My dad was in a car accident when I was young. His van flipped several times on some highway in the middle of Wyoming. He'd be dead if he didn't have his seat belt on. While I have only been in 2 car accidents my whole life, I wear my seat belt all the time. The probability of getting in an accident is SUPER low, when you look at the thousands upon thousands of hours I spend at the wheel. I also have a fire extinguisher and smoke alarms in my house. How many homes burn down each year in the United States? It's got to be some insanely low number, I am sure. Yet I still prepare for those possibilities. I keep my hunting backpack, complete with a sleeping bag and 72-hour kit in my car. As well as snow gloves, boots, and a winter hat. What are the chances I will ever need those things? Again, very low. It's the same with a lot of things we do in life. We prepare for the worst, but always hope for the best because the worst is so UNlikely to happen.
The extreme majority of people in the world are good people. The murder rate in Utah is about 2.3 per 100,000 people. The US average is more like 4.8 per 100,000 (2005). With over 300 million Americans, about 1.4 million become victims of violent crime. That's less than one half of one percent. As I look at these numbers it becomes evident that some people are sheep and some people are wolves. Sheep do not generally possess violent natures. Wolves do.
I consider myself neither of the above. I am a peaceful person. I do not cause mayhem or commit crime. I obey the laws of this land. But the ability to be aggressive is within me. I could not stand by and let someone harm me or my family. I prowl the figurative 'perimeter' of my home, sniffing the wind and watching for the wolves to appear.
As I was watch various episodes of '24', I have no problem picking out the bad guy or seeing bad things before they happen. Lisa commented on this and said something like, "You're just always looking for the worst to happen in these shows." Not totally true. I just see them coming and can't help commenting. Then I mentioned that it just seemed to be built into me that I watch out for bad things. It's not that I create bad things, I just want to be protected against them when they happen. It doesn't matter where I am, I am always vigilant for anything out of place.
A lot of sheep don't like my mentality. They see me as alarmist or slightly paranoid. Maybe that definition is slightly true. But I don't do it because I think everyone is a bad person, I just do it because I don't like wolves. I don't like the way in which they victimize or take advantage of the weak and I believe I possess the ability to protect them and myself.
As Dave Grossman quoted in the link below, there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it's just what I choose to be. While some folks might run away from the bad guys, I look forward to engaging them and seeing them brought to justice.
The basis for a lot of the sentiment in this post stems from an article that can be found here.
Me, Myself and I
- Mateo
- I am a Mormon...married to Lisa. We have 5 awesome children. I am a gun rights advocate and believe the 'right to keep and bear arms' refers to an INDIVIDUAL right, as affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. I like to hunt big game, although I have only ever killed a single buck deer. I am an actor of sorts and have been in many local plays and musicals.
11 February 2009
06 January 2009
I Never Doubted
You know I'm a Ute fan, as manifest by this post made last year.
As soon as it was announced that Utah would play Alabama in the Sugar bowl, I doodled on my notebook here at work and did that same analysis for those two teams.
My results were as follows:
Utah scored more overall points throughout the year than Alabama.
Utah's games resulted in a larger spread of points than Alabama.
Alabama held their opponents to lower scores than Utah.
These results tell me a few things:
Utah has a better offense than 'Bama.
Utah has a great defense.
'Bama has a great defense.
But none of 'Bama's qualities came into the equation in the game. They were outplayed at every turn. Their QB was harassed to throw that ball EVERY time. Their QB was sacked 8 times. 8 TIMES. Utah held them to 31 rushing yards.
And Alabama's defense was rated so highly.
Whatev.
Utah remains undefeated. No other team in the country can say that. Utah is the best team in the nation. Period.
As soon as it was announced that Utah would play Alabama in the Sugar bowl, I doodled on my notebook here at work and did that same analysis for those two teams.
My results were as follows:
Utah scored more overall points throughout the year than Alabama.
Utah's games resulted in a larger spread of points than Alabama.
Alabama held their opponents to lower scores than Utah.
These results tell me a few things:
Utah has a better offense than 'Bama.
Utah has a great defense.
'Bama has a great defense.
But none of 'Bama's qualities came into the equation in the game. They were outplayed at every turn. Their QB was harassed to throw that ball EVERY time. Their QB was sacked 8 times. 8 TIMES. Utah held them to 31 rushing yards.
And Alabama's defense was rated so highly.
Whatev.
Utah remains undefeated. No other team in the country can say that. Utah is the best team in the nation. Period.
29 May 2008
Manly Things [smile]
Since I got involved in hunting, I have learned the importance of a good, SHARP hunting knife. The knife I currently carry around is made of a harder grade of stainless steel called 440 steel. In the stainless steel category, there is only one form of stainless steel that is harder than 440, and that's 501. Technically, it's called 51440 and 51501. This is my 'utility' knife that I use and carry around every day:
It might look scary, but it's not meant to be. It's a tool, like any other. It has specific uses and fills a need. I like it. However, I have become tired of sharpening the bugger every couple weeks. Even though it's a harder-ish steel, it still requires sharpening many times per year.
I have recently studied a little about various steels and their hardness and have found some very interesting things. If there were a hardness scale that placed a diamond as a 9 (from 1-10), a ruby would be an 8, and Super High-Carbon Steel would be a 7. Tungsten Carbide is among this same class of steel. Titanium is pretty hard as well, but not as hard as High-Carbon steel.
I have yet to find a knife maker that uses high-carbon steel, but when I do, you can bet I'll buy a knife!
It might look scary, but it's not meant to be. It's a tool, like any other. It has specific uses and fills a need. I like it. However, I have become tired of sharpening the bugger every couple weeks. Even though it's a harder-ish steel, it still requires sharpening many times per year.
I have recently studied a little about various steels and their hardness and have found some very interesting things. If there were a hardness scale that placed a diamond as a 9 (from 1-10), a ruby would be an 8, and Super High-Carbon Steel would be a 7. Tungsten Carbide is among this same class of steel. Titanium is pretty hard as well, but not as hard as High-Carbon steel.
I have yet to find a knife maker that uses high-carbon steel, but when I do, you can bet I'll buy a knife!
29 April 2008
The Big One
There's like a 99% chance that the Salt Lake Valley will sustain a 7.0 or greater quake within the next 50 years.
We purchased earthquake insurance years ago. We have since let it lapse but are going to purchase it once again. Earthquake insurance isn't that great. Most of the time, if you sustain damage to your home from a quake, the deductible is 10% of the damage. So, if the structure of your home cost $200,000 to build (not including the land), and your home is LEVELED by a quake, you are looking at a $20,000 deductible. Not great, but hey, whatchya gonna do? Getting a loan for 20 grand will be easier than one for 200 grand!
When thinking about a major quake in the Salt Lake Valley, I was slightly comforted in the knowledge that my house wouldn't just sink into the abyss and shake like a bowl o' Jell-O, like a lot of homes in the valley, as manifest by this LIQUEFACTION map:
Where's YOUR house?
We purchased earthquake insurance years ago. We have since let it lapse but are going to purchase it once again. Earthquake insurance isn't that great. Most of the time, if you sustain damage to your home from a quake, the deductible is 10% of the damage. So, if the structure of your home cost $200,000 to build (not including the land), and your home is LEVELED by a quake, you are looking at a $20,000 deductible. Not great, but hey, whatchya gonna do? Getting a loan for 20 grand will be easier than one for 200 grand!
When thinking about a major quake in the Salt Lake Valley, I was slightly comforted in the knowledge that my house wouldn't just sink into the abyss and shake like a bowl o' Jell-O, like a lot of homes in the valley, as manifest by this LIQUEFACTION map:
Where's YOUR house?
24 April 2008
The Gift of Fear
In the sidebar of my blog, I have listed "Books to Read". One of those books is called The Gift of Fear, by Gavin De Becker.
Everyone has the Light of Christ. That precise phrase is found in the Book of Mormon and is synonymous to the terms “spirit of the Lord” and “light of life”. The “spirit of the Lord,” however, sometimes is used with reference to the Holy Ghost, and so must not be taken in every case as having reference to the Light of Christ. The light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ. It is this light that quickens man's understanding and can tell ALL men what is right and what is wrong. Good and evil. The Light of Christ is not the Holy Ghost. It is not a personage at all...just an influence.
Gavin De Becker talks about these things in his book and calls them intuition. He speaks of fear, apprehension, suspicion, hesitation, doubt, gut feelings, and hunches without the true knowledge of their source. That's OK...we'll convert him later.Here are a few quotes from his book that struck me enough to write them down.
“Real fear is a signal intended to be very brief: a mere servant of intuition.”
“True fear is a survival signal that sounds only in the presence of danger.”
“Fear is not an emotion.” [it's a response]
"The intuitive signal of the highest order, the one with the greatest urgency is:
1. Fear
2. Apprehension
3. Suspicion
4. Hesitation
5. Doubt
6. Gut Feelings
7. Hunches
8. Curiosity"
"When it comes to danger, intuition is always right in at least 2 important ways: 1. It is always in response to something. 2. It always has your best interests at heart."
"Animals NEVER question their fearful instincts. They act on them immediately and with extreme prejudice."
Have you ever met someone, or been around someone that just gave you the heebie-jeebies and you couldn't put your finger on it? Is there a guy in your neighborhood that just seems to rub you the wrong way, even though he's never done anything offensive to you?
For years Lisa and I have discussed an ability that I have. We call it the "guy feeling." When my sister-in-law would bring home a new date or boyfriend, I could tell you within 5 minutes (or less) whether he was marriage material or a scumbag. For years it was a subtle thing that I slowly became more and more aware of over the years until I mentioned it to Lisa. Now she asks me quite often, "Do you ever get the guy feeling about so-and-so?"
I have known and met a half-dozen people in recent years who have elicited immediate gut responses where I knew, without a doubt, that something in their lives was out-of-whack. Whether they were child molesters or serial killers, or abusive to their spouses, I knew that something was not right with them. In every case those feelings have been justified. Every. Case. One time it turned out the acquaintance was heavily into pornography (even child porn) and embezzled a half-million dollars from his employer. Another went to jail for molesting a little girl. I am also reminded of many, many times during my LDS mission to Ecuador where I could tell whether a person was lying to me. It was uncanny and I trusted it completely, because those feelings were always right.
Once we are baptized in the LDS Church, we are given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. If you live in accordance to the Gospel, that simple Light or intuition can be intensified by the constant companionship of a member of the Godhead. Wow. And the Gift of Discernment is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
De Becker writes a good book. He writes with authority and manages a consulting firm that deals with the prediction and management of violence. If you don't have the time to read it, get the CD's from the library. It is worth your time.
Everyone has the Light of Christ. That precise phrase is found in the Book of Mormon and is synonymous to the terms “spirit of the Lord” and “light of life”. The “spirit of the Lord,” however, sometimes is used with reference to the Holy Ghost, and so must not be taken in every case as having reference to the Light of Christ. The light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ. It is this light that quickens man's understanding and can tell ALL men what is right and what is wrong. Good and evil. The Light of Christ is not the Holy Ghost. It is not a personage at all...just an influence.
Gavin De Becker talks about these things in his book and calls them intuition. He speaks of fear, apprehension, suspicion, hesitation, doubt, gut feelings, and hunches without the true knowledge of their source. That's OK...we'll convert him later.
“Real fear is a signal intended to be very brief: a mere servant of intuition.”
“True fear is a survival signal that sounds only in the presence of danger.”
“Fear is not an emotion.” [it's a response]
"The intuitive signal of the highest order, the one with the greatest urgency is:
1. Fear
2. Apprehension
3. Suspicion
4. Hesitation
5. Doubt
6. Gut Feelings
7. Hunches
8. Curiosity"
"When it comes to danger, intuition is always right in at least 2 important ways: 1. It is always in response to something. 2. It always has your best interests at heart."
"Animals NEVER question their fearful instincts. They act on them immediately and with extreme prejudice."
Have you ever met someone, or been around someone that just gave you the heebie-jeebies and you couldn't put your finger on it? Is there a guy in your neighborhood that just seems to rub you the wrong way, even though he's never done anything offensive to you?
For years Lisa and I have discussed an ability that I have. We call it the "guy feeling." When my sister-in-law would bring home a new date or boyfriend, I could tell you within 5 minutes (or less) whether he was marriage material or a scumbag. For years it was a subtle thing that I slowly became more and more aware of over the years until I mentioned it to Lisa. Now she asks me quite often, "Do you ever get the guy feeling about so-and-so?"
I have known and met a half-dozen people in recent years who have elicited immediate gut responses where I knew, without a doubt, that something in their lives was out-of-whack. Whether they were child molesters or serial killers, or abusive to their spouses, I knew that something was not right with them. In every case those feelings have been justified. Every. Case. One time it turned out the acquaintance was heavily into pornography (even child porn) and embezzled a half-million dollars from his employer. Another went to jail for molesting a little girl. I am also reminded of many, many times during my LDS mission to Ecuador where I could tell whether a person was lying to me. It was uncanny and I trusted it completely, because those feelings were always right.
Once we are baptized in the LDS Church, we are given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. If you live in accordance to the Gospel, that simple Light or intuition can be intensified by the constant companionship of a member of the Godhead. Wow. And the Gift of Discernment is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
De Becker writes a good book. He writes with authority and manages a consulting firm that deals with the prediction and management of violence. If you don't have the time to read it, get the CD's from the library. It is worth your time.
23 April 2008
A Seon of Gold, A Shum of Gold
The young men of my ward began a little program back on February 1st. We call it...YUBABOMDOG!!! It's a phrase everyone in my ward is familiar with.
Yuba = Yuba Lake, of course!
BoM = Book of Mormon
DoG = Duty (to) God
If the young men of my ward can read the entire Book of Mormon within 6 months time (Feb. 1 thru July 31st), then they qualify for a water skiing trip to Yuba Lake on August 1st and 2nd. This was mainly an effort to pass off a few Duty to God requirements, but will also help us prepare our young men to serve honorable, full-time missions.
Anyhoo...back to the beginning. As I was reading Alma 11 this morning at my desk, I came across the all-too-familiar Nephite monetary reckoning system. It is very strange that Mormon inserted that little tidbit into the BoM where he did. It is also very strange that he gave us no frame of reference as to what the purchase power of a Limnah of gold was, or how large a "measure" of barley was. It was likely that his own monetary system had changed over the hundreds of years, and he didn't know himself.
So, for years, I have read over that little bit and thought, "Some day I'll put that whole thing on paper and make some sort of sense to it." And here's what I came up with:
Today........=....Gold...........=...Silver.......=...Barley/Grain
.625 cents.=....No equal....=...Leah.........=...1/8 Measure?
$1.25.........=....No equal....=...Shiblum....=...1/4 Measure?
$2.50.........=....No equal....=...Shiblon....=...1/2 Measure?
$5.00.........=....Senine.......=...Senum......=...1 Measure
$10.00.......=....Seon..........=...Amnor......=...2 Measures
$20.00.......=....Shum........=...Ezrom......=...4 Measures
$35.00.......=....Limnah.....=...Onti..........=...7 Measures
$7.50..........=....Antion......=...3 Shiblons.=...1.5 Measures?
How's that? Really, you could take a Leah of silver (which is the smallest amount) and assign any value to it. For all we know, a Leah was worth a buck? Then it would look something like this:
Today......=....Gold........=...Silver.....=...Barley/Grain
$1.00.....=....No equal....=...Leah.......=...1/8 Measure?
$2.00.....=....No equal....=...Shiblum....=...1/4 Measure?
$4.00.....=....No equal....=...Shiblon....=...1/2 Measure?
$8.00.....=....Senine......=...Senum......=...1 Measure
$16.00....=....Seon........=...Amnor......=...2 Measures
$32.00....=....Shum........=...Ezrom......=...4 Measures
$56.00....=....Limnah......=...Onti.......=...7 Measures
$12.00....=....Antion......=...3 Shiblons.=...1.5 Measures?
Kind of interesting, but I sure would like to know what the heck a measure of barley was!!!
Yuba = Yuba Lake, of course!
BoM = Book of Mormon
DoG = Duty (to) God
If the young men of my ward can read the entire Book of Mormon within 6 months time (Feb. 1 thru July 31st), then they qualify for a water skiing trip to Yuba Lake on August 1st and 2nd. This was mainly an effort to pass off a few Duty to God requirements, but will also help us prepare our young men to serve honorable, full-time missions.
Anyhoo...back to the beginning. As I was reading Alma 11 this morning at my desk, I came across the all-too-familiar Nephite monetary reckoning system. It is very strange that Mormon inserted that little tidbit into the BoM where he did. It is also very strange that he gave us no frame of reference as to what the purchase power of a Limnah of gold was, or how large a "measure" of barley was. It was likely that his own monetary system had changed over the hundreds of years, and he didn't know himself.
So, for years, I have read over that little bit and thought, "Some day I'll put that whole thing on paper and make some sort of sense to it." And here's what I came up with:
Today........=....Gold...........=...Silver.......=...Barley/Grain
.625 cents.=....No equal....=...Leah.........=...1/8 Measure?
$1.25.........=....No equal....=...Shiblum....=...1/4 Measure?
$2.50.........=....No equal....=...Shiblon....=...1/2 Measure?
$5.00.........=....Senine.......=...Senum......=...1 Measure
$10.00.......=....Seon..........=...Amnor......=...2 Measures
$20.00.......=....Shum........=...Ezrom......=...4 Measures
$35.00.......=....Limnah.....=...Onti..........=...7 Measures
$7.50..........=....Antion......=...3 Shiblons.=...1.5 Measures?
How's that? Really, you could take a Leah of silver (which is the smallest amount) and assign any value to it. For all we know, a Leah was worth a buck? Then it would look something like this:
Today......=....Gold........=...Silver.....=...Barley/Grain
$1.00.....=....No equal....=...Leah.......=...1/8 Measure?
$2.00.....=....No equal....=...Shiblum....=...1/4 Measure?
$4.00.....=....No equal....=...Shiblon....=...1/2 Measure?
$8.00.....=....Senine......=...Senum......=...1 Measure
$16.00....=....Seon........=...Amnor......=...2 Measures
$32.00....=....Shum........=...Ezrom......=...4 Measures
$56.00....=....Limnah......=...Onti.......=...7 Measures
$12.00....=....Antion......=...3 Shiblons.=...1.5 Measures?
Kind of interesting, but I sure would like to know what the heck a measure of barley was!!!
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