VCR, short for Video Cassette Recorder.  A device that put Blockbuster on the map.

A device that is ever so slowly receding from our vocabulary and out of our minds eye.  Could you even work one today?

They have their roots all they way back to the 1950s, and actually were able to produce HD quality images at the time of their demise when DVDs and HD televisions were beginning to become the new thing,

As you will see in this well thought out video, VCRs are quite complicated, and evolved through a number of iterations and updates thoughout their life.  This video does a very good job of explaining all of the technical bits without causing your eyes to glaze over.

And yes, be kind, please rewind.

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I'm guessing that is the predicament this guy found himself in.  There are hundreds of different styles of drills, grinders, sanders, cutters out there, but all use either compressed air or you have to plug them in.  Sure, there are battery powered tools, but they lack the punch this guy (man) wanted.

So with no air and no electricity, what do you do?   You strap a nitromethane engine to it, duh.

This video, by johnnyq90, takes us down the fascinating path of not only using the aforementioned nitromethane die grinder, but shows the steps in the creation of the little monster.  A lathe is his main too of choice, and he even shows us how the first few iterations failed.   Not all things happen by magic and on the first try like the TV and internet wants you to believe.   He (johnnyq90) has another, slightly longer, vid showing him strapping a nitromethane engine to a drill.  I haven't watched that one yet....so I will now.

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Hero.  A term that is used far too often for people that are no way deserving of the title.  This is not the case of Quentin C. Aanenson, a World War 2 fighter pilot and front line ground troop.  A tried and true leader of men, through conditions and perils that hardly anyone alive today can imagine.  A great that stands out from the 'Greatest Generation'.

He wanted to share his story, and I'm glad he did.   He wrote, produced, and narrated a film about his time fighting for the Allies.  This film was first shown in 1993, widely shown in 1994 on PBS, and I'm sad to say that I just learned of it.  Better late than never, so they say.

DVDs were available up until a few years ago, but we have not been able to track one down.  So here is the film, in 2 parts, graciously hosted by who we assume to be a 100% true and proud American.

Enjoy.  And never forget what was done for us.

PART 1


PART 2

We constantly hear about new car features and safety upgrades, about how those new features are supposed to help us avoid crashes and make the car safer when involved in a crash.  Some people strictly buy cars based on their safety features and crash test scores, so manufacturers put millions of dollars and thousands of engineering hours into making their cars just a bit more safe than the competition.  But what about larger vehicles that we share the road wtih?  Fire trucks, ambulances, 18 wheelers, etc.  Emergency vehicles are extra susceptible to crashes, as they often don't stop for red lights or stop signs when on the way to an emergency or to the hospital.  
Ambulances are an interesting study.  They are usually transporting a sick or injured individual along with EMTs performing critical care while in transit, and often, the ambulance itself is involved in a collision.  These EMTs are not always seated and belted in order to perform CPR or to bandage wounds, so they are at risk of becoming a projectile during a collision.

These sobering pictures (taken from http://breaking911.com/two-emts-dead-after-ambulance-crash-on-southern-state-parkway-in-ny/) from about a year ago show an ambulance that slammed head on into a stone and concrete wall.  The cab of the 1 ton van is almost completely flattened.    

Unfortunately, the driver of the ambulance and the patient being transported died on impact, but amazingly an EMT riding the in the back survived.   How in the world you say?  

Well, emergency vehicle manufacturers are taking vehicle integrity quite seriously. 

Check out this video from AEV emergency Vehicles.  They are building basically a highly engineered roll cage to attach to the van body.  The video also outlines some sobering facts if you have ever had to take a ride in teh back of an ambulance.  AEV claims to well exceed Federal regulations, and backs it up with a real world crash test.  Pretty cool to see a vehicle other than a sedan involved in a crash test:

Nothing is 100% safe, but its good to know that at least someone is taking he time and effort to build a quality product, which could mean the difference between life and death, when the situation is already critical.  

We are talking about the McClaren F1.  A supercar so revoloutionary, it still raises heartrated 25 years later at the mere mention of its name.  Carbon fiber tub and body, gold lined engine bay (gold is the best heat reflector, duh), center seating position (the optimum position for a racing car) and a glorius 600+ HP naturally aspirated handbuilt BMW V-12.  Many have tried to best this incredible machine, none have yet.

Recently a video has surfaced of Andrew Bagnall's McClaren F1 with a factory installed High Downforce Kit.  1 of 2 made.  Mr. Bagnall, a wealthy New Zealand business man and Pharma executive, has owned this incredibly special machine for a number of years now, and he like's to 'open her up' quite regularly:

Thanks to the one of a kind Jay Leno, we have an up close view of the heart of the McClaren F1, a sight few have had the pleasure of viewing.  The engine, transmission and exhaust weigh just 500 pounds:

When the F1 was introduced, not only was it a technical wonder, it found itself as the fastest and quickest road legal production car at the time, a record that stood for close to 20 years.  That is FOREVER in car terms.  Here is a behind the scenes look at this nerve wrecking top speed attempt:

If the above isn't enough, here is more than enough info to keep you busy for a few hours learning and refreshing:

Another Perspective

Straight from McClaren


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Yes, Walter, it appears the whole world has gone crazy.

"Don't open the front door if immigration officials knock. If you are taken into custody, tell them your name and nothing else. Definitely don't sign anything"

The quote above is the opening line from this article telling ILLEGAL immigrants what to do when and if the lawful United States government comes hunts them down as criminal invaders.  Not only is this a blatant kick in the nuts to all the legal citizens of this country who try their best to work hard, pay taxes, and obey the law, it ties up an already over worked legal system that had enough to deal with before idiots and criminals started over running the southern border.  These 'advocacy' groups are at best aiding and abetting known criminals, and in any other 'normal' criminal situation would be charged with a crime.

These criminal aliens and their co-conspirators often meet to discuss issues concerning their crimes and how to get away from being detained, so why aren't they arrested and deported and the people driving the get away car charged with crimes?  Probation and a hefty fine seem warranted here, as putting these morons in jail just puts an increased burden on the taxpayer.

They even poke fun out our tax payer funded law enforcement efforts, oblivious to the fact that in any other country in this world they would be locked up INSTANTLY when found with no hope of getting out:

"Volunteers took part in a role-playing exercise. The audience broke into laughter when a woman wearing a vest with "ICE" taped on it burst into the room after knocking loudly on a door.
"I try to make it interactive because it's long and very sad, in a way,"  (leech) Mendez said."

This situation is funny to you?  I hope you receive no tax funded benefits and you get hung up on when you need to call 911.

As one commenter on the above article puts it,
"Then there should be a reward offered for turning these people in, and I believe that would be welcomed by those who have grown tired of watching these people circumvent our laws."

I couldn't agree more.


Just when you thought it couldn't get any more bass ackwards:

Imagine a standardized test.  Imagine you failing that test.  What would you think might be some reasons you failed?  Didn't study?  Didn't pay attention in class?  Chose to ignore others who came before you and listen to guidance?  All legit reasons.  However, there is one more, seemingly better reason, that you failed.....your race.  That's right.  Some people have run out of things to blame their failures on and chalked it up to good ol fashioned racism.  Now, this standardized test isn't designed to test your knowledge of unique cultures and ways of life, it is designed to test your ability to read and write and handle math, you know, to prove you are capable of teaching the next generation of adults.  

At a time where we constantly hear that the United States lags behind other nations in various subjects, we have this gem: 

"Citing the fact that an out sized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing the test, members of the New York state Board of Regents plans to adopt a task force's recommendation to eliminate the literacy exam, known as the Academic Literacy Skills Test, given to prospective teachers."

How on earth is that supposed to teach anyone anything, except blame your race for everything?  This does nothing to push our society forward.  It's as though some don't want to get on a level playing field.  When you can blame the system, you don't have to look in the mirror.  

Now this is the most surprising bit of the brain melting article:

"The tests, however, came under intense scrutiny for their alleged racial bias, after just 46 percent of Hispanic test-takers and 41 percent of black test-takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.'

ON A FREAKING LITERACY TEST.  I'd like to know exactly who scrutinized it. I can imagine.  Here we have Hispanics, whose native language is not even English, did better than blacks.  How can anyone in the black community even show their face after such embarrassment?  It is no wonder they want to blame the system.  Must be too painful to face the actual music.

New York State even does what they can to get everyone to pass, offering  "A practice test available for $20 on the New York State Education Department website features John F. Kennedy's inaugural address as one of the reading passages and asks questions like this one: "In which excerpt from the passage do Kennedy's word choices most clearly establish a tone of resolve?"Ian Rosenblum, the executive director of the New York office of the Education Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for high achievement for all students, called the literacy test "a 12th grade-level assessment" -- something a high school senior should be able to pass."

Sounds reasonable to me.  If you want to be a teacher, a profession with quite a bit of responsibility, you should be held to a higher standard.  If you choose to not learn and make poor decisions while in school youself, why on earth would we want you 'teaching' anyone anything?

​You know?

​Key word here: Illegal.

Somehow the 'illegal' part gets dropped off any mainstream narrative concerning immigration to this fine country.  Weird.  

No our immigration system here in the great United States of America is not broken, people from all of the world become American citizens each and every day.  Yes, it takes a good bit of time.  We want to make sure you are here legally, you want to make America a better place,  you assimilate to our ways and cultures, and you add value to our society.

How some elected and 'respected' officials can work to undermine this process is beyond traitorous.    We have elected officials working out in the open to undermine US and state laws, and are proud to do so.  G.K Butterfield, you are a transparent drain on American society.  Unfortunately you aren't the only one.

Even an entire government made up of buffoons can't grasp that hard working people don't want others taking advantage of a system and openly breaking the law.  If the people that are protesting are so dumb and uneducated that they don't understand why they are not wanted here, then what do they bring to the table in American society?  Dreamers?  No one is safe in Trump's America?  Please.  America already struggles with having too many dumb people among our ranks, letting more in does nothing but lowers the collective education level.  Not to mention erasing any evidence of common sense.

These lawmaker idiots should take care of the 95% of the population that pays for their time in government, or allow these illegals to live with them and use up their food, clothes, and shelter rent free.  That is how they are treating the everyday working man taxpayer.

Good news is that we are fighting back:

Trump is facing off with these 'sanctuary cities' and enforcing the law.  How about that?  Who would have guessed.

On the other side of the country, in Charlotte NC, ICE officials are staying busy rounding up troublemakers.  Great news.  We fund these agencies (to the tune of billions of dollars a year) so why not let them enforce the law?  And no, don't put them in jail....No one with half a brain wants their tax dollars paying for food for these people.  Send them home.  

Some complain that its too hard and would cost too much to try and find the illegals that live in the shadows, but it's such an easy task, that is maddening that nothing gets done.  Its literally like shooting fish in a barrel.  Some say that up to one-third of the prison population are in this country illegal.  So why are they still here?  We already have them locked up, no further hunt is needed.  Send them packing.  Even if the number is 10%, we could IMMEDIATELY, OVERNIGHT reduce our prison budget by 10%.  Now where are these lawmakers spewing non-sense about not having enough schools, classrooms, and teachers?  Morons.

I guess common sense is not so common anymore.....what do you think?  Or do you not believe in a rule of law and order?  The illegals should call you when they get their hospital bill then, I don't want to pay for it.

UPDATE (3/15/17)

It appears that California can't spend money fast enough to appease criminal aliens.  It appears that the criminals who broke into this country  don't understand what the Criminal Justice system is all about.  Traitor California Governor Jerry Brown of California signed three bills into law that aims to add some 'fairness' to the system that seems to be doing exactly what it was designed to do.....catch and detain criminals.  Not only is he wasting time, money and resources on this problem that shouldn't exist in the first place, he is openly breaking federal law by not deporting these invaders immediately, to the detriment of the tax payers, who, by the way, are the only reason his state has any money and he has a job as governor.  He could deport these people, advocate for the hiring of US citizens, and have a win win of higher employment and increased tax revenue.  Does what he is doing show that he has the best intentions for his state and the country?

Madness I tell you.  Brain puzzled on this one.

Also known as the Dragon Man, Mel Bernstein is a 1960's child that knows the meaning of hard work, tragedy, big guns, and having fun.  He has experienced a lifetime of ups and downs, but one thing has stayed the same, work hard and be your own boss.

The Vietnam Veteran now boasts one of, if not the largest private military collection in the United States.  He has tanks, landmines, hundreds of M1 Garands, grenades, all varieties of machine guns, specialized vehicles, and an entire section devoted to extremely rare Nazi memorabilia.  Check it out:

His complex and collection is on roughly 200 acres in Colorado Springs, CO, and is out by itself, as it needs to be, seen here:

Dragon Man started his collection after being drafted in the Vietnam War effort and getting a taste of the big guns, and learning the value of hard work working multiple jobs so he could buy the things he wanted.  And he did.  

But tragedy struck, and took his wife from him.  This would take the will out of many men, but the Dragon Man has persevered with the help of his daughters.  Today, he runs a gun shop, multiple shooting ranges, tours, and anything else he wants to do on his land.  You can read a bit more in depth about the death of his wife and how he almost became super famous, here at the Gazette:

Check out his website for a rundown of antics, and schedule a tour while you're at it

​http://www.dragonmans.com/

Now this looks like my kinda place.  And you though 'beer gardens' were a new idea

Caption on this photo states it was taken in Georgia.  Really could have been anywhere in the deep south after a hard days work.

Real life horse trading going on, 1940, in Kentucky.

Thousands more photos just like this, from the Library of Congress.  Your tax dollars at work, so why not take a bit to enjoy some of them.  Click below.

Library of Congress

The World Rally Championship.  Art on wheels.  Home to arguably the worlds best drivers and closest to the edge driving you will ever see.  Here we have the Rally Monte Carlo, made even better (more treacherous) with ice and snow.  The first round of the 2017 WRC championship is amplified by the skillful use of drones and helicopters equipped with HD cameras with skilled pilots.  It's a wonderful dance to witness, and a great start to what we hope is a season full of thrills.  Rally Monte Carlo is one of the most technical rallys of the year, and also visually stunning.  Two minutes is not enough.  Hopefully this wonderful camera work continues.

After checking out the aerial view, below is a front and center video showcasing the skill, concentration, and guts it takes to complete a rally stage at the World Class level.  Poetry in motion.
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