The Insincerity of the Gun Argument

With Vice President Joe Biden set to deliver his recommendation on what to do about guns, it is time to call out a couple of things about the complete lack of sincerity many have when espousing their gun control talking points:

• The "if it saves even one life" argument - What utter hogwash.  You want to save "even one life?"  Drop the speed limit to 20 MPH for every road everywhere.  You'll save tens of thousands of them.  But at the end of the day, it is not about saving lives, is it?
• The "we need to protect our children" argument - If it were about protecting the kids, why would there not be guards at schools already?  But no.  Here we stand, nearly a month after Sandy Hook, and nothing has been done to make schools significantly more safe.  Instead, we get a lot of political platitudes, and we wait for the next massacre to occur.
• The "high capacity magazines and assault rifle control" argument - What folly.  Exactly what kind of guns are killing a majority of the people in the US?  Handguns.  Now, the tough question: exactly who is it that is using those guns?  The bottom line is that the vast majority of our gun deaths are inner-city killings done by gangs and criminals.  New York did something about it (albeit to the detriment of the 4th Amendment, but that is a separate rant) and their murder rates have fallen appreciably.  Chicago has done nothing but pass gun legislation after gun legislation, and they have become the murder capital of the nation.  

Hunters and common citizens are not killing people in this country.  Hardened criminals are.

Let's get real here: the outcome of additional gun laws will only make it harder for law abiding citizens to take lawful action.  It will do nothing to curb the criminal element.  Gun violence will continue, and additional calls for more "control" will continue as well, and the cycle will continue.   

But that's by design.  The anti-gun argument isn't about saving lives, or the children, or controlling just one segment of firearms.  It is about disassembling the 2nd Amendment, brick by brick.  Not wanting to waste a good crisis, that is exactly what some folks intend to do.  

And they're more than happy to leave our kids exposed to ensure that it happens.

Getting Back My Yellow Dog

The Yellow Dog had a pretty tough fall season.  She gained weight and lacked drive and energy. Since she's approaching her 8th birthday, I was chalking it up to old age setting in.  And it wasn't limited to her performance in the field, either.  On walks with Mrs. YDP, the dog just didn't have the same spring.

While I attempted to treat it via pain medicine, my wife felt it was something more, and a couple of months ago took the dog in for a check up.  My wife, a sufferer of thyroid trouble herself, felt the dog showed a lot of the same symptoms as one who did not have the right level of thyroid flowing through their system.

Sure enough, she was right.  The tests came back and showed that the dog was indeed hypo-thyroid.  

An "I told you so" was also summarily delivered.

We started the dog on synthetic thyroid, and within 10 days she showed immediate results.  The excess weight fell off quickly, the energy level came back, and the spring returned to her gait.  It was remarkable.

Between the timing of her diagnosis, the busy retail season, and the hustle of the holidays, I did not have the chance to get the Yellow Dog back out into the field since she started on the treatment.  Yesterday I leveraged the opportunity of warm Green Bay weather to hit my hunt club and work up a couple of birds.  While the weather wasn't perfect - there was a strong 30 MPH wind which would make scenting and shooting difficult - at a minimum it would be a good excuse for a long walk.  And it would also be a test to see how the dog was doing.

What a difference!  My dog was back!  The dog hunted hard all day, and showed an energy level she hadn't shown in nearly two years.  It was like someone had turned back the clock.  Here is some video:

We had put out 6 roosters, and ended up bagging all of them, although I might have had to do a lot of shooting to accomplish it.  It made for a good photo:

When we got home, the dog leveraged some hard earned couch time, although it wasn't as nice for Mrs. YDP:

It was great to have my dog back.  I mean all the way back.  Thanks, honey, for taking matters into your own hands.  I owe you one.  Again.  

Dolphin Stampede Video

One of the best parts of our bi-annual trip to the Bahamas is that rare occasion where we're able to encounter a dolphin while on our boat.  We've been able to see multiple, in singles and pairs, through the years, with some being very close encounters.

However, we've never encountered anything like this:




This video was taken off the coast of California by a whale-watching junket.  

I'd say that folks on that trip go their money's worth.

This is Not Your Typical Gopher Basketball Team

With the recent Vikings and Irish losses, I was starting to get the feeling that my being a fan of a specific team was the kiss of death.  Thus, when the #8 Gopher men went into face the #12 Illini in Champaign, I was worried.  And immediately after tip off those worries were warranted.  The Illini were the biggest, quickest, and most athletic team the Gophers had played since the Duke game, and the game started in shaky fashion.

But no worries - this Gopher team plays fantastic defense, and between the contested shots and cold shooting by Illinois, the Gophers pulled away in the second half for an easy win against a top 15 team.  

Beyond their defense, which is really outstanding, this really is an impressive team on multiple fronts.  They run 10 deep - literally, as the first substitution that was made by Coach Tubby Smith last night had all five starters replaced.  And these 10 players are not just bodies either.  All can play and have specific  sets of strengths that compliment the rest of the team.  As evidence, all one needs to do is to look back at the box scores of recent games to see that on any given night one or two different guys are going to step up and carry the team.

Last night it was Trevor Mbakwe's double-double, and Hopkins native Joe Coleman going off for 29 points.  Against Northwestern last weekend, it was Austin Hollins' 5 three-pointers and Rodney Williams 27 points.  Against Michigan State, it was Andre Hollins' 7 free throws and 31 points that were among the leaders.

I've been a Gopher basketball fan since my folks had season tickets back in the 1980's.  I have seen some amazing players and amazing programs.  But in all that time, I have never seen a Gopher team this deep and multi-dimensional.  This is just the kind of team that can make a big run in the NCAAs, and it will be fun to see what they can do.

However, they're going to need to get through the Big Ten first, and that is only going to be made more difficult with their next game on the road against #5 Indiana this Saturday.  That will be a great indicator of exactly what this team is capable of producing.

How to Start a Career in Ecommerce - Part 1: It is Easier than You Think

I was interviewed recently for a book on careers in ecommerce, and the question was raised on what one should do if they wanted to start off a career in the industry.  It is a great question, and I'm surprised that it hasn't been covered more extensively.

Hence, I will be creating a blog series to address the question.  While I know that it will have very little appeal to the regular traffic of Yellow Dog Patrol (and for that I apologize to the loyal readers and contributors), I expect it will get traffic from the search engines, and hopefully the advise helps.

As someone that hires folks in ecommerce, you might also say I have an ulterior motive.

So we begin the lesson:

So you want to get a career in ecommerce?  Congratulations!  It is a competitive, fun, dynamic, rewarding, and ever-changing career.  And I mean ever-changing:  

• 15 years ago it basically didn't exist  
• 13 years ago email marketing was just gaining hold and Google was just being born 
• 8 years ago Web 2.0 and a new level of interactivity was born
• 6 years ago Apple launched the iPhone, and set m-commerce on its way
• 5 years ago Facebook explodes, and creates a whole new arm of electronic marketing
• 3 years ago Apple launched the iPad, and tablets take off as new access points to websites

Whew, what a list!  Each and every one of these points (and many others that have not been listed) have been incredibly disruptive, and have required ecommerce marketers to adapt and change.  Hence, if you're looking for a nice, stable job where your days are are the same day to day, year to year, this is definitely not the career for you.

With so much at flux, how could anyone enter into the industry?  From the outside, it looks like trying to board a train that is speeding by the depot.  While I admit that the speed is daunting, there are tons of tools.  Tons.  And the even better news is that many of the best ones are free.  Hence, if you're up for some work and some self-study, the door to a job in ecommerce will open wider and quicker than in just about any other industry.  And as someone that hires for this industry, I can certify that is not an exaggeration.  

Stay tuned for the first step on getting started.

Irish Without the Fighting - Notre Dame Rolled in National Championship

The storybook season had a nightmare ending, as the #1 ranked and unbeaten Notre Dame Fighting Irish were destroyed last night by the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 42-14.  The Irish, dominated in all aspects of the game, were not able to cap off an incredible season which began with them being unranked and found them at season's end with the best record and highest ranking in the nation.

The Irish needed to play a perfect game, and what they executed was far from it.  Penalties, blown assignments, and more missed tackles than they've had all season doomed them from the start, and the execution of 'Bama's line, both on offense and defense, gave Notre Dame no chance of getting back into the game.

While the Irish nation is likely feeling pretty sore this morning, there are lots of reasons to provide optimism for next year:

• The team will have a seasoned core of players that have "been there, done that."  That experience will be important.
• Freshman QB Golsen will only get better next season, and will be an even  more dangerous weapon
• The recruiting class for next year is simply outstanding, and there will likely be players that will be able to contribute right away.
• We're Notre Dame.  As Lou Holtz says, "We play for the University of the Mother of God!" There's always optimism in that.

Thank you, Irish, for a season of some really great football.  I can't wait for next year.

The Holidays in Photos

It has been a crazy couple of weeks, full of work, play, travel, and family.  There's a lot to recap, and the best way to do that is likely through the photos of everything:

Work had a "Holiday Sweater" day, and what could be a better solution than a hockey sweater, especially from my beloved Wild.  Bonus points the the red and green as well.

My admin gave me the nice Vikings stocking that got hung on my door.  Very nice.  Unfortunately, she filled it with coal.  I can't wait for performance review time.  Meanwhile, some other person hung the Packers banner directly outside of my office.  If that isn't a hostile work environment, I don't know what is.

The day of our travel back to Minnesota, my team and I hosted one of our company's customers (and 13 of her family and friends) in our company's sky box at Lambeau as part of a sweepstakes win.  Here are some of the best ecommerce talent in the world getting ready for the game in typical Lambeau tailgate fashion

It wouldn't be a visit to Minnesota without seeing some friends.  And having a beer.  Oh, who am I kidding?  The beer was the only "given" of the deal - the buddies just happened to be there...

We made it down to South Carolina to see my side of the family, and immediately headed to the beach.  While it was a little chilly (nice earmuffs, Mom) it beat the heck out of the snow at home.

My brother-in-law had the great idea for a "polar plunge" into the frigid ocean to kick off the new year.  Here is the "before" shot.

Here's the "after"

My wife often complains of me taking all of the covers.  I finally got smart and captured some photographic evidence of reality.  Yes, that lump under all of the blankets on the left is my wife.

We went for lots of walks and saw a lot of the local critters.  Check this dude out (you'll need to click on the picture to enlarge).  It has the body of a grey squirrel but the face of a skunk.  It is a Southern Fox Squirrel.  Big son of a gun, too.

Here we are fishing on New Year's day.  Not a bad way to ring in the New Year.  

We did a lot of other things - dinners, watching a lot of football, and just hanging out.  My wife and I also took a beautiful drive to Pinehurst to meet my uncle and his wife, although I failed to snap any photos.  Not sure what the hell I was thinking.  Both the country, clubhouse, and course were beautiful.

Overall, it was a great trip and a wonderful way to spend the holidays.

2012 Vikings Improbable Season Over

The Vikings' season ended last night on the Frozen Tundra as Joe Webb was unable to muster any kind of quarterback play to take pressure off of the running game.  With an offense that was rendered to one dimension, the Packers won in easy fashion.

But what a season it was!  After winning only 3 games in 2011, the Minnesota Vikings leveraged a fantastic draft, a more seasoned quarterback, and a completely astonishing resurgence of their star running back (one that should garner him the NFL MVP), to make the playoffs.  Even the most biased of Vikings fans could not have predicted the improvement this team made this past year.

While there is still work to do, with the advent of another draft, more work by Ponder, restored health to Percy Harvin, and the acquisition of a potent wide receiver (think Ziggy got a good look at Greg Jennings last night?) this team can no longer be considered the worst of the NFC North.  There is a lot for which Vikings fans can be optimistic.

So congratulations, Vikings.  You did us fans proud.  Especially those of us that reside in the belly of the beast.

We did attend the game last night with friends.  While we arrived at Lambeau late, we did get in a quick tailgate.  Here's the lovely Mrs. YDP and our spread, taken just minutes before she got too close to the heater and burned her coat.  

We're already looking forward to next season.  Skol.