This Sucks!

The Internet is working so slow it's like watching paint dry. Ugh, this happened the same day VB arrived back in Cairo (yesterday.) VB will try to make amends ASAP, with a double header Funkengroovin Wednesday, if need be. For now, here's the lowdown:

Internet outage hits business from Cairo to Colombo

"CAIRO (AFP) — Damage to undersea Internet cables hit business across the Middle East and South Asia on Thursday, including the vital call centre industry, prompting appeals for people to limit their surfing.
Around 70 percent of Internet users in Egypt were affected when two submarine cables in the Mediterranean Sea were damaged on Wednesday, also rupturing connections thousands of kilometres (miles) away."


And, if that ain't bad enough, for those of you trying not to get foreclosed on, or calling a service center for help:

"In India, the Internet-dependent outsourcing industry was severely disrupted, with businesses saying it may take up to 15 days to return to normal.
"Information-technology companies, software companies and call centres that provide online services to the UK or the US East Coast are the worst affected," said Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers' Association of India.
India's 11 billion dollar outsourcing industry employs 700,000 people working for companies that deliver services ranging from answering customer queries to analysing equity markets for global clients."


I would love to add the video of Sen. Ted Stevens describing how the Internet is a series of tubes, but that's a total no go right now.

Again, THIS SUCKS!!!!!

I Voted Today

Vagabondblogger went up to the local Town Hall and voted by Absentee Ballot Today, even though she had to deal with the clerk with an attitude. It's horrible to interrupt the daydreams of a tax leech. Isn't it enough she gets to take off at 1:00 PM every Friday? VB and The Boss Man are paying for this. And believe VB, taxes around here are not cheap! But, it was more than worth the trouble - I made sure to hold my ballot up high, and turn it over several times to show her who I was voting for. Since it was well known that she was a Lieberman supporter, when I was for Lamont, it's a good guess she's a fan of Hill too.

FOR THIS MAN:

Democratic Primary

Vagabondblogger has been obsessed by the Democratic Primary Season this year (one reason why she's been so neglectful with her own blog.) She also loves the movie, Election, with Reese Witherspoon. So, for something fun and unusual, here's:

"Hillary's Inner Tracy Flick
Don't you just hate when some upstart comes along and threatens your best-laid plans? We were struck by how well one of Reese Witherspoon's monologues from the film Election fits the narrative of Campaign 2008."

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Moving A Van with Scenes From Alaska

Moving to and from Alaska is much like moving overseas. Everything has to be put on freighters. Sometimes things get blown off the freighters at sea, and get lost. Moving a car, is also, much like getting it towed. Photos below are of our move from Alaska to "outside" or "the Lower 48."


There were times and places in Alaska, where our Van would / could not go - the hillside (mountain) in winter. Equipped with studded snow tires we were able to suddenly stop on ice without skidding (like when a momma moose and her brood ran across our path), and trudge through "break-up." We did have one accident, when the driveway heaved up, and we had to gun the engine to get up the driveway over the ice. We popped the sun-roof off! Other than having the sliding door open suddenly on incredibly cold days, the Van worked out great. We took it on picnics, drives, bird watching at Potter Marsh, and whale watching at Beluga Point, Turnagain Arm at high tide.

Scenes from a move, and a life in Alaska.


Moving the Van:




Salmon spawning at Potter Marsh.


Hoarfrost:
The kids always get a kick out of emphasising the "hoar" in hoarfrost.


Moose in the front yard:


Camping at Portage Glacier: Our first dog, Shelby, is tied to the car for his own safety. He once ran away, on Christmas eve and disappeared for twelve hours. When we found him, he came out from behind a neighbor's house. We suspect he got stuck in deep snow, in the woods behind our house and spent the day digging himself out. We were grateful he didn't get kicked upside the head by an angry moose. Having found bear skat just outside the Van when we awoke, we decided to play it safe.

you aint going nowhere - Earl Scruggs & The Byrds


Next Tuesday afternoon Vagabondblogger returns to Cairo, arriving on Wednesday. A Funkengroovin post will probably be uploaded late. Sorry folks and sorry about being a bit late this week (trying to get her act together before the trip.)

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Vagabondblogger's Bug - Then

VB has been digitizing old photos. Here's photos of her 1965 VW Bug in perfect condition, back in 1996. As VB mentioned here, our Bug caught on fire. Even though it's been repaired it still needs much work. The top caught on fire, and has not been replaced; and the interior still looks like crap. So enjoy the photos of a lovely Bug, once in perfect condition. No subtitles today, and, as usual click on the photo for an enlarged view. Oh yeah, and check out the photos of VB's burnt out car at the link above. It'll make you cry. It just makes her crazy!




















NEWS: (Click on the link for the full article.)

European Bug In

"THE CONCEPT : The Original Bug-In saga started way back in 1968 on the American West Coast and it quickly grew into THE major VW event that lasted for 15 years... Today the Bug-In Name has a legendary status, and now for the first time ever this show concept lands on Belgian soil under the EUROPEAN BUG-IN flag! This event was conceived with the approval and support of Richard Kimball, one of the original Californian Bug-In Promotors."

VB wants one of these! It's a bit pricey though.
Green RVing: Growing Trend or Wishful Thinking

"DURANGO, CO (AP) - Imagine this plausible scene at any given Main Avenue intersection at the height of tourist season: A behemoth luxury motor home with a Suburban in tow sits next to a diminutive Toyota Prius, waiting for the light to turn. Westfalia photos courtesy of Verdier Canadian industrial designer Alexandre Verdier has designed an updated, super-green version of the Volkswagen Westfalia.

“ Such profligacy!!” the Prius driver seethes. “What part of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ did you not understand?”

Canadian industrial designer Alexandre Verdier, an ardent devotee of the Volkswagen Westfalia camper buses, set about designing an update, super-green version 10 years ago.

On his Web site, www.verdier,ca, a video reels digital renderings of the sleek ergonomic camper set to funky world music. Imagine Herbie the Love Bug meets the Jetsons. It’s sure to make Westfalia’s cult following salivate.
Verdier said that when he approached Westfalia execs about his project, he got an enthusiastic thumbs up.

The first prototype will go on tour next summer, he said. The initial production run will be about 1,000 units, of which 150 already have sold (mostly to Californians, he said). They’re selling for about $89,000."

Verdier site here.

He Used the H Word

"DETROIT — When you are a Chinese auto designer, the idea of political correctness is different than if you are an auto magnate from Europe or North America.

At a conference across the street from the North American International Auto Show where he is showing several design ideas for electric cars, Guangming Li extolled Henry Ford’s Model T and Adolf Hitler’s Volkswagen Beetle as automotive icons that changed the world."


Volkswagen Beetle set to roll out in India

"The original 'people's car,' Volkswagen's Beetle, is all set to roll out on Indian roads as the company plans to bring it by the middle of this year, even as the Indian version 'Nano' from Tatas hogged the limelight since its unveiling at the Auto Expo in New Delhi."

Ecorrazzi Chats With KT Tunstall

"E: My favorite green activity is walking around my apartment naked in the summer, to cut down on my energy use and the AC bill. What is your favorite green tip/activity and why?

KT: I also love walking around my house naked. I also highly recommend sharing a bath, hitting yourself on the head with a ladle if you need to boil the kettle twice, and turning your heating down by 2 degrees.

E: What is your favorite tree, insect, and car?
KT: The Californian Redwood. The Bee. A vintage Porsche…or a souped up Brazilian copy of a 60’s split screen VW camper. But I don’t own a car or a camper van as it wouldn’t make sense."


ITV's new pairing of soap and satire is odd, yet better than you might expect


"At ITV, the furniture has been moved. The result of this not-very-exciting heaving and shoving is that News at Ten is back, and that Sunday-night episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale are to be shifted to Tuesdays and Fridays. If this all feels a bit back to the future, fear not: ITV's executives have also dashed out and bought a couple of trendy new modular sofas in the form of Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach (Thursdays/Fridays, 9pm and 9.30pm). The first is a comedy set behind the scenes of a soap; the second is the soap itself, which is set in Cornwall and stars Jason Donovan, Martine McCutcheon and a VW camper van (of these, the van is by far the best performer)."


Ry Cooder - Crazy 'Bout An Automobile

Anniversary Day - In Spite Of Ourselves

No not VB's blog anniversary, but her anniversary with the Boss Man, January 12th! Just a bit of trivia: We were married by Father Stephanopoulos in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Sound familiar? Father Stephanopoulos, is George Stephanopoulos' father (you know, like in real life.). Father Stephanopoulos told The Boss Man, "Even though your church (Catholic) recognizes this marriage (Greek Orthodox), she can divorce you, but you can never divorce her."


So - to us! (Not counting the years we lived "in sin" together.)

(I guess I'm gettin' the same present I got last year, too.)


John Prine and Iris DeMent - In Spite of Ourselves

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Confusion Reigns Supreme Revisited

One Thing Leads To Another


Remember this Bus?


And the blog about it:? Well, when Vagabondblogger isn't in Cairo, carousing around looking for VW's, she's in Connecticut reading. One of the new books she recently bought is, Volkswagens Of The World. Apparently some guy, Simon Glen, traveled the world photographing, and documenting a variety of Volkswagen cars and buses, and their derivatives (a little compulsive wouldn't you say?)

VB found a very similar looking Bus photo: "A 1978 Brazilian six-door Transporter Type 201 Microbus Luxo."

From there VB decided to do a more specific Internet search. Even though you can find anything you want on the web, when you're looking for something you don't know anything about, it's pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack. So check out this Bus VB found at TheSamba.com. Very similar. It's a Brazilian six door transporter.

And, as in Cairo, when it comes to Brazilians, their VW's may not be what they seem to be. According to Malcolm Bobbitt, author of The Volkswagen Bus Book:

"...There was also a problem, in the materials sent from Germany did not always compliment production then current in Brazil. Thus, the situation often arose that vehicles that were seemingly representative of a particular era were adorned with fittings, such as doors and trim items, from previous models.

There were a number of anomolies concerning Brazilian-built Transporters in respect of styling arrangements being peculiar to other models. Hence, some Bay Window Microbuses were fitted with side and rear windows of a pattern similar to those seen on the Split-Screen Samba. Specific to Brazilian production was a water-cooled Bay Window diesel-engined model, complete with an external radiator fixed to the nose of the vehicle."

If that's not bad enough, according to Simon Glen (the dude who traveled the world):

"In 1975 its successor, although fitted with a single carburettor, 1600 twin port engine, and looking like a second generation Type 2 from the front, was really just a 1957 Type 2 with a second generation, one piece wind-screen, front panel, front doors, and dashboard fitted to the front. From the front doors back the body was still the first generation shell, which was how it remained in production until 1997! ...From 1976 the 1600 twin port engine was standard and there was a 'Luxo' model of the Microbus with a unique arrangement of doors on both sides....." (Photo below)

It's pretty obvious that the section between the two side doors was welded onto the bus, in the photo VB took at the Car Market. It's not a very good job either. That was never an issue. VB wanted to know where the hell these guys got this idea from? (Dangling, VB knows this.) So, she found out. And as odd as she and The Boss Man thought Cairene VW's were, apparently it's a worldwide phenomenon.


TheSamba.com got their photo from an old car site in Japan. This site has some amazing VW's and their uses. For those photos go here. VB's fave is Heidi Pizzaria, which you can get to by scrolling down. They've even installed a brick oven!






Check out the labels under the photos called "cut," which gives you inside views of the Buses. So, VB is adding these two pages as links, since they're totally awesome! This site will keep you busy for hours. Also, when you scroll down, and leave your pointer on one of the cartoons it will show you the actual machine. VB thinks she wants to start a traveling hookah / sheesha business now - discussions are in progress with the kinder.


For views of other rare Buses:
Dream bus for VW fanatic, has an article and photos about a restored 1953 Samba.


And things get stranger. Would you use a bus as a trailer? If so, take a look at DoubleDutch Bus. Unfortunately, their link "It's genetic" is only in Dutch, but you'll get the picture. They provide many photos, and some explanations in English, with a post of how the trailer came to be, but again, only in Dutch! Pictures abound, and if you're like VB, then a picture speaks a thousand words, and what else do you need, huh?



NEWS:

Conocophillips Corporate Archive -
William Stout, left, with a Scarab.
A Visionary’s Minivan Arrived Decades Too Soon

"Built by a pioneering aircraft designer in the 1930s, the Scarab was a milepost on a road not taken.

On a rainy day in 1936, Mr. Stout and his Scarab visited one of the new cottage-style Phillips gas stations, at Third Street and Keeler Avenue in Bartlesville, Okla., in the heart of the oil patch. A Phillips executive greeted him; in the background of a photo from that day, bystanders look skeptically at the vehicle shaped like a loaf of home-baked bread. The tall, mustachioed Mr. Stout is wearing an overcoat in the photo, and looks like a scientist from one of the “Thin Man” films of the era.

The Scarab’s layout is worth a second look for designers working to pack maximum utility into modern vehicles. It can be seen as the forerunner of the Volkswagen Microbus, the Renault Espace and other one-box designs.

By 1935 he was publicizing the Scarab, which took its name from the beetle held sacred by ancient Egyptians. Its layout was like that of the VW Beetle, however greatly stretched: engine in rear (a Ford V-8), housed under a vast curve of complex grillwork. Mr. Stout praised the car’s aluminum construction and hoped to build 100 a year. He courted Philip Wrigley, of the chewing gum empire; the tire magnate Harvey Firestone; and Willard Dow, of Dow Chemical."



Worried about cats crawling onto your engine to keep warm in the winter? Well then, don't go to New York City, where you will find Under the Hood, a Cozy Rat Retreat.
"It turns out that rats, of which New York City has an ample supply, love to cozy up inside car engines this time of year.

Ignition wires seem to be a particular favorite, he said.

Mr. Gruber, who often finds telltale chicken bones and candy wrappers, said he sees cars with the problem about twice a month; they have often been parked near Riverside Park.

Paul D. Curtis, an associate professor at Cornell University who specializes in wildlife management, said rodents in general tend to be attracted to plastic tubing and wires. “They do need to chew constantly to wear down their incisors,” he said, “and there’s something about the texture of the plastic that they really like.”

Another article, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: "60 Years VW Bulli - The Book" goes to print, (about the Bulli Anniversary bash in Hanover, which VB posted here,) is in the news again. Unfortunately, if you get on the sales website, You can't even find it, anymore. VB was able to locate it it in December, but mailings were not offered to U.S.A. residents. If anyone has a heads-up on where we U.S. citizens can purchase the book, or what's happened to it, please let VB know. She was hoping to get a copy, and is very disappointed by the lack of availability. VB just loves how the media announces this stuff, but doesn't follow up on ordering information. BTW, this is exact same article as before (you'd think the news media could come up with an updated version. What's it been - Close to one month?)

Great Site:
Ever wonder what movies and TV shows your favorite car has been in? Well, now there's a database available: Internet Movie Cars Database. You can search by make or do an advanced search by model. Surprising information including photo shots from the actual scenes.



Blink 182-First date (Check out the split-window featured in the video.)

Day Tripping

The Boss Man, Awesome Daughter, VB and the two doggies took a day trip to New Hampshire, in two cars - the Ford Pick-Up, and the Mini Cooper S, on Friday. Number One Son has been working up there since September and needed to switch cars, among other things. Don't ask why we took two cars!

One the way up we passed the Caspian Rug Gallery, which we visited on our return trip. It's a rustic, small carpet shop run by an Iranian man, Shahram (you can call him "Sean"), somewhere on Route 13, Brookline, New Hampshire. (See below) If you're in the area, you should stop by and buy a carpet. VB has too many carpets already and is not allowed to buy anymore. Boohoo....

Here's what we saw (the really important stuff.)

(As usual, click on photos to enlarge them.)


Decisions, decisions! (Isn't that what New Hampshire's all about these days?) Which way to go?



Thankfully, no decision needed. We get to take a pass on Purgatory - at least for now.



Purgatory Road might have been easier to maneuver through than this (below). Apparently, Number One Son is somewhere out in the boondocks of New Hampshire - something he neglected to tell us.




Due to his upcoming job duties, Number One Son needed the family TomTom to find his way around New Hampshire. The TomTom is great. VB never cared for GPS systems, since the one we received from a car rental company back in 2002 helped get us lost somewhere in western Connecticut. But the TomTom is worth the money, if you take a lot of trips, or need to go into back-country areas, or have the bad luck to always get lost. It's satellite based, and can correct your directions regardless of what you do to screw them up. It's also a hands-free for your phone, and The Boss Man even downloaded John Cleese's voice for his vocal directional instructions (not as funny as you'd think.)

The engine check light came on in the Audi, which Number One Son was driving around, so we decided to trade cars with him. He took the Ford Pick-Up as he has to tote around lots of materials, plus all the snacks we brought for him, and his co-workers. As luck would have it, VB's Mini was too small, and she's very reluctant to let it out of her sight. Covered with dirt and salt residue, in the photo, it's her favorite car. Below, three of the six cars we own. (Sorry but due to the sensitive nature of Number One Son's job, we had to wipe out the license plates. It's "top secret" don't you know.)




Below, scene from the garage window of the house where he was stationed on Friday. A moose was said to have been seen earlier in the day.





Fortunately, his work (12-14 hour days / 7 days a week) pretty much comes to an end Tuesday night, except for a few loose ends he will need to tie up later. Among other things we all hope for is to celebrate The New Year together - something we missed as a result of his intensive work schedule. We have several bottles of unopened champagne we're saving for a celebration (we might even open one up Tuesday night.)

Whatever your thoughts - keep them to yourself - or as Francis Urquhart said in, House of Cards: "You might well think that. I couldn't possibly comment."

Funkengroovin Wednesday- Abu Dhabi Friday Car Souk

VB has mentioned the Al Nasr City (Cairo, Egypt suburb) Friday Car Souk in previous posts. Today she focuses on fond memories of Abu Dhabi and, strangely enough, a used car souk there.

We lived not far from the Corniche in Abu Dhabi and regularly went for walks with Doggie while we lived there. The first year we lived in Abu Dhabi (1997) when we would sometimes walk down along the old Corniche, we would stop at the Friday Car Souk. Every Friday, owners would bring their cars to the parking lot of the strip mall housing Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Shop, and home to a wonderful Lebanese Restaurant. The cars would be deposited for the Friday show, with notes in the windows. Rarely did we ever see the owners standing by, waiting for offers.

As VB stated in her last blog, Sheikh Zayed decided to widen and renovate the Corniche, so the spring of 1998 the Friday car market came to an end, and would be no more, at least not in the Khalidya area.

Even though it seems the Emiratis and rich businessmen in the U.A.E. change new cars like we change our socks, and it is unusual to see older cars on the road in Abu Dhabi, there are collectors. We had our 1965 VW Beetle Convertible shipped to Abu Dhabi when we moved there (it fit into the 20 foot container, along with the furniture!) We drove it around three seasons, usually to the beach, and to Spinney's, where the bag boys would always compliment VB on the car or ask, "Where is the open car madame?" The Indian workers loved it, because they said, it reminded them of the Morris Minor (more on that in another post). We were constantly asked if we were interested in selling it, with very high offers - that is, until they found out there was no air conditioning.

Well, the 6 volt battery eventually died. We looked high and low, drove to Dubai, and Sharjah searching for a 6 volt, with no luck. We couldn't import one as they're "flammable." Finally a friend with old and extensive connections within the royal family and old timer Emiratis, mentioned our plight to a well known Emirati, who was a car collector. He immediately had a battery delivered to our villa, much to our surprise. We, in turn, sent over a chocolate cake shaped like a bug.


He was very happy, and his kids loved the cake. As it turned out, not too long after getting the 6 volt, the brakes went out and the repairman could never figure out why the brakes were leaking (something Bob in West Springfield, MA. ended up fixing). The last year we were there (2001-2002) our baby pretty much sat, sadly, in the garage. Seeing an older car in Abu Dhabi is an oddity, but here's two we found (from 1997) at the old Friday Car Souk along the Corniche.

These are SLR photos that VB has had digitized - as usual, click on the photos to see the ads and more detail.


1976 Cadillac Eldorado












Buick Super




Our '65 Beetle with Abu Dhabi plates.


When we returned to the States, we had to pay for the return of our Beetle ourselves, to the tune of approximately $2,000. It was shipped early June 2001, and was scanned by U.S. Port Authority on September 11, 2002. We were told, by our pick-up agent, that we were very lucky it arrived undamaged.


NEWS:
Again, no news (it's the holidays.)



Fine Young Cannibals - Don't Look Back