Random Randomness.

[oblong]

18 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

From a lifetime of experience in dealing with multiple industries, I feel like several shouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt, including manufacturers and dealerships.  My issue with SOS is shutting them down, which they have the right to do, and doing a press release that lies and says this:

"LANSING, Mich. – Today, the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) suspended the license of LaFontaine Chevrolet Buick GMC of St. Clair, Inc. for imminent harm to the public. The vehicle dealership is located at 3050 King Rd. in China Township, Mich."

No harm was done to the public. Zip, Zero, Zilch.  An administrative issue was not correctly done, LaFontaine should do it correctly, but let's not pretend it caused harm to the public.

I think any department and especially one headed by someone that is elected by its citizens, should always question the legitimacy of any laws and regulations and if they are going to enforce them, I would like to think they understand them.  

What does the law say they do?   Should the FDA ignore things if the person inspecting that day is in a good mood?  

[ewsieg]

7 hours ago, oblong said:

What does the law say they do?   Should the FDA ignore things if the person inspecting that day is in a good mood?  

Guess you’re right, but a little shocked you, Tigerholic, and Archie are all on the same side regarding ICE and getting rid of illegals.

[Tigeraholic1]

8 hours ago, ewsieg said:

Guess you’re right, but a little shocked you, Tigerholic, and Archie are all on the same side regarding ICE and getting rid of illegals.

Just can't contain it to the political forum huh?

[Screwball]

On 11/11/2025 at 10:33 AM, oblong said:

John U Bacon has a new book out about it. I’ve been eating it all up. 

NO SPOILERS

I'm about 14% through the book and this is a great read. Thanks for the tip.

[Deleterious]

Is it just me or do those 4 pictures give a strong 60's vibe?

 

[gehringer_2]

6 hours ago, Deleterious said:

Is it just me or do those 4 pictures give a strong 60's vibe?

 

the round settee looks like an '70 Cray supercomputer with the center hardware tower taken out. - 

[Deleterious]

Ooof.

 

[chasfh]

On 11/4/2025 at 9:33 PM, Deleterious said:

Sounds like they were selling loaner vehicles as new.  Some with as much as 6,000 miles on them.

This is in part why I have cars custom built for me by the factory instead of driving one off the lot. I have no problem waiting a couple months for a car fresh off the boat with the exact specs I want.

[gehringer_2]

25 minutes ago, chasfh said:

This is in part why I have cars custom built for me by the factory instead of driving one off the lot. I have no problem waiting a couple months for a car fresh off the boat with the exact specs I want.

I was thinking about this one a little. From on stand point, the huge depreciation hit a car takes the minute it's driven off a lot seems silly. A thousand miles on a vehicle built to go 150K+ isn't mechanically significant, but that's not what the discount is about - the discount is about uncertainty. You don't know what has happened to a car used as loaner, how it was driven, if the kid threw up in the back seat or a dog crapped in the back or someone spilled coffee with cream under the front seat, or some other hidden interior damage that you'll end up smelling on hot days forever unless you have a detailer take the interior apart,  or some nut just over rev'd it or internally parted a tire belt in a couple of panic stops. It's the certainly that you aren't dealing with any of that crap that is why you should demand, and get, a steep discount on any loaner or demo that's been off the lot.

Edited Friday at 02:12 PM by gehringer_2

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

It's the certainly that you aren't dealing with any of that crap that is why you should demand, and get, a steep discount on any loaner or demo that's been off the lot.

And you'll probably get it if (1) you're not an ass about it and (2) you walk away if you don't get it at first.

[Screwball]

On 11/11/2025 at 10:33 AM, oblong said:

John U Bacon has a new book out about it. I’ve been eating it all up. 

 

On 11/15/2025 at 12:39 PM, Screwball said:

NO SPOILERS

I'm about 14% through the book and this is a great read. Thanks for the tip.

Again NO SPOILERS

I will only say this was a great read.

This kinda connects. My neighbor who I grew up who was a few years older than me went in the Navy. Maybe Nam years, not sure. Out of the Navy he went to work as a merchant marine on the great lakes until he retired. He now lives in Huron, Ohio. His sister still lives in the hood about 2 blocks away. I told her I would love to see him (we have stories - been 30-40 years) and she brought him down to my party garage last year one day. Only for an hour, but it was a hoot.

Next year I'm gonna get her to do it again, and I want to ask him about what it was like out there on the lakes. I'm sure he sailed it all, but it would have been after the Fitz.

I wouldn't get in a row boat.

Edited 7 hours ago by Screwball

[oblong]

5 minutes ago, Screwball said:

 

Again NO SPOILERS

I will only say this was a great read.

This kinda connects. My neighbor who I grew up who was a few years older than me went in the Navy. Maybe Nam years, not sure. Out of the Navy he went to work as a merchant marine on the great lakes until he retired. He now lives in Huron, Ohio. His sister still lives in the hood about 2 blocks away. I told her I would love to see him (we have stories - been 30-40 years) and she brought him down to my party garage last year one day. Only for an hour, but it was a hoot.

Next year I'm gonna get her to do it again, and I want to ask him about what it was like out there on the lakes. I'm sure he sailed it all, but it would have been after the Fitz.

I wouldn't get in a row boat.

I am not a water person. I’ve been to Superior three times.  Last time was in early August of 2011.  We were vacationing in Mackinac with our young family and my in laws and nephew.  Some of us drove to the shipwreck museum in whitefish point. They have the bell.  It was cold. And if you ever go make sure you get a full tank in town near the bridge. 

[Screwball]

When you look at a map Superior is way up there (cold), and goes way West too. 

I find the ships fascinating. Back around the mid 80s the company I worked for built a machine for a big Ford foundry in Windsor. I went back and forth each week for about a month. Had another guy with me. Few years before he worked at the shipyards along Front St. in Toledo. He said he could get us in, and he did.

The Fitz and the Anderson were not uncommon to Toledo, so they dealt with some big ass boats. The Toledo shipyards had a couple parking spots for the ships. Depending on what they were, they would place them in different positions in what would eventually become a dry dock. They would sit on huge bundles of railroad ties of different sizes to accommodate the version of ship and where it parked in the bundles of ties.

Once the ship got in, they sealed it off from the Maumee river and pumped the water out. Between the two docks was a railroad track with a crane. It would lower 10 by 40 foot plates of 1" steel into the now drained out hole. Once lowered 30 to 40 ft down in the mud, it was moved into place by block and tackle by the workers in the hole. It was then welded into place. Ships run in the summer, they fix them in the winter. The pattern shop, not far way, was a huge building where they layed out scaled templates for the fab guys to repair the ships. They didn't have any windows. If it was zero outside, it was zero inside.

I was there in 1986 I think. It looked like 1886.

[gehringer_2]

40 minutes ago, oblong said:

I am not a water person. I’ve been to Superior three times.

I love Superior. I half-wish I had spent the money a few years ago and bought a boat up there when the SO and I were still in condition to manage one. Not that we aren't healthy enough (knock knock) but I don't have the energy/ambition anymore for the amount of work maintaining a boat big enough for Superior is. At the time I enjoyed my work and didn't really want to quit. And TBH, I could never quite wrap my head around spending a grand to fill the gas tank! C'est la vie 🤷‍♂️

Edited 6 hours ago by gehringer_2