Today In History - The Oldest Surviving Warship...

... afloat in the world was launched at Boston, MA on October 21, 1797. The ship was, and still is, the USS Constitution. There is some irony in the fact that the ship named Old Ironsides (because during the historic battle against HMS Guerriere, at least one cannonball was seen to bounce off of her hull) was launched in Boston harbor and that Boston is in the heart of a state that regularly infringes upon peoples' rights under our Constitution especially by restricted shooting irons (firearms). Yet, I guess there is hope for us all as long as symbols like her, symbols of our great nation, of our freedoms, of our rights, and of our determination to protect them, survive. I have visited this wonderful ship at least once, and if I remember right, maybe twice. Once in Boston, and I am not sure of the other time, but probably also while in Boston. It is a marvelous piece of craftsmanship, and an awe inspiring vision of our nation's power.

An interesting fact about this ship is that it was made up of parts from virtually the whole country at the time it was constructed. Timber from Maine to Georgia was used, some of her cannon were forged in Rhode island, and Paul Revere supplied the copper sheathing for her hull, and also supplied other copper parts such as spikes.

From 1798 (when she first went to sea) until 1830, the Constitution under various commander recorded many victories at sea. These victories included the bombardment of Tripoli in our war against the Barbary Pirates, and numerous sea battles in the War of 1812. In 1830 she was declared unfit for sea duty; and it was recommended that she be scrapped. Over this there was an outcry from the American public as is expressed in the following poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes:

Old Ironsides

Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!

Long has it waved on high,

And many an eye has danced to see

That banner in the sky;

Beneath it rung the battle shout,

And burst the cannon's roar;

The meteor of the ocean air

Shall sweep the clouds no more.

Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,

Where knelt the vanquished foe,

When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,

And waves were white below,

No more shall feel the victor's tread,

Or know the conquered knee;

The harpies of the shore shall pluck

The eagle of the sea!

Oh, better that her shattered bulk

Should sink beneath the wave;

Her thunders shook the mighty deep,

And there should be her grave;

Nail to the mast her holy flag,

Set every threadbare sail,

And give her to the god of storms,

The lightning and the gale!

(Retrieved from "http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Old_Ironsides")

Thanks in part to the poem, public outrage was fanned, and the Constitution was refitted instead of being scrapped. It then served the Navy until decommissioned in 1882. Since then she was refitted and restored several times. Although towed to many ports as part of an exhibit, the USS Constitution did not again set sail from the 1882 decommission date until about 116 years later, when in 1997 she set sale as part of her 200 year anniversary celebrations. In 1954, Dwight D. Eisenhower (a president of the USA for those of you who are too young to remember, or just too poorly versed in US history) and the then Congress, recommissioned her, and assigned her a permanent commission in the U.S. Navy. She currently serves as a United States ship of state, and is manned by a U.S. Navy crew. What an honor it must be to serve aboard her.

If you ever get the chance to visit her, take it, it will be well worth the time and effort.

For more information see:

http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/historyupdate.htm#1794-1797

http://www.todayinsci.com/10/10_21.htm

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

All the best,
Glenn B

Thank The Heavens For Russians...

...like Dmitri Mendeleev. He was a pretty intelligent man and a really cool dude from what I can gather, and he made a great contribution to the enhancement of lemonade (which was almost an impossibility since lemonade was so good without additional help from anyone).

According to Wikipedia: "He is credited as being the primary creator of the first version of the periodic table of elements. Unlike other contributors to the table, Mendeleev predicted the properties of elements yet to be discovered." Now many of you may not find that to be all that cool, albeit it intelligent. You may even think of his creation, the Periodic table, to have been one of the biggest pains in your keester while you were in high school. I know for a fact it gave me indigestion trying to remember all the elements and their symbols; and once I got them halfway down, what did they do but add more elements. Well good old Dmitri was long since dead before they added new ones, but he was still responsible in a way because he predicted properties of elements yet to be discovered. What a pain in the arse he turned out to be for high school kids all over the world. Yet there was joy to be had from his studies too.

So what is it about the man that I could consider cool. Well it has a lot to do with ice cube and lemonade; but when I say that I mean it in an indirect way. I have always loved lemonade. I lie it sweetened, I like it without sweeteners, I liked it when I was young right from the lemon as in pure lemon juice, and In even liked lemon juice concentrate. I guess I was destined to be a sourpuss! Then as I got older, some where in my teen years, I discovered (in my own way and time) that there were some really good tasting substitutes for natural lemonade. I remember that Wyler's made a great tasting lemonade powder. It was sweetened with real sugar, and in that way was very unlike my standard of today which is artificially flavored and comes under the name of Crystal Lite. (Note I did not say my favorite because real natural lemonade is my favorite.)

I am beginning to digress from Dmitri, so please allow me to get back to him, but I will get to him as I diverged from him, in a round about way with Wyler's lemonade mix. That Wyler's was good stuff. As a matter of fact it went great with Gin and Vodka. Back in my youth, or at least in my teen years and my twenties, I loved anything with Gin and I also liked Vodka. One day I had the notion of mixing Gin with Wyler's lemonade mix. It was great. I liked it, my friends liked it, even people I did not know whom I met at concerts, and to whom I gave it, liked it. My buddy Charlie Vaughn called that drink a 'Legalade' after me. He had nicknamed me Legal Aid because I was going to college an majoring in Police Science. No I was not going to be a lawyer, I was planning on giving legal aid to society and the law, not to dirt bag criminals. That was ironic because Charlie was in jail more times that I got luck back then. Oh well he was a good man, and I loved him as a dear friend. After I created my drink, Charlie created his own using Vodka and Lemonade mix. I'll be damned but I cannot recall, at the moment, what we called them. They were darned good, almost as good as were the Legalades. Then when I went into the Border patrol at the start of my career about 28 years ago, I naturally turned to To-Kill-Ya Tequila, but only the white or clears ones, none of that golden colored swill for me. I wanted it to resemble Gin, or at least that is the way I preferred it, and its taste. Man those 4 years on the southern border were great, but I have to admit those Tequilas, and the Gin I still imbibed, brought me close to trouble a few times. Then again, when I think of it, they probably kept me from getting in trouble a few times too (just too drunk to get in trouble), and maybe even or at least kept me from catching anything nasty (yes alcohol is a great germ killer, especially when you drink straight shots of Tequila).

As luck, or fate, or the Gods would have it, I lived into adulthood. I graduated college, got a job, that turned into a career, got married, and had children with the woman I love. Somewhere along the line I sort of gave up gin, and Tequila, and Vodka, and jack Daniels, and Old Grand-dad, and Mellow Corn (don't ask), and even Yagermeister. Therefore, I also gave up on Legalades. Gin is tough on the body, the mind, and the soul. It is tough to live a normal life and be a die hard gin drinker. As Charlie used to say, and as I whole heatedly agree, Gin is not an alcoholic beverage, it is a state of mind! It is not the state of mind in which you wish to remain if you want to have a lasting marriage and bring up kids, at least not at gung-ho gin drinking levels. If you want to remain in that state of mind and hard core while at it for the long term, your long term winds up being shortened considerably. Heck I gave up all the hard spirits, except for every now and then. As for the Gin, maybe I miss it most, but I fear it most too. I mean after all, if it was the favorite of Charlie Allnut, it was one hell of a drink; and more than good enough for me. Gin was definitely a state of mind as portrayed in that movie, and as I can attest. (By the way, if you do not know to whom I refer when I mention Charlie Allnut, you missed one of the best movies of all time. I liked Mr. Allnut's brand, Gordon's Gin, but I preferred Tanqueray above them all.) Yet this post has little to do with Gin, and Dmitri had nothing to do with it as far as I am aware.

Now it is many years later since I gave up my youthful and almost incessant devotion to the hard spirits. Yet, I have decided to return to imbibing again, but on a much more refined and restricted level than I did in my wanton youth. Therefore, not too long ago, maybe a year and a half ago or maybe even two years ago, I started to drink distilled spirits again on an irregular basis, but not overboard. I started with Scotch, something I never liked as a youngster. It was not bad, but still took some getting used to. It was akin to Bourbon like Old Grand-dad or Wild Turkey, or to sour mash like Jack Daniels (also one of my favorites of my younger days), as far as I am concerned but maybe a bit mellower. I guess the fact that I paid about $80 to $100 dollars for .750ML may explain why it was mellower. Then I tried some Tequila, Sauza Conmemorativo, not bad but not great with my tendency for heartburn. Most recently I decided to try something else. Then I went to Irish Whiskey. Very good, better than Scotch, much more mellow; but still not my thing.

So I wound up debating whether or not I should buy a bottle of Gin, but thankfully I remembered it being a state of mind and not really an alcoholic beverage, and not wanting to be in that state of mind i decided on a bottle of Absolut. It was good. Yet there was something missing. Absolut is, if I am correct, made in Sweden. I wanted something more traditional. So the next time In went out, I picked up a bottle of Stolichnaya. It was great if only because it was Russian, and because I was brought up during the height of the cold war. Russia = Good Vodka. Yeah I know there are others from other places, but you had to live through the air raids, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Kruschev, and all those spy movies and shows to better appreciate the Russian stuff. I am now on my second bottle of the stuff (by the way, only my 5th bottle of hard spirits in almost 2 years). I mix it with crystal Lite and it is wonderful, with OJ it is okay, and neat it is rocket fuel. I like the Vodka thing. Finally, I am getting back to Dmitri and why I like him so much, and why I think he was cool, and what all this has to do with lemonade.

When I bought my first bottle of vodka a month or two ago, I tried it neat, and with with a lot of mixables. I used OJ, Cranberry Juice Cocktail, cherry flavored seltzer (mmmmmmmm good), and lemonade. I guess my favorite is with cherry flavored seltzer, but I only get one I like at Walmart, and I hardly ever shop there, so vodka with lemonade it was and is. Now I guess I am still not being very clear on what the guy who created the Periodic Table has to do with any of this. Well good old Dmitri Mendeleev, who was born in 1834, was a Russian. He was also a scientist specifically a chemist, he created the Periodic table, he did work on and wrote a book about the spectroscope, he survived what was diagnosed as tuberculosis, he taught chemistry at university, and in 1865 after having been married for a few years and at age 31 he earned the title Doctor of Science. His doctorate was based upon his dissertation: "On the Combinations of Water with Alcohol". Now we are getting someplace, and Dmitri was about to, unbeknown to him, earn a place in my heart many years later.

Shortly after all of the above, Dmitri went and fell for a second woman. He wound up getting married a second time, and finalized his divorce from his first wife only after he was married to the second wife in 1882. Way to go Dmitri. Of course this was all forbidden by the Orthodox Church of which he was a member. This had poor consequences for him, and he was not admitted into the Russian Academy of Sciences. Yet his second marriage must have been happy, or at least hot, because he and his new wife had a few children. Again I may seem to digress, but not really. In 1890 he resigned a university position, probably due to the controversy. This probably ultimately led to a position he picked up in 1893, that of Director of the Bureau of Weights and Measures, and this of course put him into government service. While in this position, good old Dmitri had a chance to explore molecular weights, something that had always apparently fascinated him. Guess with what substance he did that. My guess is that it was Vodka because he wound up concluding that the perfect Vodka should be balanced as: "...the ratio of one molecule of ethyl alcohol diluted with two molecules of water, giving a dilution by volume of approximately 38% alcohol to 62% water" His work, or should I hypothesize that it was his lack of work as a government slug and his enjoyment of vodka, led to a new standard for Vodka in Russia. It was thereafter produced at 40% alcohol level (made it easier to tax when the percentage of alcohol was rounded off to 40% instead of 38%). See what a divorce and a second marriage will do, drive you out of your church, mess up your career, push you into government sluggery service, and ultimately to dabble with drink. Yet, both before and after that, he did some other fine work, lots of it. He lived to a ripe old age of about 73, passing away in 1907. That seems to be a good old age for back then, probably because he was well pickled.

Now back to the lemonade; oh heck you must have put 1 & 1 together to come out with 3 like I just did, haven't you! Dmitri, because of his wonderful work on molecular weights, figured out what would become one of the best things that mankind could add to lemonade, other than Gin, to make it taste better. He did it whether he realized it or not, though I must admit I like to think he may have mixed it with the juice of that sunshiny citrus fruit at least now and again. For his efforts with Vodka, I tip my glass to him - NOSTROVIA Dmitri!

My thanks to to Wikipedia wherein I looked up the word Vodka earlier today, just out of idle curiosity to see where it was created. While there, I was sidetracked to the short but very interesting biography man who perfected a blend of alcohol and water to arrive at 80 proof Vodka. Heck had I known about all of this while in high school I may have looked at the Periodic Table and the elements in a whole other light. By the way, I checked several sources and not one other source dedicated to Dmitri mentioned one thing about Vodka and his contribution to the drinkers of the world; nor did any of those other sources connect him with lemonade. Go figure!

All the best,

Glenn B

Woma Python

The latest acquisition in my collection of herps (reptiles and amphibians) is a Woma Python. It is a striking beautiful snake, and its kind comes from Australia. The one I have, and that is pictured here, is an average looking specimen. There are some that look much more striking in that their heads are more yellow, and their bands more contrasting with reddish color in the darker bands. This one even though being an average looking specimen is still spectacular to behold. You may not realize it from the picture, but this guy (I think it is a male) is about 4.5 to 5 feet long. Its body at the widest point is thicker than my wrist. It is a powerful beast, that in its wild habitat eats small to medium rodent sized mammals, birds, lizards, and other snakes. It kills its prey by constriction, and those coils are strong, my hand was feeling the squeeze as I took some pictures. If you don't believe that then carefully look at the color difference between my forearm and my hand, the hand is a bit on the red side. This one will probably not get much bigger as it has hit the average size for the species, but some have been known to grow to longer than 7 feet, and I have heard they can reach about 8 feet (I sure hope not).

I still have to check it to determine if it male or female by probing it (you probably don't want to know). If it is a male, I'll either keep it for a while and sell it, or pick up a female and try to breed them. That is if I can find a female at a reasonable price, and assuming mine is a male. Heck if it is a female, I may just get stud service for it, usually at the cost of the pick of the litter. This one cost me $300. That was a deal. They usually go for between about $500 and $800 each. Prices are coming down though since some people are breeding them regularly. Still though, the investment in a female would be a good one if the male and female wind up being fertile. Babies easily go for $400 to $500 apiece now, and will still be in the hundreds for at least the next few years. I would not be quite that money hungry, and would sell them at a lower price, but not too low (mama may not have raised the brightest kid at school, but mama did not raise a fool).

I know for sure that my new Woma Python has been eating. The lady from whom I bought it said it was eating frozen/thawed rats. (Yes we buy em frozen because they are cheaper in bulk and snakes will eat dead prey as long as it is thawed fully. Always fun when my wife asks what is in the bag in the back of the freezer.) I know mine was eating well because once I got it home and set it up in a tank, one of the first things it did was to answer nature's call. A nice big healthy answer at that. Nuff said, it seems healthy.

Hopefully when I try to feed it, it will eat. I like to let new snakes in my collection settle in before trying to feed them. This particular snake is a bit on the nervous side when in its tank and someone walks by. It has not tried to biter me or even strike at me when I have opened its tank, that is very good because some snakes strike like crazy when something enters their tank. Once you pick it up it is very easy going. I think it will take to the change of homes pretty well, but I still want to give it about 5 to 7 days before I try feeding it. I am hoping it is not sort of addicted to rats and that it will take large mice and other small rodents. I prefer my snakes to eat a variety of prey for health reasons (sort of like a balanced diet, they get different nutrients in different percentages, from varying prey; and in the event I can not get one type of prey item for awhile.

One other thing I have to do now, is figure out how to recoup the $300 I paid for this guy. That chunk of change will take a big bite out of my hunting budget for this year; and it may mean camping out as opposed to staying in a motel for a few nights on this year's hunting trip. Oh well, if I keep it to breed it, it will be worth the expense in the long run.

All the best,

Glenn B

Have You Seen The BIG News Story About Iraq?

You know the one I am talking about, don't you! The one that was reported all over the Internet today, and all over the front pages of newspapers throughout our country, and all over television news by liberal anti-American asswipes astute reporters and newscasters. Wait a minute, what do you mean you didn't hear any news about Iraq today, let alone the BIG news story about it. What do you mean? haven't you been watching the news, or listening to the radio, or surfing the net? Don't you keep up on what is going on in the war over in Iraq? Well maybe if it had been reported, you would have heard about it.

Heck the news media sure keeps at it, they know what is going on over there on an almost minute to minute basis. They know the body count, they know how many bombs went off at any given moment, they know which sect is attacking which other sect, and on and on. Yet when it came to Thursday, they in essence said, there was no news to report from Iraq. No terror bombings, no terror killings, no terror attacks of any sort. Guess what they said about that. They said there is no news to report! So if you missed the BIG story, one that might point to the fact that things are changing over there at least a little, maybe it is because the mud slinging media only can report on shit when it is bad for us, and when it makes our president look a fool, or when they want to show their support for ultra whackos like Pelosi or Feinstein. It is sad commentary that I had to hear this news on Rush Limbaugh's radio show (and I would hope he got this right), a show to which I do not regularly tune in. It is a shame that he had to play the clip of a lone newscaster telling said story, saying that there was "no news from Iraq"; when in fact if true that there were no terrorist attacks for even just one day that should have been the biggest story in the media. I just don't get it, how can they be so friggin low.

Let's hope it was true even if only for a day.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Unexpected Post...

...as in a post received via the U.S. Postal Service, arrived at my doorstep today. It was mail from my old high school - St. Francis Prep, so I figured it to be junk of no interest to me. They send me things now and then, like a school newspaper, an invitation to a fund raiser, or a solicitation for funds (that is usually what they send), but what I received from them today shocked me almost beyond belief. The envelop was about the size to fit a normal greeting card. As I opened it, I realized it did in fact contain some sort of a card. When I pulled it out and took a look it appeared to be an invitation. In fact that is exactly what it was, an invitation from the Alumni Association for an alumni get together in April 2008. Then, as I read a bit further, my jaw dropped. I have been invited to attend the class reunion for my graduating class, the class of 1973, and therefore the 35th anniversary celebration of my graduation. Just when my day had been going along pretty good, someone from out of my past had to remind me that I am an old fart getting along in years more than I would like to admit. Wow it sure has been a long time since my last day in high school. Maybe I should talk the wife into going, and we can both get a good laugh at the stories I am sure will be told about those care free, kind of psycho days, in an all boy's Catholic high school. There were some wild times indeed. I'll really have to consider attending even though I have shunned such events in the past. It might do me a bit of good to see some people from my past, or at least wind up as interesting anyway. Hmm, time will tell.

All the best,
Glenn B

Things to do today...

...for me include getting back to sleep. Insomnia sicks. Well this may not be insomnia since I fell asleep earlier than usual, and just woke up. Hopefully though I'll be able to get back to dreamland before too long.

Once the sun is well up in the sky, I need to do some painting. Have to finish off painting my entryway. Started about 2 weeks ago, did the scraping and plastering, then the primer, all one day at a time on the weekends; now for the actual paint. Better for me to do it in stages and take my time, less chance of me getting frustrated over something and then screwing up.

After that I'll be off to possibly spend $350 on a Woma Python. Go figure, you would think I'd be buying a gun with that money. The thing is I maybe able to sell the snake for about $200 profit, so I may plunk down the change for it. Then I'll buy the gun.

I also have to get the house ready for my brother-in-law, the older one, who is going into the hospital nearby my home, to possibly get a stent on Friday. He will be staying with us a few days. Supposed to be in and out of the hospital on the same day. When I was younger something like this probably would have required at least a week of hospital food and enemas. Oh the joys of the wonders of modern medicine!

I am also thinking of buying a treestand at a local sporting goods store. Bought one a while back from Sportsmansguide.com, but it arrived in poor shape after UPS apparently manhandled it. They actually managed to bend the steel, so I returned it for a refund. Now Dick's Sporting Goods seems to have a decent one on sale.. I do not like Dick's all that much (That just sounded wrong, almost as if I like em, and not a sporting goods store at that.) I do not like Dick's Sporting Goods all that much, but my options are very limited nearby to my home so I am afraid I'll have to get one there.

After all that, maybe a little mortar repair on the stone work around my small front patio, and maybe a little pointing on my front and side stoops. Always a first time for me to try doing something I have never done. After that I'll probably need a strong libation (LOL).

Yes, I do have tomorrow off from work. Took off mainly to help get the place ready for my brother-in-law, and to pick him up if need be to bring him to our place. On Friday I'll take him to the hospital and pick him up from there when they are done with him. Hopefully all will go well.

All the best,
Glenn B

Deer Scouting Part 2

Yes folks I do like to get some scouting in before the actual deer hunting season opens up. While Brendan and I have about 3 Doe permits between us this year, we would rather get a nice big buck. At least I would rather that he gets a nice buck. If he does get one, it would be his first deer in two years of deer hunting.

Last year I found some nice deer sign in the area that we hunted. As a matter of fact, there was a lot of deer sign, I guess they loved the acorns that were all over the ground just about wherever we looked. In case you were wondering what one looks for as sign of deer, you should look for: game trails, follow the trails and check them for deer berries droppings, look for scrapes (where bucks have scraped away the top layer of leaf litter with their hooves, and form a bare area usually under a bush or low branches of a tree, and into which the buck urinates), and you look for rubs (where a buck rubs the velvet off of its antlers usually before the hunting season, and where they sometimes take out aggression during the rut or mating period during the hunting season). The picture at the left shows a rub. This particular rub was well used, and probably by a bigger deer than most. A small one could have done this too, but small ones do not usually make ones that are quite that long from top to bottom. By the way, that is my boot in the pic, it is right against the tree, and it is a size 12 or 12 1/2 boot. Most rubs I have found are about 1/2 that size in length. I found this rub in the area we hunted last year. Heck I found about 15 of them within a radius of about 25 yards. I also found a few scrapes. So I settled Brendan down nearby to await a buck, or maybe a doe. No luck though, not with regard to seeing any deer for Brendan. I did get to see about 5 or 6 does, possibly followed by a buck, but they were in extremely heavy cover offering no shot to me (well others may have shot but not me in that situation, I take hunter safety very seriously). I had hoped to spook the deer to Brendan's stand, but they were not cooperative and sauntered away in the opposite direction from him. This year I am hopeful things will go a little bit differently. I am hopeful he at least sees one, let alone bag one. Of course, he if he gets one, that would be nice, and we will eat some well earned venison.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yugo SKS - Price Drop Alert

Classic Arms, like every other Internet firearms dealer I could find, raised their prices on Yugo SKS rifles several months back.

The GOOD NEWS is that they just dropped those prices. An excellent condition Yugo SKS is now going for $179.99 instead of $199.99. I think my order will be going out tomorrow since I have been thinking about a birthday present for someone whom I hope does not read this.

Now where did I put my C&R FFL???????????

All the best,
Glenn B

Deer Scouting...

...is something I have done in the past on trips to my favorite hunting grounds. I didn't have to scout much because those happy hunting grounds were on my uncle's farm, and year after year, deer used the same trails for the most part. For the last several years though, I have hunted on public land since my uncle sold his farm (I should have bought it). Now I try to get upstate NY at least once or twice before the deer season to scout out some areas for deer sign, especially for sign of bucks. I can tell you though, it ain't easy getting away. This year I have not had the chance to get out at all. I am hoping that this weekend may present a chance for me to take a 3 1/2 to 4 hour ride up to where I intend to hunt with my son Brendan. If I am really lucky he will come with me. The idea of having an extra driver (now licensed instead of just a permit) is nice, and it would be nicer to have him with me so we can enjoy a day together in preparation for our hunt. It will be tight time wise this weekend, maybe we can leave Friday night, and come back Saturday night. I have other things to do Sunday, and Brendan works on Sundays.

If not this weekend, then maybe the next, or the next. Not much time after that as hunting season will be upon us before too long. Who knows, if Brendan does not want to make the trip, maybe I can talk my wife Linda into it. She does not hunt, but the promise of a nice walk in the fall woods could be something that appeals to her (yeah right). I can dream anyway.

Oh well....

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - Death Of Der Wüstenfuchs

October 14, 1944 was the day that Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Der Wüstenfuchs (The Desert Fox), committed suicide instead of facing death by the hands of the SS for himself and his family. He was assured if he committed suicide his family would be left alone, if he did not they would likely have been executed along with him. I view his passing with mixed feelings. He was one of Germany's best commanders during WWII. Had he been in charge of the defenses of Germany, the war in Europe may have lasted longer. So it is with some satisfaction that I think of his death as one that probably saved allied lives.

Then again, one must realize that he was implicated in the attempted but failed assassination of Hitler that took place on July 20, 1944. Because of his having been implicated in the assassination attempt, and because it was obvious that Rommel had become disenchanted with Hitler's vision for Germany when he learned about the extermination of the Jews, witnessed the bombing damage in Germany, and realized that all was lost, Hitler was furious with him. A plan was devised to kill him off so that the people of Germany would not realize he had been killed by his own leader, but rather that he had died of wounds he had received when strafed by allied aircraft on July 17, 1944 (injuries from which he had not yet fully recovered by October 14 of that same year). He poisoned himself, and the people were informed that he had died in hospital as a result of the strafing wounds. He was given a state funeral as a hero.

Too bad the assassination attempt on Hitler was not successful, maybe Rommel and his alleged conspirators would have been seen as some sort of heroes in the eyes of the world; even if not, at least they would have rid the world of a monster before he could have done more evil. Certainly an interesting man for the war buff regardless of how, or why, he died as he was one heck of an outstanding commanding officer when it came to tank warfare. For more info on Rommel, see:

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/rommel.htm and

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

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Training and Tactics - Knife versus Gun

Okay, I am not the greatest artist in the world. In fact my artistic abilities, especially when it comes to music and drawing absolutely stink. Yet I think I have drawn up an illustration that suits the purpose of this rant, or should I say of the question I am about to pose since I will not give my ideas on it quite yet.

Here is the scenario, and my drawing (click on the drawing to enlarge it). You are at home, in a motel, at a friends house (wherever), and you are chilling out in the living room type set-up. You are just coming back from grabbing a nice cold beverage (must be a soda because you are armed) and are headed to the sofa to couch-potato out after a long day at work. You hear a noise, you look to the doorway and see a really bad boogular coming at you with a knife in his hand, raised as if to attack. You go from being in white mode to red alert instantly because you recognize the threat. There is absolutely no doubt in your mind that you are about to be skewered, nor should there be any doubt in a reasonable person's mind that such is about to occur. You are in fear for life and limb. You are armed with a handgun (yes some people do wear them at home).

What do you do? You have to do it right away!

Think quickly, and decide now!

What was it that you decided to do? Did you decide on any of the following, or did you come up with something else.

Do you freeze.

Do you comply with the demands of the bad guy?

Do you draw and fire?

Do you move backwards as you draw then fire?

Do you seek cover, if so where?

Do you attack the bad guy with hand to hand combat?

Do you throw the soda at him?

Do you run away?

Do you cry for mama?

Do you pray?

Do you do something else?

The real question is: What would you do?

Think about this, and please come up with an answer if you will, then share with all of us. This is a good way to learn the good, the not so good, and the outright bad choices one can make. We can all benefit from this.

There are some outright wrong answers as to how to survive this, and there are some better answers, but probably not a completely right answer as each can have its faults and there are just too many variables. The truth be told though, there is definitely one thing about which you should be thinking of doing in order to increase your odds at surviving this type of attack? The success of almost everything else you do very likely will depend on that one thing. Do you know what it is?

Whatever answer you come up with, don't feel afraid to leave it here. There will be no embarrassment coming from me to you.

I'll add, in a leter post (probably tomorrow or Sunday), what I believe would be my response to such an attack, a response designed to keep me alive and unharmed.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Plan 9as I posted over on TheHighRoad.org:

Yep, 8 feet sure is close isn't it. If the bad guy was approaching me fast, I woulld prepare for hand to knife combat, I would try to sidestep and move away, and try to gain distance. As you sidestep, if he is really close, you may also be able to push him away to the other side, giving you a chance to gain even more distance. You may get cut, but maybe not. If I had the room I would try to sidestep toward my gun side, keeping my gun arm farthest from him. You now are making him react to you in having to change direction to get you, this gives you an edge (no pun intended). Now where to run for you. Right in the direction the bad guy just came from, and while maybe not through the door, because others may be out in the hallway, you could still run off on a diagnoal toward the other corner of the room. Still you can run fastest in that direction because you are facing that way. Remember to that the bad guy has been sidestepped and momentum should have kept him going a step or two past you; he now has to turn around, and you have gained time and distance because of that. If the bad guy was moving very slowly, I would again prepare myself for hand to knife combat, and if I thought of it I would sidestep to the left and rear, move that chair out, if only because it would create distance between us. He cannot come through a chair, he has to come around it, or over it to get me and that is more distance. Then I would continue trying to make distance between us as fast as I could do so. As he tries to go around it to the left, I would sidestep right and run, and the other way around if he went right. Or if need be I would go backward to the door behind me (least preferable route of escape here in my mind) but better than standing your ground.As you make distance, anything that you can put between the two of you without sacrificing a wound is good. If you can get behind real cover at a good distance from the bad guy, do so. Then draw and fire. Why not draw as you are running, that is okay too if you have gained enough distance but not before. Yu may still need bnoth hands for combat, or to move items between the two of you, or to open a dor, or whatever. Enough distance for a draw would be, in my opinion, equivalent to about 27 feet no cover, and 21 feet with cover. Remember though, it will be hard to tell if you have made that distance or not while under attack so practicing, and measuring after each practice scenario would be of help in preparing you for this.Bear in mind, if you move backwards, and draw as you do so, then fire, chances are he will cut you pretty badly if he knows how to use a knife. If you stand your ground and draw you are most likely going to get hurt really badly. If you go to groud with legs raised in front of you and try to draw and fire, chances are you will be cut badly, and maybe even shoot yourself. Even if you drill this exercise from 21 feet, you are not shooting at a real bad guy when you drill. Pumped up with adrenalin, a bad guy who is intent on hurting or killing you has momentum. Even if you could shoot such an assailant multiple times, chances are that his momentum would carry him to you, and you would be cut badly. Do not believe even for a moment that a cut has to happen. Do not allow yourself to be cut because you foolishly believe it inevitable. Use the bad guys momentum against him if you can. If you can gain distance, do so. Distance is your friend, and maybe even your life saver. Remember that distance is sometimes created without you moving, such as moving an object between you, but that distance is usually quickly covered even though it slows the bad guy a bit, so you have to move as you block his path. Also remember another way to create more distance is to sidestep and make the bad guy have to change direction. Again quickly overcome, so you have to keep moving if practical. You can move faster to the side than you can to the rear, and then you can move even faster straight ahead as he passes you (remember he has momentum too).If you have a friend willing to train with you, try this out. See how it works for you. You may still get cut, but your chances of not being cut, and of surviving probably have been increased. Also bear in mind that each situation will be different. You need to be able to improvise, training regularly and changing it each time will help with this.

I can almost feel the knife being thrust into the back...

...of Christianity by a Muslim assailant. Sorry, call me a cynic extraordinaire if you will, but that is how I see the latest overture by the followers of Islam regarding their approach to the west and to Christianity. To many it may seem as if the Muslims are honestly making an offer of peace toward Christians, but I believe that this so called offer is little more than a thinly disguised ultimatum, maybe even a veiled threat. See "Muslim Leaders Warn Pope 'Survival of World' at Stake" @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301116,00.html. Read the article carefully. Read about what Muslims have warned, and what they offer as a solution. I read it three times. if the article is at all correct, then it seems to me that certain Muslims are telling Christian leaders that they are offering Christianity a way out of being attacked by the followers of Islam; and that way out would be for Christianity to justify the essence and actions of Islam by admitting that the two religions are very much alike. If the Christian leaders choose to do so, all they will have accomplished is to have temporarily appeased the Muslim world while at the same time strengthening the position of those followers of Islam who would attempt to conquer the world. Their position would become strengthened because after having received support from Christianity, the fanatical leaders would very likely use this as propaganda to show they had been right all along, even the Christians see it because they agree the religions are alike. In addition such an admission by Christian leaders would weaken the Christian world and the western world because now people of the Christian faith, and many of those in the west, would look to Islam and say: See, it really was not an evil religion after all, and they are not really bent on world domination". Thus we would allow our guard to be brought down, and open ourselves for the influx of Muslim immigrants that would almost be sure to follow. Once established in great enough numbers, my bet is that the true face of Islam, that which we see on a daily basis as Islamists try to dominate the world, would again raise its ugly spectre just as it already has taken place in Europe, and the world would be burning in the name of the prophet.

How can I be so cynical. let me point out a few bits of my reasoning. These Islamistsapparently said nothing about getting together with the Jews. Now if I recall correctly, the Jewish faith preceded both Christianity and Islam. In fact, both of those later religions were basically born out of Judaism. Yet the Muslims make no mention of how similar Judaism is to Islam, and they make no mention of how all three religions should make certain to make peace with one another. Now look at just where they want to have a conference. At a neutral ground, such as at an American University. Tell me which university in the USA is neutral? Of course they could mean in Canada, Mexico,or South America - but do you really think those places are where they meant. They want to have a meeting in a so called neutral place, where as anyone in the USA should know, there is absolutely no neutrality on the subject. The great majority of US universities are breeding grounds for anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-American, and anti-Gerorge Bush sentiment. So a conference at one of those locations would certainly be likely to be slanted in favor of any group that has also shown itself as anti those very same things. Could such a group be the followers of Islam? You tell me.

The offer from the Muslims to the Christian world came in a letter. The letter reportedly ends with this quote: "So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works." As I recall the only righteous works for a Muslim would be to follow the Q'uran, and that would not bode well for Christians as I understand it, nor as history has witnessed. Throughout history, the faith of Islam has shown itself time and time again to be an aggressor that is incapable of change to non-aggression. nation after nation has fallen to Islam, but suddenly they want Christians to believe it would be otherwise if we now join them. Sound to me more like the first steps to conversion, or that that knife in the back.

Of course I still have one more reason not to believe them. If they really want peace, if they truly want to protect Christianity as well as Islam, then why not first send a letter to the Islamo Fascists telling them to cease and desist with all violence against the western and Christian worlds? This brings us full circle right back to the issue of the Jews. They make no mention of peace with them. Heck if we become the ally of the Muslims, on whom will those of the Jewish faith depend for support if the Muslims continue their assault against Judaism! As a matter of fact, they make no reference to Hinduism, nor to Buddhism or to any other religion other than Christianity. Not long ago, Muslims in Thailand (I believe it was Thailand) stated that they were seeking the annihilation of all Buddhists. Muslims often also attack Hindus.

The threat is there as I see things. It is there whether or not the Christian leaders suddenly decide to become stupid trusting and embrace Islam as a religion akin to Christianity. I just find it difficult to believe that Christians would suddenly forget about Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus in favor of a new found friend in the followers of Islam. As I see it, the threat will only worsen if any one in Christianity is quite that trusting of a religion that has continuously itself to be a religion of just about anything but peace; I hope the religious leaders see it too. Maybe I am just a cynic extraordinaire, but if this gets pulled off by the Muslims, come to see me again in 10 years and let me know if I was wrong. My bet is you will be on the run, or converted and hunting me down. I will not be all that easy to find if I make it that long, I'll be living in the hills somewhere in the middle of New Kafiristan (land of the infidel) and doing my best to survive.

Of course you might find me just to let me know I had been wrong all along, it that case I'll buy you a beer and we can laugh about how I made an ass out of myself. I could only hope that it is the case that I am wrong and this latest overture is one truly hoping to achieve harmony, but without all the pieces, such as those other faiths, I just cannot imagine them building a true peace. Heck they are leaving 45% of the world out of the calculation by their own accounting, and if you do not know what this last sentence means, then go and read the darned article to which I linked above.

All the best,
Glenn B

Fred Thompson does not stand a chance...

...of winning the republican nomination unless he does something drastic. Yes, he did well in the debate; but doing well is not going to be enough. He definitely has to liven it up somehow, grab the political bull by the horns, and start wrestling it. Good guy with good views, one can only hope he defeats Rudy G, and Mitt R.

All the best,
Glenn B

First it Was The Mexicans, Now It Is The Canadians...

...who are coming into the USA to have their babies. See: Canada's Expectant Moms Heading to U.S. to Deliver.

This time instead of illegal aliens like from Mexico, the Canadians are apparently coming here legally(?) in order to avoid the crippled health care system in Canada, and to make use of the USA's much better health care system to assure their babies are born healthy. Hmm, as I recall, folks like Michael Moore ala the movie Sicko, and folks like Hillary Clinton, Obama, and other ultra libs, have all claimed that socialized medicine like they have in Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and other places is the cat's meow. Funny though how all the illegal Mexicans who come here do not go back to Mexico for health care but risk being found out by authorities by going to US health care facilities whenever they need it. Funny how others from around the world flock here for special surgeries they cannot get in their own countries that have socialized medicine. Funny how now even our neighbors to the north, those flag waivers of the banner of liberalism, are also now coming here to use our supposedly corrupt, understaffed, broken, unfair, racist, health care system!

What is it that we have that all of them do not. We have a health care system that works. We have health insurance that works, at least for the most part. We even have free medicine that works for the underprivileged; or should I say it worked for our own citizens and legal immigrants, but is in danger of collapse because of overload by illegal aliens, and those who come here to flee their own inept system(s) of medical care.

Socialized medicine and health care, the likes of which Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and jerks like Michael Moore want to see effected in this country, just do not work in the long run. The proof is out there all over the rest of the world. Just open your eyes and read about it, or watch it on television. Medical care based upon socialized medicine sucks. Remember that when you vote in November both this year and next.

All the best,
Glenn B

Oh the Joys of Parenthood...

...come at you like a speeding locomotive! What is mean is holy cow, where has all the time went, and how can my two little darlings be so grown up already as to both be driving, and legally at that. My daughter, of course, has been driving for years, she is about to turn 23. The thing is though, she just bought her first car, a new one at that, a Honda Fit. She picked it up yesterday, and I saw it tonight when I got home from work. She went out and bought her own car with help from her beau, got her own insurance (yippee), and will now commence joining the world of the indebted like the rest of us grownups! Did I just write grownup. I guess she is, wow. She is a good girl, or should I say young woman, with a part time job, a new car, her own insurance, and who is going to school for her Master's Degree in education. If I was into baseball I would say that is a grandslam for mama and papa, but let me just say it like this - we hit the bull's eye.

On the other hand, my son, who is about to turn 18, just got his driver's license. He took his road test on my birthday (I just happened to take the day off from work). His driving tester was a young lady, hair pulled back tight in a pony tail, reflective sun glasses, quite pretty with quite the figure despite a stern look about her. When I said good morning to her as she approached, all she said was: "Are you the father, let me see your license". I was really taken aback by her apparent crassness. Brendan was second in line to take the road test. The other tester, who took out the first guy, seemed nice, well mannered and friendly. As Brendan took off, I was worried. When they got back he pulled into the curb at about a 20 degree angle, and stopped abruptly. I was more worried. She got out, and as she passed me I asked the tester how he did. She kind of smirked, I kind of grimaced, and she said: "Very Good", and that was it, she just walked by to the next person on line. Worried about how he had pulled in, I asked him if he had passed the test. He smiled and said "yeah Man" or something like that, puffed up and said something about being legal now, and I again kind of grimaced. I asked if he messed up on anything and he said she did not tell him anything, except that he should just pull into the curb and let her out. She had even told him not to straighten it out. Again I was worried. I asked how many points she took off of his test results. Brendan handed me his test results, with a big zero in the points deducted area! He passed with flying colors having gotten 100% on his road test. I guess I had noting to worry about, or to grimace about. Well let me just say with regard to the test. Now I have another one out there on the roadways, and only time will tell if that will cause me to grimace. I hope not, and I think not, he seems to have learned well.

Man where did all the time go since they were little rug rats? I must be getting old.

All the best,
Glenn B

We Need To Find A Balance Between...

...extremes like religious fanaticism that lead to such things as jihad and inquisitions, and wanton disregard of morality that leads to shameless displays of perversity like the Folsom Street Fair in San Fransicko.

If you would like to take a look at a reported example of some extremely fanatical actions taken by religious extremists, then go to:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58015

If you really need to see even more explicit evidence of what religious fanaticism can lead to, then look at this video, but before doing so be warned it is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IN THE VIOLENCE THAT IT PORTRAYS. It shows a real beheading with all of its gore.

http://www.terrorists-suck.org/why_suck/eugene_armstrong_beheading.wmv

Now if you want to see the opposite end of the extreme spectrum, go to the below links and take a look at some pretty graphic pictures of the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. While looking at these pics, bear in mind that to folks like Nancy Pelosi this is freedom of speech. Can you imagine this being freedom of speech! I don't know what morons on the Supreme Court ever decided that speech was anything but verbal communication (or written language, or sign language), thereby making it freedom of expression; but I believe our Founding Fathers knew the difference and when they said freedom of speech as opposed to freedom of expression, and they meant just freedom of speech and nothing more. Well anyway, here are some links to those pics, but first be warned they are, in my opinion, EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IN THE PERVERSITY THEY DISPLAY. Even though they do not show actual sex acts or complete nudity, some of them do show what I believe to be public displays of totally perverse and sick behavior:

http://www.savage-productions.com/Folsomstreetfair.html

http://www.savage-productions.com/Folsomstreetfair2.html

http://www.savage-productions.com/Folsomstreetfair1.html

What is it that drives people like these at both extremes. I think it is something simple, lack of authority, or authority gone awry, in their lives making them want to become authoritarian themselves by controlling everyone with their own extreme views. That seemingly may be over simplistic, but it also well maybe the root cause of extremism. Just read one more article to see what I mean (not graphic but the pic in the article may insult some sensitive folks):

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10072007/news/regionalnews/_nazi__partys_over.htm

When reading that piece, pay special attention to this quote:

"I'm trying to tell as many students as possible that they can't do anything to us."

Sounds to me like mommy and daddy failed miserably with exerting any reasonable amount of authority over this kid. Maybe they even promoted this apparent rampant extremism, this no one is the boss of me, I will be the boss of me kind of a thing, and while at it, I'll be the boss of everyone else too because they cannot do anything to me. In order to actually effect such an attitude, you must go to extremes against the normal level of authority in your life. Think about it; wasn't that pretty much the thing with Hitler, Stalin, Genghis Khan, Cotton Mather, a few popes and many others throughout history. Isn't it the attitude of Armadenijad right now. This is, in my estimation, the attitude of extremists throughout the world. Their attitude is: 'THEY cannot do anything to us.' The THEY being the rest of us, the ones who are not extremest in whatever form of extremism is being pushed at the moment. Well that is absolute balderdash. We can do something and we must do something. Otherwise we will wind up in a world populated by extremists alone because we will either have been wiped out by them. There are many ways we can defeat the likes of them, and one way is to make sure to vote for candidates who do not fond either extreme to be within the limits of acceptability. Another way is to promote a morality that is somewhere more to the center and acceptable to those of all faiths, as well as to those who do not believe in a higher power. Yes folks atheists can live by a code of acceptable morality, you do not have to be religious to be moral. Another way is to make sure that we raise our children within a household that expresses morality, and that through the actions of the parents and other adult family members shuns extremism, and embraces a more middle of the road, level headed approach to all things. We need to live our lives in a manner that is not extreme, that is not hypocritical, that does not allow for the festering of the pustules of fanaticism. Finally if all else fails, and we are faced with the fanatics trying to overrun us and destroy us, we must defend ourselves, our loved ones, our fellow normal citizens at all costs. Yes folks I just said our normal citizens.

I am not advocating bashing anyone, killing anyone (unless in self defense, defense of innocents, or defense of our nation), but I certainly am advocating that we make sure that abnormality is not ever mistaken for normality; and I am saying we need to correct any abnormalities in society before it is too late for society to survive. Maybe it is about time we somehow band together, all of us across political, religious, ethnic, socioeconomic lines and oppose the freaks within our midst. Start doing this by by speaking about it with your neighbors, with members of your houses of worship, with people at work, with people at social gatherings. Start writing to your elected officials, whether or not you voted for them. Tell them this outlandish behavior on either side is a corruption of the fabric of a stable society, and that you are vehemently opposed to such and to those who support it. Make sure you express the idea that you are not part of a fringe group yourself, nor that you are doing this as part of any mainstream but separate group; and that you are doing it as an American Citizen or legal resident alien who is simply fed up with fanaticism and its supporters. Urge your politicians, religious leaders, social leaders to reach out across the divide between denominations, ethnicity, social status to those all around us who are longing for normality in their lives, and who seek an end to fanaticism to preserve our society and our nation. Sooner or later, if enough of us raise hell, they will listen to us and take action that opposes extremism. We are still the majority, but not by much, so we need to take advantage of our numbers now.,If we don't do at least this, then we are doomed to become raving mad loonies ourselves or perish by the blades of those on the other extreme.

All the best,

Glenn B

New Stuff...

...that I have gotten recently and that has me a happy camper is something I figured I would share with all of you in a post with pics. As most of my readers probably know by now I am into herps (reptiles and amphibians), and into guns (shooting and self defense wise, not gunsmithing or tinkering), and hunting & fishing. My recent acquisitions have to do with all of those interests.

The first thing I want to show you is a knife I bought recently. I was not too sure if I would keep it for myself, or if I was going to give it to my son on his birthday, but I have decided this one is a keeper for me, and probably eventually will become his. Who knows, I may yet get him another for his birthday, but I think I have a better present in mind right now.

As for the knife, it is a Spyderco, Bill Moran model. I had wanted one with a drop point blade but that was not available, so I got this one. Now that I have it I like this blade more than the drop point with its more classical lines. That is about all that is classical on this knife though. The polymer handle (or whatever it is) is pretty decent in the hand. The sheath is molded plastic (or again whatever), and the knife fits into it snugly. The sheath is adjustable to be carried in several positions. Not a bad investment, I think, at only about $55. Now I have a nice accompaniment for my pistol as it sits on my belt with the knife. The blade will come in handy on hunting and fishing trips, and I hope i never need it for self defense; but in that last regard I follow the motto of the Boy Scouts: "Be Prepared".

My next acquisition was free. I got it tonight (Sunday night, it is now Monday morning by 5 minutes or so). It is a Thayer's Kingsnake. Well truth be told, I sold or gave this snake to someone about 4 years ago. I may have bred the parents to produce this one, I cannot recall right now. I know I had some that were jet black, and yes they can produce young that look like this. My friend Bill V dropped it off with me tonight. He liked this snake a lot. So much so that he actually saved this snake from death's doorstep one day a couple of, or a few, years back when another kingsnake he kept it with began to constrict and eat it (that is why they call them kingsnakes, they eat other snakes). The way he brought it back was by placing a straw into its windpipe and giving it artificial respiration. Bill is a NYC Fireman and knows how to save lives, even an animal's life. He recently started school for a second career, and has little time left to do anything else. So he has cut back on his snake collection. It was difficult for him to give this one up. Nice snake, to bad he did not get it to me on Friday, I could have taken it to Saturday's LIHS Reptile Expo and probably made him some money with it. If you are not into snakes you probably cannot figure how someone would want to pay money for one, but this one is worth at least $150, maybe $250 in this one's condition. These kingsnakes are also known as the variable Kingsnake because that when they are born they can be one of several color and pattern variations from jet black to orange with saddles to the one shown, to a tri-colored phase, and others in between. This phase is one of my favorites.

My other acquisitions, 5 of them, all came to me Saturday at the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. I was so busy while there that I did not even realize, until someone just about knocked me on the head, that one of my animals displayed in the judged show had won a first place ribbon in its category (tortoises), a first place trophy in the more general category of Turtles/Tortoises, and the Best of Show trophy for all the animals in the judged show. I have been an LIHS member for about 17 or 18 years now, and while my animals, and Brendan's animals, have sometimes won best in a specific category, or best in a more general category, we have never won the Best of Show before. If indeed I have been an LIHS member for 18 years now, what a nice coincidence that I won the Best of Show for the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. The sad thing is that I fell asleep early tonight, a long nap, and only woke up after my chance of playing the pick 3 number for the NY Lotto was over for tonight. I would have played 018. Maybe tomorrow. The man whose name shown is on the plaque on the trophy was a past president of the society, and a friend. A great guy, and a man who knew how to keep people interested in the LIHS. It was under him that our membership reached into the hundreds.

Oh yeah, the trophy was for my female Hermann's Tortoise. I have had it about 3 or 4 years now. Got it as a little one from another society member. It sure has grown up to be one good looking tortoise. I must admit while I am thrilled to have won, it is also humbling. You had to see the competition; and you have to realize that the guy who has won for the last few years in a row decided to drop out of the competition to give some of us other members a chance. I owe a lot to him, to the guy from who I got the tortoise, and to the tortoise and Mother Nature. Without all of them doing their parts, then maybe there would have been no trophy for me.

All the best,

Glenn B

The LIHS Reptile Expo Is Over...

...and I am home, got here about 15 minutes ago, and none too soon. I spent a couple of hours last night helping set up the hall, hours setting up my tables today, time out putting up signs on the roads, then from 10 until about 4:30 trying to sell stuff. I had a variety of things for sale, including raffle tickets to benefit the LIHS. I was hoping to sell more than I did today of everything, but I guess I just had a mediocre day. Busy mind you, but not great sales wise. I barely had time to put out my three animals for the judged show part of the event. I exhibited a Crested gecko, a Hermann's Tortoise, and a Gray Tree Frog. More on those three animals in a later post, I was surprised and tickled pink over how they did when the judging was done.

More blogging later tonight, or tomorrow. Right now I have to unload my car, put animals away, clean up the mess in my basement, and then take a break. It has been a long day, most of it on my poor aching feet.

All the best,
Glenn B

The 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo Is Today...

...so I'll be a busy guy, which means no or little blogging today, and if any more than this it will be late tonight.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - Well This Is Sort Of...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

A Day Off, But A Busy One...

...is exactly how today went for me. I took today off in anticipation of receiving 20 baby Bearded Dragons by Fed-Ex. While I was waiting for them I did some chores around the house. I started with cleaning up my animal tanks; and I got about 1/2 through when I ran out of pine shavings for the mouse tanks. Then I decided to go to work in the front entry way to our house and got some sanding done of areas I plastered a few days ago. Just as I was getting ready to start that, the Bearded Dragons showed up with the Fed-Ex guy. They got all my attention for the next 45 minutes or so. I got 21 of them, one arriving DOA, the others seemingly okay except for one that looked a bit air sick (or whatever).

Once they were put into tanks and set up with proper heat and lighting, it was back to the sanding. I started that without using a dust mask. After just a minute or two, I decided that a dust mask was what anyone with half a brain would use, so the half a brain that was not thinking earlier had a good thought at that moment and I got one out of my shed. Man what a mess sanding spackle/plaster makes. Luckily it was a fairly small job, confined to a vestibule sized entry way. I finished the job with a good clean up.

After that it was onto the computer to contact the dealer who shipped me the bearded dragons. Sent him a pic of the dead one, and sort of complained that these were apparently younger and much smaller than he promised. Time will tell if he remedies that, maybe with a partial refund. That would be nice, otherwise next time I buy it will be from someone else. These guys will make an appearance at the Long Island Herpetological Society's 18th Annual Reptile Expo this Saturday, at SUNY Farmingdale. Hopefully I'll earn my money back, and have a few left over for a future breeding project. I have not heard anything back yet, but I'll be patient as he went in for knee surgery today. I trust he will contact me when he can.

Took a shower, felt nice and fresh, then had the oddball idea of cleaning the leaves on my sidewalk and front lawn. I guess the shower could have waited. I filled a 55 gallon drum sized bag with leaves and other debris like twigs and seed pods. Oh joy I was dirty filthy again, and sweaty too. I figured since I was dirty why not clean some weeeeeeeds (they grow just like those e's just did) out of the garden, and I did that for at least another hours or so. Yup, another clean up was in store for me.


All that aside, I was off to Costco. Now Costco near me is usually a madhouse of humanity. Today it was on the quiet side. I guess being a weekday, and being I was there at about 3:30 PM was a good thing. I was in and out of there in about 45 minutes at most; a new record for me. Once outside, I stopped at the liquor store right next to Costco where I picked up a birthday present for yours truly. Tomorrow I will enjoy some of that Stoly Vodka as I celebrate my 52nd. After Costco is was home to offload. Then I went to Queens to check out a Exo_Terra reptile tank someone was selling. Brand new, in the box, at below cost by about $25. I took it, and $160 disappeared quicker than I earned it for sure. On the way back home I stopped at a local Petco and picked up another of those tanks, though a smaller one. It was on sale for less than half price. No I am not upgrading my reptile & amphibian enclosures. I will either raffle these off or sell them at the LIHS Reptile Expo this weekend to earn some money for the society. Any profit above what I p[aid for them goes to the society. Nothing in it for me except that I know I am doing good for the society.

For the last hour or so, I have been trying to fix my virus protection software from Windows Live One Care. It keeps telling me it needs urgent attention because the virus definitions are out of date, but when I try to update the update fails. I think I'll be picking up Norton Internet Security again tomorrow. My Windows Live One care is due to expire in about 2 months, but I do not like the product at all; so back to Norton for me. Even though I did not much Norton's support policies, there product is superior. Hopefully no viruses or other nasties will infect my PC before I get Norton installed.

Tomorrow promises to be busier than today, and I also have tomorrow off. Besides getting ready for the reptile expo, I have other chores to do, and I have to take Brendan for his first (and I hope only) road test. Should prove to be an interesting day.

All the best,
Glenn B

Carrying Firearms...

...in a holster is the way I prefer to carry pistols and revolvers. I wrote about just that and my criterion to select a holster here. I wrote about those topics because the way you carry your pistol or revolver is important, it could mean the difference between whether or not you are the winner in a life threatening situation, whether or not you are able to retain your sidearm, whether or not you shoot yourself with your own gun. If anyone doubted me when i said that I thought a bag of just about any sort was a poor choice in which to carry a handgun, maybe when you read this: S.C. Student Shot by Own Gun in Book Bag Pleads Guilty my point of view will seem to be a little stronger. Sure the bag this pistol was carried in probably was not made for carry. Sure some handbags are made with internal holsters or carry pouches. I still contend that any bag which you pick up and put down is a bad choice for carry. I also contend that there is much more of a chance of a foreign object getting into the trigger guard and against the trigger when carried in a bag - whether or not that bag has an internal carry pouch or holster - than when you carry in a quality made hip holster. Your choice, just like it was this kid's choice. On this topic, learn from his mistakes and not from your own. That way you will, in my opinion, stay healthier.

All the best,
Glenn B