72 Virgins Awaited...

...Iqbal in heaven after he blew himself while unsuccessfully trying to blow up a bunch of U.S. Marines. His dying thought was that upon his arrival in heaven he would be greeted by this:

 

As soon as he arrived in heaven, as promised, he was granted access to a bevy of virgins and was even allowed to pick out the 72 of his own choosing. Even though the virgins were ready for him, just as promised, he was just a little bit disappointed to see it was just the same old stuff he'd been getting all along from which he could choose:

 

 

 

 

(oh yes you have to scroll down to see it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(just a bit more)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the best,

GB

 

 

 

 

The Cold War II

I don't think he can blame it on George W. Bush but president Obama may yet find a way to weasel out of the responsibility for starting what may just become the second edition of the Cold War.  Russian bombers have been reported as practicing strategic air strikes, with cruise missiles, on the US from air space near Canada. The practice runs began only after a Russian general recently pushed the Kremlin to change its classification of the United States to that of enemy.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/08/russian-strategic-bombers-near-canada-practice-cruise-missile-strikes-on-us/?intcmp=latestnews

Now let's see - who is the pansy in the White House who has been patting his own chest and rattling his umbrella while telling the Russians that he is to be obeyed as to what he says about Russia's invasion of the Ukraine but who fails to back it up with anything other than wimpish sanctions. Yes you guessed it - and it's not GWB. If this is a prelude to the Cold War II, I can only hope history correctly records who started it - Barack Hussein Obama - the worst president ever.

All the best,
Glenn B

Talk About Chutzpah...

...I don't think it could get more brazen than claiming you were running a prostitution ring in order to save Israel. The whoremasters who ran the prostitution ring, reportedly members of a messianic sect in Israel, reportedly were brainwashing women into believing that they would be helping preserve the future of Israel by way of prostitution. Of course, it is also reported that the holy-men turned pimps who made that claim were actually pocketing the money - but what else would you expect after all a shekel earned is a shekel saved. Being that those who ran this operation were members of a messianic sect, one has to wonder if they told the women that they would be helping the messiah come again.

See: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/07/israeli-police-arrest-messianic-jews-suspected-running-prostitution-ring-to/

All the best,
GB

Armed & Ready Citizen - Shots Fired - Vet Shoots Armed Robber During Hand To Hand Combat

Lennard Patrick Jervis probably never realized that the guy he reportedly was about to attempt to rob was a WWII veteran of the Pacific Theater. He probably never once imagined that 89 year old Robert M. Lewis was anything but an easy mark. So he reportedly walked into Lewis' jewelry store, pulled out a gat and announced a holdup at close quarters to Lewis. Lewis being no newbie when it comes to armed combat (in addition to his WWII service he also had a gunfight with an armed robber in 2010) immediately reached out and grabbed hold of Jervis' pistol, then he drew his own, a life or death struggle ensued and shots were fired by both men.

Jervis was struck by six bullets from Lewis' gun. Four to the chest, one to a wrist and another to one of his legs. Jervis also fired his gun at Lewis. Luckily, Lewis was only grazed by a single bullet. Jervis then stumbled toward the door to try to escape and asked Lewis to buzz him out and Lewis obliged; he later explained that he had had enough of Jervis. Jervis' accomplice drove him away, intent on taking him to a hospital, but she stopped at a police station along the way to seek assistance because she thought Jervis was about to die. Sadly (in my view), it is reported he is expected to live. (source)

The last time that Lewis was the target of an attempted armed robbery, he fired numerous shots at point blank range but somehow missed the dirtbag who was trying to rob him but at least he was uninjured at that time. As you can see, he improved his aim over the last four years and was on target 6 times during this attempted robbery. I am guessing he visited the range some after the 2010 incident. I have to hand it to him, he did the right thing to protect his life and his valuables; somehow I don't think calling 911 would have been of help right when he needed it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/89-year-old-lake-park-jeweler-stands-grounds-shoot/ng8cx/

Some Interesting Family History That I Just Learned

I went out to my sisters house a couple or few nights ago, to go through some of my mom's photo albums and other memorabilia with the purpose of taking what I wanted to save. My sister and brother-in-law  split up and finally sold the house and have to get things out of it. Since my mom is in an assisted living facility, she has no room for it so I took virtually all the old photo albums and a few small trinkets that bring back memories.

Among the picture albums, I found some old family papers and old family photos of my maternal grandfather and his family going back two generations before him. I did not know him well, in fact only met him when I maybe was in my mid-teens, more likely in my late teens, maybe even in my young twenties; I am bad on timelines from back then, don't ask why. I visited him fairly often once we found out he lived in our neighborhood, he and my grandmother had parted ways many years before and my mother had not seen him in decades and suddenly there he was close to home. He lived only a few blocks from us. When I visited him, I did some small chores for him and we talked more of current events and jawboned more than talking his history. Anyway, among his photos was an awards brochure from the New York City Sanitation Department in 1943. When I paged through it, I saw he was awarded a medal by then mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia. I read on and found the reason why he got that medal, it was the NYC Dept. of Sanitation Medal of Valor. (Who woulda thunk that someone working for the garbage department could win a medal of valor - but he did - as did four others in that ceremony.) We don't have the medal (unless it is yet to be found) but I do have the certificate he was awarded with it, too bad it is in really bad shape, torn and missing pieces. Anyway I guess I should mention why he was awarded that medal of valor.

On September 6, 1942 (72 years ago yesterday), my maternal grandfather, Robert Oppel, was an oiler on a NYC Dept. of Sanitation tug boat in District 56, Queens. As it ploughed the waters of the East River... Heck, let me tell you verbatim how they said it, back then, using the words from the awards pamphlet:

"About 4PM on September 6, 1942, while working on a tugboat, Robert Oppel heard the screams of an eight-year old boy, who had fallen into the East River. He plunged into the water, swam over to the child and brought him to safety. He rendered first aid treatment pending the arrival of medical assistance."

My mother was 17 soon to be 18 when that happened, my grandfather was no spring chicken at the time. Judging by his photo in the booklet, I would say he was in his late 30s to mid- forties. I am not too sure but I also think he was estranged from the family by then, already for a long time. I  know my mother did not think much of her father especially since he basically abandoned her and her brother and their mom many years before we found him living close to us. Yet, she was proud enough of him to save this stuff and a few other things of his as well as his family photos and some family papers dating back to the mid to late 1800s after he passed on.


That's the photo of him that they used in the
1943 awards pamphlet. As you can see there is
also a photo of a Sanitation Dept. tug boat, I am
guessing the one he served on and of what looks
to be a tug crew (he may be the guy to the left).
Also his Port Security card from 1955.

My mom was also good enough to help take care of him once they were back in touch after all those years of separation. Had she not been of that ilk, I guess I would never have met him, she could just as easily have never introduced me, my brother or sister to him but she did and we all connected. Family bonds meant something back then, to most people, more than they do today to way too many. Even if those bonds were broken they could be mended again or made anew if not mended. Ironic thing is she wound up marrying a bum much worse than her father may have been to her; my father was truly a monster and thankfully left us too, but then again this is not about my father or mother but about something I only found out about my grandfather a couple of days before its 72 anniversary.

I will admit I am pretty awestruck by it. It's not everyday that you learn one of your relatives saved another person's life at peril to his own life. Pretty cool in my book. I'd like to think I'd do likewise in a similar situation. Anyway - a hat tip to Grandpa Oppel - whether he is I heaven looking down on me, or down lower and looking up at me, for whatever else he did or did not do in his lifetime. (All about which I have no clue but I'd like to know. I suppose I likely never will learn any more about his endeavors and adventures, little to no chance of that now but then at least I found out about this.) Oh well, that's it - just something of our family history that peaked my interest from out of the blue almost 72 years to the day from when it happened.

All the best,
Glenn B

His Captor Was A Frenchman...

...as much as the guy in the following picture was in reality a Frenchman:

This guy is probably more of a real Frenchman
than any Muslim currently living in France.

So, it is being reported that: "A French journalist supposedly a captive of Muslim Extremists, for several months in Syria, but who was freed last April reportedly has identified one of his captors as a Frenchman - Mehdi Nemmouche. He is also a suspect in the murders of four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum earlier this year. Right now, Nemmouche is in custody for those killings, which took place in May, after the journalist's release (source).

Note that even though held captive for months, the journalist reportedly was quoted as saying the man who held him captive and tortured him was a Frenchman. The media readily reports the suspect as such without even one tiny hint of a mention, in the linked article, that the guy is a Muslim who is an Islamist extremist or that he is a terrorist or at least a suspected terrorist.

Whom are they trying to appease by hiding that? Is it President Obama who runs along that same line. Is it the terrorists themselves. Or, is it the real French People, those whose ancestors have lived in France for millennia and who really are Frenchmen or Frenchwomen. Just because someone is born in France does not a Frenchman make him, even if French citizenship is bestowed upon someone born within the borders of France. What that makes them a is a citizen and nothing more. That a French citizen is not necessarily a Frenchman should be obvious from the loyalties and actions of those like the 'French' Muslim who allegedly kidnapped, kept captive and tortured the journalist. 

So, if it is the French people that the media is trying to appease, how would it appease them by telling them that the terrorist is a Frenchman. Well, it is a way to keep the true French from joining in mass and coming down on France's Muslim population like a cleansing tidal wave full of fury and violence. If you call the responsible people what they truly are - Muslims and terrorists, then the French might realize they are a separate group within France that does not have any French interests at heart and the French may retaliate in mass. However, if you call them Frenchmen, then the French may well hold off waiting for the authorities to handle them as they would other Frenchmen because one usually feels some sort of solidarity for their own, even if their own has committed a heinous act. The thing is, Islamic Extremists should not be handled like every other Frenchman because they are not Frenchmen. They have made that obvious in France with their racism geared toward the true French, their self chose path of segregation from the French, their insistence on their own laws over the laws of France and by repeated acts of violence against the French. Sooner or later the French will realize they have had the French flag pulled over their eyes  by the Muslims, the leftists and the politicians they have manipulated. Once they pull it away and open their eyes again, the Muslim population in France will be in imminent and mortal peril unless it radically changes its tune. Of course, if the French don't pull that flag away soon, they are doomed to become subservient Islam. They are on the edge and what they do in the relatively near future will tell.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Wonder When The Whites Near Rochester Will Riot Over...

...the shooting death of European American (yes that means he was white) police officer Daryl Pierson who was gunned down on Wednesday by a black man. The suspect also happened to be a convicted felon (source) - but how could what he had done in the past matter, just like it supposedly did not matter in Fergusson, MO. So this must be a race crime right!

Where is the instantaneous outrage that was seen in Fergusson, MO over a supposed racial killing? Where are the race baiters like Al Sharpton now that both the black and white races are involved? Why isn't there outrage that a black man gunned down a white man? Hey Rev. Al, you are a hypocrite first and foremost, in my book.

What a sad state of affairs this country is in not only that it is full of race baiting hypocrites but that such a crime of gun violence could take place in what New York's governor touts as one of the safest states in the Union because of his dark of night legislation, the anti-gun NY Safe Act. Gun control will not work, cannot work, when you restrict the firearms rights of the law abiding citizenry and allow the scum of the country to freely roam our streets while armed. They should either have been executed or still in jail for their crimes and not out on the streets able to commit more crimes - but such are the liberal policies of leftist America. The dirt bag who shot and killed officer Pierson would never have had the opportunity to have done so had he remained behind bars. FUAC.

A hat tip to Dennis McC for the link to the source article.

All the best,
Glenn B

Do You Miss Him Yet?

He may have been a fairly liberal Republican (the most liberal republican president in my lifetime and for decades before that), he may have not been the brightest bulb ever in the socket, he may have been hated by the left and the media and terrorists, but he certainly was a man who took the security of this nation above all other considerations. He knew we had to hit terrorists and hit em hard with pretty much all we had in order not just to win a battle but to win the entire war on terrorism. In that regard, he was very unlike the current pansy sitting in the White House.

One thing is for sure, he was right on in his assessment of whether or not our troops should have remained in Iraq . Regardless of whether or not they belonged there in the first place, once they were there and  terrorists flocked there to fight us, Iraq should have become a major theater in the war on terrorism and we should have made it and Afghanistan their last stands. His assessment, or should I say prophetic words, on this subject can be seen in the embedded video.



All the best,
Glenn B

New Blog Added To The Blog Roll

I just added Concealed And Carry Weapons to the blog roll. This one was added under the header: TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM. The web address for the newly linked blog is:

http://concealedandcarry.blogspot.com/

All the best,
GB

Is The Zombie Apocalypse Already Upon Us?

If not, then it sure may be about to happen. No, of course I do not mean real flesh eating zombies whose whole existence would be centered around taking a bite out of you. I mean something that may be worse. Worse because as opposed to walking dead, with body parts made of rotting flesh, that are obviously infected with the zombie bug, I mean folks infected with what may soon become known as a worldwide plague and they are nowhere nearly as obvious as zombies once infected.

The head of the CDC has reportedly just declared that it may become impossible to stop the current Ebola epidemic in Africa and that all nations of the world must be concerned because it may go global. "Dr. Frieden told Fox News that unless urgent action is taken to contain the epidemic, it may be impossible to stop"
(source). He also reportedly said that all nations of the world must do something to help get it under control before it spreads to other nations. "“It’s not just in the interest of these countries to get it under control. For every day that this continues to spread in West Africa, the likelihood of someone getting infected and becoming sick elsewhere increases,” he told reporters" (source).

Now mind you, this is not like a Global Warming kook trying to spread panic with misinformation and outright deceit by way of editing or destroying weather data; this is the head of the U.S. Government's medical arm, telling us that based upon hard evidence, that is in front of our noses and that is continuing to develop right now on a daily basis, about its rate of spread so far - he thinks it is almost too late to stop it. To date, in the current outbreak, approximately 3,069 been infected by Ebola and 1,552 have been killed by it (source). That is over a 50% fatality rate and that is based on the known cases. My guess would be that in the Ebola ridden countries in Africa, where communication and medicine are both lacking in effectiveness, there may be many unreported cases of illness and death due to this scourge.

The truly sad thing is that not only is this disease spreading because of ignorance, superstition and fear - in at least one case it was spread apparently because of possible negligence. Another doctor, this one from the USA, failed to wear protective gear while working in a hospital wherein Ebola patients were being treated. The reason he reportedly did not wear the gear was because it made it too hot to work. While not actually working in the Ebola ward, it has been reported that he treated a woman he suspected of having Ebola and did not wear his protective suit while doing so. He now has the disease himself (source). It only goes to prove the ditty that 'if you cannot stand the heat, you should stay out of the kitchen' (or in this case - out of the Ebola zone.) I mean no triviality by saying that, I mean it as a dire warning to those who are working there.

The newly sickened doctor could probably have prevented his own infection or at least greatly reduced the chances of him becoming infected had he worn protective gear that was available to him. According to Dr. Jeff Deal, who worked art the same hospital as the newly infected doc, "...no one who has followed the proper protocols has fallen sick.”(source). Anyone who considers working there, has to realize beforehand, the seriousness of the current outbreak and the chances of themselves being infected and THEY ABSOLUTELY MUST ACT IN A COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE MANNER WHEN WORKING IN THE PLAGUED AREAS. That they must utilize proper protective is of the highest importance to prevent the spread of the disease to themselves and thus to prevent themselves from becoming vectors for Ebola. Because they may be brought back to their home countries for treatment, if they are sickened with Ebola, they need to realize that the safety of the world at large could depend on them. Should they be brought to their own countries for treatment, they will have become potential vectors for infection in their home nations and possibly in any other nations along the route.

We don't need to add infected medical personnel the potential amount of people out there who may be carriers that can spread this disease and yes they are out there as is the potential of worldwide infection. I feel I must repeat this reported quote from the head of the CDC: "“It’s not just in the interest of these countries to get it under control. For every day that this continues to spread in West Africa, the likelihood of someone getting infected and becoming sick elsewhere increases,”" Heck, it already is sort of a zombie apocalypse in Africa. So let's hope that the medical professionals who are combatting it act responsibly to do everything in their power to prevent it's spread because it could turn into a worldwide zombie apocalypse of sorts should outbreaks occur on distant shores.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Definition of Big Balls

You may have to back up this video a few times here and there to understand the narrator but it is worth watching anyway, that is if you have ever wondered about the definition of Big Balls. Imagine doing the job, of the guy depicted in the video, each and every day. That is ballsy if nothing else. He not only has big balls - he is the definition of BIG BALLS. As much as I like snakes, you would not find me doing it.



Hat tip to Tara N, from whose Facebook page I lifted that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Coming Sooner Or Later To A Neighborhood Near You

...that is at least if the indecisive fool we have as a president does not make up his mind to destroy this enemy decisively and with overwhelming force and to do that sooner than later.
 

All the best,
Glenn B

Summer's End Is In Sight...

...and I kind of think she knows it and does not care.

 

Honestly though, there is a lot of Summer to go before the end, it's not over until September 22.

 

All the best,

GB

 

During The Zombie Apocalypse Pick Your Allies Wisely

So the Zombie Apocalypse finally hits and you suddenly realize there is no way you and yours are going to survive it unless you hook up with some loyal allies. Whom to pick? Now, you may think I am about to answer that straight forward and seemingly simple question but no I am not. I will leave it to you to decide. I will give you a couple of choices though and you can start the process of vetting friends versus foes (not counting the zombies) now before its the end of the world as we know it.

I will say this:

If they look like the first gal below, I think there is a good bet they are safe as an ally. If you wife objects just tell her to look at it this way, she brought her own gun and ammo to the fight.  (Although where she hid the ammo is anyone's guess but caching ammo is a good trait - isn't it!)

On the other hand, if your potential ally looks like this, well you tell me (or at least tell yourself) - are you looking for an ally that's ready to kick ass and mow em down in droves or one who wants to hand out flowers and tell you that love is the way as a zombie is about to bite off your face.

Both very attractive and probably very capable women in their own ways but yet, I think the decision would be an easy one. What about you?

All the best,
Glenn B

The Zombie Apocaplyse - Maybe I Shouldn't Have To Ask...

 ...but it's getting close - isn't it? You can just sought of feel it creeping up all around you, can't you?

 

Just one reminder, don't forget strangers either.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

He Needs To Start Funding The United States...

...in its efforts to combat Islamic extremists and terrorism. As I recall, the Saudis funded Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. Now the Saudi King is warning us - we and Europe for good measure - need to do more to fight terrorism, specifically in the form of ISIS. The only reason for the change of heart is that ISIS is threatening the kingdom of Syria and the Saudi régime would likely be next in its sights if successful there. Until he starts giving free oil, at least to the U.S. military and until he starts openly throwing other funds our way - toward the defeat of terrorism - we should let him blow his rhetoric and his oil out of his arse.

See: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/08/30/saudi-king-warns-isis-terror-threat-to-europe-us/

All the best,
Glenn B

"Tactical Uniform Position" Armed Retail Security Guard???

I was browsing through some want ads, on a popular online job site, when I came across one looking for retired police & law enforcement to fill armed guard jobs. Among the regular qualifications (such as needing an armed guard license, training all up to date, drug testing, etc.) was this blurb (and I quote): "This is a "Tactical Uniform position" in a retail store".

Is it that militarized police departments are not enough? Are we now to expect going shopping at our favorite department stores only to find armed guards in service therein who are donned in tactical attire? Think about that picture for a moment.

Makes me wonder what a Tactical Uniform security guard would be equipped with in a retail setting. I am guessing, that since this is within NY State, such a guard could be armed with a handgun, maybe even a longarm, but certainly not with a baton, or OC Spray, or any other type of weapon because nothing under the laws regulating armed security guards in NYS allows for such. Hopefully they are not riding around inside the store in tactical security vehicles - whatever one of those would be.

I suppose it means they will be tacked out in really tacticool clothing though. Maybe they will be issued black wraparound sunglasses, black Kevlar helmets, black body armor (although that may not be legal for a guard in NY), a black body armor carrier with lots of Velcro, snaps and pockets, black BDU type shirt and trousers, black boots, black elbow, knee and shin pads, a black gasmask in black carrier and the like. The whole concept of a Tactical Uniform position in a retail store sounds so ridiculous, I decided not to apply. I mean, after reading that, I could only imagine the mental ineptness of the mall ninja meathead managers for whom I would be working or worse yet, the attitudes of the coworkers with whom I would be working knowing they had put in for a Tactical Uniform position in a retail store! What is this country coming to?

All the best,
Glenn B

A Firearms Tragedy That Should Have Been Avoided - Learn From It

The parent's of the 9 year old girl, who brought her to a firearms range in AZ and allowed her to fire an Uzi did nothing wrong as I see it. The girl firing the gun did nothing wrong from what I understand. Yet sadly, the firearms instructor teaching her to shoot was killed when the gun was fired full auto by the little girl and the recoil caused her to lose her hold with her left hand and thus lose control of the muzzle. The gun came up, back and to the left apparently around more to the left than back or up, while still firing, and a shot hit the instructor in the head killing him. (source)

I realize the family is grieving, everyone involved is grieving and probably in shock too but the time to say this is now in the hope that it may help prevent another such tragedy. When you teach young children to shoot, especially something like a full auto gun, you as the instructor are absolutely responsible for assuring that it is done in a safe manner. That means keeping hands on the weapon to control it while the child is firing it until you are sure, absolutely sure, that the child knows how to handle it and is actually capable of handling it and knows what to do should control of the weapon be lost. That lesson should have been learned by the instructor when he was taught to become a firearms instructor and should have been common practice by him when teaching both adult and minor shooters. 

The video, seemingly of the actual moments before the actual tragic shot, surprisingly shows the girl firing the gun up to just before the moment that the bullet hit the instructor and I do mean just before as in a split second. It is evident, in the video, that the instructor was not hands on the Uzi she was firing, he seems to have had one hand supporting her elbow as she fired it probably because he thought she could not properly support the weapon on her own, his other hand is on or close to her back. There is a bench in front of her on which she could have and probably should have supported the weapon freeing his hand to be on the weapon, not on her elbow. The gun came right around at him with no resistance from him once the girl lost control of it. As firearm instructors (certified or not), especially of small children, we must never forget that we are responsible that things are being done safely. You cannot treat a nine (9) year old shooter like an adult nor expect them to be able to responsibly handle a firearm like an adult. You need to be hands on and that does not mean both hands on the shooter, it means at least one hand on the gun.



Note that this accident is not a reason that young children should not be taught how to shoot, or to prevent them from shooting guns like Uzis, but it sure is more than enough reason to make sure that doing so is accomplished safely with special regard to the fact that the shooter is a young child (and in this case to the fact that the gun was full auto) and thus additional precautions must be taken by the instructor.

Nothing much more to say except that my sincere condolences go out to the family, loved ones and friends of the instructor who was apparently doing what he loved and helping to continue the tradition of our liberty to exercise the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in America by bringing youngsters into the fold. I also hope that the girl will be able to overcome the mental anguish she must surely be suffering, truly - she did no wrong. To the rest of you, please shoot and instruct safely.

All the best,
Glenn B

Drove About 175 Miles Today...

...to go check on some firearms accessories that I have out of state (no I did not put accessories in italics to hint I really mean guns, I really mean a sort of accessory for guns). I wanted to make sure the items were not rusted and still secure. Also wanted to make sure to put new silica desiccant packs in with them to keep them rust free.

Driving on the first leg of my trip and suddenly I realized that I had forgotten my MapQuest directions. Luckily, my son put his GPS in my car when we went to the NE Bloggershoot last month, so I made do with that annoying POS instead of turning around to get the directions. It got me there without any wrong turns so I cannot berate it too badly but must say it is annoying with all the stupid directions that are not needed and with its all too often spoken mantra of "recalculating". Once there, I went into the storage area, found that my items were indeed secure and just as I had left them and were all rust free. That is a good thing because while they are indoors, they are not in an air conditioned (or heated) room and it was pretty hot and humid in there today and I suppose it was pretty cold in there over the winter.

Anyway, good for me, I did not have to clean them with Gunzilla or Breakfree CLP and a wire brush.The big ammo can that all of the accessories are in is not exactly airtight, or at least I think so because some of the hold downs do not close tightly on the lid. Yet is was dry as a bone inside of it and the indicator for the desiccant pack in there still had a faint amount of blue on it. That meant it was not saturated (as far as its drying abilities go) and still has some life in it before it needs to be rejuvenated in an oven. That was a very good thing because not only did I forget he directions to get there but I also forgot the fresh desiccant packs. Drove to Walmart to see if they had any desiccant but no luck there. I am not too concerned about it, everything was in such good shape today after about 7-8 months of being there that another month or two before I go back is not about to change anything very much. Next time I go, I will make sure not to forget anything and it will be within a month or two - or so I promise myself now.

Leave it to me to drive all that way there and then realize I forgot one of the most important things and then have to drive another 175 miles all the way back home, knowing for that part of the drive that I had accomplished almost nothing. What can I say, I was kind of, sort of, in a hurry since once the I should go today bug bit me, I figured if I did not hurry up and get on the road I would just put it off as I have been doing for the last couple to few months. I had figured I should drive up there at least every six months to see if the things I have stored there need any maintenance and care, especially for rust prevention, and was just happy I finally made the drive and everything was in good shape.

If I keep this behavior up, I may become hyper-active - who can say. At least I am getting out of my recent rut of sitting at the laptop for way too long doing just about nothing except looking for a job. So far this week, I started a new job and made this trip. Tomorrow, I am going to see if I can talk my uncle into a few hours of fishing. I have a doctors appointment later in the afternoon but that leaves the morning and early afternoon. With any luck, we may be eating grilled bluefish for dinner tomorrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

Obama Had Better Hurry Up And Apologize Again...

...otherwise these kids (whoever they are) may grow up to hate us and blame us for everything. Or worse they may simply not respect us and try to wipe us off the face of the earth. Oh wait a minute, is that what they are being trained for right now do you think and do you also think they don't give a damn about Obama or his apologies, hate us regardless, and want to kill us no matter what?


Well then, maybe Obama had best grow a set and terminate the problem with prejudice right now while we still have the upper hand. Of course, if he doesn't (and I doubt he will), we could always elect a president who will address the situation without delay and who, with some true determination geared at us surviving and maybe even at allowing the United States of America to remain a free nation, will go right at it with all of the force necessary to defeat it.

Hat tip to MG for sending me the video.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Am About To Be Back In The Workforce...

...as a somewhat productive member of society as I will be starting a new job tomorrow. No heavy lifting, it's going to be an on call security job to fill in for other folks who don't make it to work for whatever reason. 

A few minutes ago, I thought I ought to take a photo of myself right now, as I look before I trim the mustache and beard. They are on the unruly side right now but not too bad. Still, I figure it is important to make a good first impression on my first day at work - thus a trim is in order. Then, after I trim them up a bit, I can take an after photo to mark the difference. (I would say improvement but what's the use in BS'ing anyone.)

So, I sat down and turned on the laptop's camera and clicked away. After taking the photos, I realized that I may not be looking as ready for a new job as I had thought. I may need a major overhaul and not just a trim of the facial hair. Here, take a look for yourselves and bear in mind that the photograph is exactly the way it came out on my laptop's camera - no editing, no retouching, nothing - that is the raw shot.

The hue in the photo, with the color of the walls and ceiling
brings to mind words from an old Jimi Hendrix song - Purple Haze:
"...lately things don't seem the same".

Listen to Hendrix sing it here: http://youtu.be/39DENARnUtM.

Every photo came out just about the same. I am sitting amid a purple haze in an orangeish t-shirt and have a greenish complexion. My beard and mustache look blurred, the left side of my face appears sunken in and there are black and white dots on my face (blacks dots throughout the photo too). Note too that the ceiling in my basement is actually white, the walls a light to medium yellow, my t-shirt is light gray, there are no dots like that on me and my skin tone definitely is not green.

I don't get it, I have not changed any settings on the camera. This is the first time pictures ever came out like this for me. I am not going to mess with it, hopefully it will sort itself out next time I reboot the computer from a cold start but if not I'll contact HP. Now, if this was back in the mid sixties to mid seventies, I could have made it big with psychedelic photos like that. Right now though, I am wondering if it is some sort of an omen related to the new job. Hopefully, I won't look like that, in anyone's eyes, when I get to work tomorrow and I have even higher hopes that I will not feel the way I look in that photo by the end of the first day on my new job.

All the best,
Glenn B

I've Got Nothing - But Oh Man Does Ivy Mike Café Have Something

I was over at Wirecutter's site about an hour or so ago and read a bit of a piece he had posted from another blog. That piece came from the blog Ivy Mike Café and of course Kenny gave a link to it so his readers could go to the other site and read all of it. I did just that, clicked on the link and I wound up at the Ivy Mike Café site, in this post: #Ferguson – when assholes collide.

Go there, take a look. No, do more than that - really take the time to read it - the whole post. Do yourself that favor because it is that good. Now mind you, you may not understand every word. I surely did not but I am not ashamed to say that tonight I increased my vocabulary by doing what I am about to suggest. When you do not understand some of the words, do yourself another favor and go to a site like www.dictionary.com before you read any further so you can look them up immediately. (If you read it and understand all the words without looking some up, you either have a PhD in English or you are a liar to say you understood them all.)

If you think that we need to change America, to save it, and think at all like me along those lines instead of like a progressive twit, you will probably finish that piece and think the person who wrote it is dead on balls accurate. I certainly do. I cannot remember reading a better commentary on the issues the author discusses, in fact on almost every issue facing our nation, than that one.

If the link above fails, try going to this address:

 http://www.ivymikecafe.com/2014/08/21/ferguson-when-assholes-collide-2/

Lest I forget to mention, there is a new blog linked to on my blog roll.

Thanks Kenny, had you not posted it, it would have been my loss.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just When I Am Ready To Start Enjoying Myself...

...I get notified that a job I put in for - and for which I have been: going through a background check, submitted to a drug test, filled out and submitted several documents - finally wants me to start working this Friday. Actually, it is an on call job and they want me at work on Friday and Monday to cover for someone else; I guess my training will be on the job. Disappointingly they gave me no advance notice, prior to an email today, as to when I would be starting. I simply cannot work this Friday due to prior commitments and hope they understand and will accept that. I guess I will find out tomorrow if that will fly. I can work Monday though. I hope that works for them because the sooner the better after this Friday.

A paycheck is sorely needed, even from a part time, floater, kind of a position for which the pay is good but not great. It is certainly good enough for me though! Apparently I will be filling in for people who take vacation or call in sick or have to miss a day for whatever. I imagine they cannot expect me to always be available but since it is just going to be weekdays, I will probably be there when needed (except for this Friday as noted). There is, as I understand, no holiday work either and that is fine by me. The only real drawback is that if someone calls in sick, they will be calling me at about 0600 to tell me they need me. Me and 0600 do not see eye to eye right now but I suppose that will only require a somewhat minor adjustment in my sleep habits.

It will be nice having some spending cash flowing in that will let me catch up on my credit card bills and after that will give me enough cash to pay for heating oil this winter. With luck, I will have some left over for ammo and a hunting trip. Hopefully the job, my coworkers, my bosses and I will all mesh well together. Looking forward to it.

All the best,
Glenn B

The NY State Hunting Seasons Are Almost Upon Us

This coming license season is from September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2015 as opposed to years past in which the license year ran from October 1 through September 30th. That is an improvement because to hunt gray squirrels, for which the season still begins on Sept. 1st, one does not need last year's license. Other parts of the new license rules here in NY seem totally screwed up to me and why they changed the purchase system as well as deleted the Sportsman's License (hunting and fishing combined) and Super Sportsman is beyond me. The fishing license has to be printed immediately after purchase and now is a piece of computer paper from my home printer with less than waterproof ink; this state is screwed up or should I say the bureaucrats in NY are such.
 
Anyway, the seasons will start soon. Squirrel season, as I said on September 1st, many other small game seasons in October and regular deer and bear in November. With all that in mind, and since I have not gone upstate for even a single day trip so far this summer, I am long overdue for a scouting trip. Once again, Brendan and I will probably hunt NY State public land; although, he can also hunt private land owned by his girlfriend's parents. Lucky him. Unlucky for him was that he did not get a deer management permit (doe permit) for the area where their property lies. We did get three others between us, two of them closer to home than usual. I will be heading out tomorrow to scout out at least one of those areas and maybe to at least find the other one. I am already somewhat familiar with the one I will scout and the other is totally new to me so I may just do a drive by for now to see where it is and how easy it is to find.
 
I've got my day pack stuffed with gear I usually carry when hiking - not that I usually go hiking but when I do I want to be prepared. I figure I could live off of what is in it for at least a few days if something happens to me and I get stuck in the woods. Chances are though that would not be for long where in NY I plan to scout as someone would likely find me within a day or two at most. Anyway, I am happy to be going to get out and do something I will truly enjoy. Have been in a bit of a funk lately and need the change in pace.
 
If I am lucky, I may get a chance to op a shot at a few red squirrels, chipmunks and or woodchucks. The woodchuck would wind up as table fare, so too might the red squirrels depending on whether or not they look big enough to bother with and as for any chipmunks, they will make good snake food for my ball python. It would be great getting an 8-10 pound woodchuck for the smoker or BBQ. Hunting small game aside, it sure would be nice if I get to see some deer sign. Last time we were at this particular place, we saw some deer but did not get a shot. We sure got eaten alive by ticks though; as I recall, it was soon after that when I came down with my second bout of Lyme Disease. So, I am bringing some 99% deet with me tomorrow and will anoint myself thoroughly with it.
 
I may also get in some frogging if the pond on that tract of land looks to have any bullfrogs. Yummy, frogs legs are delicious but you need some big frogs to make it worthwhile. If I also happen to see a snapping turtle in the shallows and can get off a safe shot, I may try bagging one of them too - snapping turtle soup is to die for and I have not had any in years.
 
If all goes well tomorrow, I may do this at least once or twice per week right up through firearms deer season in November - that is taking scouting trips. The hiking I would do can only help lower my blood pressure while getting me in shape for hunting season. Who knows, I may lose a few pounds while at it. It's bout a couple of hours drive each way but I might be able to stand that a couple of times each way every week. Time will tell if I do it or not, so too will the results of my first scouting trip of the year. There are a few places closer to home but that mean closer to NYC. They probably would tend to be crowded with more hunters and hikers and horseback riders and bicyclists and whomever else, even during hunting season, than my first choice that is a bit further. If I get lucky though, I may find something suitable closer than a 2 hour drive. If not and if the first choice also stinks, I have a 3 1/2 hour drive to up near where my uncle owned his farm. At least I know the lay of the state forest there, the problem with that is that I have never gotten a deer there except on the farm when he owned it. Not once in many years have I connected on the state land. Plenty of time between now and hunting season though for me to find a place to hunt.

Edited to add: Well so much for tomorrow, my uncle - the one who owned the farm - is arriving from Florida tomorrow. Nice of him to remind my muddled middle age little gray cells at the last minute but better then than never. Maybe Ill go upstate wih him over the weekend.
 
All the best,
Glenn B



 

Money From Heaven In Atlantic City - Just My Luck

There I was driving down the road in Atlantic City, kind of lost on a side street, hoping for divine intervention to get me going in the right direction, when all of a sudden there was this huge armored car that swerved around the corner in front of me and cut me off. Then as if out of nowhere there was something coming at my windshield. Since I had slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting the armored car, I was positioned just right - just my luck. It was a big grayish blob as best I could tell and crash it hit the windshield and smashed it to smithereens, then bounced onto the hood and dented it badly, rolled off and wound up going under my still moving but slower car and bumpity-bump-bump-bump got caught in the undercarriage causing me to lose control. I crashed into a fire hydrant at about 7mph. Lucky 7, maybe for some but not sure if it was for me. Even at only 7mph the crash caused an awful lot of damage to my car. I keep calling it my car only because I was driving, in truth I had borrowed it for the trip to AC and neither the owner or I have insurance for such a catastrophic event, just my luck - really it was.

Well, when I finally got out and checked on everything, I could see it was going to be expensive and bemoaned that I would be paying it off for about 10 years when I took a second glance at what was under the car that had hit the windshield and caused this mess. It was a money bag and it was full of money. Just my luck though, only twenties, tens and fives - not a single hundred in sight. I pulled it out, put it into my gym bag and threw it into the trunk. Somehow not one person saw me do it, my luck seemed to have changed.

Got a tow and took my gym bag out of the car leaving the wreck at a local shop. Went to my hotel and once there I counted the loot which had been in the bag, a casino money bag. They won't miss it, I suppose. It amounted to $21,000.00 a mere pittance for a casino. Just my luck again though, a money bag from the heavens (or an armored car) falls onto the car I am driving and it only has 21K in it instead of millions. What the heck, I went right down to the casino in my hotel and lost 5K quick - yeah of the money from the bag. Then figured I had best hold onto the rest for at least tonight if not tomorrow since this was supposed to be an overnighter. Counted it again and confirmed only 15K remaining.

The guys from the body shop just called, the estimate for the body work on my pal's car is $14, 998! Shit that leaves me with $2.00 after what I lost in the casino and now I can't even find my own wallet or my own cash - must have lost that in the wreck. Just my luck. Wait a minute, let me pause here, someone is knocking on my hotel room door. OK, I am back, they are letting me sign off. It's the police, they want to talk to me, they got me on a Department of Homeland Security video camera as the money  bag smashed into the windshield and wanted to know if I know the whereabouts of it. Just my luck, they are saying something about an extended stay for me in AC....

In truth, I imagine someone found the money bag with the missing 21K and is all that much happier for it but it wasn't me. Of course, had I found it, I would have turned it in and settled for the reward. See: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/20/21g-falls-off-truck-after-pickup-from-revel-casino/?intcmp=latestnews

All the best,
GB