Broken Mooring Monday

Jerry Coyne, the author of Why Evolution Is True, published this post on Saturday titled, “Anne Frank had white privilege?” He admits, “This isn’t a huge kerfuffle, because the morons espousing the thesis in the title aren’t numerous.” Still, he later writes, “But as I’ve said before, there is no object, no concept, no organization, and no activity that cannot be demonized by some crazied Wokesters. Anne Frank, for crying out loud!”

People are entitled to their opinions, I guess, but I want to lobotomize those who hold such views. I mean, they’re not really using their brains, anyway.

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“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is one of the few non-progressive jazz, non-instrumental rock songs that I like. This post from Why Evolution Is True is about Coyne’s affection for the song, the debate over the meaning of the lyrics and that “this is really a work of musical genius.”

I don’t think I was very familiar with the song until I watched the movie Real Genius. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is played at the end of the film and over the closing credits. In general, accompanying music–the soundtrack, if you will–can enhance or detract from the enjoyment of watching a TV show or a film.

The early seasons of House had some great music, much of which was composed for the show. Transplant also has some great accompanying music as does, believe it or not, Everyday Driver.

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From this Archon’s Den post:

 

A young Math PhD got a job at a research facility.  His boss took him on a tour of the facility.  Nearing lunchtime, he showed him to the cafeteria.  As they entered, his boss yelled out, “47!”  Everyone in the room laughed uproariously.  Minutes later, another man entered, and shouted, “13!”  Again, everyone laughed.

Curious, the newbie asked what was going on.  His boss explained that most of the staff had worked together so long, that they had reduced their jokes to numbers, to save time.  The next day, as he was entering the cafeteria, he bellowed, “Negative four.”  The room dissolved in hilarity.  He looked questioningly at his boss.  “I was just kidding.  Why all the mirth?”  The boss replied, “They’ve never heard that one before.”

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Normally, after taking a day or two off from posting I am full of ideas and end up writing a longer than average post. Today, though, I’m just not feeling it. That’s why I am re-posting stuff from elsewhere. In that vein, here is a link to a Hagerty piece about five vehicles whose value has been increasing longer than any others that Hagerty has tracked. The first paragraph is worth reading and worth showing here:

 

“The collector car market is clearly having a moment. Consider that in early 2019 you could have bought a nice Nissan 300ZX for a bit more than $20,000; today that car is worth nearly $50K. More or less the same story holds true across a variety of price ranges and segments—unprecedented growth in a short time. Much ink has been spilled about what’s driving this appreciation, from pandemic-fueled boredom to the emergence of online auctions to the simple fact that in 2022 certain people will pay wild sums for anything (Bored Ape NFT, anyone?). There’s also been plenty of speculation about when this party might end and how bad the hangover could be.”

 

Two of the five vehicles are SUVs and, as such, are of no interest to me. Let me repeat myself for the nth to the n time: I DO NOT have to be interested in SUVs, pickup trucks, EVs, motorcycles or any other type of transportation. I like what I like and others can like different things.

The most interesting of the five to me is probably this, an Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior Zagato; this picture is not from the article:

 

 

Obviously, the picture is from RM Sotheby’s. Maybe you can’t tell, but this is a very small car. Its overall length is just 153 inches, its wheelbase is 93 inches and its curb weight is a little over 2,100 pounds. The car, through mid-year 1972 (the car was built from 1969 to 1975), was powered by a 1.3 liter/79 cubic inch inline 4-cylinder engine producing 101 HP/101 LB-FT of torque (gross rating).

I think the design reminds me of a Saab Sonett 3 (pictured below) and is quite fetching. I am under no illusion the Alfa would be a practical car; I just really like the way it looks, just like I am a fan of the looks of the Sonett.

 

 

I have to admit that I briefly considered the Alfa Romeo 4C as a car I might acquire if I decide I don’t want the Z06 after repairs are complete. The Alfa name just has too poor of a reputation for reliability, though. The last thing I want or need is another car that has to spend a lot of time in the shop. It was four months ago today that the Z06 first failed to start. I have only had the car in my possession for a couple of weeks since then and it never really ran right when I drove it.

 

As always, I welcome thoughtful comments. I also ask that you share the existence of this blog with friends and acquaintances and feel free to click on any ad in which you have genuine interest. Thanks.

 

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