I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas----happy hanukkah----or happy holidays ----whatever you celebrate and a happy new year may it be better than the last one.
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Thanks and Happy Holidays to you and yours, too.
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Yes, happy holidays to all!
And, let’s all try to be optimistic that 2021 will be a much better year than 2020.
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Happy Holidays and best wishes to all for 2021. I am thankful for all the mechanics, which I am not, who give their time on this board to help others who have problems.
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Here are some inspiring and timely words from HRH QE II:
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I couldn’t care less what queen Elizabeth . . . or any other royal person, for that matter . . . has to say
They may as well live in another universe
They have almost nothing in common with “regular folks”
That said . . .
Merry Christmas and happy new year to anybody reading this
I’m cautiously optimistic
I hope 2021 will be better than 2020
As for “much better” . . . we’ll see
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… and that is where you would be wrong.
During WW II she enlisted the military–over the objections of her father–and she was trained as a mechanic. Her identification was Mechanic No. 230873.
A perusal of this info will fill in the details for you:
Princess Elizabeth trains as an ATS mechanic, 1945. News Photo - Getty Images
… and…
"She underwent a six-week auto mechanic training course at Aldershot in Surrey, and by July had risen from the rank of Second Subaltern to Junior Commander. She learned how to deconstruct, repair and rebuild engines and change tires, and learned how to drive every type of machine she worked on, including jeeps, trucks and ambulances. As a 1947 Collier’s magazine article noted of the overalls-clad teen, “One of her major joys was to get dirt under her nails and grease stains in her hands, and display these signs of labor to her friends.”
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I had always thought after Tom of Click and Clack died, that Queen Elizabeth and Jay Leno would have been the perfect pair to take over Car Talk.
Yes, but I’m not sure that her mechanical expertise extends to anything other than British trucks of the '30s & '40s. However, she is still an enthusiastic–and skilled–driver, unlike her husband, Prince Phillip.
Please don’t EVER presume to know what I’m aware of or not
I knew very well that she was a mechanic during the war . . . long before you chose to inform me of this fact. In fact, that was rather common knowledge. I didn’t bother clicking on your link, by the way.
And I don’t care one iota if you believe me or not
Please don’t lecture me again
I don’t care one bit what any royal people have to say, or what advice they may give us
They’re far removed from us common folks
You’ll get no agreement from me on that one, for what it’s worth
I’m not a fan of Jay Leno, either
Let’s bring it back to cars . . . quite literally, I might add
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I think Queen Elizabeth set an example. I think one outcome is that somewhere in the school curriculum, probably junior high school, a mandatory shop class should be a requirement. The purpose would teach students a few basic skills, but also give them an appreciation for their fellow students who have real talent in this field. Requiring a shop class would make mathematics and physics easier to comprehend.
I look up to people who have skills with their hands. I have had to do too many repairs due to financial considerations that I would rather someone else was doing. I spent a whole afternoon rebuilding a simple one barrel carburetor on my 1950 Chevrolet pickup. I watched a skilled mechanic rebuild a two barrel carburetor, have it back on a vehicle and adjusted in under 30 minutes.
Far too often in schools we recognize the academically or athletically talented. Let’s recognize the students who have skills with their hands.
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Agree 100% schools need more hand’s on type of class’s.
I agree that we should recognize kids that are skilled at skills that require your hands . . . such as mechanics, carpentry, and so forth
And I feel that the examples should be people that kids are close to, such as their parents, their next-door neighbor, or the shop owner down the street
here’s a scenario that I feel would be good . . . but it’ll never happen, even when the virus is over with
here goes . . . have the class go to the local auto shop where one of the student’s dad works, or maybe he owns the shop. Whatever
Anyways, have the kids watch the dad perform some task, such as balancing rims, cutting brake rotors on a lathe, swap out a set of shocks, or something that won’t take too long. It’s imperative the dad verbally explains what he’s doing every step of the way. I chose those simple tasks, because even with the added pressure of the kids watching, they’re tasks that are so routine, that he’ll perform just fine, even with an audience.
Sadly, I know that will likely never happen, because of insurance, possible injuries and lawsuits, etc.
When I was in junior high school, there was a choice. Either home ec or wood working. I chose wood working. The teacher was pretty good, from what I recall.
And in high school, there also was a choice. I chose electronics . . . I forget what the other choice was. But I made the right choice, because if there’s one thing that I learned and never forgot, it’s how to follow a wiring diagram. Sadly, I know many mechanics who’ve been turning wrenches for decades who still are really bad at following a wiring diagram.
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"db4690
I agree that we should recognize kids that are skilled at skills that require your hands . . . such as mechanics, carpentry, and so forth.
Sadly, I know that will likely never happen, because of insurance, possible injuries and lawsuits, etc.
That is a very good idea but like you said it won’t work for the reason’s you pointed out.
… and vice-versa, mi amigo.
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And if you want to talk about blue bloods, why don’t we stick to Tom Selleck . . . ?!
I like him a lot . . . except for those reverse mortgage tv commercials he’s been doing these last few years 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those here who take time to contribute and share, especially @cdaquila who keeps us all in line!
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… and I detest him.
Such is life.
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It will soon be 2021. I think back 75 years ago to 1946. I went with my parents to a couple of car dealers in the summer of 1946. One dealer was the Studebaker dealer. A new postwar 1947 model was on display. It didn’t look like any car I had ever seen before. It was a modern car. We then went to the Oldsmobile dealer. I remember my dad pointing out to my mom that the car shifted gears by itself and there was no clutch pedal. Much later, I learned that the GM Hydramatic had actually been introduced in 1940, but automatic transmissions were rare. In fact, I thought a modern car was one with the gearshift on the column.
Now, 75 years later, what features makes a 2021 a modern car? Is it Automatic Emergency Braking; Blind Spot Warning; Forward Collision Warning; Lane Departure Warning; Lane Keeping Assistance; Rear Cross Traffic Warning; battery power?
I realize at my age, I am increasingly falling behind the times. My 2017 Toyota Sienna is probably way out of date. The 2021 Sienna is now a hybrid and the hybrid drivetrains have been around almost 30 years.
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