Odds ‘n Sods:

The excellent five-minute ultralight flight “Patriots” locales video that I mentioned debuted last week has already had more than 3,600 views. It is available free, via YouTube. As I mentioned before, this gent’s well-edited footage really captures the look and feel of some of the key locales in my novel. And in it you can see how pretty the Palouse Hills region is at harvest time. It is a High Definition (HD) video, so be sure to watch it at “full screen” size. Dan Fong lives!

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A reader in Gallup, New Mexico wrote to ask what type of knife sharpener I use. The answer is simple: In the field (for hunting and everyday ranch work) I carry an America Stone. In the kitchen, I use a fine grit (red) DMT diamond block that is molded in the shape of a 6″ whetstone. In my experience, together those two types of sharpeners cover nearly all of my knife sharpening needs. BTW, I plan to get a few more America Stones, so that we’ll have them handy in each of of our G.O.O.D kits and vehicle glove boxes.

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Cheryl sent this: New Swine Flu Virus Now Reported In Two U.S. States

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C.D.V. alerted us to this insanity: EPA declares hay a pollutant.

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J.J.H. sent a news story that shows the typical Eastern U.S. mentality: U.S. Court Rejects Challenge to State’s Concealed Gun Law. The court’s rationale was mind-boggling: “Quoting Marin, Judge Seibel said, ‘The underlying activity of possessing or transporting an accessible and loaded weapon is itself dangerous and undesirable, regardless of the intent of the bearer since it may lead to the endangerment of public safety.’ Marin also held that transporting a loaded weapon on a public street ‘creates a volatile situation vulnerable to spontaneous lethal aggression in the event of road rage or any other disagreement or dispute.'” Spontaneous? Reallllly??? My gun will just leap out of its holster, all on its own? We don’t seem to have that problem in my county, where nearly everyone carries at least one gun in their vehicle.