Black Saturday (reviewed)

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Larry-Lambert

Black Saturday – US Naval Institute

Is this part of Black History Month? I don’t hear much about it, so I thought I’d add it here…

 

Bullet Points:

** Keeping the Clankers in line.

** At times, MRSLL thinks I am of little use besides being a funding source. Then she takes the car in for repair and discovers that I have additional value. Snigget bearing failures notwithstanding.

** On the road again. It’s been a decent winter storm, and I try to stay south of the frost line while driving east and west. MRSLL suggested I-80. I laughed – uh, no.

** Then and now.

** On weapons and war.

** VM Admin Comment – For those of you who are looking forward to the publication of The Crow Creek Expedition, the book is complete, and it’s in edit. I decided to move on to the sequel to Broken Toys next.

The Duellist series (Confederate Cipher, Hudson’s Scouts, and The Crow Creek Expedition) is set up for a fourth book, but I’m going back to writing some Science Fiction before I return to the War of Southern Independence. The Crow Creek Expedition ends at Christmas 1864 in terms of the historical timeline.

** An ode to red shirts (who end up dead).

** Flying with MRSBRM…or not Flying in Alaska.

** People reflect (some people do) about the days when Mosul, Iraq, was cool. Nineveh was important during a period of global warming. What did the Assyrians do about it?

** Okay, that’s how it’s done. Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme.

** Can’t we send them home to Somalia? Would Canada take them? The Canadians claim to be broke without US subsidies. What if we pay them to take the Somalis? They’d fit in well with the new Canada, and it’s not that far from Minnesota. It would be a one-time payment until they could be enrolled in Canadian welfare and pension programs. (There’s always MAID if they get to be too much of a problem. Canadians are nothing if not practical.)

** Pure as New York snow.

** (Kipling) The Female of the species is more deadly than the male – a cautionary note.

** Have you ever been bored and scanned the British shows on Netflix – crime drama in a coastal village with the police struggling to find out who killed the man who washed ashore? Here’s a primer for all of them. Now you don’t have to watch and wonder anymore.

 

Firearms Deaths – From ammo.com

Are gun deaths on the rise in America? The facts are that the rates of gun deaths have reduced, while the total deaths have increased with the U.S. population.

Our latest report analyzes gun deaths over the past six decades. The report is comprehensive, but here are the highlights:

  • 1.9 million Americans have died from firearm-related incidents between 1968 and 2025 (partial).
  • Suicides accounted for 54.60% of all gun-related deaths between 1968 and 2025 (partial).
  • In the past 57 years, men accounted for 84.86% (1,640,286) of gun deaths, while women accounted for 15.10% (291,661).

Analyzing gun death trends is essential to having life-saving conversations. If you find this interesting, please review and share the full report, linked here: https://ammo.com/research/us-firearms-deaths-per-year

 

What’s up with Mad Maxine?

(American Thinker) From the day-of-the-dead look and smell, masked by cheap perfume topped by a ratty wig, to the shrill, senile, unhinged rambling, it’s difficult to understand how Maxine Waters remains in political office. She lives it up in a ritzy mansion in Hancock Park, far from the gritty ghettoes of her constituents. And she must have plenty of money, since she gives her daughter, the campaign consultant, hundreds of thousands.

I doubt that many of her constituents vote. She represents Gardena, California, a grimy lower-middle-class industrial city of 60,000 with a per capita income of $36,000, situated west of Compton. It’s not an enclave of mostly negroes. Gardena is a city of old people across racial boundaries that is waiting to be gentrified. After 35 years in Congress, she sure isn’t doing much for her constituents (more here).

 

The Middle East

I’ve been asked for my opinion on developments there, and I’ll throw the spaghetti against the wall here, advising you that it’s only a guess.

President Trump said the US would commit $10 billion to his Board of Peace initiative, with other countries adding $7 billion to rebuild Gaza. The UAE pledged $1.2 billion, with Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia each promising $1 billion — initial plans include constructing around 100,000 homes. The total cost of reconstruction has been estimated at $70 billion. More than two dozen countries joined the board’s first meeting in Washington on Thursday. Troops from at least five nations, including Albania and Kazakhstan, are expected to form a peacekeeping force in the territory, even as Hamas tightens its hold on Gaza and resists pressure to disarm. That deal can’t go forward while the Ayatollah is stirring things up in and outside of Iran.

Because of that, the USA must act in concert with others to remove the beard – turban and all.  USGOV is giving them time to pack their shit and leave if they want to. Exile in Russia awaits. Or they can go for the 72 Virgins (or Virginians – however it works out for them).

 

Not a New Story

Russian families are complaining despite dire legal consequences for doing so. The complaints of severe abuse appear to be most concentrated in units with troops recruited from prisons and or those detained for criminal activity. Russia relies on these soldiers to avoid a broader draft that could generate opposition to the war. Allegations of these abuses were described as soldiers being sent to the front despite debilitating medical conditions like broken or missing limbs, advanced cancer, epilepsy, severely damaged vision and hearing, head trauma, schizophrenia, and stroke complications. If you can fog a mirror, you can be marched forward in a human wave attack. The Russians have been doing this to peasants for centuries, and they’re doing it in Ukraine.

 

A New Story

(h/t Claudio) Venom was enabled by Divergent’s Adaptive Production System, also known as DAPS. This approach replaces complex assemblies made from hundreds of individual components with unified structures produced through additive manufacturing.

Instead of building wings, fuselage sections, skins, and control surfaces as separate multi-part assemblies, it produced large monolithic structures. That reduced overall part counts and simplified production workflows. Fewer parts mean fewer fasteners, fewer failure points, and faster assembly.

 

Identify the Aircraft

1

Doesn’t take off in rough weather.

 

2

 

3

Designed to carry that torpedo

 

 

End

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39 thoughts on “Black Saturday (reviewed)”

    1. re NYC & Mamdani:
      gotta give the man credit: he did promise to feed his followers
      and now you know why those of us who grew up there, but departed it long, long ago and still hold it near and dear to our hearts call it New York Sh*tty

    2. Jules – I didn’t know you were acting in another television series. I thought you’d packed it in after Yellowstone.
      .
      NYC went full communist. There is no reason to return.

    3. If that dreadful monotone AI narration mentioned the location, I missed it.
      But I can tell you the shit-covered streets are not in Midtown (Manhattan).
      Maybe that was Jackson Heights in Queens.

  4. Interstate 80 – it’s been a while since I drove regularly on it, but near the end of that time it was common to see walls of big rigs almost bumper to bumper, sometimes stretching for several miles. I can see lots of trucks going off the road whenever any of the ones near the front losing control on ice/snow. With that much truck traffic the two lanes going each way probably need lots of maintenance. Wonder if those in charge will transfer some of their graft money into increasing the number of lanes?
    Troops from Albania – mafia or Muslim based?

    1. Albania is first and foremost mafia-based. Choice of faith identification is incidental to birth. You choose the mafia and they in turn choose you – for life and death.

    2. We are also seeing the problem with foreign (illegal) Big Rig drivers who have never seen snow or ice, let alone driven in it. That problem is being eliminated by PDJT and Crew, but will still take some time to weed them out.

      1. Biggest problem is gps tracking of pretty much all semis by owning companies.
        Now everyone sets cruise to 1mph below whatever their bosses allow for max,
        and sit there. Passing has become impossible, once a clot forms, it stays formed.
        *
        … but “safety” !
        *
        – Kle.

      2. There are many reports of drivers getting out of their trucks in chain up parking in shorts and flip flops. If they actually have chains they don’t know how to install them. The DEI twits in Colorado government did wise up enough to allow third party vendors to offer installation service and chain sales.

        1. >drivers getting out of their trucks in chain up parking in shorts and flip flops.
          —
          So we’re not allowed to hate people for their race any longer. But I’m declaring it not only OK, but positively a Civic Duty, to hate people who drive in flip flops. (Personally I have an exceedingly low opinion of anyone who wears flip flops anywhere other than the beach or other watery areas, but I have decades of experience. Not everyone can reasonably be expected to discriminate at my level.)
          —
          >wise up enough to allow third party vendors
          That’s good, but a band-aid, stop gap, you get the idea. We should let ICE round up all flip-flop driving persons and ship them off to Chateau du Bukele. Apart from the benefits of a flip-flopless society, it will be a giant middle-finger to those claiming that ICE is racist. Whites will undoubtedly be rounded up too. Good. And good riddance.

          1. How insensitive of you to assume all flip flop wearers are illegals. Logical, yes. In fact, no specific rule bans flip flops but FMCA recommends closed toe boots with oil resistant nonslip soles. A firm rule is likely in the works. Some states have tougher rules.
            In Colorado commercial vehicles must carry chains, regardless of weather, from September 1 to May 1. These can be automatic chains or chains to be manually installed. These are on drive axles. Pro drivers will chain up at least one set of rear axles for better breaking control.

    1. Do you recall the song BETTY DAVIS EYES from the 80s? “She’s pure as New York snow.”

      1. I remember hearing the song. The singing style didn’t appeal to me, and I have forgotten most of what I heard.

  6. Firearms Deaths
    I wuz jus’ thinking … ’bout all the depressed guys I’ve known (past tense) over the years who’ve decided to hasten the inevitable
    1. get yourself invited to a party on the 10th floor and lean over the balcony
    2. (2 fer the price of one) back up (accidently) over your 12 year old son who was “playing around” the back of the car and then hang yourself from a celing rigging point in your place of business on a Sunday
    3. go out for a drive, hit 100 mph, then hit a wall or a large tree
    4. take all the pills you can buy/find in your medicine chest
    5 go for a solo sail on your 13 footer and jump over board with large rocks in your pockets for ballast.
    Why didn’t they just use a gun? “Guns are dangerous, someone may get hurt.

    1. >Why didn’t they just use a gun?
      Can’t speak for any of those persons, but if I were to do myself in, I would never use a firearm. Simply to spite the anti-gun assholes.
      Kind of the same reason I maintain my NRA life membership. I despise the contemptible, lily-livered, grifting, backstabbing, gutless NRA, but I despise the people who hate the NRA even more.

  7. A New Story
    some of the companies whose activities you post/mention on VM appear to be interesting enough to invest in/take part in funding, but they, for the greater part, appear to be “private/no public trading.”
    How unfortunate!

    1. I am a horrible investor, Boron. I avoid giving investment advice, particularly in emerging technology. Much of the space is very competitive and if you “know the people” doing the actual work – you’re better able to decide whether or not it’s worth the risk.

        1. “My AUC approaches zero!”
          —
          Handy-dandy AI summary sez:
          Performance Worse than Random Guessing (Area Under Curve, AUC < 0.5): This often indicates that the model is reversing the labels (predicting 0s as 1s and vice versa), suggesting that the independent variables are associated with the opposite outcome.

  8. I80 Wyoming: Years back WyDOT installed electronic speed limit signs for a reason, people think their AWD means ‘go fast regardless of conditions’, truckers in a hurry, etc. Yet between Laramie and Cheyenne, and before Elk Mountain West of Laramie, then all the way to Evanston, the road is constant weather. Ranchers told them not to follow old Highway 30, but government knew better and every year there is at least one massive wreck ‘due to conditions’. Contrast that road associated with the new digs, I-90 Montana…a lot less traffic, and even at 80mph in many areas there are few wrecks….could it be the drivers? By the way, Hwy 287 near the old northern Colorado digs was the same way…”but officer the speed limit is 65 and it was sunny back there”…”Well sir, that’s why your car is in the ditch, supposed to slow down when a squall drops some snow on the roadway.”
    ***
    MadMaxine…The Sequel: Must be something in the wig, like isotopes, otherwise she is just being herself. But hey, mail-in ballots work, right?
    ***
    Brit TV: While I have some English and Scots-Irish (built-in conflict I suppose), the only British program I watch now that Top Gear BBC and The Grand Tour are finished, is Clarkson’s Farm, the rest are too dreary for me, including the new one Jules linked, looks painful.

    1. “Hudson’s Scouts” is a great read so far. Well done LL. Then I read you are almost done with the third book! Then I read you are working on the long awaited second book in the “Broken Toys” series. Excellent, I can’t wait for them to all be available. I need to sit down and have a donut and cup of coffee.
      *
      Jules in another TV series. Writer, painter, blogger and now a TV star. Goodness.
      *
      I80 in the Wyoming winter is always an interesting experience. I avoid it.

  10. Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. I have a copy of the book “Zemke’s Stalag” by WWII fighter ace Hubert “Hub” Zemke. Immediately post war, Col. Zemke was stationed in Germany. Don’t recall just now what his duties were, but he had to travel around. At some point, he came across an intact Storch. He rounded up a flight mechanic (U.S.) and the two of them loaded up a truck some oil and fuel and headed out. Before long, he had “acquired” a half-dozen or so Storch’s parked on the ramp. They were referred to as “Zemke’s Air Force”.

  11. I-80 is a pain. Traveling east from Colorado I stay off Interstates. The thirty to forty-five minutes of travel time I may save, repeat may save, isn’t worth it. Going west there are fewer options. I skip Elk Mountain by using US 30.
    A common trip for me is Greeley to Spartanburg, S.C. Google Maps show it as 1,536 miles and 22:14 hours. Hit the “avoid highways” option and you see 1,590 miles and 29:00 hours. For me it is more like 36 hours because I stop and sightsee plus I’m not pressed for time. For others, YMMV.
    The Seattle trip is usually up I-25 to I-90. Yes, Interstate but not I-80. Bonus, missing SLC and all the Saints driving like they are on their way to meet their maker. Further along, Cabbage Hill, sharing the road with the clueless is not something to look forward to.

    1. There was a scenic route that spun off I-80 somewhere around York(??) Nebraska and headed west-northwest. A lot less traffic and lots of good scenery. Topping a hill and seeing a sunrise lit lake with ducks and geese taking off.

        1. Had to look it up – NE Highway 2 that runs from Grand Island to Alliance. I have driven on US 30. At one point I was with a group that dribbled a basketball(we wore out a couple of them along the way) across Nebraska, and US 30 was one part of the route. Growing up before I-80 was built, the family took US 30 to visit my dad’s sister living in North Platte, where I had my first beer as a young grade-schooler…and discovered I have a bit of an allergy to fermentation byproducts. Left me feeling like I had a bad case of flu. Really yeasty bread does the same thing. Enough rambling :)

  12. Good gracious, that v-tail video was making me twitch. “Get your booker hooks off the prop!”
    I don’t care *how* dead you think the engine is, you *never* trust that the cylinders won’t hold compression and kickback on you. As far as horsing around in the cockpit, trying to start without even being certain which control is what “this must be the mixture, right? Even though it’s a prop colour? I can’t find the primer…”
    I think we found a candidate for the apprentice airplane mechanic version of forklift Klaus.
    .
    The reason the V-tail was known as the doctor-killer / lawyer-killer is very simple: people with more money than sense would buy an airplane beyond their capability to safely handle, not fly them enough to maintain proficiency in normal and the emergency procedures, and let their arrogance and ignorance combine into pushing the aircraft past its physical limits. These days it’s Cirrus – there’s a reason they built a chute into the aircraft, and it’s not for the very rare mechanical issue, but for the much more common pilot error.
    .
    As far as the Yukon – that’s a nasty bit of river he was trying to use for a takeoff run. Not impossible, but… well beyond my capabilities. Looks like he added a little too much speed, a little too soon, and the diameter of his turn mismatched the curve of the river. Not an easy one to recover from, because pulling power results in you going in a straight line into the riverbank… but adding more throttle only widens the radius on your curve, and slams you into the riverbank faster. Break one float free too aggressively, and you’ll dip the opposite float under with the exact same effect as stubbing your toe.
    .
    .
    The Feiseler Storch is a lovely plane, but I am a little too short to easily climb up into one… and definitely too short to gracefully exit without a ladder. The last time I did that, I lost my shirt.
    Literally.
    My flying buddy was trying to help me down, and he thought he had a good grip on my ribs. I missed the foothold, and ended up on the tarmac very quickly… and he was still standing there, arms raised, holding my shirt.
    Took a while to live that down.

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