Midway Island WWII…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
An interesting 8 minute clip of the actual battle of Midway in color.  Directed by a young John Ford…



In the late 70’s we were able to get over to Eastern Island and it had not been touched since 1946… UXB, vehicles sitting where they were left, wrecks of airplanes and hangars etc.  A very ‘chilling’ up close view of WWII that got all our attention.  Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures (still don’t know why)…

It’s the smaller island on the lower right with three runways visible. and is literally a time capsule, sadly being destroyed by the weather and salt water…  I don’t know if they let folks other than on official business over there since both the islands are bird (Gooney bird) sanctuary…

A Question…

Posted on by March 17, 2013

Okay, I need help from you old WESTPAC hands…

Discussion at dinner was about Hong Kong and Jimmy’s American Grill. There was a Tailor in Kowloon that was a “cousin” that Jimmy sent us to for uniforms/clothes…

Problem is NONE of us can remember the name of the damn tailor… And we also had an argument over the beer he served, “I” thought it was Tiger, so does anybody remember that???

Nelson at Trafalgar… Updated…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
What if…  

Nelson was at Trafalgar in 2012???

Nelson: “Order the signal, Hardy.”
Hardy: “Aye, aye sir.”
Nelson: “Hold on, this isn’t what I dictated to Flags.  What’s the meaning of this?”
Hardy: “Sorry sir?”
Nelson (reading aloud): England expects every person to do his or her duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability.’  What gobbledygook is this for God’s sake?”
Hardy: “Admiralty policy, I’m afraid, sir.  We’re an equal opportunities employer now.  We had the devil’s own job getting ‘England’ past the censors, lest it be considered racist.”
Nelson: “Gadzooks, Hardy.  Hand me my pipe and tobacco.”
Hardy: “Sorry sir.  All naval vessels have now been designated smoke-free working environments.”
Nelson: “In that case, break open the rum ration.  Let us splice the main brace to steel the men before battle.”
Hardy: “The rum ration has been abolished, Admiral.  It’s part of the Government’s policy on binge drinking.”
Nelson: “Good heavens, Hardy.  I suppose we’d better get on with it full speed ahead.”
Hardy: “I think you’ll find that there’s a 4 knot speed limit in this stretch of water.”
Nelson: “Damn it man!  We are on the eve of the greatest sea battle in history.  We must advance with all dispatch.  Report from the crow’s nest, please.”
Hardy: “That won’t be possible, sir.”
Nelson: “What?”
Hardy: “Health and Safety have closed the crow’s nest, sir.  No harness; and they said that rope ladders don’t meet regulations.  They won’t let anyone up there until proper scaffolding can be erected.”
Nelson: “Then get me the ship’s carpenter without delay, Hardy.”
Hardy: “He’s busy knocking up a wheelchair access to the foredeck Admiral.”
Nelson: “Wheelchair access?  I’ve never heard anything so absurd.”
Hardy: “Health and safety again, sir.  We have to provide a barrier- free environment for the differently abled.”
Nelson: “Differently abled?  I’ve only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word.  I didn’t rise to the rank of admiral by playing the disability card.”
Hardy: “Actually, sir, you did.  The Royal Navy is under- represented in the areas of visual impairment and limb deficiency.”
Nelson: “Whatever next?  Give me full sail.  The salt spray beckons.”
Hardy: “A couple of problems there too, sir.  Health and safety won’t let the crew up the rigging without hard hats.  And they don’t want anyone breathing in too much salt – haven’t you seen the adverts?”
Nelson: “I’ve never heard such infamy.  Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy.”
Hardy: “The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone, Admiral.”
Nelson: “What?  This is mutiny!”
Hardy: “It’s not that, sir.  It’s just that they’re afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone.  There are a couple of legal-aid lawyers on board watching everyone like hawks.”
Nelson: “Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?”
Hardy: “Actually, sir, we’re not.”
Nelson: “We’re not?”
Hardy: “No, sir!  The French and the Spanish are our European partners now.  According to the Common Fisheries Policy we shouldn’t even be in this stretch of water.  We could get hit with a claim for compensation.”
Nelson: “But you must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil.”
Hardy: “I wouldn’t let the ship’s diversity coordinator hear you saying that sir.  You’ll be up on disciplinary report.”
Nelson: “You must consider every man an enemy who speaks ill of your King.”
Hardy: “Not any more, sir.  We must be inclusive in this multicultural age.  Now put on your Kevlar vest; it’s the rules.  It could save your life”
Nelson: “Don’t tell me – Health and Safety.  Whatever happened to rum, sodomy and the lash?”
Hardy: As I explained, sir, rum is off the menu!  And there’s a ban on corporal punishment.”
Nelson: “What about sodomy?”
Hardy: “I believe that is now legal, sir.”
Nelson: “In that case………………. Kiss me, Hardy.”

h/t CP

More impacts to the Military…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
The hits just keep coming, this time it’s getting both active duty AND homeless Veterans.

Via Fox News…


The $85 billion in cuts that went into effect at the beginning of the month will not spare soldiers and veterans, with a wave of cuts being announced for tuition assistance and a program that helps homeless veterans get back on their feet.

The Pentagon for months warned that the sequester cuts would be catastrophic. But the Defense Department is not the only federal agency with programs for servicemen and women that are vulnerable.

Under a federal housing program that helps roughly 100,000 Americans, homeless and formerly homeless veterans will lose assistance due to the sequester. The program is run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides state grants to help veterans get housing.

/snip/


The Army announced Friday that it will no longer accept applications for its Tuition Assistance program, which gives soldiers as much as $4,500 annually to take courses, at accredited schools, toward high school and college diplomas. Army officials could not give a specific amount on how much the cuts would save but said 201,000 soldiers used the program in fiscal 2012 at the cost of $373 million.

In addition, the Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard announced this week that their programs also have been suspended.

Read the whole thing HERE.  The Navy (at least so far) as managed to continue it’s TA program since many sailors are ship based and instructors actually ride the ships.

Matter of fact, TA is how I got my degree on active duty!  And I’m hearing that the Navy is still trying to find out how bad the cuts really are going to be.  Waiting on SECDEF for determinations…

JUST what we need as PRNK is about to blow up…

Abbot and Costello do unemployment…

Posted on by March 17, 2013


Unemployment explained

THESE ARE PRETTY SMART FELLAS!!!

So how can over 873,000 people come off the unemployment rolls when there were only a little over 114,000 jobs created? Below is a transcript of a conversation between two eminent economists discussing this very question!

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It’s 7.8%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that’s 14.7%.

COSTELLO: You just said 7.8%.

ABBOTT: 7.8% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 7.8% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 14.7%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it’s 14.7% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 7.8%.

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 7.8% or 14.7%?

ABBOTT: 7.8% are unemployed. 14.7% are out of work.

COSTELLO: If you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, Congress said you can’t count the “Out of Work”
as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!

ABBOTT: No, you miss his point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn’t look for work can’t be counted
with those who look for work. It wouldn’t be fair.

COSTELLO: To whom?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But ALL of them are out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work.
Those who are out of work gave up looking and if you give up,
you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you’re off the unemployment roles that
would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don’t
look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down.
That’s how they get it to 7.8%.
Otherwise it would be 14.7%.
Our govt. doesn’t want you to read about 14.7% unemployment.

COSTELLO: That would be tough on those running for reelection.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you.
That means there are two ways to bring down the
unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop
looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down,
and the easier of the two is to have people stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like an Economist.

COSTELLO: I don’t even know what the hell I just said!

ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like Congress. 

And way too close to the truth…

h/t Gerry

Odd little video…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
I didn’t know this…



But it’s pretty cute!  And momma is NOT about to let them sneak off either… 

h/t JP

Errr…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
Somehow I don’t see THIS happening in any gym class in high school in the USA…

Russian ‘gym’ is more like high school than gym class we have here…

But it might not be a bad idea… Just sayin… 

h/t JP 

Range Time…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
Met up with MSgt B at the range this morning, and we were BOTH having one of those days… 

I was running late, and barely got there.  I got up to the line planning on shooting the new Uberti I’d picked up, and I was getting NO hammer strikes…

More on that later…

So I dug out the 22/45 and my carry .45 and we started alternating on the line.

This is one of the targets, and it’s a good example of familiarity with a gun and how it shoots…

The white circles are MSgt B’s the green circles mine. If I remember correctly this was at 15 yards…


The green circle in the center was my trying to shoot his Sig.  Nice gun, full sized but I was having to WORK to shoot it well (and didn’t do all that well)!

The two white circles were his two mags with the same gun.  This, if nothing else, goes to the heart of being ‘comfortable’ with the gun you’re shooting!

The right and left green circles were my portions of the target with my C&S .45 And this shows how BADLY I was shooting…

Trigger time IS a perishable skill, and when you don’t practice it shows!!!  I put about 50 rounds of .22 downrange on another target and finally started getting the groups tightened back up.

At that point we both ran out of ammo (other than the carry mags), so we adjourned to lunch.

OBTW, the range did not have a SINGLE BOX of ammo in the place…

Still it was nice to get out, and we had fun, and a good lunch in the deal.  

Now about my stupidity on the Uberti…

I called Vine, since he’s a gunsmith and discussed WTF with him.  After he got through laughing at me, he had me check the cylinder pin and see if it was in the first or second (deep) detent.  Turns out it was in the second detent, which effectively acts as a safety, since the trigger bar never drops down.  I pulled the back to the frist detent, and I could see the hammer actually would have contacted a shell had the gun been loaded…

Sigh…  

Lazy day…

Posted on by March 17, 2013
Other than having to go in to work, I didn’t do a damn thing yesterday… And I don’t plan on doing anything today either…

Maybe I’ll get down to the range and maybe not, go read the folks on the sidebar. I’m out of ice cream today.

Sorry…