Top 10 Physical Skills to Master

Since you never know what kind of situation you may find yourself in, it is imperative to be physically ready for all possibilities. The best way to do this is to master the following ten physical skills:

1. Swimming. Everyone should know how to swim. Besides its positive impact on strength, flexibility, and cardio, the ability to swim may save your life should you find yourself in a flood, overboard from a boat, or making a hasty, water-borne escape.
2. Climbing. Rock and/or ice. Climbing improves strength, flexibility and balance and teaches you how to plot a course while moving your body from one location to another.
3. Self defense. Judo, boxing, karate, tae kwon do...pick one. All of these forms of self defense increase strength, flexibility, and balance while teaching you how to fall and take a punch.
4. Strength training. Sometimes you just need to power through a situation. Ongoing strength training (lifting, pushing, pulling, etc) is a valuable addition to your physical skill set.
5. Ball sports. Football, baseball, volleyball--any sport that develops speed, quick decision making, and hand eye coordination is a welcome addition to your physical abilities.
6. Balance training. This could range from rollerskating and ice skating to ballet, surfing and log rolling. What all of these sports have in common is the necessity for balance which is an optimal skill to develop and can come in handy in many situation.
7. Dance. Dancing of any kind (salsa, cha cha, tango, et al) will benefit you physically (cardio, balance) as well as socially (an excellent way to integrate yourself into many social situations).
8. Walking and/or running. Obviously these are good cardio and strength skills, however developing the ability to transport yourself over a series of miles under your own power is the real benefit.
9. The scare yourself silly sports skills. OK, some people really enjoy base jumping, sky diving, bull riding, and roller derby, however many people would just as soon avoid these situations if at all possible. It's a good idea to experience as many of these sports, however, since you want to know how your body will react under the influence of fear and adrenaline.
10. Physical team sport skills such as paintball, football, water polo, and basketball. What all of these sports have in common, besides the obvious physical skills development, is the ability to learn how to read others in team situations, know how to rely on others in team situations, and how to lead others in team situations.

DPT--Annual Checkups

Much like you do with your car on a regular basis, it is important to keep your body in top condition by having regularly scheduled medical and dental checkups. Schedule an annual physical with your doctor and have a blood panel (glucose, cholesterol, etc) done as well. Of course, it is important to keep on top of any medical problems with the help of your physician. Don't forget the other part of your health--your teeth. Make an annual appointment with your dentist for a cleaning and exam.

A Dozen Reasons to be Self Employed

Except in a couple of instances when I took jobs in order to learn skills that I needed or, in the early years when I wanted to make money quickly and had basically had no skills (bartending), I have been self-employed for the majority of my life. Here's a dozen reasons why people should be self-employed:

1. Lots of tax deductions not given to a regular employee.
2. The ability to earn according to your skill, need, or basic chutzpa (when you work for $9 an hour at WalMart, you have no ability to earn more than $9 an hour. Period. Depressing.).
3. A lack (or at least minimum) of office politics.
4. Flexible hours.
5. No one looking over your shoulder, no need to put up with inane employee policies better suited to pre-schoolers, and no timing of your every coffee break.
6. You get to be creative!
7. You can switch gears quickly--if one part of the business takes off, you can follow that part and drop or at least minimize work on other parts that don't make money.
8. The ability to multi-task...start the laundry, write some code, set bread to rising, write an article, mow the yard, shoot some hoops, catch the ninth inning, take a nap, blog into the wee hours...you get the idea.
9. An immediate increase in status--outside contracted "expert" versus "office flunky".
10. Flexible dress code.
11. A (sometimes dramatic cut) in work-related expenses: lunches out, coffee on the way to work, a comprehensive "work" wardrobe, money for co-worker gifts, daycare, etc.
12. No need to grovel with an employer for a fifty cent raise, an extra sick day, an office with a window, etc.

From the 'TSA Are A Bundle of Idiots' File...

Here's a rant about--surprise--the TSA.
As I was settling down to my computer at 0 dark 30 this morning and watching the snow fall against the backdrop of a floodlight at the far side of our property, the morning news was rattling on in the background. I nearly choked on my coffee when a segment came on about a five year old boy who was basically separated from his mother and held for authorities at a local airport because he was on the TSA's no-fly list. The mother was not allowed any physical contact with her son and after she let go of him, she was re-searched to make sure any terrorist materials were not passed between the two.
The idiot meter was spiking heavily as the reporter continued her spiel about this incident. Eventually the child was allowed to board the airplane and the mother appeared to laugh off the incident and said it would be a good story to tell her son when he grew up. This isn't a laughing matter.
If a grown, seemingly educated, and obviously employed person can not make a simple judgement call, what does that mean to the rest of us? "I was just following the rules" is a weak response for stupid behavior. So were the Nazis, so were most war criminals...
I used to think conspiracy theorists were a few quid short of a pound but now I'm not so sure. What is the purpose behind having people in authority follow rules that obviously make no sense? I think a TSA inspector can tell the difference between a possible terrorist and an infant or small child regardless of what name the kid's parents gave him. Either I am getting old and crotchety or the public is being slowly brainwashed into believing that you must follow all rules no matter how ludicrous just because the government tells you to. Am I missing something here?

Here's the link to the news story... http://www.king5.com/video/featured-index.html?nvid=206446

DPT--Communications

Is there someone you need to communicate with and you have their phone number and email address and that's it? Consider, and plan for future communications with, the most important people in your life by knowing how to get a hold of them in the following ways:

• Email
• Cell phone
• Home phone
• Office phone
• Fax
• Text messaging (cell to cell or computer to cell)
• Skype or other VOIP system
• Instant messenger
• Twitter
• Sat Phone
• CB/HAM radio
• Through their website and/or yours
• Through a mutual friend
• By mail (at home, PO Box, office and/or ghost address)
• In a chat room
• By leaving/retrieving a written message at a predetermined location (dead drop/live drop)
• Via secret message (a message in code, in Braille, or steganography)

Sunday Morning Roundup: Ron Paul Edition

In a land of equity, fairness, and democracy, someone forgot to tell the major media outlets... Here's what you need to know about Ron Paul since the media seems to be afraid to even utter his name:

• His campaign website http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
• New Hampshire Liberty Forum 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8fr3bauSyM
• Ron Paul: A Man Among Boys at ABC Debate http://www.nolanchart.com/article764.html
• Fox is Removing Ron Paul's Name from AP Articles http://www.paulunteer.com/news-stories/fox-removing-ron-pauls-name-from-their-news/
• Ron Paul Beats Giuliani but Loses to Fox News http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/01/ronpaulrules.html
• Ron Paul Forums http://www.ronpaulforums.com/

Stockpiling 101

Stockpiling has many negative connotations, however with the right attitude and a plan, you can stockpile many needed items and feel quite content with your preparations.

The Basics: Stockpiling means simply purchasing and storing a year's worth of of an item (toothpaste for example) as opposed to buying the item as you run out of it. There are many items that you use on a daily or weekly basis--toothpaste, toilet paper, food stuffs--so it makes sense to stockpile these items on an annual basis as they come on sale. Stockpiling allows you to always have a supply of needed items on hand, allows you a hedge against price increases, and precludes the necessity of running out to the store either when you run out of an item or when a major storm is headed your way. Many people have also found their stockpile of supplies can carry them through times of job loss, injury, or illness.

What to Stockpile: Make a list of the items that your family uses on a regular basis. My list includes soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, toilet paper, cleaning products, laundry soap, paper towels, dryer sheets, hair products, feminine hygiene products, canned foods, rice, beans, etc. Now figure out how much of each item your family would use over the period of a year and buy that much of each item. If you look on the storage shelf in my garage you will find 25 tubes of toothpaste; an adequate amount for our family for one year.

When to Stockpile: Immediately. If finances are a limiting factor, consider picking one item and stocking a year's worth of that product now. Next week or next payday, choose another product and do the same. Some people stockpile all of the items on their list at the beginning of each year while others stockpile as each item on their list comes on sale. Whichever method you choose, it is important to being this project immediately.

Considerations: Space will be your primary consideration when stockpiling. Think of ways to store the items (in the garage, under beds, in a closet, etc.) that will make them both easy to access and easy to inventory. You will also want to be able to rotate the products so that "first in" is "first out". You will also need to ensure that your stockpile is protected from extreme temperature, humidity and rodents. Obviously, if you move often, have extremely limited space, or extremely limited finances, you will have to adjust your stockpiling strategy accordingly.

Stockpiling isn't only for extremists. It is a valuable, common-sense way to ensure an affordable, steady supply of the items you use most often and is one of the cornerstones of preparedness.

A Few Words About Passive Income

Wanna make money while you sleep? Wanna be able to pack up at will and travel around the world while still earning a steady stream of income? Wanna retire early...real early?

Passive income, letting your money work for you instead of you working for your money, can give you the financial freedom that will allow you to focus on what is most important in your life and less on the drudgery of "work". Here are a handful of ways to earn passive income:

• Real estate rentals. Having a steady stream of income from property that you rent out--this could be a house, an apartment, a duplex, a storage shed, farm land, etc.--can give you a nice monthly income.
• Residuals. If you write a book, syndicate a column, record an album, or act in a movie or TV show, you have the ability to earn a bit of residual income every time the album is sold or the sitcom is aired.
• Dividends and interest. Any solid financial investment ranging from leaving a hunk of money in an interest-bearing savings account to investing in the stock market to putting money into a certificate of deposit, has the possibility of earning you a tidy sum, depending of course on the amount of money invested and market factors.
• Low maintenance businesses with a partner--you provide the funds and the partner provides the work. Obviously you would need a partner you trust and a fairly good knowledge of the business whether it be a web-based business, a candy machine route, or a some other type of simple business (larger businesses such as a construction firm or a store would require too much hands-on work on your part).

No matter which route you choose to go, or if you decide to try all of the above, it is imperative to study all facets of the endeavour and have a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of your project. As a side note, be sure to keep up on the tax part of your business and never get into credit debt as that would be the exact opposite (passive outgo instead of passive income) of what you are trying to accomplish.

DPT--Change Your Passwords

How long has it been since you changed your passwords? For most people, this is a set it and forget it (well not really forget it but never change it) task. It is important to change your passwords (to email accounts, online bill paying and online banking accounts, other online accounts such as EBay and Pay Pal, for computer and building access, etc.) as well as your PIN numbers (to your voice mail, answering machine, bank and credit cards, etc) on a fairly regular basis--at least once a year or more often if you suspect your passwords may have been hacked.
To create a strong password, consider making it a longer word, add some numbers and special characters, and never use an easy to guess name or number (ie: birthdays, kids names, etc). Obviously don't write the password down anywhere--commit it to memory--and most importantly, don't forget it!

Presidential Race Heats Up Tomorrow

The first presidential caucuses will take place tomorrow in Iowa. No matter your political leanings, it is important that ALL Americans take part in the very important process of electing our next president. Here's some info:

• An Electoral Compass to Determine Your Position in the Electoral Landscape http://www.electoralcompass.com/language/en
• And another quiz to judge your compatibility with the candidates http://glassbooth.org/
• An overview about Ron Paul being conveniently not invited to the upcoming televised debates http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/31/debate.limits.ap/

The bottom line is that is is up to each American to participate in the process and it is also up to each American to hold those in positions of power (for example Fox for excluding Paul because the "the bus is too small") responsible for their actions (by voting with your dollars and your support of their network and sponsors). Sometimes those in a position of power forget that they are part of a democracy...it's up to us to remind them of this fact as we (democratically) use our attention and money to support that which furthers democracy and starve that which threatens to suppress democracy.