Random Thoughts Thread

[trinacriabob]

II was sad to see this news, but it was to be expected.  The S.S. United States will not be having a traditional retirement home, as most beloved and historical ocean liners do.

Instead, she will be moving to the Florida Panhandle, where they will sink her to create the world's largest underwater artificial reef.  There will be a visitor center and museum in Destin, from which she will be offshore.

For being 990 feet long, she doesn't weigh as much as that length would suggest.  She has a very low profile, which accentuates her oversized and rounded funnels.  This might have also helped her capacity for speed.  Converted into miles per hour, the S.S. United States once sped across the Atlantic at about 41 mph to make the crossing in 3 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes.  That is insanely fast, so, the ship is the very last to earn the Blue Riband, with no other ocean liner winning it since.

I guess it's good that it isn't being scrapped.  However, this artificial reef solution is what penciled out.  She was the greatest of American ocean liners and had a designation as a historical place ... plus, I can't go visit a sunken ship.

So, a sad Philadelphia turned out on the banks of the Delaware River to see the ship sail out after being moored there for about 30 years.

[Robert Hall]

It was a sad remnant of a bygone era.   I'm amazed the Queen Mary is still afloat..stayed there several times in the last decade, took the tour...so much rust and decay. 

[A Horse With No Name]

20 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

One of the "perks" of being American

Like roller derby, but with no skating ability required 

Ohio is essentially three big cities that start with the letter C and the remaining 90 percent is a giant rural meth lab. No human on earth can intelligently disagree with this sentiment. 

20 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

One of the "perks" of being American

Like roller derby, but with no skating ability required 

Ohio is essentially three big cities that start with the letter C and the remaining 90 percent is a giant rural meth lab. No human on earth can intelligently disagree with this sentiment. 

20 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

One of the "perks" of being American

Like roller derby, but with no skating ability required 

Ohio is essentially three big cities that start with the letter C and the remaining 90 percent is a giant rural meth lab. No human on earth can intelligently disagree with this sentiment. 

[A Horse With No Name]

20 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

One of the "perks" of being American

Like roller derby, but with no skating ability required 

Ohio is essentially three big cities that start with the letter C and the remaining 90 percent is a giant rural meth lab. No human on earth can intelligently disagree with this sentiment. 

20 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

One of the "perks" of being American

Like roller derby, but with no skating ability required 

Ohio is essentially three cities that are large and start with the letter C, the remaining 90 percent is a giant rural meth lab. This fits our state perfectly. 

I have no idea why this posts five times without my ability to delete four of them. 

I guess I really wanted you to know about the meth addicts of Ohio!

[A Horse With No Name]

16 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

II was sad to see this news, but it was to be expected.  The S.S. United States will not be having a traditional retirement home, as most beloved and historical ocean liners do.

Instead, she will be moving to the Florida Panhandle, where they will sink her to create the world's largest underwater artificial reef.  There will be a visitor center and museum in Destin, from which she will be offshore.

For being 990 feet long, she doesn't weigh as much as that length would suggest.  She has a very low profile, which accentuates her oversized and rounded funnels.  This might have also helped her capacity for speed.  Converted into miles per hour, the S.S. United States once sped across the Atlantic at about 41 mph to make the crossing in 3 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes.  That is insanely fast, so, the ship is the very last to earn the Blue Riband, with no other ocean liner winning it since.

I guess it's good that it isn't being scrapped.  However, this artificial reef solution is what penciled out.  She was the greatest of American ocean liners and had a designation as a historical place ... plus, I can't go visit a sunken ship.

So, a sad Philadelphia turned out on the banks of the Delaware River to see the ship sail out after being moored there for about 30 years.

Its the best use of this, by far. restoring it is impractical. Just like the 60's and 70's land yachts that end up in demo derbies...

[A Horse With No Name]

 

And on the positive side...

 

Neat short clip...

 

And deep thinking for this morning, with apologies to the Greeks among us...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Watch this video, there are some great American women but none of us here is married to a "traditional" American woman who has "traditional" (by this, I mean part of the toxic current American culture) values. 

Toxicity runs so deep in American modern society, and it goes way beyond politics....

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Instead of deporting aliens, we should give them their citizenship if they kill 5 child predators. We could call the program "Alien Vs. Predator..."

[A Horse With No Name]

I agree with Drew, from a political standpoint, no, from a nature standpoint, yes. Thinking Belize or Costa Rica might be a better use of my time and money than Florida. 

[Robert Hall]

49 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I agree with Drew, from a political standpoint, no, from a nature standpoint, yes. Thinking Belize or Costa Rica might be a better use of my time and money than Florida. 

I still like the Keys..at least the 1985 version I grew up in....  I still think Big Pine Key would be a great place to spend the winters..  my sister has been looking into Puerto Rico as a winter getaway for next year...Myrtle Beach was too cold and snowy this year.  She just drove back to CLE a couple days ago, straight through in about 10 hrs. 

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

Ohio is essentially three big cities that start with the letter C and the remaining 90 percent is a giant rural meth lab. No human on earth can intelligently disagree with this sentiment. 

Sad but true.. as a native Ohioan I have no desire to live in the rural areas I grew up in.  Too many rednecks and MAGAts.   But there is a lot of great scenery and state parks in rural Ohio. 

Edited Sunday at 05:02 PM by Robert Hall

[A Horse With No Name]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

I still like the Keys..at least the 1985 version I grew up in....  I still think Big Pine Key would be a great place to spend the winters..  my sister has been looking into Puerto Rico as a winter getaway for next year...Myrtle Beach was too cold and snowy this year.  She just drove back to CLE a couple days ago, straight through in about 10 hrs. 

Sad but true.. as a native Ohioan I have no desire to live in the rural areas I grew up in.  Too many rednecks and MAGAts.   But there is a lot of great scenery and state parks in rural Ohio. 

It has been an amazing state for me to raise a family in. Despite my cynicism, I really like it here in a lot of ways. 

 

[trinacriabob]

8 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

It was a sad remnant of a bygone era.   I'm amazed the Queen Mary is still afloat..stayed there several times in the last decade, took the tour...so much rust and decay. 

The City of LB had a big decision to make:  let her go or pay for structural and aesthetic repairs.  It's a hotel, a renowned brunch, a tour destination, and people get married and have proms there.  All that stuff.  What would it look like without the QM there? I believe it's staying. In less than 3 years, it will have been there 60 years.  It IS Long Beach through and through.

[trinacriabob]

4 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I agree with Drew, from a political standpoint, no, from a nature standpoint, yes. Thinking Belize or Costa Rica might be a better use of my time and money than Florida. 

Florida has always appealed to me on some level.  The first time I went, I sat by the window and the plane flew down the coast over Lauderdale and Miami Beach to land.  I had never seen turquoise water like that.  I have relatives there, none of whom I like.  I love the food options.  I like the colorful and diverse people from everywhere who live in the urban areas.  I then came to learn that driving between Miami and Marco Island or Tampa to Orlando is not easy on the eyes.

I know Costa Rica, Panama, etc. are relocation destinations.  Also high on the list is Uruguay, which I've been to twice, and it has South America's highest literacy rate and a milder climate at that lower parallel.  It's also beautiful.

Montevideo, the capital ... very manageable and it used to be extremely safe, but now it's a little less safe

Punta del Este, their famous beach report ... incredible, avoid December 15 through February, because it's high season and half of Buenos Aires has moved in

[oldshurst442]

8 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

And deep thinking for this morning, with apologies to the Greeks among us...

All good.

Im just happy there are still some people intrigued about Ancient Greece to still want to talk about Greece's history.  Im also sad that even when people KNOW about Greek history, they do NOT learn ANYTHING about it and are doomed to repeat all the crap that that era's people had to endure. An expression that was coined in the beginnings of the last century only for the world to witness a war to end all wars not even a decade after that expression was coined.  Evils happened again (1933-1945)  and ironically today's peoples, as in folk of 2025, are still dumb, deaf and blind and have learned nothing and are in the wake of repeating  what EVERYTHING that happened to Socrates in Athens a couple of thousands of years ago, to the  greed of WW1 and the evils of 1933-1945 SIMULTANEOULSY...

And the WARNING signs are all WRITTEN in the HISTORY books... ALL THERE for us to learn and AVOID and become better with our civilizations.   

What a vicious circle of shyte we humans like to throw ourselves to.  

[A Horse With No Name]

17 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Florida has always appealed to me on some level.  The first time I went, I sat by the window and the plane flew down the coast over Lauderdale and Miami Beach to land.  I had never seen turquoise water like that.  I have relatives there, none of whom I like.  I love the food options.  I like the colorful and diverse people from everywhere who live in the urban areas.  I then came to learn that driving between Miami and Marco Island or Tampa to Orlando is not easy on the eyes.

I know Costa Rica, Panama, etc. are relocation destinations.  Also high on the list is Uruguay, which I've been to twice, and it has South America's highest literacy rate and a milder climate at that lower parallel.  It's also beautiful.

Montevideo, the capital ... very manageable and it used to be extremely safe, but now it's a little less safe

Punta del Este, their famous beach report ... incredible, avoid December 15 through February, because it's high season and half of Buenos Aires has moved in

This is my thinking...

The stupidity of MAGA America is mind numbing. 

 

 

I love this Chrysler

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Last one for a bit, Pennsylvania Steam power had such a unique look...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Sad end for a proud car...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

In a country of 350 million people, anything can happen...

 

[G. David Felt]

@oldshurst442 This is so true

 Billionaire predicts 'regime shift' after Trump policies prove to be 'negative for the economy'

The whole AI thing is so over blown right now and these conversations are so funny considering they are talking with a limited built AI bot.

Controversial author publishes shocking AI conversation with ChatGPT

This follows the history of the investing they have done and every time he sells stocks, 134 Billion worth and sits on cash, the year after the sales, 2025 the markets go down double digits. I totally expect this year to be an ugly mess on wallstreet.

Warren Buffett amasses more cash and sells more stock, but doesn't explain why in annual letter

This is so true, medicare advantage costs the governement more since it is privatized insurance versus regular medicare. If they kill off the private sectore offering, they would save a tone of money.

UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage bombshell exposes $83 billion in government waste

This is just the start of an ugly year.

US stock market crashes in its worst day since 2024

[A Horse With No Name]

31 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

@oldshurst442 This is so true

 Billionaire predicts 'regime shift' after Trump policies prove to be 'negative for the economy'

The whole AI thing is so over blown right now and these conversations are so funny considering they are talking with a limited built AI bot.

Controversial author publishes shocking AI conversation with ChatGPT

This follows the history of the investing they have done and every time he sells stocks, 134 Billion worth and sits on cash, the year after the sales, 2025 the markets go down double digits. I totally expect this year to be an ugly mess on wallstreet.

Warren Buffett amasses more cash and sells more stock, but doesn't explain why in annual letter

This is so true, medicare advantage costs the governement more since it is privatized insurance versus regular medicare. If they kill off the private sectore offering, they would save a tone of money.

UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage bombshell exposes $83 billion in government waste

This is just the start of an ugly year.

US stock market crashes in its worst day since 2024

It is not a good day in many ways. 

[A Horse With No Name]

 

This Buick looks muy bueno. 

 

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

It is not a good day in many ways. 

Seems to be a common thread. Just way too funny what workers saw.
Hijacked TV screens show government workers gross video of Trump worshipping Musk: reports

[trinacriabob]

 

8 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Sad end for a proud car...

I honestly thought this was the dowdiest model of the 1997-2004 BOP sedans, especially in Century form with wheel covers.  (The LaCrosse was such an improvement - both in looks and the Series III engine - replacing Century and Regal.)  The Regal did benefit from the sloped back grille.  It rode well.  However, the big rear taillight assembly under the lip was oversized and the dashboard was boring for that entire stretch of years.  I would have babied that car though, in that span of years, only the Intrigue appealed to me ... still beautiful from almost vantage points and in a timeless way.

[G. David Felt]

@oldshurst442 @A Horse With No Name @trinacriabob @Robert Hall

Thought you would all get a laugh out of this.

[G. David Felt]

So this is just so maddening as how they cannot seem to see the waste is beyond me due to their personal hatred of EV over ICE.

General Services Administration Shuts Down 8,000 EV Chargers, Offloads EVs

Pulling out the installed EV chargers at all the Federal buildings and parking lots to be scrapped and the disposal of the EV fleet replaced with new ICE autos is such a waste of Taxpayers money.

Idiot is schooled by an Amazing woman.

'Here’s a civics lesson for you': Stephen Miller schooled by Democratic congresswoman

[G. David Felt]

OUCH, this is sad to hear about the folks with disabilities that DOGE and Idiot47 have already cut off as they call the payout waste compared to taking care of the most vulnerable of society.

'Nightmare for all of us': Anxiety grows among Social Security recipients

[A Horse With No Name]

15 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

@oldshurst442 @A Horse With No Name @trinacriabob @Robert Hall

Thought you would all get a laugh out of this.

Me gustan mucho los perros, pero no gustan las fascistas. 

15 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

OUCH, this is sad to hear about the folks with disabilities that DOGE and Idiot47 have already cut off as they call the payout waste compared to taking care of the most vulnerable of society.

'Nightmare for all of us': Anxiety grows among Social Security recipients

Los líderes son malvados, cosechamos lo que sembramos

15 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

So this is just so maddening as how they cannot seem to see the waste is beyond me due to their personal hatred of EV over ICE.

General Services Administration Shuts Down 8,000 EV Chargers, Offloads EVs

Pulling out the installed EV chargers at all the Federal buildings and parking lots to be scrapped and the disposal of the EV fleet replaced with new ICE autos is such a waste of Taxpayers money.

Idiot is schooled by an Amazing woman.

'Here’s a civics lesson for you': Stephen Miller schooled by Democratic congresswoman

These idiots despise reality. 

17 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

 

I honestly thought this was the dowdiest model of the 1997-2004 BOP sedans, especially in Century form with wheel covers.  (The LaCrosse was such an improvement - both in looks and the Series III engine - replacing Century and Regal.)  The Regal did benefit from the sloped back grille.  It rode well.  However, the big rear taillight assembly under the lip was oversized and the dashboard was boring for that entire stretch of years.  I would have babied that car though, in that span of years, only the Intrigue appealed to me ... still beautiful from almost vantage points and in a timeless way.

Si, el Intrigue es muy bueno. 

FAFO!

 

 

Edited yesterday at 04:05 PM by A Horse With No Name

[A Horse With No Name]

20 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Seems to be a common thread. Just way too funny what workers saw.
Hijacked TV screens show government workers gross video of Trump worshipping Musk: reports

Los Hombres follan como conejos

[A Horse With No Name]

Mi abuelo lucho contra los Nazis. 

[A Horse With No Name]

FAFO, video nine million....

 

[ccap41]

It's just lovely that politics are brought up in every single thread... 

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

It's just lovely that politics are brought up in every single thread... 

Its lovely, right?   <rolls eyes>

To be honest...  Its damn near IMPOSSIBLE NOT to talk about "politics" when the President of the United States of America has forced his ideals in EVERY aspect of North American life.

Even in NHL hockey...

 

 

 

 

And this little thing of tariffs that will affect every little aspect of North American life INCLUDING the automobiles we love to talk about on this website...

 

 

 

This is in Germany BTW

 

 

Just for starters 

Yeah...aint it lovely???!!! 

 

[ccap41]

5 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Its lovely, right?   <rolls eyes>

To be honest...  Its damn near IMPOSSIBLE NOT to talk about "politics" when the President of the United States of America has forced his ideals in EVERY aspect of North American life.

Even in NHL hockey...

Nah, I find it really easy to not talk politics. 

[oldshurst442]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Nah, I find it really easy to not talk politics. 

You also find it easy to whine...

Want some cheese with your whine?

 

Have a nice Quebec poutine on me.  

PEI potatoes. Cheese curds from Quebec.

BEFORE the tariffs hit next week. 

If you havent noticed, whether you find it easy to talk about politics or not,  with Trump as President, you cant avoid it.   You actually have to deal with it THIS time around.  THIS time around, politics has become a real threat to our livelyhoods whether you find itmeasy to ignore it or not... 

[ccap41]

2 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

You also find it easy to whine...

Want some cheese with your whine?

 

Have a nice Quebec poutine on me.  

PEI potatoes. Cheese curds from Quebec.

BEFORE the tariffs hit next week. 

Whine, like everybody has been here about politics? No wonder there are only like 5 people routinely around here. 

[oldshurst442]

Just now, ccap41 said:

Whine, like everybody has been here about politics? No wonder there are only like 5 people routinely around here. 

You coud quit too. Nobody stopping you.  People  come and go.  That is what you told me last year. 

 

[ccap41]

6 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

You coud quit too. Nobody stopping you.  People  come and go.  That is what you told me last year. 

 

I likely will be, if politics are continually brought up in every single post. I don't come to automotive sites to talk politics. If I wanted to do that, I'd be on political pages. 

[oldshurst442]

Just now, ccap41 said:

I likely will be, if politics are continually brought up in every single post. I don't come to automotive sites to talk politics. If I wanted to do that, I'd be on political pages. 

 

1. You could  follow your own response...

23 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Nah, I find it really easy to not talk politics. 

and just ignore... 

OR

2. No need to whine...  No need to announce quitting.   Just quit.

  Buh-Bye! 

[G. David Felt]

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I likely will be, if politics are continually brought up in every single post. I don't come to automotive sites to talk politics. If I wanted to do that, I'd be on political pages. 

I understand, but this is the random thread. We have posted other auto focused stories that I would love to hear your thoughts on.

In the other news of Auto's, one of the biggest problems we are facing is the incompetence in DC is throwing everything up into the air as we are looking at thousands if not 10's of thousands if not millions of job losses based on incompetent leadership.

In this regard as a taxpayer, you and every single American should be pissed as hell at DC and the incompetence as the billions spent on Chargers and EVs for the GSA nationwide is now to be dumped on the used car market. Great deals for Taxpayers if you overlook paying twice since Morons are then spending a Billion plus to remove the Chargers and EVs.

Trump’s EV Charger Purge Could Cost Taxpayers Over $1 Billion

So yes, I understand you do not like the political discussion. Sadly, we are in a world of hurt and I truly think we are about to have our current day version of Recession that our great grandparents went through due to ignorant people in DC that 49.5% voted into office.

Same people who warned about the Financial mess and Lehman Brothers collapse are warning about this year being a recession that could become a depression.

US Recession Warning Issued by Economist Who Predicted 2008 Financial Crisis - Newsweek

On other news, Since Cadillac LYRIQ V is such a awesome auto and the Acura ZDX is built on the same platform, one has to wonder if Acura could come out with a performance version of the LYRIQ V as an Acura.

I did see my first ZDX on the road today and have to say, the styling is very weird imho.

[oldshurst442]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/americas/canada-petition-musk-citizenship-intl-latam/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwydeppzggno

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/article/more-than-170000-sign-petition-to-revoke-elon-musks-canadian-citizenship/

 

So far, 250 000 Canadians have signed a petition addressed to Prime Minister Trudeau to revoke Elon Musk's Canadian citizenship. 

  And as a true mature sane adult he responds that Canada isnt a real country...   

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/americas/canada-petition-musk-citizenship-intl-latam/index.html

Quote

In a response to news about the petition, Musk wrote on his social media network X that “Canada is not a real country.” CNN has reached out to Musk’s representatives for comment.

ooooooooooooh...what a burn!!!!

 

His mommy was born in Canada... he got Canadian citizenship through her.  

I say he laces them up in an American hockey jersey on some sort of  barn rink somewheres in rural make believe Canada and skate up to a few drunken beer league lifers and say that to them in their faces that Canada is not a real country.  We, and most importantly, him, would find out how fake Canada is... 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

Another Maple Leaf victory on US soil in Boston.  This one is a blue Maple Leaf. Last week was the national Red one.   How fitting.  In the city where the cry for US independance started...   

 

[G. David Felt]

36 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/americas/canada-petition-musk-citizenship-intl-latam/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwydeppzggno

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/article/more-than-170000-sign-petition-to-revoke-elon-musks-canadian-citizenship/

 

So far, 250 000 Canadians have signed a petition addressed to Prime Minister Trudeau to revoke Elon Musk's Canadian citizenship. 

  And as a true mature sane adult he responds that Canada isnt a real country...   

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/americas/canada-petition-musk-citizenship-intl-latam/index.html

ooooooooooooh...what a burn!!!!

 

His mommy was born in Canada... he got Canadian citizenship through her.  

I say he laces them up in an American hockey jersey on some sort of  barn rink somewheres in rural make believe Canada and skate up to a few drunken beer league lifers and say that to them in their faces that Canada is not a real country.  We, and most importantly, him, would find out how fake Canada is... 

 

 

Hard to revoke citizenship if they were born to a parent of that citizenship, but if they emigrated here or as Musk did come here, overstay his welcome and then found someone to sponsor him to become a U.S. citizen, we can revoke and deport them.

Under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the government cannot revoke the citizenship of a natural-born U.S. citizen. However, denaturalized U.S. citizens are subject to removal (deportation) from the United States. The federal government can pursue a civil or criminal proceeding in federal court to denaturalize a citizen. If a citizen loses their citizenship, this does not necessarily mean that they will be required to leave the U.S.. Instead, they will revert to their previous legal status in the U.S., unless they are subject to grounds for removal. 

[ccap41]

16 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

No need to announce quitting.   Just quit.

I didn't announce anything. You told me to leave and I said I likely would. You need to chill the fck out. 

16 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

People  come and go.

The problem is, people aren't coming. They're just leaving. How many new regulars have showed up in the last year? Two years? Three years? 

How many have left or rarely post anything anymore? We know of a few. 

[surreal1272]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

I didn't announce anything. You told me to leave and I said I likely would. You need to chill the fck out. 

The problem is, people aren't coming. They're just leaving. How many new regulars have showed up in the last year? Two years? Three years? 

How many have left or rarely post anything anymore? We know of a few. 

Oh the irony of that first reply, given a certain “announcement” not 15 months ago lol. 
 

Just the same old, same old. 

Edited 4 hours ago by surreal1272

[Robert Hall]

Reality is complex.

[trinacriabob]

About 2 weeks ago, actually ... a cheap Sicilian lunch 

Swordfish and lasagna!  Very good.

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

Oh the irony of that first reply, given a certain “announcement” not 15 months ago lol. 
 

Just the same old, same old. 

Same *Olds* same *Olds* 🤣🤣