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UFC 101: Redemption means more for many

Awesome Rob — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:35:48 +0000

UFC 101: Redemption, as many UFC fights in the past, is one filled with a solid lineup and featuring several well known fighters responsible for putting mixed martial arts in the mainstream and for the success it has seen. Even with those fights responsible for UFC’s growth and emergence into popular culture, as with every sport, the athletes do not last forever.

Redemption is a display of some of those fighters who have been around, taken their beatings, rolled with the punches and kept on coming. Eventually, the beatings do catch up with you and slow you down, and that is the underlying story behind the night. Are B.J. Penn and Forrest Griffin getting old?

Griffin is 30, an age where most NFL running backs end up showing their age. He’s fought tough guys like Tito Ortiz and was one of the key players in bringing MMA to popularity when he won the first Ultimate Fighter. He later became the light heavyweight champion and also served as a coach for the Ultimate Fighter in a later season. Recently, he lost the title by TKO to Rashad Evans, broke his hand, and has been out of the spotlight for some time.

B.J Penn has been fighting a long time, even before jumping into MMA. He earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2000, after only three years of practicing the art, where most people can spend a decade before earning the accolade. He later became the world champion for the martial arts. He also joined into the UFC, left, and came back after some negotiation, won the welterweight title, and Penn defended the title. He was beaten in January 2009 by Georges St-Pierre in a controversial fight that had many rules about who was allowed to have and apply Vaseline to fighters, but St-Pierre took Penn down and gave him a thorough beating for all to see.

The question at hand is how long can these two keep going? Griffin and Penn are both beyond their 20s now, and both have had their ups and downs, and Griffin’s broken hand is another point of questionable contention. Has their time in the MMA spotlight come to an end, with the hype obviously far less for UFC 101 than it was for UFC 100 with Brock Lesnar soaking up the media furor?

For the athletes who have competed in the UFC, PRIDE and every other MMA body, the question is how can these people compete with the rising stars that came in commanding significant attention and popularity? Kimbo Slice cut a piece of fame out for himself in homemade street fight videos, and Brock Lesnar outgrew his underwear in the WWE and decided to fight for real instead of pretend to wrestle. These guys have gotten more attention in their short stints in professional MMA than those who’ve been in the trenches for the last 5 to 10 years, and the bottom line is dollars.

Advertisers and sponsors don’t care about who made the sport and got it to where it is. They want who will attract attention, market their product effectively and be a recognizable image for their brand, like Michael Jordan was for Nike. Those who keep winning are remembered. Those who won before but have fallen from cloud nine are spoken of in nostalgia.

Unemployment figures: Half truths wrapped in bacon

Awesome Rob — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:00:19 +0000

Since the recession started, unemployment has been a closely watched figure, and every time it increases, the stock market seems to take a tumble. As people lose their spending cushion and lock down their finances for future hardships, the recoil sent back into various industries forces further contraction. Where spending makes up the entirety of our economic success, when we fail to spend, we also will fail to grow.

When companies start to follow the same path as individual consumers, unemployment figures begin to change. This has generally increased over the last year, with a few brief spurts of life, but generally the numbers inspire uncertainty and fear into those with jobs and those looking for work who have been laid off.

Eight to 9 percent, or even 10 percent of our total population (350,000,000) is 35,000,000. That isn’t necessarily a bad figure when you take into consideration all those who file for benefits with no intention of ever getting employment again and are content with living off of the government’s paycheck and free handouts for their miserable existences brought on by massive amounts of underachieving and lack of motivation.

The real problem is far greater than a small number like 8 to 9 percent.

Functional unemployment is more like 16 to 20 percent of the population. This number, unlike the unemployment figure released, doesn’t focus on people who are filing for benefits. Given that a functional unemployment assessment has no way to be 100 percent exact, the margin of error is much larger, but the number itself is a culmination of statistics and facts to find out how much of this population simply cannot pay the bills.

Functional unemployment essentially groups those filing for benefits as well as those who work part time, students, and those who have given up finding work until the economy rights itself on the troubled seas.

When you begin to think about 1 in 5 people being unemployed, the impact that has is tremendous compared to a small 1 in 12.

Up to 20 percent of the population can’t afford rent or utilities. More people are living at home with their parents, unable to find work or even secure these “readily available” student loans that don’t exist, making ambitions of attending school further out of grasp for those who don’t come from a wealthy background.

The American workforce has seen monthly hour cuts for part-time employees in various companies, with some losing 25 to 50 percent of part-time clerical hours available in certain stores, bringing people from 30 hours a week to 15 or fewer, depending on staff.

Even though some of these companies have made profits throughout the recessed economy, the maneuvers to scale back on spending have caused many who have just gotten by desperate for another job or resorting to racking up massive amounts of debt in hopes to repay the sum off when work becomes available again.

Unemployment released by the government is nothing more than a positive light to shed on a very dark situation that far too many people overlook. In a lot of ways, those who try to make ends meet by working two jobs are worse off than those living on welfare.

That is an entirely different problem.

U.K. faces speed limiting: Is U.S. next?

Brittany — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:25:20 +0000

The U.K. could soon see thousands of its buses, taxis and other public vehicles installed with speed limiters.

I know you’re about to go back and check – if you already haven’t – to make absolutely sure you saw a “K” and not an “S” in the previously stated acronym. Either way, let me make it crystal clear that this is the United Kingdom, not the United States that the following article will be discussing in regard to the possibility of limiting the speed of all common motor vehicles.

Feel any better now? Well, maybe you shouldn’t.

The technology behind this is known as Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) and is being tested by Transport for London (the U.K.’s version of the U.S. Department of Transportation) in a trial starting this summer.

In an article written on London’s Times Online, I noticed some careful diction when I read, “Drivers of vehicles with ISA will be able to select an option that prevents them from accelerating over the limit.”

Did you notice it too?

“Drivers…will be able to select…”

Select, huh? Oh really….

The article then describes that this “selectable” feature will also automatically decrease the speed of a vehicle if the driver fails to reduce his or her speed when passing a sign marking a lower limit.

In order to detect local speed limits, the ISA device uses a satellite tracking and digital road map. But wait, there’s more….

In addition to the automatic mode, a driver can also select – again with this diction – a setting that flashes a “smiley face” if the driver is following the speed limit, or a “frown “face” if the driver is exceeding the limit.

So you can either be electronically forced to obey the speed limit signs or you can “choose” to see happy or frowning faces constantly flashing you in the eyes, inches from your odometer.

The Times Online also says ISA technology will likely be available to private motorists as early as next year.

Where do I sign up? Yeah, right.

Supporters of this control on motorists and motor vehicles cite the potential elimination of thousands of speed-related accidents each year.

They also argue that since almost a quarter of all traffic congestion is due to accidents, having speed limiters on vehicles would reduce that congestion as a direct result. So, essentially, fewer accidents would equate to less traffic. Finally, we’re getting to something that makes sense.

It is true, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, that around 11,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are speed-related, with almost a third occurring on rural or non-interstate roads.

Another supporting argument offered for this speed limiting device is that vehicles operating at or below speed limits would consume less fuel and therefore would create less pollution.

I’m not sure of the exact science behind the pollution a car produces between each mile per hour, but if everyone was forced to follow speed limits, I’m sure that number would add up fast, saving quite a lot.

Okay, so there are some benefits this ISA technology could provide. I’ll give it that, but what about the down sides? How about that one word the U.S. is said to fight for above all else?

Freedom anyone?

Again, this is a story about a trial version of speed limiting technology, a trial taking place more than 3,000 miles away. Is it not possible, however, that if this idea takes off in the U.K. it might just take off here in the United States? Looking back in the annals of American history, a lot has taken place first in old mother England before taking root here. Let’s not forget about civil rights and…the Beatles.

Is it not our right to be in control of our vehicles and thereby our speed? The freedom of putting the top down on that old Mustang, slamming it into third gear at 60 miles per hour and flying down an empty stretch of highway, wind blasting through your hair, music cranked up loud….

Maybe it’s just me.

Results of the U.K.’s trial of this technology will be published in spring, reported the Times Online.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see where the road takes us from there.

Homemade natural beauty products

andrea — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:45:09 +0000

There’s a difference between being “thrifty” and being “cheap”… at least I think so. Those who are thrifty are smart and creative with their purchasing habits, while those who are cheap base their spending solely on finances. For most of us, our spending habits have had to change recently. I know mine have. So, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to be “thrifty.”

I’ve been experimenting, making some body products naturally. Here are a few of the basics with which you can edit to your choosing.

Face Scrubs will get rid of dead skin cells and leave your face silky smooth and moisturized. You’ll obviously need something to keep it in after you finish it. It’ll be prettiest in a nice glass moisture-proof container but, let’s be honest, a Ziploc bag will work too.
You will need:
- about a cup of salt
- 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil
- a bar of face soap (green tea oil soap is really good for your skin)
- vitamin oil or scented oil that’s allowed to be on your skin (a good one to use is vitamin E oil)
- a container for the finished result
- a grater
- a mixing bowl
What to do:
1) Grate between 1/4 to 1/2 of the bar of soap
2) Mix everything (except the soap)
– use your discretion with how much oil you want to use
– you don’t want it to be too strong because it could burn
3) Add the soap in and mix well
4) Store it at room temperature

Toothpaste is definitely something that we all need. Sure, it’s not all that expensive, but if you can make it at home with natural ingredients then there’s no good reason to buy it. Right?
You will need:
- one citrus fruit for zesting (prefereably a lime, lemon or orange)
- a cup of baking soda
- some type of mint oil (whichever type of mint you prefer)
- a tiny zester
- a container
- a mixing bowl
What to do:
1) Zest the rind until you’re at the flesh of the fruit
– let it dry for two-three hours or for best results let it dry overnight
2) Mix everything together and shake well
3) Store at room temperature

Foot Balm Treatment is sometimes just as necessary as toothpaste. Believe it or not, you don’t have to spend $50 on a pedicure to get soft feet. Just walk on down to Wal-Mart and pick up some petroleum jelly.
You will need:
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of petroleum jelly
- a fragrant oil (I really like the peppermint)
- a container
- an old pair of socks
What to do:
1) Heat the petroleum jelly until melted
-you probably want to do it in 30 to 45 minute intervals
2) Add in drops of the oil (use your discretion)
-I think more is better; since it’s used on your foot you can be generous as opposed to the oil you would use on your face
3) Let it harden for a few hours
-to speed up this process you can put in the fridge
4) Before you go to sleep you can rub this on your feet and wear those old nasty socks to bed.