Archive for March, 2009

From the Sea to the Stars

A two-in-one:

Sea Siege—The nuclear war had come at last and the research team on an island in the West Indies thought they had been lucky to survive. But survival was going to require more than luck, when they found themselves under attack by sea creatures out of darkest legend, directed by a previously unknown intelligence from the depths of the sea which was determined to eliminate mankind as a competitor and seize what was left of the world for itself.

Star Gate—Long ago, the Star Lords had come from a dying Earth and settled on the Earthlike planet Gorth where they found a primitive society and helped the inhabitants to rise to civilization. But now the native folk of Gorth have grown resentful and jealous of the Star Lords, who have refused to share their secrets of immortality and their powerful weapons—technology which led to the loss of Earth. Though some of the Star Lords are preparing to resume wandering among the stars, others cannot bear to leave their adopted world and instead travel through an interdimensional gate to another Gorth in a parallel universe. And when they find that in this universe the Star Lords from Earth came as conquerors and enslaved the people of Gorth, their course is clear. They must battle their counterparts to free Gorth—even if it means their own destruction.

And don’t forget the adventures of Murdoc Jern: Search for the Star Stones.

Via Jim Sheppard’s Outdoor Wire:

Shooting Illustrated’s GunsandHunting.com Redesigned

Shooting Illustrated’s GunsandHunting.com has been redesigned with faster navigation, exclusive content, videos and the addition of yet another well-known gun writer to the team, Shelby Murdoc of GunPundit.com fame. Murdoc, a freelance gun writer and columnist specializing in tactical firearms since 2004, has been blogging for six years and his regular installments to GunsandHunting.com add even more depth to the website’s firearm coverage.

All new blogs by each of Shooting Illustrated’s editors are proving to be one of GunsandHunting.com’s most popular new additions, with readers being subjected to ruminations and breaking news on a daily basis. Videos include American Guardian Television host Chad Adams voluntarily getting tazed, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Taurus Judge watermelon video, interviews from the SHOT Show and trigger time with a suppressed, fully automatic submachine gun.

Shooting Illustrated’s www.GunsandHunting.com is the Internet’s Definitive Destination for the Modern Shooter.

It’s an honor to join the crew at GunsandHunting. Be sure to check out the site when you get a chance. It’s good and getting better. (Just don’t let that Murdoc guy screw it all up…LOL!)

Guest Post by James Rummel of Hell in a Handbasket:

Admiral Edward Wilson Very was a US ordnance expert who invented one of the most useful emergency signaling devices in the world: a hand held flare gun.

Oddly enough, the British usually refer to devices of this kind, and the ammo they use, by the name of the inventor. (“Pass me the Very pistol, dear. Oh, and the white Very flare, as well.”) Here in the United States we don’t bother to give the man his due, even though he devoted his life to the country. Oh, well. On with the essay.

The Germans during WWII decided to modify it a bit. They turned a simple signalling device into an anti-armor weapon called the Sturmpistole.

To be completely accurate, the Sturmpistole was just not very effective. It certainly looked mean, though.

I was in the gun store today, and I saw yet another effort to weaponize the lowly Very pistol.

I like the pink color. Obviously, this is not something the German military in the bad old days of the 3rd Reich came up with.

I’ve had a number of folks email me about the new DoD plan to shred spent cartridge cases before selling them as scrap rather than selling the cases to re-loaders.

Fortunately, public outcry has reversed the plan.

Great work, everyone.

Red, white and blue, through and through

The flag traveled around the world and through the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq. Sgt. Felix Perez brought it from home as a reminder and an amulet. The flag never left his Army backpack.

It accompanied Perez to Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday night.

Team USA baseball has been pretty much a disappointment in recent years. More often than not they’ve stumbled badly. But their comeback win against Puerto Rico is a big story, and Perez was there to see it. In a wheelchair due to wounds suffered in the Army, he cheered for USA even though the vast majority of the crowd was pulling for Puerto Rico. He had the last laugh as USA came back in the bottom of the ninth to win.

On the way out, the 27-year-old Perez placed the flag in his lap and leaned over to a security guard manning Gate G. He was hoping some players from Team USA might sign it. The security guard led Perez and his sister to the U.S. clubhouse, and the flag went inside.

“The next thing I know,” Perez said, “I’m getting called to come back in there.”

He spent a half-hour in the clubhouse with the team, and everyone signed the flag.

Though a lot of folks in America don’t take the World Baseball Classic very seriously, Perez isn’t one them:

“We’re the U.S.,” Perez said. “This is our game. … This is the world. You’re representing your country. What is more honorable than representing your country?”

I know that a number of MO regulars are or were tabletop role-playing gamers. Is anyone up on or into the recent “retro-clone” movement of old-school gaming like Labyrinth Lord (1981 Moldvay edition clone) or Swords & Wizardry (Original edition clone)?

That’s real footage of an actual shot. I had to check before I posted it because it’s so clear.

MO had pointed out the shot last month, but the video has just been cleared for the public. See the earlier post for the press release and more info.

Over at GunPundit:

Sheriff Investigators are trying to figure out why Los Osos’ resident Chris Saletta shot 18-year-old Nicole Galvez in the arm.

Here’s a hint for the Sheriff Investigators: It’s because she was about to drive her PT Cruiser into his kids’ bedroom.

U.S. Eyes Super Tucano for SpecOps Work

This is something we’ve discussed a number of times on MO: A prop-driven light attack plane for special ops and low-intesity warfare.

Under the classified “Imminent Fury” program, the Navy has already leased, tested and armed at least one Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano, according to Capt. Mark Mullins, a naval special warfare officer serving as the deputy director of the Navy Irregular Warfare Office at the Pentagon.

Read the rest at Defense News.

Is the Super Tucano the best plane out there? Tough to say, since modern militaries have such little experience with these types of planes in these roles lately.

An even better question: Why is it the Navy that’s leading the way? Could it be because the Air Force would slit its own wrists before it let a little prop into the combat inventory?

If the Navy goes ahead with this, could it tirckle down to the Marines?