Are YOU part of the problem?

If you think that candidate X, Y, or Z is going to make everything okay, you are a major part of the problem with this country.

If I have to explain what I mean, you are most likely a unwitting fifth-columnist fool.

Take care.

DAL357

Are they yankin' my chain?

The following news story sings the health-worthy praises of self-gratification. Actually, if this research is true, from a purely mechanical view of the subject, it just makes good sense; that stuff was meant to leave the body shortly after production, one way or another.


Masturbation may prevent prostate cancer Mon Apr 21, 7:32 PM ET

SUMMARY: Researchers find that men who masturbate frequently are at a reduced risk of cancer.

Frequent masturbation may help men cut their risk of contracting prostate cancer, Australian researchers have found. It is believed that carcinogens may build up in the prostate if men do not ejaculate regularly, BBC News reported on Wednesday. The researchers surveyed more than 1,000 men who had developed prostate cancer, and 1,250 men who had not. They found that men who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to get cancer. Men who ejaculated more than five times each week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Sexual intercourse may not have the same effect because of the higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, which could in turn raise the risk of cancer. "Had we been able to remove ejaculations associated with sexual intercourse, there should have been an even stronger protective effect of ejaculations," Graham Giles of the Cancer Council Victoria, who led the researchers, said in the article.

The prostate produces a fluid that is incorporated into ejaculation, which activates sperm and prevents them from sticking together. Studies on animals have shown that carcinogens like 3-methylchloranthrene can be harbored in the prostate. Frequent ejaculation encourages the cancer-inducing fluids to "flush out." (The Advocate) If you'd like to know more, you can find stories related to Masturbation may prevent prostate cancer .


Now THAT'S a load off my mind. Remember: use it or ooze it.

Take care.
DAL357

In case you were wondering...

I had prepared a rather long piece about the 5.56x45mm (M16/M4) versus the 7.62x39mm (AK47) round, complete with history, but I decided to shelve it in the interest of brevity and just say that when it comes to which cartridge I'd rather stake my life on between the two, I'd MUCH rather go with the 7.62x39mm. Call me crazy, but I think it's a much better thumper out to its designed practical range of 250-300 yards than the 5.56x45mm. Yeah, it's less controllable in full-auto fire (or so I've read) than the M16/M4 round (I have some U.S. army experience here), but I believe one round of 7.62x39mm will do the work of two (okay, maybe 1.5) 5.56x45mm rounds.

Anecdotal battlefield evidence suggests that the 5.56x45mm has a spotty record of decisively stopping enemy combatants. This is simply unacceptable, but the U.S. military has too much invested in the 5.56x45mm now to switch to another round with better terminal ballistics. The new 6.8 SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge) round is a major step in the right direction, but I don't think it will see much use outside of the U.S. Special Forces. More's the pity for the regular U.S. soldier.

Take care.
DAL357

P.S. The photo above shows a ".223 Rem" round, which is, for all practical purposes, the same round as the 5.56x45mm.

Clinton outlines anti-crime plan

I saw the above headline this morning and I instantly wondered if this meant she'd put Bill behind bars, closely followed by herself. (Yeah, I know it's a cheap shot. Sue me.)

Take care.
DAL357

What our forefathers fought for?

Oh, come on now! I can understand a few extra pounds on some people, but this is over achievement on a grand scale.

When I was a kid, back in the '60s, I honestly don't remember seeing anywhere near the amount of obese people I see today; they were the exception rather than the rule. Seems today you can't throw a Big Mac in any direction without hitting one, and then having them become indignant because you didn't toss a Biggie Size order of fries too.

Perhaps the idea is to expand their girth so as to have more canvas for more hideous "body art," aka tattoos? Naw, that can't be it, that's just an unexpected bonus.

I really only have one other thing to say about this: Stop it, people, just stop it, okay? Like it or not, life does have some limits.

Take care (not to get like this).
DAL357

Texas, and a tangent

Whew! Did we ever need that!

Our recent whirlwind tour of San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas, were welcome diversions to an otherwise dreary Colorado winter (I’ll be 49 this year, so EVERY winter seems dreary, not to mention longer than the last). The wife and I, along with our son, took the opportunity afforded by Spring Break (formerly known as Easter Break pre PC) and headed south for warmer weather and old friends. After the short respite from cold weather we had in the Lone Star state, I now understand why older folks move to warmer climes after retirement: because warm weather opens up so many options, an especially important consideration when you begin to realize you won’t be around forever.

One thing that dawned upon me after I returned to Colorado’s second-largest city was how much I actually missed my old pal, Gary. You know, in the area of friends, women have it much easier than men as they age. A woman can maintain lifelong friendships because all she needs to keep them going is conversation. Men, on the other hand, relate to each other by doing things together: watching/playing sports, fishing, hunting, etc. As they age and take on familial/financial responsibilities/obligations, the time just doesn’t seem to be there anymore for these friendship-enhancing activities. It doesn’t help when distance separates the parties either. A woman need only pick up the phone and call her friend in another city or state and her friendship is refreshed. When the same amount of distance stands between men, however, it’s usually the beginning of the end. Activities are difficult to plan and execute regularly at long range. Plus, after a certain age, it seems most men’s capacity for making close friends diminishes. Such is life.

Getting back to the mini-vacation, we had a wonderful time and did all of the touristy things: the San Antonio river walk, the Alamo (hey, I know it’s a shrine to Texas' independence from Mexico, but what a needless, wasteful battle), the caverns tour, the botanical gardens, and the beach in Corpus Christi.

I think one of the reasons this getaway was so nice was our loose agenda. We’ve been on vacations before that were too stacked with activities to enjoy them. Another reason was our hosts’ hospitality; they were simply wonderful. A big thanks to you both!

Take care.
DAL357