OlDawg

lol Yep. All different shores. Always joke the Navy taught me how to blow things up, so I got a degree to learn how to design and build stuff for a well-rounded curriculum. My brother did 13 as an ET aboard the Grayling (fast attack sub), and my son was the Senior Chief nuke tech on the Ronald Reagan for 13. (Dad flew helos in the Navy and Air Force for 4 years each.) My brother and son both got more useful skills for civvy life than I did. Funny thing is, I went in to be an ATC (AC) after Reagan fired them all. My dad taught me how to fly while crop dusting on the farm. He was also a private flight instructor at LP airport when we moved here. So, I thought it would be a cool job. But, after enlistment, I was told the schools were full. So, they looked at my background, my ASVAB was a 99 (twice because they thought I cheated the first time), saw I was a beach lifeguard, college swimmer, and "asked" to reclassify me. Of course, they hounded me for about 3 weeks to see if they could con me into the nuke program first. Had me standing straight guard duty to see if I would give in. I didn't. So Boom! I went from the air to the water. lol Had to give up diving when my son was born. Wife told me I could only have one dangerous hobby. I chose motorcycles. I’d been riding since I was young, and enjoy the freedom. Still ride when I can. She used to ride along before her Parkinson’s Plus. We used to have a lot of fun taking short weekend trips here and there.

Better 1/2 and I saw Fleet Week in Seattle in the 2010's. Pretty nice set up with the air show and everything over the water in the harbor. I was never assigned a ship. I think my old rate is now an ND. At least I saw that somewhere a few years ago. So, I never participated while serving. I was 'galavanting' other places most of the time anyway. lol

Actual transcript from SCOTUS oral arguments is out. [Hidden Content]

Better marketing to add a surcharge clause. Grab a blank contract template from one of the big boys. I’m sure they have the clause in their contracts. Just copy it, and add it to your contracts. Then, you can tell your customers you’re holding prices, but you have to add the surcharge because of current fuel costs. Easier on you and contract negotiations, and makes you seem like you’re willing to be helpful when most are in a bind. But, you still maintain your profit margin, and may even come out ahead without ‘raising prices’ if you set the surcharge with enough of a margin. Again…just me.

Then, the dirty harmonics from the diesel generators powering the chargers fries the electronics on the big rigs, and we're now running a shortage of Macks. Of course, Mack trucks are actually owned by Volvo, and we've made the Swedes angry somehow, so they'll be upping the prices. We could hire more truckers to help offset some cost. But, they can't speak or read English.

They’re still in the development stage for trucking companies. Need more dirty power to replace the dirty diesel. No constant 60 Hz for them. They be bad boys.

Remember the 9 Scariest Words.

Just be proud of those 1,000 imaginary EV chargers you helped build to help with your fuel costs.

If I were in the trucking business, I think I would make sure I had a fuel surcharge clause in my contracts. Just me though.

I've answered this spread out among multiple different posts. I've attached a link that boils it down fairly simple and is a short read. Please read it. It's a pretty good layman's explanation. It won't make you happy. But, it will explain. [Hidden Content]

So, BH and LP would probably meet again if they make it that far in Div 1 PO’s if I’m seeing standings correctly? (Assuming BH & Sterling being Div 1.)

Just one off topic to follow-up on your bow thruster comment. They are AWESOME! Put one in my last 32' Stamas. One of the best boating decisions I ever made. I never worried about docking by my self again. Even with a boat that was 35'3" OAL.

I noticed that Maxpreps has BH at #2 in 5A, and La Porte is #4 in 5A. Would these two teams be in separate divisions like we were in basketball, or is softball all one division?

I still think the best outcome would be for the other Arab countries/nations directly impacted by Iran's aggressive posture to finish the necessary kinetic actions (which they seem more willing to do now that Iran is degraded), and work the diplomatic side along with assistance--as required/requested--from the U.S. This could be an excellent opportunity to solidify the Abraham Accord countries, and actually provide a ME with some lasting peace. Or, at least as much peace as can be between religious factions. If their economies can become intertwined, along with security agreements between nations, you may see some real progress. The region could really be a more secular, economically advanced region--even with Muslim foundations--if they were to cooperate. That--to me--would be the most positive outcome, and allow the U.S. to remove itself from the conflict with a successful mission. Iran was a known threat. This was proven by their attempts to attack Garcia. They had the tech, the range, and the desire to do real damage. It was never going to be pretty though, and it was a pipe dream to think it would be anything else.

Or, the people who realize--for good or bad--when the decision was made to go in, there was going to be no easy way out without a regime change, and a regime change--without an internal takeover--was going to require ground troops of some type. I said from the very beginning--before this started--you weren't going to dislodge the IRGC with just an air campaign.

No need to apologize. I think it's very good info for folks to know what all goes into the costs. I would guess 95% or more of the public doesn't know any of this information. The Houston Ship Channel has issues with the supers also. Even constant dredging can't totally stop the bottom movement.

Asia and Europe are bidding up the price. Also, as I previously mentioned, we’re running low on tankers. Most folks don’t know that VLCC tankers can’t come into most U.S. ports because of the channel depths. There are actually multiple trans loading stations in deeper water around the U.S. for loading/offloading where the VLCC tankers can’t get into port. (There are 2 for our area for example that are offshore outside of Galveston & Sabine.) A VLCC tanker (super tanker/most cost effective) is roughly $30 Million per trip to Asia, and holds—if I remember correctly—around 2 MM barrels. Any other tanker that doesn’t have to transload is more expensive per load even discounting the transloading fees.

There may be quite a few Cabinet position changes coming up. Seems like it’s the norm for every Administration after 2 years.

After research, there have been 8 POTUS with one parent who wasn’t a U.S. citizen when they were born. Trump is the latest. Obama was the first POTUS with a non-U.S. citizen parent, who was also not born in the contiguous 48. Kamala was the first VPOTUS—and could have been first POTUS if Biden was incapacitated, or if she was elected—with neither parent being a U.S. citizen. Somehow, I don’t think the Framers—who fought so hard for this country to keep it out of foreign control—would have written something that could have possibly made it easier for that to happen.

We’ve already had one POTUS who had a parent who wasn’t a U.S. citizen. Maybe SCOTUS doesn’t see it as a big deal. What the heck, why not have a POTUS where neither parent is a U.S. citizen? Folks that think it’s a joke don’t realize how realistic it can be since the only requirements are to be a natural citizen, a resident of the U.S. for the last 14 years before filing to run, and be at least 35 years old when inaugurated. There’s nothing saying the parents even have to be citizens. That’s how screwed up the current interpretation is…

Thanks tvc! I must have missed that tending to my better half. Hopefully, they’ll get the transcript up soon where I can read. How was this hypo addressed, or was it just dismissed out of hand? (I just caught a second or so of something about an Iranian, but had to leave the room.)

Ha! I prefer the Denzel version. Decent flick.

Yes. We are also running low on tankers. There's a shortage because Asia, and Europe are buying US oil. It's driving the price up. We're even running low on tankers from the Gulf Coast refineries. WTI is running at a discount to Brent because of Hormuz. Tankers from the U.S. don't have to navigate through the Strait to get to their destination.

What's interesting--that most people don't think about--is that a child born by someone here temporarily is a U.S. citizen--according to the current situation. That person can become a future POTUS. Hypothetical: A Chinese birth tourism agency recruits a Chinese female to have a baby born in the U.S. That baby then leaves the U.S., grows up in Communist China for all their lives until they are 21. Then, they move back to the U.S. At 35, they file to run for President of the United States. They would qualify. They would be a natural U.S. citizen, they would have lived in the U.S. for the last 14 years, and they would be 35 years old.

Doubtful. Also, you should really want the other Arab countries pooling together against Iran instead of U.S. involvement any more. It should be their regional issue.