tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14280642481443741562024-02-08T11:23:05.806-08:00Haselton's wordReviews of books, knives, guns, and anything else that either guys or outdoorsmen like.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-45697257922482334652012-02-20T08:40:00.000-08:002012-02-20T08:40:50.028-08:00Leatherneck VS KaBar!!I got the Leatherneck as a gift from my wife, I got the Kabar with a gift card from work. I want to go on the record and say that I love both of these knifes and will gladly put my life on both given what they each are designed for.<br />
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Let me start with the Leatherneck and its features. The Cold Steel remake features a flat ground from top to bottom, bowie style blade made from sk-5 High Carbon steel. Almost the exact same as the 1095 used by Ka Bar. A Kraton handle, full tang design that has the looks and comfort of slip tang, and an extra thick double guard. I like the flat grind the way it is, Cold Steel intended this knife for fighting and some utility use. The slender blade makes it lighter, faster, and gives it less resistance going through soft tissue. This makes it very nice for skinning and prepping meat also. Now I watched a video where some guy took this knife and chopped wood to test it, going through the branches seemed easy for this knife, but it saw much more resistance when trying to split wood, this I figured was due to the slender blade, just look at the difference between a log splitter, and a hatchet. The hatched is more slender therefor is sharper and better for chopping branches and such, but the log splitter, splits the wood rapidly making it better for splitting. This is what saw with the leatherneck in my video as well. The edge held up wonderfully, as expected with all of Cold Steel's products. After the wood chopping and such I did on camera, off camera I prepared a big batch of Jambalaya, and chicken breasts with the knifes. This simulated many skinning and other intricate cutting tasks, and the leatherneck did great. Better than the Kabar.<br />
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The Ka-Bar is make from 1095 high carbon steel. the model I have is a kraton handle, and a semi serrated edge. The blade features a flat grind a false edge and a fuller (Blood Groove as I call it.) The tang is a bit of a problem to me, though this knife has proven itself I see no reason why Kabar can't adopt the full tang design for a bit more stability. It would be a very easy improvement. The same goes with the double guard, Cold Steel's is three times as thick and would be very nice to see on the Ka Bar. That being said, when I tested it, the blade geometry made it quite easy to split branches. In fact once the branch started to split the cutting edge pf the blade saw no contact with the wood. That being said, it was considerably hard to chop the branches off to begin with. The Ka Bar blade geometry is clearly more suited for more heavy duty cutting tasks. The edge retention on the was also phenomenal, it clearly would be a better survival knife.<br />
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Now the problem is, that Cold Steel has changed their design and blade steel. So the verdict of this experiment is still unknown as I do not have the current model. That being said, I think that with the new leatherneck blade shape, and if the Krupp steel hold up, it could be a superior knife to the kabar. Now I know I will be reading on thin ice with my cousin and all marines everywhere (sorry Sean) but the hollow grind allows for the same level of heavy duty cutting and chopping and still has a good sender edge fore more intricate work as well, call it the best of both worlds. That also being said, I feel that Krupp steel is a bad choice for Cold Steel, but if it could hold up due to some special tempering or heat treating process, then so be it.<br />
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Now keep in mind that my opinion is considering the intended design of the knife, the leatherneck was intended as a fighting knife, if you want a Cold steel survival or utility knife, they have plenty other models to choose from.<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Here is a little flash fiction that I submitted over to Karen at Bibliophilic Blather. </span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">A WESTERN MAN</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">His old Ford truck made a dull lull as he pulled into the gravel driveway. <span> </span>The hard wood floor of the porch enhanced the steady rhythmic sound of his boots.<span> </span>KNOCK, KNOCK. If she hadn’t known who it was already she could just by those two knocks, he had a certain way about them.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Come in” she said.</div><div class="MsoNormal">He stepped in as he took the black Bailey hat off, the tall dark and handsome type he was, mixed with a little bit of mountain man.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I heard what happened Tracy. He aint gona get away with it,” he said while pulling up a chair. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“It wasn’t that bad,” she said.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Is that so?” he said as he pulled her hair away from her face revealing a bad bruise under her left eye that she had been hiding, <span> </span>“Can’t just let people do this to ya.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">She looked into his eyes and wondered how big of a mistake she made leaving this man, and how good he was for still being here for her.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“What are you gona do Travis? Arrest him? He’ll be back on the streets in two days as usual,” She said.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“He split us up, tried runnin you off of your own ranch, and he beats you. He’ll be answering to more than just the law, he’ll be answering to me,” Travis said.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Just like that, mister big lawmen is gona take matters into his own hands and avenge his love, I suppose you’ll be riding into the sunset after this one right?” Tracy was a spit fire of a woman, having successfully taken over her father’s ranch after his passing, She and Travis kept it going for a number of years. That was until she broke it off, she fell in love with a rancher, but was looking at marrying a sheriff, and she guesses it was too much of a change for her at the time.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Well it would be really ‘cool’ if the sunset thing where to time just right, but it won’t be of any consequence.” Travis found his calling late in life, as good as he was with horses, he found himself to be a better sheriff. It was when that man Fuller came around that she started to doubt things about being the woman of a cop.</div><div class="MsoNormal">He got up from his chair, put his hat back on and she followed him out to the porch. He took off his duty revolver and his badge and left them with her saying, “I am not doin this as a lawman, I’m doin this as me.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">“So you’re commin back?” she said.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Yes, and I aways will,” He said.</div><div class="MsoNormal">He stepped off that porch, started to truck and drove off, right into the sunset. She thought to herself, “well I’ll be damned, the cowboy rides into the sunset, but this time he’s commin back.”</div>Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-22219500967276035682012-01-20T09:12:00.000-08:002012-01-20T09:12:51.650-08:00AMERICAWe live in what has been a grand country, now I see a corrupt, and oppressive government passing laws that fatten their pocket book, and legalizing martial law. Now with the upcoming presidential election we hope to gain a new president that will fix it all for us. I also hope for that, but it isn't going to happen. You see we all want a "Government of the people, by the people and for the people" as long as that means we get to make laws that effect what we are allowed to do. When the sh!t hits the fan economically we call to our politicians to fix it, and of course that is dumb, why would they want to give us tax breaks, and such?<br />
<br />
We chose the president we vote for based on what his "plan" is, when we all know that the "plan" is never going to happen, for one reason or another. We should be looking at what kind of person the candidate is, that is why i am voting for Ron Paul, I know he will never be able to implement his plan, four or eight years is not enough time for it to work through his efforts alone. Ron Paul is a man who airs on the side of small government, us being able to vote for our own future.<br />
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When i look at the people of my country I am disgusted, I thing about my grandfather who fought and saw so many of his friends die for this country. I think about our forefathers, George Washington who fought, lost men and turned down the crown to allow the people to vote him into presidency. That is the kind of men we need in this country, particularly running it.<br />
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The problem with this country is not only our politicians, and the super wealthy (don't get me wrong they are defiantly a great majority of the problem.) It also us, we need to take credit as "the people" of America and realize that we let them get to this power, they have control over 99.9 percent of the wealth in this country because we buy their product, we vote them into power, and we sit back and fail to use the constitution the way it was intended,as a set of rules for "US" to enforce on our government. We want the Constitution to protect us when it is our job to protect it, we want the law makers to let us have our country when it is our job to keep it, We want our president to fix things when that is also up to us as "The People."<br />
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I want to see Americans be better Americans, help people just because, work 110% of your job and take pride in it, not just being a check box employee tossing the blame when something doesn't get done saying "its not my job" we are all on the same team here. We need to demand more out of ourselves if we want to bear title of "Americans." It is up to us to make our country a better place, it is up to us stand up for right an wrong, not to be lazy and "just get by." We need to embrace and help our fellow man, and not be afraid to go against the grain when we do it. We need to be better people, fixing this country is gonna be a long road but we need to do it, it is not going to be easy, nor is it going to happen over night.<br />
<br />
When someone needs help, we need to help them, why? 'Cause that's what Americans do. When there is wrong being done we need to make it right, Why? 'cause that's what Americans do. Although the country is in the hole because of our politicians, we can blame them because this is "A government Of the People, bye the people, and for the people" if we expect to govern our own country, then we need to take responsibility when it goes bad. When the power shifts away from us we need to take it back. Voting for Ron Paul will place a small government supporter into the head seat but it won't fix it, that's our job.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-58573282651694384222011-12-19T19:16:00.000-08:002011-12-19T19:16:15.242-08:00Kip Poe's Die Already!!!<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=travishaselto-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004DCB3V6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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This story is clearly a short, that being said, it is my favorite thing about it. I was able to start and finish this story between my morning coffee and my work commute, which is hard to do. I don't normally read books before work just cause I will get gripped and late for work. <br />
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I personally write mostly contemporary westerns, that being said I surely have a dark side and this story fuels it allot, this is why I rated it four and a half stars (five on amazon), I am hell bent on nor giving any five star reviews but this one would surely take the cake. It starts out with flashback about a gruesome discovery of the main characters powers, then goes on into more gruesome descriptions of a character's death that Kip has given you a sort of attachment to, Then the end is well... you will have to read it to figure that out. I have not read the extra content but I will be including reviews on that as comments on this review.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-55812702380504289222011-11-22T22:28:00.000-08:002011-11-22T22:28:20.979-08:00Why I havent posted in a while.I know I haven't posted in some time, and I apologize. There is a reason however, I have not come across a product that has made me go "WOW!!!." The knives that I have, are extremely capable and do not fail me in any way, therefore I have no need to buy new ones. The guns I have are so reliable and well made that I see no need for replacement of them. As far as movies go, I liked captain America and bridesmaids, I could throw i there Hanna, but they didn't make me go "HOLY CRAP I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!"<br />
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I hope that this further validates the total adaptability and effectiveness of the Coldsteel ODA, Recon One, True Flight, Rifleman's Hawk, Regent 1911, FNP 40, and the Mossberg 500. Please take this as food for thought in regards to the fact that I have had no need to buy new gear. P.S. check out my new kindle ebook "The Man With No Past, The entire Series.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-10775759753962663002011-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:002011-07-11T08:00:08.630-07:00Transformers Three.<span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00535BZKG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span>O.K. I waited a week before I wrote this review. I did this because I wanted to let the movie roll around in my head for a while. The collusion is that the movie was totally awesome!! <br />
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So basically, Sam is out of college now, and can't find work for crap, even though he has saved the world twice and received a medal of honor from Osama er I mean Obama, sorry for the political reference, if you look at my blog much you will see that I am very pro gun, weapons, freedom and he isn't so yeah... anyways, Sam can't get a job. until he meets John Malcovitch, then gets a crappy job. His new girlfriend has a great job, sort of, and he doesn't like that. But of course, some sort of huge evil thing happens and the transformers recruit Sam to the battle.<br />
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This movie focuses more on the transformers than it does on the people. This is a good thing, the second movie was better than the first one on that note. There is allot more big celeb appearances in this one also, not only the great John Malcovitch, but also Francis McDormand, who plays the government official that everyone hates, Patrick Dempsy as the girlfriends boss. <br />
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These movies have a way of making you fall in love with the characters, as fictitious as they are. It was full of action, drama, and plenty of great one liner, some people think that one liners are cheesy, but I like them. I particularly liked when one of the nest guys said, "why do the Desepticons get all the good shit!" because I had just been saying that the day before we watched it.<br />
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I don't particularly care for the girl, I know most guys are cursing me right now, I am sure she is a nice girl, but just because Maxim say she is the hottest, doesn't mean she is, hell they put Cameron Diaz as number four, no offence, but she is not number four. At any rate, she fits the bill and her acting wasn't bad, and I like her better than what Megan Fox has turned in to. Not trying to be mean, just saying it the way I see it, plastic surgery sucks, and not every guy likes a girl that looks like a hangar (in the sense that their build only compliments the clothing that is picked out for them.)<br />
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Great flick, Optimus Prime rules!!! Go Bumblebee!!!Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-8291382285188509892011-06-28T18:33:00.001-07:002011-06-28T18:33:19.796-07:00<iframe frameborder="1" height="400" scrolling="no" src="http://www.indiegogo.com/project/widget/29363?a=183747" width="210"></iframe> Go here and watch the preview, then "like" it, right now!!!!!!!Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-31912142345165032402011-06-20T21:18:00.000-07:002011-06-20T21:19:18.077-07:00Meet Bill!!!!<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0015XHQVW&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, and Timothy Olyphant star in Meet Bill. Unlike the last movie I reviewed, this one is quite intelligent.<br />
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It is about a man who has lived under the thumb of his father in law and overbearing, cheating wife. When Bill (Aaron Eckhart) catches his wife with the news reporter (Timothy Olyphant) is basically forced into a midlife crisis.<br />
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In Meet Bill, Bill battles his wife, father in law, the movie reporter, and his gut. With the help of a sarcastic teen he is "mentoring," the lingerie sales woman with a quirky sense of humor, his gay brother, and hi "life partner," he conquers his father in-law, life, and the doughnut franchise he buys to get out from under his in laws thumb.<br />
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Timothy Oplyphant plays a great douche bag in this movie, particularly when Bill drags him out of his house buy his towel wrapped hair (he dies his hair.) This movie is full of plenty of witty comments like, "life is one long series of discrimination's, so get used to it." I cracked up on that one.<br />
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There was allot of truth in this movie and I loved how it made that truth funny, Want intelligent comedy? Aaron Eckhart will deliver. Four stars, I loved it!!!Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-23706396379768606022011-06-20T20:55:00.000-07:002011-06-20T20:55:49.613-07:00HALL PASS, GREAT GUY MOVIE BUT BE PREPAIRED FOR A RAUNCHY FLICK<span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004YM68NI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004EPYZS0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span></span>Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis star in this funny, laugh out loud, and cover your eyes guy movie. You ever talk to your buddys and hear them talk about how they can get all these chicks if they weren't marries (or maybe you are one of them.) This is about those guys getting the infamous "Hall Pass."<br />
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But first it starts out with a display of some disgusting but accurate, and funny back and fourth chatter between two guys when they are alone (or they think you are) and speaking "frankly."<br />
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Hall Pass is completely tasteless, and shameless, but a true guilty pleasure (or not so guilty.) <br />
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I was however not too impressed with the short tubby guy laying a turd in a sand trap at a golf course, nor the big black pecker that practically landed in Owen Wilson's face. Nonetheless it was funny, and I could not help but watch.<br />
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Sit down, pop open a beer, and enjoy Hall Pass. Just take it at face value, don't expect and intelligent comedy, expect raunchy to the extreme.<br />
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Hall Pass. 4 stars!!!Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-56936077830592351212011-05-27T14:08:00.000-07:002011-05-27T21:47:32.052-07:00Interview With Author RYE JAMES!!!!!<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0010Z7NFE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 246px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 108px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0615264042&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 244px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 110px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001HN67FQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 246px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 106px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003R7L66A&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 109px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0034KYRLQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 246px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 117px;"></iframe><br />
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Rye James!!! The author of the above mentioned novels is here and here is what he has to say!!!!<br />
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1: "The Assassin," where did you get the idea for this, and how did you come up with the moral issues this book involves?<br />
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I wanted to write a western that had different aspects to it instead of just a straight shoot 'em up. It's got a little bit of mystery to it so I think it appeals to those who might not be interested in a western. I've been told by people that they don't like westerns, but they like this book, presumably cause of the mystery angle and the complexity of the Assassin character. The issues in the book just kind of evolved as I was writing it. I didn't have it all planned out in advance. I do a basic outline and know how I want the story to start and end, but everything in the middle just depends on what happens with the characters between those points.<br />
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2: As a western writer, have you had trouble hitting your target demographic?<br />
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I think it's tough for anybody who writes westerns to find an audience for it. As soon as you release it you've already eliminated a certain percentage of readers who will refuse to read it for any variety of reasons. I think it's always a bit of a struggle for most authors not on the bestseller list to find their audience.<br />
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3: If so, do you think not having the right readers could have an effect on the amount of positive reviews you get?<br />
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Yeah, a case could probably be made for that. I think most readers enjoy my work and have said so, but reviews are tough to come by. Most book review blogs are besieged with review requests and it's tough finding the right fit and most readers who were happy with their reading experience don't feel the need to write a review. <br />
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4: What do you enjoy writing more? Westerns, or contemporary action?<br />
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At one point I would've said Westerns, but I don't know if that's the case anymore. I've got story lines for other projects that I'm as excited about as I was with the westerns so right now I would say that I enjoy both of them equally as much.<br />
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5: As a writer, I tend to draw from people around me for my characters, would you say you do the same, or are yours more original?<br />
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I've never used traits from anybody that I know. Not that I wouldn't, I just don't. Most of mine are either original or I took bits and pieces from western characters in movies that I thought would fit the character.<br />
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6: Do you think your books would make good movies? Why?<br />
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I think they would. I think the story lines are good, and they have plenty of action, so I would think so. I actually had interest from a foreign production company that was interested in The Assassin but it didn't work out. <br />
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7: What do you draw inspiration from?<br />
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I think a lot of things. Books, movies, TV, news, just life in general.<br />
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8: Do you see some of yourself in your main characters?<br />
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Not really too much. There might be a few lines of dialogue, or thoughts, that would be similar to something I would say or do, but for the most part I didn't try to put myself into any of the characters.<br />
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9: Would you prefer your readers to buy the kindle, or paperback editions of your books?<br />
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I would prefer them to buy the e-books just for the fact that they're cheaper and they can buy more books for the same price as a paperback. But whatever format they prefer to read on is fine with me.<br />
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10: would you ever consider working with a collaborator on a book or graphic novel? <br />
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I don't really know. It's not something I've given a whole lot of consideration about. I like having control of what I do so I don't know if I'd be a great co-writer on something.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-77247203234297160402011-05-16T06:58:00.000-07:002011-05-16T06:58:29.526-07:00Justified, questions answered<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
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<tr><td align="left" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="380">"What did Raylon do to Dickie Bennet?"</td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" class="GBYWESJDCB" style="vertical-align: middle;"><div class="GBYWESJDAB" style="height: 10px; width: 100%;"></div></td><td align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" width="10"><div class="gwt-HTML"></div></td></tr>
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<tr><td align="left" style="vertical-align: top;"><div class="gwt-HTML"><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP">"why the Bennetts are mad at Raylon givens on justified?"</div><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP"> </div><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP">These are the keywords I have noticed to bring traffic to my blog recently, so I will answer these questions.</div><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP"> </div><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP">Raylon and Dickie played baseball together when they were young, Dickie did something to Raylon, so Raylon took a baseball bat to Dickie's leg crippling him for life,</div><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP"> </div><div class="GBYWESJDNP GBYWESJDOP">The <strong>Bennets are mad at him for this reason as well as the fact that in season two Raylon kills Dickie's Brother.</strong></div></div></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-18252466863066051732011-05-09T07:54:00.000-07:002011-05-09T07:54:45.107-07:00Justified season 2. SPOILER ALERT!!!!!<span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004HW7JNS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span>The second season of Justified was more shocking and mind blowing than the first. Timothy Olyphant has gone into much more depth of this character than I think Elmore Leonard has. On top of that, there is Walter Goggins as Boyde Crowder who is the amazing badguy that you kind of root for. Normally when there are badguys your root for like this, he has some sort of good to his agenda, but not Boyde!!! Part of you wants him to run all the crime in Harland County Kentucky. on top of that, there is a slew of new characters, Mags Bennet (crime boss, and weed giant of Harlan County) and her boys, particularly Dickie Bennett. The whole season I just wanted someone to shoot him, and though it almost happened a couple times, it never did. But hey, that is cool 'cause that's what makes me want to watch the next episode, the hope that Dickie may get shot someday.<br />
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Rayon's relationship his ex wife Wynona gets pretty heated after her and her husband agree to divorce. Then of course the subject that got her and Raylon to split in the first place comes up, and it pretty much revolves around Raylon never being sure if he is going to come home alive from day to day. <br />
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One of the more interesting episodes is where Wynona manages to steal a bunch of money from the evidence locker, and Raylon plays hell getting it back, this causes Rayon's relationship with his boss Art to be real edgy. It almost makes a guy cry as we all have learned to love Art.<br />
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Mag Bennett ends up giving all but the weed business to Boyd Crowder. Boyd shacks up with Ava, gets Arlo (Rayon's dad) in on stealing the weed business from Mags, Dickie gets mad because he was the one running it for her, goes to Arlo's house wanting to "talk" to him. Arlo is not there, but Rayon's beloved aunt Helen is with a shotgun, unfortunately she doesn't have the advantage and gets shot at point blank range with a 12 gauge. I dispute the shows illustration of it, though it was very suspenseful showing a shot from outside the house, you hear her make a gasp and then she gets a shot out, though this is possible, I do not feal it would have been likely considering the weapons used, but hey is was very well played out and definitely made me make sure I didn't miss the next episode.<br />
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Next Raylon gets a chance to kill Dickie, but gets all choked up and doesn't want to be the badguy and just sends him to jail. By this point Raylon has thwarted assassins that were gunning for Wynona and makes her ex disappear. <br />
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The last episode, really started to have the feel of the old Gunsmoke show, Marshall Dylan (Raylon Givens) sees it his civic duty even though he is on vacation, to help a little girl who is out for the blood of her fathers death. In his attempts to find where the girl is, he gets knocked out with a baseball bat, when he wakes, he is tied up and hanging upside down in a tree. Salty Sam (Dickie Bennett) starts to monologue about how Marshall Dylan owes him for crippling him twenty years ago. Then eventually gets around to beating him with the bat a few times. Then the bad guy we love to hate, The Rango Kid (Boyde Crowder) comes in with a witty thing to say like, "I don't know whether to just shoot him now or let him hit you a couple more times." Oh but Marshall Dylan even in his pain is more witty and says, "I vote the first one." So Rango gets him cut down and proceeds to shoot Salty Sam, yay!!!!!!!!!! I thought. No, that doesn't happen, Salty Sam has silver tongue, he mentions the fact that Marshall Dylan needs him to get to the Bennets place and save the girl. <br />
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So Marshall Dylan takes Salty and holds him at gun point in front of The Bennett clans place in front of their numerous guys with machine guns, and says I need to get in there. The little girl has beat him to it, and fires a shot witch makes everyone outside start shooting at Marshall Dylan. This is the twist, normally Marshall Dylan save the day, no this time the bullets completely miss Salty (damn it!!!!!) and Dylan gets gut shot. Just when his chips are down and Salty's big brother has Dylan at point blank range, a sharpshooter hits the big brother in the head, it seems Marshall Dylan's friend with the Marshall's service caught wind of his situation and came to help, thanks to miss Kitty (Wynona). <br />
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Oh and in the end Mags Bennett kills herself with the same arsenic type poison she tends to put in her apple pie flavored moonshine to kill other people.<br />
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All in all I completely enjoy this series and season two delivered, yeah the people I liked got killed and the ones I hate seem to like, but that's what keeps it interesting. Watch this, but only if you have seen the first season, 'cause you won't understand a thing.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-63482673876686223922011-04-23T10:32:00.000-07:002011-04-23T10:32:49.569-07:00self protection, lethal weapons.alright, the fun begins! woohoo now we are going to talk about things that can kill. This is not the preffered outcome, but in many cases when you are protecting your family, it is better to be safe than sorry. <br />
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First I would like to talk about in home weapons. The best is the shotgun. The variety of ammo that can be used makes it very versatile, and affordable. I like them because, in the close range senarios that occure in the home, they have devastation results, and there is little to no worry about over penetration. Missing the badguy and having abullet go through a wall and lead to unwanted injury or death.<br />
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There are many shotguns available on the market, but for simplicity's sake I will break it down to the two most common chambers, and brands. <br />
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Mossberg! probably the most notorious, and affordable of them. You can chose the model 500 in either 12 or 20 guage. Without getting into the big debate, I will say the for home protection, either is equeally sufficient. Or you can get the 12 guage 590 whitch features a shorter barrel and a longer magazine tube. With any firearm I say , go to the range and see what is most comfortable for you.<br />
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Next is Remington. Basically the same thing applies, they have field and tactical versions, they tend to be heavier than the Mossberg but that also cuts down on recoil.<br />
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When choosing the shotgun guys, keep in, mind whether there is a lady or children in the house who may need to use it, and what will be easier for them.<br />
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Next. is pistols, auto to be exact. There are many chamberings available for these but I will break it down to the three that are at every wal mart. <br />
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9mm, Well rounded and economical. most full sized pistols can hold near 20 of these baby's and they have little recoil. Not to mention that they are on sale every week at big 5. Problem is I would only use hardball rounds for target, and would not except anything less than full metal jacket hollow points for protection, they lack power and tend to go through the target without causeing as much damage as I would like.<br />
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40 cal. S&W. this is what my wife carrys. Has plenty of power, and small enough to fit 13 plus 1 in her FNP-40 plus it is still relatively low in recoil.<br />
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.45 ACP I love this. I carry a 1911 and though it only has 7 rounds, I feel very safe with the massive bullet that tends to do what the m16 round does, but for the opposite reason. They tumble through the tissue, this causes great damage and will stop even the most drugged out crazy in their tracks.<br />
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There are many other chamberings available. I say go to the range and pick out three of the same models guns in each cambering. If you are hitting eye sockets at 20 yards with the 9mm and go up to the 40 and don't do as good, buy the 9. All the extra power don't mean anything if you don't hit the target.<br />
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Now revolvers. there are too many on the market today to say what is good. Again go to the range. Revolvers are slower, but they will never jam, so with them you can rest easy. I suggest overlooking the .38 special and get a 357 as they will shoot the same bullets. Problem with the .357 is that it will go through your enemy, your house, your neighbors house, and so on. You can get something bigger like a .44 cal, or a .45 long colt. Ultimately, go to the range and see what your comfortable with. Every gun is a compromise in some way, see what you like and don't buy anything unless you know for sure, remember your life and your family's life hangs on this decision.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-85661428173503847862011-04-16T07:29:00.000-07:002011-04-16T07:34:45.703-07:00Riding The Rap. Elmore Leanord.<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0062020293&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000FC13J0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>O.K. This one follows rayon, Harry, and the girlfriend about one year after Pronto left off. Basic back story is that in Pronto, Raylon took it upon himself to save Harry and girlfriends asses, saw someone who he befriended get killed in front of his eyes, then went back to Miami, and offed him (The Zip 'Tommy Bucks.)<br />
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This book has more characters than the first which makes it a little hard to follow if you aren't used to Elmore Leonard's writing style where he tends to stop whatever is going on, to tell some back story. It's like reading Snatch, or Once Upon A Time In Mexico, writing traits that I do not share with Elmore.<br />
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Riding the rap turned out to be a great read as I am used to this type of writing. The story follows Raylon Givens as he investigates the kidnapping of his friend Harry Arno, all the while dealing with the anguish of having killed a man almost out of cold blood, his girlfriend Joyce's opinion of that, and dealing with the fact that Joyce used to be intimate with Harry and now there is some tension in her and Raylon's relationship.<br />
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It seems quite comical some of the scenes involving the bad guys, Chip Ganz, Louis Lewis, and Bobby Deo, all of whom will be recognized from the show, but however, many things are different than the show and play out in different ways, this makes it quite enjoyable even though I watch Justified religiously, The story is still quite different and the surprising twists and turns still have Elmore Leonard's desired effect. <br />
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All in all, Riding The Rap is a great book, and I am now officially hooked on Elmore's writing. Four and a half stars!!!!!Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-70314754885674464992011-03-28T07:06:00.000-07:002011-03-28T07:06:15.682-07:00Due Date!!! Funny as hell!!!!!<span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004I9SJH0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> O.K. forget anything logical for this movie. Just sit back and enjoy the comedic splendor. This is easily one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time.</span><br />
<span> It follows Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis on a cross country road trip to get to see the birth of Downy's child. On top of all the hilarious car accidents, mishaps, conversations, and mild drug use. There is a touching bit about Zach's father, and Zach representing a bear in Downy's dream.</span><br />
<span> Get ready to laugh your ass off on this one, though not quite as funny as the hangover, it will fit the bill until the sequel does come out. </span><br />
<span> Robert Downy Jr. has shown his ability for dry humor in this one, all he needs to do is ask a simple question about Zach's weird ways, and poof! you're gona start laughing. On top of that Zach Galifianakis plays basicly the same guy he did in hangover, but now he is an aspiring actor. </span><br />
<span> All in All, take as what it is meant to be, a good funny movie. Then you will thoroughly enjoy it!!!. 4 and a half stars!!!!!!!</span><br />
<span> </span>Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-90877332152779769492011-03-26T18:15:00.000-07:002011-03-26T18:15:16.971-07:00<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002GIZ8OW&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
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Well I took mine to work today. I am not going to say whether I think it is a good weapon or not. But I will say, it can take a beating! I sent this thing through ply wood, tile, beer bottles (I am a trash man, I have access to these things and won't get in trouble for breaking them.)<br />
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So far not a scratch on it, a scuff or two, but no scratches. I do wish there was a more high profile pocket clip as I cannot put it on or take it off very well. I also think maybe there should be some light texturing in the sides to improve the grip.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-53457377985229649362011-03-21T07:59:00.000-07:002011-03-21T12:27:06.359-07:00self protection. non-lethal tools.Today I would like to focus on the non-lethal variety of self defense weapons, some will be store bought and some will be field expedient. At the bottom of the article I will include an amazon widget that will have some of the better products for this purpose.<br />
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The first thing I would like to say about this subject is that if you are thinking of carrying a knife and you aren't an extensively trained martial artist of some sort, don't carry one as a weapon. They are tools, but as weapons they require much skill and the intent to kill, so don't carry one unless your trained for it. You need to get to close to your enemy and it is just to risky, chances are you will have it taken away and probably get stabbed by it.<br />
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Now that is not saying you shouldn't train minimally for knife fighting, they can be a field expedient weapons and you should be familiar with them, but they don't make a good primary defencive weapon, offencive maybe.<br />
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The first one I would like to cover is pepper spray, or mace. My favorite is bear mace but it may be illegal in some states if you use it on a person (Officer: why do you have bear mace in Vegas?) Mace tends to be illegal in some states also so check with your local laws, city, state and county laws. The good thing about pepper spray is that if you get it taken from you, it is just going to hurt if they use it on your, you won't die like a knife would.<br />
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Some brands and grades of pepper spray are better than others but even the little key chain stuff is going to inflict a fair amount of pain and blindness, so with pepper spray you can go cheap and still get a half decent product. My suggestion is though, don't go cheap. I personally like the Cold Steel brand as it is broken down to the smallest molecules possible. This makes it the only pepper spray available to civilians that I would trust against someone high in drugs. The reason being is that when the molecules are broken down, they penetrate the skin and membranes better, this causes the tissue to swell, therefore if someone can handle the pain, big deal they still will not be able to breath or see due to the swelling. Also (like bear mace) it can have a thirty foot range due to it being made of gel. <br />
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Another option is, stun guns. These are the close range electronic zappers that involve you getting close, but nonetheless they are quite effective and easily concealed. I must warn you though, some of the cheaper ones you get from the smoke shops and such are no good. There is a lack of quality control with these and tasers, so you should shop around carefully. I suggest a voltage no less than 500,000 volts. Reason being is in my younger more reckless years me and my buddies had a couple that where less than that, made for some really good truth or dare games, but truthfully they only hurt enough to piss someone off even if they are sober.<br />
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The other electronic option is tasers. these have projectiles that shoot out and send electronic pulses through a wire attached to the gun, they are far more effective using less voltage, so 100,000 volts is fine since the barbs penetrate the muscle and cause it to seize up. Problem is, they require some training to be effective and are quite expensive, some costing a few thousand dollars. I feel that it could be cheaper to buy, take a training class, and get a permit for a pistol than use this, but hey we are talking about non-lethal weapons here.<br />
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Another option, and it is one of my favorites, is a self defence flashlight. They are tough, compact, and bright. They can be used for more than fighting but when you need to they can be used as a blinding instrument, and a blunt force weapon, as well as a fist pack witch will make your punches more effective. Some have pocket clips and can be attached to your pocket of put in a bag or something. Problem is if you want one with a clips, get ready to spend 100 dollars or more. Another similar weapon is the Yawara stick, you can get these at some smoke shops or at marital arts stores, also check out Cold Steel's line of KOGA products.<br />
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Field expedient weapons, that is why I say it is good to practise sword fighting, stick fighting, knife fighting. Train using short sticks as weapons cause they can be found in the field as a branch, crow bar, or even machetes. Same with swords, you cane use a broom stick the same way. This also goes for bow staffs, you can find any long pole or pipe and use it like a BO staff. Be creative, use rocks, dirt, anything you can throw even if it just causes a diversion. I have seen someone use a deck of cards as a diversion and attacked low while the guy was busy trying to see through the cards flying in his face. Ultimately, watch your surroundings and think of ways you can use inanimate object to defend yourself. Thank you very much and have a nice day.<br />
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You should chose techniques based of the angle of the attack. Many techniques for a punch, can be used for a knife, baton, or in some cases, a gun. Yes you should learn disarms individually, but you should also practise you other maneuvers as if there is a weapon in the opponents hand. I call these, adaptable techniques.<br />
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When you pick these out, you should also think of whether you can do them in a less desirable place than a mat or field of grass. Can you do this in a bathroom stall, buss isle, elevator, alley way. Dopes it require you to hit the ground? then maybe you won't want to do this in the street or where there is broken glass that can harm you more than the attacker (if it involves the bad guy hitting the ground that is OK) I can't tell you how many people get surprised to find out hitting pavement with that Jujitsu move they learned hurts them more than the other guy.<br />
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There are a number of attacks that do require a non-adaptable technique. This like firearms, submission, choke holds, and many people forget to practise what to do if you are already knocked down or injured.<br />
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From here I will refer to a few arts and what they may have to offer.<br />
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Aikido: I love this art. everything and anything in it can be adapted for almost any attack. It is difficult to learn however, but most of the wrist locks can be useful even if they aren't performed properly.<br />
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Tea Kwon Do: I am not as much of a fan because most of the moves require plenty of distance therefore making most the techniques unsuitable for enclosed spaces, but it does have plenty to offer and is very easy to pickup and keep the reflexes.<br />
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Kung Fu (Shaolin specifically): There may be better schools for this but they are few and far between, the only national source for this arts I would trust is United Studios Of Self Defence. I had a blast and learned many great things there, the arts ranges from close quarters, to distance, and ground combat. Very Very good one to learn from and if you like the Dojo environment this is the place.<br />
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Karate: A little stiff and structured for me, but it worked against the samurai.<br />
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Mui Tai: Simple, powerful, free form but requires some amount of physical conditioning and doesn't really allow for use of weapons "try blocking a knife with your shin."<br />
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The most important thing about practising defencive maneuvers, is to train the mind not to go into "panic" mode, and go into "defend, or fight" mode. It takes practise, and creating realistic scenarios without compromising safety. You should always try to find ways to safely bridge the gap between the safety of the Dojo and the danger of the real world.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-64207218505086668492011-03-05T08:21:00.000-08:002011-03-21T12:31:20.744-07:00self protection, selection of self defence maneuvers PT1Now that I have covered leaving your home, driving, and the initial approach of a possible bad guy, I can bring up the more entertaining and physical parts of self protection, actually defending yourself. Now, you must select a number of defencive maneuvers. Diligent practice in the will give you the skills needed to protect yourself in the event that someone infiltrates your situational awareness, which there is no shame in having happen cause it happens to the best.<br />
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First I must give you basic idea of what the brain goes through to process a thought or movement. Believe it or not this will help in the selection of combative movements you should practice. <br />
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When the brain needs to make a thought, it creates a "thought trail." Between one braincell and another there is a "wire" extended. These "wires" start out thin when it is the first time that movement, thought, or memory is accessed. In order to make a movement, a very complex trail of the cells is formed through the brain cells. The more you make that movement, the thicker the "wires" get, thus making them pass a signal much faster, think of it as upgrading from dial up to broadband, etc...<br />
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Studies have found, that forming new thought trails on a regular basis can help prevent conditions such as dementia, or Alzheimer's. Therefore I support the exploration of any science or art to create these new trails. But every time you learn something new the brain rewires itself. Though one could take a Tea Kwon Do class and learn the movements effectively for sport or art's sake they may be somewhat erasing or weakening those thought trails when they go to work the next day if none of their movements throughout the day use some of the thought trails associated with Tea Kwon Do movements. I am not saying anything bad about that art I am just using it as an example.<br />
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In order to ensure that you have the movements down well enough to use them under pressure, you should practice defensive arts or parts of them that are similar to your day job. For example, I am trash man, and I am a dad and husband, I don't always have time to practice my beloved arts of Kung Fu, Ninjutsu, TKD etc... But I need to make sure I can defend my family if need be. The movements I use on the trash truck use many of the same thought trails as boxing punches, so therefore I have adopted those as my primary punching method, and I find myself easily able to retain smooth, fats, powerful punches with only a couple hours a week practise on them. I use many of Kung Fu's basic kicks as they are fast, efficient, powerful, and the footwork needed is compatible with the way I run around the truck.<br />
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It is still necessary for you to use good form, not just mimic what you do all day for the sake of the thought trails. Again this is not to dissuade anyone from practicing a classical art, if you want to study the art go for it, but when you may need top save your life with it make sure it is something you can easily get to muscle memory and maintain your reflexes under pressure.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-59510864984341077682011-02-14T09:13:00.000-08:002011-03-21T12:32:26.131-07:00self protection pt 5 driving.Some people have an inherit lack of skill when it comes to driving, maybe you are one of them, or maybe not. But protecting ones self does include safe driving and awareness behind the wheel. There was a time when I was experimenting with "situational awareness" while I was driving. This is dangerous therefore I have come to the conclusion not to worry about it to much, as you could end up distracting yourself from the road and therefore getting in an accident.<br />
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Best bet is to follow the basic rules explained in your basic driving instruction, keep your eyes on the road, check your mirrors, and keep attention several if not even more car lengths ahead of you.Do keep any eye open but don't try to get the make and model of every car around you, you will miss the big picture, driving.<br />
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Keep an eye out for different things, swayed driving cause then someone could be impaired or having a conflict in the vehicle, driving too far under the speed limit is a good sign of impaired driving as well. If you see such things and anything else that stands out, then you should get the plate #, make and model, color, and location. Remember to always know where you are and where you are headed. If you call the police at anytime, they won't be able to help without that information being accurate.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, you should have situational awareness behind the wheel, but don't try to hard or you may over look potential dangers, look for the "right" things, worn tires, loose wheels, sparks under cars, loos loads of cargo etc... all of these things can be dangerous to you and everyone else on the road and should be addressed to prevent injury or death.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-20157061384479445082011-02-14T07:49:00.000-08:002011-03-21T12:34:02.040-07:00Life as we know it prety good for a chick flick.<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" height="250" id="Player_6afabe09-424b-4dba-9816-0c3d1a748b3e" width="300"> <param NAME="movie" VALUE="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Ftravishaselto-20%2F8003%2F6afabe09-424b-4dba-9816-0c3d1a748b3e&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate"><param NAME="quality" VALUE="high"><param NAME="bgcolor" VALUE="#FFFFFF"><param NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"><embed src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Ftravishaselto-20%2F8003%2F6afabe09-424b-4dba-9816-0c3d1a748b3e&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_6afabe09-424b-4dba-9816-0c3d1a748b3e" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_6afabe09-424b-4dba-9816-0c3d1a748b3e" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="250px" width="300px"></embed></OBJECT> <noscript></noscript><br />
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I know you guys are porbably thinking "Trav you're supposed to be doing reviews on guy stuff, what is up with these chick flicks?" Well, I am a married guy, so I get to be slammed with one romantic comedy after another until the kid falls asleep or I get off work early enough to through on "Sin City" or some John Wayne flick. now my wife isn't too bad though, she likes the action flicks also but she is a woman therefore I will endure my share of "chick flicks." <br />
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This way I can tell you guys, that you might like this movie, thus giving you and your woman both a flick you will enjoy.<br />
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Life as we know it is a fairly funny, romanctic comedy about two people who don't really care for eachother, but they have mutual friend who are married so they need to coexist. What happens is, the mutuall friends get in a car reck and leave their baby with Katherine Heigl, and Josh Duhamel.<br />
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The funny parts are all in relation the baby, the usual barfing in the face, pooping in the guys favorite ball cap, etc...<br />
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For the ladies out there, there is plenty of tear jerker stuff like, the friends dying, Josh leaving the family to take a job out of state, Josh comming back and realizing how much he loves her and the baby. I also though it was funny when the social worker "just happened" to show up when they had cooked "special" brownies.<br />
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Ladies and gentlemen alike, you will definatly enjoy "Life as we know it" as it is a definate success.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-19733858224507173992011-02-07T11:56:00.000-08:002011-02-07T11:56:05.198-08:00Self defence PT4 The Aproach.Now you have noticed, and identified a possible threat. Now what do you do? Do you pull your Jackie Chan inspired fists of fury in them? No, any movements you make whether combative or not, should have some reason to them. Fact is the person could be wanting to give you a business card, or get you to vote, or maybe they are a passerby that happens to have a posture that is alarming you.<br />
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The best thing to do is stop them at as much distance as possible. Make eye contact and ask them what they want. Be as vocal as possible while being easy to understand. Let them know you are not an easy target and if they are a predator they should choose someone else as prey. If they advance further, take up a defencive posture. If you are armed put your hand on the weapon and continue to be vocal. "Stop right there!!" "I am armed and don't come any closer!!!" etc... Anyone who continues to advance after that point is surely a threat and defencive action can be administered.<br />
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Don't concern yourself with whether the person can be a good guy, if they are entering your personal space they should back off. If it turns out that they aren't a threat then they probably stopped before you took up a defencive posture and they will be on their way, you may have made a fool of yourself but you won't likely see them again so there really isn't any harm.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-26166682744187586912011-02-07T09:08:00.000-08:002011-02-07T09:08:32.647-08:00self protection pt3This will be short. Another exercise for situational awareness is as follows. Take a few pictures of public places, Target, grocery store, etc... Then while you are at home, have someone show you the picture for 1-3 seconds. Then you write down the tings you observed in the picture. look for certain things, fire alarms, emergency exits, people who can help in case of emergency such as security guards, places to take cover. Each time you do it, look for one specific thing. First time maybe fire alarms, second time, look for exits, and so on...<br />
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The other thing I have to say it that, cell phones, ipods, etc. are the death of situational awareness. There is reason why marines are not aloud to walk and talk on the cell phone and it is a violation of the uniform code. It completely prevents you from anticipating threats and dangers, keep in mind, self protection is not just defending yourself from people it is also from disasters such as fire, structural failure in your building, being on the cell phone makes it harder to anticipate such things and would be harder to call 911 since you would have to end on call and start another. Stay off the cell phone unless you are fully situated.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428064248144374156.post-18276889937251777552011-02-07T08:33:00.000-08:002011-02-07T08:33:48.593-08:00self protection part 2This part will be about, "situational awareness" and a couple excercises that can help increase it for you. First off, what is situational awareness? in essence, it is being aware of your surroundings, but it requires knowing what to look for. When people are trying to just be aware of their surroundings, they end up trying to absorb every sound, color, smell, etc. This leads to a tangled mess of data, something the great Bruce Lee was not very fond of. What would be more usefull is smaller amounts of data but well organized and put to use properly.<br />
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For example, going to work in the morning, when you get to your car, did you notice the strange new vehicle parked near your apartment? no, one thing you can do is when you are walking to your car take a quick mental note of the surrounding vehicles makes, models, color, and look at the license plate. Don't try to memorize all of them, cause it wont happen unless you are Jason Bourne. But after repetition you will get a feel of what vehicles are new and may be suspicious.<br />
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Here is an exercise my grandpa taught me, when you walk up to your car take a mental snapshot of the overall vehicle, then mentally "zoom" in to a more specific part of the vehicle, for example, the grill, then zoom again to the logo on the front, this gives you an organized way to look and observe vehicles, and will make it easier for you to spot makes and models of vehicles that may have been involved in your mugging or break in. <br />
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Do the same thing when approaching the side of the car. Zoom in to the reflection on the paint or the window, this will help you be more capable of spotting reflective surfaces thus helping your situational awareness. Experiment with this, zoom to the door, then the door handle, then to a speck of dirt on the handle. <br />
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Do the same with people, you see the person, identify their build, height, skin tone, then zoom to their upper body, note their hair style, and color, shirt color, eye color. Zoom to their shirt, the to a button or pocket on the shirt. Do this at the shooting range, and it can help increase your accuracy because you won't just be shooting at a torso, you will be aiming at a small spot on the torso. You will find yourself noticing more tattoos, scars etc.. giving you a better description of your would be attackers if you needed to give such information to an officer, or maybe you will identify a threat before it happens.<br />
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This is turning out to be longer than I thought so I will continue with part three.Travis Haseltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07962223769012723406noreply@blogger.com0