A Mateba auto-revolver in .357 magnum has turned up on GunsAmerica.com.  Yours for the bargain price of $1,395.

Cool gun.  If I was obscenely wealthy I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

From The Observer:

The founder of Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia written by its users, has defied the Chinese government by refusing to bow to censorship of politically sensitive entries.

Jimmy Wales, one of the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time magazine, challenged other internet companies, including Google, to justify their claim that they could do more good than harm by co-operating with Beijing.

Wikipedia, a hugely popular reference tool in the West, has been banned from China since last October. Whereas Google, Microsoft and Yahoo went into the country accepting some restrictions on their online content, Wales believes it must be all or nothing for Wikipedia.

[...]

[Wales said:]  "One of the points that I'm trying to push is that if there's a small town in China that has a wonderful local tradition, that won't make its way into Wikipedia because the people of China are not allowed to share their knowledge with the world. I think that's an ironic side-effect and something the people in the censorship department need to have a much bigger awareness of: you're not just preventing information about Falun Gong or whatever you're upset about getting into China, you're preventing the Chinese people speaking to the world."

It works both ways.  No information in, no information out.  I wonder which way the Chinese government fears most.

A few days ago, Xavier posted some information on the Sistema Model 1927 11.25mm pistol, also known to Crufflers as the Sistema Colt--a dead ringer for the M1911.  The metric number for the "caliber" is simply the Argentine designation for the .45 ACP.

So now I know that mine was made in 1948.  Not quite sixty years old, yet.  I posted a picture of it before, right here.

The one on the right is another Cruffler gun, the Colt M1917, also in .45 ACP.

"If you bring forth what is within you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you,
what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
--The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas

Sometimes I have to bring forth what is within me.


I would like to suggest a third alternative.

The "X" on the bottom is for those who want to also practice their Spencer.

A Spencer is like a Mozambique, except the first two shots go into the crotch instead of the chest.  Named after Sondra Locke's character in Sudden Impact.  If you've never heard of that expression before, it's because I made it up.

For any readers of this blog who weren't around this time last year, my post from this day last year is here.

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I have been going over and over this post to try and make it say what I want it to say.  I almost  deleted it because I thought it might offend some people who I do not wish to offend.  However, I am certain that others who I do wish to offend will find it offensive.  So up it goes.  This is a sticky post that will remain at the top for the day.  Scroll down for newer posts.