No writeup on the insane finale of the 2026 Tour de France? Disappointing: I thought you were a biker, and you won't talk about the 184 strongest bikers in the world? Tsk. Watch the last ~3 minutes of this competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNFM6V41BWM&t=978s
See how my boy Mathieu Van Der Poel is able to give every single drop of power in his body to crossing the finish line. Imagine being a professional athlete and your job is to flog your body and *lose races on purpose.* Race after race he's pulling Jasper Phillipsen at 40+ MPH to the finish line, only to fade to the side for Jasper to put in the final 10 seconds of sprinting effort to narrowly beat out the other teams doing the same things.
Imagine being such a bad, bad man that the beefiest cyclist in all of human history has to give up his intentions of winning the final stage because you were a nut too tough to crack. Metal!!
I still haven't forgiven Van Der Poel for dropping out of his first TdF in 2021 to get ready for competing in the men's XC MTB in the summer olympics, only to crash out like a derpy noob. But this was quite the end to an otherwise disappointing TdF. No Matteo stage wins (THE BOY FROM BOISE!!), Jonas obliterated his collar bone, Sepp was too tired to stay on his bike and pip Carapaz on the penultimate stage... Sigh. Next year?
It was a really good edition. The NBC extended highlights give a lot of context, and there are some supporting recap folks (Lanterne Rouge, The Move). A number of story lines, with the biggest being that we continue to watch history play out in front of us with the strongest rider not only crush everyone's hopes with flair, but bring his eventual successor along for the fun (3rd place, on the podium).
It seemed it took everything in Mathieu's power to not immediately throw up after crossing the finish line. Watching him crash into the barrier and effectively flop off his bike onto the ground was mesmerizing! I rewatched it several times, in awe at how he was able to use every last scrap of his body to finish the race and couldn't even sit upright afterwards.
I do not share your interpretation. Van Der Poel could still produce so many watts at the end, Tadej knew he had no chance of keeping up and. If that was Tadej & Isaac, then sure. But it was Tadej against another former UCI world champion. Yes, he was definitely working with Mathieu to get that close to the end, but not so he could dump VdP off for the victory. You can see it on Tadej's grimacing face in the final kilometer. He never looks that bad when climbing the most vicious of hills to put 4:00 on Vingegaard. VdP launches, Tadej glances over his shoulder and then tries to catch VdP, then gives up.
I was in a bike shop this afternoon picking up my new gravel bike, and one of the guys who works there went to France and watched the last week of the tour, including th3 two days on Alpe d’Huez. Said it was completely wild and insane. Apparently record crowds this year.
Most roadies are only cyclists in the sense that they are sitting on a bike when they perform aerobic feats. Comparing them to DH or BMX riders is like comparing CrossFitters to hockey players.
I understand. As a team manager I think you could pick up a couple stage wins per year and lose fewer riders to injury by sending them to one day motorcycle riding schools.
Yes sir! And I am happy to take an online beating from you as well!
The background of Eric's comment, of course, is that he is a road cyclist who is suffering from envy off professional BMX racers such as my (former) self. Therefore he periodically attempts to equate the Tour de France, which is nothing but a raw measure of genetic lung capacity combined with inability to ride a bike downhill, with real sports such as BMX and DH MTB. I permit this because I am infinitely gracious and also I admire Laurent Fignon.
Just in case Tarantino wants to try something new:
Once Upon a Time...in Eugene. Or: Pulp Scions
The movie opens in a smoky, high-end steakhouse in Baltimore, circa 2011. Jack Baruth and Tom Klockau are sitting at the bar, debating the merits of a 1978 Lincoln Continental Town Car and whether Ketel One neat or a Brandy Old Fashioned is the perfect drink. Sitting two stools down is an elegant, elderly gentleman in a bespoke European suit, sipping a neat scotch. It’s Dr. Ernst Niedermeyer. He overhears Jack make a flawless philosophical point about automotive design, and a three-hour conversation sparks. They talk about neurology, classical piano, Broughams, racing and mountain climbing. And gin. They bond instantly.
We cut abruptly to a dark, cluttered garage in Eugene, Oregon. The lighting shifts to harsh, gritty Tarantino-style cinematography. Paul Niedermeyer is sitting at a laptop in a faded, tie-dye shirt, lit only by the screen. He sees a Facebook post of Jack, Tom, and his father smiling together at the restaurant, each holding up a cut crystal highball glass. Paul’s eyes twitch. The Kill Bill siren music blares. He slams his fist on the desk and types a furious, multi-page email to Tom Klockau, timestamped: December 25, Midnight.
To build the tension, the movie breaks into chapters with vintage 1970s film grain, tracking Paul’s life of snapping defeat from the jaws of victory:
Chapter 1: The Spiteful Son (1969) – A teenage Paul, looking like a stereotypical, unwashed hippie, [ED: use someone from Central Casting] screaming at his brilliant father in an elegant Austrian-styled study. Dr. Ernst holds up a brochure for an Ivy League university and a trust fund check. Paul rips it up, spits on the Persian rug, and storms out into a cloud of blue smoke emitting from a rattling, 40-horsepower Volkswagen Beetle.
Chapter 2: The Telemundo Meltdown (1986) – A fast-paced, Wolf of Wall Street-style montage of the early days of Spanish-language TV. Paul is in a sleek, neon-lit 80s boardroom surrounded by millions of dollars in corporate contracts. A suit tells him to format a show a certain way. Paul gets bright red, flips a marble conference table, and yells, "You don't tell ME how to package content!" He is thrown out of the building by security, leaving millions in stock options on the table.
The Climax: The Misguided Heist. Fast forward to the present day. Consumed by a mix of generational envy, financial desperation, and pure bitterness that Jack and Tom are now regular guests at his father’s estate, Paul decides he needs to prove he is a criminal mastermind. He plans a high-stakes jewelry heist at a luxury boutique. He successfully grabs a bag of diamonds through pure luck, runs out the back door in a balaclava (balaclava has, for some reason, a Fiat logo on it), and dives into his getaway car: a faded, 200,000-mile Scion xB, with red-painted steel wheels for some reason. He twists the key. Chugga-chugga-chugga... click. The second attempt emits a final death rattle: GLUG. Uh oh! Paul furiously pumps the gas pedal of the spartan, minimalist penalty box, screaming at the cracked, plastic dashboard. Within 15 seconds, two mall security guards casually sharing a box of Dunkin Donuts casually walk up, open the unlocked plastic door (it falls off), and pull his body right out onto the curb.
The Final Shot: The movie ends with Paul sitting in a holding cell, wearing an orange jumpsuit. A guard drops a clipboard on his desk. Paul looks up and asks if he can use his one phone call to change the publication date on an article Tom Klockau wrote in 2009. He dials the number. A voice on the other end cheerfully says, "Hello, this is The Cellar, would you like to make a reservation?" He screams "NOOOOOOO!" as the camera pans away. The screen fades to black as a classic 1970s funk track plays over the credits. THE END.
Oh and would you believe the dude is still re-running my ancient columns over there? Each time he does it he might as well fly a flag on his main page saying "I Can't Replace the Talent I Chased Away!" LOL
I don't know if it was because I read it on the city bus to and from work, or maybe because I'm just dense, but I didn't get the book. The travel stories were entertaining, but the philosophy went right over my head.
It's been 30 years since I read "Zen," but the main takeaway for me was wondering why Pirsig was so impatient and borderline mean-spirited with his son*. If it helped me not be that way with my son, it was worth the read.
*Because it's been 30 years since I read the book, I can't defend that comment. Wait - yes I can. "Experts say and studies show that according to science, Robert Pirsig was impatient and borderline mean-spirited with his son."
Must be Lexus caliper day. L side front caliper on my '99 SC 400 has a pronounced drag. New calipers ordered from the Rock (may replace both) and new pads from Lexus. Also have a new rad and a custom Z30 aluminum splash shield to install.
I'll disagree with the group. Replace pads/rotors in axle sets. After a inspecting/cleaning/lubricating the opposing caliper to the one that has seized I have never had one fail before I needed a new set of pads and rotors.
Yeah; IIRC, the one time I had to replace a caliper, the other side, which was probably original got about two years of heavy service on a car that ended up being totaled at over 300 kmiles for unrelated reasons.
Your gig in the sandwich shop reminded me of an incident in Regular John's Pizza Parlor in Brentwood, CA many years age where we and other parents had assembled a large group of Little Leaguers following a game, real family stuff.
At one point during the evening a young man assembled his gear on the tiny stage and launched, without preliminary notice, an ear busting rendition of "It's Hard to Say I Love You When You're Sitting on My Face."
Regular John's is long gone but the kid's plaintive lyrics ring in my memory still!
Or, perhaps, I Don't Look Good Naked Anymore or the scintillating I Took a Dump in San Francisco (actually, I don't believe that had been "composed" <composted> at that time. San Francisco was still a relatively decent place to visit or live).
0. Sorry to hear of your loss. My uncultured self just listened to your sample for the first time. Not the correct take, but I was impressed or at least enjoyed the horns. Brass isn’t leveraged near enough and it’s soooooo good.
The bird of sorrow bit wrapped me in a wet blanket just the same. Powerful stuff.
1. My grandmother had that near same caddy but in a lighter brown color with a little darker seat. I rode around as a child many a time in it and liked the luxury appointments such as the fold down foot rests and carriage lighting. Fairly sure that one had a Cadillac CB in it - one of her two brown ones did anyhow. I used to pretend I was Batman talking to truckers.
2. I need one of those Superhawks (or a Scambler) to cut up. I have a homemade gokart that I got from the estate of a slain 1%r biker group leader…(maybe 2%? Idk, but he got shot in the head by a rival president) - that utilizes the entire driveline. It’s 3 pedals, proper stick shift and about 3/4 the size of a Miata.
Near certain it ended up in the pond at the front of the property. Tearing it down, the engine saw ALOT of water. I can’t use anything newer without changing it all as Hondas flipped the primary dive side somewhere around 1970.
Fwiw I’d probably just die on it anyway. It’s in my shed. Maybe I should ACF raffle it.
I still see those on the regular. I never thought much of them other than ugly lawn decor. Maybe I should prank people by repainting them Cadillac hues at night. Keeping those white teeth though… maybe some gold foil.
Spent two years at The Ohio State University in Lima mid-20th century. The University of NW Ohio (UNOH) is a recent addition to Lima. I never thought to describe Lima as near Dayton. Or does UNOH have satellite campuses?
I don't think UNOH does but those towns are close enough that I always kicked myself for not hanging out at the Air Force museum at least once when I did a 6-week rotation in Lima. They're really only an hour apart. I guess it depends on your idea of "close"?
Or ninety minutes if you’re on I-75 with a bunch of Ohio-plated “morality police!” Because you’ll never exceed the posted speed limit! Guaranteed!
Why ODOT hasn’t been widening little stretches between Findlay and Dayton over the last 30 years or so is beyond me! It’s three lanes each way from Toledo to Findlay. Then two lanes down to Troy, OH on the north side of the Dayton metro, at which time I’m pretty sure I was lucky that I didn’t blow out my turbo going towards hyperspace as I passed the clump of fuddy-duddies which had been impeding my progress towards the Miami Valley! (Along with the line of cars behind me extending north back to Wapakoneta!)
Like you, I’m wondering where the main campus of UNOH is! Because if it is around Dayton, someone REALLY needed an Ohio geography lesson when they named aforementioned place of higher learning!
Just wait until you hear about Ohio Northern University just a few miles NE from Lima in the small town of Ada! Fun fact, UNOH did indeed used to go by "UNO" until "ONU" started making noise about the 2 acronyms being confusingly similar. I've seen some of the old "UNO" merch, and I think the "H" addition came about in the late 90s or early 00s. I think UNOH looks better written out and on advertisements anyway.
My brother graduated from Ohio Northern in 1964. College of Law, College of Engineering, College of Pharmacy are all very unusual for such a smaller college.
GODAMMIT THAT USED TO MAKE ME MAD coming from an area with the BellfonTAINE (spelled the same as the Ohio town) family of dealerships. The Allen County locals calling Bellfontaine Bellfountain threw me every time.
Also please find a local to have them pronounce “Havre de Grace, MD” for you. It’s an ASTOUNDING abuse of language. Think along the lines of “Havertygrays”
PA is full of them. I've lived in PA long enough that I can go from North Versailles, to Latrobe, to Dubois, up to Roulette, and over to Lancaster, without mispronouncing a single one.
North ver-SALES (not ver-SIGH, though the last time I rode one, the automated voice on the bus pronounced it the French way)
LAY-trobe (not luh-TROBE), though there is some debate
DEW-boys (not dew-BWAH)
Roulette rhymes with towelette, not the game of chance
Always thought that Arnold Palmer’s hometown was “la-TROBE.”
I thought I might have heard him pronounce it that way.
In Ohio, you almost have to pronounce Bellefontaine as “bell-fountain,” or you get weird looks! 😂😂
The one that gets me is when someone puts the em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LAB-le of Traverse City, MI, “tra-VERSE.” But perhaps that’s my bias of being born and raised in the Great Lakes. Lord help us, more of the country should have learned that pronunciation after that idiot went and stabbed a bunch of people at the WalMart there last summer.
While I thought all residents pronounce it the weird LAY-trobe way, I eventually learned that there is at least a significant minority that pronounce it the way you'd expect, so I wouldn't be surprised that Arnie pronounced it la-TROBE.
Might be a class or generational thing or both; I know the Pittsburgh accent is far more prevalent among older working-class folks than among the young or educated.
Well, follows the pattern of every other example here: locally "correct" pronunciation differs from globally "correct" pronunciation. in this case, it was named after « Pierre Chouteau Jr. » son of « Jean-Pierre Chouteau », brother of « Auguste Pierre Chouteau » , and half-brother of « François Chouteau ». Given that all of these are French names, it should it should rhyme with « bière » (or "chair"), not "beer."
I was just taking the inverse: if you think "Pierre" sounds like "peer," then request a jury of them!
Excellent point. And looking at a map how would you describe where LIME-A is? Dayton is good. As it is probably more recognizable to folks worldwide. I spent my formative years in NW Ohio and tell people I grew up in a town between Findlay and Bellefontaine, north to south; between Lima and Marion, west to east. But that only works for NE Ohio folks.
“It cost more than $67,000 to restore this beautiful Chesterfield Brown four seat Fleetwood Talisman”
The answer why she did not meet the reserves is two words: Chesterfield Brown. Of the 27 exterior colours offered in 1974 Chesterfield Brown was not one of them, the colour may have been Canyon Amber. And if they did paint her Chesterfield Brown, a 1976 colour, reasonable people would ask why, as it is one of the ugliest colours offered in 1976. With that interior if you were changing colours the correct choice would have been Andes Copper. That is a combination that pops. But you got to love the 1974 Talisman as some one at GM approved a 20 foot long 6,000 pound four seat sedan with enough Medici cherished velour to cover a house (even the A, B, & C pillar were wrapped in that fabric.
$45 large? Only the original exterior and interior color, dammit! If you don’t like it, there’s someone who will!
I looked down the list of previous BAT sales, and there was a black over blue 1975 ** ACRS-equipped ** Talisman that had been sold! Talk about the rarest of the rare! (“Air-Cushion Restraint System.” That was an early version of a GM dual-stage airbag system used to try to get around the seatbelt starter-interlock system mandated in MY 1974, and also as a means to gather data about airbags as a possible passive-restraint system for future use. Only had lap belts in the front seat, and the option, only available on GM full-size cars, was killed after 1976.)
Sgeffe, that ARS system was something else. It deleted the left side glove box and the center ash tray and lighter. The whole dash pad was one huge / multiple air bags. It was available on the Deville/ Fleetwood, Electra 225, and Olds 98, in each case the dash was, for use of A better word ugly. I recently saw an Olds 98 with ARS at a classic car auction and I thought would you want to drive around with 50 year old car with 50 year old explosive canisters in the dash with contacts that have been in the car 50 years??????
Why did I think that everything but Chevy had those available, like you could get them in your Delta 88 or LeSabre if you wanted? (I’m pretty sure that the Riviera, Toronado, and Eldorado had availability as well.)
Probably nobody around who would tackle an inspection, given that there were so few of these systems that entered the market.
Sgeffe, I was listing the full size R/W drive, I forgot the Impala though I never know an Impala to have the system. I do not believe it was available on the full size F/W drive coupes. And you are correct it was a very very rare option and considering almost no shop will work on a car with a carburetor, I am pretty sure they would not touch a 50 year old air bag system.
IIRC, the Impalas were produced in 1973 as test beds for whatever, and they had a Delta 88 dashboard. (One of those was Cosmo Kramer’s car in “Seinfeld.”)
It was interesting how all this developed, that’s for sure.
I wonder if a shop which works on older Mercedes-Benz airbags would give it a shot, provided that a shop manual/wiring diagram for ACRS could be found on the Internet.
"The harder part, at least if you’re me, is tallying up what it has cost everyone else to help you, and wondering if you will ever be worth enough to somehow pay it all back."
The very short answer is "no".
The longer short answer is that this is not a zero-sum game. There is no "Karma". Doing the right thing is its own reward -- and the people who have given with no expectation of being repaid are why some of us have something extra to give back to those who, in turn, will never repay us.
I don't want to pay for that with my life, but I would hope I'm as ready to do it at 62 as I was at 22.
Keeping score with people is just too much work, and as you point out, really not our job. Not that we don’t learn lessons from certain people’s behavior, and remember such behavior, it’s only worth remembering so we don’t end up in a “fool me twice” situation.
Anyway, people who keep score to a high degree are usually no fun to be around.
The top one is interesting and relevant to Jack's help here:
" The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others."
I can't speak to Glen, but Kavinski also just passed. He's best known for the opening to "Drive" where Ryan Gosling just aura farms his way to a cult classic film. Kind of crazy to see more and more talented people passing and realizing that my generation has far, far less of them in it.
F1- Ferrari is just completely fumbling this thing and allowing Merc to stay in front. But... I don't want to give you hope, but it sure looks like Max is the same number of points from the top of the grid in a worse car than last year by some measures. Could he? He wouldn't, but if anyone could it's him.
Caddy- My GOD what a car. Still shocked they get no respect. Speaking of respect... There is an SMZ-Z32 300zx with lowish miles that is going INSANE right now on BAT. Good to see my car finally getting all sorts of love. If only Nissan would give it more. SOLD for 80k: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-nissan-300zx-twin-turbo-51/
Crew- I'm so sorry you've had so many issues. It's emotionally draining. I wish I lived closer. I'd be there every weekend.
I’d be curious to know how many people used the World Cup to upgrade their country of residence. I’d also like to know if these refugees had World Cup tickets and if they flew first class to their new country. I don’t believe a person happens to be in Canada and one day thinks “I’d like to just stay here”. What I do believe is that a person from the listed countries wanted to GTFO and when given the opportunity took full advantage. Could be some interesting stories. Are these young adults escaping their home religious requirements? Anyone escaping future legal action? I personally have no interest living in Canada but I also believe it is likely preferable to many other places.
People escaping shithole countries, whether as "tourists" or "students" almost always intend to do so permanently:
"THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER VISA
She lost the H-1B lottery. It didn't matter. 5 years later, she is still here and working.
Business Insider told her story as a hardship piece. We see it through a completely different lens. To us, it demonstrates the clearest public walkthrough of how the visa chain actually works. The timeline, straight from the article:
2021: Arrives from India for a master's at San José State.
After graduation, a Bay Area healthcare startup hires her on STEM OPT. No lottery, no cap, no prevailing wage requirement, and most OPT workers are exempt from Social Security and Medicare. The employer saves 7.65% in payroll taxes on every OPT paycheck, so on paper she costs less than an American with the identical resume.
Her employer enters her in the H-1B lottery and she loses. Nothing changes. STEM OPT runs up to 3 years either way.
October 2025: Laid off.
November 2025: A NYC recruiting company hires her, has her relocate cross-country with no relocation assistance, then lays her off two weeks in. The move cost her $6,000. (Genuinely ugly employer behavior, but that is another story).
December 25: Back in California. OPT expiring. 60 days to leave the country.
This is where you'd think it would end. Deadline, then the flight home. Here is what actually happened next:
February 2026: She finds a job that will hire her for contract work. She enrolls for a Ph.D. in business administration at Westcliff University, a for-profit school and one of the best-known Day 1 CPT schools in the country. Her explanation, in her own words: "It allows me to stay in the US on a student visa."
That sentence is the entire system. The 60-day clock stops for anyone willing to pay tuition. The lottery decides which visa you hold, not whether you stay. F-1 to OPT to STEM OPT to a Day 1 CPT doctorate: five years in the US, zero H-1Bs ever held.
Agree on the "maybe." The appetite for indentured servitude will never go away, and any program will be shot full of loopholes by lobbyists and abused by shady employers.
The decision is between market wages and federally-allocated indentured servitude, and we've already had one Civil War over servitude.
This oft-repeated statement is usually a talking point in favor of work visas: "our educational system is ~bad~, therefore need 'engineers' from India." But our educational system is VASTLY superior to India's.
The issue here is NOT anyone's "educational system:" it is that the GOVERNMENT has TRANSFORMED "STUDENT" visas into WORK visas, thereby DEPUTIZING the "educational system" to SELL WORK VISAS. When presented with an opportunity bordering on seigniorage, some institutions have seized it.
So I think your quote is really misleading here: the problem is the government, specifically the ILLEGAL STEM OPT and CPT programs.
On this issue colleges are essentially rakignin$ so they can sell visas. That’s an issue
We’re also living in an impending socialist nightmare because grade school though college is now the front of the socialist revolution with 98% of educators seeing it as their mission to create the new cultural revolution in USA this time with students and graduates as the vanguard:
Wherever I look education system is the issue from selling degrees to visas to subsuming the USA
But pick something you unequivocally like, say churches*, NAPA, or gun stores: if the government deputized them to sell work permits to Subcons, do really doubt that they wouldn't do so immediately?
Yeah I don't see gun stores doing it. In south America most Churches are socialist and the new pope is all about open borders socialist. Its ok hearing the be kind forget reality vibe in Church cause thats what we expect and thst their job to teach "morals" and hopefully rigth from wrong. We coudl argue thta destroying your civilization is a wrong, but that's a whole other debate.
Education should roundly prepare someone for realities and skills of life not societally destructive fantasy. Nor is sellign visas part of the ambit of education.
Criticaly, education unlike Church is mandatory and gov education prevalent, on top of which gov cotrolls a lot of education content. So all youyth is exposed, whereas for very good reasons Church is not mandated by gov since our founding.
Education because it is not self funded is also reformable, there is just little understanding of the degree to which education has been subsumed for a cause, nor sustained attempts to redress it, which woudl take decades to undo. Although in Fl Deasnatis sure is trying.
But that all being said I take your point.
Gun stores, theyre kinda patriotic, and while businesses they do seem mostly to operate on something we used to call principles.
UNOH has a hell of an automotive program, from what I've learned. Sad that you had a bad experience with that student; back when I was building (and fixing) my own rally car I had a student with me a couple of times and Brayden was awesome. But I guess there's always that *one* guy....
(Oh, and STPR: 3rd in the slowest class. My first podium.)
Maybe you can combine multiple races; I don't know. But with Jack's Gap Year and not hearing much from Bill Caswell lately, we're a little light on PARTICIPATORY MOTORSPORT right now, and personally, I'd like to see more rally content on ACF.
Well, I'm game. If Jack isn't, I always have a YouTube channel. I'm documenting my Focus build, post stage videos, and summary videos for each race. (STPR is only half done and I won't be working on it since I'm away for work for a week.)
OK, the version of the story that is short enough for me to bother typing but long enough to have a few fun details:
The Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is one of the longest-running stage rallies in the country, and happens near Wellsboro, PA, home of the "Pennsylvania Grand Canyon," just a wooded river valley really, but a pretty one. (The town is pretty too, with gas lighting gracing the main boulevard--even though it was installed as a tourist magnet in the 1970's, but I digress.)
It was the first rally Phil (my co-driver) and I had ever completed, back in 2024 in a Focus SVT I'd built myself (except for the cage), and we DNF'd last year--broke axles on day 1 and 2 because I did a dumb thing to protect my transmission case from breaking again, and then after fixing that had an electrical take us out on day 3.
So we returned this year with a Fiesta ST and professional mechanical help, a car I'd been running since I rolled it as a rental (with a you break it, you buy it policy, and that's a whole story unto itself), but with a new spring setup this year from WRC2 driver Sean Johnston (and only my 2nd gravel event on that setup).
Day 1 was just a Super Special, a crowd-pleasing stage at the county fairgrounds. Muddy as hell so the fast cars had some trouble putting down power; the Limited 2WD class only made up 25% of the field (7 cars out of 28) but we were 4 of the top 11 cars (I was 11th overall, 4th in class).
Day 2 found the two fastest cars in L2 taken out--one went off without damaging the car, but in a way that could just be pulled back on by a competitor, and the other blew up his LSD on launch at a stage. Both would return the next day to drive, but the penalty times they were assessed for missing stages would take them out of podium contention. We got our first puncture on a stage, but I have no idea when, because I couldn't feel it (rally tires aren't built like other tires) and the time control folks had to point it out. Fun fact: even though I sometimes talk about missing the high speed stability of the Focus' longer wheelbase, on the longest straightaway (something like 500 yards at the end of Wilson), I had only taken the Focus up to 76, but I got the Fiesta up to 91. (Note: all speeds are in Freedom Units; the rest of the world can multiply by 1.6 for km/h.)
However, this meant Phil and I started day 3 in P3, with about a 3 minute lead, and about 3 minutes out of P2. That's an awful lot of time to make up in both directions, so we were in a pretty good spot to podium as long as I 1) didn't totally dawdle and 2) didn't find a tree. I did make contact with a concrete block at probably under 10 mph with the rear passenger quarter panel; no harm, no foul. Day 3 had the infamous Waste Management jump, where Ken Block once cleared 125 feet before landing. I figured lining up was more important than impressing anyone with distance (you can't win a rally on a jump, but you can sure lose one, as the saying goes), so I went conservatively over that.
Until the second running, that is. I don't know what got into me, but apparently I decided I was going to give it more beans. Obviously I'm not paying any attention to the speedo myself (and it's in metric anyhow--Canadian car) but Phil can see a GPS-based speed on the Rallysafe unit, and he says we'd passed 78 and accelerated some more when he looked back down, so I hit at probably >80 mph. The nose crossed level, and in the 1/10 of a second between that moment and impact, I had just enough time to think, "Oh, shit, this was a really bad idea." (You can see my eyes go wide in the in-cabin video.) But we hit wheels first and kept on going. All the way to our first podium....
...where Phil, because he didn't have his readers on, couldn't find the twist release for the champagne, and didn't get to spray his. :D
3rd in class, a 2 minute penalty for being early took us to 13th overall (out of 18 finishers) instead of the 10th that was rightly ours...and because of the way points work, we're also 3rd in class for the 2026 season championship, and we could potentially make it to 2nd after LSPR.
"Do you think that the greater top speed was due to better performance of the FiST, conditions, or your technique?"
While I would probably say a little bit of each (the earlier effort was my first time at speed on gravel, and slightly damp besides) I think the FiST having an extra 27 hp and 50 lb-ft with a similar curb weight are probably more important.
Fun bit of trivia about our first attempt at metric, and all I can think is: of COURSE it was Jefferson.
No writeup on the insane finale of the 2026 Tour de France? Disappointing: I thought you were a biker, and you won't talk about the 184 strongest bikers in the world? Tsk. Watch the last ~3 minutes of this competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNFM6V41BWM&t=978s
See how my boy Mathieu Van Der Poel is able to give every single drop of power in his body to crossing the finish line. Imagine being a professional athlete and your job is to flog your body and *lose races on purpose.* Race after race he's pulling Jasper Phillipsen at 40+ MPH to the finish line, only to fade to the side for Jasper to put in the final 10 seconds of sprinting effort to narrowly beat out the other teams doing the same things.
Imagine being such a bad, bad man that the beefiest cyclist in all of human history has to give up his intentions of winning the final stage because you were a nut too tough to crack. Metal!!
I still haven't forgiven Van Der Poel for dropping out of his first TdF in 2021 to get ready for competing in the men's XC MTB in the summer olympics, only to crash out like a derpy noob. But this was quite the end to an otherwise disappointing TdF. No Matteo stage wins (THE BOY FROM BOISE!!), Jonas obliterated his collar bone, Sepp was too tired to stay on his bike and pip Carapaz on the penultimate stage... Sigh. Next year?
I didn't have enough time to watch the Tour when I was competing myself, and I don't have enough time to watch it now. I'll pin your comment.
The official YT highlight videos are worth the time to watch.
It was a really good edition. The NBC extended highlights give a lot of context, and there are some supporting recap folks (Lanterne Rouge, The Move). A number of story lines, with the biggest being that we continue to watch history play out in front of us with the strongest rider not only crush everyone's hopes with flair, but bring his eventual successor along for the fun (3rd place, on the podium).
It was a great race to watch. Tadaj pulling Issac along to the podium was a great class act.
It seemed it took everything in Mathieu's power to not immediately throw up after crossing the finish line. Watching him crash into the barrier and effectively flop off his bike onto the ground was mesmerizing! I rewatched it several times, in awe at how he was able to use every last scrap of his body to finish the race and couldn't even sit upright afterwards.
yes, he certainly gave it all he had. and classy of tadaj to work with him and then not contest the finish.
I do not share your interpretation. Van Der Poel could still produce so many watts at the end, Tadej knew he had no chance of keeping up and. If that was Tadej & Isaac, then sure. But it was Tadej against another former UCI world champion. Yes, he was definitely working with Mathieu to get that close to the end, but not so he could dump VdP off for the victory. You can see it on Tadej's grimacing face in the final kilometer. He never looks that bad when climbing the most vicious of hills to put 4:00 on Vingegaard. VdP launches, Tadej glances over his shoulder and then tries to catch VdP, then gives up.
Tadej did not gift that win. He was totally gassed.
I was in a bike shop this afternoon picking up my new gravel bike, and one of the guys who works there went to France and watched the last week of the tour, including th3 two days on Alpe d’Huez. Said it was completely wild and insane. Apparently record crowds this year.
Last time i road the gravel bike was before thr baby was born. I gotta get back to that
And despite the heat! Better to fry next to a macadam strip watching a bunch of bikes go by than to par-boil in a dwelling with no A/C!
Sepp and many other riders need to take motorcycle riding courses. He lost a stage cause he turns in way too early on the corners.
or just follow Pidcock's lines
Only works if he is ahead of you. It’s clear that most cyclists have no idea how to ride. They are just very fit and work around their mistakes.
Most roadies are only cyclists in the sense that they are sitting on a bike when they perform aerobic feats. Comparing them to DH or BMX riders is like comparing CrossFitters to hockey players.
I understand. As a team manager I think you could pick up a couple stage wins per year and lose fewer riders to injury by sending them to one day motorcycle riding schools.
You can teach the skills on the bike itself but that would cut down the time you can spend blood doping
1) This is generally a car focused substack.
2) Who the *fuck* are you to tell the host what he should talk about?
Who am I? I own Baruth.
OK
I appreciate the backup but I am also happy to take a beating from PAID subscribers. The freebies will be disrespected!
I *am* a PAID subscriber defending you.
Yes sir! And I am happy to take an online beating from you as well!
The background of Eric's comment, of course, is that he is a road cyclist who is suffering from envy off professional BMX racers such as my (former) self. Therefore he periodically attempts to equate the Tour de France, which is nothing but a raw measure of genetic lung capacity combined with inability to ride a bike downhill, with real sports such as BMX and DH MTB. I permit this because I am infinitely gracious and also I admire Laurent Fignon.
dude relax
Don't worry, found the 1969 Moonswatch already at the usual suspects for $30.
Just in case Tarantino wants to try something new:
Once Upon a Time...in Eugene. Or: Pulp Scions
The movie opens in a smoky, high-end steakhouse in Baltimore, circa 2011. Jack Baruth and Tom Klockau are sitting at the bar, debating the merits of a 1978 Lincoln Continental Town Car and whether Ketel One neat or a Brandy Old Fashioned is the perfect drink. Sitting two stools down is an elegant, elderly gentleman in a bespoke European suit, sipping a neat scotch. It’s Dr. Ernst Niedermeyer. He overhears Jack make a flawless philosophical point about automotive design, and a three-hour conversation sparks. They talk about neurology, classical piano, Broughams, racing and mountain climbing. And gin. They bond instantly.
We cut abruptly to a dark, cluttered garage in Eugene, Oregon. The lighting shifts to harsh, gritty Tarantino-style cinematography. Paul Niedermeyer is sitting at a laptop in a faded, tie-dye shirt, lit only by the screen. He sees a Facebook post of Jack, Tom, and his father smiling together at the restaurant, each holding up a cut crystal highball glass. Paul’s eyes twitch. The Kill Bill siren music blares. He slams his fist on the desk and types a furious, multi-page email to Tom Klockau, timestamped: December 25, Midnight.
To build the tension, the movie breaks into chapters with vintage 1970s film grain, tracking Paul’s life of snapping defeat from the jaws of victory:
Chapter 1: The Spiteful Son (1969) – A teenage Paul, looking like a stereotypical, unwashed hippie, [ED: use someone from Central Casting] screaming at his brilliant father in an elegant Austrian-styled study. Dr. Ernst holds up a brochure for an Ivy League university and a trust fund check. Paul rips it up, spits on the Persian rug, and storms out into a cloud of blue smoke emitting from a rattling, 40-horsepower Volkswagen Beetle.
Chapter 2: The Telemundo Meltdown (1986) – A fast-paced, Wolf of Wall Street-style montage of the early days of Spanish-language TV. Paul is in a sleek, neon-lit 80s boardroom surrounded by millions of dollars in corporate contracts. A suit tells him to format a show a certain way. Paul gets bright red, flips a marble conference table, and yells, "You don't tell ME how to package content!" He is thrown out of the building by security, leaving millions in stock options on the table.
The Climax: The Misguided Heist. Fast forward to the present day. Consumed by a mix of generational envy, financial desperation, and pure bitterness that Jack and Tom are now regular guests at his father’s estate, Paul decides he needs to prove he is a criminal mastermind. He plans a high-stakes jewelry heist at a luxury boutique. He successfully grabs a bag of diamonds through pure luck, runs out the back door in a balaclava (balaclava has, for some reason, a Fiat logo on it), and dives into his getaway car: a faded, 200,000-mile Scion xB, with red-painted steel wheels for some reason. He twists the key. Chugga-chugga-chugga... click. The second attempt emits a final death rattle: GLUG. Uh oh! Paul furiously pumps the gas pedal of the spartan, minimalist penalty box, screaming at the cracked, plastic dashboard. Within 15 seconds, two mall security guards casually sharing a box of Dunkin Donuts casually walk up, open the unlocked plastic door (it falls off), and pull his body right out onto the curb.
The Final Shot: The movie ends with Paul sitting in a holding cell, wearing an orange jumpsuit. A guard drops a clipboard on his desk. Paul looks up and asks if he can use his one phone call to change the publication date on an article Tom Klockau wrote in 2009. He dials the number. A voice on the other end cheerfully says, "Hello, this is The Cellar, would you like to make a reservation?" He screams "NOOOOOOO!" as the camera pans away. The screen fades to black as a classic 1970s funk track plays over the credits. THE END.
I would see this. Want to trade for an Oddessy ticket?
No but I'll trade for a 1974 Cadillac brochure.
Oh and would you believe the dude is still re-running my ancient columns over there? Each time he does it he might as well fly a flag on his main page saying "I Can't Replace the Talent I Chased Away!" LOL
Right up there with Crab Spirits for quality.
Paging Mr. Klockau - that Cadillac looks to be right up your alley!
Talisman.
TALISMAN!
*thud*
Thanks for the artist recommendation.
Whenever I hear of a solo rider going 10-7 on a ride, it hurts.
It’s amazing how many people lose their way in life and just can’t handle the day-to-day.
It’s a miracle any of us live to die of old age.
Enjoy the ride.
I don't know if it was because I read it on the city bus to and from work, or maybe because I'm just dense, but I didn't get the book. The travel stories were entertaining, but the philosophy went right over my head.
Don't sweat it Mozzie ;
Philosophy can be great but not always .
-Nate
It's been 30 years since I read "Zen," but the main takeaway for me was wondering why Pirsig was so impatient and borderline mean-spirited with his son*. If it helped me not be that way with my son, it was worth the read.
*Because it's been 30 years since I read the book, I can't defend that comment. Wait - yes I can. "Experts say and studies show that according to science, Robert Pirsig was impatient and borderline mean-spirited with his son."
Must be Lexus caliper day. L side front caliper on my '99 SC 400 has a pronounced drag. New calipers ordered from the Rock (may replace both) and new pads from Lexus. Also have a new rad and a custom Z30 aluminum splash shield to install.
Please replace both.
seconded. when you replace one its like the other side is 5 mins away from also seizing.
this only needs to happen once
Tertiaried (new word)
In general, always do brake repairs in axle sets .
Your life does indeed rely in this simple thing .
-Nate
Tetrified?
I don't know how to give my approval at the third so I made up a new word.....
Sorry .
-Nate
So did I!
I'll disagree with the group. Replace pads/rotors in axle sets. After a inspecting/cleaning/lubricating the opposing caliper to the one that has seized I have never had one fail before I needed a new set of pads and rotors.
This is how i feel for street cars but not race cars.
Yeah; IIRC, the one time I had to replace a caliper, the other side, which was probably original got about two years of heavy service on a car that ended up being totaled at over 300 kmiles for unrelated reasons.
Yep. This right here. You can work wonders with a can of Brakleen and some slider grease.
Jack, condolences on your loss.
Your gig in the sandwich shop reminded me of an incident in Regular John's Pizza Parlor in Brentwood, CA many years age where we and other parents had assembled a large group of Little Leaguers following a game, real family stuff.
At one point during the evening a young man assembled his gear on the tiny stage and launched, without preliminary notice, an ear busting rendition of "It's Hard to Say I Love You When You're Sitting on My Face."
Regular John's is long gone but the kid's plaintive lyrics ring in my memory still!
Is that like if someone played a cover of “My Ding-A-Ling” at Chuck E. Cheese’s?! 😂😂 (iOS auto-complete actually suggested that last word! Jeebus!)
Only thing better would have been an encore of "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long"
https://youtu.be/pjkLf_X88WM?si=23ZC-wK4A5SRysTc
Or, perhaps, I Don't Look Good Naked Anymore or the scintillating I Took a Dump in San Francisco (actually, I don't believe that had been "composed" <composted> at that time. San Francisco was still a relatively decent place to visit or live).
0. Sorry to hear of your loss. My uncultured self just listened to your sample for the first time. Not the correct take, but I was impressed or at least enjoyed the horns. Brass isn’t leveraged near enough and it’s soooooo good.
The bird of sorrow bit wrapped me in a wet blanket just the same. Powerful stuff.
1. My grandmother had that near same caddy but in a lighter brown color with a little darker seat. I rode around as a child many a time in it and liked the luxury appointments such as the fold down foot rests and carriage lighting. Fairly sure that one had a Cadillac CB in it - one of her two brown ones did anyhow. I used to pretend I was Batman talking to truckers.
2. I need one of those Superhawks (or a Scambler) to cut up. I have a homemade gokart that I got from the estate of a slain 1%r biker group leader…(maybe 2%? Idk, but he got shot in the head by a rival president) - that utilizes the entire driveline. It’s 3 pedals, proper stick shift and about 3/4 the size of a Miata.
Near certain it ended up in the pond at the front of the property. Tearing it down, the engine saw ALOT of water. I can’t use anything newer without changing it all as Hondas flipped the primary dive side somewhere around 1970.
Fwiw I’d probably just die on it anyway. It’s in my shed. Maybe I should ACF raffle it.
"My grandmother had that near same caddy but in a lighter brown color with a little darker seat"
A racist ex boss had a caddy, er, no, a lawn jockey that fit the description
I still see those on the regular. I never thought much of them other than ugly lawn decor. Maybe I should prank people by repainting them Cadillac hues at night. Keeping those white teeth though… maybe some gold foil.
Spent two years at The Ohio State University in Lima mid-20th century. The University of NW Ohio (UNOH) is a recent addition to Lima. I never thought to describe Lima as near Dayton. Or does UNOH have satellite campuses?
I don't think UNOH does but those towns are close enough that I always kicked myself for not hanging out at the Air Force museum at least once when I did a 6-week rotation in Lima. They're really only an hour apart. I guess it depends on your idea of "close"?
Or ninety minutes if you’re on I-75 with a bunch of Ohio-plated “morality police!” Because you’ll never exceed the posted speed limit! Guaranteed!
Why ODOT hasn’t been widening little stretches between Findlay and Dayton over the last 30 years or so is beyond me! It’s three lanes each way from Toledo to Findlay. Then two lanes down to Troy, OH on the north side of the Dayton metro, at which time I’m pretty sure I was lucky that I didn’t blow out my turbo going towards hyperspace as I passed the clump of fuddy-duddies which had been impeding my progress towards the Miami Valley! (Along with the line of cars behind me extending north back to Wapakoneta!)
Like you, I’m wondering where the main campus of UNOH is! Because if it is around Dayton, someone REALLY needed an Ohio geography lesson when they named aforementioned place of higher learning!
I think Lima is big enough to stand alone as "where UNOH is"
The “Northwest” part is only just when you get that far south! Perhaps UWCOH, for “University of West-Central Ohio” would be more appropriate.
Just wait until you hear about Ohio Northern University just a few miles NE from Lima in the small town of Ada! Fun fact, UNOH did indeed used to go by "UNO" until "ONU" started making noise about the 2 acronyms being confusingly similar. I've seen some of the old "UNO" merch, and I think the "H" addition came about in the late 90s or early 00s. I think UNOH looks better written out and on advertisements anyway.
My brother graduated from Ohio Northern in 1964. College of Law, College of Engineering, College of Pharmacy are all very unusual for such a smaller college.
Duly noted!
"I never thought to describe Lima as near Dayton."
Because you lived in Ohio for two years. Most of my readership has not and 30% of it is non-American :)
And we would find which group is which easier to identify in person based on their pronunciation. 😁
(I never watched "Glee" but I am told that they also pronounced it like the Peruvian capital, not as the locals do.)
I used to work in
BELLFOUNTAIN
GODAMMIT THAT USED TO MAKE ME MAD coming from an area with the BellfonTAINE (spelled the same as the Ohio town) family of dealerships. The Allen County locals calling Bellfontaine Bellfountain threw me every time.
San Jose, IL: pronounced "San Joe's"
It’s like Palermo North Dakota, not pronounced how one may think.
And Calais, Vermont.
Cairo, Illinois (cay-RO) is among my favorites.
Also please find a local to have them pronounce “Havre de Grace, MD” for you. It’s an ASTOUNDING abuse of language. Think along the lines of “Havertygrays”
It SHOULD be "harve-de-GRAH," no?
Marseilles, Illinois (Mar-SAILS)
PA is full of them. I've lived in PA long enough that I can go from North Versailles, to Latrobe, to Dubois, up to Roulette, and over to Lancaster, without mispronouncing a single one.
North ver-SALES (not ver-SIGH, though the last time I rode one, the automated voice on the bus pronounced it the French way)
LAY-trobe (not luh-TROBE), though there is some debate
DEW-boys (not dew-BWAH)
Roulette rhymes with towelette, not the game of chance
LANK-uh-stir (not LAN-cast-er)
Valdez, Alaska
Its Val-deez. I don't care how you pronounce that name in Mexican.
Unrelated but I will say Lancaster is one of my favorite places in the Northeast.
Incredibly charming little city, with a million things to do and see and good places to eat.
I'd like to live there some day.
Always thought that Arnold Palmer’s hometown was “la-TROBE.”
I thought I might have heard him pronounce it that way.
In Ohio, you almost have to pronounce Bellefontaine as “bell-fountain,” or you get weird looks! 😂😂
The one that gets me is when someone puts the em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LAB-le of Traverse City, MI, “tra-VERSE.” But perhaps that’s my bias of being born and raised in the Great Lakes. Lord help us, more of the country should have learned that pronunciation after that idiot went and stabbed a bunch of people at the WalMart there last summer.
While I thought all residents pronounce it the weird LAY-trobe way, I eventually learned that there is at least a significant minority that pronounce it the way you'd expect, so I wouldn't be surprised that Arnie pronounced it la-TROBE.
Might be a class or generational thing or both; I know the Pittsburgh accent is far more prevalent among older working-class folks than among the young or educated.
ive always heard the bomber referred to as the latter
not saying that makes it right though
bomber ≠town in Pennsylvania
And a South Dakotan believes that he has a right to be tried by a jury of his "Pierre"s. 🙄
“Peer” is the correct pronunciation of the capital of South Dakota, correct?
Well, follows the pattern of every other example here: locally "correct" pronunciation differs from globally "correct" pronunciation. in this case, it was named after « Pierre Chouteau Jr. » son of « Jean-Pierre Chouteau », brother of « Auguste Pierre Chouteau » , and half-brother of « François Chouteau ». Given that all of these are French names, it should it should rhyme with « bière » (or "chair"), not "beer."
I was just taking the inverse: if you think "Pierre" sounds like "peer," then request a jury of them!
Puyallup, WA.
Is that “PUHL-yup?”
Excellent point. And looking at a map how would you describe where LIME-A is? Dayton is good. As it is probably more recognizable to folks worldwide. I spent my formative years in NW Ohio and tell people I grew up in a town between Findlay and Bellefontaine, north to south; between Lima and Marion, west to east. But that only works for NE Ohio folks.
I could see where most would pronounce that like the Peruvian capital. But it’s indeed pronounced like the bean variety.
"West Central Ohio" conveys the location. Nobody outside the US knows where Dayton is anyhow.
“It cost more than $67,000 to restore this beautiful Chesterfield Brown four seat Fleetwood Talisman”
The answer why she did not meet the reserves is two words: Chesterfield Brown. Of the 27 exterior colours offered in 1974 Chesterfield Brown was not one of them, the colour may have been Canyon Amber. And if they did paint her Chesterfield Brown, a 1976 colour, reasonable people would ask why, as it is one of the ugliest colours offered in 1976. With that interior if you were changing colours the correct choice would have been Andes Copper. That is a combination that pops. But you got to love the 1974 Talisman as some one at GM approved a 20 foot long 6,000 pound four seat sedan with enough Medici cherished velour to cover a house (even the A, B, & C pillar were wrapped in that fabric.
Beautiful car though.
Needs to be a Talisman wagon to properly be that brown color.
$45 large? Only the original exterior and interior color, dammit! If you don’t like it, there’s someone who will!
I looked down the list of previous BAT sales, and there was a black over blue 1975 ** ACRS-equipped ** Talisman that had been sold! Talk about the rarest of the rare! (“Air-Cushion Restraint System.” That was an early version of a GM dual-stage airbag system used to try to get around the seatbelt starter-interlock system mandated in MY 1974, and also as a means to gather data about airbags as a possible passive-restraint system for future use. Only had lap belts in the front seat, and the option, only available on GM full-size cars, was killed after 1976.)
Sgeffe, that ARS system was something else. It deleted the left side glove box and the center ash tray and lighter. The whole dash pad was one huge / multiple air bags. It was available on the Deville/ Fleetwood, Electra 225, and Olds 98, in each case the dash was, for use of A better word ugly. I recently saw an Olds 98 with ARS at a classic car auction and I thought would you want to drive around with 50 year old car with 50 year old explosive canisters in the dash with contacts that have been in the car 50 years??????
Why did I think that everything but Chevy had those available, like you could get them in your Delta 88 or LeSabre if you wanted? (I’m pretty sure that the Riviera, Toronado, and Eldorado had availability as well.)
Probably nobody around who would tackle an inspection, given that there were so few of these systems that entered the market.
Sgeffe, I was listing the full size R/W drive, I forgot the Impala though I never know an Impala to have the system. I do not believe it was available on the full size F/W drive coupes. And you are correct it was a very very rare option and considering almost no shop will work on a car with a carburetor, I am pretty sure they would not touch a 50 year old air bag system.
IIRC, the Impalas were produced in 1973 as test beds for whatever, and they had a Delta 88 dashboard. (One of those was Cosmo Kramer’s car in “Seinfeld.”)
It was interesting how all this developed, that’s for sure.
I wonder if a shop which works on older Mercedes-Benz airbags would give it a shot, provided that a shop manual/wiring diagram for ACRS could be found on the Internet.
I’d bet parking/storage rules out ~75%+ of otherwise would-be buyers for restored land yachts as well.
Help 'em all, let God sort 'em out. Outcomes are none of your business! Take my advice, I'm not using it!
"Help 'em all, let God sort 'em out. Outcomes are none of your business!"
Absolutely. Wayyyy above my paygrade.
"The harder part, at least if you’re me, is tallying up what it has cost everyone else to help you, and wondering if you will ever be worth enough to somehow pay it all back."
The very short answer is "no".
The longer short answer is that this is not a zero-sum game. There is no "Karma". Doing the right thing is its own reward -- and the people who have given with no expectation of being repaid are why some of us have something extra to give back to those who, in turn, will never repay us.
I don't want to pay for that with my life, but I would hope I'm as ready to do it at 62 as I was at 22.
Keeping score with people is just too much work, and as you point out, really not our job. Not that we don’t learn lessons from certain people’s behavior, and remember such behavior, it’s only worth remembering so we don’t end up in a “fool me twice” situation.
Anyway, people who keep score to a high degree are usually no fun to be around.
"fool me...": for some, "...This is an hard saying..." (John 6:60): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ6N-sb7SVQ
Obviously a fan of The Who!
a friend of mine once said, "when I give someone a gift, what they do with it is none of my business."
another way of saying, "keeping score is not our job"
Doing the right thing is like pissing your self when wearing a black suit : it gives you a warm feeling but nobody else notices .
You're welcome =8-) .
-Nate
As I said, it's its own reward. Honor is the gift a man gives himself
Yes. You know if you do the right thing. I dont much help strangers anymore but i try to do the right thing
and integrity speaks to what you do when no one is looking.
Correct ;
This is also what shows character : what you do when no one is looking .
-Nate
I thought *adultery* was what you do when no one is looking.
I'll see myself out!
"drink yourself into oblivion" also works...
I liked to do the first followed by the second
That's why I have stolen "pay it forward" from wherever, when someone tries to pay me back.
I once heard a recording of an AA speaker who said life is a game.
If you do something good for someone, don't tell anybody, and the person never discovers it was you, you get three points.
If you do something good for someone, don't tell anybody, and the person discovers it was you, you get two points.
If you do something good for someone, then tell someone about it, you get 1 point.
And if you ever tell anyone how many points you have, you lose them all and start over.
This most likely comes from 12th century Jewish philosopher Maimonides.
https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/eight-levels-of-charitable-giving
The top one is interesting and relevant to Jack's help here:
" The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others."
Oooh; that's good.
I can't speak to Glen, but Kavinski also just passed. He's best known for the opening to "Drive" where Ryan Gosling just aura farms his way to a cult classic film. Kind of crazy to see more and more talented people passing and realizing that my generation has far, far less of them in it.
F1- Ferrari is just completely fumbling this thing and allowing Merc to stay in front. But... I don't want to give you hope, but it sure looks like Max is the same number of points from the top of the grid in a worse car than last year by some measures. Could he? He wouldn't, but if anyone could it's him.
Caddy- My GOD what a car. Still shocked they get no respect. Speaking of respect... There is an SMZ-Z32 300zx with lowish miles that is going INSANE right now on BAT. Good to see my car finally getting all sorts of love. If only Nissan would give it more. SOLD for 80k: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-nissan-300zx-twin-turbo-51/
Crew- I'm so sorry you've had so many issues. It's emotionally draining. I wish I lived closer. I'd be there every weekend.
You just beat me: https://people.com/french-dj-kavinsky-drive-soundtrack-hit-nightcall-dead-age-50-12029371
The interesting part to me is that he was found dead at home after a neighbor noticed he hadn't been out in a few days.
It's surprising how people who would seem to be quite popular end up spending so much time alone (see also Dolores O'Riordan).
I have always loved those Z32s, from the first time I sat in one at the Chicago Auto Show.
They were like an exotic car in styling when they first came out.
If Nissan ever gets some money, I would love to see them update this body style for a new Z.
I’d be curious to know how many people used the World Cup to upgrade their country of residence. I’d also like to know if these refugees had World Cup tickets and if they flew first class to their new country. I don’t believe a person happens to be in Canada and one day thinks “I’d like to just stay here”. What I do believe is that a person from the listed countries wanted to GTFO and when given the opportunity took full advantage. Could be some interesting stories. Are these young adults escaping their home religious requirements? Anyone escaping future legal action? I personally have no interest living in Canada but I also believe it is likely preferable to many other places.
It probably boils down to 'how much free shit can I get'?
People escaping shithole countries, whether as "tourists" or "students" almost always intend to do so permanently:
"THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER VISA
She lost the H-1B lottery. It didn't matter. 5 years later, she is still here and working.
Business Insider told her story as a hardship piece. We see it through a completely different lens. To us, it demonstrates the clearest public walkthrough of how the visa chain actually works. The timeline, straight from the article:
2021: Arrives from India for a master's at San José State.
After graduation, a Bay Area healthcare startup hires her on STEM OPT. No lottery, no cap, no prevailing wage requirement, and most OPT workers are exempt from Social Security and Medicare. The employer saves 7.65% in payroll taxes on every OPT paycheck, so on paper she costs less than an American with the identical resume.
Her employer enters her in the H-1B lottery and she loses. Nothing changes. STEM OPT runs up to 3 years either way.
October 2025: Laid off.
November 2025: A NYC recruiting company hires her, has her relocate cross-country with no relocation assistance, then lays her off two weeks in. The move cost her $6,000. (Genuinely ugly employer behavior, but that is another story).
December 25: Back in California. OPT expiring. 60 days to leave the country.
This is where you'd think it would end. Deadline, then the flight home. Here is what actually happened next:
February 2026: She finds a job that will hire her for contract work. She enrolls for a Ph.D. in business administration at Westcliff University, a for-profit school and one of the best-known Day 1 CPT schools in the country. Her explanation, in her own words: "It allows me to stay in the US on a student visa."
That sentence is the entire system. The 60-day clock stops for anyone willing to pay tuition. The lottery decides which visa you hold, not whether you stay. F-1 to OPT to STEM OPT to a Day 1 CPT doctorate: five years in the US, zero H-1Bs ever held.
There is always another visa."
https://xcancel.com/LayoffAI/status/2081727806652715211
The entire visa system needs to deleted. Then at least 3 years later maybe start to rebuild it.
Agree on the "maybe." The appetite for indentured servitude will never go away, and any program will be shot full of loopholes by lobbyists and abused by shady employers.
The decision is between market wages and federally-allocated indentured servitude, and we've already had one Civil War over servitude.
As always our educational system is an issue
"our educational system is an issue"
This oft-repeated statement is usually a talking point in favor of work visas: "our educational system is ~bad~, therefore need 'engineers' from India." But our educational system is VASTLY superior to India's.
The issue here is NOT anyone's "educational system:" it is that the GOVERNMENT has TRANSFORMED "STUDENT" visas into WORK visas, thereby DEPUTIZING the "educational system" to SELL WORK VISAS. When presented with an opportunity bordering on seigniorage, some institutions have seized it.
So I think your quote is really misleading here: the problem is the government, specifically the ILLEGAL STEM OPT and CPT programs.
The way I see it
On this issue colleges are essentially rakignin$ so they can sell visas. That’s an issue
We’re also living in an impending socialist nightmare because grade school though college is now the front of the socialist revolution with 98% of educators seeing it as their mission to create the new cultural revolution in USA this time with students and graduates as the vanguard:
Wherever I look education system is the issue from selling degrees to visas to subsuming the USA
I don't deny the socialist issue.
But pick something you unequivocally like, say churches*, NAPA, or gun stores: if the government deputized them to sell work permits to Subcons, do really doubt that they wouldn't do so immediately?
(*This is not hypothetical, as religious organizations received $BILLIONS to facilitate "refugee resettlement" population bombing campaigns. https://refugeeresearchonline.org/the-dominance-of-christian-charities-in-us-refugee-resettlement/ )
Yeah I don't see gun stores doing it. In south America most Churches are socialist and the new pope is all about open borders socialist. Its ok hearing the be kind forget reality vibe in Church cause thats what we expect and thst their job to teach "morals" and hopefully rigth from wrong. We coudl argue thta destroying your civilization is a wrong, but that's a whole other debate.
Education should roundly prepare someone for realities and skills of life not societally destructive fantasy. Nor is sellign visas part of the ambit of education.
Criticaly, education unlike Church is mandatory and gov education prevalent, on top of which gov cotrolls a lot of education content. So all youyth is exposed, whereas for very good reasons Church is not mandated by gov since our founding.
Education because it is not self funded is also reformable, there is just little understanding of the degree to which education has been subsumed for a cause, nor sustained attempts to redress it, which woudl take decades to undo. Although in Fl Deasnatis sure is trying.
But that all being said I take your point.
Gun stores, theyre kinda patriotic, and while businesses they do seem mostly to operate on something we used to call principles.
UNOH has a hell of an automotive program, from what I've learned. Sad that you had a bad experience with that student; back when I was building (and fixing) my own rally car I had a student with me a couple of times and Brayden was awesome. But I guess there's always that *one* guy....
(Oh, and STPR: 3rd in the slowest class. My first podium.)
Oh, you tried to slip that in so nobody would notice:
🏆 CONGRATULATIONS!! 🏆
https://www.sneakattackrally.com/ARACombinerThing/index.html / "2026 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally"
Any chance we can get a guest column, or maybe As Told To JB?
I dunno, I don't think too many people want to hear a story about enough people going off or blowing up LSDs that my slow ass got bumped into P3. 😂🤣
Especially when shit like "I had to get bump started at SOFR" is so much more entertaining....
Maybe you can combine multiple races; I don't know. But with Jack's Gap Year and not hearing much from Bill Caswell lately, we're a little light on PARTICIPATORY MOTORSPORT right now, and personally, I'd like to see more rally content on ACF.
Well, I'm game. If Jack isn't, I always have a YouTube channel. I'm documenting my Focus build, post stage videos, and summary videos for each race. (STPR is only half done and I won't be working on it since I'm away for work for a week.)
https://youtube.com/@dukesofbiohazardracing
Thanks!
Subscribed. Thanks for sharing.
I DO!
Ì would like to hear it.
hell yeah man
OK, the version of the story that is short enough for me to bother typing but long enough to have a few fun details:
The Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is one of the longest-running stage rallies in the country, and happens near Wellsboro, PA, home of the "Pennsylvania Grand Canyon," just a wooded river valley really, but a pretty one. (The town is pretty too, with gas lighting gracing the main boulevard--even though it was installed as a tourist magnet in the 1970's, but I digress.)
It was the first rally Phil (my co-driver) and I had ever completed, back in 2024 in a Focus SVT I'd built myself (except for the cage), and we DNF'd last year--broke axles on day 1 and 2 because I did a dumb thing to protect my transmission case from breaking again, and then after fixing that had an electrical take us out on day 3.
So we returned this year with a Fiesta ST and professional mechanical help, a car I'd been running since I rolled it as a rental (with a you break it, you buy it policy, and that's a whole story unto itself), but with a new spring setup this year from WRC2 driver Sean Johnston (and only my 2nd gravel event on that setup).
Day 1 was just a Super Special, a crowd-pleasing stage at the county fairgrounds. Muddy as hell so the fast cars had some trouble putting down power; the Limited 2WD class only made up 25% of the field (7 cars out of 28) but we were 4 of the top 11 cars (I was 11th overall, 4th in class).
Day 2 found the two fastest cars in L2 taken out--one went off without damaging the car, but in a way that could just be pulled back on by a competitor, and the other blew up his LSD on launch at a stage. Both would return the next day to drive, but the penalty times they were assessed for missing stages would take them out of podium contention. We got our first puncture on a stage, but I have no idea when, because I couldn't feel it (rally tires aren't built like other tires) and the time control folks had to point it out. Fun fact: even though I sometimes talk about missing the high speed stability of the Focus' longer wheelbase, on the longest straightaway (something like 500 yards at the end of Wilson), I had only taken the Focus up to 76, but I got the Fiesta up to 91. (Note: all speeds are in Freedom Units; the rest of the world can multiply by 1.6 for km/h.)
However, this meant Phil and I started day 3 in P3, with about a 3 minute lead, and about 3 minutes out of P2. That's an awful lot of time to make up in both directions, so we were in a pretty good spot to podium as long as I 1) didn't totally dawdle and 2) didn't find a tree. I did make contact with a concrete block at probably under 10 mph with the rear passenger quarter panel; no harm, no foul. Day 3 had the infamous Waste Management jump, where Ken Block once cleared 125 feet before landing. I figured lining up was more important than impressing anyone with distance (you can't win a rally on a jump, but you can sure lose one, as the saying goes), so I went conservatively over that.
Until the second running, that is. I don't know what got into me, but apparently I decided I was going to give it more beans. Obviously I'm not paying any attention to the speedo myself (and it's in metric anyhow--Canadian car) but Phil can see a GPS-based speed on the Rallysafe unit, and he says we'd passed 78 and accelerated some more when he looked back down, so I hit at probably >80 mph. The nose crossed level, and in the 1/10 of a second between that moment and impact, I had just enough time to think, "Oh, shit, this was a really bad idea." (You can see my eyes go wide in the in-cabin video.) But we hit wheels first and kept on going. All the way to our first podium....
...where Phil, because he didn't have his readers on, couldn't find the twist release for the champagne, and didn't get to spray his. :D
3rd in class, a 2 minute penalty for being early took us to 13th overall (out of 18 finishers) instead of the 10th that was rightly ours...and because of the way points work, we're also 3rd in class for the 2026 season championship, and we could potentially make it to 2nd after LSPR.
that sounds absolutely awesome man right on
"rolled it as a rental (with a you break it, you buy it policy"
<sigh> I sympathize with the typing concern. Maybe someone can assist you in getting these excellent stories committed to writing.
"freedom units:" The US almost became one of the FIRST countries to adopt SI: Secretary of State Jefferson requested a set of SI standards in 1793, but the ship was blown off course and captured by pirates: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/28/574044232/how-pirates-of-the-caribbean-hijacked-americas-metric-system
Do you think that the greater top speed was due to better performance of the FiST, conditions, or your technique?
Great story and great result! Good luck in Marquette!
"Do you think that the greater top speed was due to better performance of the FiST, conditions, or your technique?"
While I would probably say a little bit of each (the earlier effort was my first time at speed on gravel, and slightly damp besides) I think the FiST having an extra 27 hp and 50 lb-ft with a similar curb weight are probably more important.
Fun bit of trivia about our first attempt at metric, and all I can think is: of COURSE it was Jefferson.
(edited to add missing verb)