Armscor Revolvers

I own a Rock Island Armory 1911. It is a government model .45 automatic and doesn't have any problems that aren't characteristic of all such pistols (the spur hammer tends to pinch). The RIA is actually an Armscor product manufactured in the Philippines. They make several models of 1911, but the GI models are marketed as Rock Island's here in the us.

What I didn't realize is that Armscor also makes .38 special revolvers. Their 200 series revolvers are very modestly priced (~$150-200) firearms. If you are a gunny you can tell that these are base on a colt design, specifically the diamondback. The diamondback is a good gun, although limited to only .38+P pressures instead of the more common .357s found today. But Colt doesn't make it anymore. In fact they discontinued all their revolver lines. So if I run across one of these guns I may have to pick it up.

Kingdom Hearts

Amy and I rented the first one three years ago. It was pretty but we really didn't enjoy the gameplay. I could fight, but I never knew where I was supposed to be going or what to do. It seems as if they've changed some stuff at least. Dunno if I would pick it up based on this review. The cameos and voice talent do sound cool though.

Of Mice and Meme

Egregious Charles has this to say:

"Meme" is a word that automatically makes me very suspicious. It is almost always used as shorthand for, "I don't know any evidence for this idea and can't imagine that anyone else does, so there must be some other explanation for its prevalence." Mainly it signals weaseling out of debating an idea on it's merits; tag an idea a "meme" and you shift the discussion to how it's transmitted rather than whether it makes sense. A similar technique is Bulverism, where you shift the discussion to the motives of one debater; e.g. you don't like affirmative action because you're a racist.

Very true. It is interesting that Wikipedia notes:

Calling someone's ideas/beliefs/action a "meme" therefore does not constitute an insult, but saying that it is "just a meme" does.

Often using the word "meme" or "memetic" is also a great way to conceal biases with a facade of scientific-sounding jargon. For instance some people like to label religions as "memetic viruses." This is just a sly way of saying that your religion is using you for its benefit but your detriment.

This outlook on religion is not a coincidence since the whole memetic concept was created by Richard Dawkins, an athiest and award winning secular humanist. That is not to say that the whole memetic concept is anti-religious. It isn't. However there are a lot of anti-religious people employing it as a methodology. Let's just say I am not a big fan of most of Dawkin's work.

Democrats on National Security

Well Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney started the debate off well. She attacked a Capitol Hill PD officer with her cell phone when he didn't recognize her and she refused to stop or answer questions. No word yet if she got the idea from Naomi Campbell. When Democrats say they're tough on security, I didn't think they meant beating up cops.

But the Dems have been rolling out their security platform and it is not without some merit. It is not without it's problems either. National Review has a breakdown:

• The initial explanation: "I went to Democrats.org to look at the plan. Sadly, it’s not a 'plan.' It’s a 'wish list.'"
On North Korea: "While the headlines are bold, the proposals are vague, mild, and not terribly different from the current policies." Some proposals are self-contradictory (like blaming Bush for not stifling dissent enough). Others show lots of carrot and stick with no intention of using the stick.
• On Iran: Give them an offer they can't rationally refuse, which assumes they are rational. Also they blame Bush for being too multilateral about Iran. Thats a new one, Bush isn't unilateral enough?
• On Russian nuclear stockpiles: This section also has proposals that sound like they came out of a Dilbert comic strip mocking empty business blather talk.
• On foreign oil dependence: Same old energy policy, but now it is dressed up as a national security policy. It still stresses conservation too much and alternatives not enough.

The last part is a bad sign. I'd rather not see the Democrats taking a wholistic approach to national security that includes sending federal agents around to see that my car's tires are inflated properly. Yes that could drop US oil consumption by 2.2% a year. Of course consumption grew by almost that much in 2005 so you aren't getting anywhere...

Standardized Tests for Good and Ill

First the good. There has been a lot of criticism for No Child Left Behind, but Joanne Jacobs is emphasizing a positive:

In response to No Child Left Behind, schools are cutting history, science and electives to focus on teaching reading and math to low achievers, reports the New York Times.
...
Downtown College Prep, the charter high school in my book, Our School, realized in its first year that students couldn't read well enough to understand the algebra textbooks, much less history or science. Eventually, the school put way-behind ninth graders in a reading class, in addition to English 1, and a numeracy class, in addition to algebra, deferring history and science teaching.

She and several commenters go on to talk about how deferring science for those with problems in more fundamental skills is a Good Thing. You can't teach someone to run before they can walk. You need to be able to read and do basic math befoer you can truly tackle science, civics, history, geography, etc. This is something many schools have forgotten in order to make learning more "fun" for the students.

Now the ill, Delaware's take of paying for performance is lacking according to Hube:

Delaware has an idea where some 20% of a teacher's evaluation (and pay raise) would be based on students' DSTP reading, writing and math scores ... no matter what subject you teach. That's right. And I teach Spanish. Yet, 20% of my performance evaluation would be based on my school's students' DSTP scores! Can someone explain to me how this makes any sense?

It doesn't make sense to me, nor does Delaware's whole DSTP program when superior testing instruments are available and less costly than the Delaware program.

Home Shopping Hilarity

For my second porn-themed post of the day, I link you to a QVC video at Von's site. It is easily twice as funny because the caller is from Lower Delaware. Unlike Randy from Dover I cannot recommend Dell computers. My Dell laptop has unfortunately been an unreliable POS while my 1996 gateway desktop (and 2003 HP desktop) are still running strong. This is probably a laptop vs. desktop thing, but I had multiple problems even while the laptop was under its three year manufacturers warrantee.

As a sword afficianado, this "Shop at Home" Network clip still takes the cake for home shopping humor. Unfortunately putting a sharp edge on a cheap sword is easy. It is retaining the edge that is tough. But he's a true professional and never stops tape.

Porn Again

I'm really shocked to be writing this, but this LA Times story on outreach to the California sex industry is very good.

Heather Veitch left the sex industry in 1999 after it stopped being fun and she starting thinking about the consequences. Then she found God. Then she founded JC's Girls Girls Girls, a Christian ministry to sex workers affiliated with Sandals Church in Riverside, Ca. Why did she do it? "No one tried to reach me. That's what inspires me to share with others."

They have also come under some criticism for their tactics. The women pay for private lap dances from strippers in order to discuss spiritual things with them. They go to adult industry conventions and hand out bibles wrapped in Holy Hottie t-shirts. Most importantly, they do not emphasize leaving the sex industry. Instead they just want to get the girls to know Jesus with the belief that leaving the industry will follow.

Sounds like they know what they're doing: seeking and saving the lost. Via GetReligion.

UPDATE: No this does not mean I want to do "evangelism" as part of my Bachelor Party, as one coworker has already suggested...

Prayer Request

My branch secretary's husband and grandson were in a car accident last night. Her grandson is fine, but her husband is still under observation at the hospital. Any prayers on their behalf would be greatly appreciated.

Enough!

You know I was willing to be reasonable. Yes illegal immigrants are criminals, but many are just good people who really just want honest work. And the US legal immigration system sucks. I know. I went to grad school and heard it from all the other grad students who came from out of town. I know students who had to take Canadian and French vacations so they could leave the country and work visa stuff out. I know. So I was willing to at least consider amnesty. Was.

Now? No. Not after all this kind of shit. Now I'm all for building a big damn wall and putting guys with guns on it. You want to put Mexico above the US? Fine, go back there. I'll gladly pay for your one-way tickets. Once there I suggest you try to make Mexico more like the US instead of the other way around.

UPDATE: John the Methodist has a long and insightful piece on immigration up at Locusts and Honey. He mentions passages like Exodus 22:21, "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." Christians are to forgive because we are forgiven. We are also to treat immigrants hospitably because our families were also immigrants. How very true that is, especially in the US.

I believe the US has the right to regulate its borders. I don't know how a country could be worth the name if it didn't have that right. But we must deal with this problem within the law and with respect for the fundamental human rights to due process that even illegal aliens possess.

Weird Bikes

I went to WaWa for lunch. Man, their subs are getting expensive. Someone on a Suzuki M109R pulled into the parking space beside me. It was in blue. My thoughts? The headlight hood still looks a little weird in person. Frankly, it is a huge bike. Not only is it long and tall, but it really wide as well. It's like a giant block of bike. It filled up a parking spot very nicely. I guess it makes sense for a 700 lb., 1800cc cruiser.

UPDATE: Here is a closer look at Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine.

Pro-Gun Slasher Films

The whole problem is that they seem to be awfully short. I can't vouch for the work-safeness of the host site. This isn't the first time I have seen someone make that joke, but it is still really funny. Via Ace of Spades.

Teenagers and Sleep

Thinklings is covering the current meme that kids, especially high school students, aren't getting enough sleep. The study which spawned all this discussion says:

The poll found that sixth-graders were sleeping an average of 8.4 hours on school nights and 12th-graders just 6.9 hours.

And...

Nearly all youngsters, 97 percent, have at least one electronic item in their bedroom. These include television, computer, phone or music devices.

My first reaction was that the world is also still round. Kids stay out all night and don't get enough sleep. And they're disrespectful. Sumerian parents were inscribing such things on their clay tablets eons ago. It wouldn't surprise my if there are cave paintings somewhere that tranlate to "Boy take friends, hunt all night, no respect Dad."

I've been out of high school for a little over 10 years now. Back then I stayed up until 11 and had to get up before 6. I brought my average amount of sleep up on weekends by sleeping in until 10 or 11 on Saturdays. Sundays were (and still are) a wash because I had to get up for church. So I got less than the recommended 9 hours a night. Lord only knows how they derived a requirement for 9 hours a night. I suspect it was a bunch of parents saying "we need a good reason to tell our kids to go to bed so we can have sex/get some sleep ourselves."

Truth be told, I probably got more sleep than my peers at the time. I probably got at least an hour more sleep than most of them. Some did better because they drove to school. Some did worse and just kept going until they got sick and couldn't go to school.

I also had music available in my bedroom either from the radio or my cassette player. I rarely stayed up all night listening to it, but it happened. Sometimes I'd end up down stairs watching TV if I couldn't sleep.

So most of this stuff seems to be pretty constant. But what we didn't have was kids coming home, going to sleep, then waking up for dinner and chatting on the internet all night. My generation only had TV. There was little point being up until 4 because there wasn't anything to do after 1:30 or 2. And for the most part the internet was boring nerd-stuff. I did have a few friends who would stay up all night late playing MUDs, but for the most part my generations sleep habits were tied to TV.

What I learned from this whole thing is that my kids ain't getting TVs and computers in their rooms. Sorry. There is a time and place for staying up all night and playing on the internet. It's called college.

The Inevitable Iraqi Invasion

The guys at QandO are discussing the inevitability of the invasion of Iraq. Specifically the belief within the administration that war was unavoidable. They do a fair bit of work to point out that this isn't the case and link to others who have similar arguments. I suppose all this breaks down to the lefts allegations that having such a belief would make the President and his staff warmongers.

Frankly, I don't blame the administration even if they had such a belief. When you look at US-Iraqi relations since the first Gulf War, they aren't exactly friendly. When 9/11 occurred I was pretty sure that after Afghanistan had been dealt with, Iraq would be next. Why? Because there were too many good reasons to do it. The inevitability of war was not warmongering. It was sober judgement.

The problem with Iraq was:

• Saddam Hussein
• Ties to terrorist groups
• A long history of WMD development
• No weapons inspections for years
• Increasing international pressure to release economic sanctions
• Repeated attempts to shootdown US aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones
• Prolonged drain on the US military services from required containment activities
• Growing US/Islamic tensions because of prolonged US presence in the Gulf

With 9/11 and the US moving to wartime footing, the question became when not if we were going to have to react militarily.

Final Four

I'm with Paul.

The truth is, I know nothing about College Basketball. It's why my friends always like me being in their pools. I provide comic relief, either of the "How could you make that pick?" variety, or the "How is this moron doing so well?"

To date I have taken part in one Final Four pool. It was in high school with some guys from my bible study. I won by, among other things, picking 3 of the final four. My study mates were astounded.

I'd say it was by dumb luck, but I did actually have a method to my madness. Unlike the rest of my christian brothers who actually knew something about NCAA college ball, I only had the team rankings and win-loss records which were listed on the bracket. I went with the best record unless the rankings made them a big underdog.

That year it worked, but this year it wouldn't have. I guess it's good that I quit when I was ahead.

Pre-Marital Problems

Amybear and I discovered a new threat to our marriage that is poised to rip us in twain. She prefers chunky peanut butter. I prefer creamy. I hope our love can help us surmount this terrible divide.

The Future Today

Sluggy Freelance had some jokes about how the future would be based on inflatable technology. Turns out Pete Abrams was right. I'm waiting for a "Dozens Smothered in Inflatable Night-Club Catastrophe: Stilleto Heels to Blame."

Rahman Released

If you haven't heard it already, Christian convert Abdul Rahman has been released. Praise God, but he ain't out of the woods yet.

GetReligion has some coverage of the conversion issue from within Islam itself. Essentially the death penalty is traditionally applied, but it is not truly canonical. The Koran states that apostates should be punished, but does not order capital punishment. The death penalty is derived from a separate oral tradition about the Prophet Muhammed.

You Want a Piece of Me!

18.75 %

My weblog owns 18.75 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?

Via Joe Cathey.

Lamenting For My Brethren

Instapundit linked to this Washington Post story entitled Marriage is for White People. The origin of the titular quote comes from a little boy:

"That's wonderful!" I told my class. "I think I'll invite some couples in to talk about being married and rearing children."

"Oh, no," objected one student. "We're not interested in the part about marriage. Only about how to be good fathers."

And that's when the other boy chimed in, speaking as if the words left a nasty taste in his mouth: "Marriage is for white people."

I could go off on a near racist tirade. But I won't. All indicators are showing that white America is going to same way as black America. White folks are just a generation behind.

Now I'm sure some people will say the breakdown of marriage as an institution is just change. Change happens. While I have to agree that change happens, I'm a conservative. I do not hold that all change is for the better. What I see here is change for the worse.

Marital breakdown has wide-ranging implications. African-American culture is currently symptomatic of this, but it could and probably will involve everybody. When you look at a lot of problems of that subculture, you'll see that many many issues trace back to one cause: a illegitimacy rate and a lack of fathers or male role-models.

Black women are doing pretty well for themselves. Black men aren't. This isn't a coincidence. All children need fathers, but boys need them more. Fathers show sons what manhood is. Otherwise we get "be a man" defined by all sorts of thugs and testosterone laden fools. Manhood becomes womanizing. It becomes doing violence on the innocent for selfish gain. It becomes repaying any slight no matter how mild or ill conceived. It seems to me that when Solomon wrote his advice to his own son about this a long time ago.

UPDATE: Hube is weighing in with some good data on the subject of marital superiority.

Insulating Turbochargers

Is this really a new idea? It seems so simple. I would have thought that if wrapping the whole thing in a layer of insulation created a lot of performance benefit, we would have done it a long time ago.