Flea Market and New Merchandise Update

The Sentry G4311 gun safe is a thick, heavy and secure 14-gun safe that can, however, hold at most only 8 guns. It has three dead bolts and five active-locking bolts on the top, bottom and leading edges, and near the hinges as well. All the bolts in the safe are one inch in diameter, and feel sturdy and robust. A hole on the left side of the safe provides for an optional dehumidifier, and inside is a shelf that is fully adjustable. The safe also comes with a removable false-bottom, under which more valuables can be kept.

The interiors of the safe are completely lined with fabric so as to prevent scratches on guns kept inside the safe. For shotguns, the racking system is adjustable. The lock is very secure as it comes with an impressive five-digit electronic lock, with a manual key override option. The safe is quite easy to open, and the guns inside can be taken out quickly. The steel walls of the safe are adequately thick, but not fireproof. The safe is quite heavy, and cannot be moved easily. To make it even more immobile, lead plates or other heavy metal objects can be placed inside the false-bottom.

The shelf is not very convenient, as ammo placed on it could fall off the back, on to the rifles below. Digging out loose ammunition from between the rifles could be quite a difficult task.

Compared to trigger-locks or gun-locks, gun safes provide much more safety. The Sentry G4311 safe is a compact, sturdy and safe container for firearms. Owing to its weight, it cannot be lifted or stolen easily. Though not very cheap, the safe is well worth it’s price.

Part 1

My Doctoral Dissertation was titled: Examining if a difference exists between online and traditional college students. Though my dissertation concerned College students, many of the same principles apply to High School and Elementary School. The major issue is the quality of education difference between the two forms of pedagogy [ped-uh-goh-jee, -goj-ee] noun, which is defined as; the function or work of a teacher; teaching the art or science of teaching and educational/instructional methodology.

Even though my bio lists my degree’s, I wanted to supply my experience with the American School System. I spent my first 5 of 17 years in matriculation in a classroom format. The instruction, teacher support and on campus support was excellent; even though I was 52 years old when I started classes in 2000. I was amazed by the reception I received from the younger students in my classes. Because I was older my fellow students wanted to know what I thought they should do and not do, concerning their choices of, not only classes but often life choices.

This is an axiom of all students whether they are college, high school or elementary level. While these students, especially when they reach their teens, and (think their parents are idiots), they will listen to an outside adult influence. Hence, my advice to parents is to first find an adult who values an education and ask them to be your 2^nd teacher. If the child is versed early in what the true meaning and possibilities for their future are, (at an early age), they will learn that taking time to research and consider risk management in their decisions, will produce better choices for them in that future!

I would like to expand on my statement concerning my matriculation in a classroom format. Not only does the student receive face-to-face instruction, but more importantly they can receive the instructions when the subject does not make any sense to the student. Face-to-Face instruction allows the teacher to spend QUALITY time with the student, where he/she can understand the student and adjust their curriculum to accommodate the students emotional and physical Adagio [e-‘da-j(e-)o] noun, defined as; at a slow tempo or pace!

As pointed out numerous times over many years, additional benefits occur from social interaction and student bonding. The advantage of our children getting exercise and learning sportsmanship and fair play have been highly underestimated by our local, state and especially federal governments. This is proven by the cuts to social and sports activities funding. This has created a Milieu [meel-YOO] noun, defined as; a surrounding culture and environment, where true education has taken a back seat to funding of military weapons to our police. Hence, a cut in pay for schoolteachers and our local school districts.

Many parents today consider elementary and high school teachers to be nothing more than well-educated babysitters and do not take advantage of the opportunities afforded them to have a voice in what happens in their child’s education. This is evident by the many jokes made about “parent, teacher conferences”. It is my opinion that all parents (or at least one parent) should be required to attend these opportunities to control what and how our students should learn.

Over the next several weeks I will be reviewing the Amalgam [e-MAL-gem] defined as; a mixture or combination – of brick and mortar educational opportunities compared to online learning. Next week I will discuss the Obfuscation [ob·fus·cat·ing] verb, defined as; to make obscure or unclear, the advantages (small) to the disadvantages (large) of total online educational formats, instruction, teacher support and campus support.

Dr. Edward J. Files, AGS, AAS, BSM, Emba, Ed.D. (dual concentrations in Organizational and Leadership Development)

Chaps (pronounced “shaps” and short for chaparajos) were originated as a protective garment worn by cowboys in brushy areas. There are many reasons for the use of chaps from decorative to practical. This study will include the origin as well as the practical uses of chaps.

Chaps originated in Spain and Mexico. The first known use of them was for riders to wear when working cattle. They were two large pieces of cowhide that were used to form a protective shield over both the riders legs as well as the horse’s chest. Hooking onto the saddles horn, they served both purposes well, but were bulky and hard to work with; therefore chaps were conceived.

Batwings – Originally the most prevalent type of chaps were batwings. These chaps were mostly just an outer layer of leather, usually with three clasps to hold them on the leg. One clasp was near the top of the leg, one behind the knee and one around mid calf.

You will see batwings in most early westerns and western art. Frederick Remington and Charles Russell probably never heard of shotgun chaps which are more common today. Batwing chaps could keep a cowboy’s legs safe from brambles and brush, but they weren’t a lot of help keeping the legs warm in cold weather.

Batwings mostly gave way to shotgun chaps in the mid 20th century; however batwings are still popular today among rodeo cowboys for the decorative value as well as the fact that they flop around so much during a ride that they can help show good spurring traits.

Shotgun – Shotgun chaps tend to be more fitted to the individual than batwings. They are formed from leather, usually with a zipper to zip up and encase each leg, as if in armor. Shotguns can be used to keep warm in cold weather as well as protection from thorns and brush.

Both kinds of chaps are also useful in a branding corral protecting against all kinds of dangers such as vaccination needles and hot branding irons.

Chinks (short for chinkaderos) – Chinks came along in the latter part of the 20th century and have grown quite popular, although there are still pockets of holdouts here and there. Chinks have been called “cowboy shorts” by some individuals who don’t want to change, but they are quite practical for the working cowboy.

Usually made in a similar fashion to shotguns, chinks are simply cut off around knee to mid-calf level, and have fringe around the outer edge. Much more comfortable in warm weather, chinks, like batwings and shotguns, serve a purpose in the cowboy life style. Since most cowboys wear boots that come up near the knee, chinks protect the area above the boot.

Chaps are also useful for other reasons. Leather chaps stick to a leather saddle or a bareback horse better than do fabric trousers and help the rider stay in the saddle.