by | 2013/01/15 · 3:05 am

Deconstructing the gun debate (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my previous post on a discussion on guns and violence in the United States. Read Part 1 here. As I mentioned there, I used to be for gun control legislation. A lot of this is the data that convinced me it was not a viable solution to the problem of violence.

This second part will be more about crime. Because they have no stake in influencing public policy (making them as unbiased as possible), I will be using primarily (but not only) data from the FBI’s Universal Crime Reporting system, the CDC, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Because both organizations do have a stake in policy, I will not be including anything from either the NRA or the Brady Campaign. There will be no sarcasm, scare tactics, or hyperbole. These are things I believe are having a negative effect on the ability of Americans to have an honest political discussion in general. Continue reading →

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by | 2013/01/14 · 5:34 pm

Deconstructing the gun debate (Part 1)

I wasn’t ever intending to do this kind of thing for a few reasons. Mainly, it isn’t what this blog is about. However, the topic of gun control does bring up many decisions that people need to make for themselves, which IS a big part of what this blog is about. The biggest issue that faces a lot of people, whether they recognize it or not, is information vs. emotion. Though I’m going to break this into multiple parts, this is still going to be a fairly long post with plenty of links and citations. Continue reading →

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by | 2013/01/02 · 2:58 pm

Well, it’s a new year…

As I wrote last year, I’m not a big fan of making New Year’s resolutions. It’s not like I’m the only one out there who feels like that; I think every blogger on the planet has the same idea. The difference is that a lot of them just seem contemptuous. I get the feeling most of them have tried and failed and now hate the idea because it’s “cool” to do so. Whatever the reason, there is definitely a backlash. I’m fine with that.

The rest of this post is about what I aim to accomplish this year. This isn’t an all-inclusive list but a few of the larger goals I intend to shoot for. Not all of them have complete plans yet but I’ll be forming those throughout the year and am working on creating weekly and monthly milestones to make sure I’m on track.

In 2013, I plan to raise my financial IQ, something I should have done a long time ago. I’m on track to pay off most of my debt and so it’s time to start learning about investment options. By the end of the year, I plan to have some sort of mid-term investment account to complement my savings and 401K.

In 2013, I plan to continue strength training while focusing on prehab and mobility for both hips and lower back, my two weakest points.

In 2013, I plan to continue my experiment with 24-hour fasting by incorporating two fasts per week, every week.

In 2013, I plan to finally attend my first round of professional firearms training. The instructor has already been chosen, I’m just waiting for the release of the training schedules.

In 2013, I plan to attend a survival training course with Willow Haven Outdoor.

In 2013, I plan to get back to serious photography. I already have two or three projects in various stages of conception.

In 2013, I plan to be more conscious of my dental health. Yes, this one is a little different than the others but still very important. I’ve been fortunate enough to have exceptionally healthy teeth my entire life. However, I’ve not been to a dentist in longer than I care to admit and haven’t always been the most vigilant with things like flossing.

Technically, these could be referred to as “resolutions” but that term has a weak connotation; most resolutions tend to be non-specific. I’d much prefer specific goals that I can quantify.

I have a feeling this will be a great year.

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by | 2012/11/28 · 3:30 pm

KISS ain’t just a band

At no other time in the history of the world has there been the access to information that we have right now. Whatever your interests, there is a huge body of knowledge that can teach you almost everything you want to know. Unfortunately, that backfires on people from time to time, usually in one of two ways. Continue reading →

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by | 2012/11/27 · 8:37 pm

Let there be booze!

On Sunday, I bottled the first batch of mead. It was the standard beginner’s mead, one known around the intarw3bz as Joe’s Ancient Orange. There was a little bit left that didn’t quite fit in the bottles, and it was delicious. It will be great after a little time in the bottles to age and mellow.

I also racked my second batch of cider into secondary fermentation, splitting it into two gallon jugs. I added half a can of apple juice concentrate to each, then topped one off with store-bought apple juice and the other with an apple-cherry-berry juice blend.

The first batch of cider is still hanging out in the bottles I put it in several weeks ago. I didn’t wait long enough for it to clear up on its own before bottling, so there’s sediment on the bottom of each of them. Because of that, I’m thinking about moving it around and re-bottling it. I suspect the same thing will be happening with the mead, that I sucked up some of the lees from the fermenter and it will deposit sediment on those bottles too.

Despite that, the first batch of cider is really starting to smell good. At first, there was a “hot” alcohol smell but it’s starting to mellow after a few weeks in the bottles. It should get very tasty after.

I’ve been officially bitten by the bug, and already thinking about the next batch of tasty goodness I want to put in the ferment bucket. I also find myself lamenting the lack of space to store as many different batches of things as I’d like. At least that’s saving me money since I can’t go out and buy all the stuff it would require.

I’m learning a lot throughout the whole process. It’s a fairly passive hobby but one that’s proving itself to be very rewarding. If nothing else, I’m able to officially check two things off my list!

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by | 2012/11/21 · 8:30 pm

The obligatory Thanksgiving post

It seems like it’s almost required to have a post around Thanksgiving, talking about what you’re thankful for. In fact, it’s popular for people on Facebook to post something every day of November with something different they’re thankful for. The idea is a good one, I have no doubt about that. It seems to me that the problem is the rest of the year getting forgotten.

Now, everyone talking about something they’re thankful for every day of the year would get really annoying. At the same time, I’m not sure that people really take the time to think about that from December through October. If you get some benefit out of doing this during November, might you also get some benefit out of continuing for the rest of the year? Continue reading →

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by | 2012/11/14 · 8:53 pm

Life in the fast(ing) lane

For several years now, I’ve played with different dietary protocols that revolve around the idea of intermittent fasting. Simply put, IF is a period of eating followed by a longer period of not eating. This is the opposite of what a large portion of the Western world does, eating pretty much from waking up until going to bed. There is a growing body of evidence to support this as a valid dietary strategy for many people, demonstrating positive effects on insulin, leptin, and ghrelin (among other metabolic hormones) and should not be confused with either anorexia or bulimia. Continue reading →

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by | 2012/10/30 · 3:43 pm

Progress metrics…GPS for your sanity

So I’ve done a few posts about how I figure out what I want to do, the goals I have for myself. How do I make sure I’m making the right kind of progress? After all, what’s the point of doing something if you’re not moving closer to your destination or, worse yet, moving the wrong direction? Continue reading →

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by | 2012/10/22 · 4:24 pm

Rise of the Dead(lift)

This past weekend, I went with Seven to Rise of the Deadlift at Progressive Sports Performance in Northbrook, IL. This was her first competition since the same meet last year, where she had a disappointing outing.

Now, for those who don’t follow powerlifting, the sport consists of three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. This meet was push/pull, which means the only contested lifts were bench press and deadlift. These happen to be her shakiest and most solid lifts, respectively…but that didn’t seem to matter.
Continue reading →

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by | 2012/10/15 · 2:18 pm

How high is your bar?

I’m a pretty motivated person. I’ll admit that hasn’t always been the case but I learned to push myself and go for something big. It makes me a little sad sometimes to see people not really reaching for something great, just what they think they can do. There’s a group on Fitocracy called “Fitness Bucket List” where people put up lists of the things they want to do, their Holy Grails of fitness.

Now, I don’t want it to seem like I’m disrespecting anyone, I respect the hell out of anyone who’s making an effort to better themselves; we are the elite. What I’m seeing is a lot of people who just want to do things like “one pullup”. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. There are a whole lot of people who can’t do any.

To me, that just doesn’t seem like a bucket list type item.

Working toward that first one is a great milestone, but why stop there? Why not make the goal something like 3 sets of 10? Once you hit that first one, you know you’re on the way and it’s time to push through.

One of the things I want to do is 10 pistol (one-legged) squats per side. I can’t even do one right now, but that isn’t going to stop me from shooting for 10. It’s a high bar and a lofty goal but that’s exactly why it’s there. I’m setting my bar where it’s reachable but is still a big challenge.

I want to visit all 50 states and every NHL arena; people do things like that all the time, but it’s not going to be quick or easy. I’ve set that bar high enough to give me something big to reach for.

There’s no shame in anything you want to accomplish if it’s for bettering yourself. Just don’t be afraid of setting your bar higher. Without a doubt, you’re capable of way more than you give yourself credit for.

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