Various people have written on this in the past, here's my way of putting it. I think many of the folks who have read my words here are familiar with it, but for anyone who comes by who isn't, here it is.
Fingerprinting works because your prints don't change. You can become scarred on your hands and that simply adds to the ID marks; what remains of your original prints has the scars added to them. Basically, the prints you are born with do not change. Ballistic 'fingerprinting' is based on this idea.
First, when a bullet travels down the barrel of a rifle or handgun, the rifling- the spiral grooves in the bore- grip the bullet to spin it. This engraves the marks into the metal of the bullet, and unless it's completely smashed/mangled by the impact when it hits, these markings can be seen.
Second, the cartridge case is expanded against the walls of the chamber by the pressure of the shot, and also pushed back against the breech face. This causes the shape of the chamber and breech, any scratches, etc., to leave marks. And in semi-or automatic firearms, the extractor- the hook that pulls the case out of the chamber- can also leave marks.
So the idea is that if you save a fired bullet and cartridge case from a gun, then index the marks, then you could- supposedly- take a bullet or case found at a crime scene and run it through a computer and find what gun it matches up to.
However....
This ignores a number of things. Take a brand-new gun and fire it; save the samples; and then, after someone has fired several hundred rounds through it, compare them again. Good chance you will not be able to say, positively, "this bullet/case came from this particular firearm", because these marks change. You don't have to make a deliberate effort to change them, the normal wear of firing does that for you. Cleaning, especially with some abrasive cleaning/polishing compounds, does it. And, as the California AG's study showed, simply firing a different brand of ammo can cause the marks to be different. Different bullet design/materials, slight differences in case material/design, can make a match uncertain ranging to negative.
This is not the same as finding a gun in the posession of a suspect and comparing it with bullets/cases found at the crime scene. In this case it's probably the same ammo, and right after the shooting. You have a very good chance of making a match then. Otherwise...
One of the other things not considered is that in modern manufacturing, barrels are made one after another on the same equipment; as they come off the line, they are virtually identical and marks may not be distinguishable between them. Which means that any normal wear makes immediate changes to the markings left on a bullet. Same thing for the cartridge cases; the chamber in a semi-auto is part of the barrel, so the same holds for the markings on the case. In revolvers you might well have more variation in that the chambers are cut in the cylinder that holds the cartridges, but again they are made one after another, on the same equipment.
The slide of a semi-auto and the frame of a revolver, again are made one after another. There might be more variation here, but again normal wear changes the marks.
Now you get into another factor; deliberate changes. Doesn't have to have a thing to do with trying to change the marks.
A shooter buys an after-market barrel for this semi-auto either for a feature like a compensator on the muzzle or to change cartridges- and yes, some semi-autos can be changed to a different cartridge just by changing the barrel.
A shooter wants to improve the barrel, so he uses one of the many methods to polish the bore.
The breech-face gets polished for smoother operation.
The extractor is polished or replaced, again for smoother functioning.
After-market firing pin for faster lock time.
Any of these will change the marks left on the bullet/case, and the sample the police have now means nothing- except that they have to store it, which takes up space and money.
And the above methods can be used to deliberately change the markings, and are used. I have no idea how many people I've heard of who, first thing they do with a new firearm, is polish the bore, etc., just to change the marks. Their way of telling the authorities 'screw you'. These are honest citazens who just don't like the government keeping records on their property.
Another reason many dislike it is that it is a de facto method of gun registration. And again, unless you are violating the law in your use of something, it is none of the governments' business what you own.
Ballistic fingerprinting as I see it. And apparently the honest people in law enforcement see it the same, as even the Peoples Republic of Maryland is asking for changes in law so they can drop this, and put the money and people into improving their DNA database of criminals, which has the advantage of actually working.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
"You've saved our people; now GET OUT"
This is the message from Indonesia to our military forces in the region. Apparently having people saved by evil Westerners is bothering the government and the nut-level muslims, so they want them out by March at the latest. One of their gripes being "in the near future would need foreign medical workers and engineers instead of military assistance". Hey, stupid, just what to you think a lot of those troops are? They're medical workers and engineers. Except for the problem that a lot of people who are glad of the help would die, I'd say bring everyone back to their normal missions and send a bill to the Indonesian government.
Oh, and the U.N. is "struggling to coordinate a massive relief operation have welcomed their participation, particularly to deliver aid to isolated coastlines accessible only by sea or air". Oh, yeah the U.N. is in charge, never mind that the Aussies and us and India in particular were taking care of things before the U.N. could bother to get anyone out of their nice comfortable offices and send them to four-star hotels to 'study' the matter and make recommendations about what should be done. And from the U.N.uchs we get the following also: "Wahlstrom said she remained concerned with inadequate coordination among all groups taking part in the relief effort.". Oh, yeah, you're helping a lot. All those coordination meetings taking people away from actually doing something are a real big help.
Found at Kim's place.
Oh, and the U.N. is "struggling to coordinate a massive relief operation have welcomed their participation, particularly to deliver aid to isolated coastlines accessible only by sea or air". Oh, yeah the U.N. is in charge, never mind that the Aussies and us and India in particular were taking care of things before the U.N. could bother to get anyone out of their nice comfortable offices and send them to four-star hotels to 'study' the matter and make recommendations about what should be done. And from the U.N.uchs we get the following also: "Wahlstrom said she remained concerned with inadequate coordination among all groups taking part in the relief effort.". Oh, yeah, you're helping a lot. All those coordination meetings taking people away from actually doing something are a real big help.
Found at Kim's place.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Thoughts on HIV and medicine
After reading about it at Dean's place, I went to the library and found 'Inventing the AIDS Virus', by Peter Duesberg. I'm about 150 pages in, and it's enlightening in some ways.
I admit, I do not like doctors as a general matter, and do not much trust them. There are exceptions. Dean made the comment that doctors are very, very smart people who want to help others. In most cases, I agree. That doesn't change the fact that all too many are arrogant, condescending jerks with God complexes. That would be tolerable, at least more so, if it weren't for a: the times they're wrong and refuse to acknowledge it/take responsibility, and b: the way so many act as if they know everything, and treat patients who question them like crap(and what medical school did YOU graduate from?)
What really bothers me is the way doctors and researchers so often pass on the Holy Writ from their Leader, and anyone who questions it is obviously either a fool or deluded. That's not the way science is supposed to work. It's a human failing, not wanting to hear/tolerate criticism or a flat statement that "this is wrong", but it's a failing that has no place in science. I can't remember who I read the statement from as a kid, some researcher said that a scientist has to be prepared to drop a theory as wrong at any time the facts show it to be so no matter how much time and work is invested in it. That impressed me greatly at the time, and still does. But it apparently doesn't happen enough. And there's no telling how much time and money, and how many lives, are lost because someone can't bear to change.
And how much misery is caused by it. A friend of my daughter was diagnosed a few months back with HPV, and basically told that because of it she had a good chance of developing cervical cancer down the road. Now that is enough to ruin your attitude at the least. But from what I'm reading there's actually no hard evidence that that is true; no proof that HPV causes this cancer. If so, then people are being scared bleepless for no good reason; instead of 'you have a problem that needs treatment' it is 'you have something that may kill you or sterilize you'.
It'll take a while to finish this book. And what I'm reading is not pleasant.
Side issue: a while back I was reading some stuff about BSE, 'Mad Cow Disease', at Tech Central Station. It was pointing out that there's little to no proof that BSE is transmittable to humans, and that there are big problems with blaming it on prions. But because that is what has been 'decided' is the culprit, little funding is available to study other possible causes. How much trouble and loss may be related to the decisions that 'we HAVE to act NOW' and 'this is what to study and think, don't bother us with other ideas'?
I admit, I do not like doctors as a general matter, and do not much trust them. There are exceptions. Dean made the comment that doctors are very, very smart people who want to help others. In most cases, I agree. That doesn't change the fact that all too many are arrogant, condescending jerks with God complexes. That would be tolerable, at least more so, if it weren't for a: the times they're wrong and refuse to acknowledge it/take responsibility, and b: the way so many act as if they know everything, and treat patients who question them like crap(and what medical school did YOU graduate from?)
What really bothers me is the way doctors and researchers so often pass on the Holy Writ from their Leader, and anyone who questions it is obviously either a fool or deluded. That's not the way science is supposed to work. It's a human failing, not wanting to hear/tolerate criticism or a flat statement that "this is wrong", but it's a failing that has no place in science. I can't remember who I read the statement from as a kid, some researcher said that a scientist has to be prepared to drop a theory as wrong at any time the facts show it to be so no matter how much time and work is invested in it. That impressed me greatly at the time, and still does. But it apparently doesn't happen enough. And there's no telling how much time and money, and how many lives, are lost because someone can't bear to change.
And how much misery is caused by it. A friend of my daughter was diagnosed a few months back with HPV, and basically told that because of it she had a good chance of developing cervical cancer down the road. Now that is enough to ruin your attitude at the least. But from what I'm reading there's actually no hard evidence that that is true; no proof that HPV causes this cancer. If so, then people are being scared bleepless for no good reason; instead of 'you have a problem that needs treatment' it is 'you have something that may kill you or sterilize you'.
It'll take a while to finish this book. And what I'm reading is not pleasant.
Side issue: a while back I was reading some stuff about BSE, 'Mad Cow Disease', at Tech Central Station. It was pointing out that there's little to no proof that BSE is transmittable to humans, and that there are big problems with blaming it on prions. But because that is what has been 'decided' is the culprit, little funding is available to study other possible causes. How much trouble and loss may be related to the decisions that 'we HAVE to act NOW' and 'this is what to study and think, don't bother us with other ideas'?
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
More things that tick me off
People who claim to be 'artists' and therefore exempt from the rules that us commoners must follow. Besides the general stupidity, in many cases it's a matter of 'dressing in black, annoying people and claiming you're not understood does not make you an artist'. (no, I can't remember who said that)
A good many of the people I mentioned earlier who detest gun owners will make EXCUSES for members of NAMBLA, apparently because they're a politically-exempt-from-criticism group. At least exempt from us great unwashed criticizing them. "They're not bad people, some of them just have a problem, and they deserve our patience and tolerance. And they have the right to voice their views". Bullshit. They are exchanging tips on how to kidnap and rape children, you idiots; they ARE bad people. Not because of views they express or something they own, but because of WHAT THEY DO.
People who put some phrase in French or whatever language in a book, with nothing to tell you what it means. Damned if I'm going to check out a dictionary just to find out. Under this same heading are publishing dates in Roman numerals. You got a problem with modern NUMBERS?
People who bitch and whine incesstantly about cops; primarily bitching and whining because the cops remind them that there are rules of civilized behavior they have to follow, like it or not. And the don't like it.
Cops who act like badge-heavy idiots just because they can. Every time some badge carrier treats someone like trash simply because "you are a civilian, and I'm the law", it too often creates one more somebody who'll think 'screw the cops if they treat people like that'. Guys? If you're not in the military or reserves, YOU ARE A CIVILIAN TOO. And that badge is not supposed to make you feel comfortable with crapping on people. I don't mean dealing with some dirtbag who's causing trouble and you know it; when you crap on Mr. or Ms. Average, you make your own future job more difficult.
That's about it for now. But who knows, there might be more coming.
Oh, and I hate freezing my bahoogies off when I go outside.
A good many of the people I mentioned earlier who detest gun owners will make EXCUSES for members of NAMBLA, apparently because they're a politically-exempt-from-criticism group. At least exempt from us great unwashed criticizing them. "They're not bad people, some of them just have a problem, and they deserve our patience and tolerance. And they have the right to voice their views". Bullshit. They are exchanging tips on how to kidnap and rape children, you idiots; they ARE bad people. Not because of views they express or something they own, but because of WHAT THEY DO.
People who put some phrase in French or whatever language in a book, with nothing to tell you what it means. Damned if I'm going to check out a dictionary just to find out. Under this same heading are publishing dates in Roman numerals. You got a problem with modern NUMBERS?
People who bitch and whine incesstantly about cops; primarily bitching and whining because the cops remind them that there are rules of civilized behavior they have to follow, like it or not. And the don't like it.
Cops who act like badge-heavy idiots just because they can. Every time some badge carrier treats someone like trash simply because "you are a civilian, and I'm the law", it too often creates one more somebody who'll think 'screw the cops if they treat people like that'. Guys? If you're not in the military or reserves, YOU ARE A CIVILIAN TOO. And that badge is not supposed to make you feel comfortable with crapping on people. I don't mean dealing with some dirtbag who's causing trouble and you know it; when you crap on Mr. or Ms. Average, you make your own future job more difficult.
That's about it for now. But who knows, there might be more coming.
Oh, and I hate freezing my bahoogies off when I go outside.
Man, it's foggy out there!
It is hear-footsteps-see-man-with-tophat-cape-and-cane foggy. Everything is so wet it might as well have rained. Lots of times I can manage to ride the bike even in January; today the temperatures were doable, but not this wet. Not if I don't have to.
And we're supposed to get another arctic cold front in tomorrow evening or night. Yuck.
I went to the range the other night, and cleaned the .45 afterward. In the past I've tried using nylon bore brushes, and as long as you don't have any real fouling other than powder they're ok. This time I used the Corrosion-X with a bronze brush. When I shoot lead bullets I always have some lead fouling in this barrel, and it's a pain to get out. I soaked the brush, ran it back & forth about six times, then let the barrel sit while I wiped everything else down with some C-X on a patch. Let everything sit a while, then ran the brush through four or five times, then wiped with a patch, and damn! The bore sparkled! Whatever they make this stuff with, it works! I'm going to have to seriously test it for rust protection(I know what the maker's tests say, I want to try it for myself), but in lubrication it seems fine and it cleans damn well. Don't know about copper fouling in a big-bore rifle, will have to check it out.
When it's dry enough and warm enough to go outside and shoot one.
And we're supposed to get another arctic cold front in tomorrow evening or night. Yuck.
I went to the range the other night, and cleaned the .45 afterward. In the past I've tried using nylon bore brushes, and as long as you don't have any real fouling other than powder they're ok. This time I used the Corrosion-X with a bronze brush. When I shoot lead bullets I always have some lead fouling in this barrel, and it's a pain to get out. I soaked the brush, ran it back & forth about six times, then let the barrel sit while I wiped everything else down with some C-X on a patch. Let everything sit a while, then ran the brush through four or five times, then wiped with a patch, and damn! The bore sparkled! Whatever they make this stuff with, it works! I'm going to have to seriously test it for rust protection(I know what the maker's tests say, I want to try it for myself), but in lubrication it seems fine and it cleans damn well. Don't know about copper fouling in a big-bore rifle, will have to check it out.
When it's dry enough and warm enough to go outside and shoot one.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Things that tick me off
In no particular order,
Tobacco taxes. I don't smoke cigarettes, and I don't like them. Even less to I like the nanny-state bullshit about them. If you actually think they're terrible, and you care more about other people's health than about money, then push for a ban. Except for a few zealots, it'll never happen, because they really, really want that tax money. Which leads to some real idiocy. Oklahoma recently passed a big tax hike on tobacco, to both 'discourage' smoking and with promises to use the money to fund health-care programs. So if they succeed in the first, and people stop smoking, the funding for the programs dries up. Whatever do you think they'll do then? Also, bars and restaurants are private property; if the owner wants to allow smoking, that should be that. Don't like it? Don't go there.
"Political Correctness". I am not politically correct, and devoutly hope never to become so. If I do, I hope some friend will put me out of my misery. From speech codes to 'hate crime' laws to general squelching of speech, PC attitudes are a plague on society. Besides the general free-speech problems with it, I hate the condescension of it. "You don't have the intellegence/self-respect/balls to deal with speech that might hurt your feelings, or that you don't like people saying, so we'll ban any words that make you feel bad, you poor, pitiful thing". News flash: free speech has to include people you don't like and ideas you don't agree with, or it becomes nothing but a buzz phrase you use to make yourself feel better about how 'open-minded' you are.
Idiot ideas about firearms. Anytime someone starts off with some variation of 'I hate guns', you know you're in for an earfull of crap. They are tools, made of steel and wood and plastics. They don't have the capacity for good or evil, any more than a hammer or spear or saw. So stop projecting your fears onto them. And stop thinking someone is bad in some way just because they own firearms. Like this:
"When I began my research into gun enthusiasm and gun ownership in the mid-1990s, I learned that a number of my academic colleagues held very similar views. One colleague said (trying to sound positive) that I was commiting a real social service by researching “such disgusting people.” Another informed me that because neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the Ku Klux Klan all obviously loved their guns, until I recognized that the phenomenon of gun enthusiasm was intrinsically racist, I was an apologist for racist violence. A third colleague told me frequently that she found gun owners utterly repellant, and she was surprised (and more than a little suspicious) that I didn’t find them repellant as well. She insisted that until I recognized and acknowledged the ugliness and inherent pathology of gun enthusiasm, my research was disrepectful to victims of gun violence."
Ah, the tolerance of academia. Put a cork in it, dipshit.
'Evil' SUVs. It's a motor vehicle, that's all. Idiocy committed by the driver is the responsibility of the driver, not the vehicle. Nobody says you have to like it, and you have no right to demand that someone else not be allowed to own one because of your dislike. I drive a truck because a: I like it and b: it's damn handy for hauling stuff. Like topsoil, gravel, forge, etc. I also think it's a safer vehicle than a motorized rollerskate. Yeah, most people who have a H2 buy it as a 'prestige' thing. So what? So do most people who buy luxury and sports cars.
Women who bitch about being looked at. Usually these women are dressed in some revealing manner, but seem to think that men should be blind when around them. Ladies, don't wear a skirt hemmed just below your crotch and a top open down to your waist, or a top that ends just below your boobs and pants cut so low they're about to fall of, and then have a fit because someone dared to look at you. You can't have it both ways. Note: this does not include guys who says stupid things or grab your butt; bitch at them all you want.
Idiots, in government or otherwise, who think the solution for any problem is to pass another law. 'Nuff said.
People who bitch and whine about 'banned books week' here in the U.S., but pay no attention- don't even want to know about- Fidel Castro throwing librarians in prison for checking out books not approved by the government.
People who ooh and ahh over a piece of fine handwork, and then act like you spit on them when they find out the price is higher than some mass-produced crap from China or Pakistan.
More later.
Tobacco taxes. I don't smoke cigarettes, and I don't like them. Even less to I like the nanny-state bullshit about them. If you actually think they're terrible, and you care more about other people's health than about money, then push for a ban. Except for a few zealots, it'll never happen, because they really, really want that tax money. Which leads to some real idiocy. Oklahoma recently passed a big tax hike on tobacco, to both 'discourage' smoking and with promises to use the money to fund health-care programs. So if they succeed in the first, and people stop smoking, the funding for the programs dries up. Whatever do you think they'll do then? Also, bars and restaurants are private property; if the owner wants to allow smoking, that should be that. Don't like it? Don't go there.
"Political Correctness". I am not politically correct, and devoutly hope never to become so. If I do, I hope some friend will put me out of my misery. From speech codes to 'hate crime' laws to general squelching of speech, PC attitudes are a plague on society. Besides the general free-speech problems with it, I hate the condescension of it. "You don't have the intellegence/self-respect/balls to deal with speech that might hurt your feelings, or that you don't like people saying, so we'll ban any words that make you feel bad, you poor, pitiful thing". News flash: free speech has to include people you don't like and ideas you don't agree with, or it becomes nothing but a buzz phrase you use to make yourself feel better about how 'open-minded' you are.
Idiot ideas about firearms. Anytime someone starts off with some variation of 'I hate guns', you know you're in for an earfull of crap. They are tools, made of steel and wood and plastics. They don't have the capacity for good or evil, any more than a hammer or spear or saw. So stop projecting your fears onto them. And stop thinking someone is bad in some way just because they own firearms. Like this:
"When I began my research into gun enthusiasm and gun ownership in the mid-1990s, I learned that a number of my academic colleagues held very similar views. One colleague said (trying to sound positive) that I was commiting a real social service by researching “such disgusting people.” Another informed me that because neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the Ku Klux Klan all obviously loved their guns, until I recognized that the phenomenon of gun enthusiasm was intrinsically racist, I was an apologist for racist violence. A third colleague told me frequently that she found gun owners utterly repellant, and she was surprised (and more than a little suspicious) that I didn’t find them repellant as well. She insisted that until I recognized and acknowledged the ugliness and inherent pathology of gun enthusiasm, my research was disrepectful to victims of gun violence."
Ah, the tolerance of academia. Put a cork in it, dipshit.
'Evil' SUVs. It's a motor vehicle, that's all. Idiocy committed by the driver is the responsibility of the driver, not the vehicle. Nobody says you have to like it, and you have no right to demand that someone else not be allowed to own one because of your dislike. I drive a truck because a: I like it and b: it's damn handy for hauling stuff. Like topsoil, gravel, forge, etc. I also think it's a safer vehicle than a motorized rollerskate. Yeah, most people who have a H2 buy it as a 'prestige' thing. So what? So do most people who buy luxury and sports cars.
Women who bitch about being looked at. Usually these women are dressed in some revealing manner, but seem to think that men should be blind when around them. Ladies, don't wear a skirt hemmed just below your crotch and a top open down to your waist, or a top that ends just below your boobs and pants cut so low they're about to fall of, and then have a fit because someone dared to look at you. You can't have it both ways. Note: this does not include guys who says stupid things or grab your butt; bitch at them all you want.
Idiots, in government or otherwise, who think the solution for any problem is to pass another law. 'Nuff said.
People who bitch and whine about 'banned books week' here in the U.S., but pay no attention- don't even want to know about- Fidel Castro throwing librarians in prison for checking out books not approved by the government.
People who ooh and ahh over a piece of fine handwork, and then act like you spit on them when they find out the price is higher than some mass-produced crap from China or Pakistan.
More later.
Ah, the wonders of ballistic fingerprinting!
Spending lots of money for little/no result! From Geek with a .45 we find a link from the Maryland State Police that basically admits what a waste of time, money and energy their program has been, and asking they be allowed to basically dump it; there are places the money & people can be much better used.
Of note in the document is their admission that of the very few 'hits' the got, NONE were used in prosecutions. So for years of annoying the citazens and putting one more roadblock in the way of honest gun folks, and spending millions of tax dollars, benefits have been zero. Unless, of course, you're one of the people who thinks that making it harder/more expensive for people to own guns makes it all worth it.
Instapundit has had a number of posts on this kind of mess, in particular ref a study in California (here and here are two). Among other things I thought were interesting was that not only were perfect matches fairly rare when using the same gun and ammo for tests, but simply changing the brand of ammo took another big bite out of the accuracy.
It seems that the enthusiasm for these programs come from two things: one is a misunderstanding of how accurate they actually are, and second is the desire of some to make ownership of arms as expensive and difficult as possible.
Side point: last I heard, Canada's national gun licensing scheme was now somewhere between 500 million and one billion dollars cost. I forget how many hundreds of times over the 'official' estimates this is.
Of note in the document is their admission that of the very few 'hits' the got, NONE were used in prosecutions. So for years of annoying the citazens and putting one more roadblock in the way of honest gun folks, and spending millions of tax dollars, benefits have been zero. Unless, of course, you're one of the people who thinks that making it harder/more expensive for people to own guns makes it all worth it.
Instapundit has had a number of posts on this kind of mess, in particular ref a study in California (here and here are two). Among other things I thought were interesting was that not only were perfect matches fairly rare when using the same gun and ammo for tests, but simply changing the brand of ammo took another big bite out of the accuracy.
It seems that the enthusiasm for these programs come from two things: one is a misunderstanding of how accurate they actually are, and second is the desire of some to make ownership of arms as expensive and difficult as possible.
Side point: last I heard, Canada's national gun licensing scheme was now somewhere between 500 million and one billion dollars cost. I forget how many hundreds of times over the 'official' estimates this is.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Old movies
No, I don't like all old movies, but some, yes. Just finished watching "Man's Favorite Sport". 1950's, and it's funny. Rock Hudson surely could play a part(in more ways than one).
Cary Grant had some good ones, a favorite being "Father Goose", which I swear I'll buy one of these days. Also "Operation Petticoat", which also had Tony Curtis. I loved "The Pink Panther", and one or two of the sequels were pretty good. "The Lion in Winter" is marvelous, and I do have it.
"Casablanca" is one of the best. A few years ago I finally got my daughter to sit down and watch it. When it was over and I asked what she thought she said, "You know, everything in that movie was a cliche'. Except that when they made it, it wasn't". Which I thought a: she's right, and b: that's downright perceptive.
The "Thin Man" movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy were good. Mysteries with some fine comedy mixed in. "The Quiet Man" is one of my favorites. I think I saw the movie, part of it at least, as a child. And then in school one day I found the short story in a book. Next time it was on tv I watched it and marvelled; they had expanded the story to make the movie, and changed some bits, but overall stayed true to it.
A while back I was at a dollar store and found in their DVDs "The Scarlet Pimpernel". For a dollar, a fine movie. The hero makes a marvelous court suckup, and strong leader out of the public eye, and the villain was truly villainous.
On the subject of movies, something that I both wish had been done and am glad it wasn't. If someone had taken the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber and handled them well, any of a number of them would have made damn good movies. My concern was always that the Hollywood crap machinery would screw it up. "So what that he was one of the best writers around? We can make it better", followed by the march into the toilet. Maybe someday...
Cary Grant had some good ones, a favorite being "Father Goose", which I swear I'll buy one of these days. Also "Operation Petticoat", which also had Tony Curtis. I loved "The Pink Panther", and one or two of the sequels were pretty good. "The Lion in Winter" is marvelous, and I do have it.
"Casablanca" is one of the best. A few years ago I finally got my daughter to sit down and watch it. When it was over and I asked what she thought she said, "You know, everything in that movie was a cliche'. Except that when they made it, it wasn't". Which I thought a: she's right, and b: that's downright perceptive.
The "Thin Man" movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy were good. Mysteries with some fine comedy mixed in. "The Quiet Man" is one of my favorites. I think I saw the movie, part of it at least, as a child. And then in school one day I found the short story in a book. Next time it was on tv I watched it and marvelled; they had expanded the story to make the movie, and changed some bits, but overall stayed true to it.
A while back I was at a dollar store and found in their DVDs "The Scarlet Pimpernel". For a dollar, a fine movie. The hero makes a marvelous court suckup, and strong leader out of the public eye, and the villain was truly villainous.
On the subject of movies, something that I both wish had been done and am glad it wasn't. If someone had taken the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber and handled them well, any of a number of them would have made damn good movies. My concern was always that the Hollywood crap machinery would screw it up. "So what that he was one of the best writers around? We can make it better", followed by the march into the toilet. Maybe someday...
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Evil Loophole Gun Show today
No big purchases today. Picked up a new laser pointer for the cat, but that's it. Friend wants to get together and go tomorrow, so I'll probably pick up some ammo and some new earplugs if I can find some.
One of the things I like about shows is that sometimes you find the damndest things. Oddball firearms, old & new. Knives, ammo, books, parts, tools, there may be nothing interesting or it may be full of stuff. No, not that stuff, good stuff.
The biggest show in the area happens in Tulsa in spring and fall, and it's huge. I usually can't make the spring show, but I've been able to hit the fall show the past several years.
The problem with the local shows is that there are two groups that put them on, and they do so often; so often that in many cases there's not many people there. I'd rather have them farther apart with more to see.
Let's see, my social life is going to work, taking care of stuff around the house, and going to flea markets and gun shows. I think I need to spread out a bit.
One of the things I like about shows is that sometimes you find the damndest things. Oddball firearms, old & new. Knives, ammo, books, parts, tools, there may be nothing interesting or it may be full of stuff. No, not that stuff, good stuff.
The biggest show in the area happens in Tulsa in spring and fall, and it's huge. I usually can't make the spring show, but I've been able to hit the fall show the past several years.
The problem with the local shows is that there are two groups that put them on, and they do so often; so often that in many cases there's not many people there. I'd rather have them farther apart with more to see.
Let's see, my social life is going to work, taking care of stuff around the house, and going to flea markets and gun shows. I think I need to spread out a bit.
Friday, January 07, 2005
The 'High Priest Vulture Elite' in the 'Turd World'
This comes from the latest post at The Diplomad. He's a bit on the edgy side after the last few days, and all things considered I don't blame him. If you were worn out and busy trying to accomplish something, and being forced to waste time listening to some jerks who talk, talk, talk instead of actually getting their hands dirty, you'd be a bit ticked off, too.
Ref the 'Turd World',
"Many years ago, as we prepared our return to a tough posting in the Far Abroad after leave in the States, our son asked, "Do we have to go back to the 'turd' world?" "
He explains why that mispronunciation fits. And this leads to some nasty words in the comments section, mostly about the 'bigotry', etc., of the Diplomad. Hey bozo? Pointing out unpleasant facts does not make one a bigot. It does make one a realist.
One thing that has struck me in the past was that so many descriptions of arriving in third-world countries read the same in the first impressions, especially the smells. And those smells always mean poverty, and usually corruption that lies behind much of the poverty. Apparently recognizing this makes you a bigot, according to some. Oh, yes, so much better to ignore it than to be so nasty as to actually mention it.
And so much better to praise the U.N. than to be so common as to actually get dirty doing something.
At this point I think the U.N., in some cases at least, actually waits for someone- lately us, the Aussies or British- to get things going, so they can step in and try to take over and claim they have fixed everything. Well, right now India and Singapore have also been actually doing something, along with some other countries, and they and the nations hit by the waves are getting a first-class education as to how friggin' useless the U.N. actually is. I think they'll remember.
Ref the 'Turd World',
"Many years ago, as we prepared our return to a tough posting in the Far Abroad after leave in the States, our son asked, "Do we have to go back to the 'turd' world?" "
He explains why that mispronunciation fits. And this leads to some nasty words in the comments section, mostly about the 'bigotry', etc., of the Diplomad. Hey bozo? Pointing out unpleasant facts does not make one a bigot. It does make one a realist.
One thing that has struck me in the past was that so many descriptions of arriving in third-world countries read the same in the first impressions, especially the smells. And those smells always mean poverty, and usually corruption that lies behind much of the poverty. Apparently recognizing this makes you a bigot, according to some. Oh, yes, so much better to ignore it than to be so nasty as to actually mention it.
And so much better to praise the U.N. than to be so common as to actually get dirty doing something.
At this point I think the U.N., in some cases at least, actually waits for someone- lately us, the Aussies or British- to get things going, so they can step in and try to take over and claim they have fixed everything. Well, right now India and Singapore have also been actually doing something, along with some other countries, and they and the nations hit by the waves are getting a first-class education as to how friggin' useless the U.N. actually is. I think they'll remember.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Weight and what people make of it
Ann Althouse(who told me I ought to start this) had some posts a while back about women and weight and body image. It's been a big subject for a long time and hit from various points of view.
Some blame the fashion industry, some blame men, some blame (fill in here). You can make a case for all of it, but I've got a gripe with blaming men.
I've met a couple of ladies who modeled, and one thing struck me: they were skinny. Not slim, skinny. Now, I realize that there are all kinds of tastes, but I don't like skinny from dieting and heavy exercise. Knew a couple of girls in college who would qualify as skinny, but it was simply their natural build, and they looked good. There's a difference between slim, or lean, and skinny: to me, ribs showing and bony limbs is not sexy, and I don't know anyone who thinks so. Maybe it's true that a camera adds ten pounds; if so, many models who look skinny on camera must be approaching skeletal in person and without all the makeup.
(I can't remember who said that the reason for skinny models and weird clothes is that most fashion designers are gays who want their models to look like 14-year-old boys, but it would explain some things)
I mentioned once before a friend who messed herself up on dieting. She was very pretty, and very nicely built. But she was always on a diet. She'd see some model or actress with skinny body and big boobs and tell me she hated them for being so skinny. Never mind the boobs were implants to compensate for skinny. And she'd complain that she needed to lose that last ten pounds; always, that last ten pounds. Nothing could convince her that she looked good, nothing convinced her that that she did not need to lose "ten more pounds". She had decided that that was needed before she'd look good, and that was that.
If you've ever tried to convince a woman that a: she didn't need to lose any, or b: just get some exercise to tone up and you're fine, you know what happened. She would not believe me(or anyone else I know of) and started taking diet pills. Lots of diet pills. That messed with her body and health, and combining some drinking with that damn near killed her, health problems and an accident.
Aftermath meant, among other things, gaining a lot of weight, I suspect partly because of a messed-up metabolism from the pills. And she's practically given up now, so she won't exercise. At least she's not taking those damn pills anymore.
Heavy or slim, large boobs or small, looking good can include any of them. Good health and attitude makes up a big part of it. And for the most part, the individual has to decide for themselves. You cannot 'save' someone or 'convince' someone without them wanting to be saved or convinced. A lady who's large or small and happy with the way they are, that's an attraction. Helps make for something special.
Oh, ladies? Just because you've starved yourself into skinny doesn't mean you look good in a miniskirt or low-rise jeans and a halter; you may just look undernourished.
Some blame the fashion industry, some blame men, some blame (fill in here). You can make a case for all of it, but I've got a gripe with blaming men.
I've met a couple of ladies who modeled, and one thing struck me: they were skinny. Not slim, skinny. Now, I realize that there are all kinds of tastes, but I don't like skinny from dieting and heavy exercise. Knew a couple of girls in college who would qualify as skinny, but it was simply their natural build, and they looked good. There's a difference between slim, or lean, and skinny: to me, ribs showing and bony limbs is not sexy, and I don't know anyone who thinks so. Maybe it's true that a camera adds ten pounds; if so, many models who look skinny on camera must be approaching skeletal in person and without all the makeup.
(I can't remember who said that the reason for skinny models and weird clothes is that most fashion designers are gays who want their models to look like 14-year-old boys, but it would explain some things)
I mentioned once before a friend who messed herself up on dieting. She was very pretty, and very nicely built. But she was always on a diet. She'd see some model or actress with skinny body and big boobs and tell me she hated them for being so skinny. Never mind the boobs were implants to compensate for skinny. And she'd complain that she needed to lose that last ten pounds; always, that last ten pounds. Nothing could convince her that she looked good, nothing convinced her that that she did not need to lose "ten more pounds". She had decided that that was needed before she'd look good, and that was that.
If you've ever tried to convince a woman that a: she didn't need to lose any, or b: just get some exercise to tone up and you're fine, you know what happened. She would not believe me(or anyone else I know of) and started taking diet pills. Lots of diet pills. That messed with her body and health, and combining some drinking with that damn near killed her, health problems and an accident.
Aftermath meant, among other things, gaining a lot of weight, I suspect partly because of a messed-up metabolism from the pills. And she's practically given up now, so she won't exercise. At least she's not taking those damn pills anymore.
Heavy or slim, large boobs or small, looking good can include any of them. Good health and attitude makes up a big part of it. And for the most part, the individual has to decide for themselves. You cannot 'save' someone or 'convince' someone without them wanting to be saved or convinced. A lady who's large or small and happy with the way they are, that's an attraction. Helps make for something special.
Oh, ladies? Just because you've starved yourself into skinny doesn't mean you look good in a miniskirt or low-rise jeans and a halter; you may just look undernourished.
CBS falls in hole, starts digging
This is absolutely pathetic. With a report supposedly about to be released about their use of fake documents, with all the other things that have come out, CBS does this:
"Our Cruise Director Hans Tibboel described one specific divesite in Surin Island with the words: "it looked like a giant sandblaster was used". Again, Hans was describing only one divesite and made positive remarks about the actual lack of damage at other places. Of course, the CBS editor used the "sandblast" soundbite and hardly anything else.
Footage was also arranged in a "before & after" method that is not consistent with the real situation. All the beautiful "before" footage shown by CBS was actually filmed AFTER the tsunami. "
I had actually hoped that CBS might try to salvage their reputation as a news agency, but that's down the toilet. They keep playing games with the news, and in talking about this disaster they can't help themselves; they just have to keep manipulating the information they hand out.
Someone asked the question a while back that, knowing what they've been caught at since the blogosphere started fact-checking them, what kind of crap were they doing before they really worried about getting caught?
I gave up on CBS a long time ago for a variety of reasons, Dan Blather being one of them. When I saw him on the show last night I changed channels; while I thought he might straighten up to try to salvage his reputation, I doubted it. I didn't think his arrogance would allow it. Looks like I was right.
Read the whole article at Dive Newswire. Found it at Little Green Footballs.
"Our Cruise Director Hans Tibboel described one specific divesite in Surin Island with the words: "it looked like a giant sandblaster was used". Again, Hans was describing only one divesite and made positive remarks about the actual lack of damage at other places. Of course, the CBS editor used the "sandblast" soundbite and hardly anything else.
Footage was also arranged in a "before & after" method that is not consistent with the real situation. All the beautiful "before" footage shown by CBS was actually filmed AFTER the tsunami. "
I had actually hoped that CBS might try to salvage their reputation as a news agency, but that's down the toilet. They keep playing games with the news, and in talking about this disaster they can't help themselves; they just have to keep manipulating the information they hand out.
Someone asked the question a while back that, knowing what they've been caught at since the blogosphere started fact-checking them, what kind of crap were they doing before they really worried about getting caught?
I gave up on CBS a long time ago for a variety of reasons, Dan Blather being one of them. When I saw him on the show last night I changed channels; while I thought he might straighten up to try to salvage his reputation, I doubted it. I didn't think his arrogance would allow it. Looks like I was right.
Read the whole article at Dive Newswire. Found it at Little Green Footballs.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
I want a 20 or 25mm cannon
I'm going to mount it in a turret on the roof of my truck. And the next time some idiot trying to get up an icy hill starts slowing down as he reaches the start of the hill, I'm going to blow him out of the way.
Apparently, the idea of maintaining a bit of, what's it called?, momentum as you start up just does not occur to them. And when they get stuck halfway up they start gunning it, and then they slip sideways and really block things up.
It was 20 degrees when I left work. The freezing rain and sleet had stopped but the roads had nicely glazed over. And 1/3 of the people out there driving thought slowing down on a slope was a Good Thing. Until they got stuck.
I had to go around one to get into my driveway, the only good thing being that there was no way they could hit me at that point. Having parked, I took pity on some people and got out the big bottle of kitty litter I keep for oil spills and walked around throwing it until tires. That got four of them off my street, counting the one who had run over a curb and I helped push off, not counting the one who would get started, and instead of gently feeding a little gas hit it hard and got stuck again. Three times. That one I gave up on.
I like Outback. I had seriously thought of getting one of their Caesar salads for dinner until I got home. After which I fed critters, made dinner, and avoided any thought of going ANYWHERE tonight. A phone call from a pretty redhead might have changed my mind, but anything else other than life or death cause, I ain't going.
If Steve starts bitching again about how cold 55 is, I hope Marv and Maynard both bite him on the ass.
(Ok, I lied. Call from a pretty redhead WOULD have made me change my mind.)
Apparently, the idea of maintaining a bit of, what's it called?, momentum as you start up just does not occur to them. And when they get stuck halfway up they start gunning it, and then they slip sideways and really block things up.
It was 20 degrees when I left work. The freezing rain and sleet had stopped but the roads had nicely glazed over. And 1/3 of the people out there driving thought slowing down on a slope was a Good Thing. Until they got stuck.
I had to go around one to get into my driveway, the only good thing being that there was no way they could hit me at that point. Having parked, I took pity on some people and got out the big bottle of kitty litter I keep for oil spills and walked around throwing it until tires. That got four of them off my street, counting the one who had run over a curb and I helped push off, not counting the one who would get started, and instead of gently feeding a little gas hit it hard and got stuck again. Three times. That one I gave up on.
I like Outback. I had seriously thought of getting one of their Caesar salads for dinner until I got home. After which I fed critters, made dinner, and avoided any thought of going ANYWHERE tonight. A phone call from a pretty redhead might have changed my mind, but anything else other than life or death cause, I ain't going.
If Steve starts bitching again about how cold 55 is, I hope Marv and Maynard both bite him on the ass.
(Ok, I lied. Call from a pretty redhead WOULD have made me change my mind.)
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
I hate exercise.....except when I don't
Yeah, I know. Spending a lot of time on a treadmill or trail running, lifting weights and doing belly work is a pain. Sometimes literally. But.
I feel better and sleep better when I get regular physical workouts. Doesn't have to be in a gym: cutting wood, smithing, working through woods, pretty much anything that wears me out does it. But there's often not a way to do the fun stuff, so it's off to the gym.
So, I run or ski and lift and situp and so forth.
One of the 'better off than we used to be' things is glucosimine. Some friends recommended it to me a few years ago when I mentioned that my knees were killing me. Whether it's normal wear of some of the stuff I've done over the years, they were increasingly troubling. I used to go to a local folk dance group pretty regularly. First hour was warmup and beginner stuff, then teaching and requests for the next two. It had gotten bad enough that I'd have to quit after the first hour. Also, they told me- in no uncertain terms- when the next cold or warm front was moving in. After several of the people there told me about it, I started taking it. It took about 2 1/2 to 3 months to notice the difference, but it was a BIG difference. So I'm taking it still. And without it, I wouldn't be able to do much workout with my legs, and suspect other joints might be worse than they are.
About six months ago a mix of things came together. Cost of gas, time, and a troublesome tendon in my elbow combined to make me say to hell with it for a while. Then, about two months ago I decided, all things considered, to get back into it. It's a pain, as I said, but I can feel a difference.
As far as running, I prefer outdoors to a treadmill, but when it's cold and wet/icy outside, I ain't going. And I cannot run on pavement; glucosimine or not, it beats my legs up. So I have to find a trail to do that part on.
And now I have to go stretch for a while before I go to bed.
(good side effect of stretching? it amuses the cat)
I feel better and sleep better when I get regular physical workouts. Doesn't have to be in a gym: cutting wood, smithing, working through woods, pretty much anything that wears me out does it. But there's often not a way to do the fun stuff, so it's off to the gym.
So, I run or ski and lift and situp and so forth.
One of the 'better off than we used to be' things is glucosimine. Some friends recommended it to me a few years ago when I mentioned that my knees were killing me. Whether it's normal wear of some of the stuff I've done over the years, they were increasingly troubling. I used to go to a local folk dance group pretty regularly. First hour was warmup and beginner stuff, then teaching and requests for the next two. It had gotten bad enough that I'd have to quit after the first hour. Also, they told me- in no uncertain terms- when the next cold or warm front was moving in. After several of the people there told me about it, I started taking it. It took about 2 1/2 to 3 months to notice the difference, but it was a BIG difference. So I'm taking it still. And without it, I wouldn't be able to do much workout with my legs, and suspect other joints might be worse than they are.
About six months ago a mix of things came together. Cost of gas, time, and a troublesome tendon in my elbow combined to make me say to hell with it for a while. Then, about two months ago I decided, all things considered, to get back into it. It's a pain, as I said, but I can feel a difference.
As far as running, I prefer outdoors to a treadmill, but when it's cold and wet/icy outside, I ain't going. And I cannot run on pavement; glucosimine or not, it beats my legs up. So I have to find a trail to do that part on.
And now I have to go stretch for a while before I go to bed.
(good side effect of stretching? it amuses the cat)
It's after Christmas, and it ain't white
It's wet and gloomy here, and expected to get icy tonight. Right now, in the northwest and panhandle counties, they're reporting up to 1/2" of ice accumulation, with more to come.
Several years ago we had one of our periodic nasty-level ice storms, and it was a bitch. Up to several inches of ice in some areas, it not only took down power & phone lines, it took down the poles. A friend of mine lives about ten miles northwest of Oklahoma City, and she was without power for six weeks. When you consider that a lot of people in rural and farm areas get their water from a well, it gets worse: no power, no pump, no water.
Morning promises to be just a wonderful adventure. Bah, humbug.
What makes it worse is that if it drops to 55F, Steve will be bitching about the cold and wearing birds for warmth.
Several years ago we had one of our periodic nasty-level ice storms, and it was a bitch. Up to several inches of ice in some areas, it not only took down power & phone lines, it took down the poles. A friend of mine lives about ten miles northwest of Oklahoma City, and she was without power for six weeks. When you consider that a lot of people in rural and farm areas get their water from a well, it gets worse: no power, no pump, no water.
Morning promises to be just a wonderful adventure. Bah, humbug.
What makes it worse is that if it drops to 55F, Steve will be bitching about the cold and wearing birds for warmth.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Man does not live by bread alone...
but it sure helps.
Some friends introduced me to this on a trip. Take fresh focaccia bread. Take a saucer. Pour in a little balsamic vinegar, then some spiced olive oil. Cut the bread into suitable strips, swirl in mix, eat.
Oh, man. The flavor and texture of the bread, the bite of the vinegar smoothed by the oil... It's got to be one of the reasons for living.
This batch of focaccia didn't turn out as well as the last, the texture is not as coarse; I think I let the machine knead it too long. I'll do the next batch same as the first. Less kneading, add in some finely-chopped red onion... or maybe some chopped green onion, that worked well before. Brush a little olive oil and garlic on top before the last rise and bake...
I think I better go to bed, or I'll be in the kitchen starting another batch. And I do have to work in the morning.
Some friends introduced me to this on a trip. Take fresh focaccia bread. Take a saucer. Pour in a little balsamic vinegar, then some spiced olive oil. Cut the bread into suitable strips, swirl in mix, eat.
Oh, man. The flavor and texture of the bread, the bite of the vinegar smoothed by the oil... It's got to be one of the reasons for living.
This batch of focaccia didn't turn out as well as the last, the texture is not as coarse; I think I let the machine knead it too long. I'll do the next batch same as the first. Less kneading, add in some finely-chopped red onion... or maybe some chopped green onion, that worked well before. Brush a little olive oil and garlic on top before the last rise and bake...
I think I better go to bed, or I'll be in the kitchen starting another batch. And I do have to work in the morning.
The cat may never enter the carrier again
Voluntarily, that is. Today was the day she went to the vet to be fixed and get her rabies shot. The first time she rode in the carrier was bringing her here; today, was to the vet and back.
When I got her home I figured she'd still be a bit woozy, so I set out fresh food and water, and an old blanket for a warm place to sleep that wouldn't require climbing, and opened the door. There was a grey streak as she ran into the bedroom and stopped to glare at me. I finally got her to come back, and she ate & drank a bit. Right now the dog's in for a visit, and she came out of hiding to sit & watch her.
It remains to be seen whether she'll forgive me, or sit on my head at 3a.m.
And she goes back in ten days to have the stitches out. Oh joy.
When I got her home I figured she'd still be a bit woozy, so I set out fresh food and water, and an old blanket for a warm place to sleep that wouldn't require climbing, and opened the door. There was a grey streak as she ran into the bedroom and stopped to glare at me. I finally got her to come back, and she ate & drank a bit. Right now the dog's in for a visit, and she came out of hiding to sit & watch her.
It remains to be seen whether she'll forgive me, or sit on my head at 3a.m.
And she goes back in ten days to have the stitches out. Oh joy.
Unfortunately, I was wrong
The death toll now stands officially at 155,000, with many thousands still missing.
Crap.
I'd thought it might well hit 150,000, but figured that would probably be it. Instead, it's over that and climbing.
If I personally meet one of those people saying "Isn't this COOL? Isn't nature culling the herd WONDERFUL?" I may shoot them.
Crap.
I'd thought it might well hit 150,000, but figured that would probably be it. Instead, it's over that and climbing.
If I personally meet one of those people saying "Isn't this COOL? Isn't nature culling the herd WONDERFUL?" I may shoot them.
More on AIDS and drugs
again found at Dean Esmay's place. It's an article about just how toxic some of the drugs being used to treat HIV and AIDS are. And it's bloody awful.
This is something I have never understood, and never will. How do people- all with good intentions, of course- get so tied up in promoting something that they cannot see, or admit to, shortcomings? Here's a drug that was so nasty that "the drug's manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, withdrew its application to have the FDA approve the drug for use in pregnant women in all Western nations, including the U.S.", and yet people kept- keep- pushing it on people. Not only ignoring the effects of the drug itself, but that there's little to no proof that it actually helps the problem!
I had a friend a few years ago who was so worried about her weight that she started taking diet pills (whole 'nother story there). She knew about the possible problems of the stuff, yet even though she didn't actually lose weight, she kept taking the damn things. Because it was 'doing something' about her problem. It finally caught up to her, and in the end she damn near died. It seems like there's a certain parellel; these people keep pushing drugs that are themselves very dangerous and have no real record of helping cure the disease and actually kill people; why? Do they get stuck in the attitude that 'at least we're doing something"?
Some ways we are a truly messed up species.
This is something I have never understood, and never will. How do people- all with good intentions, of course- get so tied up in promoting something that they cannot see, or admit to, shortcomings? Here's a drug that was so nasty that "the drug's manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, withdrew its application to have the FDA approve the drug for use in pregnant women in all Western nations, including the U.S.", and yet people kept- keep- pushing it on people. Not only ignoring the effects of the drug itself, but that there's little to no proof that it actually helps the problem!
I had a friend a few years ago who was so worried about her weight that she started taking diet pills (whole 'nother story there). She knew about the possible problems of the stuff, yet even though she didn't actually lose weight, she kept taking the damn things. Because it was 'doing something' about her problem. It finally caught up to her, and in the end she damn near died. It seems like there's a certain parellel; these people keep pushing drugs that are themselves very dangerous and have no real record of helping cure the disease and actually kill people; why? Do they get stuck in the attitude that 'at least we're doing something"?
Some ways we are a truly messed up species.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Once again, the U.N. is a bunch of !@#(#@_ freeloaders
The Belmont Club notes that while the U.N. is setting up conferences to decide what to do, and setting up facilities for 'their' relief crews, they're trying to claim control over and direction of relief work being done by countries that are actually accomplishing something.
This, to me, further gives the lie to the words of Clare Short that “Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme. “It is the only body that has the moral authority.” Aside from the 'moral authority' bullshit, the U.N. can't accomplish crap without someone else doing the hard part. They have lots of donations, so now they have to ask us, primarily, to get the stuff where it's needed. Of course, we've already got multi-tons of everything there and on the way, but what's really important is that the 'proper' people (U.N.) gets credit for all of it.
The only way the comments of Ms. Short make sense is through the idea that nothing is really legitimate unless done by the U.N., and that anything that gets in the way of that- including unauthorized feeding of starving people- must stop.
The transnational progressivisists would see us all dead rather than have someone do something without the 'proper' approval. Screw them and the U.N. both.
Update: found this at The Diplomad through Tim Blair:
I provided this to some USAID colleagues working in Indonesia and their heads nearly exploded. The first paragraph is quite simply a lie. The UN is taking credit for things that hard-working, street savvy USAID folks have done. It was USAID working with their amazing network of local contacts who scrounged up trucks, drivers, and fuel; organized the convoy and sent it off to deliver critical supplies. A UN "air-freight handling centre"? In Aceh? Bull! It's the Aussies and the Yanks who are running the air ops into Aceh. We have people working and sleeping on the tarmac in Aceh, surrounded by bugs, mud, stench and death, who every day bring in the US and Aussie C-130s and the US choppers; unload, load, send them off. We have no fancy aid workers' retreat -- notice the priorities of the UN? People are dying and what's the first thing the UN wants to do? Set up "a camp for relief workers" one that would be "fully self-contained, with kitchen, food, lodging, everything."
This, to me, further gives the lie to the words of Clare Short that “Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme. “It is the only body that has the moral authority.” Aside from the 'moral authority' bullshit, the U.N. can't accomplish crap without someone else doing the hard part. They have lots of donations, so now they have to ask us, primarily, to get the stuff where it's needed. Of course, we've already got multi-tons of everything there and on the way, but what's really important is that the 'proper' people (U.N.) gets credit for all of it.
The only way the comments of Ms. Short make sense is through the idea that nothing is really legitimate unless done by the U.N., and that anything that gets in the way of that- including unauthorized feeding of starving people- must stop.
The transnational progressivisists would see us all dead rather than have someone do something without the 'proper' approval. Screw them and the U.N. both.
Update: found this at The Diplomad through Tim Blair:
I provided this to some USAID colleagues working in Indonesia and their heads nearly exploded. The first paragraph is quite simply a lie. The UN is taking credit for things that hard-working, street savvy USAID folks have done. It was USAID working with their amazing network of local contacts who scrounged up trucks, drivers, and fuel; organized the convoy and sent it off to deliver critical supplies. A UN "air-freight handling centre"? In Aceh? Bull! It's the Aussies and the Yanks who are running the air ops into Aceh. We have people working and sleeping on the tarmac in Aceh, surrounded by bugs, mud, stench and death, who every day bring in the US and Aussie C-130s and the US choppers; unload, load, send them off. We have no fancy aid workers' retreat -- notice the priorities of the UN? People are dying and what's the first thing the UN wants to do? Set up "a camp for relief workers" one that would be "fully self-contained, with kitchen, food, lodging, everything."
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Ok, this is getting rediculous
After freezing everything with lows in the single digits and highs in the low 20's, the last few days have been 50's, 60's and I think it was 70 today. Supposedly with a chance of rain today, but all we had was a sprinkle.
It's supposed to be in the 60's for highs till Wednesday, when it turns cold again for the next while.
Oklahoma weather can be weird.
Bright side is I've been able to ride the bike to work the last few days, and got some yard work taken care of today. Also got some work done on an axe. It's the second Viking-style axe I've made, and I finally got most of the shaping work done on the haft. Once it's fitted properly, I can do some test cutting to make sure it holds up as it should. Can't decide whether to put this one up for sale at Med-Fair, or keep it.
A friend showed me a sword he'd bought a couple of years ago, a double-edged broadsword blade with a simple, clean basket hilt. Lovely piece, apparently called an 'Irish sword' even though most examples were found in Scotland. In either case, I wanted one. A couple of days ago, finally having some money clear, I checked where he'd found it, and the no longer have it. So I checked around and found a place called The Pirate's Treasure which has some very nice stuff. Including, yay, the Irish sword! So I sent and asked if they had the scabbard for it also, and was informed that they haven't had that model in a year, it's not being made anymore. Dammit. If I want one like that, looks like I'll have to make it.
Tomorrow depends on the weather, we'll see if it rains any tonight.
Ref the tsunami, I'd thought that 150,000 might be the high end of the dead; it looks like it may actually go higher.
Here's the American Jewish World Services site, good place to contribute to relief.
Oh, and to anyone in the U.N., Instapundit linked to several folks who've tracked the amount of money that the U.S. has given- so far. Not the U.S. Government, WE THE PEOPLE have given. Check out the numbers, and tell the U.N. to kiss your American ass. We don't have to have the government tax us to death to do something about a problem; we do it ourselves. Oh, and those numbers? They don't include the ships and aircraft and personnel and so forth that are there or going there to help out. Let's see, Marine landing ships with surgical facilities and hospital beds and dentists? Ships that can produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of clean water a day? Planes and people flying in everything from water to food to doctors to medicine? How much do you think that adds up to?
Mr. Egeland and Ms. Short? FOAD, weenies.
It's supposed to be in the 60's for highs till Wednesday, when it turns cold again for the next while.
Oklahoma weather can be weird.
Bright side is I've been able to ride the bike to work the last few days, and got some yard work taken care of today. Also got some work done on an axe. It's the second Viking-style axe I've made, and I finally got most of the shaping work done on the haft. Once it's fitted properly, I can do some test cutting to make sure it holds up as it should. Can't decide whether to put this one up for sale at Med-Fair, or keep it.
A friend showed me a sword he'd bought a couple of years ago, a double-edged broadsword blade with a simple, clean basket hilt. Lovely piece, apparently called an 'Irish sword' even though most examples were found in Scotland. In either case, I wanted one. A couple of days ago, finally having some money clear, I checked where he'd found it, and the no longer have it. So I checked around and found a place called The Pirate's Treasure which has some very nice stuff. Including, yay, the Irish sword! So I sent and asked if they had the scabbard for it also, and was informed that they haven't had that model in a year, it's not being made anymore. Dammit. If I want one like that, looks like I'll have to make it.
Tomorrow depends on the weather, we'll see if it rains any tonight.
Ref the tsunami, I'd thought that 150,000 might be the high end of the dead; it looks like it may actually go higher.
Here's the American Jewish World Services site, good place to contribute to relief.
Oh, and to anyone in the U.N., Instapundit linked to several folks who've tracked the amount of money that the U.S. has given- so far. Not the U.S. Government, WE THE PEOPLE have given. Check out the numbers, and tell the U.N. to kiss your American ass. We don't have to have the government tax us to death to do something about a problem; we do it ourselves. Oh, and those numbers? They don't include the ships and aircraft and personnel and so forth that are there or going there to help out. Let's see, Marine landing ships with surgical facilities and hospital beds and dentists? Ships that can produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of clean water a day? Planes and people flying in everything from water to food to doctors to medicine? How much do you think that adds up to?
Mr. Egeland and Ms. Short? FOAD, weenies.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Baaad timing
A few years ago my then-girlfriend and I decided to make dinner for the next evening; I was going to put a roast in the crockpot when I went to work the next morning, and bring it over that evening while she made the veggies. I had cable at the time, and there was a show I had taped that we both wanted to see, so we'd watch it after dinner.
The roast came out fine, one of those 'open the front door, inhale, salivate' marvelous things. Load it up, grab the tape and head to her house. Where she had a green bean casserole waiting.
Dinner was great, and when done we sat down in the living room and put on the tape. About fifteen minutes later I felt a little queasy and excused myself, and reached the bathroom just in time to get rid of dinner, though not in the usual way. After I finished throwing up, I cleaned up a bit and went back to the living room.
For about five minutes.
The third time I hit the bathroom, after trying to throw up the inseam of my jeans I was so dizzy I couldn't even sit up straight. By this time the lady was in the doorway asking if I needed an ambulance. "No, just give me a minute", the usual. I hate going to the doctor for a checkup, getting hauled away in an ambulance was just not something I wanted to do. She gave the the minute, and I still couldn't stand up, says she "I'm calling the ambulance!".
"No, I don't need that!"
"Then I'm taking you to the emergency room!"
Pause. "That might be a good idea".
So we drive there, after managing to maneuver me into the car. Having her on one side and the wall on the other helped there. Have you ever gone to an er? Unless you're hemorrhaging as they drag you in, you are directed to a seat while they decide who has to do the paperwork on you. Then they do the paperwork- often grudgingly- and finally someone decides they have to look you over("Go on, John, it's your turn. You know how bad it looks on our stats when they die before we've taken their temperature") So they take you into an examining room and check you out. In my case this started with the discovery that if I laid down at an angle greater than about 45 degrees, the room began to travel around me. Then they stuck three contacts on me and hooked up the ekg.
Now, by this time I was feeling slightly better. Not good enough to get up, but no cold sweats anymore. Then the nurse doctor studied my ekg for a minute, looked at my girlfriend and asked, "Has he ever had heart trouble before?"
She said the ekg bounced the pen of both sides like a pinball; I couldn't see that, but my first thought was "Not until you said that!" Not helpful, I promise you. Especially after he said that my rhythm looked perfectly normal (until you said that, you bastard!) and he just wondered if I might have had an 'episode'. I wished I'd been less washed out, so that I could have described and 'episode' to him. Involving his ancestry.
By the time all the er stuff was done, I was really washed out, but better. As a precaution they kept me over night, second time I'd ever had to sleep at a hospital. By morning, I was tired, hungry and more thirsty than I could ever remember being. All I could have was water or apple juice until the doctor came by, and I drank all the juice they'd give me. About noon my ex and kids came by, and when I mentioned that I was starving("no food until the doctor sees you again") she dug some money out of my pants and went down to the cafeteria, coming back with stew and ice cream. Which, of course, I was finishing as the doctor finally came in. He wasn't overly pleased, but not too put out since I had 'stabilized' nicely and they couldn't find anything wrong. His final thought was that that there was a stomach virus going around, and I just happened to be one of the rare people who, instead of feeling ratty for three days, got whacked hard. And I started laughing.
He asked what was so funny about that? and I explained about the entertainment the evening before. The show I'd taped? It was a documentary.
About ebola.
The roast came out fine, one of those 'open the front door, inhale, salivate' marvelous things. Load it up, grab the tape and head to her house. Where she had a green bean casserole waiting.
Dinner was great, and when done we sat down in the living room and put on the tape. About fifteen minutes later I felt a little queasy and excused myself, and reached the bathroom just in time to get rid of dinner, though not in the usual way. After I finished throwing up, I cleaned up a bit and went back to the living room.
For about five minutes.
The third time I hit the bathroom, after trying to throw up the inseam of my jeans I was so dizzy I couldn't even sit up straight. By this time the lady was in the doorway asking if I needed an ambulance. "No, just give me a minute", the usual. I hate going to the doctor for a checkup, getting hauled away in an ambulance was just not something I wanted to do. She gave the the minute, and I still couldn't stand up, says she "I'm calling the ambulance!".
"No, I don't need that!"
"Then I'm taking you to the emergency room!"
Pause. "That might be a good idea".
So we drive there, after managing to maneuver me into the car. Having her on one side and the wall on the other helped there. Have you ever gone to an er? Unless you're hemorrhaging as they drag you in, you are directed to a seat while they decide who has to do the paperwork on you. Then they do the paperwork- often grudgingly- and finally someone decides they have to look you over("Go on, John, it's your turn. You know how bad it looks on our stats when they die before we've taken their temperature") So they take you into an examining room and check you out. In my case this started with the discovery that if I laid down at an angle greater than about 45 degrees, the room began to travel around me. Then they stuck three contacts on me and hooked up the ekg.
Now, by this time I was feeling slightly better. Not good enough to get up, but no cold sweats anymore. Then the nurse doctor studied my ekg for a minute, looked at my girlfriend and asked, "Has he ever had heart trouble before?"
She said the ekg bounced the pen of both sides like a pinball; I couldn't see that, but my first thought was "Not until you said that!" Not helpful, I promise you. Especially after he said that my rhythm looked perfectly normal (until you said that, you bastard!) and he just wondered if I might have had an 'episode'. I wished I'd been less washed out, so that I could have described and 'episode' to him. Involving his ancestry.
By the time all the er stuff was done, I was really washed out, but better. As a precaution they kept me over night, second time I'd ever had to sleep at a hospital. By morning, I was tired, hungry and more thirsty than I could ever remember being. All I could have was water or apple juice until the doctor came by, and I drank all the juice they'd give me. About noon my ex and kids came by, and when I mentioned that I was starving("no food until the doctor sees you again") she dug some money out of my pants and went down to the cafeteria, coming back with stew and ice cream. Which, of course, I was finishing as the doctor finally came in. He wasn't overly pleased, but not too put out since I had 'stabilized' nicely and they couldn't find anything wrong. His final thought was that that there was a stomach virus going around, and I just happened to be one of the rare people who, instead of feeling ratty for three days, got whacked hard. And I started laughing.
He asked what was so funny about that? and I explained about the entertainment the evening before. The show I'd taped? It was a documentary.
About ebola.
Oooh, bike!
Partly to wash the bad taste of U.N. out of my mouth, and partly because his mention of The Diplomad made me go there this morning, I went over to the Dog and Pony Show, where he has a pic of his Betty. His mention of paint reminded me of a job I saw at a bike swap meet here a while back. This artist did the tank in layers of flames so that as it or you moved, it looked like the flames were rippling over the surface of the tank. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen on a bike.
One of these days I'm going to take the tank & fenders off mine and take them to this man to have him work his magic on them. To quote Kiki, "Oooh, shiny!".
One of these days I'm going to take the tank & fenders off mine and take them to this man to have him work his magic on them. To quote Kiki, "Oooh, shiny!".
Further 'Why to tell the U.N. to kiss our backside'
From the Diplomad, who turns out to be in one of the countries hit by the tsunamis, we get a first-hand look at what the U.N. is accomplishing: dick. In need of Viagra, yet.
They're "hosting a 'coordination' meeting of donors to announce that UNDP has another large "assessment and coordination team" arriving". In less fancy words, they're holding meetings to announce that they're going to decide what needs to be done. Oh, and "To address the psycho-social needs of children throughout nearly a dozen countries devastated by the tsunami, selective in-service teacher training will be supported to equip teachers with specific methods and activities, UNICEF said".
These kids are starving, without clothes or clean water, and UNICEF is holding meetings and planning teacher training for their 'psycho-social needs'. God, can there be ANYTHING more illustrative of why these bastards should not have peoples lives in their hands?!?!
There are people from a number of countries working their butts off DOING SOMETHING, and what is the comment from the U.N. supporters? "Only really the U.N. can do that job,", and "It is the only body that has the moral authority". Oh, yes, we're really impressed by the moral authority of a body that's trying to cover up one of the biggest corruption scandals in history, and has 'peacekeepers' screwing children in exchange for food. And trying to cover that up, too.
My hands are shaking a bit right now, and I will close with a reponse to Clare Short: Kiss My Redneck Ass, madam.
They're "hosting a 'coordination' meeting of donors to announce that UNDP has another large "assessment and coordination team" arriving". In less fancy words, they're holding meetings to announce that they're going to decide what needs to be done. Oh, and "To address the psycho-social needs of children throughout nearly a dozen countries devastated by the tsunami, selective in-service teacher training will be supported to equip teachers with specific methods and activities, UNICEF said".
These kids are starving, without clothes or clean water, and UNICEF is holding meetings and planning teacher training for their 'psycho-social needs'. God, can there be ANYTHING more illustrative of why these bastards should not have peoples lives in their hands?!?!
There are people from a number of countries working their butts off DOING SOMETHING, and what is the comment from the U.N. supporters? "Only really the U.N. can do that job,", and "It is the only body that has the moral authority". Oh, yes, we're really impressed by the moral authority of a body that's trying to cover up one of the biggest corruption scandals in history, and has 'peacekeepers' screwing children in exchange for food. And trying to cover that up, too.
My hands are shaking a bit right now, and I will close with a reponse to Clare Short: Kiss My Redneck Ass, madam.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
This is about all I can take
There've been a lot of video and stills from the wave zones. Some of videos give a certain feeling of detachment- "Oh, look at the water flowing by". Some are considerably worse. And some of the stills...
Note: Steve has a link to American Jewish World Services; they seem like a good group to donate to. And the pictures came from Free Republic; one of his commenters left the link. These are the only two I'll post, and part of me screams to look at them. I think the words are, "Jesus wept".
Note: Steve has a link to American Jewish World Services; they seem like a good group to donate to. And the pictures came from Free Republic; one of his commenters left the link. These are the only two I'll post, and part of me screams to look at them. I think the words are, "Jesus wept".
Stirring up a fuss about AIDS
is Dean Esmay. Interesting site I like to visit.
A couple of days ago he had a post about AIDS that apparently got him yelled at by a lot of people, to the point of being accused of being a threat to the public. So today he has a followup that addresses some points. And they're serious points about some serious problems in how AIDS has been addressed.
It's got too much in it to throw a couple of quotes in, so I'm just providing links. I think he raises serious points here that need to be dealt with.
Being somewhat lazy at times, I've mostly gone with what I've heard or read in news articles on the subject, but I think I'll try to find the books he refers to and read them. The idea that the medical profession has chased down a wrong track and out of stupidity/stubbornness/greed/etc. won't come back up to the fork in the road to look around doesn't surprise me; there's been far too many cases of this in the past. For that matter, it was pillars of the medical profession that tried to ruin Louis Pasteur over the germ-theory of disease, and after Jenner began vaccinating for smallpox the same thing happened to him. I guess it's part of the same 'how dare you question our wisdom?' attitude that causes so many doctors to treat their patients with contempt when they ask questions.
I've not known anyone with AIDS; I have known people with friends/relatives who had it. And I have read of problems with some of the drugs tried for treating it. It's a subject that apparently needs someone to start whacking 'accepted' knowledge down like weeds and looking at it afresh, and they'll have a nasty fight on their hands to do it, but God only knows how many lives are involved.
One example of problem fighting it: the idea that just because a lot of people in some regions of Africa are HIV+, what's killing them is assumed to be AIDS. But what if some questioners are right and a lot of is is malaria? Among other things that would cause more people to push for the use of DDT to kill mosquitos, and that would be attacked by both the medical/political people who have decided that it's AIDS, and by the enviro-weenies who get the vapors at the mere mention of DDT. And if a lot of locals die while they're defending their stand? Well, that's just the price they're willing to pay to keep their diagnosis/enviromental stand in place, now isn't it?
Yeah, I'm cynical about a lot of this. There are far too many people who are willing to see a lot of people die(preferably somewhere else) if it will allow them to keep their position going.
A couple of days ago he had a post about AIDS that apparently got him yelled at by a lot of people, to the point of being accused of being a threat to the public. So today he has a followup that addresses some points. And they're serious points about some serious problems in how AIDS has been addressed.
It's got too much in it to throw a couple of quotes in, so I'm just providing links. I think he raises serious points here that need to be dealt with.
Being somewhat lazy at times, I've mostly gone with what I've heard or read in news articles on the subject, but I think I'll try to find the books he refers to and read them. The idea that the medical profession has chased down a wrong track and out of stupidity/stubbornness/greed/etc. won't come back up to the fork in the road to look around doesn't surprise me; there's been far too many cases of this in the past. For that matter, it was pillars of the medical profession that tried to ruin Louis Pasteur over the germ-theory of disease, and after Jenner began vaccinating for smallpox the same thing happened to him. I guess it's part of the same 'how dare you question our wisdom?' attitude that causes so many doctors to treat their patients with contempt when they ask questions.
I've not known anyone with AIDS; I have known people with friends/relatives who had it. And I have read of problems with some of the drugs tried for treating it. It's a subject that apparently needs someone to start whacking 'accepted' knowledge down like weeds and looking at it afresh, and they'll have a nasty fight on their hands to do it, but God only knows how many lives are involved.
One example of problem fighting it: the idea that just because a lot of people in some regions of Africa are HIV+, what's killing them is assumed to be AIDS. But what if some questioners are right and a lot of is is malaria? Among other things that would cause more people to push for the use of DDT to kill mosquitos, and that would be attacked by both the medical/political people who have decided that it's AIDS, and by the enviro-weenies who get the vapors at the mere mention of DDT. And if a lot of locals die while they're defending their stand? Well, that's just the price they're willing to pay to keep their diagnosis/enviromental stand in place, now isn't it?
Yeah, I'm cynical about a lot of this. There are far too many people who are willing to see a lot of people die(preferably somewhere else) if it will allow them to keep their position going.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
General commentary
The Washington Post says the president is 'insensitive' because he's on his ranch in Crawford instead of in D.C. shedding tears for the cameras. Screw the Post. He's got the communications gear to do the job from there. So if they want tears, maybe they can find Bill Clinton to emote for them.
From a commentor at Hog on Ice found this site, which has some nice information on earthquakes and tsunamis.
It seems the perennial coddler of dictators and mass murderers Ramsey Clark is joining the legal team of Saddam Hussein. I'm not surprised considering his past words and performances. If we're lucky Saddam will bite him and give him distemper.
Corrosion-X seems to be a very good cleaner. I'm going to help my daughter take down her pistol and clean/lube it with this stuff; it really cleaned mine up well.
Speaking of cleaning, I tried using nylon brushes for some bore cleaning. Seems if you have mainly some stubborn powder fouling they'll do the job, but for anything else I still get the best results from bronze bristles.
Speaking of Clinton, he was mentioned on the news earlier today, lecturing about how someone needs to be in control of the aid efforts. He's either lobbying for a job as head of the U.N., or wanting a position created for him so he can run aid efforts whenever/wherever. I don't think he's as corrupt as Kofi Annan and company, but he's bad enough. And I'd rather have the work going on as it is; there may be some duplication, but there's probably somewhat less corruption this way.
Last week this time, the high was about 30 degrees, today it was 60. December in Oklahoma, oh my.
I was over at Silent Running and found his piece about having helped out in Papua New Guinea after a tsunami hit the north coast in 1998. One of the nastier things mentioned was this:
"For example, there were actually many survivors in the jungle who were too badly injured to move or defend themselves against the wild pigs, dogs and crocodiles. Quite a few were eaten by animals, and they weren't always completely dead first."
Think about that. There are tigers and leopards and the omnipresent crocodiles in the hard-hit areas. He's right in one of his comments, some things don't need to be talked about right now.
From a commentor at Hog on Ice found this site, which has some nice information on earthquakes and tsunamis.
It seems the perennial coddler of dictators and mass murderers Ramsey Clark is joining the legal team of Saddam Hussein. I'm not surprised considering his past words and performances. If we're lucky Saddam will bite him and give him distemper.
Corrosion-X seems to be a very good cleaner. I'm going to help my daughter take down her pistol and clean/lube it with this stuff; it really cleaned mine up well.
Speaking of cleaning, I tried using nylon brushes for some bore cleaning. Seems if you have mainly some stubborn powder fouling they'll do the job, but for anything else I still get the best results from bronze bristles.
Speaking of Clinton, he was mentioned on the news earlier today, lecturing about how someone needs to be in control of the aid efforts. He's either lobbying for a job as head of the U.N., or wanting a position created for him so he can run aid efforts whenever/wherever. I don't think he's as corrupt as Kofi Annan and company, but he's bad enough. And I'd rather have the work going on as it is; there may be some duplication, but there's probably somewhat less corruption this way.
Last week this time, the high was about 30 degrees, today it was 60. December in Oklahoma, oh my.
I was over at Silent Running and found his piece about having helped out in Papua New Guinea after a tsunami hit the north coast in 1998. One of the nastier things mentioned was this:
"For example, there were actually many survivors in the jungle who were too badly injured to move or defend themselves against the wild pigs, dogs and crocodiles. Quite a few were eaten by animals, and they weren't always completely dead first."
Think about that. There are tigers and leopards and the omnipresent crocodiles in the hard-hit areas. He's right in one of his comments, some things don't need to be talked about right now.
A short version of how things fell apart in Britain
on the subject of self-defense. This article by Joyce Lee Malcolm covers it.
Check this out:
"The practical removal of the right to self defence began with Britain's 1920 Firearms Act, the first serious limitation on privately-owned firearms. It was motivated by fear of a Bolshevik-type revolution rather than concerns about householders defending themselves against robbers. Anyone wanting to keep a firearm had to get a certificate from his local police chief certifying that he was a suitable person to own a weapon and had a good reason to have it. The definition of "good reason", left to the police, was gradually narrowed until, in 1969, the Home Office decided "it should never be necessary for anyone to possess a firearm for the protection of his house or person". Since these guidelines were classified until 1989, there was no opportunity for public debate."
The guidelines were "classified", so the public couldn't know them, and since the police could change them at any time...
Note: this is one of the reasons that making law should NEVER be left to the bureaucrats; they're unaccountable and will screw you over in a hearbeat.
Check this out:
"The practical removal of the right to self defence began with Britain's 1920 Firearms Act, the first serious limitation on privately-owned firearms. It was motivated by fear of a Bolshevik-type revolution rather than concerns about householders defending themselves against robbers. Anyone wanting to keep a firearm had to get a certificate from his local police chief certifying that he was a suitable person to own a weapon and had a good reason to have it. The definition of "good reason", left to the police, was gradually narrowed until, in 1969, the Home Office decided "it should never be necessary for anyone to possess a firearm for the protection of his house or person". Since these guidelines were classified until 1989, there was no opportunity for public debate."
The guidelines were "classified", so the public couldn't know them, and since the police could change them at any time...
Note: this is one of the reasons that making law should NEVER be left to the bureaucrats; they're unaccountable and will screw you over in a hearbeat.
100,000 dead, and rising
Think about that number; one hundred thousand, and try to image that pile of bodies.
O.U. Medieval Fair will have more than that over a three-day weekend, so it's like every single human that goes through the fair over three days, dead in the space of a few minutes. And the number keeps rising.
Drudge linked to a report on the current situation. There are areas they still have no communications with, so no idea of numbers of dead and missing there(and let's be serious, 'missing' in this situation means 'dead but we don't have a body). I'm thinking that by the time this is done, there'll be about 150,000 dead as the accepted number. Then we get to add in the people sick/dead of disease from bad water, bad food, and parasites & mosquitos breeding in the stagnant water.
I mentioned in an earlier post video a tourist shot from a clubhouse at a resort when the wave hit there; this was a low wave, and people in the partial shelter of the clubhouse were washed away, along with the railing they were holding on to. Every year, we see people die because their car or truck was washed away when they tried to drive through running water 12-18" deep. Think of a wave ten, or twenty, or thirty feet high moving at floodwater speeds or above coming through; the mind boggles.
That's about it for now, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the numbers.
O.U. Medieval Fair will have more than that over a three-day weekend, so it's like every single human that goes through the fair over three days, dead in the space of a few minutes. And the number keeps rising.
Drudge linked to a report on the current situation. There are areas they still have no communications with, so no idea of numbers of dead and missing there(and let's be serious, 'missing' in this situation means 'dead but we don't have a body). I'm thinking that by the time this is done, there'll be about 150,000 dead as the accepted number. Then we get to add in the people sick/dead of disease from bad water, bad food, and parasites & mosquitos breeding in the stagnant water.
I mentioned in an earlier post video a tourist shot from a clubhouse at a resort when the wave hit there; this was a low wave, and people in the partial shelter of the clubhouse were washed away, along with the railing they were holding on to. Every year, we see people die because their car or truck was washed away when they tried to drive through running water 12-18" deep. Think of a wave ten, or twenty, or thirty feet high moving at floodwater speeds or above coming through; the mind boggles.
That's about it for now, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the numbers.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Range time!
Took my daughter to the range this evening. Handguns only tonight, didn't want to mess with taking any rifles. We went to H&H, a nice indoor range here in town, and a good time was had by all.
I really ought to get a digital camera, if for no other reason than posting pictures of her targets. She doesn't get to shoot often, but she seems to hold on to her skill level quite well. Aside from an odd dislike of revolvers(no accounting for taste), she does just fine. Only real problem is that when she moves out to her own place, what she'd really like to take is my Kimber. Well, she can't have mine, and I can't afford to buy one for her, so she'll have to settle for something else for a while.
One thing we tried out tonight was a Makarov. If you're not familiar with it, it's a Russian modification of the Walther PPK design. It fires it's own cartridge, the 9x18mm. Standard 9mm is 9x19, the .380 is 9x17, so the Makarov cartridge is between the two. Overall, I'm impressed with the thing. Quite accurate, and I've now put several hundred rounds of ball and a box of Hornady hollow points through it without any jam, fail to feed, nothing. Not the stopping power of a .45, but solidly reliable and practice ammo is relatively cheap.
Now, soon as I can get the cat off the table, I can start cleaning...
I really ought to get a digital camera, if for no other reason than posting pictures of her targets. She doesn't get to shoot often, but she seems to hold on to her skill level quite well. Aside from an odd dislike of revolvers(no accounting for taste), she does just fine. Only real problem is that when she moves out to her own place, what she'd really like to take is my Kimber. Well, she can't have mine, and I can't afford to buy one for her, so she'll have to settle for something else for a while.
One thing we tried out tonight was a Makarov. If you're not familiar with it, it's a Russian modification of the Walther PPK design. It fires it's own cartridge, the 9x18mm. Standard 9mm is 9x19, the .380 is 9x17, so the Makarov cartridge is between the two. Overall, I'm impressed with the thing. Quite accurate, and I've now put several hundred rounds of ball and a box of Hornady hollow points through it without any jam, fail to feed, nothing. Not the stopping power of a .45, but solidly reliable and practice ammo is relatively cheap.
Now, soon as I can get the cat off the table, I can start cleaning...
Animation of the waves
Belmont Club has this link to an animation of how the tsunamis propagated from the quake site across the Bay of Bengal. Watch this, and watch the time count, it gives a feel for the speed of these things.
A while back Discovery Channel, I believe, had a show on these waves, and noted that in the open ocean they can travel as much as 500 mph. Think about that. A jet airliner doesn't make that speed, and fighters & attack planes don't unless they're actually on a strike run. An energy pulse moving through the water at 500 mph, then reaching shallower water and slowing/building in height until it's moving across the shore and is tens of feet high.
The power involved is amazing. I remember as a kid hearing about the big quake in Alaska in 1964. That was from a 9.2 quake, as I recall, and they've now settled on 9.0 for this one.
Tim Blair has a list of charities/agencies you can donate to for aid to the people in the region. Personally, as Steve puts it, after what came out after 9/11 I wouldn't give a wooden nickel to the Red Cross if their headquarters was on fire. But there are others who can help out.
Note: Confirmed death toll is now 55,000. Which means it'll be much higher.
A while back Discovery Channel, I believe, had a show on these waves, and noted that in the open ocean they can travel as much as 500 mph. Think about that. A jet airliner doesn't make that speed, and fighters & attack planes don't unless they're actually on a strike run. An energy pulse moving through the water at 500 mph, then reaching shallower water and slowing/building in height until it's moving across the shore and is tens of feet high.
The power involved is amazing. I remember as a kid hearing about the big quake in Alaska in 1964. That was from a 9.2 quake, as I recall, and they've now settled on 9.0 for this one.
Tim Blair has a list of charities/agencies you can donate to for aid to the people in the region. Personally, as Steve puts it, after what came out after 9/11 I wouldn't give a wooden nickel to the Red Cross if their headquarters was on fire. But there are others who can help out.
Note: Confirmed death toll is now 55,000. Which means it'll be much higher.
Once more, why we should tell the U.N. to go to hell
I just read two things. One, they now think the death toll from the quake and waves may be more than 40 thousand. Two, some pissy little jackass from the U.N. says that the U.S. is being 'stingy' with our aid, and we need to raise our taxes so we will 'have' more money to give.
I have overall tried to be fairly civil in my language on this blog, but this calls for an exception. Mr. Egeland? FUCK YOU! You sorry, pissy little jerk! The U.N. would fall apart if we didn't keep funding it(and I don't know why we do). WE put more money into relief for many things than the rest of the world combined. And a lot of that does not come from the government taking money out of our pockets, it comes from citazens giving money and time to charities who help people in trouble. And you call us stingy?!?
WE, for the most part, don't want to give more money to the U.N. because a: it's a hugely corrupt organization, as the Oil-for-Food scandal has pushed into focus and b: we don't want to fund a bunch of thugs who will tell children that if they want to eat, they have to spread their legs.
As far as our taxes? Screw you, weenie. You, last I heard, have a stagnant economy largely because of your taxes and socialist government. We are overtaxed now, and still have managed to keep a growing economy going. Let me point something out to you: the less the government takes out of our pockets in taxes, the more people have to give to charities they trust to spend the money wisely. Unlike most government agencies, which when honest just waste a lot, and when corrupt(U.N.) steal most of it.
By the time this is done, probably the U.S. will have- again- given more money and food and material to relief efforts than anyone else. And assholes like you will still bitch and whine that we aren't doing enough.
Again, Screw You, Mr. Egeland, and the high horse you rode in on. This is one more reason we should tell the U.N. to move, and get along without our support, and we should start an organization of free nations to actually do something, instead of taking bribes and abusing children and adults and insulting the people who keep it going.
Update: Mr. Chickenshit has crawfished publicly on his comments.
I have overall tried to be fairly civil in my language on this blog, but this calls for an exception. Mr. Egeland? FUCK YOU! You sorry, pissy little jerk! The U.N. would fall apart if we didn't keep funding it(and I don't know why we do). WE put more money into relief for many things than the rest of the world combined. And a lot of that does not come from the government taking money out of our pockets, it comes from citazens giving money and time to charities who help people in trouble. And you call us stingy?!?
WE, for the most part, don't want to give more money to the U.N. because a: it's a hugely corrupt organization, as the Oil-for-Food scandal has pushed into focus and b: we don't want to fund a bunch of thugs who will tell children that if they want to eat, they have to spread their legs.
As far as our taxes? Screw you, weenie. You, last I heard, have a stagnant economy largely because of your taxes and socialist government. We are overtaxed now, and still have managed to keep a growing economy going. Let me point something out to you: the less the government takes out of our pockets in taxes, the more people have to give to charities they trust to spend the money wisely. Unlike most government agencies, which when honest just waste a lot, and when corrupt(U.N.) steal most of it.
By the time this is done, probably the U.S. will have- again- given more money and food and material to relief efforts than anyone else. And assholes like you will still bitch and whine that we aren't doing enough.
Again, Screw You, Mr. Egeland, and the high horse you rode in on. This is one more reason we should tell the U.N. to move, and get along without our support, and we should start an organization of free nations to actually do something, instead of taking bribes and abusing children and adults and insulting the people who keep it going.
Update: Mr. Chickenshit has crawfished publicly on his comments.
Monday, December 27, 2004
21,000 and counting up
It's a hard number of bodies to comprehend. All in the space of a few minutes, caused by something that happened about 6 miles underground a long ways off.
The quake move the friggin' ISLAND of Sumatra about 100 feet, and shifted the rotation of the earth a touch. The energy involved has too many zeros for me to think about without getting a headache.
Waves moving in at more than 100mph, and building to many feet high as they move up the slope to the beach.
I was looking at the U.S. Geological Survey site at the info, and they're now saying it was a 9.0. There are five tectonic plates that interact in the region and produced this thing, and it says that about 600 miles of plate boundary moved in this quake.
A Small Victory has a lot of information for people who want to contribute to relief efforts.
That's about all I can say about this right now.
The quake move the friggin' ISLAND of Sumatra about 100 feet, and shifted the rotation of the earth a touch. The energy involved has too many zeros for me to think about without getting a headache.
Waves moving in at more than 100mph, and building to many feet high as they move up the slope to the beach.
I was looking at the U.S. Geological Survey site at the info, and they're now saying it was a 9.0. There are five tectonic plates that interact in the region and produced this thing, and it says that about 600 miles of plate boundary moved in this quake.
A Small Victory has a lot of information for people who want to contribute to relief efforts.
That's about all I can say about this right now.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Christmas is done
and it was nice. It's always nice to visit family, especially this time of year. And I got stuffed, so there's two good things together.
Of course, the stuffing means I need to put in some extra time in the gym over the next week or so, but I needed to do that anyway, so...
I've decided that where I really, really want to be when word arrives that Fidel Castro died is Miami. Why? Check out what Steve and friends did for Christmas. I get the feeling Fidel-in-a-box will trigger the biggest damn party the world has seen in God knows when.
Anyway, hope your Christmas was good. If you do Hannukah or Mid-Winter or whatever, hope it was good. And if being wished Merry Christmas pisses you off, see above.
Of course, the stuffing means I need to put in some extra time in the gym over the next week or so, but I needed to do that anyway, so...
I've decided that where I really, really want to be when word arrives that Fidel Castro died is Miami. Why? Check out what Steve and friends did for Christmas. I get the feeling Fidel-in-a-box will trigger the biggest damn party the world has seen in God knows when.
Anyway, hope your Christmas was good. If you do Hannukah or Mid-Winter or whatever, hope it was good. And if being wished Merry Christmas pisses you off, see above.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
And we're supposed to like socialism because?
"In January 1849, months before he migrated to London, Karl Marx published an article by Friedrich Engels in Die Neue Rheinische Zeitung announcing that in Central Europe only Germans, Hungarians and Poles counted as bearers of progress. The rest must go. "The chief mission of all other races and peoples, large and small, is to perish in the revolutionary holocaust."
Genocide arose out of Marx's master-theory of history -- feudalism giving place inevitably to capitalism, capitalism to socialism. The lesser races of Europe -- Basques, Serbs, Bretons and others -- being sunk in feudalism, were counter-revolutionary; having failed to develop a bourgeoisie, they would be two steps behind in the historical process. Engels dismissed them as left-overs and ethnic trash (Voelkerabfall), and called for their extinction.
So genocide was born as a doctrine in the German Rhineland in January 1849, in a Europe still reeling from the revolutions of 1848. It was to become the beacon light of socialism, proudly held and proudly proclaimed."
Found at Dissecting the Left
Genocide arose out of Marx's master-theory of history -- feudalism giving place inevitably to capitalism, capitalism to socialism. The lesser races of Europe -- Basques, Serbs, Bretons and others -- being sunk in feudalism, were counter-revolutionary; having failed to develop a bourgeoisie, they would be two steps behind in the historical process. Engels dismissed them as left-overs and ethnic trash (Voelkerabfall), and called for their extinction.
So genocide was born as a doctrine in the German Rhineland in January 1849, in a Europe still reeling from the revolutions of 1848. It was to become the beacon light of socialism, proudly held and proudly proclaimed."
Found at Dissecting the Left
When is it time to be scared?
Smallest Minority has a piece on 'thought crimes', and ramifications thereof. And it's worrisome.
A few years ago I would not have been really worried about it; concerned, yes, but not worried. But things have changed. In all too many places- in this country- you can wind up being arrested for saying or doing something that hurts someone's feelings; that's a hate crime, now. Point out a few inconvenient facts, speak on opinion that's not PC, and you just might go to jail.
Over the years, now, official attitudes toward criticism have gotten worse. You could almost always get in trouble for actually threatening the government, or an agency, but now... say something someone decides is too critical, and various initial-agencies are looking into your finances, what letters and e-mail you send, what groups you belong to.
And I'm worried about it.
Government has become more, almost immune, to action by people who have been wronged. How may cases have we heard of over the last couple of years where some law enforcement agency raided the wrong house and killed someone? and then everyone involved walked away from any official action because 'departmental guidelines were followed '. The family may be able to sue, but it'll cost a fortune, and drag on... and in some cases, you may have to get a judge to give you permission to sue.
And, if you become a pest, the agency may decide that something they saw while they were ransacking your home(that they broke into by mistake) is enough to charge you with something. And so forth.
Add to that the fact that more and more, some people become actually scared at the thought of finding themselves on some government watch list because they said, or wrote, something some beaurocrat or law enforcement type objected to.
Sir Robert Peel wrote his Principles of Policing (scroll down a bit) in what was a fairly homogenous society, but the priciples worked pretty good here, too, for quite a while. Read Mr. Copper's whole post; what's gone wrong in Britain is wrong here, too. The biggest one, maybe, being the extent of the "Us-Them" attitude. It means people are less likely to cooperate with an officer/s who obviously hold them in contempt; it makes it a lot easier for a bad cop to get away with things, and makes a good cop more likely to do bad things. And a follow-on, judges who, more than ever, see themselves as Holy Men of the Law giving the peasants the word on how to behave.
This rambles on a bit, but it's connected. When various government reps feel they can put you on a list for saying something objectionable; when cops feel they can treat anyone like crap for what boils down to 'because I feel like it'; when judges can basically say the Constitution says what they think it does; when government agencies can make law with elected officials either not having say in it or not caring; and when all the above think that as soon as they show their ID you're supposed to abase yourself before them, no matter what, then we have some very big problems.
It remains to be seen whether enough of we the people care enough to use our votes to straighten it out.
A few years ago I would not have been really worried about it; concerned, yes, but not worried. But things have changed. In all too many places- in this country- you can wind up being arrested for saying or doing something that hurts someone's feelings; that's a hate crime, now. Point out a few inconvenient facts, speak on opinion that's not PC, and you just might go to jail.
Over the years, now, official attitudes toward criticism have gotten worse. You could almost always get in trouble for actually threatening the government, or an agency, but now... say something someone decides is too critical, and various initial-agencies are looking into your finances, what letters and e-mail you send, what groups you belong to.
And I'm worried about it.
Government has become more, almost immune, to action by people who have been wronged. How may cases have we heard of over the last couple of years where some law enforcement agency raided the wrong house and killed someone? and then everyone involved walked away from any official action because 'departmental guidelines were followed '. The family may be able to sue, but it'll cost a fortune, and drag on... and in some cases, you may have to get a judge to give you permission to sue.
And, if you become a pest, the agency may decide that something they saw while they were ransacking your home(that they broke into by mistake) is enough to charge you with something. And so forth.
Add to that the fact that more and more, some people become actually scared at the thought of finding themselves on some government watch list because they said, or wrote, something some beaurocrat or law enforcement type objected to.
Sir Robert Peel wrote his Principles of Policing (scroll down a bit) in what was a fairly homogenous society, but the priciples worked pretty good here, too, for quite a while. Read Mr. Copper's whole post; what's gone wrong in Britain is wrong here, too. The biggest one, maybe, being the extent of the "Us-Them" attitude. It means people are less likely to cooperate with an officer/s who obviously hold them in contempt; it makes it a lot easier for a bad cop to get away with things, and makes a good cop more likely to do bad things. And a follow-on, judges who, more than ever, see themselves as Holy Men of the Law giving the peasants the word on how to behave.
This rambles on a bit, but it's connected. When various government reps feel they can put you on a list for saying something objectionable; when cops feel they can treat anyone like crap for what boils down to 'because I feel like it'; when judges can basically say the Constitution says what they think it does; when government agencies can make law with elected officials either not having say in it or not caring; and when all the above think that as soon as they show their ID you're supposed to abase yourself before them, no matter what, then we have some very big problems.
It remains to be seen whether enough of we the people care enough to use our votes to straighten it out.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Ignorance of this country
As in ignorance of what this country is and where it's been. Smallest Minority links to an article by a university professor about the truly abysmal ignorance of most of his students of American History. It really is appalling.
My daughter brought this to my attention when she was in eighth grade. That was when I found out she'd had Chinese, and African, and all the PC history, but not a single American history class. I was really pissed of by this, and proceeded to remedy it by telling her some things- over time- and showing her some materials I had. One advantage of messing with Buckskinning was having had a subscription to 'Muzzleloader' and 'Muzzleblasts' magazines; lots of articles on early U.S. and colonial history, generally told with good style, and she ate them up. Same for my son.
Another problem; she had a history teacher who was dismissive of anything he hadn't heard of, and if shown the proof got downright hostile. A teacher should be glad to learn of new facts, new stories, not mad about it.
I really don't understand how someone can look at this country, warts and all, and not like it. Especially I don't get those who speak of how awful we are and then heap praises on people like Fidel Castro. (and they get really hostile when you point out what a bastard he is. They also don't like it when you point out that the British and Canadian healthcare systems are pretty bad; they're FREE! and that's all that matters, apparently) Criticize problems, yes. Want to fix them? Sure. But to condemn everything about this country because it doesn't meet some intellectual definition of 'perfect' is a load of crap.
What do you want to bet many/most of those students in the article saw 'Farenheit 9-11' and believed it? And probably never saw any of the listings of falsehoods in it?
One of the things that struck me in the article was how the students thought having to open a book 'is an exotic and particularly cruel form of punishment'. Oh, God, how can you NOT like to read?!?!
If I didn't have to go to work I'd head for the range.
My daughter brought this to my attention when she was in eighth grade. That was when I found out she'd had Chinese, and African, and all the PC history, but not a single American history class. I was really pissed of by this, and proceeded to remedy it by telling her some things- over time- and showing her some materials I had. One advantage of messing with Buckskinning was having had a subscription to 'Muzzleloader' and 'Muzzleblasts' magazines; lots of articles on early U.S. and colonial history, generally told with good style, and she ate them up. Same for my son.
Another problem; she had a history teacher who was dismissive of anything he hadn't heard of, and if shown the proof got downright hostile. A teacher should be glad to learn of new facts, new stories, not mad about it.
I really don't understand how someone can look at this country, warts and all, and not like it. Especially I don't get those who speak of how awful we are and then heap praises on people like Fidel Castro. (and they get really hostile when you point out what a bastard he is. They also don't like it when you point out that the British and Canadian healthcare systems are pretty bad; they're FREE! and that's all that matters, apparently) Criticize problems, yes. Want to fix them? Sure. But to condemn everything about this country because it doesn't meet some intellectual definition of 'perfect' is a load of crap.
What do you want to bet many/most of those students in the article saw 'Farenheit 9-11' and believed it? And probably never saw any of the listings of falsehoods in it?
One of the things that struck me in the article was how the students thought having to open a book 'is an exotic and particularly cruel form of punishment'. Oh, God, how can you NOT like to read?!?!
If I didn't have to go to work I'd head for the range.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Some years have gone by when...
...you refer to a new music release as an 'album' and people look at you funny.
...one of your daughters high school friends is dancing in a nookie bar to help pay her tuition.
...you notice some of your favorite music is only played on 'classic rock' stations.
...you look under the hood of a car and think, "Jeez, what is al this crap?"
...you first hear the word 'blog' and think it's some D&D critter.
...you realize many of the Saturday morning cartoons were made for adults, not kids.
...somebody tells you you dress 'retro'.
...somebody freaks out because you carry a pocketknife.
...they'd REALLY freak out if they knew about the .45.
and so on...
...one of your daughters high school friends is dancing in a nookie bar to help pay her tuition.
...you notice some of your favorite music is only played on 'classic rock' stations.
...you look under the hood of a car and think, "Jeez, what is al this crap?"
...you first hear the word 'blog' and think it's some D&D critter.
...you realize many of the Saturday morning cartoons were made for adults, not kids.
...somebody tells you you dress 'retro'.
...somebody freaks out because you carry a pocketknife.
...they'd REALLY freak out if they knew about the .45.
and so on...
The San Francisco idiocy
in wanting to ban handgun ownership and forbid transfer of other firearms has been well and truly whacked on by a number of people. Alphecca not only does that, he ties in a lot of other news, including a really flawed study on firearms ownership. Read it, I'll not try to condense.
Smallest Minority hits on the issues, too. Including the memorandum from the Justice Department affirming that the 2nd Amendment right to arms is, indeed, an individual right. As a lot of people have pointed out for a long time, there are two dangers with the 'collective-right' argument; first, that somehow language that speaks of individual rights in all other amendments somehow morphs into a 'collective' right in this case; and second, that the same arguments could be used by others to trash our other rights as only being 'collective'.
I still find it amazing how people who call themselves 'progressive' seem to think that means 'we are for all freedoms(except the one's we don't approve of, bacause they don't really count, you see)'.
Smallest Minority hits on the issues, too. Including the memorandum from the Justice Department affirming that the 2nd Amendment right to arms is, indeed, an individual right. As a lot of people have pointed out for a long time, there are two dangers with the 'collective-right' argument; first, that somehow language that speaks of individual rights in all other amendments somehow morphs into a 'collective' right in this case; and second, that the same arguments could be used by others to trash our other rights as only being 'collective'.
I still find it amazing how people who call themselves 'progressive' seem to think that means 'we are for all freedoms(except the one's we don't approve of, bacause they don't really count, you see)'.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Cat as alarm clock
If I could put a timer on the little furball, she might actually come in useful. As it is, when she thinks I'm about to wake up- or thinks I should- she jumps up on the bed, sits by my head and starts patting me on the eye.
The patting beats the other thing, though. If a hand or shoulder is showing, she starts ticking at it with her claws. Which does wake me up, and also causes her to levitate when I yell and jump.
Let's see, a nice purr instead of paws/claws, timer so you can keep her from starting this crap when you don't need to get up ("I'll feed you when I'm awake, dammit!").
Or I could get a water pistol.
The patting beats the other thing, though. If a hand or shoulder is showing, she starts ticking at it with her claws. Which does wake me up, and also causes her to levitate when I yell and jump.
Let's see, a nice purr instead of paws/claws, timer so you can keep her from starting this crap when you don't need to get up ("I'll feed you when I'm awake, dammit!").
Or I could get a water pistol.
I hate wrapping Christmas presents
One of the things I picked up is going to be hard to wrap, and I'm about out of paper anyway, and I hate winding up with rolls of the stuff to put away 'till next time...
Crap on that. Some of this stuff is going in bags. Brown paper bags. Or something simple.
Also, it's about to get cold again. Which has nothing to do with wrapping paper, but Steve was bitching about how cold it was in Florida a couple of days ago. "It's only 50-something, I'm freezing!" Suck it up, man! Our HIGHS the last while have been 40's & 50's. For Thursday & Friday this week they're saying highs in the 20's. Why don't you pluck Marv and stuff the feathers in your shirt? That'll give you some insulation. Although with all the habeneros you eat, I'm surprised you can get cold.
Last time I went to the range I discovered that the ventilators blow out from the firing line toward the range. Therefore, in December, you get a damn cold draft into the back of your neck and head. That does not aid in good shooting.
I will, however, stop saying nasty things about Steve if he invites me to ManCamp. Sounds kind of like what my great-uncle used to do with a fish fry on occasion.
I now have to find enough paper to wrap one thing, it's too small for the paper bag, and leaving it in a glorious wrapping that announces "Wal-Mart" just doesn't seem right.
Crap on that. Some of this stuff is going in bags. Brown paper bags. Or something simple.
Also, it's about to get cold again. Which has nothing to do with wrapping paper, but Steve was bitching about how cold it was in Florida a couple of days ago. "It's only 50-something, I'm freezing!" Suck it up, man! Our HIGHS the last while have been 40's & 50's. For Thursday & Friday this week they're saying highs in the 20's. Why don't you pluck Marv and stuff the feathers in your shirt? That'll give you some insulation. Although with all the habeneros you eat, I'm surprised you can get cold.
Last time I went to the range I discovered that the ventilators blow out from the firing line toward the range. Therefore, in December, you get a damn cold draft into the back of your neck and head. That does not aid in good shooting.
I will, however, stop saying nasty things about Steve if he invites me to ManCamp. Sounds kind of like what my great-uncle used to do with a fish fry on occasion.
I now have to find enough paper to wrap one thing, it's too small for the paper bag, and leaving it in a glorious wrapping that announces "Wal-Mart" just doesn't seem right.
Friday, December 17, 2004
How to clean your guns
First, you require a dirty gun. You should not drop one in the garden or the vacuum cleaner bag; you need one dirty from shooting; not only is this the proper way to get your gun dirty, it's a lot more fun. And noisy.
Now you need cleaning supplies. Oil and/or bore cleaner, cleaning patches, a cleaning rod, the jag to hold your patches, and a large flat space to lay things out on. This surface should not be one that is easily stained or damaged, or should be one you can hide. If you're married, you already know why(if you're not, you'll find out one day)
First, make sure the firearm to be cleaned is unloaded, with no cartridge left in the chamber. Not doing this could be noisy, and lead to more damage-cover problems.
Second, take it apart enough to clean it. There are two levels of this:
Field-stripping means taking it apart just enough to clean things off.
Detail-stripping means taking the whole damn thing apart; barrel, screws, stock, springs and all. This method is much more fun, allowing you to clean everything and giving much more opportunity to lose things and practice your language skills. Especially if you've lost the directions to put it back together.
For most needs, field-strip the thing and lay the parts out in order.
Remove the cat from the table.
Wet a patch with your chosen cleaning agent and wipe things off, setting them down in order. Put a patch on your cleaning rod, wet it down, and run it through the bore. Repeat, and set aside.
About this time you'll find that either a: the cat has returned to the table, or b: you're out of patches. Take a moment to either throw the beast off or dig out some more patches. You don't have more? Find that old t-shirt and start cutting. By the time you finish this, you're thirsty, so you have to wash your hands and get a drink. Do wash first; gun oil/cleaner does not help the taste of any drink known to man. And put the bottle down, you can have that after you're done.
Return. If you detail-stripped the piece, you'll likely find that either the cat came back to visit and is batting things around, or you bumped the table and things rolled around. This is your first opportunity to practice your language skills. Which, if you have kids, may also get you a lecture you really don't need right now.
Take a rag and wipe all the parts off, hopefully taking off all the fouling. Then wipe them down again with a clean patch & oil. Push a couple of clean patches through the bore, hopefully wiping all the crud out of the bore. If not, run a couple more wet patches through and wipe out again.
You should also have a couple of spare rags handy, or a roll of paper towels. This is to wipe up the spill when you knock the bottle over. You will do this either when a: you reach for it, or b: when the !*(@)#*&^^@ cat jumps back up on the table. If yours is a really fiendish beast, it WILL jump up where reaching for it will cause you to knock the damn bottle over.
Wipe up spill, and mutter language lesson, then run clean patches through bore. Unless you're shooting really crappy ammo or have let it get really nasty, this should do it.
Wipe all excess oil off all parts, and reassemble. And you're done!
Unless, of course, you detail-stripped it. Then you get to look for all the parts that have rolled/fallen somewhere, and try to find your directions(which you then get to try to open up without getting oily fingerprints all over it, causing further display of verbal skill). After finding all necessary parts/materials, then you get to put it all back together.
And now, flush with success, you get to put the firearm away, head back to the sink to wash your hands off- followed by washing out the sink so you don't receive a language lesson.
There are variations on this basic routine. Usually involving parts not being found, falling over the cat/dog, and sometimes ending with screamed imprecations at the pet, the parts involved, and possibly the ancestry of whoever designed the damn thing in the first place.
Now is the time to retire to a chair with a bottle of suitable drink.
Wasn't that easy?
Now you need cleaning supplies. Oil and/or bore cleaner, cleaning patches, a cleaning rod, the jag to hold your patches, and a large flat space to lay things out on. This surface should not be one that is easily stained or damaged, or should be one you can hide. If you're married, you already know why(if you're not, you'll find out one day)
First, make sure the firearm to be cleaned is unloaded, with no cartridge left in the chamber. Not doing this could be noisy, and lead to more damage-cover problems.
Second, take it apart enough to clean it. There are two levels of this:
Field-stripping means taking it apart just enough to clean things off.
Detail-stripping means taking the whole damn thing apart; barrel, screws, stock, springs and all. This method is much more fun, allowing you to clean everything and giving much more opportunity to lose things and practice your language skills. Especially if you've lost the directions to put it back together.
For most needs, field-strip the thing and lay the parts out in order.
Remove the cat from the table.
Wet a patch with your chosen cleaning agent and wipe things off, setting them down in order. Put a patch on your cleaning rod, wet it down, and run it through the bore. Repeat, and set aside.
About this time you'll find that either a: the cat has returned to the table, or b: you're out of patches. Take a moment to either throw the beast off or dig out some more patches. You don't have more? Find that old t-shirt and start cutting. By the time you finish this, you're thirsty, so you have to wash your hands and get a drink. Do wash first; gun oil/cleaner does not help the taste of any drink known to man. And put the bottle down, you can have that after you're done.
Return. If you detail-stripped the piece, you'll likely find that either the cat came back to visit and is batting things around, or you bumped the table and things rolled around. This is your first opportunity to practice your language skills. Which, if you have kids, may also get you a lecture you really don't need right now.
Take a rag and wipe all the parts off, hopefully taking off all the fouling. Then wipe them down again with a clean patch & oil. Push a couple of clean patches through the bore, hopefully wiping all the crud out of the bore. If not, run a couple more wet patches through and wipe out again.
You should also have a couple of spare rags handy, or a roll of paper towels. This is to wipe up the spill when you knock the bottle over. You will do this either when a: you reach for it, or b: when the !*(@)#*&^^@ cat jumps back up on the table. If yours is a really fiendish beast, it WILL jump up where reaching for it will cause you to knock the damn bottle over.
Wipe up spill, and mutter language lesson, then run clean patches through bore. Unless you're shooting really crappy ammo or have let it get really nasty, this should do it.
Wipe all excess oil off all parts, and reassemble. And you're done!
Unless, of course, you detail-stripped it. Then you get to look for all the parts that have rolled/fallen somewhere, and try to find your directions(which you then get to try to open up without getting oily fingerprints all over it, causing further display of verbal skill). After finding all necessary parts/materials, then you get to put it all back together.
And now, flush with success, you get to put the firearm away, head back to the sink to wash your hands off- followed by washing out the sink so you don't receive a language lesson.
There are variations on this basic routine. Usually involving parts not being found, falling over the cat/dog, and sometimes ending with screamed imprecations at the pet, the parts involved, and possibly the ancestry of whoever designed the damn thing in the first place.
Now is the time to retire to a chair with a bottle of suitable drink.
Wasn't that easy?
Thursday, December 16, 2004
The Battle of the Bulge
Started 60 years ago. A site called Jewish World Review has an article about it.
Besides the stubbornness of some units- cut off from support, cold, short on supplies and ammunition- refusing to surrender or run, I read once that Patton managing to turn the entire 3rd Army and start it off in the new axis of attack in the time taken to do it was marvelous.
(I also read that Patton did not want to meet the German forces head-on; he wanted to run up their eastern flank for about 15 miles and then cut east, cutting the German forces off from support and resupply. Would probably have worked).
Take a look at it, and say a prayer for the memory of those men, and for the few who are still with us.
Besides the stubbornness of some units- cut off from support, cold, short on supplies and ammunition- refusing to surrender or run, I read once that Patton managing to turn the entire 3rd Army and start it off in the new axis of attack in the time taken to do it was marvelous.
(I also read that Patton did not want to meet the German forces head-on; he wanted to run up their eastern flank for about 15 miles and then cut east, cutting the German forces off from support and resupply. Would probably have worked).
Take a look at it, and say a prayer for the memory of those men, and for the few who are still with us.
Ref the size of 'Oil, etc.'
Yes, I know the letters shrink as it nears the end. No, I haven't been able to fix it.
Dammit.
Update: Thank you, Noddy, it worked
Dammit.
Update: Thank you, Noddy, it worked
Injuries on two wheels
I've been riding motorcycles since I was 14. I've burned myself on mufflers and header pipes, I've gotten cut and scraped working on them, but the worst injury I've ever had was a cut lip and some bruises. It took a damn bicycle to actually hurt me.
In good weather, when I've got time, I like to take my bicycle to the store, or the library. On this occasion I'd been working 0100 to 0900(1a.m. to 9a.m. for you non-24hour clock folks). It's Sunday evening and I don't have to be at work until 9a.m. There was a guitar magazine with an article on Heart- the group- that I wanted to get for my daughter. Nice weather, so I jumped on the bike and headed for Barnes & Noble.
Got there, they were out. There's a Borders about a half-mile away, so I headed for there. You either take back streets, or try to avoid being run over on two major streets, so I took the back way. And all was fine, until I cut through the hotel parking lot. Other times I'd have been fine, but I was tired and my reactions were off when I clipped the speed bump. Big sucker. Front banged and wobbled, but it was when the back hit that I lost it. I had one of those frozen moments when you know what has happened, you know what's going to happen, and you know you can't do a damn thing about it.
Bang. I went over sideways to the right, and had just enough reaction left to guide the fall a bit with my hand (thankfully, had gloves on) and take the impact on arm, shoulder and hip. I slid about three feet, and as I stopped and lay there my first thought was, "I'm going to have a hard time putting a shirt on tomorrow". This because I was in shorts and a tank top. However, when I pulled myself up I found only a couple of small scratches. Sore, but still ambulatory. So I got back on the bike(scrape on seat, no other damage), went into Borders- they were out of the damn magazine- then rode home, cleaned up and went to bed.
Morning comes, and I woke up and tried to sit up. 'Tried' because I could not really move my right leg, and could not raise my right arm. I had to roll to the edge of the bed and swing my legs over, hobble to the phone and call the doctor for an appointment, then call work to say 'I ain't gonna be there'.
Ever tried to drive a standard transmission truck with no right leg?
I had not broken anything, but had bruised my shoulder and hip so badly I was off work for three days. And my shoulder gives me trouble to this day.
Followup on this was I'd told my supervisor I'd had a bike accident, and everybody thought I'd crashed my new motorcycle.
I still ride bicycles, but not when I'm that tired.
In good weather, when I've got time, I like to take my bicycle to the store, or the library. On this occasion I'd been working 0100 to 0900(1a.m. to 9a.m. for you non-24hour clock folks). It's Sunday evening and I don't have to be at work until 9a.m. There was a guitar magazine with an article on Heart- the group- that I wanted to get for my daughter. Nice weather, so I jumped on the bike and headed for Barnes & Noble.
Got there, they were out. There's a Borders about a half-mile away, so I headed for there. You either take back streets, or try to avoid being run over on two major streets, so I took the back way. And all was fine, until I cut through the hotel parking lot. Other times I'd have been fine, but I was tired and my reactions were off when I clipped the speed bump. Big sucker. Front banged and wobbled, but it was when the back hit that I lost it. I had one of those frozen moments when you know what has happened, you know what's going to happen, and you know you can't do a damn thing about it.
Bang. I went over sideways to the right, and had just enough reaction left to guide the fall a bit with my hand (thankfully, had gloves on) and take the impact on arm, shoulder and hip. I slid about three feet, and as I stopped and lay there my first thought was, "I'm going to have a hard time putting a shirt on tomorrow". This because I was in shorts and a tank top. However, when I pulled myself up I found only a couple of small scratches. Sore, but still ambulatory. So I got back on the bike(scrape on seat, no other damage), went into Borders- they were out of the damn magazine- then rode home, cleaned up and went to bed.
Morning comes, and I woke up and tried to sit up. 'Tried' because I could not really move my right leg, and could not raise my right arm. I had to roll to the edge of the bed and swing my legs over, hobble to the phone and call the doctor for an appointment, then call work to say 'I ain't gonna be there'.
Ever tried to drive a standard transmission truck with no right leg?
I had not broken anything, but had bruised my shoulder and hip so badly I was off work for three days. And my shoulder gives me trouble to this day.
Followup on this was I'd told my supervisor I'd had a bike accident, and everybody thought I'd crashed my new motorcycle.
I still ride bicycles, but not when I'm that tired.
Do you hate the weather weenies?
I'm talking about those idiots on TV and radio. I'm talking about the clowns who think they have to work in practice for their stand-up routine while they're supposed to be giving you facts.
I'm talking about the assholes who come on at the start of the news and say something like, "Nice weather for today, but is there a threat of death from the sky tomorrow? Details later in the broadcast."
I'm talking about the jerks who come on your radio and talk about how you should 'enjoy the weather today, because it's going to turn extremely cold next week' and worry the crap out of you. Until you find out that it's expected to be a bit colder than the average for this time of year. And that's it.
I hate these people.
There's a meteorologist here named Gary England. Overall he seems to be quite competent, but he has a tendency to do the above. What really used to tick me off was Spike the Weather Pig. He got a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig for a pet and gave it the above name. Now, I can see having a little blurb about it, but it didn't stop there. He'd come on to /supposedly/ do the weather report, and start off spending a few minutes showing pictures/video of Spike. In the spring/summer, when the sky looks certain ways and the air has a certain feel to it, people around here turn on the weather to find out if God's vacuum cleaner is about to lower a hose down on their neighborhood. One day when the conditions looked, shall we say, not good, I turned on the TV to see what was happening. No, I don't have cable or satellite for the Weather Channel. So I turned on channel 9 just as his report came on, and he spent the first few minutes with crap about that damn pig!
I'm wondering if we can expect the high winds, hail and maybe tornados the sky leads me to expect, and this idiot is spending time showing pictures of his PIG! He finally got to what I actually needed to hear- yes, the sky might indeed fall on us through tonight- but when it was over I was still steamed.
It was after this that I told a friend that the next time he pulled this crap, I was going to kidnap the pig and mail Gary a slab of ribs with a note: Stop showing Spike when you're supposed to be talking about the weather, or the pig gets it. Happily, right after that the pig stopped showing up; someone told me that it'd grown so big he had to send it to the family farm to live. So I was saved from becoming a pignapper.
But I'm still pissed at the weather weenies.
I'm talking about the assholes who come on at the start of the news and say something like, "Nice weather for today, but is there a threat of death from the sky tomorrow? Details later in the broadcast."
I'm talking about the jerks who come on your radio and talk about how you should 'enjoy the weather today, because it's going to turn extremely cold next week' and worry the crap out of you. Until you find out that it's expected to be a bit colder than the average for this time of year. And that's it.
I hate these people.
There's a meteorologist here named Gary England. Overall he seems to be quite competent, but he has a tendency to do the above. What really used to tick me off was Spike the Weather Pig. He got a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig for a pet and gave it the above name. Now, I can see having a little blurb about it, but it didn't stop there. He'd come on to /supposedly/ do the weather report, and start off spending a few minutes showing pictures/video of Spike. In the spring/summer, when the sky looks certain ways and the air has a certain feel to it, people around here turn on the weather to find out if God's vacuum cleaner is about to lower a hose down on their neighborhood. One day when the conditions looked, shall we say, not good, I turned on the TV to see what was happening. No, I don't have cable or satellite for the Weather Channel. So I turned on channel 9 just as his report came on, and he spent the first few minutes with crap about that damn pig!
I'm wondering if we can expect the high winds, hail and maybe tornados the sky leads me to expect, and this idiot is spending time showing pictures of his PIG! He finally got to what I actually needed to hear- yes, the sky might indeed fall on us through tonight- but when it was over I was still steamed.
It was after this that I told a friend that the next time he pulled this crap, I was going to kidnap the pig and mail Gary a slab of ribs with a note: Stop showing Spike when you're supposed to be talking about the weather, or the pig gets it. Happily, right after that the pig stopped showing up; someone told me that it'd grown so big he had to send it to the family farm to live. So I was saved from becoming a pignapper.
But I'm still pissed at the weather weenies.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Oil and grease and lube, oh my!
No, dammit, not that kind. For machinery.
One of the side effects of often not being able to leave things alone is experimenting. In this case, different oils, etc., for guns and knives. With a knife the main issue is protection from rust; since I sometimes have blades out for people to look over, and they handle them, this is a big issue. With folding knives(a drop in the pivot points) and firearms, lubrication is also important. And there's a lot of stuff out there.
There's Break Free, and TriFlow, and Militech, and Eezox, and Remoil, and Rig, and LSA, and the list goes on. Some say they're CLP- cleaner, lubricant, protectant- others are lube or protectant only. Cosmoline is a protectant only, it's not expected to lubricate. And it works, but unless you're storing something for a long time, you don't want it. Most of them will do some light cleaning, but if you have real copper or lead or plastic fouling in a weapon, you have to clean it out with a cleaner, then use the other stuff to finish off the cleaning and lube it.
There's Microlon Gun Juice. It's primarily a dry lube; shake it up well, wipe the parts and let them dry. Repeat four times, and it's done. It seems to slick things up nicely, and on .22 barrels it is a wonder; treat the barrel according to instructions, and fouling just wipes out. I had a pistol that fouled the barrel badly after about 50-75 rounds, and this cured it. Doesn't seem much of a cleaner compared to other things, but for bores and triggers and such, it's wonderful stuff.
I've used Break Free, and Triflow and Eezox. They all work pretty well, for cleaning and lubing (with the caveat noted above). I gave Militech a quick try. It's supposed to be a dry lubricant only, wipe it on, warm a bit, then wipe the excess off. Mad Ogre had a link to some tests that showed it did little as a corrosion preventive though, so I didn't use it much. I'm fairly chicken about blades that took a long time to make, or firearms I don't want damaged. Eezox seems pretty good. It's another 'dry' lube, you clean and lube, then let the parts sit till it drys, leaving a film of dry lube. Seems a pretty good protectant, does a decent job cleaning, seems a decent lube.
Recently I got a bottle of Corrosion-X. It's a CLP, and I'd read some pretty good reports on it. It's also supposed to be a very good penetrant, good at breaking loose frozen nuts, screws, etc. And that's what I really needed. I've been working on an old .22 rifle that was supposed to be a take-down; barrel unscrews from the receiver so it could be more easily packed when travelling. This one had probably not been taken apart for at least sixty years, quite likely more, and the barrel was frozen in place. I had oiled, soaked with different penetrating oils, and nothing seemed to do it.(yes, I did consider taking it to a gunsmith, but until/unless I had to give up, I wanted to do it myself) So I got a bottle of this. I stripped it down to barrel & receiver and sprayed a liberal amount at the joint where barrel meets receiver, and around the breech end of the barrel where it came through the wall, then propped it up and left it for a week. Every day I'd put a few more drops around the inside seam. After a week I took it to the post vise (heavy steel vise for blacksmith work) and clamped the barrel up, with the receiver just clear of the jaws and two pieces of 1/4" plywood for barrel pads. Wrapped a piece of thin leather around the receiver for padding and clamped a 12" pipe wrench to it. Then, with a slight prayer, took a steel rod I keep for such things and whacked the wrench handle.
And it moved.
Understand, I'd done this before with no result. I stood there looking at it for a few seconds, then checked to see if the barrel had slipped in the vise- it hadn't- then grabbed the handle and swung it around a turn. The receiver turned freely, and I finished removing it by hand. Surprisingly there was no trace of rust on the threads of receiver or barrel shank, and they were oily; they'd apparently been protected from the rust that had hit the outside of the piece, and it looked like the Corrosion-X had penetrated. Close examination showed that the rust that froze it had been the bit between the barrel shoulders and receiver, and it wasn't too bad. Cleaned everything thoroughly, lubed it, and put it all back together. It now takes down and reassembles with no problem.
This may have worked due to the other stuff, over time, having an effect, but I don't think so. I think the Corrosion-X did the job. I've tried it on a couple of seriously dirty- from firing- guns and it seemed to clean quite well, taking some lead fouling out of a pistol barrel as well as the best other stuff I've tried, so I'm going to keep working with it. If it takes copper fouling out, I'll be extremely pleased with it. I'm trying some things now to see how it works as a lube, we'll see how it comes out.
One of the side effects of often not being able to leave things alone is experimenting. In this case, different oils, etc., for guns and knives. With a knife the main issue is protection from rust; since I sometimes have blades out for people to look over, and they handle them, this is a big issue. With folding knives(a drop in the pivot points) and firearms, lubrication is also important. And there's a lot of stuff out there.
There's Break Free, and TriFlow, and Militech, and Eezox, and Remoil, and Rig, and LSA, and the list goes on. Some say they're CLP- cleaner, lubricant, protectant- others are lube or protectant only. Cosmoline is a protectant only, it's not expected to lubricate. And it works, but unless you're storing something for a long time, you don't want it. Most of them will do some light cleaning, but if you have real copper or lead or plastic fouling in a weapon, you have to clean it out with a cleaner, then use the other stuff to finish off the cleaning and lube it.
There's Microlon Gun Juice. It's primarily a dry lube; shake it up well, wipe the parts and let them dry. Repeat four times, and it's done. It seems to slick things up nicely, and on .22 barrels it is a wonder; treat the barrel according to instructions, and fouling just wipes out. I had a pistol that fouled the barrel badly after about 50-75 rounds, and this cured it. Doesn't seem much of a cleaner compared to other things, but for bores and triggers and such, it's wonderful stuff.
I've used Break Free, and Triflow and Eezox. They all work pretty well, for cleaning and lubing (with the caveat noted above). I gave Militech a quick try. It's supposed to be a dry lubricant only, wipe it on, warm a bit, then wipe the excess off. Mad Ogre had a link to some tests that showed it did little as a corrosion preventive though, so I didn't use it much. I'm fairly chicken about blades that took a long time to make, or firearms I don't want damaged. Eezox seems pretty good. It's another 'dry' lube, you clean and lube, then let the parts sit till it drys, leaving a film of dry lube. Seems a pretty good protectant, does a decent job cleaning, seems a decent lube.
Recently I got a bottle of Corrosion-X. It's a CLP, and I'd read some pretty good reports on it. It's also supposed to be a very good penetrant, good at breaking loose frozen nuts, screws, etc. And that's what I really needed. I've been working on an old .22 rifle that was supposed to be a take-down; barrel unscrews from the receiver so it could be more easily packed when travelling. This one had probably not been taken apart for at least sixty years, quite likely more, and the barrel was frozen in place. I had oiled, soaked with different penetrating oils, and nothing seemed to do it.(yes, I did consider taking it to a gunsmith, but until/unless I had to give up, I wanted to do it myself) So I got a bottle of this. I stripped it down to barrel & receiver and sprayed a liberal amount at the joint where barrel meets receiver, and around the breech end of the barrel where it came through the wall, then propped it up and left it for a week. Every day I'd put a few more drops around the inside seam. After a week I took it to the post vise (heavy steel vise for blacksmith work) and clamped the barrel up, with the receiver just clear of the jaws and two pieces of 1/4" plywood for barrel pads. Wrapped a piece of thin leather around the receiver for padding and clamped a 12" pipe wrench to it. Then, with a slight prayer, took a steel rod I keep for such things and whacked the wrench handle.
And it moved.
Understand, I'd done this before with no result. I stood there looking at it for a few seconds, then checked to see if the barrel had slipped in the vise- it hadn't- then grabbed the handle and swung it around a turn. The receiver turned freely, and I finished removing it by hand. Surprisingly there was no trace of rust on the threads of receiver or barrel shank, and they were oily; they'd apparently been protected from the rust that had hit the outside of the piece, and it looked like the Corrosion-X had penetrated. Close examination showed that the rust that froze it had been the bit between the barrel shoulders and receiver, and it wasn't too bad. Cleaned everything thoroughly, lubed it, and put it all back together. It now takes down and reassembles with no problem.
This may have worked due to the other stuff, over time, having an effect, but I don't think so. I think the Corrosion-X did the job. I've tried it on a couple of seriously dirty- from firing- guns and it seemed to clean quite well, taking some lead fouling out of a pistol barrel as well as the best other stuff I've tried, so I'm going to keep working with it. If it takes copper fouling out, I'll be extremely pleased with it. I'm trying some things now to see how it works as a lube, we'll see how it comes out.
And I'm sure I'll hear of some other wonder product down the road, and I'll ahve to give it a try. For now I'm going to give the Corrosion-X a serious workout.
(no, they're not paying me for this. I wish someone was)
Why can't there just be a different viewpoint?
There's a /apparently/ large group of people out there, to whom there is no such thing as someone with a different viewpoint; if you oppose theirs, you're part of some group/conspiracy out there TRYING TO DO EVIL! Chrenkoff has examples.
I could put up with a lot of this, but when someone decides the only reason an Iraqi would say good things about U.S. troops is because they're being paid to-threatened into- part of some U.S.G. agency, well my tolerance goes out the window. It's in the same groupthink that says anyone who voted for Bush/supports the war is obviously too stupid to understand the truth.
Large loads of crap out there.
I could put up with a lot of this, but when someone decides the only reason an Iraqi would say good things about U.S. troops is because they're being paid to-threatened into- part of some U.S.G. agency, well my tolerance goes out the window. It's in the same groupthink that says anyone who voted for Bush/supports the war is obviously too stupid to understand the truth.
Large loads of crap out there.
Monday, December 13, 2004
And the temp goes up & down & up & down...
Steve is bitching that it's only in the 50's! in his part of Florida, and he's about to pluck the birds to stuff a coat. Suck it up, boy. You're stuffed with ManCamp leftovers, heat some up and tell Marvin to hush.
Saturday & Sunday here were high 50's--low 60's, and people were walking around in shorts. The rest of this week they're predicting lows in the 20's-30's and highs in the 40's.
Ever worked on a roof? They were re-roofing the house next door, and the weather was a blessing for them. 60's when on a roof can be pretty warm; 70's and you sweat buckets. Better them than I, I'm not fond of working on a housetop.
Side note: Stuff called Corrosion-X is pretty good penetrating lubricant.
Saturday & Sunday here were high 50's--low 60's, and people were walking around in shorts. The rest of this week they're predicting lows in the 20's-30's and highs in the 40's.
Ever worked on a roof? They were re-roofing the house next door, and the weather was a blessing for them. 60's when on a roof can be pretty warm; 70's and you sweat buckets. Better them than I, I'm not fond of working on a housetop.
Side note: Stuff called Corrosion-X is pretty good penetrating lubricant.
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