The Pentagon and I
By: Stan Jordan
Layout
The Pentagon building spans 28.7 acres (116,000 m2), and includes an additional 5.1 acres (21,000 m2) as a central courtyard. Starting with the north side and moving clockwise, its five façades are the Mall Terrace Entrance façade, the River Terrace Entrance façade, the Concourse Entrance (or Metro Station) façade, the South Parking Entrance façade, and the Heliport façade. On the north side of the building, the Mall Entrance, which also features a portico, leads out to a 600 ft (180 m) long terrace that is used for ceremonies. The River Entrance, which features a portico projecting out 20 ft (6.1 m), is located on the northeast side, overlooking the lagoon and facing Washington. A stepped terrace on the River Entrance leads down to the lagoon; and a landing dock was used until the late 1960s to ferry personnel between Bolling Air Force Base and the Pentagon. The main entrance for visitors is located on the southeast side, where the Pentagon Metro station and the bus station are located. There is also a concourse on the southeast side of the second floor of the building, which contains a mini-shopping mall. The Pentagon’s south parking lot is located on the southwest side of the Pentagon, and the west side of the Pentagon faces Washington Boulevard.
The concentric rings are designated from the center out as “A” through “E” (with in addition “F” and “G” in the basement). “E” Ring offices are the only ones with outside views and are generally occupied by senior officials. Office numbers go clockwise around each of the rings, and have two parts: a nearest-corridor number (1 to 10) followed by a bay number (00 to 99), so office numbers range from 100 to 1099. These corridors radiate out from the central courtyard, with corridor 1 beginning with the Concourse’s south end. Each numbered radial corridor intersects with the corresponding numbered group of offices (for example, corridor 5 divides the 500 series office block). There are a number of historical displays in the building, particularly in the “A” and “E” rings.
Floors in the Pentagon are lettered “B” for Basement and “M” for Mezzanine, both of which are below ground level. The concourse is located on the second floor at the Metro entrance. Above ground floors are numbered 1 to 5. Room numbers are given as the floor, concentric ring, and office number (which is in turn the nearest corridor number followed by the bay number). Thus, office 2B315 is on the second floor, B ring, and nearest to corridor 3 (between corridors 2 and 3). One way to get to this office would be to go to the second floor, get to the A (innermost) ring, go to and take corridor 3, and then turn left on ring B to get to bay 15.
It is possible for a person to walk between any two points in the Pentagon in less than seven minutes.
Just south of the Pentagon are Pentagon City and Crystal City, extensive shopping, business, and high-density residential districts in Arlington. Arlington National Cemetery is to the north. The Washington Metro Pentagon station is also located at the Pentagon, on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The Pentagon is surrounded by the relatively complex Pentagon road network.
The United States Postal Service has established six ZIP Codes for The Pentagon, to which the place name “Washington, D.C.” is assigned, even though The Pentagon is actually located in Virginia. The Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the four service branches each have their own designated ZIP Code.
This Tax Break
By: Stan Jordan
I hate taxes, you hate taxes, all of God’s children hate taxes. I agree with tax reform, but I think the timing is wrong.
With me being around during WWII, I can see where maybe a lot of tax money will be needed.
At the very time the president was signing the tax bill, he was raising the national debt. That just don’t fit. A lot of that tax money we won’t be getting should be applied to the national debt.
Back during WWII, every person in the United States owed $1400, now every person owes the government $54,000.
It is not good business to cut taxes and raise the national debt at the same time. Regardless of who spent that money or where it was spent, that bill has to be paid and taxes is what pays those bills. Whether you like taxes or not, we must pay our bills.
There is a lot of foolish retoric between North Korea and the United States that could break out in a war, I sure hope not, but it doesn’t look very good. This would be a war with atomic weapons and everyone loses.
North Korea wants to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States. The second atomic bomb sent by the North would land in South Korea and they don’t want in this war. But they can’t just stand by.
Well, back to the topic of tax money.
There was a young fellow who wanted to buy a new car. He figured it all up and decided that he could just afford one if he can get enough overtime at his job.
So he bought one and got the license, the insurance and all, and his head was just out of the water.
He loved his new car and drove it around a lot. He loved to drive his new car so well that he quit his job.
Don’t that sound familiar?
See ya!
Some on the Eagles
By: Stan Jordan
I just got off the phone, I was talking to Jim Hunt and he was telling me about some eagles he saw on Wednesday, January 3rd.
Jim and his wife, Clairhilda, were going north on SR 49 about at the Jim Donnell farm, a little north of CR 220. He said there were 4 eagles eating some road kill, which had been dragged about one hundred feet out into the field. Two adults and two young ones. We figured it was all one family, the parents teaching the young.
We figured it was one of our local eagle families, but maybe not, because flying a few miles doesn’t matter much to an eagle. Jim thought they might be eating a dead coyote or something, it didn’t look like a deer carcass.
I’m always glad to talk to you about our wildlife, just give me a call.
You folks over around Payne and Woodburn, please watch for snowy owls. Van, the United Parcel driver, was just here and said there is an eagle nest over on CR 48 and State Line Road. I’m having a good day.
I was talking with Whitey McMichael and he sees some eagles pretty often down around Knoxsdale area.
See ya!
