Miscellaneous
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Gonna take a few days
And hit up Vegas. We’ll be back Thursday, and my birthday follows next Friday. Take the money you would have spent on my present and send it - anonymously - to your favorite charity. No fanfare, no receipt, no tax deductions. The only ones who get to know what you did is you and your Diety.
Just because. (Trust me, the Diety will be at least mildly impressed.)
In other news, I sent off yet another year’s rent on this site, so I’ll be here pissing you off for at least another year.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
A Legend Passes
We note with deepest regret the passing of legendary actor Charlton Heston, late of the National Rifle Association.
May his family and friends receive comfort in their time of grief. Our prayers go out to them.
He is the type of man that doesn’t come along very often. Our country is poorer for his loss.
Update: Color me unsurprised,
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wow. Just… wow
I found this clip over at Ace’s HQ, and it is possibly the most incisive dissection of the Liberal mindset I have ever seen.
Watch it. Save it. Learn it.
“Anything other than indiscriminiteness is the evil of having discriminated.”
Evan Sayet is a conservative writer and producer, and clearly someone who has given this a great deal of careful thought. It’s kinda long (about 50 mins), but take the time to watch the whole thing. You’ll thank me later.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Looking for recipes
I’ve always thought I should expand my repertoire when it comes to matters culinary. I know how to make about half a dozen different kinds of each major meal of the day, above and beyond the simple “pour from can into medium cooking pan, heat, then serve” variety, plus a few desserts.
But there are some dishes I have never had reason to make myself, and find that I am somewhat interested in learning them…
So, does anyone have a good (tested) recipe for tuna casserole? Or any other good “comfort food” that they wish to share?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Death of a Legend
Legendary [Loch Ness Monster] hunter Robert Rines is giving up his search for the monster after 37 years ...
Despite having hundreds of sonar contacts over the years, the trail has since gone cold and Rines believes that Nessie may be dead, a victim of global warming.
Up next? Elvis. 
(Via Tim Blair)
Thursday, February 07, 2008
And The Long Slow Death of Great Britain Continues
Let’s just file this under one of the worst ideas known to mankind:
The Archbishop of Canterbury caused consternation yesterday by calling for Islamic law to be recognised in Britain.
He declared that sharia and Parliamentary law should be given equal legal status so the people could choose which governs their lives.
Next? Public stoning of engaged couples who have the temerity to walk together in public.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Didn’t See This Coming
Farewell to a genuine legend
Bob Knight retires from Texas Tech.
I don’t condemn or condone the man’s actions over the years. He is what he is, and that’s it.
Friday, February 01, 2008
McCain And Bipartisanship
Another myth laid to rest
When he endorsed John McCain earlier this week, Governor Schwarzenegger said the following:
He extolled McCain for “reach[ing] across the political aisle to get things done.”
Karl over at Protein Wisdom once again performs the take down.
Farewell to England
It was nice knowing you...
This is sad:
Patriotism should be avoided in school lessons because British history is “morally ambiguous”, a leading educational body recommends.
History and citizenship lessons should stick to the bare facts rather than encouraging loyalty to Britain when covering subjects such as the Second World War or the British Empire, the Institute of Education researchers said. Teachers should not instill pride in what they consider great moments of British history, as more shameful episodes could be downplayed or excluded.
The slave trade, imperialism and 20th century wars should be taught as controversial issues while students are deciding how they feel about their country, the report says.
Three quarters of teachers felt obliged to tell students about the danger of patriotism. The survey suggested neither pupils nor teachers wanted patriotism endorsed by schools.
Couple the above with this and well..
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I’m torn
I don’t know which reaction would be most appropriate (or, perhaps more accurately, least inappropriate) to this story:
a) Holy shit! 
b) Holy shit… 
c) Ho-lee shit. 
Cannabinoids, the active components in marijuana, are used to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain, weight loss, and vomiting, but there is increasing evidence that they may also inhibit tumor cell growth. However, the cellular mechanisms behind this are unknown.
Robert Ramer, Ph.D., and Burkhard Hinz, Ph.D., of the University of Rostock in Germany investigated whether and by what mechanism cannabinoids inhibit tumor cell invasion.
Cannabinoids did suppress tumor cell invasion and stimulated the expression of TIMP-1, an inhibitor of a group of enzymes that are involved in tumor cell invasion.
Can you imagine how much more could be done if medical and bioengineering scientists here in the US weren’t afraid of getting arrested for possession/distribution by the Feds?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Best Video of 2007
And the award goes to...
The annoying little asshole who should have been OC sprayed while being hit with the Tazer. Here is the full and complete video, showing him resisting arrest, running from the cops, and causing a public disturbance:
That was so awesome. I hop this kid gets his ass kicked at least once a month so we all have something to laugh at.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Booted
It’s all about the comfort.
I really need to get some new boots. I’m currently rocking some old fashioned military jungle boots. I figure if they’re good enough for the United States military, they’re good enough for me. The only problem is that they’re uncomfortable as hell, they’re tough to run in, and I have no need for boots that go halfway to my knee.
A little over a year ago I had a pair of Oakley SI Assault boots. They were undoubtedly the most comfortable boots I ever had. To my dismay, my agency sent out a memo and adjusted the policy to restrict us from wearing Oakley’s.
Does anyone have any idea of a pair of boots I can get that are similar to the Oakley’s, only cheaper, shorter (around ankle height), and comfortable?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Backup
To carry, or not to carry.
A lot of my fellow LEO’s have been asking me about carrying backup weapons during the course of their duties. If they’re referring to a weapon as anything that can be used for protection, then I’m all for it. If they’re referring to a weapon in the traditional sense, meaning a firearm, then I’m against it. Allow me to explain.
There is no place that you’re going to carry your backup that will be useful to you when the proverbial feces hit the fan. I’ve heard the argument that it’s easier to reach into your side pocket or your back pocket instead of reaching for your holster when someone tackles you, but it’s not. I’ve run quite a few dynamic scenarios in the past month, and it just doesn’t make sense. If someone tackles you, there are two things you have to consider:
1. One hand will be protecting your holstered weapon;
2. One hand will be protecting you from the constant beating and hits that you’re taking from the suspect.
Believe me, I’ve been in crappy situations many times, and your moving around so much that it’s near to impossible to do anything but wrestle. Plus, we have to examine the fact that the fight is already over if you’re gone to the ground to fight.
Ground fighting is stupid. I know I just made enemies with every meathead in the world, but it’s true. Ground fighting, commonly known as grappling, is useful in fun little scenarios and competitions, but you better work on your police tactics if you want to survive in the field.
Back to the backup. If you’re a new cop and you’re seriously thinking about getting a backup weapon (because your FTO insists that you have one, or you just want to fit in with the cool crowd), get a cheap little revolver or a cheap little semi-auto, shove a few rounds in it, stick it in your pocket and pray that it doesn’t fall out. I had a friend jump a fence and lose his revolver from a buttoned pocket. Another buddy got in a fight and his backup slipped out of his side pocket when he thought it was secured by an inside-the-pocket holster. My current partner was kicked in the ankle because the suspect knew that was one of three common places for a cop to carry a backup. When he kicked his ankle, it pushed his uniform pant leg up exposing the backup and releasing the safety on the holster. As you can see, this wasn’t a very positive situation.
Personally, I would recommend keeping more than one knife on you. You can pocket a few all over your uniform. A knife wound will kill someone a lot faster than a bullet. I’ve seen suspects get shot five or six times before they even slow down. Any cop that works the ghetto will tell you stories about gangsters that show off their bullet wounds and tell you about how they got away from a cop on foot after taking a magazine full of rounds. Knives are affordable and they cut deep. While I won’t get started on my rant about how you should always watch your back and make sure you’re always at a point of complete advantage, if you do end up going to the ground (at which point it turns into a life or death matter), grabbing a knife and slitting a throat provides for an instant death. A stab to any artery will allow you to win the battle. A slice to a muscle or a major group of organs will cause more pain than most people can stand. It’s easy to cut fast and cut hard than it is to grab a pistol or a revolver out of your pocket, get a clean shot, and let off a few rounds.
The bottom line - get used to carrying multiple edged weapons, and learn to use them.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Biz
Makes sense to me.
I believe in applying common sense to most things, including finding a job. It seems to me that finding a job is about who you know as well as what you know. This article confirms that.
Here’s a collection of interesting ideas from people who are talking about the value of business school:
1. Business school is not an effective means to self-discovery.
Most business school applications require that you tell what you’re going to do with the MBA. This is because most business schools think it is a waste to get an MBA if you don’t know what you’re going to do with it. If you don’t know what you want to do, you can’t rule out that you won’t need the degree. And business school is too expensive to use as a means to simply delay the real world.
2. Maybe you should try philosophy courses instead.
One of the most recent, and cogent critiques of business schools came from management consultant Matthew Stewart in the Atlantic (paid). “Most of management theory is insane,” he writes. “If you want to succeed in business, don’t get an MBA. Study philosophy instead.”
Stewart says that the three most important pieces of advice for business are also topics dear to philosophers:
Expand the domain of your analysis
Hire people with greater diversity of experience
Get good at communication
“As I plowed through my shelfload of bad management books, I beheld a discipline that consists mainly of unverifiable propositions and cryptic anecdotes, is rarely if ever held accountable, and produces an inordinate number of catastrophically bad writers. It was all too familiar. There are, however, at least two crucial differences between philosophers and their wayward cousins. The first and most important is that philosophers are much better at knowing what they don’t know. The second is money. In a sense, management theory is what happens to philosophers when you pay them too much.”
3. Business schools are headhunters who charge a fee to the employee.
Stewart says the best thing that can be said about business school is that it is a way for companies to reliably outsource recruiting. McKinsey is a company built on this model. (But you can bet these companies don’t rely on middling business schools for this purpose.)
4. Common sense might get you further.
Charles Handy, a business guru who got way more press in England than the United States, eventually came down on the side of common sense — that business schools overemphasize academics and that’s not what you need to succeed in business.
5. Good networkers reach way beyond business school.
Many people say they go to business school for the network it provides. But be careful of becoming too dependent on that idea. Networking guru Keith Ferrazzi says that you need to be able to network independently of school if you are going to be good at it.
Certainly, there are good and bad things about going to business school. But think about this: If there were something you were totally excited about doing would you do it right now or would you put it off three years to go to business school? If you would do it right now, then you don’t need an MBA, you need an exciting idea.
When I was in college some of my friends were appalled by the fact that I didn’t want to get a masters or continue past my undergrad degree. It just didn’t make sense to me. True, I was considering becoming an attorney, but I figured that until I wanted to become a courtroom warrior for sure, it would be better to save time and money. Besides that, I hated school. It was a big waste of time for me. I hated sitting in classes, I wasn’t amazed or humbled by the professors, and I always thought that everything in life was more a matter of who you knew than what you knew. It turned out that assumption was right. The promotions I saw people get throughout my career weren’t based on their expertise, it was based on who they drank beer with. When I was fresh out of college it wasn’t the guys that went to the best schools that were getting the cool jobs, it was the guys who knew a dude from the club that ended up with the six figure salary and the company car.
That’s just the way the ball bounces. Post-graduate work is the same thing as hiring a headhunter, which is exactly what the author wrote above. You’re fooling yourself if you think you’re going to be MENSA material and the object of everyone’s desire just because you have a post-grad degree.
Here’s a hint: become a cop or join the military. I can guarantee that an employer who sees that you’re cool and calm under pressure will bow-down and kiss your feet when they see how well you can control any situation.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Translation Needed
It’s for an ARG.
I’m still playing that ARG for 1-18-08 despite the fact that the rest of the gamers piss me off to no end. A new clue came about, and it’s in Japanese. If you can read Japanese, can you give me an idea of what the text under the jump says?
You guys are awesome.
