Recent Comments:
The "A-spot": Not erotic, dangerous {Autoblog}
Aug 8th 2006 9:39AM I noticed it in my new car, too. I look like one of those bobble-heads in the Caliber ad, trying to look around my A-pillar when trying to turn out of side-streets, etc.
Part of the thickness may be due to the side curtain air bags I ordered since most Michigan drivers no longer understand the meaning of STOP signs and just drive out of side roads without stopping (and often, it seems, without looking). They're too busy talking on their cell phones, eating, God only knows what they are doing, but they don't appear to be DRIVING.
Likewise red light runners, hence I decided I needed side air bags on the 2002 car I bought new and also the 2005.
Police finding it harder to serve with higher gas prices {Autoblog Green}
Aug 8th 2006 9:11AM Motorcycles may not work so well in Michigan in the winter time, guys. Do ya think?
How about thinking outside the box even more?
The Toyota Prius (or Honda Civic Hybrid) as a patrol car.
Certainly the Prius has nearly the interior room of a Ford Crown Vic (within an inch or so in just about every dimension, believe it or not). 0-60 is about 1 second slower with the Prius in civilian trim compared to the hot-rod police package Crown Vic V8.
Mileage difference? The Prius, I am GUESSING, would use about 1/3 the fuel of the Crown Vic. Figure 36 mpg vs. 12 (bearing in mind that cop cars do a lot of idling).
As for top speed, I grant you - the Prius is 106 (probably more line 100 with light bars), some 25 mph less than the Crown Vic.
But you know that old saying? "You can't outrun Motorola". (For those of you unable to figure it out - read "you can't outrun police radio and other cruisers getting in your face to make an arrest").
Smile! You're on the TruScene TS-1L candid crash cam {Autoblog}
Jul 29th 2006 1:26PM Actually, it would probably require a search warrant, just as happened when a local idiot killed 4 youths by doing 72 in a 45 and clobbering their Cavalier with his massive (GM) SUV. The on-board computer kept details of speed, acceleration, throttle settings etc. of the SUV and were taken from the SUV legally after a search warrant was put forward, and the driver of the SUV was successfully prosecuted and found guilty of vehicular manslaughter partly from the evidence his own vehicle kept on his actions.
So, is this a bad thing? I don't think so.
Breaking: GM Q2 results beat expectations, shares rise {Autoblog}
Jul 26th 2006 12:20PM I would go ahead and be a dissenter, amp, but 9 out of 10 of my posts on autoblog don't make it onto autoblog. So, I rarely visit autoblog any more and usually go to The Truth About Cars which is now getting to be far better (and it was already good).
No point in reading and watching others posting when I cannot, is there?
Seriously, though, it is good that GM "may" survive. It was getting to the point that someone needed to just take GM out back, shoot it in the head, and put it out of its misery. Ford, too.
Of course, all bets for GM and Ford surviving if oil goes to $100 a barrel / gasoline to $4, $5 or $6 per gallon in the US.
Dodge Caliber sales hurt by production glitches {Autoblog}
Jul 25th 2006 2:34PM Chrysler bought AMC and obtained a brand-new fully modern "Saturn-like" plant facility tooled up to build the "AMC Renault Premier" sedan (Taurus sized) in 1986, the French (naturally) robots worked fine. No problems. So, of course, when Chrysler retooled the plant to build the original "cab forward" big front drive cars, did they reuse the expensive 5 year old plant filled with still useable robots? Nope. Pulled every single last one out and replaced them all. So, my question - was it US taxpayers who got stiffed with the bill because Chrysler wrote the whole thing off as a tax deduction, or was it Canadian tax payers, or both?
Chrysler sure has problems with robots, don't they?
I recall a few years ago when they finally modernized the Jeep plant, the robots were not letting the Jeeps go. Literally. A robot welder had to be continually pried off the rear end of the Jeeps (no comments, now).
Finally, I guess, one of the plant managers took a sledge hammer, whacked the offending robot and had a man and a welder brought in to do the job.
Dodge Caliber sales hurt by production glitches {Autoblog}
Jul 25th 2006 2:34PM Chrysler bought AMC and obtained a brand-new fully modern "Saturn-like" plant facility tooled up to build the "AMC Renault Premier" sedan (Taurus sized) in 1986, the French (naturally) robots worked fine. No problems. So, of course, when Chrysler retooled the plant to build the original "cab forward" big front drive cars, did they reuse the expensive 5 year old plant filled with still useable robots? Nope. Pulled every single last one out and replaced them all. So, my question - was it US taxpayers who got stiffed with the bill because Chrysler wrote the whole thing off as a tax deduction, or was it Canadian tax payers, or both?
Chrysler sure has problems with robots, don't they?
I recall a few years ago when they finally modernized the Jeep plant, the robots were not letting the Jeeps go. Literally. A robot welder had to be continually pried off the rear end of the Jeeps (no comments, now).
Finally, I guess, one of the plant managers took a sledge hammer, whacked the offending robot and had a man and a welder brought in to do the job.
Turning municipal waste in to biofuel {Autoblog Green}
Jul 18th 2006 9:01AM Sorry, typo - too early in the morning - that should read "TWO major parties".
Turning municipal waste in to biofuel {Autoblog Green}
Jul 18th 2006 8:58AM This technology has all the hallmarks of "what we all need". Getting rid of garbage, sewage and offal. Making fuel, fertilizer and clean water. The fuel is not even adding to the CO2 as it is recycling CO2, not pulling new CO2 out of the ground in the form of crude oil for burning.
It's a win, win, win, win situation and I've said for years (literally) that if we took our energy policy in this country seriously, we'd have started building 10,000 of these facilities nationwide. But, alas, we have not (yet).
Our ancestors did something similar in World War 2 - they built plants which normally would take months, in weeks. They retooled plants to make war materiel in days, not months.
We need to get as serious. But, it will take real leadership in our state and national capitals, not "the tow major parties" which by all accounts both appear to be tied to the status quo via donations.
Perhaps one answer would be to use tax-payer money ONLY to pay for elections instead of ANY donations from ANY source, large or small, personal fortunes included. This sure would level the playing field with 3rd parties, from which virtually ALL good ideas originated in this country. Such as abolition, ending child labor, for two examples.
Cost of oil hits record high - gas prices up {Autoblog}
Jul 17th 2006 3:56PM Stratojet, I have to say your comments (#43) are just about the most ignorant things that I have read in some while.
How about a rebuttal of some ACTUAL FACTS? Pay PARTICULAR attention to the last two sentences, folks. Gas prices haven't much consequence when you have a knife against your throat (or an Iranian nuke coming your way).
------------------------------------------------------Israel: Proof that Appeasement Doesn't Work
By Sher Zieve
MichNews.com
Jul 17, 2006
On 13 September 1993, Israel and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) agreed to and signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements—what has come to be commonly known as the “Oslo Accords”. Former PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin endorsed the deal that was partially brokered by then President of the United Stated Bill Clinton. Even during the signing ceremony in Washington D.C., the signatories to the agreement were said to have expressed an alliance of discomfort.
The primary propose of the agreement was to establish peace between Israel and an emerging Palestinian state and to create a 2-state (Israel and Palestine) solution to the ongoing armed conflicts between the two parties. At the heart of the contract were three major points:
1. Transfer of Powers to the Palestinians: The DOP features an agreement in principle regarding a transfer of power and responsibilities to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, so they may have control over their own affairs.
2. The DOP does not prejudge the Permanent Status: The DOP specifically states that permanent status issues, such as Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements and borders are to be excluded from the interim arrangements and that the outcome of the permanent status talks should not be prejudged or preempted by the interim arrangements. During this period, the Israeli government retains sole responsibility for foreign affairs, defense and borders. Israel's position on Jerusalem remains unchanged. When the DOP was signed, Prime Minister Rabin stated that "Jerusalem is the ancient and eternal capital of the Jewish people." An undivided Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, with religious freedom for all, is and remains a fundamental Israeli position.
3. Security remains an Israeli responsibility: In the DOP, Israel and the PLO agree that during the interim period, Israel will remain responsible for security along the international borders and the crossing points to Egypt and Jordan. Israel will also retain responsibility for and the overall security of Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza, the Israeli settlements in those areas, and freedom of movement on roads.
There were multiple other agreements negotiated and authorized between Israel and the PLO, leading up to the ceding of the Israeli Gaza to the Palestinians in 2005. During this period, then Israeli PM Ariel Sharon dismantled all of the Katif Jewish communities in Gaza, four Jewish communities in Samaria and moved and relocated Jewish citizens from their homes and businesses. These actions were supposed to bring peace and harmony to the side-by-side states of Israel and a newly-formed “Palestine”. However, the Palestinians then proceeded to elect terrorist Hamas members as their leaders. The newly elected Hamas, as has Islamo-fascist Iran, now refused to recognize Israel as a sovereign nation and has vowed and continues to vow to destroy the nation of Israel. It also immediately ignored the “truce” between the Palestinian Authority and its neighbor and immediately began shelling Israel—again. Hamas also started abducting Israeli citizens, including the most recent kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. Hamas wants the entire country of Israel—not just the Gaza.
Then, after 22 years of fighting in southern Lebanon in order to protect its residents in the northern regions, the Israeli Army pulled out of that country in 2000. This was largely a reaction by Israel to world pressure for Israel to leave Lebanon. However, the pull-out left no buffer zone between the terrorist Hezbollah-controlled southern regions of Lebanon and the residents of northern Israel. In 2005, Lebanon ostensibly kicked occupying Syria out of power and conducted its first general elections in thirty years without Syrian military and intelligence forces in-country. However, the new Lebanese government either does not have the will or is unable to control the Hezbollah menace. Unprovoked by Israel, Hezbollah operatives covertly invaded the no longer buffered area of northern Israel, began a firefight that killed 7 soldiers and then kidnapped 2 soldiers that they are also holding hostage. Currently, there seems to be no doubt that Iran and Syria are financing and coordinating Hezbollah in Lebanon—just as it comes as no surprise that Iran strongly appears to be funding and supporting the actions of Hamas in Palestine.
Note: Hezbollah members are now part of the Lebanese government. Haaretz.com reports: “When asked by a reporter why Lebanon does not disarm Hezbollah, Mawad said the organization was brought into the government to grant its members the feeling they are Lebanese.”
Now, the “world” is again, as it has done multiple times before, in essence telling Israel that it has no right to protect itself. Using such terminology as Israel’s “overreaction” (to the continuing kidnappings and killings of Israeli citizens as well as rockets continuing to be fired into its country) and saying that Israel’s response needs to be “more balanced”, the “world” is telling Israel to “back off” from its self-protection! Of course, the world’s reaction to Israel’s attempt to protect its citizens—even its very existence—is specious at best; insane and terrorist-supporting at its worst.
So, there you have it. Israel has bowed to world opinion on two fronts—controlled by terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah—and it is now forced to fight on those same fronts. This is one of the clearest and most outstanding examples of what appeasement of one’s enemy produces. Accession to the demands of those who have already said they will destroy you, quite obviously doesn’t work. Instead, it only leads to the new requirement of even more conciliations. Eventually, these lead to the non-existence of the appeasers.
As of Saturday morning, Hamas has issued a statement advising that it is its intention that Islam destroy the infidels (non-Muslims) and rule the world—with its sights firmly on Israel, the United States and Europe.
Still think appeasement works?
Hyundai workers walk out in South Korea - full strike is on {Autoblog}
Jul 17th 2006 9:28AM OZZy, I'm not a moron.
Think, man.
The United States was the ONLY nation in history which exclusively had nuclear weapons - from 1945 through 1949. Four, almost five years.
Do you see the entire world "taken over" by the United States? NO. It wouldn't even have crossed our minds.
Now, I ask you to THINK. If Adolph, "Uncle" Joe Stalin, Momar Khodaffi, the Ayatolla Ko-maniac or this Ahmadajadine ("ah'm mad...") had nukes and NOBODY else did, for 5 minutes never mind 5 years, don't you think they'd have taken over the world? Well?
Where's your answer to that? (cue the crickets).
No, OZZy, you're the MORON. You and America haters.
So, are you living in America? You don't like it? GET OUT.
We are not the most evil nation in the world. No nation is perfect, but by no means have we killed innocent people as a nation (unless, of course, you consider the 55 million babies we have killed since 1973 because they have not yet been born - but all nations do this - which does not excuse any of them, including our own nation).
But being the "liberal" America hater you obviously are, you think it's fine to murder womb-babies, I'm sure - but wrong for Israel or the United States to stand up to "those who would kill us all".
As the Israeli Ambassador to the UN said last evening on TV, not all Muslims are Terrorists, but all Terrorists are Muslims.
We're at war. Get it through your heads. If we lose this one, Western Civilizations goose is more than cooked, and so will be China and the rest of the orient.
