[billybob_jcv]

That's okay, I still get a federal tax credit for being an Hispanic businessman. Big one too.

Back in my young and stupid days (college), I filled out a gov't form for something (can't remember what) and I checked the "Other" box. The clerk asked me what nationality I was, and I said "100% Portuguese". The clerk said: "Isn't that White?" and I replied "It's right next to Spain!" I think officially I could claim to be Hispanic, but it's kind of iffy - it seems like some parts of the gov't include Portuguese ancestry in the definition of Hispanic, but that's not how the general populous defines Hispanic.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

BTW, found a place in Auckland that sells nothing but vintage Italians, mostly; Alfa, Lancia, and Maserati. Oooo... be still my heart.

 
You definitely need one of these! 

 

 

[Magick Man]

While it's possible that I may be exploiting a loophole, I don't feel bad. If it's there, it's there.

Well, it's late and I'm hitting the sack. G'night.

 

[Magick Man]

You definitely need one of these! 

Those are running @250k, if they run and look okay. Mmm... no.

 

[obobskivich]

I just finished doing my taxes. It only took a few hours. And just like every year, I shake my head at the incredibly bizarre California tax credits that are available. For example, this year there is a California tax credit if you were persecuted during the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923. Or, if you hire prison labor, you get a credit equal to 10% of their wages. There is also a Federal tax credit if you build an electric vehicle charging station at your home. I don't quite get the charging station credit - doesn't an EV come with a way to charge them from a standard 110 or 220v outlet?

I guess the hot ticket is to be a 98 year old Turkish Christian that has prisoners build an EV charging station in his garage. You would be rolling in dough!

AFAIK EVs cannot hook into normal outlets - they require a separate circuit tapped from the 220, like a dryer. At least the EVs I've seen - I don't know what the brand new Nissan or Chevy models look like in that regard.

Um... someone put a bunch of black stuff all over the car.

lol.

And of course, the thing is gonna sit on the runway leaking fuel all over the place.

So you explain that anything bad about Lockheed is fighting words, and then go on to say something unflattering about a Lockheed product. I can dig it.

Back in my young and stupid days (college), I filled out a gov't form for something (can't remember what) and I checked the "Other" box. The clerk asked me what nationality I was, and I said "100% Portuguese". The clerk said: "Isn't that White?" and I replied "It's right next to Spain!" I think officially I could claim to be Hispanic, but it's kind of iffy - it seems like some parts of the gov't include Portuguese ancestry in the definition of Hispanic, but that's not how the general populous defines Hispanic.

"Hispanic" is a socio-linguistic category more than anything else (at least in terms of how the US Gov't uses it; a lot like how "Anglo" was/is used in a number of social sciences) - it's something the Gov't cooked up in the 1970s; it is not a racial category. The Census Bureau will actually acknowledge it as being any ethnic/racial heritage (which is why, since the 1970s, the Census shows >100% of the population when defined by race); OMB, DOT, and DOL will recognize any claim to Hispanic heritage by anyone (more or less), and iirc its in violation of some equal practices laws to question/challenge the claim, at least on the gov'ts part.

So officially, yeah, you can claim to be Hispanic - but so can anyone else. Whether or not that will do anything for you; no idea. :rolleyes:

 

[Magick Man]

There be whales here! At first I though they were dolphins, but I'm pretty sure they're Pilot Whales, due to their size. I'm watching them through the set of binoculars mounted on to the deck. Must be ~ a dozen of them.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Yup - when you previously said dolphins, I was wondering if they could be whales. We saw a group of whales when we were on a boat on the GBR a couple of years ago.

Saying the SR71 leaks all over the runway is NOT unflattering - it's a design feature. The titanium used in the wings was fitted loosely so that when the aircraft was at cruising speed of Mach 3+, the metal could expand. It's a common myth that the aircraft leaked so much it had to refuel right after takeoff. It did usually refuel after takeoff, but that was because they were afraid of loosing an engine and at low speeds and full fuel the aircraft was too heavy for good one engine flight.

BTW, to bring this back to auto pron - for many years a special cart called the "Buick" was used to start the SR71 engines. This was a cart with two Buick v8 motors. The thing had straight pipes coming out of the motors, and it would belch flames like a top-fuel dragster!

Early versions of the start carts used two side-by-side Buick Wildcat 401 Nailhead motors:


Later the Buicks were replaced with Chevy big blocks (454 I think?):

 

[gikigill]

Impressive stuff Billybob. Learned something new today.
 
I can hardly imagine a couple of small block V8,s as a starting motor.

 

 

[billybob_jcv]

One of the things the old SR71 guys would say is: EVERYTHING on the SR71 was technology that had never been done before. That extended way beyond the obvious stuff like the Titanium skin and engines that could become ramjets. Heck the tires had to be constructed of a new material that didn't melt from the heat of Mach 3+, the oil used for lubrication was a thick paste and had to be heated while the aircraft was on the ground with the engines running to get it to a viscosity that could be pumped, and the aircraft's mission time was actually limited by the amount of liquid nitrogen they could carry. Why did they need LN2? They used it to pressurize the fuel tanks and purge the fuel vapor in flight because the fuel vapor that is created inside the fuel tanks as they consumed the fuel would have exploded from the heat.

Seriously - of all the great planes Lockheed has created: Vega, P38, Constellation, P3, P80, F104, L1011, S3, U2/TR1, F117, F22, F35 - NONE of them were the engineering marvel that is the YF12A/A11/SR71.

Darn it! You guys are making me wish I had never left Lockheed. I actually have a friend that I went to college with and he also started at Lockheed at the same time I did (in the 80s) - and he's still there (a lifer!) - He's now one of the big-wigs on the F35. I suppose that could have been me - but probably not because he was always a better engineer than I was.

 

[Magick Man]

Yup - when you previously said dolphins, I was wondering if they could be whales. We saw a group of whales when we were on a boat on the GBR a couple of years ago.

Not being a zoologist, I could be wrong about the whales, but they look like dolphins but are 15-18' long, so I'm thinking they're pilot whales based on my observation. The tour dudette today mostly confirmed my opinion when I asked her, she said there are 4 active pods in the area with a total of >100 family members. There's also a pod of Orca, but I believe I can more readily identify those if I see them.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Not being a zoologist, I could be wrong about the whales, but they look like dolphins but are 15-18' long, so I'm thinking they're pilot whales based on my observation. The tour dudette today mostly confirmed my opinion when I asked her, she said there are 4 active pods in the area with a total of >100 family members. There's also a pod of Orca, but I believe I can more readily identify those if I see them.

Orca? It's one of these, not sure which is bigger though....

 

 

[Magick Man]

I emailed the Italian car "salon" (sounds a little pretentious), requesting a listing of their current stock, and they sent me their full available inventory, with descriptions and details. There's what they have on the lot, and what's in their warehouse for private view by appointment. It's damned impressive. :blink: The sheer number of Lancias and Alfas is staggering.

 

[Magick Man]

Orca? It's one of these, not sure which is bigger though....

I contend, if you see either of those breaching near you, you should run/swim away as fast as possible.

 

[veyrongatti]

Quote:

I emailed the Italian car "salon" (sounds a little pretentious), requesting a listing of their current stock, and they sent me their full available inventory, with descriptions and details. There's what they have on the lot, and what's in their warehouse for private view by appointment. It's damned impressive.

The sheer number of Lancias and Alfas is staggering.

But wouldnt shipping cost a trillion dollars? It is NZ after all........ if Australia is bad NZ must be worse 

 

[Magick Man]

Nah, international car shipping is a few $1000, at most.