Friday, February 17: More Train Trouble
Might need to invest in some "train-ing" wheels...I'll show myself out
The only thing more antiquated than the train infrastructure in the US are the people running the country. You may be glad to hear that Joe Biden passed his annual physical and his doctor claims he is “a healthy, vigorous 80-year old”, but that’s not an ideal quality for railroads that span the country.
Another trail derailed yesterday, this time outside Detroit, MI, with about 30 Norfolk Southern Railroad cars coming off the tracks. At least one of the train cars was carrying liquid chlorine, a hazardous material if there ever was one. Eventually the people in charge of train safety in this country will have to make a tough decision. Either improve the quality of the rails, or stop shipping hazardous materials across the country via ancient routes prone to disaster.
My bet is they’ll do nothing and continue to pretend the problem doesn’t exist.
Side Items
Balloon Mystery Solved: The US military almost definitely spent the past two weeks scrambling jets and shooting $400,000 heat-seeking missiles at a local hobby club’s balloon. The circumstantial evidence is intriguing at the very least. An Illinois-based hobbyist club (group of nerds) reported missing their silver-coated, party-style, “pico balloon” claiming its last reported position on Feb. 10 at 38,910 ft. off the west coast of Alaska. The club, the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB), used a popular forecasting tool provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and projected their cylindrically-shaped balloon would be floating over the central part of the Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. That’s the same day a Lockheed Martin F-22 shot down an unidentified object fitting a similar description and altitude in the same general area
Tesla Recall: The car company led by the embattled egomaniac was forced to recall 362,758 vehicles and warn drivers that its experimental driver-assistance software, marketed as Full Self-Driving Beta, may cause crashes. According to a safety recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the full self driving beta system may cause crashes by allowing affected vehicles to: “Act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution.” Not great Elon
Earthquake Update: At least 38,044 deaths have been reported in Turkey, while 5,800 people have died in Syria as a result of the earthquakes. The death toll is likely to continue rising over the coming days and weeks, as humanitarian aid is slow to reach those affected due to arbitrary and damaging international sanctions