Shooter

Last night, Carol and I watched the movie Shooter...ok, I watched the movie while she was on her computer sitting next to me. Anyway, we had both heard the movie was pretty cool and it seemed to start off that way. Ok, I thought it started out cool, but Carol doesn't do well with military violence. She was almost crying immediately expressing her reluctance to my desire to go into the special forces a couples years down the road. Anyway...

So the action started off pretty well, but eventually it became over the top. Kinda disappointing. Regardless of all the violence, whether it was good or bad, I have to say that the political jabbing was ridiculous. Yes, I'm a conservative, and many of those jabs were directed at people of like mind to me. When it comes to movies and music, however, conservatives have to develop thick skin or they won't like anything. Shooter, on the other hand, was just simply ridiculous. I mean, it was like the director said "You know what, this really has hardly anything to do with the movie, and it will make the writers sound like a bunch of immature college freshman protesting about what they don't understand, but what the hell, let's throw it in anyway."

Really people. This movie sucked. When you sacrifice the quality of your movie to try and throw your political whining onto the public, you become a shitty movie maker. Your job is to make movies. I pay to watch a movie. If I wanted to hear someone bash conservatives and the Bush administration, I would watch main stream media. Oh, wait, heh, silly me. I don't have cable. Oh well. I guess I've made my point: don't turn a movie that has potential into a shitty movie by making it a statement. Thanks.

P.S. A much better version of this movie can be found by watching the Jason Bourne movies with Matt Damon. If you've seen those, don't bother wasting your time on this one.

The Latest on the F-35

GAO Says F035 Costs to Hit $1 Trillion
Associated Press March 12, 2008
WASHINGTON - The cost of buying and operating a new fleet of jet fighters for the U.S. military is nearing $1 trillion, according to a congressional audit that found the program dogged by delays, manufacturing inefficiencies and price increases.

Released March 12, the report from the Government Accountability Office offers a sobering assessment of the ambitious effort to deliver a modern series of aircraft known as the F-35 Lightning II to the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

Tasked by Congress to conduct an annual assessment of the program, the GAO said costs have gone up by $23 billion since last year alone.

Close to $300 billion is needed to acquire 2,458 aircraft for the three services and another $650 billion will be needed to operate and maintain the fighters that are expected to be flying well into the 21st century, the report says.

Operating costs, projected at $346 billion just a few years ago, have been driven upward by changes in repair plans, revised costs for depot maintenance, higher fuel costs and increased fuel consumption.

The GAO's auditors said they expect development and procurement costs "to increase substantially and schedule pressures to worsen based on performance to date."

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, is the prime contractor for the Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, also sees many of the problems as self-inflicted.

"The contractor has extended manufacturing schedules several times, but test aircraft delivery dates continue to slip," the report states. "The flight test program has barely begun, but faces substantial risks with reduced assets as design and manufacturing problems continue to cause delays that further compress the time available to complete development."

Auditors criticized both the military and the contractor for pressing into the jet's development's phase before key technologies were mature, started manufacturing test aircraft before designs were stable, and moved to production before flight tests showed the aircraft was ready.

"We do not know the basis for the GAO estimates and until we receive and analyze their data we will be unable to comment on them," Lockheed spokesman John Smith said in an e-mailed statement.

Smith, however, said the company has been careful stewards of U.S. tax dollars by trimming costs wherever possible.

"We continue to apply the same kind of oversight, budget alignment and lean thinking to the program," he said.

Production of the Lightning II has begun and the Defense Department is scheduled to buy the aircraft through 2034. U.S. allies are also buying hundreds of the jets and are contributing $4.8 billion in development costs.

The Lightning II is being produced in several different models tailored to the needs of each service. The new jet will replace the Air Forces F-16 Falcon and the A-10 Warthog aircraft. A short takeoff and vertical landing version will replace the Marine Corps F/A-18C/D and AV-8B Harrier aircraft. And the Navy is buying a model designed for taking off and landing on aircraft carriers.

Find the original article here.

Two Months to Go

Today is March 20th, 2008. It is officially two full months before the date that I'm to fly to Lackland AFB in Texas. Two months too long, but we're getting there.

Youtube

I have had a YouTube account for quite some time, but I never uploaded any videos of mine onto YouTube...until now!

So far I have a video of myself grappling, as well as videos of me, Brian, & Kevin jumping up at Feron's Leap (all of which I have posted here before). Here's the link. Enjoy!

Brendan Weafer In Thailand

As the title suggests, this is Brendan's first fight since getting to Thailand! Enjoy!

- Round I -


- Round II -


- Round III -


- Rounds IV & V -

Speaking on the Phone

I remember when I first started at The Realty Stop, my commercial broker mentor stressed a lot of phone etiquette to me. One of them was the fact that one should speak up, plenty loud enough for the person on the other end hear.

The reason for this short blog post is to bitch a little bit that other people don't do it. I'm talking about the people who's job it is to be on the phone, here. I was just on the phone with someone at HVFCU, and that wasn't too bad. Now I'm on the phone with people from Progressive, and it's starting to piss me off. The people at Sprint had a hard time with this too.

Speak up, people, I don't like straining to hear what you're trying to tell me. My bills pay your salary, so the least you could do is use your voice enthusiastically enough for me to not have to say "What?" thirty times a conversation.

Thanks.

Another Dark Knight Trailer

This is very poor quality, but its another trailer for The Dark Knight. It also gives its release date, which is July 18th. This disturbs me greatly, as I will be in technical school and can't say whether or not I'll be able to see it as soon as I would like. Oh well, click below and enjoy.

The Car Is Officially For Sale

Yes, the sad, sad truth is that I am indeed selling my car. I was originally only considering this because I will be unable to drive while I am in basic training with the Air Force, and then only on very limited terms while I'm in technical school. By the time I'll be able to drive like a normal person again, the 2009 S5's will be available, and that's what I really want. This being the case, there's no real reason for me to make payments on the car after May, since I won't be getting any more use out of it after then.

I temporarily changed my mind yesterday, when I realized that the car would be little or no less valuable a year from now, especially if there were no more miles on it. When the time came that the S5's were available I could sell it then, or, if I changed my mind about buying an S5, I would still have a car I love and not much left to pay on it (relative to a new car, that is).

However, more convincing reasons to sell have surfaced. I contacted Audi Financial Services to see what kind of insurance they'd need to have on the car while it was unregistered and in storage (because there's still a lien on the car, it makes sense that they'd still want at least some kind of insurance on the thing). It was then that I was informed that the car would still require full coverage for me to remain in good standing with the loan. That, my friends, is way too much money to spend on a car that I won't be using. The payments on the car are not too bad, but the insurance is too high as it is. It would be irresponsible for me to spend the money that I would have to to keep that car. Thus, I am very sad.

All this being said, if you or anyone you know might be interested in my car, here are the stats:

It is a 2004 Audi A4 with a 1.8 liter engine and a turbo. It has Quattro (all wheel drive), dual zone climate control, 6 speed transmission, Cassette & 6 CD changer, iPod adapter, more air bags than I can count, alloy wheels, and less than 65,000 miles on it. It also has a warranty and scheduled maintenance pre-paid through 85,000 miles (this includes all the belts, oil & tranny fluid changes).

Kelly Blue Book Value: $15,290
Nada Guides Value: $17,975
Edmunds Value: $15,317


Le sigh. I don't want to sell it, but I have to. I can get all the service records too, as all the work has been done by the Audi dealership in Danbury. Anyone reading this can feel free to email me at Sean@Janicik.com or call me at 845-849-8071.

Be safe out there...

The Phonetic Alphabet

I'm doing some reading and trying to get any information I can gather to do the best that I possibly can at BMT. Tonight, I've been focusing on the phonetic alphabet. Here it is for anyone who is intersted...

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-Ray, Yankee, Zulu.

...and no, I didn't do that without cheating. Another day or two and I'll have it down.

New Air Force Slogan

I think it's awesome. Short, to the point, profound, refers to air and space superiority...its great. I like it better than "Aim High" or any others...especially better than "Cross Into the Blue."

Find the original article here.

Mixed Reviews for New Air Force Slogan
Stars and Stripes February 29, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. -- As the Air Force rolled out its new official slogan this week, "Above All," airmen around the world expressed mixed reactions.
Air Force leaders are hoping their fourth motto in seven years will strike the same chord as the popular "Aim High" campaign, which lasted from 1984 to 2000. In fact, many Americans still think that slogan represents the Air Force.
The latest motto replaces "Do Something Amazing," which debuted in September 2006, but never really caught on, according to Air Force officials.
"Above All" is an improvement, because it "sounds like it is specific to the Air Force unlike ‘Do Something Amazing' was," said Senior Airman Seth Eastman, assigned to Pacific Air Force's Detachment 2 Air Postal Squadron in Yokota Air Base, Japan.
The old motto "could be for any service," he said.
At Misawa Air Base, Japan, Senior Airman Jonathan Castelberry, 22, an avionics maintainer, agreed the motto was good for "distinguishing us between the other military branches."
But some said they liked the "Amazing" slogan, and said they think the constant changes are confusing.
"The old one didn't need to change," said Staff Sgt. Andre Klemme, 28, of Webster, Texas, assigned to the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron at Osan Air Base, South Korea. "There was nothing wrong with it at all."
There was also a concern that "‘Above All' kind of gives the impression that we think we're better than everybody else, including other services," said Airman 1st Class Jeffrey Douglas, 21, of Jacksonville, Fla., who is assigned to the 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Osan.
But "Above All" had plenty of fans, including Staff Sgt. Randy Johnson of the 8th Mission Support Group at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.
"It definitely epitomizes what the Air Force is striving for, and where we are going," Johnson said. "It touches on one of our core values, which is excellence in all we do."
At Misawa, Tech. Sgt. Cherise Charris, 34, said she liked "Above All" for its simple, yet strong message.
The brevity of the phrase also won applause from Senior Airman David Kniffin, from Yokota's 730th Air Mobility Squadron.
"I like it," he said. "It's simple and to the point."
"Catchy and to the point," added Maj. Mike Manney, also from the 730th AMS.
And 2nd Lt. Katy Simrell, a finance officer from Misawa, said she finds "Above All" inspiring.
"It gives us something to think about, in the way we do our jobs every day and live our lives; something in the ear."
But Senior Master Sgt. Rafael Charris, 39, Cherise Charris' husband, warned that Air Force officials should continue to "emphasize what it means to all airmen," rather than simply using the slogan as part of an ad or recruiting campaign.