Military Units & Ranks

军 | Corps
师 | Division
旅 | Brigade
团 | Regiment
营 | Battalion
连 | Company
排 | Platoon
班 | Squad
--
將 | General
上校 | Colonel
少校 | Major
上尉 | Captain
中尉 | Lieutenant
軍校生 | Cadet

軍士 | Sergeant
下士 | Corporal
列兵 | Private

童趣

1. 兒子兩嵗多的時候，講話多了，也學了一點點聖經經節。有一天，他在乾媽家裏玩，為一些小事正在生大姐姐的氣。正好乾媽要送大姐姐去學校，就哄他說，“那我們一起出去把大姐姐丟到垃圾桶，好不好？”“好哇！”兒子高高興興地上了車。到了學校，乾媽囘過頭來對他說，“我們去把大姐姐丟到垃圾桶裏吧！” 兒子想了想，說，“不要。” “爲什麽？” “因爲‘神愛世人’啊！”
2. 兩嵗的兒子不愛穿衣服，即使是在冬天，也是勉爲其難。爸爸總是要對他講一番道理，說，"你看，手手都冰冰了，不穿的話會感冒，還會發燒，要打針，還要吃苦苦葯葯。那好可憐哦！"他才極不情願地穿上。有一天，吃飯吃到一半，他忽然高興地對爸爸說，"你看，我的手是暖暖的耶！"爸爸毫無防備，摸摸他的小手，說，"真的！""耶！太好了！我可以脫衣服了！"爸爸這才發現中了兒子的圈套，又無言以對，只好讓他脫掉一件衣服。
3. 三嵗多的兒子開始愛唱歌，有時候會要求大人唱他喜歡的歌。有一天，他對爸爸說，“我們來唱‘陰刀’的那首吧。”爸爸莫名其妙，努力思索兒子會唱的歌，才發現他愛唱的那首‘詩篇二十三篇’裏有一句：“引導我走義路”, 其中的頭兩個字都是高音，聼起來真的是像。原來是兒子在‘斷章取音’，不禁啞然。
4. 幹媽一家在辦綠卡，全家人正高高興興地在家裏照相。三嵗半的兒子在旁邊看著，着急地說，“我也要照相！”姐姐笑著安慰他說，“你是在美國生的，長大就是公民啦。”兒子更急了，說，“我不要公民，我要綠卡！”

Car won't start

It's time to learn some car repair knowledge. My car won't start but there's a clicking noise when the key is turned. After replacing a new battery, the problem persists. So we're changing the starter.

The starter, as its name suggests, is the part that gives the engine the initial boost. Here's a diagram for how it's connected:

(From these diagrams, it is not hard to understand how a car thief can start the engine by by-pass the ignition key.)

Here's a description of how it works:

The starter motor is a powerful electric motor, with a small gear (pinion) attached to the end. When activated, the gear is meshed with a larger gear (ring), which is attached to the engine. The starter motor then spins the engine over so that the piston can draw in a fuel/ air mixture, which is then ignited to start the engine. When the engine starts to spin faster than the starter, a device called an overrunning clutch (bendix drive) automatically disengages the starter gear from the engine gear.

Once the engine is started, the circuit for the starter is cut (at the Neutral Safety switch) and the started goes to siesta until the next start (hey, I'd like to have that job).

To replace one, the steps are the following (basically un-wire and un-mount the old one and mount and wire the new):

1. Gather the necessary tools needed such as wrenches, sockets, screwdriver and pliers.


2. Place the vehicle on ramps or jack up the front and support with jack stands. It is very important to block the rear wheels to keep the car stationary during this procedure. Never work under a vehicle not supported properly.


3. Make sure ignition is OFF and the remove the negative (ground) battery cable from the battery.


4. Note the location of all wires before removal to make for easier connection.


5. Remove the large starter cable going to the battery at the starter location.


6. Remove any other wires attached to the solenoid.


7. Remove the starter attaching bolts (usually there are two or three).


8. Remove any supporting brackets that holds the starter.


9. Drop the starter down away from the car. On some cars you may have to turn the wheels to one side, remove the idler arm, remove or loosen transmission oil cooler lines, exhaust pipes, or ground straps to give you enough clearance to get the starter motor away from the car.


10. Install the new starter in the reverse order of removal.


11. Reconnect battery cables and other wires to solenoid.


12. Place old starter in the new starter box for proper core return.

The price for a new (remanufactored) part ranges from $80+ to $110+; and for the labor Sears charges $75.