#3
Why not above ground pipeline along the existing right-of-way, makes ease of access, known existing techniques, ease of access and protection against wind, and automatic ground fault interruption?
#4
#2 Skidmark, let's not forget all the environmental impact statements, the Indian burial grounds and other sacred sites, etc., etc. This is California, after all.
Posted by: Tom ||
07/23/2021 13:53 Comments ||
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#5
Can't leave them the way they are. Some of those towers are over a hundred years old and in serious disrepair. No matter what PG&E does, it's gonna cost billions but they need to do something. The fires themselves might not be as expensive but the lawsuits will. NoMoreBS might have a good idea.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/23/2021 14:14 Comments ||
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#3
How could you be not know that you didn't have the cord attached to you? It's not an insignificant item.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/23/2021 10:04 Comments ||
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#4
Parchuting caution: If you are a static line jumper and you discover you still have this in your hand upon exiting the aircraft, you may have a problem.
#11
/\ Actually, twisted suspension lines are not that uncommon. Poorly executed door exit can bring it on.
First thing you do as the canopy opens is look up and check the lines. If twisted, reach up as high on each riser as you can and pull them apart while bicycling your skinny legs in the opposite direction of the twist like a sob. Never had any that would not straight up and fly right.
A little bit trickier on a night jump.... along with everything else.
GOES-17 (designated pre-launch as GOES-S) is an environmental satellite.
Launch date 1 March 2018, 22:02 UTC
Rocket Atlas V 541 (AV-077)
Launch site Cape Canaveral, SLC-41
Contractor United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Entered service 12 February 2019
Experts aggressively working to restore operations NOAA’s GOES-17 satellite, after on-board computer reset triggered the satellite to be placed into a safe-hold mode. Next: recovery process, instrument reactivation, sensor validation. GOES-15 also available as backup.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/23/2021 8:25 Comments ||
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#5
GOES-17 is the west coast /east pacific coverage satellite. It took over from GOES-15 in Feb. 15 is still there, in standby.
The IR imager on -17 has been funky since the start, supposedly a heat pipe issue.
Handy Page-
https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/23/2021 10:44 Comments ||
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Joanne Jacobs via Instapundit
Only 45 percent of would-be elementary teachers pass state licensing tests on the first try in states with strong testing systems concludes a new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Twenty-two percent of those who fail — 30 percent of test takers of color — never try again, reports Driven by Data: Using Licensure Tests to Build a Strong, Diverse Teacher Workforce.
Exam takers have the hardest time with tests of content knowledge, such as English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
h/t Instapundit
[DaylyMail] - For the second consecutive year, race relations between black and white in the US are at their lowest point in more than two decades, and there's a 20-point gap in how white and black Americans view the future.
A Gallup poll published on Wednesday found 42 percent of Americans say relations between the two racial groups are 'very' or 'somewhat' good as opposed to 57 percent say they are 'somewhat' or 'very' bad.
The percentage of black people with a positive rating of race relations has slumped to 33 percent, while for white people it is 43 percent. So, they do remember that Jim Crow was preceded by Reconstruction (https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-history).
Last year, the same poll found black-white relations for 44percent positive in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the subsequent nationwide protests and calls for racial justice.
And only 40 percent of black adults are optimistic there will be racial harmony, as opposed to 60percent of white adults, according to the poll by Gallup, which is a Washington DC-based analytics and advisory company.
#1
Actually, they should be improving in the sense that if you don't absolutely have to take the chance on such an interaction you just don't.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/23/2021 8:57 Comments ||
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#2
Must be a Yankee and Democrat Run Metro thing???
Once I get up of the Metro Areas into the subs and rural areas. I see the usual courtesy, manners and open cutting the fool and joking interaction.
Aside for the 10000 watt Bass & Rap at stoplights Polite communications, holding doors, offering help as needed.
Hell I have even witnessed a number of older Black Americans fed up and telling these inter-city BLM shirt wearing punks to F off, quit being racist and join the whole human race.
#3
Meanwhile, in the real world, I exercise at a gym with black and white people, go grocery shopping at stores with black and white people, eat at restaurants with black and white people, mail packages at a post office with black and white people, borrow books at the library with black and white people, and...well, you get the idea.
Posted by: Tom ||
07/23/2021 13:55 Comments ||
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#4
I thought things were going OK until Obama came along. That's when I noticed race relations going sour.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/23/2021 14:18 Comments ||
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#5
It appears the root cause of the sudden drop in race relations in 2014 was the 'suicide by cop' by Michael Brown which was rapidly transformed into allegedly commonplace execution of young black men by police by the media and politicians, and the elevation of BLM (Burn Loot Murder?) into THE dominant liberal 'civil rights' organization (rather than the Marxist front group it really is.)
#6
I thought race relations were going okay until the President intervened in a case on a college campus and insinuated the cop involved was a racist before he knew any details.
[THEGATEWAYPUNDIT] A report published by Outside Interactive alleged that America’s historically racist policies have contributed to "the nature gap," resulting in black Americans having less enjoyment of the so-called "great outdoors."Erin Key, the report’s author, is pushing for minorities to use their free time outdoors in nature through the use of grants and advocacy work. She does not, however, mention that there are no modern laws prohibiting non-whites from visiting public nature sites.
"Though many don’t like to speak about it, so many of our living relatives experienced racism when it was legal — directly affecting how they interacted with society and how society interacted with them — all based on the color of their skin," Key wrote, explaining that her family lived through an era "when many Black Americans were taught not to do things outside of their community areas, in an effort to keep them ’safe.'"
Posted by: Fred ||
07/23/2021 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
The rush towards the great stupidity singularity continues apace...
#3
I remember growing up in the Deep South that there were lots of Black folks swimming and camping at the lake where my dad was a caretaker. Admittedly, by tradition (and no doubt before the 70’s by state law) they had “their” beach and the Whites had “theirs.” But Dad (I’m White) used to swim over there, have a beer, and chat with people. There was a lot of barbecuing going unless my olfactory memory deceives me, and I remember people being friendly enough, given the racial tensions at the time.
I think this lady is kind of right, but also kind of wrong at the same time. Lots of Black people go camping, hiking, and lake fishing (especially the latter.) I know some personally. But most Black Americans are urban and often poor. A poor urban person doesn’t have thousands of dollars to blow on a family dream camping trip to Yellowstone. (Or the like.) They’ve got more practical things to do with their money. But a poor rural person can just drive a couple miles out of town, build a bonfire, get drunk with their friends, and pass out in the bed of their pickup trucks for a grand total of forty bucks. Easy to do when you like in Elko. Much harder to do when you live in Oakland.
In 2021 most rural Americans (and I am one) are of White, Mexican, or Native American. Black people aren’t unwelcome or unheard of. I did a couple of weeks of brutal manual labor for a Black horse rancher one time – and man, did that guy bust ass from sunrise to sunset! And I’ve got friends who are Black here in my tiny community, and they seem to camp, shoot, cookout, and “shade-tree mechanic” as well as anyone else. There aren’t a lot of them these days in my experience; but I’m betting before the 1940’s urban migration you would find Black men with first-rate outdoors skills all over the South and Midwest. Basic backwoodmaning is after all a poor man’s pastime, not a rich ones.
#6
This just strikes me as a little funny, as I was in a remote part of Tahoe yesterday, and I met a very nice black couple. They had become stranded in a remote area because there was no phone reception and they had no way of reaching Lyft on their phone app. I helped them find an area with reception.
#7
Secret Master, camping is actually a very cheap past time. No need to buy the top end stuff and whatever you get is usable year after year. Lots of younger folks do that because they can't afford anything else.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians have a new name. In a video released to social media on Friday, the franchise announced that it will be known as the "Cleveland Guardians" beginning in 2022.
In the video, narrated by Tom Hanks and featuring the Black Keys, the team also released its new logos, which will maintain the Indians' red and navy blue color scheme. One logo features a new, stylized 'C', while the other features a 'G' with guardians wings. The team also has new fonts for both a block 'Cleveland' and script 'Guardians," reminiscent of the current wordmarks worn on the team's uniforms.
#3
The really stupid thing is that the Indians were originally named the Indians in order to HONOR a native American player who had died.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/23/2021 11:09 Comments ||
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#4
....As a lifelong fan, I'm a little disappointed, but I also realize it could have been far worse.
What I was hoping for was the team's original name before the Indians - the Spiders. There was some fan artwork out there from Cleveland that showed what they could have done with that.
In the meantime, however, they can have my Chief Wahoo jersey once they tear it out of my cold, dead hands.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/23/2021 12:26 Comments ||
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#5
People formerly known as "Native Americans" will now be "[ ]" (blank).
[KHOU] In June, DHS said non-essential travel at land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico were closed through July 21. So lemme get straight: You can't drive or ride a ferry across the border for non-essential purposes but you can wade across the Rio Grande for any reason whatsoever?
While people can still fly back and forth, the land and ferry crossings between the U.S. and Mexico have been closed for non-essential travel since the start of the pandemic.
According to the Department of Homeland Security announcement today, the crossings remain closed.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[Bloomberg] China’s import ban on Australian coal is proving a boon to U.S. producers.
On June 28, the Frontier Unity bulk vessel left the port of Newport News, Virginia with a 136,400-ton cargo bound for steelmakers in China. It was the biggest shipment of its kind from a U.S. east coast port, according to miner Coronado Global Resources Inc.
For Coronado, it marks a stark turnaround in the fortunes of its U.S. mines, which were temporarily idled in March last year after pandemic lockdowns crushed demand. The company is benefiting from a rally in prices and China’s ban on Australian coal, which in March helped boost exports from the U.S. to the Asian nation to their highest since 2013.
“As a critical global supplier of metallurgical coal, our geographic diversification continues to benefit us as the Chinese import restrictions on Australian coal continue,” Gerry Spindler, Coronado’s chief executive officer, which operates coal mines in the U.S. and Australia, said Thursday in a statement. “Our U.S. operations continue to successfully move met coal into China at record levels.”
While the U.S. engaged in a highly public trade spat with Beijing under the Trump administration, it’s coal from Australia that has been singled out for sanction after diplomatic tensions between the two countries escalated last year. BHP Group, one of the biggest coal producers in Australia, said earlier this week that it expected the ban to remain in place for a number of years.
Met coal prices have rallied this year on strengthening global steel demand. Coronado’s average selling price across the portfolio was $105 per ton in the June quarter, up 11% on the previous quarter.
#1
Australia's pain may end soon. If world demand keeps growing someone else buys their coal and at higher prices than the long term contract with China.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
07/23/2021 10:07 Comments ||
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#2
Don't we know the Chinese are just going to burn the coal?
Who will tell Greta?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/23/2021 10:20 Comments ||
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#3
Sorry, coal miners. I wouldn't sell it to them at all just like I wouldn't have sold it to the old Soviet Union.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/23/2021 14:22 Comments ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi reiterated to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies.... Egypt’s position of wanting to ensure its water security and upholding its "historic rights of Nile water."
During a telephone call on Tuesday, the Egyptian president called on the international community to continue supporting the negotiation process to reach a comprehensive, just, and legally binding agreement on the filling and operating rules of the GERD.
The two leaders discussed trade, investment cooperation, health and security, and efforts to combat terrorism, while also exchanging views on the latest developments in the GERD crisis, official spokesperson for the Presidency Bassam Rady said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/23/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
"I don't believe in black majority rule ever in Rhodesia—not in a thousand years. I repeat that I believe in blacks and whites working together. If one day it is white and the next day it is black, I believe we have failed and it will be a disaster for Rhodesia."
~ Ian Douglas Smith (April 8, 1919 – November 20, 2007)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[FBwatch] Two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers of long-range aviation performed a planned flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas.
Fighter escort was provided by the crews of MiG-31 aircraft of the air force and air defence formation of the Northern Fleet.
Long-range aviation crews regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, the Pacific Ocean.
[Ay-Pee] American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both posted second-quarter profits on Thursday thanks to generous federal pandemic relief that covers most of their labor costs. Certainly, all Rantburgers are thrilled to have their Grandchildren paying for this year's airline profits.
The reports on Thursday underscored the progress that airlines are making in rebuilding after the coronavirus crushed air travel ‐ and how much farther they must go to fully recover.
American eked out a second-quarter profit of $19 million due to nearly $1.5 billion in taxpayer support. Southwest reported a profit of $348 million, including $724 million in federal help. Southwest made fifty cent on the federal dollar; American, not so good.
Southwest said it made money in June even without the government aid and hopes to be profitable by any measure in the third and fourth quarters if the pandemic doesn't get worse. Hat tip to Mrs. Bobby's Dallas Morning News, who won't let me read it online without signing up.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/23/2021 10:04 ||
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#1
In a way it makes sense, since the reason(s) they would not have been (even more) profitable were entirely government-created.
It can’t be good for China’s fragile financial situation — all that public and private debt — that the price of oil has gone up so much and so quickly.
[Rudaw] A financial advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on Thursday that nearly half of the country’s oil exports go to China, which is now the number one market for Iraqi oil.
"China is the first market for the Iraqi oil exports, and it alone consumes about 40-44 percent of Iraqi oil exports, with about 800,000 barrels of oil per day," Mazhar Mohammed Salih told state media.
"A small portion of these exports is the dues of oil service contracts for Chinese companies operating in Iraq, to which 100,000 barrels per day were recently added," he added.
The Iraqi government is dependent on oil revenues to cover its costs and pay the salaries of civil servants. Record low oil prices during the pandemic last year caused a financial crisis in Iraq, but a recent boost in oil markets and the central bank’s decision in December to devalue dinar against the dollar have eased the crisis.
According to the oil ministry’s latest monthly report, Iraq exported 86.7 million barrels of oil in June, with an average daily export of 2.9 million barrels. The exports brought in $6.1 billion, selling at around $70 per barrel.
[NBC] Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler plans to invest more than 40 billion euros, or $47 billion, between 2022 and 2030 to develop battery-electric vehicles, and be ready for an all-electric car market by 2030.
Outlining its strategy for an electric future, the German luxury carmaker said on Thursday it would, with partners, build eight battery plants as it ramps up EV production, and that from 2025 all new vehicle platforms would only make electric cars.
"We really want to go for it ... and be dominantly, if not all electric, by the end of the decade," Chief Executive Ola Källenius told Reuters, adding that spending on traditional combustion-engine technology would be "close to zero" by 2025.
This from a country with seemingly less and less electric power generation. Are they going to FU their Sprinter vans too? We've got one with a leetle diesel that can do the job on our motorhome -- gets great mileage.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
07/23/2021 13:58 Comments ||
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#8
I remember I had a used C200 diesel. First thing I did was change the horn, headlamps and remove the hood ornament. I had a paint job done on it, dark grey. I looked for an AMG logo to put on it but couldn't find one. I bought a Passat turbo diesel after it died. And an Accord diesel after that. Haven't looked under the hood for years now. Tech is a good thing, but the romance is dying.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
07/23/2021 11:46:05 AM ||
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#1
That is good. Our civilization does need a more efficient and less toxic battery despite of "climate change". We will only consume more things that need electricity and non-toxic batteries will be vital.
#3
I was gobsmacked by the commercial for the new Ford electric F-150 pickup: They showed the owner proudly plugging his battery into his garage and powering his house during a power failure. D'Oh! What happens first: the electric company fixes the outage or the driver (and his family!) are stranded with no means of transportation?
h/t Instapundit
[NYP] - Chimpanzees have been seen killing gorillas in unprovoked attacks for the first time, scientists said.
...In the first attack in December 2019, more than two dozen chimps went after five gorillas.
...While the adult gorillas were able to escape, the infant separated from its mother didn’t survive, the study said.
Researchers said a similar attack occurred in February 2019 that also left an infant gorilla dead.
But instead of the slain gorilla being left alone, the "infant in the second encounter was almost entirely consumed by one adult chimpanzee female," the study said.
The researchers, who are from the Osnabruck University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, said the encounters were wildly different from how the two species typically interact with each other.
While both species can be territorial and violent, fights happen almost exclusively within their own species.
[YNet] - The Health Ministry reported Thursday the efficacy of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in preventing infection has dropped to 39% but the effectiveness in preventing severe illness still remains relatively high.
The report adds the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing serious illness has also dropped and now stands at 91%. The efficacy in preventing hospitalizations among vaccinated now stands at 88%. The $$$ quote
Data from the analysis suggested the efficacy of the vaccine declines over time in preventing infection and severe illness. As predicted:
35 Years of Research Into Coronavirus Infections Show Long-Term Immunity Is Unlikely
The above article illustrates an (IMO) important principle. There is all the difference in the World between long term scientific research done by people interested in a certain subject and academic band-wagon jumpers on a popular subject. The later look for a short-cut to fame and fortune and routinely fake (not even consciously) results for more impact.
[BBC] The western Mexican state of Sinaloa is home to the country's most powerful and bloody drug cartel. The money it generates has left its imprint on the relationships between narcos and young women - and fuelled a local obsession with plastic surgery.
On the desk in her clinic in the city of Culiacan, Dr Rafaela Martinez Terrazas has a stack of applications from potential clients - women wanting surgery. Most of them ask for procedures associated with what has become known as the "narco-aesthetic".
"A smaller, defined waist... Wider hips with bigger buttocks... And if we're talking breasts, they're generally large," says Martinez.
A woman with this hyper-feminised, exaggerated silhouette is often referred to as la buchona in Mexico - especially if she has a taste for flashy, designer goods and has a narco lover.
"The average age of my patients is between 30 and 40. But very often much younger women come - even minors under 18," says the doctor.
"They compete with each other - who has the best body, or the tiniest waist."
[TFB] When it comes to handling your firearms in any capacity or context, nothing is more important than safety. Everyone should know the basic firearms safety rules inside and out before they ever get on a live-fire range. Beyond those fundamentals like keeping your gun pointed in a safe direction and keeping your finger off of the trigger until fully ready to fire, there are plenty of additional facets to consider. Owning good quality equipment and taking proper care of it are also key. One element that tends to get less attention is ammo selection. Particularly these days, with high prices and scarce availability, we tend to take what ammo we can get. Unfortunately, especially with the last year’s proliferation of first-time gun owners who may not know any better, this could cause bad rounds to fall into unsuspecting hands, including some subject to recall.
#2
Skidmark ref: 300 Win Mag Try shooting it here at Ft. Gordon... My brother use to shoot 300wm here at Ft. Gordon 1000 Yard / 1500 Meter rifle ranges.
That was until the Base Commander hired some panty weight that was run off at Ft. Steward to manage the Ft. Gordon Citizen Marksmanship Ranges.
The A-Hole immediately went "Environmental", and banned anything over 7.62/63 (30/06) and 7.62×51 (.308). The LDX shooters tried to explained the stupidity of the limit after the range being used closed to 100 years. But were told NO by Ft. Gordon Command.
So they'd just contacted ALL Firearms related events organizers and moved them to other locations. The cancellations were a major PR $$$$ Ding and resulted in lots of egg on the faces for the Brass.
#3
Fort Gordon left me unimpressed. I was at Camp Crocket there, very primitive. This was in the winter of 1967 iirc. Yukon stoves, Quonset huts, only cold showers. The stoves left us covered in soot, but we didn't freeze.
Posted by: Large Bucket8085 ||
07/23/2021 16:58 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies....
"I don't believe in black majority rule ever in Rhodesia—not in a thousand years. I repeat that I believe in blacks and whites working together. If one day it is white and the next day it is black, I believe we have failed and it will be a disaster for Rhodesia."
[Ay-Pee] American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both posted second-quarter profits on Thursday thanks to generous federal pandemic relief that covers most of their labor costs.
[NBC] Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler plans to invest more than 40 billion euros, or $47 billion, between 2022 and 2030 to develop battery-electric vehicles, and be ready for an all-electric car market by 2030.
