Poor Poor USA's national rotten infrastructures falls apart daily

[mentor_LEE]

Now Gopalan Nair's car will be caught in a big jam, since the main bridge of his town is broken and closed. There is nothing in the USA that won't break these days. Even F-15 fall apart into pieces while flying in the sky, this is worst than the final days of ex-Soviet Union USSR.

Who is going to lend money to Obama to fix his rotten USA?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bay_b...5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawN0b3VnaGNvbW11dGU-

Tough commute likely after Bay Bridge rod snaps

By LISA LEFF and JOHN MARSHALL, Associated Press Writers Lisa Leff And John Marshall, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 47 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been closed indefinitely after a rod installed during last month's emergency repairs snapped, causing a traffic nightmare for the 280,000 motorists who cross the landmark span every day.

Engineers on Wednesday will evaluate the damage caused when the rod and metal brace fell into the 73-year-old bridge's westbound lanes during Tuesday evening's rush hour.

At least two vehicles — a car and a small truck — either were struck by or ran into the fallen rod, said California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Van Eckhardt. No injuries were reported.

The California Department of Transportation said Tuesday that it will remain closed indefinitely.

A spokesman for the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, meanwhile, said extra trains would run during the morning commute.

The rod that fell Tuesday was erected last month during an emergency repair job. It was holding in place a saddle-like cap that had been installed over a cracked link discovered over the Labor Day weekend.

When the rod apparently snapped at about 5:30 p.m., it brought down with it a steel patch roughly 3 feet long, authorities said.

"If you look at the totality of the circumstances — you've got the 5:30 commute, you have a 5,000-pound piece of steel falling out of the sky. We are so fortunate that no one was injured or killed," CHP Sgt. Trent Cross told KTVU-TV.

Officers managed to clear the Oakland-bound traffic from the lower deck of the bridge by 8 p.m. but were still clearing cars from the few remaining open lanes of the upper deck an hour later, he said.

The bridge was closed last month over the holiday weekend for long-planned earthquake safety upgrades. When the crack was discovered, state transportation officials initially feared it would prevent them from reopening the span in time for the start of the work week. But the unexpected work only ended up taking a few extra hours.

California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, officials had nothing to say Tuesday about what might have caused the failure. The department issued a brief statement saying only that "structural engineers and inspectors are onsite to assess the damage and will make a determination as to how long repairs will take.

"At this time, the bridge is closed until further notice," the statement said.

Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, a civil engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has spent 20 years studying the Bay Bridge, called the initial crack a "warning sign" of potentially bigger safety issues with the bridge.

"The repair they were doing was really a Band-Aid," said Astaneh-Asl, who criticized Caltrans at the time for rushing to reopen the bridge.

Astaneh-Asl said the failure of the repair job demonstrates the need for a longer-term solution. The bridge's age and design make it susceptible to collapse, especially if commercial tractor-trailers are allowed to continue using it, he said.

"I think Caltrans is putting public relations ahead of public safety," he said.

(This version CORRECTS the number of motorists who cross the bridge each day.)

 

[mentor_LEE]

USA superpower is going to the dogs, and they are so worried.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/2009102...zZWMDeW5fdG9tYnN0b25lBHNsawNhbmFtZXJpY2FuZGU-

An American decline would undermine global security


By Steve Yetiv Steve Yetiv – Tue Oct 27, 5:00 am ET

Norfolk, Va. – The great recession, mounting debt, military burdens, overconsumption. From New York to Beijing to Paris, there is talk, sometimes jubilant in tone, that the United States is on the decline. Some have even said that it's about time.

The truth is, if the US declines, who else could take on the tremendous world role? No one.

Rather than jeering, the rest of the world should consider just how much the US does, and step up support for it. The security of the world is at stake.

The US has played a critical role in the Persian Gulf since Britain withdrew in 1971. Without a regional protector, regional crises would cause oil prices to spike, creating economic shocks around the world. Indeed, the most serious oil shocks have come when US capability in the region was weak (consider the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the 1979 Iranian revolution, the 1980 eruption of the Iran-Iraq war).

Washington's role is also critical for Middle East peace. Israel is very strong, but a strain of its national psyche remains massively insecure. If Israel were to perceive American weakness, it would compensate by refusing to make serious concessions for peace.

In Asia, Washington helps preempt a dangerous arms race. Understandably, the US wants Japan to fund more of its own costly defense. A weakening America would likely cause Japan to increase defense spending well beyond its norm of 1 percent of gross domestic product. That could trigger a runaway Asian arms race that hurts world security.

The world also benefits from the US-led fight against terrorism, the invasion of Iraq aside. America leads the world in fighting terrorism in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and around the world.

The US also works hard to fight nuclear proliferation. The United Nations Security Council does not want a nuclear-armed Iran. Nor do most countries in the region. If the Iran nuclear standoff ends peacefully, it will be in part because Iran fears sustained US-led pressure. US credibility and strength are crucial here, as they are in containing North Korea.

Economically, Washington has promoted free trade. Since the 1947 Marshall Plan, America has run trade deficits and yielded economic benefits to others so as to bolster the global economy and stay trade wars – a critical role.

Then there is the question of who will help ensure stability in the oil-rich Persian Gulf. Iran has claimed that it can protect the region, but many Arab countries and other nations don't trust it. And Arab countries have repeatedly failed to develop the military force to protect the region. Europeans currently lack the force projection and the will to do the job.

If the US declines, what countries could play these global roles?

Of course, the US isn't perfect. In order to merit support, it must be multilateral in a globalized world and must accommodate rising powers. Certainly, Washington needs to make sure to be consistent in consulting and enlisting other nations before it hatches big plans. And then there is the fact that asking other countries to support the US is wrapped in politics.

Yet, if the rest of the world doesn't step up and support America's overburdened and undersupported shoulders, global security could diminish exponentially.

Here are three examples of what other countries could do to help lift the US burden:

1. Beijing should leverage its influence with Pakistan. If China could put pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting the Afghan Taliban facing US-led forces through its intelligence services, that could be just the right amount of pressure to force Pakistan to act. Deservedly, China is becoming a great power and should start supporting major global efforts.

2. Many of America's allies play important roles in Afghanistan, but all should contribute significantly more troops, nonmilitary personnel, and money. They also have much to lose from failure in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

3. As many countries as possible should back US-led threats of tougher sanctions and the threat of force in Iran, especially given recent revelations of Iran's secret nuclear facility near Qom. At a minimum, China should cancel any existing contracts to provide Iran with gasoline – contracts that may embolden Tehran. Without serious threats, Iran will not negotiate away its nuclear option, and a military showdown will be likely.

Bolstering America makes far more sense for world security in the 21st century than hoping for its decline or undermining it.

Steve Yetiv is a professor of political science at Old Dominion University and is the author of "Crude Awakenings" and "The Absence of Grand Strategy."

 

[TeeKee]

this is the reason why americans love SUVs!!

 

[singveld]

yes, world peace is because of overwhelming power of USA.

if USA is weak, world will not be so peaceful.

tiny little red dot cannot survive without world peace.

 

[BBBBBB80]

<<Who is going to lend money to Obama to fix his rotten USA?>>

We are. Asians are. We are the biggest buyers of US Treasury bonds.

USA has a free license to print money all they want to pay whatever they want
and we are paying for it.

Isn't USA the smartest nation on earth?