tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11081925887228386652024-02-19T09:43:18.660-06:00Matt's World O' WondersMatt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-41992051093789672012017-10-24T20:51:00.000-05:002019-05-09T13:46:25.698-05:00Mid-Air Crash Over Midland, 1956<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> On October 24, 1956, a Lockheed T-33 “Shooting Star” collided
with a Cessna 170 over the Permian Estates development of Midland, Texas. The crash killed all persons on board both
airplanes. Miraculously, no one on the
ground was injured despite all of the wreckage falling on a residential area. This would be Midland’s worst aircraft crash,
in terms of lives lost, until 1983. It
remains Midland’s deadliest military aircraft incident. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There
was little detail published on the crash because Cold War secrecy restricted
public information on military aviation incidents in the early 1950’s. Unlike the many reports I've obtained for World War II era and civilian crashes, I had to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the Air Force for the report.
The Air Force redacted some personal
information on military personnel, all names and information on civilians, and
much of the investigation details.
Fortunately, the findings remained.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There
were photographs of wreckage and model mock-ups, but there were no photographs of the
victims released, which I found to be respectful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A
Lockheed T-33 “Shooting Star” jet departed Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas at
13:51 that day. The T-33 is the training
variant of the P-80 jet fighter, and was a frequent sight over the skies of west Texas in
those days. Captain Roy Roberts, an
instructor pilot, was in the forward seat.
The student pilot, First Lieutenant Lowell Hale, was in the aft seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Their
mission was to perform ILS (Instrument Landing System) approaches at Midland’s
airport, known today as Midland International Air and Space Port. ILS allows pilots to land in conditions that
restrict visibility, such as darkness or fog.
To effectively train for ILS, the student pilot wears a hood or helmet
attachment that prevents them from seeing anything but their cockpit
instruments in order to simulate a real-world experience. This requires a second
pilot to keep watch for other aircraft or hazards. For this flight, the student flew under the
hood in the rear seat, with the instructor pilot in the forward seat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The
T-33 was in radio contact with the Midland tower throughout their flight, and
successfully performed a touch-and-go on Runway 043 around 14:50pm. As they departed, they were granted
permission for a second approach. Runway
043 runs east and west, alongside Business Loop 20 (Old Highway 80).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Firefighters at T-33 Wreckage, USAF Report Photo</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Minutes
earlier, a Cessna 170A left Ector County Airport bound for Bowie, Texas. The single-engine prop plane had five souls
on board. The passengers included the
pilot, his wife, infant daughter, and his wife’s parents. The Cessna is believed to have flown north of
Midland’s airport, then southeast to the crash site.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A
transcript of the control tower conversations shows that the tower lost contact
with the T-33 shortly after their touch-and-go, then smoke was seen rising over
Permian Estates. The airplanes had
collided 6.25 nautical miles from the runway at 1000-1200 feet above the
ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Cessna Wreckage, USAF Report Photo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The
report shows the T-33 striking the Cessna from behind at a downward angle,
slightly to the left side of the Cessna.
The rudder of the T-33 ripped through the thin aluminum structure of the
Cessna, which “broke into pieces, throwing the people aboard out of the
aircraft.” The instructor pilot ejected
from the aircraft, but did not have sufficient altitude for the ejection seat
system to operate. The report further
explains that he didn’t separate from the seat sooner due to a failure of an
“oxygen hose quick-disconnect.” The instructor’s
body came to rest near the main wreckage of the T-33. The student pilot remained with the wreckage. The civilian passengers fell over an area
covering about seven houses. Several news and social media reports indicate that a female passenger fell through a roof into a
bathtub. The location of the infant
varies, some saying the child was found in shrubs and others claim the child
fell into a home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The
T-33’s tail separated and fell into a back yard, and the Cessna fell in at least
five major pieces. The engine of the
Cessna fell through the roof of a home that was unoccupied at the time. Parts fell on homes, in yards, and vacant
lots. The main wreckage of the T-33
struck the driveway and a garage of a home and burned. It was the only fire reported throughout the
incident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Air Force lists several factors that caused the crash:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>“The
primary cause of this accident is supervisory error on the part of the
Instructor Pilot in that he did not see the other aircraft in time to avoid the
collision.”</i> Since the student was
wearing a hood to restrict his vision, the instructor pilot in the front seat
was responsible for keeping watch for traffic.
The downward angle of the jet’s impact could indicate the possibility of
a last-second attempt to miss the Cessna.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></i><!--[endif]--><i>“A contributing cause factor is that current
CAA regulations do not require light aircraft to be controlled under VFR
conditions in control zones; Midland Tower was not aware of the Cessna’s
presence.” </i>Control zones were much
smaller in 1956 than today, and the Cessna stayed out of Midland’s zone
throughout the entire flight and probably wasn’t monitoring Midland’s radio
traffic. The Cessna pilot was operating
his aircraft in accordance with regulations and practices of the time, and was
probably over Midland in order to follow Interstate 20 for part of his flight. Control zones and traffic procedures have
changed drastically, and this sort of incident would be impossible today if
procedures are followed. The Civil Aeronautics
Administration (CAA) became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1958.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></i><!--[endif]--><i>“Installation of the stand-by compass…
precludes unobstructed vision forward.” </i>A
significant piece of the T-33 forward pilot’s view was obstructed by instrumentation.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although the
report had the names of the civilian victims redacted, newspaper sources listed
them as Winfred Clement (27 years of age at the time of the accident), his wife
Elizabeth (25), and their infant daughter, Cathy. Elizabeth’s parents were also on board, Roy
E. Howard (63) and Ethel Howard (57).
The aircraft was registered to Winfred Clement. The family was buried in Bowie, TX.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkIsqToFZcfug8SZ4UQONOUJ0bNYuJeKDOU-zveeenhyphenhyphen20pa3beAGzbuun7UFKCisCgMd06rCe3C_LP_hZ0Q8ViEq6aUvldG_ZmQbU-qMhS2JiU84f6EEFXte4B1_0sc2_twYpBwj31U/s1600/lt+hale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="489" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkIsqToFZcfug8SZ4UQONOUJ0bNYuJeKDOU-zveeenhyphenhyphen20pa3beAGzbuun7UFKCisCgMd06rCe3C_LP_hZ0Q8ViEq6aUvldG_ZmQbU-qMhS2JiU84f6EEFXte4B1_0sc2_twYpBwj31U/s320/lt+hale.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="166" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lt. Lowell was
buried in Decatur, Illinois. Capt.
Roberts was buried in Trinity Memorial Park, Big Spring, TX.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ector County
Airport became Schlemeyer Field sometime in the 1970’s, and features a T-33 on
static display. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Air Force
report included a map that plots 13 locations of wreckage. In respect of the crash victims and current
property owners, I will only show a modern map of the wreckage area and will not
release the specific points. The crash area was published as "the 3500 block of Apache Drive." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I teamed up with
local videographers Tim Kreitz and Michael Montalvo with the intention of
filming a documentary about the crash, but we were not able to locate witnesses
willing to be interviewed. There just
wasn’t enough material for a video
production without them, and we completely understood their reluctance. Many thanks to Tim and Mike for helping me
assemble all the data on this crash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">This incident is
an important piece of Midland's history of military aviation. As far back
as World War II, Midland has served an important role in our nation's air power
preparedness, and many lives have been lost. This is the only local
military aircraft incident I've found with civilian casualties.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Should anyone have
photos or witness accounts they wish to share, please contact me at <a href="mailto:mattvann@suddenlink.net">mattvann@suddenlink.net</a>. I won't publish anything without the contributor's permission.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Cessna 170 Tail, USAF Report Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcfq3TqKSZRpoNMqRjWXh9qZa2FAFEVjRr10D3FyDdOmyQFMX3eUgm07_Y-dvB6PWklCBbZaJvS08IUu7SNwsiSXWPbVc9a6hKECcULbt4ssIYX56PxG86w5P0kIrX4bnqiM1HBqaRLU/s1600/ejection+seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="733" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcfq3TqKSZRpoNMqRjWXh9qZa2FAFEVjRr10D3FyDdOmyQFMX3eUgm07_Y-dvB6PWklCBbZaJvS08IUu7SNwsiSXWPbVc9a6hKECcULbt4ssIYX56PxG86w5P0kIrX4bnqiM1HBqaRLU/s200/ejection+seat.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Ejection Seat, USAF Report Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfNsBm7ALopFrUZxCz9zKpVlUhEVNrdUWDngLclLXt2-ghM1h5elC-QB8FACQD_SQ3N9zJNyW88XdWyMckNn6QhjaRpNxjBJbpX0vBKET4Q1je9WE_rqJLoZEYNYDYTRVbWwLE_AcQwU/s1600/t33+tail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="487" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfNsBm7ALopFrUZxCz9zKpVlUhEVNrdUWDngLclLXt2-ghM1h5elC-QB8FACQD_SQ3N9zJNyW88XdWyMckNn6QhjaRpNxjBJbpX0vBKET4Q1je9WE_rqJLoZEYNYDYTRVbWwLE_AcQwU/s200/t33+tail.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">T-33 Tail, USAF Report Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXHMswejQoYcF36VCXk5FB5uS1FLgGsCta0dphGK4F6VX-jgUFzBL-yiABkvUKYJYGvd0gdvxJO9SRERRk3-P-brI4mkU8BSixULdimkiLtBsiN3TF4R8ojDMiZbwX7hotn0csveTMeI/s1600/models+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="565" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXHMswejQoYcF36VCXk5FB5uS1FLgGsCta0dphGK4F6VX-jgUFzBL-yiABkvUKYJYGvd0gdvxJO9SRERRk3-P-brI4mkU8BSixULdimkiLtBsiN3TF4R8ojDMiZbwX7hotn0csveTMeI/s200/models+2.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Models Showing Impact Angle, USAF File Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVK-fz-CjI3orNzrpeeW758LQMWjtGg9q9WWTV7UKG1IPZx5aMerU2mGx_u10YXhhBv7M0xXDetM4A-mWky5SaJtA2III8her_jB_U8n2u-V9iBAWaOfZt2mUjPAs_7Zp3uioEhkZZ6w/s1600/area.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="1034" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVK-fz-CjI3orNzrpeeW758LQMWjtGg9q9WWTV7UKG1IPZx5aMerU2mGx_u10YXhhBv7M0xXDetM4A-mWky5SaJtA2III8her_jB_U8n2u-V9iBAWaOfZt2mUjPAs_7Zp3uioEhkZZ6w/s320/area.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Wreckage Area, Present Day</span></td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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Update, May 7, 2019: Podcast epispode: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjICu8yo2c&t=3177s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjICu8yo2c&t=3177s</a><br />
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Here are a few pages from the local newspaper on the day after the crash:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHWNmwjZAkvplrFqoSX9X5fa3DhU4YXBAgqHJLGJaoZiVvXDvHKhWU-YIfMcQNj2WZTr2ptZum6dO29r1izXJ9sSnbsHXUUutfsU-serdxZwZBQmnA-N-NRrtMqmLAWoV8Nf9-T_LrH0/s1600/ViewScan_0000+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHWNmwjZAkvplrFqoSX9X5fa3DhU4YXBAgqHJLGJaoZiVvXDvHKhWU-YIfMcQNj2WZTr2ptZum6dO29r1izXJ9sSnbsHXUUutfsU-serdxZwZBQmnA-N-NRrtMqmLAWoV8Nf9-T_LrH0/s320/ViewScan_0000+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDRhH7AGWytImT5fNh8vP58jxcMZ4Co2hZBFYDjEvDCI62V505zzcxMGrtVRAuGlbaytmi29lLyP02rldwJpjuWYS5kcTgIw8Hz9ZXUnGHMrsVC_nrhUt44WlUZiSHZOikiK1tAXEaZ8/s1600/ViewScan_0004+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDRhH7AGWytImT5fNh8vP58jxcMZ4Co2hZBFYDjEvDCI62V505zzcxMGrtVRAuGlbaytmi29lLyP02rldwJpjuWYS5kcTgIw8Hz9ZXUnGHMrsVC_nrhUt44WlUZiSHZOikiK1tAXEaZ8/s320/ViewScan_0004+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0npK1Y20ptomAX8qSHnBP28QoeAwYAD5VGk9y1baBwogO_2UZFWzhWTZdDsQ0y-zHwIRTqy1cG0avGDF2xIQOxh2dBcNVOV0g1SajXXTOqLmlLeUjylyFb__i1yOWS1JLE0hm9X5ZEHM/s1600/ViewScan_0005+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0npK1Y20ptomAX8qSHnBP28QoeAwYAD5VGk9y1baBwogO_2UZFWzhWTZdDsQ0y-zHwIRTqy1cG0avGDF2xIQOxh2dBcNVOV0g1SajXXTOqLmlLeUjylyFb__i1yOWS1JLE0hm9X5ZEHM/s320/ViewScan_0005+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNMgaxkS63HshjTWQa1Z2G3VaJEjyfcwQpmjqG47_wBldISwUFTVxD_H1n4DIepS52c8Yoz2jzcGijhiBPWmRZ6nh8Ed4vuxuALhv9CW3xjFEyqPg_af_ZU0ndB6W4hAjRltqvwhQhxc/s1600/ViewScan_0006+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNMgaxkS63HshjTWQa1Z2G3VaJEjyfcwQpmjqG47_wBldISwUFTVxD_H1n4DIepS52c8Yoz2jzcGijhiBPWmRZ6nh8Ed4vuxuALhv9CW3xjFEyqPg_af_ZU0ndB6W4hAjRltqvwhQhxc/s320/ViewScan_0006+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzMVZEDDXSbT6_rRMWvYEQInGFKt_W6DE5woqRENPUd8SEZNGNACbRE6nWwWTa6RsPcKf3G3XHpWL4NYCQKggQ3pvRSOaYApYqlSOMCW4ToIPEvSeKEzxHbjJXqh_IyzEwc62lh5MZfI/s1600/ViewScan_0007+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzMVZEDDXSbT6_rRMWvYEQInGFKt_W6DE5woqRENPUd8SEZNGNACbRE6nWwWTa6RsPcKf3G3XHpWL4NYCQKggQ3pvRSOaYApYqlSOMCW4ToIPEvSeKEzxHbjJXqh_IyzEwc62lh5MZfI/s320/ViewScan_0007+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUSg4LjY8cZOUgNsYhz8ZrDT33qIZR8nVTNNCSLXeQbmaQklNHtxafendKK9gHnwpAFneHP8jyg4dyqAznP1brqEh-FUbGAPjKZktjO8L1nuSrFicoW606Js__TjGbYsbtbWbQ2leycY/s1600/ViewScan_0014+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUSg4LjY8cZOUgNsYhz8ZrDT33qIZR8nVTNNCSLXeQbmaQklNHtxafendKK9gHnwpAFneHP8jyg4dyqAznP1brqEh-FUbGAPjKZktjO8L1nuSrFicoW606Js__TjGbYsbtbWbQ2leycY/s320/ViewScan_0014+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-88715728203368649582017-06-08T23:33:00.001-05:002017-06-08T23:39:55.949-05:00Lockheed P-38 Lightning Crash in 1945 - Midland, TX<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8souc9t1dNNrMqs7gt06dKbNE6P41UlmCSbDHE7ihR-e5hPx6eJ4zGpgUF9pDmPrMbsKLG6X1_rKX103O0j7bgt7TH1ZtbGioim3b3QyNqvAJpHx-Dm6p5N8NbTBOX1p-jFhfTMCg2DI/s1600/Capture+2+straightened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Report Photo" border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="643" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8souc9t1dNNrMqs7gt06dKbNE6P41UlmCSbDHE7ihR-e5hPx6eJ4zGpgUF9pDmPrMbsKLG6X1_rKX103O0j7bgt7TH1ZtbGioim3b3QyNqvAJpHx-Dm6p5N8NbTBOX1p-jFhfTMCg2DI/s320/Capture+2+straightened.jpg" title="Report Photo" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Report Photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Midland, Texas and the surrounding area has deep history in
World War II military aviation, most of which involves bomber training. While researching another project, I found a
report on a 1945 fatal crash of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning in Midland. Most accident reports in the area are bomber
trainers, so the P-38 was unique. This
particular aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Midland Municipal
Airport, now called Midland Airpark (KMDD), just a couple of miles from my home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> On July
31, 1945, 25 year old First Lieutenant Thomas R. Frederick unsuccessfully attempted to start the
engines on a Lockheed P-38L Lightning aircraft on the ramp of Midland Municipal
Airport. Assigned to the 6<sup>th</sup>
Ferrying Division, he had logged over 500 hours of flight time, with about four
hours in the P-38. A mechanic took his place in the cockpit and found the engines
flooded. Once started, the mechanic
performed a run-up and Lt. Frederick got back in the cockpit. He departed on runway 16 (southbound) for a ferrying mission to Love Field in Dallas.
About two minutes into the flight, Lt. Frederick reported trouble with
his right engine which was trailing smoke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Several
people on the ground, including mechanics, could hear the struggling engine and
see the smoke trail. One mechanic had
just left his home for a trip to Pyote.
While at the intersection of “C” and Texas streets, he was directly in
line with the runway and saw the distressed aircraft turn back for the
field. As the aircraft entered a
downwind leg for a left pattern on the same runway, several witnesses saw that
the right engine was completely stopped with the propeller feathered as he flew over the
field. About two miles north of the field, Lt. Frederick turned west onto his
base leg. During the turn, the aircraft
stalled, dropping the right wing. Unable to recover from the stall, the aircraft crashed in a pasture about two miles north of the airfield.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRr0hsR-rOfLhG4dadzG9PhR4bTsuPOiY2PdtiQq8iE9Fg3V5JO0CPydiD920EHLiGDJ6ftY7hluvoBU2bN5m_iO5LxenejBtT-IrJ5VYfN2yQ3oOLYy1F0tyQE2xJQI1OA5Khn_oEPFI/s1600/Capture+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Report Photo" border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRr0hsR-rOfLhG4dadzG9PhR4bTsuPOiY2PdtiQq8iE9Fg3V5JO0CPydiD920EHLiGDJ6ftY7hluvoBU2bN5m_iO5LxenejBtT-IrJ5VYfN2yQ3oOLYy1F0tyQE2xJQI1OA5Khn_oEPFI/s320/Capture+1.jpg" title="Report Photo" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Report Photo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Firefighters
and crewmen from the airfield responded immediately and found the aircraft on fire. Lt. Frederick was </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">unresponsive in the
cockpit and rescuers struggled to free him from the twisted wreckage. Before the crew could unfasten the seat harness, both fire trucks at the scene ran out of water. The aircraft quickly became engulfed in flames and rescuers had to back away, leaving the pilot inside. The emotional toll of the loss was evident in their written reports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The
cause of the engine failure was never determined. The stall was blamed on an improper
single-engine landing procedure. The
pilot had lowered the undercarriage and flaps for a normal landing, which
is not procedure for the P-38 on one engine.
The correct procedure was to land with flaps fully retracted and lower
the gear as late as possible on final approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSoxr1_qonvS2PfGBUTjIqwc6hyphenhyphen9J2AWDrk7vbzdD54CaimFcFqjUxYwU7008p6Hs2Gz61dyoJ9B_MVBEdqYyNJuxGxDUqNiTVjY4pj5ErEJe4hkpXstqh2Xw2AdU0f_9A3bLv65sp-8/s1600/27719352706_db48bc32d5_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lockheed P-38L" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSoxr1_qonvS2PfGBUTjIqwc6hyphenhyphen9J2AWDrk7vbzdD54CaimFcFqjUxYwU7008p6Hs2Gz61dyoJ9B_MVBEdqYyNJuxGxDUqNiTVjY4pj5ErEJe4hkpXstqh2Xw2AdU0f_9A3bLv65sp-8/s320/27719352706_db48bc32d5_o.jpg" title="Lockheed P-38L" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lockheed P-38L<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Much of
the report is dedicated to the lack of proper firefighting equipment at the airfield, detailing the need more water capacity and asbestos suits.
One officer reported that he believed the pilot would have survived the
accident had they been able to fight the fire longer. A pathology report, however, indicated that
Lt. Frederick was most likely killed on impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Photos and
reports didn’t pinpoint the exact location of the wreckage, but crash site was
on or near the present location of Midland Country Club. While some wreckage was certainly left
behind, the entire area has been developed or plowed and any sign of the
aircraft is almost certainly gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While
it’s disappointing that I couldn’t call this one a definitive “find,” it was
exciting to find a piece of local history that memorialized a lost military aviator. </span></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-51009333295507819412017-01-27T22:09:00.000-06:002017-01-27T23:39:43.029-06:00Ghosts in the Guads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihaPh_0Vlt1Eez60CNiHs6mfE_aiz9g0STBQaXyMG2phnFqr7sRBPkIwcdOka-vDTzV1AoP5MkzBSxnuZKIIHLG4uHaxB9Q-HblH2kAct_OSKFFrbh-rBPo6k1J39ibl5YSyUduvaiq0/s1600/20161231_140422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihaPh_0Vlt1Eez60CNiHs6mfE_aiz9g0STBQaXyMG2phnFqr7sRBPkIwcdOka-vDTzV1AoP5MkzBSxnuZKIIHLG4uHaxB9Q-HblH2kAct_OSKFFrbh-rBPo6k1J39ibl5YSyUduvaiq0/s320/20161231_140422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s plenty of history to be found in the Guadalupe
Mountains, from ancient coral reefs to the Butterfield Stage Trail and Native American heritage. This
Texas/New Mexico mountain chain is also a memorial to many aviators, military
and civilian, who lost their lives in these rugged heights. The altitude, location, and weather of these
mountains have snagged many an airplane from the sky. There are over a dozen known crash sites
within the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and more in the surrounding
mountains. Because most of these
accidents were the result of aircraft striking the ground at cruising speeds in
low visibility, very few of these tragedies left survivors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Even though the incidents were investigated by civilian or military authorities, the exact location of the crash isn’t always well documented. The Air Force and other entities maintained maps and databases of crash sites, but much the information has become inaccurate over time. It’s led to confusion during wildfires and
rescue missions because the aluminum remains of an aircraft can look like a
fresh crash for decades. A few people
set out to locate these sites and match them to published data. We’re sometimes called “wreck
chasers” or “aviation archaeologists.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A couple of friends I met in the Civil Air Patrol in the
1980’s led me into the wormhole of wreck chasing. As a search and rescue ground team, we
sometimes trained in the Guadalupes and visited old crash sites. We collected stories of lost aircraft and matched sites to the reports. Around 2010, I found a curious entry in an Air Force database. Along with a set of errant coordiantes, it said, “Navy TV-2, acft in gully.” Records were
tough to come by for the era of the TV-2, mostly because of Cold War secrecy, and I could find no records of a lost TV-2 in the Guads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> In 2016,
AviationArchaeology.org led me to the report of a Navy TV-1 that crashed near
Salt Flat, Texas on February 25, 1954. The TV-1 is the Navy version of the P-80 Shooting Star and is similar to the TV-2. The report, complete with photos, detailed the most unique aircraft
incident of the area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> According to the report, Navy pilot LT
Henry J. Zieba took off from California that day on a mission to ferry a TV-1 to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. After refueling in El Paso, he climbed to an
altitude of 18000 feet near Salt Flat Airfield.
For an unknown reason, the starboard tip tank detached from the
aircraft. The pilot explained the sudden
problem:</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I found myself in a most uncomfortable position: On my back and in a tight but flat spin to the left.”</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The extreme forces of the spin killed the engine and
prevented him from reaching the controls to eject, but these same forces also
caused the opposite tank to detach. This restored balance to the aircraft and allowed him to recover from the
spin. Once he righted the aircraft, he
found himself at 800 feet above the ground with a great deal of speed. He attempted an “air start” of the jet engine
without success, and was forced to land.
Fortunately for LT Zieba, he wasn’t in the teeth of the mountains, but
over the relatively flat surrounding plains.
After running through his ditching checklist, he made a rough landing
that covered about 900 feet of ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HzPpix-LxbS1iel30yIWSSFfJc1FbN5JKK6eZ4s1yWbZ_fF5NcwWQo8itmYiN_dvWU8WvrGw6th-DeQFRZkOosDLxcGQs_n04VJoXte3-O3YyfWSxBE8I-L2abhdicAVgmFerWTco-k/s1600/Report+Photo+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HzPpix-LxbS1iel30yIWSSFfJc1FbN5JKK6eZ4s1yWbZ_fF5NcwWQo8itmYiN_dvWU8WvrGw6th-DeQFRZkOosDLxcGQs_n04VJoXte3-O3YyfWSxBE8I-L2abhdicAVgmFerWTco-k/s200/Report+Photo+8.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1954 Navy Report Photo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> He was injured from being slammed around the cockpit during the rough gear-up landing.
He described having pain in his back that was later found to be a severe
spine injury. Despite this, he gathered
his gear and walked to a nearby windmill.
He built a signal fire and climbed the windmill to sight the beacon of
Salt Flat Airfield at dusk. He managed
to hike 13 miles to the airfield in the dark and was taken to an El Paso
hospital. Henry J. Zieba retired from the Navy in 1969 as Lieutenant Commander, having served in WWII, Korean and Vietnam wars. He passed away at age 83 in 2006.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgcRP7L2qz22TzGY9uHr7ck9Qd3lfpDP9FN2xMrX5exelAo0i0VSWa7yKY3uTuPJ6eN24S4x05HaxvNsIlyKF6lJzeaOhUzFBAqNgMIAMzkoszGiQaDVNkT8KdmVQFCb0bgTY0VK-EnQ/s1600/Zieba+-+Pineapple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgcRP7L2qz22TzGY9uHr7ck9Qd3lfpDP9FN2xMrX5exelAo0i0VSWa7yKY3uTuPJ6eN24S4x05HaxvNsIlyKF6lJzeaOhUzFBAqNgMIAMzkoszGiQaDVNkT8KdmVQFCb0bgTY0VK-EnQ/s200/Zieba+-+Pineapple.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LT Henry J. Zieba, courtesy <br />
of Susan Blanchard and Justin Zieba</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The fun part of wreck chasing is hiking, but the real work is in reading reports, gathering data, and spending hours searching aerial photos and satellite images. Working with permission from park authorities, we made a few hikes to narrow down the search area, but the break came from Dr. Mike Medrano, the Chief of Resource Management for Guadalupe Mountains National Park. He located a USGS aerial photograph that he suspected was taken in search of the aircraft just three days after the crash. USGS had photographed the area a few months before the crash, but it's likely a mission was re-tasked to locate it. Reviewing the photo, I found a scrape on the ground that matched the orientation, dimensions, and location of the crash. It even looked like an airplane was perched on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We set out to the spot on January 14, 2017 and found what remained of LT Zieba's aircraft. The bulk of the ship </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">had been removed by a Navy salvage crew. The largest piece was an armor plate that
sits forward of the pilot. Bits of
aluminum and steel were scattered about, and much of it was melted. Although there was no fire when the aircraft landed,
it did appear that the wreckage had been piled up and burned. We found bottle glass and similar
material that was foreign to the crash, so it may have become a trash pile when
the area was a cattle ranch. Locals told
us that the area was a target range during WWII, so aircraft junk wasn’t
anything special in the area at the time.
We took GPS fixes and snapped photos before we sat down to lunch at the
site and toasted our success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C25vPzfXa1IjGGLfiQ3h-Y9d5k1tEfu_Tqe2rYlPFYFZiJtkyeSGEFeAfHRd7dtuFHILUg8L7rG0R41MxNZI-fl0R5ZkHCX3bFq76fsDRCLZXZWe3osw1m1FlaGfK-CKt_yD2QPAAfA/s1600/Armor+Plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C25vPzfXa1IjGGLfiQ3h-Y9d5k1tEfu_Tqe2rYlPFYFZiJtkyeSGEFeAfHRd7dtuFHILUg8L7rG0R41MxNZI-fl0R5ZkHCX3bFq76fsDRCLZXZWe3osw1m1FlaGfK-CKt_yD2QPAAfA/s200/Armor+Plate.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armor Plate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupYLHJbRVGQbhAJ7fSCLjH4TgMK469N6H8bdnnYxJDBS2aXZftEP_TesXO5jJJ5Ahfp7pUtoLOawfNNHMG2g6hFYvQnWSE7a5J-Ww_DI6lH_xn-dSWTyAmap6qMu9ALgdZVxWNi14yOw/s1600/Skin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupYLHJbRVGQbhAJ7fSCLjH4TgMK469N6H8bdnnYxJDBS2aXZftEP_TesXO5jJJ5Ahfp7pUtoLOawfNNHMG2g6hFYvQnWSE7a5J-Ww_DI6lH_xn-dSWTyAmap6qMu9ALgdZVxWNi14yOw/s200/Skin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aircraft Skin</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> All of our information was bundled up and sent to the park
service to document the site as a historical resource. The NPS wasn't aware of the crash since it occurred long before the area became a national park. I made contact with the pilot’s family and
sent them the info, and they graciously supplied me with the above photo. This certainly won’t be our last chase, but I
don’t believe we’ll ever experience another one like it. It was an honor to walk in LCDR Zieba’s steps
and bring this story to light. For all
the death faced by fliers in these mountains, a happy ending is always welcome.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PLEASE NOTE: Aircraft
crashes are historical sites. Not only
are many of them honored like a grave site, sites in national parks are federally protected. It is illegal to remove any artifact from a park. Should you visit a crash site, please do </span>so with dignity and respect. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-88647501057679668732016-11-22T19:23:00.000-06:002016-11-22T19:27:15.302-06:00Matt's MOvember Message: The Cancer Conspiracy<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YBt8y1lakql4RvJAyS53xilQqle9e5H9yjWY2Br8G6c62ipHKtvmDP0SK6oV7Q4oqNSYFbRgrC_CNOruqNkAK0hNtXzeXcH7bo09GaZm_9u3ImdrGmTd8Ne-eW1Raij3OER2l0ruX6Y/s1600/20161122_191302+%2528Small%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YBt8y1lakql4RvJAyS53xilQqle9e5H9yjWY2Br8G6c62ipHKtvmDP0SK6oV7Q4oqNSYFbRgrC_CNOruqNkAK0hNtXzeXcH7bo09GaZm_9u3ImdrGmTd8Ne-eW1Raij3OER2l0ruX6Y/s320/20161122_191302+%2528Small%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just 40 years ago, science fiction
writers prophesized a world where computers are an integral part of an
advanced, intelligent society. By the 1990's, urban
legends filled our AOL in-boxes and the information super
highway has since delivered us more nonsense than we could imagine. Conspiracy theories are now so rampant that
“Flat-Earthers” again walk among us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’m
quite in the middle of it. As a career
cop (civilian and military), Freemason, amateur astronomer, and pilot, I have
quite a view of the conspiracy freak show.
I’m so in-the-know that I’ve even been attacked by Alex Jones. My role as a cancer survivor has opened
channels to another legion of foil-hatted keyboard warriors, but these people
can actually be dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> At
best, the pipeline of useless information is disheartening or depressing for
patients. Cancer patients are often the
target of sheeple-wakers in their circle of family or friends. The conspiracy theorist has no empathy for
the stress and treatment-ravaged mind and selfishly adds a few more bricks of unnecessary
load to an already-full wheelbarrow.
I’ve seen weakened people drained of hope because they were convinced,
in their vulnerable state, that they’re victims of an evil underground. At worst, people have made decisions about
their treatment that causes harm or dramatically shortens their life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The
root of all conspiracy theories is emotion. A cancer diagnosis brings extreme limits of
fear, depression, and anger.
Chemotherapy and other drugs intensify the effects. When we’re in
emotional or physical pain, we tend to blame others. Somehow our problems are
made a little easier when we see ourselves as a powerless victim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’m a tough sell on
pseudoscience and conspiracy. Show me
motives, connections, and patterns. I
want to see a story so tight that I will trust the life of a loved one or
myself to it. So far, I remain unsold on
departures from conventional cancer treatment. I personally know several people cured of cancer by accepted treatment, and zero who have survived by other means. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular internet cancer chatter
and put it to test.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’m going to generalize several of the reigning champions of
cancer conspiracy theories into one statement:
<b>There is a cheap, naturopathic
cure for cancer, but THEY are suppressing it because it’s making them rich.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’ve
never had a conspiracy theorist clearly explain who “they” are. In this one, they often claim the medical
community in general, but the pharmaceutical industry is always on the suspect
list. First, the medical community is
simply too large to support a widespread fraud against a large body of
people. Our system is certainly broken
in places, but there is no possibility that millions of researchers, physicians
and their support system are suppressing a South American fruit that cures
cancer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We’re
famous for expensive drugs in the United States. We love the stuff, too. It’s on TV.
One commercial sells it, and the next helps you sue the manufacturer and
your doctor for side effects. Right here
in ‘Murica, you can go to a doctor, be cured of cancer, then sue for millions
along with other patients because your hair fell out and didn’t grow back. Combine this with the high cost of producing,
mixing and administering chemotherapy to a relatively small body of patients,
many of whom are elderly or diagnosed late-stage and won’t survive to pay the
bill. It’s an expensive market. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How many social media
memes have you seen that claim a natural cure for erectile dysfunction that is
being suppressed by evil entities? None. We see a lot of snake oil in the ED world, but no one rails against Viagra or Cialis. It's the only treatment that works.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I have many friends in the medical field. These people are angels
who dedicated their professional lives to healing. They deserve to be paid well because they
carry a heavy burden in their hands and hearts. Cancer patients with financial means choose their treatment
based on success. We will seek the best proven treatment at any cost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cannabis.</b> There is no way to
get through this post without talking about weed, so let’s get this over with. It’s time to shut the **** up about
weed. Cannabis has been a part of
medicine for a long time. It’s been used
to treat side effects of conventional cancer therapy, and some recent
discoveries in treatment of neurological disorders have turned many heads,
including the medical community and lawmakers. It wasn’t a treatment option for
me, but I connected with a number of patients who relied on cannabis to curb
side effects, including pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. I resorted to conventional drugs for these
symptoms, but eventually discontinued them in favor of the original symptoms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> While
there’s been some promising research at times, there’s no proof that cannabis
will cure cancer. The reality of the
issue is that people enjoy using it, while another group of people think it’s
heroin. Somewhere in the battle the
green stuff has been raised to medical miracle in order to chastise
detractors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Please, before the angry replies
come in, read on to see what we’re looking for in terms of proof of a
cure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Have you heard of that one guy in Greece
who was curing cancer? THEY assassinated
him for it because the evil medical empire couldn’t be outdone.</b> I heard this story about six times during my
treatment. About half the time the
person says they personally knew the patient, but no specifics about their disease. The locale varies
from Greece to South America and other places.
A bit of Google-Fu will turn up some serious quackery. Revenge for being defrauded seems more of a
likely motive for murder than a government soft-target job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>The baking soda cure was the most
surprising to me. </b>The gist of this
cure is that cancer survives in an acidic environment. Whatever you’re doing as a sheeple (diet,
conventional medicine, etc.) is making your body acidic and cancer is
thriving. By choking down baking soda or
some specific diet, you’re creating a pH balance where cancer can’t
survive. This ignores the fact that
everything leaves the stomach in an acidic state, and enough pH shift to kill
cancer would kill you.
Again, before the nasty reply, please read on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Cancer feeds on sugar, so go low-carb and
starve it out. </b>I had my doubts about
this one since I was a low-carb guy for a couple of years before diagnosis. I think the PET-CT test is the origin <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for this
one. The PET scan involves starving the
patient for a bit, then injecting them with a carbohydrate infused contrast. Cancer does, in fact, primarily uptake
carbohydrates. When this happens, the
contrast is retained in the cancer cells and they “light up” on the scan. The problem is that everything else in your
body consumes carbohydrates, and it’s impossible to starve the cancer without
starving your body. Imagine trying to
rid your house of mice by not feeding your family. This thinking does have some truth,
however. Being smart about carbohydrate
intake and avoiding sugar and excess white starches will lead to better general
health, which reduces the risk of many cancers.
Should you get cancer anyway, you’ll be in better condition to put up a
hard fight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> People
love to say, “<b>THEY just cut, poison, or
burn it out</b>” as a means of implying there’s never been an attempt to treat
any other way. Next time that argument
pops up, drop proton therapy or immunotherapy on them and ask what they know
about it. This is a clear indicator that the speaker doesn't understand the advance of cancer treatment. A relative had the same cancer as mine over a decade ago, and there was only one treatment option. Fortunately, it worked and she's still with us. When I was diagnosed in 2013, there were more options and higher survival rates. I personally experienced advances made during my treatment. For all the claims made by the cancer cure counter-culture, they
forget a couple of basic facts that render many alternative treatments useless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Cancer is not a foreign invader, </b>it is
an uncontrolled growth of cells. While
these cells are abnormal in their behavior, they’re not foreign like a virus
or bacteria. Effective treatment usually
targets these cells by the mechanism by which these cells reproduce, which is
very similar to how other cells in the body reproduce. Normal cells in the hair follicles, digestive system, and skin reproduce in a similar manner, causing side effects
like hair loss and nausea. If all goes
well, the treatment is tougher on the diseased cells than the healthy
cells. Creating a metabolic or chemical
condition with alternative method would produce similar side effects if it was
actually working.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>There are over 200 forms of cancer. </b>There is no single treatment effective on
all of them. We should be skeptical of
any treatment that claims to cure cancer without specificity. Some are highly curable, some don’t respond
to any treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span> <b>Demand proof.</b> I wrote this post because I know someone who
chose alternative therapy because they believe what they read on the
internet. A common thread to miraculous
alternative is the absence of an accompanying surveillance. I see blog posts and clickbait articles claiming
cures and effective alternative treatment.
In reality, this would be such a breakthrough that someone would be
willing to undergo testing and surveillance to share with the rest of the
world. Sadly, there’s nothing like that
out there. In a recent search, the best
I could find was a woman holding before-and-after pictures, claiming they’re
scans showing how some miracle removed cancer from her body. Many of the claimed treatments (cannabis, in
particular) were evaluated in scholarly medical tests with promising results
with some promise, but didn’t make the cut when the efficacy was compared to
conventional treatment. I’m a participant
in a medical study, and after dealing with the screening, interviewing, forms,
and data involved, I’m certainly more likely to believe a study from M.D.
Anderson than a cannabis enthusiast. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> By no
means am I discouraging anyone from using alternative treatment in addition to
proven therapies. Modern medicine
readily acknowledges the benefit to many therapies considered to be alternative
or holistic, and encourages them to be used along with their accepted, effective treatment. Some top cancer treatment hospitals have acupuncture clinics and oncological massage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Don’t
propagate false information. If you
wouldn’t choose it for yourself or a loved one, don’t broadcast bad data in
social media. If someone is diagnosed
with cancer, don’t bombard them with bad information. They’re not in a state to deal with nonsense. Support treatment that has been proven effective.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is something I wish I never had to research. I spent many hours grinding through medical journals, testimonials, web sites, and talking to physicians and other patients. I found no truth to the hype. I do hope that "one simple trick" is out there that will rid the world of cancer, but it doesn't exist. Should cancer hit me again, and a holistic treatment cures me, expect a public release of every piece of my medical record and the accompanying study. </span><br />
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-27416540429509356712016-10-14T16:28:00.000-05:002016-10-14T16:28:47.503-05:00The Misunderstood MRE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most conversation about the famous
MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) rations leads down a path of nostalgia, recalling one’s
favorite meals and what they traded for it.
Some service members were able to enhance the field fare with
creativity, bringing us delights like Ranger Pudding. Many recipes, along with creative uses of MRE
packaging, can be found in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Complete-RANGER-DIGEST-Volumes-I-V-ebook/dp/B008550EK8">The Complete Ranger Digest</a>. At some point, someone usually says that they
have a case or two stashed away for emergencies. There’s some misconception about the MRE and
how practical they are for emergencies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4fsFq9sN0fq513SomDxGvxIl2l03I4BBnmtoMV29oIq4Wku1ybdtzS063onbCih7J0OVp9ScGuPm25Rywm8QTuV2pQLeu1ybcXwPbMHW2wzztf4XckTQsZahg2RW2ukFy3yeN8qZwl0/s1600/635738648665116651-ARM-MRE-packaging-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4fsFq9sN0fq513SomDxGvxIl2l03I4BBnmtoMV29oIq4Wku1ybdtzS063onbCih7J0OVp9ScGuPm25Rywm8QTuV2pQLeu1ybcXwPbMHW2wzztf4XckTQsZahg2RW2ukFy3yeN8qZwl0/s320/635738648665116651-ARM-MRE-packaging-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Famous MRE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> First
and foremost, MREs aren’t designed for the long-term storage they’re often
subjected to in civilian life. They do
have a long shelf life (up to 8 years or so) with proper storage conditions,
but they’re often removed from active stores after 5 years. Storing them in hot conditions, like an attic
or vehicle, can reduce the life to as little as 18 months. They won’t suddenly spoil or become
poisonous, but you won’t be happy about eating it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> MREs
are intended to solve the logistical problem of feeding people in remote areas. For the military, much of this is related to
packaging. There’s no magic in the food preparation
that isn’t used in the civilian market. An MRE needs to be relatively lightweight,
able to survive parachute drops and being crammed into a rucksack. They produce lighter packaging waste than
cans, and a soldier can cram all the empty packaging together and stuff it in
his ruck so as not to leave it behind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Government
rations aren’t available on the civilian market through any authorized
channel. If you get ahold of them, they’re
probably past prime. It’s likely they’re
left over from a disaster relief effort or made it home with a veteran. There was quite a stir over a flood of Ebay
sales of Katrina leftovers. It’s wise to
check the date codes on government rations.
Old pretzels taste like varnish, but 20 year old M&M’s are a
delicacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Everyone
needs a chow stash at home in the event of emergency. We’re talking about real emergencies, like
weather and power outages, not the varied forms of apocalypse prophesized by
the foil-hatters. It’s wise to be able
to feed your household for at least a week or so without utilities, and be able
to take your stash should there be an evacuation. Portable food is handy for road trips,
camping, hunting</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and other places where we might want for convenience. You can buy civilian versions of the MRE from
government contractors, but beware that sub-standard knock-offs exist. For the average person, there are more
efficient, cheaper, and tastier options at your grocery store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcox0yw39Innk3S-D_5c9atiX1NgRMH7wCGWpahavs-yrWWsi-8JqsFhRZB9eJmMT9Nqf2pyzM-B8QJWvRQMjANSvWDh7PpDW21KUs3dP3MYqfzlR5Nt-fUlplakj1XuBtCt75ydVl9A/s1600/20161014_113647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcox0yw39Innk3S-D_5c9atiX1NgRMH7wCGWpahavs-yrWWsi-8JqsFhRZB9eJmMT9Nqf2pyzM-B8QJWvRQMjANSvWDh7PpDW21KUs3dP3MYqfzlR5Nt-fUlplakj1XuBtCt75ydVl9A/s320/20161014_113647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chow section of my gear bag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Over
the last few years of hunting, hiking, and motorcycle trips, I’ve found quite a
few alternatives to the MRE rations.
Dinty Moore, Pace, Campbells, and
Prego offer decent choices in lightweight packaging (bowls or bags) that
are a packable alternative to cans.
The only downside is that they can’t be heated on an engine like cans or
the MRE. Anything else works, including
hot water, microwave, sun, or even an MRE heater. Don’t microwave an MRE! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> If you’ve
been saving that case of MREs in the attic for zombie apocalypse, you may want
to give it a taste. Whatever your
choice, don’t just hoard it. Rotate your
stock. Take replaced items to work for
lunch. Experiment with heating methods. Keep your chow stash filled with fresh
selections that you will actually eat. If you're ready to step up to prepper-hoarder behavior and filling a zombie shelter with a 20 year supply of nutrition, you'll need to order specialized dehydrated food. Try to be with people you like when the aliens invade, because you'll be spending the apocalypse with awful food and a level of flatulence that will bring on a nuclear winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Prepackaged heat-and-eat food from the grocery store doesn't seem as exciting as a case of MREs, but it's the most economical choice for anyone not needing to shove their food out of a C-130. If you really need your stash because your pipes are frozen, utilities are out and your family is stuck in the same house for a week, the last thing you want is bad food. </span></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-23914107553660759332016-06-22T17:53:00.000-05:002016-06-23T10:30:01.190-05:00An Assault Rifle by Any Other Name <div class="MsoNormal">
Once
again, social media is abuzz with emotional responses to an active shooter
incident with a record breaking body count.
The “assault rifle” controversy is at the top of the list, and I’m
seeing some bad arguments on the pro-gun side.
The most notable chatter is questioning the definition, or even existence,
of the “assault rifle," an argument that makes me give an eye-roll usually reserved for flat-earthers.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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First,
it’s important to understand that there
are many definitions of an “assault rifle,” and the term has been around for decades. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_weapon" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> is a good place to start on this
one, as it links to the array of meanings. There’s a popular argument that assault rifles must be capable of
full-automatic fire rather than semi-automatic only, but it’s not present in
some instances. Semantics aside, we’re
talking about the same thing: <i>Light, short, high-capacity, mid-powered, semi-automatic
rifles available for civilian purchase.</i> If you’re not sure what to call them, here are the current trendy names. Pick your favorite adjective and noun:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Assault/combat/defensive/tactical/patrol/black
– Carbine/rifle/gun/weapon/platform<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-7msImdPw4DlNJLcOrd-t6JoabMklWXpOlI-XEUIMKC5bFAtf7f_SKUsWFISlZqoVxhjRSXIdM6njEExgc_NsDRubkJyXquzRoEDV4PoknQmesq88zdnAl0aYkXSduZeCCh4fzwCgJE/s1600/mattcolt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-7msImdPw4DlNJLcOrd-t6JoabMklWXpOlI-XEUIMKC5bFAtf7f_SKUsWFISlZqoVxhjRSXIdM6njEExgc_NsDRubkJyXquzRoEDV4PoknQmesq88zdnAl0aYkXSduZeCCh4fzwCgJE/s200/mattcolt.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Author with his Colt AR15A3<br /> Tactical Black Combat Assault</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Defensive Patrol Carbine Rifle</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> Platform Weapon Gun</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next,
let’s not nitpick over the purpose of the black guns. Manufacturers have called them "sporters" as far back as the 1960's when the AR-15 first hit the gun shop shelves. The vast majority of these firearms are used for lawful sporting purposes without incident, but they are ideal pieces for winning an armed encounter. Unfortunately, this makes it the best choice for mass murderers in schools, theaters, and night clubs. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imposing a ban on these weapons failed in the
1990’s, and would be a larger failure now.
Mexican drug cartels are currently producing AR-15 lower receivers (the
central and federally regulated part of the firearm) for their own use. I have no doubt that they’d be happy to ship
them to the US if another ban was introduced.
They're probably looking for a commodity to replace losses caused by
legal marijuana in the US.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rifles
along the lines of the AR-15 are in police use because changes in criminal tactics required capabilities beyond shotguns and pistols. When I hear the statement, "No civilian needs an assault rifle," I question why anyone thinks a civilian shouldn't be afforded the same protection as their police. These rifles are at the top of the food chain of available force, therefore every citizen has a right to defend with and against them. Despite claims to the contrary, they are ideal for home defense when correctly deployed. They're a better option than Joe Biden's shotgun. <br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/firing-ar-15-horrifying-dangerous-loud-article-1.2673201" target="_blank">Gersh Kuntsman’s article detailing his experience with the AR-15</a> is a common example of the emotional opposition to firearms ownership. I’ve spoken to people who claim to experience
physical anxiety at the mere sight of a firearm. Although accepting unfamiliar cultures is all
the rage in the United States, it does not apply to cultures in our nation where
firearm ownership is commonplace. Don't give them more fuel. Own up to the reality of the controversy because the math is on the side of armed citizens. All that's left is emotion, as illustrated by Kuntsman's masterpiece of un-manliness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m
often asked what the solution is to preventing mass shootings in the US. I believe that an armed civilian populace is the only reason the United States isn't in the same condition as Mexico. In my experience, our civilians are better armed than our criminals. I have yet to have anyone explain how confiscation, bans, or new laws will help. Individual choices on safety and defense are the most effective measure of protecting oneself and family from murderers. Since the black guns have been on gun store shelves since the 1960's, perhaps we should be asking different questions about our active shooter problem. <br />
<br />
Looking at the math and other facts of shooters in the US, we come to realize that there are far greater threats to life in our country. Criminals with rifles are a very microscopic speck on the chart. However, murder is always emotional, and firearm issues are extremely polarizing and controversial, and everyone retreats to their political/social happy place.<br />
<br />
Stand
strong against the flow of social inertia.
Avoid the pitfalls of political correctness standards of either side of
the issue, and realize that government can't solve this one. Stand fast to your rights and
don’t waste time arguing a title.
Develop the courage to act on logic and pragmatism and don’t surrender
to emotion.</div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-23503408828487426192016-04-25T19:56:00.002-05:002016-04-25T20:04:38.345-05:00The YouTube Era<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There’s not much on TV worth watching. Reality shows aren’t for everyone. The documentary channels are all gone. Guys like me aren’t in the target audience
for TV anymore, so there’s less on the dial that catches my interest. I no longer watch the news. There are still gems out there, and they’re available
through “on-demand” sources that can be worked into any schedule. Still,
it’s enough to make us watch too much TV.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’m a
collector of hobbies, meaning that I prefer doing things with my spare time
other than staring at a TV. That doesn’t
mean I don’t watch the tube, but I have a rule.
I do my best to watch only when I’m doing something else. I can cook, clean, work in the shop, drive,
and handle similar mundane tasks with something on in the background, even if it's just listening to XM or a podcast. This doesn’t apply to movie night with the
bride or a solid first-run show, but it helps make the medicine go down. With other options like audio books, there’s plenty of background chatter to keep awake on the interstate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> YouTube has become it’s very own media
platform. Users establish their own
channels, and viewers can subscribe and stay updated with episodes. As soon as I dipped a toe into this world, I
was hooked. It has, without
exaggeration, something for everyone, and a little time invested
in learning the system will open the door to a valuable experience. I'm fortunate to have a couple of prolific YouTubers within my inner sanctum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’m
specifically pimping two channels because the owners of these channels send me
into the video vortex. Tim Kreitz of <i>Tim Kreitz Adventures</i> and Scott Green of
<i>Bonehead Guitars</i> are both friends who
share their interests in video for the world to see. Tim is a motovlogger (<u>MOTO</u>rcycle <u>V</u>ideo
b<u>LOGGER</u>) and Scott is a luthier, both of whom create episodes of their
experiences and share in video.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Motovlogging
is popular now, and it’s nothing more than people taking video of themselves
riding motorcycles. It seems simple enough, but the themes vary. Tim combines a bit of everything and has
drawn a crowd by visiting interesting sites around his west Texas home. He's a professional musician, graphic
artist and videographer, which is apparent in the production level of his
motovlogs. I’ve had the pleasure of
appearing in a few of his episodes, which is always an honor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Scott
Green started building guitars a few years ago, and is designs are being
snatched up by local musicians. I have
the honor of owning the first solid-body electric design from his shop, which
is a compact bass guitar. He’s since
produced guitars for other musicians, including Tim Kreitz. Scott’s channel exemplifies what I love most about
the YouTube world. It’s honest, candid,
and extremely real. He doesn’t edit
mistakes, bad ideas, shop disasters or failures. You can watch as he finds solutions to
problems, or tosses three digits worth of wood into a trash can. After an episode or two on Bonehead Guitars,
you’ll fast understand that Scott isn’t superhuman, he’s just dedicated. His channel will inspire you to get off the sofa and create something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Both of
these guys were fortunate enough to discover and use their own talents, and it’s
very encouraging to watch them put their ability to sea. Their channels are about accomplishing things
that most only talk about. Anyone can
become a Tim or a Scott, all you have to do is watch and learn. What they’re doing is attainable by anyone
with an idea and the willingness to devote some time to it. It’s inspired me to chop out a video or two,
but I’m not willing to put in the time to match these guys in production
level. It’s been said that I should put
some of my experiences on camera, and I’m willing to tinker with it. I’ve landed a few views and it’s been fun. The lower visual production value of channels
like mine is a bonus because they’re easy to listen to while doing other
things. If you miss something, it’s only
a click away from repeating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I’m
footing this post with the latest editions of my two favorite YouTubers.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m also pimping my own channel, also named
Matt’s World o’ Wonders, in the hopes that you’ll have a look at my
subscriptions and get a feel for what’s out there.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> As always, give a tip of the hat to your favorite YouTube vids by clicking "like" and subscribing. You'll need an account, and that's quick and easy. Having large numbers of subscribers opens doors for serious YouTubers, so please give them a little treat for their many hours of work.</span></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-48074362600051428982016-03-14T23:03:00.000-05:002016-03-14T23:06:47.523-05:00Moosefest!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWzZvWtRQD4iKj5wLI5oV_pEAjM-mmCp2ELeEaXyZVOANr72l8LtucN9UelfoAPtc2Bo2qVdx3s-6z6A1RKMf6RZZJBJ2YK2FC8-15swXpq8B1UH8LMrcJZNOTBxlvkD3qHPbxZc6rrA/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWzZvWtRQD4iKj5wLI5oV_pEAjM-mmCp2ELeEaXyZVOANr72l8LtucN9UelfoAPtc2Bo2qVdx3s-6z6A1RKMf6RZZJBJ2YK2FC8-15swXpq8B1UH8LMrcJZNOTBxlvkD3qHPbxZc6rrA/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A familiar look down Pennsylvania Ave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Sometime in the
late 1980’s the executive producers of the TV show “Northern
Exposure” scouted small towns around Seattle for a place to film what was
slated as a summer replacement series. The story was set in fictitious Cicely, Alaska. Logistics prevented filming in Alaska, so they scouted the Seattle area for a suitable site. After visiting a few other prospects, they got out of the car on Pennsylvania
Avenue in Roslyn, Washington and declared their search over. The replacement spot turned into
six seasons of an unforgettable, timeless story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAb0pLcrIEVh02zZvszRFgKBDAJBGM-BD_29ISheCMNJMCOL2T21bIJcWFWlw3vJbYneWm688tpqpl9gKYLFbb6eIwbDQfAVO5b4oPbqPljzr8IfJXWXlpqNwoAqnxrCRg362cj6pKeP0/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAb0pLcrIEVh02zZvszRFgKBDAJBGM-BD_29ISheCMNJMCOL2T21bIJcWFWlw3vJbYneWm688tpqpl9gKYLFbb6eIwbDQfAVO5b4oPbqPljzr8IfJXWXlpqNwoAqnxrCRg362cj6pKeP0/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The KBHR console.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Around 1997, a
few die-hard fans formed Moosefest, an occasional gathering of fans in Roslyn. Sometimes the gatherings are formal, with
visiting cast and production personnel, but other times it’s an informal
gathering in Roslyn that meets up to visit film sites, restaurants, homes and
watering holes in between. My wife and I
have wanted to attend for around a decade, but inevitable summer travel
barriers and the sporadic frequency of the gatherings always stepped in. Fortunately, the 2015 Moosefest was the 25<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the show and we were clear to attend. We were off to Cicely for our first fan-fest
of any kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp4gxyNMrFqN1Gyv9YrNiICay9aevMsN97OeM0709wTWuWeDDyyTew_WonCF13SWMYJl-t3P7EmWblodlhlDjHjZbeLF0Gxcga913dYI5IT4d1hNd85Gy4vBO9dXbQitdYwK4RWAN7LQ/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp4gxyNMrFqN1Gyv9YrNiICay9aevMsN97OeM0709wTWuWeDDyyTew_WonCF13SWMYJl-t3P7EmWblodlhlDjHjZbeLF0Gxcga913dYI5IT4d1hNd85Gy4vBO9dXbQitdYwK4RWAN7LQ/s320/DSC_0062.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Roslyn seems larger
than her on-screen character.
I’m always impressed with the artistry of cinema photography and the way
it adjusts the illusion of size.
Maurice’s giant cabin really isn’t that large at all, and the most-used
church building is only the size of a small house. The childhood home that Maurice had shipped
from Oklahoma is now a chicken coop, and the set-built church has been
relocated to a residential block. The
Brick is a real bar, but is quite different on the inside. The interior shots were all done on a sound
stage. The real Brick has a glass door,
where the on-screen variant had two sets of solid doors to help with the
transition between interior and exterior shots.
All of the main sets including Dr. Fleischman’s office, The Brick,
Ruth-Anne’s store, and KBHR are located on the same street, just as in the
story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IC1uicvYeCJaAf06rZMfYDnGs7FNvziPUReDKxFhbKi-zljN2blVrTf64kZIGYsU4uW1wwqTAF6_lgYe_PaEl_siajtTSthE_bwbQ1MBOUA3I4JIQ921z8fVUGDrEZnpItrZFwTvU6Y/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IC1uicvYeCJaAf06rZMfYDnGs7FNvziPUReDKxFhbKi-zljN2blVrTf64kZIGYsU4uW1wwqTAF6_lgYe_PaEl_siajtTSthE_bwbQ1MBOUA3I4JIQ921z8fVUGDrEZnpItrZFwTvU6Y/s320/DSC_0067.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A relic outside the theater.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The week of our
visit was the last days for KBHR, the town’s radio station, to remain in her
original location. The building was
purchased and is being developed, so the station is being preserved and moved next door. The artistry of KBHR
was where the details hit me. The worn,
tattered and dulled acoustic wall tile wasn’t worn, tattered and dulled, but
carefully painted to appear so. The
microphone and boom weren’t scratched and worn from years of daily use, but it
was carefully detailed by an artist to look as if it was. Every detail was deliberate, even including
cubby-holes to allow for various photography angles.
To spin the head further, there were duplicates of the KBHR and other elaborate sets in the sound stage in Redmond, WA.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The event was a reunion for the cast and
crew, and we ran into a gaggle of them at The Brick. As a fan, it was a surreal moment to be
bellied up to the bar at The Brick with Ed Chigliak and Maurice Minifield. My bride and I both had some apprehension about
visiting for fear that some of the mystique of the story would fade for us, but
it was the opposite. We put on DVD’s of
the show while we unpacked at home and recalled all the spots we’d visited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CFKods3LhIKrWXLnOPiV4IMlYq5CpPmyUt4CcxTkEuL6ghkU29yhyqg5QJNmw-ImwsStvkh83JjIvTwHHsXXGmGf0dbD0VnzP-rtTDF3fQndlfGq4d7IUEMOd2ejwByzRUUT9lqzWTQ/s1600/IMG_0520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CFKods3LhIKrWXLnOPiV4IMlYq5CpPmyUt4CcxTkEuL6ghkU29yhyqg5QJNmw-ImwsStvkh83JjIvTwHHsXXGmGf0dbD0VnzP-rtTDF3fQndlfGq4d7IUEMOd2ejwByzRUUT9lqzWTQ/s320/IMG_0520.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where Chris' bike took flight!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We heard plenty
of behind-the-scenes stories, like how a streaking incident resulted in the
purchase of a new fire truck for Roslyn, an obstinate citizen who ran his chain
saw in protest during filming, and all the challenges of shooting in Washington
winters. I’m more impressed with the
show now that I understand all of the work that went into it. It was certainly an unbelievable amount of
work for everyone involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We enjoyed four
days of hanging with fans, cast, crew and locals and we made it home with some
of the best photos we’ve ever taken, along with a couple of signed original
scripts. Had I paid more attention to
the auction, I might have made it back with some original wardrobe. It’s safe to say we enjoy the show now more
than ever, and we look forward to a return trip to check out the many local
hiking trails we discovered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It wasn’t until
Breaking Bad came along that I enjoyed a TV series as much as NYPD Blue or
Northern Exposure. My wife explains the
appeal best; the combination of writing, acting and production actually take
you to a place you want to be. It’s an
escape, and a little time among interesting friends. We will continue to visit both Cicely and
Roslyn.</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-11914636893707941042016-02-10T10:00:00.002-06:002016-02-10T10:00:41.059-06:00The Bliss Point Conspiracy<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After years
of torching conspiracy theories wherever they’re found, I hereby announce that
I’ve found one. It’s the real thing; it’s
global, complete with government participation and a money trail. It’s leaving a trail of dead bodies and the
brainwashed masses are being herded to the slaughter. It even has a symbol in the shape of a
pyramid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s our
wheat and sugar based diet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look at the
recommended intake for sugar on the nutrition information label on the first
thing you can grab. You’ll not find a
percentage for sugar, because the government hasn’t made an official statement
on how much sugar we need per day, which is 0.0. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHW67WLydlaZJ6HtqBqUY9dV_6e8DcbfVUr81qrlEXp1na0NeIVER0b87D7cwezW7NrvIRJvylm6xBC4YVOxGqS0I8J6reRhyvwRRUDqxeQ2nT-6SxjmRDkrrgHYmoHzfs_iA4b9h-m6Q/s1600/pyr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHW67WLydlaZJ6HtqBqUY9dV_6e8DcbfVUr81qrlEXp1na0NeIVER0b87D7cwezW7NrvIRJvylm6xBC4YVOxGqS0I8J6reRhyvwRRUDqxeQ2nT-6SxjmRDkrrgHYmoHzfs_iA4b9h-m6Q/s320/pyr.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s the
thumbnail. In an effort to curb heart
disease, government health organizations decided that a low-fat diet was the
best antidote. Removing fats and/or
their carriers removes flavor, so sugar was added. Adding to this was the USDA’s “food pyramid”
which directs us to consume up to a dozen servings of grains in the form of
processed flour (bread, cereal, pasta, etc.)
Wheat, as we consume it today, not only metabolizes like sugar, but can
stimulate opiate receptors and cause you to keep eating when you’re not
hungry. Anyone who's binged on a bag of Doritos understands this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Food science
has perfected the “bliss point,” or the point where effect of sweetness is maximized to
boost flavor in processed foods. I’ve
never put sugar in my homemade salsa, but commercial variants contain a significant amount. It’s everywhere, because if a maker doesn’t
use it, their product won’t taste better than the competition and it will stay
on the shelf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metabolic
disease, diabetes, and obesity are higher than ever as we choke down the wheat
and sugar. We’ve created related scary
stuff along the way, like gluten sensitivity and GMO terror, both of which are
behind the science curve. We’re giving
our kids fruit juice and grain products, ensuring insulin issues from an early
age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
government won’t save us, because it’s a consumer-driven market and regulations
are driven by lobbying. We’re also a
nation where people are free to eat whatever we want while our kids are given
cheap, sugary, wheat-based food at government schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Drastically
reducing wheat and sugar in my diet made a huge difference in my health. After years of fighting weight, I finally
reached my target numbers. At 40 I was
under my high school weight. My hypoglycemia
was instantly cured. My strong physical
condition helped me beat cancer, which was most likely developed before I made
the change. There’s no proof that a
wheat/sugar diet caused my disease, but I’ll always be suspicious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Correcting
the problem isn’t about dieting to lose weight, it’s about changing everything
you ever believed about nutrition. Once
you’ve crawled in this conspiracy basement, you’ll turn your suspicions on diet
supplements, vitamins and “detox” products.
Welcome to the revolution. Here’s
your starter kit of reading material and documentaries:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/" target="_blank">The Wheat Belly</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381335/" target="_blank">Fed Up</a>*</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://thatsugarfilm.com/#" target="_blank">That Sugar Film</a>*</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaYa0AB8TQ" target="_blank">Secrets of Sugar</a></span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
*may be available on Netflix or Amazon Prime.</div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-5411949772791291042015-11-23T22:21:00.001-06:002016-01-13T10:15:27.850-06:00MOvember II, Beating Cancer in a Manly Fashion<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Much of the patient-authored info floating around the net comes from our sister cancer warriors, and it seems that the boys are less likely to publish their thoughts. Our wives and mothers know all too well how we handle being sick, so it's worth sharing some thoughts with the gents out there on how we get through this. The points listed below are things that I was either told or should have been told, mostly from my medical team or survivors. Getting through the initial stress of diagnosis was the least supported part of my treatment, but an experienced patient can nudge you in the right direction. Wax the 'stache into some handlebars, pour a brandy, light off a good stogie and scroll on. Here's how we beat cancer in a manly fashion.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><b>Forget everything you ever
knew about cancer, treatment, survival and how you expected to handle it</b>. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;">If
you thought you'd never seek treatment if diagnosed, or that treatment was
pointless and everyone who gets it dies anyway, you're wrong. Cancer and treatment are
extremely complex, and the treatment between forms of the disease can be
radically different. Your will to keep walking on this planet will
overpower your previous thoughts on dying with your boots on instead of seeking
treatment.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><b>You're not dead.</b></span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"> Not today. Not tomorrow,
either. No matter how serious your case is, there is time. It may
sound ridiculous, but the stress at diagnosis feels like you're going to be executed at dawn. Take a breath and read the next paragraph.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN"><b>Prepare for the most intense stress of your life.</b></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">
I dealt with some unbelievable mental pressure in my long law enforcement career, but the
first couple of months after cancer diagnosis set the high mark. It's time to clear
the calendar and the mind, reduce your load and take any steps necessary to
slow down and get a grip. You'll stop sleeping.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> It's
time for family, work and obligation to know that you're on the bench for now.
Your health must be the center of attention for a while. The world will
have to learn how to revolve around you for a bit. Many head for the bottle or anti-depressants at this point, but I believe it's important to get through all of the stages of this hellish experience with as clear a head as possible to get it over with. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><b>Get off Google.</b> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;">You want answers, so you'll become an online
researcher. It's a natural response, but results are hard to
understand. Survival charts can look pretty dismal,
but they don't account for variations like age, existing health, treatment
tolerance, genetic mutations, etc. My favorite go-to
place for information online is M.D Anderson's web site and COLONTOWN, a very closely
moderated and secret Facebook page for survivors and caregivers. Many
people tend to fade from online forum communities after they are cured, but Facebook
users stick around. "COLONTOWNies" are very helpful with new
patients, and these sort of groups are extremely helpful and encouraging, and
after a few weeks you'll understand what I mean about statistics. It takes some searching, but I guarantee there's something like it for whatever cancer you're facing. You'll be very surprised at how many survivors are walking around disease free after beating aggressive forms of the disease.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><b>Everything is slow.</b> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;">Test results can take forever. Appointments are days or weeks
away. Surgeries seem to be over the horizon. It's not like a
heart attack or a car crash. Updates take a long time. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18.4px;">You'll feel like a shark, wanting to constantly move forward. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Be prepared and understand that the wait isn't killing your body, just your patience. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><b>Prepare for the
reactions of other people.</b></span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"> This was the one I never saw coming. Everyone around you will
encounter stress over your cancer diagnosis, and their response may not be helpful. It may even seem thoughtless or rude, or cause more stress. The best defense is a
buffer, a person willing to pass news and keep the load off the
patient. Others will have to understand that you're the center of the universe for now. It's not a comfortable place to be, but it's necessary. Make sure people understand what sort of interaction you need, and that needing to be alone to rest doesn't mean you have a pistol in your mouth. Whether you need some space or some company, be honest to everyone around you. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a great topic to share with other survivors. </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN"><b>Understand "positive
thinking."</b> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We're
warriors, fathers, fixers, teachers and leaders. We're closer to reality and
probability than the sending of good vibes. Most thoughts will be pretty
dark. There's a lot of dread, ugliness and death around cancer, and
positive thinking won't cure or prevent it. </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Acknowledging</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> the dark stuff
is vitally important and a part of our thinking, but don't let go of anything
that makes you happy and clears your head. You'll need it. If you're hounded about your
dark thoughts, search hard for cracks of light to break the trend. They're out there and will keep you sane. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN"><b>Don't be a jerk.</b> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This is universal, old-fashioned good
stuff from your dad here, but I've seen big, brawny guys act like bratty little
kids in the chemo room. This is where you "man up."
You'll feel like shit and be </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">terrified</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, but don't take it out on anyone
trying to take care of you. Sometimes we have to be carried. Tighten up
so you're easier to lift. If you're married, you'll understand why dealing with sickness is in the vows. Treat your caregivers and supporters with the love and respect they're earning.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><b>Dig in. </b> Treatment sucks. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal;">It's painful and tiring. It's frustrating because it eats your masculine fiber. It does grow back, but it's slow.
Pull-starting a lawn mower or walking to the mailbox might be a
"heavy" day for a while, but it's important to file that away as a
healing evolution and be proud that you made it. You'll get tired of sitting
around being weak, but it will pass. It sounds horribly cliche, but </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you
have to be stronger than the disease. Most importantly, listen to your
care provider and do exactly what you're told. If you go through chemotherapy, be prepared for temporary changes in mood and thought processes. You'll likely be scatterbrained and emotional. You may cry over chick flicks. Really.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Beware the false prophets</b>. You'll be amazed at the idiocy that people believe on the topic of cancer. Don't discount valuable holistic and alternative treatments that help with your recovery and minimize side effects, but don't buy into the hype. Your medical crew isn't out to suck money from you. Saving your life is expensive and worth it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Seek the best treatment possible.</b> Large cancer hospitals offer treatment may not be available in smaller cities. That's not to say that physicians or treatment in other places is sub-par, but you'll find very specialized medicine in the bigger centers. I received excellent care at my local center for chemo and radiation, but my surgery was handled by a specialist in a large center. The downside to big hospitals is that the cost of travel may be prohibitive for some. There are charities and support groups for patients needing help with these extra expenses. Please consider supporting them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do exactly as you're told.<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Take notes, bring someone with a clear head to appointments, read everything that's given to you, ask questions and follow directions. Know what you're supposed to do and follow every instruction. Don't hide symptoms. Most treatment centers offer an online log to write down notes as often as needed for your staff to monitor how you're doing. Use it. Feedback to your care team is critical. Don't make someone have to tell your doctor how you're </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">really</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> doing. This valuable advice saved me quite a bit of discomfort along the way.</span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't fear tough changes.</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">People have died because they feared life with a colostomy or similar life-changing mod to their factory gear. I had an ileostomy (similar to a colostomy) for seven months, and it's not a big deal. Colostomy bags and similar appliances come in cartoon character patterns for infants and children. You can be as tough as them. There's a reason you hear the word "life" before "limb." We're pretty resilient creatures and can adapt to just about anything.</span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Recovery feels strange. </b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Treatment is a battle. It's a challenging, busy time. When it's over, things are oddly quiet. You're checked less and less often as you heal and beat the disease, and it feels very odd to not be under constant care. It's tough to focus on rebuilding your health, but that's the goal. Not only does restoring health seem to help prevent recurrence in some cases, it will be critical to survival should you have to fight again. It may take years to feel completely normal again. This is a great time to communicate with other survivors and keep your head straight.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>When you're healed, give something back.</b></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b>Be thankful and appreciative of your supporters and medical staff. Help others. Stay active in patient social media circles. We always want to hear from survivors. Volunteer at your local center. Participate in fundraising and awareness. Grow a goofy Victorian mustache and spam your friends with a blog.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hopefully this is information that my growing reader base will never need. Just about every survivor I've encountered is happy to discuss their treatment, especially the hacks that make it more tolerable. We always look to veterans of the job at hand for pointers, and cancer is no different. Never be afraid to ask for help. It's out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZsv4XBtmT3hhlk8YQ5ThMCp46HncmRZ3MtUszpkxcSBYgImnEDpS_o9mboaDRfYTZGDMNhcKy5CMgQ7BDxhKC0PbnfiseT0CGsoKPUm4Ny1uN4qguXwVS9VyshbvB3dCevQSgz5dAX4/s1600/mustache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZsv4XBtmT3hhlk8YQ5ThMCp46HncmRZ3MtUszpkxcSBYgImnEDpS_o9mboaDRfYTZGDMNhcKy5CMgQ7BDxhKC0PbnfiseT0CGsoKPUm4Ny1uN4qguXwVS9VyshbvB3dCevQSgz5dAX4/s200/mustache.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-41258459682118907592015-11-14T00:41:00.002-06:002015-12-11T23:54:30.221-06:00MOvember Message for Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhG04Dx9KX0qrzeUytdbRdGHtnMSMmcsHkJmaBw8496EdE0vjGe8KbgrjI5OvHtOzvplD2CIVGi57P8Ly1MO-3eLZ4pfo21gak2L-Ju6F8tc3RJpaTaMMxJhynfNBF8C4Y8y91an9mTI/s1600/movember+matt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhG04Dx9KX0qrzeUytdbRdGHtnMSMmcsHkJmaBw8496EdE0vjGe8KbgrjI5OvHtOzvplD2CIVGi57P8Ly1MO-3eLZ4pfo21gak2L-Ju6F8tc3RJpaTaMMxJhynfNBF8C4Y8y91an9mTI/s320/movember+matt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Movember/No-Shave-November is upon
us. It’s a great time to sport the monster “mo” to support a cause.
I’m sure there’s no shortage of charities happy to take money, but I’m using my
magnificent handlebar creation for awareness. I’m a colon cancer
survivor. What’s more, I’m the annoying diet/exercise guy who wouldn’t
eat the office birthday cake and takes lunch at the gym. In a 24 year
police and military career, I’ve been subject to physical fitness tests and
medical exams all my adult life. My bride and I are solvent, young empty
nesters who live mostly on home-cooked organic food. I don’t have a
family history of colon cancer. I’m not a cigarette smoker or heavy
drinker. Statistically, I shouldn’t have cancer, but at 42 years old, I
got the bad news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m very often asked how I
discovered the disease, and that’s an important part of my story. I was
passing blood. In the vast majority of cases, that’s not
a big deal. It’s almost always attributed to hemorrhoids, which is the
diagnosis given in my first doctor’s visit, without an exam. I was given
an expensive foam medication and sent home. I returned a week or two
later, insisting that I did not have any other symptoms supporting hemorrhoids
and was still bleeding. I was finally checked for ‘roids the “old
fashioned” way and nothing was found. I was referred to another doctor
who insisted that I was “fine” before performing tests that discovered a
tumor. In further testing an unrelated tumor was found in my thyroid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Otherwise, I felt fine. I had
recently made personal record length mountain climb and competed in the U.S.
Fencing nationals. I didn’t feel sick, but a year of treatment took care
of that. After radiation, chemotherapy and five surgical procedures, I’m
currently cancer-free. I’m not back to my original athletic levels, and
that may never happen. That’s one of the tick marks in the “sucks”
category, but I’m alive and otherwise happy. Whether or not I’ll stay
that way for long is a complete crapshoot, but my cancer was discovered rather
late (stage IIIc) which means that I most likely won’t have to deal with having
gray hair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A number of reasons led me to be
open about my experience, but the most outstanding was learning how many people
lived with symptoms of the disease and never sought treatment. Even more
shocking is the number of people who sought treatment and were sent home with a
non-life threatening diagnosis. I was completely amazed by how many
people asked detailed questions about the color, frequency and other
characteristics about the bleeding because they were experiencing the same
issues but wouldn’t see a doctor. In a Reddit thread about assumptive
behavior in medicine, I shared my story. Here’s a response from someone
appearing to be in medicine: </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "A digital rectal exam can't diagnose colon cancer. The vast majority of people who come in with bright red blood per rectum have hemorrhoids, it's not worthwhile to have them all undergo colonoscopies, plus if we did that, it would keep a lot of people from ever seeing the doctor."</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: 48px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This person is right, but I have two issues with this.
First, my personal health concerns do not involve “the vast majority of
people." I’m all about the greater good at times, but this isn’t one of
them. Second, a digital rectal exam, in my case, excluded most hemorrhoid
conditions and led to a colonoscopy. Had I waited longer than a couple of
weeks to press further, my life would have been shortened by many years,
especially many good years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Colon cancer isn’t just a man’s
disease, but male survivors just aren’t as vocal as our fairer
counterparts. In honor of the No-Shave November theme, here are a few
tips I’ve picked up along the way for the midlife guys to squeeze a bit more
juice out of life. Gentlemen, I give you Matt’s MOvember Message for Men
in a social-media listed format:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Take charge of your healthcare.</b>
You’re driving the boat. Ask questions and make sure you understand
everything. We’d all rather face a bear than deal with tough health
issues. We have to be emotionally courageous as well as physically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Take advantage of free screenings.</b> Blood
drives, employee clinics and health fairs offer free screenings that may point
out problems before they grow beyond control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Seek the best care. </b>We will
drive hours for a good hunting lease, a new car or a concert. Why
not two hours for a specialist? <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t be cheap. </b>Yes, good
healthcare is expensive and our system isn’t perfect. Honest discussion
with your provider will very often bring down the cost for a cash
patient. Much of the overhead in medical care is in the cost of dealing
with insurance. It never hurts to ask.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Diet and exercise aren’t just
buzzwords. </b>Yes, even athletic people with the perfect diet get
cancer, but that’s not an excuse to live on potato chips and beer alone.
Facing the disease with a strong body significantly improves your survival
because you can tolerate aggressive treatment and recover faster and stronger
than most. You don’t have to run marathons or Crossfit yourself to the
orthopedic specialist. Try walking for an hour.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t be afraid. </b>I have actually
heard grown-ass men say that they won’t get any exam that involves butt
stuff. It’s time to grow up and get a camera poked up your arse.
Trust me, it’s better than the ass traffic involved in beating cancer.
If you get cancer, you’ll want to beat it.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t smoke. </b>Cigarettes will
kill you. </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Know your history. </b>Health
problems are often hereditary, so start your prevention early.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Easy on the booze. </b>Here’s
another area where moderation makes the man. If you have a problem, fix
it.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Your mind matters. </b>It’s time
for us to realize that John Wayne was an actor, and just being tough all the
time doesn’t fix everything. It’s true that there’s a lot of hype and
over-diagnosis in mental health issues, but depression, anxiety and similar
issues are very common and will take a toll on physical health if not faced.
Grow a pair and face the demons. Turn on the bullshit filter and turn off
frustrating news feeds. Whether it’s in a church, circle of friends or
the middle of a lake, get your thoughts straight enough to sleep at night.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>11.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t discount “alternative”
therapies. </b>Yoga,
massage and chiropractic treatment will repair or prevent many problems before you
take it to a specialist. It’s not witchcraft. Don’t be the guy in
assless motorcycle chaps calling others “gay” for going to a yoga class.
Yoga guy is surrounded by women in tights. Assless chaps guy is hanging
out with other assless chaps guys. Let that image sink in.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>12.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Beware the snake oil. </b>I have
had people look me straight in the eye and tell me that consuming some obscure fruit or baking soda
will cure cancer. Remember the red wine/resveratrol thing, and how great
it is for your heart? The damage caused by alcohol outweighs the
benefit. The bullshit tide rides high in health issues.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>13.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Make time. </b>Take time for
exercise and mental decompression. You’re not abusing your kids by taking
some “me” time and clearing the head. You might accidentally teach your
kids that everyone deserves a little space.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>14.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Be safe. </b>Break out the safety
glasses that came with your finish nailer. They’re probably still in the
wrapper. Be safe in your work and play. Injuries in the 40+ class
will take you out of the game longer.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>15.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Encourage your buddies. </b>Share
success and lean on others to help with health goals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take care of the machine, gents! </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-76219262317276778552015-08-05T14:30:00.001-05:002015-11-17T10:40:51.133-06:00Cecil and the White Guy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbBmNoxEqEHnTws1avfRvk-jRmohQ0v3jNii-K-OivbXWVPxrC06vWBRpIKUXzZ8VitZTf8cNGm7Dyhgovu_adUmeBMW-4cwHaRQYebF51sIWZhSJBBlcekoylC200-g78ODnPvd11xQ/s1600/lionhuntingafrica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbBmNoxEqEHnTws1avfRvk-jRmohQ0v3jNii-K-OivbXWVPxrC06vWBRpIKUXzZ8VitZTf8cNGm7Dyhgovu_adUmeBMW-4cwHaRQYebF51sIWZhSJBBlcekoylC200-g78ODnPvd11xQ/s320/lionhuntingafrica.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From lionhuntinginafrica.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I'm usually on the receiving end of the race card, which the presenter always seems to "hate" playing. When the story of Cecil the lion scrambled masses of keyboard commandos to action, I recalled some recent social media chatter about dead African wildlife and decided it was my turn to throw it down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Over the past few years the random meme forwarding activists have been upset over big game hunters with various captions, either cheerleaders or entire families killing African big game. The internet warriors launched threat and smear campaigns against the hunters through their key-clacking efforts across the electronic ether.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0g_-mzxHSZ_qom-0ZYBPS-PZuUa6opT0ZJhawDGy6aIrp7K23dl8j2LN7ulSDQ9UcOJ4u-oDWQaTdxtkYxwYOiztgqL2lvxCI0hjgLoOpfiXQvPOoirzu5grwcoqk6668X7ZS-jNFuU/s1600/lion+nyp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0g_-mzxHSZ_qom-0ZYBPS-PZuUa6opT0ZJhawDGy6aIrp7K23dl8j2LN7ulSDQ9UcOJ4u-oDWQaTdxtkYxwYOiztgqL2lvxCI0hjgLoOpfiXQvPOoirzu5grwcoqk6668X7ZS-jNFuU/s320/lion+nyp.jpg" width="201" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From newyorkpost.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Let's get the particulars out of the way. I'm a hunter and an omnivore. A previous post details my attempt at veganism. I'm blessed with access to hunting grounds with ample herds of whitetail deer, and I fill my freezer with free-range, organic, grass fed, humanely and legally harvested meat every year. I tried archery hunting, and despite my high level of marksmanship, I found the potential for injuring an animal too high. Archery caused Cecil's suffering, according to what I've read. I appreciate the challenge of hunting up close, but I prefer my kill to hit the ground dead. No suffering, no tracking, no trauma. From on-the-hoof to unprocessed meat in less than a second is a far better fate than commercial food animals face. It's the way I'd prefer to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I've met several hunters of African game. While they hunt for trophy, each has told me in detail how the entire animal is consumed by locals, except for what returns with the hunter. The hunts are expensive (five digits or so) and are conducted through government management programs. This means that only certain animals may be hunted. This type of management often saves animals from a horrible natural death, as seen in the video below. The legality of Cecil's demise is questioned, of course.</span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/18muVT1GWqM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/18muVT1GWqM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Not long before Cecil's fate, I stumbled onto an article about anti-poaching efforts underway in Africa. Poaching kills larger numbers than legal hunting, and is not selective about taking only animals beneficial to management. These are the people causing animals to become extinct. The reason for the hunting is ivory, and <a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/dye-and-poison-stop-rhino-poachers/" target="_blank">one effort involves an injected dye to turn off buyers of poached and exported ivory.</a> Some efforts consider <a href="https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/thorny_issues/poisoning_rhino_horns" target="_blank">poisoning rhino horns with the intent to kill consumers.</a> This is where I learned some important things about ivory. It is illegally and unethically harvested in Africa by Africans to feed an Asian market who believes it has</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">miraculous curative properties.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ36_DJmvuAa9bHqZuAsGXOD7Scn44Q6y-RhZV55rldrZhsQbDRMeU13VPRLY0IlSmWx9baAgl8Vit2voF4SyMxzsrZExHnYwYTADGrW1DHXdU59YjX3c358zZ9sTtYpxtxAXd_duLdHI/s1600/nairobidigest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ36_DJmvuAa9bHqZuAsGXOD7Scn44Q6y-RhZV55rldrZhsQbDRMeU13VPRLY0IlSmWx9baAgl8Vit2voF4SyMxzsrZExHnYwYTADGrW1DHXdU59YjX3c358zZ9sTtYpxtxAXd_duLdHI/s1600/nairobidigest.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From nairobidigest.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> That's when it hit me. The keyboard warriors aren't after the most imminent threat to African wildlife, they're after their greatest foe: Affluent white people. Every photo I've seen cross my feed has a dead animal next to one of the three great evils in social media: A rich white guy, attractive white girl, or rich white family, or a rich white family reported as Christian. Religious groups are hated as well, but somehow believing rhino horn cures cancer or a hangover isn't as interesting in a tweet as slamming a Caucasian dominant religion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The meme forwarding masses stir the pot and ignite hatred with images of white people killing game, when the actual threat to numbers of African wildlife are being decimated by Africans (not white) harvesting animals to feed the superstition-based hunger of Asian countries (also not white). In every reputable story I've seen about white people killing African game, African people benefit from the money, food and other resources derived from taking the animal. The hunts are extremely expensive with the intent to maximize revenue with a relatively small number of harvested animals. One American hunter I spent some time with told me that their hunting party assisted in anti-poaching activities as required by law, which is fairly common for legal foreign hunters. Poachers take the ivory and let the animal rot, and they're not likely to selfie an emotional photo with the dead animal, but the photos are out there, and very graphic. I'll bet you've never seen one cross your news feed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzp0fkT7fDkmMKA_45anpJVRShVS0W41iCdZyzQtOtxnJWCgEEoi4lOrz5xwG3syWiplZiRjam1pRJu_MUsRqdzfkeXbFlxuamife9BmHhee3kD2_WRqrDRTxQH-ROx6nU-YIPqZvoWds/s1600/thesouthafrican.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzp0fkT7fDkmMKA_45anpJVRShVS0W41iCdZyzQtOtxnJWCgEEoi4lOrz5xwG3syWiplZiRjam1pRJu_MUsRqdzfkeXbFlxuamife9BmHhee3kD2_WRqrDRTxQH-ROx6nU-YIPqZvoWds/s320/thesouthafrican.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From thesouthafrican.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We should be upset about Cecil's fate because he could have been taken by more ethical means, but it would be nice for the committed Facebook avengers to concentrate their efforts on poachers rather than lawful hunters, or maybe educate themselves on game management a bit. Here we have another issue driven astray by racism and emotion over facts.</span><br />
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-73332947291356317432015-06-25T09:40:00.002-05:002015-06-25T09:40:55.348-05:00The Guads<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJxju0FTga1cSfv6rr2GhX1aAho9qJvtd55f5TR0dmXvjFl_o5Pp1ToCNf_VQ69kOIeXpU0RS7hcIvEDcEoaI3h-eG8uOuDbzzCN-zEyUFJcuPaIm4z-gxOByrgQ9FOLkdxtLBJhoXDE/s1600/guad+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJxju0FTga1cSfv6rr2GhX1aAho9qJvtd55f5TR0dmXvjFl_o5Pp1ToCNf_VQ69kOIeXpU0RS7hcIvEDcEoaI3h-eG8uOuDbzzCN-zEyUFJcuPaIm4z-gxOByrgQ9FOLkdxtLBJhoXDE/s400/guad+small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Capitan - Photo by Matt Vann</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's one great thing about living in Midland, Texas: There are far better
places to be and they’re a day’s travel or less. Mountains, forests, big
cities, charming small towns, lakes, rivers and oceans are weekend destinations
for us. One of the most overlooked spots is Guadalupe Mountains National
Park (GMNP), about three and a half hours to the west.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Almost everyone in the area is
familiar with Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but fewer know about the
“Guads,” just a few miles away along the same mountain chain. This is probably because the Guads are for a different sort of
visitor than the Caverns. There’s no hotel nearby, only a primitive
camping area and a parking lot for RV’s. There are no hookups and you
won’t hear generators running all night. Decent restrooms and a
dishwashing area are all the amenities you’ll find other than what you
brought. The people you’ll run into at the park are
pretty “outdoorsy” types and won’t be carousing at the next campsite all
night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guadalupe Peak, the highest point
in Texas, is probably the most popular hike in the park. Most who start
it are not prepared. A trip up the peak and back takes
around eight hours or so and it’s very strenuous for the average person. I compare it to
climbing stairs all day. The top offers spectacular view and the
opportunity to sign the register at the peak’s monument. Like many
others, my first trip up the peak was miserable, but I was very young and not
prepared. I think the peak is a bit overrated in comparison to the
experience offered by other trails in the park. I encourage people to try
some of the other trails in the park before taking on the peak.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day hikes offered in the park
are worth a weekend trip. You’ll get a little taste of the elevation
changes you'll face in the higher country, but it’s not exhausting. I always
recommend Devil’s Hall, Smith and Manzanita Springs, McKittrick Canyon and El
Capitan trails for day trips. All offer spectacular views. I’ve
often made solo “decompression trips” to the park on my motorcycle at the end
of the work week. With the bike packed the night before, I can leave
after work on Friday and be enjoying a cigar at sunset from my campsite.
I can hit a couple of day trails, take the long way home and be back in time
for dinner on Saturday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most impressive aspect of the
Guads is the transformation from arid desert at the bottom to pine forest at
higher elevation. Tejas trail is the best way to experience this.
Tejas is not as tough as the peak but it’s a good climb. If you still
have some energy, you can check out nearby Hunter’s Peak, the third highest of
the peaks. It’s a full day of hiking but you’ll be back at the campground
in plenty of time for dinner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Backcountry camping is the best way
to experience the park. My favorite trip in GMNP is Bush Mountain,
the second highest climb. Round-trip is about 12 miles, so it’s not a day
hike. Leaving Midland around 6:00 a.m, I can hit the park headquarters
about the time they open. I can be in the high country before the day’s
heat sets in, even in mid-summer. Lunch will be in the pines and dinner
is on Bush Mountain. The return trip gets a little hot coming back on the
next day, but it’s bearable. Backcountry is the way to experience the
tougher trails, even the peak. Even though I’ve been up the peak several
times, I spent the night in the peak’s campground once and
thoroughly enjoyed the morning hike back down because I wasn’t exhausted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are several big things to be
aware of before hiking in the park. First, there is no water ANYWHERE
except the park headquarters, so you will be packing in every drop you’ll need
for the entire trip. Nothing in the park is more dangerous than
dehydration. Second is wind. The Guads are known for unpredictable
winds. I’ve had winds go from dead calm to actually blowing me down
within a few hours. Be ready for this. Apart from winds is the
weather in general. Check the weather carefully and understand that the
canyons and mountain tops have their own climate. I’ve scorched at the
bottom and shivered at night in mid-summer. Clif Sikes and I left for the
Mescalero site one January. We were wearing T-shirts at the trailhead and
found ourselves in parkas while pitching tents in the snow up top. Just
like the Boy Scouts and the Coast Guard say, be prepared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.nps.gov/gumo/index.htm">park headquarters website</a> is the
first place to check for info on park conditions and alerts. <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=guadalupe+mountains">Wunderground</a>
has weather stations at different altitudes at the park and will help prepare
for conditions. Finally, even though cell coverage in the park is
generally good and true GPS devices are better than ever, it’s always a great
idea to carry a map, and the <a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/national-parks-collection/national-parks-maps/203-guadalupe-mountains-national-park-trail-map">National
Geographic series</a> is one of the best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Break in a set of good boots and
head for the Guads! Keep your gear light and bring a good camera.
Be ready to share dinner with a curious mule deer or kangaroo rat.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, take your time and sit in the shade. Bring a
bottle of wine and a couple of lawn chairs for an evening at the
campground. I’ll see you along the trail somewhere! </span></div>
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<a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/national-parks-collection/national-parks-maps/203-guadalupe-mountains-national-park-trail-map" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/national-parks-collection/national-parks-maps/203-guadalupe-mountains-national-park-trail-map</a></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-74609505036018239362015-06-10T12:07:00.001-05:002015-06-10T12:07:09.367-05:00The $1000 Foil Hat Challenge – Put Up or Shut Up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_DsicvaV_EyFf6UQosieBtdcQ1YlUBQ_TFKxnmxnoRNu3Luu9CcUM6U4V7ObPS0QpolfcIDHquGvRI5bFedDtg9Ykb8ID4LFoPgplmkYfXUqvibLobvD8QV8GEHUmJbbE7fm1t2-gAs/s1600/jade-helm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_DsicvaV_EyFf6UQosieBtdcQ1YlUBQ_TFKxnmxnoRNu3Luu9CcUM6U4V7ObPS0QpolfcIDHquGvRI5bFedDtg9Ykb8ID4LFoPgplmkYfXUqvibLobvD8QV8GEHUmJbbE7fm1t2-gAs/s320/jade-helm.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy of <a href="http://midlandjokes.com/">midlandjokes.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Readers
outside of Texas may not know the story, so here’s the brief: One of two Walmart stores in Midland, Texas closed
suddenly. The story from Walmart was
that plumbing issues were being repaired and the store would reopen in six
months. At the same time, the military
announced a training exercise, called “Jade Helm,” to be held in a small town
about half an hour away. That’s where
all reality stops in the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What
followed is an explosion of stupidity.
Conspiracy fanatics, incapable of understanding basic high school levels
of geography, physics, math, history or logic, radiated an unprecedented amount
of garbage onto the internet. The prevailing conspiracy theory is that military forces are involved and Walmart is going to be used as a prison camp. There's some variance to these stories, but this is the central theme. They
suddenly noticed anything suspicious to them, including the many trucks and
trains passing through town, as they have for years, carrying military
vehicles. Septic tanks became FEMA
caskets, and suddenly there was an outbreak of UN vehicles all over the
internet in the form of re-posted photos of UN vehicles manufactured in the US. The five military branches all
use our international airport as a fuel stop, but suddenly their mission has
changed to surreptitious preparatory action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you
are a believer and you really want to wake the “sheeple,” please read
on. I have a challenge for you. This is your chance to show the world that
you’ve done the research and you are serious about stopping the coming
storm. I am doing this for two
reasons. First, if you are right, you
are one of the most important people in history. You have deciphered the most complex
conspiracy against citizens that has ever been devised. You have decoded the coming of the greatest
tragedy against the American people, caused by their own government, in the
history of this nation. Second, I think
you are wrong. I don’t care how much you
hate Obama or whoever is upsetting you today, your theory is crap. What is the challenge?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Put
your money where your mouth is. A very
wise crime analyst told me that people tend to make the best decision based on
available data when they have to put up their own, hard-earned scratch. This is your chance. Your research cost you nothing. Those hours on Infowars cost precious
heartbeats and Hot Pockets, but not actual Benjamins. Show the world you are serious about saving
lives. Make a wager with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I will
make a bet with any conspiracy theorist, as long as it is legal in both
jurisdictions, that there will be no military occupation, no declaration of
martial law and no mass internment, execution or relocation of US citizens due
to some political military takeover.
Sure, there will be provisions.
It won’t apply to riots or insurrection along the lines of Baltimore or
Ferguson, where National Guard troops may interact. I’m talking about troops, US or foreign,
marching into town and herding people into the FEMA death camps. A natural disaster won’t cut it, no matter
who you say caused it. It’s boots on the
ground and butts in camps or graves, even if we’re the only genocidal race in
the world to ever produce caskets in advance of the event. You say it’s going to happen, I say it’s not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Fine
print is negotiable, but takers must be ready to put the cash up front. If you’re afraid the financial system is
going to implode, rest assured that I will back my cash position with things
you’ll love, like guns and ammo. If you’re
right and we find ourselves on a FEMA train headed to Walmart, I promise you a $1000
back rub during the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This is
a call to action, and I'm taking the action. Stop putting more rails on your rifle and declare your interest by commenting. Show the world that Alex Jones is right, and that you believe $1000 deep in the cause!</span></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-491265327410379122015-03-25T12:17:00.000-05:002015-03-25T12:17:00.518-05:0010 Reasons to Dump Facebook for Reddit<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Facebook has everything needed to be successful in today’s culture. It sucks away hours of time with meaningless drivel, drama and completely unoriginal thought. I drastically reduced my Facebook consumption as a Lenten goal to better focus my time. That turned out to be a metamorphic choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> When I opened a Facebook account years ago, I wasn’t sure the lackluster site would ever be as popular as MySpace. My fortune telling skills never improved but I enjoyed a period of relative peace with Facebook. Like everyone else, I enjoyed keeping in touch with family, friends and others who I didn’t get to spend time with on a daily basis. I was encouraged to build a large “friend” base to promote my music efforts and it worked. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> That’s how Facebook sinks the teeth in. When it becomes your central news feed, a scrolling current events medium with your morning coffee, is when the darkness creeps into your very being. Despite a very interesting collection of artists, writers, musicians, scientists, geeks and tradesmen on my page, a significant amount of noise creeps through. Despite my efforts to weed it out using the “follow” feature, maddening stuff still creeps through and makes my coffee taste like bile. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Still, as with passive-aggressive yet very attractive girlfriend, you keep going back. Just like the last time, the interesting article a high school buddy posted about the Martian plumes is bookended by the same cat video and political re-post that disgusted you the last time. Sure, you can unfollow, but you’ll wind up unfollowing 90% of your friends list, so why not just delete our account?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> We don’t want to delete because, despite what we may want to think, we are social creatures. The rantings of our true friends and family make us smile, but large friend lists dilute the experience. It really sucks up the time, especially if you’re using it to “cherry pick” your news, as I did. When Lent rolled around, I added Facebook to the fire of time-vampires. I chose to use the time for more productive things. The plan was pretty simple. I don’t have the option of deleting or completely abandoning my account. I’m in it for the long haul because it’s a means of communication within organizations and circles very precious to me as well as my day job, so there’s no going back. The plan was to check messages and group updates a time or two during the day, then go away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The plan worked, but maybe a little too well. I was missing a newsfeed that covered a broad range of interests and offered input from varying points of view. I was already a “Redditor,” so I spent a bit more time there and took the relationship to the next level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Reddit, <a href="http://www.reddit.com/">www.reddit.com</a>, has become huge over the last few years. It is a giant, international site that receives posting of links, articles and photos, submitted by users, and categorizes them by topics and allows viewing by topic or popularity. There are thousands of “subreddits,” Reddit’s sub-groups, and a search will bring up just about ANYTHING you’re into. Since lists are all the rage, here are 10 reasons why Reddit is better than Facebook:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. Much of the content is original, or at least original to the reader. Cool stuff is usually on Reddit a week before it’s recycled ad-nauseum on your Facebook feed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. Whatever you want, it’s there. If not, put it there. I mean EVERYTHING from needlepoint to Nazis, it’s on Reddit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. Content placement is vote-based. The stupid stuff doesn’t make it to the top of your feed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. It’s easier to dial in what you want to see and tune out what you don’t.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. It’s a little tougher to use, so it “weeds out” a layer of users who don’t need to be there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. Good writing. You’ll often be impressed with fellow Redditors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. Far fewer ads. They’re less intrusive and can be turned off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8. You can award people with “<a href="http://www.reddit.com/gold/about">Reddit Gold</a>.” For a couple of bucks, you can give another user premium access for a post that’s particularly moving to you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9. It’s anonymous. If you really have to reply, you can do so without offending Aunt Myrtle. You can also rant or confess and still show your face at work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10. International. Did you know that Australians have rednecks? They call them “bogans” and they make for hilarious conversation when comparing to the domestic variety.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Remember that Facebook is social media. If you’re looking for more media and less social, Reddit is the place. If it’s not the place for you, learn how to configure your settings and it will become a place for you. I often close my Reddit sessions with a sense that I gained something, which is not the case with Facebook. My goal was to limit and make better use of my time at the keyboard. Done.</span></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-61564858463793821412014-09-08T17:28:00.000-05:002014-09-08T17:31:29.300-05:00The Woodpecker Returns<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between 1976 and 1989, the USSR
operated a radar system that became known as the “Russian Woodpecker.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a type of “over the horizon” (OTH)
radar known as the DUGA-3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It operated
on frequencies populated by shortwave broadcasts and amateur operators and
produced a very strong signal that produced a tapping sound similar to a
woodpecker, hence the name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Russian
Woodpecker was phased out and replaced with satellite technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The signal was not heard again until recently.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One day
while browsing Reddit’s /r/amateurradio “subreddit,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a post where a user recorded a
strange signal in the 20 meter band and suggested it was an over-the-horzon
radar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I switched my receiver on the
very next day and heard the same signal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This particular sound wasn’t like the Russian Woodpecker, but it was an
unusual signal that lasted 30 seconds or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My Android was sitting on the desk and I was able to capture a
recording.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left the radio on all day
with the volume turned up so I could listen for the signal while I went about
my day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about five minutes to
midnight, a very strong signal blasted through the speaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounded EXACTLY like the recordings I’d
heard of the Russian Woodpecker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, my Android was in the next room and the signal was gone
before I could record it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqiCJFEP3ZkZR2-zndILIU1IgolzGJgxxJDRy8VHVsUwUf6F7v2duIOFWB3g3Ez-kIN4fbSNIhAjVtZHBRGzKEw40QLNos7MhZVY1RkFk91Ml_YrnSfHwlJkpC-78o9VyclmrGy2NYzE/s1600/duga-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqiCJFEP3ZkZR2-zndILIU1IgolzGJgxxJDRy8VHVsUwUf6F7v2duIOFWB3g3Ez-kIN4fbSNIhAjVtZHBRGzKEw40QLNos7MhZVY1RkFk91Ml_YrnSfHwlJkpC-78o9VyclmrGy2NYzE/s1600/duga-3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m
certainly not an expert in amateur radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve only been dabbling with it for about four years, but this signal
seemed unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t sound like
usual sources of interference that normally originate from inside or near the
home, like AC power adapters, lights, transformers and similar devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I revisited the subreddit and searched around
the net for answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that I
wasn’t alone, and there was quite a bit of chatter on the topic.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Since
the summer of 2013, Russia has been operating the 29b6 radar, another
over-the-horizon system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most radar,
like what we’re used to seeing at airports and in police cars, transmits a
signal along the line-of-sight, like a searchlight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OTH uses the ionosphere to reflect the signal
over the curvature of the earth in the same manner that amateur radio operators
communicate with each other over very long distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From what I’ve come to understand, what I
heard was a sounding or sampling signal from 29b6 radar system that is used to
adjust the radar for maximum efficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some reports indicate that it became more active during heightened
military activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other sources
indicate that Iran and China are deploying similar systems that can be heard in
the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original DUGA-3 lies in ruins near
Chernobyl, so this isn’t a refitting of the old system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s completely new and apparently uses newer
technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Old hams who operated during
the DUGA-3 days are not happy to see OTR on the air again, as the interference
sometimes makes for tough conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re interested in jumping through the rabbit hole, there are videos of
Russian news reports on the new radar, tours of the old DUGA-3 along with
plenty of foil-hat theories to dig through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you’d like to hear it for yourself, tune somewhere around 14.270 on a
shortwave and see if it pops up.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOMVdOc9UbE"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">This link is a recording of
the original DUGA-3</span></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IaA1JrYRAI"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">This link is believed to be
the 29b6 sounder, 2014</span></a></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-84579940549331449362014-09-01T02:59:00.000-05:002015-03-25T11:53:34.169-05:00The Jefferson Bible<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> One of my favorite high school teachers was
a former Methodist pastor who was once tasked with teaching a biblical history
class in a Midland, Texas public school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was not a class on religion or theology, but a study of the Bible
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t last, and one of the
principal reasons for the failure was constant debate of how it should be
taught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teacher told of daily phone
calls from parents with corrections and additions to the syllabus from varying
viewpoints, not from the text itself.</span><img align="left" height="132" hspace="12" src="data:image/png;base64,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" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1" width="200" /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> I studied Deism as it occurred in Thomas
Jefferson’s lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I became
fascinated with Jefferson’s take on the religion of the time and discovered
that he published what became known as the “Jefferson Bible.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly ordered a copy and inquired about
the history of the book.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> It’s important to understand that the
churches in Jefferson’s time were different than today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were often intermixed with politics and many
became very corrupted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jefferson served
as Minister to France, which gave him perspective on the Catholic and
protestant churches in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
studied the history of the Bible and believed that it had become contaminated
with political agenda, misrepresented facts and even propaganda designed to
turn people away from Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
clearly believed, as many do today, that surreptitiously motivated people had
distorted the tenets taught by Christ.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> I took a great interest in Christian
apologetics, especially in the Catholic and Lutheran churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the most devout biblical scholars
struggle with the history of how many of the writings in the Bible came to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are numerous conflicts and
inconsistencies within the Judeo-Christian Bible which have led many away from
faith and practice of religions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They come
into great conflict with biblical literalists who accept without question. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> My own spiritual path has led me to
fascinating conversation with ministers, biblical scholars, laymen, church
parishioners, Deists and atheists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
fascinates is that many of the most devout Christians do not have a completely
literal view of the Bible, but a very strong spiritual faith in the tenets of
Christianity and respect for their traditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For them, their belief does not require a suspension of reason and bonds
a person with what I believe is a strong understanding and practice of what
Christ intended for us.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Jefferson
was suspicious of supernatural claims in the Bible, including miracles, virgin
birth, resurrection and ascension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, it is important to understand that Jefferson faced a very
different religious and scholastic climate in his time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He believed that many of the supernatural
elements were introduced to turn people from the scripture or to perhaps engage
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is important today, as many
people can’t grasp why we are not witness to similar events in modern
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Religious leaders vary greatly on
their explanation of this, and it greatly divides Christianity as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same occurs within conflicting scripture
and other ambiguous elements of the ancient text.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> What
resulted was a compilation of Gospel scripture known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth</i>, where Jefferson included only
the teachings by Christ himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
became known as “The Jefferson Bible,” a title not placed by Jefferson
himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jefferson did not write the
book, rather he physically cut New Testament passages from Greek, French, Latin
and English variants of the Bible and arranged them chronologically to form a
clear depiction of the life and teachings of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not all supernatural events were
redacted, the majority of these events were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What remained was a very clear reading of the moral tenets taught by
Christ and a clear historical picture of his life.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
1904, 9000 copies of this book were printed and distributed to members of
Congress and their staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a copy that
I own, a foreword indicates that these were distributed well into the 1950’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is clear that Jefferson and others
believed that Christian morals and philosophy should be a part of our nation’s
foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jefferson’s compilation
spread the word in a manner easily acceptable by Christians, Deists and even
atheists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I consider this a great
victory rather than an aberration of the text.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
fascinates me about this topic is that in our time, Jefferson has become a
central figure in the separation of church and state, and he has become the
center of debate in much the same way as the teachings he sought to preserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Atheists use his anti-church quotes to push
their own agenda, and Christians exemplify him as supporting the USA as a
Christian nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>YouTube has plenty of
videos where Jefferson’s thoughts are bent to conform to one viewpoint or
another although he was very clear in his own writings on exactly where he
stood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
had conversations with people who refuse Jefferson’s book because it is not the
accepted text of their religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
consider it blasphemy while others see tremendous value in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was never intended as a replacement, but
it is an effective means of passing the teachings of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very clear and concise, and most
certainly easier to grasp than the King James Gospel itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often compare it to the numerous movies
about the life of Christ where there are additions and retractions from the
Gospel due to denominational belief, conciseness or brevity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not uncommon for well-meaning writers
to edit in this fashion, as evidenced by the many variants of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since every Christian denomination is
commanded to be evangelists to some degree, I see where works of this nature
are critical to the livelihood of today’s churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Philosophy of
Jesus of Nazareth<u> </u></span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">should be in everyone’s
library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if you are a complete
biblical literalist, it is highly useful in bringing others to an understanding
of your beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who are not
Christian, it is a valuable means of understanding the true fundamentals of Christianity
without bias or church dogma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an
invaluable tool for those who are searching, frustrated and confused in a
spiritual world obstructed by countless interpretations, illogical dogma and
misunderstandings and agendas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
available in print and the original 1904 copies are quite valuable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Kindle version is $0.99 through Amazon,
and there are free online versions and “modern English” versions available as
well. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">"In
extracting the pure principles which he taught, we should have to strip off the
artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have
travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to
themselves. We must dismiss the Platonists and Plotinists, the Stagyrites and
Gamalielites, the Eclectics, the Gnostics and Scholastics, their essences and
emanations, their logos and demiurges, aeons and daemons, male and female, with
a long train of</span> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: small;">…</span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"> or, shall I say at once, of nonsense. We must reduce our
volume to the simple evangelists, select, even from them, the very words only
of Jesus, paring off the amphibologisms into which they have been led, by
forgetting often, or not understanding, what had fallen from him, by giving
their own misconceptions as his dicta, and expressing unintelligibly for others
what they had not understood themselves. There will be found remaining the most
sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man. I
have performed this operation for my own use, by cutting verse by verse out of
the printed book, and arranging the matter which is evidently his, and which is
as easily distinguishable as diamonds in a dunghill. The result is an octavo of
forty-six pages, of pure and unsophisticated doctrines."</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">- Thomas Jefferson, 1813</span></span></span></div>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-48579520712251051522014-07-27T10:39:00.000-05:002014-08-14T16:16:12.173-05:00Militarized Police - A Reality Check<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the late 80’s, our high school’s
government department hosted talks given by different law enforcement agencies
from local to federal levels. When a
local police officer gave his speech, a kid began arguing with the cop over an
injustice committed against him. He
insisted that he was unlawfully stopped and searched, as well as harassed. I was pretty appalled by the story and couldn’t
understand why he would be targeted.
This kid belonged to a wealthy family and was a delinquent attention
whore, but that didn’t justify his treatment at the hands of the police.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I asked him about the incident
after class, and told me another version where he was lawfully stopped. He went on tell how they were drinking
underage and smoking weed, hence the search. The kid admitted that he took
creative license with the story for a chance to annoy a cop. This was my first experience with the “more
to the story” scenario. The “militarized”
police issue bears little difference.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE1mjADTNeaBsE-gbYM3Xgw_SiO0JY9KcK6P9Ukj49d3H8m4oiqL3obs-WI3GDm8RwqvvCWswIiGMi1nHmU7SRsYfaFu4-RRIwcqlsK6yoHMHWp0TeJUUX9x7HcVrJEPnIiw8SlMHVrM/s1600/milpol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE1mjADTNeaBsE-gbYM3Xgw_SiO0JY9KcK6P9Ukj49d3H8m4oiqL3obs-WI3GDm8RwqvvCWswIiGMi1nHmU7SRsYfaFu4-RRIwcqlsK6yoHMHWp0TeJUUX9x7HcVrJEPnIiw8SlMHVrM/s1600/milpol.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Cop hatred is an increasing fad,
and it spreads to otherwise rational and conservative citizens during a
Democratic presidency. A recent example
was the “New World Order” fear that reached popularity during the Clinton
years. Although the FEMA “Death Camp”
wave originated under Bush, we’re now apparently facing a UN invasion under
Obama.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The most important thing to
understand is the “militarized” aspect.
Critics most often cite military appearance as evidence, but if this
whole mess were real, one of the most important factors would be
jurisdiction. Law enforcement in our
country exists on the federal, state and local levels. These levels determine what laws can be
enforced by a particular agency and where they may be enforced. Federal entities have no command authority
over the smaller jurisdictions. They can
investigate each other and take legal action against them, but the feds can’t
command the other branches. The military
doesn’t even come into the picture.
Thus, if the federal government issued death warrants for all [insert
group here], other jurisdictions don’t fall under their command.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">While state and local agencies
receive federal grants and equipment, this assistance does not come with
instructions to follow orders. Programs
like 10-33, which provides surplus military gear like armored vehicles, are designed
to provide gear to agencies that can’t afford it otherwise. The intent is to provide options to deal with
increasing levels of violence in acts of terrorism, active shooters, increased
cartel activity, etc. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The critics of late cite the
physical appearance of SWAT teams and similar groups as evidence that they are
acting as the military. The use of
military gear and combat tactics is nothing new. It goes back as far as the “Tommy Gun.” When gangsters deployed the submachine gun
and against the police, it was time to step up the game. The 1997 Los Angeles bank robbery shooting
underscored a situation where the police were behind the curve in gear and tactics. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As I explained to an online critic,
if a fleeing murderer took shelter in the home across the street and fired on
police, I assured the critic he would be alone in charging into the situation
in a polyester uniform with a .38 special in a Crown Victoria. When the call is made to scrape up his
bleeding body from the street, it will be done by a specially trained team
wearing tactical body armor, driving an armored vehicle and equipped with
shields, rifles, less-lethal munitions and a bomb robot.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Understand that police don’t have
the option to fight fair. We must win
and come home when the shift is over.
The feds aren’t providing cannons, frag grenades, machine guns, mortars,
missiles or tanks. They offer law
enforcement tools. Just as our nation
has done for ages, we endeavor to stay tactically, technically and logistically
ahead of the criminal element because we don’t want to be another third world
stain on the map living under a criminal cartel like Mexico or much of the
Middle East. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Share this blog when you see the
paranoid posts. Often they will reply
with memes or links to screw-ups and incidents where police have screwed up,
but challenge them to show military action.
Police are more liability conscious and careful than ever, but that’s
fodder for another blog. Ask how it
differs from a citizen using military technology to defend their home
(AR-15). Chances are you’re dealing with
someone who’s still butthurt over getting busted for that joint back in high
school.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-72372351910421189842014-07-08T22:19:00.002-05:002014-07-08T22:59:03.436-05:00The BBS Days<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before the internet, there were
Bulletin Board Systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were
systems much like a modern day forum, where users could post messages, share
e-mails, play games and swap files.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
used dial-up modems and the user called the other computer directly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a different experience than the
widespread nature of the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most
users were local because long distance charges were steep back in those days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BBS’s were popular in the 80’s and started to
die out when Compuserve, GEnie, America Online and similar services set up
national systems where users could reach through local numbers. The internet as we know it was the next evolution.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygpRS2u_5ufAwsCFNzdxIuW-EIJtBhk5a7OE7ZIm8zsJbJy0Sbrr73HmqPzAv-a1P-3JwYnmmDC5hq19aP1TFuV6NqxgRiGePrA12hdHA_qPnmb3rTZriOXHtzoW07J_FjycvmzzfPqU/s1600/pc+clone.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygpRS2u_5ufAwsCFNzdxIuW-EIJtBhk5a7OE7ZIm8zsJbJy0Sbrr73HmqPzAv-a1P-3JwYnmmDC5hq19aP1TFuV6NqxgRiGePrA12hdHA_qPnmb3rTZriOXHtzoW07J_FjycvmzzfPqU/s1600/pc+clone.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a teenage computer geek, which
I was, BBS surfing late on summer nights was paradise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High-traffic times meant there were lots of
busy signals, so the wee hours were prime surfing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Public domain software was a big thing,
offering games and other wares for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Online games became pretty popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were multi-user games based on various themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a blast.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My friend, James Stormes, was (and
still is) the alpha computer geek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had always talked about a BBS, so one day Jim built one up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was based on Galacticomm software, which
was a big deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim bought a multi-user
system which was state-of-the-art compared to most of the shareware systems of
the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pieced together an IBM PC
clone and replaced the original 8088 processor with a “V-20” upgrade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the BBS operated at a smoking <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 megahertz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I can’t remember the drive size, but I’m sure a modern day thumb drive
would have backed the system up 10 times over.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jim lived in town, and I lived
between Midland and Odessa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a
prime situation because in those days people in my area could get a “561”
exchange which allowed calls to or from Midland and Odessa without
long-distance charges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, if you
called Odessa in 1987 it was a long-distance call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim set the system up, bought two lines, and
we were rolling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we needed was a
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After kicking around the
possibilities, we settled on “Telegraph Road.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a Dire Straits song from the time period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We completed the act with business cards that
were scattered about computer stores and software sections of bookstores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike Spencer’s mother made us a batch of
T-shirts with the album cover art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Telegraph Road was on the air.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What followed was years of
enjoyment in the geek community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
those days, computers were expensive and less user friendly than today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This made for an interesting social network
of like-minded folks similar to amateur radio today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even back then we had to deal with porn
uploads, endless online sex chats that tied up lines, and there were even a few
relationships and marriages from meetings on “TR.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Viruses weren't that common, but I remember an outbreak of the "Stoned" virus. </span>There were quite a few parties and friendships
that made for great memories.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jim went off to school in 1991 and
I moved back to town, so the board was turned over to avid user Mark Smyth, who
expanded it to twelve lines and added more games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I remained a user until it finally folded up sometime in the 90’s. According to Mark, the phone company designated him as a business and raised the rates to the point that he shut down.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are a few sites out there
that memorialize the old boards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
were several in Midland, operated by individuals, some by churches, even one
operated by the Ector County schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were a couple of surreptitious boards known for porn, pirated
software or stolen goods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Porn back then consisted of poorly scanned images from girlie mags. An image could take up to an hour to download. I recall two monochrome videos that consisted of about ten frames looped. Some unknown conspirators converted one to a virus-like PASCAL program and attempted to plug it into Lee High School's lab. </span>As an Explorer
in the Sheriff’s Office, a move that spawned my 23+ year law enforcement
career, I once helped detectives mole out some stolen gear from one of the sites.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The BBS system will always hold
fond memories to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The internet has
reminiscent offerings of those days, but nothing will compare to teen caffeine
fueled red-eye nights spent in role-playing games at a blazing 2400 BPS with
music blaring in the background.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here's a site with some old BBS info: <a href="http://bbslist.textfiles.com/915/">http://bbslist.textfiles.com/915/</a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-79197824330464172422014-04-12T06:41:00.000-05:002014-04-12T06:41:04.393-05:00Guns, Weed and Pit Bulls - Satirical Memes Weaken the Good Fight<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The FB experience
is a hotbed for political expression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The funny thing about the social media phenomenon is that many of the
shared political and social memes are inaccurate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Satirical” material is the king now,
designed to inflame and impassion people into action with outrageous
claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old adage about putting your
best foot forward is definitely good advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With all the crap flying through the web these days, nothing beats solid
facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I have some experience in these matters so</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sharing what I think is the best
argument that cuts through the hype.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Marijuana</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start with an
informational toke to let the inspiration flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let it be known that I have never been able to use marijuana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got my student pilot license at 14 and have
been in jobs that require drug-tests throughout my civilian and military
career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pot just wasn’t on my radar.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all,
marijuana is not a miracle cure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure,
some studies have shown it to be beneficial in cancer treatment but marijuana
doesn’t seem to stand out as a cancer fighter among other homeopathic
treatments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no conspiracy
keeping weed down to help the chemo companies make money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing works better than the current
treatments, and no single treatment cures everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe me, if burning a doob dropped a
patient’s CEA (tumor marker), M.D. Anderson Cancer Center would open a hooka bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a cancer patient and have discussed this
with doctors and other patients as well as having done plenty of web research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money is made based on cure rates, not the
sale of medication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a medication
doesn’t produce satisfactory results, it’s kicked to the curb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weed is a hit-or-miss thing with cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s highly beneficial to some in helping
with chemo side effects, but not for others. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any cop will tell
you that a stoner is typically non-violent and easier to deal with than a
drunk, junkie, speed freak or coke head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t know the numbers on driving incidents involving weed, but I have
extensive experience in arresting DWI’s and the number of marijuana related
stops were dwarfed by those of alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The best argument for weed is that the criminal and sociological impact
is far less than other drugs. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t support
the “gateway drug” ideology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not
the substance that leads a person down the path of destruction, it’s the
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was raised to believe that
only losers smoked dope, so I didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Experience
has since shown me that many mainstream successful people use it, but it’s
still common among losers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve heard
people say they stopped because it made them unmotivated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others report a Ritalin-like effect that
helps them focus and endure monotonous tasks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This seems pretty consistent with alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people become lifelong drunks, others
like a couple of drinks to loosen up before going on stage (ok, I can vouch for
this one.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In day-to-day calls for
service, the average complaint about a pothead was that they wouldn’t get off
the couch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drunks are a different story
with far more violence and family impact issues.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t currently
support marijuana use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do take my oath
to uphold the law seriously and ganja is still illegal, but more importantly in
our area, buying the stuff likely supports the brutal Mexican drug trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hopeful that legalization will help
topple the cartels, at least in the weed market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They still have the harder stuff to profit
from but weed remains a big moneymaker along the border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bottom line
is that people smoke weed to feel good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
not a miracle cure but there are some medical benefits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It won’t make someone a heroin addict and it
won’t turn everyone into Tommy Chong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heads are less likely to be violent and don’t seem to be the public risk
that drunks are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve personally seen
booze and prescription drugs cause more damage to families than weed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe this ideology will help turn the
tides into a legalize-and-tax situation.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Pit Bull</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen some
memes out there that tell us that people discriminate unreasonably against the
breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most frequent thing I hear is
that a Pit’s behavior depends upon how it’s raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know several owners of Pits, and there’s a
common thread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While they praise the
animal’s friendly disposition, in other conversation they are leery or even
proud of their potential for aggressiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s a reason for this, and it’s not the fault of the dog or a
responsible owner.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m very lucky to
have attended a seminar led by Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a leader in the psychological effects
of killing in soldiers and police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
teaches police and military leaders how to deal with PTSD and other problems
caused when a normal person is forced to kill another in deadly force
situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his teachings, he points
out that animals are normally resistant to killing their own kind outside of a
few circumstances like infanticide (i.e. a lion killing cubs of another male to
make room for his own).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most animals
will fight and injure each other over mating rights and territory, but even the
most dangerous animals don’t routinely kill each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case of the pit bull, however, animals
are trained to kill their own kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ones
that kill are bred to similar dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
less aggressive dogs are destroyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The breeding is fast and plentiful, unlike
the breeding practices of responsible owners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Over years of the fast-moving dog fighting market, this produced a
sociopath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breed traits are very
difficult to train out, and the traits have triggers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herders herd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pointers point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrievers
retrieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greyhounds chase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terriers dig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fighting dogs kill dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my years on
the streets, Pits were common in crappy neighborhoods and were often
aggressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was never attacked by a
Golden Retriever, Great Dane or any other large breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pits were a different story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially in those crappy neighborhoods,
owners were proud of the breed’s aggressiveness, citing protection for the
owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any breed will show protective
behavior for their owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some will
alert and run, and some will hold at bay, some will attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m married to a former animal control
officer who bears more scars than I do from Pit Bulls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is definitely a tilt in the scales toward
aggressiveness in Pit Bulls, so it’s not discrimination that caused a cautious
eye to be cast on the breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the ASPCA is
very cautious in their attitude toward the breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>U.S. Studies typically show the Pit Bull at
the top of the list in attacks against humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The best any opposition has been able to spin the numbers is to show
that the population per capita of attacking Pits is lower than any other
dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t understand how they know
the numbers of all breeds, but even the more favorable studies show Pits as the
top attacker.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The absolute best
argument for the pit bull is that media popularity is causing more responsible
pet ownership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs with strong pet
traits grow in number while those with sociopathic aggression diminish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This takes longer because pets are loved,
nurtured, live long lives in good care and are bred more slowly than fighters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The support in rehabilitating the breed is hurting
the fighting industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Responsible pet
owners are slowly winning the battle of attrition against years of
intentionally malicious inbreeding.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like plenty of
other problems in society, it’s a problem caused by stupid, greedy, criminal
people who victimized the innocent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
can only be fixed by responsible, civil and caring people.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Guns</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most near and
dear argument to me is that of firearms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The second amendment is very clear, and is the default in most
arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add to it the statistics
showing that big cities with strong gun control have the highest murder
rates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is media
sensationalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like a plane
crash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re safer in an airplane than
a car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve never offered someone a car
ride and had them appear nervous about crashing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I offered an airplane ride, some
completely refused because they were afraid of crashing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>News media will report on a plane crash for
weeks even when more people died in car accidents on the same day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the same for gun violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, there are some of the best
arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now let’s talk about some BS
that hurts our case.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “Assault
rifle” title has been around for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The concept of lighter, multi-purposed fighting rifles started with
Germany in WWII and continues to this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is absolutely no denying that weapons like the AR-15 were designed
for shooting people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I were going to
plan a mass shooting, it would be a semi-auto shorty and a wheelbarrow of magazines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(They’re NOT “clips,” dammit!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re better off countering with the second
amendment along with the fact that it was designed as a multi-purpose weapon
and there are plenty of “sporting” uses for it today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many sports have descended from combat and
warfare and there’s no reason that the evil assault rifles can’t come
along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The overwhelming stats of
responsible ownership versus criminal use are very much ignored by the
anti-firearm community and are among the strongest arguments for keeping government away from black guns. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t warm up to
the concept of open carry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, open
carry is a pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this very day I
prefer to carry concealed when I’m in public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mere presence of a weapon changes the dynamics of everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very popular for an idiot to cross a
plain clothes cop in an everyday conflict only to later complain that they were
intimidated by the holstered gun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
magnet for people I don’t know to talk to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s also the less-frequent occurrence of the personality change of
some people when they strap on a heater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m also very concerned that people will open carry when they are not
able to retain their weapon from a criminal determined to take it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Disarming someone is pretty easy, and there’s
no shortage of prison training on the skill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In some situations open carry may be a deterrent, but I’m not sure how
much more so it is than widespread concealed carry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Opinions may vary, but I’ve found that society grinds along
much more quietly around me when my weapon isn’t visible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s very comforting that I can ventilate an armed criminal if
necessary.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve followed some local stories and had
conversations with other officers in bigger cities about the popularity of open
carry demonstrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a
trend among these groups to be a bit obstinate in arranging the proper permits
and following the restrictions for use of public property for
demonstrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It results in a cop
telling them to disperse or be arrested for violation of a city code.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This turns to spouting of second amendment
violation accusations and the show starts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Liars like Alex Jones fuel the fire and we have a mess on our
hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is far more effective to
demonstrate that gun owners are very much law abiding citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that gun rights demonstrators
should show the public that we gun owners are respectful of the law so much
that we’re willing to fill out the monotonous paperwork and pay the fees to
demonstrate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neckbearded dimwits
marching in the streets and taunting local cops is not going to sway opinions.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> In the recent memes about Eric Holder's bracelet idea, the concept of GPS tracking has been added by detractors. The bracelet isn't a new idea. Decades ago, Smith and Wesson introduced a revolver that required the shooter to wear a special ring before the weapon would fire. Years later there was an electronic fingerprint ID holster that was marketed to police that required the shooter's thumb to be scanned before the holster would release. These were well-meaning ideas but they both had fatal flaws. They were useless if the shooter had to use his non-dominant hand. I don't trust any system of this kind with my life. Sure, I suppose GPS tracking could be added to the bracelet, but it's not worth muddying the waters while trying to make a good argument. These systems are unsafe and there's more than enough government involvement in firearms ownership already.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s my
inflammatory $0.02 on some recent hot-button issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage everyone to Google anything
they’re considering passing along on social media and make sure it’s factual
before passing it on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does it
keep egg off <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the user’s face, it
perpetuates a better argument for the cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, if you’re taking the time to share something, it’s most
likely very close and important to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fight the good fight and fight it wisely!</span></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-26094886937348406782013-12-20T10:50:00.000-06:002013-12-20T11:16:20.433-06:00Alex Jones Lies<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social media has
escalated the tin-foil hat revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Baseless, fact-lacking garbage is multiplied a million-fold with the
click of a mouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When reading the
latest drivel, every person has to wonder what truth lies behind the
sensationalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For once I’ve had a
front row seat to the malicious nature of shock journalism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwV3E5aygYzbzJl8jsmYx6yRfk21dvojpA9lFwrsOWoU-FvqAhRAHEUv3vkpr9icKUm8CIqib3TVq8rBfdG7itBDsQdyi1vb00alJPmfuprqw9zzEfYiwk6Js6kPfPkYbz8ya7pKtkf3A/s1600/200508apc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwV3E5aygYzbzJl8jsmYx6yRfk21dvojpA9lFwrsOWoU-FvqAhRAHEUv3vkpr9icKUm8CIqib3TVq8rBfdG7itBDsQdyi1vb00alJPmfuprqw9zzEfYiwk6Js6kPfPkYbz8ya7pKtkf3A/s320/200508apc.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fifteen years of
my law enforcement career were spent on the Midland County Sheriff’s Office
SWAT Team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My last five years on the
team were spent as commander before I transferred to the District Attorney’s
Office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve worked in or with many
government entities in police and military capacity at state, local and federal
levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My experience is that most
government failure is the result of incompetence, complacency or indifference;
all of which make a successful far-reaching conspiracy almost impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around 1998 our
team received two M113 Armored Personnel Carriers from the military’s 1033
program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current conspiracy theory
is that these vehicles are to be used against civilians in a massive sweep to
move the population into death camps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
never received any orders to take people to death camps, but we did deploy the
vehicles in several high-risk situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My team and its command consisted of very strong, proud patriots so I didn’t
have much concern about their part in a world-domination plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By providing smaller agencies with gear like
the M113, the government has reduced the dependence of local police upon state
or federal tactical assistance; which is the exact opposite of the alleged
conspiracy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further discredit of the
1033 foil hat theory is fodder for another blog post.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2007 our M113,
nicknamed “Bubba,” was used to capture Pedro Armendariz in Hobbs, New
Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were called to assist the New
Mexico State Police because Pedro was firing on officers with an SKS rifle from
inside his home and we had the closest armored vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
drove the vehicle during the incident and managed to run over Pedro’s junk car
while maneuvering the 12 ton APC into a position to deploy gas into the
house while Pedro bounced rounds off the APC's hull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still haven’t heard the end of
the ribbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conspiracy
spin begins with a smartass in the office next to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Said smartass had access to a sign
printer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s important to note that the
road signs you pass every day on the street are blank when purchased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since there are a few basic shapes and
colors, it’s cheaper to purchase them blank and print adhesive vinyl lettering
and pictures as needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our jokester
decided it would be funny to stick a small adhesive car near the driver’s hatch
to commemorate the fate of Pedro’s car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He didn’t stop there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
wanted to mark successful arrests made during the vehicle’s deployments that
year:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pedro Armendariz and Larry
White.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry killed three Odessa Police
Officers earlier that same year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
database of sign graphics, the best match for an arrested person was the stick
figure used for pedestrian crossings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
“Bubba” was adorned with a small adhesive car and two stick figures.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In April of 2008
my team was called to assist the Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office and the
Texas Rangers in the search of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints
compound near El Dorado, Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
told that the cultists promised a fight to keep us out of their temple despite
a lawful search warrant, but fortunately they didn’t deliver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The older men ran away and left behind crying,
terrified, unarmed young teen boys to defend their gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all fortunate that the incident
wasn’t a bloodbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About eighteen men
were convicted of sex crimes after the incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the media blast, photos of our armored
vehicle made it all the way to the national media scene, including The Oprah
Winfrey Show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when my phone
started ringing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, it was one
of my superiors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was getting calls
about the “kill marks” on our vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
told him the story about how the marks came to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wasn’t thrilled, and I was definitely
having “good idea at the time” thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told him the stickers would come off, and if he’d forward the calls to
me I’d glady tell the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
forwarded a few calls, and most identified themselves as media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One tried to pass himself off as a college
student but I didn’t believe him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told
him that I wasn’t going to lie, so I would appreciate the same courtesy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The calls tapered
away, but I got called to the carpet one last time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our department had received a Freedom of
Information Act request for maintenance records of our armored vehicle, and the
request was specific to the incidents involving the people we killed with
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained that there were no
records because all we had done was change the oil, a job that was performed by
the team members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had no records to
show that we’d killed anyone because there were no kills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s classic Roswellian fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Demand something that doesn’t exist then cry
“conspiracy” when it isn’t produced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What followed was an article on Alex Jones’
Infowars written by Paul Joseph Watson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The full article is linked below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, the title of the article is “Militarized Police Celebrate Killing
Americans.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The article states that Gary
Roberts, “former US Army tank driver” said that the marks mean we had killed
two people with what the article called an “APC SWAT tank.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watson goes on to claim that the only threat
in the “polygamist retreat” was women and children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the lies are shown here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.infowars.com/militarized-police-celebrate-killing-americans/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.infowars.com/militarized-police-celebrate-killing-americans/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First and
foremost, MCSO’s vehicle isn’t a tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tanks are larger and have fixed guns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An armored personnel carrier holds people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only armament on board is the small arms
carried by officers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My experience with the
FLDS has proven it to be nothing more than a cult centered on the sexual abuse
of young children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, Watson chose
to downplay the reality of the compound being a pedophile cult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dedicated the article to his disgust of
how my team celebrated the murder of two innocent people; a story he fabricated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Spidey senses tell me that Watson was one
of the people I spoke to on the phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
the truth wasn’t sensational, he found it best to quote someone with absolutely
no useful knowledge of the matter at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Never let the truth interfere with a good story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ignore most
anti-police stories, but this one insulted a team I’m very proud of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The men in that vehicle volunteered for that
duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the sheriff who commands
them, they are patriotic people who swore an oath to defend the
constitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is my hope that this
story will sow seeds of doubt in the satirical media garbage that is carelessly
spread these days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watson’s article is
pure hatred and self-serving commercialism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Alex Jones and those like him are a hindrance to defending ourselves
against real constitutional threats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span>Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-25729465363402773642013-08-18T12:53:00.000-05:002016-03-18T11:27:25.455-05:00The Goddard Rocket<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6-OH7f4dhcff-_pBZseioKy2lEX1z_7ROgwKiwfa8uHIDRRWRVWmpiB91WBbnW3xeI231DsDnioCT2SNLoz2eFBvzkjNe8v1nN9gostlH5XBxpQGElkW7P_OJKZqse5u6vqFDuJNHJw/s1600/Goddard+Rocket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6-OH7f4dhcff-_pBZseioKy2lEX1z_7ROgwKiwfa8uHIDRRWRVWmpiB91WBbnW3xeI231DsDnioCT2SNLoz2eFBvzkjNe8v1nN9gostlH5XBxpQGElkW7P_OJKZqse5u6vqFDuJNHJw/s200/Goddard+Rocket.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Circa 1983 I sat
in Mr. Garcia’s math class at Goddard Junior High in Midland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t much of a student until well into
adulthood, so many hours of that class were spent staring out the window at the
Goddard Rocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on the south side
of the building in those days,
painted white with an air force emblem on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The second floor classroom put me close enough to the rocket to see <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rivets, hinged control surfaces and access
panels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was definitely real and definitely guided. As a young rocketeer I learned that forward fins only worked on guided missiles. I almost burned a vacant lot to the ground with a model rocket while familiarizing myself with stability. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years later, I’m
still a rocket builder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cold War era
machines fascinate me more than ever, and the Goddard rocket was moved to the
southwest corner of the football field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was nicely painted with school colors and affixed to the same display
mount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> While I was researching info for a scale model rocket project, I ran across </span>Andreas Parsch. He's the owner and operator of
DesignationSystems.net, a website dedicated to collecting information on
rockets, drones and missiles that I used for research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went
through his site and couldn’t find a match for the Goddard rocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sent him an email photo and he quickly
returned an answer along with a link to a page on his site I’d overlooked.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpijBcRVoiP_CZqh2aX2fHNY3EvX3814fBLhp4ojNlmCp0-n3DFqJfWM9MArMfOyK7rhatch7oyWTajbqwuyK0Flh0n0e3ar16Eej7o5O-QF6r3WaD-AWIYWDWdeV6yMQUm6o22iFPQ0Y/s1600/raslnh3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpijBcRVoiP_CZqh2aX2fHNY3EvX3814fBLhp4ojNlmCp0-n3DFqJfWM9MArMfOyK7rhatch7oyWTajbqwuyK0Flh0n0e3ar16Eej7o5O-QF6r3WaD-AWIYWDWdeV6yMQUm6o22iFPQ0Y/s200/raslnh3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Goddard rocket
is GAM-63 RASCAL ( <u>G</u>uided <u>A</u>ir-launched <u>M</u>issile, <u>RA</u>dar
<u>SCA</u>nning <u>L</u>ink).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an
early 1950’s nuclear capable weapons system designed to be launched from the B-36,
B-47 and B-52.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “captive carry”
launch system meant that it had to be attached to the underside of the bomber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bottom fin folded so that the weapon
could be slid under the mother ship on a dolly, so our local example must have
lost this part somewhere in her travels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The RASCAL didn’t
work out so well for the Strategic Air Command.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was expensive, burned toxic fuels and the performance was
problematic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With one successful test
flight out of 65, she makes a better giant garden gnome than a tactical
weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around 136 were produced and
were either tested, destroyed or pressed into junior high mascot service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MISD probably paid nothing for their rocket,
but I’m sure a study of the development costs would compare to a gold life-size
bust of Dr. Goddard himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to
know more about how she made it to the football field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always loved
static military displays as a kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
miss the Odessa American Legion’s tracked artillery piece and Hawk missile and
Corpus Christi’s guns under the harbor bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I suppose old military gear is no longer a fashion statement, but it
still impresses me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately there’s
an old practice bomb case from Midland Army Airfield that serves as a bird
condo in my back yard.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p> I will update this blog with any new info that comes to me about the rocket's history. If you have any info, please comment or e-mail!</o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Here are some links to more info on the GAM-63.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first is cool 50’s military film:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_V5ZwRzn8M"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_V5ZwRzn8M</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/gam-63.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";">http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/gam-63.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAM-63_RASCAL">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAM-63_RASCAL</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Update: Here's the rocket from a 2003 Google Earth photo showing the original color and location:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGVuHnkP6QVCiqO2plXgz2lKxo5yT99uDO_5TgSgbNf6R3qVo1AWLlJDMlbK2x06JedMB-_1xLk2GY488i9Ww2hoUT1xOefF-lSm8tvpaf38wYpvRwDldUU0w4NHZOnybSPiPO08WdU4/s1600/goddard+rocket+2003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGVuHnkP6QVCiqO2plXgz2lKxo5yT99uDO_5TgSgbNf6R3qVo1AWLlJDMlbK2x06JedMB-_1xLk2GY488i9Ww2hoUT1xOefF-lSm8tvpaf38wYpvRwDldUU0w4NHZOnybSPiPO08WdU4/s320/goddard+rocket+2003.png" width="295" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Update: 1979 yearbook photo:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QaQNKT58AArqvWrCy_CdoUta6NvB7JzQmlah5g58y74GiVzktSTrGOsSIGUthIcQr6UOApA5soQld42WmFkptE_jTYERbpZrMOPaTH4VZe4-OoXDJflIQLFQZSKUU4Ww-YnLaIz7zpI/s1600/Goddard+Rocket+Yearbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QaQNKT58AArqvWrCy_CdoUta6NvB7JzQmlah5g58y74GiVzktSTrGOsSIGUthIcQr6UOApA5soQld42WmFkptE_jTYERbpZrMOPaTH4VZe4-OoXDJflIQLFQZSKUU4Ww-YnLaIz7zpI/s1600/Goddard+Rocket+Yearbook.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy Susan N. Freeman</td></tr>
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Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-80666897579854869922013-06-13T18:05:00.002-05:002013-06-13T18:29:25.863-05:00Modes<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This post is a project for a Humanities class to show examples of modes of reflection and expression. I mirrored it to my regular blog so the links would work correctly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The YouTube link below will take you to a 2008 performance of Cool #9 by Joe Satriani in Paris. He is accompanied by bass guitarist Stu Hamm, Jeff Campitelli on drums and Galen Henson (a Lubbock native) on rhythm guitar. These are some of my musical heroes and I've had the honor of meeting them. This piece was released on Joe's self-titled album in 1995. In this album, he explored a different style of recording based on multiple live tracks, and he called in some top notch talent to back him. The album has a fusion feel with Joe's rock roots. I've been a fan since his first album over 20 years ago and have enjoyed hearing his music evolve. Joe writes so much music that he often names pieces by the "feel" of the song and the sequential number, hence the title "Cool #9." A few others have made it to press with their original names: Dreaming #11, Ice 9, etc. Stu is my bass idol and it's worth the searching to hear a few of his solos. The recording begins with a vamp groove and the song starts at 1:25. The guitar lick at 2:48 will send a chill up your spine (still puts a lump in my throat) and there's a nice little break at 3:30. Joe will be making his first appearance in Midland on September 29. My son and I already have front row tickets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEqr4BzOy2c"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEqr4BzOy2c</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8K1uM7Rcs2lLD5Z80AbMNmyFGMyDAf8_GQtYPBly2tWMfuWWM5kMx9HBkkO0VWQ-N5u1VVb0Oa0zDUzHc5OZX9ty8lBTxh9xHlbr65GAK_dPxW3OTsMIxxTGNfU0hY1Dh-8UxBJ3rlG8/s1600/dkhh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8K1uM7Rcs2lLD5Z80AbMNmyFGMyDAf8_GQtYPBly2tWMfuWWM5kMx9HBkkO0VWQ-N5u1VVb0Oa0zDUzHc5OZX9ty8lBTxh9xHlbr65GAK_dPxW3OTsMIxxTGNfU0hY1Dh-8UxBJ3rlG8/s400/dkhh.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blackboard.midland.edu/@@/770CAE71C38FFF434EF62BCDB83905CF/courses/1/HUMA1301_WB4_2035123T/blog/_3621_1/post/_22097_1/dk%20hh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I'd also like to share with you a piece by Dick Kramer. Dick is well known in the police and military for his representational art depicting specific military branches, police roles and individual units in pen or pencil drawings. He has an interesting bio: <a href="http://www.dickkramer.com/About-Us_ep_7.html">http://www.dickkramer.com/About-Us_ep_7.html</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a SWAT conference several years ago. He's a very nice fellow and I bought a large print of the following piece that now hangs in my office with his autograph. He gave me the best advice for buying art: "Buy what you like, then wait for me to assume room temperature and hope the value goes up." This piece is called "Homeland Heroes." It depicts a SWAT team covering their grenadier who's deploying a "flashbang) distraction device. Photo is from Dick Kramer Studios, <a href="http://www.dickkramer.com/">www.dickkramer.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Studying stoicism and epicureanism in this class has often reminded me of Tomas Paine's "The Age of Reason." This pamphlet conveyed a belief in Deism, which similarly dismisses much religious thought in favor of reason and natural law. The following is a portion of this writing that is often referred to as his "creed:"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> But, lest it should be supposed that I believe in many other things in addition to these, I shall, in the progress of this work, declare the things I do not believe, and my reasons for not believing them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But it is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime. He takes up the trade of a priest for the sake of gain, and in order to qualify himself for that trade, he begins with a perjury. Can we conceive any thing more destructive to morality than this?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> -Thomas Paine, "The Age of Reason" (1794)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Last is a Haka, or Maouri dance and chant called "Ka Mate" and came to be sometime around 1820. It is performed before each game by New Zealand All Blacks, the famous rugby team. The video at the end is the All Blacks performing the haka before a game. It exemplifies a Maori belief in the triumph of life and good over death and evil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's the All Blacks' version: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?tdMCAV6Yd0Y"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?tdMCAV6Yd0Y</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong> </strong> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ka Mate Haka</span></span></div>
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<table style="width: 80%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td width="50%"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ka mate ! Ka mate !</span></td><td width="50%"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I die ! I die !</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ka ora ! Ka ora !</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I live ! I live !</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ka mate ! Ka mate !</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I die ! I die !</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ka ora ! Ka ora !</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I live ! I live !</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tenei te tangata puhuru huru</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the hairy person</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nana nei i tiki mai</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who fetched the Sun</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whakawhiti te ra</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And caused it to shine again</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A upa ... ne ! ka upa ... ne !</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One upward step ! Another upward step !</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A upane kaupane whiti te ra !</span></td><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An upward step, another.. the Sun shines !!!</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi !!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Translation from Maori.org)</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-50665936031722885792013-03-11T21:23:00.000-05:002013-03-11T21:23:18.830-05:00Six Mile Trails
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tQJa_1ZpxrgD6_fK_jEYa6adB8KeU9jnc22czlP3vSkNs2JBPn-7BF154c8Yow96f53LLU11p_XaNg7GlOmjSwvnsH53Bk18QNln1bh4yteqAcUnkYR7kgkpdrxNNeOnvG3H5hYifzM/s1600/Six+Mile+Trails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tQJa_1ZpxrgD6_fK_jEYa6adB8KeU9jnc22czlP3vSkNs2JBPn-7BF154c8Yow96f53LLU11p_XaNg7GlOmjSwvnsH53Bk18QNln1bh4yteqAcUnkYR7kgkpdrxNNeOnvG3H5hYifzM/s320/Six+Mile+Trails.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Sometime around 1980 I got my first motorcycle, a 1976
Kawasaki KX 125. It isn’t possible to explain the elation that went
through my 10 year old brain as this was still the <em>On Any Sunday</em> era. We lived out in the county and I learned to
ride on some private property with a few trails and lease roads near our
house. Once I learned the ropes and kept the bike vertical most of the time,
I was graduated to the Six Mile Trails in Midland.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The trails are bordered by Interstate 20 and Business Loop
20 (old Highway 80) between Loop 250 and South County Road 1250 in Midland
County. At the time I started riding there, 1250 was still dirt. I
remember the impressive sight of a mile of pickups parked on the service road lined up
bumper-to-bumper with motorcycles buzzing everywhere. It was an
intimidating place for young riders, but the old salts were quick to show me
the ropes. The riders established the direction and other courtesy rules of travel on the course,
and I soon learned to get out of the faster riders’ way. The trail system
had four major lobes that adjoined a central circular track around an old windmill tank
near a “buffalo wallow.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Sunday was the big day for the trails, with dozens if not a hundred
spending the day at the track. My family
would pack lunch and drinks along with enough pit gear to keep me going through
the day. My mom usually watched in horror as I tore up the dirt with the
much older and more experienced riders. Trail riding is different than
motocross, and this is where I discovered the zen-like state that a long
motorcycle ride delivers. Even a kid experiences stress, and I was happy
to leave my worries on the track. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> As I entered high school we moved closer to the Six Mile
Trails. I was now able to hit the trails in the evening and summer days
when almost no one else was there. My cousin and I discovered that we
could reach the trails with a short trip down a county road to the dirt. The trails would take us all the way to the National Truck Stop where
we could refuel and score snacks and drinks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> During my first semester at Midland College, my Kawasaki KLR
250 was my only mode of transport, rain or shine. While the KLR is a perfect
dual-sport machine, I learned quickly that the wear-and-tear of trail riding
makes it tough to get to school in the morning. More than once
the odd mesquite-flattened tire caused me to be late for class. I once lost a license
plate after crushing it between the tire and fender on a jump. Still, the
trails were a great escape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I didn’t own a motorcycle again until 2003. I still
made trips to Six Mile Trails, but this time it was on a mountain bike. I
worked evenings and would make morning trips to get a workout. This is
when I noticed the end of the trails coming. Four-wheel ATV’s were
becoming the norm, and they changed the shape of the trails. There were
now two “ruts” instead of a concave cross section, and it altered the feel and speed on two wheels.
The biggest change was that the trails were very popular and people began
centering around the lake bed instead of alongside the road. For some
reason, riders started cutting numerous new trails near the lake bed to the
point that it was tough to discern the original trails. Accidents were
becoming more prevalent, and it was common to see four helmetless kids piled onto a four
wheeler while drunk parents looked on. Much of the land was owned by the
City of Midland, and one day the “no trespassing” signs popped up and the sheriff’s
office began enforcing the closing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The Regional Planning Commission built a police driving
track on the north side of the trails sometime around 2000 and the trails
evolved around the driving track. Agri-Empressa
purchased a large chunk on the east side that fenced off the southeast loop. I drove by the site in January of 2013 and saw that most
of the property is being developed and the remaining trails are disappearing into vegetation.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> It is also the site of the best snipe hunt ever conducted. Sometime around 2004 when I was a patrolman for the Midland County Sheriff's Office, I rolled up on a suspicious vehicle inside the circular lake bed track one winter night. It was a group of teens, and one of them came running up to me. She explained that it was a snipe hunt for an out-of-state relative who desperately deserved practical joke revenge. It was a slow night, so I told the girl to act scared as the other kids walked up to see what was going on. I put the word out over the radio and was soon joined by a couple more deputies and the high sheriff himself. I began reading the Endangered Species Act (well, I made it up) and explained that the snipe was endangered and snipe hunters could be subjected to a hefty fine. All was going according to plan until one of the co-conspirators broke out laughing. The victim conceded that revenge was duly served, and we all posed for a photograph with the kids. The mark was featured with his snipe stick and bag in hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I’m saddened to see Six Mile Trails fade away, but it’s the price of a strong economy. Not only is it where I found a love for motorcycling, it is where I flew model rockets with my son, hunted rabbits with my cousins, and had tailgate parties with high school friends. I miss the dirt bike days, but my Councours 14 and miles of open road does the trick these days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
The photo is dated 1996. The major trails are visible, but the newer trails can be seen.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I’m sure there are others with memories or historical info
about the trails. Please comment and share your story!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaX49cEcPiYiA3wl2PE5EY0ixcP0GS4Q9mZYkyqWxoum-if4jujIFdGkTmiR_BfiqznQMR1mGACaPW61PuaYmuvz04jeDdUzON8ORthp4fnnIK-hpQd9dTIZga3OaMxNBOy-3SSDHJEk/s1600/Six+Mile+Trails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaX49cEcPiYiA3wl2PE5EY0ixcP0GS4Q9mZYkyqWxoum-if4jujIFdGkTmiR_BfiqznQMR1mGACaPW61PuaYmuvz04jeDdUzON8ORthp4fnnIK-hpQd9dTIZga3OaMxNBOy-3SSDHJEk/s1600/Six+Mile+Trails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaX49cEcPiYiA3wl2PE5EY0ixcP0GS4Q9mZYkyqWxoum-if4jujIFdGkTmiR_BfiqznQMR1mGACaPW61PuaYmuvz04jeDdUzON8ORthp4fnnIK-hpQd9dTIZga3OaMxNBOy-3SSDHJEk/s1600/Six+Mile+Trails.jpg" /></a></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1108192588722838665.post-51525352357261738502012-12-21T20:21:00.000-06:002012-12-21T20:21:26.841-06:00The Vegan Experiment
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently met with a friend I hadn’t seen in several months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dropped 45 pounds and looked and felt
great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me that the movie “Forks
Over Knives” had introduced him to a vegan diet that led him to a healthy
meatless existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched the movie
and read over the Engine 2 diet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
guys link the consumption of meat to just about every health problem known to
man, much like the “Wheat Belly” folks demonize wheat products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They approached it from a nutrition standpoint with no mention of animal rights or anything on that avenue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>After discussing his diet, I told him I
believed the weight loss came from reducing “white” carbohydrates and junk food,
not the elimination of meat. I decided it
was time to prove a point.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSupDxmlIPbz_YIbOBfQTCFU8XBnNUN8yWjaSL2_rL8B6OCJqTYObmaV1Ya_XPFfCVVzH0Gr5Ws_Htk3syPCYPybJZzY4dTll-udZUAX8jQ16WBTlVnXODbdoIsVDkyQmkavOnn9ET_BI/s1600/imagesCAAX7J0U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSupDxmlIPbz_YIbOBfQTCFU8XBnNUN8yWjaSL2_rL8B6OCJqTYObmaV1Ya_XPFfCVVzH0Gr5Ws_Htk3syPCYPybJZzY4dTll-udZUAX8jQ16WBTlVnXODbdoIsVDkyQmkavOnn9ET_BI/s1600/imagesCAAX7J0U.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I read up on Engine 2’s 28 Day Challenge, in which the diet’s
creator, Rip Esselstyn, promotes a plant-based diet that fueled him through his
career as a professional triathlete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go
ahead, read the last two words again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Got it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, PRO
triathlete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t done any endurance
racing in a while, so I decided to brush up on distance running during the 28
day experiment since I’m between fencing tournaments for a while.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Boring diets are no stranger to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the price you pay to lose weight, and I
used to tip the scales at 250 plus pounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of the 28 day period, I was up five pounds and couldn’t wait
to get back to an omnivore lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d
like to share my observations with you:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
pretty sure even God hates kale.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have no problem with tofu as its creators
intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an abomination to
attempt to pass it off as anything else.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was easier to stay hydrated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
actually had dreams about eating meat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I added three additional workouts (weights and treadmill) per week in addition to my regular
fencing regimen and still gained weight.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I watched caloric intake to make sure I was eating enough- failure to do so can cause weight gain.</span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A wheat-based breakfast left me fighting for
consciousness by 10:00am.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A little fiber in your diet will make you
regular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An all-fiber diet will make you
unstoppable.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The veggie version of any meat product should be
against federal law.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I slept better and never had any heartburn or
indigestion.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I now know why I don’t like most vegans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not their fault they don’t socialize
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They spend most of their lives
eating horrible food while staying hungry the whole time, they can’t eat any
food commonly found at restaurants or parties, they’re broke from buying food
from niche stores, they have a constant ringing headache and can’t be more than
five minutes away from a bathroom.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I ended the diet by taking down a 12 pack of tacos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did gain some skill in making vegetables
more interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still a believer
that meats in moderation are important and vegetables are more than just a side
dish. I’ve added more whole foods to the mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most importantly, I proved to myself that
wheat is my personal dietary greatest evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I can say I gave Engine 2 a solid try and it failed for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m firmly convinced that we are products of
our individual evolutions and there’s no one perfect diet for anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matt Vannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05130297021523893632noreply@blogger.com0