Welcome to Detroit

And y'all wonder why I freak about about Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and their agenda...

Need Your Prayers

I haven't really posted about this before, but if you've been following my blog for the last year or so, you'll remember that my grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, has been living with us for the last year. Her condition deteriorated pretty rapidly over the three months I was in Europe, so it was something of a shock when I got home.

Anyway, to make a long story short, she developed a pretty bad cough over the last few days. Yesterday, she started running a fever and had incontinent diarrhea. so today my parents took her to the hospital this morning. They spent a couple of hours running tests, and it looks like she has pneumonia. They're keeping her overnight, but I get the feeling that she might be there for a while longer still. Either way, it's going to be a rough Christmas for us.

Please keep me and my family in your prayers.

I Like Guns...

...but you already knew that.



...I am so jealous of that guy...

My Backyard

Yep, that's a good four inches of snow on our back deck. And we're supposed to get upwards of 14 inches total by the time it's all said and done on Sunday night. That's more snow in two days than we've gotten, total, in the last five years!!! The talking heads on TV are already calling this the worst snowstorm in 13 years; remembering the Great Blizzard of 1996, I'm inclined to agree with them. Even better, it typically doesn't start snowing until January or February around here; I can't remember the last time we've seen so much as a flurry in December.

Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, President Obama has pledged 30 Billion Dollars over the next three years and at least 100 Billion Dollars by 2020... to combat Global Warming.

UPDATE, 2:10 PM: As of approx. five minutes ago, the latest forecast from The Weather Channel is calling for between 13 to 20 inches.

Al Gore... Paging Mister Al Gore... Please come to Philadelphia as soon as possible... The people there would like to have a little chat with you about your Global Warming...

Review: Public Enemies

Well, I finally got around to watching Public Enemies, the film about John Dillinger that starred Johnny Depp as Dillinger and Christian Bale as FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. I had high hopes for this film, primarily because Michael Mann directed the film. Mann, in my opinion, is one of if not the best director in the last twenty years.

Sadly, I came away from the film feeling disappointed.

It was not the acting that bothered me. Far from it, both Depp and Bale delivered the stunning performances that you would expect from actors of their caliber. Bale absolutely shines as the dedicated yet way out of his league agent that is Purvis, whilst Depp captures the essence, if not necessarily the soul, of the legendary gangster. My only complaint here is that I don't think Bale's character was given quite enough time on screen.

Mann has recently become controversial for his cinematography techniques in the last few years, primarily because he seems to use a Steadicam less and less often in his films, which leads to a picture that can be quite jerky rough at times. While this doesn't bother me quite as much as it does other people, I do think the technique was overused in this film; previously, Mann had limited it to the action scenes and shootouts that he is famous for, giving them a realistic feeling of chaos and confusion. Here, however, it seems as if most of the film was shot without Steadicam, for no real reason that I can discern.

This leads me to another thing I found lacking in the film; Mann's famous shootouts. Michael Mann is famous for his realistic, heart-stopping action sequences, his two most famous being the infamous bank shootout in Heat and Tom Cruise's gunning down of the two muggers in Collateral. With the exception of the Little Bohemia shootout, this film was virtually devoid of the action that is Mann's trademark.

What bothered me most about the film was the character's. Traditionally, the character's in Michael Mann's films have had an incredible amount of depth to them, with back-stories so detailed and personalities so dynamic that they seem to be real people. Sadly, both Dillinger and Purvis lack this realistic depth. While they are not two-dimensional characters by any stretch, compared to Mann's other works, they feel flat, almost to the point of being uninteresting.

Public Enemies, I would have to say, is overall a good movie. Unfortunately, it is not a great movie, and it nowhere near the usual quality of Michael Mann's films. If you haven't already seen it, I would say maybe give it a watch if you like gangster films or are a fan of either Johnny Depp or Christian Bale, but avoid it if you're a Michael Mann fan, otherwise you will come away, as I did, sorely disappointed with both the film and Mr. Mann.

For the FTC

Just realized that I've made some plugs for a few people and/or organizations here on Raptor's Nest, which could potentially be viewed as violations of the FTC's new rules regarding endorsements.

Just to be clear, I am in no way affiliated with Larry Correia, Crusader Weaponry, Trinity Airsoft, or any other person/company I may have mentioned in the past. Yes, I own a copy of Correia's novel Monster Hunter International, but I paid for it out of my own pocket from Barnes & Noble (not affiliated with them either; paid full price for it). Likewise, I paid full price, out of my own pocket, for the airsoft gun I bought from Trinity Airsoft. That was over a year ago, I doubt they remember I exist anymore. And no, I don't own anything from Crusader (yet), but when I do buy a Partisan or their new Broadsword, rest assured that I will pay for it, full price, out of my own pocket.

This ends my long-winded, overblown disclaimer. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

I Wasn't Gone That Long!

• I found Cherry Dr. Pepper on the shelf in a restaurant today.
• Allen Iverson is playing for the 76ers. Again.
• Brett Farve is a Viking.
• Global Warming has (finally) been exposed as a bunch of bulls***.
• Obama is actually in favor of a troop surge in Afghanistan.
• My brother wears jeans on a daily basis.
  

Geez. Leave the country for three months and everything gets all screwed up!

For The Love Of...!!!!!

Normally, I love Gmail. Say what you will about Google and their politics, but out of all the web-based email providers I have experience with, Gmail is, IMHO, the best.

However, there is one thing about them that drives me crazy.

One of the benefits of Gmail is that it allows you to link to other email accounts and send/receive mail from those accounts. I have such an arrangement set up with an old Verizon E-Mail account that I never use anymore. Thing is, I still get loads of spam sent to that address, and every few six months or so, either Verizon or GMail empties its spam filter into my GMail inbox.

Guess what happened today.

I've spent pretty much all day cleaning out both my GMail inbox and Spam Filter. I swear, I've deleted over 200 spam messages in the last four hours, and they're still coming in!!! [CENSORED]!!!!! As I just typed that last paragraph,another one just popped up in my Inbox! Man, this is such a PITA.

Well, whatever. I guess all I can do is deal with it. Just needed to vent, I guess (God this is annoying.)

Well, Peace (or at least there will be when the flow of Spam stops)

-Raptor

Bohemian Muppets

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Not that this video has anything to do with Thanksgiving, but whatever...



Thanks to nerdjedi for sending me this. You rock, bro.

Sorry I've Been Scarce

I know that my postings have been few and far between over the last two and a half months. I'm really sorry about that. Schoolwork, homework, planning for travel weekends, going on travel weekends, posting about said weekends over on Raptor's Roamings, and the like have left me pretty drained, both physically and creatively. What few creative juices I can generate have been almost exclusively devoted to the two story threads I'm writing over at We The Armed.

Fortunately (I guess), my Study Abroad program ends in about another three weeks, and I'll be back in the States the first week of December. So as soon as I get over my jet-lag, I should be back up and posting regularly (well, about as regularly as I posted before) once again.

The Warrior Song

I’ve got the reach and the teeth of a killin’ machine,
with a need to bleed you when the light goes green
best believe, I’m in a zone to be, from my Yin to my Yang to my Yang Tze

Put a grin on my chin when you come to me,
‘cuz I’ll win, I’m a one-of-a-kind and I’ll bring death

to the place you’re about to be: another river of blood runnin’ under my feet

Forged in a fire lit long ago, stand next to me, you’ll never stand alone
I’m last to leave, but the first to go, Lord, make me dead before you make me old

I feed on the fear of the devil inside of the enemy faces in my sights:
Aim with the hand, shoot with the mind, kill with a heart like arctic ice

I am a soldier and I’m marching on
I am a soldier and I’m marching on

I am a warrior and this is my song
I am a warrior and this is my song

I bask in the glow of the rising war, lay waste to the ground of an enemy shore
wade through the blood spilled on the floor, and if another one stands I’ll kill some more

bullet in the breach and a fire in me, like a cigarette thrown, to gasoline
if death don’t bring you fear, I swear, you’ll fear these marchin’ feet

Come to the nightmare, come to me, deep down in the dark where the devil be
in the maw with the jaws and the razor teeth, where the brimstone burns and the angel weeps

call to the gods if I cross your path and my silhouette hangs like a body bag
hope is a moment now long past, the shadow of death is the one I cast.

I am a soldier and I’m marching on
I am a warrior and this is my song
my eyes are steel and my gaze is long
I am a warrior and this is my song

now I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief,
and the least of me is still out of your reach

the killing machine’s gonna do the deed,
until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves

chin in the air with a head held high,
I’ll stand in the path of the enemy line

feel no fear,
know my pride:
for God and Country I’ll end your life


I am a soldier and I’m marching on
I am a warrior and this is my song
my eyes are steel and my gaze is long

I am a warrior and this is my song

Just found this today. You can buy the song on iTunes, all proceeds from sales go to the Armed Forces Relief Trust. It's a worthy cause.

Makazie One

Star Wars Fan Films have, in recent years, become a dime a dozen. Unfortunately, about 99% of them are now pretty much crap. However, every once in a while, one pops up that is an truly excellent production. Like this one, which I stumbled across earlier this evening: Makazie One

Makazie One - Star Wars Fan Film from Clutch on Vimeo.

Set in the Star Wars universe during the time period between Episodes III and IV, an elite soldier has been sent to track down and destroy a known threat to the Empire through intense ground battles and haunting imagery of death that surrounds the environment. The unsuspecting enemy to the new Imperial order has no idea what he is up against when the two finally meet for an action packed surprise ending. (Description from Vimeo)

Jaded now as I am against Star Wars Fan Films, I have to say that I enjoyed Makazie One. Give it a watch, see what you think.

I Have Seen My Future

Today, I went to a street carnival in downtown Salzburg. Predictably, I spent far too much time and money at the shooting range booths (most of which were surprisingly honest, considering they were Carnies). One of the booths had both handguns and long guns set up, so I tried my hand at pistol shooting.

The pistol I picked was a Hammerli P26, which is a CO2-powered replica of the SIG Sauer P228. All I can say is "wow" Seven out of ten shots into a hole just under and to the left of the bulls-eye. The pistol fit my hand like a glove.

I'm buying one, a real one, as soon as I can once I get back to the US.



13+1 rounds of 9mm (15+1 if I buy some Mec-Gar magazines, which are actually cheaper than the factory mags), which is plenty of firepower for most situations, and the pistol is compact enough to carry on my person should I decide to go the distance and get a CCW Permit. Plus, they can be had used (but in very good shape) for less than $600, and SIGs are famous for their near-absolute reliability.

I have seen my future... and it is full of awesome.

My New Favorite Song

Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down

Line in the Sand

NEW YORK – A government that is constitutionally required to offer each citizen a "useful" job in the farms or industries of the nation.

A country whose leadership intercedes to ensure every farmer can sell his product for a good return.

A nation that has the power to act against "unfair competition" and monopolies in business.

This is not a description of Cuba, communist China or the old USSR. It's the vision of the future of the U.S, as mandated by a radical new "bill of rights" drawn up and pushed by President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein. Until now, Sunstein's proposal has received little scrutiny.

In 2004, Sunstein penned a book, "The Second Bill of Rights: FDR'S Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever," in which he advanced the radical notion that welfare rights, including some controversial inceptions, be granted by the state. His inspiration for a new bill of rights came from President Roosevelt's 1944 proposal of a different, new set of bill of rights.

WND has learned that in April 2005, Sunstein opened up a conference at Yale Law School entitled "The Constitution in 2020," which sought to change the nature and interpretation of the Constitution by that year.

Sunstein has been a main participant in the movement, which openly seeks to create a "progressive" consensus as to what the U.S. Constitution should provide for by the year 2020. It also suggests strategy for how liberal lawyers and judges might bring such a constitutional regime into being.

Just before his appearance at the conference, Sunstein wrote a blog entry in which he explained he "will be urging that it is important to resist, on democratic grounds, the idea that the document should be interpreted to reflect the view of the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party."

In his book, Sunstein laid out what he wants to become the new bill of rights, which he calls the Second Bill of Rights:

Among his mandates are:

• The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

• The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

• The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

• The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

• The right of every family to a decent home;

• The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

• The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

• The right to a good education.

On one page in his book, Sunstein claims he is "not seriously arguing" his bill of rights be "encompassed by anything in the Constitution," but on the next page he states that "if the nation becomes committed to certain rights, they may migrate into the Constitution itself."

Later in the book, Sunstein argues that "at a minimum, the second bill should be seen as part and parcel of America's constitutive commitments."

--http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109529

Dear God. It is not enough that Obama and his minions blatantly ignore the Constition. They now want to fundamentally alter it. The very document that dictates how our government must be run and guarantees us our liberty would instead give the Government absolute control over all Citizens.

Don't believe me? Think I'm crazy? Read the article again.

"The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation." So the government will give us jobs that we may or may not be qualified for, and possibly force us to keep that job even if we don't like it. Oh, and no one will have incentive to work anyway, because we would have "The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation." You'd get paid for your job even if you didn't show up to work ever. And you wouldn't have to worry about earning a living anyway "The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living." So the government would set the prices on anything and everything you produce, even if it costs you more to manufacture than the Government says you can sell it for.

I could go on, but I think (hope) that you get the idea. Basically, this new so-called "Bill of Rights" will allow the Government to control virtually every aspect of your life, including where you live, where you work, how much you are allowed to earn, what sort of medical care (if any) you are allowed to receive, etc. That is not a Republic. That is not Democracy. In fact, I daresay that it transcends even Socialism and Communism. This is absolute Totalitarianism.

And I will not stand for it.

This, ladies and gentlmen, is my absolute line in the sand. Should this "change" to the Constitution occur, I will not stand idly by and watch. I will not allow my freedom to be completely stripped away. I will not become a Subject of our Government rather than a Citizen of our Nation.

No.

I say again.

No.

This is my line in the sand. I stand before it, waiting for the Government to cross. And I know that I am not alone. I know that there are others out there, true Americans all, who are standing there with me.

We will not be disenfranchised. We will not have our rights stripped away. We will not become Subjects to a Tyrannical Government. And we will not back down. We will do everything, everything, in our power to protect the Liberty that our forefathers shed their blood to secure for us and our children. And we will not be silenced.

Where Were You When You Heard?

I was in the 8th Grade. 9:30 AM. I had to go into the nurse's office to have my snack for my hypoglycemia. Right as I walked in the door, our principal came over the PA system and said that a small plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I figured, oh, it was probably just a moron in a Cessna or something, or maybe it's foggy over NYC. I remembered having read something about a B-17 that crashed into the Empire State Building in the 40's.

Then the nurse, who was on the phone with her daughter, screamed "THEY BOMBED THE PENTAGON?!?" Right then, I knew that whatever happened in NYC was much, much worse than a simple plane crash, and that it wasn't an accident. I quickly wolfed down the rest of my snack and ran across the hall into class. Just in time to see recorded footage of United 175 go into the South Tower. We watched for maybe another ten minutes before my teacher had to force himself to turn the TV off so we could have some semblance of a lesson. He couldn't keep it off for long, and turned it back on at about 9:55. I watched the South Tower go down on live television. My teacher couldn't bring himself to teach any more after that; all any of us could do was watch. I saw the North Tower go down a half hour later.

The rest of the day is a blur. I remember speculating with my friends about what might be hit next. I remember coming home and watching the news with my family for hours, watching the planes going into the towers and the towers going down over and over again until I felt sick.

I will never forget that day.
I will never forget all those who died in the fires.
And I will never forgive those monsters who were responsible.

Thank Goodness That's Over

My computer was acting screwy all afternoon. Running really slow, running really hot, refusing to reboot from sleep mode, crazy stuff like that.

Fortunately, I figured out what was making it do that (I think): I installed Skype on my system this afternoon.

Okay, before Skype comes after me for libel and defemation, let me explain what exactly happened. When I downloaded Skype, I also downloaded a Skype app for Firefox. Said app is apparently very big and memory intensive, so when I had Firefox running (which is pretty much all the time when my computer is turned on), it was sucking up about half of my laptop's (which is a POS, by the way) CPU power. I've disabled the app, and that seems to have fixed pretty much all of my problems. Not sure about the refusing to reboot from sleep mode, though, as that problem seems to pop up on it's own every few months....

Anyway, if you download Skype (which I absolutely love, by the way, and I'm not just saying that to appease Skype for the rest of the post) and you have Firefox, I would recommend immediately disabling/uninstalling the Skype app. Especially if you have a laptop.


And, on another note, I've just begun writing a treatment for a new story idea. Zombie Apocalypse told through a journal of one of the survivors. Leaning heavily towards turning it into a graphic novel. (Any artists out there?)


And on yet another note: I LEAVE FOR AUSTRIA IN THREE DAYS! W00T!!!

Raptor's Roamings

I've been planning on blogging about my adventures studying in Europe for some time, but only just now got around to setting up a dedicated blog for the task. It's called Raptor's Roamings, and you can check it out here.

Enjoy!

Seven days and counting until I leave! Actually, more like six now! Can't wait!

Congratulations Larry Correia!

I can't seem to stop raving about Larry Correia's novel, Monster Hunter International. It's just that good!

If you haven't gotten your hands on a copy yet, then stop reading the blog, shut down your computer, go out to your local bookstore, and buy a copy. Do it right now.

Okay, you did what I said and bought a copy? Good.

Now, before I get sidetracked by making threats to the people who didn't do what I say (I'll find you guys, btw ;-) ), I want to give a hearty congratulations to Larry: MHI has done so well sales-wise - it's currently sold out at Amazon (where it's rated 64th in the Horror genre) - that Baen Books, the publisher, has apparently decided to pick up even more of Larry's books, including MHI's sequel: Monster Hunter Vendetta as well as several other non-MHI books.

Congrats, Larry. Here's wishing you a long and successful career as a writer.

T-Minus 8 Days And Counting

Sorry that posting has been so light as of late. I'll be leaving for Alderson-Broaddus College in eight days for orientation, and flying out to Austria two days after that. But before that, I've still got a few things that need to be squared away, so I haven't really had time to update.

Anyway, I'll be posting pictures of my travels across Europe up once I get over there. Not sure at this point if I'm going to create a dedicated blog for the pics or just post them on this blog, but I'll let y'all know either way.

T-Minus 8 days and counting, people! Can't wait!