A subtle glimpse into the action lifestyle

Over the past few weeks I have been getting ready for the "busy season" and have been taking care of some summer projects, since most of fall and winter is spent doing what's really important - paintball, camping, hunting, etc.

Here's a list of a few things I have been working on of late:

- Filmed 1/2 of an action-based short film: Yep, that's right. The Orion Raiders are heading to a small screen near you. We are putting together a short to be the first in a series of shorts detailing an erstwhile notebook computer and it's journey through the lives of different folks. That's all we're saying for now . . .

- Made a rope of braided nylon cord: So what, you say. I'll tell you what - 50 foot nylon cord, times 3 (braided), times 7 strands of interior cord - that makes 1,050 feet of cordage. Now that is an amazing amount of cordage in a small package that now rests comfortably on the side of my woods pack.

- Went through Wilderness First Aid training: The whole reason I got my EMT-B certification 6 years ago was to become a professional hunting/backpacking guide. Then there was the lure of corporate america and 40 pieces of silver . . . I took the class and am joining up the local search and rescue team. Finally getting back on the path.

- Got my money's worth at Texas Tactical range: I finally wised up and joined a range. Now when I bring a carpet bag full of cap and ball revolvers and a musket or two, there is no additional charges. I just get to show up and play. Awesome.

Also look for the latest action/events/paintball calendar to be coming out soon. That's right kids, it's almost time to dust off the markers and hit the glorious field of battle.

The Best Product In the World Just Got Better

Friend of the outdoorsman, medic, and home hobbyist alike, duct tape (or duck tape, depending on your politics) is now available in a carabiner-based version that allows you to clip the wonder product directly to your action pack or utility belt.

Ok, so maybe it's been out a while, but it's new to me. I was out late on Sunday night at (gasp!) Wal-Mart (where else is a fella to get his caulking on at 11pm on a Sunday? - don't ask) when I spied this latest example of Intelligent Design sitting so inconspicuously on the tape and/or adhesive aisle.

Wow - now that is a product who's time has come. If only it came in OD green . . . ah, one can hope.

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Throughout recorded time, and probably since the end of the Neolithic Age, there have been three kinds of people in the world, the High, the Middle, and the Low. They have been subdivided in many ways, they have borne countless different names, and their relative numbers, as well as their attitude toward one another, have varied from age to age; but the essential structure of society has never altered. Even after enormous upheavals and seemingly irrevocable changes, the same pattern has always reasserted itself, just as a gyroscope will always return to equilibrium, however far it is pushed to one way or the other.

The aims of these three groups are entirely irreconcilable. The aim of the High is to remain where they are. The aim of the Middle is to change places with the High. The aim of the Low, when the have an aim - for it is an abiding characteristic of the Low that they are too much crushed by drudgery to be mor ethan intermittently conscious of anything outside their daily lives - is to abolish all distinctions and create a society in which all men shall be equal. Thus throughout history a struggle which is the same in its main outlines occurs over and over again. For long periods the High seem to be securely in power, but sooner or later there always comes a moment when they lose either their belief in themselves, or their capacity to govern efficiently, or both. They are then overthrown by the Middle, who enlist the Low on their side by pretending to them that they are fighting for liberty and justice. As soon as the they have reached their objective, the Middle thrust the Low back into their old position of servitude, and themselves become the new High. Presently a new Middle group splits off from one of the other groups, or from both of them, and the struggle begins over again. Of the three groups, only the Low are never even temporarily successful in achieving their aims. It would be an exaggeration to say that throughout history there had been no progress of a material kind. Even today, in a period of decline, the average human being is physically better off than he was a few centuries ago. But no advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimeter nearer. From the point of view of the Low, no historic change has ever meant much more than a change in the name of their masters.

George Orwell, 1984

A new type of martial art?

Just when you thought our "brotherhood of man" couldn't get any crappier:

Boy Beaten, Artificial Leg Used As Weapon
Teens Accused Of Attacking One Boy, Hitting Friend With Prosthetic

(CBS) BURBANK, Ill. A 15-year-old southwest suburban boy and his friends are wondering what could have made a group of teens beat him, then take his prosthetic leg and use it as a weapon on a friend who came to his rescue.

Choate and some friends were outside near 79th Street and Nagle Avenue when a group of teens drove past and almost hit him on Monday morning just after midnight.

Choate said he and his friends believed the teens were drunk, and they called the teens on their behavior. The teens exited the car, and when they did so, Choate asked to be left alone because he only had one leg.But one of the teens shoved Choate to the ground and removed his leg.

Police said when a 20-year-old friend tried to help Choate, one of the attackers used the leg as a weapon to hit him in the head.The teens then smashed the artificial leg on the ground and drove off, police said.

From - http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/
local_story_194092903.html

Good times. Good times.

Let's just hope that God doesn't see what we've become and decide to go all Soddom and Gomorrah on our arses . . .

North Korea Launches a Bunch of Dongs

News sources today reported that North Korea has launched 7 different missiles in the past 24 hours, apparently as a show of force to other nations who might seek to prevent them from reaching nuclear status.

The launched missiles included:

Taepodong-2: 9,300-mile-range - it can reach parts of the United States

Nodong: 620-mile-range

Mystery dong: a Scud-type missile with a range of 300 to 500 miles

Intelligence agencies have concerns about the Taepodong, since it's range makes it a threat to the US, but the Nodong seems to lacking the power and thrust of the larger dong.

US-based intelligence groups and think-tanks have expressed concerned about the dongs in the past weeks leading up to the launches. Unseen, but still feared is the Schlongdong, which has a range of 4-6 inches when agitated, but doesn't feature the bizarre pinkish color of the Doggeedong.

North Korean officials refuted the apparent problems with the Taepodong (it failed after 42 seconds of flight) saying, "It isn't the size of the dong, but the motion of the ocean."

For more details on these and other dongs:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060705-015519-6396r.htm