so that happened ...

Awkward would be an understatement. Pretty sure I'd shoot my friend Dirk for delaying the images.  That's why you never propose unless you have an immediate out / exit strategy. 

For instance, when I proposed, I was wearing a jetpack in case she said no. Had she said no, I would have pulled a Rocketman, lifted off through the ceiling and away to a happy place. Course, she said yes and now I  am stuck with a $10K jetpack in the garage.   

Camping Lights - Choosing the Right Type of Light for You

There are many options available to the buyer on the market today when it comes to choosing the right camping light. Modern electronic technology is certainly there along with the old traditional types that have been around for generations. People choose different lights based on different reasons. We hope in this article to inform you of some of the things to think about when choosing a camping light right for you.

Things to think about includes questions such as; will there be children around that may touch the light? Does the light need to be left on throughout the night? What exactly are you using the light for and how much light do you really need? Will you be frequently moving the light or leaving it in one position?

Answering some of these types of questions can help you to make a decision of the right light for your situation. There are two basic types of lights available. That is those that run on liquid type fuels (such as kerosene, paraffin, LPG etc) and electronic lights that run on batteries. You might even come across lights that can operate on more than one fuel source. Bu a rule of thumb, the lights that run on liquid type fuels tend to burn brighter, but running costs are often higher. Another consideration with liquid fuel type lights in the danger involved should a lamp be bumped over or played with by children. Liquid fuel lamps can also let off an unpleasant odor which some people have even suggested could be toxic (especially to children).

Modern advances in technology has seen a range of very long life, safe, inexpensive and reasonably bright options. Of the electronic lights, there are those which have a traditional incandescent (filament) bulb and of course modern LED lights. Lights that run an incandescent bulb are usually much more draining on the battery power than LED lighting options. There are even LED options available which can be charged by simply winding or cranking a lever and some which you can just shake the entire light to generate some power.

When choosing a light type, think about how readily you can get more fuel to power it if you run out. This applies for electronic lights too, as if you run out of batteries where you can not easily get to a shop, you will be literally left in the dark. It always pays to pack some emergency extras.

The actual size and weight of the light should be thought about. Are you planning on taking the light walking with you? If so, then a liquid fuel type will probably be too heavy and potentially dangerous. If you are walking in the dark, perhaps something like a headlamp would be best suited for that situation, allowing your hands to be free.

Most people agree that when camping where children are involved, it is always safest to opt for electronic type lights which minimize the risks down to almost zero. None of us want to see children being burned by lights.

Aim small, miss small

Not making light of the shooting in New York today, but the article from MSNBC provides an interesting commentary (story):  

"A disgruntled ex-employee of a women’s accessories business gunned down a former co-worker and then died in a hail of police bullets Friday morning outside the Empire State Building, officials said. Eight bystanders were grazed or shot -- all of them, apparently, by police bullets, sources said."

Here's an account from CNN:  "The officers fired 14 rounds during the incident after Johnson turned his gun on them, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.  Some of the wounded people may have been hit in the crossfire or by ricocheting bullets, he said."

So, they shot the bad guy = good. They also shot 8 bystanders, all who will be ok = bad.  I'd like to take a shooting course with the NYPD.  I'm sure that MSNBC is taking liberties with the "hail of gunfire" but 14 rounds within 15 feet and 8 innocent people allegedly shot by police is a lot.  

When I was learning to shoot, a trainer at a gun range told me, "aim small, miss small."  Aside from a mention in the movie the Patriot, I wasn't sure what that meant until he said, "aim for a smaller portion on the area, and you will still hit the area." When you do that, you pretty much solidify the point that you will hit your target - especially when shooting within 20 -30 feet.  I'm not one for criticizing police, well, good police, but just thinking that maybe we should spend a few more hours in the range hitting targets.  

What's in the water in Lubbock?

Gem of a story coming out of CNN today. It talks about a judge in Texas and the potential for Civil War ... fun conversations topics. Here's how the story begins, "An elected county judge in Texas is warning that the nation could descend into civil war if President Barack Obama is re-elected, and is calling for a trained, well-equipped force to battle the United Nations troops he says Obama would bring in."  

Another Gem, "Obama, Head said, will "try to give the sovereignty of the United States away to the United Nations. What do you think the public's going to do when that happens? We are talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possibly, possibly civil war ... I'm not talking just talking riots here and there. I'm talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms, get rid of the dictator. OK, what do you think he is going to do when that happens? He is going to call in the U.N. troops, personnel carriers, tanks and whatever."  

I'm not doubting some of the points he poorly makes, but I'm not sure if this guy knows anything about the White-vehicled, blue helmeted UN forces, but they generally don't really go on the offensive. And since the majority of UN forces are US military, how could some of these things happen?  And the forces that aren't NATO or US military, aren't the best. Google Somalia, Chad and Sudan to start. All are sparkling examples of non-US lead UN forces and their giant successes! 

Anywhoo, I'd be more worried about countries like Russia (story), that parked an Boomer Nuclear Submarine in the Gulf of Mexico for 6-weeks and we never saw it. Russia, who has been flying bomber runs over Northern California, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state with out much of a response.  

All reasons why this movie should come out sooner! Yeah, that's right, Red Dawn reduex! We are the Wolverines, we create chaos! 

It's been a while ...

Since my last political rant, but since I'm home sick today and can't sleep, yet can't do much fun, I figured I'd complain out loud a bit.  Ready for it ... it will be quick.

Dear Obama -- knock if off with all this Syria shit. Seriously ... Russia and China just told you to settle the f down (MSNBC story). Should be a hint. They are arming the Syrians, aren't stretched in two other wars and have EMPs.  Yeah, EMPs - scary weapons that make our technology insignificant and will knock us into the Stone Age quickly.  So quit your posturing.  You didn't intervene in Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Ghana and a host of other civil wars so don't start now.  Why don't you look to our Southern boarder?  There are a few issues there and guess what ... there's oil in Mexico (yeah, and there's none in Syria)! Oh and one other thing, go read a history book about Beruit.  This won't end well ... history proves it.

And that's it ... of the soapbox now.  Back to doing nothing and cursing that Mexican place down the street.

Smiling Joe is back at his best!

Love this guy ... almost as awesome as teh "don't take public transportation b/c of anthrax" comments. 

“Look at what they [Republican] value, and look at their budget. And look what they’re proposing. [Romney] said in the first 100 days, he’s going to let the big banks write their own rules — unchain Wall Street,” Biden said a rally in Danville, Va. “They’re going to put y’all back in chains.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79717.html#ixzz23YM5Bei4

Atta boy, Joe. Always a good idea to refer to putting American's back in chains. I know the spin team is all over this one but man do I love it when you speak.  It's kinda like Christmas. In fact, I hope you get a talk show when you are done with politics.  It would make me so very happy. 

 

Spice Up The Closing Ceremonies!

This is for you Fry -- when watching the Closing Ceremonies, all I could think of was Cancun '98 and this song playing over and over and over again.Wow ... that was 14 years ago. Ouch. 

"Colors of the world, spice up your life; Every boy and every girl, spice up your life; People of the world, spice up your life."

Kansas City ...

The past two weekends, I've had the pleasure of working in remote, yet interesting places.  Two weeks ago I was in NYC (and I've written lots about NYC in the past so I'll bore you except the fact that LGA is still a shitty airport) and this past weekend I took my first journey to Kansas City. 

I have to admit, I know nothing about Kansas City aside from BBQ, Blues, it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere and the Royals / Chiefs play there.  Here are some other interesting facts I learned:

• Kansas City airport is pretty much a county air strip with jets on it.  They don't even have stores by the gates.  I guess you would have to call it very, very efficient. 
• The terrain of Kansas City is pretty much flat, small hill where a water tower sits and then more flatness.  
• The locals like their BBQ -- we passed a few hundred BBQ restaurants and finally settled on Gates.  It was an interesting place that served more food than a single human could eat. Good BBQ but I have to admit, NC / SC BBQ is much better. 
• The Westin Crown Center is a nice place that attracts some great people. In fact, around 230 in the A, it attracted a gun battle between some locals. Let me tell you, there is nothing more unsettling than waking up to 20 - 30 single shot assault rifle rounds going off at 2 AM followed by an additional 15 - 20 small arms fire then another 20 or so AK rounds rattling off.  And no ... I didn't leave the TV on.  So I awoke from the shooting in immediate panic mode not really sure what to think. Gunfire as an alarm does not have a very calming effect.  After a couple of seconds of getting my barings, I realized, I wasn't prepared at all.  I'm in some random hotel and there is a shoot out going on near by.  Course, my head races to the worst possible conclusions -- terrorist on the loose, invasion aka. Red Dawn -- and naturally, none of those are the case.  But you don't really go back to sleep after being awkoen by a shoot out.  If you could bottle that fear / adrenaline rush, you could create a product that would put Red Bull out of business in a matter of seconds. 

The rest of my thoughts about Kansas City are pretty much void after that experience. Granted, that could happen in any city, at any time, but it shaped the way I feel about Kansas City. I think I'm ok not returning to KC for a while.    

Nov. 21, 2012 -- Yup, I'll be first in line to this one

Red Dawn ... the redeux.  I'll take it ... and it will be amazing even if Thor is the lead character.  Not sure it will ever beat the first one, but at least it gives us something to look forward to in late November. 

We are the Wolverines. And we create ... chaos.  I see that as a T-shirt in my future.

Camping Lights - 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Purchasing

It is fantastic to see that there are so many options when it comes to camping lights on today's market. With this many options it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming trying to choose which option is the best for yourself. In this article, we hope to give you some questions to think about to help you come to a clearer decision of which type of light might be the best choice.

Will there be children with you?

If you are camping with children, consider the dangers involved when it comes to using lighting that requires a flame of any type. Children might be well behaved at home, but a new type of light is interesting enough to attract just about any child to want to explore more closely, increasing the risk of personal injury or fire. If children are camping with you, the safest option is to go with an LED lantern which has practically no risk of injury or fire.

Will you be walking at night or fishing at night?

If you are planning on taking the light out on night walks or fishing a flame type light may not be the best option. Some fuel lights are fine to walk around with (such as most kerosene lanterns), however all flame options come with some risk of fire. If walking around or fishing is something you are planning on doing, consider an LED head lamp which will be perfect as it will provide a bright light whilst freeing up your hands.

Is anyone sensitive to fuel odors?

If you are camping with anyone that is asthmatic or has any type of respiratory condition, consider whether they could be potentially effected by the odor that is given off by a flame type light. If this is the case, an LED lantern will be the best type for you.

How bright do you need your light to be?

If you are doing anything that requires bright light for extended periods, you might be best with an LPG lantern as they are very bright. If you have access to mains power, a fluorescent light may also be a good option. LED lights today can be extremely bright, but have not come to the point of being as bright as an LPG lantern on full.

Can you find more fuel if needed?

If you run out of fuel where you are camping, where is the nearest place to get fuel? This applies to electronic type lighting too. What type of batteries does it take? Do you have spares?

We hope this article has provided you with some questions to help steer you in the right direction towards making the best decision for your needs. Of course, whatever the choice it is always recommended to have a hand held torch as a backup light.

Our new "allies"

CNN just posted a story from Ben Wedeman about his experiences in Aleppo, Syria. Everything about this article screams we should not intervene. A favorite line - "We eventually drove to Salaheddine, one of the main rebel-government battlefields, where a rebel commander said fighters were preparing to lay down improvised explosive devices in anticipation of an advance by government tanks. A commander said these IEDs are being put together under the supervision of Syrians who learned how to make them while fighting Americans in Iraq."

Fantastic. These allies of ours learned their craft while trying to kill US military soldiers and contractors in Iraq.  

What a horrible situation.  Perhaps we should bugger out and let them figure out the issues on their own. What if we didn't support our former enemies. Lets play pretnd and say its 1945 and Obama is president. Does this mean Obama would have let Patton rearm the Nazis and invade Russia? 

Ok, off soapbox.  More to come. I've had a few interesting weeks of travel.  

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/08/two-days-in-aleppo-snipers-temporary-graveyards-and-stairwell-beds/

I bet he'd be an amazing actor

You know, I didn't know he went to UF, but after listening to him, it all makes sense. 

Count Me In!

This will be amazing! Thank God for College Football or else I'd have nothing to get excited about between now and December ... except for the launch of Call of Duty 9 -- yeah, I"m still a giant kid. 

This is for Pippen

Bam ... WINNING! 

These are our new allies?

Yay, we just sent our special forces into Syria to support ... the rebels? Yeah, to say this is a bad idea, is the understatement of the year. These rebels are the same people who sent insurgents into Iraqi and killed many of our soldiers as well as they have very close ties (if not are) Al Queda or Iranian.

Why can't we let the Russians or the Chinese intervene and watch one from the sidelines? Call me insensitive, (and for the record I don't care) but sending our Delta, SEAL and CIA boys into combat with the same clowns that killed many of our troops a few years ago is a horrible, catastrophic idea. 

Some great footage of our new allies executing some prisoners.  I get that War is Hell, but can't we support some Allies with a standing Army or perhaps one that doesn't want us dead as soon as they come to power?