Fast times and cornering sharply
You’re gonna have to work hard to keep up with her.(1949.USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Inconvenient goofs: motor mouths and lesser sharp ones.
Ford’s Mustang channeling Henry the 8th?
Both history driven.
Boasting their Mustang Shelby GT500 one will leave the competition standing around like worn-out nags, Ford may be avoiding a weighty truth: this new version maybe more Budweiser Clydesdale than buff equine icon of the plains – the Mustang rumored by gearheads to be weighing in between 4000-4200 pounds as opposed to the Camaro’s leaner weight of around 3883.)
So is it promises, promises? While most agree Mustangs always offer a nice sports car interior (Hey, Henry – 8th and Ford – knew image counts), the company won’t release actual horsepower figures until fall. But put enough power behind a brick and it’ll fly.
“This 700+ horsepower ‘Stang has its knives out for Chevy’s Camaro ZL1 and Dodge’s Challenger Hellcat…”
All sorts of reasons for updates and redesigns.
Ford responded to market demands with a rear wheel drive Explorer.
The lovely Explorer’s Marketing Design team leader glibly explained the change was to make it easier to design the vehicle (?)…and (quickly and quietly said) police departments jumped at the chance to buy fleets of new rear wheel driven cars.
When the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors were discontinued, Ford’s front wheel drive sedans and others cars like the Chevy Tahoe did not live up to expectations or wear. Front tires wear out faster with front wheel and police cars handled better with power and weight in the rear.
Knowing the customers and market mood is critical for a company.
Those blades masters might consider that. Gillette, some cutting remarks:
- Don’t want social lectures from products.
- Exploitation and hijacking an issue. This is obviously “Bad publicity is better than no publicity.” Free, free, free product placement on primetime news and across all social media platforms? Music to any Marketing Department. All about the money.
- Most glaring: Do you really know who some of the WORST bullies – the MOST VICIOUS and violent fighters in schools and neighborhood – the CRUEL BEYOND BELIEF internet trolls – are? It’s very often women and even young girls. A lot little shavers cutting across those…
Metal is sometimes sharper than people.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Alike but different, yet in it together. (1953/USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
Interesting about the front vs back wheel drive. I thought back wheel drive was mostly gone.
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Fashions come and go? You can tow heavier loads with rear wheel drive (so all the airstream trailers and large fishing motor boats…not to mention space shuttles HAHA) and weight in the rear makes it safer and easier at high rates of speed for police dodging in and out of traffic (which brings up post yet to be written involving a speeding Dodge Viper vs a police chief…) – back end can decide it’s going to go first in some situations. Front wheel cars don’t have that annoying hump on the floorboard. There are other reasons for each…but what we all want to know is if hood ornaments and space age fins on cars will ever return.
Thanks for parking a comment
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Ohhh…hood ornaments!
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Anyone remember those fuzzy plush tiger tails they gave away with the Exxon gas station slogan “Put a tiger in your tank”?
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I don’t remember those but I remember their tiger and the big dice people hung on the rearview.
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Fuzzy dice. Mom would never get those. Fortunately she didn’t like those clear seat covers to protect the car’s seat fabric either – the neighbor’s was darn ouchie hot in the summer on the way to the swimming pool.
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Those clear plastic covers were awful. As a young adult, my best friend bought a new car and immediately covered all the seats with towels. It was very tacky (even though they matched) but at least better than plastic. Sure hope you had at least a St. Christopher’s medal to protect you!
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Sounds like the soft life!
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Women and girls are the majority of bullies? What next? Must be in the power of words and the anonymity of the Internet. I knew that Junior High girls could get a little catty, but trolls. Ouch!
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Ha! The worst ones in my grade school weren’t the guys in the chained-up black leather jackets and slicked back hair. The real bullies were the girls, with their sharpened beer can openers and equally cutting taunts. I still remember every one of their names, but I’d never put them online, just in case one wanted to look me up and settle a score.
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Maybe they’ve mellowed. 🙂 I remember that football players could be quite nasty. A couple of years ago at a high school reunion I listed to one of them bragging about somebody they had beaten up. All I could thing was ‘all these years and that is still a highlight of your life.’ Sad. –Curt
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Uh, doubtful with the mellowing – women bullies just get worse as they recognize/are livid they are aging. You do not want one as a boss.
See, the reunion thing points out something: men like the commercial are more the exception than the rule as far as I’ve experienced. (And I’ve traveled widely, responsible/managed territory for 1/3 of the US at one point.) Most grow out of “boy herd behavior” once they have to get a job and get along with others to succeed – and especially if they have daughters.
Now if this commercial had been created and aired back in 70’s-80’s, it could have been considered ground breaking. Schools and society/published research/popular book titles seriously started redirecting of “boys will be boys” behavior” then. Tossing the commercial out now is simply “Johnny-come-lately” to jumping on the bandwagon. Commercialization of current news story for monetary gain. If the company is more interested in equality rather than emotionally charged controversy, why do they charge more for women’s body products…sometimes as much as 13% for the same items except one is pink and pretty?…I hate pink – always a trick. (Women’s shirts cost more to clean, too, although smaller…)
On recent blip is that with so many new arrivals, some of their cultures are extremely male dominated, so it’s a difficult path to slowly make them aware/change what is “normal” behavior” to them to what is expected and acceptable here. To assimilate or hold tightly to traditions? Change happens slowly – their young children and grandchildren will be different than their parents (as usual). Stay the course – change has quietly happened and will continue if people really want equality.
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Actually, it seems to me Phil, being a fan of history, that change has happened lightning-speed fast of the past 50 years.Part of our problem is the difficulty that people have with coping with the rapid change. I agree that the majority of people grow up. I’m just surprised when they haven’t. Thanks for a very thoughtful response. Appreciated. –Curt
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The AI wizard linked to in today’s post echoes those who see the lightening fast changes of this era. He talks about how AI will bring even more rapid and far greater changes (social/economic/political ) than the Industrial Revolution in England at that time. Interesting guy.
Happy Super Woof Blood Moon eclipse on Sunday!
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Think it said “some of the worst” – not majority. Female ugliness has been a curse since forever – long before computers ever existed – such finely filed nails no secret among the sisterhood. What does concern me now is that some have confused the “girl power” and raising self esteem of women with adopting and mirroring the worst, often violent, behavior of boys and men. This trend is very disturbing and harmful to society, too. That sort of behavior doesn’t make anyone “better” or more equal. Dragged down to the lowest denominator is not the goal. Bad behavior of all should be called out and those ostracized by all others in society. If we are and should be individuals considered equals, then equal behavior and spotlight on negatives must be shined on equally. That “do unto others as you would have do unto you” might be be something relevant even not – maybe with flashier words – chants and beats? Glad the girls only smiled at you (and for some reason those girls/women of the West/outdoors seem more self confident, able to stand up for themselves, self reliant, open to equality and having being raised that way like Sandra Day O’Conner – Who could be tough when need without vicious/mean/out of control). Once again, everyone out to the woods and parks! Thanks for hiking by
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That cartoon at the top reminds me of playing crack-the-whip at the ice rink. Woe betide the one who was on the end of that line!
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We did that on roller skates, too. You learn quickly not to be last in line.
That’s from an Archie comic book 1949 – it was given an an example of that era’s marketing reflecting women’s emerging role after the war – they’d gotten used to driving and working and despite the men coming home, they weren’t all going back to the kitchen. Quite surprising that era’s positive trend of strong women/capable “tomboys” was quite popular for marketing dept. then (So many interesting rabbit holes of society to run down – it’s a wonder anything ever gets written and completed here)
Thanks for rolling in with a comment
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I had only one car with back wheel drive… it was an adventure on snowy and wet roads ;O)
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Different environments require different vehicle. At this point, I only want 4 wheel drive. It’s coastal plains here, but we do get ice and we do travel to cold country…besides with the massive rains, it’s nice to have a little more clearance with 4WD in areas of high water. (Besides Molly can see better…she’s all about how the windows and sun roof works for her…she can sit and watch staff change tires HAHA
Thanks for riding along
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Sorta like you, I want AWD now. Would prefer 4×4, but so lousy on gas mileage. As kids on winter drives home in our van or pickup, we were assigned axle duty. Everyone had to sit over the rear axle to help Daddy coax the vehicle up our big, long, slick hill. Also before the days of snow routes or automatic plowing. Sometimes it worked and sometimes we went in the ditch! (I pretend my 4 cyl awd crossover is a big bad muscle car) 🙂
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gas mileage of any vehicle can be affected by many things tuning, maintenance, terrain, climate, and driving habits – surprisingly some older models get better gas mileage than some of the new models.
Had to laugh about your childhood experiences – slick roads, and ditches have challenged many of us…my mom always said “No” if dad wondered out loud if we could make it through water on the dirt road (but Dad would try anyway…mostly successfully – but there’s nothing wrong with having experience of getting a vehicle out of a ditch or stuck in the mud…knowing which neighbor had their mule team pulled out of the pasture up to the house due to too much rain was useful, too HAHA)
Thanks for zooming along (Some cars can have the heart of a muscle car even if not the appearance!)
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I’ve always admired the Shelby. I’d want one except for the price tag. I’ve read about but not seen these allegedly controversial commercials. Another tempest in a teapot, I suspect.
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The commercials are a yawn for me. Maybe ground breaking if shown in 1970-80’s when the concept was new to people and a focus for schools, but more jumping on/commercializing a recent news story now. Rediscovering the wheel
There are Mustang people and there are Camaro people – and a lot of snickering by the Camaro ones right now as the Mustang isn’t hitting the off the line marks…but they can tinker until the car is actually in the showrooms. At this point, I just want a vehicle that starts all the time, needs little maintenance, and gets me from here to there and doesn’t cost so much you’re afraid to drive it or take it to a parking lot.
I hope this approaching cold front streamlines its’ arrival – is this heavy fog or rain? Even the dog is tired of the constant damp and grey. Thanks for breezing in with a comment
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My first motor car (1953) was a 10 HP sedan (a 1940 model) developing 40 BHP, and I had heaps of fun, and enjoyment with it, and not only that it got me around and thats all I wanted my car to do,
Bullies are a problem everywhere, it seems, and I’ve long suspected that female bullies are right up there with the worst of them, the modern means of communication makes it easier for them and harder to trace, Bullies are cowards and need slapping down, something I once enjoyed doing.
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Eeeek! Can’t let my 2006 Charger R/T Hemi (13 years young) know that I’m reading about new Fords & Chevy’s! LOL! 4200 pounds? 700hp? Whoa.
I’ve been stalked & had unwanted attention but I’ve never been bullied. No idea why. Maybe people looked thru me or maybe I was so disconnected from everyone else that bullies saw no payoff. But I’ll bet that girls/women are just as skilled at & enthusiastic about it as boys/men are. Sad, so much pain.
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Go Charger! We baby our cars and keep them forever…a bit disturbing how expensive yet less reliable/more costly to operate some of the newer cars are.
People need to learn to deal with bullies as children (as you will run into bullies in adulthood) – adult always jumping in to “help” are not helping.
Sometimes your best defense is to be disconnected – as you say, no reward for the bully…that and a collection of witty responses – or a swift hard kick to the shin. Childhood is survivable – especially if everyone is honest that high school is miserable for most kids and not the myth perpetuated by TV and movies.
Stalkers are a whole different game however.
You gotta be tough, right?
Thanks for galloping through this twisting bramble path
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