a motorcycle moment on a car show

so i've mentioned my fav British TV show - Top Gear... well i just watched an episode from 3 years ago and there was a bet or rather - there was a challenge involving the Nurburgring and a van.
The challenge was put out there by a woman racecar driver who'd taught one of the chaps how to drive around and beat a 10 min time, the track is 12 miles long with 16 bends. Her first lap around the track woman drives a Ford Transit van the 12 miles in 10.28... it was thrilling to watch this VAN drive around the track at amazing speeds. it was just as amazing to watch her pass several amazing cars and just as amazing to see her pass a couple of motorcycles.
The Nurburgring is an open track. It was an open track day and she flew in the van. Her second lap time, she flowed a viper and pulled everything out of the van and did it in 10.08!

sometimes one is just amazed about what one can do with a van and a bit of track!!

favourite insult of the day

"cheese eating surrender monkeys"

this was uttered by my fave British columnist... Jeremy Clarkson. i have watched him utter amazingly 'interesting' (shall we say) commentary. i've even read it in his column...

http://www.topgear.com/content/features/category/clarkson/1.html

he's always politically incorrect and exaggerates even beyond the measure of my favorite feline.

i hope you enjoy reading and if you are interested in watching some of the epis of Top Gear - and don't have BBC America - let me know and i'll loan you my CD case of epis. and if you have an international DVD player; i'll loan you my copies of the british DVDs which feature the best of the Top Gear adventures. and i'll even come over and watch them with you!!

Top Gear is my fave import at the moment... right up there next to jason statham. perhaps you'll judge for yourself...

election coverage

so, as most folks know, i'm fairly a-political. after living in DC for 4 years and hanging out with friends who were interns for various politicians, i'm fairly neutral about politics... but with an election year, i like everyone else, gets interested in the candidates and their stance on a variety of key topics.
i've been looking for a t-chart if you will, of the candidates views on the key topics - war in iraq, environment, etc. today i found it.

on a british news site... why i had to 'cross the pond' to find it on the BBC News site - i don't know, but apparently that was easier than a US news outlet creating one.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7436221.stm

for those of you interested - that's the link.

essentially a foreign news outlet has better more balanced news coverage of the US election than a US new outlet...

embarrassing!

entertaining signs (part 2)

ok - another amusing sign... this one from Africa. (which you could guess given the animals depicted)
this sign isn't as 'genius', it is a little more sad. i wonder if this sign really gives drivers pause to drive carefully and cautiously. i mean you don't want to be the reason a baby baboon goes home without a mommy and becomes and orphan. and the baby baboon is so traumatized by the experience he ends up in therapy and then he ends up hanging out with the monkeys and then he starts experimenting with drugs and before you know it the driver has unknowingly added to the baboon drug addict problem.

bad driver!

so take this as a lesson be careful when you drive!!!

remember: driving slowly - saves lives - saves gas (and baboons)

entertaining signs (part 1)

while in seattle on vacation i saw this sign. i believe this sign is a true work of genius. i know that this "genius" statement is incredibly powerful... there's a lot implied in the word 'genius'... but this sign has a double meaning. the use of the work 'impact'... is just, dare i say, clever?!?

and the artistry... i love how everything, books, bags, people are just flying... again, just very creative.

the woman seems to believe that the 'duck and cover' maneuver will protect her from being hit by the car (or at least not severely maimed) - i appreciate the 'equal opportunity' hitting people of the potential driver as there is a woman and a man depicted. also there aren't any children, so obviously the driver is more, well, i can't think of the word, but they are that... i think that sums up the psych profile of both the driver and the sign designer...

i have more signs to share, but thought i'd just highlight this one, this evening.

enjoy!!

BRILLIANT!

great movies - 20 years from now

so a few weeks ago i went to a movie night on Dolores Park (see previous blog entry) and it since caused me to wonder - what movie of today will be watched 20 years from now and be judged a true classic still relevant and amusing.

so i've been pondering this for a while - still unable to come with any movies. i am currently watching 'the princess bride' a potential classic. perhaps that's a potential classic for my list. crud. it is 20 years old. 1988. already a classic! i just don't think 'die hard 4: live free or die hard' will be a timeless classic - oh don't get me wrong, i enjoy Bruce Willis saving the world as much as the next woman - but still a classic 20 years from now? maybe. i mean, heck the first die hard was 1988 - so i will stand to be corrected in 2027 - when the film is 20 years old...

as i look at my DVD collection - most of my movies are fairly old 'fletch', 'trading places', 'spies like us', 'ghostbusters 1 & 2'. oh wait, 'army of darkness' nope - made in 1992...

uh... thoughts?? i'm stuck. i mean heck, 'a new kind of love' 1963 is one of my more frequently watched movies...

i'd certainly appreicate any of your recommendations...