Stand Curious Podcast

Ron Turner is an instructor for urban defense which includes self-defense, small arms coaching and weapons training.  He talks a little about his own journey and philosophy as well as why he thinks this type of training is important.  His skills includes: swordsmanship, Canto Jitsu (Japanese knife fighting), Goshen-kwai, Confidence building and anti-bullying techniques, small arms coaching. In Canada, you must be authorized through Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) to possess and register a firearm and obtain ammunition.  Generally, PAL applicants must have passed the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC). http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/safe_sur/cour-eng.htm  Ron assists students to prepare for the CFSC exam. Ron's Favorite move:  wrist lock Resources: Special Air Service History of the Canadian Airborne Regiment   Current regiments referred to in episode: Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) CSOR GSG9 Navy SEALs     Contact Ron Turner: Email: Golddrake307@gma

Is knitting the new Yoga? ...this soothing, repetitive, tactile, practical hobby helps you relax and unwind after a stressful day.  In this episode, I speak with Becky Kelly about knitting, knitting patterns and yarn. Her usual projects include socks, sweaters, shawls and hats.  For Becky 2015 was the year of the sock! Becky is a self-confessed yarn snob who loves experimenting with yarn types and colors: from the different types of sheep producing types of wool, to yak-based yarns, bamboo, silk, cotton, cashmere, mohair-based, alpaca, etc. The variety is amazing! Becky goes on to mention how so many independent dyers produce stenciled and hand-painted yarns available online and at local yarn festivals. Some people even spin fleece into their own yarn with a spinning wheel.  Armed with a simple pattern with your basic dimensions a single vanilla pattern can produce seemly endless, creative variations by changing and combining the colors and yarns of each project. Becky tells us about how  some of her favor

UPDATE April 2016:  As discussed in this episode, Kim Krajci has now started a new podcast called Toastmasters 101. I have listened and subscribed to all the episodes and, as suspected, it is great:  full of great tips and tricks and honest encouragements. As the snowy weather dumped record amounts of snow on us, I sat down over a warm computer to talk with Kim Krajci about Toastmasters International.  This is the first interview and episode for Stand Curious, so I appreciated have such a great subject and interviewee (thanks Kim). Kim provides an introduction to the Toastmasters organization, as well as some excellent reasons to work to overcome your nervousness about participating in a meeting.  Kim's great laugh and approachable nature seem to be typical for these meetings where leadership and public speaking skills are honed and practiced. After doing a quick search in my local area on the website (linked below), I found about 64 in my city alone with lots of details about the meetings, locations and m

I speak with private Latin tutor Tristan Wicks who has an octogenarian student.  Tristan has an Honours Bachelor of Humanities majoring in Greek and Roman Studies. He also has a Masters degree in the Classics focused on Latin and Ancient Greek. He is a private Latin tutor and speaks several languages himself.  Oh and by the way, did you ever want to know what Latin sounds like spoken? Well, at the end of this episode, Tristan has recorded for you a short excerpt from an epic poem - read in Latin.  Its less than a minute long - so have a listen.  He has also provided the details of the passage (in English) for those interested!  So I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation and maybe even be a little inspired to learn or expand a capacity with Latin. Let me know what you think at standcurious.com Recommended text for learners: Wheelocks Latin Contact Tristan Wicks, M.A.: Email: tglwicks@gmail.com

I speak with editor Amy Scott about her book editing services at http://nomadeditorial.com/ in this episode.  Amy is an independent editor who will encourage and support you in reaching your dreams and goals.  If you have ever seriously considered writing a book, Amy is an incredible resource for you to know about. During our conversation, Amy describes her services as being tailored to what the client wants and needs.  That means it can be anywhere along the spectrum from being a coach to proofreading a finished manuscript, in other words, from idea conception to realization through to finding an agent or self-publishing on kindle.  We even talk a bit about audio books. You may have noticed that she has a rather interesting website name - Nomad Editorial Services.  This is because Amy lives in what she refers to as location independence - no fixed address.  I don't mean the "Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville" type though.  She is an incredibly focused entrepreneur along with her husband who is also sel

I speak with Dr. Susan (Susie) Myers about her enjoyment of capturing animals, people and landscapes with water color, acrylic and digital media to interpret, reinvent and sometimes be surprised by what appears on her canvas. Dr. Susie has a PhD. in Industrial/Organization Psychology and is a professor at Capella university.  In our discussion though, we focused on her artistic talents, some of her personal challenges, struggles and triumphs and her commitment to protecting the vulnerable animals living with her and near her (you may hear some barking in the background). The conversation was an absolute treat for me and her art is made all the more compelling when we understand how much she puts into connecting with and honoring her living subjects. Contact Dr. Susan A. Myers: http://www.samisart.com/ http://www.cafepress.com/samisart http://susie-myers.pixels.com/index.html Bio of Susan A. Myers on Capella University Website: http://www.capella.edu/faculty/bio/dr-susie-myers/1225341/ Other links discuss

I speak with Marie Armstrong about her personal expression through tattoos and why she enjoys it so much. I wanted to talk to Marie because not only is her body art beautiful, she is a lovely, confident person who loves animals and is actively involved with several rescue organization for both cats and dogs in Ontario, Canada.  Marie is married to Jay, who is a little less tattooed. mother to one and expecting a second child due in June 2016.  She currently has about 24 tattoos. Marie's tattoos range from the sun and moon to a pirate pin-up girl, a zombie catholic school girl and a complete Alice in Wonderland piece that takes up her entire lower leg. Marie says that she will notice a space on her skin and then works out what would fit there. She describes her concept and vision to a trusted tattoo artist who will take the idea and convert it to a full detailed sketch with colour suggestions. Marie advises that tattoo artists tend to specialize in their designs and to find one whose art suits your taste but

I speak with Aquarium experts, and pirates,  Rus and Kelly Wilson from Aquarimax about how to set up and enjoy your own aquarium - with or without fish!  Rus and Kelly take the time to go through all the basic beginner guidelines - they are very detailed and straight forward - but they also whet (too much?) your appetite for more advanced projects to pursue.  You may notice too that this episode is a bit longer than the usual, but it really is just crammed with great information.  If you have ever considered what it takes to have a fish tank in your home, all the basics are covered here! Rus and Kelly have had the Aquarimax Podcast on starting and maintaining aquariums since 2008.  In their podcast, they answer a wide variety of questions from all over the world from basic to expert level.  They have an extensive library of resources from these podcasts on their website. My understanding of the Tips from Rus and Kelly: (any errors here are my own and I will stand corrected) Goldfish are not a good start