Montreal sewer geyser makes hapless Ford Focus dance

Zach Bowman — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:56:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Videos, Ford, Canada, Humor

Never underestimate the power of hydraulic pressure. We typically think of water as a patient force that quietly sculpts the landscape of our planet over the course of eons, but under the right circumstances, the compound can exert violent force. Take the video after the jump, for example. In it, the water in a Montreal sewer is pressurized by extensive rain until it finds a suitable exit. In this case, that exit is a manhole cover on an otherwise quiet side street. The storm runoff causes the sewer to geyser out of the manhole, pushing everything in its path out of the way.

In this case, that means that one very unfortunate Ford Focus suffered Mother Nature's Canadian wrath. At first, the tired four-door endures nothing worse than a playful goosing by the rising waters, but the storm pressures eventually take to punting the car crooked in its spot. In the process, the rear valance is ripped from the vehicle. The lucky Toyota RAV4 parked behind the Focus survives the incident without so much as a blemish. Hit the jump to check the carnage for yourself.

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Montreal sewer geyser makes hapless Ford Focus dance originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The wacky, wonderful world of Japanese manhole cover art

Noah Joseph — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Japan

Ever roll through some sleepy burg and notice the townsfolk have painted each fire hydrant, recycling bin or park bench as its own work of art? That's one thing... but how about a whole country? Only in Japan, where the same famously zany locals fascinated with sailor costumes and neon lights on dump trucks have done it yet again. Only this time, their attention has shifted to manhole covers. Yes, manhole covers.

We don't know anything about this fad, how it began or how pervasive it is - we'd be glad to hear from you in our comment section below if you do - but from the look of the pinpointed map available at the link, it seems the craft has grown quite pervasive across the whimsical island nation. Check out a slew of our favorite examples in the gallery below, and try not to wonder how the artists didn't get run down by oncoming traffic while painstakingly completing their masterpieces.

Gallery: Japan's Manhole-Cover Art

[Source: ittemia.jp]

The wacky, wonderful world of Japanese manhole cover art originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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