Well, a new year begins tomorrow. A clean slate begins, and we again start our forced annual tribute to our oppressive masters, the Federal Government of the United States of America. Tax freedom day in 2007 was on April 30th, and it is sure to be later in the year in 2008. For those of you who do not know what Tax Freedom Day is, that is the day you stop paying 100% of your income to the IRS. Every penny that you take in from January 1st to April 30th went to Uncle Sam last year. Tomorrow it starts all over again.
If you are like most people, you allow the government to garnish your wages, and pay your taxes over the entire year, you should look at your withholdings so that you do not give the government too much of your money.
Use this calculator to determine what you should have on file with your company so that you may keep as much of your money that the Government deems you should have.
http://www.irs.gov/app/cgi-bin/wh08.cgi/p4/en
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
UFC 79 Recap
Mark Bocek def Douglas Evans Decision
My Pick: Mark by KO, strikes on the ground, third round
Mark picks up a win, and so do I.
Roan Carneiro def Tony DeSouza TKO (Strikes) 3:33 rnd 2
My Pick: Tony by decision
Tony! NOOOOO!!!
Dean Lister def Jordan Radev Decision
My Pick: Lister by Triangle first round.
Dean is back to winning... by decision...
Manvel Gamburyan def Nate Mohr Submission (Ankle lock) 1:31 rnd 1
My Pick: Manny by decision
Manny looked very good taking down Nate when and where he wanted to. I think that he saw something in Nate's fight with Kurt Pellegrino, because he went for that ankle/heel hook like he knew it would be there.
James Irvin def Luis Arthur Cane DQ (Knee to downed fighter) 1:51 rnd 1
My Pick: I will go with the upset and take Cane by armbar in the first round
DQ???? I need to see this fight. ALLOW KNEES ON THE GROUND UFC!!!!!
Rich Clementi def Melvin Guillard Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 4:40 rnd 1
My Pick: Melvin by KO third round
Rich looked simply amazing in this fight. He dictated the pace, avoided Melvin's strikes, took Melvin down and choked him out. Very very very nice work by Rich Clementi. I am glad to see him back.
Lyoto Machida def Rameau Sokoudjou Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) 4:20 rnd 2
My Pick: Sokoudou by KO second round.
Machida looked better than ever on the ground getting the choke a couple of times then finally sinking it in for the win.
Eddie Sanchez def Soa Palelei TKO (Eye injury) 3:24 rnd 3
My Pick: I think that I will go with Soa by KO second round.
Eddie took it to Soa. He made the aggressive Soa sit back on his heels and gasp. Nice win for Eddie.
Chuck Liddell def Wanderlei Silva Decision
My Pick: Chuck by KO second round
Chuck gassed in the late second round and could not put Silva away, but, to Silva's credit, he kept coming forward. Nothing like a slug fest to make everybody smile.
Georges St. Pierre def Matt Hughes Submission (Armbar) 4:54 rnd 2
My Pick: GSP by KO third round
GSP again looked like an invincible monster. He took Matt down and beat him up. In the second he went for a Kimura, then turned it in to a very tight armbar.
I am right at .500 for this one. 5 of 10 for me!
My Pick: Mark by KO, strikes on the ground, third round
Mark picks up a win, and so do I.
Roan Carneiro def Tony DeSouza TKO (Strikes) 3:33 rnd 2
My Pick: Tony by decision
Tony! NOOOOO!!!
Dean Lister def Jordan Radev Decision
My Pick: Lister by Triangle first round.
Dean is back to winning... by decision...
Manvel Gamburyan def Nate Mohr Submission (Ankle lock) 1:31 rnd 1
My Pick: Manny by decision
Manny looked very good taking down Nate when and where he wanted to. I think that he saw something in Nate's fight with Kurt Pellegrino, because he went for that ankle/heel hook like he knew it would be there.
James Irvin def Luis Arthur Cane DQ (Knee to downed fighter) 1:51 rnd 1
My Pick: I will go with the upset and take Cane by armbar in the first round
DQ???? I need to see this fight. ALLOW KNEES ON THE GROUND UFC!!!!!
Rich Clementi def Melvin Guillard Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 4:40 rnd 1
My Pick: Melvin by KO third round
Rich looked simply amazing in this fight. He dictated the pace, avoided Melvin's strikes, took Melvin down and choked him out. Very very very nice work by Rich Clementi. I am glad to see him back.
Lyoto Machida def Rameau Sokoudjou Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) 4:20 rnd 2
My Pick: Sokoudou by KO second round.
Machida looked better than ever on the ground getting the choke a couple of times then finally sinking it in for the win.
Eddie Sanchez def Soa Palelei TKO (Eye injury) 3:24 rnd 3
My Pick: I think that I will go with Soa by KO second round.
Eddie took it to Soa. He made the aggressive Soa sit back on his heels and gasp. Nice win for Eddie.
Chuck Liddell def Wanderlei Silva Decision
My Pick: Chuck by KO second round
Chuck gassed in the late second round and could not put Silva away, but, to Silva's credit, he kept coming forward. Nothing like a slug fest to make everybody smile.
Georges St. Pierre def Matt Hughes Submission (Armbar) 4:54 rnd 2
My Pick: GSP by KO third round
GSP again looked like an invincible monster. He took Matt down and beat him up. In the second he went for a Kimura, then turned it in to a very tight armbar.
I am right at .500 for this one. 5 of 10 for me!
Friday, December 28, 2007
How To Carry??
"How to carry?" that is the question.
Right now, I really don't have much of a problem. It is winter time and we ware more clothing than we would in the summer the MillPro PT145 fits very nicely in my very cheap Inside the Waist Band holster. I made sure to get one that has the bottom sewn shut so that I can slip it in to my coat, or in to some other pocket.
The summer may be more problematic... I like cargo shorts, so ideally I would carry there with a pocket holster. Another option would be to use the IWB holster and simply wear a belt. I tend to wear fitted T-shirts in the summer, to show off my Adonis like body, so I am afraid that the gun may "print."
I have been looking around and I found some possibilities.
First, because all of my shorts have deep pockets or cargo pockets, we have the
DeSantis Nemesis.
This has a "sticky" outside that adheres the holster to your pocket so that the draw is easy and smooth.
An issue with pocket holsters are that you will have a bulging pocket where ever you go. Another is that in a cargo pocket, like where I would put it, the pocket has a tendency to smack the leg a lot when walking/running.
This is a IWB model, the Comp-Tac Shirt Tucker
I like this model because it sits a bit deeper than the traditional IWB models, but not so deep as to mess with the draw.
Comp-Tac uses plastics instead of Leather, so they are more rigid, and easier to draw and return, but they also could cause skin issues...
This is a traditional leather IWB holster from Bianchi; with an extra piece of leather to help keep the pistol from digging in to your side. It could also be used as a pocket holster.
I really like the look of this model, but again the problems with printing, however with the extra leather there is no danger of skin issues or chafing by the butt of the gun.
From there we move in to a deep IWB model, the Alessi Ghost.
This would seemingly be an ideal solution, there is no danger of printing. However, with this model, you have a problem with the draw. Because your weapon sits so low you may have issues with the handle catching on your pants. Bad news if you have to draw quickly.
After that we get in to the down right strange, this is SmartCarry.
Be sure you click on the link and go to the Photo's section to see how this is worn... You will be glad you did.
Despite the strangeness, they really did come up with a good idea here. There is no restricted movement with this holster the draw is fairly straight forward, and you could conceal a small shotgun with it... or just a full sized Colt 1911. The main issue is that you MUST be standing in order to draw from this holster.
My top three are the Nemesis, the Ghost and the Bianchi.
Right now, I really don't have much of a problem. It is winter time and we ware more clothing than we would in the summer the MillPro PT145 fits very nicely in my very cheap Inside the Waist Band holster. I made sure to get one that has the bottom sewn shut so that I can slip it in to my coat, or in to some other pocket.
The summer may be more problematic... I like cargo shorts, so ideally I would carry there with a pocket holster. Another option would be to use the IWB holster and simply wear a belt. I tend to wear fitted T-shirts in the summer, to show off my Adonis like body, so I am afraid that the gun may "print."
I have been looking around and I found some possibilities.
First, because all of my shorts have deep pockets or cargo pockets, we have the
DeSantis Nemesis.
This has a "sticky" outside that adheres the holster to your pocket so that the draw is easy and smooth.
An issue with pocket holsters are that you will have a bulging pocket where ever you go. Another is that in a cargo pocket, like where I would put it, the pocket has a tendency to smack the leg a lot when walking/running.
This is a IWB model, the Comp-Tac Shirt Tucker
I like this model because it sits a bit deeper than the traditional IWB models, but not so deep as to mess with the draw.
Comp-Tac uses plastics instead of Leather, so they are more rigid, and easier to draw and return, but they also could cause skin issues...
This is a traditional leather IWB holster from Bianchi; with an extra piece of leather to help keep the pistol from digging in to your side. It could also be used as a pocket holster.
I really like the look of this model, but again the problems with printing, however with the extra leather there is no danger of skin issues or chafing by the butt of the gun.
From there we move in to a deep IWB model, the Alessi Ghost.
This would seemingly be an ideal solution, there is no danger of printing. However, with this model, you have a problem with the draw. Because your weapon sits so low you may have issues with the handle catching on your pants. Bad news if you have to draw quickly.
After that we get in to the down right strange, this is SmartCarry.
Be sure you click on the link and go to the Photo's section to see how this is worn... You will be glad you did.
Despite the strangeness, they really did come up with a good idea here. There is no restricted movement with this holster the draw is fairly straight forward, and you could conceal a small shotgun with it... or just a full sized Colt 1911. The main issue is that you MUST be standing in order to draw from this holster.
My top three are the Nemesis, the Ghost and the Bianchi.
Goals for 2008
Some people do resolutions... I do goals.
- Maintain weight between 185 lbs and 190 lbs.
- If you can cut to 180, that would be good too.
- Fly a minimum of 24 hours
- This must include 3 hours of cross country time.
- Complete f5 certification.
- Keep my desk area clean.
- Write at least one Japanese blog entry per week.
- I have not decided if I will create a new blog for this or just do it here...
- Write Japanese friends at least one Japanese email per week.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Choice is Made
My brand spanking new Taurus PT-145 Millennium Pro came in yesterday.
I was nearly decided on the Kahr, but I had a nice talk with my friendly neighborhood gun dealer, and he put things in to perspective for me. I have been doing a lot of reading on the various pistols that I was considering, and found that the Taurus had some quality issues at about 500 to 800 rounds. The Glock and the Kahr did not have these issues until well over 1000 rounds. This really concerned me, because I need my carry pistol to be 100% reliable. I had nearly put the Taurus out of the running. Then the dealer asked me some questions:
Dealer: How many rounds did the testers put through the pistol before the failures?
Me: I don't know...
Dealer: Check again. I know for a fact that in the torture tests they put all of the rounds through the pistol with out cleaning the gun.
Me: Ok.
Dealer: How many rounds do you think you would put through your pistol?
Me: I don't know... Maybe 500 to 800 at the very most.
Dealer: All at the same time?
Me: No.
Dealer: How often would you clean your pistol?
Me: I kind of like to clean them, so I normally would clean immediately after every time I shot it. After that I suppose I would clean the pistol every other week or so, depending on how much I carry it.
Dealer: Good thinking. So with all of that care that you put in to your pistol, you could buy the cheapest crappiest pistol that is sold anywhere and it will be reliable for you. I own several Taurus pistols myself, and I know they are not the crappiest pistols around. So keep that in mind when you make your final choice. Just so you know, I can sell that Taurus almost immediately. If you don't like it, and want to get the Kahr, I will buy it back from you at a good price, and you would only be out about $50, less than the price of a good range day with ammo, plus you would know that the Kahr is the right gun for you.
That did it for me. While I still believe that the Kahr is the absolute best carry pistol, I just do not want to haul out the $700+ cost of it. The Taurus carries 5 more rounds than the Kahr and the Glock, and is about $300 and $200 less expensive respectively.
The drawbacks are the Kahr is about 1/2 and inch shorter (5.67" to the Taurus' 6.125"), the Kahr is about 1/2 an inch in height shorter (4.49" to 5.125"), and the Kahr is about 3 ounces lighter(19.3 oz to 22.2 oz).
The Taurus and the Glock are virtually identical, with the Glock being a little over 1/2 an inch longer (6.77" to 6.125), and about 1/4 of an inch shorter in height (4.76" to 5.125").
Despite the cost difference, the Taurus wins in overall capacity holding 4 more rounds (11 to Kahr and Glock's 7), and safety (the Taurus has an additional mechanical safe, with a lighter trigger pull, where the Kahr has a heavy trigger pull with no mechanical safeties. The Glock has no real safeties, but uses its double trigger "save action" to essentially make it so that only a direct backward pull fires the pistol).
Shooting was a lot of fun. The .45 has a lot more kick than my 9mm. Of course the new pistol is much lighter, has a shorter barel, uses more powder, and is throwing a much heavier round through the air. For the time being, the nice grouping on my accelerated pair or "double tap" is completely gone. I will need some serious practice before I can get that back.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
UFC 79: Nemesis Saturday 12/29
The UFC puts together a very fun card for to end the year on. I am very happy to see Dean Lister and Tony DeSouza back in the cage. I am a bit partial to the BJJ guys, and these two are about as pure of BJJ guys you will get in the UFC. It makes for some boring fights sometimes, but I still love to see submissions!
Card and My Picks:
Mark Bocek Vs. Doug Evans (Lightweight)
Mark lost his debut in the UFC by KO to the very heavy hands of Frankie Edgar. That was Mark's first loss of his career, and I am sure it was a good learning experience for him. Mark likes the submission game, winning all but one of his 4 victories by submission.
Doug Evans lost his debut in the UFC by KO to the seemingly unstoppable Roger Huerta. Just like Bocek, that was his first loss... It was also Evans' first fight outside of Alaska. Doug's record is a bit more well rounded, winning two of his 5 wins by decision two by submission and one by KO.
On paper, both of these guys like to be on the ground. Also on paper, it looks as if Mark has had the better opponents; however Doug had the better UFC opponent, and lasted longer, getting knocked out in the second round, to Mark's first round KO loss. I like Mark in this fight. Mark by KO, strikes on the ground, third round.
Roan Carneiro Vs. Tony DeSouza (Welterweight)
Roan is a BTT fighter, and a BJJ black belt. He is 1-1 in the UFC winning a decision over Rich Clementi, then getting rocked, and choked out by Jon Fitch. Roan is a very predictable fighter; he wins on the ground by submission or by decision. His record is 11-6 overall.
Tony DeSouza is a BJJ black belt and lost his last fight in the UFC by KO to Thiago Alves. Alves was suspended after this fight for steroid use. Tony took some time off; this fight will take place 364 days after his last one. Tony is a true gym rat, always training, always pushing. His last fight he seemed a bit fatigued, but that was more to Alves punishing standup that Tony's lack of training. Tony is 10-3 overall winning by any means necessary, but mostly from submissions and stoppages from strikes.
This should be a really good ground battle. Both guys are BJJ black belts from well respected schools in Brazil, Tony from Nova Uniao, and Roan from BTT. Tony has the most experience, having fought in DEEP and in the UFC several times. This will be Roan's second fight in the UFC. Assuming that Tony can shake off the ring rust, this fight should be his to lose. Tony by decision.
Jordan Radev Vs. Dean Lister (Middleweight)
Jordan lost by KO in 33 seconds to Drew McFedries back in June in his last fight. We really did not know much about Jordan then, and we don't know much about him now... He was a wrestler on the Bulgarian Olympic Team, and his record is 9-2.
Lister lost a decision to Nate Marquardt in a snooze fest that saw Lister do... absolutely nothing. The fight before that saw Lister do... very very little in a decision win over Yuki Sasaki. The time before that we saw Dean slap the slickest Triangle Choke we have ever seen in MMA on Alessio Sakara. That is what you get with Dean... He either puts you to sleep with is very slow, methodical, ground game or he pulls some spectacular mind blowing submission out. Overall Dean is 9-5.
I don't think that Jordan will be able to hang with Dean's ground game. For sure Jordan will get the takedown, but that is just what Dean wants. Lister by Triangle first round.
Nate Mohr Vs. Manny Gamburyan (Lightweight)
Nate Mohr... I always thing of the very slick ankle lock that Kurt Pellegrino put on him in his first UFC fight... That was so awesome!! Anyway, Nate is 1-1 in the UFC, his win was a decision over VFC fighter Luke Caudillo the last time he fought. Nate is a typical Mid-Western fighter, a good, tough wrestler with a lot of wins by ref stoppage due to strikes.
Manny shocked the world in TUF beating all of the favorites, only to lose by injury to Nate Diaz. Manny was winning that fight before the injury, and I don't think that Nate had any answer for the Armenian. Manny is a little fireball of muscle and energy. He is nearly impossible to submit, and very tough to sweep. He uses this to put an effective, if not very powerful, G&P attack to work. Manny is 6-3, his losses, including one to Sean Sherk, are all decisions. You don't submit him, or knock him out.
I think that the UFC feels bad that Manny got injured in the biggest fight of his life, and is feeding him a "cupcake." Nate is a tough guy, but they don't come tougher or harder to move than Manny. Manny by decision.
Luis Cane Vs. James Irvin (Light Heavyweight)
Luis Cane is a 3-0 fighter from Brazil... He is reported to have very aggressive ground techniques and a good standup game. He is a Brazilian "National" BJJ Champion, but I don't know much else about him. The UFC lists his overall record at 8-0, but I could not confirm that. I can confirm that he has won three MMA fights.
James Irvin is coming off of a knee injury suffered in his KO loss to Thiago Silva. Irvin likes the standup game with his biggest win a KO by flying knee over "Terrible" Terry Martin. James says that his knee is all healed up and he is ready to go.
This is an interesting fight, in that you have the unknown fighter with reported ground skill and the fighter with proven skill, but also proven weaknesses on the ground. I will go with the upset and take Cane by armbar in the first round.
Soa Palelei Vs. Eddie Sanchez (Heavyweight)
Soa is an Australian fighter who last fought Choi Mu Bae (Loss RNC) in 2004... Before that he won all 6 of his fights, all in Australia. He even fought in a promotion called "Thunderdome." How can you not like that?
He says that his style is BJJ, but all of his fights he won by some form of KO. He has been training with Team Quest.
Eddie won his last fight by KO over Colin Robinson back in June of this year. Eddie is a typical American Heavyweight. He throws huge leather looking for the KO.
Eddie is no slouch, but he really does not have a lot of ground skill. Soa claims to be a BJJ guy, and trains with one of the best wrestling teams out there. Soa does not have the experience of Eddie, and this will be his first fight in the UFC. Tough choice, but I think that I will go with Soa by KO second round.
Rich Clementi Vs. Melvin Guillard (Lightweight)
Rich's last fight in the UFC was a RNC win over Anthony Johnson, and is on a win streak going 3-0 in the latter part of 2007.
Rich is a submission grappler with a ton of experience he is 2-3 in the UFC and is 30-12-1 overall. Rich's wins show that he is a well rounded fighter, winning both by submission and KO.
He fights in the Welterweight and in the Lightweight classes, but typically we think of him as a Lightweight fighter.
Melvin lost his last fight to against Joe Stevenson by Guillotine Choke in 27 seconds of the first round. Melvin was then suspended after testing positive for cocaine.
Melvin is a very explosive, powerful wrestler/kickboxer. Most of his recent wins are by KO, but he does have some wins by submission earlier in his career.
Melvin has shown that he is not very good at defending the submissions, 5 of his seven losses are by tapout. Rich has a chance to beat Melvin, but only if he can set up and execute a proper takedown. If you just dive at Melvin's legs, he will stop the shot and punish you. Rich has a chance here, but I don't think that he has the clinch or wrestling to win. Melvin by KO third round.
Lyoto Machida Vs. Rameau Sokoudjou (Light Heavyweight)
Machida is 3-0 in the UFC, and 11-0 overall. I just wish he would finish a fight. Of those 11 wins, 7 are decisions.
Machida has a very sharp standup game, knocking out Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar. His ground game is good too, winning a decision over BJ Penn. While not very exciting he does represent a legitimate threat to the championship.
Sokoudjou made big noise in PRIDE just before the collapse. He knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Ricardo Arrona in highlight reel fashion.
Rameau likes to stand up, but he has serious skills in the clinch, with a wrestling and Judo background. His stand up is obviously powerful.
Machida makes good people look bad, but Sokoudjou knocks people the hell out. I think that Rameau will put the fight at a pace that the Brazilian/Japanese fighter will not be able to match and eventually catch him with one of those big hooks. Sokoudou by KO second round.
Chuck Liddell Vs. Wanderlei Silva (Light Heavyweight)
Chuck is in a bit of a slump right now, losing two in a row to Quinton Jackson (KO) and Keith Jardine (Split Decision) respectively. Quinton was able to exploit Chuck's lazy defense, he carries his hands very low, and Quinton put a hook right on the chin. Jardine was able to strategically out fight Chuck; Jardine knew that Chuck would not take him down, so he turned a MMA fight in to a classic bare knuckle Muay Thai fight.
Chuck is a counter puncher. That is his whole game. He is best when he is backing up. He carries tremendous power in his punching, and he is very difficult to take down.
Silva... In his last fights, Silva has been tentative, not as aggressive, and just not the same Ax Murder that we all knew and loved. In his last two fights, he became another one of Cro Cop's statistics in the open weight GP, then ate a Henderson left hook that put him to sleep. After that fight there is little doubt that Silva has trouble dealing with the left side of his opponents. According to his new trainers at Extreme Colture, the old super aggressive Silva is back. That may be, because he knows this opponent will not attempt to take him down. Chuck will give him the fight that he wants, a stand up battle.
This fight boils down to what style is best, the counter puncher or the super aggressive brawler. In most instances the counter puncher wins that contest, because eventually the aggressive brawler gets frustrated that the counter puncher will not engage. They make a mistake and the counter puncher knocks them out. This is a tough fight to call, but I think that will again play out here. Chuck by KO second round.
Matt Hughes Vs. Georges St-Pierre (Welterweight)
Matt won a unanimous decision over Chris Lytle back in March, apparently that was enough to get him a title shot. We all know Matt's game, big slam takedown, pound pound, pound. Throw in the occasional submission after the initial pounding and that is all there is to him. Sounds simple? Try and stop him. Only the very very best can. The rest get pounded.
GSP is a pure athlete. He seems to have been made especially for MMA. He has excellent BJJ, awesome stand up, but susceptible to mental breakdowns. He seems to beat himself more that his opponents beat him. Against Matt Hughes the first time he was intimidated by fighting his hero, and got caught. Against Matt Serra he was intimidated and nervous fighting a Renzo Gracie black belt. Not only that, Renzo asked that GSP find somewhere else to prepare, being that Renzo was the one who trained Matt. GSP got caught in that fight too.
However, like a true champion, GSP shows incredible heart. BJ Penn had GSP beat down in the first round of their fight. He came back and won the next two rounds, and beat Penn. He was able to stuff Matt Hughes’s shots with pinpoint jabs, the second time they fought and then knocked Matt out. GSP has not had the time that he normally needs to prepare for this fight... Will that affect his mental state?
This is such a tough fight to call I hesitate to even try. Will GSP be together enough to put Matt out? His weight was not where he wanted it to be, and will have to cut more weight than usual before this fight. Will that sap his strength?
Matt Hughes was beaten so badly by GSP the last time out. No one, not even BJ Penn ever shut Matt down and beat him so thoroughly. That has to weigh heavily on Matt's mind. Stylistically, GSP comes out on top. He has one of the best defenses against the wrestlers in the game. For the most part, the fight goes to the ground when GSP wants it to go there. Not before. The strength edge goes to Matt Hughes. Hughes' strength is legendary in the sport, and even GSP said that Matt was the strongest opponent he ever faced. Stand up? GSP all the way. Wrestling? Draw... Possibly a small edge to GSP. Matt certainly has the better takedowns, but GSP has the ability to stuff them all day long. I don't think that Matt can stop GSP's takedowns, but it is so very tough to get a takedown on a guy who is constantly trying to take YOU down. Ground game? Draw. Matt seems to be much better on top, but is not very good on his back. GSP is more well rounded, and probably better off of his back. His top game though is a bit suspect though, he has been swept by stronger opponents.
Very tough call, but I think that the stand up game will again decide this fight. GSP keeps Matt away with the jab and uses his better stand up to again end the fight. GSP by KO third round.
I really don't feel very good about the majority of my picks this time out. In my opinion I really do not think that there are many "gimmies" this time out. I hope that leads to good competitive fights, but normally it leads to lots and lots of decisions. I hope I am wrong.
Card and My Picks:
Mark Bocek Vs. Doug Evans (Lightweight)
Mark lost his debut in the UFC by KO to the very heavy hands of Frankie Edgar. That was Mark's first loss of his career, and I am sure it was a good learning experience for him. Mark likes the submission game, winning all but one of his 4 victories by submission.
Doug Evans lost his debut in the UFC by KO to the seemingly unstoppable Roger Huerta. Just like Bocek, that was his first loss... It was also Evans' first fight outside of Alaska. Doug's record is a bit more well rounded, winning two of his 5 wins by decision two by submission and one by KO.
On paper, both of these guys like to be on the ground. Also on paper, it looks as if Mark has had the better opponents; however Doug had the better UFC opponent, and lasted longer, getting knocked out in the second round, to Mark's first round KO loss. I like Mark in this fight. Mark by KO, strikes on the ground, third round.
Roan Carneiro Vs. Tony DeSouza (Welterweight)
Roan is a BTT fighter, and a BJJ black belt. He is 1-1 in the UFC winning a decision over Rich Clementi, then getting rocked, and choked out by Jon Fitch. Roan is a very predictable fighter; he wins on the ground by submission or by decision. His record is 11-6 overall.
Tony DeSouza is a BJJ black belt and lost his last fight in the UFC by KO to Thiago Alves. Alves was suspended after this fight for steroid use. Tony took some time off; this fight will take place 364 days after his last one. Tony is a true gym rat, always training, always pushing. His last fight he seemed a bit fatigued, but that was more to Alves punishing standup that Tony's lack of training. Tony is 10-3 overall winning by any means necessary, but mostly from submissions and stoppages from strikes.
This should be a really good ground battle. Both guys are BJJ black belts from well respected schools in Brazil, Tony from Nova Uniao, and Roan from BTT. Tony has the most experience, having fought in DEEP and in the UFC several times. This will be Roan's second fight in the UFC. Assuming that Tony can shake off the ring rust, this fight should be his to lose. Tony by decision.
Jordan Radev Vs. Dean Lister (Middleweight)
Jordan lost by KO in 33 seconds to Drew McFedries back in June in his last fight. We really did not know much about Jordan then, and we don't know much about him now... He was a wrestler on the Bulgarian Olympic Team, and his record is 9-2.
Lister lost a decision to Nate Marquardt in a snooze fest that saw Lister do... absolutely nothing. The fight before that saw Lister do... very very little in a decision win over Yuki Sasaki. The time before that we saw Dean slap the slickest Triangle Choke we have ever seen in MMA on Alessio Sakara. That is what you get with Dean... He either puts you to sleep with is very slow, methodical, ground game or he pulls some spectacular mind blowing submission out. Overall Dean is 9-5.
I don't think that Jordan will be able to hang with Dean's ground game. For sure Jordan will get the takedown, but that is just what Dean wants. Lister by Triangle first round.
Nate Mohr Vs. Manny Gamburyan (Lightweight)
Nate Mohr... I always thing of the very slick ankle lock that Kurt Pellegrino put on him in his first UFC fight... That was so awesome!! Anyway, Nate is 1-1 in the UFC, his win was a decision over VFC fighter Luke Caudillo the last time he fought. Nate is a typical Mid-Western fighter, a good, tough wrestler with a lot of wins by ref stoppage due to strikes.
Manny shocked the world in TUF beating all of the favorites, only to lose by injury to Nate Diaz. Manny was winning that fight before the injury, and I don't think that Nate had any answer for the Armenian. Manny is a little fireball of muscle and energy. He is nearly impossible to submit, and very tough to sweep. He uses this to put an effective, if not very powerful, G&P attack to work. Manny is 6-3, his losses, including one to Sean Sherk, are all decisions. You don't submit him, or knock him out.
I think that the UFC feels bad that Manny got injured in the biggest fight of his life, and is feeding him a "cupcake." Nate is a tough guy, but they don't come tougher or harder to move than Manny. Manny by decision.
Luis Cane Vs. James Irvin (Light Heavyweight)
Luis Cane is a 3-0 fighter from Brazil... He is reported to have very aggressive ground techniques and a good standup game. He is a Brazilian "National" BJJ Champion, but I don't know much else about him. The UFC lists his overall record at 8-0, but I could not confirm that. I can confirm that he has won three MMA fights.
James Irvin is coming off of a knee injury suffered in his KO loss to Thiago Silva. Irvin likes the standup game with his biggest win a KO by flying knee over "Terrible" Terry Martin. James says that his knee is all healed up and he is ready to go.
This is an interesting fight, in that you have the unknown fighter with reported ground skill and the fighter with proven skill, but also proven weaknesses on the ground. I will go with the upset and take Cane by armbar in the first round.
Soa Palelei Vs. Eddie Sanchez (Heavyweight)
Soa is an Australian fighter who last fought Choi Mu Bae (Loss RNC) in 2004... Before that he won all 6 of his fights, all in Australia. He even fought in a promotion called "Thunderdome." How can you not like that?
He says that his style is BJJ, but all of his fights he won by some form of KO. He has been training with Team Quest.
Eddie won his last fight by KO over Colin Robinson back in June of this year. Eddie is a typical American Heavyweight. He throws huge leather looking for the KO.
Eddie is no slouch, but he really does not have a lot of ground skill. Soa claims to be a BJJ guy, and trains with one of the best wrestling teams out there. Soa does not have the experience of Eddie, and this will be his first fight in the UFC. Tough choice, but I think that I will go with Soa by KO second round.
Rich Clementi Vs. Melvin Guillard (Lightweight)
Rich's last fight in the UFC was a RNC win over Anthony Johnson, and is on a win streak going 3-0 in the latter part of 2007.
Rich is a submission grappler with a ton of experience he is 2-3 in the UFC and is 30-12-1 overall. Rich's wins show that he is a well rounded fighter, winning both by submission and KO.
He fights in the Welterweight and in the Lightweight classes, but typically we think of him as a Lightweight fighter.
Melvin lost his last fight to against Joe Stevenson by Guillotine Choke in 27 seconds of the first round. Melvin was then suspended after testing positive for cocaine.
Melvin is a very explosive, powerful wrestler/kickboxer. Most of his recent wins are by KO, but he does have some wins by submission earlier in his career.
Melvin has shown that he is not very good at defending the submissions, 5 of his seven losses are by tapout. Rich has a chance to beat Melvin, but only if he can set up and execute a proper takedown. If you just dive at Melvin's legs, he will stop the shot and punish you. Rich has a chance here, but I don't think that he has the clinch or wrestling to win. Melvin by KO third round.
Lyoto Machida Vs. Rameau Sokoudjou (Light Heavyweight)
Machida is 3-0 in the UFC, and 11-0 overall. I just wish he would finish a fight. Of those 11 wins, 7 are decisions.
Machida has a very sharp standup game, knocking out Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar. His ground game is good too, winning a decision over BJ Penn. While not very exciting he does represent a legitimate threat to the championship.
Sokoudjou made big noise in PRIDE just before the collapse. He knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Ricardo Arrona in highlight reel fashion.
Rameau likes to stand up, but he has serious skills in the clinch, with a wrestling and Judo background. His stand up is obviously powerful.
Machida makes good people look bad, but Sokoudjou knocks people the hell out. I think that Rameau will put the fight at a pace that the Brazilian/Japanese fighter will not be able to match and eventually catch him with one of those big hooks. Sokoudou by KO second round.
Chuck Liddell Vs. Wanderlei Silva (Light Heavyweight)
Chuck is in a bit of a slump right now, losing two in a row to Quinton Jackson (KO) and Keith Jardine (Split Decision) respectively. Quinton was able to exploit Chuck's lazy defense, he carries his hands very low, and Quinton put a hook right on the chin. Jardine was able to strategically out fight Chuck; Jardine knew that Chuck would not take him down, so he turned a MMA fight in to a classic bare knuckle Muay Thai fight.
Chuck is a counter puncher. That is his whole game. He is best when he is backing up. He carries tremendous power in his punching, and he is very difficult to take down.
Silva... In his last fights, Silva has been tentative, not as aggressive, and just not the same Ax Murder that we all knew and loved. In his last two fights, he became another one of Cro Cop's statistics in the open weight GP, then ate a Henderson left hook that put him to sleep. After that fight there is little doubt that Silva has trouble dealing with the left side of his opponents. According to his new trainers at Extreme Colture, the old super aggressive Silva is back. That may be, because he knows this opponent will not attempt to take him down. Chuck will give him the fight that he wants, a stand up battle.
This fight boils down to what style is best, the counter puncher or the super aggressive brawler. In most instances the counter puncher wins that contest, because eventually the aggressive brawler gets frustrated that the counter puncher will not engage. They make a mistake and the counter puncher knocks them out. This is a tough fight to call, but I think that will again play out here. Chuck by KO second round.
Matt Hughes Vs. Georges St-Pierre (Welterweight)
Matt won a unanimous decision over Chris Lytle back in March, apparently that was enough to get him a title shot. We all know Matt's game, big slam takedown, pound pound, pound. Throw in the occasional submission after the initial pounding and that is all there is to him. Sounds simple? Try and stop him. Only the very very best can. The rest get pounded.
GSP is a pure athlete. He seems to have been made especially for MMA. He has excellent BJJ, awesome stand up, but susceptible to mental breakdowns. He seems to beat himself more that his opponents beat him. Against Matt Hughes the first time he was intimidated by fighting his hero, and got caught. Against Matt Serra he was intimidated and nervous fighting a Renzo Gracie black belt. Not only that, Renzo asked that GSP find somewhere else to prepare, being that Renzo was the one who trained Matt. GSP got caught in that fight too.
However, like a true champion, GSP shows incredible heart. BJ Penn had GSP beat down in the first round of their fight. He came back and won the next two rounds, and beat Penn. He was able to stuff Matt Hughes’s shots with pinpoint jabs, the second time they fought and then knocked Matt out. GSP has not had the time that he normally needs to prepare for this fight... Will that affect his mental state?
This is such a tough fight to call I hesitate to even try. Will GSP be together enough to put Matt out? His weight was not where he wanted it to be, and will have to cut more weight than usual before this fight. Will that sap his strength?
Matt Hughes was beaten so badly by GSP the last time out. No one, not even BJ Penn ever shut Matt down and beat him so thoroughly. That has to weigh heavily on Matt's mind. Stylistically, GSP comes out on top. He has one of the best defenses against the wrestlers in the game. For the most part, the fight goes to the ground when GSP wants it to go there. Not before. The strength edge goes to Matt Hughes. Hughes' strength is legendary in the sport, and even GSP said that Matt was the strongest opponent he ever faced. Stand up? GSP all the way. Wrestling? Draw... Possibly a small edge to GSP. Matt certainly has the better takedowns, but GSP has the ability to stuff them all day long. I don't think that Matt can stop GSP's takedowns, but it is so very tough to get a takedown on a guy who is constantly trying to take YOU down. Ground game? Draw. Matt seems to be much better on top, but is not very good on his back. GSP is more well rounded, and probably better off of his back. His top game though is a bit suspect though, he has been swept by stronger opponents.
Very tough call, but I think that the stand up game will again decide this fight. GSP keeps Matt away with the jab and uses his better stand up to again end the fight. GSP by KO third round.
I really don't feel very good about the majority of my picks this time out. In my opinion I really do not think that there are many "gimmies" this time out. I hope that leads to good competitive fights, but normally it leads to lots and lots of decisions. I hope I am wrong.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Flying Again!
Not really the airplane, but one that is the same year and model.
It turns out that my dad thought that I wanted him to fly to me on Christmas Eve. I clarified to him that, since I would be coming to the farm for Christmas anyway, I wanted to meet him at OFK to get a little flight in. He thought that would be fine, and I snuck out of work so that I could meet him for the flight.
My sister was riding back to the farm with me, and, since she had never flown in dad's airplane, she decided to come along with us.
We didn't go anywhere this time out. We decided that since it was cold, we did not want to tempt fate and possibly have engine starting trouble on some lonely airport somewhere.
The weather was awesome. Not a cloud in the sky and winds that hung around 3mph, right down good old runway 19.
Not really runway 19, but a winter runway...
We took off and just kind of puttered around flying over the farm, and over some towns along the way.
We came back to OFK, and I made the landing that I have been waning to make all summer. A very nice smooth touchdown, even my sister said it was awesome!
Friday, December 21, 2007
The Canidates
I won't talk about the Democrats. The are all vying for who can create the most socialist USA they can, remove us from the Terror War, and tax business to the point that they kill the economy... Which is what they want. They want to point to the economic slow down and say this is what you get when business rules the economy. They can then take over more aspects of the private sector under the guise of "helping" people. I would vote for RINO Chuck Hagle for president before ever considering a Democrat/Socialist.
ANYWAY, the Republican race is shaping up to be a very interesting race. Rudy was thought to be the man to beat, but now it looks as if Mit Romney and Mike Huckabee will fight it out for the nomination.
I will put the individual candidate’s views on the issues I fee are most important. This is my blog, if you want the issues that are most important to you, get your own blog.
Rudy Giuliani
Guns: Not very friendly. He would probably not sign the universal CCW Reciprocation.
Government Spending: Cut spending and institute levels of accountability
Terror War: Kick Ass Terror Warrior
FairTax: No
Over all Tax Policy: Cut taxes
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Create tamper free ID cars for workers. Build fence. Illegal's children should go to school. *SOFT*
Comments:
I really like Rudy as a person, but I really do not like him as a candidate. However; his Christmas ad got to show off his fun, warm fuzzy side. He should be using that much more often, because that ad really appealed to me.
I think that Rudy is too soft on illegals, and I hate the fact that he is so unfriendly to gun ownership. I really REALLY hate how he crtizies the FairTax with arguments that show that he really is not a very critically thinking guy (he says that he does not support the FairTax because he does not want to take away a person's tax deduction on their mortgage interest... how do you get a deduction if you don't pay income tax??????? THINK RUDY!!).
Mike Huckabee
Guns: Awesome. Huckabee is an advocate of CCW, and would sign the universal CCW Reciprocation. He is on record as saying the 2nd Amendment is about freedom, not hunting.
Government Spending: Cut spending, remove IRS, and balance the budget
Terror War: Moderate Terror Warrior. Stay in Iraq and win, but he really does not want to pursue.
FairTax: Publicly supports and defends the FairTax. This is in his platform as his major tax reform.
Over all Tax Policy: FairTax Now!!
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Send current illegals home, but they can stay if they admit they are illegal and pay fine. He says "seal" the border, but does not really have a way to do it. Overall position is the normal Republican line.
Comments: Huckabee talks a good game, and most of his views are in line with mine. However he wears his Christianity like a badge. I don't think he is any less Christian than Bush, but I don't like the cracks that he has made about Mit Romney. I think that he believes in freedom of religion... as long as you are a Baptist.
He has not practiced what he preached when it comes to the illegals, AND the NEA endorsement really freaks me out.
Duncan Hunter
Guns: He was rated A+ by the NRA, but it is not sure that he would vote for the universal CCW Reciprocation.
Government Spending: Balance budget, cut spending, but not military spending, blah blah blah.
Terror War: Victory in Iraq, work with other nations on the rest of the Terror War.
FairTax: He is a sponsor of the FairTax. Would sign if it came to his desk.
Over all Tax Policy: Cut taxes to build revenue.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Build a fence. Rated 100% by FAIR.
Comments: I don't know much about Duncan Hunter other than Ann Coulter thinks he is the end all be all of Republican candidates. He supports the FairTax, but he is not an advocate.
John McCain
Guns: Not very friendly. Supports bans on certain types of "assault" weapons. "Guns are a problem."
Government Spending: Big advocate of cutting spending.
Terror War: Awesome kick ass, be all end all of Terror Warriors.
FairTax: Opposed to FairTax.
Over all Tax Policy: Same system we have now, but flatter.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: SOFT. He worked with Ted Kennedy to get the amnesty bill out.
Comments: I have a real problem with John McCain. I see him as the guy whose name is on the biggest assault on the First Amendment in our history. He would be a good fiscal conservative, but he would not be a guy I could ever vote for.
Ron Paul
Guns: Reasonably pro gun, but I am not sure he would sign the universal CCW Reciprocation, but not because he is anti-CCW. He would not sign on a state's rights basis.
Government Spending: CUT ALL SPENDING!!! Cut all programs that are not specifically mandated by the Constitution.
Terror War: Declare war or get out.
FairTax: Supports FairTax in spirit, but has not come out and said he supports it. He wants to phase out the IRS.
Over all Tax Policy: CUT TAXES!!!
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Open borders.
Comments: I really want to like Ron Paul. He is as close to a legitimate Libertarian you will ever get running. I just cannot support him on his open border, and total contempt for the Terror War. It breaks my heart, but until we realize that Iran, Syria, and Saudi Ariba are going to have to be pacified, we need to have a policy of bringing the fight to the terrorists.
Mitt Romney
Guns: Not friendly. He says he supports the Second Amendment, but supports weapons bans and the Brady Bill.
Government Spending: CUT Spending.
Terror War: Luke warm. He is for winning in Iraq, but pulling back after that. He would let lawyers decide if it is ok to prosecute terrorists in other countries.
FairTax: Does not support. He says that there are serious "issues" with it.
Over all Tax Policy: Cut taxes, blah blah blah. Same socialist tax system as now.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Semi-Solid. Create "Z" visa for illegals already here. "Secure" the border.
Comments: Mit is better than McCain, but not by much. He does not like guns, the FairTax, and he is non-committal on border fences. I could sort of live with him as president, but I am not sure... He is a good general election Candidate.
Fred Thompson
Guns: Awesome. He is pro-CCW, and is even on record as saying that the VT shooting could have been stopped if students were packing.
Government Spending: Cut Spending.
Terror War: Solid Terror Warrior
FairTax: Non-committal, but favorable.
Over all Tax Policy: Most favorable to a flat tax.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Pro fence. Says that he does not support amnesty, but says that we can't just throw out current illegals. Overall Solid, but kind of mushy.
Comments: Fred is a good candidate, but what the hell is with his campaign?? He has less of a campaign than Hunter! The only reason people know about him is because he was an actor. If he is serious about winning the election he needs to get in to gear!!
I am really not excited about any of the candidates. All have their issues, and all are from the hated Baby Boomer generation. As with most their age they are enamored with Socialism, and want to remake the US in that image.
Overall, I am torn between Huckabee and Thompson. They are the best of the worst. I guess that unless Huckabee does anything stupid I will vote for him, knowing full well that an Obama or a Clinton will kick the crap out of him in the general election.
For all the issues, and the stances that ALL of the canidates are taking :www.issues2000.org
ANYWAY, the Republican race is shaping up to be a very interesting race. Rudy was thought to be the man to beat, but now it looks as if Mit Romney and Mike Huckabee will fight it out for the nomination.
I will put the individual candidate’s views on the issues I fee are most important. This is my blog, if you want the issues that are most important to you, get your own blog.
Rudy Giuliani
Guns: Not very friendly. He would probably not sign the universal CCW Reciprocation.
Government Spending: Cut spending and institute levels of accountability
Terror War: Kick Ass Terror Warrior
FairTax: No
Over all Tax Policy: Cut taxes
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Create tamper free ID cars for workers. Build fence. Illegal's children should go to school. *SOFT*
Comments:
I really like Rudy as a person, but I really do not like him as a candidate. However; his Christmas ad got to show off his fun, warm fuzzy side. He should be using that much more often, because that ad really appealed to me.
I think that Rudy is too soft on illegals, and I hate the fact that he is so unfriendly to gun ownership. I really REALLY hate how he crtizies the FairTax with arguments that show that he really is not a very critically thinking guy (he says that he does not support the FairTax because he does not want to take away a person's tax deduction on their mortgage interest... how do you get a deduction if you don't pay income tax??????? THINK RUDY!!).
Mike Huckabee
Guns: Awesome. Huckabee is an advocate of CCW, and would sign the universal CCW Reciprocation. He is on record as saying the 2nd Amendment is about freedom, not hunting.
Government Spending: Cut spending, remove IRS, and balance the budget
Terror War: Moderate Terror Warrior. Stay in Iraq and win, but he really does not want to pursue.
FairTax: Publicly supports and defends the FairTax. This is in his platform as his major tax reform.
Over all Tax Policy: FairTax Now!!
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Send current illegals home, but they can stay if they admit they are illegal and pay fine. He says "seal" the border, but does not really have a way to do it. Overall position is the normal Republican line.
Comments: Huckabee talks a good game, and most of his views are in line with mine. However he wears his Christianity like a badge. I don't think he is any less Christian than Bush, but I don't like the cracks that he has made about Mit Romney. I think that he believes in freedom of religion... as long as you are a Baptist.
He has not practiced what he preached when it comes to the illegals, AND the NEA endorsement really freaks me out.
Duncan Hunter
Guns: He was rated A+ by the NRA, but it is not sure that he would vote for the universal CCW Reciprocation.
Government Spending: Balance budget, cut spending, but not military spending, blah blah blah.
Terror War: Victory in Iraq, work with other nations on the rest of the Terror War.
FairTax: He is a sponsor of the FairTax. Would sign if it came to his desk.
Over all Tax Policy: Cut taxes to build revenue.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Build a fence. Rated 100% by FAIR.
Comments: I don't know much about Duncan Hunter other than Ann Coulter thinks he is the end all be all of Republican candidates. He supports the FairTax, but he is not an advocate.
John McCain
Guns: Not very friendly. Supports bans on certain types of "assault" weapons. "Guns are a problem."
Government Spending: Big advocate of cutting spending.
Terror War: Awesome kick ass, be all end all of Terror Warriors.
FairTax: Opposed to FairTax.
Over all Tax Policy: Same system we have now, but flatter.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: SOFT. He worked with Ted Kennedy to get the amnesty bill out.
Comments: I have a real problem with John McCain. I see him as the guy whose name is on the biggest assault on the First Amendment in our history. He would be a good fiscal conservative, but he would not be a guy I could ever vote for.
Ron Paul
Guns: Reasonably pro gun, but I am not sure he would sign the universal CCW Reciprocation, but not because he is anti-CCW. He would not sign on a state's rights basis.
Government Spending: CUT ALL SPENDING!!! Cut all programs that are not specifically mandated by the Constitution.
Terror War: Declare war or get out.
FairTax: Supports FairTax in spirit, but has not come out and said he supports it. He wants to phase out the IRS.
Over all Tax Policy: CUT TAXES!!!
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Open borders.
Comments: I really want to like Ron Paul. He is as close to a legitimate Libertarian you will ever get running. I just cannot support him on his open border, and total contempt for the Terror War. It breaks my heart, but until we realize that Iran, Syria, and Saudi Ariba are going to have to be pacified, we need to have a policy of bringing the fight to the terrorists.
Mitt Romney
Guns: Not friendly. He says he supports the Second Amendment, but supports weapons bans and the Brady Bill.
Government Spending: CUT Spending.
Terror War: Luke warm. He is for winning in Iraq, but pulling back after that. He would let lawyers decide if it is ok to prosecute terrorists in other countries.
FairTax: Does not support. He says that there are serious "issues" with it.
Over all Tax Policy: Cut taxes, blah blah blah. Same socialist tax system as now.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Semi-Solid. Create "Z" visa for illegals already here. "Secure" the border.
Comments: Mit is better than McCain, but not by much. He does not like guns, the FairTax, and he is non-committal on border fences. I could sort of live with him as president, but I am not sure... He is a good general election Candidate.
Fred Thompson
Guns: Awesome. He is pro-CCW, and is even on record as saying that the VT shooting could have been stopped if students were packing.
Government Spending: Cut Spending.
Terror War: Solid Terror Warrior
FairTax: Non-committal, but favorable.
Over all Tax Policy: Most favorable to a flat tax.
Type of Supreme Court: Similar to John Roberts
Airport User Fees:
Illegal Immigration: Pro fence. Says that he does not support amnesty, but says that we can't just throw out current illegals. Overall Solid, but kind of mushy.
Comments: Fred is a good candidate, but what the hell is with his campaign?? He has less of a campaign than Hunter! The only reason people know about him is because he was an actor. If he is serious about winning the election he needs to get in to gear!!
I am really not excited about any of the candidates. All have their issues, and all are from the hated Baby Boomer generation. As with most their age they are enamored with Socialism, and want to remake the US in that image.
Overall, I am torn between Huckabee and Thompson. They are the best of the worst. I guess that unless Huckabee does anything stupid I will vote for him, knowing full well that an Obama or a Clinton will kick the crap out of him in the general election.
For all the issues, and the stances that ALL of the canidates are taking :www.issues2000.org
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Dumped!
I have been dumped... by my own father. I feel so strange.
To be able to legally fly a normal utility aircraft you need a pilot's license, and a valid medical certificate. While there are a host of things that you need to do to be able to Carry passengers legally, but for all intents and purposes, the pilot's license never expires. The medical certificate, however expires every three years for the lowest and most basic rating. Sooner if you have certain medical conditions. Commercial pilots that fly the big jets need to get their medical certificates renewed every six months.
Anyway, my dad had some heart trouble late last year, and as is FAA policy, his medical certificate was suspended. No longer able to fly his airplane, he relied on me to fly with him so he could get his flight fix in. I thought that was awesome, because he was grounded just by the virtue of being in the airplane, I was Pilot In Command, and as such I got to log all of the hours we flew. On top of this I got to fly for free.
As an added bonus, when I came in to town dad would drop everything so that we could get some flying time in. I really enjoyed our time in the air, and the great advice and tips that he gave me while we were flying. While my wife was doing her Family Practice rotation in Norfolk, I would go see her every weekend, while she was at work on Saturdays, dad and I would go fly. I had a very pleasant, fun summer, as did he.
In November, dad got a letter from the FAA reinstating his medical certificate for 6 months. Despite the storms and ice floating around in the atmosphere, he managed to rack up 5 or more hours flying around.
The forecast for December 24 is a good one with fair skies and light winds, perfect for a flight. My dad and I had dinner last night, and I asked him what he thought about going for a little flight that day. He said: Well, um, you know the grand kids will be at home, and it is Christmas Eve, and you know how your mother gets, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. A year ago we had more grand children around, and I did my biannual flight review in the absolute bare minimums of weather so that we could fly together the next day... CHRISTMAS DAY!!
I have been used for my pilot rating! I feel so cheap.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
WEC 31 Recap
The WEC really did Versus well and put on a great show. All of the televised bouts ended in the first or second rounds, and we got to see a great mix of a KO, TWO armbars, and some interesting chokes as well.
I gotta ask... what hell was up with Frank Mir? He looked like he was high on crank with all of the head movement. Very strange.
Results and My picks:
Charlie Valencia def Ian McCall Submission (Guillotine Choke) 3:19 rnd 1
My Pick: I say Ian by RNC second round
I initially went with Charlie, because I though that he would be the hungrier fighter, but then I re looked at Ian's record and thought the better of it. Stupid me. Charlie went out there and beat the hell out of Ian then took the choke. Very good fight.
Brian Bowles def Marcos Galvao KO (Punch) 2:09 rnd 2
My Pick: Brian by decision
Marcos kept walking straight backward, and leaning back when Brian attacked. This is an easy strategy to counter. Simply throw deep punches that take a bit longer to develop catching the guy when he leans back in. That is exactly what Brain did and managed to land two very hard right hands on Marcos' chin.
Ed Ratcliff def Alex Karalexis TKO (Strikes) 1:26 rnd 2
My Pick: Alex by KO first round.
I really want to see this fight. Alex has such good stand up, and solid take down defence. I didn't think that Ed could get the takedown. Ed must be much better than I thought.
Bryan Baker def Eric Schambari Decision (Split)
My Pick: Eric by RNC third round
Good work Bryan!
John Alessio def Todd Moore Decision
My Pick: Alessio by RNC first round
I thought Alessio would finish it.
Doug Marshall def Ariel Gandulla Submission (Armbar) 0:55 rnd 1
My Pick: I think Ariel by triangle choke third round.
I don't know if I got bad information on Gandulla or what. Marshall slapped on a good triangle choke and Ariel decided to hammer fist him with his inside arm, Doug switches to the armbar and breaks Ariel's arm.
It was a rookie mistake that no black belt should have made.
Paulo Filho def Chael Sonnen Submission (Armbar) 4:55 rnd 2
My Pick: Paulo by armbar from mount first round
Very interesting fight! Chael caught Paulo right off the bat with a short hard punch, then got a slamming takedown. Chael and his corner began yelling at the ref "He's out! He's out!" Paulo managed to get to guard, and despite one weak armbar attempt, the rest of the round Paulo simply held on, clinched and avoided punishment.
Paulo comes out in the second round with an extremely weak shot, eats some knees and then, even though he was dominating the stand up, he takes Paulo down. A little bit late Paulo gets the armbar and makes Chael scream in pain. The ref sees that Chael's arm is fully extended, is not trying to defend, and he stops the fight.
Jens Pulver def Cub Swanson Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:35 rnd 1
My Pick: Jens by KO second round
Jens slapped on the most painful deepest and nastiest Guillotine choke ever... ouch. Cub will be feeling that for months.
Urijah Faber def Jeff Curran Submission (Guillotine Choke) 4:34 rnd 2
My Pick: Urijah by decision
Urijah looked very good. He managed to rock Jeff and grab the choke. Excellent work by the champ.
I do OK in the WEC, 5 for 9.
I gotta ask... what hell was up with Frank Mir? He looked like he was high on crank with all of the head movement. Very strange.
Results and My picks:
Charlie Valencia def Ian McCall Submission (Guillotine Choke) 3:19 rnd 1
My Pick: I say Ian by RNC second round
I initially went with Charlie, because I though that he would be the hungrier fighter, but then I re looked at Ian's record and thought the better of it. Stupid me. Charlie went out there and beat the hell out of Ian then took the choke. Very good fight.
Brian Bowles def Marcos Galvao KO (Punch) 2:09 rnd 2
My Pick: Brian by decision
Marcos kept walking straight backward, and leaning back when Brian attacked. This is an easy strategy to counter. Simply throw deep punches that take a bit longer to develop catching the guy when he leans back in. That is exactly what Brain did and managed to land two very hard right hands on Marcos' chin.
Ed Ratcliff def Alex Karalexis TKO (Strikes) 1:26 rnd 2
My Pick: Alex by KO first round.
I really want to see this fight. Alex has such good stand up, and solid take down defence. I didn't think that Ed could get the takedown. Ed must be much better than I thought.
Bryan Baker def Eric Schambari Decision (Split)
My Pick: Eric by RNC third round
Good work Bryan!
John Alessio def Todd Moore Decision
My Pick: Alessio by RNC first round
I thought Alessio would finish it.
Doug Marshall def Ariel Gandulla Submission (Armbar) 0:55 rnd 1
My Pick: I think Ariel by triangle choke third round.
I don't know if I got bad information on Gandulla or what. Marshall slapped on a good triangle choke and Ariel decided to hammer fist him with his inside arm, Doug switches to the armbar and breaks Ariel's arm.
It was a rookie mistake that no black belt should have made.
Paulo Filho def Chael Sonnen Submission (Armbar) 4:55 rnd 2
My Pick: Paulo by armbar from mount first round
Very interesting fight! Chael caught Paulo right off the bat with a short hard punch, then got a slamming takedown. Chael and his corner began yelling at the ref "He's out! He's out!" Paulo managed to get to guard, and despite one weak armbar attempt, the rest of the round Paulo simply held on, clinched and avoided punishment.
Paulo comes out in the second round with an extremely weak shot, eats some knees and then, even though he was dominating the stand up, he takes Paulo down. A little bit late Paulo gets the armbar and makes Chael scream in pain. The ref sees that Chael's arm is fully extended, is not trying to defend, and he stops the fight.
Jens Pulver def Cub Swanson Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:35 rnd 1
My Pick: Jens by KO second round
Jens slapped on the most painful deepest and nastiest Guillotine choke ever... ouch. Cub will be feeling that for months.
Urijah Faber def Jeff Curran Submission (Guillotine Choke) 4:34 rnd 2
My Pick: Urijah by decision
Urijah looked very good. He managed to rock Jeff and grab the choke. Excellent work by the champ.
I do OK in the WEC, 5 for 9.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
WEC Wednesday December 12
In honor of me getting the versus channel, I am doing a little review on the WEC. The WEC is kind of the UFC's farm team, but, as a twist, they have the Bantamweight and Featherweight classes.
Card and My Picks:
Brian Bowles Vs. Marcos Galvao (Bantamweight 135)
Bowles is that guy that you always hear about but never see. It is mainly because he is so freaking little. Brian is 8-1 his only loss was to the very tough Micah Miller. Brain trains out of Forrest Griffin's old gym, Hardcore Gym, in Atlanta.
Marcos is a Nova Uniao black belt, but not really that well known. He is 6-1, but has yet to see a fight that did not go the distance.
This should be a good ground battle with lots of reversals and position game. I think Brian by decision.
Ian McCall Vs. Charlie Valencia (Bantamweight 135)
Ian trains with Chris Brennan's Next Generation Jujitsu. He is 6-0 with all but one of his wins coming by submission or KO.
Charlie is 8-3, with all three losses coming in his last four fights. His last fight was a RNC loss to Brian Bowles in the WEC. Charlie has been mixing it up with some very solid fighters in his division loosing to Cub Swanson (KO) and Urijah Faber (RNC).
Ian is on a roll and Charlie is desperate to stay in the mix. Coming off of a loss is tough, and only loosing to the best is tougher. I think that it will be two in a row for Charlie. I say Ian by RNC second round.
Alex Karalexis Vs. Ed Ratcliff (Lightweight)
I really like Alex Karalexis, and I am glad that he has found a home in the WEC. Alex is 9-2 over all, winning his last three in the WEC. All of his fights have been tough ones, beating Thomas Denny and Josh Smith by decisions, and KOing Crazy Meth Jesus Olaf Alfonso. Alex has heavy hands and sharp boxing.
Ed Ratcliff is 5-0 beating all but one of his opponents by KO. His last fight was in the WEC against Johnny Sampaio.
Ed is really in for a taste of the big leagues when he steps in with UFC vet and TUF alum Alex. Ed will want to bang with Alex, and Alex will like that just fine. Alex by KO first round.
Bryan Baker Vs. Eric Schambari (Middleweight)
Bryan Baker is on a three fight win streak. His latest win was a KO victory over TUF alum Jesse Forbes. Brain is 4-2 over all winning all of his fights with KOs.
Eric Shambari is on a SEVEN fight win streak. His last two wins have been in the WEC both decisions over Art Santore, and Logan Clark. Eric seems to favor the submission, he has three wins by that method, one KO and three decisions.
Brain's two losses were by submission, so it says that he is still working on the ground game. He beat Jessie Forbes, so he can defeat a good shot reasonably well. I think this one is decided on the ground, Eric by RNC third round.
John Alessio Vs. Todd Moore (Welterweight)
John Alessio has been around his first fight was in 1998. He has mixed it up with Diego Sanchez (loss decision), Pat Miletich (loss armbar), and Chris Brennan (win KO). John has a record of 20-11 and trains at Xtreme Coulture in Las Vegas.
Moore is 14-0 fighting out of Yves Edwards' gym in Houston, TX. His wins are by all different ways, but mostly by KO. This is Moore's first time in a big show, and jitters could be a factor.
If you just look at the records, this fight is reasonably matched... Then you look at the experience level of opponents, then training camps and the scales tip very heavily towards John Alessio. Alessio by RNC first round.
Doug Marshall Vs. Ariel Gandulla (Light Heavyweight)
Doug has never fought outside of the WEC. He was there before Zuffa, and Zuffa decided to keep him on. The biggest win of his 5-2 career was a KO victory over Lodune Sincaid. His wins, and his losses are nearly all KOs, with one win going by Arm Triangle Choke.
Ariel is 3-0 out of ATT. Like everyone seems to be at ATT he is a black belt in BJJ. He trais at a good club and seems to have good BJJ pedigree.
This fight is really between two guys I have never heard of before. I think that the winner will be the guy with the better cardio. I think Ariel by triangle choke third round.
Paulo Filho Vs. Chael Sonnen (Middleweight)
Out of Pride and in to the WEC! Paulo looks to add another win to his already impressive 14-0 record. Paulo won his first fight in the WEC by KO over the ever game Joe Doerksen. Paulo trains with BTT, is a BJJ black belt, and fights in the BTT style. Body lock, trip, position, submission.
Sonnen is on a win streak as of late beating his last 5 opponents. Sonnen is the only guy on this card that I have ever seen fight live... Chael lost to Jeremy Horn in Council Bluffs at Extreme Challenge 57.
Paulo will be more than Sonnen can handle. With submission losses to Horn (twice), Babalu, and Forrest Griffin I don't think that he will be too difficult for the seasoned Filho. Paulo by armbar from mount first round.
Cub Swanson Vs. Jens Pulver (Featherweight 145)
Cub... Who names their child Cub? Swanson is 2-0 in the WEC and 10-1 over all. He has wins over Micah Miller and Tommy Lee (no not that Tommy Lee, he got beat by Kidd Rock for Pete's Sake) so we know he is tough. With lots of wins by KO recently it seems that Cub fancies himself a striker.
Jens is back, dropping weight after getting dominated and submitted by BJ Penn... before that he was knocked out by Joe Lauzon. It seems that a guy who barely made 153 when he was in shape for fights made the right choice, when the guys he was fighting walk around at about 175 to 180. Jens has good wrestling when he uses it, but is mostly known for his pin-point boxing. Jens is 24-9-1.
I think Zuffa is giving Jens a gift with this one. Cub will stand with Jens, and give him the fight he wants. There will be no surprises with Cub like there was with Lauzon. Jens by KO second round.
WEC Featherweight Championship
Urijah Faber Vs. Jeff Curran (Featherweight 145)
Urijah "The California Kid" Faber has only been defeated once in 20 fights, and that was by 155 lb UFC fighter Tyson Griffin. That was 11 wins ago. Urijah is known for his wrestling and brutal G&P.
Jeff Curran is another name that you hear all of the time. He had his first fight in 1997, lost to Matt Serra in his UFC debut in 2004, fought in PRIDE in 2006, and made his WEC debut in 2007. Jeff is one of Pedro Sauer fighters, and likes to win by submission. 20 of his 35 wins (8 losses) come by submission. The others are decisions with an odd KO here and there. Jeff is a ground guy and looks to finish there.
This will be 5 rounds of Urijah taking Jeff down, then laying in Jeff's guard until the ref stands them up. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Urijah by decision.
Card and My Picks:
Brian Bowles Vs. Marcos Galvao (Bantamweight 135)
Bowles is that guy that you always hear about but never see. It is mainly because he is so freaking little. Brian is 8-1 his only loss was to the very tough Micah Miller. Brain trains out of Forrest Griffin's old gym, Hardcore Gym, in Atlanta.
Marcos is a Nova Uniao black belt, but not really that well known. He is 6-1, but has yet to see a fight that did not go the distance.
This should be a good ground battle with lots of reversals and position game. I think Brian by decision.
Ian McCall Vs. Charlie Valencia (Bantamweight 135)
Ian trains with Chris Brennan's Next Generation Jujitsu. He is 6-0 with all but one of his wins coming by submission or KO.
Charlie is 8-3, with all three losses coming in his last four fights. His last fight was a RNC loss to Brian Bowles in the WEC. Charlie has been mixing it up with some very solid fighters in his division loosing to Cub Swanson (KO) and Urijah Faber (RNC).
Ian is on a roll and Charlie is desperate to stay in the mix. Coming off of a loss is tough, and only loosing to the best is tougher. I think that it will be two in a row for Charlie. I say Ian by RNC second round.
Alex Karalexis Vs. Ed Ratcliff (Lightweight)
I really like Alex Karalexis, and I am glad that he has found a home in the WEC. Alex is 9-2 over all, winning his last three in the WEC. All of his fights have been tough ones, beating Thomas Denny and Josh Smith by decisions, and KOing Crazy Meth Jesus Olaf Alfonso. Alex has heavy hands and sharp boxing.
Ed Ratcliff is 5-0 beating all but one of his opponents by KO. His last fight was in the WEC against Johnny Sampaio.
Ed is really in for a taste of the big leagues when he steps in with UFC vet and TUF alum Alex. Ed will want to bang with Alex, and Alex will like that just fine. Alex by KO first round.
Bryan Baker Vs. Eric Schambari (Middleweight)
Bryan Baker is on a three fight win streak. His latest win was a KO victory over TUF alum Jesse Forbes. Brain is 4-2 over all winning all of his fights with KOs.
Eric Shambari is on a SEVEN fight win streak. His last two wins have been in the WEC both decisions over Art Santore, and Logan Clark. Eric seems to favor the submission, he has three wins by that method, one KO and three decisions.
Brain's two losses were by submission, so it says that he is still working on the ground game. He beat Jessie Forbes, so he can defeat a good shot reasonably well. I think this one is decided on the ground, Eric by RNC third round.
John Alessio Vs. Todd Moore (Welterweight)
John Alessio has been around his first fight was in 1998. He has mixed it up with Diego Sanchez (loss decision), Pat Miletich (loss armbar), and Chris Brennan (win KO). John has a record of 20-11 and trains at Xtreme Coulture in Las Vegas.
Moore is 14-0 fighting out of Yves Edwards' gym in Houston, TX. His wins are by all different ways, but mostly by KO. This is Moore's first time in a big show, and jitters could be a factor.
If you just look at the records, this fight is reasonably matched... Then you look at the experience level of opponents, then training camps and the scales tip very heavily towards John Alessio. Alessio by RNC first round.
Doug Marshall Vs. Ariel Gandulla (Light Heavyweight)
Doug has never fought outside of the WEC. He was there before Zuffa, and Zuffa decided to keep him on. The biggest win of his 5-2 career was a KO victory over Lodune Sincaid. His wins, and his losses are nearly all KOs, with one win going by Arm Triangle Choke.
Ariel is 3-0 out of ATT. Like everyone seems to be at ATT he is a black belt in BJJ. He trais at a good club and seems to have good BJJ pedigree.
This fight is really between two guys I have never heard of before. I think that the winner will be the guy with the better cardio. I think Ariel by triangle choke third round.
Paulo Filho Vs. Chael Sonnen (Middleweight)
Out of Pride and in to the WEC! Paulo looks to add another win to his already impressive 14-0 record. Paulo won his first fight in the WEC by KO over the ever game Joe Doerksen. Paulo trains with BTT, is a BJJ black belt, and fights in the BTT style. Body lock, trip, position, submission.
Sonnen is on a win streak as of late beating his last 5 opponents. Sonnen is the only guy on this card that I have ever seen fight live... Chael lost to Jeremy Horn in Council Bluffs at Extreme Challenge 57.
Paulo will be more than Sonnen can handle. With submission losses to Horn (twice), Babalu, and Forrest Griffin I don't think that he will be too difficult for the seasoned Filho. Paulo by armbar from mount first round.
Cub Swanson Vs. Jens Pulver (Featherweight 145)
Cub... Who names their child Cub? Swanson is 2-0 in the WEC and 10-1 over all. He has wins over Micah Miller and Tommy Lee (no not that Tommy Lee, he got beat by Kidd Rock for Pete's Sake) so we know he is tough. With lots of wins by KO recently it seems that Cub fancies himself a striker.
Jens is back, dropping weight after getting dominated and submitted by BJ Penn... before that he was knocked out by Joe Lauzon. It seems that a guy who barely made 153 when he was in shape for fights made the right choice, when the guys he was fighting walk around at about 175 to 180. Jens has good wrestling when he uses it, but is mostly known for his pin-point boxing. Jens is 24-9-1.
I think Zuffa is giving Jens a gift with this one. Cub will stand with Jens, and give him the fight he wants. There will be no surprises with Cub like there was with Lauzon. Jens by KO second round.
WEC Featherweight Championship
Urijah Faber Vs. Jeff Curran (Featherweight 145)
Urijah "The California Kid" Faber has only been defeated once in 20 fights, and that was by 155 lb UFC fighter Tyson Griffin. That was 11 wins ago. Urijah is known for his wrestling and brutal G&P.
Jeff Curran is another name that you hear all of the time. He had his first fight in 1997, lost to Matt Serra in his UFC debut in 2004, fought in PRIDE in 2006, and made his WEC debut in 2007. Jeff is one of Pedro Sauer fighters, and likes to win by submission. 20 of his 35 wins (8 losses) come by submission. The others are decisions with an odd KO here and there. Jeff is a ground guy and looks to finish there.
This will be 5 rounds of Urijah taking Jeff down, then laying in Jeff's guard until the ref stands them up. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Urijah by decision.
Armed Woman Saves Hundreds
Matthew Murray said
You Christians brought this on yourselves. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you ... as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world
He then went to a missionary training camp and killed two people. After that he drove to the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. He began shooting.
Former police officer Jeanne Assam worked as a volunteer "security guard" at the church. She heard the shots, and located the gunman. Pulling her gun that she was legally allowed to carry, she shot Murray, ending his brief rampage.
This is what happens when responsible citizens are allowed to arm themselves. This woman was able to end what could have been a very bloody attack. Instead we have a very minimal loss of life.
The headlines should read that this woman saved many from injury or death, instead they only read on how a crazy person was able to shoot people. So the shooter, who cowardly takes on the softest targets he can, becomes famous, rather than the person who met the challenge of their lives and took the shooter out.
Something very wrong there. I applaud Jeanne Assam. She is a true American, and a great example of what a single armed responsible person can do.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
TUF Final Results
I know I spaced this one off...
Jonathan Goulet def Paul Georgieff Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 4:42 round 1
I thought that Paul would be knocked out by Goulet. Paul is too afraid of beeing hit, and carries his chin too high. I am a bit surprised that Goulet got the RNC.
Roman Mitichyan def Dorian Price Submission (Ankle lock) 0:23 rnd 1
I thought that Roman would win this one. Just because he is not a pooosee! Price looks to be more of a Pete Spratt type of a fighter, and needs to work on his ground game.
Matt Arroyo def John Kolosci Submission (Armbar) 4:42 rnd 1
I knew Matt would win this one. John does not have a very tight ground game. I was surprised at how well John defended submissions on the ground, though.
Troy Mandaloniz def Richie Hightower KO 4:20 rnd 1
Good fight for both of them. Richie really does not have a very good game, and Troy is very one dimensional. Both can sling leather, but Troy just landed the harder shots.
Ben Saunders def Daniel Barrera Decision
Ben should have won this by submission several times. He spent WAY too much time listening to his corner. The whole fight he was looking at them trying to figure out what they were saying. It seemed that when his view was blocked, that is when he came closest to finishing the fight. I love ATT, but they needed to shut up and let Ben do the fighting in this one.
I was surprised that, for the most part, Dan just let Ben do what ever he wanted to do. He had really no offence to speak of.
George Sotiropoulos def Billy Miles Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1:36 rnd 1
This was a no brainer as well. Miles gives up submissions like Luke gives a way the RingWorm.
Jon Koppenhaver def Jared Rollins TKO (Strikes) 2:01 rnd 3
This was a good fight between two guys who should be fighting in the smaller shows. Jon really has very little game, except for his power, and Jared... How can Jared hit so softly for a guy so big?? JRock's ground game is awesome in the gym, but he has no guard offence in the cage. Jon looked to give away sweeps, but Jared was content to drive in elbows.
In the end cardio counts, Jared was gassed and gave up a hip heist sweep, POUND POUND POUND game over.
Mac Danzig def Tom Speer Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:01 rnd 1
Tommy really did not deserve to be in the same ring as Mac. Mac got the take down, got position and sunk in the choke. Tommy had no chance.
Roger Huerta def Clay Guida Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 0:31 rnd 3
If these guys fought each other at each UFC I don't think that I would be disappointed. Very few times have I witnessed a fight so entertaining, fast paced, and had so many turn arounds. Clay is just an amazing fighter. His cardio, his positioning, his submission defense is just top notch. Rodger was completely out of ideas for two rounds. Then that big knee happened. Very good fight.
Very good night for the UFC. It was a very entertaining card, but the only thing that it really drove home to me was how badly we need knees to a downed opponent. Rodger Huerta should have never won that fight. Clay was in a position several times to drop knees on him and could not. Rodger even took advantage of this position to land a big uppercut.
Knees on the ground are one of the main reasons that you pass the guard. Right now you win points if you just wiggle around in a guy's guard. You are on top, so the judges think you are winning. If knees are allowed on the ground, you will see much more passing, and conversely more submissions, sweeps, and guard offence.
Please UFC bring back the knees. You will be glad you did.
Jonathan Goulet def Paul Georgieff Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 4:42 round 1
I thought that Paul would be knocked out by Goulet. Paul is too afraid of beeing hit, and carries his chin too high. I am a bit surprised that Goulet got the RNC.
Roman Mitichyan def Dorian Price Submission (Ankle lock) 0:23 rnd 1
I thought that Roman would win this one. Just because he is not a pooosee! Price looks to be more of a Pete Spratt type of a fighter, and needs to work on his ground game.
Matt Arroyo def John Kolosci Submission (Armbar) 4:42 rnd 1
I knew Matt would win this one. John does not have a very tight ground game. I was surprised at how well John defended submissions on the ground, though.
Troy Mandaloniz def Richie Hightower KO 4:20 rnd 1
Good fight for both of them. Richie really does not have a very good game, and Troy is very one dimensional. Both can sling leather, but Troy just landed the harder shots.
Ben Saunders def Daniel Barrera Decision
Ben should have won this by submission several times. He spent WAY too much time listening to his corner. The whole fight he was looking at them trying to figure out what they were saying. It seemed that when his view was blocked, that is when he came closest to finishing the fight. I love ATT, but they needed to shut up and let Ben do the fighting in this one.
I was surprised that, for the most part, Dan just let Ben do what ever he wanted to do. He had really no offence to speak of.
George Sotiropoulos def Billy Miles Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1:36 rnd 1
This was a no brainer as well. Miles gives up submissions like Luke gives a way the RingWorm.
Jon Koppenhaver def Jared Rollins TKO (Strikes) 2:01 rnd 3
This was a good fight between two guys who should be fighting in the smaller shows. Jon really has very little game, except for his power, and Jared... How can Jared hit so softly for a guy so big?? JRock's ground game is awesome in the gym, but he has no guard offence in the cage. Jon looked to give away sweeps, but Jared was content to drive in elbows.
In the end cardio counts, Jared was gassed and gave up a hip heist sweep, POUND POUND POUND game over.
Mac Danzig def Tom Speer Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:01 rnd 1
Tommy really did not deserve to be in the same ring as Mac. Mac got the take down, got position and sunk in the choke. Tommy had no chance.
Roger Huerta def Clay Guida Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 0:31 rnd 3
If these guys fought each other at each UFC I don't think that I would be disappointed. Very few times have I witnessed a fight so entertaining, fast paced, and had so many turn arounds. Clay is just an amazing fighter. His cardio, his positioning, his submission defense is just top notch. Rodger was completely out of ideas for two rounds. Then that big knee happened. Very good fight.
Very good night for the UFC. It was a very entertaining card, but the only thing that it really drove home to me was how badly we need knees to a downed opponent. Rodger Huerta should have never won that fight. Clay was in a position several times to drop knees on him and could not. Rodger even took advantage of this position to land a big uppercut.
Knees on the ground are one of the main reasons that you pass the guard. Right now you win points if you just wiggle around in a guy's guard. You are on top, so the judges think you are winning. If knees are allowed on the ground, you will see much more passing, and conversely more submissions, sweeps, and guard offence.
Please UFC bring back the knees. You will be glad you did.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Statistics. Don't Let Them Mess With Your Head
I was going through the news yesterday, when I found an article whose headline read something like NUTRASWEET CAUSES CANCER!! Holy crap! I do not want to get cancer!! I drink a ton of diet soda! I better read this article. In the article it referenced a study that was recently done. As some of you who read this blog know, I am not a normal person... I do things the normals just do not do. I clicked on the reference and read the study.
It turns out that the study was not really a legitimate study. It was a statistical correlation study. What is that? It is a method where you can take many different and seemingly unconnected variables and see how they correlate with one another. A correlation coefficient of +1 means they are very correlated, conversely a correlation coefficient of -1 means that they are not correlate at all.
The study that the article was written on showed that the correlation between those that consume NutraSweet and those that get cancer had a reasonably high correlation coefficient.
What does all that mean? NOTHING!! Correlation studies are the epitome of junk science. When researchers are looking for something to study, they often do these correlation studies so that they can find something that may be interesting or impacting to work on. The problem starts when a researcher needs to have something published to keep his job. This is a way he can be polished and make a big stink in the media because not very many people know what a correlation study even is. Thus we get idiotic headlines that have no basis in statistics or science.
Be careful what you read, be sure that it means what you think it means.
It turns out that the study was not really a legitimate study. It was a statistical correlation study. What is that? It is a method where you can take many different and seemingly unconnected variables and see how they correlate with one another. A correlation coefficient of +1 means they are very correlated, conversely a correlation coefficient of -1 means that they are not correlate at all.
The study that the article was written on showed that the correlation between those that consume NutraSweet and those that get cancer had a reasonably high correlation coefficient.
What does all that mean? NOTHING!! Correlation studies are the epitome of junk science. When researchers are looking for something to study, they often do these correlation studies so that they can find something that may be interesting or impacting to work on. The problem starts when a researcher needs to have something published to keep his job. This is a way he can be polished and make a big stink in the media because not very many people know what a correlation study even is. Thus we get idiotic headlines that have no basis in statistics or science.
Be careful what you read, be sure that it means what you think it means.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Two More CCW to Consider
As I poke around the small frame pistol market I have found two more that have caught my eye.
Kahr PM4543
Weight: 17.3 oz
Capacity: 7
Lenghth: 5.67"
Price: $814
Springfield Armory Sub Compact 3"
Weight: 26 oz
Capacity: 10
Length: 6.25"
Price: $500
I have to admit that the first time I held the Kahr, it felt like a toy gun. It is extreamly light weight. The overall feel of it told me that I could not fire very many rounds through it. In talks with my local gun dealer, and Internet research told me that the pistol is very durable and relyable. I just have to get used to new materials. Steal is no longer the material of choice. Ceramics and carbon fiber have become the strong light weight frames of most of the pistols I am looking at. None have taken it to the extreme of the Kahr, but all encorportate some of the new stuff... All but the Colt that is.
The Springfield XD is the only one I am looking at that is not a .45ACP. It fires a .40 round. I am unfamiliar with this round, but my cop buddies say that it has the stopping power of the .45, with out the size. Smaller means you can fit more rounds in to the magazine. However when I asked if they would give up their .45s for a new .40 they looked at me like I was from another planet.
Other good news is that the gun dealers I talked to said that they would be willing to buy my Smith if it was in good condition. I think that it is... I clean it after every time I shoot it, and wipe it down every other week or so. It looks just like when I bought it some 9 or so years ago. I think that I can get at least $100 for it, any more is gravy.
Kahr PM4543
Weight: 17.3 oz
Capacity: 7
Lenghth: 5.67"
Price: $814
Springfield Armory Sub Compact 3"
Weight: 26 oz
Capacity: 10
Length: 6.25"
Price: $500
I have to admit that the first time I held the Kahr, it felt like a toy gun. It is extreamly light weight. The overall feel of it told me that I could not fire very many rounds through it. In talks with my local gun dealer, and Internet research told me that the pistol is very durable and relyable. I just have to get used to new materials. Steal is no longer the material of choice. Ceramics and carbon fiber have become the strong light weight frames of most of the pistols I am looking at. None have taken it to the extreme of the Kahr, but all encorportate some of the new stuff... All but the Colt that is.
The Springfield XD is the only one I am looking at that is not a .45ACP. It fires a .40 round. I am unfamiliar with this round, but my cop buddies say that it has the stopping power of the .45, with out the size. Smaller means you can fit more rounds in to the magazine. However when I asked if they would give up their .45s for a new .40 they looked at me like I was from another planet.
Other good news is that the gun dealers I talked to said that they would be willing to buy my Smith if it was in good condition. I think that it is... I clean it after every time I shoot it, and wipe it down every other week or so. It looks just like when I bought it some 9 or so years ago. I think that I can get at least $100 for it, any more is gravy.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
UFC 78 Recap
I know I am late. Turkey is good...
Akihiro Gono def Tamden McCrory Submission (Armbar) 3:19 rnd 2
My Pick: Gono by decision
Gono gets an armbar from mount as McCrory tries to buck him off. Good first UFC win for Gono.
Marcus Aurelio def Luke Caudillo TKO (Strikes) 4:29 rnd 1
My Pick: Aurelio by RNC first round.
Luke really did not have a chance in this one. What is with putting the Nebraska boys up against Brazilians?
Joe Lauzon def Jason Reinhardt Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1:14 rnd 1
My Pick: Lauzon by heel hook second round.
Joe did not get to slap on his famous heel hook, but he did put on the fastest RNC since Genki Sudo. Joe looked very impressive
Thiago Alves def Chris Lytle TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) 5:00 rnd 2
My Pick: Thiago by KO first round.
I really hate it when cuts end fights, but that is the game.
Frank Edgar def Spencer Fisher Decision
My Pick: Spencer by triangle second round
I really thought that Spence would be able to impose his will on Edgar, forcing a rushed takedown that Spence would be able to turn in to one of his famous triangle chokes... Not to be. Edgar dominated Spence. "The King" was only able to stop one of Frank's takedowns, and ate punches from guard for 15 minutes.
Ed Herman def Joe Doerksen KO (Punch) 0:39 rnd 3
My Pick: Doerkerson by decision.
Ed was saved by the bell at the end of round 2 when Joe had him in a very tight triangle. If the round would have gone on for 5 more seconds Ed would have tapped or gone to sleep. Good revenge win for Ed over the exhausted Joe.
Karo Parisyan def Ryo Chonan Decision
My Pick: Karo by decision
Chonan looked lethargic and Karo looked... well Karo looked like he always looks, good takedowns no ground offence.
Thiago Silva def Houston Alexander TKO (Strikes) 3:25 rnd 1
My Pick: Thiago by RNC late third round
This was an interesting fight. Silva takes Houston down, Houston stands up, then takes Silva down... WHY??? Silva is a BJJ black belt, Houston has very little ground skill, and he knows it. Why take him down? From there the inevitable happens, Silva sweeps Houston, mounts him like a grappling dummy, then hits him in the face until the ref mercifully stops the fight.
Houston has promise, but he needs to work the ground.
Rashad Evans def Michael Bisping Decision (Split)
My Pick: Rashad by decision... again.
I fell a sleep in this fight. Rashad has gone back to fighting not to loose and Bisping seems to lack the power to do anything on his feet. I was impressed with Bisping's wrestling. He looked like he could hang with the much more experienced and explosive Evans.
I get back to my winning ways going 7 for 9! I am awesome.
Akihiro Gono def Tamden McCrory Submission (Armbar) 3:19 rnd 2
My Pick: Gono by decision
Gono gets an armbar from mount as McCrory tries to buck him off. Good first UFC win for Gono.
Marcus Aurelio def Luke Caudillo TKO (Strikes) 4:29 rnd 1
My Pick: Aurelio by RNC first round.
Luke really did not have a chance in this one. What is with putting the Nebraska boys up against Brazilians?
Joe Lauzon def Jason Reinhardt Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1:14 rnd 1
My Pick: Lauzon by heel hook second round.
Joe did not get to slap on his famous heel hook, but he did put on the fastest RNC since Genki Sudo. Joe looked very impressive
Thiago Alves def Chris Lytle TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) 5:00 rnd 2
My Pick: Thiago by KO first round.
I really hate it when cuts end fights, but that is the game.
Frank Edgar def Spencer Fisher Decision
My Pick: Spencer by triangle second round
I really thought that Spence would be able to impose his will on Edgar, forcing a rushed takedown that Spence would be able to turn in to one of his famous triangle chokes... Not to be. Edgar dominated Spence. "The King" was only able to stop one of Frank's takedowns, and ate punches from guard for 15 minutes.
Ed Herman def Joe Doerksen KO (Punch) 0:39 rnd 3
My Pick: Doerkerson by decision.
Ed was saved by the bell at the end of round 2 when Joe had him in a very tight triangle. If the round would have gone on for 5 more seconds Ed would have tapped or gone to sleep. Good revenge win for Ed over the exhausted Joe.
Karo Parisyan def Ryo Chonan Decision
My Pick: Karo by decision
Chonan looked lethargic and Karo looked... well Karo looked like he always looks, good takedowns no ground offence.
Thiago Silva def Houston Alexander TKO (Strikes) 3:25 rnd 1
My Pick: Thiago by RNC late third round
This was an interesting fight. Silva takes Houston down, Houston stands up, then takes Silva down... WHY??? Silva is a BJJ black belt, Houston has very little ground skill, and he knows it. Why take him down? From there the inevitable happens, Silva sweeps Houston, mounts him like a grappling dummy, then hits him in the face until the ref mercifully stops the fight.
Houston has promise, but he needs to work the ground.
Rashad Evans def Michael Bisping Decision (Split)
My Pick: Rashad by decision... again.
I fell a sleep in this fight. Rashad has gone back to fighting not to loose and Bisping seems to lack the power to do anything on his feet. I was impressed with Bisping's wrestling. He looked like he could hang with the much more experienced and explosive Evans.
I get back to my winning ways going 7 for 9! I am awesome.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Pierce Wins High School Football Championship!
The football team at my old high school did something that no class since 1978 has been able to do, win the state football championship. My, and some other classes came close, loosing in the final, but this group of kids won with a perfect season.
We came out quickly and scored first. Our defence came out and held them, three and out. The offence came out and looked to be running on all cylinders when disaster. Our running back fumbled the ball and the other team managed to get a very good drive going. They tied the score seven-seven, but the damage had been done. By the middle of the third quarter we were down 28-7, and the rout seemed to be on. Our offence was stagnant, they had figured us out. Their offence seemed to have found the soft spots in our defence and were picking us apart. Then the miracle began. Our main running back also plays quarterback, our main quarterback also plays running back. We complete a long half back pass and score, 28-14. They fumble deep in their own territory, we score, 28-21. We hold them to three and out. We manage to hold a very strong drive together, 28-28. Overtime. We win the toss and elect to defend. We hold them three plays then block their field goal attempt. We SCORE!!!
Excellent game!
Onward Bluejays!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
UFC 78 Fighters Make Weight
Michael Bisping (205) vs. Rashad Evans (206)
Houston Alexander (203) vs. Thiago Silva (204)
Ryo Chonan (169.5) vs. Karo Parisyan (170)
Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Ed Herman (186)
Frank Edgar (154) vs. Spencer Fisher (154.5)
Chris Lytle (170.5) vs. Thiago Alves (171)
Jason Reinhardt (155) vs. Joe Lauzon (155)
Luke Caudillo (155.5) vs. Marcus Aurelio (156)
Akihiro Gono (169) vs. Tamden McCrory (170)
Houston Alexander (203) vs. Thiago Silva (204)
Ryo Chonan (169.5) vs. Karo Parisyan (170)
Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Ed Herman (186)
Frank Edgar (154) vs. Spencer Fisher (154.5)
Chris Lytle (170.5) vs. Thiago Alves (171)
Jason Reinhardt (155) vs. Joe Lauzon (155)
Luke Caudillo (155.5) vs. Marcus Aurelio (156)
Akihiro Gono (169) vs. Tamden McCrory (170)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
UFC 78 Validation
I am lazy. Leave me alone.
Akihiro Gono Vs. Tamdan McCrory (Welterweight)
Gono won his last fight against Kondo earlier this year. He is a ground go who can trade a little bit.
McCroy is undefeated and managed to triangle Pete Spratt in his last fight. Big accomplishment.
Gono by decision
Luke Caudillo Vs. Marcus Aurelio (Lightweight)
Luke is a guy from North Platte who does ok in small shows.
Marcus Aurelio is an ATT black belt who once choked Takanori Gomi unconscious.
Aurelio by RNC first round.
Jason Reinhardt Vs. Joe Lauzon (Lightweight)
Reinhardt has been around a long time amassing an impressive record of 19-0, mostly by submission.
Lauzon knocked out Jens Pulver then triangled Brandon Melendez in the UFC. He is on a 5 fight win streak, not counting the loss to Manny on TUF.
Lauzon by heel hook second round.
Chris Lytle Vs. Thiago Alves (Welterweight)
Chris is back after loosing to Matt Hughes, then winning twice by triangle choke over lesser opponents.
Thiago is back after being suspended for vitamin "S" then submitting Kuniyoshi Hironaka.
Thiago by KO first round.
Frank Edgar Vs. Spencer Fisher (Lightweight)
Frankie is back going 2-0 in the UFC beating Tyson Griffin (decision) and Mark Bocek (KO).
Spence is back after loosing to Hermies Franca, then winning a decision over Sam Stout.
Spencer by triangle second round.
Ryo Chonan Vs. Karo Parisyan (Welterweight)
Chonan, who has the greatest flying heel hook submission of all time on Anderson Silva, is debuting in the UFC after taking a 9 month break from MMA. Chonan is a very good stand up fighter as well as a good wrestler. G&P is is main way to win.
Parisyan has heard the final bell the 8 out of 10 times... Go Judo.
Karo by decision.
Joe Doerksen Vs. Ed Herman (Middleweight)
Joe where have you been? We have not seen Joe in the UFC since loosing to Nathan Marquardt nearly three years ago. His last fight was a KO loss to Paulo Filho in the Zuffa owned WEC. Hummm... Loose in the UFC farm promotion, get a fight in the UFC... How does that work?
Ed Herman is 2-2 in the UFC loosing to Kendall Grove by decision and Jason Macdonald by triangle then beating Chris Price by armbar and Scott Smith by RNC. Most of his wins are by submission.
Doerkerson by decision.
Thiago Silva Vs. Houston Alexander (Light Heavyweight)
Silva is a BJJ black belt who likes to knock people out. He is 12-0, with all but three coming by KO.
Houston just likes to knock people out.
Houston knows that to stay in the public eye and keep making money he will need to keep knocking people out. If he looses to Silva he knows people will start believing that he is a fluke, or a flash in the pan. He is in the spotlight and he wants to stay there.
Silva is 2-0 2KOs in the UFC as well, but has not won in such a spectacular fashion as Houston. If he wins, he will steal all of Houston's budding popularity, and catapult himself in to the big time.
I think that this one is won on the ground with conditioning. I don't think that Houston can keep up his killer pace for more than one round especially if the fight goes to the canvas. Thiago by RNC late third round.
Michael Bisping Vs. Rashad Evans (Light Heavyweight)
Bispin nearly lost to Matt Hammil last time out.
Rashad drew Tito Ortiz his last time out. Rashad has become known for his spectacular finishes or his very close decision wins... but he keeps winning.
I don't think that Bisping can keep up with Rashad on the ground, but I also don't think that Rashad has enough ground skill to submit Bisping. Rashad by decision... again.
Akihiro Gono Vs. Tamdan McCrory (Welterweight)
Gono won his last fight against Kondo earlier this year. He is a ground go who can trade a little bit.
McCroy is undefeated and managed to triangle Pete Spratt in his last fight. Big accomplishment.
Gono by decision
Luke Caudillo Vs. Marcus Aurelio (Lightweight)
Luke is a guy from North Platte who does ok in small shows.
Marcus Aurelio is an ATT black belt who once choked Takanori Gomi unconscious.
Aurelio by RNC first round.
Jason Reinhardt Vs. Joe Lauzon (Lightweight)
Reinhardt has been around a long time amassing an impressive record of 19-0, mostly by submission.
Lauzon knocked out Jens Pulver then triangled Brandon Melendez in the UFC. He is on a 5 fight win streak, not counting the loss to Manny on TUF.
Lauzon by heel hook second round.
Chris Lytle Vs. Thiago Alves (Welterweight)
Chris is back after loosing to Matt Hughes, then winning twice by triangle choke over lesser opponents.
Thiago is back after being suspended for vitamin "S" then submitting Kuniyoshi Hironaka.
Thiago by KO first round.
Frank Edgar Vs. Spencer Fisher (Lightweight)
Frankie is back going 2-0 in the UFC beating Tyson Griffin (decision) and Mark Bocek (KO).
Spence is back after loosing to Hermies Franca, then winning a decision over Sam Stout.
Spencer by triangle second round.
Ryo Chonan Vs. Karo Parisyan (Welterweight)
Chonan, who has the greatest flying heel hook submission of all time on Anderson Silva, is debuting in the UFC after taking a 9 month break from MMA. Chonan is a very good stand up fighter as well as a good wrestler. G&P is is main way to win.
Parisyan has heard the final bell the 8 out of 10 times... Go Judo.
Karo by decision.
Joe Doerksen Vs. Ed Herman (Middleweight)
Joe where have you been? We have not seen Joe in the UFC since loosing to Nathan Marquardt nearly three years ago. His last fight was a KO loss to Paulo Filho in the Zuffa owned WEC. Hummm... Loose in the UFC farm promotion, get a fight in the UFC... How does that work?
Ed Herman is 2-2 in the UFC loosing to Kendall Grove by decision and Jason Macdonald by triangle then beating Chris Price by armbar and Scott Smith by RNC. Most of his wins are by submission.
Doerkerson by decision.
Thiago Silva Vs. Houston Alexander (Light Heavyweight)
Silva is a BJJ black belt who likes to knock people out. He is 12-0, with all but three coming by KO.
Houston just likes to knock people out.
Houston knows that to stay in the public eye and keep making money he will need to keep knocking people out. If he looses to Silva he knows people will start believing that he is a fluke, or a flash in the pan. He is in the spotlight and he wants to stay there.
Silva is 2-0 2KOs in the UFC as well, but has not won in such a spectacular fashion as Houston. If he wins, he will steal all of Houston's budding popularity, and catapult himself in to the big time.
I think that this one is won on the ground with conditioning. I don't think that Houston can keep up his killer pace for more than one round especially if the fight goes to the canvas. Thiago by RNC late third round.
Michael Bisping Vs. Rashad Evans (Light Heavyweight)
Bispin nearly lost to Matt Hammil last time out.
Rashad drew Tito Ortiz his last time out. Rashad has become known for his spectacular finishes or his very close decision wins... but he keeps winning.
I don't think that Bisping can keep up with Rashad on the ground, but I also don't think that Rashad has enough ground skill to submit Bisping. Rashad by decision... again.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
This Freaks Me Out
I love Laincair aircraft. They are high performance kick ass airplanes. This is a video of a guy landing his Laincair IV after the engine explodes on him.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Seriously, Poo? You Use Poo to Get High?
Who the hell thought this up? I can understand the first person who did this, but how did he convince the second? How did that converstaion go?
"You gotta try this man, my poo gets me high!!"
Honestly, that guy needs to stop smelling his own poo and become a salesman. A guy so convincing that he makes people breathe in the gas from their own poo? He could make MILLIONS!!!
"You gotta try this man, my poo gets me high!!"
Honestly, that guy needs to stop smelling his own poo and become a salesman. A guy so convincing that he makes people breathe in the gas from their own poo? He could make MILLIONS!!!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Nice Flight to Yankton
On Sunday, my dad and I took a little trip to Chan Gurney Airport.
We took off from the 1956 Cessna 172's home base at Norfolk Karl Stephan Airport, where I learned to fly.
The wind was a bit stiff, 12mph gusting to 25mph. The good news was that the wind was out of 190, right down the runway. This, more than anything else, determined where we would do our bathroom stop. Yankton's runway 19 (in the direction of 190) is a nice 3500 foot long runway. Just perfect for us.
I was in the left seat to begin with on this one, and since I had not been flying in a little while, mid August, we decided that I would do two touch and goes to get the hang of flying again. This is a common practice with recreational pilots. We need three landings every three months to remain "current," leagaly transport passangers, so many pilots do a few patterns to meet their requriement as well as to re-aquire the feel for their airplane... and it is fun.
After our preflight, and run up, I did the announcement that we were depearting runway 19, for touch and go. I hit 80 MPH and barely had to rotate and we were airborne like a rocket. Tons of lift on a windy day.
My two landings were good and off we headed to Yankton about 80 miles away. We were flying north so the wind helped us out tremendously giving us a ground speed of around 130 MPH. Nice and fast.
Unlinke Norfolk, Runway 1-19 is not the primary at Yankton, 13-31 is. On 13-31 they have their ILS set up and as we were flying in, we were in contact with another airplane that was shooting ILS approaches on the cross-wind runway. Not a lot of fun with this much wind. He was in a Cirrus aircraft:
and was a lot faster than were. He was in and out while we were inbound.
I made an OK landing at Yankton, I came in a bit low and slow, and I did not add power until it was a bit late. I put it down kind of hard...
Anyway we went for our bathroom stop and what was sitting on the tarmac than a Columbia 300!!!
Looks like it is going 200kts sitting still!!
After drooling over the Columbia for a bit we switched pilots and headed back to OFK. Against the wind we made about 70MPH with dad in the left seat. It took us about an hour to get back. Dad made a great landing, and we were home.
All in all we logged about three hours in the cockpit. Fun trip!
We took off from the 1956 Cessna 172's home base at Norfolk Karl Stephan Airport, where I learned to fly.
The wind was a bit stiff, 12mph gusting to 25mph. The good news was that the wind was out of 190, right down the runway. This, more than anything else, determined where we would do our bathroom stop. Yankton's runway 19 (in the direction of 190) is a nice 3500 foot long runway. Just perfect for us.
I was in the left seat to begin with on this one, and since I had not been flying in a little while, mid August, we decided that I would do two touch and goes to get the hang of flying again. This is a common practice with recreational pilots. We need three landings every three months to remain "current," leagaly transport passangers, so many pilots do a few patterns to meet their requriement as well as to re-aquire the feel for their airplane... and it is fun.
After our preflight, and run up, I did the announcement that we were depearting runway 19, for touch and go. I hit 80 MPH and barely had to rotate and we were airborne like a rocket. Tons of lift on a windy day.
My two landings were good and off we headed to Yankton about 80 miles away. We were flying north so the wind helped us out tremendously giving us a ground speed of around 130 MPH. Nice and fast.
Unlinke Norfolk, Runway 1-19 is not the primary at Yankton, 13-31 is. On 13-31 they have their ILS set up and as we were flying in, we were in contact with another airplane that was shooting ILS approaches on the cross-wind runway. Not a lot of fun with this much wind. He was in a Cirrus aircraft:
and was a lot faster than were. He was in and out while we were inbound.
I made an OK landing at Yankton, I came in a bit low and slow, and I did not add power until it was a bit late. I put it down kind of hard...
Anyway we went for our bathroom stop and what was sitting on the tarmac than a Columbia 300!!!
Looks like it is going 200kts sitting still!!
After drooling over the Columbia for a bit we switched pilots and headed back to OFK. Against the wind we made about 70MPH with dad in the left seat. It took us about an hour to get back. Dad made a great landing, and we were home.
All in all we logged about three hours in the cockpit. Fun trip!
Monday, October 22, 2007
UFC 77 Recap
Matt Grice def Jason Black Decision
My Pick: Jason by armbar first round
Jason drops his second in a row... Maybe he is not as good as I thought.
Josh Burkman def Forrest Petz Decision (Split)
My Pick: Burkman by KO second round
Demian Maia def Ryan Jensen Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:40 rnd 1
My Pick: Jensen by KO second round
Maia got the single leg then got Ryan's back. We trained against the single leg, but I guess it wasn't enough... Hopefully Ryan will be asked back for one more fight, but I doubt it. Typically the UFC puts your contract on "hold" to let you get a few wins in the smaller shows after you loose two in the big show.
Yushin Okami def Jason MacDonald Decision
My Pick: Jason by decision
Okami surprises me with a dominating performance.
Alan Belcher def Kalib Starnes TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) 1:39 rnd 2
My Pick: Kalib by RNC first round.
A hard knee and elbow puts a Marvin Eastman size cut on Kalib's noodle. Something about seeing skull was mentioned.
Stephan Bonnar def Eric Schafer TKO (Strikes) 2:47 rnd 2
My Pick: I say Bonnar by decision
The way that this fight played out was a surprise to me. It did not look like Bonnar was hitting Schafer very hard, but Schafer was looking for refuge as if it was Fedor hitting him... maybe Bonnar had little needles in is gloves or something.
Alvin Robinson def Jorge Gurgel Decision
My Pick: Jorge by ref stoppage from strikes from the mount round one.
Jogre got the mount and looked like he would be the easy winner in the first round... Then he became obsessed with a submission from guard. Jorge looses an easy decision to a guy he is clearly better than.
Tim Sylvia def Brandon Vera Decision
My Pick: Brandon by KO second round.
I am pretty sure that under Ohio law two people who hug that much are legally married. Tim did not look good. Vera looked vera bad.
Anderson Silva def Rich Franklin TKO (Strikes) 1:07 rnd 2
My Pick: Anderson by KO third round
After Rich saw that the majority of his punches were not landing, and those that were were not doing any damage, he gave up this fight. You could see his will to win just go out. Silva on the other hand played this fight exactly like the last one. Clinch knee knee knee. He is not a member of Chute Boxe any more, but Anderson sure showed their influence.
Who is next for Silva? Hopefully Dan Henerson will drop a few pounds to be at his more normal fighting weight of 185. Hendo vs Silva would be a PRIDE match up that we wanted, but we did not get to see. Ryo Chonan has signed a UFC contract and I am sure that Silva wants that rematch. Ryo won their last meeting with a flying heel hook after taking a beating. I am positive that Silva will not let that happen again. Who else??? Damain Maia maybe. I would love to see that guy get smashed.
I take a terrific beating in this show going 3 of 9.
My Pick: Jason by armbar first round
Jason drops his second in a row... Maybe he is not as good as I thought.
Josh Burkman def Forrest Petz Decision (Split)
My Pick: Burkman by KO second round
Demian Maia def Ryan Jensen Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:40 rnd 1
My Pick: Jensen by KO second round
Maia got the single leg then got Ryan's back. We trained against the single leg, but I guess it wasn't enough... Hopefully Ryan will be asked back for one more fight, but I doubt it. Typically the UFC puts your contract on "hold" to let you get a few wins in the smaller shows after you loose two in the big show.
Yushin Okami def Jason MacDonald Decision
My Pick: Jason by decision
Okami surprises me with a dominating performance.
Alan Belcher def Kalib Starnes TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) 1:39 rnd 2
My Pick: Kalib by RNC first round.
A hard knee and elbow puts a Marvin Eastman size cut on Kalib's noodle. Something about seeing skull was mentioned.
Stephan Bonnar def Eric Schafer TKO (Strikes) 2:47 rnd 2
My Pick: I say Bonnar by decision
The way that this fight played out was a surprise to me. It did not look like Bonnar was hitting Schafer very hard, but Schafer was looking for refuge as if it was Fedor hitting him... maybe Bonnar had little needles in is gloves or something.
Alvin Robinson def Jorge Gurgel Decision
My Pick: Jorge by ref stoppage from strikes from the mount round one.
Jogre got the mount and looked like he would be the easy winner in the first round... Then he became obsessed with a submission from guard. Jorge looses an easy decision to a guy he is clearly better than.
Tim Sylvia def Brandon Vera Decision
My Pick: Brandon by KO second round.
I am pretty sure that under Ohio law two people who hug that much are legally married. Tim did not look good. Vera looked vera bad.
Anderson Silva def Rich Franklin TKO (Strikes) 1:07 rnd 2
My Pick: Anderson by KO third round
After Rich saw that the majority of his punches were not landing, and those that were were not doing any damage, he gave up this fight. You could see his will to win just go out. Silva on the other hand played this fight exactly like the last one. Clinch knee knee knee. He is not a member of Chute Boxe any more, but Anderson sure showed their influence.
Who is next for Silva? Hopefully Dan Henerson will drop a few pounds to be at his more normal fighting weight of 185. Hendo vs Silva would be a PRIDE match up that we wanted, but we did not get to see. Ryo Chonan has signed a UFC contract and I am sure that Silva wants that rematch. Ryo won their last meeting with a flying heel hook after taking a beating. I am positive that Silva will not let that happen again. Who else??? Damain Maia maybe. I would love to see that guy get smashed.
I take a terrific beating in this show going 3 of 9.
Friday, October 19, 2007
UFC 77 Fighters Make Weight
Only Josh Burkman was the only fatty. He was given an hour to cut 1/2 pound more.
Anderson Silva (184.5) vs. Rich Franklin (184)
Brandon Vera (225.5) vs. Tim Sylvia (260.5)
Eric Schafer (203.5) vs. Stephan Bonnar (204)
Alan Belcher (186) vs. Kalib Starnes (186)
Alvin Robinson (155.5) vs. Jorge Gurgel (155)
Jason MacDonald (184.5) vs. Yushin Okami (186)
Demian Maia (185) vs. Ryan Jensen (185.5)
Forrest Petz (170) vs. Josh Burkman * (171.5)
Donald Matthew Grice (155) vs. Jason Black (156)
Pope John Paul?? More Like Bruce Lee!!!
Pope John Paul?? Nah.
Bruce Lee??? You bet!!!!!!
Bruce Lee has returned!! What is your bidding your small sinewy-ness??
Monday, October 15, 2007
UFC 77 Hostile Territory
UFC 77 comes out with a good card, and MAMA's 5th figh in the big show!
Matt Grice Vs. Jason Black (Lightweight)
Matt Grice lost his debut by guillotine choke to Terry Etim. It was his first loss. Matt is a wrestler and wins his fights by G&P. He does need to work on his submissions...
Jason Black lost his much anticipated debut in the UFC by triangle to Thiago Tavares. Black was absolutely dominated in that fight, and he is looking for some serious pay back. Black is 24-3 coming in to this fight. He wins by all methods, but seems to favor submissions.
Matt Grice is nothing new to Jason Black. Jason trains with some of the best MMA wrestlers in the world. This should be a quick win for Black. Jason by armbar first round.
Josh Burkman Vs. Forrest Petz (Welterweight)
Burkman lost a decision to Karo Parisyan back in May. We all know Josh. He is a good wrestler with solid stand up. He uses his wrestling ability to lock on submissions or the KO win.
Forrest Petz won his last fight in the UFC beating Luigi Fioravanti by decision. Forrest has had so-so luck in the UFC going 2-2, getting his other win over Sam Morgan by decision, and dropping fights to Marcus Davis (guillotine) and Kuniyoshi Hironaka (decision).
I don't think that Petz will be much trouble for the People's Warrior. Burkman by KO second round.
Demian Maia Vs. Ryan Jensen (Middleweight)
Demian Maia is best know as one of the few men who have beaten Jacare in a gi match. He is currently 3-0 in MMA, his biggest fight a submission win over Ryan Stout. BJJ is, of course, his style. His stand up is not very solid from what I have seen.
Ryan Jensen is a friend of mine and a training partner. I have spent quite a bit of time with Ryan before this fight, and I can say he is looking very sharp. He lost his initial fight in the UFC, to Thales Leites by armbar.
The difference in this fight will be who has the best takedown defense and the better stand up. Maia likes to throw some wild punches then shoot for the single leg. Ryan knows how to defend the single leg and is a very strong stand up fighter. The only way Maia can beat Jensen is to get him down and try for a submission. I just don't see it happening. Jensen will be the best, most well rounded opponent that Maia has ever seen. Jensen by KO second round.
Jason MacDonald Vs. Yushin Okami (Middleweight)
Jason beat Rory Singer by KO in his last fight in the UFC. Jason is very good on the ground with 14 of his 17 wins coming by submission. Jason has been in there with some very good fighters too, beating Joe Dorkson by RNC, and Ed Herman by triangle.
Yushin Okami was dominated by Rich Franklin in his last fight in the UFC, but has performed well in the big show so far. He has beaten Alan Belcher (decision), Kalib Starnes (KO), Rory Singer (srikes submission), and Mike Swick (decision). All quality opponents.
Jason will give Okami the fight that he is most used to. A little bit of stand up, and a lot of ground. That is Okami's bread and butter... or gohan to sakana if you will. There is one big exception; Jason is bigger, stronger, and more athletic that anyone Okami has faced before with the exception of Rich Franklin. I think that Jason wins this one. Jason by decision.
Alan Belcher Vs. Kalib Starnes (Middleweight)
Alan Belcher beat Sean Salmon by guillotine in his last fight, but that is not the choke he is known for... no he is more known as the guy who got caught in a Kendal Grove Darce choke in the fight before that. Alan has good power, and decent submissions.
Kalib was the guy who walked out of the semi final match against Kendal Grove at TUF 3. He won his last fight, a decision over Chris Leben. Interesting win, I was sure that Leben would have stomped him. Kalib has never really impressed me, but he has heart and some very good submissions.
I think that Kalib wins this one. He has better submissions, and I really don't believe that Belcher deserves to be in the UFC. Kalib by RNC first round.
Eric Schafer Vs. Stephan Bonnar (Light Heavyweight)
Eric Schafer is well known for his dislike of Team Vaghi... That's us. Scott beat him up in a BJJ match once. Anywho, Schafer is a ground guy who lost his last fight by KO to Michael Bisping. Before that he won his last 5 fights by submission.
Stephan Bonnar won his last fight over the hapless Mike Nickels by RNC. He lost his last major fight by decision to Forrest Griffin. He then tested hot for steroids, and was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
This is kind of a tough call, because Bonnar really does not do well against guys who can grapple. Then again, Schafer does not do well against guys who can strike... I don't think that either one will get the finish. Stephan can only finish from the ground, and Eric is too good to get caught. Schafer rarely throws punches so he wants to go to the ground, and Stephan has been around too much to get caught there. I say Bonnar by decision.
Alvin Robinson Vs. Jorge Gurgel (Lightweight)
Alvin got finished by Kenny Florian back in July. He did not put up much of a fight. Alvin has fought some people we know, he beat Alonso Martinez and Luke Caudillo both by RNC way back in 2005. Alvin is out of Royce Gracie's Dever gym, and, as you would expect, he wins by submission or by nothing at all. His 8 wins are all by submission, and his two losses are both by strikes.
Jorge has had very little luck in the UFC. He has been fighting injured for so long, he probably injures himself before each fight so he can get ready. Jorge's last win over a quality opponent was over Jason Ireland by RNC way back in Feburary of 2005. Since then he was on TUF, with a messed up knee. He lost to Jason von Flue by decision. After that he messed up his other knee and lost a three round decision to Mark Hominick. With that same messed up knee he won a decision over Danny Abbadi. Then he fixed his knee, and beat Diego Saraiva with a sprained ankle. Not just a little sprained, twice its normal size sprained. Jorge says that he is 100% for this fight... We will see.
I think that Alvin is being served to Jorge so that he can win in front of his home town. Judging by the way Alvin was finished so easily by Kenny, I don't think that Jorge will have much of a problem. Jorge by ref stoppage from strikes from the mount round one.
Tim Sylvia Vs. Brandon Vera (Heavyweight)
Tim lost to Randy in his last fight. Before that he looked reasonably good winning a decision over Jeff Monson. Before that he looked downright crappy against Andre Arlofski, winning that one by decision. Tim is really tall and now fancies himself a boxer.
Brandon left the UFC nearly a year ago for greener pastures. Unfortunately, the other pasture was sold to the UFC, and Brandon was out of luck. The Truth returns to fight his biggest opponent in his biggest fight. Brandon is still very new to the fight game having only a record of 8-0. He has very heavy hands and quick explosive wrestling. He has won all but two of his fights by KO. He has one submission (Assuerio Silva guillotine) and one decision (Don Richard - I don't know this guy either, but he must be cool... he has two first names!!!).
I think that Tim has lost the edge and Brandon will do to him what Randy would have if Randy could punch like Brandon. Brandon by KO second round.
Rich Franklin Vs. Anderson Silva (Middleweight)
Rich was the champion. He has good wrestling and very good standup.
Silva is the champion. He took the belt from Rich by smashing his ribs with knees from the plumb clinch then smashing his nose. Siva has OK ground and phenomenal stand up.
Anderson demolished Rich in their last fight. He beat Rich so badly to the body that Rich didn't care to protect his face. Silva took an in shape monster like Franklin and inside of three minutes had him looking at the clock showing everybody how hurt to the body he was. Can Rich comeback from that kind of a beating? Anderson did look a little vulnerable against Travis Lutter. He looked like a killing machine against Nathan Marquardt. In his last seven fights he has only gone out of the first frame once. ONCE!! Against names like Rich Franklin, Jorge Rivera, Chris Leben, Curtis Stout, Travis Lutter, and Tony Furkland.
Silva does have a weak spot. He is rather easy to take down. In his three losses (compared to 19 wins) two have come by submission. One was the best flying heel hook ever seen in MMA, the other was a triangle choke by the less than stellar Daiju Takase back in 2003. If Rich can get Anderson down and get to a decent position, not guard, but half guard or side control, Rich might have a chance. If Rich decides to keep it on the feet, he is going to get mauled again.
I think that it will be more competitive this time, but the result will be the same. Anderson by KO third round!
Matt Grice Vs. Jason Black (Lightweight)
Matt Grice lost his debut by guillotine choke to Terry Etim. It was his first loss. Matt is a wrestler and wins his fights by G&P. He does need to work on his submissions...
Jason Black lost his much anticipated debut in the UFC by triangle to Thiago Tavares. Black was absolutely dominated in that fight, and he is looking for some serious pay back. Black is 24-3 coming in to this fight. He wins by all methods, but seems to favor submissions.
Matt Grice is nothing new to Jason Black. Jason trains with some of the best MMA wrestlers in the world. This should be a quick win for Black. Jason by armbar first round.
Josh Burkman Vs. Forrest Petz (Welterweight)
Burkman lost a decision to Karo Parisyan back in May. We all know Josh. He is a good wrestler with solid stand up. He uses his wrestling ability to lock on submissions or the KO win.
Forrest Petz won his last fight in the UFC beating Luigi Fioravanti by decision. Forrest has had so-so luck in the UFC going 2-2, getting his other win over Sam Morgan by decision, and dropping fights to Marcus Davis (guillotine) and Kuniyoshi Hironaka (decision).
I don't think that Petz will be much trouble for the People's Warrior. Burkman by KO second round.
Demian Maia Vs. Ryan Jensen (Middleweight)
Demian Maia is best know as one of the few men who have beaten Jacare in a gi match. He is currently 3-0 in MMA, his biggest fight a submission win over Ryan Stout. BJJ is, of course, his style. His stand up is not very solid from what I have seen.
Ryan Jensen is a friend of mine and a training partner. I have spent quite a bit of time with Ryan before this fight, and I can say he is looking very sharp. He lost his initial fight in the UFC, to Thales Leites by armbar.
The difference in this fight will be who has the best takedown defense and the better stand up. Maia likes to throw some wild punches then shoot for the single leg. Ryan knows how to defend the single leg and is a very strong stand up fighter. The only way Maia can beat Jensen is to get him down and try for a submission. I just don't see it happening. Jensen will be the best, most well rounded opponent that Maia has ever seen. Jensen by KO second round.
Jason MacDonald Vs. Yushin Okami (Middleweight)
Jason beat Rory Singer by KO in his last fight in the UFC. Jason is very good on the ground with 14 of his 17 wins coming by submission. Jason has been in there with some very good fighters too, beating Joe Dorkson by RNC, and Ed Herman by triangle.
Yushin Okami was dominated by Rich Franklin in his last fight in the UFC, but has performed well in the big show so far. He has beaten Alan Belcher (decision), Kalib Starnes (KO), Rory Singer (srikes submission), and Mike Swick (decision). All quality opponents.
Jason will give Okami the fight that he is most used to. A little bit of stand up, and a lot of ground. That is Okami's bread and butter... or gohan to sakana if you will. There is one big exception; Jason is bigger, stronger, and more athletic that anyone Okami has faced before with the exception of Rich Franklin. I think that Jason wins this one. Jason by decision.
Alan Belcher Vs. Kalib Starnes (Middleweight)
Alan Belcher beat Sean Salmon by guillotine in his last fight, but that is not the choke he is known for... no he is more known as the guy who got caught in a Kendal Grove Darce choke in the fight before that. Alan has good power, and decent submissions.
Kalib was the guy who walked out of the semi final match against Kendal Grove at TUF 3. He won his last fight, a decision over Chris Leben. Interesting win, I was sure that Leben would have stomped him. Kalib has never really impressed me, but he has heart and some very good submissions.
I think that Kalib wins this one. He has better submissions, and I really don't believe that Belcher deserves to be in the UFC. Kalib by RNC first round.
Eric Schafer Vs. Stephan Bonnar (Light Heavyweight)
Eric Schafer is well known for his dislike of Team Vaghi... That's us. Scott beat him up in a BJJ match once. Anywho, Schafer is a ground guy who lost his last fight by KO to Michael Bisping. Before that he won his last 5 fights by submission.
Stephan Bonnar won his last fight over the hapless Mike Nickels by RNC. He lost his last major fight by decision to Forrest Griffin. He then tested hot for steroids, and was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
This is kind of a tough call, because Bonnar really does not do well against guys who can grapple. Then again, Schafer does not do well against guys who can strike... I don't think that either one will get the finish. Stephan can only finish from the ground, and Eric is too good to get caught. Schafer rarely throws punches so he wants to go to the ground, and Stephan has been around too much to get caught there. I say Bonnar by decision.
Alvin Robinson Vs. Jorge Gurgel (Lightweight)
Alvin got finished by Kenny Florian back in July. He did not put up much of a fight. Alvin has fought some people we know, he beat Alonso Martinez and Luke Caudillo both by RNC way back in 2005. Alvin is out of Royce Gracie's Dever gym, and, as you would expect, he wins by submission or by nothing at all. His 8 wins are all by submission, and his two losses are both by strikes.
Jorge has had very little luck in the UFC. He has been fighting injured for so long, he probably injures himself before each fight so he can get ready. Jorge's last win over a quality opponent was over Jason Ireland by RNC way back in Feburary of 2005. Since then he was on TUF, with a messed up knee. He lost to Jason von Flue by decision. After that he messed up his other knee and lost a three round decision to Mark Hominick. With that same messed up knee he won a decision over Danny Abbadi. Then he fixed his knee, and beat Diego Saraiva with a sprained ankle. Not just a little sprained, twice its normal size sprained. Jorge says that he is 100% for this fight... We will see.
I think that Alvin is being served to Jorge so that he can win in front of his home town. Judging by the way Alvin was finished so easily by Kenny, I don't think that Jorge will have much of a problem. Jorge by ref stoppage from strikes from the mount round one.
Tim Sylvia Vs. Brandon Vera (Heavyweight)
Tim lost to Randy in his last fight. Before that he looked reasonably good winning a decision over Jeff Monson. Before that he looked downright crappy against Andre Arlofski, winning that one by decision. Tim is really tall and now fancies himself a boxer.
Brandon left the UFC nearly a year ago for greener pastures. Unfortunately, the other pasture was sold to the UFC, and Brandon was out of luck. The Truth returns to fight his biggest opponent in his biggest fight. Brandon is still very new to the fight game having only a record of 8-0. He has very heavy hands and quick explosive wrestling. He has won all but two of his fights by KO. He has one submission (Assuerio Silva guillotine) and one decision (Don Richard - I don't know this guy either, but he must be cool... he has two first names!!!).
I think that Tim has lost the edge and Brandon will do to him what Randy would have if Randy could punch like Brandon. Brandon by KO second round.
Rich Franklin Vs. Anderson Silva (Middleweight)
Rich was the champion. He has good wrestling and very good standup.
Silva is the champion. He took the belt from Rich by smashing his ribs with knees from the plumb clinch then smashing his nose. Siva has OK ground and phenomenal stand up.
Anderson demolished Rich in their last fight. He beat Rich so badly to the body that Rich didn't care to protect his face. Silva took an in shape monster like Franklin and inside of three minutes had him looking at the clock showing everybody how hurt to the body he was. Can Rich comeback from that kind of a beating? Anderson did look a little vulnerable against Travis Lutter. He looked like a killing machine against Nathan Marquardt. In his last seven fights he has only gone out of the first frame once. ONCE!! Against names like Rich Franklin, Jorge Rivera, Chris Leben, Curtis Stout, Travis Lutter, and Tony Furkland.
Silva does have a weak spot. He is rather easy to take down. In his three losses (compared to 19 wins) two have come by submission. One was the best flying heel hook ever seen in MMA, the other was a triangle choke by the less than stellar Daiju Takase back in 2003. If Rich can get Anderson down and get to a decent position, not guard, but half guard or side control, Rich might have a chance. If Rich decides to keep it on the feet, he is going to get mauled again.
I think that it will be more competitive this time, but the result will be the same. Anderson by KO third round!
CCW
I finally took the class for CCW. It was truly a waste of time. The class did not teach me anything that I did not already know... Scratch that, it taught me that there are other guys in this country a lot more crazy than I am.
The written test on the first day of class was incredibly easy... Nebraska is supposed to have the toughest requirements in the nation for CCW, I found the test to be a joke. I got all of the questions correct. What frightened me was that we had a couple of guys miss not one or two, but nearly fail the 30 question test with a score just above the required 70%.
On the range, I scored 100% again with the shooting qualifier. We had one guy almost shoot himself in the leg reholstering, and a woman who nearly failed... for the second time. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but wow. I thought that I might be a bit under qualified for the test, because I have not been shooting in a long while... I was one of the best shots there. Very sad.
I filed my application today with the State Patrol, and I am just a few weeks away from being able to pack heat... the problem is my pistol.
I own a Smith & Wesson 5906 9mm pistol:
This is a great weapon. Reasonably accurate, easy to clean, carries 15 rounds in my hi-cap magazine. The problem is, it is too big and heavy to conceal well. So, I need a carry pistol.
There are a lot of choices out there, but I have a list of specific requirements. It must be .45 APC. The rounds are cheap when compaired with the 9mm. The 9mm round is becoming more and more expensive as our military gets most of those bullets. Another thing is that you can knock down your assailant with the wind from a .45. If I am going to shoot someone on the street I want them dead dead dead. No coming back to sue me for medical bills. Dead as Dickens is how I like them.
Size is a HUGE issue. I want a pistol that I can conceal in a number of ways. On the hip, behind the back, ankle, in the waist band, fanny pack, in my back pack and in my pocket. That said, my 5906 weighs close to 40 grams with my high cap mag in. It is so heavy it pulls my pants down. Not so good for concealment if you are always pulling your pants up.
I don't want to break the bank either. I paid $500 for my 5906 and got a lot of gun. I figure if I am using a smaller gun I should pay a smaller price.
I have come up with three choices:
The Colt Defender:
Weight: 22.5 Oz
Capacity: 7 rounds
Length: 6.75 inches
Price: $775
The Taurus P145
Weight: 22.2 Oz
Capacity: 11 rounds
Length: 6.125 inches
Price: $298
The Glock 36
Weight: 20.1 Oz
Capacity: 6 rounds
Length: 6.77 inches
Price: $573
All are excellent pistols, but I think I am leaning towards the Taurus right now. Bigger capacity, better price and overall smaller frame.
The written test on the first day of class was incredibly easy... Nebraska is supposed to have the toughest requirements in the nation for CCW, I found the test to be a joke. I got all of the questions correct. What frightened me was that we had a couple of guys miss not one or two, but nearly fail the 30 question test with a score just above the required 70%.
On the range, I scored 100% again with the shooting qualifier. We had one guy almost shoot himself in the leg reholstering, and a woman who nearly failed... for the second time. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but wow. I thought that I might be a bit under qualified for the test, because I have not been shooting in a long while... I was one of the best shots there. Very sad.
I filed my application today with the State Patrol, and I am just a few weeks away from being able to pack heat... the problem is my pistol.
I own a Smith & Wesson 5906 9mm pistol:
This is a great weapon. Reasonably accurate, easy to clean, carries 15 rounds in my hi-cap magazine. The problem is, it is too big and heavy to conceal well. So, I need a carry pistol.
There are a lot of choices out there, but I have a list of specific requirements. It must be .45 APC. The rounds are cheap when compaired with the 9mm. The 9mm round is becoming more and more expensive as our military gets most of those bullets. Another thing is that you can knock down your assailant with the wind from a .45. If I am going to shoot someone on the street I want them dead dead dead. No coming back to sue me for medical bills. Dead as Dickens is how I like them.
Size is a HUGE issue. I want a pistol that I can conceal in a number of ways. On the hip, behind the back, ankle, in the waist band, fanny pack, in my back pack and in my pocket. That said, my 5906 weighs close to 40 grams with my high cap mag in. It is so heavy it pulls my pants down. Not so good for concealment if you are always pulling your pants up.
I don't want to break the bank either. I paid $500 for my 5906 and got a lot of gun. I figure if I am using a smaller gun I should pay a smaller price.
I have come up with three choices:
The Colt Defender:
Weight: 22.5 Oz
Capacity: 7 rounds
Length: 6.75 inches
Price: $775
The Taurus P145
Weight: 22.2 Oz
Capacity: 11 rounds
Length: 6.125 inches
Price: $298
The Glock 36
Weight: 20.1 Oz
Capacity: 6 rounds
Length: 6.77 inches
Price: $573
All are excellent pistols, but I think I am leaning towards the Taurus right now. Bigger capacity, better price and overall smaller frame.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Another Day Another Socalist Program
I know I am bashing Hillary in many posts, but come on!! The woman will not stop with the programs...
Here is the latest, she proposes that the Government set up a 401(k) for every person in the United States. I am OK with this, as long as the individual gets to choose where this 401(k) is placed. Let's move on: The US government will then match every dollar that the person puts in up to $1000, IF the person makes less than $60K a year. It should only cost $20 to $25 Billion a year.
Where does she propose this money comes from? An increase on death taxes. Currently, if a person who works hard their entire life, gathers wealth, pays every tax that the Government forces them to pay, their families will have to give up 50+% of their family member's wealth simply because they died.
There was a time when the crown confiscated the entire wealth of a person once they died. I thought that we fought a war to end that kind of thing... it was so long ago that I don't think anyone remembers anymore... Hillary is banking on it.
Here is the latest, she proposes that the Government set up a 401(k) for every person in the United States. I am OK with this, as long as the individual gets to choose where this 401(k) is placed. Let's move on: The US government will then match every dollar that the person puts in up to $1000, IF the person makes less than $60K a year. It should only cost $20 to $25 Billion a year.
Where does she propose this money comes from? An increase on death taxes. Currently, if a person who works hard their entire life, gathers wealth, pays every tax that the Government forces them to pay, their families will have to give up 50+% of their family member's wealth simply because they died.
There was a time when the crown confiscated the entire wealth of a person once they died. I thought that we fought a war to end that kind of thing... it was so long ago that I don't think anyone remembers anymore... Hillary is banking on it.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Quiz Time!!
See if you can guess who said the following:
1) "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. Hillary Clinton
2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. Hillary Clinton
3) "(We)...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."
A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Jose f Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. Hillary Clinton
4) "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground."
A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. Hillary Clinton
5) "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. Hillary Clinton
6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. Hillary Clinton
Answers:
(1) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
(2) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
(3) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(4) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(5) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(6) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005
Courtesy of Neal Boortz
1) "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. Hillary Clinton
2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. Hillary Clinton
3) "(We)...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."
A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Jose f Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. Hillary Clinton
4) "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground."
A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. Hillary Clinton
5) "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. Hillary Clinton
6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. Hillary Clinton
Answers:
(1) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
(2) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
(3) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(4) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(5) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(6) D. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005
Courtesy of Neal Boortz
Thursday, October 4, 2007
The Drugs
It was a busy month in MMA and with that we have all of the drug reports coming in:
Anthony Torres tested hot for steroids. He fought in the UK, so there will be no suspension or fine, BUT to the UFC's credit they tested guys anyway. This seems to be the first step in the right direction for the UFC in regards to getting the sport clean. Torres has been released from his contract for other reasons.
Adam Smith lost to Dewey Cooper at the Playboy mansion on Saturday. He tested hot for Cocaine and weed... These are not really going to help training or your performance. Why take them before a fight? Especially one in California where they test EVERYBODY in MMA? He was suspended for 6 months and gives up $1500 of his purse
As previously reported Nakamura tested hot for weed. He too was suspended.
Anthony Torres tested hot for steroids. He fought in the UK, so there will be no suspension or fine, BUT to the UFC's credit they tested guys anyway. This seems to be the first step in the right direction for the UFC in regards to getting the sport clean. Torres has been released from his contract for other reasons.
Adam Smith lost to Dewey Cooper at the Playboy mansion on Saturday. He tested hot for Cocaine and weed... These are not really going to help training or your performance. Why take them before a fight? Especially one in California where they test EVERYBODY in MMA? He was suspended for 6 months and gives up $1500 of his purse
As previously reported Nakamura tested hot for weed. He too was suspended.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Hillary - 5K For Your Baby
Recently Hillary said:
This nearly made my head explode.
First the obligatory note that nobody cares about, seizing private money to hand to private parties is expressly forbidden by the Constitution. The Constitution only provides for private property to be taken only with just compensation and only for public use. This is not even addressed by people today, they just don't care that their private property (money) can just be redistributed around.
After barely thinking about the first point, I developed yet another migraine trying to get my brain around what the hell Hillary was proposing... an account that grows over time? A personal private account? Is this the same Hillary that said that private accounts in Social Security were "risky;" and that she would ensure that nobody ever tried to privatize it. She is on record as saying that people could not be trusted to invest Social Security money properly. So what is she talking about now? What is her angle on this?
After that I realized that she said EVERY baby being born in America... I will forgo the America comment, I know she really means the USA. Anyway, every baby? EVERY baby? Even the ones born to the evil rich? What about the fresh spawn of the uber geek, Bill Gates? Do they get their $5K? What about the brats of the Walton clan? Do they get their $5K to spend at Wall-Mart? Equality is against everything that Hilliary is for.
Then the Democrat Party people and the Hillary Handlers got a hold of it. First it was stated on Bill O'Riley's radio show that Hillary didn't mean EVERY baby. She only meant babies that were born to poor people. Those poor people also included all babies born to illegal aliens. No vote buying scheme there... On the same show the Democrat party person said that this would not be a private account, rather it would be an account similar to Social Security, i.e. Government controlled. This sounded much more like the Hillary we all know and love. Thinking up a clever way to levy a tax increase on the American People having them think it was for the children.
The polls that came out later that afternoon pointed out that the American People did not like the fact that the $5K wouldn't be private money, so Hillary's handlers came out again and said that the account wouldn't be like Social Security, it would be a savings bond!!! That way it can benefit the Government AND the baby.
The final point is that later on in her speech Hillary said that families have a lot to pay for, and wouldn't be nice if this was one less thing they have to worry about... This is true. Families do have a lot to pay for. For most people their biggest expense is not their house, their car, or even their food bill... it is taxes. Most families are in the 35% tax bracket. They hand over 35% of their income, not counting capital gains, directly to the Government. If Hillary really wanted to help out families, she would give them back their money.
This is simply more of the same from dear Hillary. Her proposed Hillary Care II would cost over $300 Billion. The baby vote buying scheme would cost another $20 Billion. Simply crossing out the Bush Tax Cuts will not support all of this spending. The favorite method of the Democrats to raise money is to raise taxes. This is, of course, counter productive. As taxes rise, people have less money to spend in the economy, this causes the economy to tank, driving down income, so people have less money than before. In every situation where taxes were raised, recession soon followed.
Hillary is not good for America.
"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that
will grow over time. So, when that young person turns 18, if they have finished
high school, they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will
be able to put that down payment on their first home, or go into business."
This nearly made my head explode.
First the obligatory note that nobody cares about, seizing private money to hand to private parties is expressly forbidden by the Constitution. The Constitution only provides for private property to be taken only with just compensation and only for public use. This is not even addressed by people today, they just don't care that their private property (money) can just be redistributed around.
After barely thinking about the first point, I developed yet another migraine trying to get my brain around what the hell Hillary was proposing... an account that grows over time? A personal private account? Is this the same Hillary that said that private accounts in Social Security were "risky;" and that she would ensure that nobody ever tried to privatize it. She is on record as saying that people could not be trusted to invest Social Security money properly. So what is she talking about now? What is her angle on this?
After that I realized that she said EVERY baby being born in America... I will forgo the America comment, I know she really means the USA. Anyway, every baby? EVERY baby? Even the ones born to the evil rich? What about the fresh spawn of the uber geek, Bill Gates? Do they get their $5K? What about the brats of the Walton clan? Do they get their $5K to spend at Wall-Mart? Equality is against everything that Hilliary is for.
Then the Democrat Party people and the Hillary Handlers got a hold of it. First it was stated on Bill O'Riley's radio show that Hillary didn't mean EVERY baby. She only meant babies that were born to poor people. Those poor people also included all babies born to illegal aliens. No vote buying scheme there... On the same show the Democrat party person said that this would not be a private account, rather it would be an account similar to Social Security, i.e. Government controlled. This sounded much more like the Hillary we all know and love. Thinking up a clever way to levy a tax increase on the American People having them think it was for the children.
The polls that came out later that afternoon pointed out that the American People did not like the fact that the $5K wouldn't be private money, so Hillary's handlers came out again and said that the account wouldn't be like Social Security, it would be a savings bond!!! That way it can benefit the Government AND the baby.
The final point is that later on in her speech Hillary said that families have a lot to pay for, and wouldn't be nice if this was one less thing they have to worry about... This is true. Families do have a lot to pay for. For most people their biggest expense is not their house, their car, or even their food bill... it is taxes. Most families are in the 35% tax bracket. They hand over 35% of their income, not counting capital gains, directly to the Government. If Hillary really wanted to help out families, she would give them back their money.
This is simply more of the same from dear Hillary. Her proposed Hillary Care II would cost over $300 Billion. The baby vote buying scheme would cost another $20 Billion. Simply crossing out the Bush Tax Cuts will not support all of this spending. The favorite method of the Democrats to raise money is to raise taxes. This is, of course, counter productive. As taxes rise, people have less money to spend in the economy, this causes the economy to tank, driving down income, so people have less money than before. In every situation where taxes were raised, recession soon followed.
Hillary is not good for America.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Freedom and Socialism are Mutually Exclusive
Freedom requires small government. As government grows, it takes over choices that were previously handled by the individual. A free society requires that individuals make their own choices. This makes the individual self reliant. A self reliant person looks only to himself for answers. As government grows and takes those choices away, the individual begins to look to the government for answers.
The erosion of freedom is very real in this country. We are now asking out Presidential candidates what their plans for health care, retirement, and schools are. These questions are what we should be asking ourselves. There is NO right to health care. There is NO right to a comfortable retirement. There is NO right to an education. These things are made up by those who have discovered that your vote can be bought by government programs. In so doing they rob you of choice. They rob you of freedom. And all I hear is the clamoring for more freedom to be taken away. More liberty removed. More property and money confiscated from those who earn it, given to those who do not.
Freedom no longer rings. The socialists roll on with their programs. You allow them.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Nakamura Tests Hot for Weed
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=9234
I guess it worked for Nick Diaz...
It also explains his hair and ring entrance. He was just high.
I guess it worked for Nick Diaz...
It also explains his hair and ring entrance. He was just high.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Don't Tase Me, Bro!!
Small lesson about police:
The men and women of law enforcement, for the most part, are drawn to their job not because the want to help people, or to enforce the law. They are mostly drawn to law enforcement because they get a charge out of the power that their office gives them. They enjoy being obeyed, feared, and they enjoy enforcing their demands with violence if necessary.
This is not a bad thing. Many people wish they could enforce their wishes with violence. The vast majority of police are good people who do their job the best way they know how. They are incorruptible, honest, and hard working.
In the "Don't tase me, bro!" video you saw what happens when a person does not understand what the police's job is. You had a young man who wanted to grand stand at an event. He thought that because of his right to free speech he could dominate the time of the crowd and the guest speaker. This is incorrect. The young man was not the organizer of the event. He was a member of the crowd. Even in a public building the organizer of an event has the right to expel you, a member of the crowd, from the event if you are behaving in a way that is deemed inappropriate by the organizer.
This young man was asked to give up the microphone and let the speaker respond. He chose instead to keep talking. The event organizer then asked the police to remove the young man. The police's job was clear. Remove the young man.
The police had no wish to injure, detain, or humiliate the young man. It was their job to remove him. They grabbed the young man lightly around the arms and began to escort him out. The young man resisted this escort. Very very very bad move. The police warned him that if he continued to resist he would be arrested. The young man continued to resist. In the police's minds the young man just crossed the line from someone they wanted to get out of the room and release to someone they wished to detain. Now that the intention of the police was changed from escort to arrest, they could use whatever force they deemed necessary.
The police warned the young man that if he resisted any longer they would tase him in to compliance. He resisted. They tased him, arrested him, and hauled him away.
The mistake the young man made was that he did not know what the police's job was. He believed that because he had done nothing wrong the police would not use violence, or try to detain him. This is incorrect. He believed that if he argued his case to the police they would let him go. This is incorrect. It is NOT the police's job to listen to you plead your case. It is the police's job, in part, to gather information about crimes committed, and use the State's monopoly on physical force to arrest those in violation of the law. It is the job of the Judge to hear your case. Should the Judge deem that the police did their job improperly, you now have legal avenues to claim damages from the state.
With any contact with the police, do exactly what they say, and answer any questions that pertain to who you are. DO NOT answer any questions that have to do with any commission of crime. It is their job to gather evidence to prosecute you. If they can find no evidence they will release you. If you are at a function where the police are asked to escort you out, you go with the police the very first time they ask you. Otherwise the police will use what ever force they deem necessary, including deadly force, do bring you in.
The young man should count himself luck that one of the police had a taser with them. In most places he would have gotten a few fists, or even a baton across his head.
The men and women of law enforcement, for the most part, are drawn to their job not because the want to help people, or to enforce the law. They are mostly drawn to law enforcement because they get a charge out of the power that their office gives them. They enjoy being obeyed, feared, and they enjoy enforcing their demands with violence if necessary.
This is not a bad thing. Many people wish they could enforce their wishes with violence. The vast majority of police are good people who do their job the best way they know how. They are incorruptible, honest, and hard working.
In the "Don't tase me, bro!" video you saw what happens when a person does not understand what the police's job is. You had a young man who wanted to grand stand at an event. He thought that because of his right to free speech he could dominate the time of the crowd and the guest speaker. This is incorrect. The young man was not the organizer of the event. He was a member of the crowd. Even in a public building the organizer of an event has the right to expel you, a member of the crowd, from the event if you are behaving in a way that is deemed inappropriate by the organizer.
This young man was asked to give up the microphone and let the speaker respond. He chose instead to keep talking. The event organizer then asked the police to remove the young man. The police's job was clear. Remove the young man.
The police had no wish to injure, detain, or humiliate the young man. It was their job to remove him. They grabbed the young man lightly around the arms and began to escort him out. The young man resisted this escort. Very very very bad move. The police warned him that if he continued to resist he would be arrested. The young man continued to resist. In the police's minds the young man just crossed the line from someone they wanted to get out of the room and release to someone they wished to detain. Now that the intention of the police was changed from escort to arrest, they could use whatever force they deemed necessary.
The police warned the young man that if he resisted any longer they would tase him in to compliance. He resisted. They tased him, arrested him, and hauled him away.
The mistake the young man made was that he did not know what the police's job was. He believed that because he had done nothing wrong the police would not use violence, or try to detain him. This is incorrect. He believed that if he argued his case to the police they would let him go. This is incorrect. It is NOT the police's job to listen to you plead your case. It is the police's job, in part, to gather information about crimes committed, and use the State's monopoly on physical force to arrest those in violation of the law. It is the job of the Judge to hear your case. Should the Judge deem that the police did their job improperly, you now have legal avenues to claim damages from the state.
With any contact with the police, do exactly what they say, and answer any questions that pertain to who you are. DO NOT answer any questions that have to do with any commission of crime. It is their job to gather evidence to prosecute you. If they can find no evidence they will release you. If you are at a function where the police are asked to escort you out, you go with the police the very first time they ask you. Otherwise the police will use what ever force they deem necessary, including deadly force, do bring you in.
The young man should count himself luck that one of the police had a taser with them. In most places he would have gotten a few fists, or even a baton across his head.
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