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jeremiah davis

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55 years with exotic and domestic animals, 43 years of martial arts, 40 years with APBT's and other breeds, 30 years gardening in the Southwest, 45 years running, 10 years lifting weights, 40 years of Native American interests.
Address: El Paso, Texas, United States

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Papers by jeremiah davis

Aging and Chronic Disease

My personal experience with aging, lifting weights, and chronic disease.

Weightlifting Again by J. Davis

Meaning of life

What is the meaning of life? by Jerry Davis Basically I view the Universe as the organism. We are... more What is the meaning of life? by Jerry Davis Basically I view the Universe as the organism. We are like structures on or within the organism, like hair on a dog or leaves on a tree. Of course, all of these various structures have different functions, but they are still part of the larger organism from which they can't be separated. Hair has kind of a mundane "existence", protecting the dog from UV, heat, cold, etc. Leaves are more engaged, having a more lively existence helping the tree with respiration, energy generation, protection, etc. Nonetheless, both structures, and the organisms they pertain to, and the species themselves have a specific longevity and then are reincorporated back into the larger Universe in one way or another. Although they will likely never reappear in exactly the same format, yet they are not lost, but simply rearranged and reinvented for a different function in the much larger picture.

Pit bulldogs - what did I learn

Notes on Moral False Equivalency with respect to dog fighting

Papuan python.rtf

Notes on Papuan python care

Pit Bulldog Myths - My Dog is No Good.rtf

Zoos, Pets, and Preserves: The 3 alternative choices for exotic animals

Regarding other species than our own in the modern world, there are only 3 possibilities: private... more Regarding other species than our own in the modern world, there are only 3 possibilities: private ownership, zoological and similar institutions, and preserves. They all have certain advantages and disadvantages. Some are termed, " exotic " , and some, " domestic " , although the distinction is not always very clear. In layman's terms, exotic often means species taken from the wild whereas domesticated basically means species raised by people that no longer occur in the wild. In reality, exotics are first generation wild species either in captivity or relocated but living freely outside of their natural range. Domestics are species raised and bred in captivity by use of animal husbandry as opposed to maintaining them in the natural ecosystem from which they arose. Technically, then, " pets " raised in captivity, whether dogs or pythons, are both " domestic species ". Advantages of private ownership: Private ownership of exotic or domestic species allows the individual to focus on some species of personal interest. Doesn't have to be the flashiest or best known. Private ownership can also entail breeding the species. Captive bred animals are always healthier than their wild counterparts, and therefore better to acquire, which takes pressure off wild populations given enough captive bred individuals to supply the pet trade. Examples of successful dispersal of exotic species in captivity include bearded dragons, leopard geckos, corn snakes, and ball pythons. There are many others. Disadvantages of private ownership: Most exotic animals (e.g.taken from the wild) will die due to poor husbandry (the owners don't take proper care of them, either from ignorance, unwilling to make the investment in time or money, or they simply get tired of them). Private owners of exotic species are not organized, and frequently seem to be in competition for attention or sales, as opposed to working together to benefit the species. The most successful private owners are typically one-off. In other words, they invest tremendous time and money to achieve husbandry needs (learn how to keep them in captivity) and breed multiple generations, but their attainments are lost with their passing. They don't pass the torch. It was something they did just for their own satisfaction. Obviously this is in contrast to better known pets, like dogs, cats, horses, etc., that have breeding registries, specialty groups, sporting or show competitions, etc. Zoos and Sanctuaries: Zoos have many pro's and con's. Sanctuaries not so much necessarily. Zoos are typically actively engaged in conservation of their species. Sanctuaries are more commonly a place for refugees to live comfortably, but may not have any type of breeding or long-range plan in place and the species probably are kept in the natural habitat where they arose. Advantages of Zoos: Zoos are one of the few places where the average person can personally see exotic animals from distant places in vivo. Establishes a direct connection to exotic animals and people. Offer lots of information for visitors about their resident animals that most people will never see in their local paper or any other popular media source. Zoos often coordinate the breeding of target species with other zoos in order to maintain a more diverse, e.g. not inbred, strain of individuals. Many zoos are also now working with preserves in areas where they assist local communities in maintaining target species in situ through eco-tourism, direct donations, and with husbandry expertise. Disadvantages of Zoos: Zoos tend to target the larger, flashier, and sometimes, easier to display species of animals, as opposed to worrying about smaller, more difficult species that are just as endangered in the wild. Zoos don't have the money to ensure the preservation and perpetuation of any given species very far into the future as most are dependent upon donations and gate receipts in order to fund their operations. These sources, of course, vary with the economy. In spite of zoo breeding programs, they tend to breed animals simply to keep the genome of the species as diverse as possible, which is not the way it actually works in nature, where a dominant individual of a species, often male, makes the effective breedings for the whole group, sometimes for many years. Of

DNA Use by Ancestry-type Registries

So let me start by stating the obvious: the universe is infinite and our minds are not. Therefore... more So let me start by stating the obvious: the universe is infinite and our minds are not. Therefore we can never " know " everything and what we " know " changes as our knowledge becomes more complete. Also, everything is not about DNA. I don't know hardly anyone who claims to be of Irish or Scottish extraction who has ever attempted to seriously reconnect with their " first culture ". The language, history, music, etc. are simply beyond time constraints and often not relevant to an individual's personal situation. Even among actively existing, albeit struggling, cultures, like America's NDN's, very few can speak their native tongue and fewer still can live traditionally in their pre-Western traditions. So, fore with: I compare DNA testing to the lottery. Most of the time, you don't get any numbers. Occasionally you will get 2 or even 3, but rarely 4, and never 5 or 6. Probability is about which numbers will win. This you don't know until after the fact. You can make a wild guess based on which numbers win most often and what not, but the numbers are picked randomly, so there is no guarantee you pick the right ones. However, when you pick the correct numbers, you know you won. Genetic testing for ethnicity is similar. It's all about relative relatedness because, at the simplest level, all living creatures have a nucleic acid blueprint (and even some we may not qualify as living). So at the simplest (and earliest) point in time in terms of relatedness, such things as blue-green algae, bacteria, and us fall into the same category, e.g. things with a nucleic acid body plan. We are talking 4 billion or more years ago before we people existed as we do presently. Some of these early life forms may or may not still exist. Although the blueprint spelled out by DNA consists of only 4 nucleic acids, they are arranged in many different patterns, such as genes, to code for structures and life processes essential to the particular species or cell (some species are one cell; others multicellular with distinct organ systems). So these groups of nucleic acids, arranged in a lineal chain within the larger genome (the so-called " double spiral "), may be classified as genes (that code for proteins, for instance) or may simply act as spacers or some other purpose. Most of DNA testing is concerned with the genes within the human genome. Although the same basic genes are found across the entire human race, they come in a variety of slightly different nucleic acid sequences called alleles. So, the structure the gene codes for, like skin color, may vary slightly from place to place accounting for different shades of skin, and different alleles can even produce a similar skin color. If we skip ahead from our beginnings to about 300 million years ago, we know by fossil records (not DNA) that reptiles and mammals (of which we are one) diverged about this time and became distinct entities. We could at that time lump ourselves together with reptiles, although at present we only share a little more than half of the same genome. If we jump ahead to perhaps 200,000 years ago, man, Homo sapiens, has arrived. At this point, we are sharing 98-99% of our genome with our closest relatives, such as chimps, bonobos, and extinct humans like Neanderthals and Denisovans. This doesn't mean that our genome is the same as these other species. In fact, no 2 genomes are the same from individual to individual of the same species since parents don't contribute the same parts of their genome equally when they share their DNA to produce the fertilized egg. It only means the percentage of identical genome that can be found in populations of the various related species. The remaining 1% or so is unique to the species only. But this 1% is not exactly the same from individual to individual. Variation exists primarily because as people wandered away from each other and became relatively isolated for long stretches of time, say in Europe or Australia, small, non-lethal mutations in the DNA within a population occurred, possibly to provide adaptive advantages in a particular environment for instance, or simply by accident. The most obvious evidence for this is skin color. Up until present times, people on or closest to the equator were invariably darker and those farther away were lighter. We presume from our own experiences with modern people living in areas they migrated to in the last few hundred years (light

Punching: Power generation

I was motivated to write this paper by posts I saw on a certain discussion area of a well-known m... more I was motivated to write this paper by posts I saw on a certain discussion area of a well-known museum administered by the US government in Washington, DC. I was amazed how clueless the supposedly erudite writers were about a subject well-known to fighters and martial artists. Armchair conjecture and scientific speculation are no substitute for actually knowing a subject. So I decided to put down a few of my own thoughts based on experience and direct study. First of all, power comes in many incarnations. In general, force = mass x acceleration, but there are many variables. For the first example, we can illustrate how power is relative. For instance, the unconditioned human fingers can be used to jab the cornea because, although the fingers and fingertips are fragile and sensitive, the cornea is considerably more sensitive as well as essential for the vital function, fight-wise, of permitting vision. So quick acceleration and minimal mass can be just as effective as considerably more force facilitated with greater mass but equal acceleration. This principle is attacking a weaker target with a stronger weapon. Mostly, though, when discussing power, we are speaking maiming the other person, knocking them out, or otherwise doing great bodily harm by striking. Again, though, everything is relative. One is less likely to be harmed by a slow-moving truck weighing 10,000 pounds and traveling 5 miles per hour than by a 1 ounce slug traveling at 2000 feet per second. So, generally speaking, the legs have a lot of mass making speed and accurate targeting the weakest links. In punching, by contrast, we speak of the legs as generating the power, the hips as transmitting this power to the upper body, and the fists as expressing the power. In kicking, balance is a major issue since, when one lifts one leg off the ground, far more than 50% (1 leg still on the ground) of balance is compromised. Additionally human movement is much better when both legs are grounded. One leg off the ground essentially means the ability to change direction is severely compromised. Both legs off the ground means the foundation of the stance has been disappeared. In punching, however, both legs are typically grounded or in close proximity to the ground, so directional movement and a good foundation are either available or recovered quickly. Various methods to improve power are readily apparent in the art of boxing, where the target areas are smaller and more closely guarded than in sports allowing a variety of striking methods, e.g. fists, elbows, knees, feet, head, etc. Basically, one steps forwards with the jab to add power, one pivots the rear foot when throwing the right hand in order to get the body weight into the punch, and one pivots both the front and rear foot to the right when throwing the left hook, releasing the body weight.

Reptile Husbandry: What is it?

Some people seem to have a misunderstanding about what constitutes reptile husbandry exactly. Fir... more Some people seem to have a misunderstanding about what constitutes reptile husbandry exactly. First, it needs to be noted that husbandry refers to the management and breeding of domestic, not wild, animals. It doesn't have anything to do with replicating the natural conditions of a wild animal in captivity. This being said, any species raised and bred in captivity therefore constitutes a domestic animal in as much as the husbandry is different than the natural habitat it is from. Now let's establish the difference between the two: 1. Wild animals, even those that establish territories, are free-ranging. Captive animals art not. Their living space is restricted to terraria or other enclosed areas. 2. Wild animals generally enjoy a greater choice of habitat. The habitat of captive animals is necessarily restricted (and theoretically optimized). 3. Wild animals have usually been born and bred in a location where the species has lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Captive animals are often wild caught and confined to a new situation, and the given species has typically only been captive-bred for a few generations at best by comparison. 4. Wild animals are surrounded by a complete ecosystem within a specific environment in a geographical range, including microbiota, flora, and fauna with which they have shared a mutual relationship for hundreds or thousands of years. Captive animals are typically treated for pathogens in an effort to eliminate even the natural parasites. The terraria are relatively sterile and generally neither the flora nor fauna are native to their natural habitat unless they are living where they are from, which is rare in the case of exotic reptile captives. 5. Along these lines, behavior of the captive animals changes because of the absence of predation, change in and abundance of dietary items, inability of captive animals to freely travel and associate with others of their species, avoid predation, or search for prey (that often change according to a yearly cycle), lighting (both UV and regular) that doesn't correspond to their natural habitat, as well as the difference in substrate and the inability in captivity to replicate natural variations in day-today and seasonal weather and lighting changes. Although much can be said for reptile husbandry, especially as it pertains to successful breeding of difficult species, it is still an exercise in the production of a domestic animal, as opposed to raising the same species under natural conditions. A few private individuals are able to raise and breed more difficult species by means of their personal

Western vs. Native American Values

Tarahumara vs. Western values

MMA vs free fighting

Mixed Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting In view of the invincible Conor McGregor's demolition by t... more Mixed Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting In view of the invincible Conor McGregor's demolition by the larger, but well-used, Nate Diaz, maybe it is time to revisit the difference between the sport of mixed martial arts and real fighting in as much as Conor apparently felt he wasn't bound by the usual constraints of a sport defined by a large set of rules. To do so, we must visit the rules and regulations of the UFC and MMA generally. First we'll examine the definitions. In the first paragraph, we have a contradictory use of the term " limitations " and " without limitation ". Obviously they can't have it both ways. If there are limitations, there cannot be " without limitation. " So we have a problem right from the get-go. We also see the the term, " unarmed combat " , is rather limited, as lots of techniques besides blows can reasonably be expected to inflict injury. Non-striking techniques in grappling, such as strangles, chokes, and joint destructions, are not blows but can be just as devastating as a strike. And it doesn't mention death, which might also be reasonably expected from a blow (or non-striking) technique. Aside from those discrepancies, " unarmed combat " doesn't make any reference at all to a lack of non-natural weapons, such as knives, clubs, guns, etc., which are the distinguishing feature of unarmed combat. Of course, the idea of a commission making regulations is completely contradictory to the concept of free-fighting, where any commission of " meeting of the minds " would likely be trying to develop ways to truly remove limitations, rather than impose them. Next we need to mention the weight divisions of which there are at least 11. Of course, they are also divided between men and women, which is wholly unrealistic in real life. In fact, most aggression outside of the ring is visited by men on women, as it is usually safer and easier than attacking another man. In general, women are weaker, slower, and altogether less athletic than men at the same weight, thanks to sexual dimorphism in the human species and the far higher level of testosterone in men. Even within the same sex, the lowest weight division among men is less than half the weight of the highest weight division. Again, in real life, a predatory assailant is most likely to prey on another individual perceived as much weaker/smaller and/or incapacitated in some way (for instance, a child, elder, or disabled) or a combination of all of these. By contrast, in an MMA bout, a 1 pound difference between combatants is the most permitted….ever. (Or so they claim. Recent bouts have allowed significant weight differences in order to avoid cancellation of the bout.) Catchweight bouts may be permitted, but they must still specify a weight. In spite of any " outs " within the rules, one doesn't see a massive difference in weight between 2 contracted parties. Although MMA contests are held in a ring or fenced area, it is primarily to prevent the contestants from falling out of the ring and hurting themselves or others. Even so, the floor must extend at least 18 " past the ropes or cage in order to protect the contestants and the foam padding must also cover these 18 " outside of the ring. Similarly the ring

World War II: USS Black's role according to my father's diary

My father was on the USS Black as a gunner from February to September 1945. Describes the action... more

Gardening in El Paso, Texas Part 1.rtf

The difficulties of growing ornamentals in El Paso, Texas.

Gardening in El Paso Part 3 The Bushes

Bushy exotics suitable for growing in El Paso, Texas

Dogfighting: Making attendance at a dog fight a felony is a bad idea

Dog fighting: Why making attendance at a dog fight a felony is foolish Some character named Dylan... more Dog fighting: Why making attendance at a dog fight a felony is foolish Some character named Dylan Dienstbier has a petition on Change.org asking for signatures in California to make attendance at a dog fight a felony. I signed the petition simply to comment on how stupid it is, but I think I need to be more clear about my reasons. Now, to understand dog fighting and dog fighters, one has to look at the historical context. In the old days of dog fighting in America (from about the 1850's to the 1950's), dogs were fought by ordinary people like farmers, bar owners, athletes, and even doctors, lawyers, and law enforcement. Although the stakes might be high for the time, these fights were staged privately, usually with a few men allowed on each side. As the sport progressed, and the dog fighting community grew, outside people known to one side or the other, or both, were allowed to attend, and several fights might be staged at the same time. Still, the fights were private affairs shielded from the public eye for the most part and hidden from humane groups. Although these fights often had purses (typically winner take all), no money was collected in the form of a gate or attendance fee. Later, as the personna of the typical dog fighter changed (although the dogs were exactly the same bloodlines), a more diverse group of people emerged which included drug users and other criminals, as well as people with nothing but a monetary interest in the dogs, but also still including some of the old-time people, albeit many of them left as the sport changed. Although this new breed of dog fighter became better versed in the sport thanks to the old-timers, they often brought their own version " family values " to the sport. Basically many of these people were raised in dire circumstances, had to fend for themselves from an early age, and are willing to sell their own mother down the river if necessary. What chance, then, does a dog have? Now, I am writing this paper from the position that dog fighting is not going away under any circumstances. Many people, both dog fighters and admirers, recognize that the dogs love to fight and gameness is a quality sorely lacking in the world today. Dog fighting rules, properly enforced, exist to protect the dogs if they are injured or ready to quit. Whether they are followed depends on the morality of the person who owns the dog. Why? Because, unlike fights between people (in boxing or mixed martial arts, for instance), the referee cannot stop the fight. The dog's owner/trainer/handler has to make that call, which is sometimes not heard because of the monetary investment in the outcome or circumstances beyond one person's control (maybe several people own the dog). This type of situation has left many great and wonderful dogs dead in the dog pit. So we have people of various perversions bent on making money off of dogs by fighting them, rather than properly recognizing their valor and giving them the respect they deserve. We have old men making billions off of foreign wars at the expense of naive

World War II: USS Black's role according to my father's diary

My father's diary written on the USS Black in WWII. The first copy did not appear to download pr... more

Gardening in El Paso, Texas Part 2 The Vines

Most useful vines easily grown in El Paso, Texas

Gardening in El Paso, Texas Part 4.rtf

Common trees useful in gardening in El Paso, Texas

Aging and Chronic Disease

My personal experience with aging, lifting weights, and chronic disease.

Weightlifting Again by J. Davis

Meaning of life

What is the meaning of life? by Jerry Davis Basically I view the Universe as the organism. We are... more What is the meaning of life? by Jerry Davis Basically I view the Universe as the organism. We are like structures on or within the organism, like hair on a dog or leaves on a tree. Of course, all of these various structures have different functions, but they are still part of the larger organism from which they can't be separated. Hair has kind of a mundane "existence", protecting the dog from UV, heat, cold, etc. Leaves are more engaged, having a more lively existence helping the tree with respiration, energy generation, protection, etc. Nonetheless, both structures, and the organisms they pertain to, and the species themselves have a specific longevity and then are reincorporated back into the larger Universe in one way or another. Although they will likely never reappear in exactly the same format, yet they are not lost, but simply rearranged and reinvented for a different function in the much larger picture.

Pit bulldogs - what did I learn

Notes on Moral False Equivalency with respect to dog fighting

Papuan python.rtf

Notes on Papuan python care

Pit Bulldog Myths - My Dog is No Good.rtf

Zoos, Pets, and Preserves: The 3 alternative choices for exotic animals

Regarding other species than our own in the modern world, there are only 3 possibilities: private... more Regarding other species than our own in the modern world, there are only 3 possibilities: private ownership, zoological and similar institutions, and preserves. They all have certain advantages and disadvantages. Some are termed, " exotic " , and some, " domestic " , although the distinction is not always very clear. In layman's terms, exotic often means species taken from the wild whereas domesticated basically means species raised by people that no longer occur in the wild. In reality, exotics are first generation wild species either in captivity or relocated but living freely outside of their natural range. Domestics are species raised and bred in captivity by use of animal husbandry as opposed to maintaining them in the natural ecosystem from which they arose. Technically, then, " pets " raised in captivity, whether dogs or pythons, are both " domestic species ". Advantages of private ownership: Private ownership of exotic or domestic species allows the individual to focus on some species of personal interest. Doesn't have to be the flashiest or best known. Private ownership can also entail breeding the species. Captive bred animals are always healthier than their wild counterparts, and therefore better to acquire, which takes pressure off wild populations given enough captive bred individuals to supply the pet trade. Examples of successful dispersal of exotic species in captivity include bearded dragons, leopard geckos, corn snakes, and ball pythons. There are many others. Disadvantages of private ownership: Most exotic animals (e.g.taken from the wild) will die due to poor husbandry (the owners don't take proper care of them, either from ignorance, unwilling to make the investment in time or money, or they simply get tired of them). Private owners of exotic species are not organized, and frequently seem to be in competition for attention or sales, as opposed to working together to benefit the species. The most successful private owners are typically one-off. In other words, they invest tremendous time and money to achieve husbandry needs (learn how to keep them in captivity) and breed multiple generations, but their attainments are lost with their passing. They don't pass the torch. It was something they did just for their own satisfaction. Obviously this is in contrast to better known pets, like dogs, cats, horses, etc., that have breeding registries, specialty groups, sporting or show competitions, etc. Zoos and Sanctuaries: Zoos have many pro's and con's. Sanctuaries not so much necessarily. Zoos are typically actively engaged in conservation of their species. Sanctuaries are more commonly a place for refugees to live comfortably, but may not have any type of breeding or long-range plan in place and the species probably are kept in the natural habitat where they arose. Advantages of Zoos: Zoos are one of the few places where the average person can personally see exotic animals from distant places in vivo. Establishes a direct connection to exotic animals and people. Offer lots of information for visitors about their resident animals that most people will never see in their local paper or any other popular media source. Zoos often coordinate the breeding of target species with other zoos in order to maintain a more diverse, e.g. not inbred, strain of individuals. Many zoos are also now working with preserves in areas where they assist local communities in maintaining target species in situ through eco-tourism, direct donations, and with husbandry expertise. Disadvantages of Zoos: Zoos tend to target the larger, flashier, and sometimes, easier to display species of animals, as opposed to worrying about smaller, more difficult species that are just as endangered in the wild. Zoos don't have the money to ensure the preservation and perpetuation of any given species very far into the future as most are dependent upon donations and gate receipts in order to fund their operations. These sources, of course, vary with the economy. In spite of zoo breeding programs, they tend to breed animals simply to keep the genome of the species as diverse as possible, which is not the way it actually works in nature, where a dominant individual of a species, often male, makes the effective breedings for the whole group, sometimes for many years. Of

DNA Use by Ancestry-type Registries

So let me start by stating the obvious: the universe is infinite and our minds are not. Therefore... more So let me start by stating the obvious: the universe is infinite and our minds are not. Therefore we can never " know " everything and what we " know " changes as our knowledge becomes more complete. Also, everything is not about DNA. I don't know hardly anyone who claims to be of Irish or Scottish extraction who has ever attempted to seriously reconnect with their " first culture ". The language, history, music, etc. are simply beyond time constraints and often not relevant to an individual's personal situation. Even among actively existing, albeit struggling, cultures, like America's NDN's, very few can speak their native tongue and fewer still can live traditionally in their pre-Western traditions. So, fore with: I compare DNA testing to the lottery. Most of the time, you don't get any numbers. Occasionally you will get 2 or even 3, but rarely 4, and never 5 or 6. Probability is about which numbers will win. This you don't know until after the fact. You can make a wild guess based on which numbers win most often and what not, but the numbers are picked randomly, so there is no guarantee you pick the right ones. However, when you pick the correct numbers, you know you won. Genetic testing for ethnicity is similar. It's all about relative relatedness because, at the simplest level, all living creatures have a nucleic acid blueprint (and even some we may not qualify as living). So at the simplest (and earliest) point in time in terms of relatedness, such things as blue-green algae, bacteria, and us fall into the same category, e.g. things with a nucleic acid body plan. We are talking 4 billion or more years ago before we people existed as we do presently. Some of these early life forms may or may not still exist. Although the blueprint spelled out by DNA consists of only 4 nucleic acids, they are arranged in many different patterns, such as genes, to code for structures and life processes essential to the particular species or cell (some species are one cell; others multicellular with distinct organ systems). So these groups of nucleic acids, arranged in a lineal chain within the larger genome (the so-called " double spiral "), may be classified as genes (that code for proteins, for instance) or may simply act as spacers or some other purpose. Most of DNA testing is concerned with the genes within the human genome. Although the same basic genes are found across the entire human race, they come in a variety of slightly different nucleic acid sequences called alleles. So, the structure the gene codes for, like skin color, may vary slightly from place to place accounting for different shades of skin, and different alleles can even produce a similar skin color. If we skip ahead from our beginnings to about 300 million years ago, we know by fossil records (not DNA) that reptiles and mammals (of which we are one) diverged about this time and became distinct entities. We could at that time lump ourselves together with reptiles, although at present we only share a little more than half of the same genome. If we jump ahead to perhaps 200,000 years ago, man, Homo sapiens, has arrived. At this point, we are sharing 98-99% of our genome with our closest relatives, such as chimps, bonobos, and extinct humans like Neanderthals and Denisovans. This doesn't mean that our genome is the same as these other species. In fact, no 2 genomes are the same from individual to individual of the same species since parents don't contribute the same parts of their genome equally when they share their DNA to produce the fertilized egg. It only means the percentage of identical genome that can be found in populations of the various related species. The remaining 1% or so is unique to the species only. But this 1% is not exactly the same from individual to individual. Variation exists primarily because as people wandered away from each other and became relatively isolated for long stretches of time, say in Europe or Australia, small, non-lethal mutations in the DNA within a population occurred, possibly to provide adaptive advantages in a particular environment for instance, or simply by accident. The most obvious evidence for this is skin color. Up until present times, people on or closest to the equator were invariably darker and those farther away were lighter. We presume from our own experiences with modern people living in areas they migrated to in the last few hundred years (light

Punching: Power generation

I was motivated to write this paper by posts I saw on a certain discussion area of a well-known m... more I was motivated to write this paper by posts I saw on a certain discussion area of a well-known museum administered by the US government in Washington, DC. I was amazed how clueless the supposedly erudite writers were about a subject well-known to fighters and martial artists. Armchair conjecture and scientific speculation are no substitute for actually knowing a subject. So I decided to put down a few of my own thoughts based on experience and direct study. First of all, power comes in many incarnations. In general, force = mass x acceleration, but there are many variables. For the first example, we can illustrate how power is relative. For instance, the unconditioned human fingers can be used to jab the cornea because, although the fingers and fingertips are fragile and sensitive, the cornea is considerably more sensitive as well as essential for the vital function, fight-wise, of permitting vision. So quick acceleration and minimal mass can be just as effective as considerably more force facilitated with greater mass but equal acceleration. This principle is attacking a weaker target with a stronger weapon. Mostly, though, when discussing power, we are speaking maiming the other person, knocking them out, or otherwise doing great bodily harm by striking. Again, though, everything is relative. One is less likely to be harmed by a slow-moving truck weighing 10,000 pounds and traveling 5 miles per hour than by a 1 ounce slug traveling at 2000 feet per second. So, generally speaking, the legs have a lot of mass making speed and accurate targeting the weakest links. In punching, by contrast, we speak of the legs as generating the power, the hips as transmitting this power to the upper body, and the fists as expressing the power. In kicking, balance is a major issue since, when one lifts one leg off the ground, far more than 50% (1 leg still on the ground) of balance is compromised. Additionally human movement is much better when both legs are grounded. One leg off the ground essentially means the ability to change direction is severely compromised. Both legs off the ground means the foundation of the stance has been disappeared. In punching, however, both legs are typically grounded or in close proximity to the ground, so directional movement and a good foundation are either available or recovered quickly. Various methods to improve power are readily apparent in the art of boxing, where the target areas are smaller and more closely guarded than in sports allowing a variety of striking methods, e.g. fists, elbows, knees, feet, head, etc. Basically, one steps forwards with the jab to add power, one pivots the rear foot when throwing the right hand in order to get the body weight into the punch, and one pivots both the front and rear foot to the right when throwing the left hook, releasing the body weight.

Reptile Husbandry: What is it?

Some people seem to have a misunderstanding about what constitutes reptile husbandry exactly. Fir... more Some people seem to have a misunderstanding about what constitutes reptile husbandry exactly. First, it needs to be noted that husbandry refers to the management and breeding of domestic, not wild, animals. It doesn't have anything to do with replicating the natural conditions of a wild animal in captivity. This being said, any species raised and bred in captivity therefore constitutes a domestic animal in as much as the husbandry is different than the natural habitat it is from. Now let's establish the difference between the two: 1. Wild animals, even those that establish territories, are free-ranging. Captive animals art not. Their living space is restricted to terraria or other enclosed areas. 2. Wild animals generally enjoy a greater choice of habitat. The habitat of captive animals is necessarily restricted (and theoretically optimized). 3. Wild animals have usually been born and bred in a location where the species has lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Captive animals are often wild caught and confined to a new situation, and the given species has typically only been captive-bred for a few generations at best by comparison. 4. Wild animals are surrounded by a complete ecosystem within a specific environment in a geographical range, including microbiota, flora, and fauna with which they have shared a mutual relationship for hundreds or thousands of years. Captive animals are typically treated for pathogens in an effort to eliminate even the natural parasites. The terraria are relatively sterile and generally neither the flora nor fauna are native to their natural habitat unless they are living where they are from, which is rare in the case of exotic reptile captives. 5. Along these lines, behavior of the captive animals changes because of the absence of predation, change in and abundance of dietary items, inability of captive animals to freely travel and associate with others of their species, avoid predation, or search for prey (that often change according to a yearly cycle), lighting (both UV and regular) that doesn't correspond to their natural habitat, as well as the difference in substrate and the inability in captivity to replicate natural variations in day-today and seasonal weather and lighting changes. Although much can be said for reptile husbandry, especially as it pertains to successful breeding of difficult species, it is still an exercise in the production of a domestic animal, as opposed to raising the same species under natural conditions. A few private individuals are able to raise and breed more difficult species by means of their personal

Western vs. Native American Values

Tarahumara vs. Western values

MMA vs free fighting

Mixed Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting In view of the invincible Conor McGregor's demolition by t... more Mixed Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting In view of the invincible Conor McGregor's demolition by the larger, but well-used, Nate Diaz, maybe it is time to revisit the difference between the sport of mixed martial arts and real fighting in as much as Conor apparently felt he wasn't bound by the usual constraints of a sport defined by a large set of rules. To do so, we must visit the rules and regulations of the UFC and MMA generally. First we'll examine the definitions. In the first paragraph, we have a contradictory use of the term " limitations " and " without limitation ". Obviously they can't have it both ways. If there are limitations, there cannot be " without limitation. " So we have a problem right from the get-go. We also see the the term, " unarmed combat " , is rather limited, as lots of techniques besides blows can reasonably be expected to inflict injury. Non-striking techniques in grappling, such as strangles, chokes, and joint destructions, are not blows but can be just as devastating as a strike. And it doesn't mention death, which might also be reasonably expected from a blow (or non-striking) technique. Aside from those discrepancies, " unarmed combat " doesn't make any reference at all to a lack of non-natural weapons, such as knives, clubs, guns, etc., which are the distinguishing feature of unarmed combat. Of course, the idea of a commission making regulations is completely contradictory to the concept of free-fighting, where any commission of " meeting of the minds " would likely be trying to develop ways to truly remove limitations, rather than impose them. Next we need to mention the weight divisions of which there are at least 11. Of course, they are also divided between men and women, which is wholly unrealistic in real life. In fact, most aggression outside of the ring is visited by men on women, as it is usually safer and easier than attacking another man. In general, women are weaker, slower, and altogether less athletic than men at the same weight, thanks to sexual dimorphism in the human species and the far higher level of testosterone in men. Even within the same sex, the lowest weight division among men is less than half the weight of the highest weight division. Again, in real life, a predatory assailant is most likely to prey on another individual perceived as much weaker/smaller and/or incapacitated in some way (for instance, a child, elder, or disabled) or a combination of all of these. By contrast, in an MMA bout, a 1 pound difference between combatants is the most permitted….ever. (Or so they claim. Recent bouts have allowed significant weight differences in order to avoid cancellation of the bout.) Catchweight bouts may be permitted, but they must still specify a weight. In spite of any " outs " within the rules, one doesn't see a massive difference in weight between 2 contracted parties. Although MMA contests are held in a ring or fenced area, it is primarily to prevent the contestants from falling out of the ring and hurting themselves or others. Even so, the floor must extend at least 18 " past the ropes or cage in order to protect the contestants and the foam padding must also cover these 18 " outside of the ring. Similarly the ring

World War II: USS Black's role according to my father's diary

My father was on the USS Black as a gunner from February to September 1945. Describes the action... more

Gardening in El Paso, Texas Part 1.rtf

The difficulties of growing ornamentals in El Paso, Texas.

Gardening in El Paso Part 3 The Bushes

Bushy exotics suitable for growing in El Paso, Texas

Dogfighting: Making attendance at a dog fight a felony is a bad idea

Dog fighting: Why making attendance at a dog fight a felony is foolish Some character named Dylan... more Dog fighting: Why making attendance at a dog fight a felony is foolish Some character named Dylan Dienstbier has a petition on Change.org asking for signatures in California to make attendance at a dog fight a felony. I signed the petition simply to comment on how stupid it is, but I think I need to be more clear about my reasons. Now, to understand dog fighting and dog fighters, one has to look at the historical context. In the old days of dog fighting in America (from about the 1850's to the 1950's), dogs were fought by ordinary people like farmers, bar owners, athletes, and even doctors, lawyers, and law enforcement. Although the stakes might be high for the time, these fights were staged privately, usually with a few men allowed on each side. As the sport progressed, and the dog fighting community grew, outside people known to one side or the other, or both, were allowed to attend, and several fights might be staged at the same time. Still, the fights were private affairs shielded from the public eye for the most part and hidden from humane groups. Although these fights often had purses (typically winner take all), no money was collected in the form of a gate or attendance fee. Later, as the personna of the typical dog fighter changed (although the dogs were exactly the same bloodlines), a more diverse group of people emerged which included drug users and other criminals, as well as people with nothing but a monetary interest in the dogs, but also still including some of the old-time people, albeit many of them left as the sport changed. Although this new breed of dog fighter became better versed in the sport thanks to the old-timers, they often brought their own version " family values " to the sport. Basically many of these people were raised in dire circumstances, had to fend for themselves from an early age, and are willing to sell their own mother down the river if necessary. What chance, then, does a dog have? Now, I am writing this paper from the position that dog fighting is not going away under any circumstances. Many people, both dog fighters and admirers, recognize that the dogs love to fight and gameness is a quality sorely lacking in the world today. Dog fighting rules, properly enforced, exist to protect the dogs if they are injured or ready to quit. Whether they are followed depends on the morality of the person who owns the dog. Why? Because, unlike fights between people (in boxing or mixed martial arts, for instance), the referee cannot stop the fight. The dog's owner/trainer/handler has to make that call, which is sometimes not heard because of the monetary investment in the outcome or circumstances beyond one person's control (maybe several people own the dog). This type of situation has left many great and wonderful dogs dead in the dog pit. So we have people of various perversions bent on making money off of dogs by fighting them, rather than properly recognizing their valor and giving them the respect they deserve. We have old men making billions off of foreign wars at the expense of naive

World War II: USS Black's role according to my father's diary

My father's diary written on the USS Black in WWII. The first copy did not appear to download pr... more

Gardening in El Paso, Texas Part 2 The Vines

Most useful vines easily grown in El Paso, Texas

Gardening in El Paso, Texas Part 4.rtf

Common trees useful in gardening in El Paso, Texas

The Nature of Martial Arts by J. Davis

Synopsis of the roundtable discussion Exploring the significance

known to the Cahuilla and Mojave, Galindo, Huichol, and Pete Eidenbach, anthropologist. I can't r... more known to the Cahuilla and Mojave, Galindo, Huichol, and Pete Eidenbach, anthropologist. I can't remember now when this conference was but it was many years ago at the park itself.Obviously I might have worded and addressed some things differently today then I did at the time, but decided to basically keep the letter intact in its historical perspective. So: "This review will contain both criticism and compliments which should be taken at face value with a grain of salt as my personal opinion, and not necessarily as a reflection on the people involved. I think you should make your own judgment.

Pomeranian: A Surprising Breed

Approximately 1 year ago, my son asked if my wife and I would be interested in a dog. We had rece... more Approximately 1 year ago, my son asked if my wife and I would be interested in a dog. We had recently lost our Neapolitan Mastiff bitch at the age of about 14 years due to breast cancer. As we are 66, I had reservations about getting another dog which, if it lived to a similar age, might be with us when we reached the age of 80. Also, after a lifetime of dogs of many breeds, I was kind of ready for a break. My wife however seemed interested in spite of the fact that she has little interest in animals of any kind, although she didn't mind the mastiff which we kept as a house dog.