Breakfast Granola for 5/10/11

Jalopnik has the accurate take on this NSFW-language Youtube clip:

Most of you are probably sane, normal people capable of reacting normally to [encountering a police shootout]. But just in case here's a lot of things [these white dudebros] did wrong:

• Don't drive towards police officers with guns drawn
• Don't think that by crouching down you're safe
• Don't tell your friend to "chill"
• Don't listen to Pearl Jam when you might die
• When the police get in their cars, it's probably time to go
• Once you decide to move away don't stop again
• When the cops are hiding, you should be hiding
• Don't videotape yourself doing any of this

And there ends today's obvious lesson.

Oh, Pearl Jam-listening white folks, you so crazy!

Breakfast Granola for 3/23/11

From the general googlewebs, file under "Guns don't kill people. Pink guns do!":

When a burly ex-convict forced his way into a posh Florida home last week, he had no idea what awaited him -- a 25-year-old beauty queen with a pink .38-caliber handgun.

Meghan Brown, a former Florida pageant queen, shot and killed 42-year-old Albert Franklin Hill during a home invasion March 12 at the 2,732-square-foot house she shares with her fiance in Tierra Verde, Fla.

[....]

Brown, who reigned as the 2009 Miss Tierra Verde, snatched her gun from a nearby bedroom and shot the suspect several times – hitting him in the chest, groin, thigh and back, her fiance said. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene.

[....]

Hill had a criminal record stretching back nearly three decades -- including arrests for burglary, battery, drug possession and grand theft. He reportedly served a 13-year prison term in 1987 and was released in September after serving a fourth term behind bars.

1) Way to go, Meghan! This goes to show that it's not the color or caliber, but wherewithal and killshots, that'll put down an orc.

2) Way to go, Criminal Justice System! he said sarcastically. The only thirty year career not worth having ought to be a criminal career, but Hill sure tried. Too bad it took a civilian to end it when it could have been ended previously by solid incarceration.

Breakfast Granola for 11/16/10

Reason #4080 why the Toyota Prius sucks: the unintended acceleration REALLY kicks in while intoxicated. This dumdum turns a single crash into 3, one of which is into a police cruiser. From Jalopnik:

Reason #4080 why Gran Turismo 5 needs to release on time

Because people will think Grand Theft Auto will teach them how to drive. Like this:



Found on Jalopnik.

Gimme my In-n-Out!

There is an In-n-Out proposed for Pleasant Hill, bordering Walnut Creek, but at least some in Walnut Creek are opposed:

"We know you [the Walnut Creek City Council] are involved, but we need more from you," said Laura Milstead. She is worried about the possible crime and the kind of late-night crowd it might attract to the area.

One resident was so upset by the thought of an In-N-Out next to her neighborhood that she cried as she pleaded with the council for help.

Seriously? I think you need to calm your asses down. Here are the talking points:

1. It attracts long lines of idling cars that emit exhaust fumes contributing to asthma.

2. It serves noisy crowds that blare car stereos with no regard for whom they irritate.

3. It is a late-night magnet for inebriated young adults who are in need of food to sober up.

4. It distributes wrappers, bags and napkins to patrons who litter neighborhood streets.

To this, I reply:

1. Make sure the restaurant is appropriately situated, sufficiently large, and has the capacity to serve everyone quickly. Add traffic lights or other road measures to keep things moving and it'll pay off soon enough.

2. Call the cops, issue tickets, make arrests, collect fines (money). Disturbing the peace is a crime. Don't make it seem like loud stereos are a new mineral.

3. Call the cops, issue tickets, make arrests, collect fines (money). Public drunkenness and DUI are crimes. At least they're stopped and want to be not-drunk. Beats them plowing through your house while you're asleep.

4. Call the cops, issue tickets, make arrests, collect fines (money). Littering is a crime, and an easy +$1000 for the jurisdiction that gets it.

In short, there is a gap in In-n-Out coverage; look it up, there's a distinct blank in the triangle constituting Walnut Creek-Concord-Martinez. From The Mine, the alternatives are Pinole or San Ramon, so being able to get the In-n-Out fix without traveling at least a dozen miles is most appreciated.

Besides, it's in Pleasant Hill. Walnut Creek, stay out of the way of the grown folks!

The journalist's paradox

Journalists are an odd breed; most are at least liberal, and are rapid proponents of the freedoms of speech and press. On the other hand, they tend also to be rabidly anti-gun, by and large.

And so we cut to Mexico, where El Diaro de Juarez kowtows to the drug cartels so that they may be consumed last:

In a front-page editorial Sunday, El Diario de Juarez asked drug cartels warring in this city across from El Paso, Texas, to say what they want from the newspaper, so it can continue its work without further death, injury or intimidation of its staff.

"Leaders of the different organizations that are fighting for control of Ciudad Juarez: The loss of two reporters from this publishing house in less than two years represents an irreparable sorrow for all of us who work here, and, in particular, for their families," the editorial said.

"We ask you to explain what you want from us, what we should try to publish or not publish, so we know what to expect," it added.

It was the newspaper's second front-page editorial since gunmen attacked two El Diario photographers Thursday — one a new employee and the other an intern.

The new employee, Luis Carlos Santiago, 21, died and the intern was seriously wounded as they left their office to have lunch.

In 2008, a crime reporter for El Diario was slain outside his home as he was taking his daughters to school.

Dead, missing or fled
At least 22 Mexican journalists have been killed over the past four years, at least eight of them targeted because of their reports on crime and corruption, says the Committee to Protect Journalists, a U.S.-based media watchdog group that plans to present its report to Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday.

In Mexico, a land where criminals have the advantage of firearms, the free press withers and accepts its new role as hostage.

The situation is far more complex than the absence/presence of firearms -- there's drug policy, law enforcement, federal willpower, and public sentiment to also consider -- but I always found it curious that not all Amendments of the Bill of Rights get equal billing (or column inches) in the eyes of journalists, especially where the Second would go a long way to protecting the First.

Gun safety FAIL

How hast thou erred? Let us count the ways:

1. Failed to treat weapon as loaded.


2. Failed to keep finger out of trigger guard.


3. Failed to point weapon in safe direction.

Congratulations, Plaxico Burress, Jr., your reward is a .40 S&W slug in the thigh!

Police UAVs? SkyNet is Preparing

Police with UAVs? That's all we need. What' next, criminals with EMP generators made from their sound systems.

The Draganflyer X6 UAV Police Edition

From Gizmodo

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