Hunting Costs a Tidy Fortune -- or - How Bureaucrats Are Ruining A Conservationist's Sport

Last year I bought a NY resident Sportsman's License for the reasonable price of $37.00. I purchased it online and did the same with my son's license. The Sportsman's License last year included the fishing, small game hunting, big game hunting and Deer management Permit (anterless deer permit). I also got Turkey hunting permits - one for the Fall and one for the Spring. I thought it was expensive but not all that terrible. Then they did not send me or Brendan the hunting regulations or fishing regulations booklets until I called and complained that the license surely had cost enough that they should have included them. This year they got their revenge on guys like me who thought we were already paying a bit too much.

My license this year, had I gotten exactly what I had last year, would have cost me $67.00. That is about an .81% increase from one year to the next. This year the license was $47, the Deer Management Permit was no longer free for the Sportsman's License category and was $10, and the Turkey Stamp was $10 - highway robbery if you ask me but I am sure some politician somewhere thinks it good money management. Like a jerk, I actually opted for a more expensive license, I think it is called the Super Sportsman. It covers fishing, small game hunting, big game hunting, turkey permit, archery permit, muzzleloader permit. It goes for $88.00. I also opted for a Deer Management Permit for $10. Frigging deer hunting is becoming a rich man's sport - bear in mind those were just license fees!

The thing that kills me is that if they keep upping the costs of fishing and hunting licenses it will be guaranteed to reduce the number of sportsman who legally hunt and fish. The numbers are already thinning. So what they are in effect doing is killing the bird who lays the golden eggs. Why? Well because my friends about 90% if not more of the revenues generated each year for wildlife conservation in the United States of America, each year, comes from the money spent by hunters, trappers and fishermen and a lot of that is spent on state issued licenses. Not only do these good folks pay state license fees, they also pay other fees such as federal imposed fees like the one for a Migratory Game Bird Stamps (commonly called a Duck Hunting Stamp) which goes for around $15.00 at the time that piece was written but maybe higher this year.

Over and above license fees paid by hunters, they pay yet another type of fee - actually a tax, and excise tax to be exact - that the rest of you do not pay. It is known as the Pittman-Robertson Act Tax or The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act Tax. This is an approximate 10% excise tax that is paid by people who buy hunting, trapping and fishing equipment and supplies such as firearms, archery equipment, fishing poles, tackle, ammunition and so forth. It is not charged at the cash register but is already figured into the price of all hunting and fishing gear before it is sold to the end user (which by the way means that when you pay a percentage based sales tax on items covered by this excise tax - you are also being charged sales tax on the amount of excise tax you are being paid not just on the value of the item itself because the excise tax is hidden in the price of the item - tax on tax - it is outrageous). It is slated to go ONLY toward wildlife and habitat conservation in each of the states. It has paid over 3.6 billion dollars to state wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation over the past 60 years. (See http://fw.ky.gov/pdf/lesson3.pdf page 5.) Of course, politicians like Charles Scummer Schumer, U.S. Senator from New York (and radical liberal) tries to get the distribution of those funds changed every few years so that it will go toward things like welfare or the general fund. Each time he and others try, they are defeated. Good for that because it would mean so much less for wildlife that either your taxes would have to increase to support conservation of Nature's creatures or many, many, animals would suffer miserably in sub par habitat. From what I can see, guys like Schumer do not care so long as their agendas for more political power go through.

Now back to hunters, trappers and fishermen because they are not done paying yet. Yeah, I know, you were beginning to think that maybe I am right hunting is becoming expensive because of increased license and other fees, but even with taxes added on that isn't it yet. You see hunters, trappers and fishermen also pay a large amount every year in the form of money that goes into other parts of the hunting community directly related to these sports. They pay lots for hunting guides, use of private preserves, boat rental fees, and so on. The list of how they help the economy does not end there though. They also pay a nice chunk of change each year for things not directly related to these sports, but that are paid for because they come about in the normal course of enjoying such sports. 'Like what for instance?' you maybe wondering. Like motels, campsites, restaurants, supermarkets, car rental fees, gasoline, road tolls and so on.

Hunting can be downright expensive. Yep - it ain't cheap and when you add it all up a field dressed Whitetail Deer, that an average hunter gets while on a short hunt of maybe five days, can wind up costing a lot. By the way, I use a 5 day example because I try to combine a couple of days of turkey hunting with deer hunting, and while the seasons abut one another they do not overlap in NY. Then again it could just be a 5 day deer hunt - 2 days scouting, 3 days hunting depending on skill and luck as I am not that good a hunter - and maybe some fishing thrown in there if warm enough. Let's see how much a five day trip like that might cost a guy like me - and that is if I go alone. I'll try to add up all the costs I can think of, but I almost am sure to forget and leave out a few things. All prices will be approximately what I pay in NY but rounded off to the nearest dollar:

Licenses - $98.00

Migratory Gamebird Stamp - $15.00

Ammunition (one box of 20 rounds) - $23.00

Practice Ammo (one box like above)- $23.00

Range Fees For Practice - $25.00 (Per trip to the range.)

Gasoline To Get To Range - $12.00 (Per trip, it is 60 miles from my home; this is at the best mileage my car gets.)

Gun Cleaning Supplies - $2.00 (Approximate cost per cleaning.)

Deer Pee Scent - $12.00

Hand Warmers - $5.00 (Yes I am old and frail and can use em.)

Boots - $150.00 (My old ones are shot and too tight - my feet actually grew at my age.)

Other Gear - $0.00 (Hopefully I need none this year.)

Gatorade or Other Drinks - $14.00 (per case)

Sandwich and Other Food Stuff - $35.00 (I'll try to eat two meals a day, and snacks, from this.)

Ice For Cooler - $8.00 (Remember this is for 5 days worth.)

Restaurant Food - $40.00 (I try to get to a restaurant for at least one hot meal per day.)

Tolls - $15.00

Gasoline - $57.00 (For about 600 miles driving at the best I can get mileage and current low end gas price.)

Lodging - $226.00 (This is at Motel 6 folks - I am too old & creaky to camp out in the cold of November.)

Butchering of Deer - $125.00 (This cost has skyrocketed.)

Did I leave anything out. I am sure I must have forgotten something but isn't that all enough expense for one deer. Then again if this was a year where I needed more gear like maybe new gloves, a hat, a hunting coat, rain or snow gear, and so on, it could get lots more expensive. but just how expensive is it, even with just what I figure I may spend this year - let's do some calculating...

Wow only $885.00 for a 5 day deer hunting trip. So if I get a deer that weighs about 120 pounds field dressed, and maybe get 60 pounds of meat out of it - how much would that be per pound. That would be about $14.75 per pound - not bad by comparison to other years I have gone hunting - especially when I got ZERO pounds of meat for the freezer! Add another couple of hundred bucks to the mix and the cost per pound goes up to about $19 per pound.

Now I did not add on fees for taxidermy should I actually stumble across a deer spectacular enough to become trophy material. I guess there is always that outside chance I may fall asleep under a tree and wake up to find an old grizzled, but stately, buck peering at me thinking my snores were the grunts of a rival buck. On the other hand, I suppose I could come across some stately old buck that has survived thanks to its wily ways and only stumbled across me because it was suffering the effects of old age. Those examples probably would be more my in line with my hunting abilities than me actually setting up a great stand and hoodwinking a magnificent buck, in its prime, into shotgun or rifle range - but truth be told I am not that lucky and will have to work for whatever I get even if a forkhorn. If I do somehow wind up with a trophy deer, I am going to guess that sending the head to a taxidermist for a mount will cost around $500 at the least, and maybe as much as $750. That would sure make my venison this year rather expensive - wouldn't it.

Egads - here comes the wife - I had better stop typing. If she sees how much this is all going to cost, and that without my son added in to the mix, well she may just shoot me where I sit and hang my head on the wall. Now really folks, my wife loves it when I go hunting. That's because I am out of her hair for several days to a week, I usually don't bag anything (she does not like venison but then again loved bear but would rather eat beef), and because if she wants to go to Germany over the summer, to visit relatives, I give her my blessing. I had better, otherwise I truly might get my head hung over the fireplace. For now that's it; I have other things to do - like figure which bank to rob to get all the money I'll need for this year's hunting trips. I may have to rob the Federal Reserve itself, or Fort Knox, because I'll probably go on 2 or 3 hunting trips this year. No that is not extravagance, that is just because I am such a lousy hunter. Yep, it sure can add up to a tidy fortune and it can hurt a guy's finances pretty bad.

Did I mention its all because of politicians and bureaucrats raising license fees, and raising taxes, and the cost of inflation and... Folks while some of the above may have been comical the fact is that the best method of wildlife conservation we have available to us is dying fast. It is dying because of skyrocketing license fees, constantly rising taxes and other costs due to inflation. It really is not a laughing matter. Contact your state and federal officials and tell them enough is enough. Explain that you fear the loss of sportsman generated revenue will only result in higher taxes all around for all of us. Tell them you are sick of taxes and taxes disguised as fees and so on that only go to ruin our way of life. Sooner or later they have got to get the message and find ways to cut back on the government machine making it more efficient thereby resulting in a better economy with lower taxes, less fees and - in the case of conservation - more efficient wildlife conservation.

Thank goodness I didn't cover anything about making this a fishing trip too. Those little lures can go for over $10 a pop, then you have the fishing line, and the rods and reels, and...

All the best,
Glenn B

Report: Big Al's Gun and Premier Knife Show

This morning at about 0710, Brendan and I set off for Danbury, CT and Big Al's Gun and Premier Knife Show. We got there at about 0830. The show itself was being held in some hotel or another, I did not even notice the name, but if I did I probably would have forgotten it by now. Since we arrived early for the opening of the show we had breakfast at the hotel. It was buffet style and I must admit they had great service for seating, coffee and juice but the buffet itself was lacking a bit. Not terrible, okay I suppose, better because I had good company and because the coffee was good. Then we walked into the show.

Well, we paid first. Brendan paid his own way in using the $1.00 of coupon I had given him. It was $7.00 with the coupon. I paid my way, got my hand stamped and we were in. At first I was in pensive almost shocked mode because what I saw was a room with about 30 tables. The online ad said there would be 200 tables. Lucky for the show promoter that he did have another room with more tables set up adjacent to the first one we entered. Unlucky for us though that this was, in my not so humble opinion, about the worst excuse for a gun show that I have ever attended. (Edited On 11/29/2019 to add: Over then years later, I can say without a doubt that in my estimation it really was the worst gun show I have ever had the displeasure of visiting and my visiting a really bad one today made me think of this other horrendous one from ten years in my past.) If it really had 200 tables, and it may well have had that many, then the percentage of tables that had guns displayed on them was pretty low. There was a total, yes a total, of 25 tables that had a number (above 1) of firearms displayed on them - one with only BB or pellet guns, and another that had a single gun (maybe there were two tables like that). Most of the guns being offered for sale seemed to be used. There were some new guns and many of those appeared to have had seen many a gun show and to have been handled by many a gun show goer. They had nicks, scratches and so forth. Some were pristine but truly not all that many.

Of all the other tables, two were not occupied by anything - they were simply left bare. This is, in my mind, not the sign of a good promoter; I think he should have at least let the adjacent tables' dealer use them for free to make it look better - that would have been better marketing. Another set of at least three maybe four tables was used up to hawk jerky, hot sauce, and flags (all being sold by one dealer). Of the remainder of the tables, I am going to guesstimate that about 50% of them held guns related items like magazines, sights, hunting books, cleaning equipment, bayonets, stocks, holsters and so on. There were about 10 tables at most dedicated mostly to ammunition sales, and the ammo for sale was often way overpriced. The remainder of the tables displayed mostly knives and knife accessories. Actually there may have been more tables dedicated to knives than tables dedicated to a combination of everything else but maybe that is just me overreacting to the paucity of tables displaying firearms. That though is no underestimation - I counted the tables that had more than one firearm displayed on them and the number I came up with after two counts was 25 between both rooms. I asked a few people if there was yet another room but was told that was it.

We milled about, looked here and there, and the only thing that truly caught my eye was a Beretta Silver Pigeon 12 gauge for $160. It was well used and also well worn. Knowing little of the value, and not having my price guide, I decided to hold off on that one. Brendan showed some interest in a Mosin Nagant M44 of Russian manufacture. It had a small crack in the foregrip, but otherwise looked pretty good. They wanted $125 for it but he never even bothered to ask if they would take less. I do not recall what it was but he saw something else wrong with it that made him shy away from it. I thought he should have at least asked if they would take less and told him to start at $75 and maybe go to - well to whatever he was willing to pay - but it turned out he was unwilling to pay anything for it. I guess I don't blame him because the dealer had walked over complaining he had to pay almost what he was selling it for when he bought it. Yeah - right!

Now lest you think I may just be griping too much about how much this show seemed a disappointment to me, let me tell you some specifics that got me feeling that this show was little more than a rip-off:

A box of 525 rounds of CCI Blazer .22LR had an asking price $30. This is one of the cheapest varities of .22LR ammo out there. I did an online search and found it advertised in a few places at less than $20 for the exact same thing. Even if you had to pay shipping it would be cheaper than the asking price at the show - and remember I had to pay almost $10 in tolls, gas money for a 150 plus mile round trip, and an entry fee to the show.

Boxes of Wolf 7.62x39 FMJ ammunition ( the stuff in the black boxes) going for $13 per box of 20 rounds. That would make a case of 1,000 go for $650 if the boxes from a case were sold individually. This dealer tried to explain to me that 500 rounds often passed as a full case nowadays with regard to this specific ammo. I don't know what dark hole he pulled that information out of, but it had to be a smelly one. Sure another dealer had the same exact ammo for sale at much less, I think it was $8.00 per box which may not be too bad selling it by individual box but I still cannot imagine the audacity of one of them asking $13 per box.

A box of CCI Mini Mag .22LR solid point, 100 rounds for $10, the price went up top $12 a few minutes later - and I later heard this particular dealer complaining to another that he was not selling anything. I do not wonder why! I can get these for $7.17 at Sportsmansguide.com without my Buyer's Club Advantage savings.

30 round AK magazines going for $20 apiece. Bear in mind these are not gun stores selling this stuff, this was a gun show vendor who had no business cards for a real storefront business ( I asked him for one and he said he was just a show vendor). I can easily find AK mags in just as excellent condition at online dealers for: $9.95 - see Aim Surplus. Note they had no AKs for sale, apparently they were banned in CT.

New Rifles - if there were more than 40 brand new rifles - as in not used - on display and for sale at this show I would be amazed - and come to think of it I would be surprised if there were more than 30.

Now there was a high point to the show, that was when my friend Pete K. showed up at about 1000. I introduced Brendan to Pete and we all three walked around again and again looking at stuff, and we chewed the fat. It is always nice to see Pete K whenever I have the opportunity. He retired from my job a few years back already, and I can truly say he was one of the better people I have ever met in my 30 year career (well it will be 30 years next month). He is a true gentleman and a patriot as well as a good friend. Sadly Pete dd not have time for a beer and lunch and we parted ways all to soon.

Brendan and I headed home with nothing to show for our time at the gun show, but at least with some good feelings of camaraderie between us and for Pete K. That made the trip to Danbury well worth it in my book, but next time I won't bother to stop at Big Al's Gun and Premier Knife Show - I'll just take the trip to visit my pal. Then again, there is another gun show coming up in September. This one, run by The NortheastGunShows.com and also referred to as the The Great Firearm & Knife Show will be held at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, NY on September 12 and 13, 2009. The show in Middletown has always been fair to good maybe even very good, and I am hopeful that Brendan and I will make that one too. We are both hopeful that Pete K as well as a few other of my friends from work (retired and current)can also make it. If you are thinking of going, here is a link to a $1.00 off coupon.

I anticipate that we will enjoy the Middletown show much better; as I said it has usually been a much better show than was the one we attended today.

All the best,
Glenn B

Have You Got 20 Minutes & 4 Seconds to Spare?

If you have the time, then sit back, turn on the sound, and watch the video clip of Radar Men From The Moon - Chapter 1. This is the Commando Cody series I so loved as a kid (already repeats when I saw them as they came out in the early 50s and I watched em in the early to mid 60s). I loved em then, and to tell the truth - even though they are quite korny, out of date and pretty low budget with somewhat lousy acting - they still hold a certain fascination for me. Why? Well, not as much nostalgia as you may think but because they hold forth some truths from back then that we should look to in our current political turmoil.

What truths? First of all that the government was secretive even back then when it came to things like national defense and what it told the good citizens of our country and Nancy Pelosi ought to get that by now. More importantly that national defense was the government's job. More importantly yet - the government depended upon private citizens (aka: individuals) - such as Commando Cody - to assist when times were tough even with national defense. Finally that citizens like him were the true security of our great nation and individuals meant a lot to our nation. In other words, when it comes right down to the nitty gritty, the individual not the goobermint is primarily responsible for how things get done in our country and the politicians and government bureaucrats darned well better get to knowing it. Sure the governments plays a great part, but not without the consent of the people and help from the people, especially in light of the fact that the government is selected by the people. It was a way of life back then - but it sure is not today - at least not in the eyes of uber liberals. They want the G to run the whole show. Truth be told, the government would not even be able to wipe its own behind if it had one.

Enough from me, here it is:



If you want to watch more of the episodes then go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2264082A033148F1&search_query=commando+cody

All the best,
Glenn B

That Was Quick...

...or at least I am thinking that was quick. The quick I am referring to has to do with a UPS delivery attempt notice I got today when I arrived home from work. It said UPS tried to deliver a package requiring an adult signature to my home today but no one was around to accept it. When I did some checking on their website I see the package was sent from Illinois. The only thing I have ordered recently from Illinois was a Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifle I ordered from RGuns. I ordered that late afternoon on the 10th. It is now the 13th. Wow, if the place I ordered that from can get a rifle out that fast what is wrong with all these other online gun dealers who all to recently have been claiming they have a two to three week backlog on their orders? I am hoping that when I pick up the box, yes I arranged for it to be held at UPS so I can pick it up at my leisure, it will contain a very good to excellent condition rifle as I ordered. If that is the case, and if it is in good working order, well that will have been the best online order I have ever placed for anything.

I suppose I'll have to pick up some non-corrosive ammo for it this weekend (as in current manufacture) at Big Al's Gun and Premier Knife Show up in Danbury. I will have to make sure it is non-corrosive because I pretty much ruined the barrel on my Mosin Nagant M44 using that surplus corrosive crap (which when I bought it was assured it was non-corrosive - yeah right).

All the best,
Glenn B

It's Gunna Be A Gun Show Weekend...

At least I hope it is going to be one and getting me, Brendan, some of my cash and maybe some of his cash to Big Al's Gun and Premier Knife Show is exactly what I have planned for this coming Sunday. Brendan and I will be driving up to Danbury hoping to make it there by 10 or 10:30 at the latest. We will be meeting a good friend up that way, someone who retired from my job some years back, whom I always look forward to seeing. That will make it an even better day than just us going it alone.

Since I have a tidy little sum of cash on the side for just such an event, I may just have to pick up a new and interesting firearm. Maybe a bolt action rifle in .308 caliber. Brendan was saying it would be nice to have a bolt action in that caliber - I guess he has been reading his copies of the NRA's American Hunter and my copies of the American Rifleman. He may have even read a recent edition of Outdoor Life that I picked up when having to commute back and forth to work via the Long Island Rail Road for a few days a couple of weeks back. Great reading while zipping through the greater NY metro area with someone else driving and all the other nearby commuters looking at the guy reading about rifles. I have to dig that one out of its hiding place before the weekend, it had a great article on bolt action rifles new for this year. If I see more than one of the choices I liked at the coming show it may become very difficult for me to make up my mind as to which one I want. In that regard I am sure Brendan will have his say. Yeah, I know I will be buying it, but you can bet we will both be shooting it, and someday he will inherit it.

Gotta go and look for that edition of Outdoor Life. Later for you....

All the best,
GB

Doom Cometh Sayeth Some - Be Prepareth Sayeth I

If you have been around this blog, and others that I read regularly, you may come away with the idea that I and other bloggers whose sites I frequent are doom sayers. For the great majority of us that could not be further from the truth. Yes though there truly are doom sayers out there, those who believe we are in for terribly bad times and that those times will amount to the end time. Kind of like a belief in Revelations and all its predictions. Me - I do not go for that sort of a thing. If the end is near or seems inevitable, I am planning to do something to make sure it is not my, or my family's doom that is imminent. Too many people buy onto the idea that if bad things happen someone else will be there to bail them out. Just look at what happened with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. If the shit truly hits the fan and we wind up with The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI - I wonder who coined that one) I am convinced I am not going to wait around for government forces, God and legions of Angels, a knight on a white horse or the Marlboro Man to come to my rescue. Sure I will accept rescuing if things get that bad, but until help comes if ever, I plan keep myself and the family safe on our own as best I can.

So, now some of you may be thinking - that is paranoia, stuff like that never happens. Hmm let's see, when has it happened even on a small scale in the USA:

Hurricane Katrina = TEOTWAWKI

The WTC on 9/11 = TEOTWAWKI

The LA Riots = TEOTWAWKI

Hurricane Andrew = TEOTWAWKI

And if a terrorist group gets nuclear material and smuggles it into the USA across our extremely porous southern border - then whatever area they blow up will = TEOTWAWKI.

TEOTWAWKI does not have to engulf the whole world to end the world as we know it. It just has to end part of our world as we know. Of course, the bigger the catastrophe, the higher likelihood it will change the whole world and throw it all into chaos. A nuclear attack on US soil, or anywhere in the world, could do just that if the right targets are hit. For example think of the chaos that would result should Washington (DC), NYC, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, St. Louis, Denver be hit by nukes or dirty bombs. Think of only half of them being hit. What would be the effects of radiation within those cities, and what about the panic outside of those cities caused by people fearing additional attacks, what about economic stability or lack of it should that happen. Would the government be there to help or would they be the first to be wiped out?

Think of the tumult caused if a laboratory enhanced version of the flu is released here in the USA, maybe just along our southern border, or maybe just in Mexico. Think it could spread rapidly? Thank goodness the swine flu (H1N1) has been as weak as it has been so far, let's hope it stays that way but the government is not banking on it and is rushing a vaccine through. Look how much that one spread by itself. What if terrorists had a stronger version and spread it by way of infected suicide jihadists. Do you think that after a couple of weeks of it spreading there would still be civil order in this or any country if people were dropping like flies. Do you think the shelves would still be stocked with food. Do you think there would be enough police to protect us not only from criminals but from ourselves.

If the attacks on 9/11 had been carried out according to plan there reportedly would have been several more cities targeted and attacked. Think of what the aftermath of that day would have been like, if for instance another 10 major targets in other cities had been attacked successfully. In any drastic situation mentioned above, or in another just as bad, chances are there would be plenty of survivors, but they would also be pandemonium enough to do things like disrupt power supplies, fuel supplies, food supplies, water supplies, medical supplies and treatment, sanitation services, telephone and other communication services, transportation services to include disruptions to air, rail and ground transportation, highway blockages, employment, first responder services such as police and fire protection, and the list goes on. Think about the possibility of it, and maybe do something to assure you will make it through it.

Me, I have thought of it. I do not pan to wait around helplessly for someone to come and get me out of the thick of it if there is any way I can also help myself. I am not going to be like the lady in the alarm company commercial who shouts 'go away' at a burglar hoping my home owner's alarm goes off and actually scares him away. Chances are he is going to try to hurt me or my family to take away what we have and I am going to do all I can to protect us. I am not going to just call 911 if someone is breaking down my door and threatening us. Sure I'll have someone call, but I'll be arming myself and ready for them if and when they get inside and passed the dogs. Or in a calmer scenario, when supermarket runs out of bottled water and the water system is down, I will have water to drink in stock. I'll also have food to eat should food deliveries come to a halt or if for any reason rationing begins. I'll have a way to cook my food, purify my water, and hopefully a way to heat my home should bedlam let loose around us. I'll also have enough first aid supplies on hand should it come to needing them.

Will we be able to make it for a year, or months, or several weeks. Maybe not, but we will have enough on hand to be able to survive a catastrophe for at least a week or two. By that time I am hopeful that we would have found alternate sources for what we need, or that maybe - just maybe - we have made it to safety under the wing of others like us or that John Wayne and the Cavalry have arrived. If not then we would have the means by which to go out and hunt and gather what we need. My guess is that most Americans would fail miserably if they attempted to survive a major catastrophe in their area or across the country. My guess is that most Americans are not at all prepared to survive more than a couple of days at most, some not even a day or two should the shit hit the fan and the fan be turned on at high speed. Maybe we would not make it either, but I can tell you: 'Brother - we are gunna give it our best try'. I was brought up during the height of the cold war and I can tell you that back then the survival mantra was pounded into us from a young age. They (the powers that were here in the USA) really believed that we could survive an all out nuclear war and they implemented a Civil Defense Program. Now, I am none to sure if we could really do that or if we would want to do so, but I am certain that should one of the above scenarios occur - I am going to do my darnedest to come out of it alive and kicking along with my family.

So how does one go about preparing to survive TEOTWAWKI? It is more than just stocking up on everyday items that we usually use to make it through a day. We need things more specific toward making it through a disaster than through a regular humdrum Tuesday Afternoon. So where to start? Well a decent place to start can be found on the Internet or in your local library (those of us without computers should be familiar with them as should those of an older generation). What you are looking for is information about civil defense and disaster preparedness. You can find several sources for that information in both the library and on the net. Such sources include state government publications, federal government publications such as those prepared by FEMA, and private publications (yes there are plenty of folks out there who have written books on how to prepare for and survive SHTF and TEOTWAWKI situations. You can also check with organizations like The American Red Cross.

Lest you think my fears are simply total balderdash, or are reserved for those with paranoia, let me show you what the state of Hawaii - a state that remembers Pearl Harbor well, one that has active volcanoes, and one that could be in the path of a Tsunami - has to say on the subject on their site: Hawaii State Civil Defense.

"Preparing For Disaster

Being prepared for disaster is important. When disaster strikes, you may not have ample time to respond and ensure the resources you and your family need to survive are available. Moreover, hundreds of other families in your area share the same concerns, and it will be difficult to get access to the necessities you need due to shortages and competition. Do not wait until the last minute and get caught in this situation. Disaster-time civilian response requires sound decision-making and action to save the lives of families and friends.

When determining your emergency needs, plan for the long haul. In any major disaster scenario, it may take 72 hours or more for emergency personnel to reach you. Emergency preparedness kits should contain the essentials your family needs to survive during a disaster. Having two is ideal; a multi-purpose kit that with provisions for more activities for the home, and a transportable slimmed down kit with bare necessities for survival when on the go. Any preparations should be accompanied by an emergency plan. Know where your family is and how to keep in contact in the event of a disaster. Most of all keep informed. Find out what disasters you may be affected by and plan accordingly. Determine and manage your emergency needs as required. "

They then go on to tell you some of the basic items you will need in such an emergency by way of providing some info and also providing links to sites that give a breakdown of what an emergency preparedness kit should (as per the government) contain. See these links (these go directly to the sites and not through the link provided by Hawaii because I figured the direct link would be more reliable) :

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit as per The DHS site Ready.gov (note this is not the same as Ready.com which is a commercial site).

Three Steps to Preparedness STEP ONE: Get A Kit

Okay that is the stuff they tell you to get but you must have figured by now that I am going to tell you otherwise. Heck we are talking about surviving a major disaster here, not about parlor games for the kids. The space you would need to equip yourself with some of the items recommended by the government and by the Red Cross, such as games and things like that for the kids, would be better used filled with things more likely to tip the odds in your favor than to keep your kids playful and blissfully happy in their ignorance with Armageddon at the doorstep. Nor are we talking about doing laundry or washing the dishes at the sink so why bother with things like liquid detergent. While I agree with many of their choices of survival items, I find some others ludicrous. I just think there also are some better choices to include in your preparedness kit than important family documents (why aren't they in a safe deposit box at a bank if they are so important). I also think room is better used for things other than paper cups/plates and plastic utensils (this is not going to be a picnic) but somehow they do not quite seem to get that. What I think you need are items and gear that go more toward assuring you will survive a disaster and not only survive it but come out of it well. In that light, 3 days worth of food and water just does not cut it because three days worth will not be enough.

What will suffice. If you are the average American Family you will need to think about the space required to store any preparedness items because it will take up space. The thing is you can stock up on enough for three to four people to make it through a week, or more, inside the trunk of a car like a Ford Taurus (plugging American since I own a Taurus even though I prefer my Toyota Corolla) and still have room left over - not much mind you but there will be some. Then again you can usually store more in your home. Now here is a point, think one of the websites above made, but maybe it did not sink in when you looked them over: You need a preparedness kit at home for the home, and you also should have a mobile preparedness kit for each person in your household. If that is not practical then make sure that the preparedness kit in your home is easily transported. So the first thing on the list, though not in order of importance, is a tote or set of totes of some sort. You want to be able to store almost all of the necessary items for survival inside of that container or attached to it. I recommend a large Rubbermaid Type container available at places like Home Depot, Costco or Walmart. You know them, the type used to store clothing and other household effects. Or you could use a large expandable suitcase. Whichever, get one with wheels - they make it easier to move and the kits can be heavy. Individual survival kits can be contained in a backpack. I can carry enough emergency supplies in a medium to large sized day pack to last me (just me in survival mode such as if lost in the woods) at least 5 days to a week. Of course in the larger container kept at home I can store enough of most of the supplies and gear to last up to two weeks; that includes food, some water, first aid, money, basic sanitary items, flashlights and batteries, radios and batteries, emergency shelter (tarp), knives, fishing gear .

I will go over each and every other item I think you need in the same detail as I just did for the containers;so this will be much longer yet. My list may not agree with your own if you have one, it surely will not agree with those of the Red Cross or of DHS, but it will give you an idea of what you will need to survive a bad moon rising:

Ballseye's Reccomendations for a Preparedness Kit and Other Preparedness Items (these are for home kits as well as for grab and go kits unless otherwise noted. Also note that anything that is underlined is a link.):

Knife - Each member of the group should be equipped with a fixed blade knife (non-folder)that is kept in a belt sheath. Yes this means each group member needs to be wearing a belt, a good strong leather belt. The knife itself should have a blade of 5 to 7 inches in length, and have a fairly thick and strong blade at that to withstand the many uses you can find for it. See can opener below. My favorite all around knife is this one (it can be had for less here than the price at the linked site or even less here).

Shelter - Emergency shelter is a must. Note I put this before food and water and I did so for a reason. Even without food or water you could survive for at least a few days and having an emergency shelter to provide you warmth in cold weather or shade in hot weather can make all the difference in you making it until you are found or you find some supplies. Shelter can be a decent sized tent, or as simple as a tarpaulin with some strong cord to tie it in place to make a lean-to or tent like shelter.

Water - Bottled water is a must, but only in plastic bottles. Water weighs a lot so try to have prior knowledge of water sources in your area and along an emergency escape route in case you run out. A couple of cases of 20 ounce bottles can last about one week per person if rationed. It pays to have lots of extra water in the home but packing it into a grab and go kit can be difficult. Take as much as you can carry if on foot, and as much as you can stow if driving a vehicle. Other items below may have to be cut back or cut out completely to assure enough water is at hand. That is your decision to make. Another solution to getting fresh drinking water is to get yourself a water purifier and or filter of some sort, and also carry water purification tablets. Remember that you will need proper containers to carry water. Metal containers are a must if you need to sterilize the water by boiling.

Food To Last 1 to 2 Weeks - Fully prepared foods like MREs, canned foods such as hams, veggies, and fruit. Canned fruits and veggies often contain lots of water, do not discard it, drink it. Food should include high energy foods such as canned nuts, and packaged fruit bars.

Firearm - One that you own and can carry legally. If the truth be told, if it was a TEOTWAWKI situation and my life or those of my family members were in jeopardy, I would arm myself with any firearm I knew was in working condition that I had at hand. In addition to self defense, a rifle may be needed to put food in your mouth or as a signal device. A small portable rifle like the Henry U.S. Survival Rifle could fit the bill for self defense, and hunting. It fires the .22 Long Rifle cartridge which itself is compact and very portable in large numbers. I recommend at least 100 rounds of ammunition for any firearm - if not more.

Roll of Cord - at least 25 yards, is essential to a survival situation, and it should be able to withstand 250 pounds of stress. It can be used to build shelter, to snare animals, as a component to make a spear, to tie on a splint, to lash items to a pack and so on.

Fishing Gear - Keep at least 150 yards of fishing line, several hooks of various sizes and a few lead weights in the preparedness kit. This takes up very little room. Besides using it to catch fish, the fishing line can be used to make snares for small game animals.

Eyeglasses - If you need em you had better have them. Have an extra pair or two in your grab and o preparedness kit, and maybe another extra pair or two at home. If you have ever watched the Twilight Zone episode - Time Enough At Last - you know that Henry Bemis learned just how important eyeglasses could be in a TEOTWAWKI scenario.

Matches and Fire Starter Medium - These need to be waterproof matches. Fire starter medium can be candles (help start fires even in damp tinder, and provide light), dry kindling, and commercial fire starters (do not keep gasoline or liquid flammable substances in your kit - just too dangerous).

Flashlight - Get a small but bright one, and get plenty of extra batteries. Note that some LED lights using batteries advertise a 50 hour battery life. You also can go for one that has a hand crank to keep it powered. Sporting good stores and places like Walmart now have these. They use LED bulbs, and are crank powered. Try to gert a waterproof one. Each person should have one.

Money - Have cash, and if you can also have silver and gold. Don't forget the ATM and credit cards in case things get better while you are away from home.

Clothing - The clothes you have on your back so make sure you are dressed properly for the season if you have to leave your home. Also have if feasible a change of socks and underwear if you have room - socks mor eimportant than undies. A weather proof/rainproof jacket with hood is a good idea, but a good rain poncho, for each person in your group, maybe is a better idea. Remember this is a survival kit, not a travel kit.

First Aid Kit - This is a tough one to give people advice about. You want one to contain at least adhesive bangages of various sizes, several sterile dressing pads about 4x4, sterile gauze roll, a good sized compression bandage, and ace bandage 2" or 3" wide, 2 eyepatches, sterile eye wash and eye cup, roll of adhesive tape, burn cream, cold pack, heat pack, antibiotic ointment, disinfectant such as provodine iodine, pain killers (such as aspirin which is my personal preference, or tylenol which I think does nothing for me but make sure no one in your group is allergic to it), allergy medication pills, anti-diarhea pills, laxative pills, any prescription meds you absolutely need to survive, scissors, tweezers, sterile gloves, sterile wipes to cleanse wound areas, a first aid instrcution pamphlet. All of this should be kept in a waterproof metal or strong plastic/polymer container clearly marked as First Aid Kit. My kit contains somewhat more, but not much because of space being needed for other items.

A Compass - If you don't know why you might need one please stop reading here.

Radios - Yes I said radios and not a radio. You should ahve at least 2 GMRS or similar portable walkie-talkie tyoe radios in case your group is split up; make sure to have a few sets of extra batteries for each. You should also have a portable AM/FM/Weather Service radio with extra batteries. Of course these are also made in ones that use solar panels, or a hand crank, or a combination of solar, hand, battery power. Some even have chargers that work off of the crank or solar cell that can charge a cell phone.

Cell Phones - A cell phone with extra battery is a nice thing to take along if the phone service is up or don. Keep it off except to check to see if there is a signal once a day. Then only use it for calling for emergency aid or to try to locate a family member. Be sparing with it since you may not have power to chare it. Then again, some crank radios also have the capability to charge cell phones and come with universal cell phone charger adapters.

Sleeping Bags - If you have room for em throw em into the car. If it is cold out you had best hope you have room so buy ones that are compact in fluffiness but keep you warm regardless. Modern man-made fibers make that possible, and such bags can be had at an affordable price.

Eating Utensils - These should be made of stainless steel - a spoon, knife and fork for everyone. Low cost utensil sets that are sued by military and campers are available and recommended. Of course if you already have a knife as outlined way above, that is all you really need. You can always eat using your hands instead of a fork or knife to stuff your pie hole, but these make it much easier and can double as cooking utensils.

An Emergency Plan - This should include an escape route in case of hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earth quakes, invasion or something as mundane as your home being on fire. If you leave your home for any emergency, make sure everyone is out, and make sure you have a rallying point at which to meet should you be seperated. Of course, you may decide to weather out a disaster inside oif your home if you believe it to be a safe haven. If so, have a plan of which room to set up in as a command center or meeting room or shelter room - often it is the basement that provides the most protection from storms but you have to figure which room of your home would afford you the most potection.

Maps - Local area and road atlas maps are a great item to have. if you do not need them to navigate they can be sued to start a fire or as a sanitary aid.

Personal Protective Gear - Gas masks, vapor proof respirators, dust masks are somethings you may want to consider. Other such gear includes protective coveralls made of materials like Tyvek®, protective gloves, protectiver booties (that fit over your shoes), and protective goggles. Tis tuff takes up lots of room in a kit but definitely should be considered for the car and the home if you can pack it. today's world is just that hostile that you may need it. Fire excape hoods are also a good idea for each bedroom in the home. They give you precious minutes or seconds of trapped air during a fire, precious time you can use to escape harm.

Personal Signal Gear - A whistle is a good signal device in an emergency. Many can be had that come in an elongated form with an internal compartment that contains a compass and some other small survival gear. Light sticks are also a very good idea. Each person should put a 12 hour light stick or two into his pockets. They make wonderful personal beacons to help attract rescuers to you. A metal signal mirror- another good signaling device.

Personal Hygiene Items - Soap a bar or two is a good item to have, I recommend hunters soap since it kills body odor and is not scented. It can also double as shampoo. Soap has other uses beside washing up - such as fire starting. Of course washing now and then would be a good idea if you can find clean water. If you cannot find water in which to bathe then Body Wipes (unscented or made for adults since the ones for babies smell horrific) are a good choice as far as I am concerned. Feminine hygiene products such as Tampons® may also be needed. Do not forget a toothbrush and toothpaste for each member of your group. Toilet Paper (or paper towels) are also something that is really good to have for when nature calls. Of course, nature can help you there with leaves if need be but watch out for things like poison ivy.

Small Tool Kit - It should have a screwdriver with various heads, an adjustable pair of pliers, an addjustable wrench and maybe a socket wrench set. keep it in the home or in the car or keep one in each. Electricians tape and duct tape are two excellent additions to this kit as is some lubricating oil. Wahtever tools you keep in the house, make sure the kit contains the proper tools for turning off the water in case of flooding, and the gas or other fuel such as oil in case of leaks.

Gun Cleaning Kit - If you are going to have the gun you should make sure it will remain in excellent working condition. Such a kit can be quite small.

Knife Sharpener - I recommend a small Arkansas sharpening stone for keeping your knives well honed.

Can Opener - Small can openers like the P-38 and P-51 are good to have, but if you lose them and still have your knife you can probably open cans with it if need be.

Plastic garbage bags - These have many purposes. You can store items in them, use them as ponchos, or use them as portable toilets and septci holding systems. If the water is out in your house, and going outside is out of the question, you will be happy to have them. A few of them tossed into a grab and go preparedness kit might also be a good idea.

Car - Of course this will not fit in your kit, but your kit and water supply - along with all the members of your party - should fit into it. Your car should be in good repair and ready to roll. Never allow your gas tank to go below a quarter of a tank. That way you usually have a good distance yocan travel along an escape route before you will need additional fuel. A full tank is better for sure. Only store additional gasoline if you have a safe place (within local fire department codes) to store it and a safe container in which to keep it.

Generator - If you can afford one it is a good thing to have in the home. of course this does not fit into any preparedness kit unless of course you have some type of truck with which to haul it. It is really more the home readiness type of thing for emergency power loss.

Well that is about all I can think of now. I may have forgotten something, and I sure don't have all the things that I have suggested - but I am working on getting most of them. The point is you can use this list as a go by for your own home and mobile disaster preparedness kits. Remember the really essential things to survival are shelter, water and food - in that order as far as I am concerned (unless you are dying of thirst at the moment). If you have nothing else, a good knife and a bit of cord can help you make or acquire shelter and food - maybe even water in some situations. It can also be used as a defensive weapon. There is no way to underate the importance of a good knife as a survival tool.

All the best,

Glenn B

Pakistans' Nuke Sites Attacked - You Should Be Scared - Very Scared

This is probably the most alarming international news that I have heard over the past 30 to 40 years or so, see: Jihadis thrice attacked Pakistan nuclear sites and Terror Attacks on Pakistan Nuke Sites?.

When are we going to awaken and realize that enemies like al Qaeda and the Taliban mean business and that their business is the destruction of the world that is non-Muslim - and included in that plan is the avowed destruction of Israel and the United States of America? They have telegraphed their plans to the rest of the world time and time again just as other fanatical tyrants have done in the past and they are acting on them likewise as we - for the most part - sit back and do little to nothing. Sure we are at war in Iraq and in Afghanistan, but why are we and the rest of the world not actively hunting down and terminating the threat posed by members of these groups who have repeatedly attacked us, repeatedly told us they intend to destroy us, and now at least three times have attacked nuclear facilities, and one of them has at least once attacked a nuclear facility in another country in a probable bid to obtain nuclear devices. We should have forces out actively hunting them down and neutralizing them in such a way that they can never again pose a threat and that means we need to be going after them where they live. If that means more troops on the ground so be it, but I would think it could also be accomplished in great part by more missiles fired at them and more bombs dropped on them. Will there be collateral damage - sure there will be - but it is something we had better be able to live with if we intend to live.

Remember that all though, there were three such attacks on nuclear facilities, not one - not two - but three. They were not trying to get electrical power for the northern provinces of Pakistan folks - they attacked weapons facilities! Yet this is said: "News of the attacks has surprised even terrorism experts." Why is it that we still act startled when we hear such news, why is it that we cannot simply accept the fact that these people are maniacal fanatics bent on our destruction and then take appropriate actions? Why is it that we will not go to preemptive attacks on a grand scale to wipe them out? Are we waiting for World War Three to kick us in the face as we are sleeping. Yeah, I know, the Japanese in WWII awakened the sleeping giant and lost the war and the Germans did much the same thing; the thing is this time the fanatics may kill the giant as it sleeps. Nuclear weapons unleashed within our borders in just a few major cities would bring us to our knees. It would not take much more that would destroy us. Our government needs to take decisive action and take it swiftly if these reports are true.

All the best,
Glenn B

Biweekly Guns Shots 13 - A Lucky Gun Beretta 92SB

Well the pistol model it self may not be lucky, but the particular pistol that is pictured in this blog sure was lucky for me. This is the one that got me the moniker of Ballseye. I won't go into that story much except to say that the name describes where a shot I fired went in a self defense shooting in which I came out the winner many years ago. The long version of that story can be found here.

As for the pistol, the Beretta Model 92SB was the predecessor to the Beretta 92F (or the military version called the M1). This was the pistol tested back in the 1980s by the US military that blew away the competition. Out of many guns tested only two passed the test, the first place Beretta 92SB having more than twice the points of the 2nd place finisher. I read about the testing in Soldier of Fortune magazine. Man they had great articles on guns, and great articles about conflict going on in the world about which the media told you virtually to absolutely nothing. (One conflict in a northern African nation had been ongoing for about 20 years with nary a peep from the media. SOF has a couple of articles about it, then suddenly a couple of months later the media was all over it. There were lots of other instances like that too.)

Well I read that article about the 92SB and I was convinced I had to have one. A local store in El Centro (I lived in California then) had one in stock and I paid the asking price that was probably overpriced. I never regretted that purchase. Right from the beginning I knew I had a winner. The pistol is described as a double/single action 9mm pistol. It has a double stack magazine that holds 15 rounds of 9mm parabellum ammunition. One can also safely be carried in the chamber for a total of 16. The slide mounted safety lever is really a hammer drop lever and is ambidextrous there being one on either side of the slide. The hammer is exposed. The grips were either plastic or wood, mine came with plastic grips. The sights were a two dot system. The rear sight driftable for windage, the front sight fixed. There is an external takedown lever on the left side of the frame. It came in a blued finish that looked black. I got mine with two extra magazines.

Firing this thing was different. I had only owned a few other pistols before, and I had most of my handgun shooting experience with revolvers such as the Colt Border patrol and the S&W Models 19 and Model 66. The grips on the 92SB seemed huge, and I suppose they were very wide. That was to fit the double stack mags I suppose and because this was a full sized service pistol. Regardless of not having shot semi-auto pistols all that much before I got this one, I shot it just fine right out of the box. It hit where I aimed with a reliability I had not expected. There was little kick being that the 9mm is barley a satisfactorily powered round at best, but that was okay by me with 16 rounds to fire before reloading.

Over the years my Beretta 92SB took lots of abuse. Sure I cleaned and oiled it right after shooting it each time it got shot; but there were still a lot of knocks and hard times in store for this firearm. Despite taking a beating, and being used in all types of conditions, this pistol never let me down. In all the years I have had it - I imagine there have been less than a dozen malfunctions with it, those usually stovepipes (a failure to eject properly that was easily cleared and probably due to operator error or the ammo). It certainly did not let me down when I relied on it to thwart a robbery in progress - I was the one being robbed.

Because of its stellar performance over the years, I decided to buy a couple of Beretta 92Fs some years later. I am also quite satisfied with them. The only drawback I can see with them is there finish. Once it starts coming off, it seems to flake off in small patches, sort of like chrome coming off. Mine is not missing much of the finish, but is missing some. This has happened to one of mine and that one has fired several thousand rounds through it and also taken quite a beating otherwise over the years. The other one is still in great condition because I have used it much less. I have also owned about 5 Beretta Jetfires (I sold one only to miss it and buy another, did it again, then again, had another rust badly because it got dunked in and out of sea water over several hours in my pocket, and so on...), 2 Beretta 70S pistols (one was stolen) and I plan to someday buy a Beretta shotgun. The one thing that seems to be standard for the Berettas I have owned has been high quality. The 92SB was, and is, a stellar example of that.

All the best,

Glenn B

Mosin Nagant 91/30 Turned Down Bolt - Ordered It Today

I know I often write about a rifle or pistol that I say I would love to own, or even about one that I say I am planning on ordering, then I let opportunity fall by the wayside and don't get it. About 2 weeks ago I wrote up the Mosin nagant 91/30 with turned down bolt here. In the post I noted that they were available from RGuns at a seemingly very good price of $155. You have to remember this has a turned down bolt, not the normal straight bolt - therefore $155 is a very good price indeed if in as good a condition as they claim.

Well, I ordered one today. Right after I ordered it, I figured it would be nice to know when it might be shipped so I fired off an email to RGuns to ask. The reply said this, and I quote:

"> shipped"

Hopefully that means it already shipped. That would have been in less than two hours after I ordered it. Wow is all I can say if that is right. I let you know in about 5 business days, I figure I should have it by then coming from Illinois.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - And So The Broncks Was Born

Yeah I know, I spelled it wrong - or did I! You see the Da Bronx - a burough (also county or boro) of New York City - was named after Jonas Bronck. Who was he? Well according to different online accounts of his life he was a Swede who married a Dane, he was a Dutch, or he was a Dane. He was also supposedly a sailor, who all accounts seem to agree married a Dutch woman. After the marriage they emigrated from Europe to New Amsterdam. Once there, on August 9, 1638 (or in June or in July as some accounts have it), he purchased a piece of land across the Harlem River from Harlem and started a farm there. Not only did he purchase it from the Dutch government (or maybe it was a grant according to one account) but he also paid two Indian chiefs for it as was the custom among the Dutch to make sure their debts were paid.

The farm later became known as Bronk's Land. A river in the area was also named the Bronck's River. Years later, despite a misspelling, the name stuck and the area became known as Bronxland, then finally the Bronx. It bears his name through the present day though I would bet that only a very small percentage of the residents of the Bronx could tell you why the area has that name. I would also bet they could not tell you some other things about the Bronx:

In New York history, the Bronx was originally part of Westchester County and not part of New York City (New Amsterdam). In or about 1895 the Bronx was incorporated into new York City. It had been a rural area with lots of farmland up until about 1900 when it began to become urbanized at a fast clip. My guess is that the people back then had no idea as to where urbanization of the Bronx would lead; if they could only see it now. Of course, some things that a big city have to offer are okay despite urbanization. The Bronx has some famous spots such as Yankee Stadium (well not anymore, now there is a replacement for the house that Ruth built), the Bronx Zoo (for a long time called the Wildlife Conservation Park but now once again being called the Bronx Zoo), Fordham University and the Bronx Botanical Gardens (actually the New York Botanical gardens). While there is a lot of urbanization, for want of as good a descriptor that remains civil, there is also much natural beauty remaining. I can not think of another boro in NYC that still has small flowing rivers such as the Bronx River and the Hutchinson River (named for Anne Hutchinson) - rivers that still cause local flooding during heavy rains and after snow melt offs. The Bronx also has a lot of brackish marshland. An amazing fact about the Bronx is the amount of parkland that it contains. Almost 24% of it is made up of parks. The largest park in New York City - Pelham Bay Park (nope not Central Park) is located in the Bronx and is made up of over 2,700 acres. Then again the Bronx also houses some of the largest housing developments in all of New York. You can go from spectacular natural beauty at one moment to an urbanized drab but definitely lively environment in the next. Yet those folks, living all crammed together not only have great parks to visit, they also have a decent beach at Orchard Beach (actually in Pelham Bay Park).

Most people living their could probably not tell you anything about the rivers that run through the Bronx, and my bet is many have never been to Pelham Bay Park, or to Fordham University. Along that same line, many may not realize some other fun facts about the Bronx. The Bronx is the only part of New York City on the mainland of the United States. Two of the boros of NYC are on Long Island's western end - Queens and Brooklyn. Another is the Island of Manhattan. Finally there is Staten Island. The Bronx consists of about 42 square miles. It has many universities and colleges. It has some of the most, if not the most, traveled bridges, highways and railroads within the United States of America. There are people living there from virtually every corner of the world. It now is the home of The New Fulton Fish Market Cooperative at Hunts Point (a socialist type name if ever there was one, thanks to Mayor Bloomberg) which for hundreds of years had been located on Fulton Street in Manhattan - but there went Mayor Asshole Bloomberg screwing up the city again when he finagled its move to the Bronx. Of course some things like Yankee Stadium were actually born in the Bronx - the original stadium was built in 1923 the year before my mother was born. While it has not moved it too has been replaced. The old Yankee Stadium is no more for baseball as a new Yankee Stadium was built across the street from it and opened this year.

If you ever come to visit New York City as a tourist (as opposed to vi sting a relative who lives in a certain part of the city) chances are you will spend most of your time in Manhattan visiting things like the site of the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building (the observation deck on the 86th floor, the outside one - not the one on the 102nd floor, is probably my favorite spot in all of Manhattan), The Statue of Liberty, the American Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, Broadway, the Cathedral of St. John The Divine (largest cathedral in the world) and so on. But if you do not take at least a day or two to visit the Bronx you are truly missing something else about New York that is well worth the trip. The zoo, the botanical gardens, the restaurants on City Island (a small island community off of and part of the Bronx), a Yankees Game, a walk down parts of the Grand Concourse (best to be in a group - yeah some parts of the Bronx can be pretty rough for tourists) make it all worthwhile. My favorite spot in the Bronx - well there are three: The Bronx Zoo, the NYPD Firearms Range at Rodman's Neck, and the north facing side of an old stone bridge over the Bronx River Parkway with a small sign on it that says New York City. When I came home from camp, over 5 summers in my childhood, I always knew home was not far off when I saw that sign. One other thing that may become a favorite of mine, something I have never seen, is the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage that once belonged to my all time favorite American author. It too is located in Da Bronx.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thar Be Dragons...

...in my basement. Well lizards whose heads resemble those of dragons anyhow. I have had a pair of crested Geckos together in a tank since early this year or late last year. While I was away in Tucson for 4 months, Brendan took good care of them. In fact he took such good care of them that they got into breeding condition and the female laid 6 eggs in my absence. I found the eggs when i got home. two of them had holes in them and were quite empty. I thought maybe they had hatched and the parents had eaten the babies but as it turns out the eggs were probably eaten into by either crickets or a species of darkling beetle (Zophobas morio). I do not know the common name, if any of the beetle but its larva is called the Superworm and is a common food insect for pet reptiles. Well that meant I still had 4 possibly good eggs. I took those 4 and put them into a plastic container with some damp cypress mulch. I kept them at room temps, about 72 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tonight, I was going to show Brendan that 2 of the eggs had really gotten larger, they do so as they absorb moisture and as the baby grows inside, and there was a head sticking out of one of the bigger ones when I looked in the container. It is a nice looking baby - nice color, looks healthy, yada-yada. Hopefully it will turnout to be a female, they are much more valuable than males; and of course my one male can be kept with a harem of a few females. Time will tell, but it will take several months or more. Now though is the time for me to set up a new tank for the little ones (yes I am hopeful the other eggs will hatch soon). I cannot keep them with the adults unless I want them to wind up being dinner for the larger ones.

All the best,

Glenn B

Tell Us If Your Neighbors Disagree...

...with Der Fuhrer the Obama Administration on the issue of the health care bill. The White House, according to published reports, is asking people to inform on other American citizens when they believe they have found "fishy" criticism of the health care bill online! See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/07/white-house-collect-fishy-info-health-reform-illegal-critics-say/.

Folks what I am about to say is my own personal opinion. I express it herein using my right to free speech as an American Citizen. I do so with all due respect to the Obama Administration but also with strong opposition to their methods of governance and with strong opposition to their policies and wished for health care reform.

Some are comparing the Obama Administration's handling of dissent to health care reform to George Orwell's 1984 and Big brother. I think that comparison pales to reality. You see the truth of the matter is that such tactics were used all to recently in real life history by the National Socialist German Workers' Party - yes that would be the Nazi party. It was a common method of gaining information on those who opposed Hitler's regime; it was so insidious that children were informing on their own parents some of whom were then arrested, interrogated and then put to death as enemies of the state. Of course, it did not start out that bad. At first there were lots of propaganda speeches from Hitler about impending doom if action was not taken. Next people were asked to be a good little Nazi and to tow the party line. Then dissenters were made to look bad, they were discredited, they were said to be disloyal, they were called names and they were intimidated by the Brown Shirts (Hitler's early goon squad). Of course there was also the blaming the problems of Germany on a group other than those who had been in power; Hitler blamed everyone who was not German especially the Jews. Then came the informing and the round ups of the dissenters, of the mentally ill, of criminals, and of course of the ones to blame for all Germany's problems - the Jews. Then there were none to very few dissenters remaining and the people were under the grip of a totalitarian regime the likes of which we all thought we could never see again (at least until we saw Stalin, the Red Chinese, Pol Pot, and so on).

Hmm, let's see how this compares to the here and now regarding the health care bill issue: The current administration has tried to push through the health care bill with lots of rhetoric and without any delay, even without allowing enough time for congress-people to actually read the bill. When that does not work they start a propaganda blitz utilizing all means they can such as the political speeches ranting of doom if we do not have health care reform, the use of the media, and the use of town hall meetings. When strong opposition to the health care bill keeps mounting especially at the town hall meetings the government immediately moves to discredit the protesters and starts calling them names and telling you in essence how evil they are. In addition, someone in the administration just recently implied that the protesters were Nazis. I beg to differ I think the administration is acting much more like the Nazis because now that the others things have failed the Obama administration is seeking one neighbor to rat out another if he or she disagrees with the administration on health care reform. What is next, will the government send out goons in brown shirts to intimidate people who oppose the health care bill. Oh that is right, the Obama Administration has already said it would respond with twice "the force" should any politician come out voicing opposition to health care reform. Funny how they should use the word force, sounds potentially violent to me, and like an overreaction to such opposition. Why use such a word when talking about voiced opposition if not only to blow things out of proportion! And of course the administration also immediately blamed the Republicans for the dissent by saying they are somehow at fault for people exercising their rights to freedom of speech and assembly. Tell me please, how can an American citizen be at fault while taking the liberty to legally exercise his rights? I can not figure it, but somehow it seems apparent the Obama Administration can do so.

The community organizer is organizing one section of the community oppose another while his power grows, or at least as he attempts to grow in power. He is using many of the same methods as did the Nazis or predecessors of the Nazis in the early days of Hitler's climb to power. What are we to expect next? Many believe such a thing as a totalitarian takeover of the United States of America could never occur, just as the good people of the Weimar Republic once believed could not take place in Germany. Convincing the German people, first that there was a drastic need for change otherwise doom was upon them, then convincing the German people that others within their own community were the enemy, then having the German people turn on their own countrymen by informing on them, then ultimately annihilating them was Hitler's surefire method of overcoming any resistance from within Germany. It was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful weapons that Hitler and the Nazis had in their arsenal of destruction when it came to their rise to power and their ability to overcome any opposition from within their own country. From my viewpoint, what president Obama and his minion are doing now is all to reminiscent of what the Nazis did then. Please bear in mind I am not saying that Obama's ends are the same as were Hitler's; his ends may be noble indeed. I am saying I think the methods are all to similar. Of course, Hitler believed his goals noble, so did most of Germany at that time. So I am also saying, in that regard, we had best be more than vigilant, we had best be ready to defend and protect in the event that history is repeating itself once again because if it is, well then we are in store for one hell of a time. Remain vigilant, and in the event tyranny rears its ugly head be prepared to chop it off.

All the best,
Glenn B

Centerfire Systems - My Order Results

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All the best,
Glenn B