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I, too, could not sit through an episode of "The Sopranos." I have an acquaintance who can probably recite all the lines from the three Godfathers, Goodfellas, etc. owing to how many times he has watched these shows and it can be irritating. Working class (no judgment here) Italian-Americans who think this is cool stuff need a paradigm shift something fierce. @David Your observation is very West Coast! Probably more Pac NW. You probably didn't know that in the early 1920s or so, Seattle's Rainier Valley section was nicknamed Garlic Gulch, probably when Seattle was a rougher logging town without all the genteel PC-ness of today. You are right. "Goombah" is a bad bastardization of "cumpari." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eh,_Cumpari! Some truncate it to cumpa', but most don't. It means "mate," "friend," or "buddy" but it also rarely used to imply someone's Godfather in Sicilian or someone in the Godfather's extended family who is now a "friend" or a "buddy" by annexation. There is no "g" at the beginning this word. That's a North American thing. It sounds dumb. Another awful Americanization goes like this: Your background is Italian? Yeah, my grandparents came from Italy. Where in Italy did your grandparents come from? I'm tinkin' they were "Nah-boo-lee-dahn." This means Neapolitan. Correct Italian would be Napoletano. (Not quite the same as Janet Napolitano.) Southerners with more guttural pronunciation might say "Napulitan," but in no 'effin way is there either a "b" or a "d" in the pronunciation. But, since Jersey Shore type dudes are fairly idiotic, a bastardization of the term such as "goombah" would suit THEM just fine. * end of rant *

Saw this colorized pic on the FB...looks like a '39ish Ford COE with a custom cab..thought @balthazar would get a kick out of it. Neat looking truck.

I appreciate the back-n-forth, 442.

No one here is crying or denying or wailing or making excuses. I'm simply applying real world scenarios / questions that a unilateral ban unquestionably would see the disadvantaged, further disadvantaged. Have the 'ban ideologues' considered these scenarios? Are you sure? - - - - - Let me interject this here: have any of these U.S. proposed IC bans been defined at literally banning ALL IC vehicles at Date X, or is it merely banning the FUTURE SALE of new IC vehicles? I strongly doubt a unilateral ban would stand up legally (the grandfathering legal basis), but I put nothing past idiot planners & 'the good of the many' futurists. - - - - - I agree that people have and will continue to persevere, but note that the BASE LEVEL of what people have to endure, in general, has risen over time. Decades ago, if you had a phone, it was common to be on a party line with 1 or more other families. Nowadays, if you qualify, the Gov't gives you a free smart phone, because somehow it's a 'necessity' that the taxpayer should cover. I didn't get a smart phone until 2019 (by choice tho). My buddy, born in '55, grew up in a Brooklyn tenement building. 4 tiny apartments on each floor shared a common bathroom. Codes haven't allowed such to be built that way in probably over 50 years. Saying it's OK for poor folk to lose their cars, be unable to afford an old EV (and if they could- have no place to charge it other than driving to a corporate retail place and sitting for hours), and told 'just ride the bus everywhere / pay for a taxi' seems incredibly cold-hearted. I mean; we're already dealing with folk so wretchedly downtrodden they have no ID if they had to show it to vote. :rolleyes:

Needed to watch something funny, started streaming the hilarious Canadian comedy 'Schitt'$ Creek'...I've long liked Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara in the Christopher Guest films (Best of Show, Mighty Wind, etc) and they are great in this comedy, along w/ Levy's son Dan.

I will put the inner middle schooler in me back in the box in a minute...but nothing better than sex out under the stars. Of course, even the worst sex I ever had was pretty darned awesome. In all seriousness, so happy you found the Avalanche. Loving the Ranger. Happier with it than I was with the Jetta TDI, Miata, Mini Cooper S, Beetle, or any of my other recent rides.

Saw pics of the GW....looks fancy, Escalade sized, needs woodgrain side trim.. https://www.autoweek.com/news/future-cars/a33901878/look-inside-the-new-jeep-grand-wagoneer-concept-vehicle/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_aut&utm_medium=email&date=090320&utm_campaign=nl21400259&utm_term=AAA -- High Minus Dormant and 90 Day Non Openers

.... in the back of the Avalanche.... Full size air mattresses fit perfectly in the bed... ask me how I know.

I work with a Macedonian guy who wants a black Mercedees, we always joke about the Macedonian Mafia....

Heh-heh...Henry Hill and the '68 GP. I wonder what the ride of choice for East Coast gangsters is today....seems the Ukranian gangsters around here favor 10-yr old S-class Mercs.

Exhaust coming out the door..that's...different. Someone went crazy at Pep Boys.

? Do we call this Mad Max Asia? ?

Cue in Tony Bennett

^ That's open. No good. You need a '68 Grand Prix if you wanna be a gangster.

I have plenty of trunk now for an italian job

ay oh! Its only illegal if you get caught! Capisce???!!!

Maybe I misread...but the excuses were lame.

I have seen that one. The chrome script above the headlight pinpoints it as a ‘40. But the ‘38-40s all have the oval grille. I hate colorized B& W pics. Truck is an interesting restyle. But the forward-leaning greenhouse totally fights the rest of the rounded cab.

Some more thoughts before the 86 heads back tomorrow, Even though I cannot stand the engine noise, I can't help but letting the revs climb before shifting into another gear. Reminds me a lot of the Mazda MX-5 where I let the revs climb, giving me the illusion of speed, even though I'm going 40 to 45 mph. Ride quality isn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Yes, you will feel most of the bumps, but it isn't as harsh as the last Miata. Fuel economy is settling around 27 to 28 mpg. I saw someone mention the possibility of a turbo engine for the 86/BRZ. The rumor has the next-generation model possibly getting one, again from Subaru. It might be the unit from the Legacy and Outback.

Yes, Italian-Americans working in a business of a likely illegal nature..

Never heard that term before, but then I never have watched the Sopranos either. I am assuming we are not talking about the Mario Games but the definition of a Goomba? The name Goomba is derived from " Goombah " (from Sicilian cumpà which translates in "mate") which refers to a member of a usually Italian American secretive criminal organization. Also, in Hungarian gomba means "mushroom". In Japan, Goombas are called "Kuribō", which loosely translates as "chestnut person".

Yeah, like running afoul of goombas out of the Sopranos and they vandalize your car...

Even more sinister looking is this Coupe version with new LED headlights that add a scowling kind of glare look to the front, 2021 Alfa GTV. ?? https://www.caranddriver.com/alfa-romeo/gtv

Whats better than a Hellcat (Red-Eye) Charger? A Chrysler 300C SRT8 Hellcat (Red-Eye) ! Its sad that the 300C SRT8 stopped being a thing in the US for close to a decade now. Its sadder that the 300 will never be a Hellcat.

Fiat? Oh, yeah, no thanks. Now, if by Fiat you mean an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio, we're back on the same page. Yes, we all know they're known to be unreliable, but what a sweet, distinctive looking ride inside and out. Definitely a Ferrari feel with the interior design and the same red Start/Stop button on the steering wheel. Sat in one at our last Auto show, she was a gem.

They did contact me for permission to use the name, tho.

Started watching it as well. Not as funny as I thought it will be but I like how they make fun of pretty much everyone.

Binge-watched the new Netflix Steve Carell comedy Space Force last night...pretty funny.

Sorry Balthy, I must disagree with that point of view. If there is a will, there is a way. If the going get tough, the tough get going. The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy- MLK

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