coldest winter I’ve dealt with. It was so cold and windy overnight that we had snow flurries forming strictly out of the humidity in the air. First time I’ve ever seen that.
We definitely live in interesting times…
OH, and for those who were paying attention to the article title… Project Rebirth attempt number 1 was about 4 or 5 years ago. I didn’t make it half as far as I have this time due to self-doubt killing motivation back then.
This time around things are going much better, with the exception of the legal situation leaving me NO time to write the way (amount) I want to.
I was hoping to avoid topics like this (politics or hot button social issues) at least until after the start of the new year. So much for that, LOL.
Jokes aside, my views have evolved over the decades. My original draft of this was getting very long, so let me just say that having spent half my life in California and half of it in the deep South, I’ve seen the worst that extreme liberalism and extreme conservatism have to offer. I’ve leaned both ways at times as well, but never went full on crazed sheeple in either direction.
As time went on and I got older and wiser, I noticed more and more half truths, false leaps in logic, etc… from both sides and began fact checking more and more. That exposed more falsehoods from BOTH sides. The COVID outbreak and the misinformation from all sides was shocking.
The actual breaking point for me with the entire system was the situation with the house we bought in Georgia a couple years ago. Georgia’s ultra-conservative laws regarding consumer protection all but legalize doing and saying anything to make a deal. Ergo we got no justice (yet) despite the house turning out to be uninhabitable.
Liberals turned out to be no better. I got a conditional offer of help from a high ranking member of the South Carolina Democrat party (via a third party so there was deniability). They were willing to go to war for me *IF* I was willing to destroy Dave Ramsey.
For those who don’t know, Dave Ramsey is a widely syndicated radio host whose show focuses on managing your finances. It’s basic, common sense stuff like don’t spend more than you make. Extreme liberals hate him for two reasons: First his show is based on personal responsibility and common sense. You can’t control people if they don’t see themselves as victims. Both parties play the victim card with their followers BTW. Second is that Dave Ramsey is a Christian and will throw in the occasional Bible quote about financial literacy and responsibility. He doesn’t preach, but there is the occasional quote.
Now, Dave factors into the house purchase discussion because he has a referral program for Realtors. He claims they’re screened for honesty, integrity and believing in Dave’s financial values. We used a Dave Ramsey referral to get our Realtor and she was the linchpin that held the conspiracy around our purchase together. I suspect she even organized it to make the sale.
This Democrat party leader didn’t care about the referral network falling short near as much as he did destroying Dave Ramsey because of his expressing Christian beliefs in his show. It was pretty clear he wasn’t going to stop until Ramsey was destroyed too.
I’d have been happy to get justice, but that level of scorched earth vendettas are just sick.
There ARE times I wonder if I should have done it, especially when we reported the problem to Ramsey Solutions along with how it cost us our entire life savings. Dave’s answer was “we’ll coach them”. I’ll never trust Dave Ramsey again in terms of anything resembling an endorsement, but that doesn’t change the fact that people out there need basic financial education. It’s not being provided by the school system either, even at the college level unless you study accounting.
So Yes, The Whole System is Broken
That’s the realization I came to after all that and sever previous incidents. Both sides only care about power, inciting their base and utterly destroying the other side. They actively promote hatred of each other, and all but outlaw dialog with people on the other side. And the sad part is neither side’s extreme works at all.
So Where Do I actually Sit?
Largely in the middle, although the extremes of each side would declare me an enemy combatant.
Social Issues: I’ll go there first, since it’s easier to sum up. I’m a social Libertarian. That means do what you want in your personal life so long as it doesn’t impact others. You want to do drugs? It’s a STUPID decision but it’s your option. The second you rob somebody to pay for your drugs, or drive stoned and kill somebody, or even expect society to support you after you fry your brain completely… THEN it’s society’s problem, not your personal choice.
I do NOT care at all what your sexual preference is either, nor what your sexual practices are, so long as they’re completely consensual. Children and animals can’t give consent, nor does the public if you have some fetish to commit your acts in the open. Keeping it to yourself also means that you don’t force me to embrace and celebrate your choices. Everybody’s safety and civil rights should be protected, but beyond that, you do your thing and I’ll do mine.
I could go on, but I’ll presume anyone reading has enough common sense to comprehend a common sense middle ground.
Financial Issues: I have the same middle ground beliefs here that I do with social issues, but people have a much much harder time nowadays separating themselves from either extreme.
To put it simply, neither extreme works. One side taxes to death, with increasingly little spent on the actual public. The other does anything to protect big business from the public. Giving absolute power to either side is a recipe for disaster. There needs to be a balance with government acting to keep business honest, but not to the extreme that businesses can’t stay in business.
That covers the need for oversight. In terms of social programs, I think they’re needed. I also think they need an overhaul so that they run with less overhead and more money going to the people they’re set up for. I also think that they should be designed, where possible, to help people become self-sufficient. Again, it’s about balance. We can’t pay society to do nothing, but we have to have more humanity than throwing anyone who falls through the cracks to the wolves. We should be more evolved than Social Darwinism.
Can society ever find a healthy balance? I really wonder. Half truths, spin, false logic, and outright lies and gaslighting dominate the media and internet. Nobody knows what to believe. In the mean time, critical thinking skills are being deliberately eroded by all sides also. I’ve posted comments on news stories and gotten attacked because people had no comprehension of what the phrase “confusing people with facts” actually means.
Society can survive diminished book knowledge, but a fleeing from common sense and wisdom… Never.
This one is tricky for me. Thanks to a mechanic in the family and several car nut ex in-laws, I’m quite aware that the answer is VERY subjective. Often it’s all about style for a person; how does it look, how does it make them feel?
Before I get too far down the path of philosophizing, I should just get to my specific answer. Long time readers would probably suspect it’s my near-show quality 67 Mustang; Ginger:
It’s true that Ginger holds a special place in my heart, BUT (at least until I get some upgrades done), she’s NOT QUITE my all time favorite. She’s got 4 wheel drum brakes with no power assist for starters. That means I have to be extra careful when driving. The horsepower far exceeds the braking power. She still needs a stereo put in also, which means no music while driving. That’s kind of a moot point anyway since I don’t have any sound dampening material installed under the carpet or inside the door panels. That’s pretty much standard on new cars, and why they drive so quietly. With none at all, you have to REALLY speak up to be heard while in the car driving.
There’s also an issue with 1st Generation Mustangs that few non-owners know about; their factory power steering design stinks. The specific problem is that the high side line (the hose that sends the fluid to the rack to assist the steering) is not strong enough to handle the pump pressure. Net result; first generation Mustangs have a BAD habit of blowing power steering hoses. That means I need to switch to a better quality aftermarket high performance system, or to a rack and pinion setup.
Lastly, there’s the fact that Ginger doesn’t have AC. That’s a bitch when it’s 90+ degrees with 80% humidity out.
But hey, even Batman knows:
LOL
There’s even a gal who has a YouTube Channel devoted to Mustangs:
The Porsche Boxster, probably earlier model years and with a blue paint scheme:
If this seems like a surprising choice, I’ll explain.
First, the Boxster is Porshe’s entry level car, so it’s more affordable and doesn’t have quite the same “pretentious asshole owner” stigma attached to it that Porsches at least used to. Anymore, I think Dodge Challengers and Chargers have that distinction. That’s another rant however.
I really became enamored of the car when I got a chance to drive one though. Everything felt like it was dialed in perfectly for me. Control locations; ideal. Seats; very comfortable. Horsepower; Fast, but not excessive, Braking power; insanely good. What really blew me away was the steering though. I never fully appreciated the idea of understeer and oversteer until I drove that Boxster.
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Oversteer is what occurs when a car turns by more than the amount commanded by the driver. Conversely, understeer is what occurs when a car steers less than the amount commanded by the driver
From Wikipedia
To a degree, understeer and oversteer are a matter of personal preference. Where can the steering be engineered to that causes the specific driver feels they’re not working too much or too little (ie it’s over-responsive), to maintain control of the vehicle.
Well, the Boxster is the only car I’ve ever driven that felt perfectly dialed in to me. You’d be beyond amazed what a difference that makes in terms of feeling in control of the car also.
There’s also the advantages of having factory AC and radio, as well as ABS brakes and air bags vs the Mustang as well.
So, Would I Ever Actually Own One?
THAT is very hard to say. At the very least, we’d have to be in much better shape financially than we have been the last few years. Porsches have their downsides. Higher insurance and maintenance costs being chief among them. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve very reliable cars overall. When you have to do something to it though, it costs… ALOT. AS an example, the Boxster requires synthetic oil and takes 11 quarts to fill. That’s twice what a typical vehicles uses.
Outright purchase wise, the old ones are affordable, but the new ones get into six figure price tags. I don’t think I could ever justify spending that on a depreciating asset, even if I could afford it. If you’re not up on finance terms, a depreciating asset is something you own that is decreasing in value, typically from age and the associated wear and tear.
Said wear and tear brings me to the last drawback to my potentially buying one; anything I could afford is already high mileage. That means increased wear and more repair.
Philosophizing Again For A Moment:
To briefly return to my opening thoughts, don’t get overly obsessed with car culture and the idea of your car as part of your identity. Who you are as a person, and the ability to actually project that tells people much more about you than a car ever will. Overspending on a car or customizing it is a fast track to the poor house also.
In the case of Ginger, I found a very rare deal there. Even with my daily driver and my other half’s vehicle though, we struck a balance between quality, what we could afford and what we like.
As for other people being impressed by your ride… The people you truly want in your life will be impressed by you, not your possessions. 😉
Yes, time for a mini-rant, lol. I’ve been complaining about WordPress for ages, and have been debating leaving for at least a couple years. The bugs are REALLY starting to get to me though.
Recently, I’ve found out that my post notifications are only going out to about 20% of my readers. I’ve also noticed that the spellcheck only half works now. WP will tell you when you spelled something wrong, or at least that it THINKS you did… Keep in mind that it’s own Spellchecker doesn’t even recognize WordPress as a word, lol.
The bigger gripe for me is that if you click on the word, WP won’t offer any suggested spelling corrections or the ability to change the spelling with a click. My email provider even checks grammar, and offers to correct, but WP can’t even do spelling anymore. I’m a good speller to begin with, but I make mistakes occasionally. Particularly if I’m tired while writing. Having to use a search engine for spelling because WP can’t maintain their software… annoying.
I just noticed today that WP has started randomly double spacing my words as well. It’s fixable if I put my cursor in the gap between words, backspace and then forward space again. Should I have to though? Big errors are usually caused by some sort of unlikely insanity. I can write those off as long as they’re fixed in a reasonable amount of time. This kind of small error says they just don’t care.
I looked at the process for reporting bugs also. You have to prove to them it isn’t your theme or some other issue before they’ll take the bug seriously.
No, I’m not really THAT frustrated (the GIF is funny though, lol), but it is obvious they’re hiding behind a nuisance wall designed to discourage most bug reporting. That, in turn, is a direct indication of how they view their users.
Another gripe for me is the way users disappear at random off follower lists when they didn’t actually stop following. I’ve experienced it. I’ve heard others complain about it, and it causing misunderstandings as well.
Then There Are Those Users…
There are some truly great people on WP, but there are alot of turkeys as well. Everything from people who try to trade likes and follows without ever caring what you write to outright trolls.
As a side note, for those who have never understood why the fake follower trade thing is a hot button for me… All my life, the vast majority of people I’ve dealt with have been manipulative and disingenuous (to put it nicely). Sincerity is a trait I value greatly. Being fake and manipulative with me, and then expecting me to reward it by acting against my own nature… NO. Period.
That’s the funniest way I could put it, ROFL. Watching that fire truck do the Bankhead Bounce is a riot. :D
Seriously though, even on Twitter, the people were more sincere, and that’s saying something. Not at first maybe, but it seems alot of the good folks have left WP.
And So, Here We Are…
I promised myself that I’d never make the choice unless I was in a good place when I did. No making the move because stress influenced my decision. I’m finally at that place for the first time in a long time.
I can’t guarantee I’m going to leave, BUT given all the problems with WordPress, and the growing number of options for it that are out there, I think it would be foolish to not at least look around some and test the waters. Disqus brags it’s got better networking features than WP, and it sure looks that way. Medium at least comes close… Hell, I haven’t posted anything in my self-hosted blog in 7 months and I get more traffic there via search engines than WP brings me here, LOL. That’s just scratching the surface of options too.
So yeah, I’m going to take a look at options. I’ll keep posting here in the meantime. I’ll report what I find also. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know we ALL deserve better than WordPress is delivering currently.
This week’s post inspired by a vibe I was picking up from a few readers last week, even with nothing being said, (the joys of empathy). I was picking up an angry “women shouldn’t be talking about the UFC and martial arts” vibe. A remarkable set of assumptions on so many levels… 🤣
Can Women Fight? Is It Ladylike?
Let’s tackle the first question, since it’s so easy to prove. There’s video all over the internet of women martial artists fighting each other, fighting off muggers, and even fighting in the UFC (like Rhonda Rousey):
Yes, women absolutely can fight. As for the question of how lady-like or feminine a woman being able to fight is… that’s a slightly more complex issue.
First and foremost, I’d say that there’s absolutely nothing ladylike or sexy about being a potential victim. Anybody who tells you otherwise is probably suffering from a near fatal dose of toxic masculinity. Beyond that, the answer is a question of degrees.
Take the above mentioned and pictured Rhonda Rousey. She was a professional fighter, but still “cleaned up” well, and to this day looks great in a dress. Check her out in the last couple of Expendables movies if you have doubts there. The difference there is that even as a professional fighter, she acts civilly in public; like a lady. She doesn’t argue and look to pick fights (outside of her acting in the WWE anyway). On the opposite end of the spectrum, we’d have the stereotypical female gangbanger, etc… who will act like her male counterparts and throw punches at the slightest provocation.
As true for women as it is for men.
Women vs Men in a Fight:
I’m going to be completely realistic here. All other factors being equal, a woman is at a modest disadvantage against a man in a fight. It’s not politically correct, but it’s true. Men, on average, have greater muscle and bone density which lets them give and take damage more effectively.
The key words there are “All other factors being equal”. A large size difference is going to make things tougher for the woman. Conditioning and training can more than balance things out for the woman. Take a look at Rousey’s arms above. Even at 5′ 7″, she’s very likely able to flatten the average schlub. Things can get complicated when the guy has training and conditioning also, as this video shows:
She has powerful kicks and held her own in most cases, but she got manhandled (literally) in a couple of cases. That’s why it’s best to not allow your ego to write checks your body can’t cash.
Yes, that from Top Gun, lol. I was binging Suits yesterday and got reminded of that quote.
The bottom line however, guy or gal, is train and work out to have your best chance of surviving a fight IF you can’t avoid it at all. The more you do, the less you’ll present a victim vibe to society’s predators, and the more they’ll find somebody else to pick on. Self-Defense training of any kind is a great self-confidence booster, which can be beneficial in every area of your life.
I should also add here that while men being willing to attack women has become more common in recent years, it takes a pretty pathetic excuse for one to hit a woman. The only exception I’ll make there is if she legitimately presents a serious threat to him, such as coming at him with a knife. Crazy doesn’t gender discriminate after all.
The Reality of Basic Self-Defense Classes:
I have a love-hate relationship with “women’s self-defense” classes taught as a one or two class situation. While some training is better than none, these classes often fall short on training and can give women a false sense of security.
One area where that happens is that the classes teach “do this and you’ll be fine” tactics. This is all you need to do to escape a hair grab from behind, or somebody grabbing your wrist, etc… The reality is that there is absolutely no such thing as a perfect technique, even if perfectly executed. EVERYTHING has a counter, and that counter has a counter, etc… and on it goes until one side doesn’t know the next counter.
If your wrist is grabbed, and you try to twist your arm out of it (a common judo-originated counter), BUT the attacker keeps a tight grip and you can’t out-muscle them, then what? Many self defense classes won’t teach a next step to counter that. An easy next step is stomp on their in-step or otherwise hit them in a vulnerable spot (knee, groin, eyes, etc…) in order to break their focus on the grip.
These classes also tend to focus on gross motion or motor skills without teaching the little details that make a difference. Let’s take a simple example; a kick to the knee to allow you to escape an attacker. If the class only teaches the basic movement without any extra knowledge or the importance of “killer instinct”, all a woman may do is cause enough pain to anger her attacker. If the class teaches to kick hard, and “drive through” the knee, there will be enough tissue and joint damage that the attacker won’t be able to run after her.
While that sounds brutal, remember you may be fighting for your life or to avoid a brutal rape. Violence should ALWAYS be the last resort, but when it’s necessary, you shouldn’t hold back.
Lastly for this sub-topic, some classes don’t emphasize the importance of continued practice of what’s been learned. If you can’t do the technique without thinking… as a matter of pure reflex when when you’re in a jam, it will be of no use to you.
There’s NO Such Thing as Women’s Self-Defense!
What do I mean by that? Simple. From a practical standpoint, certain styles or defense techniques don’t magically work better or only for women. What IS true is that certain styles and moves will be more advantageous for smaller people (men or women) against larger opponents. These styles are generally going to focus on strikes to vital points, or joint manipulation and destruction. Somebody who is 5′ 5″, man or woman, can’t trade punches with a 6′ 4″ 295 pound mutant weightlifter, so the smaller person has to focus on quickly disabling the larger attacker to neutralize their threat. So be just a little skeptical when you hear something is “best for women”.
All that said, I do support the idea of women only classes for beginners. Training with men can be a little intimidating for some, so these women only classes can be a good way to get some initial self-confidence built up.
Conclusion:
Yes, women CAN fight, self-defense is absolutely NOT unladylike, and I believe it greatly benefits a woman on many levels to learn self-defense.
As Dean Martin sang; “Ain’t that a kick in the head” :D
Bonus: Krabi Krabong (Style of the Week):
I wanted to add a little extra to my martial arts posts and introduce readers to some of the more exotic styles I’ve come across over the years. Probably one of the least known styles in the West is Thailand’s second art; Krabi Krabong. It is starting to make it’s presence known here however
While Muay Thai is unarmed, Krabi Krabong focuses on stick / club and sword use. Krabi Krabong literally means club and sword. Both martial arts were developed in Thailand for use on the battlefield, and they have a long history of success.
Krabi Krabong shares some similarities with Indonesian styles like Pencak Silat and Filipino Escrima. Sticks are used at first so as to master the basics with less risk of injury. The styles are also all very flow of motion of focused, and the swords are intended for close range slashing attacks.
Side note: Straight blades are generally piercing or stabbing weapons, while curved blades are slashing weapons. Horse mounted cavalry used curved blades so as not to get the sword stuck while slashing an opponent during a charge.
In the case of Silat, Escrima and Krabi Krabong, they were also all designed to be used in areas with restricted movement, primarily jungles or hilly terrain, hence the blades being a little shorter than the traditional Western long sword or Japanese katana.
For those who are curious, here’s a video of a basic Krabi Krabong flow drill:
As for the art’s history… there are many stories, just as there are with Muay Thai. This link goes to the Thailand Foundation’s website and details what can be historically verified about the history of the art
I’ve been working on this for a few days now, in between hard drive issues and other holiday related stuff. Renard’s post today about trolls gave me a nudge to finally finish it. Most of this already appeared in my spiritual blog a few years back. After outing myself as an Empath here, I thought I’d try one more post to see if there’s any interest in the subject.
The Key Concept to What Follows:
Beyond spiritual energy being real that is. For the sake of the discussion, we’ll have to assume that’s a given. The concept is that attention is in and of itself a form of spiritual energy. I should also mention that the vast majority of people have some degree of “psychic” ability. That’s where that odd feeling of being watched despite not seeing anybody comes from, or when you get the weird feeling somebody you’re close to is talking about you.
If we accept that attention is a form of mental or subtle energy, then conversations and other interactions with people (and even animals) take on a whole new dimension.
What Actually Happens on a Spiritual Level:
This concept blew me away when I first read about it decades ago. Any empath who truly pays attention to the energy flow during a conversation can readily verify it’s accuracy. That, even though the vast majority of people are unaware that any of this is taking place.
The concept is important because it dictates your response with some people. All human interaction is a give and take of spiritual energy. Even in a normal conversation. If you’re talking, you’re holding the other person’s attention and taking their energy. When you’re listening the situation is reversed. That’s why a good interaction is both parties listening and talking. The energy dynamic is balanced.
People who dominate the conversation or outright seem to get off on provoking others into conflict are almost always energy starved. Attacking (or counter attacking) them gives them the energy they want. True it’s typically negative energy which is the spiritual equivalent of junk food (no sustenance and you end up requiring more and more to make up for that), but it’s energy for them none the less because that’s the level they’re used to being at or are at now.
As a side note here, spiritual energy, just like electromagnetic energy, has a specific vibration or wavelength. The more positive the energy, the faster it’s vibration or wavelength will be. The more negative a person’s energy is, the slower, denser and more heavy it will feel. Negative people are “starved” (as described above) because our spiritual side requires high vibrational energy. Barring that, pulling your emotional energy to a lower level to make it easier to steal is a workable second option for most.
The best way to deal with these people is not to engage them, or alternately, to call down white light from above and fill them with positive energy. Best to do that SLOWLY if you try it though. Too quick a reversal tends to provoke a knee-jerk backlash. They can react negatively to the white light if they’ve been used to running on negative energy for a while. It’s a shock to their system.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why some people just get off on provoking conflict, there you go. If, like me, you’re also one of those people that always seems to attract needy, clingy and / or angry people… Again, there you go.
If you want to read more about dealing with people like this, I can recommend material by Dr. Judith Orloff. She’s a psychology professor and UCLA and a fairly gifted empath. She’s written several books on empathic ability and dealing with negative people. She calls people like the example above “psychic vampires”, as they feed on the negative energy created by various conflicts and drama.
Actually there are real psychic vampires out there also, but that’s a whole different story. They’re also extremely rare. If I had any criticism of Dr. Orloff’s work, it would be that she stops at step one with defense against these folks. If you learn to shield out negativity, and use that to avoid reacting when confronted, many times the hostile person will keep upping their game until they provoke misery or anger. That’s why it’s important to get self defense and clearing exercises down.
Silk Chatters 