Liota

Lycanthrope, I think you nailed it, so to speak. By sponsoring a woman, most advertisers get a double return each dollar spent. Other women look at the sponsored one and at least ask about the products she's using. Best case, and usually, they will buy the product. As for the effect on men, well... Liota

Barry, First, Hello from the Republic of Korea! Second, the sticker went in the kitchen drawer. Didn't really need it. Most match directors remember who their willing volunteers/voluntolds are. Your rating as an RO is also added to your USPSA ratings. You will see it when you do a member# look-up. Liota

Have to go with Mike on this one. Eric and Trapr have sewn up the "Incredibly Cute Puppy" category. If Eric gets a job handling boobs, he may never come home from work. Liota

Bill, You have to admit, they are cute. Liota

Boobies Tits For your viewing pleasure... Liota

Delegates may be a necessary evil on some stages. Sometimes because there are a lot of targets, sometimes due to target reset. I don't have a problem with delegates. I would like to look at my targets as a shooter, but normally already know whether there is a hit on the target and where. My score, point-wise is generally no surprise to me. As long as the hits called are consistent with what I know is there, then there's no issue. Generally, if there is a miss, I get called over as a competitor to look. Again, generally, I know if there is a miss and will tell the RO that. On the flip side, as an RO, I have been known to give the benefit of doubt to the competitor and pull out the overlay, even sometimes when I KNOW there is no hit there (because the competitor did not fire two rounds at the target and left me wishing I could say something). If I am consistent in what I do, that overcomes some of my tiredness over the course of the day while I am ROing by keeping me on the right track, so that when I do lose track of where I am, it's relatively easy to find my place again. On the matter of scoring, itself, there is only one way to score, accurately. If you knowingly/willfully give someone points they don't deserve, you do them (and all the other competitors) as much of a disservice as not awarding points they rightfully earned. By the same token, the competitor bears responsibility for looking at the scoresheet before signing it. If you don't agree, speak with the RO. Usually, the RO can describe in detail the target with the problem. Alpha-Mike or Alpha-"So near D but not enough" is much more memorable than 2-Alpha or Alpha-Charlie. Those memorable targets become stories later. Reference above, the story about the competitor who shot the Alpha-Mike because he didn't fire two rounds at the target. That happened over a year ago. I still remember exactly what the target looked like, what happened, my reaction, his reaction to the scoring. All of the above aside, we are all human. Liota

ysued, Nice picttures. It's great to see that frozen in motion. God knows! He's never that slow when he's shooting in person. Liota

Eric, Am I the wrong gender???? Can I get an honorary pass to Man Land??? I seem to spend an awful lot of time there. tools - You mean I'm not welcome in the shop anymore???? guns - Did you actually say that here????? beer, bourbon, scotch - Ony the good ones need apply. cigars - I don't smoke and don't care. select Dillon calendars - Dillon calendars ALWAYS have cool guns. Who cares about the acoutrements. Liota

This is the way we handled long stages at the Texas State 3-Gun. If the stage was going to take a long time to score, we advised that scoring would take place while the competitor was shooting. If the competitor wanted a delegate, they should so designate prior to the start of their run through the COF. Competitors were also briefed that if they did not designate a delegate, then they would have no recourse with regard to scoring on that portion of the stage. I had not one complaint. Scoring while the competitor is shooting at local matches should not be normal operational procedure, but when it does happen, tapers need to be briefed not to tape targets with misses or questionable hits until the competitor/designate and other RO have seen the target. Just a couple of thoughts, Liota

"There's gonna be an execution and that dog's invited." -Good Friend (Rough recollection of the quote)

Yesss!!! One more with the bug!!! Shoot both USPSA/IPSC and IDPA and have fun. Liota

Putting the safe on a heavy-duty piece of cardboard and sliding it across the floor worked for a friend in Angelo last Christmas. Well, that and a couple of well-fed volunteers. Liota

At least this tour, I can't read the tail numbers from my dorm room window. The A-10s sure are cool flying around. They're the quietest ones yet. Liota

StingerJG and DJ, You mean like F-15s, F-16s and A-10s all taking off all night long? I have to admit, being right at the base of the flightline at night when the jets take off is quite a show. The ground shakes, you shake, your heart beats faster, the flames blow out the rear of the jet. Oh, my! It's very close to another type of beautiful moment. After about four or five, I think I had my fill for that particular night. [shameless plug for E.A.R. Inc.] Thank goodness for earplugs! [/shameless plug for E.A.R. Inc.] Liota

Had to go around thanking every Air Force Cop I saw today. Five years ago today, I got to be a cop for two months. It, quite frankly, sucked. I appreciate the hell out of what those guys do. The whole thing still pisses me off. It's solidified into solid resolve now. I've been lucky. I haven't lost any close friends yet. Nearly lost one. Quite a few in harm's way. Liota

Roy, It struck me as funny, because I remember getting a fairly terse e-mail from Trapr a few years back informing me I'd spelled his name wrong. Of course, he and his big brown cutie of a dog won me over. I'm a sucker for a cute friendly face. Liota

Congratulations, guys! Okay, maybe I'm being dense, but... The only Swonson who shoots that I know is Trapr. Who is Scott? Liota

Dale, As I live in gubermint quarters, pyro-any-darned-thing is right out of the question. On the other hand, I did a Google search on "bleach and brake fluid." Apparently, it depends on what type of bleach you use. If you use regular liquid laundry Clorox, you get nothing. If you use the powdered stuff for pools, however... "Poof! No eyebrows!" You'll have to slide down to "Chemical Explosives." Let me know what you come up with. Liota

Guys, Guys, Guys... The easiest way not to get picked for jury duty is to serve your country in the Armed Forces. Wakal and I both got called and were told not to even report for an interview. There are a couple of differing opinions on why it's so. The one I find most likely is that we have a nasty habit of getting deployment orders at inconvenient times. Liota

If you don't want to drive for miles, you might want to look at distance learning. Several reputable universities offer distance learning degrees. University of Maryland, Strayer University, University of Phoenix, and St Leo University are a few. Take a look at their sites. If you're Civil Service with the DoD, go to the Education Office at your installation, you can find help there. Liota

Saw a bit on Hannity and Colmes today that seemed to set the record straight as to whether Steve Irwin took needless risk. Jack Hanna and Jim Fowler, of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kindom fame*, both said that Steve Irwin took "calculated risks." Mr. Fowler said he also had taken those same kinds of risks. He said that when you know the animal's behavior and respect the animal, you can calculate the risk you can take with some accuracy. Both of those gentlemen also decried the shows wherein the host does certain actions just for ratings or sensation. One bit on a show comes directly to mind, the host ate a huge cockroach, bit it in half while it was still living. It was disgusting and sad, both at the same time. I only watched Steve Irwin's show a few times, but he always seemed full of energy and enthusiasm. Mr. Fowler's comment to Irwin's enthusiasm, zest for life, and full appreciation of all things was that he was that way from when he got up in the morning until he went to bed at night. Whatever else you think of someone, you have to respect that excitement and enthusiasm. *For those who don't remember, Jim Fowler was always out wrestling giant anacondas while Marlin Perkins was in the studio. Mr. Fowler did say today that he wasn't worried about getting hurt, since he had Mutual of Omaha insurance. My 2 cents, L

Jim, Dan said the original windmill design was the result of him eating some bad cabbage. I tend to believe him. You'd have to feel pretty bad to come up with something like that. As far as the inventor of the star being the devil, that would be a lot nicer sounding than the names we called him. Liota

Apparently, that's one bit of weirdness I managed to miss. Shame, though. L

Dale, There is no end to the weirdness on Japanese game shows. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, to include: nearly naked babes in water of various temperatures (to determine how hard their nipples got, most guys wanted to be the host, he got to do the testing) , strip Rock Paper Scissors (Only on New Year's Eve) , and strangest of all, anal flower arranging . Who'd a thunk? Bad part is, you keep watching. It's like a train wreck. You just can't help it. Liota

Dayum! That's just...well, you know. I think the last guy was about to exercise "discretion being the better part of valor" part. Of course, it's par for the course in Japanese game shows. L