trinacriabob

de Valdivia (a stop on the Santiago Chile metro system)

This dealer family is actually more known for Carr Chevrolet and Carr Subaru in the metro Portland area. Carr Subaru...you don't want to get me started...

Do you guys notice the reveals (indentations) don't align? I wonder if that was deliberate or haste in trying to make the design budget...or lack of sleep.

Is she the famous fado singer? Nice name...I, too, think of Amelia Island in Florida.

I don't go to gatherings. I tend to dislike crowds and noise. "Hot August Nights" in Reno is one of the most obnoxious things I've witnessed. TRUE, you rubberneck for a lot of cool cars (there are many model years represented) but the crowds, the noise and the hotel prices are bad news. It would be nice to see shows that are focused toward car makes you like. Now, if they had an Olds or a Cutlass show, I might go.

couch potato

Yes, a flake. Again, I dislike both candidates (Bush's third term/too much of a puppet and monosyllabic bull$hit of hope/too much of a preacher), but the choice of a Veep is causing me to vote Dem. (I voted Kerry last time and W the time before that). I don't know if I agree with the last statement. How many people deliberately shoot themselves in the foot, especially ones that are supposedly intelligent?

Volkswagen (People's car...so utilitarian, so Bauhaus)

craft

talent

It's always been used to describe standard "family tree" language by my relatives, both in the North and in the South, neither positive nor negative, but neutral in its tone: - (N) "Questa signora e' la cognata del vicino" (the correct form you teach, "il Sienese," right?) and - (Sicil. with that more guttural delivery) "Assa signora e' a cugnata do vicino." Now, if they said, "Questa signora e la cornuta del vicino" I'd be worried....OUCH...that, as you know, has the "cheating" connotation....

Yes, cunada = cognata (Ital.) or cugnata (Sicil.) Agree with your observation. I had so many Cuban friends during my childhood in LA because they were so theatrical and it felt "normal." Not only that, they also will not let you forget they are European, with many of them having roots in the Canary Islands. Some of the WASPier families on the block seemed too "starched" to me, so I would go over to the more "ethnically charged" houses after school.

Exactly...it's like a dysfunctional family whose baseline is chaos. They don't have to be that way, it's that they want to be. They've desesintized the rest of the world everytime someone gets blown up in a public place by one of these loons....in a "normal" setting, that would be a tragedy, but for them, it happens so often that we just say "oh, sh!t, another one...". I'm friends with some Palestinian Catholics, a rare breed, and the crap they tell me about all the bickering and power struggles in their family makes those in the other families I know of, including my own, seems like child's play.

+1 Thank you.

I loathe Hillary and do so even more after reading most of "The Truth About Hillary" by Klein at a Barnes and Noble while prevented from going forward through a mountain pass because I had no chains. She exemplifies megalomania and is truly venomous - and is the antidote to all the virtues of a true leader. Somewhere in that book was the comment that 'Hillary Clinton needs to be kept as far away from the White House as possible,' or something to that effect. I agree. She is not qualified to be the Commander in Chief. HOWEVER....she has a law degree from Yale, has worked as an attorney, has taught law, and has been steeped in state and federal politics (8 years in DC) like a tea bag that's stayed in for a long time. I don't think her learning curve would be as long as that of Palin. Still, I woldn't want her as President. It's an "apple and orange" kind of situation. I dislike Hillary because she's Hillary. I dislike Palin because I question her competence.

Absolutely. And they'll never let you forget their capital city is "the Paris of South America." Seriously, though, the parallel I was drawing is that if you feel very comfortable in Western Europe, then you'll probably feel real comfortable in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Everything about their capital cities feels European and they are fairly safe destinations.

MODS: Go ahead and lock this thread. Its purpose was to see how people felt about excessive text messaging from cars, and even in the office, now that handhelds have been banned while driving in many states. THANK YOU.

I didn't like either, but was tipping toward McCain. I think Obama spews too much ideological nonsense and no substance. It is the overall ticket that I am now voting for. I don't have a problem with Biden. I have a big problem with Palin .... she's an unqualified hick. There were lots of seasoned women politicians with 10 to 20 years of political experience and the typical relevant education (they're typically law-school trained) that he could have picked from and kept my vote if he needed to snag the Hillary contingent. I am now voting Obama/Biden and registered on Friday.

No...native Californian but my parents are from Italy. I've been to Argentina 2x. The people are a "kick" and the food is great. Their ethnic mix is 50% Spanish, 35% Italian, 10% other European and 5% all else. If a person speaks Spanish and Italian, it's an easy place to navigate, they treat you well and it makes for a great vacation. Ditto for Uruguay.

You've used that image before...get a new one. It's amazing how they let the new wpbharry stay on this forum and cheapen it.

Seems to me more like a pissy guy with an axe to grind and I'd make it a multiple choice with about 3 choices...and the first 2 don't count!

Happy birthday to "I Hope GM Rules Again" and "Tbass." I've actually met "GM Rules" - Steve - while on vacation in Quebec and he has a cool car and is a very cool guy. He even got some previous Olds brochures for me that I had misplaced over the years -- they sit on my coffee table! So, I'll start the thread and hope you have a great birthday!

I guess I'm wondering what's so damn important that people are constantly talking/texting. I work on important stuff, try to stay off the phone and don't text. I can't stand sitting in meetings and that's what participants do. They're not even focused on the meeting. God knows these same people aren't focused on driving their cars safely.

As of July 1, one can no longer speak on a hand-held phone while driving here. Hooray. Most of my near misses were with some moron who was yacking away on a cell phone and having to make some key maneuvers at the same time. Some still yack, taking the risk they won't get caught and ticketed. Now, it's the text messagers. First, what pleasure does someone get from text messaging? All these tiny keys that are too small for most people's fingers. Why not just leave a voice mail? I might see it if you're in a business meeting and need to send/receive something, but that's about it. For all others, leave an 'effin voice mail. Now, these text messagers are sitting there doing it while at intersections and while on the freeway. On a few occasions, I have flipped them off. Are we that 'effin compulsive as a society that we have to keep yappin' or texting while driving a vehicle? Does it bother you too?

They have to be mentally ill. You would have to read their pyschologist's transcript. I'll never forget the front page of the paper the day he got acquitted in the 90s. OJ's walking by, escorted by his attorney/security, and the photo catches a few bystanders. One blonde, white, FAT matronly lady with Jackie-O sunglasses (and most likely, calves like Sequoias) was beaming and had her fist up in victory. I was thinking - even if he was poor, he'd never be parked between her massive thighs. She seemed desperate.