Counterfeit Part Story

 

I sat and pondered over this story today.  Both major airline companies in the world....both fooled in some way with fake titanium-looking metal sold to them for parts.

Problems?

You would have to go and look at every single plane made....test each part, and if fake....replace.

I would imagine purely from an audit experience....you'd be talking about three years from beginning to end.

I sat in a briefing within the Pentagon back  in the 2012 era....where they talked about fake Chinese-made components were being found in US-made desktop/laptop computers.  It could be a $100 graphics board....that sold as a fake copy for $25.  The middle guy?  Taking the $75 profit.  This guy would buy a thousand copies, and slip them into the manufacturing process.

If any of these Airbus or Boeing planes fail and the fake parts are identified as the cause?  Well....the court business would get into the billions.

But why stop there?  It's the same way with brake pads.....you could take the Ford F150 over to a garage....have the genuine pads installed....to grasp six weeks later, they failed because they were crappy Chinese-copies.

The AC unit you have in the house?  It might have five or six components which are not Japanese-made  as you thought....but cheap Chinese-copies.

It should worry people.

Just Six Observations

 1.  The NBA will 'give' the WNBA around $50-million this year....to cover losses.  So one would ask....what would help to make up the $50-million (allowing the NBA to keep their money)?  Pause here....some remarkable incoming star to hype TV viewing of games?

2.  After having watched about twenty-odd clips of President Biden at the G7 meeting.  

Yeah, I would agree....he needed someone to mostly lead or herd him to the proper standing/sitting  points.  So the question is....if nuke time came up....do they have someone ready to lead or point toward the nuke codes?

3.  I had to look up the word 'SYCOPHANT'.  Defining it?  Well...it's a guy/gal who says a bunch of BS...to get attention or recognition...strictly for his position (to gain or maintain).  Could you be one sycophant surrounded by additional sycophants (like 3 or 4 panel members on a CNN group)?  Well.....yeah, that's entirely possible.

In Alabama-lingo....'brown-noser' would be the same word.

4.  House passed a new law to automatically register guys for the draft at age 18 (up to 27).  

Reason?  If you notice....Army, Air Force, and Navy are all having problems (back in 2023, and here now in 2024).  I would assume even in 2025 and 2026....it'll continue.

At some point, my humble view...around 2028, they will have no choice but to draft around 100,000 18/19 year old young men.  

Will this work?  Probably around 70,000 will show up with serious weight issues (30 pounds over the max), drug issues, mental issues (obvious paranoid schizophrenia for example), or criminal records/members of some gang.  The first year of this draft will be a 5-star failure with one out of three stamped 'invalid'.  Another third will be released within 12 months of being drafted.

5.  Best Trump quote ever: "I have never seen a thin person drinking a Diet-Coke."

Given a choice of meal with a Diet-Coke, prune juice or fizzy water.....the Diet-Coke will always be last for me.

6.  My prediction of when Biden announces he's removing his name and giving the Convention a chance to select the replacement?  

The week after the 27 June debate with Trump.

I suspect that CNN's crew will  have pre-written questions for Biden, and along about the 2nd or 3rd question....they start to ask unknown questions....with Joe standing there confused and unable to recite what he memorized.   

The Biden crew over the next seven days will reflect upon the mess they have, and give up.  At the same time....questions will arise if VP Harris should take over.  Democrats will be in shock as half of the news media advocates that Biden has to be removed from his position, with Harris moving up, and some folks now discussing who the new VP  should be.

Chow Hall Story

 I sat and read a peculiar story today....over how the Pentagon is seeking some kind of 'approval'  to feed American troops ‘experimental’ lab-grown meat in order to reduce CO2 footprint.

They seem to want some gov't agency to say it's 'OK'.

I paused over this.

For the better part of seven years.....in my Air Force years....I ate chow-hall food.  For breakfast, I learned quickly that they could screw up and give you some spoiled food....which could lead to a ambulance call (1977, at the tech school in Texas....they had to pick up three guys over an hour with awful bad stomach cramps).

Would military folks eat fake-meat?  If you said the word 'experimental'....then I'm pretty sure that 98-percent would say 'NO thanks'.  If you leave out 'experimental'....you might get up to 5-percent willing to try it.

Cheaper than meat?  Well...this is the interesting part of the story.   Back in 2021....some analysis was done, and the experts said per pound....lab-grown meat would cost a minimum of $17 (possibly getting up to $23).....while regular meat was around $6. 

So cost is going to be an issue for the funds-limited chow hall folks.

My belief?  It'll come in....be served to a small number of folks....some kind of stomach cramp problem will come up as a mystery health issue, and quietly be retired after 18 months.  

Four Things I Don't Understand About Hunter Biden

 1.  Why buy a gun?

Did someone in the drug-business make a threat?  It just doesn't make much sense....you go through life and after age 40.....then you buy a pistol.

2.  If you are a regular (daily) user of cocaine....is it that bright to have a pistol around in your possession?

3.  With all the stuff on the laptop now analyzed.....with 300-odd charges that you could rack up....it's a paperwork drill that you screw up on?

4.  Then finally, why did the sister-in-law of Hunter's....need to be told/updated that he had a gun....then why did she react by taking the gun away and tossing it into a dumpster?  

Viewing the Basketball Player....Caitlin Clark And The WNBA

 To be honest, I've almost quit viewing major league baseball, and NFL football...because of all the woke-gimmicks and crappy sports-chatter.

Over the past year....I've started to watch some NBA action (strictly the Denver Nuggets), and all this hyped-up NCAA ladies basketball....with Caitlin Clark.

Clark wrapped up her college years, and in the past 2 months....started WNBA action.  

So I'll make three observations:

1.  Clark as far as I'm concerned is probably the best overall college basketball gal to come out of the system in the past decade...maybe even ever.

2.  The WNBA needs some 'lift'....because nothing over the past 20 years has pumped up fans.

3. This keeping her off  the Olympic ladies team?  Well...this afternoon, I read that NBC has offered Clark a analyst job at the games.  Peeving the ladies even more?  Oh yeah.....every critical play that they screw up on....Clark will identify it and how they could have done better. 

Amazing how this whole thing has turned into a circus.

Time Blindness?

 I sat and watched a video where a young lady (I'd suggest she was 20)....confessed that she had something called “time blindness” which meant she was continually late to work.

At first, I thought she was just 100-percent bluffing.  Well....no, she indicated that she had a problem and the boss let her go because of the continuing trend of being late.

At my first job in the Air Force....the boss  (Sarge) let it be known....work started at 7:30 AM, and you could be two minutes late without a harsh reaction.  Beyond 5 minutes late....Sarge would let you get the full 'dump'.  Anything beyond 15 minutes late...had better have a good explanation....like a car accident or snowfall.

I started to notice with airmen after 2000....this lateness thing was becoming a big issue.  This often went hand-in-hand with people who refused to wear a watch.  For these people....time didn't matter.

Selling The Gavin Newsom Brand As Biden's Replacement?

 I'll make three observations here.

First, in California....it just seems like that three-quarters of the state is pretty much finished over Newsom.....as governor, and it makes it hard to see how he'd sell himself as a Presidential candidate.

I noticed last week....some podcast where the moderator talked to a dozen Compton, California blacks....who were ALL fairly negative.  I think  the general black population has a chance to review the situation....most all will be anti-Newsom and thus gear the state for a Trump-win.

Second, Newsom has an odd history....constant travel.  Someone remarked last year....that a data collection was mounted over the previous 365 days of Newsom as Governor, and he was on the road around 250-plus days out of 365.  They compared this to his period as mayor of SF....finding basically the same story....he's on the road a great deal of time.

Third, his push of the $20-an-hour for employees of burger-joints has dissolved 10,000 jobs in California this year (2024).  Imagine him at work in DC...getting a chance to repeat the strategy.