Glibertarians.com 2018 Archive

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  • BIF – Not just a guy from Back to the Future Part 2

    Now for part two of the Spring Beer if Forward reviews.

    Lackadaisical, who Yusef shipped to:

    I received a bonanza of a BIF Box from Yusef drives a Kia, with a nice Stone Brewing Pint glass, and several coasters along with an assortment of high-end west coast beers, including 2-22s, one of a tripel ale and one of a double bock. As much as I enjoy Belgian style ales, I think the  Belgians do it best, so I will focus on the Double Bock. Special Black Lobotomy Bock poured with surprisingly little head, even from vigorous pours. I would put this attribute in the positive column, as carbonation was still sufficient to keep things enjoyable and I rather dislike drinking suds. The beer is alluringly dark, as can be seen in the accompanying photograph, invoking mystery and exotic flavors. The taste is malty but not bitter, and lacks the chocolate or coffee hints that a stout might have. The finish is smooth and doesn’t leave any errant aftertaste.

    Before drinking this beer I didn’t know I liked double bocks this much. At 12% ABV one might expect some kind of alcohol flavor to come through, but I found drinking the beer easy and without any hint of how strong it really was. Given the high ABV and easy drinking, this beer definitely lives up to it’s name, I was left wishing I had more so I could keep on drinking it, damn the consequences.

    This was the best of a great batch of beers and I will have to up my BIF game for the next one. 3.5/4 stars

    ron7344, who Mexican Sharpshooter shipped to:

    Here is my BIF review, in order of drinking:

    San Tan Mr. Pineapple:  Didn’t think I was going to like this, but was pleasantly surprised. Has a good wheat beer flavor with an excellent pineapple aftertaste.  4/5

    San Tan MoonJuice IPA:  Obviously a high quality beer, but way too much of a grapefruit flavor compared to the IPA’s that I prefer (Hop Devil being my favorite) This was my second grapefruit IPA and I guess I found a beer style that I don’t like. 1/5

    Four Peaks Brewing Co. Kilt Lifter:  I was really looking forward to this one because I love Scottish Ales and this did not disappoint, very tasty and easy to drink, definitely my favorite of the bunch so far.  4.5/5

    Sonoran White Chocolate Ale:  Really was skeptical about this one. Initial smell was chocolate with very little beer, and the first taste was sweet. Second taste was not bad and by the third drink I started to like it. Overall, an enjoyable beer.  4/5

    Grand Canyon Brewing Co. Shaggy Bock:  As the winner who received beer from our favorite beer reviewer Mexican Sharpshooter, I was lucky enough to receive this beer. WOW, I was very disappointed to only have one of these. The woodiness from the “Flavor Bomb” was easily balanced by the beer itself.  4.5/5

    I really enjoyed the BIF, it gave me a chance to try beers that I would never see and types that I would never buy. Shipping my beers out was tedious and expensive, but it was well worth it and I will sign up if we do it again.

    Riven, who shipped to the Hyperbole:

    Oh, man. Look at all these beautiful babies:

    Uh, so I haven’t actually tried all of these yet. I would love to say that’s out of some kind of sense of “reviewer’s integrity,” but really, it’s just been stupidly busy ’round these parts for the last few weeks. Yes, too busy to drink beer. I know, I know–it’s so sad. Or something. Links included with the reviews below for those of you who can’t quite make out the labels.

    Black Aggie (Phoenix Brewing Co.) This is some damn good beer, right here. Can we get a round of applause for the Hyperbole on this pick? It’s sincerely top notch, and I definitely was not expecting such a glorious stout from BIF. This beer pours black. Not dark brown, not the deepest brown, but black. Pitch black. And the flavors are so complex: dark stone fruit, licorice, and strong coffee make for some puzzled drinking. “These things don’t go together!” And yet… somehow, they do. There’s also a kind of smokiness wafting around in the background that balances out the bitterness I normally associate with Russian Imperial stouts. It’s heavy and full-bodied the way a fine stout should be, and I would be pleased to have this again. … But in moderation because I was definitely feeling it after only 12 ounces or so.

    Look, I even shared with Mr. Riven!

    Mary Jane (Phoenix Brewing Co.) This is the first one I tried. As the most basic of the bitches, there was no way I would be able to resist a Chai Baltic Porter. I could definitely taste and smell the spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom all fight for dominance while dark chocolate and black coffee give them a nice field to play on. Very warm flavors, overall. It was thick enough to linger in your mouth like a porter ought to, but it didn’t cross the line into “so thick you have to chew it” as some porters will do when they’re really trying to be a stout. I would absolutely drink this again–nine times.

    Toe Tag Belgian Tripel (Phoenix Brewing Co.) I have yet to try this one, but I will say that I appreciate the aesthetic that Phoenix Brewing Company has going on. This particular beer is part of their “Mortuary Series.” I don’t know what that means, but I like it. Similarly, both Black Aggie and Mary Jane above are part of the “Cemetery Series.” As a fan of all things dark, macabre, and generally odd, these things brings me plenty-much joy.

    Sohio Stout (Columbus Brewing Co.) Also haven’t tried this one yet. I’m quite looking forward to trying this one, but we’re officially in Road Construction season (aka “summer”) here in the last best place. I’m going to have to wait for the next unseasonably cold day we have to really appreciate this one.

    Stroh’s American Lager (Pabst Brewing Co.) Y’all can laugh, but I’m super jazzed to drink this beer tonight (7/11). We’ve had a slew of hot, humid days here, and this beer keeps looking better and better. I don’t have to lift tonight, so I will be cracking this one open after walking Briz while Mr. Riven warms up the grill.

    Honestly, even if the last three beers I’ve yet to try fall flat on their faces, I would consider this BIF a huge success for me. I’m always looking for new and interesting porters and stouts, and the Hyperbole really delivered on those first two. I can’t wait to sign up again next year! (Do we really have to wait?)

    The Hyperbole, who shipped to Riven:

    We’re still looking for that lube

    The Hyperbole gives his boss some BS about running out of material and leaves work at noon. Riven had given him the heads up and the UPS tracking number told him that the delivery was today. Sure enough, as he turns onto his street he sees a big brown van pulling away from the curb. Perfect timing. Pulling up the drive he espies a package on the stoop, a large package. ‘Maybe I got drunk and ordered that 55 gallon drum of lube’ he thinks. Nope, the return address is Riven’s – this is the stuff. The Hyperbole carefully lugs the package inside and opens it, lining the endless supply of bottles and cans on the counter. ‘You’re going to need a bigger fridge,’ he says, referencing one of the greatest movies of all time.  He opens the fridge and makes room, tossing some questionably smelling leftovers and putting his emergency 30 pack of Strohs in the pantry.

    To kill time while the beer chills he logs onto Glibertarian.com and finds the morning links. He reads each linked article in full, taking notes and checking sources before heading to the comments to add his commentary both serious and snarky. But before he can he notices something.

    “Hmm seems everyone is making comments and picking favorites from some sort of list that a gentleman named ‘Q something or other’ posted. I wonder what that’s all about?”…..Four Hours later the beer is chilled and The Hyperbole dives in.

    Montana Common – A steam beer but since Anchor TM’d the word Steam everyone else has to call them ‘common’ like a mild IPA, hoppy but not too hoppy   STR½

    Wild Huckleberry Lager – If you like beer with a fruity flavor this is a beer with a fruity flavor. Personally not my bag but would be nice after a hot day.   ST½

    Cold Smoke Scotch Ale – MMM that’s the stuff! Malty Caramel-ly Roasty goodness   STRO½

    Highlander Strawberry Wheat – you know what I said about fruit flavored beers not being my bag? This could be the exception.   STRO

    Jacks 90 Scottish Ale – Another good one, of course, one might want to take into account that I’m fairly ripped now    STRO

    Thanks, Riven and Thanks to Neph for setting this up, BIF is now my second or third favorite part of this website/online community/cult/whatever the fuck this thing (place) is. Cheers, The Hyperbole.

  • Saturday Morning Well-Aged Links

    OK, after SP’s masterpiece links yesterday, I have resolved to never try to outdo her on her terms. Like most bright 9 year olds, she’s adept with modern technology in a way that I cannot be. So I need to be more clever.

    /racks brain

    Fuck, I give up. She wins. For now. But one day, ONE DAY…

    Anyway, the obligatory birthdays: Woody Guthrie, a despicable person who wrote some excellent songs; Martha Coakley, a despicable person of no particular achievement; Jane Lynch, tall, talented, and surprisingly intelligent for an actress; Tom Carvel, whose birthday we will celebrate with Fudgie the Whale; and Patrick Kennedy, the human equivalent of what would be best scraped off the bottom of my shoe after I’ve walked through a dog park.

    In history, today marks the anniversary of the Alien and Sedition Acts, proof that the absolute first reflex of a government is to be oppressive and self-preserving. That didn’t take long. Fuck John Adams. And it’s the anniversary of the Chicago Fire, which didn’t finish the job and stuck us with multiple generations of Daleys. Loser!

    On a personal note, my sincere wishes for a rapid recovery for Suthenboy. It will be great to see you back!

    And in the news:

    Today is the birthday of Ben Skardon. He’s 101 and still kicking. Who is that, you ask? He is the last living survivor of the Bataan Death march. And a damned remarkable human being. h/t deadhead

     

    Guess who died? Nancy Sinatra. At 101. Not the boots Nancy Sinatra. The other one.

     

    This whole story just infuriated me, and it’s getting worse and worse. Now the “victim” of the “hate crime” has figured out (or was advised) that there’s some extra magic words she needs to use to put someone in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights. And I rarely have sympathy for a cop, but I do for this one. Asshole shouldn’t have apologized for not arresting someone for the crime of unpleasant speech. Even his union is equivocal.

     

    It doesn’t matter how much money we “give” the government, they can always spend more. Record tax collection, and yet still, deficits on the $670B range. Interesting, though, in that this is a perfect illustration of the difference between tax rates and taxes, a distinction which still eludes the progressive mind. And some conservative minds as well, given their nostalgia for big-spender Reagan.

     

    This really should have happened in Florida. Well, Georgia is close.

     

    I cannot adequately express my disappointment at this.

     

    The youthful face of Team Blue. This is rapidly becoming a weekly feature.

     

    And speaking of weekly features, Old Guy Music. A ’60s classic, where I can’t decide which is goofier, the costumes, the dancing, the hair, the psychedelic production, or the lyrics. Still, damn fine band and a nostalgia rush for me.

     

  • ZARDOZ FRIDAY NIGHT (LATE) LINKS

    HAIL ZARDOZ…OR ELSE!

     

    ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. FINALLY, ZARDOZ IS IN MAINTENANCE PHASE. AFTER SO MANY GRAIN DELIVERIES, ZARDOZ REQUIRES CALIBRATION OF HIS GRAVITRONIC DRIVE. THIS ALLOWS ZARDOZ TO GIVE HIS CHOSEN ONES THE GIFT OF THE LINK. ZARDOZ REMINDS YOU THAT HE RAISED THE CHOSEN ONES FROM BRUTALITY, TO SNARK AT THE BRUTALS WHO PLAGUE THE EARTH.

    1. SOMEONE HAS USED THE GIFT OF THE GUN…HOWEVER, NOT EFFECTIVELY. REMEMBER, CHOSEN ONES, THE GUN IS SUPPOSED TO SPIT DEATH.
    2. APPARENTLY THE GIFT OF THE BOMB IS BEING USED INEFFECTIVELY AS WELL. BRUTALS, PLEASE.
    3. ZARDOZ BELIEVES THE BRUTAL PHRASE IS….AND THE WORLD YAWNED. CAN A BRUTAL FIGURE OUT SOMETHING MORE EFFECTIVE?

    ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.

  • Friday Afternoon Linkings of Links

    The LINKS have awakened!!!
    He hath destroyed my formatting.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Yeah, SP’s Morning Links were without a doubt, brilliant. But, you get mine this afternoon. I’d say “sorry about that”…but I am not sorry. So take yer mediocre links AND LIKE IT!

    • If you think RUSSIANZ BOTZ!!!! is the worst thing for an election, then hopefully you will not go near Pakistan. Mexico had a spate of killings recently as well. Maybe seeing a MAGA hat (not MAGA PRIME) isn’t quite as traumatic as being blown to bits by a bomb, eh?
    • I’m looking at you, PieInTheSKy. I am looking at you. Oh, not to blame. I am sure all 5 of Romania’s libertarians are innocent. Hopefully Pie can fill us in a bit about this story, as he has mentioned the heady mix of ineptitude and corruption that is government in Romania (well, to be fair, everywhere else too).
    • A fool and his money are soon parted. I encourage this use of money for something just a bit less useful than a bonfire.
    • I suspect the tabloids in the UK could not be any happier that the Hat and Hair are there right now.
    • Future weasel-informer for The Party.

     

    No, I shan’t be talking about RUSSIANZ INDICTMENTZ!!!

     

    Oh, music. I guess you all usually want some sort of link.

  • GlibFit 2.0, Son of GlibFit – Week 9

    Week 9 – Don’t Be Such a Dramatic Bitch

    Recently, I became aware of a term that sounds like bullshit.  The “biopsychosocial model of pain.” It sounds like a hippy-dippy dollop of new-age woo.  But you know, the old-school biomedical view of pain isn’t very good, either. The number of people walking around with fused disks and pins in their back that didn’t do anything for their pain is shocking.

    But the biopsychosocial model just has three parts to it that any old gamma that’s raised a dozen kids knows.  Feelings are one third “bio-,” one third “psycho-” and one third “-social.”

    If you have a sixteen month old that falls and cracks their head on the concrete, you know that their reaction is usually going to be twice what yours is.  If you recoil in sympathetic pain, you are going to be dealing with a screaming kid. If you laugh and say “fall down!” with a big smile, they are going to pop back up and giggle.  That’s social conditioning setting the overton window for pain.

    Unless, you know, they split their scalp, have blood in their eyes, and have a cracked skull.  That just hurts. That’s the bio part.

    Me, at 9:15, after a Zima.

    When the kids a little older and has a little bit of agency, well, they can start with the “psycho” bit.  My eight year old spawn fell of the bike. Road rash on the shin and a skinned knee, bleeding like a stuck pig.  This kid wailed and wailed like he was being fed feet-first into a garbage disposal. So I yelled and told him to “Shut the hell up, no one wants to hear that.”  This was such a shock, he actually did shut up. I’m not normally gruff with this kid. He’s a soft hearted, introspective boy that is more skittish than a fawn. So this was way out of character for me to him.  But it did the trick. After he collected himself, I told him that if he wallows in his pain, it will get worse. If he sucks it up, he will be in control. Ten minutes and a bit of gauze+tape later, he was out riding his bike again.

    And that’s when it struck me how much like this kid we all are.  I’ve said before, in at least one Glibfit, that hunger is like a 2 year old.  Put the food out of eye-sight and you won’t get as hungry.

    Well, we are all still like this eight year old too.  We live in a socio-environment where weight loss is ‘hard.’  It’s one of those things that Everyone Knows. Long term success at weight loss has a failure rate of over 95%.  Long term adherence to an exercise plan by an adult that doesn’t exercise is south of 5%. Lose a lot of weight, and everyone will tell you how hard it is and how much you have to work at it and what a sacrifice it is.

    In a high-school creative writing class, we were given this painting as a prompt. I turned in an essay that, in its completeness, was: “Billy stepped on a nail.”

    And I internalized that.  But.. you know… I’m a probably-would-get-diagnosed-as-on-the-spectrum system-loving engineer-at-heart who’s also got a complex that makes him seek out contrary positions (what up USC, my kindred spirit.)  And when I look at it objectively…

    It’s not any harder than bathing, brushing my teeth, shaving, and doing my hair every morning.  No one will see you in the break room and say “Oh my god, you put Murry’s in your hair every day this week?  That is so hard, I’m so proud of you!” Even though, you know, putting Murry’s in your hair is really hard. How can something be both so sticky and so non-newtonian at the same time, and it doesn’t wash off your hands.

    Anyway, I’ve spent the last 7 weeks talking about the bio- part of diet and fitness.  The psycho and socio parts are intertwined, and in a way that mainstream culture isn’t helping.  But it’s 2018, and you know, the Jacket was actually right. You can use the internet to construct your own cultural cesspit.  I found one little niche culture that will never tell you how brave and strong you are for putting down that blueberry muffin. In fact, they’ll call you a little bitch if you try and fail to precisely control your body composition.  Bodybuilders. Did you ever read about how those guys do what they do? Between the vitamin-T, insulin, diuretics, wearing banana-hammocks in public, and fumes from the tanning spray, a little bit of self control at the dinner table is the easiest part of their particular vice.  And so, even though I have no interest

    Four-time Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler, shown above, is a bodybuilding legend.

    in bodybuilding per se, and really have no interest in staring at people I know are shortening their life in order to super-deform their bodies and paint them brown, I have started immersing myself in their online culture.

     

    Because as poisonous as their hobby is to their body, their overton window around “Shut the hell up, no one wants to hear that” is much more healthy than that offered by mainstream culture or medical culture.

    Bonus 1 week challenge

    Bathe, brush your teeth, shave, and do your hair, you filthy animal.

    Note – We are winding down to the end of GlibFit 2.0, and are thus in need of a new handler for GlibFit 3.0.  If you are interested, send our kind hosts an email.

  • Paraskevidekatriaphobia Morning Links

    [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_fullwidth_image admin_label=”Hughley quote” _builder_version=”3.9″ src=”https://glibertarians.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hughley-morning-lg.jpg” /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Welcome” _builder_version=”3.9″]

    Fear not on this Friday the 13th, my dear Glibs. Nothing but comfort and peace will you find here in the Morning Links.

    I like to live my life with a cheerful attitude. An attitude of gratitude, if you will. I thought I’d give you a day-in-the-life glimpse into my lovely, idyllic world.

    I commence my day by letting my beautiful dog outside to gambol with the baby bunnies and those new cute black-and-white kitties that have recently moved in.

    Next, I make myself a cup of Fair Trade, organic, non-GMO coffee (with a splash of organic, non-GMO, unsweetened, unflavored almond milk and a dash of stevia), and sit down on the back porch to breathe in beauty and contemplate how wondrous is nature.

    When my soul is refreshed, I come back into the kitchen and have a big glass of cool, delicious water, free from nasty chemicals.

    Then I pull aside the drapes, throw open the bay window, and settle in at my beautiful handmade, free form, antique, mesquite table from Mexico, and open my browser to get down to work on a new website design for a group of women who are even more of just everything I’ve ever wanted in my clients. Along the way, I may even do some troubleshooting for some random humans who ask me for “computer help.”

    Don’t you wish your life were as simple and beautiful as mine? But, it’s not. Try to enjoy your day anyway.

    [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”1866 history” _builder_version=”3.9″ border_width_all=”2px” border_width_top=”3px” custom_padding=”15px|15px|15px|15px” saved_tabs=”all”]

    On this day in history

    1866: Construction begins on Fort Phil Kearny. This fortification was meant to protect travelers along the Bozeman Trail (Hi, Montana Glibs!). But, ultimately, the Indians had the last laugh when they burned the fort to the ground in 1868.

    Speaking of native peoples, Sloopy is hard at work on his latest auction: collectible arrowheads. Check out the cool items on offer and bid if you are into these sorts of artifacts, no matter how unwoke it may be to collect them.

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    On this day in history

    1930: Of interest to some Glibs, although I confess I do not know why, on July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The World Cup has since become the world’s most watched sporting event.

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    Celebrating birthdays

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    Week From Hell Breakfast Coffee Hot White Russian

    2 1/2 cups coffee
    1/2 cup heavy cream
    1/2 cup Kahlúa
    1/4 cup vodka
    whipped heavy cream for garnish if desired

    In a saucepan stir together the coffee, the 1/2 cup cream, the Kahlúa, and the vodka and heat the mixture over moderate heat until it is hot, but not boiling. Divide the mixture among heated mugs and garnish each drink with some of the whipped cream.

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    On this day in history

    1985: Live Aid opened at Wembley Stadium in London, the event that would eventually garner Bob Geldof a British knighthood, as well as bring us the term “extreme poverty” from the UN.

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    Oh, yes. And, music.

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  • Lozon, France: A WWII Diorama

    In the beginning, it was just a few figures to paint as the Crew of my B-25 Mitchell R/C plane, which is about 54” wingspan, so maybe 1/35 scale figures, so off I go to buy men, glue and paint. Some background: I have built models all my life, from shitty to glorious, and one of my customers is the owner of the hobby shop I have shopped at for 35 years, Pegasus Hobbies. So I knew where to go and what to buy, then I got home…

    I finished my guys and put them in my plane and brainstormed, “what if this plane did an emergency landing, and caught a Tiger on a field out of fuel, pinning it with its massive amount of .50 caliber guns? So I bought a 70$ Russian Tiger Tank model, I’m not cheap, and it was a sweet build, I ended up modding it several times as you will see.

    I needed landscaping and looked around and found some cheap shapes at the 99 cent store, and papier-mâché of course, but coverage? It was right then I knew I needed a plan, this was going to grow, I wasn’t sure just how big, yet. After a bit of research I found Woodland Scenics, which makes all kinds of very cool things such as bare trees, shrubbery, loose grass, dirt, sand, just an abundance of ideas, and with that in mind I decided what to do.

    The Bocage

    Actually means little boxes in French, however, from the wiki, in English bocage refers to a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, with fields and winding country lanes sunken between narrow low ridges and banks surmounted by tall thick hedgerows that break the wind but also limit visibility. It is the sort of landscape found in England in Devon.

    “The 1934 Nouveau Petit Larousse defined bocage as ‘a bosquet, a little wood, an agreeably shady wood’ and a bosquet as a little wood, a clump of trees’. By 2006, the Petit Larousse definition had become ‘(Norman word) Region where the fields and meadows are enclosed by earth banks carrying hedges or rows of trees and where the habitation is generally dispersed in farms and hamlets.”

    In WWII, The Bocage would play havoc with the Allied Advance, so I went with Operation Cobra, and an Allied advanced scout finding a full blown German repair base.

    Caught unawares, they get shot up bad, and call for help, then it all unfolds…

    My son got involved when he saw the decals, especially for the men themselves, and he did some fantastic work under lamps and magnifiers. He had a go at painting, but he fucked up so badly, I made him do a complete repaint, which he did flawlessly…and said, never again. Now it was my job.

    The Bocage needed to be at least 15 feet scale in places, so I glued down some shapes and began gluing shrub pieces, it took an hour to finish an inch, granted, I added hidey holes and things, but it was 30 inches long. There was also the Bocage tunnels; they were fun because I needed to keep them open some just to see the guys running through them.

    Details: At this point, it’s midsummer, so when I come home from work, I just want to cool off, and paint…really what I began to do is run several jobs at once, spray big pieces, paint men, assemble, landscape, repeat, for 6 months. And the farther we got in the project, the more detail was necessary. I did 240 men total, and I spent 2 hours on each one, and I could have done better (and lost my mind).

    By this time we are done with this panel, 30”x 50”and stow it in the garage ’til next year.

    We spent a lot of time watching historical docs on YouTube, focusing on what they really looked like, camo, lifestyle, all that we could find. I scoured the Internet looking for new figures for the next phase, and bought just about every German and American 1/35 scale figures you can, then set up the next section.

    The Base: the following Spring, I started filling the section I had built over the winter, this needed a bit more thought being quite busy. So what does a Base need?

    (click to enlarge images)

    The Storyline: Nazi fanatic Commandant throws everything at the force attacking, simple, it’s a caught off guard scenario, kinda like reality. There are culverts, ditches, a prime mover, wounded men, a pig sty, and my son made sure that every piece was the right division for the time and area, including 240 helmet insignias! I painted my men in groups, and mixed up the uniform colors for each one, while staying accurate. I lost about 200 pictures when my W7 machine died, but there’s a lot of neat stuff to check out.

    I had a great time doing this project, it took 2 years and about 1400 hours between my son and me, and I think $1500 or so, but spread out.

    Armory: US
    M3 Lee
    M3 Stuart
    Sherman
    Jeep

    Armory: Germany
    3-Flak 36/37
    2-20mm AA guns
    3-75 mm guns
    Tiger1
    Panther
    Hetzer
    PZ4 H
    2- 75mm AT guns
    2- Hanomag troop carriers
    1- 8 ton truck to move this shit
    1- Rail mounted PZ 4 turret

    As I thought I was finishing, several knowledgeable friends asked, “where’s the radio room, how about a shitter?” It just happens that there is a radio room with operators you can buy, and I found the most realistic copies of maps, and shrunk them down.

    I wanted a nice, expropriated office for my Commandant, and I found some nice period pieces cast in resin, so I set him up. I found 1/35 scale Nazi propaganda posters on Ebay. Sweet! I built his entire room, fireplace, desk, library, map table (with accurate maps), and a fraulein, again, custom paint.

    Paint: For all projects I use Testors, and Testors Model Master, and Tamiya Acrylics

    Landscape: Woodland Scenics, hands down. Use a white glue/water mix, spray and spread.

    Brands: Start with Tamiya, best bang for the buck, because quality counts, Ukraine has Szvezda, but there are many others. YMMV.

    At the end, things were looking good enough to find an actual place in France, and I found it! My Name, Lozon, France, not 3 miles from my diorama! Maybe closer!
    I made sure to setup street markers, etc but not Lozon sadly. Still cool, it’s a real place.

    I ended up very happy with the results, and it kept me busy for 2 summers. I know it’s amateurish, but hey I’m an amateur!

    View more photos:

    Gallery 1

    Gallery 2

  • ¡El XX enlaces por la tarde Jueves

    Buenos nachos Glibs! Here’s a quick take on what the Spanish speaking world now thinks of YOU…Okay, maybe not you personally.

    Since I last posted links Mexico elected a new president. Some here have called him a populist, some here (I’m not pointing fingers) called him a communist. Others boldly compared him to….well.

    AMLO emerge debido a una crisis de legitimidad de la clase política. Esta no ha logrado solucionar el problema de la corrupción, la decadencia económica o la violencia, que cada vez cobra más vidas. La proliferación de los carteles de la droga, asesinatos de candidatos políticos, el crimen generalizado, la rampante corrupción política y la sensación de caos no han sido resueltos bajo los gobiernos del Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN) y del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI).

    La victoria de AMLO evoca recuerdos de la victoria de Barack Obama casi 10 años atrás. Las guerras de Iraq y Afganistán más la crisis económica que estalló a menos de dos meses de las elecciones nacionales, no solo le dio a Obama un triunfo electoral aplastante, sino que también generó una euforia popular donde las expectativas del nuevo presidente eran muy altas.

    AMLO, al igual que Obama, mantuvo un discurso populista, de izquierda y a la vez se mantuvo lo suficientemente ambiguo como para asegurar una amplia mayoría. También, al igual que Obama, ha prometido grandes cambios. Ha prometido combatir la corrupción y la violencia, pero no es claro como lo haría. Ha dicho que consideraría una amnistía a los carteles de la droga con el objetivo de que “logremos la paz en el país”. ¿Cómo se le puede dar amnistía a una organización criminal que no tiene interés en abandonar sus lucrativos negocios? ¿Qué poder tiene el estado mexicano para lograr concesiones de los criminales de la droga? Tal amnistía corre el riesgo de convertirse en una luz verde para el narcotráfico.

    AMLO emerges due to a crisis of legitimacy of the political class. This has not managed to solve the problem of corruption, economic decadence or violence, which increasingly takes more lives. The proliferation of drug cartels, assassinations of political candidates, widespread crime, rampant political corruption and the sense of chaos have not been resolved under the governments of the National Action Party (PAN) and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). .

    AMLO’s victory evokes memories of Barack Obama’s victory almost 10 years ago. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plus the economic crisis that erupted less than two months before the national elections, not only gave Obama an overwhelming electoral victory, but also generated a popular euphoria where the expectations of the new president were very high.

    AMLO, like Obama, maintained a populist, leftist discourse and at the same time remained ambiguous enough to ensure a broad majority. Also, like Obama, he has promised big changes. He has promised to fight corruption and violence, but it is not clear how he would do it. He has said he would consider amnesty for the drug cartels with the aim of “achieving peace in the country.” How can amnesty be given to a criminal organization that has no interest in abandoning its lucrative business? What power does the Mexican state have to obtain concessions from drug criminals? Such an amnesty runs the risk of becoming a green light for drug trafficking.

    Before you say anything else! There is a brief moment of sanity….

    Si López Obrador no cumple por lo menos parte de sus promesas en un período razonable, su popularidad se verá disminuida. Aquí no habrá ni mesianismo ni carta blanca ilimitada.

    If López Obrador does not fulfill at least part of his promises in a reasonable period, his popularity will be diminished. Here there will be neither messianism nor unlimited carte blanche.

    That’s just….no. Here’s something else to perk you up!

    Más de 12 horas después de entrar en la iglesia y después de pasar por un auténtico viacrucis, a Vivas le confirmaron sus peores temores: su hijo, el agente de policía Faber López Vivas, era uno de los 38 muertos de la que, según los datos del Centro Nicaragüense de Derechos Humanos (Cenidh), fue la jornada más violenta en Nicaragua desde que comenzaron las protestas contra el gobierno de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo que han sido fuertemente reprimidas por antimotines y paramilitares.

    Pero ella no cree en la versión oficial que dice que López Vivas fue agredido por “terroristas con armas de fuego” cuando intentaba levantar uno de los tranques de caminos que la población había puesto a modo de protesta en el departamento de Carazo. Su madre asegura que el joven fue torturado y asesinado por sus propios compañeros después de pedir la baja de las filas de la policía porque se negaba a reprimir a los manifestantes.

    “Nada llena mi vacío. Nadie puede regresarme del dolor de la incertidumbre de saber que a mi hijo me lo torturaron sencillamente por pedir la baja. Me lo mataron a pellizcos, me le quitaron las uñas…”, relata la mujer en conversación telefónica con Univision Noticias.

    Conozco personas que pueden ayudar …

    More than 12 hours after entering the church and after going through an authentic Via Crucis, Vivas confirmed his worst fears: his son, police officer Faber López Vivas, was one of the 38 dead, according to the data from the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh), was the most violent day in Nicaragua since the protests against the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo began that have been strongly repressed by riot and paramilitary forces.

    But she does not believe in the official version that says López Vivas was assaulted by “terrorists with firearms” when he was trying to set up one of the roadblocks that the population had put up as a protest in the department of Carazo. His mother assures that the young man was tortured and killed by his own comrades after asking to leave the ranks of the police because he refused to repress the demonstrators.

    “Nothing fills my emptiness, no one can return me from the pain of the uncertainty of knowing that my son was tortured simply for asking me to leave, they pinched me, they took my nails …”, says the woman in conversation telephone with Univision News.

    ¡¡¡La Migra!!! Accuses Bill DeBlasio of violating port of entry laws in multiple countries.

    Según la misiva, un oficial uniformado de la Patrulla Fronteriza se percató del grupo en la llanura al sur de Tornillo, en Texas, que estaba tomando fotos de la instalación. El agente preguntó si con ellos iba alguien de la Patrulla Fronteriza o del departamento de relaciones públicas que pudiera autorizar su presencia. Un inspector de la policía neoyorquina dijo que no, y cuando el agente preguntó cómo habían llegado hasta allí, el grupo señaló hacia México, según la misiva.

    El agente les dijo que habían cruzado la frontera ilegalmente y les pidió quedarse allí mientras él buscaba a un supervisor. Les pidió ir a un puesto oficial de cruce, como lo exigen las normas, dice la carta. Pero, añade, el grupo desoyó la orden, caminó hacia sus vehículos y manejaron de vuelta hacia México. Reingresaron a territorio estadounidense por otro cruce fronterizo unas tres horas más tarde, dice la carta.

    Eric Phillips, portavoz de De Blasio, dijo que el grupo no hizo nada ilegal y que tenía autorización para estar allí.

    “El alcalde cruzó la frontera con la aprobación directa y bajo la supervisión del supervisor local de la patrulla fronteriza en ese puerto de entrada”, dijo Phillips en un email a la AP. “Decir lo contrario es una mentira directa y un intento obvio de alguien de atacar al alcalde por su actividad a favor de las familias que están siendo separadas en la frontera por la Administración Trump”.

    According to the letter, a uniformed Border Patrol official noticed the group on the plain south of Tornillo, in Texas, who was taking pictures of the facility. The agent asked if there was someone from the Border Patrol or the public relations department who could authorize his presence. A NYPD inspector said no, and when the agent asked how they got there, the group pointed to Mexico, according to the letter.

    The agent told them that they had crossed the border illegally and asked them to stay there while he was looking for a supervisor. He asked them to go to an official crossing point, as required by the rules, says the letter. But, he adds, the group ignored the order, walked to their vehicles and drove back to Mexico. They reentered US territory by another border crossing about three hours later, the letter says.

    Eric Phillips, spokesman for De Blasio, said the group did nothing illegal and that it was authorized to be there.

    “The mayor crossed the border with direct approval and under the supervision of the local border patrol supervisor at that port of entry,” Phillips said in an email to the AP. “To say otherwise is a direct lie and an obvious attempt by someone to attack the mayor for his activity in favor of the families that are being separated at the border by the Trump Administration.”

    Hey, maybe Trump will troll him by pardoning him.

    Translation services available from the Alpha Beta Corporation, who remind you that technically they aren’t the government therefore they CAN sensor your news.

     

  • The Catahoula Cur

    Little known outside of Louisiana, the Catahoula Cur is one of the most popular breeds in the state and for good reason. I link to the Wikipedia article and some videos about them because I have had several inquiries after mentioning this wonderful breed.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9NHxrnKe5g

    And a couple more to show how the bacon gets brought home.

    Yes, the dogs in the last video are wearing body armor, much to John’s dismay.

    Gentle Jack
    Cookie

  • Thursday Morning Links

    Thursday means a travel day for me. But first I’ll do my daily duty to y’all and see what fun I can provide you to start (or finish as it may be) your day.

    No caption necessary

    Poor England. They ran out of gas when the Croatians should have.  They put a whopping one shot on goal the entire game. And they managed to lose.  Maybe get an assassin of a striker again and you’ll be ok.  Raheem Sterling may as well have sat in the dressing room all night, because he wasn’t anywhere in the attacking half of the field…and he has now gone three years as a #10 without scoring a goal for England.  Also, poor Roger Federer. He was two points away from a straight sets quarterfinal win. Three hours later, he was packing his bags from Wimbledon.  He will not be joining Novak Djokovic, Kevin Anderson, Rafael Nadal and John Isner (yay America!) in the semifinals. Speaking of which, the Women’s semis are today with Ostapenko and Kerber on one side and Georges playing Serena Williams on the other.

    Meanwhile, on the civilized side of the pond, the Rays, Pirates, the MINNESOOOOODA TWIIIIIINS, Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Mets, Marlins, Braves, White Sox (yes, its true), Athletics, Rockies, Mariners and Dodgers won. And I double- and triple-checked the score and the Giants beat the Cubs in extra innings with a Buster Posey walk-off.

     

    Is that a 16″ penis in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

    Henry David Thoreau was born on this date. So was Kodak founder George Eastman (who Paul McCartney can thank for making him rich), so was scourge to allergy victims George Washington Carver, architect and inventor of the geodesic dome R Buckminster Fuller, the notoriously well-endowed Milton Berle, actor-comedian-genius “Curly” Joe DeRita, sci-fi author James E Gunn, sexual predator and pudding pitchman Bill Cosby, musician Christine McVie, fitness nut Richard Simmons, the angelic Cheryl Ladd, bassist Phillip Taylor Kramer, boxing great Julio Cesar Chavez, the lovely Kristi Yamaguchi and NASCAR owner-extraordinaire Rick Hendrick.

    Its also the date on which Richard The Lionheart stomped the Saracens in what was then known as Palestine, Alexander Hamilton succumbed to his wounds, Joseph Smith gains a lot of new followers when he says God allows polygamy, the immoral 16th Amendment was passed by Congress, the dumbasses also passed the first minimum wage law, Eisenhower proposed the interstate highway system, “Family Feud” with Richard Dawson made its debut, the White Sox hold the infamous “Disco Demolition Night”, Boris Yeltsin quits the Communist Party, Axl Rose was arrested on riot charges in St Louis, and Kirby Puckett retired from the aforementioned MINNESOOOOOODA TWIIIIIIINS.

    Now that’s a better date compared to the last few, in my opinion.  Well anyway, on to…the links!

    How dare he feed the homeless! That’s the government’s job!

    Uh-oh! Better pull the nomination.  Apparently it turns out that Brett Kavanaugh,,,now stay with me here…charged things to credit cards…and then paid them off! That can only mean he’s owned by BIG CREDIT and can’t be trusted.  LOL, nice opportunity research, Team Blue (and your WaPo mouthpiece).  He’s all but doomed now.  (For bonus lulu, go enjoy some of the comments. They’re pretty much unhinged from any semblance of reality.). And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was spotted wearing a red cap hours after the nomination.  The fact that he was feeding homeless people is beside the point. He’s wearing a RED MOTHERFUCKING HAT!!!!!

    John Schnatter resigns from Papa Johns after share value plunges $96 million because he used the n-word during a conference call two months ago. I almost hope he had recently shorted the damn place, because the whole thing is absurd. Sure he’s an idiot, but the reaction by shareholders is equally stupid. They virtue signaled their way out of a shitload of money…that people like Schnatter will happily puick up when they gobble up the undervalued stock.  Also, their pizza sucks.

    Attention whore (among other things) seeks attention. Receives the kind she probably doesn’t want. The law she broke: letting a customer touch her while onstage.  That’s kinda stupid, but in all seriousness, I hope they’ve quarantined that person to make sure whatever she’s got isn’t contagious.

     

    She’s also wearing red!!!!

    The woman who was caught on camera beating up a 91-year old Mexican man has been arrested. The three men who piled to help the attacker, Laquisha Jones, have not been identified.  And the story like so many others conveniently forgets to post a picture of the alleged assailant, so I will.

    I’m perfectly fine with this happy ending. Lazy bastard should have done something when the person literally told him she was fearful of the drunken asshole berating her. He should be unemployed…which he probably won’t be for very long since this is the kind of shit Chicago PD recruits on.

    They better prepare to open up the checkbook. Guilt by association is pretty bad.  Guilt by association to someone that’s not even been prosecuted is absolutely insane.

    Oh great, now I gotta worry about clown robbers when I cross 610.

    Here you go. Hope you enjoy.

    Have a great day.