A Sopwith Camel, a P-38 Lightning, and an SR-71 in vertical orientation, suitable for phone wallpapers...

Embiggenate and download to your heart's content (please for non-commercial use, obv...)

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No Brass Left Behind

by Joe in The View From North Central Idaho on 2026-08-02T13:00:00Z

Quote of the Day Via This Is How Strict One Country Is With Gun Control – AOL. I once read about some U.S. GI training with the Japanese military and spending an hour looking for a single piece of .50 … Continue reading

MO: St. Louis - Store Clerk Shoots Suspect

by Dean Weingarten in GUN WATCH on 2026-08-02T12:41:33Z

According to police, a man entered McNeal’s Superette in the 5900 block of Lillian around 10 a.m. and caused a disturbance, during which he attempted to force his way behind the counter into a secured area. The clerk then reportedly shot the man.

When officers arrived at the market, police said there was a fight between the suspect and the officers who attempted to take him into custody.


More Here


Detectives said a subject had obtained a key card to another individual’s hotel room and entered the room without permission. The subject later exited the room, and the verbal confrontation continued in the hallway.

Surveillance footage showed the subject attempting to strike the other individual and enter the hotel room a second time. 

During the confrontation, the subject reached into his waistband and produced a black object. The other individual then fired approximately eight rounds, striking the subject multiple times, authorities said. 

 


NC: Winston-Salem - Firearm Dropped, Rounds Fired at Assailants

by Dean Weingarten in GUN WATCH on 2026-08-02T12:35:41Z

Police said Peak and another man were physically assaulting David Johnson Gray, a 57-year-old Black man, when a firearm was dropped during the altercation. Investigators said Gray retrieved the firearm and fired several rounds, striking Peak as he and the other man were attempting to run away. The other man was not hit, police said.

More Here


SLUF

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-08-02T11:47:00Z


The LTV* A-7 Corsair II was nicknamed the "SLUF", for Short Little Ugly Fucker. A single seat attack aircraft developed from the F-8 fighter, it was a workhorse in Vietnam.


The one in Dayton is an A-7D, which is a version of the Navy's A-7 that was built for the USAF. Instead of the two 20mm Colt Mk. 12 cannon of the original, the D model had a single 20mm Vulcan, as well as a more powerful Allison turbofan, a fine product of Indiana.

The USAF A-7's were relegated to Air National Guard units as the F-16 came online in the Seventies, but the last combat missions flown by Navy SLUFs were in Operation Desert Storm. The Corsair II was also flown by the Greeks, Thais, and Portuguese.


*LTV was Ling-Temco-Vought, the company that resulted from a 1961 hostile takeover of the old Chance Vought corporation of F4U Corsair and F8U Crusader fame by Ling Electric, who had recently gone on a buying spree, absorbing Temco Aircraft and speaker manufacturer Altec Electronics among others.

Meme Dump!

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-08-02T11:10:21Z




The quest to squeeze maximum performance and aerodynamic efficiency out of small bore cartridges never stops with me. With Hornady’s release of the 62gr ELD-VT (Varmint Target) bullet, designed natively around the .22 ARC, it was only a matter of time before I had to see how this high velocity, high BC projectile performs in […]

The post Testing the Hornady 62gr ELD-VT in .224 Valkyrie: 100-Yard Velocity & Accuracy Bench Prep first appeared on Day At The Range.

Elect More Communists

by Joe in The View From North Central Idaho on 2026-08-02T01:59:28Z

Watch the whole video. It’s worth it. As if people have not been saying the Democrat Party is socialists and/or communist for years now. Still, better late than never. Prepare appropriately.

Aggression? Or self-defense?

by TPOL Nathan in The Price of Liberty on 2026-08-02T01:00:00Z

A guest commentary and more! Tom Jefferson described liberty and how laws did not sustain and support liberty, because tyrants used law just as much (or more) than lovers of liberty did. “How keep under control the men entrusted with … Continue reading

Long-range shooting has a way of exposing the strengths and weaknesses of both rifles and ammunition. It’s easy to look good on a single lucky hit, but sustaining impacts over an entire day of shooting is what really tells the story. For this range session, we brought four very different rifles chambered in three different […]

The post Four Rifles. Three Calibers. One Goal: Ring Steel at Distance – 800 to 1000 Yards first appeared on Day At The Range.

It Is Really Hard to See the Tragedy in This Execution

by Clayton Cramer in Clayton Cramer. on 2026-08-01T19:12:29Z

7/28/26 CNN:

James Aren Duckett, 68, was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. The 11th inmate executed by the state this year, Duckett was convicted of raping and drowning an 11-year-old girl while working as a police officer in a small central Florida city in 1987.

The SIG Spear LT has earned a reputation for being one of the most refined modern sporting rifles available, but how does it perform when chambered in the legendary 7.62×39 cartridge? That’s exactly what I set out to discover. Rather than relying on internet opinions, I headed to the range with three commonly available ammunition […]

The post SIG Spear MCX LT 7.62×39 Range Test: Three Loads, One Rifle, and Some Surprises first appeared on Day At The Range.
Enclosed emitters are gaining a lot of momentum and popularity nowadays, and Steiner has just dropped an updated version of theirs: the MPS 2.0 micro pistol sight. With newly enhanced features like larger buttons, better battery life, and the same price-point as before (no price increase for even better quality), this is something that has caught our attention.

Silencer Saturday #443: An Extra-Unique AR7

by Daniel Y in The Firearm Blog on 2026-08-01T14:21:59Z

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new Victra 20-gauge shotgun suppressor . This week we are looking at another interesting creation from my friend Collin. He made a nifty takedown .22 with an integral suppressor.
Reserve your copy of “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=evt699 Today I am speaking with Owen Thornton (author of Headstamp’s new book on Tiger Stripe camo) about the origins on Tiger [...]

The post Origins of Tiger Stripe: British Windproof and French Lizard Camouflage first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.

Quote of the Day imagine if we treated adding a new law to the economy in the same way we treated adding a new medicine to the body. you’d have to demonstrate no harmful effects show up in controlled trials, … Continue reading

Interwar Bombers

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-08-01T12:13:20Z


The Martin B-10, which first flew in prototype form in '32, went into service with the USAAF in summer of 1935. It was a sales success, with the US government buying over a hundred and export sales to China, the Dutch, Thailand, and Turkey.

We phased ours out pretty quickly at the start of WW2, but the type saw extensive combat with the Chinese, Dutch, and Thai forces, and Thailand didn't retire theirs until 1949.

It was replaced as a frontline aircraft in the USAAF inventory by the Douglas B-18 Bolo.


Most of our forward deployed B-18s were in the Philippines and got destroyed on the ground by the Japanese. Most of its wartime US service was flying anti-sub patrols along the coasts. Canada got twenty of them, which were also used for anti-submarine work, and a few went to Brazil, where they served as trainers.

Gratuitous Gun Pr0n #263...

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-08-01T11:33:36Z


It appears I may be spending some time getting good with a DA trigger again, as the tactical dirt colored SIG Sauer SP2022 in the horsehide Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 will attest. The SIG is likely just going to be a waypoint for three or four months as I work back up to spending six months or a year carrying the Langdon Beretta, which is the pistol with which I've had most of my moments of glory in gun school.

The rest of the pocket detritus is the same as usual: Surefire EDCL1-T, Spyderco Dragonfly, and POM spray.

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IN: South Bend - Gunfight, Fisherman Shoots Assailant

by Dean Weingarten in GUN WATCH on 2026-08-01T11:31:55Z

Hubbard said a man confronted him, falsely accusing him of assaulting the man’s brother earlier this month — an unhoused individual Hubbard said he has gotten to know.

Hubbard denied the alleged assault and said the man pulled a gun, fired at him, but missed. Hubbard said he fired back.

“I needed to know that my daughter was going to live. I needed to know my fiancée was going to live. We’re talking about my family. I’ll do what it takes. But I did not want this,” Hubbard said.

More Here


Sources say the delivery driver fired several rounds at the teen during the alleged carjacking attempt. Rounds were recovered near the vehicle and a short distance down the road from where it was loaded onto a flatbed truck.

A neighbor described what she heard and saw from inside her home.


More Here


Meme Dump!

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-08-01T11:02:39Z




Saturday’s Hello Weekend Meme Drop 8-1-26

by Midwest Chick in Midwest Chick's Place on 2026-08-01T10:30:00Z

What will work better?

by TPOL Nathan in The Price of Liberty on 2026-08-01T01:00:00Z

Several talk shows have in recent days prefaced their hourly sessions on radio (and online) with quotes from various Woke Tranzi politicians. They want to abolish at least the following institutions: My oh my. That almost sounds like a libertarian, … Continue reading

TFB Review: Springfield Armory Echelon Alpha 4.0C 9mm

by Adam Scepaniak in The Firearm Blog on 2026-08-01T00:00:00Z

The Springfield Armory Echelon has been the darling of Geneseo, Illinois ever since its inception for innumerable reasons. The supremely-clever optics mounting system, texturing/stippling that borders on coming from a Custom Shop, a chassis design for ultimate modularity, and flat out performance from the first magazine. Over the few years it has been out, it has evolved through different frame sizes, barrel configurations, and factory packages to please as many shooters as possible. What if you want the hot rod, but money is tight? We get it and so does Springfield. They have now announced the Echelon Alpha  with a very sharp price point of $599 compared to a standard Echelon being sold for $710 and up. So, today we are going to take a look at the new Springfield Armory Echelon Alpha 4.0C 9mm  to see how it performs on the range. Let’s dive in! 
The Beretta Gold Cup 2026 in Malmö, Sweden brought together elite IPSC competitors from all over the World, for a match that raised the bar on stage design and volunteer execution. What stood out immediately were the creative course-of-fire elements: moving targets triggered by sensors, innovative stage layouts, and carefully crafted designs that gave each stage its own character and challenge. There was even a stage with flames and fire, as you stepped on one of the activators.
You don’t hear a lot about handgun hunting these days, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the rise of the autoloader—I’d argue there was more interest in handgun hunting when six-guns were the norm. Or maybe it’s just because hunters interested in the up-close-and-personal action have moved on to archery equipment. Maybe it’s because they decided that blasting away at long-range targets Elmer Keith-style is too difficult, and they want to make clean kills with a rifle that requires less practice.

Welcome back, Range Fans! If you just watched the latest video review of the Griffin Armament MK2 equipped with a 14 inch barrel, the Griffin Dual-Lok 5 suppressor, and their 1–10x LPVO you saw us take this short barreled setup all the way out to the 800 yard steel silhouette. As promised in the video, […]

The post Griffin Armament MK2 Review 800 Yard Steel Accuracy Test & Long Range Performance first appeared on Day At The Range.

Installed

by Pawpaw in PawPaw's House on 2026-07-31T21:33:54Z

 Done and done. The new AC unit is in the wall.  I used a long sawsall blade to get between the chassis and cabinet. When the crew arrived (one son, two grandsons), we slid out the old chassis and slid the new AC unit into the hole. Plugged it in and adjusted for max cooling.


Now, it's Happy Hour.

Sightmark G-Shot: No-Cut Optic For Glocks

by Zac K in The Firearm Blog on 2026-07-31T17:00:00Z

Sightmark’s solution for Glock owners who want optics is the G-Shot. That’s not the name of a West Coast gangster rapper with smooth delivery; it’s the name of this optic that’s intended to work on a Glock without any milling, adapter plates or any other gunsmithing trickery or accessories. It’s supposed to work with the majority of Glock’s Gen 3, Gen 4 and Gen 5 pistols, including the G17, G19 and G26, fitted directly to their unmodified factory slides.

"Justice Department" are a bunch of big Poopy Heads

by Borepatch in Borepatch on 2026-07-31T15:06:19Z

Now I'm a simple guy, one who believes that the Bill of Rights means what it says, and applies even to whack environmentalists who don't like cops.  And so this seems like something that the Courts should swat down:

The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting an American for allegedly providing U.S. border authorities with a 

The case centers on a feature included in GrapheneOS, a custom Android operating system that runs in place of the software on most modern Google Pixel devices. Tunick’s attorneys confirmed GrapheneOS was running on his phone.

The software feature allows the device owner to set a passcode that deliberately wipes the contents of that device if entered instead of the user’s unlock passcode.

passcode that wiped the contents of his phone, according to an indictment and media reports. 

This is thought to be the first known case in the United States where federal prosecutors have charged someone for the alleged destruction of data using a “duress” password built into a phone’s software.

According to The Guardian, which covered the story earlier this week following the court’s first hearing on Monday, Atlanta resident Samuel Tunick is fighting the charges. Tunick’s attorneys said that it was unlawful for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to seize his phone as he arrived back in the U.S. last year and that any evidence — including the alleged wiping of his phone — should be thrown out.

The Einsteins at DoJ say that the Border Agents didn't need a warrant to search his phone because he "hadn't entered the US" - even though this all took place at Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta.  Oooooooh kaaaaaaay.

It looks like they guy has some pretty high powered legal help - including the Electronic Frontier Foundation - so hopefully the right precedent will get established here: i.e. that the 4th and 5th Amendments mean what they say.

This is all about a software feature called a "Duress Passcode":

The case centers on a feature included in GrapheneOS, a custom Android operating system that runs in place of the software on most modern Google Pixel devices. Tunick’s attorneys confirmed GrapheneOS was running on his phone.

The software feature allows the device owner to set a passcode that deliberately wipes the contents of that device if entered instead of the user’s unlock passcode.

The Border Patrol dudes asked him for his passcode while holding him in durance vile for hours.  Eventually he gave them the Duress Passcode.  

IANAL, but just because he's an activist for anti-cop activities doesn't mean he doesn't have rights.

And yeah, the scare quotes in the post title are intentional.

Say “bonjour” to an upgraded French rifle! PGM Précision's Ludis arrives as a deliberate bet on a specific shooter profile: the long-range competitor or sport shooter who doesn't need a magazine, doesn't need semiauto capability, and doesn't need the feature set of the Ultima Ratio platform. What they need is interchangeable barrels, match-grade precision, modularity, and the build quality that justifies the PGM name without the operational overhead or cost of a full professional rifle. The upgrades include a new chassis with an integrated ARCA rail along the entire length of the handguard, as well as a new fixed stock that offers the new adjustment options.

Friday Update

by Pawpaw in PawPaw's House on 2026-07-31T14:52:05Z

 I have a very good friend, a buddy, a pard, who is a retired Master Electrician. He came over yesterday to help me with the new shop air conditioner.  We didn't do any lifting or toting.  What we did do is open the panel, ensure that the wiring and breaker could handle the load, then went to the wall and installed a new 230v/30 amp receptacle. I know now that everything is up to code and the shop can handle the load.  We are golden on the electrical side.

Next, I called my crew and set it up to have stout men available late this afternoon.  Three good men, plus me, be sufficient for getting that AC unit in the wall.

I have done the measuring.  The plan is to slide the old chassis out of the cabinet in the wall, then slide the new unit, cabinet and all, into the old cabinet.  This plan worked fine last year.  It's the same plan as last year. The new unit is just a wee bit smaller than the old unit, and there is no real reason to remove the old cabinet, which is braced and screwed to the building.

The one glitch is that I used, eight years ago, a common product to seal the unit to the building to make it watertight.  Great Stuff foam sealant, to keep rain out.. That product is aptly named; it is very good at sealing cracks and crevasse. It has also glued the chassis into the cabinet.  I have been on a ladder  this morning, digging it out of the gaps.

The crew will be here late this afternoon.  We'll get the old one out and the new one in.

Spendy weekend inbound

by Commander Zero in Notes From The Bunker on 2026-07-31T14:38:11Z

The gear survivalists leave lives on after them, and the tinfoil is often  interred with their bones…… Got a text message from a buddy the other day.  A person he knew passed, the wife wants to sell the house and … Continue reading

 

On April 18, 2026, a mass murderer killed six people in Kyiv, Ukraine.  He took hostages and barricaded himself in a supermarket. Two police officers fled the scene. He killed the victims with a legally registered assault rifle. The killer was 58 years old. Police attempted to negotiate for an hour before storming the position and killing the murderer.

One day later, on April 19, 2026, Ukraine's Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko showed his support for relaxing Ukraine's controls on firearms, to allow citizens to have firearms, including handguns, for their defense. Klymenko promised the mass murder would not be used to conduct mass checks of weapons owners.  He deplored the action of the two police officers. He said he supported the loosening of restrictions on the ownership of defensive firearms, especially handguns. Civilian ownership of handguns is banned in Ukraine. From Ukrainska Pravda:

On the question of granting civilians the right to possess firearms, including handguns, the interior minister said: "I believe that people must be given the right to armed self-defense. Especially after the experience of the early days of the full-scale invasion, when civilians received weapons for national resistance".

The push to liberalize the Ukrainian law on the ownership and carry of handguns did not start with Kylmenko. Ihor Friz, who is with the ruling Servant of the People Party, proposed a reform in 2022. Polls on the subject indicate 59% of the public support the right to carry a handgun for self defense. Only 22% reject the idea entirely.

Klymenko's words have been followed with actions. On May 6, 2026, President Zelensky said he had been briefed by Interior Minister Klyenko. He supported a reform law. From kyivpost.com:

“Ukraine needs a modern and strong law on civilian firearms that will protect citizens without weapons and realistically regulate the situation for those who own weapons,” Zelensky said.

The Czech Republic serves as an example. It has some of the least restrictive firearms laws in Europe. In the Czech Republic, a permit to carry a handgun for self protection is shall issue. According to Wikipedia, about 83% of gun owners were authorized to carry concealed weapons at the end of 2025. Once authorization to own guns is approved, the permission is for the lifetime of the owner. The total number of gun owners in the Czech Republic is a little over 3% of the population.  The Czech Republic has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe.

A major motivator to reform the Ukrainian law is the number of firearms which exist in the Republic because of the war. It could be difficult to keep them out of citizens' hands.

As of 11 June, 2026, a published report shows Ihor Klymenko signed an order to create a working group to consider how to regulate citizen ownership of firearms, how to obtain permits to own firearms, and how to address issues of responsibility and self-defense.  Once rules are drafted, they will be presented to the Ukraine parliament to be considered.

Eastern Europe has trended toward a more liberal model of firearms ownership than Western Europe. The Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro have shall issue or permissive "may issue" concealed carry laws. Permits to carry concealed weapons are almost impossible to obtain in the rest of Europe.

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch
 


 

 


In a separate shooting incident early Tuesday in the Hoffman Triangle neighborhood, a fight among a group of people resulted in three being shot around 12:07 a.m. in the 3700 block of Washington Avenue.

Police said after the fight broke out and appeared to conclude, one man “retrieved a firearm” and began to shoot, striking an adult man and adult woman. Someone managed to shoot back, wounding the first shooter.


More Here


The run of pleasant weather offered another opportunity for an after-dinner smoke and sip on the screened porch. I reached into the humidor for an aged Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro Epicure, one remaining from a purchase about two and a half years ago. After that extended rest, I expected the cigar’s flavors to have melded beautifully.

The Epicure vitola is a 6 × 54 box-pressed cigar featuring a six-year-old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper that spent an additional 14 months aging in bourbon barrels. The binder and filler are also said to be 6-year-aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos. Remembering the espresso and nutty sweetness I’d enjoyed from this cigar in the past, I searched for a bourbon with a similarly dessert-like profile.



I selected an old favorite, Angel's Envy Bourbon Port Wine Barrel Finish. One of the first examples of secondary barrel finishing in American whiskey, Angel's Envy helped popularize the concept. The bourbon undergoes a standard four to six years of aging in new charred oak before spending an additional six months in Portuguese ruby port wine barrels. Although bottled at a modest 86.6 proof, the added layer of dark-fruit richness never obscures the bourbon’s familiar caramel, vanilla, and oak character.

The bourbon barrel aging of the wrapper leaf for the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro adds a layer of sweetness, softening the darker notes typical of the Maduro wrapper. That added sweetness, combined with the dark fruit and vanilla of the whiskey, created an indulgent pairing for this evening's repast.

The Perdomo cigar kicks off with espresso and cocoa notes. Alongside Angel’s Envy’s vanilla and caramel sweetness, the pairing felt decadent from the first draw. As the cigar developed, the molasses and dark chocolate notes became more pronounced. The bourbon’s candied fruit gently softens the cigar’s peppery edge. As the pairing continues and the fruit, chocolate, and coffee notes intertwine, my thoughts drifted to crème brûlée and tiramisu.



The cigar picks up more of a roasted character toward the finish. Rich tobacco and dark chocolate move to the forefront. The rich fruit sweetness from the Angel’s Envy lingers alongside those flavors, bringing to mind dark chocolate-covered coffee beans and cherries.

Secondary barrel finishing has become increasingly popular in recent years, helped in no small part by the growing number of “cigar blend” whiskies. Whether bourbon- or Scotch-based, I can rarely resist these releases when I spot them on store shelves. As I savored this after-dinner pairing this evening, it struck me that Angel’s Envy is particularly well suited to cigar pairing, even though it wasn’t conceived or marketed with that purpose in mind.

“Dessert-like” may be an overused description in bourbon, cigar, beer, and cocktail reviews — even here in these Musings. In the case of Angel’s Envy Bourbon Port Wine Barrel Finish paired with the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro, however, the description seems entirely appropriate.

Cheers!


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]
Tired of YouTube unsubscribing you or just not showing you my videos? Join Patreon and get a regular feed of ad-free videos: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons 01:05 – Elbonian service handguns and training 06:16 – My contrarian views? [...]

The post Q&A July 2026: Elbonian SMGs and HICAR (Feat. Comrade Clower of Type 56) first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.

The United States is a global leader in fisheries excellence, and NOAA's regional priorities will increase opportunities for American fishermen and women.

IF YOU HAVE FOURTEEN MINUTES…

by Mas in on 2026-07-31T13:00:00Z

San Diego Gun Owners recently brought me to their stomping grounds to teach a Deadly Force Instructor class. While there, I sat down with some of their folks to discuss current issues.Catch it here: or watch video here. San Diego Gun Owners have been spectacularly successful as grassroots advocates for the civil rights of firearms […]
Quote of the Day The nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, is celebrating Mayor Brandon Johnson signing an executive order to establish responsible procurement standards for firearms purchased by city agencies in Chicago. The executive … Continue reading
Welcome back to Front Line Friday. This week is a gear week, and the topic is the radio hardware nobody issues you: the accessories, the earpiece choices that actually fit your assignment, and the battery discipline that keeps a working radio from turning into a brick at hour ten. Front Line Friday is brought to you by Dead Air Silencers , whose support keeps this column going every week.

Tab Clearing...

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-07-31T12:47:53Z



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The Only Two...

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-07-31T12:35:54Z


The Enola Gay was reassembled from storage and put on permanent display at the Udvar-Hazy museum in 2003.


When I visited in November of 2015, the way it was displayed made it nearly impossible for me to frame the entire aircraft in a photo from the floor. It's pretty crowded in there.

On the other hand, you can't help but come nose-to-nose with the only other aircraft to have dropped an atomic bomb in anger. Round the corner in the World War II gallery in the USAF Museum and Bockscar is right there up in your grille.


Memes on Friday!

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-07-31T11:44:40Z




Lockheed Snouts!

by Tam in View From The Porch on 2026-07-31T11:28:36Z

Lockheed F-94A Starfire

The other day I finally did something I've been meaning to do since I first moved to Indianapolis almost twenty years ago.

I booked a room for two nights at a Holiday Inn Express on the east side of Dayton, Ohio. While it's only a little over two hours away, this allowed me to drive out there at a leisurely pace around noon on Tuesday, grab a late lunch, and check into the hotel so that the next morning I could get to the USAF museum about the time it opened, walk until my feet couldn't take any more walking, then go back to the hotel and drive home all nicely rested at a leisurely pace on Thursday morning.


Lockheed P-38L Lightning

When I went to Udvar-Hazy back in 2015, I was shooting a Nikon D200 with an 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 consumer zoom lens, backed up with the Coolpix P7000. Relatively speaking, I had no idea what I was doing. This time I not only had better bodies and lenses, but more importantly I had eleven years more experience taking photos.

Now to sort through the images on the cards and see what I have.

These two images are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs shot with the Canon EOS R5 and RF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

Weekend Knowledge Dump- July 31, 2026

by Greg Ellifritz in Active Response Training on 2026-07-31T11:11:54Z

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   School shooters are content creators. Will they wear Meta Ray-Ban glasses to livestream their attacks? Important information for parents and teachers.  This may be a very useful way to interdict some of these attacks […]

Fauci pleading the Fifth, a lot

by Midwest Chick in Midwest Chick's Place on 2026-07-31T10:30:00Z

So, I watched the videos of Fauci in front of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Here’s my takeaways, somewhat in the style of MST3K and are my opinions and thoughts only. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee needs to be taken out and bitch slapped into next week after he said on […]
Adamiak's brother, father, still hope for a presidential pardon.
This is the hottest part of the year, and my underground bunker is keeping it’s cool: The ragged sort of sine wave line was the outdoor temperature over the last 24 hours. The other lines are the temperatures of the … Continue reading

Good to Know

by Joe in The View From North Central Idaho on 2026-07-31T04:22:08Z

Interesting: Gen Z says government needs changes A report from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University found that 62 percent of adults aged 18-29 said that the design and structure of our nation’s government needs significant changes, no matter which … Continue reading
Via Chuck Petras @Chuck_Petras: This has to be a First Amendment Issue, right? Please tell me these types of laws are going to get slapped down.
Apparently a massive data center project in Virginia has been withdrawn, when a major sponsor of the project withdrew support. Many opponents of data centers are cheering this “victory” although it had nothing directly to do with their opposition. A … Continue reading

Top 3 Most Deceptive Movie Gun Props

by Vladimir Onokoy in The Firearm Blog on 2026-07-31T00:00:00Z

I will start with an example of that: a weapon that I had plenty of experience with - MGPK, a combination of German MG 34 and Soviet PKM. It was created for the largest Soviet movie film studio called Mosfilm.
Two decades back, a watermelon-obliterating revolver posted to the internet and changed everything. The Taurus Judge didn't just go viral; it invented the category. Now, for its 20th anniversary, Taurus is marking that legacy with an engraved commemorative edition that elevates the Judge to presentation status while keeping the working gun intact underneath.
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner . Last week, we talked about navigating unwelcoming areas. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here  to check it out. This week, I wanted to look at some of the realities of self-defense and how it starts to change your behavior over time. When people start carrying a concealed firearm, they oftentimes think it's as simple as putting their gun on and heading out, but it's certainly more than that once you start living in it every single day. Let's take a closer look at some of the realities of self-defense.

Show Me On the Doll Where the Doctor Mutilated You

by Clayton Cramer in Clayton Cramer. on 2026-07-30T20:44:01Z

 7/10/26 College Fix:

A University of Minnesota project to create “therapeutic” transgender dolls for children as young as 4 is officially launching this year.

However, the project continues to face criticism from medical leaders, as well as questions about whether public funding is involved.

“Join the waitlist” and “Launching in 2026,” the MyGender Dolls website tells visitors.

“Grounded in gender-affirming clinical practices,” the dolls will be a “therapeutic” resource for clinicians and educators who work with children ages 4-10, it states.

The new website only includes a few details about the dolls, a years-long project by faculty at the university’s Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health. Some of the links on the site are not working yet, but there is a “waitlist” form that people can fill out “to be kept up to date about the MyGender Dolls.”

The College Fix contacted the email address listed on the website and the project organizers via email on July 2 and 5, asking for information about the product and launch date. No one responded.

Previously, the university had a webpage dedicated to the project, but it was removed at some point after The College Fix first reported on it in December 2024.

According to the page, MyGender Dolls mimic classic paper dolls, featuring drawings of children of different ages, shapes, and skin colors to represent “all” kids. Children will be able to choose different internal and external genitals, clothes, and other accessories to help them “visualize their anatomy and genders,” the page stated.

21st Century Arrives

by Clayton Cramer in Clayton Cramer. on 2026-07-30T20:35:09Z

7/29/26 New York Post:

Stunning video taken by a covert sea drone shows a Chinese warship lingering inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The 42-second clip shows a ship identified by Reuters as a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, floating 65 miles off Luzon Island in the Bashi Channel on June 16.

The ship was identified by “the deck layout, superstructure, crane and ​mast,” according to the company, “which matched archive imagery.”

Seasats, a San Diego startup, told The Post its drone, the Lightfish USV, was “conducting a commercial operation to prove the feasibility of autonomous operations in the Taiwan Strait.”

I hope this is a company either with, or on its way to, a government contract. Swarms of sea drones might make invading Taiwan so clearly impossible that we can avoid war with China. 

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