Whenever you get a group of people together who drive for a living - be it carrying out transport contracts, couriering parcels, or delivering people in a mini cab – the talk is going to turn to the weird and wonderful stories that evolve from spending so much time on the road. Many tales are about the characters they’ve met at truck stops and cafes and many more are about near misses and disasters (always the other guy’s fault of course!). Then there are the ‘strange but true’ (honest!) tales; the unexplained phenomenons, the ghostly encounters or the spooky UFO brushes with aliens. These are perhaps the most entertaining tales from the road but definitely to be digested with a large pinch of salt! A lot of these seem to involve the scourge of the trucker’s life – sleep deprivation. Here’s just a few - read on and you decide…
Jack and his Lumber
Here is the story about a guy who had regular transport contracts to deliver timber from one end of the country to the other. Jack had been working non-stop for a week and was seriously tired, but he decided to push on in order to get back home for his wife’s birthday. About half an hour away from home his blinks started to get longer and longer. He turned up the radio full blast and opened all the windows but still he was struggling to stay awake. Then, as he opened his eyes from one dangerously extended blink Jack saw, clear as day, a man in a red and black check shirt sitting in the passenger seat. The guy leant towards him and whispered, “Wake up Boyo.” The massive shock suddenly jerked Jack wide awake. There was no further sign of the man, but Jack made it home more alert than he had ever been. A couple of weeks later he was recounting the story to his Mum. Without a word, she went to her box of old photos and brought out a tatty faded black and white photo of man in a check shirt. Jack went pale – it was his mystery man. Turns out it was Jack’s grandfather who had died before Jack was born, and because of a family rift was never mentioned. (Jack had never seen the photo) It was the description of the shirt that twigged the mother’s memory because apparently he had worked as a timber cutter and he never wore anything else except a red and black check lumber shirt… Jack never saw him again, but he never drove his transport contracts tired again.
A Guiding Golden Arch
There’s another story of a young rookie truck driver who had got himself a fantastic transport contract and had a lot to prove. A few of his colleagues had told him he was taking on too much for a new guy, but he stubbornly pushed on. About 70 miles from his final destination late at night he saw, in the far distance over a 20 mile winding range, the famous golden arches of a fast food truck stop. Perilously close to sleep, he thought how nice it would be to be able to stop there for a reviving coffee. The next thing he remembered was waking up and feeling a strange pressure on his arm turning the wheel to the left. The truck was turning off the road straight underneath the golden arches. The young rookie had no memory of the drive over the range and to this day believes an unseen hand guided him to safety. And guess what’s his favourite food…..
Radio GaGa
Our last sleepy tale is of the elderly farmer who was delivering livestock in the country. He had a rickety old rig but it was all he could afford and he had managed to get a few small transport contracts in his local area. One particularly nasty winter afternoon he had popped home for lunch mid-job. As the cows shivered out in his truck, his wife plied him with a big meaty pie and mash and two steaming mugs of milky hot chocolate. After lunch he set off to deliver the livestock all warm and snug from the inside out, but the combination of food, a warm cabin and the hot chocolate caused him to become dangerously sleepy. Suddenly, there was a screeching rendition of “Wake Up Little Suzie” blaring out of the radio. The farmer came to with a shock with barely a split second to swerve out of the path of an oncoming tractor. Shaking, he thanked his lucky stars for the blare of the music until he remembered… his old truck never had a radio…
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To most people the thought of a ninja conjures up images of a black stealthy figure in the shadows with a sword and throwing stars. This is a very popular portrayal in the media and Hollywood with movies like American Ninja, Ninja, and even Batman. However, there is no written evidence documenting the use of a black ninja uniform (shinobi shozoku) being used. Nevertheless, the ninja would use any clothing that would help them in accomplishing their missions. Ninjas were experts at adapting to their environments and it was no different when they were traveling.
Although most recognized in their black ninja uniform (shinobi shozoku) one skill that is overlooked is that ability for the ninja to blend in with everyday people and their surroundings. The ninja would keep from doing anything that might catch the attention of their adversaries or targets. They would even go so far as to talk with the local dialect so someone listening would believe they were local.
Some of the more notable disguises of the ninja are:
Komuso (Zen Priest)
This disguise uses a large round hat that allows the ninja to hide their face.
Saruwaka (”Noh” Dancer)
Dancers (noh) where often invited into the enemies camps for entertainment. This would give the ninja an opportunity for exploring enemy castles.
Shukke (Mendicant Monk)
This allowed the ninja to collect information while asking for blessings (alms).
Yamabusi (Mountain Priest)
The last person you would suspect is the mendicant monk.
Akindo (A Merchant)
This disguise would give the ninja access to collect information while selling goods.
Shinobi-monomi (Wood Gatherer)
This allowed the ninja to discover and acquire the news about an enemy’s territory
Many times the uniforms they wore were reversible and when worn inside out it would give the appearance of everyday clothing. The uniforms also had numerous hidden pouches to not only hold weapons, but also items that would come in handy while in disguise such as makeup.
Common everyday clothing was called yamabushi and made traveling easier. Since traveling in yamabushi they could travel freely between all the political boundaries. This is something they could not do if anyone knew they were ninjas on a mission. Robes were popular and fit loosely around the body to conceal any weapons they were carrying such as a tanto.
The various ninja disguises also gave rise to the numerous weapons ninjas where known to use. One bizarre weapon is the steel fan, which would look inconspicuous to an onlooker but could quickly turn fatal for the ninja targets. Another adapted weapon is known as the Sai. This tool was used by farmers in the fields to help in planting crops. The middle long prong would be punched into the ground until the small out prong touched the dirt. The seed was then thrown into the deep hole and covered. The farmers would plunge the Sai into the dirt where the smaller prong had made a mark. So, the ninja used this fact and pass their weapon off as a common farming tool when it was found.
If you enjoyed this article on the ninja please go visit The MMA Zone. If you would also like to read “Ninjutsu - The Secret Society” please follow the link below.
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Nothing takes stress away better than shopping. Now this mantra may seem very biased towards women, but in general most people actually enjoy shopping. Be it clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, electronics, hardware or other collectibles, shopping is a very fun way to enjoy one’s self. Whether you are cheering yourself up from a tragedy or celebrating a happy occasion there is always something uplifting about being able to purchase things you love that always brings light into the heart. Aside from the items or services being purchased, the act of acquisition itself is known to bring joy to many.
Finding Your Inner Shopper
If you have never thought about shopping as way to relax or enjoy yourself, then perhaps it is time to see things differently. In fact, it may even be possible that you shop for fun but do not even realize it. The first thing that you should understand is that shopping is not limited to just buying clothes and shoes. Shopping can encompass many different forms. If you love technology and consider yourself a gadget freak, then going shopping for the latest mobile phones or pocket PCs may be your thing. Splurging money on the latest gadgets will not have you drowning in a sea of your newest craze, but it is still shopping. After all, not everyone who shops will end up with an armful of shopping bags at the end of the day. Depending on what you like to buy, the volume varies very greatly.
People in general have different hobbies. There are those who spend a fortune on their cars. From upholstery to ornaments to special custom made parts for their wheels and engines. This is a whole new level of shopping that focuses on finding specialty sellers and mechanics. For computer lovers, going out in search of new hardware and upgrades are always important activities that require careful planning and budgeting. Collectors take unto shopping with a different approach; they have the same shopper’s mindset but only make very specific purchases.
The Myriad Forms of Shopping
Aside from a vast variety in the items or services being bought, shopping also has many different forms and channels with which shoppers can make their transactions. While shopping often conveys images of people with many shopping bags walking into different stores, those are not the only ways a person can shop.
Some people prefer to buy direct from the makers; while this practice is usually limited to those with lots of money, there is an undeniable value to obtaining a product straight from the people who make it.
Shopping through catalogs and ordering from the TV shopping networks is another, these mediums allow you to purchase items from the comfort of your own home and have the merchandise delivered straight to you.
Lastly, online shopping brings the new light into the world of shopping. Thanks to the internet and credit cards, online shops allow customers to browse, bid, shop and purchase from almost any part of the world. Thanks to these, shopping is now accessible to all. Have you made a purchase today?
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