Should We Pick Sides In Syria (Graphic Video Warning)

Watch this video only if you have a strong stomach, it gives a clue as to the fucking animals that our government is about to take sides with in Syria (much as we also did in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq). As I have said before, we would be better off leaving it all alone and letting them kill themselves. Of course, I should add, we should make sure not one of them ever sets foot on American soil (while it is too late for that, at least we could prevent more of them).



That was eye opening and enlightening but not all that shocking or unexpected from whence it comes - Islam at its finest, and all not reported on by the mud slinging media, as usual.

All the best,
Glenn B

Couple Of Blogs Added To Blogroll Today...

...both by the same blogger Bustedknuckles:

Ornery bastard at:

http://ornerybastard.blogspot.com/

and

The Vulgar Curmudgeon at:

http://bustednuckles.blogspot.com/

All the best,
Glenn B

Today Is International Bacon Day...

...and I swear I just found out this minute (as I type). I visited Wirecutter's blog and saw that even he, another bacon lover and advocate, was caught unawares by Bustedknuckles, who blogged about today - August 31, 2013 - being International Bacon Day.

Luckily for me, I had a ration of bacon this morning (prepared by she who must be adored) followed up with some more substantial pork, as in grilled chops, for dinner. I am blogging about it simply to pass it on to others who may not have known - this way maybe we will be ahead of the game next year and properly prepare for it with a totally pigged out celebration of said delicacy. Pontificating Pigs Batman, International Bacon Day, who woulda thunk it! I am marking it on my calendar for next year.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just Lickin' My Chops

Pork chops that is, grilled pork chops at that. My wife usually buys very lean pork chops but I guess my incessant complaining about them being too dry and virtually tasteless may have finally gotten to her. The ones she bought at the supermarket today had a decent, if not good, amount of fat in them and thus were very tasty indeed. They ought to be a law against lean pork.

I grilled them up and she made some mixed veggies and some seasoned Couscous. I enjoyed a glass of Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages along with it. Thems was some good eats and the perfect follow-up to my breakfast of coffee, toast and bacon.

All the best,
GB

From Gung Ho Here It Comes...

...to wait a minute, I think we should do it but I had better throw it into the laps of the legislators just in case (source) it comes out fucked up. That is my assessment of today's announcement by the not so commanding Commander In Chief of our armed forces.

It is all well and good with me, I am hoping that going the Constitutional route will have Congress say "screw em, let them all kill themselves without any interference from us". I am, of course, referring to the debacle that has been Obama's and Biden's, pretty much, unilateral decision that we need to attack Syria.

08/31/2013 at 2008 hours - edited to add: By the way, when and if Congress votes down an attack on Syria - you know that president Obama will absolutely, positively, definitely play it for its political worth and will bitch, moan and groan about how he had been all for it but the wimps in Congress, especially the Republicans, voted against him. If, by some bizarre twist (bizarre if no new game changing instance of chemical warfare happens between now and then), Congress actually approves a missile strike on Syria, then you can bet how much Obama will take all of the credit if it goes well even if he has to twist it to say that he got bipartisan support but only because he made such a convincing argument. If, on the other hand we attack and things go wrong, Obama will piss vinegar and moan and groan in agony about how it was Congress' fault that everything went bad because they were not behind him from day one and thus took too long to get it done. Mark my words, it is inevitable - one way or the other.

All the best,
GB

Fruit of the Week - The Whatever Edition (I have lost count)

Me thinks, I missed the fruit of the week last week. Oh well, food poisoning and all and fruity alcoholic drinks do not mix well and I was about as food poisoned as one could get at the tail end of last week.

This week is a different story. I took about 3/4 a pint of blueberries, 1/4 pint of blackberries, a kiwi (peeled), two medium to large strawberries, two small plums, along with 4 ice cubes and blended well. Then, I added about 4 ounces of potato vodka. Once again, fruity goodness at is best and with a kick too.

All the best,
GB

TSA Gave Me The Lousiest Pat Down I Have Ever Experienced...

...and my experience is based on me being the searcher, the searched or merely an observer over the course of literally thousands of pat downs throughout my career. Then again, I am not too sure I should call the TSA style of search a pat down if only because of how ludicrous it is to conduct one using the backs of the searchers hands.

When I flew back home from West Palm Beach last week, I opted for the hands on search as opposed to going through the x-ray scanner because I did not want to get more radiation that I absolutely had to get. Sadly, I forgot that on the way down to Florida until right after I stepped out of the scanner. I asked the TSA officer if there would have been an alternative. He said I could have been patted down. At least I remembered on the way back; after my radiation treatments about 2 years ago I am supposed to get as little exposure as possible to radiation.

As for the search, the TSA officer was very courteous and professional. He explained to me what would take place and that he would be touching 'private areas' with his gloved hands - that was he said with the back of his hands. Let me just say this, had I wanted to smuggle something as large as a Colt 1911 pistol, I might not have made it BUT had I tried to smuggle something say as large as a small derringer, wedged between the cheeks of my ass, I could have gotten away with it - there is no doubt in my mind. I also could have had any number of smaller sized items taped under my crotch behind my nuts, or even could have had another derringer there. Something the size and shape of a large banana, taped running from the top backside of my scrotum and running towards my butt hole would have gone absolutely undetected. There really is absolutely no doubt in my mind based on the pat down I got. That the most poorest application of the fundamentals of a proper pat down that I have ever experienced YET it was the most politically correct one I have ever experienced.


Mind you, this was not the fault of the TSA officer, I am sure he was following exacting protocol. This is the fault of mindless politicians and bumbling bureaucrats. We would not have TSA in the first place if not for them. Whether or not you think TSA worth it weight in gold or simply worthless - their style of search is pointless - except maybe when using that method to score political points among voters who are areshats.

If TSA is going to give pat downs, they really ought to give effective ones that truly give the officer a reasonable chance of actually finding something. Otherwise, just cut the show time crap and get rid of TSA - which would probably be the preferable course of action.

All the best,
Glenn B

Guess I Missed My Blogiversary

This blog has now been up and running for 7 years and most of 9 days. Woo-hoo!

Later 4 U,
GB

The Threat Was Reported Yesterday - U.S. Strike On Syria Delayed Today?

Maybe there was something to the blog post I wrote yesterday, the one about the Syrian minister threatening a "surprise" for the world in how it would defend itself should the U.S. strike Syria overs its alleged use of chemical weapons. Yesterday, president Obama and vice president Biden were absolutely certain that President Assad of Syria had orchestrated the chemical attacks in Syria that killed about 100 people and they indicated that the U.S. would strike Syria to teach them a lesson.

All of a sudden, today, all that may be on hold as many U.S. allies apparently are not willing to back us on such a strike, at least not just yet. For example it has been reported that great Britain, France are calling for restraint relative to an immediate strike (source). Of course, Russia, being a long term ally of Syria, is also opposed to such a strike. It seems that world leaders are trying to hold off such a strike at least until president Obama visits Russia for the upcoming G2 summit where and when it would be certain that Russia's president Putin would put pressure on Obama to hold off. Even many U.S. officials are not fully convinced that the chemical attack, if indeed there was one, was initiated by President Assad of Syria; they are saying that evidence of Assad having ordered those chemical attacks is not a "slam dunk" (you may recall that was the term used by then CIA Chief George Tenet back when the Bush Administration believed that Iraq had WMDs in 2003).

So, it seems all the world is looking for restraint right now except maybe for the Obama administration. On Tuesday, it was reported that Joe Blabbermouth Biden stated there is no doubt that Syria orchestrated those attacks against its own people.



While I am sure all this saber rattling on the behalf of the USA is well intentioned, I seem to remember the same guy above as condemning George W. Bush when he went into Iraq on the same premise.

Granted, Biden is claiming that everyone agrees that chemical weapons were used by Assad (sounds like "slam dunk" info to me) but the truth be told, such has not been reported as being the case, thus all the hesitation on the part of our allies and our own politicians. In addition, Biden says that the UN has not been allowed access to the area where the chemical weapons were allegedly used. I find that a bit doubtful since all the reports I have seen, on that issue, indicate that the UN is on the ground in Syria now conducting its third day of investigations into allegations of the use of chemical weapons (source). Yet, even Obama stated he was certain that President Assad's forces perpetrated the chemical attack(s). "We do not believe that, given the delivery systems, using rockets, that the opposition could have carried out these attacks. We have concluded that the Syrian government in fact carried these out," (source).

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying chemical weapons were not used nor am I saying that we should not rain missiles down of Assad's forces if they were the ones who did the deed. I am in essence just showing how certain is the Obama Administration that Assad's Syria are the guilty culprits but how hesitant is the rest of the world to take definitive retaliatory action. Now ask yourselves - why is that the case. What I am taking my time getting to is the fact that just a couple of days ago, at most, it seemed Obama had the full support of our allies and most of our own politicians to strike Syria. Today, just one day after it was reported that Syria would "surprise" the world in how it would defend itself against such a strike, the rest of the world is backing off. Are you still a doubtful that Iraq may have had WMDs and that Saddam Hussein sent them to Syria prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003? I wonder. Of course, if they do not have them - their ally Russia - does have them.

All the best,
Glenn B

More Guns = Less Violence - Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy Volume 30, #2

A friend of mine, Pete Q, just sent me a link to a PDF file that was an article about whether or not a gun ban would reduce murder and suicide. The conclusion of the article was that no, such a ban would not work. In fact, it clearly indicated that a higher rate of gun ownership, among the citizenry of a country, is what reduces such violence.

It was an interesting article and it plainly debunks much of the leftist anti-gun mantra that says reduction in the number of guns will lead to a reduction in such violence. You know the liberals who utter that nonsense, they are the likes of President Barack I Love The Shooting Sports Obama, Vice President Joe Two Barrels Biden, Mayor Michael I Got Body Guards and an Army With Guns Bloomeberg, and all the rest like Feinstein, Boxer, McCarthy and Brady. Then rant and rave about how it is absolutely a fact that a reduction in the number of guns will cause a reduction in the amount of violent crimes. Well, as facts, such as Justice Department statistics on violent crime have shown - the more guns there are in this country correlates with reductions in violent crimes. Somehow, all of the above leftist loonies always seem to miss those statistics just as they also seem to have missed the article in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy that my pal sent to me. The article can be found in Volume 30, number 2 of said publication and was written by Don B. Kates & Gary Mauser. Here is a link to it: (Edited to add: Please note this is not the original source I previously had linked to -  one of my readers alerted me that link was dead and I linked to another source for what is apparently the same article.)

Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International and Some Domestic Evidence

Once again, I am convinced that those on the left, especially on the far left, do not care about the facts.

All the best,
Glenn B

Do You Remember When Bush Went Into Iraq Because of WMD's...

...or at least because of WMDs that the Intelligence Community told him were most certainly there; then we found none. Think back somewhat further than that, think back about 6 to 9 months before we invaded Iraq. Do you remember what was going on.

We (the USA) kept blabbing about an imminent invasion of Iraq by our forces. For months after the lips of our politicians and military leaders started flapping, there were nightly runs of military type vehicles and tractor trailers out of Iraq that went into another country along its border. It was like a parade or a mass exodus of large vehicles normally used to transport large loads.

It was suspected that Saddam Hussein might have been moving WMDs out of his country so that none would be found there if the US did invade. This went on for months - every night. It has been well documented, there were videos and photographs of it all over the news back then and a lot of speculation among the mud slinging media types as to what was in all those vehicles. Some were later found in Iraq still loaded with U.S. Currency but even Saddam Hussein did not have enough cash to load down even miniscule amount of the trucks that went across the border out of Iraq on those nightly runs.


Currently, on the possible eve of a U.S. military strike against Syria, we hear what many think is baseless bravado coming out of the mouth of its embattled leader President Assad, or at least out of the mouth of one of his ministers, who said that if Syria is attacked, it will defend itself in ways that will surprise the world (source).

Now pause. Take a look at a map of Iraq and guess into which country it was that all those trucks from Iraq crossed back when our government was telegraphing the invasion of Iraq. Not sure, can't guess, let me give you a hint - it was the country on the map that borders the northwest part of Iraq. So no, it was not Turkey, and not Iran, and not Kuwait, and not Saudi Arabia, and not Jordan and no it was not Saudi Arabia, and no it was not Jordan. It was the only other country shown on the map that borders Iraq.

Let's hope those trucks did not contain WMDs at all but if they did contain them and if they are equally or even possibly more lethal than the chemicals Assad already has unleashed within his own country, let's hope Assad does not use them against us, our allies or his own people in retaliation if we attack Syria. The thing is though, that hope would probably do us little good if he really has them. He has already shown his willingness to deploy them and to kill with them regardless of what may come his way. God forbid he has worse than that which he has already used to wreck havoc. If he has them, and if he uses them in response to an attack by the U.S., it may be one of the worst catastrophes in history. I would sure hate to see GWB proven right, on this one, in that manner of proof.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Used To Work For ICE / DHS...

...and if you have ever wondered why it is that I hold that department and that branch of it in contempt at times, well it is because of shit like this that goes on therein and that is often given the blind eye. See:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/22/dhs-employee-spends-spare-time-promoting-race-war-against-whites/?intcmp=obnetwork

You might think that an isolated sort of a thing and it may well be isolated in as much as an employee of ICE, on his own website, was reportedly advocating a race war to kill European Americans (fuck that white or Caucasian crap, if blacks are African Americans then whites are either Asian or European Americans depending on their families' origins). The thing about DHS and ICE in particular is that they have, in my estimation, repeatedly gone out of their way to violate the rights of illegal immigrants, legal immigrants and U.S. Citizens. This, in my mind is merely another example of the same by one of their employees. You will note, in the article, it indicates that this is not the first instance of the employee's behavior being called into question. Another, former ICE employee, reported stated that he and other ICE employee feared the guy would come to work one day and "go postal".  Yet somehow, the guy is still employed by ICE and the president keep gearing ICE and DHS up to become agency and department that he spoke about when he pledged to create a civilian force as strong as the military. One has to wonder, is this the kind of guy Obama was hoping to recruit such a force. To me it seems like the guy fits right in with what I am beginning to believe are Obama's plans to destroy America.

Right about now, maybe you should be thinking of the motto of the Boy Scouts of America: Be Prepared. After all, it sure seems like the whackos are preparing themselves and it does not bode well for the rest of us if they wind up better prepared, than us, for what yet may come.

All the best,
Glenn B

Summertime

Borepatch had up Ella Fitzgerald's version of Summertime here today and after listening to that rendition it immediately made me go to YouTube to listen to my favorite version of that song by Janis Joplin.



All the best,
Glenn B

Buggin' Out - NOW!

As a matter of fact, I have already bugged out as of about 10 minutes ago. No, it is not a SHTF situation nor TEOTWAWKI - not even something simpler like an invasion of zombies or democrats.

I just ordered 1,000 crickets, 500 superworms, 250 waxworms and 200 redworms. Probably not what you thought when I said I was bugging out considering all other factors such as life under the Obama tyranny. These bugs though are for something other than the other meaning of bugging out, they are food for my critters. The crickets will go to the Crested Geckos, Mossy Gecko, Bearded Dragons and water turtles. The superworms will go likewise. The waxworms to the geckos and the turtles. The redworms to the water turtles and to my redfoot tortoises. I have not made an online bug order, except for Blaptica dubia roaches, in years. I figure it is cheaper than getting all that at pet shops, cheaper by far.

What I would pay for a month's worth or a couple of months' supply of bugs buying online would be multiplied by at least 5 to 6 times the amount (more likely 10X the cost) if I bought the bugs weekly in a pet shop. A mere 80 crickets went cost me about $12 tonight at a local pet shop. They lasted all of 5 minutes in the reptile enclosures. What I just ordered online will last at least a month and cost about $58 total. Over 30 days that would be about $1.93 per day as opposed to the $12 I spent today on bugs that lasted for just one day's feeding. At $12 per da that would be $360 for the month if I kept buying at a pet shop. What a difference: $58 for a month's worth by way of an online purchase or $360 for them at a pet shop. (And note, what I got today at the pet shop only fed my lizards - not my turtles, what I am getting online will feed all of them.)

Now, I just have to figure out where the heck I am going to keep 4 different kinds of creepy crawlers alive before I feed them to my reptiles. 

All the best,
Glenn B

So If Obama Bombs Syria...

...and the Syrian rebels are thus given the edge and ultimately overthrow Assad, would Obama then expect those same rebels (who in all likelihood would then control the Syrian government) to be grateful to the U.S. and allow reestablishment of a U.S. embassy there? Does this asshole nor any of the rest of them never learn. We are looking at another Libya and maybe another Benghazi in the making. This time there may not be a video of convenience on which Obama and Clinton Kerry can say caused the violence. I wonder, will they admit it will have been terrorism if it happens all over again and that they were at fault for leading our embassy personnel to that ultimate end like lambs led to a slaughter!  See:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/27/any-us-strike-against-syria-like-to-last-hours-not-days/ 

Why can't we just stay out of it!

All the best,
Glenn B

The Face of Change

The 2013 National Reptile Breeders' Expo

If you want to read about my experiences at the 2013 National Reptile Breeders' Expo and see about 115 photographs from the show, go to this link:

http://lihsblogger.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-2013-national-reptile-breeders-expo.html

Since that took me virtually all day to work on, I think that is the extent of my blogging for today.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Florida Trip Had An Explosive Ending...

...and suffice it for me to say that the explosions were from both ends and were caused y eating at a Chinese buffet. Confucius say: He who eat at Chinese buffet will sooner or later with his intestinal juices pay. Believe me I paid - I lost 6 pounds overnight from Wednesday night through Thursday morning. I am still feeling queasy and weak. My uncle swore it was a great restaurant but the nurse at the doctor's office told me it was notorious for people getting food poisoning. Go figure as to why they have not been closed down. Oh well, more blogging about my trip in post(s) to come; the regular amount of blogging, for me, will probably commence in earnest by tomorrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Would Have Been Blogging More...

...over the past few days had I realized my uncle now had a wireless connection to the Internet. I thought he was wired into his computer and because of that I could not use my laptop. That meant, I had to depend on his sloth-like old desktop to get anything done and when I say sloth-like, I mean like a sloth made out of molasses on a subzero day. On Monday, I started to clean up his system. I ran CCleaner and it removed over 36 thousand Windows temp files. Then on early Tuesday, it cleaned up/removed thousands of temporary Internet files. That made it a bit faster but not by much that was noticeable.

Early this morning, I ran Norton Utilities. It removed another 7,000 plus temporary Internet files and hundreds of Windows temp files. It also optimized the registry, checked the hard disc for errors and found some, then repaired those errors on the hard disc. Right now, it is defragmenting the C drive.

So far, I have noticed one major change. The PC dos not make a strange vibrating whir each time it turns on. It had been doing that before I ran Norton Utilities but stopped after the second run which was the correction of problems/errors on the hard drive. It is also somewhat faster in operation. I imagine after the defragmentation and anything else Norton utilities can run to fix things, it will run even faster.

I do not have Norton Utilities on my laptop, never had it on any of my computers. I see though that I may need to get it. It is very easy to use and it seems to fix a lot of issues. While I know how to run a few of the fixes that Norton Utilities runs, there were a few to several others of which I was unaware and which were launched and performed at the press of the mouse button. I need to read up on it some but am pretty sure I will wind up getting it and installing it on my laptop. Most of my checking up on it will be to see if it actually does the good it appears to be doing. I will see what Consumer Reports and CNET.com have to say about it.

A for my not having blogged since Saturday, I promise to blog more about my Florida vacation when I get home. As far as current events go, I don't even know what to blog about as I have been in an almost news blackout (by my own choice) while down here. I did hear something about a school shooting today, too bad none of the teachers shot back is all I can think (and I don't know enough about it to think that with any conviction because for all I know they did - since it was down south somewhere).

Oh well, when I get home, later in the week, I will have a lot of blogging on which to catch up.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday In Florida...

...was pretty good. I visited my uncle for a few hours. We went out to Duffy's Sports bar in West Palm Beach for lunch and spent some time in his condo just BSing. After that, I drove up to Jupiter to scope out the area in the hopes of finding someplace to eat on Friday night with my cousin Sandie. When I got there, I soon realized I had lost a set of keys. I called the last place I was at, a store in WPB, and they said yes my keys were there. So, I turned around, drove back there and picked them up. Seems I dropped them in the parking lot and luckily for me someone found them and brought them into the store. Then I drove back to Jupiter to Sandie's apartment. We went out for dinner to Guanabana's in Jupiter where we started with a drink and then moved onto dinner. They had a band playing songs from my youthful days, thing by the Doors, the Eagles, The Grateful Dead and that was just fine by me. The service was excellent and the food delicious. We started with two orders of steamers, some of the best clams I have ever tasted - the flavor was the strongest of any clams I have ever eaten and as fresh as if just plucked out of the sands of the beach minutes before they were steamed and set on our table. We moved onto a main course of two orders of Spiny Lobster fried in a batter with macadamia nuts and coconut. I usually am not very fond of fried seafood but have to admit it was delicious. 

After that we stopped at two other local watering holes and had a few drinks before heading back to Sandie's place for a bit where we just talked about our lives and our families for a bit.

I just got back to my room at Holiday Inn and found out that while my Friday was truly excellent, my Saturday was a bit off kilter. My room had not been cleaned by the hotel maid service. When I inquired as to why, at the front desk, I was told that because the maid saw the do not disturb sign on my door on Friday morning yet, you may recall from my last post, she banged on the door anyway at 0805 on Friday. The desk clerk, on Saturday morning at 0200, told me the maid did not want to come back and knock again and disturb me so they never cleaned my room. The truth is the sign was off of the door by 1000 AM and that left plenty of time for them to clean my room. I think they were just out and out lazy. I surely will not stay at this Holiday Inn ever again, it has proven itself a dive.

Oh well, probably off to Daytona Beach tomorrow if I can drag my butt out of bed early enough, so enough jabbering from me,  need to get some sleep.

All the best,
GB

Florida - The Trip So Far (my overly long and maybe boring account)

Somehow, yesterday, the black cloud faded and no longer obscured the skies over my head and a good bit on sunshine and good fortune rained down on me. The gods must have been taking a break. It turned out my son was off from work and was able to give me a ride to the airport with three quick stops along the way. The first was to get gas for his car, the second was to the bank to fill my pockets with cash for my imminent trip and the third was to a supermarket to buy Mango and Peach baby foods so Brendan will be able to easily feed my Crested Geckos while I am in Florida. Then it was to the airport. 

We made good time, there was no traffic to speak of along our route. Luckily, along the way, I saw one of two highways, that we could take for the beginning of the ride, was moving as slow as a snail and we took the other one, virtually right next to the one with traffic at that point. We had planned to eat at the diner right across the street from the airport but nothing lasts forever. As we pulled into the parking lot, Brendan asked: Is it open. Weeds were overgrown in the garden in the parking lot and the windows were dark. It looks to have been closed at least for months. Oh well, straight into the airport since Brendan was not all that hungry.

Brendan dropped me off and I lugged my fairly large and heavy bag out of the car and then rolled it into the terminal. Whoever put wheels on suitcases was a genius. I headed right to the check in counter, where two of the three ladies behind it urged me to use the self-check-in machine. I told them I needed one of them to check me in because I had a firearm in my luggage, at which point, a woman they had been attending to dropped her jaw about six inches and stood there momentarily gaping at me and then gave me a nasty scornful frown and finally turned back around to mind her own business. It would have been comical had it not been so sad, the anti-gun hysteria in her demeanor was obvious. The third check-in lady then came over and checked me in. She was pleasant and handed me a small card to fill out with my name and address and some statement saying the gun was unloaded and other stuff to that effect. She also called the airport police who showed up in about half a minute.

The first officer to arrive, a young blonde lady, asked if I had a pistol license, which I handed her along with my LEOSA card. She wrote down the info she needed, then took a look to make sure the pistol was not loaded even though I had a cable lock through it and it was obviously in that condition. I am not faulting her, was doing her job and doing it well. She took a look in the chamber and truth be told - even with the cable lock - there could have been a round in the chamber. Once she was satisfied it was empty, she handed it to me and I put it back into its case, put the case back into the attaché case in which I had it before and put the attaché case back in my luggage. Then it was over to TSA, and they took a quick look, I locked up the gun in its case and TSA put the bag on the conveyor belt to direct it to the plane. It would have about a two hour wait, I got to the airport pretty early. It would be a nice wait that had been preceded by genuinely courteous and just plain nice treatment from the check-in lady, the two police officers and the TSA guy who took my luggage.

Then I headed to the TSA passenger screening area. As I walked up toward the checkpoint, there had to have been at least 15 little signs all directing passengers to do this or that or et another thing. It would have taken minutes to read them all so I just plodded on and once at the checkpoint, I emptied my pockets into a plastic bin, was instructed to take off my belt and glasses and to empty my pockets completely even though I had just done so, was asked if my laptop bag had a computer in it, which the TSA guy took out and placed alone in a bin, and then I stepped into an x-ray booth. As it was operating for the second or two it took, I though "whoops, I should have asked for an alternative"; having had intensive radiation therapy for cancer, I am not supposed to get more of it now than what absolutely cannot be avoided. Oh well, I asked about that and they told me that next time I could ask for a patdown, which they did anyway because the machine indicated I still had something in my right pants pocket - which I did not. Once again, everyone was polite. With all the complaining one often hears about TSA, and with some past not so great experiences I had with them, and with my history of a black cloud following me around, I was absolutely fucking amazed.

Right after the TSA screening, I went to the gate area and spotted he bar. I sat down for three pints. The first was a Stella Artois which was followed by two wheat beers, the name of which eludes me at the moment. Funny, I remember the name of the barmaid - Mo! It's not often you meet anyone named Mo, I guess sit just stuck in my head. At the bar, once again, all was good. I finished up about 20 minutes before my scheduled departure and headed to the gate where I boarded the plane about 1 minutes later. The air trip was pretty much uneventful but only because I and folks around me tolerated not so much the kid who was crying and screaming for 3/4 of the trip but his parent who kept blowing a high pitched whistle as it that would scare off the evil spirits that were making the kid scream in what sounded like agony.  That whistle was annoying enough to have added substantially to any discomfort and pain the child was experiencing due to being unable to equalize the pressure in his ears with that of the cabin.

The folks who sat next to me, I was in the back of the plane in a window seat, were an older couple. The lady sat next to me and was quite petite which in its own way was a blessing because it meant I would not have layers of sweaty flab brushing against me for the duration of the flight. They were very nice and had a small white dog in a yellow dog carrier that she had under the seat in front of her. It barked quite a few times during the flight but not an annoyed or annoying bark but one of hey, don't forget about me down here in this bag. It wanted out and wanted to play or get some affection.

 

The only other thing I will say about the flight was that I purchased Wi-Fi use while on the plane. I can't recommend it to anyone else. The service was slow, v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w. In addition, I tried to sign onto my blog and Google kept telling me that I was signing on from a suspect location and I needed to receive a verification code from them via a text message to my cell phone. Of course, the cell phone did not have a signal. It was a waste of eight bucks.

Oh well, all in all, the flight wen well. It was smooth sailing almost all the way with only a tiny bit of turbulence. Oh there I one more little thing. Fuck the steward who refused to give me even a small drink of water when I asked because my throat was sort seizing up as it does now and again since I had radiation therapy. I could barely talk, just enough to get out I needed some water why I needed it. He was standing there, doing nothing while trying his best to look smugly important as he refused my request. As I deplaned, I told him to fuck himself and my guess is that he later obliged, he looked - sounded - and acted like - the type. Every other crewmember was quite nice.

At the airport in West Palm Beach, I grabbed a rental car and then headed to the hotel which was about 1/2 a mile or less from the car rental lot. The hotel was a Holiday Inn, I am still there, as I blog. I was pretty surprised at how filthy were the floors in the entry, the lobby and the elevator. The trash can by the elevators was overflowing with garbage. The wallpaper was torn and coming off right outside my room's entry door. The door itself was slightly damaged where it has obviously been pried open before. Inside my room, the wallpaper coming off the wall in my room's bathroom was a bit of a surprise as was the mold that had apparently eaten away at the glue holding it to the wall. It also took over 15 minutes for the AC to kick in after I had turned the thermostat from 70 to 66, subsequently it worked okay even if a little more noisy than most. Add to that the fact that there was little to no AC in the lobby or in the hallways, a somewhat snotty check-in clerk, not being greeted as a Priority Club member on check-in, and I was beginning to think I was in a less than mediocre hotel, by third world standards at best.

Luckily the room, despite the mold in the one spot under the peeling wallpaper, was fairly clean and acceptable even if a little on the well-used side. The bed was comfortable. I got a good night's sleep up until the maid banged on my door several times, saying "housekeeping" each time she knocked. That would not have been bad except that it was at 0805 and I had the do not disturb sign in keycard slot. It was a little early for a maid to come a knocking. Oh well, I went back to sleep for a little while and dragged myself out of bed by 0915 with just a little hangover. Last night, after I checked in at the hotel, I visited my cousin Sandie up in Jupiter and took her out to dinner at Little Moirs - Leftovers Café. When I looked at the menu, largely seafood but each dish with about 10 different ingredients, I thought I was about to have a less than delicious dinner. Man was I wrong. I had the Thursday Night Plate. It consisted of blackened Cobia and broiled shrimp over a bed of home fired potatoes that had a bunch of vegetables mixed in (and not too much of any of them) with spices and feta cheeses drizzled over it and a salad with apples and spices on the same plate. It was a lot of food and it all tasted great. Well, I cannot say much about the salad as I only had about a mouthful at best since the rest of the meal left no room. Sandie told me that they all the place leftovers because almost everyone goes home with a doggie bag. There was nothing left on my plate except the salad so no doggie bag for me. That was probably the best restaurant meal I have had in years. The service was also great. We had a very attentive and nice waitress and such was reflected in her tip. Then we went to Sandie's condo and had a glass of wine and BS'd for hours catching up on new things in our lives and going over the old memories of years gone by. We both had a good time at that. When I left, we were surprised to see it was pouring outside, I got drenched just running about 40 feet to the rental car. That made the drive to the hotel a bit slower than I would have hoped for, for about 3/4 of the drive. Then, I seemingly drove right passed the edge of the storm and things were dry at that point for the remainder of the drive. 

I got a fair sleep last night, it would have been much better if not for that maid banging repeatedly on my door. Breakfast today, included with my room rate was okay I suppose. The bacon was crisp but the sausage was disgustingly greasy and I am no heath food fanatic, I like my fat and grease in good amount. The eggs were barely room temperature if that. The home fries were over cooked and very dry. There was only one type of bread offered. The coffee was okay. The OJ dispenser and as I was about to ask to have it refilled, another guest asked if there was more French toast and was snapped at, with sort of a growl, by the guy putting out more home fries, that: "I am working on it". It was also none too clean in the buffet area where the food was kept. I will say, the young lady who took my breakfast ticket and who served coffee was quite pleasant though and very attentive. I may complain but I also give credit where and when due.

I stay at Holiday Inns now and again; for example I just stayed at one for a night up in NH a couple of weeks back. It was really a nice place, so much so that it makes my current hotel look like a dump. The current Holiday Inn reminds me of the reputation of Holiday Inns back in the 60s and early 70s; they were either great or disgusting depending on at which one you stayed. I don't recall exactly when, maybe the mid or late seventies, they got their act together and cleaned them all up and refurbished them and their reputation soared. Places like the one I am in now could put their reputation and ratings back to those of about 45 years or so ago. I have stayed in worse places before so I can tolerate this one for another night because I do not want to go through the hassle of moving to another hotel but I feel compelled to say this is the worst Holiday In in which I have stayed within at least the past 35 years. Still though, not as bad as many places I have stayed in over the years but certainly not up to Holiday Inn standards and a disappointment at that. 

I will have to remedy that today by going out and having some fun. Don't get me wrong, the sort of shabbiness of the hotel has not ruined anything for me, except my opinion of Holiday Inn. I have been having a great time otherwise, so far. I just suppose it is time for me to drag my butt out of the room and into the world and to get in some fun in for the day. I have no game plans for today except for doing something fun. I guess exploring is in order and hopefully I will explore my way right to some good times. 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Will Be Florida Bound Tomorrow...

...for one week, so posts on my blog may be scant. I'll be down around West Palm Beach most of the time and maybe as far north as Daytona Beach for a small part of my vacation.

If anyone has any suggestions for excellent tiki bars, with restaurants, in the WPB area, let me know. I plan to spend a bit of time in them while down that way. I'll have to see if I can find one that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and that serves an ass kicking zombie. Other than that, I think I'll go fishing (both from piers and boats) and maybe get in some shooting at a local pistol range. If I can sneak it in there, I may also go canoeing in the Everglades. Which reminds me, I need to do a web search for canoe outfitters.

Later 4 U,
GB

95 Dead, 800 Wounded In Egypt Violence - Liberals, Give This Some Honest Thought

Reported government crackdowns, in Egypt, against Morsi supporters in Egypt have left 95 dead and 800 wounded (source). Edited, at 1900, to add: as of last count there were 235 reported dead.

Think about that, especially if you are a liberal.

The specific question I would like you think about is how you think liberals in general, in this country, would have reacted had this happened during the administration of George W. Bush. I can tell you how conservatives would react with a very liberal Democrat in office, they would read the article and find it interesting that the current administration is doing little in Egypt about the recent military coup after having supported the election of Morsi who was and is a staunch supporter, even a member, of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization. 

Now really, take at least a few minutes and think back to when GWB was president. How do you think you would have reacted to this, how do you think your liberal friends and associates would have reacted, how would have liberals in general reacted and how would have the media (is there any need to label most of the media as liberals) have reacted? Would you or liberals in general have remained calm with an interest in the matter or would you and liberals, for the great part, have had little interest in the actual facts and then reacted quite vocally in your condemnation of George W. Bush by saying it was all his fault. If you are being truthful with yourself, you know the answers to each of those questions and, most likely, the answer to both of them is that you would have been out there saying it was all GWB's fault. You probably would have been calling, no you would have been screaming, for Bush's ouster without delay. No matter how much or how little Bush was involved, if anything went wrong you blamed him - much as Obama has done throughout his presidency. Add to that the media, who would have been heralding it from the rooftops with a rabid sort of anti-Bush hatred. Funny how silent all of you are now, with regard to the culpability of the current administration, all while the Obamessiah is in the White House.

I have to wonder, are you at least that honest, to admit that had GWB been president when this had happened, the left would have had conniptions because of it. Or is it you cannot admit it because you all have your heads in the clouds (or in your asses) and thus your vision obscured by your dreams of your leftist utopia to not even be able believe that about yourselves.

All the best,
Glenn 

Soviet Manufactured 7.62x54R Ammunition - 1957 Stock

Two weekends ago, at the Sixth Annual NE Bloggershoot, I opened up a tin of 440 rounds of Soviet made 7.62x54R ammo. First of all, let me say, I was amazed at how easily the can opened. It had what was a pull tab, I grabbed it with the pliers on a multi-purpose tool and gave a good yank and it opened right up - no problem. Then a few tugs on the lid, since the pull tab only opens up the very end of the lid, and the can was open more than enough to get the ammo out easily but with the lid left enough in place to be able to press it back down to prevent all the ammo from falling out if it got overturned. After opening the can, I had to wonder why it was the that Soviets ever changed to the 'spam' can type of tin that requires a can opener (or a strong knife or screwdriver) to open. Maybe too many of the easier to open cans were opened inadvertently when doing inventories of them in storage or when other wise moving and stacking them.

Another surprise, besides how easily the can opened, was that each packet of 20 rounds was individually wrapped in paper that was then tied with a piece of string around it. That they were wrapped in paper was not a surprise but that they looked like little dainty gifts because each packet was tied with string was pretty amusing and surprising. As for the ammo, it was copper washed, Berdan primed, corrosive ammo with steel core bullets that had the silver painted tips. We only shot at 25 yards but I have to say that I did well with it. I figure it is more accurate that later Soviet ammo I have used in my Hungarian Mosin Nagant M44 which is the rifle I was shooting them through. I was shooting standing, unsupported, and hit a hanging bowling pin on pretty much every shot I took at it. Since it was winging back and forth, and since the accuracy of the M44 has been pretty poor in the past with some other ammo, I was impressed.

If you can get it, I recommend it. I got mine sent to me accidentally when I ordered a newer production, 1970s, batch of the same caliber from an online ammo dealer. I figured I would have to return it but when I called it in to the dealer, he told me to keep it and also sent me the spam can full of the newer production ammo that I had actually ordered. I foresee having about another 360 shots of fun with  this stuff since  shot about 80 rounds of it at the Bloggershoot.

All the best,
Glenn B

Forbidden Access To A Website?

Can someone please explain to me, why when I try to access the CVA.com website, I get this error message:

***********

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access / on this server.
Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

---

Apache Server at www.cva.com Port 80

***********

I tried the Microsoft fixes for this error but they did not fix anything. I don't get it unless it is a fault on the CVA end.

Thanks,
Glenn  B

Expanding My Firearms Related Links List

A couple of days ago, I removed one ammunition dealer from my links list relative to buying firearms, ammo, parts and such. Today I expanded that list. I changed it from pretty much just including dealers who deal directly with the public to also including manufacturers who may or may not deal directly with the public. That means I added a bunch of firearms manufacturers and ammunition manufacturers too. I also added some direct dealers that were not on the list before. Too many to show here, just look to the right side of my blog page and scroll down to: FIREARMS, AMMO, PARTS, ACCESSORIES & SUPPLIES - DEALERS & MANUFACTURERS - which is located in the blue sidebar.

All of those listed (and there will be more when I have the time) are either dealers from whom I have purchased before and with whom I am at least fairly satisfied as to service and price or are manufacturers whose products I own currently or have owned before. In the case of manufacturers, I may also have had direct dealings with some of them - for instance: Glock, Beretta and Remington.

Just because I removed one dealer from my list, pretty much because I did not like their pricing, does not mean I am about to remove the rest of them or not continue to add to the list. I think it important that we keep sharing information among ourselves, the shooting community, about the availability of what we each believe to be good and fairly priced products and that we let each other know about the companies who make and sell them to our satisfaction. 

All the best,
Glenn B

Another Liberal In RINO Skin Running For President?

Representative Peter King, a Republican congressman from NY, has stated that he is seriously considering running for the presidency (source). A few years back, he almost seemed to me to be a middle of the road conservative. In recent years though, he has, without any doubt in my mind, revealed himself to be nothing more than a pretty far to the left liberal with his support of TSA taking to our streets, railways, bus terminals and with his support of the Patriot Act, gun control measures and other ways of whittling away our rights, see:

http://www.ontheissues.org/NY/Peter_King_Homeland_Security.htm.

I probably would rather vote for Obama again before voting for this two faced bastard politician. Perish the thought of me ever voting for Obama but at least with Obama I would know what evil I was getting. King is pretty much NY's version of John McCain as far as I am concerned. He is openly anti Tea Party, anti Libertarian and pro-gun control.

He continuously votes to whittle away our rights and to give the federal government more power all in the name of security apparently while destroying liberty. He claims to be for the 2nd amendment yet calls for infringement of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA) by way of seeking legislation for sensible gun control. Anyone with half a brain knows that is the anti-gun crowd's code for destroying the 2nd Amendment. He has called for extensive background checks in order for the People to be able to exercise the RKBA and has tried to pass legislation making it illegal to bring a firearm within 1,000 feet of a government official. (So where in the USA would you be able to own a firearm, in the middle of Kansas or Idaho maybe?) See:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/9/rep-peter-king-says-senate-gun-control-filibuster-/

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/house-gun-control-bill-monday-peter-king-89991.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/peter-king-strict-gun-control_n_807323.html

While he often is quite vociferously in opposition to President Obama, he is also very wordy in his opposition to the right. He in essence says that the likes of the Tea Party and Libertarians are destroying unity among the Republican party. You may ask, is he dimwitted or just your typical Republican In Name Only (RINO)? What has destroyed the Republican Party are dimwitted left leaning RINOs like him. Believe me, he is a RINO at best and a closet full fledged Liberal Democrat at worst, as far as I can tell. I think he would be bad terrible news for freedom and rights loving Americans. Shit, what am I saying "I think he would be...", he already has been terrible for us!

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - Ronald Reagan Could Have Done Obama A Big Favor...

...and prevented the Obamessiah and the USA from being insulted and embarrassed, in front of the rest of the world, by Russia's president Putin. (Oh, that's right - he wasn't embarrassed, he is to egotistical too even realize that is what Putin did to him.) Of course, Reagan also could have done the rest of the world, or at least the USA, a favor had he not been joking and actually carried out what he said he was about to do. It was back on August 11, 1984 that Ronald Reagan quipped:

"My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

Had he actually meant it, I think, that the world would have been much more secure than it is today, what with Vladimir Putin pushing around Obama as if Obama and the USA were just so much meaningless fluff. Reagan never made the USA a laughing stock as Obama repeatedly has done to us nor do I think he ever actually weakened our country as Obama seems to have a penchant for doing.

The quip by Reagan was made while he was preparing to give a speech marking a milestone in American history. His actual opening line to that speech was:

"My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you that today I signed legislation that will allow student religious groups to begin enjoying a right they've too long been denied — the freedom to meet in public high schools during non-school hours, just as other student groups are allowed to do."

Can you imagine that, an American president who instead of denying or restricting citizens rights, actually expanded and protected them. Ronald Reagan was very different from Barack Obama indeed, he was a president who both earned and deserved respect.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Long Awaited Sixth Annual Northeast Bloggershoot Video

Thanks to the very talented Cher L, we have a video of some of the activities at the Sixth Annual Northeast Bloggershoot.



All the best,
Glenn B

LuckyGunner.com Off Of My Link List

I recently read one of the blogs on my link list and saw that the other blogger had endorsed LuckyGunner.com as one of the good guys with decent prices on ammunition. That reminded me that, while I have checked out their prices over the past several months, they have had anything but what I considered to be decent prices on ammo that I needed. As a matter of fact, their prices seemed sky high to me and seem to be staying above those of other dealers. While the prices at many other dealers have come down a long way, the prices at Lucky Gunner still appear, to me, to be somewhere up in the stratosphere. For example, I recently bought (within the last week or two) a case of PMC Bronze 9mm, 115 grain, FMJ ammo from SGAmmo.com. The cost of a full case, 1,000 rounds, of this ammo was $299.50. They ship UPS ground. With shipping and optional insurance, the total cost was  $318.50. That included the optional $3.00 cost for additional insurance to cover the whole purchase price, above the $100 insurance coverage that UPS offers for free.

Yesterday (or maybe the day before), I checked LuckyGunner for the exact same ammo. They offered it at $455.00 plus shiping. Today, when I checked again, they were offering it "Special Price" at $399.00 plus shipping and plus optional insurance if you want it. The shipping, to my neck of metroburbia (I just coined that one), is going for $17.63 by their least expensive offering, which is for FedEx ground. The optional insurance is shown at $7.98. That would come out to a total of $424.61. This was listed at: http://www.luckygunner.com/9mm-115-gr-fmj-pmc-1000-rounds

There is quite the difference, even when the "Special Price" is offered at Lucky Gunner, between their price and that of SGAmmo. That difference being: $106.11. The difference was greater, yesterday or the day earlier, before LuckyGunner.com put it on "Special Price". That pre-Special Price cost would have been an additional difference of $56.00, or in total a difference of $162.11 with the optional insurance (from LuckyGunner) or $154.13 without the added insurance fee. That is quite a big difference either way, and to me it appears to be nothing less than price gouging when the same exact ammo can be offered at a much lower and closer to (what was not so long ago) the normal price. All that is especially so in light of the recent article I read in which major manufacturers were quoted as saying they have not raised their prices, more than nominally, on ammo since the ammo buying frenzy commenced.

If you are wondering, is this merely a single instance of LuckyGunner charging much higher prices than other dealers, you could take my word for it that it is not a lone case. Then, who am I to expect anyone on the Internet to believe me without further examples of it. So here are more instances of it (all below highlighted ammo available and as priced at the time I typed this up):

Aguila .45ACP: 230 grain, FMJ ammo, brass cased, boxer primed

$449.90 at J&G Sales for 1,000 rounds

$505.00 at LuckyGunner for 1,000 rounds

That was a $60.10 difference, prices do not reflect shipping.

I have bought this ammo in the past but from AIMSurplus.com for $439.00 (back in April 2013), shipping not included in that price.


PPU (Prvi Partizan) .32 ACP: 71 grain, FMJ, brass cased, boxed primed.

$12.00 per box of 50 at Wiedners

$23.50 per box of 50 at LuckyGunner

That is an astounding difference of $11.50 per box - meaning it is almost double the price at LuckyGunner than it is at Wiedner's. Prices do not reflect shipping.

I bought this ammo from Wiedner's at the current price but back in May 2013. Surprisingly they have had it at that price, I think, continuously since then.


Prvi Partizan .308 Win: 145 grain, FMJ, Blue Box Ammo, brass cased, boxer primed

$312.25 @ $12.49 per box when ordering at least 25 boxes (500 rounds) at SGAmmo.com

$390 per case of 500 rounds at LuckyGunner

A difference of $77.75 per 500 rounds, shipping not reflected in those prices.

I ordered some of this ammo from SGAmmo tonight, but at $12.79 per box of 20 because I did not order 25 boxes of more. Still, an excellent price at the current time.


Spartan 12 Gauge: 00 Buckshot, 9 pellets, 2 3/4" shells

$109.90 for a case of 250 rounds at SGAmmo.com

$150 for a case of 250 rounds at LuckyGunner

A difference of $40.10 for a case of 250 rounds, shipping not reflected in those prices.

I never bought this particular ammo but I might have bought it tonight if I did not order the .308 Win. ammo.


Wolf  5.56x45mm (.223):  62 gr, FMJ, steel cased, Military Classic

$179.00 per case of 500 rounds at TheArmory.com

$240.00 per case of 500 rounds at LuckyGunner

A difference of $60.01 per 500 rounds, shipping not reflected in those prices.

In each instance shown, LuckyGunners prices are much higher. Granted, on some other ammo in the same calibers, LuckyGunner's prices do not reflect that much of a difference but they are, from what I have seen, usually higher priced than many other ammunition dealers when comparing the same brand, caliber and type of ammunition. On rare occasion, when I have checked their prices, I have found LuckyGunner to have the ammo I wanted or needed at the best price available. That seemingly was when ammo was even harder to get than it is currently, such as back in February 2013 when I ordered five boxes of PMC Bronze .308 WIN ammo from them at $25.00 a box of 20 rounds (I had to be out of my mind), if I recall correctly it was because it was just about all the brass cased .308 that was available at that time. They now show a price for that at $17.00 per box of 20 rounds but they are out of stock. Right now, I can get that ammo from PalmettoStateArmory.com, a dealer from whom I have made recent ammo purchases, for $15.99 per box, and it is in stock. I also can get it at a couple of dealers, with whom I have not yet done business, at an even less expensive price, such as for $13.99 per box of 20 rounds from Selway Armory and yes it is in stock there too.

If you are curious as to why I chose the calibers that I used as examples above, it was because I have ordered all of them fairly recently. In fact, I have ordered most of the brands, in the listed calibers, too but maybe not the same exact grain weight or bullet type. Each time I shopped around, for a specific caliber and type of ammo that I wanted, if LuckyGunner had it, and another dealer had the same exact thing as LuckyGunner, it was almost always less expensive at the other dealer. It also was usually much less expensive at the other dealer. Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying they are always higher priced - just that they have almost always been so relative to ammo I have been looking for, when I have been looking for it. For all I know, they could have the greatest prices in the world on other calibers of ammunition at other times. You would have to check on their prices yourself to determine that but I think it is doubtful that would be the case when and if you checked.

I have shopped at every dealer above, with the exception of two, those being TheArmory.com and SelwayArmory.com. I can vouch for excellent service from each of those where I previously have shopped. Lately I have been making a good amount of purchases from SGAmmo.com because they have had some excellent prices over the past month or two and have had ammo in calibers I have been seeking.

You may think I just went overboard in explaining why I am removing a dealer from my link list but I wanted to explain it so there would be no doubt about it. I do not appreciate dealers that charge inflated prices especially when it is evident, by prices found at other dealers, that the offering price both could and should be lower. This is the same reason I dropped my link to CheaperThanDirt.com. As part of the shooting community, I also feel somewhat obligated to help out other shooters in getting the best deals they can get and to avoid those who, in my opinion, price gouge or seem to routinely overcharge for ammunition - especially in these times when it has been tough to find ammo. Why do I feel a bit obligated? Because other firearms enthusiasts in the shooting community have done likewise for me in the past. Just being part of that community makes me want to spread the word about good deals and to do likewise about ones I believe are not so good too, when I come across them, especially when not an isolated instance. In that light, I feel I cannot, in good conscience, continue to leave a link, on my link list, to LuckyGunner.com.

By the way, remember that case of PMC Bronze 9mm, 115 grain, FMJ ammo I bought at SGAmmo.com. Well, the money I saved by buying it from them instead of from LuckyGunner was at least $154.13. (It would have been a difference of $162.11 had I got it from them and also purchased the additional insurance.) Guess what I used that money to purchase. I bought bulk exploding target mix, two boonie hats, and a 2 liter bottle of potato vodka - with a few bucks left over for lottery tickets. By shopping around, my money went a lot further than it would have had I not shopped around for a better price. To finish up, just let me say: An informed buyer is a well armed and well stocked consumer.

Oh one last thing, I do not receive any type of compensation from anyone on any of my link lists (unless you consider reciprocal links from other bloggers to be compensation, which I do not consider such). As for ammo dealers, I receive absolutely no compensation from them and I am pretty sure my link lists contain only those dealers with whom I have previously done business.

All the best,
Glenn B

When Suspects Are Black But The Victim Is White - It's Alright...

...is what I imagine the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have been thinking since the July 9th beating of a 13 year old white youth by three 15 year old black boys. (Did anyone find it offensive that I called the white kid - a youth, and I called the black kids - boys? After all, I just switched around the wording the way the media had printed it relative to the races. If you found it offensive my way but not the way it appeared in the linked article, you are very likely a race bating hypocrite.)

As race was not a valid concern, or should not have been an issue, in the George Zimmerman trial, nor should it seemingly be an issue here. It seems Sharpton and Jackson understand that race probably was not an issue in this case; yet, they made an issue out of it in the self defense killing of Trayvon Martin because he was black and because George Zimmerman looked white. So why did Sharpton and Jackson open their big mouths then and not now? Because they agree that blacks can not be racists and only whites, Hispanics and Asians can be - that is they agree with one another and all the other race baiters out there. How those pieces of shit have any credence at all among the law abiding black community, that they claim to represent, or among any other community, is beyond the scope of logic.

All the best,
Glenn B

Did Someone Pull A Lightning Fast One...

...and make fools of the reporter, his editor and the media outlet that reported a car was struck by lightning just a moment after one of the kids riding in it wished to be hit by lightning. See the story here:

http://local.msn.com/lightning-hits-family-car-seconds-after-kids-wish-for-lightning-strike.

To say the least, there is something that seems to effect how I see this story and it is not a lightning flash. I have to wonder, did someone pull a lightning fast one on the reporter and his editor on this story. The first names, of the kids who were in the car, are all related to the science fiction genre. Denham was the last name of the main character in the original King Kong. Tanner is the last name of Charles R. Tanner who was an American science fiction writer who wrote in the 1930s and 1940s. Taylor was the last name of the actor Rod Taylor who was the lead in the movie The Time Machine. Morlocks, the family name of those in the car, was also the name of the creatures in the story The Time Machine. What a coincidence - isn't it!

All the best,
Glenn B

Fruit of The Week - The Bogart

As I type, I am imbibing my fruit of the week. Luckily for me, earlier today, I realized my store of hard spirits was lacking, as in down to just a few ounces of cherry flavored Bourbon (don't get wise with me, it was a gift). Thus I visited my local mom and pop liquor store right after hitting the ATM at the bank. I got myself a 2 liter bottle of potato vodka (a staple) and got the wife (and me) a couple of bottles of red wine. I would have gotten a bottle of rum or Irish, maybe even both, in addition to the vodka was I not on a bit of a budget because I am headed to FL for a week next week and because I just spent last weekend up in NH. The vodka will do nicely for me until I leave next week.

Getting back to the fruit of the week - tonight I mixed two pineapple spears, one large banana, two tangerines, a lemon (not just the juice) and a rather large home grown jalapeño pepper in the blender with about 1/2 a cup of apple juice and 9 ice cubes. It is different from my usual sweet fruit of the week drink. The bitterness of the jalapeño mixed with the sweetness of the exotics fruits and tartness of the lemon makes my drink bitter-sweet with a tangy bite that leaves a bit of a stinging burning sensation in my throat. After it has gone down and you would think it is all over, it ain't over yet. My throat has a slight fire going on at the back of it right now. Feebly smoldering embers of wilder times just passed are giving me a bit of a burning itch, an enticing sensation that needs to be satisfied, not squelched, and the only way for me to satisfy it is to have another swig of it and there it goes all over again - those embers have flared up anew. The darned thing is like life. This is the drink that just about sums up living my life to date; it's been like life in a Bogart movie. Whatever character Bogart played - those characters could never get enough of living the way they did; there was always that itch they had to scratch, the flame they had to fan, they were never satisfied that what they had done to date was enough. Somehow, for them, as for me, the embers of adventure, riches, intrigue, danger and romance always flared up again.

Man, this is one hell of a great drink, don't ya think? Well, I do anyway. I may have to name it in his honor - consider it done,. It is The Bogart (adjustment of ingredients may or may not occur at a future date but it has to leave those embers just waiting to be satisfied with more fuel).

All the best,
Glenn B

Cisco Brewers - Island Reserve - Russian Imperial Stout

One good beer I brought home from NH was all I had on Monday because I got cheap on myself when I visited a beer store up that way over the past weekend. I stopped in a distributor on Sunday, on my way home from the Sixth Annual NE Bloggershoot, and hemmed and hawed over the decent selection they had available of local New England beers. I had never before seen some of the beers and ales they had for sale and it was a tough decision. I finally decided on two bottle of Cisco Brewers, Island reserve, Russian Imperial Stout. The bottles each contained 1 pint, 9.4 fluid ounces of beer that was 13% alcohol.

I am someone who enjoys good to excellent biers, ales, stouts and such but certainly am not much of a connoisseur (nor any sort of Frenchman). Still though, I will describe it in my own way. As for the color, I will say the color was really dark brown. Others might say it looked like melted dark chocolate or that it had the color of dark roasted coffee beans, but that kind of a description is mostly not for me. Suffice it to say it was really dark brown. The consistency was a bit creamy. The head was decent and grew slowly after I poured up to the fill line in the glass (German bier glass that has about an inch and a half beyond that line). As for the taste, I cannot, and even if I could, I would not, tell you that it had hints of mocha, dark chocolate, raspberries and honey or any frilliness like that. What I will say about the flavor was that it tasted to me just like it should taste - like a nice dark stout, not very hoppy but mm-mm good. It went well with dinner. I liked it and would rate it a 7 out of 10.

Really though, to rate it properly, I would need to have had at least two or three more of them because in order to rate an alcoholic beverage one of the most important factors beyond taste is the buzz factor. I am pretty sure though, at 13%, three or four of them would have had me blasted. Just the one certainly took off the edge quite nicely.

Shame on me for not buying at least 4 of them, two for me and two for my son and shame on me for not buying at least two of three other types of beers local to New England. Next time I have the opportunity, I think I will do just that.

All the best,
Glenn B