Saturday, December 8, 2012

SPAM - 75 Years Old, 1937-2012

I went to the city (NYC's Manhattan) with a friend of mine yesterday. We decided to get lunch (late breakfast for me) in Chinatown, visit Obscura Oddities (they were closed due to filming, now making it 2 out of 3 times this happened when we stopped by there), check out some thrift shops and to stop by the Hungarian Pastry Shop (uptown and across the street from the largest cathedral in the world) to over indulge the taste buds.

While in Chinatown, my buddy, Pete said he needed some white pepper and wanted to buy some in a market there. I brought him to a place with which I was familiar, kind of a Chinese mini supermarket. While there he picked up a few things and so did I. As we left, I said, that while we had been walking to that store, we had passed another market I wanted to check on. We stopped in that other one, which had most of the same stuff as the first with a notable exception. They had an area of the shelves, about 3 feet wide and two or three shelves high, dedicated to SPAM. They had regular Spam and, much to the amazement of my uninformed self, they also had Spam Bacon, Spam with Cheese, Spam Black Pepper, Spam Hickory Smoked, Spam Jalapeno and most importantly they had cans marked for Spam's 75th Anniversary! I had no clue about those other available varieties of Spam, except  for low sodium Spam. I had even less of a clue that this year marked the 75th anniversary of this iconic this all American delicacy, this wondermeat in a can.

Me being me, that being in part a Spam lover, I was tempted to buy at least one of each variety that they had in stock, especially since I have never tasted any but the regular Spam and the lower sodium Spam. Yet, the only one I bought was the one marking the 75th anniversary; it just seemed too good to pass up. and I figured I could get the others any time. In all, it turns out they offer 14 different Spam products. See the complete lineup here. I am going to have to try all of the different flavors. That could make for an excellent bit of outdoor grilling over the winter and maybe a blog or three about the different ones I will have tried by the time I have tried them. Oh joy, yet another excuse not only to eat Spam but also an excuse to try a different beer or two, with each variety of Spam. And now, for your viewing pleasure, the: Monty Python's Flying Circus Spam skit.



Now, I just have to wonder one thing - how in Hades did I miss this from the beginning of 2012 all the way until yesterday, December 7th, when I finally saw my first can of 75th Anniversary Spam - and how in Hell did I miss all those different varieties for who knows how long! So much for buying a case of Spam every couple of or few months at Costco (they only have the regular and/or lower sodium types). Perhaps I should get out more often and wider afield than just Costco to do my Spam shopping.

All the best,
Glenn B

Carrying One Of The Beretta 92FS Pistols Again...

...since I just recently sent my Glock 26 slide into Glock to change the sights. Some months ago, I had the Trijicon night sights changed because the front sight had dimmed considerably. I asked for replacement with standard Glock sights, thinking that meant the steel sights that were standard Glock when I bought that pistol a few years back. They replaced the night sights, under warranty, with polymer (plastic) crap. I only got around to sending it back in for steel sights. It was not my fault that the night sights went bad so a warranty repair was to be expected but not with crappy polymer (plastic sights since they were replacing high end Trijicon night sights; that they did not replace them with steel sighs was ludicrous. Nor was it my fault that Glock downgraded from having standard steel sights to, what are in my opinion, polymer pieces of crap - yet they are charging me for the latest change to steel. I think that is not very good customer service but I suppose it is a sign of the times.

So, for now, while the Glock 26 slide is away, I have changed over to carrying one of my three Beretta 92 series pistols, which is also one of two Beretta 92FS pistols, I own. What a change from the smaller Glock 26 pistol to the larger Beretta 92FS. Not only is it bigger and weighs more, it is also a double-single action pistol as opposed to double action only as is the Glock. In addition, it has the exposed hammer, a manual hammer drop/safety, much larger grips, and a longer sight radius. Besides that, nothing is made from polymer (although the grips are plastic). I like the change.

All the best,
Glenn B

Dear Santa - The Best Gift of All


From Last year but still excellent.

All the best,
GB

Christmas Humor - Pardon Me Lord, No Disrespect Meant

First Christmas Joke
 
An Englishman, Scotsman and an Irishman died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.
                              
"In honor of this holy season" Saint Peter said, "You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven".

The Englishman fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It's like a candle", he said.

"You may pass through the pearly gates" Saint Peter said.

The Scotsman reached into his pockets, searched around and after some long moments finally pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're like bells".

Saint Peter said "You may pass through the pearly gates".


The Irishman started searching desperately through his pockets. He was at it for minutes going through each of his several pockets at least two or three times. He began to sweat and looked worried. Then he suddenly pulled out his hands and threw them up to the air, clasped them together as if to say a prayer and fell to his knees about to plead for admission into heaven. At that same moment, a pair of woman's panties fell from his pocket to Heaven's floor.

St. Peter looked down, bent over and picked them up, unruffled them and holding them out in front of the Irishman, with a raised eyebrow, he asked: 'And just what are these supposed to symbolize?'

The paddy replied, "Oh those, those are Carol's".

Of course, the Pearly Gates opened once again.

And So The Christmas Season Begins......

Hat tip and a very Merry Christmas to Perry K for that one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Ammo Purchases As The End of the Mayan Calendar Draws Nearer....

...and so too the end of the world but my bet is that while they are both drawing closer they will still be separated by eons if not longer. Of course, i could be wrong. The end of Mayan figuring as to what day tomorrow will be could actually signify the end of the world as we know it. Who know, maybe we will wake up on December 21st, the last day on their calendar, to find that zombies are eating our neighbors or that God has descended from heaven to raise the dead and select the chosen to accompany him to heaven and leave the rest here to suffer untold tortures, or maybe an asteroid will collide with our planet causing a 5 year winter or maybe WW III will commence with nuclear bombardment or maybe aliens, from outer space, will try to conquer or destroy us.

To me, it would mostly be just another day. I am ready for all of them except maybe God calling in all bets and even if that happens I am fighting back if I get the chance. Seriously though, if I worried about all those possibilities enough, I would be ready for any of them. Maybe that is why I have emergency supplies on hand and then again maybe those supplies are just for natural disasters like the recent big storms that hit NY and other nearby states.  The thing is though, if there is even a remote possibility that TEOTWAWKI is upon us, it sure would not hurt to those supplies just in case. Along those lines, I just ordered 250 rounds of .45 Auto ammo since one never knows when one might need it.

Anyone else out there find the end of the Mayan Calendar a good excuse to buy guns and/or ammo?

All the best,
Glenn  B

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Is It Ever A Good Bet To Procrastinate On Registering Your Car

You can safely bet that if you wait too long to register your car, the police are going to pull you over sooner or later for expired license plates. Chances are that you will also be getting a ticket for the expired plates. I don't think they have determined yet if they will give Shawn Bloemer a ticket for his expired plates though because when the police in Louisville, KY pulled over his car, because of the expired registration, they got a big surprise. They heard banging noises and cries for help coming from the trunk. Seems that Bloemer had been the victim of foul play and was allegedly bound and put into the trunk by three assailants who then stole his car, the one with expired tags.


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sometimes it seems it is just in your best interest to procrastinate!

Source:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/04/15648960-on-routine-traffic-stop-cops-find-man-bound-in-trunk

All the best,
Glenn B

Monday, December 3, 2012

The End Of The World As We Know It - December 21, 2012

Seventeen days (including today) and a wake-up to go until the Mayan calendar comes to an end. My wife and I visited southern Mexico as part of a cruise a couple of years ago. We toured some Mayan ruins, had to get there by bus from the ship. Our tour bus guide told us that while much of the world believes the end of the world will take place when the Mayan calendar ends, most Mayans just believe it will just be the day the calendar ends and that it will be time to start a new one. I would think, that with all the work needed to do all the figuring that goes into the calculations necessary to make up a calendar like that, someone should have started at least a few years ago - even if using a computer. Of course, it's not just the calculations, there is the stone quarrying and the carving to be done. Those Mayans had best get there act together pretty quickly if their prediction is to come true. Then again, maybe they are not bothering to create a new calendar because they really know that the world, as we know it, is actually going to end on December 21st.

Maybe it is time to start cleaning the guns and getting the ammo into grab & go bags along with some other necessities. One of these days, someone who predicts TEOTWAWKI is going to be right. If it happens in my lifetime, I want to be ready for it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Long Awaited DeSantis Thumb Break Scabbard,...

...for my Beretta 92FS, arrived today. I purchased one from OpticsPlanet.com a couple of weeks back. What a disappointment is about all I can say to describe how I felt right after I took the DeSantis Thumb Break Scabbard (tan and lined) out of the package. I almost immediately sent an email to DeSantis, because they are the manufacturer of this holster, complaining about what I believe is the lack of quality and the poor quality control for this product. As for OpticsPlanet, I sent them an email requesting a no-charge return to be arranged along with a full refund to me because it was damaged when I received it.
 
I guess the best way to express my opinion about this product is to show you the email I sent to DeSantis:
 
Hi, 
 
Several years ago, while still a federal agent and firearms instructor, I arranged for an order of hundreds of your holsters for my agency for its NY office. I have worn DeSantis holsters for years now, ever since that order. I have thought of your holsters as being of high quality but feel obligated to let you know that my opinion has just changed. 

I recently ordered a DeSantis Thumb Break Scabbard through OpticsPlanet.com. It was delivered today. The holster I received was damaged in that the finish was scraped and, in my opinion, it should never have made it off the factory floor. 

In addition, I believe the holster is obviously of inferior quality as compared to other holsters I have been used to owning since I use only very high quality and durable leather holsters. I paid a premium to purchase a DeSantis Thumb Break Scabbard that was lined. Your website says that this holster is lined with suede. When I saw the lining I almost gasped at the lack of quality I saw there. The 'suede' appears and feels more like cloth than suede and seemingly is unlike any suede I have ever seen in my life in that it is an extremely thin lining at best. It is so thin that I cannot imagine my pistol not wearing through it in less than a year; I expect a holster to last many years. Speaking of thin, the outer shell of holster leather is also pretty thin itself. The thumb break is so flimsy, I am certain it would not last a year of repeated medium use.

How you can sell this with an asking price of $84.99 plus shipping, on your site, is beyond me. I thought I was getting a bargain when I got it for around $61.00 including shipping through OpticsPlanet.com. What I got instead was something much less than desirable even though it is stamped "Made in the USA". As for this particular holster, I will return it to OpticsPlanet.com and request a refund. As for me making other purchases of DeSantis products in the future, based on this experience, I am unlikely to ever again buy one of your products unless quality improves markedly. 

Sincerely,
name & address
redacted for blog

Bear in mind that my letter expresses my opinion as to the quality, or lack of it, for that particular holster but it is my unvarnished opinion at that. I hope to hear back from DeSantis about this matter. For now though, if that is what they are offering as a high quality holster, I will not be holding my breath, and do not advise that you hold yours, waiting until my next purchase of one of their products.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, November 30, 2012

Sometimes Even Canadians Get It Right About The USA

This was sent to me in an email. It was supposedly penned by a Canadian:


TOP-10 ONLY IN AMERICA OBSERVATIONS
 
"1) Only in America , could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 a plate campaign fund-raising event.
2) Only in America , could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal workforce is black while only 12% of the population is black.
3) Only in America , could they have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee, BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.
4) Only in America , can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.
5) Only in America, would they make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' become American citizens.
6) Only in America , could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists."
7) Only in America , could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.
8) Only in America , could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).
9) Only in America , could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year - for total spending of $7-Million PER MINUTE, and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.
10) Only in America , could the rich people - who pay 86% of all income taxes - be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all."
 
Whoever wrote that up sure nailed it correctly. A hat tip to Pat JS for that one.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

I Keep Forgetting To Buy Some Scope Rings...

...to set my Hawke Varmint SF atop my Marlin XS7 in .308. Maybe having a muddled middle aged memory is a good thing sometimes, it just may have saved me a few bucks this time round. I finally remembered, earlier today, that I still needed those rings and that got me to thinking that maybe there were some laying around somewhere. Funny how that thought struck me when I was obeying she who must be obeyed and was cleaning up the basement a bit. When doing that task, I spied a couple of old attache cases in which I now keep gun accessories and whatnot, took a look inside of each, and scored in the second one. There were two sets of rings in it. Medium height rings may do the trick but they look pretty low to me. I'll give them a try as soon as I have the time to put them on the scope and attach them to the rail on the rifle. I work tomorrow and Sunday but may find the time after work.

I think that Brendan has been itching to fire the Marlin XS-7. That would be a good thing because it means a range trip for the two of us. Something we have not done together since, I think, August when we went to the NE Bloggershoot in a superseKrit location in NH, or was it MA or maybe Maine. I hope they fit and we get a day off together soon.

I have no training in how to mount a scope or to attach the rings to it then to the gun. I just do it by putting the scope rings onto the rail on the rifle first. Then I put the scope into the rings and tighten everything pretty darned snug, so the rings looked evenly tight on both sides to my eye and make sure the crosshairs look level when I am doing it. I can always loosen the rings a bit and level the scope later too if need be. Whatever way I do it, right or wrong, it has worked well so far.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just Some Pics From My Hunting Trip...

...from two weeks ago. No deer to be seen but some deer sign to be sure. Note that the frosty morn seen in the video was my third day there. I was not about to walk around, all noisy like that, like that on day one. Maybe I should have since the two times I saw deer was when I was being noisy, just like an eager young buck.

Well anyway, without further delay here are the photos and video.



The Road There
I Creamed A Ruffed Grouse And Left It There.
It Flew Right Into My Car As I Was Going 50mph.
 
I Took A Look From Another View.





Yes It was Cold
Frozen Deer Berries

RUB A DUB DUB
 
 
Scrape

Our Trail Marker From 2 Years Back.
Looks LikeThe Beaver Took
It Down from Both Ends.
 
Forgotten Hunter's
Backrest of Yesteryear!
 


Noisy Little Tree In The
Breeze In Foreground.

It Warmed Up Some
When The Sun Came Out


Just A Fern And Some Sunlight


What I Left Behind.

The Road Home!
 
All in all, it was a swell trip even if I did not bag a deer.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Won On Powerball...

...or should say got some money back since it was only $4.00 for having just the Powerball number. I did not start to write this though to tell you merely about my $4 win; I am wring this to show you just another example of how we are sliding closer and closer toward socialism in this country with its redistribution of wealth. The example I am about to show is one that may seem inconsequential right now but it is another example of redistribution of wealth and of government bumbling.
 
The below chart shows the distribution of the Powerball prizes as awarded in NY State. The first number, on the first line, shows how many winners there were in NY for the first prize in NY (there were no first prize winners in NY), then the second line shows the number of winners of the second prize, how many numbers had to have been selected on your ticket to win that prize and the amount of the prize, it goes on likewise from therefor each prize down to the ninth. The only difference is that some lines show you were also required to have the Powerball number to win that particular prize. Take a look:
 
 
 
0          First 5 of 5 + Power Ball $0.00
4          Second 5 of 5       $1,000,000.00
54Third4 of 5 + Power Ball$10,000.00
1801Fourth4 of 5 $100.00
2612Fifth3 of 5 + Power Ball$100.00
92157Sixth3 of 5 $7.00
42998Seventh2 of 5 + Power Ball$7.00
264922Eighth1 of 5 + Power Ball$4.00
497933NinthPower Ball Only$4.00




Do you see anything, in how the prizes were awarded that seems not just right? I don't know about you but I was always under the impression that having one regular number plus the Powerball number was less likely than selecting merely the Powerball number alone. That means the odds of getting those two numbers were slimmer than getting solely the Powerball number. Yet, by some stretch of munificence, the state of NY has decided that, regardless of the odds, anyone with only the power ball number should receive the same amount in prize winnings as someone with both the Powerball and a single regular number. That goes likewise for prizes 6 & 7 and also for prizes 4 & 5. So, NY State, in its all knowing wisdom about how to dole out money to the undeserving has decided not only to do so with my and your taxes but also, to some small extent, with lottery winnings, at least for Powerball.  

Here is they show the odds of winning and note, as I said above, even though some prizes are much less likely to be won than others, the amounts won for those particular wins are the same. The columns are: how many numbers required for that prize level, prize amount, prize amount with some sort of multiplier (you pay extra to try to win that), and finally the odds:

5 + Powerball
Grand Prize
Not Applicable
1 in: 175,223,510
5
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
1 in: 5,153,633
4 + Powerball
$10,000
$40,000
1 in: 648,976
4
$100
$200
1 in: 19,088
3 + Powerball
$100
$200
1 in: 12,245
3
$7
$14
1 in: 360
2 + Powerball
$7
$14
1 in: 706
1 + Powerball
$4
$12
1 in: 111
Powerball
$4
$12
1 in: 55

I am certain that those who win for having 4 plus the Powerball would have pretty good odds of winning a lawsuit claiming that they should get the same amount as those who selected 5 numbers because 3 plus the Powerball is awarded the same amoiut as 4 numbers and two plus the Powerbal is treagted the same as 3 numers regrdless of the ofdds being different for each. Anyway, my bet would be that within a year or two at most, you will see that the prize distribution for lottery games, in places like NY, have come even closer to being more even for all the winners under the grand and second prizes. After all, we have got to be unfair to those who did something less likely than others would do (like pick winning numbers or holding down a good job with good pay). 

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

So Tonight, I Wasted Some Money On Power Ball

What else, other than wasting money, is not new in my life. I stopped by the supermarket to pick up a bag of Hazel Nuts (an afterthought), some Power Ball tickets (main mission) and a few other lottery tickets too. While I was filling out the Power Ball numbers, the lady behind the counter asks some guy if he bought any. He said "I'm not wasting my money". She said likewise back at him and he then repeated himself, in an exaggerated and drawn out manner, this time his voice directed toward me from the sound of it. All I could think was: 'Fine arsehat, you spend your money how you want, but if you say it again and get any louder and closer to my ear, I am going to give you a face full of Ballseye'.

As it turned out, I completed filling in my numbers, paid for my tickets, checked to make sure they were the right selections and started to leave when suddenly I realized I had an extra Power Ball ticket for which I did not ask nor pay. I let the lady behind the counter know about it and she looked puzzled but only for a moment and then she told me that you get one free play if you buy $10 worth of tickets (5 tickets). She could have just grabbed it from me and said sorry about that and maybe would have had the winning ticket in her pocket. It was nice to see she was honest right back at me. I am pretty sure that many people would have just thought they had gotten away with an extra ticket for which they had not paid, that is, if they, like me, did not know about the free game.

I would be more than satisfied to hit the second prize but have to admit that the first prize of $500 million dollars would be one heck of a wonderful thing. I figure that the prize would be doled out in the amount of about $225 to $250 after taxes in a lump sum. What to do with that much money. I think I would secure the family coffers first, buy some land (because only volcanoes and God make more of it and I have not seen God making an lately), have fun with a lot of it, and give a very large amount of money to a charity or three of our choosing. Then again, maybe we would buy a small country somewhere and call it Ballseyevania wherein the right to keep and bear arms (including possess, buy, manufacture, shoot, defend yourself with, overthrow a tyranny with) would be sacred over all others.

Now back to reality. I wish any of you who bought a ticket or more all the best of luck just as I hope you wish me the same. Money may not buy happiness but it sure goes a long way toward allowing you to enjoy things that might make you happy. Of course, it can also be a pain in the arse but oh what a joyous pain to have so much of it as to be uncertain how to spend it. If nothing else, it could certainly make life interesting.

All the best,
Glenn B

Getting My Money Out of the Federal Government

I have decided, with my wife's concurrence, to withdraw all of our savings from my Thrift Savings Account with the federal government. Fiscal cliff being imminent or not, the chances are that the tax rates will soon rise and we do not want to be taxed at a higher rate in the future. Now granted, we may be taxed at a much higher rate, by withdrawing it all at once this year, than by withdrawing it over a few to several years if tax rates do not increase markedly, but that is where trust in government - or lack of that trust - comes into play. I no longer trust my money will remain 100% secure if I keep it in the hands of the government. I do not mean that my money will disappear because the government might steal it; my concern along those lines is that the government may wind up going belly up, unable to pay its financial obligations and then my money may disappear. Perhaps the same effect as it being stolen, just much more likely than someone actually stealing it.

I felt that way before I retired last year but was not sound enough, with the cancer treatments, to sit down, really give it the required thought, and decide to do it or not. Yet, I was pretty sure that is what I would wind up doing before this year was over. Today, I found out that it takes 2 to 3 weeks from the day I send my forms into them until I get the money in my hand. I still have enough time to get it this year. If taxes go up, then I will have known I did the right thing. If they do not go up, then I will wonder if I will have done the right thing but regardless, we will have whatever we have after taxes.

We do not have a heck o a lot of money in the TSP, so a big tax bite is going to reduce it significantly. With the TSP withdrawal added to my pension, my part-time job salary and Linda's two part-time job salaries - I think the tax bit will be substantial. Let me just say, my TSP balance is in the tens of thousands, not in the hundreds of thousands, of dollars that most others have contributed to said plan. I paid off my house early and thus we had little to put into the TSP over the several years that I contributed. I should have contributed sooner, just never saw the need. I see now that my whole roof, not just the shingles but the roof structure, may need to be replaced and it is sounding more and more like the insurance company will be paying less than I had expected.

Oh well, another one of those days with having to make: 'Decisions, Decisions, Decisions'! I have decided that either tomorrow or Friday, I'll be sending in the withdrawal form.

All the best,
Glenn B

Monday, November 26, 2012

A Scolding From Pravda To American Commie & Socialist Wanna Be's (aka: Hippies and Other Ultra Liberals)

I am still amazed that President Obama was reelected. I will wonder, for years, just how stupid the American voter can be to have voted him into office once again. Sure, the U.S. economy will get better but certainly not because Obama built anything to make it better, and definitely not because he rolled up his sleeves to look tough to the sissies who would buy that as being tough, and most assuredly not because of additional government control that he has implemented and absolutely not because of additional debt into which he placed us as a nation. It will get better because all wounds heal with time and our economy will also heal because businesses will make it so and the government will have little to do with that - just look at Ford for an idea of how it will work.

Obama will have had little to do with our economy healing although he will claim all the credit, just wait and see. What he will have had a lot to do with will be the next major economic disaster in the USA whenever it comes. That is because we will be paying off the money we earned (he certainly did nothing to earn the money he plans to bilk from us to support his nonstop government spending of our money), as a country, for decades if not for the whole next century. That means the debt is no so much ours as it is that of our children, their children and their grandchildren. Anyone with half of a bran should have been able to see that had they just read up on a little economic history. Guys who spend like did George W. Bush (let's not forget his ultra liberal government spending policy) and Barack H. Obama, are out and out failures at economics and it is our economy that is failing because of them.
 
It's not just me nor even all of the other millions of Americans who opposed Obama who think like that but people overseas in countries that are doing fairly well economically think like that too. Certainly, yo must realize I do not mean the Greeks, The Irish, The English, the French, the Spanish, the Italians or any of those in the Balkan nations because their economies suck. The people I mean are those of another world power, those in a place that for years had its economy ruined by communist and socialist principles. I am speaking of folks in Mother Russia herself! My bet would be that most of he hippies and moonbats in this country would not believe that anyone in Russia would think like that but in a moment I will quote an entire article (apparently okay by what I read at the bottom of source page as long as I supply the hyperlink) so you can read it yourself. The link is to an article appearing in Pravda (used to be the official media outlet of the U.S.S.R and is still in business in Moscow) makes me long for the days of Reaganomics.
 
Click on the link, read the article, pay close attention to what the current president Vladimir Putin is doing and what he plans to do to spur on the Russian economy and tell me - are you missing Ronald W. Reagan right about now. I sure miss him.

Obama's Soviet Mistake

19.11.2012
By Xavier Lerma
Obama's Soviet Mistake. 48555.jpeg
Putin in 2009 outlined his strategy for economic success. Alas, poor Obama did the opposite but nevertheless was re-elected. Bye, bye Miss American Pie. The Communists have won in America with Obama but failed miserably in Russia with Zyuganov who only received 17% of the vote. Vladimir Putin was re-elected as President keeping the NWO order out of Russia while America continues to repeat the Soviet mistake.
 
After Obama was elected in his first term as president the then Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January of 2009. Ignored by the West as usual, Putin gave insightful and helpful advice to help the world economy and saying the world should avoid the Soviet mistake.
Recently, Obama has been re-elected for a 2nd term by an illiterate society and he is ready to continue his lies of less taxes while he raises them. He gives speeches of peace and love in the world while he promotes wars as he did in Egypt, Libya and Syria. He plans his next war is with Iran as he fires or demotes his generals who get in the way.
 
Putin said regarding the military,

"...instead of solving the problem, militarization pushes it to a deeper level. It draws away from the economy immense financial and material resources, which could have been used much more efficiently elsewhere."
 
Well, any normal individual understands that as true but liberalism is a psychosis . O'bomber even keeps the war going along the Mexican border with projects like "fast and furious" and there is still no sign of ending it. He is a Communist without question promoting the Communist Manifesto without calling it so. How shrewd he is in America. His cult of personality mesmerizes those who cannot go beyond their ignorance. They will continue to follow him like those fools who still praise Lenin and Stalin in Russia. Obama's fools and Stalin's fools share the same drink of illusion.
 
Reading Putin's speech without knowing the author, one would think it was written by Reagan or another conservative in America. The speech promotes smaller government and less taxes. It comes as no surprise to those who know Putin as a conservative. Vladimir Putin went on to say:
 
"...we are reducing taxes on production, investing money in the economy. We are optimizing state expenses.
 
The second possible mistake would be excessive interference into the economic life of the country and the absolute faith into the all-mightiness of the state.
 
There are no grounds to suggest that by putting the responsibility over to the state, one can achieve better results.
 
Unreasonable expansion of the budget deficit, accumulation of the national debt - are as destructive as an adventurous stock market game.
 
During the time of the Soviet Union the role of the state in economy was made absolute, which eventually lead to the total non-competitiveness of the economy. That lesson cost us very dearly. I am sure no one would want history to repeat itself."
 
President Vladimir Putin could never have imagined anyone so ignorant or so willing to destroy their people like Obama much less seeing millions vote for someone like Obama. They read history in America don't they? Alas, the schools in the U.S. were conquered by the Communists long ago and history was revised thus paving the way for their Communist presidents. Obama has bailed out those businesses that voted for him and increased the debt to over 16 trillion with an ever increasing unemployment rate especially among blacks and other minorities. All the while promoting his agenda.
 
"We must seek support in the moral values that have ensured the progress of our civilization. Honesty and hard work, responsibility and faith in our strength are bound to bring us success."- Vladimir Putin
 
The red, white and blue still flies happily but only in Russia. Russia still has St George defeating the Dragon with the symbol of the cross on its' flag. The ACLU and other atheist groups in America would never allow the US flag with such religious symbols. Lawsuits a plenty against religious freedom and expression in the land of the free. Christianity in the U.S. is under attack as it was during the early period of the Soviet Union when religious symbols were against the law.
 
Let's give American voters the benefit of the doubt and say it was all voter fraud and not ignorance or stupidity in electing a man who does not even know what to do and refuses help from Russia when there was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead we'll say it's true that the Communists usage of electronic voting was just a plan to manipulate the vote. Soros and his ownership of the company that counts the US votes in Spain helped put their puppet in power in the White House. According to the Huffington Post, residents in all 50 states have filed petitions to secede from the Unites States. We'll say that these Americans are hostages to the Communists in power. How long will their government reign tyranny upon them?
 
Russia lost its' civil war with the Reds and millions suffered torture and death for almost 75 years under the tyranny of the United Soviet Socialist Republic. Russians survived with a new and stronger faith in God and ever growing Christian Church. The question is how long will the once "Land of the Free" remain the United Socialist States of America? Their suffering has only begun. Bye bye Miss American Pie! You know the song you hippies. Sing it! Don't you remember? The 1971 hit song by American song writer Don McLean:
 
"And, as I watched him on the stage my hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in Hell could break that Satan's spell
And, as the flames climbed high into the night to light the sacrificial rite, I saw...
Satan laughing with delight the day the music died
He was singing, bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing...
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
 
So, the question remains:
How long will America suffer and to what depths?


Xavier Lerma
Contact Xavier Lerma at xlermanov@swissmail.org
His popular articles can be seen at http://xlerma.wordpress.com/
Hyperlink to Pravda is mandatory if you republish this article.

 
Source:
 
That was some read, wasn't it. Hard to believe that piece came out of a Russian paper. Well, it should be hard to believe if you lived through the Cold War and know how it used to be in the USSR (Russia).
 
I have got to agree with the author, Obama and his lackeys have missed the boat. The communist/socialist experiment has failed with regard to how the economies of those countries went. Even the still communist Red China has seen the light when it comes to its economy. There are more capitalist and free market policies carried out in China than ever before and because of it, they are on the rise as a world power. They do not borrow money to spend on their economy, they lend money for foolish world leaders like Obama to spend. They realize that less government interference in the economy is the way to go, less government spending on social programs can only help a nation to prosper and get and keep its people gainfully employed and that they should not spend with reckless abandon. They know it, just as the Russians know it, just as we continually seem to be unable to grasp that concept unless we are more conservative in our outlook.The liberals, they have it arse backwards and for some reason they love it.
 
Hat tip to Peter Q for making me aware of that one. Too bad Pete does not blog.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

Shotgun Gauges Explained - From A Woman's Perspective

I don't visit YouTube all that often. Enough to watch videos now and then and enough to find some fun videos to embed here on the blog and, of course, whenever I upload one of my own videos to it. When I do visit to view videos it is mostly videos that someone else has sent me in an email or to view gun videos I seek out. Almost every time I visit YouTube to to search for a gun video, I come up with results that include videos of Heather Lacroix having shooting fun.

Today was no exception, I typed Winchester Model 37 into my browser and came up with a link list including a link to a YouTube video about that model. Among the other videos, linked to on the page on which that video showed up,  was the one I have embedded here. It shows her shooting .410, 20, 12 and 10 gauge shotguns. All I can say  is that it sure looks and sounds as if she is having lots of fun regardless of the sore shoulder she suffers.



While the men will enjoy looking at Heather, the women, at least the married ones, should enjoy her commentary on the uses for each gauge shotgun (note the .410 designation is actually a bore size and not a gauge size as in other shotguns).

All the best,
Glenn B

Whoops - I Missed National Ammo Day...

...and all I can think is "So What". In fact, I missed out on buying g any ammunition during all of National Ammo Week; it was extended to a week so that anyone not being able to make a purchase on the actual day would have a chance to join in). National Ammo Day has a purpose: to show support for out right to keep and bear arms and to support ammunition manufacturers, distributors and dealers (in addition to just maybe expanding your ammo cache or getting you to go out and shoot).

National Ammo Day is called a buycot. Supporters of the second Amendment are urged to go out and make an ammunition purchase of at least 100 rounds (per person) from local gun shops, sporting good stores and the like. Note the importance of the word 'local' in that previous sentence. This day was intended, I believe, to show support for local, smaller sized, dealers - the mom & pop gun store. If I remember right, it was initiated, by Kim Du Toit, in the spirit of helping out the mom and pop type dealers as opposed to supporting places like Walmart (many of which sell firearms and ammunition). I rarely shop Walmart for ammunition but do shop there for it sometimes (not my local Walmart as they do not stock guns & ammo). Walmart has extremely competitive ammo prices but usually has a very limited variety of any given caliber of it.  I would actually prefer to support my local gun stores and the people who work i them and run them but there is a problem that makes doing so unfeasible for me.

Many if not all of the gun shops I have visited in my area, in my opinion, are pretty much thieves disguised as legitimate businesses. In them, I have seen ammo with a selling price of from 1 1/2 to 3 times the price (and maybe even higher) than I would pay elsewhere, a limited stock of different brands in like calibers, a shortage or total lack of ammo in calibers which I need, long waits for special order ammo, an uppity attitude expressed by most of the shop workers (this seems to be a common gun store employee's affliction) and almost never do they sell bulk ammo. So, the places I usually shop are: from home and the convenience of my laptop by shopping online, at large sporting goods stores or at gun shows.

I realize that smaller shops often have a higher overhead to profit ratio and have to sell at higher prices to stay in business. I would not mind paying a bit of a premium, say maybe 10% higher than where I normally shop, to a local dealer but I do not pity any businessman enough by the balderdash that he has to pay for stock, rent, salaries, insurance premiums, electricity, taxes and therefore has to charge exorbitant prices to stay afloat, all the while complaining how tough it is to make a dime.
When a twenty round box of Remington brand, CoreLokt, 200 grain, soft point ammo goes for right around $25 online, at Walmart or at a gun show, then why would anyone (in their right mind) pay a local dealer $35 to $55 for that same box of ammo?

Really now, why would you consider buying from a small local shop with prices being that much higher? For me it is no brainer especially in light of how much ammo I buy annually, I look for the best bargains I can find. Now my idea of the best bargain is not all about price - as I said above I would pay a higher price at local gun shops considering all things. My idea of a good bargain includes very competitive pricing, shipping costs, reliability of the dealer to have what I want or to be able to get it, ease of the purchase process, the courtesy of the salespeople and excellent customer service. I find that the best deals therefor are those I find online with certain online ammo dealers. Prices available online usually either cannot or will not be matched by small local dealers.

Yes, that includes with shipping. Now, if you are at all familiar with online ammo purchases then you realize that shipping can add a lot to the price of a single box of rounds. For example, as I write this article, that box of .35 Remington I described above, is available from CheaperThanDirt for exactly $25.11 but shipping adds another $12.68 bringing the total to $37.79. It looks as if my local mom and pop gun stores, at least the one selling it for about $35 a box, may even have a somewhat better price but let's not forget local sales tax of .0865%. That would make their lowest price a total of $38.03. Wow, they actually come in with a slightly better price than the big online dealer, at least the one local dealer who has it at that price. Maybe you are wondering why I usually still do not buy from the local gun store.

You see, each box of that ammo that I buy from the local guy, goes for the same price. When I buy 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 boxes of that ammo, I can just times that price buy however many boxes I buy from a local dealer. The same thing sort of happens at Cheaper than Dirt, they too charge buy multiples of how many individual boxes I buy. Yet, there is a difference, a big one in terms of overall price. The shipping, from CheaperThanDirt and many other online dealers is for a complete order and not based upon whatever was the multiple of boxes you decided to purchase. Yes it can go up, as you order more, but it is usually based upon the whole order price and based on from which warehouse they are shipping (they have a number of warehouses). So, while shipping costs $12.68 for that lone box of ammo, it costs he exact same amount if I decide to buy 3 boxes or 5 boxes of it. That means, if I buy three boxes of the Remington CoreLokt, in .35 Remington caliber, at a local gun store, it is going to cost me  $114.08 in total. The same purchase fro an online dealer like Cheaper than Dirt will cost, in total, $88.01. I think the wait of from a few days, to a week, to receive the ammo from Cheaper Than Dir is well worth the wait. After all, I will have saved $26.07 on that purchase from the local to the online dealer. That is more than enough to get another box of the same ammo, from CheaperThanDirt, with .96 cents left over (because the shipping for even 4 boxes remains at $12.68).

That kind of price difference, combined with a wide variety of available ammo, a pretty good attitude on the part of CTD's customer service department and reliable shipping from them assures that CheaperThanDirt will get much more f my business than a local dealer. Now, if by some chance, I was only going to buy a single box of ammo, or if I needed a box of ammo right away, I might buy it at a small mom and pop gun shop. The thing is, when it comes to me buying ammunition, I rarely buy just a single box of it and I tend to plan ahead with ammo purchases and thus do not usually need it very quickly. Besides that, I cannot stand the stuff they tell me at a gun store if I mention how high the price seems: gasoline prices are up and thus shipping ammo has gone up and was added to the price, they cannot come down at all on price if I buy multiple boxes of ammo (yet they add a premium for shipping onto each and every box even though they are not charged a flat rate shipping per box), how tough it is to make a profit while the store owner is driving a $50,000 plus automobile.

I have made sure, in past years, to buy ammo almost every time National Ammo Day (or week) came around. I forgot about it this year and to tell the truth, considering where I live and the ammo prices at my local dealers, it was not all that bad of a thing to have missed buying 100 rounds or more on that day. I have nothing against the concept of helping out small business owners, I am all for it if they are honest, courteous, hard working and offer reasonable prices. It is just that, I cannot see supporting local price gouging opportunists. I guess my search,  for a mom and pop gun shop within 5 miles of home and that has reasonable prices, will have to continue. There has got to be one out there.

As far as National Ammo Day goes, I will probably participate again next year to support the concept if not so much as to support local crooks gun and ammo dealers.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, November 23, 2012

What Next - Now That The Browning Citori Lightning Has Sold?

As I said before in a recent blog post, the Browning sold. What I can say now is that every penny of the cash, I got for it, has already been spent. I used some on hunting stuff and my hunting trip but more on gasoline for the car, food shopping, candles, batteries, daily expenses and some ammo too. The selling price made up, with a small amount left over, for the money I spent on the Browning in the first place. Well, maybe not if I consider gas and tolls and motel charge for my trip to the auction house where I bought it, maybe I broke even, just about. So, a new gun is not going to see a penny of that money being spent on itself.

Now that the Browning is out of the way, I am thinking of selling something else. I do not know which one yet but am guessing it either will be the High Standard Duramatic M101 pistol or one of my single shot shotguns. I have two of those and certainly do not need more than one. These decisions having to be made are rattling me almost as much a hunter trying to rattle up a nice buck.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, November 22, 2012

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving and that your day is filled with family, fine food, and excellent spirits. Don't forget to give thanks for what you have.

I have plenty for which to be thankful, today and every day: My family, friends, my readers, my job, good health (much better than last year anyway), a home that was not ravaged too badly by the storm (as of yesterday, over $11,000 worth of damage, just to the roof and gutters, that we know about so far, and some other minor damage to our property but far better than losing our house or our lives) and that I have off until Tuesday so will probably get in some hunting tomorrow or Saturday! There is a good dinner cooking in the oven, my chores are done for the day and I am finally eating breakfast - 2 slices of pepperoni pizza reheated in the microwave (the turkey is in the oven) and I am enjoying a very early bier. Life is good when you can enjoy living it - for that I am very thankful.

I am also thankful for that which I do not have - cancer. It has been over one year now, as of November 9, 2011, since treatments stopped.

All the best,
Glenn B