JAB

Moped, here are a couple of sources I have found for some of the blades.  I don't see one specifically called the 'hunter' model (which could simply mean that neither of these places sells that one) but the one they call the 'camp knife' and the one they call, simply, the 'sheath knife' both look like they might work.   The problem is that - as with ordering anything from the Internet - shipping costs are 1/4 to 1/2 what the blades cost.  The good thing is that shipping doesn't increase until after the first, few blades so I will likely wait until I am ready to order three or four.  Personally, having seen it in person, I really liked the Ripper.  I went back and forth between it and the Dadley but the Dadley won out because I think the larger blade would be better for 'general purpose' use.  I also like the look of the camp and sheath knives.   http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/index.php?cPath=119_299_381&osCsid=c582b80d0836f3d0b677347b622977bc   The shipping from these folks is a little more but I will probably order my first ones from them.  I don't have much experience with building knives and they offer full kits - blade, pre-cut scale blanks and pins - for just a few dollars more than the blade, alone.  The kits are on just about the second half of page 2 and on page 3.   http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/453/1   That site also offers some pretty nice looking, complete knives at good prices (no idea what the actual quality would be like, though.)   http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/461/1   That 8 inch Hudson Bay Dagger looks like something I expect Spots would like.

If the hunter is the one I am thinking of, I don't think so. He had the Dadleys along with one called the Ripper. He also had a really small, kind of blunt point model that he sold as a patch knife although I think it is also labeled as a paring knife in some places. The final model he had was one of the Skinners with an extremely curved blade. The skinner blade was fairly thick at the spine - which I liked - but seemed like it would be a bit awkward for general purpose use because of the curved blade.

  Yeah, he did.  He had some that were 'brighter' like the one in the pic but I liked this one because of the dark/sort of 'patina-ed' look.  I'm guess it is a forced patina or something similar but didn't think to ask if he did it or if it was done at the factory.   These blades sharpen up pretty easily, too.  When I got it, it just had the factory edge.  A few minutes on the rough side of my stone, a few more on the smooth side, a couple of passes through each side of a ceramic hand sharpener and then a quick buff out on a piece of leather - probably only about ten or fifteen minutes total - and it is literally shaving sharp.  I just hope it can hold the edge.

  The thing is, these parents didn't really name their child anything that is inherently offensive or obviously intended to offend.  The parents liked the name 'Messiah' and they went with it.  Big deal - I would argue that such a name is really only potentially offensive to people of certain religious beliefs and that the Judge was basing her claim that the name was offensive and order that it be changed on those religious beliefs - which is and should be a no go.   Names like 'Wasted Sperm Jones' or the...um..rather colorful name that you posited at the end of your post could be argued as 'intentionally offensive' without bringing religion into the mix.  In fact, unlike 'Messiah', I could see an argument being made that those names amount to mental abuse. More importantly, such names would likely indicate that there are other factors at play (abuse, neglect) which could justify terminating parental rights, anyhow.

  What you are saying makes sense.  The advantage a computer might have over a theremin, though, is that the computer should have the ability to 'learn' (i.e. record and store) the movements of at least it's main user and possibly multiple users under different user profiles.  I am thinking of it being sort of like how some of the old talk-to-text programs for PCs worked (I mean the really old ones from back in the '90s) where the program had to learn your specific voice/accent/inflections before the program would work correctly (or as close to correctly as those sometimes clunky things ever worked.)   If the technology were built in to allow computers to accomplish such storage and recall of specific and even minute movements by the user (almost an electronic version of 'learning by experience') then I could see the interface on a particular computer starting out clunky, frustrating and imprecise but becoming smoother, easier and more precise with use.  If the tech were designed so that the file in which specific user movement information was stored could be backed up to something like a thumb drive, on 'The Cloud' or whatever then the user wouldn't have to start over from scratch whenever they use a new/different computer.   Can you imagine the implications of such technology as it becomes more refined?  I am envisioning a person who is paralyzed from the neck down being able to 'walk', etc. using some kind of robotic exoskeleton that would be controlled using only small facial movements that could be read by sensors focused on their face and then interpreted by an on-board computer no bigger than a smart phone.

  Well, it's kind of odd - the 'teeth' are only on one side and the top of the spine.  One of the web sources I found where the blades can be ordered just described it as 'decorative' but the guy who sold me the knife said that it was intended to be used like a small bone saw - and I could see that it might work for small bones (or, more likely, for sinew and connective tissue.)  It isn't exactly like the jimping I usually see - although I have held it with my thumb in that position and believe that those notches would work well for that purpose as they are not sharp enough along the top of the spine to be uncomfortable - nor are the grooves 'serrations' in the normal sense, either.  Maybe the seller was mistaken and it is just some historic form of jimping?  I'll try and get a closer pic this evening, if you would like.  It is a little clearer in the pic at this link (one of the places I am considering ordering some of their blades from):   http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/453/1/BLADE-RGR-05

I can just see the television commercials, now:   HE'S THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD...   "I don't always drink beer.  Sometimes I just eat a huge bowl of Cream o' Wheat and stumble back to my room to pass out.   Stay thirsty, my friends."

Well, I did a search for full text, peer-reviewed articles on auto-brewery syndrome in Proquest Central.  The first 'hit' in the list appears to be the International Journal of Clinical Medicine article about this case.  The electronic entry states that reproduction of the article in part or in whole is permitted as long as it is properly cited so here is the abstract (see the citation, below. for full publication and article info.)       Cordell, B., & McCarthy, J. (2013). A case study of gut fermentation syndrome (auto-brewery) with saccharomyces cerevisiae as the causative organism. International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 4(7), 309-312. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1416807276?accountid=41894

  I think this statement pretty much requires that you post some of them.  I have a few, as well:   Beer Belly Beer   Ol' Rotgut Organic Ale   Intestinal IPA   Colonbrau (this might be my favorite - if only my keyboard had the symbol for an umlaut)       You know, he could always eat apples along with the carbs and call it ...   Upchuck Cider (as long as Woodchuck doesn't sue him.)

  Well, archaeologists believe that the first 'beer' humans ever brewed was made by people chewing the grains, etc. then spitting them into a container and adding water.  The yeast for the fermentation process probably came from their mouths.  Nice, huh?   I think there may actually be some native peoples in certain regions who still practice this method of brewing.  Makes ya thirsty just thinking about it, doesn't it?  :cheers:

  Probably good advice - although TN is not a 'must inform' state.  The one time I have been involved in a routine traffic stop (was a passenger) since obtaining my HCP, I kept my carry gun in my pocket and kept my mouth shut.  Nothing came up about it and we went on our way (driver got a warning for a just-expired tag.)  Personally, in that case I saw no reason to bring it up and I still believe that was the correct course of action.   What I was talking about above, though, was a different situation.  I was involved in a wreck where a guy ran a red light.  I was able to pull my vehicle onto the shoulder.  By the time LEO responded to the call that there had been an accident, I had already placed my firearm in the glove compartment of my vehicle (which, although damaged, was still drivable) and had exited my vehicle.  I already had my license, insurance info, etc. ready so there was no need for me to get back into my truck until the officer released me to leave the scene.  As the firearm was in my truck and I wasn't and as it was in the glove compartment, out of sight, I again saw no reason to even bring it up.  My license is in a little bi-fold insert that is carried in my wallet and my HCP is in the other side of the bi-fold so I can access both easily if I need to so I am sure the officer saw the HCP as I handed the entire bi-fold to him.  He didn't even comment on the HCP or ask if I was armed so I didn't say anything about it, either.   The other time - when the officers were helping me load the unfortunate deer into my truck and I did decide to inform - standing in a field beside the highway at night with three or four armed officers I figured it was better to say something than have a potential misunderstanding.  Like I said, they didn't even seem to give it a second thought.

Much as with firearms, I don't generally buy 'high dollar' knives. Not that I don't like them, necessarily, but just that I don't want to spend so much $$$ on something that I will be afraid to use it, etc. Instead, I try to find knives that I like and can use but that aren't very expensive. To that end, I picked up the following two this month: Russell Green River Works "Dadley" knife: Got this one at the "Island Home Festival" in Vonore, TN. There were events at both the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and at the old Fort Loudon. The guy from whom I bought this knife had his table set up in the fort. From what I can find out, the Russell/Green River brand is one of the oldest knife brands in the country and this appears to be one of the 'historic' knife models that they made early on. According to the guy I bought it from, this type of knife was popular among the settlers/pioneers in the Rocky Mountains. The guy who sold it to me orders blades from the modern day Russell Green River Works and then makes the grips and sheaths, himself. The sheath has good stitch work but it is more geared toward 're-enactors', I think. I bought the knife because I liked the blade style and thought it felt like decent steel. I will probably end up making a more 'standard' type sheath for it. I was worried that maybe I paid too much but after seeing the price of these same blades from sources I found on the 'Net and considering the time and other materials he put into making the handle and sheath, $40 doesn't seem unreasonable. Having now 'introduced' it to my whet stone and having managed to get pretty much a razor sharp edge on it, I think I will like it. I do kind of wish it had a guard to keep my fingers away from the blade (so I'm clumsy sometimes - I don't deny it) I still think it will be a useful knife. If it holds up and keeps an edge as well as I expect, I might have to order a couple of Russell Green River Works blades and make handles, etc. for them myself. The second one doesn't need much introduction. It is a Mora Companion. Haven't had a chance to really 'use' it, yet, but think it will prove to be a great knife for the money. It was right at $20 with shipping - not bad, at all.

  It sounds to me like that lady was an idiot - or maybe extremely new to firearms carry and nervous, especially after having just been involved in a wreck?  When I was involved in a wreck last year (not my fault - guy ran a redlight), I put my firearm in the glove compartment before the responding officer arrived just in the interest of keeping things as uncomplicated as possible.  As I was outside my vehicle the whole time he was interviewing me for his report, I didn't say anything about my firearm.  No reason to even bring it up, as far as I could see.   I probably wasn't very clear in my last statement.  When I said that I believe the problem to be systemic and run along departmental lines, what I meant was that I believe that some departments/agencies have systemic problems that permeate the department from the top down and can't be explained away by the idea that there might be 'one or two bad seeds'.  Instead, in such cases, I believe that the department as a whole (well, the majority, anyhow) is a 'bad seed'.  That certainly does not mean that all LEAs or departments are systemically flawed nor that the entire system of law enforcement in the country is flawed (although I do wholeheartedly believe that the continued militarization of police forces is, at least to some extent, a nation-wide, systemic problem.)   I am also not talking solely about carry related interactions although that is part of it.  I was trying to avoid mentioning specific departments as examples but hey, what the heck:   In the small town that is closest to where I live, any and all interactions I have ever had with LEO (Loudon City or County) have been roughly 99.999% 'positive'.  In fact, I can think of only one interaction that was not and that involved an officer who was known to be...well...a jerk (and that was twenty years ago.)  Otherwise, I generally actually enjoy running into the local fellahs in a store, gas station, etc. and will sometimes stop just to chat (I went to high school with some of them but don't know some of the others from the man in the moon.)  For the most part, they are friendly and relaxed while still presenting a professional demeanor.   For that matter, last year I was at a local auction that a local officer was also attending (off duty.)  He got a call during the auction and asked the auctioneer to announce that someone had hit a deer out near the Co-Op.  It was still alive but was going to have to be put down and the officers on scene wondered if anyone wanted it.  I raised my hand and Bobby (the officer) told me they'd be waiting for me to get there.  Well, I arrived as quickly as I could and one of the officers on scene put the poor thing out of its misery.  When I told them (just to be on the safe side) that I am a permit holder and that I was armed, I might as well have said, "Hey, guys, I'm wearing tennis shoes," for the reaction that it got - didn't bother them in the least.  Once the animal was out of its misery, one of the officers even helped me load it into the back of my truck.  Seeing me wiping the blood from my hands on the grass, another officer said, "Come over to my patrol car - I keep some paper towels in there just for things like this," and he proceeded to give me some paper towels to wipe my hands.  Great bunch of guys.  Something tells me that you and the other LEO in your department are probably a lot like those guys.   Then there is the opposite side of the coin - the Knox County Sheriff's Office.  Now, I haven't lived in Knox County since J.J. Jones replaced Hutchison as Sheriff so things may well have changed.  That said, while I knew some of the 'Schools Division' officers (and some of the 'Special Deputies" before that) and really liked them (in fact, one of my best friends used to be a 'Special Deputy' who worked night security at the zoo), I cannot remember ever having one, single positive interaction with a regular deputy of that department.  Not one.   I was stopped once for having a tail light out (which wasn't, btw) and proceeded to be grilled with questions like, "What are you doing in this neighborhood?"  Well, I lived there.  Yeah, it was the 'hood but I still didn't appreciate being stopped and interrogated in a confrontation manner.  Some minorities talk about being stopped for 'driving while black', well,  basically I was stopped for 'driving while white' (it wasn't just what he asked that bothered me but his demeanor, tone of voice, etc.)   Another time some friends and I were going in to a local pizzeria to eat and we noticed three KCSO patrol cars in the lot.  One of them had left his headlights on and one of the ladies with me said, "We should let them know when we get inside."  My response was, "They have extra strong batteries so they don't have to worry about it.  Besides, those are Knox County Sheriff's cars - I wouldn't expect a friendly interacton."  Thinking I was just being anti-LEO or something, after we were seated and ordered drinks, she approached the table where the three deputies were sitting, waited for them to look at her and said, "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt your meal.  I just wanted to let you know that one of you left your headlights on.  I'd hate for you to go out to a dead battery."  Their response was - all three of them - to look at her for a couple of seconds with a look I can only describe as disgust, as if she were something they had scraped off of their boot - and then go back to their conversation, totally dismissing her, without saying a word to her.  Not an, "Okay," not a "Thanks for telling us," nothing.  After they left, she said to me, "Boy, you weren't kidding - they really are a bunch of jerks."  To which I replied, "Yep.  I told you."   See, when I first started living in Knox County, I tried treating members of the KCSO who I would pass on the street, in a store, etc. the same way I treat the LEO where I am from.  I'd smile and ask, "How are you doing," or something similar only to receive - and I mean every, single time - that same look of disgust and disdain at my apparently not knowing my proper place and daring to speak to them.  So, then, that was NOT a problem of a few, bad seeds.  As I said, I have not lived in Knox County since Jones became Sheriff and it is quite possible that the departmental 'culture' has changed under his leadership.  Also, I have obviously not met or interacted with every, single deputy in the county so there may well be plenty of them who are nice, courteous and professional - I just never met any of them.   Maybe it was just because Loudon is a small town while Knoxville is a city?  I don't think so.  A couple of years ago we went on a cruise that departed from New York City.  There were several New Yorkers on the cruise with us so I can say with some confidence that the average person living there seems to be pretty rude.  That said, every LEO (realizing that NY has a bunch of different types of LEO from transit to port authority and so on) with whom I had any inteaction was friendly, professional and courteous (and taking a cruise out of New York in a post 9/11 world, trust me - I saw plenty of LEO.)  Not only that but in Queens (where the hotel we stayed in was located) I even stopped and asked one officer if he could tell me where a restaurant to which we were walking was located.  He was, again, very courteous and pointed out the direction we needed to go.  Now, I honestly have no desire to go back to New York City but I do have to say that the LEO I saw there seemed to be a bunch of decent folks.   Then there was the time I happened to cross paths with the then Sheriff of Vonore, TN as I was going in to my favorite LGS and he was coming out.  He spied the .357 on my hip and said, "Hey, you going in to the range to do some shooting?"  When I said that I was, he responded, "That's great!  I love to see people practice and keep their skills up."  Talk about a carry friendly LEO!   On the other hand, there have been incidences in Knoxville recently such as the Knoxville Police Officers who kicked the crap out of a suspect after he was already cuffed and proned out on the ground - while other cops just stood by and watched - and then some of their supervisors attempted to help cover the incident up.  If things like that aren't systemic then I don't know what is.

  Actually, unless I missed something in the interveneing six pages (and that is entirely possible) what MacGyver posted was:   "If it's not happening here in Tennessee, then I'm not sure it needs to be posted here."   "I'm not sure it needs to be posted here," is not a directive, "...clearly given that such stories taking places in other states are not to be on TGO any longer..."  It is simply a statement that the mod is not sure that they need to be posted, here.  It is my understanding that the intent of this thread is to discuss these issues, hence my post regarding why I believe posts regarding such incidents are relevant (at least as long as some members travel outside the state.)

  I would argue that such an incident taking place in another state absolutely has relevance to firearms ownership and carry in Tennessee.  I say that for two, specific reasons:   1.  Just because we are residents of TN and our carry permits may be TN issued permits that does not mean we never travel outside of TN.  Being that our TN carry permits are recognized as 'legal' in other states (such as Ohio, for instance) and that some of us may well chose to legally carry in those states then I would say that it is pertinent (although maybe only somewhat), to us, if there is an incident in one of those states which could indicate how we might be treated if we carry there or, as a result of legally carrying, end up having contact with local police.  Much more pertinent, however, would be if that incident were followed by still more incidents from the same state - which could be indicative of a trend and just might serve as a 'word to the wise' to avoid the state or specific area of the state in question.   Further, I would argue that it is important that people who are likely as a whole a bit more 'aware' than some, other citizens discuss such incidents on a national level.  We need to be aware, in this era of increased militarization of our police force, if these incidents really are simply acts of one or two 'bad seeds' or if the problem is more systemic.  I have to say that, in my experience - as someone who has never been 'in trouble with the law' (unless a speeding ticket here or there counts), there does seem to be at least something of a 'systemic' element that often seems to run along deparmental lines.   2.  Our Second Amendment rights do not exist in a vacuum but are, instead, part of an overall system  Further, the Second Amendment, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution that guarantees them do not end at the TN state line.  Therefore, a violation of a person's Constitutional rights in any state is, to my mind, a pertinent topic of discussion for all Americans who are interested in preserving Constitutional rights whether those Americans live in the state where the violation occurred or not.  Such topics are especially important to those of us who hold those rights in high regard and depend upon observance of those rights, especially by authorities who are both entrusted and employed by the public to help protect the innocent and pursue the guilty - with particular attemtion to the Second Amendment, perhaps, but with an interest in liberty, as a whole - to preserve freedom in our nation.

The article I read quoted the head honcho of Starbucks as saying, "We won't ask you to leave," even if they see you carrying a gun in their stores.  Therefore, they are not really 'prohibiting' anything.  They just want the folks who think it is right and proper to be 'in your face' about an issue 24/7 to simply shut the hell up, throw a cover garment on and drink their damn coffee.  People often say, regarding the firearms community, that we are our own worst enemies and I think this is a perfect example of why that is true.  Starbucks - a business with a quite 'liberal' feel, based in an area that is at least somewhat liberal (Seattle) and that caters largely to a liberal customer base was bending over backward to leave the issue (and us) alone and that wasn't good enough for some 'activists' who just had to try to bend them a little bit further.  It is those 'activists' who should be receiving our ire, not a business that STILL doesn't want to get in the middle of the issue and say that we can't carry in their establishments.   As full disclosure, I do have to admit that I have only ever bought a Starbucks product (other than their bottled iced coffee that is available at convenience stores, etc.) on one occasion - and that was at one of their 'kiosk' type locations inside a Target.     Oh, some of us would.  In fact, if you ever do that then please for the love of God let someone post a video on youtube because I haven't had a good, side-splitting, can't catch my breath laugh in years and I think I am just about due for one.

  Yeah, not to mention that other Happy Days spinoff "Joanie Loves Chachi" that lasted all of two (abbreviated) seasons before it was cancelled. :)   Then there was the classic spinoff of one of the most successful television shows of all time, the "MASH" spinoff, "AfterMASH".  That one didn't even last two seasons, despite the popularity of the original show (and how badly many hated to see it end.)  Don't forget that, like The Walking Dead, MASH held some ratings records of its own.   There was a successful MASH spinoff, of course - Trapper John, MD but I am not sure that was a MASH series spinoff so much as a MASH feature film spinoff.   Of course, many of the 9,200,756,251 spinoffs of Law And Order that have come into being in the last, few years have been 'successful' but not even all of them have made it.   Don't get me wrong, I hope the spinoff is great and only broadens the appeal.  My fear, though, is that the zombie 'craze' has gone so main-stream (for example, there is a cellphone commercial featuring a zombie asking if he would qualify for an 'unlimited for life' plan despite not, technically, being alive) that the fad will burn itself out, soon - as in before this spinoff begins - as far as the general public is concerned.  I would just hate to see a spinoff water down interest in the original so much that neither of them 'make it'.

  Hey, I like nuoc mam - or at least the version I have had.  Never been to 'Nam but had a friend in college whose mother was from there.  She made home-made nuoc mam to go with her home-made Vietnamese style eggrolls (man, that woman could cook.)   Great.  Now I have a craving for homemade Vietnamese style eggrolls with home-made nuoc mam - and I haven't seen my college buddy (or his mom) since he moved to New York back in the late '90s (there are one or two Vietnamese restaurants around here that are pretty good but the only one that was nearly as good as hers is closed.)   Funny, that dude and I were sitting at a bar one night eating something and we asked the bartender if he had any hot sauce.  He brought out the Texas Pete or something like it but then said, "I bet you guys have never heard of this stuff," and brought out a bottle of (commercial) nuoc mam.  We just kind of chuckled and Joe (my buddy) said, "Yeah, I think maybe I have heard of that, somewhere."

  That was just about the my first thought after reading the recipe.   Hmmm...I wonder if it is too late to get good peaches this year.  Probably so - I guess I will have to wait until next year.

  That is simply insane.  I haven't been reloading for long, haven't reloaded a lot and have only reloaded for .38 Special so far.  That said, even with my lack of experience in finding the best deals on components, etc. the rounds I have reloaded so far have come out to be about $8 per box of 50 (using once-fired brass I had been saving over the years.)  That is about sixteen cents a round - right at half the price of the cheapest .22LR listed in your post.

  That is my understanding.  Kirkman was quoted as saying something like he is excited to have the chance to work on a new show that is entirely unfettered by the comics.

  Man, that sounds good.

  I am thinking that, if that does turn out to be the case, it will be Zimmerman who will be assuming the ambient temperature as a result of his next altercation.   

I am really not sure that this is a good idea.  As much as I enjoy watching the show - and as much as I can see that there is a lot of material left unexplored in an entire world that has gone down the tubes, I am concerned that two shows will water down the concept and weaken the original.  I have suggested, in other threads, that it might work to take portions of seasons to explore individual characters on the show and how they ended up where they are, now but a whole, new show with entirely different characters?  I just don't know.   http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=827541&ocid=ansent11

  I am glad I am not the only one who doesn't believe that simply having a badge gives any person the right to lay hands on another person whether to push them back or whatever.  Hell, I used to have one of those 'tin' star 'deputy' badges that kids got at Silver Dollar City (back before it became Dollywood) and it didn't make me anything special, either.  I saw nothing to indicate that the first brother was moving toward the young cop.  In that situation, at least the way I am seeing the video, I think the first brother was 'in the right' to slap the cop's hand away.