Spring 2020

 

Spring 2020 

On this Spring of 2020, we face many issues from political matters to the coronavirus (many Americans experience it and almost 10,000 people worldwide have passed away from it or COVID-10). It is 2020, and time is ever going fast. I remember the years of 1996 and 2000 like yesterday when I was a younger teenager. Now, we deal with grown folk business. Voting Trump out of office by November of 2020 is a major goal of mine. Trump has been a terrible President socially, morally, and politically. He has deepen divisions in American society, he has made a mockery of the rule of law, and he has slandered especially progressives including black women (like Omarasa and Maxine Waters) in racist, sexist designations. The government accused Donald Trump of violating the Fair Housing Act back in 1973 (that dealt with the allegation that Trump discriminating against African Americans involving housing). He allowed migrant children to be housed in cages. Therefore, we are clear that we want both revolutionary change and positive results to spread worldwide. The Civil Rights Movement, the Environmental Movement, and other movements relied on grassroots organizing plus bold plans in order to achieve results. Some people have the misconception that revolutionary changes are equivalent to destruction or social nihilism. That is false. Real, revolutionary developments entail ending systems or structures of oppression to be replaced with a fair system of justice (including tranquility). It is a part of the essence of the Dream that our forebears so justly fought for. You can't be inclusive if you dismiss progressive, revolutionary people. Malcolm X, Ella Baker, and other heroes wanted evil system to break down, so the common people would have a sense of true liberty in their daily lives. As neoliberal pundits and neo-con pundits are being exposed like no other time in human history, we accept independent thinking as the order of the day. While I disagree with Trump on many issues, I am enough to see that imperialism is wrong too. Russia is not the only nation involved in election tampering. Many states in America have passed voter suppression laws. Criticizing evil is fine. Also, we have to develop plans and strategies to make sure that goodness is promoted. We desire people to have better health care, education, economic benefits, economic justice, social justice, the flourishing of families, the growth of our communities, Pan-African unity increased, and a greater standard of living in general.

It is always important to celebrate unsung heroes. One was Mary Luckille Hamilton who lived from October 13, 1935 to November 11, 2002. She was a Black American civil rights activist. Her case of Hamilton v. Alabama was sent to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said that an African American was entitled to the same courteous forms of address that were given just to white people in the Southern United States. So, calling a black person by his or her first name in a legal proceeding was a form of racial discrimination according to the court. She grew up mostly in Iowa and Colorado. She graduated from East Denver High School in Denver, Colorado by 1953. She lived in Los Angeles as a teacher. She studied socialism and became a civil rights leader. She was a member of Congress of Radical Equality or CORE. CORE was a much more progressive group before 1970. After 1970, CORE allied with the right wing movements of today. She was a Freedom Rider. She helped black people to register to vote. Also, Mary Hamilton was the only woman field secretary at CORE during that time. She was CORE's Southern regional director. She wanted to be called Miss or Mrs. A lot of people know know that she was a union organizer. She earned her B.S. from Briarcliff College from Briacliff Manor and her M.A.T (or Master of Arts in Teaching) from Manhattanville College in in Purchase, New York. She passed away at the age of 67.

The first black licensed nurse was Mary Eliza Mahoney. She was born on May 7, 1845 at Massachusetts. Her parents were from North Carolina. She worked in nursing for 40 years. She fought discrimination too. She was a member of the NACGN or the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses from 1908 at New York. She was 81 when she passed away on January 4, 1926 from breast cancer. She is honored to this very day via the Mary Mahoney Award in honor of her achievements (by National Association for Colored Graduate Nurses and the American Nurses Association). Another late legend was Cheryl White. She lived from October 29, 1953 to September 20, 2019. She was the first African American woman horse racing jockey. She was the first woman to serve as a California horse racing steward. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her family were horse-racers. Her father, Raymond White, was a thoroughbred horse trainer. She started riding for her father in 1971. This was when she was 17 years old. Later, she received her jockey license at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio. She earned her first win as a jockey on September 3, 1971. She was the first black woman to have done so. Cheryl White won 750 races, 226 of which were in Thoroughbred racing. She earned over $760,000 in prize money. She was inducted into the Appaloosa Hall of Fame in 2011. She was the first woman to win the Appaloosa Horse Club's Jockey of the Year awards in 1977, 1983, 1984, and 1985. She retired and was a racing official. She was California's first woman horse racing steward. She was present an Award of Merit by the African American Sports Hall of Fame in Sacramento, California by 1990. She passed away at Youngstown, Ohio.

The problems with the conservatives are obvious. They claim to support less government and morality, but many of their policies restrict the rights of minorities. For example Reagan talked about small government, but he expanded the federal deficit by the end of his 2 terms. Also, many of them love tax cuts for the wealthy that don't do enough to cause economic justice. Tax cuts for the super rich cut necessary resources for the working class and poor to develop their own destinies as human beings. The contradiction of the conservatives is that they claim to want to preserve standards, but many of them are silent on preserving the environment, preserving equal rights for all people, preserving civil liberties, and preserving the essence of social justice. As John Kenneth Galbraith has stated, “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." Far too often, the conservatives see the power of the individual as superior to the the power of the collective. The reality is that the power of the individual and the collective have value. We believe in community and our common interests as a village remains paramount. The problem with the liberal establishment (not true, independent progressives) is that it uses stealth in order to claim to be for rights, but they won't too far and advocate for revolutionary change. Many of those establishment types are funded by corporate foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation plus the Carnegie Foundation that use policies that benefit the upper middle class and the rich primarily not poor or working class people. That is why you hear them talk about the middle class all of the time. The truth is that the poor and the middle class ought to have justice not just the middle class. When more folks see that the oligarchy or the super wealthy interests promoted Jim Crow, the prison industrial complex, racism, imperialism, and other evils in order to divide and conquer people worldwide, then that will inspire change to eliminate evil. A solution is about dealing with both race and class. You have to talk about poor people, economic inequality, and the intersectional structures of oppression that harm black people (including all oppressed people) too.


Nina Turner (who supports Bernie Sanders) and Hillary Rosen (who is a Biden surrogate) had a spirited discussion. Nina Turner told the truth that Dr. King said that the white moderate is more of a hindrance to justice than the reactionary White Citizens Council, because the white moderate wants order and the status quo instead of freedom and justice. Hillary Rosen said that Dr. King's quote was about white moderates being silent. Rosen is wrong, because Dr. King said overtly about the mentality of the white moderate as Nina has said. Later, Rosen interrupted Turner and said that Nina Turner has no right to invoke Dr. King on making her points. Nina Turner (who is a black woman) rightfully was offended by that and said to Rosen that she has no right to dictate how a black woman tries to invoke Dr. King.

Dr. King believed in reparations, economic justice, an end to militarism (he opposed the Vietnam War when the NY Times, members of the black bourgeoisie like Roy Wilkins, far right extremists, and others criticized Dr. King for his anti-war stance back in 1967. Wilkins only opposed the Vietnam War until after Dr. King's passing), and massive investments to address poverty in the billions of dollars. That proves that Dr. Martin Luther King was not a moderate. We know that Malcolm X was definitely not a moderate. Malcolm X said that he was willing to use self defense to stop the violent acts of racists. Hillary Rosen said that she was sorry for saying that Nina Turner had no right to invoke Dr. King. Yet, she called Nina Turner an "angry black woman," which is very much misogynoir and plays into disgusting stereotypes. Nina Turner was never angry. She was very much in control to set the record straight. It is kind of ironic that many people are silent about this story, but it shouldn't be shocking. Nina Turner has spoken truth to power and is a courageous black woman. That is why the moderate is wrong. The moderate believes in the myth that a man's or a woman's freedom must be bounded under time and during another season. No, freedom is meant for all by birthright ASAP.

Cars (Components)

In the almost 150 years of the existence of modern cars, technologies have rapidly improved them. We witness specialized brakes and smart dashboards. The evolution of the designs and motion of cars over the course of decades have been truly astounding. Being a very complex machine, a car vehicle not only requires gasoline and other resources. They require maintenance, yearly inspections, investments, various payments, and a basic knowledge about how vehicles functions. That is why when an alarm in a car goes off, you have to check it out. That is why car bills are important to maintain. That is also why car insurance companies are here to help people pay for various maintenance jobs on cars. To summarize it, you have car engines made up of cylinders and pistons. Some cars can have between 2-12 cylinders in them. The fuel from gasoline causes these cylinders to function. Each cylinder on top has 2 valves. There the inlet valve and the outlet valve. The sparking plug at the top of the cylinder makes a spark. The bottom of the cylinder, the piston is attached to the crank shaft (or the turning axle). The crank shaft drives the wheels. Energy spreads from the inlet valve to the outlet valve (which represents the exhaust). More cylinders in a car of course mean that the car has more power (like the V12 engine). The diameter of the cylinder is called bore. So, the drive shaft turns as the combustion engine burns gasoline. Then, the burning drive shaft sends power to the rear axle and the wheels. This results in them turning as well as the car moves forward. It is important to know about these things, because we’re grown plus knowledge is POWER.

Exterior

Anyone has the right to learn about car exterior parts. The windshield wiper helps with protecting the vehicle against rain and other weather events. The bumper is in the front of the car. The fender is in the side of the car. The hood hides the engine and the battery of the vehicle. The grille is found in front in between the headlights. The front fascia is found below the headlights. There is the door handle, the antenna, the sunroof, the trunk, the fuel door, the tire, the wheel cover, the mud flap, the windows, the quarter windows, the cowl, and the washer nozzle. Car are known for their quarterlights. Rear quarterlights are found behind the rear passenger doors on a hour or five door car (or behind the side doors on a 2 or 3 door car). Some don't have these types of lights. Some lights are opening or fixed. Some quarterlight assemblies are only available as a complete replacement unit.

Interior

Part of living in this time is to know your vehicle. The interior of the vehicle include some of the most important parts of a car. To know how things work better, you have to comprehend the basic definitions first. The interior of any car has the engine. The engine is the heart of the car. Its internal combustion engine helps to start the vehicle up. It has the timing chain, camshaft, crankshaft, spark plugs, cylinder heads, valves, and pistons.  The battery of the car delivers the electricity needed to run the vehicle’s electrical components. Without the battery, the car can’t run. The radiator is used to help the engine keep cool by removing heat from coolant before it is pumped back through the engine. The alternator is part of the electrical system. It charges the battery and powers the electrical system while the car is running. The front axle is part of the suspension system, and it is where the front wheel hubs are attached too. Brakes are found on all four wheels. The brakes help with safety systems. Disc brakes are on the front and back wheels, and feature brake pads and calipers. Drum brakes with brake shoes and wheel cylinders may have located on the back wheels on some vehicles.

Front steering and suspension helps improve the ride and the handling of the vehicle. These systems are different in their makeup. They have shocks/struts, ball joints, the rod ends, rack and pinion steering system, and idler/pitman arms. The transmission is a gearbox with gears and gear trains that makes effective use of engine’s torture. This causes the change the gears and the power of the vehicle. The catalytic converter helps to control emissions from the vehicle. It transforms harmful gases and pollutant into less harmful emission before they leave the car’s exhaust system. The muffler keeps the exhaust system quite though the use of baffles and other materials that reduce or muffle the sound. The rear axle is part of the suspension system to which the rear wheels are mounted. The tailpipe carries the exhaust fumes from the muffler to outside the vehicle. A fuel tank is located typically before the rear axle.  The fuel tanks hold the gasoline that powers the vehicle. The placement of it is important to avoid areas that could crumple in a crash. The rear suspension as with the front suspension, the fear suspension contributes to the handling and ride quality of the vehicle. Systems can vary. They are usually made up of shocks, coil springs, ball joints, control arms, and CV joints.

Inside the car has the dashboard too. The dashboard gauges are very commonplace. All vehicles have the speedometer and the fuel gauge. The speedometer measures the speed of any vehicles. Some of them are electric. The fuel gauge obviously shows how much gas is in the vehicle, and it shows you if you need to fill the vehicle up or not. The temperature gauge measures the engine coolant in degrees. The tachometer measures how fast the engine is turning in RPM or revolutions per minute. You should never race your engine so fast that the tach moves into the red zone as this can cause engine damage. Some engines are protected by the engine computer from going into the red zone.  Usually, the tachometer shows single digit markings like 1, 2, 3 etc.  Somewhere, you will also see an indicator that says RPM x 1000.  This means that you multiply the reading by 1000 to get the actual RPM, so if the needle is pointing to 2, the engine is running at 2000 RPM. The oil pressure gauge measures engine oil pressure in pounds per square inch. Oil pressure is just as important to an engine as blood pressure is to a person. If you run an engine with no oil pressure even for less than a minute, you can easily destroy it. Most cars have an oil lamp that lights when oil pressure is dangerously low. If it comes on while you're driving, stop the vehicle as soon as is safely possible and shut off the engine. Then, check the oil level and add oil as necessary. A lot of times, the warning lamp will give a warning if the car is in needs of fixing a problem.

The voltmeter measures the electrical power of a battery. An ammeter measures the volume of water. The dashboard has sun visors, rearview mirrors, windshield wiper controls, steering column, brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, heating controls, radio controls, a glove compartment, vents, rear view mirrors, center consoles, audio systems, the steering wheel, horns, and an ignition switch. People know about airbags, seats, air coordinating, navigation systems, touch screen panels, and other items inside of a car. Dashboards have been increasingly high-tech too. Digital dashboards will continue to grow.

Specialized Parts

Specialized car parts are commonplace. Air Coordinating devices have  a compressor, condense, gas receiver, and other devices. The steering wheel has the steering column underneath it. Below that is the universal joint, the oil fill bung, the drag link, the steering arm, the pitman arm, and the steering gearbox. The sun visor is part of an automobile located on the interior just above the windshield (or windscreen). They are designed with a hinged flap that is adjustable to help shade the eyes of drivers and passengers from the glare of sunlight. It has been popularized since the 1920's. As time goes on in the 21st century, many car manufacturers are taking more care in designing cars to be more fuel efficient. The car aerodynamics have features that make cars more creative too. Aerodynamic efficiency means that a car meets as little resistance as possible from the air that travels through it. This can also save fuel for the vehicle. The aerodynamic efficiency of a car's shape is measured by its co-efficient of drag (or tits Cd figure). One example is when a flat plate held at right angles to the airflow having a Cd of 1.25 (the most efficient production car shapes at the moment have a Cd of about 0.28). The Cd figure by itself can't be used to find a car's aerodynamic drag, because it doesn't take into account the car frontal area. The frontal area is the car's total cross-section or the total amount of space it occupies when viewed from the front. That is why the important figure is the CdA (or the coefficient of drag multiplied by the frontal area). The CdA gives the total amount of drag acting on the body. So, if someone is comparing 2 cars, he or she must compare the CdA figure instead of the Cd. Manufacturers use wind tunnels to research good airflow and make better cars on the road.

Conclusion

Modern cars have existed for more than 120 years. Wheeled motor vehicles have helped us beyond just transportation. They influenced our cultural styles, they have been utilized in sporting events, and they have made our societies function more thoroughly. Racing events and car shows like in NASCAR dealt with the diverse uses of cars in our daily lives. Cars are part of the long history of transportation. Over 10,000 years ago, human beings used logboats across the world. We know how ancient Egypt, ancient Sumeria, and those in the Indian Ocean traveled with boats constantly.  In ca. 600 B.C. in Corinth, Greece, there were wagonway wheeled vehicles pulling supplies from place to place. Ma Jun built a south pointing chariot in 200 A.D. with an early form of a guidance system. Railways existed by 1350. By 1769, Nicholas-Joseph Sugnot is often credited with building the first propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile. By the year of 2020, we see the number of road motor vehicles in operation worldwide to be more than 1 billion. That is about one for every seven people on Earth. Tons of modern vehicles require locomotion, energy sources, motors, engines, control, and other components.

The car's fuel sources can be gasoline, diesel, natural gas, electric, hydrogen, solar, and vegetable oil. Knowing about the components of cars is very important. When you have a vehicle check up, knowing car parts can be a way to establishing fixing cars in the least expensive way possible. As time has changed, we see new innovations revolving around rear reversing, air coordinating, and navigation systems, Still even in the 2020s now, most car in use are propelled by an internal combustion engine being fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars have increased and could be less expensive than gasoline cars by 2025. As time goes onward, more environmentally friendly cars will undoubtedly be on the horizon. The Nissan Leaf is an all electric car that was launched in December of 2010. There are other technological developments involving vehicles. Many future cars will have wheel hub motors, wireless charging, hydrogen, etc. New materials which may replace steel car bodies are like duralumin, fiberglass, carbon fiber, biocompsites, and carbon nanotubes. Telmatics technologies allow people to hare cars. From engines to the transmission, vehicles are integral part of our modern society.

By Timothy