Month: March 2020

Great Moments In Bad Timing

Bad News, Business, Health, Marketing / Advertising

Given how the Corona virus thing has completely knocked the pleasure-cruise industry off the shelf, one would think that this is a bad time to launch a new one, yes?

Step forward Sir Richard of Branson:

On the bright side, every dollar this Left tool drops into nonsense like this is one less dollar for the dozens of Lefty causes his company supports.

Even before the emergence of passenger liners as floating pox-palaces, you wouldn’t have got me on one of them at gunpoint.  Now… uh huh.  Hot needles, meet scrotum.

Bugout Bag Deficiencies

SHTF

Because it’s been a while since last I checked, I went through Ye Olde Bugge Outte Bagge on Sunday, and found myself short of a couple of items, most notably paracord.  (How the hell did that happen?  I used to have a 500′ drum  of the stuff.  There is some thick rope in the bag, but only about 25′ of it.)  Also short were facemasks, but I do have a few of those so no panic there, really.  Also lacking was the supply of water-purification tablets, all duly remedied by a quick trip to Academy.

The nunya gun and ammo were fine, of course, as was the backup supply of .22 ammo.

One disturbing shortcoming was that neither of my walkie-talkies works anymore — no idea how that happened, but they were only Radio Shack 1-mile cheapies, and I haven’t used them since about 2007 anyway, so I’m probably due a new pair.  Which brings me to an RFI:  does anyone have any idea of the latest and greatest in walkie-talkies?  Caveat:  I don’t want to spend a boatload of $$$ on them;  I just want them reliable, with about 2-5 miles range.  Features etc. to a minimum, especially if those have an effect on the total price.  All personal experience welcome (as with all my RFIs).

Other than that, all is well.

Update:  I’ll be getting these radios unless someone warns me off.

Gratuitous Gun Pic – CZ Upland 20ga

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Oh man… just saw this beauty at Collectors:

Last time I looked, CZ doesn’t make their shotguns, still outsourcing their manufacture to Huglu in Turkey.  That’s not a knock, by the way:  I’ve fired many actual Huglu-branded shotguns, and they’re excellent.

Just so everyone’s on the same page as I am, note Kim’s Must-Haves list:

  • side-by-side barrels no less than 28″ in length
  • double trigger
  • straight “English” stock (no revolver grip)
  • splinter forend
  • pretty wood

And all the above for quite a bit less than a grand… ooooh mommy, I hate being poor.

Afterthought:  compare the above to the Italian-made Weatherby for sale at the same shop.  The Weatherby may be a better shotgun than the CZ… but in no way is it nearly three times  better.

Staying Home II

Mocking Furriners, SHTF

It is, as they say, to LOL at our cousins in Britishland as they begin to panic:

Panic-buying Brits strip supermarket shelves of pasta, couscous and water: Shops are left bare of larder essentials as well as toilet roll, Berocca and disinfectant as coronavirus ‘preppers’ brace for meltdown

Couscous?  [exit, pissing myself laughing]

Sorry, had to clean up a little.  I do like the addition of Berocca (supposed hangover remedy, similar to Alka Seltzer) to the list of “emergency” supplies.

Just go ahead and read the article for more merriment.  Good grief, do these people keep anything in the house?

Followup:  of course, let’s not forget our own doomsayers here in Murka:

“Dear Dr. Kim”

Advice

“Dear Dr. Kim:
“Please could you tell me how one might become more resilient in the face of constant disappointment in life? I don’t believe I set the bar high, yet so often I feel unhappy with the way things turn out to be.
For example, I invested thousands of pounds of savings (in addition to a large loan) to pay for a degree that led to no graduate job or studentship for a PhD. I worked in a hotel for two years to save for a masters degree, which I’m now undertaking.
The quality of this course is also extremely disappointing and I really regret starting it.
The rejections have begun again due to the competitive nature of securing a funded PhD (I’ve had my CVs and applications checked and they are fine). I fear the same will happen again once I finish this course.
There are also disappointments on a broader scale, for instance, the catastrophe that is Brexit and the fact people still continue to live a life convenient for them at the expense of damaging our planet. All this has started to chip away at me and at the age of 25 I feel bitter.
I know life is anything but fair, but I am struggling to change my mindset. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.”

— Princess PhD, London

Dear Princess:
Basically, I can see no end to your horrible unhappiness and the resulting bitterness, and can offer you no advice other than to kill yourself.
While this may seem a somewhat extreme remedy for your many ills, it’s not all bad:  you won’t have to endure the trauma of having to deal with rejection and you won’t have to deal with the consequences of other people’s foolishness like Brexit and planet damage.  And on the financial side, you won’t have to pay your tuition fees either, as you probably have no money saved for your estate.
If you shrink from suicide — as this seems to be a habit of yours in dealing with life’s unpleasantness — then I suggest you eat four Tide pods and call me in the morning.

Normal disclaimer / obligatory warning for stupid people:

Dr. Kim isn’t a doctor, doesn’t play one on TV (but has been known to do so with unsuspecting women on an ad-hoc basis).  His advice should be taken with a metric tonne of salt and two metric tonnes of humor, and should be followed with extreme care.  Dr. Kim takes no responsibility for outcomes of separation, violence, divorce or strange diseases stemming from the adoption of his advice.

Helpless Laughter

Conservatism, Marxists

So some conservative rich guy buys into a Lefty media organ, whereupon the Commies lose their shit.

Major Republican donor Paul Singer has just purchased a big stake in Twitter and is reportedly pondering changes, among them getting rid of the present CEO, Jack Dorsey, according to a report in The Guardian.

And:

God, I hope so.

Sucks when it happens to your side, dunnit?  You totalitarian motherfuckers.