Friday, July 28, 2006

Del.icio.us

Which I was informed is pronounced delicious! Who knew. Anyways this is a site that allows you to access your bookmarks even if you are not at the computer that you bookmarked them on. This is basically a web based bookmarking system. If you use more than one computer, you can probably find a use for this. Other uses besides just bookmarks is that you can create Categories for your blog. Just look at this article to learn how. Also del.icio.us is setup so that you can share your bookmarks with others. Here is a guide to get you started.
Enjoy

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The fastest clip you'll ever see

Reloading a clip so fast you don't even see it go back into the gun.

I usually try to update this blog with useful articles or reviews or links; things of that sort. However while browsing today I found this video. For those of you in law enforcement if you were able to change your clip that fast, this post may be of use to you. For the rest of us it is just fun to watch.

Monday, July 24, 2006

What would you do with an extra $690

According to the story the people of Kuwait are going to be receiving a grant for about $690.


Some 92 percent of Kuwait's 300,000-strong workforce are employed in government jobs, with high wages and minimal work pressure.
Good Times.

One quick side note about Kuwait. Apparently you have to be a citizen for 20 years before you are allowed to vote. This is taken directly from the CIA World Factbook:
Suffrage - adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females (as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
The CIA World Factbook page for Kuwait can be found here.
By the way unlike the United States who consumes many more times oil than they produce, Kuwait actually had exports of 1.97 million bbl/day (2003). This puts Kuwait at number 8 on the list of countrys with the highest oil exports. With oil currently at $75 a barrel, Kuwait should enjoy the money while it lasts. Somebody needs to remind me to get my series 3 license so I can get involved with this.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Modern Journalism

There is much to be said in favor of modern journalism.
By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us
in touch with the ignorance of the community.
~Oscar Wilde~


If you need an example of this just read this article by Ruben Navarrette. You will find yourself reading enlightening thoughts such as:
Yet, it seems that McKeon wants to go further and discuss making it the "official" language, which could require that all government documents be printed in English only.

That may make McKeon popular with the culture warriors and the nativist fringe. But it won't do any good for the country or its people, who have seen this movie so many times they've memorized the dialogue.
I am now being called a culture warrior because I would like to see English be made the official language in the United States? If the United States chooses to make English the official language and then happens to offend those who are in my country illegally, tant piss(too bad)!

Well I would like to thank Mr. Navarrette for showing me a new word. I was not familiar with the term nativism until now. Thank you for helping me shed more of my own ignorance.

nativism - n.
  1. A sociopolitical policy, especially in the United States in the 19th century, favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants.
  2. The reestablishment or perpetuation of native cultural traits, especially in opposition to acculturation.
  3. Philosophy. The doctrine that the mind produces ideas that are not derived from external sources.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2004, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

A policy favoring the interests of established or native people or the immigrants. Well I have to admit that does sound appealing to me. I would also like to point out that many of the so called immigrants that might be having 'assimilation problems' are illegal immigrants (read- criminals).

As part of its stab at immigration reform, the Senate already has voted to declare English the national language.
If you would like to read what the Senate actually voted for I would direct you to read this press release by ProEnglish.org. Declaring English the national language is different than declaring it the official language, even if they sound similar.

After browsing some another article of Mr. Navarrette, I think I can appreciate his point of view a little more. He is coming from the deep dark field of ignorance. While I thought he might be, it was confirmed after reading this article by him.
Apparently a reader sent in the question "Are you an American?"”. At least neither one of my readers have sent me a question like that, yet. If anyone cares to correct Mr. Navarrette on his numerous errors in thought, feel free to send him an e-mail at
ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com

 

"Perhaps your grip on reality is not quite as firm as you might have hoped" - Todd Connelly


"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

Words are chameleons, which reflect the color of their environment. -Learned Hand, jurist (1872-1961)

What does all of this do to the best minds among the students? Most of them endure their college years with the teeth-clenched determination of serving out a jail sentence. The psychological scars they acquire in the process are incalculable. But they struggle as best they can to preserve their capacity to think, sensing dimly that the essence of the torture is an assault on their mind. And what they feel toward their school ranges from mistrust to resentment to contempt to hatred – intertwined with a sense of exhaustion and excruciating boredom.

--Ayn Rand Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal