Uni-ball 207 Pen Prevents Check Fraud-Demonstration Video

I guess it was a couple of years ago when I first started buying these pens (Uniball 207-I prefer the Signo gel 207 Retractable Roller Ball Pen with a Micro tip) and the main reason was that I had read these pens prevent check-fraud. I never really followed up on the specifics of the how’s and the why’s, I just knew there was some special pigment in the ink which prevented check-fraud.

Alas, I have now seen the demo (thanks to Jenny for sending it to me) of how this pen actually prevents check-fraud: crooks dip the top portion of your check in acetone (a paint thinner found at any art supply or hardware store) for close to 3-minutes, removing the “date”, “To” and most importantly the amount which you had written on the check. If you used a normal pen (that has a dye based ink) everything the crook wants to remove will be gone in about three and half minutes. However, if you used the Uni-ball 207, which has special pigments that adhere to the page your original information will remain intact. If you are local, need more info or would like to purchase some of these pens call the Bushido’s supply guy and friend Ben @ Collins Office Supply (843) 554-4404; he’ll take care of you.

Kicking It @ Bamboo With The Birthday Girl!

I had heard mixed reviews about the (relatively) new Japanese restaurant Bamboo (Garden) in Mt. Pleasant but the Bushido will give the Bamboo-Crew my blessing. We had a blast celebrating another milestone for the JABROS and friends.

As the faites would have it, we lucked out and got a great server (Alex) a sweet spot-the U-shaped couch with a giant marble table/fountain and excellent sushi for quite reasonable prices with drinks I doubt our tab will be more than 50 bucks for Sweets and I. That being said, if you are thirsty for one of those Ju-Ju Beers, you are going to be out of luck because our server said someone is killing them-let's not point fingers.

Well, I have to go-Sweets is calling me out for being a "crack-head with my crack-berry". Happy birthday MABROS.

Sent via JET's BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Bushido Article From Our Friend J-Testa @ AskMen.com

Mafioso: Lessons From Bushido

By Mr. Mafioso

Street Life Correspondent - Every Tuesday

Take these lessons from Bushido and apply them to your own life
Listen up, men. There’s a lot to be gained from paying attention to other cultures, and that’s something La Cosa Nostra has done better than just about anyone. It’s also something that’s kept us turning a steady profit since it all started. Just as some corporate hawks have torn pages straight out of our manuals, we have learned a thing or two from older, more established organizations, especially those from distant lands.

I know what you might be thinking: “The Italian mob learns from other cultures? Yeah right, imagine that.” The thing is, so many uninformed people view La Cosa Nostra as being too old-fashioned for its own good, too set in its ways. It’s true that the old-school Dons --- the Moustache Petes --- who vied for power up until the mid-1900s were stuck in the old way of doing things, but this stubbornness and refusal to adapt would also lead to their eventual downfall. The next generation of leaders were savvy businessmen who could keep up with new pressures and adjust to the new demands of the American people and the ever-increasing presence of the authorities. How did they do this? They watched what was going on around them and took what they could from other similar organizations. One of these “schools of thought” was Bushido, the ancient Japanese code of conduct and the way of the samurai. Let’s take a look at some lessons from Bushido that you can learn.

What is Bushido?

Bushido is the 1,000-year-old Japanese code of conduct that nobles were required to observe and today is still practiced by men all over the world. It combined the fierce ways of the samurai class with the more serene and spiritual teachings of Zen-Buddhism and Confucianism. Above all, the code stressed “frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor unto death,” and the ethos is still cherished in Japanese society today.

For centuries, the laws of Bushido were not written down anywhere for people to read. At best, they consisted of a few maxims handed down in the oral tradition or that perhaps were passed on to others by a well-known warrior. That was until 1685, when the scholar Yamagei Yoko codified the way of the samurai and offered up seven principles that could be used as guidance for anyone who wished to emulate them.

The 7 Principles of Bushido

1- Loyalty
The foundation of La Cosa Nostra, loyalty to one’s organization (in our case, la famiglia) was also a central point among followers of Bushido. The samurai was loyal to his overlord (his daimyo) and no one else. He didn’t have to explain his actions to anyone apart from his capo, and lived by a completely different set of rules than the rest of the Japanese populace. Remind you of anyone?

2- Honor
Death before dishonor was simply how it went for the samurai. And once honor had been been lost, the only way to get it back was by performing seppuku, ritual suicide achieved by slicing open one’s belly and letting the innards fall to the ground, all while an audience watched. It might seem a bit severe, but it perfectly illustrates the devotion that Bushido members had for their superiors.

3- Bravery
No fear of death and the idea of practicing self-sacrifice are a few lessons from Bushido. Easier said than done, right? The good samurai would never hesitate to put his personal needs last, especially if it was best for the group. It is said that a true warrior would rush onto the point of an oncoming sword if it meant that something would be gained by his clan. That type of bravery is seldom seen nowadays, and it could explain the steady decline of the American mob.

4- Respect
The samurai held a deep respect for tradition and the established order of things. In turn, they demanded respect from the masses and were well within their rights to execute, on the spot, anyone who failed to bow down to them in their presence. In my family’s line of work, it can be just as dangerous when the right people aren’t properly acknowledged and given the respect they believe they’re entitled to.

5- Benevolence
Bushido combined the spirituality of Zen with the teachings of Confucius, which meant that the individual could never be seen as any more important than any other. The ability to exhibit compassion for those less fortunate is perhaps seen as an outdated mode today, but back in the medieval ages it was expected of even the fiercest warrior.

6- Honesty
The samurai was bound by his word, and anyone who was proven to have acted insincerely was stripped of his status and subjected to the worst possible position -- that of a disgraced warrior. This might not fly today in the hustling world of the gangster, but you can be sure that dishonesty will eventually catch up with you.

7- Rectitude
The samurai believed that it was better to lose his life than to appear rude or arrogant. This type of humility is still treasured in most Asian cultures, and I constantly try to teach my men the importance of doing the right thing whenever they can.

The Bushido would like to thank Johnny Testa at AskMen.com for sending this excellent article regarding the Bushido (Way of the Warrior) to us back in May. Editor's Note: Please notice that timeliness was not one of the 7-virtues.

Friday Funnies: J-Tra for President

I have to admit, Jay-Bird got me good on this one. At first I was worried that I was on the news (I thought they might have done a American-Fat-so-segment and they blurred out my face but you could totally tell it was me because of the shirt I was wearing, JET, I saw your fat-arse on the news-ha-ha) but then I knew we were in for a laugh when it said, Channel 3 Election Coverage. Wait until the end of the video and you can play the same joke on your friends. Have a good weekend.
-JET

Friday Funnies: Jimmy Kimmel's Response to Matt Damon and Sarah Silverman's "I'm f'in Matt Damon"

As you all know, we finally bought a site. It wasn’t that I was being lax, it was just the first attempt at buying a site for the Bushido was such a hassle (read: I didn’t know anything about writing code, computer jargon, etc.) But since Google and Blogger have made it a very easy transition from blogger (a blogspot address) to my own address and we can keep the same format, I figured it was time to make the move. So if you have the Bushido saved in your web-browser with the blogspot address, go ahead and change it to the new address: http://www.thebushidoway.net

I was telling Jay-Bird the other day that I needed to spice up the Friday Funnies on the Bushido (you know-new site and all) and he sent me this video from the Jimmy Kimmel Show the very next morning. They show the clip of Sarah Silverman’s song, “I’m f@h-king Matt Damon” in the beginning of this clip and then of course, quite possibly one of the funniest videos I have ever seen, Jimmy’s response, “I’m f@h-king Ben Affleck”.

For those of you too young to remember, “We Are the World” you just might be overwhelmed by the magnitude of star power in this video as Brad Pitt drops by as the Fed-Ex delivery guy and then a laundry list of celebs (i.e. Perry Ferrell, Meatloaf, Harrison Ford, Don Cheadle, Cameron Diaz, Huey Lewis, “McLovin”, Macy Gray, Pat Benetar, and the biggest surprise was Josh Groban on the keys) drop in for the fah-king Ben Affleck sing along. Enjoy and by all means, comment if you are fah-king Ben Affleck!

BSR SEWE: Rusty Wallace and fans at the D.U.- O.R.

What is Rusty doing at the DU Oyster Roast? Doesn't he have a race this Sunday?

What Made Hitler So Delusional?

And all this time I thought B-Rad and Dallas took it hard when the Dallas Cowboys lost a game, but as we see, they aren't the only ones. Here is a brilliant job of video editing of Hitler losing his cool after the Cowboys lost their playoff game against the Giants. Thanks to B-Rad for finding this gem.
Posted by The Bushido

Friday Funnies: Dr. V, Boon and Muffin performing live @ the Dunes!

Ladies and Gentlemen: Without further adieu, I present to you the hardest working man in show-business, Dr. V, performing live at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club!



And of course, you can’t spell stag-line without Muffin and Boon! Sorry guys, I did what I could to fix the sound, (a camera phone will only do so much) but the acoustics in the room didn’t help. Well that and Jimmy (aka: Chris Farley’s skinnier stunt-double) was deep-throat on the mic, but I thought Muffin and Boon sounded pretty good. Enjoy their rendition of “My Girl”.

Destination Wild Does Moab

For those of you missing out on one of the favorite shows of the Bushido's Dojo, Destination Wild with Courtney Hansen, here is a clip that I added "Lazy Eye" by the Silversun Pickups to. Oddly enough this show broad casted just as Mel and Walt made their trip to Moab for some hard-core mountain biking on the slick-rocks of Moab. More on this later.

Whatchu talkin bout Willis?

Still Getting Our Irish On!

Gettin Our Irish On! Dallas and Brick w/ the Bud Light Girls!

Gettin Our Irish On!

Seriously getting our Irish on!

Hopefully my Mother will never see my "Rum Diaries" moment...Blast you Steve Caroll and the Bog-rats for your beautiful, yet moving music...(Photo compliments of Brick Hiers)

More of the Bushido's Friends getting our Irish on!

Gettin Our Irish On!

Chargers Cheerleader and Bushido favorite Cassie!

(Photo of this beautiful Bolt and Bushido Favorite compliments of Chargers.com)