Category: Guns & Ammos

The selection of quality wireless headset audio for console gaming systems is amazingly low. And since most of us probably cannot afford the option of not paying this months electric bill to purchase an Astro A30 or some Tritton gaming headgear; we must seek “more affordable” alternatives for a digital wireless gaming headset. Turtle Beach wireless headset has been a standout in this market for awhile now, primarily because they provide high quality enhanced gaming headsets at very affordable prices. Currently they have 10 models of console gaming headsets ranging in price from $30-$200.

In this Turtle Beach headset review we examine the Ear Force X31s; an excellent choice for gamers on a budget. The call of wireless game audio had appealed to me for some time since my wife tripped over the X11s cable several times (when my son was not “borrowing” them). I finally purchased this headset when I found them at a bargain price online, and man I am really glad I did! This digital wireless headset features:

• Transmitter provides rich, clear performance enhancing audio
• Adjustable bass boost with stereo expander effects
• VERY comfortable fabric ear cushions for all-night gameplay
• Safety and convenience of being wireless-no tangled wires, no tripping over cords
• Solid, comfortable construction
• Great for not disturbing others or playing undisturbed
• High sensitivity mike with sturdy, flexible boom
• Now at deep discount

It took me about 7-8 minutes to hook up the digital wireless RF transmitter (note that when using HDMI video, the Xbox HD AV cable MUST be used). When they first arrived I played Gears of War2 in horde mode…immediately the sound quality blew me away. I could hear a boomer from across the map in courtyard, and the explosions were so intense I could feel them!Switch to Modern Warfare 2…I could not only hear the chamber sliding on my opponents intervention sniper rifle; I could hear him sneaking up on me from much farther away. And the online chat sounds much better than the Microsoft chat mikes. It is pretty much a given that the Ear Force X31 wireless headphones will help you step up your game. But there are 2 things which annoyed me a little also:

• Bass-Boost not very effective-could use a lot more bass for this feature to make any sense
• Inline chat mute switch really hard to find-have fun trying not to get killed while adjusting the mute/volume
• Overall sound quality still not quite as rich as wired headset technology

The headset itself is powered by 2 triple-A batteries which seem to last about 15-17 hours, but my rechargables last roughly 14 hours. Even with these few flaws, the Turtle Beach Ear Force X31 Wireless Gaming Headset really stands out as an affordable; high quality pro gaming accessory. If you have been thinking about stepping up your game with a wireless headset but could not afford it, the Ear Force X31s are now more affordable than ever.

I believe Washington Irving’s purpose in writing Rip Van Winkle was to teach his readers a lesson as well as entertain. Irving is telling his readers through this story that if you live an idle life, never accomplishing anything, and are always satisfied with the bare minimum life will pass you by.

Rip Van Winkle is a character who always has been, is, and always will be. There are millions of people around the world who take his nonchalant view of life, his uncaring, unmotivated attitude and accomplish absolutely nothing. Rip is an icon to the stagnant, the lazy, and the useless. He is the person who goes through life never fully living it and before he knows it, is old and dying wondering where has the time gone.

Rip was not a bad man as clearly illustrated in the text; he lived his life somewhat contently and simply. People liked him and he did not shy away from helping others. His only problem was his aversion to working for a living, and the problems this caused for him at home. The main character of the story is constantly getting yelled at by his wife and takes all the time he can to get away from her to enjoy himself. One day Rip walks off into the mountains to go hunting where he runs into a man hauling up a keg of beer. He encounters this man and being the good-natured guy that he is, helps him carry his drink to his friends. Eventually he starts to drink with them and before he knows it, he is out cold. He wakes up not yet aware that twenty years have passed and originally thinks he has been robbed of his dog and gun. This part is significant because it tells how he believes he has been robbed, looking at it symbolically in context with the rest of the story he has been robbed of more than just his gun and dog but of his time and life. He than walks down the mountain and everything has changed. He does not recognize the people, all of his old hang outs don’t look like they’ve been inhabited in years and his house is deserted. After talking with a few people he finally figures out that twenty years have passed him by. Rip’s daughter takes him in, and he is able to live out the rest of his life idly in old age.

Using the time period of the revolutionary war was symbolic in this story. For starters in symbolized change, change in the whole makeup of American as well as a revolutionary change in Rip Van Winkles life (he is now an old man). It also could have symbolized a new beginning for Rip in that he no longer had to deal with his nagging wife and could live the life he wanted for himself similar to the new beginning of The United States of America.

I was best able to contrast Rip Van Winkle with Charlie from Babylon Revisited. Although both characters started out in the beginning as being very similar, Charlie changed his life for the better, he made something of himself and gave up his foolish ways. Rip on the other hand just went back to being his same old self. Charlie learned from his mistakes Rip Van Winkle did not.

I agree with the author’s message that if you are always idle life will pass you by and you will be old and virtually by yourself before you know it. The most important things in Rip’s life should have been his family and providing for them. Instead, he thought of only himself and what made him happy. His wife’s incessant nagging was his own fault for falling short as husband and father. Rip Van winkle was selfish in that regard, he cared nothing for his family and only in satisfying himself. I found it to be a great act of charity that his daughter took him in after twenty years; most children would probably be bitter after their father left for so long. Rip is an eternal character. As long as there are people, there will be those who are content doing nothing. Life will pass them by, they will oblivious to what’s going on around them and will rely on others to take care of them.

Although this article focuses on improvements to my QB/XS 7 co2 gun, the information would most likely transfer directly to most or the basic co2 rifles. The QB 78 is a good gun out of the box and the one I currently own and use. I have only made three alterations to my QB since new:

1) I tuned the trigger, which is an easy job for anyone who can handle a screw driver and needs no additional parts to make a huge improvement. Further improvement could be gained by adding some shims either side of the trigger to stop the slop, which is fairly noticeable though I have not as yet bothered with this. The feel of the trigger is now smooth and sure whereas before it was distinctly jerky making it hard to judge when the gun was going to fire.

2) I improved the stock by adding some height to the comb to make the gun more comfortable and improve my accuracy, especially using telescopic sights. This was a more complex job though easy enough for anyone with some basic woodworking skills and access to a table saw or otherwise more skilled at hand sawing than myself!

3) I added an adjustable butt plate/pad. This was an easy job with some filing of the new butt plate to do and simply screw it all together in what ever position suits the shooter.

These measures have greatly improved its performance and feel.

Advantages and disadvantages of co2 guns over other types of air weapon

One of the biggest advantages of co2 airguns is their relatively low cost compared to comparable springers and more so, pre charged pcp guns. Co2 guns will give you the recoil free action of a pcp which is a great advantage over spring guns in terms of accuracy especially for the less experienced air gunner. They are also often reasonably easy to tune as in the case of the QB

Wanting a cheap but powerful and accurate gun for hunting and never really mastering marksmanship with a springer is what attracted me to these guns in the first place. I had been using an ASI Magnum spring powered gun which was a great gun for the money though I had been used to using a Sharp Innova pump up pneumatic beforehand and found this much easier to hit the mark with. I was however fed up with pumping it up every shot and since the UK gun laws had changed making co2 guns legal, I decided to give one a go.

The disadvantages I have found are that there is a considerable power drop once the powerlet begins to empty. I have found that I get approximately 80 – 90 shots from a powerlet yet only the first 50-60 are consistent. With the QB it is necessary to shoot off the excess co2 before changing powerlets. This can be done without loading pellets into the gun but is laborious. Unscrewing the tube cap before the powerlets are empty (the QB takes 2 powerlets at a time) can cause damage to the seals. Co2 guns are also subject to a loss of power as temperature drops. This is most noticeable below 5 degrees C.

In conclusion, co2 power has a great advantage over spring power guns in terms of recoil and therefore can be more accurate. There are good out of the box guns around that are excellent with minimal work. The power drop as the powerlets empty can make recharging them laborious and they are adversely effected by cold weather, however as an entry level gun they have some great advantages as well as being great fun!

First a look at the alignment of the putter blade as you place it

behind the ball.

If you have your putter shaft laid back from the vertical the blade

will be laid back too.

This creates more roll on the ball.

However, there is a danger of topping the ball when putting in this

manner.

This results in inconsistency of distance.

So, unless you really like to put like this, this is not such a

good idea.

Worse still is having the shaft forward of vertical.

Obviously, this creates a slightly downward hit on the ball and drives it into

the ground a bit.

This causes the ball to skip erratically and so roll badly.

The answer therefore for most of us is a vertical blade when

putting.

This allows for consistent, solid striking of the ball resulting in

a true roll.

Now how about the set up when putting.

It does not really matter how you stand.

Whether it be with your side towards the hole

or using a more open stance, or even facing

the hole.

The open stance suits me better than any other.

I think it is more natural.

It is the stance used in lawn bowls, cricket or

even sending a ball towards a target using an under arm throw.

The degree of open stance will be an individual thing and will be up to

you to find what is best for you.

However, there are two things that you must incorporate into your

stance.

You must have good balance.

You must feel totally comfortable.

You must position your head over the ball.

By this I mean, over the line from the ball to the hole.

This line can be extrapolated behind the ball

so allowing you to have your eye over the correct

line to the hole, but behind the ball.

You might like this because it is a bit like looking along the

sights on a rifle.

You can see the line better if you are lined up

with your eyes a bit behind the ball.

Where ever you place your head, it is essential that it remains

totally still during the put.

All that is left is to determine where to put your weight when you

put.

If you are a right hander, I suggest you put more weight on your

left foot, and try putting your weight on your heel.

With putting there are no rights and wrongs.

So here are some ideas.

Take them and use them to work out what

works best for you.

Now that society is slowly becoming a breeding place for crimes and random attacks, there is nothing more important than being able to take care of ourselves and our family. To do that, you must be equipped with the knowledge on how to defend yourself in times of being attacked. Carrying self defense devices has proven to be one of the most effective methods of protecting yourself from attackers especially if you know how to efficiently use your chosen device.

A stun gun is a non-lethal, electroshock device that uses electricity to immobilize an attacker and temporarily incapacitate him. It works to disrupt the brain’s communication with the muscular and nervous system thus making muscles work all at the same time and at a state of confusion. When this happens, your attacker will lose his balance and control. He could drop to the ground and you can immediately flee and ask for help.

Stun gun is one of the most effective and easiest to use self defense items that you can carry everywhere you go, in accordance of course with your state laws. Street crimes are most common nowadays leaving victims dead or seriously injured and it does not and will not exclude you. With this device, you have the option to survive. When buying one, there are several factors you need to consider- the laws of your state regarding its use, the size of the gun, and the voltage, among others. Let’s talk about the voltage.

Most people would say that the higher the voltage, the most powerful your device will be. That is true in most cases. If a gun has a higher voltage, it can cause more immediate pain at the point of contact, and it can work a bit faster and quicker for subduing your attacker. Also, a higher voltage gun will emit a much superior and intimidating crackling sound that will scare off an attacker more often than not.

However, the voltage that a stun gun conveys is not essentially the most important aspect in whether or not a device is effective. An 80,000-volt gun can be just as effective as a 4.5 million volt gun, as long as you know how to properly use your device. Delivery is just as important (or even more important) than the voltage itself. Even if you have in your hand the highest voltage gun ever known to mankind, it will not generate a positive result if you do not know how to use it. To be effective, you need to know what part of the body is most vulnerable and will be most affected. Remember that a lower voltage device with a better manner of release may be more successful than the device with higher voltage aimed improperly.

Stun guns will work to your advantage if you know the concept behind it and its proper usage. Constant practice usually does the trick. And more importantly, do not panic. It would be very difficult especially if the element of surprise is used by the attacker, but you need not fear. After all, you have one of the best weapons on hand.

There are two ways to get to Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp. One, escorted by US Marshals under remanded custody and two, on your own recognizance, which is known as self surrender. Self surrender is by far the more desirable of the two. If you are expecting to get to Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp via remanded custody, you will be taken into custody immediately after being sentenced. Thereafter, be prepared for an uncomfortable few weeks or months before you arrive at your designated Federal Prison Camp. If you have been granted the opportunity to self surrender to Federal Prison Camp, the judge has done you a favor that you should be very thankful for and take full advantage of.

Remanded Custody

If you are taken into remanded custody at your sentencing by the United States Marshals, you will spend a number of weeks or even months at detention centers, transfer centers and city and county jails before you finally reach your designated Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp. You will be transported between these institutions and finally to Federal Prison Camp free of charge courtesy of the United States Marshals. By all accounts, Federal Inmate Transportation is extremely uncomfortable, slow and tedious.

There are two factors that make remanded custody to Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp particularly unpleasant. Firstly, inmates of all security levels are transported together. This means that security is maintained at the highest of levels. Even though you are headed to a Federal Prison Camp, you will be treated like a maximum security Federal Prison Camp inmate.

Your wrists will be handcuffed in front of you, while leg irons will prevent more than a slow walk. A chain connecting the handcuffs and leg irons will further limit your movement. During the transport process, which takes place on vans, buses and airplanes (affectionately referred to as Con Air by many inmates) the leg irons and handcuffs are not removed, even when you need to use the restroom.

Armed with shotguns, the Marshals are concerned with one thing and one thing only, getting you from point A to point B and finally to your Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp. As one can imagine, the mood during this process, both amongst the inmates, just recently sentenced to Federal Prison Camp and amongst the Marshals charged with ensuring security during the trip to Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp, is quite serious.

Secondly, there is absolutely no hurry to get you to your designated Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp. You will be transported at the convenience and according to the schedules of the US Marshals. This, coupled with the fact that US Marshal policy allows transport during day time hours only means that relatively short distances can take weeks or even months to travel.

The entire process of checking in and out of various facilities and sitting shackled on vans, buses and planes can be grueling, so much so much so that inmates commonly refer to the ordeal as diesel therapy. For the first time Federal Prison Camp inmate, diesel therapy will serve to teach a valuable lesson. The BOP has very little interest in your privacy, convenience and comfort.

Self Surrender

Self surrender to Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp is a luxury granted to those the court deems at no risk of escape and at no threat to the community. If you are lucky enough to be allowed self surrender, following your sentencing you will spend the next one to six months at home, awaiting your Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp designation.

Whether you have been told to wait for a designation letter or not, I highly recommend calling the US Marshals office at the court where you were sentenced to ask for updates on the designation status. It is your responsibility to show up at the Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp on the specified date and at the specified time. Failing to show puts you on escapee status with serious consequences.

In my case I was told to wait for a letter, which never came. Thankfully, I was in touch by phone with the US Marshals office and eventually I was given my designation over the phone. The details of your designation will include the name of the Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp, the time and date you are to surrender and the Federal Prison Camp address and phone number.

The US Marshals will also be able to tell you your new eight digit BOP register number, which must be listed in order to receive funds into your Federal Prison Camp account and in order to receive mail.

A quick word on the location of your Federal Prison Camp designation. A recommendation from the sentencing judge that you be sent to a certain prison is just that, a recommendation. The BOP is under no obligation to comply. Further, the BOP states that they make an effort to place an inmate within 500 miles of his family. This effort is not always successful. In my case, I was designated to a Federal prison over 2,000 miles from home.

While my medical history dictated that I be sent to a Federal Medical Center rather than a Minimum Security Federal Prison Camp, there were two other such facilities within 500 miles. For whatever reason I was not sent to either one. If you find yourself far from home, eventually you may be able to transfer to a prison closer to friends and family. But it is not going to happen quickly and you need to be prepared for this eventuality.

Obviously, taking your identity and all other data is not an awful thing the criminals do, but it’s what the criminal does with the data, is harming. Card misrepresentation, home loan, utilities tricks, and discharged financial balances are a few of their crimes.

A Two-Part Crime

Identity theft is a two-stage process. To begin with, somebody takes your data. Second, the criminal utilizes that data to mimic you and submit misrepresentation. It is vital to comprehend this two-stage approach, in light of the fact that your resistances should additionally chip away at both levels.

Keep your information safe

Save your data persistently to abstain from turning into a casualty. Supposedly, the identity theft criminals can’t get the basic information like your social security or ledger numbers; so they cannot swindle you or fool you.

These criminals rifle through garbage, take mail, and utilize con amusements to deceive you into foolery and crime, which you would have never even thought of. So it is essential for you to ensure your data to be on the safer side. Here are some essential tips to kick you off:

1. Try not to give out your social security number via telephone.

2. Shred printed material containing account data or individual identifiers.

3. Keep vital archives in a bolted safe.

4. Get and send safe mail at the mail station.

5. Use programmed stores for pay checks.

Online identity theft is an extensive and developing issue. In phishing tricks, criminals use fake messages and sites to imitate associations. They influence your trust by deceiving you into revealing individual data, similar to passwords or record numbers. In like manner, programmers and infections can invade your PC and introduce keystroke copier to take information or catch account names and passwords as you write them.

• You can fool these identity theft criminals by being proactive.

• Store delicate data in secret key secured documents and registries.

• Figure out how to spot fake messages, sites, and other warnings connected with phishing.

• Execute monetary business online just with secure sites with URLs that start with “https:” or that are confirmed by organizations like VeriSign.

• Introduce individual firewall, antivirus, antispyware, and insurance all are accessible in a solitary security suite with many organizations that provide protection.

It can take a while for you to find if you are a victim. By that time, criminals can loot records or keep running up a genuine obligation in your name.

Routinely check your credit card bills for abnormal action. By chance, you see anything weird or startling, similar to another credit line you didn’t open, follow up promptly. In the meantime, screen movement on all your money related records – from managing an account to speculations to Visas. Down this road, if the money related organizations you work with offer movement alarms, agree to them. React as quickly as time permits. If you are still in need of help of an identity theft protection company, then you must check one of the best service providers and their review like LifeLock review.

Conclusion

Identity theft has turned into an unavoidable truth. To abstain from turning into a casualty, constantly ensure your own data, screen your records and credit report, and react quickly to any signs your identity is being abused.

Plan a dinner that can be cooked on the grill, then in the late afternoon head over to the local lake for some swimming and a great lakeside grilled dinners. We’ve chosen some easy recipes. You provide the family and the transportation and we’re almost there. I hope you have a lake close by, or a beach, or a pond. If not, your local park should do or you could just head to your backyard for some great family fun together. If you don’t have a lake you can swim in you can still have some water based family fun. Just break out the giant squirt guns or turn on the sprinkler and let the kids enjoy. At our house we have a dozen or so squirt guns that instantly entertain kids from about 2 to 20. We have the rule that you can only squirt someone that has a gun. We made the rule to keep cranky moms from being doused by the kiddos, but it actually made for great strategy for the older kids, because if you are cornered you can always drop your squirt gun and it makes for great sneaking up on other armed people.

We hope you have a lake nearby and can enjoy it’s beach. Go swimming, float some rafts or bring out the kayaks or canoes. There are some easy dinner recipes below for your great lakeside grilled supper.

Be sure to review the water safety rules with the kids and make sure that all the swimmers are being watched by a grownup.

Grilled Chicken with Lime Avocado Salsa

Quick, easy, and delicious.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Chicken cutlets or chicken breasts – boneless skinless, halved horizontally

2 Tb Olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Avocados, pitted and diced

2 Tb Lime juice

1/2 C Red onion, diced 1/4 inch

3 Tb Cilantro

1/2 Jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or to taste)

Instructions

Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil on both sides, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Prepare salsa by combining remaining ingredients.

Grill breasts 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve topped with salsa.

Grilled Rosemary Beef

This easy weeknight meal is also good enough for company. Enjoy!

Serves 8

Ingredients

3 lb Eye of round or London Broil

Olive oil

1/4 C Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

5 ea Rosemary sprigs, cleaned and finely chopped

1 Tb Flat leaf parsley, chopped

4 Tsp Garlic – minced

Instructions

Heat the grill. Coat the beef with the oil and vinegar; then, sprinkle salt and pepper onto it. Lastly add the rosemary. Cook the beef on the grill to your desired doneness.

Let the meat stand for a few minutes after you take it off the grill. Slice it thin, and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with parsley and a little more rosemary, if desired.

Campfire Grilled Garlic Bread

Everybody loves warm, soft, buttery, garlic bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Loaf French bread

1/4 C Butter

2 Tsp Garlic powder

Instructions

Split loaf in half horizontally, top with butter and garlic powder. Put the top back on and wrap well in foil. Cook on the grill turning periodically until heated through.

His name was Javier Ayala and he was from Los Angeles by way of Tijuana. He had once gone ten rounds with the great Roberto Duran in 1973 in Los Angeles and also went the distance with Leroy Haley. But on this night at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas, his main event opponent was Bruce Finch whose claim to fame would be that after his 3rd round TKO loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in1982 in Reno, Leonard would have surgery to repair a detached retina.

Coming into the Finch fight, Javier had lost six straight including ones to the very capable Jerry “Schoolboy” Cheatham and Dujuan Johnson as well as to rugged Lou Bizzarro. Arguably, he had become a gate through which prospects must get through before going to the next level.

I was visiting my brother at the time (I had been on assignment in nearby Phoenix and flew in for some R and R), but on this particular July night in 1980 I was alone. After several hours of Black Jack at Bally’s and dinner at Kathy’s Southern Cooking restaurant, I pursued my real interest of the evening which was to watch a young lightweight prospect out of Youngstown, Ohio by the name of Ray “Boom Boom” Manicini. He had won ten in a row and was on the undercard in a eight-rounder against one Leon Smith whom he blew away in the first round with several unanswered body shots to Smith’s liver that you could hear throughout the hall…………I was on the aisle near ringside and they sounded like muffled bombs. I was most impressed and anything else on this particular boxing night would simply be icing on the cake.

Chris Schwenke fought his first pro fight and won a four-round UD over Bill Fallow. He would then go on a 14 fight win streak. There was an uneventful 6-rounder before the Finch-Ayala bout between Danny Sanders and Irish Pat Coffey which Danny won by TKO in the last round. At that point, there was a brief intermission and I remember this young boy of about 9 or 10 years old who then appeared and was standing just to the rear of my seat. I asked him his name and he said he was Javier Ayala’s son. He was very shy and humble. We had a nice exchange and I said I hoped his father would do well. As the fighters walked to the ring, I noticed Javier reach over to pat his son on the shoulder and give him a smile and wink. The fighters were then introduced amidst the usual fanfare and the crowd readied for the main event.

Finch, from Milwaukee, had lost only three fights coming in and these were to the very capable Tommy Hearns, Larry Bonds, and Pete Ranzany. He had won 21 and was touted as having lot’s of pop in his punches. The much younger Finch looked to be in excellent welterweight shape, while Ayala, at age 37, looked just a bit shop worn.

As I torched up my Cuesto Rey……….thankfully, there was no political correctness back in 1980, particularly in a gambling casino……….the fighters received their instructions touched gloves, the bell rang and the fight began. The first two rounds were mostly cat and mouse with both fighters feeling each other out and getting in a few decent shots. Finch threw some neat combinations and seemed to have taken control by the end of round two. In the third round is when it happened. Both fighters were coming out of a clinch and as they set themselves, Ayala moved forward to throw a telegraphed looping right. Finch got there first unleashing a short and vicious right uppercut which hit Ayala at the point of his chin. You could hear the blow back in the gambling area.

Ayala hit the canvas as if he had been hit with a ten gauge shotgun……..and that’s when what started out to be a pleasant evening of manly fun became something else. As he landed on his back, his body hit before his head which then whip sawed onto the canvas. He stayed down as his only handler hovered over him and as ringside officials and the referee quickly went to revive him. He was unconscious and stayed that way for between 15 and 20 minutes without so much as moving a limb. A stretcher was being readied, the crowd was hushed, and a genuine sense of concern permeated. Everyone feared the worse. Finch, while elated with his one punch victory, was visibly concerned. While this was all going on, I glanced over at his son standing in the rear area and I’ll never forget the look on his face or the tears in his eyes. I went over to him, put my arm around him and said “don’t worry, your father will be fine.” He was shaking all over and it was all I could do to keep myself composed.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Javier Ayala arose to scattered applause, but their was palpable relief as well. He left the ring under his own power, albeit unsteadily, and seemed okay. As he was heading for the dressing room, he stopped and took his son’s hand in his own and they both disappeared from sight as they went into the room. The word that best descibes what I witnessed at that moment was pathos……..my overwhelming emotion was one of sympathy and pity.

I never found out exactly what happened to Ayala but I do know that was his last fight. He would finish with a record of 21 wins, 24 losses, and 1 draw. Where he is today or where his son might be remain mysteries that I just as soon not solve. My connection with Javier Ayala has remained deliberately unresolved.

As for Bruce Finch, he would go on to win eleven in a row before being stopped by Sugar Ray in 1982. He would then lose six of his next seven fights before retiring in 1985.

To this day, when I get giddy over some fight or engage in a heated argument over boxing in general and need a reality check, I always think back to that bad night in Vegas………one that would leave me with indelible memories. “In no other sport is the connection between performer and observer so intimate, so frequently painful, so unresolved.” – Joyce Carol Oates

It was September of 1943. Thirty-two year old Maria Caterina was a single woman helping to look after her younger sister and her father. Her four bothers were somewhere out in the war theatre of World War 2. No news has been received from them for quite some time now. Rumours circulated the village that at least two had been taken prisoner, but no-one knew for sure.

She took the usual walk down into the gully where her family vegetable garden lay on the steps dug out from the side of the mountain.

She climbed the ancient ‘ficara’, which meant fig tree in their local dialect. The base of the tree was so big that two people hugging it on opposite sides would not be able to join hands. She carefully made her way up a thick branch, slowly inching her way towards parts heavily laden with ripe figs.

She was wearing a ‘fardale’, dialect for an apron, and kept stuffing the pockets with freshly picked figs. She ate one, then another. They were so sweet. She stretched out to grab one particular fat juicy fruit when she thought she heard men’s voices. They were shouting. She stopped to listen. Suddenly, something exploded near the base of the tree. Dust went up everywhere and she heard tiny objects whistling passed her ear, chopping down leaves and fruit as they flew by. She closed her eyes, and then all hell broke loose.

A group of soldiers came into her view, and they were running back towards the village. They were wearing German uniforms. She knew that because they had been occupying the village for months now. Not far behind them were other soldiers. They looked different and both groups were shooting at each other. One German got shot in the leg and two of his countrymen grabbed him leaving the man’s rifle behind. She cursed as she realised she was in the middle of some battle… stuck, high on the ficara.

She closed her eyes and held on to the thick branch for her dear life. There was so much shouting, yelling and guns popping off all over the place. No-one had spotted her perched there, high up on the tree, but explosions continued. She felt the figs roll out of her pockets and drop to the ground underneath her. She was too busy holding on. It lasted only a few minutes but to Maria Caterina it felt an eternity.

This story was relayed to me personally by Maria Caterina, my aunt. It was fascinating to hear her recount this event, more than once. She died in 2006 only two months shy of her ninety-sixth birthday. This was her account of the Allied forces liberating her village of Santa Caterina dello Ionio located in the highlands of Calabria, province of Catanzaro. That fig tree was totally destroyed in the fires that went through that area, I think around 1987.