Pattern Ghost

Used defensively, the goal is to stop an attack, not kill. That's where the tool analogy comes from. It came about because many people accuse gun owners of only owning their defensive weapons because they want to kill someone or fantasize about doing so, or are seeking a feeling of power. This isn't the case for many (I wish I could still say "most" . . . sigh) gun owners. So, used defensively, the goal isn't killing. It's stopping an act of aggression that can result in death or great bodily harm. On the other hand, we've seen a lot of cases of irresponsible gun use lately, so we must ask ourselves, if this is a tool, is it good to have a tool used for . . . . . . political coercion? . . . defending car lots? . . . interfering with police action in controlling riots? . . . blocking off neighborhood streets illegally? (this example was from the left, btw) . . . private security details for your protest march? (ditto) . . . walking around town to elicit a police response just because "it's my right" and you want to educate the public? . . . mowing down crowds of strangers? No, there's too much stupid use of firearms lately to think anyone will want to listen to platitudes about how guns are mere tools. At the same time, it's the misuse of guns that's the problem, not the fact that people are allowed to own guns. IMO, gun-focused solutions need to start addressing these things. Because Kyle Rittenhouse very technically did act in self defense in all three shootings. The individual acts were clear cut self defense. But if his stupid ass wasn't in Kenosha that day -- to protect cars -- then two deaths and one maiming could have been avoided. And the only charge that could have been leveled against him for that very poor decision was the curfew breaking, which was only a misdemeanor.

Re-watched Stargirl Season 1 with the wife, then watched Season 2 with her. DC live action needs more stuff like this. It started on the failed DC streaming service, and then was picked up for Season 2 by CW. So, the first season is up on HBO Max, and the second is on Netflix. We've been watching Foundation on Apple TV. Good series. Not sure that it's sticking to the books other than in the barest of outlines. Worth watching though, on its own merit. We watched the first three Wheel of Time episodes on Amazon last night. Seems promising, but kind of a slow start. My main concern is that if they unfold the story at the current pace, it'll take about fifty seasons to get anywhere, and it will end up being mothballed long before that when Amazon realizes it's not the next Game of Thrones. They didn't spare the budget on effects, set design, costume design or any of the eye candy, and the actors are all decent. I watched the first couple of episodes of the new live action Cowboy Bebop. Great casting for Spike and Jet, great visuals, but no soul. They've managed to rip the Bebop right out of it. They paid a lot of lip service to respecting the original material in the press, but it seems to have been all talk. We've been watching the American adaptation of Ghosts on Paramount Plus. It's funny in its own way. I like the husband character in the American show more, but the ghost characters are overall weaker to me. It's ongoing right now, and I think starting to settle into its groove. Enjoying it so far, though I also recommend the British original (on HBO Max). The initial few episodes pretty closely echo the original, but it's now diverged into developing its own storylines. Watched Squid Game. Very well done, and some great performances. Worth a read.

What's worse, is both sides are doing this. More on the right than the left, for sure. But some on the left are arming up in response. Protests have become powder kegs.

Specifically, "sheep dog" culture, especially when said sheep dogs are also linked to white supremacist groups. Prevailing wisdom used to be to steer clear of riots and let the authorities do their jobs, not try to "help" them. But the white supremacist can point to all the damage and say "they aren't doing enough!" as a way to add more of these "sheep dogs" to their ranks, so that they can accomplish their true goals of racial harmony dominance. You don't stop riots with force. You contain them and let them fizzle out. The police have done a good job of this. Neither side of the political spectrum seems to understand that this is the only way you're going to leverage a much smaller force against a crowd. After having seen the videos, read that CNN piece, and dug up some more on the dismissed charges, I believe the jury came to the only verdict they could. What we need is an anti-Walter Mitty law on the books that strongly prohibits this kind of "sheep dog" mentality, and shuts down armed groups organizing to insert themselves into already unstable civil unrest situations.

Thanks, unclevlad, I'll give that CNN piece a read. I've been trying intermittently to find an unbiased legal analysis to no avail. I read that Snopes article about the victims last week, and even though Snopes is supposed to maintain a neutral tone, the author went out of their way to add in irrelevant details instead of just examine the actual claims. There's a lot of strong bias on either side on this one. One thing stands out to me as far as what I've seen from the trial coverage: While the matter of self defense is extremely complicated, there's one thing that's not: It's simply not legal for a 17 year old to be carrying a firearm in public. Period. Full stop. No room for any mitigating arguments. And the judge tossed that charge out, along with another very telling one: being out past curfew. These stand out to me because one of the arguments the defense made, and one that's central to many self-defense claims, is that Kyle was in a place where he was legally allowed to be, and had as much right to be there as the people he shot. Wisconsin has no statutory duty to retreat. So, removing the fact that he was committing multiple crimes by being there (and the fact that his friend allegedly bought the gun for him -- a straw purchase if true) adds serious support to the defense claim. That's a pretty strong indicator of bias. As far as I can see, the prosecutors handled their part like complete clowns, so csyphrett may be on to something. Had Kyle been convicted on the weapon and curfew charges, it would have seriously hurt his case. I could see him going up on reduced charges for the shootings had those charges not been thrown out. Edit: Apparently, underage firearms possession isn't that cut and dry in WI: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/explainer-judge-drop-rittenhouse-gun-charge-81285031

Did anyone watch the trial on this one? I haven't had time.

Shooting positive thoughts at Cancer and Hermit. Wishing the best for your loved ones. Meanwhile . . . I hate having direct reports soooooooooooooooooo much.

I heard about it on the radio yesterday and was in the dark until now. To give the devils their due, it is one of the more clever bits of wordplay they've come up with, along with Kung Flu. Inappropriate, but clever.

Judge also a person of color. She's probably just p****d off.

Probably because the blanks will cause the same subconscious reactions in actors as a live round would, adding to the verisimilitude of the scene. Just a guess. It appears only one shot was fired, killing one person and seriously injuring another. Probably an actual live round in this case. Which should not be within a mile of a movie set using prop guns. Big civil suit incoming. Hopefully puts the idiot production company out of business.

She's such a bad actress, it'd probably be pretty easy to tell if she's lying by watching an interview.

Space is big. They may have taken time to sense the first snap, and who knows the travel time?

Nichelle Nichols for her real life contributions to diverse recruiting for NASA. Sadly, she has dementia.

What could possibly go wrong?

I had a nurse show me how to solve this by positioning the mask one time, but I still only hit that sweet spot some of the time. Also, getting that nose area of the seal tight. I pre-bend the nose metal bendy bit (technical term) before I put on the mask, so it's kind of rounded and nose-shaped on the bend, and the bend is centered. That seems to help. So, my advice is: Find a nurse that wears glasses and have her show you how to avoid the fog.

Mayo, mild cheese that melts well (maybe provolone or Swiss), sauteed onions (caramelized) and mushrooms.

Found more Pluto drama. https://news.yahoo.com/why-universe-annoyed-astronomer-pushing-035731102.html

Condolences, Dr. MID-Nite.

He looks like he's about to have some kind of mental breakdown in that pic too. Some folks just have crazy face. Not judging, mind you. Poor guy's just not photogenic. Heck no. You know they didn't go looking for a flattering pic for their article. Common tactic. I apologize if you thought I thought otherwise. I was just having a bit of fun.

I can tell you how the certifications play out a my hospital, at least. An EMT certification will let you be an ED Tech while a CNA will not. ED (Emergency Department) Techs make considerably more than CNAs and have more opportunities to get additional qualifications (drawing blood, running EKGs, etc.) to further boost their pay. An experienced tech can make more than a newbie nurse. However, ambulance medics (another opportunity for the EMT basic) don't get paid very well at all. Probably somewhere between the CNA and the tech. These are among the lowest barrier to entry direct patient care positions available. Most of our ED Techs are bright young folk who are accumulating clinical hours to help get into nursing school or PA school. Most our CNAs . . . not so much. =================================/ Reply dividing line/========================================== I'm just going to focus on this part. I'm glad she's doing well.

Google search reveals: That's the most sane-looking picture of that guy available.

Shang-Chi would probably turn Caine into a fine mist with the first hit, so probably not a good idea.

I think one big issue with representation of armor in RPGs is that Grandpa D&D took a kitchen sink approach to everything, including mixing armor types from different time periods, coupled with either a lack of understanding of historic armor types, or a deliberate genericizing of same. So, I think it's entirely appropriate to limit available armor and weapon types in your campaign if you're going for a more realistic or low fantasy setting. Something along the lines of progression of armor types: Clothing -> Quilted Linen Gambeson -> Brigandine coat over Gambeson -> Mail Hauberk or Shirt over Gambeson That would give: Clothing: Best movement, some small amount of normal PD and no resistant PD. Gambeson: Good movement, more normal PD with small amount of resistant PD. Brigandine: Poor movement, Gambeson defenses plus additional resistant PD. Mail: Medium movment, Gambeson defenses plus additional resistant PD, but only slightly higher than Brigandine So, setting aside that by default Hero makes the distinction only between blunt and slashing/piercing combined rather than all three, we've not got movement penalties to consider. Probably imposing small DCV penalties would be a simple solution to imposing a restriction on movement. You could also add in increasing LTE costs if using that option. Or you could just do the kitchen sink thing with D&Desque armor types and call it a day. Much simpler that way.

There's certainly been a lot of goalpost moving with the CDC guidelines since the beginning. Sure doesn't seem to be helping with compliance.