Radcliff Lance's Blog, page 3

Filipino-American (Fil-Am)

I'm half Filipino on my mother's side. She is Visayan fromPalo, Leyte in the Philippines. My father was in the U.S. Navy and wasstationed in the Philippines in the '70's. He met my mother and they had abeautiful daughter together, my older sister Shiela, they moved in together andabout two years later my mother was pregnant with me. My father had receivedhis orders to leave the Philippines, so he and my mother decided it was time totie the knot. They married while my mother was pregnant and we were all able tomove to Hawaii together, which was my father's next duty station. We moved alot due to my father's military career.
Once we settled down in Guam, I was surrounded by Filipinoculture where 25.5% of the population is Pinoy. During my teens my mother tookme on a trip to her farming village of Palo on the Philippine island of Leyte. Thiswas an amazing adventure that I'm forever grateful for. At the time I didn'ttruly understand its importance in putting me in touch with my culture.
Eventually I moved back to the U.S. after my freshman yearof college. I've been in the beautiful state of Colorado for fourteen yearsnow, with only a few Filipino friends who are just as "Amercanized" as I am. WhenI say this, I don't mean we've lost touch with who we are, or we sold out insome way. We are living happy productive lives in the United States. I justmean I don't have strong Philippine influences and have made no effort to learnmore about my culture since moving here. I see my mother and my lola(grandmother) once a year and I'm brought back through the stories they tellme, and when we reminisce about places we lived and people we've known. 
Recently, my mother decided to share things about my lolo(grandfather) she'd never shared before. She told my wife and I about hisabilities as a village albularyo and his ability to use oraciones to heal.Stories of his powers of invisibility and how he gathered his strength on GoodFriday by spending the entire day in the church gathering spirits for strength.She told me of the dreams she had of him coming to her and confiding in herwhere he hid his amulet before his death, in an effort to have her continue hiswork. Just talking about it creeped her out. My lola would continue to sharestories of my grandfather's powers and soon it creeped me out.
With such knowledge placed in my lap, and my mother advisingme that I'm a direct descendant of such an albularyo, I've decided to use thisuntapped knowledge to create a series of novels steeped in these unknownFilipino folklores. In current American literature there are no Filipinoprotagonist. Nor are there any stories that celebrate or illuminate thePhilippine culture. Or course there are non-fiction works, but adventurousfiction there is not. This is a shame considering there are 3.5 millionFilipinos in America making us the second largest Asian American group. Idecided that the spiritual folklore of my Filipino ancestry had just as much tooffer as any of the other cultures used in fiction today.
As my research began I came across a starling video. Uponwatching the video I had one of those life changing epiphanies that couldpossible change who you are or what you stand for. It was a six second video ofan impoverished little girl chewing on a piece of plastic. What may seem like asimple thing to someone cannot be described. The toddler seemed almostoblivious to the camera that was recording her. She had a look of sadness inher eyes, a sadness that broke me emotionally. I cried a little after watchingit over and over again. It was like some twisted form of torture.
I've tried to be charitable in different ways in an attemptto give back to the less fortunate. I've truly been blessed in my life, buteverything I've achieved was through the help and generosity of others. How hadI forgotten my people in my efforts? I had even referred to the Philippines asa 3rd world country on different occasions when describing my timethere (proper term nowadays is newly industrialized country). Poverty isprominent in the rural areas of the Philippines; there are more of these areasthan industrialized areas. There are well over 27 million people in thePhilippines who fall below the poverty line, so far below that they are unableto sustain their minimal basic needs such as food, health, education, orhousing.
I immediately took to the web to find a worthy Philippinecharity to see what I could do. What I could contribute, particularly to thechildren. What I found were many, so now came the task of deciding which tofocus my attention on. I was proud to see that there was so many people intenton helping the Philippines. Then I came across
The PhilippineChildren's Fund of America.
The PFCA is a non-profit formed to assistimpoverished Filipino children of American ancestry by providing educationalscholarships, employment and working visas to the United States. The PFCA wasfounded to serve the needs of children left behind by the U.S. militaryclosure. Pearl S. Buck International foundation estimates there are 52,000Amerasian scattered throughout the Philippines. "The majority of thechildren have been abandoned by their American fathers," said JocelynBonilla, the manager of the Pearl S. Buck center in Angeles City. Today it'sserving more children, families and communities including 150 charitable groupsall over the Philippines. Serving poor children including those left behindfrom the closure of US bases. Provides transitional home for American childrenwe fly from the Philippines. Unlike theircounterparts in other countries, American-Asians, or Amerasians, in thePhilippines remain impoverished and neglected. A study made by the Universityof the Philippines' Center for Women Studies further disclosed startling factsaffirming that many Amerasians have experienced some form of abuse and evendomestic violence. The findings cited cases of racial, gender and classdiscrimination that Amerasian children and youth suffer from strangers, peers,classmates and teachers. The study also said black Amerasians seem to suffermore from racial and class discrimination than their white counterparts. Whitefemale Amerasians are highly vulnerable to sexual harassment, the study noted.Two-thirds are raised by single mothers; others by relatives and non-relatives;6% live on their own or in institutions. 90% are born "out ofwedlock."
This hit so close to home is rocked me to my core. Had myfather not been the responsible loving man he was, he could have easily left mymother, my sister, and I behind. It happens everyday right here in America. Fathersleave, never to be heard from again. It's even easier to do if you plan toleave a local girl you got pregnant on another continent. On a personal note,I've never understood this kind of person. The ability to walk away from yourchildren takes a certain type of person. It poked around in my mind a few timesas to what my life would be like if my dad had left us behind. Frankly, itscares me. My mother came from an unindustrialized farming village, the kind ofpoverty-stricken rural area that a majority of these charities are meant for.
As I complete and publish my new Filipino supernaturaltrilogy, I will donate a percentage of the earnings to The PhilippineChildren's Fund of America. It's a small thing, but a lot of people doing smallthings have the biggest impact.
I'm so grateful for my loving father who has been thestrongest influence in my life. A true family man who has given and continuesto give everything he has to his wife and children. I only wish that I could behalf the man he is.
If you have the strength you can watch these videos. Maybeyou'll be inspired to help as well.

The first is the trailer for a very strong documentary called "Left by the Ship". The second is a news story about impoverished children in the Philippines. 

Flee - Novel Review

There was a time when this book would've gotten four or five stars from me. Guess my tastes have just gained some depth, as much as I hate to admit it. Flee kicks off with action and doesn't let up until the very last page. What a ride it is. This kind of book is a guilty pleasure for me, like low budget action movies or kung flu flicks.

What's missing? Any kind of character development whatsoever. Sometimes I don't care about such things. Like when The Expendables came out, and critics complained about the lack of depth with the characters and the plot development...are you serious? Did you know what you were going to watch. All I wanted was to watch the bloated cast of action icons kicking some serious ass, save the rest for Ryan Gosling's next movie.

Well, Flee is much like this, action, action, and more action. The main Character Chandler took on the form of an invincible, fast healing, super assassin, with 25 lives. The scale of the action was well done. The knowledge of weaponry and fighting techniques were well researched and conveyed. But somehow in the midst of all this, I found myself actually wanting to take a breath to get to know the characters at least a little bit.

I really liked the wit from some of the dialogue. The nastiness of some of the characters was fun too.

In the end, I enjoyed Flee, but didn't love it.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at ATT Altitude in Aurora, CO

I've been training at American Top Team Altitude for almosttwo years now. In that time I've had the honor of training with some top-notchcoaches. Coaches that would help me win multiple gold medals in competition. Istarted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wanting to learn to defend myself and out ofcuriosity. Over the last twenty months I had been given tools, but I neededsomething/someone to help me put it all together so I could build the house myBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu would live and grow in.
Several months back I was invited by one of my coaches,Deryck Ripley, to come in and spend a couple hours learning from his BJJProfessor, Ethan Day. In that short visit, I learned things that plugged someholes I didn't even know I had. Soon after Ethan left, I learned that he wascoming back to be take over the BJJ program at ATT Altitude. This was excitingbecause I hadn't trained under a BJJ black belt for over a year. I hadphenomenal coaches, but I really wanted to take my BJJ to the next level andstart earning my belts. I take the progression of my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gamevery serious.
Professor Ethan returned and he quickly integrated himselfinto the gym and carefully took us back to the basics and worked to build us upfrom scratch, to better us, to build our confidence in what we were learning.The first thing I learned was…pressure. The emphasis was on basic techniques,nothing flashy, meat and potatoes, but with "pressure". It was a whole newworld for me. I'd played my BJJ very loose, waiting for opponents to moveinstead of moving myself, but as I started to learn from Ethan, everythingstarted to come together, the world of BJJ started to make sense. Theexcitement that I feel about the way my BJJ has progressed in a matter ofmonths cannot be described. Had all this been given to me before, and I justdidn't listen? Or has Ethan brought that "next level" of BJJ that I wasyearning for to help me build my house? I believe it's the latter.
Ethan Day is now the full time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professorfor American Top Team Altitude. He runs all the BJJ and No-Gi Grappling classesfor the gym.
Ethan is a BJJ Black Belt under Renato Tavares and hascompeted at every belt level. He's been training in BJJ for 12 years and saysthat he has just started to learn. Ethan has trained in Brazil and taught inFlorida, Kansas City, and in Shanghai. He is world traveled and brings a uniqueknowledge of everything he's learned into his classes.
Ethan believes that no matter where you are, BJJ can takeyou somewhere in life. It can take you to a career in fighting, provide you theability to defend your family, or discover more about yourself as a person. BJJcan give you purpose and set you on a path to better health. Ethan feels we canfind in BJJ a lifestyle that -with dedication- can take anyone on a positivejourney.
Initially, Ethan came to ATT Altitude in Colorado because ofan invitation from his longtime friend, Deryck Ripley. Ethan feels thatColorado is an active place, people respond very well to exercise, fitness, andnature. He wants to tap into the source of energy that's here, build a big BJJteam, improve the technical development of the MMA program, and continue todevelop opportunities for women and children to train.We welcome Professor Ethan Day to Colorado and hope thateveryone gets a chance to experience what he has to offer our great state.
If you have ever considered learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, oryou currently train, but are looking for something more, or feel something maybe missing. Then come down and try out the BJJ program at ATT Altitude. Thatgoes for any type of athlete curious about any form of combat sports, boxing,MMA, or Muay Thai. If you are just looking to take your fitness to the nextlevel, the strength and conditioning programs that are available at ATTAltitude are second to none.
ATT Altitude: American Top Team Altitude is a family martial arts centerdesigned to meet the fitness needs of all audiences. Our new 20,000SF facilityoffers programs for kids and adults including boxing, brazilian jiu jitsu,cardio kickboxing, circuit training/CrossFit, mixed martial arts, muay thai,and wrestling! ATT Altitude is a one stop shop for fitness including forfighters looking to succeed in the cage/ring, kids who are in need of astructured, athletic environment, and adults looking to get in the shape oftheir lives! Amenities include full locker rooms, daycare (coming soon),supplement shop, nutrition support and more!

WWE/TNA wrestling star and MMA champion Bobby Lashley opens new gym in Aurora

Bobby Lashley came to prominence in the Pro Wrestling world while working for such promotions as WWE, ECW, Raw, and TNA Wrestling.  Lashley was a fan favorite in all the promotions because of his size, charisma and athletic ability.  In 2008 Lashley made his professional MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) debut.  He burst onto the MMA scene using his unmatched wrestling skills to dominate his first five opponents with four being finished in the first round.  Lashley has committed himself fully to his MMA training.  To date Bobby Lashley has amassed an impressive 7-1 record in the world's fastest growing sport and is currently the Shark Fights Heavyweight Champion.In March 2010 Bobby Lashley announced the grand opening of his first gym,American Top Team Altitude, an affiliate of one of the most prominent MMA gyms in the United States, American Top Team. "This is my dream," Bobby said,  "I've always wanted to open a gym. I have a degree in recreation management, I have a degree in business management, so putting those together is opening up a gym."  The gym enjoyed great success as a provider of top-notch fitness programs for the entire family.  ATT Altitude is a full service gym that offers various classes such as cardio kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, No-Gi grappling, boxing, cardio boxing, total body conditioning, kettle bell training and more.  The classes are available for the entire family.  Adults, children and teens all have options to choose from.The trainers at ATT Altitude are extremely knowledgeable with varied backgrounds.  They range from several professional athletes to a crossfit trainer and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.  The classes are designed to help any person, at any fitness level, meet their health goals.Mixed Martial Arts training has become a preferred training method for people searching for a multitude of results.  NFL players are now training MMA in the off-season.  MMA training methods have also been featured on the television show The Biggest Loser.  Because of this, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), the number one MMA fight promotion in the world, has begun opening a chain of fitness centers focused on MMA classes for the entire family.  These gyms are not fighter camps they are focused strictly on the average person who is interested in the training to meet their personal fitness goals.Bobby Lashley opened his ATT Altitude gym to bring advanced and effective training methods to anyone looking to reach their fitness goals.  Due to the success of his first gym, Lashley has now moved his gym to a new 20,000 square foot facility in Aurora.  The new ATT Altitude gym features even more great classes and affordable prices for the entire family.  Adult and kids programs and even a daycare will be present to meet the needs of any family looking to train at the facility. "I'm gonna find a way that I can have every kid that wants to train at this gym, train at this gym," Bobby has said.  The gym also features a supplement shop and pro shop where clothing and training equipment is available for purchase.  ATT Altitude is the largest MMA gym in Aurora, maybe the largest in Colorado.Residents of Aurora have benefited from Mr. Lashley's efforts to bring unparalleled training to the average person looking to improve.   Now they will have the chance to do this at an even bigger and better facility.ATT Altitude is also a phenomenal facility for any fighter looking for a place to train, and anyone interested in getting into the world of MMA. "What I'd like to do is build a strong Colorado (fight) team and bring in guys from other states to fight against our guys."  Bobby continues, "We'd like to get some fighters and take care of them.  Get them on some fight cards.  Let them get some amateur fights, build them up to pro, and keep going higher, and we don't want to let them go.  We are going to treat them right and produce some stars."  Bobby Lashley's LMG (Lashley Management Group) brand has successfully put on four fighting events in Aurora featuring up-and-coming Colorado fighters.Lastly, to the masses of people who are still unfamiliar with the world's fastest growing sport, Bobby says, "The one thing I think is great about MMA is that it's a learning process.  A lot of times when people see it on TV, they're like 'ah, its just two guys standing and brawling'.  That's completely not what it is.  MMA has almost turned into a chess match.  The one thing you should take away from your sport is discipline."  Lashley is happy in the fact that his gym and his trainers have been able to bring discipline to several Aurora youths through his fitness programs.American Top Team Altitude is located at the northeast corner of Peoria & Mississippi 12455 E. Mississippi Ave # 101 Aurora, COWebsite: attaltitude.com Phone: 303-366-0629Personal Note:I've been training at Bobby's gym for close to 2 years along with my entire family. I take multiple classes and have competed (and won) multiple tournaments in that time. My son takes Muay Thai and BJJ, my daughter takes boxing (she's 5, it's adorable). and my wife does cardio kickboxing and conditioning classes. We love this place and we all get something out of it. Bobby is a great man and a kind friend, so I was happy to write this article for him. If you live anywhere near Aurora, CO, you should come in and try something new to meet your fitness goals. 

Very Interesting...

Now I never engage in religious debate. It's a subject I feel is personal and shouldn't be argued about aloud. I leave people to whatever their beliefs are. It's not my place to judge.

That said...I just had to post this video. It really captured my attention and this young man is simply amazing. What a deep mind. I -as any artist should- appreciate all artists, especially one who stands out like this guy. check it out.

Chronicles of a Crime Fighter - Now Available

Chronicles of a Crime Fighter is now available. Get to Amazon.com and get a copy for you Kindle. This novel will be exclusive to Amazon for 90 days and in March it will be available on the Nook. Paperback will be released soon, and again, exclusive to Amazon.com.

 Premise:
Donovan Marshall found his purpose in life, something many seek and never find. Although the path chosen was bizarre and extremely dangerous, he was determined to follow it wherever it would take him. Donovan Marshall decided to fight crime, a choice where peril severely outweighs personal gratification. While on his journey, Donovan becomes even more driven. 

Along the way he meets Alana Morgan, and Donovan is soon pulled into a burgeoning romance with an extraordinary woman. Now he's forced to balance the life of a crime fighter, potential boyfriend, office manager, and amateur environmentalist. 

Danger peaks when Donovan's extracurricular activities impact the largest criminal organization in the city, and ruthless underboss Tyson Fedotov looks to put a violent end to the adventures of the crime-fighting yuppie. 

A courageous man is forced to contemplate his own mortality with love and normalcy on the horizon. Can a mask and non-lethal weaponry be enough to combat the violence that plagues the city streets? 

Gym Rad - MMA's 1st lesson

Gym Rad - The Perfect Pushup Review

First book review of Husband, Father, and Friend

[image error] Using his own life and experiences, Author Radcliff Lance, writes this self-examining book, 'Husband, Father, and Friend: The many faces of an average man.' With sometimes brutal honesty, Lance tells of his own reservations of his youth, and how finding real love opened him up to a different way of thinking.

I found this book very interesting. I applaud this author for seeing what most men overlook and his attempt to correct his faults. I'd say it's a must read for any man whose courageous enough to face their own inner demons.

Reviewer: GhostWriter

Rating: 5 stars

Husband, Father, and Friend - The Many Faces of an Average Man

The official cover for my new non-fiction book

Who is qualified to give advice on life and how to live it? Who has the answers to the questions that rattle around in our heads every second of the day? Who has the keys to lifelong happiness? One thing's for sure…I damn sure don't.

I'm not a doctor with a degree in psychology. I'm an average man, a man who, for the most part, has found happiness. I won't pretend to have all the answers, and I won't sugarcoat the hard truths, but a peek into my mind might open up yours.

Why did I feel qualified to write such a book then? I don't feel qualified, I feel compelled. I just decided I wanted to share my mindset with people, maybe you'll find direction, maybe you'll be inspired, or maybe you'll use this book to steady a wobbly table. Honestly, it's your prerogative. I'm just going to share my views and I hope you're entertained.

Think of this like a buffet. You take what you want and leave the rest behind.