ZR440

Again, Don is correct. Firearms can add to the understanding of empty hand fighting. Not every gun toting martial artist will automatically brandish their weapon in a fight because there are so many considerations for defending yourself. Variables in which to consider can be number of opponents, do they have weapons, are they drunk, can you run? I have recently rec'd my permit to carry concealed handguns. I would not think of using it if I were in a fist fight, but if some idiot is about to slice me up in a confined area at night he'll be a statistic. Maybe he'll run after seeing a .40" barrel pointed at him and no shots will have to be fired. Chalk that one up for the intimidation factor of my weapon against theirs. Maybe my modern weapon will even save another person's life in some other altercation. Who knows? I love the MA that I practice, but I wouldn't rely on it in some cases. It might come down to running like the wind or chambering a hollow point. At least I have the choices to pick from.

Sounds like an excuse that Dilbert would come up with.

I sure as hell don't think anyone of lower rank should deserve a higher belt if they beat someone of higher rank in the ring. I have a few friends in the special forces that would break people in half if you hung a six pack of cheap beer around the opponents neck. So then they would be considered martial art experts? No, just thirsty. Belt ranking is simply a means to identify the progress within a system. If it's phoney, who cares?

"Fermentation changes the the chemical structure of the tea leaf and allows key flavor characteristics to emerge." OK, KSN Doug, here's your chance to shine. Explain how this happens in detail.

Nope. Whiskey already has water in it.

How much whiskey are you putting in your tea?

Gun Kata? Maybe for entertainment purposes only. Anyone even thinking about trying that would be better off spending the money on a NRA approved home invasion handgun course. Actually, anyone thinking about taking gun kata should not even own a gun. It's that stupid.

Too bad I didn't read this earlier, but I'm still going to send this to my best buddy who is a warrant officer with the Army Special Forces.

After watching the Lions for the past 15+ years I'm used to watching the prevent (yourself from winning) defense. It must have been something in the air yesterday with come from behind games. The Red Wings were down 3-1 in the third period against Chicago with less than 10 minutes left. They won 4-3 in OT. Yeah, baby, yeah!

I'm going to quit eating at Taco Bell.

The Cleveland game wasn't much different.

I'm a warthog or possibly a rooster. I think more of a warthog because my hobbies/careers can include being a mercenary that likes hockey and occasionally tinkering around in the garden.

Sai, It took me three days to recover from a belt test last week. Sometimes I think my hangovers last that long too.

Ah, John, how bad does the memory get by your age? You seem to have a little problem at the end of your message and it's making me nervous. I am already suffering from Sometimers in the early stages. (I blame it on all the beer I drank in my twenties.) What's it going to be like in another ten years? Am I going to forget to put my pants on before I leave for work?

I might need to wrap a magnet around my head on New Years Day.

The difference I find is that younger students can train longer with shorter recovery times. The older crowd takes longer to warm up (myself included, at age 32) and we rely on technique more than brute strength. I find it challenging to leave work at the end of the day knowing a two hour workout is ahead of me. I might focus on mechanics more than physical ability, however, that can sometimes require just as much energy. I'm just glad I can get outa bed in the morning any day of the week.

You are in for a real treat, Chris. The 30's is when you start going to doctors. It's all about your body paying you back for the sins of your youth.

Front wheel drive truck? Who makes that?

It wouldn't be a real party without someone dancing naked in the punch bowl. But that would be kinda hard via internet. However, if we all had those little cameras.......

My friend's son just got his license last Tuesday. He was allowed to take the family car (Mercury Mountaineer) by himself for the first time on Saturday morning. Went around a curve a little too fast and ran it through the trees. My friend took his license away shortly after.

The ability to ignore pain is nothing new to athletes. Maybe you should change your study to the long term effects of the abovementioned stressors inflicted upon employees by the crabbyass boss.

I believe martial arts should develop patience,discipline, and humility above all. Physical limitations can prevent some goals and achievements, but knowing how to accept what you can't do plays an important part of developing mental toughness, in my opinion. I accept the fact that my knee is on it's last leg (get it? ahahahha) and just try to work around the pain the best I can. We're not any more special or different than rock climbers, hockey players, white water rafters, or whatever in that we train as best we can with determination and repetition.

Anything with a LCD screen is a power hog. The LCD concept is based on little pixels that, when energized, allow light to magically appear. You could think of it as little valves that pass light. The more pixels you have within your display, the more power it will require. Thus, clear resolution displays such as digital cameras and PDAs will drain them little batteries a lot faster than something like a graphic calculator.

Not making it in time....-10.

You might try searching for venues on the Ticketmaster website. (I really hate that company, bunch of thieves).