Unexpected Surprise

So yesterday seemed to be an interesting enough of a day, when Kelly (my fiancé) finds out that one of her best friends was unable to go to the Céline Dion concert since she had to fly out to Hawaii unexpectedly. Of course her second choice (which in reality wasn't really a "choice" ) , her sister, couldn't go because she had class. So low and behold I went with her to see Céline in her last year here at Caesars Palace.

She got the tickets for her birthday from her parents. Needless to say this is like 5 holidays wrapped in one event for her. It was so cute to see her all excited. Any who, so the tickets are for the front of the house on the floor four or five rows back. Some pretty freaking awesome seats.

The show was pretty amazing with ballet dancers and other performers in some "avant-garde" style show. I am sure there was a lot of symbolism in the performances but there were a few that left me wanting to know if I had taken drugs at some point before the show. I digress though, it was a beautiful show, some wonderful and amazing talent on stage and behind the scenes.

I think the only things other than the acid trip fish and moving picture frames things that I didn't like was the super tall guy with a comb-over in front of me, but better me than her. At the beginning the camera crew was toying with the audience and showing them on the big screen and letting people do some crazy stuff. It was quite funny and amusing. The show started off with a bang, with song after song. All in all it was a well orchestrated and performed show. It even made me want to see a traditional ballet or Opera.

I suppose in the end the only thing I could NEVER figure out in the show was the appearance of a completely white performer. He was there 95% of time, almost like he was the person she was singing to or something. It turned out to be an unexpected and very wonderful evening.

Citizens Police Academy Update

If you remember back in July I mentioned I would be a part of the 3rd 2007 class for Citizens Police Academy (CPA) here in Las Vegas.

Yesterday was my first day of the 12 week program. I have to tell you, going into I didn't know what to expect. After last night, I believe it is one of the best programs any law enforcement agency has conceived. The program has been around since 1991 and has seen a little over 1,100 students graduate the class. This class is a Stew pot of society; I don't know if I have seen a more diverse group. The class starting off with a wonderful surprise of Sheriff Doug Gillespie making a guest appearance. The man is truly a genuine and nice guy, I truly can not wait to work as an officer if he is the Sheriff. Then Assistant Sheriff Flynn came in and gave a highly informative lecture about the history of the police, the stages of policing in America and our current system today. He gave a great Q&A, and was knowledgeable and thorough in his answers. There were quite a few prominent people in the class, including Undersheriff Roderick Jett, though he never spoke.

All in all it promises to be a class and experience I will never forget. I am anxious to learn about all of the departments areas of work. I have already signed up for a ride along, as well as the gun range. I will soon make an appointment to spend 2 hours at the 9-1-1 center and seeing it from their side.

I have already learned so many valuable facts, I will share more that is appropriate and talk more about my experience in the coming weeks.

(Img via lvmpd.com)

Rational Atheism

(Via Scientificamerican.com)

Rational Atheism
An open letter to Messrs. Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens

By Michael Shermer

Since the turn of the millennium, a new militancy has arisen among religious skeptics in response to three threats to science and freedom: (1) attacks against evolution education and stem cell research; (2) breaks in the barrier separating church and state leading to political preferences for some faiths over others; and (3) fundamentalist terrorism here and abroad. Among many metrics available to track this skeptical movement is the ascension of four books to the august heights of the New York Times best-seller list—Sam Harris’s Letter to a Christian Nation (Knopf, 2006), Daniel Dennett’s Breaking the Spell (Viking, 2006), Christopher Hitchens’s God Is Not Great (Hachette Book Group, 2007) and Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)—that together, in Dawkins’s always poignant prose, “raise consciousness to the fact that to be an atheist is a realistic aspiration, and a brave and splendid one. You can be an atheist who is happy, balanced, moral and intellectually fulfilled.” Amen, brother.

Whenever religious beliefs conflict with scientific facts or violate principles of political liberty, we must respond with appropriate aplomb. Nevertheless, we should be cautious about irrational exuberance. I suggest that we raise our consciousness one tier higher for the following reasons.

1. Anti-something movements by themselves will fail. Atheists cannot simply define themselves by what they do not believe. As Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises warned his anti-Communist colleagues in the 1950s: “An anti-something movement displays a purely negative attitude. It has no chance whatever to succeed. Its passionate diatribes virtually advertise the program they attack. People must fight for something that they want to achieve, not simply reject an evil, however bad it may be.”

2. Positive assertions are necessary. Champion science and reason, as Charles Darwin suggested: “It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity & theism produce hardly any effect on the public; & freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men’s minds which follow[s] from the advance of science. It has, therefore, been always my object to avoid writing on religion, & I have confined myself to science.”

3. Rational is as rational does. If it is our goal to raise people’s consciousness to the wonders of science and the power of reason, then we must apply science and reason to our own actions. It is irrational to take a hostile or condescending attitude toward religion because by doing so we virtually guarantee that religious people will respond in kind. As Carl Sagan cautioned in “The Burden of Skepticism,” a 1987 lecture, “You can get into a habit of thought in which you enjoy making fun of all those other people who don’t see things as clearly as you do. We have to guard carefully against it.”

4. The golden rule is symmetrical. In the words of the greatest conscious­ness raiser of the 20th century, Mart­in Luther King, Jr., in his epic “I Have a Dream” speech: “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrong­ful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.” If atheists do not want theists to prejudge them in a negative light, then they must not do unto theists the same.

5. Promote freedom of belief and disbelief. A higher moral principle that encompasses both science and religion is the freedom to think, believe and act as we choose, so long as our thoughts, beliefs and actions do not infringe on the equal freedom of others. As long as religion does not threaten science and freedom, we should be respectful and tolerant because our freedom to disbelieve is inextricably bound to the freedom of others to believe

As King, in addition, noted: “The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.”

Rational atheism values the truths of science and the power of reason, but the principle of freedom stands above both science and religion.

--------------------------------------------------------

Michael Shermer is publisher of Skeptic (www.skeptic.com). His latest book is Why Darwin Matters (Henry Holt, 2006).

I found this article and wished to share it, copyright goes to the author and original publisher mentioned and linked above. I hope you enjoy!

12 Volt Battery Hack

12 Volt Battery Hack! You'll Be Surprised... - video powered by Metacafe

I love to play with a lot of toys that have those little batteries, like a laser to play with a cat or dog, or other various animals. There are hundreds of devices that run off of those things. At $3-5 a pop it can get outrageous. So why not hack a 12v battery instead.

UPDATE: The video above was originally hosted on Youtube.com. It has been taken down for reasons I am not aware of. The video is on Metacafe for now and I believe it will stay there. I really don't like Metacafe too much because I have had a lot of problems. But for now here is the new video above.

Front Sight Firearms Training

If you like handguns or any type of firearm and you want to know more than you ever thought possible about them as well as how to safely use them and learn some of the best personal defense techniques in the world, then Check out Front Sight Firearms Training center out in Pahrump, NV. You can call them at 1.702.897.9107.

I plan to attend either a 2 day or 4 day Defensive Handgun training. The price can be a bit on the high side, but there are different ways of going about getting them either free or even discounted. You can get a 2-day course free if you pay for a lifetime membership or Gun Owners of America (GOA). Essentially you will be paying $500 for a $1,000 course.

You can also save 25% off of a class if you attend with a buddy (same day, same course). Which can be a savings of $300-600. You can also do a family class where I believe you pay for a class for your family and you get a free class for yourself and other discounts (see details at main site).

Last but not least you can do what I am doing and attend a 4 day firearm course for $0 (yes that is ZERO). The offer is for a limited time (until August 31, 2007). Where you link to their site (39 links in total.) On your website, Blog, or myspace page for 3 years and they will send you a certificate for a FREE 4 day course. As you can see on the side menu I have done just that. Since I have been here for 3 going on 4 years, I doubt I will stop anytime soon.

Check them out if you are interested in personal safety/defense and gun ownership.

8 Facts Meme

Apparently I have more readers than I ever knew. So I am sitting here minding my own blogging business when out of the blue (or should I say ether?) I get "Tagged" by CaroLINES with a new meme going around. In fact I believe I was tagged once before by Mojoey but at the time I was failing at this whole "blogging on time" thing. Without further ado, I must give 8 random facts about myself and thusly "tag" 8 other unsuspecting people. Who shall my victims.... um I mean fine recipients, be?

8 Facts about J.D. Crow

1. I was once a "Telephone Psychic" and worked for Miss Cleo. Though in reality all I did was get calls forwarded to my phone line and talk to people. I never read from a script (as some did) I really did read Tarot Cards. I was taught and learned a majority on my own on the definitions or "signs" each card has. Essentially you listen to the person for clues and the "interpret" the cards for them. In essence all I did was listen to peoples wants, needs, fears and troubles and used the cards as a facilitator to give them good and decent advice. I don't feel bad about doing it, but it made me see humanity in a whole new light. that people were so distraught that they sought answers from people like Miss Cleo. It was one of the major steps for me in my personal search for meaning in life.

2. I am highly ticklish, shown by the fact that as I am writing this, my fiance is trying to get me to giggle like a school girl. I have always been a touchy feely kind of person, but for me there are probably a hundred different spots I am ticklish in.... Don't even think about it!

3. I HATE Brussel Sprouts and Cabbage of any kind. I think it is a detriment to society as a whole and that it should go extinct or be genetically altered to be something that doesn't smell or taste like a donkeys butt-hole on a sweaty day.

4. APPARENTLY every time I go to the bathroom, I HAVE to fix my hair. I am not sure if it has anything to do with vanity but more so out of habit and the minor OCD I tend to have sometimes when doing everyday things.

5. I just spent the last 3 hours (after writing #4) on reading about the Springfield Armory XD-9 as well as firearm safety and other various gun related issues.

6. I hate straws, I prefer to drink from the cup. Preferably a glass or plastic cup. I hate Styrofoam unless they are the shiny ones that don't make my mouth feel weird. If I could I would drink out of a Mason jar with Ice and a nice cold refreshing soda or tea any day of the weak.

7. I love rain, any and all kinds of rain, heavy, soft, light, thick; you name it I like it. Of all rain though, I prefer the warm rain on a spring or autumn day in the late afternoon. No shoes on and some shorts and I will run around like I was a kid again (I can't run naked because now that is "illegal").

8. Last but not least, it took me 8-9 years to see that the woman I want to marry was right in front of me the whole time. We are and always will be friend, but more so now we are partners and lovers forever (or as long as she can stand me ;Þ )

Those of whom I will tag are as follows: Actually I can't think of eight people, so I figure if you want to you can if you don't then... well don't. Consider yourself Auto-Tagged if you so feel the need to express yourself via meme! Leave me a comment if you do. Thanks.

Otter Creek & Mossy Cave Trip

Kelly and I both caught 2lb Rainbow Trout at Otter Creek, UT
She actually caught two, the second fish was a little over 1lb.



We headed up to Mossy Cave and a water fall near Bryce Canyon.



The canyon has some beautiful scenery including some Hoodoos and some cool mountain see-throughs'
(if you look closely you can see me at the top hill on the right picture)



The hike lead through the creekbed and up to a cool (as in not hot) area known as mossy cave. It was hard to take pictures inside, but it was very comfortable and nice. I am told it forms large icicles in the winter.



As you can see the waterfall extended for quite a while and was not only very refreshing but a beautiful and natural thing to see and experience.



These are more images of the creek and the surroundings. I wish we would have brought more food, we could have had a picnic up near the waterfall.



Last but not least is me playing in the pool under the waterfall. Kelly and I played in it for a little while. Next time I am bringing shorts that dry fast and the shoes in the previous post. I can't wait to play in the fresh and cool waters of Bryce canyon.

Note: to get to the bottom of the waterfall, you have to go off the beaten path near the second bridge. Trust me, it is not too dangerous and very much worth the time and effort. To see all of the pictures, including a few videos go to our photobucket page.

Barefoot

I am one of those few people who hate shoes, hate socks and would prefer to walk around barefoot so that I can feel the land beneath my toes. There are occasions where shoes are need, such as in Vegas on the pavement, lest you want 3rd degree burns. As well as construction, warehouse work and various other areas. I however like nothing more than to take my shoes off when I get home. Furthermore, I hate carpet. It will dry you feet out and just make you uncomfortable. Tile and Wood flooring (linoleum is questionable) is the way to go. The smooth cool surface, the refreshing reminder of our meager existence lies at our feet.

On to the point of my post, is that I also love hiking. Both through mild/rough terrain as well as through water and my favorite is water falls. The problem is that if you get into water you have to deal with slippery rocks and then your shoes and socks being wet. It can be a pretty tough thing to deal with if your not prepared. Then one day the answer to my problems came via stumbleupon.com and my fiance Kelly. She showed me a site with shoes called "Vibram FiveFingers". The site shows you the different ways you can use them. From Barefoot running to water sports and hiking. The shoes are essentially fit around your feet and toes allowing flexibility and comfort. As you can see in the pictures above, that there are different variations (3 in fact w/ multiple colors). The two shown are my favorite and are $70-80 each. The materials are: UPPER - abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric; SOLE- Vibram TC-1 performance rubber; FOOTBED- Antimicrobial microfiber. Though I rarely spend a lot of money on myself or shoes, I have learned the hard way that buying certain things cheap will cost you more in the end. When it comes to shoes, always buy for comfort. Not for style or price (i.e. Name brand). When it comes to picking shoes, pick what feels best for you. Sometimes even if you have to spend a bit more than usual. In the end your feet and back will thank you for it.

I for one plan to buy me a pair of these beautiful shoes and try them out on the next hike I do. Which reminds me there will be a few photos from our recent trip to Utah. As soon as they are all uploaded they will be posted, I promise!

Laptop Battery Dead? Not anymore just Hack it!

(via tech.nocr.at via stumbleupon.com)

Hiking & Fishing

I went hiking and fishing last weekend. I will have pictures for your perusal soon enough. Thanks all for still reading. See you soon.

The fun I could have with this... Muahaha

(via LifeHacker)

Patriotism?

In this course we call life, is it submission by blind faith to our leaders or rather, is it a question of their leadership, choices and policies that make a true patriot? In a world where those who speak out against the choices of those WE elected are considered the minority and where the idea of individual liberties and freedoms become secondary to "security" and control. You as a society should ask those tough questions, not only of yourselves but of the men and women you elected to be your voice. They have stopped speaking as us, instead we have because enslaved by the very people we brought to power. This is a nation founded on principles of freedom and democracy, but more so on the idea of individual freedoms, due process and the right to pursue ones happiness in a free environment. All of which has slowly withered away by those who seek to control all that we do, all that we see, and all that we hear.

I ask you, brothers and sisters of freedom. Fight for what is ours, for what is yours, and stand beside those who seek the same. We are a race (the human race) who are capable of both unimaginable good and unimaginable bad. Choose to seek the good in others and in yourself. Take the responsibility of fighting for what we all hold so dear, our freedom.

What do you think?