Bullet Points

** Mining News – Lithium – The deposit exists in the McDermitt Caldera, a caldera approximately 28 miles long and 22 miles wide. It is believed that the caldera contains around 20 to 40 million metric tons of lithium – a figure that would dwarf deposits in Chile and Australia.

** Pedo Joe is mulling (which means that his handlers are mulling) over sending long-range missiles to Ukraine with which to strike the Russian Homeland. As to Ukraine’s strategic importance…that is always going to be Russia’s sphere of influence. It always has been going back centuries. That’s why Eastern Ukraine is ethnically Russian. If one good thing has come out of this massacre, it’s to show how weak Russia really is. I doubt they could conquer Poland, even without Article 5. Stalin couldn’t without Hitler’s help, after all.

** Lafayette Lee wrote: “Conservative populism has its problems, and the jury’s still out on whether it can produce a viable counter-elite, but make no mistake, these guys are losing. And they aren’t losing on account of some plebeian moral failing or because the world’s more dangerous and complex now than during the Cold War… they are losing because they became decadent, lazy, and entitled. They abandoned their obligations to the people, rested on laurels they didn’t earn, and outsourced their hearts and minds to machines. They are fundamentally unserious people, and as problems pile up and the stakes get ever higher, their unfitness becomes impossible to ignore. We have a corrupt and derelict elite. They’ve lost our confidence, and their contempt is really just a confession of inadequacy.”

** Free Cheese – The State of California sent my daughter two Electronic Balance Transfer cards in the mail for each of her two boys in the amount of $120 (each). The state spent $10 billion to transfer wealth and ‘reimburse’ what would have been spent on school lunches during the Covid Plague, two years ago. Maybe it’s to make them feel better about the upcoming plague restrictions?

** (Fox News) The mayor of Burbank, California, who recently made headlines for being spanked by a drag queen at a Democratic fundraiser, spoke to Fox News Digital about his “abolitionist” and “Marxist” ideology in an interview with FOX News Digital.

Mayor Konstantine Anthony is currently running for Los Angeles County Supervisor where a big issue on the ballot is policing reform. Anthony not only supports defunding the police and restricting officers’ use of force in hostile scenarios along with other stringent measures but also wants to work to create a future without police and prisons.

When asked, “Do you support abolishing the police?” He replied, “Yes, I’m a full abolitionist,” meaning he supports a “policeless state.”

** “Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced he cannot defend the governor’s public health order on firearms, exposing a divide between the state’s top-ranked elected Democrats. “In his letter to Gov. Lujan Grisham, Torrez said that although he agrees a debate is needed on the impact of gun violence, it cannot be rebranded a public health emergency to justify a blanket 30-day prohibition against carrying firearms.”

** You may not remember that Obama and his favorite sister-wife, Valerie Jarrett, also used the, *It’s their money,* excuse previously when giving Iran billions of dollars.

Moving forward, every illicit drug dealer who had their massive assets seized should go to court and use the, *If it’s good enough for the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, it’s good enough for lil’ ol’ drug-dealer-me,* defense.

Your President made this six billion-dollar move yesterday on the 22nd Anniversary of 9/11. A memorial that he couldn’t be bothered to attend because past Presidents didn’t go to Hawaii twenty-two years after the invasion of Pearl Harbor.

 

The Photo:

Living in the greater Los Angeles area for quite some years, I avoided going into LAX to pick up friends who arrived there until they landed and called me. This is where I parked while I waited, and yes, I usually availed myself of a hamburger while doing so.

Now I wait for people here sans burger.

 

Identify the Aircraft

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From the Days of Fighting Sail

September 11th and every American was thinking about the anniversary of the Battle of Lake Champlain: September 11, 1814. The U.S. Navy’s Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough defeated the British fleet, the U.S. Army triumphed at the Battle of Plattsburgh.

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M’donough’s Victory on Lake Champlain, 1846 lithograph (Naval History and Heritage Command).

Enemy fire eventually silenced all of the guns on one side of the Saratoga. At this point, Macdonough performed the masterstroke that turned the tide in the battle, winding his flagship around so that he could bring fresh guns to bear on the British ships. Lieutenant James Robertson, who had taken command of the Confiance after Downie’s death, tried to bring his flagship around by employing the same maneuver, but without advance preparation, his lines became fouled and his ship immobilized. The Saratoga relentlessly pounded the British ship with broadside after broadside. The fire was so intense that a British marine who had been at Trafalgar claimed that “that was a mere flea-bite in comparison with this.”

— Donald R. Hickey, The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict

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USS Saratoga in 1814: a Vermont-built corvette (Wikimedia Commons).

 

Royal Sails

A royal is a small sail set immediately above the top gallant on square-rigged sailboats. It was originally called a “topgallant royal” and was used in light and favorable winds. These sails were introduced around the turn of the 18th century but were not usually hoisted on the mizzen mast until the end of the century.

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Sail plan of a Brig with Royals

They were usually only found on larger ships whose masts were high enough to accommodate the extra canvas and the name derives from a Dutch term for a light breeze and called them bovenbramzeilskoelte

 

Coaling Stations

From the middle of the 19th century onwards, many ships switched to steam and used sails only partially or not at all. This led to ships having to pick up coal at various stations outside Europe to replenish their supplies.

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Seabrook Landing, near Port Royal, S. Carolina (Coaling Station)“, 02/11/1863, by H. E. Valentine 1863 

For this purpose, so-called bunker ports or coaling stations were built, which were mostly used from 1860-1920.

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Pearl Harbor coaling station in 1919, photo by David Franzen 

These included stations such as Pearl Harbor and Port Royal. In addition to small islands, coaling ships were also used, which functioned like a floating base to supply the warships with coal.

 

Useful Memes

 

 

 

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

35 COMMENTS

  2. The loss of the S-3 Viking with no replacement has put carrier aviation at a major loss. A plane that could refuel, hunt subs, attack ships, do electronic warfare, carry stuff. And the COD version of it would have enhanced the nuke carriers, but would not be usable on the landing ship flattops turned into F-35 carriers.

    The Mig-9 shows its Nazi heritage well.

    The Battle of Lake Champlain was a major turning point in the War of 1812. Which used to be taught in school.

    As to coaling stations, the loss of Germany’s Pacific coaling stations to Imperial Japan after WWI gave ImpJap ready-made expansions to its empire.

    • Yeah, the entire Carrier Air Wing is weak and rudimentary, now.

      I want the 1980s air wings back, with each type replaced by an improved modern equivalent.

      -Kle.

      • Part of the rapid change in aircraft and technology is due to the need for defense contractors to sell more (and they claim better) equipment. It’s the fuel that powers the trillion-dollar defense budget.

        • In stark contrast to the Big 3 automakers…Ford alone lost $700MM with stupid EV’s and DEI garbage, and now the UAW appears to be poised to tank all three. Why destroy your own lucrative business? Unless government is working with Union thugs for a takeover.

          • Davos elected Fink. Of course when it comes to DEI, he’s not resigning for equity, which tells you all you need to know. He’s right though, we need to force a change in behavior. Jailing a few CEOs would send the message needed to force the change. Which is why he supports that 81 million ballot guy, otherwise the one who got the most votes of any sitting president in history might clean house at DOJ. Can’t have that if you’re a Davos approved executive.

          • We have one of this blog’s readers (I’m not outing him/her here) who has been invited to Davos in January. I hope to get some first-hand insight.

  4. Not a stretch to wait for folks there even if it means no In-N-Out burger joint…some things are worth giving up for peace of mind and not being in the frenzy.

      • I’ve been in to, out of, and through so many airports that I pretty much hate 95% of them. The only one I actually enjoyed using was Long Beach (LGB). Easy in, easy out, no lines, and they fly most everywhere.

        Yep, the S-3 still is a very versatile aircraft. Too bad they pulled them from service.

        • Knew a guy who, realizing he was on a first name basis with airport personnel at a number of locations, quit his job and got work elsewhere.

          • I went back and forth between O’Hare and LAX that I got to know some of the flight attendants. Even went out with one for a year or so until she moved to LA so she could get on the LA/Hawaii route.

  6. “Pedo Joe… mulling”
    It appears that we are currently at war with Russia. Sorry, but there’s no other way to put it.
    It’s been reported that Vladimir Vladimirovich is a chess master. I, for one, would be very cautious:
    1) assessing Russia’s mlitary capabilities
    2) assessing Mr. Putin’s thinking re both seas: Baltic and Black
    3) evaluating “war” in current terms: boots on the ground vs. drones. I think the Ukraine will become a “test area”. Are the Chinese factories making them as well?

        • Needed something to build up those off shore accounts and keep The Fink in a life he has become accustomed…the rest is distraction and fear-mongering. Just wait until The UniParty, Inc. launches the next Covid Crap lockdown PsyOp, watch who complies. They have a year.

    • DJI (Chinese Company) made a lot of the open-blade systems that were used early in the Russia-Ukraine War (Or the Proxy War if you’d like). As far as I can tell, they still do, but the word “drone” just refers to guided and unguided unmanned (or uncrewed if we’re politically correct) aircraft. The Chinese have been leaders in the uncrewed aircraft business for a long time. They took one look at General Atomic’s Predator series and said, “we need to copy those”.

      • Proxy War? What kind of mendacious gaslighting is that? Putler is a madman dying of cancer AND late-stage neurosyphillis. Hence his totally unfounded aggression, the act of a mad dog and enemy of all humanity. The war to defend our Second Greatest Ally is a holy war. Or would be, if we were not a bunch of annoying atheists.* To use the phrasing of another blogger, there will be NO “gargling of Putler’s junk” here, sirrah!** (Yes, I am dictating to the blog owner on his own blog. Very Progressive and enlightened of me, innit? 😌 I am, if nothing else, fashionable and eager to ape my betters.)

        * I have nothing against atheISM per se (though it seems an intellectually arrogant position), but the most vociferous atheISTs are often jerks.
        ** seplchuk turned “sirrah” to “AirTag”. Wait, whut?

        Finally, what’s the deal with the “NAFO 69th Sniffing Brigade”? All the usual trusted (hah) sources say it’s a nonprofit helping UKR get transport, while also “waging information warfare” against Putler and his Murdering Cosssacks. I watched one video of theirs that randomly appeared in my feed and I thought it was an anti-UKR parody, as the supposed “Ukrainian special ops fighter” in it came across as awkward and, well, kind of a loser. Vert der ferk?

        • @ Mike C
          Wow!!
          Ah cain’t tell if ‘n the above is sarcasm er whut
          The western media, EU politicians, et al hates Vladimir Vladimirovich primarily because he’s a (if I may employ the term, unashamed; I was going to say blatant, but that would imply flaunt and he doesn’t flaunt; he just is) Christian (OK! Eastern, but what the …)
          and contrary to one commenter’s thoughts: I am not a russophile, my mom came from the Ukraine (from a little farm outside of Berdychiv, to be precise), so russophile: no, I don’t think so.

          • It’s not sarcasm, Boron. Mike_C has been to the Hajj and walked around the meteorite. He kissed the Blarney Stone. He bicycles past the UN building (the only woke way to travel) and feels a deep kinship for colored people/people of color who gather there to scold the patriarchy. He pays the weather tax with a cheerful, open, and giving heart, knowing that he is saving the planet for everyone including the ungrateful curs in the fly-over country.

          • Shhhh! Only Ruffian Dick can get away with talking about sneaking into The Hajj. I don’t get over to the UN building much, but I am in the vicinity of BlackRock’s former headquarters on a disturbingly regular basis, and yes, actually have ridden my bicycle past it. (The current one in Hudson Yards? Not so much.)

            On the topic of BlackRock, here’s an article about Larry Fink from 2010. It was interesting reading.

            https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/04/fink-201004

          • “puts it, he has achieved this position largely in the shadows. Even on Wall Street, until recently, there were people who only vaguely knew what he did. there were many bankers at the firm who for months had no idea how deeply Fink and BlackRock were involved in the dismantling of their company. “He’s like the Wizard of Oz,” Cohan says. “The man behind the curtain.”

            With his people seconded to the Office of the President in the White House he is said to rule from the shadows. Some say we’re lucky to have a fink like that at the helm of the ship of state…

          • Yes (about the “power in the shadows” thing). But I found the parts about his experiences at First Boston* from triumph to ignominy, and especially Fink’s apparent interpretation of WHY he fell from grace, the most interesting. A man’s motivations, his internal/mental map of the world, shape his actions in the physical world.

            * “Along with Lew Ranieri, of Salomon Brothers, [Fink] would be credited with developing the multi-trillion-dollar debt-securitization market that transformed the face of finance.”

          • Yes, I read that as well, and though I read it, I don’t know that I have anything close to a valid read on the guy. He’s complicated. Rags to riches people usually are.

  7. We live in different times, these days when I look at one of the “identify” aircraft I have to look to see if it has a window on the front.
    Not too long ago all aircraft had a window… welcome to the future!

    • Soon AI will handle all the driving for you in the hive city where you live. Yes, I jest. There will be no need to travel because you’ll be a human battery like in the matrix.

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