Message Board N° 4 was getting old and wonky. Posts were out of order, and the Tracker wasn't working.

So... here's N° 5.

Enjoy!

and the Tracker wasn't working

In what way?

People were posting, but their posts weren't appearing in the Tracker. For example, I missed Episode N° 3 of Dave's excellent "Binky" series, because it didn't show in the Tracker.

Okay, if you notice anything strange like that, let me know as soon as you can and give me the specifics.   If something is wrong I want to correct that situation.

The sentiment is greatly appreciated, and I know you are an intelligent individual, but ,

you shouldnt make blank , broad, all encompassing statements like that ,  cause you’d have to be a pretty special individual to solve my issues, 

i prefer the economy box of cented lotion tissues , when I’m needing some kindling for my bon fire of the self sacrificial lambs

that

i.  N joy, with mint jelly beans laced with low sodium, cholesterol free, freshly churned, creamy butter from cows milked till the work comes home, N u don’t wish to do homework, unless you are out, you order in, yet none deliver to the one I sent certifiable 

mail

to,

as I can’t sign

but 

I can yell cursive , like nobody’s business , but , sine when R people the business of no one 

Y aren’t these treasonous decks held accountable for their not taking a stand against the greatest threat I’ve ever actually seen threaten this once “Great Nation” , so filled with ignorance , it’s starting to get ignored, as every time U think this unstable mental midget, petty little prepubescent imp not so tense , has out done the last freakish outlandish thing he said or did, he, has a FREAK off his Leash Disability oh so ample ability, to, some how out due what we again thought was to not be out done, asz he manages to some how climb a little higher, to be the pinnacle of anti-desire , like an Angle, on top of the Christmas Treason, 

an angle with peer pressurized lines strung to strum out a free basin base of bass, wholey  , and other fish sticks to trim the festive sacrificial tree, 

that far too many

, can’t leave, as the limbs are not limber, his osteoporosis is a calcium deficiency based in his soft mushy cranium, where allegedly, once was stored a rasin bran flake of a fluke of nature , that’s plain N complexly,

completely  UN  natural light has grown dim between his thoughts and him

The WORST part about this ass clown, is his devout defending douches, who apparently would carry his water across vast desserts, not shore ware vinegar is to be kept, but this word salad dressed to show the naked truth about his true thoughts and intentions

is

just

too 

fsr

over the Top ,

as everytime u think he’s gone to the furthest depth, he throws in sink, from 

another 

kitchen 

Those other ?’s r too complicated for my simple mind to answer , but I feel 

Link is wrong. This should be good .

"Y aren't these treasonous decks held accountable for their not taking a stand against the greatest threat I've ever actually seen threaten this once "GREAT NATION"..."

That's hard for all to figure, Iggy, it's even hard for Bob and Tiggy  

The problem is the right wing base, who refuse to see what's in their face

Their Emperor, he has no clothes, but it's ignored by most of those

Bowing down to Russia's Pooty, talking of his daughter's booty

The swamp's so deep we need hip waders, nothing matters to these haters

The Traitor-in-Chief will one day be gone, but we will never get along

You can either be an American, or you can choose to be a Trumperican

You go lenny

 you’re like a Christmas rapper, 

with great patience 

but, I admit I don’t prefer my babbling to be labeled as rap, 

as true rap I consider ghetto poetry, 

and ive spent plenty oh time in hoods, I’m not native to them, and can and do appreciate. Some

some.  Not so much 

but,it’s far easier to comprehend them, then say Tump supporters 

as they are a far bigger problem than Trump could ever B

Why are so many prone to 'bumper-sticker thinking'?   Is it more intellectual laziness or group-think?

Basically... thinking is hard!

Small children have an astounding capacity for absorbing novelties, assessing the consequences, and determining appropriate reactions. We spend our youth learning stuff... and from then on, our brains go into neutral and coast the rest of the way to the grave.

This is a very reasonable thing for both the individual and the species.

A child builds a library of reactions-to-situations, so that it doesn't need to re-analyse its context constantly. More and more, as a child develops, it acts according to that library, rather than by actively thinking.

Many adults completely lose the ability to collect and collate information, and then apply logic to draw conclusions. All actions are drawn from their childhood library.

Most adults whose daily (professional) activity requires data analysis don't really "think" about it, either. They develop processes and spreadsheets. The scientific method is basically a crutch for lame thinking.

So... people rarely think.

Instead, when confronted with... whatever... they search their library for something similar, and act accordingly. That process is unconscious, of course, and that fact is very important: they do not understand their own "thought process". They imagine they are thinking, when in fact they are not.

And so, they are destabilized when confronted with a need to think. If they cannot find a similar-event-in-library, they stress. They invent. They desperately change the topic. They spout nonsense because they literally cannot "think".

When those  who enjoy "thinking" once in a while try to converse with normal people who have largely forgotten how to think, that normal person will very logically feel uncomfortable, evicted from their comfort zone, aggressed.

Those normal people often lash out at the tormentor who has so unkindly revealed that they have forgotten how to think.

It distills a lot of things down to a few words 

Sometimes that's good and sometimes you need more words. 

I totally agree. Those emoticons were supposed to be used as part of a comment... not as the comment. 

I have no problem, actually, with the summary.   However it seems a lot of people have only the slogan, only the bumpersticker as their base of knowledge.   It would seem many do not know enough to actually defend (or explain) the bumpersticker slogan they readily repeat.   That was more my point.

Why, when an individual is not prevailing in a debate, does the average person seem to resort to slimy debate tactics such as strawman arguments, feigned obtuseness, and other forms of intellectual dishonesty?  Is it because these tactics work or more because the individual would rather go down fighting even if integrity suffers?

See 2.1 . 

Because they only care about scoring points

But who are they scoring points with? Scoring points with people who already agree with you, really doesn't count. 

I don't think they see it that way.  They enjoy the virtual high-fiving.

The funny thing is (at least this is my opinion) they are not actually scoring points.   I prefer to give the NT community sufficient credit to see through these tactics (for the most part).   So, if I am correct, the tactician is simply making him/herself look the dishonest fool.

My most recent slimy-tactic pet peeve is when someone makes an inflammatory statement of questionable veracity, then refuses to either substantiate it or recant.  Those same people often blame those who call them out, saying they misunderstood and basically engaging in mental gymnastics to avoid either owning or disowning their statements.

It's gaslighting, and it's a tactic of liars.

Intellectual dishonesty is the worst.    And there are all sorts of ways to be intellectually dishonest.

Why do most people (it would seem) read the title of an article and then presume they are sufficiently informed to intelligently comment?

Why do most people (it would seem) read the title of an article and then presume they are sufficiently informed to intelligently comment?

This is a little different.

If we accept the idea that many adults have pretty much lost the ability to collect, collate, and analyze data, and therefore live their lives just drawing from their past experiences... then reading anything new is a waste of time for them.

They are incapable of processing whatever they might read.

Alternatively, they're just lazy....

I'm one of the lazy ones. I admit it

What did all the ex-viners wind up doing?

Dunno. I was kicked off NV long before it folded.

Quite a few of us are in Facebook.

Odd more have not gravitated here as well.  

I think a lot felt burned by how NV was in its final days, and are limiting their participation on discussion fora in general.  We discuss on Facebook to some degree, but it's obviously not really set up for that.  It's nice to keep in touch, though.

Just as individual FB users?   Not in FB groups or any other pseudo organization?

Some people are still at Minds and some people are still at Lairds google+ page.

That is all I know of.

Oh, There is a photography site I belong to. Haven't checked it in a while.

Seems to very depleted in both cases.   The ability to discuss (beyond a few exchanges) on those sites is challenging at best;  I suspect that is part of the reason.

We have one group, but folks seldom post there anymore.  We mostly introduced ourselves there, then interacted on our individual newsfeeds.

I'm here and Face Book

I have only really looked at facebook by watching other people. It seemed that one could do the same things just texting. Send pictures etc.

I think it's sad that so many Americans can't, don't, and won't even try to get along with each other these days. The Politicians and the media divided us up for their own power and profit and no one seems to notice or care. People are just too wrapped up in the one-up-man-ship of the moment, as we turn our power and control over to the ones who cause the divide to begin with. Sad !

Yes Steve, we should stop with the 'one-up-man-ship' and simply accept Donald Trump as president.  After all, 'both sides are the same,' right?  Sorry buddy, I know your intentions are good, but the Republican party has not been a viable option since Reagan.  President Freak Show still enjoys the support of 4/5 of Republican voters, but Hillary and Obama were just as bad, right?  If the support that treasonous piece of shit enjoys from the right does not make it clear to you that there is something seriously wrong with that side, I guess nothing will.

I know your intentions are good

Thank you

I know your intentions are good as well.

But, I think that's the problem. For Most of us, our intentions are good.

Because of our good intentions being misdirected into two directions by the system representing us fear, anger, resentment and all this constant back and forth in fighting both sides want to and believe they are winning the battle ...while we all are actually losing the war.

The war isn't against each other its really against the politicians and media. Do they participate in all the one up man ship here ?  Nope they dont even care.

I am no better,  my time and effort would probably be better spent writing congress people or maybe even the people who buy the congress people to begin with myself sharing my concerns about their division tactics that I believe is destroying our country. 

Maybe if we all did a little more bitchin at the ones causing the problems instead of each other it would help fix stuff, But I dont see how all the American people fighting constantly with each other can make America great.  Ever.

angerer yeah, Great...not so much. 

To each their own and good luck to us all 

There is no chance that a total piece of shit like Trump would be accepted by the Democratic politicians or their voters, none.  Trump and his supporters are simply not people we can take seriously.

There is no chance that a total piece of shit like Trump would be accepted by the Democratic politicians or their voters, none.  Trump and his supporters are simply not people we can take seriously.

I agree that trump himself is unacceptable in many ways and many of his core followers aren't much better, However many other borderline trump supporters have a specific reason or reasons for giving this manic their support. Most Americans believe they are right. Not all of us are, and I agree we are on the correct side by opposing this unpredictable lying bully of a president. 

But our real problem IS trump not every single person that voted for him for one reason or another.

That's just my opinion, Take trump out of the picture and we're all still just Americans 

However many other borderline trump supporters have a specific reason or reasons for giving this manic their support.

I'm sure you're right... but what does this say about these people's priorities?

Shouldn't flagrant racism and incessant dishonesty be disqualifying, regardless of anything else?

I disagree.  I don't think the problem is Trump or even the spineless Republican pols who won't stand up to him.  The problem is the 40% of Americans who continue to enable this lunacy.

&I disagree.  I don't think the problem is Trump or even the spineless Republican pols who won't stand up to him.  The problem is the 40% of Americans who continue to enable this lunacy

sorry Steve, but your well intentioned positive outlook isn't gonna be cutting it, when this Trumpanzee 3 ring around hopefully a Trumpp collar, stained with, with those dirty rings...

u try rubbing,

scrubbing,

but that Eastern European on Trumpps ghastly neck,

STAIN, that 'rests atop that neck', so in need of a scrubbing from Bubbles, or whoever,

would be the least, frightening thang,  of what went a foul, in this dismal Failing country of gaggling goons who WTFlock together while wishing on a fowl bone, whose goose is almost deep fried in oils of the denied,

whose saturation and manipulation, could possibly be goodenuff to keep down the dusty chipotle rub, with lubrication mixed with, of coarse, mountains of sand, disguised by mountains of snow, so asz knumb R most, to soften the blow        buy blow brought, bought, sought, and taut by wrought non ferrous unlubed wheels of confusion   by    Repubs who would place GREED, above our country,

a country where so many,

lost so much and so many,

to create a more perfect UNION, that has just become another un holy communnion

with

Extra Dry, Canadian wafers, delivered by Russian Geese,

still unable to sow the torn, asz the pigs still mourn, and whine of know whine from

a Divine

intervention NEEDED, to show JUST HOW DAMN WRONG  & PERVERTED, the ignorance

used

in the ploy, has sauced so many, yet , all while lower in msg and sodium, than sae soy

lant green with envious envy, buy those who thought they had brought n gathered a plenty,

ownly to find they should have listened to Charlie, good n plenty,

cuz relations with Trumpp die hards, are basically Acid about to explode into what so DAMN MANY,cant ever seem to sea, but Putin Ken, Doll baby him up, for his eventual despotted Owl chewing on his tootsie pop tarted with strawberry ice skating on the slabs of ice, aged just right, to slip him back into a torrid autumn, where his Fall will hibernate, as skin n bonez bared and beared,

kinda seem to expose a totally unacceptable group

of totally unacceptable groups,

whom have accepted a lying manipulative paltry carcass of a week plus chewed n spit out group

A frayed

to swallow the lions pride, for fear of alerting the others bean preyed upon

of just how fowl this chicken cock herder of those still herded,

cannot

B TRULY HEARD

as, it is truly absurd, how far ignorance and manipulative media

along with a take no damn responsibility for ones own failing selves,

as better to just point n keep on flailing, bearing arms with sleeves too long to be too short to reach,

the depths that which should be navigated, not by the ignorant of that which truly cannot see, as witch not at all

.

one good fisherman could cast, an overused line tangled and cut by a blind doude named bruised chin n ego androgenize prude, from which the name rang no bell, due to nice knockers on the door, wear buttons pushed

to create n maintain words n casts not from those who be leave they See,

but

possibly, abandoned by those who would foster hope into the equivalent of little children with lotts of big dope anti hype n hope

to basically camophlauge the vast number wons, whom can't yet sea, what and how lost, or ever tally and calculate the cost of

what minions would ever tolerate and pay,

just to think and often actually say,

it is not my fault

whence provided with an army of excuses and others to blame

this ignorant cucks

haven't n e shame

it could never,

ever,

be them to blame .

As when brother n sis

just continue to find so easy a jamb

to spread

blame, on the all powerful ones of increased pigment, immigrants invited daily by corporations, and the extremely impoverished, how could n e ever disagree, cause

we all no that these are the ones who choose Americas path;

it could never ever be old Caucasian mainly men who try and continue to divide, US, from the inside 

Shouldn't flagrant racism and incessant dishonesty be disqualifying, regardless of anything else?

One would certainly hope so, however people justify many horrible behaviours, ignore or overlook what they don't want to see it get what they want. Usually that doesn't last and sooner or later they come to the realization it's just not worth it before its over,   Divorce comes to mind.

         what does this say about these people's priorities?

That they are fucked up. Unfortunately, I've had family members who I in my opinion had fucked up priorities, I didn't disown them or hate them. I didn't like it and told them so but I didn't constantly attack them or try to hurt them in anyway. 

IMO: America really us better off with a diversity of ideologies behind us and shaping our future. too much of any one ideology and America may never be America again.

The problem is the 40% of Americans who continue to enable this lunacy

I don't think the 40% would have come together to be a problem with out someone leading that particular percent of Americans. Like I said people ignore, over look and justify many behaviors to gain want they want, I know myself I've overlooked shit at work to keep a job before.

So, I see the problem with both the person leading and coordinating the american people who do overlook the BS trump is and pulls.

But without a leader and being organised these people and their screwed up priorities was not and are not the real problem  Take away their coordinating leader and they have little power

PS: Quite the writing and paragraph structure ya got there. I did read it all though. 

Trump and his supporters are simply not people we can take seriously.....

We better at this time, they control the country.

Fighting with them IMO; Just alienates them and makes it harder to show them why we believe otherwise. Until they believe otherwise I dont have much hope they will stop supporting this president. Changing anyones mind is extremely difficult and even harder if they already have their defences up. 

Everyone has an opinion and their reasons for it, I've found more people will listen to my opinions when I'm not attacking them. 

But to each their own

PS: Have a nice monday

This day in history, August 20th, 1982

U.S. Marines deployed to Lebanon

During the Lebanese   Civil War , a multinational force including 800 U.S. Marines lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestinian withdrawal from Lebanon. It was the beginning of a problem-plagued mission that would stretch into 17 months and leave 262 U.S. servicemen dead.

In 1975, a bloody civil war erupted in Lebanon, with Palestinian and leftist Muslim guerrillas battling militias of the Christian Phalange Party, the Maronite Christian community, and other groups. During the next few years, Syrian, Israeli, and United Nations interventions failed to resolve the factional fighting, and in August 1982 a multinational force arrived to oversee the Palestinian withdrawal from Lebanon.

The Marines left Lebanese territory on September 10 but returned on September 29 following the massacre of Palestinian refugees by a Christian militia. The next day, the first U.S. Marine to die during the mission was killed while defusing a bomb. On April 18, 1983, the U.S. embassy in Beirut was devastated by a car bomb, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans. Then, on October 23, Lebanese terrorists evaded security measures and drove a truck packed with explosives into the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. Fifty-eight French soldiers were killed almost simultaneously in a separate suicide terrorist attack. On February 7, 1984, President   Ronald Reagan   announced the end of U.S. participation in the peacekeeping force.

Sadly 241 American Servicemen were killed and 128 more wounded. The irony of a ''Peace Keeping'' mission.

Vivid memories.

Hundreds of Marines lodged in an urban hotel in semi-hostile territory.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

"What could possibly go wrong?"

Sadly, everything. 

Kavika,

I was on this discussion last night and do not know how I missed this.

The first time I saw the picture of your son and read his story left me speachless.

Really, I can't think of much else to say; peace to him, you, your family and friends.

Many thanks dave.

I didn't realize that was your son, Kavika

Yes it is Trout. 

I'm very sorry for your loss

Condolences, Kavika.  I can't imagine going through what you've gone through.

Trout, Sandy....My son was one of the wounded that survived. He is 100% disabled with TBI and his right leg and right arm are paralyzed, plus numerous other problems. 

I was unaware.  I'm glad he survived, but sorry for what you and he lost when he was injured.

... following the massacre of Palestinian refugees by a Christian militia.

It's more complicated than that. The Phalangist militia was able to commit this massacre because the IDF, commanded by Ariel Sharon, aided and abetted.

That was the moment when Israel lost the moral high ground.

That was a very sad day.

While Telsa experiences turmoil, maybe Lucid Motors stands to gain, expecialy considering a potential Saudi PIF investment deal.

lucidmotors

I wonder if they could ever come up with solar collecting paint.

Paint the vehicle with a solar paint and it can charge itself going down the road.

I remember reading something about this a few years ago so I went to trusty google and found a few links. I didn't chase them down.

google

Dec 30, 2011 - A paint containing titanium dioxide and semiconducting cadmium nanocrystals can convert sunlight to electricity. Christopher Intagliata reports.

I'll wait for a production model, with test drive and real-world price.

There have been quite a few cool cars announced from China... but not many have actually hit the market.

IMO all the good stuff will remain in the test tube for a while.

I remain leary of any home grown Chinese automotive product. The Aussies I speak to who have been to China and have driven their home grown cars remain impressed in the negative sense.

Trump Says White House Is No Place for Lying Lowlife from Reality Show

BEDMINSTER, New Jersey (The Borowitz Report)—Blasting his former colleague Omarosa Manigault, Donald J. Trump said on Monday that “the White House is no place for a lying lowlife from a reality show.”

“People were impressed by Omarosa because they saw her on a TV show,” Trump told reporters from his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. “Well, I’ve got news for you: being on a reality show does not qualify you to work in the government.”

Explaining why he considered her a “lowlife,” Trump said, “She’s rude, abrasive, and offensive. Having someone like that in the White House is an embarrassment to our country.”

But worst of all, Trump said, was Omarosa’s lying, which he called “constant.”

“She can’t go a day without lying, and what’s more, she’s narcissistic and paranoid,” he said. “A psycho like that shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Situation Room.”

Pronouncing himself pleased that Omarosa was no longer in his Administration, Trump concluded his scorching remarks by saying, “The sooner we can rid the White House of reality-show con artists, the better off the country will be.”

Photograph by Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Wow everything that scumbag Rump said there is so true of Rump himself.  

Projection at its' finest!

The Pharmacist

A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, right up to the
pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, "I would like to buy
some cyanide."

The pharmacist asked, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?"

The lady replied, "I need it to poison my husband."

The pharmacist’s eyes got big and he exclaimed, "Lord have mercy! I can't
give you cyanide to kill your husband! That's against the law! I'll lose
my licence! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will
happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!"

The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in
bed with the pharmacist's wife.

The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, "Well now.
That's different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription."

Excellent!  

How Brexit could cause a crisis at the Irish border

Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty After Giuliani Offers to Be His Lawyer

I love historical maps. Here's a cool one:

The map is from Maps on the Web

A throw-away one-liner on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight motivated me to do some googling. I won't bore you with all the gory details of how Jared Kushner collected Steve Bannon's scalp , but I will give you the nugget I was looking for and found:

Kushner was drawn into the campaign, and the administration, by degrees—“drafted into this crazy journey,” he has been heard to say. More than anything it’s a reflection of how few people there were to do anything in the campaign’s early days. At one point during the campaign, when Trump wanted to speak more substantively about China, he gave Kushner a summary of his views and then asked him to do some research. Kushner simply went on Amazon, where he was struck by the title of one book, Death by China , co-authored by Peter Navarro. He cold-called Navarro, a well-known trade-deficit hawk, who agreed to join the team as an economic adviser. (When he joined, Navarro was in fact the campaign’s only economic adviser.) Kushner operated in much the same way when it came to crafting Trump’s tax plan—calling up someone for help out of the blue. Given the initial absence of pros who could do the job properly, he also tried his hand at writing speeches. Responding to criticism from the boss (“Jared, this is terrible!”), Kushner said, according to a person familiar with the episode, “I’m not a fucking speechwriter. I am a real-estate guy.”

Peter Navarro went on to become the Trump Administration's "Trade Czar", and the architect of the trade war with China.

You can't make this shit up. If it was a TV script, it would be rejected, because "just not credible"...

Bad News for Donald Trump, China is Already Bigger Than the United States

As we know, Donald Trump is not very good with numbers. He gave more evidence of this fact when he told a campaign rally in West Virginia:

"When I came, we were heading in a certain direction that was going to allow China to be bigger than us in a very short period of time ...That’s not going to happen anymore.”

Actually, China's economy is already considerably bigger than the U.S economy. Using the purchasing power parity measure, which is recommended by most economists and the CIA World Factbook , China's economy is already more than 25 percent larger than the U.S. economy. It is also worth noting that there are no growth projections from any remotely reputable source that show the U.S. economy growing more rapidly than China's economy.

1 step easy lesson to identify when you have provided technical overload concerning an issue regarding an engine  scheduled for dyno testing next friday:

G'day Dave,

I'm on the small batch bourbon already,

I'll read that 10 times when Im sober then ill reply

Cheers Cob

Ummm.............

Does this person do a lot of work for you.....?      

Lol, no he's a good mate and client in Perth.

The sign off of "Cheers Cob" Is cheers to me. The Aussies will abbreviate abbreviations. Cob is short for Coba, which is short for Cobber. Cobber can have 2 meanings. It can mean a "hay you" acquaintance or a lifetime  friend. Going with the abbreviations shifts the meaning toward lifetime friend.

This was his first week back to work after a month off resulting from a ladder fall and he doesn't drink alcohol when not busy. So that was Friday after work for him and time for a few.

This has been about a year long project:

It will produce just under 900hp on street grade pump fuel. AUS BP 98 Ultimate. I had designed a camshaft that would make a bit more power at a slightly higher engine rpm, but remain under a threshold I use regarding combustion detonation.

Another fella who is in the local area of Perth and also with Pro Stock engine experience came up with a camshaft that would bring the rpm down a little make a touch more torque but in exchange for a touch less horsepower because of the rpm reduction. To be honest, it is closer to something I would have spec'd for a race motor on race fuel, but not for something on their 98 Ultimate.

So, the plan is to test with both VP MS109 race gas and also with 98 Ultimate.

After getting the baseline on the 109, I have a list of steps to follow for switching to 98. This way he can call the shots during the dyno test session and not be at the mercy of others determining the fate of this very expensive engine.

He needed his Friday night and some BBQs this weekend. He will be alright and come back with a bunch of questions.

WASHINGTON ( The Borowitz Report)

Upbraiding the ESPN anchor Jemele Hill for calling Donald Trump a “white supremacist,” the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said on Wednesday that “no one has done more than President Trump to prove that white people are not superior.”

“It’s grossly unfair that Ms. Hill sought to portray Donald Trump as an upholder of white supremacy, when everything he says or does directly undermines that whole concept,” Sanders said. “Anyone who thinks that Donald Trump is on some mission to make white people look good hasn’t been paying attention.”

Sanders urged the ESPN anchor to “do her homework” on Trump before making baseless allegations. “Read his tweets,” she said. “Listen to his speeches. If you still think Donald Trump is trying to prove that white people are superior, I tip my hat to you.”

Ending on a personal note, Sanders said that she was “a hundred-per-cent sure” that her boss is not a white supremacist. “Donald Trump cannot even spell the word ‘supremacist,’ ” she said.

“The lions are gone. The lions of the Senate are gone. It is very sad.”

— Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, on Senator John McCain, who died nine years to the day after Senator Edward Kennedy.

Postcards from the class & culture wars (8.29.18)

It's the big day in Perth Australia, at least for some folks. Me included.

They are 12 hours ahead of US ET. In 7-8 hours a year long project will get bolted up to a US built Superflow SF-902 engine dynamometer.

Planned goals include:

Breakin

Evaluate

Test

Tune

Evaluate

Can't help but hope it remains in one piece and make the numbers designed into it.

Here's an email just before the owner went to bed:

G’day Dave,
I’m a tad excited mate
I’m surprised you can’t hear my foot tapping
& all this in footy finals season

I’ll keep ya in the Loop mate

Cheers
BL

It should still look like this when testing is complete:

These resto street guys want to maintain the old school tech as much a possible. There you go.

The fellas are in transit transporting the engine to the dyno facility.

Plenty of coffee.

Ignition controller issues.

New one on the way.

After replacing the ignition control unit, re-fired engine.

Initial warm up showed issue with the combined oil/air pump unit.

Taking it back to the shop for tear down and inspection.

The oil/air pump pretty much grenaded internally.

Still undergoing a examination of the engine internals.

This was not a unit I prefer to use, but withholding judgement.

All the bearings and journal surfaces look good. same for pistons, rings, cylinder walls, valve guides, etc.

Pretty sure we have identified 3 contributing factors.

I will post it when we know for sure.

The cylinder head guy is dissecting the oil/air pump.

Alright, so, things are back together for this combination and waiting for another dyno date, He will miss the first event of the season.

Looks like the oil sump still had some remaining slag in it after mods to adapt an external oil pump that got past the filtration screens in the pump. That is an issue I hold Peterson pumps liable for. Why on earth would they have built in mesh to allow particles large enough to damage the pump given obviously known internal clearances?

Anyhow, first event of the season gone for this fella.

In the meantime got another 70hp gain for anther fella, again through better exhaust system design and a couple tweaks to the intake manifold. Folks tend to leave too much hp on the table when they do things according to the "experts".

He has a good fabricator to make it fit in the chassis.

BTW, PA stands for Performance Automatic, not Pennsylvania.

I have known the owner since the '70s and his shop is local here in Maryland. It is good to see his products in use in Australia too.

This fella will make next weekends event and given no unexpected problems should make his first street legal 9 second 1/4 mile pass.

John McCain 

Donald Trump

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