Carpundit

Name That Car

This time, I know what it is.  Do you?  Answer in comments.

Hint after the jump.

Boston's Cardinal Now Favors Democracy?

When did the Catholic Church decide it was a good idea to let people make their own decisions?  Cardinal O'Malley, appearing with Governor Empty Suit Head to urge that gays be the victims of discrimination, said, "Let the people vote."

I'm sure he's just in favor of democracy.

Smart Car Coming Here? Even The Cops Could Drive Them In Montreal.

I've written about the Smart car before, wondering whether it can work here and whether it's coming.  Now it is, and I still wonder.  They have them in Montreal, where they also have some big American cars and SUVs.  Great for parking in town; lousy for fender-benders.  Click for larger.  That's not a Smart Car the cops are using, but it could be - just take the doors off one.

Dobson on the Media: They're Biased In Favor of Equal Rights, Fairness, and Liberty

James Dobson, the deranged theocrat who runs Focus on the Family (focus on Jesus, and you'll get closer to the true purpose of the group), on CNN.com accuses the media of a bias in favor of gay marriage.  Shocking.  They're probably also in favor of voting rights for women and of allowing blacks to own property.

Dobson's disturbed little worldview is given voice in a narrow aspect here, where he distorts some facts, makes others up, and urges bigotry and hatred upon us.  From the real Lawrence v. Texas:

[The Founders] knew times can blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in fact serve only to oppress. As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their own search for greater freedom.

Not lesser freedom.  Greater.  Borrow a page from the theocrats.  Let CNN.com know what you think of Dobson's bigotry.

Canadian Grand Prix 2006

Montreal is a wonderful city and the Canadian Grand Prix was a blast, despite the best efforts of the venue managers to ruin the whole thing.  Sure, it sounds fun: hold a race on an island in the middle of a river just miles from downtown.  Think Alcatraz and you'll have a sense of how accessible it is.  And if you want to get close to the action in Formula One, go to Indianapolis instead.  There, you can get closer, get to the track faster, and generally experience fewer hassles.  I was shocked by the poor crowd control, the inefficient transit, and -most of all- the structure of the venue, designed to keep general admission ticket holders from seeing anything at all.  (L. to R.: the old city as seen from the long bridge on the walk off the island; spectators' flags fly above the grandstands; venue map.  Click for larger.)

Beater of The Week, IX

This weekly beater comes from Montreal, as I just did.  Mid-80's Mercedes wagon in a fringe neighborhood that looks to be going upscale, if the economy doesn't turn.  Those MB wagons hang on for a long time if reasonably maintained.  At least, that's how it always was.  Let's hope it continues for the later models, he said self-interestedly.  Click for larger, as always.

Formula 1 - Canadian Grand Prix

I'm off to the Canadian Grand Prix.  No posting while I'm gone, probably.  Take a look at some photo albums from my last Grand Prix trip: last year's USGP at Indy.  At left is my best shot from the 2005 USGP.  Let's see if I can get something better from Canada.  Have a good weekend.

Not In This Traffic You're Not

Ah, Vanity plates and optimism.  Click for larger to see what's not happening in this photo.

Spotted In Traffic - You're Fooling No One

Click for larger to take a closer look at the back of this capped pickup truck spotted in traffic recently.  The owner decorated the top of the cap with colored reflective tape in the pattern of a police light bar.  That's odd, but the F.O.P. license plate is even weirder.  He has some connection to the police and is a wanker, or he's a creepy buff.

Maybe the trick works at night, if you're coming up behind him.  Otherwise, he's fooling no one.  Most of the people who notice the details on the truck are cops, and cops aren't taken-in by junk like that.

On the Toyota Prius Dashboard

These are photos of the dash of the Toyota Prius I rented (click for larger, or this post is pointless).  I no longer recall the states shown, except from my bad notes (ever try to write, take photos, and drive all at once?).  Best I can reconstruct: 1. at idle; 2. driving under normal throttle and normal load; 3. coasting?; 4. full throttle; 5. graph of consumption.

Anyone who actually owns a Prius, or knows about them, is encouraged to correct my captions in comments.  But if own one, your better bet would be to spend your time selling it.