'beg pardon my ignorance, but who is that on your avatar, Andre?

It's our great leader, president Traian Basescu: http://www.libertatea.ro/typo3temp/pics/traian-basescu-fotografii1_8_7175c76960.jpg . He's gorgeous, or what?

He is the most moronic possible president. Not from Romania, not from Europe, from the whole world. And of all times. Never was and never will be something similar.

Ah, thanks. I knew it was probably someone close, but it didn't occur to me that it was an incumbent head of state. Based on the technicolor-esque picture quality and the length of his hair I thought it was a picture taken in the 1980s - early 90s. If so, it's even worse that he's so young (born in 1951) - he really looks at least 20+ years older than he is on that photo. Also, combovers are pathetic. Even worse than ponytails. Having both is probably the stupidest thing ever.

If he is so terrible, how is it possible that he has been re-elected so many times? Is it corruption, or that people don't care or are brainwashed? And is he left-wing or right-wing?

It was taken in 2005, probably. (Shortly after he was elected president for the first time, he cuted his hair, due to a press campaign which convinced him he's ridiculous. )



He's at his second (and last, according to the constitution) mandate. In 2004, only some 35% of the people voted. And, of these, only 51% voted Basescu. (I never voted him.) In 2009, he defrauded the elections, with the help of his men from the secret services.



It is certainly corruption (he controles the secret services), but there are also many brainwashed people. All Basescu's supporters are fanatics. Why they supported him and still do? Very simple: he tells them what they want to hear - that he fights against communism (which disappeared for ever in december 1989) and against corruption (which is highly exagerated). He sais that ALL his political opponents, without exception, are communists or corrupted or both, and the morons believe him. That's all his program.



Neither. He pretends he's right-wing, but he's so stupid that he doesn't have any program, any idea, nothing which can be classified as left or right-wing. He's also an alcoholic and very vulgar and uneducated (he never read a book). But that not stops him to believe he's a genius. So you can imagine what type of man he is.

More exactly, this campaign took place in 2005, when Basescu was for the first time in Great Britain as Romania's president.

What happened then, you can see here: http://observator.tv/politic/basescu-la-londra-46352.html . Worth watching, believe me.

P.S.: Wait the end of that fucking commercial, than the movie will start automatically. Sorry!

@Lateef: and your avatar? It looks franco-belgian style

@3loader: and yours?

dsl's avatar I know. It's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwzVjsu9XvM

I wanted the winner to be Cardinal Sicola, but it was never going to happen because he would be called Pope Sicola.

Morvan et Munuera's rendition of Zantafio, from the Spirou album L'homme qui ne voulait pas mourir (Norwegian: Mannen som ikke ville dø).

^

Ah, thanks for the informations.

Is it from a later Spirou-album? I own some, but only the early ones. I'm not satisfied with the quality (of plots and drawings) of the later issues.

Yes, it's from one of the later ones - Morvan & Munuera were the lead artists for Spirou between 2004 and 2008. Not considered by any as the golden age, but probably the rendition I liked the most. This generation was heavily influenced by Manga/Anime, and had considerably more violence, blood and shooting than any of the previous generations. The plots were also much more mature than previous ones (more cartoonish). I own an example of about half of all Spirou albums issued in Norwegian.

My favourite is still this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRN_sur_Bretzelburg Over 30 years ago I got an used album of the first German issue from 1969.
(it includes a BMW 700)

I also own several "Gaston"-albums, but also only the eartly ones. Later the plots becoming duller, too, but also the cars. You know, that Franquin always has incorporated his own actual car?

Ingo, in case you missed it, there is something for you on t0nkatracker's VW topic (also here in 'Misc' section)

Ah, thanks - but right now I cannot find it

I have all of the Gaston Lagaffe albums (Viggo in Norwegian) except two or three. To me, it's blatantly the opposite. I felt that the very first gags were uncreative and nowhere near as ingenious as the later ones. Also, there were no cars appearing during that first era. When he got his car, though, it all changed drastically. Later elements, such as the gaffophone, Mesmaeker running-gags, antics with Longtarin, the cat and the seagull etc. made the series even better. Ps.: there isn't a single K70 appearing in Gaston Lagaffe, so I can understand why you dislike the later ones

I dislike them, because I generally prefer the old, 60ies and 70ies-style. When I read in one issue a comment of Gaston, that he want to have a Xantia, I decided, that I had to stop my interest

Yes, there's no K 70 at all in any franco-belgian-style comics and cartoons. There's only one exception (sh*t, I cannot find it in my collection, and no pic in the WWW either ) A postcard-series of VW-models (Typ1, T1-Samba, Typ3, Golf I, K 70, Karmann Ghia Typ14) for the 50th anniversary of the VW-import to Belgium by D'Ieteren in 1998. They were drawn in the Franquin-style.

What? When was that? I have never even heard of that issue. The latest one I have read is gag #895, made in 1982. I have tried to locate the albums missing in my collection, but no luck yet. They re-issued all albums in 1998, but there hasn't been a re-issue since then. Every Christmas, there is a Gaston magazine, but it mostly contains a compilation of stuff I already have in my collection, and I don't want to clutter up my collection that way.

Hmm, this is the question now. I've flicked through some albums, but I cannot find it. The problem is, that (at least at German issues) some later albums contain very early stories. Annother problem is, that, when too new cars have disappointed me, I've sold those issues again on eBay.

But yes, in one story he definitely says "When I get a new car, it must be the Xantia" and there is a drawing of a Xantia, too.

Wasn't that an ad for Citroën?
It happened that they made ads with Tintin too

As Lateef said, the Gaston albums are too old for that.

Figured this was for the off-topic thread. Happened to me today.

Today while filling up at the gas pump, a young couple (I assumed they were together) pulled up close to me. The male got out of the car and approached me. He proceeded to ask if I could spare some money for gas, and I said no, I didn’t have any to give.

I have loaned money to people and complete strangers in the past, only to learn they used it to buy drugs, etc. So I quit giving money out like that.

Well, he got mad and started calling me obscene things, by then I was done pumping gas, so I just got into the vehicle and drove to the end of the parking lot of the fueling station. I waited for traffic to clear and was about to drive onto the street, when he pulled out in front of me with their little car (a two-door Chevrolet Cavalier). He later turned off at a shopping center.

People amaze me.