New video from Lazarus A.D. for their song “Revolution”
Heavy, fast. These guys shred. Just spreading the word.
Ever since I saw them live back in June (my initial exposure to them), I’ve dug them. I can’t wait for some new music.
Month: September 2009
Footage of an attempted burglary
A homeowner in South Austin has surveillance cameras on his house. He captured footage of someone trying to break into his house. You can view the footage here. Sorry, can’t embed it, but go to the article then click on the video link.
What I saw in the video:
- It was the middle of the day, not the dead of night. Most home invasions happen between 10 AM and 3 PM. Why? Because people are at work. Less chance of someone being home, less chance of any neighbor seeing them.
- The criminal was looking for easy access. He checked the front door to see if it was unlocked. Went around back and checked the back door. Looked like he was also checking windows. While wood doors, hardiplank and drywall, glass, and the simple locks on most houses aren’t going to stop a determined individual, they certainly can work. A lot of crime is crime of opportunity. If they can find an unlocked door, slip in, grab something, slip out, all the better. Trying to kick down a door risks attracting attention, which is the last thing the criminal wants. Lock your doors and windows.
- As the footage was edited I’m not entirely sure about this, but it looked like when he checked the front door he was making an effort to verify if anyone was home. He looked through the door’s window, and it appeared like he was ringing the doorbell. If there’s a ring at the doorbell, remember that you are under no obligation to answer the door. Or if you do wish to answer it, you’re under no obligation to open the door (you can say “Who is it?” and have a brief conversation through a door just fine).
What did you take from watching the video?
NewsGator and NetNewsWire – part trois
Worthwhile quotes
Joe Huffman has taken classes from InSights Training Center. I have too (and would love to take more if they weren’t so darn far away, or if they get back down to Texas).
Greg Hamilton and crew there have a lot of experience and wisdom to share, and Joe has rounded up a great selection. Go read.
Why he’s so popular
President Obama’s popularity in the US is declining, but it’s still pretty strong internationally.
Consider these approval ratings, as reported by the UK’s Telegraph:
The latest Pew Global Attitudes Survey of international confidence in Obama’s leadership on foreign affairs shows strikingly high approval levels for the president in many parts of the world – 94 percent in Kenya, 93 percent in Germany, 88 percent in Canada and Nigeria, 77 percent in India, 76 percent in Brazil, 71 percent in Indonesia, and 62 percent in China for example. The Pew survey of 21 countries reveals an average level of 71 percent support for President Obama, compared to just 17 percent for George W. Bush in 2008.
So if he’s so popular overseas, why isn’t he as adored in his own country?
Continue reading
Everyone has a breaking point
It’s so popular to tax the rich…. oh they’ve got all that money, they can afford it. Maybe they can afford it, but it doesn’t mean they’re any different from you or I and don’t like it.
And so, it seems the practice of milking and abusing those that have for the sake of those that haven’t earned it is coming back to bite ’em in the ass. The rich are leaving New York.
“You heard the mantra, ‘Tax the rich, tax the rich,”’ Paterson said Wednesday at a gathering of newspaper editors at an Associated Press event in Syracuse. “We’ve done that. We’ve probably lost jobs and driven people out of the state.”
[…]
[New York Lt. Gov. Richard] Ravitch said last year’s surcharge on income taxes for the next three years won’t likely meet budget expectations. He said Albany must look to politically difficult spending cuts, rather than more taxes, to meet a deepening shortfall that Paterson estimated Wednesday could reach $3 billion.
“I don’t think they have any choice,” Ravitch said. “In my personal opinion, we’re at the outer limits of the elasticity of our tax system.”
Wow. Politically difficult spending cuts… as opposed to the really easy and popular tax increases, especially if I’m not the one being taxed, right? Always good when people aim low.
Just amazing. The implied mindset is we can keep forcefully taking what isn’t ours from some people (as long as it’s not me) so we can pay for whatever we want. And that we can just keep doing it with no consequence…. the party will never end, and if we want more, we’ll just forcefully take more.
And now, it falls apart.
And now, they may not be able to afford everything and may have to make cuts, like any responsible household would have to consider. I’ll bet most of the stuff they want to afford the government shouldn’t be dealing with anyway.
Some taxation may be necessary to pay for those Constitutionally outlined tasks, but we’ve all got a breaking point. Abuse things and eventually you lose things.
History in a nutshell
A friend forwarded this bit of humor to me. I am not the original author and I don’t know who is.
Tornado Hunters
From xkcd. Heh.
SR-22 side-effect
As I noted a couple days ago, Ruger just introduced a new rifle, the SR-22.
The SR-22 is simple. It’s essentially a Ruger 10/22 with the wood stock removed and black plastic stuff attached to it.
Pictures would help.
DVD Review – ShivWorks’ Reverse Edge Methods, Volume 1
This is my 3rd of 4 reviews of the ShivWorks DVD series. I previously reviewed the Practical Unarmed Combat DVD and the Fighting Handgun Volume 1 DVD.
The intent of this DVD is to provide an introduction to ShivWorks’ reverse-edge knife skills, for use in extreme close quarters combat situations.
Stuff From Hsoi 