RANT

WTF...my night messed up my day! For those that might not know, your sun is my moon and my moon is your sun. I was sound asleep when I was woken up by an argument thinking it was work related, but it was not, then I go to work just to run into another self-centered person that does not know the meaning of team work; however, their true colours came out when they least expected...I at least now know where I stand with them even though the seniority status means nothing to them.

Just Don't Understand...

Somethings are just hard to understand sometimes.... This generation seems not to care about anything, work ethics are out the window, courtesy for others have gone by the ways, and priority seems to be all over the chart! I remember when it you started work you really didn't know when you got off work without any questions (you got paid for it anyways like today); priority was set in such a way you took care of family first and then everything else, but at work what was important or sensitive material it got taken care of first; courtesy was just a natural thing to do, you open doors for others, was on time wherever you went, and you really didn't back talk or challenge someone that was giving a directive.... whatever happen to those days?

K. Briscoe

Karen Briscoe, Office Manager, a lady that was full of energy, always attentive to everything around her - R.I.P. 2011 December 06.

I remember the first time I met Karen, I had to get something out of the unit and she wouldn't let me in through the inner doors of the office, she was the "key keeper", I managed to get in via the back door to drop off what I had and when she saw me inside (knowing she didn't let me in) she gave me a lecture for "sneaking in" [2004]. Whenever I got involved dealing with a crime scene, she was the announcer to all in the office, that I was on the news; I took the time to speak and get to know her, a very interesting person, she always wonder how people could live from paycheck to paycheck. When we moved to the new location, my Jeep leaked oil and unknowingly to me, I always parked in her spot and she left me a note about it, which I laughed since I didn't have a cat to bring litter for the oil, but if you wanted history...she was the one to go to.

See Something, Say Something Campaign.

It has amazed me how society has changed throughout the years, before we were almost "care free" without a worry in our mind, living with a sense of "safety" in our own land/country with an occasional controversy within the government versus the people - the "Big Brother"; however, all that changed in one day, well, not really.

Our land [country] has been constantly changing, new laws, new rules, new this, new that, etc., many things the people had voiced their opinion on and many things just got changed and no one knew they did. The Constitution has been under attack for a long time now, just recently it seems like it has been more out in the front line since that special day - 2001 September 11. Yes, I called it a "special day" only because many things had happen then and after that day. We were comfortable in our own backyards, knowing that we can defend our property, the government wouldn't allowed someone to just "walk" into our country to disrupt our ways of life, we can travel about without having the hassle of going through "check-point-charlie" at the airports unless you were coming back in from an international flight and then you dealt with Customs, but things were changing. I can't remember the dates or years that it occurred, but we had our own terrorist attack on our land, the Oklahoma bombing of the Federal building, Ruby Ridge, and Waco; however, I'm sure there might have been some others that I may be too young to remember and that is not counting any of the other events that were mentioned briefly in the media dealing with U.S. citizens abroad in travel or cities with their own "civil war" like problems that were labeled as "riots".

Now as a freelance photographer, I can remember befriending several emergency personnel to gain access to scenes [behind the yellow line] to take photographs, felt free to take photographs of anything I wanted that caught my attention and I thought it was an interesting subject being an object or a person in a public place, and not have my motives questioned.

Recently, I was out and about doing just that! I was bored and took a drive late one evening and went cruising about the area, checking things out to see what can "catch my eye" to photograph. I knew I was limited as to what I would be photographing because I only took a limit amount of gear and was running out of day light hours quickly. I took a trip down an old road to see what I would see and it was not long I had several options. The stadium lit up by the sunset, an empty park, a park with parents setting up practice field for the little leagues of soccer, people jogging along the sidewalk, a wash, and many more things. However, none of these really "caught my eye" so I kept searching, I turned down another road and a construction site caught my attention. A new location for the wilderness park to open in 2012, of course before it became a "wilderness park", back in the late 90's it was just a recreational area where you can freely drive, walk, etc., unto it and set up your blind before day break to take photographs of wildlife as they stir with the first light of day. As I took photographs of the area, the new building, and the old location where they had their sign, a jogger happen to past me and the flash caught her attention. I chuckled to myself when I saw her stop and immediately grabbed her cell phone and started dialing and trying to get my license plate number (I made it easy for her I made sure she could see it), I took my time and continue with my task.

The thought of the campaign that the Homeland Security with local law enforcement that have been overly heard on radio broadcast and seen on television "See Something, Say Something.", came across my mind and the piece of paper that I have printed from the ACLU, "Know Your Rights: Photographers". For the first time in my life I thought to myself, that I should have made copies of that piece of paper and carry it inside my equipment bag(s) and in my vehicle(s) just in case some "citizen" that does not know the Constitution and/or have bought into this "watch your neighbor" syndrome from the 60's cause some delay, inconvenience improv conversation with local enforcement, just because they thought I was doing something wrong.

For those photographers that may be interested in knowing what the ACLU might have to say... Check out American Civil Liberties Union - Know Your Rights: Photographers.

The funniest thing of it, when I down loaded my images unto the computer, I had no photograph of people, not even that jogger even though she did looked like a celebrity.

Cool History Lesson

This History Lesson is brought to you from a friend of mine that was bored one day and did some research, which he felt compelled to share with others. So have I.

Back in the 1500's

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot and then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor."

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't afford to buy a pot...they "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low. The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June... However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom of today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children, last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the [Bath] water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stog things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice "clean[?]" bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "Dirt poor."

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence: a threshold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: "Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot nine days old."

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

Those with money and plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guest go the top, or the "upper crust."

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometime knock the imbibers out for couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of "holding a wake."

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell, Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

And that's the truth....Now, whoever said History was boring!!!

"I was taught to respect my elders, but I find it keeps getting harder to find anone elder (LOL)."

Firearm Refresher Course...

This Firearm Refresher Course was Emailed to me and have been seen throughout the professional sites among us instructors and/or LE sites. A lesson that all should adhere to...

Firearm Refresher Course:

1. "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson.
2. "Those who trade liberty for security have neither." ~ John Adams.
3. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.
4. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
5. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
6. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
7. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.
8. Know guns; know peace; know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
9. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
10. Assault is a behaviour, not a device.
11. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
12. The United States Constitution © 1781. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
13. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
14. What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you NOT understand?
15. Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians.
16. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
17. The American Revolution would never happened with gun control.
18. "All men are created equal." ~ Samuel Adams.

The Pledge of Allegiance (United States of America's)