tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331 2008-04-30T03:20:07Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.6171 2008-04-28T18:50:41Z 2008-04-30T03:20:07Z

So I just got my endorsement to ride a motorcycle; my M. I took the ABATE of Indiana basic rider course. The course was designed for non-experienced riders (hence the basic) and it was easy. I have been riding for...

Santiago Montalvo So I just got my endorsement to ride a motorcycle; my M. I took the ABATE of Indiana basic rider course. The course was designed for non-experienced riders (hence the basic) and it was easy. I have been riding for a whole year. Unlike a mall ninja I rode my motorcycle in the rain, snow, sleet, ice, etc. If its cold, I put another jacket on, I don't say its too cold, I can't ride. With gas prices going up the most reasonable thing to do is get a motorcycle. I am terrible with shifting and so I get terrible gas milage. I do like to speed up past everyone. My MPG in the city is around 35/40. That's much better than a car or even a hybrid because I feel its safer and more of an adventure. The instructors told us, when you ride you have to continually practice. "You never have anything mastered" they repeated. It's the truth, riding involves a lot of skill and discipline. Many of which people lack. You cannot be on your cellphone or not paying attention. It only takes a split second to hit the dirt. The safe thing to do is wear a helmet. Even though I am now legally not required to wear a helmet, beleive me, I do anyways. The reason being, most of the injuries involved in a motorcycle accident are to the chin, this is due to the physics of the crash. Hence the reason I wear a helmet. I do not want to taste my handle bars. Riding a motorcycle is something to consider. When you do always remember safety. You might be thick skinned and not think it matters; however, the pavement will undoubtedly prove you are not a worthy adversary. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.6170 2008-04-28T18:31:26Z 2008-04-30T03:19:53Z

It is a good thing to collect things. From thimbles to whatever. Collecting improves a person's IQ and their research abilities. For example, my wife collects Civil War uniforms and guns. She knows every kind of uniform and stiching possible....

Santiago Montalvo It is a good thing to collect things. From thimbles to whatever. Collecting improves a person's IQ and their research abilities. For example, my wife collects Civil War uniforms and guns. She knows every kind of uniform and stiching possible. She knows what is authentic and what is not. Also, she has been asked by museums to evaluate clothing to verify its authenticity. She's a real cracker jack when it comes to the Civil War. I on the other hand enjoy collecting weapons from the great wars. In other words, World War I and World War II. The politics behind every sort of weapon is extremely interesting to me. Every bolt, nut, washer, etc. was carefully and politically designed. Back in those days soldiers were thought to be brutes. Therefore, the greatest gun of World War II (according to me and endless sources of politicians to generals) the M1 Garand had an en bloc clip. It's not that they were cheaper to make, it's the politicians thinking the soldiers were too stupid and they would lose the magazines. All of the nation's pretty much thought the exact same thing during the time period. Hence the reason why they have integral magazines. Meaning you cannot remove it. The British for example had magazines, their weapon of choice was the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE). The SMLE had a canvas cover over the magazine which prevented the magazine from being removed or lost. Another example comes when taking apart a weapon. The avarage dough boy was not allowed to strip his rifle more than the bolt and the magazine. On the other hand I take it all the way done to the nuts and bolt. I want to see how it works and how they designed it. For example trigger placement, or even the swivels. Everything has its own purpose. The Brits had slanted swivels mainly because they used what is called a tangential sight. This again is another old political thing which went away after WWI. The tangential sight in short, is to convert a rifle into light artillery, obviously a waste of time in the age which artillery was coming of age. Then there are the Russians/Soviets. Using pretty much the same caliber up to today. The 7.62x54R is the oldest caliber in existence. Our fighting men and women in Iraq continually have to face the threat of this caliber. The very same way that 110 years ago anyone who opposed the Russian empire would have faced. The politics behind anything is interesting. The engineering is amazing. Think about it. Don't spend your money on perishables. Save your money and collect. Find out the history of your collection. All of my rifles have history, some served in WWI others in WWII. A dough boy, tommy, frontovik, carried these into service, a lot of them did not make it back home. Politics, history, engineering, Zeitgeist, etc. these are things why come into any collection. Collect! Remember, they always go up in value, a thimble can be worth $200 some dollars, maybe you got it for $1 at a garage sale. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.6113 2008-04-23T14:37:09Z 2008-04-28T20:08:00Z

It's 1952. The Soviets are knocking on our door. The threat of nuclear war is rampant! What are we going to do in case of a nuclear attack? Well... Duck under the desk and cover yourself. If you have a...

Santiago Montalvo I know, with certainty that in that lacquered purse of yours nestled against powder case and mirror sleeps a black stone; seven deaths ]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.5940 2008-04-11T17:22:34Z 2008-04-30T03:19:41Z

Rock the Vote? As a political science major, I am witness to the interesting effects of democracies, non-democracies, etc. Most of my knowledge came from personal studies and social experiences in politics back in Washington, D.C. Why vote? My answer,...

Santiago Montalvo Rock the Vote? As a political science major, I am witness to the interesting effects of democracies, non-democracies, etc. Most of my knowledge came from personal studies and social experiences in politics back in Washington, D.C. Why vote? My answer, don't. Why is voting important for the youth? In my opinion, it isn't. This country was not founded on voting. It wasn't even founded as a democracy. Our forefathers would cringe at the inclinations of the Rock to Vote agenda. As our forefathers wrote in the federalist papers, government must be unperturbed by the masses - the people. Even so, you may want to vote anyway, but think about this. The highest voter turnouts are older individuals with expendable capital and more experience. The politicians pander to these people, not students. Students, in the spectrum of things, whether making change by vote or revolution, are usually a pusillanimous minority. To politicians, whether implied or not, students do not matter at all. Go ahead and vote. I say it will not make a difference. The policies of politicians are targeted towards older individuals, not students. Honestly, I would much rather the student vote not be counted at all. Most individuals really do not have an understanding of politics or even the founding of this country. I am quite surprised watching the candidates politics and hearing how Ron Paul intends to bring the spirit of our forefathers to bear on this country. The only problem is that Ron Paul wants to bring the MYTH of America. A myth developed by American propagandists mostly in the 1950s to fight the atheist Soviets and confuse the American people as to their own beginnings. This country was founded by deists, they were not Christian. This country was founded on the basis of blood and bravery. Our forefathers were a rag tag bunch of rebels who even went against most of the American people. Think about that, our forefathers were rebels and actually did not believe in the spirit of the masses. So go ahead and vote. But remember, your vote is actually against the federalists. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.5535 2008-03-24T17:44:29Z 2008-03-25T14:02:05Z

Fort Wayne is quite an interesting city. I have been here almost a year and a half. I moved here from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Upper Marlboro is about 30 miles or less south of DC. It is a quiet equestrian...

Santiago Montalvo Fort Wayne is quite an interesting city. I have been here almost a year and a half. I moved here from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Upper Marlboro is about 30 miles or less south of DC. It is a quiet equestrian town where you still find farm equipment on the road, while you can glance at the nations capital. The name does fit, it used to be a great tobacco plantation. However, due to backwards economics, they do not grow tobacco anymore. How exactly can the government make money when they give money to people who give them the most money so they don't make money? I guess that is why I cannot study economics, classical economics is interesting to say the least. So growing up in Puerto Rico, watching an economy run on tourism and some farming; to Maryland, to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is an interesting city. Fort Wayne is like a small town with the feel of a big city. I like Fort Wayne. The weather is interesting too. For some reason, it can't settle on a single type. Cold, Warm, Hot, Cold, Freezing, Hot, etc. There is no time to get used to it; however, I still like Fort Wayne. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.5417 2008-03-17T17:22:00Z 2008-03-17T18:17:43Z

Hi guys, So I am back at work and school now. For my Spring Break I went up to the outskirts of Mears, Michigan. The visit was specifically to see my father in law, Bob. As an avid WW2 historian...

Santiago Montalvo More to come...]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.5316 2008-03-10T17:02:23Z 2008-03-10T18:05:36Z

Its Spring Break! Spring break is a good repose from the school work, it really gives a nice (as the name describes) break from everything. School work can be pretty intense sometimes and one must arduously persevere. So you would...

Santiago Montalvo I am going the end of this week. I will have more pictures for you guys later. ]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/ipfw/SantiagoMontalvo//331.5122 2008-02-25T15:47:35Z 2008-02-25T22:48:50Z

This ought to be my last year at IPFW. I recently transferred from the University of Maryland at College Park; where I was a Physics major in one of the most rebound and outstanding Physics program. When I transferred to...

Santiago Montalvo There was no chance to ice fish this winter, sadly enough. I bought all the gear, and now it will sit in storage for another year. Luckly, spring is almost here; therefore, I'll be fishing near the University after work. Fishing in Indiana is certainly a different game than fishing in the east coast. Wish me luck!]]>