R Lee Ermey Crossed beyond the Rim

I will postpone my "Monday Music" until Tuesday
I was saddened to learn of the Passing of Gunny Ermey, to me and many other people he was iconic and to me timeless, he never seemed to really age. just stay the same.  I never met the man, but we saw him in "Full Metal Jacket" and later on was changed to "Full Metal Elf" which I used every Christmas on my blog.
    I also saw him in a movie called "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" and this movie was very underrated, and R. Lee gave a stellar performance in this movie.

   I also got a poster in my bonus room that featured the Gunny

   He also did several "Glock" commercials and they became classics

Wrong Diner

"Wrong Girl"

"Wrong Convenience store"

"Wrong Guy"

"Wrong Film Set"

"Wrong Taxi"

"Peace and Quiet"

I found a few more clips than I thought when I started loading the "Glock" video's.   Like I said, I have never met him but my brother has, during a "Lock and Load" video shoot at Fort Lewis.  According to my brother,

 R Lee was a really nice guy and real personable, especially to GI's a straight up class act.  I know that time marches on but this still bites, I considered "Gunny" to be one of the good guys and we need all the good guys that we can get.   We are lessened by his passing.

  

I got this stuff from "We are the Mighty"

5 little-known facts about R. Lee Ermey, the military's favorite Gunny

Editor's Note: On April 15, 2018, R. Lee Ermey passed away from complications of pneumonia. His long time manager, Bill Rogin, made the announcement via Ermey's twitter handle. In honor of his passing, We Are The Mighty is proud to share these facts about America's favorite Gunny.
Most people know R. Lee Ermey from his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." And if you somehow joined the military and never saw "Full Metal Jacket," the first question anyone would ask is "How is that even possible?" But the second would be "How much do you know about this guy, anyway?"
Ermey didn't go right into acting and if it weren't for his Marine Corps-level determination, we might never know him at all. Which would be a shame, because his life before and after "Full Metal Jacket" is equally interesting.

1. His first job after the military was untraditional.

Ermey was medically retired from the Marine Corps and was at a loss about what to do as a civilian. He told Entertainment Weekly in a 1997 interview that he "bought a run-down bar and whorehouse" in Okinawa. He had to leave the business behind when the Japanese FBI caught wind of his black marketing. He escaped to the Philippines, where he met his wife.

What Ermey actually looked like as a Drill Instructor in 1968.

2. His first role was an Army helicopter pilot.

It was while in the Philippines that the future Gunnery Sergeant was cast in "Apocalypse Now" by Francis Ford Coppola himself. Ermey was studying drama and did a number of Filipino films before Coppola discovered him. You can see him in yet another legendary war movie scene.

  Coppola also hired him as the film's technical advisor for all thing military.  

Also read: 7 ooh-rah tips from the career of R. Lee Ermey

3. He wasn't supposed to be in "Full Metal Jacket."

 

Ermey was doing his job as technical advisor, reading the part of Sgt. Hartman while interviewing extras for the film. They already hired another actor for the part but Ermey had a plan to get the part. He got the job as technical advisor because of his other roles in Vietnam movies. He taped the interviews he did as Hartman and Kubrick cast him after seeing those tapes.
Interestingly enough, Ermey wrote the insults he hurled at the Marines in the film. Kubrick never gave him input on what a drill instructor might say. He wrote 150 pages of insults.

4. Ermey is the only Marine to be promoted after retiring.

He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant after spending 14 months in Vietnam and doing two tours in Okinawa. He was medically retired for the injuries he received during his service. But it was in 2002, that Marine Corps Commandant James L. Jones promoted Ermey to E-7, Gunnery Sergeant, the rank he became so well-known for. It was the first and only time the Corps has promoted a retiree

R. Lee Ermey receiving his post-retirement promotion.

5. He originally joined the Corps to stay out of jail – and almost went Navy.

In the old days, joining the military was an option for at-risk youth and juvenile delinquents to avoid real jail time. Ermey was arrested twice as a teen. He admits to being a bit of a hell-raiser. And he didn't even know about the Marine Corps the day he decided to join.

Actor and Retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey (center on right) with his 1966 Marine recruits at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)"Basically a silver-haired judge, a kindly old judge, looked down at me and said 'this is the second time I've seen you up here and it looks like we're going to have to do something about this," Ermey told a gathering in 2010. He wanted to join the Navy because his father was in the Navy, but they rejected him on the grounds that he was a troublemaker.

Some more XP stuff and information. EOL April 8 2014

Today is the last day for support for the XP system,  I guess I will have to check into Windows 7 or something like that.  I cannot use Windows 8 or 8.1, I don't have a touchscreen.  Dangit.   I got some more information on options and upgrades.   I am looking at upgrading from XP to windows 7.  I am looking at Ebay and Amazon.   I don't want to buy a new computer......

Microsoft extends Windows 7 consumer support till 2020

RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows errors and optimize system performance

Just earlier today, we read that Microsoft decided to offer extended support for its Windows Vista operating system till April 2017. Now there is great news for Windows 7 consumers too!

Microsoft has announced that it will offer extended support for Windows 7 till January 14, 2020. Windows 7 mainstream support is scheduled to end in January 2015, till which time it will continue to receive feature updates along with security patches. But now with this revision, Windows 7 consumers will receive security updates till January 2015.
This chart explains the difference between Mainstream Support and Extended Support.

Earlier, Extended Support was not offered for Consumer, Hardware, and Multimedia products, but this announcement marks a clear policy shift in the way Microsoft will be offering consumer products like Windows 7.

That is great news for Windows 7 users – especially for those who are not planning to upgrade to Windows 8.
You can see the details at the Microsoft Lifecycle website.

The Windows operating system commands 90% and the 11 year old Windows XP holds a chunk of it. StatCounter says Windows XP market share is around 19% whereas NetApplication says it is around 29%. Both have their own methodology of calculating this. Windows XP End of Life is fast approaching. The deadline for the lifecycle support for one of the most popular operating systems, the world has ever known in about to be reached. In less than 5 months, Microsoft will cease supporting the decade old operating system, Windows XP. While there are many people who still argue that the operating system isn’t completely dead yet, there are many critically important reasons why you need to take a call now about upgrading to a newer operating system like Windows 8, or even Windows 7 at least!

Windows XP End of Life risks

Windows XP is reaching End of Support in 2014 in 5 months. According to Microsoft, Windows XP Extended Support will end on 8th April 2014. Although the Mainstream Support ended on 14th Feb 2009, the Extended Support will end on 8th April 2014. This post explains in detail the difference between Mainstream Support and Extended Support. Windows Embedded products based on Windows XP, however, have different dates for End of Support.

So what does this mean to the Windows XP user

Microsoft will stop providing security patches and updates to Windows XP SP3. The OS will be dead in the water, and with no support from Microsoft, it will become an open playground for hackers and malware pushers. Microsoft is very likely to even stop pushing updates to its security software Microsoft Security Essentials, which is being run on Windows XP. Will other antivirus software too, do the same? Who knows if they would want to take up the challenge of solely protecting an unsupported operating system – although some of them have said that they would continue to support their security software on Windows XP.
After the end-of-support, attackers could try and reverse engineer security updates to identify any other vulnerabilities that exist in Windows XP. Attackers could then have the advantage knowing very well that any exploits code they develop, will not be patched by Microsoft. This could even spark a frenzy among malware writers & hackers – all wanting to compromise Windows XP systems. Zero-days exploits could then remain effective for even months, before some 3rd-party software decided to patch them.
In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if hackers had already hoarded exploits and malware – and are just waiting till April 18th, to unleash their attacks, knowing very well, that Microsoft may not patch vulnerabilities after End of Life.
This alone makes it imperative that you now start thinking of upgrading to a newer operating system. Hey, I am not here to sell you Microsoft products. Feel free to switch to Mac or a Linux-based OS too. The point being – its time you let go of Windows XP!

Windows XP is like an old shoe, worn-in, cozy, comfortable, which no one wants to discard! Over a period of time, its been patched, patched and patched to make it what it is today! But its time to move on now! The past is dead ! The future, yet unborn ! Time to live in the present, I say!

Time to upgrade from Windows XP

Windows 8 is 21x more secure than Windows XP. But security isn’t the only reason Windows XP users need to move on. In fact, using a dated operating system has its shortcomings on various aspects of computing. There is no support for the latest versions of Microsoft Office, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer and other Microsoft software.
1] Internet Explorer 11 is available only for Windows 8 & Windows 7, but no support for Windows XP or Windows Vista has been provided by Microsoft.
2] The productivity suite, Microsoft Office 2013 can’t run on a Windows XP machine. So if you are running Windows XP, you can only run up to Office 2010, which obviously is again, old and lacks many new features.
3] The default media player, Windows Media Player too can’t be updated to the latest version. The version 12th is only available for Windows 7 or higher OS.
4] Modern motherboards don’t support Windows XP. Since you are running a decade old operating system, odds are your computer hardware is very old too. There are two problems with having old hardware, one is, as the technology evolved, new software came in the market, and they all demand a powerful processor, a system which is capable of running them. So running them on a downgrade system will not exhibit the best of results and computing experience.
5] The other factor to consider here is again, the security aspect. There are two kinds of security protection you can have. One is, that is the most common, at software level. The other, the one which is quite popular nowadays is Security level at the hardware level itself. For instance, UEFI – Secure boot. So some hardware peripherals have security implementations right out-of-the-box, which lets it protect the integrity of the device and data protection. This feature obviously enhances the security of your system.

6] The new computers offer a better display, powerful processor, more storage, all-day battery life and compact design.
7] The scenario is quite similar at the software end as well. Most of your built-in tools would be outdated. Most of them can’t be updated or even worse, replaced by a 3rd party app. While Chrome and Firefox might will provide you support till next year, securing your system in toto would be next to impossible.
8] To make migration easier for Windows XP users, Microsoft has made available as a free download, PCmover Express for Windows XP, a data migration tool.

light postings...

I am arguing with a bug, so what little creativity I have has been blown through my nose and into a Kleenex.  I know..graphic......  I hope to post some stuff tomorrow...once I feel better.

H.M.S. Bounty sinks due to Sandy

H.M.S. Bounty...SInks due to Sandy

This is a shame, From what I have heard, the ship was moored at port and they were trying to get away from the storm, but a square rigger don't have the speed of a modern ship.  At sea she would have had a chance to survive.   If a ship is moored, the chances of damage and destruction is much more.   I always had an affinity for the sailing ships.  A thrill I had was taking my son to the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston harbor. 

In this July 7, 2010 file photo, the tall ship HMS Bounty sails on Lake Erie off Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 14 members of the crew forced to abandon the HMS Bounty caught in Hurricane Sandy off North Carolina. The Coast Guard is searching for two other crew members. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

 

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the HMS Bounty, a 180-foot sailboat, submerged in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy approximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. The Coast Guard rescued 14 of the 16 crew members by helicopter. Hours later, rescuers found one of the missing crew members, but she was unresponsive. They are still searching for the captain. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Tim Kuklewski)

This information is by Tallshipsorg

The Bounty was built in 1960 for MGM studios' Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando. Since then, the new Bounty has starred in several feature-length films and dozens of TV shows and historical documentaries.
The studios commissioned the ship from the shipwrights of Smith and Ruhland in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to commission a new Bounty to be built from scratch. Completely seaworthy and built just the way it would have been 200 years before, the new Bounty was constructed from the original ship's drawings still on file in the British admiralty archives.
After filming and a worldwide promotional tour, MGM berthed the ship in St. Petersburg as a permanent tourist attraction - where she stayed until the mid-1980s. In 1986 Ted Turner acquired the MGM film library and the Bounty with it. He used it to promote his enterprises, and filmed Treasure Island with Charlton Heston in 1989.
In 1993, Turner donated the ship to the Fall River Chamber Foundation, which established the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation to operate the ship as an educational venture.
In February of 2001 H.M.S. Bounty was purchased from the Foundation by HMS Bounty Organization LLC. She was in dyer need for repairs at the time. It was decided to take her to Boothbay Harbor Maine "Samples Shipyard" Later to be known as Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. When we were ready for the final refit it was only fitting to bring her "home." where Bounty was "on the rails" once again preparing for "A Round The World Voyage" - her first stop would be the United Kingdom.

The HMS Bounty Organization LLC is dedicated to keeping the ship sailing and using her as a vehicle for teaching the nearly lost arts of square rigged sailing and seamanship.
The Organization operates a variety of programs on board including sail training programs for the general public, group leadership and teamwork training, a Sail Away Summer Camp program, and dockside educational programs for elementary and secondary school children.

Boeing closing the famous Wichita Kansas Facility

I got this off the DOD BUZZ.

     I have several thoughts on this.  1.  I know what it is like to get my job shut down and the plant that I worked at gone.  That sucks.   I also wonder if this is part of the union negotiations and the fallout from the NLRB action.  Part of the reason for the location of this facility that built B-17's, B-29's B52's and many other aircraft is the fact that it is dead center of this country, it was safer from attack.  It pains me to see this for this is good manufacturing jobs that are going and once those skills and equipment are gone, they can never replace it.  Especially in this business climate where you have to have an environmental study to build anything here. 

In what may be a harbinger of the immediate future for the aerospace industry, Boeing just announced that it’s closing its Wichita, Kan., facility, home to its B-52 and KC-767 military programs, next year.
Boeing claims the plant is being closed due to a lack of future business opportunities for the site that also serves Boeing’s global transport and executive services arm (basically military VIP jets like Air Force One). “Business costs in Witchita are not competitive” in the maintenance, modifications and upgrades (MDS) business sector, said Mark Bass, Boeing Defense Space & Security’s VP for MDS during a conference call to discuss the plant closure.
“We know that there are many more difficult decisions [like this one] ahead of us,” added Bass.

The Wichita plant relies on maintenance modifications and upgrades contracts for older military jets. But, “over the last 18 months, the military market has changed dramatically,” said Bass. The “market is flat or declining” and  the MDS business arena “is very competitive and we compete against a number of smaller companies” and due to its enormous size, “Wichita is just not competitive” in the MDS arena, according to Bass.
Boeing’s 767-based KC-46 tanker program will now be based out of facilities around Puget Sound, Wash. This will put the facilities that turn 767s into KC-46s much closer to the Everett, Wash, plant that makes the 767.
Keep in mind that Boeing may take a loss making the first batch of 17 KC-46 tankers that it is making for the U.S. Air Force. This is because the company underbid EU subsidized rival EADS in the KC-X contest (the competition was often described as a price shootout) in order lock-in future contracts for the 179-plane KC-46 program that it will be able to turn a profit on.
“If we left the tanker here it would become unaffordable to our customer because the rest of the site would corrode,” added Bass. He would not discuss contracts that are winding down in Wichita. “It’s primarily the facilities and infrastructure costs here in witchita” that are leading to “tremendous inefficiencies.”
He went on to say the company’s competitiros in the maintenance and mods arena operate with “just two hangars and an office building” while Boeing’s two million square foot Wichita plant has 97 buildings.
“Labor costs are higher here than at our other sites,” he added.
Boeing executives made the decision to close the plant on December 30 after conducting a study last year to determine whether or not the facility should remain open, according to Bass, who said that officials had no idea that the facility would be closed when the KC-X contest was awarded last year. A local TV reporter on the conference call just pointed out that Boeing claimed last year that a KC-X victory would provide over 7,000 jobs in Kansas before asking increduclousy, “how can anyone in Kansas trust anything Boeing says anymore?”
Boeing estimates that 1,100 to 1,400 new jobs at company facilities in Oklahoma City and San Antonio will help offset the closure, according to Bass. There are 2,150 workers currently employed at the Witchita site. 200 jobs will be created at Boeing facilities around Puget Sound when the KC-46 tanker program moves there.
The legendary Wichita plant is co-located with McConnell Air Force Base, and produced everything from B-29s (shown above) to B-52s. (It’s where my old man checked out in B-47s)
Here’s the text of Boeing’s announcement of the facility’s closure:

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that the Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) facility in Wichita will close by the end of 2013. The Wichita facility currently employs more than 2,160 employees.
“The decision to close our Wichita facility was difficult but ultimately was based on a thorough study of the current and future market environment and our ability to remain competitive while meeting our customers’ needs with the best and most affordable solutions,” said Mark Bass, vice president and general manager for BDS’ Maintenance, Modifications & Upgrades division. “We recognize how this will affect the lives of the highly skilled men and women who work here, so we will do everything possible to assist our employees, their families and our community through this difficult transition.”
Boeing Wichita is the base for the company’s Global Transport & Executive Systems business and its B-52 and 767 International Tanker programs. The facility also provides support for flight mission planning and integrated logistics.
Over the past five years, contracts in Wichita have matured, programs have come to a close or are winding down, and the site does not have enough sustainable business on the horizon to create an affordable cost structure to maintain and win new business.

Bass said that Boeing will continue to have a significant impact on the Kansas economy and the health of the state’s aerospace industry.
“The company spent more than $3.2 billion with approximately 475 Kansas suppliers in 2011, spanning its commercial and defense businesses, making it the fourth largest state in Boeing’s supplier network,” said Bass. “Based on Boeing Commercial Airplanes growth projections for the next few years, Boeing anticipates even more growth for suppliers in Kansas. Boeing values its long-term partnership with Kansas, and we will continue to work with all of our stakeholders in Kansas in support of a robust aerospace industry in the state.”
Future aircraft maintenance, modification and support work will be placed at the Boeing facility in San Antonio. Engineering work will be placed at the Boeing facility in Oklahoma City. Although work on the KC-46 tanker will now be performed in Puget Sound, Wash., the 24 Kansas suppliers on the program will be providing vital elements of the aircraft as originally planned.
Boeing is providing employee assistance including retirement seminars, job search resources, and financial counseling, as well as help finding jobs inside or out of Boeing

Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/01/04/boeing-shuttering-wichita-plant/#ixzz1iYFMk4xC
DoDBuzz.com

30 years of innovations......

I shamelessly ripped this off from  here