Jump to content

In other news...


tkdguy

Recommended Posts

The range we shot on when I was a little kid was grotesque. Despite that, though my dad spent MANY hours there, he never tested with high lead levels. I don't think the old "armory" building even had ventilation. I think that was by it was closed down in the mid to late 70s. The building we used to replace it was little better though. The modern range in town, iirc had a million dollar ventilation system installed before it opened, though the article says it had 4 violations for an initial $700 in fines, reduced to 500. In general I tend to blow off anything out of Seattle about guns, but it looks like the paper might have actually done decent research. However, given the stance I seem to remember taking on gun issues, they might well be anting to use this issue to close down as many ranges as possible. Is it paranoia if some people really are out to get you?

 

All that aside, the lead ammo bans for hunting have little to do with indoor air quality. Personally I still have my doubts about the lead shot ban for waterfowl in many places, simply because they do not get the massive quantities of shells fired that areas in the East and Midwest get. And even if you believe California Condors are ingesting lead from carcasses, this does not justify expanding less ammo bans for hunting to areas without Condors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Google exec makes record-breaking jump from stratosphere

 

Alan Eustace broke the record for highest platform jump Friday, falling about 25 miles, or about 40 kilometers, from near the top of the stratosphere, reaching speeds of about 822 miles per hour, or about 1,323 kilometers per hour. Eustace, a senior vice president at Google, quietly planned his feat with a group of experts before ascending by balloon for about two hours from an abandoned runway in Roswell, N.M., in a specially designed spacesuit. His return to Earth took about 15 minutes at such a speed that a small sonic boom was heard by spectators on the ground.

"abandoned runway in Roswell, NM". Oh, I'm sure there's more of a story to this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Target that I was in about an hour ago had a sign hanging from the ceiling that said, "Cameras and Film". Being curious, I asked, and they do carry film for the Polaroid PIC300. It makes 1.8" x 2.4" images on 2.1" x 3.4" stock for about a buck each. Isn't nostalgia great?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Arguably, this belongs in the "Dear gawd, WHY" thread.Scientists recreate virus frozen for 700 years in caribou feces

Actually, that's an easy one to answer: by looking at ancient pathogens (and comparing them with their modern descendants), you can determine the rate of evolutionary change. That's scientifically interesting, but also allows us to refine our understanding of how pathogens change and how fast, which is very, very relevant knowledge when dealing with new or unknown pathogens.

 

By looking at *which* genes change (and how they changed) over time, you can determine which ones are under selective pressure. That tells you a lot about host defences and immunology. Again, scientifically interesting, but also practically useful in things like pharmaceutical development and plant breeding.

 

I can think of a few other reasons as well, but you get the idea: basically you can learn a lot by looking at ancient organisms.

 

Cheers, Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Humanity is sometimes not so bad.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/27/us/james-tully-eric-frein-car-fundraiser/

 

Same story, different source. I'm not allowing the crapton of scripts on CNN's site to tell if they have good pics, but this one does. Poor guy does bear a resemblance to the shooter:

 

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/23/man-resembling-fugitive-fears-mistaken-shooting/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those worried about the state of our law enforcement, this is a fascinating article from a guy who ought to know

 

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160.html?ml=po_r

 

However, there is a rebuttal

 

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/rebuttal-serpico-stop-slandering-us-112357.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The rebuttal seemed a little disorganized. What was the point of the rambling about the Terry searches? Since when are they controversial*? What does that have to do with any of Serpico's points?

 

The only issue that I have with Serpico's argument is that he talks a lot about what appropriate weapons are for LE, and he's obviously not qualified on the subject. If he had any sense of tactics, he wouldn't have gotten shot in the face in the first place. What happened to him is exactly what modern police tactics and gear is meant to prevent. (You know, aside from your corrupt buddies not having your back. But the entry he described was beyond stupid, tactically.) However, I do think he has a point with regards to the us vs. them mindset. I just don't think the gear is the cause. The cause goes back far before the gear, as his own story shows.

 

As for the issue of corruption, abuse of power, and excessive violence? Yeah, there's still too much of that going on today. It may be better now than it was in the 70s, but it's still a problem. It will always be a problem, and out police will always have to be closely monitored so their power isn't abused. As with any other person the public puts into a position of power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Other than the TSA, of course, but I don't think they're part of the debate here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...