Kumpuudah proBlems

 My laptop no worky so good. More posts once it be ficksed. So sorry.

50K Dead - Damn!

The death toll in both Turkey & Syria has reached 50 thousand. According to an article at Reuters, there were over 160 thousand buildings that were destroyed and 520,000 apartments. Some arrests, less than 200, have been made to date of people suspected in some way of being responsible for the structural collapses. (More at the source.) I think it will be a miracle if the death toll does not at least double with that many apartments involved.

 

If folks had heard trumpets before the quake, many would be preparing for the Apocalypse or swearing it was here already. As it is, the Apocalypse commencing or purely a destructive force of Nature, of course, it is terrible nonetheless. 

 

I do not do this often but as I did in my previous post on this quake, I urge folks to be charitable toward earthquake relief for this one.

All the best,

Glenn B

Just Made The Switch...

 ...to Windows 11. I hope that was not a mistake. There were a few minor things different that I noticed right away once I signed onto it, such as the Task Bar being centered at the bottom of the screen and there were some icons on it that I felt absolutely, positively, definitely had to be removed that MS added to it. That all took me a few minutes to figure out how to adjust or remove and now at least the Desktop is to my liking more or less.

I was not going to change over but yesterday my Norton VPN stopped working on Windows 10 for some reason. I tried a lot of things to get it to work again such as removing & reloading it, removing & reloading the entire Norton installation, restoring the system files & settings (actually trying that three time because it never took, and then finally installing Windows 11. Now that it's done, the upgrade to Windows 11 seems to have fixed what issue was at play with my Norton VPN. 

 

What I guess was nice, as opposed to an old Windows upgrade I got on another laptop years ago, this one upgraded from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Pro. That other time, it went from Windows Pro to the regular version of the model of Windows. I guess Microsoft just decided to screw people made an unintended error back then. Now at least, I have the Pro version (for whatever difference I wanted it for in the first place - which I cannot think of right now but I recall I wanted the Pro version when I bought this machine).

 

I hope they have all of the glitches out or at least all the known ones to date. The download and info I saw on it did not say if it was a beta version so I guess it is the finished product, that is until they change it.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Bartolomeo Must Be Rolling In His Grave

The business that he ran was probably already in operation for many years before 1526 but it was that year, which is shown on an invoice, during which Mastro (Master) Bartolomeo Beretta sold close to 200 long gun barrels to a city/state arsenal in Italy. The Beretta family business/company has been in business ever since, in fact probably longer, and is one of the premiere firearms makers in the world. They make or have made everything from matchlock long guns to flintlock handguns, to double barrel shotguns - veritable works of the gunmaker's art - valued at tens of thousands of dollars apiece, to modern revolvers and semi automatic pistols to true assault rifles as in real weapons of war. More on Beretta's history here: https://www.beretta.com/en/company/fabbrica-d-armi-pietro-beretta/history.

 

In all that time, the Beretta name has been the hallmark of excellence in firearms manufacturing. So when it comes to my latest acquisition of a Beretta pistol - the Beretta APX A1 Carry 9mm semiautomatic pistol - if mine is the norm for these particular handguns I must wonder if Bartolomeo is agonizing from the grave. This particular pistol, in my opinion, might well be enough to cause his spirit not only to rattle chains and moan in agony but to take those chains and bind closed forever the doors of Beretta's manufacturing plants.

 

Make no mistake about it, even though I just said that about the APX A1 Carry pistol, I remain and have been an avid Beretta fan for over four decades. I purchased my first Beretta pistol when I was a Border Patrol Agent back in the early 1980s. Since then I can account for 18 other Beretta pistols that I have purchased and am fairly certain there were at least two or three more that have passed through my personal inventory. Right now, as I type, I own 11 of them but chances are before too long, I will own only 10. Those I currently own include: a Beretta 70S in 22 LR, a Beretta 70S in 380 AUTO, a Beretta 84B in 380 AUTO, a Beretta 87 Target in 22 LR, two Beretta 92FS pistols in 9mm, two Beretta 92FS Compact L Type M pistols (these use single stack mags) in 9mm, a Beretta 92SB in 9mm, a Beretta 950 BS in 22 Short, and my latest acquisition the Beretta APX A1 Carry.

 

To say that I have thought Beretta pistols as being to my liking is a gross understatement. They truly have been among the best, if not the very best, handguns I have ever owned. In fact, with that thought in my mind, I jumped at the opportunity to purchase something new for me - a Beretta striker fired (as per the vernacular) pistol. So, I purchased a Beretta APX A1 Carry pistol back in November 2022. All of my other Beretta pistols have been semi-autos and all metal except for the grips and all have external hammers. This new one is quite different as it has a polymer frame, does not have an external hammer and is striker fired. Well now that I have it, my opinion of Beretta pistols is newly revised as well, at least relative to my opinion of this particular one.

 

Striker fired handguns are nothing new. For example, my oldest one is an Ortgies semi-automatic pistol that was manufactured in the 1920s. Over the period of time since my Ortgies was manufactured (and longer) - the striker fired semi-automatic pistol has gone through many advancements. Many handguns today are of that type. Glock introduced their pistols back in the early 1980s (I think 1982 - the lock 17) and they pretty much took the market by storm shortly thereafter. Since then though many other, if not all major manufacturers of semi-auto defensive pistols have created their own versions modern striker fired pistols. 

 

One of the notable things about striker fired pistols, as opposed to double action semiautomatic pistols is that the length of trigger pull is often very short as is the trigger reset. Those made by high quality manufacturers often, but not always, have a smooth crisp actions. This is where the Beretta APC Carry A1 figuratively falls on its face and I think could be making Bartolomeo turn uneasily in his grave, if not actually rise from it, in protest that this gun bears the Beretta family name.

 

I took it to the range a couple of days ago and shot about a hundred rounds or so through it. Normally, when I fire a new gun for the first time, I shoot at least 200 rounds through it to assure it is functioning properly (at least I try to do so with those I am fairly certain I will be keeping and possibly using for self defense). I would prefer to shoot 300 to 500 rounds through new ones like that but the truth is that ammunition became very pricey over the past few years. Even though it has come down markedly in price just lately, it is not as cheap as it once was and my pocket book is a lot skinnier than it used to be what with the inflation apparently caused by President Joe Biden and his administration.  

 

The things I do not like, at all, about the Beretta APX A1 Carry mostly have to do with the trigger's action. First of all, and this is all my opinion: the trigger has an overly long, a seemingly very - very - very long length of travel, before it will cause the gun to go BOOM. That is mostly evident as trigger take-up. Then there is the part of the trigger's overall travel referred to as trigger creep. That is the trigger pull, once it evidently engages other internal parts and causes them to move - such as the sear. It feels outright crunchy like there is sand or other grit in the action. Granted the creep may smooth out over time as the gun breaks in, so to speak. My view on that - it should not be crunchy feeling in the first place and in today's world there should be no break-in period required, a pistol should be ready to go at its best right out of the box except maybe for cleaning. Then there is the trigger reset - the reset that was very hard for me to feel when firing this pistol. 

 

Another thing I dislike very much about this pistol is that, according to the manual, it requires a tool to disassemble it for field stripping. You need to insert a punch or something else like a ballpoint pen tip (they actually recommend this in the manual even though this means the ball point pen's ball possibly could come lose and then I guess may wind up in the works of the pistol or at least have you wind up with ink in the works). The tool needs to depress the Striker Deactivation Button on the right rear side of the frame. It is otherwise easy to disassemble for field stripping without tools beyond that point. Assembly was straightforward and easy, it did not require a tool to assemble from a field stripped condition. I did not disassemble it further. Why on earth Beretta would create a defensive pistol that requires a tool to field strip it is beyond the scope of my imagination.

 

Additionally, I do not like the grip. It just does not feel right in my hands. It is on the small and thin side but then it is a compact single stack pistol; yet, other single stack pistols I own do not have the same inadequate feel for me when I hold them. That of course is a subjective and personal issue but I must point out, this is the first Beretta pistol I have owned or fired for which I have noticed this foible. Because it is a fairly thin pistol, it is easy to conceal or should be for most shooters.

 

As for the specs, I'd give them to you from the Beretta website but for some unknown reason, I cannot find the APX A1 Carry shown therein. (I wonder, has it already been discontinued?) There are a few to several APX pistols pictured on their site but the Beretta APX A1 Carry no longer seems to be one of them. The specs, of course, are shown in the manual. Sadly though, if you are considering purchasing one of these pistols and want to check the specs, you are unlikely to have a manual for it at hand because they come packaged in the box with each new APX A1 Carry pistol. I though will give you some of those specs for my APX A1 Carry, as they appear in the manual (for educational purposes):

Model: APX A1 Carry

Caliber: 9x19 (9mm Luger, aka 9mm Parabellum)

Magazine: 6 rounds (8 round extended optional) - Note mine came with an extended mag base on one of its two magazines, one mag base, attached to one of the mags, that was not an extension but has a small finger lip and another spare magazine base with no finger lip.

Sights: Removable front and rear

Frame Chasis: Stainless steel

Grip Frame: Fiberglass reinforced technopolymer

Slide: Steel with Nitride finish

Barrel: Steel with Nitride finish

Safety: Automatic striker block & trigger drop safeties

Length: 5.8"

Barrel Length: 3.1"

Grip Width: 1"

Width: 1"

Height" 4.4"

Sight Radius: 4.7" ( I did not measure this but it seems a bit longer.)

Weight: About 20 ounces with empty magazine

 

If you do consider getting one, I suppose I should also mention other parts such as the sights and slide. The rear sight is a notched sight without any sighting assist dots. It is plain black in color and the rear side of it (side nearest the shooter's eye) is grooved, that probably to cut down on possible glare. The front sight is a post with a single white dot. It is easy to get on target fast with a good sight picture and alignment. The sights are removable and if I understand correctly the rear sight base area of the slide accommodates a red dot sight on the APX's optics plate. That plate seems to be in place with the rear notched sight sitting atop it. There are directions in the manual on how to install a red dot sight. The manual is okay but the photographs in it are very small and some of the photos' details are very difficult to see due to small size and darkness/contrast of some of the shots.

The slide has wide grooves front and rear. The slide is easy to operate but the wide grooves do not seem to me to add to its function and appear to me to be that wide more for the tacticool effect than anything else.

The internal workings, at least many of them, are evidently located in a chassis that sits inside the frame.

As for how it shot, it was satisfactory as far as I shot it. I only fired it out to ten yards. I did not shoot further out because I had to stop shooting because to the stiffness of trigger pull seemingly caused by the crunchy feeling trigger creep was so bad as to make shooting it not only uncomfortable for me but actually painful to my trigger finger. I shot a fist sized group a bit low and to the left of dead center.

The need to use a tool of some sort to field strip this pistol, in my estimation, sets it back around 40 years from currently made defensive pistols that I have used and owned. More importantly, I think in a defensive pistol, is the trigger and its operation. In fact, the the trigger and the operation of the trigger are some of the most important aspects of any firearm and of the users ability to shoot it well. The Beretta APX A1 Carry trigger, has (in my mind) one of the worst trigger actions I have ever encountered in all my 57 or 58 years of shooting. That trigger was supposedly reworked and improved  by Beretta; yet, I think it has no place on a high quality handgun. In my opinion, any gun with a trigger like that does not deserve to wear the proud Beretta name or trademarks. 

 

Now, I'll leave it to Beretta as to decide onto what they want to put their name and on what they want their reputation to depend. I am truly shocked though that they have decided their name and reputation are, even in part, suitable to be associated with the APX A1 Carry. If I had to rate this one on a alphabetic scale, I'd give it a C minus or C at best. Despite its name of APX A1 Carry, it is not a gun I'd choose to carry for self-defense unless in an absolute emergency where I thought a better made pistol was unavailable.

In closing let me tell you what a guy on a gun forum wrote after I posted about the price I paid and the rebate offer with which it came: "So, you got a Beretta for $199.99 after rebate? Damn, that’s Hi-Point money". Truth be told, I think it may be the low point of Beretta quality (or lack thereof) to which Beretta has ever fallen. That's my opinion, yours may vary.

All the  best,

Glenn B

It's A Sick, Perverted, Weirder And Much More Dangerous World...

 ...than it has been in over 8.5 decades - you know since the mid 1930s when the societies of the world were depraved enough to permit men like Hitler, Stalin and Tojo to come to power and to twist the minds of the masses to believe and follow those demonic bastards and their perverse hatred based manifest destinies.

What is more likely the cause of the state of the world? Is it all the perversions and societal craziness in the world today caused by the lack of any secular or religious brand, flavor, style or type of morality among seemingly at least half (and it may be more) of the world's population? Or is it that the rapidly decay causing obscene desire for an immoral Dystopian society and the breaking down of and denial of societal norms is an actual omen of evil incarnate about to come down hard upon us and thus a sure sign that the end times are near indeed?

Either way I look at it, it comes down to the same thing - way too many people are severely mentally ill and total whackos or in other words are simply plain evil. As for the rest of us, too many others either do not give a damn or are in denial that the whole world is in a very bad place right now. As usual - when terribly bad times are almost certainly imminently going to befall us - many folks like to remain in denial. That's  because denial is a seemingly safe place to hide from reality & is definitely a comfortable state in which to exist. That is though only until the SHTF big-time and TEOTWAWKI kicks in (look to WW II for a prime example of a the most recent example of true planet-wide TEOTWAWKI). Looking back on history, it seems it is times like these, that we have been experiencing over the past few years, that inevitably lead to multiple consecutive or sometimes concurrent disastrous life changing events such as: unemployment, inflation, depression as in total economic collapse, followed or accompanied by near complete societal breakdown, possibly followed or accompanied by famine, all followed inevitably by massive calamities such as multiple smaller scale but yet major military conflicts and even to a world war.  

Truth be told, and I see no denying it, it is all due to the goings on of people - nothing more or less - at least as I see it. People's behaviors have been becoming extreme to the point of being psychotic as if half the population of the world, or more, have developed sociopathic behavior or anti-social psychoses. In other words people have become mentally sicker, much stranger in thought patterns & behavior and actually crave to commit acts of violence. It is as if they desire more than anything to lash out against anyone who disagrees with them about anything they can make up to find disagreeable or by which they can claim they were insulted although no insult was intended or evident. Even the most benign or trivial issues can make their blood boil and send them into a rage. That is not to say that they only are affected by minor things but rather that they have become so contrarian that even the tiniest of matters, in their minds, require the most extreme types of oppositional response, especially of an antagonistic and all too often of a violent nature.  

This change from more or less a state of brief but mutually tolerated normalcy among the masses to the abject hatred of one group to another - such as the left versus the right - has been brought about in leaps and bounds over the past several years. It's almost as if something keeps getting put in the water like an evil scientist's formula of a mind altering & destroying concoction. Just look at our society and the direction it has taken: nonbinary people (really); marriages of men to women, the so called women of the pairs who used to be (and in actual fact still are) males but are now considered women under the law becasue they have been mutilated by so called medical professionals; teaching very young children about sexual perversions as normal and even as preferred behavior as taught by our school personnel; the replacement of parental rights by the intrusion of tyrannical and obviously immoral bullies, so called educators, into the personal realms of the family; the wish of many in extremist groups to defund law enforcement to the point they are becoming close to being mainstream while the cities and states in which they live are being destroyed by criminals; the release of prisoners without bail who have committed serious and violent offenses repeatedly; minor sentences given to those who have committed heinous crimes when and if they are even tried & convicted; the absolute surrender of the sanctity of our nation's borders to illegal aliens whose ranks most assuredly include pedophiles, terrorists, human traffickers & they who amount to their slaves; slavery existing within our borders; drug smuggling of drug including one of the most dangerous of all - fentanyl - in huge amounts on a regular basis that has undoubtedly be greatly aided by the Biden administration's failure to secure the border or to even make an honest attempt to do so; the cries of racism for the most ridiculous of things that never had anything to do with racism in the first place; the actual racism committed by those of all races het blamed only on one by those on the left;accusing those on the right of the offenses that those on the left are actually committing (not that those on the right are guiltless but those on the left excel in carrying out this type of transference); the cancellation or attempts at canceling actual recorded and proven history only to be replaced with absolute and feckless fiction. (Just look back at history - before is is cancelled & disappears totally - to see what likely is coming  our way next.) The list of the causes of our current state of being goes on and on as we spiral toward what seems to be our self-inflicted  & dismal destiny.

The thing is though, even if it seems like someone must have doped the water, the truth is people do not need any help from evil scientists' or any mind altering concoctions to bring about such twisted idealism, the actual accompanying failures of society and what worse & unavoidable catastrophes may yet be to come. We (as humanity) do fine at twisting up each others minds & ruining the good things in life on a grand and too often worldwide scale. We seem to do so in predictable & repetitive cycles, phases that are not so much time based but are rather event and societal based repetitions. 

With all due respect to the religious, this is worse than an anticipated but elusive and as of yet to occur Apocalypse.Why is that? It is because this is really happening right now and we seem to be full steam ahead toward the conclusion of another end of a cycle and it will quite possibly another train wreck, so to speak, that will culminate in the deaths of many of our own kind & the destruction of much of what we have had that has been good. Hell, it may result in a sort of Apocalypse as in the end of us all what with the weapons we have in the armories,  missile silos, nuclear submarines, on the underbellies of fighter jets, in the bomb bays of strategic bombers and on the rocket launchers of too many of the nations on this earth.

I fear WW III is a lot closer than we think. If  the economy keeps heading in the same direction & if it gets as bad as some predict (it appears almost inevitable it will collapse), if the sociopaths keep growing exponentially in numbers, if more and more countries develop nuclear weapons, if terrorists obtain the same (do you doubt they have them already, I do not), we may be doomed to suffering as we - the human race - have never before suffered. If WW III does erupt, I can only hope it is over swiftly and with minimal damage but I fear what Albert Einstein said about it and about the next one -  WW IV. This quotation has been attributed to him: 

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”    

I place much of the blame on national leaders. In the U.S., I blame President Joe Biden, his administration and the leftist/democrat politicians who have pushed for this evident mass hysteria. Their allies in the media are also to blame but most of the blame must go to the masses who support them. Of course, there are many on the right who add to this. Much of the blame also goes to leaders, politicians &  military commanders in other counties like Russia, Red China, North Korea, many countries in the Middle East, some in the European Union and others in South American. In other words the blame is shared by many tyrannical governments of the world and to the masses of those countries in addition to the current ones in the United States.

End of my philosophical ranting for the moment.

I almost feel as if I'll be a hypocrite to say what I am about to say after having spewed out all of those fears and all that negativity but I'll both say it and mean it regardless; so, here goes:

All the best,

Glenn B

She's Gone - Racquel Welch Passes at 82

 Racquel Welch passed away today at the age of 82. More at the source.

 

She was one hell of a good looking woman who made the hearts of many teen boys, and those of their dads, throb wildly. Allow me to add - that ain't all she made throb! She was also a pretty decent actress. Her acting career taking off in the 1960s. She was active on screen from 1964 trough 2017.

 

 

 

Entertaining U.S. Troops, as part of a show with Bob Hope in Vietnam in 1967 (source). How many of the woke scum actors today would travel to a war zone to entertain our troops, my guess - very few.

  

Rest In Peace Raquel.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Give Thanks and Say A Prayer...

 ...even if you are an agnostic or an atheist. You don't need to even mention God or pray & give thanks to a god. Just be thankful to whatever you choose to give thanks to and say a prayer to the same. The thanks because you were not in Turkey or Syria 8 days ago and the prayers for they who were there. Somehow, survivors are still being pulled from the rubble.

 

The death toll of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey has now been reported at over 35,000 and in Syria at over 5,800 (source); those injured but alive amount to tens of thousands more so far. The death and injury tolls will go up - no doubt. Then later when final tallies are figured they may go down or up even more but whichever way they go - up or down - in the end they will amount to the total casualties of one of the worst  natural disasters in our lifetimes. Add to that property damage that must be in the tens, if not hundreds, of millions. This is a terrible disaster that will have long lasting effects.

 

Of course, if you do or do not believe in the power of prayer or in giving thanks for your well being, there is something else you can do either way. That would be to donate cash, it is something that is certainly going to be much needed for the medical care of the survivors, their temporary housing and sustenance, and later for the demolition and then rebuilding of what was destroyed. 

 

I will not recommend to which organizations you should donate, but if you do, I suggest you use some common sense to avoid being scammed. I also think it may be a good idea to read this article by Forbes to donate wisely. The article also points out, if you are so inclined, you may want to donate your services by way of volunteering for the recovery efforts that are likely to last long beyond media coverage.

 

I just took my own advice and did three of the four things mentioned above. I gave thanks that I was not there, said a prayer for those who were and are there and made a donation to relief efforts through CDP (Center for Disaster Philanthropy - which gets a 100% rating from Charity Navigator). I don't care that Turkey is not among the best of our allies (may even be an enemy) nor that Syria is not an ally as I believe it definitely is an enemy. I gave to help other human beings who are in dire need due to a truly terrible catastrophe. Maybe you can bring yourself to do likewise - only you can decide what you will or will not do but I hope you will at least be charitable to some degree.

All the best,

Glenn B

Is The USA About To Come Under Another Surprise Attack...

 ...just as we did on December 4, 1941when who I think was that other terrible socialist of a Democrat FDR was the president? He ignored the warning signs and so did his administration, Congress and our military. Our ships and they who manned the ships & the base were oblivious as were most of the rest of nation at the time Pearl Harbor was attacked. Despite the writing being on the wall we ignored Japan.

 

"The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades." (Source.)

 

Today we seem to once again be ignoring what are obviously threats to America's security and people. Again it comes from the far east but this time probably emanating in Red China not in Japan (which has become a great ally of the USA). So far, as of sometime earlier today, it has been reported that the U.S. military shot yet another suspected spy object out of the sky - this time reportedly over Lake Huron in Michigan (more at the source). That is number 4 in eight days or so. Some in government seem to be taking heed but is it to late!

 

Some may think these intrusions of our air space to be harmless, others may think them violations of international law and as potentially dangerous in as much as they may be spy aircraft, and in as much as they pose a potential threat to air traffic.

 

I, on the other hand, wonder if they are a definite prelude to all out war with China and any other countries that have a hand in these possible spy aircraft. Our President does not seem too concerned and the White House has not given out much info about them or about what it means for us - We The People Of The United States Of America. In that regard he and his minion seem much like the president, Congress and the military back in 1941 - clueless and indecisive. Is the writing on the wall again?

 

If you think about it, for all we know we may have already been attacked. While these aircraft may indeed be spy-craft, I ask myself - is it possible that they had a dual or a totally different singular purpose. That dual or singular different purpose may have been to disperse germ warfare agents. Where was it that COVID-19 was created? Where did at least one of the four aircraft, recently shot down over U.S. airspace, come from? What country probably posses the greatest risk, or at least the second greatest one, of engaging the United States in a major war? If the answers you can up with are the same for all three questions that I just asked and if the common name of the country begins with a C and ends with an A and often has the word Red placed before its name - then maybe you think a bit like me.

Of course maybe they are just spy-craft gathering intel on our military. I wonder why they'd do that! If war breaks out and these aircraft were the prelude to an attack, then I think Biden potentially should be the prelude to the losses we will suffer. To do that, he should be handed a double barrel shotgun and a helmet and be the first man on the front. Of course, if Biden had to do that, I wonder if the Chinese would just welcome him into their ranks as their best ally.

 

How, I hope my suspicions are unfounded. 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Look, Up In The Sky...

 ...it's a bird, it's a plane, no it's Superman what I suspect was a meteorite or maybe space debris that went zooming from west to east. It seemingly was right above or not all that far north of I-30 in Texarkana, AR. This was at about 2135 or 2140 hours tonight February 6, 2023.

 

If it was a meteorite. as I think, then it was the biggest I have ever seen and I also think the lowest in altitude. It was in essence an eastbound fireball with a tail of at least about 7 to 10 times the length of the ball's diameter and it had a definite downward  trajectory angled at about 10 to 20 degrees below the horizontal. What happened to it? It seemed to just burnout much as we all do when our time is up. 

 

Anyway that was neat even if it turned out to be what I suppose was possible for it to be - a mere firework. Really though, it did not look like any firework I have ever seen. It looked just like other meteorites I have seen that were expected astronomical events or were unexpected but were confirmed later.

 

Neat.

 

By the way, and honestly, I am not delusional, none of the above has anything to do with the Chinese thing that went down over the Atlantic - what do you call it:

 

 

Then again, who knows it could have to do with this scenario:

 

 

I think that the 2nd one, while unlikely, is not totally outside the realm of the possible. Would not that be a wake-up call of a lifetime to have given to others! Someone, close to me in particular, would get a kick out of me having called that one.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Uncle Slow Joe & The Chinese Spy Balloon

Supposedly, a suspected Chinese spy balloon has been hovering over Montana (don't we have nuke silos there). More at the source.

 

So Biden & his lackeys have decided that allowing a suspected Chinese spy balloon to hover over the United States, to potentially spy on us and our defenses, is safer for America than shooting it down. If a plane flies with restricted air space over DC, fighter jets are scrambled to intercept, force it to turn it away, maybe force it to land or shoot it down if the pilot does not comply. Regardless of anything else - IT WOULD BE  CONSIDERED A PRIORITY BECAUSE THEY WOULD CONSIDER IT A MAJOR THREAT.  

 

That is not happening here. So, why is it that an aircraft suspected of spying on us for our enemy the Red Chinese is not being treated likewise? My guess, so the Chinese are not pissed off at us him too much when they invade or should I say are invited in to take over by The Man Who Would Destroy America & His Accomplices - Joe Biden and the dems! Of course, that might all have something to do with the dirt they have on him & his son.

Biden is, in my opinion, truly the worst POS and probably most corrupt president we have had by far within my lifetime. He, I think, far surpasses Obama in that regard. Those last two sentences stand even if this merely turns out to be an errant Canadian weather balloon, simply a hoax or an attack on our soil by the Duchy of Grand Fenwick (one can hope it is the latter).

 

 All the best, 

Glenn B 

Once Again I Have Made It To My Favorite Holiday

 So happy Groundhog Day! The most famous of them all saw his shadow today - so six more weeks of winter!

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Did You Do Something and Now Are Feeling Stupid, If So:

Hat tip to Mike G.

All the best, 

GB

My Daughter Got A New Job

 She was working in Child Protective Service in the county in which she lives. Some time ago she put inn for a probation officer position. She got that today. The thing that I think was most worrying to her about the application process was that she would be required to fully load a 15 round magazine. I I recall correctly, she told me a lot of candidates supposedly would fail that portion of the testing. She aced it today and I'd like to think me sending her a brand new Glock 19 ten round mag (could not send her a 15 round mag because she is in NewYorkistan but yet they expect you to be able to load one when you cannot legally buy one to practice with). Took her awhile to be able to get the tenth round in that one but she persisted in practicing with it and after a bit she got it fully loaded. She said that loading a 15 round mag today, for the test, was easy peasy! Now she needs to learn how to shoot a pistol and whatever long guns they maybe use. I taught he to shoot rifles many years ago so she will have that advantage. My son is a regular gun nut - he certainly did not fall far from the tree on that point!

 

Proud papa am I. My two youngsters (both middle aged now) both have good jobs, both are hard working, each of them owns a house  and both are well mannered citizen types of the right political ilk. Of course she is also the mama of my grandson to date. Things do not get much better for a parent - those things being seeing your all of your children grow up to become responsible adults.

All the best,

Glenn B

From The Ukraine To WW III - It Could Take As Long As...

...only a single the blink of an eye on a sunny day. With the U.S. now planning to send Abrams M1 battle tanks to Ukraine (more at the source) and with Germany going to send Leopard tanks (more at the source) and Poland planning to do so as well (more at the source), I have to wonder will Putin be pushed to the insane conclusion that NATO is in essence the aggressor in the Ukraine war and that NATO will attack the Russian homeland. I would think that any rational person outside of the Russian political hierarchy & military would know that such is extremely unlikely but they are not rational minds about which I am worried. Putin and his cronies are power hungry, warm water seaport craving, buffer zone seeking madmen in my opinion. If the tanks being sent to Ukraine are enough of a threat to push Putin and his generals over the edge, then as this article states, they may start WW III. 

 

What would Putin order that would start it? Well, all he needs do is hit Ukraine with one nuke, could be a big one but my guess even Putin would not be stupid enough to use more than a single smaller one, maybe a tactical one or a dirty bomb. The Russians would probably, as I see it, set one off in or drop a bomb on a single high population area, especially one in which they think Zelenskyy is present at the time. I am none too certain that the west would be willing to retaliate with like force but NATO, or the U.S. on its own, may decide to do so. Then again, the U.S. or NATO may just say to hell with it and go for a full out & catastrophic response by launching several nuclear armed missiles and bombers all aimed at the Russians with others at the ready for China, Iran and maybe Pakistan. Then again, NATO led by the U.S. might go on the offensive with ground troops and conventional bombing before risking an all out nuclear fist fest but even that would likely lead to a nuclear holocaust eventually unless some Russian with half a brain assassinates Putin before that.

 

I certainly hope none of that happens (except Putin being assassinated by other Russians of course) because if WW III erupts, I predict most of the people of the world can kiss their own arses a final good bye - if not from actual nuclear or conventional attacks then from the famine and other shortages that will follow in fairly short order; hell, we are already in short supply of way too much. If it does come down to a bilateral nuclear exchange, or even to merely Russia unilaterally using nukes, China and other nations would probably not be far behind in allying all out with the Russians and attacking the west by whatever means they have available. We do not want to get into a war with China involved as our enemy and as Russia's ally (they have not used up any significant amount of their military resources as of late). If that turns out to be the case though - well just allow me to let her sing it again (I have to say this video with the song We'll Meet Again is the best I've ever seen): 

 

 

As for me, I'll be going to SAM's Club later today or tomorrow (as time allows) to pick up some foods that can be easily stored long term (mostly canned goods, dry beans, rice, flour, spices, salt and such) to add to my cache. I'll also be updating my medical supplies and buying batteries and other items as best I can do. There is a saying that I think is a very good one as relative to the world's current situation: "Pray for peace but prepare for war". Then again, I've always liked the motto of the Boy Scouts of America as well: "Be prepared". That one kind of covers everything - doesn't it! 

 

I do not know if one can actually be prepared for nuclear war and what would follow but I am a child of the original Cold War and my mother was at least somewhat of a prepper back then - long before that word became popular or maybe before it even existed in our vocabulary. So, I'll be damned if I at least don't try to be prepared enough to live to see what the the aftermath of the apocalypse would look like and if that does not come to pass, at least I'll be ready for whatever increase in shortages Biden creates because no matter what - he is sure to do so as I see it.

Hope to see you all after whatever happens or doesn't but until all this comes to its conclusion:

 

Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
'Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away...

 

...some sunny day! 

 

And people say I am a pessimist, go figure.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

A Little First Major Rock Concert Nostalgia

Do you know where you were at, with certainty, for at least any two hour or somewhat longer period (of your choice), on December 11, 1970? My guess is that you can guess but that is it for most of you - just a guess. Although I can not state the exact hours, I do know where I was situated for at least a couple of the hours on that exact day. I was in Nosebleed Heaven, to the right of the stage at maybe a 60 degree angle in front of it, in Madison Square Garden. That was to see and listen to Grand Funk Railroad in concert. What I did not know, or at least do not recall knowing back then, was that the backup band would be Bloodrock. Heck, when I think of it now, I do not remember knowing about a band by that name back then (damn those aged little grey cells) but I do recall a couple of their songs. Must have been them though because it says so here: https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/grand-funk-railroad-bloodrock-834fc761-27ec-41e9-a5e9-e3ff89a9cd20.

 

I always do remember though what amounts to basically three things in general about that concert:

 

Number one is who accompanied me: I went with my two friends, from Glendale, NY - Jackie R and Steven M (my best bud back then). Sadly, I have no clue as to what they are up to or where they are now; we've been out of touch for many years.

 

The second is that while we went to see Grand Funk Railroad, we were much more impressed by Bloodrock as they put on a much better performance and mind you - Grand Funk Railroad was not bad. Bloodrock's songs D.O.A. and Sable & Pearl had the audience going wild with applause as did others. They got a longer amount of applause and the kids (yeah, most of us were teenagers) there called out much longer for an encore from them than did the bunch of us for an encore by Grand Funk! As I seem to vaguely recall, the lead singer of Grand Funk expressed his disapproval about that. It really is funny I cannot recall shit almost anything else about them, it is just that concert performance and those two songs light up my little gray cells & has them dancing with a memory of musical delight. 

 

I said, I remember three things in general about that date. The third that I remember is that I was 15 at the time by a couple or few months or so and it was the first time I smoked. Now, it is for you to surmise, within the depths of your own psyche, to what type of smoke I refer - does he mean, you may wonder, something such as: a pipe filled with pipe weed as in The Hobbit, cigarettes filtered or unfiltered & self rolled or not, cigars, or something else - cause I ain't telling. And I ain't telling, not because I don't remember but rather because I love to stir up folks' imaginations and keep them guessing about me. Whatever it was, I am happy to say I quit smoking & chewing tobacco long ago.

 

All that aside - who/what, where & when was the first concert you attended? Bear in mind please that I am asking about major Rock concerts - not about: Country/Western, not Blues nor Bluegrass, not Classical nor Opera, not CRAP RAP, not your buddies in a garage, not school shows, not barroom wonder bands either - and not anything less than a major Rock concert.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

At Least 9mm Ammo...

 ...has dropped considerably in price lately despite the inflationary prices on almost everything else ammo. I'd compare ammo prices to the price of eggs and probably say 9mm ammo is currently the better deal but the last two times I visited my local Sam's Club they had zero eggs on the shelves for me to price!

 

Getting back to ammo, while 223/5.56 ammo remains ridiculously high (why should it being that 9mm prices have fallen markedly) some others have come way down from what they reached during the  buying frenzy caused by COVID & Biden. As far as I am aware, no ammo though has come down to the price it was before those two catastrophic events hit the USA like dual killer hurricanes but you can pick up 9mm (115 grain, FMJ) ammo for $239.95 per case of 1,000 rounds with free shipping. Of course, you need to add tax to that and you can opt to add full insurance coverage and adult signature required. Regardless of those add-ons, that is a pretty darned good price considering as high as 9mm prices had gotten over the past couple or few years.

 

The retailer I know of that has it at that price is Target Sports USA but only if you are an "Ammo+" member on their site (previously their Prime membership - but my guess is that Amazon did not like that name for it). If you are not a member it goes for $12.99 plus shipping or for $259.80 per case with free shipping. Only Ammo+ members get less than a case shipped for free. I believe it wise to buy it at this price if you need it now or even if you just want to stock up for a rainy day or a zombie 😂 apocalypse as opposed to actually needing it. I foresee ammo prices getting worse again in the short time left to me in my lifetime. No I am not dying imminently as far as I know - just getting, as Pink Floyd sang, "...shorter of breath and one day closer to death..." as each day goes by. 

 

Anyway, I think it a good idea to stock up on some now and even if it ever goes back down to what it used to be @ of about $189.99 per case for the same or similar stuff then buying even more would be my advice. If it does no go back down and goes up again instead you may lament not buying it now. More on it here at the source.

 

You can look elsewhere for it on a site like AmmoSeek.com and you may find this particular ammo (or similar) at a less expensive price. For instance, on AmmoSeek, the lowest price for this particular ammo is from a retailer offering it at around 15.3 cents per round, for a 300 round box. At that price it would be around $153.00 for a case of it - which would be a super duper excellent price if that was the whole price or even if you added tax. The thing is, as AmmoSeek indicates, that retailer has very high shipping rates (buyer beware because when you add the shipping quote I got for it, it is shy only a single dollar of double that price and I am not figuring in the tax).

 

This is not an advertisement for Target Sports USA, Sellier & Bellot or AmmoSeek nor is it SPAM - it is merely me discussing my opinion on when it would be a good time to buy 9mm ammo and some facts on the prices I discovered while searching the Internet for a good price on it. I do not receive anything as compensation from any of those mentioned sites (nor from anyone else) for anything I write in my blog (nor for anything else).

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Think Biden Needs To Be Removed From Office...

 ...by whatever legal means is available to get him out now and I think that is what the democrats may be thinking as well. And yes Kamala Harris would become the president, likely a ditzier but yet somewhat more cognizant president; so as much as I hate to admit it, probably a better one than Biden. My guess is she would only lie half as much as the serial inventor of the Joe Biden that Joe Biden often portrays himself to be - a legend in his own mind. 

 

Did he actually take a knee for a photo-op with basketball players? More at the source. Why? Was it to symbolize that he would kneel instead of singing the National Anthem - just as many football & basketball players did? That is how I interpret what this scumbag just did! Even VP Harris was not stupid enough to pull that stunt by dropping to a knee. Look at the shit eating grin on his face as he does it - he seems to me to have zero respect for the United States of America. I think he is a piece of shit bum for having done so but am sure he will make up some screwball excuse for himself and to try to appease the left (but mostly to justify himself to himself - if you have not noticed, he seems to do that a lot and it ofttimes seems that it comes out as a lie about something he claims to have done that he has not done).

 

Do you think he loves America and American citizens? Then why did he essentially threaten gun owners with possible F-15 attacks against their AR-15s if they ever try to overthrow a tyrannical government (more at the source). If that does not reek of tyranny - what does!

Fuck Joe Biden and if you do not like the language I use to speak about him then - in the immortalized words of Sister Walter Phillip allow me to say - tough noogies. I am sick of him. He is - as I see him - lower than the lowest scum of the earth. He is, I believe, almost 100% responsible for the super-high inflation we are going through and that only after him creating the problem is he now trying to take credit for things getting better under his insane economic policies and at the same time hoping we forget that we are in this mess because of his policies! 

 

We did not have to suffer for 2 years of his presidency with those inflation rates, all he had to do was keep President Trump's economic policies and oil production policies in place - but no he destroyed them almost immediately upon taking office. Then what did he do but sign off on a spending plan for trillions & trillions of dollars, and he calls conservatives "fiscally demented" (more at the source) when he spends like there is no tomorrow; yet, we do not have a pot to piss in, the window to throw it out of nor the ground to catch it! 

 

Add to that - what does he do but allow hundred of thousands, if not millions, of illegal aliens across our borders to stay here. They are people whose first act on U.S. soil is to break the law in our country. Even the leftist, sanctuary city loving, mayor of NY says he has had enough of the illegals now that Texas sent thousands of them to NYC to share the expense of caring for them. Funny how the mayor changed his tune after having to foot the bill for some of their care. Instead of encouraging Biden's catastrophic border policies as I think he had done and bad mouthing those who opposed them, mayor Adams is calling it all a national crisis (more at the source) now that the problem has landed in part on his lap.

 

Biden also seemingly has a track record of being an abject racist. He is (or was) apparently in cahoots with Red China and the Ukraine. He evidently, it seems, has covered for the alleged criminal activities of his son, he allegedly has profited from business dealings his son had with the Red Chinese, reference Hunter Biden's laptop. He has also evidently broken the law just as he alleges President Trump did with regard classified documents but yet he acts if he is law abiding and morally superior to President Trump. Biden says he is cooperating but he only said that after classified documents he has held for several years - since he was vice president - were found in his possession. Had they not been found - do you think he would have been honest & forthright and told the citizenry about them. 

 

There was no secret that Trump had such documents, he was in negotiations about them before the dems and their lackeys in the FBI decided to launch a full scale raid on his Florida residence! Where is that same type of raid on Biden's offices & home? Biden knew he (Biden) possessed those documents when he went after Donald Trump for the same exact thing, that was way before we knew Biden had them. He even kept some of them in - of all places - his garage. He did not disclose he had them until after the elections even though found days before the elections. That was also until well after he called President Trump irresponsible for having kept similar documents; which Trump kept in secure areas Mar-a-Lago (more at the source) and not in his garage! 

 

Amazingly enough the National Archives are not in an uproar (at least not yet) about Biden having those documents. No they are rather laid back about it or at least have been. The FBI seems likewise. That even though a vice president - which is what Biden was when he took those documents - is not able to legally declassify them; only a president (like former President Trump claims he did with those he kept) can do that. So they definitely were still classified, otherwise by now, I surmise we'd have heard President Obama saying he had declassified them. Then again, President Obama probably figures & knows that Biden is a lost cause so why get involved, after the fact, by lying about their classification trying to save a chump and maybe getting caught up in it himself.

It would not surprise me if the democrats threw a bashed and bloodied Biden to the wolves to let them rip him apart (figuratively of course) so as to oust him from the Oval Office because they probably think they can only do better with the word salad tossing, laughing hyena, dimwit Harris as president! Biden is essentially little more, if any at all more, than a write off to them now. He was a major embarrassment to the dems - what with his serial lying and his apparent mental health issues and the economy - long before the news broke about him retaining classified documents and that news just getting worse as time goes on. Thus my guess is, he will never be reelected unless by fraud and why would they bother committing fraud to keep him and his failures in the limelight. I think he does not have a snowball's chance in hell of a second term and my bet is the dems know it. So he basically is an expendable liability to them. If they throw him out or throw him in the hoosegow - they win. Why? Because that way they can later claim how wonderfully even handed and fair they were if and when they prosecute President Trump for the same offense for which they got rid of Biden. 

 

I tell ya, this country must be the laughing stock of the entire world with what I believe is the most nasty, disagreeable, disrespectful, anti-Constitution, anti-American, corrupt & out for only himself  asshole president within my lifetime. 

 

Yep, other than what I listed sources for, the above was mostly my opinion of him. What do you think of him?

 

All the best,

Glenn B

It Was A Cool & Somewhat Dark But Stormless Night...

 ...as I sat on my small back patio that was dimly illuminated by the somewhat less than (for reading) adequate patio light and a set of Christmas lights around the patio privacy fence. I had been reading, in that barely sufficient light, and was almost finished with chapter six of the last of Dashiel Hammett's mystery novels - The Thin Man. I had finished the fourth, of his other four novels, maybe three weeks ago, that one was The Glass Key. So far the best of the four I have read all the way through has been the superb classic The Maltese Falcon but none of the others were bad at all. The screen adaptation of that one happens to be one of my favorite Bogart (as in Humphrey Bogart) movies.  

 

I was quite hesitant to begin reading The Thin Man. Its film version is also one of my all time favorite films noir. I sometimes debate if it or The Maltese Falcon should be named the best ever film noir - both were that good. The only movie I have seen, that was made within my lifetime, that even comes close to either of them as far as films noir go was The Usual Suspects. All of those and many others of the same genre contain some of the best character actor portrayals ever. 

 

I finally started read The Thin man tonight despite my hesitancy, a bit of procrastination that I suppose was based upon my reluctance to read the last of Hammett's works because there would be no others to follow and because I was somewhat fearful that it would be nothing like the movie. Then again, I was hopeful it and the movie would be alike since the film The Maltese Falcon was a truly magnificent and was very true adaptation of the book.

 

Anyway this is not as much about how much I like Dashiel Hammett's stories or how much I feel the moods and think the thoughts of each of the characters whom he chose to fill the stories & tell those tales but is more about what happened as I was reading. That event - though insignificant for me but possibly not for someone else - fit right into the shadowy and puzzling mood in which the reader is enveloped as the clever sleuth and his witty wife use their cunning wits to bring us through the dizzying maze of baffling clues to arrive at the solution to the mystery. 

 

What happened tonight was, that as I was near to the end of chapter six, there were three of four gunshots, in rapid succession, near to the backside of my apartment. I immediately took what cover I could and as I was moving to get inside, there were about seven to eight more shots fired. They sounded, to me, to have all come from the same gun. My guess, it it was likely a pistol in the mid caliber range - maybe a 9mm or a 380 or something close to one of those. I doubt it was a revolver because there were too many sots for almost anything except a 22 and these shots did not sound as if they came from a 22 caliber handgun. Sooner than later, with agile swiftness that my aged joints no longer normally allow, I was inside with my door locked and barred. I called 911 and gave them what little info I had; the 911 operator said several others had called in the same and that the police were on their way. I saw zero police response over the course of the next 15 minutes but it does not mean they did not respond, if they did they could have just been out of my sight. 

 

Shots fired fit right in with the mood of each and everyone of Hammett's detective stories but kind of ruined it all a bit too because I stopped reading for the night. I was not about to stay outside reading on my back patio and once inside decided to wait to read more tomorrow. What was very nice about it though was that I was able to think -  'Look Ma, top of the world - no bullet holes in me'. I am looking forward to finding out what happened tomorrow when I check the local news. If all involved were lucky, there will be little to nothing to be reported because no one got injured. Of course, if I counted right and 10 - 12 shots actually were fired, then chances are someone either was shot or maybe got lucky and merely crapped their drawers when fired at.

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

Do You Prefer Justice Regular or Fried

 I am guessing these two alleged and apparently failed arsonists wish the version they had brought upon themselves would have been regular but they both got fried instead!

 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

They Are Calling It Burglary & Vandelism...

 ...but with the state of our electric grid being dependent upon Red China for replacement parts and with the amount of ordnance we have wasted in the Ukraine and what with our president praising how great and wonderful it is that China's economy is thriving while at the same time they are undergoing an unprecedented military buildup and have been showing signs of aggression against our allies along with Russia, North Korea and Iran to name only a few - I have to wonder are these practice runs at sabotage. Talking about two recent attacks on a power substations, more at the source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/washington-burglars-take-out-three-power-substations-christmas

 

If these are merely vandals - who have knocked out power for thousands now twice within a week or two - how much easier would it be for trained saboteurs! Don't think there are enemy agents with the USA? Just look at the hundreds of thousands if not millions of illegal entries into the US, during the past two years under Biden while he also has kissed China's butt, and tell me you honestly believe that no potential red-saboteurs have crossed that border and I will tell you that you are full of shaite.

All the best,

Glenn B

Christmas Sure Has Been Nice So Far

Staying at my son's place for Christmas. He made a couple of Cornish Game Hens and stuffed shrooms last night. Today he made a nice breakfast of: coffee, fresh baked crescent rolls, sausage patties, bacon and loose scrambled eggs with scallions. We will be enjoying a late dinner tonight of prime rib. We have been enjoying a bit of the excellent crab dip I made for this weekend. For desert tonight, I made a pan of chocolate brownies from scratch; they have a very heavy kind of, sort of almost cake-like outer layer with a heavy chocolate fudge-like inside. Hope to also enjoy a wee dram of the Balvenie 14 year old Week Of Peat; I gave my son a bottle of that along with a few other things. Been drinking a variety pack of Paulaner bier in the mean time.All with a nice tree to enjoy looking at.

 

I got a bunch of very nice Christmas presents: an AR-15 carry case (from my Secret Santa), and this stuff from my family & my son's girlfriend: a winter hat, 3 lbs of excellent coffees, 1 pound of dark chocolate covered whole  cherries, one 12 pack of Mounds bars, a $50 gift cert. at Target Sports USA (bought three boxes of 380), a calendar, a Roku Premiere (streaming controller) and a couple of things I got for myself: a Beretta APX A1 Carry and a winter coat (that has to go back for an exchange, way too tight in the shoulders wide at the bottom as if for Baby Huey).

 

 

 

I also 'got' to help him clean up the leaves in the front yard by moving several loads of them, on a 9x12 foot tarp, into a long pile about 4 feet tall by 6 feet deep by at least 35 feet long - in his backyard up along a fence. I hope it is not windy anytime soon.

 

I gave him and his gal-pal each a NERF gun, him a 6 shot revolver and her a many shot (I think 16 shots) NERF rifle with a couple of extra bags of NERF darts. They already had a blast with them. 

 

 

Of course they got some other goodies from me too. I sent my wife & daughter some coffee and a couple of gift certificates at one of their favorite restaurants and my grandson got a nice scooter and a flying ball from me. Oh yeah, also sent him a gift card for a Carvel ice cream shop.

Not forgetting the religious side of the day - which I believe is all about giving (as in Jesus being God's gift to mankind). I hope your Christmas has been a merry one and as spiritual as per your beliefs. Mine has been excellent in all regards and it truly has been better to give than to receive this year as in most if not all. Besides gifts to family & friends, I made sure to give a decent donation to one of my favorite charities a day or three ago.

 

A special shout out to Jen & her family - Merry Christmas my friends!

All the best,

Glenn B

Happy Schwanza - Really!

 

 

 Idiot is she even if that is faked but my guess is it is real! Imagine if Trump had said that, I wonder what civil rights charges they would look to throw at him.

All the best, 

Glenn B

Merry Christmas

The title of this post just about says it all for today but there is a bit more: I hope you have a Merrily Excellent Christmas or had a Happy & Joyous Chanukah or a Happy Festivus (for the rest of us) without too many grievances to air.

All the best,

Glenn B