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I love Firefox, really I do.  But I find myself wandering away whenever I see new features like independent processes and the “New Tab Page” in Google Chrome or Frontrow-style switching in the new Safari 4 Beta (which I couldn’t find in my cursory glance).

One thing that keeps me coming back to Firefox time and again is add-ons, specifically Flashblock — I cannot stand browsing without it.  Other browsers, if you’re listening:  blocking Flash animations until specifically and individually enabled makes the Internet a much nicer place to play.

Firefox, if you’re listening:  keep up the good work, but work on a little innovation now and then.

To date, there have been roughly 733,458 days since the Common Era began.  If you spent $1,000,000 every day since January 1, 1 CE, you would still not spend as much as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will spend over the next few years.

(HT: Rush Limbaugh, I believe.)

I’ve been playing around lately with the public beta release of Windows 7 on my MacBook and overall enjoying myself.  I have never used (or even touched) a Vista installation so I don’t have any bad experiences to taint my impressions.

I’m using Parallels Desktop 4.0 on a 14-day trial, and Coherence Mode with Windows 7 works quite seamlessly.  I am able to log into and use Quickbooks Online Edition (which requires Internet Explorer) for my business accounting, while maintaining my OS X environment.

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via The Rule of Reason

From The Forum:

A North Dakota program that distributes venison to the needy will only accept deer killed with arrows, over fears that firearm-shot meat may contain lead fragments.

…

The study was done after Dr. William Cornatzer, a Bismarck physician and hunter, alerted health officials last spring. He conducted his own tests on venison using a CT scanner and found lead in samples of donated deer meat.

Cornatzer’s findings spurred the state Heath Department to order food pantries in the state to throw out donated venison, saying it may have lead fragments. Other states followed with similar alerts.

* With no offense meant to the homeless who regularly read this blog.

This week’s topic was Jail and Juvenile Detention tours.  We began by meeting at the WFPD station and carpooling to the Juvenile Detention Center, just off 10th Street South.

The Juvenile Detention Center is run and managed by the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and staffed at all times by two deputies on 12-hour shifts.  The Center can hold up to 22 individuals when double-bunked in 11 rooms, but typically has fewer than 11 at one per room.  Tonight, eight juveniles were being held.

Any juvenile charged with a non-status crime (status crimes are curfew violations, underage smoking or drinking, etc.) may be held at the Juvenile Detention Center, and will remain in the Center unless charged in District Court as an adult.  In some instances individuals may be held up to age 20 in the Juvenile Detention Center, depending on circumstances.

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Week 6 of the West Fargo Citizen’s Police Academy was originally booked for K-9 and DUI, but the vast wealth of information discussed on K-9 pushed DUIs to another date.

The West Fargo PD does not maintain its own K-9 units, but does utilize both Cass County Sheriff and Fargo PD K-9 units as needed.  All three officers of the Fargo K-9 presented at our class session, held at the West Fargo police station.

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Well, for some reason I decided not to write about CPA for the last two weeks.  To make up for it, I’ll be writing about Weeks 5, 6 and 7 tonight …

Week 5 of the West Fargo Citizen’s Police Academy was SWAT week and was again held at the Training Center up north with members of the West Fargo, Fargo and Moorhead CPAs.  The class started with an introduction to SWAT (“Sit, Wait and Talk” … or “Special Weapons and Tactics” depending on whom you ask) and some personal histories of the team members present.  If you want the details and statistics that were disclosed, you should take the Academy yourself (believe me, it’s well worth it — and free, too).

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Minnesota won’t let me hunt in their fine state this year because I was born in 1980.  If I were born in 1979, I could get a nonresident small game license with a pheasant stamp, but because I was born in 1980 I cannot.

Everyone born after January 1, 1980 must complete a Hunter’s Safety Course to obtain a hunting license in Minnesota … BUT Minnesota has an Apprentice Hunter Validation allowing one to hunt with licensed Minnesota hunters without having to take the Hunter’s Safety Course … BUT the one-year Apprentice Hunter Validation is only for Minnesota residents.

Still following along?

So because I was born in 1980 and I am not a Minnesota resident, I cannot buy a nonresident small game license.  I also cannot take a Hunter’s Safety Course because the schedule for this year in the entire Fargo-Moorhead area is over.  No hunting this year for me.

Ah, Part Two of Firearms, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways …

1. We just got down to business and shot guns.  No discussion, no lessons (save a brief manual of arms introduction to the Glock … easy as can be).
2. First shot using Officer Jason Anderson’s Glock 22 service pistol cut the intersection of the X at seven yards (see photo below).
3. Another officer to Jason: “It’s not how good they are, it’s how good you make them.” Officer Anderson to me: “Put the rest of the rounds off the target, we’ll tell them you used the same hole.”
4. Double taps in the X-ring.
5. Body armor drills with two to COM and one to the head.
6. Eight shots inside the 8-ring in 3.3 seconds.
7. 42 of 43 total shots in the 9-ring (seven head shots).
8. 34 of 43 total shots in the X-rings.
9. Four for four from 75 feet within the 7-ring: one in the X-ring, two in the 9-ring.
10. Firearms Training System (FATS) … ’nuff said.

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