Why you should Check out Big Island on Lake Minnetonka 4th of July Weekend

Spending time on the Lakes is a favorite pass time of almost all Minnesotans. One of the best lake parties takes place every fourth of July at Big Island on Lake Minnetonka. Everyone ties their boats together and the booze starts flowing. It is one hell of an all day party. Things can get pretty crazy but everyone gets along and has an awesome time. The party starts around 11:00 am and goes till about 6:00. If you live in Minnesota this is one fun event you should not miss!

Remember to have someone sober to drive the boat. The police will be out. Enjoy the fun, water and sun. Most of all don’t forget the sunscreen and Minnesota nice. Maybe this kind of party isn’t your thing but if this looks like fun to you trust me its even more wild and crazy than you expect. See you there!!

My switch to an Ecigarette/Personal Vaporizer

In June of 2013 I switched from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes. I have never looked back since. I like many people who smoke tried quitting many times. Unlike most smokers I always hated the way cigarettes tasted. I constantly had to chew gum to get rid of the nasty taste and always washed my hands two or three times to try to get rid of the smell. Despite this ridiculousness I was addicted and couldn’t stop smoking. Then I found out about electronic cigarettes. The truth is it is nothing like disgusting tobacco cigarettes at all and there is no smoke. What people know as an electronic cigarette is in actuality a personal vaporizer. As such technically I have quit smoking and started vaping. Once I switched to vaping I stopped having to worry about the nasty taste and smell. In fact ecigarettes taste pretty delicious and come in every flavor you can possibly imagine. After a little while I started to see my sense of taste and smell get better. After that my breathing started to improve and in general I just felt better all around. The liquid that goes in electronic cigarettes or personal vaporizers as I like to call them is a mix of FDA approved propylene glycol (same thing used in asthma inhalers), FDA approved Vegetable glycerin (food additive), flavorings also approved by the FDA, and nicotine (approved for use in nicotine replacement products like gum, patches, and nicotrol inhalers). Nicotine by itself is about as dangerous as caffeine.  In cigarettes there are over 4000 chemicals and over 70 carcinogens this is what kills millions every year.

Parts from left to right: Drip tip (mouth piece), Glass Clearomizer (tank to hold eliquid), Atomizer (contains the wick and coil that vaporizes the eliquid), Base of the Clearomizer (atomizer screws into the base which in turn screws into the glass clearomizer tank), Thread cover (covers the threading between the tank and battery for a more finished look), 900mah Ego Winder variable voltage Battery, (battery makes contact with the coil vaporizing the eliquid when the battery button is pressed)

This device and others like it I believe have the potential to save millions of lives. When you think about it logically there are 4 ingredients that don’t cause cancer involved with the ecigarette. There is absolutely no possibility that ecigarettes have the same risk as the filth and cancer causing carcinogens people inhale in the smoke from cigarettes. When law makers try to pass legislation to lump ecigarettes into the same category as tobacco it is just either complete ignorance or pressure from big tobacco. It really infuriates people that know and have experienced the health improvements after making the switch. They are going to ruin the one thing that could help get rid of horrible tobacco products forever and for what? To the people who smoke cigarettes either make the switch or stop using tobacco products or you are going to die young.

How to buy a Handgun in Minnesota

It is a misconception that you can just walk into a store in Minnesota and buy a hand gun. Most people don’t know that in order to buy these weapons from a dealer in Minnesota you must be at least 21 years old and you also need one of two things a permit to purchase, or a permit to carry. In order to obtain a permit to purchase you must fill out the form I have put in the link below. After filling out this form bring it to your local police department and the department will either approve or deny your request based on information you provide in the form and a background check to see if you are barred from buying or possessing firearms. The permit to purchase is issued free of charge and should be mailed to you within 10 days of dropping off the form. There are actually many reasons that are listed on the form that will cause the department to reject your application. I took a photo of my permit to purchase below. A permit to purchase is valid for one year from the date of issue. You must fill out a new form every year.

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/bca-divisions/administrative/Documents/MNUniformFirearmApp.pdf

If you already have a permit to carry a concealed weapon like the one pictured above you do not need a permit to purchase. The permit to carry is valid for five years from the date of issue. Obtaining a permit to carry achieved by taking a class that usually costs around $125.00.

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/bca-divisions/administrative/Pages/firearms.aspx

Escape from a North Korean Death Camp

                                                                           

 

               

In North Korea if a person commits a crime against the state they are sent to prison camps often without trial where they are worked to death along with their entire family who is guilty by association. There are currently over 200,000 people in concentration camps in North Korea. Shin Dong-hyuk was born in 1982 in the North Korean prison camp #14. On January 2nd 2005 he became the first person escape the camp. Shin remembers following his mother to work every morning as a child but she was worked so hard that she never had time to show him love and affection and he never developed a bond with her. The only education Shin ever received was a basic ability to read, write, add, and subtract. Shin recounts a story when he was nine years when the teacher searched the children’s pockets. The teacher found five grains of wheat in one little girl’s pocket. The teacher forced the girl kneel in front of him and made all the other children watch as he beat her to death with a baton. This was not a rare occurrence. Teachers could do whatever they wanted. The guards would punish the prisoners they felt were not not working hard enough by withholding food. They ate the same food every day a soup made of cabbage corn and salt. The prisoners would catch rats and insects to supplement their diet.

They brainwashed the children from birth to rat out anyone who was planning to escape. When Shin was 13 he overheard his mother and brother talking about a plan to escape. He was so brainwashed that he felt the right thing to do was turn them in a expected to be rewarded for his actions. After the guards took his mother and brother away they tortured Shin to see if he was also involved with the escape plot. According to Shin there were two chains with shackles hanging from the ceiling one for each foot and a rope from the ceiling with which they secured his hands. They hung him face up from the ceiling and lit a charcoal fire under his back. They put a hook through the skin near his groin area so he wouldn’t resist and move around.After four days of torturing him. Then they locked him in a prison cell for seven months alone. When he got out they forced him and his father whom they also imprisoned to watch as they executed his brother by firing squad and hung his mother. He depicts this in a simple but graphic drawings.

                  

 

Shin Dong-hyuk witnessed countless murders and rapes perpetrated by guards who treated the prisoners worse than animals. Eventually he plotted his own escape with the help of another prisoner. During the escape the other prisoner got caught in the electrified barb wire fence and was able to climb over top of his body to freedom. While climbing over the body his shins were badly burned but he survived after which he made his way to China and then eventually South Korea. Now that Shin is free he enjoys the simple things everyone else takes for granted like the ability to try different foods and watch movies. He specifically mentions Schindler’s List as the film that moved him the most. If you would like to read the full story I have included the links below.

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/north-korea-death-camp-survivor-1814554

http://www.bigthoughtsfromasmallmind.com/2013/03/hrwff-review-camp-14-total-control-zone.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/07/opinion/lee-stanton-north-korea/

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-north-korea-executes-80-20131111,0,2954869.story#axzz2nKLxn3kI

 

The World’s Most Prolific Weapon of War

 

Almost everyone in the world recognizes the silhouette pictured above. The Ak-47 and subsequent variants are most prolific weapons of war the world has ever seen. It’s estimated that over 100 million Ak-47 and Ak variant rifles have been built world wide. They are used by military, police, gangsters, and terrorists.

The Avtomat Kalashnikova  as it is officially known was invented  in the USSR by Russian weapons designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. It was originally invented to help stop the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The rifle however was not completed before the end of the second world war.  Kalashnikov states; “Whenever I look at TV and I see the weapon I invented to defend my motherland in the hands of these bin Ladens I ask myself the same question: How did it get into their hands? I didn’t put it in the hands of bandits and terrorists and it’s not my fault that it has mushroomed uncontrollably across the globe. Can I be blamed that they consider it the most reliable weapon?”

The Ak-47 has such a wide proliferation because it is extremely cheap to build and exceptionally reliable. You can bury an Ak-47 in mud or sand for a year and it will still fire mostly likely without even being cleaned. While it is not a particularly accurate weapon, the 7.62 x 39 mm round for which it is chambered is devastating. While American weapons such as the M16  are chambered in the smaller lighter .556 x 45 mm and much more accurate they jam easily when not cleaned regularly and penetrate an object rather than shred it to pieces.

While the Ak-47 is a low tech weapon, it’s reliability, ease of use, and devastating power make it a formidable weapon whether it is in the hands of a highly trained Russian soldier or a child soldier in Africa.

Have You Seen Molly?

You may have heard her name in a Kanye West or Rick Ross song. Her name is printed on t-shirts. Miley Cyrus sings about dancing with Molly  in her new single “We can’t Stop”.  The question you may be asking yourself is who or what is Molly. Molly is the name given to the “pure” form of the hallucinogenic amphetamine MDMA, the key ingredient in the drug Ecstasy.

MDMA gives users a sense of euphoria, emotional warmth, energy, and empathy towards others. Although all of that sounds good, ecstasy can be very dangerous and is also a schedule 1 drug which makes it extremely illegal.

The negative side effects can include teeth grinding, dehydration, anxiety, insomnia, fever and loss of appetite. If too much is consumed dangerous side effects can occur. These include hyperthermia, seizures, high blood pressure, and depression due to the sudden drop in serotonin levels as the drug wears off.

MDMA use is definitely on the rise.  With any drug there is no guarantee what you are getting. The capsules an individual may purchase sold as MDMA could contain something as harmless as caffeine or something much worse. Every time you take drugs you are gambling with your life.

Parents need make themselves aware of what Molly is. They need to make sure their children know how dangerous it can be. This drug may not be nearly as addictive as cocaine but it is every bit as dangerous and just as illegal.

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/mdma-ecstasy-or-molly

Work Hard Play Hard

Words to live by.