Starfire66

Slight misspelling on that one I believe. It was named after this gentleman:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut

And the only reason it caught my eye is that I'm an old school Star Trek fan.

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/USS_Farragut_(23rd_century)

Tell your gramps thanks for serving, and for doing this AMA. I always like reading Q&A's from vets.

Hi Jake, Thanks for doing this AMA.

My Question is regarding your fellow journalist Michael Hastings. There's a lot of conspiracy theories regarding his untimely demise.

Do you view this incident as having any substantial fallout on the journalistic machine, and what you or your colleagues are willing to touch in the way of stories critical of the U.S. Government.

Thanks for your time, and keep up the good work!

If you're headed to Belize on the western border, make sure to stop by Tikal. Amazing site. After that, make your travel plans to go from there to get over into Belize in a day and over the border before nightfall. That area of Guatemala (Melchor) is very poor with a high crime rate. Passing through, you should be fine, but I have been told it's best to be back over the border as early as possible.

Belize is awesome. San Ignacio is a beautiful town with lots to see & do in the area. Several good mayan ruins located close by. As long as you like stew chicken & rice/beans, good food can be had for cheap just about anywhere. If you need any work done on your rig, stop into Spanish Lookout (and to stock up on supplies) It's a Mennonite community off the western highway in Belize. Excellent "fix anything" shops back there + major grocery/general store(s) Once you get back there, it's amazing. Looks like you could be in Wisconsin. Those folks have tamed the jungle and made it into an amazing community. If you run into any of the Reimer family, they are the largest & wealthiest family in that area. Good folks.

If you want some deeper jungle adventure, see what it may take to drive back to Cahal Pech (permit required) & stop by the Rio On cave & Rio Frio falls (no permits needed for these as far as I know) If you're looking for some other fun, there's always the Belize zoo and Ian Anderson's cave branch if you want to ride an inner tube through underground river caves.

Sounds like you're having a blast! Stay safe & enjoy the road!

Almost certainly. As an individual with severe spinal trauma and a major spinal fusion, the risk is too great to attempt anything that could cause paralysis. From my own experience, once you are dealt a hand in life, you play it to the best of your ability. This does not mean babying yourself from there on out due to fear of everything, but you learn to calculate the risk factor. If there's more than a slight chance of causing further major harm to oneself, then you find a more suitable activity to engage in.

In other words, there is statistically almost a zero chance of the likelihood that the gun "misfired while in a backpack"

I believe THIS is the handgun in question.

HERE is how the firing pin block safety works. (Slightly different model gun than the one used, but the mechanism will be almost identical)