spotcheck

A woman scanned the guests at a party and spotted an attractive man standing alone. She approached him. "My name is Carmen," she told him. "That's a beautiful name," he replied, "Is it a family name?" "No," she replied. "I gave it to myself. It reflects the things I like most -- cars and men." "What's your name?" she asked. "B.J. Titsengolf” …he replied. ...... to Titsensevens?

Absolutely. And, to read about. He had his priorities "sorted out": "..in Paris, Jefferson was to begin his long habit of collecting and cellaring hundreds, at times thousands, of bottles. It was a practice that helped keep the notoriously improvident Founding Father in debt much of his life." (City Journal, 08.31.07) Ch Margaux will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no Margaux.

Wow!! - Thanks, Rob . I've driven right by there many times in the past dozen years, but did not know about it. I'm definitley gonna go!! BTW - the town of Madison has some beautiful homes that Gen Sherman missed, if you like looking at that type of thing.

The Rev. Jackson has made important contributions, but he simply cannot come to grips with the fact that his 15 minutes were up many years ago. While I have a preference in this year's contest, I am comfortable with the other side, and in any case cannot see a place for vitriol in what should be an educated, thoughtful discussion in the middle of very difficult social, economic, and geopolitical times. I just have to ride the storm out for 6 months more, and can then exhale at noon on Jan 20. "An association of men who will not quarrel with one another is a thing which has never yet existed, from the greatest confederacy of nations down to a town meeting or a vestry." - Jefferson

My learning curve is levelling out a bit, as I move toward eventual ownership, and I can cull the list a bit: Lotus 7 - my mechanical skills not up to par Cat classic - my wide butt not down to par Cat CSR - my bank account not even in the game. I have been able to start a second list of potential sources with whom I might have a hard time doing business. The thing I value most about this group (in addition to knowledge and humor) is objectivity and integrity.

Anyone know if more info is available other than the photos?

Holy Gopher!! Hope you're not apologizing for the first four trial shots. 5 ft down and 2.5 feet left (or right)!!! Well Done. 2000 yd = >1-1/4 miles. Saw Clint Eastwood do that in a movie once, I think.

slngsht - You are right on target about imbedded waste. It is more subtle than the headline-grabbing stupid stuff on toilet seats, etc. One trivial example: Nuke-powered subs and a lot of the other major warships are built on the east coast. Submarine drive shafts are built in the Pacific Northwest. Monstrous flywheels for the drivetrains of the blue-water Navy are manufactured in So Cal. The cost of the CRATING to ship these monsters is staggering, not to mention the shipping cost itself. This is just one small (relatively) component of one program of one branch of one department of the Fed Gov. Gee - why aren't they manufactured where the end product is assembled? Like, say, the supplier network that is in the immediate vicinity of Toyota's Georgetown, KY facility? They invented lean processes 50 years ago, they have regularly whacked the comeptition in production costs. Maybe they know something? Oh - right - they don't run for elected office - they compete in real-world global markets. "Senator + Congressman, if you vote for this program, we will be able to add-retain X,XXX high-paying jobs (read: votes) in your state-district." As flawed and slightly wacko as Huckabee's Fair Tax or Forbes' Flat Tax may sound, the emilination of non-value added waste in terms of tax lawyers, tax accountants, IRS, tax code lobbyists, Congressional tax-code specialist aides, etc would be staggering. Tens of billions. The deficit goes down and then the tax rates go down. But then, these groups would all have to get a real job and actually produce something of value. Ain't gonna happen. Even Alexander the Great and his sword could not cut through this Gordian knot.

Agree enthusiastically with all of you on the value of differing opinions and views. Wouldn't want to be in a place where the overwhelming majority of people thought exactly like me. (That's certainly not the case in even in my own house . The Pragmatic Cynic platform sometimes loses the necessary hope on issues like violence, child welfare, and so on. I guess the underlying theme is that there are various avenues to achieving various outcomes. Its not always the voters, the Congress, or the Amendment process. The Supremes get to weigh in on issues like Roe v Wade, Brown v Board, the DC ban, Florida electoral issues, and The Champ. The Pragmatic Cynic platform believes that politics-du-jour sometimes play a role in those exalted hallways. 9-0 reversing The Champ's draft-doging conviction? Puh-lese. I supported him all the way, but the threat of riots carried more weight with them than my opinion. And so it goes........Thanks for the interesting discussion, guys. As a transplanted Michiganian, I can tell you with certainty that the most difficult issue facing the nation in 2008 is: One out. Two on. Exactly who in The Detroit Tigers lineup card are you gonna want to pitch around? Also - how many yards on that praire dog measuring wheel? Looks like a mile from the photo!!

This should really get you spun up - My general attitude is "Don't hit me. Don't throw up on me. Do anything else you like." Along those lines.... Legalize drugs. All of 'em. Most corporations (like the one I work for) have pre-employment and random drug testing programs in place. You wanna get high? Great - good for you - go for it - you just can't work next to me. The "war on drugs" is a joke. We will never overcome the market force of demand by trying to interdict supply - there is simply too much money at stake. Hell, the USA did as much for the global opiate supply as anyone in history when we took down the Taliban without an alternate economy in place for the Afgans trying to put food on the table for their kids. I can't blame them for growing poppies. Not making a political point, just an economics point. License the manufacturers like we do distillers. Tax the product, just like my Marlboros and my Glenlivet, but keep it affordable to reduce the crime needed to get the money to get high. Free needle exchange and free condoms. Free up the court system, the DEA budget, health-care for HIV-AIDS, the public safety departments. Take a fraction of the savings and put it into children's education, nutrition, health care. Reduction in violent crime if you don't need weapons to protect your corner from the competition. Probably do more for my concerns about guns than any other method. Yes - I was BIG fan of Major Bunnie Coleman's "DMZ" in The Wire. No, I'm not a Libertarian. I'm not Republican or Democrat. I'm a card-carrying Pragmatic Cynic. Last - that was one HELLUVA shot on the praire dog. You could probably tag me all the way down here in Atlanta. I'm staying in the basement for a while.

This is precisely the type of discourse and debate that I love about the USA. Of course, you are 100% wrong, but that's cool with me - I defend your right to be off target (pun intended. heh-heh-heh). Just kidding.........put the gun down.....slowly..........slowly..............

" A well regulated militia......." To permanently cement the intent of our Founders and the authors of the Constitution and its Amendments in the political and social climate of the revolutionary 18th century Colonies would be to deny the evolving nature of These United States of America in the 21st century. Georgia "Bubbas" with Glocks in the center consoles of their pick-em-ups are not any type of militia, much less well regulated. I rail at the slightest infringments by government on individual freedoms and rights (re: W and the telecom immunity outrage), but unregulated firearms no longer support the broader social good. I've used shotguns and rifles for hunting. I've used pistols for target shooting. Fine. Regulate. Register. The Russkies are not going to invade, for cryin' out loud. Anecdotes abound on both sides. Mine would begin with Engineering classes I had 3 decades ago in a Va Tech classroom that was recently the site of......... Well, you get the point. I did not come to my position because of that tragedy - it only reinforced it.

This is (will be?) the pet dog of R. Daneel Olivaw

When leaving the car parked for long periods, I had always thought that it was worthwhile to disconnect the battery. Does a cutoff switch perform the same function?

The corporation I work for does lots of business transactions - purchase agreements, supply agreements, plus many acquisitions. We have some internal rules, including: "You can't do a good deal with a bad guy." "Your first loss is your best loss." "When you are digging a hole for yourself, the first thing to do is throw the shovel away." This situation won't get better. Walk away.

Some things just go around - I'm turning left, start to creep forward, a flamer comes shooting into the oncoming lane, so I hit the brakes, and the guy behind me hits my bumper. He follows me into the parking lot, we exchange info, I get an estimate, get the check from his insurance company, all is cool. Except I travel all the time for work, and the damage was minor (for BMW, minor = Weeks later, I'm in a different part of town. Exact same thing happens, except this time the other driver is a rich kid HS senior from Buckhead (Atlanta area with big $$) driving Dad's Volvo to a high-priced private school (I recognized the insignia on the school uniform). We get out of our cars. He tagged me in almost the exact same spot on the rear bumper as the first guy. I could see the additional damage, but all he saw was the entire thing. Kid's white as a sheet, and visibly nervous. I shake his hand and tell him - "Congratulations!! Today is your lucky day." He looks at me like I'm from Mars and says "How do you figure that?" I tell him about the previous accident, and that he did not add any damage, and he is off the hook, except "You have all day to come up with a really good story to tell your Dad about the scratches in his front bumper - shouldn't be a problem." Moral of the story - something very similar happened to me as a HS senior, and the guy just laughed it off and sent me on my way. I don't remember the story I made up for my Dad, but I know he didn't believe it - he just couldn't prove I was bulls*****ng him. Hopefully, this kid will do the same thing in about 35 years.

FWIW - 6'2" 220# 11-1/2 shoe Drove a Cat SV at Brit Auto - DFW last year. No problems at all. Italian dress shoes - tight fitting shoes, no sole "overhang" - was fine. 2 weeks ago, I sat in a Cat 7 (bench seat) and a Cat Superlight (alum racing seat) at Gran Prix Imports south of Portland, OR. No shoes (trying to simulate driving shoes) no real problem. Expect the pedal box would be fine with driving shoes. 6'2" didn't seem to be an issue either. However, the combination of my thin wallet and my wide a** made both seats a little uncomfortable - especially the Superlight. Which means - of the Cats, the SV would likely be the one for me. Of course, the wallet would be much thinner then.

Define "sorted"?

From your notes, I assume you got the 7 from Brit Auto in DFW area. I was fortunate enough to get a test drive in your car late last year. An unexpected change in events has put me on the sidelines :banghead: (temporarily) as an owner, but that 30 minutes was all it took to set the hook. Maybe it was destiny that brought the car to N Ga after all. Jealous, but in a good way. Congratulations. Beautiful car. Good luck today against Steve Superior. Hang 50 on HIS a*#. Kent Atlanta

Understand. Price made me look and ask. BTW - Fate intervened on (a) plans to purchase this year and (b) TOTD 7-7-7. Have spent more time on threads and photos than I would have spent at TOTD, though. They make me sick to my stomach that I missed it. I'm pretty POed at this Fate character.

Curious - "just to cruise in" - does that mean you wouldn't want it as your only LSIS?

Yeah, well - check this out. Of course, the price tag has two commas. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x157l2_bugatti-veyron-at-top-speed

Yes,it is wider than a standard Caterham, and is needed for my posterior width. The race seats are Ultrashield drag seats, 20 degree layback model, one 18" wide, and one 16' wide. When you say 18" driver's seat width, is that the ID "butt width" between the bolsters, or the overall OD of the seat? Do you know how that compares to the Cat SV dimension?

thnx

Where can I find the Rotus board of which you speak? (Historical footnote: Fool - "Sir Winston, don't you agree that it is improper to end a sentence with a preposition?" Churchill - "That is pendantry up with which I will not put")