This last week was very busy for me. I had a few steps in a project for Decision Analysis to complete as well as a tough test in Corporate Financial Reporting. Not sure how the test went it was a lot harder than I expected, but our survey for the other class was probably the best one that any group came up with, I was pleasantly surprised.
In other news, Kenzie and I were approved for our new apartment in Centreville, VA. It is a very nice place with lots of amenities and they had a reasonable special. Problem is that Northern VA is still very expensive... but there's not much I can do about that.
2005-04-09
2005-04-06
Sensible Self-Defense
At least some states are getting it right. A new law passed in Florida allows an individual to use force whenever threatened with force, whether it be at home (currently allowed) or on the street. Currently, in most states, you are supposed to attempt retreat too, which is a very good way of getting shot or stabbed in the back. If someone pulls a knife or gun on you on the street, it is your RIGHT to shoot back, no matter what any liberal in CA or NY tells you. Maybe if we someday live in a peaceful world that would no longer be necessary, but try telling the guy on PCP who is running at you with a knife that you should try to outrun him too, god forbid you escalate the situation by pulling a gun on him. I think it would be more beneficial to society to put these people where they belong: on the ground, surrounded by chalk, eaten apart by hollowpoints.
I urge all my readers to contact their state and national representatives to push for legislation like this in all states, so we don't have to see loved ones die because they were afraid of breaking the law in self-defense.
I urge all my readers to contact their state and national representatives to push for legislation like this in all states, so we don't have to see loved ones die because they were afraid of breaking the law in self-defense.
2005-04-03
Quote of the Week
"Does George W. Bush remember that he put his hand on the bible to uphold the constitution and not the other way around?" --Bill Maher
Daylight Savings
Today is the start of daylight savings. This practice was made official in most US states in 1942 to help in the war effort. It also supposedly saves a lot of money (by using natural light during the working day) and prevents crime (because people do not have to venture out as much in the dark). While I think we all enjoy the extra hour we get at the end of daylight savings time (the "fall back" switch), I think a lot of people are annoyed by the loss of an hour at the "spring forward" time, which is today. I'm sure that many meetings are missed, events are missed, probably even planes are missed all because people are an hour behind. Not to mention it seems to mess up my sleeping habits. Is this all worth it?
2005-04-02
RIP John Paul II
Karol Wojtyla, more commonly known as Pope John Paul II died today at the age of 84. While I am not Catholic or religious at all, I respect the man for his unwavering principles. He wanted to help people above all else and this can be seen when he was critical of many countries (including the USA) for not doing enough for their poor. While I disagree that a country should help everyone, his intentions were noble and he did a lot more good than harm in his 26 years as Pope. He also helped to end Communism in Eastern Europe especially in his home country of Poland going so far as to threaten resignation if inhumane acts there did not cease.
It will be interesting to see who takes his place. Many people believe it will be an African or Latin American successor, since these areas currently house the most devout Catholics. At any rate, I hope that the new Pope makes some changes in the original version of Christianity such as getting rid of the celibacy requirement for priests (which would hopefully mean there would be less child molesters there) and allow women to serve in high offices (since we are all equal, after all). And maybe changing some stances (such as proclaiming that condoms are useful in preventing AIDS instead of focusing on abstinence only programs).
No matter what happens, the coming weeks should be interesting to watch at the Holy See.
It will be interesting to see who takes his place. Many people believe it will be an African or Latin American successor, since these areas currently house the most devout Catholics. At any rate, I hope that the new Pope makes some changes in the original version of Christianity such as getting rid of the celibacy requirement for priests (which would hopefully mean there would be less child molesters there) and allow women to serve in high offices (since we are all equal, after all). And maybe changing some stances (such as proclaiming that condoms are useful in preventing AIDS instead of focusing on abstinence only programs).
No matter what happens, the coming weeks should be interesting to watch at the Holy See.
2005-04-01
Finally I can watch the news again
Not sure about all of you, but this whole Schiavo right to life (or death) case has been getting on my nerves. The news stations (CNN, Fox, etc) have a never ending commentary on the subject and even with her death I'm sure they'll have plenty more to say. Aren't there more important things going on, like the so-called "war on terror?" I find it ludicrous that so much time is wasted on a story that probably affects less than a dozen people. I also must say that I'm upset at her family for wasting my tax money using the courts to continue to deny their appeals. Once they got denied by the Supreme Court, you would think they'd call it a day, but no, they file appeal after appeal, making "the system" go even slower than it usually does while knowing that the judges will probably not change my mind. I think they should be responsible for paying for the damage they've inflicted upon all of us.
2005-03-30
New Toy
The CZ 75 P-01 is quickly becoming well known as one of the best 9mm pistols in production. I picked one up over the weekend and must say that I am very impressed with it so far.
CZ 75 P-01
For those of you who aren't familiar with CZ firearms, Česká zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod was founded almost 70 years ago in the Czech Republic and continues to make pistols, shotguns, and rifles to this day. The CZ P-01 is based upon the CZ 75, the most copied pistol ever, which was introduced in (you guessed it) 1975. They were very hard to obtain for Americans until 1991 when the Iron Curtain fell and importation from former Warsaw Pact countries became normalized. CZ pistols are now imported by CZ-USA.
The CZ 75 P-01 is a 9mm DA/SA compact semi-automatic pistol introduced in 2001. It is considered to be a "third generation" CZ 75 (the second generation being the 75B). Unlike the original CZ 75, it features a decocking lever instead of a manual safety, so it can (and should) be carried in DA mode. I think that this is tactically better than 1911 style weapons with a safety, because in a time-critical situation, additional levers to manipulate can spell the difference between life and death. Not to mention the fact that I simply don't trust safeties, no matter how much they have been used in the past. Not that this gun lacks safeties; it has a firing pin block, half-cock notch, and an inertial firing pin. It features an M3 rail to accept lasers or lights, such as those made by Surefire. The barrel is made from aircraft grade aluminum and is covered with a chemical resistant black polycoat finish that also looks really cool. The grip is a checkered rubber that feels great; it really fits well in my hand. Also, according to CZ, this is also the only NATO spec pistol that is available to the public in the same form as used in the military (NSN 1005-16-000-8619 for all of you NATO commanders out there). Also, now that the Clinton gun ban has expired (and I don't live in one of those DEEP BLUE states like California), mine came with 2, 14-round magazines (meaning I can carry 15 roundsif I choose to).
The CZ 75 P-01 has also gone through very rigorous quality tests that included thousands of dry-firings, decockings, disassemblies, drop tests (from 3 meters). It was also frozen, submerged in mud, sand, and ice. After all these tests it was able to keep functioning properly.
Considering the brand reputation, the multitude of tests it endured, and the endless favorable reviews, at $450-$550, this pistol is probably the best bargain out there.
This pistol is compact enough to be carried concealed, although there are not too many holster options yet. However, there are enough accessories that this should not be a deterrent to purchasing a P-01.
My first time shooting the P-01 was this weekend at Anthony Arms, a very good range in the Pittsburgh area. I shot 200 rounds through the gun without any failures. The recoil was small and manageable, and the gun was far more accurate than me.
All in all, it is a very impressive looking gun, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality compact 9mm.
For a more detailed review, I recommend reading this article by Mad Ogre in Concealed Carry Magazine.
CZ 75 P-01
For those of you who aren't familiar with CZ firearms, Česká zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod was founded almost 70 years ago in the Czech Republic and continues to make pistols, shotguns, and rifles to this day. The CZ P-01 is based upon the CZ 75, the most copied pistol ever, which was introduced in (you guessed it) 1975. They were very hard to obtain for Americans until 1991 when the Iron Curtain fell and importation from former Warsaw Pact countries became normalized. CZ pistols are now imported by CZ-USA.
The CZ 75 P-01 is a 9mm DA/SA compact semi-automatic pistol introduced in 2001. It is considered to be a "third generation" CZ 75 (the second generation being the 75B). Unlike the original CZ 75, it features a decocking lever instead of a manual safety, so it can (and should) be carried in DA mode. I think that this is tactically better than 1911 style weapons with a safety, because in a time-critical situation, additional levers to manipulate can spell the difference between life and death. Not to mention the fact that I simply don't trust safeties, no matter how much they have been used in the past. Not that this gun lacks safeties; it has a firing pin block, half-cock notch, and an inertial firing pin. It features an M3 rail to accept lasers or lights, such as those made by Surefire. The barrel is made from aircraft grade aluminum and is covered with a chemical resistant black polycoat finish that also looks really cool. The grip is a checkered rubber that feels great; it really fits well in my hand. Also, according to CZ, this is also the only NATO spec pistol that is available to the public in the same form as used in the military (NSN 1005-16-000-8619 for all of you NATO commanders out there). Also, now that the Clinton gun ban has expired (and I don't live in one of those DEEP BLUE states like California), mine came with 2, 14-round magazines (meaning I can carry 15 roundsif I choose to).
The CZ 75 P-01 has also gone through very rigorous quality tests that included thousands of dry-firings, decockings, disassemblies, drop tests (from 3 meters). It was also frozen, submerged in mud, sand, and ice. After all these tests it was able to keep functioning properly.
Considering the brand reputation, the multitude of tests it endured, and the endless favorable reviews, at $450-$550, this pistol is probably the best bargain out there.
This pistol is compact enough to be carried concealed, although there are not too many holster options yet. However, there are enough accessories that this should not be a deterrent to purchasing a P-01.
My first time shooting the P-01 was this weekend at Anthony Arms, a very good range in the Pittsburgh area. I shot 200 rounds through the gun without any failures. The recoil was small and manageable, and the gun was far more accurate than me.
All in all, it is a very impressive looking gun, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality compact 9mm.
For a more detailed review, I recommend reading this article by Mad Ogre in Concealed Carry Magazine.
2005-03-18
Is this blog free speech?
There has been a lot in the news about proposed rules to censor blogs, include that of your humble correspondent. If the very restrictive McCain-Feingold campaign finance laws are applied to the internet, I could be fined for linking to a political candidate's website or quoting a political press release during certain times of an election cycle. I think this is very scary stuff. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Communist, or Independent, you should realize that this affects your free speech. As the number of blogs increase, it is very likely that some of you readers may have one and decide to talk about a candidate you feel should be elected.
Censorship in any form is bad. Whether it's an unfavorable opinion of the government, a breast during the superbowl, porn being played on NBC on a Saturday morning, or Larry Flynt selling magazines in Ohio, no law should restrict anything that is transmitted, no matter how benign or heinous some may feel it is. This isn't merely my opinion, it is the First Amendment, which has been and will be seriously fucked over by obsenity laws, campaign finance laws, and other legislation possibly introduced with noble purposes but with the ultimate goal of eroding our freespeech.
Censorship in any form is bad. Whether it's an unfavorable opinion of the government, a breast during the superbowl, porn being played on NBC on a Saturday morning, or Larry Flynt selling magazines in Ohio, no law should restrict anything that is transmitted, no matter how benign or heinous some may feel it is. This isn't merely my opinion, it is the First Amendment, which has been and will be seriously fucked over by obsenity laws, campaign finance laws, and other legislation possibly introduced with noble purposes but with the ultimate goal of eroding our freespeech.
2005-03-17
Steroids in Baseball
There's been a lot in the news about baseball players using steroids. Jose Canseco even wrote a book about the subject and recently testified before Congress about the whole matter. The question that should be asked but hasn't is "What the fuck does Congress have to do with baseball?" The argument might be that professional athletes have a responsiblitiy to be good role models for children? That argument went out the door as soon as California legalized murder (AKA, the OJ Simpson trial). If a baseball player wants to give himself an advantage by taking some meds, having some injections and possibly fucking up his body, shouldn't that be his choice? Even if it is an illegal drug being used, why should Congress be involved in the whole matter? Personally, I applaud these guys for being the guinea pigs of science to prove that technology can improve people, and maybe even break some records in the process.
2005-03-13
Petrol
Does anyone else find all the doomsday predictions on CNN, Fox, etc. about the price of gasoline annoying? As the CATO Institute has clearly pointed out here, the idiots at the networks always forget to adjust for inflation. Sure, $2 is a lot more than the less than $1 we were paying about 4 years ago, but it's a lot better than the $6 per gallon that was being spent in the 70s (or similar prices that exist in socialist countries like the UK and France). I know people who drive around town to find cheaper gas, probably wasting a lot of it on the way. Others buy the gas wherever but vocally complain about either OPEC, the President, gas companies, and other people who they want to blame for this increase in price. The truth is, it's impossible to put the blame on any one person or organization for the >$50 per barrel price of oil. In today's economy we have something called a free market that determines the prices. The only kink when it comes to oil are the government (federal, state, local) taxes and OPEC's control over the output. Taxes add well over 50 cents per gallon to the price of gas. So, when you are complaining about paying $27 to fill up your car, you can blame at least $8 of that on our lovely government. Personally, I'm just happy that I'm paying a lot less than my parents or grandparents did when they were my age.
Cool Blog
I recommend everyone to visit http://detroitblog.blogspot.com/
If you are from Detroit, you will find much of the commentary humorous as well as enjoy some illegal excursions into the abandoned skyscapers and buildings that dot the urban wasteland that was once a glorious metropolis. If you aren't from Detroit, you'll get to see why it's known as "America's Only Third World City."
If you are from Detroit, you will find much of the commentary humorous as well as enjoy some illegal excursions into the abandoned skyscapers and buildings that dot the urban wasteland that was once a glorious metropolis. If you aren't from Detroit, you'll get to see why it's known as "America's Only Third World City."
2005-03-11
TSA: No More Fire Unless Its a Match
Acting in the usually useless manner, the TSA has announced that all lighters will be banned from carry-on luggage past security checkpoints in airports. This announcement was expected since congress passed a law last December mandating the change. Matches, however, will still be allowed. So anyone who wishes to smoke must now bring their matches (up to 4 books are allowed) and they will be required to buy a lighter once they arrive in their destination. The TSA actually went further than Congress asked them to. The law only prohibited butane, which is a flammable gas. My Zippo (probably the last great thing Made in the USA) runs on naphtha, a liquid fuel, but TSA decided to make everything as simple as possible and ban ALL lighters, included electric ones. The good news for smokers though (other than the match exemption) is that lighters are over 90% plastic and probably won't show up in the x-ray machine and even if they do, a simple "oops, I didn't know that" will spare people any problems with the law (not that I'm advocating breaking TSA's important rules). Once they decide to ban matches too (which they will), they'll really have fun enforcing that one, since a book of matches contains ZERO metal, except for a little staple to hold it together, and a box of matches doesn't even have that.
I personally think this law is just there to piss people off, since a determined terrorist can still bring a match or just hide a lighter really well.
Here's my proposal for airline security: allow everyone licensed to do so (such as myself) to carry a gun on the plane. Just think, if one law abiding citizen had carried a pistol on one of those planes on 9/11, one of the Twin Towers would probably still be standing. It's worth thinking about. A foreigner cannot get a permit to carry, so those guys would have been prohibited from having one on the plane. They pull out their box cutters, I pull out my .45. Who wins?
I personally think this law is just there to piss people off, since a determined terrorist can still bring a match or just hide a lighter really well.
Here's my proposal for airline security: allow everyone licensed to do so (such as myself) to carry a gun on the plane. Just think, if one law abiding citizen had carried a pistol on one of those planes on 9/11, one of the Twin Towers would probably still be standing. It's worth thinking about. A foreigner cannot get a permit to carry, so those guys would have been prohibited from having one on the plane. They pull out their box cutters, I pull out my .45. Who wins?
2005-03-06
2005-03-04
Spring Break
Spring Break is finally here and the midterms are finally over! Although I'm not going anywhere warm, I'm looking forward to the time off of school. I'm going to visit my mom and stepdad in Indiana (near Chicago) on Monday. I've never really been to Chicago so it should be fun. Other than that I really don't have any plans for Spring Break.
Midterms went pretty well this semester. I got an 85 in Futures (and still somehow have an A in the class for a midterm grade!), 94 in Corporate Financial Reporting, and 85 in Electoral Systems. Not sure about one of my other classes, but I'll probably find out soon.
Happy Spring Break everybody!
Midterms went pretty well this semester. I got an 85 in Futures (and still somehow have an A in the class for a midterm grade!), 94 in Corporate Financial Reporting, and 85 in Electoral Systems. Not sure about one of my other classes, but I'll probably find out soon.
Happy Spring Break everybody!
2005-02-23
I'm still here!
Hey All (whoever you all are that read this). I haven't written in a while so I decided to write about what's been going on. I'm up really late (or early tonight) in an attempt to fix my sleep schedule by staying awake until tomorrow night (woke up really late today).
So I've been travelling the past two weeks. Two weekends ago Kenzie and I went to Fairfax, VA to look at apartments. We found 3 that we really liked, but they are SO expensive. $1000/month for a 1 bedroom apartment is pretty high, but at least they are all really nice with pools, workout rooms, all appliances included, etc. There were some cheaper apartments, but you have to qualify as low income. Our favorite apartments were these, which are not low income, but they have good specials. If anyone wants to look at them, let me know what you think. I'll probably be a few miles from where I'll be working, so the commute shouldn't be too bad. While we were in the area, we rode the metro to downtown DC. Everything was pretty much closed, but we saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Whitehouse. First time either of us ever went there...I was impressed.
This past weekend Kenzie and I drove to Michigan for her cousin's wedding. It was a good time. There was lots of Polish food (I liked the cabbage rolls) and free drinks (always a good thing). On the way out (as usual), we met Carl and Buddy's Pizza (best pizza in the world as far as I'm concerned) and went bowling. I didn't do to well since I forgot my ball. The house balls really sucked so I used Carl's, which despite being made for lefties worked for me. The worst part of the trip was the drive home. At least 4 inches of snow in MI and they didn't plow or salt ANY of the roads including major highways like I-75. It took us about 2 hours to go 50 miles to the Ohio border. Once we were there the roads were fine, except for a lot of rain on the turnpike. We got home late. All in all, it was a fun trip.
I've been pretty busy with school the last week, there were many tests. I don't know how I did on Electoral Systems (it was really hard), but on Corporate Financial Reporting I got a 94%. That really made me happy since I thought I had fallen behind in the class. Cramming sure helps, and its even better when the final isn't cumulative. Its not the most exciting class, but the professor enjoys telling us how to do Enron-style accounting. It would probably make his day if one of us got busted... I'm not planning on being an accountant, but I now see that its more than just adding and subtracting.
I also negotiated my first car purchase. I wasn't buying, but Kenzie was. I got the finance guy to go down by around $45 a month. Now she has a new car, which is really good because her old one was about to die. The last time that happened, it was pretty bad, and also we don't have to use my car for all the trips.
There's a lot more to write so look for more entries in the next couple of days.
So I've been travelling the past two weeks. Two weekends ago Kenzie and I went to Fairfax, VA to look at apartments. We found 3 that we really liked, but they are SO expensive. $1000/month for a 1 bedroom apartment is pretty high, but at least they are all really nice with pools, workout rooms, all appliances included, etc. There were some cheaper apartments, but you have to qualify as low income. Our favorite apartments were these, which are not low income, but they have good specials. If anyone wants to look at them, let me know what you think. I'll probably be a few miles from where I'll be working, so the commute shouldn't be too bad. While we were in the area, we rode the metro to downtown DC. Everything was pretty much closed, but we saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Whitehouse. First time either of us ever went there...I was impressed.
This past weekend Kenzie and I drove to Michigan for her cousin's wedding. It was a good time. There was lots of Polish food (I liked the cabbage rolls) and free drinks (always a good thing). On the way out (as usual), we met Carl and Buddy's Pizza (best pizza in the world as far as I'm concerned) and went bowling. I didn't do to well since I forgot my ball. The house balls really sucked so I used Carl's, which despite being made for lefties worked for me. The worst part of the trip was the drive home. At least 4 inches of snow in MI and they didn't plow or salt ANY of the roads including major highways like I-75. It took us about 2 hours to go 50 miles to the Ohio border. Once we were there the roads were fine, except for a lot of rain on the turnpike. We got home late. All in all, it was a fun trip.
I've been pretty busy with school the last week, there were many tests. I don't know how I did on Electoral Systems (it was really hard), but on Corporate Financial Reporting I got a 94%. That really made me happy since I thought I had fallen behind in the class. Cramming sure helps, and its even better when the final isn't cumulative. Its not the most exciting class, but the professor enjoys telling us how to do Enron-style accounting. It would probably make his day if one of us got busted... I'm not planning on being an accountant, but I now see that its more than just adding and subtracting.
I also negotiated my first car purchase. I wasn't buying, but Kenzie was. I got the finance guy to go down by around $45 a month. Now she has a new car, which is really good because her old one was about to die. The last time that happened, it was pretty bad, and also we don't have to use my car for all the trips.
There's a lot more to write so look for more entries in the next couple of days.
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