Problem with this kind of stuff is that it makes great newspaper headlines, but how much of it really comes to pass? You hear all kinds of stories about lawsuits being filed, but you seldom, if ever, hear about anyone actually getting paid.
Just for grins, here is one anecdote that puts a slightly different spin on the situation.
Lawyer I know takes a minor automobile accident case to court. The case is fairly straight forward, the only question is how big the award for damages should be. He figures the case is worth maybe five grand. The JURY returns an award of $26,000.
There are unscrupulous people in all professions. Lawyers get picked on, I think, because their actions in court are a matter of public record.
Stop reading the newspaper, you'll feel better.
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Musketeers
What isn't mentioned is bullet velocity. It is very high. Geneva convention outlawed mushroom bullets (because to the huge wounds they caused?). Mushroom bullets, otherwise known as hollowpoints, expand on impact, tending to cause the bullet to remain in the body and causing massive damage, instead of just going straight on through. Hollowpoints are called that because the tip of the bullet has been cut off and a small hole is drilled in the tip.
Hunter's use hollow point bullets. Warriors use ball ammo (ball just means it isn't hollow point, the bullets are still bullet shaped, not ball shaped).
I don't know what we they were thinking when the developed the 223. It uses a very small (basically the same caliber as a 22), light bullet fired at extremely high velocity. Typical high powered rifle bullet leaves the muzzle at 2500 fps. I don't know how much faster the 223 is. Anyway, the combination of very high velocity and very light bullet makes it very susecptable to interference. Hitting a leaf will cause it to start tumbling. Hitting a body will cause the same effect. Which gives you the same result as a hollow point bullet. So we got around the Geneva convention.
Maximum effective range for a 30-06 (WW I & II standard infantry caliber): 1000 yards. Not all guns are accurate at this range, but they still pack a leathal punch at that range. But they are heavier than the M-16 and the bullets are heavier.
Hunter's use hollow point bullets. Warriors use ball ammo (ball just means it isn't hollow point, the bullets are still bullet shaped, not ball shaped).
I don't know what we they were thinking when the developed the 223. It uses a very small (basically the same caliber as a 22), light bullet fired at extremely high velocity. Typical high powered rifle bullet leaves the muzzle at 2500 fps. I don't know how much faster the 223 is. Anyway, the combination of very high velocity and very light bullet makes it very susecptable to interference. Hitting a leaf will cause it to start tumbling. Hitting a body will cause the same effect. Which gives you the same result as a hollow point bullet. So we got around the Geneva convention.
Maximum effective range for a 30-06 (WW I & II standard infantry caliber): 1000 yards. Not all guns are accurate at this range, but they still pack a leathal punch at that range. But they are heavier than the M-16 and the bullets are heavier.
Monday, October 7, 2002
Biggish weekend
Took Johnny to see "Blast" (a Broadway musical) Friday night in downtown Portland. Quite a show. All trumpets and drums and juggling and clowning around. Whenever I used to see drum and bugle corps in parades, I always thought they were a little weak, not enough drumming, not enough horn playing, not loud enough. This show is what a drum & bugle corp should be!
Saturday I spent fixing broken do-dads around the house. The fan in the basement fireplace had quit. Took it apart and cleaned it. All it needed was a little oil in the bearings. Upstairs smoke detector had been beeping, so I changed the battery, but it still beeped, so I unplugged it. Finally got around to checking the power and it was fine. Plugged it back and now it's working fine. Went to home depot and bought a new motion detector for the front door light. Motion detector by itself was $20. But a light fixture that incorporates a motion detector only costs $10. So I bought the light fixture and removed the lights and installed it and now the front door light doesn't stay on all night long anymore.
Sunday afternoon Ross & I drove down to Canby to visit Pat's Acres, a go-kart track. They were having races, charged us $3 admission each. We stayed and watched three races. Started with little kids, like first graders, and worked up to big kids and adults. Ross wants to build a cart. We saw some new ones for sale: $3500 to $5500. All new and shiny blue and gold anodized aluminum. Nothing mickey mouse about these karts. Some of the participants there are really into it, they have big enclosed trailers they tow behind their motor homes. Most people operate on my scale: out of the back of a pickup truck. We'll have to scrounge around on E-bay, see it we can find an old one we can fix up.
Saturday I spent fixing broken do-dads around the house. The fan in the basement fireplace had quit. Took it apart and cleaned it. All it needed was a little oil in the bearings. Upstairs smoke detector had been beeping, so I changed the battery, but it still beeped, so I unplugged it. Finally got around to checking the power and it was fine. Plugged it back and now it's working fine. Went to home depot and bought a new motion detector for the front door light. Motion detector by itself was $20. But a light fixture that incorporates a motion detector only costs $10. So I bought the light fixture and removed the lights and installed it and now the front door light doesn't stay on all night long anymore.
Sunday afternoon Ross & I drove down to Canby to visit Pat's Acres, a go-kart track. They were having races, charged us $3 admission each. We stayed and watched three races. Started with little kids, like first graders, and worked up to big kids and adults. Ross wants to build a cart. We saw some new ones for sale: $3500 to $5500. All new and shiny blue and gold anodized aluminum. Nothing mickey mouse about these karts. Some of the participants there are really into it, they have big enclosed trailers they tow behind their motor homes. Most people operate on my scale: out of the back of a pickup truck. We'll have to scrounge around on E-bay, see it we can find an old one we can fix up.
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