tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54885724146234760882024-03-18T23:11:38.088-05:00Hecate's Crossroadthe Witch who lives in the woods aloneHecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-26246096744320462122013-12-10T00:10:00.000-06:002013-12-10T08:11:02.704-06:00Still More Zimmerman Drama<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/09/justice/george-zimmerman-girlfriend/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">So now apparently George Zimmerman's girlfriend wants the charges dropped.</a><br />
<br />
Honestly. Some people just need to grow up.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-4871311701496358112013-12-09T01:09:00.000-06:002013-12-09T05:27:12.452-06:00What's Worse Than 0200 Change Control?Change control at 0100. On Monday morning.<br />
<br />
<i>ETA:</i> And I get to do it again <i>tomorrow</i>. Oh. Yay.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-19449779246487166942013-12-06T12:26:00.000-06:002013-12-06T12:26:00.214-06:00Global Warming My ***It was zero glorious degrees outside this morning with a wind chill of minus-eighteen. Currently the temperature has made it all the way up to ONE ABOVE.<br />
<br />
"Average" for this time of year is supposedly 36 high and 16 low.<br />
<br />
If the Global keeps Warming at this rate, the glaciers will have returned by February.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-27210954980717958062013-12-03T18:59:00.000-06:002013-12-03T18:59:00.760-06:00Rifle ID BlegCan anyone identify the rifle in these photos? Click to embiggen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nqtPY0mG_A_kVbms3Of51qW5p9A69i4a7NaDPxzGsY43EyCyn79dKa8-75VTtbVwVhU4gTv3v5hbqyZrKm7850Rl4FTeiDUXvVLYnncxpkKduB43lzCU2GdpqEdLDS3XhTlHRFojmdk/s1600/DLR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nqtPY0mG_A_kVbms3Of51qW5p9A69i4a7NaDPxzGsY43EyCyn79dKa8-75VTtbVwVhU4gTv3v5hbqyZrKm7850Rl4FTeiDUXvVLYnncxpkKduB43lzCU2GdpqEdLDS3XhTlHRFojmdk/s320/DLR-1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1hhCF8356xNWX-RihmCXUq2aFmZesvUms6OGjWYq6Ohxp7x_AE3HsQT7azRk9Zp-E7ZnJOF0dYF5TSWRl2VebHq6rZOzUPe93ub8SoFzikyjcHbeCVa_SQ_NAoWmlTlkGaPP32hqRP8/s1600/DLR-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1hhCF8356xNWX-RihmCXUq2aFmZesvUms6OGjWYq6Ohxp7x_AE3HsQT7azRk9Zp-E7ZnJOF0dYF5TSWRl2VebHq6rZOzUPe93ub8SoFzikyjcHbeCVa_SQ_NAoWmlTlkGaPP32hqRP8/s320/DLR-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Several active and former military/sniper/Camp-Perry friends have weighed in with their opinions, but unfortunately no two of them seem to agree.<br />
<br />
Thanks!Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-29155921922513514642013-12-03T02:04:00.000-06:002013-12-03T07:05:40.251-06:00Working Change Control at 0200Blargh.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-70174757510846490302013-11-30T20:15:00.000-06:002013-11-30T20:47:38.034-06:00Cognitive DisconnectMy current workplace forbids even a <a href="http://www.leatherman.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leatherman</a> because they consider it a ZOMG SCARY WEAPON.<br />
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But every desk comes pre-equipped with one of these:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt8lVXvFcE3m2Rok96_Q6oVOnJpFX2fvum_F1EluY4FCsk8WssQSc0K6GpptAvoSvKCIJ0on-N74OgVJxygp9qU5TcWgBSyitz25RaV19u5yMBACsRu3jlPGShdyFcM7IgIhN0KWfUZU/s1600/bigscissors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt8lVXvFcE3m2Rok96_Q6oVOnJpFX2fvum_F1EluY4FCsk8WssQSc0K6GpptAvoSvKCIJ0on-N74OgVJxygp9qU5TcWgBSyitz25RaV19u5yMBACsRu3jlPGShdyFcM7IgIhN0KWfUZU/s320/bigscissors.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BIG scissors</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=stabbed+with+scissors&oq=stabbed+with+scissors&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.6995j0j1&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">After all, it's not like anyone could ever hurt you with scissors, right?</a></div>
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Mad, they're all mad.</div>
Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-85061941062387842282013-11-29T14:48:00.000-06:002013-11-30T20:48:52.466-06:00My New MagnumThe ongoing depredations of the <strike>Infernal</strike> <strike>Eternal</strike> Internal Revenue Service pretty much make Buy A Gun Day a fiscal impossibility for me (gotta keep those entitlement slags happy so they'll vote for Democrats again). But that didn't mean I couldn't get a new Magnum on April 15, 2011.<br />
<br />
Meet Design's Airlite Magnum:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoWmkk1yWOqde5J9cZAhnq6befyHkvaPnNMmBdj572hVpEpi1DjprTbyPpdsxbCVhS4Yfv5eY45NeBVSyCMPIqaWFdmehJuYZjmSHn-2KaJWv372edlcevdISCe97idN4blQoPbGlTiU/s1600/fuzzball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoWmkk1yWOqde5J9cZAhnq6befyHkvaPnNMmBdj572hVpEpi1DjprTbyPpdsxbCVhS4Yfv5eY45NeBVSyCMPIqaWFdmehJuYZjmSHn-2KaJWv372edlcevdISCe97idN4blQoPbGlTiU/s320/fuzzball.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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He's three years old now and weighs all of seven pounds. His littermates are named Colt and Remington, so this was pretty much fated to be. His name is appropriate, since he’s the dog version of a .357 scandium J-frame: small and lightweight but packing quite a wallop.<br />
<br />
After a lifetime of German Shepherds, Greyhounds, and a hundred-plus-pound Scottish Deerhound who stood three feet tall at the shoulder, a dog this small is like an alien life form.<br />
<br />
I’m thoroughly accustomed to Greyhounds who learned to open the refrigerator and help themselves. I could deal with a Deerhound who was so tall on his hind legs that I was not physically capable of holding food out of his reach. I figured a dog this small couldn't get into much trouble, right?<br />
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This little monster goes places and does things my <i>cats </i>never dreamed of. Like getting <i>in </i>my kitchen sink by <i>running straight up the front of the cabinet</i> like a military working dog scaling an eight-foot barricade. That's why he's kenneled for his own protection whenever I can't devote my full, undivided attention to keeping him from killing himself.<br />
<br />
My other three dogs are seventy-to-ninety-pound <a href="http://www.greyhoundpets.org/" target="_blank">retired racing Greyhounds</a>, to whom a seven-pound fuzzball* looks mighty like prey. They will never share floor space with him. Without exception there are never less than two physical barriers between them. That doesn't make them bad, it just makes them Greyhounds. It's not their fault they have exactly the characteristics for which they've been bred for 4,000 years.<br />
<br />
Magnum has such a powerful presence that I can't think of him as a tiny dog. He's a very big dog in a conveniently-sized package. He has none of the deformities and neuroses that make so many toy-breed dogs utterly loathsome. My vets just love him, although every time they see him they still say they can't believe I have a little dog.<br />
<br />
<br />Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-26587963058793202722013-11-29T12:53:00.000-06:002013-11-29T12:53:32.497-06:00My HideAway Habit<div>
Years ago, I stumbled across an interesting knife mentioned on a gun forum. Called the <a href="http://www.hideawayknife.com/main.php">HideAwayKnife</a>, it was a small fixed-blade designed to be pretty much undroppable. The unique design made it perfectly suited to both defensive and utility purposes.<br />
<br />
I always carried a folder (or three) and figured I could handle them effectively if I needed to use them for last-ditch personal protection. But as is so often the case, a bit of force-on-force taught me how foolish that was. There just isn't enough fine motor control to spare.<br />
<br />
I ordered a HideAway, along with a training drone and <a href="http://www.shivworks.com/">SouthNarc's</a> great training DVD. I know better than to think a DVD alone can prepare anyone to fight for their life, so I loaned it to an instructor (retired SEAL) I've worked with extensively in armed and unarmed technique. He was impressed, and helped me develop better competency with the little knives.<br />
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Only about an inch and a half long, they fall well within <a href="http://www.thefiringline.com/library/blades/knifelaws.html">most jurisdictions' knife carry blade length limits</a>. Some areas ban all fixed blades regardless of length. <a href="http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/USKnife.pdf">As with the confusing array of gun laws on the books, it is our responsibility to research what is and is not allowed where we live and travel.</a> Nebraska, for example, defines a knife with a blade <a href="http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=s2812001000">over 3.5" in length</a> as a weapon, but then throws in "any other dangerous instrument capable of inflicting cutting, stabbing, or tearing wounds" for good measure. This state also defines a "deadly weapon" as <a href="http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=s2801009000">"any firearm, knife, bludgeon, or other device, instrument, material, or substance, whether animate or inanimate, which in the manner it is used or intended to be used is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury."</a> <em>Animate or inanimate?</em> Well, I did have a cat with an attitude years ago who qualified.</div>
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But getting back on topic, I don't want a bad guy getting any closer to me than absolutely necessary and a knife is absolutely an up-close-and-personal weapon. I also understand that I will not be able to set the parameters of any true defensive encounter. Having highly-concealable options for the worst-case scenario can only be a good thing.</div>
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HideAways are like potato chips, though. You can't have just one.</div>
Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-36972306197550816902013-11-28T23:32:00.000-06:002013-11-29T12:35:38.718-06:00Giving ThanksAs <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/467-life-is-what-happens-to-you-while-you-re-busy-making">Allen Saunders less-famously said</a>, life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. Despite being repeatedly steamrolled by life over these past couple of years, I have quite a lot for which to be thankful.<br />
<br />
After being unemployed twice over a less-than-six-month period, I now have a job I truly enjoy. It's insanely busy, but I thrive in that kind of work environment. An unexpected crisis in the life of someone very close to me resulted in the dissolution of a twenty-year relationship, but a new friendship may slowly be growing.<br />
<br />
My 16-year-old German Shepherd mix, Harriet, died of old age, but I now have 3.1 young dogs happily wreaking havoc (3.1? Explanation coming soon).<br />
<br />
Thanks to a convergence of judgement errors, a new boarder introduced <a href="http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/respiratory_system/respiratory_diseases_of_horses/strangles_in_horses.html#v3294013">strangles</a> to the farm where I board my horses that went undetected until every horse was exposed. Mine are coming down with it one after another, but seem so far to be making uneventful recoveries.<br />
<br />
Beyond the realm of the personal, it seems that Dear Leader's hubris may finally be collapsing under its own weight as even long-term loyalists distance themselves. Harry Reid's Nuclear Option will come back to bite the <strike>Demonrats</strike> Democrats if voters pay attention and they lose their Senate majority.<br />
<br />
Despite more horrific more horrific mass murders gleefully exploited by the lamestream media and would-be gun-banners, the line has mostly been held against those who would deprive us of our rights. And with the fall of Illinois, now all fifty states have some mechanism, however flawed, for lawful concealed carry.<br />
<br />
Overall, life is good.<br />
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We do, however, need to always remember that we are responsible for keeping it that way. The price of freedom and prosperity is eternal vigilance and plain old hard work. Never give up and never stop fighting the good fight.<br />
<br />
Happy Thanksgiving.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-63327850868679503472013-11-27T22:47:00.000-06:002013-11-27T22:47:00.125-06:00Cooperate Or Resist?<div>
Most people who hear about my ongoing battles with folks who want my property agree with my refusal to be intimidated. But every so often, somebody says, "Why don't you just let them have it and go somewhere else to live?"<br />
<br />
Why indeed? Wouldn't it be easier to just give them what they want and run away? That's the way to guarantee I'll be safe, right?<br />
<br />
Sound familiar?<br />
<br />
Whether by threat of harm in the dark parking lot or threat of harm by harassment and intimidation, taking somebody else's rightful property is the same. It makes no difference in principle that the landgrabbers write a check to validate their taking. They are still forcing somebody else to give up something he or she wishes to keep.<br />
<br />
That's the problem. Neither the robber nor the landgrabber has any respect for "this is mine, you can't have it."<br />
<br />
We're told by <strike>our betters</strike> the Authorities that we shouldn't resist a criminal who "just" wants our "stuff." It's only "stuff" and can easily be replaced, right?<br />
<br />
I'll wager the privileged elitists who say that have never been unemployed. They don't understand that "stuff" can be finite, and losing "stuff" can have serious adverse effects on someone's life.<br />
<br />
"Stuff" is survival.<br />
<br />
These elites also don't understand that rewarding behavior is not the way to suppress it. Every robber who scores when a victim meekly hands over the goods is highly motivated to rob again. And every politician who gets reelected after screwing his or her constituents is highly motivated to screw them again.<br />
<br />
The elites wonder why there's no reduction in crime after they restrict effective self-defense and indoctrinate the masses to cooperate with criminals. They just made crime easier, that's why. More than once, a <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/07/s-h-blannelberry/massad-ayoob-on-stand-your-ground-laws/">Stand Your Ground bill</a> died in the Nebraska legislature thanks to a Judiciary Committee infested with anti-defense, pro-criminal (excuse me, pro-disadvantaged-youth-vicitmized-by-society-who-just-want-jobs) quasi-functionaries who prefer helpless subjects to independent citizens.<br />
<br />
Giving your wallet, watch, and self-respect to a criminal is no guarantee he won't use the information in it to look you up at home with a few of his friends. It's no guarantee he won't kill you anyway. <a href="http://wheelgun.blogspot.com/search/label/cooperate%20with%20criminals">There is no honor code of the criminal keeping them from harming submissive victims.</a></div>
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Running and hiding never ends. They always find you again. Being submissive draws victimizers the way decomp draws flies.</div>
Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-57049702845810294002013-11-27T19:34:00.000-06:002013-11-27T19:52:01.071-06:00Another One Bites The Dust<a href="http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/11/27/antigun-colorado-lawmaker-evie-hudak-resigns-to-avoid-being-recalled-n1754179">Colorado Senator Evie "You Don't Need a Gun to Prevent Rape" Hudak is submitting her resignation.</a><br />
<br />
Apparently after seeing two of her partners in (facilitating) crime recalled, she decided to bail so the <strike>Demonrats</strike> Democrats could appoint a replacement rather than lose their majority in the state legislature.<br />
<br />
That's okay. They see the handwriting on the wall. Before, they never took recalls seriously. Now, they fear a recall. Because they've seen recalls work.<br />
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Now if we can only get more recalls going, augmented with a few select impeachments, prosecutions, convictions, and appropriate sentences . . .Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-6073428876606538792013-11-26T19:07:00.000-06:002013-11-26T19:07:13.057-06:00Adventures in Auto RepairA <a href="http://hecatescrossroad.blogspot.com/2008/07/torch-has-passed.html">while back I bought a 2005 Saturn VUE</a> that overall has proven satisfactory. When I bought my first Saturn, its warranty came with PM's included, and the dealership mechanics proved to be excellent. It was easy to become spoiled and let them deal with things that otherwise involved rolling around in the gravel driveway with motor oil and/or transmission fluid in my hair.<br />
<br />
Saturn, alas, is no more, and Saturn repair with access to "factory" parts has been handed off to a short list of Certified Service Providers.<br />
<br />
There are two in my area. One has its business pretty much wallpapered with NO EBIL GUNZ signs, so of course I refuse to reward their bad behavior. The other had been adequate for oil changes and tire rotations, but then the car came up with a Check Engine light (aka "the $300 light" according to a mechanic friend) and was running like crap. Connecting the code scanner revealed only a P0300, Multiple Random Misfires. So I made an appointment for it at Certified Service Provider #2.<br />
<br />
Now understand I did this rather than digging into it myself only because I'm so expletive-deleted busy I don't have the time, not because I'm incapable of troubleshooting and repairing it myself.<br />
<br />
Well, not only did they not fix anything, they told me I needed a whole new freakin' engine. And then sent me this email:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>From: Joe Redacted <service redactedsaturnserviceprovider.com=""></service></i><br />
<i>To: hecate</i><br />
<i>Date: Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 5:49 AM</i><br />
<i>Subject: Thank you! We hope we did an excellent job on your VUE.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Dear hecate,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Thank you for your recent visit to our Service Department. We want to make sure you had a truly outstanding service experience. Our goal is to always give you prompt and efficient service.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>On each visit, we are striving for your complete satisfaction, so we would sincerely appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have regarding this visit.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Our hope is that you will continue to use our Service and Parts Departments exclusively in the future. If for any reason you feel that you can't do so or can't recommend us to a friend, please click the "Reply" button or call me at 855-XXX-XXXX.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Thank you for the privilege of letting us service your 2005 VUE. We value your opinion and we appreciate your business!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Joe Redacted</i><br />
<i>Service Manager</i><br />
<i>Redacted Automotive</i><br />
<i>service@redactedsaturnserviceprovider.com</i><br />
<i>855-XXX-XXXX</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Redacted Automotive Chevrolet Cadillac</i><br />
<i>Certified Service Providers for Saturn and Hummer</i></blockquote>
Yeah, right.
<br />
<br />
After some careful consideration, I sent them the following reply:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>From: hecate</i><br />
<i>Date: Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 7:34 PM</i><br />
<i>Subject: Re: Thank you! We hope we did an excellent job on your VUE.</i><br />
<i>To: Joe Redacted <service redactedsaturnserviceprovider.com=""></service></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Mr. Redacted:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Your service department had my 2005 Saturn Vue for two full days, during which time they put nearly 100 miles on the vehicle and left me with under 1/8 tank of gas. I was told my vehicle "had an engine problem" that could only be addressed by replacing the entire engine. I was given a preliminary rough guesstimate of $3,000 for a rebuilt engine and another $3,000 labor.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The initial presentation was a Check Engine light that coded P0300, multiple random misfires. I was told while in your shop it also coded rich mixture. When I asked how that related to "you need to replace the engine," I was told both codes were caused by oil-fouled spark plugs due to worn valve guides and seats. I was also told I had "no oil pressure at the top of the engine."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Attached is a photo of the plugs that were in my engine when your staff said I had oil fouling. As you can see, there is no oil fouling at all, wet or dry. It would have taken all of five minutes to physically examine the plugs but apparently only computerized testing is the current SOP.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If actually looking at spark plugs to verify fouling is considered excessive effort, I would imagine performing something as basic as a leakdown test to assess actual engine wear would also be out of the question.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Now nothing I was told was technically untrue. I knew when I brought the vehicle in that there was an engine problem. I brought it in expecting a more precise diagnosis. And regardless of the nature or severity of any engine problem, replacing the entire engine will certainly make it go away. I cannot however regard what was done as anything resembling due diligence.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Rest assured that I will never use your services again. If I ultimately determine my engine is truly so severely worn that replacement is potentially appropriate I will pull it and rebuild it myself.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>hecate
</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIQlaWrx2nQYCo8cStaOITI5qoU9bJ8i6kpA5e5gq_kit2IoF2-FSZZXY28PnydcpwXsILc674FcihyphenhyphenXNBBrltmL0fQxvMcjf_Ol2kDhCFR11a56iD936rDECZpBnO4cDtFIw1GhFK38/s1600/IMG_20131028_182831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIQlaWrx2nQYCo8cStaOITI5qoU9bJ8i6kpA5e5gq_kit2IoF2-FSZZXY28PnydcpwXsILc674FcihyphenhyphenXNBBrltmL0fQxvMcjf_Ol2kDhCFR11a56iD936rDECZpBnO4cDtFIw1GhFK38/s320/IMG_20131028_182831.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Now I <b>had </b>to fix the thing myself. After going through my set of factory shop manuals and some Google searches, I decided to start at the air/fuel/spark interface and walk the problem back from there. The first thing I tested was the coil pack, and it was bad. ICM's typically jump off the cliff hand-in-hand with the coils, so I tested it as well. Bingo.<br />
<br />
I believe in fixing one clearly identified problem and then testing to see if anything else is needed. Guess what, no further troubleshooting was necessary. So I sent the Certified Service Provider a followup email:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>From: hecate</i><br />
<i>Date: Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 12:37 PM</i><br />
<i>Subject: Fwd: Thank you! We hope we did an excellent job on your VUE.</i><br />
<i>To: service@redactedsaturnserviceprovider.com</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Mr. Redacted:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I thought you might like to know that I fixed my 2005 Saturn Vue myself.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>It did not in fact need a new engine. All it needed was a new ignition coil pack and ignition control module. I replaced those on Saturday, then drove to Lexington and back on Sunday, a 400+ mile round trip, mostly at 75 mph. The Vue functioned flawlessly. Noise and vibration are gone. There were no engine stumbles, misfires, or DTC's, and my gas mileage was far better than it's been in a long time.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If I were you, I'd be embarrassed that a woman using a Radio Shack multimeter was able to diagnose a problem in less than 15 minutes that your fully-equipped service department failed to detect in two days. Total cost was less than $200 in parts and a pair of dirty hands. It took me longer to find and retrieve a torx bit I dropped in the engine compartment than it took to complete the repair.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>hecate
</i></blockquote>
Funny thing, they never responded.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-18237834085522414472013-11-26T12:16:00.002-06:002013-11-26T12:16:48.892-06:00Received From A Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohM6x9d6lwLMFeky1pSIffpZKjeAKMCZCnJU9MPK2Vr5_w0TGJ2sbz9k9Fc4Jut_bL6w1ITvIKGHQgoEuVwr0ZaVRICRnwEwXb9pL6cC3p3zSB9q58Xyfi9cmtIaI7uXvezufdzfrV7A/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohM6x9d6lwLMFeky1pSIffpZKjeAKMCZCnJU9MPK2Vr5_w0TGJ2sbz9k9Fc4Jut_bL6w1ITvIKGHQgoEuVwr0ZaVRICRnwEwXb9pL6cC3p3zSB9q58Xyfi9cmtIaI7uXvezufdzfrV7A/s320/family.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
That's my kind of family, all right.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-13412479501696445312013-11-25T19:08:00.000-06:002013-11-25T19:08:00.228-06:00Bacon As Public ArtGotta love Nebraska.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTtAKcD-FNRusvLNyw-5mRLFD4a7-zclzOe6MPAXGaaVKu-9m0yoE42LDpJwajZIPtAcQNffRa1r4ffjvoZFumhcgO0iadUjO1tnSCvQ5TIoZXNVqGE1UTRZUhHcxcbqTwHzhwCFEr7U/s1600/silo-bacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTtAKcD-FNRusvLNyw-5mRLFD4a7-zclzOe6MPAXGaaVKu-9m0yoE42LDpJwajZIPtAcQNffRa1r4ffjvoZFumhcgO0iadUjO1tnSCvQ5TIoZXNVqGE1UTRZUhHcxcbqTwHzhwCFEr7U/s320/silo-bacon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRIOg_0JYY7tSvvdO7bWH4EGR2rcKRIEdynMTLT2wg55nK8HnOKUr2t1RqjeMg4dIJISivGYAQGQPjGFzSLaJjUEVP0X0plgF1e6aDjd_iKmZbq579tXA49nql1lRdfrY1XbZuoINhs0/s1600/silo-bacon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRIOg_0JYY7tSvvdO7bWH4EGR2rcKRIEdynMTLT2wg55nK8HnOKUr2t1RqjeMg4dIJISivGYAQGQPjGFzSLaJjUEVP0X0plgF1e6aDjd_iKmZbq579tXA49nql1lRdfrY1XbZuoINhs0/s320/silo-bacon2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-82459184241963717722013-11-24T22:37:00.000-06:002013-11-25T14:50:53.124-06:00Tap, Tap, TapIs this thing on?<br />
<br />
No, I'm not dead.<br />
<br />
Here's hoping I can find the time to post once in a while between working 27 hours a day, 9 days a week.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-71958292325293970872012-01-09T12:28:00.002-06:002012-01-09T14:18:54.393-06:00What She Said<a href="http://agirlandhergun.blogspot.com/2012/01/open-letter-to-anti-gun-folks.html">A Girl And Her Gun: An Open Letter To The Anti-Gun Folks.</a>Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-44812199598401201422011-10-12T12:17:00.001-05:002011-10-12T12:17:00.164-05:00Spam, Spam, Spam, SpamThanks to a flush of spam comments, I have turned on moderation. Never reward bad behavior.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-38759035550986335512011-09-12T05:46:00.002-05:002011-09-13T08:36:44.243-05:00Couldn't Have Said It BetterAs the tenth anniversary of September 11 came and went, I felt more anger and disgust than anything else. Between Dear Leader stumping for yet another excuse to waste our money while accomplishing nothing, and the mandated-helplessness crowd bleating about <i>FEEEEWINGS</i>, I pretty much gave up on writing anything that didn't violate my language-quality policy.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I couldn't have said it any better than <a href="http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2011/08/national-hair-shirt.html">Tam</a>, <a href="http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2011/09/11-sep-2011.html">LawDog</a>, <a href="http://maypeacebewithyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/just-stop-it.html">MattG</a>, and of course <a href="http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/9-11/">Larry Correia</a>. Go read.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-638311479116208062011-08-23T12:31:00.005-05:002011-09-15T09:34:52.521-05:00Sidesaddle For SaleA friend is selling a restored Western-style sidesaddle, without a leaping pommel:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHP1stlXHkJaHmE59v6t5Y8m7O95BgZCNxNWpq-5LhcS0ce1UNuwnKfTX42EDHR4lQhd_CbDmp7NYCF6eBYqF5dwlLCdrjpogjCRRA_z3JIzs1Y-j4ao5H3aI7JRkoX_An-AHNOZDdZ9M/s1600/image3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHP1stlXHkJaHmE59v6t5Y8m7O95BgZCNxNWpq-5LhcS0ce1UNuwnKfTX42EDHR4lQhd_CbDmp7NYCF6eBYqF5dwlLCdrjpogjCRRA_z3JIzs1Y-j4ao5H3aI7JRkoX_An-AHNOZDdZ9M/s320/image3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzTn44xp8UICoUWS6OHw-DS79zX1m6-1fmLN2EDfI-r_S8VUZdvs0mckR6zBa6SMPIGMMbSvCweebt-9R1oVe27LXdATorPhH1EadZLdxFmyKuX28iURDjOAlBwXtgYQav7Zl1m09MBM/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzTn44xp8UICoUWS6OHw-DS79zX1m6-1fmLN2EDfI-r_S8VUZdvs0mckR6zBa6SMPIGMMbSvCweebt-9R1oVe27LXdATorPhH1EadZLdxFmyKuX28iURDjOAlBwXtgYQav7Zl1m09MBM/s320/image1.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVOueRwcYwbmBAdaoHUnPjrqhDfU_uKRLKAXvYJ8mpJrmDbgFX-XGjiehpTnbervKqvPHx7rKmrPbxuydMippCkfpIeZpYgH1tEmpAu_JbtrzDpHoS7bNuQQ96waM-4lFD2qYJnZPGjg/s1600/image2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVOueRwcYwbmBAdaoHUnPjrqhDfU_uKRLKAXvYJ8mpJrmDbgFX-XGjiehpTnbervKqvPHx7rKmrPbxuydMippCkfpIeZpYgH1tEmpAu_JbtrzDpHoS7bNuQQ96waM-4lFD2qYJnZPGjg/s320/image2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>She's asking $350. Leave a comment if you're interested.<br />
<br />
<b><i>UPDATE 09/15:</i></b> The saddle has been sold. Thanks.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-59511089782195300202011-08-19T05:50:00.016-05:002011-08-19T16:59:28.852-05:00If It Feels Hinky . . .I was running errands last Saturday and had just left a specialty store in a small strip mall with my purchases. A woman who looked, shall we say, <i>out of place</i> in that area approached me with some sob story about needing help. She needed money, she needed to borrow (yeah, right) my cell phone, yada, yada, as she kept trying to get within arm's reach. I maintained my distance, explaining politely but firmly that I could not help her.<br />
<br />
Fortunately she finally got the message. I then watched her go into the store I had just left, the only one in the vicinity with no customers inside, just a single late-teens-early-twenties female sales clerk with the situational awareness of a doorstop.<br />
<br />
I pretended to have forgotten something and went back into the store. The woman was regaling the young clerk with the same spiel as she edged closer to the open end of the counter. I stood off to one side, where the woman could see I was watching her out of the corner of my eye.<br />
<br />
Funny thing, she quickly left the store and was nowhere to be seen when I went out again to the parking lot.<br />
<br />
Pay attention to that built-in hinky meter.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-25772834991760956752011-08-02T12:25:00.006-05:002011-08-02T13:17:32.675-05:00Oh, This Would NEVER Be AbusedBy our Benevolent Overlords:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/violetblue/how-the-new-8216protecting-children-bill-puts-you-at-risk/590?tag=nl.e539">How The New "Protecting Children" Bill Puts You At Risk</a></i></b></div><br />
HR1981 forces ISPs to retain customer names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and dynamic IP addresses for eighteen months. The information would be available to police and attorneys upon request. Even civil litigants would be able to access this data.<br />
<br />
As ZDNet's Violet Blue states:<br />
<blockquote><i>"This has nothing to do with porn. In case you’re like the Reps that passed this nightmare and you’ve forgotten: pornography is legal in the United States.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"It is pedophilia that is illegal. But for the sake of harnessing hysteria to get a bill passed, clearly these particular Republicans find it convenient to conflate “pornographers” as pedophiles. Last time I checked in on the matter, pedophiles did not operate within the laws surrounding adult pornography."</i></blockquote>Gee, kinda like criminals do not operate withing the laws surrounding guns.<br />
<br />
Just as with guns, there are plenty of ways to track down pedophiles without keeping 18 months' worth of highly confidential data on every single internet user in the country. As a professional network engineer, I've worked on many investigations ranging from employees behaving badly to kidnappings and serial killers. Not one of those investigations was impeded by lack of this legislation, or would have been advanced by its presence.<br />
<br />
HR1981 (1984 would have been a more appropriate bill number) happens to be sponsored by a Republican ostensibly against Teh Ebil Pr0n, but it could just as easily been crafted by Democrats against <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/02/opinion/the-tea-partys-war-on-america.html?_r=3">Tea Party</a> <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60421.html">Terrorists</a>. One can't help but wonder whether there's some wink-wink-nudge-nudge going on across the aisle with this one.<br />
<br />
As with criminals vs. law-abiding gun owners, the <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5825746">percentage of pedophiles vs. legitimate internet users is microscopic</a>. There is absolutely no justification to collect information on <i>272.1 million</i> internet users to track down an estimated 10,000 sleazeballs. Just like registering everyone's guns will have no effect at all on violent criminals, but will surely facilitate abuse of the law-abiding.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-69138244779715989412011-07-11T18:41:00.000-05:002011-07-11T18:41:00.156-05:00Well, Whaddaya Know?There really IS a pony under all that hair.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6ZSHUgrTeIKejV0Oh8mEV0EayRdaEwoDybFQcXVO6pbpqoH6vgj-GLPlCR9uWRXMW4EM3ofpE3z0psbTG4C445Ig2xjtm4sGf7XFceT9QeY2N2Hgp4ms9ALO8yVDdNeWqPNEUB0RajM/s1600/MiltonTrim1-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6ZSHUgrTeIKejV0Oh8mEV0EayRdaEwoDybFQcXVO6pbpqoH6vgj-GLPlCR9uWRXMW4EM3ofpE3z0psbTG4C445Ig2xjtm4sGf7XFceT9QeY2N2Hgp4ms9ALO8yVDdNeWqPNEUB0RajM/s320/MiltonTrim1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628213267312536306" /></a>Note the Labrador Retriever behind him for a full appreciation of Milton The EvilPony's™ size -- or lack thereof.<br /><br />That's <a href="http://sharpequestrian.com/">Erin</a>, the oh-so-patient hoofcare professional trimming the little monster's feet, getting down to his level rather than ruining her back.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Believe it or not, Milton has actually lost some weight since his 24x7 corn-vacuuming adventure last winter.</div>Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-63582374375611868792011-05-30T10:24:00.005-05:002011-05-30T10:29:26.600-05:00Memorial Day 2011Never forget.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXx7LZz_djNv0pEZBNs2rdtiUU-F1S6ziKX5e4QtesBIBEncinNZvcGBK44I0A_wpNGftAD6yJyEdbGwoqLakmXsg_supeKpSIBPR7ith017-Pk4Qs_r8E4_JsqW7nITKa2v0qaQ_ciPw/s1600/IRAQ2011.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXx7LZz_djNv0pEZBNs2rdtiUU-F1S6ziKX5e4QtesBIBEncinNZvcGBK44I0A_wpNGftAD6yJyEdbGwoqLakmXsg_supeKpSIBPR7ith017-Pk4Qs_r8E4_JsqW7nITKa2v0qaQ_ciPw/s320/IRAQ2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612530845492889474" /></a>Never forget the sacrifice of the warriors who defend our freedom, tenuous as that freedom may be these days.<br /><br /><a href="http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2004/08/those-without-swords-can-still-die.html">And never forget, as Tolkien said, that "those without swords can still die upon them," whether those swords be held by a foreign enemy or one's own government gone to ruin.</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Px0bcQmLkR4dgFFNSSinYpm_UYU6TgExnOgIaUqEMbLLKJcxp8pOiuy0K8IgfLQBtgfuRfuQLik0gWxH_sM0vlU0HKmY9DImdrgUXwjO0xnsxV5Jq-VsYCB9TR_8WlqtMPETgSzM9n8/s1600/MOLON.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Px0bcQmLkR4dgFFNSSinYpm_UYU6TgExnOgIaUqEMbLLKJcxp8pOiuy0K8IgfLQBtgfuRfuQLik0gWxH_sM0vlU0HKmY9DImdrgUXwjO0xnsxV5Jq-VsYCB9TR_8WlqtMPETgSzM9n8/s320/MOLON.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612530663564061922" /></a>Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-42291295580438666132011-05-04T18:23:00.000-05:002011-05-04T18:23:00.723-05:00The Brady Campaign Shows Us The WayThe Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun <del>Ownership</del> Violence has handy "scorecards" that show us what deficiencies exist in each state's gun laws. By examining <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/stategunlaws/scorecard/NE">Nebraska's Brady scorecard</a>, we see that Nebraska has 5 points for gun control out of a possible 100.<br /><br />Obviously, a score of 5 is a problem. By examining the scoring detail, we find Nebraska earned 2 out of 2 possible points for "Employers not forced to allow firearms in parking lots," 2 out of 2 possible points for "Colleges are not forced to allow firearms on campus," and 1 out of 2 possible points for "Some local control of (firearm) regulations." Nebraska also earned 0 of a possible -2 points for requiring a permit for concealed carry.<br /><br />That clearly shows us where we need to focus our efforts. Laws must be enacted in our state to prohibit employers from banning secured firearms in locked personal vehicles, remove the "spree killer empowerment zones" from our colleges and universities, enforce total statewide preemption of firearm regulations, and enact Constitutional carry.<br /><br />Accomplishing all of those things would give Nebraska the coveted Perfect Brady Score of -2.<br /><br />See? Who says we can't learn anything from the Brady Bunch?Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488572414623476088.post-5249107239863536852011-04-21T05:57:00.003-05:002011-04-21T16:05:24.436-05:00Rewarding Bad Behavior<a href="http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2011/04/dear-eric-heyl.html">Recently a certain columnist at a certain Pittsburgh online newspaper wrote a sexist, misogynistic screed about women and the NRA.</a> It was picked up by the blogosphere, driving lots of new traffic to that paper's website.<br /><br />Online newspapers make their money from advertising, and in order to sell advertising their sites need lots of hits. They will be more than happy to hold their noses and keep the most disgusting so-called writers on staff if those writers' vile blatherings generate said hits.<br /><br />Complaining to the authors of offensive articles, who are attention-whores anyway, accomplishes nothing. Like the dog who soils the carpet because being beaten is preferable to being ignored, any attention is better than none. And complaining to their bosses only confirms the "value" of the hit-generator.<br /><br />So rather than link back to the crap itself, thus proving its value to the publisher, make one short visit to the newspaper's website. Take note of the biggest advertisers, and contact <i>them</i>. Explain exactly why you will never spend another dime with them if they continue to support such garbage. Copy the so-called writer and his bosses on <i>that </i>message so they understand precisely why their revenues are likely to decrease.<br /><br />And just for the record, in case this so-called writer should blunder in here, "it's satire and you're too stupid to see that" isn't working for Scott Adams and it won't work for you.Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10334937938185561628noreply@blogger.com4