KLM ultimately elected for 10 of its 747-200s to have a stretched upper deck. //

Last year, KLM retired its last Boeing 747 aircraft. This brought the curtain down on nearly half a century of jumbo jet operations at the Dutch flag carrier. The first variant of the ‘Queen of the skies’ that KLM operated was the 747-200, which initially had the same short upper deck as the original 747-100. However, several examples of KLM’s 747-200s ended up having a stretched upper deck, which would eventually become a standard feature on later 747s. //

The result of this change, Boeing proclaimed, was “a 10% increase in capacity with only a 2% change in operating empty weight.” The stretch was a complex, multi-step procedure that required work on more than just the upper deck crown itself. Indeed, engineers also had to remove the roof behind the original upper deck, and the cab crown. //

Indeed, when the next variant of the family was launched, the 747-300, the stretched upper deck came as standard. Aerotime reports that Boeing claimed, thanks to the aforementioned minimal increase in weight despite the 10% capacity increase, this feature decreased fuel consumption by 5% per seat-mile. All in all, it made sense from a financial point of view.

While the 747-300 sold fairly poorly (81 examples), the stretched upper deck was retained by the 747-400 that followed. This quickly outsold its predecessor (694 examples), thanks to factors like its increased range and two-person glass cockpit. The stretched upper deck’s story came to an end when the 747-8 came into being, with an even longer second floor.

“Welcome to El Paso, welcome to my community,” Escobar said, beaming. “To the new Ellis Island. To the capital of the border.” //

"The New Ellis Island." Democrats aren't even hiding it anymore. They're inviting people to come illegally and continuing the Biden administration trend of America Last. //

No, this situation isn’t Ellis Island. Ellis Island was how immigrants actually came legally to the East Coast at a point in our history. They had to go through a process with rules. They went through medical and legal checks to determine if they were acceptable, so you wouldn’t get known criminals or terrorists and that people coming in didn’t have any communicable diseases. Now people are flooding the border in such numbers, people encountered are often simply being released, during a pandemic, without any testing or any evaluation at all.

Plus, what is she saying to those illegal aliens and potential illegal aliens who might see those remarks? Hey, it’s great, come on in! What happened to discouraging people to enter illegally? The bottom line is this is really what they are about, not discouraging the illegality or cutting the flow. Escobar gives away the real game – Democrats think this is all just great. //

Mark Walker
@RepMarkWalker
Ellis Island denied criminals. The Biden-Harris border is enriching them.

jelgator The Original John Doe
15 hours ago
"if this country remains a democracy or not."

Not to be mean or anything but we're a republic, not a democracy. But I know what you meant. :) //

The Original John Doe jelgator
14 hours ago edited
Yes I read the article on RedState a few days or weeks back pointing out that difference and making the same point you did. The thing is I believe that while the USA was formed as a republic but when FDR was elected in 1932 the DNC began slowly changing this country from a republic to a democracy and although we can stand and scream this country was founded as a republic and we want it to be a republic the facts on the ground state otherwise. I will use a chart I found on keydifferences dot com to illustrate.

In a republic a minorities rights are inalienable (ignoring slavery for a minute which blows up everything and is the exception) and in a democracy they can be overridden by a majority. The DNC has time and time again taken away minority rights by claiming they are passing the law protecting minority rights.

In a republic revenue is generated through legitimate taxes and fees. A democracy is funded through illegitimate taxes, fees, fines and licenses. Since 1933 we have our share of fines and licenses and most of the additional taxes I would argue are illegitimate and in place only to fund the large government that was created since 1933 and has not been stopped by anyone. (The large gov't that is)

In a republic mobocracy (rule by a mob) does not prevail. In a democracy it prevails. Only only needs to look at Twitter, cancel culture and riots of BLM and Antifa to realize that in democrat states mobocracy prevails.

And the last one is the clincher. In a republic we are ruled by laws. In a democracy we are ruled by the "majority". Since 1933, blue states, liberal judges and even the supreme court have decided that because the "majority" feels a certain way certain laws should be given brand new definiens out of thin air or ignored.

The USA is no longer the country that our founding fathers had envisioned. Democrats controlled both chambers of congress nearly uninterrupted since 1933 until Regan was elected. Then Clinton, Obama and now Biden are continuing. This country has been perverted beyond our founding fathers dreams. The only saving grace was that each state was established as its own entity within the larger country which has allowed 23 states currently to remain free while the remaining 27 are not due to democrat control of all or part of the government.

The first step towards recovery is conservatives need to realize this is the case in order to take it back. We are sliding to the point where we will not even be able to fairly elect who we want and we will be right back where the colonies started with rulers who don't care what we think, are not accountable to us and can do what they want. We need governors of red states to realize this and organize. But our governors are not going to do that unless the people rise up and demand the red states use the second amendment to protect what original shreds are left of this country.

That’s right, you should NOT charge your electric vehicles during a heat wave in California. Why? Because, like the power supply system in many developing countries, California’s electric power generators can’t deliver enough electricity to CAISO to meet demand. //

Meanwhile, in Sacramento the governor, legislators, and regulators still think electric vehicles are vital to California’s plan to reduce emissions over the next two decades. In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, by executive fiat, set 2035 as a target date for ending the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles as a way to fight “climate change” in the state. //

California suffers from an electric grid problem, because the state has eschewed reliable fossil fuels in favor of unreliable green energy, such as wind and solar power. This presents a problem, because such sources don’t work when the wind stagnates during heat waves or at night. when there’s no sunlight. Simultaneously, the state is exacerbating this problem, creating ever more demand for electricity by promoting electric vehicles and shutting down access to natural gas appliances. //

In 2020, California’s electric grid came within minutes of collapse due to heavy loads at the same time solar power slumped at sunset. On August 17, during the CAISO Board of Governors Meeting, CAISO President Steve Berber let loose with this bit of reality.

According to the transcript, Berber said, “You are trading the loss of 3,000 megawatts for the collapse of the entire system of California and perhaps the entire West. … When you’re at the very edge and you have a contingency and you have no operating reserves, you risk entire system collapse.”