Bryan Reo On The Ruger LCP

http://bryanreo.blogspot.com/2011/01/bryan-reo-on-ruger-lcp.html

By Bryan Reo

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I purchased a Ruger LCP .380 pocket pistol a few weeks ago and am thoroughly impressed with the weapon. It is reliable, accurate, and incredibly light in terms of weight.

Even though it is so compact and small it still handles well and is easily kept on target.

At a distance of approximately ten (10) feet it is just about impossible to miss your target. I consistently fired all seven rounds (six in the magazine and one in the chamber) into the chest/center mass of a silhouette target at distances between 8 and 12 feet. Arguably the pistol isn't for long range encounters but rather close up work when things have gotten nasty and it's time to get down to business. At a distance of approximately ten feet I posted two targets and fired three rounds into one and four rounds into the other, with all of the hits either being in the mid or upper chest and one hit in the neck/throat. You just draw and fire, it is that easy, and as long as you're lined up with the target it is basically impossible to miss.

The Ruger LCP can fit easily into any pocket you select, be it a front pocket or back pocket and it can be drawn out easily, particularly when used in conjunction with the Blackhawk holster made specifically for the Ruger LCP.

Just make sure to remember to take the pistol out of your pants at the end of the day because it is so light you might forget it is there! For an easy to handle and easy to carry light-weight pocket pistol, or for a backup/secondary carry pistol, the Ruger LCP cannot be beat.

Those of you who know Bryan Reo know that when he endorses a gun, it is a winner.

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcp/index.html?r=y

Bryan Reo Endorses The 2011 Toyota Tacoma

http://bryanreo.blogspot.com/2011/01/bryan-reo-endorses-2011-toyota-tacoma.html

By Bryan Reo

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED




I, Bryan Reo, having been a loyal Toyota customer/owner (my previous vehicle being a Toyota Camry) had a yearning for a truck and so it was only natural to explore the Toyota Tacoma as an option. I am glad that I considered the Toyota Tacoma and extremely glad that I ultimately picked the Toyota Tacoma.

Specifically I went with a V-6, 4WD, 4 door, double cab, short-bed, with an off-road package and a V-6 towing package.

I've put almost 5,000 miles on it in just two months and I can safely say it is a superb vehicle. It handles very smoothly and doesn't sway about in the winter as some people report that trucks do, nor does it seem impacted by wind that much. The Tacoma almost effortlessly glides over sand and is just about as effective when in mud. The off-road capabilities of the Tacoma truck are stunning, particularly in that the vehicle retains its crisp and smooth handling while off-road in 4WD and the ride itself is unexpectedly gentle.

A 5 foot short-bed is more than adequate for non-commercial and non-industrial hauling and helps reduce handling issues that might arise with a longer bed. The four door double cab arrangement is optimal for somebody who is more likely to need passenger space than hauling space, and not the sort of "good enough" passenger space that comes with an access cab, but real passenger space. The rear seats are real seats and the leg-room is real leg-room, you don't have to bend and turn about this way or that way to get into the back and fit in the back.

My only gripe is that my Tacoma is lucky to get 20-20.5 miles per gallon (on the highway), while my Camry consistently obtained 30-32 miles per gallon (on the highway), but then again it is a truck and it has more than 2,000 pounds in additional weight than my Camry, so it's not a legitimate complaint. I just wish Toyota could somehow make a truck identical to the 2011 Tacoma except with better gas mileage.

So for those of you out there who care what Bryan Reo has to say (and I know some folks from Mentor High and John Carroll University may very well care), the Toyota Tacoma has met with my approval.

I'm Bryan Reo and I approved this message...

Bryan Reo Has New Cats!

http://bryanreo.blogspot.com/2011/01/bryan-reo-has-new-cats.html

Note, unless otherwise noted, all rights are reserved, nothing in this blog may be republished or otherwise copied/distributed without the express written permission of the owner/operator (Bryan Reo).

After years of neglecting my blog (due to time constraints rather than laziness), I am pleased to make an announcement. Bryan Reo has new cats!

Tigger (tabby) and Puffy (gray)

Pictures are included

Midwest Flooding To Spell Huge Food Price Hikes?

Midwest Flooding To Spell Huge Food Price Hikes?

By Bryan Reo

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I've decided to assume everybody is aware of the situation whereby floods are ravaging large portions of the Midwest that are typically devoted to commercial farming. Because of my assumption of this awareness I shall get right to the point.

Despite the fact that many farmers routinely do not bring crops to market due to an over-abundance that would lower the price, I am willing to wager that the commodity brokers will successfully use the flooding situation to further bid up the price of wheat by playing on fears of shortages.

Even when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, and New Orleans was shut down, there was no shortage in the USA. Indeed there was a surplus, because farmers who were counting on being able to use the port to ship wheat products to Europe and elsewhere were suddenly unable to do so, and they had to scramble to sell their crops domestically at lower prices.

Of course in this situation it is the actual crops themselves that are being destroyed, but regardless of whether or not there actually winds up being a shortage, prices will be increased to what may prove to be record highs.

It wouldn't be too hard to imagine price hikes for food products from unaffected crops, as the current situation in the USA seems to be one of an unspoken oligopoly (where many firms collude and the results are monopoly style controls on pricing and such) with the standing order being "follower the leader." Of course they are not openly discussing such tactics on the television, but as soon as one organization raises prices, others will follow, even if there is no compelling need to do so.

Whatever the case winds up being, it will be interesting to see how the government handles this situation. It is one thing to drop the ball with a situation such as Katrina, where the affects were largely confined to the immediate area. If however the relief agencies once again drop the ball in regards to the rapid restoration of valuable farmland, it may very well turn into a prolonged national catastrophe. The government could immediately begin by ceasing the programs which subsidize farmers who do not plant crops. They should immediately begin planting as much wheat and corn as they can, in areas where unaffected fertile land is available. This would of course only be a temporary measure. Some might say that it would drain the soil, but the alternative is to go without those crops. Of course, as I just said, it would only be a temporary measure.

Who knows what the government will actually wind up doing, in the end it will probably be the farmers who resolve their own problems. Our thoughts and prayers, along with whatever material support we can render, should be focused on those impacted by the recent and still ongoing floods.



One thing I'd like to add- much of the corn in the Midwest is no longer slated for food use, or even as animal feed, but rather for use in ethanol production for fuel. However, watch as big corporations claim that they have no choice but to raise food prices, citing bogus concerns about the cost of animal feed and corn related food products, even though it is probable that the corn being lost was most likely slated for ethanol use. They may say they have to switch and buy corn that was previously slated for food uses or animal feed uses, and that is why the price of such corn has risen, but the two are really not related. The corn that exists for food purposes, and thus could be bought by ethanol related folks, would still exist if they are buying it, and thus it would not have been impacted if it happens to still be around for them to buy up and use for ethanol. Also, if they are buying it, it wouldn't impact the farmers as they are still getting paid (they get paid for the corn regardless of whether it is sold to somebody who wants it for ethanol or sold to somebody who wants it for animal feed). When the prices of any given item are raised over this, unless it is due to the direct destruction of crops slated for food/feed use (ie- already contracted to be sold as such) then there is probably something fishy, underhanded, and sneaky going on. People attempting to profit from disasters...

Rambo Series Ends On High-Note

Rambo IV Review-

By Bryan Reo

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


Having been slack in the attention (due to being busy and disinterested) I’ve been paying to recent movies, I have just now finally seen RAMBO IV and I have to give it two thumbs up. The movie delivered not only entertainment but information on nasty current event situations as well.

It’s hard to imagine many people sitting down and watching even a twenty minute news update about the situation in Myanmar (Burma) but with the RAMBO movie at least people will have some basic knowledge as to how awful and horrible the situation is. Perhaps it is too much to hope for but time will tell if the movie has done anything to raise awareness to a level where everyday people will get involved in some capacity.

The movie also raised the interesting issue of the use of mercenaries in situations that are tricky but where no government is willing to become even remotely involved.

However, as for the film itself, while it was quite violent, and thus clearly not for children or the squeamish, it should be noted that most of the people who died were blatantly nasty and wretched thugs who had spent most of their time on screen terrorizing peaceful citizens. Quite frankly it was hard to feel sorry for any of them and they all wound up receiving what they deserved, courtesy of none other than John Rambo (as well as the mercenaries and the Rebels).

The grand finale with the .50 caliber truck mounted machine gun was absolutely brilliant and put to shame the comparatively lame kill-scenes of Rambo 2 and 3 where he hip-fires an M60 to mow down waves of enemy soldiers or uses exploding tipped arrows to down Russian helicopter gunships. There was actually realism to it, combined with feeling and heart; it was simply a well-done scene.

The next movie I plan on actually seeing in a theatre will be Punisher II or Resident Evil IV (even though Resident Evil 4 will probably be as disappointing as the first three films I’m a diehard fan of the video game series and the book series so I’ll just suck it up and go see the film when it is released). The great majority of films over the last several years have failed to impress me if they even managed to catch my attention at all, so it was quite a welcome change to see a movie as worthwhile as Rambo IV. As far as the Rambo series goes, this is perhaps the best of the four, at any rate the series has ended on a truly high-note.