Bruce K

Hilarious! I didn't have that email for you. Hey, if he contacts you twice, will you give him twice as much information?

I met another recent WCM owner in the Detroit area, who already has his car doing 1:14's at Waterford Hills - that's really quick around Waterford. He's made a number of sensible modifications and might be another good person to converse with. Nathan Crosty, nathancrosty@gmail.com.

ATTACHED is a Caterham story, in narrative poem style (basically, a story with fewer words and more intense imagery). I have owned a variety of Super Sevens for the greater part of 45 years, and I tried to capture the magic of those decades - the ability of a Seven to ignite and vivify any drive, the synergy of a Seven and a warm spring day, the sheer joy of simply observing a Seven. I hope you enjoy the humor, the insights and the music of the words. Your comments are welcomed. ode to a Super Seven.pdf

Last shirt:

Below are images of five of the remaining shirts:

NOTE - THESE SHIRTS HAVE BEEN SOLD, BUT THE BUYER IS EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY WITH THE PAYMENT PROCESSOR. PLEASE CHECK BACK AGAIN THE WEEK OF APRIL 15TH, 2024 TO SEE IF THEY COME AVAILABLE AGAIN. Twelve carefully curated Caterham t-shirts for sale. With the exceptions of the cartoon Caterham imprint and the evolution of man designs (2 shirts), all are the best available, $25 premium shirts (the two exceptions mentioned are standard cotton shirts not offered with higher quality options). Except for the two aforementioned exceptions, most are cotton and synthetic blends (a few are very light, fully synthetic). Sizes for all are LARGE. Tags have been cut (I hate when they stick out). New condition. All shirts worn only about three times each (some fewer). Always washed in gentle cycle with cold water, mild detergent, fabric softener, no bleach (not even Oxy) and hung on hangars to dry. All imprints show no fading or wear, despite a couple washed-out photos. Stored in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment. No discernable wear evident in any of the shirts. I will take the collection back and refund any buyer who proves this contention incorrect. I could only include six images with this ad, so I will send images of the remaining six to any interested party. Please include your email in your response. A while ago I sold my Caterham and moved to a slightly larger and heavier lightweight - a Lola T70 replica, for which I have already assembled a shirt collection. I intend to keep the Lola and its ultimate performance, and it is a shame to have this great collection of curated shirts simply stored away. $100 plus careful shipping. Whoever pays the $100 plus shipping will also receive a freshly-washed, unfaded Caterham ballcap in perfect condition. This 13-item collection cost over $300 plus individual shipping. Thanks!

Of course, not every dealership achieves the same level of organization and equipment within each marque, but having seen several Porsche and the only local Ferrari backrooms, my vote goes to Ferrari. I had collision work performed on my Alfa 4C at the Ferrari dealership. The mechanical area was cleaner than my kitchen, specialized hoists disappeared completely into the floor, and the toolboxes were the size of pickup trucks. Lighting was so bright and well-distributed, it felt like heaven (especially with all those 9,000 rpm v12's and v8's scattered about). Their paint booths were sufficiently antiseptic for brain surgery. And preparing a car for customer pickup involved a one-hour detailing process.

@barbox & @Croc - good grief! I was only recommending the move because I BELIEVED THE CONTENT WAS SO IMPORTANT. I am from the old school, where caps were simply emphasis - I was not yelling at anyone, which should have been apparent from the nice things I was saying. I had received no response to my earlier recommendations, so I chose to emphasize the suggestion. My only intention was to have Croc's posts seen by as many members as possible. I thought that could be best effectuated by a move to a thread concerning suspension setup. Apparently, Croc covers this info repeatedly, rendering movement unnecessary, of which I was unaware. Accusations of hypocrisy - so over the top! IMO, way too much sensitivity on display here. I receive texts all the time, where senders left the caps lock on, and even some short emails. The caps were not associated with any particular request for expedition, and they have never offended me - never crossed my mind. Indeed, most of my subject post was complimentary to others, as noted above. To claim offense because I spoke my compliments with emphasis - really? This was no issue to pick a fight over. You should wait until I write something demeaning or controversial, instead of flattering.

I was surprised to learn the following. Jem Marsh designed the car below in 1958, and began selling copies in 1959. It was an evolution of an earlier model he had been producing in very limited numbers. Does it remind you of anyone else's superlight, super-spartan, small-motored sports car which was first offered for sale in 1957? The Marcos sports car could be ordered with motors up to 1.172 CC. It is said that Jem March was unaware of Colin's new car, and this is possible because of pre-internet limited exposure. A few years later. Jem Marsh began producing his beautiful GT, first with a 4 cylinder motor, and finally with a Ford V6 (subject of the second image). With that car, his competition was the Jaguar XKE, and some period mags put the Marcos GT's performance on par with the XKE. The Marcos 750 (below) all the way up the GT were distinguished by lightweight wooden frames to which fiberglass was bonded (the marine plywood frames were completely sealed by fiberglass, to prevent rot). As a young man, I invested substantially (compared to my available resources) in a good-looking V6 GT, of which only about 149 were ever built. It needed paint and mechanical restoration. I bought all the parts, but during the rebuid the shop went bankrupt, and half my new parts went missing. Frustrated, I sold the project and never got to drive the completed car. it is one I wish I could have kept. PS - that is Jem March in the cockpit of the 750. He was tall for the period - 6' 4" in shoes!:

@JohnCh, @Croc - this post is directed to the moderators. Besides the excellent current tire information, there are nearly two pages of a clinic on Super Seven alignment. IMO, THE TIRE PURCHASE AND ALIGNMENT POSTS SHOULD BE MOVED TO A THREAD WHERE MORE MEMBERS CAN LEARN FROM THEM. WHERE MEMBERS WOULD TURN IF THESE QUESTIONS AROSE. THIS IN GREAT INFO FOR ANYONE SEEKING TO ALIGN A SEVEN, WHICH OFTEN INCLUDES NEW TIRE PURCHASE.

@Croc - Just letting you know that your interchanges with @Marek have been added to the Upgrade and Repair Manual in the chapter on Alignment. We are up to 200 pages of indexed, practical knowledge.

@SENC - I agree with the value of behaving as a devil's advocate. However, I also believe it important to attempt to change minds, because I have personally experienced changes of opinion and behavior and degrees of belief. Unless we attempt to change minds, we are ceding defeat to those who believe opposite us. If our beliefs are, in our considered opinion, important, we need to persuade others to them. I know you are a man of considered opinion and belief, and capable of influencing others, so keep trying.

A recent federal lawsuit filed by a Penn State university professor illustrates the racism endemic to DEI, and why it is beginning to be corralled nationwide (just became illegal in Utah, with many states considering similar legislation). The professor claims his civil rights were violated, per the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Epoch Times reported the following sworn testimony today: "After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, all Penn State faculty and staff were told to attend a “Conversation on Racial Climate” on Zoom. During the session, Alina Wong, an assistant vice provost for educational equity, “led the faculty in a breathing exercise,” De Piero’s complaint states, “in which she instructed the ‘White and non-Black people of color to hold it just a little longer—to feel the pain.’" On at least four other occasions in 2020 and 2021, the judge wrote, De Piero “was obligated to attend conferences or trainings that discussed racial issues in essentialist and deterministic terms—ascribing negative traits to white people or white teachers without exception and as flowing inevitably from their race.” One session involved a presentation about “White Language Supremacy.” Another included examples of ostensibly racist comments “where every hypothetical perpetrator was white,” the judge continued. The ruling noted De Piero’s claim that he was subject to “race-based theories condemning white people for no other reason than they spoke or were simply present while being ‘white,’” and that his supervisor “spoke of race conscious grading” and accused white faculty of unwittingly reproducing “racist discourses and practices” in the classroom. Once, faculty members even had to watch a training video titled “White Teachers Are a Problem.” In 2021, De Piero told an administrator that he felt harassed and singled out because of his race and asked that anti-racism training sessions be stopped. He filed a report with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. He also filed a bias report with Penn State’s affirmative-action office. A staffer there allegedly told him, “There is a problem with the white race,” and urged him to keep attending anti-racism workshops. In ruling that these and other allegations “plausibly amount to ‘pervasive’ harassment,” Judge Beetlestone did not necessarily conclude that everything happened just as De Piero claims. But if events did happen that way, she reasoned, then Penn State is “plausibly” guilty of creating a hostile climate. When I asked Penn State for comment on the factual accuracy of De Piero’s complaint, a spokesperson replied that the university does not comment on ongoing litigation."

@SENC & @barbox - I am following your discussion with enjoyment. As with most previous conversatons on this thread, participants are reasonable, educated adults who are diving deep for their best arguments, and their best diction with which to express them. Accommodations are being reached, and most participants are learning about, and improving, themselves. For these reasons, I continue to suggest that this thread title be changed to "Settling Disputes" or "Ongoing Arguments", or some other title that more correctly suits its developing purpose. I have an overview: IMO most reasonably educated people in our country are not racist, and only rarely cogitate the subject independently. When they do, it is usually because the subject was raised on the internet or on TV, as racism is often charged on liberal news sources, and denied on conservative ones (but sometimes the reverse, as with race restrictions regarding college admissions). However, I also firmly believe people notice race all the time, and I believe, in many to most cases, people are most comfortable around individuals of their own race. This is not racism - it is ethnocentrism, which is a sort of sociological reflex. It is not an evil or amoral reaction, as opposed to overt acts of racism. It is a measure of tribal comfort. This reflex, too, may ultimately disappear as races continue to interbreed and share DNA. Indeed ethnocentrism may already be attenuating or effectively disappearing among Gen Zers. Of course, I am not denying the existence of racism. Prison populations generally divide along racial lines. It is easy to find evidence of restricted racist enclaves like neo-nazis and Black, Irish, Italian, Mexican and Russian criminal gangs, including just some of the most notorious. But, IMO, extrapolating the racist ideologies of these groups to the general population is a mistake. I believe most evidences of overt racism have disappeared, or are just waiting for an applicable law to smite them. I also believe racism receives much undeserved attention, because the issue generates news, funding and votes. Concerning the crucial subject of language: I agree with SENC that the meaning of words continues to evolve. That is why dictionaries publish new editions, often annually (I'll bet Wiktionary changes daily). But I also disagree with SENC, in that most words don't change meaning often, and those that do are usually by slight nuance. Only a small number change radically, usually via adoption into slang, hip-hop, rap or other sub-cultures, and usually with a broadened or different meaning. This is why language is so effective - ordinary people can effectively communicate their ideas because most words are well-understood. That makes management of discussion much easier - only a few words, like racism, need to be defined before or as discussion deepens (word etymology has been a study of mine for many years. During that time, I have researched the etymology of countless thousands of words, and noted differences between archaic, British, early 20th century, and geographical or cultural dialect and other usages. ATTACHED is a published short story I wrote about my Porsche 935, but written in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. Nearly one word in every sentence required etymological research. According to feedback, it is an enjoyable read. Note the words that have gone out of vogue since the mid 19th century epoch of Poe:) 'The Pit and the Porsche (for Halloween) REVISED 11-5-23.pdf

@barbox - our discussions have certainly mutated, following lots of agreement on central issues. The areas we are now exploring reminds me of metaphysics or sociology or philosophy classes. Again, I applaud Barbox and Senc thanks for your thoroughly contemplated responses. I'm going to copy your complete statements, plus my rejoinders in red, and then my new responses in green: I think I see where you're coming from here. My point with "But if I feel offended, even if that feeling is unjustified or whatever else you may say to dismiss the feeling or emotion, is it not true that I felt it?" (emphasis added) was to allude to the fact that one may feel genuine offense, but be unable to convince the other party that the offense felt was legitimate, or justified, or worthy of an apology, or any number of other things. Hypothetical example: I say something that offends you, and you claim offense, and we talk about it, but you're unable to convince me that what I said contained legitimate offense, so we agree to disagree and move on. Based on what you wrote (quoted above), it sounds like you think I should walk away thinking it rude for you to have raised the concern in the first place, because upon examination, I didn't find it contained offense. Am I understanding that correctly, or misinterpreting? I would say it's not rude to merely raise the concern, even if you're unable to convince the other party of whatever it is you're claiming. But I would agree that it would cross the line into rudeness if you continued to pester the person with the same arguments ad nauseam, rather than agreeing to disagree and moving on. Once again, we are in agreement. I utilized the terms "upon examination". Each of us should critically weigh the words and intent if we believe we are being insulted. If our conclusion is insult, then by all means raise an objection. I stated the same in an earlier post, and in the paragraph above gave my example of Vovchandr. I thought about his remarks for several day before judging them insulting. But under no conditions is it appropriate to foment enmity or hatred by sharing unexamined feelings. I don't care if something hurts you - if you consider the words, and can find no offense, keep it to yourself. 1 hour ago, Bruce K said: Do the recent SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC decisions address your concern here? Yes,nominally, but the open repudiation of the decisions by Harvard and other schools worries me. As you pointed out, it is the effects were are concerned with. Harvard has already promulgated their plan for an end-around on this decision. I'll admit this is not a concern I've ever heard before from anyone. I'm not really sure what exactly the problem is. Do you think the prospectus of the relevant funds didn't adequately disclose their plans and goals? Do you think their managers shouldn't be allowed to invest in what they view as long-term, high-risk high-reward opportunities when shorter-term, lower-risk opportunities exist? Do you think fund managers should be held legally liable for the performance of their investments? What law is it you think was violated here? You hit the nail on the head - many of these funds did not include these objectives, and certainly not at the time that long term investments were placed. Many investors continue to be unaware, and are unwittingly helping the nefarious racism of DEI. DEI moves us away from a meritocratic achievement economy into an economy premised on racial subsidies. To grow the economy and enrich our people, and for our future security, we require an achievement economy, where the best and brightest perform our important services, and are generally allowed to accumulate as much success as they can. Would you want your airplane pilot hired, not because he was the best, but because he was a brown man with lesser qualifications? Same with your neurosurgeon, your pancreatic cancer oncologist, the scientists working on your drugs, and so on. In less critical situations, lesser hires will prove adequate, and only the most troglodytic businesses are unaware of our equal opportunity laws, so the numbers will level out. The specific laws are likely contained in the Investment Advisors Act, though I can't point to the specific section, but I'm certain that fee-paid investment agents have the requirement of working only towards the goals outlined in the prospectus. In most prospecti, the goal is to maximize returns. It's long been my opinion that private business would not invest in DEI or Green initiatives if it didn't make business sense (and that includes the possibility that the only benefit is "looking good", but that even then, they would only invest in it if they think there's profit to be made in looking good). Often, the profit is not only less - it disappears with the demise of the various electric bus companies, solar panel companies and others involved in cutting edge tech. These and other problems are the reason DEI and Green funds are losing investors. However, if certain investors want to make less money and enjoy more virtue signaling, that is their God-given right. You seem to acknowledge that there's a racial bias in quality of primary and secondary schools. How, then, can we claim to live in an egalitarian society? How is that equal opportunity? How is that not all the evidence you need to convince you that there is more work yet to be done? Absolutely not - no racial bias, no difference in the potential quality of the schools. Instead, there is a cultural deficiency that results in one-parent households, and in many cases effectively no parents; in obstreperous and unruly kids, who fail to apply themselves in a manner conducive to success: in lawbreaker kids who grow up running errands for gang-bangers and then look for their own street corner; on prison graduates whose skills with drugs and larceny provide no advantage in the outside world; and more. In all cases, unfortunately, these are independent decisions made by both adults and kids. We need to help these kids, but not at the expense of other kids who have accorded themselves properly and qualify for admittance to the best colleges. We currently provide many opportunities to improve, including countless social services, charities and so on. And many such kids also attend community colleges to acquire the skills necessary for larger institutions. I know - I've interviewed and hired many of them. We must remove racism from our solutions to these problems.