#1215: Beth's Road Ugly Thesis

Apr 14, 2012
This week on Car Talk, a new entry to the Hall of Wacko Auto-Anthropological Research, courtesy of Beth in Oregon. Beth believes that women, and only women, become less attractive after driving for three hours. Can Tom and Ray offer an explanation, or is this one for Paul Murkey, of Car Talk's Murkey Research team? Elsewhere, Paula's Bronco seems to be whistling with perfect pitch; Jonathan's Saturn is laying out a smoke screen worthy of an Army tank; and former Bostonian Tim is finding the driving style in Vermont to be a little too polite. Also, a brilliant wiring job turned Helen's VW bus into a home. Sadly, it also may have made climbing hills an impossible dream. All this and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

Show Open Topic

Assertiveness Training: A Cautionary Tale

This Week's Puzzler

How many hard-earned pushes does it take for Tommy to get his MG to the top of the hill?

Last Week's Puzzler

To what heights does love grow, when it's carved into a tree?

As Read on Car Talk



5 Comments

Love it!

Getting up early on Saturday morning is rewarded by listening to Car Talk. This week's show doesn't disappoint.
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Tree Growth

After listening to the puzzler and the idea that a tree grows from the top, I thought about it awhile. It sounds possible that growth occurs at the top of a tree, but although not anything near an arborist (NEVER GET NEAR AN ARBORIST THEY USE REALLY BIG SNIPPERS) it would seem logical that at least some small percentage of growth continues throughout the tree. They get thicker as time goes on, no? But, whether I am correct or not is not my reason for this post, but simply to point to this well-known tree that has lovingly engulfed a bike over the years. Looks to me like this tree raised that bike up as it grew... Bike Eaten by Tree (on Roadside America) http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1412
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Beth's Road Ugly

Years ago I head someone discuss how men view their cars when driving & how women view cars when driving. Men = car is an "extension" of themselves, their manhood? women = car is a machine that needs to be controlled. Makes sense to me.
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too true

Beth is right, so rolled down the window & stuck my arm out so I didn't have 2 hands on the wheel. I felt better & didn't look so bad
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Sexism on Wheels

Very bad retro idea, what year are we living in anyway? This is pure sexism, this judging women negatively on their appearance and making a joke about it. We should be way past that now. I don't plan to listen to your broadcast until you issue an apology to your listeners.
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