Author: Kim du Toit

Relative Beauty

Drive Time, Modernism, The Gun Thing

“Oh bloody hell, here goes old Kim again, bitching about how ugly new stuff is compared to old stuff.”

Well, yes.  I am very aware that the new stuff is streets ahead of the old stuff, technologically speaking.  I am also aware that despite this, in many cases this techno-superiority makes very little difference in terms of everyday use.  Here’s an example, using this modern iteration of the venerable 1911 handgun:

…versus the traditional:

Now I know that there are all sorts of reasons why the SIG P211 is a great pistol, probably far better than the Gold Cup in terms of, well, everything, from features to function and so on.  But at the end of the day, will both guns deliver a half-dozen or so rounds of manly .45 ACP goodness into the desired target area?  Yes, the P211 has more rounds to deliver, and yes, it has a tacti-cool red-dot sight which I guess will make this new model x times more accurate than the old-fashioned Gold Cup.  If all that floats your boat, have at it.  I’ll stick with the old 1911, because it’s enough for me, and it will shoot better than I can shoot it anyway.

Consider another example of this phenomenon, using high-end sports cars this time.  Here’s Ferrari’s La Ferrari:

Looks good, is super-fast, has all those holes in the body to make the airflow more efficient, etc.  And hoo boy, it sure is super-fast.  No argument about that, least of all from me.

So let’s look at an older version of a supercar, the Jaguar E-type Series 2:

It’s for sure not as fast as the Ferrari — hell, a tuned E-type can only manage at best ~150mph compared to the 220mph of the Scuderia creation, and its piddly little 4.2-liter straight 6 engine pushes out at best 265hp (compared to the newer supercar’s 6.3-liter V12 plus the F1-derived KERS system yielding 850hp).

So… no contest, right?

Quite right.  I’d take the Jag any day of the week, six ways to Sunday.  The looks of the Jag are smoother, less angular and frankly, streamlined enough for me, and the performance is frankly much more than I need.  (The Ferrari’s performance is not only excessive, it frightens me because I wouldn’t be able to control the beast.)

Frankly, both the SIG and LaFerrari embody to me a “modern” style that I have come to detest — much as this example of a “modern” building compares very badly to an older one:

 

Your opinions on all the above examples may vary.

Monday Funnies

Funny Stuff

And on a similar note from yesteryear:

So on we go…

And to end on a somewhat more cheerful note:

“Please Sir:  can we have some more?”

And if that’s not enough to carry you off into the week, you need help.

Modern Classic Beauty: Sarah Miles

Classic Beauty

Here’s one actress of whom it can be said that she was better than any movie she featured in, and when some of those movies are classics, it just proves how brilliant Sarah Miles was.  Here’s a short list of those movies:  The Servant, Ryan’s Daughter, The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea, Blow Up, and White Mischief.  With the possible exception of White Mischief (an historical drama) and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (comedy), most of her movies during the 1960s and -70s were dark, artistic and might be called “avant garde” — which is why Hollywood never seemed to know what to do with her, and she shone mostly in British films.  Oh, and by the way, in Hope And Glory she was astonishing, her old-fashioned looks perfect for the role.

Exquisite and talented:  the complete package.

Not Long To Go

Funny Stuff, Old Fartism

According to SOTI, the oldest mass shooter in U.S. history was age 72.

I turn 72 on Ammo Day in November this year.

Coincidence?  I guess it all depends what happens in the world, whether I miss it by thismuch  or hang on for a year or two and go for the record.  Right now it seems unlikely that I’d shoot the works prematurely, so to speak, because I’m quite enjoying all this Trumpy goodness and the Marxist wailing.  But later on?

Factors that could influence this event:  Democrats cheat their way into winning the Presidential Election in 2028 and immediately call for universal gun confiscation or whatever (see:  Virginia’s new gun control law as a starting point).  The problem with this scenario is that assuming I live that long, I’d be up against some fierce competition — and that’s just among my Readers.  Gawd knows how many other irascible Olde Pharttes are out there who would prefer to take out a few (okay, lots of) Commies rather than let their lives end gradually in the excruciating pain of [insert Fatal Senior Ailment here].

As SOTI also said:  “Right now, a lengthy prison term seems less like a deterrent and more like a paid vacation, with free medical.”

Note to the Perpetually Fearful:  this whole post was a joke.

Or maybe not.

Snapping The Junk

Food & Drink, Gummint, Subsidies

A whole bunch of people are getting their knickers in a knot about this little development, whereby Pore Folks who qualify for food assistance (SNAP) will in future not be allowed to buy candy and such with these handouts — and are suing the Fed to be allowed to do so.

Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday, challenging its food restriction waivers that reduce the types of foods that can be purchased with benefits.

Represented by the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ), a nonprofit focused on advancing justice for low-income families, five SNAP recipients from Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia sued the USDA for implementing its waiver restriction pilot projects.

The restriction waivers bar SNAP recipients from using their benefits on junk foods, sodas, energy drinks or other “non-nutritious items.” The USDA has approved 22 restriction waivers so far, with the types of barred foods varying across states.

I have two competing thoughts about this.  On a point of principle, if money is being given to you (note:  given) then the donor has every right to determine how you spend it.

On the other hand, however, is the thought that the fucking government has no business telling people what and what not to eat and drink, regardless of donor status.

“Oooooh but they’re spending money on unhealthy foods!”

So fucking what?  They’re adults, and should be treated as such, not as children guided in their food choices by Mother Government.

Just remember, however, that every SNAP dollar spent on Red Bull eventually ends up here:

Not that I care, one way or the other.