I'm very happy with the number that I got. I made a lot of posts during vacation time to position myself, then sat back and waited for someone to take #59. I have BDLEs #59 and 60, and MPLEs #53, 54, 55, 60, and 61, so I wanted to be JYD #60 since I had both in that number. If I can get SoD #60 too, I'll have the trifecta.

Not bad, especially for me considering I have been using a minimag for the past 2 years.

hey guys. my jaw and teeth are numb from clenching as i work on this john petrucci song.

The difference in "throw power" is more a matter of focus than anything else. LEDs are difficult to focus properly because the actual "light emitting" part is a flat square that is flush to the back of the assembly. If you put an LED into a reflector cone intended for an incandescent, you get a lot of spill. Which weakens the hotspot. Our D-cell maglights have 3 watt LED in them now, and they work fine for distance, but the hotspot is definitely not as bright as the old bulb. If you want a good long-range LED you need one that's made for that purpose: we have such a device, and the reflector cone is much deeper than your average mag light.

Personally I like the spill you get because it really opens up the night. You can see more without having to wave the light around uncovering each bit of terrain. I've got a 1 watt AA maglight where you can unscrew the head all the way and you get close to 180 degrees of light. Works very very slick for lighting up a room or work site.

Jim said:

yeah I was like, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> that ain't like him! We change sig lines all the time, quotes, to jokes.
60 is a very good number (almost as good as 50!) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, I read Magnum's post and thought "WTF"? Jim would'nt say that...Looked for the second line of the "quote" and could'nt see it either...can another member alter someone's post and then quote them as saying it? Now that could cause a lot of bother......

The operative question, I think, is where do you stop doing the bailouts?
Credit institutions, banks, auto manufacturers, airlines, lumber, oil and energy?

Here in Canada, they're talking about bailing out the auto manufacturers, who
have lost many jobs within the last couple of months, but not about bailing out
the lumber industry which has been struggling for the last couple of years.

Geographical economic politics come into play here in a big way.
If you bail out the auto industry, you aid the central part of the country, and
if you don't help out the forest industry, you send the western part of the
country into economic freefall.

Fair play in all of this, seems to have been set aside in favor of the political
voter base. Help out the areas that have the most political clout, and forget
those who don't have the power base.

Not a good sign for those of us who live in Western Canada. This leads to a lot
of anger on the part of Westerners. Westerners who control most of the resource
base of the country, by the way.

Is it the same way in the U.S. where the bailouts are pitting State against
State?

Are there hard feelings between States regarding this issue, or does it even
exist?

Down here it's often categorized as "Pork barrel" spending. Representatives will trade votes for one another's pet projects. Those politicians who have greater influence with other representatives and who hold key positions on different committees can bring home more "pork" than others, so yes, it does cause some hard feelings if your state doesn't get nearly the return on your taxes that some other state does. Of course, it's all in the definition, one person's pork is another's idea of basic government service. Here's a Web site that reports on it: Citizens Against Government Waste

Hard feelings aren't just between states though; regional resentment is also common. As an example, I work in Louisville, KY. There's a very strong feeling that Louisville doesn't get a fair return on their state taxes; the politicians in Frankfort seem to spend a lot more per capita in their area than makes its way back up north.

I can understand that. We have such a rivalry between our town and one just
to the southeast of us. It seems as though they get more "goodies" in terms of
govt. spending than we do. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Regarding the politicians in Frankfort, it's the same probably as every where else. Seniority rules. Seniority abuses. Seniority gets the fat of the land. That's why I support term limits for politicians, among a lot of other reasons. Level the playing field I say.

There is a good plot line in the film GI Jane about this....the Governor (female) backing Jane faces potential military spending cuts and base closure in her State Texas....this is used to get her to withdraw her backing...military base closure would spell economic death for the townsfolk nearby...it's worth considering how this type of "horse trading" probably goes on....same in our country too I bet.

Belated congratulations Jim.
JYD# 60

Way to Go!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />