Announcing the Art of Manliness Book!

Brett McKay is the editor of the Art of Manliness, the manliest (and biggest) men's blog on the Internet. Here he introduces his book "The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Gentleman. I purchased a copy right after they came out, and would highly recommend every man obtain a copy. Brett is coming out with another book soon, I will post more details when they are available.

A T.R. Quote....

Happy Anniversary to the Colt 1911 .45 ACP

100 years ago today, March 29, 1911, the US military adopted the Colt 1911 .45 ACP designed by John Browning. It was replaced by the Berretta 92 (or M9) 9mm in 1985. It is still in use by the Marines, Delta, and other elite units. It is also in use by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, numerous SWAT teams, and many police forces, notably Tacoma PD.

I do not own one of these yet, but eventually plan to acquire one. Alone with a GLOCK, AR, AK, accurate bolt rifle.... gotta love a student's budget! I did get the opportunity to fire a 1911A1 at the Linebaugh Sixgun Seminar in Carthage, IL last May. It was a memorable experience.

Check out the links below for some blog posts and articles written by folks more knowledgeable than me on the 1911. The ones by Massad Ayoob are especially good.

Article on Browning Website
Stories and Legends of the 1911 (Super worth reading)
1911: The Classic Homeland Security Pistol by Massad Ayoob
1911 Centennial by Massad Ayoob
Happy Anniversary! by Massad Ayoob

Happy Anniversary, and all the best in the next 100 years.

Shawn

A T.R. Quote....

"There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to 'mean' horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid."
- Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography, 1913

A Review of Exodus (1960)

This is a film leading up to and including the war that started between Israel and her Arab neighbors in 1948. The film stars Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint. It was filmed on location in both Cyprus and Israel, including the site of Herod's Temple in Jerusalem. The Exodus gives real insight into the plight of the Jewish people in the days after WWII as they fought for their identity, their homeland, and fought for their freedom against the British and the Arabs. Notable events covered are shipment of Jews to Palestine, the bombing of the King David Hotel by the Irgun, the UN vote to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, respectively, in the ensuing war between the Jews and their Arab neighbors.

The film opens in Cyprus, then under British rule, where a shipload of Jews has been stopped by the British from returning to Palestine, and were put into placement camps that bore a remarkable resemblance to the Nazi camps they had left in Germany. The film quickly makes the audience aware of British prejudice for the Jewish people, which may surprise many people as the common belief is that only the Nazis were totally prejudice against these people during and shortly after World War II. A series of events follows that eventually lead to a stand-off between the British and the Israelis, which ends after the Jews are allowed to pass into Palestine.

Many ideas and issues are skilfully woven into this film. Probably the biggest is the thought or notion of freedom. Another is trust and working together, even if you don't agree. A reoccurring issue is the relationship between the Israelis and the Arabs; we see friendships between them, but also hate violence. The film also makes very clear the unjust and unfair rule of the British over the Jewish people. Instead of helping them, they hindered them from recovering from the atrocities afflicted on them during WWII, and did not deal fairly on the Palestine issue. The film also makes clear the frustration the Israelis felt for the UN, and subtly raises the question of why the UN and the nations it represented had the right to decide the future of Israel at all.

This film is full of many beautiful scenes of both Cyprus and Israel. Cyprus is a small part of the film, but we see some nice shots over the ocean, some older architecture, and a few nice scenes with natural landscape. Some of the scenes in Israel were breathtaking, even those taken in the desert. There are many shots taken around aging and ancient architecture. Israel is a beautiful country, and this film gives credit to that. The music score is nice, with many traditional Jewish and Yiddish tunes. The national anthem 'Hatikvah' is heard at least twice.

The plot gets complicated after the Jews reach Palestine. There is violence against the British before the UN vote, and after the vote the Arabs declare war on Israel. Arab friends of the characters must decide which side to take, and ultimately pay for that decision, and through this we see in detail the strong friendships that exist between the main Israeli characters and their Arab friends. At the same time we see the love interest between Newman and Saint develop from an almost hostile relationship to them coming together closer during their trials and eventually professing their love for each other. The character that Saint plays had to struggle with understanding the Jewish people, starting off with relative ignorance of them, to eventually joining them and falling in love with one of them. Ari, played by Newman, struggled to understand that people other than Jews could share the same concern for his people, and had to be shown this by Saint, and his Arab friends.

I would rate this film as one of the best on the Israel/Arab conflict. It is not overly violent and thus can be enjoyed by the whole family, and would be useful as a teaching tool on this war. It is a very thought-provoking film that is a testament to Jewish perseverance and courage.

History Channel, After Armageddon

I first watched this film later last year, and was struck by how thought-provoking it is. This film does not show the ideal position, or follow the story of a prepared family. Instead, it shows a normal family, with normal amounts of supplies available to them e.g. not much. I would encourage you to watch this. In a little while I will follow this movie up with some preparedness plans I am making for myself and some links to some great preparedness sites.

A T.R. Quote....

"There are good men and bad men of all nationalities, creeds, and colors; and if this world of ours is ever to become what we hope some day it may become, it must be by the general recognition that the man's heart and soul, the man's worth and actions, determine his standing."
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1903

First Post

So, after much deliberation, I have started a blog. I thought I would use it as a place to share my thoughts on anything manly, as well as thoughts on freedom, gun rights, and survival skills. I am not an expert in any of the above, but they are all of great interest to me. I will also share thoughts, quotes, movie clips of famous (and not so famous) people who are experts in these areas, or simply have something good to say about them. From time to time I will also share what is happening in my life. I think this will be interesting, and I trust anyone who reads this blog will enjoy it as much as I hope to.
Shawn