Funkengroovin - News

VB has been busy with the invasion of the flying red ants, the electricity going out constantly, five kittens born on her windowsill, and some sort of strange illness. VB thinks it's called, "I'm sick of stinking bug spray, dirty air, hot weather, no electricity, and can't fucking wait to get out of Dodge blues." No she does not have a fever! Is she pissed (as in angry for you Brits out there)? Yes!!!!!! Someone explain to VB why the electricity needs to go off more than seven times a day?! Subsequently fucking up all connections - some including air conditioners, the Internet (glaciers move faster!), the Vonage phone (which operates through the Internet), the oven, blah, blah, blah, the fucking satellite TeeVee! Does the person in charge not realize that VB's life is based totally on electrical availability?! Rant over.

Today is mainly a news day since VB has been remiss at adding it on to the posts. Some old, some new, and two brand new music videos featuring VW Buses. Make sure you check those out. Both are very folksy - let's just say they're not the usual music videos VB features for Funkengroovin Wednesdays, but they do have VW Buses in them. The news articles are all interesting, and most have photos. Yes, some might be a bit oldish, but still newsworthy.

Here's your complimentary photo for the day (Thanks be to God for the most exquisitely allotted amount of electricity, which provides Internet, to download this totally worthless photo).

NEWS:

VW Related:

Touring Europe's Best Auto Museums
"Volkswagen's Autostadt, located directly adjacent to the sprawling factory that churns out Golf sedans, may be the most ambitious. In addition to a museum devoted to the history of the Beetle and other company products, the Autostadt (German for "auto city") features 11 restaurants, a Ritz-Carlton (MAR) hotel, and outdoor attractions such as an obstacle course where adults can muddy up VW's Touareg SUV. There's even a course where kids can learn driving basics in miniature Beetles."

You Will Respect This VW
"Count your blessings this thing isn’t running around your town, because the embarrassment of being shut down by a ‘53 VW van might be too much to bear." 1953 VW Bus Sets World Record on Dragstrip With 12-Sec Quarter Mile Run

Propane Conversion: How to Make LPG Cars
"It works. New York, Maine, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Utah, California . . . I've traveled miles and miles and miles in a VW bus converted to run on LP (liquid propane) and the easy-to-install system really does result in lower operating and maintenance costs, much longer engine life AND 70% less air pollution."


Karmann Fixes Its Own Roof
"A subsidiary of the German company that made the Karmann Ghia with Volkswagen has begun an aftermarket business to restore convertible tops."

"Replacing the original fabric, steel supports and even wooden components that make up the relatively primitive convertible tops takes skill and attention. Restoration jobs are expected to cost from $1,000 to $3,000, the company said.

“When you do convertible tops, you have to know also the body and the engineering of the vehicle,” Mr. Roeren said.

Mr. Roeren said the company will be able to work on only two vehicles at a time and each restoration will take two days.

The company said it expected to open up to five such restoration centers in the next five years, including in California and Florida, and to reach about $5 million in gross sales.

Wilhelm Karmann filed for the German version of bankruptcy in April, but Karmann U.S.A officials said the filing will not affect the American unit."

Ten dangerous vehicles (or are they?), part two

(From Ottawa, Canada) Beker’s favourite Bug

Temple man's VW affection started 25 years ago

I’m Ready To Give This Deadhead Thing a Try

Thornbury couple's camper van business is riding the recession
"Their rental business, Campers Away, has seen a huge increase in demand as the credit crunch is stopping more and more families from travelling abroad and encouraging us all to explore the great outdoors."

Unlocking The Mystery Of The Mystery Machine On The Movie Awards Set


Teen finally gets to drive his vintage cars "Dylan Tischer has seven Volkswagens"

The Perfect Beetle "Paul Amicone's Dream for a Rust-Free VW Comes True"

VW Bug Out fun with the people's car (Slideshow)

Super Project '71 "Part One: Introduction to the Subject, a 1971 "1302" Super Beetle"

Students take spin into the future
"TRENTON - At first, the vehicle circling the bus loop behind Trenton High School appears to be just a relic of the past. After all, it is a 1968 Volkswagen SandRail dune buggy."

Editor's Note: It's a Small Show After All
"So next time you catch yourself saying, "I don't want to go to that show because it is too small," remember, every big show out there, from the Classic to the Florida BugJam to Bad Camberg, started life as a small get together with people who share a common bond, these little cars. Support your local shows."


Groundbreaking Works by Artists with Cultural Ties to Mexico and Latin America To Be On View
"PHOENIX, AZ.- Phantom Sightings: Art after the Chicano Movement, opening July 12, 2009, at Phoenix Art Museum, is the first comprehensive consideration of the legacy of Chicano art in two decades and the largest exhibition of cutting-edge Chicano art ever presented at Phoenix Art Museum."

I can't believe someone makes... Snail Art Cars (video at the link)


(Great photo) - Reindeer Sausage Van in Alaska, Not Yet on Twitter
"...The guy parks on West 4th Avenue and F Street (map), serving up reindeer dogs from the blue Volkswagen van..."

VW Owner Shifts Gears, Goes From Gas to Electric

Volkswagen's Newest Twist On Camping: The 2009 Volkswagen California Black Edition
"All this coolness doesn't come cheap though. Pricing for this sleek people mover is 77,736.75 euro, or around $109,921 in Yankee money. Of course, that's if you could buy one here -- which, ironically, you can't. At least we get the actual state as a consolation prize."

Need an escape? Author Gordon Hempton listens for the sound of silence in new book
"Hempton takes his quest for quiet on the road, crossing the country in his¤¤'64 VW van, listening to a landscape and a people, putting together a "sonic EKG" of the country. He originally intended to make this trip with his daughter, who begged off, unable to engage with his quest, unable to detach from -- you guessed it! -- her iPod."

Meals On Wheels: Ten Great Mobile Eateries
"Sénor Tacombi
Located in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, the Sénor has combined two great Mexican products: the taco and the VW Combi, which was produced in Mexico until the mid-1990s. The story of Sénor Tacombi is one of a wandering soul/wrestler who marched across the Andes with Che, partied at Studio 54 with Freddy Mercury, and chilled with Gandhi in India. Today, he mostly served tacos to college kids who are looking to carb-up after a night on the town."

General:

Earth to California: Learn how to drive!
"GMAC surveyed more than 5,000 licensed drivers throughout the country, asking them to answer 20 questions gleaned from actual state drivers license exams. Based on the results of the survey, the insurer concluded that 20% of the licensed drivers in the U.S. — or about 40 million people — wouldn’t pass a written test if they had to take one today."

100 year anniversary of first woman to drive across America

Commute Driving You Crazy? Read On
"Commuting sucks. There’s no two ways about it. Our roads are clogged with half-aware nitwits less concerned with driving than with applying makeup or taking that call from Ed in accounting. If it isn’t brain-dead morons trying to kill you, it’s the potholes, congestion and countless other nightmares awaiting you every time you get in the car.

We feel your pain. So do the guys at Transportation for America. They’ve launched a website called, appropriately, My Commute Sucks, where you can spout off and tell Congress to do something about it."


World’s Smallest Car Fits In a Mini

Right-to-Repair Law Is Right On
"The Right-to-Repair Act would allow independent repair shops to compete for business that currently goes only to franchises and dealer-approved establishments. The bipartisan bill, introduced in the House of Representatives, would drastically increase the number of shops that could service late-model vehicles and make those repairs significantly cheaper.

By limiting the number of shops that can service your car, dealers drive up the cost to owners of those vehicles by 34 percent, according to a study Lang Research conducted for the Automotive After Market Industry Association. The study found consumers pay $11.7 billion in excess costs annually."

Not safe: Poll finds 1-in-4 Americans text while driving
"The problem is that texting while driving isn’t seen as an inherently dangerous activity, at least compared to something like drink driving; everyone knows that’s a no-no. “What’s the harm in sending out a text while I’m behind the wheel?” Well, mister-think-you’re-Fernando-Alonso, any time you take your eyes off the road that puts everyone in danger, and not just you. All it takes is one stray maneuver and you’re looking at a huge pile-up.

So, in conclusion, just knock it off already. That, or Greg will get really sad. We don’t want that to happen, now do we?"

(Photo Essay) - A Brief History of the Indianapolis 500


'Electric Car Guy' Has Been On The Energy-Efficiency Case For 40 Years
"He's watched as big car manufacturers compete to deliver the first practical all-electric car.

He celebrated when Northeast Utilities announced its plans last month to build the country's largest network of electric-car charging stations.

But the idea of an electric car is old news to Bob Rice, who for nine years has been zipping around in a Volkswagen Jetta that he converted to electric power. He recharges its batteries with an outlet he built and nailed to a tree outside his home in Killingworth.

The 67-year-old retired train engineer has been quietly tinkering and toiling for decades building electric cars and batteries. Thirty years ago, the automobile world wrote off guys like Rice as crackpots. Today, they're trying to catch up with them.

"Well," Rice said, "it's about time."

Even in electric car circles Rice is known as a pioneer. Members of the Electric Auto Association, a nonprofit group based in San Jose, Calif., described him as a "fundamental change agent" when they gave him a lifetime achievement award last month."

From Caracas, Venezuela
For a City in Gridlock, a Lifeline and a Scourge
"In an anarchic city, thousands of motorbike couriers known as motorizados make life there treacherous and viable at the same time."

(Slide show at the link.)
Sparkling Chrome, Beer Budget
"For those who would rather be driving an interesting car than fussing over the originality of its headlamp bulbs, there are many vehicles in the lower price brackets."

The Real Car Crisis:the Disappearance of Style and Passion in Design”

Funky Cars You Love to Hate


From reestore
Theo, The gearbox table
Date of birth:
2007
Previous occupation:
Car gearbox


Highlighting our investor's love of cars, the aptly named Theo table's glass top rotates on the salvaged gearbox pedestal. Suitable for meetings and dining alike, looks great accompanied with shopping trolley chairs.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Price:
£1600

Egypt:

10 Reasons to Visit Cairo
"Whether you love it or hate it, a Cairo taxi ride is a simultaneously life affirming and life threatening experience. Taxi drivers are a law unto themselves, and the only thing in Cairo more insane than the traffic is the cavalier way in which the drivers negotiate it. There’s nothing to do but hold on tight, and try to convince yourself that true traveling is more about the journey than the destination. Just pray you don’t get one of the taxis with musical brakes, because you really don’t want to know how seldom they get used!"

EGYPT TO LIQUIDATE OR SELL NASR AUTO
"Founded in 1960, and known for producing licensed versions of Fiat, FSO Polonez, Tofas and Zastava, “Nasr has a long history in Egypt,” said Salah El-Hadari, secretary general of the Egyptian Automobile Manufacturers Association."


Reed KD has spent the better part of the last three years between two places: his VW Vanagon (living out of it in 2007 and 2008, traveling the country and writing music) and his Santa Cruz bedroom (where he recorded his new album "In Case The Comet Comes," out June 9th). Reed KD shot a video for "Winding Roads," a song he wrote about traveling the country in his van. He filmed it recently while driving from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles. It's a trip he's made often - driving his van through forests, sprawling coastline, desert and maddening LA traffic.

Below: The video "Winding Roads"




Yusuf Islam (remember him as Cat Stevens) has a new video out as well. Here it is:
YUSUF Islam - Roadsinger

A Few Thoughts On Swine

This post is basically a response to the mass slaughter of pigs in Egypt.

VB was born in "Porkopolis" ("The nickname Porkopolis was coined around 1835, when Cincinnati was the country's chief hog packing center, and herds of pigs traveled the streets." - Wiki) VB remembers, as young child, watching pigs marching up the ramps for slaughter to become "The Weiner The World Awaited, " at the Kahn's packing company, on Central Avenue. (You may laugh at VB, and may have heard of Cincinnati, but check here to find out what growing up there was really like.)

VB's parents (just like every other Greek in America) owned three restaurants (at different times). The last one was in a predominately black area. It was the 60's, and every so often her parents would cook up some pigs feet. It was soul food, and the regular customers were from the neighborhood. Raw hooves would be piled up over the old-fashioned white ceramic freezer. Too bad VB didn't have a camera back then, but the sight of fresh, raw pigs feet piled high, remains embedded in her memories. Not only that, but a New Years Eve tradition with The Boss Man is to down pickled pigs feet, and his mom always had a roll of Goetta in the fridge. Let's face it, regardless of ethnic background, the majority of people in, and from Cincinnati, love pork products. That includes VB. Give her a pair of ham hocks and she will cook up some retro split pea or navy bean soup for you.


By now, most people have heard or read about the swine cull here in Egypt. It is an overkill reaction to the Swine Flu aka H1N1 Virus. Let's all remember, "It's the other white meat." Besides, most of the swine that VB has actually met, are human, and according to the dictionary, "an offensive word for a person who behaves in a cruel or disgusting way towards others." This definition would apply to those who made this decision, as well as those who own factory farms. These viruses are born in industrial environments. The small breeder is typically immune, and provides a service to the community. Plus, as we've seen in the past, (mad cow), small farmers are more capable of containing the disease, so it does not spread. Factory farms do not, nor do they produce the expensive specialty meats we crave. They basically produce mass market meat, at a price, which seems cheap at the grocers, but is subsidized through governments, with our tax dollars, but has a direct impact on the environment. Who are the real losers? The small family run farms - worldwide.

For those of you out there who can't get enough of the culling, or hate swine so much, you too can be a swinefighter!


Here's a few articles to chew on:
Swine Flu Ancestor Born on U.S. Factory Farms
"“Industrial farms are super-incubators for viruses,” said Bob Martin, former executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Animal Farm Production, and a long-time critic of the so-called “contained animal feeding operations.”"

A U.S. Hog Giant Transforms Eastern Europe
"European hog farming is being transformed by an agricultural powerhouse operating in far-flung outposts."

"Old customs and jobs are dying and the air itself is changing, however, transformed by an American newcomer, Smithfield Foods. Almost unnoticed by the rest of the Continent, the agribusiness giant has moved into Eastern Europe with the force of a factory engine, assembling networks of farms, breeding pigs on the fast track, and slaughtering them for every bit of meat and muscle that can be squeezed into a sausage."

Local Pastured Meats: Good for You, Good for the Planet
"...Pigs, unlike the “monovore” cows, are omnivores. Along with some corn and soy, they eat whatever they can scavenge in the pasture. In the summer, they hang out and in the shade and pose for pictures like the ones we saw. When Jen said she lets her pigs dig into the ground (instead of ringing their noses to prevent it), I couldn’t help thinking that her pigs are like the teenagers with the coolest, most laid-back parents in town. If you had seen how happy those piggies were in the photos, you would probably want to be one. Maybe."

New Virus, Old Tale: Animals Share Bugs With Us
"All of this is the latest iteration of a phenomenon dating to the dawn of mankind: zoonosis. A zoonotic disease is one that spreads from animals to humans, or vice versa. Bubonic plague came from a bacterium that infects rats and can spread via fleas to humans. HIV is a virus that passed into people from a monkey. Malaria, tuberculosis, rabies, yellow fever and typhoid fever are zoonotic.

And it's a two-way street, as seen recently when a Canadian farmworker infected with the new H1N1 swine flu apparently passed the disease to a herd of pigs. When it comes to influenza, the thoroughfare between Homo sapiens and Sus scrofa -- domesticated pigs -- is something of a superhighway.

From the perspective of an influenza virus, the receptors on the lungs of a human being -- the places where the little spiky knobs on the virus can attach themselves -- look very much like the receptors in a pig. A pig's anatomy is so similar in certain respects to a human being's that pig heart valves are routinely transplanted into human heart patients."

Do I really have to cook pork until it’s not pink in the middle? How much should I worry about trichinosis?

Egypt hog slaughter will cost $54 million (Perhaps this $54 million would be better spent on the proper education and medical availability for people?)

Swine Flu: Don't Blame the Pig
"The swine flu outbreak that has sparked widespread fear — so much so that Egypt has ordered the slaughter of the country's 300,000 pigs, even though no cases have been reported there — is easy to pin on the eponymous animal from which it emerged, but the fact is, the current epidemic is little more than an accident of evolution. If pigs are to blame, so too are birds and humans...."

LIVING ON THE EDGE, WAITING FOR A SLAUGHTER "Public hysteria over swine flu has mostly been manifested as discrimination against the zebaleen. Local newspapers have published maps of zebaleen neighborhoods advising citizens to avoid these areas, and by extension their inhabitants. Women from El-Maya El-Haya have reported being refused entry onto public transport, and many city residents refuse to open the door for zebaleen, throwing their rubbish into the streets instead for fear of contracting swine flu."

11,591 PIGS SLAUGHTERED IN EGYPT "Up to press time 11,591 pigs were slaughtered. He emphasized, however, that the total number of pigs in Egypt which was erroneously reported as 300,000 is actually 156,000 only, none of which have tested positive for swine flu."

20 countries ban pork imports on flu fears
""Trading meat, whether processed or raw or frozen meat, should not be restricted because there is virtually no risk of transmission that way," the WHO's Peter Ben Embarek said."

"The other countries listed by the WHO as having imposed pork and meat restrictions are Thailand, Jordan, the Philippines, Ukraine, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Surinam, the United Arab Emirates and Belarus.

In Lebanon, the trade measure involves "destruction of any cargo en route from (flu) affected countries" and also orders the closure of all domestic pig farms, prohibits the slaughter of pigs, and calls for "blood testing of all pigs".

Egypt has ordered the slaughter of all its 300,000 to 400,000 pigs as a precaution against H1N1, a move the United Nations said was "a real mistake.""

Egypt persecutes Christian pig farmers in the name of swine flu
"Muslim majority country seeks reasons to kill off ’unreligious’ animals"

"This event comes a week after the Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of all the country’s 300,000 pigs even though no cases of swine flu have been reported in the country. Egyptian animal rights activist Amina Abaza deplored the slaughter of pigs and said "the decision to cull them was probably taken only because they belong to the Christians."

In defense of the farmers, the World Health Organization has said the move to slaughter every pig in the country was unnecessary because the virus is however being spread through humans.

Changed alibi

However, the rationale for killing all the pigs in the country has now taken a different cause. The Egyptian health authorities now say that the authorized killing of pigs is in a bid to campaign against unsanitary pig farming conditions, particularly in the Cairo slums where the garbage collectors live.

But the garbage collectors who engage in pig farming are all Christians, who make up the minority of the society, and with no other source of livelihood available to them, or assured them, observers have questioned the intent of the health authorities in Egypt, raising charges or religious persecution."

Egypt’s slaughter of pigs draws criticism as misguided
"International health officials say there is no reason to slaughter pigs because H1N1 cannot be passed from pigs to humans."

France-"Authorities estimate it will take up to six months to kill all the pigs in the country, according to AgencePresse, and have announced plans to buy new machinery from abroad for the specific purpose of increasing the slaughter capacity to 3,000 animals a day. Al Masry Al Youm reports that as of Monday, only 888 pigs had been killed and that Health Minister Hatem El Gebaly has announced the government has set aside 30 million Egyptian pounds to compensate farmers.

The move has received criticism from some unexpected quarters in Egypt, with the editor of the pro-government daily Rose El Yousef mocking it on the editorial page.

“Killing [the pigs] is not a solution, otherwise, we should kill the people, because the virus spreads through them,” he wrote. “The terrified members of Parliament should have concentrated on asking the government first about the preventive measures and ways of confronting the problem.”"


As Israel Ignores Swine Flu Reality, Global Risk
"After two potential cases of swine flu were discovered in Israel, and two Israelis who had just returned from Mexico with flu-like symptoms were quarantined, the Deputy Health Minister, Yakov Litzman, took the next logical step: he renamed the virus. "We will call it Mexican flu. We won't call it swine flu," Litzman declared. He chose to identify the virus with its alleged country of origin instead of pigs because pigs are not religiously permissible to eat, reports the Associated Press."

"Litzman's renaming of the new flu virus would just seem out of place and random if it had been in any other country, but in Israel--where pigs are raised on Arab lands and pork shops are firebombed out of certain neighborhoods--pork is highly politicized. Even the word for "pork" in Hebrew, chazir, is so reviled that it goes by many euphemisms: "white meat," "other meat," and "white steak.""


Turkey's Pork Shortage (And It's Not 'Cause of the Food Crisis Either)
""There are only 2,000 Greeks left in Istanbul," he grumbled. "None of us dares speak out." Curiously, all the other slaughter houses that once dealt with pork have been closed too. Lazari's reluctant to say what he suspects is happening.

"There are only 2,000 Greeks left in Istanbul," he grumbled. "None of us dares speak out.""



R.I.P. to all the poor innocents being blamed for H1N1 and slaughtered as a result. For all those little piggies, VB hopes you can all be "The Weiner The World Awaited, " and, if not perhaps you'd love to be an Oscar Meyer Weiner.

(Below): The homage to the Flying Pig in VB's hometown "Porkopolis", along the riverfront, Cincinnati, Ohio. Yes, we Cincinnatians worship swine.


And now links to some tasty pork articles and recipes:

The King of Parma Hams

Pork Knuckle, German Delight

Greek Pork From a Medieval Past (Video narration available if you don't want to read the article.)

In Greece, Slaughtering the Pig (Video narration available)

Grilling: Pork Souvlaki with Pita and Tzatziki

Polish Pork Primer

Bacon Today: "Daily Updates On The World Of Sweet, Sweet Bacon"

We’re All Meatheads Now
chefs of the Mario outside of Paris, is without a doubt a "There has been a lardy avalanche of pig prose of late—celebrations of all the edible glories of pig: its snout, ears, and tail; its blood, belly, and liver; and I suppose, if you have to be boring, its plain old meat (I wrote about the phenomenon in Slate). New York magazine food critic Adam Platt has recently dubbed carniphilicBatali/David Chang/Paul Bertolli variety “meatheads,” and emphasized that it is pig they worship above all other animals. Add one more to that list: Stéphane Reynaud, chef-owner of Villa 9 Troismeathead of the highest order.

Pigs' feet: the new superfood
"The latest anti-ageing food? Pigs' trotters. That's right, you heard it here first. In New York, the most talked-about new opening of the past couple of months has been a Japanese restaurant called Hakata Tonton, where 33 out of the 39 dishes contain pigs' feet."

One of VB's favorite recipes (and it's just as good with beef): Carolina Pulled-Pork Sandwiches


Since the pig culling in Egypt incited this post, let's visit Cairo. Earlier this year, Anthony Bourdain's Season 5 of No Reservations aired (in the States), with a segment on Egypt.

It's available on iTunes, but also on YouTube. Here is the first part of his Egypt segment, where he not only discusses food, but (on several occasions) traffic, which is great. (Um, no pigs are slaughtered or eaten during this Egypt centric episode.)


No Reservations - Egypt Part 1 of 5



If you watched the Anthony Bourdain visit Part 1 to Egypt, then you know why this photo is here.
(Below): A pigeon coop in The City of the Dead.

Funkengroovin News

VB's posting the news separately. A separate post with photos will be available shortly.

Here's VB's favorite news item of the week. We are so fed up with VW dealership service in our area (and there's two of them), that now with no warranty, we just take our VWs up to Bob's in West Springfield. Awesome Daughter took her 2003 Jetta GLX to the dealership as the new engine light was on. They told her not only did she need a new catalytic converter costing $1200.00, but she also needed a new timing belt, and the cost for that would be $1600.00. Her car is a 2.8 VR6 and has a timing chain. At 80,000 miles a replacement should not be necessary, and as we suspected was verified from inspection by our independent service shop. Did the VW dealer think they could take advantage of a young woman, are they stupid (not knowing the difference between a timing chain and a belt) or are they just a bunch of crooks?! So we've had it with VW of America. None of our cars are in warranty, and that's fine with us. And, we will probably not buy a VW anytime in the near future.

Independents give better repair service, Consumer Reports survey says
"When it comes to service and repairs, car owners surveyed by Consumer Reports said they preferred taking their cars to independent repair shops rather than dealerships."

"Among individual brands, domestic dealerships fared quite well, with Buick, Saturn, Mercury, Cadillac and Lincoln all landing in the top 10 (Lexus was No. 1). At the bottom of the ranking were Mazda, Nissan, Jeep, Suzuki and — in last place — Volkswagen.

The full results of the survey will be in the June issue of Consumer Reports, which hits newsstands Tuesday, and at www.consumerreports.org."

VW NEWS:

Customized '68 Beetle: Chopped, Dropped and Topless

Things that go clunk! / Teens tell of love-hate relationship with clunkers


Ben & Jerry's Tries New Recipe for Store Design

"Streamlined, Ben & Jerry’s style: A flagship store (left) incorporates natural materials to create the unified funky farm vibe that's rolling out to new stores. To stay true to Ben & Jerry’s brand positioning, Tesser sought out repurposed materials for quirky fixtures, such as the milk crate and bottle light fixture/chandelier, the VW bus plasma screen and the ‘beaded curtain’ made of ice cream pint lids. By seeking out and using such things as post-recycled plastic, environmentally safe glue and replenishable wood species, the project jibes with the company’s social mission. The next challenge? Scaling costs back in order to remodel all 500 stores. "

VB has never seen this show, but there's a cool photo at the link.
Bus Gets Bumped

"Last night’s episode brought out the fight in the final four competitors of this season’s Bullrun. Team Avalanche, Corvette, VW and Shelby all stepped to the plate. In the beginning, Team Shelby jumped out of the gate with flying colors and came in first at the checkpoint in Scottsdale, AZ followed by Teams Avalanche, Corvette and VW."

Even though most of us may have missed it (it's in Australia), go to the link and check out the Kombi Konvoy video.
Nimbin MardiGrass 2009

"MardiGrass is basically a peaceful rally for cannabis law reform. Supporters for the legalisation of cannabis are fighting for it to be recognised as a substance that can be used medicinally, as a food source, an environmentally-friendly fibre or as a potential fuel source."

From Jalopnik: 1958 Volkswagen Bus Highboy for $6,500!

GENERAL AUTO RELATED NEWS

What Clunker Cash Might Buy

"Congress is considering two plans aimed at helping automakers and dealers to lift sales, cut emissions and reduce reliance on foreign oil."

Editor's Note: Earl S. MacPherson and His Invention

Clean Up Your Classic Car With Propane

VB doesn't think this (below) is so smart of an idea. Doesn't current mobile use interfere with driving already? Now we want to encourage it, with smarter GPS technology?! VB will stick with the Tomtom, and that's annoying enough when you have John Cleese telling you where to go.
Smarter GPS to Let Cellphones Point the Way

"The emerging generation of navigation devices have the ability to connect to the Internet and to one another, which may spell the end of similar dashtop devices."

Wheels: Classic Ad: 1984 VW GTI

"The original commercial for the 1984 VW Rabbit GTI features jumping cars and a version of the Ronny and Daytonas song "Little G.T.O.," altered for the ad and sung in German."

Wheels: Zipcar Licenses Car-Share System

"Zipcar, the car-sharing service that lets people rent by the hour, is now sharing its proprietary car-management technology with the public sector."

FOUR DEAD, TENS INJURED IN RING ROAD PILEUP

"CAIRO: At least four people died and more than 30 were injured Monday in a road accident involving more than 20 cars on the Ring Road in Katameya.

Some of those injured are still in intensive care.

The accident involved a collision between a truck full of steel rods and a public transportation bus, followed by a collision of more than 20 cars coming towards the accident site at high speed, according to local press reports.

“The cars were crushed. There wasn’t a single piece that wasn’t destroyed,” said Ahmed Saad, an eyewitness to the aftermath of the accident. “It was really sad. They were dragging corpses out of the cars. I don’t know why people drive at this crazy speed.”"

Secrets of the Modern Repo Man

"Modern repo men try to avoid nasty conflicts with high-tech tools. They search for their targets in the dark of night with gear that scans license plates. Tow trucks have also been upgraded. Now, agents can haul tightly parked cars without ever leaving the cab of the tow truck. Some dealers can even track and disable a car from afar, making it easy to bring back to the lot.

If you're late on your payments, here are a few high-tech tools that might bring a repo man to your car:" (Read on for advice.)

But, here's the one piece VB thinks she may need to check into. Not that she's late on payments. She just doesn't like this spying software shit. She's got a 2005 Mini Cooper S, and even though she keeps up with her payments, the question remains: "What else does this software do?" Perhaps she will take her Mini somewhere unaffiliated with BMW and have it checked. It took her over a year to get the title to the 2003 VW Jetta she paid off! Is VB paranoid - um, slightly. Who killed JFK!?

"SmartTrack. Rocky Mountain Tracking is among the many sellers of GPS tracking devices that pitch them to auto dealers, offering what the company calls "no-fuss car repossession." The $200 device slips unobtrusively under a dash and uses GPS satellites to pinpoint its location. Dealers need only pay a few dollars more to get the location data if and when a borrower defaults on a loan. For $100 or so more, dealers can install a model that can also disable the car's ignition."

(Below): Your complimentary Cairo traffic photo, which should be labeled, "Don't try this at home, or anywhere else for that matter." Amazing!

Funkengroovin - News

What can you buy in Egypt, that you can't in the U.S?

Wheels: America Won’t Get VW Scirocco
"The Volkswagen Scirocco, a sporty coupe that’s been a huge hit in Europe, won’t be coming to America in the foreseeable future, said Klaus Bischoff, VW’s head of design."

(Below): The new Scirocco. Photos taken at the local VW dealer in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.






TeeVee:

Currently on here in Egypt, and anywhere Discovery is available via Orbit, Discovery Channel's latest segment of Overhaulin has: "That`s All, Volks!
Like all VW fanatics, Hot Dog Fred has nothing but love for his old Microbus. But after Chip and the team work their magic, he may fall in love all over again.
Ara subtitles (R1) "

These are repeated throughout the week, and it's best to consult the Orbit schedule for times in your area.



NEWS:

New Zealand: 'Veedub' fans take the cruise

The Cost of Going Electric
"A St Petersburg, Florida company -- Rebirth Auto, LLC -- is advertising on EBay a kit that will allow you, with some labor and a few bars of angle iron for the battery racks, to convert the original VW 'Beetle' into an electric car...."

Randy Kraniak revels in his propane-powered antique cars
"On his property, behind Kraniak’s house, there is a playground of sorts that seems to not only fit his sensibilities, but his 10-year-old son Walker’s as well. In the yard you can see a 1967 red Cadillac convertible, outfitted to run on propane, or even a 1974 VW bug with an extended dash, red, and also outfitted for propane."

from VW Trends
Black Gold, Texas Tea: Synthetic Oils and What You Need to Know; Slow Lane: Taking Life Easy in a '58 Vert';
What Kind of Engine Can You Really Afford?

A century of people's cars

Five Guilty-Pleasure Cars That Are More Fun To Drive Than You’d Expect
"VW Beetle: Forget the New Beetle, I’m talking about the original people’s car. It’s slow, its weight balance is all wrong, and it sounds like a blender full of clam shells, but driving a Beetle is fun–certainly way more fun than it should be."

Frank's bus goes to a good home; its first (4/9/09)
"My VW bus is headed back to Germany. I said goodbye yesterday in the parking lot of South Coast Plaza, where I met with the German couple who'd paid an ungodly sum for this thing I rescued it nearly a decade ago from an alley in Lompoc for $500."

Nickelodeon Theatre founder delivers a touching tale in new book
"Part homespun diary, part travelogue and part history lesson, “Letters to Zerky,” is a fascinating, lighthearted and touching tale. In 1967 Bill Raney, local resident and founder of downtown Santa Cruz’s venerable Nickelodeon Theatre, undertook an adventure of behemoth proportions. Along with his wife JoAnne and their infant son, Eric Xerxes (thus the nickname Zerky), Raney set out from San Francisco on the ultimate road trip—across Europe, the Middle East and Asia—in a Volkswagen bus. The trio bravely crossed mountains, deserts and oceans, and the couple captured their harrowing experiences in a series of letters written to their young son, so that he could later relive the around the world adventure that he was then too young to contemplate.

Tragically, Zerky died only a few years after returning from the trip and the letters became “lost”—stored away at the Raney residence for more than 30 years."

Every day he gets to use his 'Magic Bus'
"Over the past eight years or so, this column has featured modes of transportation ranging from a 1969 Jaguar XKE convertible to a 1948 Buick roadster to a horse called Popeye. This week, I landed my first Volkswagen bus. Finally."

Bristol couple start VW camper van wedding hire business

COFFEE WITH: Part of history
"South Burnaby resident Gregg Harris doesn’t have any trouble remembering where he was on July 20, 1969.

He and his wife Barbara were in Uganda in Murchison Falls National Park, living out of their Volkswagen camper van during a two-year trek around the world."

PHOTO: VW Celebrates 30 Years Of Transporter
"The T3 Volkswagen Transporter is celebrating its 30 th birthday this year. At the world`s biggest showroom of classic cars, “Techno Classic”, which is held in Essen from April 2 until 5, Volkswagen`s stand will entirely be dedicated to the T3 transporter."
Photogallery here .

Is that patchouli burning in my bug’s engine?

Volkswagen California road test
"The California is the modern incarnation of the classic VW camper. "


General Auto News of Interest:
Chrysler includes Fiat 500 in New York auto show debut

The surf set gets a new ride
"The silver cocoons of summer could be targeting a new market. Airstream Trailers, noted furniture designer Republic of Fritz Hansen and Mini, an arm of BMW, are teaming up to build a special trailer/car combo that could have the designer cognoscenti making reservations at the nearest campground.

The project will make its debut at the upcoming Salone del Mobile show in Milan, Italy, and will run from April 21 to April 30 .

It combines three icons of style, the new Mini Cooper Clubman S, a smaller version of an Airstream trailer and the trailer's interior design ..."

Help Fill The Autopia Fantasy Garage
"You knew it would happen - someone has turned the age-old parlor game of picking your money-no-object fantasy cars into a Facebook app. It's always fun to fantasize about the fleet you might assemble if you win the Lotto or hit a jackpot in Vegas, but too often the lists are a bit, well, predictable.
Consider the "Cars I Want In My Garage" app that LivingSocial put together for Facebook. Lots of Ferraris, Porsches, the occasional Bugatti Veyron or McLaren F1. Nice cars, those, but no real surprises. And it isn't like LivingSocial knows cars and we don't. We see this as a challenge.
So, with no further ado, we're filling the Autopia Fantasy Garage with five eco-conscious cars and inviting you to play along."
Go to the link to submit your photos, as well.

And the World Car of the Year Is...
"The sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf edged out two other fuel efficient cars to be named World Car of the Year, while the Honda Clarity FCX hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and Nissan GT-R were named the cleanest and meanest cars on the planet."

Funkengroovin' News and A Dog On A Car

Remember the Dog On The Car mentioned here, here, and here? Well, there's a new dog in town, just about a block away from the other one, along Canal Road, in Maadi. The old Dog On A Car hasn't been on top of a car for some time now. We think he's a pet Baladi, whereas the one below is definitely a street dog.

NEWS:

The 5 Most Dangerous Cars for Teens

There's always VW accidents throughout the news, when VB does her weekly search for articles. This one involves a diplomat, and for those of us who have lived overseas, who are subject to the local laws, diplomatic immunity is always a thorny issue.
'Drunk diplomat's wife' kills man

"Adonis Ndudule, 24, from Ormonde View in the south of Johannesburg, stopped a few hundred metres before the 14th Avenue offramp when the engine of his Volkswagen Beetle started giving trouble."

"A member of ER24's emergency services apparently passed the Beetle just before the accident and had seen the car with its flashing hazards parked in the emergency lane.

Ndudule was inspecting the engine, which is mounted in the rear of the Volkswagen Beetle, when he was hit from behind by the Clio. He died on impact."

"A search on the eNaTIS vehicle system revealed that the Clio was registered to the Malaysian embassy."

""We were not allowed to arrest her at the scene - even though she may have been reckless - because she has diplomatic immunity," said Inspector Edna Mamonyane, Johannesburg' s metro police spokesperson."

From Jalopnik:
The Car That Started Murilee On His Vehicular Downward Spiral: Hubert The Hatred Bug

"Here's a story I've been meaning to tell since I started writing for Jalopnik: how it came to be that I love junkyard-built, low-budget, primered-out heaps so much. You can blame this '58 Volkswagen!"

Irvine, California:
21st Annual VW Classic Weekend - Kit Car Event Coverage

Meyers Manx Dune Buggy - A Legend Returns

"Well, he is back...and back with a stylish vengeance. Meyers took the simple Manx dune buggy design and has brought it to the next level-the Manxter 2+2. The Manxter 2+2 takes the original concept into the 21st century with tried-and-true ideas and cutting-edge technology and style."

Check out the photo of the "VW bus his company takes to trade shows."
Growing company makes scents

"Tom Conroy knows what Bank of America smells like.

He can also tell you the scents for Macy's, McDonald's and Westin Hotels.

Conroy is chief executive officer of ScentAir, a Charlotte company that creates aromas and sells them for use in stores, museums, at special events and other venues."

Porsche 911 still roars after all these years

"The 911 was revealed in 1963 as an updated, more powerful version of the Porsche 356, which was essentially a Volkswagen Beetle wearing running shoes. Like its VW ancestor, the 911 had an air-cooled, rear-mounted engine, but it was a larger flat-six engine whose signature off-beat growl was a far cry from the unmusical flatulence of the Beetle."

"Consider this though (and leaving aside the barn-burning GT3 and GT2 racing models for now), a modern 911 Carrera- has 385 h.p. and is available with a twin-clutch PDK transmission that lets it rocket to 100 kilometres per hour in slightly more than four seconds with a top speed of 302 km per hour. Yet it will only burn slightly more than eleven litres of fuel for every 100 km of city driving: about the same as a V-6 Honda Accord. It's quiet and refined as only a German sport-luxury car can be, but open it up on a twisty road and the lively spirit of the '60s original can be felt underneath all the satellite navigation and heated seats."

Mercury? De Soto? Call It a Winner

"Combining a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan and panels from 11 different cars, including a 1957 De Soto, Steve Heller won the Collectible Car of the Year contest."

U.S. Cash for Clunkers? Not Yet

"The concept of retiring old cars met opposition from car enthusiasts concerned that classic models, valued either as restoration projects or as sources of spare parts, might be scrapped. But it has the backing of public transit advocates, environmentalists and economists, and is seen by some legislators as a better use of tax money than making loans directly to failing automakers.

Under a Senate proposal called the Voluntary Retirement of Fuel-Inefficient Vehicles, consumers who voluntarily turn in cars or trucks that get less than 18 miles a gallon would receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help them buy more economical replacements."

From the Washington Post:

"How much do you know about car safety? Take our quiz and test your knowledge -- what you don't know could hurt you."

(Below): Homemade sheesha pipe.




LOST!
The new season starts here in Cairo tonight, on Showtime Series channel. VB is going to dinner, with an out of town guest. Showtime usually (but not always, as is the case with The Tudors) reruns programs the following afternoon. VB would like to see the VW Bus, as it shows up again this season. She's not sure she wants to try keeping up with a show she hasn't watched for several seasons, which was confusing to begin with. Maybe she'll just check out episode "316" (link below) when it airs, and leave it at that.

Who's VW bus is used in television show LOST?

(Old, but with photos of the Bus.)
LOST finds the VW Bus

Lost Episode Recap: "316"

(Below): A scene from Road 9, Maadi.



Tomorrow (Wednesday) there will be a non-news Funkengroovin'.

Funkengroovin - The News Only Edition

Let's see if VB gets in trouble for publishing so many photos that are not hers. The warning says "for personal use only," and she considers this blog highly personal. All the photos in today's post are from, Google archives LIFE photos -- classic wheels included, as the LA Times states. They have an amazing number of photos, some of which have never before been published. VB's thinking about having a few prints made to hang on her mainly, black and white postered walls, back in Cairo. You can search via decade, car name, country, you name it. All the photos are from archives, and here's the link to the search engine: Search millions of historic photos. Have fun!

NEWS:

BENZ BUSES, BEETLES AND BUDDHISTS
"For Shrestha, his battered German-built bus is perfect for its current job, ferrying passengers between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, just a few kilometres away

"I've driven plenty of buses but this one still feels wonderful, despite being 11 years older than me," said Shrestha, 24, as he nosed his way into the frenetic traffic.

"Hippies brought this bus to Nepal during the 70's and sold it to locals. I heard that the interior was like a room and had a toilet.

"They used to sleep inside. The locals who bought it converted it into a passenger vehicle."

Nepal was often the end of the road for countless overland travellers who made the trip from Europe, through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India."


"The hippies and their vehicles were very exotic for me as a kid growing up near what we called Freak Street," he said, referring to the area in central Kathmandu where the hippies congregated.

For day-to-day use he drives a Hyundai hatchback but the weekends and holidays are for his cherished 1976 Beetle. He bought it eight years ago for $1300 then spent three times that much renovating it.

"When I wash and wax my Beetle I feel like kissing it. It's the shape that makes it so attractive and you can never get bored with it."

The blue and white Beetle still turns heads, he said. "You look at modern vehicles - Toyotas, Nissans, Tatas - and they all look the same.""- AFP

Same story, but more photos: Hippies' old vehicles evoke lost era in Kathmandu

16 years of cruising in Cleveland
"For the Cool Breeze VW Club in Cleveland, the breeze they refer to is not the one blowing through their hair, but the breeze blowing across their engines. Cool Breeze VW Club is an air-cooled club, meaning their members drive Volkswagens with air-cooled engines, as all the classic cars had. They also focus on street vehicles.

For more information about the Cool Breeze VW Club, visit www. myspace.com/coolbreezevw."

Is Your Car in a Good Mood Today?
"People thought cars had facial expressions. For example, participants felt elongated cars with pronouncedly low chassis or angular headlights set wide apart suggested a manly frown. Conversely, headlights with their upper edge relatively close to the middle like the Volkswagen Beetle suggested a smiling child or woman."

Oil should pay
"This is intended for the older people who were around in the 1960s. Remember the billboard on the highways that advertised a Beetle for $1,799? Remember Ralph Nader? He led the nation into believing that VW was the most unsafe vehicle in the world. Why? Because the VW was capturing the automotive market in America.

GM, Ford, Chrysler and don't exclude American Motors (Rambler), and the big oil companies ganged up on VW using Nader to bury Volkswagen...."




Obama Saves Auto Industry, to Build "Obamawagens"
"Modeled on the popular beetle-shaped Volkswagen, or "people's car," the new vehicle will feature the utility and cheapness of the original Volkswagen Passenger Cars ordered by Germany in the 1930s, designed by Porsche and built in Wolfsburg, Germany.

The two-door cars will have an air-cooled, rear mounted engine and will sell for about $2000 each, thus competing with the Tata vehicles made in India.

"Obamawagens will be made in some of the factories formerly owned by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler," said President Obama. "Imports of foreign cars will be banned.""

Canadians Start 28,000-Mile Voyage In Veggie-Fueled Van, Attempt World Record

Heading west in a Westy
"Not settling for anything ordinary, the Henrietta couple decided to take the journey in a Volkswagen bus from the 1970s instead of a typical recreational vehicle or camper.

Accompanying Josh and Kim on their travels will be their 4-year-old cat, Fink, and their appropriately named 6-year-old dog, Westy. Along the way, Josh and Kim will post pictures, videos and blog updates on the Web site www.greenbusadventures.com, which they created to keep family and friends updated on the trip."

Build Your Own VW Camper Van

You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone
"Just Kampers (www.justkampers.co.uk), the insurance specialist for camper owners, has launched a home insurance policy that includes cover for personal effects away from home. Tailored especially for the needs of camper van owners, the policy is easy to arrange online, and very competitively priced. It offers piece of mind and covers multiple trips so once it's taken out - that's it, job done."

(Many photos and a link to a video, that VB can't get to work.)
Volkswagen Funerals
"THE ONLY AIRCOOLED HEARSE AND FUNERAL CAR FLEET AVAILABLE FOR HIRE IN THE WORLD"

"Volkswagen Funerals fleet includes our VW Bay (camper van style) hearse, two matching classic stretched Beetle limousines which are modern Mexican Cars for reliability, and this countries only New Beetle Limousine. To keep to the 'camper' theme we have a 1963 VW 21 window Samba split screen bus and new for 2009 our bay window 'camper van' style Bus , which is perfect to follow the Bay Hearse. All cars are in matching white."

1973 Volkswagen Type 3 Squareback

Caught the bug: Lifelong mechanic has a soft spot
"When Verle Allen met Kay Wensel in 1972, he didn't know he was being introduced to the two loves of his life.
One was her. They were married about two years later.

The second was her little red Volkswagen Beetle."

Florida tinkerers building their own electric cars
"So he bought two 1965 Volkswagen Beetles for $2,000 each and spent some time poking inside them and taking measurements. After the engines came out, he and his colleagues custom-built a special mount and installed an electric motor and batteries. The entire process, from design to driving, took about three months.

Now Bourgeois drives an all-electric Beetle to work each day and said he doesn't mind that it needs recharging every 25 or 30 miles or so. That's less than his daily commute. He also doesn't mind the cost of recharging his batteries: He figures he's paying about 2.5 cents per mile, or 75 cents per recharge.

He also has started selling the conversion kits through a new company, RebirthAuto. The $7,000 kits include the motor mount that they designed, and soon will include a specially designed controller that regulates the electric power."

Wheels: Frank Zappa’s Compact Car From Hell

Study Says Cars Make Us Fat
"It would be easy to chalk this up to American laziness and our love affair with cars, but it isn't that easy. European cities tend to be compact and densely populated with excellent transit systems. American cities, on the other hand, tend to sprawl on and on and on — ever been to Atlanta? Dallas? Phoenix? — and our mass transit infrastructure generally is not as advanced, so it can be harder to get out of the car and onto a bike."

From the LA Times: 10 gifts for gearheads

Doggone it: Car companies’ pet accessories to keep animals safe
"Either way, all bets are off when the dog could roam free in the car. As one commenter said another time when Up to Speed broached the subject of in-car pet restraints, “I doubt anybody would want to get hit in the head by a dog of any size.”

Programs like Bark Buckle Up, which works with 15 auto manufacturers, teach the importance of pet safety, such as latching animals to seats for drives. And car companies have come to our aid with lines of pet accessories for both safety and messes."

(Below): That's Bob Hope with his VW Bus. VB's as shocked as you. She's not sure what to think. Very odd looking license plate, though.






Christmastime: Special Edition