Intermittent Posting (Even More Than Normal)

Posting will be even more haphazard than usual, as the combination of an accelerated finance class studies(I feel like the guy above looks), Guard drill weekend, and work join to create a perfect version of The Suck. When the alternating periods of personal conviction that I'm on the low end of simple and desire to strangle random people cease, the usual torrent of intolerance, anger, and amazement will commence once again.

In the meantime, here's a belated Ugly Gun Sunday Post in honor of Sino-Soviet Saturday's topic:




I'm guessing the artist is question didn't take the time to modify the gas system to function, so we have a really poorly engineered straight-pull pistol at this point. Bet that flash hider works just super too. Although I'll admit, if this was given to me for free, I'd keep it just for shooting at dusk as personal entertainment.

Sino-Soviet Saturday

Took a break to attend an auction at the local fair grounds today. While the focus of it was various auto repair shops cleaning out their obsolete and redundant tools, there were two items of interest to me noted in the paper; a "Russian rifle, 7.62x54" and a "rifle, 7.62x39". Can't hurt to look, I figured.

After getting there, I found an M-44, dated 1944, and a Norinco SKS. Both in relatively good shape. While I was waiting for the auctioneer to get to the rifles, I got a brief lesson in rifle identification listening to bystanders. Apparently, M44 carbines are easily confused with Springfield rifles. Also, they're American made, because there's writing on the side of the receiver in English showing "the company that made them". And according to one man, at least in his fifties, speaking to his friend, no one with any sense would by either of them, because "they're old junk; only modern rifles are any good".

All that may be why I now have another SKS for the cost of $140, and another M44 for $110. A damn good price for an SKS, and a not-bad price for a bolt rifle selling for $169.99 two blocks away at the local Fleet Farm.

I'll be watching the auction advertisements a little closer from now on.

Ain't Reality A Bitch?

I expect children to whine, cry, and sob when they see a needle coming at them. When you're a young, but adult, woman, it's simply pathetic. Especially if it's a change-out of central venous catheter you already have in, in which case you know damn well it's not horribly uncomfortable to have done. Keep in mind, we're doing this to keep you alive. So swearing at the staff, screaming that we made you look like a freak, and yelling there's a massive length of tubing that's disfiguring after your procedure is done isn't something that makes us look forward to working with you. And we are the ones that will keep you alive when your line fails, which it eventually will, unless your dialysis loop in your arm has time to mature. In which case, you'll be really unhappy when you notice that success means having something that looks like a massive hemorrhoid on your forearm, that will be stuck at with a couple of sixteen-gauge needles three times a week, which will leave plenty of additional scars over time. And you'll come to see us when that eventually fails too, and we have to angioplasty it open three or four times until it's unsalvagable, and the surgeons move to the next area of your body to make a new loop. Where we will start over a square one again, putting in another central catheter.

We'll do the same quality of work, each time, because it's our job to do it right, regardless of how much on a spoiled ass you are. But don't expect much sympathy. We have it, but it's not infinite; and believe it or not, your not super-special. There's lots of people worse off than you, who are simply happy someone helps them live longer with a better quality of life than otherwise.

Efficiency

Based on personal experience, if FedGov healthcare administration works as well as VA education benefits administration, the corpses will be stacking up in the waiting room before they ever encounter an actual human being.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Skeletonized wood stock, patterned barrel, multiple colors of metal around the rifle; it's as attractive as plaid pants with a striped jacket over a polka-dot shirt. That wood would have made a pretty stock in a traditional pattern.

A Glimpse Into The Future

So two people were arrested in Minneapolis for randomly attacking people while videotaping themselves, all in the name of........entertaining themselves. The video showed young males taking turns pushing people off bicycles, pushing down a jogger, and pushing young children. In one case, the victim fought back and punched the attacker. Before most of the assaults, the attacker looked into the camera and said "Watch this."

Remind you of anywhere else? It does me; it reminds me of what I've been reading out of England for years now. Where it's easy to assault people, since most won't fight back, as they might be sued, charged, or jailed for injuring the person attacking them.

I realize most people don't believe this any more, but the biggest reason this kind of behavior happens is that young males don't have a serious fear of having the shit kicked out of them. There used to be a time when, if you were accosted, you or your escort were expected to smack idiots upside the head for this kind of behavior, and people thought there was something wrong with you (as in, you're a coward) if you let it pass. Now victims are expected to quietly report this to the proper authorities,who will properly investigate it, and properly permit you to testify, when they feel the time is right.

It's an excellent method raising bumper crops of modern savages, who will in turn have virtually limitless opportunities to amuse their selves upon the rest of the populace.

How Long 'Til We Hang Him?

(Image swiped from S. Weasel's website, as she has way better photo skills than any I'll ever have, and it's one of the most accurate representations of that bastard's convictions we'll ever see. If she says it's a problem, I'll take it down ASAP)

Number One: This useless waste of oxygen wanted charges pressed against his patients for war crimes. Why? I haven't seen any info on that yet, because it would be a major violation of patient privacy rights. But it wouldn't surprise me that some of his patients have major guilt issues bacause they participated combat that resulted in the deaths of people who aren't soldiers. Now before I get a bunch of pointed messages about turning into a lefty moonbat, let's clarify a few things. We haven't fought against regulars in Iraq since 2003, and not at all in Afghanistan. The enemy, and I won't dignify them with the title Soldiers, as they are certainly NOT, uses civilians as targets, cover, concealment, and delivery systems. We have Soldiers who've killed civilians for these reasons: they represented a high threat likelihood, they were used as cover for attacking forces, or they blundered into situations and areas were there was combat going on. And I would hazard a guess that former Major Hasan was actually seeing them because they had real emotional problems, such as guilt and horror, for having harmed or killed civilians. Because I can tell you one thing from my time in Iraq. Our Soldiers don't go looking for civilians to kill for personal satisfaction. We get training and indoctrination, year after year, on ethics and law in warfare. Civilians Are Not Legitimate Targets. It's that simple.

Secondly: How can anyone say this turd isn't a terrorist? I watched some yahoo on Fox News state he isn't because he's not part of group, and he wasn't politically motivated. Islam dictates personal behavior in all aspects of life; politics is the process of generating the laws that will determine what behavior is or isn't to be penalized and rewarded, temporally. Anyone else see a link there? And as far as needing to be in a group to be a terrorist; terrorism is the pursuit of changing behavior and/or beliefs through violence. It doesn't require a damn charter and bylaws of like-minded individuals to pursue that agenda.

This situation is one of the downsides to being an economic superpower; the burgeoning numbers of idiots that nature would weed out otherwise, kept alive by the excess wealth of a successful economic system. Spare me from the stupidity of those who believe all people are inherently good, misunderstood, or simply in need of more understanding and concessions.

Ugly Gun Sunday

First:

Gold should be an accent on a gun, not be the gun. Primarily golden guns are for pimps and dictators.

Second:

If there is going to be any work beyond plating, especially the rendering of people or animals, hire someone who didn't go to an art school whose entry standard involves tracing the cartoon turtle character at the beginning of the school's add.

Spammers Must Die

I'm getting spam on comments about six times a day now. Thus, the word verification function has been enabled, because I'm sick spending more time erasing this crap than I do on posting my minimal effort, low-talent posts. So, I hope this won't dissuade the three of you who comment here from continuing to leave a comment on the rare occasions I exert my self.

Oh, and die in a fire, spammers.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Seriously, buy a Savage 110. It will probably cost less in the long run compared to buying a stock, butchering a bolt, tapping the receiver, and throwing some aftermarket flash hider on the barrel. You can get it in 7.62, allowing you to find ammo in any sporting goods store worth the name, reload with components ranging from cheap to premium, and hand tune them to the rifle (yes, you can buy lots of cheap 7.62x54R, but most of it isn't reloadable, a fair bit is corrosive, and you have to buy it by production lot if you find some that's really good in the rifle; good luck with getting the same lot if you're mail ordering small amounts). Most important, you won't be ruining a rifle that's possibly participated in major historical event or rare by turning it into a half-assed attempt at a tactical rifle that will eventually sell for a quarter of what the assembly cost was.

Things Are Looking Up

A recent trip to the local Fleet Farm turned up shelves well-stocked with .45 ACP, 9x19mm, 5.56 x 45mm, and .357. Semi-auto AK clones and three different models of Mosins (91/30, M38, and M44) were present in the racks. I've been picking up Blazer 230 grain FMJ in the aluminum case for the ammo bank. Now if primer production would catch up.....

Justice

I can't think of any good reason an officer who's a treasonous murderer shouldn't hang. I don't give a damn if it pisses off the "muslim street", this bastard needs to be offed if we don't want to see worse in the future.

Managers and Modern Times

According to some of my study materials, more than 300 million people now are on Facebook. Many managers and employees have moved beyond their working relationship by friending each other.

This seems like a pretty bad idea from both sides from my point of view. What about when working relationship turns bad? Managers can have far too much personal information if they have friended their employees, including some potentially within a protected category under federal or state employment laws. A dismissed or disciplined employee might later argue that information was the real reason for any adverse employment action. At the same time, managers leave themselves open for an adverse event. Who wants a their staff having access to what and where one was for the last several weekends, or pictures that might show a good time among friends that has the potential for embarrasment later?

Even harder, what to do when the boss is the one who sends the friend invitation? Is it better to say no, and probably insult them, or say yes, and have to double check everything that may be posted for potential conflicts? It's easy to say just don't use it, but the upside of Facebook is the ability to reestablish contacts with old friends and colleagues that would be immensely time-consuming otherwise. Not to mention the potential for networking if you're looking to advance in a career.

Which leads to once the friending is there, should one ever block or delist a supervisor? What kind of results will that have on a work relationship?

I wouldn't be surprised to see employment-related court cases start coming out in the next few years related to this stuff. People seem overly willing to let everything hang out now, without thinking about consequences down the road.

How Inspiring...........

it is to assist a medical professional as they manage to make a 45 minute, in and out, simple surgical procedure into a marathon monkey humping a football session. And having to listen to perpetrator of this gripe about how he'll going to miss out on his planned activities, then blame the staff for making him late, after creating the additional several hours of problems through his own actions, just makes the rest of the staff wish for a ski mask and baseball bat for after the procedure.

Medicine. It's where the professionals are.