Blackthorn

Crime Wars ( Cartel PDF)

2012-01-16T13:58:00.001-08:00

This link is to a PDF, of a report issued in 2010 by a group called CNAS. Center For a New American Security. They are a Non Governmental Think tank that discusses long term problems, and potential solutions to situations that have or could have an effect on American security. This is not just about potential military threats.

Economic issues, access to resources, alliances, international crime, trafficking in sex, drugs, pirated media, etc.

This report is about the expansion and advancement of the Cartels out of central america. Inroads here in the US, and how ethnic gangs are used to distribute smuggled goods, and the attendant violence, and the potential for destabilization of our economy and governmental services.

I'm just letting you know now, it's over 80 pages long.

http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/CNAS_CrimeWars_KillebrewBernal_3.pdf

South Of The Border (S.O.B.) Part 3

2012-01-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

Those wonderful Mexican Cartels are at it again. The link (from June 2011) provided below has pictures and info on Do It Yourself armored vehicles. I'm not talking about Limo's or Big SUV's that have some plating added. I'm talking about steel plate several inches thick, and heavy glass viewports to match, mounted on heavy truck frames.

Some trucks are big enough to accommodate up to 20 armed men. One Cartel garage was found with 2 completed vehicles, and enough Ford 350, 3-axle trucks to build 23 more.

Crude without a doubt, but a sobering peek at what the future holds down Mexico way.

http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com/telstarlogistics/2011/06/mexican-drug-cartels-create-diy-armored-vehicles.html

Observations On The World

2012-01-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

"When you're born, you get a free ticket to the Freak Show. If you're born in America, you get a front row seat"
George Carlin

"And if you're born in NYC or LA, you get a backstage pass"
Me

South Of The Border Way Part 2

2011-12-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Below are links to PDFs of reports put together for Congress. The first details the activities and threats posed by the Mexican Cartels in 2007. One of the more interesting small details mentioned is the fact that aside from the Zetas being used for enforcers, there is also mention that former Kaibiles (Guatemalan Special Forces) are also being used.

Apparently the Cartels are equal opportunity employers.

The second report details the escalation of violence in 2008/9 as the Mexican government attempted to rein in the Cartels. Possibly a case of too little, too late.
It also goes to highlight the possible roots of the current Fast & Furious scandal.

As the old saying goes, never let a good disaster or emergency situation go to waste. Not when you can turn it to your own political and/or monetary advantage.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34215.pdf

http://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=36556

Assuming anybody reading the blog is interested (hard to tell since I lost my Hit Counter) please leave a comment, and I will try to put up more posts of this nature.

Nuevo Laredo cartel Shootout July 2010

2011-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Just for anybody reading my blog who doesn't know who the Zetas are, I am posting the below link as an example of their handiwork.

Essentially, they are ex-mexican military and special forces personnel who decided that working for the Cartels was simply more lucrative than working for the government.

WARNING: The link below has graphic images of dead bodies and is not for the squeamish, nor is it safe for most workplaces.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35201752/NuevoLaredoCartelGunBattle7-16-2010

South of the Border Way..

2011-12-28T09:31:00.001-08:00

John Robb of the the GlobalGuerillas website (link at right) has a very particular slant on the decline of modern nation-states. One of his terms is 'Hollowing Out'. It involves a situation where the governments sphere of control within the country declines, and the areas of the country have their service s actually provided by trans-national corporations and transnational criminal enterprises.

Mexico is a prime example of 'Hollowing Out'. The link below to a Washington Post article shows how the Cartels are more and more able to create their own infrastructure backed by drug money, and enforced by former military personnel that have turned to crime, such as the Zetas.

All the while our own government, BOTH parties, dither about securing the southwestern border states.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/equipment-seizures-show-mexican-drug-cartels-operate-sophisticated-communications-networks/2011/12/26/gIQAjJu6IP_print.html

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T20:27:00.001-08:00

Black Sabbath Time!

2011-12-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

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Lessons Learned From Irene

2011-12-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, I know, the hurricane was 4 months ago. I'm lazy, so sue me.
I'm not going to get into a bunch of heavy stuff here that has been done to death elsewhere. I'm going to cover several mundane items and details that people don't normally cover about preparedness.
The reason they don't being that what I'm going to cover is not the "cool" stuff. No guns, no anti-zombie machetes, ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

For today, I'm going to cover 4 points. As I said, mundane, yet still necessary.
So let's get going.

Item 1: In early 2010, while perusing eBay, I came across a battery powered LED lantern from Coleman. It looks just like their old propane model only it's powered by 4 D cell batteries. It was pretty cheap, and shipping was included in the price. I ordered it, I checked it out and I must say I was impressed. Made in China unfortunately, but still, solidly made and easy to operate. You screw off the bottom plate to insert the batteries, and then screw it back on. There's only one switch, and it has a low setting and a high.
I don't really know jack shit about lumens, but this thing throws off a real good amount of light, that is well diffused and did a good job of lighting up my living room (14' x 28' +/-). The lower setting isn't as bright but will allow the batteries to last longer.
A couple of months after I bought the first one, a noreaster came through NYC and knocked down some trees in my area that in turn took down some some power lines. I was impressed enough with this sucker to turn around and order a second one soon after.
Just Google Coleman D cell Lantern. Pick one up, you won't be sorry.

Item 2: This is directly related top Item 1, but carries over to any other gear you may have.
Batteries.
When Irene hit I made the mistake of thinking I had enough D cells for the two lanterns. Suffice to say I didn't. At least not stored away in the house. I had enough for one lantern, and cursed myself for not making sure before Irene hit. Fortunately though, I remembered that I kept a D cell flashlight in one of my cars, and when I checked, I had enough in the flashlight, combined with a couple of extras in the trunk to get the lantern going.
A quick aside: I also have a batch of nifty little items that are essentially hollow cases with metal contact points on the ends that mimic the size of AA, C, and D cell batteries. What they allow you to do is put a AAA battery in the AA case, which then fits inside whatever device you have that takes AA batts. AAs can be put inside C size, and C or AA can be used to fill the D size model. While you don't get the full power that you would get from the actual, corrwect size batteries, they still allow you to operate your flashlights, radios, lanterns, etc.
Believe me, they are very cool, and very inexpensive.
But to get back to the primary point of Item 2, make sure that actually have what you think you have. Don't "assume" anything.

Moving on....

Item 3: Talk about mundane, this next item is something you should all have. Especially if you have a house with a basement.
I was in Kmart one day picking up some wiper blades for my cars. And there at the end of the automotive aisle was a stack of 5 gallon buckets, with handles on them, and a great big KMART logo on the front in big honking letters. At $1.25 each, I scooped up two and brought them home.

Yes, I paid for them you bunch of cynical bastids'. I can be cheap, but I'm not a thief.

When my wife saw them she asked "What the hell did you get those for?" I just smiled. Over the next few weeks I used them for washing the cars, yardwork, and other everyday jobs.
But the clincher came that first morning after Irene hit. I woke up, realized we had no power and was laying in bed when it suddenly hit me. No power, .....

OH SHIT, THE SUMP PUMP IN THE BASEMENT ISN'T WORKING!!!!!!!!

I will not bore you with the tale of having a kidney stone attack while carrying buckets of water from the sump pit at the front of my basement to the slop sink at the back where I was dumping it out with assistance from my son. God Bless him and his healthy back!!

To sum it up, make sure you have a few of these laying around. Their uses are only limited by your imaginations.

Oh yeah, did I mention that they're cheap? ;-)

And finally....

Item 4: Finding ourselves without power, we also made another discovery. I cut Verizon loose well over a year ago, and Time Warner now provides my TV, Internet and phone service. And I'm quite happy about it.
However...
Unlike Verizon, where your landline service continues to function even if the power goes out, with Time Warner, when the power goes, so does your phone service. So, OK, no big deal, you just use your cell phones. Unfortunately, no power, no recharging your cell phone batteries.

But fear not, just make sure that you have a charger that works off of your car cigarette lighter, and all will be well.

Anyhow, as I said up at the top, there was obviously no earth shattering revelations in this blog post. But every single thing I mentioned could make the difference between getting along until things get back to normal, or being miserable.

The choice is yours. Have a nice day!

Urban Survival or "That's Damned Good Eating"

2011-11-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

I know I'm guilty of just doing a lot of cut and pasting instead of actually writing anything, but hey, at least I can archive some interesting stuff that other people might not find otherwise on the web.

Anyhow, the following article I've linked to is a bit freaky, and not for the squeamish.

I simply offer it as "Food" for thought! LOL!

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=81126

ATTENTION!!

2011-10-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

I am now recruiting Members (not followers) for the Blog.

Sign Up.....or else!

This Is Fuckin' Ridiculous

2011-10-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

Look, I am most definitely NOT a Conspiracy Theorist, but this shit is insane. It's so screwed up even I believe it.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I'm Not His Biggest Fan, But Pat Buchanan Sums It Up Nicely

2011-09-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=45987

Copy & paste the above link into your browser. For some reason I've been unable to insert the link so that you can just click on it. It happened about the same time I lost my Hit Counter. Apparently Blogger is starting to get like YUKU.

Ever Wonder How The Federal Reserve Really Does Business?

2011-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.bloomberg.com/data-visualization/federal-reserve-emergency-lending#/overview/?sort=nomPeakValue&group=none&view=peak&position=0&comparelist=&search=

Holy Shit Batman, I've lost my Hit Counter!!

2011-08-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Damn You Irene!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Irene - The Aftermath

2011-08-29T17:56:00.001-07:00

Okey-Dokey! Well, the storm itself didn't do much as far as extraordinary damage goes by way of S.I. New York standards. Some bad flooding in the neighborhoods generally considered "the usual suspects" around these parts. Mayor Mickey Mouse, er ahh, I mean Mike Bloomberg orederd mandatory evacuations of over 300,000 residents in the 5 boroughs.

1400 hundred showed up at the evac. centers he set up. Now a lot of people went to stay with relatives in other parts of the city, and to be quite honest, it would appear that whole boatload wound up staying in local bars.

Hey, NYC may be a liberal bastion, but we're still a party town!

The next time Mayor Mike wants mandatory evacuations, he might consider allowing the cops to actually arrest people who resist. Ahem......

He also had the MTA shutdown the entire mass transit system. To a certain degree, not a bad idea. OTOH, it also smacks of overkill.

Considering how badly he got his ass reamed for being in Bermuda (or was it the Bahamas) when we got socked with over two feet of snow last winter, I guess his overzealous paranoia is understandable. Especially for the vain, petty, power hungry, uber-rich, arrogant horses ass that he essentially is.

Anyhow, My health has been shit for the last 6 months on an on-again/off-again (more on than off) so I've really neglected the Blog. Between back, leg, neck and for the past week, kidney stone problems (have you ever tried manning the bucket brigade to keep your basement from flooding while you feel like you've been beaten across the kidney with a baseball bat?).I'll try to rectify that (if anyone cares) over the next couple/few weeks. Lessons learned from Irene, and some gear reviews will probably make up the bulk of them.

Anyway, until then, good night to you Irene survivors, and to anybody else who actually follows this blog (and the hit counter says that there are more than a few of you).

Irene Comes a Callin'

2011-08-26T13:17:00.001-07:00

It's shaping up to be a fun weekend in NYC....
http://www.news.yahoo.com/irene-evacuations-transit-shutdown-ordered-nyc-181930305.html

The Ultimate Survival Tip

2011-08-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

You can talk about guns, knives, GPS's, first aid kits, water purification, bug-out bags, EDC, et al, ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

Your primary Survival tool is yourself, and probably the one thing that so many don't even think about is your own damned health.

Point: This morning I got up for work and felt a slight twinge in my back. Considering the damage I've done over the years, it was nothing particularly noticeable. I took my shower, got dressed and walked up to the bus stop. I got on the express bus and within 5 minutes the twinge in my back turned into a full blown pain like nothing I had ever experienced in my life.
With the traffic this morning I was stuck on that frigging bus for 1-1/4 hrs. By the time I got to work, I thought i was going to die. I tried taking it easy but it wasn't getting better, so for the first time in my life, I asked my supervisor to call 911.
A short while later the ambulance came, and luckily there is good hospital; just 3 blocks from where I work. By the time I got there, the pain had actually started to subside.
To make a long story short, a quick examination, combined with my description of what I was later told were textbook symptoms, and the results of a urine test showed that I have a kidney stone.
They discharged me after about an hour (and for the record, I managed to avoid having to put on one of those em-bare-assing hospital gowns) they discharged me after giving me painkiller and an anti-inflammatory.
Tomorrow I have to see my regular doctor, and I'm told that for the next 7-10 days I am going to be drinking a shitload of water and waiting to piss this thing out.

I'm thrilled i tell you, just thrilled.

The point of this rambling post you ask?

Simple, take care of your health, or IT will take care of YOU!

This has been a public service announcement.

Ron Hood R.I.P. 6-21-2011

2011-06-23T08:55:00.001-07:00

Some Suggestions For When The SHTF

2011-06-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Taken from a Post at the M4Carbine.net Forum.

I'm sure some people will be able to disagree with a a couple of things in here, but overall, I think this guy makes some pretty valuable points.

Stuff To Consider When Planning For SHTF Scenarios

From the somewhat guilt filled comforts of Greece, I have been thinking about what I learned from the recent Cairo SHTF experience. I am not putting myself forth as an expert of any sort and, frankly, many or even most items on the list below might be flat out wrong….who the hell knows. We were in Cairo from Jan 25th until late Feb 3rd when the neighborhood gunfire became full-auto and regularly occurring. At that point, we decided that Friday prayers (the next day) might not yield a pleasant experience. We had no way of knowing that we had already seen the worst.

Lesson #1….the best weapon for SHTF is truly whatever F*&$ING firearm you can lay your hands on and it does not matter the slightest bit what it is! I had a borrowed three shot semi-auto Beretta 26" bbl trap grade shotgun. I LOVED IT. It was my baby and I truly miss it now!. That said, I would have given my left nut for my Yugo underfolder or SGL-21. Frankly, I am now of the opinion that if, in the moment, you are being AT ALL picky about firearms then by definition the shit has NOT truly hit the fan. One guy on our street only had a nice little S&W J-frame .22 and he seemed a lot more relaxed than the guys with baseball bats I can tell you that!

Lesson #2…..Good will with one’s friends and neighbors has the power to greatly enhance or even make unnecessary ABSOLUTELY ANY prep you can make (including having money). Bad will with ones neighbors similarly has the ability to completely nullify any prep (again, including having money). I am and was the lucky beneficiary and supplier of the former. As an example, one night on the street a local young cop who lived in the neighborhood asked me "where did you get that shotgun". I winked and said, "I found it". He just smirked and said, "Oh…OK". End of conversation. That’s what is achieved by six years of being the "Cool American" who takes the time to chat with everyone from street vendors, doormen, and neighborhood kids to villa owners and businessmen.

Lesson #3….Bugging out is really only an option if you are lucky enough to be psychic and see the shit BEFORE it truly hits the fan. The bug out plans you have will almost certainly physically be blocked when SHTF. Good luck getting to Alexandria after SHTF in Tahrir square or to Aswan when the government shuts down the rail network! Frankly, we almost realized we had those options before they were blocked off but by they might have been more dangerous than bugging in with our friends and neighbors and banding together to protect the neighborhood. Further, I did not want to be a "refugee" so bugging in was perfectly fine since we prepped wisely. That said, and in spite of the above, when you see an escape route, RUN (see Lesson #4 and #11)!

Lesson #4….Do NOT be too proud to become a "refugee" if you can manage it comfortably. There is a world of difference between being a penniless "refugee" and taking a "strategic vacation" (new term I just invented!) on a commercial flight with a fat wad of cash (see Lesson #13).

Lesson #5…People are stupid. There MAY (repeat…MAY) still be time to prep the very day and even the second or third day the shit is "kinda" hitting the fan (SKHTF! another new term!). Grocery stores MAY still be open and things MAY be as normal for a short time. Now is the time to stock up on little things you may need more of or on comfort items. I saw this happen in Cairo even the first days of the worst rioting. Stores were open even a couple blocks from Tahrir strangely enough….for a while. Day three of the revolution, when Tahrir looked like a legitimate war-zone, the Souq two blocks from the square was selling us vegetables and canned goods and, amazingly, was not all that busy! We cleaned them out and distributed surplus to those in our building who could not or would not go out (See Lesson #2)

Lesson #6….Murphy’s law applies. Preps will fail or break or prove impractical when you least expect. For example, the sat phone I just replaced worked just fine for all of the last five years. I wanted to upgrade and bought the new model that arrived in Cairo a week before the riots when my wife returned from the US. The brand new com equipment that would have totally bailed us out when the govt cut cell and internet….you guessed it….had a bad battery shipped with it!! Moral of the story: Invest in MULTIPLE redundancies! I am now also buying a handheld HAM system.

Lesson #7….Marry well! Perhaps this should be Lesson #1. My wife was calm and collected for the 10 days we were in Cairo during SHTF. She was organizing things around the house and with neighbors and even making improvised weaponry (clubs) even better with the addition of protruding nails etc. She rocks! She also cooked for the "neighborhood watch" and is now absolutely LOVED by the people around us! She helped with Lesson #2 immensely because NO other wives in the neighborhood were bringing tea and food to the guys on the street.

Lesson #8….You don’t have to "bug out" to MOVE and make things a great deal easier for yourself! Just because the shit is hitting the fan where you are does NOT mean it is hitting the fan even 10 miles away. This is not bugging out…just moving. When we were driving to the airport on day ten or eleven, I was amazed that a short 10 minute drive away there were no tanks or APCs and people were calm. The whole vibe was so different that it kinda made me suspect that something was wrong. SHTF had become "normal" for me to the point that "normal" now looked scary and suspicious. We even passed a wedding that was taking place where everyone looked totally calm. We didn’t realize for 10 days that all we really had to do was find a new apartment or take a nice hotel room 20 miles away from our current location. Lesson learned! Don’t become married to your "role" in SHTF.

Lesson #9…When the players in a conflict become ill-defined, it’s time to step aside. If you know who the bad guys are, you can play this game but when it becomes a war of all against all, it becomes imperative to stay out of the game where EVERYONE loses. The Feb 2 riots that took place the night before we left were a perfect example of this. It was no longer just looters we were worried about, it was EVERYONE. Buildings were being occupied in Tahrir presumably by both sides of the conflict and I didn’t want to wait for this phenomenon to come 5 blocks south to us. If SHTF starts to look too much like civil war, it’s "game over" and time to make a change.

Lesson #10…Stockpiling is 100% rational. Even if you wind up bugging out or SHTF is short enough to not use everything you have stashed, your foresight will help others and will contribute greatly to your ability to adhere to Lesson #2. Just because you are able to bug out does not mean others will have the same luxury and these people WILL need your help.

Lesson #11…People WILL sell you out. Be prepared for it and know that it might come from anywhere…."Friends", Relatives, or employers. Someone will almost assuredly ditch you or put you in a tight spot while covering their own ass. The toughest part of this lesson is coming to terms with the fact that at some point, it’s totally justifiable and yes even forgivable. Understand that at some point your OWN family will be the priority and that you will be the one who is selling out people you know and likely care for. I know that this is not at all a comfortable thought, but it is realistic.

Lesson #12…Some people will surprise you. People from whom you might expect animosity, will sometimes provide you with the help you need and incur substantial risk or personal cost to do it. Just like you will at some point very likely be embodying Lesson #11, you will (or definitely F($**ING should) be embodying Lesson #12 as well.

Lesson #13….Diverisfy your financial position. Gold will not buy groceries (but see Lesson #14) and cash won’t buy an emergency flight over the internet. Similarly, your big neighborhood Christian grocer will get freaked out over the religious implications of SHTF and close. Guess what, he is the only guy in a 10 mile radius who takes credit cards…so have cash! Further, diversify your currencies in international terms by holding foreign currency for the place you intend to bug out too (and maybe even one or two others since you never know where you might be going). From now on I will hold Egyptian Pounds, Dollars, Euros, and Jordanian Dinar….at a minimum.

Lesson #14…Gold….OWN IT! It may not work with the grocer you barely know as a medium of exchange but it damn sure makes great collateral eg. "OK…you keep this gold sovereign and I will buy it back from you for the 200 Egyptian pounds I owe you as soon as the ATMs start working". It’s great bribe material too, though I didn’t have to resort to it, when you want to get your beloved dog on a "no-pets" flight.

Lesson #15….Silver….Keep some but only buy it in major quantity with your gold when things have calmed down and you know you wont be bugging out! Silver had taken a good dip about a week before SHTF and I was this close to buying a few kg bars the day or two before the protests started. I didn’t and am VERY glad. Silver is of course bulky and heavy and I would not have needed those extra kgs when we were finally on the move ten or eleven days later. Silver is a great medium of exchange when things have settled down after SHTF but it is not a great prep UNLESS you keep it confined to maybe a single kg of junk silver or small rounds.

Lesson #16….Be flexible and creative. SHTF will be unique to the surroundings and people and cause thus necessitating quick thinking that is outside the box and the formulation of solutions to problems that may work today but not tomorrow. Do NOT become married to a situation, your role in it, or the solution to a problem that may not work for you tomorrow.

Lesson #17….Be intimidating when you think it will work. Develop a war face! Be loud and fearless and look like someone capable of anything…it minimizes negotiation and whining in other parties. Simultaneously, know when to fly under the radar and when to say "Katy bar the door!" The nature of SHTF changes over time and necessitates that YOU change who you are to a very substantial degree.

Lesson #18….Stock your liquor cabinet. Do so partially for barter and good will purposes, but also understand that when a curfew is imposed during SHTF, the impromptu "revolution party" will become common. I was teargassed on day 3 or 4 and scooped up six random study abroad journalism students who were literally trapped by police in my neighborhood. The police had blocked off all entrances and exits so these red-eyed kids could literally not get home. We all went back to my apartment where, over the next 6 hours or so, my wife, these kids, and I did some serious damage to a bottle of red label. On top of that, the realistic reason for stocking up is that after a few days of staying up all night enjoying what SHTF has to offer, you will have trouble sleeping and a wee dram never hurts.

Lesson #19…When SHTF is over, be prepared for a LOT of odd behavior on the part of people you know. There will be lots of unnecessary crap about "who did what" during SHTF and arguments about how we can avoid SHTF in the future or how we can rebuild or "unify" in the wake of SHTF. Everyone will think their ideas are the best and the very real conflict between people you know will push you and those around you back toward a SHTF situation to some degree. The moral of this story is, if you are a foreigner, keep your damned mouth shut. Even if you are a local, the arguments are just not worth it.

Lesson #20…You learned who your friends are during SHTF…now treat them that way! For example, I no longer visit my big neighborhood grocer who closed and locked sh!t up tighter than a drum for the FULL DURATION of SHTF. I do, however, now regularly frequent the tiny-a$$ little grocery store with the mediocre selection around the corner. Why? Because it is owned and operated by a 50 year old guy who was open every single day of SHTF and I saw him regularly at 2:00am guarding the front of his store (and others) armed with nothing more than a hippo-hide whip (sjambok). He was doing this when the very reliable rumor was that looters had stolen police vehicles, uniforms, and guns. I don’t care that this guy doesn’t have the shampoo my wife likes, I am buying my groceries from him! Lessons From Cairo – M4Carbine.net Forums

Getting More For Your Money At The Pumps

2011-04-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, Spring is upon us, Summer is right around the corner, and the Oil Companies are at it again. Hopefully, the following may help a little:

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold.Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Quantitative Easing Explained.....

2010-11-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is both hilarious and pathetic at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTUY16CkS-k

Review - Unarmed Against The Knife

2010-11-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

"Unarmed Against The Knife" by Oscar Diaz-Cobo Copyright 1982

Where to begin? When this book came up in another thread a couple of weeks ago, I had never read it. Considering the number of knife-fighting books that I have read over the last 15 years or so, I had pretty much decided to never really spend too much time reading any more knife-fighting books.

I should have stuck to my original plan.

Look, I have to admit, I have seen worse books.

So, enough jokes and cracking on this book. Let's look at some of the plusses of the book and there really are a few.

Let's cover two things that are never covered in other books of this type. Firstly, physical conditioning. There is a short chapter (about 4 pages) on physical & "mental" conditioning. Nothing too outlandish, some isometric exercises, pushups, grip training, and even some basic hand conditioning routines. He even brings up practicing to yell when you attack a knife wielding opponent, so as to 'psyche youreself up' while at the same time trying to 'psyche out' your attacker. Also, practice putting on a 'mean' face for the same reasons.

He then finishes up the chapter with 'hypnotic visualization'. "Practice visualizing yourself destroying your opponent". This should give you an idea of how the rest of the book is going to go.

The second thing he covers is actually rather practical and as I said above is never covered in knife-fighting books.
Basic first aid if you or a friend are injured. Again, nothing spectacular, just some solid, reasonable advice.

These two items, taken together are an example of the books most basic flaw. Every time the author gives you something useful, he manages to follow it up with something that just leaves you shaking your head.

A lot of his unarmed defenses aginst knife attacks are actually very practical. Fight dirty, throw shit in your attackers face, pick up a garbage can cover (remember the book is 28 years old, this is before most trash cans were made of plastic). Attack the attackers knifehand/arm, and then close with him and just tear the shit out of him by going for the throat or eyes. Finger jabs, hammerfists, EOH blows, knees, a LOT of good stuff. But then he starts going into some overdone footwork, and man let me tell you, this guy must be part vampire because there are more than a few pictures of him biting his attacker. Not that it isn't a good tactic if the opportunity presents itself, but he seems to have a predeliction towards using his choppers.

Another problem is all his defenses seem to be predicated on his attacker pulling their blade out and letting him know that they're coming. In the chapter on improvised weapons (and as I said above, some of his stuff is quite practical) he shows a woman using her umbrella in a two-handed bayonet style, and ramminig the metal tip into her attackers face. The problem comes from the fact that the attacker is crouched down behind a tree, on a residential block, in broad daylight, with a Kabar exposed in his hand.

Now look, I know sometimes the pictures are just staged badly, but it is a recurring problem in this book.

One of the worst techniques in the book involves the attacker having come up behind his victim, put a knife up against the guys' right kidney area, and wrapped his left forearm around the victims mouth. The victim then turns toward his attacker by spinning to his right, ie: turning INTO the point of the knife at his right kidney.

You do the math.

OK, to sum up, while there are a lot of things in this book done right, there are, in my opinion, just as many done wrong.
Which is why I cannot recommend this book. The fact is, if you are able to separate the good info from the bad info, you don't NEED this book. If you are a newbie, and relatively inexperienced at unarmed knife defenses , you won't be able to segregate the wheat from the chaff, and you might just get yourself killed.

Take a pass on this one guys, it's just not worth it.

BTW, anybody want to buy slightly used book....cheap?

NOTE: This is a slightly edited version of a review originally published in another online forum in 2006.

Review - Colt TrailScout

2010-11-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

I know it's not very "tactical", and the blade is even 420J2 (eww!). However, it is one well made knife. Most of you who have been around the forums for any length of time know that I have always been a Knife Nut. A few years ago I stopped buying expensive knives and even sold off or gave away most of my old collection. The word collection being the operative word here. While I still have a couple of old quality blades that I decided to keep for sentimental reasons, most of my EDC's and real utility users are now practical, and dare I say it, CHEAP!

I mess it up, who cares.
I lose it, who cares.

These days I can afford to replace whatever I damage or lose because it no longer costs me an arm-and-a-leg to get a new one.

This does not mean I buy junk. It means I've taken everything I've learned about knives over the last 30 years or so and finally managed to put it to good use for me instead of for every knife retailer and custom/semicustom maker in America.

And all this finally brings me back to the Colt TrailScout. First of all I paid less than the price you see listed at the website that is hosting the picture I linked to above.
This is, as I said, one well made knife. I've never been a fan of 420J2 steel, but apparently somebody finally figured out how to get decent edge-holding abilities out of it. I've tried it on everything from cardboard, to a London Broil, whittled wood, cut nylon and cotton rope/cord and duct tape just to give you an example because there was other stuff but I just can't think of it right now.

The handle appears to be cast aluminum with a checkered heavy rubber slip on coating that fits into a pre-machined portion of the handle. The grip is excellent without being too tacky. One of the things I like best about this knife is the heavy half-guard that actually keeps your fingers from sliding up onto the blade during a thrust. No I haven't been going around stabbing people, or even any cheap rump roasts from the butchers. Pine 1x12"s and old duffel bags filled with old rags and wrapped in duct tape have proven to me that my fingers and tendons are safe if I ever have to jab this knife into anything solid.

Hell, it even works in Reverse-grip edge out for all you pickle fans out there.

Finally, the sheath. Again, not at all tactical, but made of a thick Nylon material with a stiff plastic liner. The stitching is well done, and the retention snap and strap are both solid as a rock. You'd have a problem getting it out in hurry for Self Defense, but you'd never have to worry about losing it in the woods or doing some work at a construction site. If you want to make it "tactical" though, just go buy yourself some Kydex, read some articles, and make yourself a "tactical" sheath.

So there you have it, solid, reliable, and with plenty of potential for SD.

And with the money you save, you can actually go out and enjoy your life, instead of sitting home and trying to save every last penny you can, just so you can buy the latest Self Defense Wonder Knife that'll cost you so much money, that you'll be afraid to carry and use it for fear of scratching the blade

NOTE: This is a sllightlty edited version of a Review I published online at a small forum in 2006)

Americane - The Review

2010-11-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

At 58 pages long, a lot of people might feel that this manual was too short. They would have complained that a lot of specific scenarios were left out, and not covered.
To that I say BULLSHIT!
This Manual covers just the right amount of material, and is in keeping with the basic simplicity of Close Combat. I've been through FMA schools and seminars, and I've bought tapes and books galore. I've seen material that was good, bad and in-between, but this Manual gets right to the heart of what it is we do.
No fancy maneuvers, no complicated footwork, and you don't need to be young athletic guy to pull the majority of this material off.

The book starts off with how Ralph and Josh came up with the idea for this Manual, and then moves on to what it hopes to achieve. Which is simply to provide the reader with the information that he needs to use a common cane or walking stick to protect himself from an unprovoked assault. They quickly go on to explain which type/style of cane they feel is the best for SD usage. They also however explain how you can compensate to some degree if for some reason you choose another style.

The Manual then goes on to explain and describe the methods of grip and style. Not to be too specific, because I don't want to give everything away, but primarily we're talking about the Bonafant (Reverse) grip, and two styles of two-handed grip. The Largo Mano, and the Bayonet. Through pictorial sequences and written descriptions, they proceed to demonstrate the various strikes for each style, and use some scenario specific uses.
This also includes the incorporation of kicks and strikes in conjunction with the cane techniques, as well as ways for transitioning from one grip style to another.

The manual also includes some basic training sequences (or katas if you will) , as well as the almost obligatory anatomical chart indicating which parts of the body are the most vulnerable to the various attacks. There is a section on footwork, training drills, and training equipment that will help you develop your ability to use the common cane to protect yourself.

Now, believe me when I say that after knowing and training with Ralph for close to 10 years now, there was very little in this Manual that I hadn't been hit with (both literally as well as figuratively) before. As I stated at the beginning of this review, I've gone through literally dozens of books, Manuals, and tapes on stickfighting, and In my opinion, this short Manual has, as they say, everything you need, and nothing you don't.

So what the fuck are you waiting for. Google up LULU.com and get a damned copy already!!

Stickfighting For Real People

2010-11-13T07:35:00.001-08:00

If you're reading this Blog you probably have a pretty good idea of where my interests lay. This book has been a long time coming, and I'm eagerly awaiting it's delivery. If you have an interest in Stickfighting using a common everyday walking cane, this is the book for you.
My early MA training was in Doce Pares Escrima, so don't think I'm cracking on FMA stick methods. It's just that it's a lot easier to walk around with a cane/walkingstick than it is with a 26 to 30 inch length of rattan.

Available from Lulu.com at
http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fSearch=americane&fListingClass=7

Don't pass this one up.

Ahhh.... Just Another Day in Area "D" (For Dungeon)

2010-05-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the 'Get Tough' Seminar on 5-2-2010, another day of bruising and fun was had by all the Attendees!

Here's a little clip for a teaser. I hope everyone perusing the Blog finds it interesting.

Les (Survivorman) Stroud On Surviving Urban Floods

2010-02-08T16:19:00.001-08:00

I just became aware of these Vids posted on Youtube. I like Les Stroud, even though I think he's more than a little nuts. His material and info is always stright-up and to-the-point with no discernible bullshit.
I'm posting the links to these vids on Youtube because I'm too damned lazy to take the time to download all of them to my Blog.

I hope whoever still checks out my Blog finds the information of some use.

Survivorman - Surviving Urban Disasters Ep1 "Flood" Part 1/5
Survivorman - Surviving Urban Disasters Ep1 "Flood" Part 2/5
Survivorman - Surviving Urban Disasters Ep1 "Flood" Part 3/5
Survivorman - Surviving Urban Disasters Ep1 "Flood" Part 4/5
Survivorman - Surviving Urban Disasters Ep1 "Flood" Part 5/5

A Little "Groundwork" In The Dungeon

2010-01-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

A quick little snippet from the Groundwork Workshop on 1-24-10. Nothing like watching two brothers have a little "fun".

The premise is that you've wound up down on the ground. You've either slipped, been knocked down, or maybe you just made the mistake of going to one knee to pound someone that you just took/knocked down, and now another guy is looking to put the boots to you.

But then again, what do we know, we're just WW2 guys

It was a good day for all. Especially me, since all my aging ass had to do was tape everybody else beating the hell out of each other! LOL!!

Hot Tuna at the Beacon 12-05-09

2009-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

By now you guys must have figured out that I'm a big fan of HOT F##KING TUNA!!!!

Saw the show with my friend Mike. My son was supposed to come with us, but he came down with the flu.

It snowed on the way while I was driving into Manhattan. Add in all the holiday traffic, and all the changes in the traffic patterns that have been enacted by that shithead Bloomberg and his entourage of alleged geniuses, and getting up to the Beacon in time was little short of a nightmare.

But hey, at least I lucked out and found parking within minutes of getting there!

A quick burger at the Utopia Diner, and inside we went. One little hitch though.....

They FRISKED everybody!! I mean not for anything, but the Hot Tuna crowd is made up essentially of ex-hippies in their 50s and 60s.

Not exactly your typical troublemaking crowd.

Suffice to say I wound up having to toss one of my knives in the garbage bin!

Ahem, you'll note I said one. Heh, heh, heh......

Anyway, after several Jack Daniels and listening to Loudon Wainwright (the 3rd) handle the warmup, Hot Tuna came out SMOKING!!!!

And they didn't let up for the rest of the night. Two solid hours of Jorma and Jack proving that even at 70, they've still got it!!

What a night!

Blues Traveller at Tarrytown Music Hall 10-07-09

2009-11-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

Once again unto the breach at the Tarrytown Music Hall!! Without a doubt this place is my second favorite venue, breathing hard on the heels of the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan. I tried to upload a video of the show to the blog, but things just weren't working out, so I decided to put up the picture and include this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KPAkeytGtI to Youtube, where I was able to upload the video.
Enjoy folks!!
BTW, to DR, you should really like it, there's plenty of harmonica in there for you.

"Dungeon" Seminar - Cane Seminar Part 2

2009-10-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

One more from the Seminar. Using the cane in a two-handed grip to fend off someone trying to grab you by the lapel or throat. This method was not specifically Bonafant, but was how to use a bar smash, combined with the Fairbairn rake across the midsection, or a thrust to the solar plexus (or gut, face, throat, etc.) to make your attackers day more than a touch miserable.

By the time the seminar was over, even with hand and wrist protection, most of the guys had sore/banged-up wrists and forearms.

Ah yes, a good time was had by all!

Seminar In "The Dungeon" 10-19-09

2009-10-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

A Seminar that involved Close-Combat techniques held in a location that has a lot of historical importance to anybody who has ever trained with the late Carl Cestari. If you've ever even seen a Cestari video, you'll probably recognize the venue.

This clip shows a close-in, reverse-grip method of using a cane (or walking stick) against an assailant. The method comes from a book written by a man named Bonafant in Argentina, sometime around 1912.

The instructors are the irrascible Ralph Grasso, and the indefatigable Clint Sporman!

Boker M3 Trench Knife Reproduction Review

2009-09-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

I recently acquired a reproduction of the M3 Trench Knife, as manufactured by BokerUSA. The M3 was originally issued in 1943, went through a couple of minor modfications in 1944, and by the end of WW2 it ceased to be manufactured as a knife, and was finally issued as the standard issue bayonet for the M1 Carbine. Since I'm here to review the knife, rather than go into a lengthy discourse on it's history, I will simply provide the following link for those of you who are interested: http://www.olive-drab.com/od_other_edged_m3.php I'll get right to the point (excuse the pun), this knife is a very well made, faithful in detail reproduction of the knife that you usually see adorning the ankles of members of the 101st Airborne in most pictures that show up in books about the history of WW2. The knife blade is 6-1/2" long from the front of the guard to the tip. There is a small ricasso at the base of the blade which makes the effective cutting length 6-1/8" for the primary edge of the blade. The overall shape of the blade is similar to a double edged dagger, however the secondary edge along the top of the blade )normally the spine) is just about 3-1/2" long. The spine of the blade that runs from the guard to the start of the secondary edge is a full 1/4" thick. The blade is made of SK-5 high carbon steel. It has a phospate coating to protect it from rust. This is a solid, beefy knife that was designed for hard usage. The handle is made of the stacked leather washers that were common to US military knives of that period. The washers are machined into an oval shape that fits the hand, is extremely comfortable, and provides an excellent grip. From the back of the guard to the base of the handle measures just over 4-7/8". The guard itself is 1/8" thick, and when you add it all up, this gives you an overall length of approx. 11-1/2" A quick note about the guard before it slips my mind. The overall length is 2-1/2". The portion of the guard that cover the "top" of the blade, which is to say the side of the blade that has the spine and the secondary edge, is curved forward at about a 45deg. angle. Accordingly, when you hold this knife in a saber grip, it is extremely comfortable. Unlike knives where the guard is just straight across, your thumb is not jambed up against the back of the blade, thereby causing discomfort and compromising your grip. The knife is held together at the bottom of the handle by a 3/8" thick oval metal plate with a rectangular slot cut into it that allows the tang of the blade to slide into position. A small hole drilled through the sidewall of this plate and into the tang allows for a steel pin to be inserted. I can assure you, this knife is solid as a rock. OK guys, enough with the details and minutaie, it's time for the fun stuff. As I stated above, this design of the handle provides an excellent, comfortable grip. Whether using hammer, saber or icepick grip, this knife will stay in your hand. It is slightly handle heavy, with the balance point being about 1" behind the guard. The design lends itself more to thrusting/stabbing as opposed to slashing. From the factory, both edges were above average sharp. Oddly enough though, the secondary edge was actually better than the primary edge. It took about all of 2 minutes on my ceramic sticks to bring both edges up to their real potential. I tried thrusting on multiple layers of cardboard, and on an old duffele bag filled with carpet remnants, old clothes, and rags. The average penetration was in the 3" to 4" range. Factoring in that I screwed my arm up about a month ago installing an air conditioner at my parents house, I probably could have gotten better results than those. On cutting/slashing tests against cardboard, the results were good, but not spectacular. I attribute this primarily to the thickness of the blade. It has been my experience that when cutting cardboard, thin blades and/or serrated baldes, are the way to go. On the other hand, when I attempted to slashing cuts against canvas material that was wrapped around foam covered tubes, I did get better results. My testing leads me to conclude that M3 shines primarily as a thrusting weapon. As manufatured by BokerUSA, the M3 is supposed to sell for a cost of $99.95 MSRP. Upon scouring the internet, I've seen it going for prices ranging from $49.99 to $74.99. In my opinion, even at the $99.00 pricepoint it would be worth the money. Considering some of the poorly made junk for sale these days that is being sold for hundreds of dollars, the Boker M3 is a solid value. It is a well-made, fathfull reproduction of a fighting knife that would serve either the collector, or the active duty military person, equally well.

NOTE: I originally wrote this review about a year ago and posted it in a limited number of online forums. Seeing as how my blog seems to getting more attention than I ever suspected it would, I decided to republish it here. If I can bring more attention to the well-made and reasonably priced products being maufactured by Boker, I will consider this minor effort on my part as a job well done.

Boker/Los Banos G4 Review

2009-09-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

Chad Los Banos. If you're into knives, and you don't know that name, then you've obviously been living under a rock for the last 3 years or so.
I believe he started out with a little number for Spyderco called the Lava. It did fairly well, but for some reason, he and Spyderco parted ways. Fortunately for the rest of us knife enthusiasts, some enterprising soul at Boker saw potential in Mr. Los Banos' next project.
A little number called the Sub-Com. To say that this design took off would be a major understatement. Numerous variations later of that model, along with about a half a dozen other designs (assorted folders and fixed blades), bring us to the point of this exercise in Cutlery Evaluations.
The G4!
I received my copy of this hot little number a little over a week ago, and I've been carrying it ever since.
First things first. For a folder, this is fairly large knife. The official specifications indicate that the handle is a full 5", and the blade is 3 7/8". Put it together and yes, the knife has an official OAL of 8 7/8". However, being the obsessive sort, not to mention the fact that I do engineering work and technical drafting for a living, I broke out the old ruler and checked for myself.
Boker was a tad off, but not by much. The handle length was spot on, but the blade was a whole 1/16" of an inch short!
I did mention that I was the obsessive sort didn't I?
I can assure you that the missing 1/16" has absolutely no negative effect on the knifes' cutting ability. The blade is made of 440C ( my personal favorite) and has a black coating on it as what I can only assume is an additional rust inhibitor. The blade shape is probably the most eye-catching fact about this knife from an aesthetic point of view. It is a modified Wharncliff. I say modified because on a typical wharncliff, the back, or spine if you will, of the blade normally drops downward to the point in a gentle arc.
Not so with the G4.
The spine on the G4 drops downward from the handle in a straight line for a distance of 2 3/4" at an angle of about (?) degrees, and then drops very abruptly downwards from a point 3/4" from the tip at about 45 degrees. The blade edge comes straight out from the handle in typical Wharncliff style, and where the edge and the spine drops down to meet it forms an acute angle that produces an amazingly sharp, strong point. It's sort of like an offset dagger point.
OK, now it's fun stuff and testing time.
I've carried and used this knife for just over a week now, and to be blunt, I'm very happy with it. I've used it around the office to open boxes, trim newspaper articles, open packaging, that sort of thing. Around the house, I've used it for yardwork, opening mail, and in the kitchen for cutting meat, and slicing and dicing assorted vegetables and potatoes. About the only thing it didn't do well was slice tomatoes. The blade was just a wee bit too thick.
For social work, I tested it on my "usual suspects". Wood, my old training dummy, through heavy rope and synthetic cord, and on my favorite testing device, my faithful old army surplus heavy canvas duffel bag that I keep filled with old carpet and assorted remnants of clothing such as jeans, shirts, and the odd leather vest or two.
Let me tell you, for slashing/slicing and hacking, the wharncliff style blade is very underrated. The potential damage you can do with this type of blade has to be seen to be believed.
As for thrusts/stabs, I drove this knife into 2" thick pressue-treated lumber, and got almost a full 1" penetration without damaging the blade. The lock held up like a champ. On the duffel bag test, I got full penetration to the hilt though the canvas and a section of rolled up rug that was inside.
The odddly offset point that I mentioned above goes right in with no effort.
When I first saw the knife, I was little disappointed to see a liner lock. It's not my favorite style of lock on a folder. I was also concerned at how much it protruded from the top of the handle. However, as I examined it I wound up deciding that my concerns were unfounded. The liner that seves as the lock, sits directly on the center line of the back of the blade and locks ups tight and solid. I also tried to to twist the blade with one hand while gripping the handle and twisting it in the opposite direction with my other hand. I wanted to see if rotational stress with my finger on the protruding portion of the lock would cause it to slide out of p[osition and allow the blade to close. I have seen this happen on other knives.
I'm very happy to report that it did not happen with this Boker. The lock remained in position and the blade stayed where it belonged. I even broke down and did a test that I normally don't do because I think that it's excessive, and not reflective of a real world situation, but I decided to try it anyway.
I gave the G4 a spinewhack test. I did it several times, and the lock hel d with no adverse effects at all.
I was impressed!
Now, they call this knife the G4 because the clip can be positioned for tip-up, tip-down, left or right side carry.
In other words, G4, 4 Grips. The knife comes with a small L- shaped tool that allows you to back out the three screws that secure the pocket clip to the handle. It also allows you to adjust the tension on the pivot pin so that you determine how much effort you want to use to deploy the blade.
The handle is flat, and made up of two slabs of G10 synthetic over a two stainless steel liners. At first glance I thought that the handle would be a little slippery. However I was pleasantly surprised when I wrapped my grubby little hands around the handle and found that the stippling that was molded into the G10 slabs, in conjunction with the three elliptical shaped grooves that were cut into each side of the handle provided a secure grip that left me little short of amazed. Even when I was test the knife for it's thrusting abilities, I felt little or no slippage, even on the pressure treated lumber.
At 5.4 ozs. this is a moderately heavy folder. However despite ithe weight, the flat shape allows it to ride quite comfortably in the pocket of a pair of jeans, even when sitting or bending. The weight distribution is handle heavy which allows the knife to move quickly in the hand. The knife is opened by way of a dual thumbstud that projects out from the blade more than adequately to allow for a positive contact with your thumb.
As amatter of fact, if there is one thing about the knife that I would change, it would be to actually eithe make the studs a litle smaller, or else just put in a single thumbstud with a torxscrew that would allow you to place the stud on whichever side of the blade you prefer depending on whether you are left or right handed.
In closing this review, I would just like to say that Chad Los Banos has once again shown that he knows how to design a knife that is meant to be used, and not just looked at and admired in the comfort of your home. I would also like to say Boker Knives has succeeded in executing this design for sale and distribution. The continuing improvements in their products over the last few years has been phenomonal.
I look forward to many more collaborations between Boker and Mr Los Banos.
The Boker/Los Banos G4 has an MSRP of $39.95. However if you shop around on the internet, youshould be able to pick it up for somewhere between $27.00 and $30.00.
Take my word for it, whether for EDC, camping, general use, or for defending yourself, the G4 is worth every penny.

How The Hell....

2009-09-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

....Did my blog get to almost 12,000 hits?

I'm not that popular. I mean really, aside from a couple of memorials, a few knife reviews, some disaster stuff, and a running commentary on my musical choices (Tuna and Blues Traveller), there's not really that much stuff here.

Go figure!

Hot Tuna Strikes Again!

2009-09-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

Went to see Tuna with my friends T.C. and Mike on Sept 6 at the Tarrytown Music Hall. Great venue. Built in 1885 and designed by the same guy who designed the Macys Department store at 34th Street in Manhattan, The acoustics in this place are amazing! The only drawback being that in 1885, there were apparently a lot of short people around. I say this because at 6'-0" tall, the balcony seats were definitely not designed for me.

Hey, it was still a great time, and next time, well I'll just make sure I get orchestra seats! (I looked, there was a LOT more leg-room down there!)

JOSEPH P SULLIVAN (Sr) R.I.P.

2009-03-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

September 6, 1920 - January 21, 2009

Goodbye Dad.

Hot Tuna! 50 Years of Jorma & Jack!

2008-12-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

I've been following Tuna for over 30 yrs, and I'll keep on going to their shows for as long as either they're playing, or I'm still breathing. Saw this show at Town Hall in NYC on 12-3-2008. I went with my son and my friend Mike.

Had dinner at RUB(Righteous Urban Barbeque) first. You just can't beat their pulled pork or chicken.
A couple of beers and then the mandatory shot of Jack Daniels before heading off to the show.

The orchestra seats weren't too shabby at all. A good time was had by all! (except for my friend T.C. who was in Aruba with his wife) I decided to torture him by leaving several voice mails consisting of Tuna playing in the background.
What can I say, I'm just evil that way! LOL!!

Blues Traveller

2008-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Took my wife & son to see Blues Traveller at the Highline Ballroom on 10-16-08.

Great fuckin' show. BT has still got it together. I Love these guys. Last time I saw them was in 05 at the Nokia theatre. The only drawback is that they only seem to do shows with Gen'l. admission these days, which means I have to stand up all night. And frankly, between getting old and my bad back not getting any better, that means it's getting rougher.

But then again, all the Gen'l admission venues generally have a bar on the premises, and everybody stocks Jack Daniels, so it's not too bad!

If anybody reading this ever gets the chance to see them live, trust me, you won't be dissappointed!

I Love The NY Renfaire!

2008-09-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to make it to a Renfaire in a few years. But when I do go, I never miss the Belly Dancers!

A Quick A.L.R.T. Redux...

2008-09-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Came home tonight and had to make dinner for myself and my offspring. I couldn't find the godamned can opener for the carrots, so I decided to improvise. The TOPS ALRT is not as good as the regular can opener, but it sure as hell works faster than a P-38. The kiridashi style knife has what is essentially a tanto-point, only it's double ground instead of a chisel grind.

Worked like a charm!

Every Once In A While, Technology Works

2008-09-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

With Gustav bearing down, this time with people decided to get out of Dodge with an ample amount of warning, technology came through in the form of Onstar. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of technological "toys" in the car, but apparently sometimes things actually do what they're supposed to, and even a little more.

Drivers Rely on OnStar to Evade Hurricane GustavThousands of Gulf Coast Drivers Seek Help From GM's OnStar While Fleeing HurricaneBy TOM KRISHERThe Associated PressDETROIT For the most part, the callers were calm, patiently asking for the fastest path out of New Orleans or some other Gulf Coast city as Hurricane Gustav twisted its way to the northwest.They started calling General Motors Corp.'s OnStar service by the thousands early Saturday, and by Sunday, their numbers had grown to well over 3,000 per hour."There's a lot of people that are stranded on the evacuation routes," said Brad Williams, a service manager for the automaker's motorist help line who was overseeing OnStar's response from a command center in Downtown Detroit.As more than 2 million people tried to outrun the deadly storm, OnStar beefed up its staff to around 500 and put emergency plans in place at three call centers in Pontiac, Oshawa, Ontario, and Charlotte, N.C.Managers expected Sunday's calls to reach 75,000, about double the number on a normal Sunday.The storm calls are sent to specially trained OnStar advisers, many of whom were on duty during Hurricane Katrina."They're more prepared. They know what questions have been asked," said Williams.The advisers were armed with computerized maps, databases of hotels with vacancies and even locations of Red Cross emergency shelters, Williams said.All day, callers asked for the closest hotel with vacant rooms. They asked OnStar to find loved ones who were on the road. But most of all, they wanted to get around the clogged Interstate evacuation routes."They don't want to get on the major highways because they know traffic is at a standstill," said Kim Dupee, a senior adviser in Charlotte who spent much of Sunday directing people out of metro New Orleans. "It's steady. The calls don't stop."Advisers reported that most callers were calm, leaving well in advance of the storm. Governments and drivers, they said, were far better prepared for Gustav than they were for Hurricane Katrina.Unlike Katrina, they said, there were few calls about gas stations running out of fuel along the evacuation routes. OnStar managers also had to prepare for more calls than during Katrina, because the service has grown from around 3 million subscribers to more than 5 million, Williams said.As the storm moved closer to the coast, advisers were preparing for more panic calls, people unsure of where to go when buffeted by heavy winds and blinding rain with roads closed due to flooding and downed trees.Before she loaded up two daughters, an aunt, her sister-in-law and a niece to get out of Pearl River, La., north of New Orleans, Cyndy Nobles got into her 2007 Saturn Vue and called OnStar, figuring the operators would know the best way to get to the safety of a relative's house in Meridian, Miss."They have the most updated information with the traffic situation and so forth," said her husband, Robert, who stayed behind to ride out the storm at home.Their home, about 25 miles from New Orleans, is just outside the mandatory evacuation zone, Robert Nobles said, but they figured it would be best for the mother and daughters to head for a safer place. His parents and brother had decided not to leave, so Robert stayed behind in case they needed help.Cyndy Nobles was given a route that included two Interstate highways, but the operator assured them it was best, Nobles said. Along the way, one of the interstates jammed up, so Cyndy had to take a different route. She made it to Meridian in 6 1/2 hours, more than double the time it ususally takes, he said.By Sunday evening, OnStar was telling people that most hotels were booked up in areas along the Gulf and even as far inland as Dallas. They were routing drivers to hotels in Kentucky and Indiana."People have to travel pretty far away because everything's booked up in the affected states," said Mary Ann Adams, OnStar's crisis incident manager in Detroit.For Mo Crane, owner of Mo's Chalet lounge in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, there was no crisis Sunday. He was staying put to guard against looters, who he said did $250,000 damage to his business after Katrina.He called to add minutes to his OnStar cell phone, which the service says has better coverage than standard cell services because it transmits from a car rooftop antenna rather than a hand-held phone.And although he's only a few miles from Lake Pontchartrain and near the Mississippi River, the 72-year-old businessman is more worried about looters than Gustav. Katrina, he said, didn't damage his building, so he figures he's safe inside."The last time I left here...they looted my place terribly," he said. "I just didn't want them to loot it again."Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

On Disasters...

2008-08-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've put up a new link called "Listening To Katrina". It's the blog portion of a website belonging to a guy who lived in New Orleans up until Katrina hit. I'm not really sure if he has since moved back or not. I put the link up because it is one of the best Real World preparedness sites I have seen to date.

What do I mean by Real World?

Simply this, it covers his familys' "lessons learned" by what happened. It covers how to bug out, or how to hunker down, depending on your situation. What gear you really need vs. all the fantasy shite you see on other survival websites. The kinds of vehicles that will really get you out of dodge, what kind of Bug Out Bag to put together. He 'll explain how to organize the records that make up your life so that you can, in advance, be prepared to deal with your insurance company when it's time to get them to pay up so that you can get your life back together.

There is no discussion of what "Tacti-Kewl" knife to carry, or of what kinds of firepower you absolutely "must-have" to protect yourself against crazies, looters, or just good old fashioned Zombies!

It's a preparedness site for Real People, who happen to live in the Real World.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Just For A Comparison..

2008-08-15T13:21:00.001-07:00

In my last post about the MoraKniv Scout, I alluded to The Drawpoint 1 video from James Keating. The knife he used in the video, and personally favored for his Drawpoint system was the Gryphon M10.

I thought I'd put up this picture so that if anbody is actually reading this Blog (and my Hit Counter apparently says that people are) they can see the similarities and differences.

The main similarities being that hey have the same overall length, the same blade length, they both have stainless steel blades, and they both have handles made of synthetic materials.

As for differences, the Gryphon has what is considered better blade steel (that's a matter of opinion), and the Gryphon has a superior sheath (no argument there).

The biggest difference of course being the price, as the Gryphon retails for about $110.00

Frosts Of Sweden (Mora)

2008-08-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Back to one of my favorite subjects.... Knives!

I picked up this little beauty about 4 months ago from the Tenessee Knife Mafia. Otherwise known as SmokeyMountainKnifeWorks.

The Frosts(Mora) knife Co. has been in business for well over a century and produces some of the best made knives, for the most reasonable prices that you could imagine.

This little number is no exception.

The MoraKniv Scout comes with a stainless steel blade, a synthetic handle and a two piece sheath made of both a rigid composite, and a flexible belt frog/attachment. The overall length is 8-5/16", with a blade length of 4-1/16". With a clip point and no ricasso, this blade can, and will, do just about any real world job you need it to. The spine is about 3/32" thick, and the blade comes razor sharp from the factory.

I've used this knife for just about every dirty chore you can think of. From opening boxes and letters to cutting rope and cord, digging up weeds, cutting vines, prying open lids, and scraping rust, this knife is like they used to say in the old Timex watch commercials.

It takes a licking, and keeps on ticking!

Despite being synthetic, a combination of ridges and a slight grainy composition provides a positive grip on the handle. The guard is also a pleasure as it allows you to use the knife without worrying about you fingers sliding up the blade.

From a self defense point of view, this knife is quite serviceable. Handle-heavy, it moves quickly in the hand, and the shape of the handle allows for any grip you want. Forward grip, edge down or up, Reverse grip, edge in or out. If you've ever seen James Keatings' Reverse Grip Knife Fighting video (also known as Drawpoint 1) this knife is perfect for what he shows you. The only drawback being that the sheath does not lend itself to a quick deployment.

But hey, that's what Kydex is for!

In an age where everyone is running around spending a fortune being a good little "gear q@**r", spending a fortune on any and all manner of overpriced , overspecialized equipment, the Frosts MoraKniv Scout is a refreshing change. Whether you're a homeowner, camper, fisherman, or somebody worried about a bad situation at zero-dark thirty in an empty parking lot, you would be hard-pressed to find a better all-round, general-purpose knife than this one.

And at a price of $11.99 plus shipping, it really doesnt get any better than that.

One Of My Hobbies

2008-07-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

I like knives, I always have. I've owned, used, and trashed so many over the years (OK, decades) that I couldn't even begin to tell you how many I've owned. What I've discovered is that it has usually turned out to be the the simplest, smallest, and most innocuous ones that I have gotten the most use out of.

The TOPS A.L.R.T. falls into that category. Lightweight, solid, simple, and non-threatening to the sheeple (if you don't know what that means, you probably shouldn't be wasting your time at this blog).

It comes with a kydex sheath, a small carabiner clip, a ball chain, and a small LED penlight that runs on 3 button cells. Sharp as a razor and only about 3 3/8" long, it's great for cutting boxes, trimming paper, and other assorted household and office type supply room functions.

I can even see where it might come in handy for "social work".

I picked mine up for $23.13 and it's proven to be a real bargain so far. Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

My Tribute To George

2008-07-15T10:39:00.001-07:00

I didn't always agree with his politics, but I always thought he was funny. I remember watching George Carlin on the Tonight show back in the 60s'.

Yeah, I'm that old!

I was lucky enough to get one last chance to see him perform in NJ just a couple of weeks before he died. (Note: I could have said "passed" or some other euphemism for death, but if you knew any of George Carlins material, you knew that he hated bullshit expressions for day to day realities)

My son and I got lost on the way to the town he was playing in, and wound up in PA. I got so frustrated that I almost turned around and went home.

I'm glad I didn't.

Wow, I now Have a Blog.

2008-07-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

I don't really know where I'm going with this. I just wanted to see what was involved in setting one of these things up. Turned out to be easier than I thought. Hopefully I can put up some interesting material, as well as work on the format in the near future.

Oh well, that's enough for now.