Skip to content
Refpropos.

Refpropos.

  • Home
  • Automobile
  • HVAC
  • Supercar
  • Volvo
  • Entrepreneur
  • Toggle search form
No Title Post – Disaffected Musings

No Title Post – Disaffected Musings

Posted on November 23, 2024 By rehan.rafique No Comments on No Title Post – Disaffected Musings

Again:

 

PLEASE click on the tiny “Read on blog” link or the post title itself in the email notifying you of a new post. Thanks.

 

I was unable to think of a post title today without resorting to alliteration. Hopefully, that will not become a habit.

******************

Normally, the last time I check blog stats is between 7:30 and 8 PM. Usually, the day’s data doesn’t change very much, if at all, between then and the next time I check, which is about 5 AM the next day.

This morning, however, I discovered that one post received an unusually large number of views at the end of yesterday. (The End Of Yesterday sounds like a title for a novel or a movie.) Riviera or Eldorado?, from February of 2020, was viewed quite often and, apparently, by only one or two unique visitors.

I am now always suspicious of such activity after learning about bots being able to alter blog statistics. I also cringe when I see views from China although a little less so if they are not accompanied by referrals from that country’s dominant search engine. Yesterday, the blog did receive some views from China.

Hackers can take down any website at any time. My only defense, such as it is, is that this blog does not really receive that many views especially compared to the top 1% of blogs. Remember the “power” of hackers if you ever can’t find this blog or it features a lot of writing in a language other than English.

******************

I am going to publish much of this Why Evolution Is True (WEIT) post about Bret Stephens’ strong critique of American universities. By the way, he voted for Harris.

 

“It is the university that encourages students to dwell heavily on their experience of victimization, or their legacy as victimizers, rather than as accountable individuals responsible for their own fate. It is the university that carefully arranges the racial and ethnic composition of its student body in the hopes of shaping a different kind of future elite. It is the university that tries to stamp out ideas or inquiries it considers socially dangerous or morally pernicious, irrespective of considerations of truth. It is the university that ceaselessly valorizes identity, not least when it comes to who does, or doesn’t, get to make certain arguments. It is the university that substitutes the classics of philosophy and literature with mandatory reading lists that skew heavily to the contemporary ideological left. It is the university that makes official statements on some current events (but not on others), or tips its hand by prominently affiliating itself with political activism in scholarly garb. It is the university that attempts to rewrite the English language in search of more “inclusive” vocabulary. It is the university that silently selects an ideologically homogeneous faculty, administration, and graduate-student body. It is the university that finds opportunistic ways to penalize or get rid of professors whose views it dislikes. It is the university that has allowed entire fields of inquiry — gender studies, ethnic studies, critical studies, Middle Eastern studies — to become thoroughly dogmatic and politicized.”

 

“It is the university that ceaselessly valorizes identity, not least when it comes to who does, or doesn’t, get to make certain arguments. It is the university that substitutes the classics of philosophy and literature with mandatory reading lists that skew heavily to the contemporary ideological left.”

Never mind that a college education has become obscenely expensive (government subsidizing the demand for “higher” education is part of the problem, not a solution), the completely one-sided indoctrination of students is a threat to all of us. Most of you reading this–myself included–will probably not be alive long enough to really feel the negative effects of such brainwashing, but if you have children or grandchildren then they will.

******************

Maybe I write too much about woke. From The Free Press comes this tidbit:

 

“When progressives use “woke” language, most Americans have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s a point some moderate Democrats have made since their electoral shellacking, and it’s backed up by a new poll by YouGov. A majority of adults say they have never even heard the term BIPOC, and just 5 percent of people say they use the term Latinx. The survey also finds that just 15 percent of black Americans use the term anti-racism, while only 47 percent have heard the term at all.”

 

I confess that I had to look up BIPOC (Black, Indigenous [and] People Of Color). I will write, for far from the first time, that I believe people should ONLY be judged on merit, on their individual traits and accomplishments, and NEVER by their group affiliation(s).

******************

This Newsweek article (with a typo in the URL) is about Ford cutting 4,000 jobs in Europe. Want to guess at one of the reasons? Here is part of the company’s announcement about the job cuts.

 

“The global auto industry continues to be in a period of significant disruption as it shifts to electrified mobility. The transformation is particularly intense in Europe, where automakers face significant competitive and economic headwinds, while also tackling a misalignment between CO2 regulations and consumer demand for electrified vehicles.” [emphasis mine]

 

Even European drivers are balking at buying electrified vehicles, either battery-electric or hybrid. I hope the new administration keeps its word and ends EV mandates and subsidies in the US. Read this again: cars and trucks are responsible for only 15%-20% of global CO2 emissions. The production of a battery-electric vehicle produces 70% more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powered vehicle. The real solution is using synthetic, non-petroleum based fuels in ICE-powered vehicles.

******************

A shout-out to Dominic Chu of CNBC…I sent him an early Happy Thanksgiving wish via email yesterday. Despite receiving an automatic “Out Of Office” reply, I did receive reciprocal wishes from him about 90 minutes later. I guess some people are still polite and respectful, just not enough of them. Thanks, Dom.

******************

Tomorrow, the same company that fabricated the new gate that can be operated by remote control will send a tech to discuss the installation of a custom carport. If the estimate is too high even for reasonable negotiation, then my wonderful wife and I will probably consider buying two stock carports and paying someone to firmly install them in the concrete pad. Our last resort will be car covers, but they are very inconvenient, in our opinion.

Car covers will be the least expensive option and the one with the least friction–we don’t have to get car covers approved by the HoA architectural review committee–but, again, they are the least desirable option. Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe and despise HoAs?!

My wonderful wife has ruled out buying a C8 Corvette convertible. Hopefully, her stated motive (they are WAY too common around here) is her real reason and not my disdain for the car. Recently, she test drove a 2022 (or 2023, I can’t remember) version of this car; a 2025 model is shown.

 

No Title Post – Disaffected Musings

 

She did not drive the BMW Z4 in M40i spec, which is powered by a turbocharged version of BMW’s legendary inline six-cylinder engine that is rated at 382 HP, but that probably has more. I think going from a 460 HP V-8 powered Corvette to the four-cylinder Z4 she drove would be too much of a step down for her.

In person, the car is quite stunning in appearance and has a larger and more comfortable passenger cabin than the second-generation Z4 I owned. I want my wonderful wife to enjoy herself as much as possible. She loves her Corvette, but she has now owned it for about 5 1/2 years and the odometer is approaching 40,000 miles. Besides, she wouldn’t get rid of the Vette to make room for a new primary ragtop.

Carpe Diem, Wonderful Wife!

 

#NoTitlePost

 

Automobile

Post navigation

Previous Post: Corvettes for Sale: 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition with 8K Miles
Next Post: How Does a Well-Implemented Safety and Health Program Affect Employee Retention?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • 2026 Bentley Bentayga Speed: Thrust Without a Plug
  • Top 5 Resume Builders
  • Kia Sharpens Its Large SUV With New Hybrid Power And Rugged Looks
  • 2025 Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor review
  • Family Business: Visiting Mike & Charlie Cooper

Categories

  • Automobile
  • Entrepreneur
  • HVAC
  • Supercar
  • Volvo

Copyright © 2025 Refpropos..

Powered by PressBook Blog WordPress theme