It Was a Lada Car for the Manyed_rexFebruary 11 2007, 13:41:08 UTC
You were... on this continent, right?
It is remarks similar to yours, above, that drives some Canadians (not this one - but others, less secure in their sense of home and country) into foaming, rabid anti-American rants.
There really are not one, but in fact two different countries in North America. (Note to any suddenly-appalled Central Americans or others with a geographically-correct bent: politically and culturally, I consider the bridge between North and South America a sub-continent in its own right. Now please stop, before I digress again
( ... )
Nothing says "Third Way" like a two-cylinder enginecolinmarshallFebruary 11 2007, 16:48:25 UTC
It's not a good sign when your car's electrical components are replaced with British ones and it's considered an improvement. That Lucas crap almost put Jaguar into receivership.
But anyway, that's interesting; I never realized that actual Ladas were available for purchase just across the border. I guess I always assumed that it wouldn't be possible to move Ladas, Škodas, Trabants, etc. off of their lots in countries where consumers have, uh, another choice.
I've known people who have driven those sorts of cars, but they were on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain at the time and now tend to regard them as symbolic of Soviet deprivation. I suppose that it's possible to have good memories of them if you had the vehicle and not the bread queue.
Re: Nothing says "Third Way" like a two-cylinder engineed_rexFebruary 11 2007, 21:52:42 UTC
It's not a good sign when your car's electrical components are replaced with British ones and it's considered an improvement.
Yeah, no kidding. I can only presume that the Russian parts tended to catch fire, instead of just not working when it got damp or some such thing.
I guess I always assumed that it wouldn't be possible to move Ladas, Škodas, Trabants, etc. off of their lots in countries where consumers have, uh, another choice.
Well, they were cheap. And, the electrical components aside, they were reasonably reliable. Though I should note: I am not aware that Canada ever boasted even a single Trabant dealership! (I did get a ride in a Skoda once, while hitch-hiking, and it seemed significantly superior to the Lada. Which illustrates one of the ironies of the Soviet empirium - that the citizens of its Eastern European colonies/protecterates in most cases enjoyed a much higher standard of living than did the Soviet citizens themselves.)
I suppose that it's possible to have good memories of them if you had the vehicle and not
( ... )
There are so many things in this post I want to respond to. A good post like this is great fodder for talking about over a beer. Of course being this far away makes it hard to take you out for a beer and discuss the merits of Global Warming and Sudbury winters.
Maybe I will find time to write a lengthy and proper reply to this post.
You know, what with the big move and the new baby and the new job, I suspect you could use a good talk over a beer (or three - we'll both take a cab, how's that?).
It's looking as if I will be in Sudbury sometime in March, and I think that would be an excellent time we meet in the flesh.
Since that's where I'll be staying, I will start the negotiation by suggesting some place within walking distance of 4 Corners, but if (I know you've told me, but I forget these things) if you're out in Levac or something, we can dicker.
Not that that possibility need stop you from writing a lengthy reply.
Re: March Drink?sooguyFebruary 13 2007, 02:58:18 UTC
I will bookmark this entry for a lengthy reply at a future date. I am off for three days later this week maybe I will have time to formulate a coherent response then.
Hey, if you are coming to Sudbury in March definitely look me up. I have YET to go out for a beer in Sudbury. My social contacts here are few and far between. I've got a few things up in March (like my son's birthday), but hopefully are schedules will mesh at some point. The 4 Corners area is fine by me. I am out in New Sudbury near the Kingsway, but getting to the South End is not a big deal.
Re: March Drink?ed_rexFebruary 14 2007, 00:18:06 UTC
Nor would it be a big deal for me to get out to New Sudbury; since I gave up drinking and driving when I was 20 or so, I just like walking distance, and my mum lives just south of 4 Corners.
coldest i remember was the winter of 93-94.. it was -59 with the windchill
and i've never actually heard of anyone outside of europe driving a Lada.. then again, in my neck of the woods, a Porsche is considered horribly exotic..
Lots of Ladas In Canada ...ed_rexFebruary 13 2007, 01:40:11 UTC
... or at least, there were quite a few on Highway 17, between Sault Ste-Marie and Thunder Bay more than 20 years ago, when I was hitching through that glorious (yet mostly uninhabited) country.
Er, a Porsche is considered pretty exotic here, too. And they cost quite about more than $6K, even back in 1989.
Re: Lots of Ladas In Canada ...rev_joFebruary 13 2007, 03:57:03 UTC
they are pretty costly, but are exotic by the fact that Ford, Chevy, or Dodge doesn't make them... I think I've only seen a Yugo around here once, and most people had no idea what it was
Re: Lots of Ladas In Canada ...ed_rexFebruary 14 2007, 00:21:40 UTC
Quite a few years ago, while hitch-hiking somewhere or other, I hopped into a sportscar. I'd been sprinting to where it had pulled over and didn't notice what it was.
When my driver started moving, I started to look around while at the same time noticing some ... some quality in the ride itself.
"Nice car," I said.
"It should be," quoth my chauffeur, "it's a Porsche."
And it was. From the smallest finishings to the clunk when I closed the door, to the sound of the motor and the sheer feel of the ride, it had Quality written all over it.
The gas mileage was probably lousy, but what a sweet ride.
Thanks so much for your great review of this article. I thought it was an important article. I hope you don't mind that I copied your comments on it and sent it to some of my friends (attributed, of course.) I should have asked first -- my bad. I added this comment: Kim's Comment: Whether or not humans are causing Global Warming really doesn't matter -- we still need to deal with it. If we are really in a cooling cycle but warming it so much that we are suffering from too much warmth, then maybe getting the Earth back to where we would like it will be easier than predicted, because we don't have to get rid of ALL of the greenhouse gasses, just enough to get back to where we want it! That doesn't mean we should do nothing, that means it is much more hopeful that if we start now, we can actually do it! It makes the job smaller and more manageable. Good News!
Thanks for your kind remarks - and I don't mind at all that you quoted me (with attribution!).
Whether or not humans are causing Global Warming really doesn't matter -- we still need to deal with it. If we are really in a cooling cycle but warming it so much that we are suffering from too much warmth, then maybe getting the Earth back to where we would like it will be easier than predicted, because we don't have to get rid of ALL of the greenhouse gasses, just enough to get back to where we want it! That doesn't mean we should do nothing, that means it is much more hopeful that if we start now, we can actually do it! It makes the job smaller and more manageable. Good News!
I'm not sure that article - if it is actually true - is good news, but I think it's a useful reminder that we are not helpless. Far from it. Collectively, we are becoming powerful indeed. And we owe it to not just ourselves, but also to the creatures with whom we share this planet, and especially to our children, to face up to our power and learn to wield it
Comments 16
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It is remarks similar to yours, above, that drives some Canadians (not this one - but others, less secure in their sense of home and country) into foaming, rabid anti-American rants.
There really are not one, but in fact two different countries in North America. (Note to any suddenly-appalled Central Americans or others with a geographically-correct bent: politically and culturally, I consider the bridge between North and South America a sub-continent in its own right. Now please stop, before I digress again ( ... )
Reply
But anyway, that's interesting; I never realized that actual Ladas were available for purchase just across the border. I guess I always assumed that it wouldn't be possible to move Ladas, Škodas, Trabants, etc. off of their lots in countries where consumers have, uh, another choice.
I've known people who have driven those sorts of cars, but they were on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain at the time and now tend to regard them as symbolic of Soviet deprivation. I suppose that it's possible to have good memories of them if you had the vehicle and not the bread queue.
Reply
Yeah, no kidding. I can only presume that the Russian parts tended to catch fire, instead of just not working when it got damp or some such thing.
I guess I always assumed that it wouldn't be possible to move Ladas, Škodas, Trabants, etc. off of their lots in countries where consumers have, uh, another choice.
Well, they were cheap. And, the electrical components aside, they were reasonably reliable. Though I should note: I am not aware that Canada ever boasted even a single Trabant dealership! (I did get a ride in a Skoda once, while hitch-hiking, and it seemed significantly superior to the Lada. Which illustrates one of the ironies of the Soviet empirium - that the citizens of its Eastern European colonies/protecterates in most cases enjoyed a much higher standard of living than did the Soviet citizens themselves.)
I suppose that it's possible to have good memories of them if you had the vehicle and not ( ... )
Reply
Maybe I will find time to write a lengthy and proper reply to this post.
Reply
It's looking as if I will be in Sudbury sometime in March, and I think that would be an excellent time we meet in the flesh.
Since that's where I'll be staying, I will start the negotiation by suggesting some place within walking distance of 4 Corners, but if (I know you've told me, but I forget these things) if you're out in Levac or something, we can dicker.
Not that that possibility need stop you from writing a lengthy reply.
Reply
Hey, if you are coming to Sudbury in March definitely look me up. I have YET to go out for a beer in Sudbury. My social contacts here are few and far between. I've got a few things up in March (like my son's birthday), but hopefully are schedules will mesh at some point. The 4 Corners area is fine by me. I am out in New Sudbury near the Kingsway, but getting to the South End is not a big deal.
Reply
We'll negotiate, closer to the actual occurence.
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and i've never actually heard of anyone outside of europe driving a Lada.. then again, in my neck of the woods, a Porsche is considered horribly exotic..
Reply
Er, a Porsche is considered pretty exotic here, too. And they cost quite about more than $6K, even back in 1989.
Reply
I think I've only seen a Yugo around here once, and most people had no idea what it was
Reply
When my driver started moving, I started to look around while at the same time noticing some ... some quality in the ride itself.
"Nice car," I said.
"It should be," quoth my chauffeur, "it's a Porsche."
And it was. From the smallest finishings to the clunk when I closed the door, to the sound of the motor and the sheer feel of the ride, it had Quality written all over it.
The gas mileage was probably lousy, but what a sweet ride.
Reply
I added this comment:
Kim's Comment:
Whether or not humans are causing Global Warming really doesn't matter -- we still need to deal with it. If we are really in a cooling cycle but warming it so much that we are suffering from too much warmth, then maybe getting the Earth back to where we would like it will be easier than predicted, because we don't have to get rid of ALL of the greenhouse gasses, just enough to get back to where we want it! That doesn't mean we should do nothing, that means it is much more hopeful that if we start now, we can actually do it! It makes the job smaller and more manageable. Good News!
Reply
Whether or not humans are causing Global Warming really doesn't matter -- we still need to deal with it. If we are really in a cooling cycle but warming it so much that we are suffering from too much warmth, then maybe getting the Earth back to where we would like it will be easier than predicted, because we don't have to get rid of ALL of the greenhouse gasses, just enough to get back to where we want it! That doesn't mean we should do nothing, that means it is much more hopeful that if we start now, we can actually do it! It makes the job smaller and more manageable. Good News!
I'm not sure that article - if it is actually true - is good news, but I think it's a useful reminder that we are not helpless. Far from it. Collectively, we are becoming powerful indeed. And we owe it to not just ourselves, but also to the creatures with whom we share this planet, and especially to our children, to face up to our power and learn to wield it
Reply
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