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News Roundup

Bad News

Oy… the news has been particularly awful over the past few days.  Except for this snippet:


…which is newsworthy only because of its unexpectedness.

But the rest has been the customary shit show.

…not to brag, but my Butterball is already in the freezer, on the advice of some old contacts in the supermarket business. Do ye all likewise.


…the really awful thing is that Mummy Dearest hadn’t taught him how to spell his name before he started school.

From the Heart Of Stone Department:


…and on his way to court, even, thus saving us all the cost of the formality trial.


…what was the middle bit, again?

From the annals of WTF SEX?


…it should be noted that the boys’ parents also need a good talking-to.


…I would suggest that the old goat be tied to a chair so that he can be beaten to death by the townspeople, but someone is no doubt going to have a problem with this.

It’s All A Load Of Old Bollocks
…until the next study comes out.


…and he was so upset, he won the race.


…and my Five Worst such books were once regarded as too over-the-top.

And now, INSIGNIFICA:

     

…and if my own wife felt the same way, she’d be bonking every guy in the street, because:

Getting A Grip

The Gun Thing

While I have greatly enjoyed Othias and Mae’s “Primer” series on WWI guns, there’s something I need to mention — not as criticism, mind you, but as a technical issue.

Whenever Mae talks about the old rifles’ “ergonomics” (what we old guys used to call  “handling”), she often complains that a straight buttstock does not give her the optimum means to pull the rifle back into her shoulder, so as to mitigate the effect of recoil.  She prefers rifles to have a “semi-pistol” grip so that her hand can feel its way back into its firing position more easily.

 

I’ve never had that problem with straight stocks (as opposed to “semi-pistol grips”) myself, because I hold rifles differently from the way she does.  Here’s the difference:

Note how her thumb rests on the side of the stock.  What this means is that only her three remaining fingers can grip the stock, leading to a weaker grip than if she were to cross her thumb over to a “baseball bat” type of grip.

Which is how I hold a rifle with my right hand:

That hold gives me a good grip on the stock, and I can pull it into my shoulder quite firmly — so whether I’m using a straight stock or one with a pistol grip is irrelevant.  (When it comes to shotguns, I prefer a straight, or “English” stock, because I can slide my hand into the firing position.)

I know that a number of shooters — very good shooters, e.g. Doc Russia and the Layabout Sailor — hold their rifles the same way as Mae does, and as I said above, this is not at all a criticism, merely an observation.

Not that any of this matters much, mind you, as all the cool kids seem to be using actual pistol grips on their rifles these days:

…so once again, I’m out of step with the times.  [sigh]

Five Worst Occupations

Friday Feature, The Worst

Yup, it’s a return to a Friday feature Of Yore.

And this has nothing to do with your earnings, either, but what it says about you as a person.  Ranked in order of increasing foulness, they are:

  • Professional assassin
  • Rapper
  • TikTok Influencer
  • Sugar Baby
  • Hedge Fund Manager

Feel free to correct me, if you can think of worse.

Oxi Day

Deep Thoughts, Heroism

From Longtime Reader Brad:

You tell of your Grandfather on a yearly basis… his quiet determination to live his life, support and protect his family, etc.
Perhaps you recall columnist John Kass from The Trib — he’s indie now — he bailed earlier this year immediately after lefty vulture “capitalists” bought The Trib.
I give you this …

I always liked to read John Kass back when I lived in Daley City, and this ranks up there with his best.  Wonderful, and humbling.

Thanks, Brad.