How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?

Edward Dolan wrote:
"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
John Thompson wrote:
On 2009-01-14, Tom Sherman wrote:

PatTX wrote:
::
:: In that case teachers would have been able to buy more than two
bikes
:: a day. Most teachers only work about 200 days a year, the rest is
:: just weekends and long holidays.

You just cannot be so stupid as to believe what you just posted.
Really? When I went to US K-12, it was 180 days/year, 8:30-15:30.
When you went to school US K-12 was it as a student or as a teacher?
Teachers do not work only the hours students are in attendence. I don't
know any teachers who don't take work home with them to be completed on
their own (uncompensated) time or who do not purchase materials for their
classes from their own (uncompensated) pockets. Those long summers are
often spent in curriculum development, continuing education, and/or
teaching summer school.

Most of the teachers in my school also drove school buses or had other
outside work, so they can not have been that busy. Nothing like the 50
weeks of 50+ hours expected of most salaried employees.

Maybe Mr. Sherman missed his true calling. He would have been an excellent
high school teacher of physics. Of course, this would have meant a huge
decline in his income (he is a civil engineer), but what does that matter
when you are considering the welfare of nations. But let's face it, who
wants to put up with crappie teenagers. Teachers need a summer respite from
teenagers or else they would go crazy.

One of my cow-orker's wife is a unionized teacher who is younger than I
am and she makes more money than I do. Of course, some teachers at rural
districts in the state make about half of what I do. Of course the
unionized jobs are much harder to get, unless one knows the right people.

I would never want to teach, except at the level where students are not
made to attend. Having to pay to attend (and adulthood) does wonders for
eliminating behavioral problems in class.

College in the US is typically two 16-week semesters.
Never heard of "publish or perish" in academia?

Yes, and in those institutions, professors typically teach 2 classes a
semester, so only about 10 hours a week needs to be devoted to
instruction.

Professors are the most underworked class in American society today.
Whenever I encounter a professor, all I ever want to do is kick his dumb
ass. If the god damn dumb liberal media were not in cahoots with
academicians, they would write more articles about the scandal of higher
education in this country - where graduate students do all the hard work of
class room instruction and the g.d. professors get a free ride. I say ****
'em all!

A lot of colleges now hire "instructors" that have PhD's to non-tenure
track positions at low pay ($25-40K/year) - the wonders of having a
liberal arts degree.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

!Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:22:39 -0800, in alt.war.vietnam
(Tom Keats) wrote:

I have two words: Lamborghini Countache...
I'm not real sure what you're trying to say; however, it sounds like
you're pointing out that one finds conspicuous consumption in many
other areas of our lives besides bicycles... if that is, in fact, your
point, then I will agree.
I'm just saying: a bike is a bike is a bike.

Oh. OK... I suppose I'd have to agree with that.

What's a Lamborghini Countache?

A car that acquired an extra "e" along the way.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

Clive George wrote:
"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...

http://www.automotivehistoryonline.c...niCountach.htm

still has the power of 'auto-erection' over me......g

To me, the page you referce is like a photomontage of evolution of a car
from merely unattractive to heinous IMHO. Diff'rent strokes, I guess...

I prefer the original too - the later ones in skirts don't do it for me, but
I know they're there to cover the huge rubber bits. The original/prototype
is at least interesting, if not actually attractive.


I would rather drive one of these:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc214/vt1992s10/100_0467.jpg.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

Billzz??? wrote:
"Clive George" wrote in message
et...
"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...

http://www.automotivehistoryonline.c...niCountach.htm

still has the power of 'auto-erection' over me......g
To me, the page you referce is like a photomontage of evolution of a car
from merely unattractive to heinous IMHO. Diff'rent strokes, I guess...
I prefer the original too - the later ones in skirts don't do it for me,
but I know they're there to cover the huge rubber bits. The
original/prototype is at least interesting, if not actually attractive.

Just passing by. Used to be interested in cars. Owned XK-140 and E-Type
Jaguars. Raced once at Laguna Seca. The history of this one is unique...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini

Lamborghini is not the only one dismissed by Enzo Ferrari to see it come
back in spades. He was approached by Henry Ford II (when Ferrari was in
money trouble, which they always were) and dismissed any Ford investment.
So Ford built the GT-40s and won at LeMans, over Ferrari, 1,2,3. Ford could
probably still be winning at LeMans, but they thought they had proved the
point.

Lamborghini is now turning out the most audacious cars (The Reventon - about
a million dollars) and just to stick it to Ferrari. The old men are now
gone, but the feud continues. It's like an Italian Mafia family feud. But,
it is producing some fabulous collector cars. I was in the showroom, in
Dallas, and they were showing the only Countach, in Dallas, and I heard the
words, from a salesman to a customer, that I had heard in Europe, "It's not
just a car, it's a work of art!" And inside of me, I wanted to give the
salesman a high-five. That's it. You are not buying an Italian car, like a
Fiat, at this level. You are buying a piece of art. Buy a Fiat, you get a
car, and a bad investment. Buy a Lamborghini and you won't lose money, and
it could be in a museum. In fact Malcolm Forbes "money-green" Countach is
in a museum, in Sacramento, California, still worth enough, in ticket sales,
that they won't sell it


At least the existence of these cars is not obscene as that of private
jets [1] and yachts.

[1] BD-5J excepted. [2]
[2] http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/planes/bd5j/corkey-fornof.jpg.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

Tom Keats wrote:
In article ,
!Jones' Sock Puppet writes:
On Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:52:14 -0800, in alt.war.vietnam
(Tom Keats) wrote:

What's a Lamborghini Countache?
Acutally, it's properly spelled: Countach.
I copied and pasted. I haven't a clue what it is; however, based on
the context, I assume it's some kind of an expensive car. If you have
a spelling issue, then talk to whoever brought it up in the first
place spelling it thus... it wasn't me.

It was my own typing error. I was just trying to admit to
making a mistake. Now I feel like such an utter failure ;-)

Oh, well.

I wouldn't know one from a
concrete mixer and plan to keep it that way.

Those imports are too much trouble to get parts for, anyway.
It's probably easier to get parts for a cement mixer.
Heck, Jose Feliciano even sort of did a song about them
(and steam rollers.)
[...]

enter pedantic mode

The only CEMENT mixing going on is at cement plants where they blend
prior to shipping the powder out in dry bulk tankers (barge, rail car,
semi-trailer). The thing that looks like this [1] is a ready-mix
CONCRETE truck. Mixing the two up is like calling a bare bicycle rim a
wheel.

All roller made since WW2 (and probably since WW1) have been diesel (or
rarely gasoline) powered, not by steam.

[1] http://www.equipmentlocator.com/photos/equip/480037-1.jpg.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Edward Dolan wrote:
"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
John Thompson wrote:
On 2009-01-14, Tom Sherman wrote:

PatTX wrote:
::
:: In that case teachers would have been able to buy more than two
bikes
:: a day. Most teachers only work about 200 days a year, the rest is
:: just weekends and long holidays.

You just cannot be so stupid as to believe what you just posted.
Really? When I went to US K-12, it was 180 days/year, 8:30-15:30.
When you went to school US K-12 was it as a student or as a teacher?
Teachers do not work only the hours students are in attendence. I don't
know any teachers who don't take work home with them to be completed on
their own (uncompensated) time or who do not purchase materials for
their classes from their own (uncompensated) pockets. Those long
summers are often spent in curriculum development, continuing
education, and/or teaching summer school.

Most of the teachers in my school also drove school buses or had other
outside work, so they can not have been that busy. Nothing like the 50
weeks of 50+ hours expected of most salaried employees.

Maybe Mr. Sherman missed his true calling. He would have been an
excellent high school teacher of physics. Of course, this would have
meant a huge decline in his income (he is a civil engineer), but what
does that matter when you are considering the welfare of nations. But
let's face it, who wants to put up with crappie teenagers. Teachers need
a summer respite from teenagers or else they would go crazy.

One of my cow-orker's wife is a unionized teacher who is younger than I am
and she makes more money than I do. Of course, some teachers at rural
districts in the state make about half of what I do. Of course the
unionized jobs are much harder to get, unless one knows the right people.

Public school teachers do not need to have unions since they work at the
pleasure of the public (school boards). Half the public school teachers in
the country need to be fired for simply being bad teachers.

I would never want to teach, except at the level where students are not
made to attend. Having to pay to attend (and adulthood) does wonders for
eliminating behavioral problems in class.

I believe most science courses at the high school level are considered to be
electives and not required of anyone to take against their will. But no
matter, I could never be a teacher because I simply can't stand young
people. You only get socialized in this country by the age of 30 or so.
Hardly anyone in this country ever gets civilized regardless of their age.

College in the US is typically two 16-week semesters.
Never heard of "publish or perish" in academia?

Yes, and in those institutions, professors typically teach 2 classes a
semester, so only about 10 hours a week needs to be devoted to
instruction.

Professors are the most underworked class in American society today.
Whenever I encounter a professor, all I ever want to do is kick his dumb
ass. If the god damn dumb liberal media were not in cahoots with
academicians, they would write more articles about the scandal of higher
education in this country - where graduate students do all the hard work
of class room instruction and the g.d. professors get a free ride. I say
**** 'em all!

A lot of colleges now hire "instructors" that have PhD's to non-tenure
track positions at low pay ($25-40K/year) - the wonders of having a
liberal arts degree.

It is tenure for the professoriate that ruins higher education. If someone
can't be fired, they can't be controlled. Institutions with tenure have weak
administrations which are feckless and hopeless. When I was attending
college I made damn sure by my sophomore year that I was only taking classes
from full professors, not an easy thing to do at a large state university.

In any event, teachers are overpaid and it is why all education has become
so expensive. I doubt I would ever consider going on to higher education at
the cost that prevails today. It is actually a scandal how expensive higher
education has become. It is clearly not worth it! Anyone from a modest
background is better off becoming a plumber or an electrician and pocketing
the tens of thousands of dollars that he would otherwise spend at some
worthless institution of higher education.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

In article ,
Tom Sherman writes:

I wouldn't know one from a
concrete mixer and plan to keep it that way.

Those imports are too much trouble to get parts for, anyway.
It's probably easier to get parts for a cement mixer.
Heck, Jose Feliciano even sort of did a song about them
(and steam rollers.)
[...]

enter pedantic mode

The only CEMENT mixing going on is at cement plants where they blend
prior to shipping the powder out in dry bulk tankers (barge, rail car,
semi-trailer). The thing that looks like this [1] is a ready-mix
CONCRETE truck. Mixing the two up is like calling a bare bicycle rim a
wheel.

All roller made since WW2 (and probably since WW1) have been diesel (or
rarely gasoline) powered, not by steam.

[1] http://www.equipmentlocator.com/photos/equip/480037-1.jpg.

It's too late to change the lyrics of the song.
Although maybe some of the lines deserve to be
changed (churning urn of burning funk?? What's
up with that? At least Willie Dixon wrote stuff
we knew what the heck he was singing about.)

As for your pedantry, I hereby invoke "common usage."
Sometimes there's nothing wrong with being wrong.
Especially when one makes the right mistake.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On Jan 13, 10:34 pm, !Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
keep a straight face?

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. If you were
*really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. It was
heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
make in his or her lifetime! There's something wrong here!

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? I
simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! I'd sooner ride
nekkid!

Eat yer heart out, Nitla!

Jones

Ignoring the homophobic portion of your rant, bicyclists wear lycra
because it works. It wicks sweat away prevents skin irritation from
trapped sweat, and most importantly of all reduces aero drag on the
rider. This time of year I normally wear tights over my long underwear
when I ride to church, but on a whim I wore my normal street clothes
this week. On a 3.5 mile ride I had a top speed of 12.5 MPH, average
of 10 on a route that I can hit 21 MPH easily and usually cruise at 12
MPH so that I don't come to church all sweaty. Granted my crank
forward bike isn't as aero as my old Stratus, but it is much more user
friendly. But the ride data I quoted was from the Fusion, not the
faster Stratus.

As for not being able to trim the front der with indexed shifters, you
need to spend a little more money on your shifters or buy a different
brand. I have always been able to trim out a rub when using SRAM Grip
Shift shifters on both the Fusion and my $99 BSO from WalMart. The
Stratus has friction shifters from 1983, when it was made.

Opus

Nate Nagel wrote:
Jeffrey Hamilton wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:
!Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:22:39 -0800, in alt.war.vietnam
(Tom Keats) wrote:

I have two words: Lamborghini Countache...
I'm not real sure what you're trying to say; however, it sounds
like you're pointing out that one finds conspicuous consumption
in many other areas of our lives besides bicycles... if that is,
in fact, your point, then I will agree.
I'm just saying: a bike is a bike is a bike.
Oh. OK... I suppose I'd have to agree with that.

What's a Lamborghini Countache?

Jones

A really ugly supercar. Not to be confused with it's predecessor,
the Miura, which is sex on wheels.

nate

Speak for thyself.....not I.....please see......

http://www.automotivehistoryonline.c...niCountach.htm

still has the power of 'auto-erection' over me......g

cheers.....Jeff

To me, the page you referce is like a photomontage of evolution of a
car from merely unattractive to heinous IMHO. Diff'rent strokes, I
guess...
n

Yep. I liked the early one's. For _1971_ this was *the car*. But the wedge
shape is not beloved by all.

I remember the first time I saw one on the road, not too many of them in
Toronto in the mid 1980's, it appeared almost as wide as the lane in the
road. I was driving an Innocenti at the time, basically an Italian made mini
in 1985, I believeI was looking down at the driver of the Countach, it sat
so low to the ground. Good stuff.

cheers....Jeff

-snip-
Tom Keats wrote:
-snip-
What's
up with that? At least Willie Dixon wrote stuff
we knew what the heck he was singing about.)

As for your pedantry, I hereby invoke "common usage."
Sometimes there's nothing wrong with being wrong.
Especially when one makes the right mistake.

Or John Lee Hooker. How how how how.

Hey everyone errs. I give you Willie Dixon's 'Big Three Trio'.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971