We're all in this together

Krishnamurti - Education & the Significance of Life

2010-05-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

"...

One must look at all these expressions of violence and antagonism with an unprejudiced mind, that is, with a mind that does not identify itself with any country, race, or ideology, but tries to find out what is true. There is great joy in seeing a thing clearly without being influenced by the notions and instructions of others, whether they be the government, the specialists or the very learned. Once we really see that patriotism is a hindrance to human happiness, we do not have to struggle against this false emotion in ourselves, it has gone from us forever.

Nationalism, the patriotic spirit, class and race consciousness, are all ways of the self, and therefore separative. After all, what is a nation but a group of individuals living together for economic and self-protective reasons? Out of fear and acquisitive self-defence arises the idea of "my country," with it's boundaries and tariff walls, rendering brotherhood and the unity of man impossible.

..."

GOVERNMENT IS VIOLENCE essays on ANARCHISM and PACIFISM

2010-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

THE END OF THE AGE

An Essay on the Approaching Revolution (1905)

Part V

"...

It is generally thought that the cruelest slavery is personal slavery: when one man can do anything he likes with another, torture, mutilate, kill him, while that which we do not even call slavery, the deprivation of the possibility of using the land, is thought merely a certain somewhat unjust economical institution.

But this view is quite false. That which Joseph did with the Egyptians, which all conquerors have done with the vanquished nations, which is now being done by men to men in the deprivation of the possibility of using the land - is the most dreadful and cruel slavery. The personal slave is the slave of one, but the man deprived of the right to use the land is the slave of all. Even this is not the principal calamity of the land slave. However cruel might have been the owner of the personal slave, in view of his own advantage and that he might not lose the slave, he did not force him to work incessantly, did not torture him, did not starve him, whereas the man deprived of the land is always obliged to work beyond his strength , to suffer, and to starve, and can never for one minute be completely provided for and be set free from the arbitrary will of men, especially from that of evil and avaricious men. Yet even this is not the chief calamity of the land slave. The worst is that he cannot live a moral life. Not living by labour on the land, not struggling with nature, he is inevitably obliged to struggle with men, to endeavor to take from them by force or cunning that which they have acquired from the land and from the labour of others.

Land slavery is not, as is thought even by those who recognize deprivation of land as slavery, one of the remaining forms of slavery, but is the radical and fundamental slavery, from which has grown and grows every form of slavery, and which is incomparably more painful than personal slavery, and in many cases, as it was in Russia (when the serfs were emancipated with but a small portion of land), is a deceit which can only for a time conceal from the slaves their true position.

..."

Doctors Without Borders Haiti Relief

2010-01-13T18:48:00.001-08:00

Turkish Get-Ups

2010-01-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

Turkish Get-Ups are a great full body exercise. They teach alignment, rooting, shoulder stability and seamless coordination while developing overall strength. I believe TGUs were created for Turkish wrestlers to learn to get up from their backs. You may not be doing any Turkish wrestling but you should find this exercise very helpful. A great exercise for strength development and rehab.

The basic premise of a TGU is to get up from laying on your back while holding resistance (a kettlebell) with your arm locked overhead (towards the sky). We break the exercise down into it's various components for the sake of learning and trouble shooting but again, not an exercise to be over thought. In fact in general I prefer to do most of my technical thought pre or post exercise enabling me to focus in a more aware meditative state while actually exercising (although training often requires quick thinking).

Begin the exercise laying on your back. Raise one arm overhead, perpendicular to the ground with the elbow locked. Bend the leg on the same side as the raised arm placing the sole of the foot on the ground. Drive the weight up towards the sky straightening the non-weighted arm against the ground. Transition your feet and legs into a lunge position keeping the weight perpendicular to the ground. At this point your stance should be rooted in a strong lunge position, your posture should be tall and natural with your chest coming slightly forward rooting your arm into the latissimus dorsi muscles letting the weight sit slightly back over the hips. With proper alignment you should feel rooted directly into the ground. From here maintain strong abs while driving up from the legs into a standing position. Reverse the motion by stepping back with a reverse lunge, carefully finding the ground with your knee, then hand, then hip, rolling down until laying on your back again.

1. You may find it difficult to keep your shoulder connected to your body while locking your elbow. Tighten your tricep to lock your elbow. Visualize energy coming up from the elbow into the bell and down from the elbow into your shoulder. Tighten your lat to pull your shoulder in. Feel your lat connect to your obliques and core forming one big muscle. Extend the non-weighted hand to your side at about a 45degree angle. Too close to your body and it doesn't provide any additional leverage. Too far from your body and the arm is disconnected and unstable. Your movements should be smooth and seamless but to break it down think about rolling up your non-weighted tricep to your elbow. Then roll up your forearm to your extended hand.

2. Now you have a leg bent and a leg straight and you are sitting up with the weight overhead and your other arm extended against the floor. The weighted side leg is going to step forward becoming the front leg of a strong lunge position. The opposite leg is repositioned with the knee on the floor becoming the back leg of a strong lunge. This transition should be smooth and strong minimizing excess movement. The weight should remain rooted. The common tendency is to push the weight forward because of lack of mobility in the shoulder making the optimal alignment a difficult position to maintain. Understand the difference of difficulty from improper technique and difficulty from proper training. Technically, if you can do something with bad technique, you can do something even more powerfully with good technique. That is good news. Continue active release and mobility exercises and millimeter by millimeter strive for better alignment in your practice.

3. Keep your balance, stay rooted and drive up from your legs. Bring your feet together and stand up tall with your feet and shoulder rooted, elbow locked, weight over the hips, chest slightly forward, legs locked. Reverse the motion by stepping back confidently and finding the ground with your knee. Keep your shoulder rooted and reach down to find the ground with your non-weighted hand. Shift the rear lunge leg in front of you as you take a seat so you can lay down to finish the motion. Roll down the non-weighted arm using your core muscles for control.

Finer points:

1. Protect your shoulder as you bring the bell from your side to the prone rack position. Roll towards the bell and use two hands to pull it into the rack.

2. This exercise is very much about alignment. Even the lightest weight I can only hold in front front of me for so long. When the weight falls off it's root line small muscles start overworking and joints start fatiguing and disconnecting. Keep your peripheral vision on the weight and make sure it stays rooted. Instead of feeling the weight in my hand, I send the energy to my lats, hips, legs and feet.

3. This exercise is all about transitions. Take the time to practice them making them nice and smooth.

4. The exercise is much less exhausting when you have the stability of rooting through your feet. By beginning with this strong foundation much of the other alignment issues will self correct.

5. You are only as strong as your weakest link. Make sure the bell is positioned low in the palm. People tend to hold the bell at the base of the fingers which bends the wrist back throwing off the bodies alignment.

6. Although holding your breath may give you more strength on certain powerlifts, TGU repetitions take too long for breath holding. Also be careful to avoid the pendulum tension and relaxation curve of deep breathing. Breath from your diaphragm but make sure your breathing is smooth. This will make 5 sets of 5 repetitions seem easier than one repetition with improper breathing.

7. You don't have to be too linear. There are a lot of angles and levers in this motion. If you come straight up you will be developing good absolute strength. Good thing to practice when your KB is feeling light and you want to work up to a heavier weight. But if you want to make a heavy weight feel lighter, use the available levers to cut the angles to your advantage. Use your obliques and roll to your side as you smoothly get up. This is a more natural way to attempt getting up, especially in combat sports (See also: life) where the resistance is active and significant.

Extra safety points:

1. Watch your footing. Work bare foot or with shoes that have a solid sole. A slightly cushy mat may force you to use your stabilizer muscles a bit more but the exercise will be more difficult with added dangers of acute mishap or prolonged overuse injuries. Make sure floors aren't too slippery and make sure not to trip on your mat. Mat, soft surface or knee pad is used to protect the knee during the lunge.

2. Keep at least your peripheral vision on the bell and stay focused. Don't look into the sun =)

3. Have confidence in your lift. Some exercises, like the deadlift for instance, if I maintain proper form, I can attempt a lift beyond my Personal Record and worse comes to worst the weight simply doesn't move. With TGUs if the weight is too heavy for me, I potentially drop it on my face. Therefore I don't attempt this exercise with maximum weights. Use your practice and judgment to be 100% confident in the TGU you're performing (See also: Bailout gracefully or if you're going to be stupid, you better be tough).

Swings

2010-01-09T10:10:00.002-08:00

Swings are a phenomenal exercise teaching coordination while building strength and developing cardiovascular ability.

Although not a kettlebell sport competition lift, many programs have been based around swings alone and swings generally provide great warm up and cool down benefits.

I would like to think I've done at least a million swings over the last 5 years and there is still always room for progress and improvement. We use tips and rules of thumb to keep our practice directed and focused but don't get lost in the details of the swing. I find the best benefits are obtained when I use a technical point as a direction as supposed to a source of anxiety. My primary focus with swings and training in general is simply flow (http://kogagreg.blogspot.com/2009/03/centering-for-training-101.html ). Sometimes I visualize electricity or energy flowing as I listen to my body so I can make the appropriate minute adjustments. It's important for the swing to be natural as supposed to mechanical. This is a dynamic movement controlling momentum.

1. Grip - Grab the bell in your palm connecting your thumb and index finger around the handle like you're giving the okay sign. These are called the hooks. By having a strong connection between those two fingers, the rest of the hand is able to relax more throughout the exercise avoiding premature fatigue (grip is often the first thing to go with many KB exercises).

2. Stance - Make sure you lift the bell properly from the ground as you stand up to begin. Many gym injuries happen from improper alignment as trainees simply move weights into position before they apply the technique and focus of the actual exercise. Start strong, finish strong, and you'll encounter less mystery problems. Stand up nice and tall with the bell between your legs. Shoulders are back, chest is out, knee and hip joints are locked straight without flexed bend or hyper-extension. This will be the basic torso alignment at the top of the swing.

3. Swing - Sit back (rather than down) like you're reaching to sit on a distant chair. Swing the bell behind you through your legs as though you're hiking a football. Catch the energy of the weight in your glutes and hamstrings as supposed to your back. Then, keeping the arm relaxed like a chain, let the weight swing forward naturally as you push your legs through the ground (root your feet, drive through your heels), returning your hips to the upright position. That is one repetition.

Your swing should form a nice arc. Energy should be going down through your feet and directly into the bell. Energy should not be leaking from anywhere in the chain causing a jagged energy pattern. It also should not look too much like a wave. The weight should move like a smooth pendulum pivoting around your body.

Finer points and common problems:

1. Using primarily arm strength - This problem can be identified by simply seeing excess tension in the arms, the trainee will appear like they're flexing. It can also be seen if the student is moving the weight without their hips or body moving. Perhaps more subtle but common is when the student is unable to coordinate the flow of the swing but mimics the action by moving the arms and the hips at the same time. It will look very mechanical and excessively stiff. Relax your arms and try to push the bell from your feet instead of pulling it with your arms.

2. Letting the knees dip excessively forward - Knees will be seen coming forward, sometimes past the toes. This often comes with hips sitting down instead of back and weight on the toes instead of the heels. This can put strain on the knees and the hamstrings will not be at their proper length to load properly. I visualize that I am in ski boots or cement boots and that I cannot move from my knee down. I see even top competitors allow their knees to come forward slightly and you don't want to force any motion to the point where it becomes mechanical and no longer natural but my goal is to keep my shins vertical so my hamstrings can do their job.

3. Using the back to swing instead of the legs - An acute bend will be seen in the spine at some point along the swing instead of a longer natural posture. Another symptom is back pain. Use your legs instead of your back. Think about pushing through the feet. Perhaps sit back more to let the hamstrings load. When you jump do you lift from your back or do you push through your legs off your feet? Think about that coordination. Now apply in your swing. Do not get air but use your legs.

4. Lack of mobility - The problems listed above and many athletic problems are the result of poor alignment or lack of mobility. Your body may simply not be capable of getting into the desired position without some restructuring. Practice everything from poor-mans joint mobility to more advanced yogic or qigong practices to regain your range of motion. Develop your strength with body weight exercises and seek healing methods like massage and acupuncture to free up energy congestion to resume your natural flow.

Kettlebells now for sale!

2010-01-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

How do we stop police brutality?

2009-12-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

I posted this:

did you know at least 173 people killed by nypd since amadou diallo (feb 99) at least 41 killed by nypd since sean bell (nov 06). strange?
December 25 at 2:52pm via Twitter

And received this message:

December 25 at 10:47pm
Sorry greg but this comment is inappropriate for christmas. I am sure that most were killed in a exchange of gun fire with cops. -It is never easy to shoot and kill someone for most people. Since I have family members and my love are cops I pray for them everyday hoping they come home Safe The stats of people killing each other is much higher.Maybe look at the stats of cops helping people in his/her time of need Nobody seems to want to look at that. Comments like this do show one of our great rights-freedomof speech and I know you are just stating your opinion but that is what I am doing as well. -
Sent via Facebook Mobile

And wrote this response:

_____, how are you? How is life treating you aside from my comment?

Volumes can be written on this subject but let me attempt to briefly elaborate on the point of my post.

First I have to dispute the validity of Christmas. It's a confusing holiday, presented as a celebration for the birth of Christ. I'm not Christian. The date December 25th was selected by Pagans and Romans to worship their sun gods and a date agreed upon by the financial sector to prop up gains in an otherwise low returning fourth financial quarter.

I'm not mad or angry at Christmas. I understand the family aspect, vacation time, yule log on a snowy day. I understand that if someone is a jerk all year and at this one time they're inspired to do something nice, that's a good thing. In that respect I try to have a little bit of Christmas in my life everyday. But I am concerned with the serious issues that plague our planet. For instance did you know that every 3.6 seconds someone dies of starvation? Another issue is murder whether perpetrated by a psychopath or an officer. I just don't see what Santa Clause and reindeer have to do with these issues that need attention and solutions.

It is a very bold statement to say that you are sure most were killed in a gunfire exchange but that is simply not a fact. Specifically Amadou Diallo was a shop worker across the street from the school where my mom works. He was shot at 41 times as he pulled out his wallet entering his home. Sean Bell was shot at 50 times as he sat in his car on the early morning of his wedding day. Never mind a gun fight. There was simply no gun anywhere in the possession of these victims.

It may be safe to assume a fraction of the victims were either trying to harm police or actively attempting suicide by cop. Some people were perhaps having a breakdown and unfortunately found themselves in a deadly situation. Although I consider myself an activist for human rights and social justice I do not have more specific information in front of me about the other 170+ people killed by NYPD since Diallo.

What I know is that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck and there are clearly shenanigans in the police department. The trick is not just accepting what the media tells you a duck is like. You may have to look a little closer.

In defense or some of the more respectable officers I understand that perhaps some police are very stand up individuals with a strong sense of integrity and determination driving them to do the right thing. But the problems in the police department are much bigger than any individual and at the end of the day even the best meaning officer has to follow orders to keep their job. I've found many police tactics to be nothing short of gang rule making the NYPD the biggest gang in NY. In that sense I see many similarities between the NYPD and organizations like the Bloods and the Crips. Even if you join the Crips with the best intentions, you are still unfortunately a Crip.

I don't want to go on a tangent and I fear bringing up points of discussion that may be taken out of context as they go beyond the scope of this message but here I continue.

I watch the depiction of police on television and they are often made out to be heroes. Royal knights keeping the peace. In my personal interactions with police I have not found them to be so chivalrous. My brother and I have been regularly stopped as we walk home being the only people of any color on our block. I find it kind of ironic since we have actually been residents in this area longer than most of our neighbors. But I am not mad in that profiling. I remember one time when I must have been about 10. I was walking out of my mom's dance class with her and some of the male drummers. Everyone in our party was black. As we walk out cops approach us with their guns drawn behind their backs. Pretty profound experience at 10. The police stated that they were looking for a black man with a blue jacket. The irony there was that everyone including the police was wearing a blue jacket. Again isolated incident, they were just doing their jobs, other points of contention... but basically I didn't get a strong sense of community from the officers and I just don't think they would have approached a group of white people so brazenly. Details of my experience may be hearsay but I'm just trying to share a sense of perspective.

More historically relevant are incidents like the Larry Davis story. Long story short, Larry Davis lived in Washington Heights in the 80's. At around the age of 16 he was responsible for being one of the largest selling drug dealers in the area. All of his supplies were confiscated drugs provided to Larry Davis by police officers. This story became public when Larry decided he wanted to improve his life and get out of dope selling. When officers learned he wanted to get out of the business about 20 officers rushed to his apartment in an attempt to kill Larry. If they succeeded we would have never known his story. But Larry was able to shoot his way free beginning the largest manhunt in NYS history. Because of his escape Larry was able to share his story before turning himself in, creating an investigation regarding the police involvement in his crimes. At the end of the investigation the 30th precinct became known as the dirty 30 when 25% of the precinct was implicated in this scandal. I have a DVD of the story where police give testifying statements confessing to rampant corruption and lawlessness. One officer is shown stating how they would sniff cocaine off of their squad car dashboard. This story may not seem directly related but it is a testament to the reality of corruption that we cannot think we are isolated from living in the so called 1st world. It also shows how so often in media and society, the crime is in the getting caught as supposed to the doing.

Growing up I was educated on the struggle for human and civil rights despite the fluffy picture taught to me in the mainstream. I could bring up a number of historical battles for rights but try to simply understand that segregation was legally binding in this country throughout the lives of my grandparents and into the adulthood of my parents. Institutionalized racism and inequality isn't something distant to my imagination. Segregation laws were very real and violently enforced by the predecessors and constructors of the modern police force.

As I grew older these issues seemed to fade as I realized myself to be just another American kid. Generation X trying to fit in. But going to a protest I saw a clear display of political injustice still fully in effect. I saw intelligent, loving, caring protesters making simple, rational, necessary demands of our leaders only to be crushed with force. I saw a woman who could have been my mom holding up a sign that said, "Abolish the Death Penalty" which police tore from her hands as they threw her to the ground and preceded to stomp her. She suffered facial fractures and a concussion. I saw a photographer taking pictures of the incident only to be assaulted as well as his camera smashed on the ground. These were not isolated incidents. This violent oppression basically summed up the entire event where 10s of thousands came to share their voice of concern. It became clear that the police are trying to protect something very bad. Some of the officers were blatantly malicious and violent. Others presented a more human compassion and when asked why they were trying to control the voice of the people, understandably, the best answer they could give was, "I need to keep my job to feed my family".

On the news after the protests the emphasis was on unruly protesters and how magnificent the police were at keeping things orderly. No mentions of the contentious issues. Seeing that newscast I can understand the naivety of the public. I can only imagine the newscasts as protesters fought for civil rights in the 60's south.

Granted that some of those killed by the NYPD were violent offenders in the cases of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo the victims were found to be completely innocent despite investigators looking for justifying dirt. At the end of the day the responsible officers were able to hide behind the blue wall being acquitted after their public acts of murder. Even if these were the only cases of wrongdoing society cannot simply approve of these murders as acceptable collateral damage. These weren't incidents where the victims were hanging out with the wrong people and happened to be killed by a stray bullet. These men were excessively gunned down and in some cases the officers actually were able to reload and continue firing upon the innocent victims. I would like to think that these two men were the only mistakes of the NYPD but I know that is not the case. The fact is most people don't even know the names Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo and the only reason they are slightly known is because the families fought long battles with activist support for justice and recognition which they never received aside from the recognition of other justice seekers. I could only imagine the poor souls who either had no family to support an investigation of their death or whose families simply wanted their heartbreaking tragedies to fade into history.

Police brutality is an all too serious issue that plagues many communities. When I was heavily researching this subject in 2000 Los Angeles was ranked first for reports of police brutality. New York was second and Philadelphia was third. These incidents account for hundreds of deaths, hundreds of assaults and thousands of situations where ordinary citizens are harassed or humiliated in just these three cities, never mind the rest of the country and the world. The effects of a police state are profoundly negative on society.

I may be exercising my individual prerogative to post something on this subject but I did not state an opinion. I shared a fact and a question, "Strange?". Just gauging what people thought on the topic. I am not making an effort to create an Us vs. Them scenario because the fact is at the end of the day there is no Them. There is only us. I do not think it is acceptable for people to simply conclude that they hate the police nor do I think it is acceptable for supporters of police to blindly back each other up without addressing the details of the issues that extremely detriment the development of our communities.

I mean no malice when I share a post and I do not wish to offend or antagonize you with my response to your message. I'm very appreciative that you took the time to write about your concern, so it was you, who inspired this outpouring of thought. I'm simply posing the question, "What do we do about this issue?". Perhaps you do not think it is an issue but for many people this is a conflict that alienates them from society. The families of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo happened to cross my mind on December 25th 2009 and I have to wonder where the holiday spirit is for them? What do they have left to joyously celebrate?

I hope you won't mind but this did take me some time to write and it is something very important to me so I'm going to post this on my blog with your message attached anonymously. Hopefully this will create continued positive dialogue.

Thanks again and I hope you are well. It would be good to see you in 2010.

P.S. Unfortunately for many it is all too easy to shoot and kill someone.

*edit*

And I received this message:
From previous anonymous -
January 8 at 9:15pm
Greg,

Your inaccurate and inflammatory comments about the NYPD, as well as your pontificating on the subject of police brutality aside, I am doing quite well; thank you for asking. I hope you are also well. I am not Christian either, but fell that the holidays of people of any faith are not the right times to make inflammatory comments about anybody, let alone the very people without whom we would not be able to enjoy said holidays. However, I am willing to concede that posting a comment on any other day might not have garnered its desired response. Posting this comment on Facebook, on a day when many people were most likely expecting well wishes from family and friends was no doubt the best day to elicit a WTF. You tell me that "it is a very bold statement to say that you are sure most were killed in a gunfire exchange but that is simply not a fact." What you do not tell me is what statistical data you have to support the statement. It is equally as bold for you to make a blanket statement about the NYPD without doing any research into the matter. In regards to Sean Bell, he was not shot 53 times; 53 shots were fired by three police officers. That, however, would have required more effort than that required to scan a newspaper headline or website. He was also not, as you put it, simply sitting in his car after his bachelor party. He was driving the car, and struck a police officer that was conducting an investigation after a friend of Bell's make statements regarding wanting to retrieve his handgun. It is offensive that you refer to the people that the NYPD was forced to use deadly force against as victims. If I may paraphrase a statement of yours, that simply is not a fact. You concede that people may have been actively attempting to harm police or citizens, or engaging in suicide by police (which would make them perpetrators, rather than victims) yet you did not bother to do any research into this matter, which you confirm with your statement, "although I consider myself an activist for human rights and social justice, I do not have more specific information in front of me about the other 170 + people killed by NYPD since Diallo." Again, that would have required considerable more effort, and is not as easily obtainable as anti-police rhetoric. In your response, you make the following statements, " What I know is that if it lkooks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck and there are clearly shenanigans in the police department. The trick is not just accepting what the media tells you a duck is like. You may have to look a little closer." In the second paragraph following, you say that you do no want ot go off on an tangent for fear of having points taken out of context as they "go beyond the scope of the message." I can't help but wonder how your apparent disdain for the police can possibly be taken out of context, as you liken the NYPD and (your supposed) knowledge of their tactics to that of street gangs. You are quick to reference Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell, yet you make no mention of Police Officer Russell Timishenko or Police Officer Daniel Enchautegui. You make it a point to mention the number of bullets that were fired in both cases, but do not mention the heroic deeds of these Police Officers. Russell Timishenko was a Police Officer in Brooklyn, New York; he was murdered by an individual that shot him in the face as he and his partner, Police Officer Herman Yan conducted a car stop. Daniel Enchautegui was a Police Officer that was murdered while off duty and investigating a burglary in progress at the home of his neighbor. You then go on to say that you watch on television and notice that the police are portrayed as heroic royal knights maintaining the peace, which you obviously disagree with. The fact of the matter is that the police are regular people that do heroic things and are responsible for maintaining order. It is because men and women of all races and creeds, across this country go to work and put on that uniform that you are able to walk around each and every day. If it was bot for them, family and friends would not be able to walk the streets at night without fear of being accosted. You apparently disagree with the fact that the police preserve order, but rest assured, without them, there would be anarchy. Police Officers spend over 50 percent of their time protecting 99 percent of society from the 1 percent that would do it harm. The irony is, the better they perform their job, the more society believes they don't need them. They will simply hate them until they need them; once they no longer need he police officer, they will return to the status quo of hating them. That strangely faceless individual will once again be Sir or Ma'am to their face, and pig behind their back. Your "more historically relevant incident," the Larry Davis story, not only occurred well over twenty years ago, but onc eagain is one-sided and inaccurate. This fact was not surprising, given your initial post. I would inquire as to whether you looked into the myraid positive things the NYPD did during that time frame, but do not beliee you bothered to do so. Since I brought up the subject of research, while you were conducting your extensive research of police brutality and learned that Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia were ranked numbers one, two and three respectively in allegations, did any of your sources mention that they are among the largest, most densely populated cities in the nation? In cities such as those, in which full page ads detailing exactly how to file complaints against police officers are printed in the newspaper (see NYPD CCRB), is it really very shocking that brutality complaints were filed? I also have to wonder if your research stated exactly how many of those allegations were unsubstantiated. Or was your research concluded once statements that validated a particular thesis statement were obtained? You say that you do not wish to create an "Us verses Them" attitude, yet your entire blog appears to do just that. In fact, in an effort to support an "Us verses Them" attitude, you singled out the NYPD, comparing it and its tactics to criminal street gangs. You mentioned two of the post prominent individuals the NYPD used deadly physical force against, and went so far as to imply that they, and others, were murdered. In addition, you mentioned interactions that you've had with the police that were not as pleasant as you would have liked them to have been, discuss a scandal that took place well over twenty years ago and all but declare a convicted criminal responsible for shooting six police officers a folk hero. You say that the families of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo entered your mind on December 25th. You say that you wondered where the holiday spirit was for them and thier families. Did the families of Russell Timishenko and Daniel Enchautegui enter your mind as well? Did the families of the five recently murdered Seattle, Washington police officers enter your mind? Did the families of the 23 NYPD Officers that gave their lives on 9/11 enter your mind? Did you wonder where the holiday spirit was for their families as well? Before you decided to, under the guise of social activism, exploit the names of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo, for the purpose of expressing your disdain for the police, did you think about the Police Officers working that night? It's because of those men and women that you, and your loved ones are able to walk around, not just on holidays, but on any day.

Sent via Facebook Mobile

It's the simple things.

2009-12-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

The new year is upon us and we have another chance to confront the ole' resolutions. Unfortunately the new year seems to fall at the end of a tumultuous season for most people and the momentum of the hectic flow seems to carry through overwhelming our good intentions. What will make the difference between future success or failure?

A lot of my philosophy has stemmed from the work of Jiddu Krishnamurti. I have always gone against the grain which created a conflict between my anti-establishment nature and the structure we need to survive and thrive. In Krishnamurti's work he discusses the fatal flaw of discipline being an aberration of a hierarchical society. Basically discipline is forced upon us to quell our desires or cravings for better living and a more loving existence. We are told that more important than what our hearts want is the role society needs us to fill. You must listen to your parents. You must do what they say in school. You must do what your bosses tell you. You must accept the perspective of corporate media. Discipline means there is something you don't want to do but must do and this creates a conflict.

Better than doing things out of discipline is doing things out of love. This means that instead of forcing myself, against the grain, to go to sleep early as I prepare for an event, I'm better off going to sleep early because I love sleep and the blessed recovery it provides. This means that when I'm invited to go hangout and party I don't say, "I would like to hangout but I begrudgingly must go home as an act of discipline". Instead I say, "I would love to hangout but I love the benefits of sleep and my ultimate goals even more so I must go home as an act of love". There is perhaps a subtle difference in wording. It may seem like just an issue of semantics but words are powerful. Our thoughts are our prayers.

I am not completely opposed to discipline. If you have a tournament or big job interview coming up and you find yourself having trouble getting to bed, it may not be the time for philosophical introspection. Many people thrive on discipline and many of those stern disciplinarians have gone on to be powerful leaders. What I am suggesting is that the motivation of love offers something potentially much more powerful. The main issue I've found is that to be truly loving it takes a certain level of mature understanding. It's easy to say, "Yea, I'm a loving person" and then find yourself confused and unmotivated. Cultivation of love is a constant practice.

Are you seeing the simplicity yet? Let me sum this up. As you approach this new year of resolutions do not put yourself in a conflict. Society presents a body image that we have to strive for to be accepted. Many of those body ideals presented to us are unrealistic and irrational. What I suggest is that you love and accept yourself. Communicate with yourself. Do you want to get in shape because that is what you think you're supposed to do? Or is it what you truly want because you love your existence and want to make the most out of our conscious time on Earth? When you see things in this perspective your choices and the better of those choices becomes more clear.

Visualize who you want to be and take the simple albeit serious steps to make that vision a reality. You may be thinking, "That's a lot easier said than done. That gungho mentality may work for cleaning the dishes but it's not that easy to fly a plane, fight an MMA bout, run a marathon, land that dream job or improve a difficult relationship". Or is it? Life delivers all types of hardships. To different individuals the same anxiety level is reached regardless of the actual intensity of the task at hand. It seems like things are only going to get more difficult in many ways as I gain the resources to tackle greater obstacles. The work may seem difficult but the choice is the easy part. Once you've made that choice the task is practically accomplished if your choice is genuine.

To quote or paraphrase Einstein, "Make things as simple as they need to be and no simpler."

My strategy is one foot in front of the other.

"Don't start anything, there won't be anything"

2009-10-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday walking down 2nd Ave by 10th St there was an incident between a cab driver and another driver. I didn't see the initial impact but it looked as though the cab driver hit the other car as perhaps the other car tried to cut him off. The driver of the front car gets out and starts sloppily hitting the cab driver who manages to roll up his window and call the police. Then the driver remains screaming at the cab driver with threats and foolish taunting. After two avenues of traffic started honking in unison the driver got in his car and started to drive away.

The cab driver cuts the hit and run driver off to the point where he is perpendicular to traffic in the avenue. The hit and run driver then manages to turn wrong way down a one way street where the cab driver again parks his car perpendicular to traffic to block any escape. Then three guys get out of the hit and run vehicle and start pushing on the cab and threatening the driver. This is where I decided to step in.

Although part of me is perhaps eagerly chomping at the bit for a chance to jujitsu someone I'm really not looking to play the hero as much as I'm just trying to fill my role as a citizen in preventing someone from getting bullied. I am certainly not looking to get shot or stabbed, especially for an incident I had no place in.

After assessing the situation to slightly size the guys up and see if it looked like anyone was about to pull out a weapon I felt it was ok to come closer and change from an observer to a presence in the matter. I say slightly size them up because even with my best analysis people surprise you so you can never underestimate a threat. I simply told the men to calm down and not make things worse. I pointed out how there was a busy avenue packed with people staring at the altercation. When they start saying more taunts about how they're going to kill the cab driver and kick his buttocks I reminded them that the police were on their way. I basically pointed out how tempers were flared and people should calm down and think about their actions. Then 3 police cars arrived and took over the situation.

I certainly don't think I played a major role in this incident. However, I think it's important for people to step up when they see situations arising. Maybe I'm just getting older or better at finding trouble but I seem to be seeing these cases of rage more and more. I certainly am not advocating vigilanteism. For the most part I think vigilanteism and advocating of such activities is illegal. I'm simply referring to the art of being aware of what's going on around you. Having an awareness of people's composure and potential threat. Being able to communicate and negotiate a misunderstanding without turning yourself into an antagonist. And then having the training to feel confident in my limited ability to defend against or evade an attack. As an Earth community it's important for us to protect each other from bullying and it's important to be able to calm down the many people we may encounter who are overwhelmed with frustration.

My comment regarding people picking fights when apparently they have no training, refers to the way the assaulting driver sloppily attacked the cab driver with threats of, "what he was going to do" to the cabbie which didn't look like it would have been much. He went from being in a situation where he was perhaps at minimal fault since hit from behind, to a situation where he was the main perpetrator based on his assault, threats and instigating. Later in the evening watching one of those shocking video shows, there was an incident where an accident was caught on tape and then after verbal arguing between the drivers, the smaller and weaker looking driver decided to start sloppily punching the stronger looking driver who preceded to pick up the weaker driver for a body slam leaving the weaker driver unconscious.

So I know you may be mad but think about what you're doing. People get in aggressive verbal confrontations all the time. Where do they expect these things to lead to? You don't want to slap the wrong guy especially when you're not prepared. Like my grandmother says, "it takes two fools to argue".

Roll up your window.

2009-10-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

I love my mom. I find it cool when I see a situation in my present life and I'm reminded of the advice my mother gave me in the past that I may or may not have taken at the time.

She lives in Jersey and going through the tunnels she would always remind me to roll up my windows. She would show me news stories of toll booth attendants who were regurgitating or getting seriously ill from working near the tunnel fumes for too long. I believe they actually used to have attendants stationed in the tunnel but that idea didn't last very long against the fumes.

I drive to Jersey often now and it's strange that every time I drive through the tunnel I see people with their windows rolled down. I understand that even with your windows rolled up you're still breathing the same air but I close the vents and I find that to make a significant difference. I see some people who seem really out of the loop, sitting in the tunnel in traffic with their windows rolled down while smoking a cigarette.

My mothers wise words to watch what I breathe combine common sense with hard fact medical advice. The hard facts are that car exhaust fumes are highly toxic and they are accumulated in a tunnel, especially in heavy traffic. Common sense means you are aware enough to realize, this air doesn't smell or feel right. It also means having the leadership and gumption to tell those around you, "roll up your windows" without feeling like a party pooper.

Awareness of this will help you love yourself better as you realize how important it is to breathe fresh air. It will also help you love the Earth better as we realize the impact that systems we've created have on our environment.

Greg's Parenting Tip #1

2009-09-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of parents who seem incapable of harmoniously loving their children. Before you find yourself in a situation where you will or may have a child, try raising some plants first. Although plants and children obviously have different requirements they both share the basic needs of attention, care and love. If you can't figure that out, please don't have children.

Centering For Training 101

2009-03-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

There are many things to help you focus but I will name a few that really work for me and I think work in general.

1. Focus on breathing: There is a covenant I've followed for awhile that helps to keep me focused. One of it's lines is, "My life and death are breathing". This reminds me of the strange relationship we have with breathing. The same air that enables life on earth is also the air we are mortally dependent on. This air that gives us life also ages us. In this modern age we breathe toxic air and have disturbed breathing patterns from stress. But breathing is one of the few involuntary muscle functions that we can directly control. So work on your relationship with breathing and see improvement with your flow. Practice meditative breathing. Practice power breathing. Get some fresh air. When in doubt always look to breathing for an opportunity to progress.

2. Stop thinking: People used to tell me, "you think too much", and I would think, "that's why you're stupid and I'm smart. How could anyone possibly think too much?". Now that I'm older I understand. My thinking was imbalanced with my actions creating analysis paralysis at best and a deep seated fear of success at worst. The brain is an extremely powerful organ that demands a lot of energy. So don't waste that energy by using your brain inefficiently. Thinking also lends itself to doubt and that negative spiral of thoughts ("this is a little uncomfortable, this hurts, I rather be doing something lazy, why am I doing this, I can't wait for this to be over, I'm no good at this, I quit...").

One of my favorite books is The Book Of Five Rings written in 1643 by a masterless samurai named Miyamoto Musashi. This book consists of 5 scrolls relating to elements. The last scroll is the scroll of emptiness which pertains to this issue of not "thinking" and it reminds me that my essence is in being and doing, not in thinking. One of my favorite lines in this scroll is, "In emptiness there is good but no evil. Wisdom exists, logic exists, the Way exists, mind is empty". A mantra I use for this is, "no mind".

3. Clarity of purpose: One thing I think I've always had going for me is clarity of purpose. As a child I had dreams that may have changed as I got older, but I was lucky enough to be born into love and vision as supposed to the despair all too many children face. This made me feel destined for greatness and I didn't know any better. In adolescence I found myself in a few tough spots but again I would credit clarity of purpose for helping me make the right decisions. In my worst situations I felt a clear obligation to help and respect myself, be there for my family and be there for earth and it's starving children. Later I came to read Mental Training For Skydiving And Life and I realized my vision could be called clarity of purpose. The book has a whole chapter on the subject but basically I have a clear vision of who I am, what I want and what I need to do that keeps me focused. I can't imagine having motivation without clarity of purpose. You must see to be?... Now that I am older I understand the process better and I am able to chart a course of purpose with goal milestones clearly in sight.

4. Meditation/Visualization: Life is meditation and visualizations. Where you are (choose to be) spiritually and what you are able (choose) to see is what you project back to the universe. Although life is already one big meditation and vision, controlled meditations and visualizing is a great way to prepare for and breed success. When I am able to be still I meditate looking for deeper spirituality and peace. I focus on empty space or light. Sometimes I will see energy in the form of color or electricity. I work on my awareness through my senses and their combined efficiency. I focus on life and love drawing power from my deeper self, earth and the universe. Sometimes I am unable to be still and negative or distracting thoughts enter my consciousness or I may have a challenge ahead of me occupying my thoughts. At this point I use visualizations to bring out my peak performance. I thoroughly rehearse what I plan on doing in my head, let's say for a competition or upcoming big workout. I visualize enjoying the day before the event. I see myself being content and calm. Eating good meals, not being anxious, getting good sleep and doing whatever else is necessary to prep. I visualize getting good rest, enjoying my tea and joint mobility in the morning, eating a good breakfast. I visualize getting to the event and warming up. I imagine the smells, sounds, distractions and other stimulants. I imagine being communicative and respectful of judges and respectful but fearless in the face of an opponent. I visualize my game-plan and the actions I intend to perform. I picture the scenario in full color and black and white. I play it in my head backwards. I play it fast-forwarding and in slow motion. This whole time I am practicing breathing and calming my heart. By the time the real scenario arrives I am mentally prepared and not caught off guard. It's easy to focus because I have rehearsed the script and I know the ending works in my favor.

5. Nothing beats preparation: One of my original kettlebell instructors and one of the best in the world is Mike Mahler. I remember discussing an upcoming kettlebell test with him. I don't remember exactly what I was saying but I suppose it had something to do with being optimistic about my attempt at the test but doubting the outcome because the goal was beyond my prior accomplishments. I do remember his response of, "nothing beats preparation". Similar to the Boy Scouts adage of, "always be prepared". This means all of the will power, good karma and good intentions in the world don't make up for a lack of preparation. Conversely, you could be a horrible person with horrible karma who conquers the task before you simply because you're thoroughly prepared for, or previously successful in, the realm before you. Preparing is one of if not the main goal of training. So when facing a task and my thoughts start to wander, creating room for doubt, I remember that the task before me isn't really daunting considering my preparation. The nature of my training is to breed success through a graduated progression of successes conditioning me to expect victory despite the immediate difficulty I face. I enjoy pushing through walls and conquering difficult obstacles because I know once the task is complete I'll be prepared for something even more daunting and exciting down the line.

Deserving of their own discussion I can also fit good sleep and diet into the aspects of preparation. Don't expect to be successful or focused eating pounds of sugar, simple carbs, nutritionally bankrupt over processed foods while only getting a few hours of sleep. We all may have had some miracle days where we were able to take the kids to school, get a workout in and negotiate a peace treaty while running on fumes but no one can pull that off consistently. And just imagine what you could have done with better fuel! Don't be surprised if you fix your diet and sleep and you're able to focus without trying.

6. Be aware: Some skills require thorough thinking. Some skills require smooth finesse. Some skills require raw power or a primitive intensity. This topic is discussed in another book I highly recommend, Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies. Some skills require specific extremes of focus or intensity. Most skills require a balance of smooth focus and intensity. Basically, if you're playing chess, tone down the grunting and try to think a few moves ahead. If you're trying to lift the heaviest weight you've never lifted, take off the mental brakes and lift the weight because other people are waiting to use the bar and that weight's not going to lift itself. How do you know the type of arousal level's necessary for the task at hand? Awareness. Don't dwell on the physics of what you're doing. Just listen to what your body and senses are telling you and make the necessary subtle adjustments.

This is my list of 6 basics to help you focus. I could add plenty to this list. There are 100s of ways to get to the same place. Hopefully where our motives take us is a positive destination. Good thing we all have choices. I'm encouraged by what I see from good choices and I'm encouraged by the lessons of not so good choices. Just focus on the basics and try not to learn things the hard way.

Never quit. Quit is a four letter word. Quitters never win, winners never quit...

I hope this was helpful. Throw me some more questions.

Peace.
-Greg