Nanpu Bridge

Nanpu Bridge Shanghai China

There is a big river that goes through Shanghai, the Yangtze, but this bridge doesn't cross it. It crosses the much smaller Huangpu River that runs through downtown.

Shanghai China

I went to Google Earth to get this map. Google Earth can give you grid lines, which are kind of important when you are looking at large areas. Since this part of the world seems to be a hot bed of hostility, I want to remind myself of the relative positions of these players. Of course all that hostility might just be something the media hype because it gets them more eyeballs, and we all know that more eyeballs means more advertising dollars, which is the real reason they are in business. Makes me wonder if any of this purported hostility is real, I mean there's still a zillion dollars worth of trade going on with all these countries, well, except for North Korea. Russia seems to be the only ones doing business with them. 

Google Earth crashed twice while I was trying to get the view I wanted.

1912 Indian

1912 Indian Beltdrive Single 500cc IOE

1912 Indian Beltdrive Single 500cc IOE

National Motorcycle Museum:

From the beginning of production in 1902 Indian built all its motorcycles with chain final drive. But for 1911, to be more price competitive, the company experimented with selling cheaper-to-produce belt drive on its 4 horsepower single. Meanwhile, from the very beginning Harley-Davidson, and most other makers in that first decade, used belt drive.

Needing a couple of pulleys, a belt and tensioner, no sprockets, clutch or chain, the belt drive system was cheaper to produce than chain drive. Belt drive was all Harley-Davidson used until 1912 when it finally switched to chain drive. Belt drive Indians are, therefore quite rare being made only two years first in both a 2 3/4 horsepower and 4 horsepower models, then only 4 horsepower machines. Sophistication also shows in Indian’s use of shafts, universal joints and bell-cranks for ignition and carburetion controls as opposed to cables on most other brands. Colors for 1912 were the standard Indian red and optional Royal Blue.

The clutch for the belt drive is hand operated, using the large lever to the left of the fuel tank. The final tension was designed to lock in, but the rider could dial in a bit of slippage for starts, and if an extreme hill was encountered. Adjusting an idler compensated as the belt stretched. Of course the belt drive system suffered in wet conditions, and in Indian engineers’ minds was unacceptable for the power of their v-twin machines then of 61 cubic inch capacity.

Soviet Collapse

A railway worker sweeps a crossing on the outskirts of Moscow under the watchful eye of an old Lenin mural. February 16, 1993. Gennady Galperin / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA

Don't hear much about the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. Must have been really crazy to have been there when that happened. From Meduza:

‘The deepest sort of spiritual disorientation’ 
Historian Joseph Kellner on the zeitgeist of the 
Soviet collapse and its lessons for today’s democracies

For decades, Russia’s “wild 1990s” have been remembered for economic hardship, libertarian freedoms, and rampant crime. Historian Joseph Kellner suggests another defining feature of the era: profound spiritual disorientation. In his book, The Spirit of Socialism: Culture and Belief at the Soviet Collapse, Kellner tells the cultural story of the “end of history” and argues that the USSR’s disintegration was the final blow to a centuries-old European idea of progress. He also describes what emerged from the ruins as a “seeking phenomenon” — an explosion of mystics, astrologers, and fringe sects in Russia in the early 1990s. For Meduza, journalist and author of the Playing Civilization research project Georgy Birger spoke with Joseph Kellner about what drove post-Soviet Russians toward radical new worldviews, how this spiritual crisis paved the way for Putinism, and why the West — now facing its own crises of meaning and truth — might be walking a similar path.

The story goes on to give an abbreviated version of an interview with the author. 

I'd like to read that book, but I doubt I'll ever get a round to-it.

Meduza is sort of the counterpoint to RT, though I don't know how counter they can be if they are based in Russia.

SLICK CHICK

SLICK CHICK: The Wild Story Of The USAF's First Top Secret Supersonic Spy Plane
Not A Pound For Air To Ground

Other posts about Kapustin Yar:

• English Electric Canberra
• Russian Missile Launch

Post about aerial photography: Lucky 666

Slick Chick

The Monster of Florence - Netflix Series

The Monster of Florence | Official Trailer | Netflix
Netflix

Tru-ish story about a serial killer in Italy. Full of very unpleasant people mired in the old ways. Show starts with a bride running away. Parents made some kind of deal for this wedding. There is something wrong with her new husband, he doesn't seem to be a real person, he has all the character of a slave, i.e. none at all. They are both brought under the thrall of another man. Both men are bisexual. Husband is convicted of his wife's 1968 murder and serves ten years in prison. After his release he makes several false accusations, all to cover for this other man, who is apparently his master. Very creepy.

Cast

Actor	Surname	Character	Surname	Role
Francesca	Olia	Barbara	Locci	Wife of Stefano
Antonio	Tintis	Giovanni	Mele	Stefano's brother
Marco	Bullitta	Stefano	Mele	Husband of Barbara
Liliana	Bottone	Silvia Della	Monica	District Attorney
Giacomo	Fadda	Francesco	Vinci	Salvatore's brother
Valentino	Mannias	Salvatore	Vinci	Master of the Meles

4 episodes, 1 hour each.

Happy New Year!

U2 - New Year's Day (Official Music Video)
U2

My Daily Kona got me started. His post also has some history of this tune (released in 1983 - 43 years ago!). He's also got a rundown of 10 Biggest Media Hoaxes of 2025. How are the old time media outfits still operating? Why haven't they been burned to the ground? They are the scum of the earth. I dunno, maybe we should boycott anyone who advertises on those channels. I mean advertising is paying for all of the bullshit that's coming down the wire.

10 Short Videos #6001

10 Short Videos #6001