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Feb. 9, 1957:  Television’s Wyatt Earp, actor Hugh O’Brian, on left, and Al Jennings, onetime western bad man, draw guns for Los Angeles Times staff photographer Al Markado. O’Brian won, but Jennings, at 93, had the experience to make the shot count – if he needed too. Times staff writer Norman Dash reported:TARZANA–A 93-year-old “bad man.” who was once allegedly the fastest man with a gun in the West, met up with television’s Wyatt Earp and immediately went for his clippings, memories and tales of the Old West at his modern-day hide-out in Tarzana.Al Jennings, last of the real...

Unlike politicians, a cowboy still makes a deal with a handshake and his word is his bond. .....A cowboy lives by a set of unwritten principles hard wired into his DNA. It is instinctive because it is the example set by those that surround him. Cowboys don't whine and stomp their feet like spoiled children and politicians often do when things don't go their way. They know that whining and wringing your hands don't get the job done. In my interaction with cowboy and ranching community up in Idaho, I have learned it is very close knit and neighbors and...

There was something quite Roman in the killing of Osama bin Laden, something reminiscent of the manner in which the Romans eventually dealt with a rogue’s gallery of charismatic tribal enemies—Spartacus, Vercingetorix, Jugurtha, Mithridates, Boudica, and others—all of whom claimed victory over the Romans and invulnerability from their global reach, only to be eventually defeated, forced to kill themselves, executed, or killed in battle. The killing reminds us that there are official rules we cite and unofficial ones that, thankfully, we actually follow. Pakistan is to be praised publicly as a partner, even as privately it is recognized as the...

There was something quite Roman in the killing of Osama bin Laden, something reminiscent of the manner in which the Romans eventually dealt with a rogue’s gallery of charismatic tribal enemies—Spartacus, Vercingetorix, Jugurtha, Mithridates, Boudica, and others—all of whom claimed victory over the Romans and invulnerability from their global reach, only to be eventually defeated, forced to kill themselves, executed, or killed in battle. The killing reminds us that there are official rules we cite and unofficial ones that, thankfully, we actually follow. Pakistan is to be praised publicly as a partner, even as privately it is recognized as the...

Use however you want.

How mean-spirited are House Republicans? So mean-spirited that they would end federally funded cowboy poetry! Last Tuesday, Harry Reid, the majority leader, took to the Senate floor to thunder that this town ain’t big enough for both him and the Mean-Spirited Kid (John Boehner). “The mean-spirited bill, HR 1 . . . eliminates the National Endowment of the Humanities, National Endowment of the Arts,” said Senator Reid. “These programs create jobs. The National Endowment of the Humanities is the reason we have in northern Nevada every January a cowboy-poetry festival. Had that program not been around, the tens of thousands...

As we now all know, Harry Reid LOVES cowboy poets. Luckily, my good friend Todd Greenberg has some experience with cowboy poetry: They used to bring cowboy poets to our schools in Arizona.  I can't believe this is federally funded stuff.  Don't get me wrong... cowboy poetry can be cool, I guess, and it's good work if you can get it, but last thing I wanted to do in H.S. was get dragged to the amphitheater to watch four old guys dressed like cowboys and dramatically read poetry like it was down home Summerstock/Shakespeare and tell us about campfire life. I...

In the middle of his tirade against House Republicans' "mean-spirited" budget bill on the Senate floor Tuesday, the Senate Majority Leader lamented that the GOP’s proposed budget cuts would eliminate the annual "cowboy poetry festival” in his home state of Nevada. (See also: Reid’s prostitution lecture bombs.) Reid clearly has a soft spot for the Baxter Blacks of the poetry world and thinks Republicans don't. “The mean-spirited bill, H.R. 1 … eliminates the National Endowment of the Humanities, National Endowment of the Arts,” said Reid. “These programs create jobs. The National Endowment of the Humanities is the reason we have...

On Sunday, a statement issued by the White House called for an "orderly transition" in Egypt to a government that better reflects the aspirations of the Egyptian people. He also spoke on the phone with Middle East and world leaders about the ongoing struggle in Egypt. On Tuesday, the President took a harder line with Egypt: "It is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now," he said. On Wednesday, the White House said the violence caught Obama by surprise. It is unclear if there will be a further statement...

He says, "Unlike Obama, I have nothing to hide. I've already been vetted by the media...and it felt good." From USA Today: Times Square's 'Naked Cowboy' Announces Presidential BidJust keep your transparency covered by the guitar: Check out these other Useful Info Nation pages:

A New York cowboy in underwear runs for president.

Three strangers strike up a conversation in the passenger lounge in the Bozeman , Montana airport, while waiting for their respective flights.. One is an American Indian passing through from Lame Deer, another is a Cowboy on his way to Billings for a livestock show, and the third passenger is a fundamentalist Arab student, newly arrived at Montana State University from the Middle East .... Their discussion drifts to their diverse cultures. Soon, the two Westerners learn that the Arab is a devout, radical Muslim and the conversation falls into an uneasy lull. The cowboy leans back in his chair,...

Roy Rogers Horse Fetches $266,500 Trigger, the stuffed horse belonging to cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers, has fetched $266,500 (£174,000) at auction. 16 Jul 2010 Trigger, the palomino horse was stuffed after it died in 1965 Photo: AP Christie's auction house, which ran the sale along with Western auctioneer High Noon Americana, said the collection of items related to Rogers' and wife Dale Evan's roles on television and in the movies brought in $2.9 million. Trigger, the palomino horse which Rogers had stuffed after it died in 1965, was bought by rural US cable television station RFD-TV for $266,500,...

NEW YORK — Roy Rogers' stuffed horse, Trigger, has been sold at auction in New York City for more than $266,000. Christie's says Rogers' faithful companion was bought by RFD-TV in Omaha, Neb., at an auction Wednesday of items from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo.

The Naked Cowboy, a fixture of New York's Times Square, is suing a "Naked Cowgirl" he claims is ripping off his street musician act. Robert Burck, 39, who performs in only a cowboy hat, boots and briefs, is suing fellow Times Square performer Sandy Kane, who calls herself "The Naked Cowgirl," seeking as much as $150,000, the New York Post reported Tuesday. "Your use of Naked Cowgirl is essentially identical to the Naked Cowboy and is clearly in violation (of the Naked Cowboy trademark)," Burke wrote in a cease-and-desist letter to Kane. Burke said Kane balked at his offer of...

I noticed on the Uberti website that they are offering an 1873 carbine (19" barrel) in .44 Magnum. I have not seen any information other than that. I was wondering if anyone had one, or knew of an article about them. I kinda like the idea of this gun in .44 Mag myself....if they have in fact pulled it off.

It is time again to start making plans to attend the Annual TexasCowboy Memorial Shoot. Come join us to celebrate the memory this fine Texas gentlemen. The 5th Annual TexasCowboy Memorial Shoot will be held June 12, 2010, starting at 10:00 a.m. Our range choice this year is Dietz Gun Range, 421 Range Road, New Braunfels. The cost per person will be $10.00 The Dietz Range is where TexasCowboy hosted one of his shoots in 2003. This year the after party for the shoot will be held at the range. They have a large canopy with picnic benches underneath for...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Some members of the Wyoming Legislature want to instill "cowboy ethics" in state law, lest lawmakers and citizens forget the state's western roots. The code would stress the importance of living with courage, keeping promises, finishing what you start and saying more by talking less. Based on the "Code of the West" outlined in a 2004 book called "Cowboy Ethics" by James Owen, a retired Wall Street investor from Texas, Senate File 51 galloped through the Wyoming Senate last week and on Monday lassoed unanimous approval from the House Minerals Committee.....

These videos are awesome. The first is a classic clip from Johnny Carson. The second is from cowboy Baxter Black, talking about the country he loves.