Where’s The Outrage?!

Before the post turns serious, I want to thank Dirty Dingus McGee (AKA DDM) for his excellent guest post.

From many sources via Why Evolution Is True:

A Michigan man allegedly threatened on social media to kill Jewish members of the Michigan government, the FBI said, and state Attorney General Dana Nessel says she was among those targeted.

The incident adds to recent concerns about threats against public officials as well as reports of increasing antisemitic incidents across the country. It also evokes the plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as well as the at-times threatening demonstrations against Covid-19 protocols in the state.

On February 18, the FBI National Threat Operations Center told the Detroit FBI office that a person on Twitter by the handle of “tempered_reason” said he was heading to Michigan and “threatening to carry out the punishment of death to anyone that is Jewish in the Michigan govt.” Any attempt to “subdue” him would “be met with deadly force in self-defense,” the user said.

Authorities traced the Twitter handle to a man named Jack Eugene Carpenter III, who had a protection order against him and had previously been arrested by state police, according to the complaint filed in US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Carpenter had three 9mm handguns registered in Michigan’s Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), the complaint said. One of the guns in his possession Carpenter had “stolen” from his girlfriends, according to the complaint.

Authorities said Carpenter violated an interstate communication law, according to the complaint. He was arrested on February 18 in Texas, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

The threat against Nessel and other member of Michigan’s state government is the latest of several high-profile threats and violence against Jews in America. According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic attacks reached a record high in the US in 2021 – up 34% from 2020.

Last month, a man was charged by federal prosecutors with hate crimes after he allegedly shot two different Jewish men in Los Angeles. In January, police said a man threw a Molotov cocktail at a New Jersey synagogue in an arson attempt, and in December, a 63-year-old man was assaulted in New York’s Central Park in what police called an antisemitic attack.

I have to write that I believe this spike in threats and violence against Jews in the US would receive more media attention if it were happening to another group. Major news outlets like the New York Times have become blatantly anti-Semitic.

Those who disagree with my perspective will cite the “outrage” when the piece of shit known as ~~Kanye West~~ used Twitter to issue a threat against Jews and was subsequently dropped by his business partners. He was famous; people like the Michigan person are not, but their threats are just as real, if not more so.

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Speaking of the New York Times (and via Brian Sullivan of CNBC), the current administration tried to force the Fed into blaming lack of regulation as part of its rescue statement. Jay Powell refused and wanted to focus on shoring up confidence. How can people still believe in politics as practiced in this country? Whether or not you agree with the Fed’s mandate and activities, it is supposed to be politically independent.

Via Brian Sullivan and from The Wall Street Journal comes the news that former Congressman Barney Frank – for whom the “Frank” in Dodd-Frank bank regulation bill was named – has been working to *ease* bank regulations since joining the board of Signature Bank. Oh, Signature Bank was one of the banks closed in the latest bank crisis.

(Speaking of bank runs and CNBC, here is the link to an article about why investor brains are hard-wired for bank runs.)

WAKE UP, AMERICA! Politicians are not cut from a different cloth than the rest of us, except that they have a greater craving for power. Most of the time their actions are motivated by self-interest, and not “the people’s interest” (whatever that is, anyway), just like the rest of us.

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Shifting gears, this post from Automotive American lists 25 of the most notable defunct American automobile makes. My interest in this subject used to know no bounds; as is the case with everything automotive, my interest has waned, but has not disappeared.

In thinking about my current state of mind (don’t try that at home), my current favorite car from this list might very well be the one shown below. I’m sure many automotive enthusiasts would call my choice a sacrilege.

See the source image

I would say that right now, a Kappa platform convertible is in the lead to be the companion to my Mustang GT. I would also say that, despite my history with Pontiac, the Sky Red Line has a slight lead over the Solstice GXP. I reserve the right to change my mind, even if there’s nothing wrong with the one I have although I’m sure most people would disagree with the latter.

#Where’sTheOutrage?!

#DefunctAmericanCarMakes

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Daylight Foolishness Time

“If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I’ll never speak to him again.”

– Stan Laurel

Legendary Stan Laurel was the exact opposite of the hapless character he played - The Sunday Post

For as long as I can remember, and long before I ever moved to Arizona, I have thought that changing the clocks twice a year was a foolish practice. Thankfully, as Arizonans my wonderful wife and I no longer have to participate.

I have long described the semi-annual nonsense as cutting off the top of a blanket and sewing it on to the bottom. What’s more disturbing, though, is that the next three days comprise the second deadliest period on US roads every year, behind only the July the 4th weekend. What do you expect when you take away an hour of sleep from a population that’s already sleep-deprived?!

Although I would prefer making Daylight Standard Time the norm (it is called Standard Time, after all), even moving to permanent Daylight Savings Time, as is being proposed, would be better than the stupidity of changing the clocks. Thank goodness for Arizona and Hawaii, the only two states where the clocks remain as they are all year.

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Common sense prevailing over blind adherence to ideology? According to The New York Times, the current administration is planning to greenlight an $8 billion oil drilling project on the north slope of Alaska. That state’s lawmakers and oil executives have put enormous pressure on the White House to approve the project, citing the President’s own calls for the industry to increase production amid volatile gas prices stemming from Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine.

The notion that so-called renewable energy will be able to fully power a modern, industrialized society in the next 10 to 20 years is a pipe dream. Once again, General Motors’ upcoming $800 million investment in its next generation of gasoline-powered, small-block V8 engines is a tacit admission of that reality.

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Speaking of General Motors…

A 2008 Saturn Sky Red Line in this color with a two-tone red and black interior has been consigned to the upcoming Mecum auction in Glendale, Arizona. While, of course, Mecum wants to drum up interest in the car, the pictures on its website are quite stunning.

With our bill for repairs and upgrades on the Goose Bumps house approaching $20k, it would certainly not be a prudent decision to try to buy this car, even though I have the funds in a savings account earmarked for automotive purchases. I might, emphasize might, let the auction decide for me. If it looks like I can buy the car for $15k-$16k all in, it will be difficult for me not to make a bid or two. Remember that I won’t have to pay to have the car shipped. Did I mention that the car’s odometer reads 6,245 miles?

A small irony is that, right now, the one-car garage bay has no room for a car as it has become a repository for empty moving boxes and other miscellany. Of course, the house has a large concrete pad on which at least two cars could be parked, even if just temporarily. I guess I’ll just have to wait to see how events unfold.

#DaylightFoolishnessTime

#PipeDreamOfRenewableEnergy

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Extremism Is Almost Always Wrong

Yes, one person’s extremist might be another person’s crusader. However, I think extremism is a vice to be avoided because human beings are fallible. Here are the words of the late Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer-Prize winning political columnist. (Someone like him would probably never be awarded that prize today because he was not an extreme liberal.)

“I became very acutely aware of the dangers, the hypocrisies, and sort of the extremism of the political extremes. And it cleansed me very early in my political evolution of any romanticism. I detested the extreme Left and extreme Right, and found myself somewhere in the middle.”

Long ago I adopted the axiom, “No matter where one thinks they stand on the political spectrum, much of the truth is usually somewhere else.” I think the more extreme position a person takes, the more likely they are wrong, very wrong. I will also repeat the somewhat humorous line, idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

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Here are two more links to Why Evolution Is True, once again published without any comment from me.

Pamela Paul defends J.K. Rowling

Richard Dawkins sticks up for the “bad” old biology words

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As every regular reader knows, I am neither a fan of pickup trucks nor EVs. However, I find it interesting that Ram, Chrysler Corporation’s truck division, will offer an internal combustion engine as a “range-extender” for its new Ram 1500 EV. That news, like General Motors’ upcoming $800 million investment in a new generation of gasoline-powered small-block V-8 engines, has not been widely disseminated by the company.

On one hand, American automobile companies are realizing that more than half of new vehicles sold in 2035 will still not be powered solely by electric motors. On the other hand, the narrow-minded tyranny of the eco-mentalists (to use Jeremy Clarkson’s term) makes these companies afraid to report their actions. Extremism is almost always wrong.

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Wouldn’t you know it? One of these will be offered, with an automatic transmission and just 6,200 miles, at the upcoming Mecum auction in Glendale, Arizona.

This is a 2008 Saturn Sky Red Line. Yes, I have written about this car in many posts. Yes, at one point I wrote I was more likely to buy a Solstice GXP because of my history with Pontiac. Still, I have always thought the Sky looked better than its Kappa platform cousin.

IF we do, indeed, consummate the purchase of the Goose Bumps house, then I won’t really be in a position to purchase a car in the next 10-14 months. HOWEVER, if I see the bidding is slow and the car could be won at a good price, then it might be difficult not to raise my hand. I do have a decent amount in my savings account that exists solely for automobile-related purchases. So many CARS, just one life.

#ExtremismIsAlmostAlwaysWrong

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Hail To The Dawgs

Even after last night’s total and utter mismatch in the college football championship game, I was going to title today’s post “Hail To The Dawgs, Hail To The Frogs.” Yes, the rhyme was appealing, but I also wanted to acknowledge both teams.

However, this morning I realized I had to salute Georgia. I expected them to score a lot of points, but I did not expect them to hold TCU to single digits. Horned Frogs backup quarterback Chandler Morris, who had originally earned the starting job at the beginning of the season before getting injured and losing the job to eventual Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan, acknowledged that his team was not at the same level as Georgia. Morris remarked after the game, “We want to be on that tier where Alabama and Georgia are on.”

If you’re not a football fan the following statistic won’t resonate. (Of course, if you’re not a football fan you might not be reading this, anyway.) Georgia gained 589 yards on offense; TCU gained 188. That is the kind of discrepancy one expects when a college power is playing a non-conference cupcake early in the season, NOT in the championship game for the sport. The final score (Georgia-65, TCU-7) was not misleading in any way. TCU was in the game early trailing just 10-7, but their defense had no answer for the Bulldogs and their offense didn’t, either.

In winning the national championship in each of the last two seasons, the first team to repeat in ten years as well as the first to do so in the modern CFP era, Georgia has won 29 games and lost one. Hail To The Dawgs!

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On this day in 1776, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” that encouraged the American colonists to fight for independence from Great Britain, was published anonymously. Of course, I find the title to have become ironical as I believe that common sense is not common enough, anymore.

I find it interesting that in the first of four sections in the pamphlet Paine describes government as a “necessary evil” and makes a distinction between society and government. Today, those on the left want government to control society, but so do those on the right in many aspects. The notion of government as arbiter and not active participant disappeared long ago.

Regulation may be founded in good intentions, but it has real costs, just like everything else. According to this study, and granting that the source is a “free market” advocate, if regulation had been held constant at levels observed in 1980, then the US economy would have been about 25 percent larger than it actually was as of 2012. This means that in 2012, the economy was $4 trillion smaller than it would have been in the absence of regulatory growth since 1980, which amounts to a loss of approximately $13,000 per capita, a significant amount of money for most American workers.

A similar study by two economists at North Carolina State (I was unable to find a direct cite) found that regulation had actually depressed GDP growth by 80 percent from 1949 to 2010, I believe. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. When some US citizens are moving to places like Portugal because it is much easier to start a business there than here, something has really gone awry.

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So, do I have any automotive sleepers for potential acquisition in the event we move into the “Goose Bumps” house? Well, I am and always have been transparent about my automotive preferences so I doubt I can show something out of left field.

I would have interest in a non-GNX Buick Grand National, but even models from earlier than 1987 are now listing for over $50,000, which is way beyond what I want to spend. I am torn in that part of me wants a “pre-computer” car, but part of me doesn’t. As I have written, in Arizona EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) is a must to avoid vapor lock in the hot summers. Of course, EFI kits are ubiquitous and, supposedly, not difficult to install for a qualified technician.

I’m stalling because I can’t think of anything I haven’t shown before…I guess this isn’t a sleeper, but is creeping back into contention, despite my history with Pontiac, because I think it looks better than its Kappa platform cousin, the Solstice.

Used 2009 Saturn SKY Red Line Ruby Red SE For Sale ($14,900) | Motorcar ...

This is a Saturn Sky, supposedly in Red Line spec. These are not common (only 8,778 Sky Red Lines with an automatic transmission were manufactured–7,045 were produced with a manual, no stick for me), but examples for sale do exist. The biggest drawback, in my opinion, is the manual top that can only be raised or lowered from outside the car.

This morning, Autotrader had 13 Sky Red Lines listed in all of the US for sale at dealers with an automatic transmission, fewer than 60,000 miles and no reported accidents. If I narrow the search to those within 500 miles of my home zip code, only one is listed for sale.

Maybe I shouldn’t be putting the cart before the horse, but my brain is always moving ahead to the next big project, even if the one in front of me is not finished.

#HailToTheDawgs

#ThomasPaine

#TheRoadToHellIsPavedWithGoodIntentions

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Munday Mosings

Wish me luck…my Z06 is at the Chevrolet dealer. Of course, getting the car on the flatbed did NOT go off without a hitch. Another kick in the shins…too tired and disgusted to get into details. Thanks to Tim for his yeoman efforts to make it work.

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The Mayo Clinic has, so far at least, lived up to its reputation. Although I was not able to get there until Friday afternoon, all testing results were sent to me before Noon on Saturday.

My inflammatory process is “purely” inflammatory as opposed to being secondary to something else like an infection. That, like everything else, is both good and bad. It means a progression to sepsis is almost certainly off the table, but treatment will be more difficult. Stress is not good for the body and can contribute to systemic inflammation. Hard to turn off the stress spigot right now, though.

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A couple of links to posts on Why Evolution Is True:

Yes, Virginia, the New York Times is ~~woke~~.

Haidt on the seemingly irreparable brokenness of American life

From the second post:

Haidt avers that “the warped ‘accountability’ of social media has also brought injustice—and political dysfunction in three ways.” I’ll give quotes:

1.) First, the dart guns of social media give more power to trolls and provocateurs while silencing good citizens. Research by the political scientists Alexander Bor and Michael Bang Petersen found that a small subset of people on social-media platforms are highly concerned with gaining status and are willing to use aggression to do so. . .

2.) Second, the dart guns of social media give more power and voice to the political extremes while reducing the power and voice of the moderate majority.

3.) Finally, by giving everyone a dart gun, social media deputizes everyone to administer justice with no due process. Platforms like Twitter devolve into the Wild West, with no accountability for vigilantes. A successful attack attracts a barrage of likes and follow-on strikes. Enhanced-virality platforms thereby facilitate massive collective punishment for small or imagined offenses, with real-world consequences, including innocent people losing their jobs and being shamed into suicide. When our public square is governed by mob dynamics unrestrained by due process, we don’t get justice and inclusion; we get a society that ignores context, proportionality, mercy, and truth.

All of this rings true, of course, but Haidt also cites a number of studies supporting his arguments. He sees “stupidity” on both the Right and Left that has been promoted by social media…

For the nth time, I am aware of the “inconsistency” of someone writing a blog and having a Twitter account being critical of so-called social media. I stick to my criticism, though. For the nth plus one time, in my opinion the only solution is dissolution. Oh, Zark Muckerberg should be jailed for treason.

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With the virtual certainty that repairs to the Z06 will be in four figures, at least, the probability of further tuning, either now or in the future, asymptotically approaches zero. I don’t really believe in “signs” or “karma,” but with so many negative events recently occurring involving all three cars that we have/had, I will just bow to fate and retreat.

However, I am still interested in acquiring something like a Saturn Sky Red Line in the next 12-18 months. With my feelings toward Cadillac still sour due to the treatment we received from the local dealer, as great as my “academic” interest is in the Allante and XLR, I just don’t think I could buy one in the near future.

One Sky Red Line in Forest Green (my preferred color) was available locally, but just sold over the weekend. I also wouldn’t mind Bluestone Metallic, only available on 2007 and 2008 model year cars and not even available for all of ’07. That color was also only ever used on the Sky among all GM cars ever built.

Once again, the Sky ALWAYS grabs my attention when I see one. The heart wants what it wants.

#MundayMosings

#~~Woke~~IsACult

#SocialMediaIsDangerous

#TheOnlySolutionIsDissolution

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Wandering Wednesday

We are Cadillac owners no more. The at-fault driver’s insurance company refused to pay for the additional damage, so we decided to sell the 2015 ATS. Here is the last time you will see the car in this blog.

Thanks to the efforts of my wonderful wife we received an amount very similar to the amount we paid for the car in January of 2021, despite its having been in an accident in August of 2021. On the other hand, I was willing to accept a far lower offer from the Cadillac dealer whose service department performed the 60,000-mile service.

While the disparity in offers has permanently soured us on ever using the local Cadillac dealer again, and may have turned me off to the brand in general, my willingness to capitulate is, sadly, a manifestation that I have no fight left in me. Life has defeated me; I have been kicked in the shins–metaphorically, of course–far too often.

I am beyond disenchanted that I am still the smartest person in the room in virtually every room, but am no longer invited to any. I am beyond frustrated that people I have mentored and worked with are rich and famous while I am forgotten.

I am not poor and I do not want fame for fame’s sake, but being famous opens doors. If my place in baseball history were commensurate with my contributions, I can’t help but think that I would have found a satisfying and fulfilling career post-baseball.

Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. Maybe in my case, that should read limped a mile…

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Some assorted links:

Natural selection is cleverer than you are

The Myth of Medicare’s ‘Low Administrative Costs’

Why have inaccuracies thrived during the pandemic? Evolving science and politics

Study finds Ivermectin, the horse drug Joe Rogan championed as a COVID treatment, does nothing to cure the virus

I don’t care that Roe Jogan is a highly-paid “entertainer” and that he could kick my ass in a fight. The fact that he is popular and influential despite being an ass clown is yet another indictment of the ignorance of the American public.

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OK, so if I am really never going to buy another Cadillac (I’m not sure about that, actually; just go with me for now) and want a companion for my Z06, what is on the table? I have warmed up to the idea, no pun intended, of buying a convertible. By the way, despite the newly available space in the garage, such a purchase is in the future, if it happens at all.

In Arizona, one can drive with the top down in every month. During my tenure as the owner of a BMW Z4 I learned that al fresco driving is quite enjoyable.

I would love to own a Jaguar F-Type convertible, a member of my Ultimate Garage 3.0, but even used ones are just too expensive to be considered for what will really be a 3,500 pound toy. On AutoTrader, the least expensive F-Type convertible within 50 miles of here and with fewer than 45,000 miles is listed at $42,990.

What if I wanted to spend no more than half that amount for a non-Cadillac convertible? How about this?

See the source image

Yes, I have written that the interior of the Saturn Sky was small and felt cheap and those are the reasons I have never included the car in an Ultimate Garage. How about a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. How about I have dreams, but I live in the real world.

Well, all I can convey is that the sight of one of these always stops me in my tracks. I would have to have the car in Red Line spec, meaning it’s powered by a 2-liter turbocharged engine that produces 260 HP/260 LB-FT of torque. On AutoTrader, not many are available but a 2008 model with about 32,000 miles and an automatic transmission–in Arizona, no less–is listed for $17,990.

I would very much like to read your opinions on what has transpired with the ATS, on the Sky Red Line, or any other “relevant” topic. Thanks.

#WanderingWednesday

#FTW

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Frugal Friday: 25 Miles From Home And Turbocharged

First…this CNBC article is titled, “Apple CEO links Facebook’s business model to real-world violence.” Here is one of Tim Cook’s comments: “If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, it does not deserve our praise. It deserves scorn.” Amen!

Here is another one of his remarks: “At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good and the longer the better.” Cook never actually mentioned Fack Fucebook by name (I try to avoid mentioning those criminals by name, as well), but his reference could not have been clearer.

Delete Facebook! Fack Fucebook!

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OK, I have decided to continue Frugal Friday on occasion, but only when I can really think of something interesting to me. By extension, I hope any Frugal Friday cars I choose are interesting to you, also.

In 2010, only about 5% of the new cars and light trucks sold in the US were turbocharged. By 2017, that percentage had increased to almost 28%. Intransigent proponents of all-electric vehicles dream about that kind of speed of adaptation.

While I would never impose my will and beliefs on others, I do think that all internal combustion engines should be turbocharged. Such engines can have smaller displacement, meaning better fuel economy, without sacrificing power. Turbocharged engines are also more thermally efficient than naturally aspirated motors and produce less emissions.

Long way ’round, today’s Frugal Friday cars are an interesting pair of turbocharged cars with fewer than 45,000 miles found on AutoTrader within 25 miles of my home zip code. In all, the search returned 645 cars and sedans were excluded.

Remember that I will not show pictures of the actual cars as AutoTrader aggressively breaks links to pictures on their website. Without further ado:

From Auto Evolution a picture of a Saab 9-3 turbo convertible. The AutoTrader car, a 2004 model, is Black over Gray, has about 41,000 miles and an asking price of $11,500. The two-liter turbo four produces 210 HP/221 LB-FT of torque. The AutoTrader car has a 5-speed automatic transmission.

My wonderful wife’s father owned a Saab convertible and he really liked it, except the time he parked it with the top down and birds pooped on the interior. Oh, I do not like the term “in-law.”

From Drag Times, a picture of a car like one currently offered on AutoTrader:

This is a 2008 Saturn Sky Red Line. As regular readers of Disaffected Musings know, I am a big fan of these cars AND think General Motors should have given Buick an improved and upgraded version of this car as a halo car after it and its close cousin, the Pontiac Solstice, were discontinued due to the GM bankruptcy and the end of Pontiac and Saturn.

The AutoTrader car is in Midnight Blue over Black, has 43,000 miles and the asking price is $14,999. The two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine produced 260 HP/260 LB-FT of torque. When this engine was introduced in the Red Line and Solstice GXP it had the highest specific output (HP per unit of displacement) of any engine in General Motors history. The car for sale has a 5-speed manual transmission.

Two interesting (IMO) cars that are turbocharged and convertibles, no less, for under $15,000 each. Sounds good to me…if only we had room for another car. 🙂

#FrugalFriday

#DeleteFacebook

#FackFucebook

#Saab9-3TurboConvertible

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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A Note To Myself

Until I was in my mid-40s I had total recall. From our teens through our mid-20s Dr. Zal, who also has a very good memory, and I used to play a game with a baseball encyclopedia. The game was “Name The Hitter/Pitcher.” If I had the book, I would say something like, “Name the pitcher: 1923 National League, 38 Starts, 26 Complete Games, 295 Innings, 17 Wins, 19 Losses, 3.57 ERA.” Dr. Zal would inevitably give the correct answer, Wilbur Cooper. If he had the book, then I had to name a hitter with similar hints.

The game could be a source of tremendous fun, especially when we would try to stump each other by naming players with just 1 or 2 innings pitched or at-bats. However, we were almost always able to name the player if he was of any significance. Yes, our game was made easier by the fact that for much of its history major league baseball had just 16 teams and smaller rosters with almost no specialization.

Fast forward to today…I cannot tell you how many times I decide I want to look something up on the Internet, but by the time I pick up my phone and tap the screen, I have forgotten what I wanted to look up. During a recent conversation something similar happened to my good friend Bob, to whom I probably speak more often than to the rest of my friends combined. I said, “Welcome to life over 50.”

I have begun making notes to myself to remember to do this or that, very often in conjunction with writing this blog. If I have an idea for a post theme or intro, if I don’t note it somewhere it is just 50-50 that I will remember it the next day.

This adjustment is extremely difficult for me. My wonderful wife often says, “Welcome to life as one of us,” meaning as someone with an imperfect memory. Of course, despite those awful ads for over-the-counter products that are touted as improving memory, my memory will continue to decline. Oh, in his book Do You Believe In Magic?, Dr. Paul Offit writes that of the 5,000-6,000 over-the-counter supplements offered for sale in the US, hard scientific evidence exists to back up the claims for only five or six of them. That means for 99.9% of these substances, no evidence exists that they work any better than a placebo. Why are so many of them sold? The FDA de-regulated supplements in 1994 and there is a lot of money to be made selling stuff that doesn’t work.

In the Internet age, doctors are often forced to play along to keep their patients happy and in their practice. Some recent studies suggest that almost half of all doctors recommend over-the-counter substances, the rationale being that most of these compounds–if taken in the recommended dose–are not harmful, even though they are not helpful, either. <End Tangent>

While I am in “better” shape, physically, than I was in my 20s (ten years of running will do that), my mental acuity pales in comparison. Such is life…

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If 365 Days of Motoring is correct, then on this day in 2009 the German government launched a campaign to have one million electric cars on the road by 2020. If this website is correct, in 2019 the number of electric cars (not hybrids) registered in Germany was…fewer than 85,000. Gasoline and diesel powered cars still comprise about 98% of the automobiles registered in Germany. Like other countries, it is sales of hybrids that are increasing in Germany, not sales of pure electric cars.

As I have written before, the Internal Combustion Engine will power most of our cars for many years to come. Some may not be happy with that fact, but while people are entitled to their opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts.

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Here is a favorite car of mine, one that is most definitely not an electric or a hybrid:

See the source image

From motorcarclassics.com a picture of a Saturn Sky Red Line, which means the car is powered by a turbocharged engine. Innovations like turbocharging and modern electronic fuel injection have made gasoline powered cars more efficient and have less emissions.

Dreaming of a house in the desert with either a 4-car garage (occasionally one of those appears in our price range) or with a 3-car garage AND an RV gate with a large side yard allows me to mentally wander off into a world in which one of these could be in my (our) possession. What is life without dreams?

#ANoteToMyself

#TheEndOfTotalRecall

#SaturnSkyRedLine

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Crypto Crash

The title of this post is not a prediction; it’s a statement. This CNBC article was very interesting to me. Here are the bullet points at the beginning of the article:

The entire crypto market has lost roughly 65 percent of its value as of Thursday but some coins have fared worse than others.
CNBC compiled a list of what a $1,000 at the peak of the crypto hype would have yielded in some of the most popular cryptocurrencies.
XRP has been the worst bet, down 92 percent since its high in January.

The “main” cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is down 65 percent compared to its peak. If you had purchased $1,000 of Bitcoin at its peak, your “investment” would be worth $350 as of yesterday.

Could these “currencies” see a resurgence in value in the future? Of course, but that doesn’t mean they have intrinsic value and that doesn’t mean they won’t have another bust (or implosion) later.

I have a graduate degree in Economics, I held FINRA licenses for five years and I have had success in investing with the family portfolio. The interest in cryptocurrency is a mystery to me. It’s like a group of people have decided to unilaterally change the rules without any basis.

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A picture of a peaceful sunrise for, hopefully, a peaceful day. I took this during one of my many early morning excursions to get breakfast at my local Dunkin Donuts.

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I just can’t get this car out of my head:

A picture of a 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line, which means it has the turbocharged 2.0-liter (122 cubic inches, have to keep Bill Stephens happy; I wonder what the odds are that he will ever read this blog?) 4-cylinder engine that produced 260 HP. My brain is so messed up with all of the cars that I would like to own. I mean just yesterday I visited a “local” Corvette restomod shop for an hour and was graciously shown the entire place. This establishment has been in business for 30 years and they will do everything a customer wants from A to Z including finding a donor car. So why am I thinking about a Saturn Sky Red Line? I guess that’s the definition of OCD.

Anyway, the seller (a dealer) is asking about $11,500 for the Red Line. These cars were produced in such small quantities (only about 34,000 in total and that’s all Skys and not just the Red Line) that I believe value is difficult to ascertain. No, I am not going to buy a Saturn Sky, but it sure sounds good.

What cars do you think about? Once again, I am asking for comments and/or constructive criticism. I am too old to do all of the work. 🙂