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AdviceRecommendations for a slow juicer?
I’m in the market for a slow juicer, specifically one that will hold up to frequent/everyday use. I would prefer one that’s a bit stylish, all of my kitchen appliances are smeg, and I looked at the matching smeg slow juicer but it seems very basic and not suitable for frequent use. Although I would prefer style, functionality is my #1 priority. I liked the Nama Vitality 5800 for it’s versatility, but I read that it easily locks up and is difficult to clean. Do you have any suggestions?
Sounds like the places you tried weren't for you. Did you try krav maga places? Are there instructors in your area?
I did self defence classes based on krav maga, and it's very practical. The martial arts disciplines you mention learn a form of fighting that's designed to win points without permanently injuring the other person - the caveat being that men compete against men and not women, as you saw with the egotistical prick who used strength and not technique to overcome his female opponent.
With krav maga, you're taught to end a situation, not win a fight. They go for the balls, knees, throat, and joints, and use the human body against itself. 95% technique, not strength. My instructors (men) were good about mindset as well: it's you or the other guy, so make sure it's you. They encouraged me never to hold back in a real life situation. Situational awareness is everything (women don't need to be taught this!). I had grown men of varying ages grip my arm with full strength and I got free each time. My experience was good, and I encourage other women to seek out krav maga classes, rather than taekwondo or bjj or boxing.
I agree - most martial arts are fascinating and interesting but - no good for self-defense. (I did karate for a while. I don't think it would help me any in a fight against a man. It was self-defense courses for women that taught me to go for a man's eyes or balls. Perhaps karate has "nasty" moves, too, but they certainly weren't taught in the classes for children ...)
There's only few that are focused on self-defense.
BRAIN DAMAGE. But she signed a waiver and paid for this so there's no recourse.
Depending on the specifics—and also (probably more heavily, TBH) on the typical slant of courts in that jurisdiction—there could still be plenty of recourse.
Even lawsuits that directly and explicitly contradict the business's terms and conditions are regularly filed and won (or settled, for enough money to feel like a win).
Every gym in America has clauses like "not responsible for injuries caused by equipment" in its contracts—but, e.g., if You're on a treadmill when the conveyor unravels or snags and You're thrown off and hurt, You're basically assured of winning (or of being able to force a settlement for) a decent-sized payout in almost any U.S. court.
It's that way because You'd have claims in Your lawsuit—in my example, probably centered on gross negligence (from not performing preventative maintenance on the treadmill)—that can't be signed away in a contract, because nobody can sign away explicit provisions of the law.
In other words, in conflicts between the terms of a contract and the letter of the law, the law will win 100.000000% of the time. (In some jurisdictions, certain kinds of these conflicts actually invalidate the entire contract—right on the spot—rather than just wiping out the offending clauses, but I dont think that can happen with business liability stuff.)
Also, in the BJJ instance, the capacity of the injured Woman or Her legal surrogate/power-of-attorney to sue the dude who dropped Her on Her head is untouched by the business contract—which can only limit or re-scope the liabilities of the business that's signing the contract.
No contract can stop You from suing random people who are non-parties to the contract. (Nor would any business or its lawyers even try to write obviously invalid clauses like "you hereby waive your ability to sue other gym users" in the first place. No effect on their bottom line, so why would they bother?)
At minimum, it'd absolutely be worth consulting with some lawyers. The Woman or Her representatives should absolutely sue the dude into abject destitution, and they might also have a good case in a second suit against the dojo.
Thanks for explaining, that's good to know. I really hope the woman gets justice.
My kickboxing class is female only. Our instructor is male, and initially I was like "not enough. Need female ran gym!" but he is always respectful, encouraging, humble, wants us to meet our goals on and off the mat, and above all wants us to be able to defend ourselves. I see how he interacts with the children and young adults in his other MMA classes too and he passes vibe check. I don't trust many men, I wholeheartedly trust this one. I think most kickboxing classes are all women, although I could be wrong, but I'd check around for a kickboxing group, just perchance.
I wonder if these places could make sure there are an even number of female and male students, so only members of the same sex could practice the moves and train with each other? I remember taking a self-defense class in college that was mixed sex, but the males would only practice with each other and the females would only practice with each other.
There definitely need to be female only self-defense, gyms, and marital arts classes and centers. They need to be female owned and operated.
Back in the day, all-woman martial arts classes of various types were available. I used to belong to the National Women's Martial Arts Federation and go to their special training every summer (meeting with opportunity to take sampler classes in various martial arts). I checked on it and see it is now open to trans and nonbinary, unfortunately. But still might be a resource for finding women instructors. https://nwmaf.org/ https://www.facebook.com/NWMAF/
I understand your frustration, but part of the reason may also be that not many women and girls sign up for these. If there's a demand, these businesses would be tripping head over heels to offer them.
Agreed.
I think women-only classes depend on the “demand” in your area. I attended a newly started women’s only martial arts class and at first the number of women who showed up was “enough,” but eventually (after a month) it would just be me and MAYBE 1 or 2 other teenage girls. Eventually, (probably 5 months of just me and them) the teacher found it was not sustainable and more advantageous to cancel and use his time to teach a different packed class. I knew it was coming and completely understood the business decision.
Every martial art has its own culture and every gym its own subculture. I was interested in BJJ for a little but based on what I heard and read about, it was probably too “bro” for me and full of egos. Unfortunately that means you would have to try different gyms/dojos to find one that’s suitable for you (assuming you’re willing to do coed). I’ve tried 2 different establishments and while I probably would learn a little more from the second one based on the teacher’s teaching style, I stuck to my original one (the one that held the women’s only class) even though it’s a little more competition-focused because the practitioners there were humbler, more helpful to each other, and it felt like a tighter community.
If you're somewhere where you can access it I highly recommend Model Mugging ('mugging' is a euphemism):
I would consider writing an op-ed and sending it to a few local papers to shame these spaces into provided safer classes for women.
I took a self-defense course as an undergrad at college, taught by two policemen who worked on campus. I learned quickly that I was absolutely no match for any man who wished to physically attack me. The instructors were nice, older guys but it became clear that one of them was attracted to me, which made it extra weird since we had to physically interact. I was conventionally pretty in my 20s, so every time I engaged in an activity that included men, I had to deal with at least one of them shooting their shot; it was gross and annoying.
It's so disgusting realizing some random male is attracted to you, even without the physical aspect.
Also an op-ed is a really good idea, never thought of that!
You should do this! And post it so we can read it!
I never thought about why I never felt interested in specific sports before and it’s mainly because I didn’t want to be around men.
Because ontop of everything you’ve written, I always feel embarrassed trying new things if the audience included men. I feel and know that most of them are judging me for being a “weak little girl”. That’s my mental process. The men are so judgmental. And it’s hard to learn under that pressure.
I know! I would be so repulsed if a man was attracted to me, no matter the situation or the man.
Yes! An op-ed would be a great way to get people thinking about this issue!