Weirs could be electicty generating dams to keep the tree huggers happy. Unlike windmills, they don't cause cancer.

Some locks on the America canal would keep the rip tides in check.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, February 07, 2025 - 01:27 pm: Edit

The Canale would be so deep that the salt water would be way the heck under any groundwater layers separated by solid rock.

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Friday, February 07, 2025 - 10:49 pm: Edit

A couple of thoughts;
1) Wouldn't tunnels make more sense, than ~4,000' ditches? Or even 500' ditches, for that matter.

2) The largest container ship today is 1,312' long, and 201' wide. The MSC Irina, per Google, first of a six ship class. Wouldn't make more sense to plan the Canale to be large enough for these, plus 30% for growth?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, February 07, 2025 - 11:04 pm: Edit

A tunnel for supertankers, Panamax-excess freighters, and aircraft carriers. Interesting.

As for the size, there is a law of diminishing returns. A canal or tunnel for 80% of ships would cost a lot less than one for 100% of ships plus growth.

By Jack Bohn (Jackbohn) on Saturday, February 08, 2025 - 06:00 pm: Edit

Hmm... a Canal Undergrounde. Perhaps not as much the Chunnel, dreamt of for centuries, planned and constructed in a decade (with 80% cost overrun), so much as Boston's Big Dig, planned over 8 years and constructed in 16 (at 90% cost overrun)!

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, February 08, 2025 - 08:57 pm: Edit

Aaron Heitke, the retired head of the San Diego sector of the border patrol under the previous administration, gave shocking testimony to Congress on Friday. Included:

1. Large sections of the US-Mexico border had, on orders of the Administration, no border guards assigned for weeks at a time. There are no records of how many illegal aliens crossed the border during those times. It could be zero; it could be over a million.

2. Unlike previous times when almost everyone crossing the US-Mexico border was from Latin America, over the previous three years people from 180 countries were recorded, including Iran, Arab countries, China, Russia, and others.

3. The border police were denied everything they ask for to improve security. The border was deliberately under-staffed by the previous administration. The border police were prohibited from releasing any information on numbers of people caught/released, names, countries of origin, and especially not any ties to criminal, foreign intelligence, or terrorist organizations.

4. The border police were not allowed to turn away anyone, including those with significant ties to terrorist groups or unfriendly governments. These people were given court dates and sent all across the country on night-time charter flights or just released into San Diego. This included over a thousand per day, 400,000 per year, for over three years.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 08:24 am: Edit

Per Pres. Trump in an interview yesterday, the Dept. of Defense is next in line for the "Musk treatment". It will be interesting to see - and decidedly impactful on Real-World Military - if Musk takes the same "strip it down to the studs" approach he's taken with USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Dept. of Education.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 08:59 am: Edit

There are those who would say it is long overdue.

There is a difference between an approach looking to uncover fraud, waste and mismanagement, and others who desire to strip the military (and lets face it, the “Defund the Police” crazies), who desire only to increase social justice spending to pay for all sorts of stuff that would do nothing for the defense and security of the Nation.

For what it is worth, I still hope they do not stop at defense.

Imagine what there is to find at the other areas of government, such the Department of Agriculture, Department of the interior, and the cess pool over at HHS.

I suppose Elon will have to recuse himself when it comes to NASA.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 10:15 am: Edit

Jswilte:

Musk should also have to recuse himself with regard to the Dept. of Defense, given that he and SpaceX are under investigation by the DoD for repeatedly failing to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders. You will note that no such recusal has been forthcoming.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 10:32 am: Edit

Actually, if you want to get into the weeds about it, Musk's conflicts include:

Ongoing investigations of Tesla by Dept. of Transportation, Dept. of Justice, Dept. of Labor, and the EPA;
Ongoing lawsuit against Tesla by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;
Ongoing investigations of SpaceX by Dept. of Defense and Dept. of Labor;
Violations, fines, and lawsuits against SpaceX by Dept. of Transportation, Dept. of Justice, and the Securities & Exchange Commission;
Ongoing violations and fines against Neuralink by the Dept. of Transportation;
Ongoing investigation of Neuralink by the Dept. of Agriculture;
Ongoing investigations, court orders, and consent decrees against X (formerly Twitter) by the Securities & Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 11:48 am: Edit

Don't tell me OSHA hasn't done anything vs Elon.

And I'd bet that MSHA has gone after "the Boring Company." Assuming they have jurisdiction (MSHA jurisdiction is hard to suss at times).

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 01:29 pm: Edit

Mike: OSHA falls under the Dept. of Labor.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Monday, February 10, 2025 - 03:14 pm: Edit

The Israel/Hamas ceasefire appears to be falling apart...

Naturally, both sides are blaming each other, claiming violations of the agreement.

Sigh.

Do the decision makers and string pullers on either side really want peace?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 12:47 am: Edit

Attorney General Pam Bondi has sued Illinois (including the governor) and Chicago (including the mayor) for interfering with immigration laws by hiding illegal aliens who are criminals. The governor of Illinois said "we are following the law" but AG Bondi says that the Illinois law (barring cooperation) that they are following is conflicting with Federal law requiring the opposite. Yes, it is in conflict, and the constitution says Federal law wins, which means this is just a delaying tactic, hoping to drag things out in the courts until the mid-term elections.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 01:48 am: Edit

Defense Secretary Hegseth orders the Acting Secretary of the Army to revert Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg. Named after PFC Roloand L. Bragg, 513th PIR, 17th Abn Dev, XVIII Abn Corps. Recipient of the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 02:37 am: Edit

Nice move!

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 08:42 am: Edit

So we get to spend money for new signage, stationary, etc. less than three years after having previously done so. Yes, this is surely a DoD that is focused on fiscal responsibility....

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 09:24 am: Edit

I wouldn't worry about it, you know Musk's DOGE will stop this waste of money.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 09:26 am: Edit

So we get to spend money for new signage, stationary, etc. less than three years after having previously done so.


Don't recall any outcry about that from the first change.....

And yes, it was something I talked with vets around me when that was happening....

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 10:39 am: Edit

Bolo:

The first change (1) was under an administration that was not making the claim that eliminating waste was it's #1 priority and (2) was to change the name away from not only a general who fought a war of sedition against the United States of America, but who was a thoroughly inept commander.

The current change (1) is under an administration that very much *is* making the claim that eliminating waste is it's #1 priority and (2) is changing the name away from [checks notes] Liberty (which, when last I checked, is a fundamental principle of the United States of America) in favor of [checks notes again] a namesake of the aforementioned inept seditious general, a namesake so obscure that the Dept. of Defense has been unable to provide the citation for his Silver Star, let alone a photograph.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 12:56 pm: Edit

If sedition is having troops invade a State that Constitutionally seceded from the union, ok.....
Yes, Bragg was promoted one step too many....

Yes, a political party so Proud of it's history, it's main goal is to erase it.....

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 01:22 pm: Edit

Enough folks!

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 - 11:06 am: Edit

Don't know if this is old news that's only just gotten out or if this really IS "News," but I heard a story on the news yesterday that confirms something that was posted here a couple weeks ago.

According to the article, it would seem that North Korean troops that have been put in the Ukraine Meat Grinder have suffered over 50% losses and may be close to mutiny.

I don't have multiple source confirmation, and even if I did, I'd worry about the possibility of it being propaganda from either Ukraine or South Korea, but I still thought it worth posting for potential discussion

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 11:35 am: Edit

An EA-18G Growler went down off San Diego; both aviators were able to eject in time and were rescued by a charter fishing boat.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 03:36 pm: Edit

It was just an ordinary September day in Beirut when a stranger had all the luck in the world. CCTV footage of the Bunker buster impact that killed Hizbollahs leadership

Note how there appear to be at least two shockwaves after impact. Some bunker busting weapons got breaching charges, but not the Blu109 and therefore i think it is near simultaneous impacts. (IIRC they used six bombs)

Note that his Scooter didn't fell over.