Opportunity Knocking...

Here's a pretty sweet opportunity from Paul, another MA refugee...

Get A Job

I don’t often talk about it here, but I spend time each month helping people to get jobs on boats and ships.
Many are guys in their 30's and up, who are looking for a fresh start in a new career. Some lucky few are young kids in the late teens and early 20's, looking for direction and a more exciting and lucrative trade than working in an office.
The one thing both groups have in common is a desire to do something meaningful, exciting and exceptional that actually pays well.

Go read up on this opportunity. I know my buddy Weerd did something analogous to this when he got out of school, and has regaled SQRPT listeners with tales of his time at sea. It sounds like a crazy good opportunity to make money, learn a trade, and basically do something that not a lot of people get to say they've done.

Just throwing it out there to see if anyone's interested...

That is all.

Paging All Paramedics, EMTs, and Other Emergency Care Workers

Ambulance Driver has a favor to ask of you.

If you have a story you’d like to share, send it to me. I want personal stories, patient care stories, stories of despair and frustration, stories of fatigue and exhaustion, stories of hope and wonderment. If you’re an EMT who worked in any phase of the hurricane response, or a Louisiana EMT who was rescuing victims for days on end while wondering if he even still had a home, I want to hear it.

There's a lot of stories out floating around with regard to Katrina and the aftermath. As we all know, the media got a huge amount of it wrong, but there was also a lot that wasn't widely reported on that should have been. From police officers openly looting in WalMart to police opening fire on unarmed people, we heard a lot about the bad things that happened.

This sounds like a chance to talk about the good things...

That is all.

Rally The Wagons...

Folks, I got a disturbing phone call last night. My good friend Dennis, the maestro of leather himself, is going under the knife. No, he's not getting a sex change; he's actually having open heart surgery. After a brief stint of unpleasantness, he got himself to the doctor and found out that one of his arteries is significantly blocked. Fortunately, he caught it before there was any damage (i.e. he did NOT have a heart attack), but he still needs bypass surgery.

Dad G. had a triple bypass about 14 years ago. He was a little bit older than Dennis at the time, and in worse physical condition, but the surgery really kicked his butt. Dennis should fare better, but he's still going to be out of commission for a while.

So here's the thing: If you've ordered anything from Dennis that hasn't shipped, it's going to be awhile. He wanted to let everyone know the reason for the delay (and he apologized for it, like he was taking a vacation or something...). One he's back and recovered, he'll be right back in the leatherworking business. It just might take a little bit of time.

Dennis is a friend, a good friend. I would take it as a kindness if you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers the next few days. If you're not the praying kind, just think good thoughts. It is appreciated.

Get well, Dennis. Please.

That is all.

With A Little Help From My Friends...

So, last night we had a little get-together to celebrate my last week as a full-blown MAhole. Mr. and Mrs. SCI-FI, Doubletrouble and Mrs. Doubletrouble, Major Caudill Marko, The Senator, Wally and A., and LWJ all came out to see me off (I'm not sure if they were wishing well or just making sure I actually left...). TheBoy came along, partly out of curiosity, partly because he saw a chance to get a meal out...

As is always the case with blogger dinners, I didn't have nearly enough time to talk to everyone and the evening ended far too quickly. Part of it was because we had to pull things together quickly; another part was that it was mid-week, so a good number of folks that would have come simply couldn't get the time out. There was still a good crowd, and I still didn't have enough time to talk to everyone.

Before the night was over, though, I had gifts bestowed upon me:

The box I was told by Wally that I was not allowed to open until I got to VA. Okay then! The SOG spear was from Marko - man, does he know me! It can be used as a stand-alone knife or attached to a stick or broom handle. I like that. The pen is from A. - it's a handmade bolt-action pen (really!) with a bullet for a tip. LOVE IT. And the "gun" is a USB drive, courtesy of my sister-in-law (who was not at the dinner, but I wanted to give a shout-out for the cool gift anyways.

Thanks to everyone for coming out, and for the awesome schwag!

That is all.

Not Putting the Kilt Away Yet...

Erin's running a fundraiser to help out Squeaky pay her medical bills.

I've offered custom kilt poses for donations (and Erin flatters me by placing the donation amount at $20 - trust me, I'll whip up a pose for other donations as well), so if you didn't get enough kilted goodness last month, drop a few shekels in the bucket for Squeaky and I'll see what I can pull together.

(I freakin' LOVE this shot, and it's just so fitting here, no?)

While it's not exactly difficult to get me to wear a kilt, I'm glad to do it to help a friend out. If you can spare a few dollars to help Squeaky cover her medical bills, that would be great. Plus you get a chance to win some really cool items (even if ponies aren't your bag, there's some great stuff there).

Head to Erin's to check it out!

That is all.

I Think That's 150 Gabillion Years In People Time...

SayUncle has been blogging for 11 years.

Tam, who just ticked over the eight year mark herself, states it perfectly:

My blog is older than YouTube, but yours is older than MySpace!

Congratulations on one hell of a good run, Unc...

That is all.

Mea Culpa...

At the Sixth Annual Northeast Bloggershoot, I received two really cool gifts. I've been meaning to thank the folks responsible and am FINALLY getting around to it...

First off, our host with the most Doubletrouble presented me with a challenge coin:

Front

Back

Thanks Doubletrouble. It means a lot to me.

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This next item, I am ashamed to admit I can't remember who gifted it to me. The entire day is one big blur, and I remember being handed the present (and asked if it were legal - which it would not be if I didn't have my MA LTC), but I do not remember for the life of me who gave it to me.

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa...

.50 BMG

.50 BMG - with a surprise!

Yep, it's a bottle opener made from a deactivated .50 BMG round. You should have seen TheBoy's eyes light up when he saw it and realized how big it was. Apparently "Call of Duty" doesn't show things up close, and the .50 BMG round doesn't come across as quite so ginormous in a video game...

Thanks everyone - I really do appreciate it, even if I have memory like a steel trap (rusty and illegal in many states).

That is all.

Shootin' Stuff - For A Good Cause!

Murphy's Law is running a charity blogshoot.

They're getting together in the WV panhandle, so it's a pretty decent mid-Atlantic blogshoot. They're asking folks to contribute to cover the range fees, and anything extra collected will go to a veteran's charity - now that's just plain decent, folks. Someone let me know when the anti-freedom folks take up a collection for anyone other than themselves, okay?

If you're interested, shoot Keads an e-mail (keads3 *at* gmail dot com) or get in touch with me and I'll shoot you his contact info. Looks like one heckuva good time, and I think folks are crashing nearby - so you might want to see about a dinner get-together, too. That's always a good time.

You know, I'm sure there's a very good reason that MA and WV are so far apart, but I *do* wish I could make this trip!

That is all.

Help One of Ours Out, Please...

Squeaky's having a bit of a rough time right now.

And when I say "having a bit of a rough time", I mean like Nagasaki had on August 9th, 1945. Not content to be divesting of several major players in the "internal organ wheel of fortune" surgery, there's some sort of lump/polyp/evil spirit that needs to be dislodged in a surgical manner. And the best part is that all modern medicine can tell Squeaky is "You're going to have surgery that will take an undetermined amount of time at some point in the future and be laid out for an undetermined length of time. Thanks guys. You been moonlighting at the cable company?

Anyhoo, thoughts and prayers and such would be appreciated - and if you've got a few spare shekels, drop them in Squeaky's tip jar; insurance covers a lot, but not everything...

That is all.

Linky Love Time...

There's a lot of good stuff out there, but I've been meaning to share some of these all week long...

True Blue Sam liked my post on the idiocy from the MAIG spokesweasel.

There's a picture, a very real picture, of a woman from the turn of the century who lost her life in a domestic dispute. She didn't have a firearm, and was no physical match for the man who beat her to death. This is the world the folks that run MAIG would like us to live in, where the strong prey on the weak without fear. No thank you.

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Gay_Cynic wants to know where the NRA is.

There's a battle going on in his state - not a "lost" states like MA or NY, mind you - where local advocacy groups are fully joined in, yet the NRA is MIA. It's interesting to note this, especially since the folks at MAIG would like you to believe that the NRA is some all-powerful monolith, just flush with cash, that swoops in with dumptrucks full of money whenever any "common sense gun control" needs defeatin'...

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Weerd has been cheating on the Squirrel Report!

He got himself invited to come on the Roadgunner Podcast. Go take a listen - and if you're not listening to the Roadgunner, well, you'd damn well better be listening to the Squirrel Report!

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Tam rights a wrong.

This is pretty damn cool, y'all. A few days ago, she posted about how her favorite bookstore now had a "no guns allowed" sign. Bad publicity, tenacious commenters, and one big ol' internet later, and the sign is gone. While they didn't put out a statement saying "Tam made us take it down", it's a pretty safe bet that at least some of the complaints they received originated from people finding out through VftP...

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TOTWTYTR posts his thoughts about the Sixth Annual Northeast Bloggershoot.

I really like hearing that people had a good time at the shoots. I really enjoy putting these together - and it is a pretty fair amount of work, no lie - but it is so worth it that I can't imagine not doing it. Hearing from someone I consider a good friend that they had a great time? Well, heck, that's the icing on an already awesome cake...

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These are just a small sampling of the bloggy goodness out there - go check out some more!

That is all.

You Should Get And Read This Book...

And not just because the price is right for the rest of the day...

The Rookie's Guide to Guns and Shooting, Handgun Edition from Insanely Practical Guides

I've had the good pleasure of meeting Tom, and he's just as humorous and down-to-earth in real life as he appears on his award-winning blog My Gun Culture. He has an excellent writing style reminiscent of Dave Barry, if Dave Barry were a gun-totin' gun guy. Tom's been putting out excellent material, and should be encouraged to write more books.

Plus, you get a free download today - how can you go wrong?

That is all.

Attention All Gunnie Bikers...

Y'all need to go here and tell Borepatch to get a motorcycle.

Apparently he needs group validation or something.

That is all.

Proud Blogdaddy Moment...

Borepatch: 5 years ago yesterday

Five years ago, I kick-started #1 blogson into action. Yes, you can blame me. Blame me for the security goodness - He's in ur computer, keepin' u safe. Blame me for the global warmening snark - if there's anyone that can set 'em up and knock 'em down, it's Borepatch. Blame me for the shooting updates, and Texas blogshoots, and Georgia blogshoots, and all the other awesome stuff Borepatch has been involved with.

Or, just go to his place and wish him a happy blogiversary...

That is all.

You Need This Book...

My buddy Tom over at My Gun Culture has his first book out:

New Gun Book, The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters, Helps Readers Choose The Right Holster - The First Time

The ever-informative, yet delightfully comical, The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters, from the editors of My Gun Culture, is now available at Amazon.com. Readers can download it for free Tuesday, March 12, through Thursday, March 14, 2013.

You can get this:

for FREE through tomorrow. How on earth can you beat that deal? Simple - you can't! Download the book, take a read, and post a glowing review. I've had the pleasure of meeting Tom at SHOT Show last year and he's just as funny and personable in meatspace as he is online. My Gun Culture never fails to amuse while educating, and he is one of the voices we need to encourage.  

Go, download, read!  

That is all.

Call Off The Hounds...

Had a few folks get in touch with me, concerned because OldNFO's blog was coming up as unavailable or removed. It's back now, and I got in touch with NFO so that he's aware. He suspects a hack of some sort, but he's overseas now and will look into it further when he's back stateside in a couple of days.

He did want me to let everyone know that he's aware of the issue, it appears to be a hack of some sort as opposed to something sinister. Nothing black helicopter at all (even if NFO probably flew a few at times), nothing to worry about other than what's going to happen to the hacker when NFO catches up to them...

NFO's got 99 problems and apparently a hacker's one of 'em...

That is all.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Difficult Times for Good People...

My #1 blogson is having, as he puts it, Life speaking in its Outside Voice. His mom's memory isn't what it used to be, and he's adjusting to the new normal. And it sucks. He won't - can't - say it, because he's a good person and he loves his mom. But I've seen, firsthand, what this loss does to the family of the person suffering. I wouldn't wish it on anyone - and certainly not someone like Borepatch.

I'm running into an opposite problem with Dad G. He's still as sharp as ever, but his body is betraying him. Arthritis in his hip has rendered him unable to work at more than a slow amble, and for a man who used to pull surly teenagers out of the back seats of cars with their seat belts still on, being unable to lift a grocery bag out of the back of his car takes a mental toll. He's bitter and angry over this betrayal, and takes it out on those around him.

It is a challenge to help someone that resents the hell out of needing help.

I don't have the eloquent words nor the big brain of Borepatch. I can only watch, helpless, from hundreds of miles away as someone I consider a good friend struggles with sizable trouble not of his own making. I can offer my support, a sounding board for ideas, and a shoulder to cry on if needed (and no, it is not against the Guy Code to suggest a man might cry over the deteriorating health of his mama). We are a community, those of us gun nuts and associated friends; we are a resource for people in need and friends that need helping. I continue to be amazed - but not surprised - by the generosity and kindess we exhibit on a regular basis.

You know, for a bunch of bitter clinging gun humpers.

Borepatch, you, your mom, and the entire Borepatch clan will be in my thoughts and prayers (for what that's worth, coming from a barely reverent shaved head biker gun nut and all). I can imagine that this is a tough time, and invite you to lean on your friends if you need to. Take an afternoon off and go to the range - it does a world of good, I know you know this. Never be afraid to pick up the phone, give a call, and say, hey, just wanted to say hi to a friendly voice.

And folks, if y'all happen to have some spare good thoughts and prayers, Borepatch could use 'em...

That is all.

One MEEEEELLION Hits!

Okay, so I'm a bad blogfather. Sometime in the past day or so, my #1 blogson saw his 1,000,000^th hit. I don't feel all that bad, because it happened sometime on Christmas, and I paid precisely zero attention to anything in the blogosphere yesterday, quite on purpose. Love y'all, but yesterday was for family and friends. Today, though, I wanted to make sure you knew about Borepatch's milestone so you could go give him proper huzzahs.

I've known Borepatch for the better part of five years now. He attended the very first Northeast Bloggershoot, and was a regular attendee until he moved to Free America. I consider him a close friend, and hated to see him move. I mean, don't get me wrong; I'm glad he was able to escape Massachusetts, but I wish he'd done it to someplace closer, like New Hamster. As it is, I only see him electronically now, and while the internet is great at keeping people connected, the face-to-face interactions are what it's all about.

Congratulations, blogson. You have made me very proud over the past four and a half years. Your writing is crisp, smart, witty; your posts are thoughtful, humorous, and insightful; I'm glad you're on our side, because you are, as we say, wicked smaht. Your global warming posts are among my favorite; while most of us are content to mock, you bring the smart and make mincemeat out of their hokey religion. The internet security posts are excellent as well, even if they do make me want to hide under the bed...

Go wish Borepatch a happy million!

That is all.

Good Stuff Around the 'Net

Folks, there's a lot of good stuff out there. Here's some excellent reading material I've found related to the Newtown, CT murders and subsequent fallout.

• Larry Correia lays down the smackdown.

Larry Correia has forgotten more about guns and gun laws that most people will ever learn. He has sold firearms, he has taught the UT concealed handgun permit class, this guy has done it all. He tackles gun control, some of the nuttier ideas floating around, and generally puts things in perspective. If you read nothing else on the purported gun control floating around, read this.

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• Will Brown has an excellent idea.

Will riffs on Joe Huffman's excellent article on how this should be the last stand for the gun control movement. Will's idea is that we should capitalize on the absurdity of "gun free zones" and run a series of commercial-length videos that detail the events from a witness's perspective. He suggests contrasting this with stories from legal defensive uses of firearms to show that for every horrible massacre like Newtown, there are thousands - or more - times where the presence of a firearm helped keep people safe. He's soliciting opinions and thoughts, and it's a great start of an idea.

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• Ambulance Driver has a great idea as well.

He has opened up his post for folks that don't know a lot about guns and the current gun laws. He's encouraging them to post their suggestions, and then talking about them in a meaningful, constructive way. He's got a good list of ground rules - but basically, don't be a dick - and is encouraging both sides to engage in actual discussion. What a shock! This is a great idea; the one downside is that the folks that most desperately need to participate most likely won't...

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• LawDog has a series of questions for those who think that more laws are the answer.

He's got a great point. Now, I collect military surplus firearms, so I can't definitively say that none of my firearms have ever fired at a human being, but I can definitively state that I have never harmed another human being with any of my guns (with the possible exception of the Snubbie from Hell™).  Placing new laws on what I can or cannot own is not going to stop the next nutbag from causing death and destruction. Lunatics and criminals are not deterred by bans or gun free zones, and it's high time we stopped pretending they did anything except provide a false sense of security.

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• Matt G. (no relation) has an excellent point about not making laws based on emotion.

What's especially poignant is that by highlighting the PATRIOT Act, he hits the trifecta: It was widely and roundly decried by the left. yet they did nothing to repeal it once they held the reins of power; the right supported it wholeheartedly, then railed when the left came into power and [GASP] used those shiny tools against us; and it's a perfect example of bureaucratic inertia - laws in motion tend to stay in motion. Forever.

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There's plenty more good stuff out there; these are some especially good reads - enjoy!

That is all.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum...

And so do cats and apparently the gunnie community. With the news that CTD ran with its tail between its legs from online gun sales, we find a perennial favorite has stepped up to the plate:

Dragon Leatherworks has guns for sale.

Now, it's a small offering to get started, to be sure, but Dennis promises that there will be more to come. He's hinting that there might be some, err, larger pistolas in the coming weeks and months, hinting that a large bore with custom holster might be gracing the "For Sale" section sometime in the near future.

This. This is something to be encouraged.

You know, it's funny, it really is. The gun business is one of the few that has thrived in the lousy economy of the past four years, and now the Democrats and their gun control buddies are doing their level best to kill that, as well. It's like they want the country to fall. I personally know several folks whose very livelihood depends on the success of the gunnie community - and with things up in the air, they have no idea what the future will hold. This makes me unhappy.

So, please, support your local shop - even if it happens to be located online.

That is all.

MArooned Guest Review: Kershaw Skyline Fixed-Blade

A guest-post reviewing a fixed-blade from Kershaw from VC correspondent Roadkill. Enjoy!

A few years ago, before I really got the knife bug, I picked up a Kershaw Skyline folding knife up at Walmart.(http://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-Skyline-Knife-Textured-Handle/dp/B001CZBDF8) It was good knife and became my EDC blade for the better part of a year.  When I discovered that Kershaw had made a fixed blade version, I had to snap one up.

The steel used is Sandvik 14C28 stainless. This is a Swedish steel that I found preformed well in the original Skyline.  It can be sharpened to shaving sharpness, maintains its edge well, resharpens wells, and has a solid corrosion resistance.  It comparable to the common mid-range knife steels like 440C or AUS8A if not better. Like most stainless steels the strength is good within reasonable usage.  Translation: It is steel for a knife not a sharp prybar. This type of stainless is not meant for batoning or chipping through concrete. Be mindful of that and it will last a very long time.

The 3.25 inch blade is known as a modified spear-point.  A classic spear-point is a drop point where both sides curve at the same angle to meet in the center of the blade.  The point position actually improves accuracy in the point.  Classic spear-points are often double edged or at least have a false edge on the spine.  The center of the blade is where the belly begins for both sides.  Unless the blade is very thin or very broad, the shallow belly reduces cutting ability.  In a modified spear point the curves at still at the same angle, but the grind starts above the center line and gives the blade a deep belly and greatly improved cutting and slicing ability.

The cutting ability of the Skyline does not disappoint.  In this it is much like the original. The deadly sharp blade functioned well in normal EDC tasks. It cut tape, cardboard, paper, and plastics easily.  In the kitchen, this little fixed blade really shone. I hold that if a potential defensive knife can’t make the grade there, it won’t work well for emergency goblin cleaving.  The knife spent several days making dinner. Medium sized onions and even stocks of green onion proved to be no problem. Despite the short blade length, the Skyline worked surprisingly well against the highly dense sweet potato and ordinary russet potato. I even cut up a head of lettuce into fourths and neatly shredded part for chicken tacos.  In cutting meat, it zipped through both raw sirloin and turkey cutlets with a frightening ease.  Do not doubt that it can’t do the same to a living thing.

The grip of the Skyline shares the same shape and materials as the folding version.  The grips are G-10 and have a good roughness to them and stay grippy even when wet or slimy. I do think they could stand to be flush with the knife tang, but I can’t say that it is necessary.  A nice choil provides an excellent purchase.  Good choils are a personal preference for me on a defensive blade. In well made sheaths they aid in drawing and during use they keep the knife in your hand.  The useless thumbstuds, the sub-par pocket clip, and the lack of jimping kept the folding Skyline from standing next to the Benchmade Griptilian and Spyderco Delica as one of the world’s best EDC knives.  Being a fixed blade knife, the newer Skyline automatically looses two of those minor faults. However, the lack of jimping remains. As much as I’d prefer to have the jimping it never really becomes a problem.  It is still nicely controllable and easy to use with out them.

The first rule of EDC fixed blade knives is to expect to have to buy a custom or third market sheath. As a result I rarely consider a predictably crummy factory sheath to be that much of detraction.  However, the Skyline’s simple right handed leather sheath goes beyond crummy and treads upon dangerous.  The deep pocket design catches the knife’s guard.  The effort to remove the knife could easily cause you to cut yourself or someone else.  To illustrate, I was able to suspend an unloaded 3 inch Ruger GP-100 from the knife’s lanyard hole without any danger of it pulling the blade free.  Given the tactical feel of the original, I believe that this design would be better served by ambidextrous Kydex sheath that leaves the choil exposed to aid the draw.

In spite of the sheath, the fixed Skyline is an excellent and inexpensive EDC fixed blade. I have no complaints about this excellent knife’s performance.  It does everything that EDC or defensive knife should do.  Yet, I cannot consider this another job well done by Kershaw.  Not when they’ve done everything they can to make this knife die unknown and unloved.

The folding version of the Skyline ended up with respectable following.  Searching for “Skyline Knife” on Youtube alone will turn up many reviews.  The original was sold by Walmart and various other big box stores in addition to online smaller on and offline stores.  The public was well exposed to the folder and sales have kept it in production for years now.  A fixed version could expected to capitalize on this popularity. However, new fixed Skyline isn’t new at all. It has been out for a few years already and recently was discontinued.  As a Cabela exclusive, this knife has not received any attention save a few mentions on old knife forum posts.  No professional reviews, no advertisements, and even Kershaw’s own website contains trace of the fixed Skyline.  I would still not know about the fixed Skyline if not for BladeHQ having bought a bunch of them at closeout prices.  It is an ignoble end for a very good knife.  Visit Cabelas and BladeHQ to snag one of these before they’re gone for good.  The Skyline is on BladeHQ’s Black Friday/ Cyber Monday sale for a mere $18.99 in both black G-10 version. They may be all gone before this post is made.  (http://www.bladehq.com/item--Kershaw-Skyline-Knife-Black-Fixed--14126)

Special thanks to the early hominids that figured out that sharp rocks were useful and to JayG for abusing his readers with this review.-Roadkill

Thanks for the review, Roadkill! 

That is all.