Highlights of the Brew Crew...This past week, specifically Thursday and Friday, was 'Fall Break' at my daughters' school. The wife and I decided to take a mini-cation and drive up to Omaha, Nebraska and visit the Henry Doorly Omaha Zoo. Each of my two oldest daughters were allowed to bring one friend so I was outnumbered 6-to-1. Flying up Interstate 29, we made it to the Comfort Inn at the Zoo with enough time for the kids to go swimming in the indoor pool.
The next day we all got up and had a great breakfast of waffles, biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs, and orange juice before driving the two minutes across and down the street to the zoo. I'll be honest, I've never gone to any zoo this late in the year and didn't know what to expect as far as what animals we would be able to see but my wife had done her research and the Omaha Zoo has plenty of indoor exhibits to make the trip worthwhile. 
With coats on and our little red wagon full of sandwiches, drinks, and our little Lucy, we made our way to the Lied Jungle where we saw plenty of monkeys, turtles, exotic birds, and a few bats. Next we headed over to the Scott Aquarium to view some beautiful sea creatures (the jellyfish exhibits were very cool). While at the aquarium we came across a spot where they were cleaning a small aquatic exhibit and the girls all had a fun time pretending to squeeze the diver's butt. After the aquarium, the weather had warmed up a bit so we decided to knock out some outdoor exhibits and checked out the gazelles, cheetah, giraffes, and antelope before sitting down to have lunch next to the sea lion pool. With lunch in our bellies, we headed through the Expedition Madagascar building and were able to view the lemurs. 
Next on our list was the gorilla house. There were many gorillas to view throughout the Hubbard Gorilla Valley. The ones outdoor seemed to be in a napping mood while laying in the sun but eventually came to attention for all the passers-by. Some of the girls were a bit afraid of watching the gorillas from the viewing bubbles with a fear the gorillas would punch through to get them. After the gorillas, we headed over to the Durham's Bear Canyon to check out a variety of bears from around the world. The girls named the sun bear 'Wrinkle Face' because of the wrinkles on his huge face. Right next to the bears was the cat complex where we saw five baby lion cubs and a very pretty Siberian tiger that lost a front leg as a cub.
After a quick tour through the orangutan house we finished off the day in the Desert Dome & Kingdoms of the Night. That dome is really cool and showcases quite a few desert species before you head underground for a showcase of nocturnal animals. Upon returning to the hotel, the girls enjoyed a couple of hours in the pool before everyone was in bed and asleep by 9pm. A great day and a great time with several little girls who enjoyed visiting the zoo! If you live in the Midwest and have never been I highly recommend taking a trip to go visit this zoo.
2nd Inning.
Cool Videos...
Evolution of Superman...A little animated short film that showcases the evolution of Superman over his 75 years. Yes, he is 75.
Fan-made Raiders of the Lost Ark...A trailer of sorts about a fella writing a book about two guys that decided to film an adaptation of Raiders of the Lost Ark, scene for scene, when they were kids back in the 1980s. After seeing this I really need to catch a screening of their film as it looks great!
3rd Inning.
Scary Movies I want to see...again. My Top 5 Scary Movies Countdown Part 4...Prince of Darkness.
I saw 'Prince of Darkness' during another sleepover I hosted where we went to the video rental store to rent several scary movies for a fright night (a bunch of boys renting scary movies was the thing to do back then). The plot is as follows: A mysterious cylinder containing a green swirling liquid is found by a priest in a locked basement of a rundown church. The priest contacts a quantum physics professor and arranges for the professor and some of his students to come and examine the cylinder. It is revealed that Satan is contained in the cylinder and wants out so he can bring his father, the Anti-God, into our world. Terror ensues as homeless people surround the church and barricade the priest, professor, and students in as evil begins to escape the cylinder.
This movie is another John Carpenter entry into my Top 5 list (which includes some pretty cool music and can be found on my horror soundtrack playing from my front porch on Halloween night). Donald Pleasance (from Carpenter's Halloween movies) makes an appearance as the priest trying to stop the evil from escaping. Some folks from an earlier generation consider Vincent Price as a horror movie icon but I would like to think of Donald Pleasance as one for my generation. Well, 'Prince of Darkness' involves God and Satan so if you are an atheist this movie is probably not that scary. But for those of us raised in a Christian household, the thought of the Devil making an appearance on Earth can be a bit terrifying, especially for child of elementary school age. The mix of science and religion is a cool concept with this movie and it all ties in together nicely. You have Satan, zombies, and creepy crawlies to give you frights throughout this movie. Oh, and Alice Cooper plays one of the homeless people zombies. Great role for him!
Once again, this is another one that I have not seen in a very long while (being a parent sometimes has drawbacks). Trivia-This is the second film in what John Carpenter calls his Apocalypse Trilogy. The others are The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness. Trailer is below. Enjoy!
Once again, this is another one that I have not seen in a very long while (being a parent sometimes has drawbacks). Trivia-This is the second film in what John Carpenter calls his Apocalypse Trilogy. The others are The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness. Trailer is below. Enjoy!
4th Inning.
American History Lesson...Beirut Terror Attack. October 23, 1983 a terrorist linked to Iran drove a truck packed with explosives equivalent to 18,000 pounds of dynamite into the U.S. Marine headquarters at the Beirut Airport in Lebanon. The terrorist attack killed 241 military personnel that included 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and 3 soldiers. The American forces had been drawn into the area as part of a multi-national force dealing with the civil war that erupted in Lebanon in 1975. Due to political reasons, the Marine security forces were not allowed to carry live rounds in the chamber of their rifles. This incident occurred after several previous tragedies that involved U.S. personnel. Per History.com, "...the first U.S. Marine to die during the mission was killed while defusing a bomb. Other Marines fell prey to snipers. On April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber driving a van devastated the U.S. embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans." These tragedies lead many to call into question President Reagan's policy in Lebanon. Although Reagan vowed to keep a Marine presence in Lebanon, the main force was withdrawn in February 1984.
5th Inning.
Random Thoughts while visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha...Going to a zoo in late October isn't so bad due to the small crowds...Sometimes you wonder if they have Barry White playing in some of the enclosures when you come upon a couple of animals getting it on...Am I the only that gets 'weirded' out while viewing the snake aquariums in the reptile houses and find one where you don't see a snake in the box so you started looking around to see if it escaped???...A male giraffe has very large package...I could sit next to one of the gorillas and watch him watching me all day long...Sometimes when looking at the various breeds of antelope I can't help but get hungry...I wonder sometimes if the indoor exhibits, that are for nocturnal animals where they have all the lights turned down really low, actually have any animals in them at all and are the zookeepers watching us from a camera and laughing???...You can not fool a 2 year old who has been walking around the gift shop clutching a stuffed gorilla by sending her outside with her sisters as a distraction while you 'pay' for it and then come out empty handed...Every time I see a lemur I want to break out in song and dance with "I like to move it, move it..."6th Inning.
Firearms Corner...With the fall hunting season upon us, I thought an article on hunting would be good to discuss this week. For most of us in the U.S.A. if we are ever faced with a unique specimen of deer or elk or even squirrel, particularly an albino version of one of those species, we would look in amazement for a bit before pulling the trigger. I have been to a few hunting expo shows where taxidermists have booths to showcase their work which has included a few albino mounts and while I have yet to get anything mounted for display in my home I know having an albino one would be even more impressive and a great conversation piece. Well, shooting and taking one of these magnificent beasts may not be such a big issue but in certain parts of North America you could run into problems if the albino animal is sacred to a Native American tribe. The majority of hunters are ethical people who only hunt what they plan to eat and if it is a trophy animal then that is just a bonus. This proved true for a couple of hunters that went on a moose hunt up in Canada and ended up taking an albino moose that just happened to be a sacred animal for the local native tribe. Guns.com describes the incident and does a great job of telling how the hunters, after realizing the significance of the animal, made amends with the local tribe. Next time you encounter someone who is quick to blast hunters and hunting, make sure they realize that we are the primary monetary source that supports all conservation efforts throughout North America and the majority of us are ethical hunters. 7th Inning.
Articles of the Week...
- Yeti Bear, Yogi's Cousin..."The elusive and legendary Abominable Snowman — also known as a Yeti by some — might have an explanation that has nothing to do with man, ape or a combo of the two. A British scientist thinks it’s a bear." An interesting theory and better than the one where he was banished from the Monsters, Inc. world...
- Ohhh, SNAP!..."States like Florida have hired “food stamp recruiters,” who have a quota of signing up 150 new recipients each month. Rhode Island hosts “SNAP-themed bingo games,” and the USDA tells its field offices to throw parties to get more people on their rolls." Throwing more money at an issue does not solve the problem. There are too many government examples of this.
- Ice Cold Beer Here..."Boulevard Brewing, a popular Kansas City company that’s grown to be one of America’s largest craft brewers since its founding in 1989, is being sold to a Belgian brewer, Duvel Moortgat." A great brew and honestly I think this will allow them to continue making one no matter the owner.
- Obamacare the Monster..."Every time some Statist nincompoop extols the virtues of Obamacare; every time they insist that the 'Affordable Care Act' has done nothing but 'help' low and middle income families; every time they babble incoherently about how Obamacare isn’t 'perfect' but it’s still 'better' than what we had before — show them this." A great post from The Matt Walsh Blog looking at and soliciting examples of the problems Obamacare is causing for too many folks.
- College Refund..."A Pennsylvania woman set out with a video camera to learn what college students in her state know about the Holocaust — and discovered an incredible lack of knowledge not only of the genocide of the Jews, but of basic facts about U.S. history and World War II." Education, people, especially history has to be a cornerstone of what we teach our children every step of the way while they are in school. We are so doomed to repeat the tragedies of our past due to our present ignorance.
- Pay Your Dues..."Members of Congress must pay secret fees known as 'party dues' to the Democratic and Republican parties to secure and maintain top committee chairmanships and assignments, newly uncovered internal documents reveal." If this doesn't get your underoos in a wad and make you ready to storm the capitol...
- Politics=$$$..."CBS's 60 Minutes confronted Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA) about $150,000 she loaned to her campaign in 1998 at an astounding 18% interest rate, likening the profit margin to organized crime." If you still think they are in D.C. representing you rather than learning how even further exploit their positions in an effort to make $$$ then keep your head in the sand.
- Gmail, Government email... "Rep. Darrell Issa, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, recently informed the IRS that the committee's investigation has revealed that senior IRS officials were using their private emails to transmit confidential tax information." If I was to violate privacy laws in this manner at my job, well, I would be fired. Plain and simple.
- Need a Bigger Boat..."A giant fish that washed ashore in California (no doubt drawn to the smell of delicious people) is causing swimmers to swear never going in the ocean again." Like I need another reason not to go in the ocean...
8th Inning.
FFL Factoid...Continuing with the 'Top 10 Frequently Asked Firearms Questions and Answers' per the ATF..
9. May I lawfully make a firearm for my own personal use, provided it is not being made for resale?
Firearms may be lawfully made by persons who do not hold a manufacturer’s license under the GCA provided they are not for sale or distribution and the maker is not prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms. However, a person is prohibited from assembling a non-sporting semiautomatic rifle or shotgun from 10 or more imported parts, as set forth in regulations in 27 C.F.R. 478.39. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and advance approval by ATF. An application to make a machinegun will not be approved unless documentation is submitted showing that the firearm is being made for the official use of a Federal, State, or local government agency (18 U.S.C. § 922(o),(r); 26 U.S.C. § 5822; 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.39, 479.62, and 479.105).
9th Inning.
Baseball video...No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference. ~Tommy Lasorda
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