I've seen better weekends

Haven't had much of a chance to sit at the computer this weekend. Sunday I got a call from out at my mom's; the firefighters were just arriving to get after a brush fire that started out in the middle of my mom's 20 acres. We rushed out their, but even driving like a maniac, it takes about an hour. The fire was pretty well out, except for a few hot spots, but it did manage to completely burn some sheds and stuff like tillers, snow blowers, and such. Luckily, no one was hurt. The blaze came up to about 2-3 feet from her home, and was blocked by the rocks along her flower bed. Spent part of yesterday and today out there fixing some of the stuff that wasn't damaged by the fire. When the fire was first sighted, all of her neighbors for miles around came and helped move equipment and valuables away from the area, and helped with shovels and a backhoe to make fire breaks. My thanks to all of them. I may be busy from time to time out there, so blogging may or may not be spotty for a few days.
This is a picture of part of the area, her home is on the far right; you can see where it burnt around the pump house and up to the home. It probably burned up a total of about six or seven acres.



Click for larger view.

Woman orders bears out of her kitchen

Very lucky lady; though I know a few old ladies who could bite a bear on the butt and kick it for bleeding.
I think if I lived in that area, I would start keeping one of my 44's in the kitchen area...

Canine driver crashes car

Why would someone let their dog drive?

"She thought she would let the dog `have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car."

I don't even trust most teenagers to drive a car, but at least (I think/hope) they don't let their pets drive.

Long hours at work can raise your blood pressure

Is it just me, or do there seem to be a lot of research and studies lately that seem completely redundant? The no-shit-Sherlock department seems to be putting in a lot of long hours on studies that most people seem to already know from experience and/or common sense.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, have found that working longer hours is directly associated with hypertension, even after adjusting for biological risk factors such as gender and ethnicity.

Gosh, who would have thought?

Refuse to be Terrorized

This is one of the best articles on this subject I have read in quite a while. This link especially was a good comment. As long as we are running around in a usually needless panic, these guys are winning.

Psycho Killer Raccoons Terrorize Olympia

Believe it or not, that is the actual headline. Makes you think along the lines of "Bambi Meets Dawn of the Dead".
Anyone who has been around raccoons knows what obnoxious vermin they can be. This is just another reason why they are not good neighbors.

N.J. contractor charged with 399 counts of child porn, sex crimes

Bilsky was charged in the grand jury indictment with 74 counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, 30 counts of second-degree aggravated sexual assault and 295 counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by the manufacture of child pornography.

This just boggles the mind; how can a person cockroach like that look at himself in the mirror? Since they won't let us shoot a piece of garbage like this, I hope he spends the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Old-fashioned wheelguns

Over at Kim du Toit's, there has been a bit of discussion about a new commemorative revolver; some people like it, some don't. It is two-toned with pearl grips, and different people have different opinions. Personally, I tend more to the traditional when it comes to revolvers; blued metal and wooden grips. Just call me old-fashioned.
The gun below is a Colt Bisley 38-40 manufactured in 1894. It is a good shooter, though the grip design of the Bisley is a little odd if you are not used to it. My dad originally got it about 35 years ago. A friend of his found it in an attic, and wasn't big on guns. My dad had done a couple of favors for him (he was a journeyman machinist) and he offered it to my dad for $10. He immediately bought it, and check it over for any defects or problems. Just needed some cleaning.
We reloaded for it using cast lead 10mm 180 gr SW, with a bit of Unique powder, and it works just fine. When my dad passed away back in November, it was one of the things he left to me.

Click on picture for larger view.

Hispanic activists sue over illegal-immigrant crackdown in Pa. town

Hazleton, a city of about 31,000 people 80 miles from Philadelphia, voted last month to fine landlords $1,000 for renting to illegal immigrants, deny business permits to companies that give them jobs, and make English the city's official language.

The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund said the lawsuit is the first in the nation against a city that passed an illegal-immigration ordinance. The group and other plaintiffs contend the measure violates the law and asked a federal judge to prevent its enforcement.

I would like to hear what sort of justification this group can make; seems like they are quick to call on the law for support of illegal activities, but not very good at obeying the laws unless it suits them.

It seems a little ridiculous that a group is suing the local government for trying to uphold the law; something the federal government refuses to do, and something we should ALL remember come election time.
Just my opinion.

The only one counseled enough...

A woman who counsels crime victims was charged Friday with burglarizing a home in Sandy with four accomplices - two men and two 17-year-old girls.

WTF?

A definite nominee for the Darwin Award

You really have to wonder what was going through this idiot's brain.

A Brazilian man died Tuesday when he tried to open what police believe was a rocket-propelled grenade with a sledgehammer in a mechanical workshop on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

Hat tip to Dumbshit of the Week

Study claims to link vulgar lyrics to early sex by teenagers

Personally, I find this a little hard to believe without better evidence. It reminds me of when I was growing up in the Sixties, and our elders were blaming everything on the Beatles, whether it was drinking, sex, drugs, or anything else they didn't like about teens.
Did it ever occur to these people that perhaps sexually active teenagers were more drawn to explicit music? There are too many times when the horse and cart are transposed by a study, especially if the sponsor of the study has a personal agenda. I don't see enough concrete evidence to draw the conclusion that music causes promiscuity, any more than video games are responsible for violence.
Just my opinion.

For the caffiene junkies

Too bad they don't have these in this country; I think they could sell pretty well in some circles.

An amazing display of idiocy/propaganda from Turkey

This has to be one of the most blatant displays of slanted writing I have seen in a while; though if you notice the source, it is not surprising.

Owing to one veto in the UN emergency session, not even a decision to condemn Israel was possible. In this attack the region’s main highways, electric and water distribution networks, communication channels, hospitals and emergency institutions, total infra structure, have been destroyed. Civilian settlements have been indiscriminately bombarded and hundreds of children, women and civilians have been massacred.

The attacks on Israel are treated as minor.
What is with these people?

A miserable Sunday

Woke up feeling ok on Sunday, did the grocery shopping. After bringing in the groceries, I felt a bit tired, so I sat down for a minute. When I tried to stand up, I almost passed out. I was feeling extremely light-headed, dizzy, nauseous, and was sweating profusely. My wife got home a couple of minutes later, and I couldn't even stand up to go to the hospital, so I had to ride the ambulance. My first concern was my heart; except for not having chest pains, everything was indicative of an attack. I am no stranger to heart problems (had to get a stent put in last year), so I was very concerned, especially since the doctors felt there was a high probability of it being another attack. After a myriad of tests, they found out that I have a bad infection (good, no heart problems), and sent me home after pumping me full of antibiotics. Spent a miserable night, had a high fever and I feel like I've been run over by a dumptruck. I am due to go in in about an hour and get another bag of stuff dripped into me, hope your day goes better than mine.

Update:

Well, after some serious vein gouging, three shots in the butt, and some pills, my temperature is normal; yesterday it was running around 103. My blood pressure has gone up to 90/59 (it was even lower yesterday, probably why I was so dizzy). It seems I have a really bad case of cellulitis in my left leg (it is bright red, hot, and twice the size of my right leg), but at least now I can hobble around a bit with the aid of a cane. The odd thing is that I also show all the symptoms of pneumonia, but without the coughing. Go figure.
My thanks to people who have stopped by to wish me well, it is really appreciated. I guess I'll go lay down in a bit (I have been sleeping/passing out intermittently all day), thanks again.

Another brilliant study

Boston -- A study of low-income housing residents has documented that the more television people say they watched, the less active they were, researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and colleagues report.

What genius came up with this? I don't have a medical degree, but I could have figured this out without a fancy study. Do any of them know the definition of a couch potato?
In other news, we still don't have a cure for cancer.

Concerning wheelguns

Over at the Pistolero's blog there was a bit of a discussion about being old-fashioned; I've always had a fondness for revolvers, and some of my oldest memories are of shooting them before I was old enough to read. I decided to post some of my Rugers here. The grips may look odd on the single-actions, but I had to put some oversize grips on them due to the fact that most wheelguns tend to be made for people with narrower hands than mine. The double action is a Redhawk in 44 mag, the long-barreled Super Blackhawk is 44 mag, and the shorter barrel gun is a Blackhawk in 45LC.
Click thumbnail for larger picture.


I may post pictures of some of my other guns later.

You Don't Speak for Me

This is definitely a group of people who should be both commended and supported by all of those who are against illegal immigration.
Hat tip to GuyK

The only ones immune enough...

The London police who shot/executed Jean Charles de Menezes last year will not be charged for mistakenly killing an innocent man, though the department may face a charge of "violating the country's health and safety code".
It is interesting that in a country that prohibits civilians from using force in all but the most extreme cases of self-defense, the police can run down and kill someone on the suspicion that the person may be guilty.
No wonder they don't like the police to have guns in the UK.

'Crime Emergency' Declared in DC

Our nation's capitol is in the midst of a murder spell; interesting because of it being held up as a model of gun control (there is no civilian ownership of handguns allowed). Why is it that the areas that do not allow citizens the basic human right of self-defense seem to have this problem the most? If outside guns are the culprit, then why is it that the surrounding states that allow people their right to self-protection do not have the same problem? I think the answer is self-evident. One of these never stopped a crime.

Steam-powered computer

This is one way to go mobile, I guess, but I think a laptop would be easier.

Helpful maid may have taken $13K tip

We obviously have someone here with more money than brains...

Early Drinking Significantly Raises Dependency Risk In Later Years

Here we have another "study" from the no-shit-Sherlock department. Why can't I get funding for some of these no-brainers?

If a person starts drinking alcohol before 14 years of age he/she is at a 78% higher risk of having an alcohol problem in later years compared with people who start when they are at least 21, say researchers from Boston University School of Public Health, USA.

How much did they have to spend to figure out that? Of course if someone starts any bad habit early, it is more likely to persist; haven't these people got any contact with the real world?

UN Human Rights Council

This has got to be one of the most idiotic councils I have ever seen; it is so obviously lopsided and has no relation at all to human rights. The member countries are all some of the worst violaters of human rights themselves, and basically they are just using it to further their own goals, which have nothing at all to do with freedom or people's rights. But, consider that they are part of the UN, which is one of the most corrupt, money-squandering, useless organizations in the world. There is a need for an organization like the UN, but what we have now is a farce.
Just my opinion.

We're the only ones technical enough

The 'Mafia cops' had their conviction overturned on a technicality, the lawyers actually are proud of their performance.