February 26, 2008
Regulations Can't Save Lives
Roof crush on SUV's has been a huge topic this year, with advocates saying that lives could be saved if only roofs were strenthen on SUV's. Because as of now they are just crushing people to death. /sarcasm off
Take the roof-crush standard. Safety advocates successfully forced the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. to double the standard. Enormous technical efforts and scientific studies were thrown at this issue, which will end up making vehicles heavier and costlier.
There goes your gas mileage improvements. People just don't understand that safety devices add weight to vehicles, weight makes gas mileage go down. To make vehicles lighter you have to reduce safety devices on vehicles.
But hey, people don't have to worry about that, that is something the vehicle manufacturers have to worry about.
So roof crush will go up, but what are the statistics behind getting the government to mandate stronger roof crush mandates?
Safety advocates argue that rollovers account for only 3% of accidents, but nearly 25% of fatalities, about 10,000 a year.
Yep, only 3% of accidents involve rollovers. Funny, listening to the news you would think every accident has a huge change of rolling over.
But does roof crush really cause all of those 10,000 fatilities?
Yet, when you dive into the details, you find the vast majority of those killed in rollovers were ejected from the vehicle because they were not wearing a seatbelt.
They were not wearing seatbelts.
Why is it that people still don't understand that very basic premises? Seatbelts do save lives, if you wear them.
So now that the auto manufacturers have to increase roof crush how many lives each year will that increase in vehicle weight and decrease in gas mileage save?
NHTSA’s own analysis shows the new roof-crush standard might, maybe, possibly, hopefully save 476 lives a year.
476 lives, just .05% of lives that are lost each year to roof crush.
I wonder, out of those 10,000 lives, how many would be saved if people just buckled up instead?
February 21, 2008
Little Old Ladies From Pasadena
This is freaking hilerious!
A guy runs a red light and hits a car with 4 little old ladies.
The guy on the phone (in a different car) witnesses it as he is talking to his friend and describes what he sees.
Careful, you may pee yourself laughing
February 20, 2008
I Need An Intervention
Hi, my name is Crazy Dog Lady and I have a collar addiction problem.
Someone on one of my doggie groups asked how many collars did their males have.
Note: The females all have many, many, many collars. Usually the male puppers don't have a lot.
I just counted and Lance and Maggie each have 17 collars a piece!!!!!!
AGH....
That doesn't include the 6 I have set aside for rescue or the 4 I just threw out because they were worn out badly.
Well, they do need a different collar on every week, I mean come on they have to look good because you know it reflects back on to me. Got to make sure the Jones keep up with me.
And I have a list of ones I need want to get them yet. And they come out with new matrials all the time.
Gads .... I really do need help
Courts Screw Chrysler, Side With Plastech
The courts have screwed not only Chrysler but have set a presidence with it's ruling.
A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday denied Chrysler LLC's request to take back its tooling from supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc., saying the loss of Chrysler work would hurt Plastech's chances of successfully reorganizing.
The courts have basically set the rules saying that if someone wants to move their business all you have to do is declare bankruptcy and you will keep their business.
Screw free enterprise I guess.
In a 43-page opinion issued Tuesday, Judge Phillip Shefferly cited three main reasons for his ruling:• While Chrysler owns the tooling, Plastech possesses it. That "interest alone is sufficient" to deny the motion, Shefferly wrote.
• The loss of Chrysler's business, some $190 million annually, would threaten Plastech's viability.
• Chances of a Plastech turnaround would be nil. If Chrysler took immediate possession of its tooling, and shipments to other companies were interrupted, the judge wrote, "any prospect of an effective reorganization will be lost."
So even though Chrysler owns the tooling, possession is 9/10's of the law. And the Judge and Plastech say that if Chrysler takes their tooling they will go out of business. Maybe they should have thought of that before acting all high and mighty and screwing auto makers with their bad products. Quality actually means something now a days, maybe Plastech didn't get the memo.
Shefferly acknowledged Chrysler will be harmed by his ruling. He wrote that the automaker will suffer financially from continued bailout payments to Plastech and is at risk for supply disruption -- and therefore factory shutdowns -- if the supplier fails to deliver parts on time. Plastech provides parts for all Chrysler's cars and trucks. (emphasis mine)
The JUDGE acknowledges that Chrysler is getting screwed in this deal. Guess we know who contributed to that Judges campaign.
The ruling may embolden other suppliers to take a hard-line approach, said John Henke, a supplier consultant and president of Planning Perspectives Inc.
Now that suppliers know that the courts are mostly going to rule in their favor, they will start blackmailing the auto makers even more.
In todays automotive world only the strong will survive, if a supplier is days away from going out of business they need to look at their practices.
February 19, 2008
60 Things About Me
Found this over at Pamibe's and thought I would bore you all with my life.
Below the fold
1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Nothing because Mr Weenie is obsessive about leaving things in the car, it's not allowed
2. When was the last time you threw up?
November 2005, took an antibiotic for my strep/bronchitis and threw it back up.
3. What’s your favorite curse word?
Fuck.
4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Mr Weenie, Lance and Maggie
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Surfing
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Surfing
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Surfing
8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Yep.
9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
Love you (to Mr Weenie on the phone)
10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Anything containing the word chocolate
11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Herbal Tea
12. What are you wearing right now?
Dress pants, shirt and sweater
13. What was the last thing you ate?
Mini powdered donuts
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
No.
15. When was the last time you ran?
April 2007 (foot got to bad to do more than walk slowly)
16. What’s the last sporting event you watched?
Super Bowl
18. Who is the last person you emailed?
Work person
19. Ever go camping?
Yep, use to go all the time. But I got married and that ended that.
20. Do you have a tan?
I live in the Great White North, it's February, nuff said.
24. Do you drink your soda Pop from a straw?
Only at restuarants.
25. What did your last IM say?
Never have IM'ed
26. Are you someone’s best friend?
Yep.
27. What are you doing tomorrow?
SSDD (same shit, different day)
28. Where is your mom right now?
In another state, and thank the good lord for that.
29. Look to your left, what do you see?
Co-worker
30. What color is your watch?
Band in black, face has Mickey
31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Opera house
32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Hell yes!
33. What is your birthstone?
Emerald
34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Drive-thru
35.How many kids do you want?
Human kids, none. Furkids, many
36. Do you have a dog?
You mean furkids? Yes
37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Mr Weenie
38. Have you met anyone famous?
Yep, they actually live around the block from us. Mr Gettlefinger, UAW President.
39. Any plans today?
Surfing
40. How many states have you lived in?
One
41. Ever go to college?
Yep, loved every minute and every degree!
42. Where are you right now?
Work
43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Work
44. Last song listened to?
Ain't Going Down to the Sun Comes Up, Garth Brooks (streaming radio at work)
46. Are you allergic to anything?
Antibiotics (see #2)
47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Depends on the season, summer is sandels, winter is shoes I have on now.
48. Are you jealous of anyone?
No.
50. Is anyone jealous of you?
bwahahahahahaha
51. What time is it?
10:14 am est
52. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes
53. Do you eat healthy?
Sort of
54. What do you usually do during the day?
Surf
55. Do you hate anyone right now?
Hate? No, Lothe, dispise, digusted by? Yes
56. Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily?
Yes
58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
41
59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Nope
60. How did you get one of your scars?
Which one, foot, toe, kneesssss, upper lip, forehead, or legs? I was an active child.
February 15, 2008
Cross The River
Here is sort of a brain teaser game (it's in Chinese) ... the object is to get everyone across the river.
Click on the large blue circle to start, click the people to get on and off the raft, click the red poles to move the raft.
The are rules are:
1. Everybody has to cross the river.
2· Maximum 2 persons on the raft at a time
3· The father can not stay with any of the daughters without the mother.
4· The mother can not stay with any of the sons without the father.
5· The thief (red head in striped shirt) can not stay with any family member if the Policeman is not there.
6· Only the Father, the Mother and the Policeman know how to operate raft
Friday Doggie Blogging
Lance and Maggie just got some new knitted sweaters from A & B Originals!
Angela does great work and the sweaters are absolutely gorgeous on them!
I got them each a short sweater and a long sweater.
First up short sweaters, Lance got a red one and Maggie got a gold one.
The camera flash kind of washed out the pictures because in real life they are awesome!
And now the long sweaters. Lance got a black one and Maggie got a brown one!
And now pictures with both of them in it.
February 14, 2008
Tax Rebate Truth Comes Out
I, as well as everyone else, has been wondering just where we are going to end up paying for those tax rebeats we will be getting in the mail this summer.
It's not a rebate per say, but it really is an advance on your 2008 taxes.
But filers will have to reconcile any money they receive this year when they file their 2008 returns."It harks back to the 2001 situation when we got the new 10 percent bracket and got an advance check for that. Then on next return had to account for it," says Luscombe. "It's expected to be that way this time."
The 2008 tax forms should have a line for the new credit. When calculating taxes next year, taxpayers will have to subtract what they got as a rebate check the previous summer.
"Some people might think that's unfair," says Luscombe, "but they got the money, and they got it early."....
Because the law is technically an advance credit on 2008 taxes(emphasis mine)
So it's just the government loaning us money as a speculation of what we would receive back for our 2008 taxes.
But what happens if you never recieve money back from your taxes? The article doesn't explain that situation.
Toledo County Commisioners Have Class
Toledo's Mayor may not have class but at least the County Commisioners have class.
It won't make-up for the training weekend they missed but it's something.
Lucas County commissioners offered a Marine Reserves unit from Grand Rapids a free night at a hotel, a $50 certificate for a restaurant and a free family admission to the Toledo Zoo.
Fair Trade Really Is Unequal Trade
I don't have much of a problem with Fair Trade agreements, but they must be followed by both sides.
Much of the problem with fair trade agreements is that the U.S. follows them but the other side doesn't. China is a huge one that refuses to follow the rules.
In the sweeping decision, the three-member WTO panel found against China on nearly every point of contention with the United States, the 27-nation EU and Canada. The panel found that Chinese measures "accord imported auto parts less favorable treatment than like domestic auto parts" or "subject imported auto parts to an internal charge in excess of that applied to like domestic auto parts."
China is protecting it's own industries, a concept that the U.S. needs to learn.
The three trade powers argued that the tariff was discouraging automakers from using imported car parts for the vehicles they assemble in China. As a result, car parts companies had an incentive to shift production to China, costing Americans, Canadians and Europeans their jobs, they said.(emphasis mine)
Oops, did someone just say that unfair trade practices were costly U.S. workers their jobs?
China, which will still be able to appeal, claims the tariffs are intended to stop whole cars being imported in large chunks, allowing companies to avoid the higher tariff rates for finished cars. It argues that all measures are fully consistent with WTO rules and do not discriminate against foreign auto parts.
Yet there has never been a case where a U.S. manufacturer is chopping cars up and sending them in as parts. That would be very costely just to get around a tariff.
It's about time someone is calling China to the carpet, lets hope that things actually change.
Real Reason Plastech Filed Bankruptcy??
Could this be the real reason Plastech filled for bankruptcy?
Plastech's attorneys said Chrysler does not have the right to take the tooling because its Feb. 1 bankruptcy filing protects it from having to surrender those assets. (emphasis mine)
Makes you wonder if the only reason Plastech filled for bankruptcy was so Chrysler couldn't take their own tooling.
There is a hearing tomorrow about the release of the tooling. Chrysler is claiming bad quality, Plastech's financial situation is why they decided to cancel their contracts and pull their tools.
Douglas Doran, Chrysler director of interior purchasing, said that consultants BBK Ltd.'s advice that Plastech was financially insolvent was the primary reason Chrysler sought to end its relationship with the company.In addition, he said Chrysler on three occasions sent a third-party to work with Plastech on quality issues and cited Plastech on some 450 specific quality issues in 2007 alone. (emphasis mine)
HOLY CRAP?
450 quality issues in one year?
And that is just with Chrysler, how many quality issues for all customers did Plastech have last year?
The same attorneys argue that removing the tooling would be disruptive to Plastech's overall business operations and that it's difficult in some cases to determine which tooling belongs to Chrysler.
I have to call bullshit on this one. Experience tells me that Plastech and Chrysler know very well who owns what, it's specifically put into the contracts who owns the tools.
This is going to get interesting.
Global Warming & Auto Industry
Just some comments on a couple articles about global warming and the impact on the auto industry.
The first was an interview with Bob Lutz, GM's head honcho:
Bob Lutz is a man who always speaks his mind, no matter how outlandish, which is why it should be no surprise the General Motors honcho says global warming "is a total crock of sh*t."
You gotta love someone who speaks their mind!
Lutz said he's pushing the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle because “I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2 (argument).”
The second article is about the North American Dealers Association is backing the auto industry on it's fight against allowing California (and 15 other states) to set their own fuel standards.
Car buyers select vehicles that meet their needs, and they should decide what works and what doesn’t, she says. “It’s that simple. You can’t wave a government wand and make consumers buy a particular type of vehicle.“We don’t want policies that stifle consumer demand. We want to accelerate it. We know our customers want fuel efficiency, but we also know they won’t sacrifice safety and functionality – or pay extra.”
Customers should be the ones to make the decision on what they want to buy, they shouldn't be forced to buy what the government tells them they can buy.
Obama Flip Flop To Gain Votes
Obama was at a GM auto plant yesterday trying to get votes from the demographic that isn't to keen on supporting him: the white, male, blue-collar worker.
"I believe that if our government is there to support you, and give you the assistance you need to retool and make this transition ....As president, he said he would spend $210 billion to create jobs in construction and environmental industries: $150 billion for 5 million "green-collar" jobs to develop more environmentally friendly energy, and $60 billion to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other projects. He estimated that could generate nearly 2 million jobs, many of them in construction, hard hit by the housing crisis.
Yet back in May Obama was in Detroit and had this to say ...
While the policy prescriptions were not remarkably different, Obama's words were significantly different than those of nine months ago. In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, the Illinois senator aimed at the Big Three in a way that many state Democrats considered unfair and damaging."The auto industry is on a path that is unacceptable and unsustainable," Obama said in May. "For too long, we've been either too afraid to ask our automakers to meet higher fuel standards or unwilling to help them do it."
The words stung, and Obama has repeated them often in his drive for the Democratic presidential nomination. In television ads, debates and at campaign rallies, the speech has become a centerpiece of Obama's political identity: that of a new kind of politician, willing to tell uncomfortable truths to unfriendly audiences.
He pissed off a lot of people with those words and now he is graveling to get those votes back.
Can't have it both ways Obama, pick a stance and stick to it.
February 13, 2008
Plastech Gets Reprieve, For Now
Looks like Plastech will be getting the needed funding to continue business through the end of Feburary.
Plastech Engineered Products Inc. this afternoon received financing that will allow it to continue operations, including making payroll, though Feb. 27.The Dearborn-based supplier's banks will provide it with $18 million. Plastech customers General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Johnson Controls Inc. provided funds to back the financing.
There is no report on whether Chrysler will get it's tooling back or not but GM and Ford have come out in support of Chrysler bid to get their tooling back.
GM "strongly supports" Chrysler's assertion of a right to take back the tooling from bankrupt Plastech, GM attorney Robert Weiss said today at the hearing in Detroit. Ford lawyer Stephen LaPlante also endorsed Chrysler. Both declined to comment further.
The Plastech Story Gets More Fishy
This whole Plastech thing has people wondering what the whole thing is about.
A bankruptcy judge Tuesday allowed distressed supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc. to sell $17.1 million worth of inventory at four plants to Johnson Controls Inc
It's not plants Plastech wants to sell, it's just inventory plastech has on hand.
Plastech needs to secure financing quickly. Company officials expressed concern about making payroll this week, which compelled Shefferly to move swiftly in approving the sale of inventory to Johnson Controls. Typically such a sale would require a 20-day notice.The inventory is completed components, work in progress and raw materials from four North American plants which Johnson Controls operates for Plastech. Those components are for Johnson Control assemblies. (emphasis mine)
I don't understand why Plastech would need permission to sell it's own stock to it's customer (Johnson Controls). Would someone know why? Does it have something to do with the bankruptcy?
If I was working for Plastech I would be scared about not getting paid and would run out right away and cash that paycheck.
Plastech is working with the courts to secure money from it's customers so they have money to run until their court hearing on Feb 27th. Of course they made it clear that Chrysler isn't one of the customers helping with the financing, and I don't blame them.
Chrysler still hasn't been allowed to claim their tools, but are going before the courts today about it.
This whole mess is Plastech's fault. If they are bad enough finacially that they might not beable to meet payroll then they were in a finacial crisis long before Chrysler decided to pull their tools. That kind of financial problems have been a long time in coming and Plastech knew this.
Sounds to me like Plastech thought they could just blackmail the auto makers into giving them money to keep them afloat.
Hopefully we will find out more tomorrow, after the court hearing today.
Tree Huggers Getting Bitch-slapped By Their Own
I think it's hilerous when the tree huggers get laws passed and then those laws prove more harming to the enviroment then the thing they are trying to outlaw.
The ink is still moist on Capitol Hill's latest energy bill and, as if on cue, a scientific avalanche is demolishing its assumptions. To wit, trendy climate-change policies like ethanol and other biofuels are actually worse for the environment than fossil fuels.
Guess things like doing in depth research for all senarious isn't something tree huggers take much stock in.
The rebukes arrive via two new studies in Science, a peer-reviewed journal not known for right-wing proclivities. The first, by ecologists at Princeton and the Woods Hole Research Center, reviews the environmental consequences of increased biofuel consumption, which had never been examined comprehensively.
I like that they specifically pointed out that isn't not a right wing institute.
The researchers break new ground by exposing a kind of mega-accounting error: Prior studies had never credited the carbon-dioxide emissions that arise when virgin forests, grasslands and the like are cleared to grow biofuel feedstocks. About 2.7 times more carbon is stored in terrestrial soils and plant material than in the atmosphere, and this carbon is released when these areas are cleared (often by burning) and the soil is tilled. Compounding problems is the loss of "carbon sinks" that absorb atmospheric CO2 in the bargain. Previous projections had also ignored the second-order effects of transferring normal farm land to biofuels, which exerts world-wide pressure on land use.
I can't beleive one wouldn't think that people are going to turn to growing corn if there is a huge demand and large quanities of getting money from it.
But how much damage is the "new" tree hugging loving techknowlege going to cost us?
So, incredibly, when the hidden costs of conversion are included, greenhouse-gas emissions from corn ethanol over the next 30 years will be twice as high as from regular gasoline. In the long term, it will take 167 years before the reduction in carbon emissions from using ethanol "pays back" the carbon released by land-use change.
Bwahahahahahhaha
The second study comes out of the University of Minnesota and the Nature Conservancy and explores what the authors call the "carbon debt" when native ecosystems are converted to biofuel stock. Until the debt is repaid, biofuels from those fields will be greater net emitters than the fossil fuels they replace. The authors find that the debt for corn ethanol in the U.S. is between 48 and 93 years. In Indonesia and Malaysia, which have a 1.5% annual rate of deforestation to produce palm oil for Western European biodiesel, the debt is as high as 423 years. Yep, that's four centuries. Even Fidel Castro won't last that long.
Bwahahahahahhaha, oh stop it, your killing me, bwahahahahahaha
And what does the author think the tree huggers will do about these revalations?
Our guess is that these new revelations will also be ignored. They're too embarrassing.
Bwahahahahahhaha
(all emphasis is mine)
February 12, 2008
This Quiz Says It All
| You Are the Middle Finger |
 You are balanced, easy to get along with, and quite serious. However, you can get angry and fed up with those around you. And you aren't afraid to show it! You get along well with: The Index Finger Stay away from: The Pinky |
February 06, 2008
Chrysler Up and Running
News reports are saying that Chrysler is back up and running.
How is that possible?
On Friday is was reported that Plastech stopped making parts for Chrysler, Chrysler was going to pull the tools and ended up shutting down 4 plants because they ran out of parts. Yes on Tuesday evening they started back up again?
Chrysler reached an interim agreement with Plastech Engineered Products Inc. Tuesday that allowed the automaker to resume production at four plants idled Monday by a contract dispute with the supplier that threatened to shut down all of Chrysler's assembly sites.
Plastech wouldn't have made any parts for Chrysler until the settlement was reached, and they shouldn't have had any parts in stock because Chrysler shut down 4 plants because they had no stock.
From my been there, done that experience there is no way in hell Chrysler would have had enough parts to run shifts starting Tuesday night. Plastech couldn't have run parts for Chrysler for 24 hours because they have other customers that still need parts too.
Something does not smell right at all, there is so much to this story that we are not hearing about.
Chrysler acknowledged in court filings that it and other automakers entered into an "accommodation agreement" with Plastech to help it avoid bankruptcy. But Chrysler lost patience and demanded that Plastech return the tools needed to manufacture its parts.That prompted Plastech to seek bankruptcy protection, according to the company's general counsel, Kelvin Scott. "That was the only way we could stop them," he told reporters after Tuesday's hearing. "Otherwise, we had no intention of filing."
So what Plastech is saying the only reason they filled for bankruptcy was so Chrysler couldn't have their tools.
Others sources said Plastech was already in serious financial trouble, in part because of rising resin prices exacerbated by declining production at the automakers. Plastech also had defaulted on some loan covenants and was heavily in debt. Chrysler, burned by the failed bailout of Collins & Aikman, didn't want to participate in another financial rescue of a failing supplier.Plastech is not the only one pointing a finger at Chrysler.
"Chrysler caused this bankruptcy," said attorney Frank Merola, who represents creditors in the Plastech case. "We intend to hold Chrysler fully responsible."
He objected to keeping the details of the agreement between Plastech and Chrysler secret, but the court said it had no authority to rule on it during Tuesday's hearing.
Chrysler denied provoking Plastech's bankruptcy filing, as did Cerberus. "We didn't toss them out of business. Why would we want to do that?" asked Tim Price, a Cerberus managing director who said the decision to demand the return of Chrysler's tooling was made at its Auburn Hills headquarters -- not in New York.
So Plastech is blaming Chrysler, yet others say Plastech was already headed down that road.
In my opinion it sounds like Plastech is setting up a situation to sue Chrysler. Why do I think that? Because of this line from Plastech lawyers ...
"Chrysler caused this bankruptcy," said attorney Frank Merola, who represents creditors in the Plastech case. "We intend to hold Chrysler fully responsible."
Maybe they found a way to blackmail Chrysler into keeping the $200 Million worth of contracts at Plastech.
This could get as interesting as the circus surrounding Detroit's Mayor right now!
February 05, 2008
Mississippi Legislature = Food Nazi's
I can not believe this hasn't made it into the blogsphere yet ...
Mississippi has a house bill proposed that will make it illegal to sell fast food to obese people.
I am not kidding
House bill 282
Link to bill
Great, the bills author is a skinny white Republican. The bills co-authors are a fat white republican and a skinny white democrat.
I Am Famous!
I got a blog link from the Wall Street Journal for my post about Plastech and Chrysler!
Actual website page
And here is a screen catch of the page
February 04, 2008
Faith Moves Mountains, But Cash Moves Employees
Head west east young man women.
Next month at work we are moving to another building in another city.
I guess employer has been getting some very nice offers for the land we are currently occupying and they are proving to be to irresistable to said company.
But they told us that offically they are just moving people so the entire division (Customer service division) is under one roof.
They are moving a group of people every 3 days.
This is going to suck.
Only a little longer drive, but much more traffic to deal with.
This week is cleaning week as the moving commences in 2 weeks.
I can not believe the stuff that is being thrown out. Want to talk about a cost save, geez they could gather up a lot of the stuff and redistribute to other places.
But on the up side, the building that I will be moving to also holds the department in which I started out in. I still know quite a few people, so looks like I will get to start going out to lunch with them again! Yea for me.
The building I am moving into is probably the only building from my company that I have never worked at in that city.
Plastech Screws Chrysler Screws Plastech
There is so much wrong doing on both sides it's hard to keep track.
Plastech is a huge plastic part supplier in the automotive industry.
I hate dealing with them because they have a holier then thou attitude and their quality sucks, big time.
But they are "minority owned" and the owner just happens to be married to a big shot at Ford. Gee guess you can figure out how they are still in business and where they got a lot of their business from *wink wink*
Chrysler reports they are having to close down plants because Plastech is no longer making their parts.
Chrysler LLC has closed four assembly plants and may be forced to shutter the rest of its global assembly operations within a short time due to a dispute with supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc, which filed for bankruptcy court protection on Friday.
But reading further you find out that Chrysler is in a pissing match with Plastech and went and just up and cancelled all their contracts with Plastech.
Chrysler, which terminated all its contracts with Plastech on Friday due to the supplier's "ongoing financial struggles," said in documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Michigan that it may be forced to quickly close 12 assembly plants around the world because the supplier is no longer shipping parts to the Chrysler plants.
Chrysler makes it look like Plastech is trying to blackmail them by asking for more money and more money for Chrsyler to pull their tooling out of Plastech plants.
Chrysler and "various other customers" of Plastech provided the struggling supplier with $46 million so it could continue to supply parts, according to court documents. Chrysler said it kicked in $6.9 million of the total.Along with that initial payment from the customers, Chrysler said Plastech agreed all tooling would belong to the respective customers and they would have the right to take possession of the equipment at any time without payment, according to court documents.
However, Plastech came back to Chrysler and said it needed more money so Chrysler and the other customers entered into a second agreement on January 22, under which Chrysler accelerated $10.7 million in payments to Plastech under existing contracts, according to court documents. In total, the customer group gave Plastech $40 million in accelerated payments.
But Chrysler is also saying that Plastech just decided to stop producing their parts and won't release their tooling and Plastech is at fault for Chryslers work stoppage.
I am calling bullshit on both sides here.
Plastech has a contract stating they are to make parts for Chrysler, even with Chrysler pulling their contracts Plastech has an obligation to fullfill until the tooling is gone.
But ...
Something just doesn't smell right at Chrysler.
One, you don't just up and announce you are ending all the contracts and want your tooling now.
You inform that on a certain date you will be ending your contract and want your tooling. You have them build banks of parts to last you until the new suppliers are up and running.
New suppliers, when pushed under extreme circumstances to get things up and running immediately will need at least 2-3 weeks. Its not like they can just pop the tooling into their machines and start running it. Been there, done that, it's not for the faint of heart.
Chrysler knows this, that is why something smells fishy at Chrysler.
Could this be the beginning of the end that Chrysler is looking for?
February 01, 2008
(Insert Evil Laugh Here)
| You Are Destined to Rule the World |
 Which is both kind of cool and kind of scary! Will you rule the world? Maybe. Maybe not. But at least you know that you could. |
25 Signs You Have Grown Up
25 SIGNS YOU HAVE GROWN UP
1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of? 'hook up' and 'break up.'
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as 'dressed up.'
10. You're the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won't turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer 'pretty good stuff.'
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. 'I just can't drink the way I used to' replaces 'I'm never going to drink that much again.'
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking 'Oh S*$# what the hell happened?'