deathvalley1

Next Friday, 24 Oct, will be the first full pay check not disbursed to most workers. Predict that’s when the lower-level pay grades who are still working and live paycheck to paycheck will start no-showing for work (TSA, Bureau of Fed Prisons, FAA, etc). Disruptions will start to increase.

First, so I’m not misconstrued, I’m in support of cleaning up DC, but have we seen any comparable data on how many arrests are made in DC over this span of time, pre-National Guard? It’s hard to measure a genuine improvement without an understanding of how much a ramp-up this really is.

I’m all for European nations contributing a greater cost share for conventional capability. But…the UK and France are the only nuclear powers in Europe. The US and UK provide nuclear security to the NATO nations in the event they need them. The policy of burden sharing leverages US/UK weapons with NATO nation employment of those weapons. Without this alliance, Germany, Italy and other European nations will pursue their own organic nuclear programs which would be destabilizing.

It’s only bearable if you do the Express pass; They vacate one side of the park at around 5:00 or 6:00 PM to transition from normal park ops to set up for HHN admission/tickets. If you’re there early evening, the normal lines are not too bad but after dark the Express pass is a necessity…IMO

This is classic MSM leveraging ND’s national following to create emotional polarity to generate clicks and views. It’s a model that works well on political topics that also translates to the sports fan following in some cases. ND’s widespread love/hate is the reason why you see so much churn on CBK and not Riley

Yea $5K is roughly 50% of an O-5s monthly salary before housing allowance is added. He’ll reach his 20 but when he applies for retirement, the LoR will trigger an Officer Grade Determination where it will likely be reviewed/determined that he be retired as a Major…he’ll retire with his pension but at O-4 levels instead of O-5 so it’s gonna cost him a lot more than $5K in the long run

Agree with the “should” but the service members literally have to play by a different set of rules (UCMJ) that DoD civilians do not, and there in lies the problem

There are several ways to enjoy Zion without dealing with shuttles and overwhelming crowds...here’s three

1) someone earlier mentioned the Northgate Peaks trail in the Kolob Canyons section of the park...if your staying in the Springdale area, you can access it via Kolob Terrace Rd near Virgin and head north to the trailhead. This is a good alternative with amazing views not part of the main canyon.
2) for a relatively short hike with amazing views, hit up the Canyon Overlook Trail. The trailhead is immediately upon exiting the east end of the Mt Carmel Tunnel (1.0 mile out, 2 miles total)
3) finally, this is a bit of a drive to the trailhead and then about 3.5 miles out, but the Observation Point via the East Mesa Trailhead is money. It’s look down upon the main canyon and the infamous Angels Landing summit is actually below you. While it’s a 7 mile round trip, it’s easy to moderate in difficulty. Without the fears and crowds of Angels Landing.

All of the options are accessible via rental car and do not require any rides in a shuttle

Bucs - SuperBowl Champs
Lightning - NHL Champs
Rays - AL Champs/World Series (lose to Dodgers)

Not a bad year for Tampa

Intent is to take a 2-week trip to an area that will afford an opportunity to experience multiple light- moderate difficulty day hikes, return late in the day, rest in lodging, hit another trail head the next day, and repeat. Will have a rental car to bounce around somewhat but wanted to solicit inputs from the TB for the most scenic/best areas for multiple day-hikes in May/Jun timeframe. Thinking Grand Teton, Glacier National or others, thanks in advance.