The following is a Google Translate result of an article in Spanish by Globovision. Some stuff will not make a sense grammatically, but I am sure you will get the gist.

Venezuela, one of the most violent countries in Latin America, reported 17,600 murders in 2009, according to figures from the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence organization (OVV).

“Our projection for this year of (is) 17,600 murders, “he told AFP Roberto Briceño León, directorof OVV.

“These are conservative figures. Here we are not considering resistance to authority, which includesmore than 2,000 dead, nor the dead in this December has been very strong, “he added.

According to Briceño León, the total of deaths “between 4,000 and 5,000 homicides were recorded inCaracas, “one of the most violent cities in the region with 230 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. “

“We continue to Caracas in the Midwest states, which are also the most populous. It is an urbanproblem, which mainly affects the poorest people, “ said the expert.

Venezuela has a population of 29 million, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The government does (has) not provided figures for violence for years and is the weekly newspaper(s) which provides statistics on crimes based on the number of bodies entering the morgues.

The OVV in 2009 estimated that 16,047 people were killed. This figure is below that shows a report of the INE, leaked to the press in August, which estimated that in 2009 there were 19,133 murders in the country.
According to surveys, the growing insecurity is the biggest concern for Venezuelans.

“It’s terribly disturbing, Venezuela has four times more homicides than Mexico. And there is an opinion,a formal response, “ said Briceno.

In January 2010, the government declared an “offensive“ against insecurity and special security devices (operations) deployed throughout the country.

The Socialist Powers That Be are an abject failure…or maybe not. Remember that Gun Control is always about People Control and Venezuela has plunged into abject misery thanks to all the Nanny State crap (including Gun Control Laws) brought by “The Revolution” and one sure way to keep people from assaulting the ramparts and keep them home afraid is to have them scared shitless of even walking outside their homes.

Not here, no way, no how.

I am willing to be that I am not the only one out here that gets to read a news article that it is so bad you can actually hear your neurons screaming in pain.
Exploding Bullets – Not Hairspray – Caused Bomb Scare at Miami Airport: TSA. This written “news” bit by the local NBC station is so cataclysmic in its poor journalism one wonders when the 2 authors quit their jobs selling aromatherapy vials from a cart at the Sawgrass MIll mall because they got hired at the NBC Miami.

First the title: Bullets do not explode. They are inert pieces of metal that will not go boom on their own or even aided by plastic explosive. I know the writers meant to say cartridges but that is not an excuse in the era of the internet and Google. It is their responsibility to get terms right. And on the subject, we read in the article that what caused the “explosion” were actually primers not bullets and not even hair spray as initially reported. How can you go from primers to bullets/cartridges is beyond me. I guess if we read the headline “Passenger sneaks pig in flight” we can assume the culprit was eating a hot dog at the waiting area. It is the same according to the TSA and NBC Miami.

I am a reloader. I don’t do thousands of rounds a day but enough to keep me going to matches. I prime my cases with a hand tool and I admit dropping my share of single, multiple primers and even boxes of 1,000. To this day I have not had one go off and neither anybody I know. The mechanics that make a primer go off are so precise, nobody with a bit of knowledge buys the “when the baggage handler sat the bag down on the ground, it caused one of the bullet primers to rupture and explode” explanation.Either there was something else happening inside that bag or the old Samsonite Gorilla or his offspring is now working as a baggage handler at MIA.

But this has to be the best and comes from my other favorite, The Miami Herald:

The Jamaica-bound traveler, a naturalized United States citizen whose name wasn’t released, was charged with traveling in interstate commerce without a license to carry ammunition, FBI spokesman Special Agent Michael Leverock said.

Huh? I have been searching all over the net and I cannot find it anywhere and so other of thousand shooters asking around in forums everywhere. Are we making laws as we go along here or what?

Seriously, I might be getting way grouchy in my old age, I can’t stand so much BS.

My brain hurts…it huuuurtttsssssss!

UPDATE: Apparently somebody actually told the FBI the proper USC statute (18 USC Section 922(e).) and the traveler, one Orville Andrew Braham will be charged accordingly.

18 USC Section 922(e) It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to deliver or
    cause to be delivered to any common or contract carrier for
    transportation or shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, to
    persons other than licensed importers, licensed manufacturers,
    licensed dealers, or licensed collectors, any package or other
    container in which there is any firearm or ammunition without
    written notice to the carrier that such firearm or ammunition is
    being transported or shipped; except that any passenger who owns or
    legally possesses a firearm or ammunition being transported aboard
    any common or contract carrier for movement with the passenger in
    interstate or foreign commerce may deliver said firearm or
    ammunition into the custody of the pilot, captain, conductor or
    operator of such common or contract carrier for the duration of the
    trip without violating any of the provisions of this chapter. No
    common or contract carrier shall require or cause any label, tag,
    or other written notice to be placed on the outside of any package,
    luggage, or other container that such package, luggage, or other
    container contains a firearm.

Via Say Uncle bouncing of AR15.com

Loaded XD45 vs Owner.

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The International Defensive Pistol Association as any other sport shooting endeavor, classifies its shooters. IDPA has an specific match called The Classifier designed to exact the same challenges to all shooters and to quantify how much or how good a shooter has become assigning a classification (Novice, Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert, Master) based on the performance in said Classifier.

However there is another Classification of IDPA shooters through the Classifier but based on their behavior at the range and that is the one I intend to share here. Without further ado….

The Newbie: The shooter might be new to the sport or have been shooting it for a decade, but this is the one that is not a gifted individual but reaches a higher level of classification by sheer determination and celebrates the new milestone as if he or she just discovered sex or fart jokes. They are a joy to watch hooting and hollering and make working a Classifier lots of fun.

The Old Hand: This is the guy who finds out today is the Classifier and shoots it for the hell of it. He’s been at the same classification since Bill Wilson founded IDPA and really do not care about moving up. He shoots for the pleasure of it and to comply with the One Classifier A Year rule in case there is a sanctioned match in his future.

The Mathematician: Easy to recognize because they have a huge scientific calculator in a pouch next to the magazines. He carefully examines each stage’s performance and makes a mental note of how fast and how many points down he can obtain in order to rise in classification. They usually kidnap the scoresheet, check carefully, does notations on the paper and finally figure out that Stage Three is the killer when you drop 26 points down in one target alone. He is truly surprised to find out that he was given 2 procedurals for cover because the calculator was sticking way out the Bianchi Barricade.

The Rock Star: He shows up with an entourage that include assorted girlfriends, two shooting coaches, a meteorologist, the gunsmith who built his “out of the box” gun, representatives from every ammunition manufacturer with lots of “finely tuned” (read gaming) ammunition, three lawyers, a masseuse, a Zen teacher and a choir of singers belching meditation music. The Rock Star has been stuck in his level for the past 8 years and tries to eek every possible advantage and spend any amount of money in order to get that next Classification. His temper tantrums when he does not make it tend to be quite spectacular and they include blaming everybody from the Safety Officer to the Trilateral Commission for his failure.

The Embarrassed: He is the poor cousin of the Rock Star and he owns a dremel tool. After blaming his poor performance on cosmic events, the position of the sun or the new set of Wolff springs installed in his modified Glock 34 for max performance (as shown in GlockTalk.com), he usually snatches his scoresheet and destroys it before anybody finds out that he missed his goal by 45 seconds, penalties not included.

The Sandbagger: Evil Twin Brother of the Mathematician. He is going to a sanctioned match and he will do the Classifier keeping track of his score and then, suddenly, drop enough time NOT to raise in classification. His goal is to reach the new level at the sanctioned match and bask in self-adoration when he receives his winner plaque and has his IDPA card signed by the Match Director.  The Laws of Unintended IDPA Consequences dictate that he will either perform poorly at the sanctioned match of there is not enough shooters in his classification to bump him to the next one.

The Barrister: This is the guy that shoots with one hand in the IDPA rulebook and works as intern at the Supreme Court to improve his argumentative skills. He will challenge every call the Safety Officer makes and lodges a legal challenge with the  Match Director (“But my ethereal body was totally behind cover and that is the intention of the rule.” or ” The farthest target had the rocket launcher and had to be engaged first. Slicing the Pie does not count in this stage.”) He is usually invited to serve as target holders for the next match.

Special mention to a sub classification: The Gypsy. He spends his weekends traveling from town to town wherever a Classified is being offered. This could be combined with one of the above types (Newbie and Old Hand not included) and Like a modern Galahad, he wonders around the land seeking the Grail of Higher Classification.

Important Note: With the exception of the Newbie and the Old Hand, the annoyance level of the types above described reach volcanic proportions if the subject is an Expert vying for a Master Classification. And old IDPA shooter (who shall remain anonymous) said that some people should be executed once they become Experts because like zombies, they turn into assholes once bitten with the idea they may become Masters.

I think I might be missing one or two more types, but I am still suffering from the effects of too much Christmas Food Intake and brain process is a bit under par. Anyway, I must get ready, I have a Classifier to prepare and score next month.

My lovely bride got me one of those evil Assault Tomahawks. Just in case they pass a ban on them.
Conversation piece for the next IDPA match. [evil laugh]

Merry Christmas to all.