Quality Weenie

Sunday Doggie Bloging

Didn't get to it on Friday, so we will do Dog Blogging Sunday instead.

Here we have Maggie. Maggie's ear are always doing funky things.

Here we have Lance. Lance likes sleeping with his toys, this toy is a recent addition and has become his favorite to sleep with for now.

Ford Shuts Down 6 Plants For Faulty Parts

Some supplier right now is literally getting their asses handed to them. Shutting down ONE assembly plant roughly costs Ford about $1 million/day. This supplier has gotten SIX assembly plants shut down and yes Ford will charge back to the supplier a hefty sum of money for the suppliers screw-up.

Oh boy, I feel for that supplier. They will not be going home today and I can safely say some probably haven't been to sleep yet since this happened Thrusday night. So that is TWO full production shifts that have been lost.

A faulty transmission part prompted the Ford Motor Co. to halt production at several plants Thursday night.

The local plants include Dearborn Truck, Michigan Truck in Wayne and the Wixom Assembly plants, Local 4 reported. Other plants affected include Kansas City Truck, Ohio Assembly and the Norfolk, Va., plants, according to the station's reports.

Production workers should not report for their day shift Friday unless told otherwise by supervisors.

Ford officials say they do not know if the bad parts made it onto vehicles already on the road, but is stopping production as a protection for its customers.

Passenger Vehicle CAFE Requirements To Rise

President Proposes Raising Car CAFE

President Bush said on Thursday that he would push for an increase in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard for passenger cars. The Bush administration recently upped the fuel economy required for trucks and added some large SUVs to the fuel standards, but had left passenger cars untouched by the changes until now. The President said that he would ask that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set different fuel-economy levels for different sizes of cars, and would seek a boost of about 10 percent in fuel economy. The changes could take effect as soon as the 2008-2011 time frame. The current fleet average for passenger cars is 27.5 mpg.

I posted about the new Truck CAFE requirements in this post

Hattip: The Car Connection

Today In Automotive History

1903 Ten more join ALAM

A group of 10 automobile manufacturers including Cadillac, Northern, Thomas, and Pope joined the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM). Eighteen other firms including Winton, Pierce-Arrow, and Packard had signed on March 5. The addition of the 10 new companies made the ALAM a nearly comprehensive list of automobile producers intent on protecting their own patent rights and standardizing the industry's production systems. ALAM formed in response to the suits resulting from U.S. Patent No. 549,160 granted to Geroge Selden and referring to his possession of the right to royalties on any hydrocarbon gas engine built for the purpose of propelling road cars and horseless carriages. The patent was seen as ridiculous by some, as Selden never produced a car, but its legitimacy was upheld in federal court most notably against the likes of the Duryea brothers, Alexander Winton, and Ransom Olds. ALAM was an attempt to organize negotiations with the Electric Vehicle Company, which had purchased the partial rights to Selden's patent. On March 5, 30 automobile manufacturers met to consider Electric Vehicle President George Day's proposal that they form an association of manufacturers licensed to use the Selden patent. The parties eventually agreed that each member of the association would pay 1.25% on each car's catalogue price. One-fifth of the money went directly to Selden, two-fifths to Electric Vehicle, and the remaining two-fifths were paid to the association. After April 28, there were 28 members of ALAM. The Association used its revenue to standardize the production of nuts, bolts, screw threads, spark plugs, etc. The branch also maintained a research laboratory in Hartford, Connecticut. ALAM only lasted until a court ruled in 1911 that Selden's patent applied only to the out-of-date 2-cycle engine that was no longer in use. In spite of its relatively short lifetime ALAM was the first organization of car manufacturers and was heavily responsible for the standardization of automobile parts that allowed the industry to grow so quickly and to produce so heavily in the following decades.

A Good Gas Article

This has to be the best article I have seen on the gas "crisis" we are experiencing right now.

I will give you just a couple money shots to wet your appetite, go read the whole article for yourself.

Gas is $3 a gallon and the politicians are competing for Whiner of the Year honors. There are too many nominees.

Here in Michigan, we've got Gov. Jennifer Granholm, whose election-year solution is ...

In Washington, we've got U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, whose election-year solution is ...

Credit the president of Iran, whose nuclear brinksmanship should scare the wits out of anyone reading his outrage of the day. If I ...

Denounce the Chinese, whose gangbuster economy and hyper-industrialization are sucking on global oil supplies at record rates...

The choice: Suck it up or buy less and take the bus to avoid getting hosed at the pump. In the real world, there's no human right to cheap gas -- even in America.

Today In Automotive History

1936 UAW gets independence

The UAW, or United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, gained autonomy from the AFL, becoming the first democratic, independent labor union concerned with the rights of unskilled and semi-skilled laborers. The AFL was seen as America's most powerful labor organization, but it was essentially an institution concerned with guaranteeing the rights of skilled workers. As such, it fought for salary stratification on the basis of skill. The AFL's skilled laborers cared little for the plight of the many thousands of unskilled workers who worked in Detroits automotive industry. Organized labor in general had been made possible through legislation resulting form the New Deal. In 1935, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act--also called the Wagner Act after New York Senator Robert Wagner--which guaranteed the rights of laborers to bargain collectively with their employers and which created the National Labor Relations Board to act as a quasi-judicial tribunal that could argue its decisions in federal court. These rights, however, were impossible to implement for unskilled laborers as large company's continued to discriminate heavily against union sympathizers on the grounds that they were Communists. Nevertheless, the constitutional guarantee of rights was a crucial step which emboldened the AFL to expand its activities. The AFL's craft structure provided no means by which unskilled laborers could obtain bargaining leverage with their employers. UAW members campaigned for autonomy from the overbearing and exclusionary AFL, a right they were provisionally granted in August of 1935. The AFL allowed the autoworkers a national union charter. Unfortunately, AFL President William Green caved in to the demands of national craft union leaders, and the charter he granted the UAW did not even allow the autoworkers to elect their own leaders. Disgruntled auto unionists, angered at the election of an AFL loyalist who knew little about cars, convened in South Bend, Indiana on this day in 1936 and voted to cast off their AFL affiliation. The newly independent UAW instead affiliated itself with the CIO. Considered a renegade institution by the AFL, John Lewis' CIO had been created to foster organization of industrial workers in mass-production industries. The UAW was officially free and democratically controlled, but the strain caused by their difficult birth had left them with only 30,000 loyal members. Their greatest challenge was yet to come in increasing its membership and organizing to the degree that it could exert force as a collective bargaining entity. Under the lead of Wyndham Mortimer, a Cleveland auto worker who was considered a Communist agitator, the UAW began to organize a drive in Flint, Michigan aimed at securing rights for General Motors' (GM) workers. On New Year's Eve of 1936, the famed sit-down strike at GM's Fisher Body Plant became the center stage for all unskilled labor struggles. GM moved to legally block the strike and evict the workers from its facilities; but unlike strikes of the previous era, the state government under the direction of Governor Frank Murphy protected the rights of the workers to bargain collectively. The governor's attention may have been accountable to concurrent Senate hearings on the abusive tactics used by GM on its laborers. The workers invoked the Wagner Act, and GM was forced to settle with the UAW, recognizing the union and signing a contract. The event was the first victory by unskilled laborers in America's largest industry.

Messenger

I now have access to MSN Messenger during the day if anybody is interested. I am using my email address.

During the weekends I have Yahoo messenger active using my email address.

Toyota Recalling Brand New Camry

Toyota Recalling Camry

The newest edition of the Toyota Camry is being recalled for a problem with the transmission. The problem, Toyota says, involved only a half-percent of Camrys built thus far for the 2007 model year. The new six-speed automatic transmission could lose second and sixth gear during operation. Toyota told Reuters the vehicle still will operate even if the gears are lost, and that the problem usually happens within the first 500 miles of use.

I can guardamntee that you won't see this in any newspaper or TV news report. You think big media is biased against Iraq and the President, you haven't seen them around the American auto companies. It hatred of american auto companies pales in comparision to Iraq or the President. Someday I will have to blog on their bias.

Hattip: The Car Connection

Today In Automotive History

1906 Pierce purchases land for new facility

The George N. Pierce Company purchased a 16-acre plot of land that had been the site of the 1901 Pan American Exposition with the intention of making the site their new production facility. In 1872, George Pierce of Heintz, Pierce, and Munschauer, a houseware manufacturing firm whose products included birdcages, bought out his two partners and reorganized the company as the George N. Pierce Company. By the mid-1890s, the company had begun manufacturing bicycles; and when car production began in the late 1890s, company executive Charles Clifton began investigating the possibility of entering the industry. The summer of 1900 saw the company's first car produced, a steamer that turned out to be a dismal failure. Clifton traveled to Europe, and returned insisting that Pierce purchase DeDion gasoline engines for car production. Pierce's first production car was the Motorette. The car enjoyed great success in reliability trials, and it established Pierce as a dependable brand in the early car market. In 1904, Pierce took a giant leap forward when they produced their first Great Arrow. The four-cylinder Great Arrow sold for $4,000, making it a luxury car. Pierce rode the success of the Great Arrow for the rest of the first decade of the century, and, in 1909, the company changed its name to Pierce-Arrow. Pierce-Arrow established itself as the only car company to exclusively produce luxury automobiles, and for the next few decades it would battle Packard in that marketplace. The company is credited with being the first car manufacturer to bring aesthetics to the forefront of the marketing race. Pierce-Arrow employed major working artists including N.C. Wyeth and J.C. Leyendecker to render their cars on advertisements that were literally works of art. By 1915, Pierce-Arrow had established itself at the highest echelon of the luxury car market. Its cars brought with their fine aesthetics a 6-cylinder 824.8 cubic inch engine, America's biggest production engine ever. Pierce-Arrow remained a profitable name throughout the 1900s and 1920s, although sales fell steadily due to the company's unwillingness to modernize its 6-cylinder engine. The Depression buried Pierce-Arrow. Thus, when Time Magazine published their piece on the company they entitled it "From Birdcages to Bankruptcy." Still Pierce-Arrow enjoys a prominent place in car history as America's first great luxury marque.

Gas Hogs Still Popular Dispite Gas Prices

V-8s Still Popular Despite Gas Prices

American car buyers are choosing powerful engines in the same proportions even in these days of $3 a gallon gas, the analysts at J.D. Power report. The Power Information Network (PIN) says in the first quarter of the year, about 25 percent of all vehicles purchased in the U.S. were powered by eight-cylinder engines, roughly in line with the figures from the third quarter of 2005. At the same time, sales of six-cylinder engines have stayed steady at 40 to 42 percent of all sales, and four-cylinders have continued to account for 30 to 33 percent of all vehicle sales. "Gas prices are certainly becoming a popular dinner and water-cooler discussion topic, but consumers appear to be conditioned to prices at current levels," said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting at J.D. Power Automotive Forecasting.

Hattip: The Car Connection

Today In Automotive History

1901 New York requires tags

New York became the first state to require license plates by law. Owners of automobiles were obliged to register their names and addresses along with a description of their vehicle with the office of the secretary of state. The state sent each owner a small license plate, at least three inches high, which bore the owner's initials. The fee to register an automobile was one dollar. In 1901, the state received $954 in registration fees.

I Use To Be Wild

I saw this over at blogsis, Boudicca's Voice.

All you do is answer yes or no with no explainations.

And you thought I was always a quite one?

Taken a picture naked? : Yes
Made out with a member of the same sex? : Yes
Danced in front of your mirror? : Yes
Told a lie? : Yes
Gotten in a car with people you just met?: Yes
Been in a fist fight? : Yes
Had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back? : Yes
Been arrested? : No
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? : Yes
Seen someone die? : No
Kissed a picture? : Yes
Slept in until 3? : Yes
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? : Yes
Played dress up? : Yes
Fallen asleep at work? : Yes
Had sex at work? : No
Felt an earthquake? : No
Touched a snake? : No
Ran a red light? : Yes
Been in a car accident? : Yes
Pole danced? : Yes
Been lost? : Yes
Sang karaoke? : Yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? : Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? : Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? : Yes
Kissed in the rain? : Yes
Sang in the shower? : Yes
Got your tongue stuck to a pole? : No
Sat on a roof top? : Yes
Played chicken? : Yes
Raised chickens? : No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? : Yes
Been told you’re hot by a complete stranger? : Yes
Broken a bone? : Yes
Mooned/flashed someone? : Yes
Forgotten someone’s name? : Yes
Slept naked? : Yes
Blacked out from drinking? : Yes
Played a prank on someone? : Yes
Felt like killing someone? : Yes
Made a parent cry? : No
Cried over someone? : Yes
Had sex more than 5 times in one day? : Yes
Had/Have a dog? : Yes
Been in a band? : No
Drank 25 sodas in a day? : Yes
Shot a gun? : No

Hey, I lived in the dorms at college. I fell in with a wild bunch.

Today In Automotive History

1995 Last ZR-1 is produced

The last Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 was produced, although the ceremony celebrating the car came four days later. Nicknamed "The King of the Hill" the ZR-1 was built from 1990 to 1995. A total of 6,939 ZR-1s were produced over the six-year period. General Motors' (GM) intention with the car was to build the ultimate sports car where price and performance were both concerns. With its top speed of 180mph, the ZR-1 was the fastest production Corvette ever built. The heart of this Chevy's beast was its LT5 engine, an all-aluminum, dual overhead cam engine, whose 32 valves were capable of pushing 405hp in the car's last years.

Quality Weenie Family Vacation

It's that time again folks, the planning of the Weenie family vacation.

This year we will be exploring the beaches and history of The Outer Banks in North Carolina!

We have reservations at a Bed & Breakfast that is right on the ocean, nice breath taking views and a good breakfast to wake up to.

This year we get to see how North Carolina celebrates Independance Day. Most of this vacation will be spent relaxing on the beach as we haven't had a beach vacation in 9 years. We also plan on exploring some Lighthouses and the Wright Brothers area.

Anyone (Ogre) have any suggestions for things to do in The Outer Banks area or good restaurants to eat at?

Friends Don't Let Friends Multitask While Driving

NHTSA: Multitasking Involved in 80 Percent of Crashes

If you're dialing a phone, eating or talking while driving, you're three times more likely to be in a car accident than an attentive driver, according to a new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA also reports, with its research partner, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, that about 80 percent of accidents and 65 percent of near-misses occur within three seconds of a distraction to the driver. The most hazardous behavior is reaching for a moving object, which increases the risk of an accident ninefold. Drowsy drivers are four times as likely to have an accident or be involved in a near-miss. Drivers from 18 to 20 are four times more likely to be in accidents or near-misses than those over 35. The NHTSA and the university studied 241 drivers in 100 vehicles for more than a year.

Hattip: The Car Connection

Today In Automotive History

1985 Senna wins first Formula One

The late Ayrton Senna won his first of 41 Formula One Championship victories driving a Lotus-Renault at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril. Senna's uncompromising driving style made him a hero to many and a villain to almost as many. Throughout his eight-year career, he established himself as the sport's greatest qualifying racer, winning 65-pole positions. Qualifying is a measure of how far a driver can push himself without competition, and this quality was one of Senna's trademarks, "Sometimes I try to beat other people's achievements but on many occasions I find it's better to beat my own achievements. That can give me more satisfaction. I don't feel happy if I am comfortable." It was his drive for perfection that made Senna such a great racer. But Senna's drive often threatened the lives of his fellow drivers. And his unapologetic off-track demeanor was often seen by his detractors as inflammatory. Just before his death in 1993, Senna appeared to be softening to the public. Still competitive, he assumed a calmer, less antagonistic persona on the Grand Prix circuit. Always a pleasure for the press, Senna often delivered more thoughtful responses to questions than did his fellow drivers. In one of his most spiritual quotations Senna explains the relation of the racer to his public, "In many ways we are a dream for people, not a reality. That counts in your mind. It shows how much you can touch people, and as much as you can try to give to those people somehow it is nothing compared to what they live in their own mind, in their dreams, for you." The tragic accident that cut short Senna's career remains an object of mystery, and the investigation is not yet closed. Those close to Senna indicate that the Catholic driver had a premonition of his impending death. A haunting comment from the year before his accident reads, "If I ever happen to have an accident that eventually costs me my life, I hope it is in one go." It is, arguably, the danger of F1 racing that makes its leading personalities such captivating figures. Like boxers they exist closer to death than do ordinary citizens, and they, thereby, achieve a stature that is larger than life. It is only fair to mention, however, that Senna's death was just the second such fatality in F1 since the late 1970s.

Product Review

Sometimes a product comes along that you think is just fantastic, the greatest thing since sliced bread and you just have to tell everyone about it.

It isn't very often that I will sing the praises of a product, but this product is the cat's ass.

Yep, Tide in a pen. It's great.

I work in a plant but wear Business casual clothes, which means there is a good chance I am going to get something nice dirty. Actually it's better than a good chance, it's guaradamnteed that I am going to get something dirty or greasy.

Before the Tide stick I had ruined quite a few pants and shirts because of dirt or grease I couldn't get out until I got home.

But now, I just whip out my stick and the stain is gone.

This thing is a life clothes saver. I keep one in my desk at work.

I heart the Tide stick, even more than I heart Contagions meat stick!

Canadians Really Do Hate Their Healthcare

Democrats are trying to push a Canadian style of healthcare onto us. Some thinks it's wonderful and that the government should supply us with healthcare, others think it's a horrible idea to get the government involved in our healthcare.

Those that support a government sponsored healthcare always point to Canada as a great system.

Well, this says otherwise:

Canadians rate their health care system lower than do people in five other developed countries, according to a new study.

The private foundation, which works to improve health care, released the study last week. It was based on adult patient surveys in 2004 and 2005 in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Patients ranked six measures and 51 indicators of quality: patient safety, effectiveness, patient centredness, timeliness, efficiency and equity.

Canadians ranked the timeliness of their health care lower than any other nationality surveyed, with more than a third of 1,400 surveyed saying they had to wait longer than six days for a medical appointment and 42 per cent waiting more than two hours to be seen in an emergency room. More than half of Canadians said they had to wait longer than four weeks to see a specialist and a third had to wait four months or more for elective surgery.

A second survey of sicker adults, looking at health care by income in four of the countries, found Canadians with above-average incomes have to wait just as long as poorer patients and have the same difficulty getting care at night and on weekends and holidays without going to a hospital emergency room.

"Rates of ER use were highest in Canada and the U.S. - the two countries with the longest waits to see physicians and where individuals had the most difficulties getting after-hour care," the report says.

Canada also had the worst scores on test results. More respondents than in any other country said they didn't get test results back or didn't have them explained properly.

The U.S., the only country surveyed that doesn't have a public health insurance system, ranked last on providing health care to low-income adults, scoring the worst on 16 of 30 measures studied.

"Overall, the report finds a health care divide separating the U.S. from the other four countries," the report says. "The U.S. stands out for pervasive disparities by income."

This article isn't very long as doesn't give a link to the full report, but I would want to understand this statement more:

"This is an index....Put it all together and you're getting an overall grade," he said in an interview. "It doesn't necessarily mean we have the fifth-best health care system. But the main point is, you can say absolutely conclusively that the U.S. has the worst health care system in the world, and they're spending by far the most. The other major conclusion, which is probably way more important, is that every country could improve dramatically."

I don't understand, after hearing all those bad things about the Canadian system that the article says the US has the worse healthcare system. Is it because it's not free?

Living as close to Canada as I do and working with plenty of Canadians living in the US and in Canada I can mostly assuredly say that the Canadians do hate their healthcare and some have speifically said they work in the US for the healthcare.

A Perfect Lunch!

I went out for lunch today, needed gas so I thought I would just get lunch while I was out.

In front of me was what any red-blooded, car-loving, american female would love to have a picture of hanging in their cube ....

2 Marines, in uniform, driving a 65 Ford Mustang Convertable.

Ya, it was a very good lunch for me!

Habits & Facts About Me

Damn you Harvey, damn you to hell.

Blog papa Harvey thinks I have nothing better to do so he slapped me with a meme, seems he thinks that there is something strange about putting clothes on dogs.

6 Weird Facts or Habits that I have

1 - I have a freakishly wide tongue, nope, no pictures.

2 - When eating, my drink always has to be on the left side of my plate.

3 - I hate vanilla ice cream, even with stuff on it I won't eat it.

4 - I am a very routine person. I have a routine for doing a lot of things and if I am forced to deviate from that routine I get messed up and have problems getting back on track.

5 - When I was doing phone answering for a living I started to pick up the dielects of the people I would talk to. I developed a pretty good southern and Boston accent. They are gone now.

6 - I am deathly afraid of worms. Once in Elementary school while walking to school in the rain I was confronted with a sidewalk full of them and I became frozen in place and started screaming. A neighbor had to come get me from the sidewalk and call my mom to come get me and take me to school because I refused to walk anymore for fear of the worms. To this day they still freak me out and I have a problem walking outside when it rains.

My victims:

Contagion of Miasmatic Review
Carmen of I'll Do What I Wanna Do

Today In Automotive History

1955 Volkswagen opens shop in New Jersey

Volkswagen of America, Inc. was established in Engelwood, New Jersey, as a sales division for the German car company. 1955 was a banner year for Volkswagen as the company produced its 1,000,000th car and exceeded, for the first time, the production benchmark of 1,000 cars per day on average. 1955 also saw the introduction of the Karmann Ghia Coupe, a joint venture between Volkswagen and Karmann. The sporty Karmann Ghia enjoyed great success in the United States. It wasn't until almost a decade after the formation of Volkswagen of America, that Volkswagen provided serious competition for Detroit's Big Three. The establishment of an American sales group paved the way for the success of the VW bug in America. By the mid-1960s, the VW Bug had almost single-handedly ended the years of "virtual monopoly" that Detroit manufacturers had previously enjoyed.

Today In Automotive History

1906 Sun sets on Sunset

A fire caused by the San Francisco earthquake destroyed the production facilities of the fledgling Sunset Automobile Company in San Francisco, California. Production of the Sunset never resumed, and the firm was legally dissolved in 1909. Throughout the history of American automobile production no company ever succeeded on the West Coast, a fact that supports the theory that car production was originally an extension of Manifest Destiny and the thirst for Westward expansion.

Today In Automotive History

1964 Ford introduces Mustang

Ford introduced the Ford Mustang on the first day of the New York World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. The Mustang had been the brainchild of Lee Iacocca and his production team. The car was essentially a Ford Falcon with a new frame and body. The Mustang was so successfully marketed, thanks in part to its introduction at the World's Fair, that it became one of Ford's best-selling models of all time. Ford profits soared after the release of the Mustang. Another of Iacocca's Mustang-related innovations was a new strategy of marketing upgrade packages for the car. On this day in 1965, a year into the Mustang's lifetime, Ford introduced the GT Equipment Group as an option on the Mustang, creating the first Mustang GT. Iacocca commented on the success of the package, "People want economy so badly they don't care how much they pay for it." The base price for the Mustang was a skinny $2,368, but buyers purchased an average of $1,000 worth of options.

Happy Easter

Hope you got a Chocolate Bunny something edible in your basket this year!

Friday Doggie Blogging

I am not allowed to buy any outfits for the puppies, hubby doesn't let me. But I don't have to worry because my sister feeds my fetish for the puppy clothes.
Here are the Easter outfits my sister bought them.

Are they not just the cutest!

Today In Automotive History

1927 Volvo "Jakob" rolls off the line

The first regular production Volvo, nicknamed "Jakob," left the assembly line in Goteborg, Sweden. Volvo was the result of a collaboration between Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson. Gabrielsson was an economist and a businessman who began his career at SKF Manufacturing in Goteborg. As head of SKF's subsidiary in France, he discovered that, due to the comparative labor costs, it was possible to sell Swedish ball bearings in France more cheaply than American ones. The realization planted the seed that it was also possible to supply cars to continental Europe at a lower cost than American car companies could. Enter Gustaf Larson, engineer and designer. He had been a trainee at White & Poppe in Coventry, England, where he had helped design engines for Morris. The two men met in 1923, and by the next year they already had plans to build cars. Larson gathered a team of engineers, and began work on a car design in his spare time. By July of 1926, the chassis drawings were complete. Meanwhile Gabrielsson had aroused the interest of SKF in his project, and he obtained guarantees and credit form the parent company to build 1,000 vehicles, 500 open and 500 covered. SKF provided the name, AB Volvo. Volvo is Latin for "I Roll." It wasn't until the 1930s that Volvo made a mark on the international automotive world. Volvo purchased its engine supplier, Pentaverken, and began production on a variety of car models, including the PV651 that enjoyed great success in the taxicab market. After weathering the lean years of the early '30s, Volvo released its first "streamlined car" the PV36, or Carioca, a car heavily influenced by American designs, in 1936. Also in line with American marketing strategies was Volvo's decision to release new car models in the autumn, a tradition it began in 1938. Volvo's fortunes would mirror those of the American car companies after the war. Because of Sweden's neutrality during the war its production facilities were left undamaged, allowing Volvo to meet the demand for cars in Sweden and Europe after the war.

Where's Kenneth?

Hillary Clinton goes to a primary school in Ithaca, New York, to talk
about the world. After her talk she offers question time.

One little boy puts up his hand, and the Senator asks him what his
name?

"Kenneth," replied the little boy.

"And what is your question, Kenneth?"

"I have three questions:
1. Whatever happened to your medical health care plan?
2. Why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?
3. Whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House?"

Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the
kiddies that they will continue after recess.
When they resume, Hillary says "OK, where were we?
Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?"

A different little boy puts his hand up. Hillary points him out
and asks him his name.

"My name is Larry."

"And what is your question, Larry?"

"I have 5 questions:
1. Whatever happened to your medical health care plan?
2. Why would you run for President after your husband
shamed the office?
3. Whatever happened to all those things you took when
you left the White House?
4. Why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?
5. Where's Kenneth?"

#7 in Google

Another search I am getting a lot of hits on, the Stupid Fairy Commerical post.

#1 in Yahoo

Remember my article on Gwenthe Paltrow naming her baby Moses? Well I am the #1 most searched blog in blogdom for it!

Today In Automotive History

1925 Haynes founder dies

Elwood Haynes died in Kokomo, Indiana, at the age of 67. Haynes, the founder of the Haynes Automobile Company, led a remarkable life that began in Portland, Indiana. The son of pioneer farmers Judge Jacob and Hillinda Haynes, Elwood thirsted for education at an early age. He eventually received degrees in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and from Johns Hopkins. He returned to Portland to become a high school teacher in his subjects. His career and life turned around as the result of the discovery of vast natural gas deposits near Portland. Forever curious, Haynes familiarized himself with natural gas containment and piping methods. He became the architect for the Indiana Natural Gas Company's pipe network that provided most of Chicago with natural gas. Haynes was the first man to suggest that natural gas should be dehydrated before it was piped, a principle still in use today. From his laboratory at the Indiana Natural Gas Company, Haynes began tinkering with internal combustion engines. He completed his first car in 1894, one year after Charles Duryea is credited with having built the first American car. Such was the dissemination of information at the time that Haynes, even until his death, was credited with building the first American car. After creating his prototype, Haynes started his own car company, which he ran for nearly three decades. He is credited with a number of automotive innovations, including the rotary engine. But Haynes' greatest achievements came as a metallurgist. He was the first American to pioneer the oxidization of steel and the use of chromium to retard nature's oxidization process. He eventually received a U.S. patent for "stainless steel," although the invention first surfaced in England under the name "rustless iron." Haynes' biographer, Ralph Gray, described the man succinctly, "Neither exceptionally bright nor a fast learner, Haynes had the capacity to absorb completely that which he had learned... He had an uncanny ability to be at the forefront of the most exciting new industrial and technological breakthroughs in his state during his lifetime." In our age of specialization, it is hard to imagine one man making such an impact in such diverse fields of exploration.

Today In Automotive History

1888 MG founder is born

Cecil Kimber, the founder of MG, was born in Dulwich, Engalnd. MG stands for Morris Garages, which was the name for the Oxford distributor of Morris cars, a company owned by William Morris. When Kimber became general manager of Morris Garages in 1922, he immediately began work modifying Morris Cowleys, lowering the chassis and fitting sportier bodywork. In 1924, Morris Garages advertised the "MG Special four-seater Sports," the first car to bear the famous octagonal badge of MG. Old Number One, as the car was called, was actually the 48th body built for Morris by the manufacturing firm Carbodies, but it is still considered the grandfather of all true MG sports cars. Morris Garages outgrew its home in Oxford, and moved to Abingdon in 1929 under the name MG Car Company. The early 1930s were the glory years of MG sports cars during which time the company's road cars were promoted by its successful racing endeavors. For fiscal reasons, William Morris sold his private companies, which included MG, to the public holding company of Morris Motors. Purists contend that MG was never the same. Morris Motors diminished MG's racing activity, limited the variety of the company's products, and even placed the MG badge on company saloon cars. Cecil Kimber died in 1945 in a train crash. After his death, beautiful MG's were still produced, despite what the purists say. The Midget, the MGA, the TC, and the MGB were all good cars. Indeed, it wasn't until after Kimber's death that the MG caught on as a small sports car in the U.S. MG did, however, suffer after it was purchased by British Leyland, and the 1970s saw the company fall to pieces. Production at Abingdon stopped in 1980. In 1992, an MG revival was begun with the release of the MG RV8, a throwback to Kimber's earlier vision for MG sports cars.

The Tax System

I received this in a email today, checked snopes.com and it's appears to be true.

Here is a easy way to explain the tax system in the U.S.

Sometimes politicians, journalists and others exclaim; "It's just a tax cut for the rich!" and it is just accepted to be fact.

But what does that really mean?

Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help. Please read it carefully.

Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill for
all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." Dinner for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal.

So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings)
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to
the tenth man," but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Chrysler Beats Up On Big Oil

Seems the auto manufacturers are getting in on the beating of big oil companies. Chrysler had this to say about the huge profits that big oil is seeing and the huge increase in gas prices at the pumps recently

"Big Oil would rather fill the pockets of its executives and shareholders, rather than spend sufficient amounts to reduce the price of fuel, letting consumers, during tough economic times, pick up the tab,"

In an extraordinary rebuke across industry lines, Vines said the oil companies were lining up scapegoats for frustrated consumers while filling their coffers.

"Despite a documented history of blowing their exorbitant profits on outlandish executive salaries and stock buybacks, and hoarding their bounty by avoiding technologies, policies and legislation that would protect the population and environment and lower fuel costs, Big Oil insists on transferring all of that responsibility on the auto companies," Vines said, referring in part to a print advertisement by oil giant ExxonMobil that criticized the auto industry's record.

In the ad, ExxonMobil said the U.S. economy had become vastly more fuel-efficient since the first oil shock, "so why is … the average fuel economy of American cars unchanged in two decades?"

So what does the auto industry say in reponse to ExxonMobils accusations?

Spokesman Eron Shosteck said the auto industry is producing more than 1 million vehicles this year that have gas-electric drivetrains or can run on alternative fuels -- yet the oil industry has been slow to provide stations that offer alternative fuels.

There are 180,000 gas stations in the United States but only 500 ethanol stations, and most of those are in the upper Midwest.

Chrysler has gone out in front on this issue, Morrow said, but he expects other automakers to join in -- "I believe you'll see a consortium of forces coming out to beat up on the oil industry."

The counterattack may be effective, he said, because regular consumers have suffered from high home heating and gas prices. "So the consumer might be saying, 'There's someone out there finally fighting for the little guy.'"

I don't think we have heard the last of this from either side.

Name That Blimp

Love Blimps? Name One, Goodyear Says

For our money, the blimp is one of our culture's highest achievements. And Goodyear's fleet of funbags get so much individual attention, they're given a name. Only now, Goodyear is sending out a ship without a name attached - and they want you to supply the tag. The tire maker will run a contest starting tomorrow at www.nametheblimp.com where contestants can suggest their own names for the air machine. The winner, to be chosen by the company on or about June 5, will see their name applied to a giant "Hello My Name Is" tag - some 18 by 12 feet. A christening ceremony in Akron, Ohio, is to follow and the winner will get free use of the blimp for a day. (Awesome! South Carolina, be prepared to have your airspace violated!) Nine other entrants will win Goodyear tires.

Hattip: The Car Connection

Today In Automotive History

1888 Henry Ford marries

Henry Ford married Clara Bryant Ford in Greenfield, Michigan, on her 22nd birthday. Clara described her intended to her parents as "quiet, pleasant, keen-minded, and sensible." When Clara Bryant married Henry Ford, he was living on a 40-acre plot of land that belonged to his father. Instead of farming the land Ford had it cleared and sold the lumber. Once the lumber was gone, he took a job as an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company. The move was the beginning of Ford's precipitous rise through the ranks of the engineering world, a career that saw he and his wife move 11 times between 1892 and 1915, always to finer circumstances. Not many wives in that day would have approved of such a migrant lifestyle, but Clara Bryant Ford did. She is credited with backing her husband in all of his endeavors. There was a time when Henry Ford's success as a maker of cars was dubious at best. Indeed, Ford spent the years between 1895 and 1901 as a virtual unknown and unpaid tinkerer. In 1896, Ford met Thomas Edison for the first time. Edison encouraged him in his car-building mission, exhorting Ford to continue his work, "Young man, that's the thing. You have it. The self-contained unit carrying its own fuel with it." Ford wasn't the only man "to have it," but Edison's words affected him. "No man, up to then," Ford explained, "had given me encouragement." But his wife had. The union of Clara and Henry would reach its most celebrated stages after Henry had become a success. Clara Bryant stood by her man, it's true, but there were times when she objected to his practices, and on those occasions she intervened. She is often credited with forcing her reluctant husband to finally give in to labor negotiations. In 1941, most of the workers at Ford's colossal River Rouge Plant walked out on their jobs. Even after a successful strike, Henry Ford refused to negotiate with the UAW. He believed that Ford workers were essentially loyal and that the union had bullied them into striking. The stubborn Ford said, "let the union take over," meaning he wouldn't run the company if they were a part of it. The government informed Ford that they would take over were he to close the plants. Ford was immovable. He insisted the government, by backing the unions, would hurt the American auto industry and not Henry Ford. Finally, though, Henry capitulated. Apparently, Clara informed him that should he close the plants, he would have to seek a new wife.

Are You Asking People To Beat Your Child On A Daily Basis?

Oh Moses smell the roses. Gwenth Paltrow is at it again.

Moses Martin, the couple's second child, was born during the weekend in New York City, the office of Paltrow publicist Stephen Huvane said Monday. No other information was being released.

The "Shakespeare in Love" Oscar winner is 33, the British-born Coldplay rocker is 29. Their daughter, Apple, will be 2 years old on May 14.

She is just asking for her kids to have the ever living shit beat out of them day in and day out.

Preferences

My blogmomma over at Tammis World was talking on saturday about preferences and listed a bunch of hers and then asked which did we perfer.

*Barefoot or shoes? - Barefoot, I can't wait until it's warm enough to remove my slippers and socks. I love the feel of anything under my barefeet.

*Tea - sweet or unsweetened? - Hot and unsweetened

*Clothes - fitted or loose? - Depends on the clothes and the mood, mostly the mood. If I am feeling like I like myself fitted, if I am feeling like a whale or down loose.

*Fish - fresh water or salt water? - Neither, don't really care for fish. But if I have to eat fish (um lent) I like mine packaged in neat squares.

*Gravy or plain? - If it wouldn't be considered wierd or abnormal I would put gravy on everything I eat. That is how much I love gravy (my sister is the same way).

*House - spotless or "lived in"? - A combination of both, I don't like things messy but I don't like it to look like nobody lives there.

*Solitude or people? - Solitude 51% of the time.

*Beer or alcohol? - Depends on my mood, but mostly alcohol because you can get such a variety.

*Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction. Have yet to read a smut book (aka romance novel) that is true.

*Weather - Hot or cold? - HOT, HOT, HOT. It's not hot for me until it reaches at least 95 degrees. Ya I know, why do I live in the great white north then.

So how bout you?

Peanuts, Popcorn and Cracker Jacks

The smell of spring is in the air, blue skies, crisp morning air, beer, cracker jacks, bats, balls and young men's fancies turning to baseball.

Today is the Home Opener for the Detroit Tigers!

Yea!

I heart baseball. Always have been a huge fan and I have a pretty impressive baseball card collection.

Today, hubby will be at the game. He's been to every home opener for the past 20 years with his friends.

This year is differnt for the Tigers though, they are kicking some ass and taking names. The have gotten off to an impressive 5-1 start, the best start for them in 20 years. They are leading the league with a very impressive 17 home runs in only 6 games.

It's going to be an exciting year this year and I hope the TV stations are kicking themself for not wanting to air Tiger games. We only get to watch 112 games on TV out of 162 games they play. The other teams around the league have just about every game on TV.

Today In Automotive History

1972 Fiat executive is executed

Italian Fiat executive Oberdan Sallustro was executed by Argentine Communist guerrillas 20 days after he was kidnapped in Buenos Aires. During the '60s and '70s, Argentina was a violent ideological battleground. Communist organizers resisted the oppression of the Fascist dictator Juan Peron. The era was famous for its "desaparecidos," the inexplicable disappearances of Peron's political opponents at the hands of his security forces. Unfortunately, it was not only Peron who was guilty of atrocities. Sallustro was very likely targeted as a member of Fiat because of Peron's strong love for Italy. A symbol of the established power, Sallustro fell victim to a battle over which he had no control. His murder was regarded as a tragedy. Communist revolutionaries tried to claim that his execution was "approved" by the people of Argentina, but the argument was hollow.

Stupid Little Fairy's

Why is it the more "labeled" your group is the more you see racism in things?

Have you seen the new Dodge Caliber commerical where there is a fairy flying around changing things into cutesy things and then flies to a Dodge Caliber and it's too tough to be changed into a cutesy thing?

Funny isn't it?

Not so to gays.

The Dodge Caliber's "Anything but Cute" advertising campaign featuring a fairy in one television spot is anything but funny to some in the gay community.

Some viewers and gay rights supporters have complained the Chrysler Group commercial -- dubbed "Too Tough" and featuring a fluttering fairy zapping buildings and trains into cuter-looking gingerbread houses and toy trains -- is offensive and borders on homophobic.

The fairy is unsuccessful at transforming a black Caliber and is mocked by a male passer-by walking a dog. "Silly little fairy," he says.

As retribution, the fairy turns the pedestrian's button-down shirt and jeans attire into white shorts and a polo shirt draped with a preppy sweater. His black dog leash becomes four pink ones connected to Pomeranians. The suggestion, some say, is the man was turned into a homosexual.

I see the man more as a preppy or metrosexual then a gay guy. Guy gays wouldn't be caught dead in a polo shirt.

"It directly finds humor with the term fairy, referring not just to the type that flies around with a magic wand, but also the universally recognizable gay stereotype of an effeminate gay man," the Commercial Closet said in an online review of the ad. Thenon-profit organizationmonitors marketing tactics that could be offensive to gays and lesbians.

So I guess Tinkerbell is a gay guy?

Come on people, stop looking (hard) to find things to bitch about. I would guess that most people that bitch about being "repressed" or discriminated against don't really know what those even mean.

Ethics? They Don't Need No Stinking Ethics

American car companies have a problem with trying to break into markets other than the U.S. and Europe. Other countries do limit that number of cars American car companies can sell there (Japan for example) but other countries prefer to do business another way, a way in which American car companies don't wish to do business.

Kia Motors President Chung Eui-sun has been reportedly barred from leaving the country amid a widening probe into suspicions that Kia and its parent Hyundai Motor may have created slush funds to bribe government officials.

Chung Eui-sun is the only of Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo, who recently flew to the U.S. in what appears to be a move to avoid expanding investigation into the two automakers.

Prosecutors have raided offices of the two automakers and their affiliates - Kia, logistics unit Glovis Co., and parts maker Hyundai Autonet. They later questioned key officials of the companies.

Glovis is suspected of embezzling company money to create slush funds.

Company officials said Chung's one-week trip, which includes a visit to its Alabama plant, had been planned before the investigation was launched last month.

Hyundai Motor is suspected of paying a lobbyist billions of won (millions of dollars) from slush funds to use his influence to acquire construction approvals and business permits.

At least American car companies have ethics about something.

Hattip: The Car Connection

Today In Automotive History

1922 Haugdahl races at Daytona

Racer Sig Haugdahl drove the Wisconsin Special over 180mph on a one-way run at the Daytona Beach racing oval. Haugdahl's speed was a remarkable 24mph faster than the previous world-land speed record. A Norwegian immigrant who settled in Minnesota, Sig Haugdahl began his racing career in 1918. He became the IMCA champion but was considered an outsider by the more influential USAC governing body. Eager to prove he could outrace anybody, Haugdahl built his own car with the specific aim of unseating then USAC champion Tommy Milton. The fruit of Haugdahl's endeavor was the Wisconsin Special, so named because of its massive 836 cubic-inch Wisconsin Airplane engine. Antique car restorer Paul Freehill explained the mechanics of the Wisconsin Special's engine, "It's World War I technology that's leftover. There wasn't a clutch or anything; the engine was hooked directly to the rear axle." But however primitive the propulsion system may have been, Haugdahl had to be an innovator to make the car stay on the ground. He tapered the exposed parts of his car to cut drag. Where structural tapering was impossible, he wrapped parts in tape to cut drag. Haugdahl was also the first man to balance the wheels and tires on his race car. It was essential that Haugdahl pay attention to the smallest details, as the size of his engine left little room for error. The Wisconsin Special was only 20 inches wide. Even the 5'3" Haugdahl had to squeeze to fit in. Imagine the thrill of racing at 180mph on a sand course with the Wisconsin Special roaring a few feet from your back. Haugdahl was the first man to travel three miles in a minute, but his record was never observed by the USAC governing body as none of its members were present to witness the event. Those who were present witnessed a veritable miracle. Haugdahl's unofficial record would go untouched for over a decade.

Today In Automotive History

1934 Ford introduces whitewalls

The Ford Motor Company announced white sidewall tires as an option on its new vehicles at a cost of $11.25 per set. Whitewalls soon became associated with style and money. By the 1950s, whitewalls were standard on many cars, and it would be hard to imagine a '55 Corvette without a corresponding set of whitewall treads. The popularity of whitewalls continued well into the 1960s. Car companies offered different width white bands in a race to make their whitewalls whiter. In the James Bond film Dr. No, 007 drives a Sunbeam with wire wheels and special-ordered five-inch white-walled tires. Henry Ford was never known as a fashion revolutionary, but he was onto something with the whitewalls.

Today In Automotive History

1923 Firestone produces new tires

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, began balloon-tire production. The company had previously experimented with large-section, thin-walled tires with small bead diameters for special purposes, but none had been put on the commercial market. Firestone had become the country's largest producer of tires when it received the contract to supply Henry Ford's Model T's with tires. The company remained on top of the tire industry, challenged for supremacy only by Goodyear. Balloon tires provided better handling and a smoother ride for car drivers. In balloon tires an inner tube is fitted inside the tire and inflated. With Firestone's innovation came the era of the flat tire. Sure, people had problems with their cars before 1923; but none had yet enjoyed the pleasure of standing by the roadside watching their hissing tire deflate along with their hopes of arriving on time.

COX2 Good For Cancer

I have written quite extensively about taking Celebrex and the articles in the newspapers about it causing heart probelms and strokes in long term, high doseage uses.

Well, finally something good comes from it.

Patients who took prescription pain relievers known as COX-2 inhibitors were less likely to develop breast cancer than others who did not have a history of taking the drugs, a study released on Tuesday said.

Evidence is growing that blocking the COX-2 enzyme, a key component of inflammation, might help fight some cancers. On Monday, two large studies showed high doses of Celebrex taken daily for three years reduced the formation of pre-cancerous growths in the colon.

Today In Automotive History

1996 Jaguar introduces convertible

Jaguar introduced its new SK8 convertible at the New York International Auto Show. The SK was the sports car version of the XK car released a few months before. The two models were Jaguar's first entirely new designs since the company became a Ford subsidiary in 1989. Powered by the Advanced Jaguar V-8 coupled with a five-speed automatic gearbox, the SK lives up to Jaguar's historic line of powerful sports cars. However, Jaguar purists argue that the lines of the car body itself are not Jaguar lines. Ford executives claim that they have not meddled with the integrity of the Jaguar marque, and so any lines that don't look like they came from Jaguar designs still came from Jaguar designers. Judge for yourself: would Sir William Lyons turn in his grave to see the new look of Jaguar?