Oh happy days, it seems that the indications are that prices for ammunition may be falling. "What indications are those?" say you. I answer: "The current retail prices are indications enough for me'. Let's take a look at some of them:
AmmoMan.com has Wolf 7.62x39 in either FMJ or JHP going at 1,000 rounds for $219.00 (including shipping). That is a pretty good price. I have not seen the price that low in awhile, it was certainly not that low when I last purchased it. If I remember right, my last purchase of a thousand rounds in this caliber was on August 1, 2009, almost exactly one year ago, and the price was $249.99 shipped from CenterfireSystems.com. They had the lowest price by quite a bit back then, AmmoMan had it for $279 shipped right around the same time and SportsmansGuide.com had it at about $314 back then. Back to today's price, the $219 shipped available at AmmoMan now is about a 12% price drop in a year as compared to the best price I could find back then. Not the greatest savings but certainly substantial. Had I waited until now to buy that thousand rounds, well I could have used the money I would have saved to buy a decent case of beer, something like Pilsner Urquell but who could have known when the price would come down some.
Other ammo prices also seem to be falling somewhat. Not all that long ago, the SportsmansGuide.com was offering Remington Core-Lokt in .35 Rem. at about $24.97 a box of 20 plus shipping. I just ordered 100 rounds of it (5 boxes), a few days ago, at a price of only $20.78 per box plus shipping. That is almost a 17% savings and I was sure to get in on it.
Ammunition To Go has CCI Blazer .22LR, 40gr. solid points, 5,000 rounds for $189.99. That is not as good as it should be but is not a bad price and i think it has come down a couple of dollars from what I saw a few months ago when I picked up 2,500 rounds for $111 from another dealer and that was the best price I could find for 2,500 rounds then. While there is often a discount when buying 5,ooo rounds as compared to 2,500, you can bet it is not near as much as a $32 difference in price between the two. So, yes I am sure it's price has come down too.
I also recently purchased 100 rounds of 8MM Mauser ammo. If I recall correctly Sellier & Bellot 8x57JS, 196 Gr. SPCE, was priced at $19.68 per box of 20 rounds at Natchez Shooters Supplies. It is now going for $18.49 per box. That is a savings of $5.95, or about 6%, for 100 rounds.
I also just bought a couple of 100 round boxes of CCI Mini Mag, .22LR, round nose ammo, standard velocity, for $6.79 a box at a dealer in PA. The least expensive I have seen this go for at a dealer, including at gun shows, over the past several months has been about $6.99 a box with it usually going for about $7.29 or more per box of 100 rounds. Again a decent savings percentage wise, about 5.5% from the lowest then til the lowest now.
So, it seems to me that ammunition prices are falling somewhat. This could be a result of recent Supreme Court decisions relative to the 2nd Amendment. Those decisions have made it much more difficult for the anti-gun crowd to enact further legislation baning guns and ammo. It has put the brakes on the Obama administration from doing so by way of legislation (though remember they will try by way of treaties made with other nations such as those in the UN). As a result, people who shoot may not be buying up as much ammo to hoard it as they obviously had been just a short while ago. If we vote the bums out of Congress this fall, we stand a chance that our liberties and rights will be strengthened and that prices such as those for ammo will fall even further once the fears of them denying us our rights have subsided in their absence. Of course, there can be other reasons that ammo prices have dropped but whatever the reason it appears to be a good thing and hopefully a downward trend in ammunition prices will lead to much more affordable ammo.
As for me, I would like to take further advantage of the lower prices but just paid my son's college tuition (half of it anyhow) with a credit card and have to get that paid off pronto. I also have a few medical bills still due from my surgery back at the end of may and need to get them paid off too. So it is not likely I will be buying a lot of ammo in the near future although I may not be able to resist if the prices fall even more in the near future and I have been squirreling away a bit of change and dollar bills now and then. Oh for the days of 1,000 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39 JHP ammo at $179 per thousand to come round again.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A Farewell To Arms (or at least to a certain longarm)
In the midst of a heat wave, in the mid summer of this year, I shot for qualification at a range on an island that looked across the bay and and outer counties to the mountainous towers of steel, glass and concrete that are the heart of the city. Though there have been other places, this one has been the one place, where I have qualified the most in over a quarter century. In all that time, while there may have been a rare exception, I cannot recall a single qualification day when I did not shoot a Remington 870 Shotgun. Today, I said farewell to that firearm, it is the first time in memory that I did not shoot one for qualification.
It's not that I have lost any of my faith in this fine weapon as being just that - a fine weapon - nor have I begun to think that it would not be among the best of choices as a primary weapon when on a high risk operation, it is more along the lines that I feel I need to start to wind down in preparation for my retirement. Actually, my decision to turn in the shotgun, is a bit more complicated than that and also has to do with some recent politics in the office that have disenchanted me and therefore had me wondering if it is worth it to me to maintain the additional responsibility of being assigned such a gun. Without me going into the details of the politics, allow me to simply say, I decided that if my agency was not able to overcome the muddled bureaucratic nightmare of indecisive micromanagement and instead show some intelligent decision making ability based upon good old fashioned respect for its workers and the level of responsibility they exhibit with firearms, well then it was time for me to put aside the additional responsibility of carrying this particular gun. No I did not have any type of problem with the gun, nor with it having been issued to me, nor with any use of it; I just want to make that clear. The issue was something different but it was an eye opener and enough to make me realize that under the current administration within my office, I probably would be a fool to continue to maintain the additional responsibility of being issued this gun. So, with a good deal of regret, and not any less of a feeling that I was losing an old friend, I decided I would turn it in this quarter.
I miss it already and it has been only the first qualification day without my shooting it. I can live without it though, without the added responsibility of maintaining it or having to qualify with it and without the bruised shoulder that it causes almost every time I shoot it tactically at the range. I have arthritis and bursitis (and maybe other damage) in my right shoulder and wish I had filed the necessary paperwork to report an injury every time I got a bruise from shooting it (especially since my shoulder has never otherwise been injured that I can remember). That way I would never have to worry about paying for the medical bills for the shoulder but I never did file those forms and if it needs fixing now then I guess I'll have to foot the bills instead of worker's comp. I figured all those bruises on my shoulder, the aches and pains, the soreness were all just part of the job and the responsibility and would all be worth it in the long run should I ever actually have needed to fire the shotgun in defense of myself or another agent on my job. As it is, while I carried it on arrest operations and such many times over the years, and was all to often the first in the door, I never once needed to fire it except at the range. I hope, in the relatively short time I have remaining on my job, I will not find myself in a situation where I need it and do not have it.
It is just that the bureaucracy in my office has become unbearable and finally gotten me to the point where any added responsibility, with little or no respect for it, or appreciation of it, is just not worth it to me - the shotgun being just one example. In addition, as I said above, I need to get into the wind down mode looking toward a not too distant retirement. While I have always welcomed a good deal of additional responsibility on my job, and have volunteered for things beyond the scope of most of my coworkers, extra responsibility at this point is not something I need on my shoulders since it seems to me as if my job is discouraging me from taking it on or continuing it.
Did I mention I miss it already? Farewell old friend.
All the best,
Glenn B
It's not that I have lost any of my faith in this fine weapon as being just that - a fine weapon - nor have I begun to think that it would not be among the best of choices as a primary weapon when on a high risk operation, it is more along the lines that I feel I need to start to wind down in preparation for my retirement. Actually, my decision to turn in the shotgun, is a bit more complicated than that and also has to do with some recent politics in the office that have disenchanted me and therefore had me wondering if it is worth it to me to maintain the additional responsibility of being assigned such a gun. Without me going into the details of the politics, allow me to simply say, I decided that if my agency was not able to overcome the muddled bureaucratic nightmare of indecisive micromanagement and instead show some intelligent decision making ability based upon good old fashioned respect for its workers and the level of responsibility they exhibit with firearms, well then it was time for me to put aside the additional responsibility of carrying this particular gun. No I did not have any type of problem with the gun, nor with it having been issued to me, nor with any use of it; I just want to make that clear. The issue was something different but it was an eye opener and enough to make me realize that under the current administration within my office, I probably would be a fool to continue to maintain the additional responsibility of being issued this gun. So, with a good deal of regret, and not any less of a feeling that I was losing an old friend, I decided I would turn it in this quarter.
I miss it already and it has been only the first qualification day without my shooting it. I can live without it though, without the added responsibility of maintaining it or having to qualify with it and without the bruised shoulder that it causes almost every time I shoot it tactically at the range. I have arthritis and bursitis (and maybe other damage) in my right shoulder and wish I had filed the necessary paperwork to report an injury every time I got a bruise from shooting it (especially since my shoulder has never otherwise been injured that I can remember). That way I would never have to worry about paying for the medical bills for the shoulder but I never did file those forms and if it needs fixing now then I guess I'll have to foot the bills instead of worker's comp. I figured all those bruises on my shoulder, the aches and pains, the soreness were all just part of the job and the responsibility and would all be worth it in the long run should I ever actually have needed to fire the shotgun in defense of myself or another agent on my job. As it is, while I carried it on arrest operations and such many times over the years, and was all to often the first in the door, I never once needed to fire it except at the range. I hope, in the relatively short time I have remaining on my job, I will not find myself in a situation where I need it and do not have it.
It is just that the bureaucracy in my office has become unbearable and finally gotten me to the point where any added responsibility, with little or no respect for it, or appreciation of it, is just not worth it to me - the shotgun being just one example. In addition, as I said above, I need to get into the wind down mode looking toward a not too distant retirement. While I have always welcomed a good deal of additional responsibility on my job, and have volunteered for things beyond the scope of most of my coworkers, extra responsibility at this point is not something I need on my shoulders since it seems to me as if my job is discouraging me from taking it on or continuing it.
Did I mention I miss it already? Farewell old friend.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A New Poem By Doctor What's His Name...
Someone sent me the following in an email today. There is no credit given but I have to say that whoever thought it up gets my respect and furthermore I just like it a lot. So, I have decided to share it with all of you.
All the best,
I do not like this Uncle Sam,
I do not like his health care scam.
I do not like these dirty crooks,
or how they lie and cook the books.
I do not like when Congress steals,
I do not like their secret deals.
I do not like this speaker Nan ,
I do not like this 'YES, WE CAN'.
I do not like this spending spree---
I'm smart, I know that nothing's free.
I do not like your smug replies,
when I complain about your lies.
I do not like this kind of hope.
I do not like his health care scam.
I do not like these dirty crooks,
or how they lie and cook the books.
I do not like when Congress steals,
I do not like their secret deals.
I do not like this speaker Nan ,
I do not like this 'YES, WE CAN'.
I do not like this spending spree---
I'm smart, I know that nothing's free.
I do not like your smug replies,
when I complain about your lies.
I do not like this kind of hope.
I do not like it, nope, nope, nope!
Now wasn't that amusingly refreshing? I think so and hope you do too. I wish I could thank the author!
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, August 8, 2010
America Under Attack Since 1979
This speech was given by US Navy Captain Dan Ouimette, the Executive Officer, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida back in Fenruary 2003:
"America WAKE UP!
That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 and maybe it was, but I think it should have been "Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep since then.
It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign US embassy set the stage for the events to follow for the next 23 years.
America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Viet Nam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal with terrorism. America's military had been decimated and downsized / right sized since the end of the Viet Nam war. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start.
Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more. Then just six short months later a large truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut. 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait, and America continues her slumber. The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gates of the US Embassy in Beirut and America slept.
Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and the Snooze Alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US soil is continually attacked. Fifty-nine days later a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed. The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 259. America wants to treat these terrorist acts as crimes; in fact we are still trying to bring these people to trial. These are acts of war...the Wake Up alarm is louder and louder.
The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The following month, February 1993, a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm is depressed again.
Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500.
The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision, they kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.
The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.
And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep.
In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high official in government over what they knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979. The President is right on when he says we are engaged in a war. I think we have been in a war for the past 23 years and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough.
America has to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to hit the Snooze Button again and roll over and go back to sleep. We have to make the terrorists know that in the words of Admiral Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor "that all they have done is to awaken a sleeping giant.
Thank you very much."
"America WAKE UP!
That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 and maybe it was, but I think it should have been "Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep since then.
It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign US embassy set the stage for the events to follow for the next 23 years.
America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Viet Nam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal with terrorism. America's military had been decimated and downsized / right sized since the end of the Viet Nam war. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start.
Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more. Then just six short months later a large truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut. 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait, and America continues her slumber. The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gates of the US Embassy in Beirut and America slept.
Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and the Snooze Alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US soil is continually attacked. Fifty-nine days later a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed. The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 259. America wants to treat these terrorist acts as crimes; in fact we are still trying to bring these people to trial. These are acts of war...the Wake Up alarm is louder and louder.
The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The following month, February 1993, a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm is depressed again.
Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500.
The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision, they kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.
The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.
And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep.
In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high official in government over what they knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979. The President is right on when he says we are engaged in a war. I think we have been in a war for the past 23 years and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough.
America has to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to hit the Snooze Button again and roll over and go back to sleep. We have to make the terrorists know that in the words of Admiral Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor "that all they have done is to awaken a sleeping giant.
Thank you very much."
Dan Ouimette
Pensacola Civitan
19 Feb 2003
19 Feb 2003
We are still snoozing but surely should not be. We need to be ready for this to get worse before it gets better and to realize the enemy does not care about us or our way of life but only wants to conquer and convert or kill us. In order for us to defeat our enemy - we need to first an foremost be united in our recognition of our enemy. If we cannot do that, across all divisive lines such as political, ethical, racial, ethnic, sexual preference, education level, wealth status, and so on, then we are doomed. How dare our politicians ask us to diversify further and how dare thye play one group against another as we face this threat for our very existance. We are already a nation of diverse peoples, cultures, languages, religions and have always been such. Until recent years we have always stood united, regardless of our diversity. Our unity, instead of trying to play one diverse group against another, has always been the true strength of the United States of America. Unite or die!
All the best,
Glenn B
Today In History - An Honorable Man Winds Up Disgraced
On August 8, 1974, Richard M. Nixon announces to the nation, on the nightly news, that he will resign as the President of the United States of America. He resigns officially on the very next day, thus making him the first and only president to have done so in the history of our nation. I call him an honorable man because all of his intentions for America, such as ending Kennedy's war in Vietnam, his entering into diplomacy with China, his efforts in the Cold War, were all honorable because he loved America and her people dearly and sought the best for them during very hard times. I say he wound up disgraced because that is just how he felt about himself after Watergate and after he resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. He never allowed himself to live it down.Did he do something wrong with the Watergate scandal, yes he most definitely did so. Did he do any good for America - yes he also most definitely did so. One of the things by which he did good was to finally accept responsibility for his wrong actions and to disgrace and humiliate himself by way of his resignation so that our nation could move on. Can you imagine that any one of the presidents since him would have done so even in the face of as much overwhelming as was piled up against Nixon if any of them had been implicated in a criminal act. Ford - maybe, Carter - no way since he cannot even admit
Yes, Richard Nixon, even though probably guilty of a criminal offense, was an honorable man in that he did the honorable thing. There are not many men or women willing to admit there faults and then take the responsibility for them as he took it for his own misdeeds.
All the best,
Glenn B
You Have Got To Love Be Wary Of Modern Technology
At least, when I point one of my guns somewhere, then pull the trigger, I can be fairly certain the bullet will go where I aimed it and there will not be an accident. That is because I use my brain to help me follow rules of firearms' safety. Thank goodness, unlike the motorcyclist in the video, I do not have to depend upon a technologically advanced electronic computerized super-duper heads up
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Away From & Back Home Again
The Elantra Touring Wagon got us there and back again without problem, it is one nifty little car. Though, I must admit the trip to Hamburg took about 30 minutes longer than expected and the return trip was about 45 minutes longer than expected. Neither delay was due to the Hyundai but because of molasses like traffic in NYC on the way out due to streets being closed for some sort of street race, then bad traffic in NJ and NYC on the way back due to overall crappy traffic conditions like lanes being closed and volume. The car and its riders took it all in stride.
We got to the Field House in Hamburg late this morning and were greeted by a person at the door collecting an $8 a head admission fee. Once that was paid up, we entered the hall and all I can say is that my first impression was 'egad - it is packed'. I headed off to the far right side to start to make my way around the 200 or so tables that were there, all loaded with reptiles, amphibians, feeder rodents (including mice, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs), feeder rabbits, feeder, chickens and insects (mealworms, superworms, crickets, waxworms and fruit flies) care and natural history books, tanks and other accessories, and supplies almost all geared toward the keeping of herps.
It was difficult making my way down the first aisle because of the crowd but I managed. I did not see anything that caught my eye and that meant I had missed something. I headed over to the next aisle, looking at this and that - the Gila Monsters and beaded Lizards one vendor had for sale really caught my eye but were way above my budget at a cost of about $1,200 apiece. So I moved on and admired Thayeri, Gray Banded Kings, Gopher Snakes, Gaboon Vipers, Cobras, Cotton Mouths, Copperheads, other assorted vipers and pit-vipers, poison dart frogs, many species of turtles and tortoises, geckos, agamids, pythons, boas and others. There was certainly a wide variety of animals for sale.
What I did not see were salamanders and newts. I was a bit concerned that Mike S. had not shown up. Suddenly, just as I was thinking that, Brendan walked up and asked me if I had seen the salamanders in the first aisle. He told me that the he had seen the exact salamanders I had wanted. When I asked where he said 'in the first aisle, over there'. I had missed them while squeezing my way through the throng when navigating down that row of displays, had walked right passed them. I headed back over and there, and on one table were 3 of what I wanted - Anderson's Salamanders along with other newts and salamanders. Mike, the dealer, was absent though and a friend of his was watching the table until his return, so I waited for him. Brendan stopped by the table and took a look at the 3 Andersoni that were displayed. Once Mike S was back at his table, he and I chatted a it, and he then pulled out about another half dozen or so Andersoni for me to look over. Brendan and I gave them the once over and then Brendan moved on as I made my selection. I picked out 2 I liked, I figured I could not buy another 3 as I had recently. Those earlier 3 died when a filter in their tank malfunctioned - probably allowing rapid build-up of nitrites and nitrates and amonia - and that was all she wrote. I looked over the available ones with a keen eye and picked out the 2 that appeared to have been the best eaters, those with the most rounded bellies and biggest overall size. All of the available ones seemed to be in great shape. I paid for 2 and was walking away then made a u-turn and then asked Mike if he could do me a deal on a third. He offered a discount and it was a satisfactory deal, so I got a third. More chances of winding up with a sexual pair that way. We chatted a bit more and that was it, time to move on and go round one more time.
As I was leaving Mike's table, I ran into Brendan again, he was across the same aisle buying some Fire Belly Toads. I gave him some advice; he basically told me to get out of there. I walked on to look at other animals. Harry met up with me and we walked around a bit. I pointed out, to Harry, a dealer's table on which there were some containers that held highly venomous snakes and that were not secured in any way except to have the lid snapped on. Should one of em have been knocked off the table, well - all I can say is I would not want to be standing nearby, those lids come off way to easily. Heck, I have seen snakes pop the tops off by pushing with their snouts from inside. At least other vendors had secured such tops with tape and one had the containers with his venomous offerings inside of an acrylic display case which meant at least his were safe and secure. I commended him and when he realized why, he also said he would not want to be anywhere near some of the other vendors' tables who were selling 'hots' because of how poorly they were secured and because he figured they would easily get out if knocked over or mishandled. As for me, I don't mind seeing venomous for sale so long as they are being displayed and sold under safe and secure conditions. Some of the conditions at this show were way too risk laden.
Soon enough we were met by Brendan who showed me the nine (as in the number 9) Fire Belly Toads he had just bought. I hope he takes care of em cause I sure do not want to do it. After we admired them, or should I say after I pointed out that some looked nice while some seemed skinny and needed fattening up. Brendan thought I was being a pain in his behind, and I know I can really be too picky but in this case I was just stating fact. Brendan will learn after this time because by the time we got home it was obvious at least one was near death, probably parasitized and had to be euthanized. I will treat the others for parasites and help him make sure they get nice and healthy, or maybe I will just tell him how to do it and let him get it accomplished. I am sure he will be able to do that and then to take good care of them in the long run but it is always best to start with healthy animals in the first place. The others may or may not be ill but we will take no chances and make sure to treat them all since they share a communal tank and probably did likewise at the dealers establishment.
After a bit of jaw-boning, we decided to get back on the road and head over to Cabela's, and after that to get something to eat. Once at Cabela's we were soon split up, and I went over to view the animal displays for a bit, took a few snapshots, then went to the firearms section. I picked up some CCI ammo in .22LR standard velocity. Other than that, most things they had were just too high priced for me; I knew I could get much better deals elsewhere and held off on any other purchases except for some candy on the way out. Before leaving though, we took a look at the large aquarium displays and viewed some impressive native North American fish. They had bowfin, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappies, sunfish, muskies, pike, walleye, catfish and others. It was feeding time too and we got to see some of them gobble down some nightcrawlers and mealworms. Even though lots of shiners were also dumped into the tanks they were pretty much unmolested by the larger fish which almost all seemed to be too well fed.
After that we were off to a Cracker Barrel just across the road. We all had decent sized meals that were all pretty delicious judging by how they disappeared with some haste. Just lip smacking good as usual at Cracker Barrel. The fact that we had a great waitress, I think Jan was her name, made the meal even more enjoyable. Once we were through, I went to pay the bill and also bought my darling back at home a box of Moon Pies (one of her favorites). Thanks Harry for reminding me to grab a box of them. Then we were on the road again. It took awhile to get home, too long of awhile, but we were all in good company with one another and the trip was a nice one. Hopefully, Harry, who was late to take his wife out to dinner because of the traffic we hit, did not get put in the dog house once he reached home.
All the best,
Glenn B
We got to the Field House in Hamburg late this morning and were greeted by a person at the door collecting an $8 a head admission fee. Once that was paid up, we entered the hall and all I can say is that my first impression was 'egad - it is packed'. I headed off to the far right side to start to make my way around the 200 or so tables that were there, all loaded with reptiles, amphibians, feeder rodents (including mice, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs), feeder rabbits, feeder, chickens and insects (mealworms, superworms, crickets, waxworms and fruit flies) care and natural history books, tanks and other accessories, and supplies almost all geared toward the keeping of herps.
It was difficult making my way down the first aisle because of the crowd but I managed. I did not see anything that caught my eye and that meant I had missed something. I headed over to the next aisle, looking at this and that - the Gila Monsters and beaded Lizards one vendor had for sale really caught my eye but were way above my budget at a cost of about $1,200 apiece. So I moved on and admired Thayeri, Gray Banded Kings, Gopher Snakes, Gaboon Vipers, Cobras, Cotton Mouths, Copperheads, other assorted vipers and pit-vipers, poison dart frogs, many species of turtles and tortoises, geckos, agamids, pythons, boas and others. There was certainly a wide variety of animals for sale.
What I did not see were salamanders and newts. I was a bit concerned that Mike S. had not shown up. Suddenly, just as I was thinking that, Brendan walked up and asked me if I had seen the salamanders in the first aisle. He told me that the he had seen the exact salamanders I had wanted. When I asked where he said 'in the first aisle, over there'. I had missed them while squeezing my way through the throng when navigating down that row of displays, had walked right passed them. I headed back over and there, and on one table were 3 of what I wanted - Anderson's Salamanders along with other newts and salamanders. Mike, the dealer, was absent though and a friend of his was watching the table until his return, so I waited for him. Brendan stopped by the table and took a look at the 3 Andersoni that were displayed. Once Mike S was back at his table, he and I chatted a it, and he then pulled out about another half dozen or so Andersoni for me to look over. Brendan and I gave them the once over and then Brendan moved on as I made my selection. I picked out 2 I liked, I figured I could not buy another 3 as I had recently. Those earlier 3 died when a filter in their tank malfunctioned - probably allowing rapid build-up of nitrites and nitrates and amonia - and that was all she wrote. I looked over the available ones with a keen eye and picked out the 2 that appeared to have been the best eaters, those with the most rounded bellies and biggest overall size. All of the available ones seemed to be in great shape. I paid for 2 and was walking away then made a u-turn and then asked Mike if he could do me a deal on a third. He offered a discount and it was a satisfactory deal, so I got a third. More chances of winding up with a sexual pair that way. We chatted a bit more and that was it, time to move on and go round one more time.
As I was leaving Mike's table, I ran into Brendan again, he was across the same aisle buying some Fire Belly Toads. I gave him some advice; he basically told me to get out of there. I walked on to look at other animals. Harry met up with me and we walked around a bit. I pointed out, to Harry, a dealer's table on which there were some containers that held highly venomous snakes and that were not secured in any way except to have the lid snapped on. Should one of em have been knocked off the table, well - all I can say is I would not want to be standing nearby, those lids come off way to easily. Heck, I have seen snakes pop the tops off by pushing with their snouts from inside. At least other vendors had secured such tops with tape and one had the containers with his venomous offerings inside of an acrylic display case which meant at least his were safe and secure. I commended him and when he realized why, he also said he would not want to be anywhere near some of the other vendors' tables who were selling 'hots' because of how poorly they were secured and because he figured they would easily get out if knocked over or mishandled. As for me, I don't mind seeing venomous for sale so long as they are being displayed and sold under safe and secure conditions. Some of the conditions at this show were way too risk laden.
Soon enough we were met by Brendan who showed me the nine (as in the number 9) Fire Belly Toads he had just bought. I hope he takes care of em cause I sure do not want to do it. After we admired them, or should I say after I pointed out that some looked nice while some seemed skinny and needed fattening up. Brendan thought I was being a pain in his behind, and I know I can really be too picky but in this case I was just stating fact. Brendan will learn after this time because by the time we got home it was obvious at least one was near death, probably parasitized and had to be euthanized. I will treat the others for parasites and help him make sure they get nice and healthy, or maybe I will just tell him how to do it and let him get it accomplished. I am sure he will be able to do that and then to take good care of them in the long run but it is always best to start with healthy animals in the first place. The others may or may not be ill but we will take no chances and make sure to treat them all since they share a communal tank and probably did likewise at the dealers establishment.
After a bit of jaw-boning, we decided to get back on the road and head over to Cabela's, and after that to get something to eat. Once at Cabela's we were soon split up, and I went over to view the animal displays for a bit, took a few snapshots, then went to the firearms section. I picked up some CCI ammo in .22LR standard velocity. Other than that, most things they had were just too high priced for me; I knew I could get much better deals elsewhere and held off on any other purchases except for some candy on the way out. Before leaving though, we took a look at the large aquarium displays and viewed some impressive native North American fish. They had bowfin, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappies, sunfish, muskies, pike, walleye, catfish and others. It was feeding time too and we got to see some of them gobble down some nightcrawlers and mealworms. Even though lots of shiners were also dumped into the tanks they were pretty much unmolested by the larger fish which almost all seemed to be too well fed.
After that we were off to a Cracker Barrel just across the road. We all had decent sized meals that were all pretty delicious judging by how they disappeared with some haste. Just lip smacking good as usual at Cracker Barrel. The fact that we had a great waitress, I think Jan was her name, made the meal even more enjoyable. Once we were through, I went to pay the bill and also bought my darling back at home a box of Moon Pies (one of her favorites). Thanks Harry for reminding me to grab a box of them. Then we were on the road again. It took awhile to get home, too long of awhile, but we were all in good company with one another and the trip was a nice one. Hopefully, Harry, who was late to take his wife out to dinner because of the traffic we hit, did not get put in the dog house once he reached home.
All the best,
Glenn B
Road Trip (mini version) Today
Up early and soon to start getting ready for a mini one day road trip today. Brendan, myself and a friend harry F will be off to Hamburg, PA today to attend the Northwestern Berks Reptile Show. It has been several years since I have been to this one. This show is a bit of a twist from those held in NY that I attend in that they allow venomous species to be sold. So if I want to buy one, I could pick up a rattler today or maybe a nice Cobra or Puff Adder. Me being the klutz I can be, you can safely bet I will be staying on the safe side - no 'hots' are coming home to my house.
I don't think I will even consider buying any reptiles at all, although I am thinking of expanding my amphibian collection. I recently had a filter fail in on of my tanks and it caused the demise of three of my favorite aquatic salamanders. So I will most likely be looking to replace them.
Now, being the gun guy I am, and being that Brendan likes em too and that Harry is a retired LEO, I guess we will just have to make an additional stop while in Hamburg today. That will most likely mean spending some cash at Cabela's which is only a short distance from the Hamburg Fieldhouse where the herp show is to be held. I mean if we drive the 145 miles or so to the reptile show, we might as well go the extra 2 1/2 miles for Cabela's. Shouldn't we?
So the trip will be just around 300 miles total, like I said above - a mini road trip. It will be the longest trip the new Hyundai has taken so far. I am very confident will will make the trip with no car problems while getting the chance to see how comfortable the little Elantra wagon is on a longer haul.
Now, I have to go to prepare for the trip. Later for you...
All the best,
Glenn B
I don't think I will even consider buying any reptiles at all, although I am thinking of expanding my amphibian collection. I recently had a filter fail in on of my tanks and it caused the demise of three of my favorite aquatic salamanders. So I will most likely be looking to replace them.
Now, being the gun guy I am, and being that Brendan likes em too and that Harry is a retired LEO, I guess we will just have to make an additional stop while in Hamburg today. That will most likely mean spending some cash at Cabela's which is only a short distance from the Hamburg Fieldhouse where the herp show is to be held. I mean if we drive the 145 miles or so to the reptile show, we might as well go the extra 2 1/2 miles for Cabela's. Shouldn't we?
So the trip will be just around 300 miles total, like I said above - a mini road trip. It will be the longest trip the new Hyundai has taken so far. I am very confident will will make the trip with no car problems while getting the chance to see how comfortable the little Elantra wagon is on a longer haul.
Now, I have to go to prepare for the trip. Later for you...
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, August 6, 2010
A Shot, a Beer and a Bogart Film...
...are all in order so don't pester me tonight. I got home from work at about 9:15 and by 9:25 I had eaten dinner, cracked open a cold one and poured myself a wee dram of Kirschwasser. I also saw that Casablanca was about to begin om TMC. It is not the best Bogart movie, though it comes close to the best - The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre but does not quite reach the heights of either. Nor is it near the best performance given by him, he was far better in The Caine Mutiny (even though he had throat cancer at the time and was gravely ill from it), The Maltese Falcon (the first teaming up of Bogart, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet), The African Queen (a stellar performance) and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (possibly his best character portrayal ever) and I consider the two latter two as a toss up for his best performances. Yet Casablanca is an undisputed classic and the favorite of many and it is one of the greatest films of all time even though Ingrid Bergman thought it just a regular movie and one she hoped would never again be shown after her death. It is a movie that is just fun to watch over and over again. Even though both Bogart and Bergman tried to quit the film both saying it was unbelievable, it certainly is the best love story he was ever in. Yes, as a love story, I suppose it was even better than The African Queen which was most definitely a love story in that he gave up the ship, the African Queen, for a woman. It had, by far, the best musical score of any of his films. And besides being a great thriller and suspense film it showed the absolutely right anti-tyranny message throughout. Maybe it was its unbelievable fantasy like quality, right in the face of the Nazi takeover of much of the world in 1942, that made it such a wonderful film - one that planted the seed of hope in all who saw it, one that reminded us of the magic of love, the power of righteousness and the unfailing ability of right to triumph over wrong even when the odds were overwhelmingly against it so as to make it hopefully believable. Or maybe it was that there were so many bit actors wo played big forceful roles - the little people made a difference in this film so why not in the world too. Watch the roles of Lorre, of Greenstreet, of Henreid, of Raines, of Veldt of Sakall, that of smaller seemigly insignifcant roles that really made an impression. Those waiters and bar tenders, waitresses and even the customers singing together in force in opposition to the Germans, the parts of all the regular people were stunning and heartwrenching. Maybe that is what made this film so great, so hopeful, so believable. Maybe both Bogart and Bergman should have believed in it just a little bit because surely enough of the rest of the world has done just that since its debut.
It is only too bad that the Victor Lorre part was so, shall I say, short lived in this one. He played a great squirmy little villain.
Now that I have written that, I am going to watch the rest of it - hopefully undisturbed even by my own penchant for blogging.
All the best,
Glenn
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Hunting Site Sought
I as seeking permission to hunt on private land during the upcoming squirrel, turkey, deer and bear seasons. Anyone out there have a decent hunting spot available in NY state, southern zone, preferably Broome, Delaware or Chenango Counties? We are willing to try the Finger lakes area and some others also.
Willing to pay a reasonable fee per day/week of hunting for my son and I. We are responsible, law abiding, hunters, do not leave messes, observe your rules, are respectful of landowners and other hunters and so forth. We are serious about firearms' safety too.
I used to hunt my uncle's property near Windsor, NY but he sold out about 7 years ago and we have hunted state without much luck. I am trying to get away from the crowds on state land to a safer and quieter hunting area.
All the best,
Glenn B
Willing to pay a reasonable fee per day/week of hunting for my son and I. We are responsible, law abiding, hunters, do not leave messes, observe your rules, are respectful of landowners and other hunters and so forth. We are serious about firearms' safety too.
I used to hunt my uncle's property near Windsor, NY but he sold out about 7 years ago and we have hunted state without much luck. I am trying to get away from the crowds on state land to a safer and quieter hunting area.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
"Our Own Government Has Become Our Enemy"
"Our Own Government Has Become Our Enemy" are the words Pinal County, AZ Sheriff Paul Babeu. He is supposedly upset with, angered with, disgusted with the federal government. Does he have the right, does he have just cause, should he be feeling that way. In my personal opinion, I think so. I think we all should feel likewise but again that is my own personal opinion.
When you look at the bailouts, when you look at Fannie Mae, when you look at the seemingly egregious spending of our as of yet uncollected tax dollars regardless of those already spent, when you look at the current national debt and how it is skyrocketing, when you look at all the jobs lost, at the unemployment rates going up or simply remaining the worst they have been in years, when you consider the federal government not only considering mandatory socialized medicine for all Americans for the first time in our history but forcing you to buy it while the politicians have exempted themselves, when you see the left still trying to blame it all or most of it on George W. Bush (just heard it this morning coming out of the mouth of a lib on Fox News) instead of taking any blame for anything, when you look at our foreign policy with regard to China, North Korea, Iran and others, when you see us disrespecting and almost forsaking our ally Israel, when you realize that the war in Afghanistan is going worse than it has in all the years it has been waged and our president goes on golf outings and has gala parties held at the White House with invited ultra leftists like Paul McCartney who mock and insult us as our soldiers die in foreign wars, when you hear of the suicide rate in our own military is out of control, when you consider that our government refuses to call a terrorist infiltrator an Islamic terrorist (or even call him a terrorist at all) after he killed and wounded our men and woman on an army base within our borders and praised his god while doing so, when you realize that soon a Muslim cultural center/mosque will be erected within the shadow of what was the World Trade Center, when you see our leaders saying this mosque will be erected because of freedom of religion even though to many intelligent people Islam is not a true religion but a type of state that masquerades as a religion or at least hides behind one, when you see our president bowing to the rulers of other nations and bowing very low at that, when you hear him apologizing for America all across the globe, when you see - feel - and smell the oil that has polluted our shorelines and seas and wildlife including the seafood we eat - thanks not only to an oil company that our government is still going out of its way to appease but to ineffectual activity by the government itself for months, when you speculate that within a month or two at most - BP and the federal government will say it has all been cleaned up (just in time for the elections), when you see senators and congress people more corrupt than ever despite this administrations promise to clean up the swamp, when you realize that our current government is operating more behind the scenes than any previous one in recent memory, when you observe that our government has virtually handcuffed law enforcement from stopping illegal entry of aliens into our country or throwing out those illegal aliens already here, when you read the draft memo stating that CIS should in essence do all it can do to allow illegals to remain in this country and to get legal status, when you see the federal government suing a state for what it has begged states to do in the past - specifically to assist federal law enforcement by helping enforce federal law, when you wonder what will happen if states stop enforcing federal laws as assistance to the government, when you realize that the federal courts have allowed a foreign country - one that spews illegal aliens and narcotics and probably terrorists into our country - to sue one of our states, when you see the federal government actually closinga long stretch of our border to American Citizens and legal resident aliens and looking the other way as smugglers and illegals flood across it, when you hear the ultra-left is not satisfied that our president is leftist enough even though he has done more than anyone since Franklin D. Roosevelt to socialize our economy - when you see our president trying to save his own image on The View instead of honoring the Boy Scouts of America by attending their 100th Anniversary celebration, isn't it all more than enough for you to realize that those words, "Our Own Government Has Become Our Enemy", just maybe are quite possibly true?
Heaven help us for it has become apparent at least to me that we cannot, or are unwilling to, take the necessary steps to help ourselves. What have we become, what else will we become? It is up to us, We The People, to determine the course of our nation and just as the man promised change in the last presidential election - I think we all need to demand it in the next!
All the best,
Glenn B
When you look at the bailouts, when you look at Fannie Mae, when you look at the seemingly egregious spending of our as of yet uncollected tax dollars regardless of those already spent, when you look at the current national debt and how it is skyrocketing, when you look at all the jobs lost, at the unemployment rates going up or simply remaining the worst they have been in years, when you consider the federal government not only considering mandatory socialized medicine for all Americans for the first time in our history but forcing you to buy it while the politicians have exempted themselves, when you see the left still trying to blame it all or most of it on George W. Bush (just heard it this morning coming out of the mouth of a lib on Fox News) instead of taking any blame for anything, when you look at our foreign policy with regard to China, North Korea, Iran and others, when you see us disrespecting and almost forsaking our ally Israel, when you realize that the war in Afghanistan is going worse than it has in all the years it has been waged and our president goes on golf outings and has gala parties held at the White House with invited ultra leftists like Paul McCartney who mock and insult us as our soldiers die in foreign wars, when you hear of the suicide rate in our own military is out of control, when you consider that our government refuses to call a terrorist infiltrator an Islamic terrorist (or even call him a terrorist at all) after he killed and wounded our men and woman on an army base within our borders and praised his god while doing so, when you realize that soon a Muslim cultural center/mosque will be erected within the shadow of what was the World Trade Center, when you see our leaders saying this mosque will be erected because of freedom of religion even though to many intelligent people Islam is not a true religion but a type of state that masquerades as a religion or at least hides behind one, when you see our president bowing to the rulers of other nations and bowing very low at that, when you hear him apologizing for America all across the globe, when you see - feel - and smell the oil that has polluted our shorelines and seas and wildlife including the seafood we eat - thanks not only to an oil company that our government is still going out of its way to appease but to ineffectual activity by the government itself for months, when you speculate that within a month or two at most - BP and the federal government will say it has all been cleaned up (just in time for the elections), when you see senators and congress people more corrupt than ever despite this administrations promise to clean up the swamp, when you realize that our current government is operating more behind the scenes than any previous one in recent memory, when you observe that our government has virtually handcuffed law enforcement from stopping illegal entry of aliens into our country or throwing out those illegal aliens already here, when you read the draft memo stating that CIS should in essence do all it can do to allow illegals to remain in this country and to get legal status, when you see the federal government suing a state for what it has begged states to do in the past - specifically to assist federal law enforcement by helping enforce federal law, when you wonder what will happen if states stop enforcing federal laws as assistance to the government, when you realize that the federal courts have allowed a foreign country - one that spews illegal aliens and narcotics and probably terrorists into our country - to sue one of our states, when you see the federal government actually closinga long stretch of our border to American Citizens and legal resident aliens and looking the other way as smugglers and illegals flood across it, when you hear the ultra-left is not satisfied that our president is leftist enough even though he has done more than anyone since Franklin D. Roosevelt to socialize our economy - when you see our president trying to save his own image on The View instead of honoring the Boy Scouts of America by attending their 100th Anniversary celebration, isn't it all more than enough for you to realize that those words, "Our Own Government Has Become Our Enemy", just maybe are quite possibly true?
Heaven help us for it has become apparent at least to me that we cannot, or are unwilling to, take the necessary steps to help ourselves. What have we become, what else will we become? It is up to us, We The People, to determine the course of our nation and just as the man promised change in the last presidential election - I think we all need to demand it in the next!
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, August 2, 2010
Calvary vs. Cavalry...
...you would think someone claiming to be an expert in firearms, among other things, would know the difference betwixt the two. Then again, you would be wrong if you though so about the expert I just saw on the show Pawn Stars. While examining a Civil War era carbine, unless my ears are a lot worse than I thought, he repeatedly said it was used by the "Calvary". I would have sworn, that at Calvary (in its most notable historical sense) the weapons of the day were swords, spears and the nails used during the Crucifixion of Christ.
Even the folks who contribute to Wikipedia know the difference. If you search for Calvary on Wikipedia you get to the page at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary.
If you look, you will see, the very first sentence, before they even begin to talk about Calvary, is this:
"Not to be confused with cavalry (horse or armoured troops)."
If you want to read about horse mounted soldiers, or Cavalry, go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry
I would not normally dedicate a blog rant to such a thing but being I was blogging about Wild Bill Hickok and other shootists of his time, while I heard the expert say this, it just got to me. It got deep down inside since when I was a kid, who was adoring of the heroes in the previous post, I was often admonished for getting these two words confused and sometimes admonished hard. That was either when I talked about the Cavalry in the Old West or when we went to visit Calvary Cemetery and I just got em mixed up over and over again until I was well into my teens. So, hearing this so called expert get it wrong just ate away at the pit of my gut like a nasty cemetery worm and I just had to spit it out and let the steeds trample it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Even the folks who contribute to Wikipedia know the difference. If you search for Calvary on Wikipedia you get to the page at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary.
If you look, you will see, the very first sentence, before they even begin to talk about Calvary, is this:
"Not to be confused with cavalry (horse or armoured troops)."
If you want to read about horse mounted soldiers, or Cavalry, go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry
I would not normally dedicate a blog rant to such a thing but being I was blogging about Wild Bill Hickok and other shootists of his time, while I heard the expert say this, it just got to me. It got deep down inside since when I was a kid, who was adoring of the heroes in the previous post, I was often admonished for getting these two words confused and sometimes admonished hard. That was either when I talked about the Cavalry in the Old West or when we went to visit Calvary Cemetery and I just got em mixed up over and over again until I was well into my teens. So, hearing this so called expert get it wrong just ate away at the pit of my gut like a nasty cemetery worm and I just had to spit it out and let the steeds trample it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Today In History - Aces & Eights (all black)...
...were the last hand ever dealt to James Butler Hickok (a hand later to become known as "Dead Man's Hand'). On August 2, 1876, he was shot in the back of the head, while holding that hand in a game at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, Dakota Territories. Jack McCall had come into the saloon from behind Hickok (who was quite unusually sitting with his back to the door) walked up to him, drew a pistol and said "Take that" while firing into the back of Hickok's head.While he died at the hands of a coward and paid assassin (it was later brought out in McCall's second murder trial that he had been paid by other gamblers to kill Hickok) it was Hickok's shootout, on July 21, 1865, with Davis Tutt that made him famous. It is also one of the few such gunfights, and was the very first recorded gunfight, in the old west where two assailants faced off against one another and drew from the holster as is typically seen in movies. It most assuredly was not the usual method of gunfighting in that day; the shot fired by McCall that killed Hickok was ore the norm.
During his short life, he died at 39, he was a hunter, frontiersman, shootist, army scout, army wagon master, possible northern spy against the south, womanizer, gambler and lawman. Of all the legends of the Old West, Wild Bill was one of my favorites, if not the favorite, when I was a youngster. He was truly a man among some of my favorite men such a Buffalo Bill Cody, George A. Custer, Daniel Boone, and Calamity Jane (Yep, I know she was a she but have you ever seen her in pictures? Hickok reportedly had little to no use for her, maybe because she looked like a man and bragged and lied like one too. As a prank, his friends buried her next to him and this is well recorded. It was also reported to be one of Calamity Jane's last wishes. I guess both could be true.)
For more about Wild Bill Hickok, visit the sites at these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hickok.htm
http://www.digitaldeadwood.com/historylink/people/hickok.html
http://www.historynet.com/wild-bill-hickok-pistoleer-peace-officer-and-folk-hero.htm
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Speaking of Fems Fatale and Zombies and Guns and Kick Arse Movies...
...have you heard that Resident Evil: Afterlife, starring Milla Jovovich (loved her ever since The Fifth Element, which is on Sci-Fi right now and yes I am watching it) is to be released September 10, 2010. All of the other Resident Evil movies have been great, and I did not think they would be making another, so I am pretty happy about it. I am eagerly awaiting its release even though this one will be in 3D and I am not a big 3-D fan but then again, I have not seen a 3-D movie in several years and I hear they have improved a lot. This translates to I almost cannot wait to see this one.All the best,
GB
Zombieland...
...is a place where I hope never to find myself and if I do I just hope I am heavily armed and in shape because apparently zombies can overtake you quickly (both the alcoholic beverage type and the creepy type but I am talking creepy type here and remind you do not mix alcoholic beverage type zombies with firearms - not ever). Started out, way back when in some Bob Hope movie I saw, that zombies were slow moving and tenacious with an appetite for human flesh, living human flesh. Well not all has changed but one important thing has, they are now seen as some sort of speed demons. Take for example the zombies in the 2009 movie Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenburg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.
Of course, this movie is a sort of sci-fi comedy but man can those zombies move fast. I don't remember in what movie that speed stuff started for the zombie crowd but it has been showing up in most of the zombie movies of recent years (as in at least 10 or 15 years) as far as those I have seen. If it ever comes to be that zombies, or something like them, become an actuality there is some good advice for you to follow in this movie as seen in the rules that Columbus has for his survival. His rules about limbering up before taking action, use of seat belts, using the restroom, getting and staying in good cardio shape all are bound to make this movie a goofball cult-classic. The prodigious use of firearms (click for the list used in the movie) will not unsettle true zombie-cult movie lovers, nor will Columbus' rule about using them, the rule called - The Double Tap. In fact it might make happy firearms buffs and zombie buffs alike (and aren't they often one and the same).
As for Tallahassee, the character portrayed by Woody H., all I can say is he is a man after my own heart with his affinity for Twinkies and firearms. neither one of the guys, it should be pointed out, seem to have done all that good with the ladies throughout their live and thus the reason that the two fems fatale in this flick are able to get over on the guys as easily and as often as they do. Of course it was nice to see, for an old timer like me, that it turns out that the hero is a.... Watch the movie to find out.
If you have not seen it, I recommend watching it if you are a zombie movie fan. Don't expect academy award winning acting in this one but do expect to see a fair to decent zombie flick, in which the zombies sure could have been better although the belch is great, with lots of guns and a good chance for you to get a couple of laughs along the way.
All the best,
Glenn B
Of course, this movie is a sort of sci-fi comedy but man can those zombies move fast. I don't remember in what movie that speed stuff started for the zombie crowd but it has been showing up in most of the zombie movies of recent years (as in at least 10 or 15 years) as far as those I have seen. If it ever comes to be that zombies, or something like them, become an actuality there is some good advice for you to follow in this movie as seen in the rules that Columbus has for his survival. His rules about limbering up before taking action, use of seat belts, using the restroom, getting and staying in good cardio shape all are bound to make this movie a goofball cult-classic. The prodigious use of firearms (click for the list used in the movie) will not unsettle true zombie-cult movie lovers, nor will Columbus' rule about using them, the rule called - The Double Tap. In fact it might make happy firearms buffs and zombie buffs alike (and aren't they often one and the same).
As for Tallahassee, the character portrayed by Woody H., all I can say is he is a man after my own heart with his affinity for Twinkies and firearms. neither one of the guys, it should be pointed out, seem to have done all that good with the ladies throughout their live and thus the reason that the two fems fatale in this flick are able to get over on the guys as easily and as often as they do. Of course it was nice to see, for an old timer like me, that it turns out that the hero is a.... Watch the movie to find out.
If you have not seen it, I recommend watching it if you are a zombie movie fan. Don't expect academy award winning acting in this one but do expect to see a fair to decent zombie flick, in which the zombies sure could have been better although the belch is great, with lots of guns and a good chance for you to get a couple of laughs along the way.
All the best,
Glenn B
That's Why They Call It Fishing - Not Catching
Sometimes you go fishing and you just don't catch a thing; it happens to the best of us. And that is the way it was on Saturday night for me and everyone else aboard the Captain Al out of Point lookout, NY. I did not catch a thing, I had only one sure bite and never even came close to hooking whatever stole my bait that time. What a sad excuse for a fishing trip but as the guy, from Wisconsin said, "that's why they call it fishing and not catching". Can you imagine how disappointed he must have been, in NY for the first time, gets to go out fishing and to be on the ocean for the first time in his life, and to not catch a thing. he had the right attitude because when the guy from Brooklyn said I was a nice boat ride anyway, we three all agreed. The seas were so calm as to make one almost believe we were on a lake, a calm lake at that. Early on we were treated to a gorgeous sunset. later on we got to watch fireworks in the distance near the shore. We also got to see some squid and some small elongated fish which at first I thought were eels but the guy from Brooklyn told me they were not eels though he could not think of their names. Could have been a small, maybe 10-12 inch, gar like fish.
This guy told me this, that guy told me that, man oh man I wish I was better at remembering names I have forgotten already and only last heard their names about 45 minutes ago! Oh well. There were also two long time US resident aboard who were originally from Russia, I had a nice time talking to the young lady of the pair, who was standing off my right shoulder. We also had a guy who brought along a boom box type of radio and we got to listen to the Yankee game, I only half listened every now and then, I am not much of a fan of athletic sports. All in all everyone of the other fares I spoke to was very nice and that is not always the case on a party fishing boat.
The crew was okay too although, the mates were pretty good and friendly. I was pretty disappointed though that the captain who took us out tonight (the younger of the two I have met for this boat) did not stay out longer as used to almost always be the case, on this boat, if the fishing was poor. Kind of makes me think another old time good thing has gone down the toilet. An extra half hour or hour would have been a nice and welcome touch. Even if it did not accomplish putting any fish on the deck, it would have made the customers happier knowing that they crew had given it their all to try to bring some type of fish up from the deep. I guess it was just not happening on this trip. Oh well, next time - hopefully.
All the best,
Glenn B
This guy told me this, that guy told me that, man oh man I wish I was better at remembering names I have forgotten already and only last heard their names about 45 minutes ago! Oh well. There were also two long time US resident aboard who were originally from Russia, I had a nice time talking to the young lady of the pair, who was standing off my right shoulder. We also had a guy who brought along a boom box type of radio and we got to listen to the Yankee game, I only half listened every now and then, I am not much of a fan of athletic sports. All in all everyone of the other fares I spoke to was very nice and that is not always the case on a party fishing boat.
The crew was okay too although, the mates were pretty good and friendly. I was pretty disappointed though that the captain who took us out tonight (the younger of the two I have met for this boat) did not stay out longer as used to almost always be the case, on this boat, if the fishing was poor. Kind of makes me think another old time good thing has gone down the toilet. An extra half hour or hour would have been a nice and welcome touch. Even if it did not accomplish putting any fish on the deck, it would have made the customers happier knowing that they crew had given it their all to try to bring some type of fish up from the deep. I guess it was just not happening on this trip. Oh well, next time - hopefully.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Neighbors are...
...a good thing to have fairly nearby but sometimes can be a real pain in the neck or maybe just be someone who you see now and then and give a wave to at most. That view about neighbors came into my head after reading a blog post, Oh Won't You Be My Neighbor by Melody Byrne, over at The Anarchangel. She was talking about her family's recent move to Idaho from Scottsdale, AZ and how their new neighbors in ID differed from those in AZ when she said this:
Sure we had neighbors in Scottsdale, the kind that came with high fences and nods. We even knew a few names but we weren't really, well, friendly. Everybody had their own lives and not much in common and the entire neighborhood was transitory.
Lucky for me, for my family in fact, that we have neighbors too where we live in NY. Even luckier for us is the fact that some of our neighbors, those who live close to us in this pretty congested area, come in a wider variety than just those separated from us by fences, who are not really friendly, with not much in common, who live their own lives...
Well, when you think about it, sure all of your neighbors live their own lives, so I guess I should be rephrasing that to say: Even luckier for us is that some of our neighbors, even though having some pretty different interests than those of my family, still have some interests in common, and those interests include me and my family and they are willing to knock down the fences so to speak, as are we, to come together and enjoy one anothers' company now and again. Some of pour neighbors go even beyond that and we or they have developed some similar interests because of one another. We visit one another now and then to see how the others are doing, we invite one another over for a BBQ or dinner now and then, we chew the fat (gab about gossip - or current events - more or less), watch each others dogs sometimes if need be, collect each others' mail when one family is away on vacation, shovel snow for one another or just for those too old to do it, loan a tool or even the lawn mower now and again, babysit (though that is now a thing of the past) for one another, call the police if we see someone messing with a neighbors' home and so on. Some of our neighbors have even become our true friends - though I will admit they are few, but they are dear to us nonetheless. Some of those who are more than just run of the mill neighbors (as in people who live close by) and yet not true friends are friendly. There are some not all that friendly but we tolerate them as they tolerate us. There is even one who is becoming a real pain in theass neck lately but we put up with that one too.
The way it works out is that my wife is more friendly with all of our neighbors than am I. I am away more since she works closer to home and gets home earlier than me, therefore sees more of the neighbors. My daughter is likewise. My son not as much so as the ladies, he is more like me. I am grumpier than my wife would ever be and I guess it can be seen by the neighbors, except for how grumpy she can be with me, and that makes it easier for her to get along with the neighbors than it is for me to do so. Still though we get along fairly well with some of them, better than I would have expected when I first moved here.
An example of getting along okay can be seen from just today. One of my neighbors and I were talking about our gardens, asking about each others' families, me finding out she was now a grandma, and so on. Next thing you know she was handing me a huge Zucchini Squash over that very same good fence that some would say makes for good neighbors. I guess on the the good things about fences is that they are not so high as to completely cut you off from your neighbors so you can reach across them with a handshake, an offering of vegetables or just with some kind words now and again. My neighbors, I am pretty lucky to have the ones I have. As for Mel and Chris Byrne and their girls, well they have moved to a place where they basically have only one set of neighbors who are close by. They are lucky too because it seems they have found some goods ones.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sure we had neighbors in Scottsdale, the kind that came with high fences and nods. We even knew a few names but we weren't really, well, friendly. Everybody had their own lives and not much in common and the entire neighborhood was transitory.
Lucky for me, for my family in fact, that we have neighbors too where we live in NY. Even luckier for us is the fact that some of our neighbors, those who live close to us in this pretty congested area, come in a wider variety than just those separated from us by fences, who are not really friendly, with not much in common, who live their own lives...
Well, when you think about it, sure all of your neighbors live their own lives, so I guess I should be rephrasing that to say: Even luckier for us is that some of our neighbors, even though having some pretty different interests than those of my family, still have some interests in common, and those interests include me and my family and they are willing to knock down the fences so to speak, as are we, to come together and enjoy one anothers' company now and again. Some of pour neighbors go even beyond that and we or they have developed some similar interests because of one another. We visit one another now and then to see how the others are doing, we invite one another over for a BBQ or dinner now and then, we chew the fat (gab about gossip - or current events - more or less), watch each others dogs sometimes if need be, collect each others' mail when one family is away on vacation, shovel snow for one another or just for those too old to do it, loan a tool or even the lawn mower now and again, babysit (though that is now a thing of the past) for one another, call the police if we see someone messing with a neighbors' home and so on. Some of our neighbors have even become our true friends - though I will admit they are few, but they are dear to us nonetheless. Some of those who are more than just run of the mill neighbors (as in people who live close by) and yet not true friends are friendly. There are some not all that friendly but we tolerate them as they tolerate us. There is even one who is becoming a real pain in the
The way it works out is that my wife is more friendly with all of our neighbors than am I. I am away more since she works closer to home and gets home earlier than me, therefore sees more of the neighbors. My daughter is likewise. My son not as much so as the ladies, he is more like me. I am grumpier than my wife would ever be and I guess it can be seen by the neighbors, except for how grumpy she can be with me, and that makes it easier for her to get along with the neighbors than it is for me to do so. Still though we get along fairly well with some of them, better than I would have expected when I first moved here.
An example of getting along okay can be seen from just today. One of my neighbors and I were talking about our gardens, asking about each others' families, me finding out she was now a grandma, and so on. Next thing you know she was handing me a huge Zucchini Squash over that very same good fence that some would say makes for good neighbors. I guess on the the good things about fences is that they are not so high as to completely cut you off from your neighbors so you can reach across them with a handshake, an offering of vegetables or just with some kind words now and again. My neighbors, I am pretty lucky to have the ones I have. As for Mel and Chris Byrne and their girls, well they have moved to a place where they basically have only one set of neighbors who are close by. They are lucky too because it seems they have found some goods ones.
All the best,
Glenn B
Making Up For Lack Of Blogging Over The Past Couple Of Days...
...by posting 4 other posts besides this one today has taken a big bite out of my day. So now I am going to get back out into the garden, take care of the tortoises, do some other chores, and then get ready to go fishing tonight.
later for you,
GB
later for you,
GB
Ballseye's Gun Shots 80 - Safety Violations On The Firing Line - What To Do
Although I am not about to give all the details of this story, such as the name of the range, when I was there, or a better description of the shooters or of the range, and despite the fact that I changed some of the details so the range and the shooters (other than me) cannot be identified, let me assure you the substance of this story and almost all the details given below (except for those I changed as just mentioned) are true. In other words, maybe I changed it to make it appear it was an indoor range instead of an outdoor range, maybe I changed it so that there were only 3 range officers working instead of 5, maybe I changed it so all the range officer were male instead of some or all being female, maybe I changed sexes of all the shooters or some of them, maybe I changed it to a semi-auto rifle when it fact it had been a bolt action, and maybe I didn't change those things but did change others - but I did not change the substance of what happened even one tiny bit.
I found myself at a rifle/pistol range sometime with the past few months; which one it was -and exactly when it was - doesn't matter all that much. It could have been any range at anytime. I was shooting, mindful of what I was doing, concentrating on getting my shots in as good a group as I could, while shooting at a good rate of fire, doing it safely, and I was doing pretty good at it too. I had 5 or 6 magazines fully loaded, two 10 round mags and three 15 round mags. Once I had fired all 65 rounds, I placed my pistol down on the bench and I started to reload the magazines.
As I was reloading, I noticed a young lad of about12 to 14 years of age standing just two points away from me. he was holding what looked to me like a .22 rifle. He had it in his right hand and was holding it muzzle up. I looked back at what I was doing, a few second later I looked up again and saw the young allowing the rifle to slip downward in the direction it was pointing and realized it had just covered me for a moment and had also covered several other folks on the firing line. He tried to hold it muzzle up again, using only his right hand and arm and surer that smelly stuff rolls downhill he was again pointing it at me and others. I gave him a quick upward movement of both of my hands, he immediately made an awkward face but got the idea and moved the muzzle up and then held it with two hands. I went back to reloading but moved away from the direction he was facing just in case he let that muzzle come down again.
As I was reloading, I realized he was alone, at least for the moment. There was no adult with him, no one to supervise him. He was standing just behind the firing line with a weapon in his hands and had just pointed that weapon at others a couple of times that I saw and who knows how many times when no one was watching him. Almost as soon as I had thought that, an adult walks in from the outer portion of the range, where you can buy ammo and targets and stuff like that, and walks over to a point 2 away from me. He fiddles for a few seconds and call the boy over to him and tells him to start shooting. He did not ask the boy if he had his ear protection in place (he did, I could see it after looking hard to see if he was wearing ear plugs), he did not give him any instruction except to say something like 'okay come on over and start shooting', he did not tell the boy to load the weapon, he did not tell him to check the safety, he did not tell him anything else. The kid raises the rifle to his shoulder, aims, tries to take a shot and squeezes the trigger several times to no avail. Okay, it is not loaded I thought but that is when I noticed the magazine was already in the rifle. I had not noticed before but was paying more attention to the muzzle than anything else when it had pointed at me. The adult then says, and I quote: "Take it off safest".
The boy then fiddles with the rifle, apparently looking for the safety or trying to remember where it is. He finds it, switches it into the off or fire position, looks at the adult who tells him to shoot, and then aims in and starts shooting. The light bulb comes on in my head. This kid was walking around, just behind the firing line, without adult supervision, pointing a loaded weapon at other shooters. Yikes! I immediately decide to finish up the rounds I have just loaded into my mags and then to get the hell out of Dodge.
I shoot up the 65 rounds I have just loaded pretty quickly. My group opens up a bit from the others I had just shot. I suppose my stress level is up a bit what with these jokers next to me, the pucker factor always has a way of opening group size. Still, it is a respectable group and I would be happy to get one that size under real stress. Once I finished shooting up my rounds, I start to police up my point and those around me to my right where my shell casings have landed. Lucky for me the 2 guys in question are to my left. I take a better look at them. One a somewhat pudgy kid, the other a pretty fit looking adult of about 35 years or so with a sort of muscle man shirt worn for the effect, no doubt, of showing off his tattoos of which he has many. One in particular is a word in large fairly bold fancy print, it is across his forehead, of all places. Ah, I think, that word explains it all. I will not write out the word but will spell out the meaning:
a state of utter confusion or disorder or a total lack of organization
No sooner had I seen that, the young fellow had a misfire. The adult says nothing, the kid starts to turn around, rifle in hands still at his shoulder, and the rifle starts to point diagonally across the range, it almost comes to a 90 degree angle away from the target and straight down the firing line at other points and shooters. He looks at the man, then looks at the rifle, then the man takes the rifle and fiddles with it clearing the unfired round and hands it back to the child. While he took the rifle, he was standing just behind the youngster's right shoulder so the rifle, with round in chamber, is now behind the line but he still has it pointed down range basically over the kids shoulder. He hands it back to the boy who finishes shooting what was in the magazine. The boy then heads outside the shooting range, to the other room, leaving the rifle on the bench pointed downrange but with the action closed and the magazine still in place. The adult never told him to unload it and to make it safe.
At that point the adult picks up the rifle, removes the magazine, does not clear the chamber, and reloads the rifle. I think the chamber was empty when he started this but how he could have been sure, without checking, is beyond me. Could have been another misfired round in there for all he knew. Then, another younger shooter comes in and takes the boy's place. This one is at least an older teen, maybe even in her twenties. The adult has her take up a position in the firing point, tells her to pick up the rifle and tells him to shoot. The gal picks it up and tries to shoot. The adult tells her to "...take it off safest". The youth does not know what the adult is talking about or at least does not know where the safety is located. I guess she must have forgotten what this adult most assuredly must have told her when he went over gun safety and how to operate this particular rifle with the youth before ever letting her handle it. What do you think?
Well, the adult points out the safety and says something about how to take it off of safe and place it into the fire mode. The youth then raises the rifle to her shoulder and starts to fire. She fires a full magazine, I think 10 rounds, then the adult brings the target back. There is a group of about 12 inches at its widest point with about 2 or 3 flyers far from the rest of the group with no particular grouping of their own. The adult asked: "didn't you use the scope". The young gal says 'not for the first few shots, then I started to use it'. She did not even know enough to use the scope, probably did not know how to set up her eye in relation to it, yet here she was blazing away with a semi-automatic rifle. The adult says she did just great. Once again, the rifle was put back on the bench with the action closed and the magazine remaining in it. This time though the adult took the rifle from the young shooter and placed it on the bench like that himself. Then he took out the magazine, with the action still closed and started to reload the mag. Me, I walked out the door.
Are you wondering where were the range personnel while all this was going on? I was wondering just that. One was seated in the other room with a thousand yard stare on his face, cup of coffee in his hands, another was flitting around doing this, that and everything but keeping an eye on the shooters, and I think yet another was on the range talking to a curvy female shooter. He seemingly had eyes pretty much only for her. I was about to say something to the guy who was flitting around and when I started to he just flitted right by without paying attention to me. So, I walked over to the other guy with the stare out into heaven knows where and talked to him a bit to see if he was with us. He wasn't interested in anything I had to say, so I decided to get out of there pronto before I could wind up either shot or as a witness to an accidental shooting caused by negligence.
Shame on me for not being more forceful with getting the attention of either of the range guys. I guess the reason was that I was in a hurry. Yep, that is a piss poor reason for not letting them know about what was going on safety violation wise on their range; not an excuse at all. I wonder though if either of them had even a piss poor excuse for not paying attention. If I ever shoot at this place again, I will be sure to be respectful when I advise the shooter, or in the case of a child shooter then his/her adult supervisor, or when I speak to the range personnel, about what most assuredly could have easily tuned into pandemonium and I will be sure to do it. That is usually what I do - I speak up - but I suppose I was off my mark that day. I have no excuse, none at all. I am happy to report I did not hear of any accidental shooting(s) in the area that day, so I guess things turned out okay despite the lack of firearms safety on the part of those shooters.
My biggest point, in this whole rant was not just that you need to be mindful of what you are doing nor that you also have to be mindful of what others are doing while at the range but you really have to be ready to point out safety violations because your life, or another shooter's, may depend on the safety violation being brought to light. So, the most important point I could make about the whole incident I just recounted above is that I should have made sure to say something to someone about the safety violations I saw taking place. Shame on me for not making sure I got that done. I usually do it, but just like with gun safety usually is not good enough, it is an every time kind of a thing. So if you see (a) blatant safety violation(s), you should let a range officer know immediately, that is once you have made your own firearm safe and you can safely tell them. You also can tell the shooter too but beware - sometimes the other shooter will just react as if someasshole pushy person just tried to tell him, the expert of experts, how to shoot properly. Sometimes that gets the other shooter pretty mad and remember - he has a gun with him so be tactful if you do speak to the shooter himself. Maybe even wait for a cease fire, if they are called at the range where you are shooting, so he is not holding or near a loaded gun when you tell him. (If you are going to talk to a shooter and let him know about a potential safety violation or give any type of shooting hint, I do not recommend talking to young shooters directly, instead I would talk to the adult who should be supervising them.)
Again, for me not to have told the range officers, or the adult supervising these kids, about what I saw as safety violations, was inexcusable under the circumstances. I will not let it happen again, neither should you let it happen if you see a safety violation at the range.
All the best,
Glenn B
I found myself at a rifle/pistol range sometime with the past few months; which one it was -and exactly when it was - doesn't matter all that much. It could have been any range at anytime. I was shooting, mindful of what I was doing, concentrating on getting my shots in as good a group as I could, while shooting at a good rate of fire, doing it safely, and I was doing pretty good at it too. I had 5 or 6 magazines fully loaded, two 10 round mags and three 15 round mags. Once I had fired all 65 rounds, I placed my pistol down on the bench and I started to reload the magazines.
As I was reloading, I noticed a young lad of about12 to 14 years of age standing just two points away from me. he was holding what looked to me like a .22 rifle. He had it in his right hand and was holding it muzzle up. I looked back at what I was doing, a few second later I looked up again and saw the young allowing the rifle to slip downward in the direction it was pointing and realized it had just covered me for a moment and had also covered several other folks on the firing line. He tried to hold it muzzle up again, using only his right hand and arm and surer that smelly stuff rolls downhill he was again pointing it at me and others. I gave him a quick upward movement of both of my hands, he immediately made an awkward face but got the idea and moved the muzzle up and then held it with two hands. I went back to reloading but moved away from the direction he was facing just in case he let that muzzle come down again.
As I was reloading, I realized he was alone, at least for the moment. There was no adult with him, no one to supervise him. He was standing just behind the firing line with a weapon in his hands and had just pointed that weapon at others a couple of times that I saw and who knows how many times when no one was watching him. Almost as soon as I had thought that, an adult walks in from the outer portion of the range, where you can buy ammo and targets and stuff like that, and walks over to a point 2 away from me. He fiddles for a few seconds and call the boy over to him and tells him to start shooting. He did not ask the boy if he had his ear protection in place (he did, I could see it after looking hard to see if he was wearing ear plugs), he did not give him any instruction except to say something like 'okay come on over and start shooting', he did not tell the boy to load the weapon, he did not tell him to check the safety, he did not tell him anything else. The kid raises the rifle to his shoulder, aims, tries to take a shot and squeezes the trigger several times to no avail. Okay, it is not loaded I thought but that is when I noticed the magazine was already in the rifle. I had not noticed before but was paying more attention to the muzzle than anything else when it had pointed at me. The adult then says, and I quote: "Take it off safest".
The boy then fiddles with the rifle, apparently looking for the safety or trying to remember where it is. He finds it, switches it into the off or fire position, looks at the adult who tells him to shoot, and then aims in and starts shooting. The light bulb comes on in my head. This kid was walking around, just behind the firing line, without adult supervision, pointing a loaded weapon at other shooters. Yikes! I immediately decide to finish up the rounds I have just loaded into my mags and then to get the hell out of Dodge.
I shoot up the 65 rounds I have just loaded pretty quickly. My group opens up a bit from the others I had just shot. I suppose my stress level is up a bit what with these jokers next to me, the pucker factor always has a way of opening group size. Still, it is a respectable group and I would be happy to get one that size under real stress. Once I finished shooting up my rounds, I start to police up my point and those around me to my right where my shell casings have landed. Lucky for me the 2 guys in question are to my left. I take a better look at them. One a somewhat pudgy kid, the other a pretty fit looking adult of about 35 years or so with a sort of muscle man shirt worn for the effect, no doubt, of showing off his tattoos of which he has many. One in particular is a word in large fairly bold fancy print, it is across his forehead, of all places. Ah, I think, that word explains it all. I will not write out the word but will spell out the meaning:
a state of utter confusion or disorder or a total lack of organization
No sooner had I seen that, the young fellow had a misfire. The adult says nothing, the kid starts to turn around, rifle in hands still at his shoulder, and the rifle starts to point diagonally across the range, it almost comes to a 90 degree angle away from the target and straight down the firing line at other points and shooters. He looks at the man, then looks at the rifle, then the man takes the rifle and fiddles with it clearing the unfired round and hands it back to the child. While he took the rifle, he was standing just behind the youngster's right shoulder so the rifle, with round in chamber, is now behind the line but he still has it pointed down range basically over the kids shoulder. He hands it back to the boy who finishes shooting what was in the magazine. The boy then heads outside the shooting range, to the other room, leaving the rifle on the bench pointed downrange but with the action closed and the magazine still in place. The adult never told him to unload it and to make it safe.
At that point the adult picks up the rifle, removes the magazine, does not clear the chamber, and reloads the rifle. I think the chamber was empty when he started this but how he could have been sure, without checking, is beyond me. Could have been another misfired round in there for all he knew. Then, another younger shooter comes in and takes the boy's place. This one is at least an older teen, maybe even in her twenties. The adult has her take up a position in the firing point, tells her to pick up the rifle and tells him to shoot. The gal picks it up and tries to shoot. The adult tells her to "...take it off safest". The youth does not know what the adult is talking about or at least does not know where the safety is located. I guess she must have forgotten what this adult most assuredly must have told her when he went over gun safety and how to operate this particular rifle with the youth before ever letting her handle it. What do you think?
Well, the adult points out the safety and says something about how to take it off of safe and place it into the fire mode. The youth then raises the rifle to her shoulder and starts to fire. She fires a full magazine, I think 10 rounds, then the adult brings the target back. There is a group of about 12 inches at its widest point with about 2 or 3 flyers far from the rest of the group with no particular grouping of their own. The adult asked: "didn't you use the scope". The young gal says 'not for the first few shots, then I started to use it'. She did not even know enough to use the scope, probably did not know how to set up her eye in relation to it, yet here she was blazing away with a semi-automatic rifle. The adult says she did just great. Once again, the rifle was put back on the bench with the action closed and the magazine remaining in it. This time though the adult took the rifle from the young shooter and placed it on the bench like that himself. Then he took out the magazine, with the action still closed and started to reload the mag. Me, I walked out the door.
Are you wondering where were the range personnel while all this was going on? I was wondering just that. One was seated in the other room with a thousand yard stare on his face, cup of coffee in his hands, another was flitting around doing this, that and everything but keeping an eye on the shooters, and I think yet another was on the range talking to a curvy female shooter. He seemingly had eyes pretty much only for her. I was about to say something to the guy who was flitting around and when I started to he just flitted right by without paying attention to me. So, I walked over to the other guy with the stare out into heaven knows where and talked to him a bit to see if he was with us. He wasn't interested in anything I had to say, so I decided to get out of there pronto before I could wind up either shot or as a witness to an accidental shooting caused by negligence.
Shame on me for not being more forceful with getting the attention of either of the range guys. I guess the reason was that I was in a hurry. Yep, that is a piss poor reason for not letting them know about what was going on safety violation wise on their range; not an excuse at all. I wonder though if either of them had even a piss poor excuse for not paying attention. If I ever shoot at this place again, I will be sure to be respectful when I advise the shooter, or in the case of a child shooter then his/her adult supervisor, or when I speak to the range personnel, about what most assuredly could have easily tuned into pandemonium and I will be sure to do it. That is usually what I do - I speak up - but I suppose I was off my mark that day. I have no excuse, none at all. I am happy to report I did not hear of any accidental shooting(s) in the area that day, so I guess things turned out okay despite the lack of firearms safety on the part of those shooters.
My biggest point, in this whole rant was not just that you need to be mindful of what you are doing nor that you also have to be mindful of what others are doing while at the range but you really have to be ready to point out safety violations because your life, or another shooter's, may depend on the safety violation being brought to light. So, the most important point I could make about the whole incident I just recounted above is that I should have made sure to say something to someone about the safety violations I saw taking place. Shame on me for not making sure I got that done. I usually do it, but just like with gun safety usually is not good enough, it is an every time kind of a thing. So if you see (a) blatant safety violation(s), you should let a range officer know immediately, that is once you have made your own firearm safe and you can safely tell them. You also can tell the shooter too but beware - sometimes the other shooter will just react as if some
Again, for me not to have told the range officers, or the adult supervising these kids, about what I saw as safety violations, was inexcusable under the circumstances. I will not let it happen again, neither should you let it happen if you see a safety violation at the range.
All the best,
Glenn B
OBAMOPOLY - You Can Only Win By Voting Right
I got this in an email today with no credit given. I see though there is a website shown on the right of the center portion of the board and if you go to that site or just click below, you can see the original post about this piece of very fine political satire:
http://atrueobamanation.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-game-in-town.html
I guess I now have yet another blog to which I absolutely must supply a link. You have got to visit the site and be amazed at some of the stuff there. Great political satire and a great political message for those of us who still love America and the principles upon which this country was founded. I did not think of it, I did not design it, I just enjoyed it and got a big laugh out of it when I saw it and am now sharing it with you. Sometimes the things that seem closest to the truth can give you a good belly laugh even though that apparent truth is scary. Hopefully, when you click on the image, it will enlarge enough for you to be able to read everything on the game board.
The only thing missing, as far as I see it, is that Park Place and Boardwalk maybe should have been something to the effect of: November 2010 elections Move To The Right November 2012 Election Republican Landslide. That way at least someone who is on the right could have had a chance when playing it but of course if it stays the way it is in the game as in real life, I think we all lose. Bear in mind that in real life, the only way America will have a chance is if we beat the tar out of the libs this fall and in 2012. As for the game board, I suppose it is funny/truthful just as it appears and it certainly is one fine piece of work at that!
All the best,
Glenn B
New Blog Added To Blog Roll
I added a new blog to my blog roll, under Other Bloggers of Note, to the right. This is great political stuff/satire. It should make you laugh no matter what side you are on when it comes to politics, that is if you have a sense of humor.
The blog is: America Es Un Obamanation
The address is: http://atrueobamanation.blogspot.com/
All the best,
GB
The blog is: America Es Un Obamanation
The address is: http://atrueobamanation.blogspot.com/
All the best,
GB
Goin' Fishing Again...
...or so I can only hope. The plan, made with the one and only male heir, was to go out this afternoon on a half day boat out of Point Lookout. Of course, plans change and I suppose that hangovers (or maybe just very late nights) will have something to do with messing up the best of plans. As it turned out, I was sound asleep at about 0315 this morning when the side door opened and awakened me. It was my son, who upon entering the house said 'oh shit' and proceeded inside. Don't know what the expletive was all about but that and the hour of his arrival at the old homestead kind of made me think he would not be getting up early enough to go fishing this afternoon. Sure as clockwork, when I knocked on his door at about 10 this morning and asked if he still wanted to go fishing, he said "I'm still sleeping'. I left it at that.
There is a night boat going out, the Captain Al, at 7 tonight. I will most likely be on it as I was last weekend. As for Brendan being on it, well maybe and maybe not. He will probably want to hang out with friends tonight but I am going to do my best into getting him to tag along with me on the fishing trip. If all else fails, I'll try to shame him into it because he slept through our planned trip this afternoon. Yes it is just afternoon as I type, and he is sound asleep! A little humility will do him good, the fishing trip will do him better and a good fishing buddy going along with me will be the best of all. Hopefully we will actually catch some bluefish as opposed to last weekend when all I caught was just about everything but a blue.
Wish me luck, not only with fishing, but with having my best buddy of a fishing partner come along for the trip.
All the best,
Glenn B
There is a night boat going out, the Captain Al, at 7 tonight. I will most likely be on it as I was last weekend. As for Brendan being on it, well maybe and maybe not. He will probably want to hang out with friends tonight but I am going to do my best into getting him to tag along with me on the fishing trip. If all else fails, I'll try to shame him into it because he slept through our planned trip this afternoon. Yes it is just afternoon as I type, and he is sound asleep! A little humility will do him good, the fishing trip will do him better and a good fishing buddy going along with me will be the best of all. Hopefully we will actually catch some bluefish as opposed to last weekend when all I caught was just about everything but a blue.
Wish me luck, not only with fishing, but with having my best buddy of a fishing partner come along for the trip.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 79 - Long Island Shooting Center
On Sunday, I stopped by the Long Island Shooting Center, a place I had not been to probably in a couple to a few years. The LI SC is split into two sections, one being a gun store and the other a range. Only the range was open when I arrived and it would close in about an hour. More than enough time to send some lead downrange and have some fun while getting in some practice. The man behind the counter greeted me pleasantly, checked my ID, asked what I was shooting, then really checked my ID because I had replied "pistol", then told me it would be $11.00 for an hour. I paid up told him I did not need targets or ammo when he asked and then headed to the firing line after he told me to take any open point. I donned my earmuffs and walked into the firing range.
Once on the actual range, I picked a spot and started to set up. It was then I decided to go back out and grab some life sized targets. I had smaller targets and with this ranges fairly high target holders I thought I might put one or three into the ceiling. I realized the cables all had good sized bellies, so to speak, and my target would have been much lower half the distance out, but still at close range they would have been pretty high so the longer targets were the better bet. Then back inside and I was soon blazing away with my Glock 26. (I will admit I goofed when I also grabbed 2 of my Berettas at home but forgot to grab the key set for their cable locks, so it was just what was on my hip for shooting that day.)
When you first enter the range side of the LISC, you may think you walked into a restaurant. It has a counter with several swivel stools and apparently used to be a restaurant of some sorts. behind the counter, today though, you will find a wide assortment of targets, ammunition, and firearms accessories and supplies. The LISC range has several points, I am going to guess 15 to 20. Each has electronically operated target carriers and the range is 50 feet long. About 5 or so of the points had what looked like a pile of railroad ties stacked up down range. I am guessing this is how this range allows something larger than pistol calibers or 22long rifle ammo on some points. While there is usually not much point to shooting large caliber rifles at that close a distance, sometimes you have no to little choice of open ranges in the area, after all this is New York, and you have to shoot where you can. Each point also has lighting within each booth, supposedly one the shooter could dim, but all I could do was turn mine on and off. The downrange portion of the range is fairly well lit. The target carrier control worked well and amounted to a toggle switch for sending the target downrange or bringing it back to the shooter. The range was clean and seemingly well ventilated.
I shot about 250 rounds of various types of 9mm ammo through the Glock. I did well but was having some problems in that the Glock repeatedly failed to feed after about the first 100 rounds. Out of 250 rounds, I would estimate, there were at least 10 failures to feed in the last 150 rounds. A good cleaning is in order and so is a check of the magazines. Shame on me if it was just due to a dirty pistol but that usually is the likely culprit in such cases. I would have sworn I cleaned it right after shooting it last but I may have forgotten to do so. Last time out I shot many more rounds through it than this time, I think around 400 to 500. So with another 100, where the problem started this time, that would have made for one dirty gun and could explain the failures to feed. Never had the problem before. So I will clean it, shoot it, see if it happens again. If not - problem solved. If yes - back to trouble shooting until it is problem solved.
Regardless of the problem with failures to feed, I had a good time. The range personnel were pleasant, the range was clean, it was not to expensive for this area, and it is convenient for me to go to whenever I visit my mom who lives about 10 minutes from the range. I think a few near future return trips are called for and hopefully I will make it there when the gun store half is also open.
All the best,
Glenn B
Once on the actual range, I picked a spot and started to set up. It was then I decided to go back out and grab some life sized targets. I had smaller targets and with this ranges fairly high target holders I thought I might put one or three into the ceiling. I realized the cables all had good sized bellies, so to speak, and my target would have been much lower half the distance out, but still at close range they would have been pretty high so the longer targets were the better bet. Then back inside and I was soon blazing away with my Glock 26. (I will admit I goofed when I also grabbed 2 of my Berettas at home but forgot to grab the key set for their cable locks, so it was just what was on my hip for shooting that day.)
When you first enter the range side of the LISC, you may think you walked into a restaurant. It has a counter with several swivel stools and apparently used to be a restaurant of some sorts. behind the counter, today though, you will find a wide assortment of targets, ammunition, and firearms accessories and supplies. The LISC range has several points, I am going to guess 15 to 20. Each has electronically operated target carriers and the range is 50 feet long. About 5 or so of the points had what looked like a pile of railroad ties stacked up down range. I am guessing this is how this range allows something larger than pistol calibers or 22long rifle ammo on some points. While there is usually not much point to shooting large caliber rifles at that close a distance, sometimes you have no to little choice of open ranges in the area, after all this is New York, and you have to shoot where you can. Each point also has lighting within each booth, supposedly one the shooter could dim, but all I could do was turn mine on and off. The downrange portion of the range is fairly well lit. The target carrier control worked well and amounted to a toggle switch for sending the target downrange or bringing it back to the shooter. The range was clean and seemingly well ventilated.
I shot about 250 rounds of various types of 9mm ammo through the Glock. I did well but was having some problems in that the Glock repeatedly failed to feed after about the first 100 rounds. Out of 250 rounds, I would estimate, there were at least 10 failures to feed in the last 150 rounds. A good cleaning is in order and so is a check of the magazines. Shame on me if it was just due to a dirty pistol but that usually is the likely culprit in such cases. I would have sworn I cleaned it right after shooting it last but I may have forgotten to do so. Last time out I shot many more rounds through it than this time, I think around 400 to 500. So with another 100, where the problem started this time, that would have made for one dirty gun and could explain the failures to feed. Never had the problem before. So I will clean it, shoot it, see if it happens again. If not - problem solved. If yes - back to trouble shooting until it is problem solved.
Regardless of the problem with failures to feed, I had a good time. The range personnel were pleasant, the range was clean, it was not to expensive for this area, and it is convenient for me to go to whenever I visit my mom who lives about 10 minutes from the range. I think a few near future return trips are called for and hopefully I will make it there when the gun store half is also open.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Tasty Fish...
...was that American Eel when cooked on my BBQ grill under the silvery light of the full moon shining through the cloud cover. I just cooked it right after posting my previous post. It took me the better part of 45 minutes, maybe a bit longer at medium heat, to get it to where it was just starting to become fairly tender. It started to become white and somewhat flaky as cooked white colored fish should by that time, probably could have cooked a couple of minutes more but I was anxious to taste it. It actually had turned white within about 5 to 10 minutes but took much longer until it was tender/flaky enough to consider done and was just much too chewy before 45 minutes. I don't know if that is just because it was an eel or because it was as old as it must have been, to be as big as it was, but that was one slow cooking fish. It was worth the wait and I enjoyed the company of 2 St. Pauli Girls along the way. By the way, nothing like smoked eel at all as far as I remember but still quite delicious.
Maybe it was the anticipation of tasting it, maybe it was the 2 St. Pauli Girls, or maybe it was because I cooked it under the glow of a full moon but I have to say that was one fine tasting fish when grilled. Of course, it should have been tasty since I caught, cleaned (taking care to remove the red oily meat near the spine) and took my time grilling it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Maybe it was the anticipation of tasting it, maybe it was the 2 St. Pauli Girls, or maybe it was because I cooked it under the glow of a full moon but I have to say that was one fine tasting fish when grilled. Of course, it should have been tasty since I caught, cleaned (taking care to remove the red oily meat near the spine) and took my time grilling it.
All the best,
Glenn B
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