GregKopp.com

By Greg Kopp on 6/9/2007 12:04 PM

I've decided to schedule another CCW class. Deadline to register is June 30th.

By Greg Kopp on 6/8/2007 6:08 PM

When: Saturday, July 14th, 2007. 7:00AM – 7:30PM

Where: A&A Shooting, Garrettsville, Ohio 44231

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS JUNE 30th, 2007

An expanded version of the NRA Basic Pistol course, designed to teach the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude for owning and using a pistol safely. Extra non-NRA material will meet the training requirements for an Ohio Concealed Handgun License.

Students will receive the NRA's "The Basics of Pistol Shooting" handbook and intensive lessons in safety, gun handling, the various types of pistols, the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship, various pistol firing positions, several practical exercises on the firing range, cleaning, storage, and a summary of pistol sports and activities.

Students will receive feedback on the live-fire exercise and a course certificate upon successful completion of the lessons. There is a short written test on the lesson material. ... Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 6/5/2007 9:46 PM

Microsoft is hosting free Microsoft Web Experience events at the Los Angeles Microsoft office on June 8th and the Denver Microsoft office on June 15th. They will be presenting information on building the next generation user experience on the web.

They are providing breakfast and lunch, hosting a reception with beer and wine, and attendees are automatically registered in a drawing for an XBox 360 and a Zune that will be given away at each event. For more information, visit http://kaevans.sts.winisp.net/Shared%20Documents/webexperience.aspx.

By Greg Kopp on 4/23/2007 8:09 AM

My son and I entered a local Karate tournament this weekend at the Northcoast Karate Championship in Medina, Ohio.

In his division (beginner, 11 years old), Joe came in second place in Kobudo (Weapon's Kata) with Bo-Ichi, a beginner's Bo kata. He came in first in open hand Kata with Han Shodan (a novice level kata). He also came in first in Kumite (sparring). He did great and I and his mom are very proud of him.

In my division (beginner, 35 and over), I came in first in Kobudo with Tsui Sho, a novice Bo kata, and first in open hand Kata with Taikyoku Niedan (a beginner kata). I had also enetered in the Kumite event, but there were no others in my division, so it was canceled. The director of the tournament, Shihan Jeff Ellis arranged for a little "fun" sparring between myself and a black belt, Bob Burns, wh ... Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 12/14/2006 11:30 AM

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure sto ... Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 9/23/2006 1:14 PM

By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, September 22, 2006

Religious fanatics, regardless of what name they give their jealous god, invariably have one thing in common: no sense of humor. Particularly about themselves. It's hard to imagine Torquemada taking a joke well.

Today's Islamists seem to have not even a sense of irony. They fail to see the richness of the following sequence. The pope makes a reference to a 14th-century Byzantine emperor's remark about Islam imposing itself by the sword, and to protest this linking of Islam and violence:

· In the West Bank and Gaza, Muslims attack seven churches.

· In London, the ever-dependable radical Anjem Choudary tells demonstrators at Westminster Cathedral that the pope is now condemned to death.

· In Mogadishu, Somali religious leader Abubukar Hassan Malin calls on Muslims to "hunt down" the pope. The pope not being quite at hand, they do the next best thing: shoot dead, exec ... Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 7/28/2006 12:00 PM

Here is a great statistic to bite into: Cooking four normal sized hamburgers in a fast food joint emits the same amount of VOC's (volatile organic compounds) as driving a current model car for 1,000 miles. (Engelhard) in Hong Kong, "The 9,000 restaurants in HK also contribute to fine particulates and volatile organic substances. Other components of fumes are oils, fats, aliphatic hydrocarbons, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, aldehydes and elemental carbon." (read study here) In New Jersey, 16,000 restaurants release 2,226 tons of particulates, more than all of the heavy diesel vehicles in the state (1,329 tons, Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 7/28/2006 11:14 AM

On Sunday, John Kerry said of Israel's war against Hezbollah, "If I was president, this wouldn't have happened," adding, "we have to destroy Hezbollah."

But wait a minute — Hezbollah didn't attack us on 9/11! Wouldn't fighting Hezbollah distract us from the urgent task of finding Osama bin Laden?

Democrats can't come out and admit that they refuse to fight any war in defense of America, so they utter the "Where's Osama?" incantation to pretend that they'd be doing something. To wit: dedicating the entire resources of the U.S. military to locating Osama bin Laden.

Thus, in the third presidential debate, Kerry complained about the cost of the war in Iraq, saying the war was "the result of this president taking his eye off of Osama bin Laden."

After making the capture of Osama bin Laden their sole objective in the war on terrorism, now Democrats expect us to believe they would have been fighting every other Muslim jihadist on the planet like mad — just not ... Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 7/10/2006 6:49 PM

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said "He roll ... Read More »

By Greg Kopp on 6/23/2006 9:15 PM

I could then use the styrofoam as a template to cut out the 1/2" plywood subroadbed to match using a jig saw. I designed into the cutout a wider area around each turnout for placing the Tortoise slow motion switch machines. I should have done more research. I assumed that the Atlas code 55 turnouts were operated like the HO turnouts I had years ago, by a hole in the center of the the throwbar between the rails. Oops. The hole for the switch machine actuator is at the ... Read More »