Ryan's Thoughts

The Gun Debate: Logic, Emotion, and the Right to Bear Arms Introduction Gun rights are one of America’s most heated topics, especially after tragic mass shootings. Emotions spike, media outlets rush to frame the story, and the national conversation quickly turns political. This isn’t meant to politicize tragedy—it’s to unpack the tangled arguments, misinformation, and deeply held beliefs that drive the debate. Media Narratives and Statistics After a recent shooting, I flipped through major news outlets. MSNBC and CNN pivoted almost instantly to anti-gun talking points. Fox initially focused on victims, but soon enough, every outlet was pushing an agenda. The victims’ stories were lost in the noise. A major frustration: blatant misuse of statistics. Studies are misquoted, cherry-picked, or even fabricated. Presidents, politicians, and billion-dollar newsrooms do it—because most people never check the original studies. My advice: if someone quotes a stat, look it up. Odds are, it d...

It has been incredible to have jobs that allow my family to travel. We definitely learn each time we go somewhere and here are some tips that might help you in the future... Get to the airport earlier than you need to. It seems that 90% of the time, the airport lines go very quick. It is that other 10% that is painful.  When you travel closer to the equator, use more sun protection than you think you need. If you have a few days on the beach, be far more cautious than you think you need to be on Day 1 and back it off from there. Far too many trips are spent in pain as everyone is sunburned and miserable on day 1. Take it easy and get tan on day 2 or 3. We love to research sites to see, but researching how to travel to those sites will save a ton of time. Here in Utah where I live, trains aren't a big thing but they are way nice other places. Uber is easy but isn't always available. Google maps is so nice and will let you know how to get around. Downloading the map offline fo...

This is mostly for myself to use as a reference for what to pack so I don't forget stuff. 😊 Basics When it comes down to it, most stuff you could buy when you get there, at a minimum you must have : Government issued ID Cell phone Credit card Then there is a bunch of stuff that will make your trip much better, for each day of your trip, pack. Generally doing 1 of each for each day and then I like throwing in an extra pair of socks and undies just in case: Shirt Socks Underwear Pants/shorts Something to sleep in Then there is random stuff that you'll need: Deodorant Phone charger Floss Toothbrush Toothpaste Mouthwash Q-tips Toenail clippers Tweezers Small sewing kit Gum Sunglasses Hat Pills - Ibuprofen/Tylenol, melatonin, Dramamine, Benadryl, Imodium  tip >$20 in 5s, books, journal, business cards, hardcopy of flight info,  hanky to give, umbrella. sleeping pills for each night *Tip money is probably the biggest thing that I forget that I wish I had. $30 in 5s is very helpf...

                            We travelled to Greece during the first week of April, which seemed to be the week before it really got busy. Lots of shops were painting and stocking shelves for the summer. It looked like most of these shops would be closed during the winter and then things get crazy mid-April through the summer.  Since we just missed the busy time, it seemed like we got better prices on most everything. Our Air BnB in Athens, after tax and fees was about 70 euros a night. The one in Santorini was really nice and has its own pool and was up around 100 euros a night for us but would have been around 400 a night in August. Here is some stuff I learned... Greek is not a Latin-based language. Knowing a little French has helped me in Spanish and Italian speaking countries, but is of no help in Greece. Gyro, Soulvaki and Baklava are probably still the only words I can speak in Greek.  From the airport...

 Top Ten Things I Learned From Getting Fired A little ways back, I got fired. It wasn't expected. When I got off the with HR, I called my wife who immediately expressed her joy that I didn't have to be there any longer. Hearing how happy she was, really made me switch gears mentally. So many times in life I've heard people say "getting fired from that job ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me"! It was. Here are some things I learned from getting fired... That job wasn't right for you. You didn't like it there and were probably already looking for a new job. It wasn't a good fit. It wasn't right. Sure you would have liked to have found something new at your own pace, but sometimes life gives us a little nudge now and then! If your employer spends a lot of time telling everyone not to leave because even though the grass appears greener on the other side, it isn't. It probably is. Along those same lines, if your employer spends a ...

For the first big chunk of my life I felt closely drawn to the Democrat party. It seemed the obvious choice. For anyone who really cared for the poor, people struggling in life or the environment, the Democrat party was your only answer. How could someone really want anything else and feel good about yourself?  Who wouldn't want these things? Who doesn't stand up against the greedy, fat, white Republicans who just want to trample any person or our planet who gets in their way on their path to riches.  My desire for equal rights, economic values and caring for our planet never waned, though as I aged, action towards these efforts were never made by my party. Ever. Sure, there is plenty of talk, but when I take a step back and look at the world, there is no real action happening.  If there is a group pushing for all of these things that I've been wanting for our world, it definitely isn't the Democrats. It hasn't been for a very long time. John F. Kennedy's dream...