I’ve had three very different careers in my life. How about you?
Archive of entries posted on 2nd February 2024
What’s Walrus Building?
Thanks God it’s Friday and welcome all. I know you are keen to see what I am building currently and here it is.
Vickers A1E1 Independent
This is the initial progress. Less than 1000 bricks so it will be a quick build.
Bag 1 is done and getting ready to start bag 2. Depending on when I decide to work on it the build will be done shortly.
The Independent A1E1 is a multi-turreted tank that was designed by the British armaments manufacturer Vickers between the First and Second World Wars. Although it only ever reached the prototype stage and only a single example was built, it influenced many other tank designs.
The A1E1 design can be seen as a possible influence on the Soviet T-100 and T-28 tanks, the German Neubaufahrzeug tanks, and the British Medium Mk III and Cruiser Mk I (triple turret) tank designs. The Soviet T-35 tank was heavily influenced by its design.
Previous Build
Panzer IV Ausf. G
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panzer IV was the most numerous German tank and the second-most numerous German fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle of the Second World War; 8,553 Panzer IVs of all versions were built during World War II, only exceeded by the StuG III assault gun with 10,086 vehicles. Its chassis was also used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, including the Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun, the Jagdpanzer IV self-propelled anti-tank gun, the Wirbelwind self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and the Brummbär self-propelled gun.
The Panzer IV saw service in all combat theatres involving Germany and was the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout the war. It was originally designed for infantry support, while the similar Panzer III was to fight armoured fighting vehicles. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, the Panzer IV had more development potential, with a larger turret ring to mount more powerful guns, so it swapped roles with the Panzer III whose production wound down in 1943. The Panzer IV received various upgrades and design modifications, intended to counter new threats, extending its service life. Generally, these involved increasing the armour protection or upgrading the weapons, although during the last months of the war, with Germany’s pressing need for rapid replacement of losses, design changes also included simplifications to speed up the manufacturing process.
The Panzer IV was partially succeeded by the Panther medium tank, which was introduced to counter the Soviet T-34, although it continued to be a significant component of German armoured formations to the end of the war. It was the most widely exported tank in German service, with around 300 sold to Finland, Romania, Spain and Bulgaria. After the war, Syria procured Panzer IVs from France and Czechoslovakia, which saw combat in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Three months after beginning production, the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 was renamed Ausf. G.
During its production run from March 1942 to June 1943, the Panzer IV Ausf. G went through further modifications, including another armour upgrade which consisted of a 30-millimetre (1.18 in) face-hardened appliqué steel plate welded (later bolted) to the glacis—in total, frontal armour was now 80 mm (3.15 in) thick. This decision to increase frontal armour was favorably received according to troop reports on 8 November 1942, despite technical problems of the driving system due to added weight. At this point, it was decided that 50% of Panzer IV production would be fitted with 30 mm (1.18 in) thick additional armour plates. On 5 January 1943, Hitler decided that all Panzer IV should have 80 mm (3.15 in) frontal armour. To simplify production, the vision ports on either side of the turret and the loader’s forward vision port in the turret front were removed, while a rack for two spare road wheels was installed on the track guard on the left side of the hull. Complementing this, brackets for seven spare track links were added to the glacis plate.
For operation in high temperatures, the engine’s ventilation was improved by creating slits over the engine deck to the rear of the chassis, and cold weather performance was boosted by adding a device to heat the engine’s coolant, as well as a starter fluid injector. A new light replaced the original headlight and the signal port on the turret was removed. On 19 March 1943, the first Panzer IV with Schürzen skirts on its sides and turret was exhibited. The double hatch for the commander’s cupola was replaced by a single round hatch from very late model Ausf. G. and the cupola was up-armoured from 50 mm (1.97 in) to 95 mm (3.74 in). In April 1943, the KwK 40 L/43 was replaced by the longer 75-millimetre (2.95 in) KwK 40 L/48 gun, with a redesigned multi-baffle muzzle brake with improved recoil efficiency. The longer L/48 resulted in the introduction of the Turmzielfernrohr 5f/1 optic.
Glad Someone’s Keeping Track
Wouldn’t it be nice if the government did, too?
. . . Nah, they’d just skew it up.
Heritage’s One-Of-A-Kind Election Fraud Database Hits 1,500 Cases
AMAC Newsline, Reprinted with permission from The Daily Signal | 1 Feb, 2024 | Hans von Spakovsky and Katie SamalThe Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database, the only such database in existence, now contains over 1,500 proven cases of election fraud. The sampling of cases vary from lone wolves stealing one vote to conspiracies that stole many votes, defrauding citizens and candidates of honest elections and sometimes changing the outcome of an election.
As the website states:
The Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database presents a sampling of recent proven instances of election fraud from across the country. Each and every one of the cases in this database represents an instance in which a public official, usually a prosecutor, thought it serious enough to act upon it. And each and every one ended in a finding that the individual had engaged in wrongdoing in connection with an election hoping to affect its outcome—or that the results of an election were sufficiently in question and had to be overturned. This database is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list. This database is intended to demonstrate the vulnerabilities in the election system and the many ways in which fraud is committed. We launched the database in 2017 with 1,071 entries. We added 98 cases to the database in 2023 alone and are following several hundred other cases that are being investigated by local authorities. No case is added until and unless there is a conviction or a judicial or official finding that an individual or group of individuals engaged in wrongdoing in connection with an election.
Hey, Transgender Beer Drinkers: Let’s Forget All That Dylan Mulvaney Nonsense and Watch Football Sitting Close Together on the Couch!
Bud Light banks on Super Bowl to launch a comeback after disastrous sales year: Beleaguered beer brand will air 60-second commercial – at a cost of up to $14 million – that will tout it as ‘Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy’
Daily Mail UK | January 25, 2024 | Rachel BowmanBud Light is staging a comeback with the launch of a flashy new Super Bowl LVIII ad after the beleaguered brand suffered huge sales losses in the wake of its disastrous marketing campaign with Dylan Mulvaney.
The beer brand, who is the official beer sponsor of the NFL, released a teaser of the commercial on Thursday which it said will expand its ‘Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy’ platform.
‘The brand is back with a humorous spot introducing a new character to the Bud Light universe and some familiar faces from the platforms the brand has been passionate about for years,‘ said Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch.
Based on last year’s Super Bowl advertising rates, the 60-second commercial could cost as much as $14 million.
The 12-second long preview starts with a close up on a quilted Bud Light jacket and a man with a mustache wearing sunglasses as Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride plays in the background.
There’s not enough fairy dust or Freddie Mercury mustaches in the universe to make this brand manly again. It is always going to be the beer of those who like to wear Audrey Hepburn gloves, eye shadow, and lipstick.
And:
Teamsters: Anheuser-Busch Strike Appears Unavoidable
Teamsters Union official press release | 2024.02.01 | Kara Deniz(WASHINGTON) — Today, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien demanded Anheuser-Busch deliver its last, best, and final offer, after the company wasted another negotiating session putting forth an unacceptable proposal that threatens to kill Teamster jobs by closing breweries and permanently laying off Teamsters systemwide.
After refusing to commit to protecting Teamster jobs since mid-November, Anheuser-Busch executives returned to the bargaining table this week with an offer to butcher the good-paying jobs behind its products. If the company does not reverse course and come to terms on an agreement that rewards and protects workers, 5,000 Teamsters will be forced to go on strike as soon as March 1.
“The halting of beer production at Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. breweries appears imminent and unavoidable,” O’Brien said. “This company has got to get its priorities straight. With its actions during negotiations this week, Anheuser-Busch made clear it is hellbent on destroying American jobs. They can throw billions of dollars at Super Bowl ads and Wall Street, but they can’t seem to bargain a contract that respects the Teamsters who do the real work inside these breweries. They have a harsh reality awaiting them when Anheuser-Busch breweries are empty, and Teamsters are on the streets.”
