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May 2nd, 2005 Water Torture - Inhumanity, thy name is NeilMed. I've had a rather bothersome head cold since Thursday, which erupted into fully-stuffed agony Friday, eased marginally Saturday, and finally relented Sunday evening. All the time I've been only barely able to breathe through the tremendous amounts of cruft embedded in my nose like a Fox News reporter in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Enter NeilMed, or as I fashion it, what Ted Kennedy would like to do to anyone who brings up Mary Jo Kopechne in his hearing. It's a bottle with salt water that you shoot into your nasal cavity. Seriously. My mother in law is to blame for this, I suppose. Where she got it I have no idea, but she forced Jennifer to use it growing up and now Jennifer is strongly encouraging me to use it for my stuffiness. The idea is that by flooding your nasal cavity with warm salt water you can loosen enough cruft so that you can breathe easily, the overflow draining out the nostril opposite of where you inhaled it. Oh, it works. You just have to breathe through your mouth and tell yourself repeatedly that you're not drowning, all while being careful to not go too fast or you'll blow a mix of snot and salt water into your mouth. Oh, and don't look into the sink. Just don't. Meanwhile, my generic Sudafed is working well enough that I can talk myself out of using the damnable thing both morning and night. But come bedtime, if my nose isn't clear, I don't stand a chance of getting to sleep, so off to the bathroom I go to face the flood. From Hell's gate I blow snot at thee, NeilMed. Guns - Might as well talk about the AK-47, since I haven't yet, and its getting late in the day, so I'll just rattle off something I can remember from the History Channel. Ironically, Tchaikovsky is playing on WinAmp right now.
The other most-recognizable silhouette from the Cold War made its public debut in 1956, during the Soviet Invasion to put down the Hungarian desire for freedom. It had been developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947, following World War 2 and adopted in 1951. The commies had been some of the first to realize the need on the modern battlefield for a short-range fully-automatic assault weapon, and their 7.62x39mm cartridge was perfect for the job. They just needed a rifle as easy to maintain as the SKS it was to replace and as easy to make as their fragile infrastructure could withstand. Mikey's AK-47 was perfect for the task. It fired a .30 caliber low-weight bullet at a muzzle velocity of roundabout 700 meters/second, which limited its effective range to about 300-400 yards. That was okay, since the Soviets didn't expect to engage effectively with rifle fire beyond that distance. The sights could account for farther distances, but longer shots put the round into a cone large enough to enclose a train - not exactly the accuracy you need at long range. The more beautiful thing about this ugly gun is its simplicity. Not only is it easy to manufacture, but it tolerates sloppy construction much more than any American weapon of which I'm aware. There are claims from Americans who captured them in the combat of Vietnam that you could open the bolt, throw in a handful of dust, and the thing would function fine. Though any dust in the barrel would produce heavy wear and dangerous overpressures, the claim is believable. A civilian equivalent (lacking the full-auto fire option) runs anywhere from $200-$500 bucks, depending on country of origin, features, and quality. Magazines run about $20-$30, and ammo is about $62.50 per 500 shots, assuming $2.50 for 20 rounds. |
Toys |
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