Tag Archives: driving

The President Reveals What Malia Obama’s First Car Will Be

Jessica WakemanAugust 6, 2011 //
malia and sasha obama photo

“It’s only a matter of time until Malia gets her learner’s permit so I’m hoping to see one of those models that gets a top speed of 15 miles an hour and the ejector seat any time boys are in the car. So, hopefully you guys have some of those in the pipeline.”

—President Obama joked in a speech to the auto industry that 13-year-old Malia Obama will be getting her learner’s permit in a few years, so they’d better get cracking on a daddy-approved vehicle. Hey, lots of parents would like this idea, actually. Hmm, has he stumbled upon a way to save the auto industry? [Essence] Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Saudi Women Flout The Driving Ban

Jessica WakemanJune 17, 2011 //
  • Today is the day Saudi Arabian women are holding a mass protest by breaking the law and driving. Our thoughts are with them! [Christian Science Monitor, The Daily Beast]
  • Brazil is considering a quota for Sao Paulo Fashion Week which requires that 20 percent of its models be black. If only American fashion shows would do the same thing. [Daily Mail UK]
  • A boarding school in Kenya offers fathers a traditional dowry to secure their girls an education. [CNN]

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Snooki Hits A Police Car In Italy, Italian-American Relations Plunge Southward

Jessica WakemanMay 31, 2011 //

Snooki rear-ended a cop car in Florence, Italy, this weekend, sending two police officers to the hospital with whiplash. Snooki, her pal Deena, and a “Jersey Shore” film crew member were being escorted by the cop car, which pinned Snooki’s car against a highway wall after the crash. This surely won’t do any good to improve Jersey-Italy relations, which have been wilting like a bouffant with too much hair gel ever since the “Jersey Shore” cast announced they’d be filming a season in their homeland. Miraculously, though, no limoncello shots (or any other alcohol) were involved in this fender bender! Despite all those trips up and down the NJ Turnpike, Snooki’s just a plain ol’ bad driver. [NY Post] Keep reading »

Saudi Women Plan Major Protest Of Driving Ban On June 17

Jessica WakemanMay 24, 2011 //

On June 17, women in Saudi Arabia are planning a protest of the country’s ban on women drivers en masse by getting behind the wheel. Women in Saudi Arabia are forced to rely on male relatives or male drivers to get anywhere by car, and are not allowed to travel outside the country without a male relative’s permission or to vote. The Women2Drive campaign, which is gaining support through a Facebook group called “I will drive starting June 17,” will be an act of civil disobedience that could perhaps lead to a sea change of women’s rights in the Saudi kingdom. According to The New York Times, the protest will not have a centralized location. Women with valid drivers’ licenses from other countries are asked to get behind the wheel of their car, put on their seat belts, and drive around, going about their usual day. If they are able to, women are asked to film themselves driving and upload the video to YouTube. Keep reading »

Girl Talk: How I Almost Died In This Weekend’s Blizzard

Julie GersteinDecember 27, 2010 //

Yesterday I almost died. Not in a “life flashing before me” kind of way – but in a cold, painful, this-blizzard-totally-sucks kind of way. I got stuck in the Snowpocalypse.

You know, the Snowpocalypse—the weekend storm that’s currently blanketing the East Coast. I spent Christmas in Philadelphia, DJing an annual Christmas night party. Yesterday morning when we woke up, my friends and I decided that we would try and beat the impending blizzard and make our way home to New York. Only we didn’t beat the blizzard. We drove right into it. Keep reading »

Norway Giving Its Reindeer Reflective Collars, And Not Just So They Look Cute

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comDecember 24, 2010 //

In Norway, reindeer are the noble animals that help Santa deliver presents. But they’re also a road hazard—500 of them are hit and killed each year, and many of these crashes leave drivers and passengers severely injured. And so the Norwegian government is tagging the animals with reflective collars or antler tags to make them more visible at night. So far, 2,000 of the nation’s 200,000 reindeer have been given these new accessories. This sounds like a great idea, but I have to ask—is this an initiation to save deer and drivers? Or is it a plot to make Rudolph’s shiny nose less special? [Newser]
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Men Need To Stop Diddling While Driving

Susannah BreslinJune 23, 2010 //

Dear Men: A recent survey will reveal that 11-percent of those of you under 30 are masturbating while driving. WHAT THE HELL? I mean, what are you doing? What are you thinking? Why are you masturbating and driving at the same time? I have so many questions, and too few answers. Is it a privacy thing? There you are, behind the wheel, alone, so why not? Are you bored? Driving is boring, so you fill the time by … fondling yourself? Or is this some sort of dare devil thing, and you like it when you’re at risk of dying while choking your proverbial chicken? It’s stuff like this that makes me realize that when the subject is men, I have no idea who you people are. If male Frisky readers could please explain in the comments, we ladies would appreciate it.

Love, Sus [The Sexist] Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Teen Girl Drivers Admit To Speeding More Than Boys

Jessica WakemanFebruary 16, 2010 //
  • Teenage boys have generally had worse driving records, and car insurance rates across the country have reflected as much. But a recent study of teen drivers by the Allstate Foundation found that 27 percent of teen girls admit to driving over 10 miles over the speed limit, compared with only 19 percent of boys. Hmm, I think some of those teen boys are lying! An Allstate spokesman, who apparently agrees with me, added, “Experience still shows female drivers are safer than boys at this age.” [Chicago Tribune]
  • Judge Sylvia Pressler, whose 1973 ruling opened up Little League baseball to girls who wanted to play, passed away Feb. 15 at age 75. Ruling on a 12-year-old New Jersey girl who wanted to play ball, Pressler wrote in her opinion: “The institution of Little League is as American as the hot dog and apple pie. There is no reason why that part of Americana should be withheld from girls.” One year later, the Little League amended its charter to allow girls. [AP]
  • Riot grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna, formerly of the bands Le Tigre and Bikini Kill, will be donating her papers to the newly created Riot Grrrl Archive at New York University’s library. [Feministing]

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10 Activities That Should Be Illegal To Do While Driving

Catherine StrawnAugust 21, 2009 //

After hearing the appeal of a man who was caught using his mobile phone while driving and fined $350, a German judge is making the argument that this shouldn’t be illegal in the first place. In his ruling, Judge Albert Bartz wrote that if it is against the law to use a phone while driving, shouldn’t other dangerous activities be illegal, too? Examples he cited included masturbating or typing on a computer that’s sitting on the passenger’s seat. Sure, there have been studies proving telephone use while driving, especially texting, can lead to accidents, but there are a lot of other dangerous activities we engage in behind the wheel that aren’t illegal unless they distract you and cause an accident. After the jump, 10 things that aren’t illegal to do while driving but should be. [Spiegel Online] Keep reading »

Virginia Is For Frowners

Jessica WakemanMay 28, 2009 //

People with ugly driver’s license photos, the state of Virginia feels your pain. The Department of Motor Vehicles in Virginia banned smiles—yes, smiles—and ordered all new photo-takers to make a “neutral expression” in their portraits. The DMV would like to develop a facial recognition system to standardize documentation and thwart fraudsters and identity thieves. OK, Big Brother, whatever you say.

Just a cranky DMV clerk barking “No smiling!” isn’t enough, though! The DMV’s software can detect and reject “attempts at exuberance or human warmth,” meaning if you flash some dimples or let your pearly whites crack through your lips, a computer will make you take your picture again.

Even though Virginia is just one of 37 DMV agencies nationwide to use the facial recognition software, Virginian drivers aren’t pleased. Groused one driver, “It makes everyone look like criminals.” [Washington Post]
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