...and for that matter what have you been missing? Well, the ever expanding link list to other bloggers just keeps expanding, lest we miss too much. I did a little link looting over the past couple of weeks or so; I clicked on numerous links on other people's site, then did likewise on those new sites, and so on. In doing so I came up with several sites to which I have provided new links (looted from other sites) over on the right side of my page. The new ones, at least for me, are:
A Western Heart @ http://awesternheart.blogspot.com/
Blowing San #1 at http://agangershome.blogspot.com/
Call me Ahab at http://www.nrahab.com/
Dr. StrangeGun, or how I learned to love the odd... at http://drstrangegun.blogspot.com/
Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta at http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/
Instapundit @ http://www.instapundit.com/
The Autonomist @ http://www.antiprotester.blogspot.com/
The Bitch Girls @ http://www.thebitchgirls.us/
The Dissident Frogman @ http://www.thedissidentfrogman.com/blog
The View From The Porch @ http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/
Wizbang @ http://wizbangblog.com/
I may have written up some of them before, cannot remember as I am kind of foggy about the last few weeks during my illness (and heck I am friends with Al Z. Heimer being I am 51, so please excuse me if the announcement of any of them as new links on my site is a repeat. I think though that those are all of the ones that I have added within the past few weeks. Enjoy them, I certainly will.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, September 7, 2007
So What Have I Missed...
...while I've been too ill to blog?
Well, I guess I missed the whole Fred Thompson thing. Not really missed it, I read about it, I just have not yet commented on it; and yes I am about to do so here.
Big Deal! Whoopee. It is about time; actually about time would have probably been this November or later, but you know what I mean with them all campaigning early. No I am none to impressed by his announcement to run, or his little website speech. First of all, why demean a campaign for the presidency of the United States of America by announcing your campaign on the Jay Leno show? I think that was disgusting, a move that an uber liberal would take to impress those who are easily impressed by the glitz, a Clintonian move of the first order, when there is not much substance. Hopefully substance will follow. Hmm, what about the website speech? Well there was a bit more substance there, but still not more than self promotion in front of a camera. I would have been much more impressed had Mr. Thompson had the balls to jump into the campaign by jumping into the other night's Republican debate. He certainly has shown his ability to hem and haw; I hope he has more than that.
Now I am not a totally naive kind of a guy. I understand there could be, and likely are many clever reasons he has waited until now. The main one is probably something to do with campaign finances, both his and other candidates. My bet is he will now try to outspend those republican candidates who are not doing as well as the front runners in the campaign like McCain, Tancredo, Huckabee, Hunter, Brownback. In doing so, he may gain the impetus needed to gain in the polls, and if he gains in the polls he may just do it enough to bring him right up there with Giuliani and Romney. Still though he is going to need substance instead of just all the fluff before serious voters would vote for him; I would hope so anyway.
Right now, Romney and Giuliani have that substance, and I think of all the candidates Giuliani - so far has a lot of it as he has proven himself a capable leader under the most trying of times. Others have it too. I believe that Tancredo has the most substance issue wise, but Hunter and Huckabee have a good deal of it. The thing these last guys do not have that the front runners have is popularity or fluff. Fred Thompson has that, the popularity or so it seems, so at least that is going in his favor (yes you still need the fluff along with substance). Now one thing that really helps out on substance and popularity is your stance on the issues. Here is where candidates like Romney and Giuliani are truly lacking when it comes to that stance relative to the party under which they are running for office. As Independents they would be fabulous candidates. Either one of them shines as middle of the road candidates with platforms that are of an Independent nature, ergo not being either strongly Republican or Democrat. I am hopeful that a candidate with popularity, who is more Republican in nature regarding the issues, will come to be the front runner in the Republican convention. So far I believe Tom Tancredo is the man who has got the issues right, but he certainly is not among the most popular probably only because of lack of recognition, he does not have the fluff. Not many knew who he was before the campaign. Fred Thompson, on the other hand has lots of fluff, he was very popular before the campaign thanks to the television series he was in. Now if he can prove himself on the real issues, he may yet prove to be the candidate of choice for Republicans. I still keep hoping that Tancredo does it, but if not, then Thompson might well be acceptable to me, but he has a long way to go to start proving himself as a worthy candidate capable of being a leader, that is, as far as I see it. Now that he is officially in the race, I hope he starts racing.
All the best,
Glenn B
PS: some may note that I never mentioned Ron Paul above. While he maybe running on the Republican ticket, he is not a Republican by any stretch of the imagination. He is, as far as I can tell, an extremist, a crazy one at that, but those are my personal opinions of him.
Well, I guess I missed the whole Fred Thompson thing. Not really missed it, I read about it, I just have not yet commented on it; and yes I am about to do so here.
Big Deal! Whoopee. It is about time; actually about time would have probably been this November or later, but you know what I mean with them all campaigning early. No I am none to impressed by his announcement to run, or his little website speech. First of all, why demean a campaign for the presidency of the United States of America by announcing your campaign on the Jay Leno show? I think that was disgusting, a move that an uber liberal would take to impress those who are easily impressed by the glitz, a Clintonian move of the first order, when there is not much substance. Hopefully substance will follow. Hmm, what about the website speech? Well there was a bit more substance there, but still not more than self promotion in front of a camera. I would have been much more impressed had Mr. Thompson had the balls to jump into the campaign by jumping into the other night's Republican debate. He certainly has shown his ability to hem and haw; I hope he has more than that.
Now I am not a totally naive kind of a guy. I understand there could be, and likely are many clever reasons he has waited until now. The main one is probably something to do with campaign finances, both his and other candidates. My bet is he will now try to outspend those republican candidates who are not doing as well as the front runners in the campaign like McCain, Tancredo, Huckabee, Hunter, Brownback. In doing so, he may gain the impetus needed to gain in the polls, and if he gains in the polls he may just do it enough to bring him right up there with Giuliani and Romney. Still though he is going to need substance instead of just all the fluff before serious voters would vote for him; I would hope so anyway.
Right now, Romney and Giuliani have that substance, and I think of all the candidates Giuliani - so far has a lot of it as he has proven himself a capable leader under the most trying of times. Others have it too. I believe that Tancredo has the most substance issue wise, but Hunter and Huckabee have a good deal of it. The thing these last guys do not have that the front runners have is popularity or fluff. Fred Thompson has that, the popularity or so it seems, so at least that is going in his favor (yes you still need the fluff along with substance). Now one thing that really helps out on substance and popularity is your stance on the issues. Here is where candidates like Romney and Giuliani are truly lacking when it comes to that stance relative to the party under which they are running for office. As Independents they would be fabulous candidates. Either one of them shines as middle of the road candidates with platforms that are of an Independent nature, ergo not being either strongly Republican or Democrat. I am hopeful that a candidate with popularity, who is more Republican in nature regarding the issues, will come to be the front runner in the Republican convention. So far I believe Tom Tancredo is the man who has got the issues right, but he certainly is not among the most popular probably only because of lack of recognition, he does not have the fluff. Not many knew who he was before the campaign. Fred Thompson, on the other hand has lots of fluff, he was very popular before the campaign thanks to the television series he was in. Now if he can prove himself on the real issues, he may yet prove to be the candidate of choice for Republicans. I still keep hoping that Tancredo does it, but if not, then Thompson might well be acceptable to me, but he has a long way to go to start proving himself as a worthy candidate capable of being a leader, that is, as far as I see it. Now that he is officially in the race, I hope he starts racing.
All the best,
Glenn B
PS: some may note that I never mentioned Ron Paul above. While he maybe running on the Republican ticket, he is not a Republican by any stretch of the imagination. He is, as far as I can tell, an extremist, a crazy one at that, but those are my personal opinions of him.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Lack of Blogging...
...due to illness again. It seems I just cannot kick the bug that has had me down on and off over the past 2 months or so. I'll try to write something today if I can.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Monday, September 3, 2007
Trash into Treasure (TiT)
Yes floks it is time to take advantage of the TiT concept and suck it for all it is worth; I think I may have a garage sale - a sort of Trash into Treasure kind of a thing. I decided this while out of my mind today, out of my mind with garage cleaning that is. Why out of my mind, because it involved work that made me perspire. Heck I could have hired a wet-back for that instead of getting wet myself. Oh well...
At 78 degrees Fahrenheit, you wouldn't think someone could work up much of a sweat doing fairly easy manual labor, but I sure did. I am drenched, maybe because it took a few hours of work to get here; and now I am having a Spaten Oktoberfest to cool me off (the 2nd one so far), and drench my insides. Somehow, I was inspired, by some quirk of misfiring neurons in my brain, to actually do some work around the homestead today. So I cleaned out the garage and backyard shed. I do this about twice a year if I am feeling frisky, once in the spring, once in the fall (I am early this year). This is the 2nd time this year. I almost could not believe all the mess that could accumulate since April or May when I last did this. I guess because the garage gets opened more in the spring and summer so the lawn mower can get in and out, all those little nasties like dead leaves, dust, and whatever else can blow in surely do just that - they blow in an accumulate in the corners, and under whatever is piled in the garage.
Well, I cleaned most of everything today. I did not touch my son's hobby table, he can do that. I did pull out all of my son's sports equipment so he can sort through it and decide what to get rid of. I also pulled out old tools, a computer scanner new in the box, Franklin Mint Plates from the Sound of Music series (in the boxes with certificates), old rusty tools, beach or lawn chairs, rolls of chicken wire and mesh screening/fencing, a Flexible Flyer, a 1999 Hess truck in its unopened box, some old wood cheese boxes, a View Master with reels in its own plastic box, some fishing stuff, a fish tank or two, books (lots on photography, and some novels, ephemera (very old post cards and a box full of old sheet music), car needs, some of my daughter's college supplies - like a mini fridge, a microwave oven, a small television, a floor fan, an electric radiator, a window fan, and so forth. After pulling it all out, I swept the garage clean. Then I put it all back, but neatly this time - that is except for my son's sporting stuff - he can go through that himself. All of the things I decided we do not need will be placed up for sale at a garage sale yet to come, there will be other surprises not listed above too. So if any of you want to travel here, from let's say India, England, Canada, Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Maine, or wherever you are when you read this, feel free to bring money to spend, and lots of it. I figure it this way, once upon a time we treasured this stuff, but now it is just about trash to us (even though a lot of it is in very good to like new condition), and one man's trash is another man's treasure. So bring money.
The tentative sale date will be September 15, from 10:00 Am until 4:00 Pm. Rain date will be September 16, same hours. It will be a one day sale, all sales final. If I am lucky I will bring in $100, if not then maybe $50. It should just be fun trying to figure out who comes by looking and only hoping to find it in my trash the next day or two if it does not sell.
That's it, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it does not rain, that I sell some stuff, and that I make a few bucks. I also am betting that my reference to TiT will get me a lot of hits for this post. Take it as I mean it, not as the pervs would like to.
All the best,
Glenn B
At 78 degrees Fahrenheit, you wouldn't think someone could work up much of a sweat doing fairly easy manual labor, but I sure did. I am drenched, maybe because it took a few hours of work to get here; and now I am having a Spaten Oktoberfest to cool me off (the 2nd one so far), and drench my insides. Somehow, I was inspired, by some quirk of misfiring neurons in my brain, to actually do some work around the homestead today. So I cleaned out the garage and backyard shed. I do this about twice a year if I am feeling frisky, once in the spring, once in the fall (I am early this year). This is the 2nd time this year. I almost could not believe all the mess that could accumulate since April or May when I last did this. I guess because the garage gets opened more in the spring and summer so the lawn mower can get in and out, all those little nasties like dead leaves, dust, and whatever else can blow in surely do just that - they blow in an accumulate in the corners, and under whatever is piled in the garage.
Well, I cleaned most of everything today. I did not touch my son's hobby table, he can do that. I did pull out all of my son's sports equipment so he can sort through it and decide what to get rid of. I also pulled out old tools, a computer scanner new in the box, Franklin Mint Plates from the Sound of Music series (in the boxes with certificates), old rusty tools, beach or lawn chairs, rolls of chicken wire and mesh screening/fencing, a Flexible Flyer, a 1999 Hess truck in its unopened box, some old wood cheese boxes, a View Master with reels in its own plastic box, some fishing stuff, a fish tank or two, books (lots on photography, and some novels, ephemera (very old post cards and a box full of old sheet music), car needs, some of my daughter's college supplies - like a mini fridge, a microwave oven, a small television, a floor fan, an electric radiator, a window fan, and so forth. After pulling it all out, I swept the garage clean. Then I put it all back, but neatly this time - that is except for my son's sporting stuff - he can go through that himself. All of the things I decided we do not need will be placed up for sale at a garage sale yet to come, there will be other surprises not listed above too. So if any of you want to travel here, from let's say India, England, Canada, Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Maine, or wherever you are when you read this, feel free to bring money to spend, and lots of it. I figure it this way, once upon a time we treasured this stuff, but now it is just about trash to us (even though a lot of it is in very good to like new condition), and one man's trash is another man's treasure. So bring money.
The tentative sale date will be September 15, from 10:00 Am until 4:00 Pm. Rain date will be September 16, same hours. It will be a one day sale, all sales final. If I am lucky I will bring in $100, if not then maybe $50. It should just be fun trying to figure out who comes by looking and only hoping to find it in my trash the next day or two if it does not sell.
That's it, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it does not rain, that I sell some stuff, and that I make a few bucks. I also am betting that my reference to TiT will get me a lot of hits for this post. Take it as I mean it, not as the pervs would like to.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, September 2, 2007
As The Heart Warrms and My Goosebumps Subside...
...I decided to do a nice thing and made breakfast for the wife and myself. She is out walking the dogs on her daily morning walk, so I got busy in the kitchen. Not much, just some eggs, toast, juice, and coffee. Mmm wonderful coffee, if I must say so myself. Probably a bit too strong for 'she who must be adored', but since I also went out into the garden and picked some flowers, then put them in a vase on the dining room table, she will love it all. I must be in love, after all my goosebumps just came back when she came back into the house, and I sure I am not cold anymore.
All the best,
Glenn B
As the Globe Warms and My Goosebumps Grow
Even though real summer does not end until late September, it sure feels like summer really is over. This is not so much due to it being Labor Day weekend, but rather mostly because I kept waking up last night to rearrange my one skimpy blanket because I had goose bumps. Heck it was downright chilly. Seems someone left a basement window open (yes I fell asleep watching the tube in the basement), and it felt like an AC blowing directly on me all night. I only realized the window was open at about 0500, and I shut it promptly. When I let the dogs out this morning, I decided to take in a bit of fresh air. After 5 minutes outside without a jacket, I put one on when I got back into the house - I was chilled like a shucked oyster. I checked the weather forecast on my MSN homepage, and what does it say - low of 63, high of 76 expected. Then I clicked on the weather icon, and that changed the forecast to: low of 59, high of 76, but the actual temperature it showed for my village was 58. Go figure, but I guess that is about par for the course for weather people, they just cannot get it right. That 58 is chilly let me tell you, feels more like 53 to me. Global warming indeed!
I think it's time to go make a pot of java; and I have a nice pound of French Roast Sumatran coffee just calling my name.
All the best,
Glenn B
I think it's time to go make a pot of java; and I have a nice pound of French Roast Sumatran coffee just calling my name.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Worlwide Attention...
...is flattering, although I won't let it go to my head. It is also kind of interesting. I use the services of Site Meter (for free too), and the hand site metering service they provide allows me to review how many hits my site gets each day, the location they come from, the time they hit, the duration of a visit to my site, the entry page, the exit page, the referring page if any and so forth. A neat thing is that you can view the hits to your site, up to the last 100 of them anyway(more if you pay for the service, but I am tight). This includes being able to view the site hits by world map. The location of the viewer comes up as a dot on a map of the world, and if you run your cursor over the dot, the location is spelled out for you in a pop-up. of course you can also see the locations from whence someone pulled up your site on their PC in written form under the 'by details' or 'by location' options. I like the map thingy.
Over the past two days, I got over 80 hits yesterday (a great day for my blog) I have had virtual visitors from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, India, Italy, Puerto Rico (yes I realize it is part of the USA). I also had virtual visitors from 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico , New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. From a few days before, I remember someone from Alaska stopping by. Yes the Internet, and its ability to allow folks from all over the world to blog, communicate, share ideas, go explore in virtual space, expand their horizons, is an amazing thing.
All the best,
Glenn B
Over the past two days, I got over 80 hits yesterday (a great day for my blog) I have had virtual visitors from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, India, Italy, Puerto Rico (yes I realize it is part of the USA). I also had virtual visitors from 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico , New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. From a few days before, I remember someone from Alaska stopping by. Yes the Internet, and its ability to allow folks from all over the world to blog, communicate, share ideas, go explore in virtual space, expand their horizons, is an amazing thing.
All the best,
Glenn B
One of the Most Sensible Things I Have Read About Welfare in Some Time:
"So if I have to take a drug test to make money and pay taxes, why shouldn't those freeloaders have to take a drug test in order to take my tax dollars?"
If you want to read the rest of it, go to Four Right Wing Wackos and read the post OK, one more, from August 30, 2007.
All the best,
Glenn B
If you want to read the rest of it, go to Four Right Wing Wackos and read the post OK, one more, from August 30, 2007.
All the best,
Glenn B
Bloggers I Read Each and Every Day...
...are listed over on the right, among the other bloggers to whom I link; but they are a bit special if only to me, and I read them on a daily basis. I just figured I would share with you those I read (or at least those whose sites I check) that often. No offense to those whose blogs I do not read daily, maybe you don't blog as often as these other guys. Rest assured, I read most of those others at least every third day, and I find all of them interesting enough to provide a link to their sites. Well, here goes with the list of those I read on a daily basis:
Ace Of Spades HQ
The Anarchangel
Cap'n Bob & The Damsel
Four Right Wing Wackos
Greybeard's Gripes
Grouchy Old Cripple
The Jungle Hut
My Wonderful Life (Mighty Mom)
Pen Of Jen
Random Nuclear Strikes
Rightwing Nuthouse
Rivrdog
The Smallest Minority
Straight White Guy
Target Rich Environment
Stop by their sites, enjoy.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ace Of Spades HQ
The Anarchangel
Cap'n Bob & The Damsel
Four Right Wing Wackos
Greybeard's Gripes
Grouchy Old Cripple
The Jungle Hut
My Wonderful Life (Mighty Mom)
Pen Of Jen
Random Nuclear Strikes
Rightwing Nuthouse
Rivrdog
The Smallest Minority
Straight White Guy
Target Rich Environment
Stop by their sites, enjoy.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, August 31, 2007
The Ammo Gods Have Looked Down…
...upon me and sent me their blessings. In other words, today was a great day, and it is nice to be in the right place at the right time (and that goes both for yesterday and today). While at the range for quarterly qualification yesterday, someone else who was there asked me if I could use some 7.62x25 ammo. I said sure! I explained that while I don’t currently own anything that shoots this ammunition, I have been pondering the purchase of a CZ-52. He said he had some ammo for me. Today, when I ran into the same person again, by which time I had forgotten all about the ammo, he asked me if I still wanted it! My answer: 'Sure I do!' What a coincidence, I now have 700 rounds of Winchester 7.62x25 Tokarev, 85 gr., FMJ - I guess it would pay to buy the pistol to shoot it.
I also got:
50 rounds 7.62x25 China Sports 85Gr. FMJ
125 rounds of 7.65 Browning (.32 Auto) and I already own an Ortgies pocket pistol in this caliber
100 rounds of .380 Auto Remington UMC, 95 gr. Metal case (another caliber for which I have no gun, but good trading stuff)
100 rounds of Remington .32 Win. Special, 120 grain, core-lokt soft point (nope no gun in this caliber either)
20 rounds of federal .32 Win. Special, 170 grain, hi-shok soft point
65 rounds of Ultramax .45 Colt, 250 gr., Round Nose Flat Point (nope again as to a shooter for it)
100 rounds of Ultramax 45 Colt, 200 gr. RNSP
47 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition .45 Colt, 250 gr., RNFP.
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 8 shot
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 4 shot
8 rounds of Winchester 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 1 buckshot
All of the ammo in original boxes from what I can tell. Not a bad haul for a freebie. Now I wish I knew how to tell if they are reloads or not. They look new to me, but I have little to almost no experience with reloaded ammo. Anyone have a clue – is there an easy way to tell if these are reloads? The guy I got them from was not the original source, he was a middle man who passed them onto me, so I did not bother asking, something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, or better yet - not offending the ammo gods. Then again maybe I should have asked. I think I will ask him next week, but if anyone knows a way to distinguish between new and reloads, please let me know.
All the best,
Glenn B
I also got:
50 rounds 7.62x25 China Sports 85Gr. FMJ
125 rounds of 7.65 Browning (.32 Auto) and I already own an Ortgies pocket pistol in this caliber
100 rounds of .380 Auto Remington UMC, 95 gr. Metal case (another caliber for which I have no gun, but good trading stuff)
100 rounds of Remington .32 Win. Special, 120 grain, core-lokt soft point (nope no gun in this caliber either)
20 rounds of federal .32 Win. Special, 170 grain, hi-shok soft point
65 rounds of Ultramax .45 Colt, 250 gr., Round Nose Flat Point (nope again as to a shooter for it)
100 rounds of Ultramax 45 Colt, 200 gr. RNSP
47 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition .45 Colt, 250 gr., RNFP.
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 8 shot
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 4 shot
8 rounds of Winchester 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 1 buckshot
All of the ammo in original boxes from what I can tell. Not a bad haul for a freebie. Now I wish I knew how to tell if they are reloads or not. They look new to me, but I have little to almost no experience with reloaded ammo. Anyone have a clue – is there an easy way to tell if these are reloads? The guy I got them from was not the original source, he was a middle man who passed them onto me, so I did not bother asking, something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, or better yet - not offending the ammo gods. Then again maybe I should have asked. I think I will ask him next week, but if anyone knows a way to distinguish between new and reloads, please let me know.
All the best,
Glenn B
Another Day At The Range...
...another day in Paradise. Getting back to work was great if only because I spent most of the afternoon at the range for quarterly qualifications. I didn't shoot as well as usual, but I guess that is sort of understandable what with my health in the dumpers over the past several weeks. I did manage to do fairly well though and scored a 138 and 137 out of 150 on both quals with my Glock 19. Then I shot a perfect score with my Remington 870, and shot a 246 out of 250 with my MP5. Those Glock scores had me a bit on the downside, but as the range officer said - he could tell I had been ill. I am sure next time, my score will be up where it belongs in the high 140s to 150. I also enjoyed some tactical exercises, and some defensive tactics training regarding defense against knives. All very informative, though I hope I never have to try to use those techniques.Work can have its good days, and range days usually are very good indeed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Back To Work...
...for me today. Feeling somewhat better, so I figure I had better get my butt back to the job. I have been out a week and a half straight now, with about 2 or 2 1/2 weeks added to that over the past month and a half; I am running out of sick leave. Anyway, it sucks being home with not a lot to do, I am better off at work with not much to do; though I kind of doubt I'll have little to do as I'll need to play catch up on some things.
Today though, I am hopeful they will have room for me at the range for our quarterly qualifications. I have already missed two range days I scheduled because of whatever bug has been keeping me down. I think I'll be able to shoot today, and hope I do it well. Regardless of how I do, I do need to get my qualifications finished.
No blogging for the rest of the day; probably some tonight.
All the best,
Glenn B
Today though, I am hopeful they will have room for me at the range for our quarterly qualifications. I have already missed two range days I scheduled because of whatever bug has been keeping me down. I think I'll be able to shoot today, and hope I do it well. Regardless of how I do, I do need to get my qualifications finished.
No blogging for the rest of the day; probably some tonight.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Yesteray In History: Proving The Negative Image of the USA to be Wrong...
...has been difficult for the Bush administration in Iraq and Afghanistan, though I think somewhat easier in Afghanistan. Then again, the united States of America has had a negative image throughout the world once we attained a place of strength among nations, once we became a power, let alone once we became a world power. I think some of the main reasons that the image of our great nation has suffered is because: they from the rest of the world, both civilized and not so civilized, throughout history, have been envious of what we have attained while they have not attained such, have misconstrued that we have done so always at the great expense of others and therefore are a threat to them, have rushed to judgement based in great part upon what detractors of the USA and her principals have told them (such as political, religious, and military leaders, and naysayers within our own borders), and because in our Republic we have a form of government, a lifestyle if you will, wherein our citizens, even aliens within our country, can speak out against the government. Other nations do not understand the the rights we enjoy through our various liberties. These things are as foreign to a Chinese rice farmer, as they are to an Afghan goat herder, as they are to many within countries that were once within the Soviet Union, as they are to the citizens of Venezuela or Mexico, and even as they are to those in countries like Germany and England. None of these people share with us the full array of liberties that we here in the USA are free to enjoy.
Yet the USA, and her people, have often been able to overcome most of the negative images that have been portrayed about her by they who would demean us unfairly. A perfect example of about that which I speak started to take place on August 28, 1945 when at an airstrip near Tokyo, American forces began to land. Thus began the actual occupation of japan by armed forces of the USA. Prior to WWII, and all throughout WWII, the Japanese people had an extremely negative image of the people of the United States. They believed us to be barbarians of the worst order, they believed we had little to no morality, they believed us to be physically and mentally inferior to the Japanese people, they believed the USA was intent on dominating Japan and conquering (this before the war broke out). Why, all because of propaganda of the worst sort. Well, it was with the occupation of Japan, that the man on the street in Japan began to realize that such was not the case. of course this was a hard image to overcome, especially in light of the fact that we had bombed both Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nukes, and had fire bombed Tokyo; but it was an image that was eventually overcome. In fact it was overcome so much, that Japan shortly had become, and remains, one of our staunchest allies in the world.
Now if all of those negative things that people imagined about the USA had been true, then how was it that the Japanese became our allies, how was it that our nations got on friendly terms and maintain that friendship so many years later? Was it that the rumors of our horrendous barbaric peoples and customs were true, but we suddenly changed once we occupied Japan. No of course not! The fact is that most if not all of those rumors about how terrible we were were simply proven to be false by the actions we took with those we had defeated in battle. Yes, even though our enemy had been cruel, even though our enemy had provoked the fight, even though they had attacked us in a sneak attack, even though the badly mistreated prisoners of war, even though it was they who often acted barbaric by almost any other nation's standards of decency - we treated them better than fairly after we defeated them despite the fact that we fought them with all we had while they remained combative.
There is a lesson to be learned from all that, and the lesson is applicable today. We need to fight our enemies with all we have in order to win, and I do mean whatever it takes to preserve the Republic. Once we have defeated our enemy we can get down to the act of doling out sympathy for them, but not until that time. They are still kidnapping and beheading people (people who are not combatants), they are still sending suicide bombers against there own kind to provoke sectarian violence, they are fighting as dirty as one can fight; and what are we doing. We are trying to play politics and gain political brownie points by doing things in a politically correct manner. We are winning, but all the while we are dragging our armed forces through the mud because we have weighted them down with political correctness. These are wars which we wage against terrorism, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan and other places; they are not political forums.
We need to get serious, and kick some ass without bothering to stop to see if we have offended anyone. War is offensive - live with it, or lose the war. Then once our enemy has been defeated we can ask him how we can help him to come back into the developed world in a peaceful manner. That is exactly what we did in Japan, exactly what we did in Italy, exactly what we did in Germany, and all of these countries who once were our avowed enemies are now, at least to some extent, our allies. What we did in 1945 is what we we should be doing now.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yet the USA, and her people, have often been able to overcome most of the negative images that have been portrayed about her by they who would demean us unfairly. A perfect example of about that which I speak started to take place on August 28, 1945 when at an airstrip near Tokyo, American forces began to land. Thus began the actual occupation of japan by armed forces of the USA. Prior to WWII, and all throughout WWII, the Japanese people had an extremely negative image of the people of the United States. They believed us to be barbarians of the worst order, they believed we had little to no morality, they believed us to be physically and mentally inferior to the Japanese people, they believed the USA was intent on dominating Japan and conquering (this before the war broke out). Why, all because of propaganda of the worst sort. Well, it was with the occupation of Japan, that the man on the street in Japan began to realize that such was not the case. of course this was a hard image to overcome, especially in light of the fact that we had bombed both Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nukes, and had fire bombed Tokyo; but it was an image that was eventually overcome. In fact it was overcome so much, that Japan shortly had become, and remains, one of our staunchest allies in the world.
Now if all of those negative things that people imagined about the USA had been true, then how was it that the Japanese became our allies, how was it that our nations got on friendly terms and maintain that friendship so many years later? Was it that the rumors of our horrendous barbaric peoples and customs were true, but we suddenly changed once we occupied Japan. No of course not! The fact is that most if not all of those rumors about how terrible we were were simply proven to be false by the actions we took with those we had defeated in battle. Yes, even though our enemy had been cruel, even though our enemy had provoked the fight, even though they had attacked us in a sneak attack, even though the badly mistreated prisoners of war, even though it was they who often acted barbaric by almost any other nation's standards of decency - we treated them better than fairly after we defeated them despite the fact that we fought them with all we had while they remained combative.
There is a lesson to be learned from all that, and the lesson is applicable today. We need to fight our enemies with all we have in order to win, and I do mean whatever it takes to preserve the Republic. Once we have defeated our enemy we can get down to the act of doling out sympathy for them, but not until that time. They are still kidnapping and beheading people (people who are not combatants), they are still sending suicide bombers against there own kind to provoke sectarian violence, they are fighting as dirty as one can fight; and what are we doing. We are trying to play politics and gain political brownie points by doing things in a politically correct manner. We are winning, but all the while we are dragging our armed forces through the mud because we have weighted them down with political correctness. These are wars which we wage against terrorism, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan and other places; they are not political forums.
We need to get serious, and kick some ass without bothering to stop to see if we have offended anyone. War is offensive - live with it, or lose the war. Then once our enemy has been defeated we can ask him how we can help him to come back into the developed world in a peaceful manner. That is exactly what we did in Japan, exactly what we did in Italy, exactly what we did in Germany, and all of these countries who once were our avowed enemies are now, at least to some extent, our allies. What we did in 1945 is what we we should be doing now.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ah, The Ammo Arriveth...
...at my front doorstep today, and this time UPS even knocked on the door to get a signature from someone in my house. Much better than when they delivered the tree stand I had ordered, and then had to send back because it was damaged in shipping.
Well, now I have a bit more 7.62x39mm in my ammo locker, 500 rounds more. No not a great deal of it, but a good little addition to my stock, so we can continue to enjoy shooting our SKS, and that is a good thing indeed. The price was much higher than what I paid the previous time I purchased some, almost double if I remember right; and I imagine it will only be going up again in price in the near future. I couldn't afford it now, but I figured I surely would be even less able to afford it in the future. I'll have to skimp a bit somewhere.
Now I need to get away with Brendan for some quality range time. Maybe in a week or so, I hope I am feeling up to it by then. Of course I may just let him drive, and I'll go along for the ride and supervise his shooting.
All the best,
Glenn B
Well, now I have a bit more 7.62x39mm in my ammo locker, 500 rounds more. No not a great deal of it, but a good little addition to my stock, so we can continue to enjoy shooting our SKS, and that is a good thing indeed. The price was much higher than what I paid the previous time I purchased some, almost double if I remember right; and I imagine it will only be going up again in price in the near future. I couldn't afford it now, but I figured I surely would be even less able to afford it in the future. I'll have to skimp a bit somewhere.
Now I need to get away with Brendan for some quality range time. Maybe in a week or so, I hope I am feeling up to it by then. Of course I may just let him drive, and I'll go along for the ride and supervise his shooting.
All the best,
Glenn B
Political Poll - Where do you stand?
Here is a little political poll for those of you who lean toward the right, or even those of you who have fallen over the left edge. I found it thanks to The Anarchangel, and I figured I would share it with you here too; but make sure to visit The Anarchangel now and again, he has some good stuff to read up on on his blog.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I am Thinking About A Doctor...
...getting a new doctor that is because mine have still not figured out what ails me. I have been sick so often lately, I actually miss going to work. Still waiting for the results of a CT scan though, maybe that will make the difference in my diagnosis. One can only hope, but if not, then maybe you want to consider buying stock in Scott Paper Products, because we sure have been spending a lot on joy rolls lately.
The darnedest thing is I start to feel better, then wham I am sick again big time. Saturday during the day, I felt much better, not 100% but at least 80%; then Saturday night I was on the throne more times than I could count. I just don't get it; but I sure hope the docs will figure it out soon.
One other thing: Sorry there was no blogging from me yesterday; I may do some tomorrow, but not likely today. Just too out of it, and I have to try to rest to be able to attend traffic court later for some parking tickets.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Most Ridculous Quote...
...that I have read in a long time is, in my opinion, this one:
"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know... It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious. We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."
This comment was reportedly made by New Haven Connecticut Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga regarding a trail of "flour" (as in the stuff with which you bake bread) that was laid out by some runners who were part of a group for whom they were marking a running trail; see: Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA. But wait, it gets worse, not comment wise by action wise.
So what happened, someone saw them doing this through an IKEA parking lot, and they called police, apparently as I see it, in a panic. The next thing you know IKEA is evacuated. (Now, I wonder, why evacuate the store when the powder is outside?) The police begin a "massive" full scale investigation of suspected chemical or bio-terrorism, instead of looking into this sensibly. Even police from surrounding towns responded.
Someone else responded too. Once the guy who left the trail heard about the commotion, he returned to the scene and told police it was a trail made out of flour so other runners could follow. I guess that means it was biodegradable, not bio-terrorism. Now the guy and his sister, who helped him leave the trail, have been arrested on first degree of peace felony charges. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the police who handled this matter are the ones who should be charged with breach of peace. To evacuate a store, to call in other police departments, to cordon off the whole area, and to do whatever else they did without first seeking the guy who left the trail for an explanation was totally outrageous as I see it. Apparently all they would have had to do was follow the trail - and would you think they would have done that in order to see if the guy and his sister were still leaving a trail! Hell if they were terrorists, wouldn't the police want to catch them at it, and prevent them for doing more of it! Well it was not reported that that is what the police did since the guy had to come back to explain his actions of his own accord. This seems, on the reported facts so far, to have been a totally blown out of proportion response by New Haven Police officials. Now to save face what do they do, charge the powder sprinklers with a felony, and expect restitution from them for the overblown police response! An amazing piece of police work in its seeming lack of professionalism, and apparent out and out incompetence.
All the best,
Glenn B
"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know... It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious. We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."
This comment was reportedly made by New Haven Connecticut Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga regarding a trail of "flour" (as in the stuff with which you bake bread) that was laid out by some runners who were part of a group for whom they were marking a running trail; see: Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA. But wait, it gets worse, not comment wise by action wise.
So what happened, someone saw them doing this through an IKEA parking lot, and they called police, apparently as I see it, in a panic. The next thing you know IKEA is evacuated. (Now, I wonder, why evacuate the store when the powder is outside?) The police begin a "massive" full scale investigation of suspected chemical or bio-terrorism, instead of looking into this sensibly. Even police from surrounding towns responded.
Someone else responded too. Once the guy who left the trail heard about the commotion, he returned to the scene and told police it was a trail made out of flour so other runners could follow. I guess that means it was biodegradable, not bio-terrorism. Now the guy and his sister, who helped him leave the trail, have been arrested on first degree of peace felony charges. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the police who handled this matter are the ones who should be charged with breach of peace. To evacuate a store, to call in other police departments, to cordon off the whole area, and to do whatever else they did without first seeking the guy who left the trail for an explanation was totally outrageous as I see it. Apparently all they would have had to do was follow the trail - and would you think they would have done that in order to see if the guy and his sister were still leaving a trail! Hell if they were terrorists, wouldn't the police want to catch them at it, and prevent them for doing more of it! Well it was not reported that that is what the police did since the guy had to come back to explain his actions of his own accord. This seems, on the reported facts so far, to have been a totally blown out of proportion response by New Haven Police officials. Now to save face what do they do, charge the powder sprinklers with a felony, and expect restitution from them for the overblown police response! An amazing piece of police work in its seeming lack of professionalism, and apparent out and out incompetence.
All the best,
Glenn B
Today In History - Some Real Boomers...
...were heard in different parts of the world. On this date in 1346, the English were the first Europeans to employ cannon on the European Battlefield. They were used against the French at Crecy, needless to say: The French lost again. The main effect of the cannon was to distract the enemy, and put fear into his heart, whereas the victory has been attributed to English archers.
Another loud boomer on today's date, and one much more fatal than the English use of cannon at Crecy, was the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. The eruption, and resultant tsunami killed an estimated 36,000 people. According to the website: Today In Science History @ http://www.todayinsci.com/8/8_26.htm: "The huge amount of volcanic dust thrust high into the stratosphere eventually travelled around the world. The dust blocked sunlight causing temperature drops and chaotic weather patterns for several years afterwards." Funny how a sun blocking pollutant in the atmosphere back then caused global cooling, and similar carbon dust is supposedly contributing to just the opposite now. I'll have to consultAl Gore the Grand Poobah of Global Warming on this one!
Just when you think things cannot get worse, we are reminded that shit happens, so maybe it is best to try to enjoy what we have right now, and of course, to try to remain prepared for the worst.
All the best,
Glenn B
Another loud boomer on today's date, and one much more fatal than the English use of cannon at Crecy, was the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. The eruption, and resultant tsunami killed an estimated 36,000 people. According to the website: Today In Science History @ http://www.todayinsci.com/8/8_26.htm: "The huge amount of volcanic dust thrust high into the stratosphere eventually travelled around the world. The dust blocked sunlight causing temperature drops and chaotic weather patterns for several years afterwards." Funny how a sun blocking pollutant in the atmosphere back then caused global cooling, and similar carbon dust is supposedly contributing to just the opposite now. I'll have to consult
Just when you think things cannot get worse, we are reminded that shit happens, so maybe it is best to try to enjoy what we have right now, and of course, to try to remain prepared for the worst.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, August 25, 2007
I Was Under The Micrscope Today...
...well at least under the scrutiny of my wife's questioning stare when I came home from a brief excursion to pick up a few items at a couple of local stores. Just before leaving the house this morning, I asked she who must be I made one detour though on the way to the stores. I stopped at what was supposed to have been a local tag sale (as in estate or complete home contents sale). It was not far out of the way, and I hoped maybe I would find some treasure at a bargain price that I could later sell on eBbay. As I drove down the tidy tree lined street, I spied a driveway with a gaggle of junk piled up on tables and the ground. Oh-oh, not good, figured I, this was a garage sale, not a tag sale! I took a look from the car, and was about to drive off, when the buy it bug bit me. I got out and took a quick look around. At first the only thing that caught my eye was a microscope, a not too old one, probably from the 60s or 70s, monocular eyepiece with three objective lenses. It was marked $25.00. I passed on it even though it seemed to be in excellent condition, and I really mean excellent. I walked around, and sauntered into the garage, where I was stopped by the lady of the house who told me nothing in the garage was for sale, except that maybe later on she would throw a $1.00 tag on her husband and sell him as a used couch potato (no her husband was not there just then). I did an about face and headed to the the small front lawn area, almost bumping into a sort of grumpy looking guy (yes he was the lady's husband as it turned out), and I looked a few other things over. Not much. Then I almost stumbled over a box on the ground. It was a Coleman 2 burner compact gas stove, in a box that had apparently never been opened. Right next to it was a Coleman double burner gas lantern, opened, but in never used condition. The stove was marked $25.00, and the lantern was marked $15.00. I did some quick math and figured that all three items in which I had sort of an interest came out to $65.00 (not bad for a guy who hated math). I also figured that the $52.00 in my pocket would not cover these three items, gas for the car (needed 3/4 of a tank), beer for the in-laws, and food for my mice and hamsters.
Oh heck, I gave it a shot anyhow. I asked the lady in charge with whom would I have to haggle over these items, and she smiled and asked which ones. I told her the three, and she said I had to talk to her husband, then pointed to a guy sitting in the garage. Yes that was the guy I had just about bumped into, the grumpy looking one, the same guy she had just joked about saying she was going to sell him at the end of the day for $1.00 as a used couch potato. Oh well. I gave it my best shot at haggling. I asked him if he would take $45 for the lot. Do you remember I thought the man looked grumpy, well shame on first impressions, he was actually very nice indeed - cordial, courteous, friendly and helpful. He said "How much?", and I said it again. He said he didn't know, because she wasn't sure how much he was asking for the three items. When I told him they all came out to $65, he said $50, and I said deal. That left me $2.00 for gas, pet shop stuff, and beer.I packed the things into the Corolla, and was off to the ATM at my local bank. I quick pit stop gave me enough cash to complete the rest of my appointed rounds - or should I just say "my appointed rounds", leaving off "the rest of"; since my garage sale stop was not appointed to me by the boss. Then to the distributor for a 1/2 case of Pilsner Urquel, and a 6 pack of Spaten Oktoberfest. After that a quick stop in the pet shop, and then straight back home. No I did not forget the gas; this was just taking longer than I had expected so I hurried home to keep the beers cold. After all a man has to have priorities, and gas can be bought tomorrow. From the look 'she' gave me when I told her I did not fill up the tank, I had best do it tomorrow without fail.
Once home I told the wife about my purchases and she just rolled her eyes. My in-laws were there already, and while the mother-in-law did not comment, the 2 brothers-in-law though I had done well. Later on I sat down at the computer and did some online shopping. I could not find a microscope that matched the one I has bought, a Swift No. 615758, all metal construction with 4X, 10X and 40X objectives, and a 10X WF eyepiece. Similar types today go for about $130 to $200 new. As for the camp stove, it was on a few websites for sale from $81.95 (with zero shipping) to $89.95 (with $15 shipping). A newer similar model (off by one letter in the model number) sells direct from Coleman for about $90. The lantern sells for $60.99 from Coleman.
Yes I think I did well by myself today! I got these items much less than retail, and two of them were brand spanking new (well at least never used before) and the boxes looked pretty new. I think they will get some use on a camping trip or two that I will now have to plan, and certainly when I go hunting later this year. Of course, when not in use they will be stored in my grab and go kit for
I am hopeful that Brendan will get some use out of the microscope. He works at a veterinary clinic now as a kennel worker; and he has hopes of studying to become a veterinarian. My guess is that anything that will help him out in biological or zoological sciences is a plus. I know that for awhile, way back when, I was quite fascinated with the stuff I collected and viewed under the microscope I owned as a youngster. It was a lot less nice, and less well made than is this one, that was for sure. If he does not get a kick out of it (hopefully a kick in the right direction toward college as he will soon be starting his senior year in HS), well then, I guess I can use it to do some micro-exploring myself. Who knows, maybe can figure out what bug has been keeping me down for the past few weeks since the docs have not done so, at least not yet.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, August 24, 2007
General George S. Patton Lives - or does he?
Well, even if it is only a YouTube video, it is a great to see and hear him (or at least someone who sounds like George C. Scott) go at today's terrorism. If you liked the movie Patton, and if you are ready to see terrorists get what they deserve, and are sick and tired of people who make excuses for terrorism, then grab a favorite beverage (no alcohol for you kids, just for us oldsters) and sit back and enjoy this video:
It sure says an awful lot of sensible things about the current world situation regarding terrorism and rogue nations. The man who made this one up is very good indeed. My thanks to The Autonomist for having this poste don his site. great stuff.
All the best,
Glenn B
It sure says an awful lot of sensible things about the current world situation regarding terrorism and rogue nations. The man who made this one up is very good indeed. My thanks to The Autonomist for having this poste don his site. great stuff.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Do you believe I have threatened you...
...by placing this picture here on my blog? Yes I ask this question in all seriousness. Why do I ask it? Well I am really interested to know if this picture, a drawing by a 13 year old could possibly pose a threat to anyone in the mind of my readers. You see, it did just that, that is it posed a threat to students in the school where it was drawn - well as per the school officials anyhow! A school district spokesman was quoted as saying that the drawing was "absolutely considered a threat,". Can you imagine that, a drawing of a gun is now a threat. If not, then see Arizona School Suspends 13-Year-Old Boy for Drawing Gun.
So the child who drew it, a 13 year old, was suspended for 5 days, then the suspension was reduced to 3 days. If it was my son who had been suspended for drawing such a thing in his school, I would soon be the father of a multi-millionaire. That this child was suspended, even reprimanded, was absolutely ridiculous. That school officials made references to the Columbine shooting, when they discussed the 'seriousness' of the matter with the child's parents was, in my view, absolutely foolish and insulting. That this happened in Mesa, AZ is beyond belief, but I guess it is a sign of the times.
I believe that the school officials overreacted in this matter; and I believe they owe the child and his parents an apology, and that they also owe the whole artsy-fartsy establishment an apology too. How dare they take umbrage at what a young potential ultra leftist liberal promising gun loving artist has drawn! Now, if it was a naked gay rights advocate he had drawn, I think they probably would have not taken offense, but would have lovingly urged him to do more works just like it, so they could all get a copy to hang in their homes.
I truly believe the young lad's parents should sue in his name, and sue for big bucks for all the mental anguish this must have caused him. I also think they should put the picture up for auction on eBay. He might make as much or more than he really could in a lawsuit against the ultra libs at his school.
All the best,
Glenn B
A Small Wonder...
...and good one at that. I ordered ammo yesterday, and half the order was shipped today! I did not expect it to be quite that fast, and that is a good thing. The other half will not ship for a while yet, but that is because it was back ordered; and of course that means I expected the delay with it. Still it is truly amazing you can order one day, and it is shipped the next. Good things do happen now and again - 500 rounds of 7.62x39 are on their way home.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Are Ammo Prices Really Set To Rise By Up To 25%?
There has been a bunch of discussion on the gun forums lately saying that ammunition prices are set to rise. Some bloggers like Greybeard have also noted likewise in their rants. In addition, the news media is spouting off about ammunition shortages for police departments; though I tend to think that article is a lot of hooey. So it seems do others think likewise, see:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=296522.
What I do not think is hooey, is that ammo prices will rise as guys like Greybeard have pointed out. The reason I think this is true is because I have heard it from him, and elsewhere, and in fact from an ammunition dealer's website. As per the good folks at Natchez Shooter's Supplies ammo prices have been set to rise from 5 to 25% by ammo manufacturers, effective September 1, 2007; see:
http://www.natchezss.com/customerService.cfm?contentID=manuIncrease&src=BA481.
Not only do they point out the expected rise in ammo pricing, they actually give links to letters they attribute to certain manufacturers: CCI & Federal, Remington, and Winchester. Click on each of those ammo manufacturer names to see PDF format letters, apparently from each of them about the upcoming ammo pricing increase.
OUCH, that is gunna hurt! So, to avoid the sting later on, I just went ahead and placed an order with Sportsmansguide.com for 200 rounds of .35 Remington (a case as far as that round goes) at only 13.97 a box for 200 Gr. Winchester Super-X. That is a good deal since I have seen locally at gun shops and mega stores at about $18 to $20 per box. I also ordered 500 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39 122 Gr. HP steel cased ammo at $88.32. Even with shipping at $17.99 its a deal, especially since I got $10 off with a coupon, so in effect shipping was only $7.99. I really needed some other ammo too, but truth be told, I cannot even afford that which I just ordered. Then again, once the prices go up, I'd be even less able to afford it, so it is sort of a good purchase even if it makes things tight for a month. If I can swing it, I'll also buy 500 rounds of .22 WMR before the month is over.
I suggest anyone who anticipates a need for ammo in the near future do what I did and buy now before any price increases. Shop around and find the best prices that you can, then scoop up as much as you can. Just a 15% raise in prices will be cost prohibitive for many shooters, let alone some increases up to 25%.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=296522.
What I do not think is hooey, is that ammo prices will rise as guys like Greybeard have pointed out. The reason I think this is true is because I have heard it from him, and elsewhere, and in fact from an ammunition dealer's website. As per the good folks at Natchez Shooter's Supplies ammo prices have been set to rise from 5 to 25% by ammo manufacturers, effective September 1, 2007; see:
http://www.natchezss.com/customerService.cfm?contentID=manuIncrease&src=BA481.
Not only do they point out the expected rise in ammo pricing, they actually give links to letters they attribute to certain manufacturers: CCI & Federal, Remington, and Winchester. Click on each of those ammo manufacturer names to see PDF format letters, apparently from each of them about the upcoming ammo pricing increase.
OUCH, that is gunna hurt! So, to avoid the sting later on, I just went ahead and placed an order with Sportsmansguide.com for 200 rounds of .35 Remington (a case as far as that round goes) at only 13.97 a box for 200 Gr. Winchester Super-X. That is a good deal since I have seen locally at gun shops and mega stores at about $18 to $20 per box. I also ordered 500 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39 122 Gr. HP steel cased ammo at $88.32. Even with shipping at $17.99 its a deal, especially since I got $10 off with a coupon, so in effect shipping was only $7.99. I really needed some other ammo too, but truth be told, I cannot even afford that which I just ordered. Then again, once the prices go up, I'd be even less able to afford it, so it is sort of a good purchase even if it makes things tight for a month. If I can swing it, I'll also buy 500 rounds of .22 WMR before the month is over.
I suggest anyone who anticipates a need for ammo in the near future do what I did and buy now before any price increases. Shop around and find the best prices that you can, then scoop up as much as you can. Just a 15% raise in prices will be cost prohibitive for many shooters, let alone some increases up to 25%.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Another bout...
...of whatever was ailing me a week and a half ago and turning me into a marathon runner, hit me hard again this weekend; therefore the lack of blogging Sunday. I was feeling somewhat crappy (no pun intended) on Saturday, and really got bad Sunday night with a fever added into the mix.
Even as early as Thursday night I realized I was getting worse (having never really gotten over whatever it was that made me ill the week before). So, I called my doc who told me to go ahead an fill a prescription he had given me for Vancomycin. I dropped it off on Friday and went to pick it up on Saturday. I had about $50 or $60 bucks with me and figured that would be enough, but when the pharmacist told me I owed her $195.00 I almost fell over. I asked he to check and make sure that was after my insurance, and she told me that the price of this drug without insurance in my dosage was over $1,000.00. This is an antibiotic, this was for something ailing me that caused the squirts, and for something that my doctors had not even diagnosed except for a guess since the tests came back negative. I declined but asked them to hold it. I figured I would make it until Monday and check with my doc as to whether or not I take something else. Well Saturday night things got real bad, so on Sunday I went to the pharmacy and picked up the script; I guess I can thank VISA for that for now.
On Sunday afternoon I took the first pill. Four hours later I was super sick, and was running more than I had in a week, truly a sprinter over and over again. Then a fever hit me. I was baffled - was this caused by the antibiotic. Nah couldn't be. I sort of reluctantly took another at its appointed hour. Come Monday morning I was so sick I slept right through my doctor's appointment at 0900. I called an made another appointment for today. My doctor called me later on to check on me, and he told me if still feeling as bad this morning, that I should head to the emergency room for admission to the hospital. Yikes, that scared me some. Must have scared the sh.. out of me too because when I got up this morning, I felt somewhat better. I did not have to sprint all night once I had fallen asleep. Now granted I am still feeling ill, and far from 100 percent, but I feel an awful lot better than I have since Saturday night. I guess the miracle/expensive drug is kicking in.
The irony of this all is that this stuff, the antibiotic was discovered somewhere in a jungle in the soil. I seem to remember my parents telling me how sick I could get playing in the dirt when I was younger, but this stuff offers hope of a cure for what ails you (or at least what ails me). So maybe I should get out into the garden more often. It sure isn't dirt cheap either now is it, but it seems to be doing its job of cleaning out my system of the little nasties that have afflicted me, and that is a good thing. Cheap as dirt, nah, no way - but certainly worth every penny if it gets me well again.
While it maybe expensive, and while I could afford it because of my job and medical plan; my bet is that this drug is not kept from those who need it and cannot afford it thanks to our system of medical care. They who can afford it are required to have health insurance or pay out of their pockets for care, and those who cannot are helped out when in need. I wonder though, if we were under a system of socialized medicine, how long would I have had to wait before they would have even seen me at the doctor let alone doled this stuff out to me. I'd probably be dead before they would have thought - oh well we should have tried that one.
One really good thing about our system of medical care, it makes you strive to better yourself, to get a better job, to make more money, to pay for your own health insurance. I just cannot see socialized medicine doing anything like that for you - but I can see a socialist government forcing you to work at whatever they choose for you and then treating you like shit by giving you substandard medical care, among other substandard things, even though you slaved for the cause.
All the best,
Glenn B
Even as early as Thursday night I realized I was getting worse (having never really gotten over whatever it was that made me ill the week before). So, I called my doc who told me to go ahead an fill a prescription he had given me for Vancomycin. I dropped it off on Friday and went to pick it up on Saturday. I had about $50 or $60 bucks with me and figured that would be enough, but when the pharmacist told me I owed her $195.00 I almost fell over. I asked he to check and make sure that was after my insurance, and she told me that the price of this drug without insurance in my dosage was over $1,000.00. This is an antibiotic, this was for something ailing me that caused the squirts, and for something that my doctors had not even diagnosed except for a guess since the tests came back negative. I declined but asked them to hold it. I figured I would make it until Monday and check with my doc as to whether or not I take something else. Well Saturday night things got real bad, so on Sunday I went to the pharmacy and picked up the script; I guess I can thank VISA for that for now.
On Sunday afternoon I took the first pill. Four hours later I was super sick, and was running more than I had in a week, truly a sprinter over and over again. Then a fever hit me. I was baffled - was this caused by the antibiotic. Nah couldn't be. I sort of reluctantly took another at its appointed hour. Come Monday morning I was so sick I slept right through my doctor's appointment at 0900. I called an made another appointment for today. My doctor called me later on to check on me, and he told me if still feeling as bad this morning, that I should head to the emergency room for admission to the hospital. Yikes, that scared me some. Must have scared the sh.. out of me too because when I got up this morning, I felt somewhat better. I did not have to sprint all night once I had fallen asleep. Now granted I am still feeling ill, and far from 100 percent, but I feel an awful lot better than I have since Saturday night. I guess the miracle/expensive drug is kicking in.
The irony of this all is that this stuff, the antibiotic was discovered somewhere in a jungle in the soil. I seem to remember my parents telling me how sick I could get playing in the dirt when I was younger, but this stuff offers hope of a cure for what ails you (or at least what ails me). So maybe I should get out into the garden more often. It sure isn't dirt cheap either now is it, but it seems to be doing its job of cleaning out my system of the little nasties that have afflicted me, and that is a good thing. Cheap as dirt, nah, no way - but certainly worth every penny if it gets me well again.
While it maybe expensive, and while I could afford it because of my job and medical plan; my bet is that this drug is not kept from those who need it and cannot afford it thanks to our system of medical care. They who can afford it are required to have health insurance or pay out of their pockets for care, and those who cannot are helped out when in need. I wonder though, if we were under a system of socialized medicine, how long would I have had to wait before they would have even seen me at the doctor let alone doled this stuff out to me. I'd probably be dead before they would have thought - oh well we should have tried that one.
One really good thing about our system of medical care, it makes you strive to better yourself, to get a better job, to make more money, to pay for your own health insurance. I just cannot see socialized medicine doing anything like that for you - but I can see a socialist government forcing you to work at whatever they choose for you and then treating you like shit by giving you substandard medical care, among other substandard things, even though you slaved for the cause.
All the best,
Glenn B
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