Smuggling It's More Than A Job...

...It's An Adventure. Well at least anti-smuggling was for me. This is a pic of me way back when in my early years with the U.S. Customs Service. I stationed in New York City at JFK Airport, but this is a shot of me while on temporary assignment to Key Largo, FL. The weather was not too hot, it was the off season, but the smuggling was hot enough to keep us busy. Me and my buddy Lou B were there with others from NYC for 2 weeks and Lou and I spent out time out on a go fast boat with a Florida Marine Patrol Officer. When we extended to a third week, the boss told us to go out and find drugs since we would not be going out on the boat again. He only added that wherever we go we stay away from Dynamite Docks. I was driving - where do you think I went, disregarding the bosses obvious BS and over Lou's objections!

Over several hours that night we listened to a boat come into shore and go back out to sea several times. We could not see it even though the Atlantic Ocean was virtually feet in front of us - it was dark - pitch black at that. A good night to smuggle I suppose; but not with two Customs Patrol Officers like us on the scene. We called in the activity and the search began just before sunup. The guys from the local office found a nice speed boat with tens of pounds of marijuana strewn about its deck. We figured we were in for a promotion after this seizure, but the station boss said he gave the boat to the sheriff's office. Go figure, we did not even get to do the paperwork!

A short while later, another local Customs guy saw three Cubans walking out of a Mangrove Swamp toward the main road. He stopped and questioned them, they were all wet and so was their story. He soon found many bales of marijuana in the swamp from whence they had come. Seems they got their truck stuck in the mud trying to get in there to pick it up. They were arrested, and the grass was seized, but not without some ball busting work. We had to walk into the swamp, and carry each bale not to a waiting truck, but out into the water, over a reef, and load it onto a Custom's boat. Then we had to off load it later at a pier where it could be picked up by tuck. The second shot shows me and Lou after a hard night's (and morning's) work. Way on the right side of the pic, the guy walking to your right as you look at it was Charlie (can't recall his last name). He was the Customs Patrol chief who told us not to go to Dynamite Docks. A couple or few years later, Charlie was on America's Most Wanted. No not as a fed telling about a case, he was the target of a manhunt. Seems he had been telling smugglers when and where to drop off their loads on Key largo, and he was also telling his men to patrol in other places when those loads came in. Yep, just like he had told me and Lou that under no circumstances were we to go to Dynamite Docks that night because we would be killed, raped or otherwise molested by crazy people who hung out there. I knew on that night that all of it was BS, I just never imagined even for a moment that it may have been him attempting to keep us away from a load that he may have arranged to have been dropped of there. Of course that is the way I figure it now.

As for me and Lou - we never got one iota of recognition for that seizure. If I remember right it was 119 bales of marijuana at about 50 or 60 pounds each. I would have appreciated at least an atta boy in the form of a letter of commendation, but we got squat. Of course there were some perks to these temporary details. We got away from NY to have an adventure, we stayed at a nice hotel, we ate well, we drank even better, and well then there were the other perks - the local gals. This fine young lady was Deena Demero (if spelling and memory serve me right). She was the barmaid at the Tiki Bar at our hotel. It was the best bar on the island, and she was the best barmaid down that way for sure. You should see the shot of us in chains! Of course, that was all before I got married.

Yep - Smuggling, It's More Than A Job, It's An Adventure - well at least my job has been one!

All the best,

Glenn B

Maybe I Have A Twisted Sense of Humor...

...but this is funny, very funny, in a macabre but completely right and just sort of way:

5 Somali Pirates Drown With Share of $3M Ransom

It appears that after receiving 3 million dollars ransom for a Saudi Arabian oil tanker the pirates made a hasty retreat from said ship with their booty. The thing is they were so hasty as not to have checked weather reports and they ran into a storm and their boat was capsized. 5 drown like rats, 3 made it to shore, and the share of the ransom of all 8 was lost at sea - or so say the extremely reliable and honest source who gave up the info for this story - the other pirates with whom they took the ship.

Now either they are looking for a way to take the heat off of 5 of the pirates and their loot by pretending they are dead and the money lost at sea, or they really drowned and the money was really lost, or they were murdered by their thieving brethren for their share of the treasure and those other pirates are now all that much the richer! Who knows, who cares so long as it is not the first one. If they are dead - good for the rest of us.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, hardy, ha - HA!

All the best,

Glenn B

I Failed The Obamite Test...

...and all I can say is thank goodness that I did!

I'm an embarrassment to Barack!


I only scored 15 on the Obama Test

eBay & Ressling Books Paying To Help Defray College Costs

eBay has always been a way to sell something for professional dealers making a living, to folks hoping to sell off some unwanted items cluttering up their garages, to guys like me hoping to be able to recoup a little cash spent on college books to defray the cost of more college books needing to be bought. Well after what I found out this morning, I can say that without a doubt in my mind, eBay is screwed up big time and not the seller/buyer friendly place it once had been.

I spent about 15 to 20 minutes putting a book up for sale. That included scanning the front cover for a pic to be included in an eBay listing, then signing onto eBay and listing the book. Well - I almost listed. I got all the way through to the last step or so and found that ow eBay requires you to put in an amount for postage. Mind you this needs to go into a separate little postage fees box and not just be placed in the item description as you once could have done. So I put in the amount for Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping as per the exact U.S. Postal Service rate of $12.95. This for a college textbook weighing about 7 pounds. eBay rejected that amount and told me I could not put an amount of more than $4.00 into that box because that is what others have charged for similar items. Whom are they trying to kid? The USPS charges a flat rate of $12.95 for a certain type of priority mail and this is the box I checked off - flat rate priority mail! Yet, eBay only allows a seller to charge $4.00 for that shipping! Amazing.

I then went to eBay and searched for similar items. As I did the realization dawned on me that almost every seller was offering FREE shipping. It only took me a moment to realize why. They had all added the shipping costs to their lowest acceptable bid price. After all, you would have to be an idiot to sell and item to someone for a going price of, let's say, $50.00, then ship it for $4.00 when the actual shipping costs you $12.95. So what to do - well you offer it at a starting bid price of $63.00 with free shipping. I will do just that, and the item will sell though I think I will get less for it than I had wanted. When FAIR shipping prices were listed separately from the acceptable low bid price, people would look at the bid price and say, that is a good -price for the book. They expected shipping to be added on. Now even though I will offer free shipping, they will see my book offered at a higher price, not want to bid much higher, thereby leaving me to have to take the shipping from what I make on the selling price of the book instead of a separate fee. That is how people think from what I can see from online deals I have done before, and that sucks, and eBay sucks for having pulled this boner. Then again eBay does not care about the buyers or sellers, all eBay seems to care about is eBay from what I can tell.

Oh well, if anyone wants/needs a copy of Precalculus, 8th edition, by Sullivan, I will have it up for sale on eBay starting at $65 with free shipping including mandatory insurance and delivery notification.

All the best,

Glenn B

Today In History - 1st Mass In The New World

January 6, 1494 - The first Mass in the New World is celebrated at La Isabela, Hispaniola. Now if that is not interesting enough on its own, then go here:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

Once there ypou can see another 158 events that took place on january 6th throughout history. January 6th seems to be a pretty eventful day, here is a tasteof some of those other events:

1497 - Jews expelled from Graz (Syria)

1535 - Lima Peru founded

1681 - First recorded boxing match

1759 - George Washington married Martha Dandridge

1838 - Samuel Morse publically deomnstrates telegraph for first time

1912 - New Mexico becomes 47th state

1931 - Thomas Edison submits his last patent application

1942 - Pan Am (Pan American Airlines) was the firsrt airline to schedule round the world flight (I heard today on the radio that today marked the actual completion of said flight)

1945 - George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Pierce married

1958 - Gibson patents flying V guitar

1963 - Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kindgdom premieres with Marlin Perkins

1967 - Uncle Miltie calls it quits (Milton Berle shows airs for last time)

1979 - The Village People's Y.M.C.A becomes their only UK No.1 single. At it's peak it sold over 150,000 copies a day (one can only hope this horrendous song and group helped put an end to disco)

1995 - A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack

2005 - Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers.

Lots of other interesting things took place today, and they are listed on said web page.

If you are a bit more interested in the first mass that took place in the New World, go to the below website and page down a bit for a brief summary about it:

http://www.dominicanaonline.org/Portal/english/cpo_conquista.asp

Enjoy.

All the best,
Glenn B

Brendan and his AK

Ah yes, the son having some fun with his Bulgarian AK-47 (that he bought) and with some Wolf HP ammo (that he also bought). This is the first rifle that he actually ever purchased - he did it all on his own. I think he paid a bit much, but he sure has fun with it and is getting his money's worth so far.

As you can hear from his statement, it is obvious he learned somnething at school - he can count the rounds and knows when the thing is empty. Not a bad thing to know if ever in a SHTF situation. Ah the benefits of a public education - LOL.

Anyone out there know of how to adjust the front sight for windage? We were told by the seller to drift it using a brass punch but it would not budge and it is in dire need of adjustment as it shoots about 4" to the right at 15 yards, and about 6" off at 25 yards.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Day The Earth Stood Still...

I went to the movies on this past Saturday night. Saw a movie I have been eager to see, so eager that this is the first time I have seen a movie in a theater in years, I mean that quite literally. The last movie cost me about $7.00, this one cost me $10.25; maybe you can deduct from that about when I went last. (I did go to see one with my daughter last year but it was sold out and we left without seeing anything.)

Several months ago, I started to see billboard ads for this movie. Something about 'they are here, we are gone' and in the fine print the words: The Day The Earth Stood Still. I was thrilled. The original movie from the 50s was part of my childhood in the reruns of the 60s. It was, and remains, one of the all time classic sci-fi movies. I was hoping that the remake would be right up there with it even though I had it on fairly good authority that the new one might stick closer to the book that inspired both in that the alien might not be so beneficent to us.

Here is my review: I was terribly disappointed. Don't waste your hard earned money, wait until it is out on DVD and rent it cheaper, or better yet wait until it comes around on cable for free (or at least as being already included in your cable subscription such as in on demand movies from a subscribed to service).

Keanu Reeves was horrible in my opinion. I mean that, and I like his acting in other movies. There was just something really missing from this one. Even with the plot changes, which I will not divulge just in case you still 'have to' see it, it could have been, but was not, an excellent movie. At best I would classify it as mediocre. At a few points I was wishing I had brought along my watch so I could see how much time was remaining before it ended because I was wishing for it to end quickly. My advice - skip it until out on TV.

I did get to see a trailer for a new Star Trek movie. At first I thought it must be a comedy with a young acne scarred faced James T. Kirk and a young Spock with a huge proboscis, but alas as the trailer unfolded it looks to be a sci-fi adventure film. My guess is that it will be worse, much worse, than The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Outside of the theater there was a poster for a new Terminator movie. That one might be interesting; and it may draw me back inside a theater when it comes out. I may also go back to the theater to see one other movie that looks, on the face of commercials I have seen for it, to be interesting. That would be: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The story line for this one seems vaguely familiar and I'll have to try to see if I can recall reading the book.

All the best,
Glenn B

Winchester Model 100 and an Interesting Firearms' Site

I ran across this site: Guns And Shooting Online tonight while looking up info on the Winchester Model 100. I was looking up info on this particular rifle because I know of one that is available in my neck of the woods. I called up the person who has it for sale and asked when I could see it, and was told I could go to the Nassau County Rifle range to meet her or her son there, and look at it in the trunk of her car by flashlight. I would prefer to be inside the range in a well lighted area, and besides I think it may be illegal to buy/sell guns out of your trunk in a parking lot. So, I suggested a viewing inside. She said okay, but is probably not available until this coming weekend - as in next Saturday. Hopefully she will not sell it before then.

The Winchester 100 is a semi-automatic rifle (also a carbine model) produced in throughout most of the 1960's and the early 70's. I have seen pictures and I must admit I like the looks of it. The one pic I could find on the net was found at:

http://www.redstradingpost.com/auction_images/Auction_Arms/?dir=.%2FWinchester_100_Rifle_308_win_64360%2F. (another interesting site with lots more pics of this rifle there)

This rifle is fairly Spartan, but that is okay by me. The rifle comes with a 22" barrel in blued steel. It has a hooded front sight, fold up/down rear sight, a 4 round removable box magazine, a one piece wood stock, a metal butt plate and sling swivels. There is a push button safety located at the front of the trigger guard. It came in 3 calibers: .308, 243 and .284. The one available near me is in .308 which was, according to this write-up at Guns And Shooting Online, the most popular caliber for this rifle.

I have been wanting something in .308 for a long time. I am none too sure that this will be the rifle for me, but if offered at a good price and in fine or better condition I will scoop it up if available when I have time to take a look at it. Then again she also has several other things in which I might be interested like a couple of Marlin 336s, one in .35 Remington caliber and one in .30-.30 caliber. That is, I would of course be interested if I get to see them inside a well lit location like the range, or under other legitimate circumstances, other than by flashlight in the trunk of a car in a parking lot. Just something about those types of sales, even if actually legal for firearms, that gives me second thoughts about participating in such. Could you just imagine pulling one of those rifles out of the trunk, in a dimly lit parking lot, to do a function check? No neither could I imagine that; but I could imagine the cops jumping out of the bushes and arresting me when I tried to finish the deal. Oh well, I hope the range will allow us to bring them inside for a good look at them otherwise, as much as I am interested, I will not be interested.

All the best,
Glenn B

Range Trip

It's always nice to go to the range for some shooting fun and is especially nicer when Brendan comes along. Today I enjoyed one of those especially nicer trips to the range. We went to the Nassau County indoor range in Uniondale right near the Nassau Coliseum. As per new policy we had to show our Leisure passes. Used to be all you had to do was show proof of residence but some arse hat bureaucrat figured out that the county could make some shekels off of we who use any county park facilities and voila the Leisure Pass. After showing the pass we payed $7.00 a head to shoot, and $2.00 for 12 small targets.

Once on the range Brendan started to shoot his Bulgarian AK and I my government issued Glock 19. I tried to adjust the font sight on Brendan's rifle for windage with hammer and punch but it did not work like the gun store cljerk who sold it to Brendan claimed it would work. I suppose we need some sort of adjustment tool. I told him to shoot using Kentucky windage and he asked "what's that". Once I explained it to him he was shooting center of target in no time. Nothing to brag about, but he was having fun and doing pretty well even if only at 15 and 25 yards (small range).

As we were well into shooting, there was a high pitched repeated tone over the PA system. The range office was making an announcement that the guys on two other points had only 5 minutes left of their allotted time and had to leave! That was foul indeed. I have never heard anything like this before at this range. While they charge residents $7.00 per hour, you always could shoot for much longer than an hour without anyone telling you your time was up. The dems are in power in Nassau County and things have changed, and ares till changing for the worse at this range. Just like with the Leisure Pass, they are trying to suck more money out of folks. Even if they insist on being hard asses about your time on the range, they do not need to embarrass or bother anyone by making such an announcement. All they need do is tell the guy as he leaves that he owes them for another hour.

I had 250 rounds of 9mm for myself to play with and shot it all up within less than an hour. Now I did not hurry up because of the above announcement. Had they made that announcement to me I would have given them a piece of my mind and thrown my next $7 at them for another hour if need be. I just shot up what I had because I had other things to do, and Brendan and I had planned for only an hour at the range.

I did most of my firing inside 7 yards but also a some further out. I am not the greatest shot out there by a long shot, that is for sure. Yet, I can hold my own and usually do pretty good. For instance the one target tat accompanies this blog was shot slow fire at 7 yards. I will not say how many rounds I fired at it, that will be part of my monthly contest to be posted later this week. The other pic is of a target at which I fired my last 38 rounds. I shot then rapid fire, just about as fast as I could pull the trigger once I got ther gun back on target after recoil. As you can see, there is a big difference between the slow fire and the rapid fire targets. When I can get both of them close to the same as the slow fire target, then I'll be a really good shot. As for now though, I would get the job done in a self defense situation even though the spread was considerable on the rapid fire target. Then again, if you consider chest cavity size, it is not all that spread out.

Once we were done shooting, we washed up, and grabbed a soda each and then made a stop by the bulletin board. There folks can list guns they have for sale. One lady had up a posting about a good number of rifles she is selling that her deceased husband had owned. While money is tight because times are hard I'll have to call her to see what she is asking on some of them. Good investments for the future. I took the list down and asked the range officer to make me a copy which he was happy to do for me. As I was waiting for the copies, a young gal and guy with whom I assume to be their dad came in to shoot. When asked what they were shooting they said .223. The range guy then asked what kind of 223 since they do not allow FMJ ammo at this range (although HP is okay). The dad then pulled out the ammo to show to the range guy. The range guy told him he could not shoot it, and that he had to hand over the ammo to the range guy who would keep it until they left! The range Nanny State at its best is all I can say. There is no way I would hand over any ammo to a range officer. Instead I would politely tell him it is my ammo and either I will keep it in my range bag or put it into my car, but he would not be holding it for me. In case I would forget it, I don't need to be dependent upon a range officer's realizing that I am leaving, then actually remembering that he has my ammo that he needs to return to me. Besides that, the policy sucks because it only goes to show that the government (and yes these are government employees working at a county government range) is telling us it does not respect us enough to trust us to follow the range regulations. That is despicable behavior on the part of the range personnel as far as I am concerned because it shows great disrespect to the shooters. That policy should be changed. As it was though, the shooter in question just handed it over like a sheep. Oh well - his ammo - his call.

All in all we had a very enjoyable day, and an eye opening one far as as enforcement of range policies goes.

All the best,

Glenn B

C&R Firearms Availability Blues

It certainly sucks to see how the available stock of C&R guns is declining and not being replaced with other types of C&R guns. Several months to maybe even a year ago I recall having read something at one of the C&R dealer's sites about how the Bush Administration had made deals with foreign governments not to offer up surplus arms in exchange for favorable status as to joining NATO. It was hard to swallow then because I still held out hope that Bush was truly a Republican; however now that he has pulled all of the other socialist crap he has rained down on us, I can look back with hindsight and see it fit his agenda well.

As for the C&R guns, it is virtually to find new conditions SKS rifles, Mosin Nagants are becoming quite scarce, with M-44s virtually gone from dealer's shelves and only other and usually less desirable models are left over, and they are not in that great a condition. Many of the Mausers still are available, but also seem to be in shorter supply. Same thing with most of the C&R surplus pistols. As far as prices go, well the inability for dealers to replenish stock, already had prices going up. Then to add insult to injury prices skyrocketed after election of George W. Bush's socialist first cousin Barack H. Obama. This also badly effected C&R firearms availability.

What really sucked for me is that I ordered a new Yugo SKS from SAMCO and they sent me some piece of junk gun with stock repairs and gouges and dings, scratches on the metal and at least one bent part. I sent it back for an exchange, but only after waiting well over a month for them to send me a return mailing label. I finally got it sent in at the end of last week, and was expecting an exchange from them - but then came the bomb. I had contacted American Express about the charge asking a hold to be place don it until they made the exchange since it was taking so long to get any reply out of SAMCO in the beginning. They said okay. After a month they called me to ask what was up, or I called them, and I told them SAMCO said they would do the exchange so please don't take any further action unless they heard more from me. So what does American Express do - they get me a refund from SAMCO - the ineptness in that riles me badly. Since I ordered mine on the night of election day, the price has gone up substantially, and I suppose if SAMCO even offers and exchange now they will want to charge more for it because AMEX got me a refund. Maybe it was just not in the cards for me to have another one, but it would have been nice to have father and son Yugos.

Of course, I may get very lucky and SAMCO may still send an exchange that is in as advertised condition - which was NEW, and they will charge the same price. Time will tell. If they do not offer an exchange at the same price I can assure you I am done dealing with SAMCO. Their customer service was terrible until I spoke to a supervisor and even then it was not great. Over a month to get a return label is pretty poor service at that. In addition I ordered a Spanish Mauser from them about 6 months ago. I still have not seen that one. Oh well, there are always other C&R dealers, I can only hope there will be a continuing supply of C&R firearms available to us.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Was Sitting Here...

...putting some added touches onto my previous piece about The Lone Ranger like adding a few videos to it, and I heard some fireworks about 10-15 minutes ago. I thought it was silly for folks to be celebrating the coming of the new year an hour or so early, then I looked at the clock. Shame on me for thinking them silly, since it was me who was off on my timing:

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO US ALL

All the best,

Glenn B

The Lone Ranger - A Remberance - 3 Days Late

On December 28, 1999 one of my childhood heroes rode off into the sunset for the last time with a mighty Hi-yo Silver, away! That was the day that Jack Carlton Moore rode to his final sunset. You may know him as Clayton Moore, or even better as The Lone Ranger. For those of you who don't remember him, he was The Lone Ranger of the 1950's television series by the same name (well for all but one season when he was replaced by John Hart, but then came back to the role the next year).

The Lone Ranger, was the sole survivor of an ambush on a group of 6 Texas Rangers. He vowed to bring justice to those who had killed his older brother and the other 4 rangers killed in the ambush (no not at all like the Lone Ranger of the movie circa the early 1980's who was more of an inept metrosexual girlie man than he was anything close to resembling a Texas Ranger). The Lone Ranger, masked and accompanied by his faithful friend Tonto as they rode across the west were role models for American children at a time when role models were meant to instill good qualities within us. Through their on screen heroics they taught us about such things as honesty, loyalty, friendship, patriotism, civic pride, democracy, responsibility for our actions, a good work ethic, equality of all men, self sacrifice, and so on. Try to find those same values being taught on television shows today, or even in schools, not that easy is it! Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels (the actor who portrayed Tonto) both had a firm belief in all of the values I just mentioned and they both believed it was important for them to be good role models for American children. Once he was cast in that role, Clayton Moore's life would change forever - he would actually become The Lone Ranger.



Long after his final film appearance as the Lone Ranger in 1958, Moore would continue to make public appearances as the Lone Ranger. Thus he remained a role model for children not only in the U.S.A. but around the world many years after his acting career had ended. The truth be told he essentially gave up that career to continue to make appearances as the mysterious masked man in order to spread good as a positive role model for children. Then in 1979 an unimaginable thing happened. Moore was stripped of the right to refer to himself as The Lone Ranger and to wear the mask that had become his trademark garb. The reason was simple - I believe it to have been greed an nothing else. You see, the rights to the Lone Ranger name and story had been sold and a new movie was being produced. Justice though, a kind not served by court order, soon would be served as it always had been in the hundreds of episodes of the Lone Ranger television series. The 1981 movie, The Legend of the Lone Ranger bombed in theaters. The fact that Moore had lost the right to portray himself as The Lone Ranger is believed to have played a pivotal role in keeping movie goers away from theaters that showed this movie. Of course, the character of the Lone Ranger in the 1981 bomb was portrayed very differently than it had been the original radio and television versions. That in combination with Moore having been stripped of his mask had fans incensed. In 1985, Moore was again allowed to resume using the name of The Lone Ranger and was again allowed to don the mask and outfit for public appearances.

The time period in which Moore lost his right to wear the mask and portray himself as the Lone Ranger up through the year after he won that right back was a tough one for him. Not only was the legal battle stressful, but the following year, 1980, Jay Silverheels passed away. Moore had had a close relationship with him and his words about him were quite telling: “I could only hope that Jay, wherever he was, knew how much I loved him and respected him and how much of an impact he had on my life and so many other lives...”. Then, in 1986, year after he won the rights back, his wife of many years (since his army days in WWII) passed away. Despite the pain, none of this deterred Moore from being The Lone Ranger.

The character was so ingrained into Moore's life that he essentially gave up his career in acting to continue to be The Lone Ranger. For decades after the series and last movie (with him as the Lone Ranger) were filmed, he made public appearances as The Lone Ranger. (I saw him once, at such an appearance. I cannot recall where or when but I can recall the thrill I felt, and I was no kid anymore at that time. Heck I also remember my most prized possession as a kid - silver bullets - sure they were plastic but they were real silver to me.) Giving up acting probably was no easy thing for Moore.

As for his acting career, he was referred to as the King of the B's for his roles in many serials of his days at Republic Pictures. He was a well respected actor and on his way up and his role as the masked man skyrocketed him to fame. Coincidentally enough, his last film before he took up the role of The Lone Ranger was that of another masked hero in: The Ghost of Zoro. Sortly after he completed that film he was approached by Lone Ranger creator George Trendle, in 1949, and asked if he wanted the part of the Lone Ranger. Moore's answer was almost prophetic when he said: "Mr. Trendle, I am The Lone Ranger".



Over the many years since he first donned the mask, the six shooters that shot silver bullets, saved the innocent with his faithful friend Tonto, and cried "Hi-yo Silver, away" while riding his horse Silver off into the sunset - he lived up to the character of the Lone Ranger so much so that his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is reportedly the only one not only to show the actor's name, but also the name of his character - 'The Lone Ranger'. In the television series, as The Lone Ranger rode off into the sunset, the show often ended with someone whom he had saved asking: "Who was that masked man"? While his identity never was divulged to the other characters in the series, at least not to the bad guys or to those whom he would invariably rescue from the bad guys, that secret was one of the hallmarks of the show. Today though we know the answer to the question. I suppose it was Moore who said it best himself. He said it first to Mr. Trendle when asked if he wanted the part, with his prophetic answer as seen above. Then years later in his autobiography, he said it this way:

"It doesn't matter that I am Clayton Moore, an actor, and that the Lone Ranger is a legendary figure of folklore. In more ways than I can count, we have become one and the same. I have absorbed parts of him, and he has taken on the best elements of my personality. Until the day I am taken to that big ranch in the sky, I will continue to wear the mask proudly and to do my best to live up to the standards of honor, decency, respect, and patriotism that have defined the Lone Ranger since 1933."

By the way, the name of his book was: I Was That Masked Man!

Of course there was a lot more to Moore's life than being The Lone Ranger. He was married four times, he had several other acting roles, he had been a trapeze artist and appeared as such at the 1934 World's Fair, he had been a model, he was in the U.S. Army during WWII, and he was a true patriot. The thing is though, Moore had always had a dream of becoming a cowboy actor! Little did he probably ever suspect that not only would he act out his dream, but he would become The Lone Ranger a character in existence since 1933! No other radio, television or film actor is more associated with The Lone Ranger than was Clayton Moore.



In closing my tribute to Clayton Moore - The Lone Ranger - let me share with you his creed, the Code of The Lone Ranger, one that he lived by not only on the silver screen but apparently also lived by in real life:



The Lone Ranger's Creed:



"I believe:



That to have a friend, a man must be one.



That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.



That God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself.



In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.



That a man should make the most of what equipment he has.



That 'This government, of the people, by the people and for the people' shall live always.



That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.



That sooner or later ... somewhere ... somehow ... we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.



That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.



In my Creator, my country, my fellow man."

Heck if he had been around to run for president, I would have voted for him!



All the best,
Glenn B



PS: A new Lone Ranger movie reportedly is in the making. Let's hope it is true to the original theme; and let's hope they do not choose a loser like George Clooney to play the part as I have heard it hinted. I figure a more manly guy like Tom Seleck, or Mel Gibson would be a better choice, or even Bruce Willis - but not someone who is in my opinion an arse wipe pussified loser like George Clooney. Don't the movie makers get it - Clayton Moore was not only type cast as the Lone Ranger, the character of the Lone Ranger was type cast as Clayton Moore. So as a result, the actor who plays the Lone Ranger and the character of the Lone Ranger need to have the same principles as in the creed above - otherwise it just isn't The LONE RANGER!

As for Johnny Depp playing Tonto - as I heard is a definite - at least he is supposedly part American Indian. Yet, I would think Hollywood could come up with a better choice. Oh well, that's the Hollywood of today and not the 1950s. Seleck and Depp, you know maybe it could work...even though Depp could never fill Jay Silverheels' moccasins because Tonto also lived by those principles.



References:

http://www.lonerangerfanclub.com/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Ranger
http://youtube.com/

What If The SHTF? Would You Be Ready?

When I think about it, I like to pretend that I am ready for just about anything. The truth be told, I am as are most Americans woefully prepared for a true Shit Hits The Fan (SHTF) scenario. Yeah, I am probably better prepared than many, probably even better prepared than most, but that does not mean I am properly prepared for a bad situation on a grand scale. Are you?

There are a lot of things wrong in the world today, and an awful lot of those things have converged into concentric rings that have formed around a place called the United States of America. Those rings have a dot in the middle and that dot is the center of the bull's eye - or ground zero for the next catastrophe. Now you may want to call me just another doomsayer, or simply some kind of paranoid kook, but I prefer to live by the motto that the boy scouts gave up so long ago - Be Prepared. In that regard I realize that the price of freedom is more than just perpetual vigilance, the real price of freedom is being prepared to do something about that which you have been watching for all of these years once it actually arrives on your doorstep. That bad thing, that shit that hits the fan, can come in many forms. It could be something like a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina with massive widespread flooding. It could also be a terrorist attack, something on a relatively small scale such as a small group of terrorists attacking a local shopping mall (something along the lines of the attacks in Mumbai). Maybe it will come as something on a larger scale, something like another 9/11 - maybe this time a dirty bomb, or several of them in various cities cross the country. Or maybe it will be civil unrest like race riots caused by a political assassination. Then again it could be civil war caused by the collapse of our economy, and then spurred on by ensuing collapse of our infrastructure, and the breakdown of our government as it ineptly tries to control the panicked masses who do not have enough to eat. Think that stuff like this is far fetched and that it cannot happen in our lifetimes, so do most Americans.

Then again, maybe you ought to think again because there are some who not only think it can happen but who have predicted the date. One of them, for example, is: Russian academic Igor Panarin. Go here and read this article at the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html

For over 10 years now Mr. Panarin has predicted that the U.S.A. will collapse in the year 2010. All of a sudden he is being taken quite seriously. After all he is no kook. He has impressive credentials having been a KGB Intelligence Analyst, and now he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is a man whose opinions the Russian government take seriously. Sure, I know, there is a lot of anti-American sentiment in Russia, as the article points out, so they give him some extra credence when he spouts off anti-American predictions, but why not take a look at why he believes this country will collapse during a civil war. According to the article he thinks that the main problems that will bring us to that point are: a massive influx of immigrants (regardless of legal immigrants, how about just lack of any control over our borders and all the illegals who are swarming into our country), the decline of American morality (gay unions and marriages anyone, or how about rampant sex parades in the streets of San Fransicko, or how about giving child rapists sentences of a few weeks in jail ala that judge in Vermont about a year or so ago, or how about scheming to sell a senate seat, or how about oral sex from interns in the White House and on and on), and the failure of our economy (need I even point to examples here what with the recent bailouts of the financial, mortgage, and auto industries). Of course I could add a few more reasons for us to arrive at a point where the people might raise up arms in a civil war. How about: politicians who try to strip us of our liberties and rights at every chance they get such as Schumer, Feinstein, McCarthy, Boxer, Richardson, Clinton and the list goes on. What about the anti-American sentiment that comes out of the mouths of some politicos and celebrities - you know the type those who yearn for socialism here in the USA and who praise tyrants such as Castro, Kim Jong-il, or Hugo Chavez. Or how the outflow of our jobs to third world nations leaving us with the worst unemployment in years; no wonder no one could pay for those shaky mortgages. Then again what religious fanatics who have no tolerance for anything but their own visions of how it should be; but mind you they are just the same as ultra left wing atheists who feel the same about their own beliefs. This country has been in a downward spiral for quite sometime now, and even necessary things like the war against terrorism, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have only helped sap our economy of its prosperity. Kennedy was wrong when he said that Iraq is our current Vietnam. Iraq is more akin to our own version of the USSR's Afghanistan. That war sucked their economy dry, just as the Iraq war is doing to us at a time when our economy is floundering for a number of other reasons. Add to that the fact that the OPEC nations are trying to screw us royally by tightening the valves on oil production and the dimwits in our own government are too idiotic to allow for full scale oil exploration and drilling and you should see we are not all that far from a major catastrophe of the type that Panarin predicts. Heck we may also be the prime target of an alliance of nations that want to wage war against us too, that is not all that far fetched either when you consider our country is just about down on both knees without the strength to stand up again.

Now I am not saying it will happen, that is that the shit will hit the fan on that grand a scale. There have been many nations throughout history that have been in dire straits as are we now and that have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. Maybe we will be lucky, maybe we will wake up before it is too late, maybe we will win out and again stand tall and strong. Then again, maybe, just maybe, something bad will happen, and it will trigger something else bad, and that will do the same to something else, and the dominoes will start to tumble all over the place and we will be left in a huge stinking pile of shit of our own making. Will you be ready for it? I plan to be ready, because if the truth be told I think it quite possible that a major catastrophe is coming our way on a national if not global scale. One thing I can tell you is that my preparations do not include learning how to speak Russian or French Canadian, or boning up on my Spanish. So what else is there to do, in order to help prevent such a catastrophe or to be ready for it should it come.

I think there are several things, and I was brought up in a world that believed that a big SHTF situation was about to befall us. Yes I survived the Cold War, and I learned a lot about being prepared in a manner of which young folks today seem to have no concept. So exactly what plans do I have:

WATER:
I have spare water in my house to last for about a week, maybe even two weeks. I plan to stock up on additional water. I also plan to buy a water filtration system or two such as used by wilderness backpackers or survivalists.


FOOD:
I also have spare food in my house to last at least for days if not weeks. I plan to buy more, and to buy it soon. I will includes the following in my cache of food: Canned Goods - a supply of food (and water in some types of caned food) that can last for about 3 years shelf life. Canned foods will include all of the major food groups. I will also stock up on dry goods such as sacks of rice and beans; and of course on things like flour, sugar and other baking needs such as shortening and baking powder. In addition I will stock up on high energy foods such as snack bars, nuts, and certain types of candy. Some MREs may also wind up on the menu. I plan to have enough food on hand for a family of 6 to last one month.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES:
I am no doctor, nor a nurse, but I will keep certain medical supplies on hand. These will include several fair to good first aid kits. In addition I will stock up on some medicines even if only over the counter. Things like anti-diarrhea meds, antiseptics, first aide ointments, burn cream, aspirin, ibuprofin, and so forth. I will also keep things like hydrogen peroxide, providone iodine, and alcohol on hand. If I can swing it I will get some wide spectrum antibiotics with a long shelf life, and an extra supply of any meds my family currently requires.


OTHER HOME EMERGENCY SUPPLIES:
Flashlights, batteries, radios, batteries, walkie-talkies, batteries, you get the idea; but I also have candles, matches, and magnesium fire starters (note I said have since I have all of this already). When I can afford one, I'll buy a generator. The thing about a generator though is that if you have one you probably plan to stay on site at your home to use it. I am none too sure that would be the case, but I suppose if an emergency turns out that way, where we can hold up in our home, it would be excellent to have a generator. Of course a generator means you need fuel for it, so some gasoline safely stored would be a good idea, and enough for the generator and a car might be a better idea. In addition extra propane for my barbecue grill will also be on hand. No not because I think I would be able to have leisurely BBQs in my backyard in the event of a civil emergency or natural disaster, but because if the power and gas go out, I'll still have some way to cook without having to resort to trying to find firewood in an urban setting. That grill might also wind up being a temporary source of heat in a cold winter. I also have a camping stoove and a couple of camping lanterns (Coleman fuel types, can also use unleaded gasoline in at least one of the lanterns).

In addition I keep a good supply of tools on hand. Nothing special but things like screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, saws, a hammer or two and a bunch of hardware like nails and screws can come in handy during a number of emergencies. I also keep scrap wood after completing a project. You never know when you may have to board up the windows or window openings due to an oncoming hurricane, or due to rioters who have destroyed the windows. I also have a decent supply of tie downs such as bungee chords, and nylon ties on hand - they have multiple emergency uses. Finally do not forget DUCT TAPE the all around wonder tool.


EMERGENCY SHELTER:
I have a tent to sleep 4. I only have 2 sleeping bags. I need a few more sleeping bags. They do not have to be expensive mountaineer types, just well made ones that will keep someone fairly warm down to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit.


EMERGENCY BUG OUT KITS:
Ever watch MASH. Yep the sitcom about a American medical unit during the Korean War. One of my favorite scenes was when Colonel Potter yelled 'Bug Out' (happened in more than one episode as I recall) and the camp went into a tizzy as they tore it down to move it somewhere else because of impending doom. If the SHTF too close to home, or too badly near home, well we may just have to up and leave. If we do that we are leaving at least somewhat prepared for several days away from home and on our own. My emergency bug out kit includes grab and go bags (packs), garb and go boxes of food, a case or two of water, temporary shelter, blankets and sleeping bags, extra clothing, first aid kits, bug spray, sunscreen, a few days worth of meds, flashlights and batteries, candles, matches, magnesium fire starters, money, guns and ammo (where legal), knives, compasses, a road atlas, and so forth.

SPECIALIZED EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT:
Gas Masks and filters come to mind here. Think you will never need one, well again I say: "Think Again"! The Department of Homeland Security, the U.S.Intelligence Services, The U.S. Military, and the FBI all believe that a future terrorist attack within our borders is coming, and pretty soon too. They also believe the next attack has a good probability of being chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear. I only have one gas mask now, but plan to buy others within the next few months. My guess is that most people in Israel, Iraq and Iran never thought they would need them either.

Body armor is another consideration. Now I doubt I can afford a new bullet proof vest for every family member, but it is not a bad idea if you can afford them. At least one piece of body armor for the person most likely to find him or herself in a defense situation is recommended (if legal in your area).

SERIOUS ATTITUDE TOWARD PREPARATION:
In other words, I take this stuff seriously even if other family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers or people I pass on the street do not. You can bet that if it comes to a SHTF situation, just think along the likes of New Orleans after Katrina, other family members will be happy you discussed some sort of plan with them, and that you told them what to grab before they get up and go if it comes to that. Along those lines you may also want to tell them were to meet. If you have to sit it out at home, wouldn't it be nice to know that you were safe and sound inside your house, ready to survive at least a week, or even more, if need be.

Believe me folks, I think that a nuclear attack on the USA by the USSR was more far fetched than do I think is the possibility of a serious large scale terrorist attack within our borders in the next couple of years at most. I also believe that Panarin may have something when he predicts mass scale civil unrest or even some sort of uprising within the next couple of years due to our economy and other factors. I am of course hopeful that they will not take place, just as I am hopeful that an earthquake or hurricane will not destroy my neighborhood. Then again, I am also pragmatic enough to realize that should something like any of those happen, my neighbors are not about to feed me and give me shelter when they are not prepared to take care of themselves. As for the government coming to the rescue on a White Steed - forget about it, it will be the government and its ineptness that will likely cause the problem in the first place. Me - I plan to be ready, and if I don't need the stuff, well I can use a lot of it on camping trips, at barbecues, and for pot luck dinners before the perishables reach their expiration dates. Then I can restock just in case because one never knows.

SHTF situations are a reality, they can and sometimes do happen, that is why the Boy Scouts have that motto "Be Prepared". The Boy Scouts though just never told you, or I, for what to be prepared! So I chose to be prepared for just about anything. Remember that other saying too about vigilance because being forever vigilant is a good thing too. Bear in mind though that vigilance is only part of being prepared, it only works to a point. While there are no guarantees you will survive an emergency situation uninjured or alive, being prepared and actually doing something about that for which you were keeping vigil will separate you from those who never had much of a chance to make it through to see tomorrow. While they will have relied on dialing 911 in a panic at the same moment when almost everyone else was flooding the emergency phone lines screaming for help, you will have been ready, willing and able to see it through with your family thanks to your preparations and planning.

All the best,
Glenn B

SKS Cleaning - it was a chore

I expected to get a few of my guns cleaned and lubricated today. I sat down this morning with the Yugo SKS across my lap and commenced to take it apart. After a few minutes of this and that, I realized I forgot a step and I had to resort to my video on how to field strip it. Yes it has been awhile since I cleaned it. No problem though, a quick trip up to my PC, a fast view of the video, and the issue was resolved. Piece of cake to field strip it once you remember how to do it. While I have the instructions for disassembly and reassembly on disc, you can also find those instructions online for free. If you need such info you can find it here: http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp.

After that I went at getting it clean. Once I had it apart, and I had gotten a look inside of it, I thought - 'Oh my gosh that 7.62x39 Wolf Ammo sure is dirty shooting ammo". There was black fouling just about everywhere. I cleaned here, cleaned there, then cleaned here and there again, and again. Finally after using about 20 cleaning patches, and about 25 double ended cotton swabs, and a brass brush, and a steel brush, and about an ounce of Hoppes, and a pipe cleaner or two, it looked almost clean. As you may have guessed, that cleaning took me some time, I'd say at least an hour and fifteen minutes. Heck it never takes me more than about 15 to 20 minutes to clean one of my rifles thoroughly, so while I was taking all that time cleaning this one I had lots of time to think about why it was so dirty. The consensus of my little gray cells, both the lively healthy ones, and the slower dying ones, and even the totally pulverized ones all came to the consensus that maybe - just maybe - it was not the fault of the ammo so much as it was that I had not cleaned the darned thing after having shot it several times on various range trips. It actually took me a moment or two to remember I had been testing it.

Now there is an important point in knowing that my SKS could be fired at the range, and in between trips to the range that it could sit in my basement without having been cleaned, then be taken out again and fired again, then stored without cleaning again, then fired again, then stored without cleaning again, and on and on over the course of at least several more range trips. That point mind you is not that I am lazy about cleaning my SKS, but rather that it can and will fire when very dirty, and that it fires reliably despite the fouling. As a matter of fact, the carbon deposits on the face of the gas piston was probably as thick as two sheets of 20 lb. computer paper. That is darned thick. Yet the SKS has functioned flawlessly throughout having hundreds of rounds fired through it, then being stored, then fired again, and so forth on and on without cleanings. My guesstimate is that at least 750 to 1,000 rounds have gone through it since I last cleaned it.

Of course I do not recommend that you neglect cleaning your firearms. I only did it because I wanted to test it; I wanted to see about how long it could go without a cleaning and if it could go up to 1,000 rounds without cleaning. Somewhere in there though I lost my tally sheet. I do recall I was close to the 750 mark, and I also recall I shot it once or twice after that. It is not a picky rifle, and the gas vents stayed open and not fouled badly although things like the gas control valve, and the front face of the gas piston, and parts of the bolt were fouled almost beyond belief (yes the Wolf ammo is dirty but not excessively so, the excessive fouling was due to no cleanings). I like the fact that is can handle some dirt and still keep firing like a charm. From now on though it will get properly cleaned right after each time I fire it.

Now you may remember that I began this piece by saying: "I expected to get a few of my guns cleaned and lubricated today"; but the truth is it just did not happen. There was no time, what with all the time it took to clean the one SKS, so that is all I got done in the gun cleaning department. With relatives coming for a belated Christmas celebration, and with me needing to go to a few stores, especially to the beer distributor time was tight. Those Franziskaner Hefe Weissbiers I picked up were great, but my guns had to be put away before I could enjoy even a sip, and there is always tomorrow to get some others cleaned and they just need a routine light cleaning having been in storage. Once I get them done, I just may have to have another bier or two.

All the best,
Glenn B

WORST BUY?

This Christmas I received gift cards, a lot of them. Some were for Best Buy, others for Dick's Sporting Goods, Cabela's, Barnes & Noble, and EBay. This morning I decided to take a look at Best Buy for a digital camera. I don't want anything extravagant, and figured that the $150 worth of gift cards I have for Best Buy would get me just what I wanted, a Canon Power Shot A590 IS. Since I had just picked on up for my son from Del at about $130 (including tax, shipping and an add on 4 GB memory card) I figured I would get close to the same price at Best Buy. I mean after all there name is BEST Buy, isn't it? In addition I knew they had a price match guarantee, so how could I go wrong.

Where to begin in answer to that. I guess the first place to go wrong was that the gift giver of those Best Buy gift cards, through no fault of her own, thought like me. In what regard? Well, that they have a price match guarantee at BestBuy.com so they must have highly competitive prices - right! WRONG at least from what I can tell. BestBuy.com has some of the highest prices of any of the larger retailers that I checked for the item for which I am shopping. This also held true for their store in my area, where I did some Christmas shopping - but no buying. As for the camera, I also checked price some other cameras, you know - figuring maybe it was just the one item that seemingly was overpriced at BestBuy.com in comparison to the rest of the market. Again I was wrong in my thinking. All of the other cameras on which I checked the price at bestBuy.com, even those for sale like was the Canon Power Shot 590IS, were more at BestBuy.com than at other large retailers. The asking price of the Canon A590 IS was $142.49 AND that was the SALE price. Large retailers have it at lower prices like: Dell has it advertised for $109.00, Costco has it for $129.99, WalMart has it for $139.47. Even smaller specialty retailers have it for less: J&R for $109.88, B&H for $109.95. (All prices found at except for WalMart's were found the following link, WalMart's price was found on the WalMart site:

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-a590-is/4014-6501_7-32826173.html?tag=rtcol;shop

Okay, BestBuy.com has what they call a PRICE MATCHING/PRICE GUARANTEE. I figured I could use my Best Buy gift cards wisely and use their BestBuy.com price matching/price guarantee to match a price like that offered by Dell. Good idea - right? WRONG!!! The price matching/price guarantee offered by BestBuy.com apparently applies only to prices offered by Best Buy stores and or BestBuy.com itself! Did you get that? I did not at first either, then I carefully read their price matching/price guarantee. If it is not the most bizarre, or at least not the most brilliant piece of marketing bullshit, price match I have ever read then I have never read another price match policy. Please allow me to assure you that I have read quite a few before I saw that of BestBuy.com. Here is a link to it:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=page&contentId=1043363603302&id=cat12098#01

Now, just in case they change it yet keep the same link address, let me print it here for your information:

"BestBuy.com Price Matching/Price Guarantee

If you've made a BestBuy.com purchase and discover a lower price offered on our Web site or at a Best Buy store on the same available brand and model, let us know and we'll match that price on the spot, tax included.

Exclusions: The BestBuy.com Price Guarantee does not apply to competitors' offers; third-party offers; online auction sites; shipping charges; clearance, Outlet Center and open-box items (when price matching with a Best Buy store); items for sale November 27th through 29th, 2008; special offers or promotions such as mail-in incentives, gift-with-purchase and financing offers; services such as installation; or typographical errors. Best Buy stores in Puerto Rico have their own price match policy."

(Please note that the red color and boldface added by me for emphasis. GRB)

So what are they saying with their PRICE MATCHING/PRICE GUARANTEE. They are telling us that they will match their own prices between their retail store and their .com business, or between their .com store on one day with one price and on another day with another price - but they apparently will not match the prices offered by competitors. Wow how munificent of them! Whom are they fracking kidding? Why bother having a price matching policy at all if that is all they are offering? I'll tell you why I think they have it - I think it is so they can bamboozle their customers into thinking they are getting something at a good competitive price, but that is just my opinion - you can make up your own mind after reading their guarantee. I figure that like me most folks just see they have a price matching policy and figure how can they go wrong - that of course without actually reading it.

Here again, we have what I believe to be a prime example of why American businesses are doing so poorly. Why - because their policies toward their customers suck - that's why. Either the American retailer or manufacturer, or other business sticks us, the customers, with things like bad promises, come on deals that fall through, crappy merchandise, or gimmick guarantees like this one. To me this price matching means virtually nothing to the shopper like me who is truly trying to save money and really get a BEST buy. I mean come on now - what kind of a price match is it when they will only match their own prices?

Now mind you, I am not faulting the person who bought me those gift cards - not at all. I love my wife dearly and have to live with her, and I complain too much while around her, so I want to make it absolutely clear I am not in any way complaining about her or about her purchase of these gift cards. It was a nice gift, and a nicer thought that went into buying them. It is only against Best Buy that I am targeting my disappointment when I say, that without a doubt in my opinion, Best Buy has the worst price matching type guarantee I have ever seen. Best Buy = Worst Buy as far as I am concerned.

Who knows, maybe I can get lucky and find some sap of a customer at one of their stores to buy the $150 worth of gift cards from me for $145 cash. I can only hope so. I'd still be saving money by giving a deal like that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Return of The Yugo SKS

At long last, after having it sit around in its box down in my basement for over a month or was it months, I was finally able to return my recent purchase of a Yugo SKS to SAMCO. I just received the return UPS label from them earlier this week. Can you imagine that, having to wait so long just to receive the return label, and companies in the USA wonder why their business has been falling off. It is not just the bank mess, nor the auto maker mess, it is the incompetence of American workers mess 9or at least the incompetence of the worker hired by the American companies mess - such as in the wetback who can barely speak, read or write English. I suppose that the reason for the long delay in my receiving a UPS label that SAMCO supposedly sent to me weeks ago (and this was the second label they sent me since I never received the first one from them) was the fact that they had my address wrong, at least on the envelope for this label. I don't remember exactly how many times I told the lady who took my information for the return how to spell Glenn, or how to spell my last name, or how to spell my street name and so on. I do remember I had to be quite repetitive because she just kept asking me to spell it over and over again because she no comprende Inglesh so bueno. After waiting a week or two for the first label they were to have sent me, I called in to ask where it was and they said they would send another, but I should wait longer first. When I called back after a further wait, I asked to speak to a supervisor. He had an accent too, but at least he was rather the linguist. Still though, when I received the label this week, the name of the street was spelled incorrectly. Go figure.

There possibly is one bright thing in all this mess to which I can look forward, well maybe it is bright maybe not. At first I was told they were all sold out of Yugo SKS rifles in NEW condition, so they would have to send me a refund instead of an exchange. When I spoke to the supervisor weeks later, he assured me that they would send me a Yugo SKS in new condition as an exchange. When I reminded him that I had been told there were none left, he laughed and said he was certain they would send me a new one. I had ordered a new one in the first place, and they sent one that had been damaged and repaired - obviously not new, not even arsenal refinished to like new condition at that. Funny how that happened isn't it - yet they supposedly still have new ones to send me as an exchange despite the big rush to buy after the election! It almost seems as if someone was pulling our proverbial ding-a-ling by acting as if there was a short supply, maybe just to get the price raised up.

As for the new one they are supposedly going to send me in exchange, I now need to hope for two things - that is is actually in new condition so I do not have to go through the return process again, and that it was not one already returned to them by someone else who already found fault with it. Yes I am a pessimist, I expect the worst to happen and imagine they will send me one that is in worse condition that the one I just sent back to them; but nonetheless I am hopeful that it will turn out to be a new one. It would be an ice surprise for a change if it turns out to be alright.

After reading the last couple of lines above, you may think I am just a whiner and complainer who is not satisfied with anything. That is only partially correct. I bitch and moan with the best of em, but I also know a quality product when I see it, and I know when something sold to me is just a bill of goods as opposed to the real item. If I get screwed then I go into the complaint mode pretty quickly, more so when the seller gives me a song and dance or when they delay the return. Of course there is another side to me, and when I get an item that meets or exceed expectation I give high praise. The thing is though, there is a lot to bitch and moan about when it comes to things we buy nowadays. I don't know if this is just an American thing or not, I tend to doubt that it is solely our problem. Since much of the junk we are presented with in our markets is made elsewhere, I figure people in other places must get the same crap presented to them. Then again, I remember though that American made items, and American service, used to be better. This is no fantasy of my memory either, this is the absolute truth. Sure there were always scam artists who tried to get over with an inferior product, but there was also the seller who sold things of superior quality and who had salespeople and service people and guarantees of a superior nature to present and back up their products. It just is not happening anymore now is it! There I go - off on a tangent, but with sales and service like what I have received you have to wonder about American businesses and how they have the nerve to whine and moan they are not making money.

Let me just say, the Yugo is in the mail, and hopefully I will soon have one that is as they were advertised when I plopped my good money down for one of them. I paid a premium price for one in new condition, and therefore I expect to receive on in new condition - plain and simple. If they again send a clunker, you can bet my dealings with SAMCO will be at an end once I get my refund, and I will post about it here.

All the best,
Glenn B.

A Nice Christmas Eve and A Nicer Christmas, all ending up with me cooking a seafood medley for tomorrow (actually for later today)

So there I was, late on Christmas Eve, ever so slightly disappointed that my Christmas Season tradition of many years had not been upheld this year. I did not have the opportunity to make it into Manhattan to make my rounds from home to Penn Station, to Macy’s, to the Empire State Building (the thing I miss most), to Rockefeller Center, to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to tiffany’s and Van Cleefe and Arpels, to Central Park, to Times Square, back to Penn Station and to home. I was however, as I said, only slightly disappointed. I did spend a few hours with Brendan and my mom at the assisted living facility in which she now lives. Mind you it is not a nursing home, more of an apartment complex with people to help you through your day. She has a two and a half room apartment there; a living room, a bedroom and a kitchenette. I decided that my time this year would be better spent visiting my mom since she has only been in her new living arrangement for about 2 or 3 weeks now. Brendan was nice enough to come along, and that made my mom’s day. We also brought along Pepe (named after the cartoon skink Pepe Le Peu) our 3 ½ year old male Chihuahua. He made a lot of peoples’ day at the assisted living residence, he was a big hit among the residents as well as the workers. Of course he is always a big hit with my family, as he is with most people, but not so much with other dogs (grrrrowl, he likes to be the boss).

After we visited my mom, I was able to uphold part of my tradition of many years, a part older than my going into Manhattan each Christmas Season for the above round, and that was to get my Christmas shopping done. I stopped at a small local liquor store and picked up 3 bottles of Gluh Wein for my wife (a German spiced red wine), and of course I got something for myself. I picked up a bottle of Redbreast. It is a triple distilled unblended Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey aged not less than 12 years in oak casks. It is not much like the extremely smooth Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey I have enjoyed a few times in the past, it being of a more peaty/oak-like flavor along the lines of a finer Scotch Whiskys. I prefer the Knappogue Castle, but this stuff is not bad at all. That triple distilling of Irish Whiskeys has something going for it (note the ‘e’ in the Irish and not in the Scotch spelling of Whiskey/Whisky). After that I made a quick stop at a local Korean market for some delectable seafood and other goodies for a meal to be cooked by me in the near future. Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Squid, Pork Bellies, Rib Eye Steak, baby potatoes, scallions, Oyster Mushrooms, and Shitake Mushrooms all for one of my special dishes.

After that I was off to the local mall. Once there I headed for Dick’s Sporting Goods to get a gift for my daughter’s boyfriend, who everyone else thinks is that kind of person for whom it is impossible to pick the right gift. I headed right to the knife display and picked out a Benchmade Folding Knife:

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=10402.

As it turned out, I walked into the store, got to the hunting department on the second floor, and as soon as I got there they made an announcement that the store was closing in 5 minutes. Of course there were no salespeople in sight. I did find a young lass who was arranging things on a rack, and I asked her to help me get a knife – since they were locked in a display cabinet. I asked her how much was the Benchmark I had selected, and she was nice enough to find a scanner and price it for me at – well at a fair price is all I will say for a Benchmark knife. I took it to the checkout without her following me – as is required with most of the knives (and as it should have been with this one), and I made it to the checkout just as they announced the store was closed and that all purchases had to be brought to the checkout counters. I paid with cash and with a $10.00 certificate I had from Dick’s. Not a bad deal, wish I had enough to have gotten one for myself.

The I was off to home where put the finishing touches on our tree. When we had arrived home from my mom’s, Brendan put the lights on it, then headed off to his girlfriends. I was left to put the ornaments on it, and decided to do that after getting my shopping done. Yep, we only put up our tree on Christmas Eve this year, and I only purchased it the night before. A nice tree too at that. Once that was done, I wrapped a few remaining presents, and placed everything under the tree. Then I had a nice glass of Irish Cream liqueur, and then hit the hay.

Christmas Day was a nice one to which to wake up after the more recent days of inclement weather. It had snowed the past weekend, then we had some freezing rain, and then of Christmas Eve it was cold and rainy. Christmas Day, on the other hand was sunny when I crawled out of bed at about 0700, and it had warmed up considerably, probably into the 40s. Now I like a White Christmas more than do most folks, but I did not want to have to drive 85 miles to my sister’s place in the snow, and as it turned out it was a grand day for a drive. First things first, I made a pot of coffee (half French Guatemalan and half Tanzanian Peaberry) and then started on the bacon for breakfast. Linda cooked the eggs and biscuits, and Brendan helped us finish it all. Then we opened presents. Celina was away with her beau. Then it was off to Brendan’s sweetheart’s house to pick her up for the ride to my sister’s place where we would enjoy the day with my sister, my brother-in-law, my nephew, my brother, my sister-in-law, my mom and 8 dogs. Now back to the day being a grand one for a drive, it was actually even grander than expected since Brendan drove there and back. The day at my sister’s place was great, her cooking was absolutely delicious from the shrimp/crab spread she makes from scratch to the rack of Prime Rib for the main course to the chocolate birthday cake we had for my mom.

After we arrived home, Celina and her beau showed up and they opened their presents. After Celina departed, Linda cleaned up. Then she was off to bed, and I set about cooking up the seafood I also had bought yesterday. Once things were cleaned up and Linda was off to bed, and I headed to the kitchen for that seafood meal I was going to cook. As it turned out the mussels had keeled over. The clams were okay as was everything else except maybe the squid which was questionable. I tossed out the mussels and the squid and took it from there. I just got done making the whole meal, with the exception of the clams, which are in a basin in salt water cleansing themselves and waiting, unbeknownst to them, to be steamed. They may or may not be added to the dish tomorrow; I am debating on having them steamed plain. Things I added to my other ingredients in the pot and from the home larder were a can of tomato paste, a can of tomato sauce, lots of garlic powder, lots of black pepper, sea-salt, and some crushed hot red pepper sauce that I picked up in Chinatown. Oh yes, lest I forget, I added two bottles of good German Octoberfest bier to the mix, and a few dashes of ground Cinnamon and a dash of ground cloves. I have got to say that my creation of no name is tasty. I am sure that all will love it for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.

It is now about 2:25 on the day after Christmas, and I think it high time I get my ass to bed and try to catch some z’s.

All the best,
Glenn B