Bullet Points:
** What did Fang-Fang see in him? Oh, right, he’s a recruited asset and she’s a honeypot. I forgot. Swalwell embarrasses himself yet again. Sort of like Poca-haunt-us Warren drinking a beer to prove her working-class roots.
** When you’re trying to avoid that illegal immigration arrest, the place to start would be NOT to wear an ANTI-ICE t-shirt.
** Ayatollah Ali Jamenei of Iran is said to be very afraid because he knows that the Mossad – Israeli Intelligence Agency follows him, and all this does not allow him to sleep or eat because he no longer trusts anyone. He is hiding in the third secret bunker shelter. He is believed to be a refugee and uncommunicated for fear of being eliminated by Israel. Not even senior government officials have had contact with him. Do any of you feel sorry for that baby-raper?
** Boating with EdB.
** “Sources exclusively briefed Fox News Digital on some of the contents of the classified annex — including that the U.S. intelligence community had credible foreign sources indicating that the FBI would play a role in spreading the alleged Trump–Russia collusion narrative — before the bureau ever launched its controversial Crossfire Hurricane probe. A source familiar with the contents of the classified annex told Fox News Digital that, although it may not have been entirely clear in the moment what the intelligence collection meant, with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI’s next move with “alarming specificity.” “Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia,” the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters that have not yet been made public, told Fox News Digital.”
** Finding the right product for the right person. When I view these, I somehow think of WSF.
** What do you regret most in life?
** A discussion of the post-deportation future. It’s worth a read.
** Roughly 1,500 unqualified truckers have been taken off the roads after not meeting the basic standards for English language proficiency.
** The United States sanctioned Senior Supreme Leader Adviser Ali Shamkhani’s son, Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, and his multinational shipping network on July 30 for generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue for the Shamkhani family and the Iranian regime. The US Treasury Department sanctioned 12 individuals, 52 vessels, and 53 entities tied to Hossein Shamkhani’s network to disrupt Iranian and Russian exports of petroleum products and other goods.
** Thankfully, I think Kahmala knows her time on the stage is done. She’s lazy, has made her money (somehow), has her locker reserved in the fallout bunker, and it’s time to enjoy a good glass of wine and some weed. I wish her well, just please don’t bother the public anymore. All done, bye-bye.
Define “Cheap”
Let’s talk renewable energy. The popular claim that wind and solar are “cheap” sources of energy is deeply misleading. This perception stems from the use of a flawed metric: the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), which divides a project’s total lifetime cost by its total expected energy output.
While simple, LCOE overlooks key factors such as intermittency, grid reliability, backup generation, storage needs, transmission infrastructure, and the timing of electricity production—all of which significantly impact real-world costs. LCOE treats every kilowatt-hour as equally valuable, regardless of when it’s produced.
Electricity during a summer heatwave at 6 PM is far more critical than during a mild spring afternoon when solar production peaks and can flood the grid with low-value power. Unlike coal or gas plants, which provide on-demand electricity, wind and solar are weather-dependent and require dispatchable backup—typically gas peaker plants or large-scale batteries—which LCOE fails to account for.
This oversight contributes to price volatility in grids like Texas’s ERCOT, where low wind and high demand collide.
As intermittent sources expand, system costs rise sharply, leading to curtailment and reliability challenges.
California’s “duck curve” is a case in point: midday solar oversupply crashes prices, followed by a steep evening ramp that strains the grid and spikes costs.
Another hidden cost is transmission. Prime locations for wind and solar energy are often remote, requiring the construction of expensive new transmission lines. This has led to massive interconnection backlogs in the U.S., with thousands of gigawatts of proposed projects stuck behind costly upgrade studies—expenses that LCOE also ignores.
These infrastructure burdens have contributed to record utility rate hikes between 2020 and 2024, as noted by Deloitte’s 2025 insights. A more comprehensive metric, the levelized complete system cost of electricity (LFSCOE), encompasses these integration costs.
Studies published in Energy (2022) and reviewed in 2024 show LFSCOE in high-renewable systems can run two to three times higher than LCOE, turning a touted $40/MWh into $120/MWh or more. Lazard’s 2025 LCOE+ report similarly shows wind’s cost rising from $37–$86/MWh to $44–$123/MWh once storage is included.
These findings undermine claims of cheap renewables, especially in light of $936 billion to $1.97 trillion in subsidies under U.S. policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which expands long-standing tax credits, according to a 2025 Cato Institute analysis.
LCOE remains in use not because it reflects reality, but because it’s politically convenient.
If renewable energy is to be truly cost-effective, its producers must bear the full burden of backup, storage, and transmission. Moving beyond LCOE to more comprehensive measures, such as LFSCOE, is essential for honest energy accounting. Until then, the illusion of “cheap” renewables will persist, leaving consumers to foot the bill for costs buried beneath the surface.
A Palestinian State?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Fox on those recognizing a Palestinian state: “It’s irrelevant. It doesn’t mean anything. First of all, none of these countries can create a Palestinian state. There can be no Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to it. Number two, they can’t even tell you where this Palestinian state is. They can’t tell you who will govern it. And I think number three, it’s counterproductive.”
A Hundred Billion here, a Hundred Billion there…
Eventually, you’re talking real money.
Gavin Newsom is going to “look into” the missing $100 million from FireAid… right after he finds the $100 billion that vanished into his High-Speed Rail to Nowhere.
And once he’s done with that, maybe he’ll explain where the $37 billion for homelessness went, since California now has more encampments, more drug deaths, and more human suffering than ever before.
Then there’s the $40 billion supposedly spent on “affordable” housing. Rents are still sky-high. Working families are being priced out. However, the consultants and cronies continue to receive payments.
Let’s not forget the $5 billion for water storage. That money was supposed to prepare California for drought years. Instead, reservoirs were never built, and water was dumped into the ocean during the wet season. Ask a Central Valley farmer how that worked out.
And if you’ve been to San Diego lately, you’ll notice the raw sewage still pouring across the border from Mexico. That’s despite Newsom promising half a billion dollars to stop it.
This is what failure looks like—polished, rehearsed, and running for national office.
Every time the public demands answers, Newsom dodges accountability with a smile and a press conference. Every scandal is “under review.” Every disaster is someone else’s fault.
But the numbers don’t lie. The billions are gone. And there’s nothing to show for it but excuses, media spin, and a growing list of crises.
At some point, Californians have to stop asking where the money went and start asking why Gavin Newsom still has a job.
Russia/Ukraine
** Russia has launched a simultaneous kinetic and cognitive response to US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s nuclear threats and rhetorical efforts to delay peace negotiations are part of a broader cognitive campaign to undermine US-led efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
** The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a decisive enabler of devastating long-range Russian strikes against the Ukrainian rear.
** European and US sanctions appear to be degrading Russian revenues from third-country importers of Russian oil.
** Russia continues to look to its small coalition of international partners to lend legitimacy to its illegal occupation and annexation of Ukraine.
** Ukrainian forces continue to innovate technical solutions to offset Russian strike adaptations.
Posturing
President Trump ordered the deployment of two US nuclear submarines closer to Russia, presumably in response to Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev’s July 31 nuclear threats against the United States. Trump stated on August 1 that he ordered American military authorities to position two US nuclear ballistic missile submarines “in the appropriate regions” following Medvedev’s “highly provocative statements.” Trump stated that he gave the order “just in case [the] foolish and inflammatory statements [from Medvedev] are more than just that.” Trump previously stated on July 31 that Medvedev should “watch his words” and is “entering perilous territory.” Medvedev responded to Trump on July 31 on both his English- and Russian-language Telegram accounts, threatening that Russia is “doing everything right” and will continue along its path.
For what it’s worth, the Trident II D5 can carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), though arms control treaties reduce the number. It has a range of up to 7,000 miles and utilizes a combination of inertial and celestial guidance. That means that US SSBN payloads can reach targets in Russia from almost anywhere on the planet.
Identify the Aircraft
1
2
Identify the Guns
3 & 4
Hint: Piglet & Pig
Identify the Tank
5
End
Photo 3 and 4. M249Para – The Piglet (on left) and M60 GPMG – The Pig (on right.
Exactly!
And the piglet is “only” about 16 pounds….. so you can carry more ammo…
Speaking of more ammo–
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBNGgu0qGlQ
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Link should work, although I cannot verify it. YouTube seems to have run over the horizon with its hair on fire recently. Sign in is required for anything that so much as gets down wind of burnt gun powder. I refuse to have an account with them.
Never seen a para outside of photos and videos. Carried the M60 for a while as no doubt a lot of readers did.
1 is Dornier Do 28 A/B model. The later D looked very different.
2 is Grumman C-1 Trader
Absolutely.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Dornier Do 28 A/B
2. Grumman C-1 Trader
Identify the Guns:
3. M249 SAW
4. M60
Identify the Tank:
5. M60A2
Excellent.
Trump …LOL Ah Shit …..more of the “This is Biden’s War ” , Well Buddy you’re ass deep in it . “Tag” you’re “IT” ! Dogleg left , pick your club . Fly to Moscow ,take Melania , have her show some of those sexy legs , she is a stunning lady with fine posture and poise . Putin, like you, is a slavic loving poon-hound . Go have another great conversation . Speaking only for myself I am waiting and watching , hoping and praying for some resolution , usually about this time of day sitting here getting coffee mouth (gonna have to brush my teeth) another prayer , another cup of coffee and on to my chores . Today must till between the garden rows , and with the help of my bride of 36 years , we will can what appears to be about 24 jars of green beans I picked yesterday . The first pickings this year , stringless pole beans , grown on two 10 ft fences , planted on both sides.
Going to be a steamy day canning , be cooler outside than in the kitchen . Peace to all , Best Regards, Boats
9
The green beans sound great. We have never home-canned them, though we do can peaches, pears, and fruit, most years.
To the extent that the democrat party needed a laundry once we pulled out of Afghanistan, the Ukraine War was one that USGOV/Swamp hoped to milk for another generation. The position that Pres. Trump faces is not a good one because Putin is exactly what he appears to be. Would the Russians like to be “great?” Yes. And they have almost unlimited natural resources that they’re willing to rape the land to exploit, and throw down the Ukrainian rat hole. They’re banking on a lack of US resolve and I don’t know that they’re betting wrong. The infinitely corrupt Ukrainians will eventually run out of Ukrainians and nobody else wants to expend their population base there unless we can create a “foreign legion” of African cannon fodder that can be thrown into the breach. And would they be effective even if they lost five million KIA?
“The infinitely corrupt Ukrainians”
“Ukraine’s Anti-Graft Agencies Say They Uncover Major Drone Procurement Bribery Case”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/ukraines-anti-graft-agencies-uncover-major-drone-procurement-bribery-case-5895835?utm_source=RTNews&src_src=RTNews&utm_campaign=rtbreaking-2025-08-02-3&src_cmp=rtbreaking-2025-08-02-3&utm_medium=email&est=nx4v4hPxmymMbkzH2LfJgK2NVb4Vn4ckBM3Y2YoLBSTFbhgV29YE3ONq3VEfyFFC8iM%3D
The move follows a dramatic reversal of law that had curbed the anti-corruption agencies and sparked rare wartime demonstrations.
“On July 22, Zelenskyy signed a measure that gave the prosecutor general sweeping authority over NABU and SAPO, including the power to reassign prosecutors and transfer cases away from the agencies.”
Because why not throttle the agencies investigating corruption in your corrupt administration?
dang boatswain!
you make me jealous!
rock on!
Juan
Trump is operating as such because he isn’t beholding (aka owned) by anyone, which was The Founder concept for leadership in high places. The sub deployment may be posturing at first blush, but he is clear-headed as The Big Dog not to be messed with. Love it.
Sidebar: When Chucky Cheeseball Schumer spouted off on The White House Ballroom addition – as proposed (aka a done deal) by PDJT (about bloody time it happened) the hilarity afterward was so sweet; Chucky Boy forgot to check himself, PDJT is personally writing the check. Love it #2.
***
Boating: What I find more interesting in the level of confidence the GP have when doing things like boating or camping…or drivign for that matter. Be it right, be it wrong…be it REALLY wrong…just be confident in your ineptitude (the actual definition of a politician I might add).
***Speaking of EdB Adventures, the man is still working, eyes forward. SISU for sure. Today his radio program is on my must listen list today: Property Tax Abolishment.
As I’ve mentioned before and may be touched on here on VM tomorrow, the problem that the government needs to tax is. Who pays what and on what basis? What services do we want to take from the government, and what services must we contribute to (the common defense for example) are endless arguments. The concept of “useless eaters” enters into this if we “pay as we go” with concierge services. Some people in the safety net can’t pay for anything. Others (the disabled) by no fault of their own or (addicts) who by fault of their own or the lazy who chose to take, fall into different categories. Half of all Americans pay no federal income taxes. Many receive significant “tax rebates” because of their situations (many children) even though they didn’t pay into the system.
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It’s not just property tax (state/local tax). Is it better to have a high sales tax to pay for state services, schools, law enforcement, fire departments? States like California charge high taxes on everything with massive gasoline taxes and use tax income to buy votes through socialism.
When my garage permit (permits within county: Spit, spit, but that’s another subject) included “fees” (aka taxes) for the homeless, mental illness “assistance “, etc….that’s when I see the true oat of City “services” leaching out into the County, and said to myself, “We’re moving before this gets worse.” It got worse, and continues unabated.
Ed’s program (always well done) should be enlightening with his guest….Basically people have had it with government greed and overreach. (Why do WTP sense a calm in the coamic force? Because PDJT is winning on all fronts, firing on all cylinders deploying his prescribed gameplan from the 2020 steal, with those behind it running like the rats and cockroaches they all are. Love it #3.)
*oat (???) ‘cost’
Some of it comes down to this: I want the government to do everything for me and I don’t want to pay for it. I realize that’s not what YOU want and it’s not what I want but I run into this sort of thing three times a week at least. I’ve ranted on it before. I just got off the phone.
.
Hey buddy (it alawys begins that way), I need contacts to do X. Do you know somebody? I usually do. Often I explain that for what they want, I will need to travel somewhere and speak to people personally. If I do that they need to cover my basic time and the associated expenses and I can give them an up-front estimate. “Do you promise it will work?” No.
.
If it works, sometimes they say thanks, if it doesn’t they say, “YOU PROMISED.” Even though I didn’t.
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I’m not the government but it’s almost the same. I want to have a government worker shovel snow at my house. It will take 5X cost of getting a neighborhood boy to do it but the government is spending “other people’s money” so I want the service. That’s how it works with taxes. If you don’t own property, a property tax sounds good, etc.
Exactly…yet me (us)…I don’t want ANY government services beyond the basics(1), the rest I’ll handle myself. Always been that way as taught by MnD.
(1) Defining basics for the 20% is easy (police, fire, roads, other necessary infrastructure). But for the 80%, not so much, because to them, as you point out, “basics” means everything in their sorry non-self reliant life (eg. Welfare) that others other than them get to pay (which ends up being minimally paying twice).
The problem is that Property taxes are like Income Tax.
For most people (earners and mortgagees) hidden in withholding.
And property taxes that allow the government to confiscate your property should never pass a Constitutional review by a decent SCOTUS.
The pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of property in Locke’s terms..
👍
I don’t disagree at all. I’m not a fan of property tax. So what is the alternative and how should it be levied? Sales Tax – a consumption tax?
Cutting spending.
$100B light rail laundry washing machine$; A 7/30/25 American Thinker Article goes back over 20 yrs referring to merely million$ channeled by ACTblue with mortgage ” loan$.” Don’t forget the bleach! Was 2008 the culmination of this nationwide laundry mat franchise?
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It pales in comparison to the present, but excellent work by a former LOE / COP hailing from Tennessee. BUT… as we should expect, justice appears to finally being served nearly two decades after the crime…. as long as no unexpected ” accidents ” occur, and rogue,liberal,commie, bought and paid for Soros judges cease and desist.
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H/T to my friend and v.m. anonymous reader for sending me the A.T. link that relates Gavin’s current escapades.
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To any other readers who have yet to opine with comments; If a very busy mathematics tutor can mentor a nail pounder with late night instant coffee and induct me into the V.M. hall of flames; surely your comments and book purchases will be valid tokens of h\t as well. Always grateful for Larry’s hard work being posted for us “moths.”
P.S. ” it” being billions vs millon$. I’ll try harder! –
Freshman, rookie, voluntary recruit, enrolled in spelling and vocabulary here.
👍
** Roughly 1,500 unqualified truckers have been taken off the roads
Bravo! Ask any heavy wrecker tow company how many of their jobs involve non English speaking drivers.
————
Car sales. Reading those Trans-Union credit reports often is akin to reading a crime novel.
———–
Renewable Energy
Operating logically would wipe out green energy advocate jobs for those unqualified to do real productive work.
Non-English speaking drivers should never be licensed commercially.
The proliferation of lime green semi’s was my first clue. Yeah, get ‘em off the road. MrsPaulM heading down 287 to Fort Collins, had one right off her rear bumper for five miles, finally pulled off to let him pass. Zero police presence.
Oh, but “the road” is the dangerous one.
287
Notice how it improves when you cross the Wyoming line.
————
If I need to go to Laramie, I will often drive the extra 22 miles and 15 minutes to take I-25 to I-80 then West. Past Laramie going West? Again, extra 15 miles and 20 minutes to take US 30 and avoid Elk Mountain.
Heh. I take 287 up to six times a week, though the construction on this stretch in Texas is enough to drive me to the Farm-to-Market roads. And yes, this announcement was met with Great Cheer in our household… it’s been getting so bad that lately, giving a semi room enough to merge (because I as a local know they’re about to hit the sudden down-to-one-lane when they crest that rise), I’m surprised when one flashes their lights in thanks instead of ignoring the opening until the cones start forcing them over, and then swerving across both lanes and half the shoulder before overcorrecting at the last minute.
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LL, thanks for the river landing yesterday. I’m trying to figure out which river that is, because the mountains down the mouth are *almost* but not *quite* right for a spot where I used to go… I can’t judge based on the river basin itself, that’ll change every major washout and most winters, but the mountains don’t move.
I don’t even think they should be licensed privately.
You need to be able to read the signs to drive properly.
We need a much more rigorous DL testing regime in the US.
– Kle.
In the past, I was a little amazed at the number of buses from Mexico, with Mexican tags, Mexican tourists, and their obvious disrepair. I couldn’t fathom how they were allowed into the United States. When I started seeing run-down trucks with Mexican tags, my only thought was of the poor people with changed lives after an accident without any realistic method of compensation from people that could flee to another country.
And flee they do.
I remember seeing a truck driver on the shoulder knowing
A) He shouldn’t be there
B) Why he thought he should be there.
With enough sign language I got him back on the road.
The tourist buses that had a toilet in back, with an uncovered window, were a bit…odd.
Do-28 A/B – does that version count as a sesquiplane?
– Kle.
Back home from the internet free tour of the Midwest. Currently resting up to recover from driving fatigue – haven’t checked the trip odometer, but I’m guessing several thousand miles total. My first visit to Runza was a bit different. After a long drive our first go-to place was the bathroom. I entered the men’s, and the gal inside said ‘Hi”. Double checked to make sure I was in the right one. She was an employee there, but had not put out the Bathroom Cleaning sign.
tell us more Frank
Juan
There are a lot of co-ed bathrooms in Europe. You’re there bleeding the lizard and two or three women (run in packs) waltz past and meat gaze.
Thinking there’s something in God’s Word against that sort of “openness”.
No offense to Mike_C, but I must confess to losing interest in extra trips to doctors even before the untreatable critters made their appearance, and before I developed any interest in religion. If that made me a boring old man even before I got old, then sobeit :)
I remember in Italy where the older woman would sit in the men’s keeping it clean with a tip bowl.
And in Mexico.
As you’ve noted, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) always has been and always will be ‘convenient’ rather than accurate, because if you get accuracy, you see the real costs of ‘alternative’ energy, and if you look at actual utilization especially in wind farms that are ‘aging’, you see fewer and fewer units in operation. We have a rather large wind farm between us and Amarillo on US287, and it’s down to less that 50% of the units working… sigh
The only practical alternative to petroleum based energy is nuclear energy in 2025. Yes, I know there is hydroelectric, there is geothermal energy and there is harnessing tides but I repeat myself. You either use petroenergy to provide on-demand power or you use nuclear energy. It’s a small decision tree.
👍
Identify cheap. As in Democrat? No, that’d be pricey.