Russia has given the thumbs up to a £60billion project which would see a 65-mile tunnel dug under the Bering Strait, connecting Asia with North America.
If plans go ahead, the journey from London to New York could take a mere three weeks, covering three continents along the way.
The proposed tunnel would pass underneath the Big Diomede and Little Diomede islands and straddle the international dateline to link East and West. Engineers have said there is no technical reason the tunnel could not be completed and it could provide a cheaper way of shipping freight around the world.
Okay speaking as somebody who has NEVER visited Europe, and hates to fly, I am all over this idea.
Even though taking a train under the ice of the Bering Straight on the way to Russia, sounds like the paper thin plot of a low budget disaster movie, I would LOVE to be one the first people to travel this way.
And IF it actually comes to fruition, it could be huge boost to the economy of Alaska. Just saying.
Of course once the Republicans find out about this tunnel they will probably demand that we build a fence to keep the "Russkies" from coming into our country and taking jobs away from Americans.
Or perhaps they will just hire Sarah Palin to "shoo them" back through the tunnel if they dare to "rear their heads" on our side of the Bering Straight.
She just ruins EVERYTHING!
I'm sure she'll be able to see it from her house. She already has tunnel vision.
ReplyDeleteSo when will it be operative and how old will we all be by then? Will it be in the lifetime of us babyboomers?
ReplyDeleteOr they'll try to take credit for it, like they try to take credit for everything.
ReplyDelete"Shoo them back".
ReplyDeleteBWAAA HAAA!!!!!!!!!!!
You shoo 'em Sarah!
Wasilla in the house, wave!
ReplyDeletePalin go underground?
ReplyDeleteOut of the light where all can see. The queen of Me, Me, Me.
That ain't gonna happen!!
That's why the Russians want to build the tunnel. They're fed of her 'rearing' her head and screwing up their instument panel when they fly over.
Oh goody! Sarah Palin can take her lame assed bus tours to Russia. Sarah Palins Siberia.
ReplyDeleteUmm... how many roads go to Nome?
ReplyDeleteHow much Wilderness would you have to run a road through to get there? How many mountain ranges/passes would they have to go through?
How many rivers would they have to cross?
How easy is the Dalton to manage now?
In winter? In spring with the thaw?
Hmmmmm Does that piss on someone's parade?
Not a bad idea,....but the Republicans will screw it up. They'll refuse to help fund it,...the RW Religious nuts will be afraid of the "Godless Commies" coming to take over. There are a hundred different scenarios.
ReplyDelete"She just ruins EVERYTHING!"
ReplyDeletehahahahahahahahahaha . . . . .
Reminds me of when I was in AK a dozen years ago, the local selling point was that Anchorage was centrally located... just about 4,000 miles from just about everywhere by air (Tokyo, London, New York, as I recall).
ReplyDeleteI'm not a keen flyer either, but I think I'd prefer flying or ferry to an undersea train, but if that floats your boat, here's to the completion of this grand idea.
I am surprised that they would approve this project knowing that she is on the other side of that tunnel, but hey, maybe they have hope (you know that hope that our President talked about) only this hope is that by the time it is built, she will be wearing that orange pantsuit and be locked behind bars (it is my hope). Gryphen, I am not the most relaxed flier (flyer?) either but you have to do something (take some tranquilizers, drink some bourbon, whatever) and go abroad. I did for the first time last summer and it has changed my life. I loved my trip to England, Ireland, Scotland, the people, the food, the trains - I loved the trains; we must do something about our train travel here in the U.S. and this President wants to!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that they would approve this project knowing that she is on the other side of that tunnel, but hey, maybe they have hope (you know that hope that our President talked about) only this hope is that by the time it is built, she will be wearing that orange pantsuit and be locked behind bars (it is my hope). Gryphen, I am not the most relaxed flier (flyer?) either but you have to do something (take some tranquilizers, drink some bourbon, whatever) and go abroad. I did for the first time last summer and it has changed my life. I loved my trip to England, Ireland, Scotland, the people, the food, the trains - I loved the trains; we must do something about our train travel here in the U.S. and this President wants to!
ReplyDeleteIn theory this sounds absolutely spectacular and the trip of a lifetime for hardy souls, and I truly wish it to be so, however, time will tell how close to reality it actually comes. I will be watching and hoping and cheering it's success.
ReplyDeleteOh and btw: if the train tunnel happens during my (and your) lifetime: I would love to ride it with you.
ReplyDeleteSend her down to 'shoo' them back.
ReplyDeleteGo for it!! Just make sure to lock and seal the gate behind her!!
You'll never get me in it or the Chunnel: too claustrophobic and then there are those wonderful faultlines.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
>>B said...
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she'll be able to see it from her house. She already has tunnel vision.
'B' for brilliant! LOL!
Wow! I think this is great. Too bad our own government isn't investing into projects like this. 30 years ago, it would have been the USA who would have led on a thing like this.
ReplyDeleteNow, we can't even get bullet trains and infrastructure built in our own country because the Republicans don't want to "spend". They are all into the tax cuts and loopholes.....forget our nation being the best of the best. Let's empower the rich and give them more and eff the rest.
Just where I would like to be during the next Alaska earthquake ....
ReplyDeleteIt won't happen.
ReplyDeleteIf some wacko terrorist blows something up in the tunnel, it'll flood and take months to repair.
Maybe you Alaskans could send Sarah down to the bottom of the Strait with one end of a measuring tape to see how deep the tunnel would have to be>
ReplyDeleteI know she would want to be involved, but we wouldn't want to use one of those sciency sonar thingies, I'm sure a hand held measuring tape will work.
Maybe it's just a ploy to distract from their real target - the oil.
ReplyDeleteOT, but worth it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/22/jon-hunstman-says-hed-be-vp-candidate_n_933719.html
Bachmann and Huntsman? What an odd couple --- would he also be open to being Palin's VP or Perry's???
Egads, Rethugs will do anything for power.
Even saw Paul Ryan wants to close tax loopholes now -- as long as he can keep the ones for his biggest donors open. Yeah, right. Beyond dumb and into insane grasping for power.
Tunnels that go under the ocean scare the peewocky out of me. They seem like hubris. I would never go into one. Earthquakes? Weakened walls? A recipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteTHE ROGUE will be published four weeks from today
ReplyDeleteAugust 23, 2011
And here’s the full cover:
http://www.joemcginniss.net/weve-all-been-patient-the-rogue-will-be-published-four-weeks-from-today/Joe%20McGinniss
OH my. The tea party is fighting about Sarah Palin. Typical. She could give a flying monkey less for supporters - as long as they support her lifestyle. All she does is cause discord for money and the attention which she can't seem to get enough of. And on the balloon launching thing where the prick teaser is supposedly announcing. Did I read that right? - That this is a brand NEW faction of tea party? Even the teabaggers are divided since day one and continue to be. I suspect the flying monkeys are claiming now to be the "real" tea party. It's all such a joke.
ReplyDeleteTea Party To Palin: Shut Up Over Sen. Hatch
http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2011/08/22/tea-party-to-palin-shut-up-over-sen-hatch-tea-party-to-palin-shut-up-over-sen-hatch
Gryphen, you are talking one MAJOR road trip, driving to Europe. Do realize JUST HOW FUCKING LONG legs #1 and #3 would be?
ReplyDeleteThat would easily be one of the more epic road trips in history. How many bags of Cheetos would it take?
What about faults? Isn't this where two plates meet and occasionally push against each other?
ReplyDeleteHow does this compare with the Chunnel? I'm thinking longer, deeper and less stable.
Me? I'll just stay on this continent as I'm not too keen on taking a train under the ocean. Wouldn't you know the one disaster would happen when *I'm* on it.
Anon at 10:10 hit it, a tunnel in the ring of fire? Are they nuts. not to mention the absolute lack of codes and over sight in Russia. Have you ever flown in one of their planes? They use a lot of duct tape, lets put it that way...
ReplyDeleteThis is, of course idiocy. Please do not promote this concept.
ReplyDeleteAlso, .... that Knik Bridge is so problematic. I suggest Anchorage/Alaska bank all the money committed, invest carefully. When the Mat-Su communities guarantee usage of the Don Young Commerative Bridge, then Alaska might consider releasing, carefully, money held in trust.
Its just another concept. NEM
Gryph, I hope you make the trip. In countries other than the US, it is traditional for young adults to take a year off from school and backpack around the world. They take home their opened minds, and that makes a difference. Of course, they don't face bankruptcy for student loans, and they have universal health care....
ReplyDeleteAs the parent of a US citizen child with a "furriner" spouse, I've seen the difference that the year of backpacking can make. We should encourage and enable all of our young people to travel. Their world view will expand far beyond political talking points. And that will create a better world for all of us.
If you think about it, that would be one hell of a road trip!! I would do it in a microsecond. LA to London in my minivan pulling the camper? Beats Yellowstone any day of the week!
ReplyDeleteI don't think Sarah ever said Putin "raises his head".
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure she said "rears his head".
...although...
If anyone rears their head - I'm pretty sure it's Sarah.
And she does it a lot.
...if you know what I mean.
And I think you do.
as pointed out earlier, Nome is not a nexus of ground transport - this is not a cost-effective project
ReplyDeleteOT
ReplyDeleteHey Gryph, have you seen this?
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/4628/sarahpalinla4.png
Russia has given a thumbs up to this project? Does this mean they "liked" it on Facebook, or what? The whole concept is preposterous, I feel like we have all been Rick-rolled. Fun to contemplate tho.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they considered the thawing of the permafrost in in Arctic? Would that 65 mile tunnel eventually be the "Tunnel from Swamp to Swamp International"?
ReplyDeletelol B!
ReplyDeletelol Randall too!
ReplyDeleteGryphen, living in Alaska you really should be aware that when the USSR imploded, there were a lot of Russians going to Alaska and doing business there. Nobody told them to go away or called them commies. Maybe you were not living there then but I know, for a fact, that there were Russians there. As a matter of fact, I was given a pin by a Russian that showed both the Russian flags and the American flags together as a sign of friendship. I also had a very interesting talk with a Russian woman where she told me that Americans depicted Russian women as ugly, but that we had to understand that when someone stands in the cold for three hours in order to buy potatoes or anything that is available that day, how can they look good? She also seemed to have a great dislike for the Cuban communist regime because she said that the Russians were taking food from Russian babies and sending it to Cuba. I am about your age and you cannot excuse yourself by saying that you were too young back then to remember.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, I would welcome Russians into this country so maybe they could teach people that "wealth distribution" does not work.
P.S. Before all the commenters here start ganging up on me, I should make you aware that I was born in a communist country and therefore have seen first hand that the so called "equality" that they spout does not exist. Their wonderful free health care for all is limited to the higher eschelons of the party, not the population at large. They get the used syringes, no medicines and their bed linens brought from home or else they get none.
I sincerely hope there are plans included in this to have rail service, also. Rail is far more efficient than super trucks!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 6:43. you need to get your snark detector fixed.
ReplyDeleteObviously my post was very tongue in cheek, and had no relation to who I actually view the Russian people.
Yes I have met and worked with a number of Russians in Alaska.
In fact I was a gymnastics coach in the 90's and worked with the Russian gymnasts who came to Alaska for exhibitions and cultural exchanges several times.
Rick Perry=Rootin Tootin Cowboy
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin- Rootin Shooin' Pitbull
Yeah! I'll finally be able to see Paris!
ReplyDeleteGryphen, you clearly don't live in a state where much of the budget goes to illegals. I have NO problem with ones who come to work (even if they're "taking jobs from Americans"). However, I DO have a problem with using my taxes to pay for their medical and welfare.
ReplyDelete