TRACY BLOG
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Fri 03/19/10
MMA Update
Update on my "No dog in the Fight"
One of the main reasons for the popularity of March Madness and the NCAA tournament, is that 64 colleges have "dogs in the fight". Here the "underdog" always has a chance to knock off one of the big boys in front of an audience of millions. Thursdays games were a classic example of what happens when you actually play the game, rather then "experts" telling you who should win. I see Obama went 12-4 on his first days picks. There is a lot more interest in March Madness then there is for the NBA tournament that covers only a few of the larger market areas.
It gets back to: If you don’t have a dog in the fight, who cares who wins?
With all due respect to Michel Vick, (he spent is time in prison) his problem in football is not that he got a bad rap for raising and fight dogs. No team does not want him because he cannot throw the football.
Fighting dogs is a cruel sport - but all the publicity it has been getting lately will not stop it. Just like "Cock Fighting" (Chicken George) it has been going on for hundreds of years and will continue to do so. This is especially true in the southern United States. Especially "Cock Fighting".
What’s the difference between a MMA fighter and a Pit Bull? The MMA fighter gets to tap out.
Sara Palin: what the difference between a "hockey mom" and a "pit bull"? Lipstick.
Grappling is not ground fighting. Ground fighting may contain some grappling. Kicking a downed opponent in the head, ribs, and groin is not grappling. Grounding and pounding is not grappling. The MMA/UFC have shown striking is the most effective from of fighting. The most effective single grappling technique is the choke. The choke can also be applies from the standing position and this is not considered grappling. The classic example is Kenpo’s "Sleeper". As opposed to grappling, this is Jiu Jitsu. You do not have to go to the ground to put a joint lock on an opponent.
The MMA should be renamed MMS - Martial Arts Sport.
Another MMA fighter was killed in Oklahoma.
The National football League - is becoming quite concerned with concussion and their immediate and long time effect.
Warning: this is just a brief summary. If a person has just had a concussion the next blow can kill them. I had to pull one of our fighter out of a full contact tournament where he had just been knocked out and had a concussion. They wanted him to come back and fight for 3rd place!
What I like about MMA:
1. You don’t have to bow to the Korean Flag - always displayed being equal to the American Flag. As Americans we salute our flag - but never bow to it! Let alone bow to a foreign flag.
2. Call your instructor "Master"
3. Be taught by a high-ranking Korean - a national champion - by the name of "Tiger Kim"Question? Is there any major city that does not have a Korean "Tiger Kim"
4. You won’t have to pay for belt (or tip) test every month
5. You won’t have to bow to 5-6 year old black belts.Not to bow would show disrespect.
You sure would not like to "Dis" a 6-year old. If you do, you will have to face an irate mother.At least many Tae Kwon Do schools will not let the kids teach until they are 2nd Black and at least seven year’s old.
The Tae Kwon Do sales pitch: Mrs. Jones now that your daughter has been promoted to black belt it does not stop here. F she trains for another year she will be promoted to 2nd Degree Black belt and become a teacher!
Not to bow would show disrespect.
You sure would not like to "Dis" a 6 year old. If you do you will have to face an irate mother.
Image and respect in the Martial Arts is very important:
What image would you rather have for yourself?
1. I teach and practice MMA, and I wear the "T" shirt to prove it.
2. I run a day care center. We will pick your kids after school. I even drive the bus! He even wears a "T" shirt with Kung Fu Panda on it.How many of you are still receiving your free copy of "Martial Arts Professional". That magazine that usually end up in the trash can, un-read!
I see on the online April edition that the cover price is only $8.95 per edition. If they can’t give it away, who would ever buy it? Especially at that price!
Joke: A gorilla walks into a bar an orders a Martini. The bartender serves him and tells him the price is $50. To make conversation the bar tender comments; "We don’t get many gorillas coming in here. To which the gorilla replies: "No wonder, not at these prices".
Out of the stone age:
On the cover of last months Black Belt Magazine; "Breaking - a ten minute lesson. Some Tae Kwon do Schools still require breaking for belt tests. The author writes as if breaking is a natural and easy thing to do. Why don’t they throw in breaking with your head?I just had surgery on my right hand to repair damage done by breaking. The surgery was successful but the Doctor told me it would never be the same. There was a lot of nerve damage.
One warning and disclaimer always given: Never enter into any physical activity without first checking with your Doctor. How many Doctors are going to sign a medical release saying its alright for you to do breaking with your hands or feet? I jokes about this with my Doctor. His reply: you better have a lot of malpractice Insurance and worry about them pulling your license.
TUE 03/16/10
One the Lighter Side (got deeper as I wrote more) This blog has not been fully edited so there will be so errors.
"No dog in the fight"
In my part of the country (Kentucky) March madness pushes everything to the back burner. If you are not a basketball fan, the following link will be of no interest to you.
Most of you have heard the Basketball term "nothing but net," where the basketball never hits the rim. The following link is very interesting from a physics and techy standpoint. After you read this article, you will understand why the "Jump Shot" gives you a 17% better chance to make the basket. This is the best "scientific" breakdown I have ever read on the science of shooting a basketball. And with everything else being equal, a taller person has a better chance of scoring!
It’s a long article but very interesting for basketball fans.
This blog was triggered by a one page article written by Steven King in Entertainment Weekly concerning the Academy Awards. He writes a piece about once a month. Not only is King great at waiting 700-900 page novels but he has the ability to "cut to the chase" and in a few words get his point across.
His opinions of the academy awards are the same as mine. At the start of the awards he sits down with a low calorie snack and falls asleep. When he wakes up the next morning, he reads who won - and what they had to say.
As he pointed out the only time, he "had a dog in the fight" was with his "Green Mile!" I’m sure my endorsement of Steven King will increases his stature as a "great writer."
This same attitude carries over to the MMA/UFC. This is why it will never reach the popularity that boxing once had. The entire world (including myself) tuned in by the millions to watch "Smoking Joe Fraser" and "Muhammad Ali." Big money was bet on both sides. When you paid to see the closed circuit fights and had side bets you really had "A dog in the fight"
As one top MMA fighter comment when a reporter remarked how big MMA was: "if MMA is so big, how come no one knows who we are." He went on to comment:" A year or two from now most of us won’t be around because of injures, personal reason or we lost to better fighters."
Now, the same is true of boxing. How many of you can name, or even care who is the world champion in any weight decision.
As a follow up to Muhammad Ali. Most fights for him were just another "Friday night fight," but to the man he was fighting it was the greatest event in their life. Most of these fighters made more money in their one fight with Ali than they had made from all their previous fights combined. I remember the case of one "French Champion" who faugh Ali. The French boxing commission pulled his title because they did not sanction the fight. As the French fighter commented: "what did I care? I made enough money off that fight to buy the farm I always wanted and now I never have to fight again.
Muhammad Ali was a fighters, fighter. Through his careers he went around the world and gave the "rockys" of the fight game a pay check. The more Ali - mouthed up the fight and brought controversy, the bigger the paycheck.
In closing of this blog I want to draw another parallel between Steven Kings lamest novel "The Dome and the political situation that almost all levels of government find them selves: local, state and federal.
The basis plot of "The dome" is this society has been isolated in a dome where nothing for the outside can enter or the society leave.
One of the immediate problems is that because many cannot escape reality they turn to drinking and many are becoming alcoholics. There were any number of solutions proposed. The obvious solution. Soon there will be no alcohol left, and that problem will solve its self.
My parallel to the King novel. For years during the dot came and housing boom. Government at all levels spent money like" drunken sailors". Now there is no money led to spend and they borrowed heavily with the attitude there would be more money tomorrow. The problem with state governments: by law they must balance their budgets each year.
Now all levels of government have four choices;
1. Try to borrow more money - good luck!
2. Raise taxes - Where ? The "Golden Goose" was slaughtered years ago.
3. Cut spending - Both parties, Republicans and Democrats are addicted to spending! The Republicans borrow and spend the Democrats Tax and spend.
4. A combination of all the above.Then there is the "Third Rail" that no politician will touch. Cut defense spending: Quit going to war, quit being policeman of the world. Close hundreds of overseas bases. Get rid of expansive outdate military programs. Vote or even suggest any of these and you will be voted out of office. If any politician would suggest any of these options they would be labeled weak on national security and giving aid and comfort to the enemy. By the way who is the enemy.
Reality: The other war, the war on drugs. We are losing that war, no matter how much money we throw at it. We should do like we did in Viet Nam: leave in the dark of night and declare victory.
All drug lords tell us the came thing. You want to eliminate the illegal drug trade? Legalizing drugs, control and tax them. As longs as billions of dollars are to be made the problem will never be saved. Once again, no politician would dare to suggest this. The political solution, heavy jail time and throw away the key. The problem: the US has 5% f the worlds population and 25% of all people in prisons. A large percentage for non violent drug offenses. Prisons are big money. But no there is no money left for poisons. It costs and average of $50,000 a year to keep a person in Prisons. As an example in California a prison guard makes about $10,000 more per year than a school teacher. The requirements for a prison guard: high school diploma and 6 weeks training. How do they get away with this? A strong union, with lots of money to pay to lobbyists. The same is the teachers union - which teachers must belong to - pay $1000 a year in dues. That is a lot of money to spend for making sure no tenured teacher can ever be fire no mater how incompetent they are.
In California federal judges have ordered the state of California to release thousand of low risk prisoners became the state cannot properly house and take care of their medical problems. California was convinced "three strikes" and you are out, would solve all their problems. Throw away the key. Build more poisons, hire more prison guards. Good for the economy! Then the state ran out of money!
Reality: The biggest substance abuse in the world (except Muslin countries ) is alcohol.
Fact: Tobacco kills and causes more health problems then all the illegal drugs in the world. Why? Do you have any idea, on a world basis, how much tax money comes in from tobacco products.
Fact: In many states the largest "cash crop" is marijuana. How much taxes do the states collect? None. Who makes all the profit? Drug dealers. States could make millions of dollars by legalizing marijuana. States would make millions in taxes and put drug dealers out of business.
Even Obama is addicted to cigarettes, along with millions of Americans. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances know to man.
Sun 03/14/10
Health came showdown!
Obama and speaker of the house Polose are trying to round up the necessary votes to pass Health care reform before the congress takes a two week spring break and has to go home to a angry hostile - group of voters. All members of the house of representatives are up for re-election in November! 78% of American votes do not like the health insurance as proposes by Obama. Every congressional representative knows if they vote for the plan they could voted out just on this one issue in November.
Fact: If Polose had the necessary votes she would have called for a vote! As of this date she does not have the votes.
Polose’s problem is not with the Republicans (she will not get one of their votes) but members of her own party, many of whom are oppose to the law as it stand. She will be twisting arms and making deals to get the necessary votes.
I would like have the following questions answered.
1. How do you take $600 billion our of Medicare, which will become insolvent in 7 years!
We are now in the worst recession since the "Great Depression". Most small business are struggling just to survive. How can they add the expense of heath insure? The average cost of Health Insurance for a business to cover a worker and his family is $10,000 per year. How can any small business pay this an stay competitive?
2. How can you force all small business to provide health insurance for their employees?
I see three choices for the small business.
1. Go out of business
2. As much as possible - out source - (send overseas) all manufacturing and business as possible.
3. Hire mostly part time employees - like Wal Mart does - so they do not qualify for health benefits.Last week I was talking to one of the major martial arts supplies. They told me they waited three years to long to have their products manufactured overseas. They no longer manufacture any of their products in America. In addition they will be laying off over 100 employees.
3. How can you force all American to have health insurance. If they do no purchase Health Insurance they will be fined. How much will the fine be?
Question: How big of a Federal Bureaucracy will it take to keep track and enforce this provision? This should create a lot of new jobs - with the benefits of government health insurance paid for by the tax payers.
Is it even constructional?Every day America are losing their homes and jobs? Where will they get the money to buy health insurance. If you don’t buy heath insurance or have the money to pay the fine what will the government do?
1. Put you in jail?
2. Sell you house - if you still have one? Or like the IRS, put a lien on it!
3. Take your car?
4. Take the money out of your "unemployment" check?
5. Garnish your wages.4. What will happen to the cost of health insurance premiums if health insures are forced to cover "pre-existed conditions?
One of the administrations most common complains, is that insurance premium are too high.
What will happens when Insurance companies have to cover pre-existing conditions for:
Heart attack, strokes, smokers with lung cancer, all form of cancer, costs of a heart transplant, liver transplant, kidney transplant? Who is going to pay to cover pre-existing conditions? You, the current policy holders, if you will be able to afford it. I cannot see how this will make insurance premiums go down!
Here in Kentucky they are now trying to force Insurance Companies to cover Autism. The Insurance companies swill be forced to pay up to $5,000 for ages 1-5. For ages 6-21 they have to pay as much as $1,000 per month or $12,000 per year.
Fact: In the over all cost of health care, Insurance accounts for only 4%. You could put every Health Insurance company out of business and only save 4% on health care.
The devil is in the details. The Health care bill is over 2000 pages long. What has been hidden in there we will never know t until it is to late. Remember this bill was written by special interest groups and lobbyists.
Here is the big hang up. Its the old "Trust Me" The house has to approve the Bill already passed in the Senate, with out any changes. Then they are promised they will make changes after the bill has been signed by Obama.
The Houses of Representatives has ever right to not trust the Senate. Only 1/3 of the Senate is our for electron in November. Most do not have to go home to angry voters. At this time the House of Representatives has passed over 270 bills that have been sent to the Senate for a Senate vote. The senate has just let them sit their gathering dust. not even considered any of them worthy of them wasting there time!
Here is a major issue that the health bill has to cover, one way or the other. And I don’t even want to get into this argument: Abortion! This issue alone may defeat any bill! This issue generates the most violent of controversies on both sides.
Thur 03/11/10
With the new banking law, the banks still get to rip you off, but know they have to tell you they are ripping you off.
1. Almost without exception, banks have raised everyone’s interest rates. Now the rates are variable. They are set so they can go up but not down. Now they can blame the government when they raise rates. The rates are tied to government treasury rates.
2. They must now show you how long it will take to pay off your balance if you pay only the minimum.
Example: I have one credit card that I use in business to make major purchases. The balance is about $7,000. If I pay only the minimum it will take me 57 years to pay it off.
For years too many business got hooked on using credit cards to run their businesses. For many in these businesses it is the end of the road. The banks have done several things:
1. Raised rates.
2. Raised the monthly minimum payment.
3. Cut the credit limit. ( know of one person who's limit was cut from $25,000 to $2,000.
4. Canceled cards.The only thing going up faster than heath costs is college tuition. In most European countries college tuition is free. In Ireland it is free, even if you are not a citizen. In to days high tech world how can American hope to compete in the future?
What jobs? Colleges continue to remind you they are giving you an education. Not preparing you for a job.
My son Mark’s last year at the University of Kentucky, 18 years ago cost $2000. Adjusted for inflation that tuition would be $2932.29.
The actual tuition today is now $10,000 per year. That is an increases of 500% !
Recently I was talking to one of Mark’s students that will be going to medical school. He was able to go to an instate school where the tuition is only $30,000 a year not the $70,000 a year he would have had to pay for an out of state school. Most Dr.’s I know graduated from medical school with students loans of between $150,000 and $250,000. And they want to cut fees paid to Medicare Dr.’s 21%!
Where are the secure, good paying jobs? As I age, and I spend more time in hospital undergoing different medical tests (thank God for Medicare) I find most of the skilled technician are younger females. Almost without exception they have paid to go to technical school that actually prepared them for a job. And they keep updating their skills.
As our population ages there will be greater demands in all phases of medicine and medical care. A degree from a liberal arts college will never get you one of these jobs. In the real world there is not much demand for political science, history, art, dance and music majors. There is a crying need for nurses - both male and female. But nursing school is a lot more demanding and not as fun as "the college experience", with all your friends and parties. Its really fun if you have rich parents to pay for your fun years.
Pat (my wife) has a nephew who upon graduating from high school went to a tech school and became a marine diesel mechanic. He is in such demand they ship him all over the country. Sure its hard, dirty work, but pay is good with great job security.
You see all those thousands of trucks on the road! They all need skilled mechanics to keep them running. And these jobs cannot be outsourced and sent overseas! College will not prepare you for these jobs. Too many people want to sit behind a computer and never get their hands dirty! Computers are simply another tools to help you in your work. There are not that many job openings at Goggle. Many of those high tech computer jobs have been "outsourced": shipped to India!
Contrary to what Steve Oliver and Mile High Karate are telling everyone - there are not new millionaires being made in the Martial arts every day!
I do not know one person who ever became a millionaire running a Martial Arts studio.
Tue 03/09/10
Definition up-date
I should also point out that when you go to the Chinese set of definitions you will find in China they use two Major Dialects. Mandarin is the official dialect and Cantonese is more commonly used. The definition will first list the Mandarin name officially selected as the official Chinese language in 1995.
No matter what is said there will always be a controversy over the correct selling
Kenpo or Kempo
I have provided you with a link to the Japanese - English dictionary on the web.
http://dict.regex.info/cgi-bin/j-e/dict
It is quite simple to use - go down to the line where they ask for text - there will be a blinking curser. Go down 4 lines to: kanji should be in lined - check that box - the kanji will also appear.
1. First type in kenpo spelled with a "N" - you will get 22 hits - one is: