I have been busy, that is why I haven't updated my blog. But I have a few thoughts to post about....Stuff that I don't put on Facebook. Keeps me from collecting another ban.
First off, I hear that the Oregon Governor dispatched the State police to round up the few republican senators in the Oregon state senate to have a quorum because they are pushing through a far reaching "Climate Change" bill which includes cap and trades and penalizing "polluters" and knowing the democrats, there will be a sliding scale for that one but I digress. Well anyway they want to push this bill through totally bulldozing the minority which lives in the country and they will pay the price for the pie in the sky edicts. You can read more Here. This is what happens when liberals leave California and move to Washington and Oregon,
they bring their politics with them. This bill will impact loggers and other industry in Oregon and the response from the democrats is.."Well they can get jobs under the "Green New Deal". It is the total tone deafness that amazes me, the total belief that they are in the right and that is all that matters and people that they don't like don't matter.... because they are "redstate people and those people are nazi's and Trump supporters and because we believe that we are right and our feelzings are more important than logic...because Orange man bad..."This is a dangerous attitude to have and if this mindset spreads and become entrenched, it will cause problems that they wish would never get start...kinda like the toothpaste back in the tube. This demonstrates the flaws of "Democracy" or the Tyranny of the Majority.
Also in the news, Oberlin college got assraped by the Ohio legal system, apparently after a several Oberlin college students that happened to be black got caught shoplifting the day after Trump won the election, and the college went full retard and pushed boycotts and economic harm to the business to the point that the Dean was caught handing out fliers to people calling Gibson Bakery "Racist" and helping with the protest, and when the Bakery before tried to work out a solution before going to court for slander and economic harm against the college, the college in threatening a lunch contract with the bakery told them "in the future, before calling the cops when one of our students shoplift, to contact the university. This would basically hide the crime from the authorities. There is a culture of theft at the college that some believe that it is a form of "Reparations" for past sins. Well Gibson said "ahhh...no....that is illegal" and filed suit. And won the max allowed by Ohio law. About 33 million dollars, and to make it worse, the college doubled down in stupid and wouldn't accept blame because the dean and teachers unleashed their SJW's on the bakery.
I watched the freak show called the Democrat 2020 debates...talk about promising illegals all the free shit from healthcare to open borders to seizing all the guns from the Americans that didn't agree with their policies. from "Climate change" to
"Concentration camps" that they are blaming President Trump for when it was an Obama era policies that created the camps in the first place...but hey the shameless media will cover for them and bury that embarrassing news. Talk about the free shit army.
...and the king of pander was promising the same stuff that worked for him in 2016 before the PIAP* and her super delegates shafted him from the nominations and speaking of Hillary, there is the ghost of 2016, remember all the polls showing Hillary in the lead...?
Same thing happening again...The polls show Biden ahead...but people don't tell pollsters who they really support because pollsters are biased and people ain't gonna tell them that they like Trump because of all the social blow-back from such an admissions. so when people are inside the voting booth, they will support Trump.
And speaking of Trump, he has hauled in more money for his 2020 campaign than all the democrats combined..Unless they democrats swing to the center, they will become the party of the minority....a very very noisy and obnoxious minority.
On a personal note, I took a trip down to the middle of the state and totally avoided the interstate what I call "Deathrace 2000" also known as I-75 between Atlanta and Perry that seem to have a lot of accidents and torn up pavement, and I wasn't gonna ride my motorcycle because my son is using my truck.
it was a good ride, very peaceful and low traffic and I rolled around 70 MPH which seems to really suit the motorcycle. I can go much faster in the bike, the motor is powerful enough that I have frequently done 90 MPH+ on the interstate to keep from getting run over. But in this case it was a relaxing ride and I passed another test on the road for my certification.
Well it is official, my son passed his drivers test and got a 100% on
the driving practical. The driver instructor commented that this is
the first time she ever gave out a 100% and he was in earshot, wow, talk
about swelling his head. I guess all that driving we had him do paid
off, he drove very confidently on the course and on the road. We are
proud, but nervous. Egads...we will be establishing a " gofundme" for
the insurance, lol.
I quickly took a picture of the score....
He is getting ready to depart for the first time by himself...setting up his music and other important stuff that is important for teenagers..
Here he is departing to go to the Boy Scout camp to work the requirements of his last merit badge before his Eagle project in August.
Strange seeing my truck departing without me driving it....I was having momentary flashbacks of..
Well anyway, I contacted my insurance company USAA and officially added him as a licensed driver and my insurance from $2400 a year to $6000....Holy Chit..... I drive a 20 year old truck and the spousal unit drives a 10 year old Edge. Sheesh. We are checking into defensive driver and my son qualifies for the A&B grade discount, I am hopeful that this drops my insurance to a more manageable level. The Joys of living near the ATL.
Last week I had ZZ Top "Gimme All your lovin" for Monday Music last week and One of my favorite fellow bloggers
She asked me to do a writeup on "Best Dressed Man". I remembered watching the video on MTV where it had a real heavy rotation. I liked the song ok and the video was really good. I have a memory with the song, later in the 1980's, I was stationed at Stuttgart Army Airfield and one of the airplanes we used was a modified Beechcraft
We used a version called an RC 12D
It was part of the GuardRail V system. The Beechcraft RC-12 Guardrail is an airborne signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection platform based on the Beechcraft King Air and Super King Air. While the US military and specifically the United States Army have numerous personnel transport variants of the King Air platforms referred to with the general C-12
designation, the RC-12 specification represents a heavily modified
platform that facilitates SIGINT collection through various sensors and
onboard processors.
But the airplane had civilian reps for the airplane by BeechCraft and they were well paid from the Porches and blonds that I saw with the Beechcraft Reps. They liked to play this song a lot so I associate it with that.
"Sharp Dressed Man" is a song performed by ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. Pre-production recording engineer Linden Hudson was very involved in the early stages of this song's production.
At 2007's VH1 Rock Honors, Nickelback covered the song as a tribute (Billy Gibbons had earlier made a guest appearance on Nickelback's own song "Rockstar" & "Follow You Home"). ZZ Top played this song at halftime of the 2008 Orange Bowlcollege football bowl game.
The video for "Sharp Dressed Man" continues the "male fantasy come to life" of the "Gimme All Your Lovin'"
video released earlier in 1983. As in the previous video, an attractive
man (dancer/model Peter Tramm) who is experiencing frustration in his
menial job is assisted in gaining social stature and prowess by a triad
of very attractive and somewhat mysterious women traveling in ZZ Top's
signature red car. ZZ Top themselves play a role in the narrative, both
by playing themselves as performing band members and as rather ethereal
spirits who encourage and assist the young man by providing him with the
car keys that enable him to go for a very long drive with the women.
The young man returns to the site of his previous frustration (his
workplace, a nightclub) and empowered both by his new-found status and
by both the women's and ZZ Top's encouragement, embarks on a new
romantic adventure with another attractive young woman (actress Galyn Görg) who has previously abandoned her date.
Directed by Tim Newman
This is the only video in the trilogy that does not have an intro.
At the outbreak of WWII, the German Armored Divisions seemed
invincible. Using their “Blitzkrieg” tactics which relied heavily on
fast, maneuverable armored divisions they were able to punch through or
circumvent enemy defenses quickly.
During Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Germans again seemed to be
unstoppable, but the Soviets did possess one item in their armored
arsenal that proved to be a thorn in the side for many German commands,
at least at the tactical level – The Soviet KV Heavy Tank. It was
quickly dubbed the “Russian Colossus”. KV-1S Great Patriotic War Museum -
Named after the Soviet Defense Minister, Kliment Voroshilov, the KV
was much different than it’s German adversaries in that it was
enormously heavy (45 tons) with extremely thick frontal armor (90mm) as
well as good side and rear protection (70mm armor). KV-1 1939 Design Model
Nothing in the German arsenal could penetrate it except for the
German 88’s. The 37mm and 50mm cannons of the Panzer III and Panzer IV
simply “bounced” and only carefully placed explosives or point blank
ranged artillery had any chances of success in immobilizing the
behemoths.
The KV’s carried a crew of 5 and sported various armaments in it’s
many different models ranging from a 76.2 mm gun in early models to even
a 152mm howitzer in the KV-2. KW-2_1940 with 152 mm Howitzer
Additionally, it carried 3 machine guns initially: one coaxial gun in
the turret, one ball mount in the rear turret and one ball mount in the
front of the hull. An additional AA gun was mounted on the turret in
later models.
Additionally, despite its weight, the KV torsion bar suspension and
wide tracks allowed it to maneuver in mud and soft earth. It’s tracks
and wheel system were remarkably durable and suited to its
classification as a heavy tank. Finnish KV-1 Captured in 1942 from the Soviets –
Unfortunately for the Soviets, the KV’s had a plethora of drawbacks
as a combat tank. For one, it’s engine and transmission couldn’t handle
the weight and the tank was not only extremely slow, but it was hard to
maneuver. It could easily be outflanked by both infantry and its armored
German adversaries. However, it was tank that sometimes just wouldn’t
die. KV 2 Moscow –
A battle involving a lone KV-1 in Raseiniai is possibly the best
example. One KV and it’s crew were able to halt the advance of the
entire German 6th Panzer Division for a day until the beleaguered tank
ran out of ammunition an fuel and the crew was eventually killed. Old AFSargeBlogged about the incident, it is a very good story.
Other stories from German soldiers speak of the countless rounds of
armor piercing shells proving ineffective at stopping the KV and some
noted that when out of ammunition, many of the Soviet tank crews would
simply run over Anti-Tank batteries. KV Tank Variations – Marcus Burns
However, the flaws of the KV included more than it’s slow moving
bulk. It was extremely expensive to build and the much cheaper T-34 with
the same offensive firepower could be produced at more than half the
cost. Additionally, as the war went on, Germany began to field armor and
guns with more firepower, which reduced the KV’s appeal even more as
its thick armor became obsolete.
KV1B Heavy Tank at the Tank Museum, Bovington
Although the KV’s remained in the Soviet Army throughout the entire
war, there production dwindled and by 1944 they had been replaced with
newer, more versatile heavy tanks such as the IS series. These colossal
beasts had seen their day come and go and were now obsolete. Destroyed KV-1 near Voronezh – 1942 – Bundesarchiv, Bild
Still, the KV remains a symbol of the tough, never give up mentality of the Soviet Army during World War II.
I like Star Trek Fan films along with Star Wars. I ran across this movie on "YouTube". I tend to like "Fan Films" they follow the spirit of their "Parent" films much better than the late offerings.
Film Length is 54 minutes
This film explains why the Klingons from "Original Series" look different than the Later Klingons.
I ran across this article and hung on to it. Some of this I knew about, some was new to me. It was interesting that the Armor development people were trying to do.
The Tortoise at The Tank Museum
During World War I, tank warfare was still very much in
its infancy. The priority at the time was about getting this new
technology to work more reliably and to develop tactics that would allow
them to be used to their full advantage.
Through the inter-war years, with tighter peacetime budgets and a
major economic slow down, the desire to build “big” tanks became
subdued, but not forgotten.
Mechanized warfare slowly developed throughout the 1920s and 30s with
increasingly better armor, weapons and suspension. But there was an
urge to build an unrealistic fighting machine, and the Soviet Union took
the tank concept to a whole new level with their 50 ton T-35. First production T-35A tank on parade in Red Square.It
was an attempt to build something resembling a mechanized fort,
bristling with a ridiculous amount of guns. It had 5 turrets with a 76
mm main gun, two 45 mm cannons, and six medium machine guns. Each one
carried a crew of 11 men.
Around 60 were built and when World War II broke out, they were used
against the invading Germans in 1941. However, these tanks quickly broke
down or were destroyed. Though this particular monster tank proved a
failure in combat, it did have a certain shock value and was a useful
propaganda tool. T-35 with semi-conical turrets
With the advent of World War II, there were many category of tanks that changed and evolved as the war progressed.
Two distinct categories of heavy tanks started to emerge. The first
was the alpha male of heavy tanks (50 to 80 ton range). We will define
this as any common mechanized vehicle, with a large caliber main
gun, that saw proper service in reasonable numbers during WWII. This
narrows the heavy tank category to a very exclusive club of just three
tanks: the German Tiger I and II and the Soviet KV-2. KV 2 Moscow – The
other category we will consider will be the super heavy tanks,
again just confined to three tanks in total: one each from America,
Great Britain and Germany. None of these saw active service, but went
far beyond the drawing board stage.
It should be noted that for super heavy tanks, this article excludes
tanks like the mighty non-turreted Elephant (68 ton) and JagdTiger (72
ton) tank destroyer because they were only built in small numbers.
Likewise the multi-turreted 50 ton T-35M has been excluded as only 60
were built and most were destroyed or put out of service shortly after
the Soviet Union entered the war. German troops posing on a captured T-35, unknown date
Type: Tiger I (Panzer VI)
Nationality: Germany
Introduced: 1942
Weight: 55 tons
Crew: 5
Speed Across Country: 12 mph
Weaponry:
1 x 88 mm Gun
2 x Machine Guns
Maximum Armor: 110 mm
Height: 10 ft
Length: 21 ft
When the Tiger I started to enter service with the German army
in late 1942, it was not just its size and weight that made it
impressive. It sported the legendary 88 mm gun that could defeat any
Allied armor at a reasonable range. It was capable of destroying a
T34/76 from nearly a mile away. German
Tiger I tank in front of the Altare della Patria in Rome in 1944.
Photo: Bundesarchiv, Though
the Tiger I’s armor was not sloped, it was incredibly thick. Soviet
tanks had to advance to close range to have a chance of penetrating its
frontal armor. British and American tanks had to outflank a Tiger and
then get in close to have any chance of defeating its armor.
So when a Tiger was spotted on the Western Front, it was so feared
that a whole advance could be held up until enough tanks could be
brought up to attack it in mass. Tiger I in northern France, March 1944 Photo by Bundesarchiv Bild But
the Tiger did have its drawbacks. It was mechanically unreliable due to
its weight and rushed development. Also, there was never enough of them
to go around, with only 1,350 ever produced.
Type: Tiger II (Panzer VIB)
Nationality: Germany
Introduced: 1944
Weight: 70 tons
Crew: 5
Speed Across Country: 10 mph
Weaponry:
1 x 88 mm Gun
2 x Machine Guns
Maximum Armor: 185 mm
Height: 10 ft
Length: 24 ft
The next logical progression for the Germans was the much
improved Tiger II, often referred to as the King Tiger. It had an
improved 88 mm gun and even thicker armor, but this time it was sloped.
Even the latest Soviet tanks had to treat it with respect. Tiger II. On display at Saumur Général Estienne museum.
But its gigantic weight (70 tons) put a tremendous strain on its
engine, which only produced 10 horse power to the ton. Compare this to
the sprightly American M36 tank destroyers that had a ratio of 18 horse
power to the ton while being armed with a 90 mm cannon.
Ultimately the Tiger II suffered from the same drawbacks as its predecessor: unreliability and scarcity. Only 485 were built. Tiger IIs Photo by Bundesarchiv, BildType: KV-2
Nationality: USSR
Introduced: 1941
Weight: 52 tons
Crew: 6
Speed Across Country: 9 mph
Weaponry:
1 x 152 mm Howitzer
3 x Machine Guns
Maximum Armor: 110 mm
Height: 12 ft
Length: 23 ft
The last tank in our exclusive 50-plus ton category is the
Soviet KV-2, a slow moving, well armored tank with a gigantic tall
turret that housed a 152 mm howitzer. Originally it was designed to
overcome and defeat enemy fortifications, but it was rapidly pressed
into service as a battle tank when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in
1941. The
KV-2 heavy artillery tank’s 152 mm howitzer was housed in an enormous
turret. This prototype differs from the production version in several
ways. It was called the Dreadnought by its crews
Though
the gun had poor penetrative capabilities, the mighty kinetic force of
the round could blow off turrets or literally shake apart a tank. But it
was clumsy in combat, had a slow rate of fire, and its high silhouette
made it a very easy target.
Most were destroyed shortly after the German invasion. When the
Germans captured the sole factory where it was built, the Soviets made
no attempt to resume production elsewhere due to the inherent
shortcomings of the design.
Super Heavy Tanks
Type: Tortoise (A-39)
Nationality: UK
Introduced: Prototype 1945
Weight: 79 tons
Crew: 6
Speed Across Country: 4 mph
Weaponry:
1 x 94 mm Gun
3 x Machine Guns
Maximum Armor: 228 mm
Height: 10 ft
Length: 33 ft
The Tortoise was the lightest (78 tons) and had the smallest
main gun (94 mm) of the three super heavy tanks in this article. But it
came the closest of them all to actually being produced, with 6
pre-production tanks being made. The Assault Tank A39 TortoiseIt was
designed in 1945 for the same purpose as the American T-28: to help
clear German fortifications, such as the Siegfried Line, that the Allies
would encounter as they advanced into Germany itself. Therefore the
priority was on firepower and armor, with mobility being the least of
its designers’ worries.
Its 14.5 kg projectile could have quite a devastating effect on
bunkers and emplacements. It could even knock out a German Panther tank
from 3,500 feet away. Panther tanks are loaded for transport to frontline units, 1943 Bundesarchiv, Bild The Tortoise was underpowered, but again, speed was not its priority.
It used a Merlin engine which produced 600 horsepower, resulting in
only 7 horsepower per ton. This was appalling when you consider a
Panther had a power to rate ratio of 15 horsepower per ton. Also, the
Tortoise’s range was just 87 miles, and it consumed nearly 1.5 gallons
of fuel per mile.
Twenty-five Tortoises were ordered, but only six had been delivered
by 1946 before the project was cancelled, as there was no longer was a
need for it.
In tests it proved reliable and had good gunnery characteristics. But its weight and size caused great logistical problems. The A39 Tortoise being towed on an 80-ton trailer by two Diamond T’s during trials in BAOR*, 1948 *British Army On the RhineType: T28
Nationality: USA
Introduced: Prototype 1945
Weight: 86 tons
Crew: 6
Speed Across Country: 4 mph (Estimated)
Weaponry:
1 x 105 mm
1 x Machine Gun
Maximum Armor: 305 mm
Height: 9 ft
Length: 36 ft
As for the American T28, it was slightly heavier and had a
bigger gun. But it had significantly thicker armor, up to 80 mm thicker
at the front. It was later to be reclassified as the Super Heavy Tank
T28. Like the Tortoise, it had no turret and had to aim its gun by
moving the whole body of the tank. T28 Tank
The
T28 had a protracted design phase which ran from March 1944 to March
1945. Work did not start on producing the actual tank until August 1945.
As the war in Europe had ended and the war in the Pacific would very
soon end, the original order for twenty-five tanks was reduced to five,
and then again to just two tanks.
The T28 was put through tests and trials until October 1947 when the
project was deemed obsolete and cancelled. Apart from having the same
logistical problems as the Tortoise, the T28 proved very expensive to
maintain. This
old experimental Tank is parked outside of the Patton Museum Fort Knox
Kentucky. Only 2 were made.
Type: Maus (Panzer VIII)
Nationality: Germany
Introduced: Prototype 1944
Weight: 188 tons
Crew: 6
Speed Across Country: 3 mph (Estimated)
Weaponry:
1 x 128 mm Gun
1 x 75 mm Gun
1 x Machine Gun
Maximum Armor: 240 mm
Height: 12 ft
Length: 33 ft
The German Panzer VIII “Maus” was by far the heaviest (188 tons)
and best armed (128 mm main gun with a coaxial 75 mm gun) of the three
super heavy tanks. It is by far the heaviest tank ever built. Despite
its enormous size it had an extremely cramped interior. Panzer VIII Maus
Only two were ever built, one of which was incomplete. It was
designed as a “breakthrough” tank at a time when Germany was fighting a
defensive war.
On the plus side the armor was incredibly thick, ranging from 240 mm
on the front to 180 mm on the sides and rear. An unusual characteristic
compared to other tanks was that its roof armor was also amazingly
thick—an incredible 220 mm—in response to the devastating attacks on
tanks by Allied ground attack aircraft such as the British Hawker
Typhoon and the Soviet II-2 Sturmovik. Front view of thePanzerkampfwagen VIII Maus at Kubinka Museum.
The Maus’s main armament was the 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 which fired a
massive 28 kg projectile that could penetrate 148 mm of sloped armor at
6,600 feet (1.25 miles). This meant it could easily defeat the frontal
armor of a Soviet JS-2, American M-26 Pershing, British A-34 Comet, or
even the Germans’ own Tiger I.
A “King Tiger” (Tiger II) with its maximum armor of 185 mm could
withstand a hit down to 3,000 feet. But that still meant it could be
destroyed by a Maus from half a mile away. SHAEF
commander Gen. Eisenhower walks by an overturned Tiger II. The
overlapping, non-interleaved steel-rim roadwheel arrangement is visible.But all this came at a cost. The Maus had a slow rate of fire. Its
prohibitive size and enormous weight restricted its off-road ability. On
roads it often churned up the surface as it went along, making the road
unserviceable for other vehicles.
Most railways, tunnels and bridges in the country could not take its
weight. On those few that could take the weight, the tank’s giant bulk
restricted it. Rear view of the Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus at Kubinka Museum.
Its monster weight pushed engine and suspension technology and
innovation to its limit. In fact it was a step too far. The tank was
notoriously unreliable and it was unlikely that any of its problems
could have been fully resolved, even given more development time.
After the war it was realized that the super heavy tank concept was
simply unrealistic because of all the drawbacks related to its size and
weight. As for the heavy tanks, they were deemed unable to keep up with
the fast pace of modern warfare.
In 1957 the Fourth Tripartite Conference on Armour recommended that
all medium and heavy tanks be replaced with a single new class, the Main
Battle Tank (MBT). This led to the German Leopard II, American M1
Abrams, British Challenger II, and Russian T-80 MBTs of today.
I got a link from this video from my mom of all people, I watched it and it was hilarious.
Story about the young mans adventures in trying to meet his girl at her parents house...It is safe for work, LOL It is an advertisement for "Tool Station."
Here is the information on the company according to "Wiki"
Toolstation Ltd is a large United Kingdom and European Union direct sale and online supplier of trade tools, accessories and hardware products.
The company's head office and main distribution centre is in Bridgwater, Somerset
where it is a major employer for the area. This is supplemented by 300+
branches across the United Kingdom, and large stock warehouses in Redditch, Daventry,Manchester and Bridgwater. There is also an operation in the Netherlands with direct mail facilities and 20+ branches.
In the Netherlands, Toolstation was founded in 2006. In 2014, Toolstation expanded with a website in France, and in 2016 in Germany. Belgium followed in 2017. In the third quarter of 2017, Toolstation opened a few stores in the region of Lyon in France.
I remembered when this video showed up on MTV, I don't know what I liked more, the car or the girls...Remember I was 16. Now I would take the car :). The video was really neat and ZZ Top was a bit different than a lot of the music that was playing on MTV. This was the 2nd British Invasion, but ZZ Top was distinctly American.
"Gimme All Your Lovin'" is a song by ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. It was released as the album's first single in 1983.
Initially unsuccessful in the UK upon its August 1983 release, in
the wake of the band's American success (the single reached No. 37 on
the US Billboard Hot 100 chart), it was promptly re-released, and reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. It ties with the band's 1992 cover of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" as their highest-charting single in the UK. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning.
Directed by Tim Newman, the video features ZZ Top playing at a gas
station, along with actor/model Peter Tramm playing a young gas station
mechanic, and introduces classic ZZ elements such as the red "ZZ
Eliminator Car," the "ZZ Keychain" and the "Three ZZ Girls" as heroines.
It is the first of a ZZ Top music video series. Tramm returned in their
later music video for "Sharp Dressed Man".
Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads that go the extra mile for their kids and do what is necessary to raise the future generations with the timeless values that have been proven for generations.
Here is a pic of my Dad; He was trying to feed my phone to his bird "Indy"
Through him I learned stubbornness, drive, ambition, Love of Country, Duty and Honor.
He has done well, both of his kids have done well and succeeded in life, stable family, good jobs and careers. Not all people can say that.
My Dad gave me a "Trump" mug for Fathers Day, I was really touched by the thought behind it. I put it next to the mug I bought last week that I talked about in Yesterdays post.
