StooltimeCounseling's Blog

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Go Lions!!

Only one of these two lunch boxes will take the Tigers to post season. Which lunch box will the team take to work with them while there's still time to make a difference?

GO, TIGERS! 

To be a victim of a crime is a painful experience, whether it be a crime against property or person. The purpose of this post is to help readers decrease their chances of becoming a victim. There are never any guarantees in life, so the information can only be used as guidelines to increase one's safety and security in a world where the criminal element (enemy) has the desire (to hurt, bully), opportunity (a car or purse to steal) and ability (overpower, intimidate, use of technology or weapons) to inflict harm on innocent, law-abiding citizens.

I want to thank the West Bloomfield police department for having two of their finest men present this information to Easter Seals staff at an inservice entitled, "Service Provider Safety And Security". Thank you, Sgt. Tom Keilman and Officer Rick Trabulsy. I appreciate getting your permission to write this blog post on the Fox 2 website.

What follows is what I learned about personal safety and security as well as some interesting links to self-defense laws, requirements to obtain a concealed pistol permit, pistol free areas and laws against carrying under the influence.

VICTIMIZATION OVERVIEW:

• The offender has a plan. It includes the desire, opportunity and ability to commit a crime.
• The desire is connected to the criminal's observations of potential victims. No matter where we go, criminals are observing their potential victims. It could be at the grocery store, where 90% of the shoppers are female, who carry purses. It could be the garbage man or mail man, who can sell our personal information to criminals.
• The opportunity is related to the criminal making contact with the victim. Approach tactics are used to get close to an intended victim.
• The stranger approach happens in a moment. The victim does not know the criminal in this scenario. Purse snatchings, muggings or car jackings are some examples. 
• The casual approach takes time to develop. This could be the "nice" man who meets an unsuspecting female victim on-line, develops her trust by wining and dining her and then robs her blind by stealing her credit cards or something similar.
• The family approach is related to situations concerning domestic violence. Abuse or neglect of any kind underscores the family approach of the criminal.
• The ability to commit a crime is connected to the actual confrontation with the victim. To stop the criminal from getting to this part of their plan, a potential victim needs to eliminate the criminal's opportunity. Whoever has the best plan, wins.

DEVELOPING A TACTICAL PRESENTATION:

• The best defense is a good offense.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Dress to win.
• Implement assertive body language by walking with a purpose and making eye contact with strangers. For example, when store employees greet and make eye contact with customers upon entering the store, retail fraud is decreased. 
• Think two or three steps ahead at all times so the criminal has less of an opportunity to use the element of surprise.
• Have an inventory of aggressive verbal responses if confronted by a criminal. Yell to draw attention. Use simple words like, "Stop", "Fire", "Get back", "No" or "911". Avoid using the word, "Rape", because bystanders could turn a deaf ear for fear of getting involved in something that doesn't concern them.
• Trust your intuition or 6th sense when out in public. A denial of potential danger is the greatest enemy of intuition. Be aware!
• Train to win or have a positive view of escaping potential danger. Have a plan and practice it. Visualize yourself winning against the criminal. Evaluate/adapt your plan as needed.
• Another key to safety is to take someone with you when going out in public like the shopping mall.

ENEMIES OF THE CRIMINAL:

• Extended time: A criminal wants to do a crime fast. Locking your doors (car, home) and having an alarm system extends the time needed to commit a crime. This doesn't mean the criminal stops being a criminal. Crime prevention is a fallacy. However, by extending the time needed to commit a crime, the crime is moved somewhere else because the criminal then looks for the opportunity to commit a crime elsewhere.
• Light: From dusk to dawn, have some kind of lighting turned on in your home. Avoid walking in dark areas on the street. 
• Noise: Alarms, horns, whistles and yelling all draw attention to the criminal. Drawing attention is something the criminal does not want during the commission of a crime.

DEFENSIVE TACTICS, STRATEGIES AND SKILLS:

• The goal of a potential victim is to ESCAPE a dangerous situation.
• It is a personal choice to use a counter attack to defend yourself or not defend yourself, based on the circumstances. You must have confidence in yourself and your abilities if you choose the former.
• To repeat, the goal is to get away, to escape. If you choose to defend yourself, your counter attack must be quick and vicious.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IF YOU ARE ASSAULTED:

• The assailant is probably stronger than you and may have a weapon.
• The assailant has the advantage of surprise.
• The assailant has picked the time and location of the attack.
• The attacker will intimidate with threats of injury or other consequences.
• Your fear may paralyze your thinking and response.
• If your attacker is armed with a weapon DO NOT resist, but if it is your life, do what is necessary.
• If you are confronted by multiple assailants, resist only if absolutely necessary.
• If an attacker is after property, give it up! Resisting may make the encounter escalate.
• Avoid being taken to a second crime scene/location.

ESCAPE CONSIDERATIONS AND TACTICS:

• Run to safety, not away from danger.
• Do not hesitate when it comes to escaping.
• Get objects (like a car) or noise (blow a whistle, yelling, car horn) between you and the assailant. Do whatever is necessary to draw attention to yourself.
• Hide only if your general location is unknown, there are numerous available options or help is not near.
• Keep thinking ahead. Re-evaluate your plan as needed.
• Your best weapons are your awareness and a good tactical presentation.

Self-Defense Law

Requirements To Obtain A Concealed Pistol Permit

Pistol Free Areas

Carrying Under The Influence

If you are able to learn self-defense skills (martial arts, contacting your local police department to inquire about local places that teach this training, other) by all means, get the training. Learning and practicing self-defense skills helps improve your confidence so you can develop a plan to help you escape from dangerous situations.

Be safe!

 

When Pudge got traded to the Yankees in late July, Detroit Tiger's manager, Jim Leyland, said something like this: 'Pudge won't be the reason we make it to the playoffs, neither will Inge. How our pitching staff does will determine if we make it to the post season'.

That assessment led to the re-acquisition of relief pitcher, Farnsworth, who pitched okay during his first two outings. I look forward to seeing more of Farnsworth doing his thing on the mound. It was nice to hear how he wants to help the team make it to the playoffs.

I don't know if the Tigers are receptive to hearing ideas on how to improve the team from the fans. Yes or no, here's one to help upset the applecart:

Since it has been decided that the pitching staff is the deciding factor to make it to the post season, try something different with them. Rather than begin each game with the starting pitchers, use the relief pitchers first. Start a game with Todd Jones (after he feels better) or Fernando Rodney or Kyle Farnsworth or Fossum (to name a few of the relief talent). Use starters like Verlander or Miner or Rogers or any other starting pitcher to pitch in the late innings. Lets see what happens. The current pitching rotation (who starts, who relieves) is not working.

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, 'Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results, is insane'.

A link to the 7-25-08 Wall Street Journal Opinion page:

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12169424734348282
1.
html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

 The metaphors used in the op-ed piece to compare President Bush to Batman in the Dark Knight are remarkable.

* The movie has led in ticket sales at the box office 3 weeks in a row. Is it because movie goers want to see Heath Ledger's last great film before his untimely death or for the reasons mentioned in the Wall Street Journal's Op-Ed piece?

STC.

 While walking down the street one day a US senator is
 tragically hit by a truck and dies.
 
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the
 entrance.
 
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before
 you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a
 high official around these parts, you see, so we're not
 sure what to do with you."
 
"No problem, just let me in," says the senator.
 
"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher
 up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and
 one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend
 eternity."
 
"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in
 heaven," says the senator.
 
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."
 
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he
 goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds
 himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the
 distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all
 his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.
 
Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to
 greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good
 times they had while getting rich at the expense of the
 people.
 
They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster,
 caviar and champagne.
 
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly
 guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are
 having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is
 time to go.
 
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the
 elevator rises...
 
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven
 where St. Peter is waiting for him.
 
"Now it's time to visit heaven."
 
So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of
 contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the
 harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he
 realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter
 returns.
 
"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and
 another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."
 
The senator reflects for a minute, then answers:
 "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean
 heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better
 off in hell."
 
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down,
 down, down to hell.
 
Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the
 middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.
 
He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the
 trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from
 above.
 
The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his
 shoulder. "I don't understand," stammers the
 senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf
 course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank
 champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's
 just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look
 miserable. What happened?"
 
The devil looks at him, smiles and says....... 
 
"Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted."

Last football season (2007), I blogged quite a bit about our Detroit Lions. The first 8 games really had us fans going, they were 6-2. Their record for the last 8 games was 1-7, rather dismal and disappointing. Take heart Lions fans! A new season is upon us.

Pre-season games start next month. The Lions are playing the 2008 season with a clean slate. I, for one, am looking forward to even a better year than last, despite Sporting News' prediction of only 3 wins. [Some people just don't know about learned optimism]. 

To help fuel my fire, to keep me emotionally invested in the season, I placed a $60.00 bet on the Lions to win the superbowl at 70:1 odds. I am in the city of Lost Wages, I mean, Las Vegas, right now. A guy really needs to know where to place a bet to get the best odds. The sports book at Fiesta Henderson has the Lions at 50:1 odds, but the Flamingo has them at 70:1.

I agree, the Lions are a long shot, but not as long as the Falcons, who are at 200:1. I also know that nobody can predict the future, crooked refs aside. We'll see what happens this year.

Well, as Huel Perkins would say, "Let It Rip", fellow sports fans and bloggers. Am I all wet or am I all wet? [No typo]. 

"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15th."

-Ronald Reagan

http://home.earthlink.net/~wk29003/id2.html

Come November, 2008 Presidential election, we will find out who America wants for our next president of the United States of America.

Be sure to vote!

What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895... Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal. 8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.

3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph

4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run.'

5. Define case; illustrate each case.

6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.

7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. For tare?

4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. Long at $20 per metre?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour) [Do we even know what this is??]

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology,

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco .

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete. Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?! -------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------

Believe it or not!

One of the presidential campaign slogans in 1928 was, "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage". It worked to get Herbert Hoover elected as our 30th president in 1929.

Fast forward to today. What kind of idealistic campaign slogans are being made by the presidential candidates in 2008?

Once these idealistic slogans are identified, ask yourself the question: Do you buy into them?

It has been said by Dr. Leo Bascaglia, now deceased, but once a prominent self-help guru, that thinking idealistically helps to keep you young in a world that can rattle your cage at any given moment. 

Does idealism work in politics, though? It has its way of getting people elected as president, but what happens after the election? It's a seven letter word called, REALITY.

Think about the difference between idealism and reality come the November election. There's a time and place to be idealistic, and a time and place to be realistic. I'm having a difficult time figuring out how idealism works in the world of politics.

Can someone who is politically idealistic help me out?

By the way, despite the slogan of a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage in 1928, the United States became engulfed in the Great Depression when the stock market crashed on October 29th, 1929.

I'm much more inclined to vote for the candidate who can tell me how America will confront adversity and nurture its prosperity, both of which are underscored by the liberties, freedoms and responsibilities afforded to every American citizen. That might take some deliberate thought. I look forward to the debates between Senators McCain and Obama.

One of my jobs is at Easter Seals so I had the opportunity to volunteer to work the main gate at Warwick Hills on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 for the 50th anniversary of the Buick Open. Denise Durkee from Easter Seals helped coordinate some of the behind-the-scene jobs at the tournament. I invited my future father-in-law, Rob, to join me. We both had a blast mingling with Buick Open staff and many of the people who came to the event (23,000 pairings brochures were printed and distributed for round 4 on Sunday alone), despite Tiger Woods not showing because of a bum knee.

Congratulations to the winner, Kenny Perry (19 under par) and runners up, Woody Austin and Bubba Watson (both 18 under par).

Rob and I nicknamed the 18th hole the "voodoo" hole. It was either "voodoo" or that darn gopher from the movie, Caddy Shack, playing tricks with all the putts made by the golfers. We sat in the stands at the 18th hole after our morning shift of collecting tickets and checking bags at the main gate.  The 18th hole was not friendly to the golfers. Other than Scott Verplank, who shot a 40 foot, 6 inch putt, and somebody else who sank a 31 footer, other golfers found the hole very tricky.The 18th hole looked like a 2 or 3 putt hole for most of the golfers, and every extra putt meant less money for the pros who shot them. 

Sunday morning started out rainy, but as the day progressed, the sun began to show through the clouds making it a very nice day to play golf and watch it as the pros showed off their skills. I'd like to thank Easter Seals for giving me the opportunity to volunteer to work at the Buick Open, Rob for joining me and all the people who walked through the main gate while I worked. I realize it wasn't always pleasant to either check in your cell phone, cameras or other electronic equipment at the gate or walk them back to your car because they were not allowed on the course. We had to check the sleeves on all folding chairs, too. It wasn't always well received by the guests even though doing such things at public events is now a common practice, based on homeland security policy.

Sunday was an awesome day at the Buick Open, especially for the winner of the tournament, Kenny Perry.

For people who think the Bush tax cuts are only for the rich, consider this: If the Bush tax cuts do not continue after they expire, a family of four with an annual household income of $50,000.00 will pay $2,500.00 more per year in taxes. That's about $220.00 per month. The Bush tax cuts are helping anybody who has gainful employment and pays taxes.

Obama says he will not financially penalize the middle class, only the rich. Why is there so much animosity for people who have achieved wealth in our country? Why does being rich need to be punished? I don't get it. Are people mad at rich people because there's a stereotype that rich people are snobs? Not all rich people are snobs. Some have a sense of entitlement, but so do some people in all classes.

I, for one, have a different definition for real wealth. It's not based on how much money I earn. Real wealth is being content with what I have. This could mean acknowledging the value of my family, friends, social network, having the freedom to express my opinions on Fox 2 blogs, my ability to work and earn a livelihood, etc.

Why punish people who have more money than me? From where is the anger coming? Why punish the family of four with a household income of $50,000.00 by letting the Bush tax cuts expire? 

Financial expert, Dave Ramsey, had an interesting, but jokingly sarcastic, take on the price for a gallon of gasoline vs. water vs. coffee.

Currently, a gallon of gasoline costs about $4.00 a gallon. Water goes for $1.00 a bottle. That translates to $16.00 a gallon for bottled water. Some would argue that we need both. Try driving a car without gasoline. Try living more than a few days without water.

A specialty cup of coffee at Starbucks goes for about $5.00. That translates to over $50.00 a gallon for coffee. It's safe to say the human body does not need coffee like it does water.

Maybe we should go after Big Water and Big Coffee after we go after Big Oil.

In the end, we all make choices. We have to ask ourselves if the choices we make cause us to panic?

Choose to conserve (gasoline) in ways that work and mean something to you. It just may lessen the panic factor. The choices we make as consumers drive the free market as well.

I am asking this question in the midst of suffering extreme hockey withdrawals. The Detroit Tigers are who we have right now since hockey and basketball seasons are over, and football season doesn't start until September. My Tiger is Brandon Inge this year.

Brandon's job with the Tigers was in question at the outset of the season. He played anyway.

Brandon's ability to think positive was challenged by a team that wasn't sure if they wanted him. He continued to think positive anyway.

Brandon played stellar at third base last season. Now he's more like a utility player for the Tigers. He plays third base, centerfield, catcher and more. His batting average was difficult to compare to the big bats on the team last year, but he continued to play defense and offense anyway.

Brandon is one of the most tenacious, professional, positive thinking and versatile players on the team. For these reasons, he is my Tiger. If the team ever decided to elect a captain, he'd be my choice.

Who's your Tiger and why?

I could be wrong, but  wasn't catcher, Brad Ausmus, the last Detroit Tiger team captain? That would go back a few years. Will someone from the current 2008 team step-up and become the captain? It could make all the difference between winning and losing as the season unfolds.

For the life of me, I've been trying to figure out the winning and losing ways of the team this year, and what could make the Detroit Tigers better.

The Tigers have the talent from an elite pool of professional baseball players. Our skipper, Jim Leyland, is second only to Sparky (my opinion, based on everything being equal, Sparky had the PR skills). A loyal fan base has been developed and achieved, based on the scouts doing their jobs, Mr. Illitch building a new dynasty and the team playing exceptionally well for the past few years. What is the missing link? My answer: The team needs a captain, a leader of men.

Here are some prerequisites to becoming the team captain for our Detroit Tigers:

1. Veteran player.
2. Someone who leads by example.
3. Has the ability to view conflict and confrontation as opportunities for professional and personal growth rather than barriers to winning.
4. Knows how to collaborate, teaching everybody how to work together as a team from the dugout to the lockerroom, on the diamond to the stands and in the front office.

For anybody on the team who might be interested in stepping-up, if you need an example of a role model, here is your homework assignment: Study the attitude, professionalism and behavior of Captain Nick Lidstrom from the Detroit Red Wings!

There you go. I said it. The Detroit Tigers need a team captain. Will somebody please step-up!