As a Brit living in the US, I feel qualified to join this debate. I think 'gun control' is a farce. There are literally *hundreds* of gun control laws on the books, and look how much good they do... Obama goes on about the evils of guns, but he and his family have lifetime protection from one of the best armed services in the World, the Secret Service. He doesn't need to be able to defend himself. Course, the SAS would be better, but that's a given!

It is true that the cities in the US with the strictest gun control laws have the highest murder rates, plus muggings, rapes, etc. The gun control advocates conveniently ignore that statistic.

Gun-free zones are the product of a deranged mind... YOu are telling the nutters that here is a place you can go on the rampage with no fear of retribution until help can be summoned from afar.

After 9/11, the airline pilots asked for permission to carry guns on their planes, but were turned down because it was "too dangerous". I think that, if 9/11 taught us *anything*, it is that the person in control of an aircraft does not need a gun to commit horrendous death and destruction.

When Texas became a "shall-issue" state (for the Brits, that means you can apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon and the state has to have a reason to deny you), crimes against the person - rape, muggings, etc. - went down by about 80% overnight. It is common sense that you need a bit more courage - or a bit less sense - to accost someone in the street, when there is a fair chance that they will pull out a .45 or a .357 and fight back.

I don't expect this to change anyone's mind. Gun control is joining religion, abortion and sports teams as one of those subjects which people refuse to consider with an open mind.

Be safe, all...

I have often wondered about that... I used to have a Kowa Super 66 medium format camera, and they had a fisheye lens for that which cost several thousand pounds - back it the 70s - and was about 2 feet long with an objective lens the size of a moderate portable tv. I figured maybe one or two fisheye photos per year was probably as much as anyone wants to look at, so how many of those did they actually sell???

I might buy a fisheye attachment for an ordinary lens, if it were priced right, but I just cannot see the purpose of spending huge sums of money for a lens like that.

Yes, I agree. A beautiful shot...

The colour is just starting to show here; another week or so maybe...

This was one taken the same day, but with only a yellow filter. It is one of my few self-portraits, even if it is a little old. I don't quite look like this any more!

I had to work too many *long* nights at schutzenfests when I was stationed in Germany to want to play that sort of stuff any more!

I played with a couple of community bands for a few years here, but it got too frustrating. I have no problem with beginners struggling (during the summer a lot of guys brought their kids along to sit in and play, and that was great fun), but it drives me crazy when people just don't even *try* to play musically. You know what I mean, trumpets with 2 volume levels: loud and ouch! We spent most of a full rehearsal working with one horn player (not a young guy either) who couldn't count in 6/8 time. It was standard rest-rest-play-play-play-play, over and over again, and he couldn't count it! There were too many incidents like that, and I just wasn't enjoying it any more.

I sang with a community choir for a few years, but left that a couple of years ago.

Now, I have the handbells and also the choir at church, and that keeps me going. I do a lot of arranging, some for them and some just for my own satisfaction.

It's a King 3B. I bought it used about 15 years ago, I guess. It doesn't get a lot of use anymore, but I can't bear to part with it. Every now and again I find a use for it...

I have attached a photo, which I have to say upfront is not one of mine. It shows me playing a duet in church with a young lad on alto sax. We played my own arrangement of the hymn "Joyful, joyful", based of course on Beethoven's 9th symphony.

Joyful, joyful duet

Maybe I should have said, but I didn't take the self-portrait. It was taken for our church's new directory, but I like it so adopted it as my regular portrait.

I do have a couple of self-portraits from many years ago, which I may post at some point.

These were taken when I was experimenting with some filters. I have various collections of them, but these 3 were taken with red and polarised filters fitted. I like the way it brings out the sky detail.

I tend to favour B&W, since for many years I worked with that exclusively. Somehow, the texture comes out better when you take colour out of the equation...

That is very tempting... I am looking to move back into slr territory, but I think on balance I want to stick with Canon gear. I have used Nikon a few times and they are good cameras, but most of my experience has been with Canon.

Hope you find a buyer... If anyone has a similar Canon system for sale, I would be tempted to raid the piggy-bank.

Wow! People still using A1s... I had one for many years, but sold it when raising money for my move to the US in 1990. I didn't think there would be many of them around these days, with the digital stuff that's available.
It was a great camera...

Currently I am using a digital 'pocket' camera, which is convenient, and gets pretty good results. I am constantly trying to convince myself that I can afford a good DSLR, though... Maybe tax rebate season, who knows?

I wish I played more instruments... I would like to learn a string instrument, but my fingers aren't so nimble these days - years of carrying a trombone on cold parades and a rifle on cold patrols!

I do play handbells with a group at church, and also arrange and occasionally compose pieces for the group. It's a strange feeling to hear your own piece being performed! I am trying to get some of them published, but no luck so far...

Thanks for the greetings everyone!

Oh, er about 46 years, give or take. January 17th, 1967 - but don't ask me how on Earth I remember that fact!

Spent a bunch of years in an army band, back in the day. These days, I just play occasionally in church, pretty much.

Hi, just saying hello here. This is my first time on the site.

I am a 57-year-old expat Brit, currently living in the US.

Most of my pictures are taken from negatives I shot many years ago, although I am getting into digital stuff a bit more, when I have something worth shooting at.

Looks like some interesting info on here, which I will be digging into in due course.

Phil.