This looks dangerous...

[schrocat]

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

[Ninong]

I hope Putin explained to him that the "P" does not stand for "Park" because in the Cyrillic alphabet it stands for "Reverse."

[Ninong]

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

You forgot to copy the caption for that picture:

Bush and Putin climb into a vintage 1956 Volga to drive to dinner at Putin's private residence compound Odinsovsky just outside Moscow on Sunday. "Be careful," Bush jokingly warned reporters, "he's giving me a driving lesson."

The caption is incorrect in that Bush didn't actually drive on any public roads in Russia as you might think from the phrase "to drive to dinner at Putin's private residence compount Odinsovsky just outside Moscow." He did two laps around the circular driveway at Putin's dacha. It is extremely doubtful that the Secret Service would allow him to drive on a public road in a foreign country -- any foreign country! Putin's country estate is 25 miles west of Moscow.

Even more dangerous would have been to put Laura behind the wheel.

[zhenya]

I hope Putin explained to him that the "P" does not stand for "Park" because in the Cyrillic alphabet it stands for "Reverse."

That is very observant of you,George.

Those cars have shifter on the steering wheel so it seems that Putin is showing him exactly that. Newer models of "Volga" have it on the floor just like all the other, more civilized cars. ;)

[Ninong]

That is very observant of you,George.

Those cars have shifter on the steering wheel so it seems that Putin is showing him exactly that. Newer models of "Volga" have it on the floor just like all the other, more civilized cars. ;)

I thought you were going to correct me, but you didn't.

Assuming that a 1956 Russian car would have letter icons somewhere to indicate the gear the car is in, what letter would they use for "reverse?"

The reason I ask is because I'm afraid the Russian word for "reverse" doesn't even start with an "R" (which would be written as a "P" in Cyrillic) but that would have ruined my little joke.

I put "reverse" in Babelfish and asked it to translate from English to Russian and this is what it gave me:
Обратный

[zhenya]

I thought you were going to correct me, but you didn't.

Assuming that a 1956 Russian car would have letter icons somewhere to indicate the gear the car is in, what letter would they use for "reverse?"

The reason I ask is because I'm afraid the Russian word for "reverse" doesn't even start with an "R" (which would be written as a "P" in Cyrillic) but that would have ruined my little joke.

I put "reverse" in Babelfish and asked it to translate from English to Russian and this is what it gave me:
Обратный

George,

There is one mistake in your observation and it is that you assumed that Russian cars had automatic trunsmission, they didn't. The reverse would be the "P".

It most likely had three or for gears at most, reverse and probably three forvard speed gears. I have to check with couple of my friends who had cars in Russia( old cars). BTW, the translation of reverse is correct. It could also be "Nazad" or "Zadnii hod"(slang).

Even more dangerous would have been to put Laura behind the wheel.

I wonder why is that, George?

[Ninong]

I wonder why is that, George?

Well, her husband only has a DUI on his driving record (not as many as Dick Cheney, but that's another story). At least he's never run through a stop sign at 50 mph and killed someone like Laura did on November 6, 1963.

Back when Laura was 17, she ran a stop sign at 50 mph and collided with another car. The 17-yr-old driver of the other car died at the scene. His father was following in another car and witnessed the entire thing. Laura and a passenger in her car suffered only minor injuries.

The boy who was killed was someone Laura had dated.

[zhenya]

Yikes! I see what you mean...