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nomorewars   
Life is an occasion, rise to it.


Real Name: Michael
Lives In: Pearland, US
Birth Date: January 25, 1976
Member Since: Jan 19, 2002
Last Login: May 09, 2008   06:08 UTC
Member's Time: May 09, 2008   18:17 CDT
VT Rank: 312
Deals Rank: Unranked
Travel Interests: Historical Trip, Festival, Other Arts and Culture, Hiking/Walking, National/State Park



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The World Is My Village

by nomorewars - last update: Apr 23, 2008

NOMOREWARS: The Global Nomad

The Gracie Barra Texas Family
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts but grew up in a smaller city roughly 20 miles northeast by the name of Lowell, a city pretty much situated on the Massachusetts-New Hampshire Stateline.

By birth I’m a Roman Catholic, but, due to being exposed to the harsh realities of life at a very young age, I have come to loathe religion with a fierce hatred of a million warring men. Being that I find no use for it, I discarded Catholicism many, many moons ago. I firmly believe religion is a farce & the root of all evil plaguing our plantet & its people. If our world were free of this wretched disease & all of its dogmas, I firmly believe that there would be no conflict (or at least not so much). I do, however, believe in God. Because I despise religion so much, I’m often accused of being an atheist or agnostic. Why is that? Where is it written that one has to be religious in order to worship & praise God? Religion is not synonymous with God; it is the extension of evil’s right hand.

People call me a dreamer as if to imply something negative. Sure I dream. We all do; however, my dreams consist of a world minus its borders, its hate, its destruction, & its poverty. Dreaming is not negative; it’s a pathway to progression. For without the dreams of people like Albert Parsons, August Spies, & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., our society would still be mired in the mud of our horrible past. The course of change always evolves upon the foundation of a person’s dream.

I have always been entrenched in the complexities of current affairs, especially those that pertain to humanity, foreign relations, & politics; therefore, I have always felt a need to travel. I firmly believe that every nation’s true treasure is its people. Without the ingenuity & vision of people we would not have such structures as the Eiffel Tower luring us beyond our thrones of comfort. When I travel (regardless in the U.S. or abroad) I like to see & experience culture & the way people live. I honestly don’t care about amusement parks, malls, & popular tourist attractions. I want to see & experience the unknown.

I am also a lover of nature & enjoy being outdoors amongst the birds & the trees. I spend much of my time outside with my family, visiting the numerous State Parks that we have here in the U.S. Sometimes I just sit outside on a swing & read a book to my children, answering all of the questions they have about the world around them.

I despise nationalism, believing it is a virus that attacks & destroys morality. Nationalism, like religion, is a cause of so much strife. I have witnessed its brutality in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, & in the United States. Due to the horrors that I have witnessed in the aforementioned countries, I have come to hold absolutely no pride in being an American; it's a sentiment I just don't feel. Please, do not misunderstand me, though. I don’t hate the fact that I am an American. Simply, I would feel no different today being an Italian or Korean national. I am just apathetic to the concept of patriotism. I take great pride in being a father, for I feel that there’s no other job that bears more importance in our world than parenting.

Well, this is a brief summation of who I am. I do not identify myself with any race, nation or religion. I am much more than an American & a man. I am a father, husband, & an idealist. I am a citizen of humanity, a global nomad.
Escaping the guard

My Love For Martial Arts

Growing up, I was always involved in some sort of athletic program. Baseball & Hockey were always (& still remain) my favorite, but as I got older I developed interest in Combat Sports-Boxing, Freestyle Wrestling, & Martial Arts. Like most of my friends, I began boxing at a very young age, training at the West End Gym in Lowell, Massachusetts, which is respected tremendously in the boxing world.

Then in 1993, the world was introduced to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu took the combat sport community by storm. I became an instant fan of Royce Gracie, but did not start training as there were no schools back then; therefore, I continued on with Boxing & Shotokan Karate.

After graduating from "Boot Camp," my first duty assignment in the Army was to Fort Riley, Kansas, where I met Jason French, a third degree black belt Judoka, or a practitioner of Judo. Like me, he was from the East Coast (Rhode Island). We immediately became friends, & he started me on my quest to study Judo.

Several years later, I'm now residing in Texas & there are literally hundreds of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies to choose from. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these institutions are frauds, fabricating their lineage in order to attract students. Luckily for me, I have found Gracie Barra Texas (located in the City of Webster), & I have embarked on a new quest to earn my black belt in BJJ. The main instructor is Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes, who is a world renown practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Wish me luck!

Favorite Websites

1. The Truth About 9/11 Campaign to educate the public about the September 11th coverup & expose the truth surrounding the events of 9/11.

2. The American Socialist Party Socialist Party USA Website.

3. Real Milk nonprofit organization that promotes health & environmental benefits of raw milk.

4. Socialist Party of Texas Socialist Party of Texas Website.

5. The Boston Red Sox The website of the greatest baseball team to ever exist.

6. Sherdog.com The premier Mixed Martial Arts website.

7. The United Farm Workers "Our vision is to provide farm workers and other working people with the inspiration and tools to share in society's bounty"
What happened to Shogun?
The newest member of the Gracie Barra family

Places I Want to Go Before I Die!

1. Iran: For as long as I can remember Iran has always been a place of great personal interest. During my thirty-two years of life, I have met numerous wonderful, artistic, & intelligent Iranians who have, inadvertently, kept the firing burning. I am very interested in the life of Ashraf Dehghani & would love nothing more than to retrace her footsteps in Iran.

2. Bolivia: I want to travel the "Ruta del Che" & learn more about Che Guevara's mission in Bolivia.

3. Japan: Japan is the birthplace of one of my favorite martial arts disciplines: Judo. It has always been a dream of mine to train with one of the world's greatest Judoka's, Hidehiko Yoshida.

4. Russia: I am absolutely fascinated with labor history. Russian history is riddled with labor strikes, protests, & battles-all of which I want to become better familiar with.

5. Eritrea: Although I have never stepped on Eritrean soil, & only know of its beauty through pictures, I am nevertheless captivated by its stunning landscape, ancient civilizations, dramatic contrasts, & unique wildlife. Furthermore, Eritrea is the youngest nation on the African continent, but with a history as old as humanity.

What I Cheer For!!!

1. The success of my children.
2. The end of all wars
3. Gay Rights
4. FAIR: Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
5. Animal Rights
6. A better quality food products
7. Free healthcare for all
8. Affordable housing
9. Equal opportunities for all
10. No poverty
11. No borders
12. No hate
13. The Boston Red Sox
The meanest bullpen in the Majors!
UFC Fighter Alberto Crane & I

Pages in the Works

Massachusetts: 1). Boston, 2). Lowell, 3). Lawrence, 4). Cambridge, 5). Haverhill, 6). Sudbury, 7). Leominsterr, 8). New Bedford, 9). Holyoke, 10). Great Barrington, 11). North Adams, 12). Medford, 13). Braintree, 14). Brookline, 15). Saxonville, 16). Chelmsford, 17). North Andover, 18). Somerville, 19). Lynn, 20). Athol.

Missouri: 1). Kansas City, 2). St. Louis.

Texas: 1). Brazoira National Wildlife Refuge, 2). Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, 3). Austin, 4). Baytown, 5). Surfside), 6). League City, 7). Crosby, 8). Beaumont, 9). Dallas.

California: 1). San Francisco, 2). Oakland, 3). Berkley, 4). Los Angeles, 5). San Diego.

Arkansas: 1). Little Rock, 2). Elaine, 3). Hot Springs, 4). Hope, 5). North Little Rock, 6). Alexander, 7). Texarkana, 8). Ozark National Forest, 9). Helena, 10). Pine Bluff, 11). Fort Smith, 12). Brinkley.

New York: 1). Greenwich Village, 2). Harlem, 3). Brooklyn, 4). Manhattan, 5). Rochester, 6). Cooperstown, 7). Attica, 8). Lake Placid, 9). Albany, 10). Sleepy Hollow, 11). Buffalo, 12). Syracuse.

Italy: 1. Caramanico Terme, Pescara, Rome, Villa Celiera.

My Favorite Cities (No Particular Order)

1. Lowell, Massachusetts
2. Boston, Massachusetts
3. Trier, Germany
4. Metz, France
5. Idar Oberstein, Germany
6. Budapest, Hungary
7. Dubrovnik, Croatia
8. Moscow, Russia
9. Tokyo, Japan
10. Seoul, South Korea
11. Ponce, Puerto Rico
12. Kansas City, Missouri
13. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
14. Montreal, Canada
15. London, England
16. Belfast, Northern Ireland
17. Pescara, Italy
18. Barcelona, Spain.
Hanging out with Mother Nature
Seeing the world like a little critter

VT Pages that I am Doing Over

Germany: 1). Baumholder, 2). Idar Obserstein, 3). Wiesbaden, 4). Darmstadt, 5). Kaiserslautern, 6). Trier, 7). Berlin, 8). Mainz, 9). Saarbrucken, 10). Saar Louis, 11). St. Wendell, 12). Bonn, 13). Cologne, 14). Munich.

France: 1). Paris, 2). Metz, 3). Royan.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1). Sarajevo, 2). Mostar, 3). Bihac.

Croatia: 1). Makarska, 2). Split, 3). Dubrovnik.

Macedonia: 1). Skopje.

Austria: 1). Vienna.

Switzerland: 1). Zurich.

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: 1). Luxembourg City.

Belgium: 1). Brussells.

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Comments for nomorewars
mtncorg Mon Apr 21, 2008 02:54 UTC
 The pictures of Glacier Bay do not lie. A magnificent place to experience the natural World ... except for the cruise ships on the hour whose pa systems you can hear for five miles. Hope your spring is rolling!
kokoryko Tue Apr 8, 2008 14:20 UTC
 I appreciate your comment on Bali Michael; there are so many fascinating places and people there, far from the beaten pathes.
connykee Thu Mar 27, 2008 17:36 UTC
 Hi Michael, Thanks for visiting my Kyongju, South Korea and Perth, Western Australia travel pages and thanks for your interesting comments.....Best regards, Conny
JLBG Mon Mar 24, 2008 04:47 UTC
 Thank tou for visiting several of my Alsace pages and nice comments! Congratulations for your languages skills! I agree with you that to speak the language of the country iwhere you live (even temporarily!) is a must!
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