Baltimore Bridge Questions

 From what I can see from photos, the bridge that was hit by a container ship was more exposed than a bridge of its type should be. I don't see any large protection dolphins, which considering the danger of a ship collision, should have been placed long ago. 

I may be missing the dolphins, but even if they were there, they weren't designed for the larger ships that serviced Baltimore. Time will tell how this all works out, but it's looking to me like some negligence will surface, and will be blamed on anyone but the officials that could have made a difference, but didn't want to spend the money, or were hoping nothing would happen while they were in charge.

I probably need to clarify about what a protection dolphin is. The local large bridges have them at each corner of the main supports to act as fender to prevent a ship from striking the columns. Each consists of a circular outside wall of sheet pile driven into the channel bed, the inside filled with select fill material and the top capped with concrete. They're substantial, and any ship would be stopped before striking the bridge supports.

My Thoughts About Boeing

Boeing is having problems with their planes. According to news sources, the CEO resigned and three safety heads in reaction to this, which to me, translates into Boeing's upper management doesn't have the qualifications to build a paper airplane, much less the ability to run a company building the tremendously complicated aircraft of today. It's a sign of corporate America. Hire the people that say the right words, play the stupid games, kiss the asses of anyone that might get them a promotion and ruin a company that could excel if unmolested by the putrid, worthless, ignorant pieces of sewer flotsam that manage to float to the top,

Why Socialism/Communism Doesn't Work

I spent a huge amount of my career dealing with people. My opinion is that there are too many willing to sacrifice their liberty for a free ride. In a healthy society, being lazy, or unproductive, isn't something that the rest of society accepts. If the restraints of government, or an organization, allow the lazy the same benefits of those that produce, those that produce will either try to escape the system, or refuse to offer anything more than what the most unproductive achieve. This invites anger, retribution, and a yearning for the situation to end. The final result, as the past has shown, there isn't enough, somebody has to be eliminated to conserve resources, and genocide appears. Those in power flourish, and never have any qualms about eliminating those that don't follow their narrative.

Constitutional Right, Illegals and B.S.

 I don't care what any legal scholar thinks, or professes, illegal aliens have no Constitutional rights. In a strict, logical assessment of their condition, they're invaders, which our military should keep from crossing our borders. That, and if it requires a wall fifty feet high to keep them from crossing illegally, then that's what needs to happen. That, and all states should concentrate on preventing any person from crossing into the U.S. without proper documentation. It's the duty of all citizens to protect their country, and illegal aliens are not citizens, shouldn't be afforded any special considerations mandated by the Constitution, and ejected from U.S. soil when apprehended.

My Wife's Work

 My wife is passionate about her quilts. That, and regardless of how impressive they are, she finds fault in every one she does. Still, I like to brag about them, so I'll brag about her current lap quilt she just finished. 

The picture below is after she sews the 2 inch squares together on the board she uses for the layout. This one had 625 squares. 

The finished product is below. After all the sewing of the backing and quilting, the edges were added to add to the final quilt.

The finished quilt measures 46 inches by 46 inches. While it is a lap quilt, this one was placed on the wall to be treasured.