M2

Was recently TDY to Kwaj for a week (luckily not too long), most of the above gouge is still good but AFRTS has more channels (6-9) but still little worth watching. You can rent a golf cart for $7/hr if you hate riding the rental beach cruisers (which you will after about half a day). Macy's is basic quarters, and I do mean basic, and they charge around $109/night for the privilege. It is all you can be when it comes to Army billeting! There is a Burger King, Subway and Anthony's Pizza on the ground floor; but don't expect a full menu. American Eatery is over by Echo Pier, but it's the same stuff you find at every PX/BX in the world. There was no soda while we were there due to an island-wide outage of CO2. The same went for propane, so if you plan to BBQ bring some charcoal! The shoppette and "BX" have the bare minimums, and not much more. Expect things like only two flavors of Gatorade (Lemon Lime and Fruit Punch). If you like to be on the water there are many opportunities to do so, especially dive. Watch The Silent Wrecks of Kwajalein Atoll on Amazon to see what is still around in the atoll, but remember that it's 45-50 miles from Kwajalein to Roi-Namur on the northern side so not easy to get to without some sort of transportation. As for the base, it's Army so a lot of run-down facilities some of which--like the terminal--are scheduled to be demolished and eventually replaced. It's hot and extremely humid, and this is coming from someone who lives in southcentral Texas. Plan to sweat a lot, and bring sunscreen although the shoppette does carry a decent variety of the stuff. I've already had a case of melanoma so I used the SPF 100+ spray on variety. The coolest thing are the nurse sharks that hang out by the dive shop when people clean fish. Usually 7-9 of the 6'+ sized beasts will be there, buy some Vienna sausages from the vending machine and toss them in the water. The sharks won't likely pay attention to them until the other fish do, then things get interesting. I dipped my GoPro into the water off the dock and got some nice video of them from about ten feet away.

Killer eyebrows!

Appears to be a Russian ZSh-5 helmet, not uncommon for MiG drivers. Was standard Soviet issue for its pilots in the 1970s and 80s, and beyond for those who bought them secondhand...

To celebrate the seventh anniversary of my Suunto Core Black, I bought another Core (this time an All Black) from Amazon for $129.99 ($75 cheaper than the BX). My first Core has done well considering how much use and abuse it's taken. A few weeks ago it had some condensation build up inside it and then it went blank, but I hit it with a steady stream of compressed air for about ten minutes and replaced the batter, and it came back to life. I suspect I may not have correctly replaced the cover when replacing the battery a month or so ago, and a very humid day in Texas was enough to cause the issue. I was in Tampa last week so if that horrific Florida humidity and daily thunderstorms didn't repeat the problem, then it's fixed. However, I figured it was time to line up a replacement and I couldn't think of a better watch for the money. And yes, even though I said the all black was a concern given my aging eyesight, I decided to give it a try anyway. I'll let you know how it goes... Cheers! M2

There is already a thread on Iran...

I understand his reasons completely, but the absence of any support from his bosses (i.e. Trump) just causes my blood to boil. It was a perfect opportunity to put this trend to an end, but I guess since Trump feels he beat the sexual assault allegations by 19 women against him since the 80s that Shanahan can do the same. So it's not so much Shanahan as it was the lost chance to put a stop to this practice of condemning someone before they are actually found guilty of something... I should know better, being that it's OK for Michelle Obama to nail Harry Styles in the crotch with a dodgeball, but Benedict Cumberbatch is going to get a visit from the Secret Service for drilling her with the same. She should be man enough to take that!

OK, while technically not a commander, the reasons behind Patrick Shanahan's departure as interim (and possibly permanent) SecDef irks the shit out of me... Honestly, I really don't have much of an opinion on his performance in that job; but the fact that he dropped out due to an incident where he not only wasn't charged after a full law enforcement investigation but the other party (his now ex-wife) was charged with assault (later dropped as a result of Shanahan's request) makes the entire matter a non-issue. Simply because he was accused of domestic violence, he is no longer a candidate for SecDef. The concept of presumption of innocence, the basis of our entire legal system, is being thrown out the window without any regard. Guilty until proven innocent doesn't even describe it, accused now equates to being guilty. Obviously he isn't the first and most certainly he won't be the only one who has been a victim of such circumstances, but the fact that this country's leadership isn't willing to stand up to such bullshit is intolerable. That is the reason why we cannot get quality leadership in such positions. Rant over.

The movie is a classic that you should have already seen. Same goes for Dr Strangelove.

I saw Bohemian Rhapsody on an overseas flight a few weeks back, and cannot fathom why everyone went gaga over it. If anything, it showed even more how fucked up Freddy Mercury was. Sure, he had a gifted talent as a singer and entertainer; but other than that, he was a train wreck. And Rocketman appears to be the same shit regurgitated...

I have an unused one collecting dust up somewhere in the attic. My old CGO cap was worn once...

The court date is on your citation, just ensure your lawyer or his/her representative appears on or before that date and you will be fine. If they fail to do so, then it's on you as you are the one that signed the citation stating you would appear. Essentially, by doing so you "bonded" yourself under the conditions that you would take care of the matter. Otherwise, the officer would have to take you directly to the magistrate to settle the matter, i.e. you would have been "arrested" to deal with it. As long as the court date hasn't passed you are still presumed to be innocent. It's nothing more than a citation and nothing to worry about. But if the court date has passed, and your legal representatives haven't dealt with it, then a criminal background check may show you have an outstanding bench warrant because of it. It is not an uncommon occurrence in this city for people to go to traffic lawyers after they've gotten a citation and felt that was all they had to do. Then they learn the tough lesson that if their lawyer didn't make it to court on time, a warrant was issued for them! Months or years later they are pulled over for another infraction, and then they get the joy of riding in the back of a patrol car downtown and spending a few hours waiting to appear before a judge. Your lawyer is not going to go to jail if he/she fails to do their job, you are! Be smart and make sure they do what you pay them to do and before the court date! Bottom line: Don't worry so much about the citation, just make sure it's been addressed on or before the court date!

Yeah, and every year we do a warrant drive that mainly involves people who use such services and later find (the hard way) that they don't always appear before the court date. Failure to show = bench warrant. The next time they get pulled over for some minor traffic violation, or if even their plate gets run and the registered owner has an outstanding warrant, the officer has little choice other than to take them downtown to central booking. Trust me, it's not a place you want to visit! Well, good luck to ya! But if you're so confidence that your lawyer will get the charges dropped, what are you spazzing about?

Looks interesting, but it'll have a tough time beating Rush as the premier motor racing movie!

OK, I'm not a lawyer; but I do know a couple of things about the law... Technically, you are still presumed innocent of all charges until proven otherwise. In that regard, I wouldn't mention getting a citation unless asked, but add that you have still yet to go to court about it, which is the truth. As for the AF Form 24, simply list it as being "open" noting a future court date. As I am able to see what state you live in, I wouldn't bother with a lawyer. Simply having the device in your hand put you in violation of your state's "distracted driver laws." The state statute states (say that three times fast!) ""use" or "using" means holding a mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle," exactly what you've confessed to doing. Unless you were in a school or construction zone (which will double your fine), or have a commercial license, for a first violation or any violation not preceded within one year by a prior violation of this section, a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $200. You might get a sympathetic judge, but from what I've seen and heard those are few and far between in your state, especially if you're not a local. Once it's all said and done, you'll probably still end up paying the fine plus lawyer fees on top. Not worth if for what is a essentially a minor traffic infraction. Forget the mistake, and learn the lesson. It won't have an impact on your future flying career...

In due time. In due time...