I was checking out some of the blogs that have recently joined the Screw the U.N. blogroll and therefore discovered Pedestrian Infidel.  A post on the main page pointed to an older series of posts (from January) that everyone should read.  Written by one of their members who calls himself Avenging Apostate, it is titled From a Jihadist to a Human.

The following post is my testimony on how I converted out of the death-cult of Islam into Christianity. It was a very long journey which I undertook just to find the truth and I am happy that finally I did. I wanted to share this testimony publicly because I want people to know what Islam’s true colors are and to show what it's like being born in a Moslem family in Saudi Arabia. I feel I have a duty to do so too. I want to show how the horrors of Islam change people’s lives, break relationships and destroy homes—these are the experiences that might not be fully understood in the west. I hope my testimony helps save lives both spiritually and physically and in the meantime I hope I don’t get caught in Islam’s deadly embrace. You will know why I say that once you read this.

Follow the link, read the whole series.

It's raining!

I like to order pipe tobaccos from Cornell & Diehl.  The last time I ordered, I just got one pound each of three different blends.  This time, I think I'll order a sampler (2 ounces each of 8 different blends) just for more variety.

I was checking out their website just to see if the prices had increased since my last order (they haven't), and noticed a link to "blending tobaccos."  For some reason I had not noticed this before, or if I had, I had forgotten it.  "Blending tobaccos" means these are tobaccos that are intended for blending, so the home experimenter can try his/her hand at creating custom blends.

The upshot of this is, I can buy straight Perique as part of a sampler pack.

There is an already existing blend of C&D's that I've wondered if it would be improved with some Perique.  I also would like to try smoking it straight just to see if I can handle it as well as Mr. Crowley.

I'm almost considering getting one sample of an aromatic blend.  I still have one pipe that I have preserved for aromatic experiments.

There are a few C&D aromatics that I have enjoyed.  One was Spice Nut, a mixture of Burley, Maryland and Virginia and flavored with something unidentified but spicey and nutty.  It was probably my favorite.  Another was Honey Crest, which was Burley flavored with honey.  It's no longer listed, but their Honey Cavendish is probably the same thing with a different name.  C&D also has several "fruit" & Cream versions, the only one of which I've tried was flavored with apricot brandy.  It's okay, but I'm not a big fan of apricots.  I'm thinking the one flavored with blackberry brandy would be more to my liking.  A nice mild vanilla is Green River Vanilla.  A vanilla to avoid is Black Satin, which is too much vanilla and too much sweetness for me.

Another that I've tried and found to be completely distasteful was one called Virginia Dare.  It was straight Virginia flavored with a "secret sauce."  Some say maybe it was olives.  This one is no longer in the catalog, either.  I traded my sample for some Pirate Kake.

Pirate Kake is a non-aromatic, the main ingredient of which is 70% Latakia.  I once said that smoking it is like getting hit in the head by a large brick of Latakia that's been wrapped in a few shreds of Burley.  I used to really like it, but kind of went off Latakia a few years ago and now I enoy it in more measured amounts.  Pirate Kake is also useful for spicing up other blends, which is how I used up most of mine.

I'll probably have to write more about this when I decide what I'm going to order, but that can wait for another time.

Naples, Florida

Indoor Shooting Company in Thonotosassa, near Tampa, is one of the most active Women on Target programs in the country, according to the NRA.

Soon-to-be-sixth-grader Taylor Nolan has taken the instructional program there twice this year.

A typical tween, she loves the Disney Channel, "The Wizard of Oz" and everything pink.

The bubbly brunette spends her free time sailing the streets on her yellow bicycle, singing along to Hilary Duff — and shooting .22 caliber pistols.

"It's fun," she says, giggling.

Yep, she's your typical All-American 11-year-old.

"She started shooting when she was probably about 8 years old," says her dad, Harry Nolan, a National Rifle Association certified training counselor. "Mainly, when it started, I was teaching her about guns and gun safety."

Like her dad, Taylor also often gives pointers to other, adult, shooters at the range.

"One of (the women from my class) came in and asked me to tell her how to hit the X," Taylor says. "She was leaning and she was locking her knees. She needed to bend them. Then she hit it."

Another great article about women and guns.  The writer of the article kind of blows it at the end when she tries to get technical about how a gun operates, but I think a few more lessons from some of the women profiled in the article would take care of that.  This is an article definitely lacking in anti-gun bias; the only bad part is a little honest ignorance.

I feel that I must choose my words carefully here.

Michelle Malkin points to what she calls "an unconscionable mugging."  Unconscionable, because a gang of thugs attacked a disabled veteran and his wife.

This is no more unconscionable than if they had attacked any other person.

These people attacked because they saw an easy target.  It could have just as easily been someone elderly and feeble, a lone woman, or someone physically small and apparently weak.  For that matter, it could have been just about anyone since there were five attackers in the gang.

These people were not making a political statement.  They are no different from any other pack of animals of prey that chooses what appears to be the weakest and easiest target.

"I can't believe someone would mug a guy with one arm, one leg and a woman." -- Lance Corporal Mark Beyers, interview with WUSA 9 News

Oh, I can.  They chose Lance Corporal Beyers exactly because he is obviously disabled.

Maybe he's now eligible to legally carry a concealed weapon now that he's been attacked, according to Maryland's onerous and unconstitutional firearms laws.

So, how exactly is a disabled person and his wife supposed to provide proportionate response to a gang of five attacking punks?

I think if each had been armed with a full-capacity semi-auto pistol (15+15=30, 30/5=6 slugs per worthless punk), that would have been about the right proportion.