08:26 – Barbara’s dad arrived at the Brian Center nursing home just before lunchtime yesterday. I stopped over to see him as Barbara was helping him get settled in. He’s currently on the second floor, which is the skilled-care (nursing home) floor. We’re hoping that he’ll soon be well enough to move downstairs to the assisted-living floor. The Brian Center is one of the best-rated facilities around here, which is why we chose it for my mom when we had to move her to a nursing home. That was 10 years ago, and the place doesn’t seem to have changed much. A few of the staff from back then are still there.
One of the things I found most impressive about the place is that there’s no odor. Not only no urine odor, but no pervading smell of disinfectants. The place just doesn’t smell at all, which is very difficult to accomplish in a nursing home. There are plenty of staff, and they’re all friendly. Dutch was eating lunch when I arrived, and he said the food was good. And, of course, the place is only a couple miles from our house, so it’s easy to get over there for frequent visits.
While we were there, I asked one of the senior staff members about something that had been bothering me. When my mom was at Brian Center, she had an extraordinary nurse, whose name I couldn’t remember. It was LaToya. LaToya was a delightful young woman, and my mother loved her. She was 23 years old, and a single mother of a toddler. One day, she wasn’t at work. Nor the next, nor the next. We asked about her, and were stunned to learn that she was in the hospital and not expected to live. Shortly after, we learned that she had died of a rare genetic condition. My mother was inconsolable, not just because LaToya had been her favorite nurse, but because LaToya was only 23 years old and left a young toddler motherless. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten her name. She deserves to be remembered.
Colin was due for his annual checkup, so around 4:15 we headed off to the vet, making a stop at Dutch’s apartment on the way to pick up some stuff for him. The traffic was hideous, as always, but we managed to make it out to Clemmons in time for the 5:15 vet appointment.
Our vet is Sue Stephens, and we’ve been taking our dogs to see her for about 25 years. She originally had her own practice not far from us, but 15 years ago or more she sold her practice. She’d signed a non-compete that restricted her from practicing near her old practice, and she ended up working part-time at a practice out in Clemmons. Driving out there is a pain in the ass, but Sue is the best vet I’ve ever known, and we considered it worth the hassle to continue seeing her, particularly when we had older dogs with more health problems.
So, we got out there and, as always, the first thing was to get Colin on the scale. The scale wasn’t cooperating very well, refusing to settle at 0.00 even when tared. On the first attempt, Colin weighed 85 pounds (~ 39 kilos). On the second, 81 pounds. On the third, 82 pounds. I stepped on the scale, which said I weighed 203.4 pounds (~ 93 kilos). So, we concluded that Colin likely weighs somewhere around 83 pounds. Sue wants to see Colin down to 68 pounds, which we think is ridiculous. He’s not fat now. At 68 pounds, he’d look anorexic.
I asked Sue if there was any factual basis in terms of morbidity or mortality for the recommended weights vets use for dogs. There apparently isn’t, other than one study Purina did many years ago, in which they apparently didn’t bother even to define their terms. I told Sue this reminded me of the recommended weights physicians use for people. Morbidity/mortality is significantly lower for people who are “overweight” versus those who are “normal weight”, which pretty definitively establishes that so-called “overweight” is in fact the proper weight and what they define is “normal weight” is in fact underweight. And any normal person looking at Colin would not think he was too heavy. We’re not going to make any significant changes to his diet unless and until he actually starts to look chubby.
Nor me, for that matter. On our wedding day, I was 30 years old and weighed 238 pounds. Over the last 30 years, and particularly over the last 5 or 10, my weight has been gradually decreasing. It’s not that I’ve been trying to lose weight; it’s just that I eat less and less as I get older. As I said to Barbara yesterday, I’m now almost down to my tennis-playing weight of 185 to 190, and maybe I should take up the game again. I quickly assured her that I was only kidding. With vertigo affecting my balance and some arthritis in my hands, there’s no way I’d even attempt it.
We’re on schedule to start shipping the LK01 Life Science Kits on Monday. There are 30 of them on the assembly table right now that are nearly complete, missing only a few components. We’ll finish them up this weekend.
Good morning comrades. Welcome to Obummers utopia:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/09/3d-printed-guns-plans-state-department
What a bunch of maroons. Who the hell would want a plastic gun that’s likely to blow up when it’s fired, anyway? There are plans all over the web for zipguns that’ll actually fire a competent round without disintegrating. For that matter, there are plans for the WWII British STEN gun, which was designed to be manufactured without access to machine tools or special materials. Or, for that matter, the FP-45 Liberator pistol.
Someone might want an all-plastic (except for the firing pin) gun for the same reason he’d want a glass knife.
The reason need not be an illicit one, either. Where arms are forbidden, it is well to be armed.
My thoughts on the printed gun from a few days ago.
“…The traffic was hideous, as always…”
One of the main reasons I got outta Dodge fifteen years ago. Life is too short for that crap.
“Driving out there is a pain in the ass…”
Driving pretty much anywhere in Megalopolis is likewise. I can’t even stand going up the road to downtown St. Albans. We need to get back to the hoss and buggy era. With steamships and trains and mills on the rivers. Maybe biplanes and balloons. (yes, I realize this won’t work in Megalopolis, oh well…)
“Where arms are forbidden, it is well to be armed.”
As we have observed in those places where they are forbidden, say, Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China, Rahm’s Chicago…etc.
In other nooz it’s mid-60s here today in Retroville, overcast, zillions of dandelions and lilacs and robins, and OFD just got offered that local gig at the Microslop shop, working for yet another DOD contractor outfit, well-known. Somebody must love old soldiers up here. Now gotta sign my life away again and have new fingerprints done. Only ten days off and now back to the Belly of the Beast….
Like our host, I have a very long commute to work. 8<) I took off two days last week to go to Indianapolis for fun. I forgot how much I hate rush hour traffic. I didn't even go inside the 465 loop that circles Indianapolis.
OFD just got offered that local gig at the Microslop shop, working for yet another DOD contractor outfit, well-known. Somebody must love old soldiers up here. Now gotta sign my life away again and have new fingerprints done. Only ten days off and now back to the Belly of the Beast
Congrats! I wonder if DOD contractors get points for vets? My son maintains that federal civil service jobs have a 130 point rating scale for new hires. He says that he gets 30 points just for being a combat vet. He wants to go work for the US Marshal service in their CSI unit when he gets his chemistry / physics degree at the end of this year. They do have a hiring freeze on right now and for the foreseeable future.
BTW, since when do fire marshals open carry guns and radio mics ? I was picking up my shirts yesterday and the fire marshal came in to talk with my cleaners about their neighbor. He had a sam brown belt and all kinds of goodies including the standard Glock.
One of the things I found most impressive about the place is that there’s no odor. Not only no urine odor, but no pervading smell of disinfectants
Good, good, good. You are in the right place. Do not let Dutch leave, he may not get back in.
One of my friends had to put her mother into a lockdown facility about 5 years ago. She visited 60 places and ended rating them based solely on how much they smell of urine. Everything else was related to the smell of urine.
“I wonder if DOD contractors get points for vets? My son maintains that federal civil service jobs have a 130 point rating scale for new hires. He says that he gets 30 points just for being a combat vet. ”
Probably, but if so, I am unaware of the exact parameters. We got points for that on MA police civil service exams thirty years ago but it availed me nothing. I basically scored 110 on my exams there and couldn’t get on to save my soul, while I watched minorities and copchicks get on with scores in the 50s and 60s, usually all half my size, too. Oh well, I look at it now as yet another bullet dodged.
Good deal with Dutch getting in that place; my own dad was in several places that all had at least some essences of urine, plus occasional fisticuffs.
Congrats.
In an article on techie job hunting which I wrote maybe 15 years ago, I advised people to check the lavatories where they’re interviewing. If they’re not clean, in good repair, and stocked with all necessary supplies, don’t take the job.
OFD just got offered that local gig at the Microslop shop
Congrat’s!
– – – – –
@RBT, regarding dog weights…
You may be right that slight overweight doesn’t affect morbidity. However, it definitely does affect the load on their joints, especially as they get older. Our mutt, was perfectly happy and healthy at 41 kg when younger, and not at all overweight.
As he reached middle age, we noticed that he would occasionally limp after a session of frisbee or a long jog. We reduced his weight to 36 kg, and it has helped tremendously.
“…check the lavatories where they’re interviewing. If they’re not clean, in good repair, and stocked with all necessary supplies, don’t take the job.”
At my last, most recent gig, the cleaning crews in the buildings were/are Vietnamese, which I found rather droll. Team lead advised me they were “the good guys” (during the war, or descendants thereof) and I just laughed. Oh, and the bathrooms were all clean and squared-away.
“And any normal person looking at Colin would not think he was too heavy. We’re not going to make any significant changes to his diet unless and until he actually starts to look chubby.”
I remember you said one of your previous BCs had the shape of an aircraft carrier when viewed from above, whereas a BC is supposed to be shaped like (I think) a frigate from above.
So, is Colin an aircraft carrier or a frigate?
Conga-rats OFD, hope you like it there.
Me, too, thanks! Gonna take four to six weeks for the snoops to go over all my stuff; this can be torpedoed anywhere along that path by various factors. Like if anybody reads the stuff I’ve posted here, for example, ha, ha. Whatever. If it doesn’t pan out, then God in His infinite wisdom may have other plans for my sorry ass.
the cleaning crews in the buildings were/are Vietnamese, which I found rather droll
Vietnamese are typically hard workers. I’ll bet they’re better workers that whoever they are displacing…
Last night we were watching a program about the UK, and the current backlash against immigrants since unemployment rates have gone up. There’s a lot of resentment in the building industry against the thousands and thousands polish workers who have flooded the industry. They interviewed one building company that actually had the balls to say: “We hire polish workers, because they have higher working standards”. If they also work for less, that’s just frosting on the cake.
And this is so bloody true. I’ve lived in the UK. The workmanship standards there are just awful. Jobs are left half-finished, or they’re done so poorly that you’re almost scared to be in the building. Why hide electrical cables? Just drape than across the wall and slap on a bit of paint. Overflows on drains? Too much work to hook those up. Wallpaper upside down? Oops, oh well, no one will notice. It’s hilarious, as long as you don’t have to live with it.
I just wonder if that guy is going to get lynched for telling the truth…
-eyes rolling- That’s what torpedoed my last contract. After I’d already been there three months the security people “found something” in the background check which showed I was untrustworthy. One might think it would have been better to discover my untrustworthiness before I’d been working there for three months — with full access to the databases and application servers, I might add — but that’s the government for you. It’s almost certain that the “something” was just an error in the records, as several errors came to light when I talked with an investigator beforehand, but I haven’t yet gotten any response from a FOIA request so I don’t know for sure.
As for my upcoming contract, it’s delayed on account of the client not being able to tell their ass from their elbow, so far as I can tell. Finally looks like it’ll start next week or the week after. -eyes rolling-
All else being equal, I’d rather not work on government contracts, but they’re 70% or more of the work around here for what I do, and close to 100% of the contracts available at the pay rate I want. And I’m stuck here because of family issues. Bummer, that.
Re: Colin
It’s hard to judge his form factor, because he’s our first smooth coat BC. The others were all rough coat, and they all looked a lot scrawnier when they were still wet after a bath. If I had to estimate, I’d say Colin from above doesn’t look like a wide receiver, but he doesn’t look like a defensive tackle, either. Maybe a linebacker. Maybe even a defensive end.
Colin is very similar to Duncan in most respects. He’s even taller than Duncan was, and Duncan towered over nearly all other BCs, by 4″ (10 cm) or more. If Sue had said he should be at, say, 75 pounds, I might have agreed with her, but 68 is much too little for a dog his height. His current premium dog food, according to the label, has something like 350 Calories per cup. On that basis, he should be getting three cups a day for ~ 1,100 Calories. He’s been getting closer to four cups a day, plus frequent treats, a bit of human food at dinner, and so on. On the other hand, he eats only when he’s hungry. He sometimes leaves most of a bowl of dog food uneaten all day.
I hear all that, SteveF; there are errors or missing data in my much older gummint paperwork and I can’t seem to get them corrected no matter what I do; I’ve been told that a lotta chit is classified still and tough chit. Great.
I’m also stuck due to family and if I was thirty years younger could more easily find stuff and travel all over hell, but them days are over.
I also note that I had clearances and background stuff all done at my last gig but the actual security for the buildings, the physical security, etc., sucked rocks. And no huge project to get into the networks if one knows what one is about.
Congrats Mr. OFD! Now that you are going back to a Windows shop, you should be rolling in the dough! lol
I finished an interview last week with a spook who’s doing the background check on a friend up for security clearance renewal. I used to work with him at a “sooper secret” joint agency in San Antonio. Glad I’m retired and out of that. Some of the questions are laughable. “Has Mr. XXX committed any crimes that you know of?”, etc. You mean you don’t know? You can’t be flippant, of course, I try to keep it to yes and no.
We find judging the dog food to be very individual – whatever they say on the packages is just for some never-existed average dog. Our Kelpie (Australian version of a BC) eats a little more than 130g of food per day. He’s incredibly active, and still gains weight if he so much as looks at more food than that. Meanwhile our mutt, less than twice the size and only half as active, eats around three times as much.
I figure the Kelpies are just efficient. Probably the Australians never let them eat any of the sheep they were herding…
@OFD: I though clearances travelled with you? Not specific project clearance, of course, but the general clearance level. Ought to make things easier, I would have thought… I only remember going through all the big investigation stuff when I needed some new, additional clearance. Granted, it’s been a couple of decades, so my memory ain’t what it used to be.
“Now that you are going back to a Windows shop, you should be rolling in the dough!”
Ha, ha, you make funny joke! Actually roughly an 8% raise over my last gig, plus free training and certification (has to be all done within six months) and better med bennies. And the joy of working to advance Democracy and Diversity throughout the galaxy, of course. You are correct, MrAtoz; no flippancy allowed; no sense of humor with these guys at all.
“I though clearances travelled with you?”
Evidently some do and some don’t; I need more chit. And they presumably have already long had my fingerprints on file but here I am doing it again.
Yah, I used to have one of the higher-than-god security clearances, too. No thanks. I’m glad to be shut of it. That said, the background check requirement for my previous contract was reasonable, given that I was working with Social Security Administration data. Not SSA programs, specifically, just access to the data. That’s the mother lode for identity fraud, very valuable on the black market, and — and this is the best part — the subject of an actual theft by a contractor a few years ago from the office I worked at.
Now, one might — and I do — argue that the US federal government has no business, not under the Constitution anyway, of gathering all that information on every human in the United States. One could also argue — and I did — that if the government did actually have a valid reason for holding all that, then it should be encrypted in the database, protected by other technical measures, and compartmented down to where people who don’t need it can’t see it. I, for instance, didn’t need to see real “client” data and would actually have been better off with dummy data covering all possible combinations of data states. But … but … that’s hard and there’s no money in the budget to create test data and no one here understands enough about the system to do it anyway. I’m sure that anyone who has ever worked in the field can see three or four things wrong with the protests. Whatever. Paid by the hour and now it’s not my problem.
As for physical security, here’s a funny story from my active Army days. I broke into a SCIF one night. A Special Compartmentalized Information Facility is where they keep the top-secret-and-above stuff. Heavy block construction with almost no windows, fence and barbed wire, sensors and alarms, 24-hour armed guards, the works. I needed to get in late one night to do some work I’d been volunteered for — a report and accompanying presentation needed to be done by 0900 or something. The front desk guard was asleep, there was no gate guard, and the gate was locked. The main security office was no help — “You have no need to go in there” — so I just scaled the fence including the barbed wire “V” and the concertina wire, popped the front door, and moseyed in. The desk guard was comfortably asleep in the conference room so I left him a polite note (actually polite, not oh-so-polite) saying who I was, where I’d be, and what I’d be doing, and I got to work.
Well. The shit hit the fan. My boss, a major, thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard and rubbed it in the face of the security chief. The top boss — not the post commander but the guy in charge of all the research and development at Fort Monmouth, who was a civilian with a Special Executive Service rank equivalent to a 3-star general — chewed me out and said it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard of anyone doing, then privately told my boss that my initiative was admirable but he needed to get me under control. Meanwhile, the boss of the civilian security guards attempted to browbeat me into recanting my statement that the one guard was asleep and the other was missing — “Did you wake him up to confirm he was asleep?”. By the time it all shook out, there was an overhaul of the security guards and the bosses all the way up. You see, it’s not done that someone simply walks into
Mordora SCIF.I’m not sure I believe you. If they’d caught you, they’d have had to kill you.
On the one hand I’d assume that since 9/11 and subsequent events security at these sorts of facilities has been tightened up, but one learns after half a century on the planet not to assume too much, esp. in regard to State-related stuff.
A very long time ago OFD guarded nuke warheads in underground storage bunkers surrounded by chain-link fencing, barbed-wire and alarm systems. Depending on who the senior NCO was, we often played poker all night, drank beer and wine and smoked doobies. This was in north-central Maine in the dead of winter; I assume our Soviet counterparts were swilling vodka at the same time. Could SteveF have gotten into one of them bunkers back then? Nope. Not unless he could circumvent the alarm system, and then sneak over to a bunker and drill through multiple steel doors set in concrete without rousing the whole area and suddenly facing a bunch of machine guns and grenade launchers manned by nervous kids who were half in the bag. The real question is: would he WANT to break in there? Would anyone? Chill factors outside of 60 below with a harsh wind blowing in from the north Atlantic through deep pine woods. Good luck.
Nothing so dire. I was in uniform and authorized to be there and authorized to be working on the computer I was at; it was just my method of entry that was out of the ordinary. In theory the guards were authorized to shoot intruders. In practice they were middle-aged or elderly civilian men who were just there for a steady, easy job. One would hope they were more capable and more qualified than the typical mall guard, but I suspect that one’s hopes would be dashed in that regard.
Actually, at least one of the guards on the force was a nutcase apparently just looking for an excuse to hassle people. It was pointed out to me that I was lucky that he wasn’t on duty that night as he’d likely have shot first without bothering to find out what was going on. True, I replied, except that he wouldn’t have been asleep on duty in the first place.
SteveF wrote As for physical security, here’s a funny story from my active Army days. I broke into a SCIF one night.
Uhh, do I know you? I did exactly the same thing about 30 years ago, only my “SCIF” was a nuclear weapons facility, and I and my team went over the fence, across the free fire zone, up onto the roof of the facility using a ladder that was conveniently just hanging around, gained access through an unlocked skylight, and rappelled down to the shop floor to come face to face with a nuke. No guards in sight, no live alarms, no NUTHIN! We left our business cards taped to the stand the nuke was on, and left the same way we came in (I was young and very strong in those days). The next day, we briefed the facility director, who listened politely and then said “You never did any of that; you’re lying. Prove to me that you did that.” Of course by then the skylight was welded shut, the business cards were gone, and the nuke was back in storage and the alarms were activated. We didn’t take any evidence to prove we were there, and that was that. The bastards!
Ladder, unlocked skylight, no guards, no alarms. That is crazy chit, mon. A real live actual nuke in there?
Well, you did say Army.
I can attest that all the AF nuke facilities I saw forty years ago were locked up tight as a Cub Scout’s ass at the late King of Pop’s estate. Yes, a Green Beret or Seal team *could* have gotten into one, but they would have had to get past all the alarms and concrete and locks and guards (like me) who were trained to shoot to kill at any attempts to breach a “Priority A Resource,” I kid you not. In fact, if a “Bent Spear” or “Broken Arrow” incident occurred anywhere, we would have immediately encircled the area, locked it down tight and shot to kill any unauthorized intruders immediately. Seal Team Six or Barry Sadler’s boyz could have got in but they would have had to kill us all. And within those areas the UCMJ took effect, no more Constitution or Bill of Rights—martial law. Which is to law as military music is to music.
“Well, you did say Army.”
Maybe it was a Nike Herc. I watched one of the last launch while I was in Air Defense Arty OBC in ’79.
Or my favorite: The nuclear hand grenade…pull pin, throw two miles.
When OFD was on top of Mt. Tam in Marin County, there were some Army guys stationed up there with us who supported Herc batteries down along the rock cliffs outside the Golden Gate Bridge. They did something with the radar ops at our station (Mill Valley Air Force Station, 666th Radar Squadron) for the guys down below with the Hercs. This was circa ’73.
I have no idea WTF the warheads were in Maine, and they were out at the Nuclear Weapons Storage area about five miles away from the fighter-interceptor squadron at Bangor International Airport.
All the units I was in are long since deactivated and defunct, like me.
I have no doubt that the security breaches are true. When I was a slave to uncle I mistakenly wandered into a secure area. Nothing intentional, just taking a shortcut back to the barracks. I got caught as I was leaving the area. Guns drawn, spread on the ground, boot in my back. I was interrogated at length about how I got in and that I must have intentionally climbed a fence, scaled a wall, picked a lock or some such manner of ingress. The matter got settled when I was allowed to show them my route. The security folks were a little more humble at that point and I was released. I got no reprimand as I had not broken any rules. Later that day and into the night workers were closing the holes.
I suppose I was lucky I did not get shot to death and then questioned at length. Although in that case there would have something in my file about refusing to cooperate and invoking my right to silence.
RE: Colin’s weight and food.
I have Cardigan welsh corgis (corgi with tails) and we sheep herd for fun. All of our herding buddies are fit and happy – and appear anorexic to the average pet owner. They are athletes and kept in trim accordingly.
If you work your fingers through his coat to the skin his ribs should be clearly felt with a little pressure. He should also have a waist (again go by feel – eyes lie). I taught classes at a local dog club for several years and have seen an awful lot of dogs whose owners thought the dog was ‘normal’ until they used their hands in lieu of their eyes.
I suspect you have already used the ‘touch’ method to gauge his weight but wanted to throw it out there.
Dog food – many manufacturers use corn as a primary ingredient, or yeast, even those producing premium kibble. Yeast can cause persistent scratching in many dogs, corn can produce fat flatulent dogs. Whole Dog Journal (supported by subscription – no advertising) produces a fairly unbiased and critical analysis of dog food annually. It makes an interesting and frequently enlightening read even if it doesn’t change your mind about brands.
But dogs are individuals so – If Colin is happy and healthy disregard…
Oh – and a bit late to the party but regarding calibers? I would submit that the correct caliber and flavor are the ones you will actually carry and with which you will practice. I can accurately shoot a .45 (once or twice) but given my hand strength, physical size, and frequency of practice, I am best off with my .38 J frame. It is not as effective as a larger firearm however it is a far better option than nothing. It would be lovely to dedicate more time and energy to improving my strength and skills but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to address all of my ‘shoulds’.
Although in that case there would have something in my file about refusing to cooperate and invoking my right to silence.
It is my understanding that military personnel do not have constitutional rights, especially the 5th amendment right to keep quiet.
After the 6″ to 12″ of rain and hail that we had this morning over a period of an hour, the 25,000 gallon concrete pond in the backyard is overflowing again. That is the third time this year. This spring has been so weird. No rain, no rain, no rain, lots of rain, no rain, no rain, no rain, lots of rain, … The pool caught about 8″ of water total but, that is not a very good rain gauge. And it is back down to 72 F, too cold for me to swim in.
BTW, it is beginning to look like the West Fertilizer plant explosion MAY have been intentionally set. A West EMT was arrested for having a pipe bomb yesterday. And they still do not know what caused the fire that caused the ammonium nitrate to blow up.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/West-paramedic-charged-with-having-explosive-4505687.php
This story keeps on getting weirder by the day.
Thanks. Colin is on Science Diet, which he thrives on. I actually told Sue the other day that I was considering taking him off dog food entirely and just feeding him what we eat. She said that was fine, as long as we ate a balanced diet, which we do. After all, dog food wasn’t even invented until something like 1930, and dogs did just fine before then eating table scraps. The best indication is morbidity/mortality. I’ve had BCs since my parents brought home the first one in 1959, and over many years and many BCs we’ve had very few health problems with our dogs. Most of them have lived to be 14 or 15 years old, with the exception of Malcolm. He made it to only 11, but he had inoperable liver cancer. Kerry made it to just short of his 17th birthday. Even 14 or 15 is above average for a BC.
Sue did give us one tip that Barbara intends to follow. She said to keep the dog food in its original bag and reseal it to keep it from being exposed to the air, transferring only a couple liters at a time into a sealable plastic container. She said exposure to air causes the food to lose nutritional value. That all seemed reasonable, until she mentioned specifically that vitamin C degrades quickly when exposed to air, which is true but immaterial. Barbara checked the dog food bag when we got home and found that it indeed did include added vitamin C, which is simply bizarre. All life forms require vitamin C, but nearly all of them make it themselves (which means that, for them, it’s not a vitamin at all.) About the only exceptions are a few mammal species: primates (including humans), guinea pigs, bats, and one or two others. Dogs make plenty of ascorbic acid, so they have no need for added vitamin C.
I won’t argue with that. A .38 is a reasonable compromise, particularly if you carry it with +P loads with a decent bullet. However, I will point out that your carry piece doesn’t necessarily have to be one you shoot often. I used to carry my Colt Combat Commander in .45 ACP as primary and a Star PD in .45 ACP as a backup. The Star PD was very lightly built. Several of my buddies also carried them as backup, and some of them practiced with them a lot. The problem was, if you put more than a couple hundred rounds through a PD, it was likely to wear out, literally. So the Star PD was a carry-always-shoot-seldom piece.
You might consider something similar as a primary carry piece that you seldom actually fire. It’ll be a handful to shoot, but if you ever need to shoot to save your life that won’t matter. I actually have one of those myself. It’s a Rossi 720 stainless-steel .44 Special revolver, made back when Rossi was still producing decent pistols. The thing weighs 15 ounces, half what a 1911 weighs, so it’s rather unpleasant to shoot even with mild factory loads. When you touch it off, it “feels” more like you’re shooting a .44 Magnum than a .44 Special. But if I ever need to use it for defense, the recoil and muzzle blast will be the last things on my mind.
“The problem was, if you put more than a couple hundred rounds through a PD, it was likely to wear out, literally.”
If it can only fire a few hundred rounds why get one at all? Why dot get a second pistol that is as good or nearly as good as your primary?
Because the Star PD was small, light, and .45 ACP. As much as I like Old Slabsides, it’s not practical to carry a second one for backup in an ankle holster or whatever.
It wasn’t that the PD was badly designed or poorly made. It’s just that the .45 ACP is too much round for such a small, light pistol, particularly one that used so much alloy in place of solid steel. Wikipedia has a pretty good summary of the Star PD, including these issues.
OFD wrote: Ladder, unlocked skylight, no guards, no alarms. That is crazy chit, mon. A real live actual nuke in there? Well, you did say Army.
Well, I was active duty Army, but this “facility” was not Army. It was a maintenance and repair facility run by civilians. The nuke was fully operational (in that it had all its component parts) but it was not “live” because it was not armed and not fuzed. I’m not a nuke technician, but as I was told this “device” was subject to the “one point safe” rules and was “relatively” harmless(!). I didn’t believe that then and don’t now. “Ah, well ’twas in another country, and besides…..” as Mr. Marlowe said.
Funny chit used to happen then…and it is my best guess that funny chit happens now, too, only we don’t know about most of it.
Jackson Landers had an interesting article recently about what goes into pet food:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/04/what_is_in_pet_food_zoo_animals_sick_livestock_dogs_and_cats_from_shelters.html
Larry wrote:
‘…“relatively” harmless(!).’
You mean, from a safe distance… 🙂
‘Jackson Landers had an interesting article recently about what goes into pet food:’
I’ll bet interesting stuff goes in to sausages for human consumption too.
I think Bismark said something like “There are two things the public should not be allowed to see being made: sausage and government policy.”