Ranger Up's Veteran Employment

In reply to one of my posts a while back about the veteran unemployment rate, and what soldiers and vets can do to help them get jobs, I was guided to this video from Ranger Up - a company that I have supported in the past, and one that is really one I can get behind. I like this video, and it echos many of the sentiments and strategies that I have already discussed. Hope you enjoy it, and find it helpful

Pretty cool story I got from PSFK - a tech inovation and inspiration site that I follow. Neat idea, kinda a spy thing going for it - especially with the Wi-Fi hot spot, but the price tag seems a bit high for my tastes. They've got to look at their target market in this situation. The cuff links are great, but anyone who will pay $250 for a pair of links is probably going to already have a Wi-Fi hotspot when they travel for business, and 2 gigs of storage is just something that these days is becoming more and more unnesecary, with such a focus and expansion on cloud storage. From a concept perspective, I love it, but it is almost a novelty rather than a business tool. Do I want a pair? Of course I do! Am I going to drop that much to buy them? Highly doubtful. Way to think outside the box though.

Cufflinks Offer USB Storage & A Wi-Fi Hotspot

By Emma Hutchings on January 23, 2012

This cool new use of a fashion accessory from Brookstone aims to improve the lives of those in the business community by offering them the convenience of a Wi-Fi hotspot and 2GB of USB storage housed in a pair of cufflinks.
The polished silver oval cufflinks can be used to share data and internet access between multiple wireless devices. After downloading the accompanying software, the cufflinks can be used as a high-speed Wi-Fi hotspot by nearby smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers. They can also hold up to 2GB for files and pictures.
This luxury item is described as “perfect for business meetings, travel and techies everywhere.” One pair will set you back $249.99.


via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2012/01/wi-fi-cufflinks.html#ixzz1kJUgK1Vx

Sport Coats - a brief introduction:

After my post a few weeks ago on 3 button suits, and how they are dated, but can still be worn if you know how (to recap: make sure it fits you, and NEVER button the bottom button) a friend of mine asked me to enlighten him on the subject of Sport Coats.

Sport coats are the essential transitional garment in any man's wardrobe. Someone who thinks they may never have need of a traditional suit can quite often find themselves in want of a decent sport coat. A sport coat is probably the most versatile piece in one's closet. It can dress up jeans and sneakers, or dress down slacks and a tie. It can take it's wearer from a business meeting, to a bar, to a casual event, and back again, with nothing more than a slight adjustment to the undershirt.

Sport coats traditionally have a few qualities that set them apart from a suit jacket – most noticeably, they typically do not come with a set of matching slacks. Sport coats are not just the traditional blue blazer that has been a mainstay of yacht clubs and alumni events for generations. They have evolved into a sleeker, transitional design that can bring together an outfit. Typically they have “shank” buttons – buttons that attach to the coat through a loop on their back rather than being sewn on through holes in the button, like on suit coats. Sometimes these can have crests or logos on them (for more personalization) and while traditionally done in bronze or gold colors, they are available in more subdued designs for the less garish among us. Another characteristic of a sport coat is a “Patch” pocket – or a pocket that is sewn onto the coat, rather than cut into it like found on suits. These can also be slanted to the outside, something the British call a “Hacking” pocket that is not typically found on a suit jacket. Another quintessential British characteristic to the coat would be leather reinforced elbows. These are less common these days, and I think lean far more to the casual side – really putting the “sport” into a sport coat. These are all just examples, and while any of these would immediately identify a jacket as a sport coat, none are required for it to be classified as such.



The ubiquitous Navy Blazer and a plaid sportcoat best worn with khakis or dark slacks



As far as how to wear a sport coat, that is entirely dependent upon both the wearer, and the occasion. Like a suit jacket, the bottom button, whether with a two or three button jacket, should always be opened, and while I very rarely open all the buttons on my suit, this is far more appropriate while wearing the more casual sport coat.

I personally think that sport coats are best when paired with slacks or khakis and decent shoes. Blue is a good go-to color, but there are many options to go through – just remember to keep your basic style rules in place. No mixing browns and blacks, shoes must match with belt and socks (you'd be surprised how often this is overlooked) etc. Depending on the weather, they can be worn with a vest or a sweater underneath, and typically a dress shirt. A tie is purely dependent on personal preference and the formality of the occasion.



An example of how a sport coat can be a very elegant business look. Take away the tie, add jeans and boat shoes, and you have a classy but still casual feel.



A sport coat with jeans can be great for casual Fridays, or any casual occasion where one just cannot bring themselves to wear a t-shirt or a hoodie – and again, these are more common than one might initially think. Street shoes or deck / boat shoes are an excellent choice with this look – especially if matched with the coat. If worn with a t-shirt of sweatshirt, make sure it is a solid color, or something unobtrusive. Your swagger should make the statement, not the logo.

On more formal occasions, even those without a tie, a pocket square can be an interesting addition. While in a suit I typically like clean, smooth lines, and keep mine squared off over the pocket, but in a sport coat, you can get away with far more interesting colors and styles. Try a peaked fold, or have the edges splayed out of the pocket. This works especially well with a bordered pocket square.

If you are still building your wardrobe, start off with something blue – it can go with everything, and can easily be built upon, but don't shirk the idea of a gray or tan coat. The more you use them the more you will find ways they are useful. Don't get caught up with one look or style. Experiment and play around with it, and it helps to keep your options open. Like I have always been told, “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” This old adage can be applied to everything from tools to tactics to fashion. Use what you have, but don't become too attached to your methods.



Sportcoat and hoodie? Don't be that guy. Seriously, you're better than that.



Kindle

So for Christmas / Birthday, I received an Amazon Kindle. It is one of the earlier versions, so there is nothing fancy like a touch screen, or full color, or ability to surf the net or anything like that - just an Ereader, and link to the amazon webpage... That being said, it is still pretty damn cool. I can download books, and read stuff at my leisure, and it keeps my place.

The frustrating part, however, is that I havn't read for pleasure in quite a while. Grad School, a full time job, and the California Army National Guard kinda see to it that I don't get a whole lot of down time. Secondly, even though the prices for Kindle books are typically reduced, they can still get pricey. $10 for a digital book is better than $20 for a hard copy... but it is still $10. For the most part I have used it to download free items - really neat old books that are now Public Domain, to include things like the works of Rudyard Kipling, the Rough Riders, by Theodore Roosevelt, and the like. I have also taken advantage of the PDF reader and downloaded a considerable amount of Military manuals to increase my library. My major issue with this is that it does not allow any interation - like flipping between chapters or things like that - just a page by page flip that might prevent me from using them as a reference as easily as I had hoped. If there is a way around this, or some type of TTP (tactic, technique, or procedure) that someone out there knows and wishes to share, then by all means, inform me. I'm always open to learning new things. I'm also looking for more free PDF's and books to download - even things like weapons manuals, or training aids would work well for me, so please, let me know.

Right now it is mainly being used as a training aid, and I will certainly bring it to drill with me and see if there is a way to get the most out of it, but once things settle down I anticipate getting quite a bit of use out of my new Kindle!

Again, anyone more experienced with it than me, by all means let me know whats up!

Che Guevara hates capitalism

I have always found it ironic the hipsters like to display their dated, ignorant, and of course, hip, ideologies in the form of T-shirts and various other acoutremonts - this is embodied most ubiquitously in the form of the Che Guevara T-shirt. A "revolutionary" (also a thief, murderer, and war criminal, but don't confuse hipsters with the facts) who spent his adult life fighting capitalism (or more acurately, the various freedoms of speech, press, religion, education, and the pursuit of happiness... all of which he found abhorent) only to be imortalized by a $.30 tshirt sold at a 400% markup to the very starbucks swilling, trust funded bourgois he would likely have loathed. Also he was an incompetant military commander, who was murdered by his own men. kinda tells you something about the guy, huh?

Anyway, the very funny people over at Rooster Teeth have done a great job of posting Che's long lost podcast, which I will share with yall now. Enjoy!

Revenue producing tickets

So those of you who live in California, or any other state that is going broke, for that matter, know that a pretty major source of income for local communities seems to be parking tickets. I have no issues obeying laws and ordinances - even ones that I feel are stupid and serve no purpose, but I do take issue at being lied to about stated purposes.

My apartment in Newport Beach has no dedicated parking, so we park on the street. As with nearly every public street in So-Cal, there is a designated time once a week where there is no parking due to street sweeping - violating this policy results in a $50+ parking ticket... theoretically in order to PAY for the street sweeping. This wouldn't be that big of a deal if they actually SWEPT the streets! I have never actually seen a street sweeping vehicle go by, nor have I seen any indication that the streets are regularly maintained. This Monday - the day after New Years - when the streets were strewn with trash and debris, and the day there is no parking on the north side of my street, there were a multitude of tickets on careless driver's windshields, yet nothing had been cleaned - not even in open parts of the street where there is no parking - ever.

Yes, the state is broke. It has no money, and they need to create revenue, but they are going about it in entirely subversive ways. Increasing taxes on the top percentages (there was recently a push to tax more on those who make more than $1 million a year) just results in many of these top earners finding tax shelters, pushing their money out of state, or actually moving to places like Florida or Texas where there is no state income tax. These individuals pay the vast majority of existing tax revenues, and it makes sense to keep them in state, paying their taxes, rather than punishing them for success and forcing them out - taking their lucritive businesses and employment with them. Business taxes are also an issue - because of many of the laws required of small businesses in this state - businesses that hire workers and provide incomes for many in the state- many are being forced into failure, or are simply leaving for more agreeable environments. This results in even less tax revenue where it was a vain attempt at gaining more. I have discussed this in pervious posts, and though I wish to, will not go further into detail on THIS particular topic.
These traffic citations are of the same vein. Punishing citizens for arbitrary violations that are neither saftey nor civic minded is simply unethical. Making up laws as they go, and fishing for offenses in otherwise law abiding and right minded people simply perpetuates an us vs. them mentality that does no one any good. The real answer is to trim government spending, and put a limit on social welfare programs that just keep a huge portion of society in a dependent state. California is the most populated state in the US - but it has almost 1/3 of all welfare recipients. We have been touted as having the 6th largest economy in the world, yet we are completely broke. Does that make sense to anyone? Seems to me that this state, as a whole, is living well beyond it's considerable means. It is far too easy here to do absolutely nothing, and get paid for it, while those who work hard and try to succeed are hamstrung by regulation and control.

What really happened at UC Davis - Don't second guess a tactical situation

Just goes to show you cannot judge a tactical situation from an armchair. UC Davis Police Chief should be ashamed of herself for crucifying her officers, and these protesters were completely in the wrong. Threatening police? Demanding they release detainees? Trapping them and refusing to let them leave? This is also about 20 cops surrounded and threatened by hundreds of protesters. These kids are lucky all they got was pepper spray in their face. That is the least brutal way for these officers to have pushed through and done their job. Give a cop an ultimatum and see what happens. In America, you go to jail (unless you're at UC Davis, where you just get sprayed and start crying.) Anywhere else in the world, you'd likely end up dead.