Ron A Smith.com

Amazing Videos that promotes tourism in Cleveland.

and ……..

I just sent this to the Oberver for: Letters to the Editor.

Is it just me or are bouncers taking queues from the movie “Road House” with their teacher being Patrick Swayze?

The industry term bouncer presents an image of someone who will physically break up fights and forcibly eject undesirable patrons. Bouncers are often portrayed in movies as tough, thug-like scrappers who love to fight and it appears Sarnia has employed and embodied that persona.

There’s a common misconception that bouncers have authority to pick someone up and physically remove him or her from the premises for violating a club rule. It is believed that bouncers can use pain compliance holds, full-nelsons, choke holds, wrist locks, and arm bars to manhandle their patrons. This is generally not true. Simply stated bouncers cannot legally use force against unless they are taking someone into custody for a crime or in self-defense. When force is used it must be reasonable. That means no tackling, no punching, no kicking, no choking, no head butts, no piling on top, no hog-ties, and no pain compliance holds.

The authority of a bouncer, in most cases, is the same as any ordinary citizen. Bouncers have no special authority to physically eject a customer who merely becomes intoxicated or verbally obnoxious. As an employee of the nightclub, bouncers can only demand that the undesirable customer leave. If the customer refuses to leave your only legal recourse is to call the police.

“Back in the Day” when I bounced we were trained by a black belted marshal-artist who stressed the importance of self control, restraint and diffusion of aggressive situations.  Now I feel as though Friday and Saturday nights have become UFC episodes with the bar transforming into the octagon.

I stopped bouncing a few years back as I thought it was getting out of hand.  Bouncers began encouraging and gestured collusion.  Planned attacks were sometimes carried out to remove “ex-boyfriends” and other personal vendettas.  Very sad.

I understand there are drunks that get out of hand and require “removing.”  A bouncer does encounter undesirable situations however when did decency, restraint and professionalism get discarded?  Who are bouncing the bouncers?

Facebook is an entertaining place to show “good nights out” and more and more you are seeing pictures of 4 on 1 bouncer brutality; even pictures of 100 pound women being placed in the “chicken wing” by monstrous men.

There are a lot of good, honest bouncers out there performing a good deed.  It’s a shame that they appear to be a dieing breed.

I write this out of concern.  Brutality doesn’t diffuse anything; it only acts as a catalyst for more brutality.  If not a bouncer injuring/killing a patron; then a patron in retaliation injuring/killing a bouncer.

Take your pick.   

Amazing pictures of the fight occurring in Iran over the previous elections

The question of asking if being gay or not is challenged as the wrong question to ask in the first place.

The worlds weirdest Hang over cures

Dads aches are up for sale on e-bay

A message to all you vegans out there.

A cure for HIV. No joke - and it came from Canada!!!!!!

Awesome new documentary: Food Inc
Talks in great length about corporations and food. A must see!!!

Are you feeling the crunch of credit card debt?

If so, there is this awesome blog (www.mint.com) that gives you the basics and a crash course on how to deal with your credit card company and to have your rates slashed/erased or re-negotiated.

The more and more I talk to people about their debt and financial skeletons the more I see people never having the conversation. They would rather forget they are in debt and stick their head in the sand!! Don’t do that people!!!!!!!!!

Address your debt, talk to someone and get on a game plan. The below link is a great starting place.

Follow this by clicking here:

Cheers
Ron

The idea that we live in a society that takes care of our poor and less fortunate while on the surface makes us proud and feel save; it is in fact a huge hinder on our society.

1: Welfare helps you keep your hand out.

If I were to give you $600 a month with no strings attached (ok, make a resume and “hand” it out). And then I said to you “if you go back to school to further yourself not only will I not give you money to attend I will also take your $600 away. Also, if you acquire a job (even part time) your $600 is now gone.”

What would you do?

Quick Math: $600 / 60 hours a month (part time) = $10 /hr.
Quick Math: 1 year of college (avg) $2500.

2: The “unmotivated and live on little to nothing” population:

There are a lot of people out there that don’t mind hand outs and since we as a society are always made to feel guilty about having anything we are more than happy to “give to the needy.”
If you are willing to get by on old furniture, lack of nutritious food, Inn of the Good Shepherd hand outs, bus passes, tube television and basic cable then welfare is the prefect job for you.

3: Immigrants are high rollers:

Please keep in mind I am not generalizing here. I am an immigrant myself.
Go to google and type “percentage of immigrants on welfare.” The results are staggering.

The welfare system is like a gold mind for someone who is from a third world country.
It’s tragic that living conditions are dire in their part of the world however the dream of moving to North America and living on the system is very appealing when you sit around hundreds of thousands of people that cant even afford to take a decent shower, crap, sanitize.

These are just few of many thoughts on why I don’t like the welfare system.
Do I agree that there should be something put in place to safe guard being homeless and having a roof over your head; of course I do. I just don’t think the answer is throwing $600 a month at a person down on their luck is the answer.

I would love to have a debate about how to approach it. I am not saying that all people on welfare are lazy. What I am saying is that once you receive welfare there isn’t much incentive to get off it and once you get used to receiving a rationed amount, living off the system becomes more appeasable and affordable.

What frustrates me about issues regarding the system are people who have a nice cushy job utter things like “why cant they just get a job?” Oh I wish it were just that easy.
I think a huge assistance to helping the poor is for people that aren’t to develop compassion. Far too often you find people with money telling those without money they are useless.

This isn’t helping anyone. Middle class people need to be educated more on the matter.

End of the line for fisheries by 2050.
Watch this video as it discuses it (10 minute video).

Thinking about getting a tattoo? Check this out so you can gauge what you are getting into.

“Weird Al” Yankovic song entitled “All about the Pentiums.” Love this song for many reasons.

1) Loved Weird Al as a kid.
2) Loved Puff Daddys original song when I was a teen
3) Love computers as an adult.

favorite line “I’m down with Bill Gates I call him money for short, I call him at home and I make him do my phone support.”

I am a HUGE google supporter.

I’ve been using google since search was search on the internet.

As of today…… I think that might be changing……. maybe

Bing is Microsoft’s version of Google and I must say; “I don’t hate it”

Do a search in bing on a baseball, basketball, hockey player and then do the same search in google. I think you will like what you see.

Now, do I think for one second that this is the “google killer.” Oh please no.
Google is still number one, its just nice to know that I have search options.

We know the obsession with sex; of course however, why fantasies?

Why fantasize over things you cannot obtain? Dave and I discus it in this video.

This weekend I was at artwalk. It felt amazing to be apart of it. Sure, for the most part it was a hippy fest but their were pockets of things, events, booths, music, food that made me realize that I am at home in this place called Sarnia.

If any of you know me you know of my pride for Sarnia which it seems at times a joke since I am over zealous about my liking of this city.

This weekend I really felt at home.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I just became a home owner but I am really starting to see Sarnia as a community and not a place that I work, sleep, eat and socialize.

The more I think about Sarnia the more I love thinking about planting more and more roots here.
I think for people to be content in life they have to start looking at the places they reside as their home; seeing neighboring houses, parks, people, shops and social events as their community.

I don’t think many people do this anymore. People travel, pick up and go and seem to be a tourist more than a resident always looking for the next adventure. I suppose that sort of life style is fine but you have to get to a point where you leave that life behind and embrace your communal surroundings.

The way I feel right now I think I want to be in Sarnia for life. All of the moves I have made in regards to personal and professional have been focused on Sarnia and my placement here.

Sarnia can and is a frustrating city at times. I really believe it will take committed people with time to make the small things the great things in this city. Being apart of Artwalk this weekend allowed me to see there are many small and great pockets of interest in this city. You just have to stick around long enough to see it.

I was at work today and a woman, who knew that I bought a house she had been in recently, informed me that I could call the city and force my neighbor to clean “that fifthly backyard.”

Already knowing before hand that this lady is a mean person I decided to defuse the situation.
(Although in my head I was going up and down her with ignorant comments)

I replied “do you know the neighbors situation?” She said “no but there is no excuse for that.”
I said “well, I met my neighbor. She’s a very nice single mother of 2 on disability.” Why would I call the city and be a bad neighbor when I could offer my services and help clean. In fact, if you’re so concerned with the mess, I welcome you to help.”

The lady was annoyed. My co-worker laughed with glee.

This ladies type of approach gets me so perplexed. Yes, the ladies backyard mess is “un-desirable” but so what? Are my eyes burning with the site of it? Heaven forbid it lowers the real estate value of my own property!!!

In the ladies drive way is a basketball net with an old broken fridge standing directly below it. I learned her eldest son is a good basketball player. How can he play on that net? I think I’m going to move it tomorrow.