Truth Matters

Daughter said she saw something move on the railing but so many feral cats paid no mind. I saw him walk along the top and then go up the pool pole. Meet Jerry.

This MP5 variant can easily be identified by the addition of the Bolt Hold Open device which locks the bolt open on an empty magazine, another FBI-required feature. The straight gray polymer magazine also gives it away as a 40 S&W.

Factory original, intact examples are very rare as they were never released in semi-auto as a model 94 variant (semi-auto civilian) although they are still seen in parts kit form. As a de-milled parts kit they are now selling for about $3500-4000, or a little less with non-German parts.

The fire control group that's pictured is a "Navy" four position variant with a three-round burst feature. That wasn't included on the FBI model so I assume this is either a clone built on a parts kit (most likely) or someone upgraded a factory model with the Navy lower. The original would have been a Safe-Fire-Full three position FCG.

I finally was upgraded to high speed Internet, so I'm looking at streaming and possibly subscribing to a couple channels. Frindly seems good as does howdy and paramount+ shows strong possibilities and finally sling.

So what do y'all subscribe to? Any suggestions or pointers would be appreciated.

Please reblog for a wider response

We have YouTubeTV but at $90+/month (total) I think it's way overpriced but my wife likes it so I grudgingly keep paying for it. The only advantage to it is you can record shows to play later--until they "expire" when they simply vanish--annoying.

We also have Amazon's Prime+ TV (paying extra to avoid the ads--most of them anyway) which is great for newer movies. But if you're looking for broadcast-type shows the two free services @salt-n-tigers and I mentioned are really great.

I forgot to mention two other Geek-ier options, Plex and VLC Media Player. If you have a computer connected to your TV or watch TV on a computer or tablet, etc. these are two great options that allow you to choose from a much bigger pool of channels.

PLEX MEDIA SERVER

Plex is primarily a media organizing app that people (like me) use to catalog and stream their media collections. But Plex also offers a streaming service on the Smart TV, desktop, and phone apps that has a great deal to offer. It's ad-supported but there's a lot there...movies, TV, music, etc.

I only use Plex on my home media server to stream movies and music to my TV's and devices and haven't taken the plunge into their streaming service, but it gets good reviews elsewhere.

VLC MEDIA PLAYER

If you watch TV via a computer or conputer-connected TV, VLC Media Player is the Swiss army knife of media apps. It's extremely popular for playing videos but most people don't know it can stream IPTV channels as well. VLC allows access to a vast (and I mean HUGE) catalog of internet streaming channels. If a channel is being broadcast on the internet, it's probably available using VLC.

The disadvantage is there's no content guide per se--you have to dig and explore based on the streaming title or find a link from someone else.

Here's how to access the streaming channels on Windows (Mac or Linux may differ) using VLC:

1. Open (or install) VLC Player.

2. Click the Media menu at the top left.

3. Choose "Open Network Stream" and enter the following URL:

http://iptv-org.github.io/index.m3u

4. Click "Play" and wait for it to load. It'll take a minute.

5. When the URL loads, click "View" at the top and choose "Playlist".

By default the first channel will start playing (probably not in English--it's world-wide index of known streaming channels and alphabetical).

6. Choose View->Playlist to display the index of available channels.

7. Pick your channel from the list or use the Search box at the top right of the window, for example "livenow from fox", "shooting sports life", "inwonder", or "the boat show", etc. and select the channel you want to watch in the playlist.

It can be a little intimidating since the playlist isn't curated, it's a world wide index, and you kinda have to guess what a channel contains based on its title (or Google) but it's worth the effort I think. If you see a channel on your favorite streaming service app (Tubi, Plex, etc.) then it's probably in the index.

8. Once you decide on a channel by clicking on it the stream will load in a small preview window at the bottom left.

9. Click the preview once and the channel will stream full screen.

You can create your own playlist of favorites or save inividual channels as URL's.

I finally was upgraded to high speed Internet, so I'm looking at streaming and possibly subscribing to a couple channels. Frindly seems good as does howdy and paramount+ shows strong possibilities and finally sling.

So what do y'all subscribe to? Any suggestions or pointers would be appreciated.

Please reblog for a wider response

We have YouTubeTV but at $90+/month (total) I think it's way overpriced but my wife likes it so I grudgingly keep paying for it. The only advantage to it is you can record shows to play later--until they "expire" when they simply vanish--annoying.

We also have Amazon's Prime+ TV (paying extra to avoid the ads--most of them anyway) which is great for newer movies. But if you're looking for broadcast-type shows the two free services @salt-n-tigers and I mentioned are really great.

Maybe they plan to upgrade later, but in my experience, that rarely happens.

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@staff, @changes

Prior to the latest update a couple of days ago (5/19/2026) I was able to screenshot Tumblr posts without being redirected to the "share" page. Now when taking a screenshot I have to dismiss the "share" dialog/page to get back to the original post I took a screenshot of.

There is already a "share" option. Changing expected behavior is not welcome and not an improvement.

I'll wager the people who pushed him to finally crack have themselves learned nothing. He may have gotten his (well earned) revenge, but what did he gain in the end?

Highlander

Excalibur

Spies Like Us

Stripes

Between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pismo Beach is your best bet. Avoid the metro areas and stick to the scenic routes. There's a photo op around every curve and you can make the leisurely drive in a day. I've never been to Europe so can only conpare from my armchair, but Carmel is the prettiest city I've ever visited. You could easily spend a whole day there.

And since you're that close, Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks are must-see destinations, another one day side trip.

Yeouch. That left a mark.

@skulki-d, From the diameter of the barrel, and assuming it wasn't a varmiter, I agree with @salt-n-tigers, that's a very large caliber round. And I doubt it had a muzzle brake on it either.

More importantly though, he didn't have a good--or any--shoulder weld. You can see that from the butt of the rifle moving rearward long before his shoulder does.

He probably had a pretty good cut on his face from the bolt and I'll bet his trigger finger was banged up too.

Remarkably poor shooting technique and a hard-earned lesson. Some lessons cost more than others.

That'll also probably be the last large caliber rifle he ever shoots.

These aren't isolated stories. They're buiness as usual for commercial banks. Here's my hard-won advice for changing banks the smart way.

Closing a Bank Account

BofA once refused to cash a $7.00 business check--presented in person and drawn on their branch--without charging me a TEN DOLLAR fee because I wasn't a customer. I spoke to the branch manager and when he refused to waive the fee, I tore up the check and dropped it at his feet. I never did business with BofA again and have refused checks drawn on their accounts ever since. That was over twenty years ago. Yes, I was pissed.

Don't Just Close Your Account

When you close an account the bank knows they've already lost you as a customer. There is very little incentive for them to make the process easy and every incentive to squeeze the last possible dollar out if you.

He Who Documenrs, Wins.

Bank accounts don't automatically close when you draw the balance to zero. You must explicitely notify the bank of your intent. Don't rely on an 800-number. Do so in writing, or at least follow up your phone call with a written, mailed letter.

For those who haven't had issues with outrageous bank fees, know that running the balance negative will cause the bank to eventually close the account in a delinquent status. They won't sue you, however...

The bank will report the debt to a banking-only credit reporting service called ChexSystems and when you try to open an account at another bank you will be turned away. Forever. The only way to clear the flag is to pay those fees. Better to avoid that altogether.

How to Close an Account the Smart Way

If you want to close an sccount, especially one you haven't held for over a year (avoiding "early account closure" fees), sit down with a branch officer and ask them the procedure for closing the account and avoiding any surprises. I've found branch employees helpful and sympathetic in most cases. Document the employee's name, what they said and did, and the date and time you met. He who documents, wins.

Switch to a Credit Union or Savings Bank

Credit Unions, and to a lesser degree Savings and Loan Associations, are usually much more consumer friendly with fewer fees and better loan terms. Credit unions are also much more open to membership than they used to be.

And when you run into a problem a local credit union is managed by a local executive team, not a faceless conglometate. It's much easier to contact a real person and get your issue resolved in your favor.

You can find a local credit union using Google or by searching NCUA or CUlookup.