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This Made Me Smile

What's My Horoscope Corage Wolf?

Unholy Cooperation

The time, March 1994. A man sits at a bar. He is dirty, unshaven, uncaring. His addictions have all but consumed him. All he has is his music. He is deeply troubled.
Another man walks in to a bar. He is British, clean cut, good looking, and homosexual. As can be plainly seen from his gait, he has absolutely no rhythm. His fame as a musician was short lived, but intense.

The British man sits next to the dirty man at the bar. The strike up a conversation. Talk eventually turns the their common interest, music.
The two make a starting discovery about their greatest hits.

For a short while the two men record their discovery. It lifts the dirty one's spirits so much that he bursts out of his depressive state. Both men prepare to re-emerge as musical powerhouses... But alas! The government deemed their collaboration as too awesome for the world to behold.

Destroyed, and heartbroken, one man takes his own life. The other simply fades away, and withdrawals from public life.

The government finally deemed that the public was ready for the one collaborative song that the two created. Here it is:

Personality Cult

I wasn't going to say anything on the growing personality cult of President Barack Obama. All leaders who wish to keep leading need to have some sort of cult in order to keep people interested in them. It is the nature of the beast.
I knew that President Obama's cult would be stronger than most because he has 100% of the media, Hollywood, and the press behind him. This is to be expected.
Then I saw this:


You pledge to be a servant of Barack Obama????? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?????? You pledge to be the President's servant????????? Is this a joke? Are you being serious?

This is dangerous territory. When people start pledging to other people my pucker factor goes up exponentially. When you pledge your loyalty to a person, it is no longer the country that you are working for, it is the person. Kings make you pledge to be their servant. Dictators make you pledge to be their servants. Most notably Hitler made all Germans pledge an oath to him.
America is about pledging loyalty to the Constitution. And what are the first words in the Constitution? WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. So when you pledge your self to be a servant of the Constitution, you are really pledging yourself to the people of the United States of America.
This is a pledge I can live with... One that pledges you to a man??? Nope. Not good.

Sold My House!!

Well my house in Omaha is sold... It is a bitter sweet thing. I had more emotion around that house than I expected.
It was the first house that my wife and I bought. We made it our home for 8 years. Good times and bad times all right there.
We ended up selling for more than we thought we would get, BUT we had to pay closing costs, so we ended up taking home less than we thought. Oh well, the saying goes that if both sides feel cheated, a good deal was made.

Anyway the sale of my first home and the passing of the "Cap and Trade" (C&T) bill in the hose were oddly coincidental. One of the major issues with C&T is that it puts new requirements on the sellers of homes. At present time buyers of homes get a home inspection to ensure that the house is in good shape. The government will make it a requirement that all houses to be sold are inspected by a government agency to ensure their environmental rating, and to require certain retrofits, if the building is air conditioned.
This now requires the seller of the house to invest more money in their house, ensuring that they will make less money on the sale.
Work done on a house that is required by the government will NOT add to the value of the house. In fact, with older houses, it will cost much more than the seller can afford to do.
My house was a small home in an ok neighborhood. Not a great neighborhood, but an ok one. It was priced as high as we could price it for the size and the location. I thought the house was worth much more, and if it were in a different neighborhood it would have been worth much more. BUT had I been required to retrofit the house I would have been pouring money in to the house that I could not possibly get back. Had we needed to retrofit, we could not have bought the house we now live in. Actually we would have probably been forced to rent, because the cost of the retrofit would have destroyed any equity or profit we would have gotten.

IF there was a significant gain for C&T I maybe could see some need for it... Not really because I don't think the feds should be involving themselves in private contracts, so does the Constitution, but nobody reads that old thing any more. Anyway there is absolutely nothing to be gained from C&T. No gain for all of the pain. Why? Why?? Why???

On Body vs Off Body Carry

I have been comparing on body and off body carry for about 8 months now. I use a non traditional off body carry device, that being a Osprey Veer bag:


This bag has a very nifty top pocket that seems to be specifically designed for concealed carry. Believe me, it isn't designed for concealed carry, I am 100% sure that is not what the bag designers were thinking when they put this pocket in.
Any way the bag sits very nicely on my hip with my draw hand sitting right on top of the zipper. The great thing about this bag is that it looks like a true man bag. When people look at it they don't think, "he has a gun in there" like they would with the front pouch. They just look at me funny and think that I am gay or a metro-sexual. I have no problem with this.

My on body carry method is an inside the waistband holster. I have carried multiple ways, my favorites being the appendix carry, and the rear hip carry.


Appendix Carry


Rear Hip Carry

Here we go:
Off Body Major Pros:
Full concealment. My pistol is completely tucked away in my bag. Zero chance of someone seeing the gun unless I want them to.

Full body movement. I can bend over, sit down, run, go to the restroom, throw my hands in to the air, and wave them like I just don't care, whatever. I have absolute movement with no chance of the gun printing, or revealing it under my shirt.

Comfort. Nothing digging in to my hip or my gut. I can sit down were ever I wish no little reminders that I am packing.

Fashion. I don't have to worry about what I wear. I can go as tight as I want with my clothing and not worry about printing.

Ease of carry. The pistol sits very comfortably in a shoulder bag. It hangs there no problem. Because it is a bag I have lots of room, so I also carry my 7 shot reload mag.

On Body Major Pros:
Fast draw. No zippers to mess with, no bag to hold on to during the draw. Pull and point.

Zero chance of accidentally leaving your gun somewhere. The holster is attached to your hip. It goes where you go.

Most traditional, most accepted way to carry. Let's face it, most guys who carry guns would rather be seen with that awful front pocket thing than what could be called a purse.

Comparisons:
With off body carry there is a possibility that you will accidentally leave your bag and gun somewhere you don't want it.
This has never, ever happened to me, BUT with the ease of off body carry you could put your carry device down for whatever reason and someone could go through it and find your pistol. Whether it be someone looking to steal something or a child looking for a new toy. This is a big concern. On body carry this never happens, the gun is attached to you at all times.

Draw speed showdown.
In a heated situation where the gun is needed, there are a lot more steps that have to be performed to draw the pistol with off body carry. Open the zipper. Draw hand grips the pistol grip, rear hand grabs the bag, pull. On top of this the pistol can get hung up on the sides of the pocket forcing you to look down and clear the obstruction. Not good when seconds count.
On body carry just lift the shirt pull and point. You are on target immediately.

Static about the man purse. Some guys just want to give static about your bag. I have only had one time, in Texas of course, where anyone has actually confronted me. I handled it the same way Connor McLeod of the clan McLeod handled it when a cop asked him if he was a homosexual (You a faggot Nash? Why? Are you cruising for a piece of ass?). Occasionally I hear comments yelled out behind me, but really if you are going to do that I find that you are revealing your own cowardice then exposing my inadequacies.
On body, no muss no fuss.

Concealment. The bag is better hands down. With on body carry if the pistol isn't placed just so, the bulge gives it away every time. When you do an on body carry you can't bend over, you cant reach up to get something. You flash the gun or it prints every time. I have not been busted for this, BUT many of the people I know on message boards have. I feel much more comfortable having the pistol safely tucked away in the bag where there is no chance of printing, or flashes. However, interestingly enough, the only time I have been "busted" was when a reader of this blog saw me with the man bag, and asked me if I was packing.

The comfort issue. In any situation where you are not standing up you have a comfort issue with the on body carry. It digs in to your hip, it preses in to your gut, it is difficult to get a seat belt around it.
Off body, no problem. Seated, standing, in the car whatever you are good to go. In the car is especially handy. Ever try to get something out of your pocket while in the car? It is just as difficult to draw if you are in the car, more so with the appendix carry. With off body I just set my bag next to me and away I go. I have the same draw problems as when I am not standing, but it is much easier to get at the pistol.

Transitioning between carry and non carry environments. You go to a store, and you see that they have a no weapons allowed sticker in the door. You have to ditch your piece. With off body carry all I do is go back to the car and put my bag in the trunk. Done walk in to store. With on body carry, I have to play a cloak and dagger game to get my gun out of my pants without anybody seeing what I am doing. Even though I am 100% legal in carrying the gun and keeping it in the car, John Q Public, actually Jane Q Public, freak the hell out when they see anything resembling a gun. Southroads mall in Omaha got shut down because some woman saw a guy walk in the the mall with what she thought was a rifle. It was an umbrella. So, if they see you put a gun in the car, you can bet the farm that you will have some explaining to do with the police when you get back to your car. If you car is still there. You may have some explaining to do at the impound lot.

All in all there are many pros and cons, personally I am a big fan of off body carry. It is so much more convenient, and frankly I am more comfortable with the concealment than I am with on body carry.

Perhaps the Best Internet Comic Ever Written

Female Ninjas

I don't understand it, but damn...

Culture Shock

I find myself in a bit of a culture shock. Or maybe a reverse culture shock.

I spent almost 15 years doing traditional Martial Arts. I received black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do. The culture in these arts was belt based. In order to learn new techniques, you had to progress through the belt levels. Great emphasis was placed on testing and receiving new belts.
The first two questions that were asked of any new student walking in the door was, Have you trained before and What belt are you?
Time and trouble were spent mastering moves that may or may not have any relevance in a combat situation.
Sparing and contact were kept to a minimum, except for those who wanted it. Even Though you used different moves in sparing, great emphasis was placed on the non combat moves, because they were required for testing.

Then I went to a fighting gym. I have been there for about 4 years now. New students were welcomed, then shown where the mat was. Little to no emphasis was placed on belts. The only belts that mattered were championship belts. Sure there was a belt system in place, but since everybody did the same techniques what use was there in testing?

In the fighting gym everything was about respect. You gained it by spending time on the mat, and in the ring. Those who stepped in to the ring or the competition mat were looked on with reverence and the training focused on getting them ready for fights. Training was always intense, because somebody always had a fight somewhere. You could not help but improve your technique. You improved, or you were dominated.
Useless techniques were discarded. No time was wasted on moves that could not be directly applied to the fight.
All that mattered was the fight.
Technique drills and sparing time was overbalanced in favor of sparring.

Both cultures had their positives and negatives. I the fighting gym, only the toughest of new people stick around to train. It is good because anybody on the mat or in the ring at any given time is going to give you trouble. Everybody is tough, nobody ever quits.
It is bad because maybe that one guy is a diamond in the rough, but needs just a little bit of external encouragement, or incentive to get them to be a good training partner. In the fighting gym, this person is crushed, and sent home

In the belt obsessed gym, everyone is included and encouraged to participate. This is great because all are given a chance to learn and grow. Everybody learns the beauty of the Martial Arts and have the chance to participate in all activities.
It is bad because the weak and the half assed are there to drag you down. The workout is not nearly the intensity of what it could be, because all fitness types must be accommodated.

In my opinion the TMA gym will foster a false sense of security in most of the participants. They believe that their workouts and their sessions will prepare them for the fight. In fact very little of what they do prepares them for the fight.
Heart, toughness, the ability to take and receive pain is not experienced. For certain perseverance is preached, and for the very unfit, experienced in the daily work out.
In the fighting gym, you never gain a true sense of security. You are always striving to improve your fight game, because those around you are doing the same thing. There is no complacency, because complacency is punished by those willing to push farther than you are. The fight is the only thing that matters. Heart is built daily. Limits are tested daily. At some point in every workout your mind attempts to betray you with thoughts of quitting. These qualities build the fighter.

The gym I just joined tries to make a distinction between the two cultures. In the beginning it is more of a TMA dojo. Emphases is put on getting belts. When a certain level of achievement is attained, you are allowed to work out in the intense advanced class. This allows the beginner to learn and grow until they are ready for the more intense work out.

I am in a bit of a culture shock, because I am stuck in the beginner classes. I know the moves, and I have the fitness and drive to be in the upper level, but they simply do not know me yet. So, I am stuck in the belt ranks. After being at the fighting gym for so long I miss the intensity. I miss the fight. I thrived in the fighting gym because I craved the ability to step up my game and to find other fighters that were willing to go hard until we dropped. Few and far between were those types of people in the TMA dojo. In the fighting gym that type of personality was always the guy you were with.

Cheney In Hot Water

What is the deal? Well, the former Vice President was tasked with creating a group of assassins to capture or kill top al-Qaeda leaders. Sounds good right? The CIA was given the task and began training and planning for missions.
Here is where it gets sticky. The 1947 Intelligence Act requires the Executive Branch, of which the CIA is a part, to disclose to congress what it is doing. BUT this only involves covert operations. Former VP Cheney asked the CIA not to report what it was doing to congress. Is this a violation of the Intelligence Act? It depends. The Act, like most federal law, is vague. The line that seems to have been drawn is the "direct action" line. In other words, did we have people, boots on the ground, from this assassin group working in a foreign land. If we did, that is direct action.

IF the assassin group was in direct action, and the former VP knew about it, throw him in jail. He broke the law. You were doing the right thing Mr. Cheney, but you still broke the law. Off the the hoosegow. No one is above the law, especially the Executive Branch of the government.
If there was no direct action, then former VP Cheney was just creating the coolest group of ass kicking ninjas EVER. The only thing he would be guilty of then would be being awesome.
Why wasn't I approached to be an ass kicking ninja... I could do it...

Story

Abe Wagner In TUF!!

My buddy Abe Wagner is going to be on The Ultimate Fighter. Go Abe go!!

Here is Abe at the recent UFC Fan Expo where the cast was revealed for the first time.

North Korean Leader Has Cancer

Die. Just freaking die you troll. You oppressing, saber rattling, goofy bastard, just DIE.

Here is a man who lives in luxury while his people cannot get enough to eat. I hope that cancer is very very painful. I hope he can't find the drugs to combat the cancer. I hope that you suffer more than the average cancer patient in YOUR country. Die. Die. Die. Make the world a better place.


Dude, just die already...

Want to know what socialism looks like? Take a look at North Korea. It isn't because the U.S. imposes sanctions that your country takes a dive. It is because Communism and Socialism DOES NOT WORK. Why with all of the examples in the world do we continue to pursue this way of life? Because, at its heart, Socialism/Communism is about POWER. In fact most governments are about power. Madison knew this. Madison also knew that the natural state of government is to feed the self interest of those that govern. That is why he framed up our government they way he did. With three branches in total deadlock all of the time. But all that has changed now. But this post is about Kim Jong Ill. Who is ill. And we all hope he dies in horrific pain very soon.

Story

Most Significant Thing to Happen At UFC 100

The Buffer 360 in all of its Awesomeness was revealed. It is like Magnum replacing Blue Steel.

UFC 100 Recap

I hate decisions. Most of the time it means that the fighters were fighting not to loose. I hate that. I like fighters who finish fights. I like fights that end early. That is why I am starting to like Brock Lesnar. He finishes fights... Sort of.

Shannon Gugerty def Matt Grice Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:36 rnd 1
My Pick: Shannon by triangle second round.
Shannon ended it a bit early, but I like that!

Tom Lawlor def CB Dollaway Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:55 rnd 1
My Pick: CB by RNC second round
This was supposed to be DB's comeback fight... I guess nobody told Tom that...

Dong Hyun Kim def T.J. Grant Decision (Unanimous)
My Pick: Grant by KO first round
Kim might be for real.

Jon Jones def Jake O'Brien Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:43 rnd 2
My Pick: Jones by KO late second early third
Jones will be fun to watch in the future.

Jim Miller def Mac Danzig Decision (Unanimous)
My Pick: Mac will G&P his way to a decision victory.
Wow. This was supposed to showcase Mac, and bring him back in to the UFC fold. Wow.


Mark Coleman def Stephan Bonnar Decision (Unanimous)
My Pick: Bonnar by decision
It was very cold last night, and I could not explain why... Now I know. Hell froze over. Maybe the UFC will throw both of them out??


Yoshihiro Akiyama def Alan Belcher Decision (Split)
My Pick: Akiyama by KO frist round.
Belcher showed that he has talent, drive and absolutely no way of defending straight right hands. Akiyama got a takedown in the last round to seal his "victory," but it was not pretty.


Dan Henderson def Michael Bisping KO (Punch) 3:20 rnd 2
My Pick: Henderson by decision
Many new to the MMA game heard that Henderson had this Hammer of God right hand, but they never saw it. They saw Hendo whip it around a few times but never really saw it in all of its glory. Well, inexplicably, Bisping dropped his hands for just a moment and BLAM. Good night sweetheart. Check it out:

Wow.


Georges St. Pierre def Thiago Alves Decision (Unanimous)
My Pick: GSP by decision
GSP won every round on every judges scorecard. One judge gave him the last round 10/8. Complete domination.

Brock Lesnar def Frank Mir TKO (Punches) 1:48 rnd 2
My Pick: Lesnar by G&P KO first round
Brock did not figure out you could throw punches from half guard until late in the first round. After that it was just a matter of time.
No one in the heavyweight division right now can beat Brock. No one. Not Nog, not Randy, and certainly not Check Kongo who is assuredly Brock's next victim.

Jon Fitch def Paulo Thiago Decision (Unanimous)
My Pick: Fitch by KO late third round
I didn't get to see this fight, but whatever. Good job Jon.

I go 7 for 11. Star studded, but overall less than awesome UFC. Dana better start talking to his fighters, because if many more PPVs go like this one, people will stop watching.

At Least Our President Just Looks...

The leader of Italy ladies and gentleman. The leader of Italy.

Pedo Bear Moment

The chick who's ass President Obama was checking out???

Brazilian Mayora Tavares. She is 16. Awesome.

I'd Hit That!!

You know he would!!!

I Am A Sap

Occasionally you come across a song that is so incredibly stupid that you can not stand to listen to it. The only problem is that it touches you in a way that you can't explain. It reminds you of someone, or of some place, or some event, or just touches you. You can't explain it, you can't stand it, but you listen over and over.

I get a little choked up and the emotions that this one brings up in me. I don't know why. It reminds me of the wife.

I am going to go to the shooting range later to restore what ever man-ness I lost by posting this...

UFC 100

Well... Art Davie said that we would get here. It was in doubt for a while, the dark years were tough. Only Dish Network carried the fights, and venues had to be changed sometimes on just a few hours notice. But we made it through. 100 UFCs. It is more like 130, with UFC 37.5 Ultimate Ultimates, UFC Japans, and Ultimate Fight Nights, but really who cares?
Of the 8 men who participated in the very first UFC, opened by a belch, literally, from Bill "Superfoot" Wallace only three are still active: Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and Pat Smith. None of those men are on the card for UFC 100. Kind of sad. Maybe I am a glutton for punishment, but I would have liked to see Shamrock v Gracie III, or Smith vs Shamrock II. It would have been fun.

Card:
Matt Grice Vs. Shannon Gugerty (Lightweight)
Grice has struggled in the UFC going 1-2, loosing to Matt Veach by KO most recently. Matt trains out of Norman, Oklahoma where he was a state wrestling champion.
Gugerty is 1-1 in the UFC losing his last fight to Spencer Fisher by triangle. Gugerty seemed to be a babe lost in the woods fighting Fisher. Spencer has that effect on most people.
Matt surely has the wrestling advantage, but Shannon seems to have an edge in the ground game. Neither of these guys really likes to stay on their feet so I expect that Matt will secure a takedown work some ground and pound before Shannon catches him with a triangle. Shannon by triangle second round.


CB Dollaway Vs. Tom Lawlor (Middleweight)
CB is 2-0 since losing to the STILL injured Amir Sadollah. What is with Amir? Frak Mir came back from a broken femur faster. Anyway, CB beat Mike Massenzio by KO back in December. DB is a good stand up guy with an ok ground game.
Tom Lawlor beat Kyle Kingsbury by decision in his first and only UFC appearance.
It is difficult to match these two up because in his seven fights Lawlor has one no contest and one DQ. He has very little experience otherwise. CB is a well known TUF finalist that has three UFC level fights winning two of them.
I have to go with the experience here. CB by RNC second round.

Dong Hyun Kim Vs. TJ Grant (Welterweight)
Kim "lost" his last fight to a Karo Parisyan high on pain killers. The fight, he should have been named the winner, was ruled a no contest. Kim is a Judo guy with some decent kickboxing.
TJ Grant steps on for the injured Jonathan Goulet, to take on Kim. TJ won his last fight, and UFC debut, by split decision over Ryo Chonan.
Grant trains out of FitPlus in Canada. He seems to be a very strong ground guy with all but two of his wins coming by submission. He likes the armbars with 8 of his 14 wins using that submission.
I think this is a bad match up for Kim. I don't think that Grant will come at him like anybody else he has faced before. Parisyan have Kim a hard time, but Karo still came at him like a Judo fighter. I think that Grant's submission wrestling style will be difficult for Kim to deal with.
Grant by KO first round.

Jon Jones Vs. Jake O'Brien (Light Heavyweight)
Jon "Bones" Jones walks in to the ring once again. For all of his talk you would expect Jones to have as many KOs in the UFC as Chuck Liddell. He does not. He actually has only won by decision in the UFC. Most of his 8 wins are by KO (5), so look for him to throw leather.
Jake spoiled Heath Herring's first walk in to the UFC, but has not done much since. He dropped the next two of his fights, and managed to eek out a split decision over Christian Wellisch in his last fight. Again, most of Jake's 11 wins end by KO (8). So he will throw leather as well.
Both of these guys will want to land the big punch. Jon shows a lot of technique and poise in his striking. Jake looks like a drunken monkey. Jake will undoubtedly go for the takedown. He needs to get the fight on the ground in order to win. Jon will be ready for this. In this kind of a contest, look for the best athlete to win. That is Jon "Bones" Jones. Jones by KO late second early third.

Mac Danzig Vs. Jim Miller (Lightweight)
Mac has struggled in the UFC. He has lost two in a row first dropping a decision to Clay Guida, then getting triangled by Josh Neer. Mac is an all around fighter winning on the ground and standing up.
Jim Miller lost his last outing by decision to the Juggernaut that is Gray Maynard. Jim is a ground fighter, and simply was over powered on top by Maynard.
This fight should bring Danzig back to his winning ways. Jim will want the fight to go to the ground and will be looking for the takedown the whole time. Mac will stuff the takedowns, dominate the stand up, and eventually use Miller's takedown, or Miller will allow Mac, to take the top position. It will be all over from there. Mac will G&P his way to a decision victory.


Mark Coleman Vs. Stephan Bonnar (Light Heavyweight)
Coleman is a wrestler who looked awful against Shogun. He has no gas (left vague on purpose)
Stephan Bonnar has struggled in the UFC. He seems to win a fight he shouldn't then lose a fight he should win immediately after. He beat Eric Schafer by KO, then lost a decision to Jon Jones. You would think the reverse would have been true.
Here we are again. Coleman has no business being in the UFC. Bonnar should win this fight. All he has to do is stuff takedowns for 1.5 rounds. Coleman gasses after that and then Stephan can win by whatever he wants. Will Stephan do that? The only way Coleman wins is if he can secure an early takedown and land some good shots early in the first round. However Bonnar is notoriously durable, I don't see it happening. Bonnar by decision.


Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher (Middleweight)
Akiyama is a cheater who greased against Sakuraba. I hope he dies... No I don't hope that... I hope Belcher smashes his face until he looks like Takayama!! Post Frye Takayama!!

Sexy!

Akiyama makes his debut in the UFC. He is a Korean born in Japan. He uses a mix of Judo and karate. He has heavy hands and has fought, and beat some tough western fighters knocking out Dennis Kang, and making Melvin Manhoef tap to an armbar.
Alan Belcher, any time I hear that I think of the guy who Kendal Grove caught with a Brabo Choke. Belcher has improved greatly though, most recently choking out Dennis Kang with a Guillotine. Belcher is a somewhat reckless striker and a hot/cold ground fighter. Sometimes, like against Kang, he is a superman, other times, like against Grove, it looks like he does not train on the ground. Who will show up?
Akiyama has already dealt with all of the problems that Japanese fighters face when fighting in the UFC, bigger fighters due to cutting weight, overly aggressive first rounds, elbows on the ground. The only thing he has to learn about is the cage, and I don't think that will be much of a problem. Belcher has the ability to win this fight, but I don't think it is in the cards. Despite my dislike for him, Akiyama by KO frist round.

Dan Henderson Vs. Michael Bisping (Middleweight)
Hendo "won" his fight against Rich Franklin by split decision to take the coach spot on TUF. Henderson is known for his wrestling and his big right hand.
Bisping is the UFC's golden boy in England. He coached the Brits to a devastating win over team USA in TUF, and deservedly so. The leader of the Lion's Den is a good striker and a good ground guy. He won his last fight over Chris Leben by decision.
The only guys to have submitted Dan Henderson are the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva, a Nogueira black belt. Is Bisping at that level on the ground? No freaking way. No one has ever knocked out Dan Henderson. He has been in there with Rich Franklin, Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva, Yuki Kondo, Shungo Oyama, Wanderlei Silva, and Gilbert Yvel. Bisping think that he is going to knock out Hendo? No freaking way. Henderson by decision.

Jon Fitch Vs. Paulo Thiago (Welterweight)
Fitch beat Akihiro Gono by decision in his last time in the UFC, and is looking to extend his winning ways. Jon is a great ground fighter, and has very solid stand up skills. He looked to be the one who could unseat GSP from the 170lb throne, but Georges' wrestling proved to be too much for Jon.
Thiago destroyed Josh Koscheck in his debut in the UFC. No one gave Paulo a chance after Kos has been so dominate, but Thiago went in there like a man on a mission and put Kos to sleep. Here we have the prototypical next generation Brazilian fighter. Paulo has the Muay Thai of old school Chute Boxe with the BJJ skill of BTT. I look for great things from this fighter.
All of that said... Putting Paulo in with Fitch as his second fight is a lot like the out of the frying pan in to the fire analogy. Kos was bad ass, but still not at Fitch's level. I think the UFC is making a big mistake in moving Paulo along too quickly. The man who beats Fitch is arguably going to be next in line for a shot at Alves or GSP depending on the outcome of their fight, and I don't think that Thiago is nearly ready for that. The UFC should feed Paulo with some new up and comers to showcase his growing talent, and round him out as a fighter. Instead they are throwing him to Fitch.
This is a tough fight to call. I think that Paulo is very very good, but I don't think he as the kind of experience it will take to beat a savvy guy like Fitch. I think that Jon will frustrate Paulo by not engaging and irritating him with quick punches and kicks. Fitch will stuff any takedown and cause Paulo to make a mistake by rushing in on him. That is where disaster will strike. Fitch by KO late third round.

Georges St-Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves (Welterweight Championship Fight)
GSP is the greatest MMA fighter since Sakuraba. GSP is the complete fighter. Increasable standup. Razor sharp ground skill, and a world class wrestling game. He is everything you want in a fighter. BUT he has a fatal flaw. Opponents get in to his head. Matt Hughes did it in their first fight. Matt Sera did it in their first fight. GSP has a bit of a confidence issue and for some reason believes that some opponents are better than him. Believe me ALL fighters entertain these thoughts before a fight. It usually happens the first week or so of hard training. You are tired from working out hard, they fight is a ways away so you see nothing but more hard training ahead. The other guys are fresh and you start to get your ass kicked. You feel that if these guys are doing this to me, what the hell is this guy going to do to me??? You normally shake this feeling just as you peak when you are destroying all of your training partners because you have the gas to out physical them and your technique is sharp from the training. Some fighters don't lose those thoughts. And when looking at that other guy across the ring the fear gets the better of them.
The way Alves has been destroying people, he might be in GSP's head.
Alves is on a 9 fight winning streak. He beat Josh Koscheck by decision his last fight out. Before the decision win with Koscheck he had been knocking guys out left and right. His Muay Thai has been unstoppable.

Who wins... Depends on GSP's game plan. Fitch and Koscheck were able to nullify Alves with their wrestling. GSP is a better wrestler than both of them, so he should be looking to take Alves down and keep the fight there. If GSP does that, Alves does not have a chance. BUT if GSP decides to dance a bit with Alves, GSP goes down, and down hard. I don't think that GSP can match Alves punch for punch or Alves' intensity in the stand up game. I don't think that GSP is a stupid fighter, so...
GSP by decision.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir (Heavyweight Championship Fight)
Lesnar is a beast. He is a man/bear. He is the stuff of nightmares for all martial artists. A big aggressive, athletic man. When a martial artist says that size doesn't matter, ask them about Brock Lesnar.
Brock is a wrestler. He will take you down and pound on you.
Mir has never looked so sharp as he did in his last fight against Nog. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira hangs his hat on three things: BJJ, boxing, and his chin. Mir out boxed Nog, then knocked him out. The legendary chin of Nog, simply could not stand the multiple straight right hands that Mir threw. Frank looked composed and comfortable in the ring.

The last time these guys fought Mir was barely able to lock on a kneebar. Lesnar was able to smash Frank up, and if it weren't for a questionable stand up, Lesnar would have won that fight. The simple fact is that the only way Frank wins this fight is if he can keep it standing, stuff Brock's takedowns, and pull the fight in to the fourth or fifth round. Brock's endurance has never been tested and I am reasonably sure that he will make a mistake in the later rounds due to fatuge.
Can Mir do it? No. I don't know if anyone on Earth can stop a fresh Lesnar takedown for very long. Stuff one yes. Stuff two maybe. Stuff three? No freaking way. Mir is going to be put on his back and smashed to pieces.
Lesnar by G&P KO first round.

The System, She is Broken

I was in Wal-Mart yesterday buying some needed supplies. As I get there I notice a gentleman getting out of his Cadillac SUV and walk in to the store with me.

I do my shopping and I go to pay. Just in front of me in line, I notice the very same gentleman. He seems to be very well dressed, in a casual way. He has a brand new baseball cap, polo shoes, and Gucci eye glasses. He is paying for two very large bags of dog food. He gets a call while waiting and pulls out of his pocket an iPhone. On his wrist is a very nice looking large designer watch.
His turn comes up and pays for his bags of dog food with an EBT card. I threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Here is a man that is surrounded by luxury items. Items that I would not buy because of their exorbitant prices, and lack of value for those prices. Yet he has no qualm about paying for sustenance for his dogs, animals that serve no purpose in modern urban life, with money given him by the community.

I guess I am just old fashioned. I would be completely destitute before I accepted any money from the Government. Even then, I don't think I would do it. I would have to be naked, homeless, and near death to accept it. To me accepting anything from the Government is worse than accepting anything from *gasp* my family or my parents.
I am my own person. Getting assistance from the Government is like saying that I am simply a ward of the State. The concept is as repulsive as it is horrifying.

Perhaps this guy was simply down on his luck... But why would you have an expensive cell phone with an expensive call plan, a very nice new luxury car, etc, etc.
Too many things just did not add up.

The system, she is broken. The mindset of the people must be changed for any type of reform to work. Getting money from the Government must be a shameful thing. It must be thought down upon. It must be thought of as the thing that only bad people do. Eating poo must be thought of higher than getting food stamps.
Only then can the system be fixed.

Well Did You??

What The Hell Is Wrong With This Place??

I am new to the OKC area. The wife is on a 30 hour in house call. It is the 4th of July. The local FairTax and Libertarian groups are putting on a "Tea Party" at the state capitol. I think that I will go. I have nothing better to do.

I hear they are going to be talking about the FairTax. YAY!!!!
I hear they are going to be talking about out of control spending in the Federal Government. YAY!!
I hear they are going to be talking about gays and their sexual deviancy. YA.... Wat???

What the hell is wrong with you people? First you have some batshit crazy state senator present some proclamation declaring "the homosexual agenda is just destroying this nation and poses a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism or Islam." WAT??????

Really??? What two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home poses more of a threat than terrorism??
Islam is a threat??? Really?? A religion? Really?? More than your religion or some other religion?

In case you bigoted morons have not noticed homosexuality has been part of human culture FOREVER. Just look in to... well EVERY society since man has had a society. Not until very very recently has it been "bad."

What is it about homosexuality that scares these people? What threat does it present to your way of life that you will not allow two people in to a "marriage" or any other type of social contract? Is it the same thing that pissed you off about the blacks marring in to white families? Or the Asians? Or the Catholics marring the protestants?

Grow the fuck up. Leave other people alone, worry about your own backyard and the freedoms that you are surrendering to the federal government. The gays could help us out on that one. I bet they don't like their money being stolen either.