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My first experience with a handgun was firing my dad’s Smith & Wesson 45 ACP M1917 U.S. Army service revolver. I was a young girl in a sporting family growing up on a hobby farm in central Minnesota. Even so, when I decided to purchase my first handgun I was intimidated. Not only can the perceived legal process be daunting, so can winnowing through the colossal assortment of styles and calibers to find the perfect fit. As a child of the 1960s and 1970s, I grew up watching shows like “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” and “The Wild, Wild, West,” perched on...

I recently made the acquaintance of a lovely lady from Trinidad, and became interested in the culture of her country. The favorite street food in Trinidad is called ‘Boubles’. It’s a piece of fried flatbread with spiced chickpeas and various condiments on top – including the Green Sauce/Seasoning that is ubiquitous in the food of the Islands. The dish is very influenced by the historical Indian presence in the Islands, and it gained the name ‘doubles’ when it became a street food, and people asked for an extra piece of the fried bread -'can you double the bread?'. Here, from...

Welcome to The Bicycle Thread. A monthly PING List for bicycle enthusiasts to share experiences, information and ideas.

The Monthly Fiber Arts Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love yarn and fabric of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced fiber artists and beyond, we would love to hear from you. It is impossible to hijack the Monthly Fiber Arts Thread. Knitting, crochet, quilting, weaving, general crafting - there is no telling where it will go, and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our Fiber Arts...

Vulture hitches a ride on a selfie stick as paragliders soar high above the mountains. Along with several other entertaining videos.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Simone Biles is the golden girl, interrupted, of the Tokyo Olympics. America’s beloved gymnast announced Tuesday that she was withdrawing from the team competition following a “stunning breakdown” at the long-delayed 2020 Olympics, citing mental health issues — and not an injury — that were exacerbated by the pressure to be “head star” at the summer games. After her unexpected departure, the USA women’s gymnastics team ended up taking home the silver medal without 24-year-old Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist. However, the decision to focus on competing for her own well-being instead of medals — while jarring to many...

The "Serendipity Sapphire" weighs 2.5 million carats. A massive sapphire cluster worth as much as $100 million has been unearthed by workers digging a well in the backyard of a Sri Lankan home, authorities said. “The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen,” the owner, who only wanted to be identified by his last name Gamage, told the outlet. “I have never seen such a large specimen before. This was probably formed around 400 million years ago,” Dr. Gamini Zoysa, a top gemmologist, told the BBC. “Given the...

The third time was not the charm for a man who washed up on a beach in Florida in a "bubble" as he attempted to walk on water to New York for charity. Reza Baluchi, 49, made it about 25 miles into his journey in his hydro pod, which resembles a hamster wheel installed with flotation devices, before returning to shore in St. Augustine, according to The New York Times. Fully stocked for a three-week trip, he reportedly found a day after his departure that his backup GPS device and charging cables were missing, forcing him to return to land....

Bert, at 85 years old, always wanted a pair of soft spike golf shoes like Freddie Couples, so seeing some on sale after his round, he bought them at the pro shop. He was so delighted with his purchase, he decided to wear them home to show the Mrs. Walking proudly into the house, he sauntered into the kitchen and said to his wife, "Notice anything different about me?" Ethel, at age 83 looked him over and replied, "Nope." Frustrated, Bert stormed off into the bathroom, quickly undressed, and walked back into the kitchen completely naked, except for the new...

Public lands have become more trodden and restrictive, but the pandemic-era craziness might not lastIn 2013, I hiked to one of the most beautiful places in the world: a glowing turquoise lake cradled by alpine tundra and framed by 13,000-foot peaks. It was a clear fall day, and I didn’t see another person on the entire 3.5-mile Ice Lakes Trail, in southwest Colorado. I was so enchanted that I returned the following year, and the year after, and every year after that. Each time I saw more and more people as I huffed up the steep switchbacks to Ice Lake,...

WASHINGTON D.C.—According to reports, President Joe Biden has purchased the entire collection of Hunter Biden's artwork for $12.6 million. In a discussion with an anonymous source, he said he hopes this gives him the leverage he needs for an audience with the President. "I really wanna meet the President—I hear he's a real swell guy," said President Biden as he packed a mural made of multicolored pasta in his trunk. "And I was able to get this whole collection for only four-hundred bitcoin! What a deal! Four hundred ain't a lot!" Biden said he hopes the President will listen to...

He developed gasoline engines for family sedans as well as thunderous Nascar racing machines. By last year, though, the excitement was gone. His projects were no longer about advancing the engine, just nursing along existing technology. All the buzz had shifted to electric vehicles. In December, Mr. Penkevich took early retirement at age 59. “It’s been a fun ride,” said engineer Dave Lancaster, who spent 40 years working in engine development at General Motors Co. “But I think we’re coming into the homestretch for the conventional engine.” Over the past several decades, auto makers in most years rolled out between...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

A quick test of the 3.4GHz PCB yagi that came with the SG-lab (http://www.sg-lab.com/amateur.html) 3.4GHz transverter. I also compare it to the WA5VJB LPDA 2-11GHz model, PCB antenna

I care about the future; therefore, I care about the climate. I belong to the vast majority of global citizens who, as poll after poll show, are concerned about the direction the planet is heading and understand the urgency and existential nature of the impending climate emergency. The recent catastropic flooding in central Europe and extreme high temperatures in North America are just a few symptoms of this. So in my family, we do something about it. We scrimp and save on our carbon budget: we walk or ride bikes instead of driving our car; we eat dramatically less meat...

Why did so many Americans receive strange packages they didn’t think they’d ordered?Sid miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, sat atop his stallion Smokey and faced the camera. It was Saturday, August 1, 2020. Miller had a message to share. “Good morning, patriots,” Miller began, raising the coiled lasso in his right hand by way of greeting. “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of all these surprises coming out of China. First it was the Chinese virus, then we had the murder hornets, then we had to close the embassy in Houston because of espionage … Now we’ve...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Microsoft wants 20,000 likes in return for Clippy, and it got themMicrosoft is threatening to bring back its annoying loveable Clippy character. The software giant claims it will replace the paperclip emoji in Microsoft Office with Clippy if the tweet below gets 20,000 likes. The tweet has already surpassed that number, so it seems Clippy could be about to return as a more innocent emoji — but Microsoft is being coy about what might happen next. Born in Office 97, Clippy originally appeared as an assistant to offer help and tips for using Microsoft Office. You either loved or hated...

Santa Ana Police Department officers were called to the area around 2 p.m. after workers at a nearby business heard the woman’s cries for help and weren’t sure where the sounds were coming from. The officers eventually spotted the woman, and rescuers were called to the scene. She was trapped inside a space just eight inches wide, according to firefighters. “We heard a lady in the back, behind our shop, screaming, screaming, screaming,” said the owner of the shop, who did not want to be named. But they couldn’t find anyone. “We called the cops and the cops came in...