Preparation

The Ragin' Mrs. and I have been taking several classes that we think may come in handy, even if it's just to impress your friends on a camping trip.

We took classes that taught us how to make cordage from raw materials found in nature.  How to make stone tools.  How to build a shelter out of nothing.  How to find and purify water.  How to start a fire by friction.

Today we're going to learn how to make a bow and arrows.

It's always nice to be prepared.  The ultimate tool you have is your brain; everything else is just accessories.

Update:  Bonus on the day?  Class was full of Boy Scouts doing their Scout thing.  Which meant that I got to spend the day around a whole bunch of polite, well-mannered, engaging teenagers (and their Scout Leaders) as we all learned the same thing.

After living in this festering shithole for two years, it's a joy to meet some folks who are just plain good people.

What a worthless moron

So a civilian jetliner gets shot down, most likely by a Russian missile, dozens of Americans are dead, and President Bumblefuck still has to get his photo-op in while he can.  Because hey, dead Americans, no big deal to this fucking jackass, right?  Why should he care, right?  They were probably all racist 1%er teabaggers anyways, knowwhatImsayin?

The longer I watch this incompetent buffoon do his level best to wreck America, the angrier I get with the people who elected him.  Obama is just a symptom of the cancer that is destroying the formerly great country of the USA.  The real disease are the people who elect worthless shitheads like Obama into office.

Busy today

So you know the deal.  No clickee at workee, m'kay?  I guarantee that the Bossman won't like this flashing on his work computers.

Unless you work at one of those places.  You perv.

Well, lookie here!

It seems that criminals don't like it when their victims can fight back!

“I don’t want to take away from the good work our investigators are doing, but I think part of the drop in crime, and robberies in particular, is because criminals are thinking twice that citizens could be armed.”

According to The Detroit News, there have been 37 percent fewer robberies, 22 percent fewer break-ins and 30 percent fewer carjackings this so far in 2014 compared to the same period last year. 

“I can’t say what specific percentage is caused by this, but there’s no question in my mind it has had an effect,” Craig said.

If ordinary citizens carrying guns can have this effect in Detroit, just imagine what it can do for your city!

Got halfway home today

And my rear tire went flat.  It wasn't flat when I left work, but as I was pedaling my butt home I started to feel every bump in the bike path.  Looked down, saw flat tire.

Fuck.

So now I get to buy a new tube and put it in.  I could be doing so many better things right now.

Kinda-sorta update:  I'm putting a patch on it right now, so we'll see what happens.  The tire has to be inflated to 70-75psi, so I don't know how well a patch is going to hold.

Confirmation

I never read many of Marion Zimmer Bradley's books.  They weren't my thing.  I think I now know why; when the mind writing the books is this diseased, they won't appeal to the sane.

Marion Zimmer Bradley was a child rapist and a child abuser.  Her daughter laid out just a small piece of the hell that she went through in an email.  Her son confirmed what her daughter had claimed.  This woman was raping her own daughter at the age of three.

Three.  Years.  Old.

This woman knew that her partner was a serial abuser, who sexually abused dozens of children himself.  And rather than sent the bastard to jail, as any sane person would do, she defended his sexual abuse and both encouraged/enabled it.

Had I any Zimmer books, I would be burning them right now.  But since they never appealed to me, I never bought any.  So at least I can say that I did not give any kind of financial support to a child rapist who encouraged others to rape children as well.

The more you learn about MBZ, the less you like.  Quite honestly, it makes me reconsider my association with the SCA, although most people in the SCA today may or may not be able to tell you who the heck MZB is.  We'll see how I feel about that when I'm in a place where I can actually participate.

This particular bit of brain vomit started with reading about Mark Greyland over at Vox Pololi.  Ugh. I need a shower now.

Kinda Significant

When even the cab drivers in Orlando, FL are wishing that Uber would show up so that they can go drive for Uber and leave the cab companies, you know that traditional cab companies have some rather significant problems.

Several cabdrivers who lease their cars from Mears or other taxi companies told the Orlando Sentinel they want to switch to Uber because they think they can make more money. 

"If Uber opened up right now, then all the companies are going to be without drivers. If you talk to 1,000 drivers, 950 will tell you they are going to go to Uber," said a Quick Cab driver who has driven in Orlando for the past six years. He and other drivers spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing recriminations from taxi companies.

I think the best quote I've heard with regards to the whole Uber vs. Cabbies situation came from Uber's CEO, who said that the there has been so much corruption and crony capitalism with taxi companies that when you ask permission to do something that's legal you don't get it.