Thursday, April 26, 2007
Mark My Words - Joe Lieberman Will Become a Republican
It's interesting - I was watching the 2000 U.S. elections and there are two things that I remember, aside from being glad that Bush won. 1) Al Gore was a complete nutjob - OK, my wife saw him on Oprah and thought he was the dream, but I tend to me a bit more objective about these kinds of things...OK, seven years later, he's on the Apple board, he's had celebrity status over his global environmental "intitiatives" and I guess he's now writing a kids book. He's been a bureaucrat in Washington all is life, but I'm not sure whether he actually says anything substantive - he likes to talk and use modern-day phrases and terms and looks like a techie compared to his contemporaries, but I think he's all flash and no substance. 2) Joseph Lieberman. I totally resented the fact that the Republicans did not have this guy. He is probably more of a true Republican than Giuliani or McCain is (both of of which are very soft on their social issues - look at their voting records and family life). I was laughing when I found out that James Dobson would not support McCain. I would have to agree with Dobson here. And there is something about Giuliani I don't like. I'd rather see Sam Brownback, but he doesn't have a chance to win the GOP nomination (sad to say but true). Anyway, I remember watching Lieberman on the debates and in addressing crowds and thinking, "if there was ever a Jewish dude who would really break down the stereotype, it is him"). Interestingly enough, in the next few years, we would see him siding with Republicans on a number of things (including the 2003 plan to go to war, as well as recent statements that he will vote against the Democrat's bill to set a timeline for troop withdrawal. Since he lost the primary in mid-2006 (forgot the guy he ran against - Ted something??), he has ran as an independent and has tremendous support from the Republicans. I think he was re-elected (albeit as an independent) back to the Senate during the 2006 mid-term elections. But I suspect that come 2008, there's probably a good chance he'll become a Republican. I have never saw him as a true Democrat, and I think it would be a tremendous boost to have him join the GOP. Heck, if I was in the U.S., I'd vote for him, maybe even as Prez (of course, I'm not even sure if he wants to run a Prez, but he ran for VP, so ya never know...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Thoughts on The Virginia Tech Massacre (4/16/2007)
For the past week, I've been watching coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacre. So sad to see these things happen, and so many promising individuals having their lives snuffed short. I am absolutely astonished at the amount of talented individuals who were in the right place at the wrong time. I was watching CNN on Tuesday night and they brought on one of the parents' and brother of one of the victims (Reema Samaha), and I was sitting there thinking, "How they must be hurting right now - their daughter and sister were killed just yesterday." My heart goes out to all the families who lost their loved ones.
Since I've had a week to digest all the news coverage, both in print, radio and TV, and have had some time to reflect on this whole tragedy, several interesting things come to mind.
One is that people seem to keep thinking that guns are the problem. I am not so sure of this. I think a gun in the hands of a mentally unstable person is the problem, no different than a knife in the hands of an mentally unstable person is a problem. I don't think banning guns is the answer here, since bad guys will always have guns or access to guns, whether legally or illegally. I read that the Virginia Tech campus had a zero-gun tolerance rule that resulted in expulsion. Despite this, a lone deranged gunman still got onto the school grounds with a gun and killed so many people. I wonder had some teachers, security, etc. of the campus had guns, whether they would have reduced the amount of casualties. I just read last night about a former Miss USA who is in her 70s or 80s who avoided being robbed because she packed heat. No one was hurt but she didn't fall victim. If bad guys have access to guns, I'm certainly hoping that some good guys will have guns as well. Banning guns outright is not sensible, since they will exist anyway, despite whether they are easy to get or not.
All that being said, I am shocked at how easily the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, was able to acquire a gun and ammo. In Canada, in order to possess a firearm, you have to pass a course, fill in an application for a gun license, pay a fee and they do a background check on you. As part of the application, if you are married, your spouse has to sign off on you getting the gun. This is more than reasonable in order to deter unstable types from buying guns, but the problem is, most gun crimes are not committed by law abiding gun owners. So why penalize the recreational shooters and the hunters? Also, in Canada, the guns and ammo are locked away in gunstores (even getting an under 500FPS airgun or airgun ammo, which does not require a Possession and Acqusition Licence (PAL)) requires ID, and they careful who buys the guns.
In this case, with Cho, they did a one minute background check - likely for criminal activity, but the problem here is that you can have mental problems and not be a criminal. While I don't favour banning guns, I think some sort of a psychiatric interview or exam with potential registrants may weed out people who probably shouldn't own a gun legally. By no means do I think this will eliminate all of the wackos out there, but it will at least make it harder. But then again, if they can't get a gun legally, they may just get a gun illegally.
My other comment on Cho is that he is a coward, pure and simple. OK, so he was picked on and people made fun of the way he talked, etc. I grew up in a small town with mostly Caucasians. I was bullied, I was the subject of racist jokes - but guess what? You don't hide in a corner and get all pissed off about everyone and start planning their executions. You show that you are stronger than they are - and also that people will grow up and do change. In fact, several people who were really bullies early on ended up being good friends in high school. But if you internalize it and play to the stereotypes, and then think everyone is against you, it's just going to destroy your mind. I read of how many people tried to approach Cho to engage him in conversation and dialogue and he refused. That is his problem and his decision, for which he cannot blame others.
I have a bit of a concern about how the media has been handling the release of Cho as the shooter. Notice the first detail they gave out is that he is an Asian male. Why is that of any significance? I'll tell you why - America still has a race problem, whether it's overt or not. I found it disturbing that they mentioned that detail, rather than a "23 year old male". It reminds me of the Oklahoma bombings and how initially, the first bit of detail released was that it was a middle east guy. It seems like the news wants to report this, in an effort to say, "whew, it wasn't a white guy." If it was a white shooter, would the media have reported that the suspect was a "Caucasian male"?
My final two comments are controversial ones, and one doesn't really have a lot to do with Virginia Tech, but it has been on my mind. After hearing the bad news last Monday (I was sick in bed, but listened to the radio when I woke up), on Tuesday I heard and saw every station giving the Virginia Tech Massacre front page coverage (and unfortunately giving Cho more coverage than he should have had), I also heard that there was yet another bomb blast in Baghdad, killing around 163 people. To North American news outlets, this was a peripheral news story. 163 people got killed by a suicide bomber. Yet it seems to me that the media doesn't care about these kinds of stories. I started wondering why and think I came up with a couple of reasons. 1) People in North America, no matter what they claim, don't care about the middle east? Why? I think it's because of this, "They are all islamic terrorists so let them just kill themselves off." The thought here seems to be people are more innocent and are more sadder victims to violent crime in North America than in the middle east. Yet, kids and innocent people are being killed everyday there. 2) Perhaps the North American people are just desensitized to how many of the same news stories about suicide bombers blowing up themselves and others are featured on the news every week between entertainment and sports. It's like something that's not worth batting a lash over. "People die in the middle east - so what? It's a part of life out there. " I think that kind of thinking has really made Westerners complacent and more self-centred than ever before. Don't get me wrong - I've thought that before when I scan the news channels, but it's like, I don't get it - people die in one part of the world and it's like old hat. People die in North America and it's 24X7 news.
I'm just saying that we need to be careful in not only viewing tragedies on this side of the pond as sad events. There are things going on in other parts of the world as well.
My second comment is in how, all of the sudden, the secular media and secular people in general, upon stumbling into these incidents, all the sudden invoke "prayer" as part of their reaction. I know George W. Bush is a born-again Christian, but I have seen CNN anchors and reporters and entertainers who are admittedly athiests or have no "religious affiliation" say "our thoughts and prayers are with you." Like, what the hell does this mean? You spend your time slamming God and the Bible in your reporting or entertainment, yet now you say you will pray to Him for these families. Please, people - do me a favour and don't be so hideously two-faced. I'd rather you just say that you offer your sympathies rather than sheepishly say you will pray for the person. I very seldom say this unless I actually mean it, and I'm a born again believer. The fact is, it is fashionable to pretend to care - by next week, you'll be back doing whatever you're doing. It's not different than Christmas and how people turn on this phony "Christmas spirit" crap, but when boxing day comes, they are in a parking lot giving their fellow bargainhunters the finger. Please don't insult Christians by saying you'll pray for people when 364 days a year, your actions show that you don't even acknowledge God's presence.
Now...back to wackos with guns - if you look at the Dawson College shooter from last year, he was into the goth scene but if you look at his vampire website, he is shown in not-all-that-different poses with guns as Cho. And that guy was a loner as well. I am starting to think loners should probably not have guns, at least legally.
Since I've had a week to digest all the news coverage, both in print, radio and TV, and have had some time to reflect on this whole tragedy, several interesting things come to mind.
One is that people seem to keep thinking that guns are the problem. I am not so sure of this. I think a gun in the hands of a mentally unstable person is the problem, no different than a knife in the hands of an mentally unstable person is a problem. I don't think banning guns is the answer here, since bad guys will always have guns or access to guns, whether legally or illegally. I read that the Virginia Tech campus had a zero-gun tolerance rule that resulted in expulsion. Despite this, a lone deranged gunman still got onto the school grounds with a gun and killed so many people. I wonder had some teachers, security, etc. of the campus had guns, whether they would have reduced the amount of casualties. I just read last night about a former Miss USA who is in her 70s or 80s who avoided being robbed because she packed heat. No one was hurt but she didn't fall victim. If bad guys have access to guns, I'm certainly hoping that some good guys will have guns as well. Banning guns outright is not sensible, since they will exist anyway, despite whether they are easy to get or not.
All that being said, I am shocked at how easily the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, was able to acquire a gun and ammo. In Canada, in order to possess a firearm, you have to pass a course, fill in an application for a gun license, pay a fee and they do a background check on you. As part of the application, if you are married, your spouse has to sign off on you getting the gun. This is more than reasonable in order to deter unstable types from buying guns, but the problem is, most gun crimes are not committed by law abiding gun owners. So why penalize the recreational shooters and the hunters? Also, in Canada, the guns and ammo are locked away in gunstores (even getting an under 500FPS airgun or airgun ammo, which does not require a Possession and Acqusition Licence (PAL)) requires ID, and they careful who buys the guns.
In this case, with Cho, they did a one minute background check - likely for criminal activity, but the problem here is that you can have mental problems and not be a criminal. While I don't favour banning guns, I think some sort of a psychiatric interview or exam with potential registrants may weed out people who probably shouldn't own a gun legally. By no means do I think this will eliminate all of the wackos out there, but it will at least make it harder. But then again, if they can't get a gun legally, they may just get a gun illegally.
My other comment on Cho is that he is a coward, pure and simple. OK, so he was picked on and people made fun of the way he talked, etc. I grew up in a small town with mostly Caucasians. I was bullied, I was the subject of racist jokes - but guess what? You don't hide in a corner and get all pissed off about everyone and start planning their executions. You show that you are stronger than they are - and also that people will grow up and do change. In fact, several people who were really bullies early on ended up being good friends in high school. But if you internalize it and play to the stereotypes, and then think everyone is against you, it's just going to destroy your mind. I read of how many people tried to approach Cho to engage him in conversation and dialogue and he refused. That is his problem and his decision, for which he cannot blame others.
I have a bit of a concern about how the media has been handling the release of Cho as the shooter. Notice the first detail they gave out is that he is an Asian male. Why is that of any significance? I'll tell you why - America still has a race problem, whether it's overt or not. I found it disturbing that they mentioned that detail, rather than a "23 year old male". It reminds me of the Oklahoma bombings and how initially, the first bit of detail released was that it was a middle east guy. It seems like the news wants to report this, in an effort to say, "whew, it wasn't a white guy." If it was a white shooter, would the media have reported that the suspect was a "Caucasian male"?
My final two comments are controversial ones, and one doesn't really have a lot to do with Virginia Tech, but it has been on my mind. After hearing the bad news last Monday (I was sick in bed, but listened to the radio when I woke up), on Tuesday I heard and saw every station giving the Virginia Tech Massacre front page coverage (and unfortunately giving Cho more coverage than he should have had), I also heard that there was yet another bomb blast in Baghdad, killing around 163 people. To North American news outlets, this was a peripheral news story. 163 people got killed by a suicide bomber. Yet it seems to me that the media doesn't care about these kinds of stories. I started wondering why and think I came up with a couple of reasons. 1) People in North America, no matter what they claim, don't care about the middle east? Why? I think it's because of this, "They are all islamic terrorists so let them just kill themselves off." The thought here seems to be people are more innocent and are more sadder victims to violent crime in North America than in the middle east. Yet, kids and innocent people are being killed everyday there. 2) Perhaps the North American people are just desensitized to how many of the same news stories about suicide bombers blowing up themselves and others are featured on the news every week between entertainment and sports. It's like something that's not worth batting a lash over. "People die in the middle east - so what? It's a part of life out there. " I think that kind of thinking has really made Westerners complacent and more self-centred than ever before. Don't get me wrong - I've thought that before when I scan the news channels, but it's like, I don't get it - people die in one part of the world and it's like old hat. People die in North America and it's 24X7 news.
I'm just saying that we need to be careful in not only viewing tragedies on this side of the pond as sad events. There are things going on in other parts of the world as well.
My second comment is in how, all of the sudden, the secular media and secular people in general, upon stumbling into these incidents, all the sudden invoke "prayer" as part of their reaction. I know George W. Bush is a born-again Christian, but I have seen CNN anchors and reporters and entertainers who are admittedly athiests or have no "religious affiliation" say "our thoughts and prayers are with you." Like, what the hell does this mean? You spend your time slamming God and the Bible in your reporting or entertainment, yet now you say you will pray to Him for these families. Please, people - do me a favour and don't be so hideously two-faced. I'd rather you just say that you offer your sympathies rather than sheepishly say you will pray for the person. I very seldom say this unless I actually mean it, and I'm a born again believer. The fact is, it is fashionable to pretend to care - by next week, you'll be back doing whatever you're doing. It's not different than Christmas and how people turn on this phony "Christmas spirit" crap, but when boxing day comes, they are in a parking lot giving their fellow bargainhunters the finger. Please don't insult Christians by saying you'll pray for people when 364 days a year, your actions show that you don't even acknowledge God's presence.
Now...back to wackos with guns - if you look at the Dawson College shooter from last year, he was into the goth scene but if you look at his vampire website, he is shown in not-all-that-different poses with guns as Cho. And that guy was a loner as well. I am starting to think loners should probably not have guns, at least legally.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Nappy Headed Who???
Man, this whole Don Imus thing has just continued to spiral into the realms of insanity. OK, they fired him. Should they have? I don't know. Many, many years ago, I used to listen to Howard Stern on the way to work since he was on one of the few stations that I could get on my Walkman. Stern has said some pretty nasty things - OK, they weren't necessarily racist, but they did have enough racist innuendo to make Imus look like a supporter of the NAACP. Of course, Stern has Robin Quivers, a black woman who some may argue to be a strategic supporting cast to ward off those who cry racism or sexism. But stern's said some pretty explicit things on his show, and that was under CRTC censorship.
As far as Imus goes...OK, well, I'm not black but I'm going to check with some Black friends to see whether they found it offensive. I did not find it racially offensive, though it was definitely derogatory. But look at it from society's perspective - a woman who is covered in tattoos isn't exactly a model for femininity - some may argue that it makes her look more like a street thug. It's no different in the businessplace. In my seven years of working in this office tower, I have rode the elevator and have worked with thousands of people. Not one is covered in tattoos - that's just the way the businessplace expects. And I think that society probably frowns on women (and men) covered in tattoos, and in particular, big butchy looking girls. (ie. German olympic teams). I think that's the context Imus was giving his comments. Peoople have said that rap music uses the word "ho" and worse - that's true - and some have added that what a Black person says to another Black person has different connotations. That's true too. But look how women are portrayed in hip hop videos - I have seen and listened to my fair share over the years. Women are not respected in these videos, so probably what Imus said is just a symptom of the overflow of what he probably sees on TV. No doubt he does not respect Black women.
I find it more disconcerting that he called them "hos" rather than nappy-headed (not sure how that can be deemed racist, since my wife, who is not Black but has very curly hair, wakes up with a "nappy head" all the time). By calling these women hos, Imus has essentially labelled them as slutty, loose girls, which of course is ridiculous since he doesn't know any of these girls personally.
I don't get offended by much, and I'd be lying to you if I told you I was offended by this. I was not. But I am concerned that he called them a bunch of hos. There is no justification in that. But look at Howard Stern - he's called women hos before. Does he get away with it because he's Jewish and can claim that he's a minority too?
Perhaps the worst part of all this is the coverage given to those two ridiculous figures that you seem to see, who say they represent the Black community, but I've talked to enough Black folks to know that they don't - Al Sharpton and to a lesser degree, Jesse Jackson. I dislike Sharpton with a passion. This jackass thinks he can spew anti-Semitic and anti-White sentiments and get away with it, yet when there is a supposed slight to Blacks, he cries foul. I think Martin Luther King would be rolling in his grave if he found out that there were idiots like this who believe they are acting in Black folks' best interests. Sharpton is a loud-mouthed hypocrite. I don't see him apologizing to those Duke students who were accused of assaulting that Black exotic dancer, only to be recenly exonerated. He was so critical of those boys and pushed hard for their punishment, but now that the courts have determined that the boys were innocent, Sharpton is nowhere to be found. Just like Paris Hilton, Kevin Federline, Terrell Owens, etc., I often wonder for what purpose was Sharpton put on this earth.
Personally, I think that while I am glad to see an apology from Imus, I also think that the Rutgers women's basketball team is making a mountain out of a molehill. Why did they have to go on Oprah? Are they "suffering" that much? Or do they want to draw attention to themselves?
As far as Imus goes...OK, well, I'm not black but I'm going to check with some Black friends to see whether they found it offensive. I did not find it racially offensive, though it was definitely derogatory. But look at it from society's perspective - a woman who is covered in tattoos isn't exactly a model for femininity - some may argue that it makes her look more like a street thug. It's no different in the businessplace. In my seven years of working in this office tower, I have rode the elevator and have worked with thousands of people. Not one is covered in tattoos - that's just the way the businessplace expects. And I think that society probably frowns on women (and men) covered in tattoos, and in particular, big butchy looking girls. (ie. German olympic teams). I think that's the context Imus was giving his comments. Peoople have said that rap music uses the word "ho" and worse - that's true - and some have added that what a Black person says to another Black person has different connotations. That's true too. But look how women are portrayed in hip hop videos - I have seen and listened to my fair share over the years. Women are not respected in these videos, so probably what Imus said is just a symptom of the overflow of what he probably sees on TV. No doubt he does not respect Black women.
I find it more disconcerting that he called them "hos" rather than nappy-headed (not sure how that can be deemed racist, since my wife, who is not Black but has very curly hair, wakes up with a "nappy head" all the time). By calling these women hos, Imus has essentially labelled them as slutty, loose girls, which of course is ridiculous since he doesn't know any of these girls personally.
I don't get offended by much, and I'd be lying to you if I told you I was offended by this. I was not. But I am concerned that he called them a bunch of hos. There is no justification in that. But look at Howard Stern - he's called women hos before. Does he get away with it because he's Jewish and can claim that he's a minority too?
Perhaps the worst part of all this is the coverage given to those two ridiculous figures that you seem to see, who say they represent the Black community, but I've talked to enough Black folks to know that they don't - Al Sharpton and to a lesser degree, Jesse Jackson. I dislike Sharpton with a passion. This jackass thinks he can spew anti-Semitic and anti-White sentiments and get away with it, yet when there is a supposed slight to Blacks, he cries foul. I think Martin Luther King would be rolling in his grave if he found out that there were idiots like this who believe they are acting in Black folks' best interests. Sharpton is a loud-mouthed hypocrite. I don't see him apologizing to those Duke students who were accused of assaulting that Black exotic dancer, only to be recenly exonerated. He was so critical of those boys and pushed hard for their punishment, but now that the courts have determined that the boys were innocent, Sharpton is nowhere to be found. Just like Paris Hilton, Kevin Federline, Terrell Owens, etc., I often wonder for what purpose was Sharpton put on this earth.
Personally, I think that while I am glad to see an apology from Imus, I also think that the Rutgers women's basketball team is making a mountain out of a molehill. Why did they have to go on Oprah? Are they "suffering" that much? Or do they want to draw attention to themselves?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Ah, I Am Just a Big Kid...
Well, what can I say? I recently picked up a PSP (Playstation Portable) on a lark, and I am hooked! Found a guy on the Toronto edition of craigslist.com (which is, for me, starting to become a more feasible way to buy/sell than eBay - no fees, no hassles, no ridiculous restrictions (ie. on eBay they will not allow you to accept Western Union money transfers due to "security" concerns, yet local pickup with cash and sending cash in the mail is OK. Of course, everyone knows they are just trying to drive people to use Paypal, which of course is owned by eBay. Starting to really like using craigslist.com
Anyhow, I found a guy on craigslist.com who, unfortunately, had his PSP stolen, so he is selling all his games. Great shape too. So far I have dropped by his place to buy Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade (total fantasy role playing character game - I totally dig these, back to the old King's Quest and Baldur's Gate, etc. games). Anyway, plays well on the PSP so far. The constant changing of the UMD discs is annoying, so I found a way to hack the PSP in order for me to be able to save all the games from UMD to memory stick (bought a 4GB MS Pro Duo for a great price - from a local eBay seller). Anyway, I figure I can get the games pretty cheap second hand and then get them installed on my memory stick and the play is so much faster (and it protects the original UMD disc). I went back and bought Ape Escape yesterday - that is a hilarious game - my son loves it, as do I - it's just fun goofy kid's cartoony-type of game. I am going to get 3 more probably today or tomorrow from him - he has movies on UMD as well, but I am not interested in watching movies with the PSP. UMD movies are so expensive, and they only play on the small screen. May as well just buy a DVD and watch it on my regular TV.
My brother originally got a PSP a few weeks ago and was raving about it. I figured that it wasn't such a big fuss, but then I found a good deal (off eBay, from a local seller) and picked it up from him (that was another story in and of itself - great guy, but I did the pickup in the middle of the night). I got the original receipt from him (he bought it at Walmart for close to $350.00. Obviously I paid a lot less than that).
So I am now feeling the full extent of my geeky-ness by having this gadget. Perhaps it's 24 years of withdrawal manifesting itself, since the last time I had a handheld gadget like this, I was 10 years old, my Grandma gave me this hand-held Pacri-monster (Japanese pac-man style game), I brought it to school, and one of my schoolmates stole it out of my desk. I know who it was, though he denied it, but others saw him take it. That's OK - that guy got some crappy parenting and last I heard, he wasn't doing too well in life. Well, things always come back to bite you, so there...
Anyhow, I found a guy on craigslist.com who, unfortunately, had his PSP stolen, so he is selling all his games. Great shape too. So far I have dropped by his place to buy Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade (total fantasy role playing character game - I totally dig these, back to the old King's Quest and Baldur's Gate, etc. games). Anyway, plays well on the PSP so far. The constant changing of the UMD discs is annoying, so I found a way to hack the PSP in order for me to be able to save all the games from UMD to memory stick (bought a 4GB MS Pro Duo for a great price - from a local eBay seller). Anyway, I figure I can get the games pretty cheap second hand and then get them installed on my memory stick and the play is so much faster (and it protects the original UMD disc). I went back and bought Ape Escape yesterday - that is a hilarious game - my son loves it, as do I - it's just fun goofy kid's cartoony-type of game. I am going to get 3 more probably today or tomorrow from him - he has movies on UMD as well, but I am not interested in watching movies with the PSP. UMD movies are so expensive, and they only play on the small screen. May as well just buy a DVD and watch it on my regular TV.
My brother originally got a PSP a few weeks ago and was raving about it. I figured that it wasn't such a big fuss, but then I found a good deal (off eBay, from a local seller) and picked it up from him (that was another story in and of itself - great guy, but I did the pickup in the middle of the night). I got the original receipt from him (he bought it at Walmart for close to $350.00. Obviously I paid a lot less than that).
So I am now feeling the full extent of my geeky-ness by having this gadget. Perhaps it's 24 years of withdrawal manifesting itself, since the last time I had a handheld gadget like this, I was 10 years old, my Grandma gave me this hand-held Pacri-monster (Japanese pac-man style game), I brought it to school, and one of my schoolmates stole it out of my desk. I know who it was, though he denied it, but others saw him take it. That's OK - that guy got some crappy parenting and last I heard, he wasn't doing too well in life. Well, things always come back to bite you, so there...
Can't Stand Bono...or U2, For that Matter
I was talking with a buddy from high school about music, since we used to have some similar tastes, but he was more into the hard rock and I was more into the speed and thrash metal. Anyway, in a recent discussion, he was telling me how much he disliked Paul McCartney, since he's really riding the coat tails of John Lennon (would have to agree) and is really milking his Beatles notoriety to death. Sings the same old songs, nothing new. Pretentious, etc. No wonder Heather Mills dumped him.
Anyway, the conversation steered to what music I like and dislike. Since I like a lot of different kinds of music, I thought I'd go through the short list of what I didn't like. On the top of that list by a country mile is U2 and that pretentious "look at me" twit, Bono. I am sorry - I know a lot of people like U2, but I find that they keep trying to reinvent themselves in ways that try to capture current trends. They don't stay true to their roots. I find that their music is not really melodic and is really just background restaurant music. I've tried listening to anything after Rattle and Hum, and everything else blows chunks out of a monkey's caboose.
My staunchest criticism is for Bono. I don't think he's all that - trying to be some world ambassador, as if what he says actually amounts to much. I don't think he has much substance at all and if you look at musicians getting politically active, I'd find more credibility in a Bob Geldof than this guy. You know who Bono reminds me of? These freaking celebrities who think they are somehow humanitarians (the Brad Pitts/Angelina Jolies/Madonnas). They are growing old and realize that they should probably leave some sort of legacy, so they now turn their attention to world hunger or whatever else. Problem is, people do see through them for what they truly are - spoiled celebrities who want to start schmoozing with Nelson Mandela or Presidents and Prime Minsters - they are probably looking for a career in politics once their 15 minutes of fame runs out.
I have heard Bono on different interviews. He neither strikes me as very articulate nor very intelligent. He pauses a lot when he speaks, as if that effect will make him look more academic. Nothing he says is very substantive, in my opinion. Of course, I have a pretty fierce view of celebrities in general and think that their opinions matter as much as the gum I just stepped on in the washroom stall. I like seeing actually intelligent people like Craig Kielberger, who as a young child of 10 or 12, fought for children's issues and now runs his own humanitarian organization as a 20-something year old. That's integrity and that's someone who actually has been there. Bono is a musician and entertainer (and not a very good one). It's too bad he usurps so much attention away from the other members of U2, who actually have some talent.
Anyway, the conversation steered to what music I like and dislike. Since I like a lot of different kinds of music, I thought I'd go through the short list of what I didn't like. On the top of that list by a country mile is U2 and that pretentious "look at me" twit, Bono. I am sorry - I know a lot of people like U2, but I find that they keep trying to reinvent themselves in ways that try to capture current trends. They don't stay true to their roots. I find that their music is not really melodic and is really just background restaurant music. I've tried listening to anything after Rattle and Hum, and everything else blows chunks out of a monkey's caboose.
My staunchest criticism is for Bono. I don't think he's all that - trying to be some world ambassador, as if what he says actually amounts to much. I don't think he has much substance at all and if you look at musicians getting politically active, I'd find more credibility in a Bob Geldof than this guy. You know who Bono reminds me of? These freaking celebrities who think they are somehow humanitarians (the Brad Pitts/Angelina Jolies/Madonnas). They are growing old and realize that they should probably leave some sort of legacy, so they now turn their attention to world hunger or whatever else. Problem is, people do see through them for what they truly are - spoiled celebrities who want to start schmoozing with Nelson Mandela or Presidents and Prime Minsters - they are probably looking for a career in politics once their 15 minutes of fame runs out.
I have heard Bono on different interviews. He neither strikes me as very articulate nor very intelligent. He pauses a lot when he speaks, as if that effect will make him look more academic. Nothing he says is very substantive, in my opinion. Of course, I have a pretty fierce view of celebrities in general and think that their opinions matter as much as the gum I just stepped on in the washroom stall. I like seeing actually intelligent people like Craig Kielberger, who as a young child of 10 or 12, fought for children's issues and now runs his own humanitarian organization as a 20-something year old. That's integrity and that's someone who actually has been there. Bono is a musician and entertainer (and not a very good one). It's too bad he usurps so much attention away from the other members of U2, who actually have some talent.
Why eBay is Going Down the Crapper...
As a guy who buys 95% of things from eBay (except food, etc.), I have found eBay to be a great place to shop over the years. As a guy who has sold a few things on eBay, it's been a way to generate some extra income. But in the last year, I have become increasingly irritated at eBay for some things that they do, which have really made a lot of sellers (I know, because I am on many eBay seller forums) question whether they still want to do business on eBay (particularly selling. I have started to investigate other avenues of buying/selling so that I don't continue to line Meg Whitman and Co.'s pockets. While I have no desire to echo other sellers' beefs, I can share with you some of mine.
1. Increasing price increases and finding ways to screw over sellers with the same. One thing I did to save some costs was to set up an eBay store. Many people do this so that their items will have longer (albeit less) exposure but incur less upfront costs. However, eBay more than doubled listing fees for eBay stores, and many stores closed as a result.
2. Hypocritical payment options. Try to list an item with Western Union as a payment option. eBay won't allow the listing. It says to use paypal (which, of course, they own) and money orders, etc. for safety. Yet, they allow people to list that they accept cash on pickup or cash sent through the mail. They have been down on Western Union for years, since Bidpay was a direct competitor to paypal. Where possible now, I will offer people the option to pickup and pay me directly. I incur no paypal fees this way, and the buyers don't pay unnecessary shipping charges, when they live closeby.
3. Ridiculous restrictions around what you can and cannot sell. Some things I totally understand why eBay has restrictions on - selling firearms, drugs, child pornography, hate literature, etc. should be and is banned on eBay. But things like BB guns and airgun (and AIRSOFT) ammo etc., they won't allow either, yet you can buy it at the local Walmart. They say they don't want kids under 18 to obtain them from eBay...yet you have to be 18 or over (and register with a credit card) to be on eBay, so what gives here? One guy at my church had some extra original genuine retail factory sealed Microsoft Office packages for sale. He took good pictures, etc. Yet eBay still pulled them because they claimed they were counterfeit, yet my friend (who has been in the IT business for 25+ years and is an elder at our church) got them from Microsoft directly!!! Yet eBay pulled them...they reinstated them again, after my friend had to fight hard for the listings to be reinstated, but not without losing some potential business in the meantime.
4. The feedback system, while it is a good idea, needs to be revamped. This has been a constant concern from probably 80% of sellers out there, myself definitely included. A buyer who chooses not to honour their transaction and pay should not be allowed to leave retaliatory feedback for a seller who has left a negative feedback due to the fact that the buyer has not paid. Conversely, many sellers are opting to with-hold feedback for buyers, despite the fact that a buyer has paid quickly and responded quickly, until the buyer leaves a positive for them. Problem here is that, if the condition of the item is not as stated, etc., or the seller hoses the buyer on shipping charges, or the seller never sends the item - guess what? The buyer is now afraid to leave negative feedback for the seller for fear of getting an undeserved retaliatory feedback in return. Feedback hostage taking is so common on eBay now. While I am proud of the fact that I have a 100% all positive feedback record, the day will come, just like in any other business, where you will get that one nasty customer who is unreasonable and will just make you wish you didn't go to work that day. When that day comes, I will continue to be consistent with what I have always done - which is, tell it like it is. If you don't pay me, you'll get a negative. I don't care what you do in return, since most people, when looking at a seller's record, will look at the whole record, not just a couple of transactions. I also want to make sure a bad seller or buyer is flagged so they can't do that to someone else.
5. Not very good security in terms of confidentiality. I get all sorts of crap in my eBay internal mail/messaging system from electronics sellers and such in Europe and China who are mass spamming people trying to unload their wares. I always thought to use the eBay messaging system, you need to enter those confirmation codes (you know, where they have characters in weird positions and you have to enter it as you see it). I get these things in my eBay internal mailbox on a daily basis. Quite annoying, to say the least. eBay has not given me any adquate non-canned, answer, which brings me to the final point...
6. The tech support absolutely sucks. If you ever try to bring an issue up with the eBay "contact us" feature, it will do everything to prevent you from sending a customized message to someone live. This is not unusual as the industry for support is going this way - but after you say no to the million prompts to solve the problem using their knowledge base (which stinks), you are then led to a form where you can write a specific question or comment. 10 times out of 10, you will get back a canned response, and if you write back to it, you will get another canned response. I have since given up on looking to help improve things on eBay. Rather, I'm slowing shifting my efforts to other auction/selling sites so that I get better value for my money.
At one point, eBay had a lot of potential. It still is the biggest online auction site, and there are many good things about it. But if you have been selling on there for a while, like I have, you will start to see that it's not as good as it used to be. I will still sell on there, but I'm selling a LOT less on there these days than I used to. If you haven't already tried craigslist.com, try it. It is much easier to list stuff for sale on there and you can easily find a local craigslist website that you can frequent so you don't need to worry about shipping charges, etc.
1. Increasing price increases and finding ways to screw over sellers with the same. One thing I did to save some costs was to set up an eBay store. Many people do this so that their items will have longer (albeit less) exposure but incur less upfront costs. However, eBay more than doubled listing fees for eBay stores, and many stores closed as a result.
2. Hypocritical payment options. Try to list an item with Western Union as a payment option. eBay won't allow the listing. It says to use paypal (which, of course, they own) and money orders, etc. for safety. Yet, they allow people to list that they accept cash on pickup or cash sent through the mail. They have been down on Western Union for years, since Bidpay was a direct competitor to paypal. Where possible now, I will offer people the option to pickup and pay me directly. I incur no paypal fees this way, and the buyers don't pay unnecessary shipping charges, when they live closeby.
3. Ridiculous restrictions around what you can and cannot sell. Some things I totally understand why eBay has restrictions on - selling firearms, drugs, child pornography, hate literature, etc. should be and is banned on eBay. But things like BB guns and airgun (and AIRSOFT) ammo etc., they won't allow either, yet you can buy it at the local Walmart. They say they don't want kids under 18 to obtain them from eBay...yet you have to be 18 or over (and register with a credit card) to be on eBay, so what gives here? One guy at my church had some extra original genuine retail factory sealed Microsoft Office packages for sale. He took good pictures, etc. Yet eBay still pulled them because they claimed they were counterfeit, yet my friend (who has been in the IT business for 25+ years and is an elder at our church) got them from Microsoft directly!!! Yet eBay pulled them...they reinstated them again, after my friend had to fight hard for the listings to be reinstated, but not without losing some potential business in the meantime.
4. The feedback system, while it is a good idea, needs to be revamped. This has been a constant concern from probably 80% of sellers out there, myself definitely included. A buyer who chooses not to honour their transaction and pay should not be allowed to leave retaliatory feedback for a seller who has left a negative feedback due to the fact that the buyer has not paid. Conversely, many sellers are opting to with-hold feedback for buyers, despite the fact that a buyer has paid quickly and responded quickly, until the buyer leaves a positive for them. Problem here is that, if the condition of the item is not as stated, etc., or the seller hoses the buyer on shipping charges, or the seller never sends the item - guess what? The buyer is now afraid to leave negative feedback for the seller for fear of getting an undeserved retaliatory feedback in return. Feedback hostage taking is so common on eBay now. While I am proud of the fact that I have a 100% all positive feedback record, the day will come, just like in any other business, where you will get that one nasty customer who is unreasonable and will just make you wish you didn't go to work that day. When that day comes, I will continue to be consistent with what I have always done - which is, tell it like it is. If you don't pay me, you'll get a negative. I don't care what you do in return, since most people, when looking at a seller's record, will look at the whole record, not just a couple of transactions. I also want to make sure a bad seller or buyer is flagged so they can't do that to someone else.
5. Not very good security in terms of confidentiality. I get all sorts of crap in my eBay internal mail/messaging system from electronics sellers and such in Europe and China who are mass spamming people trying to unload their wares. I always thought to use the eBay messaging system, you need to enter those confirmation codes (you know, where they have characters in weird positions and you have to enter it as you see it). I get these things in my eBay internal mailbox on a daily basis. Quite annoying, to say the least. eBay has not given me any adquate non-canned, answer, which brings me to the final point...
6. The tech support absolutely sucks. If you ever try to bring an issue up with the eBay "contact us" feature, it will do everything to prevent you from sending a customized message to someone live. This is not unusual as the industry for support is going this way - but after you say no to the million prompts to solve the problem using their knowledge base (which stinks), you are then led to a form where you can write a specific question or comment. 10 times out of 10, you will get back a canned response, and if you write back to it, you will get another canned response. I have since given up on looking to help improve things on eBay. Rather, I'm slowing shifting my efforts to other auction/selling sites so that I get better value for my money.
At one point, eBay had a lot of potential. It still is the biggest online auction site, and there are many good things about it. But if you have been selling on there for a while, like I have, you will start to see that it's not as good as it used to be. I will still sell on there, but I'm selling a LOT less on there these days than I used to. If you haven't already tried craigslist.com, try it. It is much easier to list stuff for sale on there and you can easily find a local craigslist website that you can frequent so you don't need to worry about shipping charges, etc.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Easter Musings
I was at work today and I guess several people near the cubicle of a cafeteria that we have were wishing each other well for the long weekend (guess they were going to make it even longer by not being at work tomorrow). While I couldn't help by overhear the conversation (since it was the same gabby middle-aged females that seem to always congregate around the muffin area), I did find it interesting to note that their best wishes for the weekend were accompanied by "hope the Easter Bunny finds you well" and "hope your kids get lots of eggs."
Is it just me, or has everyone forgotten what Easter is really about? You know, I've had conversations with my son and he's told me that he knows Easter is about Jesus, but why people don't ever talk about Him. It's interesting to hear that out of the mouth of a four-year-old. It's hard to tell him that not everyone thinks Easter is about easter eggs when he goes to the store and that's all he sees, or the parents of the daycare drop off eggs and say "Happy Easter".
I think even the Christian retail industry, although they have for the most part, not indulged in the secularization of Easter, has not been entirely immune. And I've been told that the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection is too much for a little child to grasp. Perhaps, but for Petes' sake, don't substitute it with something so far from the truth as the freaking easter bunny. I have no problems telling my son there's no such thing as the easter bunny, the same way that I have no problems telling him there's no satan claus. Some have called me a party pooper, but do I really want to bold-face lie to my son about these things? And since I don't care what people think about my views anyway, I just ignore the criticism. I feel that my job in life as a parent is to get enough knowledge to my son so someday, he can make a decision to accept Jesus as his personal Saviour. If he does that, my job as a parent has been done. So, I do try to expose him as much to the Bible as possible - we're not talking home theology classes, but you know, have him seeing his Mom and Dad pray or reading Bible stories to him at night. The one thing I can probably do better on is modelling to him a proper devotional life, something that I must confess I'm not the greatest at keeping. But I really don't want, for any reason, to give in to the cultural dumbing down of Easter or Christmas.
If you really think about it, it is Jesus that bore the brunt of our sin on the cross at Calvary. The Passion of the Christ movie, as Hollywoodized as it is, is a fantastic reminder to ourselves what our Saviour had to go through. It certainly changes our perspective in terms of how we view His life, death and resurrection. I mean, the fact that I (and everyone else who simply accepts Him as their Saviour) have been given a second chance, despite the fact that I am a sinner and continue to sin, yet He is willing to forgive us over and over again if we come repentant, is something that is amazing to grasp. As humans, we usually lose our patience after a while with anything and give up. God, in His infinite grace, has decided that we were worth it to have his own Son die for us. To wash all of our sins away, make us new beings, bear a torturous execution that was drawn out way more than any civilized country these days would allow. And he had the power to turn back and chicken out, but He didn't. Because He loves us so much.
The least that we can do as His followers is not substitue a damn easter bunny or satan claus for our Lord and Saviour, no matter how culturally pressured we are to do so. Christian parents, especially, should have enough balls to tell their kids the truth about Easter, the truth about who Christ is, the truth about what the Word says about the "Six Hours One Friday", to borrow the title of the excellent book by Max Lucado. When kids see their parents fevertly and reverently worshipping the Lord in everything they do, it is probably the best witness of the Gospel that we can give to the next generation.
Is it just me, or has everyone forgotten what Easter is really about? You know, I've had conversations with my son and he's told me that he knows Easter is about Jesus, but why people don't ever talk about Him. It's interesting to hear that out of the mouth of a four-year-old. It's hard to tell him that not everyone thinks Easter is about easter eggs when he goes to the store and that's all he sees, or the parents of the daycare drop off eggs and say "Happy Easter".
I think even the Christian retail industry, although they have for the most part, not indulged in the secularization of Easter, has not been entirely immune. And I've been told that the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection is too much for a little child to grasp. Perhaps, but for Petes' sake, don't substitute it with something so far from the truth as the freaking easter bunny. I have no problems telling my son there's no such thing as the easter bunny, the same way that I have no problems telling him there's no satan claus. Some have called me a party pooper, but do I really want to bold-face lie to my son about these things? And since I don't care what people think about my views anyway, I just ignore the criticism. I feel that my job in life as a parent is to get enough knowledge to my son so someday, he can make a decision to accept Jesus as his personal Saviour. If he does that, my job as a parent has been done. So, I do try to expose him as much to the Bible as possible - we're not talking home theology classes, but you know, have him seeing his Mom and Dad pray or reading Bible stories to him at night. The one thing I can probably do better on is modelling to him a proper devotional life, something that I must confess I'm not the greatest at keeping. But I really don't want, for any reason, to give in to the cultural dumbing down of Easter or Christmas.
If you really think about it, it is Jesus that bore the brunt of our sin on the cross at Calvary. The Passion of the Christ movie, as Hollywoodized as it is, is a fantastic reminder to ourselves what our Saviour had to go through. It certainly changes our perspective in terms of how we view His life, death and resurrection. I mean, the fact that I (and everyone else who simply accepts Him as their Saviour) have been given a second chance, despite the fact that I am a sinner and continue to sin, yet He is willing to forgive us over and over again if we come repentant, is something that is amazing to grasp. As humans, we usually lose our patience after a while with anything and give up. God, in His infinite grace, has decided that we were worth it to have his own Son die for us. To wash all of our sins away, make us new beings, bear a torturous execution that was drawn out way more than any civilized country these days would allow. And he had the power to turn back and chicken out, but He didn't. Because He loves us so much.
The least that we can do as His followers is not substitue a damn easter bunny or satan claus for our Lord and Saviour, no matter how culturally pressured we are to do so. Christian parents, especially, should have enough balls to tell their kids the truth about Easter, the truth about who Christ is, the truth about what the Word says about the "Six Hours One Friday", to borrow the title of the excellent book by Max Lucado. When kids see their parents fevertly and reverently worshipping the Lord in everything they do, it is probably the best witness of the Gospel that we can give to the next generation.
It's Not a Myth - Golf Clubs Do Improve Your Game
Well, with the Masters coming this weekend, it's a good signal that it's almost golf season again. Ah, last year was the best. From July to about September, I golfed with my brother every week and he beat me every week pretty badly until I switched to some new equipment, and then he barely beat me (and I mean barely - like one or two strokes rather than 20). Here's what I got last year which I highly recommend:
TaylorMade R580XD driver - this driver came out in 2004-2005 and was around $800.00 - many pros used this and I can now see why. I picked mine up for a a bit less than that, and it was still brand new/sealed (oh, loft on it is 10.5, fade). Man, does this thing rock. I actually didn't have a driver before - was using my Jazz FatCat2 1W - of course, it was steel shaft, so not much snap and power. The 580XD got me some good yardage...when I made contact.
Cleveland Golf CG11 Loft Wedge. Got this from a golf dealer in the area through eBay. This really helped my short game near the greens - before I used my pitching wedge and often launched it - also, when I had to turn my clubface and not really play the natural lie of the PW, my game sucked. The distance was hard to gauge. With the GC11, I no longer have to yell audibly at the ball to stop rolling. It's a nice pitch under 60 yards.
By far, the greatest weapon I got last year to improve my golf game was my Odyssey White Hot XG #3 putter (R/H, 34" shaft). I can tell you for a fact that not all putters are made the same. I know most pros on the PGA use the Odyssey, but man, oh man, did it ever feel nice on the hands and it was easy to stroke the (hmmm...that doesn't sound very good, but I digress). I was able to cut down my 3 and 4-putts on the green. Very nice addition.
Don't underestimate that dragging your clubs in your bag will have an effect on your body movement and positioning (not to mention exhaustion level). No wonder the pros all have caddies. Anyway, I don't have the cash to pay for someone to caddy for me, so I got a Bag Boy deluxe golf pull cart (brushed aluminum construction, massive wheels which are removable). Very space-tech, but man, I have more energy on the course now and with a historically bad back (and bad neck last year from the car accident), I had to get the BagBoy. It was a nice addition. Also holds my beverage, has a writing area (weatherproof) and has a nice adjustable handle with grips.
My standard set, aside from the above is a Jazz FatCat2 steel shaft. It's a really good set (particularly the irons), but I'm glad I got the extra clubs last year.
This year, I may work on the balls - I've historically always used Maxfli A3, Maxfli Patriots (no longer made) and Maxfli Revolution. My brother swears that there is a reason the pros all use Titlelist V1x balls. I can't convince myself to cough up enough cash to justify a $7-8 per ball golf budget. I spent a mint on A10 balls, which I subsequently lost in a week. Besides, I think the pros know how to take advantage of the strengths and features of the ball like spin, etc. I can't do anything close to that, anyway. Actually, I probably will go with Strata Tour Professional or Tour Ultimate balls...I think I can find them.
By the way, I'm picking Mickelson to win the Masters this year, though my patriotic favourite is Stephen Ames, though my cultural favourite is K.J. Choi. I just love his name...
TaylorMade R580XD driver - this driver came out in 2004-2005 and was around $800.00 - many pros used this and I can now see why. I picked mine up for a a bit less than that, and it was still brand new/sealed (oh, loft on it is 10.5, fade). Man, does this thing rock. I actually didn't have a driver before - was using my Jazz FatCat2 1W - of course, it was steel shaft, so not much snap and power. The 580XD got me some good yardage...when I made contact.
Cleveland Golf CG11 Loft Wedge. Got this from a golf dealer in the area through eBay. This really helped my short game near the greens - before I used my pitching wedge and often launched it - also, when I had to turn my clubface and not really play the natural lie of the PW, my game sucked. The distance was hard to gauge. With the GC11, I no longer have to yell audibly at the ball to stop rolling. It's a nice pitch under 60 yards.
By far, the greatest weapon I got last year to improve my golf game was my Odyssey White Hot XG #3 putter (R/H, 34" shaft). I can tell you for a fact that not all putters are made the same. I know most pros on the PGA use the Odyssey, but man, oh man, did it ever feel nice on the hands and it was easy to stroke the (hmmm...that doesn't sound very good, but I digress). I was able to cut down my 3 and 4-putts on the green. Very nice addition.
Don't underestimate that dragging your clubs in your bag will have an effect on your body movement and positioning (not to mention exhaustion level). No wonder the pros all have caddies. Anyway, I don't have the cash to pay for someone to caddy for me, so I got a Bag Boy deluxe golf pull cart (brushed aluminum construction, massive wheels which are removable). Very space-tech, but man, I have more energy on the course now and with a historically bad back (and bad neck last year from the car accident), I had to get the BagBoy. It was a nice addition. Also holds my beverage, has a writing area (weatherproof) and has a nice adjustable handle with grips.
My standard set, aside from the above is a Jazz FatCat2 steel shaft. It's a really good set (particularly the irons), but I'm glad I got the extra clubs last year.
This year, I may work on the balls - I've historically always used Maxfli A3, Maxfli Patriots (no longer made) and Maxfli Revolution. My brother swears that there is a reason the pros all use Titlelist V1x balls. I can't convince myself to cough up enough cash to justify a $7-8 per ball golf budget. I spent a mint on A10 balls, which I subsequently lost in a week. Besides, I think the pros know how to take advantage of the strengths and features of the ball like spin, etc. I can't do anything close to that, anyway. Actually, I probably will go with Strata Tour Professional or Tour Ultimate balls...I think I can find them.
By the way, I'm picking Mickelson to win the Masters this year, though my patriotic favourite is Stephen Ames, though my cultural favourite is K.J. Choi. I just love his name...
Attaboy!
We took my son (4) to his 4-year immunization shots. I think he was petrified, but we encouraged him to be brave - and be a man (this is not the most popular thing that liberals want parents to say to their kids, but I'm not a liberal and I don't care what they think anyway - he's going to grow up to be a man, and I'm not going to see him acting like a pansy around needles I don't like needles either, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do). He rolled up his sleeves and took his two needles like a true male. I can tell he wasn't comfortable, but he did not cry, and afterwards, he said, "we done?" I said yep, gave him a big hug and we went out for ice cream, and had a cool battered cod fish dinner (yum yum). Now, on if he doesn't get a fever tonight like he did last time... Attaboy, son!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Touching Video
I seldom pass these along, but this one is very moving. A Dad serving in the Navy/Marines is gone seven months, but comes back home and surprises his son in his classroom. You'd have to have no heart, if you don't find the raw emotion from the son touching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55s9hDglNAA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55s9hDglNAA
The Reason Why Kids Today Are The Way They Are
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but that's OK, I don't blog for popularity's sake.
A couple of years back, my wife, son and I went out to an event with some friends (I'm being deliberately vague here so as to not identify the people). Well, one of their kids threw a temper tantrum and slapped his mom in the face. The mom, all flustered, told the kid gently that they have to get going and the kid was screaming more and eventually the kid got his way and they stayed longer.
That to me was an indication of what was wrong with the way some parents raise their kids today. They are afraid of them. They are afraid that if they actually yell and discipline them and...heaven forbid, spank them, people will think they are bad parents, especially in today's politically correct atmosphere.
My wife runs a daycare that is regulated by an agency, so the daycare staff are obviously not allowed to spank the kids (and even if we weren't regulated, I wouldn't spank someone else's kid anyway - it's really not my place to do so). However...
With my own kid, he gets spanked for willful disobedience. I won't spank him for spilling stuff or making mistakes like crapping his underwear. But if I tell him to do something (and it's always for his own good anyway) and he talks back or doesn't listen, or worse - tries to strike me or his mother (very, very seldom happens)...he get it in the bum. Some people who know that I spank think I'm being cruel. I am not. I am showing him there are consequences to actions and there are consequences to disobeying those in authority (and sorry to say it parents, you are an authority figure, whether you like it or not). Some people say that I am showing that I have a short fuse and am losing my cool. I am not. In fact, most times when I spank him, I am not angry per se - sometimes, I don't even feel like spanking him, but I need to be consistent.
Some people will say society frowns on spanking. Yeah, well...you can't please everyone...and look at how society is these days - I think I'm doing OK, thank you. Some people will say that CAS (Children's Aid Society) will come and get me. Let them try. I'm not abusing my son and if you ask him how much he loves his Daddy and Mommy, he will stretch out his arms and say "this much!" Besides, I'm not afraid of the liberal establishment, since I'm not doing anything wrong, anyway. Besides, if someone dares try the CAS angle, I will be happy to exercise another action that people seem so fond of enacting these days - legal action.
I've also heard the argument about children's self-esteem. Can I say that this is the most ridiculous pile of horse **** that I've ever heard. To shield your child from a real-life lesson in action and consequences for some "self-esteem" issues - that is ridiculous. Look at my son - he is well adjusted, very social, has no behaviour problems and is a happy little boy. Yet he gets spanked when he willfully disobeys. The key here is that once the discipline is over, we spend time with him, read to him, do things with him, and not just plop him in front of the TV or drop him somewhere for someone else to watch him, like a lot of parents do. He has a healthy self-esteem, because he knows his parents love him, even if we do discipline him. Self-esteem issues are developed whent the parent does not spend time with their kids or lets the kids know that they are no rules or guidelines (essentially re-inforcing that the parents don't really care). And you know, there is nothing wrong with a little shot against the self-esteem anyway. If I was failing my grades in school, I'd expect to be held back - OK, it's embarrassing to see all your friends move up and you're behind, but guess what - there's my impetus to work even harder to catch up. The way that today's school system works - heaven forbid they offend a child by not passing them because they don't make the grade. I'd hate to see what these kids are like when they enter the workforce.
It's interesting, because I often watch our son play in a larger group of kids. He is almost always the one willing to share, and he never strikes other kids (that is another weak argument liberals make about spanking - how can you tell him not to hit if you hit him? I don't hit him - I discipline him - there's a difference - and the fact that he does not act out and strike other people at all would indicate that he knows that you can't just go wild and do whatever you want. Also, my wife and explain to him every time why he is getting spanked. I've seen some kids push other kids around and grab stuff and the parents just sit there like a deer in the headlights - not even a flinch. Those are kids who will try to get their own way and think that they have a sense of entitlement (and will be problem children in the future - mark my words).
I agree that spanking is not something that should be used all the time - I don't mind explaining things, but again, when a child willfully disobeys the parent, the first action is to correct that lack of respect for the authority figure. Talking only takes you so far. Just like if you break into a house and the cops come, they're not going to sit down with you and have a coffee with you while you explain how you got the way you are or how you feel. They'll throw you in the back of the cruiser, and haul your ass to the station in handcuffs. Those are the consequences. Every action has one. Parents need to re-iterate this to their kids. Otherwise, they grow up without boundaries and will not respect their teachers, the police or anyone else in authority. I don't need to give you examples of kids who do this.
For parents who do exercise discipline of their child...trust me, they will thank you for it later. I have spoken to many successful businesspeople and tradespeople and academics who told me that they are the way they are because their parents took the time to make them realize that you can't just do whatever you want and expect no consequences. Kudos to all the previous generations of parents (including my own) who lived this out in their lives.
A couple of years back, my wife, son and I went out to an event with some friends (I'm being deliberately vague here so as to not identify the people). Well, one of their kids threw a temper tantrum and slapped his mom in the face. The mom, all flustered, told the kid gently that they have to get going and the kid was screaming more and eventually the kid got his way and they stayed longer.
That to me was an indication of what was wrong with the way some parents raise their kids today. They are afraid of them. They are afraid that if they actually yell and discipline them and...heaven forbid, spank them, people will think they are bad parents, especially in today's politically correct atmosphere.
My wife runs a daycare that is regulated by an agency, so the daycare staff are obviously not allowed to spank the kids (and even if we weren't regulated, I wouldn't spank someone else's kid anyway - it's really not my place to do so). However...
With my own kid, he gets spanked for willful disobedience. I won't spank him for spilling stuff or making mistakes like crapping his underwear. But if I tell him to do something (and it's always for his own good anyway) and he talks back or doesn't listen, or worse - tries to strike me or his mother (very, very seldom happens)...he get it in the bum. Some people who know that I spank think I'm being cruel. I am not. I am showing him there are consequences to actions and there are consequences to disobeying those in authority (and sorry to say it parents, you are an authority figure, whether you like it or not). Some people say that I am showing that I have a short fuse and am losing my cool. I am not. In fact, most times when I spank him, I am not angry per se - sometimes, I don't even feel like spanking him, but I need to be consistent.
Some people will say society frowns on spanking. Yeah, well...you can't please everyone...and look at how society is these days - I think I'm doing OK, thank you. Some people will say that CAS (Children's Aid Society) will come and get me. Let them try. I'm not abusing my son and if you ask him how much he loves his Daddy and Mommy, he will stretch out his arms and say "this much!" Besides, I'm not afraid of the liberal establishment, since I'm not doing anything wrong, anyway. Besides, if someone dares try the CAS angle, I will be happy to exercise another action that people seem so fond of enacting these days - legal action.
I've also heard the argument about children's self-esteem. Can I say that this is the most ridiculous pile of horse **** that I've ever heard. To shield your child from a real-life lesson in action and consequences for some "self-esteem" issues - that is ridiculous. Look at my son - he is well adjusted, very social, has no behaviour problems and is a happy little boy. Yet he gets spanked when he willfully disobeys. The key here is that once the discipline is over, we spend time with him, read to him, do things with him, and not just plop him in front of the TV or drop him somewhere for someone else to watch him, like a lot of parents do. He has a healthy self-esteem, because he knows his parents love him, even if we do discipline him. Self-esteem issues are developed whent the parent does not spend time with their kids or lets the kids know that they are no rules or guidelines (essentially re-inforcing that the parents don't really care). And you know, there is nothing wrong with a little shot against the self-esteem anyway. If I was failing my grades in school, I'd expect to be held back - OK, it's embarrassing to see all your friends move up and you're behind, but guess what - there's my impetus to work even harder to catch up. The way that today's school system works - heaven forbid they offend a child by not passing them because they don't make the grade. I'd hate to see what these kids are like when they enter the workforce.
It's interesting, because I often watch our son play in a larger group of kids. He is almost always the one willing to share, and he never strikes other kids (that is another weak argument liberals make about spanking - how can you tell him not to hit if you hit him? I don't hit him - I discipline him - there's a difference - and the fact that he does not act out and strike other people at all would indicate that he knows that you can't just go wild and do whatever you want. Also, my wife and explain to him every time why he is getting spanked. I've seen some kids push other kids around and grab stuff and the parents just sit there like a deer in the headlights - not even a flinch. Those are kids who will try to get their own way and think that they have a sense of entitlement (and will be problem children in the future - mark my words).
I agree that spanking is not something that should be used all the time - I don't mind explaining things, but again, when a child willfully disobeys the parent, the first action is to correct that lack of respect for the authority figure. Talking only takes you so far. Just like if you break into a house and the cops come, they're not going to sit down with you and have a coffee with you while you explain how you got the way you are or how you feel. They'll throw you in the back of the cruiser, and haul your ass to the station in handcuffs. Those are the consequences. Every action has one. Parents need to re-iterate this to their kids. Otherwise, they grow up without boundaries and will not respect their teachers, the police or anyone else in authority. I don't need to give you examples of kids who do this.
For parents who do exercise discipline of their child...trust me, they will thank you for it later. I have spoken to many successful businesspeople and tradespeople and academics who told me that they are the way they are because their parents took the time to make them realize that you can't just do whatever you want and expect no consequences. Kudos to all the previous generations of parents (including my own) who lived this out in their lives.
Redflagdeals.com
This is a fantastic site for the bargain-minded Canadian shopper. I recommend it highly for finding good deals on things (you no longer need to look through magazines and newspapers to find the sales - it's all on redflagdeals. Also, there are forums on the site to discuss bargains and share experiences. I just met up with a guy last night who was looking to get rid of some computer equipment (monitor and laser printer) - I show up at his house and he has boxes and boxes of very nice computer gear for me. And it all cost me nothing.
While I buy most of my stuff on eBay (I very seldom shop retail anymore) due to much overall lower cost, redflagdeals.com affords me the opportunity to save on things in the stores (or even get them for free).
While I buy most of my stuff on eBay (I very seldom shop retail anymore) due to much overall lower cost, redflagdeals.com affords me the opportunity to save on things in the stores (or even get them for free).
Monday, April 2, 2007
Politically Correctness Gone Rampant
So I'm sitting in my car on the way to work this morning and they are talking on the Bill Carroll show (CFRB - awesome station) about how in Britain, the educators are starting to not discuss the holocaust as part of history class, for fear of offending the muslim students.
I almost swerved my car into a lamp post when I heard this, and desperately tried to call in, but the lines were, not surprisingly, tied up.
Is it me, or am I sensing that people these days are afraid to speak the truth for fear of offending people. Frig, the holocaust happened, millions of people died. How can you possibly try to alter history to try to appease a minority group? Thankfully, a couple of muslim folks called into the station and vetted their outrage at how the teachers lay down and went with the school boards' proposals. Whatever your opinion of Israel or what's going down in the Middle East right now, you can't conveniently omit real parts of history, as ugly as they are. Besides, if I was Jewish, I'd be the one who was offended that such an atrocity is now being covered up by the educational system.
If it was a holocaust denier saying the same thing, he/she'd be charged under the hate speech part of the criminal code. Yet when education systems do it, it's OK??
Makes me more and more want to save up my pennies to send my boy to private school, rather than the politically correct left-leaning education system that seems to be so prevalent in so many countries.
I almost swerved my car into a lamp post when I heard this, and desperately tried to call in, but the lines were, not surprisingly, tied up.
Is it me, or am I sensing that people these days are afraid to speak the truth for fear of offending people. Frig, the holocaust happened, millions of people died. How can you possibly try to alter history to try to appease a minority group? Thankfully, a couple of muslim folks called into the station and vetted their outrage at how the teachers lay down and went with the school boards' proposals. Whatever your opinion of Israel or what's going down in the Middle East right now, you can't conveniently omit real parts of history, as ugly as they are. Besides, if I was Jewish, I'd be the one who was offended that such an atrocity is now being covered up by the educational system.
If it was a holocaust denier saying the same thing, he/she'd be charged under the hate speech part of the criminal code. Yet when education systems do it, it's OK??
Makes me more and more want to save up my pennies to send my boy to private school, rather than the politically correct left-leaning education system that seems to be so prevalent in so many countries.
If You Want a Job, Don't Work in Information Technology
There was a time and place where IT jobs were not only plentiful, they were desired. Oh, how things have changed. Operating systems and back-end server environments are created to maximize your technology ROI, and as a result, constant cutbacks in the IT support sector have led many IT professionals to turn to other careers (ie. the fella that worked at the Nissan deadership who sold me my Sentra back in 2003 was a former programmer whose job went overseas).
I've been in the IT field for almost 10 years professionally and have seen this get worse and worse. Programmers are being trained in India to take over coding from North American developers (cheaper costs in India and other developing countries like China, where cheap labour can be easily had). Technical and deskside support jobs are slowly being phased away, due to operating systems being more robust and having features that allow the end user to fix themselves. Helpdesks are moving en masse to develping countries. Offshoring is the big word in IT circles these days, and if it's not going to be offshored this year, you can bet your bottom dollar that your company is thinking of doing it at some time. Consider the fact that a number of companies now use self-training tools, since they don't want to invest a lot of training dollars to train someone when they know the job will likely go somewhere else long term.
There are still some good jobs in IT, but they're mostly non-technical jobs - ie. if you're a project manager, it's a pretty safe job. But if you're in a support field, you probably have seen the tide change in the last few years anyway. A lot of recent graduates from IT programs can be hired cheaper than your IT guy with 25 years experience. I see this all the time, not just in my company, but in other companies where I know people.
I've been in the IT field for almost 10 years professionally and have seen this get worse and worse. Programmers are being trained in India to take over coding from North American developers (cheaper costs in India and other developing countries like China, where cheap labour can be easily had). Technical and deskside support jobs are slowly being phased away, due to operating systems being more robust and having features that allow the end user to fix themselves. Helpdesks are moving en masse to develping countries. Offshoring is the big word in IT circles these days, and if it's not going to be offshored this year, you can bet your bottom dollar that your company is thinking of doing it at some time. Consider the fact that a number of companies now use self-training tools, since they don't want to invest a lot of training dollars to train someone when they know the job will likely go somewhere else long term.
There are still some good jobs in IT, but they're mostly non-technical jobs - ie. if you're a project manager, it's a pretty safe job. But if you're in a support field, you probably have seen the tide change in the last few years anyway. A lot of recent graduates from IT programs can be hired cheaper than your IT guy with 25 years experience. I see this all the time, not just in my company, but in other companies where I know people.
What a Bagel and Herongate Dinner Theatre
Well, I have to give kudos to the What a Bagel! store at Major Mac. Ave. and Yonge St. in Richmond Hill. On birthdays, they had a promotion of free one dozen bagels of your choice. We went there on Saturday and I got my 12 free bagels, and they were fresh and delicious! My wife loved the cream cheese they had there. The staff were also friendly as well. Lots of selection, even if you don't like bagels, they have sweets and baklava (sp.) and other treats. The bagels rocked, though! I'll go there again for sure.
http://www.whatabagel.com
In the evening, my wife took me to Herongate Dinner Theatre. This was my fourth time there, I think. We watched Forever Plaid, and it was hilarious - though we were by far the youngest couple in the entire audience/dinner . Food was pretty good too. Where else can you get dinner and a show for under $50.00 a person. Thankfully, she did not announce that it was my birthday, even though they sang happy birthday to a bunch of other people. I guess some people like that attention. I find it rather embarrassing, especially amongst a bunch of strangers. Anyway, the show was excellent and I highly recommend it - it runs till sometime in May, I believe. I hope to send my parents there, since they'd probably recognize the music more than I would.
http://www.herongate.com
http://www.whatabagel.com
In the evening, my wife took me to Herongate Dinner Theatre. This was my fourth time there, I think. We watched Forever Plaid, and it was hilarious - though we were by far the youngest couple in the entire audience/dinner . Food was pretty good too. Where else can you get dinner and a show for under $50.00 a person. Thankfully, she did not announce that it was my birthday, even though they sang happy birthday to a bunch of other people. I guess some people like that attention. I find it rather embarrassing, especially amongst a bunch of strangers. Anyway, the show was excellent and I highly recommend it - it runs till sometime in May, I believe. I hope to send my parents there, since they'd probably recognize the music more than I would.
http://www.herongate.com
Airgun Misconceptions Dispelled
This year, I developed an interest in airgunning. I have been greeted with funny, if not downright suspicious looks, from the very few people wo whom I have mentioned this. I strongly suspect that people think if you have an airgun (or any gun), you must be a violent person and are on the edge and are a stone's throw from being Columbine material. Nothing can be further from the truth.
While I have, at this point, not as much interest in getting a real gun licence (powder burners) due to the fact I have no interest in hunting, my interest in airguns is due to the fact that I've always wanted to target practice with an airgun, ever since I was a kid. I know growing up, my parents would have never bought me one, though had I gone to Scouts, I would have had some exposure. For me, airgun target practice is like going to the golf driving range (something else which I love to do). You set a target, aim for it, and it's really all about concentration, discipline and practice. I have no desire to hunt (except for backyard pest control), and I don't possess the arm and upper body strength to draw a real bow, so airguns are a good middle point for basic target practice. I go to a range in Scarborough, which is completely regulated, and safe (and one of the airgunning instructors there was an Olympic medalist back in 1988 - you did know they have airguns in the winter olympics, right?). Probably will go less, now that golf season is on, but it is a great way to relax on a lunch break or when I have a couple of free hours.
So...what's the difference between an airgun and a "real" gun. Now, I must qualify this by saying that some airguns are pretty powerful, but you will need a PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence - formerly F.A.C.) to purchase them. In Canada, the line drawn between a firearm and a non-firearm is whether the projectile velocity is over 500 feet per second (FPS) AND produces a certain amount of energy (I think it's 4.2 f.p.e. - FPE stands for foot pounds energy or something like that - I can probably look it up). Most paintguns are around 300FPS and under, but of course, paintguns shoot paintballs which explode on contact with a water-soluable substance.
In Canada, you need to be 18 or over to buy an airgun.
Airguns come, just like any other gun, in pistol or rifle format. Rifles are heavy (for me anyway, since I'm a weakling), but obviously because of the longer barrel, it is good for distance shooting - if you want to pick off that squirrel that's been nibbling into your roof - wise choice. Generally, for target practice and offical tournament matches, I believe the standard distance is around 10 meters. As a result, you don't need a very powerful airgun at all - in fact, most match guns don't carry a lot of oomph, but they are accurate.
For airguns that are over 500FPS and require a PAL, they are treated like an actual firearm. Some airguns can go up to 1700FPS, but I've heard you start losing velocity at around 1050FPS. I don't have a PAL, nor do I desire to get one, since my application is pretty limited (basic target shooting). I often wonder if I would have joined Scouts, how my eyes would have been as a kid - since you know, Scouts and Cadets use airguns as part of their programs. Right now, I enjoy the occasional recreational shooting.
Airguns are powered by compressed air, and that comes in various forms - a spring loaded gun (often times these are single break-barrel rifles - the more powerful airguns), a pumped gun (which I have never understood since by the time you pump it 6-7 times, your arms are tired), and of course, my favourite, CO2-powered (they come in 12 or 88gram canisters) - generally CO2 guns are not as powerful as a break barrel.
There are different projectiles for airgunning, but for people like me in the under 500FPS crowd, it doesn't really what you use. For paper targets and match tournaments, the best type is the flat wadcutters - the flat head cuts clean holes through your paper target so you can easily inspect how you did. There are other projectiles use for hunting (pointed, domed, hollow point, etc.), but those are for the more powerful guns (over 500FPS). You can get them in .177 caliber, .20 caliber, .22 caliber, .25 caliber and there are other higher calibers as well, but those are the more common ones.
There is a huge audience out there that does modifications to their airguns, to get better accuracy, feel, performance, etc. Most of the standard airguns by in the store are pretty plasticky - generally, some wooden grips would be a welcome addition, etc. I am not into the whole modding thing - the stock options are adequate - though for whatever reason, I love tinkering with different scopes.
Oh, one other thing. You should know that airguns are not exactly the same as BB guns and airsoft guns. While I won't go into it in detail, airsoft uses plastic "BB" type of projectiles, while BBs are metallic balls. Most airgun ammo are in the form of pellets. Airsoft is huge in countries like Japan, which have fairly strict regulations on anything which fires a projectile.
One of the best airguns out there at a great cost is the Crosman 2240. That is a solid gun out of the box and it is probably the most modded gun in the world of hobby airgunning. Some other airguns are not as modular and you can't really take them apart to do anything - again, that is not my area of interest. Another good gun that is match-grade (can be used for tournaments) is the Daisy 7 x7 - it is a single side-pump airgun - really ugly, but good for professional target competitions. There are also some good match-grade guns made by Dianawerk (or Diana for short), but I haven't seen any in the Toronto area - their reputation preceeds them, though.
There are people out there who will say that why get into airgunning - why not collect stamps or something "safer". You ever collected stamps before? I have. BORRRRRRRING... Also, just like on the golf driving range, I get great satisfaction in knowing that with practice, you can get pretty good at target shooting. And airguns are fairly safe to use - lots of safety features and just like anything else, if you pratice good safety and take safety seriously, there is little to no risk for injury. It is people who think that people who use airguns will accidently shoot themselves, really show that they have no idea what an airgun is or how it works (same goes for a "real" gun). You see more serious injuries in kids hockey with slapshot pucks hitting people in the head, knocking out teeth, etc. Obviously, airguns are not toys and are not for kids, but in the hands of a responsible adult who practices safety, they can be a great source of skill development. That is the reason I am developing into an avid airgunner. I am hoping that if I get really good, I'll be able to enter competitive tournaments.
Some people also think guns and airguns are for either people who live in trailer parks or that you need to be a right-wing white person to qualify as an owner of firearms. Nothing can be further from the truth. Just like golf (which people still think is a white man's sport), airgunning has caught on big time amongst gun enthusiasts in the city who are more restricted on what they can shoot in their basements or backyards. I am on several airgun forums and OK, I'm one of few Asians there, but in going to the range, I am finding there are more Asians shooting guns than talking about them. Nothing wrong with that.
People also think gun enthusiasts are violent, uneducated people. I am usually not this forward, but I have a bachelor's degree, I have a family (wife and child), I have never been in trouble with the law, I am active in my church, volunteering in many capacities. I do not have a short fuse, I have a happy marriage, I don't abuse alcohol, I don't get into fights, I don't do drugs, etc. etc. In fact, in meeting other gun enthusiasts, I have found them far more educated on things like physics and other sciences than non-gun owners. Unfortunately, too many people have been watching too many TV shows...
While I have, at this point, not as much interest in getting a real gun licence (powder burners) due to the fact I have no interest in hunting, my interest in airguns is due to the fact that I've always wanted to target practice with an airgun, ever since I was a kid. I know growing up, my parents would have never bought me one, though had I gone to Scouts, I would have had some exposure. For me, airgun target practice is like going to the golf driving range (something else which I love to do). You set a target, aim for it, and it's really all about concentration, discipline and practice. I have no desire to hunt (except for backyard pest control), and I don't possess the arm and upper body strength to draw a real bow, so airguns are a good middle point for basic target practice. I go to a range in Scarborough, which is completely regulated, and safe (and one of the airgunning instructors there was an Olympic medalist back in 1988 - you did know they have airguns in the winter olympics, right?). Probably will go less, now that golf season is on, but it is a great way to relax on a lunch break or when I have a couple of free hours.
So...what's the difference between an airgun and a "real" gun. Now, I must qualify this by saying that some airguns are pretty powerful, but you will need a PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence - formerly F.A.C.) to purchase them. In Canada, the line drawn between a firearm and a non-firearm is whether the projectile velocity is over 500 feet per second (FPS) AND produces a certain amount of energy (I think it's 4.2 f.p.e. - FPE stands for foot pounds energy or something like that - I can probably look it up). Most paintguns are around 300FPS and under, but of course, paintguns shoot paintballs which explode on contact with a water-soluable substance.
In Canada, you need to be 18 or over to buy an airgun.
Airguns come, just like any other gun, in pistol or rifle format. Rifles are heavy (for me anyway, since I'm a weakling), but obviously because of the longer barrel, it is good for distance shooting - if you want to pick off that squirrel that's been nibbling into your roof - wise choice. Generally, for target practice and offical tournament matches, I believe the standard distance is around 10 meters. As a result, you don't need a very powerful airgun at all - in fact, most match guns don't carry a lot of oomph, but they are accurate.
For airguns that are over 500FPS and require a PAL, they are treated like an actual firearm. Some airguns can go up to 1700FPS, but I've heard you start losing velocity at around 1050FPS. I don't have a PAL, nor do I desire to get one, since my application is pretty limited (basic target shooting). I often wonder if I would have joined Scouts, how my eyes would have been as a kid - since you know, Scouts and Cadets use airguns as part of their programs. Right now, I enjoy the occasional recreational shooting.
Airguns are powered by compressed air, and that comes in various forms - a spring loaded gun (often times these are single break-barrel rifles - the more powerful airguns), a pumped gun (which I have never understood since by the time you pump it 6-7 times, your arms are tired), and of course, my favourite, CO2-powered (they come in 12 or 88gram canisters) - generally CO2 guns are not as powerful as a break barrel.
There are different projectiles for airgunning, but for people like me in the under 500FPS crowd, it doesn't really what you use. For paper targets and match tournaments, the best type is the flat wadcutters - the flat head cuts clean holes through your paper target so you can easily inspect how you did. There are other projectiles use for hunting (pointed, domed, hollow point, etc.), but those are for the more powerful guns (over 500FPS). You can get them in .177 caliber, .20 caliber, .22 caliber, .25 caliber and there are other higher calibers as well, but those are the more common ones.
There is a huge audience out there that does modifications to their airguns, to get better accuracy, feel, performance, etc. Most of the standard airguns by in the store are pretty plasticky - generally, some wooden grips would be a welcome addition, etc. I am not into the whole modding thing - the stock options are adequate - though for whatever reason, I love tinkering with different scopes.
Oh, one other thing. You should know that airguns are not exactly the same as BB guns and airsoft guns. While I won't go into it in detail, airsoft uses plastic "BB" type of projectiles, while BBs are metallic balls. Most airgun ammo are in the form of pellets. Airsoft is huge in countries like Japan, which have fairly strict regulations on anything which fires a projectile.
One of the best airguns out there at a great cost is the Crosman 2240. That is a solid gun out of the box and it is probably the most modded gun in the world of hobby airgunning. Some other airguns are not as modular and you can't really take them apart to do anything - again, that is not my area of interest. Another good gun that is match-grade (can be used for tournaments) is the Daisy 7 x7 - it is a single side-pump airgun - really ugly, but good for professional target competitions. There are also some good match-grade guns made by Dianawerk (or Diana for short), but I haven't seen any in the Toronto area - their reputation preceeds them, though.
There are people out there who will say that why get into airgunning - why not collect stamps or something "safer". You ever collected stamps before? I have. BORRRRRRRING... Also, just like on the golf driving range, I get great satisfaction in knowing that with practice, you can get pretty good at target shooting. And airguns are fairly safe to use - lots of safety features and just like anything else, if you pratice good safety and take safety seriously, there is little to no risk for injury. It is people who think that people who use airguns will accidently shoot themselves, really show that they have no idea what an airgun is or how it works (same goes for a "real" gun). You see more serious injuries in kids hockey with slapshot pucks hitting people in the head, knocking out teeth, etc. Obviously, airguns are not toys and are not for kids, but in the hands of a responsible adult who practices safety, they can be a great source of skill development. That is the reason I am developing into an avid airgunner. I am hoping that if I get really good, I'll be able to enter competitive tournaments.
Some people also think guns and airguns are for either people who live in trailer parks or that you need to be a right-wing white person to qualify as an owner of firearms. Nothing can be further from the truth. Just like golf (which people still think is a white man's sport), airgunning has caught on big time amongst gun enthusiasts in the city who are more restricted on what they can shoot in their basements or backyards. I am on several airgun forums and OK, I'm one of few Asians there, but in going to the range, I am finding there are more Asians shooting guns than talking about them. Nothing wrong with that.
People also think gun enthusiasts are violent, uneducated people. I am usually not this forward, but I have a bachelor's degree, I have a family (wife and child), I have never been in trouble with the law, I am active in my church, volunteering in many capacities. I do not have a short fuse, I have a happy marriage, I don't abuse alcohol, I don't get into fights, I don't do drugs, etc. etc. In fact, in meeting other gun enthusiasts, I have found them far more educated on things like physics and other sciences than non-gun owners. Unfortunately, too many people have been watching too many TV shows...
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