Oh Noes…

Posted on by February 13, 2014

If you’re a Corvette aficionado, you’ve GOT to be crying in your beer today…

corvette-museum-sinkhole1

The National Corvette Museum at Bowling Green, KY had a sinkhole open under on of the exhibit structures…  Thankfully no one was hurt or fell in the hole…

From the press release-

It is with heavy hearts that we report that eight Corvettes were affected by this incident.  Those cars include:

  • 1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors
  • 2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil” on loan from General Motors

The other six vehicles were owned by the National Corvette Museum including:

  • 1962 Black Corvette
  • 1984 PPG Pace Car
  • 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette
  • 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette
  • 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette
  • 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette

Having visited the place a few times, as as a former (and someday again) Corvette owner, I can only say I’m heartbroken for them; as these ‘are’ special cars in the Corvette world…

Thankfully none of the privately owned loaner cars were involved and hopefully they can recover and repair the cars that are in the hole…

The full press release is HERE, and the article from Fox is HERE.

Corvette folks are a lot like gunnies, in that there are collectors, and drivers…  And 95% of them are genuinely good folks that would help you out any way they could!  Just like we go, “Ya wanna shoot this?” They’ll go, “Ya wanna drive mine?”

One of my fondest memories is a car show we did at Bowling Green back in the late 90’s and I took the kids with me. We got a private tour of the assembly plant and museum, and they got to start two brand new Corvettes on the assembly line. I and a few others got to drive the then brand new C5s that had been brought in for the press to drive; and I remember bombing down a Kentucky back road at well over the legal limit and turning to the GM rep in the right seat and asking what kind of insurance they had on the cars…

When he told me none, I babied that sucker all the way back, much to his amusement…

NRA Annual Meeting…

Posted on by February 12, 2014

For those planning to attend the NRA AM…

MEDIA ADVISORY

NRA’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits 2014:
A Celebration of American Values
Indianapolis, Indiana Hosts Several Acres of Guns, Gear & Outfitters

Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meetings and Exhibits will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana from April 25-27, 2014.

For more information, including event tickets, please visit www.nraam.org.

Members of the news media who wish to cover this year’s event will need press credentials. For press credentials, please email your name, media affiliation, phone number, and email address to[email protected]. Credentials will be available for pick-up in the press office starting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 24. Television crews and still photographers should bring necessary equipment and lenses (sports lenses) to cover events from platforms at distances from 150-200 feet from the stage. (Please note: requests from U.S. media outlets will be given priority over foreign media requests. Consequently, foreign media should be prepared in the event they do not have access to the show floor.)

Approximately 70,000 attendees are expected at this year’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits. Leading firearm manufacturers will display the firearm industry’s latest products. Guides and outfitters, various hunting and shooting accessories, and an extensive private collection displayed by NRA-affiliated gun collector clubs will fill acres of convention space.

The National NRA Foundation Banquet will take place on Thursday, April 24, at the Lucas Oil Stadium. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. This event is closed to the press.

The NRA-ILA Leadership Forum will take place on Friday, April 25. This year’s speakers include Senator Daniel Coats of Indiana, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, conservative talk radio host Mark Levin, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Governor Mike Pence of Indiana, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.

NRACountry, a partnership between NRA and country music’s brightest stars, is pleased to present NRACountry Jam IV at the Crane Bay Event Center on Friday, April 25, featuring Joe Nichols and Jerrod Niemann. Doors will open at7:00 p.m. This is a ticketed event.

NRA’s Stand and Fight Rally will take place Saturday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. Guests will be treated to performances by legendary country super group Alabama and multi-time Female Vocalist of the Year award winner Sara Evans.

NRA’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits provide a safe and fun atmosphere the whole family can enjoy. The air gun range is a top attraction – both for participants and observers. NRA offers diverse seminars throughout the three-day convention, including methods of concealed carry; hunting; Firearms Law; the Grassroots Workshop; and Refuse to Be a Victim®.

Folks, they’ve been really good to us bloggers, but I’d recommend you get your request in early!  They usually have wireless in the press room, and give out some good press packets too!

The Grey Man, update…

Posted on by February 11, 2014

It’s real!!!

TGM Book front

All up 393 pages, 380+ pages of actual story…

I’m sitting here with mixed emotions right now; relief that the editing process is done, happiness that I have a real book (at least a proof copy), and fear (or terror) of the reception of the book…

I owe a large number of people debts of thanks too…

All of you blog readers for your support…

For the Alpha and Beta readers…  Your patience was amazing, and thank you for ALL the constructive criticism, and correcting my lousy punctuation…

For the fact checkers (and no I STILL don’t know how the other 2 disappeared from the ballistics calculation; and yes I corrected for the altitude)…

For the published authors I talked to that gave good advice, especially about editing and constructive and destructive criticism…

To my editor, whom I purposely chose as a woman located in Chicago; figuring she would catch all the problems with understanding the tech jargon, and questions about location.  Only to find out via one of her comments back, SHE GREW UP IN TEXAS…  Sigh

And my illustrator…  A blog reader and graphics wizard, who’s patience, was amazing… Along with her artwork and knowledge of what had to be done to make the cover ‘fit’…

And most of all to the naysayers…

Having come up through the ranks in the military, pretty much NOTHING sets my teeth on edge and makes me MORE determined to do something than being told I can’t, or it’s not good enough…

You know who you are, and please accept my humble thanks…

This is the last step, reviewing the proof, and making any final corrections that we catch, so I’m hoping to go ‘live’ with it either in late February, or early March.  I’m planning a Kindle version, a Nook version (via B&N), and a print version.

Well, well, well…

Posted on by February 10, 2014

We go from THIS…

The Defense Department is discussing a $1 billion cut over the next three years to the commissary’s budget in a move that could lead to a widespread closure of stores, Pentagon and industry officials said.

To this…

According to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, there are no plans to close military commissaries. The chairman first addressed this issue during his Facebook town hall meeting last month (a transcript of the recent town hall meeting with General Dempsey is available on DoD Live). Although the DoD officials are not planning to close commissaries, they did ask the Defense Commissary Agency for a range of options, including how the system would operate with reduced or no taxpayer subsidies. 

Link is HERE.

And apparently the Congresscritters are getting a LOT of pressure to fulfill their promise to reinstate the military retirees cola pay from retirement until age 62… I heard today the Senate is scrambling around trying to find something else to cut and get rid of the pay cut…

Oopsie…

Posted on by February 10, 2014

Gotta love it when things go boom at exactly the wrong (or right) time…

 Militants accidentally set off their own car bomb Monday at a training camp in the countryside north of Baghdad, leaving 21 dead and resulting in two dozen arrests, Iraqi officials said.

Read the whole article HERE at foxnews.com.

h/t Les

Far as I’m concerned, it’s time to play Angry Birds over there…

Angry Birds poster

 

Truth…

Posted on by February 9, 2014

This is from Ace Jewell CDR-USN-ret, now about  88,  Fighter Pilot  in 3 wars and  LSO extraordinaire. They don’t make them like Ace anymore. Ace says:

“Drones will not …be late to briefings, start fights at happy hour, destroy clubs, attempt to seduce others’ dates, purchase huge watches, insult other Services, sing “O’Leary’s Balls,” dance on tables, yell “Show us your tits!!!” or do all of the other things that we know win wars!”

h/t JP

Peter has a new book out!!!

Posted on by February 10, 2014

Our very own Peter at Bayou Renaissance Man now has the THIRD book in his Maxwell series out!!!

Adapt And Overcome - small cover image 250px

 

Click the book to go to the Amazon link and buy the book!

I’m about half way through it finished it last night, and I think it’s the best of the series so far.  Congrats to Peter for his excellent writing, and looking forward to more from him!!!

 

What the…

Posted on by February 9, 2014

Let me see if I have this right….

This NAACP rally is protesting requiring Photo ID to register to vote and to cast a vote in state and federal political elections because it’s a ‘racist law’ and ‘oppresses minorities’ the ‘right to vote’…..  BUT… You must have a Photo ID to attend the rally protesting Photo ID….?

In the middle of the list, however, is a drastically ironic “Do.” To go to the rally, you are asked to have “photo identification (driver’s license, passport or other valid photo id) with you and keep it on your person at all times.”

Unions are against Photo ID laws for many of the same reasons… but they also require Union members to show Photo ID to vote in a Union election… hmmmm

You are required to have Photo ID to rent a video, buy an airline or bus ticket, start a bank account, cash a check, even get a library card at many libraries and a laundry list of other actions/activities requiring Photo ID be presented… but it’s discriminatory and a racist ploy against minorities to require Photo ID to vote?

Read the whole article HERE.

Too Funny…

Posted on by February 6, 2014

This one tipped over the gigglebox…

image001

One of the horses I rode as a kid on my uncle’s ranch was ‘persnickety’ about his hooves, and was a dainty stepper…  Pablo was the ONLY person on the ranch that horse would let inspect his hooves, or re-shoe him.  Anybody else, it was Katy bar the door!!!