Tag Archives: opinions

Light Saber for Adults?

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At first thought, the Spyder 3 Arctic is a cool toy with which to play. It brings to mind Star Wars laser fights and who did not enjoy the scenes from that movie. Every kid had light saber fights at some point in their lives, didn’t they?

More uses than you would think

Besides the fact that you can tell all your friends you have a laser, the laser does have practical uses. You can start a fire with it. The laser can set paper on fire, cardboard and small sticks. It can also be seen for miles. Besides the constant high intensity mode, low intensity strobe and high intensity strobe, there is the distress mode. These are all beam intensities. The distress mode can flicker in a Morse Code S. O. S. pattern. This feature, along with the ability to light fires, can be a lifesaver in a situation where you are lost in the woods. It could save your life if you are trapped in a hole somewhere that no one can hear you too.

Potentially Dangerous!

If we face the facts, this toy is not really a toy. In the wrong hands, it could be dangerous. This could be said for many other products though. The safety features like Smartswitch make the device a little less scary. The button to turn on the beam does not work until a sequence of button pushes is entered. It’s like the child safety cap idea for laser beams.

Another potential danger is the powerful light beam itself. While most people are not going to leave the beam on their skin for any length of time, they will look at the beam not realizing it could be causing damage. The beam on your skin will burn within seconds. The effects on your eyes will not be seen immediately. The laser comes with safety glasses free in every package. Just like we know not to stare at the sun, we should know not to stare too long at bright lights.

So, to sum it all up in some cool facts; the laser looks like a light saber and can bring us mentally back to a simpler time of real light saber fights with friends. It is completely legal to own this cool piece of gear. You can tell everyone you actually own a light saber. The laser can light fires, and it can be seen from miles away and can pulse in Morse Code. This could save your life at some point. You never know until you actually need it. It is being tested by The Guinness Book of World Records as the most powerful hand held laser.

National Security and Intelligence under the Obama Administration

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The remaining half of Obama’s first term continues to face difficult issues with respect to the economy, education and healthcare. Security is one issue often fading behind the prominence of job creation and federal deficit. Obama must still contend with ending two wars, securing the borders and a Wikileak in intelligence. The Administration has dealt with national security globally while concerns rest with securing the border. Issues revolving around national security could partially define the remainder of Obama’s term.

In 2007, Senator Obama stated support for the war in Afghanistan not Iraq. Efforts to exit Iraq continue as the Obama Administration no longer view Iraq a threat to security. The war in Afghanistan was ramped with addition of more troops this past year. Afghanistan and Pakistan are believed the residence of Al Qaeda radicals intent on America’s destruction. However, Obama removed the terrorist label from his May 27 document covering national security and Al Qaeda. His intent was to view extremist as enemies and not label the peaceful Islam community.

Nuclear proliferation continues to be one of Obama’s primary global concerns. His push for recent Senate approval of the Strategic Arms Reduction treaty, or START, proves Obama is serious about weapon reduction. The START treaty placed limitations on the number of nuclear weapons for Russia and the United States while incorporating a system of inspection. Obama hopes Russia will provide support against nuclear development in Iran. It could have been a good move toward improving national security and received strong bipartisan support including former President George Bush Sr.

President Obama continued global cooperation on national security by establishing the Center for Excellence with China during the visit with China’s President Hu. The goal of the center is a collaborative effort to share technology and improve security in China and Asia. Opposition to the center views an opportunity for China to gain and use American nuclear technology. China is a country holding considerable American debt and wants to establish a new role as a superpower.

There is still question concerning domestic security and the borders along Mexico. Obama has clearly expressed the southern border is a federal concern after the suit against Arizona’s immigration law. Obama does not seem to have a clear plan for dealing with border security as stated by Peter King, the new Congressional Chairman of Homeland security. This followed Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano’s scrapping the construction of a border fence.

Obama also must contend with leaks in intelligence as classified documents have found there way onto Wikileaks. It shows a definitive weakness within the intelligence community and could be problematic in future global collaborations.

Obama’s effort in establishing national security appears to concern global operations over domestic. The Mexican border is a potential entrance point for future “enemies” and Obama should secure the southern border from potential threat. Without domestic security, a single nuclear or biological weapon could be devastating to the United States. Global arm reduction without domestic security is not beneficial to national security.

Smokeless Cigarettes Changed My Life!

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I have been a smoker my whole life. My life has revolved around smoking. This has become increasingly difficult as more and more laws are being implemented to limit where people are allowed to smoke. What makes it even harder for me is that I live in New York City, where you are barely allowed to smoke anywhere.

I have tried over the course of the last 20 years almost every method out there to try to quit smoking, but nothing has worked. From the patch to the gum to Welbutrin, I have never managed to stay off of the cigarettes for more than a week or two.

Because of this, I decided to research a new thing I heard about recently, smokeless cigarettes, or electronic or e-cigarettes as they are sometimes called. The way these work is pretty cool, and the cool thing is that they simulate the actual smoking experience while having the advantage of being allowed everywhere that real cigarettes are not.

An electronic cigarette looks exactly like a real cigarette, but is actually quite different. When you inhale an e-cigarette, you receive water-vapor that contains nicotine and propylene glycol. This allows you to get the nicotine, which is the one substance in cigarettes that you are addicted to, but not all the harmful substances like tar, hydrocarbons and hundreds of other poisons. They also come in all the same varieties as normal cigarettes, such as normal and menthol, as well as full-flavored and light, which contain differing amounts of nicotine. This option can be utilized by those who are using the smokeless cigarettes to try to quit smoking.

These babies act just like real cigarettes, and they have saved my life. They are legal everywhere; in my office, in bars and restaurants, on trains and even on airplanes you can smoke with no fear of being reprimanded or even arrested. When you inhale one of these cigarettes, it fills your lungs with a warm water vapor that contains nicotine. After exhaling, the water vapor evaporates quickly, and it affects no one. It also tastes like a cigarette as well. And no more nasty second-hand smoke for those around me. I am so happy I found the smokeless cigarette. They have made my life, and those around me at home and work, so much easier. I would love to shake the hand of the person who invented these smokeless cigarettes; he or she has drastically changed my life!