Funkengroovin Wednesday - Another Street

Here's a street in Maadi Gedida. The pink Bug was spotted as we passed by, so we looped around to get a better shot. Out of the corner, across the street, VB noticed the blue Beetle. We returned two weeks later, to check out the progress, only to find both cars gone.

A pomegranate cart.

(Below 2 Photos): Pink Beetle shell near a repair shop.

(Below 2 Photos): Shiny blue Beetle at a repair shop.

(Below): The shiny blue Beetle's engine.

(Below): Brazilian?

(Below): Dash and steering wheel.

(Below 2 Photos): Front end and rear interior close up shots.

(Below): Up the street, a Bus.

(Below 2 Photos): Up on a parking area, near a U-Turn sits the apparent dumping spot, for cars with serious injuries. Makes you wonder how and if, the drivers and passengers survived.

NEWS:
(Go to the link for full articles and photos.)

(Australia - Next Two Items)
They’ve got the bug
"Quin Latimore in a quest to recruit members for their newly formed club."

Perfect Kombi nation

Build Your Own 1960 Beetle - With Legos
"This box of bits will only cost you $120 and a successful build is probably not above your skill level."

VW Design Chief: 2010 Volkswagen Beetle Will be "Less Toyish" and "More Mature"

Will The U.S. Get A Beetle-Based Pickup?

Is Volkswagen Violating The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act?
"My neighbor "Pam" recently lost her husband and was surprised to have someone call her up and ask for him. She asked who was calling. The representative was from VW Credit agency. They get to chatting and the rep asks if she knows two people from across the street and gives their names and house number. Pam is very social and say yes of course. The representative then asks if Pam could leave a note on the front door and on their VW Bug asking if the neighbors could please contact VW Credit agency. At this point Pam said "No thank you" and terminates the call."

VW sculpture going to Sparks
"The Bug that has sat on top of the former Reno fire station on Morrill Avenue since 1992 has found a new home on top of Scudders VW Performance Specialists, 630 Victorian Ave."

Jay Leno on Paul Newman
"Paul had some great cars but the one that made me smile was the VW Bug he had with a Porsche 911 engine in the back. It blew the doors off people at the lights and they could never work out why. It was much cooler than the Ferraris that other stars might have had."

Duo gives up stable jobs to go around the world in a VW bus

Magic Bus: Peter Townshend Gets a New-Generation Camper Van

Tooling around Utah parks in a VW camper van
"As Nathan Williams, co-owner of the rental company, demonstrated the van's features, I could see that a VW camper is like a Swiss army knife on wheels, with surprising conveniences tucked and folded into every nook. Fold the small table out of the way, pull out the backbench seat, and you've got a bed big enough to sleep two. (Admittedly, not the most comfortable of beds; it felt like a sofa-sleeper.)" "I discovered, to my disappointment, what the term "Weekender" means: This model lacks the built-in stove, sink and refrigerator common to classic VW campers. Instead, it has a tiny refrigerated drawer that was cold enough to keep yogurt and vegetables from going bad, but not to chill beer."

From the "Good Grief" Department:
Actor Claus Theo Gaertner's Wedding
"...The couple, who have found their 35-year age difference to be no hindrance to their six-year romance, arrived at their wedding venue in a vintage vehicle-- a VW bus...."

Morecambe and Wize - vintage VW camper van hire in the north of England

Study Says Closing Roads Might Cut Congestion. Huh?

A 100-Year-Old Dream: A Road Just for Cars
"The Long Island Motor Parkway, built 100 years ago by William Kissam Vanderbilt II, was one of the first roads built specifically for the automobile."

EGYPT:
Why are Egyptian cabbies driven to talk so much?
"Even casual travelers to Cairo soon learn one thing about the city: Egyptian taxi drivers delight in gabbing about politics, religion, the weather, their family, your family, their income, your salary — whatever — while you are captive in their cabs. Khaled Al Khamissi, an Egyptian author, recounts dozens of conversations he's had with chatty drivers in a book called "Taxi," a rolling portrait of contemporary Cairo. For him, cabbies are the city's town criers." "First published in Arabic last year and now available in English, "Taxi" reconstructs from memory 58 conversations Al Khamissi had with various drivers."

NEW TRAFFIC LAW IN EFFECT

Road Safety In Egypt Still At A Low Even After New Law Introduction
"Minibuses - which officials said transport about 2.7 million people each day - can be seen careering around the streets of Cairo with little respect for other cars and pedestrians and are the cause of a high number of collisions. Their low-paid drivers - immortalised in the hit 1996 movie Demons of Asphalt - are known to take drugs to stay awake on long shifts. "Taking the minibus is a daily adventure," said Amal Hamed, 25, who works in a clothes shop, as she waited for a minibus to take her home to the teeming neighbourhood of Shoubra. "When I arrive home safely, I pray to thank God I'm still alive."

Anyone remember seatbelts?
"A car with no licence plates is double parked, blocking the way for another parked car. The driver waits impatiently, asking the car attendant why he "allowed" it. Then he tries to push the car but fails because of the hand brakes. He resorts to using his horn, in the hope the driver will miraculously hear the noise and be reminded of his wrongly parked vehicle. Finally a man wearing a police uniform gets into the car without a glance and speedily drives off. The car attendant remains silent. He does not ask the policeman for the usual tips. The waiting man speaks only when the policeman has left. "So, the traffic law is really in force," he says to no one in particular."

Contemplating parking
"Cairo is a place of surprises. You go into the coffee shop to meet a friend, and by the time you come out the licence plate on the back of your car has disappeared. Not the licence, not the car – but the licence plate. What on earth could be more absurd?"

BAN ON COMMERCIAL USE OF GPS IN EGYPT HAS CONSUMERS FRUSTRATED
"Telecoms Law 10/2003 outlaws the import of GPS-equipped mobile phones, and retailers found selling them could lead to the confiscation of their entire stock. The same applies to any kind of commercial use of GPS technology, which includes cars equipped with GPS devices."

After VB's rant a few posts back, she decided to try to actually get her act together and add some news, as she did in the past. She figured she could go without mentioning politics, because she doesn't like to mix it with car talk, and prefers to just do a straight Funkengroovin post.
But, noooooo!
To quote Sopranos character Silvio (Little Stevie), who always quoted Michael Corleone in The Godfather: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again."

Claudia Sternbach: BamaBus continues Santa Cruz girl's political journey
"Sisters Annie and Samantha Woods had to split up after their wildly successful trip to the Democratic National Convention in their Volvo Obama Mobile. Once back in Santa Cruz, it was time for Samantha to return to work, and the sticker-covered Volvo went along for the ride. Annie, a filmmaker, didn't feel ready to abandon the grand political adventure. So she and Gadi Rouachean, an artist friend from New York City, decided they would tackle traveling to every battleground state in the country. This time using a 1985 VW bus."
You can go to Obamamobile for lots more information, and a video where you can actually see the Bamabus.


BTW, have you checked out your 401k lately?
We did, "And I kissed America, when she was fleecing me..."
David Byrne - Miss America