Decisions, Decisions - I Missed The LIHS Opening Meeting Today

I am a member of the Long Island Herpetological Society, have been for well over 20 years now. I joined up in the first or second year. Just as luck would have it, I was looking through the classified section of my local news paper and saw the LIHS ad for a meeting under the Pets section. I went to that meeting and have been going, as often as I can, ever since.

Well, maybe not quite as often as I can, I mean I could have gone to the opening meeting, today, for the 2012/2013 season but chose not to go. Normally I would not have missed it if I could have gone and I certainly could have gone today but chose to do something else. I got to thinking over the last couple of days about roasting/smoking something in my BBQ grill this weekend. For the past two days or so, I gave that a lot of thought and yesterday I bought a 5 3/4 pound boneless leg of lamb to that end. I have also been promising my wife, for the past couple of days that I would prepare it today. Had I thought of the LIHS, in that time, I would have waited until tomorrow to smoke the lamb, especially since the wife already had planned to roast 2 ducks today (which she did and they were ever so delicious). As my little gray cells had it, my muddled middle aged memory and little gray kicked in once again in forgetful mode and thoughts of the LIHS meeting eluded me on Friday, Saturday and up until almost precisely 1PM today, the start time of the meeting; which was also the time I checked my email and saw a reminder about the meeting. Damn, I had just fired up the grill, had the wood, hickory and cherry, soaked and was almost ready to throw on the lamb.

It was a tough decision for me to make and I mean that too. That because I have not seen the folks from the LIHS since June or July and I miss them, many of them good friends. Then there was the other side, the lamb would be part of a family dinner and we don't have enough of them. (Or so I had hoped it would be part of dinner tonight, it took until at least an hour after dinner started to get it to being what I hope is perfection, it is resting in the kitchen as I type.) I chose the family dinner thing. Had I not already had the meat sitting out of the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes, and had I not already salted it, I would have put it back into, or left it in, the fridge and headed to the meeting getting there about a half hour to 45 minutes late.

As it was, I stayed home and smoked the lamb. My loss in one the one regard that the meeting is lost, I cannot go to the meeting tomorrow. I could have waited until then to smoke the lamb had my timing just been different by several minutes and as it is will probably wait until then to eat it regardless. Oh well, there will be the October LIHS meeting. I will have to make sure not to be working that day and set a reminder on my cell phone's calendar for the meeting date. I don't have many other interests that would get me to join  other societies to more enjoy those other pursuits, I truly enjoy the reptile and amphibian thing that much. I can tell you, I am more than a little perturbed with myself that I went shopping while hungry yesterday and sort of got a one track mind all set on smoking the lamb today. Since the lamb only was done well after dinner, I have not even tasted it yet . I think it would have tasted best shortly after coming off of the grill but things worked out the way they did and now I suppose I'll wait until tomorrow. Perhaps I would have just been better off waiting until tomorrow to smoke it in the first place.

Damn those aging little gray cells and my muddled middle aged memory. Oh well, decisions - decisions, you have to live with the ones you make and now I'll have to wait until next month for the next LIHS meeting.

All the best,
Glenn B

Muslims Now Want An International Anti-Blasphemy Law - What Are We To Come To Next?

I am willing to bet, and mind you the following is all my estimation, my opinion and my guesswork that:

Many nations of the world will actually offer serious consideration to Muslim demands for an International Anti-Blasphemy Law (and mind you only anti-blasphemy against Islam) and among them will be at least several to many non-Muslim nations. Let's face it folks, it is time to wake up to the teachings of Islam, Muslims intend to conquer the world. True, they have not made many demands on the world community as of yet but they have started to do so and this is just the latest of such demands. Why would they start now? Let's face this too, they have the bomb and more than one of them (in Pakistan, the country that shielded Osama bin Laden and is a Taliban stronghold) and it looks promising another Muslim nation, Iran, will also soon have nuclear weapons capability as the USA, Europe, and Israel all dawdle over how to handle the Iranians while they happily fire up their reactors.

In fact, the Pakistani government is so immersed in all of this that it has been reported that a Pakistani Government Minister has offered a $100,000.00 reward for the murder of the person who made the video / film Innocence of Muslims. That same minister reportedly also said that anyone responsible for blasphemy deserves death (source). Think about that for a moment, and bear in mind that to Muslims "There is no God but Allah...", so if you come right out and tell a Muslim that Jesus is God, or that Yahweh is God, or that Vishnu is God, you have in effect committed blasphemy against Islam. So, it is about time that you should realize, Pakistan is not an ally but a bitter enemy of America, of freedom of speech, of freedom of religion, of Christianity, of Hinduism, of Judaism, of Buddhism, of Taoism and of any other religion you can think of and of any nation in the world that is not Islamic. 

Not sure of that yet because you are saying, hey - that minister was only the minister of railways in Pakistan and you bet he was not authorized by the Pakistani government to offer the reward. Well think again. Take just another moment, in fact take minutes, hours and even days to think about what what happened when Pakistan declared "A Day of Love" so there could be peaceful protests of the above mentioned film while at about the same moment the Prime Minister of Pakistan reportedly said: "... an attack on Islam's founder was "an attack on the whole 1.5 billion Muslims." " (source).

Is there any wonder that the Muslims of Pakistan and other Muslim nations broke out in violent riots resulting in scores of deaths and injuries and that they are calling for the destruction of the USA. The PRIME MINISTER of Pakistan just said, in essence as I see it, that all 1.5 billion Muslims have been attacked by way of that film that was made in America. How is it he has such audacity. Is it because Pakistan has nukes and because, President Barack Hussein Obama bends over backwards to kiss the ass of the Muslim world.

Bear in mind, Pakistan is supposed to be our ally in the war on terror. (Whoops sorry President Obama, I forgot I am not allowed to say "war on terror" anymore. Now that I think of it though, I am retired from government service and now and can say what I want, so yes it is a WAR ON TERROR.) Regardless of their so called allied status with us, they have seemingly: shielded the Taliban and given them refuge since shortly after 9/11, shielded Osama Bin Laden and gave him refuge for several years, fueled the fire of anti-Americanism among the Muslims not only of their own nation but of all Muslims nations and Muslims everywhere as well. Do you really need more to think about to come to the realization that Pakistan is an enemy of the United States of America and of all freedom loving peoples?

When are our so called leaders going to realize that it is the Muslims against the rest of the world. They are already starting to spout such rhetoric (no not our leaders, the Muslims) and they are doing it with brazen indifference as to what might be the consequences. That is about the greatest indication to me that Iran is probably closer to having nuclear weapons than anyone suspects but that is pretty much gut feeling guesswork on my part. If I turn out to be right, and even if I am wrong, what does it matter. Iran will have them sooner than soon enough and then we will be facing at least two Muslim nations with nukes and who knows to how many others they will then export them. It will not be more than 5 years away, at most, that one of those countries nukes Israel if that long, or maybe even nukes the USA. I think - much sooner. Then what? World War III or will President Obama just apologize and surrender.

Could we not avoid it all, could we not end it relatively much sooner? How? Could we not end all, and I mean every penny's worth, of any type of aid to Islamic nations overnight? If that does not work within a few months, could we, with Israel and at least some of our other allies nuke Iran's nuclear facilities, and then threaten to nuke Pakistan and end it right then and there? Would there not be a definite turn of events and would it not be one in which the world would see an end to continued protests of America, of Europe, of Freedom of Speech and Freedom Of religion taking place in the Muslim world. Can we not bring them to their knees now or a year or two from now and then it thus not be too late to save us from either conversion or death at their hands? Or is it too late already, are our heads destined for the chopping block? You decide! Are you going to wake up and demand our leaders take immediate action against Islam to fight, to protect us and all freedom loving nations and people, in the war against terror or not? Islam, in its current form, is the enemy - that can be no plainer or simpler as I see it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/22/14036172-pakistan-official-offers-100000-reward-for-killing-of-maker-of-anti-prophet-muhammad-film?lite

Summer's Last and Fall's First Partial Day, Soon To Be The Skeeters' Last Day

Today has been not all that much different than yesterday and probably will prove to have been not all that much different than tomorrow. Yet, the seasons have changed and I have to say that Fall has definitely been in the air around my way. Right now its a cozy and mostly cloudy day with a temp of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, the breeze is blowing from the south at about 16 mph with gust up to 24 mph and my wind chimes are chiming in every couple to few seconds. They are a little heavier weight than some and the music they make is a bit subdued and deeper toned than from most similar chimes I have ever owned. It is nice and I am enjoying it. I was outside a little while ago with all 7 degs (not a misspelling that's what we call em sometimes). Not a miscalculation either. Right now all 5 of ours are here and so too are both of my future son in law and daughter's degs. I think they enjoy the fall weather, well the early to mid fall weather, as much as do I.

It always amazes me, it happened last night, just out of the blue and into the black by around 8PM or so. The days certainly have shortened considerably from even a month ago let alone since the last day of spring back in June. So far the temps and the daylight have both give up quite a bit. About the only thing that has not lessened is the daily attack by those little whirring vampire wanna-be's that just live to suck your blood and breed. Man, the mosquitoes have been hot and heavy this year, worse than last year. I have noticed not only that they have gotten worse but that my assessment, from last year, of the types we have around here was correct. We have a new kid on the block in the skeeter department, Tiger Mosquitoes. Now, I am none to sure that is their real name, but I am guessing it is. When I was in Haiti in 1998, we were told that not only were there a lot of mosquitoes to get you at night and that the ones that got you at night carried malaria but there were also another species during the day that transmitted Dengue fever. They were described as being black with gray stripes (or gray with black stripes) and not only voracious for blood but as being mosquitoes that dove right at you without that incessant flying and whirring around for any amount of time. Well, last year, I noticed that the mosquitoes around here were doing just that. I took a good look at one and guess what, yep gray and black striped. Not quite as big as the ones I recall from Haiti but very similar in appearance and habits. If I remember correctly, the ones in Haiti supposedly came from japan. I figure if they could survive in japan, then Haiti, they sure could make it in New York. I probably should do some checking to see what kind the ones around here are, but for now I just call them Tiger Mosquitoes. Even my brother-in-law in Queens, a borough of NY City, commented on them to me recently. He too noted their marking and their habit of coming right in at you at full speed and then just harpooning you in broad daylight. While they are out in the daytime, most of them, along with most of all the other types here, come out at twilight - just like vampires.

Just a little longer for all of them to be about. One frosty night and that is usually it for them. They will definitely all be gone after one freeze. It is amazing their eggs survive the winter but obvious that they do so. Last night, I was literally buzzed back into my house after sitting outside for about 10 minutes just after dusk. I did not get bitten too many times, maybe 5 or 6 that I know of and all of those on my left hand. It seemed that for some reason, last evening, my left hand was an extremely attractive feeding spot, go figure. I slapped em all almost immediately, so luckily did not see more than one bite mark/bump after they bit me. I will be happy to be rid of these little blood sucking buggers to be sure.

All the best,
Glenn B

Pork Ribs - Excellent, Beef Ribs - Great, Cracked Ribs - Suck

I guess it has to do with getting old, with being at death's doorstep last year, and with feeling run down in general for the last month and a half or two, but I am still surprised at how much a couple of fractured ribs can be a pain in the rib cage, shoulder, back and even neck. Of course, I have been having problems with my right shoulder and upper back around that shoulder blade and m neck for a few years now so I guess the cracked ribs have just added to the exquisite intensity of the pain I have been experiencing with every little stretch, cough, reach, wist, turn, pull, push and whatever other movement of which you can think in which the ribs move even just a little. Truth be told, they have been feeling a lot better than they did 8 or 9 days ago, even much better than just a few days ago, that is until last night. It took a couple of weiss biers, 2 Naproxen sodium tablets, a 10/325 mg Percocet and a couple to a few 5 mg Hydrocodone HCL tabs to make it feel better. That may be because I have not been taking anything during the day, on workdays, to alleviate the pain except for the Naproxen sodium tablets, which are muscle relaxants. With work and driving to and from it, I decided it would be better not to be under the influence. It may also just be because I tossed a towel over my head around my upper back and shoulders, yesterday after my shower, and I twisted a bit to much or whatever and felt something stick and go click. Man, I almost let out a howl. I figured it was a fluke and stretched a bit this way and that and tried the same move again, knucklehead that I am. The second time the result mimicked the first but not nearly half as bad. I am guessing my ribs had moved, slipped, gotten pushed out of normal alignment and when I made the move with the towel - ouch. I really had not been feeling much pain at all for at least a couple of days, except when in bed and turning over, until I did that. The rest of yesterday and today have been mildly hellish.

I was told, by the radiologist who examined my x-rays, that my ribs would be very painful for a week, then fairly painful for a couple to a few weeks more. It is amazing how true that has been considering the fractures are pretty small but I guess that is the nature of the beast known as cracked ribs. I have had quite a few other broken bones and none have hurt like the ribs have pained me. Tonight, two weiss biers, a couple of the muscle relaxants (taken this afternoon) and one of the Percocet (a generic form) and one hydrocodone have done the tick - almost. Almost is good enough for me. I'll take one more hydrocodone before I hit the hay if I need it and will hopefully get a much better night's sleep than I did last night. I need the sleep, I have to be at work tomorrow morning. Thankfully, I am only working a few hours tomorrow.

Still though, I am feeling a lot better than a day or three after I broke them. I can actually cough now without feeling like collapsing or moaning in pain. I can adjust my draws, pull them up, pull up my socks, bend over, twist and turn with relative ease in most instances of each. If you have ever wondered about how it feels to have broken ribs, stop wondering, it hurts a lot and it sucks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Muslims Who Decry and Attack America And Obama's Apologies To Them

Well, there I was, saying I had rarely seen Obama burned in effigy, certainly as compared to GWB. While that still holds true - I learned of at least once instance, maybe two where Obama was burned in effigy just today over in Pakistan and neighboring countries. All this over the video on YouTube that purportedly blasphemes Allah and Mohamed. Then I hear again, that President Obama is damning that video and assuring Muslims, by way of a commercial over in Pakistan that cost the U.S. taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars, that the U.S. government tolerates all religions. Really now! So since the tens of thousands of Muslims who are protesting and are doing so in the name of Islam as spurred on by religious leaders, and by the Qur'an, have turned their protests into violent riots and scores of people have already been injured and died in them, does that mean that president Obamaessiah also condones those religious killings, at least the ones perpetrated by Muslims in the name of Allah?

How is it that politicians like Obama and Clinton, H. just do not understand that the Muslim religion, when it comes right down to it, has zero tolerance for any other religion or any other viewpoint that does not agree that Allah is the only one true god and that Mohamed is his prophet? After all, one of their favorite sayings seems to be "There is no God but Allah". If you do not believe then by force they are to either convert you or kill you - it is in their version of the good book. So to politician like Clinton and Obama, who want us to tolerate, even except Islam, I say simply say bullshit because there are other gods in which people believe and other faiths that drive them and none of those faiths, like Islam, are calling for the conversion of the rest of the world and the annihilation of all nonbelievers. While we do not need to accept the teachings of the Bible (Old or New Testaments) or of the Book of Mormon, or the teachings of Jesus, Yahweh, Buddha, Vishnu, Zeus, Pele and all the others - from what I have been able to tell, any who follow them will at least tolerate one another from other religions except for maybe a handful of hardline kooks. Of the major faiths in existence today such as: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, the Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism and Confucianism, it is only the Muslims, the followers of Islam, who continually strive to conquer the world by way of conversion and the sword and it not just a handful of kooks but at least millions and millions of them who think that way. It is only they who routinely take offense at any slight, insult, comedic relief, satire, or any other use of freedom of expression that goes against the teachings of their so called holy book. Yet, they routinely destroy the holy books of other religions, just try to enter Saudi Arabia with a Christian bible let alone actually read one there in public. They constantly do against other religions what they will kill the followers of those other religions for when the others do the same against Islam. In other words, it is okay for them to blaspheme other Gods but not for others to do so to their God or the blasphemers of the Islamic God must dies. Thus by their same reasoning it is okay for them to put to death those of other religions who may have slighted the Islamic faith but heavens forbid should you harm a hair on a Muslim's head, that means that they will be at war with your nation seemingly forever - no matter the justification that you may have had for harming that Muslim (such as the U.S.A. allied with Muslim nations and fighting against Muslim terrorists - how dare you attack them, you are now the enemy of all Muslims, even the ones with whom you were allied. It is the Muslim mindset. It is also the same as how dare you blaspheme or insult Mohamed or Allah because that means you are now the enemy of all 1.5 billion Muslims. And of course, our President bows to them and apologetically tells them how horrible it was that someone in our country has offended them as they continue on their killing rampage not caring who dies in the violence and not caring one iota about the words of president Obama or Secretary of State Clinton. That these blabbermouths only are experts on how to use their mouths is much of the problem because they offer no practical response and give only hollow words and words that they pretty much reserve for those of the Islamic faith only.

So what exactly does the President Obama and ghis administration do when it comes to the Gods of other religions being blasphemed? They ignore it. Take for example the new art exhibit that is soon to open in new York City called Piss Christ. "The artwork features a “photograph of the crucifix submerged in the artist’s urine.”" Not not the empty cross, but the crucifix with Jesus Christ impaled upon it. See:

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/wh-silent-over-demands-to-denounce-piss-christ-artwork.html.

Recently there also was an obvious anti-Mormon play, or at least a play that poked fun at Mormonism. I think on Broadway, and guess what, it was laughed at and found to be funny by U.S. political leaders. You certainly have not heard one peep out of President Obama in order to denounce it. Yet, as soon as someone does the same to something that is Islamic, those very same politicians - including the president of the USA Barack H. Obama - are denouncing it as an outrage and apologizing to the Muslims of the world. Oh yeah, now I remember, Obama was that way himself towards Christianity with his hanging onto their bibles and guns quote. So why does this happen, why does Obama keep apologizing to the Muslims, standing up for Islam, while disregarding insults to religions like Christianity, even making such insults himself? The only reason that I can see is that Obama is or was a self avowed Muslim and I truly believe he has an affinity toward them more so than he does for America.

Well, of course, there really is another reason, the followers of Islam go berserk and start killing in the name of Allah and their Prophet. They say that they were insulted. Oh my, insults being a reason for mass riots, property destruction, hundreds of injured people and many dead ones too - imagine that if a Christian tried it here in this country! In regard to how the president responds to it all, President Obama probably just about qualifies to be called Piss Obama each time that happens because my guess is that each time it takes place, his pants suddenly get pretty warm and wet and cries out apologetically because he is scared to death that he may be mistaken for one of the blasphemers. Yet, each time the Muslims insult anyone, or protest, or burn our flag, or destroy our property, or riot, or injure or kill Americans, he gets all cozy with the Muslims apologizing for Americans and is apparently okay with that. The thing is, if our president had any true feelings of American patriotism, he would be bombing terrorist strongholds in Libya right now and in Pakistan too, then invading them. He also should be withdrawing all of our embassy personnel from all Muslim nations. He should cease all financial aid to and trade with Islamic nations. He can, I think, legally take this action and base it all as being opposed to Islam and not be in violation of our Constitution. You see, I believe that Islam is not a true religion at all; I think it is a system of governmental control that passes itself off as religion or merely uses religion as a front. Yes, there is religion involved but only in as much as it controls its followers and takes over and controls whole nations and force the people of those nations to convert or kills them. When our governmental leaders realize that and classify Islam as such, only then will they have achieved the wisdom and the courage to take the course of action that is needed and they will strike back full force at anyone who attacks U.S. citizens in the name of Islam. That likely isn't going to happen under the administration of the Apologist President, self avowed one time Muslim, Barack H. Obama. Voting him out in November surely would be a step in the right direction.

All the best,
Glenn B

Have You Ever Seen Muslims Burn Obama In Effigy?

I was visiting MA-rooned this evening, as I often do, since it is pretty much a daily read for me. Jay has an interesting post about Obama flags being sold from President Obama's official website. They are obviously based upon the flag of the United States of America. I think they are a disgrace as far as any truly red-blooded America should see them. They certainly seem to me to do grievous dishonor Old Glory. You can read Jay's post about the flag here.

This post is not about Jay's post nor about the flag he brings up in it. It is about a thought that crossed my mind after reading one of the sentences he wrote in that post. In the post, Jay says this: "It does make you wonder, though, if our response to the unrest in the Middle East would be different if they were burning Obama flags..."

That got me to thinking. Both you and I probably have watched the world news over the past couple of decades or more, and we all probably have seen many an American flag burned by Muslims protesting almost any policy of the United States imaginable. In fact, they burn our flag, over almost anything that disagrees with hardline Muslim tenets even if the disagreement is between the Muslim world and another country not the USA. In addition, you and I most likely have seen the burning of world leaders in effigy. The majority of those burnings, in all likelihood, would include representations of U.S. Presidents, including every one of them since at least Ronald Reagan up through George W. Bush and maybe even the current president - Barack Hussein Obama. I really should not say "maybe even the current president" as I am almost certain I once saw, maybe up to three times, by way of Fox News, his effigy being burned in a Muslim nation right after he became president. I kid you not, that is how many times I recall seeing him burned in effigy.

Now, think about that for a moment. How many times can you honestly recall having seen an effigy of President Barack Hussein Obama being burned by Muslims. Think hard on that subject and really be honest in your answer. There is no doubt that the Muslims who do these things and who perpetrate other abhorrent acts aimed at the USA, including acts of terrible violence such as the recent killing of American embassy personnel in Libya, have not abated one iota in their hatred of America since Obama became president. In fact, it seems that their hatred of the United States has gotten worse - and no I am not necessarily blaming president Obama for that, I think it will likely increase under any president until we kick their asses most profoundly as war seems to be what they understand. That though is a topic for another discussion. What I am addressing here is what seems factual to me, we just do not see news reports about the burning of president Obama in effigy. Why is that, do you think?

Is it because there are indeed as many burnings of his effigy as there were of other presidents, say for instance as many as there were of George W. Bush or Ronald Regan but for some reason we are not seeing them or hearing about them. That would beg the question, if there are nearly as many - why are they not making the news reports. Indeed, if there are as many, they certainly are not reported in the news with anywhere near the frequency that we saw such reports about George W. Bush being burned in effigy.  It seems that we got to see news coverage of him being burned, or I should say of his likeness being burned, at least bi-weekly while he was in office. Almost every time we got to see an American flag being burned by Muslims, there was the likeness of  George W. Bush hanging by a rope from a pole, that a Muslim was holding, as another poured gas on it, and yet another lit the match setting it all ablaze. If this is the case, then shame, shame, shame on the Mud Slinging Media Main Stream Media, and even on the not so main stream media, for not showing it all to us in living color with much more frequency. I mean, isn't it as news worthy when it happens to representations of our current president as when it happened to effigies of our former leader immediately previous to this one?

What if the above is not the case? What could be another reason for us not seeing burnings, in effigy, of president Obama? Could that reason simply be that there have been virtually no burnings of his likeness by Muslims? I suppose that is a possibility which would directly lead to a follow-up question of: "If so, then why not?". 

Would it indicate that Muslims around the world, hardline extremist Muslims at that (although I do not think them so extreme when Muslims are hardline but I digress), have a reason not to burn his likeness very often, certainly nowhere nearly as much as they did with the previous president? Would that reason be an affinity for President Obama? Bear in mind, before considering that question, or while considering it, that the Muslim world, on the whole, still hates America as much as it ever has, if not even more so, under President Obama. So what could it be that would make them not want to burn his effigy as much as that of our other leaders. Would it be because there is an inherent likeness between President Obama and the Muslim world? Is it because he is, or at least has been, a self-professed Muslim. Would it be because of the lame excuses and virtual apologies he gives for things like the violence that recently claimed 4 American lives in Libya. Would it be his saying things, in essence, like: 'here in America we respect all religions as much as the next and we abhor anyone who speaks out against a religion'? (As a side note, whom is he trying to kid - I seem to recall his own clinging to their guns and bibles quote - this guy is one hell of a bullshitter.)

All the while that he is placating the Muslims by saying how much we respect their religion, is he really saying that he respects a religion that, by the tenets of its holy book, plans to conquer the world, convert nonbelievers or kill them, behead blasphemers or converts to religions other than Islam and so forth! I cannot believe the words that come out of his mouth about how he respects Islam as our people are being killed by followers of that religion based upon their religious beliefs and at the same time he in essence apologizes for American exercising their rights under our Constitution as there is something wrong with our rights to things like free speech. At the same time, I would bet that the Muslims of the world believe him about his respecting Islam. Thus the reason they may not be burning him in effigy as much as his predecessors. I think it a definite possibility, that is, if indeed they do not burn his likeness nearly as much as they have our other leaders, that they don't do so because he respects their religion even at the cost of Americans losing their lives because of the practice of that faith. 

I think, that if it comes right down to it, there is a good chance that the media has had nothing to report because the Muslim world in fact loves President Obama as one of heir own. I find it hard to believe that the media would not show Muslims burning him in effigy in a good number of news reports, it seems it would just be too 'news worthy' for them not to show it. Heck, they still show American flags being burned, don't they? Still, the MSM here at home have shown other things that would tend to embarrass him or show him in a bad light but of course, They jsur do not show anywhere nearly as much as they did of George W. Bush and in that regard the media shows its extreme leftist bias. So, when it comes right down to it, the lack of seeing Obama burned in effigy all that often still begs the question - why do we not see his likeness burned as much as we saw it of our other leaders?

Again, is it the press that is withholding news worthy burnings of his likeness from us - for whatever reason? Maybe just because they think it unworthy news, all of a sudden. Or maybe because they find it distasteful, to show our president being burned in effigy, all of a sudden. Or maybe, as I suspect, as they have done for years, the MSM is showing its extreme leftwing bias and is doing so for the for the political advantage of President Obama. Are they trying to convince the leftists and the independents, in this country, those who may vote for him, that the whole world loves him and he is destined to be the great peacemaker between the USA and the Muslim world; that regardless of the facts showing him failing miserably with regard to relations between the USA and the Muslim nations of the world. Let's face it, under President Obama, those relations have grown considerably worse - take Pakistan for example and don't forget Egypt or Iran or Afghanistan or Iraq. Granted, those relations probably would grow worse under any president who did not take an extremely stern course in dealing with them but that has certainly not been course of the great apologist who is currently in office. 

Then again, the media may have nothing on which to report in this regard. Maybe it is just a fact that the Muslims are not burning President Obama in effigy anywhere nearly as often as they have our other leaders. Maybe that is truly because they consider him to be one of them. The way he has responded to the killings of our embassy personnel in Libya recently almost makes me think that has to be the case. It is a scary thought but one that the man himself seemingly keeps perpetrating - the thought that he is one of them as much as or more than he is one of us. It is the thought that the enemy is not only within the gates but sitting on the seat of power. That scares the heck out of me, it should scare the heck out of you too, if only because it is becoming more and more plausible and yet so many in our country are ready to vote him in for a second term.

All the best,

Glenn B

PS: By the way, I know that President Obama has been burned in effigy numerous times, though we did not usually hear about it or see it on the MSM. In addition, it  has not happened as often as was for his immediate predecessor and that is especially true of such burnings in the Muslim world. Here are search results using the same criteria for both BHO and GWB  (first name, middle initial, last name) followed by the exact same wording in each search and run on the exact same search engine, Bing, in exactly the same manner:

George W. Bush burned in effigy: 36,700,000 results

Barack H. Obama burned in effigy:  9,010,000 results

So please, if you comment, and want to show how many times President Obama was burned in effigy to disprove me, make sure to compare it to burnings of GWB, then show me how it happened to Obama just as often in the Muslim world and how it was reported on as frequently as those of GWB in the MSM, as opposed to other sources of information, or don't bother to argue because you would be off topic. If you do care to comment, discuss, argue, whatever your viewpoint, keep it respectful. If you must be disrespectful, you can just go fuck yourself instead of, and likely with much more success than, trying to have your comment seen here - just sayin'.

A Good Night's Sleep Has Eluded Me

I slept like crap last night. Got some sleep but kept waking up to reruns of Don Knott's movies. Finally shut of the TV but did not sleep any better once it was off. I am going to hit the hay and try to get in a few hours of quality sleep time once the wife heads to work and it is quiet around here again. If I am lucky, I can get in almost 3 good hours of snooze time before I have to get up for work.

All the best,
GB

Three Schrade Knives - All Made In The USA

The three pictured knives were all part of my inheritance, from my late brother's estate. (That's a laugh, not that he is my late brother but that he had an estate.) Oh well, I got to pick some things I wanted like to keep from his belongings and three of the things I picked were these knives. All three are Schrades and all three were made in the USA. The two that are not in the packaging were made in the USA when everything about Schrade was still made in this country. The other one, well the knife was made in the USA but Schrade had already bowed to the pressures of our long weakening economy and started to have the packaging made in China (what a shame).

Neither of the two used ones are in great shape, one needs some work to remove some rust, and the other a bit of polishing up. The one in the package is like new, old stock. Sorry that I could not get a better pic of it through the packaging.

The knives are a bit special to me because, if I remember right, I gave all three of them to Ray a long time back. The first one I gave him was the Old Timer hunting sheath knife, the second one was the Schrade Scrimshaw and the last was the special edition that is still in the package. I know for sure I gave him the first and the third and am pretty certain I gave him the second one mentioned too. Without further jabbering on my part here are a couple of pics of the knives, now all family heirlooms I suppose.

 

I wish they still made them here. It was kind of nice to be able to buy relatively inexpensive knives, of decent quality, made not only in the USA but in New York State as well. My bet is that not only did federal taxes have them sell out to the Chinese but so too did the damned taxes in New York, some of the highest in the nation. Probably did not matter much in the long run, my bet is that within 10 years, New York will attempt to ban the sale and possession of just about any kind of knife imaginable.

At least we still have these - Old Timers not only by virtue of their name but by virtue of when they were made - in the Old USA.

All the best,
Glenn B

New Blogger / Google Format

I was more than happy with the old format for Blogger but now Google has come along and changed it. I imagine I will get used to it sooner or later now that it seems I am being forced to use it; I cannot find an icon to click that will allow me to continue to use the old format. Such an icon had been there, if it is still there I cannot find it. I signed on today, after cleaning my browser and such, and was brought to the new format. I have to wonder what the fuck is wrong with leaving something that was not broken just the way it was instead of fixing it. Goddamn liberals always have to be changing things and seemingly can never be satisfied with things the way they are. If they ever found themselves, in their, long sought after, Utopia, they wold not know what to do to enjoy it. Within a decade at most, probably much shorter a time frame, they would be condemning it as conservative and evil and George W. Bush's fault. Sooner or later, people should mature enough to realize that good enough should be left to stand for as long as it lasts.

I Love Bacon But It Sure Ain't The Only Good Eats On A Pig

Ah, the pig, swine, porker, oinker or whatever else you want to call it. It could be the most perfect animal in all of God's creation from a person's point of view who likes good eats with plenty of variety. Why some religions consider it evil or unclean is easy to understand. Perhaps, I should qualify that to say why some religions considered it unclean or evil a thousand years ago made sense. In today’s world, with what we know about germs and parasites and all those other little boogers, that often live inside of pigs and that can get inside us an screw us over health wise, and with all we know about proper hygiene and proper cooking techniques, it should be much less of a concern to us. Yeah, I know, some still truly people believe that the pig is evil or even the devil itself. Good for them, let them enjoy their religious beliefs and good for me because it means more pork in my belly. With all of the knowledge we have now, proper handling of pigs, even those raised without the use of antibiotics, should keep us essentially disease and parasite free from anything that might infest a pig and be passed onto humans. Well, from anything other than evil spirits maybe but I'll take my chances with the possibility of evil spooks and just wash my hands well after handling the raw meat and eat mine well cooked. 

As I said, from the pot of view of someone who likes good food and a variety at that, the pig may be God's perfect creation. The different cuts of the flesh truly have very distinctive flavors, so much so that sometimes you might think you are eating the meat of two different animals if offered both cuts in the same meal. I love everything I have ever eaten that has come from swine. Some of my favorite cuts are pork tenderloin, pig bellies, loin chops, ribs, pigs feet, pigs knuckles (when is the last time you saw lamb or beef knuckles for sale for human consumption) and the snout. Even the fried skin is excellent. I am not much of an organ meat eater but I would probably give it all a try when it comes to porker innards. I figure they probably would be delicious just as has been every other part of the pig that I have eaten so far.

Then there are also prepared meats made from swine. Where would the world be without pepperoni, salami, pork hot dogs, breakfast sausages, Italian sausages, Land Yeager, Krainerwurst, pigs in a blanket, Bratwurst, Steamed Dumplings (the filler is often prepared pork), and so on. Lest you think I have forgotten, allow me to mention here, the king of prepared meats SPAM! The pig is one heck of a versatile animal when it comes to making good food out of it, and yes I like Spam and consider it good food along with everything else I have mentioned.

Of course, besides the different tastes of each cut of meat, there are also all of the wonderful recipes for swine flesh from oh so many countries and cultures around the world. There is bacon, Canadian bacon, salt pork bellies to name just a mere few. Then there are dishes like Yeager schnitzel, Moo Shoo Pork, rib roast, bacon and eggs, stuffed pork cutlets, Virginia Ham for Christmas dinner, schinenspeck, stuffed pork chops, Italian sweet sausage with eggs, potatoes, peppers and onions, Hungarian pork chops, Chorizo and eggs, Peking pork chops, Sweet and Sour Pork, hot dogs and sauerkraut, standing rib roast with red kraut and potato salad, and the list goes on and on. I love beef and I love lamb but I do not think I could eat them anywhere nearly as often as I can eat pork and not get tired of it. The only other meat, actually fowl, that I could probably eat as often as I could eat pork would be chicken. As far as I know, they have not yet made Spam out of chicken and thus Pig Meat Rules. 

If you like bacon, and who in their right mind (except maybe those restricted by religion) does not like bacon, do not sell yourself short by not enjoying the rest of the critter in as many different ways as you can try it. one hint as to how to enjoy it more, use the fattier cuts of meat when you buy pork. In other words, if you buy chops, don't go for the new age extra leans chops. In my opinion, and I base that on a lot of pork that has gone through me, they stand too much of a chance of coming out dry. Even worse, as I taste it, when pork loses the fat it loses its flavor (just like any other meat but more so than most others). I sued to watch Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and have to say that one of the most insightful things he ever said, on that show, was that pork should be fatty to be enjoyed properly. If anyone knows good eats, and how to enjoy it, especially meat, it is him.

Bacon is great, when I eat it I cannot get enough, but the rest of the pig is also excellent eating when it comes to the edible parts. If you only eat bacon though, that is okay, it leaves more of the rest of that filthy beast for me.

 

All the best,

Glenn B (swine eater for life)

 

As The Ribs Crack

Wednesday, I found out I had cracked a couple of ribs during a fall. Yesterday, I found out that they can, start hurting more and more as each day goes by, then suddenly go from hurting pretty friggin bad, to howl inducing, leg crumpling, fall to the floor excruciating pain in the wink of an eye.  

A trip to the emergency room and a new set of pictures revealed that not only were my ribs fractured but that my pleura (a double membrane surrounds the lungs and separates them from the chest wall) had overly filled with fluid by way of Pleural Effusion, or so they told me. Let me just say it was friggin painful. I actually did everything I mentioned above from howling to have my legs crumple, to hitting the floor in pain that went from fairly bad to excruciating in a wink. The excruciating pain and howling lasted a minute or two. Then it was just terrible pain and me being able to get up but remain sort of bent in pain. Then a quick replay of it all. 

All that as my wife watched rather unconcerned by it all. She eventually drove me to the ER and dropped me off. I was home, a few hours later, after having gotten a big shot of something in my rump that apparently helped ease the pain and made it bearable. The symptoms as described by the literature from the hospital are: shortness of breath, rapid breathing, cough or hiccups, sharp chest pain that hurts more with coughing or deep breathing. Well I only had one of the three symptoms and all I can say is thank goodness I did not start coughing or breathing deeply.

Today I heard some gurgling as I breathed. The gurgling subsided after a few minutes and while I heard it the pain did not increase - which was a good thing. I was a bit concerned but since the pain was manageable and steady, I figured I could wait until tomorrow to see my doctor for a follow-up. No more trips to the ER today. ,So far, today, the pain has remained tolerable thanks to the Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen) and plain Oxycodone HCL that I have been taking, but that did little to nothing yesterday when my pleura apparently effused. Today though, was another story and I actually had an almost normal day. I was feeling good enough to get out a bit today and to do some things clean-up wise in my basement, to smoke a tenderloin and grill some steaks. What a difference a day (and a big shot full of magic juice in the ER) can make. 

Then there is the coughing. I cough every now and then, like anyone else I suppose, during the course of a day. I have tried to avoid coughing, and phlegm clearing, but it has proven impossible. What a difference a small cough can make, even the smallest cough fills my chest with hammer pounding pain even if only for a moment. Nothing seems to have helped with that, not the Percocet, not the shot at the hospital, not the over the counter muscle relaxant I have also been taking, not the cough medicine I have imbibed, and not all the time that I would think I should have been healing since I cracked my ribs on early Wednesday. I am hopeful the doc can give me more potent drugs tomorrow and that coughing will no longer be a painful by sometime fairly early tomorrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

Whom Should Be Offended?

 

Sometimes words are all you need to send the message. In other instances, a picture is worth more than a thousand words because no matter how many words one could write on a subject, you could not say it better than the picture alone. Then again, sometimes it is  best said by a picture and some words to go along with it. That way the meaning is unmistakable, as it is in this particular masterpiece of cultural satire.

 

Hat tip to Deb H.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Last year, my brother-in-law, the younger, gave me a steel smoker box. Basically a steel box, with holes drilled into it, into which you place wood chips, place the lid on the body of the box and put it into your grill over the flame. I never got around to trying it out until today; the great procrastinator - that's me.  Yesterday, I picked up a nice looking pork tenderloin at Costco. A good layer of fat on the outside and I had hoped it would have a lot of fat inside. I took some Cherry wood chips, that I bought about a week or so ago, threw them into that smoker box, cut the roast in half, put half away, rubbed the other half of the meat down with salt, pepper and garlic powder, put it into the BBQ grill on the top warmer rack, turned the burner on the right side on low, turned the burner on the left side on low, put the smoker box with wet wood chips (I let em soak for about an hour before using them) on the grill over one of the lit burners and went inside. Half an hour later the wood was not even charred so, I moved that little wood chip filled smoker box right onto the burner and left it there.

Over the next 5 hours or so, I  probably had to refill the wood chip box about 6 to 8 times. I also basted the pork with a bottle of Franziskaner Hefe Weiss Bier. As it turned out, it was an excellent decision to baste the meat because it was a terribly lean cut of pork, no fat to be seen inside at all when I later cut it open. I hate dry pork, it needs to be wet to be good (by wet I mean fatty like corned beef or pastrami). When I took it off of the grill, I noted, for the first time, in all the time it was smoking, that it looked to have less juices flowing out of it than it did earlier. Luckily it had not dried too badly. it would have been much better had it been loaded with fat but my wife said it was not too dry. (She likes meat a lot leaner than do I.) In fact, my wife, who does not like most smoked meats, thought it was delicious too. It came out with a mild smoky flavor. I prefer it to have stronger smoked flavor but have to admit, even with a mild smoked flavor, I thought this was pretty good.

I suppose, that for a first attempt, it came out close to excellent even for a picky guy like me. (There is a nice chunk missing off the left end, the wife and I tasted it almost as soon as I brought it inside.) Next time though, I would place the meat closer to the smoker box, maybe right on the grill instead of on the warmer shelf, but still not right over the flames as it has to be in there for hours to absorb the smoke aroma. I will also try to get a fattier cut of meat. Other than that, about the only change I would make is to use hickory wood or mesquite next time, maybe a combination of one of those and cherry. The hickory and mesquite woods throw off a much stronger aroma when charring; heck even when not lit, they have much more of an aroma than does the cherry wood. I am not sure what kind of meat I will use next time. Maybe, I will use a nice chunk of beef or a chicken or even some more pork. I may try two things in the grill at once, it is big enough, that is for sure.

I can see me smoking a lot more things in the future; I always figured it would be a pain in the butt to smoke but it turns out that it really was pretty easy or I just got lucky the first time around. If I get into it enough, I will buy a smoker next year. It also seems like a good way to cook meat on the grill when you don't want to have to constantly watch over it, including during the winter. Sure, you still have to tend to it but certainly not as often as you would if you were grilling something, so you would not be out in the cold too long in the wintertime. Maybe go out once an hour to add more wood chips and to baste the meat and that is about it after you get it initially set up. Then just go out to take it off the grill when done. I think I am going to be cooking a lot more than I have been recently and that cooking is going to be smokin'! And there I was, thinking I had given up smoking just over 24 years ago.

All the best,
Glenn B

Second Best T-Sirt Logo Ever

The T-Shirt logo, pictured here, is in my twisted opinion the second best one I have seen in my lifetime to date. I can say, without a doubt, I have only seen one t-shirt logo that was better and it was much better. I must qualify that by saying that was in my pre-marriage days when I was single. That one was being worn by an extremely hot and beautiful looking young lady. It was the only one I have ever seen with its particular logo of only three words. It was obviously a reply to a T-shirt that was popular with young men at the time that said: Free Mustache Rides. The young lady was wearing one that said:

CHAMPION MUSTACHE RIDER

Yep, the one in the picture in this post only made it to second best; the one the young lady was wearing was the all time best by far.

All the best,
Glenn  B

Hey Kids - What Time Is It

I would answer Howdy Doody Time but somehow I feel the the picture I am about to show, of the fine timepiece Fugazy looking watch I received as a retirement gift, might somehow belittle the memory of that show for far too many folks. The watch, a Selco Geneve, came in a rather subdued and drab gray box, the watch itself resting on a small pillow inside the box. On the face of it can be seen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal. On the back of it is noted the fact that the back is made from stainless steel. Nowhere to be found, at least y me, was the country of origin. You maybe would think that a watch given by the U.S. government would proudly display the words "Made in the USA" on it but I could not find that anywhere on my new ticker. My guess as to why those words are not evident is because I think the watch was probably made in China. A check of the Selco Geneve website and their "about" page revealed that the company manufactures watch faces in the US but I saw nothing noting that their watches were actually made here. If I ever discover that this watch was manufactured on foreign soil, I will take appropriate action with it, returning it to the government and telling them where to stick it (you can bet it will be into a place where the sun should never shine).

I also got a plaque and a letter of appreciation. I never expected anything else upon retirement, except maybe that I would have received these things at a retirement party. That would have happened but did not work out due, for the most part, to my health when I retired last November. Cancer sure has a way of screwing up one's plans. It sure would have been nice though to have received these items when the Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations handed out retirement plaques at a BBQ earlier this summer. I got a plaque then too, from the SAC, but nothing compared to the nice one from headquarters (the one I just got).He did not even shake my hand when he gave it to me. Hmm, maybe there was some friction there but since he only spoke about 10 words to me at most in the few years that he was SAC before I retired, I would not know with certainty. As for the plaque and watch and letter, I was told he had both plaques , the letter and the watch with him when he gave me only the less impressive of the two plaques at the BBQ. Oh well, I guess he had a lot on his one way mind, him suing his superiors for sexual harassment, or some something like that.

When it came down to it, I received the watch, the nicer of the two plaques and letter from my former Group Supervisor. Even though not given to me at a retirement event, my GS went out of his way to make the presentation nice, taking each out in turn and showing them to me and starting to read the inscription on the plaque and all and shaking my hand on giving them to me. Nice guy.

So now, I suppose I am officially retired and completely over and done with my career. Not a bad thing at all, every day now being another Saturday in Paradise. As for what I have to show for it, several other plaques and letters of commendation in a box out in my garage (or lost at sea for all I know, I lost track of where were those things when I was ill). I also have a lot of memories. I will cherish those, from the bad through the excellent ones, for what time I have left in life because you can rest assured those memories are in some way, shape or form connected to some of the nicest people whom I have met in my lifetime.

To my brother and sister agents in the U.S. Border patrol, where I spent my first 4 years plus of my career, I salute you. You have one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs within government service. To those with whom I worked in the now defunct U.S. Customs Service Tactical Patrol Division and Office of Investigations (those for about the next 20 years of my career), you can bet those times included some of the most memorable and best days of my career with some of the best work I ever had and some of the best people I have ever met. I have very fond memories of my time in the Currency Group and in the Joint Narcotics Smuggling Unit (JNSU)at JFK Airport and all of the special details I went on from being a volunteer Air Marshal for about 5 months to 90 day stints out in Arizona.

Also especially important to me was the time I spent as a firearms instructor. That was about 14 years, of collateral duties, helping to make sure that every night (or day depending on when you got stuck working) all of our agents would walk in the door at home to hear their spouses or loved ones ask something like: "How was work today" and they would be able to give the answer "Everything was fine, how are the kids just before checking on them in person". Making sure that each and every other one of us got home, during the course of performing our duties of protecting the nation, was one of the most important things we did for one another both as field agents or as firearms and tactics instructors at the range. I did plenty of both and will always those duties dearly. 

As for my final 8 plus years that I spent in the Department of Homeland Security, first under Customs, then under the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, then under Immigration and Customs Enforcement, then finally under Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), what can I say! George W. Bush really made a huge mistake when he dismantled The United States Custom Service and the Immigration & Naturalization Service and combined them under Homeland Security into the new agencies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Yep, that you can blame squarely on Bush and his administration as opposed to the BS that Obama tries to blame on him.

ICE, including HSI, in my personal opinion, was and remains the most inept government agency ever to have been part of the U.S. government (with the possible exception of the Post Office), possibly the most egregious when it comes to rights violations, among the worst at protecting the nation from terrorism and in general protecting the interests of our country, is totally lost in a haze when it comes to the core mission it is supposed to accomplish (probably because no one in it seems to know that mission), and only has had inept boobs and assholes in charge of it to date. I think the only thing it truly has accomplished to date was the destruction of one of the finest investigative agencies that was ever part of the U.S. government - the United States Customs Service Office of Investigations.

As I have mentioned, a couple to a few times by now, there were some great people in all the agencies for which I worked and in those to which I had temporary assignments (like the Secret Service, Air marshals, Bronx District Attorney's office and so on). I was lucky to have met them and luckier yet to have formed bonds of friendship with some of them over the years. It did not matter if the agencies themselves sucked; that is so long as I knew I could depend on the guy next to me to cover my ass while I covered his should the shit hit the fan. Bonds formed in situations like that, where trust is everything, are some of the strongest you can form and whether or not you stay in touch with one another, you know, should you ever need them, they will be right there standing at your side making sure you get home to tuck the kids in once again.

There - there now. I feel much better, having spit that out, as my new retirement watch sits on my desk and ticks away with the wrong time set on it. The watch may turn out to be a good thing for a sale on Ebay, I doubt it is good for much else except maybe as a target when I am next at the range.

All the best,
Glenn B

Still Cancer Free - Maybe At least In Part Due To The Efforts of Guys Like Jay G

Yesterday, I got some good news from my chemo oncologist; the CT Scan I had to undergo on Monday came back negative. In other words, since my first post treatment PET and CT scans, back in March 2012, I am still cancer free.

Along the lines of people staying cancer free, if you have ever considered donating to cancer research with the hope of kicking cancer's ass, why not consider donating through Jay G of MArooned. He is doing a very good thing this month and has been and will be Kilted To Kick Cancer for the entirety of this month. Yes, that means that Jay G is donning a man-skirt for the whole month, every day, in order to try to persuade folks to donate to kick cancer's ass. It also probbaly  means he may have blue balls for at least some of the month, what with with the recent chill in the air and wearing a kilt meaning he is not wearing anything under it.

As much as I kid him about that, and I do so pretty relentlessly - all kidding side - I have to repect him for his decision to go out and actually try to make a difference in the fight against cancer. If you would like to show that you respect and support him for making the effort, and if you want to help in the war against cancer, you can donate to help kick cancer('s ass) via his website or these two links which are his donation portals through Livestrong and The Prostate Cancer Foundation. I am not sure but I think that the money donated to either goes to fight prostate cancer since September is Prostate Cancer Awareess month or something like that. (And there I was, for oh so many years, thinking that it was just a month with excellent weather) in which one safely could eat oysters.) Even though prostate cancer is far from the variety of cancer that I had last year, it that mattered little to me in my decision to make a couple of donations by way of Jay's donation pages at Livestrong and The Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Be advised, if you donate by way of Jay's kilted to kick cancer efforts, I think that makes you eligible to be entered into the chance to win some nice prizes that were donated by others to Jay's fund raising efforts. See his site for more info. Regardless, the money is going to a good cause, to help kick cancer's ass.

All the best,
Glenn B

Crested Gecko With Pronounced Underbite

I took this picture to email to a friend of mine who is an expert breeder of Crested Geckos to find out if this lizard's under bite is indicative of a deeper problem or just possibly an anomaly about which I need not worry. I have fed it well using Rapashy Crested Gecko Diet, baby food such as peaches, pureed fruit and live insects (such as blaberous roaches). So, I am very doubtful that the condition is related to its diet. There is a chance that the condition was caused by this gecko fighting with one of its cage mates or due to some other type of injury but I kind of doubt it. I suspect it may be genetic in nature.

I am not all that concerned as the gecko seems to be in otherwise excellent health.

Other than the under bite, get a load of that eye ball. Their eyes always amaze me.

All the best,
Glenn B

Is This Supposed To Make It All Better

A guy reportedly holds up a sign apologizing for the murders of 4 of our citizens and now what? Are we supposed to be suckered into believing that such killings are not the way of Islam. It happens over and over and over and over again when Muslims become upset that someone has insulted them, their religion, their prophet or their god. Now they, or at least one of them, has taken the Obama ploy of an apology and he expects what in return, that we will forgive those murderous bastards. If it was up to me a bath in pigs blood would be in order just before the executions of those responsible for the deaths of our State Department personnel in Libya.

I have only absolute loathing for, what I believe to be, a plot to conquer the world that is disguised as a religion of peace and I have little more feelings than loathing for those who keep making excuses for it.

By the way, while that lone Muslim was apologizing, yet another U.S. embassy was stormed by Muslims, this time in Yemen. So tell me again, how is that not the way of Islam!

Source of photo: http://kmsp.images.worldnow.com/images/19530707_BG1.jpg

All the best,
Glenn B

Supposedly The World's Fattest Dachshund

I currently keep several pets. I have kept many varieties of animals from roaches to fish to amphibians to reptiles to birds to small mammals to cats and dogs. Some were pets, others were feeder animals for other animals in my collection (yes, the roaches for animals like lizards), others were food animals for people (as in for me – no not the roaches). While I like keeping and breeding animals, also like eating them. I fish and hunt when I can. I buy ad eat meat regularly. I am not an animal rights advocate and rarely do I write about pet owners whom I believe are absolute assholes. I thin groups like PETA are full of jerks and assholes.

Today though, I saw what I believe to be proof that some people simply should not be allowed to keep a pet. Watch the video and I think you will see what I mean. Make sure to read the note about why vets believe this dog became grossly overweight. I would not have thought anyone quite that fucking stupid as the vets or the owners - I mean did the vets actually have to explain that the dog was overfed for anyone but the owners to have realized that gross overfeeding would lead to gross obesity!

Listen to the woman in the video when she tells the dog that was a lot of work. I get the gut feeling (no pun intended) that she thinks she did the work instead of the dog having done it. I now think it is obvious that at least this particular dog’s owner(s) was/were stupider than stupid could have been imagined and that maybe they should be held liable for the terrible care that must have been given to this dog to allow it to get that damned fat and they should never again be allowed to own and care for an animal.

I do not know if the woman heard in the video is the owner. I am guessing she is though. When you watch the video, there is an additional clue about the suitability of that woman heard, or anyone like her, as a pet owner. She sounds repulsed when she asks the dog are you gonna pee again. Listen to how her voice changes in tone. If it was up to me, the dog would be seized from the owner(s) who allowed it to get that fat and they would be permanently banned from ever again being allowed to have an animal under their care. Add to that making her eat about 100 Twinkies a day for three months and the punishment might fit the transgression. Imagine a dachshund needing to lose 40 pounds. Unfriggin believable.

All the best,
Glenn B