Turn a Dog Walk Into Fun.

Niner has mastered walking along the top of a wall. (All photos: Jaymi Heimbuch)

Let's just admit it: even for those of us with the best of intentions for our pets, taking the dog out for a walk can sometimes feel like a chore. This is especially true for those of us who live in cities or suburban areas where we don't have easy access to open fields to let them just go burn off steam.
Walks are a required task for any dog owner; our dogs need this daily exercise and really, so do we. But taking the same route on the same sidewalks is so booooooring. So here's a great way to make your daily walk a time for exercising the body and the brain. Turn your walks into an urban agility course!

Here are ideas to illustrate how city streets are an obstacle course (in a good way):

1. Curbs

Curbs are an easy starting point. They are low to the ground and stable, so your dog can learn how to balance on a narrow surface while staying safe. You can begin by having your dog balance on the end of a curb. Practice telling him to sit, stand, sit again, and maybe even lay down on the curb all without stepping off of it. From there, move on to more uneven surfaces, like slanted curbs or pillars.

Eventually, you can have your dog walking or trotting down a very narrow curb with expert balance. You can increase the difficulty by asking him to stop, turn around and go the other way without jumping off the curb.

2. Benches

Benches are perfect for teaching a dog to jump up onto or run along a platform, or even jump from one platform to another if there are a few benches close enough together. You can teach your dog to sit or lay down on the bench, or even balance two paws on the back of it. If you want to make it really challenging, teach your dog to jump up on the bench backwards, getting him to put his hind feet up on the bench first then pulling his front feet up for a real mental and physical workout.

3. Stairs, railings and bike racks

Stairs are a great agility obstacle for dogs. Teach your dog to sit at the top, then scramble down to pause at the bottom until you give the OK to move on; teach him to take a staircase one single step at a time without rushing; teach him to climb the stairs backwards. There are dozens of ways to make a staircase fun, but one of the best parts of a staircase is the railing. If you can find a good railing that has posts on each step or two, you can treat it like the weave poles on an agility course, training your dog to weave in and out as he goes up or down the staircase. You can also do this on a flat surface by using a bike rack that is shaped like a row of “U”s, or the kind shaped like a row of circles.

4. Fire hydrants

This can be a great challenge for a dog who is learning to balance on ever-smaller objects — in fact, it is a favorite of one of the bearded collies owned by a trainer friend of mine! While her dog randomly jumped up on one and has been doing it ever since, your dog may need your patience and lots of rewards to accomplish this feat. Try using hydrants that are lower to the ground before you tackle the tall ones!

5. Short walls, planter edges, ramps

If your dog has mastered balancing and walking on curbs, you might try low walls next. The same tricks that worked on curbs can work here, including turning around and trotting along the wall. Just make sure that your dog can jump up on it and that he can also safely jump down. For example, the ground on the far side of the wall in this photo was much higher so I had my dog jump off on the lower side to avoid any injury from jumping so far onto concrete. While it's fun to see a dog tackle a big obstacle like a fence and make great leaps on and off of things, think of his long-term health (and the vet bill if your dog hurts a leg!).

6. Ledges and cutouts

Once you start looking, you'll find all sorts of places your dog can fit into like windowsills and cubbyholes. Teach him to jump up into these narrow cavities, then sit, stand and even lay down while staying perched.

7. Pillars, tree stumps, and even trees themselves

Trees are a great agility tool. While teaching my dog to do handstands, we used trees as something to balance on. You can do the same with your dog. Or maybe teach your dog to go ahead and climb right on up!

As the example below shows, you can also use taller pillars once your dog is practiced at balancing and navigating from one pillar to the next. Start off with big wide tree stumps and graduate to narrower stumps or pillars around the neighborhood.

Want more ideas? Watch this quick video I put together of just a few more ways my dog and I use objects found during our walks as urban agility obstacles, including benches, a bike rack, a planter and a ledge. Hopefully it inspires you to get creative!



Urban agility to help behavior problems
Turning walks into an urban agility course can help with a whole list of problems many people have when walking their dogs — problems that make you want to just stay at home. Here are four examples:

Leash pulling: If you have a dog that pulls on the leash, making the walk extremely unpleasant for both of you, turning a walk into a fun obstacle course brings the dog's attention back to you. He'll be looking at you to find out what the next fun trick will be. Suddenly, you are more interesting than anything else on the walk — even smells!

Reactive Rover: Teaching a dog to be fully engaged in a trick helps him to ignore other dogs that pass during walks. If you have a dog that is leash-aggressive or reactive, you can use an urban agility trick like balancing on a bench to distract him and hold his attention when other dogs walk by. The goal is that the dog will be so concentrated on the task and earning a treat that the dog that was once such a big deal becomes background noise.

Ping-Pong Pooch: Maybe your dog doesn't pull on his leash but has that annoying habit of ping-ponging back and forth in front of you, just asking to be tripped over. If your dog is not content with staying on one side of you, give him a reason for switching sides only when you give him the cue and make a game of it. It's all part of urban agility to get the dog on a certain side of you as you approach an obstacle. My dog and I use the word "change." When I say, "Change!" he spins around to my other side. It works to get his attention back on me when he gets distracted, as well as to switch him to the other side of me when we're passing other dogs or traffic.

Fearful Fido: You might have a dog that is afraid of everything — trash cans, bushes, statues. Maybe he is just going through a developmental fear period, where he is figuring out what in his world is safe and what isn't. Or maybe your dog has a serious lack of confidence. That kind of fear sucks the fun right out of walks. But by encouraging your dog to accomplish small tricks on new obstacles, you can help boost his confidence. Suddenly he figures out that objects aren't so scary but perhaps something to interact with to earn treats. The world starts to shift from a scary place to a playground, and walks become more fun.

These changes don't just end with the walk. When your dog recognizes you as not only the source of fun games, but also the leader and rewarder of treats, you'll find that you can overcome other behavior problems inside the home as well as outside.

Before you get started
I fully recommend that before you get started on these creative urban agility walks, you take into account what your dog is physically capable of doing, and what is healthy for him. Make sure you're not asking him to jump too far or from too great a height that might hurt his joints, or to get on perches that are unsteady or dangerous. It's a great idea to take an introduction to agility course from a local trainer to get a good understanding of ways to teach your dog how to do new tricks. And of course, start small. Getting your dog to do little things like put two paws on a curb or put two paws off a curb is all part of the game as well!

And here is your end goal:

Sexual Perversions

Sexual perversions are conditions in which sexual excitement or orgasm is associated with acts or imagery that are considered unusual within the culture. To avoid problems associated with the stigmatization of labels, the neutral term paraphilia,
derived from Greek roots meaning "alongside of" and "love," is used to describe what used to be called sexual perversions. A paraphilia is a condition in which a person's sexual arousal and gratification depend on a fantasy theme of an unusual situation or object that becomes the principal focus of sexual behavior.

Description

Paraphilias can revolve around a particular sexual object or a particular act. They are defined by DSM-IV as "sexual impulse disorders characterized by intensely arousing, recurrent sexual fantasies, urges and behaviors considered deviant with respect to cultural norms and that produce clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of psychosocial functioning." The nature of a paraphilia is generally specific and unchanging, and most of the paraphilias are far more common in men than in women.

Paraphilias differ from what some people might consider "normal" sexual activity in that these behaviors cause significant distress or impairment in areas of life functioning. They do not refer to the normal use of sexual fantasy, activity, or objects to heighten sexual excitement where there is no distress or impairment.

The most common signs of sexual activity that can be classified as paraphilia include: the inability to resist an impulse for the sexual act, the requirement of participation by non-consenting or under-aged individuals, legal consequences, resulting sexual dysfunction, and interference with normal social relationships.

Paraphilias include fantasies, behaviors, and/or urges which:

• involve nonhuman sexual objects, such as shoes or undergarments
• require the suffering or humiliation of oneself or partner
• involve children or other non-consenting partners

The most common paraphilias are:

• exhibitionism, or exposure of the genitals
• fetishism, or the use of nonliving objects
• frotteurism, or touching and rubbing against a nonconsenting person
• pedophilia, or the focus on prepubescent children
• sexual masochism, or the receiving of humiliation or suffering
• sexual sadism, or the inflicting of humiliation or suffering
• transvestic fetishism, or cross-dressing
• voyeurism, or watching others engage in undressing or sexual activity

A paraphiliac often has more than one paraphilia. Paraphilias often result in a variety of associated problems, such as guilt, depression, shame, isolation, and impairment in the capacity for normal social and sexual relationships. A paraphilia can, and often does, become highly idiosyncratic and ritualized.

Causes and symptoms

There is very little certainty about what causes a paraphilia. Psychoanalysts generally theorize that these conditions represent a regression to or a fixation at an earlier level of psychosexual development resulting in a repetitive pattern of sexual behavior that is not mature in its application and expression. In other words, an individual repeats or reverts to a sexual habit arising early in life. Another psychoanalytic theory holds that these conditions are all expressions of hostility in which sexual fantasies or unusual sexual acts become a means of obtaining revenge for a childhood trauma. The persistent, repetitive nature of the paraphilia is caused by an inability to erase the underlying trauma completely. Indeed, a history of childhood sexual abuse is sometimes seen in individuals with paraphilias.

However, behaviorists suggest, instead, that the paraphilia begins via a process of conditioning. Nonsexual objects can become sexually arousing if they are frequently and repeatedly associated with a pleasurable sexual activity. The development of a paraphilia is not usually a matter of conditioning alone; there must usually be some predisposing factor, such as difficulty forming person-to-person sexual relationships or poor self-esteem.

The following are situations or causes that might lead someone in a paraphiliac direction:

• parents who humiliate and punish a small boy for strutting around with an erect penis
• a young boy who is sexually abused
• an individual who is dressed in a woman's clothes as a form of parental punishment
• fear of sexual performance or intimacy
• inadequate counseling
• excessive alcohol intake
• physiological problems
• sociocultural factors
• psychosexual trauma

Diagnosis

Whatever the cause, paraphiliacs apparently rarely seek treatment unless they are induced into it by an arrest or discovery by a family member. This makes diagnosis before a confrontation very difficult.
Paraphiliacs may select an occupation, or develop a hobby or volunteer work, that puts them in contact with the desired erotic stimuli, for example, selling women's shoes or lingerie in fetishism, or working with children in pedophilia. Other coexistent problems may be alcohol or drug abuse, intimacy problems, and personality disturbances, especially emotional immaturity. Additionally, there may be sexual dysfunctions. Erectile dysfunction and an inability to ejaculate may be common in attempts at sexual activity without the paraphiliac theme.

Paraphilias may be mild, moderate, or severe. An individual with mild paraphilia is markedly distressed by the recurrent paraphiliac urges but has never acted on them. The moderate has occasionally acted on the paraphilic urge. A severe paraphiliac has repeatedly acted on the urge.

Treatment

The literature describing treatment is fragmentary and incomplete. Traditional psychoanalysis has not been particularly effective with paraphilia and generally requires several years of treatment. Therapy with hypnosis has also had poor results. Current interests focus primarily on several behavioral techniques that include the following:

Aversion imagery involves the pairing of a sexually arousing paraphilic stimulus with an unpleasant image, such as being arrested or having one's name appear in the newspaper.
Desensitization procedures neutralize the anxiety-provoking aspects of nonparaphilic sexual situations and behavior by a process of gradual exposure. For example, a man afraid of having sexual contact with women his own age might be led through a series of relaxation procedures aimed at reducing his anxiety.
Social skills training is used with either of the other approaches and is aimed at improving a person's ability to form interpersonal relationships.

Orgasmic reconditioning may instruct a person to masturbate using his paraphilia fantasy and to switch to a more appropriate fantasy just at the moment of orgasm.

In addition to these therapies, drugs are sometimes prescribed to treat paraphilic behaviors. Drugs that drastically lower testosterone temporarily (antiandrogens) have been used for the control of repetitive deviant sexual behaviors and have been prescribed for paraphilia-related disorders as well. Cyproterone acetate inhibits testosterone directly at androgen receptor sites. In its oral form, the usual prescribed dosage range is 50-200 mg per day.

Serotonergics (drugs that boost levels of the brain chemical serotonin) are prescribed for anxious and depressive symptoms. Of the serotonergic agents reported, fluoxetine has received the most attention, although lithium, clomipramine, buspirone, and sertraline are reported as effective in case reports and open clinical trials with outpatients. Other alternative augmentation strategies that may be effective include adding a low dose of a secondary amine tricyclic antidepressant to the primary serotonergics, but these reports are only anecdotal.

Prognosis

Despite more than a decade of experience with psychotherapeutic treatment programs, most workers in the field are not convinced that they have a high degree of success. Furthermore, because some cases involve severe abuse, many in the general public would prefer to "lock up" the sex offender than to have him out in the community in a treatment program or on parole after the treatment program has been completed.

Paraphilia and paraphilia-related disorders are more prevalent than most clinicians suspect. Since these disorders are cloaked in shame and guilt, the presence of these conditions may not be adequately revealed until a therapeutic alliance is firmly established. Once a diagnosis is established, appropriate education about possible behavioral therapies and appropriate use of psychopharmacological agents can improve the prognosis for these conditions.

12 Stunning Photos of Landscapes.

Here are 12 stunning photos showcasing the diverse collection of landscapes found across the planet.

Glacier Grey, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Mount Blanc, France

Hamilton Pool, Austin, Texas, U.S.

Snæfellsnes-og Hnappadalssýsla, Iceland

Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon, Arizona, U.S.

Tereia Beach, Maupiti, Leeward Islands

Minnehaha Falls, Minnesota, U.S.

Sicily, Italy

Muir Woods, California, U.S.

Namib Desert, Namibia

Star Trails, Rio Negro, Argentina

Pansarine, Tuscany, Italy

10 most bizarre Grammys outfits.

Fashion, like all other forms of art is a form of self-expression. But when fashion is used to make a negative statement or simple to attract unnecessary attention, it becomes vulgar and tasteless. Wearing a sexy outfit is acceptable. But a completely sheer dress or dress with barely any fabric loses all of its appeal.

12 Amazing City Bicycles.

Bikes are tough to beat in terms of urban transportation: they're reliable, emissions-free, take up very little parking space, and cost almost nothing to operate. Depending on your commute or the length of your errand, it's possible that a bicycle will get you where you're going faster than an automobile. And they're great for your health. Check out some cool bicycles for the urban commute.

Breezer Uptown 8

Joe Breeze was an early pioneer in the development of what are now called mountain bikes. In the late 1990s, his attention turned to the idea of bicycles as urban transportation. Under the banner "transportation for a healthy planet," Breeze began designing bicycles specifically for the comfort and convenience of riders who would primarily use them for riding to work and running errands.

The Breezer Uptown 8 is an excellent example of a purpose-built urban bike. The unisex U-frame model, pictured here, can be ridden by anyone (a men's frameset is available). Here are all the classic city bike features: a built-in generator set and LED lights, a chainguard — the newest models are fully enclosed to keep cyclists clean — fenders, cargo rack and an internally geared 8-speed hub.

Cannondale Street 1

Cannondale's aim with this model is clearly to put some style into urban commuting. The Street 1 is a great-looking package, with an aggressive-looking compact frame design and sexy paint. Strong points include disc brakes and a mild front suspension that can be locked out for maximum efficiency when roads are smooth. On the downside, the Street 1 is going to require considerable additions to make it ready for anything more than light commuting. Racks, fenders and lights will add to the Street 1's none-too-cheap purchase price.

Fuji Cambridge

Here's a gorgeous bike clearly designed to evoke the glory days of Raleigh 3-speeds and vintage grocery bicycles. The Fuji Cambridge oozes retro styling, but with modern components and materials. The Cambridge's most obvious feature is its lugged steel frame. Steel has fallen out of fashion as a frame material, replaced with lighter (and easy to fabricate) aluminum. But while it's a bit heavier, steel can give a much more forgiving ride than its aluminum equivalent — particularly when carrying cargo.

There are some nice details on the Cambridge, such as the sprung Brooks look-alike saddle, fenders, and an unusual mustache handlebar set. The 700c wheels are heavy duty, and paired with wider 38c tires for durability. Gearing is internal, through a Shimano 8-speed rear hub. Add headlights, and the Cambridge should serve for many years as a bombproof commuter with timeless lines.

Gary Fisher Simple City 8

Technically, this is the Simple City 8W (women's frame). The men's version is the Simple City 8M, and comes in any color you like — so long as it's Gloss Sand.

Gary Fisher is actually a Trek company these days, but the parent company has shown enough common sense to let Fisher express its own design sense. That’s the case with the Simple City 8, a satisfyingly complete urban bike for under $1,000.

Both the men's and women's version of the Simple City 8 feature a distinctive front basket. In our experience, most bike errands are small runs with loads of 20 pounds or less. A lot of people find carrying cargo up front to be comforting. Your stuff is where you can see it — just throw a few bags in the basket and go. This particular basket, which is painted to match the bike, has a 5-point mount and a spring system to keep in in place while loading. Add a Shimano Nexus 8-speed rear hub, and the Simple City is a well-balanced, convenient city cruiser at a reasonable price point.

Giant Transend EX

Giant started life stamping out bikes for other brands. These days, they've found their own voice, and are making some well-priced offerings in the commuter market.

The Transend EX is another remarkably complete city bicycle in the $1,000 class. Highlights include powerful disk brakes, a semi-enclosed chain, full fenders and a rear rack that comes with built-in straps (no fumbling with bungee cords!). Add lights, and you won't need a car for much.

Novara Fusion

The Fusion is a great-looking urban bike that comes equipped with virtually everything: a headlight with built-in generator, disk brakes, cargo rack and full fenders. Best of all, it retails for $900.

There are downsides to the Fusion. It's only available through REI, the online outdoor merchant, so you probably won't be riding one before purchase. There only three frame sizes. But neither of these things are disqualifying, and the Fusion is an excellent, all-inclusive deal.

Raleigh Sojourn

Raleigh actually makes a commuter bike called the Detour, fully equipped with racks, fenders and a built-in light set. Despite this, we've chosen the company's Sojourn, which is marketed as a touring bicycle. The main reason? A steel frameset.

Most touring bikes make good candidates for grocery-getters. Their frames are generally beefier than recreational bicycles, with relaxed frame angles and long wheelbases, which improve stability and comfort when carrying heavy loads. That's the case with the Sojourn, which is built like a tank from Reynolds 520 chrome-moly steel. It's also full of touring touches which translate well to hardcore commuter use: Avid disk brakes, full fenders, beefy Vittoria Randonneur tires, a heavy duty rear rack and a full complement of braze-on frame eyelets for future expansion. It's also one of the few bikes we've seen that comes with a pump.

Schwinn World GS

We've includes the World GS for two reasons: first, we wanted to show what’s available in the $500 class if you shop around, and second, we're glad to see Schwinn back in the saddle again.

For those of us who grew up riding a Varsity, Paramount, or Stingray, Schwinn was — at one time — the all-American bike company. But a series of missteps dragged the company into bankruptcy and ownership turnover before settling with its current corporate parent Montreal-based Dorel Industries.

Dorel knows how to price. The World GS sports a mild suspension fork and seatpost, fenders, a semi-enclosed chain and a rack suitable for light cargo. With a decent aluminum frame and alloy components throughout, there's not much this bike can't do — on a budget.

Specialized Vienna Deluxe

There's no denying the sexiness of the Vienna Deluxe's lines, which seem influenced by those of the now-classic Bianchi Milano cruiser. In any case, Specialized's top-end commuter looks hot enough to make you feel good about parking your car forever. And it's well-equipped, with a cargo rack, hub dynamo-powered headlamp, fenders and a chainguard styled to match the Vienna's fluid design.

At this price level, disk brakes would be nice. But it's an awfully appealing package.

Torker Cargo T

Got a heavy load to carry? This is your bike. Torker's Cargo T is clearly patterned after a Dutch delivery bicycle — the kind of hard-working bike you'd see on the streets of Amsterdam hauling unreasonable loads in all weather. That's what the Cargo T is designed to do.

The Cargo T comes with massive front and rear racks for better load balance. The frame is steel, and the U-shape is intended to allow an easy step-through when the racks are piled high. There's a fully enclosed chainguard, an unusual (and sturdy) double-sided kickstand, generator mounts and a front steering lock for simple loading.

Trek Soho

Behold the most technically innovative bike of our select bunch: the Trek Soho. If the Breezer Uptown or Fuji Cambridge are the Classic Rock of our dozen choices, the Soho is its Trance.

We're fond of the Soho, mated with Xtracycle's Free Radical hitchless trailer. But 2009's Soho is essentially a new bicycle. Designed as a fast, stylish commuter, the Soho's most obvious new feature is its Gates carbon belt drive system. The lightweight, essentially noiseless belt requires no grease, which makes for a cleaner bicycle. It's partially enclosed by a new guard, also new for this year.

Gearing is through an internal Alfine 8-speed hub. Brakes are Shimano's new IM50 rollers, which are also internally mounted in both hubs. The Soho is finished in very modern high-gloss grey, with matching fenders. As in previous years, it comes with a pair of nice little urbanesque touches: dual rubber strips across the top bar — which make for scratchless parking — and a natty thermal coffee mug. You'll need to add lights and a rack to round out this package.

Xtracycle Radish

Just as the Trek Soho is the most technologically advanced of our urban bike selection, the Xtracycle Radish represents the biggest departure from what most people consider normal bicycle geometry.

The Radish is a longbike, specifically designed to haul pretty much anything: a full cart of groceries; a surfboard or kayak; bricks; puppies; a passenger — you name it. This bicycle is basically a steel cruiser frameset permanently mated to Xtracycle's popular Free Radical hitchless trailer. The advantage of having the two as a single assembly is strength and rigidity. You'll purchase the panniers and associated gear separately — an extra $250 to $350 dollars. But you might also have to purchase panniers to fully appreciate the capacity of any bike listed in our bunch, and the Radish is arguably the most capable.

Fenders are standard, as is a partial chainguard and massive 203mm rear disk brake. There's a V-brake up front, heavy-duty alloy wheels and 26 x 2.24 inch tires. This isn't just a car replacement: It's a two-wheel pickup truck.

There's a whole car-free culture surrounding longbikes. The Radish is a ready-made entry, or you can build your own.

30 World's worse cars ever.

These aren't ugly for their sides, rears, or details: they're here because of their ugly mugs. That's right: cars have faces, and this is a selection of some of the worst ever

The Aurora
What th–? The 1957 Aurora was designed, over three years, by a Catholic priest who wanted to produce the safest car ever. We should point out that building a car is probably not the best use of parish funds…

Repercussions? Only one made, and 40,000 Hail Marys.

Subaru Casa Blanca
What th–? Subaru, in an attempt to cash in on a "retro" trend that swept Japan in the mid-90s, grafted an old grille and lights onto its modern Impreza hatchback.

Repercussions? Not many were sold, and Subaru went on to "style" the hideous Tri—er—we'll save that for later.

Lancia Thesis
What th–? Until recently, you're looking at Lancia's top sedan. If your glasses are working, you're also feeling queasy. We blame the beagle-esque styling. According to Wikipedia, the chief stylist said, "People will be looking for excuses not to buy this car…" Must have been psychic.

Repercussions? A dismal 16,000 sold after seven years.

Weber Sportscars "Faster One"
What th–? A 900 horsepower supercar from Switzerland…

Repercussions? …with styling that was melted in a fondue pot.

Stutz Blackhawk
What th–? A 19-foot-long car built off of a 1970s Pontiac Grand Prix chassis. In today's dollars, this abomination cost ~$120,000.

Repercussions? Fat Elvis had one.

Ford Scorpio
What th–? More proof that cool names don't equal cool cars, the Scorpio asks the age-old question, "Where's my mouth?"

Repercussions? Daewoo copied the "styling" well into the 2000s, successfully exporting these puppy dog eyes all over Asia and North America.

Hyundai Tiburon
What th–? More lights than a mall lot circus…

Repercussions? …and thankfully killed after two years.

Toyota Solara
What th–? The keeps-getting-facelifted Stepford Wives-equivalent of a car.

Repercussions? Botox sales have never been better, and the Solara is no more.

SsangYong Actyon
What th–? Korea's stab at a Pontiac Aztek.

Repercussions? A sore stomach.

Pontiac Aztek
What th–? The Pontiac Aztek. You know how this goes.

Repercussions? Killed Pontiac, nearly killed General Motors, too. Well, maybe not quite, but we're going to blame it on the kid in the corner who smells.

Subaru B9 Tribeca
What th–? Subaru's crossover. Yep, they make a crossover!

Repercussions? One U.S. writer said it looked like a female body part, Outback sales went up, and the Tribeca was restyled to look like a Chrysler.

Daimler SP250
What th–? Daimler's answer to the Jaguar E-Type. Top speed was 193 km/h, but the body flexed so much the doors opened. Really. We think they just wanted to be set free.

Repercussions? Comic heroine Modesty Blaise had one, then upgraded to an Aston Martin DB5. Daimer was bought by Jaguar, and is now used as a special trim level on certain Jags.

Citroën Ami
What th–? A compact car from France, named "friend."

Repercussions? None, really. They tolerate this sort of thing and it sold well. We like it, but won't pretend it doesn't look like an old bumper car.

Chrysler PT Cruiser
What th–? You know this one. And if you own one, don't write us and say how great it looks. It has a cheese grater for a nose!

Repercussions? It sold well, and Chrysler didn't bother changing it for a number of years. They've since aged as well as a jar of mayonnaise left open on the dashboard of a car sitting in the sun…

Nissan Micra Bolero
What th–? Nissan made some dance cars (Tango, Bolero, Rumba, Polka—don't ask) in the 90s, and decided to resurrect the Bolero.

Repercussions? Your kids will never want to borrow your car.

SsangYong Korando
What th–? SsangYong's answer to the Jeep Wrangler. They actually used to assemble Mitsubishi Jeep kits back in the day, which were really "Jeep" Jeep kits…

Repercussions? I saw one while driving through Germany and nearly crashed. Kid you not.

Reliant Robin
What th–? A three-wheeled car that actually sorta looks like a bird.

Repercussions? Look at the kid in the photo. We think he has just wet himself.

Mitsuoka Orochi
What th–? You've heard of drunk dialing? This is drunk designing.

Repercussions? Laughter, mostly.

Fiat Multipla
What th–? A compact, best-selling people mover from Fiat…even though it looks like that dude at a party who avoids eye contact.

Repercussions? Fiat restyled the Multipla, making it look less like chicken pox with wheels.

Ford Edsel
What th–? The Pontiac Aztek, like 50 years ago.

Repercussions? Is Edsel still around? Yeah, no.

Kia Amanti
What th–? Kia tried to make a car that looked like a Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Repercussions? …which turned out so poorly they didn't bother to put a badge on the front.

Mosler Raptor
What th–? A sports car that was great underneath—and banned from racing—but that looked like a space shuttle.

Repercussions? Mosler was forced to come out with a real car—the MT900—which they still race (successfully) today.

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
What th–? One of the most fuel-efficient sedans on the market, and genuinely a great car to own…but…

Repercussions? …being labeled the person who drives a fish to work.

Ferrari FF
What th–? Ferrari's latest GT car.

Repercussions? None likely. People will always buy Ferraris, even if they're still wearing braces and eye glitter. If Kimmie Gibbler was a car…

Tatra T603
What th–? A Czech super-saloon from the 60s.

Repercussions? While we rather like it, the whole "three headlights" thing didn't catch on.

Gillet Vertigo
What th–? A sports car from Belgium.

Repercussions? People still don't know Belgium makes cars. Or anteaters.

Troll Sportcoupé
What th–? A sports car from Norway.

Repercussions? Only five were made. Norway decided it was a better deal to trade fish to the USSR in exchange for amazing vehicles—like Ladas—than it was to allow the company to make the Troll.

Panoz Abruzzi "Spirit of Le Mans"
What th–? A sports car from America not named "Cobra," "Corvette," or "Viper."

Repercussions? Just went on sale, we hope there's not a pent-up demand for cars that look like squid.

Oldsmobile Aurora
What th–? The first Auroras looked rather nice. This one is cross-eyed. Please: don't write in and say you love the styling before you have your glasses prescription updated.

Repercussions? Oldsmobile was the first of the General Motors brands to fold…even Hummer was kept around longer.

Marcos Mantis
What th–? Just let the lines soak in, k? It was a sports car from England, only 32 were sold.

Repercussions? Marcos was purchased a few years back by some Russian billionaire and is now bankrupt. Their later cars looked much better, but these early versions didn't exactly improve the breed, if you know what we mean.

Collection by Michael Banovsky of Sympatico.ca