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Don't misunderstand me. I don't ascribe to the "god in gaps" theory at all. I believe that there is a scientific explanation for all phenomena including our evolution, the Big Bang, Schroedinger's Cat, etc...

I believe that God gave us the greatest miracle of all: The ability to think freely, theorize, prove and the ability to communicate our findings. That  there are people out there that wish to limit our ability of thought, choice and our ability to truly learn "how it works" is perhaps, in my mind, the greatest sin of religion (Aside from killing in the name of god).

I was raised Catholic and in irks me that the Vatican tried to suppress scientific thought in the name of retaining power over the masses. This is the same sin that many religions are committing today.

I believe that it is our mandate to learn as much as we can. We will make mistakes but to refuse to learn, or refuse to allow others to learn and explore knowledge about "why things are the way they are" is immoral.

God did not allow us to evolve our minds just to shut them down. To not use our minds for learning truths, scientific or otherwise, goes against   the basic design of our brain. If we use only ten percent of our brain, (that God gave us?), wouldn't one think that god had far greater plans for us than where we are now? Wouldn't one think that we are supposed to evolve so that we can use all of the power of our brain? If the quest of knowledge and truth, therefore the maturity of the abilities to use our whole brain, is suppressed by religious edict are we not going against Gods' will?

When I was a child my grandparents would watch Hee Haw. Of course I was forced to watch it with them when we visited as they only had one tv. I had always thought Clark more of a comedian than a musician. When he played I used to laugh at his faces he made and someof his songs but I never really payed attention to his playing.

It is funny how one's perspective changes when one sees things differently. I realized, tonight, that not only was Clark a very funny man but a phenomenal (one of the best I have ever heard) guitarist.

I think this is the best advice for you right now.

Does not matter if it is acoustic or electric I want to look at them all. A few months ago I, my wife and the in-laws went to Old Town Temecula. During the summer they have bands set up along the street and play. I wanted to stop and watch every band not because of the music (much of it was good) but to look at the tools of the trade. I had to keep going as the other three would not stop!

Pix,

I understand that you may be coping well and I don't want to harp but how about your family? Do you think they could benefit from the CISD? I am not a "sensitive" person. I feel that I can cope with the stuff I have seen pretty well> I did not ask for the CISD in both the cases I mentioned, other crew members did. I went as part of the crew and thought that it could not hurt. It DID help me too. In the case of the child abuse death I felt that there was more I could have done. Much seemed to go wrong on that call from teh moment we were dispatched: Wrong info, told we were going on a syncopal 20 YO woman, wrong address given; told en-route that that syncopal was actually a full arrest; arrive on scene to find that it was not a 20 year old but a 20 month old! I could not get the tube, trouble with the IO, etc...

We are used to it and it still bothers us. Your family is not. Perhaps they could benefit?

As I said: I don't want to be a nag but if my family was involved in a situation like this and CISD was offered I would do it...

I pray that all is, or becomes, better for you and your family.

My daughter's rabbit...

When I was in the 7th grade I took a guitar class because my father played. My brother and I both received Cauehenga classical guitars for xmas and I used that in class. I could not barre well at all, became discouraged and stopped playing. I don't even know what happend to that guitar. since, I have always wanted to play but my experience in the 7th grade always came to mind and I would not do it.

Now for the bunny...Last August my daughter asked if we could adopt a rabbit. I said no and we got one (overruled by wifey). Daughter goes off to college a week later and we get a rabbit. We had to let the rabbit exercise so I would take it into the daughter's room and let it run around for about 45 mins or so. One night I was in with the bunny, bored, and spotted my daughter's guitar (the one she asked for for xmas a few years ago and never played much because "it hurt my fingers").

I picked it up and started playing. I went online and got some tabs (from here) and kept it going. Pretty soon I had my own Epi A/E and kept it up. Now I am hooked!

Wish I would have started a few decades sooner...

Ok. I take extreme offense to this as I am a firefighter and a member of a public safety union. First: The unions DO NOT IN ANY WAY determine who they will or will not help when the bell rings. We. Do. Our. Job. Period.

I don't care if you like unions or hate unions I am there to help and I don't ask how you feel about me or my brother and sister unions members. If you asked the union members how they would have handled this situation most, if not all, would have said: "Hell yes! I am going to put the fire out and let Chiefy worry about the money!"

Second point for you and every other sheeple who has jumped on the "Unions are the reason we are so bad off!" bandwagon: Of ALL the corporations that were "TOO BIG TO FAIL!" (Remember those ominous words the Republican Party and Wall Street were ramming down our throats in '07?) how many were "union" corporations? Lets see....Bear Stearns (NOPE), Citigroup (NOPE), Goldman Sachs (NOPE), Bank of America (NOPE), Morgan Stanley(NOPE), PNC Financial Services(NOPE), AIG (NOPE), JP Morgan Chase (NOPE), Wells Fargo(NOPE) , US Bancorp (NOPE), Capitol One (NOPE), Amex (NOPE), Discover Financial(NOPE), Bank of New York Mellon corp(NOPE)., State Street corp(NOPE), GMAC Financial(NOPE), Chrysler (Yes) and General Motors (YES).

I see TWO corporations that have any large unions presence and BOTH OF THOSE CORPORATIONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR BUSINESS PLAN (WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH THE UNIONS) AND HAVE PAID THE FUNDS BACK. The rest of the recipients (many who were to use the money to help you and I out) are still doing business as they did it prior to the economic crap hit the fan. NONE are union shops. The major banks were to use the funds to help US get loans to make keeping our houses easier. You try to get a loan from them lately?

You can't if you don't have 20 to 40% down and your credit rating is in the high 700's. Hell, even then they are still denying loans!

HOW ARE THE UNIONS, ESPECIALLY THE PUBLIC SAFETY UNIONS, RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT?

You, sir, are just what the politicians and Wall Street were looking for after the TARP bailouts: People willing to look in ANY DIRECTION other than theirs for the economic woes. Their fingers pointed to the unions.

Stop utilizing FOX as your only news source. Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh are sycophantic nitwits. Put down the grape Kool-Aid and open your eyes.

For everybody else I apologize.

Stepping off the soapbox now....

Some of the best ideas of our time were actually "invented" by science fiction writers years ago. Here is a small list of inventions:

Robert H. Heinlein
  waterbed
  waldo devices (remote "hands")

Arthur C. Clarke:
  mono-molecular blade (never needs sharpening. still in development. Based upon the single-strand carbon monotube)
  single strand carbon monotube
  Recently there has been talk of a "space elevator" using single strand carbon monotubes. Clarke "invented" this one too.

There are many other devices "invented" by SF writers including laptop computers, tablet computers, cell phones (think of the Star Trek flip communicators), flat screen TV's, etc...

This is an extreme example of the pitfalls of rural fire protection. I can say, without a, reasonable, shadow of a doubt, that this would not have happened in southern California. We have Auto and Mutual Aid agreements that would result in a response and action once on scene.

One of the answers to this problem is billing: If a homeowner chooses not to pay for fire protection and needs that protection then the fire department would respond, mitigate the emergency and then bill for full services. If the homeowner has insurance the insurance company, often, will pay the bill. If the homeowner does not have insurance then the homeowner would be fiscally responsible.

That could work in Southern California and does. I don't know if it would work in other states as many do not even use auto/mutual aid where apparatus from surrounding communities would respond automatically to supplement the district that needs it.

This is no different than paying a subscription fee for and ambulance/EMS service which is very common across the country. If you don't pay the yearly fee the EMS company will respond but you will be responsible for the bill which could cost a couple of thousand dollars.

My electric guitar is a Behringer iAXE629. It has the USB port so I can play directly into my comp if I have the amp program. I just use my amp.

I fully intend to replace the stock PU's in mine with aftermarket PU's. I am going to start on the neck single-coil and replace it with a Seymour Duncan mini-hum. I then intend to replace my stock tuners with something more stable and I will probably replace my bridge. I know that if I saved my money I could have bought a new guitar but this one is mine, I like it, and just wish to make it better.

I am a firefighter so I will weigh in: This is the second time in this county that something like this has happened in the past year or so. Here is what you are not told: These people actually live outside the area that is covered by the nearest fire department. They do not pay for any fire protection at all. They have the choice to pay 75 bucks  a year to have the fire district respond to their house but choose not to. Then when a fire does break out they want the district to respond, without paying for protection, on other taxpayers dime, to fight their fire AND leave the fire district uncovered.

Is YOUR house worth paying 75 bucks a year to be protected? How much would you save in house insurance if you payed for this fire protection? You can pay 75 bucks a year and pray that you never need it or ignore the safety of you, your family and your neighbors and not pay...And then when your house burns; endangers you, your family and your neighbors you can lay the blame of your irresponsibility at the feet of the fire district that offered to protect your home if you did what the residents of the district do:PAY FOR FIRE PROTECTION.

I am sorry that a family has lost their home but they took the risk and chose not to do what most others do: Pay for fire protection. They wish to benefit from the largess of others, took a gamble and lost.  They even chose to forgo paying AFTER their neighbor's home (he refused to pay the fee) burned to the ground last year. How do they defend their rational for refusing to pay for a basic emergency service,which like all other fire departments now days, is underfunded?

I apologize if I sound uncaring and callous. I am not. I am tired of the media and public twisting facts and pointing fingers at public safety for the ills of our economy. These people made a CONSCIOUS decision NOT TO PAY for a basic service that every land owner must pay either in taxes or a fee and then they expect to get service on YOUR dime.

No firefighter likes to stand around and NOT do something. The debate between firefighters about both incidents is hot and heavy and not every one of us agrees as to what is right. What we do agree upon is this: If a homeowner/resident has the ability to provide fire protection to themselves why would they not do so? Are they lazy? Stupid? Trying to make a point?

Now that they have been caught with their pants down, lost their house and belongings, they have chosen to pass responsibility for their own irresponsibility upon the shoulders of the fire district.

While I am saddened that a family lost their home and troubled that the fire department would not do anything I am also pissed that the homeowners would make the choice that they did and then feel they are ENTITLED to services that they did not pay for yet expected to receive.

ON YOUR DIME.

Then when they did not, they bitch about it knowing the press would slant it as if it was the fire district's fault.

Is it really?

Sorry for the rant. I am tired of my brothers and sisters in the fire service (especially the public safety unions) being portrayed by the media and politicians as lazy, overpaid, over-benefited, pigs at the public trough.

Sigh....I will now step off my soapbox.